S-East govs shun Igbo Day celebrations

Vol. 1 No. 33, Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

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S-East govs shun Igbo Day celebrations ·Page 2

Igbo leaders, NASS members also absent PRESIDENT JONATHAN RECEIVES ATTAH IGALA AND MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET IN ABUJA

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President Goodluck Jonathan (M); Vice-President Namadi Sambo (4th L), Attah Igala, Agabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni Ii (4th R), with others, during the visit of Attah Igala and members of his Cabinet to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday .

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

S-East govs shun Igbo Day celebrations

By Rex Arum

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he much awaited 2013 Igbo Day Celebrations an annual event organized by the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, took place yesterday without the presence of governors of the five states in the South East GeoPolitical zone.

All the members of the National Assembly from the South East Zone, prominent politicians and personalities from the zone, who were officially invited by the organizing committee, also boycotted the event which took place at Okpara Square, Enugu and no reason was given for their absence.

Apart from the host Governor, Sullivan Chime of Enugu State who was represented by his Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Joe Mmamel, other absentee governors failed to send their representatives to the occasion.

Sources said their absence might not be unconnected with the recent leadership crisis that rocked Ohanaeze following the election of its national officers.

The governors in the zone had been foot-dragging in taking a firm decision on the issue even though a reconciliation committee it set up on the leadership tussle had since submitted its report.

Speaking at the occasion, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Power, Professor

Chinedu Nebo said the future was still bright for Nigeria notwithstanding the challenges facing it.

Jonathan expressed confidence that Nigeria would be stronger and more united.

While describing Igbos as resourceful and bold people, he appreciated their support and promised not to take the support for granted.

The president said at the occasion that he was happy over the presence of Igbos in other zones.

Earlier in his speech, PresidentGeneral of Ohanaeze, Chief Enwo Igariwey had stressed the need for Ndigbo to speak with one voice in a clear direction, adding that Igbos have the requisite human resources to achieve goals.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo boss said the organisation was committed to formulating an Igbo agenda.

He also disclosed that concrete efforts for economic integration of Igbo Land must be the trust of Ndigbo, saying it was unfortunate that since the creation of states, the

" hues of divide seem to Ndigbo as paramount cleavages and there have been no concrete efforts to pursue projects together that would impact on Ndigbo collectively".

On his part, the chairman of the occasion and first republic minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi took a swipe at Igbo political office holders especially governors, ministers and legislators for having failed to take Igbo land to the next level.

The elder statesman who went

down memory lane lamented that unlike during the first republic when no serious decision was taken in the country without inputs from the Igbos, the South-East has been relegated to the background, a problem he blamed on the governors from the zone.

"Did we elect them to be blowing siren and accumulating wealth?

We gave them power so they could use it to better the lot of the Igbo man but unfortunately, they have failed us as a people," Amaechi said

2015 : S-East, S-South Govs fail to endorse Jonathan's re-election bid

·Say Nigerian electorate should determine who will be president ·Oshiomhole, Amaechi, Okorocha absent at Enugu meeting

By Ted Peters & Rex Arun

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overnors of the South East and South South geopolitical zones, yesterday, failed to endorse the purported second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan at their crucial meeting held at the Government House, Enugu.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimole, his counterparts in Imo and Rivers State, Rochas Okorocha and Rotimi Amechi were absent at the meeting.

The three absentee governors had earlier boycotted a similar

meeting convened by governors of the two zones in Enugu.

Yesterday's meeting was attended

by Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Peter Obi ( Anambra State), Theordore Orji ( Abia) , Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Emmanuel Uduagha (Delta) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom). Bayelsa State governor was represented by his deputy, Gboribiogha Jonah.

In a communique issued at the end of their meeting, the governors however, noted that the determination of who will be president of Nigeria in 2015 will be made by the Nigerian electorate in line with democratic

tenets.

Governor Imoke who read the communique, said the governors called for continued dialogue at resolving national issues and the management of the security situation in the country to guarantee the continued corporate existence of our great nation.

"We note that the determination of who will be president of this country in 2015 will be made by the Nigerian electorate in line with democratic tenets and the power of the people should not be usurped by any group or individuals.

"We call on the leadership of ASUU and other players to be

sensitive to the plight of our children and call off the strike while resolving issues through dialogue," the communiqué reads in parts.

The governors commended the security agencies for their efforts in managing security challenges in part of the country just as they Commended the Federal Government for the massive reduction in crude oil theft.

They advised President Jonathan to remain focused on governance and not to allow himself to be distracted.

The governors also resolved to continue to strengthen economic ties between their states.

Jonathan plans to arrest Obasanjo, Atiku, others, says Baraje PDP

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he Abubakar Baraje led P e o p l e s Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the party has uncovered plots by President Goodluck Jonathan to arrest former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his erstwhile deputy, Atiku Abubakar.

Similarly, the party also said members of the league of G7 governors and leaders of the Baraje faction have also been marked for arrest and detention.

Governors in the G7 are: Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).

In a statement Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction said intelligence report in its possession revealed that the Presidency was already putting

Jonathan finishing touches to the plan.

A c c o r d i n g t h e p a r t y, t h e Presidency's plot is code named “Operation Total Crackdown on G7 and their allies in the New PDP”. “When we got details of the plot to arrest and commit the leadership of New PDP to prison

w i t h o u t c h a rg e w e thought it was a joke.

“The reality, however, dawned on us after we read the interview of our friend and brother, Alhaji Mujahid AsariDokubo, in the PREMIUM TIMES of 26th September, 2013, confirming that President Goodluck Jonathan is under pressure to arrest former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar without any further delay.

“The sin of these two distinguished Nigerian statesmen, according to those plotting their “demystification”, is their alleged support for the New PDP, including the G7 Governors. That this evil plot is being conceived by the Presidency confirms that the Abacha days are truly here again with us”, the statement added.

The party said in view of the development, the leadership of the Baraje group had, in an emergency meeting of its

National Working Committee, brainstormed on how best to respond to the plot.

“Our conclusion at the end of the meeting was that we would not be intimidated for any reason, even if it means death, as we are fighting a just cause of reclaiming, recovering and establishing our party based on the vision of its founding fathers as the party is currently usurped by some members who do not know how it was formed.

“Baraje, knowing how dirty some of the hawks in the Presidency can fight when pushed to the wall, directed NWC members to write their wills immediately after the meeting as we have entered the stage of no retreat and no surrender fully determined to reclaim what rightly belongs to us”, the party said.

Baraje urged the G7 Governors not to be intimidated or frightened by any tactics or strategy employed by “state forces” to coerce them to forgo any of the issues they have been asked to present before President Jonathan in the October 7 meeting.

The party regretted that instead of employing diplomacy to attend to the issues that brought about the

present conflict, the Presidency had chosen to apply force.

Baraje said that rather than being disturbed by the plot, his members are ready for any tactics that may be adopted by the Presidency in the alleged crackdown.

“In this regard, we wish to urge both the Presidency and those detailed to attack us not to waste time or wait till October 7 to start arresting us, as there are thousands of Nigerians ready to step into our shoes and fight this cause to its conclusion.

“We are convinced that at the appropriate time; Asari Dokubo will join us when he is convinced as a social crusader, the injustice we have been subjected to in PDP all these years so we are not threatened by his outbursts”, Baraje added.

The party quoted a one time President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, to buttress its determination to face the alleged threat squarely.

Roosevelt had stated in that memorable speech: “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country.”

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Anambra 2014:

The candidates, their chances

Obiano

Ngige

Ifeanyi

Ukachukwu

Ezemuo

n September 24, 2013, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published the names of gubernatorial candidates sponsored by their political parties or as ordered by their court to contest the November 16, 2 0 1 3 e l e c t i o n .

The release of their names is in tandem with the submissions made to the electoral commission or upheld by the court as at the September 17, 2013 deadline of submission of names of candidates.

In releasing the names, INEC states, “Pursuant to the Time Table and Schedule of Activities for the Anambra State Governorship scheduled to hold on 16th November, 2013, twenty three (23) Political Parties submitted names of candidates they propose to sponsor at the election. The Commission after due consideration of the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), the various judgements and orders of the various High Courts on the candidates for the election particularly those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) approved that the Form CFOO 1 (Personal Particulars) of the candidates for the election be published.

Accordingly, the Form CFOOl of the following candidates as submitted by their Political Parties or as ordered by the Court are now being published in Anambra State in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).

The names of the 23 candidates to slug out in the November 16 poll are as follows: Dr. Ifeatu Ekelem African Congress of Democrats (ACD), Engr. Anthony Anene ACPN, Comrade Aaron Igweze Alliance for Democracy (AA), chief Anayo Arinze (African Democratic Congress (ADC), Patrick Chukwuka Ibeziako (APA), Senator Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige (Al Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano (All Progressives Grand Alliance

(APGA), Chief Austin Nwangwu (CPP), Chijioke Geoffrey Ndubuisi (Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Chief Dennis Nwaforka Oguge (KOWA Party, Patrick Ifeayi Ubah Labour Party (LP), Pastor Simon Chinweuba Okafor MPPP), Okonkwo Emeka Webster Nigeria Conscience Party (NCP), Prince Leonard Uchendu (NNPP), Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu (Peoples Democratyic Party (PDP) through court order, chief Godwin Chukwunenye Ezeemo, Basil Ijedimma Iwuoba - Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Onuorah Basil Onyeachonam Social Democratic Party (SDP), Barriaster Godson Mgbodile Ohaenyem Okoye - United Democratic Party (UDP), Prince Ogochukwu Akanegbu United Progressive Party (UPP), From the list published by INEC, all the 23 gubernatorial and dates are males 18 settled for deputy governorship slots with four as females.

In releasing the names, the Commission enjoined all “political parties to ensure that only the candidates above listed engage in campaigns as candidates of the Political Parties.

Despite releasing the names of the candidates, most political parties do not seem to want to go full blast as they have to await the October 2 date for subtitution of candidates. Only the LP candidate, Ubah had to flag off his campaign while Ngige who had earlier fixed October 3, shifted it to October 7 for strategic reason.

The focus will be on PDP, APGA, LP, and APC because they appear to have more mass appeal than the others regarded as participant governorship candidates.

leadership of PDP recognized the emergence of Comrade Tony Nwoye as the party's flag bearer in the November 16, gubernatorial race following his election in the primary conducted by Prince Ken Emeakayi led state executive.

Another faction led by Ejike Oguebego held a primary session at Emmaus House Awka on August 24, 2013 and elected senator Andy Uba as the gubernatorial candidate which was upheld by a High Court in Port Harcourt. Another High Court equally upheld the candidature of Ukachukwu as the date of closure of the submission of names was almost elapsing.

Ukachukwu had placed second to Nwoye at the primary held at Ekwueme Square, Awka on August 24 this year.

Based on the court order, Ukachukwu's name was recognized by Court and accepted

by INEC, amidst opposition by PDP which claims it has the power under the Electoral Act 2010 as amended to sponsor candidates.

The APGA still had the challenge of double candidacy to contend as the court ordered the party to accept two candidates as the deadline for submission of names of candidates. Though the court later faulted its decision, factional national chairman of APGA, Barrister Maxi Okwu is in court to challenge the court for stopping his candidate, Dr. Chike Obiano as a factional candidate of the party.

In LP, though Peter Nwosu who is claiming that he is another factional candidate of LP is not taken serious, he has threatened to go to court to recover his mandate to fly LP flag for the governorship election.

his sponsor. Even Ukachukwu who has been recognized by the court is seen as rich enough to bankroll his campaign without anybody's assistance.

The Labour Party, Ifeanyi Ubah is seen as a billionaire in the race and he is living up to the billing and attracting followers who seemingly want their share of the campaign fund. Though many political watchers do not tip him to win or even work to stop him if he wins, Ubah has actually left no one in doubt as regards his readiness to create an upset. He started ahead of others and became the first political party candidate to flag up his campaign.

However, pundits see him as making efforts to sell himself to the grassroots where others are already well known as a new entrant into the scene.

APGA's candidate, Willie Obiano is coming from the banking sector as a distinguished banker. He retired from Fidelity Bank as an Executive Director and many believe that he can access the money to bankroll his campaign, couple with the support he is getting from the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi Ngige is not regarded as a money bag and even where money bags bankroll his election, he is not likely to suffer the state treasure. This he has proved before and it adds up to his credit. Many still see him as not having the kind of money to bankroll his campaign, but Ngige's credibility and love from the masses stand him out from the rest.

Again, given what was said at the inauguration of the National Campaign Committee led by Rochas Okorocha, at Emmaus House, Awka, money will not be the APC's problem. Okorocha, the governor of Imo State is coleading Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and others to install Ngige as governor of the State. Pundits say, it will be out of place if they don't give material support.

FCT federal constituency. Other for a he made were in business.

For the executive position he is seeking to occupy, he needs to win to prove his mettle.

For Ubah the flag bearer, he is more known for his oil and gas business. He too needs to learn to climb the rope if he eventually becomes the governor. Obiano who is flying the APGA flag has experience which tilts more to the finance and banking world. He is not tested in public service and seems to want to be guided before he maters the art of public governance.

Ngige, the APC candidate in this perspective appears to be shoulder high above the rest.

Ngige knows this positive factor too well that he plays on the sloganeering cliché, ,” experience counts,” “tried, tested and trusted.”He in fact is described as the best out of the rest. In all perspective the only person who should have given Ngige a big challenge could have been the former Central Bank Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, if he has had the chance of contesting as a candidate of APGA.

O

DOUBLE CANDIDACY MONEY POLITICS: ISSUES: The INEC had to give stern warning to parties not to allow candidates whose names were not listed to go on campaign as obtained in the past in the state especially in PDP. The parties appear to be complying as most of them are concluding arrangements to officially flag off their candidates campaigns. The national

Political observers see the gubernatorial election as the race of the billionaires.

This is as a result of the fact that few parties either have wealthy contestants or have money bags sponsoring their election.

Nwoye who had beaten Ukachukwu before the court stopped him had Prince Arthur Eze, multi billionaire godfather as

EXPERIENCE: Ukachukwu's political experience was limited to the period he served as a House of Representatives members for

POWER SHIFT: The power shift is being championed by governor Peterr Obi to make the Anambra North to produce a governor for the first time. The people of the zone bought into it but were disappointed, so it seems, when governor Obi handpicked his business partner. The zone is not happy and are threatening their show their dismay when the voting comes. The resignation of Obi of Onitsha as the chairman of the state Traditional Ruler Council is not unconnected with it. Obiano though is from Aguleri in Anambra North according to pundits is not the Northerner the people want Nwoye who should have been their answer Was disqualified by court. The zone which boats of huge votes is now open to all the parties especially the PDP, LP, APGA and APC. The chances of the parties may change especially after the substitution of names of contenders.

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8.5 million Naira lost to flood in Nkanu West LG

By Princess Ojiyi

Chic

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arms and public property not less than 8.5 million Naira have been swept away by flood following the heavy rainfall in communities in Nkanu West local Government Area, Enugu State.

The flood which affected several communities including Obuofia and Amodu, was prompted by Atavo River which overflowed its bank as the heavy down pour became extremely severe.

The Advocate gathered from sources that the flood washed away a long stretch of the newly asphalted Amechi- Amodu-Umueze road covering about 50 meters, destroying three block industries, a poultry and piggery farms as well as the Obuofia Bridge.

Victims of the flood who own the block industries, Messers Paul Emeka, Osita Ngwu, Onuh Uchenna and Peter Nnaji expressed their grief over their losses which they said amounts to about 7.5 million naira, calling on government and

other relevant agencies to come to their aid.

Another affected victim, Mr. Charles Nnaji also stated his plight, “I have one hectare of land planted with cassava, vegetable garden and cucumber, so about 1.5 million naira investment was lost to the flood”.

Another victim, Mr. Ekwochi, who affirmed that he lost 35 pigs from his poultry called for assistance from well meaning individuals and government to enable him restart his business.

Reacting to the flood incident, the Chairman, Nkanu West local Government Area, Mr. Ekene Okenwa and Former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Local Government Matters, Mr. Afam Okereke who were both present at the scene to determine the level of damage done, disclosed that efforts were being made to reach relevant agencies to assist the affected victims.

They equally expressed sympathy and concern over the losses caused by the flood.

Fed Govt makes $2.525b from Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) had vowed to resist the planned PHCN sales handover of the PHCN..

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Name: Sandra Amuche Name: Okoli2Brenda Date of Birth: June Hobby: Modeling and Acting Hobby: Cooking and Dancing Likes: Honesty Qualification: BSC pub Admin Dislike: Dishonesty Likes: Shopping Email: brendyo417@yahoo.com Dislike: Lies Source: st santos productions Phone: 08094436876 07067899677

he Federal Government has made $2,525,824,534 from the sale of 14 successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Limited.

President Goodluck Jonathan Monday presented the licences to the owners of the successor companies.

A statement issued in Abuja over the weekend by the Director of Communications, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, said: “So far, of the 14 successor companies scheduled for handover, US$2, 525,824,534 was realised as proceeds. Of the amount, US$1,256,000,000 came from the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) while the Generation Companies (GENCOs) raked in US$1,269,824,534.”

The BPE said the Federal Government set aside about N384 billion to settle labour liabilities.

The agency said the President would present the share certificates and licences to the 15 new owners of the PHCN successor companies who have fully paid their bids.

“The presentation, which is scheduled to hold today at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is part of the buildup to the activities for the 53rd Independence anniversary of Nigeria,” the statement said.

It quoted the Director-General of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, as saying: “This handover is a culmination of 14 years of painstaking effort by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), the BPE and other key stakeholders to reform and liberalise Nigeria's electricity industry, which began in 1999.”

The Electric Power Sector Reform Implementation Committee (EPIC) was set up in 2000 with the mandate to find legal and regulatory frameworks for the sector.

This gave birth to the National Electric Power Policy, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in September 2001, followed by the passage of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005.

Electricity workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Senior Staff Association of

They said the Federal Government should first settle all agreements with Labour before the handover.

The NUEE and SSAEAC said they would picket the PHCN headquarters in Abuja and Lagos today, if the government hands over the power companies to their investors without abiding by the agreement with Labour.

The unions' leadership yesterday directed the members across the country to resist the handover of PHCN's facilities to investors.

In a statement by its General Secretary, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NUEE directed its members to resist what he called the forcible takeover of PHCN. The statement reads: “Further to our earlier circular to resist the forcible takeover of PHCN, it is now clearer that the Federal Government is bent on handing over PHCN's facilities to investors without conclusively settling labour issues.

“This position of government is not only unfair and condemnable but is a direct affront on the economic, social and physical well-being of the workers and their families.”

Rights activist and President of the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), Mallam Shehu Sani, said yesterday the desire by Nigerians to have uninterrupted power supply should not be done at the expense of casting darkness on their lives.

In a statement in Kaduna, Sani noted that the Federal Government's proposed handing over of the PHCN to investors today is another step towards impoverishing Nigerians and selling off the nation's assets.

He said the privatisation of the Nigeria Airways and the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) by the government was disastrous.

The activist said President Jonathan would go down in history as one who approved, execute and presided over the disposition of the nation's assets.

He said: “The privatisation of the PHCN and the scheduled hand over to 'investors' on today stands condemned. The exercise is nothing but a criminal robbery of our collective assets by a few bourgeoisie elite…”

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2015: I didn't sign one-term deal with anybody – Jonathan and my commitment is total to make changes but you cannot make this overnight. If you see the sincerity in government and given the extra things government is doing, we are committed. You should not expect us to close down other sectors of government and bring all the money to solve the problem over night.

exposed to people to steal.”

Sacking of ministers

Explaining the rationale behind the sack of nine ministers from the Federal Executive Council, the president said the sack had elections to begin to inform down to do the negotiations were

By Our Reporter nothing to do with the G7 Nigerians. If you do it earlier, you civil servants, there were certain governors. will destabilize the country. things that some of them know RESIDENT Goodluck Any president, whether it is and agree that cannot be Said he: “It has nothing to do with J o n a t h a n S u n d a y Goodluck Jonathan, as long as implemented. How can they say the G7 governors. I can tell you v e h e m e n t l y d e n i e d you still have the opportunity to that assets of government should that some ministers dropped from signing a one-term agreement contest, if you declare it early, be transferred to universities? We're not bankrupt different states are ministers either officially or unofficially you will create more problems in The Federal Government has so Clearing the air on whether the nominated by governors very with any individual or group in the system than solving the many assets, government cannot country was bankrupt or not, the close to me. The minister dropped 2011 as has been widely problems… So, don't even force a take care of universities alone. So president said, “People play from Kaduna State where the speculated. president to declare his interest. It if we transfer all the landed politics because for anybody to Vice President is from did not Jonathan, who spoke during his is even against the Electoral Act, property of government to the say that Nigeria is bankrupt, there have issues with my Vice periodic media chat with a team even if it is not a sitting president. universities, what about the must be some indicators. You just President. Sometimes, you just of journalists, said: “I have not The electoral law has a time for armed forces? don't wake up from your sleep want to do something differently signed agreement with anybody. political parties to conduct their “We have been faithful to the and say Nigeria is bankrupt. and since as president, you have If I have signed agreement, they primaries. Whatever you are agreement because after the 2009 Nigeria, as a nation, in terms of the power to hire and fire, you just would have shown you.” doing is clandestine. You can tell agreement there has been other foreign direct investment, shows have to do it to reposition your Similarly, the President refused your friends. A lot of people have strikes. So this strike is beyond that the business environment is government.” to clear the air on his intention to been holding meetings silently, the 2009 agreement because it is viable. More than 90 per cent of From 1999 during ex-President re-contest, saying that it was Obasanjo and during early to comment on 2015.

Yar'Adua, was there no time According to him, early ministers were not dropped? politicking was against the So I am surprised people are spirit and letters of the reading meaning to this sack Electoral Act and could also of ministers. If they have destabilize the polity. committed an offence, that His words: “We have laws in would have been a different t h i s c o u n t r y. I q u i t e thing but they have done appreciate that Electoral nothing wrong, I just want to Laws tend to regulate retool my government.” political activities. If you do On why he refused to reit earlier, you will destabilize appoint another defence the country. Don't force a minister, he said, “people President to declare. It is talk out of ignorance against the Electoral Law. It sometimes in this country. has time.”

Those who handle defence He, however ,said that any are the four service chiefs Nigerian, who is seeking to and not civilians. I don't envy contest the office of the service chiefs because if they President in 2015 should not are to be sacked, the wait for him to declare before President just call you in and making his or her intention brief you and before you step known. out, another person has been “Don't wait for me to declare appointed. There is no before you declare your provision for gaps in the intention if you want to 53RD INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY – From left, PDP BOT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih; former Head office of service chiefs. You of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon; Senate contest”, the President President, David Mark; President Goodluck Jonathan; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka can do away with Defence added. A lot of people are Ihedioha; Gov Jonah Jang of Plateau State and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Minister but not service misinforming Nigerians. I Pius Anyim at the 53rd Independence Anniversary Interdenominational Church Service in Abuja, Sunday. chiefs. was in Addis-Ababa,that was Cost of governance the time I advocated a single who has declared?” apart from those ones that talk those who invest in our capital Speaking on the cost of tenure. The way you look at the On Apo killings about transferring assets of market are non-Nigerians. If running government, he said: politics of Nigeria now, the Speaking on the recent killings in government to universities. You Nigeria was bankrupt, the “We are doing well in terms of country is just developing, in Apo, President Jonathan said cannot just do that. Talking about investors will remove their that. Recently, we just reviewed terms of the political evolution, 'though innocent persons may infrastructure, the government money overnight. Anybody who that in the parastatals. I can tell this is about the first time; if you have died, there were confessions was not forced into that but we on talks about Nigeria being you that political appointees are look at the way our polity is, I from arrested Boko Haram our side decided to go and take bankrupt is just playing politics. not that much as people think. As suggested that probably if the operatives that there were arms in inventory of the infrastructure. If Nigeria is broke, there are a minister, you need competent president has a single tenure of that building. “Some of the So they should not capitalize on parameters you use.” people around you to function seven years running without people that were arrested it, you cannot change this Corruption properly. Government doesn't i n t e r f e r e n c e , i t w i l l b e confessed and they were leading overnight but we are looking at Commenting on the high rate of sponsor plenty people anytime productive.” them to where they said arms this with serious commitment. corruption in the country, he said: we are traveling out of the Electoral laws were kept and there was an We still have our challenges but “When you talk of corruption in country for events, so I wonder He said that politicians declaring exchange of gunfire. In the you have seen the commitment of Nigeria, it is all about perception where people get number of and index. Perception is like people they seem to claim early for various respective process some people were government. positions are bound to over-heat arrested some died. I cannot say On how the government plans to when you say something is wrong anytime I travel out for events. clearly that all those who died resolve the ASUU logjam, he 100 times, it becomes true. There People don't compare notes. For the polity.

His words: “I know that our were members of Boko Haram appealed to ASUU to call off the was a time we assembled civil you to function well as president, electoral laws give people time to but definitely there were Boko strike saying that government is society people and asked them to you need competent people committed to effecting the compare and contrast what the around you. I can tell you that campaign but if you start early, Haram elements there” he said. changes. major problem of Nigeria was, I there are many African presidents you will create more problems for FG is committed to “Members of ASUU are our think corruption came third. I am that travel with many more the system. I know what it takes education brothers and sisters, they should not saying corruption does not people when they attend events to campaign, for you to go round On the continued face-off the country you will spend a lot of between ASUU and the Federal look at the country, they should exist in this country, corruption is than me. In many countries, even money in campaigning. The Government, he said: “Some of look at the young men and existing and it is as old as the when the President is sick, you electoral law gives INEC the the issues in the 2009 agreement women and they should also look h u m a n r a c e . W h a t o u r won't know because there are power to set time frame for with ASUU, maybe those who sat a t t h e c o m m i t m e n t o f administration is doing is to t e c h n o c r a t s r u n n i n g t h e government. We are very sincere ensure that public funds are not government.” politicians who are interested in

·Insists Nigeria is not broke

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53rd Independence Anniversary

Nigerians have lost faith in government, economy – Atiku

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FTER a cursory assessment of Nigeria as it celebrates the 53rd Independence anniversary, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Sunday gave a damning verdict that Nigerians have lost faith in their government because of what he termed the lack of vision on the part of the government in the management of the nation's political, economic and social affairs.

Atiku who also said that the nation's economy under President Goodluck Jonathan has weakened in the past few years with crippling unemployment, especially among our youth, stressed that Nigeria had become unable to deliver the goods and services to give the people of Nigeria a decent standard of living and dignity, adding that as a nation so blessed with all available resources, Nigeria had no reason to fail.

In a statement from his Media office Sunday, the former Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said, “Grand intentions without vision meant nothing. Leaders must work with greater zeal and focus if democracy is expected to produce the envisaged impact on the lives of the people.

“Nigerians have lost faith in their government because of this lack of vision in the management of the nation's political, economic and social affairs.”

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar who described as ”senseless and tragic,” the murder of dozens of agriculture students gunned down in their sleep in Gujba, Yobe, said the development casts a “horrible image” on the events marking the 53rd National Day Anniversary.

He said, “As a father, I am deeply saddened by these senseless murders. These were young Nigerians studying agriculture with a goal of helping to feed our nation.

“We must urgently review our strategy for confronting these cowards. The murders at the Gujba College of Agriculture are further proof we need to rethink how we provide security for our nation.”

Atiku pointed to a quote by American civil rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a rallying point for Nigeria: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

“We must organize ourselves better to provide dignity and security for Nigeria. To defeat terror we must use much more potent, unbeatable weapons: democracy, education and

opportunity.”

Speaking further on the nation as Nigeria marks 53rd Independence, Atiku Abubakar who noted that leaders should not seek elective offices simply for the sake of power if they lack the vision to push economic growth, which in turn, creates employment and greater prosperity for the citizens, said, “The economy is central to everything and demands vision driven leadership to move forward.

“Our economy has weakened in the past few years with crippling unemployment, especially among our youth. Nigeria has become unable to deliver the goods and services to give our people a decent standard of living and dignity.”

Restating his commitment to work with any willing Nigerians to make a difference, the former Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , h o w e v e r, expressed concern at what he termed, unchanging shambolic state of national infrastructure and the deteriorating state of education in the country.

According to him, vision was not achieved by mere rhetoric and good intentions. Instead, he said, leaders at all levels need to be adequately equipped for the job they were elected to do, adding that as an oil-rich nation, Nigerian leaders have no excuses to fail, even as he stressed that

inexperience; lack of adequate preparation for office and drift should not be allowed to stand in the way of the country.

He also argued that challenges like attracting and sustaining

foreign direct investments, improving education, boosting the manufacturing sector, enhancing power generation, improving security, tackling poverty and unemployment had

direct relationship with the quality of leadership a country has.

According to Atiku, vision doesn't exist in a vacuum, adding that performance levels could not be separated from the qualities of elected leaders.

The former Vice President who said that one of the challenges facing democratic governance was lack of emphasis on issues and the promotion of sentiments over substance, said that throughout the world, the citizens base their choices of leaders on their proven a b i l i t i e s t o d e l i v e r.

According to him, democracy is too important to be left in the hands of those seeking elective offices for its own sake without the vision to deliver the country from its quagmire.

…Why we're supporting Jonathan – Gov Orji

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overnor Theodore Orji of Abia State in Umuahia, weekend, said the continued support for President Goodluck Jonathan by the people of the South East geo political zone was borne out of their belief in the indivisibility of Nigeria and the survival of democracy.

According to the governor, President Jonathan's emergence is a ground breaking turn-around in Nigerian political landscape because it has become the bastion of hope for equity.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Public C o m m u n i c a t i o n , M r. B e n Onyechere, the governor said: “The open door policy of Mr. President, in conjunction with his even distribution of resources and amenities, has opened a new vista in the operationalization of our democratic culture which will stand the test of time as it will also serve to promote unity.

“I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the socioeconomic trends in the polity of

this country could not have been better due to his deliberate method of amenability and flexibility, not withstanding skirmishes and agitation of some members in the ruling party for more recognition.

“It is on record that the style of governance by Mr President has gained popularity internally and internationally because of his application of intellectual sensibility where patience is allowed to thrive over tribulation,” the governor said.

MEETING – From left: Governors Theodore Orji (Abia), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Peter Obi (Anambra), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom state and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd) at the South East/S-South Governors meeting at Government House, Enugu on Sunday

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Nigeria is overcoming her challenges – Ekweremadu …Condemns Yobe Massacre

By Ted Peters

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he Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the Nation as she remained on course to greatness, despite present challenges.

Senator Ekweremadu made the call in an Independence Anniversary message to Nigerians signed by his Media Adviser, Uche Anichukwu.

He said: “We have no doubt faced challenges living up to the promises we held at independence; we have had missed opportunities, but we are also overcoming our challenges.

“I call on all Nigerians to join the present crusade to reinvent and transform Nigeria; and in this wise, I urge hope, courage, perseverance, prayers,

reconciliation, peacefulcoexistence, and patriotic fervour to build the Nigeria of our dreams as no one else would do that for us”.

Meanwhile, the Deputy President

of the Senate has condemned in strong terms the massacre of hapless students of College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe state over the weekend by suspected terrorists, describing it as

heartless and barbaric.

According to him: “This calculated attempt to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Nigerians at this independence anniversary is beastly and cowardly; and I call on the perpetrators of this and related dastardly attacks to repent

Former Enugu Speaker resigns, moves to National Assembly Service Commission

By Princess Ojiyi

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ormer speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly and Head of committee on Works, Housing, Lands and Urban Renewal, Honorable Abel Chukwu has announced his resignation, following his new appointment in the National Assembly.

Honorable Abel who was

representing Aninri State Constituency from 1999 till date, stated his resignation in a letter to the House on the grounds that he has been appointed member of the national Assembly Service Commission by the President, Goodluck Jonathan.

He thanked his colleagues in the House for the good working relationship he enjoyed with them during his period of stay and appealed to them to extend such

good working relationship to whoever would be elected to replace him in the constituency.

In his reaction, the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Eugene Odo requested his constituency, Aninri and INEC to arrange for a bi-election to elect one who will serve out Abel Chukwu's term in the House.

Mr. Odo also appreciated Honorable Abel Chukwu for his immense contributions in the

Northern Govs Forum seeks end to attacks

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he Northern States Governors' Forum, on Sunday, urged security agencies to “take urgent steps to halt the senseless killing of defenceless citizens”.

Speaking through its Chairman, Gov Babangida Aliyu, the Forum, in a statement signed by

and embrace all channels of dialogue to avoid the wrath of God. He wished Nigerians a happy independence anniversary, noting that there is so much about Nigeria worth thanking God for and celebrating at 53.

the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Mr Danladi Ndayebo, also called for an end to “attacks on places of worship and educational facilities”.

The Forum was reacting to the murder on Saturday, of students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, and the killing of 15 persons in Zangang, a community in Kaura Local Government Area of

Kaduna State.

“The forum is particularly alarmed that the shooting to death of 38 students of the College of Education; Gujba, Yobe State followed the same pattern as the killing of 22 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo in the same state last July,” it said.

While commiserating with the

families of the victims, the Forum prayed God to grant eternal rest to the deceased, as well as quick recovery to those who sustained injuries.

It called on security agencies to intensify efforts at protecting the lives and property of citizens, and also ensure that those behind the violence in the region, were apprehended and brought to justice.

House and urged him to do more in his new assignment in the National Assembly.

According to the Head Public Relations, Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Jonas Uwuanyi, minor changes occurred in the house as a result of the resignation.

He stated that “before now Abel Chukwu was handling the house committee on works, lands and urban renewal but now the member representing Oji River Constituency, Honorable Donatus Okechukwu Uzogbadu was appointed to take over the committee, then Honorable Edward Obasi representing Enugu East Urban Constituency was appointed to take over the House committee on Petroleum Resources and Environmental Management which has now been left behind by Donatus Uzogbadu”.

Mr. Uguanyi said that the house has adjourned for independence recess to resume on 8th Oct. 2013.

Nigeria at 53: Kogi Deputy Gov urges Nigerians to defend the nation's unity

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he Kogi State Deputy Governor Yomi Awoniyi has called on Nigerians to continue to have abiding faith in the indivisibility of the country as the nation celebrates 53 years of nation hood.

According to the Deputy Governor who added his voice to felicitate with Nigerians on the nations independence, challenged Nigerians to exhibit more tenets of patrioticism and renew their faith in the ability of their leaders to positively turn around the fortunes of the country. In a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Abu Micheal, Awoniyi urged Nigerians not to be besotted by primordial sentiments that promote ethnic and religious bigotry than national cohesion. He urged Nigerians to always see themselves, first and foremost, as Nigerians before being from a particular part of the country as a way of strengthening the unity of the country.

The Deputy Governor said the time for citizens to stop thinking

of the country as an ethnic nationality as oppose to being a nation is now.

He described the country as one

blessed by God,with its strength in its diversity.

The Deputy Governor explained that Kogi State under Capt Idris

Wada as Governor has offered people in the state a ray of hope that despite it diversity as a mini Nigeria, the people can live happily and in unity with focused leadership.

Awoniyi while calling on the people to have abiding faith in

Electricity workers protest as Jonathan hands over retired, carried placards with “It is expected that the agencies PHCN to new investors various inscriptions demanding saddled with the responsibility of

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ome disengaged workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Lagos and Edo on Monday staged protests over nonpayment of their terminal benefits before handing over to the new investors.

The President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday handed over the certificates and licence to buyers of successor companies of PHCN. The gesture signaled the government's disengagement from the management of the plants. The Federal Government would, however, continue to oversee the transmission network in the interim.

During the presentation, the president was full of enthusiasm for better days ahead in the power sector, on the heels of his privatisation programme, which

he described as the most transparent in the history of privatisation in the country.

He assured that his government would continue working to overcome the knotty issues of payment of severance allowances and payment of emoluments to the PHCN staff. However, he urged organised labour to shun demonstration, saying the decision to privatise PHCN is in the interest of Nigerians.

The president's plea notwithstanding, the workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria have already begun a warning protest against the planned handover of the privatised assets of PHCN to investors.

All the PHCN offices in Lagos were under lock and key, Monday, while the workers, serving or

for payment of their benefits.

Some of the inscriptions read: “Pay our money; we are ready to leave, “Over 50 per cent of workers' benefits are still outstanding” and “FG should pay us before handing over.”

In Auchi, the workers also stormed the major streets calling on the Federal Government to pay their entitlements before handing over to the new investors.

Mr Adeleke Ibrahim, the chairman, Lagos State Chapter, National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), said that the protest was because of government's failure to pay them before handling the companies to new owners.

Ibrahim said that the Federal Government had not paid severance package, pensions and gratuities to about 50,951 workers as at Sept. 27.

paying the workers' benefits would have done that before officially handing over to the new investors.

“PHCN workers nationwide will not leave their offices until all our severance packages are duly paid by the government's agencies saddled with the computation of the packages,'' he said.

Mr Olusegun Afolorunso, the NUEE chairman in Eko Electricity Distribution Company, said that only 25 per cent of the workers had been paid.

“We were directed on Sunday night by our leaders that all our offices should be locked in protest against non-payment of our severance packages.

“Though, the Federal Government has commenced payment, only 25 per cent of the entire workers nationwide were settled.

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Terrorists used new tactic to spare some Muslims

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph ole Lenku (C), flanked by other government officials, speaks during a news conference near the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi September 25, 2013.

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he turbaned gunmen who infiltrated Nairobi's Westgate mall arrived with a set of religious trivia questions: As terrified civilians hid in toilet stalls, behind mannequins, in ventilation shafts and underneath food court tables, the assailants began a high-stakes game of 20 Questions to separate Muslims from those they consider infidels.

A 14-year-old boy saved himself by jumping off the mall's roof, after learning from friends inside that they were quizzed on names of the Prophet Muhammad's relatives. A Jewish man scribbled a Quranic scripture on his hand to memorize, after hearing the terrorists were asking captives to recite specific verses. Numerous survivors described how the attackers from al-Shabab, a Somali cell which recently joined alQaida, shot people who failed to provide the correct answers.

Their chilling accounts, combined with internal al-Shabab documents discovered earlier this year by The Associated Press, mark the final notch in a transformation within the global terror network, which began to rethink its approach after its setbacks in Iraq. Al-Qaida has since realized that the indiscriminate killing of Muslims is a strategic liability, and hopes instead to create a schism between Muslims and everyone else, whom they consider "kuffar," or apostates.

"What this shows is al-Qaida's acknowledgment that the huge masses of Muslims they have killed is an enormous PR problem within the audience they are trying to reach," said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization. "This is a problem they had documented and noticed going back to at least Iraq. And now we see al-Qaida groups are really taking efforts to address it."

The evolution of al-Shabab is

reflected in a set of three documents believed to be written by the terrorist group, and found by the AP in northern Mali earlier this year. They include the minutes of a conference of 85 Islamic scholars, held in December 2011 in Somalia, as well as a summary of fatwas they issued last year after acceptance into the al-Qaida fold.

Baptized with the name al-Shabab, meaning The Youth, in 2006, the group began as an extremist militia, fighting the government of Somalia. As early as 2009, it began courting al-Qaida, issuing recordings with titles like, "At Your Service Osama."

Until the Westgate attack, the group made no effort to spare Muslim civilians, hitting packed restaurants, bus stations and a government building where hundreds of students were awaiting test results. And until his death in 2011, Osama bin Laden refused to allow Shabab into the alQaida network, according to letters retrieved from his safehouse in Pakistan. The letters show that the terror leader was increasingly troubled by regional jihadi operations killing Muslim civilians.

In a letter to Shabab in 2010, bin Laden politely advised the Somalibased fighters to review their operations "in order to minimize the toll to Muslims." Shabab did not get the green light to join alQaida until February 2012, almost a year after bin Laden's death.

In an email exchange this week with The Associated Press, it made its intentions clear: "The Mujahideen carried out a meticulous vetting process at the mall and have taken every possible precaution to separate the Muslims from the Kuffar before carrying out their attack." However, even at Westgate, al-Shabab still killed Muslims, who were among the more than 60 civilians gunned down inside.

Their attack was timed to coincide with the highest traffic at the upscale mall after 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, a Saturday. More than 1,000 people, including diplomats, pregnant women with strollers and foreign couples, were inside when the fighters armed with grenades

and AK-47s burst in and opened fire. At first the attack had the indiscriminate character of all of Shabab's previous assaults.

Rutvik Patel, 14, was in the aisles at Nakumatt, the mall's supermarket which sells everything from plasma TVs to imported kiwis, when he heard the first explosion. "They started shooting continuously, and whoever died, died," he said.

"Then it became calm and they came up to people and began asking them some questions. If you knew the answer, they let you go," he said. "They asked the name of the Prophet's mom. They asked them to sing a religious verse."

Just across from the Nakumatt supermarket, a 31-year-old Jewish businessman was cashing a check inside the local Barclays branch when he, too, heard the shooting.

The people there ran to the back and shut themselves in the room with the safe, switching off the lights. They learned, via text messages, that the extremists were asking people to recite an Arabic prayer called the Shahada.

"One of the women who was with us got a text from her husband saying, they're asking people to say the Islamic oath, and if you don't know it, they kill you," said the

businessman, who insisted on anonymity out of fear for his safety.

He threw away his passport. Then he downloaded the Arabic prayer and wrote it on his palm.

Al-Shabab's attempts to identify Muslims are clear in the 16-page transcript from the conference of Islamic scholars held in the Somali town of Baidoa, an area known to be under Shabab control in 2011, according to Somalia specialist Kenneth Menkhaus, a political science professor at Davidson College in North Carolina. The scholars issued several fatwas defining exactly who was a Muslim and who was an apostate.

The document states it is halal, or lawful, to kill and rob those who commit crimes against Islam: "The French and the English are to be treated equally: Their blood and their money are halal wherever they may be. No Muslim in any part of the world may cooperate with them in any way. ... It leads to apostasy and expulsion from Islam," it says. Further on it adds: " A c c o r d i n g l y, E t h i o p i a n s , Kenyans, Ugandans and Burundians are just like the English and the French because they have invaded the Islamic country of Somalia.”

Groups condemn alleged 600-man delegation to UN

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oremost political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, and civil rights groups have faulted the alleged 600-man Nigerian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.

The groups are the Campaign for Democracy and the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders.

There were reports that about 600 persons, including Jonathan, his wife, Patience; two governors, public servants, ruling Peoples Democratic Party chief and exNiger Delta militants, were in

Nigeria's delegation to the 68th edition of the assembly last week.

While speaking to our correspondent in an interview on Thursday, Utomi said, “I am not sure of who is paying for it because when the British Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) travels, all the businessmen that go with him pay their bills.

“I hope that is the case here. If not, it will be a disaster, given the state of the economy; states can't even pay salaries. It will be tragic, if they (members of the delegation) are not footing their bills.”

National Coordinator, CD, Joe Okei-Odumakin, described the trip as “needless, outrageous and a colossal waste of our resources.”

She said the expenditure on the delegation came at a time when the government could not reach an agreement with the striking A c a d e m i c S t a ff U n i o n o f Universities.

She added that while the rate of poverty, maternal mortality and insecurity remained high, the

country could not afford to waste national resources on such a huge entourage.

Okei-Odumakin said, “Anyone who wants peace, progress, stability and dividends of democracy to be actualised in the life of the citizenry will not engage in such needless waste and ventures.

“This is a wake-up call to Nigerians to be ready for harder days ahead.”

In his reaction, the Executive Chairman, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said such a large entourage was a sign of government's insensitiveness to the plight of the masses.

He noted that the display of wealth by the Nigerian contingent before participants at the meeting contradicted the country's claims on its finances.

“Apart from the cost of transport and accommodation, which would run into billions of naira, it has shown to the world that we are improvident,” Adeniran added.

While denying the reports through a statement last Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said, “The truth is that less than 30 persons arrived in New York with the President as members of his entourage.”

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Gunmen attack Bayelsa community

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nknown gunmen Saturday launched a dawn attack on Bilabiri II community in Ekeremor local government area of Bayelsa State forcing the natives to flee their homes.

Sources said that the gunmen who stormed the coastal community in about two speed boats were after a former militant leader simply identified as 'Gen' Pius.

Pius, according to a source, is an indigene of Egbema-Angalabiri who grew up at Bilabiri II. He was said to have visited Bilabiri, his adopted hometown, to spend the weekend when the gunmen suspected to be his former 'boys' struck at about 2am shortly after the power generator supplying electricity to the community was switched off.

Though no life was reportedly lost during the attack, the sound of the gunfire, the source said, forced the natives to flee their homes and took refuge in the mangrove swamp.

According to the source, the

gunmen on berthing at the community waterfront fired sporadically into the air and marched to their target (ex militant) residence where they continued their shooting spree.

The invaders reportedly dismantled and carted away a speedboat engine belonging to the

ex-militant leader as well as undisclosed amount of money.

"The sound of the gunfire was so terrifying that most residents were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in the mangrove," a community source who pleaded anonymity said.

"The government should

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he Group of Seven Governors who broke away from the Peoples Democratic Party to form a splinter group called New PDP has reached a secret agreement with the opposition All Progressives Congress on the 2015 election.

Though the seven governors had been talking with the APC leaders for some time, they, however, finally decided to enter into an agreement with the leaders of the opposition coalition after their last reconciliatory meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The governors are Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Babangida Aliyu of

Lawal Babafemi

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Force, Lt. Col Onyeama Nwachukwu said, "Yes we heard there was exchange of fire between ex-militants in the area.”

He said though operatives of the task force were not deployed at the location, they are nonetheless monitoring the waterways with a view to containing such banditry.

2015: New PDP, APC in secret agreement Niger, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara.

It was learnt that after their last meeting with the President, the dissenting governors came to the conclusion that the President was not serious about peace in PDP. Two reasons informed this conclusion, according to sources close to the governors.

One, after the meeting, President Jonathan carried out a cabinet reshuffle and removed nine ministers, mostly those nominated by the dissenting governors and

Nigerian arraigned in US for aiding al-Qaeda

Nigerian terror suspect accused of trying to help a l - Q a e d a i n Ye m e n appeared before a United States’ federal courtroom on Friday.

Lawal Babafemi was accused of training with members of alQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and using his English skills to help publish the terrorist magazine “Inspire.”

Judge John Gleason ordered Babafemi, also known as

intervene by deploying security forces to the area as our people are living in fear of a repeat attack," he added.

Contacted, the authorities of the Joint Task Force codenamed Operation Pulo Shield confirmed the report of shooting in the area.

Spokesman of the Joint Task

“Ayatollah Mustafa,” held without bail. No plea was entered, reports NBCnewyork.com.

Prosecutors said Babafemi is married with children in Nigeria and helped al-Qaeda attempt to recruit people who speak English to engage in acts of terror against Americans.

The FBI said Anwar al-Awlaki, the American cleric who became the al-Qeada commander in the Arabian Peninsula and was killed

in a US drone strike, personally directed $9,000 be paid to Babafemi to assist in his recruitment efforts.

Sitting silently at a defense table, Babafemi wore a blue and white striped polo shirt as he listened to the hearing without the help of a translator.

His attorney did not object to his being held without bail, but told the judge Babafemi suffers from high blood pressure and asked that he receive medication when he gets to the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Investigators said Babafemi was active with al-Qaeda operatives from 2010 to 2011 until he was arrested for crimes in Nigeria. He was then turned over to FBI agents to be prosecuted for his alleged terrorist activity.

“The defendant threw his efforts behind al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's media, recruitment, and weapons training campaigns in an effort to strengthen the terrorist group's grip on the region and extend its reach throughout the world,” US Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement.

His transfer to the United States comes amid increasing concerns about the growing footprint of alQaeda affiliated organizations in Africa.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen has tried to use an underwear bomb on an airliner heading to Detroit and has hidden explosives in printers to try to bomb cargo planes.

Al Shabaab a Somali-based group linked to al-Qaeda is believed to be behind the recent mall attack in Kenya.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also perceived to have fallen out with the President.

Among the ministers axed were Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa'i (Education) who was nominated

by Lamido, Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs) and Mrs. Olusola Obada (Defence), both of whom were nominated by Obasanjo, and Ms. Amal Pepple (Land and Urban Development) who was said to have pleaded with Jonathan to mend fences with Amaechi.

The other reason, according to sources, is that a day after the Sunday, September 15 meeting where it was resolved that both parties should give peace a chance and continue reconciliatory meeting on October 7, the Kano PDP executive committee was dissolved without consulting Kwankwaso.

A new executive council was constituted with Kwankwaso's opponents and some of the people he had defeated, including son of late General Sani Abacha, Muhammed Abacha, given a pride of place.

“It became clear to Kwankwaso and the other governors that the President was not ready for peace,” one of the sources added.

Besides all that, however, it was further learnt that the governors were also moved to take their decision because they decided against going back to PDP and facing President Jonathan, knowing full well he would move ruthlessly against them the way he had checkmated former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva.

“So they resolved that there is no turning back. They resolved to eat the humble pie and work with APC,” another source said.

Following their discussion with the opposition party, the seven governors will join the APC jointly at a strategic time and integrate their structures with those of APC. At the time of the primaries, it was learnt that based on their discussions with APC, the New PDP governors would choose one of them to contest for APC's presidential ticket along with other candidates from APC. “If a candidate from the New PDP, ostensibly from the North, wins, he will pick a running mate from the APC fold in the South-east. And if an APC candidate, ostensibly from the North, wins, the New PDP will provide a running mate from the South-east,” another source from the New PDP explained.

The two sides, APC and New PDP, are said to have, however, agreed that former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Tinubu, could run for the Senate and vie for the position of Senate President from the stable.

How Minister of Sports Abdullahi Was Saved The Minister of Sports Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi was retained because the day the cabinent reshuffle was effected was the same day Blessing Okagbare who won silver medal in 200 metres final at the 2013 World Athletics Championship in Moscow was honoured at the Presidential Villa.

Okagbare received a cash gift of N3m from President Goodluck Jonathan and the Sports Minister was generally praised on that occasion for the revolution he has brought to bear on sports.

The Sports Minister is a nominee of former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, who is in the splinter group New PDP and perceived to be opposed to Jonathan's 2015 ambition.

Abdullahi's name was said to be on the list of ministers to be removed on the day Okagbare was celebrated.

But President Jonathan, it was learnt, had a change of mind because he felt it would be incongruous for the minister to be removed while being praised for good performance.

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Gunmen massacre 78 students in Yobe

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unmen suspected to be Boko Haram sect members yesterday went on rampage in Gujba community, Yobe state where they opened fire on the students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, at 3a.m. as they slept in their hostels. They later moved to other houses, where they killed residents at will.

They also blocked the DamaturuMaiduguri road and killed travellers.

At the end of the attack, 78 persons lay dead, while several others were still missing.

According to members of the community, soldiers arrived the scene two hours after the gunmen had left.

The gunmen were said to be wearing military camouflage with black bandanas round their heads.

A n o f f i c i a l o f DamaturuSpecialistHospital, who requested anonymity, said “immediately after the attack, 40 bodies were brought to the morgue and all are believed to have been students of the College of Agriculture in Gujba.”

The number, however, increased as more bodies were recovered from the bush.

Military spokesman, Lazarus Eli told newsmen that security forces were at the scene, but that details on the number of dead and injured were not yet available.

He added that the early morning assault was targeted at the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State.

“It was carried out by Boko Haram terrorists, who went into the school and opened fire on students while they were sleeping,” he added.

A police source, who requested anonymity, said that initial reports indicated the death toll could be higher, but he was not prepared to discuss figures.

Provost of the College, Molima Idi Mato, said: “They attacked our students while they were sleeping in their hostels. They opened fire at them.”

He said he could not give an exact death toll as security forces were still recovering bodies of students mostly aged between 18 and 22. ”The school's surviving students have fled,” he added.

One of the surviving students, Idris, who would not give his first name, said: “They started gathering students into groups outside, then they opened fire and killed one group and then moved onto the next group and killed them.

“It was so terrible. They came with guns around 1a.m. and went directly to the male hostel and opened fire on them” Ahmed Gujunba, a taxi driver who lives by the college said: “The college is in the bush, so the other students were running around helplessly as guns went off and some of them were shot down.”

Gujba is about 30 kilometres (18

miles) from Damaturu, the state capital.

Yobe has seen a series of brutal attacks targeting students in recent months, all blamed on Boko Haram.

By afternoon after the attack, scores of travellers were also

killed, by suspected members of Boko Haram in Yobe State.

The militants were said to have blocked Damaturu-Maiduguri Road, shooting indiscriminately.

An eyewitness, who was on his way to Maiduguri, told the media that at least 20 persons were

killed.

The witness said: “The situation is terrible. They blocked our way, and were spraying people with bullets.

“Some of us managed to run into the bush. At least, 20 persons were shot dead in the three buses before us.”

NGF seeks end to attacks Meanwhile, the Northern States Governors' Forum, Sunday, urged security agencies to “take urgent steps to halt the senseless killing of defenceless citizens.”

Speaking through its chairman, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, the forum in a statement by the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Danladi Ndayebo, also called for an end to “attacks on places of worship and educational facilities.”

It said: “The forum is particularly alarmed that the shooting to death of 38 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, followed the same pattern as the killing of 22 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo, in the same state last July.”

It called on security agencies to intensify efforts at protecting the lives and property of citizens, and also ensure that those behind the

violence in the region, were apprehended and brought to justice.

Mark, Ndoma-Egba condemn massacre Senate President, David Mark and Senate Leader, Victor NdomaEgba, have described the massacre of scores of students at the college by gunmen as a dastardly act and unfortunate as it has a negative impact on the future of Nigeria.

The Senate President and the Senate Leader in their separate condolences commiserated with the people and government of YobeState over the massacre Senator Mark said: “Violence has never produced any positive result neither has it any solution to problems or grievances.

“If you have any grievances, the only way out is through dialogue.

Resorting to killing others can only add to the problem and not solution.

“There are more than enough channels of communication and ways of redressing misgivings.

“These killings, especially innocent citizens are not part of our culture. They are truly alien to us. All right thinking members of the society must rise up to end this carnage raging our land.”

33 feared dead as herdsmen, farmers clash in Benue

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o fewer than 33 persons were feared dead in a fresh outbreak of fighting between suspected Fulani herdsmen and native farmers in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

Eyewitnesses said that in the crisis, which erupted Saturday and lasted till Sunday some of the victims were burnt beyond recognition. It also led to the burning down of over 30 houses and huts, including several farmlands and fish ponds owned by the natives.

According to the source, “the Fulani herdsmen had invaded Ojantele, Okpagabi and Ibadan in Agatu council on Saturday, killing close to 10 people.

“From there, they ambushed about three people from Agatu, who were going to a neighbouring villages in Apa Local Government Area of the state and slaughtered them in cold blood.”

The unwarranted killing and destruction of houses, huts and farms prompted a reprisal attack on Sunday at the Fulani settlement in a boarder village between Apa and Agatu, where a free for all ensued leading to the death of many more people.

“The development has led to villagers living at the border of both Apa and Agatu councils fleeing their abode and taking refuge in neighouring towns and

villages for fear of being killed by the mercenaries, who have taken

over the fighting.”

When contacted, Secretary, Miyette Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Benue State chapter,

Garus Gololo told Journalists that last night, no fewer than 20 Fulanis were killed in the fighting.

Catholic priest, 3 others remanded you are trying to look in prison over alleged atsituation, the effect without looking at attack on policemen the cause.

By Ted Peters

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atholic faithful largely from St. Theresa's Catholic Parish Mmaku, last week, besieged the Enugu Magistrate Court to show solidarity with their Priest, Rev. Fr. James Ani, who was arraigned and remanded in prison custody.

Rev. Fr. Ani said to be having a running battle with the Bishop of Awgu Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev. John Okoye, for sometime now, was arrested and detained at the State Police Headquarters last weekend over the alleged attack on policemen investigating issues arising from the crisis in the Parish by his supporters.

The priest who was arraigned alongside three other parishioners was charged with assault and unlawful attempt to kill one Inspector Cosmos Nzeribe and a team of police officers attached to police headquarters Enugu.

They were also accused of attempted armed robbery,

kidnap, unlawful damage of a Toyota Corolla car with which the police visited as well as robbing Inspector Nzeribe of his 18 rounds service pistol with live ammunition.

Presiding Magistrate, E.M Egumgbe remanded the suspects in prison custody saying that they can apply for bail in a high court.

Counsel to Rev. Fr. Ani, Barrister Ray Nnaji who spoke with newsmen after the court session said; “I have been following this matter for some time, this matter has been in court and we know quite well that action of beating the police is condemnable, though the priest has said he has no business with beating the police and did not tell anyone to beat the police.

“These are the highest allegations that can be leveled against a man of God by some people who are meant to protect lives and property. I am disappointed with the police; nobody supports what happened but nobody has looked at the

“What gave rise to the police being manhandled; what gave rise to police vehicle being destroyed; it is a problem in the church, the Rev. Father had problems with the bishop and the police brought themselves personally into the arena of conflict and it gave rise to all these problems.

“And the police actually used the opportunity to manhandle the priest, stripped him naked, detained him and did not allow access of lawyer to him.”

A source from Mmaku community disclosed that the matter is deeper than what is being reported alleging that, “at the heart of the matter is a property belonging to St. Theresa's which the bishop wants to takeover and which the community is resisting.

Our source also alleged that a Reverend Sister who hails from the community is also in the middle of the storm and was actually the person that unleashed mayhem on the community.”

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The battle against Amaechi: Group asks EFCC to probe Rivers' N2.4trn earnings ·Nobody can probe Rivers govt – Okocha any of its agencies.

Okocha said: “Until

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he antagonism against Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State being sponsored by power brokers at the presidency has continued with a group, Rivers Integrity and Development Forum, RIDF, calling on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the governor over alleged financial abuses of the state's resources.

Chairman of the group, Warigbani Ezekiel, who briefed newsmen in Port Harcourt, weekend, said it beats the group's imagination that Rivers since governorship of Amaechi in 2007 has received over N2.4trillion statutory allocation as well as internally generated revenue and yet has a debt profile of between N250 billion to N500 billion.

Reacting to the allegations and

Governor Rotimi Amaechi call for EFCC probe, Chief of Staff to Government House, Mr. Tony Okocha, said there was a

Tony Okocha

subsisting court order barring any agency from probing any official of the Rivers State Government or

that order is vacated by a court of c o m p e t e n t jurisdiction, no agency of the Federal Government, be it the EFCC or Independent Corrupt Practice Commission, ICPC, can probe the Government of Rivers State.

“Those who want to come to equity must come with clean hands. The court has ordered that the government of Governor Amaechi should not be probed.”

Continuing, Ezekiel alleged: “At inception of office, Amaechi promised Rivers people that he was saving N1 billion

monthly on their behalf as a kind of state Sovereign Wealth Fund.

From that promise to this month is a clear 58 months. That means N58 billion had been saved for Rivers people. Surprisingly thus far, the state is in debts.

“Governor Amaechi has hidden under the façade of infrastructural development to borrow sundry sums.”

To d a y, R i v e r s p e o p l e a r e embarrassingly at loss as to the exact debt profile of the state, which is estimated to be between N250billion to N500billion.”

The group also accused the Amaechi's government of giving conflicting figures on the debt profile of the state as well as duplication, inflation and partisan award of contracts at the detriment of the state's treasury, while also flaying sales of government property and seizure of communal lands for alleged transfer to private concerns.

Enugu Community threatens to drag Nigerian Army to court over officers' role in land dispute

By Ted Peter

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HE Ugwuaji Awkananaw community in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State has threatened to drag the Nigerian Army to court over the alleged role of some of its officers from 82 Division Enugu in a land tussle.

The community made its intention known in a petition forwarded to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika by its counsel, Mr. Nwabueze Ugwu.

In the petition which was copied to the General Officer Commanding the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu, the community said it would have no option than to go to court if the army failed to call the officers to order.

Ugwu alleged in the petition that some soldiers from the 82 Division received plots of land under litigation from Ogui people and went ahead to demolish some existing structures belonging to his clients on the said land.

The said land, he claimed, belongs to his clients, the Ugwuaji community based on an earlier suit that was determined in their favours.

He told the COAS in the petition titled "The continued flouting of the processes of a high court in Enugu by the pair of 82 Division Garrison Commander and Officer 0.M. Emiaso- Appeal for your intervention" that his clients had earlier drawn the attention of the GOC to the issue but the effort yielded no result.

"After this initial report to the 82 Division GOC, these army men were withdrawn but subsequently returned. These army men usually come to the scene with a Hilux van that has no number plate while the

army men themselves wear no name tags, thereby making their identification impossible," he said.

According to him, the said land was a subject of an earlier disposed suit between his clients and another of their neighbours, Amagu Obeagu

Awkunanaw people, adding that his clients emerged victorious after the case.

Ugwu explained that after the disposal of the suit, the Ogui people decided to contend for the land in court, expressing dismay that some

military people who were aware of the pending suit received some plots of the land from Ogui people.

The legal practitioner added that after his client's initial report to the GOC 82 Division, the army men withdrew but subsequently

returned to the place and thereby denying his client access to the said land which legitimately belongs to them.

He threatened to drag the Nigerian Army to court over the alleged interference by its officers as all efforts by his client to make them respect the decision of the court had proved abortive.

S-East states disagree over revenue sharing formula

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HE two-day public hearing on the review of the Revenue Allocation Formula for the South East zone was conducted in Enugu last week with the South Eastern states disagreeing on the formula to be adopted in sharing revenue accruing to the federal government.

Although the five states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo unanimously agreed on the need to urgently review the current revenue allocation to make more funds available to the states and the local government councils, they however differed on the percentage of monthly revenue that should go to the three tiers of government.

The public hearing which is holding at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel, Enugu was attended by representatives of the five state governments in the zone, local government officials and nongovernmental organizations among other interest groups.

While Enugu and Anambra States adopted same position on the sharing formula, the three other states - Ebonyi, Abia and Imo sang different tunes which were aimed at given them more economic

advantage, especially Abia and Imo which currently enjoy oil producing status.

Enugu and Anambra asked the Engr. Elias Mbam-led Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission reduce the Federal Government's share of revenue to 40 percent from the present 53 percent , they demanded that the state share should be increased to 40 percent from the current 27 percent while the local government should retain its 20 percent.

Noting that the present formula was grossly lopsided in view of the enormous responsibilities being shouldered by the state governments, Deputy Governor of

E n u g u S t a t e , M r. S u n d a y Onyebuchi and Gabriel Onyenwife of Anambra State House of Assembly, who represented the two states, stressed the need for the states to receive more funds to enable them cater for the enormous needs of their people.

But both Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states made different submissions in which they disagreed on the formular for revenue sharing even though majority of the states were of the view that the 13 percent derivation should be retained.

Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Timothy Odah, speaking on behalf of his state, called for the reduction of Federal government's share from 53 percent to 46 percent and the Local government's allocation from 20 percent to 16 percent while the state should receive 35 percent as against the present 27 percent.

On its part, Imo State suggested a reduction of the Federal government's share from 53 percent to 30; increase of the State's share from 27 percent to 40 percent and local government's share from 20 percent to 25 percent.

Abia suggested 45 percent to Federal government; 32 percent to State government and 23 percent to Local government as against the current 53 percent, 27 percent and 20 percent respectively.

The states and stakeholders from the South East zone emphasized the

need for the federal government to set aside special funds to tackle the enormous ecological challenges in the zone just as they canvassed that population should be used as a major yardstick for revenue sharing and not on the basis of landmass.

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of RMAFC, Engr. Mbam told the participants that revenue allocation in the country was a very sensitive issue with implications on national development, unity and stability.

He implored Nigerians “to treat the issue with caution to avoid overheating the polity with unguarded utterances and spurious assumptions capable of causing confusion and derailing the outcome of the exercise.”

“You are accordingly enjoined to consider our common national interests first in your contributions knowing full well that every section of the country should be considered fairly and justly,” Mbam advised while restating the commitment of his commission to ensure that all stakeholders were effectively carried along in its advocacy and mass mobilization campaign on the review process.

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, who was represented at the occasion by his deputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, said the developmental challenges facing the South East zone were very peculiar and required injection enough funds to tackle them.

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I am a Big Masquerade in Anambra Governorship Contest – Obiano ·Says his opponents are undertakers Chief Willie Obiano is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State. The Banker spoke with some Journalists in Lagos last week where he unfolded his programmes for Anambra State. He gave reasons why he wants to succeed Governor Peter Obi and his strategy for the November 16 Governorship poll. Excerpts: Some people believe that you got the APGA governorship ticket because you are Governor Peter Obi's political godson. Is this true?

Let me make it clear that I am older than the governor, so I cannot be his godson. But on a serious note, I have heard such comments and my response to them, is to let them know who I am, that I am a tested technocrat with proven track record in established places, both nationally and internationally.

Without sounding immodest, I am a big masquerade and, therefore, cannot be anybody's godson. I am a man of myself, I know what to do, very competent and tested personality. What you are saying will be relevant if I am nobody, with no intellect, no pedigree but here I am very well established; so such view does not hold any water. Somebody that rose to the highest level in banking cannot be said to be nobody. As we say in Igbo language, I am an “Ijele” (a big masquerade). Again, we can even answer you differently. Peter Obi is a character deserving applause for representing what I call positive attributes of being. It is not in his character to nurse godsons.

You know what godfathers and sons do going to the shrine and signing of agreements, among others. Peter Obi that we know is alien to such nonsense. The truth is that I am the candidate to beat.

So what exactly motivated you to want to succeed Governor Peter Obi? The motivation was not to succeed Governor Peter Obi per se, but to contribute to the development of my people. I think it was the Philosopher Plato that said that when the wise people refuse to partake in the governance of the people, the unwise occupy the space. When they do, they end up inflicting pain in the society and themselves. Mr. Peter Obi has taught all of us that good people are needed to take charge and rescue the society from wolves masquerading as leaders.

Governor Obi has done this successfully. As the Anglican Bishop of Amichi, a man without cant, said at a recent gathering, that anybody who says that Obi has not worked is a blatant liar.

What we need is another cool-

the people means. In terms of character, humility, patience, closeness to the people and other virtues that make for great leadership, I think we are unrivalled. The present governor is humility personified. He resists all the trappings of office and does not even use sirens. Who among those contesting understand the place of those virtues in governance? These are relevant questions that should agitate the minds of our people.

So, as I have said elsewhere, we are going to fight in this election on the basis of first, the performance of APGA government in Anambra State, which is one of the best in the country. We are also going to fight on the basis of experience, expertise and acceptability by the people. We are well prepared academically, professionally and, above all, our contact to make the state a destination centre is as natural as nature. We are poised and determined to grow Anambra State from where it is now to a state that will become not only a tourist centre but one that Anambrarians will be proud of as their state.

Let's know your unique selling point?

headed person, who understands the nuisances of governance to take over from him. This essentially motivated me to seek to become governor. Cast your eyes on the pedigree of some of us prancing all over the place to govern the state and you will discover that some of them are mere undertakers that will just cheerfully lead the state to her grave. I am sure nobody wishes such a tragedy for the state and this is why I said no, we cannot all stay aloof and allow those that do not even have the capacity to manage themselves to take charge of our destiny.

What are your strategies towards winning the election?

Well, you know as much as I do, those strategies, whether at war or in peace times are unveiled at the right time. Students of strategy will readily talk about elements of surprise. It is not what one will unveil on the pages of the newspapers because it is part of one's unique selling point.

Strategy is part of your blueprint which making it public at this time is not politically good but as we proceed in the campaign you will see and feel it. You do not give your opponent an advantage to steal or copy what will stand you out as a candidate. Remember the debates and all that are still coming. Let me also say that Igbo are excited because they are

emotional about our party, APGA. If you ask me, I will tell you that Anambra people are already mobilised by the achievements of Governor Obi. The evidence of what Governor Obi did to fix the state is everywhere, so Anambrarians are just waiting for the D-Day to cast their votes for APGA, a party their great leader Eze Igbo Gburugburu, the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, built and identified with until his death. A party that has men of sterling qualities like our Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, who is committed to the party.

With what Obi has done in Anambra State our people are now at home with what it means to have people with pedigree at the helms of affairs. Before Obi, Anambra was lying fallow; today, it has become the talk of the town.

From pariah state, it has moved to a beloved state. This is why we preach continuity. Therefore, part of our strategy now is to tell our people the truth about the need to get another good man who is untainted by his past to take over from the governor.

Who is that man untainted by the past?

Well, at the risk of sounding immodest, if you investigate the past of all those contesting today, you will discover that my deputy and I remain the best in terms of academic pedigree, experience, understanding of what service to

We do not need that. Governor Obi is a consummate marketer; he has sold everything. It is those that bought his wares, Anambrarians, who will join hands to tell the people that it is this man's party or nothing else. There will be continuity in the project that His Excellency has done but, above all, we are competent, strong and tested technocrats, who know how to manage the process and improve upon what governor Obi has laid as a formidable foundation. The Press is an important arm of what we are doing and I believe they will be forthright and unbiased in telling the public who we are, our antecedents and capability.

governor, no development partners were in good terms with Anambra State. It was almost war between the state and the Federal Government. In all this, development was undermined.

Today, the story is different and we cannot allow those responsible for this state in the past to take over again and lead you and I to Armageddon. Being a green horn is not a negative thing; what matters is the substance you carry.

What exactly are the fresh ideas you will bring into governance?

Before I made up my mind to go into this, I prayed and reflected about that. I held long meetings with my spiritual director and solemnly made a commitment to my God that I am coming out to serve my people. You can call this a period of retreat for me. Part of what I did at that time was to look critically at Anambra State. I know the revenue base of the state. I know its present potential and future possibilities. Armed with this, I produced a blue print, which will be unveiled when we will flag off our campaign. The theme of the blueprint is continuity. I hope you are familiar with Anambra Development Strategy, which involves uniform development across all sectors?

That principle is still valid and germane. If we are working in education, for instance, we will also be doing something in health, security, infrastructure and tourism simultaneously with development in all local government areas of the state. The core of what we are going to do is agriculture, trade and commerce and industrialisation, the enablers of which have been started by this administration, and we are going to enhance them.

Considering your opponents in election and their financial muscles and contacts, do you think you Your opponents say you are stand a chance? a green horn and have not I know that Anambra people see been known to hold any properly, they know who we are, what we can do, they know where political office in the past?

I attended schools, primary,

Holding any political office in the past is not a qualification for running a business or a state.

When Governor Peter Obi came on board he was actually, by some people's calculation, an unknown entity but you can see that he delivered more than those people saw as big names. There are many unknown people that have come into a race such as this and surpassed all others. What is important is the background of the person coming, the professional competence, ability to drive the process, the person's proven track record, the academic qualification, your ability to know how to access funds to continue with projects and the ability to manage relationships. I say this because before Obi became

secondary and others, and they know my parents and my pedigree. For me, I believe I don't have any competitor.

Governor Obi is accused of flirting with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Presidency; will you do the same?

For your information, the strategy that Governor Obi has adopted is a winning strategy. Most of the developments he has attracted to the state have been because of this approach. I will even be closer to the President because we need all efforts and contacts to be able to achieve what we intend to do for Ndi Anambra. You can't afford to be aloof when you are hungry for the development of the state.

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Anambra PDP: Nwoye will bounce back – Campaign DG

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upporters of Comrade Tony Nwoye, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, recognized factional candidate for the November 2013 Anambra governorship election have reacted to the surprised removal of Nwoye's name in the list of candidates published by INEC, Monday September 24 Though there was clear misgivings among citizens of the state and especially supporters of Nwoye over the removal, Nwoye's campaign organization in a press briefing on Wednesday said their candidate would bounce back.

The Director General of Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation, Prince Okey Ezenwa told journalists in his campaign office that the fault of the removal did not

young man but he is cast in the mold of Adams Oshiomhole, as he is also a comrade himself, and as well a dogged fighter”, Ezenwa said.

Ezenwa noted that the matter was lie with the electoral still under appeal, as there were body, INEC, as they processes and procedure for were merely obeying a determination of forgery cases, the court order. allegation that has been made Ezenwa said that Nwoye against Nwoye. had directed his He insisted that Nwoye was duly followers not to be screened and certified fit for the disappointed, but to keep election, and that he was not hope alive as they were involved in any forgery of sure that at the end of the documents. day, he would still fly the Meanwhile, around Anambra party's flag for the State, the news of the substitution election. of Nwoye and Senator Andy Uba's “Our candidate has name for Nicholas Ukachukwu by asked us to tell his the INEC caused what could best supporters that there is be described as grief. no cause to be The matter was discussed in disappointed as our legal groups with many expressing team is brainstorming on surprise at the sudden turn of event the issue now and will in the party. come up with a position soon. This is a great opportunity to supporters who have continued to A community leader and former express our gratitude to our be with us. “Nwoye may be a councilor in Anambra State, Hon

Christopher Nwachukwu said no one in the party is happy with the removal of Nwoye's name from the list of candidates.

He said the people of the state especially youths were pleased with the emergence of Nwoye, and anything short of him would not be good for youths of the state.

Another respondent, Mr Ekene Azuka, a student union activist said he was sure that since the matter was still in court, all hope was not lost as the court had the final verdict in the matter.

He said that he was not in doubt that soon the candidacy which he believed belonged to Nwoye, who according to him, won a free and fair primary election would be included in the list.

The factional chairman of the party, Prince Ken Emeakayi when contacted said he was in a meeting and would brief our correspondent on the matter but never called back.

Kogi Deputy Gov. extols AG over SAN conferment

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ogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi has described the Senior A dvocate of N igeria rank conferred on Joe Abraham, the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General as a honor in recognition of his hard work and commitment to the legal profession over the years.

The Deputy Governor made the remarks shortly after a special session of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to mark the beginning of new legal year as well as conferment of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria on some lawyers in Nigeria, including Joe Abraham, the state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State.

Awoniyi described the recipient as one who has remained a worthy ambassador of the State.

In a statement issued in Lokoja, Awoniyi, said Bar Joe Abraham has remained a symbol of integrity, industry and enterprise in the discharge of his legal duties as a lawyer, said the rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria conferred on him was well deserved and should encourage younger lawyers that hard work and sincerity to professional purpose pays.

While noting that the exalted rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria conferred on Joe Abraham and others should serve as a consolation for steadfastness in a highly Professional Nigerian Bar Association, Awoniyi said it should also aid in the quality dispensation of justice in the country. `Also speaking, Prince Alex Obaje, a frontline politician and PDP stalwart in the state described

the elevation of Joe Abraham as commendable adding that he has made the state proud.

Prince Obaje added that the elevation did not come as a surprise in view of the recipients

track record through effective administration of justice in the State.

Also speaking, a former House of Assembly Member Representing Omala Constituency, Alhaji Ademu Mohammed said the elevation of Joe Abraham could not have come at a better time

when viewed against the background of his exemplary contribution to the legal profession in the country.

In her remarks, Justice A. M. Mukhtar, while administering the oath to the promoted SAN, congratulated the recipients, urged members of the Bar to strive for a

excellence as the work collectively with the Bench for quick delivery of justice.

In his response, Joe Abraham said the elevation will spur him to be committed to providing quality justice delivery, thanked the Kogi State Government for the encouragement and support.

Enugu varsity lecturers reaffirm support for ASUU strike interested as they are saying, they and get the money out, the way they should put a supplementary budget appropriate money to bail out banks.

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ecturers at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) have reaffirmed their support for the ongoing nationwide indefinite strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Briefing journalists in Enugu over the weekend, Chairman of ASUU-ESUT, Prof. Agu Gab Agu, said they resolved after their meeting on Thursday, to continue with the nationwide strike until the Federal Government implements the agreement which they willingly entered into with the union in 2009.

According to Agu, the position of ASUU would signal that people are supposed to be honourable and do all that it takes to implement agreement because they are supposed to be honoured.

Prof Agu, who is the Dean Faculty of Law noted that the agreement was not entered into under duress, but was something that spanned over years before an agreement was reached between ASUU and Federal Government.

“One would have expected that even before now, they should have started doing something about it. Even the N100 million that is in the issue has not even gotten to the universities as I speak with you now, even though there are modalities they created with which they would release it.

“What is outstanding is enormous and will impact positively in the system if

it is released and we are demanding that the government implements the agreement. That is the only way forward. And that is the resolution of ASUU ESUT” Agu said.

He said the union considers the interest of the students, even more than those who appeal to ASUU to suspend the strike, stressing that they are parents who have their wards and children in the university.

Agu said they are not happy that the university system was shut down, but they need to get the system better, pointing out that for somebody sick to get better, he has to be given some kind of treatment that may not be palatable.

He maintained that most medicines that cured people were not coated with sugary things, even as he frowned at the deterioration of the universities, where people are awarded certificates that are not worth even the paper on which they were written.

Agu regretted that the universities lack enabling environment for studies, laboratories are not there, books that are supposed to be in the library are not there and the classrooms cannot even pass for glorified secondary schools.

He explained that ASUU is not asking for money for its members but to improve the learning environment, adding that “if the National Assembly is interested as they are saying and the federal government appears to be

Pupil stolen from Enugu school rescued in Onitsha recovered on September 26, 2013 at Awada Anambra state following intensive investigations by the operatives from the state command.”

He said that a suspect identified as Ejiofor Eze allegedly held the boy hostage in Onitsha.

“Our investigations had revealed that Ejiofor and the wife were the brain behind the alleged stealing of the child.

The said Ejiofor and the wife are now on the run as the police are still on their trail. The little child is hale and hearty,” said the police spokesman.

It would be recalled that some The little Emmanuel Okenwa teachers of the school were arrested and detained over the peratives of the Anti disappearance of the boy from the Kidnap Unit of Enugu school, which was also closed state police command have down on account of what the rescued four-year old little Master government described as Emmanuel Okenwa who was insecurity of the pupils. allegedly stolen from May Reprieve has, however, come the Blossom Nursery and Primary way of the affected teachers and school in Achara Layout, Enugu members of the Okenwa family state capital by unknown persons who were said to have been since July 2, this year. seriously traumatized over the The command's spokesman, Mr. mysterious disappearance of their Ebere Amaraizu said in a statement son since the past three months. yesterday that Emmanuel “was

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Perspectives to solving crime in Nigeria

By Tayo Demola

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he rate at which criminal activities are perpetrated in Nigeria has been of immense concern to the nation and all well meaning Nigerians.

Nigerians have lost valuable lives and property to criminal gangs and bandits who rob, rape, maim and kill innocent citizens most times at gunpoint in several parts of the country.

The police and other security agencies have at several times been challenged on how best to unravel the mystery surrounding some criminal and notorious gangs who have been a nightmare to Nigerians in certain parts of the country.

Recently, a certain notorious armed bandit who had been terrorizing Nigerians in the South Western part of the country, Abiodun Ogunjobi, popularly known as Abe Godogodo was arrested by the police at last after having evaded arrest for over a decade. He was the head of a deadly gang of armed robbers who dealt with Nigerians in that region for several years thereby bringing sorrow to many families. He was eventually arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ibadan after evading arrest for 14 years!

In a recent interview he granted the Saturday Sun newspapers right from the SARS cell in Lagos where he is being detained, he revealed how he usually travelled to Cotonou or Togo to treat gunshot wounds rather than do so in Nigeria since Nigerian hospitals according to him would promptly report any patient with gunshot wounds to the police who would in turn arrest such patient. The question we should ask ourselves is this: How was this man, who did not have more than a primary education, able to evade arrest for over a decade while he held sway and kept terrorizing Nigerians for such a long period of time ? For us to be able to solve crime and apprehend criminals, there is the need to sometimes ponder on why certain criminals become difficult to arrest despite all the efforts of the security agents.

There is an allegation that why the arrest of dare-devil armed robbers and kidnappers in Nigeria has been somewhat difficult and elusive is that these bandits usually consult native doctors and spiritualists who prepare protection charms for them to make it difficult for the police to arrest them.

If this allegation is true, then it means that one way to solve crime in Nigeria, especially armed robbery operations is not just by asking hospitals to report patients with gunshot wounds to the police or by asking hotel managements to report suspicious customers to the police but also by identifying some native doctors in our midst, monitoring them and if possible making them report these criminal elements who come to them for protective charms for armed robbery operations.

This may sound strange but it is worth giving a try. Strange problems sometimes require strange solutions and if the Nigerian police is serious about combating criminality and armed banditory in the country, it should be ready to deploy several strategies in doing so, even if such strategies may be strange .

If hospitals and hotels in Nigeria can be so

afraid to harbour armed robbers and they promptly report suspected criminals to the police as Godogodo rightly said in his interview then what stops the police from instilling the same fear in identified native doctors and making them hand over armed robbers to the law enforcement agencies?

I think that crime in Nigeria can be solved from different angles and as the world is fast advancing, our security agencies should step up their game because armed bandits and kidnappers keep advancing their tactics everyday in order to evade arrest and keep perpetrating their evil acts.

As a result, one important way to solve crime in Nigeria is to deploy unconventional means since these criminals change tactics everyday in order to beat security agencies. Virtually all criminals such as armed robbers, assassins and kidnappers are alleged to patronize these so called spiritualists to obtain one form of protection or the other.

The focus should not just be on hospitals, hotels and other organizations where criminals may hide but the focus should

also be on these spiritualists who encourage criminals by providing them the needed protection to carry out their dastard acts.

The incentives which makes these native doctors patronize these armed bandits is nothing other than financial gratification. As a result, it would be easier to arrest any dare-devil armed robbery kingpin or kidnapper in Nigeria if the police and other security agencies can give huge financial rewards to these spiritualists on the understanding that they would secretly hand over these suspects to the police or give information on their hideouts.

If hospitals and hotels who never aided or abbetted these criminals can co-operate with the police on this issue, then what stops native doctors who can be regarded as their partners in crime from co-operating if given the right motivation and incentives?

With the right financial reward, they would definitely begin to co-operate with the police in getting to the root of so many dare-devil criminal cases we currently experience that have continued to torment the nation.

The truth is that kidnappers, assassins, armed robbers and other criminal elements are not from the moon, rather they live among us, they go to the same market with us and in fact they worship in the same church with us and the problem is that they commit heinous crimes and would smartly mix up with other members of the society thereby making it difficult to identify them. In the case of Godogodo, he was smart enough to escape the scrutiny of the police at checkpoints because he tactfully concealed his ill-gotten wealth by using rickety cars that will not warrant any form of suspicion. But as innocent as he looked, he had led dangerous robbery operations in the South West region of Nigeria for several years, maiming innocent people and killing over 50

policemen in the process. But I believe that if this collaboration of the police with these spiritualists can be put in place, instead of waiting for a whole 14 years before arresting a bandit like Godogodo, this would have been done in lesser time and Nigeria would be better for it.

Another important perspective to solving crime in Nigeria is that the Telecom companies in this country must be able to collaborate effectively with security agencies in apprehending criminals. A situation where a person is kidnapped and the kidnappers make use of handset to call the victim's family to ask for ransom can be checked by effectively partnering with the GSM network operator to decipher the exact location of those kidnappers and this will make it easier to get them arrested .

Godogodo claimed he had over one thousand SIM cards which he uses and always removed each SIM card after making a call with it. This is one tactic of criminals and our network operators should be able to report this type of suspicious behaviour to the police. How on earth can one person own 1000 SIM cards? Is this not glaringly suspicious?

Our Telecom operators in Nigeria must effectively partner with security agencies to curb criminality and should in the public interest report to the police any suspicious Customer on their network database who is a menace to the society.

We all know that no nation in the world of today is totally free from crime and criminal tendencies but the rate at which crime is perpetrated in Nigeria is really alarming and requires dire measures to curtail and nip the menace in the bud.

There is currently an urgent need for the government to install security cameras in major towns and cities across the federation as obtainable in advanced countries.

This policy should be implemented by both the state and federal governments and it will go a long way in exposing criminal elements in our midst.

Written By: Tayo Demola (Mr) Public Affairs Analyst & Law graduate of the Lagos State University (LASU),Ojo. Lagos, Nigeria.

Ban on the use of Motor Cycles in Enugu Metropolis: Profit or Loss?

By Frank Onwumelu

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e c e n t l y, t h e E n u g u S t a t e Government enacted a law banning the use of motor cycle (a.k.a.

Okada) in Enugu Capital Territory with the objective of providing effective and sustainable security to the inhabitants of Enugu metropolis from men of the underworld whose activities had increased to a very high and unbearable proportion in the city.

The Governor, while signing the bill into law lamented that the efforts of government over a long period of time to streamline the operations of genuine Okada operators was not fruitful due to increase in crime rate which gave rise to the unprecedented outcry of law enforcement agencies in the state for ban on the use of motor cycle in the metropolis. In fact, many felt that the state government did not consider the plight of the ordinary citizen who will bear the brunt

of the effect of the ban. They argued that some of the criminal-minded ex-Okada operators who have been disengaged from their means of livelihood, might return to criminality and unleash mayhem on the ordinary citizens. Others talk of the

inconveniences associated with trekking and conveying their goods.

However, the fear expressed by the pessimists was borne out of insufficient will power and lack of positive thinking.

They forgot that motorcycle as a means of transport was new to our environment.

Besides, they did not consider that some positive variables could arise from the ban.

For instance, there is no gainsaying the fact that the people's health was bound to improve because those not used to trekking and exercising themselves would enjoy healthier living by doing so. Furthermore, there has been a tremendous reduction in

Continues on page 15

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Nigerian founding fathers Solomon Lar C

hief (Dr.) Solomon Daushep Lar (born April 1933) is a Nigerian politician who has held various offices at the National level for over 50 years. He was a member of the first national parliament when Nigeria gained independence in 1960. He was elected governor of Plateau State on the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) platform during the Nigerian Second Republic, holding office from October 1979 until the Military coup of 31 December 1983 that brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. Later, he was founding chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) which has held power since the return to democracy in 1999.

Birth and early career Lar was born in Pongaa, Langtang, Plateau State in April 1933. His father was a farmer and his mother a pottery maker.

He studied at the Sudan United Mission Primary School in Langtang, and then at the Gindiri Teachers College where he qualified to teach at the Primary School, Langtang. After two years he returned to Gindiri for the Senior Teachers Training Programme, earned his Higher Elementary Certificate and started to teach at the Senior Primary School level. He planned to become a clergyman.

Lar was elected as a councilor to the Langtang Natives Authority in January 1959. On 12 December 1959 he was elected to the Federal Parliament on the platform of United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC). He was reelected in 1964, and from then until 15 January 1966, when Major General J.T.U Aguiyi Ironsi took power in a coup, Lar

w a s parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister A b u b a k a r Tafawa Balewa.

He was also a Junior Minister in the Federal Ministry of establishments.

After the fall of the democratic government, Lar a t t e n d e d Ahmadu Bello U n i v e r s i t y, Zaria, graduating in 1970 with an LLB and being called to the bar in 1971.He established a private legal practice, and was co-founder and first National Secretary of the Nigerian Legal Aid Association.

In 1972, Lar joined the Board of Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria. He became Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Continental Bank, Member of the Nigeria Council of Legal Education and a member of the Constituent Assembly (19771978). He was vicechairman of the panel chaired by J u s t i c e Ay o I r i k e f e t h a t recommended expanding from 12 to 19 states during the regime of generals Murtala Muhammed and Olusegun Obasanjo. Lar was also a Board member of the USAbased World Environmental Movement for Africa.

Second and Third Republics At the start of the Second Republic, Lar was a co-founder of the Nigerian People's Party. He was nominated as the party's presidential candidate in 1978, and later won the governorship election in Plateau State as the first Executive Governor on 1 October 1979.His deputy was Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma. He was active in building infrastructure in the state including hospitals, educational institutions, rural electrification, water supplies, and roads. He introduced reforms to state

employment laws, abolishing the daily pay and contract systems and introducing paid maternity leave for nursing mothers.

After the military c o u p i n December 1983, G e n e r a l Muhammadu Buhari set up military tribunals which tried all f o r m e r governors.

Although Lar was not found g u i l t y o f embezzlement or misappropriation , h e w a s sentenced to 88 years in prison, first in Jos and then in Kirikiri in Lagos. His case was reviewed and he was released by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, who started another transition to democracy in 1992.

During the Nigerian Third Republic, Lar was a supporter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was appointed Minister of Police Affairs by the government of General Sani Abacha, later resigning when he realized Abacha was not serious about restoring democracy.

Fourth Republic In the transition to the Nigerian Fourth Republic Lar became the first National Chairman of People's Democratic Party (PDP)

in 1998, holding this position until 2002 when he handed over to Chief Barnabas Gemade.In February 2004 he resigned as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, handing over to Chief Tony Anenih at a caucus in Abuja.He remained a power in the PDP until 2005, when he supported Vice President Atiku Abubakar in his falling out with President Olusegun Obasanjo, and later supported Atiku's bid for the Presidency in 2007.In April 2006, Lar also welcomed the decision of former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida to compete for President in the 2007 elections, saying that in a democracy anyone was entitled to run.

Lar has been described as an ardent Middle-Belter, an active participant in the Middle Belt Forum. In Plateau State he championed a policy based on the idea that the state should help indigenes realize the benefits of their "emancipation" from Hausa domination, and that the centuries-old Hausa and Jarawa communities in Jos and Yelwa should be relegated to nonindigene status.In an interview in February 2009 he said that the Middle Belt was being neglected despite the great contributions it made to national unity, a reference to sacrifices in the Nigerian Civil War. He also complained of discrimination against Christians in the North, to the extent that they could not get land to build a church.

In February 2010 Vice President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him Chairman of the Presidential committee tasked with recommending how to prevent further violence in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.

Ban on the use of Motor Cycles in Enugu Metropolis: Continued from page 14 Profit or Loss?

Okada-generated road accidents.

In fact, our hospitals attendants are now heaving big sighs of relief as they are no more attending to multiple Okada accident victims earlier brought in rows to their hospitals. Reduced incidents of snatching of money from citizens with the aid of motorcycle from unsuspecting citizens in Enugu metropolis as well as homicide murder by Okada-aided assassins are all the fall outs of the ban.

Also among the greatest positive developments arising from this ban is the current upsurge in the use of the safer, more comfortable and pleasurable tricycles within the metropolis. People now enjoy tricycle ride conveying them and their goods as taxi cabs to their various points of disembarkation.

But it needs be pointed out that the tricycle operators who are mostly ex-okada men still feel they are motorcyclists on the road by driving their tricycles as if motorcycles.

Therefore to suggest that they should undergo some training on traffic rules and regulations in view of their behavior on the

road may be over-stressing the obvious.

They have no regards for other road users.

They overtake and force themselves into the traffic queue with impunity to the bewilderment of other road users who have consistently faulted our law enforcement agents for their docility and for carelessly watching them commit these offences without reproach.

There is every need that a change of attitude be applied by these law enforcement agents in dealing with all traffic offenders, tricycle drivers inclusive. Most agonizing is the bravado and mark of impunity applied by the commercial bus drivers at the critical periods of traffic congestion to the full glare of the law enforcement agents.

In some cases these law enforcers are seen collecting tolls from the bus drivers and tricycle operators without any iota of respect for themselves and their uniforms thereby making those offenders believe that they have insured themselves against

contravention. This is one of the major causes of chaotic traffic situations in town.

Albeit, it is worthy of note that except these traffic offenders are checkmated through proper and effective enforcement of the law, the problem might still persist. It is not enough for government to issue number plates and vehicle identification numbers to operators of tricycles, there should also be a follow up action. Some checks and balances should be instituted to ensure adherence and undiluted compliance to traffic rules as is done in some states of the federation.

Any driver seen to be operating against the run of traffic should be apprehended and charged to the 'Tribunal on Traffic Rules Vi o l a t i o n ' f o r i n s t a n t j u d g m e n t .

Government must stop these glorified Okada riders in the cloak of tricycle (a.k.a.

KEKE NAPEP) from plying some major streets in the cities to forestall the not-sorampant cases of road accidents on our

roads so that their services shall be limited to the city hinterlands and streets.

But be that as it may, it must be acknowledged that the introduction of tricycle operation in our cities has been a thing of joy to commuters who now travel with their heads covered from the scorching heat of the sun and rainfall and also with limited fear of road accidents. But it has to be done with utmost decorum.

The tricycle operators should be made to understand through workshops and seminars to change their psyche that they are no more motorcyclists (okada men) but vehicle operators who should obey traffic rules and regulations like every other vehicle driver on the road. Their offences should no more be trivialized. This sensitization through workshops and seminars shall be organized and carried out by government agencies responsible for traffic control and management e.g. the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Vehicle Inspection Unit (VIO) including the Nigeria Police, to mention but few. The time is now.

By Frank Onwumelu.

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Chief T. A. Orji (Ochendo), Executive Governor, Abia State

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s Nigeria celebrates her 53rd Independence Anniversary today, October 1, 2013, the entire Management and Staff of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, heartily feliciitate with our amiable and performing Governor, Chief Theodore Afamefula Orji. Ochendo, the Executive Governor of Abia State and the good people of our dear state on this special day.

Your Excellency, we at ASEPA are very grateful for your immense contributions towards ensuring the cleanliness and beatification of our environment and we are indeed grateful for your supports to ASEPA.

We wish you and all Abians happy celebration.

GM. Abia State Environmental Protection Agency

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Chunky necklaces

Mode Tips 1. Do not pair your chunky necklace with other necklace to avoid gaudiness 2. Chunky necklace is better won without earring because of it sheer size 3. For body frame, wear longer necklace for short neck. If your neck is long go for heavy chunky piece that could hug your neck 4. Chunky necklace now come with various color that suites your occasion.

5. When wearing your chunky piece, keep your makeup toned down and elegant.

Obianuju Nwankwo e-mail: tender4j@yahoo.com

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World's Largest Tortoise found in Amazon Basin 800lb

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orld's largest tortoise found in amazon river.

Its age around 529 years old / height-59 feet/ weight800 pounds OR 362.87 kg incredible… Amazing The red rimmed tortoise is also called the red-foot or red-legged tortoise, the Brazilian giant tortoise, or South American forest tortoise, as well as local names such as morrocoy, woyamou or wayamo, or some variation of jabuta. Many of the local names are shared with the similar redfooted tortoise. These types of large size tortoise are always found in the Amazon River, most of them are found in (Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and so on) the Adults often reach 3m in length, however this one is much larger. The tortoise Females have wide flattened shells, are larger and more numerous than the males tortoise, the Adult tortoise Arraus feed entirely on plant food.

Their main diet is a plant that is native to the Chtac Province region of Brazil. These flowers of this plant have a gene in them which promotes increased cellular life thus allowing those that consumed them to have a greater

lifespan. Amongst the native inhabitants are turtle's that grew constantly in their lifespan until the day they died. The introduction of this flower into their diet thus allowed them to grow to immense sizes and they served as local guardians to the plant.

It was first discovered by the modern world in 1892 by Haughton who was the last person to had seen it in the century.

The nesting habits of this species are similar to those of sea turtles.

Just like sea turtles they gather meet in huge numbers so they can travel to suitable nesting areas. The female tortoise lay their eggs on sandbanks that are exposed where there is only dry season but there are relatively few such sites. The females timing is to come out on the sandbanks at night time to lay their eggs and go back to the sea, which can number anywhere from

World's Largest Tortoise 90 to 100 soft-shelled eggs. and they then return to their feeding grounds which they belong to.

The young when hatched are

around 5 cm long dart directly for the water, but they emerge to the attentions of many predators so they can only about five percent

ever reach the adult feeding grounds. this it is an endangered species and is protected in some country and areas.

Pastor Ronald Harris shot dead while preaching

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he killing of Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. while he was preaching must have been beyond horrible to witness.

It happened Friday night in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Pastor Harris was delivering the word to a crowd of over 60 people at a revival service when he was shot. The man who did the shooting has been arrested.

The incident happened around 8:20pm Friday at Tabernacle of P r a i s e Wo r s h i p C e n t e r, according to Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kim Myers on Saturday.

Among the people inside the church when the shooting happened, was the victim's wife, Chief Deputy Stitch Guillory said. As of now authorities have no information on a motive or on whether the two men knew each other,

Myers said.

The gunman, identified as Woodrow Karey (pictured below), walked into the church and shot Pastor Harris “as he was preaching,” said Myers.

Harris was pronounced dead at the scene.

Karey, 53, of Lake Charles is charged with seconddegree murder and is being held in the parish jail.

Karey's bond has been set at $1 million.

After the shooting, Karey fled the church, but called the Sheriff's Office and surrendered without incident.

Family members who answered the telephone Saturday at the Harris home in Lake Charles said there would be no comment.

There was no answer at a telephone listing for Karey or at Tabernacle of Praise.

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Ukranian couple's inability to rein in their passion for each other ended in tragedy when a woman was killed by a train and her partner had his legs torn off during pre-dawn love-making on a railway track, police say.

The accident took place in the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia early on Saturday.

“Returning from our friends', my girlfriend and I could not overcome our passionate nature and wanted to feel a sense of thrill near a railway track,” a police statement quoted the 41-year-old man as saying.

A police spokesman separately

said on Sunday that the pair was believed to have b e e n drunk.

T h e woman died on the spot while the man was hospitalised with his legs torn off below the knee.

Police did not release the names of the victims, saying it had opened a criminal probe over the safety violation.

man-hood-Shaped Pillars arouse controversy in Pennsylvania

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itizens of Scott Township, Pennsylvania are in a nutty battle over a set of concrete pillars that some people feel look like concrete penises.

The pillars, actually bollards, were recently erected to keep traffic from driving into nearby structures. Four were installed at a bus stop near a church while six others are arrayed across the street, Philly.com reported.

In theory, most locals were behind the idea, but the elongated shape and rounded top of the pillars have aroused the wrong kind of community, according to resident Pat Martin.

“People are laughing at it. They're calling it man-hood Road,” she told the township commissioners

Tuesday, the Pittsburgh PostGazette reported.

One commissioner, Eileen Meyers, said she didn't see the bollards before they were ordered and conceded that she would have preferred “something more antique” C o m m i s s i o n e r B i l l We l l s suggested flattening the tops of the bollards might improve the appearance, but officials are unsure of the cost, UPI.com reported.

Other locals don't think town officials should go do something half-cocked just because some people have an issue. One man went so far as to suggest that people need to “get their minds out of the gutter,”

Trigeminal Neuralgia: Man couldn't kiss his wife for four years until he had his skull operated

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elighted dad Mark Steadman kisses his wife Louise for the first time in four years after being cured of a terrifying condition.

A squashed nerve had meant the slightest touch on his face caused agony.

Now surgeons have inserted Teflon in his skull to stop contact with a nearby artery which sparked the spasms.

Pain from Trigeminal Neuralgia, which affects 12 out of 100,000 people in the UK each year, is so intense nearly a third of victims resort to suicide.

Relieved father-of-three Mark, a probation officer, said: “I can't say how wonderful it is to kiss Louise and my kids again.

“The disease destroyed my life, the pain is so debilitating you can't do anything.

“Once I was at my parents' house for dinner and before the spoon even got to my mouth I was on the floor in agony.

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We are committed to improving Abia’s sanitary condition – Apugo

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he General Manager Abia State Environmental P r o t e c t i o n A g e n c y, ASEPA. Mr. Ikechukwu Apugo, has given a facelift and a new lease of life to both the State and its people especially in the state capital.

When Ikechukwu Apugo took over the function of waste disposal in Umuahia, the Abia state capital was almost turning into heaps of refuse.

The GM of ASEPA, Mr. Apugo attributed the success recorded so far in Abia state clean up to “God, the giver of wisdom and ability and the state governor Sir T. A. Orji, for his understanding, financial support and emotional attachment for the cleanness, beautification and waste disposal in the state. ''Mr Apugo who disclosed to our reporter in Umuahia while interacting with him that the state governor's encouragement keeps his Agency on their toes'' according to the G. M. '' I wake up every 6am to move round the city of Umuahia, mark the flash points, detail my workers and ensure serious routine checks to keep the entire place clean'’ He expressed regrets that the people of lokpanta are yet to imbibe the full culture of cleanliness as they still dispose

rather many cities under our control Apugo stated. While charging the people of umuahia for improper conducts in dumping of refuse, the ASEPA general manager stressed.

F r o m e v e r y indication, the Abia state government is taking the issue of sanitation very s e r i o u s l y. T h e government has purchased heavy duty equipment for the agency to perform optimally. It has procured refuse bins, pay loaders and other

their domestic wastes along the wrong places.

He stated that the Agency has procured equipments which operates from Sunday to Sunday between 6.00 am till 7.00 pm, within Umuahia and environs to ensure that the refuse generated in the areas are evacuated everyday.

Apugo explained that the wastes do not only destroy the agency vehicles, but also expose the public, especially the little kids to health hazards as they pick all manner of wastes from the ground.

He commended the state governor. Sir Theodore Orji for purchasing trucks for the agency to enable it discharge its duties effectively and described the task clearing refuse in the state. We ahead as enormous. work from 6am till 7pm and in this equipments.

He said he works on daily basis case is no longer one city; but It has created an enabling

Ekweremadu urges the media to be cautious partners under the auspices of the governance has taken the on 2015 fireworks United Nations Development backstage because we have turned

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he Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu has expressed worry with the media hype on the political intrigues leading 2015 general elections saying they have pushed governance to the backstage.

He therefore urged the Nigerian media to help lower political tensions over 2015 general

elections by redirecting the attention of the leaders and the political class to service delivery, while also guiding the people to hold their leaders accountable.

Ekweremadu who made the call at an international experience sharing conference on media and elections organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists and the international development

Programme, UNDP, in Abuja, said the general elections are two years away. Yet, activities are volatile.

Senator Ekweremadu said: “It is now a little less than two years away from the next general election and politicking and contestations are presently at a feverish pitch; the nation is already caught in the political fireworks of 2015; and

Kogi supports private-driven business initiatives

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rivate Business Initiatives that are in tandem with the economic transformation agenda of Capt. Idris Wada have been assured of Government's support.

The Kogi State Governor, Capt.

Idris Wada, who was represented at the commissioning of Ultimate Benefit Integrated Micro Finance Bank in Lokoja, gave the assurance.

The Governor described Micro Financing as a developmental tool for poverty alleviation, said the initiative to establish the bank across the 21 Local Government is in line with his administrations agenda of empowering people and communities.

Capt. Wada, who disclosed that the business of providing succor for the people, no longer rest squarely on the shoulders of Government, called on institutions and private individuals to through articulated programmes join in the fight against poverty.

The Governor disclosed that his administrations has so far pursued programmes and policies that have had direct bearing with the lives of the people, disclosed that over 4000 youths have so far been gainfully engaged, through his administrations youths

environment by putting appropriate legislation in place for the agency to work. Besides, the government appointed an astute person who is Mr. Ikechukwu Apugo (leader) to carry out its mandate. These measures appear to be yielding the expected fruits as major cities in Abia state is now wearing a new look.

Staff of ASEPA are in all corners to ensure that people do the right thing by dumping their refuse in designated places. According to him '' we are committed on improving on the sanitation exercise of the state at least above what obtained before the assumption of office, hoping that with God and the continued encouragement of the state governor, ASEPA will continue on its good works'' he also said.

empowerment programme.

The Governor congratulated the proprietor of the bank, for being an ardent supporter of his programmes, plans and policies.

Earlier in his remarks Chief Paul Gowon Haruna Chairman of Ultimate Benefit Integrated Micro Finance Bank said the essence of the bank is to impact on the poor and financially incapacited.

Chief Haruna, called on the State and Local Government Areas to

devote a percentage of their annual budgets to micro-credit initiatives to be administered largely through Micro Finance Banks.

The Chairman commended Kogi State for providing a conducive atmosphere for investor to thrive.

He also called on people of all shade of opinion, business and Government to partner with the bank for maximum benefits.

The Chairman appealed to

operators of Kogi State youth empowerment programme to align with the bank to actualize the dream of building a veritable youth development programme in the State.

Highlight of the Banks commissioning was the breaking of Kolanut by his royal majesty Dr. Michael Ameh Oboni, the Attah Igala and Chairman Kogi State Council of Traditional Rulers as well as the cutting of tape by the State Governor.

Kogi Deputy Governor in auto crash

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he Kogi State Deputy Governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, on Sunday escaped unhurt in an accident which involved his convoy on the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

A statement issued by his P r e s s S e c r e t a r y, M r.

Michael Abu, said an escort van in the convoy ran into two stationary vehicles which were involved in an earlier accident.

He said that the affected vehicles, a Mercedes Benz jeep with Lagos registration number, YAB

966 AQ and a Honda Accord with Lagos registration number LND 742 BE had earlier collided before the van ran into them near Kwali.

The statement which said the driver of the Honda Accord lost control while trying to overtake the Mercedes Benz, added that Awoniyi, who was on his way to Lokoja after an official engagement in Abuja, escaped unhurt.

Abu disclosed that those in the escort van sustained minor injuries along with four policemen and were receiving treatment at the Kwali General Hospital.

Nigeria into an election nation in perpetuity.

“After elections, mandate delivery should follow and those already elected deserve some breathing space to do their work, while the media and the public should hold them accountable to their promises. On the other hand, those elected into offices should also concern themselves less about the next election, knowing that only one good term deserves another.”

The Deputy President of the Senate who also wondered if the single term for elected executives recommended by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review was jettisoned in a hurry, however, observed that while the politicians were to be held responsible for overheating the system, the members of the media should also ask themselves if they had done enough to temper the political trepidation over 2015 general election.

He said: “As agenda setters to chart the trajectory of national discuss to those key governance issues that affect the lives of the ordinary Nigerians; the media should not play into the hands of those bent on making political hostages out of the nation and her people.

“I urge members of the media to turn down the volume on the 2015 election. It is too loud, and it is unacceptable”.

Senator Ekweremadu also called on the media to be less partisan in reporting electoral and election matters as the media could not afford to be polarized along party, ethnic, religious, and other lines in the interest of the nation.

“Ownership notwithstanding, I believe the media is one critical sector where he who pays the piper should not dictate the tuneat least on editorial matters”, he emphasised.

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It's time to pause and decide Nigeria's future – Iwuanyanwu Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, politician, industrialist and publisher of C h a m p i o n Newspapers, is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) What is your thought on Nigeria as a nation?

Frankly speaking, I don't believe that when Lord Luggard amalgamated the North and South he had the intention of establishing a nation based on unity, love and prosperity.

I think Luggard only did that for the convenience of the British Trading Company that employed him. He was just a staff of the company and of course he made every effort to maximize profit and the bigger the profit he made, the more he pleased his masters.

In the history of mankind, God at times takes a very simple action which he turns into a very serious situation. That action, which was very simply taken by Luggard has been able to transform into one of the strongest countries of the world. I think Nigeria, as it is today, is one of the strongest countries in the world. Nigeria is endowed enormously with potentials.

Our diversity means that Nigeria has got everything that God can give to a people in this world. And if Nigerians have a government, if Nigerians decide to harness these resources, we will be able to build a country, which no nation in the world can overtake in any situation.

What is your take on calls for national conference?

President Goodluck Jonathan has been very kind and generous to Nigerians and by next year, we will be 100 years as a nation.

In the life of a people, there comes a time, when the people pause for a while, to reflect on the past, examine the present situation and then decide the future. I think for Nigeria, the time is now.

Over the years, the history is clear and we know how we fought for our independence and got it in 1960. Soon, after that, we went into an unfortunate civil war.

And of course, that civil war was a major set-back to Nigeria but in spite of the civil war, we still remain strong. Very few countries will come out of a very serious

Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyawu civil war and still stand to day as a very strong nation, respected all over the world.

Do you have faith in this nation?

I have faith in this country; I believe that Nigerians should do everything humanly possible to preserve the entity. There is not part of Nigeria that has not got tremendous natural potentials.

Some of them are being tapped today; some of them will be tapped in future. There is no part of Nigeria that has not got human resources that are needed for the development of the people, but what I want in Nigeria is actually honesty of purpose.

Now, I will start off from the political angle: in any country like Nigeria or republic, Nigeria is not obviously a nation, it comprises nation states.

That Lord Luggard by force amalgamated Nigeria does not necessarily mean that Nigerians have essentially agreed to be together but we have learnt over the years to live together and we are ready to live together. I think one thing that makes the country survive more than anything is for the people to be fair to one another.

Federal Character is very important. One issue that creates problem in this country is the

office of the President of this country.

Nigerians over the years, throughout our experimentation on how to govern ourselves, started with three regions, we came to four regions. We had 12 states and today we have 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Now, in our constitution, there is a clear policy of Federal Character. This is very important.

This is being applied in many areas. Nigerians must make sure that the Presidency of this country reflects Federal character. Nigeria is not the first country to do that.

Switzerland, America and many other countries do it. We have now six geo-political zones.

Every geo-political zone can produce a president.

I don't see why Nigerians can't be bold enough to put rotation of the presidency in the constitution among the six geo-political zones.

That will reduce acrimony and rancour that characterise the polity. Nigerians must work it out.

This is very important because every part of this country needs to have a sense of belonging.

If we don't have a Federal Character and it is left to the whims and caprices of some people that don't have the

efficiency or capability, then it means that the weak will continue to be weak and the poor will continue to be poor and that will not be good for this country.

For example, everyday, you see people from the South East clamouring for Igbo Presidency and I feel that they are right because they know that their forebears like Zik played a frontline role in securing the Nigerian independence. South East also knows that their men and women are all over this country playing major roles in shaping the country's destiny, socially, economically and otherwise.

So, they think that they deserve to be given the power but without zoning, it may probably be very difficult for people in their type of structure to achieve that. That is why, I think we must be bold enough to put this in the constitution.

In clear terms, does that mean you support Sovereign National Conference?

At first, I was not supporting it, but now, I support. I support it because I have seen that the National Assembly that is supposed to do this job is not able to do it.

Why do you think it is very important?

It is very important because we must examine the structure of this country now to ensure we have a country we can manage with our resources. For example, we have to look at the legislative structure in this country. The Central Bank Governor has always said that the National Assembly is very large and spends so much money.

This country spends so much on overhead and this is not good for any country. We are living in a country where most school leavers, instead of going to look for jobs in productive areas, are seeking to be political aids. This is so because we are spending a lot of money on overheads.

Are you saying it is good for us to practice a unicameral legislature?

No, I am not saying that.

Nigerians should sit back and reflect whether we need a fulltime Senate and a full-time House of Representatives.

Most of the time, they overlap in their functions. What the House of Reps does is often repeated by the Senate. These are the issues that must be examined by Nigerians because America may be able to afford it, but Nigeria at this level of our economy cannot afford it.

The fact remains that the overhead of this country is so high and has become serious problem and is affecting the youths. There is a serious unemployment in this c o u n t r y. I t i s a f f e c t i n g development. Part of it is that private sector is very weak. When you have a country that is spending so much on overhead, the capital money generated by the private sector is reduced and the private sector is weak and can't generate jobs.

Everybody, who leaves university today, is looking for job in one government agency or parastatal.

It never used to be so. It is not so in America or Britain. A normal brilliant graduate from Harvard is not looking for a job in the state department. He is looking for a job in a company. But here, our own people, everybody is looking for job in a ministry, where they feel their jobs will be secured.

Sir, would you recommend physical federalism under which states control their resources and pay some portion as their contribution to the centre?

I don't want to speak about that. I want the Nigerian state to decide what to do. But going to this national conference, after 100 years. These are our experiences.

Nigerians have had it all and must use their experiences to bring a new constitution that will be able to guide the nation on the path of growth.

Any constitution we bring today must be able to create a situation, where the youth will have the opportunity to get jobs.

I believe that every nation, owes every citizen a right to earn a living. That is why every government owes every citizen, a right and opportunity to earn a living honestly and that is not done in this country. The private sector must be empowered.

The other issue that has been a problem for this country and which requires to be tackled very seriously is corruption. I believe that it is corruption. A typical American governor is voted to go and serve without giving bribe. In their culture, there is integrity. He was not voted to go and make money.

Here, we have seen that over the years, when governors leave office, the EFCC will be going after them to recover monies he stole.

You will see a person who was a governor of a state, before he became a governor, he had only

Continues on page 21

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

21

Crisis tears Ex Biafran Soldiers apart over entitlements

By Princess Ojiyi

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RISIS has erupted in the leadership of the ExBiafran War Veteran Welfare Association following the alleged plot by a group of war veterans to hijack the association.

To this end, the National Coordinator of the Ex-Biafran War Veterans Association, Col Emmanuel Osita Ossai (rtd) has disassociated his group from the proposed plan by a splinter group to march to Abuja over the delay of the Federal Government in the implementation of their settlements and benefits.

Addressing a press conference in Enugu on Monday, Col. Ossai said although they had been mounting pressures on the authorities to reintegrate them into the mainstream of the Nigerian Army, they had no time discussed on protesting in Abuja.

Col. Ossai who was flanked by Coordinators from Abia, Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Enugu, States, noted that the group led by Lt. Col. Victor Onah (rtd) has since been expelled from the

association, adding that the group ought not to have been speaking for the association.

According to him, the idea of appealing for reintegration and rehabilitations was not to confront the authority, recalling how he was instructed by the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka

Odumegwu Ojukwu not to be violent against the constituted authority.

“I seize this opportunity to declare that from now on wards, any veteran or group of veterans who parade themselves that they are veterans, to disturb any, be it state or Federal, if caught will be severely dealt with. Already the indiscipline ones who proposed to go to Abuja must be disciplined

one house but at the end of his tenure, he has a house in Abuja, he has a house in Lagos, he has a house in Dubai, he has a house in America of London and so many other places. In addition, he has investment in so many businesses.

How can this be effectively addressed?

Only government cannot address this. The fact is that every government that comes, talk about corruption, but when they leave, we see in the trail of their job very nasty size of corruption.

Take for example, the stealing of oil.

This government has virtually actually stopped it. And I think, that is a major achievement of this government. I think Nigerians should stop blaming government for this corruption, they should blame politicians. Everybody must be involved. If you have somebody, who before he became a public servant that suddenly became rich, and we keep quiet. Is it the government that will do it?

In their religious places like churches, they are knighted because they have stolen public fund. In some ceremonies, they are giving recognition and people say they are doing well.

People who stole public money must be made outcasts, so that people will know that it is a bad

public and veterans in the name of fighting for their cause. People should be wary of them”, he added.

He maintained that the ExBiafran soldiers had been going through untold hardship since the end of the civil war, noting that he was optimistic that the President Goodluck Jonathan would address the issue at the appropriate time.

Vatican sets to make late popes John Paul II, John XXIII saints

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ATICAN CITY (AFP) The Vatican on Monday said late popes John Paul II and John XXIII would be made saints at an unprecedented joint ceremony on April 27, 2014 in a bid to unite Catholic conservatives and liberals.

Pope Francis made the historic announcement at a meeting of cardinals known as a consistory.

The canonisation of the two popes is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome.

The popular Polish pope John Paul and his Italian predecessor known as “Good Pope John”, are

two of modern-day Catholicism's most influential figures.

The double sainthood is seen by Vatican watchers as an attempt to breach a traditional left-right divide in the Church.

“John XXIII is generally a hero to the church's progressive wing while John Paul II is typically lionized by Catholic conservatives,” said John Allen, from the National Catholic Reporter, a US weekly.

Allen said the decision could be interpreted as “a statement that any attempt to set them at odds is artificial, and that what they had

It's time to pause and decide Nigeria's future – Iwuanyanwu Continued from page 20

accordingly”, he added.

The Ex Biafran Leader stated that the Onah led group would be disciplined in military fashion as nobody authorized them, adding that that their action smacked of mutiny.

“Some of these unscrupulous elements have been going about in the villages and communities collecting illegal levies from unsuspecting members of the

thing.

This attitude must completely be eroded. It is a problem that must involve everybody in working for the solution. I think we require a moral reorientation and moral transformation by everybody.

Even in the universities, where students buy degrees, where people ask for favour from women to get degree. The stories are very nasty. I hope they are all not correct. But the stories are bad and people now see that the quality of education has gone down drastically.

You are a top member of the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party, what do you think is the most important key to the issue of reconciling your members?

I am not blaming anybody who has an issue to raise but PDP as a party has a constitution. Bamanga Tukur was elected in a very transparent election. Most of these governors were there when he was elected. He has been there for nearly two years.

None of them raised these issues, when he was elected. Now, if there are issues against him, I d o n ' t k n o w, I h a v e n o t investigated. There is a constitutional process to follow in resolving issues, if they are actually working to protect the party.

They should raise the issue within the laws of the party, but what they are doing today, is to destroy

the party and may be to form another party. Otherwise, if they actually have facts, they should constitutional process to remove him. And I am quite sure that they are very powerful, if they actually have facts, but it is not easy.

I have heard some of them giving conditions to the President that he must remove the party Chairman.

The president of Nigeria has no power to remove any party Chairman, who was duly elected.

So, anybody, who is telling the President that the only condition to support him is to remove an elected Party Chairman, is not actually being fair to the President because he has no such powers.

The Chairman was elected; everybody watched the election in a transparent election. Even those, whose elections had flaws, went back in the last convention to be re-elected .

Most of these people who are giving these conditions are founding members of the party and people who have made contributions to the party. I think that they should be able to work hard to make sure that the party does not disintegrate. Some of them became what they are today, even governors through the party.

They should come back to the party and raise these issues through the constitution of the party. Telling the president to remove the party Chairman is not possible.

in common is m o r e fundamental t h a n a n y perceived differences”.

Sainthood n o r m a l l y requires two “confirmed” miracles, though Francis has approved the canonisation of John XXIII (1958-1963) with whom he s h a r e s a common touch and reformist views based on just one.

John Paul II, who served as p o n t i ff f r o m 1978 to 2005, was credited with his first miracle just six months after his death, when a French nun said she had been cured, through prayer, of Parkinson's a disease he had also suffered from.

His second miracle was reportedly carried out on a woman in Costa Rica, who said she was healed from a serious brain condition by praying for John Paul's intercession on the same day he was beatified in 2011.

The Polish pope was popular throughout his 27-year papacy and helped topple Communism although he alienated many with his conservative views and was blamed for hushing up paedophile priest scandals.

At his funeral in 2005, crowds of mourners cried “Santo Subito!”

“Sainthood Now!” prompting the Vatican to speed up the path to sainthood, which normally begins five years after death.

John XXIII made his name by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) which overhauled the Church's rituals and doctrines and reached out to other faiths.

Many compare the Italian pope, who died in 1963, with the current head of the Roman Catholic Church for their similar pastoral attitudes, humble, open manner and sense of humour.

The reportedly miraculous

healing of an Italian nun who had severe internal hemorrhages was attributed to John XXIII when he was beatified in 2000.

Francis is believed to have waived the need for a second miracle because his canonisation had been called for by the participants of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, who wanted to pay homage to the man who ushered the Church into modern times.

Francis also promises to be a reformist pope, planning an o v e r h a u l o f t h e Va t i c a n bureaucracy and finances and promising a “poor Church for the poor”.

On Tuesday, he will begin three days of talks with an advisory board of eight cardinals he has appointed to help him clean up the troubled Roman Curia the intrigue-filled administration and improve communication between the Vatican and local churches.

Vatican experts say it is not clear whether details from the meetings will be made public, but liberal Catholics hope that the conciliatory tone adopted by Francis on many issues will translate into action.

Topics may include the role of women in the Church, whether priests should be able to marry, if Catholics who remarry should receive the Eucharist and the Church's position on homosexuality and gay clergy.

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Another policeman caught on video demanding N10,000 bribe

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or the third time in the past two months, another policeman has been caught on video demanding a bribe of N10,000 from a motorist.

The footage, secretly filmed by a passenger at the back seat of a vehicle in Onitsha, Anambra State, has so far received thousands of hits on YouTube. The three-minute 18second video which first appeared on the YouTube channel of one Tola Tim, has since become an Internet sensation.

In the video, a policeman apprehended the driver of a vehicle that was coming from Akure, Ondo State to Umuahia, Abia State. The policeman sat in the front seat with the driver, and after checking the vehicle particulars, declared that he had discovered some discrepancies between the documents and the chassis number.

In the video, the policeman explained that the number '0' was the last number on the chassis number inscribed on the vehicle, while number '3'was the last number on the documents presented to him for perusal.

The driver was seen arguing with the policeman that he had asked him to veer off the road in order to enable him (policeman) do proper checking of the vehicle. Once the alleged discrepancies were discovered, the policeman insisted that he would collect N10,000 before he would release him.

The driver's appeal that there was an unintended mix-up somewhere and that the vehicle was not a stolen one fell on deaf ears. A nursing mother who sat at the back also appealed to the policeman.

The man in uniform bellows, “Settle us. Just give us N10,000 make I waka comot. Or is it too much? If I knew you stole the vehicle, I won't collect money from you.”

But the driver, on noticing the adamance of the policeman, said he won't give in to his demands.

“It is three much! I want you to take me to your station. I'm not afraid of anything. I can go back to Akure. At worst, I will miss my appointment in Umuahia. Why will I part with N10,000 on the vehicle I didn't steal? No sir! I can't do that.

“I will rather go back to Akure, get the registration officer and other supporting documents, come back with another vehicle and clear myself. And that is to tell you that I have not done something wrong,” the driver said.

The unidentified driver also calmed the nerves of the apprehensive nursing mother who clutched a baby girl to herself. “My sister, don't worry! At worst, you will sleep in a hotel with your baby when I go back to Akure,” the driver added.

The policeman replied, “Eh eh. It is three much. Wetin make am too much?” After ruminating over the issue for some seconds, the policeman, who was armed with a

gun, ordered, “Driver, come down.” And the video went dead.

Meanwhile, outrage has trailed the incident on various social media platforms. Those who have

watched the video online describe the encounter as a pointer to the depth of rot and decay in the Nigeria Police Force.

They urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to conduct an orderly room trial to ascertain the policeman's culpability in the alleged crime and place appropriate sanctions on him if found guilty.

An anonymous reader on lindaikeji.blogspot.com says apart from condemning the act of corruption and sacking the culprit, more needs to be done to cater for the welfare of the rank and file of the police.

The reader said, “If you have a police officer as your relative, you will understand better. The income they get can't even feed them alone not to talk of their families. The country doesn't cater adequately for

their needs. Many police barracks look like refuse dumps and they are expected to live there with their children.”

But a YouTube user, Paul Saint, argued that there is no excuse for being corrupt, attributing the behaviour to greed.

Saint stated, “This has nothing to do with the service welfare of the police. Corruption in Nigeria has nothing to do with low or high salary pay. If you are corrupt, no matter what you earn, you will still find ways to illegally enrich yourself. Most cases of corruption recorded in this country are perpetrated by persons who are otherwise fairlycomfortable with bribes.

“Corruption is as a result of greed only. Not poverty or low pay. We must condemn corruption at all times and not make excuses for it.

But even if they are not well paid, there is no excuse for corruption.

The most corrupt persons in Nigeria started off with collecting less than N10,000 and because we excuse them or celebrate them, they step up their demands to millions and billions. Well paid or not, do not demand or collect bribe.”

It will be recalled that three cops have so far been dismissed by the police authorities after being filmed demanding bribes from motorists.

A police sergeant, Chris Omeleze, who was caught on video camera extorting N25,000 from a motorist in Lagos in August was the first casuality of the social media whistle-blowing.

Tw o t r a f f i c p o l i c e w o m e n , corporals Elizabeth Itolor and Jennifer Azingbe, who were also videotaped receiving N100 bribe from a commercial bus driver at the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway were dismissed earlier this month.

Security: Chime donates 10 Patrol vans to Army, Airforce and NSCDC as part of efforts to combat crime and enhance the comparatively h e E n u g u S t a t e highly level of security in the state.

G o v e r n m e n t M o n d a y Making the presentation on behalf donated ten new Toyota of Governor Sullivan Chime, the Hilux vans to the Nigerian Army, Special Adviser to the Governor Air Force and the Nigerian on Security Matters, Mr Richard Security and Civil Defence Corps Chime noted that the gesture was

By Patrick Okolie

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aimed at the sustenance of the status of Enugu as one of the safest in the country. He said that of the ten vehicles, six would go to the Army, while the Airforce and the NSCDC would take two each.

Mr Chime said that the Governor appreciated the efforts of the

R-L: Commander, Air Force Base, Enugu Air Commodore Jacob Gbamwuam, Garrison Commander, 82 Division, Nigeria Army, Brigadier- General Isidore Edet and Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Enugu State Command, Mr Nathaniel Ubong with new patrol (behind) donated to their agencies by Governor Sullivan Chime.

Security Agencies in combating crime and criminality in the state and expressed that the vehicles would help the agencies in their avowed determination to stamp out crime in the state.

Responding on behalf of the other security chiefs, the Commander of the Air Force Base, Enugu, Air Commander Jacob Gbanwuuan commended Governor Chime for his support to and cordial relations with all security outfits in the state adding that this has helped to ensure adequate security of lives and property.

He assured that that the gesture would go a long way towards maintaining the posture of the state as a reference point as far as the issue of safety and security is concerned.

The Nigerian Army and the Civil Defence Corps were represented by the Garrison Commander, 82 D i v i s i o n N i g e r i a n A r m y, Brigadier-General, Isidore Edet and the Commandant, NSCDC, Enugu State Command, Mr Nathaneil Ubong.

It will be recalled that Governor Chime had earlier this year donated over one hundred specialized patrol vehicles to the Nigerian Police and another six to the Department of State Security (DSS).

Lawyer charged to dispense justice with fear of God

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he 2013/2014 Legal Year Devotion church Service has been held with a call on those responsible for the dispensation of justice to fear God in the course of discharging their responsibilities.

Yomi Awoniyi Kogi state Deputy Governor, made the call at the 2013/2014 Legal Year Christian Devotion Service held at the Foundation Faith Church (Salem Chapel). The Devotion Service

marks the commencement of the 2013/2014 Legal Year.

The Deputy Governor called on judges to strive to always remain the last hope of the common man by diligently exercising the tenets of their profession, for it to be pleasing to God and in conformity with public opinion.

Awoniyi called for God's wisdom, understanding and temperance of heart for the judges to be able to deliver sound and right judgments. While describing

judges as very vital in the present democratic dispensation, Awoniyi said the vital place they occupy, behooves on them, the need to be upright in justice delivery.

In his remarks, Justice Ibrahim Auta, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, said the need to function with the fear, wisdom and understanding of God by judges, necessitated the devotional service, and assured that the judiciary will strive for excellence.

In his exaltation, Bishop Segun Aina, Presiding Bishop Foundation Faith Church, urged judges to deliver judgment with the wisdom of God. The clergy man who read from the book of Numbers chapter 21, charged judges to always seek knowledge through constant study so as to deliver justice with fairness and w i t h o u t f e a r a s f a v o r.

Highlight of the Devotional Service was thanks given by the judges.

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Mother and son graduate together

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local mom and her son have achieved great heights in education, but it didn't come easily. The pair recently earned their PhDs on the very same day, a goal that seemed impossible when their long journey began.

"Never in a thousand, million, trillion years [did I expect to get my PhD]. The thought of becoming a doctor anyone was farfetched," said Dr. Maurice McBride.

He got his diploma at a ceremony in Minneapolis, MN in August, but the day wasn't just about his accomplishment. It was about sharing the stage with his mother.

"I never thought I would get chance to see my mother walk across the stage and then she turned around and saw me walk across the stage," he said.

It was a day that seemed nearly impossible considering where they started.

"At the age of 13 I got pregnant with Maurice," said Dr. Vickie McBride.

She was a young mother growing up in Waynesboro. She said, "It was shunned upon and of course the older people in the community were whispering."

But that didn't stop her or her mother. Vickie stayed in school while her mother, a retired teacher,

Mother and son helped out with Maurice.

"As a teenager I continued my education. That was never an option," explained Vickie.

She made it to college and graduate school all while raising Maurice and eventually 3 other

children.

"I had to figure out how to work and how to parent and how to manage school all at the same time." she said.

Maurice had his own struggles. At just 16 years old he dropped out of

high school. "[I] started hanging out with some of the wrong people and got into some trouble," he explained.

After ending up in a juvenile probation facility he knew it was time to turn his life around. He said, "I picked up the bible and I started reading and I was like it all makes sense. I see how it actually comes to fruition. I see how I ended up here."

He got his GED and then pursued a music career. He signed a record deal with Capital Records, but he never stopped his education. It was something that was instilled in him by his mother and grandmother.

"As a recording artist I also attended school online," said Maurice.

He kept going after he left the music world. He went on to graduate school, becoming a professor at Paine College and then one day he called his mom.

"I said 'hey I think I'm gonna get my PhD. You wanna do this with me?' 'No that's okay. You bumped your head, but you can go ahead and you can do it. I'm done with school'," he recalled.

After talking it over, they decided to do it together. Vickie graduated with her PhD in K-12 Education and Maurice in Organizational Management from Capella University.

"I didn't let my situation define who I was. I defined my situation. I looked at my situation and I told situation this is where we are going and this is what we are doing," said Vickie.

A proud day for both a mother and a son.

"I was so proud of him because I knew where he had come from," said Vickie.

"This is who she really is despite what she's been through," said Maurice. "This is how I've always seen her and now I'm like 'hey look this is her' with the cape and the supermommy uniform."

And they want their story to be a lesson to those struggling now.

"For those who have gone through [tough situations]. You can be successful. You can be anything.

You can do anything once you make up your mind that that is what you want to do. Set a goal and go for it," said Vickie.

Maurice says he wants his mother to write a book with him about their story. He's also working to convince her to go to law school but she says she'll sit that one out.

She just plans to be in the audience for that graduation.

They are both working as teachers now. Vickie teaches middle school and college in Virginia and Maurice is a professor of business at Paine College.

ASUP resumes strike on Friday

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he Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics is to resume its suspended strike on Friday following the inability of the Federal Government to resolve outstanding issues with the union.

ASUP Chairman, Mr. Clement Chirman, told newsmen in Jos on Sunday that “the frustrating inertia of the Federal Government to convincingly fulfil any of the promises and agreements reached with the union before the suspension of the earlier strike on July 17, 2013 shows that government is not serious.”

Chirman said the National Executive Council after its 75th meeting held at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, resolved that the strike would “be total and indefinite” until the government showed committed to honouring the agreement with the union.

He expressed dismay at government penchant for breaking agreements, adding that “since the union suspended its earlier strike in July, government has shown no commitment to fulfilling any of the promises it made to the union.”

The union in its communiqué after the meeting in Bida decried “the anti-labour stance of the National Assembly as exemplified by the recently proposed removal of minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list of the constitution to

the concurrent list, as well as the proposed legislation against declaration of industrial strike by unions in the tertiary sector.”

ASUP also lamented government's abuse of the laws establishing TETfund. And the culpable lack of commitment of the National Board for Technical Education to meeting the needs and demands of polytechnic education in Nigeria.

“The CONTISS 15 Migration for Lower cadres, Needs Assessment of Polytechnics, release of whitepaper of visitation to Federal polytechnics, discrimination between polytechnics and university graduates in job placement and career progression and the constitution of Governing Councils to Federal polytechnics earlier omitted, were among the issues we brought before the Federal Government in the last negotiation, but government has failed to address any of them since after we suspended strike in July”, Chirman lamented.

The communique said: 1. That Government should without delay address all the outstanding standing issues including the NEEDS Assessments of the polytechnics and the corresponding funding, constitution of the Governing Councils of the remaining Federal polytechnics, CONITSS 15 Migration of the Lower Cadres, the removal of disparity between HND and Degree certificates,

establishment of the National Polytechnics Commission (NPC), release of the Whitepaper of the visitation panels to polytechnics; 2. That the National Assembly should rescind from its current anti-labour posture in the interest of industrial peace and our desperate move to rescue the endangered soul of the tertiary institutions in the country; 3. That the National Assembly should expedite action on the review of the Polytechnic Act; 4. That a vote of no confidence be passed the NBTE and further calls for the immediate establishment of a National Polytechnics

Commission (NPC) to proactively cater for the needs of the sector; 5. That the Nigerian political class and other interest groups should exercise restraint on their utterances and activities in the interest of peace, unity and security of the nation; 6. That the Federal Government should desist from abuse of TETfund laws; 7. That stakeholders in the education sector such as parents, students, religious leaders, the press, members of States and National assemblies to rise to their responsibilities of rescuing the (polytechnic) education sector

from imminent collapse; 8. That the position of ASUP on the need to appoint the rectors from within the polytechnic system remains irreversible; 9. That in view of the continued insincerity of Government to honour the agreement reached with ASUP, NEC resolves that the union will resume the suspended strike with effect from 4th October, 2013. NEC sincerely appreciates the good people of Nigeria and all other stakeholders in the education sector for their sustained support in its struggles to save the polytechnic education from total collapse in Nigeria.

ASUU Strike: Jonathan calls for review of He said such a situation would not commitment of his administration labour laws occur if well-guided and well- to adequately fund the universities

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resident Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday advocated a review of labour laws to curtail the excesses of the A c a d e m i c S t a ff U n i o n o f Universities (ASUU) and other labour unions.

The President, who made the call during a Presidential media chat in Abuja, urged the striking members of ASUU to return to work in the interest of their students and the education sector.

The President also said it was inconceivable that lecturers in state-owned universities would go on strike over issues concerning the allowances of lecturers in federal universities.

thought out laws were in place regulating labour union activities.

Jonathan also said that the N79 billion Earned Allowance arrears, which was the major reason for the ASUU strike, were not supposed to be paid from the federation account.

According to the President, earned allowances ought to be paid from the Internally Generated Revenue of the universities, if a good labour law is in place.

Jonathan called on the striking ASUU to reconsider its stand by accepting government offer, and call its members back to the classrooms.

The President reiterated the

and provide the necessary infrastructure to aid the education sector. Jonathan said that the PDPled administration had done quite well, despite all the odds and challenges According to him, Nigeria is better off in the past years of the PDP-led government with improved standard of living, building of more federal universities, improved telecommunication, railways and roads.

The President assured that with the commitment of his administration to the privatisation of the power sector, electricity supply would become stable by the end of the first quarter of 2014.

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

ADVOCATE

Gov Dickson commends CEPEJ on Environment Summit

By Philip Eke, Yenagoa

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nvironment summit recently took place in Yenagoa, in Bayelsa State Banquet Hall, Government House, the seminar attracted participants and stakeholders from different environmental management and development agencies, ministries, department, the academia, peace and social justice activists, local authorities, students and members of the public.

The Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson thanked members of the centre for peace and environmental justice (CEPEJ) in organizing environment summit, Gov. Dickson was ably represented by High Chief Francis Doukpola, who also chaired the occasion commended the management of CEPEJ. Also the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of CEPEJ Comrade Sheriff Mulade, in his welcome address appreciate all personalities that came from far and near in gracing the occasion, especially thanking the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State for the great support.

Meanwhile, the occasion was organized by CEPEJ in collaboration with Bayelsa State Government was used to award stakeholders in the environment and social justice advocates, which includes notable personalities like the Executive Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduagha, His Excellency Nelson Mandela, Governor Theodore Orji as the best security conscious Governor, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson among others were awarded at the event.

While interacting with Alfreder Ato, the personal assistant to the wife of the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Mrs. Rachael

Dickson, who as one of the awardees at the great event, thanked the CEPEJ group for giving the prestiged award.

“Actually, it was not easy, one have to work seriously for societal growth, sometime you for go pleasure, work overtime, trek long distance in other to achieve what you want or to make a positive change in the society, I really appreciated the award bestowed on me” so she added.

What really motivated her, or the passion for human development, she said are role models like Martin Luther King (Jr.), Nelson Mandela of South Africa really transpired her, “I give free lecturers, advocate several developmental changes in the society.

According to her, the award which did not come to her as surprise, tasking peoples to incline to their destination, contact the necessary peoples and government and corporate organizations to make positive change in the society, she further asserted that she personally meet people freely,

Gov. Dickson exchange ideas in acquiring more knowledge, and moreso, urging people to align positively in contributing to the development

of the society which she said is a collective effort.

Ato, commended the management of CEPEJ, the selection of award committee, the Board of Trustees for the great honour and privilege for the unique award which she noted emphatically would spur her greatly.

At the end of the great meeting, c r i t i c a l observations and p e r t i n e n t resolutions were made after the exhaustive discussion and interactive session on the various papers presented that the entire Niger Delta and the high seas within and outside our national borders needs adequate

security, also it was observed that corruption and poverty are twin causes of insecurity and youth restiveness in the Niger Delta. Government officials and politicians are responsible for most conflicts in Africa, the issue of marginalization will continue, unless we democratize the process and institutions of development.

Moreso, it was observed that education is not encouraged because of corrupt persons who are illiterate and rich.

It was also observed during the meeting that cost of governance is too high and this hampers developmental efforts in Africa, the environment should be properly managed for posterity sake and there should be synergy of effort on the national, regional and international level to secure the maritime industry, moreso, youths and able-bodied persons should take advantage of the enormous opportunities that exist in the maritime industry to employ and enrich them as well as the youths should imbibe and respect constituted authorities.

Kogi set to become tourism destination

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h e p r e s e n t administration in Kogi State says it is committed to making the State a tourism destination.

Kogi State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, made the remarks at a meeting with officials of Jumeirah, a United Arab Emirate Investor and their Nigerian Partners, Quality Trend Group of Companies.

The Deputy Governor disclosed that the state tourist sites, made up of historical and colonial monuments as well as other supporting infrastructures needed to make the state a tourist delight are currently undergoing rehabilitation.

Awoniyi disclosed that the sincerity of purpose by which the administration of Capt Idris

Wada conducts government

business, has enabled the state to attract as well as facilitated the signing of a b o u t e l e v e n memoranda of understanding.

The Deputy Governor called on investors to take the advantage of the friendly business environment in the state for investment, adding that businesses have the potential for quick return on investment in the State.

In there separate remarks, Daniel Weihrauch, Director of Sales and Marketing, Jumeirah of UAE and Kabir Ali, Group Managing Director, Q u a l i t y Tr e n d i t s Nigerian partner, said there

objectives in Nigeria is geared towards building bridges of partnership for development between government's at all levels in Nigeria and the Government of the United Arab Emirate, especially in the areas of Tourism and Infrastructure development.

Having had useful discussion with Capt Idris Wada, Kogi State Governor during a recent investment Visit to the UAE, the group said there visit was to seek ways for a robust working investment relationship that will assist in the exploration of the rich tourism and infrastructure development vision of the Wada administration.

The meeting had in attendance the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Rashed Nasiser Al.Daheri, as well as Dr Abubakar Abdullahi Chairman, Quality Trend Group of Companies.

Awka North frowns at N8 Million scam allegation on Ugbenu Mini Bridge

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wka North local government council, Anambra state Thursday frowned at false media reports in some National dailies by one Mr Dominic Emeka Okika and his company Chrisbech Nigeria limited over the construction of N8 Million Mini Bridge at Ugbenu town in Awka North local government.

In a press statement yesterday made available to newsmen and s i g n e d b y t h e Tr a n s i t i o n Committee Chairman of the local government, Hon Mrs Joy Enweluzor entitled ,''false claims

of one Mr Dominic Emeka Okika and his Chrisbech Nig limited company. Re : L.G Official , Unizik lecturer in N8 M scam, said the publication is false and baseless.

Enweluzor informed that the construction of the mini bridge at Ugbenu town in Awka North local government was never at any material time awarded any contract to one Dominic Emeka Okika or his purported company Chrisbech Nig Limited for the construction of a mini bridge at Ugbenu town.

Part of the statement read thus,''

the attention of Awka North local Government council, Anambra state has been drawn to the false claims made by one Mr Dominic Emeka Okika and his company Chrisbech Nig limited over the construction of Mini Bridge at Ugbenu Town in Awka North local Government of Anambra state , published in the Vanguard Newspaper of 6th September ,2013 and The Advocate Newspaper of 16th September, 2013. ''For the purpose of clarity we wish to state that Awka North local Government Council of Anambra

state, never at any material time awarded any contract to one Dominic Emeka Okika or his purported company Chrisbech Nig limited for the construction of Mini Bridge at Ugbenu Town , Awka North local government council , Anambra state. ''It is therefore a figment of his imagination to assert that, Awka North local Government council to awarded him such contract. Mr Okika is a meddlesome interloper and seems not to understand what award of contract entails. ''We further state that for the local government to award such a contract that the job must be

widely publicized and tendered for by interested and qualified persons and companies , after paying all necessary fees in accordance with government regulations. ‘'For the record, it is Awka North local government council that executed construction of reinforced twin cell box culvert/miniature Bridge at Ugbenu , through direct labour approach in line with transformation agenda of present administration in Anambra state , under the supervision of a well qualified and COREN registered Engineer of the council.

THE

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

25

Enugu Govt. renews war against the church

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or the senior pastor in charge of City of Liberation and Comfort International Ministries (AKA), seed of life Holy Ghost city Enugu, Prophet (Dr) Ginika Obi, and the entire faithful of the Pentecostal church located at Amaechi Akawnaunaw axis, along the Enugu Port Harcourt express way, Enugu, Monday 16th, September 2013, was a day they would not forget in a hurry, as it will continue to remain green in their memories .

The church, built on a hilly topography within Enugu south local government area of the state currently has over 6,000 {six thousand} worshippers across Enugu state. And for many Christian believers in the coal city state of Enugu, it is a place where miracles, signs and wonders manifest.

The church founded sometime in, July 2013, has since then be winning scores of souls for Jesus Christ, as well as give hope to the hopeless in the society as part of its mission and vision here on earth.

As a result, it does not lack new entrants into the Ministry nearly every Sunday. But, the church, that used to be a beehive of religious activities virtually on a daily basis was last Monday thrown into pandemonium and confusion when the Enugu state commissioner for Lands, Hon. Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam, ordered some aggressive and overzealous field workers from Enugu south local government area Town Planning Authority alongside other alleged miscreants to pull down the God's holy place of worship, even without any prenotice, according to the pastor in charge.

Regrettably, the demolition exercise which commenced at about 10:30 am, under the supervision of one Pamela Ikwueze, was coming barely few months a Pentecostal church in the state capital Enugu, called “Mountain of Fire and Miracle church, dragged the Governor Sullivan Chime led administration to court over revocation of its land and proposed plan to demolish the church got with approval of state government officials..

Though, after a lingering legal battle, both parties decided to resolve the matter through out of court settlement after the government agreed to re allocate a total of twenty plots of virgin lands to the church in another location for the erection of a new structure.

Some observers have criticized that last Monday's demolition of the prophet Obi's led place of worship alleging that it was done without recourse to due process by government and its agents saying that the situation has no doubt portrayed the Chime administration in bad light as Dr. Ujam, in his zeal tends to have

declared war against the church.

Addressing newsmen shortly after conducting them round the demolished structure, prophet Obi, regretted that a right thinking fellow with conscience could embark on such heartless action in a house of God, adding that “the most annoying thing is that there was no pre notice to us by the government.

According to the clergyman, “this land where the church is built had never been under contention or

dispute, we got it under lease from the rightful owner, Mr. Christopher Egbo who bought it from the community and besides, before we leased the land, I saw the survey plan and all other necessary documents certifying it as a genuine land”.

While describing the government action as a sacrilege and sin against God and humanity, the man of God, noted that from time immemorial, no body or group had embarked on such unholy act without paying dearly for it directly or indirectly.

The senior pastor, also wondered why the commissioner could give such wicked and inhuman order when he {Ujam}had already given him an appointment for Friday, 20th, September, 2013 in his office. “When I got the information that our church was being demolished, I called the commissioner to let him know, and he confirmed to me that he was the one that gave the order for demolition.

Prophet Obi, who look unperturbed said despite the fact that the church lost property valued several millions of naira in the wicked act, he would not be deterred in doing God's work, stressing that God whom he serve knows how best to handle issue of vengeance for his people.

“I want to tell you that what has happened cannot deter me from serving my God or shepherding the flocks he has entrusted in my care, rather, this ugly incident would spur me to do more for God who is the giver of all things on earth including this church.”

Meanwhile, other residents of Enugu who reacted to the demolition of the church under condition of anonymity, had condemned it in all its entirety, liking the action to that of members of the Islamic sect, the Boko Haram , who always lunch attack on churches and mosque.

According to one of the respondents “it is quite unfortunate that the Governor Sullivan Chime led government which started very well during its first tenure in office, has today developed penchant for fighting God through the demolition of his churches and places of worship.

'Last year it was between them and Mountain of Fire church, and this year it is now them and city of liberation and comfort international ministries.

“It is too bad for any political leader to be using government apparatus in fighting the church of God, because everything in this world is vanity upon vanity, and everybody including President or Governor, will one day give account of his stewardship here on earth before God his creator and owner of the demolished church,”he said Efforts to get commissioner Ujam's side of the story was unfruitful as he did not respond to several calls put across to his mobile phone by the author of this piece, neither did he respond to the text message sent to his phone.

However, as the administration continues with its ongoing demolition exercise across the metropolis with a view to restoring the original master plan of Enugu city, there is need for both the state ministry of lands and Enugu capital territory Development Authority to apply human face in carrying out the exercise, especially as it concerns church buildings.

Gov. Obi's commissioner under interrogation, after resignation on fraud charge ...Threatens N250m suit against police

By Uche Chukwu

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his is not the best of times for Anambra State governor Mr. Peter Obi as one of his aide, chief Vincent Ezenwajiaku who visited the Special Fraud Unit Nigeria Police Force, Ikoyi, Lagos State recently after he resigned his appointment, Friday, September 19, 2013.

His resignation as Commissioner for Special Duties is sequel to his being declared wanted by the SFU for allegedly obtaining N10.5m under false pretence about 10 years ago.

A statement by the SFU Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Isintume-Agu, had said: a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, was lodged alleging that sometime between 1996 and 2002, Ezenwajiaku, being the Managing Director of BIO Plastic Ltd, had invited the complainant to invest in his company as a co-Director, to enable the complainant acquire 34 per cent equity at the end of the investment.

But after paying N10,582,540.00 in installments, the complainant upon checks at the Corporate Affairs Commission was shocked to discover that he had invested in a non-existent company as it was not registered with the commission.

The embattled commissioner was

later arrested released on bail to Engr. Obi Damian Okwudili, who failed his written promise to produce Ezenwajiaku on A u g u s t 1 5 , consequent upon which he was arrested and faces prosecution in court for an offence of “surety to show cause.”

Ezenwajiaku in a brief briefing in Aw k a , t h e S t a t e capital, had threatened to slam a N250 million

character-defamation suit against the police said he could only pay Mgbemena N1.5 million out of N7.5 million when he was hit by a strange ailment, leaving a balance of N6 million. It was not certain if he had made good his threat to sue the police in the sum of N250 million over his declaration as a wanted man for 419 case, but it was gathered that he had visited the police in connection with the alleged fraud.

Ezenwajiaku, a lawyer, said he was not aware of any law that assigns the police with the role of debt recovery, describing what they did to him as a bundle of illegality.

The former Commissioner expressed dismay at the manner his creditor handled the matter by making it a police case, adding that he was the best man during his wedding.

Flood alert jolts Kogi people

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he report by the Kogi State Government that the operators of Jebba Hydroelectric Dam have finally released the waters from the Dam is causing panic among the citizenry.

To this end, people living around flood plains in the State have no hiding place as they know that the flood would come, hence the panicky measure.

By this development, people living along the flood plains,

have now been asked by the State Government to move to higher ground.

According to the State Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, Jebba reservoir that was at elevation 99.09m has risen to 102.42m following copious inflow receipt.

To this end, the Deputy Governor, has called on people living in flood plains areas of the State to immediately relocate as the flooding is now imminent following the release of water

from Jebba Dam. The State Deputy Governor therefore called on riverian communities up and down the downstream of Jebba Dam to vacate the flood plains to forestall unpleasant experiences.

The Deputy Governor restated that the State Government is taking necessary actions to prevent the devastating consequences that trailed 2012 flood, called on the people to however heed the warning to relocate.

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

The Advocate Gospel This Week

THE SLAVERY OF RELIGIOUS HABITS TEXT: Galatians 4:8-10 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God or rather are known

by God how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!(NIVUK)

NARRATION Despite the power of the gospel message, and the joy of new life in Christ, the Galatian believers had been lured back into their old religious practices the good things that they previously did when they tried to win God's love. Of course there is nothing we can ever do to pay for our own sins or to attract God's admiration, because salvation is a free gift and not an earned reward. And even when we try to be good, our best thoughts and actions are stained with selfish motives and ambitions.

So Paul told them that they had made an idol out of their religious habits. Their pious ideals had become demanding idols which could never be satisfied. Their efforts at being good had trapped them into a religious slavery. Their obsession with fulfilling different rituals on holy days and festivals had robbed them of their joy and freedom of being children of God. Although they had experienced the merciful grace of Christ in freely forgiving their sins, they had followed the false teachers and were enslaved.

The gospel demands that we accept salvation as a free gift, and repudiate any thought of adding to the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Yet, many believers are still tempted into religious habits which become idolatry, because they usurp the place of Jesus Christ. Yes, once we are saved, then we have a deep desire to please the Lord out of gratitude for what He has done ‌ and that is right: but no act of service can ever contribute to our salvation. However we easily adopt pious habits but soon forget why we do them. When that happens we may be faithful to the habit's demands but unfaithful to the Lord. The way forward is to repent of adding anything to the gospel. Then worship the Lord for the completeness of your salvation which He has achieved for you.

Prayer:

Almighty God. Thank You for Your complete salvation. Forgive me when I have despised the total sufficiency of what Jesus has done to secure my place in Your kingdom by wrongly believing that I need to contribute my good works in order to be acceptable to You. Help me to treasure Your grace so much more and learn to worship You for the finished work of Christ. In His Name. Amen

ADVOCATE

Methodist Prelate: Most Rev. DR S C K Uche steps in, Ola Makinde bows out

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rchbishop S. C. K. Uche who recently emerged as the new Prelate and head of Methodist Church Nigeria during the 44th Special Conference of the Church Williams Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Ago Ijaiye, Ebute Metta, Lagos will be enthroned on October 10 2013.

Archbishop Uche will take over from the incumbent Prelate Sunday Olatunji Makinde who is expected to retire haven attained the statutory age of 70.

His grace, Rev. Uche, who was elected Bishop in 1998 and elevated as Archbishop in 2009 would be enthroned in what should be a solemn ceremony that would eventually make him join the league of the Nigerians that had held this highest position in the Methodist Church Nigeria after Professor Bolaji Idowu, Rev Sunday Mbang and the out-going prelate, Rev Sunday Ola Makinde.

The Lagos Special Conference of the church also created five new archdioceses namely: Aba, Benue, Igbobini, Port Harcourt and Uyo. Some Bishops were elevated to the rank of

denomination produced the first missionary group that landed in Nigeria to evangelize and bring the good news of Christ to the people in the early 19th century. It has about 2 million members and enjoys membership of the World Council of Churches as well as the World Methodist Council, among others.

It also belongs to the Christian Council of Nigeria. The church which was founded in 1842

by British Wesleyan Methodist missionaries gained autonomy from the British Methodist Conference in 1962 and has an Episcopal structure with a prelate, eight archbishops and 44 bishops.

In 1842, this Christian denomination came to Badagry, in the present day Lagos state, led by a Jamaican, Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman who built the first primary school in Nigeria. These Methodist missionaries went further to build the first storey house in the same Badagry. The building which is still surviving should serve as a tourist spot for Christians who would like to be part of the past activities of the Methodist church in Nigeria.

Archbishops to take charge of the new archdioceses and among those elevated to Archbishops were Bishop Emmanuel Udofia who is now the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Uyo; Bishop Idoko of Diocese of Otukpo in Benue State moved to Kaduna as an Archbishop while Bishop Amos Akindeko of Diocese of Kwara now to take charge of the new Archdiocese of Igbobini; Bishop C. N. Ede of Aba would remain in Aba but was also elevated to the rank of an Archbishop of the new Archdiocese of Aba. Also Bishop A. C. Okenwa of Isiukwuato was elevated to the rank of an Archbishop to take the seat of Archdiocese of Enugu which the new Prelate would vacate while Bishop Chimezuo Nwankpa formerly of Diocese of Port Harcourt was elevated to the rank of archbishop and would take charge of the new Port Harcourt Archdiocese.

Others are Bishop Oliver Aba of Diocese of Enone who would be in charge of the newly created Archdiocese of Benue as Archbishop and Archbishop Oche Job from Kaduna Archdiocese who would take over from the retiring Archbishop Chimaroke Iweha of Abuja Archdiocese as well as the Presbyter of the Cathedral of Unity, Wuse, Abuja who now joins the Episcopal rank as the new Bishop of Owerri.

It was gathered that members of the church throughout the country had been praying for this year's transition period as the Prelate Ola Makinde is expected to bow out on October 10, 2013 when he might have attained the age of 70 as stipulated by the Church Constitution.

Methodist Church Nigeria is a major Christian

Since then, the Methodist missionaries spread to different parts of the country, especially in the Western and Eastern parts, building schools, churches and hospitals to the extent that they contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria since their arrival in 1842.

In the Eastern part of the country, the church had a setting and implanting of their presence in Calabar in the modern day Cross River state and from there it came into what is today called south Eastern area of the country, where they implanted on socio economic areas of Umuahia and in the present Nkanu areas of Enugu state with Agbani as the major area of Evangelism.

However their setting in these areas of evangelism indeed produced a lot of Christians and ordained indigenes.

With this development, it is very crystal clear that the Methodist church had grown and spread in the south Eastern zone like other denominational Christian Churches. It is equally a thing of joy that Christianity as a way of life has also infected the people of this part of Nigeria, especially in this age of ecumenism.

However, it should be pointed out that the fact that Christianity of different denominations have found an accepted position in the South East zone, one hopes that they should influence both modus vivendum and modus operandum of the faithful.

Hence it is not a sweet tale to tell that the more the churches litter all over the place, the more the iniquitous activities go on in every aspect of the people; for the church is for the people of God and not otherwise.

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

Rates of smoking high in Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia etc – Journal

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ASHINGTON (AFP) Nearly nine in 10 children in China can identify a cigarette logo, according to a US study out Monday that measured tobacco recognition among five- and sixyear-olds in various countries.

The study in the journal Pediatrics covered six nations China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, as well as China where adult smoking rates are the highest, according to the World Health Organization.

More than two thirds of the children studied (68 percent of the 2,423 participants) could identify at least one cigarette brand logo.

The findings raise concerns about whether low and middle income countries are complying with international bans on tobacco advertising to young children, the study authors said.

“What was amazing to me was how we saw kids who don't live with smokers but were very aware of cigarette brands,” lead author Dina Borzekowski of the University of Maryland told AFP. “What that says to me is they are getting their messages through the c o m m u n i t y, i n t h e i r environments. They are seeing it at retail establishments, they are seeing posters. When they go off

to buy a piece of candy at a local store, they are seeing these logos.”

For the study, researchers sat down with children and played a matching game, in which the youths were asked to pair a logo with a picture of a product, such as a car, beverage, food item or pack of cigarettes.

All the children were shown Marlboro and Camel logos, along with local brands that were distinct to their country.

“We would show them a logo and they would have to pick up a card

with the product,” said Borzekowski.

The highest recognition rates were in China, where 86 percent of children could identify at least one cigarette brand logo.

“In China, on average, kids knew almost four out of eight of the brands,” Borzekowski said.

“These are little kids. The idea that they can recognize logos at this young an age is amazing.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Russia, where 50 percent of children studied knew at least one cigarette logo.

More than a quarter of all children studied could identify two to three cigarette brands, and 18 percent knew four or more.

Children were also asked if they intended to smoke when they grew up. The highest yes rate was in India, where 30 percent both boys and girls said they planned to be smokers as adults.

In China, Nigeria, Pakistan and Russia, boys were more likely than girls to say they would smoke as adults.

The study was done in selected urban rural areas in the host countries, and researchers said they endeavored to make sure the children were “typical” and not

from wealthier communities where awareness of tobacco marketing might be higher.

However, they noted that because the studies were not nationwide, they “may not reflect the national populations in each country.”

The World Health Organization has a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that is signed by 168 countries and calls for limits on advertising and marketing to children.

“The problem is in low and middle income countries, I don't think there is good regulation,” said Borzekowski.

“So even though the laws are on the books, they may not be

What causes coronary heart disease?

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coronary arteries.

our heart is a pump the size of a fist that sends blood around the body

What is coronary heart disease?

Your heart is a pump the size of a fist that sends oxygen-rich blood around your body. The blood travels to the organs of your body through blood vessels known as arteries, and returns to the heart through veins.

Your heart needs its own blood supply to keep working. Heart disease occurs when the arteries that carry this blood, known as coronary arteries, start to become

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is arguably the the UK's biggest killer.

CHD develops when the blood supply to the muscles and tissues of the heart becomes obstructed by the buildup of fatty materials inside the walls of the

FEMININE CORNER

Top 5 Things Women Want from Men

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volutionary biologists and psychologists who study human mating strategies have found that women everywhere generally agree on the important characteristics they want in their men. Here are the top five things women say they want from men:

1. Love A woman wants to be re-assured, every day, that she is loved and adored, and she needs his words and intimacy as proof. The list of favourite things a woman wants to hear includes, “I love you,” said in as many ways as possible, such as “You're beautiful,” “You cooked a wonderful meal,” “You did that well,” or an unexpected phone call to say he's thinking of her. Showing appreciation of anything a woman does in the home is also decoded as an expression of love, and love implies a man will share his resources with her. In divorce cases, women regularly say that men take them for granted and never show appreciation of their efforts in the home. This is because a man feels that his efforts of being the main bread-winner (as most men still are), fixing broken things around the home, solving problems, or changing light bulbs are sufficient proof of his appreciation and love.

The man's brain is organised to measure his selfworth and contribution by what he does or achieves, not by what he says or feels. Women's brains are better organised for language skills than men's and words are a form of foreplay for women. Men need to understand that women need to hear actual words of appreciation and love to believe it is true, and to hear them daily. Remembering important dates like birthdays and anniversaries also rates highly on a woman's measurement of a man's love. Bringing gifts, however small, tells a woman a man loves her - and the simpler, the better: The point is that a man's actions are the key, not the actual gift. Most men,

however, feel that a gift must be large or expensive, because that is how they measure the worth of gifts.

2. Faithfulness Fidelity offers the promise that a man will continue to share his resources with a woman, but a woman's definition of infidelity is very different from a man's. A man is concerned that she might have sex with another woman, which could result in him investing his time in raising another man's child. A woman's chief concern is about the emotional connection between her man and his fling.

But for men, it's easy. Men can compartmentalise lust and love in the brain, so that sex is just sex and love is love. The bottom line for women is that sex equals love, which equals redirection of his resources. If a man says he'll be faithful, a woman feels that he won't share his resources with someone else.

3. Kindness According to Dr. Buss's research, kindness ranks third most desirable by women in thirty-two cultures, because it also symbolises commitment.

Reproductive resource is the key item a woman can offer, so she is discriminating about whom she will give it to, and love, sincerity, generosity, and kindness are her prerequisites. Ancestral women preferred generous men and avoided tightfisted men because the generous ones would provide resources and protection for her and her offspring, giving them a greater chance of their survival.

Women who have their own resources, status, and power still go for men with their own resources.

Buss found that almost all women, regardless of culture, showed a strong preference for financially successful men and that financially successful women showed an even stronger preference for these men because they want a man who is stronger than they are.

4: Commitment A man who promises commitment pledges he will continue to provide resources. Women everywhere accuse men of being commitment phoebes and love escapees. When you consider what commitment means from an ancestral woman's view-point, it makes perfect sense. A sexual liaison for her would involve a commitment for ten to fifteen years to carry and raise a child to self-sufficiency.

For a man, however, the same encounter would cost only a small amount of time-maybe just a few minutes-and then he'd be off to his next venture.

Because a man is wired to spread his genes as often and widely as possible, many men fear commitment to one woman and dread the idea of eternal monogamy, and most men understand that commitment means sharing their resources.

“I want him to show commitment” is the cry of women everywhere. It takes nine months for a woman to bear a child and at least another five years to raise the child to a minimum level of selfsufficiency for basic survival.

To most women, marriage is still seen as the ultimate indication a man can give that he intends to stick around. Being the child-bearer, a woman makes a total commitment to the creation and nurturing of the next generation, and she wants a male who will commit to the same. This is why trust is such a critical factor to women in a relationship.

5. Education and intelligence A man with higher education and intelligence is seen as being more capable of acquiring resources.

Higher education means he's likely to hold more senior positions in the workplace and therefore have more power, status, and resources. Higher intelligence promises the potential for the same things.

blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits.

How common is CHD?  CHD causes round 74,000 deaths each year. That's an average of 200 people every day  In the UK, there are an estimated 2.3 million people living with the condition  About one in six men and one in nine women die from the disease  Death rates are highest in Scotland and northern England  In the past couple of decades, deaths from CHD have nearly halved due to better treatments The inner lining of the coronary arteries gradually becomes furred with a thick, porridge-like sludge of substances, known as plaques, and formed from cholesterol. This clogging-up process is known as atherosclerosis.

The plaques narrow the arteries and reduce the space through which blood can flow. They can also block nutrients being delivered to the artery walls, which means the arteries lose their elasticity. In turn, this can lead to high blood pressure, which also increases the risk of heart disease. This same process goes on in the arteries throughout the body, and can lead to high blood pressure which puts further strain on the heart.

If your arteries are partially blocked you can experience angina - severe chest pains that can spread across your upper body - as your heart struggles to keep beating on a restricted supply of oxygen. You are also at greater risk of a heart attack.

Some people have a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis due to genetic factors - one clue to this is a family history of heart disease in middle-age. Lifestyle factors that increase the risk include an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure and, most importantly, smoking.

However, in the past couple of decades deaths from coronary heart disease have nearly halved, thanks to better treatments.

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NCAA licenses 26 airlines for flight operations

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he Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has released a list of licensed scheduled commercial and charter airlines in its registry as parts of measures to clamp down on illegal charter airline operations in the country.

In the list released through a public notice on Sunday, the NCAA said only 26 operators had been cleared “to carry passengers and cargo for a commercial fee.”

The approved airlines include: Aero Contractors Nigeria, Allied Air, Arik Air, Associated Aviation, Atlantic Aviation, Bristow Helicopters, Caverton Helicopters, Chanchangi Airlines and Dana Airlines.

Others are Dornier Aviation, FirstNation Airways, Hak Air, IRS Airlines, Jed Air, Kabo Airlines, King Airlines, Max Air and Med-View Airlines.

Odengene Air Shuttle Service, Overland Airways, Pan African Airlines, Skybird Air, Skyjet Aviation, Skypower Express Airways, Topbrass Aviation and West Link Airways complete the list.

It said the listed companies were the only holders of Air Operators Certificates.

In a footnote to the list, the D i r e c t o r- G e n e r a l , N C A A , Captain Fola Akinkuotu, said it had come to the notice of the agency that “several unlicensed operators have engaged in the extremely dangerous practice of providing air transportation without meeting the regulatory

r eq u ir emen ts an d w ith o u t appropriate insurance coverage.”

Akinkuotu further said, “Some of these illegal operators do not have the requisite maintenance facilities, thus seriously endangering the lives of Nigerians. Worse still, these illegal operators employ mostly foreigners as crew, thereby denying Nigerians employment opportunities in the industry.

“It is criminal to engage in commercial charter services

without a valid Air Operators Certificate.”

Meanwhile, the NCAA has said its newly introduced charges for non-scheduled commercial operators have replaced all previous charges such as the landing and parking fees, the enroute navigational charges and the passenger service charge.

In a memo, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondents, the regulatory agency said Nigerian-registered aircraft would pay only $3,000 (N480,000) per flight, while

foreign-registered aircraft would pay $4,000 (N640,000) per flight.

The agency, in the memo, also said that private jet owners were exempted from paying the charges.

According to the memo, the charges are based on the tariffs that are being charged by scheduled commercial operators for their services.

“This segment of the air transport industry is one of the key focal areas of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in its ongoing industry transformation efforts and major

investments have been and are still being made to provide appropriate infrastructural facilities for their services,” it stated.

The Co-ordinating General Manager, Corporate Communications, Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, however, said the charges were not meant for everybody operating private jets, but for those operating on commercial basis, including foreignregistered and locally registered aircraft.

N776bn lost to corruption in fertiliser sector – Adesina

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he Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has said the country lost about N776bn between 1980 and 2010 to corruption under the old fertiliser distribution policy.

Adesina, who stated this at the end of a three-day Food and Agriculture China South-South High Level meeting in Abuja, noted that the loss translated into an average of N26.3bn annually.

Before the inauguration of a new fertiliser policy under the Growth Enhancement Scheme, the Federal Government had bought the product from contractors and distributed same to farmers. Only few farmers reportedly had access to the agricultural input.

This, the minister said, prompted the Federal Government to unveil a new scheme where an electronic

subsidised electronic vouchers for seeds and fertilisers on their mobile phones.

Under the old policy, Adesina said only 11 per cent of farmers got fertilisers f r o m t h e government.

He said, “The backbone of any agricultural revolution is access of farmers to modern agricultural inputs, especially fertilisers and seeds. The old system of the government Dr. Akinwumi Adesina buying and wallet was developed that distributing fertilisers was very allowed the farmers to receive corrupt. We found that only 11 per

cent of the farmers got the fertilisers bought and sold by the government.

“Rich and powerful political elites siphoned off the fertilisers belonging to the poor farmers.

Between 1980 and 2010, over N873bn was spent on fertiliser subsidies. With only 11 per cent of farmers getting the fertilisers, about N776bn was siphoned off the system through corruption.”

The minister said the new fertiliser system, which was introduced under the GES, had been successful, adding that in 2012 alone; about 1.5 million smallholder farmers got subsidised seeds and fertilisers using their mobile phones.

“So far, this year, over 3.5 million farmers have received their subsidised inputs via the e-wallet scheme. The system saved the country about N25bn in 2012,” he added.

Firms' handover: Electricity workers threaten to shut plants

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he smooth transition in the power sector envisaged by the Federal Government, local and foreign investors may be farfetched as the workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria have threatened to withdraw their services from Wednesday.

The shutdown threat is if President Goodluck goes ahead with the scheduled handover of the privatised power firms to the new today (Monday).

The National Union of Electricity Employees, in a statement on Sunday, protested the planned handover, saying several labour issues had not been settled.

It, therefore, said if the government continued with its action, the PHCN workers would not be able to guarantee electricity supply after Wednesday, October 2, 2013.

The union said in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Joe Ajaero, “Because of the Independence Day ceremonies, we will be patient to allow for full

workers would have technically been asked to withdraw their services and we may not be able to guarantee smooth operations.

“Consequently, if after October 2, 2013, the office of the Vice-President fails to correct this misleading information, we shall not guarantee s u p p l y o f electricity in the country. This is not a threat as our earlier ultimatum has expired.”

The union listed issues that were not resolved to include the non-conclusion President Goodluck of payment of celebrations. However, we hereby terminal benefits to the workers; urge Nigerians to bear with us if non-payment of retirement after October 2, 2013 the savings to the workers' Pension government goes ahead with her Fund Administrators; and nonillicit handover to the investors in remittance of two per cent of the a f o r c e f u l t a k e o v e r ; t h e union deductions as agreed. implication will be that the Others are non-payment of

retirees who disengaged from the P H C N s i n c e 2 0 11 , n o n regularisation of the casual workers already identified, failure to give the workers 10 per cent equity shareholding and shortfall of terminal benefits from June 2012 till date.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Enterprises said in a statement issued by the Head of Public Communications, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, in Abuja on Sunday, the handover of share certificates to the investors by the President was part of the activities to celebrate the nation's Independence anniversary.

It also said a total of $2,525,824,534 (about N403bn) was realised as privatisation proceeds in the sale of the 14 successor companies carved out of the PHCN. Of the amount, it said $1.256bn came from the distribution companies, while the generation companies provided $1.269bn.

It added that the Federal Government had set aside about N384bn out of the proceeds to settle outstanding labour liabilities.

The Director-General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, was quoted as saying that the handover was a culmination of 14 years of painstaking efforts by the National Council on Privatisation, the BPE and other key stakeholders to reform and liberalise the country's electricity industry.

The NCP chaired by VicePresident Namadi Sambo had recently ratified the payment made by the core investors, including the sale of the controversial Enugu Electricity Distribution Company to Interstate Electrics Limited.

The EEDC deal had turned controversial following the failure of Interstate, the preferred bidder, to meet the August 21 deadline given by the BPE. The reserve bidder, Eastern Electric Nigeria Limited, had gone to court to press for the right to be invited to acquire the electricity distribution company.

However, the NCP decided that Interstate and North South Power should pay the penalty for late payment for the EEDC and Shiroro Power Plc, respectively.

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

gist

The film also had Omoni at the forefront of meeting and greeting of fans at the cinemas.

Here Are The Richest and Most Powerful Nse Ikpe-Etim: Babes In Nollywood

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our elements contribute to the success of a movie at the box-office. They include good script, experienced director, professional publicist, and most importantly, the big name stars.

Of all the four, there is one a producer should never violate at the market place and that is the 'star' aspect of it. There could be a bad script, inexperienced director and not too good publicity for the movie but it is almost impossible to have Return On Investment (ROI) with unbankable stars.

million. So, putting all the figures together, Genny remains at the head of the pack. What seem to be

with the street parlance in it becoming the mode of communication in social gathering. And as an icing on the cake, Funke has moved upscale, she is now the toast of events

million while her second effort, Anchor Baby made N18 million bringing her total earning to N31million.

Omoni's strength is her exclusivity and knack for quality.

Omotola

Genevieve

Rita

working for Genevieve are her enduring power, popularity and social media connection. The actress has been there for over a decade and is still waxing stronger. Her wine seems to taste better with age.

Another plus for Genny is her popularity. Genevieve is hugely popular across Africa and most especially among the youths.

Before now, she has been very active on the social media especially Twitter. She even had to put up a Facebook advert after reports emerged that some acts were ahead of her there.

organized by the rich and not so rich. Her box office credibility transcends the cinema as all DVDs parading her face turn into gold.

It is a known fact that if the project is not big and ambitious, Omoni might not do it. The disadvantage of that is, despite her box office credibility, Omoni is still unknown in areas where there is no access to cinemas. Perhaps, that is the reason she tries to make up with the red carpet presence.

For now, the exclusivity is working for Omoni; perhaps her new movie, Broken and other works will introduce a new twist.

One other thing that should not be forgotten is the unprecedented publicity of Anchor Baby in 2010.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde: On the list is Omotola JaladeEkeinde with box-office gross of N60 million. She made N24 million with Last Flight to Abuja, N6 million from Private Storm and her N30 million share in Ije bring her total earning to N60 million.

This year alone, no actress has made as much as N24 million from a single movie; Funke Akindele would have done so with The Return of Jenifa but the movie hit the box office in 2011.

Omotola, who was reported to have been paid N5 million by Tarila Thompson all in the bid to make his movie a blockbuster, has been described as the biggest box office actress of 2012. She recorded successes back to back but it remains to be seen if she can pull off the box office magic again with Amina and other movies coming in 2013.

Omotola has been an A-list actress even before Genevieve got her first big break and so what has been working for her is the wise investment in her brand. Her enduring presence and unceasing contact with her fans via the social media has made her popular even in an environment where a mother of four like her is not fashionable.

Genevieve Nnaji: Next is Genevieve Nnaji. Love or hate her, Genny as she is fondly called, has a way with cinema audiences that make them come back again and again for her movies.

So far, Genevieve's starring in the movies has grossed over N83 million at the box office. Mirror Boy (described by the actress as her first major film and the first to put her at the box-office) made N18 million, while Ije netted N60 million turning out to be Nigeria's highest grossing movie ever. But Genevieve had to share the money with Omotola, who also acted alongside her. If the sharing formula is 50-50, then Genevieve gets N30 million of the total gross.

Genevieve's next movie, Tango with Me went on to make N35

Funke Akindele: Surprisingly, the third person on the list is Funke Akindele, a young lady who rose to fame in I Need To Know, a TV series, and went on to earn a monstrous fame with Jenifa.

Funke is an unlikely candidate on this list. Now, how can one explain that she is third on a list parading heavy weights like Omoni Oboli, Nse Ikpe-Etim and Stephanie Okereke among others?

So far, Funke has made over N56 million, netting over N20 million in 2012 alone. In The Return of Jenifa, Funke netted N35 million.

The movie ran till February 2012.

Her movie, Married but Living Single made N9.9 million while Maami made N11 million. The actress is on her way to another cinema glory with a movie, A Wish. Let's hope she will be able to wave the magical wand again and create a box-office success.

For Funke who recently got married, the plus factor for her is her huge popularity among the masses and elites. Her movie, Jenifa cuts across all social groups

Omoni Oboli: Omoni Oboli, who is still largely unknown to those who don't patronise the cinema and social media, is fourth on the list. She is a silent achiever. Before the trio of Genevieve, Omotola and Funke even dreamt of hitting the box office, Omoni Oboli already took the lead. Figurine, her first box office appearance made N13

The fifth slot belongs to Nse IkpeEtim. She seems to be the latest sensation in big budget movies. In Mr and Mrs, Nse was a delight, her performance was a reference point and it was a hook that kept drawing people to the cinema while the movie was there.

Mr and Mrs made N6 million while another of her film, Phone Swap made N20 million, making a total of N26 million.

Too early for Nse to cement her place, as she hasn't done N15 million back-to-back but one thing the actress has made clear is that she has intention of doing that. The leading four acts should be afraid of Nse because her strength lies in her pure acting talent.

Nse is born to act, deemed to be unnecessarily assertive a times, but you can't accuse her of not knowing her lines. And she pushes her movies with virgour, moving from one cinema to the other.

However, Nse should watch it as many have accused her of being too 'self-conscious', a term casually used for budding stars who have 'over-hyped' impression of themselves as this could alienate fans who make the boxoffice count.

Rita Dominic & Stephanie Okereke Rita Dominic and Stephanie Okereke should readily make the list but they haven't appeared at the cinemas more than once.

Hopefully, Rita will break into the list with The Meeting, Lion of 76 and Street of Calabar while Stephanie already had N10 million under her belt with Through the Glass.

Olawale wins MTN Project fame

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lawale Ojo has emerged winner of glamorous music talent reality show, MTN Project Fame Season six.

Olawale beat five other finalists with his final performance of Asa's song 'Beautiful' to clinch the grand prize of N5m, a brand new car and a recording contract.

Immaculate was named first runner-up, winning a cash prize of N3m and a car.

Margaret comes 3rd with N2m and a car, Eniola in the fourth position with N2m. Omolayo was fifth with N1m and in the sixth position was Roland with N500,000.

Olawale becomes the sixth winner of the popular TV show joining past winners Iyanya, Mike, Chidinma, Monica and AYO.

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

By Okey Anyichie

Nigerian Pioneer Football Clubs (10)

Bridge Boys F.C.

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ridge Boys FC is a Nigerian football club based in Lagos. It was founded in the mid-1970s by the Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and has won national championships and competed internationally. Players such as David Adekola, Yakubu, Taribo West, Sunday Oliseh, Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke, Rashidi Yekini, Garba Lawal, and Mutiu Adepoju have played for Julius Berger.

Until 2006, the club played in the Nigerian Premier League, but their owners announced plans to close the club by 2008.

However, outgoing Chairman of the board of directors Mobolaji Johnson (a former governor of Lagos State) said in August 2008 that the company has

steadied their finances and are prepared to fully fund the team in 2008/09. They played their final 2008 home games at the

University of Lagos after Onikan Stadium was shut down for the rest of the season.

Berger temporarily relocated to Abeokuta for two years in 2004.

In October 2010, the team was bought by the Lagos State government for approximately 500 million naira, despite a bid from West and Victor Ikpeba. The club was renamed "Bridge Boys F.C." 2013 Hiatus However, in Dec. 2012 just before the 2012 Nigeria National League season the team tried to sell their league

slot to Ekiti-based Fountain F.C. They withdrew from the league when the sale fell through. This left their future participation in Nigerian football in doubt. They did participate in the Lagos State Federation Cup Achievements Nigerian Premier League: 2 1991, 2000.

Nigerian FA Cup: 2 1996, 2002.

Nigerian Super Cup: 2 2000, 2002.

Performance in CAF competitions CAF Champions League: 2 appearances 2001 Group Stage 2004 First Round African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1 appearance 1992: Second Round CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 3 appearances 1995 Finalist

Sport in Nigeria from 1960: A Reunion with Landmarks of Achievements

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soccer at ctober 1st 2013, marks the continenta 53rd anniversary of l a n d Nigeria's sovereignty. global Since 1960, when Nigeria became levels, independent and a member of perhaps is United Nations Organization a pointer to (UNO), the then new country on higher the West Coast of Africa started achieveme getting involved in the numerous n t i n international activities like sports future. competitions. Ghana the first West Athletics African country to gain is another independence in 1957 had been sporting challenging Nigeria, in the field of a r e a , sports during the colonial days, w h e r e engaged Nigeria in the field of Nigerian football and beat Nigeria on the sportsmen first of October, 1960 in Lagos by a n d 3-0 and lifted the independence women gold cup.

Blessing Okagbare tried their After this victory over Nigeria by Ghana on the day of our independence best to keep the flag-flying since 1960, at the celebration nearly posted a sign post for the regional, continental and global levels. standard of our soccer development, Nigeria set the standard like other African whenever we engage this small West African countries. In 1965, when All-Africa games country known for hitting the headlines in began, Nigerian athletes led by Sam Igun sports. But now the situation has changed as won a total of twelve medals in gold, silver Nigeria since 1960, had her best in both and bronze to come second at the end of the continental and global soccer competitions. maiden edition of these pan- African games in Hence since1960, a summary of our efforts 1965 in Congo-Brazzaville. Since 1965 has seen football teams from our shores Nigeria has been in the front runner in winning the continental soccer competitions athletics in the games and 2003 in Abuja won in both youth and senior categories. In 1980, the overall at the end of the games with 1994 and 2010, Nigeria joined other African medals coming from both field and track countries to win the Africa Cup of the Nations events. In Commonwealth games equally, that started in 1957. At the continental levels, our athletes performed well in flying colors Nigerian youth teams even flew the flag starting from 1950 in New Zealand and in higher as Christ the King College (CKC) 1954 in Vancouver. Nigeria became the first Onitsha won the world secondary schools team from Africa to win the high-jump gold medal in the Commonwealth games through soccer championship in Ireland in 1977.

This unique victory was followed up in 1985 Emmanuel Ifeajuna. Nigeria from these 1954

by Nigeria under 17 lads who won the maiden games to the last one in India gave a good edition of global organized soccer account of her performances in the games in tournament in this age grade. Later the athletics and now preparing hard for next competition was won again in 1993 in Japan year's edition in Glasgow- Scotland. and 2007 in South Korea. The climax of However it is in the Olympics that our efforts triumphs at the global youth tournaments, in athletics and other sports like boxing, was clinching of Olympic Games soccer gold where mediocrity is the word that matched medal in 1996 in USA by the under 23 age our standards since the first outing to the grade group from Nigeria led by Nwankwo games since 1952 at Helsinki- Finland. It was Kanu. With this score card in the field of only in 1996 in USA that a female long-

jumper, Chioma Ajunwa Okpara took a leap that earned the country the first Olympics games gold medal in athletics. Nigeria is yet to win another gold in Olympics unlike Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Uganda these are the African countries that had 'harvested' gold medal at the Olympics since 1960. However hopes are very high on Nigeria's standard at 2016 games in Brazil.

Boxing is another sport that has lifted the name of the country high at global level. In 1957, Hogan 'Kid' Bassey, from the present Cross-River state, won the world feather weight boxing title in Paris-France in June 1957 and held on to the title till 1959, when he was defeated by an American boxer Davey Moore. Later another Nigerian boxer Dick Tiger from Imo state won the world middle weight boxing title in 1962 in USA. He defeated the American title holder, Gene Fulliner and held on to the title till 1965. In the same year he climbed to the higher weight class of light heavy weight and in December 1966 beat the Pueto-Rican boxer, Jose Torres, to win the world title. He was however dethroned in May 1968 by an American boxer Bob Forster and he finally called it a day in boxing and started boxing coaching. He transited in December 1971 after years of dedicated efforts in the game of boxing that painted the image of his country in golden colours.

In looking at these major highlights of Nigerian standard at both continental and global sports landmarks since 1960, may not be all that a big deal but an effort is an effort. If for anything the Nigeria's green and white flag had flown high twice at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta Georgia, USA during the victory ceremonies in female long jump event and football event. The same in the Commonwealth games in 1954,1966,1974,1982,1990,1994, 2002,2006 and 2010.

With the present standard of sports at both continental and global levels all hands should be on deck to see that Nigerian sports men and women excel in different international sports meets Hence mediocrity in sports by the country is very unacceptable now.

Nigeria- Ethiopia ! Not Yet Uhuru Analyst raises alarm on Nigeria Vs Ethiopia world Cup last round.

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football pundit and Chairman NUJ Enugu State Council J a me s O p ar ae k o c h a h as expressed worry on the over confidence

by Nigerians and especially when the team is fixed with a 'minor football nation'.

While he gives them the kudos for being in such high spirit and confidence which in any case are vital ingredients for a football victory, sport analyst and commentator warned Nigerian Super Eagles’ led by Stephen Keshi to remember why Nigeria failed to qualify for Germany 2006 World Cup. According to Oparaekocha, “Sometimes playing against a supposedly 'weak team' can be counterproductive. This is because the assumed better team plays the game with a lot of over confidence while their opponents come into the game very cautious”.

He said, “When the final draws for the 2006 world cup pitched Nigeria against Angola; Nigerians went to the street jubilating, even when the games had not been played. It was therefore pitiable to see Nigerians on that day in Kano weeping like babies when Angola, right before our very eyes snapped the world cup ticket at our back yard.”

He noted that a look at the Ethiopian team current standing shows that they first eliminated seeded South Africa and there results in the qualifying rounds remain a cause for worry adding that they won 4 of their games, drew 1 and lost only 1.

“Also at the 2013 African Nations cup which Nigeria won, Ethiopia gave us a scare until around the 80th minute when an in-form Victor Moses single handedly gave Nigeria victory, more through self effort rather than through any technical input.”

Mr. Oparaekocha who wondered why Nigeria should be worried about meeting teams like Ethiopia, insists that Nigeria has what it takes to win the World cup or at least get to the semifinals.

On the past performance of the Eagles at the world cup he said, “Many Nigerians have failed to appreciate that Nigeria had the potential to win the 1994 edition of the world cup in America, but the problem was that Clemence Westerhof, the Nigeria coach had no technical ability to carry the world cup that year, if not, how will one explain how a Bulgaria we beat 3-0 could still get to the Semi-Finals of the tournament and emerged the 4th best team of the tournament; or an Italian team we held till the last seconds of the game went on to hold Brazil for 120 minute and only lost the trophy through penalties.”

“I know Nigeria will qualify, but what I don't know is whether the team has what it takes to do well in Brazil. We saw what happened in the Confederations cup. Our bench simply lacked the technical knowhow to beat our opponents. Keshi must also learn how to parley with his big players. He must find a way to recall Osaze Odemwengie as he remains one of our best strikers till date,” he said

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Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

Man Utd has not got world class players to win Champions League campaign Brom held their Champions League – David Moyes with a 4-2 home win over Bayer defended well.

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nited have lost three of their opening six games in the Barclays Premier League under Moyes, with the latest setback coming in a 2-1 home defeat to West Brom at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Premier League champions were unsuccessful in their pursuit of a number of summer transfer targets, with interest in Cesc

Fabregas, Leighton Baines and, finally, Ander Herrera all coming to nothing, and Moyes is concerned that his squad may lack the quality to challenge for Europe's top club prize.

"To win the Champions League, you need five or six world-class players," he told several national newspapers.

Henry Winter, Shaun Custis and

Andy Dunn assess how David Moyes is adjusting to life with the Premier League champions "Look at Bayern Munich, they have it. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past and Real Madrid, who have maybe got it now. That's the level you have to be at to win it.

We've not got that yet but what we have got is experience."

The Red Devils began their

I can still make Eagles list – Aluko

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ull City's Sone Aluko is aiming to establish himself in the Premier League and earn a Nigeria recall.

The former England youth international switched allegiances four years ago and made his Super Eagles debut in 2009.

His last game under coach Stephen Keshi was in June 2012 as a substitute in a 2-0 over Rwanda in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

“If things go my way this season I can still break into the team for Brazil definitely,” he told BBC Sport.

“If I maintain my form then I will have a good case for selection.”

Nigeria face Ethiopia over two legs in October and November in a play-off for a place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Injuries have prevented Aluko from being a regular for the Super Eagles and he has not featured in Nigeria's 2014 qualifiers so far.

“Disappointed would be a strong word to use maybe but I've never hidden the fact that I want to play for Super Eagles,” he said.

“That remains the aim so missing out again is frustrating but makes me hungrier too.

“Earning a recall does cross my mind but it is not an everyday thought.

“During international breaks and other random times when teammates and coaches ask me how come I've not been selected, then I think about it.”

While Aluko believes a place in the Nigeria squad is achievable he does concedes that others are ahead of him in Keshi's thinking.

“To keep working hard and hope is all I can do, we are fortunate as Nigerians that we are blessed with top players especially in attacking positions so competition is high,” he said.

“I'm now in arguably the best league in the world and in the Premier League good form for my club playing regularly so I can't do too much more than I am.

Hopefully I can maintain this and focus on helping HullCity.”

Leverkusen earlier this month and face a difficult assignment away to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

They have not enjoyed great success in either of their previous two European campaigns under former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, going out at the group stage in 2012 and losing in the last 16 to Real Madrid last season.

Charlie Nicholas believes the evidence is worrying for Man Utd fans following a poor performance in the 2-1 defeat against West Brom.

Domestically, United's start to the campaign is their worst since the 1989-90 season - one which ended with Ferguson's first silverware as the club won the FA Cup. The defeat to West Brom was their first home loss to the Baggies since 1978.

But a solid Baggies defensive d i s p l a y, a l o n g w i t h s o m e impressive counter-attacking football, proved too much for the Red Devils to handle, and Moyes felt his side got what they deserved.

"Disappointing performance, disappointing result. We never really got up to speed," Moyes said.

"We had a few chances, but West

shape and

"They always looked a threat on the break, in the first half especially and even more so in the second half.

David Moyes admitted to it being a testing time at Manchester Utd following their 2-1 loss at home to West Brom.

"We missed that spark and West Brom deserved it no question. I can't argue with that."

The United manager introduced Adnan Januzaj at half-time in place of Shinji Kagawa, but the change had little effect on proceedings.

"I just tried to find another way, change things from the first half," Moyes explained.

"We want Shinji to feel he's getting an opportunity to show what he can do and his best position may be number 10.

"But even for Japan he plays off the left as well so it's not something which is strange to him or a position he's not used to.

"I thought young Adnan came on and did really well.

"I have a strong team here at United, some good players, so I am in no doubt we will put it right.

"We will just go out and try and win the next one.”

Help Yobo hit 100 caps mark, Ladipo begs Keshi

T

he clamour for the recall of Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo increased during the week with the President-General of the Nigeria Football and other Sports Supporters Club, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo adding his voice.

Dr. Ladipo who spoke in Lagos pleaded with the Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi to reconsider dropping of Yobo from the team because of his contribution to the team in the past, adding that the captain may be used sparingly in matches.

“I feel that Yobo has contributed immensely to our football and should be given that honour to hit the 100 caps mark. He can be brought into matches to play for few minutes in just four matches.

He is also experienced and can motivate the team,” he said.

Also speaking on the bonus issue that almost threatened to tear the team apart, Dr. Ladipo said that the intervention of the sports M i n i s t e r, M a l l a m B o l a j i Abdullahi was in the right direction because, “nothing should distract the team from qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.”

“We just have two more matches to qualify and the issue of bonus should not cause problem for the team now. I thank the minister for coming to the rescue by promising to ensure they get the US$10,000 bonus they are

demanding,”Dr. Ladipo said in Lagos.

On the hurdle posed by Ethiopia, the Supporters Club boss said, “The Ethiopians are good no doubt but I don't see them stopping Nigeria. If we prepare well, the Eagles will go to Addis Ababa and defeat them there but it is not going to be easy.”

The first leg of the final qualifier has been fixed for October 13 by the Ethiopians who claim they play their matches on Sunday while the return leg is scheduled for the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on November 16, 2013.

Some players of the team have expressed optimism in the team's qualification but Elderson Echiejile, a defender has cautioned on the effect of the high altitude in Addis Ababa while coach Keshi said he expects a tough match from the Ethiopians.

Vol. 1 No. 33, Tuesday, October 1 - Sunday, October 6, 2013

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Dick Tiger

Call to sack Oghiadome and Gulak in bad faith

By Barr. Utum Eteng

T

sack could as well be a ploy and a strategy by some forces to mislead the President to replace the duo with their surrogates to use them as a target and bargain in 2015. The call for their removal is suspicious and founded in bad faith.

After all, it is still doubtful if the pressure that led to the removal of Gen. Azazi was not a move in bad faith. Also, This is because one would have thought that after Gen Andrew Azazi was removed as National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President and replaced with Darsuki Sambo, the Security situation in some

he recent pressure mounted on the President by some PDP dissenters to remove his chief of staff to the president, Chief Mike Oghiadome and Ahmed Gulak, Political Adviser to the President, to say the least is made in utmost bad faith and mischieve. The duo may have been noticed by detractors to the President as his foremost supporters whose removal at this crucial moments in the political life of the President would pave way for them to materialize their evil machinations against president Jonathan for 2015. Both Oghiadome and Gulak are personal aides to the President the President is not known to have complained about them.

The request carefully planned strategy to harp on the President's support base with a view to weaken it.

The dissenters claim, the two aides block other PDP members from gaining across to the President. It is Oghiadome possibly judging from the timing of the request, that it is, an after- parts of the would improve, but up till this thought coming weeks after the G-7 & co moment there has been no significant disrespectfully walked out on Mr. improvement. Instead more lives have President at the of the PDP special been lost.

The attempt to blackmail Chief convention venue at the eagle square, Oghiadome, a long Standing Presidential Abuja. It is unknown whether the dissenters had before now made a loyalist must be properly investigated to complaint against the two aides or just a ascertain those behind this mischieve. ploy to give a dog a bad name to justify its Chief Oghiadome and Gulak are not killing. One may pulse to ask why was this indispensible aides, but the speculations reason not made part of the complaint by making the rounds as to who should the dissenters at the initial time when their replace Chief Oghiadome as Chief of memories were still fresh? However, it is Staff, point the direction of a long standing doubtful whether the request is coming surrogates of a former military President. from the dissenters or is not an in house This is dangerous.

It may be pertinent to remind Mr. conspiracies.

The sudden pressure, to the President to President that part of the scenario playing relieve Chief Oghiadome and Alhaji out today is because over the years he has Gulak of their positions is a new built the foundation of his administration dimension which may possibility be a on the loyalists he inherited from other dummy sold to the President by some leaders as members of his team. Inherited aides in the Presidency who may be loyalty it must be noted is shared loyalty, uncomfortable with their closeness to the and shared loyalty belong to two owners President. The request is diversionary and (Masters). Firstly, it belongs to the original distractive in so far as the said aides are owner who recommended the aide for performing the functions of their office appointment and loosely to the new creditably well. And Mr. president has not master, the president. Otherwise, why found them wanting.The recent attempt to would some ministers, and Presidential pass a vote of no confidence against aides have anything to do with the Oghiadome's by his Edo north Senatorial leadership of the breakaway PDP inspite District to persuade the President to of the free -hand given to them by the remove him is enough pointer to the level President in the running of their ministries of mischeive by some powerful people in and departments? It is because their masters have disagreed with the and out of government.

Presidency and they must do their master's In the alternative, the request for their

voice. The President has a duty not to shape his tomorrow by drawing from the events of yesterday. He has a duty not to over-depend upon the recommendations of other leaders, be they state Governors or Ex-presidents in the making of his appointments into key positions. Rarely, they recommend men and women they would not control at times like this Instead stooges, surrogates and personal loyalists are recommended.

This is not to say there may not be exceptions. It is important to emphasize that in so far as the President has been on the Nigerian Political boat for a while, he should by ball standards be able to point out people in the different states he could work with. He should be less dependent on those nominated to him.

The President by way of caution, should watch his back carefully and must attempt to identify or to discover where the pressure to remove Chief Oghiadome Gulak and Gulak is coming from. He may who Isa Saidu now using paid advertorials in calling for the head of Chief Oghiadome.?

Is Saidu for the president or against him?

Yesterday, it was Elder Orubebe and Alison Madueke must go, today is Oghiadome, Gulak and Tukur, tomorrow may be chief Tony Anineh and Sambo.

The Nigerian Constitution gives the president the power to appoint and also fire any of his aides as he may deem proper to do. He does not need to be harassed by mischief makers laying false claims against any of his aides so that he could be sacked. Recent happenings are enough to warn President Jonathan that conspirators with antics to weaken his support base are every where. If any of the pressures are mounting with a view to create an opportunity to distract the President from his entitle to a 2 term in office come 2015, he should act fast. Gulak and Oghiadome are known Presidential aides one whose loyalty and commitment to Mr. President's 2nd term agenda is above board. They are no pretender's when it comes to urging the President to exercise his right to contest in 2015.

Let Oghiadome and Gulak be.

CHIEF BARR. UTUM ETENG PRIVATE LEGAL PRACTITIONER & PUBLIC AFFAIRS ANALYST 71B IBB WAY, CALABAR 08034008723, 08174898377

D

ick Tiger CBE (born Richard Ihetu August 14, 1929 December 14, 1971) was a boxer from Ubahu village, Amaigbo, Nigeria, who emigrated to Liverpool and later to the United States of America. Tiger was a member of the Igbo ethnic group. Tiger was a talented boxer, commercial venturer, and Biafran rebel.

Professional career Dick Tiger was one of the greatest fighters to come out of Africa. He became a twotime undisputed world middleweight titlist and helped keep boxing alive during the 1950s boxing industry recession.

Tiger earned an undisputed LightHeavyweight world championship. In 1962, Tiger won the world middleweight boxing championship.

On May 20, 1965, Tiger floored Rubin "Hurricane" Carter three times and won a unanimous 10-round decision. Tiger took on Gene Fullmer and won the world's Middleweight title by decision in fifteen.

Later in a rematch he drew in fifteen and in the rubber match won by knockout in seven rounds.

Tiger was an "in-house fighter" at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Retirement and death After retiring from boxing, Tiger worked as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. One day, he felt a strong pain in his back. Tested by doctors, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Tiger had been banned by the Nigerian government in his country because of his involvement in the Biafran movement; however, the ban was lifted immediately after news about his condition arrived in Nigeria.

He died of liver cancer on December 14, 1971; he was 42 years old.

Biafran rebel cause Tiger developed a portfolio of investments before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. Tiger was appointed CBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but he returned his insignia as a protest for what he perceived as a lack of support by Great Britain to the Biafran cause.