North tackles Yoruba leaders on autonomy

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61701

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N150

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Security: Jonathan Four die in Progress in power summons PDP govs, Suleja tanker sector irreversible explosion •Pg.5 — Presidency •P. 15 Tukur, others •Pg.6

North tackles Yoruba leaders on autonomy •Says it's recipe for breakup; semblance of secession •We agree with S-West on six regions — Ohanaeze scribe

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, SONI DANIEL & HENRY UMORU

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AGOS—NORTH ERN leaders, yesterday, spurned Yoruba leaders’ agitation for regional autonomy and a return to the parliamentary system of government, describing the clamour as a recipe for Nigeria’s disintegration.

Yoruba elders under

Continues on Page 5

Alcohol sales surge in Nigeria •PG.17

LES LEBA •P.40

Mr & Mrs

IBB@71—

From left: Vice President Namadi Sambo, assisting former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, with a special trophy for Golf Classic, to mark his 71st Birthday in Abuja, yesterday; while PDP National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and others watch. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Gunmen kill 5, burn church, police station in Borno •Pg.15

2015: We 'll check rigging with hi-tech voters' cards — Jega •P.44 C M Y K

2—Vanguard,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—3

4—Vanguard,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 — 5

POCKET CARTOON

North tackles Yoruba leaders on regional autonomy Continues from Page 1 the banner of Yoruba National Assembly, YNA, had after a meeting in Ibadan last Thursday, canvassed a return to the parliamentary system of government and granting of regional autonomy to the South-West. They also called for removal of the immunity clause for criminal offences; a new Nigeria consisting of a federal government and six regional governments (based on the current six geo-political zones) operating federal and regional constitutions, respectively; and adoption of Regional and State Police force structure among others.

But responding to the development, some prominent northern leaders, who spoke exclusively to Vanguard, kicked against YNA’s call, saying that the agitation would plunge the nation into incalculable crises and hasten her break-up.

However, SecretaryGeneral of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya, said the demands of the Yoruba leaders were in tandem with the position of Ndigbo, which had been sent to the National Assembly for inclusion in the on-

going constitution amendment exercise.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, said the call for regional autonomy and a return to parliamentary system of government was self-serving and had the semblance of secession.

Kaita said: “I do not really understand what they mean by regional autonomy. They should be bold enough to say that they do not want to be part of Nigeria any longer and stop talking about what does not make sense anymore in the country.

No longer ideal — Kaita “Regional autonomy and parliamentary system of government can no longer serve a complex society like Nigeria and our founding fathers were wise enough to jettison the system and adopt the present Presidential system, which to all intent and purposes, remains the best for a country like ours,” he noted.

According to the founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, neither the

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

M

AKE a good move, and continue moving, if you are not tired of where you are, where you are is tired of you. I don’t know what your circumstances are, but whatever you do, just keep on moving.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime —Dale Carnegie

A

MAN was taking a walk along the beach.

He saw that the morning tide from the ocean brought in hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, and they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water.

He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn’t understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, “What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?” This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, “It makes a difference to this one.

granting of autonomy to any region in the country nor a return to parliamentary system of government would solve the socio-political problems of the nation.

Kaita said that all that was needed to make the presidential system more useful was to strengthen the institutions of government to serve the citizens better and reposition the country as a strong, united nation in the world.

Adding his voice to the debate, National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Buba Galadima, described any call for regional autonomy as an invitation to the dissolution of the country.

“If they make the mistake to allow the kind of regional autonomy requested by the Yoruba, it is a recipe for the country’s disintegration because of the kind of politics being played in Nigeria. Our political immaturity would lead to dismembering the country as soon as any region is granted autonomy,” the politician noted.

Galadima warned that the country could disintegrate if urgent steps were not taken to address the growing sense of injustice and marginalisation of sections of the country by the government.

He maintained that demands for autonomy and other issues were borne out of perceived injustice and inability of the administration to provide the basic needs of the people.

It's retrogressive

— Haliru Mohammed

In his submission, immediate past Minister of Defence, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed described calls for a return to regional structure as retrogressive.

According to him, states replaced the regions because of demands by ethnic nationalities for self-determination, adding that a uturn to the old structure would be a repeat of the scenario where major ethnic groups like Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo were in total control of the regions and marginalised other groups.

The former Acting National Chairman of the PDP said rather than advocate regionalism what was required of the country now was to sit down and work out the modus operandi of our federation to accommodate all the ethnic diversities without any section feeling dominated.

His words: “Going back to regional structure is going to be retrogressive because states were created because of the demand by ethnic nationalities for self determination. To go back to regional structure where the major ethnic groups like Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo were in complete control of the regions is dangerous.

General Yakubu Gowon responded to the demands of the minority groups and created states to allow for some level of self-determination for ethnic nationalities. Going back will make major ethnic groups to continue to dominate the minorities.

Now, there is some level of equality between the nationalities regardless of the number and size.

“What Nigeria needs now is to sit down and work out our modus operandi of a federation that would accommodate all our ethnic diversities without one section feeling a sense of domination by others. Federating units should be different ethnic nationalities as we have in states. If there is need for creation of more states like in the case of South-East and also to break some of the larger and more populated states in the North and South, that can be accommodated rather than going back to regions.”

However, a former Senator from Kano State, Usman Kabiru Umar, stated that he would support any political restructuring that would bring about a strong, united and progressive Nigeria, where every citizen would have a sense of belonging.

“Now, if they say that autonomy and return to parliamentarism would guarantee the promotion of peace, development and a united Nigeria, so be it,” Indeed, Eya, who spoke in his personal capacity as a public commentator, said the

South-West clamour for six regions was sound.

“Before the Presidential system was introduced, we had four regions. The North accepted the regions and we had Parliamentary system. The presidential system is very expensive; if we continue with it, we will soon go bankrupt. The parliamentary system worked for us. Then, if you did not win an election you cannot become a minister. Now the president appoints ministers from everywhere and they are not accountable to the people.

Noting that Ohanaeze had prepared a document on the constitution amendment, he said:

“We agree with the South-West on six regions, which should become the federating units. The Federal Government should have nothing to do with state or local government creation. There is constant demands for new states and local governments because the military made them avenues for getting more allocation from the centre. Local governments should be states’ creation; they are not federating units.

We stand for equity, fairplay and justice. The military gave North undue advantage and they do not want to relinquish it,” he said.

Four die in Suleja tanker explosion

BY ABAYOMI ADESHIDA & FAVOUR NNABUGWU, WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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AJE (NIGER)— NO fewer than four persons died on Sunday in a fire sparked off when a petrol-laden tanker exploded close to the NNPC Depot in Maje, Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State. The explosion also injured six others who sustained various degree of burns.

The explosion also destroyed 27 shops and two residential houses.

The incident occurred when the tanker, while trying to find a parking space along the road in Maje village, skidded, spilled its contents and caught fire.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the tanker conductor, one Ibrahim, was among the

dead victims, while the others were one Halima, who was visiting a relation in the area and two other unidentified persons.

The Chairman, Suleja Local Government Council, Malam Yunusa Adamu, who attended the burial of the victims, pledged to foot the hospital bills of the injured victims, who are receiving treatment at Suleja General Hospital.

Meanwhile, Mr Edwin Nwokike, the Suleja unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, and the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Pius Edobor, have confirmed the incident, saying that investigations into the accident had commenced.

Nwokike warned tanker drivers to park at the designated parking space provided for them to avoid a repeat of such

6 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

From left: William Aghogho, Michael Eze and Touyo Mene, suspects arrested by men of the 3rd Batallion, Effurun, over alleged operation of illegal refineries and gun-running at Ajudaibo community, Warri South-West Local Government area of Delta State on Saturday. Pix: Akpokona Omafuaire.

The scene of the illegal refineries which was detroyed by men of the 3rd Battalion, Effurun, Warri.

Jonathan summons PDP govs, Tukur, others to crucial meeting zSecurity, state police, excess crude, PIB top agenda

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—WORRIED by the security challenge in the country, especially with activities of Boko Haram sect where killings and destruction of property have been carried out, President Goodluck Jonathan has summoned the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to a meeting.

Vanguard gathered yesterday that others who have also been summoned to the meeting which will hold at the Presidential Villa today, are the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Secretary, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin.

It was gathered that the meeting has become imperative to save the governors because the President was no longer comfortable with the situation where the governors sing different tunes when they ought to have agreed on a position when national issues come up for discussions.

The President is said to be unhappy because of discordant tunes by the PDP governors over the constitutional amendments, especially with regard to the demand for State Police, as well as activities of Boko Haram.

Other issues that will feature in today’s meeting include the onshore/off shore dichotomy debate

and the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. A source at the party said, the PDP was pushing for a coordinated constitutional amendment.

Vanguard was told: “The idea where the President, who is a product of the PDP would be continually at logger head with governors produced by the same PDP is not good for the polity.

There are 36 governors, and 23 of them are from the PDP, yet they cannot speak with a voice, this is not good

for the system; the meeting will endeavour to have a coordinated stand on issues.

Common stance on national issues "It is expected that there would be a unified position at the meeting, especially as the National Assembly is about to reconvene from break.”

It will be recalled that there was a split among the governors under the aegis

of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, on the demand for State Police, just as it became a confrontation between the northern governors and the rest.

At the end of its meeting in Abuja, on July 27, the Northern governors had through their Chairman and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu said they did not agree on State Police at an earlier meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum held June, 25 at the Rivers

State Governor’s lodge.

According to the Northern States governors, “the forum was not in support of the creation of State Police. It however, resolved to prevail on the Federal Government to embark on Police Reform that will assist the states in control and management of Police affairs, and further emphasise on the sound philosophy for modern policing by amending the provision of section 215 of the Constitution.

Also recall that President Jonathan had said last week during the conference of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA that Nigeria as a country was not ripe for State Police.

Strong indications emerged that there was crisis on the issue of on/off shore when the Northern Governors set up a committee to discuss the on and off shore dichotomy, just as they also directed their various Commissioners for Justice to discuss the implication of the on/offshore oil production and advice on the way forward.

Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso had spoken for the northern governors, when he stressed that the policy of on/off crude oil production was not acceptable to the northern governors.

....As PDP blasts Buhari; challenges him to public debate on governance

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, took a swipe at former Head of State and the 2011 Presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari, warning him to stop what it termed tissues of lies to gain political relevance.

The PDP which also challenged Buhari to a public debate on values of good governance, asked him to give the ruling party and Nigerians alternative ideas and plan of action to what the PDP has at present.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa

Metuh, the former Head of State is ungrateful to Nigerians and Nigeria for allowing him enjoy freedom of expression against the backdrop that under his watch as the leader of this country, freedom of expression landed many Nigerians in detention because of his obnoxious decrees.

The PDP, however, urged the CPC Presidential candidate to exhibit statesmanship in his assessment of the contributions of the PDP-led Federal Government to the cause of democracy and good governance.

The PDP spokesperson noted that political d i f f e r e n c e s notwithstanding, Nigerians expect from him, as an elder statesman and a former Head of State to

acknowledge what he described as the significant progress that Nigeria has witnessed in internalizing democratic culture since the return of democracy in 1999.

According to Metuh, “There is still room for improvement no doubt, but Nigeria under the PDP has recorded tremendous gains in terms of advancing the rule of law and the fundamental rights of Nigerians, in deed, in other indices of good governance which democracy is usually expected to guarantee. ‘’We recall that while on a visit to Kano last week, General Buhari had said of the PDP-led Federal Government; “under normal circumstances we are supposed to work strictly within provisions of the constitution, but this is

Nigeria and nothing is perfect and the only thing they have not tampered with between 1999 to date in Nigeria is the Holy Koran.

“We are shocked that an elder statesman could paint such an ugly picture, tissue of lies, of his dear nation just to advance his political fortunes. We shudder that a former Head of State under whose watch freedom of expression landed many Nigerians in detention on account of his obnoxious decrees, and who now enjoys such freedom, is utterly ungrateful to the efforts of our great party in advancing the cause of democracy. If the CPC leadership does not understand what the rule of law is, let’s oblige them with little details. ‘’Today, criticisms, even

destructive ones are hurled at the PDP-led Federal Government and no one is harassed because we uphold the inalienable rights of the people which is at the heart of democracy.

We throw our doors open to criticism so that we accommodate alternative views. ‘’Today, the PDP loses elections and winners are sworn in and we do not use our incumbency at the centre to truncate the democratic wishes of the people. However, in the states held by the opposition parties, local elections were rigged as witnessed in Lagos and Ogun States and where we defy the odds to emerge victorious like in Imo State, machinery of government was used to frustrate the expressed wish of the people".

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—7

8—Vanguard , MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

WEDDING BETWEEN SOLAPE AJIKE AND PELEDE AZAZI

From left: Former National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi; Mrs Mojisola Adunni; The couple, Solape and Pelede; Mrs Patricia Azazi, groom's mother and Chief Olukayode Olaleye, bride's father during the solemnization of Holy matrimony between Pelede Azazi and Solape Ajike at The Church of Assumption, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos on Saturday. Pix: Diran Oshe and Lamidi Bamidele.

From left: General Owoye Azazi, groom's father; Mr. Pelede Azazi, groom and Mrs Patricia Azazi, groom's mother during the engagement.

Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross River State (left) and Mr. Mark Okoye.

IBB MARKS 71ST BIRTHDAY

From left: Major General Ibrahim Haruna (rtd); Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo; Former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur during the 71st birthday celebration of the former Military President at the IBB Golf Classic Club 2012 in Maitama, Abuja on Saturday. Pix: State House.

Miss Solape Ajike, bride, flanked by Chief Olukayode Olaleye (left) and Mrs Mojisola Adunni (parents).

Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo (left) with IBB.

From left: Princess Aisha Lemu; Hajia Aisha Mohammed and Hajia Aisha Gana.

From left: IBB; Brig-Gen. John Shagaya (rtd) and Vice President Sambo.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 —9

From left: Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and StratFrom left: Mr. Segun Bakare, Photo Editor, Punch Newspaper, egy, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State and PJAN Patron, Mr. Mr. Joseph Akintola, Photo Editor, Vanguard Newspaper, Mr. Dan Ademola Akinlabi, Chairman, Photo Journalists Association of Nigeria, PJAN and Mr. Ukana, Deputy Photo Editor, ThisDay Newspaper and Mr. Idowu Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos on Media, Ogunleye, Photo Editor, PM Newspaper,at the event. reperesenting the Governor, at the PJAN Annual Week and Award Night in Lagos. Photos: Bunmi Azeez.

Ogun CP blames Police for allowing robbery

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA—A gang of armed robbers yesterday, laid ambush on cow sellers traveling along Kobape-Siun-Sagamu on the dual carriage highway in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, carting away an un-

disclosed amount of money.

The State Police Commissioner, Ikemefuna Okoye, has, however, blamed the incident on the inability of policemen detailed to patrol the road at that time, threatening to deal decisively with the erring policemen for alleged dereliction of duty.

Already, the CP as gathered, had ordered that the

policemen who ought to be on patrol be made to explain why they flouted the directive. The policemen were reportedly being interrogated by the command’s provost for onward disciplinary measures.

Vanguard learnt that the robbers laid siege for the cow sellers who were being conveyed from Lagos to Aiyetoro a town in Ogun

PDP still relevant in Osun – Babatope

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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ORMER Minister of Transport and Aviation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, yesterday, declared that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was not dead in Osun State contrary to claims by the ruling party in the state, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. Babatope who spoke against the backdrop of repeated claims by ACN that PDP which ruled the state from 2003 to November 2010 has lost relevance in the state, said PDP would continue to be relevant as long as democracy thrives in the country, being the party that controls the federal government.

The PDP leader who spoke in Osun, headquarters of Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state while receiving members of the ACN who defected to PDP in the area, said the PDP would soon bounce back in the state.

He said: “the return of the PDP in Osun State will be dramatic and that will happen in year 2014.The party is now united more than ever before, and this is done to ensure that we send the ACN out of power in Osun state. Come 2014, there will be a new government in Osun state that will show how a truly democratic government should do.”

Babatope who is a member of the PDP Board of Trustees also declared that the party can never die in Nigeria, adding that the PDP will continue to be relevant in all parts of the country including Osun and other states of the South West region.

Other speakers at the ral-

ly including the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, and former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun and state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa said the party is undergoing serious restructuring.

Mimiko bags UN award

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NDO State Gover nor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has been announced as the winner of the United Nations 2012 Habitat Scroll of Honour award in recognition of his contributions to sustainable human settlements’ development in the state.

In a letter which announced Dr Mimiko as winner of the award, the United Nations through its Co-ordinator on UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour, Ana B Moreno, said the choice of the Governor was the unanimous decision of an international jury.

The agency said: “Dr. Mimiko was selected among many nominees for the most coveted award in the human settlement sector. The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour is the most prestigious human settlement award in the world which aims to acknowledge initi-

atives which have made outstanding contributions in various fields such as shelter provision, leadership in developing and improving the human settlements and general enhancement in overall quality of urban life.

“Winners of the award were selected from across the world by an international jury of development experts on human settlements and urban development. In selecting the 2012 winners of the award, the jury looked for achievements and best practices in innovation, impact and sustainability in key human settlement development areas related to this year’s theme for the World Habitat Day which is Changing Cities, Building Opportunities."

The award ceremony is slated to hold on September 6, in Naples, Italy during the 6th edition of the World Urban Forum.

State at about 3.45pm.

But only one of the traders as gathered, was robbed of all his money as there was reportedly a shoot-out between the robbers and a police patrol team around Siun,which forced them to discontinue with their operation.

Confirming the incident, spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, Muyiwa Adejobi, hinted that during the shoot-out, the robbers managed to escape with bullet wounds and therefore appealed to doctors to be on the look out for patients with bullets wounds and report such to the police.

He informed that the cow dealer whose money was stolen from him was also injured in the process, adding that the policemen were combing the area for the fleeing robbers while the injured victim had been taken to the hospital The command’s boss, Ikemefuna Okoye , according to Adejobi would be meeting with the cow sellers with a view to giving them security tips on how to curb such attack, while reinstating the command’s resolve to protect travellers from hoodlums along the route.

PDP accuses Mimiko of distraction

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE—THE Peo ples Democratic Party in Ondo State, weekend, cried out over alleged plan by the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to use the fifth columnists and disloyal party-men masquerading as members of the PDP to cause unnecessary embracement for our Party.

It said in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, in Akure that all was in a futile bid to "distract us from our determined

march to win the Governorship election."

Fadaka said: “The latest plan as usual, is to approach the courts again to seek an injunction that is targeted at our governorship candidate. “ To say the least, this action is indicative of the intolerance and ungentlemanly content of the man who today administers our State, since Mimiko became Governor, the Judiciary under Justice Sehinde Kumuyi, has been comprehensively desecrated as the hallowed temple of justice."

Adeboye proffers solution to unemployment

BY GBENGAOLARI-

NOYE SOGBO—GENERAL Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has cautioned graduates against searching for job after leaving school, but enjoined them to be employers of labour.

Speaking at the sod turning ceremony of the Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, yesterday, Pastor Adeboye said the problem of unemployment in Nigeria can only become a

O

thing of the past if all graduates think of becoming employers and not employees.

While stressing the need for graduates to zero their minds from white collar jobs, Adeboye stated that graduates must be ready to use their ideas to solve the problem of unemployment in the country.

He said graduates of the Redeemer ’s University were warned not to apply for jobs, but trained to be employers of labour, adding that “the university is unique because we train our students to employ people and not to serve people.”

Ogun NULGE issues 7-day ultimatum over unpaid salaries

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA—WORK ERS in the 20 Local Government Areas of Ogun State have given Governor Ibikunle Amosun, a fresh seven-day ultimatum to pay the outstanding salaries owed them or risk a strike action.

The workers under the aegis of the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in

the state has accused governor Amosun-led administration of crippling the local government by starving the councils of fund.

In the letter signed by the State Secretary of the National Union of Local Government Employees, Mr. Bamidele Oyeniyan and made available to journalists in Abeokuta, yesterday, the workers threatened a showdown with the government over their unpaid

salaries.

Vanguard gathered that, all the councils have been surviving on overdraft facilities from banks due to poor funding by the government while it was also learnt that the larger per cent of the workers in the state are being owed salaries .

NULGEstatedthatithadealier givena 14-dayultimatum togovernment to settle the salaries which lapsed last Tuesday.

10—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Urhobo, most marginalised ethnic group —Kokori

BY FESTUS AHON

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G H E L L I — FORMER National Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Chief Frank Kokori, weekend, said the Urhobo ethnic nationality was the most disenfranchised and marginalised ethnic group in Nigeria.

Kokori, at the inaugural meeting of Urhobo

United Congress, UUC, in Ovierie-Ovu, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, stressed the need for Urhobo to be united in their political aspirations.

Noting that the new group was committed to uplifting the political, economic and social lives of Urhobo people, he said the Urhobo were the most disenfranchised ethnic group in Nigeria.

Edo @ 21: We'll soon be best state in Nigeria —SSG

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM PRESENTATION: Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama (right); Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Betty Efekoda (2nd right), during the presentation of starter-pack to Endurance Penda (left), a beneficiary of the state government's Skill Acquisition Programme, at Kiagbodo.

RSUST V-C appointment: Go to court, Amaechi tells ASUU

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT—There are signs that the crisis over appointment of Professor Barineme Fakae as Acting Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, may linger, following weekend’s reported comments by Governor Chibuike Amaechi to Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to challenge the appointment in court.

It will be recalled that Governor Amaechi recently appointed Prof.

Fakae as Acting Vice Chancellor of the university at the end of his term as substantive Vice Chancellor of the institution, an action that sparked off protests by lecturers of the university.

Lecturers in the university have been on strike in the last three weeks over the appointment.

The national body of ASUU, last week, had declared a one-day solidarity strike in support of RSUST-ASUU’s action, an order that was observed in most public

universities across the country.

Speaking, weekend, in Berlin, Germany, Governor Amaechi said the lecturers were free to challenge his action in court.

He said he acted within the confines of the state’s law governing the university when, at the expiration of his tenure, he

Y

ENAGOA—THE Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has dismissed the petition by Change Advocacy Party, CAP, against the election of Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, describing same as lack-

C M Y K

ENIN—SECRE TARY to Edo State Government, Dr. Simon Imuekheme, weekend, described the creation of the state 21 years ago as an act of God, adding that with the on-going developmental strides of the current administration led

by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the state would soon be the best in the country.

Imuekheme, who has played active role in the administration of the state from the military era till date, told newsmen in

Oil spill confab holds in Cross River

AKU Professional NASS can’t review constitution K Engineers Limited, in collaboration — Iyase of Benin geria, especially as it with Texas A&M UniBY DAPO AKINREFON

T

HE Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, has said that the National Assembly could not be entrusted with the task of embarking on a wholesale review of the constitution.

According to the Iyase: “The National Assembly members have not demonstrated at any point their awareness of the

core credible national aims and objectives for the proposed enterprise.”

Noting that the legislature is dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Igbe, in a statement, said: “The National Assembly, by its current composition, is therefore severally unsuitable to write a constitution for the multi-ethnic nationalities of Ni-

Bayelsa guber: A'Cour t upholds Dickson's ellection

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

re-appointed the institution’s Vice Chancellor as acting VC pending when a substantive Vice Chancellor would be appointed.

The governor said the law governing the university allowed a Vice Chancellor to serve another three years at the end of his first term.

B

ing in merit.

The court upheld the February election of Dickson as the duly elected governor of Bayelsa State.

Dr. Imoro Kubor of CAP had gone to the Appeal Court, challenging the ruling of the Bayelsa State governorship election tribunal, arguing that Governor Dickson was not nominated by his

party and that the right of a party to nominate was separate from the duty of the party to validly sponsor a candidate.

Kubor insisted in his petition that Dickson was not a candidate with Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had no candidate.

would appear that their party is speaking from both sides of the mouth on the matter of structures of governance.”

He advocated that those who should write the constitution, must be “strong and proactive anti-corruption advocates, who must, as imperatives, embed sincere, just and equitable structure of governance, natural tenets of amity and inter-ethnic respect as core objectives of the constitution."

Stating the need for all ethnic nationalities to be represented in the constitution making process, the Bini chief said such arrangement would afford equal representation.

He said: “Perhaps all that the National Assembly can do in the circumstances is to prescribe how each of the ethnic nationalities can be represented in a constitution-making body as Nigeria has hundreds of these nationalities."

Benin City, while assessing the 21 years existence of Edo State, that despite the stagnation suffered in terms of development during the military and early part of the civilian administration, the Oshiomhole administration has so far set a standard that any successive administration must emulate.

He said: “The Edo of my dream is already emerging, where there will be opportunities for everybody, where the social infrastructure will be comparable to what we have in developed countries in the areas of road, water, electricity and the likes."

versity's National Spill Control School, Corpus Christi, Tex a s , USA, will on September 10-11, 2012, organise a two-day international oil spill conference in Calabar, Cross River State.

A statement by the organisisers said the conference would provide valuable overview of the problems created by incessant oil spills, effects of such spills and compensation and develop clean up strategies, aimed at restoration of the Nigerian environment.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—11

Airhiavbere to Oshiomhole: Focus on petition issues

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DO State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has been advised to concentrate on issues in the petition at the election tribunal by General Charles Airhiavbere, governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, instead of mudslinging and name dropping to divert the attention of the

public.

Reacting to a statement credited to Oshiomhole, that Airhiavbere was only trying to stain his name over alleged certificate scandal, media aid to Airhiavbere, Mr. Okharedia Ihimekpen, said the Ruskin College, which Oshiomhole parades was neither a certificate nor degree awarding institution.

Edo lawmaker laments killings over land dispute

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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VISIT: Mr. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Treaties and Agreement(left), with Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, during a visit to Bakassi settlements.

Soldiers destroy 2,000 illegal refineries in Delta

BY EMMAAMAIZE & AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE

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ARRI—SOL DIERS from 3 Battalion, Effurun Barracks, near Warri, Delta State, weekend, destroyed no fewer than 2,000 unlawful refineries and refined products in the state.

They also arrested three persons at Ajudaibo, Warri SouthWest Local Government Area of the state, for gun running, while a suspected crude-oil kingpin, popularly known as AK 47, is on the run.

Eight welding machines, 30 operating huts, several Cotonou boats, 10 generating sets, three speedboats, unquantifiable GP tanks and drums, allegedly used by crude oil thieves, were destroyed in the operation.

In the operation that

lasted seven hours, the soldiers stormed the Ajudiabo home of a suspected major crude oil thief, where five loaded magazines and 204 live ammunition were found inside the ceiling in his kitchen.

The kingpin, AK 47, reportedly fled when he

sighted the soldiers, who came in four speedboats, but his girlfriend and two others were arrested.

Commanding Officer of the Battallion, Lt. Col. Ifeanyi Otu, told reporters at the end of the operation: “The operation is massive. A large number

A-Ibom seeks reprieve for Bakassi returnees A KWA Ibom State Government, weekend, warned against undue politicisation of the sufferings faced by the displaced Bakassi people, emphasising that Bakassi Peninsula was about people who lost their land, property, territory and means of survival in the aftermath of the lnternational Court of Justice, ICJ, judgement and not just about oil.

The call was made during a fact finding visit to

the state by the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties and Agreement, led by its Chairman, Mr. Dayo Bush-Alebiosu The state governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, during the stakeholders interactive session with the House of Representatives Committee, expressed dissatisfaction at the alleged maltreat-

Woman dies during prayer session in Delta Charles Muka, occurred prophet left for his home,

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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S A B A — A PROPHET and a landlord have been arrested by the police following the death of a woman who went for a prayer session conducted at a private residence in Agbor, Delta State.

The incident, according to state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr.

of Cotonou boats and GP tanks were destroyed along with an unquantifiable amount of refined products. The implication is that the oil thieves seem not deterred by our resolve, but I think the destruction method is working as their operation is being destroyed.”

weekend, at the residence of the landlord, who organised the prayers for spiritual healing.

Muka said: "The deceased, identified as Nwanwundu Abiodu, on Saturday, came to the house of the landlord for prayer purposes, which had been on since August 31, conducted by the prophet.

“But at 11p.m., the prayer ended and the

but suddenly, one Reverend Rose started shouting that Abiodu was dying.

The prophet was called back and holy water was sprinkled on the woman, who was unconscious,” adding that the woman was rushed to Central Hospital, Agbor, where she was confirmed dead.

“As I speak, both the prophet and the landlord of the prayer have been arrested while investigation is in progress.”

ment of Akwa Ibom indigenes residing and carrying out their normal fishing businesses in the Bakassi area, by the Camerounian authorities, and made a case for the Federal Government to address the ugly development.

The governor described as frustrating, the continued suffering experienced by returnees from the state who looked up to Akwa Ibom State Government for their shelter, means of livelihood and general survival.

He noted that Akwa Ibom State had been a victim of the entire Bakassi saga with its communities moved by executive fiat without any provision for their welfare or alternative home.

He told the fact finding committee that the real owners of Bakassi are yet to be compensated by the federal government, adding that those who benefitted from the compensation were not the real Bakassi owners.

ENIN—THE mem ber representing Orhiomnwon South Constituency in Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Friday Ogierhiakhi, has lamented what he described as unwarranted death of more than 30 persons due to the protracted boundary dispute between communities in

the council and some communities in Delta State.

Appealing to the National Boundary Commission to find lasting solution to the crisis, the lawmaker explained that the two committees, made up of elders and leaders of the council were inaugurated last week to find lasting solution to the problem.

Bayagbon family remembers dad

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HE Bayagbon fam ily of Jeddo, in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday, remembered their father, brother, uncle and cousin, late Mr. Palmer Bayagbon, who passedon on September 3, 1992.

The family, in a statement by one of the grand children, Ese Bayagbon, described the late Palmer Bayagbon as a loving and

caring father.

He is survived by two widows, 10 children and many grandchildren.

Late Mr. Palmer Bayagbon

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 3, 2012

More people commiserate with Ogbonna's family

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WELCOME BACK: Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State (right) being received on his arrival from his annual vacation by his deputy, Sir Emeka Ananaba, at Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri.

WERRI—MORE peo ple have commiserated witt the Vanguard family over the sad demise of the Group Entertainment Editor, Ogbonna Amadi, who died last week.

Musicians, owners of recording outfits and show promoters in Owerri stormed Vanguard Office at various times to commiserate with the establishment.

One of the early callers, Dr. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, who owns Beaton Recording Studios and Beaton Investments Limited, said the news of Amadi’s death came to him as a rude shock.

Abia ACN gets new exco

BY ANAYOOKOLI MUAHIA—ABIA State chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, weekend elected new officers calling to the people of state to embrace and support the party.

Chief Egwuatu Egbulefu, former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, member was elected the party’s new state Chairman while Mr. Nnabuihe Ogbonna was elected the state Secretary.

Also elected at the congress observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, officers were Elder Joseph Kalu as Deputy Chairman,

Orji expresses surprise over Northern U govs' position on State Police

BY ANAYOOKOLI

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MUAHIA—ABIA State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji yesterday expressed surprise at the

decision of Northern governor to back out of the agitation for creation of state police, insisting that the decision to support state police was collectively taken

by the Governor’s Forum.

Orji who was out of the country on vacation when Northern Governors backed out of the earlier decision of the Forum, maintained

that the decision for state police was for the interest of the country not for political reasons.

According to him, the decision was reached collectively after a brainstorming sessions at the Governors’ Forum taking into consideration the peculiarities confronting the nation, pointing out that the merits and demerits were fully considered and discussed collectively by the governors.

Speaking to journalists on arrival at Umuahia the United States of America, Governor Orji, said: “As far as the Governors’ Forum is concerned and I am a member of that Forum who was there when the decision was taken, that is where I stand. We took a collective decision at the Governors Forum that all the governors would support the issue of State Police. But while I was out, I heard different stories from our colleagues in the North who went and organised their own meeting and said that they don’t want state Police. But as far as the Governors Forum is concerned and I was there when this decision was taken, that is where I stand. If there is anything on the contrary, the South East Governors have not met on the issue of State Police. The Governors' Forum took a decision.

It was general. “ We have not gone to the Governors' Forum to reverse it. That is our own opinion. But if eventually the party, as an organ, comes out with a decision, as a loyal party man, I will be bound to abide by that decision."

He said: “I am here (Vanguard Office) to condole with the management and staff of Vanguard Media Limited on the death of their fiery Entertainment Editor, Mr. Ogbonna Amadi. Late Amadi left indelible marks in the entertainment world through his very fresh Saturday write-ups, which contributed a lot to the development of the entertainment industry in Nigeria.”

In their own tributes, some Bongo musicians in Owerri, Saro Wiwa, King Owigiri and Eligwe Nwa Ugorji, prayed God to give his wife, children, relations and friends, especially the Vanguard family, the fortitude to bear what he termed “this irreparable loss”.

Elder Joseph Kalu as the Deputy Chairman and Friday Konyerem as the first Vice Chairman (Abia Central) Others included Onyeama Ndusoro ; 2nd Vice Chairman (Abia Central), and Chief Sunday Ekpo as the 3rdVice Chairman (Abia North), Mr. Offor Okorie; the Publicity Secretary; Longjohn Ikoro, the Youth Leader and Nkeiru SundaywhoemergedtheWoman Leader.

In his acceptance speech, the new chairman promised that he would work democratically with others and ensure that every one was carried along.

FRSC threatens motorists

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI—IMO State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, weekend threatened to impound any vehicle that was not road worthy, during these ember months.

The Sector Commander, Mr. Haliru Baba Halilu, read the riot act while addressing journalists after the sitting of a mobile court that tried traffic offenders in Owerri.

He said: “The Command appeals to vehicle owners and drivers to ensure that their vehicles are road worthy, as we will not hesitate

to impound any rickety vehicle found plying the roads in our jurisdiction.”

The Sector Commander said the mobile court sentenced no fewer than 81 traffic offenders to varying sums of fine for flouting traffic laws, saying that Section [10]7 of the Act establishing the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, fully backed the establishment of the mobile court.

Hesaid:“Abreakdownofsome oftheoffencesshowsthat37were arrested for Light Sign Violation, LSV,20forSeatbeltViolation,SBV, sixforoverloading,OLV,sevenfor Caution Sign Violation, CSV,and five for Failure to Move Over, FMO.”

Oko Poly, Indian varsity sign pact

BY ENYIMENYIM

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NITSHA—FEDERAL Polytechnic, Oko, has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indian government University, Dr Harl Gour University, (central) Sagar.

The Rector , Professor Godwin Onu who disclosed this while delivering a key note address at the International symposium on the

impact of Nanotechnology and Renewable Energy technology on society, weekend said the MoU was for inter-cultural and educational exchange programmes.

He said: ” The needs for a more effective ways and methods of doing things is a key factor to a functionaleconomyandavibrant democracy.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—13

C M Y K

14—Vanguard , MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Rep tasks FG on River Benue's dredging

Defence hqtrs get 3.75kva solar plant

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member of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Aishatu Binani, representing Yola North/ Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency of Adamawa State, has appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the dredging of River Benue to avert flood disaster in the state.

Binani made the call in Yola, while presenting relief materials to displaced victims of flood in the state. She also urged the government to extend the dredging of River Benue to Wuro Bokki in Adamawa State to improve the economic activities of the people.

She said: “Sometime this year, I sponsored a motion at the House of Representatives calling on the Federal Government to extend the dredging of River Benue to Wuro Bokki in Adamawa State.”

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

RECEPTION: From left— Rev. Bunmi Jenyo, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Osun Central Senatorial District; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, National Secretary of PDP, at a reception for Prince Oyinlola and others in Oshogbo, weekend.

Power Ministry: Jukun allege marginalisation

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

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OLLOWING the exit of Prof. Barth Nnaji as Minister of Power, the Jukun of Taraba State have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint a qualified and credible person as a replacement.

Picking holes in the preference to fill the slot with

another South-Easterner, the Jukun, at a briefing in Lagos, which was attended by prominent personalities, among them a representative of former Defence Minister and elder statesman, Maj.-Gen Theophilus Danjuma, weekend, decried what they perceived as “continued marginalisation of their ethnic stock in the Nigerian project by the current administration.”

Spokesman of Jukun Kingdom, Chief Jubrin Anfani, said: “At no time in the history of this country has the Jukun been so unfairly treated as under this current administration.

“Incidentally, the administration has a fellow minority from the South-South at the head and we have the mandate of our traditional ruler, the Aku Uka of Wukari, Dr. Shekarau Ibi,

to express our sadness at the turn of things.”

He faulted what he called “the policy of replacement” about to be adopted in filling the present vacancy in the Power Ministry, and wondered why the President did not deem it fit to fill the vacancy created by the removal of the former Water Resources Minister, who was a Jukun, with another Jukun man.

BUJA—AGAINST the backdrop of energy challenges frequently encountered by Joint Task Forces, JTF, and other military formations in their effort to checkmate terrorism and other security challenges, the Defence Headquarters, weekend, took possession of a 3.75KVA Mobile Solar PV Generator.

The solar powered equipment, which is easily adaptable to weather, can generate power from the sun, batteries and generators and can store power for over six hours and power a four-bedroom bungalow.

Presenting the solar power equipment to DHQ, AO Demarg Nig Ltd, the manufacturer, said the 3.75 KVA generator valued at N2.5 million was donated as part of the organisation’s social responsibility and to assist the military succeed in its efforts at ensuring peace and security for the country.

Bauchi to slash workforce by 50% as Benue promotes 3,200, retires 1,000

BY PETER DURU & SUZAN EDEH

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AUCHI—BAUCHI State government, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Joint Negotiations Council, JNC, have started talks over government’s plan to sack 50 percent of its workers due to lack of funds.

Meanwhile, despite its

rising monthly wage bill, Benue State Government has promoted no fewer than 3,200 deserving workers on its payroll, while more than 1,000 civil servants have also been retired in the last one year.

Bauchi State NLC Chairman, Mr. Hashimu Gital, who confirmed the development in a telephone in-

terview with Vanguard, said: “We will not support the state government’s move to sack any civil servant in the state.

“We are still in dialogue with government over the development and I don’t want to preempt our meeting.”

In Benue, the promotion was carried out across the cadres of the

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

public service under the direct supervision of the Benue State Civil Service Commission, BSCSC. Chairman of BSCSC, Mrs. Comfort Agogo, who fielded questions, yesterday, from newsmen in her office, added that the state government plans to embark on a holistic reform of its civil service.

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

Do you support FG on N5,000 note?

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think it is a very wasteful and irrespon sible venture because it will create inflation, since the value of the naira will go down. The higher the notes you print, the lower the value of the naira. It is also quite contradictory with the cashless society.—Prof.

Itse Sagay.

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HAT is nothing more than voodoo economy. What is the rationale or philosophy behind it? Your philosophy should dictate what you do.

I think Sanusi feels like: “We have tried that one before, let us try this one and see whether it will work.”— Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, Lecturer.

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don’t consider it nec essary, considering its possible negative repercussions. The lower denominations, which are to become coins as we have seen in time past, are likely to go out of circulation whilst higher denominations are likely to lose value.—Mr. Ralph Nwoke, Lawyer.

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HO is Sanusi serving? Is he serving Nigeria, himself or some other people? Why do they want to bring N5,000 note? Is the economy deep enough to absorb the shock? Or they want to make it easy for themselves to continue looting the treasury?—Mr. Onyeka Chuwudi, Activist.

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UE to the looting of our treasury by some leaders, the new N5,000 will be an expressway for them. That will certainly make them to continue to loot our economy. I am not an economist, I am only looking at it from the negative aspect.—Mr. Usman Izuagie, Lawyer.

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OR me, I think it is okay. It will make it easy for people to carry money around.

What one need do is just to change the money to the new N5,000 notes. However it will make corruption go up in the country.— Mrs Chinwe Ekwe, Businesswoman.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—15

Gunmen kill 5, burn church, police station in Borno

BY NDAHI MARAMA

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AIDUGURI—GUNMEN suspected to be members of the Boko Haram, weekend, stormed New Marte, Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, where they killed a Police Sergeant (names withheld), and two civilians.

The gunmen also set ablaze the Divisional Police Headquarters, Cocin Church and the residence of the Unit Commandant of the Army. Five vehicles parked in the premises of the police station were also burnt.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed, yesterday, in Ummarari and Gwange wards of Maiduguri metropolis by suspected terrorists.

Vanguard gathered that some suspected terrorists had trailed their victim to his house at Ummarari ward and when he was about entering his gate at about 7:30pm, Saturday, they shot him twice in the head and he died immediately.

The attack at Gwange, it was learnt, took place Saturday night, when the deceased, who just came from Kaduna, was sleeping at their family house at Layin Bridge of Gwange area.

For the Marte attacks, it was gathered that the gunmen came in three Golf saloon cars and eight motorcycles and when they arrived the town, the residents scampered for safety as multiple explosions and gunshots rented the air.

An eyewitness, who narrowly escaped the attack told newsmen in a telephone call that “the terrorists overpowered the police and other security agencies as both the police and the army ran out of arms and ammunition during the four-hour battle with the attackers.

He said when the security agencies realised that they had run out of ammunition, they immediately called for reinforcement from the Monguno military barracks in Monguno Local Government Area. Help came too late.

Progress in power sector irreversible, Presidency assures Nigerians, investors

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—FEDERAL Government, yesterday, assured Nigerians and investors that the progress made in the power sector remains irreversible, even with the resignation of Prof. Barth Nnaji as the Minister of Power.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan also promised to protect the confidence and cred-

ibility of investors in the sector.

According to him, with the structures on ground and the institutions already put in place to drive the power sector, there was no basis for investors to entertain any fear.

The statement said: “President Goodluck Jonathan expects that before the end of December 2012, with the progress being made in the area of gas supply to the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, the

present improvement in the electricity supply for domestic and industrial use will not only be sustained but also significantly improved.

“The President has set a target for the actualisation of uninterrupted power supply, which drives economic development and Nigerians are assured that the process will not be truncated, while the privatisation of the sector will go on with utmost transparency.

“Majority of the NIPP projects that are yet to

operate in full capacity despite daunting challenges will, between now and December, be able to substantially and significantly improve the generation capacity to increase the availability and sustainability of electricity power supplied nationwide for long hours.

“It is the expectation of the President that the increase in power supply will attract foreign investors and open up the flanks for job creation.

“The Roadmap to Power Sector Reform has

greatly improved project planning and management efficiency in Nigeria’s electric power system in preparation for private sector management. The President is turning words into action as evident in the improvement in electricity power supply nationwide.

“President Jonathan is sincerely committed to ensuring that the government divests its interest in stateowned entities and transparently entrench the key principles of restructuring and divestiture in the electric power sector.”

16 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 ET another avoidable natural disaster has necessitated this question once again: How much do the government and people of Nigeria value the lives and dignity of Nigerian citizens? A recent spate of heavy rains led to the release, by the Republic of Cameroun of excess water from its Lagdo Dam, which occasioned deadly flooding down its course, wreaking havoc as it claimed no less than 10 lives and rendered over 20,000 Nigerians paragraph 3 of the Fifth Session of the Joint homeless in Adamawa State.

The tragedy could have been minimised if Commission of the Nigeria/Cameroun Conprior warnings issued by the authorities in vention on exchange of information on natuCameroun and Nigeria's own National Emer- ral activities in the Lagdo River and Lake Nyos gency Management Agency (NEMA) had in Cameroun, which had always transferred been heeded and acted upon. On August 23, spillover disasters to Nigeria.

Accordingly, NEMA transmitted this warn2012, the Deputy High Commissioner of Cameroun in Abuja, Ambassador David Sinou, ing to its zonal headquarters in the North-East wrote the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Federal and North-Central and the state chapters Ministry of Water Resources, NEMA and Gov- thereof.

No action was taken by either the Adamawa ernor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, informing them of a dangerous rise in the level State Government or the state emergency auof water at the Lagdo Dam, saying Cameroun thorities, and when the flood came it victimwould have no choice but to release water ised the uninformed and unprepared citizenfrom it to prevent the dam from collapsing. ry.

This is not only another clear case of failure Sinou wrote the letter in line with article III

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Who will pay for the Adamawa flood deaths?

BY NNAEMEKA ORUH

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OADS of critics will arise after reading this essay. Many African feminist critics could come for my jugular. I hope though that they will appraise the issue objectively and address it effectively. On my part,I will try as much as I can to be very objective and underline my points with verifiable facts, and keep it short. Very short. After all, this is only just a road map. One of the most salient points of this year’s Big Brother Africa is the relationship issue in the house. Of course there are two most significant ones: Goldie and Prezzo; Talia versus Keagan/Seydou. This essay is not all about the details of these two relationships. It is about how these relationships clearly underscore the issue of supposed female subsumation in Africa. Supposed, because whenever female subsumation is discussed, it is in reference to the man subsuming the woman.

Nobody ever mentions the woman’s/women’s part.

First, Goldie and Prezzo. Obviously, as a Nigerian, Goldie did have a whole lot of chances of making it to at least the last five/six. Big Brother Africa’s history testifies to this. But, was she able to do that? Clearly, she could not. It was not because Africans would not have kept her in the house if she did try to be entertaining a bit. The major reason was because she lost sight of why she was in the house and made her new focus Prezzo.

And true to type, the self-styled President utilized the opportunity presented to him by the unfocused and unassertive Goldie.

Upon meeting Prezzo, Goldie lost focus and made him her primary focus of entertainment. She washed, cooked, tended to and loved him wholeheartedly. In doing this, she maligned herself from her housemates and also failed to provide the necessary entertainment to Africa. Consequently, she became the most hated housemate to have ever come out of Nigeria since the inception of the Big Brother Africa show. Throughout the entire history of the Big Brother Africa, I do not think that Nigerians have hated any Nigerian housemate more than

OPINION Big Brother and the gender issue in Africa they hated Goldie during her time there. I know that some people will point to the fact that Nigerians still voted for her during her stay in the house, but then, sheer patriotism made that happen. No Nigerian made any extra effort to keep her in the house, and when she was evicted, everybody heaved a sigh of relief.

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he question now is, was Goldie not completely African womanish in her actions in the Big Brother Africa house?

A traditional African would say she was. The nouveau African lady will hesitate and show her “ambivalence”. Exactly how they(the women) subsume themselves and give men all the powers. My assertion here is that Goldie’s obsession with Prezzo led to her “early” eviction. As pointed out above, loads of people all over Africa could not feel her “entertaining” personality, hence she never, at any point, was Africa’s beloved.

Yet Prezzo stayed on to be the first runner-up. As you would see later on, African women decide who is entertaining.

Next up is Talia. Sweet and beautiful Talia. Africa’s beautiful queen. Loved by both male and female. Beloved of Angola and Seydou. Talia had it all working for her when she was Seydou’s loving and faithful girlfriend. In staying true to Seydou, she became the epitome of African beauty mixed with African virtue. Africa loved her; Seydou campaigned for her; and she had a very high chance of dragging the number one spot with Keagan. Then like Eve(not Big Brother Africa’s Eve), she fell. Keagan, dangling the serpent.

Talia, who had continuously professed her love for Seydou and stayed strong. Liked by all the housemates, she was never nominated for eviction. The only time she came up for evic-

of leadership but also dereliction of duty by an elected governor, who swore upon the constitution to protect the citizens and cater for their welfare. Time has come in this country when elected officials and government employees saddled with the responsibility of looking after the lives and property of Nigerian citizens are strictly held to account whenever they fall down on their responsibilities.

We commend the Camerounian authorities for standing up to their obligations to issue timely warning and information on the myriad of natural disasters that frequently emanate from their end due to no fault of anyone. It is a sign of responsible neighbourliness.

We recommend that the victims of this disaster should engage a competent lawyer and slam punitive class litigation against the governmental authorities and individuals for their dereliction of duty that resulted in grave losses of lives and property. It will be a useful lesson to others in the future.

We must start respecting the constitutional right of Nigerians to life, property and human dignity, and those who violate them must be made to pay dearly for their negligence.

tion was when “Biggie’s machine” chose her country. When that happened, Africans showed her love. Sey showed her love by campaigning for her too. But during the last week, Keagan moved in with one thing in mind: seduce her. He succeeded as she fell for that with just a week to go. It seemed that Keagan’s motive was “exterminate the dual opposition of Talia and Seydou”. That done, she lost Seydou’s support. Now, most importantly, she lost the support of African women. I will explain.

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t is quite obvious that majority of the voters/fans of Big Brother Africa, or indeed any reality show are women.

They decide who wins and who does not. While most of them come out in public and try to support Talia, behind, they criticized her actions and withdrew their votes. To them, she had betrayed “African womanhood”. Meanwhile, Goldie, who stayed faithful and was lauded as the epitome of African womanhood by most of the African women(after her eviction of course) was also evicted for being “too in-love”!

My summation: African women are too patriarchal to define what they are agitating for. Their thought processes are so male-defined that they willingly hand over themselves and their sisters to male domination. If the man says, “she is too lovey-dovey”, the African woman accepts and searches for the guillotine. If he says she is a tramp, the African woman asks for public execution!

My purpose in this essay is not to answer questions. What I merely wanted to do is to point out two things; firstly, African women are the architects of their own downfall. Secondly, lack of principle and discipline make African women submit themselves to male domination. Live television has proven this and live television(especially reality shows) reflects reality. I have provided guiding points! Let the debate begin!

*Mr Oruh, a social commentator, wrote from Lagos

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 —41

Zenawi: Africa buries ‘father of renascent’ Ethiopia Brainstorming over Bakassi Peninsula

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR, WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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ACK in the 1980s Ethiopia was a basket case, with drought, famine and war ravaging the second most populous country in Africa. The Central African country, which was the only country on the African continent that was not colonised by European powers, relied on food aid to feed its peole. But this changed when Meles Legesse Zenawi. took over the leadership of the country. Today, Ethiopia is not only on the path of economic growth, it has also lost its miracle work, Zenawi who was buried yesterday amid ecomiums from world leaders.Zenawi b died on August 20 in Brussels, Belgium after an extended illness. Meles’ funeral was held in Meskel Square before proceeding to Holy Trinity Cathedral, where was buried..His coffin was draped in Eithiopian colours and carried from his palace to the city’s Meskel Square, the final resting place. It was the first state funeral staged for a leader of the Horn of Africa nation in over 80 years.

President Goodluck Jonathan, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Boni Yayi, president of Benin, were among those who attended the funeral ceremony. Yayi said the death of Meles was “a great loss” not just for Ethiopia but for the African continent because of his vision and his support of pan-Africanism. Also in attendance were the Sudanese President Omar alBashir and Salva Kiir, the leader of South Sudan.

Zenawi was Ethiopia’s longest-serving PM. Born on May 8, 1955, in Legesse Zenawi in Adwa Meles Zenawi dropped out of medical schoolat the age of 20, to join the rebel movement when Mengistu embarked on his red terror purge in 1997. He joined the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) to fight the marxist leadership of Mengistu. On taking the leadership of TPLF, Zenawi formed a broader coalition with other regional movements to form Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which eventually became the dominant political force in Ethiopia. He took over the leadership of the country at 35. when the rebels deposed Mengistu

Haile Mariam in 1991.He conducted an election in 1995 as the transitional president and renamed the office to become Prime Minister while the country was called the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

He had remained at the helm of Ethiopia, a relatively stable country in the volatile Horn of Africa, ever since.

Ethnic Federalism The concept of Federal system introduced by Zenawi can be described as Ethnic Federalism as he gave the country’s major ethnic groups greater regional autonomy with regional parliaments and constitutions. This quell the rising ethnic nationalism in Ethiopia which has resulted in the breaking away of Eritrea. With relative peace that came after the exit of Eritrea, and the introduction of Ethnic Federalism, Zenawi and his EPRDF set out to rebuild the poverty stricken country with a GDP

•Late Ethipian P.M, Zenawi of 3,5%. He concentrated on transforming agriculture and the power sector.

Agriculture was a priority as the early 1980s had seen Ethiopia begging food as a drought and famine ravaged the East African nation. The global musical group[ US Africa organised

a charity concert where leading world musical stars were mobilised to raise funds to save dying people in Ethiopia. Zenawi has since revived agriculture and the country’s economy is reported to have posted a GDP of 12.5% in the first half of this year. Zenawi became

one of the strong leaders in Africa. In 2005 he held another election which was openly disputed by his opponents notably by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD). This led to street riots. Thereafter the government cracked down on political opponents and the press. He was regarded as one of African leaders with poor human rights record.

Within Africa Union, Zenawi was a powerful voice. He sent troops into Somalia in 2006 and 2011 to fight radical Islamic militants with links to Al Qaeda operating in the Middle East.Al Shabaab rebels. He obtained a degree in Economics.

Zenawi provided the US with a military base in East Africa, from where it could launch unmanned drones against identified Al Qaeda targets. Opponents of Zenawi said he was “a brutal dictator who killed and imprisoned thousands of Ethiopia.

Romney’s post convention popularity drops

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modest bump in popularity for U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney from this week’s Republican Party convention looks to be short-lived, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Democratic President Barack Obama regained a narrow lead on Saturday by 44 percent to 43 percent over his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Governor Romney, in the latest daily installment of the four-day rolling poll.

Romney was ahead by one point in Friday ’s online poll and two points in Thursday’s survey as his campaign came under a blaze of media attention at the convention in Tampa, Florida. In his acceptance speech on Thursday, Romney urged voters to get behind him and help rebuild the economy. His address followed three days of speeches by Republicans, including testimonies from Romney’s relatives and friends aimed at improving the image of a candidate who is often seen as stiff or aloof. Postconvention poll bounces are common and typically short-lived, and Obama could see one himself next week after he formally accepts his party ’s nomination for a second term at the Democratic convention in Charlotte,

Romney and his wife Ann, acknowledging greetings at the GOP convention North Carolina.

But with the candidates treading water in a deadheat race, Clark said she expected polls to remain extremely close all the way to the November 6 vote.

The Reuters/Ipsos rolling

poll measures sentiment during the two-week convention season by polling over the previous four days. The survey released on Saturday found that of registered

voters who have seen, heard or read at least something about the convention, 39 percent thought it was excellent or good, with nearly as many saying it was average.

Brahim urges Assad to accept peoples’ wish

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AKHDAR Brahimi, the UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria, has said that change in Syria has to be part of the solution.

The new envoy for Syria, who succeeds Kofi Annan, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that “change [in Syria] is necessary, indispensable, unavoidable”.

“I call on parties inside

Syria to halt the fighting.

Undoubtedly, this call is primarily directed to the government. More than others, it is the duty of governments, under any circumstances and anywhere, not just in Syria, to ensure security and stability for their people,’’ he said.Brahimi and Ban Ki-moon plan to discuss the Syrian conflict at the

general assembly.

Brahimi’s statements came as the battle for control of Syria’s largest city Aleppo intensified, with government warplanes and ground forces pounding it with bombs and mortar rounds as rebel fighters fought off troops in the narrow alleys of the city’s old quarter.

Try Bush,Blair for war crimes — Tutu

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OBEL Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu called yesterday called for Tony Blair and George Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Tutu, the retired Anglican Church’s archbishop of South Africa, wrote in an op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper that the ex-leaders of Britain and the United States should be made to “answer for their actions.”

The Iraq war “has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history,” wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984.

Iran conducts military drill

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RAN will hold a largescale military drill involving all its air defense systems next month, an Iranian commander was quoted as saying on Saturday, one of a number of military simulations it has carried out this year. The air defense drill will include fighter jets and simulate emergency situations, said Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Iranian army’s air defense force, according to Iran’s English-language Press TV. The drill will include both the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmaili said, and follows a series of largescale military simulations such as the “Great Prophet 7” missile exercises in July.

Tuaregs kill Algerian diplomat in Mali

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armed religious movement that has taken control of large swathes of Mali has reportedly claimed to have executed an Algerian diplomat who was kidnapped during their takeover of northern Mali, according to a statement published by a Mauritanian news agency.

Taher Touati, the Algerian vice-consul “was executed this morning [Sunday] at dawn” read the statement from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa [MUJAO] published by online news agency ANI, known for carrying reliable information on extremist groups in the region.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

BY WILFRIED LEMKE

URING this break in the ac D tion between the closing of the Olympic Games and the opening

of the Paralympic Games in London..., we have a unique opportunity to consider how both events can improve people’s lives and impact the world.

Some may see the Games only as a cutthroat competition where athletes put their bodies to the limit so they can hear their national anthem played over the loudspeakers, while fans dress in the bright colors of their home countries and count the medals won.

However, underneath the bravado of each nation, behind the confident exterior of each athlete and beyond the commercial considerations, there lies the true spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which matches the fundamental values of the United Nations: tolerance, respect, equality, inclusion and peace.

On the field of play, athletes embody these values in a number of ways, from kicking the out of bounds when a player is hurt to shaking hands or sharing hugs with opponents at the end of a race.

Doing so, they show the true spirit of sport, competing on a fair and respectful basis. Athletes also stand for these values when serving as volunteers in their own communities, visiting developing nations throughout the world and serving as Goodwill Ambassadors for the UN and other organisations. I applaud those athletes who have truly embraced their responsibilities as role models, leaders and agents for change, as they

recognise how their celebrity can be used to help make the world a better place.

Athletes are not alone in their capacity to effect change, with the hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games also in a unique position to create a powerful global legacy. As host of the 2012 Games, the United Kingdom has embraced this opportunity to invest in the future of their country and the world with the ‘International Inspiration’ programme. This programme has, according to the organisation, benefitted over 12 million young people in 20 countries, and will continue to create sustainable social, economic and sporting legacies throughout the country and abroad. I commend the efforts of the UK government, the London Organising Committee and their partner organisation UNICEF in setting the bar so high for future sporting events. he London Games have also T been conceptualized as the ‘Games for Everyone’, where diver-

sity and inclusion are celebrated and featured in the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as in the legacy efforts. This publicity and support of diversity and inclusion sends a powerful message around the world that diversity and difference—be it in ethnicity, origin, lifestyle, religion or physical ability—is not a barrier to progress but can be a driver of it. Also, I am pleased that the UK, which hosted a precursor of the Paralympic Games in 1948, the ‘Stoke Mandeville Games’, particularly emphasized the importance of the Paralympics. Although the Olympics and Paralympics are nowa-

Underneath the bravado of each nation, there lies the true spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games which matches the values of the UN: tolerance, respect, equality, inclusion and peace

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days part of the single bid a city puts forward benefitting from economics of scale, still much needs to be done to reach equal prioritization regarding sport for persons with disabilities. Stakeholders include international organisations, governments but also the media.

With regard to the latter, in most countries coverage of Paralympic sport unfortunately still lags behind, while in some it does not exist at all. More public awareness is needed to change prevailing negative perceptions in society, including those towards persons with mental disabilities. In that connection, Special Olympics International and their World Games have made much progress in transforming prejudices and promoting the rights of athletes with mental disabilities, for instance.

The United Nations has profound partnerships with the Olympic and Paralympic families, represented by the International Olympic Committee, IOC and the International Paralympic Committee, IPC, respectively, as well as with the Special Olympics,

Re: The case for equity, Delta 2015

BY JOHN EFETCHA

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HE year 2015 is a little far away, but politically, it is around the corner. So it is understandablethat advertorials and opinions on Delta State governorship in 2015 have been appearingin the newspapers, notably the Vanguard for some time now. The one prompting this response appeared on Wednesday, August 8, 2012, page 51, under the above title. That the Anioma people of Delta State who occupy Delta North Senatorial District want to produce the next governor of Delta state is quite understandable and legitimate. It is the only senatorial zone in Delta yet to produce an executive governor even with its glut of highly qualified sons and daughters who bestride every aspect of our national life.

In achieving their objectives, however, facts, some of which arevery recent,should not be twisted. Since Delta State was created in 1991, no civilian governor has emerged through zoning. The first civilian governor, Chief Felix Ibru of the defunct Social Democratic Party fought a titanic battle to defeat Prof. Eric Opia of Delta North stock and flagbearer of the National Republican Convention.

The second civilian governor, Chief James Ibori, also contested against opponents from the three senatorial zones to become governor. Ibori’s emergence was not to compensate the Urhobos because the tenure of Chief Ibruwas truncatedby the military coup of 1993, as alleged in the advertorial. If it were so, Chief Ibru, who also contested the primaries, would have emerged the governorship candidate. As I recall, Ibori emerged through political crookedness, laced with savvy, brute force and cunning. A very naïve and cowardly opposition both within and outside PDP accelerated his victory.

Fast forward to 2007, at no time did the PDP sit down to zone the governorship to Delta South. The PDP governorship primary in Oghashikwu in 2006 was contested by candidates from all the three senatorial districts. The behind-the-scene happening, according to Chief E. K. Clark (in a Vanguard

interview and nobody has come out to dispute it) was that on the morning of the primary,Ibori invited the leading contestants (Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan,Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Pius Ewherido and Obarisi Ovie OmoAgege)and in the presence of Chief Ighoyota Amori told them to step down for Uduaghan.

I cannot remember if Clark said that the other aspirants agreed, but I doubt because they all contested the primaries where Ibori through intimidation and financial inducement ensured Uduaghan came tops followed by Okowa, Omo-Agege and Ewherido. Other candidates like Oscar Ibru, Otega Emerhor, Ejaife Odebala, Albert Okumagba, Fidelis Odita and Godswill Obielum( Obielum organised a parallel primary elsewhere which he won) got inconsequential votes. There was supposed to be run-off between Uduaghan and Okowa, but Okowa waived his right and was subsequently rewarded with Secretary to the Delta State Government. Why Ibori threw his weight behind Uduaghan is known to him only, but my overwhelming feeling is that it had nothing to do with zoning. He simply wanted to keep it within the family(Remember Ibori and Uduaghan are first cousins).

The Anioma Agenda Group is pursuing a legitimate cause, but their tactics appear to me to be flawed. I advise them to borrow from the late Steven Covey so that before they start scrambling up the ladder of 2015Delta governorship, they should ensure that the ladder is leaning on the right wall. I do not think it is right now.

O

ne, to appeal to other senatorial districts to allow Anioma produce the next governor in a multi-ethnic state like Delta and multi-party democracy like ours appear to me to be politically naïve. From antecedents, it is apparent that 2015 will throw up many governorship aspirants from all the ethnic groups. I foresee at least 50 aspirants initially and the number will probably come down to 15 who will contest the governorship elections, although not more than three will be serious contenders. Right now, I am aware

which are all based on the understanding that development, inclusion and peacebuilding goals can be achieved through sport.

The Olympic Truce is one example of this partnership. The Truce is an historic part of the Olympic Games; in ancient times, all warring parties laid down their weapons during the Games, providing relief in times of constant war. This tradition of the Olympic Truce was revived in 1993 by a UN Resolution, reminding the world that the peaceful spirit of the Games can be a stepping-stone for advancing conflict prevention and peacebuilding objectives. his past year, the UN Resolu T tion calling for the Olympic Truce for the 2012 London Games

was adopted and co-sponsored by all of the 193 UN Member States, indicating the importance that the international community places on the value of sport for peace.

While a concrete universal ceasefire was unfortunately not observed so far, with ongoing conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries, the Olympic Truce remains a noble goal and a powerful reminder of the spirit, ideals and historic potential of the Games. The Truce also reaffirms the actions of many programmes and organisations working towards unity and reconciliation in communities around the world.

Other efforts in the United Nations to support and promote the values shared with the Olympic and Paralympic families include, just to name a few, the work of the UN Environment Programme on environmental protection and sustainability, the World Health Organization’s contribution to disease prevention and control and the engagement of various UN organisations in the educational

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Games? Much more than that

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42—Vanguard,

We need a governor whose accomplishments will tally with resources available to him; when this governor comes, his ethnic origin will be secondary because the impact of his government will be seen and felt across Delta State

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that about two politicians from Delta South ( Uduaghan’s zone) are oiling their political machines for the 2015 governorship. Anioma Agenda might feel that Delta South has had its turn in Uduaghan, but the Ijaws and Isokos (the two other groups within Delta South) might feel differently. Also, another Itsekiri person who feels he has the best credentials to govern might want to come out. Can anybody stop him?

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et us move to Delta Central where the Urhobos, the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, hold sway. How have they fared under Uduaghan? Are they happy? Are they satisfied with the turn of events since 2007?

The Urhobos have always had the largest number of governorship aspirants; will it be different in 2015? Or will they agree across party lines to collectively shelve their ambition for an Anioma candidate? Then throw in the Ogboru factor. Since 2003, Chief Great Ogboru has always contested every governorship election. He believes he won all of them (except 2007 where he claimed there was no election) but was rigged out. Will he abandon his ambition in 2015 for an Anioma candidate?

The second flaw in the advertorial is the assumption that PDP will win the 2015

programme of the Youth Olympic Games. hile I am amazed by the ef W forts of so many to make the true spirit of the Olympic and

Paralympic Games a reality—and here I would like to pay tribute to the thousands of volunteers behind the scenes—I also dream of the Games having an even greater impact; for there is no event in the world that has the power to bring so many people together, generating excitement and attention that can be harnessed for the good of humanity.

As part of this dream, I see athletes becoming even more aware of their status as social role models and more involved in promoting peace as well as sustainable change. I see gender equality and women’s rights making strides through ever-greater female participation in sports, from the grassroots up to the elite levels. I see the UN working even more closely with organising committees of large sporting events to fully harness the power of sport as a driving force towards a safer, more secure, more sustainable, more equitable future.

For now some of it is already reality, some is just possibility. But the efforts of those involved with the 2012 London Games are giving me hope that we are heading in the right direction. I encourage future hosts of sporting events and sport organisations to take up the baton and ensure that every major sporting event leaves behind a sustainable legacy.

*Mr Lemke is Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace

governorship election in Delta State. Are Deltans satisfied with the performance of the PDP governments since 1999? Did PDP really win all these elections or they rigged as the opposition is alleging? I have a feeling that there will be about three formidable political parties in Delta in 2015 and the election will be hotly contested. Rigging will also be checkmated. There is nothing on ground right now to show that the PDP will win the 2015 governorship election if it is free and fair. So Anioma Agenda,be wary, because just as 2015 is politically around the corner,so also is tomorrow a long time in politics. That is partly why politics is a game of intrigues, contradictions and ironies.

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inally I do have problems with zoning because of the incompetent and clueless leaders it has foisted on Nigerians at the local, state and national levels. Moreover, zoning has not fostered unity and equity as the protagonists envisaged. Nigeria has not seen the kind of ethnic divisions we are seeing now in a very long time. Also, nobody has been able to tell us what the ordinary Nigerian has benefitted from zoning. Only the ruling class does, so why should a system that benefits only a very few elite be encouraged? What Delta needs at this point is a visionary and transformational governor with an enormous courage to swim against the tide for the sake of the majority. We need a governor whose achievements are obvious to the people, not read about in newspapers only; we need a governor whose accomplishments will tally with resources available to him. When this governor comes, his ethnic origin will be secondary because the impact of his government will be seen and felt across Delta State. If this governor coincidentally happens to come from Anioma, that will be wonderful. Then, we would know that we voted him in not because of his ethnicity, but his abilities. This is my own case (and I hope that of most Deltans) of equity in Delta 2015.

•Mr Efetcha, a political analyst, wrote from Lagos

Vanguard,MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—43

Man 30, arrested for raping 3yr-old girl

BY EVELYN USMAN AND BATHLOMEW MADUKWE

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Suspicion of the unspeakable Another version, however, had it that immediately Lukman came out with the little child, she ran into a shop crying, from where her father who apparently had been looking for her sighted her. But the child could not explain what transpired back in the school, even when she was asked what the problem

Lagos-CP-Umar-Manko

•Lukman was.

At that point, eye witnesses said Lukman whose antecedents in the area have nothing good to write home about, was asked where and how he met the girl but he reportedly could not give a satisfactory response.

At first, eye witnesses said he started ranting and even threatened to deal with anyone who dared to challenge

•Police taking the alleged rapist away

him. But at a point, he started fidgeting and attempted to escape the scene but was unlucky as the girl’s father raised an alarm which attracted passers-by who immediately descended on him.

One of the eye witnesses told Crime Alert: “We all thought he stole because of his antecedent. Out of curiosity, a woman lifted the girl’s dress, only to discover

Crime Alert gathered that that her pant was not properly fitted. The woman Lukman would have been screamed, ‘abomination! We lynched by the mob but for saw stain on the little girl’s the arrival of policemen from thighs and when we asked Adeniji Adele division, who her what happened, she only immediately whisked him pointed at Lukeman who by away.

At the station, Lukeman, told then had been stripped naked. Again, we asked how maintained that he never she got into the school with penetrated into the little girl. him but as you know, she But he could barely talk as c o u l d not propOut of curiosity, a woman erly explain. lifted the girl’s dress, only She only to discover that her pant said she w a s was not properly fitted. The given woman screamed , ‘abomibiscuit and innation! nocently his condition was discovered told us to be unstable. Consequenthow she was laid on one of the chairs ly, the Divisional Police Ofbut could not explain fur- ficer, Mr. Monday Agbonika ther ”, narrated the eye wit- as gathered, released him to ness who simply gave her one of his relatives in order for him to get medical treatname as Iya Lati. ment at the end of which he would come and answer for the offence.

Crime Alert also gathered that the little girl was taken to the hospital for medical check-up, where doctors informed to the relief of the child’s parents that there was no penetration. Doctor ’s report further disclosed that the three-year-old girl’s hymen was still intact. By the way, the hymen is a piece of skin covering the vaginal opening in females. Had it been broken , the child would have been said to be dis-virgin by the 30 year-old man . However, stains of semen on the child’s lap was confirmed. The medical report as gathered, stooped further medical check-up, particularly that of HIV on the little girl ,who obviously was oblivious of the incident as she stared curiously on her parents, the police and doctor ’s while investigation was on.

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LEASE do not kill me. I swear to God, I did not have carnal knowledge of her ”. This was the passionate plea from a 30-year-old man last Thursday, at Dolphin Estate phase 2, in Adeniji Adele area of Lagos, as an angry mob descended on him, for allegedly defiling a threeyear-old girl.

The suspect identified as Lukman Salami, reportedly cajoled a littler girl (name withheld) into a school compound in the area, where he allegedly had carnal knowledge of her.

After the alleged sacrilegious act, the 30-year-old man reportedly led the innocent child out, an act that turned out to be his greatest undoing as the girl’s father who sighted them together, suspected the unspeakable.

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44—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012, 2012

2015: We’ll check rigging with high-tech voters’ cards — Jega •Ondo election success will surpass Edo PROFESSOR Attahiru Jega, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and one-time national leader of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, alongside senior officials of the INEC were in Lagos last week for an in-house strategic retreat. Held in close collaboration with the Democratic Governance for Development, DGD Project, the retreat, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, was to produce a strategic framework to guide the commission in its plans towards enthroning a regime of transparency in its management of elections in the country. On the fringes of the retreat, Professor Jega in an interview, spoke on the commission’s preparations for next month’s gubernatorial election in Ondo State, the readiness of the commission to fully turn the chapter in the poor conduct of elections and the prospects of a new style in the commission. Excerpts:

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

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HAT exactly is your agenda at this retreat?

By the time we finish this retreat in Lagos we would have come up with carefully prepared draft of a strategic plan that will guide all our actions between now and 2015 so that we can we have the kind of elections that Nigerians would be very, proud of and we have no doubt that given the commitment of all the staff in INEC and given all the preparations that we have been doing that this is an objective which we can attain.

What are the specific issues that INEC would be considering in improving the credibility of the voters register?

As we prepare for 2015, our efforts to bring remarkable improvements are all inclusive and they cover all key areas of the commission’s activities.

Fraudulent registration

Efficient election management

*Prof Jega political parties to civil society o rg a n i s a t i o n s . A n d t h e strategic planning process we are working on creates a framework where all of these activities will be carried out on a more sustained basis in order to keep on bringing remarkable improvements as we move towards 2015.

We are asking about the voters’ register?

As you are aware, when we did the registration in January and February 2011 we registered about 73.5 million voters. We intend to produce permanent voters’ cards in two major batches to ensure that every registered voter has a permanent voter’s card.

We have already given the contract for the first phase of this and as I speak with you, our hope is that before the end

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We want to be a very, very effective and efficient election management body, we want to be a body that creates a level playing field for all contestants and all political actors and we want to be a body that is transparent, that is committed and that has integrity in the way in which it delivers electoral services.

That means that we have to do a lot of restructuring and reorganization to bring better service delivery. It also means that we have to do a lot of training and re-training and we may also do some recruitment to bring additional competent hands to further improve on the efficiency and effectiveness of our work.

It also means that we have to do a lot of stakeholders’ e n g a g e m e n t . We h a v e t o improve our relationships with all the critical stakeholders, from the government to the National Assembly to the

unit, such that any person who comes to vote will easily be identified whether he is the legitimate holder of that card.

That will go a long way in reducing some of the irregularities that Nigeria is famous for when it comes to election and abuse of voters’ cards.

How prepared are you for the Ondo election given reports that secret registration is already on?

There are all sorts of a l l e g a t i o n s a n d o b v i o u s l y, some of these allegations are for us to investigate fully and take remedial measures. And the security agencies are also to investigate these fully.

I can tell you that we received a petition, we investigated the petition and we have seen from the petition that some sort of registration is taking place, but it is not INEC registration, we are not doing any registration in Ondo State and we do not know the purpose for which that registration is being done.

Our hope is that by the time we get to the 2015 elections we intend to deploy card readers in each polling unit, such that any person who comes to vote will easily be identified whether he is the legitimate holder of that card of this year we will commence the distribution of the permanent voters’ cards for about 40 million registered voters and by next year we hope to complete the distribution of the permanent voters’ cards.

The permanent voters’ cards are very good and in fact, unique in the history of this country because it is a chip-

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based card. Each card will contain a chip, which carries all the details and information about the registered voter from his photograph to his fingerprints to all the additional information that have been captured about the voter. Our hope is that by the time we get to the 2015 elections we intend to deploy card readers in each polling

In any case, even if people are doing fraudulent registration, of course the security agencies should be able to apprehend them and prosecute them successfully. But I want to assure you that there is no way anybody can do any registration and put that data into our data base.

We have a data base in Ondo State and we have an exact replica of that base in the headquarters. At any point we cross check and see that there is any discrepancy in the data bases, we will identify them and it is easy to deal with.

Remember before the Edo elections there were similar allegations. There were allegations that some people had penetrated the Edo data base and had put illegal names and it turned out not to be true and I have absolutely no doubt that as I speak with you our data base in Ondo State and in the headquarters has integrity.

It is intact and has not been compromised and if anybody attempts to compromise it, it is very easy to detect and apprehend him or her.

How prepared are you?

We are adequately prepared for Ondo and our hope and aspiration is that Ondo would be much better than Edo elections.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—45

STATE OF THE NATION:

Resignation or impeachment of Jonathan not the solution — Okorie •INEC has no reason not to register UPP FOUNDING National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA and now Chairman of the United Peoples Party, UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie, has picked holes in the threat by the House of Representatives to commence impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan if he failed to ensure 100 per cent implementation of the 2012 budget by September or calls for the President’s resignation by a section of the polity for inability to handle the insecurity challenges of the country.

In this interview, Okorie, who has mid-wived a new political association, UPP, after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, refused to register his United Progressive Grand Alliance, UPGA, following a petition by the embattled chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, wondered why the electoral commission was yet to register UPP 48 days after it ought to have done so.

H

IS take on calls by northern branches of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on President Jonathan to resign.

The call is an extreme reaction resulting from certain level of frustration on the part of CAN to demand the resignation of the president. Frustration in the sense that one can understand the dilemma and pains of Christians, especially in the North where churches and places of worship are targeted for attacks; but the answer to that cannot be to call for the President’s resignation.

If he resigns, who will take over? What is the guarantee that the person they want will be better than President Jonathan?

I do not believe that anybody can claim to be more patriotic than President Jonathan. When he is presiding as President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria, the president should be given the benefit of the doubt that he means well for Nigeria. His method may not have met the expectation of most critics but there is no doubt that nobody is perfect.

It is good to make suggestions, it is also good to criticize where you think certain things are done the way you think is not proper and proffer suggestions on how they could be done better. To ask him to resign is an extreme reaction and it will not go down well with the country because it will cause instability in the country.

On Reps threat to impeach Jonathan over budget poor i m p l e m e n t a t i o n

It is the same with the so-called impeachment threat on the President by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, who happens to be a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, that failing to implement the budget to 100 per cent by September 18 that the House would commence the process of impeachment against the president. Again, that is reckless! Impeachment clause is there in the constitution, but it is not to be applied recklessly.

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BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

at the brink, sitting on a keg of gun powder; there are so many flash-points and the place is restive, and your suggestion to the issue of budget implementation is to invoke impeachment notice. The man who raised this issue of impeachment and his sponsors should be watched because they are the people, who want the country to be turn apart.

Wait until 2015 and you come along to take over power through the democratic process and take us to the Eldorado. If they begin the process, everybody, not only Jonathan will be the loser.

On how UPP came about Immediately after INEC refusal to register UPGA based on the petition written by Umeh and (Governor) Rochas (Okorocha of Imo State), which I called the UPGA fiasco as it were, we reapplied to INEC to register another party called United Progressive Party (UPP) and also came up with a new symbol of the head of the tiger.

This time, we took our time to take care of all of the observations that INEC gave as reasons for not registering UPGA. We decided to score 100 per cent on all criteria because we

Once you begin that, you will start the process of impeaching Nigeria, because I can assure you that you will not go halfway into that impeachment before Nigeria breaks into pieces

I think they would have simply stopped at inviting the Minister of Finance to explain the constraints that made the budget implementation not to be done to the expectation of those of them that appropriated the budget and the expectation of Nigerians. But to go beyond that to say that you will begin an impeachment process if the budget is not implemented to 100 per cent by September 18, are you trying to scare investors away or cause instability in the country?

Once you begin that, you will start the process of impeaching Nigeria, because I can assure you that you will not go halfway into that impeachment before Nigeria breaks into pieces.

This is a country that is already

,

found out that in our case, the pass mark set by INEC is 100 per cent, so 99.9 per cent is not good enough. So, instead of having our national executive members represent two-third of the states of the federation plus the Federal Capital Territory, we ensured that our NEC members represented the entire 36 states of Nigeria plus the FCT. It was not difficult for us because Nigerians can remember that my leadership in APGA had followers and membership across the 36 states and FCT. Our members came to sign up the relevant INEC forms for the registration of UPP. The tiger head we used as our symbol is not African specie; it

*Chekwas Okorie is South Asian specie. So the over head we used for UPP cannot be linked to Igbo or any tribe in Nigeria. That is not withstanding the fact that even in INEC list of political parties in Nigeria, there are parties registered with symbols that can be easily linked with a tribe or association or even an institution in Nigeria.

Luckily, INEC approved our name and symbol, and came for inspection at our national office in Abuja and saw for that we met all the requirements and they verified our claims. INEC brought another dimension that was not there before. It said that our NEC members who had already signed the relevant INEC documents for our registration, who also came for verification should produce their identification card, in form of international passport, national ID card, drivers license or ATM card to confirm that the names on those identity cards corresponded with the names we wrote on relevant INEC forms for the registration the week before, and that the signatures on the cards also corresponded with the signatures we signed on INEC form PA1 weeks earlier.

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ecause we are genuine and there was no fluke in what we did, we were never bothered being subjected to all manner of trials for the registration of UPP, and there was no make-belief in what we did, everything went well. The same people, the same ID cards, the same names, the same signatures. That is why I said we scored 100 per cent on all scores. Our constitution and manifesto passed the test and so we expected that UPP will

be registered within the timeline prescribed by law.

The Electoral Act prescribed that if after 30 days of submission of application and all relevant forms, and INEC has not written you to say you are registered, such a party is deemed to have been registered. For UPP, the 30 days elapsed on 15th of July, 2012. But we decided that we will not pre-empt INEC and launch out the party, rather we decided to wait patiently for INEC to formally write us a letter for the registration of UPP. Reaction of UPP members to INEC’s delay.

Process of election On my part, I am worried; on the part of the party members, they are agitated. The pertinent question our members always raise each time they call to know what is happening in INEC with the registration of UPP, which I have no answer to is: whether INEC is at liberty obey or choose when to obey the laws of the country at its own convenience. I know that as a government institution with the responsibility of overseeing the process of election in the country, choosing when to obey any law of the country as regard the process of election, will be sending wrong signals to Nigerians and the international community of the capability and willingness of the commission to be an unbiased umpire. So, I appeal to INEC to release UPP registration formally, so we can begin to make our own contribution to the development of democracy in the country.

46— Vanguard,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Oyo no more a Pace Setter State — Olaosebikan ERSTWHILE journalist turned politician, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan is a leading member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Oyo State. In this interview centered on developments in Oyo State, Olaosebikan asserts that the Abiola Ajimobi administration in the State has failed in its promises and performance. Excerpts:

BY OGIEVA OYEMWENOSA

H

to link up people of Apete, Ayete, Ogbere , Oniyangi who are at present going through hell. His is a case of how not to copy!

For this government, the major character or achievement one can attribute to it is in oppressive, abrasive, vindictive and heartless governance. Pouring venom, insults and outright acts of cruelty on the populace.

Do you think the performance of the administration would diminish its chances of reelection?

His pitiable performance has seriously diminished ACN’s chances of returning to government in 2015. This is known to all.

Unfortunately, the present The leaders of his party government in Oyo State does even up to not have a clear cut vision. No Lagos are not blueprint! No agenda. You happy with his abysmal cannot believe this, 15 months performance. after inauguration, the They are very governor is still engaging his disappointed with his predecessor m e a g e r acceptance by virtually all the sections of the state including the issues are still with you in the religious and traditional leaders PDP? We lost basically as a result of and even up to his kinsmen. They internal wrangling. A number of are all by now expressing deep our leaders felt that they were not regret for putting him there. carried along sufficiently and this Rather than improving on the made them to leave the party and quality of governance set since worked for the Action Congress 1999, the government of the day of Nigeria, particularly. has brought us backward, turning Incidentally, these leaders who us to a state lacking in ingenuity. felt they were not treated well in Since his first day in office, PDP met a worse form of copying has become the order of leadership in ACN. When one had the day. expected that they would at least The government is so bereft of stayed a while with the ideas that it is even copying very government they helped to form, poorly, duplicating up to names. they beat a retreat to PDP When we told the world that the

,

OW would you assess the present administration in Oyo State?

It is a very difficult task. Difficult in the sense that a government is best assessed based on its vision and goals for the state. With the vision one can benchmark the governor against the set vision or match him with his colleagues to see how well, he is doing.

Unfortunately, the present government in Oyo State does not have a clear cut vision. No blueprint! No agenda.

You cannot believe this, 15 months after inauguration, the governor is still engaging his predecessor. Up till now, rather than informing the world on its activities, plan and so on, it is still talks of Akala! Akala!

That “Akala did this. Akala did not do that. We are more educated. We are older. We are more handsome. We became MD…” and all those entire unnecessary ego tripping.

Till date, the government has not even come up with anything outstanding in terms of concept not to talk of accomplishments.

Imagine the hype and noise they made before the construction of their so called “ultra modern world class motor park” on New Ife Road, commissioned as the major achievement of the administration so far. Check the motor park and compare it to the one done before it in Akure, you will be ashamed that you are from the pace setter state.

A year after the flood disaster of last year, none of the damaged

*Olaosebikan bridges has been fixed. They just left the bridges virtually unattended to as if they do not mean anything to the daily activities of the people of the areas.

Go to Apete, Ogbere, Ayegun, you will not meet more than one or two persons loitering around in the name of working on the bridges which lives of millions of Oyo State people depend on.

All what they are doing is duplicating what Governor Fashola did in his first term in office. Instead of fixing the roads and providing people with immediately needed amenities;

our government is busy searching for people who did the planting of flowers for Governor Fashola in Lagos about 6 years ago.

If our governor had made time and consulted Governor Fashola, I am sure the action governor of Lagos would have advised Senator Ajimobi to place emphasis on providing basic amenities like chalks and dusters in our almost hopeless public schools, drugs, reagents and other essentials in hospitals, water for the taps that had become dry since the last governor left, repair the bridges

man did not have any idea, capacity or competence to generate 20,000 jobs in his first 100 days in office, as he had promised, people thought we were merely playing politics.

What happened at the end of the day? Our governor was not able to generate a single job in 100 days in office. Months after, he had to secretly creep into Osun to photocopy their youths empowerment programme. Sadly, when they brought the photocopy here, his team of “more educated people and MDs “could not get a better name. It is O YES in Osun, YES O in Oyo. I am sure, Oyo State will soon launch its ‘ELDERS O’ too. They have spoilt our name.

What factors do you think led to your defeat in the last round of elections- Do you believe those

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Internal Democracy: Parties must make tough decisions — Deme Dr. Mourtada Deme, is the Project Director of the Democratic Governance for Development, DGD project, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP for the promotion of democracy in Nigeria. An expert in electoral reform, he has experience in the promotion of good governance, institution building in developing countries and has observed elections in many countries. Deme, a Senegalese-born American trained democracy expert, spoke to Vanguard on his experiences of Nigeria’s democracy project. Excerpts:

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

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APACITY building for INEC is towards what objectives?

The DGD project among others is intended to support the capacity of INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

We partnered with INEC during the 2011 elections.

As the chairman of INEC has

said, the business of reforming INEC is an unfinished business.

The commission itself has recognized a number of challenges and we are very pleased that there is honest and vigorous assessment of these issues and we are very willing to support in the spirit of cooperation, the strategic plans that INEC itself will identify.

You saw the 2011 elections, but what are your expectations

concerning the 2011 election?

I think the 2011 election was widely acclaimed by domestic observers, by Nigerian stakeholders and the international community as one that contributed significantly to free, fair and democratic choices. As I said earlier, they were not perfect and INEC acknowledged that they were not perfect, so we expect that all those issues that they identified, voters registration, institutional reforms, restructuring and others will be implemented on time so that 2015 will be better than what we had in 2011.

We are also consulting with civic society organisations. whichare the life blood of democratic politics. We are also advocating for women inclusiveness and participation in democratic processes because any country that ignores half of its

population is living in contradiction to democratic norms. We are also working with political parties and the National Assembly to improve the quality of political engagement in the country.

How do you describe your engagement with the political parties?

Working with political parties is challenging, not only in Nigeria, but all over the world, but democracy without political parties is no democracy. You organize elections for political parties and candidates and in that sense, it is extremely critical to work with political parties. Of course there are challenges but we are working towards supporting the reform of political parties so that they will play the role that they are supposed to play in a democratic agenda.

*Deme What particular challenges have you found with the political parties in Nigeria?

There have been some challenges relating to gender and inclusiveness of women in the decision making process of political parties and I use this opportunity to call on all political parties to work harder.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 — 47

A ward at the Leprosarium with patients waiting for the doctor’s visit. INSET: Dr Sunday Udo

Suffering and abandoned: Pathetic story of lepers in Minna

BY WOLE MOSADOMI, MINNA

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visit to the Leprosarium in Minna, Niger State, is sure to bring to the fore the untold suffering and shocking agonies those unfortunate to be afflicted by leprosy are passing through. Their experiencesarepathetic.Theenvironment inwhichtheyareadmittedandtreated is not in anyway habitable, thereby making the situation more dehumanizing and agonizing.

The Leprosarium, which is one of the few in the country built in 1950, is dilapidated with the roof of each ward almost collapsing. The picture of dilapidation continues with cobwebs covered dirty walls, tattered mattresses, torn bed sheets and pillows, while the floor of the wardshave several gaping cracks caused by the tap roots of trees

been on admission and enduring this agonizing situation and environment for several years with no immediate help coming to them.

National Director of Leprosy Mission in Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Udo, described the Center as an eye sore.

“That place is an eye sore. The facility belongs to the Niger State government and the Board of Leprosy Mission visited the place recently and mandated that something has to be done and we are currently discussing with the state government on a way out with the immediate pastDeputyGovernorandonetime Commissioner of Health in Niger State, Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu, leading the team,” the National Director revealed.

He said though totally neglected, theChanchagaLeprosariumisstrategic to the country receiving between 40 and 50 patients from all

,

Given the prevailing unhealthy situation at the Leprosarium, there is no gainsaying the fact that those on admission there will ever go back home healthy irrespective of the treatment they are given

which have forced their way into the wards.

Theenvironmentwhich ordinarily should be friendly and inviting to the sick and the workers look unkemptandirritating.Given the prevailing depressing and unhealthy situation at the Leprosarium, there is no gainsaying the fact that those on admission and others seeking medical attention there will evergobackhomehealthyirrespective of the treatment they are given.

Health workers posted to the Leprosarium now see their official posting as a punishment because of the unfriendly environment of the Centre. Some of those infected have

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parts of the country monthly.

Leprosy is said to be caused by a bacteria- Mycobacterium Lepraewhichissimilartotheonethatcauses Tuberculosis and this is why the two go together. The National Director, however, debunked the insinuation and belief by some people that the disease is a curse, saying: “Leprosy is not a curse from God or witchcraft or arising from eating ofgoat meat.

It is a simple bacteria that affects the skinandthenervesandcauses damage”.

Dr. Udo said the disease is not also hereditary but that it is transferable.

According to him: “Recently, there is a finding in India that revealed

that leprosy bacteria can cross the placenta into a baby. It is not that simply because the mother has leprosy, automatically by geneticinheritance, the child will have leprosy. It was, however, discovered that the bacteria can pass through the placenta barrier and get into the baby and generally it is what is called the mildlyinfectiousdiseasebutnotcontagious and not hereditary”.

Leprosy had been in the country for a long time and still prevalent among the people despite the sensitization of people that the disease is not only curable but that the treatment is free.

The National Director said in the past, the number of cases was as

much as upto 150,000 infectedpeople treated annually and has come down to about 4000. He, however, remarked that it is now unfortunate thatthetrendhassuddenlychanged again with about 4000 new cases being recoded, adding that: “As we aremovingtowardsvictory,thereare some challenges threatening this trend and if we don’t do something urgently to rescue the situation, I’m afraid, we might reverse to the past situation which is very sad and this isbecauseoutofthese4000patients, about 11 per cent of them are children who are less than 14 years and it is an issue because if children are still infected, it clearly means that the disease is still being transmitted within the communities which makes it more dangerous.”

He also disclosed that another 14 per cent patientshavealreadybeen identified with damages on their bodies, on their faces, heads and other parts of their bodies, pointing outthatthepossibilityofbeingcured is very slim because they are coming late, adding that if they have come earlier, they would have been treated and cured.

Dr. Udo revealed that at the moment, states with the highest cases of leprosy include Taraba, Ebonyi and Zamfara with most cases referred to Minna for treatment.

Government commitment to leprosy

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ccording to the National Di rector, government commitment to the disease across the country is still very low. He said the awareness bypeople on the ailment is still not much. He saiddue to stigmatizeation, those infected are still keeping off and not ready to come out for treatment and that this is an issue that needs to be tackled more

seriously and urgently too.

Worst still is the fact that the health workers also lack the basic knowledge and experience to successfully tackle the situation.

“Our workers are mixing cases. A patient will come to them and they will end up mixing the case. These are the problems we are facing due to lack of training and experience to manage leprosy. They suddenly forget what leprosy looks like and they fail to give the necessary treatment at the early stage due to ignorance until the case worsens,” the National Director explained.

He, however, gave a cheering news that a “Technical Working Group” has been set up in conjunction with the state government charged with the responsibility of taking a holistic look on the disease and how to tackle it.

Message to infected people

D

r. Udo said statistics have revealed that many people, due to ignorance, are not aware that they have been infected by the disease while others keep off in order not to be stigmatized.

He, however, made a clarion and passionatecalltoNigeriansthatleprosy is just like any other disease that can be cured and no need of suffering in silence.

“Leprosy is just a disease just like malaria and others which is curable and the treatment is free. If you notice any skin patch on your body, lighterthanyournormalskincolour, you are advised to go to the nearest health centre early and be examined to avoid the challenges and deformities of leprosy. Nigerians should also stop discriminating against anybody with leprosy because they are human beings like us,” the National Director advised.

Presidential aide decries vandalism of MDGs’ projects

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HE Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Dr Precious Kalamba Gbeneol, has decried the incessant vandalism of MDGs’ projects across the country. The Presidential Aide made this point known in Rivers State on while on an advocacy and sensitisation visit to Rivers State.

According to Gbeneol, the Federal Government through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals, MDGs has since the country’s debt forgiveness been investing debt reliefs gain in high impact projects aimed at developing human capital across the country in line with the global development agenda.

She stated that for some time now the OSSAP-MDGs in collaboration with the state through the mechanism of the Conditional Grants Scheme has made significant impact on the lives of many Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable poor in the State in view of the inclusive, participatory nature adopted during planning, implementation and evaluation of projects.

She, however, lamented that this effort of government is not being complemented by the people for whom the projects are imple-

mented.

Gbeneol consequently called on the government of the state, the traditional rulers, opinion leaders and the general public to collaborate with her office in ensuring that the projects are owned, put into effective usage and secured against vandals.

At a town hall meeting with the people at the grass root, Gbeneol urged the people to see the projects as their own and effect minor repairs when necessary without necessarily waiting for the government. She particularly sought the support of the lawmakers and the traditional rulers, whom she paid courtesy visits to use their good offices to sensitise the people. She said this will ensure sustainability as well as enhance Nigeria’s efforts to fast-track her march towards the attainment of the MDGs by 2015.

On their part, both the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Otelemaba Amachree and the state council of traditional rulers represented

by HRH Mene Samuel Nne, Gbenemene Tua Tua Tai assured the SSAP-MDGs of their support in encouraging the people to embrace peace always so that development can be fast tracked in the state. They particularly thanked the President, Goodluck Jonathan for using the MDGs office to bring more development to the State.

48—Vanguard , MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

I was not swindled, says Gov Orji

BY ANAYOOKOLI

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MUAHIA—GOVER NOR Theodore Orji of Abia state on arrival from his annual vacation in the United States of America, yesterday,, denied insinuations in the state that he fell victim to swindlers where he lost huge sum of money in an attempt to buy a ship.

Addressing Abians who thronged the Banquet Hall of Government House, Umuahia to welcome him, Governor Orji said that he had never been business-inclined and had never made any move to acquire any ship.

While he was on vacation overseas, rumour mill in the state had it that the Governor was duped several billions of Naira while trying to acquire a ship. However, Governor Orji said “While we were away, we heard both the good and bad things that were happening at home. I also heard that I went to buy a ship. I laughed my head off when I heard that story and I knew that some people were

still suffering from hallucination. If you buy a ship and give it to me free of charge, I will reject it. I am not a business man and can never be. That I am a governor cannot intoxicate me. I am not here (in govern-

ment) to acquire the whole world. The world is a stage. You come and play your part and you are judged by the role you played. Whatever they are saying does not mean anything to us provided our conscience is

guiding us.”

The Governor called on the people of the state to trust him and assured that his priority was the security and welfare of the people as well as development of the state.

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NUGU—A Middle aged man from Umuoka village, Umuavulu Abor community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr. Aaron Odo has been electrocuted.

The State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said that investigations had commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death.

Odo was reportedly electrocuted on August 28, about 4.30pm right inside his sitting room while trying to plug an electronic gadget.

It was reported that his neighbours saw him lying dead in the sitting room while still holding a naked wire in his right palm. ”The Enugu state police command has commenced investigations with a view to unraveling the circumstances surrounding the sudden electrocution and death of one Aaron Odo of Umuoka village Umuavulu Abor in udi local Government Area of C M Y K

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BY TONYEDIKE

NUGU—THE Enugu State Government has challenged nursing mothers in the state to imbibe the culture of Exclusive Breast Feeding, EBF, at least, for the first six months after delivery.

At a briefing on the activities of Breast Feeding Support Groups, BFSGs, in all the local government areas of the state, Commissioner of Health, Dr Fidelia Akpa, lamented that some women were afraid to embrace the initiative on the ground that their breast would sag.

Akpa, who spoke through the Permanent Secretary,

Ministry of Health in the state, Dr Moses Otiji explained that the ongoing Exclusive Breast Feeding Campaigns organised by the government was initiated “to toe along the line of the International Agenda on breast feeding.”

The commissioner expressed satisfaction that the campaign was already yielding the desired result, noting that many rural women had embraced the new system of breast feeding.

According to her, women were not expected to give their child anything including water within the period of EBF.

Maritime workers to float micro-finance bank

BY VICTORAHIUMA-

YOUNG AGOS—MARITIME Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, is planning to get an operational license from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to float a micro-finance bank, with not less than N40 million take off capital.

President-General of MWUN, Mr. Anthony Nted who announced this at the launch of a foundation for the union’s late Vice President General Mr. Issa Saleh, who died recently, and a welfare scheme for

L Chief Adeola Omotosho, President, Oyo State council of Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (left) and Archbishop Magnus Atilade, President, Gospel Baptist Conference of Nigeria and Overseas at the 40th annual conference of the church in Awe, Oyo State.

Man electrocuted in Enugu

BY TONYEDIKE

Enugu govt challenges women on exclusive breast feeding

the state. The victim, who was alleged to have been electrocuted on August 28, 2012 at about 4.30pm in his parlour while trying to plug a certain electronic gadget was seen lying dead

while still holding an alleged naked wire in his right palm,” the statement said.

Amaraizu said the victim until his death was a tenant to one Ugwu Donald

of the same address.

Meanwhile, Odo’s corpse has been deposited at Our Saviour Mortuary at 9th mile corner for autopsy.

Uba distances self from Ibori's $15m bribe money in the Villa was a conven- the point of confusion. I

BY INNOCENTANABA

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BUJA—SENATOR representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Dr. Andy Uba, has denied any involvement in the $15million former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori bribe saga.

A business man had claimed he handed the money to Uba as part of his contribution to the funding of the 2007 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, election.

Senator Uba in a statement, weekend, said: “My attention has been drawn to a recent report linking me with the transfer of alleged bribe money between James Ibori and former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. When I was in the presidency, my house

ient place for many top people in Nigeria to visit. Probably Chief Ibori didn’t want to go to the EFCC office to hand over the money and so decided to use my house. All I know about this matter is that Chief Ibori brought some money to the then EFCC chairman, Mallam Ribadu.

“The details of the transaction were not disclosed to me at the time. The money was handed to Mallam Ribadu, who invited his then Director of Operations, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, to fetch it. I was never a party to the transaction between Ibori and Ribadu. That my house was used as the venue for the transaction is not in question as an affidavit to that effect had been sworn to by the current EFCC chairman, Mr. Lamorde, which is probably

hereby state unequivocally that I am not involved in this matter beyond what I have stated above. So nobody should involve me in this matter and I don’t want to be dragged into it.”

workers in the sector, said upon take off, the bank would provide soft loan to members of the union to enable them set up businesses that they could depend on after retirement.

He said: “We are starting and this is the beginning of a bigger picture we are seeing in the future,” explaining that it had become necessary as findings revealed most of the union’s members upon retirement find it difficult to meet their daily economic and family obligations

Foundation marks Literacy Day

BY EMMANUELELE-

BEKE AGOS—IN line with its mission to act as a bridge between indigent people with potential and organisations to help them, Change-A-Life Foundation is marking this year's Literacy Day in Lagos, where it hopes to showcase its activities.

With the Theme: “Education, Illiteracy, Bridging the Gap in the Society,” the programme is being organised

L

as part of the UNESCO World literacy day obligation aimed at creating awareness on the importance of literacy, it’s imperative and effect on the growth of a nation and the world in perspective.

According to the Foundation, the programme is scheduled for September 8, at NECA House, Ikeja, Lagos. It will also serve as platform to commemorate the Change-A Life 10th year anniversary.

Tribunal upholds Ekwunife's election zAs ACN candidate wins state assembly

BY VINCENTUJUMADU

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WKA—THE Anambra State Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice G.K. Kayama has declared Mrs. Uche Ekwunife of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, representing Anaocha/Njikoka/ Dunukofia federal constituency, winner of the rescheduled House of Representatives election held in the state early this year.

This came as another tribunal headed by Justice

Angelina Salihu upheld the election of the candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, for Idemili South state constituency, Mr. Ebele Obi. Delivering the judgment, the tribunal said the petitioner, Mr. Dozie Nwankwo of ACN, failed to prove alleged electoral malpractices during the election and substantial non compliance of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended.

According to the tribunal, the petition by the ACN can-

didate lacked merit and therefore stood dismissed.

Elated Ekwunife said after the judgment that the victory was for the masses who voted for her and APGA during the election.

She said: “I hail the courage and uprightness of the judges.

People should advise my opponent to allow me concentrate at the National Assembly because these petitions were distractions.

I also want him to know that if this election is held one million times, I will continue to win.”

Vanguard , MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—49

SYMPATHISERS AT LATE OGBONNAYA AMADI'S RESIDENCE

Pastor Uchenna Amadi, elder brother of the deceased (standing), addressing late Amadi's age-grade from Okagbe village.

From left— Jude, Benedict, children; Mrs Toyin Amadi, widow, and Onyekachi, son. PHOTOS: Lamidi Bamidele.

Police nab 3 over friend's drowning

BY EVELYN USMAN & IFEANYI OKOLIE

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AGOS—POLICE in Lagos State said, weekend, that they have taken

into custody three friends who were allegedly caused the death of their friend, Quadri Onolapo, said to have been pushed into the Lagos Lagoon.

Vanguard gathered that the suspects, identified as Godwin Omoshere,

Jonathan at Zenani's funeral: Pledges partnership with Ethiopia

BY BEN AGANDE

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BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, pledged that Nigeria will work with the new leadership of Ethiopia to advance Africa’s agenda for renaissance, peace, security, stability and progress.

Paying tribute to the late Ethiopian Prime Minister at his state funeral in the Ethiopian capital, President Jonathan, said the government and people of Ethiopia could always count on Nigeria’s support in their effort to build on Meles Zenawi’s indelible legacy of peace, stability and progress.

He said: “It is our hope

and expectation that the good people of Ethiopia will build on the immense legacy of peace, stability, unity, national cohesion and steady progress, which Meles had bequeathed to his nation.”

The funeral was attended by several serving African leaders and former Heads of State, including Nigeria’s Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and General Abdulsalami Abubakar(rtd).

Other speakers at the event were the current Chairman of African Union, President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Omar Bashir of Sudan and President Salva Mayardit of South Sudan.

Apologise to Nigerians, CNPP asks PDP

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

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BUJA—CONFER ENCE of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, yesterday, described the 14 years of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, rule in the country as locust years and called on the party to apologise to Nigerians for failed leadership and enthronement of corruption and the culture of impunity.

It warned PDP to start

packing its loads from the Presidential Villa ahead of the 2015 elections.

Meanwhile, National Chairman of Citizens Popular Party, CPP, Mr. Maxi Okwu, weekend, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sack his Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe over his involvement in the controversial failed N2.3 billion road contracts in Benue State.

Orimisan Adebule and Ojo Faro, were arrested after some persons who witnessed the 18-year-old man being pushed from a jetty at Iwaya-Sabo into the Lagoon, reported the incident to the police at Sabo Police Station.

A police source, who craves anonymity, told Vanguard that Onolapo and his friends might have been involved in a bitter argument, which led to his death.

The source said: “The report we got from people at the scene was that the three suspects and the deceased were friends and on that they were seen having a heated quarrel over what we are yet to establish. After some time, they started fighting, then Onolapo was pushed into the lagoon.

“It seems like Onaolapo could not swim. He drowned as nobody could rescue him.”

While confirming the report, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, DSP, Ngozi Braide, said Onolapo’s corpse is yet to be recovered, adding that the suspects will be charged to court for murder.

Meanwhile, policemen attached to Ketu Division in Lagos, weekend, arrested two suspected members of a robbery gang said to be specialists in snatching vehicles outside the state and selling them at give-away prices in Lagos.

The suspects were reportedly arrested, while driving in a Mitsubushi Gallant car.

The car was said to have been stopped for a search by the policemen, who were on patrol.

During preliminary investigation, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, said the occupants confessed to have snatched the vehicle with number plate EM 279 FST from its owner in AgoIwoye, Ogun State.

Pastor (Mrs) Folake Agama of Ever Prevailing Word Church, with other leaders of the church on condolence visit.

50—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Vanguard CLASSIFIED

L-r: Vice-Chancellor, Redeemer's University, Professor Zachariah Adeyewa; wife of the Osun State Governor , Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola; Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola;Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade; General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Mother-in-Israel, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye and Osun State Deputy Governor, Otunba Titi-Laoye Tomori, at the sod-turning of Redeemers University's permanent site, Ede, Osun State, yesterday

Insurgency: IGP tasks new anti-bomb graduands on ethics

By ALBERT AKPOR

L

AGOS—INSPEC TOR-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, weekend, urged new graduands of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal, EOD Command, to always display high sense of integrity and professionalism in their daily task of providing safe and virile environment for the citizenry.

Abubakar who spoke while providing certificates to men and officers of the Nigeria Police trained by the anti-bomb unit on basic EOD course in the art of detecting, defusing and evacuating explosive devices said there was need to train more hands on EOD to add to an existing personnel was to meet the current security challenges in the country.

The IGP who was represented by the Commissioner of Police, EOD Command, Foluso Adebanjo, said 228 officers and men were trained on basic EOD course 15 adding that with this figure, the number of trained personnel has been has risen to 528.

He said: “You are quite aware of the on-going programme in the Nigeria Police Force and to reemphasize to you the Operation Restore Hope agenda of the Inspector General of Police which stands on discipline within the force. I will like to enjoin you to shun all vices including ineptitude, professionalism and unethical conducts, corrupt practices and indiscipline which will not be tolerated in any units you are posted. You have had the C M Y K

opportunity during the course of your four weeks' intensive basic training programme to develop your potentials in areas of recovery, identification, evacuation and disposal of explosives whenever you are called upon to the scene of a bomb incident.

“The Nigeria Police Force and the anti-bomb EOD Command is work-

ing round the clock to combat the scourge of terrorism and insurgency.

Apart from embarking on training and retraining of our personnel, we are also engaged in massive enlightenment campaigns on bomb threats response techniques and on identification of basic IEDs components.”

Claims against wonder banks hit N106bn ••SEC warns investors against fraudsters

By PETER EGWUATU

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, weekend, disclosed that total claims against the wonder banks stood at N106 billion, and warned investors against the use of non registered capital market operators to execute their investment needs.

The Director General, SEC, Ms. Arunma Oteh, who gave the warning at an investors outreach in Onitsha said: “The Commission does not recognise non registered capital market operators with no track records and which it may not be able to prosecute in case they go against the rules and regulation guiding the capital market.

“Investors should patronize registered capital market operators that are duly registered by SEC, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, and also are licenced by Institute of Chartered Stockbrokers, CIS. The SEC is the apex capital market whose primary role is to regulate and develop the market. It has respon-

sibilities to protect investors and that is why we are advising the investors to patronize registered capital market operators that we can easily apprehend whenever they defraud investors or commit other malpractices.

We have dragged some of them to Investment and Securities Tribunal, IST, so that they can be punished for defrauding innocent investors.”

While explaining the fraudulent practices in the county, she said a Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from profit earned by the individual or organization.

She said: “Ponzi schemes usually attract new investors by offering higher returns, in the form of short term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetration of the high returns requires an ever-increasing flow of money from new investors to keep the scheme going."

ASALA—I, formerly known as Asala Ewajesu Eto-Olorunpe Roseline, now wish to be known and called as Mrs. Fasina Ewajesu Eto-Olorunpe Roseline. All former documents remain valid. The general public and whom it may concern should please take note.

NWAKA—I, formerly known as Miss Nwaka Ogheneochuko Blessing, now wish to be known as and called Mrs. Boyitie Ogheneochuko Blessing. All former documents remain valid.

The general public and whom it may concern should please take note.

OJUKWU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojukwu Adanna Obianuju, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Onyeagu Adanna Obianuju. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public please take note.

IBE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnenna Kalu Ibe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nnenna Anamauwa Agbaeze. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EMMAN UEL — I , formerly known and addressed as Mr. Joshua Adeyemi Emmanuel, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Gilbert Adeyemi Emmanuel-Sobanjo.

All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

NWAOBASI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwaobasi Glory Uchechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogunna Glory Uchechi. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AKINBODE—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Olamoji Yetunde Akinbode, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olamoji Adeyemi Adun. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

DATOKHOM—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Datokhom Lynda Musa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Yunana Lynda Simon. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

EKONG—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ekong Iniobong Okokon, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Chukwunyelum Iniobong Ifeoma Virtue. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

Confirmation of Name This is to confirm that the name Sunday Abolokeji, refers to one and the same person as Best Tesimi Edah, now wish to be known and addressed as Best Tesimi Edah. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

UYABEME—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Joyce Ifechukwude Uyabeme, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Joyce Ifechukwude Okonkwo.

All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

OKWUCHI—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Blessing Ebele Okwuchi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Blessing Ebele Agbanelo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

NWOSU—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwosu Ruth Onyinyechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogueri Ruth Onyinyechi. All former documents remain valid. Abia State University, Uturu; NYSC and general public please take note.

AGUSIOBO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Agusiobo Nwando C., now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwokedi Nwando C. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ODOM—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Odom Eunice Oby, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogu Eunice Oby. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public please take note.

CHUKWUIGWE— I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Chukwuigwe Juliet, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Arbuah Juliet Ogbenyalu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

AKOREH—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Akoreh Okeoghene, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okeoghene Ovwata Jooda. All former documents remain valid.

Nigerian Brewery and general public should take note.

ADVERT HOTLINE 01- 8737025

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Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—51

Toxicity alert!

Wash your new clothes before wearing

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

D

O you know that you should wash and iron your brand new clothes before wearing them and not only after you have worn them? Are you aware there could be dangerous toxins in your brand new "designer" clothing?

Several long-term, negative, cumulative effects on health have been traced back to toxic chemicals used to create synthetic fiber for nightwears, towels and bedding.

If the expression "wash and wear" is to be taken seriously, it has relevance for brand new clothes now more than ever. Calls are currently on for urgent action to replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives especially in clothing and other consumer products.

Why you mush wash New clothes should always be properly washed before wearing, according to close watchers of the global textile and clothing industry.

The reason is that the discovery of several hidden toxin sources in new clothes has become more than a passing concern.

As more and more toxic chemicals are being used excessively for processing garment fibres and also for manufacturing clothes, the need for awareness in societies such as Nigeria cannot be overemphasised.

For decades, Nigeria has been dumping ground for substandard products, notably from China and Southeast Asia. Billions of clothing materials carrying multinational brand name labels are brought in endlessly from regions with shoddy regulatory agency protection.

After clothes are made, they are often covered with formaldehyde - a chemical that keeps clothes from wrinkling or becoming mouldy.

But formaldehyde is a toxic agent that triggers severe allergic reactions.

Investigations have discovered up to 500 times the safe level of formaldehyde in clothing shipped to brand name clothiers form factories in Another commonly used clothing chemical is Nonylphenol Ehtoxylate (NPE) which is freely used in clothing factories located in China and Southeast Asia. Investigations show that 14 of the biggest name brands in wears get their clothing from factories using NPE - commonly used as detergents in many textile industries located abroad. The chemicals break down to form Nonylphenol - a toxin with hormone-disrupting properties that is similar to BPA. Wrinkle free or no-iron should be considered a warning for carcinogenic perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) such as Teflon and Petrochemical dyes. Black clothing and dyes for leathers often contain p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), which can produce allergic reactions.

There could be flame retardants in bedding and nightwear., Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and dioxin-producing bleach are used by textile industries.

Protection tips Read clothing labels and try to avoid synthetic materials such as rayon, nylon, polyester, acrylic, acetate or Ttiacetate. Be particularly suspicious of no-iron, wrinkle free and preshrunk items.

But if you must purchase clothes made of these itemes, wash and dry thoroughly two or three times before wearing usung safe, organic detergents. Do not patronise dry cleaners that use banned perchloroethylene.

• Clothes should always be properly washed before wearing, according to close watchers of the global textile and clothing industry because of discovery of several hidden toxin sources in brand new clothes.

Breastfeeding medically, spiritually good for infants

By OLAYINKA LATONA

B

REASTFEEDING has always been the only culturally acceptable mode of feeding babies in Africa and specifically in Nigeria. It used to be a thing to be proud of and mothers breastfed their babies anytime and anywhere.

Within the first two years of infants, mothers were fond of nourishing their babies with their breast milk. Sadly, today, the reverse is the case.

Experts note that the experience of breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for mother and baby. However,

Expert tasks medical community, govt on response to mass casualities

By EBUN SESSOU

S

TATE Governments have been advised to develop a mass casualty preparedness plan that would cover security and health risk assessments, existing medical infrastructure, doctor-patient ratios, labour relations and protection of medical personnel from intentional targeting.

The call came following the incessant increase in insecurity emanating from bomb attacks in almost all the States in the federation.

President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, (AISSON) Dr. Ona Ekhomu made the call at the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the

Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Ogun State chapter, Abeokuta.

Ekhomu also called on the medical practitioners to improve their skills in the treatment of bomb explosion victims as the rising spate of insecurity in the country will invariably produce more mass casualties. According to him, the community must be prepared for the types of injuries that are usually caused by bombs and other weapons of mass destruction which are becoming quite common in Nigeria.

His words: “An explosion would produce thermal injuries, blast injuries and kinesic injuries. Victims closest to the bomb seat would suffer severe thermal injuries as well as blast injuries.

“The blast shock waves affect-

ed the cells in the body and resulted in extensive organ damage, internal bleeding, kinesics injuries including contusions, abrasions, and multiple fractures.

He advised that the medical infrastructure be strengthened to cope with the concomitant increase in demand for medical services due to increase in acts of violence throughout the six geo-political zones of the country.

Medical doctors should be innovated in order to ensure better service delivery.

In aadition, properly equipped regional medical facilities and enhancement of research and development facilities is desirable in order to study victims and achieve innovations in patient care.

despite various campaigns for exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria, the nation has not achieved the desired results in view of drastic decline in the rate of breast feeding among Nigerian mothers.

Statistics show that in 2005, breast feeding rate in Nigeria was 53 per cent. Today, it has dropped to 18 per cent. Reasons adduced for this reductionrange from ignorance to traditional beliefs. Yet scientific evidence shows that a child who is exclusively breastfed does not need additional water because breast milk contains 90 per cent of water.

Getting mothers to breastfeed the right way is a problem. For the few who want to practice exclusive breastfeeding, people around them make it difficult for them. It is no secret that apart from medical benefits, breastfeeding has spiritual connotation. Even the Quran and Bible agree that breastfeeding was created by God, and gloriously design for all mammals.

The religious perspective of breastfeeding makes references to show breastfeeding to be a joyful, rewarding blessing to both mother and child.

For instance, the Quran prescribes breastfeeding and commands children to be breastfeed until they attain full power and strength, as breastfeeding greatly impacts children's growth and development.

Islamic scholars point to the fact that the Creator gave the required period for breastfeeding as two years. The book said,

“The mothers shall give suckling to their children for two whole years.” (Al-Baqarah: 233) Generally, in African societies, failure to breastfeed a child is taboo. Biblical scholars also note that any mother that refuses to breastfeed her child will not only lose God’s blessing but also deprive such child from enjoying astounding physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of breastfeeding.

The Bible notes that children can receive more than food from the breast of their mothers and that there is no greater gift a mother can give her child than the gift God has given which is breastfeeding.

The book also reveals that God’s way to provide infant feeding is from mother to child. In Psalms 22:9, it is explained how an infant learns trust through nursing and having his needs met consistently and promptly. This is the basis for being able to trust God when he is older. A baby's spirit can also sense the rejection of not being nursed and can cause spiritual wounding.

Evangelist Temitope Fashina, Founder , New Life and Hope in Christ Jesus, describes breastfeeding as "God’s design for every species".

“The breast milk is an incredible gift from God which changes naturally to meet the needs of the growing infant. It gives immunity, protection, supports optimal growth and development to babies. The colostrum which is the first milk lines the gut of the baby to create a seal against pathogens and provides many other important functions,” she stated.

52 — V anguard Vanguard anguard,,

MOND AY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 MONDA YOUR LUCK TODAY

LEISURE

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139

CANCER; Many of you’ll find it relatively difficult to ignore romantic feelings within and attractive invitation from outside. Some’ll travel for love actually.

LEO; Happenings within your base of operation must not be allowed to weigh you down to the point of missing good opportunity at work before 2.17pm VIRGO; Financial success is closer to you but if you misplace your priority then, that’s another thing entirely.

Heated argument can not help your cause today.

LIBRA. If good advice comes your way don’t be too arrogant to take it. Travelling for love or business will bring you the desired results. Be cautious before 2.17pm SCORPIO; Success is boldly printed on your cards today and much will depend on what your priorities are. But your star desires mostly today is financial success .

SAGITTARIUS;. The moon continues it’s operation from your Star and enhances your prospects for success further.

The more friendly you are the better for your cause.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

O

UR elders say ‘a man does not wake up in the morning and start pursuing rabbit’. In other words a man does not start the day with some level of unseriousness.

For a good morning portends a good day.

How is your morning?

If I may ask you, how is your morning like? What are your programme for the day? Or do you just wake up as a matter of course without a well laid out goals for the

TERROR MUDA

day? No objective, no direction, wherever the wind blows you, there you go? Haba!

You can’t afford to live your life this way. You can’t be a victim of anything goes.

in “Never say goodbye”

Define your day. You can do this by charting a programme of action for your day, daily. This you can do a day before the day of execution. Some even plan weeks and months ahead. You can.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

CAPRICORN;. Don’t rely too heavily on friends today, especially before 2.17pm when Moon fluctuates. Learn how to consolidate on your recent progress.

AQUARIUS; If you must take advantage of your magnetic personality before too long this is the right time to do just that as Venus’ll soon leave positive angle to you Star. Think of your image in all you do now. Watch carefully before 2.17pm PISCES; Tomorrow’ll bring more challenges through friends. Try your best to accomplish more along your career line today. Be very practical before 2.17pm ARIES; Better than yesterday. And there are people willing to give you the needed co-operation. Don’t allow your love life to degenerate to laughing stuff with friends.

TAURUS;. As the saying goes “hard work pays” you will see evidence of the popular saying today as you’re rewarded according to your efforts at work.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Princess Shii’

By Andy Akman

GEMINI; Good luck’ll knock at your door today. Those with burning desire for romantic pleasure are in for an exciting day with lots of satisfaction. Be loving.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

Basic characteristics of Scorpio SCORPIO - the eighth of twelve zodiac signs, stands for secret, sex, sin, death, jealousy and regeneration. You can see that sex and death have powers to compel any earth’s inhabitant to surrender. Thus, Scorpio is the most powerful of all the 12 zodiac signs. That is why you are endowed with strong will powers that can be used to regenerate either yourself or those close to you.

Scorpio is a water sign. It’s natives are emotional types with powerful intuition. They are of inclination to protect their loved ones and/or the people with weaker personality, however, if they have any cause to doubt the loyalty or sincerity of such person/persons, they tend to become jealous and the strong love they have for the person can turn to hatred. And as they are the type capable of intensive love and bitter hatred, it is not good to incur their wrath.

Scorpio-being a member of fixed signs, it’s natives are not keen lovers of change. That is why you always love to make success of any important project of yours before consideration can be given to another one. And by so doing, you make yourself a reliable person.

The water element of Scorpio makes them highly mysterious personalities who intuition (and emotion) can be regarded as extra-ordinary.

Although, other influence in your natal horoscope can tempt some people to think that you are very open; the truth is, you can be highly secretive person who knows what he wants and how to get it.

Your being secretive has many advantages, thus, you are encouraged not to be tempted to open up unnecessarily whenever it comes to manipulation of unseen forces or psychic energies. Let it be known that African Scorpio born person that refuses to acknowledge the reality of occult forces heads for failure.

Whoever tries to jeopardise your interest and/or anything that is important to you and yours will be met with resistance. Equally, Scorpio tends to nurse grudge; that is why some people will say natives of this powerful zodiac sign are truly good friends but dangerous enemies.

Pluto’s ruling influence over Scorpio makes Scorpio’s desire for unknown to be strong. That is why many Astrologers call Scorpios the deadly detectives. And a welldeveloped Scorpio is as bold as aggressive soldiers and fears no death.

VIRGINIA

Commen3

dadadekola@yahoo.com

by Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012—53

54 —

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

M

I

applaud those who conceived the concept of a Games for the physically challenged, I thank those fans who turn out in their hundreds to cheer them on, but most importantly, I stand on my two legs, my arms raised in salute of those who have taught us that what the able bodied could not do, they have done, even better.

All conquering Falconets At the airport to see off the Chairman of the Tech-

we are now witnessing. Some of those who wrote in, disagreed. For them there was nothing like football success.

T

Falconets, Paralympics and other strokes…

,

Y three day stay in Cairo, Egypt afforded me the uninterrupted opportunity of watching the Paralympics courtesy Nile Sports Channel.

It was also a time to celebrate a country called Nigeria, though sadly.

Let us rewind, to the Senate Committee hearing on sports and the distraction of Sanni Ndanusa who punctuated brilliant presentations to bore us with his “marvelous” NOC Preparations for the Olympics, booked tickets…..secured hotels….logo change…blah…blah I remember vividly Dr Ken Alugwueje who expressed reservations about our Olympic success but was quick to point out that the Paralympians will certainly do us proud (as usual) Then he issued a warning that the sooner we got serious with the able bodied, the better because with the world at the vanguard of eradicating polio, Nigeria will soon lack paralympians to cover her shame.

In my Concorde El Salaam hotel in Cairo I remembered all this as Oyema and Onaolapo caused our anthem to be listened to all over the world as our flag unfurled with respect.

I also remembered that in the closing stages of the Olympics there was this joke that should any Nigerian make the mistake of winning anything, the organizers will have a problem finding our anthem and identifying a flag that never saw the light of day even at the submissive bronze position!

I remembered Dr Ken Alugwueje and perished the thought of suggesting that we should boycott the Olympics and concentrate on raising Paralympians(?), even at the risk of being portrayed as a disabled State.

My Cairo lessons are legion. That our athletes have proven that there is ability in disability. I have not stopped giving testimony, asking God for forgiveness for taking even my life for granted. I watch daily men and women scarred by life, yet refusing to be consigned to the dust bin of self pity, charity and emotional tantrums.

I applaud those who conceived the concept of a Games for the physically challenged, I thank those fans who turn out in their hundreds to cheer them on...

,

nical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation as he was going to Japan, I reiterated the need to urge our girls to do well. I said to him that coming on the heels of our Olympics disaster, the country needed an elixir, a morale boosting performance to heal her wounds. The girls have not disappointed. I have been a part of their preparations and I rejoice with them. For a team that went into the competition as vice Champions of the world, a lot is still being expected. Tomorrow will be another day.

I have mentioned the Falconets today because the last time I wrote on the Olympics ( Pussy cat…pussycat where have you been….?) I gave credit to the Sports Minister for restoring stability to our football environment. I said it is the prevailing peace that has guaranteed the successes that

he Falconets lead my argument. Then the Keshi experiment and the inevitable qualification for the Nations Cup in South Africa next year.

I stand to be corrected. When has the Super Eagles ever benefitted the quality and quantity of preparations now extended to Keshi and his boys? The Falconets passed through South Korea on the way to Japan, the U- 17 are virtually marooned in Calabar, speaking positively. Presently no effort is spared to regain the pride of place football occupied in our sport lives.

By the time a development strategy is added to the plans of our football, Alhaji Maigari and his board may yet retire singing Hallelujah.

Mobil Schools Athletics In a mail I sent to my colleagues recently, I reminded them that Rio will soon start, from Uyo. Some of them cracked jokes over it…( Pius Ayinor was the most caustic ).

Next week, the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the National Athletics Technical Officials ( NAATO )under legendary sprinter Utit Ofon Nkantah will organize a train the trainers workshop to update members in preparation for the forth coming 12th edition of the Mobil Athletics Championship in Akwa Ibom Schools.

This programme is unique , the first of its kind, the only of its type all over the federation thanks to the unrelenting support of NNPC and Mobil Producing Nigeria. In its twelve years , the championship has received the unalloyed support of the AFN and the physical presence of seven sports ministers, yet we cannot claim to have reaped bountifully from its grass root posture.

I expect this year to be different. With the Olympics disgrace haunting us, it is high time we laid more emphasis on schools sports .

No substitutes for same, none.

Give me Heartland .

I will take enough time and space out next week to congratulate a journalist cum football administrator who has proven his mettle at the helm of Heartland football Club of Imo State.

Unfortunately the Imo State Government does not seem to appreciate the gold in their possession, one that can be used as a tool of peace, mobilization, social engineering, even political popularity. Ask Orji Uzor Kalu.

See you next week.

US OPEN: Federer, Murray reach last 16 F

IVE-TIME champion Roger Federer defied 32-degree heat and crushing humidity to reach the US Open last 16 Saturday as potential semi-final rival Andy Murray almost wilted in the New York sweatshop.

Top seed Federer, bidding to be the first six-time winner in 87 years, defeated Spanish 25th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 64, 6-4 in a shade over two hours to make the last 16 for the 12th successive year.

The Swiss next faces American 23rd seed Mardy Fish, who beat Gilles Simon, the French 16th seed, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/ 5), 6-3.

Fish prevailed in a match which finished after 0100 local time Sunday morning despite hitting 74 unforced errors.

In stark contrast, thirdseeded Murray, the 2008 US Open runner-up to Federer, needed almost four hours to clinch a 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/

4) victory over 30th-seeded Spanish left-hander Feliciano Lopez.

The Olympic champion, Murray will next face 15th-seeded Milos Raon-

ic, who defeated American wildcard James Blake and 6-3, 6-0, 7-6 (7/3) on the back of 29 aces to become the first Canadian to make the last 16 in 24 years.

Mikel fires Chelsea warning

M

IDFIELDER John Obi Mikel has warned Chelsea that “fancy football” will get them nowhere this sea-

•Mikel

son if they forget to do the basics.

Last season’s Champions League victory was built on solid defence, but Roberto Di Matteo has introduced a more expansive style this season.

The Italian has been rewarded with eight goals in three straight league victories, but his side were picked off at will by Atletico Madrid in a Super Cup thrashing in Monaco.

And Mikel said: “It is a kick up the backside. We have to keep our heads up and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“Sometimes it’s not just about playing fancy football, it’s about putting a shift in and everyone defending together.

ON COURSE .. Roger Federer fires his way onto the last 16 of US Open

Obudu wins bid to host 2014 WMRA Championships

T

HE Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu,Cross River State has been granted the right to host the 30th edition of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) championships in 2014.

Obudu won the bid at

the weekend in Vallecamonica,Italy on the occasion of the 28th World Mountain Running Championships garnering 21 votes while eight countries voted against and four abstained from voting.

Obudu will thus host

the 30th edition of the association’s flagship event in 2014 to coincide with the 10th edition of the annual Obudu international mountain race a n d the sixth edition of the African Mountain Running championships.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 — 55

Oparanozie always lands on her feet DESIRE Oparanozie spends a lot of time off the ground, as is only to be expected of one of the best headers of the ball at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012.

And no matter how much the Nigeria attacker is buffeted by opposition defenders or how acrobatically she tries to reach the ball, she always manages to land on her feet.

She also manages to keep her feet firmly on the ground metaphorically, a useful trait when she has to deal with disappointment, such as

in the recent quarterfinal against Mexico.

“I missed a hatful of chances. I know I did, and I’m really annoyed with myself,” she said to FIFA.com. “I needed to score to know that all my hard work was actually worth something and that I’d contributed something to the team.

“At the end of the day if I’ve created a lot of chances for myself and we lose, I don’t feel like I’ve helped the team – the opposite in fact.”

Despite being her own harshest critic, the centre-forward certainly did help her team against Mexico. Her extra-time goal, which as you would expect came from a header, sent the Falconets into the semi-finals, where they will take on USA, as well as repaying the

faith shown in her by the rest of the Nigerian camp.

“I felt under a certain amount of pressure, but it was of my own making – no-one else was putting any pressure on me,” said the striker, who grew up idolising local legend Mercy Akide and who now admires Abby Wambach and Wayne Rooney.

“When I missed those chances and when I made a few wrong decisions, the coach and my team-mates kept telling me to keep my chin up, to put it behind me and that the next chance would come along soon. When the ball finally went in, I could hardly believe it!

The goal was just reward for their encouragement because it got them into the semi-final.”

Paralympic athletes, officials commend NSC

N

IGERIAN athletes and officials at the on-going Paralympic Games in London have praised the National Sports Commission for ensuring they had quality training and preparations for the Games.

Speaking in London,

•Oparanozie

Falconets Continues from BP tournament. lost 1-0 to hosts, Germany in a keenly contested final of the 2010 edition and a win over the equally tough USA team tomorrow, will make them the first team to play in two consecutive finals since the competition began in 2002.

Germany too is contesting the other semi final against hosts, Japan, later tomorrow.

Nigeria and USA came close to the exit door along the way. For the Nigerians, they had to endure a nervy period in their 1-0 quarter-final win against Mexico, when El Tri it was that created the better chances in the second half and extra time.

The Americans, for their part, also needed extra time to oust Korea DPR in the last eight – this after only edging into the quarters ahead of China PR on goal difference.

These travails do however mean that both the Falconets and the Stars and Stripes have proven that, in terms of mental toughness, they are a match for anyone.

And as is so often the case in football, victory may well go to the side that keeps their nerve, which Nigeria’s Desire Oparanozie and USA’s Chioma Ubogagu both did to score extra-time winners for their respective nations last time out.

Coach of the Nigerian team, Edwin Okon is confident his wards will overcome the tough Americans.

“My team’s getting better every day. If you want to be better tomorrow, you have to put in the hard work today – that’s our philosophy. After having lost in the final in 2010, we want to reach that stage again in 2012.

So, that’s what we’ve been working towards day after day,” Nigeria coach Edwin Okon.

Yakubu Adesokan, who won gold in powerlifting, attributed the success of the team to the exceptional training and exposure they had received on road to London. “I am so grateful for the kind of training we received in Nigeria and later South Korea. I specially thank the National Sports Commission for ensuring we started camping early and for selecting camps with world-class facilities,” he said.

Similarly, gold medallist, Ivorie Nwokorie, said the support of the Commission was instrumental for her success.

“Apart from the camp in Korea, the Commission also provided us with new wheel chairs and the right weight equipment which is the same used by the best athletes in the world.”

HAT-TRICK MAN: Manchester United's Robin Van Persie celebrates his goals against Southampton

I hate seeing RVP score for United — Wenger North Londoners last the season with back-to-

A

RSENE WENGER admits watching Robin van Persie score for Manchester United was torture.

The £22million Dutch striker has already netted more goals this season than ALL his former Arsenal teammates put together.

And Wenger confessed that Van Persie’s stunning strike on his first start for United against Fulham made uncomfortable viewing on Match of the Day last weekend.

He said: “I must say it was a fantastic goal, a typical Van Persie goal.

But what was a bit strange to me was that he had the wrong shirt on!

“Why is he jumping around in a shirt like that? I don’t know.

“I do know, but I don’t like it too much.”

Wenger forked out £24million on Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski to fill the gap left by Van Persie, who scored 30 Premier League goals for the

Keshi drops 9 Continues from BP reasons to recall you.

Many of those who are here with us now have been dropped and recalled several times”, he admonished the departing players.

The Pillars defender who has been battling a knee injury for sometimes now is joined on the sidelines by Heartland of Owerri duo of Benjamin Francis and Kabiru Umar,

Saviour Fidelis of Taraba FC, Rising Stars, Henry Ezekiel, Christian Ofili of ABS Fc, Chibuzor Onyekwelu of Fame fc, Femi Ajayi of Crown FC and Rangers International’s Ogochukwu Ugonna. The players have since left the Bolton White Apartment of the team, as the 10 Europe based players invited are expected to start arriving Nigeria from Sunday evening.

season.

But the French boss has seen his side open

back goalless draws against Sunderland and Stoke.

Bayern blast six past Stuttgart league’s most expensive

B

AYERN Munich crushed Stuttgart 6-1 to move ominously to the top of the Bundesliga on a day when the

arrival made his debut.

Javi Martinez only played the last 13 minutes, by which time Bayern had already put the three points in

Paralympics Continues from BP Ozlem Becerikli of Turkey placed third with 116kg.

“I’m not happy. Winning silver was not what I prepared for.

“I was shattered by the cancellation of my attempts. I didn’t see any mistake and the judges did not give any explanation, so I don’t really understand,” said the Enugu-born athlete, who won gold at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

Ejike’s miss was particularly painful to Ni-

gerian officials, after the country made a bright start in the power-lifting event. In previous weight categories completed, Esther Onyema and Joy Onaolapo had won in the 48kg and 52kg respectively and setting world records in the process and Nigeria won medals in all the eight classes concluded.

As at yesterday, Nigeria had won a total of eight medals (4 gold and 4 silver.) and is placed seventh on the log.

Van Persie Continues from BP led before the Dutchman struck late on.

Robin van Persie hattrick saw Manchester United comeback to beat a resilient Southampton 3-2 in Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1000th league game.

Rickie Lambert gave the hosts an early lead before van Persie equalised on the half-hour mark for his second goal

in as many starts for his new side.

Morgan Schneiderlin headed his side back in front soon after the break before van Persie first missed a penalty, but tallied his hat-trick by reacting to Rio Ferdinand’s header coming back off the post, and then heading home from a corner two minutes into added time.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

R

OBIN van Persie completed a hattrick to make amends for a poor second-half penalty miss as Manchester United took all three points at Southampton.

The home side had twice Continues on page 55

Falconets seek history

Results Liverpool Southampton Newcastle

0 2 1

Arsenal Man U Aston Villa

2 3 1

•Face USA for a final ticket

BY KATE OBODO, Tokyo

T

HE national U-20 Women’s football team, the Falconets is on the verge of making history as they take on their American counterparts for a ticket to their second consecutive final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.

The Falconets, the first semi-final appearance by an African nation in a FIFA women’s

Continues on page 55

•Desire

Keshi drops 9 Eagles ahead of Liberia clash

K

ANO Pillars central defender, Papa Idris was the biggest casualty at the weekend as the national team’s technical crew headed by Stephen Keshi gradually zeroes in on a final list of players that will tackle Liberia in this weekend’s Nations Cup final round qualifier in Monrovia.

Idris along with eight others were dropped after lunch on Saturday, with Keshi assuring them that they should not be dejected as they will soon be recalled when the team returns from Liberia. “Just ensure that all you learnt here is not wasted and continue to feature regularly for your club side, so that we will have Continues on page 55

Tomorrow's matches Nigeria Japan TODAY'S

V V

GLORIOUS MOMENT: Nigeria’s Lucy Ogechukwu Ejike gestures after receiving her silver medal in the power lifting event of the London 2012 Paralympics

USA Germany

8 a.m.

11.30 a.m.

PUZZLE

London 2012 Paralympics: Ejike sulks over gold medal miss

BY BEN EFE, London

N

IGERIA’s Lucy Ejike was left fum-

FRIDAY'S

ANSWERS

ing yesterday after she missed out on the women -56kg power-lifting gold.

Ejike who was tipped

ACROSS 1 Tyrant (6) 5 Drawing (6) 9 Hang (5) 10 Schedule (6) 11 Recommittal (6) 12 Fragment (5) 14 Journey (4) 17 Clef (3) 18 Present (4) 20 Rented (5) 22 Claw (5) 23 Cylindrical (7) 24 Tranquility (5) 26 Cycle (5) 29 Engrave (4) 30 Poke (3) 32 Masculine (4) 33 Wall painting (5) 35 Noisier (6) 36 Crumble (6) 37 Turret (6) 39 Tilted (6)

to win the gold and increase Nigeria’s gold medal tally to five here at the Games lost concentration after her second and third attempts

were ruled as ‘no lifts’ by the judges. She settled for silver with 135kg, while Egypt’s Fatima Omar won the gold with a 142kg lift.

Continues on page 55

DOWN 1 Lack (6) 2 Pin (6) 3 Chances (4) 4 Trail (5) 5 Sprinkle (5) 6 Retain (4) 7 Voyage (6) 8 Concealed (6) 13 Consistent (7) 15 Bolt (5) 16 Boat (5) 18 Seraglio (5) 19 Regal (5) 21 Owing (3) 22 Faucet (3) 25 Clear (6) 28 Blacken (6) 30 Juryman (5) 31 Din (5) 33 Measure (4) 34 Entice (4)

FRIDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Wrap 4, Mar 6, Spam 9, Tap 10, Harassed 11, Alas 14, Pad 16, Health 19, Mediocre 21, Prone 23, Entrance 24, Earth 27, Ewe 31, Tape 33, Henchman 34, Tin 35, Mend 36, Mad 37, Dent.

How to Play Sudoku

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN: 2, Rear 3, Peal 4, Massacre 5, Rude 6, State 7, Pal 8, Apart 12, Smite 13, Odour 14, Pop 15, Drove 17, Agony 18, Hades 20, Entwined 22, Ere 25, Abate 26, Trend 28, Whim 29, Shed 30, Main 32, Pin.

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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