Monday, December 29th, 2014 Edition

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Monday, December 29, 2014 Rabiul Al-Awwal 7, 1436 AH

. . . putting the people first 259 Days after Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

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N150 Vol. 15 No. 23

Nigeria world’s largest yam producer - Report >> page 3

February polls

INEC screens Jonathan, Buhari, guber candidates

By Ahmed Abubakar

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s the general elections that would take place in February next year draw

closer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the screening of candidates for various elective offices whose names have been

submitted to it by various party leaders.

According to the INEC guidelines obtained from its official website yesterday, both

the presidential and governorship screenings would commence at the commission’s headquarters on January 16 to 18 respectively.

President Jonathan will be

screened as PDP Presidential candidate, while General Muhammadu Buhari will be Contd on Page 2

Search for missing AirAsia flight hits brickwall

>> page 2

The Airbus A320 lost contact with air traffic control as it flew over Indonesia at about 6.16am local time

Weeping relatives await news of the missing Air Asia plane at Juanda Airport in Indonesia

Ex council chair dies after sex romp in hotel

>> page 5

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

News CONTENTS News 2-11 Editorial 13 Op.Ed 14 Letters 15 Politics 16-18 Business Stockwatch

19-22 23

S/Report 24-25 Feature 26

2015: Who will Nigerians vote as president?

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Metro

32

Int’l 39 S/World

39

Sports 41 Columnist 48

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INEC screens Jonathan, Buhari, others Contd on Page 2 screened as APC Presidential candidate.

The screening which is part of the commission’s guidelines for the February polls would be the climax of the preparation for elections as political parties have only 46 days from today.

Meanwhile, INEC is also expected to set-up a mobile committee unit that would screen both candidates for Senatorial

and House of Representatives alongside short listed candidates for State Houses of Assembly members from January 4th to 14th.

The screening of all assembly members would be conducted in their respective states while the screening and credential committee is expected to extensively peruse all credentials that qualify the candidates for the elective posts they are vying for.

A penalty of not less than N500, 000 would be charged against any fraudulent party that contravenes the law by allowing an ineligible candidate’s name to the commission.

It would be recalled that INEC had already received all names alongside credentials for various parties’ Presidential, governorship and legislative houses candidates that would participate in the fourth coming general elections.

However, it is worth noting that only 10 amongst the registered political parties have presented candidates for presidential election in the February polls.

INEC, it was gathered, would be using the amended 1999 constitution and the Electoral Act (2010 as amended) as their guide for the screening and verification of the documentations presented by the various candidates of the political parties.

Search for missing AirAsia flight hits brickwall

By A’isha Raji Bello with agency report

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n AirAsia plane carrying 162 people from Indonesia to Singapore which vanished early Sunday is still missing as initial search and rescue efforts failed to locate the aircraft.

Flight 8501 was due to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 8.30 a.m. local time after departing from Surabaya, Indonesia. But air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane in Indonesian airspace at about 7:24 a.m., officials said.

“We don’t dare to presume what has happened except that it has lost contact,” Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia’s acting director general of transportation, told reporters.

Some 10 hours after the aircraft vanished, and with darkness having set in, no sign of the errant Airbus A320-200 had been found.

Wet weather also hampered search efforts. The search was set to resume at 6 a.m. Monday.

According to TIME, the plane had 162 people on board, including seven crew and 16 children. No distress signal had been sent.

The six-year-old aircraft had requested to deviate from its submitted flight plan due to bad weather before communication was lost with Indonesian Air Traffic Control, AirAsia said in a statement. The disappearance comes just nine months after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. That plane has yet to be found, in a mystery that captivated the world for months.

Transport Ministry official Hadi

Mustofa Djuraid told Singapore’s Metro TV that contact with Flight 8501 was lost somewhere over the Java Sea between Indonesia’s Kalimantan portion of Borneo and Belitung island off the eastern coast of Sumatra.

The single-aisle, twin-engine jetliner had apparently been flying at 32,000 feet (9,700 meters) when the pilot requested to fly at 38,000 feet (11,600 meters) to avoid cloud cover. However, meteorologists indicate that cloud tops in the vicinity may have reached 53,000 feet (16,200 meters).

“The weather was not good— it was bad—at the estimated location the plane lost contact.

We just received a weather report from the national meteorological, geophysics and climatology agency,” Hadi said.

Earth Networks, a firm that monitors weather conditions across the globe, said there had been a number of lightning strikes between 6:09 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. close to where Flight 8501 was supposed to fly, the New York Times reports.

Flying into a thunderstorm at high altitude may cause icing on control surfaces that freeze corrective actions by pilots, experts say, thus spurring aggressive aircraft maneuvers.

Indonesian Air Force spokesman Hadi Tjahjanto said three aircraft, including a surveillance plane, had been dispatched to the location where contact was lost. The Singapore Air Force and the navy were also scouring the region with two C-130 planes, the Associated Press reports.

“I am shocked to hear the

news, and I am very worried that the plane might have crashed,” a 45-year-old woman with six family members on the plane told AFP at Changi Airport. “They have always flown with AirAsia and there was no problem.”

According to Mike Daniel, a Singapore-based aviation expert with more than three decades experience with the FAA, planes commonly change altitude and routes to avoid inclement weather.

“That’s what you expect pilots to do,” he told TIME. However, Daniel said, “Indonesia is not known for having the best radar coverage and weather radar coverage—they need to update it for both the airports and routes.”

Similarly to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the AirAsia flight’s operator is supposed to have constant supervision and vigilance on the location of its aircraft. “One of the first things the authorities have to do is confirm with the airline where the aircraft is thought to be,” Daniel said.

This information is crucial for search and rescue operations, for which the first critical day has now passed.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said Flight 8501 was flying at typical cruising altitude of 32,000 feet (9,700 meters) when its signal was lost. This is unusual as planes most commonly get into trouble during takeoff or landing.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has suspended the search for the missing AirAsia plane. The search halted at 5.30pm on Sunday as night fell, but would resume at 7am on Today, or even earlier if the weather was good, Indonesian

transport ministry official Hadi Mustofa said.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said his nation was “praying for the safety” of those onboard.

100 Boko Haram killed, 200 arrested in Cameroon

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he Cameroon military forces have defeated Boko Haram fighters, in another encounter, north of the country, the Chinese news agency, Xinhua has reported.

More than 100 suspected Nigerian Boko Haram militants were killed and over 200 arrested during an operation conducted

by Cameroonian army on Friday night in Far-North town of Doble, an army source told Xinhua over phone It was the second major routing of the Boko Haram fighters

by Cameroon forces in less than two weeks.

On 17 December, in clashes in the border trading town of Amchide, Cameroon forces also killed about 180 fighters of Boko Haram.

Xinhua which also reported it said about 3,000 Boko Haram fighters were involved in the attack against Cameroon, but they were subdued after losing 180 men, with three Cameroon soldiers also killed.

The latest face-off near the Nigerian border starred Cameroon Air Force and Rapid Intervention Battalion, an elite army unit stationing in the north.

During the operation, three Cameroonian air force pilots were seriously injured, a military source told Xinhua.

Bauchi bomb blast death toll rises to 19 From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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he Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has revealed that death toll of last Monday bomb explosion at the Central Market in the state capital, Bauchi, has risen to 19 just as the agency stated that property worth N240million were destroyed in the explosion, while a total of 130 shops were razed by the inferno that followed the explosion.

The chairman, Emergency Committee of the Agency, Alhaji Inuwa Bello, stated this over the weekend in Bauchi saying the figures were arrived at following an assessment carried out by the

agency.

Meanwhile, donations are pouring in for the traders of the market towards reconstruction of the razed market, the biggest in Bauchi State.

The state governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, at the weekend announced a personal donation of five trailers of cement for the reconstruction of the destroyed market, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the February, 2015 general election made a donation of N30million his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, made a donation of N1 million, while the

party’s Senatorial candidate for Bauchi South, Ali Wakili,donated N1million.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, who led a Federal Government delegate on Sunday, also announced a donation of N20million, which he said he made on behalf of himself and his friends.

He, however, added that as soon as the state government set modalities in place for the reconstruction of the market, he would mobilize more funds from his friends and associates to facilitate quick reconstruction of the market He said that the federal government has no hand in the

spate of bombings rocking parts of the country, just as it commiserates with victims of Bauchi bomb explosion Representing President Jonathan, Bala said that contrary to insinuations that the administration of Jonathan was not responsible for the recent spate of bombing, the President has nothing to do with it.

He said, “I seize this opportunity to dissuade some of the insinuations and lies that are being said that the federal government has a hand in some of these insurgent and bombings. It is unheard off; it is unfair for anybody to use the blood of people to play politics”.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

News

Adamawa: Notorious drug addict dies in ‘Ogogoro’ drinking competition

From Umar Dankano, Yola

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he residents of Bachure, a suburb housing retired military personnel in Adamawa State were thrown into mourning as a result of the death of a notorious drug addict who has been terrorizing people in the area.

Investigation by our correspondent in Yola revealed that on Saturday the deceased simply identify as Yusuf Bachure engaged his female friend into Alcohol drinking competition as a way to celebrate their Christmas festivity.

The competition took place at a local Beer parlour in the area where the duo (Yusuf and his girl friend) challenged themselves into consumption of a gallon of locally made intoxicant called “Ogogoro” which half way in to the context Yusuf became unconscious and was shouting complaining of pains in his stomach.

When spectators around noticed the scenario, they rushed him to the hospital but he kicked the bucket on the way only to

Gunmen kill 10 in Kaduna From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna with agency report

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unmen on Saturday night attacked and killed 10 residents of Tattaura Village in Kaduna State.

Mike Maikarfi, a pastor, told journalists on Sunday that the victims were having a postChristmas celebration when they were attacked. He said four people also sustained gunshot wounds.

The injured were rushed to a hospital in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, because it was closer than rushing them to Kafanchan in Kaduna, he said.

“The attack took place at 10:12 p.m. while Christmas celebration was going on in the community,” the cleric said.

He added that Tattaura is a community in Ancha District of Ninzo Chiefdom. It is two kilometres east of Gwantu, the headquarters of Sanga Local Government Area.

“The attack took place in a shop where some men were relaxing.

Tattaura community celebrated their Christmas yesterday night (Saturday) with dances by youths, children and adults,” he said.

He listed the names of those killed as Joel Ambo, Yakubu Ambi, Yamu Idzi, Anche Ishaku, Misalai Ngbo, Ishaya Anche, Monday Samson, Joel Anzah, Jonathan Anche and a young man popularly known as P – Square.

As at the time of this report, arrangements to hold a mass burial were being held, while sympathisers and relations were still trooping to the village.

According to Premiumtimes, the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Umar Shehu, who confirmed the incident, said security agents have been dispatched to the village.

No arrests have been made.

return his lifeless body to his family compound at Bachure.

Peoples Daily’s visit to the area saw neighbors in groups discussing about the incident which shocked everybody on

receiving the news of Yusuf Bachure’s death despite the fact they consider him as a nuisance.

Some residents interviewed under condition of anonymity

regretted the way the deceased ended his life in shame leaving his relations and friends with a scar of wound on their hearts.

Some said, they say it coming with the way the deceased was

wasting his precious life when he was alive and opined that this will serve as a lesson to those he left behind with same character for them to change to a better way of livelihood.

L-R: Chief of Staff to the President, Brig-Gen Jones Arogbofa (rtd), Pastor Mshella of Aso Villa Chapel, mother of the President, Mrs Eunice Jonathan, and President Goodluck Jonathan, at a Sunday church service at Christ Apostolic Church, Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

Why Jonathan didn’t visit Chibok – Tanko Yakasai

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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lder statesman who is also Peoples Democratic Party Chieftain, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai on Saturday stated reasons why President Goodluck Jonathan didn’t visit Chibok when over 200 school girls were kidnapped by insurgents months ago.

According to him, it was too risky for President Jonathan to visit the town at that time because of the insecurity in the area.

It could be recalled that over

200 students were kidnapped by insurgents from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok located at Borno State North-Eastern part of the country.

The kidnap of the schools girls led to uproar worldwide with civil right groups and international communities calling on federal government to rescue the girls from their abductors which the government failed to do.

Despite the call, President Jonathan refused to visit the school where the girls were kidnapped and that led to criticism

Nigeria world’s largest yam producer -Report

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Geneticist at the University of Ibadan, Dr Morufat Balogun, on Sunday said Nigeria produced 70 per cent of the yam grown annually and globally.

Balogun, who is also a researcher at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

She said while Nigeria grew 70 per cent of yam annually, other countries shared the remaining 30 per cent.

She said that between 37 and 40 million of metric tons of yam were produced in the world annually.

“Nigeria alone produces 70 per cent of yam every year all over the world, the remaining 30 per cent is shared among Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin

Republic,” Balogun said.

She said in some areas in Southern America, some varieties of the commodity were also produced adding that the production of yam both for import and export largely depended on Nigeria.

“If Nigeria stops to produce yam today, the global production of yam will reduce by 70 per cent and it will affect exportation,’’ she said.

The expert said that production of yam if properly harnessed, could turn around the standard of living of millions of farmers and other investors interested in the business.

She advised farmers to plant more yams so as to improve the economy, saying that the crop could liberate Africa from excessive rice consumption. (NAN)

of his administration.

But Alhaji Tanko Yakasai in a popular FRCN Radio Hausa Programme “Hannu da Yawa” monitored in Kaduna, said soldiers were the right people to be sent to that town and not the president.

“Why I think the president decision not to visit the area was not bad is because we were all aware of the deteriorated level of insecurity in that part of the country. We all know it’s too risky for the president to visit Chibok at that time. The President is not a soldier; soldiers are the people that

should be sent there.

“If I was the president and such an incident occur the right thing for me to do was to send soldiers and to be frank our soldiers are doing their best. We are hearing on radio and read on paper how soldiers were being killed but yet they are doing their best.”

He called on Nigerians to continue advise government on ways to end the killings in the north east as he appealed to Muslims and Christians to continue praying for the cooperate existence of the country.

Violence is APC’s ideology - PDP

By Ahmed Abubakar

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he leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan on his warning to leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and some former office holders to desist from sowing seeds of discord among the people with their incendiary utterances.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Saturday described Mr. President’s statement as a “perfect act in nationalism, the mark of true

leader who is committed to the interest and welfare of the nation and her citizens” and urged the opposition to heed this caution, show decency, patriotism and shun do-or-die quest for power.

The Party said that the President had shown as always that he is “a committed national and patriotic leader, a decent politician, a lover of a united, stable and prosperous Nigeria and a champion of the integrity of the nation’s electoral process.”

According to the PDP, “it is the height of hypocrisy that the APC, known for making inflammatory and divisive

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Page 4 Report

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

2015: Who will Nigerians vote as president?

Ochiaka Ugwu

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here is no doubt that the 2015 election will be a different ball game from the previous ones given the fact that it will not be business as usual.

With the voter’s education going on and the level of awareness in the system, it shows that the high priests of Nigerian politics would be humbled this time around. I mean the money bags, the godfathers or mothers, political profiteers or the 10 percent seekers and finally, the self styled political caterpillars and bulldozers who collectively held that they are divinely gifted to misrule humanity. To this category of people, their actions and inactions are unquestionable whether popular or not as far as it serves their selfish interest. When they are happy, the people are happy, and when they are angry the people are angry.

Nigerian electorate armed with tons of big data and heavy expectations have taken a beating in the incoming elections. In several ways, that could be a good thing for Nigerian democracy. Among other things they have resolved to vote the best candidate that will give meaning to their lives and transform their living conditions for better. It is interesting to know that Nigerians are beginning to understand that the biggest loser in any flawed election is not the candidate but the people who would have benefited from the right candidate’s action plan.

When a better candidate loses in an election, it’s the people that will suffer. Development will be retarded, hunger will intensify, and people’s oriented programmes will be abandoned for narrow minded projects that will only benefit the few. Good for nothing aides will be appointed whose advice and projections will certainly turn out badly.

But February’s elections would be full of surprises. There are clear indications that show that big names and big money may be losing clout or, put another way, that Nigerian voters may be reclaiming some of their independence from the models that would define them.

A case in point was the just concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries where the delegates told billionaire aspirants that their votes are not for sell. The delegates vehemently refused to be bought with money by telling the money bags that they are not for sale voting massively for a no-nonsenseGeneral Mohammadu Buhari who stands well in winning the contest in February.

While the APC congress was adjudged to be very transparent by political observers, the one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where only President Goodluck Jonathan was a sole candidate was said to have come short of

APC Presidential candidate General Mohammadu Buhari normal democratic principle. It is a clear show of lack of internal democracy in Nigeria political parties which opinion moulders have said is a threat to the country’s nascent democracy. The move signals that the ruling party is not operating within norms of democratic principles. PDP just purposely failed to open up their parties to all party members who are eligible and want to run for office in their party presidential primaries. Some candidates in states were imposed on the party without election and due process.

Some of the candidates allegedly won via so called consensus option which they forced down the throat of opponents. Some who dare to resist it were threatened with expulsion from the party.

Most of the governors have unprecedented sway over their state party machinery to the point of mandating the delegates to vote for a particular candidate in an election that suppose to boost internal democracy.

This however, will shape the way the electorate will vote in the 2015 contest as most of them will favour a party that will deepen democratic culture in the polity.

Upon the fact that the nation is

“

battling oil down turn, President Jonathan and other political office holders have not reduced their long official convoys as Nigerians struggle to keep with the austerity measures introduced as a result of falling oil revenues. Many prospective voters will certainly question the rationale behind Jonathan, and other officials of his administration refusing to let off any of their conveniences as Nigeria battles to save the soul of the economy. Against all expectations, Jonathan and his men are still retaining all the paraphernalia of office by keeping lengthy convoys, travel teams, and flying private jets with tax payers’ money while they turn around to tell Nigerians to tight their belt to counter the oil prices challenges.

These voters as well may have expected Jonathan as the herdsman to lead by example which will automatically ginger others to imitate him. It happened when his former principal, the late Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’adua declared his assets openly while held sway as the President, not only that it was commended by all and sundry, but other political office holders including President Jonathan followed suit by declaring

PDP Presidential candidate Goodluck Jonathan their assents openly for the public to know. Although, observers have said that Jonathan’s action was as result of pressure by the late president, event has proved them right as Jonathan is yet to declare his assets openly after his ascension to presidency following the demise of Yar’adua in May 2010.

Even the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and civil society groups say the government is not showing sufficient seriousness in responding to the crisis. They argued, the government must confront corruption headlong, reduce administrative costs, and harness internally generated revenues from government agencies to better the lot of the populace.

Political analysts have informed that an upsurge in the number of electorate in the least expected parts of the country might be recorded in the forthcoming elections. This, according to them, will be in favour of any party that had not left any of the states for granted and have something to convince voters into pitching their tent with them.

They jointly agreed that the electorate will only scrutinize the

Political analysts have informed that an upsurge in the number of electorate in the least expected parts of the country might be recorded in the forthcoming elections.

profiles of the two candidates in terms of who they think has the good track record of performance to address the numerous problems facing the country. They noted that both Jonathan and Buhari were credible candidates in their own right, but one is certainly better than the other.

Buhari, who is of no blemish both in private and personal life, has been associated with anticorruption campaign for a very long time. For Jonathan, being in charge of the affairs of this nation has been an uphill task. You can only know how good a person is after he takes over the mantle of leadership. Buhari has not been tested under a democratic dispensation. He is only being judge by his track record and posture as an anti-corruption czar; nobody knows how the Daura born general is going to perform under a democratic dispensation.

Nigerians should brace up for the unexpected in the 2015 polls as there will be as lot of surprises. It will be reinforced by the fact that it had become highly impossible to predict the voting pattern of the electorate as most voters will vote according to their conscience except in the political base of the candidates.

Moreover, their success in the poll will depend on the way they carry out their campaigns, the intensification of their campaigns and, of course, antecedence of the two candidates.

In the face of this reality, one cannot really compare what happened in 2011 election with what is going to happen this time around because the situations are different. It is a different political milieu with new thinking and approach to issues. The kind of situation that they have is a major determinant of what is going to happen. In the last election, the issue of security was not on the front burner, now it is a major factor that will determine what is going to happen in 2015, not only in the most affected states but throughout the federation.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

PAGE 5

News

Certificate forgery: Masari replies Kanti over Court case

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

F L-R: Gombe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Mai of Kaltungo, Alhaji Sale Mohammed and Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar, at the 2014 Kaltungo Cultural Festival at Kaltungo, at weekend in Gombe.

Photo: NAN

Workers resume in Kaduna after Xmas break From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna.

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usiness and commercial activities resumed in Kaduna today, after the Christmas and Boxing day holiday. The break which fell within the weekend gave opportunity to many civil servants to make trip out of the state in order to visit friends and relations.

Business activities were in a low level following the break as many business outfits were closed. Major business area like the sheik Abubakar Gumi Market,

Isa Kaita Shopping complex and Banawa complex witnessed low patronage as residents stayed at home for the yuletide.

However, some civil servants who spoke to our correspondent said they are delighted to go back to their duty post after the break.

According to Mrs. Julian katung, a civil servant said she is pleased to report back to duty, especially as they went on the break without receiving their payment.

“I am very delighted that we are going back to work, the twoday break and the weekend to me look too much because there was

no money and the longer one stay at home the more responsibility that would came up, but as we resume today all our [prayer is for the settlement of our salary before the new year celebration” She said.

Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Joshua Dalandi a civil servant at the Federal Secretariat Kawo in kaduna north local government area expressed happiness that work resumed today, because he was running out of money and it is time to go out and get more.

He, however, thanked God that the festive period was peaceful in

the state.

A security operative, who will not want his name on prints, said he is very happy because the holiday is over. According to him, he has been on standby duty since Wednesday and he is always on patrol in his area, a situation that separated him from his family.

Similarly, Alhaji Muhammad Nura a businessman at Angwan Sariki was of the opinion that going back to work is welcome because lot of the people in the state are facing financial crisis and staying at home will only aggravate the situation

reported, is expected to give the police vital information on what led to the death of the deceased, but was later released after the relations insisted to let go the case.

When contacted, a police source who does not want his name on print disclosed to our reporter that the late chairman arrived Tudun Wada police station alive but unconscious and died in

the car that conveyed him to the station, while trying to take him to the hospital.

The source said that the family relations, friends were not interested in following the case, just to protect the image of the family.

It was gathered that they were long term friends known to the parents of the girl who were

waiting them get married before the untimely death of the deceased.

Confirming the incident to our reporter, the Niger state Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) ASP Ibrahim Abiodun Gambari said he was not aware of the incidence, However,he assured to pass information if he ascertained from the DPO in charge of the area.

Former Council chairman dies after marathon sex in Minna From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

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he former chairman of Gbako local government of Niger South zone of the state (name withheld) died last week after a marathon sex with a young girl (name withheld) who is from Gbeganu area in a hotel room at Tunga in Minna metropolis.

Investigation by our reporter revealed that the deceased had several rounds of sexual intercourse with the said lady and slumped to death, as she discovered the deceased was lifeless, she raised alarm immediately so as to rescue her man friend who was later confirmed to be dead.

According to a source from the hotel who confided on our reporter, the deceased was a regular customer whose death was described as shocking, as they have not witnessed such incident before. The source added that, that is how God planned for him, adding that the deceased did not die in the hotel.

The girl who was cooling in Tudun Wada police station at Tunga-Minna where the case was

2015: Jonathan calls for prayers against violence

By Lawrence Olaoye

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has called on all well meaning Nigerians to pray against violence in the country ahead of 2015 so that the nation would not be set ablaze.

The President, who maintained that nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian also noted that elections in the third world centuries had always been

turbulent, made the remarks at the Christ Apostolic Church, Area 1, Durumi, Abuja, where he joined worshippers for the last Sunday service of the year yesterday.

He however expressed optimism that the God, who brought the nation to this level, will see it through.

“All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for us politicians, myself and other politicians from all political

parties, for God to guide us in our utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions.

“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray to God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our own personal ambition.” He explained

ormer Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress,APC in Katsina State has condemned the ordered court case against him by Senator Kanti Bello who contested Katsina State governorship position under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and lost.

Kanti had at the weekend ordered his lawyer to file a suit at the Federal high court this week to challenge the eligibility of former speaker, Aminu Bello Masari to contest for state governorship having won the party’s primary election conducted few weeks ago.

Senator Kanti Bello, who came second to Masari during the party’s primary election, disclosed this at the weekend while addressing newsmen at his Kaduna residence.

According to him, to be joined in the suit is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He added that they are seeking the disqualification of Masari as APC gubernatorial candidate on account of an alleged forged certificate.

Senator Kanti argued that the postgraduate certificate in water quality control and management presented to INEC by the accused is forged and if proven true the former speaker be disqualified from the contest.

Senator Bello quoted section 82 sub-sections J as explicit on the matter of forgery on the part of any person contesting the governorship of a state.

However, Masari who spoke through his Special Assistant Media,Mallam Abdu Labaran on Sunday, said Senator Kanti Bello’s allegation is baseless.

Fashi explained that in 2003 after losing the ANPP gubernatorial ticket to Eng. Nura Khalil,Kanti became the candidate’s returning agent, only to sell out to PDP.He has been compromised by PDP again,Kanti it was that decamped from ANPP to PDP, he called Buhari all manner of uncomplimentary names, saying that the General was a security threat to Nigeria. It is the same story now “ He said Senator Kanti Bello is a bad looser.” He is someone who must emerge a winner, otherwise everybody loses. This has been his stock- in- trade, whenever he does, he always has his way, In any case, there is nothing original in the Senator’s ranting.

“The allegation has been made when the Masari was Speaker of the House of Representatives, after it was thoroughly investigated and found to be false The House passed a vote of confidence on him (Masari).”

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

News

I will end strike in tertiary institutions – Shekarau boasts From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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inister of education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said one of his major objectives since taking over the helm of affairs in the ministry, is to make strike a history in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and prevent its future recurrence.

According to him, his commitment is to establish harmonious industrial relation between the ministry and academic unions of the institutions in order to resolve the prolonged differences leading to industrial action by the institutions.

Shekarau, who stated this during a media interactive session with working journalists in Kano yesterday, argued that teaching and learning should continue amidst ensuing disagreement between the

government and academic unions of the institutions, stressing that shutting down schools during the crisis is a logjam to the progress of education system in the country.

According to him, the objective can be achieved, taking into consideration his ability to resolve the prolonged nationwide strike embarked upon by the union of polytechnic and colleges of education within 48 hours after his swearing in as the minister of education, adding that the ministry is closing rank with the unions and other stakeholders towards preventing future strikes.

“One of my major objectives in the ministry of education is to cultivate harmonious industrial relation in the ministry. My target is strike-free institutions.

This can be achieved if you recall that within 48 hours after my swearing in, I was able to

bring my friends in polytechnic and colleges of education back to class room. Since then, we have been engaging ourselves to prevent future occurrence. Strike is not a recent issue, it has been happening for a long period of time. Therefore, I will make it a history by God’s grace.” He said “We invited the unions and told them that we agreed there are problems but let’s sit down and solve them. I told them that my argument is that the lessons and teachings should continue amidst the disagreement, otherwise the education will fail.

No matter the enormity of the problem, let lesson and teaching continue in the schools. Because teaching and learning is the education, if it stops, even for one minute, the education would fail.

So I think, the situation where the unions and the government will feel different is over.” He added.

Hunters with their hunted preys during the annual Irewha Hunting Festival

NUJ President urges politicians not to truncate democarcy

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he National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Malam Mohammed Garba, has cautioned politicians against acts capable of truncating the nation’s democracy.

Garba gave the advice in Kano on Sunday while chatting with newsmen.

“Politicians should be mindful of what they say and do, otherwise their unguarded utterances and actions may truncate our democracy.

“They should also learn to accept defeat because in any contest, there must be a winner and a loser.

He also urged the National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2015 general elections were free, fair and acceptable to all Nigerians.

“INEC must ensure that the forthcoming general elections are free, fair and acceptable to all Nigerians in order to avoid a repeat of what happened after the 2011

general elections,” Garba said.

The NUJ president then called on the media to give equal opportunities to all political parties in the reportage of their activities.

“I am also calling on the media to give equal opportunities to all political parties so as to ensure equity, justice and fairness. ‘’We are disturbed that some of the media organisations do not give opponents or all the parties’ equal opportunities. (NAN)

Jonathan on private visit to Britain

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday left Abuja in the afternoon for a brief private visit to the United Kingdom.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Reuben Abati said President Jonathan was

accompanied on the trip by some of his principal staff and personal aides.

The statement added that the President is expected back in Abuja today ahead of official engagements at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, including scheduled audiences with groups from Delta and Lagos States.

Unlawful retirement: General drags army authority to court From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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Retired Brigadier-General of the Nigerian Army, Abdul Qadir Abubakar has dragged the Armed Forces Council, Nigerian Army Council, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and the Ministry of Defence before a Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna challenging his retirement from the Nigerian Army without completing the normal mandatory period.

In a suit filed on his behalf by his counsel Tajudeen Oladoja, Brigadier Abubakar who is also a lawyer approached the Court to set aside his purported retirement from the Army by the defendants and reinstate him back into the service with all his rights and promotion to the rank of a Major-General.

The court fixed February 3, 2015 for mention in a suit of alleged unlawful retirement from the Nigerian Army. The suit with number FCH/KD/ CS/56/2014 alleged that the defendants without looking into his appeal carried out the retirement against section 178 (2) of the Armed Forces Act, CAP A 20 Laws of the Federation, 2004.

Counsel to the plaintiff said a letter from the second defendants dated 11th December, 2014 in which the plaintiff was advised to apply for voluntary retirement not later than 31st January, 2014 so that the Army Council may

not need to consider him for compulsory retirement by the Army Council was against justice and fair hearing.

According to the counsel, while the plaintiff appeal was pending for redress and yet to be determined by the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, the second defendant met on the 10th April, 2014, and approved the retirement of the plaintiff from the Nigerian Army.

In the writ of summons, the plaintiff counsel has approach the Court to give an order directing the 2nd defendants to review the Nigerian Army 2011-2013 promotion exercise concerning the plaintiff and to grant him elevation to the rank of Major General the Nigerian Army.

That the Court should declare that the plaintiff and indeed no commission officer of the Nigerian Army can be forcefully removed or coerced to retire in manners inconsistent with the Armed Forces Act 2004.

The plaintiff counsel asked the Court to also direct the defendants to immediately restore the plaintiff’s promotion right, privileges and statutory career age of 54 years.

The plaintiff is also demanded a Court order setting, aside, nullifying and rendering ineffective the 2nd defendants letters which forced the plaintiff to retire without completing the mandatory age.

Don calls for measures to boost domestic economy

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n international relations expert, Prof.

Solomon Akinboye, has said that Nigeria’s domestic economy needed to experience a major boost for more improvements in her international rating in 2015 and beyond. ‘’We cannot raise international respect for this country unless there is an astronomical boost in our domestic economy and internal social and political affairs. ‘’It is only when we are beautiful at home that we can enjoy the respect we deserve abroad,’’ he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said that Nigeria needed also to deepen her democratisation to be able to influence world affairs.

He said the coming 2015 elections were like ‘’litmus test’’ for advancements in the nation’s power to dominate foreign policies especially of other African nations. ‘’Almost every country is experiencing one form of internal strife or political disturbance they need to address first to entertain accolades from sister countries. ‘’The era of doing so much abroad while fire burns in ones compound has come and gone.

(NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

News

NDLEA arrests suspected drug peddler at Lagos airport

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he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday apprehended a 52-year-old man whom the agency described as a specialist in concealing illicit drugs.

This is contained in a statement issued by the agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju at the weekend.

The statement said that the suspect, who had been on the agency’s wanted list, was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos during screening of passengers on an Etihad Airways flight.

It said that the suspect departed Sao Paulo, Brazil with 2.605kg of cocaine which he packaged as candies.

“The suspect, Augustine Onyejiaju, 52, unlawfully possessed cocaine. We made a shocking discovery of 2.605kg of cocaine carefully and neatly packed as candies.

“The suspect, Onyejiaju is currently under investigation in connection with unlawful possession of cocaine,” the statement said.

Agent, 49, arraigned over alleged N350,000 visa fraud

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travel agent, Christian Uwaeme, who allegedly obtained N350, 000 under false pretences of obtaining a Brazilian visa for another man, on Thursday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, in Lagos.

Forty-nine year-old Uwaene, a resident of 2, Bolarinwa St., Obananye, Ikotun, Lagos state, is standing trial on a charge of fraud.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Chinalu Uwadione, said that the accused defrauded Mr Onyekachi Ezeh sometime in March, 2011 at Ikotun.

Uwadione submitted that Uwaeme neither procured the visa nor refunded the money to Ezeh, in contravention of Section 312 (b) (k) of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 312 prescribes a 15-year-jail term for offenders.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Miss A.O. Akinde, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case to January 12 for mention. (NAN)

It quoted the NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Mr Hamza Umar, as saying that the suspect, who owned a supermarket in Sao Paulo, Brazil, used the outfit as a cover for his illicit drug activities.

The statement added that the suspect had owned up to the

crime and would be charged to court soon.

“I own and manage a supermarket in Brazil where I have lived since 2006. I bought the cocaine and concealed it as candies. It is just unfortunate that the cocaine was found in my bag,” the statement quoted Onyejiaju as

saying.

The chairman of the agency, Mr Ahmadu Giade, described the arrest of the suspect as a reward for the agency’s protracted surveillance.

“This significant arrest is an indication that the agency is making remarkable progress in

undercover operations.

“The suspect has been under surveillance for some years, following his alleged role in illicit drug concealment for drug mules,” Giade said.

He assured that other suspects on the agency’s watch list “will soon be brought to justice” (NAN)

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd right); his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd left); Head of Service, Elder Olayinka Owoeye (2nd left); Chairman, Labour Committee on Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), Comrade Francis Adetunji (right); Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Osun Chapter, Comrade Saka Adesiyan (left); Chairman, Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) Osun Chapter, Comrade Bayo Adejumo (2nd right) and others, during the Official Presentation of the Report Compiled by Labour on Ways to Improve the State IGR at Governors’ Office, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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

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

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

The prosecution said the accused conspired with others

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

Insp. Festus Osaghale told the court that the accused also stole building materials worth N55, 000 belonging to the complainant, Ajiboye.

“When Ajiboye confronted Rufa’i for stealing the materials and damaging his property, the accused brought thugs to terrorise him.”

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

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

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

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

prescribes a two-year jail term for conspiracy.

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

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

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till January 30.(NAN)

2 in court for alleged theft 2 men charged with theft of N2.55m body spray of N227, 000 property

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wo men, Ifeanyi Ndunegu, 24, and Ugochukwu Obiohan, 32, on Thursday appeared in a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing 139 cartons of Treager body spray valued at N2.55 million The accused, whose addresses are unknown, are facing a twocount charge of theft and breaking and entering.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp.

Innocent Uko, told the court that the accused had on November 28 stolen 139 cartons of body spray, valued at N2.55 million.

Uko said the accused gained entry into the shop of one Emeka Ofia at shop 250, Progressive market, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos by breaking down the door.

“Around 2.30 a.m., the

accused broke into the shop and stole the body sprays. They were apprehended by the police when they were loaded the products into a truck,’’ the prosecutor said.

He said the offence contravened sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Laws, Lagos State, Nigeria 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge, and their counsel, Mr Ibikunle Showole, pleaded with the court to grant his clients bail.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Abiodun Etti, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum.

He said the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos state government.

Etti adjourned the case until January 12. (NAN)

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wo men, who allegedly broke into three apartments and carted away some valuables worth N 227,000, were yesterday brought before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The accused - 34-year old Charles Menye and 35-year old Williams Ufort – are being tried for conspiracy, burglary and theft.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Kalu Umeh, told the court that the accused, both of whom reside at Satellite Town area of Lagos, broke into some homes and stole property, valued at N 227,000.

Umeh said the accused committed the offences on May 8 at Tokumbo Ajibade Close, Satellite Town.

According to him, the accused with others still at large raided the apartments of Mr Felix Adebayo, Jimoh Olawale and Mathias Ozofor respectively.

“The accused stole from the various apartments items such as jewellery, mobile phones, a bicycle and petroleum products valued at N227,500.”

Umeh noted that the offences contravened Sections 285, 306 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Senior Magistrate, Mr. M.O. Olubi, granted each of the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties each in like sum.

He adjourned the case till Feb. 1 for mention. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

News

Don’t mix politics with religion, VP urges politicians

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

V

ice President Muhammad Namadi Sambo has called on politicians to avoid playing political games in the veil of religion for peace, unity and prosperity to continue to prevail among the multi-tribe Nigerians, under the platform of any registered political party across the country.

Namadi, who was in Kaura Namoda local government area

of Zamfara state to grace the graduation ceremony of 300 trained people on various trades under constituency project, Youth Vocational Skills Acquisition (YVSA), facilitated by Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura said, the that democracy has been put on a fragile platform by babypoliticians whose aims were to take advantage of the dangerous path the country would be driven into.

He disputed any plan by the administration of President

Goodluck Jonathan to suffocate the northern part of the country, but rather embarked upon every means to ensure poverty among the good citizens of the region is battled out through various empowerment programmes which SURE-P is obviously among.

“The PDP-led administration has never seen any part of the country as cranny of enemies that deserves diminishing considering its tireless commitments towards ensuring peace and unity,

economic and social development as well, which were strongly believe are the bedrock of security”, challenged Namadi.

He further noted that the federal government has condemned in totality, any political game that promote tribalism and movements towards sparking ethno-religious crisis among the good fellows of the country, adding that, “Nigeria has to be complete secular nation where tribal and religious tolerance must have ground for

Boko Haram: Borno evacuates over 42,000 IDPs from Adamawa From Umar Dankano, Yola

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ver 42,000 internally displaced persons of Borno state who were taking refuge in various IDPs camps in Adamawa State were evacuated back to their state weekend.

The Borno State Deputy Governor Alhaji Zanna Umar Mustapha, made the disclosure, in an interview with journalists in Yola weekend, stressing that Borno State government has within three months recorded success in according IDPs sense

of belonging and care.

Mustapha explained that, while on his sympathy visit to IDPs of Askira Uba, Lassa, Chibok, Gwoza and some displaced persons from other states in the Northeast, including Adamawa, 27, 000 IDPs were initially evacuated from Adamawa.

He however, stated that 15,000 of the IDPs were later evacuated out of Adamawa State last month and that arrangements were being intensified to evacuate more IDPs from the state soon.

Mustapha also disclosed that

the government expends almost N600 million monthly for the upkeep of the state’s IDPs that are taking refuge in the various camps in Borno, Gombe and Adamawa states.

Mustapha lauded the efforts of the Adamawa State Government in the up keep of the various camps and in accommodating the IDPs, saying that Adamawa State government has been identifying with the plights of the displaced persons from various states affected by insurgency.

The Deputy Governor

however regretted that the means of livelihood of the IDPs have been lost to the activities of the insurgents, which invariably prevented them from celebrating this year’s Christmas in their respective areas.

Mustapha expressed fears that Borno would experience food scarcity next year over the insurgents, which made about 90% of citizens not to harvest their crops this year, as they had to abandon their farmlands for their safety.

L-R: DirectorGeneral, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sidi, and FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed, during their visit to victims of last week’s bomb blast at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, at the weekend in Bauchi.

Photo: NAN

Petrol tanker drivers’ crisis: Ex-boss begs FG to intervene

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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s leadership crisis continue to rock Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, Kaduna state Chapter, Former state Chairman of the association, Comrade Nuhu Mohammad Intelligent has urged the Federal Government to intervene so as to bring an end to the crisis.

According to him, if the federal government failed to do so, the situation may escalate and lead to breach of law and order in the society.

Comrade Nuhu who disclosed this while addressing newsmen in the state at the weekend, further called on the NUPENG National

leadership to confide on the other faction of the group led by immediate past chairman, Alhaji Gambo Tuge to agree for a new election to hold.

It could be recalled that 7 months ago, an Abuja court passed a judgment in favour of Comrade Nuhu intelligent as a bonifade member of the association and for a new election to be held.

But according to him, the other faction refused to obey, as they recently imposed themselves as leaders of the group despite the fact that no election was held.

He said the state governor, Muktar Ramalan Yero also intervened in the crisis, but the other faction refused to listen as they still claimed to be leaders

of the association, despite the fact that their tenure has since expired.

“So we want the federal government to intervene since the crisis didn’t end before it escalates to something else. All we are saying is that let there be new election, where all our members would be allowed to cast their votes to the person they want to lead them.

“But instead of holding an election they selected themselves and told the world that they have been re-elected as leaders of the association, without holding an election. We told them that we are not going to accept that because there was no election held and nobody

voted them.

“On Tuesday last week they went and opened the office as new elected executive but, our members chased them out of the office and the police closed down the place to avoid further clash,” he said.

Comrade Nuhu lamented the decision taken by NUPENG national leadership to stop loaded tankers from Port Harcourt, Lagos and Warri depots to bring product to Kaduna state, describing the decision as responsible for temporary scarcity of fuel witnessed across the nation despite the fact Nigerians, particularly Christians are in festive mood.

peace to continue to prevail”.

“The issue of a political party managed by a Muslim or a Christian follower did not even arise in Nigeria, considering the set of our fore leaders, which was a combination of Muslims and Christians, the recent examples were Obasanjo and Atiku, ‘Yar Adua and Jonathan, and now Jonathan and myself. Look at even the set of Buhari and Osinbajo candidacy under APC”, he stressed.

Earlier, Senator Sahabi Ya’u said, he initiated the programme with the aim to enhance the wellbeing of the teeming populace across the four local government areas under his constituency that comprised Shinkafi, Zurmi, Birnin Magaji and Kaura Namoda local councils.

Group distributes noodles to pregnant women in Kaduna

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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group under the auspice of Ansar-Ud-Deen Youth Association of Nigeria (ADYAN) kaduna branch donated gift items to women in the maternity ward, labour room and gynecology ward at Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital Tudun Wada Kaduna in the spirit of the festive season.

Peoples Daily gathered that over 26 women benefited from the gift items which included four women in labour, 16 women in maternity ward, six others in the gynecology ward and others at the hospital.

The items presented to the women at the weekend include beverages and noodles, was also to commemorate 30-year death anniversary of Hajiya Nimota Dauda Suleiman, who was a member of the Ansar-UdDeen Society of Nigeria, Kaduna branch.

Speaking while making the presentation, Chairman, of the group, Brother Sheriff Olutusin said the presentation of gift items is part of ADYAN annual programmes to show love to people that are in need of it such as women in labour, women that have just delivered babies, children in hospital wards and prison inmates.

“Our visitation to the hospital is to make our sisters and brothers happy to feel the impact of Christmas celebration, to show them love and let them know that Islam is all about love and peace. “ he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

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News

My Watch: Obasanjo playing God over 2015,says group

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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s comments and reactions were still trailing the publication of an autobiography of former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo titled, “My Watch” from well meaning Nigerians, a Lagos based human rights activist and Convener, Save Lagos Group (SLG), Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman has said that former President was playing God over 2015 general elections,

particularly the Presidential election where President Goodluck Jonathan and former Military Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)were principal contenders for the exalted position in the land in his book.

The rights activist also declared that Chief Obasanjo has been making frantic effort to ensure that the country was ungovernable by President Jonathan at the detriment of the poor masses of the land,

urging Obasanjo to behave like statesman while addressing the issue of national importance,, not to be apportioning blame on fellow human being.

Comrade Sulaiman who doubles as Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and social Justice (CHRSJ), through a signed statement, which a copy was made available to newsmen in Lagos yesterday, stressed that “My watch” which has been the subject of litigation before and after its publication, was part

of effort of Chief Obasanjo to discredit the present administration in the land and to tell the whole world that Jonathan’s government has lost in touch with the good people of the country.

SLG boss who further stated that he would not dabble into the issue of “My Watch” because it has become the subject of litigation and “as a law abiding citizen, the court of competent jurisdiction should be respected as a way to assist in nurturing the

current democratic experiment”, describing chief Obasanjo as a lawless leader who flagrantly disobeyed the court order within and outside office at will.

He further described Chief Obasanjo as a blatant liar and most lawless leader the nation ever produced, saying that Obasanjo needs to obey the Court order that earlier gave an interlocutory injunction on the book, but circulating the book in defiant to the ruling of the Court of Competent Jurisdiction.

Transport minister commiserates with Gombe bomb blast victims From David Hassan, Gombe

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Boys participants, during the Kaltungo cultural festival in Kaltungo, at the weekend in Gombe state.

Dankwambo set to build N1bn hospital in Gombe From David Hassan, Gombe

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ombe state governor; Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has pledged support to build a General Hospital in Tal, Billiri local government area of Gombe state.

The governor made this known at the weekend in Billiri during the 9th edition of Pissi Tangale day festival that was held at Billiri stadium.

He said his administration would continue to support the public to ensure that every citizen benefit from the dividend of democracy, noting that the construction of the General Hospital in the area will help in assisting the public to have access to health care delivery.

According to him, government

has strategies and plans to approve the sum of N1bn for the construction of the General Hospital with a view to enhance the standard living of the people, adding that the present administration is working hard to ensure that people in the area have sense of belonging in the society.

He maintained that his government is committed to providing adequate infrastructure for the development of the area, which according to him, arrangement has been put in place to construct road network from Bappa wure to Donol as well as Sasani to Ayaba.

Speaking further, governor Dankwambo expressed government commitment, even as he said it would do everything possible to ensure that they put smile on the faces of the people.

He called on citizens as a matter of urgency to collect their voters cards in order to enable them vote candidates of their choice in the forth coming general elections and appealed to them to love one another, even as he said, the issue of insecurity in the country there is need for the public to pray so as to restore peace in the country.

Also speaking at the event, the chairman of the occasion, Major-General Sylvester A. Audu (rtd) commended governor Dankwambo for his transformation programmes which according to him, have contributed immensely for the development of the state.

He called on youths not to allow themselves to be used by mischief makers for their selfish interest, adding that there is need for youths to respect the view of stakeholders.

he minister of transport Sen. Idris Umar has commiserated with the affected victims of bomb blast that erupted at Dukku motor park recently where 19 people were confirmed dead and many injured.

Speaking at the Specialist Hospital yesterday in Gombe, the minister sympathized with the affected victims which he described the incident as unfortunate, adding that on behalf of the federal government has register their displeasure of the recent happening deadly act where score were killed and many injured during bomb blast that occurred at Dukku Motor

Park.

While commiserating with the affected victims, the minister called on the public to be security conscious any where they found themselves, noting that every citizen need to be secured even as he said the country is facing a serious challenge.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi who accompany the minister during the visit, expressed sadness over the incident ,saying the agency is touched with deadly act where bomb explosion hit Dukku motor park leaving many dead while others got different degrees of injuries.

Ilorin Emir seeks end to discrimination among politicians From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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he Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari has appealed to Nigerian politicians to stop discrimination among themselves for the unity of the nation.

Gambari, who stated this while hosting the gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP),Kwara State, Senator Simeon Ajibola and party leaders in his palace at the

weekend said, they should team up for the development of the country.

The Emir who expressed his happiness over progress made by many indigenes of the state in different sectors, said politics should not be based on hatred but on how to care for people.

He noted that the sky was so wide for many politicians and other Nigerians to display their skills and careers, stressing that there was no need for violence.

Former CBN Governor urges Nigerians to be more patient From Tope Musowo, Ado Ekiti

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he former deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),Rev. Tunde Lemo has called on Nigerians to be more patient and learn to trust in the faithfulness of God who is able to give Nigeria pleasant surprises.

Rev Lemo made this call in

Lagos, while preaching as the guest minister at the outreach of unlimited praise, organised by an educational services provider, iNation Best Services, in conjunction with Pneuma Events.

The deputy CBN governor who preached on the topic; ‘pleasant surprises’ called on Nigerians to be more patient and

rely on God’s faithfulness for the vision is for an appointed time and it shall surely speak,saying that as many that have been serving God faithfully would receive pleasant surprises because God never changes, quoting from the book of Hebrew 13:8.

Meanwhile, the brain behind the programme, Mrs Ebun Omotosho, while speaking

with journalists shortly after the programme said the event was put together to appreciate God Almighty, thank their staff, customers and clients alike and also to honour distinguished Nigerians who have excelled in their chosen career and have been contributing to the work of God. Eminent Nigerians who were honoured with award of

excellence at the event includes: Rev Tunde Lemo, former deputy governor of CBN,Mrs Sanusi,wife of former CBN governor, who is now the Emir of Kano,Alhaji Lamido Sanusi Lamido, pastor Mrs F.P. Kalejaiye,the wife of the popular Regional Evangelist of The Redeemed Christian Church of God,(RCCG) pastor J.T Kalejaiye among others.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

NDIC: 25 YEARS OF GIANT STRIDES The NDIC CEO also touched on deposit PREAMBLE guarantee which was the key and distinct The decision by the Federal Government role of the NDIC. Alh. Ibrahim said that to establish the Nigeria Deposit Insurance the Corporation guaranteed payment to Corporation (NDIC) was a bold step depositors up to the maximum insured that was born out of necessity and strong limit in accordance with its statutory conviction. The NDIC was established by mandate in the event of failure of an the NDIC Decree No 22 of 1988 which insured financial institution. Through this was later replaced by the NDIC Act No distinct role, the NDIC had continued to 16 of 2006 as a response to government’s bolster the confidence of depositors. The search for a third leg of the financial safetydeposit insurance coverage at inception net components comprising lender of the was provided for only the CBN-licensed last resort by the Central Bank of Nigeria commercial banks and merchant banks.

(CBN), effective bank supervision by both Furthermore, the Corporation had the CBN and NDIC and the NDIC’s unique successfully responded to the economic role of deposit insurance. The Corporation realities and concerns of depositors by commenced operation in 1989 as a periodically increasing the coverage levels deposit insurer with extended mandate to of its deposit guarantee. From its initial supervise insured institutions and provide guarantee of N50,000 per depositor of DMBs orderly mechanisms for failure resolution at inception, the maximum deposit insurance in Nigeria. coverage was increased to N200,000 in 2006 At the time of its establishment, there and N500,000 in 2010. From N100,000 in was the inevitable need to put in place a 2006, the coverage level for MFBs and PMBs framework and an institution that would was increased to N200,000 in 2010. offer an additional layer of protection to Extension of Coverage to other Depositdepositors and to strengthen the financial taking Financial Institutions: system in the aftermath of the introduction To further reinforce public confidence of the Structural Adjustment Programme and safety of the system, deposit Insurance (SAP) which deregulated the economy (DI) was extended to other deposit-taking in the direction of market-determined financial institutions as they emerged on the pricing. Furthermore, the need was also rife nation’s financial landscape. Thus, in 2006, to invigorate government’s supervisory role deposit insurance coverage was extended over financial institutions towards avoiding to microfinance banks (MFBs) and primary a repeat of mass bank failure experienced mortgage banks (PMBs) to further public in Nigeria between 1947 and 1954 when NDIC MD/CE Alh. Umaru Ibrahim mni, FCIB confidence in the banking system. In the 21 out of the 25 indigenous banks failed in same vein, the Corporation extended deposit quick successions, thereby eroding public insurance coverage to non-interest banks in 2013 following the release of the confidence in the system. framework for their establishment by the CBN. At present, the Corporation One question that has been bogging the minds of various stakeholders provides deposit insurance cover to the CBN licenced 24 deposit money is how the NDIC had fared in the discharge of its mandate in the last banks (DMBs), 880 microfinance banks (MFBs), 77 primary mortgage banks 25 years and in realising its vision “to be one of the leading deposit (PMBs) and one non-interest bank (NIB) operating in the country. insurers in the world”.

MD/CE PAYS TRIBUTE TO NDIC’S FOUNDING FATHERS, OTHERS The Managing Director/Chief Executive of NDIC, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim at a recent press conference addressed in Abuja to usher in the 25th Anniversary celebration, cast a broad retrospective look at the Corporation’s score card and said that the Corporation had achieved a reasonable degree of success in the discharge of its mandate in the last two and a half decades.

To Alh. Umaru Ibrahim, there was no better way to approach the rendition of the Corporation’s account of 25 years of stewardship than to pay glowing tribute to the founding fathers of the Corporation.

Ibrahim, described the Anniversary as a “moment of joy” for all NDIC staff, some of whom are late, the pioneer staff including his humble self and all the staff that are alive to witness the celebration. The NDIC CEO particularly paid tribute to the NDIC pioneer Chairman of the Board of Directors and the then Governor of the CBN, late Alh. Abdulkadir Ahmed of blessed memory under whose leadership the Corporation was established with a clear mandate and strong foundation. He also praised the Corporation’s pioneer MD/CEO of NDIC, Mr. John Uthoriah Ebhodaghe, also of blessed memory, who was not only the first staff of the institution but also served on the committee that designed the deposit insurance system Nigeria currently operates, adding that the NDIC had become not only the leader in Africa but also the envy of other countries.

The NDIC boss used the opportunity to highlight the various events lined up for the Anniversary celebration spanning September to December 2014 in Abuja, Lagos and the Corporation’s eight zonal offices.

LIFELINE TO GUARANTEE

DEPOSITORS

THROUGH

DEPOSIT

DEPOSIT INSURANCE FOR MOBILE PAYMENT SYSTEM SUBSCRIBERS The Corporation has also considered it imperative to protect individual subscribers under the mobile payment services in the form of pass-through deposit insurance. The step was taken to engender confidence of the public in the products of the 24 mobile money operators (MMOs) who were recently licenced by the CBN. The roll-out of the regulatory framework for the mobile payment services was aimed at revolutionizing Nigerian payment system as well as promoting financial inclusion. As at now, the framework for making the pass-through insurance scheme operational is currently being finalised by the NDIC. PROTECTING DEPOSITORS THROUGH BANKING SUPERVISION The NDIC as the third leg of the financial safety-net collaborates with the CBN to protect depositors, to promote an effective and efficient payment system and encourage healthy competition and innovation among the insured institutions through off-site and on-site supervision of licensed financial institutions.

The success recorded by the Corporation in this area is profound. From the compliance supervisory framework, the risk-based supervision framework was introduced which now encourages banks to adopt prudent risk management practices as well as enables the CBN and NDIC to effectively evaluate the risks profile inherent in activities of banks and the various risk management models being deployed towards strengthening corporate practices by the banks. The frameworks for Early Warning Signals (EWS), as well as for the identification and measurement of Systemically Important Banks (SIBs) whose failure could trigger systemic crisis in the economy, were also developed.

DISTRESS RESOLUTION The Corporation adopted various options in resolving the failures of the

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Guest Speaker Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, also former Deputy Governor, CBN & former Minister of National Planning (2nd left) exchanging pleasantries with Chief Rasak Lawal, NDIC Board Member (extreme right) as Chairman of the Board, Amb. (Dr.) Hassan Adamu (Wakilin Adamawa) (2nd from left) watches during NDIC’s 25th Anniversary Lecture/Book Presentation.

48 DMBs, 186 MFBs and 25 PMBs that had failed in the past 25 years. The options employed however depended on the peculiarity of the problems of the insured institutions. They ranged from Open Bank Assistance to Deposit Pay-out, Purchase and Assumption, and Bridge Bank.

One of the landmark achievements in distress resolution was the institution of a framework for the provision of financial and technical assistance to deserving insured institutions to alleviate the liquidity challenges being faced by MFBs and PMBs. The framework was fine tuned in 2014 and the sum of N16 billion was set aside for eligible insured institutions to access.

In addition, a framework for consolidated supervision was developed in conjunction with the CBN which enables the supervision of banks’ related entities with a view to ring-fencing the banks and protecting depositors’ funds.

ESTABLISHMENT OF BRIDGE BANKS Memories of Nigerians are still fresh to the Bridge Bank option of failure resolution which was the latest approach adopted by the NDIC. The option was adopted in the interest of depositors and to prevent outright liquidation which would have had severe consequences for depositors and other stakeholders of the banks and thus undermining public confidence in the banking system. Following that decision, three bridge banks namely: Mainstreet Bank Limited, Keystone Bank Limited and Enterprise Bank Limited were established to take-over the assets and assume the liabilities of erstwhile Afribank Plc, Bank PHB Plc and Spring Bank Plc, respectively.

The CBN subsequently revoked the operating licences of the three banks (i.e. Afribank Plc, Bank PHB Plc and Spring Bank Plc) on August 5, 2011.

The Bridge Bank mechanism had a salutary effect on the banking system as it preserved and sustained operations of the three banks in all their branches and allowed over 3.7 million depositors to continue to enjoy banking services in the premises of the affected banks and over 6,000 jobs were saved in the banking system.

PAYMENT OF INSURED DEPOSITS AND LIQUIDATION DIVIDENDS As at September 30, 2014, the NDIC had paid the sum of N6.825 billion to 528,277 insured depositors of 48 DMBs whose operating licences were revoked. In addition, a cumulative sum of N93.646 billion had been paid as liquidation dividend to 250,497 depositors as at September 30, 2014. In the same vein, 80,059 verified depositors of 186 MFBs in-liquidation had been paid a cumulative amount of N2.756 billion as at September 30, 2014 following the revocation of the banks’ operating licences in 2010 and 2003.

To further enhance total pay-out to all insured depositors of banks inliquidation, NDIC had launched a novel and aggressive initiative called “Depositor Tracer” toward reaching depositors with unclaimed deposits irrespective of location and amount in the closed banks. Similarly, the Corporation introduced the use of agent banks to ensure that the process of deposit pay-out is further eased and sustained for longer periods for claimants who could not present themselves for payment during verification and payments at premises of closed banks. That is in addition to the use of our eight (8) zonal offices spread across the nation as payment centres for depositors of the closed banks. The Corporation had also appointed Debt Recovery Agents to enhance the recovery of debts owed to banks in-liquidation with 91 accounts of the DMBs assigned to 60 debt recovery agents and 81 accounts of the closed MFBs assigned to 46 debt recovery agents.

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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR MFB/PMB OPERATORS The NDIC had accorded priority attention to capacity building for operators of microfinance and primary mortgage banks sub-sectors. In collaboration with the CBN, the Corporation established a microfinance certification programme for operators, non-executive directors and supervisors of MFBs in Nigeria which main objective is to enhance knowledge base and impart microfinance skills and competencies on a sustainable basis in the fledgling sub-sector. With the programme, the NDIC and CBN had gradually been creating a critical mass of knowledgeable and skilled operators required to develop and drive the nascent sub-sector towards the achievement of the policy objectives of expanding access to finance, empowerment of the poor and the low-income groups, employment generation and economic development.

A nationwide sensitization workshop was also sponsored by the Corporation for all MFB/PMB operators towards providing capacity building on sound banking practices. The recent edition of the programme for MFB operators with the theme: “Microfinance Banking and Financial Inclusion in Nigeria - Issues and Challenges” was organised in June 2013 at Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Lagos at which 615 operators at senior management levels participated. In 2014, a workshop was also organized for the PMB operators with the theme: “Developing and Implementing Sustainable Effective Risk Management in Primary Mortgage Banks in Nigeria” which was held in September at Lagos for operators in southern geo-political zones and Abuja for operators in the northern geopolitical zones.

CONSUMER PROTECTION, FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND FINANCIAL LITERACY The NDIC, being one of the major stakeholders in the Nigerian financial system has taken the following steps to promote financial inclusion and protect consumers of financial services in Nigeria, amongst others:

The extension of deposit insurance coverage to Microfinance banks, primary mortgage banks (PMBs) and non-interest banks in the system. Also efforts are at advanced stage to extend deposit insurance coverage to mobile money subscribers so as to boost public confidence in the sub-sector, hence promoting financial inclusion in the country.

The NDIC recognizes the importance of financial literacy in achieving Financial Inclusion. Financial Literacy aims at educating Nigerian populace to improve their understanding of financial products, develop their skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities.

Consequently, the NDIC in 2011 conducted a study to assess the level of financial literacy in the country and to identify specific areas that might require prompt and decisive action. The report of the study captured the literacy level of various segments of the society and what various stakeholders need to do to enhance the general literacy level in the country.

Conduct of periodic survey to gauge the level of understanding of deposit insurance and other financial issues such as holding accounts in any financial institutions. The last survey was done in 2013. Arising from that the NDIC embark on public awareness campaign in major Nigerian languages.

Production and circulation of publications such as Books, Annual Report and Statement of Accounts and NDIC Quarterly Journal as well as Pamphlets/ Leaflets to all key stakeholders of financial services industry.

Establishment of a toll-free 24-Hour Help Desk as part of the consumer protection strategy to address concerns of stakeholders and also educate the public on its activities. This is also supported by a robust website.

Participation in road shows as well as in major International Trade Fairs The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) recently organized a one-day Roundtable on Mobile Payment Services in Nigeria at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

L-R: NDIC MD/CE, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim, Executive Director, Operations, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa; Director Reasearch, Policy & International Relations Department, Dr. J. A. Afolabi (standing) and Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Lola Abiola Edewor.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

TELEVISION & RADIO JINGLES AND “NDIC CALLING” Some of the public awareness initiatives already adopted included regular media briefings and appearances by the MD/ CE and other members of Senior Management, production and transmission of weekly documentary: “NDIC Calling” on the network of NTA, AIT and Channels Television, production and transmission of depositor protection awareness jingles in major local Languages (Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin English) on national and local television/radio stations as well as circulation of flyers and pamphlets on the mandates of the Corporation.

Other initiatives included school and sports programmes sponsorships, participation in major international trade fairs in the country, circulation of NDIC research publications among stakeholders and the general public, stakeholders’ fora and partnership with the media through the annual NDIC Workshop for Business Editors and Members of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN).

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Honourable Justice I. N. Auta (front left) and MD /CE NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim (front right) during the opening ceremony of the 2014 NDIC Sensitization Seminar for Judges in Abuja.

holding in Lagos, Kaduna and Port Harcourt during which people are enlightened on Financial Inclusion.

Embarking on capacity building through Seminars/Workshops organized for the operators and owners of Microfinance Banks and Primary Mortgage Banks.

SENSITIZATION FOR NYSC The Corporation in its effort to encourage financial literacy and the public knowledge of the benefits and limitations of deposit insurance as well as educating the people on its activities, embarked on sensitisation of the NYSC members. The sensitisation seminar was held this year in three (3) states, namely: Ekiti; Ogun; and Enugu. The programme will continue next year in order to cover all the states in the country.

NDIC HELP DESK The Corporation had also established a 24-Hour Help Desk with a toll-

SUSTAINABLE BANKING PRACTICE The NDIC had been supporting the effort of the CBN on “Sustainable Banking Policy”. Sustainable banking is about the integration of social and environmental considerations in banks’ operation, services, procedures and strategies. As a major stakeholder in the financial services industry, the NDIC had commenced the implementation of Nigeria Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) through organising retreats to sensitise the Board members and management on Sustainable Banking.

Also a Sustainability Desk was set-up in the Managing Director’s Office and a Coordinator was appointed to oversee the implementation of the NSBP in the Corporation. An awareness session had been organized on sustainable banking for some staff of the Corporation in Abuja while an expert on sustainability was being consulted for Corporation-wide awareness sessions and in-depth training programmes.

DEEPENING THE NDIC MANDATE AND ACTIVITIES THROUGH PUBLIC AWARENESS The NDIC is not unaware of the challenges posed by lack of adequate public awareness on its mandate and activities. To this end, it had stepped up aggressive public awareness on the benefits and limitations of the deposit insurance scheme as well as its activities like deposit pay-out, increase in coverage levels, appointment of agent banks, debt recovery agents and payment of liquidation dividends amongst others through a multi-media platform.

L-R: NDIC MD/CE Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, Chairman of the NDIC Board, Amb. (Dr.) Hassan Adamu (Wakilin Adamawa), Hon. Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Lola Abiola Edewor, NDIC Board Members Ms. Bennedikter C. Molokwu and Mr. Kalli Zaji cutting the 25th Anniversary Cake.

free line in its Head Office and Complaints Desks in the Bank Examination Department and Special Insured Institutions Department for depositors of DMBs and MFBs/PMBs to facilitate response to enquiries and complaints of malpractices from members of the public. To further enhance its public awareness drive, the Corporation had redesigned its website: www.ndic.gov. ng which has been made more robust and user friendly with the adoption of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NDIC REBRANDING Having been in operation for about 25 years, the Board of the NDIC approved a rebranding project in 2012 to reposition the Corporation towards the effective discharge of its mandate. The rebranding was a deliberate strategy to provide a distinct identity in the minds of all stakeholders through the slogan on its new logo: “Protecting your bank deposits”. A set of new core values of Honesty, Respect & Fairness, Discipline, Professionalism & Teamwork and Passion were also adopted under the rebranding strategy to steer the Corporation towards achieving its vision of being among the leading deposit insurers in the world.

CONCLUSION From the foregoing, it is evident that the NDIC has performed creditably by continuously discharging its mandate effectively. The Corporation will continue to remain resolute despite daunting challenges to realize its vision of being among the leading deposit insurers in the world.

L-R: NDIC, Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Lola Abiola Edewor, NDIC MD / CE, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim and Executive Director Operations, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa at the opening ceremony of the recent NDIC Management Parley with Female Staff in Abuja.

Communication & Public Affairs December, 2014

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

EDITORIAL

Christmas without Chibok girls the other precipitated a frantic joint search by the parents and members of the vigilante in Borno state.

It is trite to say that the responsibility of the protection of lives and property of citizens from internal and external aggressors lies squarely on the government through the instrumentality of the police and the armed forces. While we commend the effort of the Nigerian troops in routing insurgents in parts of

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T

his year’s Christmas was celebrated worldwide last Thursday. It is a significant day for adherents of Christianity. Apart from worship on a day like that, families gather to share the joy of the birthday of Christ. It is not uncommon for the exchange of visits and gifts among families and friends. In Nigeria, parents of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted some 259 days ago by Boko Haram fighters hardly celebrated that day. For nearly 300 days they have prayed and hoped that some miracle would happen that will bring back their daughters before a festive day like Christmas. This is heartwrenching. It is unlikely that the plight of the girls or of their parents is likely to change soon.

Their agony and grief is better imagined.

Many Nigerians have not relented in the pursuit of the rescue of the Chibok girls. The #BringBackOurGirls campaign mounted in the wake of the abduction has received global attention. Sadly the search for the kidnapped schoolgirls has so far come to naught. They seem to have been left to their fate as the government is seemingly complacent with the status quo.

Since the abduction of the girls, there have been reports of similar but less dramatic abductions.

We recall the initial euphoria that greeted the purported rescue of some of the girls by the military but separate denials by the parents on one hand, and the principal of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on

Since the abduction of the girls, there have been reports of similar but less dramatic abductions.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, we are however worried when hapless individuals, moved by frustration, resort to self measures to protect themselves from armed insurgents. This is indeed lamentable. The end result, we must warn, may be a cure more deadly than the disease.

We recall, sadly also, that mothers of the abducted girls had reportedly resolved to head to Sambisa forest on a deadly mission to find their children after the authorities failed. This does not speak well

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of the armed forces. It does not speak well of Nigeria, either, which has a record of good performance in peace keeping operation in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Despite its feat in peace keeping and peace enforcement in different parts of Africa and the world, Nigeria has had difficulty in stamping out insurgency to the extent that individuals, some with sticks and dane guns, will have to defend themselves. The argument that the armed forces cannot use maximum force against citizens does not stand because we have had cases of extra maximum force applied.

The National Council of State ordered the armed forces to immediately find and rescue the girls before it gets too late. But six months later only defeating silence. As a matter of fact, the Chibok girls issue is hardly mentioned by those who should be in the forefront in the effort to rescue them.

The task of rescuing the Chibok girls now appears uphill. We are still optimistic however, that it is achievable. We premised our optimism on the repeated assurances by the military high command that they know of their location but are treading with caution. All the agencies involved should however, close ranks, collaborate and share information towards the rescue of the girls. Nigeria should welcome any helping hand from the international community as long as it does compromise the sovereignty of the country with respect to the rescue of the girls.

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PAGE 14

Opinion

Yobe PDP: Primed to deliver despite odds

By Hassan Gimba Ahmed

I

t has not been easy, but then nothing worthwhile in life is. The story of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe has been that of the bride who always bungled her wedding day.

In 1999, the party had 10 out of 17 local government chairmen in Yobe and over 50% of the state’s 178 councillors, but the governorship seat eluded it.

Intra-party crisis made its gubernatorial candidate, Eng. Babagoni Machina lose to the then All People’s Party’s Bukar Abba Ibrahim. The PDP’s consolation, apart from the chairmen and councillors it got, was a senator, two members of the House of Representatives and eleven of the twenty-four House of Assembly members.

In the elections of 2003 and 2007, with Adamu Maina Waziri as its gubernatorial candidate, the party tried its best to fight the incumbent and the intimidating and overwhelming structure of the ruling party and the state and its presence in the electorate’s socio-economic affairs. Here and there, it has at least a senator, some members in the House of Reps and a couple of members in

the State House of Assembly.

In the gubernatorial elections, it always comes second best, beaten by a couple of thousands.

In 2007, Waziri lost to the late Mamman Ali by 14,787.

The PDP however got its worst pounding in the 2011 elections, when its candidate, the late Usman Albishir lost by 190,000 votes to Ibrahim Gaidam, the current governor, who had 360,000 votes.

Of course the intra-party squabbles of 2011 were the worst crisis the party had ever had at the state level since its formation. The build-up to the party’s gubernatorial primaries was rancorous, largely pitching foundation members against newcomers who had decamped from the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). The primaries were very acrimonious, leading to the loss of life. Worst of all, the winners failed to be magnanimous enough to carry the losers along. Needless to say, the party came out a cropper, losing everything but a sole member into the House of Reps.

Now the party has candidates for all elective offices in the state, though even that was not easy. All the aspirants wanted

to become candidates, with the hope and determination to win the election so as to contribute to the development of the state. But as expected, only one candidate emerged from the plethora of aspirants and naturally, the losers were left sore and crying foul, so as to get sympathy. But to know when enough is enough is also a pointer to a good politician.

Here, political sagacity and diplomatic dexterity must take over. And this is exactly what happened. The leader of the party in Yobe, Dr Abdu Bulama, who is the Minister od Science and Technology, deftly managed the crisis and brought everybody to the same table and those who lost out were compensated in one way or the other; everybody went home happy. The gubernatorial candidate, Adamu Maina Waziri

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too went out of his way to visit the aggrieved, in order to mend fences and work together.

Throughout, Dr. Bulama, who has the mien of humilty and simplicity, proved that when the need arises, he can display internal, cast iron strength. He remained focused and refused to be swayed or distracted from his task of conducting a credible process that brought out the candidates and welded the party into a strong and united machine, primed to deliver.

The result of Bulama and Waziri’s efforts, with the understanding and support of the aggrieved, has now made the PDP in Yobe stronger than ever before and united beyond the wildest dreams of its diehard supporters, who have been members from the beginning and

Hope that this time around the PDP in Yobe will get it right is palpable and infectious, more so as this is going to be the first time that the party will go into elections having a serving minister.

Doyin Okupe is a big propagandist

By Bayo Oluwasanmi

I

n a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell A large noise from a large man inside Aso Rock Propaganda Empire echoes across an imposing cacophony rising above all critics of President Goodluck Jonathan.

But hold your breath. Let the man introduce himself in his own modest way: “I’m Doyin Okupe, the Big, Fat, Idiot. I’m the President Senior Special Assistant on public lies and propaganda with half my brain tied behind my back. My subject is political propaganda.

My stance is distortion. My persona is Jonathan comic blowhard.”

From a moral perspective, frankly I think Okupe is not even a political problem.

He is a psychiatric problem.

Remember, it’s impossible to cite all the maladies of the Jonathan administration as interpreted by Okupe – Jonathan’s brain. Here is a small sampling: Okupe has become renowned for his penchant for the outrageous. He demonstrates the absurdity by being absurd: On the merger of opposition parties which formed APC, Okupe boasts “Call me bastard if they don’t crumble and disappear by 2014.”

He’s very obese and vulnerable-looking than he sounds when defending Jonathan. He once described Jonathan as the “Mandela of Nigeria.” “I have checked through

the history of Nigeria, among our past and present leaders, the only one we can call our Mandela here in Nigeria is President Jonathan.”

The president’s spokesman who lacks casual, intimate style, sounds like he’s in a soapbox.

He’s intoxicated by lies, especially those flowing from his own lips.

He sounds like a real braggart.

On electricity, he forcefully defends Jonathan: “Don’t blame Jonathan for power failure.”

He claimed that government efforts were being sabotaged by politicians who sponsor vandals to attack gas pipelines.

He has never shown any signs of being a serious or thoughtful or earnest guy. He’s a degenerate rodeo clown – a toxic provocateur. He should be kept far away from civilization.

Making case for the ineptitude of Jonathan, Okupe compares Jonathan with Jesus Christ.

“There is no offense to compare ourselves with our Lord. People do not understand the burden this president is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody.”

To describe Okupe’s lies and propagandas as dishonest and demagogic would be equal to promoting it to the level of respectability. To regard Okupe’s pieces of craps would be to run the risk of a discourse that would never again rise above the excremental.

Fuming from both sides of his mouth, he threatens social critics who dare criticize Emperor Jonathan. “Insult President Jonathan to your peril,” the oracle warns. “Social critics who insults President

Jonathan henceforth by calling him drunkard, clueless, etc., would risk being punished by the Federal Government,” He crudely disguises his lies as an exercise in seriousness.

Fact is, it’s a sinister exercise in moral frivolity. Okupe exhibits a spectacle of abject political cowardice portraying himself with dissenting bravery. Looking at his crystal ball for the 2015 presidential elections, he predicts landslide victory for Jonathan: “The choice in this election is crystal clear, it is either good luck or bad luck. This Goodluck Jonathan is the very best that we have seen … it’s impossible for Jonathan to lose election.”

Okupe as a liar and propagandist, he whips up emotion and excitement directly by violent exaggeration and by manufactured lies. He relies on symbol and sentiment, he strives continually to paralyze critical analysis and stimulate all tendencies to thoughtless and slavish acceptance. Evaluating Jonathan’s 4-year presidency, he said: “The best since 1960. Those who call GEJ clueless are biased or uninformed. He has achieved more than any president in Nigeria history.”

Like Hitler, Okupe believes the “intelligence of the masses (Nigerian people) is small,” and their forgetfulness is great.”

His enemies are the Nigerian people. His goal is to annihilate them. The whole basis of his lies and propaganda is based on the fallacy of ascent – essentially fabrication inflation. On the economy: “… The Jonathan administration has courageously

and innovatively been tackling with measurable, obvious and clearly tangible positive results in the last two years,” says Okupe.

Okupe represents a fool operating without insight. He attempts to control reality like a magician. His choreographic lies with elaborate stumbles follows the idea of the apotheosis of the absurd. Okupe is nothing. As soon as he starts behaving that he is something, he becomes precarious. No surprise, he cease to be mindful and mistake fantasy for reality.

Okupe is a fool at the center of the great Aso Rock conspiracy to sell poison as cool aid. His thoughts and pronouncements are fallacious, essentially a paranoid construct, one of interpreting reality for what it is not. His blind defense of Jonathan amounts to ultimate paradoxical joke of presenting Jonathan and his administration as the Fool of the future.

Okupe is a man who doesn’t shift his brain into gear before putting his mouth into motion.

With his half-baked fantasies and loaded bias, no reflective or informed person can possibly believe his lies. He’s a silly and shady man who does not recognize courage of any sort even when he sees it because he cannot summon it in himself. To him, easy applause in front of credulous audience is everything.

I would like to remind Okupe that propaganda is only meaningful and believable when it can show positive results. Just show us the positive impact of Jonathan’s Transformation

have witnessed, with sadness, its fortunes dwindle. But now a strong, united front where everyone looks out for each other has been forged.

Hope that this time around the PDP in Yobe will get it right is palpable and infectious, more so as this is going to be the first time that the party will go into elections having a serving minister. It is expected that Dr. Bulama will bring his wealth of experience and political acumen to bear and have history record him as Yobe’s game changer.

More needs to be done by political actors, however, because at this time when alignment and realignment will be intensified, pressure on the political skills, maturity, sincerity and leadership qualities of all who lay claim to party leadership and boast of followership will doubtless be exerted. Their ability to reign in ‘galloping horses’, smooth ruffled feathers, soothe frayed nerves and retain the loyalty of their followers and their membership of the party will no doubt be a reference point for the future.

Gimba is an Abujabased journalist and can be reached at agimbah@gmail. com

Agenda on Nigerians who are unemployed, hungry, sick, homeless, hopeless, and helpless.

Show us water flowing from the taps, uninterrupted electricity for just 30 minutes or one hour, etc., etc., etc.

Name names of big time looters in the Jonathan administration including you who escaped justice for stealing N800 million meant for road construction projects which never took place. Reel off list of your colleague thieves jailed for looting our treasury.

Cook up a new story why government of the largest economy in Africa couldn’t pay salaries of federal civil servants for the past three months? Mount the soapbox and face the nation why the Chibok Girls are still in captivity for nearly 300 days? In short, why is everything falling apart in every sector in Nigeria?

Mr. Okupe, a true leader comes from the people and represents the people. He forges the opinion of the broad masses.

That is the reality of a true leader.

That is the source of his power.

He is the personification of public opinion. He doesn’t need a liar or propagandist like you to win the hearts of his people.

Fellow Nigerians, as the race for 2015 shapes up, brace yourselves for more of Okupe’s Rapid Response Rabble (RRR).

We can all agree no matter how the RRR is blended, crushed, pureed, cooked, and packaged, it’s all flat-out phony baloney!

Oluwasanmi could be reached on byolu@aol.com

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Comment

Senator Enang: The story of a ‘shameless’ lawmaker

By Inibehe Effiong

S

enator Ita Solomon Enang was born on August 23, 1962. He hails from Ididep, in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Enang became a councilor in 1987, and a member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in 1992. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1999 where he served for three consecutive terms (1999-2011).

After spending 12years in the House of Representatives, he was elected to the Senate in 2011 to represent the Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State.

On Saturday December 27, 2014, Sen. Ita Enang granted an unprecedented two hours interview to a private radio station in Akwa Ibom State, Planet Radio 101.1 FM Uyo. For the first time in over 15years as a federal legislator, Sen. Enang spoke frankly about the state of affairs in Akwa Ibom State and took a swipe at the Governor Godswill Obot Akpabio-led administration and openly opposed the governor’s unholy third term agenda using his stooge, Udom Emmanuel, as a veil.

The interview as expected has generated so much controversy and debate especially on social media within and outside Akwa Ibom State. This is so because the now vociferous and outspoken Ita Enang has always been a pro-establishment politician. His incurable leaning towards the prevailing unjust system is very notorious.

However, in terms of intellectual erudition, legislative dexterity and clear appreciation of the dynamics of law making, Senator Ita Solomon Enang is the best that Akwa Ibom State has ever produced, and one of the finest lawmakers in Nigeria.

Admittedly, Enang knows it all

when it comes to the workings and operations of the legislative arm of government.

There is absolutely no basis of comparison between Ita Enang and Obong Bassey Albert, the former Finance Commissioner in the Akpabio regime, that the PDP has chosen to replace him in the upper chamber in 2015.

That is if at all the PDP wins at the poll given the obvious popular anger against the party by the masses in the state. To compare Albert with Ita Enang is equivalent to comparing a primary school pupil with a university professor.

However, Ita Enang is a very selfish, unprincipled and greedy politician. Though Bassey Albert is equally an unprincipled and very greedy politician, unlike Enang, Albert understands the magical effect and importance of the politics of stomach infrastructure; a bane that is fast eroding the remaining modicum of sanity in our polity and electoral culture.

All these while, Ita Enang had closed his eyes to the evils of the Godswill Akpabio regime. He preferred to dance to the tunes of the little god of Akwa Ibom State when his people needed his articulate voice the most. Enang had practically mortgaged the rights of those he was elected to represent for personal political aggrandizement.

When the goings was good, he clapped for the emperor without any sense of decency and iota of shame. Then, he never whispered against the atrocities committed by his ally and saw nothing wrong in the crude looting of Akwa Ibom State.

He went about as if there was nothing wrong in his state. As far as he was concerned, Akpabio had done so well for Akwa Ibom State.

Now that he has been denied the opportunity of going back to the Senate for a second term, he has suddenly remembered that Akpabio’s performance is not

in any way commensurate with the huge allocations accruing to the state. He now wants us to ask probing questions and rise against the Akpabio dynasty.

What a wicked, hypocritical and shameful cacophony of an expired politician! Our people are no fools, they know that his vituperations are self-centered and utterly frivolous. We cannot carry placards for him because he was never, he is not, and will he will never be our hero. Let him suffer the afflictions brought on him by the ghost of stewardship alone.

When Godswill Akpabio in a shameless display of nepotism robbed Ita Enang’s constituents of the presence of the newly approved Federal Polytechnic for the state which was originally approved for and meant to be cited in Enang’s hometown in Ididep, Ibiono Ibom LGA of Uyo Senatorial District, and wickedly hijacked it to his own village in Ukana Ikot Ntuen in Essien Udim LGA of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District he kept quiet and played ‘Mr. Loyalty’ in the hope of getting a second term.

Today, the same Enang is angry that Akpabio frustrated all federal lawmakers from the state from getting PDP return tickets to the National Assembly, except those from his District and tribe.

The same Sen. Ita Enang that is today saying that the Akpabio’s stooge, Udom Emmanuel, is not acceptable to the people had previously endorsed Udom as the

“

right man for 2015. Then, Udom was not Akpabio’s third term agenda.

We, the sensible and liberated people of Akwa Ibom State, do not need a Senator Ita Enang to tell us that Akpabio is evil. We do not need his tutelage on the mass looting of Akwa Ibom State

by Akpabio and his family. We do not need Ita Enang to speak for us. We have always known all the things that he is making arrogant and selfish noises about. So this teacher should stop teaching us nonsense (apologies to Fela).

This should be a lesson to the political class; that betrayal is not good. As the most popular legislator from Akwa Ibom, Ita Enang have all it takes to call Akpabio to order but he never did.

As a proud indigene of Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State that Ita Enang has been “representing” since 1999, I know how unpopular he is. Ita Enang is known and celebrated in Abuja but hated at home. He has never won in a free and fair election. Effective representation is more than speaking fanciful and seductive English in Abuja without more, it encompasses defending the interests of the constituents.

During the massively rigged 2011 general elections, I was one of those that played a significant role in ensuring that Sen. Enang lost at my pooling booth. Of course, he lost woefully. In the end, he was declared the winner

During the massively rigged 2011 general elections, I was one of those that played a significant role in ensuring that Sen. Enang lost at my pooling booth.

by INEC despite the known fact that he was defeated on ground.

Ita Enang is claiming that he has given out scholarships to his constituents and that he will never be tempted to publish names of the beneficiaries. But that is a big lie. Throughout my university days in the Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, I never heard of any such scholarships.

I did not just passed through the university, the university passed through me. So there is no way such scholarship scheme would have existed for students of my constituency that Ita Enang has been “representing” for the past 15 years without my knowledge.

Though on principle I do not accept scholarship grants from politicians and the government, I would have at least knew one beneficiary of Sen. Enang’s scholarship scheme.

Ita Enang is completely out of touch with his constituents. He should first account for the huge constituency allowances he has received since 1999 as a National Assembly member before asking Akpabio to account the billions that has accrued to Akwa Ibom State in allocations.

How can a lawmaker that does not have any traceable pedigree of standing on the side of his people suddenly call for mass action against the very monstrous, corrupt and oppressive regime that he had always dined with?

What a wicked, hypocritical and shameful cacophony of an expired politician! Our people are no fools, they know that his vituperations are self-centered and utterly frivolous. We cannot carry placards for him because he was never, he is not, and will he will never be our hero. Let him suffer the afflictions brought on him by the ghost of stewardship.

Our mumu don do!

Inibehe Effiong, a human rights activist can be reached on inibehe.effiong@ gmail.com

Change no age barrier: Buhari and Tunisian example

By Seun Bisuga Posted

T

here has been so much talk about General Muhammadu Buhari contesting at the age of 72. There has been so much talk especially from the opposition that he is too old but people who truly seek ‘change’ know that age is intact an added advantage.

On Monday 22 December, Buhari got a big boost that he was on the right track when the people of Tunisia voted for 88-year old Beji Caid Essebsi. The veteran politician and a no-nonsense personality (just like Buhari) got the nod of the people because they wanted change just the way we crave it in Nigeria.

With 55.68 per cent of the vote he coasted to victory. But what were the key things that worked in his favour?

First, Tunisia has since

undergone a turbulent political transition phase, with Islamists and secularists clashing over the political direction that the largely secular Arab country would follow and to put an end to these clashes, they voted a man with experience and vision; man that will bring an end to the killing of innocent Tunisians.

“

Even though he served under the dictatorship of President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali, who was ousted in 2011 after the Arab Spring revolution they know that Essebsi has retraced his step and intends to write his name in gold.

Essebsi’s age had little to do with his victory. It was his firm promises which people knew

he would deliver. US President Barack Obama congratulated Essebsi and hailed the vote as “a vital step toward the completion of Tunisia’s momentous transition to democracy.” Is Essebsi the only example across the world? In the United States, Ronald Reegan was voted as president at the age of 69, three years short of Buhari’s 72.

Essebsi’s age had little to do with his victory. It was his firm promises which people knew he would deliver.

In 2008, John Mc Cain, the Republican presidential candidate was 72 when he contested against Obama.

And in 2016, Hillary RodhamClinton who has been described as favorite to succeed Obama will be 69 if she does enter the White House as president.

It is not about the age, it is about issues, policies and the change that the person will bring. Buhari is actually 16 years younger than Essebsi and I want to believe that the change Nigerians crave will drive them to vote Buhari in February 2015.

As Governor Babatunde Fashola said, “The real problem is not their age; it is the age of their ideas.” These words were said four years ago. Never have they been truer than they are today.

Bisuga contributed this on thewillnigeria.com

PAGE 16

2015: Jonathan visits IBB

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend visited the former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in his Minna home.

With President at IBB’s home on Saturday were the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); his Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Jones Arogbofa (retd.); Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Muhammed; former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and the Director-General of his presidential campaign and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Ahmadu Ali among others.

In an interaction with newsmen after a closed door meeting with the retired General, Jonathan explained that he was in Minna to see the former President following his recent return from abroad after medical treatment.

He said he was with Babangida to express his appreciation to him over his leadership and commitment to a unified and peaceful Nigeria.

Calling Babangida his father, Jonathan was happy at the good condition he found the former military President, noting that as a former leader; Babangida possessed the sort of experience needed to tackle the nation’s security challenges.

He said: “First and foremost, I have to use this opportunity to appreciate our leader, President Babangida for his leadership. His commitment to ensuring that this country is united and we leave in peace.

“Of course, you know that this is the end of the year. Within this period, people pay visits. So I have come to visit him. You know he just came back from a hospital abroad, not too long ago.

“Since he came back, we have not seen. I need to see my father to know how he is feeling. I am quite pleased the way I have seen him.

“Of course, you all know that as a nation, we are facing challenges: security challenges all over, not just in the North. Yes, Boko Haram in the North. The South is not safe: commercial kidnapping and robbery.

He is one of our experienced leaders. As somebody who is sitting where he was before, I need to see them from time to time to listen to their suggestions.”

In his remarks, Babangida called for support for the President, saying that he meant well for the country.

He said: “What I will say is simple: The President means well for this country and he is working well for this country.”

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

20 PDP groups to defect to APC in Nasarawa

By Ali Abare Abubakar

O

ver 20 groups belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have indicated interest to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 general election, extolling the leadership qualities of Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura.

The groups, under the aegis of the Nasara Community Association of Nasarawa local government area of the state, while presenting their position paper yesterday before the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board

(NSUBEB), Mallam Abdulkarim Abdullahi Muhammad in Keffi, noted that with current happenings across the country, particularly in the northern part of the country, they were left with no option than to leave the PDP. Presenting the group’s position, Alhaji Yahaya Namama, told the NSUBEB boss that they are ready and willing to work for the success of the APC and to ensure the failure of the PDP in the state as well as the country at large.

“PDP is not a religion. With what is now happening, the north requires unity whether you are Muslim, Christian or pagan because

the next bomb to go off could kill either of us. That explains why we decided to leave the PDP” Namama said.

Members of the group however gave a condition which they said must be made before they finally leave the PDP for the APC. “We are not here to castigate or blame anybody but we are wary of government officials who do not intend to carry the people along.

For this reason, we can only leave our party if the APC assures us of carrying us along.

“We know the roles we have been playing while being loyal to the PDP and it is not unconnected

with these roles that members of the PDP are doing everything to persuade us not to leave” Namama disclosed.

Responding, Mallam Abdulkarim commended the group for identifying with the laudable development projects being put in place by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura, pledging to convey the group’s demand to the appropriate quarters.

“It’s commendable that the Nasara group is poised to change the political environment in Nasarawa for Al-makura’s electoral success” he stated.

Insecurity: Brace up or loose seat to opposition, Prophet Balogun warns Jonathan

By Stanley Onyekwere

F

Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Aliyu Babangida presenting 2015 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly, at the State House of Assembly, recently in Minna.

Obasanjo sympathetic to our course - APC

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is sympathetic to their party because of his believe in change that the party would bring to Nigeria.

Speaking with some journalists in Abuja, Shuiabu also said that Obasanjo has resolved to support anybody that could effect change from current “legalized corruption” in

the country.

He confirmed that APC has secured favour from Obasanjo and other ex-head of states ahead of the 2015 general elections even as some of them are still card carrying members of the ruling PDP. “We don’t have any connection with Obasanjo other than the sympathy he has with anybody that could effect change in this country.

He is not a member of our party mind you, he is still a PDP man but for the fact that he is a former democratic President in this country people listen

to him. More often than not, some people go to seek for his advice both from PDP, APC and other parties. But he is interested in the type of change we are driving on, so he is to certain extent sympathetic to APC.” Suhaibu revealed that APC has as a matter of policy, been enforcing it government at all level to ensure the implementation of it approved manifestos across board, and adding that what has happened with legacy parties that formed APC would be totally different from what will happen in APC.

ounder and Overseer of the Garden of Love and Deliverance Ministry (GLDM) in Nasarawa State, Prophet Sunday Balogun has warned President Goodluck Jonathan to brace up to the lingering insecurity challenges or loose seat to opposition, in the forthcoming General election, next year.

The Edo State born prophet said that God revealed to him if the President did not measure up to what is necessary for everybody to be at peace in the country, then He is going to make sure that Jonathan’s opponent takes over the position (the presidency).

Balogun, who handed down this warning during a media chat with selected journalists in his residence, at the weekend, in Masaka-Area 1, however added that when this happens, himself (Jonathan) will be in trouble and great danger.

According to the prophet, “God told me about three weeks ago when I was praying for this Christmas season, that He is against the government of President Goodluck Jonathan for just sitting on the seat He gave to him (Jonathan), and just watching innocent blood been wasted especially that of the saintsthe blood of the saints are crying against him and the entire country.

“He said that the President is happy with the blood that is flowing in the country, and even if he is not happy over the situation, He (God) has prepared him for that seat (presidency) without struggle, as he did not labour for the seat, then why is him labouring now to retain the seat?

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Politics

Gombe APC southern zone rejects Inuwa’s victory as guber candidate From David Hassan, Gombe

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All Progressives Congress (APC) Vice Presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (left) with APC members, during a ‘Walk the Ward’ campaign, at the weekend in Lagos

Maku’ll leave PDP if…, says Group

By Ali Abare Abubakar

M

aku Support Group (MSG), a pro Labaran Maku group has decried the foot dragging and apparent reluctance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to review the results of the skewed Nasarawa State primary elections despite appeals by their principal and other true lovers of democracy in the state.

MSG stated this in a release

signed by its coordinator, Comrade Bako Ajen, made available to Peoples Daily yesterday.

According to the group, the implication of their foot dragging may cost PDP Nasarawa State in the general elections as it may lose one of its leading lights in the state in the person of the former Minister of Information.

Part of the statement reads: “We remain resolute and steadfast in our campaign for a Labaran Maku candidature, and if we have

to switch platforms to actualise this aspiration, then we are left without a choice than to do the needful.

“We are calling on Labaran Maku to strongly consider an alternative party if the rigging persists as he cannot afford to squander the huge support and goodwill he enjoys on the altar of being a good/faithful party man.

“Labaran Maku has the popularity and acceptance to win the general elections regardless of

the party. All he needs is a banner to fly under. Nasarawa State needs Labaran Maku as he remains the best bet for the job of rescuing it from its downward spiral.

“Labaran Maku is an idea whose time has come and there is no stopping it. This idea is premised upon the compelling need to transform the battered fortunes of the good people of the state who good governance has continually eluded and that of the state.”

APC vows to work hard to make 2015 polls violence-free From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to make sure that the 2015 general election is violence-free; saying the rising apprehension about the polls among the populace is inimical to the conduct of a successful election.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party however said its efforts should be complemented by the PDPled federal government, which has a propensity for using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the opposition and ordinary citizens.

It also said the FG should take all measures necessary to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, since rigging and other acts of electoral malfeasance constitute the immediate trigger for anger and violence during and after

elections. ‘’We have heard from Nigerians who are so afraid about possible violence during the forthcoming election that they are even willing to relocate to other countries until after the elections. But, as the biggest opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation’s democracy, we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence. ‘’Though our party has no history of violence, we have commenced a nationwide effort to sensitize our members and supporters to the need to eschew rancour and embrace nonviolent methods, even in the face of the kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the FG. ‘’If the federal government allows a level playing field for all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the

armed wing of the ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear, favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible polls. In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the forthcoming polls peaceful. ‘’On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election that is not only free, fair, credible and transparent, but one that is also seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge,’’ APC said.

The party said it demonstrated, during its recent rancour-free and festive national convention in Lagos, that elections should be a celebration of democracy, rather than a moment of fear, violence and threat to lives.

It said far from mere rhetoric, it had taken practical steps, as far back as May 2014, to work with the PDP to ensure

violence-free polls in 2015. ‘’Following up on a meeting of representatives of both parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a Code of Conduct for the campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a bipartisan meeting to address the issue. ‘’The PDP agreed to the proposal and suggested that it should be expanded to include the leadership of other political parties in the country. However, problem with logistics meant that the meeting did not hold. ‘’Even with the little time left for the election to hold, we strongly believe that a meeting of the leadership of the two political parties, the APC and the PDP, will send a powerful message to our compatriots and indeed the international community and douse the tension that is building up ahead of the election,’’ APC said.

ollowing the recent APC gubernatorial primaries in Gombe State, a group under the aegis of Gombe South Progressive Union has disassociated itself from the election of Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya as the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

The group stated this through its chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Reme yesterday in an interview with newsmen in Gombe, adding that the party’s gubernatorial candidate has failed to consider the people of the zone in his affairs.

He said members of the party of GSPU have disowned the election of the candidate since, according to group; the elected candidate has refused to honour series of invitations sent to him for a round table discussion at the zone.

Speaking further, Reme accused the candidate of favoring a particular sector at the detriment of Tangale Waja which have four local governments out of eleven in the state, adding that unlike the former Speaker, Bayero Nafada, the zone had a faithful discussion with him and he promised to carry the people alone with promise of meeting some of their needs proposed to him but since he did not get the ticket what they expected the candidate to do was to be open up and spell out his plans for the area.

The chairman enjoined the members to continue to embrace one another in order to vote genuine leaders to enable the dividend of democracy for the people who have been neglected in the area.

Sen Bagudu picks Yombe as running mate From Ahmed Kebbi

F

Idris,

Birnin

ollowing the dateline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the submission of candidates list yesterday, Kebbi State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Sen Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has picked Col Samaila Yombe (rtd) as running mate.

Yombe confirmed this to Peoples Daily recently in Birnin Kebbi.

“Yes, it’s true. I am Sen Bagudu’s running mate. In fact we are just returning from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja,” he said.

Yombe, a retired army pilot is currently an aerial agric pest control expert. He is from Dabai district in Zuru Local Government Area of the state.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Politics Buhari will redeem Nigeria from corruption – Says Masari INTERVEW

This is the third time you are contesting for the governorship of position of your state, what is it that you have to offer to the people of Katsina to merit this publicity?

Let me correct you, I ran once and I running the second time, the other time, I only attempted to run, but I was squeezed out of the race. So actually I do not consider that I ran in 2007, I attempted to run, but I was squeezed out of the race, everybody was aware, you were aware how I was squeezed out of the race. As for the 2011, I think the Supreme Court has answered the question from its judgement of last Friday, which judgement was given in favour of what we stood for in 2011. But the question now is not about the past but about what I have for Katsina or the aspiration I have for the people of Katsina State. I always say that I look at Katsina State as an agrarian state; it’s a state that was dependent on agriculture, and livestock and education. Katsina had the rare opportunity of producing one former Head of state and one former President. It produced the second in command, it produced Chief Justice of the federation, Katsina produced two Inspectors General of police, and the first military governor of northern Nigeria. We can go on and on. Fundamentally these were because of education, so the foundation of Katsina was built on education, the first school in the northern Nigeria was built in Katsina, the first generation leaders from the northern Nigeria, all came through Katsina, even the second generation, all came from Katsina. If you look at Katsina today, what is the situation of the state in the scheme of things, in terms of level of education, this is on the part of education, then, in northern Nigeria, you can hardly count three to five without having somebody from Katsina State or somebody who came through education system of Katsina State. Likewise at the federal government representation, there is always a Katsina man or somebody from Katsina. What is the story now, where is Katsina State in the scheme of things, is it because people don’t like Katsina State?

It means that there is something fundamentally wrong with Katsina today, in the next

Aminu Bello Masari is the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State. In this interview with Peoples Daily, he spoke on how General Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in the 2015 presidential election will redeem Nigeria from corruption. Excerpts:

twenty years, what is likely to happen to Katsina? On the part of the economy of Katsina State, like I said earlier, the Katsina province, consisting of Daura and Katsina, was largely an agrarian state, dependent on agriculture and livestock.

During the native authority system, under the northern Nigeria, and later on, under part of north western Nigeria, prisons, all bureaucracies, were under native authority.

Native authority was building schools then. Native authority was building dispensaries and hospitals; native authority was constructing feeder roads, constructing culverts, without federal money, what is the position today, if for whatever reason, the federation account should stop flowing? Katsina will not last more than one month, and is a possibility for revenue from centre to stop going, and this is going to be very soon, because the price of crude now is about $57 per barrel, and still going down. Suppose it drops to $20 per barrel, how much will Katsina take? The worst case scenario is if tomorrow there is no Nigeria, how can Katsina State survive? These are issues that should bother leaders that are preparing their people for tomorrow. We have the land, we have the people, and we have the water, so those things that were done under the native authority can still be done today. We can reposition our state, prepare it for tomorrow. The Indians that were our teachers, engineers and doctors, today, are no longer present in Nigeria, because the government of the federation, not to talk of the government of the state, cannot pay an Indian or Pakistani if he is around, all the Indians or Pakistanis you see around are representing one international organisation or agency. We can no longer afford them, how did they achieve that?

Education is not miracle, simply education. Why can’t we do it?

Here in Nigeria, some states have started doing it, like Kano.

The way Kano is going, if they will maintain the scale, the next ten to twenty years, Kano will be the highest exporter of skilled educated people in Nigeria.

Today, Kano is constructing technical schools in all the forty

Aminu Bello Masari

four local governments. Even if we don’t have as much money as Kano, within the context of the small one we have, what are we doing with it to improve the quality of education? That is why we say we are going in there to provide primary to secondary education, because once you get the primary and secondary education right, it means the product you send to higher education can deliver.

You have pointed out some lapses in the educational sector of the state, if your government is voted, what measures are you going to adopt to reposition education

in the state, which the current government is not doing?

One thing I am telling you is that, we as political leaders in the state, our children will go to public schools, no more private schools for us. Anybody who thinks it is his constitutional rights, yes you have the right to do whatever you want, but the employer has the right to give condition for employment.

If you accept to work with us, you have to accept the condition that anybody who takes up a political appointment in Katsina State, will have to put their children in public schools, his family members will have to go to public health

“

I will have a moral authority to enforce my legal authority on you.

So, addressing corruption today in Nigeria starts with clean leaders, those who work with equity must come with clean hands

institutions. Because for us to be able to start getting education right, we must participate physically, because a situation whereby a local government chairman is responsible for primary education, he is not only responsible for primary education, but he is directly and remotely responsible for primary education, but if the children of the governor go to private schools, you are telling us that you have failed. You see, in governance, you have to bring moral authority before you can be able to enforce the legal authority that you have.

And this is what we intend to do, along the line; we can change the local government system, by unchaining it away from this joint account. So that the local governments will be free to operate with their resources.

What we will not do is that we will not be contractors, our children will not be contractors, and our wives will not be contractors. Our family members will not go to the local government chairman to give them money. We want a moral authority to punish anybody who tries to be corrupt and if we want to do that, we have to start with ourselves.

There is an argument that there will be corruption at the local government, especially if the local government is unchained as you said?

Let me tell you, if you give me an inducement, I will not take, and my family members will not take, because it will create problem between me and my associates, and even family members, but the truth of the matter is that I will not take and my family members will not take, so if I don’t take from you and my son does not take from you, my family, they are out of it, if you take your own, I will punish you. I will have a moral authority to enforce my legal authority on you. So, addressing corruption today in Nigeria starts with clean leaders, those who work with equity must come with clean hands.

Some people have made some moves to stop you from winning the primary Continued on 31

Page 19

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

‘No Morality in Business’, a fraudulent mantra, says Group Chairman From Tope Musowo, Ado Ekiti

T

he Chairman, Forthright Security and Investment Limited, Mr Johnson Teniola Faronoju has said that the common saying that there is no morality in business was a fraudulent mantra that must be discouraged if Nigeria must meet her economic goals.

Mr Faronoju started this at the end of the year programme organised in Lagos to appreciate his staff and customers alike for

their outstanding contributions to the vision of the company since January, 2014.

He said one of the things that have given the company an edge over its contemporaries over the years was the fact the company was living up to its name ‘Forthright’ in all its business dealings without deviating from its core value which was integrity in business.

The Chairman of Forthright, the parent company for Forthright Properties, Forthright International, and other

subsidiaries said the company has evolved over the years with business integrity as its hallmark and anyone named with the company, be it staff or customers have been identifying with this core value.

Meanwhile, a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, Prof. Ademola Ariyo, while addressing the audience, charged the members of staff to ensure that the name of the company “Forthright” reflects in their character, saying that

integrity pays.

According to him, many of the staff members have had cause to handle huge amount of money over the years without funny stories, however urged them to continue that way, saying that sooner or later they would reap it.

While speaking to newsmen after the programme, the Head , Corporate Affairs of the Company, Mr Segun Alabi said the significance of the event is to merry and get together after the year’s work and to also re-

strategize for the new year.

The event witnessed a beauty pageant where Titilope Bamigbola emerged as miss Forthright 2014, having contested with three other contestants.

The popular Lagos comedian, Owen G and friend, Baba D Baba were there to crack the ribs of the audience in an electrifying jokes in an atmosphere of fun fair and thanksgiving that was concluded with presentation of gifts and other incentives to outstanding staff.

L-R: Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank, Mr. Uzoma Dozie, Managing Director/CEO of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Phillips Oduoza and Group Managing Director/CEO of First Bank Plc, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, during the signing of MOU with CBN and Other stakeholders on Power, recently in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Austerity: The rich don’t pay tax in Nigeria – NLC SEC Gen alleges

By Etuka Sunday with agency report

T

he Secretary General of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Peter Ozo-Eson yesterday alleged that the rich in Nigeria do not pay tax therefore should be made to do so with the introduction of the austerity measures in the country.

Ozo-Eson who spoke in Lagos

said, a great percentage of the affluent and the propertied class in the country do not pay tax.

“Most of the very rich people in the country are not paying tax; there must be a scheme to get them to pay adequate tax.

“Most of the luxury goods are consumed by the rich, and goods in this category include private jets that are in our airports today.’’

N220bn MSMEs’ fund: CIBN hails Fed Govt >>Pg 20

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the country could survive the current economic depression occasioned by the fall in oil prices with effective taxation of luxury goods being consumed by the rich.

He therefore appealed to the government to shun all attempts to transfer the burden of the economic crisis to the workers.

“Nigeria is a country that is

so rich and yet there is serious poverty that we are talking about.

“If we tax private jets and other frivolous forms of consumption in a very high rate that will be a welcome development.

“Those who consume such commodity should be taxed and taxed heavily,’’ Ozo-Eson said.

According to him, the starting point of the austerity measures

Ecobank signs USD100m agreement with EIB >>Pg 21

should be a cut in the cost of governance to check waste, adding that government could efficiently function with leaner expenditure pattern.

“Our position is that with the employment positions in public sector today, most of the cost that is weighing heavily down the finances has nothing to do with the remuneration of workers.

“It has to do with the bloated and exquisite allowances attached to the management staff, political office holders and their staff.’’

The NLC, he said, agreed in principle to the government’s plan to raise tax on luxury items.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Money Market

Disagreement between CBN, NCC impairs mobile money implementation

Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

T

he General Manager, IBM Africa, Taiwo Otiti, had attributed delay in implementation process of the mobile money platform in the country to disagreement between regulators of banking and telecom business.

Otiti who said that the development has adversely impacted on mobile money business called for collaboration among the relevant stakeholders.

According to him, strategy being adopted by the key stakeholders is stifling the success of mobile money operation in the country.

Speaking during an interview with the journalists he said: “The approach we have taken in mobile money is the challenge.

We have over 30 million

unbanked, compared with over 100 million mobile phone users.

The guys who are unbanked, they may have mobile phones, but how would you get them into the financial system. You must be able to get into his lifestyle for you to be able to get him subscribe to mobile money scheme. Many of the

stakeholders are doing that.”

Otiti said that getting the mobile money scheme running requires both the payment and supply chain properly defined and implemented by the stakeholders adding that there was need for a paradigm shift that sees all the stakeholders working together.

“The telcos can’t also do

without the banks, so also are the banks. It is only by collaboration, will the mobile money project begin to deliver the needed results,” he said.

He said the stakeholders should not think of who owns the customer, but focus on products and services that can attract more customers into the

scheme because nobody owns the customer.

“Nobody owns the customer. What is important is collaboration that ensures that end-user gets what he wants.

We need to see mobile money in terms of what the customer can get and use in improving his lifestyles,” he said.

N220bn MSMEs’ fund: CIBN hails Fed Govt

T

he President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mrs Debola Osibogun, has commended the Federal Government for launching the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Fund, power sector reforms and establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company.

Osibogun who made the commendation said government has also created specialised funding for key sectors of the economy, such as Agriculture, Education, Maritime, Information Communication Technology and Textiles, among others.

“We are happy to note that the banking industry remains a very dependable ally in promoting these transformations across all sectors of the economy and is also working assiduously towards achieving the nation’s goal to be one of the top 20 economies in year 2020,” she said.

She described the institute as 51-year-old self regulatory, professional banking institute, chartered by an Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the statutory responsibilities of human capacity development for the banking industry; professional certification and maintenance of ethical standards among practitioners.

“The Institute is overtly poised to coordinate and harmonise the strength of all its constitutent corporate and individual members; and other relevant stakeholders (local and International) for value addition to the Nigeria project,” she said.

People loading a commercial bus at Oyingbo, at the weekend in Lagos.

ICAN sets up tuition support fund T he Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria has set up a fund aimed at raising the standard of tuition houses and ultimately the performance of students in the institute’s examinations.

According to the President of the body, Mr Chidi Ajaegbu, the fund is known as the Tuition House Support Fund.

He said it had observed that most tuition houses were facing the basic challenges of inappropriate lecture rooms and furniture required for learning.

Ajaegbu assured that the fund would render technical assistance by providing library

support to tuition houses, while all its accredited tuition houses would be assisted with modern accounting textbooks, study packs and pilot questions.

It will also sponsor a biannual mandatory tuition house operators retreat and yearly meeting with directors of tuition houses in order to sharpen tutors’ skills and experience.

Also the Senior Manager, Corporate Communications of ICAN, Mrs Bunmi Owolabi, explained that to benefit from the fund, all accredited tuition houses must have basic facilities including a dedicated building with good parking space.

“Also, tuition houses

must have relevant and professionally qualified lecturers and demonstrate that the organisations meet the core principles of the scheme, which are designed to ensure consistent standard in the tuition offered worldwide for the ICAN qualification.

“The fund is part of the institute’s scheme of developmental initiatives borne out of the desire to address the problem of poor performance of students. Over the years, the governing council of the institute has observed with dismay the poor performance of candidates at the institute’s examinations due largely to

poor academic background of students, lack of good tuition, poor and inadequate preparation, and dearth of good learning materials.”

Owolabi also said that in keeping with its mandate to produce world-class chartered accountants and continually enhance their ethical standards and technical competence, ICAN was planning to enter into agreements with tertiary institutions.

She said the MCATI was based on the institute’s new professional examinations syllabus which was produced in line with international best practices.

Page 21

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Capital Market

NSE: Investors wealth up by 13.6% Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

D

riven by activity in the Financial Services Industry, transaction on the floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange last week closed on a bullish note as market indicators gained appreciation.

Specifically, the Market Capitalization of listed equities appreciated by 13.60% to close Wednesday at N11.402 trillion against N10.006 trillion it opened with while the NSE All-Share Index equally closed increased by 13.60 per cent to close at 34,428.82 basis points from 30,306.51 basis points recorded the previous week.

Similarly, all the indices progressed higher during the week with exception of the NSE ASeM Index that remained flat.

The NSE 30 index went up by 176.33 basis points to 1,555.20, NSE Banking index rose by 45.43 to 358.09 points, NSE Insurance index grew by 2.41 to 146.19, NSE Consumer Goods index 79.49 to 862.96 points, NSE Oil/Gas Index increased by 32.72 to 399.51, NSE Lotus II rose by 211.46 to 2,183.59, NSE Industrial index 266.46 to 2,139.15 points Meanwhile, it was a brief trading week, the market opened for three days as Thursday and Friday were declared Public Holidays to celebrate the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays.

Review of activity in the market showed that a turnover of 1.860 billion shares worth N12.760 billion in 13,469 deals were traded by investors in contrast to a total of 5.409 billion shares valued at N46.470 billion that exchanged hands in 22,986 deals the previous week.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.110 billion shares valued at N6.369 billion traded in 7,532 deals; thus contributing 59.67% and 49.91% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of

467.595 million shares worth N1.664 billion in 830 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with 85.970 million shares worth N2.392 billion in 2,469 deals.

Trading in the Top Three Equities namely- Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, First City Monument Bank Plc and FBN Holdings Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 836.842 million shares worth N3.347 billion in 3,315 deals, contributing 45.00% and 26.23% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Fifty-seven (57) equities appreciated in price during the week higher than twenty-three (23) equities of the preceding

week.

Sixteen (16) equities depreciated in price lower than Fifty-one (51) equities of the preceding week, while one hundred and twenty-four (124) equities remained unchanged higher than one hundred and twenty-three (123) recorded in the preceding week United Bank for Africa led gainers table in percentage terms appreciating by 32.28 per cent or N1.22 kobo to close at N5.00, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) 28.90 per cent or N0.89 kobo to close at N3.97 kobo while Oando Plc gained 26.79 per cent or N4.22 kobo to close at N19.97 kobo. Other companies that appreciated in

price were Skye Bank Plc 26.20 per cent, Dangote Cement Plc 22.91 per cent, Seplat Petroluem Development Company LTD 21.54 per cent, Guinness Nigeria Plc 21.53 per cent, National Aviation Handling Company 20.92 per cent, Champion Breweries Plc 20.90 per cent, Zenith International Bank Plc 19.30 per cent.

Ashaka Cement Plc on the other hand topped losers dropping by 9.96 per cent or N2.45 kobo to close at N22.15 kobo, International Breweries Plc trailed with a loss of 6.81 per cent or N1.77 kobo to close at N24.23 kobo while Caverton Offshore Support GRP declined by 5.36 per cent or N0.17 kobo to close

Ecobank signs USD100m agreement with EIB

E A man transporting bags and additional measures of cement on motorcycle, at the weekend in Gombe metropolis

AMCON hands over Mainstreet to Sky Bank, appoints interim management board

I

n pursuant to the relevant regulatory approvals for the acquisition of Mainstreet Bank Limited (MBL), the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has formally handed-over the management of MBL to Skye Bank Plc on 18 December 2014.

The directors of Mainstreet Bank also resigned their appointments on the same day while an interim Management Board comprising of Mrs Amaka Onwughalu, (Deputy Managing Director of Skye Bank) and Mr Dotun Adeniyi (Executive

at N3.00. Other companies that recorded price depreciation were Pharmer Deko Plc 4.89 per cent, NPF Micro Finance Bank 4.88 per cent, Computer Wrehouse Group 4.84 per cent, Learn Africa Plc 4.76 per cent, Costain (West Africa) Plc 4.76 per cent, May & Baker Nigeria Plc 4.55 per cent and R.T. Briscoe 4.35 per cent.

A total of 6.3 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each belonging to Champion Breweries Plc were admitted to trade on the Exchange on Wednesday December 24, 2014. This arose as a result of the recently concluded rights issue which closed on September 10th, 2014, thus increasing the issued quantity of the company’s share to 7.2 million.

Also traded during the week were a total of 36,241 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N627,306.22 executed in 15 deals compared with a total of 28,556 units valued at N531,541.14 transacted last week in 21 deals.

There was no trade in bonds within the week. However, a total of 9,000 units of FGN bonds valued at N9.849 million were executed in 5 deals.

Director of Skye Bank) was constituted.

According to Skye Bank, Mrs Onwughalu was appointed to the Board of Skye Bank on 30 November 2008 and is an astute Bank Administrator with over 27 years’ experience. She rose to the position of acting Managing Director of Reliance Bank in April 2005 till the merger scheme which gave birth to Skye Bank in 2006. In her current capacity as the DMD of Skye Bank, she oversees the Treasury Group, the International Funding Group, Corporate Banking Group and

International Subsidiaries.

Mr Adeniyi was appointed to the Board on 30 November 2008. He is an experienced and accomplished banker with over 28 years’ experience spanning corporate banking, commercial banking, retail banking, international trade finance and banking operations.

He is currently Skye Bank’s Chief Risk Officer. Mr Adeniyi started his banking career as a Trainee Manager with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in 1986.

Mrs Onwughalu will act as the interim MD/CEO of Mainstreet

Bank Limited while Mr Adeniyi will act as an Executive Director.

In light of the professional experiences of Mrs Onwughalu and Mr Adeniyi, Skye Bank expresses no doubt that they have the requisite skills, experience and competence to steer the affairs of Mainstreet Bank in the capacities indicated.

The interim Management Board is expected to steer the affairs of Mainstreet Bank Limited for no more than six months, during which time Skye Bank will pursue the integration of the operations of the two banks.

cobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the Lomé-based parent company of the Ecobank Group, has signed a seven-year USD 100 million loan facility agreement with the European Investment Bank.

According a statement from the company made available to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Ecobank stated that it will use this loan to provide some of its subsidiaries with additional lending capacity. It will also finance some of the Group’s strategic capital expenditures.

Ecobank continues to contribute positively to the African economy by increasing the levels of credit available to businesses while at the same time generating long-term value for its shareholders.

Commenting on this, Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer Albert Essien, stated: “This funding continues our relationship with the European Investment Bank. It will allow us to continue to consolidate our expanded operations and translate our scale and geographical footprint into added value for our customers. We shall use the financing to maintain credit provision in key economies in Africa thus contributing to the development of the continent.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Business

Rocket hits storage tank at Libya’s biggest oil port

A

rocket set a storage tank at the eastern Libyan oil of port Es Sider on fire as armed factions allied to competing governments fought for control of the country’s biggest export terminal, officials from both sides said.

Clashes were also reported from Sirte, a city west of Es Sider, killing up to 19, among them 14 guards at a power plant, residents said. No more

details were available.

Es Sider and its adjacent Ras Lanuf terminal have been closed since a force allied to a rival government in Tripoli moved east trying to take them, part of a struggle between former rebels who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but now fight for power and a share of oil reserves.

Libya has had two governments and parliaments since a group

called Libya Dawn seized the capital in August by expelling a rival faction, installing its own prime minister and forcing the recognized premier, Abdullah al-Thinni, to operate out of the east with the elected House of Representatives.

Thinni accuses Libya Dawn of relying on Islamists. The Tripolibased government says Thinni’s forces have allied themselves with former

higher than in the first 11 months of 2013, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data.

The NBS attributed November’s profit drop to declining sales and a longrunning slide in producer pricing power.

“Increasing price falls shrank the space for profit,” the agency said.

It said the impact of prices for coal, oil and basic

materials falling to their lowest levels in years “was extremely clear”.

As the NBS analysis suggested, the net slide in industrial profits was driven primarily by weakness in coal mining, and oil and gas industries, where November profits tumbled from a year earlier by 44.4 percent and 13.2 percent respectively.

Upside for Tech Businesses Oil, coking coal and nuclear fuel processing industries saw their profits slide by 34.2 percent, according to the data.

On the upside, Chinese technology industries saw profits grow sharply last month.

Telecommunications firms saw a 20.7 percent increase, electronics and machinery grew 15.1 percent and automobile

Gaddafi officers such as exgeneral Khalifa Haftar.

Ali Hassi, spokesman for a security service allied to Thinni’s internationallyrecognized government, said the rival force tried taking the Es Sider with speedboats, opening fire on an oil tank.

Ismail al-Shukri, spokesman for the rival force, said it had launched a new push to take the ports but denied it had sent boats or shot at any storage

tanks. He blamed the other side, saying aircraft had attacked the tank.

“A tank was hit but the damage is limited,” said Hassi, adding that the advance had been stopped with aircraft and ground troops. Clashes were also reported in Ben Jawad west of Es Sider.

An oil ministry official said the storage tank was still on fire.

Smoke could be seen on pictures posted on

social media websites and described as showing the port.

The fighting has reduced Libya’s crude output to 352,000 barrels a day, a spokesman for state National Oil Corp said. Only the Brega, Sarir, Messla and offshore operations were still producing, he said.

Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports had been processing an estimated 300,000 bpd.

(Reuters)

manufacturers enjoyed a 16.7 percent gain.

“This suggests that on the one hand, in the context of weak investment demand, stable consumption d e m a n d provided a certain degree of support; on the other hand, promoting i n d u s t r y restructuring is having a positive effect on efficiency,” the NBS analysis said.

However, the unbalanced nature of the performance h i g h l i g h t s a quandary regulators face.

They want to restructure the Chinese economy away from creditand energy-intensive heavy industries toward lightweight technology products

and services, yet they must also avoid causing a crisis in the financial system.

If Beijing allows mass closures among its sagging erstwhile industrial champions in the name of economic transformation, it also risks forcing a wave of bad loans onto bank balance sheets. That would make banks even more reluctant to lend to the next-generation companies which authorities want them to support.

Economists are debating whether the monetary easing steps taken in recent months including late November’s surprise interest rate cut - can prove effective in a context where many companies are seeking fresh capital primarily to roll over existing debt amid weak customer demand, while China’s most successful firms remain reluctant to borrow. (Reuters)

China’s November industrial profits suffer sharpest fall in 27 months

C

hinese industrial profits dropped 4.2 percent in November to 676.12 billion yuan ($108.85 billion), official data showed on Saturday, the biggest annual decline since August 2012 as the economy hit major unexpected headwinds in the second half.

Despite last month’s drop, profits for JanuaryNovember were 5.3 percent

OSUN STATECOLLEGE OF EDUCATION, ILA-ORANGUN, OSUN STATE INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR FOR 2013 TETFUND SPECIAL INTERVENTION PROJECT The Collegewishes to bring to the notice of interested competent and reputable Companies that the institution would want to procure some equipment under the TETFUND Special Intervention Project as listed below: Lot 1: Procurement of ICT Equipment PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT • Certification of Incorporation/Business Registration • Current Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three(3) years • Value Added Tax Registration Certificate • Verifiable Evidence of previous experience in area of interest • Company profile • Three years Audited Accounts/Evidence of Financial Capability • Evidence of Compliance With Pension Reform Act,2004 • Evidence of Compliance with NSITF Reform Act • Evidence of compliance with statutory provision of section 8(1)-(3) of the Industrial Training Fund Amendment Act,2011 SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS: The application for Pre-Qualification must be submitted in a sealed envelope and boldly marked PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS FOR LOT 1 and should be addressed as follows: TheProvost, Osun StateCollege of Education, Ila-Orangun, OsunState.

CLOSING DATE: Eligible Contractors are expected to submit relevant documents within two(2) weeks from the date of this publication and the pre-qualification documents will be publicly opened for processing at 12:00 pm on 12th January 2015 at the School’s Admin building reception, only qualified companies will be short listed and invited to Tender.

PLEASE NOTE THAT: The pre-qualification invitation shall not be construed to be commitment on the part of the College nor shall it entitle any company to make any claim whatsoever and or seek any indemnity from the College by virtue of such company having responded to the advert.

The College is not under any obligation to include your company on its list of contractors.

SIGNED: REGISTRAR

U.S. crude stocks jump to seasonal record as glut sets in

U

.S. crude stocks surged unexpectedly last week to their highest level on record for December, as imports jumped and refineries maintained output, government data showed on Wednesday.

Crude inventories rose by 7.3 million barrels in the last week, according to Energy Information Administration data, surprising analysts who had expected a decrease of 2.3 million barrels.

U.S. crude imports rose last week by 1.174 million barrels per day.

The surprising build

added to concerns about a growing global glut of crude, since it came at a time of year when inventories normally decline due to a pick-up in winter fuel demand and efforts to reduce annual tax bills by dumping stocks.

“It’s a very bearish report and plays into the mantra of supply glut and it will be interesting to see if the price can test the lows in the $53 area as the year comes to a close,” said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

After data, U.S. crude oil futures extended losses slightly, down more than

$2 a barrel to just above $55 a barrel in extremely thin pre-holiday volume.

At 387 million barrels, nationwide crude oil stocks were the highest for this time of year in records going back to 1982. The surplus compared to last year has grown for several weeks, and stocks are now some 5 percent higher than in 2012 and 2013.

Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 973,000 barrels, EIA said.

Refinery crude runs inched up by 40,000 barrels per day, EIA data showed. Refinery

utilization rates remained unchanged.

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose 2.3 million barrels, versus expectations for a 900,000 barrels drop, the data showed. Stocks are rising quickly in the Gulf Coast PADD 3 region, building by 1.6 million barrels to 44.3 million last week, their highest for this time of year since 2010, data showed.

Gasoline stocks rose by 4.1 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 600,000 barrels gain. (Reuters)

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Wednesday, December 24, 2014

PAGE 23

PAGE 25

Peoples Daily, monday, DecEMber 29, 2014

PAGE 24

Special Report

Who, What, Why: The questions of 2014 answered The events of 2014 raised some big questions, which the Magazine tried to answer succinctly in our Who, What, Why series. Here is a selection of the best.

What language would Jesus have spoken?

I

srael’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to disagree with the Pope over the language Christ would have spoken. At a public meeting in Jerusalem that both attended, Netanyahu suggested Hebrew, while Pope Francis insisted it was Aramaic. “He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew,” Netanyahu retorted.

Answer: Aramaic would have been Jesus’s first language, with Hebrew used for scholarly questions. He may also have known some Greek.

Could Tourette’s syndrome make a goalkeeper better?

U

S goalkeeper Tim Howard won plaudits for making 15 saves in a World Cup match against Belgium. He has suggested that living with Tourette’s syndrome - a condition characterised by multiple motor tics, and at least one vocal tic - since his teenage years made him a better athlete. It helped to sharpen his reflexes, Howard argued.

What are frostquakes?

I

n January people in Canada were awoken by loud banging noises.

Some assumed nighttime intruders were at work, others that there might have been a minor earthquake.

Instead, they were told by the authorities that a peculiar effect of the cold weather was probably to blame.

Answer: Frostquakes are the loud cracking of frozen soil caused by expanding ice beneath the surface, occurring after a plunge in temperatures following wet weather.

How do you drive in floods?

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rivers in Essex were rescued from their cars after they got stuck on flooded roads, having ignored warning signs. This ruined the vehicles’ electrics and put them at risk of being swept away. With much of the rest of the UK experiencing similar conditions in February, we asked the safest way to negotiate waterlogged roads.

Answer: Stay out of water more than six inches deep.

Drive slowly in a low gear with high revs to prevent water entering the exhaust.

How does a snake eat a crocodile?

A

n olive python in Queensland, Australia, moved beyond its usual diet of ducklings and rats for a bigger challenge in March.

It consumed a 1m (3.2ft) crocodile, taking five hours to cram it in. Luckily, people are usually off-limits, as their shoulders are too wide, but how did a snake devour such a large reptile?

Answer: With difficulty.

After the initial death struggle, the snake’s organs swell well beyond their normal size and

it releases digestive enzymes over several days in order to break down the crocodile’s body.

what does the nickname Boko Haram, bestowed by residents in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, mean?

Exactly what does the phrase Boko Haram mean?

Answer: “Haram” means forbidden in Arabic, while the Hausa language phrase “ilimin boko”, denoting the style of schooling created in Nigeria by colonialists, was shortened to “boko” and has come to mean Western-style education. So “Western education is a sin” is a workable translation.

T

he militant Islamist group Boko Haram gained worldwide attention with the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Its official Arabic name, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad”. So

How long can someone survive in a life raft?

A

search for four missing British sailors in the Atlantic was called off in May after their yacht the Cheeki Rafiki, travelling home from a regatta in Antigua, was found capsized in the Atlantic with the life raft still on board.

This discovery ended days of speculation over their survival chances.

Answer: Lengthy periods of survival in a life raft have been known in warm waters but in cold or choppy waters the chances lessen. Access to drinking water, usually from rainfall, is vital to lasting more than a few days.

Answer: People with Tourette’s tend to be very good at controlling their voluntary movements and activities that require concentration like sport and music can help reduce tics.

Why does the sum 7x8 catch people out?

U

K Chancellor George Osborne refused to attempt this mathematical question, which had embarrassingly flummoxed Labour’s Stephen Byers in the late 1990s. “I’ve

made it a rule in life not to answer,” the man in charge of the economy told a group of children who interviewed him in July. But research has found that 7x8 is only the seventh hardest multiplication sum, with 6x8 throwing most people.

Answer: People find multiplication sums featuring the numbers 7 and 8 difficult.

Calculation becomes harder still when under pressure.

How often do planes fly over conflict zones?

T

he crash of Malaysian airliner MH17 in eastern Ukraine killed 298 people.

There was disagreement over whether the plane had been shot down by pro-Russian forces involved in a conflict with the government in Kiev. It raised concerns about how common it was for commercial jets to fly over war zones.

Answer: International no-fly zones must be avoided by all airlines and a national aviation authority can ban its airlines from flying over part of a foreign country. Otherwise airlines decide, but they tend to be secretive about the details.

Who are the Yazidis?

T

he advance of militant group Islamic State through much of Iraq and Syria left up to 50,000 Yazidis trapped in mountains in northwest Iraq without food or water. Often persecuted and sometimes misleadingly referred to in the region as “devil-worshippers”, they tend to live in small, isolated communities. But what do Yazidis, scattered across parts of Iraq, Syria and Turkey, believe in?

Answer: The Yazidis share elements of their faith with Christianity and Islam,

also practising the sacrifice of animals and circumcision.

Their supreme being is Yasdan, whose divine will is executed by the Peacock Angel, Malak Taus, whom Yazidis worship five times a day. People can only be born in to the faith.

They cannot join it.

Where does the phrase ‘boots on the ground’ come from?

D

uring discussions over military action against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, politicians including Barack Obama and David Cameron were keen to reassure that there would be “no boots on the ground”. This meant UK and US troops would not be involved in direct fighting. The term has become a cliche but what was its origin?

Answer: The word “boot”, a synecdoche (a figure of speech where the part represents the whole) meaning soldier, was used as long ago as World War One. The earliest known use of the full expression “boots on the ground” came in 1980, in a story in the Christian Science Monitor about the Iran hostage crisis.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Feature

Soaring unemployment and problems of short term jobs

By Evelyn Okakwu

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ccording to the National population commission, about half of Nigeria’s 167 million people are youth; most of who are unemployed.

Similarly, the National Institute of Science Education and Research, (NISER), in its 2013 re p o rt, sta te d t h a t 20 per cent of unemployed youth in the country, are graduates.

These excludes the number of under-employed graduates in the country.

Previous reports have attributed the cause of unemployment to the effects of efficient government policies, such as the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) on the economy saying it was solely esponsible for the closure of industries in the 1980s.

Others have further stated that the protracted effects of unemployment in the economy have been due to the inability of statutory agencies to evolve a measurable data for accessing the level of unemployment in the country.

Yet still, although the present administration has reportedly attempted to address the problem through programs like the Subsidy Investment and empowerment Program (SURE P); practical analyses have proven, however, that the effects of unemployment still loom especially among youths.

As explained by observers, the reason for this is that the reported programs for employment generation by government are either inconsistent or not accessible to the masses.

Recently, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), published a list of openings for youths across the country. Fielding questions on the nature of the program, the head of the voter’s education unit, FCT chapter of the commission, Mr Okesie Nwankwo stated that the programs are temporary in nature.

What this means is that while this short term employment programs will provide empowerment for youth across the country, the programs will only last a given period, after which the youth will be made to go back to the state of unemployment, once again.

In this chart with some participants of the training exercise, who are also NYSC corps members serving with the one division, Nigerian army, Kaduna; they shared their views on the training program and other such jobs for youths in Nigeria.

According to Rahman

Bukar Goni Aji; head of service of the Federation Olamilekan; the call to serve the nation in the ongoing exercise, is good, but comes with its own risk. How did you feel when you were picked for the training

“

exercise by INEC? “I would not say that I feel happy or sad. I was glad I had a chance, of government in serving the nation, but the job comes

with its own risk”.

His counterpart Obriki Godswill shares a similar opinion: “Well, the question of been happy about INEC work

As explained by observers, the reason for this is that the reported programs for employment generation by government are either inconsistent or not accessible to the masses.

Rahman Olamilekan

Obriki Godswill

cannot be answered with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ reply. But as a corps member it’s just a clarion call and indeed the stipends attached to it will be very beneficial. But it’s risky, considering the present state of the nation”. “Also we were not told the amount we would be paid, not even the cost of labour has been made known to us, let alone the cost of damages or any form of insurance, in the event of an unforeseen occurrence. So the risk is not really worth the trouble”.

And how do they feel about the fact that the job is not permanent? “Godswill had this to say; “With the rate of violence currently in the country, I think I would prefer a job with INEC as an alternative, not a permanent or first choice job.

Besides if the job opportunities were to be for permanent places, we would not easily be contacted. In fact I can bet that we would not be told”.

As explained by the respondents, a major feature of short term jobs in Nigeria is that they are vast, tedious, and mostly insecure, exposing the youths to unwarranted danger”.

Yet; since these youths remain the only future for Nigeria, it is necessary to reiterate the urgent need for proactive measures towards ensuring permanent, and accessible employment opportunities for them, as the first major step towards actualising the dream of a better and brighter Nigeria.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

P A G E

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Page 29

Page 30

Healthy Living

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

How to stop overeating

E

xperts say there are things you can do to make yourself more likely to stop eating when you are comfortable.

They include: • Eat slowly. This isn’t a new concept; remember all those familiar dieting tips like “sip water between bites” and “chew thoroughly before swallowing”?

These were all aimed at slowing us down when we eat. Research led by Mark Gold, MD, at the University of Florida at Gainesville has shown it takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, but 20 or more minutes for an obese person.

Eating slowly ensures that these important messages have time to reach the brain.

• Be aware. “Be more attentive about the whole eating experience; don’t eat when you are driving or at the computer,” advises Bacon. When we’re distracted or hurried, the food (calories) we eat tend not to register well in our brains. Jean Kristeller, PhD, a psychologist and Indiana State University researcher, suggests a brief pre-meal meditation to get centered before eating so you can more easily derive pleasure from your food, give the meal your full

attention, and notice when you’ve had enough.

• Make the first bites count.

Bacon believes that maximum food enjoyment comes in the initial bites. “After a few bites, taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in food that make it taste good,” she explains. Satisfying your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites may help you stop eating when you’re physically comfortable.

• Keep up appearances.

Using a smaller plate and paying attention to the presentation of a meal can increase your awareness of the food in front of you and help you stop eating when you are comfortable. “The brain looks at the plate and decides if the portion is adequate,” says Gold. “It takes some time, but the smaller the plate, the smaller the portion.”

• Choose satisfying foods.

Steer away from foods that give you a lot of calories for very little volume, such as milk shakes, cheese, and chocolate, Gold recommends. The higher the fiber, protein, and/or water content of a food or meal, the more likely it is to be satisfying in your stomach without going overboard on calories.

Be careful for constipation, its yuletide!

C

onstipation is one of those topics few like to talk about. If you’ve suffered from this problem, though, you know it can be both painful and frustrating.

Constipation occurs when bowel movements become difficult or less frequent. The normal length of time between bowel movements ranges widely from person to person. Some people have bowel movements three times a day; others, only one or two times a week. Going longer than three days without a bowel movement is too long. After three

days, the stool or feces become harder and more difficult to pass.

Causes Constipation is usually caused by a disorder of bowel function rather than a structural problem.

Common causes of constipation include: • Inadequate water intake • Inadequate fiber in the diet • A disruption of regular diet or routine; traveling • Inadequate activity or exercise or immobility • Eating large amounts of dairy products

• Stress • Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement, which is sometimes the result of pain from hemorrhoids • Overuse of laxatives (stimulant laxatives such as Senokot)) which, over time, weaken the bowel muscles • Hypothyroidism • Neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis • Antacid medicines containing calcium or aluminum • Medicines (especially strong pain medicines, such as

narcotics, antidepressants, or iron pills) • Depression • Eating disorders • Irritable bowel syndrome • Pregnancy • Colon cancer In some cases, lack of good nerve and muscle function in the bowel may also be a cause of constipation.

Symptoms of constipation can include: • Infrequent bowel movements or difficulty having bowel movements (straining) • Hard or small stools • Sense of incomplete bowel movement.

• Swollen abdomen or abdominal pain • Pain • Vomiting There may also be occasional diarrhea resulting from hard stool obstructing the colon.

How to prevent constipation There are several things you can do to prevent constipation.

Among them: • Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain bread and cereal (especially bran). Fiber and water help the colon pass stool.

• Drink 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water and other fluids a day (unless fluid restricted for another medical condition). Liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee and soft drinks, seem to have

a dehydrating effect and may need to be avoided until your bowel habits return to normal.

Some people may need to avoid milk, as dairy products may be constipating for them.

• Exercise regularly.

• Move your bowels when you feel the urge.

What Should I Do If I Am Constipated?

If you are constipated, try the following: • Drink two to four extra glasses of water a day (unless fluid restricted).

• Try warm liquids, especially in the morning.

• Add fruits and vegetables to your diet.

• Eat prunes and/or bran cereal.

• If needed, use a very mild stool softener or laxative (such as Peri-Colace or Milk of Magnesia).

Do not use laxatives for more than two weeks without calling your doctor, as laxative overuse can aggravate your symptoms.

Warning about constipation Call your doctor if: • Constipation is a new problem for you • You have blood in your stool • You are losing weight even though you are not dieting • You have severe pain with bowel movements • Your constipation has lasted more than two weeks webmd.com

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Politics Extra Buhari will redeem Nigeria

PAGE 31

Continued from 18

election, and some of them are your associates, and therefore, people are wondering what really happened that they have the courage to even challenge and oppose you?

The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is very clear, the constitution of APC is very clear, that if you reach certain age and have certain qualifications, you have every right to contest even against your father. As long as the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is concerned, there is nothing wrong with you contesting against your father. So it is up to you as a person to decide what is morally right for me to do. So for those, whether they are my associates, there is nothing wrong with that, it is their moral right to contest. I have exercised my rights and it is their rights to exercise their own rights. If they feel certain obligations towards me, if they don’t feel, there is nothing wrong. I have been through this since I started with the former President when I was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. I have been through it, I am not afraid of it, it will not deter me, and my public records will speak for me. You see, through these, nobody has been able to fault my public record; nobody has challenged my public record. I am fully conversant with the constitutional provisions for qualifications for election. I know that if you have SSCE qualification and you have worked for ten years, you are qualified to be President. So if I had wanted, I can even contest for the Presidency.

How are you going to ensure that there is free and fair election in 2015?

First of all we have mobilised people to demand for it, to participate fully, to defend their votes, follow the votes to the collation centres, follow to the final collation in Katsina, and make sure they are given what they voted for.

This is because the whole thing entirely depends on the electorate. We saw what they did in Kano in 2007 because people insisted and surrounded INEC and were prepared to die for what they voted for.

So people should be prepared to defend their votes, even though Obasanjo was more democratic and his level of impunity has not risen to the level of Jonathan because somebody who will go and do something that is beyond the bounds of his authority. You can appreciate the kind of person we have in authority, so people will have to match this kind of impunity with a high level of vigilance and resistance. You know what happened in Kano has created some level of influence in Katsina and the entire north west and I am sure from what I saw during the primaries, the people are determined and I am sure they will defend their votes.

What are the chances that the Presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, would be able to defeat the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?

politics, those who contested have accepted the results and it is time reasons prevail, there is fear, and that fear is holding the elections in one day, the second fear is the deliberate failure of the card reader, or manipulating the card reader system, to be so slow so as not to allow some of the voting class in some areas cast their votes, because of time, or to allow anybody who brings any card to vote in some areas. So if anybody is bringing cards to vote, that is those who purchased cards, the INEC should resist these things.

Masari

You see, north east, despite the challenges, in terms of security, you know is ninety per cent APC region, north west, minus, the southern part of Kaduna, because of the government of PDP which won it in 2011, is an APC state, though they have never stopped Buhari from winning that state in Presidential elections. In that place, he has eighty per cent, Buhari has always won in Niger State, has always won in Nasarawa State, has always gotten the required amount of votes in Kogi State, and Kwara, so by the time you look at the voting, Buhari, under APC, will get even if it is thirty per cent of north central, and take seventy or even sixty per cent of north west. If he takes eighty per cent of Edo, even if he does not take anything in Rivers, because the people of Rivers never voted, they write figures, but this time around, they will never have the chance to write those figures, so the representations from south south is very strong. So at least, if we can have a reduction in the level of rigging, outright writing of results, Buhari will secure more votes in Rivers

State. In the south east, we have only Imo, and the least they can do in Imo is to have a fifty-fifty chance, so if you take the total voting population, and mind you, while the south south and south east, have seven million voters, some not up to, some even six million voters, the north west as at the last election, has eighteen million voters, so if you can get those number of votes, or at least seventy or sixty per cent of those voters, that vote will take care of the south east and south south. Especially given that; we do not know how they will do it, but I know that PDP can do anything, but going by the record of last PVC collection in the south east, some two weeks ago, not up to thirty per cent have collected their PVC in the south east. What I am telling you is what is scientifically proven.

You are speaking on the assumption that there will not be an implosion in the APC, because there is fear, people are concerned?

There is not going to be crisis in APC

“

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, on whose hands a free and fair elections lie, has often expressed fears about a credible elections in 2015, are you confident that the commission will deliver?

He may not know what the Resident Electoral Commissioners are doing in the states, when Jega came, I can remember I said he is the right candidate for the institution, why Jega cannot speak for INEC is because he has a corrupt institution to deal with, he has the issues of the state governments influencing the recruitment of ad hoc staff, unless you have Jega in every state, then that is when the Resident Electoral Commissioners can make sure that the local government electoral officers he is putting are upright or seventy to eighty percent upright. So, obviously there is fear, even the way these cards were distributed in some places also sent the fears that there is an attempt to start manipulating the process from the distribution of the permanent voter’s cards. That is why he has his own fears.

What is it that the PDP government has not done that APC government will do differently?

The APC government will address the issues of corruption, and unless this issue of corruption is addressed, Nigeria cannot move forward. Secondly, APC will secure the country and deal with the issue of Boko Haram and general insecurity, bring it to a halt, the APC government will confront the issue of power; with the kind of President we have, I am sure that if it is announced that General Buhari has won the 2015 Presidential election, fifty per cent of what is going on will stop, people will stop, watch and wait, because it will never be government as usual again.

The APC government will address the issues of corruption, and unless this issue of corruption is addressed, Nigeria cannot move forward. Secondly, APC will secure the country and deal with the issue of Boko Haram and general insecurity, bring it to a halt, the APC government will confront the issue of power

PAGE 32

Esu Bwari urges Christians, Muslims to live in peace

T

he Esu of Bwari, Abuja, Ibrahim Yaro, has called on Christians and Muslims in the area to continue to promote peaceful co-existence for the development of the plcae.

Yaro made the call yesterday, when the Bwari Christians/Muslims Inter-Faith Forum paid him a courtesy visit.

“This is the first occasion that the leaders of the two religions will come together for the welfare of the people of the council.

“The diversity should be explored to promote national harmony, progress and development,’’ Yaro said.

Yaro further called on the leaders of the two religions to enlighten their followers on the need to embrace peace, more so that the 2015 general elections drew nearer.

He also warned youth in the area against being used by politicians as thugs to foment trouble, saying that such politicians would never use their children.

Earlier, the Chairman of the forum, Malam Ibrahim Yusuf, said the forum had resolved to foster peace and ensure security in the area.

Yusuf also said that the forum would strive to prevail on leaders of both religions to genuinely preach the word of God to promote religious harmony.

Also, Chairman of Bwari chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Amos Knatnabwa, said both religions would continue to promote peaceful coexistence.

Knatnabwa said: “No war against peace in Bwari Area Council will prevail.’’

He therefore urged politicians to be prepared to accept the results that would be declared from the 2015 elections in good faith and not to incite their followers to violence. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Christmas tragedy: FEMA boss cautions developers to follow building regulations

By Stanley Onyekwere

D

irector, Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA), Alhaji Abbas Idriss has cautioned recalcitrant developers in the Territory, to ensure they adhere to building

regulations, in order to save lives and property in the New Year and beyond.

This is coming on the heels of the Christmas tragedy that occurred when a building collapsed, killing three labourers, with three others injured, at Jabi, in Utako District of Abuja.

The Director spoke through the Head,Search & Rescue of the Agency, Chief Superintendent Suleiman Anas, reiterated that recalcitrant developers should have a change of mind in 2015.

According to a statement by Head, Public Relations Unit of the

Agency, Josie Mudasiru, three people died in the latest incident of building collapse in FCT, while two persons are currently receiving treatment at Gwarimpa General Hospital.

The statement noted that the FEMA , National Emergency Management

Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders responded to the incident which happened at about 10.14 am on Christmas day.

It added that FEMA boss sympathises with family of the victims, while calling on residents to continue to be safety conscious at all times.

R-l:Wife of the chairman of Kwali Area Council, Mrs Abigiel Daniel, donating foodstuff to a widow as part of her efforts to alleviate the suffering of orphans and elderly women, at the weekend in Abuja.

Photos: Mahmud Isa

Yuletide: Foundation fetes people living with HIV/AIDS, less privilege

By Stanley Onyekwere

I

n the spirit of the Yuletide season, a non government organization, AlMuhibbah foundation, has doled out gift items to some people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and the less privilege in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Among the items distributed to the beneficiaries included several bags of rice, cartoons of beverages, detergents and disinfectants.

While distributing the

items in Life Camp, the Founder of the NGO and FCT Minister’s wife, , Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed, who expressed worried by the lack of care and support for people living with HIV/ AIDS, appealed to wealthy Nigerians to always donate generously to vulnerable groups.

She noted that most of the victims of the HIV/ AIDS did not know how they contacted it, while some got it through child birth due to the Ignorance of their parents.

According to her, some were infested by the virus through the use of unhygienic instruments in the hospitals and others

got it through unprotected sexual intercourse, adding that members of public should avoid all forms of discrimination against the victims.

“The task of caring, supporting and assisting those living with this virus and the less privileged in the society must not be left for government alone.

“It should be collective effort from both the rich and the privileged in our society to assist this category of people,” Mohammed stressed.

She therefore called on traditional rulers, religious leaders to join in the campaign to sensitize members of the public on the need to avoid

multiple sex partners and other vices that could expose them to contacting the dreaded disease.

Earlier, in her welcome address, Programme Director of the foundation, Hajiya Ladi Ibrahim, said the organization has brought succour to several less privilege in the society.

She disclosed that the foundation through its poverty alleviation programme has provided several skills for women in the FCT. She explained that some women who have acquired skills were provided with kits to enhance the skills they have acquired.

Ibrahim, also said that the foundation have bought ambulances for some communities to carry patients to the medical facilities in the city centre for emergency treatment.

Responding, one of the persons living with HIV/ AIS, Miss Gloria Asuquo, commended the FCT minister’s wife for the bold step taken to put a smile on the faces of those suffering from the virus in the FCT. The gesture according to her, has shown that founder is a true emancipator of the down trodden in the FCT and the country at large.

PAGE 33

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Photo Splash

A commercial motorcyclist carrying a passenger with a gas cylinder, yesterday at Gudu market, in Abuja

An auto mechanic carrying a vehicle’s exhaust pipe, yesterday along Area 1, in Abuja.

A traditional tea hawker at work, yesterday at Lugbe, in Abuja.

A man carrying car chair, yesterday at Galadimawa, in Abuja.

Photos: Joe Oroye

Auto mechanics working on vehicle engine, yesterday at Mechanic Village, in Abuja

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Metro

2015: FCT Minister urges clergymen to pray for peace

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has urged Christian and Muslim clergymen to make it a matter of priority to pray for peaceful general elections in the Territory and the country at large, come next year.

The Minister gave this charge while receiving members of the FCT branch of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) led by its Chairman, Rev. Israel Akanji, to pay him Christmas homage at his residence in Gwarinpa I District, Abuja.

Mohammed noted that the country needs prayers at this material time to have successful and peaceful elections to strengthen our democracy.

The Minister who earlier led FCT residents to pay Christmas Homage on President Goodluck Jonathan and the first family at the Presidential Villa also advised politicians to put the nation first.

He lauded religious leaders in the FCT for their steadfastness and commitment to the well being of the nation; stressing that they have continued to show synergy and support to the FCT Administration.

According to him, “for this continuous understanding and cooperation from the religious leaders, the FCT Administration will continue to encourage them to endure on this path.”

He assured that Abuja residents would continue to live in peace with one another despite their diversity.

The Minister therefore appealed to all FCT residents to continue to be good neighbors to their fellow residents, irrespective of religious beliefs; saying that the “best in the sight of Almighty God is the most pious.”

Earlier in his remark, the FCT CAN Chairman, stressed that members of the association were at Minister’s residence, to felicitate with him

on the occasion of the Christmas celebration, and to appreciate the utmost peace being enjoyed by both Christians and Muslims in the Territory particularly the adequate security

provided on Sundays and Fridays in the Churches and Mosques respectively.

The Chairman also commended the Minister for his pro-activeness on making adequate

preparation for Ebola as well as what the FCT Administration is currently doing for the internally displaced people that have ran to Abuja to take refuge.

AKWAIBOM STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AFAHANSIT, AKWA IBOM STATE INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR FOR 2013 TETFUND CIAL INTERVENTION PROJECT The College of Educationwishes to bring to the notice of interested competent and reputable Companies that the institution would want to procure some equipment under the TETFUND Special Intervention Project as listed below: Lot 1: Procurement of Beds and Mattresses Lot 2: Procurement of Students Desks for Classroom Lot 3: Procurement of Agricultural Tractor and Accessories Lot 4: Procurement of Vehicle PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT • Certification of Incorporation/Business Registration • Current Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three(3) years • Value Added Tax Registration Certificate • Verifiable Evidence of previous experience in area of interest • Company profile • Three years Audited Accounts/Evidence of Financial Capability • Evidence of Compliance With Pension Reform Act,2004 • Evidence of Compliance with NSITF Reform Act • Evidence of compliance with statutory provision of section 8(1)-(3) of the Industrial Training Fund Amendment Act,2011 SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS: The application for Pre-Qualification must be submitted in a sealed envelope and boldly marked PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS FOR LOT NUMBER and should be addressed as follows: TheProvost, AkwaIbom State College of Education, AfahaNsit, AkwaIbomState.

CLOSING DATE: Eligible Contractors are expected to submit relevant documents within two(2) weeks from the date of this publication and the pre-qualification documents will be publicly opened for processing at 12:00 pm on 12th January 2015 at the School’s Admin building reception, only qualified companies will be short listed and invited to Tender.

PLEASE NOTE THAT: The pre-qualification invitation shall not be construed to be commitment on the part of the College of Education nor shall it entitle any company to make any claim whatsoever and or seek any indemnity from the College of Education by virtue of such company having responded to the advert. The College of Education is not under any obligation to include your company on its list of contractors.

FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed

SIGNED: REGISTRAR

Page 35

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

International international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Deportation story: One man’s journey from London to Zimbabwe ANALYSIS

By Catrin NyeBBC Asian Network

L

ast year more than 13,000 people were deported from the UK - but what happens if you can’t even pronounce the name of the place they’re sending you back to?

“More than anything I feel cheated out of my life. They’ve taken everything I had - my family, my friends, my dignity.”

A loud noise interrupts Shadreck Mbiru mid-flow on the phone from his new home; it doesn’t stop. I have to ask and it turns out it’s a very noisy cockerel, not something Shadreck was used to having around at his previous home in London.

The 26-year-old hasn’t yet adapted to life in Chitungwiza, a town in Zimbabwe around half an hour from Harare that the locals say he pronounces strangely.

He left Britain on a plane from Heathrow escorted by UK border staff in November.

Shadreck has been deported back to the country in which he was born - a victory for the Home Office, which had been trying for eight years to secure his removal.

His life is not in danger in Zimbabwe - he concedes this.

The problem for Shadreck is that he arrived in the UK at 13, he went to school and college in London and all that passing of time means he’s ended up as a Londoner in Africa - one that feels he doesn’t belong.

“I’d established a life in London, my friends are British; I like what you like,” he says.

“The system doesn’t look at people, at individuals. Where are the principles and the morals? My family are there, that’s what I don’t understand.”

The Home Office says it looks at each asylum claim on its individual merits.

When questioned about Shadreck’s case, a spokesperson told the BBC: “When someone is found not to need our protection, we expect them to leave the country voluntarily. Where they do not we will seek to enforce their departure.”

Shadreck was never granted leave to remain in the UK. His sister was given indefinite leave and his mother discretionary - none of the family can tell me why they can stay and Shadreck can’t, though they suspect being female and his sister having a child helped her case to remain in the UK. ‘Weirdest weeks’ Shadreck had spent the last three years in an immigration

Shadreck Mbiru had lived in London since he was 13

detention centre unsuccessfully fighting his case.

I have been speaking to Shadreck since he arrived back in his “home” country - his mood a constant mixture of panic and disbelief interspersed with regular laughter at moments of comedy like the cockerel.

He speaks to me in the dark on one occasion because of constant power cuts. Another day he’s collecting water from a well so he can have a bath.

“It’s been the strangest, weirdest four weeks of my life,” he says.

“I really don’t know how I’m going to last. I’m so hot, I can’t sleep and I’m covered head to toe in mosquito bites. I’m losing weight fast.”

An aunt has taken in Shadreck and he says he and her four daughters keep arguing about their way of life.

“It’s totally different from England,” he says.

“There’s no public transport; you have to go in these combi vans with three people on a seat.

The food is strange and there are fake products everywhere, even the Colgate toothpaste isn’t real, it tastes really funny.” He laughs.

Shadreck says at the moment he is mostly staying inside. He is starting to look for work but everyone keeps telling him there are few jobs and you have to have connections to get them.

At first he says being free felt good after three years in immigration detention. But now he says his new reality is scary.

Shadreck’s mum is now his only source of income - she has a job in the UK and passed on some money to him at Heathrow.

His mother, sister and brotherin-law came to the airport to say goodbye but weren’t allowed to see him - according to Shadreck the border guards said if he saw his family he may have got emotional and refused to get on the plane.

That day at Heathrow was Shadreck giving up - he signed his deportation papers himself in the end.

The border guards collected some clothes and money from his family to hand over, they said goodbye on the phone and Shadreck flew out of London.

Shadreck has been separated from family members still living in the UK, including his nephew

It was a flat end to a miserable couple of years.

I first spoke to Shadreck in early 2014 from Dover detention centre he took part in adocumentary about life in immigration detention.

His story always stuck out because of the strong London accent of the man due to return to Zimbabwe.

I have seen Shadreck’s full immigration history and it’s been a long road to deportation.

He arrived as a visitor in 2002, aged 13, and his mother applied for leave for him to remain as a dependant multiple times, but this was never approved.

At this stage Shadreck says he knew very little about his immigration status, or even what “immigration status” was.

He says it wasn’t until he was in college that it became apparent that it would be an issue.

At 18 an application was made for asylum for Shadreck - this was refused and his appeal rights were exhausted in October 2009, by which time he was 21.

Since then he’s been prosecuted repeatedly for failing to return to Zimbabwe and his final appeal was refused in April.

So does Shadreck see why the government had to send him back?

“Not if you’ve given most of your life to a country,” he says.

“Now I regret ever going to the UK. If I had stayed here I would have a family and a job. Now I’m back here with nothing.”

Shakdreck accepts that from many quarters there will be little sympathy for his story - however sad his situation, he had run out of options to stay.

“Some people will think I’m just another immigrant, they’ll be glad I got sent back here,” he says.

“Even some of my friends might think it’s funny - they might laugh.

“But this is my dignity.”

“

Not if you’ve given most of your life to a country,” he says.

“Now I regret ever going to the UK. If I had stayed here I would have a family and a job. Now I’m back here with nothing

Shadreck collects water from a well to have a bath at his new home in Zimbabwe

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Page 36

International

Libya airstrikes hit Misrata militants for first time

Egypt cuts ‘gay wedding video’ jail terms

A

court in Egypt has reduced to one year the three-year jail sentences given to eight men for appearing in a video alleged to show a gay marriage.

All eight denied charges of inciting debauchery and offending public morality during the trial in November.

The video, which was posted to YouTube in September, shows two men exchanging rings on a boat on the Nile.

Though homosexuality is legal in Egypt, it remains a taboo. Police raids on gay venues have risen in recent months.

Relatives of the defendants screamed and wept on hearing the new sentences given by a Cairo appeal court, AFP news agency reports.

In April, a court in Egypt sentenced four men to up to eight years in prison for committing homosexual acts. A mass roundup in 2001 saw dozens of men sentenced on similar charges.

Gay marriage laws around the world. The latest court case comes amid reports that Egypt is enacting authoritarian laws at a rate unmatched by any other country for 60 years.

The UK’s Guardian newspaper reports that since the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, his successors Adly Mansour and Abdul Fattah alSisi have used the absence of an elected parliament to issue decrees “that severely restrict freedom of expression, association and assembly”.

In one case, an Egyptian literary journalist and poet Fatima Naoot is to go on trial for describing the Islamic ritual of slaughtering of sheep as a sacrifice to God on Eid al-Adha as the greatest massacre committed by human beings.

Additionally, Egypt has seen a marked rise in attacks by militants in Sinai - an increasingly lawless and strategically important peninsula.

The army announced on Saturday that one terror suspect had been killed and 297 captured in North Sinai in a three-day security sweep.

L

ibya’s air force has struck the western city of Misrata for the first time in the latest clash between government and militant forces.

A Misrata source confirmed the strikes to the BBC, adding that there were no casualties or material damage.

The airstrikes come after a 72hour ultimatum issued by the air force to militants based in Misrata.

Militants had been attacking the oil ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf in East Libya.

Militants were “still in high spirits, and [the] bombings will not affect our resolve,” the Misrata official told the BBC, Libya has been plagued by instability and infighting since the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and violence has been steadily increasing in recent months.

An attack on a power plant in the Libyan city of Sirte on 25 December left at least 19 soldiers dead.

Libyan military sources said the Libya Dawn movement, based in western Libya, was responsible for the attack.

In a separate incident, an oil tank at Libya’s largest oil export terminal in Sidra caught fire when it was struck by a rocket during fighting on Saturday.

That attack, and the fight for control of Ras Lanuf, prompted the air force to issue its ultimatum.

Rival groups now control most of the country including the two largest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi.

Islamist-leaning militias, some of them remnants of forces which helped oust Gaddafi, have taken power in western Libya.

These groups have attempted

to reinstate Libya’s previous parliament and appoint a parallel government, but this has not been recognised internationally.

The country’s recognised parliament and government have been forced to move to eastern Libya.

An oil storage tank caught fire after a rocket attack at the oil export terminal in Sidra on Saturday

Al-Shabab militant Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi ‘surrenders’

Al-Shabab fighters are increasingly launching cross border attacks in neighbouring Kenya

A

top al-Shabab militant, Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi, has given himself up, Somali officials say.

Mr Hersi, a leading figure in the

militant group’s intelligence wing, surrendered to police in the Gedo region, they add.

In June 2012, the US state department offered $3m (£1.9m,

2.5m euros) for information leading to his capture.

It comes three months after al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a US air

strike.

A Somali intelligence officer, quoted by the Associated Press news agency, suggested Mr Hersi may have surrendered because of a dispute with al-Shabab members loyal to the former leader.

Mr Hersi fell out with Godane last year and has been on the run ever since but he is still a powerful figure, says BBC Africa editor Mary Harper.

‘No fight’ Police stormed a house Mr Hersi had been hiding in for six days, close to the border with Kenya, after receiving a tip off, the district commissioner of the town of El Wag told the BBC. He said that although Mr Hersi had a pistol, he did not put up a fight.

“Al-Shabab leader Zakariya Ismail surrendered to government forces in El Wag, Gedo region. He is expected to be flown to Mogadishu tomorrow,” an unnamed official told Reuters news agency.

Liberia senate race: Landslide win for George Weah

T

he former football star George Weah has won a landslide victory in Liberia’s senate elections, in polls disrupted by the Ebola outbreak.

Mr Weah got 78% of the vote for the Montserrado county seat, which includes the capital Monrovia.

He beat Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who took nearly 11%.

Low turnout in the poll, which was first planned for October, was blamed on concerns about Ebola.

Strict health controls were in place to try to prevent the spread of the disease.

Those who came to polling stations had their temperature taken, were told to stand a metre (3ft) apart and wash their hands before and after voting.

Liberia has been one of the countries worst affected by Ebola, with almost 3,400 deaths, the UN says.

Other winners in the senate elections include Jewel HowardTaylor, the ex-wife of the jailed former president Charles Taylor, and the former rebel leader Prince Johnson. Both retained their seats.

The National Elections

Commission chairman, Jerome Korkoya, called the conclusion of the vote “the end of a crucial journey”.

Mr Weah won the first round of the 2005 presidential election, losing the runoff to Ms JohnsonSirleaf.

He is the only African to be named Fifa’s world player of the year, winning in 1995.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Page 37

International

AirAsia QZ8501: Boss ‘devastated’ by missing Indonesia jet

A couple head to a cordoned off area at Changi airport in Singapore

A

irAsia boss Tony Fernandes says he is “devastated” that a plane carrying 162 people from Indonesia to Singapore has gone missing.

AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501,

an Airbus A320-200, disappeared over the Java Sea an hour into its flight at 06:24 local time (23:24 GMT Saturday).

Bad weather was reported in the area but no distress call was made and

no wreckage has been sighted.

The search operation was halted for the night and resumes at about 23:00 GMT. The plane had left Surabaya in eastern Java at 05:35 local time

(22:35 GMT Saturday) and was due to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 (00:30 GMT).

Shocked relatives gathered at both airports, in Singapore and Surabaya, poring over the passenger manifests.

Mr Fernandes, AirAsia’s chief executive, flew to Surabaya and later told a press briefing: “We are very devastated by what’s happened, it’s unbelievable.

“Our concern right now is for the relatives and for the next of kin - there is nothing more important to us, for our crew’s family, and for the passengers’ families.

“We hope that the aircraft is found quickly, and we can find out the cause of what has happened.”

An air and sea search was immediately launched, with vessels and aircraft from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia scouring an area near Belitung island, but nothing was found before nightfall.

The Indonesian search and rescue force will resume at dawn with 12 ships, three helicopters and five aircraft. There will also be two C-130 planes - one each from Malaysia and Singapore - and three ships from those nations.

Dense storm clouds were reported in the area at the time the plane lost contact.

Hamas prevents Gaza orphans visiting Israel

T

hirty-seven children whose parents were killed in the recent Israel-Gaza conflict have been prevented by Hamas from visiting Israel on a trip organised by peace activists.

Hamas said they would have had to visit “settlements and occupied towns”.

The children, aged between 12 and 15 and accompanied by five adults, were turned back at the Erez crossing.

More than 2,100 people, mostly Palestinians, died in the 50-day JulyAugust conflict, the UN said.

Israel said 67 of its troops and six civilians died.

The visit, organised by kibbutz leaders, the charity Candle for Peace and Arab-Israeli officials, would have taken the children to Arab towns in Israel, southern areas targeted by militants’ rockets in the conflict, a mixed-race school and the beach in Tel Aviv.

A visit to Ramallah in the Israelioccupied West Bank to meet the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also planned, according to Yoel Marshak of the Kibbutz Movement.

The week-long trip had been approved by the Israeli security service.

But Hamas, which has controlled

Gaza since 2007, said the cancellation was justified to protect children from “the politics of normalisation” with Israel.

Spokesman Eyad Bozum said Hamas would ensure such a trip “will never happen again”.

Three weeks ago, Hamas too had given approval for the visit, Mr Marshak, said, expressing surprise that it was blocked.

Charity for Peace director Malek Freij told Reuters news agency: “They thought that Israel wants to exploit these children, and that’s a mistake.”

Hamas refuses to recognise

Israel, which it sees as occupying Palestinian land, and under its charter is committed to Israel’s destruction.

Several nations, including Israel and the United States, count Hamas as a terrorist organisation due to its long record of attacks and its refusal to renounce violence.

The most recent Gaza conflict flared after tensions rose between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Hamas fired thousands of rockets and mortars towards Israel during the 50-day conflict this summer.

Israel carried out an aerial bombing campaign and a ground invasion.

Malaysia flooding: PM Najib Razak pledges extra funds

M

alaysia has announced an extra 500m ringgit ($142m; £92m) to help victims of the country’s worst flooding in decades.

At least five people have been killed in the floods along Malaysia’s east coast, with over 160,000 displaced.

Prime Minister Najib Razak made the announcement after visiting flood-stricken areas.

He has faced public anger after being photographed golfing with President Obama in Hawaii during the storms.

Mr Razak cut short his holiday, and defended his “golf diplomacy” with the US leader, saying that it was difficult to decline the invitation as it had been planned for a while.

“Every day when I was there, I received the latest report on the flood situation... as it became more

serious, I decided to return to the country as soon as possible,” he said in Kota Bharu, the capital of Kelantan province, Air is the only way to get aid to some of the flooded areas The extra funding will go to victims after the floods subsides, and is on top of an initial 50m ringgit ($14m; £9m) allocation.

Entire towns have been submerged by the flooding.

Rescue workers have been struggling to bring in enough food and supplies for families sleeping in relief centres.

Some victims have accused the government of being too slow in responding.

“I am angry with them. We don’t care about their politics. We just want the government to do what they should do and help us,” one woman

told AFP. Eastern states are often flooded during the monsoon season but heavy

rain and winds have worsened the situation this year.

The Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has visited the worst affected areas

Asia & Middle East

Nato marks transition to new Afghanistan mission

N

ato has formally ended its 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan - heralding the start of a new phase of support for local Afghan troops.

Commanders lowered the flag during a ceremony in Kabul - raising the flag of the new mission named Resolute Support.

“We have lifted the Afghan people out of the darkness of despair and given them hope for the future,” mission commander Gen John Campbell said.

Nato’s Afghan deployment began after the 9/11 attacks against the US. From 1 January the alliance’s role will shift to a mainly training and support mission for the Afghan army.

Sunday’s ceremony was low-key - held inside a gymnasium at the alliance headquarters away from the public.

A military band played as the flag of the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) was lowered in the presence of senior military personnel from both sides.

Unfurling the new flag, Gen Campbell said the mission “will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership” between Nato and Afghanistan.

“We honour coalition and Afghan fallen in this mighty struggle, those who paid the price for Afghanistan’s freedom,” he said, adding: “The road before us remains challenging but we will triumph.”

At its peak, the US-led Isaf deployment involved more than 130,000 personnel from 50 countries.

But from 1 January, it will bring together around 12,000 men and women from Nato allies and 14 partner nations.

“The security of Afghanistan will be fully in the hands of the country’s 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police.

But Nato allies, together with many partner nations, will remain to train, advise and assist them,” said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a statement.

More than a decade after this long and expensive mission began, the Taliban are still active and gaining in strength, launching a number of attacks in recent months, says the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Kabul.

This year has been the bloodiest in Afghanistan since 2001, with at least 4,600 members of the Afghan security forces dying in the fight against the Taliban.

It underscores the challenges that lie ahead of the Afghan security forces, our correspondent says.

Nearly 3,500 foreign troops have been killed since the beginning of the Nato mission.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Page 38

International Europe and Americas Missing AirAsia flight: Briton on board ‘is ChiMan Choi’

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he British national on board missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 is Chi-Man Choi, the BBC understands.

It is thought he was with his two-year-old daughter on the plane, which was flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board when it went missing in the early hours of Sunday.

The UK Foreign Office earlier confirmed a British national was on the flight and the family had been informed.

“Our thoughts are with the passengers’ families,” the FCO said.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tweeted: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those on board Air Asia flight QZ8501.”

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Jakarta said it was working with local authorities to establish further details.

Mr Choi’s Facebook account says he comes from Kingston upon Hull, while his LinkedIn profile says he works for French multinational company Alstom Power and attended Essex University.

The Airbus A320-200 lost contact with air traffic control almost two hours after take off, at 06:24 local time (23:24 GMT Saturday) over the Java Sea. The plane had requested a “deviation” from its planned flight path due to bad weather, AirAsia said.

AirAsia’s chief executive Tony Fernandes, who also owns UK Premier League football team Queens Park Rangers, tweeted: “Thank you for all your thoughts and prays. we must stay strong.”

He later wrote on Twitter that he was travelling to Surabaya, where most of the passengers were from.

There were 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant, and seven crew on the flight, according to AirAsia.

The airline has set up an emergency line for family or friends of those who may have been on the aircraft. The number is +622 129 850 801.

Chi-Man Choi is understood have been on board the missing plane

Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds

S

hips and helicopters are taking part in a major rescue operation after an Italian ferry carrying 478 people caught fire north-west of Corfu.

One person has died after jumping from the ship and another has been confirmed injured, officials say.

A total of 165 people have been rescued but more than 300 remain on the Norman Atlantic which was travelling from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy.

Choppy seas and strong winds are hampering the rescue.

Most of those on board were Greek. Others came from Italy, Turkey, Albania, Germany and many other countries, officials said.

The British ambassador to Greece said officials were investigating reports that two Britons were on board.

Two Italian and two Greek helicopters are taking turns to winch

passengers from the ship, two at a time, Greek officials say.

“This is a complicated rescue mission... The visibility is poor and the weather conditions are difficult, but we are confident because there are a good number of ships in the area,” Greece Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said.

Nearby merchant vessels aligned themselves in formation to protect the ship from waves and facilitate the

Helicopters are trying to airlift passengers in pairs but are being hampered by bad weather

rescue.

Italian and Albanian teams are also taking part in the rescue operation - some 19 nautical miles from the Albanian coast.

One of the passengers told Greek TV station Mega: “On the lower deck, where the lifeboats are, our shoes were starting to melt from the heat.”

Another passenger told the same station that smoke was engulfing the ship.

“We are outside, we are very cold, the ship is full of smoke, the boat is still burning, the floors are boiling, underneath the cabins it must be burning since 5 o’clock, the boats that came (to rescue us) are gone, and we are here. They cannot take us,” they said.

Lucy Williamson reports on what officials have called “one of the most complicated rescue operations” the country has attempted The wife of one of the cooks told journalists she had had a call from her husband saying: “I cannot breathe, we are all going to burn like rats - God save us.”

Another passenger said some of those on board were suffering from hypothermia, including young children.

“It’s pitch black. It’s freezing”, they told a friend by telephone.

Ferries are an important mode of transport between Greece’s hundreds of islands as well as neighbouring countries.

France Alps: Snow strands thousands of motorists in Savoy

S

now and ice in the French Alps have stranded thousands of vehicles for a second day, snarling up holiday traffic to and from ski resorts.

The authorities in the Savoy region said up to 15,000 people spent Saturday night in emergency accommodation.

Meanwhile, hundreds of air passengers were stranded at an airport in Chambery with some

reporting a lack of facilities.

The cold snap has also caused disruption in the UK and Germany.

Conditions improved on Sunday, with French forecasters lifting an orange weather alert - France’s second highest - of ice and snow, according to French media reports.

The French government had earlier urged drivers to “exercise the utmost caution” and avoid travel if possible.

One man reportedly died on Saturday when his vehicle slid into a ravine in the Isere region, while another man was reported killed in an avalanche on Sunday.

Three more people died in snowrelated incidents across France earlier in the week, the French daily Le Monde reports.

Separately, a British ski company called Crystal Ski says it has arranged emergency flights

to help bring home hundreds of holidaymakers stuck at Chambery Airport, in the Savoy region.

Local gyms and community halls were opened up as shelters for stranded motorists on Saturday.

Motorists seeking accommodation “stormed” the Chambery exhibition centre, according to the website of Le Dauphine Libere newspaper (in French).

Huge funeral for shot New York policeman Rafael Ramos

T

ens of thousands of people are attending the funeral in New York of Rafael Ramos, one of the two policemen shot dead a week ago.

Vice-President Joe Biden praised the “finest police department in the world” at the service, attended by police forces from across the US and Canada.

Mr Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot after weeks of anti-police protests.

Police at the funeral again snubbed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had appeared to back some of the protests.

Funeral details for Officer Liu have yet to be announced. Officials say it will be held when relatives arrive from China.

Vice-President Joe Biden says Rafael Ramos “was a cop for all the right reasons” Telling the mourners Officer Ramos had been a “hero”, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced he had promoted both officers posthumously to Detective First Grade.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also paid tribute to the dead officer as well as to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

“I believe that this great police force of this incredibly diverse city can and will show the nation how to bridge any divide,” Vice-President Biden

Police helicopters flew in formation over the funeral procession

told the congregation at the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens.

“You’ve done it before and you will do it again.”

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Page 39

Strange World

Man Drinks 10 Cans of Coke a Day for Three Months to Show the Harmful Effects of High Levels of Sugar

5

0-year-old George Prior wanted to show the world just how harmful Coca-Cola can be to the human body. So he embarked on a special ‘Coke diet’ challenge during which he consumed 10 cans of Coke a day for three months.

That’s 35 g of sugar per can, and a total of 350 g of sugar every day, which is the equivalent of 70 sugar cubes. Needless to say, the results were not good.

George’s formerly healthy and muscular physique has now changed drastically. His Coke guzzling habits gave him a pot belly, he lost muscle mass, and his weight shot up from 168 lb to 192 lb. His blood pressure also soared from 129/77 to 145/96 – way above the ideal 120/80. All these alterations to his body have greatly increased the risk of heart disease or stroke.

George also said that he was experiencing intense cravings and feared he was becoming addicted to Coca-Cola. He did try his best to stick to his normal Paleo diet with low carbohydrates, lean meats, vegetables and berries, but he couldn’t shake off the sugar cravings that hit him from time to time. In fact, he found it difficult to eat as much food because all that Coke made him feel full at lunch and dinner times. And the actual drinking was an ‘irritating chore’ because of the constant visits to the restroom and a clutter of cans everywhere.

Based on his findings, George is now encouraging people to examine

that Coke is good for them. He also pointed out that drinks with ‘zero’ or ‘low’ sugar contain artificial sweeteners that are just as harmful.

“Sugar is legal, soft drinks are legal,” he said. “Coke’s genius plan is ‘reduce’ the amount of sugar in their drinks. It’s genius because it makes them look like they care, but still continue to sell sugar. I’d like to see controls on the lobbying and spending of big corporations who sell sugar and don’t want the government to tell people how bad it is.”

the amount of sugar in their diets.

“People need to be aware of the real and powerful damaging effects of sugar on their health,” he said. “I did the experiment to get people thinking and talking about how much sugar they eat and how unhealthy it is.”

And now that it’s all over, he says he would prefer never to do it again.

George, a father-of-two, is especially concerned about the effect that sugar has on children. “Kids shouldn’t drink Cokes,” he said. “But then kids shouldn’t drink juices, either, and that’s going to be a very hard sell to parents who believe that

juice is ‘natural’, or even ‘organic’.

It’s sugar, and not only do kids not need it, it’s bad for them.” Indeed, research has found that sugary drinks are a primary cause for type 2 diabetes and tooth decay in children.

Fizzy drinks have also been found to fuel the obesity epidemic and lead to serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease and stroke.

“I think there are a lot of people suffering health problems like diabetes and heart disease, who aren’t aware they could help themselves by just stopping sugar” George explained. He severely criticized

Coca-Cola for their marketing

techniques to make people believe

BLK – The Black Spring Water That’s Causing a Stir in the World of Natural Supplements

O

rganic foods are generally good for you, but there are some really weird products out there that make you wonder, “Who buys this stuff?”

Like this black colored water that is supposedly better for you than plain old regular water. It’s called ‘BLK’ and it is being promoted by Albie and Chris Manzo, sons of

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo.

According to the product’s official website, “BLK is powerful electrolytes and a high pH. BLK is serious hydration. BLK is a delicious beverage without any sugar, carbs, or calories. BLK is here and it will defy expectations.”

They’re calling it the perfect

innovation of nature and science.

BLK is essentially Canadian spring water infused with fulvic acid, which is a natural nutrient-rich compound that has been used in alternative therapies for centuries.

When fulvic acid reacts with water the resulting beverage is black in color, which adds to the drink’s attraction. “The color is what gets

people listening in the first place,” Albie admits.

The special black blend is apparently the invention of two sisters – Jacqueline and Louise Wilkie – who are now partners in the company. They developed the brew in 2008, when their mother was suffering from terminal bone cancer and was told that she had

only a year to live. The sisters gave their mother fulvic acid concentrate, which eventually worked and saved her life. That’s how they got the idea for a waterbased drink.

Fulvic acid has been hailed as a ‘miracle molecule’ in recent times for its detoxifying properties, due to its ability to bind to metals. but

Page 40

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Digest

Multi-tasking makes your brain smaller once

By Fiona Macrae

I

f you are sending a text, watching the TV or listening to the radio, you may want to stop and give this your full attention.

Multi-tasking shrinks the brain, research suggests.

A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain.

Scroll down for video University of Sussex researchers said: ‘Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains.’

Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion.

The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.

The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology.

This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web.z The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account.

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain.

Researcher Kep Kee Loh said: ‘Media multi-tasking is becoming more prevalent in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being.’

People who text and surf the internet while watching TV have less grey matter in their brains compared to people who use only one media device at a time, or only use devices occasionally He added that more research is needed to prove that multitasking shrinks the brain.

This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more drawn to using lots of gadgets simultaneously.

Scientists have previously demonstrated brain structure can be altered on prolonged exposure to novel environments and experience.

Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to juggle or taxi drivers learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities in certain parts.

Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span.

The University of California team commissioned a survey of more than 18,000 people aged

between 18 and 99 and found 20 per cent had problems with memory.

Researchers were taken aback by the 14 per cent of 18 to 39-yearolds who also worried about their memories.

Multi-tasking with gadgets may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.

Obese pupils ‘do worse at school’

Several studies have found that obese pupils do worse at school, with one reason being that they are written off by teachers

By Fiona Macrae

I

ts damage to health is well known but obesity could take a heavy toll on a child’s grades.

At least six studies have found that boys and girls who

are dangerously overweight do worse at school than others – with girls particularly vulnerable.

Researcher Anne Martin said the effect is big enough to make a difference to grades and urged teachers to think about the effects of obesity on

their pupils.

It is unclear why being overweight harms academic success but possible reasons include fat children being written off by teachers and obesity slowing the development of the brain.

Bullying may also take a heavy toll, especially on girls.

Miss Martin, who is close to completing a PhD, found and analysed 14 pieces of research into the topic.

Around half of the studies showed that children who became obese or who stayed obese did worse in maths over time.

The studies also suggested that the effects aren’t instant – with obesity in primary school taking until secondary school to impact on achievement.

Girls may be particularly vulnerable, with a British study showing that those who were obese at 11 did less well in maths, science and English at 16.

The effect was big enough to make the girls drop down from an average grade C, to a D, the UK Congress on Obesity heard.

Miss Martin, of Edinburgh University, said it is possible that girls are more psychologically scarred by the bullying that fat children

often suffer.

Other reasons for the phenomenon include teachers writing off overweight children as lazy or naughty, poor diet and lack of exercise.

It is possible that obesity affects brain development – and also that the diabetes and sleep problems that can accompany obesity lead to youngsters missing more school than usual.

Miss Martin said the finding is important because a child’s performance in school affects their chances

of going to university and the kind of job they get.

She says that headteachers need to realise that educating children on obesity could improve academic success, rather than simply waste valuable time.

However, it is not all bad news. One of the studies Miss Martin analysed showed that obese youngsters who slim down end up doing better in maths than children who have never had a weight problem.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

The studies found the academic effects of obesity didn’t impact on achievement until secondary school level

SporT 41 Page

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Amuneke gets surprise birthday shindig

By Albert Akota

T

he Head Coach of the Golden Eaglets Emmanuel Amuneke got a surprise ’44 balloon salute’ to mark his 44th anniversary on Christmas Day after the team’s early morning session at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.

“This is a coup because all I wanted today was to train in continuation of our preparation towards Niger 2015,” a shell-shocked Amuneke said after NFF’s Assistant Director(Technical), Coach Siji Lagunju led the players in a fine rendition of the famous birthday song:’ he’s a good jolly fellow.’”I’m really humbled by your show of love to me on this special day.”

With the morning activities rounded off, Team Amuneke mostly made up of Golden Eaglets officials beat Golden Eaglets’ possible 4-1 in a novelty match full of fun and drama.

Tayo Egbaiyelo, 2013 World Cup-winning secretary, got the curtain raiser for Team Amuneke when he converted from the spot kick barely 10 minutes into the 40-minute encounter.

Three minutes later, Golden Eaglets’ medical official, Dr. Deji Olarinoye (MON) famously called NFA,-got the second goal courtesy of another spot Kick that beat a badly positioned goalkeeper Clinton Orji.

Meanwhile, winger Ndu Chinedu gave the opposing side hope few minutes to the end of the first half with a well-taken goal as goalkeeper Amos Benjamin watched the ball sailed into the net.

In the second half, birthday boy and former Barcelona winger, Amuneke crowned an impressive day with his team’s third goal albeit from the spot yet again. Golden Eaglets’ defender, Bamidele Ayodeji who was loaned to Team Amuneke from the Eaglets’ probable scored the last goal to the delight of everyone.

“Today would remain a special day in our lives because it marked the birthday of coach Amuneke when we are in camp,” said defender Lukman Halilu after the players were feted with food and soft drinks .” Coach Amuneke is an inspiration to all of us because he is a no-nonsense person who wants only the best for us and by the grace of God, we shall do our best in Niger 2015 to give him a present for this special day,” he stated.

Lagunju, meanwhile, heaped praises on Amuneke for his sterling qualities both as a former player and coach: “I always knew that Emmanuel would be a great player because he has remained disciplined and humbled since I first met him in 1991.Though he would say his mind when he feel strongly about any issue, he has remained level headed over the years.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank all the technical crew and back room staff for the unity in the U-17 and may God bless your efforts in Niger and Chile in 2015,”said Lagunju who star for Leventis United and Iwuayanwu Nationale in his heyday.

Amunike in good mood with his players

Mourinho: I love my Chelsea players >>>Pg 43

Club owners, LMC okay with new league structure >>>Pg 42

Dowsett set to break hour world record in February >>>Pg 44

Page 42

Sport

F

ollowing the endorsement and adoption of the new League Governance Structure for the Premier in Nigeria by the Nigeria Football Federation Executive Committee and its subsequent ratification by the General Assembly, as well as approval by the Corporate Affairs Commission, a new League Board has been given the green light by the Club Owners and the League Management Company.

In line with the new provision as adopted, the Club Owners have sent in their sixmember representatives into the Board who are to work with an Independent Chairman, and the three Independent Members, as well as an appointed CEO for the League.

A joint meeting of the leadership of the Club Owners led by the Ag.Chairman, Barrister Isaac Danladi and Ag.Secretary Alloy Chukwuemeka and top shots of the LMC held in Abuja on

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Club owners, LMC okay with new league structure Tuesday 16th December 2014 superintended the acceptance ceremony by the new members.

Under the new management, Mallam Shehu Dikko becomes the new Chairman of the LMC Board, and automatically the 2nd Vice President of the NFF in line with provision of the statues.

Other members (Directors) include Dr. Ayo Ayodele, Mr. Dominic Iorfa, Hon. Nduka Irabor, Hon. Akin Akinbobola, Mallam Salihu Abubakar and Prince Okey Ibeh.

The seven-man board will at a date appoint the Deputy Chairman and the CEO for the League Management Company in line with the provisions of

the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company.

Others who were appointed as Alternate members (Directors) from the Club Owners include Chief Okey Kpalukwu, Alhaji Mahmud Umar and Alhaji Suleiman Chindo.

The Club Owners and Members of the LMC expressed satisfaction with the new development as a road map towards a robust league administration in Nigeria, which will enhance the sustenance of the ongoing positive reforms of the League as well as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Rules and Regulation for corporate bodies in Nigeria.

Mr. Dominic Iorfa

Kogi FA elections Iorfa impresses in Wolves victory hold on February 26

By Albert Akota

F

resh elections into the executive council of Kogi State Football Association will take place on February 26, 2015.

The secretary of Kogi FA, Mr Augustine Ogunmola disclosed this after an executive meeting presided upon by the outgoing Chairman of the FA, Mr Adama Yahaya in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

The FA among its resolutions fixed the collection of forms into their elective positions for January 5th, with submission of forms due for January 20th.

The body unanimously agreed that eligible delegations from five-listed Local

government areas namely Lokoja, Okehi, Okene, OgoriMangongo, Ankpa and Dekina must have a registered football club.

Meanwhile, an eight-man electoral committee has been inaugurated to supervise the successful conduct of the elective congress and transition of the new board.

The constituted electoral committee will be chaired by a former Kogi FA boss, Inuwa Umar, with sitting FA secretary Ogunmola will also serve as the secretary of the committee.

Members of the committee are: Mr Noah A. Atede, Bayo Ilori, Sulieman Usman, Isa T. Umar, Mr Sunday Daku and Mr Olatunji Memayin.

W

olverhampton W a n d e r e r s defender, Dominic Iorfa, showed his utility prowess impressing in an unfamiliar right full back role as they beat Watford 1-0.

Traditionally a center back, the 19-year-old didn’t appear out of place at right back away at Vicarage road, showing tremendous pace and tackling ability not expected from a player of his height.

The son of former Nigeria International, Dominic Iorfa, helped snuff out the threat of

Niger Tornadoes dissociate from Ogbe’s publication From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna

T

he management of Niger Tornadoes FC of Minna has dis-associated itself from Tuesday, December 23, 2014 online story publication from futbalgalore. blogspot.de linking them to be gunning for the services of Coach Bernard Ogbe.

The team manager of Niger Tornadoe, Alhaji Usman Garba reacting to the publication said it was unfounded and baseless.

Garba said that Coach Godwin Uwua remains in helms of affairs as the technical adviser of the club and had at no time has the management met and discussed on such issues of hiring a new trainer or sacking a coach for the club.

According to him, Uwua tutored Tornadoes only missed out of promotion just

by the whiskers.He implored sportwriters to always seek for information from the appropriate quarters before making publications for public consumption.

“I want to tell you that right now we have no vacancy at the club, sportswriter kindly verify your stories before going to the prints.It will not be fair that journalists should be dishing out lies, malicious and unconfirmed report to the public knowing fully well your roles in the society”.

He urged the public to disregard the story and see it as a mischief and enemy action.”We have worked with Ogbe before, we know his pedigree, however there has not been any move for talk with him, and nor considered of re-engaging him, he concluded.

(L) Dominic Iorfa

Watford pacy winger Ikechi Anya winning almost all of his duels with the Scottish International of Nigerian parentage.

Iorfa was also neat in possession and covered up well for his central defenders when the need arises and earned a mention from the club’s twitter handle for his all round contribution.

Also in the Wolves team at Vicarage road goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme eligible for Nigeria, produced top quality save to keep Watford at bay further enhancing his reputation as one of the best shot-stoppers in the

Championship.

Ikeme produced a punch save taking it to the post off a deflected shot from former Nigeria under-20 captain Odion Ighalo, denying him an opportunity to level things up for Watford.

The 27-year-old shot stopper has already picked up three Man of The Match award this season for Wolves and even though he was beaten to the award this time around, he did his bit when required to help pick up all three points.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

PAGE 43

Sport

Mourinho: I love my Chelsea players J

ose Mourinho has said he “loves” his Chelsea players again because of their incredible performances this season, insisting that even when they are not at their best, they are still

good.

The Blues preserved their lead at the top of the Premier League with a dominant 2-0 win over highflying West Ham on Boxing Day, with Captain John Terry and Diego Costa getting the goals.

And while Mourinho rejects the notion that his team already have one hand on a first league title in four years, he was full of praise for the consistency, quality and attitude of his players.

“Football is football,” he told reporters after the West Ham win. “You never know. The only thing we can do to try and reduce the unpredictability of football is to do what we’re doing - playing very, very well.

“The reality is, since the Burnley match, the team is playing sometimes better, sometimes not so good, but always good, solid performances.

“The results are good, the performances are quality, the players are happy, I’m happy as a coach because my team is playing well, I’m happy as a guy because I love my players.

Mourinho

Yaya, Ideye score Giroud regrets for headbutt on Boxing Day

I

vorian Yaya Toure netted in Manchester City’s 3-1 Premier League win over West Brom, whose goal was scored by Nigerian Brown Ideye.

Toure scored from the spot while Ideye’s goal was merely a consolation as City were in command of the game.

Despite being without captain Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko through injury, Manuel Pellegrini’s side took advantage of a dismal opening period from the hosts to keep pace with leaders Chelsea.

The visitors were handed an early gift courtesy of Ben Foster, as

Ideye

the West Brom goalkeeper dropped a looping Jesus Navas cross eight minutes in.

Midfielder Fernando took full advantage to cleverly register his first goal for the club, with ex-City defender Joleon Lescott also aiding his former employers’ cause soon afterwards.

David Silva went down under Lescott’s challenge inside the area and, when Yaya Toure subsequently doubled City’s advantage from the penalty spot, they were well on course for a ninth consecutive win in all competitions.

Despite rarely getting out of first gear, the champions were three to the good 11 minutes before the interval when Silva calmly steered a strike past Foster.

An improved defensive effort from West Brom kept the score respectable after the break, and they finally got on the scoresheet themselves when Brown Ideye turned the ball home after a scramble late on, but it proved too little, too late for Alan Irvine’s men.

City had the first sight on goal when stand-in striker James Milner prodded Silva’s flick goalwards, only to be denied by Foster’s legs - before the home goalkeeper undid his good work by fumbling a deflected Navas delivery in the six-yard box.

Fernando was the man on hand to acrobatically hook the ball home and open his account for the club, with things going from bad to worse for Irvine’s men five minutes later as Lescott stretched to make a challenge and brought down Silva inside the area.

A

rsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted Olivier Giroud deserved to be sent off against QPR, but confirmed the striker has apologised for his dismissal.

Giroud, 28, was shown a red card for headbutting Nedum Onuoha in the second half of the Gunners’ 2-1

victory.

“It was a deserved red card,” said Wenger, celebrating his 400th Premier League win as Arsenal manager.

“Madness is a strong word - he didn’t kill him. But he touched him and should not have done it.”

Giroud will begin a three-match

suspension, which includes league games against West Ham and Southampton and an FA Cup tie against Stoke.

“Olivier Giroud knows he made a mistake and I know him well enough to think that he will not do it again,” added Wenger, whose team are now sixth in the league.

Di Maria suffers pelvic injury

A

ngel Di Maria was ruled out of Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Newcastle with a pelvic

problem.

Manager Louis van Gaal revealed Di Maria had suffered

Di Maria

the injury in training on Christmas Eve. The Dutchman, whose side visit Tottenham on 28 December, does not know when his £59.7m record signing will return.

“It is not a muscle injury,” he

said. “It is more the pelvis does not have the right relationship with the leg.”

Di Maria, 26, only returned to the United side at Aston Villa on 20 December after a three-week absence with a hamstring tear.

Page 44

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Sport

Dowsett sets to break hour world record in February A

lex Dowsett will attempt to break the hour world record at London’s Olympic Velodrome on 27 February.

Commonwealth Games timetrial champion Dowsett, 26, hopes to go further than the current mark of 51.852km, set by Austria’s Matthias Brandle in October.

Australians Jack Bobridge and Rohan Dennis may extend the mark given they attempt the record earlier in 2015.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is also expected to reveal details of his own attempt at the record in the near future.

30 October: Matthias Brandle breaks one-hour track cycling record The hour record is the blue riband event for track cycling, and is a record that has recently enjoyed a renaissance after world governing body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) changed its

rules about the use of aerodynamic equipment.

Germany’s Jens Voigt broke Ondrej Sosenka’s nine-yearold record in September, only for Brandle to surpass him the following month.

Movistar rider Dowsett, a haemophilia sufferer, wants to raise awareness about the condition with his bid to beat the distance next year.

“The hour is something I’ve always been interested in; the simplicity of it, mostly: no tactics, no hiding, just you and the bike,” said Dowsett.

Dowsett’s attempt will take place at the Revolution Series track cycling event, with Dame Sarah Storey making her attempt at the women’s record a day later.

Bobridge will make his bid to break the record in Melbourne on 31 January, with Dennis’s challenge coming a week later on 8 February in Switzerland.

Commonwealth 2018: Jones named Wales’s athlete adviser

Jones

R

etired gymnast Frankie Jones named athlete adviser to the Commonwealth Games Wales board for the 2018 Gold Coast Games.

Former rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones, who won gold at Glasgow 2014, has been appointed athlete adviser to the Commonwealth Games Wales board until 2018.

Jones will offer advice on how Welsh athletes can succeed at the Gold Coast Games in four years’ time.

The 24-year-old, who won the David Dixon award in Glasgow after winning six medals, was runner-up in BBC Cymru Wales

Sports Personality 2014.

“During my competitive career, I have had the honour of representing Wales at three consecutive games.

“I can honestly say they are the competitions that hold the strongest and most amazing memories of my 18 years of participation in gymnastics.

“Being athletes adviser will allow me to continue to inspire younger athletes to follow in my footsteps, overcome adversity and win for Wales.”

Jones led the way in the medal haul for Wales in Glasgow, helping the team to a recordbreaking 36 medals.

Alex Dowsett

BBL Championship: Sheffield beat Glasgow to continue form

S

heffield Sharks continued their climb up the BBL Championship with victory over BBL Cup finalists Glasgow Rocks.

Sharks, runners-up last year, have won three in a row in the league, but last week went out of the Cup at the semi-final stage for a third year in a row.

But, even without star point guard BJ Holmes, they overpowered Rocks 69-55 to move into the play-off positions.

There were also wins over the weekend for London, Newcastle, Leicester, Plymouth, Cheshire and Manchester. “We feel good about beating a well-coached Glasgow team,” said Sharks forward Olu Babalola, who scored 17 points in the victory.

Newcastle Eagles stretched their incredible winning run to 14 league games with successes against Leeds Force and Manchester Giants as second-placed Worcester Wolves slipped up, beaten by London Lions.

Cheshire Phoenix capitalised, moving level on points with Worcester, by holding off Lions on Sunday with to 25 points and 12 rebounds from Demond Watt, for an eighth straight win.

Surrey United suffered two defeats, beaten

by Leicester Riders and Plymouth Raiders, with Ben Mockford and Jordan Clarke enjoying winning debuts for the Raiders.

Sharks forward Olu Babalola

I can be a pushy parent, says Federer

R

oger Federer’s drive to succeed has landed him seven Wimbledon singles titles and a legion of fans.

But when it comes to his children taking up sport, he is determined not to be a pushy parent.

It was an unlikely meeting on the face of it - the Speaker of the House of Commons and the man who is considered by many as the greatest tennis player ever to grace the men’s game.

But when John Bercow, formerly Britain’s top-ranking junior tennis player, was given

the chance to edit Radio 4’s Today programme and interview guests of his choosing, Roger Federer was top of his list.

Mr Bercow has watched the Swiss player in action no fewer than 65 times this year and was keen to get to the source of the unwavering ambition that has led him to remain at the pinnacle of his profession.

This continued passion for the game has led Federer to a record 302 weeks as world number one, surpassing Pete Sampras’s mark of 286.

And after a difficult year in 2013, when he struggled with a back injury, Federer returned in impressive form this season to win more matches - 73 - than any other player on the men’s tour.

Once dismissed by many critics as a player in perpetual decline, the 33-year-old remains a serious contender for Grand Slam victory in 2015. Which is just as well, as he admits it would be difficult for him to turn up to a tournament as a sideshow to the main event.

Page 45

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Sport

P-i-c-t-o-r-i-a-l

1Ivorian Yaya Toure netted in Manchester City’s 3-1 Premier League win over West Brom, whose goal was scored by Nigerian Brown Ideye.

2.TCristiano Ronaldo has nothing on the Argentine, according to the Barcelona forward, who is adamant that the Ballon d’Or should return to his team-mate 3.Roger Federer is interviewed

by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons and Britain’s former top-ranking junior tennis player.

2

1

4.Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says striker Olivier Giroud has apologised for his red card in the 2-1 win over QPR. 5.London Irish earn their first win in the Premiership since September as they beat fellow strugglers London Welsh 24-9.

3

4

5

Page 46

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE STUDENTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (SCDI)

This is to inform the general public that the above named initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. JOEL LEO KISHA - President/Founder.

2. DIKKO ALHERI - Vice president 3. ABRAHAM OCHE OGBEH - Secretary AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To create better living conditions in our communities by carrying out community development projects.

2. To help the students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: J.L. KISHA

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE GOLDEN CITY INT’L MINISTRY

This is to inform the general public that the above named Foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PASTOR TOM NYAKNO EDEM - PRESIDENT 2. BROTHER MARKUS MUSA 3. BROTHER SAMUEL EDEM 4. PASTOR (MRS) UNYIME NYAKNO TOM –GENERAL SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OMAGHOMI DAVID ABOYOWA 2. OMAGHOMI MARY DAVID

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROGATE THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. Signed: JOHN IYAFOKHAI ESQ 08064952567

PUBLIC NOTICE

EMPOWERMENT FUND INITIATIVE

Association of African traditional religion priests of Nigeria

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Rev. Goodheart Obioma Ekwueme 2. Mrs. Soluchi Ogugua 3. Mr Baron Ogugua 4. Dr Mrs Chinwe Agu 5. Yinka Ajayi The Aims and Objectives Are: 1. To improve access to education for the less privileged.

2. To improve quality of education.

3. To empower women through capacity building and providing access to funds.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

ECO-RESTORATION FOUNDATION OF NIGERIA

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

PUBLIC NOTICE The general public is hereby notified that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Chief priest eyantor nehikhare 2. Nosakhare enobakhare 3. Otawo Samson 4. Abela osawe 5. Akilns ayela 6. Mathew Abavo 7. Omokaro enoghayin 8. Gbenga John THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.To protect the interest of her members.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To promote sustainable development in Communities Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within twenty-eight (28) days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Chief Albert kurubo Horsefall 2. chief Rufus Adageorge 3. chief Hycient Olue 4. Sen. Benneth Birabi 5. Barr. Obi Njoku HRH Alabo 6. Prof .Dagogo Fubara THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.To foster peace, love and unity in Rivers state and society at large.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: Barr Vincent O. Enemosah.

SIGNED. SECRETARY

SIGNED: BARR. EUGENE EGU FOR: EQUINOX SOLICITORS, ABUJA.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

GRACE ASSEMBLY GOSPEL CENTRE MASAKA

CREDIBLE SHAREHOLDERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

LUMEN DEVELOPMENT INTIATIVE,

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.Emmanuel Peter Ogbaki, 2.Daniel Ogbaki, Anthonia Peter 3.Jude Ogbaki.

The Aims and Objectives Are: 1. To bring about a rebirth of the potentials lying untapped in men and women 2. To create and make them see the opportunities that would drive them to a new era of personal and professional dev elopement and growth 3. To enable men and women live up to their maximum capacities in terms of productivity 4. To assist men and women make vital and key choices that would affect their lives positively 5. To bring to their consciousness that leadership which is the bane of national development is the prerogative of every Nigerian and help them play their leadership and followership role for a better Nigeria Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED. SECRETARY

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known as Miss Koko Anietie Akpakpan now wish to be addressed as Mrs Koko Anietie Jabari Jatto.All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note

CHANGE OF NAME

I mrs Edith Nkeiru OBi(Neeonwunali) here by declare that I was born on 29th march 1957.Any other date of birth in any document bearing my name is not true and should be regarded as error.

The General public take note.

Space for sale

O8O92I45386

The general public is hereby notified that the above named CENTRE has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for the Registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No.1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pastor Samson Jerry Panaki - President 2. Prophetess FavourPanaki 3. Bishop Emmanuel Agbaji - Advisor 4. EkwereLadi Lama - Secretary 5. Deacon Musa YahayaYakubu - Treasurer 6. Rev. Philip Kahili Adams OBJECTIVES: 1. To propagate the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off AguyiIronsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for the Registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No.1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. GaniyuKudiratMotunrayo 2. AnifowosheRajiAlao 3. AjiboyeRasakAdeoti 4. Soliu Rasheed Olalekan 5. OgunfoworaRahmonBolaji 6. ArifOpe 7. SanusiKamolideenAdesina OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote the interest and welfare of shareholders in publicy quoted and unquopted companies in Nigeria.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off AguyiIronsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

PAGE 47

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, DECEMber 29, 2014

Funny Jigsaw mystery

7

2. Ilorin’s ‘Oba’ Afonja utilized Fulani warriors to help rebel against the Oyo Empire. The warriors after defeating Oyo took over Ilorin and Sheikh Alimi, their leader became the first Emir.

73. Much of north Nigeria was part of the Songhai Empire.

Muhammad Kanta annexed Kebbi and other states between 1512 and 1517.

74. The Obasanjo military regime converted Nigeria from a Parliamentary system to a Presidential system of government.

75. Much of traditional pre-colonial Nigeria operated a parliamentary form of government. The council of elders could make or impeach the King.

76. General Johnson Thomas Umurakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi on 24 May 1966, with Decree No. 34, dissolved Nigeria’s regions, creating provinces. He unified Regional Public Services under a single Commission. Riots were provoked in Kano and mutiny in Abeokuta; eventually there was a coup.

77. In 1967 Gowon split the four regions into 12 states.

78. Gowon’s Decree No. 8 of 1967 after the Aburi conference restored Nigeria as a confederacy.

79. Late President Murtala Muhammed’s dad, Pam Azatus Iyok was from Dogon-Gaba, near Vom in Plateau state, Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Pam became a Muslim and married Ramat from Kano.

Murtala Muhammed’s wife, Hafsat Ajoke was a Yoruba lady.

80. Ex- President Yakubu Gowon from Jos state (Middle Belt) is a Christian. General Obasanjo was his Army chief who helped

Leisure

him defeat the Biafra attempted secession from 1967-1970.

81. Nigeria has been ruled for 30 years by Christians (25 years if Azikiwe is excluded).

82. Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the leader of the southern Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the most vocal enemy of the north, is a Muslim.

83. Nigeria is not roughly divided between a Muslim north and a Christian South. The far north, east and far south do have concentrations, but the rest of the nation defies such demarcations.

Say what?

SUDOKU EASY 213

We would have missed it. Thanks for the advance notice.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

SUDOKU EASY 212

This passenger has even gone to the trouble of removing his shoes before bedtime as he enjoys the comfort of two solid-looking bus seats.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

monday, december 29, 2014

QUOTABLE QUOTE December 25, 2014 was the closing date for submission and any political party that has not submitted a name of not fielding a candidate by implication.

– INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

SPORTS Abba Moro’s mess revisited latest

Liberian world football star wins senate seat Former world soccer player of the year George Weah has won a seat in Liberia’s Senate to represent the capital, defeating the son of the president and boosting his political fortunes ahead of a presidential election in 2017.

According to Reuters, Weah won the Montserrado County seat that includes the capital Monrovia with 78 percent of the vote, defeating Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s National Elections Commission said late on Saturday.

Weah, leader of the country’s largest opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change, lost the 2005 presidential election to Sirleaf and lost again in 2011 when he was a vice presidential candidate. He is expected to stand again in 2017.

Liberia’s efforts to recover from a long civil war that ended in 2003 and reestablish democracy have been hampered this year by an Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 3,300 people in the country and more than 7,500 people in West Africa.

“Results from all 4,701 polling places in the country have already been counted and tallied. The recorded voter turnout for the election is 479,936 which represents 25.2 percent of the total number of registered voters,” election commission chairman Jerome Korkoya said in a statement following the elections to the Senate the upper house of the legislature.

Other Senate winners included Jewel Howard Taylor, the former wife of ex-President Charles Taylor who was convicted by the International Criminal Court in 2012 on charges including war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Jewel Taylor retained her seat in Bong County, north-central Liberia.

Former rebel leader Prince Johnson, whose forces captured, tortured and killed President Samuel Doe during the civil war in 1990, also retained a seat in Nimba County.

Advert: 0806 business: 0704 news: 0814 lagos: 0805 0803

When news broke out that applicants lost their lives at an interview for jobs into the Immigration Services, Comrade Abba Moro, the Minister that supervises the agency reacted instantly.

“The applicants lost their lives due to impatience; they did not follow the laid-down procedures spelt out to them before the exercise”, he told newsmen.

Ironically this accusation (against dead men) of non compliance with procedures came from a man who flouted all laid down procedures in his forceful bid to conduct the ill fated interview. Behold a timeline of the events that led to this monumental tragedy. t all started on Sept 9th last year when the Ministry of Interior on the instruction of its Minister, Abba Moro planted an advert in the newspapers proclaiming that the Immigration department was recruiting.

The recruitment was to cover superintendent and inspectorate cadres.

This was the mother of all irregularities.

First, the Comptroller General of Immigration was not informed, let alone consulted on this exercise. Secondly, the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board Act Cap. 12, 2004 confers powers of appointment on the Board. However the same Act equally delegates such powers particularly recruitment into inspectorate cadre to the Immigration Service.

A stunned and embarrassed David Parradang protested in a letter to the Secretary, Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Service Board the same day. He requested that the advertisement be withdrawn to make room for consultation in order to avoid the mistakes of the past.

In these days of information super high way, it took the Board almost two months to respond to this letter. A reply signed by S. D. Tapgun, Director/Secretary of the Board regretted that as a major stakeholder, the Comptroller General was not informed before the publication came out. It also assured him that his department would still handle the enlistment into the inspectorate cadre.

“Be rest assured that useful lessons have been learnt and we shall do our best to ensure that all stakeholders are accorded their due henceforth,” the contrite Board promised.

This promise was made to be broken. The minister was determined to break all the rules guiding recruitments. To ensure his premeditated decision

Monday Column Emmanuel Yawe royawe@yahoo.com 08024565402

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564 385 292 327 454

8620 9705 9046 1969 0344

Interior Minister Abba Moro to break the rules without impediment, he signed a secret and suspicious agreement with a company named Drexel. Thus, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, a private company was being hired to recruit for the Immigration – a paramilitary service.

Another irregularity was the decision of the minister to engage the services of Drexel on terms that were known only to him; both the Immigration and the Board knew and still know nothing about the contract which was neither advertised nor tendered for.

Drexel charged each applicant one thousand Naira. It was expected that the company would fund the whole operation from the revenue they generated. But as the date drew nearer, Drexel argued

that the terms of agreement in the contract (which remains a secret between Drexel and the minister) did not cover expenditures for the exercise. The minister directed the Immigration – which did not budget for this exercise in its 2014 estimates – to pick the bills!

Without funds and without the necessary logistics in place to support such an exercise, but with the minister insisting it must be carried out, the recruitment of 15th March was a tragedy waiting to happen. On that day it did take place with blood and fire. Almost 20 young Nigerians sent to their early graves by the duo of Drexel and Abba Moro. Maybe that is their own formula of reducing unemployment in Nigeria – kill the unemployed and kill them young. But who is this Drexel?

A search we conducted at the Corporate Affairs Commission during the week shows that the company was registered in 2011 as Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd with its first line of business as general merchants and traders. There are however many unanswered questions about this company.

Its registered office is No 11 Nun Street, off Danube Crescent in Maitama District of Abuja. This is a residential area and the property on 11 Nun Street was infact owned by NSITF until the government decided to sell its residential properties to civil servants occupying same.

At present, the company seems to have no fixed address. A visit at No 11 Nun Street provides no clue that it exists there. We are on the trail of the two registered

“

Another irregularity was the decision of the minister to engage the services of Drexel on terms that were known only to him; both the Immigration and the Board knew and still know nothing about the contract which was neither advertised nor tendered for.

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directors of the company, one in Abuja and the other in Lagos to get their views on the affairs of the company and the tragedy they facilitated and inflicted on Nigeria.

Strangely enough, for a company that was given an assignment of this magnitude, there is no record at the Corporate Affairs Commission to show that it has a history of annual payments of returns since it came into existence. How did a company of such status secure such a sensitive consultancy job as recruitment for Immigration Service?

Goodluck Jonathan was elected President of Nigeria. We all owe him our loyalty; to me this means we must always tell him the truth. When he does the right thing we praise him. When he goes wrong, we criticise him.

On the situation in Immigration, I believe he has so far taken the right steps.

At the inauguration of the Police Service Commission last year, he said publicly that officers with criminal records who should have been out of the Immigration Service long ago were presented to him by their powerful godfathers to take over the Service as Comptroller General.

It is common knowledge that Comrade Abba Moro did all he could to prevent the emergence of David Parradang as the CG of immigration. The appointment of this officer is however considered by the men and officers of Service as the greatest thing that has ever happened there for decades.

The guy is respected for his competence, professionalism and his deep concern for the welfare of his men. The president will do incalculable damage to his image, the Immigration Service and Nigeria if he allows such a fine officer to be wasted by influence peddlers around him.

The president owes it to himself to keep a good distance from Abba Moro’s mess. This ‘Comrade’ must go.

DAN GAYE Nigeria gets N1.26tr World Bank loan – News

Didn’t they say we are Africa’s biggest economy?