PDP crisis worsens

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61899

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

PDP crisis worsens •North-West PDP faults Wamakko's suspension •Says no automatic ticket for Jonathan in 2015 •We've been betrayed, says Sokoto State party members

BY LUKA BINNIYAT, ABDALLAH ELKUREBE & HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—CRACKS on the walls of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, widened with the North-West chapter of the party differing with the National Leadership over the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC, to suspend Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko.

The North-West, which has seven states - Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto,

Continues on page 5

EAST-WEST ROAD:

2014 timeline remains — FG •P.9 COLUMNISTS:

DONU KOGBARA •P.17 ACCIDENT—AN articulated truck with Number plate: AKD- 964 XB fell on a Pickup Van with Number plate: XY 433 AAA, yesterday, at Ajayi Farm Bus Stop, along Agege Motor Road, Ikeja, Lagos. One person died in the accident with many injured. Above: The crowd, rescue operations and the traffic caused by the incident. Photos: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor and Bunmi Azeez. See story on Page 6.

ADISA ADELEYE

NGF: ALIYU/YUGUDA TRADE TACKLES •Pg9

Mr & Mrs

We had an election — Gov. Aliyu ....Northern govs responsible for crisis — Yuguda •2015: We'll resist moves to stop Jonathan

— S-South leaders •P.8

•P.48

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 3

C M Y K

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7,

C M Y K

2013

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 5

POCKET CARTOON

AGM—From left: Alhaji Sani Dangote, Director, National Salt Company of Nigeria PLC; Mr A A Samuel, Company Secretary; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman and Mr Ade Adeniji, Managing Director at the company's 2012 Annual General Meeting held in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

PDP crisis worsens, as N-West, Sokoto PDP protest Continues from page 1 Zamfara, Kebbi and Jigawa, is a strong PDP bloc.

While the North-West chapter said Wamakko’s suspension was hasty and done without consultation, the National leadership countered that wide and exhaustive consultations were carried out.

The North-West zone also faulted comments of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT),

Chief Anthony Anenih that the president and first term governors of the party should get automatic return tickets.

This is coming amid strong indications that the PDP National Leadership is poised to suspend more governors and erring members from its fold if they fail to abide by the constitution of the party.

So far, PDP has suspended two governors elected on its platform -

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them - Maya Angelou. How you react to something determines what the thing becomes.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed —Abraham Lincoln

L

IFE is an eternal quest about knowing one self. Perhaps now is the time to challenge you, to rediscover your hidden traits and talents. Embrace your unique qualities and talents. Everyone is different. Figure out what you’re good at and what sets you apart from everyone else. Your mission is to create a reason for being here. Believe in your path. When you start to figure out what you want in life, there will be obstacles. Do not let anyone or anything discourage you from continuing on. Believe in yourself and believe in your decisions.

Surround yourself with positivity. Try to limit the amount of time you spend with people who naysay, judge, or ridicule. Choose to completely surround yourself with positive, inspiring influences.

You will feel much happier and better about yourself if you do.

The most important thing to remember is that you are worth it, you can go another day, and you can be happy. Life will not throw you anything you cannot handle or overcome. Once you start to accept and love yourself and your desired path, the way you should, the clouds will clear and you will breathe easy again. Be kind to yourself and life will be a whole lot brighter.

Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Wamakko. And against the backdrop of misgivings arising from the recent Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election, which Amaechi won contrary to expectation of the PDP hierarchy that favoured Governor David Jang of Plateau State, who earlier cornered the endorsement of the 19 governors of the North, more heads may roll in the party ahead of the 2015 polls.

Wamakko’s suspension hasty – Kazaure Dismissing Wamakko’s suspension as “unfortunate” and “hasty”, the Chairman of the PDP, North West Zone, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, told newsmen in Kaduna shortly before the meeting of the Northern States Governors' Forum (NSGF) that wide consultations should have been done.

His words: “The suspension is unfortunate, very unfortunate. We should have done a wide consultation because we have enemies within.

The PDP is a party not a social club. It has its constitution. I am not saying they (PDP NWC members) are wrong; I am not saying what they have done is wrong; but all I am saying is there should have been a wide consultation before the action was taken. For a governor of a state where we have 100 per cent PDP supporters from the ward up to national lev-

els, this is sad.

“I don’t think his suspension will affect the PDP, but it will affect the candidature of the PDP in the future. PDP gets stronger day-by-day. But the unfortunate thing is that when you train a lion and it begins to eat this person and that person, by the time everybody is finished then what will happen next?

....No automatic ticket for Jonathan in 2015 Kazaure also asked those canvassing automatic ticket for the president and first time governors to have a rethink because the constitution of the PDP does not give room for avoiding primary elections, insisting that at the appropriate time, the PDP constitution would decide. This is in contradiction to the position of the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, who recently said that the President and all Governors of the PDP seeking re-election were to be given automatic tickets to contest.

Said Kazaure: “Religious sentiment is out of my dictionary. God has already ordained who will be the next president. All these things we are doing it is only God that knows who will be the next president. Not you, not me not even anybody in Nigeria knows that.

“The South-South that is talking should understand that it was somebody that died and some-

body took over. Do you know what will happen tomorrow? You don’t know. Only God knows what will happen tomorrow. Even if I said you will be the king of your town tomorrow it is not possible, because we don’t decide the future of this country. Whatever God decides is what will happen."

We’ve been betrayed – Sokoto PDP Responding to the issues, the Sokoto State chapter of the PDP described as betrayal, the suspension of Governor Wamakko, stating that the national secretariat violated section 21 of the PDP constitution.

A statement by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Arzika Tureta, said: “We the PDP supporters in Sokoto felt betrayed by the decision taken at the National level to suspend the leader of the party without recourse to procedure, justice and equity as enshrined in Article 21 of the PDP constitution.”

Positing that the Governor had always been loyal and committed to the party by achieving 100 per cent success in all elections in the state, the party advised the national secretariat to guard against rumour mongering. “The PDP at the national level is hereby advised to guard against rumour mongering, hear-say and unsubstantiated allegations by Abuja-based Sokoto politicians who are bent on destroying the party at all levels.”

Wamakko was lured into the PDP during the 2007 election when the party’s candidate, now deputy governor, was dropped in preference for him.

All elected officers must

respect the party or... —PDP Meanwhile, the National Leadership of the PDP has asked all officers on its platform to shape up or face sanctions because the party was greater and bigger than any member irrespective of position.

The warning was conveyed through a statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh. “We wish to state that the leadership of the Party has immense respect for all elected and appointed political office holders and in the same vein expects all political office holders to reciprocate by respecting the constitution and lawful organs of the Party upon which platform they hold office."

Why we suspended Wamakko – Metuh Explaining why the party suspended Wamakko, the PDP national scribe noted that the governor shunned the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the National Working Committee, NWC when he was invited to answer to some questions.

"The decision to suspend Wamakko came after very wide and exhaustive consultations, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the PDP and in the overriding interest of the party.

“It is important to note that the reason for the suspension of Governor Wamakko predates the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s election. Sometime in early April, the leadership of the party was concerned with the statements and conduct of the Governor whereupon the National Chairman placed several calls to draw the attention of the Governor to the matters concerned."

6—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

New transport scheme causes gridlock in Abuja

BY ALICE FESTUS

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BUJA — JUST when residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, thought the answers to their prayer to alleviate traffic jam had been answered, little did they know that the newly introduced transport scheme will cause more gridlock in parts of the FCT. The small buses also known as Araba that ply the Nyanya Masaka road now charge more than the usual fare as a result of the newly introduced buses.

Passengers who were faced with these challenges lamented to Vanguard about their ordeals and called on government to intervene.

Mr Ibrahim Joshua, a business man, said: “I am not happy about this situation because this evening (Wednesday) I boarded a vehicle around 6 pm from Wuse to Nyanya only to spend more than two hours on the road.

There was traffic hold up from Aya to Nyanya. From Nyanya to Maraba is free and in Nyanya all the big vehicles block the road.

“So government should try and solve the situation and let them reduce the price to N50 from Nyanya to wuse.”

ICPC nabs 41 NIMC officials over forged certificate

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BUJA — THE Independ ent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, said it arrested 41 officials with fake credentials at a promotion exercise conducted by the National Identification Management Commission, NIMC. This is contained in a statement signed by the ICPC’s Head of Media, Mr Folu Olamiti, and made available to newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja.

According to the statement, the arrest was made during the presentation of additional certificates claimed to have been acquired by the officials for upgrading of their status.

The statement said the preliminary vetting carried out by NIMC through the Ministry of Education indicated that some of the tertiary institutions contacted to verify their certificates, confirmed the certificates to be fake.

Gridlock as one dies, scores wounded in Lagos auto crash

zPolicemen chasing erring motorcyclist caused it — Eyewitnesses

BY EVELYN USMAN, ONOZURE DANIA & IJEOMA NATHANIEL

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AGOS — TRAGEDY struck, yesterday, along the Agege Motor Road, Ikeja, Lagos, after a container fell off a truck and landed on an Eko meat van. An unsuspecting male passer-by identified as a manager in Slot Electronics company, was reportedly crushed to death by the truck.

Several persons reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries while motorists going inward and outward Oshodi went through the most harrowing experience as they were trapped for seven hours in the resultant gridlock.

Vanguard gathered that the accident occurred following attempt by driver of the truck with number plate AKD 964 XB to avoid ramming into a motorcyclist who was reportedly being chased by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad, RRS. “The RRS men are stationed along the Agege Motor road to effect the Lagos State traffic law on the ban of motorcyclists along the expressway. This particular motorcyclist decided to drive against traffic on noticing the RRS men on the other side of the road. But when they sighted him, they gegan to chase him.

In the process, the Okada man decided to make a U-turn. Just at that point, the truck with a 20footer container swerved to avoid crushing the motorcyclist, only for the container to fall off and land on the Eko Meat van. Motorists who stopped tried to lift the container to rescue the occupants, but could not,” an eye witness who identified himself as Moshood Balogun said.

Another account Another version by some occupants of the Eko Meat van who escaped death by the whiskers had it that the policemen caught up with the fleeing motorcyclist and at the same time blocked the way with their van, apparently to prevent the commercial motorcyclist from escaping.

Explaining how the incident occurred, one of the survivors, Taiwo Rauf, a meat supplier, said: “We were four inside the van.

Two persons were sitting beside the driver while I sat behind. I used the van to supply meat at Oshodi from abattoir at Agege.

We had already supplied the first batch and we were heading back to Agege for another round.

“While we were on our way, we saw a commercial motorcyclist riding against traffic with a female passenger. When the rider saw that the police were approaching, he turned to escape but the policemen caught up

with him. Another police van emerged and parked beside the first one.

"Our van which was coming from behind had no space to go forward, so we had to wait. At that point, the truck which was coming behind us was blaring its horn and an occupant, inside was shouting at the top of his voice ‘no brake.’

"Before we knew what was happening, the truck hit our van and at the same time swerved to the culvert, only to crush a man to death. The driver of meat van was injured and was immediately rushed to the hospital by sympathizers. I can’t tell how I managed to come out of the van.”

Immediately the incident occurred, report said angry mob attempted to attack the policemen who they blamed for the cause.

But they were reportedly dispersed by tear gas canisters from

the policemen.

The deceased, identified simply as Belle, was said to be a manager in Slot electronics company.

A male sympathizer who screamed after the deceased was brought out under the trailer identified him as a manager in Slot.

Gridlock Attempt by policemen from divisions under Area ‘F’, Ikeja to control the traffic failed as the wreckage of the meat van and container blocked the road.

After two hours of waiting, a super metro van was reportedly brought to lift the container and meat van from the road but could not. A crane was later brought by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA. But its arrival reportedly worsen the traffic situation

as it was stretched from both ends of the dual carriage road,thereby blocking the alternative access way.

The evacuation of the container was eventually completed at about 4.30pm.

Commuters, had to trek long distances before boarding commercial buses to their respective destinations. But motorists who were trapped in the gridlock had no option than to wait till the evacuation process was copmpleted.

Spokesman for LASTMA, Mrs Bola Ajao, when contacted, said LASTMA officials were on ground to control the traffic situation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr Tunde Shobulon, who visited the scene, reportedly claimed the meat van apparently drove against traffic, saying he was oblivious of the alleged involvement of policemen in the accident.

Ondo Police arrest 7 kidnappers of grandfather

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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KURE — SEVEN suspected kidnappers of a grandfather, Pa Akinyele Akerele, have been arrested by police detectives in Ondo State.

The suspects reportedly invaded Akerele's residence in Igbobini area of the state on May 4 and whisked him away.

Akerele was said to have been taken by his abductors through the sea to Sapele in Delta State.

Efforts by security operatives to locate and rescue him in the creeks in the last one month has been futile until last week when they, acting on tip-off, stormed the kidnappers' hideout.

Family of Akerele informed Vanguard that the kidnappers decided to hold on to their octogenarian father when they could not meet their demand of N17million ransom.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers to newsmen in Akure, Akerele said he never knew he could survive the ordeal.

He said the kidnappers, after he was taken forcefully blindfolded him until they were on the high sea.

According to him, "as soon as we got to Sapele, they removed the blindfold because it was useless then."

Akerele said his abductors fed him on (garri) cassava flakes for the whole month. He said: "I was flogged and beaten mercilessly especially when they realised that money was not forthcoming.

I never knew I could come out of it at all much less of being alive today.

Pa Akinyele Akerele and some family members after his release.

Speaking on the arrest of the “Since my existence in life I suspect, the state Police image have never suffered as much as I did in the last one month in the maker, Wole Ogodo, confirmed kidnappers' den. I was kept in a the incident and said investigadirty place, inside the water. They tion was still on-going.

Ogodo gave the names of the changed positions every two suspects to include David Iteli weeks.

“When the Police came to res- a.k.a Police,Meetin Ebi, Omosola cue me, I was shocked and sur- Olorujuwon a.k.a Jarule,Owei prised immediately the Police Yanboh,Toyin Asuluwon Emisa identified me and told me it was a.k.a minister,Oluwafemi Asogbon, Austin Shbija. over.”

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BY SIMON EBEGBULEM humed by the police to un12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 dergo an autopsy.

12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 ENIN CITY—FOLLOW 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 Meanwhile, controversy 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 ING the setting up of a 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 has continued to trail the kill12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 panel of enquiry to unravel ing of Momodu. While the 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 the alleged killing of a 22- police command in the state 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 year-old Ibrahim Momodu, a is claiming that he was a rob12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 final year student of the Uni- ber who was shot while try12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 versity of Benin by a police ing to evade police arrest, the 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 officer, last Wednesday, by family said their son was 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 Governor Adams Oshiomhole, never a criminal and was shot 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 the corpse was yesterday ex- unjustly by the police.

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Police exhume

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—7

NYSC members block Keffi-Abuja road over unpaid allowance

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Trainees at Yuguda Vocational Training Centre during their solidarity visit to Government House in Bauchi, yesterday.

Photo: NAN.

5 killed, 6 injured in Bauchi auto crash B

BY SUZAN EDEH

AUCHI — AT least five per sons died while six others sustained injuries, yesterday, in an auto crash that occurred in KareKare village, Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Vanguard gathered that the accident which took place at about 1.00 p.m, involved a Nissan commercial bus with number plate AE 372 GJW and Toyota Hilux with number plate XA 210 ALK. The eyewitness disclosed that the accident was caused when the driver of the Hilux vehicle tried to over take and in the process, collided with the Nissan bus.

The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commander, FRSC, Mr Sunday

Olatunji, confirmed the incident, saying of the 24 persons involved in the accident, five were confirmed dead while six sustained injuries.

According to him,“18 males and

six females were involved in the road crash.All the five persons that lost their lives were males while the six persons that were injuried were also men. When our officers got the information, they went

to the scene of the crash and evacuated all the five corpses to Darazo General hospital while the injuried persons were given medical treatment at the hospital.”

FG wants Nwabueze, Braithwaite's subsidy suit dismissed

BY WAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & IJEOMA NATHANIEL

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AGOS— A LAGOS High Court sitting in Ikeja, was yesterday asked by the Federal Government to dismiss a N440 million suit filed by elder statesmen, Prof. Ben Nwabueze and Dr Tunji

Braithwaite, over the alleged disruption of their protest against the removal of fuel subsidy on January 19, 2012.

The government made the request in two separate applications filed against the suit by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke and the Ni-

Police demolish alleged mum killer’s shrine

ernment Area of Imo State, as tion might not be unconnected soon as the security men arrived with the state administration’s WERRI — THE shrine of the rural community. stand on pulling down buildings controversial Chief The presence of security per- that house criminals.

Chimezie Bede Osigwe, the man sonnel and a heavy duty paySome of the indigenes of the who allegedly killed his mother, loader in the community elicited area, who spoke to Vanguard embalmed her body and kept the fresh anxiety among the people, commended the security men for skeleton for about 10 years in his even as they expressed delight “taking timely and decisive action cupboard, has been destroyed by at the destruction of the crime on the house of crime.” a combined team of Nigeria Po- scene that brought collateral What baffled the people most lice and Imo Security Network. was that Osigwe never told anyshame to the area.

Vanguard investigations reAlthough it was not clear at press body what truly happened to his vealed that the demolition com- time, who gave the order for the mother or gave the late woman a menced, yesterday morning, at demolition of Osigwe’s house, decent burial until her lifeless Ejemekwuru, Oguta Local Gov- Vanguard gathered that the ac- body was recovered.

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BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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However, it was learnt that 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 Executive Director of the Af23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 Governor Oshiomhole had 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 the DPO who allegedly shot 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 rican Network for Environ- last Tuesday urged the parties 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 the deceased was being inves23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ment and Economic Justice, to remain calm and allow the 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 tigated as the state Commis23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, panel to investigate the mat23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 sioner of Police, Funsho 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 who led other civil society or- ter with a view to unravel the 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 Adebanjo, had vowed to inves23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ganisations to the family of the truth. However, there was 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 tigate the matter.

23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 deceased and to the cemetery, heavy presence of the police 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 Civil society organisations 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 commended the state govern- at the cemetery where the 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 and students staged a peace23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ment for investigating the mat- corpse was exhumed, yester23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ful protest last Tuesday, call23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ter, just as he condemned the day.

23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 ing for the investigation of the 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 alleged extra judicial killing of 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456 23456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456

student’s corpse for autopsy

gerian Army.

The suit was filed by Nwabueze and Braithwaite alongside 42 others before Justice Yetunde Idowu on Febuary 1, 2012.

The applicants had alleged that security operatives had used tear gas to disperse their protests against the removal of fuel subsidy at Alausa, Ikeja on January 19, 2012.

The claimants had earlier asked the court to declare the action unconstitutional and an infringement of their fundamental human rights as guaranteed by Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

They further asked the court to order the Federal Government to pay each of them N10 million for infringing on their fundamental human rights.

During the court proceedings, yesterday, counsel to the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army, Mr Musa Ibrahim, urged the court to dismiss the suit.

He said the applicants claimed that their rights to protest was not supported by the Nigerian Constitution, adding that there is no where the right to protest is mentioned in the constitution.

Also, Mr Douglas Atebata, who is the counsel to the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, said the applicants failed to attach sufficient exhibit to their application.

He said the claimants failed to attach medical reports to back their claims that they were treated after the alleged tear gas attack.

EFFI — MEMBERS of 2012 Batch B National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, serving in Nasarawa State have protested the non-payment of their one year allowances by the state.

The corps members, who converged on the Keffi-Abuja road carrying leaves and placards, barricaded and obstructed traffic for many hours.

It took the intervention of the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Education, Mr Hussaini Abubakar, who addressed them to bring the situation under control.

The Commissioner, who ordered that the allowances be paid immediately, said he would not leave the scene until the last person was paid.

Kidnapped MD, son released after 3 days

BY EVELYN USMAN

L

AGOS — THE Police in Lagos, yesterday, confirmed the release of Managing Director of Smartpoly Products Ltd and Tokslordmart Ltd, Mr Martins Adams, who was abducted Sunday, alongside his seven-year-old son in front of his house along the Lagos/Abeokuta expressway,.

Adams who was in the company of his wife and son, as gathered, were returning from an outing at about 5.30pm when they were intercepted by some gunmen. The gunmen reportedly followed the family into the building which also serves as the polythene manufacturing companies.

They were said to have tied the gateman and Mrs Tokunbo Adams and thereafter, whisked Adams and his seven-year-old son , Ireoluwa, to an unknown destination.

Since their abduction, Vanguard reliably gathered that the abductors called, demanding a ransom of over N20 million for the release of the MD and his son.

However , when Vanguard contacted the Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, a source said the MD and his son were released Wednesday evening but could not state whether any ransom was paid.

8—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

BY HENRY UMORU

A

BUJA—SOUTH-SOUTH political leaders in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, passed a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan, saying they will not trade the God given office of president for any other office in 2015.

The political leaders who met in Abuja under the aegis of South-South PDP Elders and Stakeholders under the chairmanship of Chief Edwin Clark also rebuked Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State for purportedly hobnobbing with opposition elements in the country for the purpose of derailing the political objectives of the zone.

The stakeholders also welcomed the suspension of Governor Amaechi from the party even as they also applauded the president’s leadership of the country.

In a communiqué read at the end of the meeting, the political leaders called on President Jonathan to run for the 2015 presidential election which they said he was more than qualified to do.

The leaders said: "We shall vehemently resist, within the ambit of law, all attempts, covertly or overtly, to scuttle, short-change and imperil the right of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidential elections in 2015.

"That President Goodluck Jonathan should be commended for a successful two years in office, and for demonstrating courage to place his record of meritorious services on public domain for Nigerians to assess.

This was transparency par excellence in governance.”

According to the group, “the present intra-party dispute in Rivers State, culminating from the leadership change at the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, and attempts to link it to President Goodluck Jonathan, by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is a show of shame and highly regrettable.

“That Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s recourse to public court and indulgence in “war of words” with intent to ridicule President Goodluck Jonathan, over matters directly bearing on Amaechi’s leadership defies the ethos of a public office holder.

Accuse Amaechi of heating up the polity "That Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s open romance with opposition parties purportedly to foster his ambition of becoming the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with imperious arrogance is insensately embarrassing.

“That it is an assault on the sensibility of other governors who, as leaders in every conceivable sense in their respective states, are opposed to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s emergence as Chairman of the NGF, to be accused of working on a script and directive from the presidency.

2015: We'll resist attempt to stop Jonathan from contesting—S-South PDP leaders and Adamawa states as a strategy to stem the orgy of violence and reckless killings is fully commended.

"That we say well done to Mr. President for the giant strides being made to reposition the ailing Nigeria economy on the path of sustainable growth and development since assumption of office.

Pass vote of confidence on Jonathan

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA—From left: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; former speakers, Benjamin Akaai Chaha and Ghali Na' Abba during the House of Reps second year appraisal and legislative agenda at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, yesterday.

"That the South-South PDP elders, leaders and stakeholders treasure the privilege to provide leadership at the highest level by having our son as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and shall jealously guard it against all threats and odds.

"That given Nigerians up-scale of the qualities for leaders only men of intelligence, wisdom, capacity, impeccable character, urbane humility, and candour shall be apostles of south-south zone for national leadership.

"That the selective empowerment of opposition party leaders with the award of juicy contracts clearly shows the disdain with which Governor Amaechi holds the party that brought him to power, fame and wealth. He has indeed been working against his own party by funding the op-

position.

"The South-South PDP elders, leaders and stakeholders will not sacrifice and trade the office of the President God has given us at this time of our national political history for any other office or consideration.”

Back suspension of Amaechi The group, however, resolved that "Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi should stop fanning the embers of discord and acrimony within the rank of the South-South PDP family and forthwith cease from ascribing his self-inflicted woes and challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan.

"That the South-South PDP elders and stakeholders hail the decision of the National Work-

ing Committee, NWC, to place Governor Chibuike Amaechi on suspension for gross anti-party activities. We charge the disciplinary committee to be thorough in its assignment to ensure that the fortunes of our great party are protected and preserved to strengthen the zone.

"That the PDP family and indeed all South-South people shall continue to work for the retention of the Office of the President presently occupied by our son, President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2015.”

Okay emergency rule Supporting the declaration of State of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, the South South leaders said, "that Mr. President’s declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe

"That in furtherance of the vote of confidence passed by the South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA, on Mr. President on the September 6, 2012, at Warri, the South-South PDP Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders hereby pass a vote of absolute confidence on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, not only for his concrete achievement to engender sustainable economic growth even in the face of very severe security challenges but also for the progressive leadership he has demonstrated in handling very topical issues capable of threatening the unity and indivisibility of the country.”

Present at the meeting were Chief Edwin Clark, Senator Rowland Owie; Senator Stella Omu; member, BoT, Chief Don Etiebet; Dr. Stephen Oru, National Vice Chairman, PDP, South South; Chief Joe Ediowele, Secretary, PDP, South South; Chairman, PDP, Delta, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi; former Deputy Speakers, Chibudom Nwuche; Austin Okpara; Senator Lee Maeba; Senator Ewa Henshaw; Senator Victor Oyofo; former Senatorial aspirant, Chief Richard Lamai; Cairo Ojougboh; former Minister of State, Education, Kenneth Gbagi; General Cletus Emein; General Etukudo; AVM, Idongesit Nkanga; Chief Ayakeme Whiskey; Ima Niboro; among others.

NUPENG threatens strike over dispute with oil giants

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

N

IGERIA Union of Petrole um and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, yesterday, in Lagos, issued a 14-day strike notice to the Federal Government over disputes with Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, Chevron Nigeria Limited and Agip Oil Company.

At a briefing after its Central Working Committee, CWC, President of NUPENG, Achese Igwe, threatened that if before the expiration of the ultimatum, the government did not summon

stakeholders’ national conference on Oil and Gas to address among others, labour issues in the sector, the union would declare an indefinite nationwide strike.

NUPENG lamented the worsening unfair labour practices by multinational oil companies operating in the country and singled out SPDC, Chevron and Agip Oil, for inflicting inhuman treatment on Nigerians.

It contended that if the agreement reached with the multinational companies at a meeting called by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, in May 2012, was imple-

mented, these issues would have been resolved.

Igwe accused Agip Oil of terminating appointment of 93 contract workers that had worked for between 25 and 35 years, without benefits despite directive by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

He also accused the oil giants of promoting 96 workers who have spent over 15 years as contract workers as NUPENG members to Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, contract staff instead of converting them to full time workers.

Igwe accused Chevron of not

only converting workers from contract labour to service labour and refusing them collective bargaining agreement or allowing them to join the union, while he accused SPDC of refusing to have Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, with the workers and denying them the right to join union, among others.

According to him, contract staff of Agip were presently on strike in Port Harcourt and if the issue was not resolved as soon as possible, it would degenerate into national strike, saying “we can no longer fold our arms and allow fellow Nigerians to be enslaved in their country.”

Vanguard , FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—9

BY BEN AGANDE & LUKA BINNIYAT

K

ADUNA—CHAIRMAN of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, NSGF, and Governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu insisted, yesterday, that contrary to the claim of some of his colleagues, the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, actually had an election which produced a winner even as Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State blamed the northern governors for the crisis in the NGF. Governor Aliyu spoke at the end of the Northern States Governors’ Forum meeting in Kaduna while Governor Yuguda addressed newsmen after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan.

Governor Aliyu said, “If I am to tell you what led to the problem in the NGF, we will stay here till tomorrow, so I have no intention of doing that. I will only tell you that in any election there may be one person or the other who will be aggrieved.

"It is sad that we seem to be developing this type of culture even in our normal elections because as you prepare to contest for elections, you should also prepare to contest in the court. I am speaking to you as the Chairman NSGF, and if you want my view I will tell you we had an election.

"All I know is that we had an election. And you can interpret what I mean by that. Yes, we have a problem, but we will solve it".

Reacting to the report that Governor Yuguda said he was opting out of the NSGF, the chairman of the NSGF said, “If Yuguda said he was no longer a member of this forum, he did not write to this meeting about that.

"This is a voluntary organisation and we have resolved as a group to follow this informally. That is why you did not hear any one of us reply him the way you heard him.

Aliyu's statement read: “A dele-

gation of the Forum will visit Nasarawa State with a view to condoling the government and people of Nasarawa State over the recent civil unrest that led to the colossal loss of lives and property.

The Forum also condemned the action and condole the security operatives and families that lost their beloved ones “The Forum further expressed concern over the economic problems facing the nation and the North in particular and resolved to have an economic plan emanating from the states, zones and the region that will form the basis for economic development of the North” The Governors that attended the meeting aside Aliyu were: Mukhtar Ramallan Yero of Kaduna State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State and Hassan Dankwabo of Gombe State.

Apart from Plateau State and Benue State governors who sent their Secretaries to the State Governments, most of the governors were represented by their deputies.

However, Katsina, Yobe and Bauchi state governors did not send representatives and did not send any apology to the meeting.

Northern Govs responsible for crisis — Yuguda Meanwhile, the governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, yesterday, said the Northern Governors Forum should be blamed for the crisis in the Nigerian Governors Forum.

Addressing newsmen after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, Governor Yuguda said he did not understand why the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Babangida Aliyu who presided over the meeting where Jonah Jang was picked as a consensus candidate did not protect that decision.

He said: “If 19 governors presented a candidate in a 35-member association, the game is over and it has been consensus candidates all the way.You are all young men and my heart bleeds for all of you because there must be integrity in governance.

"We your governors should be men of high integrity, we should be role models and we should not play evil politics because most

NORTHERN GOVERNORS' FORUM MEETING—From left: Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; and Niger State Governor/ Chairman, Northern States Governors' Forum, Dr Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, during the forum's meeting in Kaduna, yesterday.

NGF crisis: We had an election — Gov Aliyu zNorthern govs responsible for crisis — Yuguda people associate politics with evil.

If you don’t know how to tell lies, if you don’t know how to betray, if you don’t know how to have double face, you are not a good politician. But as for me I am not cut out for that.

“My words should be my bond.

If I had sat down with 19 of my colleagues and we agreed on something, I should not see the chairman of that forum not coming to protect the integrity of the Northern Governors Forum and by extension the Nigerian Gov-

ernors Forum.

"That is why I say all the crisis and all the unfortunate comments made about the governors today, the fault should be traced to the Northern Governors Forum because we are the culprits and that is why I say on his honour, let the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum come out and tell Nigerians that either we in the forum did not come out with Jang as our consensus candidate or we, 19 governors, picked Jang as our consensus candidate.

“If that has been done, all these things will not happen and that is why I say if I will sit with my colleagues and we take a decision and you go and do a different thing, I am not part of that.

"As for me as a person, I don’t want to attend their meeting but my deputy can attend on behalf of the people and government of Bauchi State. But as a person, I will not. That has always been my position”.

East-West road to be completed Dec 2014 — FG

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

A

BUJA—THE Federal Gov ernment, yesterday, reassured Nigerians, particularly people of the Niger Delta, that the N347 billion East West highway dualisation projects would be completed and deliver by December 2014.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe, who stated this while featuring at the 2013 ministerial press briefing to showcase the achievements of his ministry under the mid-term report, disclosed that some sections of the road had been completed and were due for handing over by the contractors.

He added that the 338 kilometres dual carriageway was very strategic and would be completed at the stipulated time.

Orubebe, who said the government was committed to the development of the Niger Delta, sought the cooperation, support and collaboration of stakeholders in the region to nip in the bud pockets

of threats and kidnapping of expatriates and excessive demands by communities from contractors which often result in work stoppage.

Orubebe explained that because of the importance of the road to the people, some other on-going projects had been sacrificed to ensure the completion date was realised.

The minister, who noted that the ministry had spent over N200 billion on executions of various development projects in the last three years, spreading across the nine states that made up the Niger Delta, noted, however, that N1 trillion was required to accelerate developments in the region.

He said: “The dualisation of the East-West road which commenced in 2006 and was taken over by the ministry at 10 percent completion in 2010, has now reached over 52 percent completion.

Orubebe said, "With the level of commitment by this adminis-

tration, the road would be completed by December, 2014. Some sections of the road have been completed and are due for handing over by the contractors.”

Other road projects being handled by the ministry, according to Oruebebe, include the reconstruction of 35.15 kilometre Owerri-Elele road, in Imo and Rivers states, reconstruction of Benin-Abraka road in Edo and Delta states and constructions of 12 other roads spread across the nine states.

Enumerating challenges confronting the ministry, Orubebe said: “The ministry is faced with budgetary constraints in the implementation of its projects and programmes.

“The terrain in most parts of the region makes infrastructural development a difficult task.

High costs of projects and technology required for infrastructure projects as a result of the terrain constitute a serious challenge.”

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

KHF donates to Kings' College

BY AMAKA ABAYOMI

L

AGOS—KANU Heart Foundation, KHF, in partnership with Phillips Electronics Nigeria, has concluded plans to donate floodlights to Kings’ College, Lagos, and four other communities in Nigeria.

Speaking with Vanguard, Mr. Onyebuchi Abia, Coordinator/Trustee, KHF, said Kings’ College was chosen as the community in Lagos State, where the floodlights would be mounted by engineers from Phillips Electronics, Nigeria.

He said: “We chose Kings’ College because KHF played a testimonial match in the school, where Kanu Nwankwo played football with the students.

“He really enjoyed the time he spent with the students and this influenced our decision to choose the school as a benefactor.”

Launch

C

FAO Electro-Hall, in conjunction with Sharp Middle-East, will launch its new range of Information Display Products, IDP, and Sharp Multifunction Printers, MFD, in Lagos.

According to a statement by the Commercial Manager Sales, Mr. Kazeem Soyinka, and Commercial Manager Service & Support, Mr. Ope Akintomide, the event is scheduled to hold on June 11 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

It said: “The new Sharp Information Display Products, IDPs, is an array of cutting-edge display solutions aimed at expanding the frontiers of visual communication.

“It comes with a Digital Signage Professional Display Monitor."

FASHOLA 2'200-DAY: From left— Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Deputy Governor; Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former Governor of Lagos State, and his wife, Alhaja Abimbola, at the governor's 2,200-day in office and account of stewardship held at Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, yesterday. PHOTO: Bunmi Azeez.

N1.5bn research fund lying idle, says Fashola

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

L

AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, expressed concern over the nonutilisation of N1.5 billion in the state’s 2013 budget earmarked for the funding of research in tertiary institutions.

He called on the academics to access the research fund for the purpose of development, saying his administration had spent N237,619 million on bursaries and scholarships.

The governor spoke on the occasion of his 2,200 days in office and account of stewardship, held at Lagos State University, LASU, with students, lecturers and stakeholders.

Fashola said: “I am re-assuring Lagosians that your government remains focused on service delivery and our com-

A

Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday, ordered the law firm of Festus Keyamo, to file, within three days, a written address stating his chambers competence to prosecute the alleged money laundering case against former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.

Trial judge, Justice Rita OfiliAjumogobia, made the order, following an objection raised by defence counsel, challenging the competence of the prosecution counsel, who he argued was neither from the office of the Attorney-

are investing graduates with new skills to help them adapt to the needs of our economy and find well-paid jobs or start their own business.

“We have also created in the state’s budget a provision to fund research and I have inaugurated a committee to set guidelines for access. Currently, for this year, N1,500,000,000.00 was budgeted and to my knowledge no person has applied for the research fund.”

... raises alarm over food wastage

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO OVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State

G

Fani-Kayode: Court orders Keyamo on written address

BY INNOCENT ANABA

mitment to you in the remaining two years will not be different from our commitment on the first day.

“The decision to move this edition of our 100-day accounting period to LASU and dedicate it to communicating with higher education institutions and the undergraduates in training is deliberate.

“We are also operating an After-School Graduate Development Programme, where we

General of the Federation, nor Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Fani-Kayode is facing a 47count charge of money laundering and financial impropriety to the tune of N230 million.

Reacting,counselfromKeyamo’s law firm, insisted that the defence hadnorighttochallengetheproprietyoftheprosecution team.

has raised alarm over the huge volume of food wasted daily in the country.

Fashola, who spoke at a ceremony in Ikeja to mark the 2013 Environmental Day on the theme Think, Eat and Save, lamented that the huge quantity of food wasted daily in the country contributed significantly to current global warning.

In a recent research, the state said over N1 billion was spent monthly by residents on entertainment.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said: “The staggering amount of food wasted in the country is wholly unacceptable and a huge drain on the country’s precious resources.

“With the population of the country, wasting food just makes no sense because the world is resource-constrained: economically, environmentally and ethically.

“For instance, the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, said that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is

wasted globally. This is equivalent to the same amount produce in the entire sub-Saharan Africa.

“They said that one out of every seven people in the world, including Nigeria, go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five, die daily from hunger.”

Transition

M

ADAM Elizabeth Olatunde Kayode, 78, is dead. She died April 26.

Burial rites commenced, yesterday, with lying-instate and Christian wake keep at her residence 12, Ago-Ijebu Street, OkeIgbo, Ondo State.

There will be a church service for her today at St. Luke Anglican Church, Oke-Igbo, by 10am, followed by interment at her residence.

Late Madam Kayode.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—11

Pan-Atlantic University students visit Vanguard

Jimoh predicts financial crisis

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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BY MICHAEL EBOH

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AGOS—STUDENTS of the Advanced Writing and Reporting Skill, AWARES, Course 12, of Pan-Atlantic University, yesterday, visited Vanguard newspapers as part of their tour of media facilities across the country, which is part of the requirement for their training.

Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Editor, Vanguard, while addressing the students led by Mr. Adile Iroajugh, President of the class, schooled them on the transformation that have been recorded in the process of news gathering and reporting over the years.

He said unlike in the past where news gathering and reporting were clumsy and cumbersome with reports submitted in handwritten form, news are today being gathered using advanced communication equipment and sent for production through information technology channels from every nooks and crannies of the country and other parts of the world.

He said the transformation had made news production more professional and highly technical.

He urged the students to be creative in their chosen carrier and also be professional.

Mideno said: “You should think out of the box and add value to what you have learnt during the course of study."

Transition

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ADAM Mfon Isai ah, 80, of Obiokama village, in Ukpum Ete Clan, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, is dead.

Interment will take place today at the family compound, Ete. She is survived by six children, daughters-inlaw, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Late Madam Isaiah.

TOUR: Governor Ibikunle Amsoun of Ogun State (2nd right); his wife, Olufunso (right), and Ogun monarchs, during the governor's tour of Ijebu East and Ijebu North local government areas. PHOTO: Wumi Akinola.

2015: Jonathan, 13 govs lose out

BY HENRY UMORU & JOSEPH ERUNKE

A

BUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan and 13 governors seeking re-election in the 2015 general elections may have been technically barred from participation in the poll.

This followed revelation, yesterday, by Deputy Senate President and Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review that the new law, which bars serving president and governors from benefitting in the single 6-year term would take effect once it is passed by the National Assembly.

Ekweremadu, who briefed newsmen on the position of the committee regarding the report of the constitution review submitted to the Senate for further legislative action, Wednesday, said unless the committee comes out with a proviso to allow the serving president and governors benefit, their tenure terminates on May 29, 2015.

He said since the constitution review committee does not provide a particular day the new constitution would start functioning, it therefore means that it becomes effective from the day it is passed into law by the legislature.

Affected govs

With this development, governors of Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Kwarra, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo, Zamfara, Gombe, Imo,

Borno, Kaduna and Kogi states stand to lose out in their quest to remain in office beyond 2015.

The chairman of the constitution review committee therefore asked Jonathan and governors already serving to make sacrifices to their fatherland by excusing themselves from the system.

He said: “Those already serv-

ing should make sacrifices and excuse themselves from the system.”

When asked whether the development would not affect performances of the affected elected representatives, he said: “Anybody who wants to perform can do so within any time frame, not only when he is re-elected.”

My ordeal in kidnappers' den—Osun Speaker's wife

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

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SOGBO—WIFE of the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Alhaja Muibat Salaam, yesterday, recounted her ordeals in the hands of those who abducted her last year as the trial of the suspects started at Iwo High Court, Osun state.

Leading witnesses in evidence before Justice Adekunle Adeigbe, State AttorneyGeneral and the Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Afolabi, led the Speaker’s wife who recounted her ordeal.

Mrs. Salaam explained that she was kidnapped by the suspects at Oke-Oyo area, Ejigbo on her way home in the presence of her daughter, Bukola, inside her Honda Accord car, and was whisked away in a truck to a forest along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway located in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State.

She said she was kept in the forest for four days, before vigilante men stormed the forest to rescue her, after appealing to them that she was not part of the gang.

Salaam added that she informed the vigilante men about the other suspects in a particular truck that was parked at

FAAN vandalises Bi-Courtney's property

R

SOGBO— BUSINESS mogul, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, has advised Nigerians to be prepared for more belt-tightening measures as another global economic recession was looming.

He also suggested that as a panacea to the global economic recession, Nigeria government should devalue its currency to discourage capital flight out of the country.

Speaking, yesterday, at the commissioning and handing-over of the N200 million for a postgraduate college building complex at Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ibrahim noted that the fresh recession was already taking its tolls in America and United Kingdom.

ELATIONSHIP between Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, took a violent turn, yesterday, as FAAN officials went on the offensive, destroying campaign adverts at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA2.

While protesting the action yesterday, BASL’s Head of Litigation, Mr. Tola Oshobi, said: “The ongoing saga between FAAN and Bi-Courtney in respect of the concession agreement entered into on April 24, 2003, has taken a violent turn.

“FAAN, along with some hoodlums and vandals pulled down billboards erected by Bi-Courtney at the airport today. This action was taken without notice and in total violation of the concession agreement.”

the other side of the road, where communication with her husband was being conducted for ran-

som, noting that vigilante men were able to arrest three suspects in the truck.

12 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7,

2013

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—13

SERAP urges review of UN corruption convention

S

OCIO-ECONOMIC Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged states parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption to take steps to review the convention in a manner that will ensure that victims of corruption receive appropriate remedies and compensation for the devastating effects it causes disadvantaged groups.

In a presentation by SERAP Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni, to the convention in Vienna, Austria last Thursday, the organisation said that, “Both articles 34 and 35 of the convention which require states to address the consequences of corruption and pay compensation to victims seem to give considerable latitude to countries in determining the parameters of their application by subjecting these to the fundamental principles of the state’s domestic law.

“The problem is, there are huge gaps in the laws of many states, including my own country, Nigeria, that has failed to effectively implement these provisions despite the fact that Nigeria has ratified the convention,” the organization stated to the gathering of the states’ delegates known as the International Review Group.

The Implementation Review Group held its fourth session in Vienna, Austria, from May 27 to 31. The group was established by the conference of the states' parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, in its resolution 3/1, entitled Review Mechanism, as an open-ended intergovernmental group of states' parties, to operate under its authority and report to it. The group’s mandate is to ensure effective implementation of the convention.

According to the organisation, “articles 34 and 35 provisions are far reaching, and will undoubtedly enhance deterrence by creating additional weapons: civil and administrative sanctions, but their potential will not be realized unless states exercise the required political will to make necessary changes in their laws.”

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I'm not leaving PDP —Amaechi ....As court says it has power to hear suit challenging suspension from party

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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IVERS State governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday, insisted that he has no intentions of leaving Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP. Meanwhile, Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, held that his court has jurisdiction to hear the suit by Governor Amaechi, challenging his

suspension from PDP. It will be recalled that Governor Amaechi was suspended by his party over alleged refusal to reverse the suspension of the elected officials of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

Meantime, insisting that he was still in PDP, contrary to rumours by the embattled Publicity Secretary of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Rivers State chapter, Jerry Needam, Chief Press Secre-

tary to the Governor, Mr. David Iyofor, in a statement, dismissed as outright lies and figment of the imagination, Needam's claims that Amaechi had approached ACN leadership to join the party.

He said: “Governor Amaechi has no intention of leaving PDP. Everyone knows that he is already fighting his purported suspension in court. He believes that it is a PDP issue and in due course, the matter would be resolved.

He has never met with anyone to discuss his leaving the PDP to join ACN or All Progressive Congress, APC or any other political party.

“Jerry Needam is a joker and no one should take him seriously. He’s just doing the bidding of his paymasters, a faction of PDP in Rivers State, that is doing everything it can, no matter how absurd and bizarre, so they can accuse Governor Amaechi of anti-party activities.

It is instructive to note that just a couple of days back, this same Needam was suspended from ACN for hobnobbing and working with the Felix Obuah faction of PDP in Rivers State against the interests of ACN. That leaves the question: who does Needam speaks for? Certainly, not for ACN. He can only be speaking for himself and his paymasters, who are well known to Rivers people. No one is deceived by his antics and comical statements.”

Delta community tabloids constitute caretaker c'ttee

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DESOPADEC commissioner lauds Uduaghan

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EVEREND Chuk wudi Eke, a Commissioner in Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, has commended the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, for his feat in the provision of good school structures, roads, airport and other social amenities to

boost the economy of the state.

Speaking at a three days workshop organised by the Chartered Institute of Administration, CIA, in Lagos, he explained that he had gained practical knowledge that would enhance his deliverance of good governance in his state.

He commended Governor Uduaghan for his commitment to giving Deltans in the Diaspora the opportunity to serve their fatherland and bring to bear the expertise they had acquired aboard, adding that Uduaghan has been able to do a lot in the state because of his administrative qualities.

HE Felida Essi-led executive of Association of Community Newspapers Publishers of Nigeria, ACNPN, Delta State, has been dissolved and a new caretaker committee inaugurated.

The new caretaker committee has as members, Prince Charles Umejei, publisher of The National Trumpet Newspaper as Chairman; Pastor Preye Foh, Publisher of Ijaw Voice, Secretary and Tom Amarobo-Raro, Treasurer.

The Essi executive was dissolved in Asaba, yesterday with 2/3 of members voting on same.

The motion was moved by Dr. Prince Oromonokpaye, National Deputy President of ACNPN and publisher of Delta Guide Newspaper and seconded by Gabriel Awodeya publisher of Delta Periscope, Mr. John Oghojafor, publisher of Delta Voice Newspaper and seven others.

In his acceptance speech, chairman of the caretaker committee, Prince Umejei, thanked members for choosing him to head the committee, noting that it will spur him to do more for the association in its bid to transform the state and Nigeria in general.

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7,

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2013

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 —15

Soldiers flood Anambra over MASSOB’s sit-at-home order O

BY OKONKWO EZE

NITSHA—PALPABLE fear has allegedly gripped the people of Anambra State especially residents of Onitsha, sequel to the reported arrival of group of soldiers in droves for security build up against the alleged Sit-At-Home order being canvassed by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB. As early as 7.30 am, yesterday, lorry loads of soldiers were sited trouping into Onitsha from the River Niger Bridge head.

Reports said they may have come from Delta and other neighbouring States into Onitsha as it is believed to be the operational headquarters of MASSOB, while Okwe, Imo State is the theoretical headquarters.

MASSOB had through its Director and Deputy Director of Information, Uche Madu and Mazi Chris Mocha warned that it would deal ruthlessly with any body who refused to observe the Sit-At-

Home order.

According to Mocha, “the SitAt-Home order remains June 8, 2013 and any group or groups that said it has been postponed said so on their own.”

Meanwhile, the State Police command had in a press release warned MASSOB and other groups agitating for a Sovereign State of Biafra to steer clear of June 8, Sit-At-Home stating that it would invoke some

sections of the law to ensure that lives and property of the people are protected.

In a press statement yesterday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka reminded MASSOB and other militant groups that they remain banned in the state.

He urged the citizenry to go about their normal business and forget about the ranting

of those he described as miscreants.

It would be recalled that the Association of Igbo Youths Organization, AIYO, had on Tuesday stormed the Anambra State House of Assembly where it revealed that it would assist the security operatives in ensuring that the Sit-AtHome order would not be observed.

NCC to sensitize Nigerians on use of 112 distress number

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

WKA—THE Nigerian Tel ecommunications Commission, NCC, is to embark on nationwide sensitization programme to educate Nigerians on the newly introduced 112 emergency dial number to be used in times of distress.

A Commissioner in the commission, Mr. Mike Onyia, said during the take off of the multi- million naira National Emergency Call Center in Awka that the police, paramilitary organizations, the fire services, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, as well as state and national emergency management agencies would be involved in the awareness campaign. NCC has two pilot centers in Awka and Minna for the project.

A

BAKALIKI—THE Nation al Youth Service Corps, NYSC, yesterday, punished some 2012 outgoing corps members in Batch B for allegedly absconding from service to unauthorized journeys, involvement in fraud, theft and other miscellaneous offences.

While five corps members who passed out yesterday would repeat their service year, ten others

C M Y K

BY LAIDE AKINBOADE

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BUJA—THE six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, yesterday shared the N2,160,531,987.47, being revenue from the Federation Account for the month of April 2013 and internally generated revenue, IGR, for May 2013.

The figure represents a decrease of N70,521,874.74 (about 3.2 per cent) over the N2,231,053,862.21 received for the month of March 2013 and the FCT Administration’s IGR for April 2013.

Chairperson of the FCT Area Councils Joint Account Allocation Committee and Minister of State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, who disclosed this during the committee’s meeting, said N1, 953,476,232.99 was received as revenue allocation from the Federation Account for the month of April 2013 for the six area councils in the territory.

The six area councils in the FCT are Abaji, Abuja Municipal, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali.

American agric investor to employ 50,000 Nigerians

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

A

NYSC punishes corps members over theft, fraud, others

BY PETER OKUTU

FCT Area councils share N2.16bn revenue allocation, IGR

would have their service year extended for various offences.

Also, two other members of the batch, Edidiong Nelson Udoh and Ebiri Chinyere, died during the service period, while another member, Nkiru Angela Itodo, who relocated from Gombe State, is still missing since August last year.

The state NYSC Co-ordinator, Mr Otaru J. Eshimakhe, stated this during the passing out parade ceremony of the batch at

Abakaliki Township Stadium.

He said: “As the saying goes, in every twelve there must be a Judas. Some corps members did not live up to expectations and will be punished in accordance with the NYSC bye laws.

“Five will repeat the service year while ten will serve extension of service ranging from one month to four months on half pay.

“Their offences range from abscondment from service to unau-

thorised journeys, fraud, theft and other miscellaneous offences.

“It is hoped that their punishment will serve as deterrent to corps members on ground and prospective corps members.

Eshimakhe enjoined the corps members to remain good ambassadors of the country and maximise the knowledge they got at the Skill Acquisition training while in camp and during the service year.

WKA—AN interna tional agricultural investment company, the Global Green Investment based in the United States of America, USA, is to employ about 50, 000 Nigerians when its planned project in Anambra State takes off.

Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the company, Mrs. Mary Flower, said in Awka that the company’s aim was to reduce unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria through its agricultural project.

According to Flower, the company is already searching for 15,000 hectares of land in Anambra State for the execution of the project.

She added that in addition to employing many Nigerians, it would also empower rural farmers, with a view to curbing rural-urban migration of youths in search of jobs.

16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Apply 1999 Constitution to solve leadership vacuum in Taraba — Justice Forum A

POLITICAL pressure group in Taraba State, Taraba Justice Forum has said the only way out of leadership vacuum existing in the state was to apply section 189 of the 1999 Constitution According to a statement signed by its chairman, Mr. Jabus Nyankum, the forum advised loyalists of the acting governor to apply

the constitution as a way of protecting their interest and the larger interest of the state.

The forum also called for strategic talks in Abuja to be moderated by the national caucus of the ruling party, noting that the proposed meeting was important because of recent development in the state.

It further called on the national leadership of

Workers’ unions blame govts’ socio-economic policies for insecurity nation-wide

BY EMEKA MAMAH

T

HE NATIONAL Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, and the Industrial Global Union have blamed general state of insecurity in almost all parts of the country on socio-economic policies of the Federal and state governments.

This was contained in an open letter to the governors of the 19 northern states now meeting in Kaduna State.

The letter was signed by the General Secretary of NUTGTWN and Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu.

Aremu who expressed concern over the security challenges facing the country, however, regretted that the northern governors were exacerbating the problem by their inability to either re-open some textile companies jointly owned by them or pay the outstanding allowances of the textile works in the last 10 years. ’’We commend the Northern Governors’ Forum, NGF, under the chairmanship of His Excellency, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, governor of Niger State for the effort to address the security challenges in the North.

“We also commend the commitment of other northern governors towards sustainable peace and development of the

Northern states. ’’However, sustainable development of any country or state lies in industrialisation and mass job creation. The root of the current crisis in the country is both economic and social. ’’It is against this background that the union is disturbed by the continuous closure of Kaduna Textiles Limited,KTL, since 2002.

“Even more worrisome is the continuous delay in settlement of the entitlements of KTL workers by its owner. KTL workers are suffering untold hardship due to non-payment of their benefits amounting to N687, 073,346, since the unilateral closure of the factory in 2002.”

Aremu, in the letter, continued: ’’In March 2013, the NGF set up a committee of five governors headed by the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed with governors of Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi and Borno states as members. The report of the committee is yet to see the light of the day. ’’We again call on the Northern Governors and the management of KTL to settle the terminal benefits of KTL workers.

“We equally call on the management of other closed textile factories in the North, particularly Arewa Textiles Plc and Gaskiya Textiles, Kano to settle the entitlements of their workers without further delay in order to reduce the workers’ destitution, poverty and desperation.”

the party to call leaders of the party and government in the state to a peace meeting in Abuja where all interest groups can state their aspirations and expectations, to assist the national leaders in moving the state forward.

“We call on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to call key leaders of the state to a resolution meeting in Abuja. That meeting can be used to address all issues so that the constitution can be protected.

“We call on political leaders in Taraba State to join hands to move the state forward by allowing the relevant sections of the constitution to be applied.

“This is the only way out of the present logjam which is not serving the interest of even those who claim to be loyalists of the ailing governor,“ the statement noted.

The forum noted that those afraid of the constitution should remember what happened during Yar ‘Adua illness when similar attempt was made to stop the public from knowing the truth about his health, warning, “ we should be careful not to hurt the leader we are trying to protect.

“We know what happened at the federal level then. We should tread softly so that posterity can judge us all correctly and rightly.

“Whatever fears we have, the constitution is supreme and the interest of the state is greater than our individual interest.“

Transition Pa Joseph Osakwe is dead, aged 93.

Service of Songs will hold today, while funeral service will follow tomorrow at Osakwe Imoniero family compound at Owhelogbo in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Late Osakwe is the father-in-law of Mr. Omoloye Oluyemi, Vanguard Newspapers’ Circulation Representative at Ughelli outstation.

20th yr special Muslim prayer for late Alhaja Suwebatu Oyekan

From left: Lanre Olajumoke, Sen. Bode Olajumoke and Princess Remi Olajumoke, at the 20th Anniversary Special Muslim Prayer in honour of late Alhaja Suwebatu Oyekan, mother-in-law of Senator Bode Olajumoke, at the Olajumoke's Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos residence. Photo: Joe Akintola (Photo Editor)

Fromleft: Olori Olanike and Olori Titilola, both wives of Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos

From left: Alhaji Musiliu Smith, former IGP; Sir Pius Akinyelure, Senator Bode Olajumoke and Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, Vanguard’s Editor-in-Chief/GM, Publications

From left: Alhaji Dauda Imam Bature (from Ilorin, who led in the prayer) and Alhaji Taofeeq Afakoro

From left: Princess Bopo, Oba Bade Oyekan, Onilado of Ilado; Princess Remi Olajumoke and Prince Diran Oyekan

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 17

President Jonathan and Gov. Amaechi at an event in Port Harcourt

Y life has never been as uncomplicated as I’d like it to be. A lot of my friends and relatives are politicians; and because politicians are innately aggressive, they have no qualms about viciously waging war on each other at intervals.

When these terrible conflicts flare up, I try to be objective.

And because I am not a fencesitting Shrinking Violet by nature and feel that journalists have a duty to fearlessly tell the truth as they see it, even when they might be punished for truthfulness, I don’t timidly maintain diplomatic silences when folks around me are fighting.

If I think that x has been unfair to y - or that x and y are both being unreasonable - I will say so in no uncertain terms.

But one can never win under such circumstances. If you side with one individual or camp, the other individual/ camp will feel betrayed and cry “foul.” If you conclude that both individuals/camps are misbehaving, you will annoy everyone!

The depressingly destructive quarrel between some senior Rivers State politicians and our controversial Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, is a classic example of a really bad situation that has not only

Dr. Peter Odili and Gov. Amaechi...once upon a time

The other side of the story

,

M

President Goodluck Jonathan with Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State...when the going was good

Amaechi can be very kind, has an excellent sense of humour and is clever, charismatic and courageous; he isn’t perfect by a long shot and has various shortcomings like most mere mortals,he needs to mend quite a few fences on the home front…and say “sorry” to most of the contemporaries and elders he has hurt

,

sharply divided my social circle and extended family but pushed me into upsetting people I love dearly.

I am friendly with Amaechi AND some of his detractors; and some of the latter are accusing me of ignoring their grievances and of blindly backing the former.

According to one of Amaechi’s most embittered critics: “All of your recent Vanguard columns have given the world the extremely

false impression that Amaechi is a saint who possesses no weaknesses and has never made a mistake.”

Frankly, the guy who issued this complaint has a point and is entitled to be angry with me because my articles about the escalating crisis in Rivers State HAVE been heavily biased in Amaechi’s favour…and HAVE depicted Amaechi as an entirely heroic and completely blameless

A tragic tale

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C M Y K

ICHAEL Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale brutally and primitively knifed and hacked a British soldier to death on a London street a couple of weeks ago.

Only God knows what inspired these formerly normal Christian boys to embrace the most virulent form of Islam and disgrace their parents and their country.

Some of their outraged and embarrassed compatriots have been circulating emails and text messages in which the two Michaels are furiously

disowned and described as “British Born, British Bred and not Nigerian”.

But we mustn’t be disingenuous. Most Nigerians believe that no matter where you were born and bred, you are a Nigerian if your ancestors were Nigerian.

And while we cannot be expected to take responsibility for Adebowale and Adebolajo’s animalistic madness – which developed in the UK - we need to admit that they are rogue brethren, not total aliens from a distant shore!

victim of various crude injustices.

I’ve also implied in various write-ups that anyone who is fighting Amaechi is a useless yahoo-without-dotcom person who does not deserve to be listened to.

In my defence, I’m not a shameless sychophant or desperate contract-seeker!

And I’ve publicly criticised Amaechi and some of his cronies before.

But I am standing by Amaechi on this occasion and have provided him with near-unconditional support in the past few weeks - because I honestly believe that he has been treated shabbily and that important principles are at stake.

I think, to cut a long story short, that Amaechi’s Federallevel enemies are abusing their wide-ranging powers and carrying on as if Rivers State is their personal property. I also suspect them

of having a militant Ijaw agenda.

But I should, on reflection, sometimes separate the bigger picture from the smaller picture…and adopt a more balanced approach towards Amaechi’s longstanding and ongoing problems with the Rivers natives he has offended.

Amaechi can be very kind, has an excellent sense of humour and is clever, charismatic and courageous.

But he can also be stubborn, tactless, etc.

In other words, he isn’t perfect by a long shot and has various shortcomings like most mere mortals…and should be on good terms with Dr Peter Odili, his Number One Mentor….and with others who were once his pals and colleagues.

The Bottom Line is that he needs to mend quite a few fences on the home front…and say “sorry ” to most of the contemporaries and elders he has hurt.

And another thing

I

DON’T normally publish comments about subjects I haven’t written about but Chief Bobson is one of my regular correspondents and I’d like to help him highlight some issues he wants Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the Delta State Governor, to address:

+2348181877407 Chief Bobson Your Excellency: Compliments Sir. We wish to draw your attention to the massive gullies/ potholes opposite Our Lady’s College by Stanbic Bank in Effurun, and the terribly bad road to Okobia town in Okpe LGA. Please act with soldierly bravery.

Responses to: donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or to 0802 747 6458 (texts only). PLEASE KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, YOUR COMMENTS MAY BE PUBLISHED, WITH YOUR NAMES AND CONTACT DETAILS ATTACHED.

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 ABUJA has become used to medical students of the University of Abuja flooding the highways leading into the city, to protest the continued insensitivity of the university authorities to their plight. Many of the students after eight years in the institution have not advanced beyond the 300 level though ordinarily it takes six years to graduate as medical doctors.

Their main problem is that the institution’s medical courses were not accredited and have not in eight years. The university authorities have failed to arrange for the transfer of the students to other universities.

It is doubtful if any university would accept students with suspect transfer details. The students are seeking compensation of N10 million each for their wasted years. They are taking their case to the street; they have no money to hire lawyers.

If you are looking for an example of the insensitivity that runs through governments, the students’ case presents one. The protests are routine. They hold in the seat of federal power, yet nobody from the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Assembly or the

Plight of Abuja Medical Students Presidency deems it a responsibility to resolve the plight of the students whose only offence is that they were admitted to a programme that the university advertised, when it had no accreditation for it.

Young people are being forced to waste their useful years, trapped in an institution that had no reason to admit students to study medicine in the first place, not being accredited for the course. Those who committed this crime have moved on unpunished, the present university authorities look away, and so does the Federal Ministry of Education, which owns the university, and the National Universities

Commission which approved the unaccredited courses.

The Federal Government should without hesitation punish everyone involved in bringing the students to this horrible state.

They should be compensated, in addition to helping them conclude their studies. It is a shame that with all the plaudits civil society groups award themselves; they have not taken up this matter. Where is justice for injured and underprivileged Nigerians like these? If they had the means they would not be in this situation.

There are more schools admitting students when they are not properly equipped to handle certain courses and do not have the appropriate accreditations. Why does the NUC ignore these malpractices or are its officials beneficiaries of the scam? What is the inertia over this glaring injustice?

What is going on at the University of Abuja is a disgrace to regulators of university education. Their indifference is culpable.

Let the plight of the medical students be addressed once and for all – this cannot be done without punishing their tormentors.

OPINION

BY KEVIN OJI

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HESE days, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode relishes in casting himself as an unrepentant patriot deeply wounded by the enormous challenges facing the nation. As an opposition figure against President Goodluck Jonathan, he has been less charitable in his blistering attacks on the present administration. But in the face of empirical evidence, is President Jonathan lacking in ability or qualification in his execution of the highest office in the land?

Is Fani-Kayode’s depiction of the President as incompetent part of the opposition’s grand strategy to rubbish the President so as to advance their narrow selfish agenda?

Does Fani-Kayode have the pedigree or moral authority to pontificate on Nigeria’s socio-political condition given the swirling allegations of embezzlement and corruption. While we ruminate over these posers, I am persuaded by the perfidy of the nation’s political elite to state without equivocation that the tenor of Fani-Kayode’s intemperate, disjointed lamentations on the state of the nation derives from his hallucinatory obsession for relevance in the scheme of things. Lest we forget, FaniKayode, it was, who was the attack dog of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo. During his ignoble reign, no statesman was spared his vitriolic attacks either out of his eagerness to secure his job or at the behest of the expresident. He was an embarrassment to the office of the president and had to be removed from the ex-president’s information management team to save it from the C M Y K

Femi Fani Kayode and the state of the nation ridicule he had exposed it by his numerous gaffes and disjoined rationalisations.

Given his antecedent, once out of the corridors of power with numerous fraud allegations threatening to eclipse his fledgling political career, it is predictable that Fani-Kayode is now in the trenches to discredit the present administration.

Although his present effort is an exercise in futility, since his wild allegations are devoid of logic and empirical evidence, the time has come to subject his allegations to close scrutiny.

In the after math of the Kano bombing which claimed the lives of scores of Nigerians, Fani-Kayode was in his elements.

He wasted no time in declaring that the President is overwhelmed with demonstrable inability to contain the growing insecurity. Given his stark verdict, he called on the President to quit. FaniKayode’s vituperation fits into the mould of insensitivity exhibited by his opposition cotravellers who are shamelessly determined to play politics with the Boko Haram insurgency to score cheap political points.

For emphasis, the nation is on the throes of a low density war never experienced since the devastating civil war. The Jonathan administration has been bold, courageous and unwavering in its determination to crush this insurgency. Both the Army and the intelligence services with the cooperation of world powers are in the front line of the battle to defeat the enemies of the

Nigerian state. Fani-Kayode’s highly emotional lamentation offers no clear solution to bring an end to this insurrection.

As against his wild allegations, President Jonathan has mobilized all patriots and today, the nation, except the extremist voices from the opposition who want the ongoing efforts to fail for cheap political points, are united in their rejection of violence. The military option as pursued by the President remains the only viable alternative to contain and defeat this insurgency. Boko Haram has become known as an affiliate of Al-Quada. This ignoble organisation is a nimble and vicious adversary which has demonstrated blood thirst and disdain for the sanctity of human life. Unmasking the patrons of this devilish entity requires iron clad evidence which will take time to assemble. Fani-Kayode should tell Nigerians what he would do differently as president instead of gloating over this orchestrated violence inflicted on the nation by desperate political predators. Insurgency the world over is a bloody campaign and leads to the unfortunate loss of human lives.

Having fought the Boko Haram to a stand still, I salute the President’s pragmatic vision of granting amnesty to Boko Haram.

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t is pragmatism and courage nurtured by compassion in response to higher national objective which is to stop further waste of human lives. He deserves commendation and not condemnation.

Governments the world over are not averse to negotiating with insurgents. Recent events in Turkey and Colombia are instructive.

The call by Fani-Kayode on the President to quit is defeatist, cowardly and untenable.

The President is the custodian of the sacred mandate of the Nigerian people. He was elected to tackle problems and not run away from them as the likes of Fani-Kayode are canvassing. Rather than join the motley crowd of disgruntled political leaders whose unguarded utterances are indirectly fuelling the insurgency, Fani-Kayode still has the opportunity to desist from his ill-advised enterprise.

Although Fani-Kayode’s mindset, colic rage and vaunted ambition will not allow him and his co-travellers in the opposition to accept this reality, Nigerians know that President Jonathan, more than any other administration before him, is committed to revamping the power sector and re-building our huge infrastructure in several stages of decay. Given the several swirling allegations of fraud and embezzlement surrounding him, Fani-Kayode lacks the moral authority to pontificate on corruption and good governance since he is hardly a role model.

Nigerians know and have followed with keen interest his corruption trials.

*Mr. Oji, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013— —19

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HE Nigerian Senate recently passed a bill outlawing same sex relationships in Nigeria, and on May 30, 2013, the House of Assembly passed the same bill.

Interestingly, it was the same day that the cable news was awash with the so-called celebrated gay marriage in France. The world should hear and know that Nigeria is not part of that crap ! By this bill, five things must be noted thus: i) Marriage Contract between persons of same gender is prohibited in Nigeria, ii) Such marriage is not valid and confers no benefits of a valid marriage in Nigeria, iii) Such marriage contracted outside Nigeria with certificate issued wherever is void and of no effect in Nigeria, and Nigerian courts shall not enforce any benefits deriving from such marriages and certificates, iv) No such marriage shall be solemnized in Nigeria, be it in Church, Mosque, temple, shrine, coven, etc. and finally, v) The only valid marriage in Nigeria is that between man and woman, be it in Customary, Islamic, or statutorily under the Marriage Act. It is called “Bill for an Act to Prohibit Marriage or Civil Union entered into Between Persons of Same Sex, Solemnization of Same and for Other Matters Related Therewith”.

Jurisdiction lies with State High Courts, and the High Court of the FCT. The House endorsed a 10- year jail sentence with no option of fine for same sex couples, and 10 years jail sentence for members of gay clubs and societies in Nigeria. Although the Senate had endorsed relatively lighter sentences for these respective offences, the important thing is that same sex relationships are outlawed in this country. We congratulate the National Assembly for this bold move in the light and face of

pressures and some arm twisting by Europe and America.

The aim of this writer is first to warn the youth of the risks they face in the display of their ugly urges in private and public, and second to look at the basis of the strong actions of Nigeria against this phenomenon, and advise those caught up in this relationship in Nigeria.

It is important that our youths, higher institution students, youth corps members, secondary and primary school students are warned to refrain, desist and run from every appearance of same sex relationship as it is criminal to get involved directly or remotely. You are heading for the jail if caught and prosecuted in Nigeria. Whatever junk they tell you in the internet about your rights that infringes our law will attract prosecution in this country and if convicted, you go to jail! If they do not send you to jail, you will be likely “handled” by the Police, and I do not need to tell you what that means. One implication of this bill is that the right of inheritance does not apply in Nigeria to same sex couples and those that may rely on or claim by virtue of such relationship of certificate. Those of you who behave as if you are not from Nigerian villages and clamour via the internet and other media for same sex relationship must desist from it now.

The bill provides thus: “Any person or group of persons that administers, witnesses, screens, shields, abets and aids the solemnization of a samesex marriage contract or civil union or supports the registration of gay clubs, societies and organisations, processions or meetings in Nigeria commits an offence and liable on conviction to a term of 10 years imprisonment". This means that the couple, the priest, relations, friends, witnesses of the marriage or relationship, could face prosecution.

The category of likely felons are very wide, making it wise for all to run from the palaver.

We have three main religions in Nigeria: Christianity, Islam, and traditional worship (idolatry). All three of them abhour same sex relationship. The Holy Bible forbids it. In 1 Cor.6:9-19, the Bible declares: ”Don’t you realise that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or worship idols, or commit adultery, or are thieves, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or greedy people or drunkards or are abusive or cheat people- none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God….But you cannot say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality, they were made for the Lord… Don’t you realise that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body which is part of Christ, and join it to prostitute? Never!“ The Bible, to all intents and purposes, abhours prostitution and same sex relationship. In fact, it is madness to good Christians! In Leviticus 18, a list of the forbidden includes the practice of homosexuality because it defiles the land and whoever commits these sins will be cut off from the community. How do you cut off a man if not by killing him?

Islam forbids and abhours same

For Chudi Nwike, a tribute

BY PAT ANYADUBALU NIGERIA no doubt is in a Hobbesian state where the great philosopher described life as being “cheap, short and brutish”.

The situation has become worrisome and hopeless until recently when the Federal Government appeared to have been nudged out from slumber, hence its declaration of a state of emergency in some parts of the North, notorious as haven for the heinous activities of the Boko Haram.

The unofficial report records that over three thousand people have been murdered by this sect.

In the southern parts of Nigeria, especially the South-south and South-east areas, the despicable activities of kidnappers hold sway. It is more rampant along Ore- Benin – Asaba expressway where kidnappers lurk in the bush paths, rob and kidnap travellers.

Recently, the wife, daughter and driver of a Supreme Court Justice were their unwilling victims. There are so many other unreported cases of travellers who have fallen victims of these kidnappers along the Ore-Benin- Asaba Expressway. I hope the Highway police patrol vehicles will police this road to stem this ugly kidnap cases.

Dr. Chudi Nwike, the debonair medical doctor, politician, former Deputy Governor of Anambra State and a serving National Vice Chairman South-east of Action C M Y K

Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was a victim of kidnapping. Dr. Nwike was for three weeks in a traumatic custody of these hoodlums and was eventually brought out dead in a rustic town near Agbo, Delta State.

As if that murder of Dr. Nwike was not enough, the man who volunteered to take the N5,000,000.00 to the kidnappers and the taxi driver who drove him to the kidnappers’ den were also killed by the kidnappers, after the latter had collected the huge sum of N5,000,000.00 Dr. Chudi Nwike was a noble man, a gentleman and a rare politician whose credo was that politics was for the common good. He had argued passionately among his professional (medical) colleagues that he would make a positive impact more in the lives of the common man through politics than medicine hence he abandoned his lucrative medical practice

•Mr. Chudi Nwike

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BY CLEMENT UDEGBE

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Same sex relationship: Sin or weakness

The dog is easily the most sexually perverse animal; yet two male dogs can never mate; it simply means that the simple dog has more sexual integrity than gays and lesbians!

sex relationship. It is an abomination and the punishment is instant death.

The Holy Qu’ran at Surat iv:15 specifically declares: “If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; And if they testify, confine them to houses until death claim them”. You cannot try such nonsense in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, etc! I asked the Imam of the Mosque in Ajao Estate, Lagos, and he confirmed that if one is caught in same sex acts, the Qu’ran recommends that the persons be buried up to their neck and then stoned to death.

In traditional worship morality is very high. My good grandfather was one, and he told us never to sleep with another woman until you marry her, never to sleep with another’s wife, never steal, never cheat, be content with what the gods have given you in life. It was unimaginable to hear of same sex relationship and the consequence was to sacrifice the persons involved to appease the gods and to cleanse the land.

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It seems obvious from the pressure on our NASS from America and Great Britain in support of same sex marriage, that the mighty and powerful in our perishing world are involved in this perversity of sexual conduct. It boils down to lack of knowledge. The Holy Bible establishes that there are three heavens: God and His heavenly beings dwell in the third heaven, Satan as the ruler of the air attempts to rule from the second heaven to legislate illegally in the first heaven, which is this earth from where I am physically writing. Ephesians 2:2 describes the assignment of the prince of the power of the air. The second heaven is the demonic headquarters that is strategically set up to control people like puppets on a string.

Every human being is either connected to either the second or third heaven. People who are bound by second heaven activities are bound to the second heaven by demonic strings. The power of the air is a subliminal bondage which is controlled from the air. The spirit hides behind the cover of natural habits, and its victims never suspect that they are under its control. The victims manifest as drug addicts, prostitutes, sexual perverts, homosexuals, lesbians, adulterers, etc. The demon spirit responsible for homosexuality and other sexual misdemeanors is called ASMODEE, a direct manifestation of the prince spirit of Baal. Homosexuality and Lesbianism are spiritual problems.

The victims can be delivered from the oppression of the demon spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit of God and Blood of Jesus Christ. They can be helped if they will submit to the superior power of God, in salvation, through deliverance prayers. The casting out of ASMODEE is easy for very many Nigerian Pentecostal pastors. Those who have ears let them hear !

t seems to me then that the NASS was magnanimous to slap these felons on the wrist with prison sentences only, instead of capital punishment as recommended by the key religions of our land. Part of the problem to me as a practising Christian stems from man’s folly in the misapplication of the right of choice which God gave man in the book of Deuteronomy, when He set the good and bad before man and urged man to choose the good. It is the power of choice that man continues to abuse in all he does!

God made marriage for procreation, between man and woman to His Glory. Man can learn from animals. The dog is easily the most sexually perverse animal, as it can have sex with its mother in the glaring eyes of the public, yet two male dogs can never mate! It simply means that the simple dog has more *Mr. Udegbe, a lawyer, wrote sexual integrity than gays and from Lagos. lesbians!

He had the option of staying back in the state as a political jobber or join the infamous club of “Any Government in Power (AGIP)” but he chose the path of honour despite the attendant challenges

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for politics. Dr. Nwike abhorred injustice and this was what brought him and my humble self together because I met him in 2006 after our primaries for House of Assembly seat in Anambra State. I was evidently robbed of my victory at the primaries. A friend of mine took me to him.

He heard my story and the documentary evidence and after being satisfied of the veracity of my case, he took up the matter with the national body of the party which ordered that my matter should be revisited and the actual winner enthroned. The rest they say is history.

Our relationship since then blossomed.

He found favour in me and gave me his legal jobs to handle especially here in Lagos. We were together on March 6, 2013 and had a hearty discussion which eventually turned out to be our last acquaintance. He narrated to me his

challenges after the military coup of 1993 which decapitated all democratic structures.

A firm believer in hard-work, his resilience saw him through during those challenging period in his life. He had the option of staying back in the state as a political jobber or join the infamous club of “Any Government in Power (AGIP)” but he chose the path of honour despite the attendant challenges.

I wish also to note Dr. Nwike’s simplicity to the point of asceticism. He moved around without any air, not even retinue of siren blaring cars, motley crowd of hangers on and praise singers.

Today, barely two months of his murder, his mortal body will be committed to mother earth in his home town Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra state.

I console the government and people of Anambra State, his medical colleagues, friends, political associates and his immediate family.

I pray the government of Mr. Peter Obi to accord the deceased Dr. Chudi Nwike, a befitting burial in the same manner he accorded other prominent Anambra people who have passed on. The Governor should be a statesman and see his funeral rites as funeral passage of the former DeputyGovernor of the state devoid of any political colouration or political differences. Adieu Ibolo Ogbunike! May you rest in peace! *Mr. Anyadubalu, a lawyer, wrote from Lagos.

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Traffic Gridlock at Mile 2 Bus Stop Along Oshodi Apapa Expressway Lagos.Photo By Akeem Salau.

•Motorists, commuters cry out again

BY KINGSLEY ADEBOYE, BOSE ADELAJA & TOBORE OGHENEOVO

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T was another nightmare for motorists and commuters at the Mile Two to Berger axis of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway on Wednesday following traffic congestion that made movement to Coconut, Tin Can and ApapaWharf nearly impossible for several hours. For many road users, it was a painful climax of the recurring decimal of traffic confusion that has bedevilled the area for some weeks and which they attributed to a combination of ongoing road rehabilitation work by construction giant, Julius Berger and several trucks and tankers being parked on the road sides, thus obstructing the free-flow of traffic. Most of these heavy-duty articulated vehicles were originally heading either to the ports in Apapa or the tank farms at Kirikiri before their drivers decided to park them on the road due to heavy traffic around that axis.

For the past few days, commuters, motorists and residents literally went through hell as a result of the traffic situation on the road.

While the Wednesday gridlock lasted, road users had for the umpteenth time given vent to their frustration with a loud choC M Y K

rus of complaints and condemnation. Some of them said they could not understand why both the Federal and the Lagos State governments have so far failed to address the persistent traffic nightmare experienced in the area given the economic importance of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway which serves the heavy traffic moving in and out of the nation’s sea ports at Apapa and Tin Can Island to other parts of Lagos and indeed the entire country.

Before now, many users of this road had blamed the development on the menace of container-laden trucks, fuel tankers coupled with bad roads until the Federal Government swooped into action and began rehabilitation of the road which reduced the traffic for some time before it resurfaced recently making movement on the road difficult for road users.

Many road users who spoke with Vanguard blamed the development on the ongoing construction work on the road. Some others blamed it on impatience on the part of motorists while others blamed the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, for the situation.

According to one Peter Esegie: “The construction handling the

rehabilitation of the road is to blame for the problem because by blocking sections of the road they have succeeded in creating unnecessary traffic obstruction for vehicles going either to Apapa or Kirikiri areas. They ought to have known that this is a busy road and that blocking any section of it will definitely create traffic confusion”.

Traffic confusion But as far as Chigozie Egwim is concerned: “There’s nothing wrong in rehabilitating the road since that is what we have been praying for all along. But what I will advise is that such things should be done very early in the morning or late at night when there are few people on the road, and if maintenance must take place during peak hours, alternative routes should be provided for the people”.

For Wasiu Adeleke, a passenger in commercial bus, government is to blame for failing to call drivers of trailers and other articulated vehicles from parking illegally. He believes this is the major cause of the traffic on that road and its poor state. His sentiment is shared by one Mrs. Bisi

Council of Petroleum Tanker Drivers, Comrade Adebayo Atanda, exonerated his men from the blame, saying they have complied with the State government directive on effort to restore sanity on the road. Atanda who blamed the development on the ongoing construction work on the expressway, urged the construction company to hasten the job to ameliorate the suffering of the road users. “As far as I am concerned, our men have complied with the government’s terms but the ongoing construction of the road had added to our woes. The only available space is the service lane which we make use of; the grid-

There’s nothing wrong in rehabilitating the road since that is what we have been praying for all along. But what I will advise is that such things should be done very early in the morning or late at night when there are few people on the road

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Mile 2 - Apapa axis of unending traffic confusion

Ojelabi who attributed the frequent collapse of sections of the road and the recurring traffic gridlock there to the prevalence of these heavy duty trucks which ply that route. She suggested that government should provide alternative routes for trucks so as not to endanger the lives of the people.

The nuisance and inconvenience constituted by trucks on the road is an issue recently addressed by the Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Godwin Eke, who spoke about challenges in dealing with the problem. According to Eke who is in charge of Section1 of

the highway: “Last month, in collaboration with the Lagos State government, we removed the tankers, but they came back after one week. Aside the tanker drivers, we started receiving threats from commercial motorcyclists who just come and park in Sunrise area, but the Police helped to remove them”. He also that said that the joint effort of the Ministry and the state government to check the menace of tankers and other trucks on the road is being undermined by the challenge of where to park them when impounded.

But the Secretary, Lagos Zonal

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lock is not our making and we have tried our best to adhere to government’s order,” he said.

Relief may yet be on the way as the Federal Controller of Works, South West zone, Dipo Fagbinle, an engineer, told Vanguard on phone that he would call the engineer in charge of the rehabilitation on the road to create space for easy movement of motorists and other road users.

He appealed to road users to bear with them, adding that what is happening is one of the challenges usually experienced during urban development.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 21

FG to export fresh produce soon, says Akinwumi

By CHRIS OCHAYI

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INISTER of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has charged Nigerians to key into the great potentials in global market and brings into reality government efforts to export fresh produce to other countries of the world.

Akinwumi said this while receiving the Ambassadors of Ireland and Belgium, who were led by the Executive Secretary of Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers & Exporters Association of Nigeria, AFGEAN, Akin Sawyerr, in Abuja. He noted that Nigeria with 84 million hectares of arable land, has a great potential in fresh produce. He said the goal of Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) is to turn Nigeria to an industrialised economy by making agriculture a straight line business.

According to the minister, Nigeria’s potential in horticulture is very high, as the country is the second highest producer of Citrus in the World after China; number one producer of pineapple in Africa as well as major producer of mangoes, tomatoes, etc. He

added, “as the largest producer of most of these produce, we must get to the global market, we as a government, have developed 14 Staple Crops Processing Zones, SCPZ.” On the issue of exporting fresh produce, the minister said “it is important to have a market strategy, an investment plan, a well coordinated strategy on how we are going to play in the global market. We need to deploy a Research and Development (R&D) system that does not allow us only to produce but to give what people want”. He said plans are underway to create what he called “Trade & Marketing Corporation” which would be modeled after Kenya’s Horticulture Development Authority (HDA). The Trade & Marketing Corporation would be expected to coordinate the work of horticulture for domestic and international market, Adesina added. He averred that Nigeria’s late entry into the horticulture market does not mean it would not make an impact; “Ethiopia entered the horticulture market as a late comer but got things right, so we have to be aggressive in brand marketing of produce coming out of Nigeria”.

Mr. Mark Stodola, Mayor of the City of the Little Rock, Arkansas United States presenting the Key (Ambassador of Goodwill) to Arc Kester Ifeadi, Managing Director, Contemporary Group Limited. Seven Nigerians were among 17 personalities and citizens awarded honorary citizenship of the state of Arkansas in the U.S., each with a key to the city of Little Rock.

BOI tasks SMEs on bankable proposals

By FRANKLIN ALLI

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HE Bank of Industry (BOI) has enjoined operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria to have wellpackaged bankable proposals before seeking funding supports from development finance institutions.

This is in addition to equipping themselves with enough information about any funding agency they intend to approach for support so that they are fully armed and abreast with questions that may follow suit.

Ms. Evelyn Oputu, Managing Director of the bank, gave the advice during a programme organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of the Pan

Atlantic University (Lagos Business School) for business executives, entrepreneurs and start-ups.

She observed that the inability of most SMEs to secure funding for their businesses lies in their inability to present proposals that are rich and convincing enough for banks to fund.

Oputu said entrepreneurs are not adequately equipped with the necessary information needed to secure loans, saying some who have approached the bank in the past are not even aware of the mandate and objectives of the bank. She assured that the bank will continue to support the SMEs sector, which she described as the engine room of growth of any economy because of the potentials of the real sector to generate massive employment.

Infrastructure Bank to manage FG’s N25bn mass transit fund

BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

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HE Infrastructure Bank Plc, TIB, has been chosen as the fund manager to the federal government’s N25 billion Public Mass Transit Revolving Fund (PMTF) scheme.

Managing Director, Adekunle Oyinloye, disclosed this in a paper presented at the 53rd annual conference of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, held in Kano, recently. He also said the bank is an investor in and transaction advisor to the Marina Express Consortium awarded the preferred bidder status for the design, build, operate and

transfer, DBOT, of the US$2 billion Lagos State Metro Light Rail Transit project.

“The new image and vision of the bank is aimed at achieving greater heights in delivery of infrastructure mandates as a means of strengthening the bank’s competitive advantage within the market space and business segments,” he said.

The paper which is entitled, ‘Development Financial Institutions: Key partners for economic prosperity – Role of infrastructure Bank Plc,’ he noted that, “infrastructure contributes to economic development by increasing productivity and providing amenities which enhance the quality

of life. The provision of adequate infrastructure unlocks the hidden potentials of the economy, generates employment in the short run with significant long term economic benefits. For it to be able to compete in the modern world, Nigeria must improve its infrastructure.”

He further explained that the bank has a clear mission, “to transform Nigerian infrastructure for enhanced productivity, adding that the bank is a development partner and financial facilitator; structurally and functionally complimentary to the commercial banking sector and the needs of public and private sector infrastructure development promoters.”

127.4

-0.25

2,302.00

+19.00

16.36

-0.02

103.73 +0.49 94.10 +0.79 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.74 155.24 236.8141 237.5793 202.4463 203.1005 163.4002 163.9282 1.5446 1.5496 0.2863 0.2963 230.8666 231.6126 25.2471 25.3291 41.2607 41.394 27.1569 27.2446 232.7754 233.5275

SELLING 155.74 238.3445 203.7546 164.4562 1.5546 0.3063 232.3586 25.4112 41.5273 27.3324 234.2797

CBN Exchange rate as at 06/06/2013

22 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 201 3

BRIEFS

Dharnesh Gordhon becomes new MD of Nestlé Nigeria

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ESTLÉ Nigeria Plc has appointed Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Gordhon succeeds Martin Woolnough who retired from the company on May 31, 2013.

South African born, Mr Gordhon has held various commercial roles in for Nestle in Southern Africa and Malaysia. He holds various academic and professional qualifications, including a Master ’s in Business Administration (MBA). Mr Gordhon has a strong belief that the key ingredient for success is an authentic passion for people and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence in action.

The new Managing Director is committed to Nestlé Nigeria being recognised as the leading nutrition, health and wellness company. With its wide product portfolio, strong brands and passionate team, Nestlé Nigeria is well poised to continue delivering value for its consumers, the society and its shareholders.

Multiverse signs joint quarry production agreement with Chinese firm

BY NKIRUKA NNOROM

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ULTIVERSE Plc has announced that it has signed a joint venture mining agreement with a Chinese firm, Unicontinental Engineering Company Plc, with a view to entering into joint quarry productions across the country.

In a notice filed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Multiverse explained that the project, which is a long term joint production agreement, would allow Unicontinental access to Multiverse’s entire quarry sites for mining of granite stones.

The company said in the notice, “Multiverse is of the opinion that this strategic arrangement, which covers technical, financial, equipment and production, will no doubt ensure continuous production of granite chippings in the country.”

Speaking after the signing ceremony in Lagos, Chairman, Unicontinental International Engineering Company Limited, Mr Alex Wang, said the company plans to build quarries that would supply granite and minerals to support infrastructure projects across the country.

He noted that Unicontinental would also extend mining exploration to other states of the country, adding that the

project would allow both partners to supply high quality variety of products to the market.

According to him, the company will establish new mining sites and production facilities using modern exploration techniques.

It would be recalled that Multiverse was last year issued with Mining Leases Licence (MLL) by Federal Government for exploration of mineral deposits in the country along side another Chinese firm, Tongyi Allied Mining Limited.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc Musa Mohammed Sada, noted that the two mining investors had satisfied the necessary

requirements as provided in the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007.

Sada said the activity satisfies the ministry ’s mandate to facilitate active mining operations in at least one major mining operation exploiting targeted strategic mineral resources by the end of 2012.

“This development will no doubt create wealth and jobs for Nigerians as well as generate revenue for government in the form of royalties and taxes, as well as re-launch Nigeria onto the map of mining nations having been active player before the discovery of oil” he stated.

Multiverse Plc is to mine lead-zinc ore in its tenement area located in Nasarawa State.

LBS Alumni hold President’s dinner

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N a bid to encourage aca demic excellence and celebrate outstanding performance of members, Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA) is set to host this year’s President’s dinner on Saturday 8 June, 2013 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island.

This annual event of the alumni association is the most looked – forward – to social event of the prestigious school.

According to the President of LBSAA, Mr. Ademola Aladekomo, “This year’s dinner is expected to be the biggest in the history of the association as we expect about 1,500 guests to grace the occasion.

Already, some distinguished Nigerians have been invited while over 20 corporate organizations are supporting the dinner by means of sponsorship and corporate tables. Top on the list of our sponsors are Swift Networks Nigeria Limited and Airtel Nigeria while more are on line to give their commitments”.

The event is expected to witness the presence of distinguished professionals from all walks of life and captains of industries who are products of the prestigious institution.

FROM LEFT: Dr. Enase Okonedo, Dean, Lagos Business School; Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings; Dr (Mrs) Awele Elumelu and Mr. Chris Ogbechie, Dean, Strategy, Lagos Business School after Mr Elumelu’s keynote address at the inaugural Lagos Business School’s African Business Conference in Lagos.

Consolidated Breweries expands, grows revenue by 20%

By WILLIAM JIMOH

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O N S O L I D AT E D breweries Plc has attributed the growth in its revenue for the year 2012 financial year to investments in some of its brands and other expansion initiatives undertaken during the year The company had in 2012 posted N33.5 billion revenue as against N27.9 billion reported in 2011, indicating 20 percent growth.

Disclosing this at the company’s Annual General Meeting, AGM in Lagos, the chairman, Professor Oyin Odutola-Olurin, noted that the expansion progrmames had helped the company to remain competitive in the breweries

sector.

She said, “2012 has been another strong year of progress for Consolidated Breweries. We continued to invest in equipment in our breweries as well as contract production in Sango Otta in order to increase production. The increase in volume and production of our “33” Export Lager Beer brand and malt drinks in cans has made us remain tall in the market amidst our competitors.

The results have been positive in this regard, though the contract brewing led to an increase in variable expenses.

“We also acquired a 57 percent equity stake in Champion Breweries Plc. The merger scheme which took effect from 31 December 2012

is a part of our broader restructuring program to increase value generation through the streamlining of management, staff, operations and processes across our business units and subsidiaries.”

She further stated that the continued implementation of the company ’s expansion initiatives also enhanced its efforts towards increasing its stake in DIL/Maltex (Nigeria) Plc to 98 percent and Benue Brewery Limited to 100 percent in the year under review.

She however explained that the drop in 2012 profit after tax where the company recorded N2.7 billion, a 16 percent decline over N3.3 billion recorded in the previous year

was largely due to tax duties charged within the year. The group’s PAT decline by 79 percent from N2.2 billion in 2011 to N444.8 million in 2012.

Odutola-Olurin said this was also mainly due to losses from merged and acquired businesses. She pointed out that despite the company’s focus in breaking into new ground; the unforeseen challenges in the country hampered its smooth run.

“Furthermore, the government’s effort in achieving regularly power supply which has not fully materialized, increased the operating cost significantly, coupled with cases of kidnap, militant insurgent in some part of the country and deplorable state of some roads,” she emphasised.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 —23

Nigeria, German firms to fight po ver ty with pover verty increased shea butter production

New alternative to wheat, maize set to take off GLOBAL cassava output has increased by 60 per cent since 2000 and is set to accelerate further in the coming decade, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The FAO Save and Grow model — an environmentally friendly farming model — can sustainably increase cassava yields by up to 400 per cent and help turn this staple from a poor people’s food crop into a 21st-century crop, the FAO says.

One reason driving increased demand for cassava is the current high level of cereal prices. This makes it an attractive alternative to wheat and maize, particularly as cassava can be processed into a high-quality flour than can partially substitute for wheat flour.

Cassava is a versatile crop grown by smallholders in more than 100 countries. Its roots are carbohydrate-rich, while its leaves contain up to 25 per cent protein, plus iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. Other parts of the plant can be used as animal feed, and livestock raised on cassava reportedly have good disease resistance and low mortality rates.

‘dotNG reliable platform to turn food into cash’

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HE Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian Internet Registration Association, NiRA, Mr. Ope Odunsan has stated that food is a need which every human being needed for survival, adding however, that no human being can survive without agricultural produce.

He also explained that cash is essential for farmers and dotNG is a reliable and veritable platform through which farmers could turn food into cash, insisting that with an email and a website farmers could as well turn food into cash.

He pointed out that farmers could as well market their produce and services to not less than 45 million internet users in Nigeria, urging them to support the Nigerian economy and provide jobs for for local IT professionals.

He stated that farmers can do direct sales of farm produce to local, national and international buyers.

N

A cross-section of plantation owners at an extra-ordinary meeting at Presco Plc, Obaretin Estate, Edo State.

NEXTT initiative to reduce costs, delays at Lagos-Lokoji corridor STORIES

BY DANIEL GUMM

A

N initiative that will cut transport costs as well as reduce delays along the Lagos-Lokoji corridor has begun. The programme is designed to promote inclusive economic growth and security through implementing activities as part of an integrated approach to trade and transport competitiveness, according to the Coordinator, Prof. Akin Aluko.

The USAID/Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport, NEXTT project that is working to bring the initiative into success consists of three key project components which will catalise trade and investment as drivers of inclusive economic growth.

The programme builds upon government of Nigeria and prior USAID efforts to stimulate investment in trade-related infrastructure and services, reform trade policies and procedures, and improve the posi-

tion of Nigerian firms to access global and regional markets.

Its activities will lead to further and lasting impacts in the form of reduced transport costs, and higher quality of food available in the domestic market and jobs and income generation opportunities for Nigerians linked to firms exporting goods abroad.

They are transport corridor improvement; policy reform and trade facilitation, and expanded export support.

The targeted value chains include the following: Cashew nuts, cocoa, sesame seed, shea butter, sorghum, maize, cassava, textile and apparels, sustainable sea food, home decor and fashion accessories, and horticulture.

Prof. Aluko told stakeholders that NEXTT is in Nigeria to involve them in the mapping exercise designed as a diagnostic assessment of the SUPPLY and DEMAND for business development services targeted at export services.

NEXTT is a four-year pro-

gramme supporting the Nigerian government’s efforts to expand trade volume and efficiency domestically, within the ECOWAS sub-region, and beyond so that trade, particularly in agricultural products, can generate inclusive economic growth and development in Nigeria, and is managed by CARANA Corporation and its consortium partners.

NEXTT addresses trade policy and trade facilitation constraints by aligning the formulation, coordination, and implementation of trade policies, regulatory frameworks, and facilitation services in ways that maximise competitiveness and support expanded trade, investment, and job opportunities.It brings together private and public sector stakeholders, NEXTT supports the improvement of both transportation infrastructure and services and strengthens transport corridor governance along the most important transportation route in Nigeria.

IGERIA’S National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) has announced its partnership with German Development Agency (GIZ), on Shea butter production, to ensure sustainable economic development in the country.

The collaboration will help boost participation of active poor Nigerians in agriculture while ensuring that the current subsistence level of shea butter nuts farming in the country is increased, a statement signed by NAPEP Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Kobi said.

According to the statement: “Shea butter nuts farming and Shea butter production will greatly increase farmers’ income as the two are major sources of nutritional and economic importance to many people, especially in rural areas.”

“NAPEP is expected to create awareness about shea butter nuts production by organising workshops, seminars and training sessions for rural dwellers.

NAPEP will also engage experts to explain to the people, the many benefits of shea butter nuts cultivation and the shea butter production and will attract banks and investors into the venture,’’ the statement furthered.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Poverty Alleviation Programme, SSAP/ NC NAPEP, Mallam Mukhtar Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa said NAPEP’s partnership with GIZ, will lead to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), soon.

FG-Turkey Chamber to focus on non-oil sector T

HE newly inaugurated Nigeria-Turkey Chamber of Commerce (NTCC) has promised to focus its attention

on the development on nonoil sector of the Nigerian economy with a view to addressing problem of unem-

MEETING — From left: Chairman, Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, POFON, Mr. Muyi Ladoja; Mr. Jibola Adebutu, Chairman, JB Farms; and Dr. Umoru Omoti, former Executive Director, Nigerian Institute for Oil-palm Research, NIFOR, after an extra-ordinary meeting in Edo State.

ployment in the country.

Some leaders and members of the NTCC governing board, who spoke at the launching ceremony in Abuja, urged the chamber to woo investors to the industrial and agricultural sectors of the nation's economy.

According to the Executive Chairman of the chamber, Dr. Eze Eche Hyacinth, the chamber was founded for the development of Nigeria's nonoil sector and serves the business communities of both countries.

Hyacinth, who disclosed that the NTCC's membership has reached 350, said a delegation of the chamber would visit Turkey in July to exchange ideas and explore the areas of comparative advantages for the benefits of the two nations.

In an address, the President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Dr. Hubert Ademola Ajayi, said special focus on the non-oil sector would open up opportunities and enhance the nation's economic growth and trade relationship with other countries.

Ajayi particularly noted that the launching of NTCC would improve trade volume and relationship between Nigeria and Turkey on the one hand and the other countries, especially with the D-8.

He also promised the readiness of NACCIMA to partner with the chamber and other related bilateral organisations to promote business relationship between Nigeria and others.

24—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

FG develops tourism brand for Nigeria STORIES BY JIMOH BABATUNDE &CALEB AYANSINA

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he Brand: Fascinating Nigeria; Beckoning Beauty’ has been as a tourism brand for the country by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. ccording to Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke who disclosed this in a chat with the media last week said the brand will be launched by President Goodluck Jonathan in July.

The Minister noted that the slogan: ‘Good People, Great Nation’ launched

by Yaradua’s administration was for domestic re-engineering that has no global recognition.

He added that all over the world, Nigeria is known for its creative industry, and that, the cultural diversity of its people makes her the most fascinating country globally.

According to him, “People, culture and environment remain the first letter of recommendation before you even thinking of business activities.

“Yet we have the potential to be a big player, but then, we must be identified with a product. What is Nigeria unique selling point? And we say, we are a fascinating country and I think that is in all ramifications, if you see the endowment of our people, you will see that truly we are.

“This is the tourism brand identity, the Nigeria good people great nation, is a national effort for domestic reengineering of national conscience, for inspiration within our country and of course an expression of the kind of people we are.

“For tourism, for our music, culture, people, history, and heritage Nigeria is now positioning itself as the most fascinating country, so this is not a competing initiative; no doubt we are good people, great nation. For economy and such power of projecting Nigeria, this is what we will be showing to the rest of the world.

“I am sure that if you go to a site fascinating Nigeria in a couple of days, you will see some extra ordinary things that will make each and every one of us proud. The issue of sustainability has been taken care off.

“Yes Nigeria may be of various political or religion callings, we may have other interests that will compete with one another, but when it come to the blood that flow in our veins, when it comes to the integrity of our country, the image of our country, Nigerians all over the world always stand firm and resolute, that is what we want to empower with this initiative”.

In her remarks, the newly appointed Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, said the new agenda of the NTDC was to create domestic tourism, which will attract foreign investors.

She commended the Minister for his effort towards the growth and development of the tourism sector in the country, adding that, Nigeria’s Tourism Identity would go a long way to project the country positively.

Peacoc k, R oyal Jordanian eacock Ro pac kage Holy sit es ttour our pack sites

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ORDAN is a modern country with an ancient culture, a land of which visitors can walk through the valleys, hills and plains whose names have become part of human history by virtue of the simple deeds and profound messages of prophets who walked the land and crossed its rivers during their lives.

Many of the sites where they are said to have performed miracles or reached out to ordinary people have been identified, excavated and protected, and are now more easily accessible to visitors.

These are the sites that Jordanian carrier, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Nigeria’s Peacock Travels and Tours have concluded plans to take Nigerians to visit.

The partnership, signed recently between the airline and the travel management company, grants Peacock Travels the exclusive right to handle this year ’s holy pilgrimage package to & fro Jordan.

The Group Executive Chairman of

Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke (middle) displaying collaterals for The Brand: Fascinating Nigeria; Beckoning Beauty at the National Theatre, Lagos. With him are the Director Generals of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs. Sally Mbanefo and Alhaji Kabiru.

From left: Mr. Francois Sastourne, Consul General, French Embassy Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Arogunnmati, President, Nigeria British Association and Mr. Fela Mosuro at the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel VIP Cocktail in Lagos.

Peacock Travels & Tours , Aare Segun Philips , while speaking after the signing of the MOU said the package will allow prospective pilgrims to experience Jordan Holy sites next month.

According to him, prospective tourists will visit several biblical & historic sites such as: the baptism site of Jesus Christ; Mount Nebo, where Moses died and was buried; the place of the snake bite; Bethany; and the dead sea, which cures all ailments, among other interesting sites.

Aare Philips added “The Jordan Valley has profound meaning for religious travellers. The old and new testament places recorded in the bible are still found here. River Jordan should ring a bell to all Christians because a reputable army was cured after dipping himself in this river and also Jesus as baptised in the same river.

“The only sea in the world that doesn’t have any aquatic animal too is in Jordan (Dead sea), it also has one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world.”

Meanwhile, Peacock Travels has also introduced a new summer travel package that enables prospective summer travellers pay for their summer trip in three instalments.

‘T ourism needs ‘Tourism capacity building’

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ATIONAL President of Nigerian Hotel & Catering Institute, Bola Jaiyeola, introduction of the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) of the body was introduced as they believe that capacity building is important to tourism development.

Speaking at the induction and investiture of new fellows in Lagos weekend, Jaiyeola said CPE is an avenue for hospitality professionals to update their knowledge and skills in existing and new areas of practice.

While berating the government for its inability to grade and classify hotels in the country, he urged the government to develop the country’s tourism sector.

Bola Jaiyeola called on the honorary and professional fellows to uphold the ethics of sound hospitality as well as be good ambassador of the institute.

Among those honoured include the immediate Director general, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Otunba Segun Runsewe; Chief Adenigba Kayode; Dr. Wasiu Babalola; Mercy Anyafulu and Ayodele Gabriel among others.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—25

STORIES BY JIMOH BABATUNDE WITH AGENCY REPORTS

A

S three heads of the Rome-based United Nations agencies recently called for food security and nutrition to be placed at the centre of the international agenda for African development, they said smallholder farmers need support to improve global food security.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), José Graziano da Silva, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD), Kanayo Nwanze, and the

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African leader o ffocus ocus on ffood ood security leaderss urged tto Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin, spoke at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) in Yokohama.

They agreed that special attention should be given to supporting smallholder farmers to improve global food security and empowering rural women, addressing gender inequalities and enabling them to transform their own lives and the lives of their families and communities.

The three agency heads said that the most effective key to reversing hunger

and poverty in developing countries lay in responsible investment by governments and the private sector in sustainable agricultural and rural development, noting that in subSaharan Africa, GDP growth generated by agriculture had been shown to be eleven times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth in other sectors.

They stressed that it is time to invest in the critical agents of change: small producers and their organizations, family farmers, fishers, livestock keepers,

forest users, rural workers, entrepreneurs and indigenous people.

The agency heads commended countries that had made strong efforts to reduce hunger within their boundaries and on the African continent in general, and indicated that the discussions at TICAD would

help inform the high-level meeting to be held on 30 June and 1 July in Addis Ababa, co-organized by the African Union and FAO and supported by the Lula Institute. WFP, IFAD and other development partners.

They agreed that hunger, malnutrition and ex-

treme poverty should remain at the core of the post2015 agenda, following the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, and expressed confidence that the world could overcome the twin scourges of poverty and hunger within a generation.

Cassava’s huge potential as 21st Century crop

T

HE Food and Agri culture Organisat i o n , FAO, has disclosed that

global cassava output has increased by 60 percent since 2000 and can sustainably increase cassava yields by up to 400 percent.

Save and Grow , an environmentally-friendly farming model promoted

by FAO that revealed this recently said the growth of Cassava can help turn the staple from a poor people’s food into a 21st Century crop.

In a newly-published field guide detailing Save and Grow’s applications to Cassava smallholder production, FAO noted that global cassava output has increased by 60 percent since 2000 and is set to accelerate further over the current decade as policymakers recognize its huge potential.

But using the inputsintensive approach pioneered during last century’s Green Revolution to boost cassava production risks causing further damage to the natural resource base and increasing the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

The solution, says FAO, lies in the Save and Grow approach which achieves higher yields with improved soil health rather than with the heavy use of chemical inputs. Save and Grow minimizes soil disturbance caused by conventional tillage such as ploughing, and recommends maintaining a protective cover of vegetation over soil.

Instead of the monocropping normally seen in intensive farming systems, Save and Grow encourages mixed cropping and crops rotation, and predicates integrated pest management, which uses disease-free planting material and pests’ natural enemies to keep harmful insects down, instead of chemical pesticides.

Spectacular results Cassava is a highly versatile crop grown by smallholders in more than 100 countries. Its roots are rich in carbohydrates while its tender leaves contain up to 25 percent protein, plus iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. Other parts of the plant can be used as animal feed, and livestock raised on cassava have good disease resistance and low mortality rates.

One reason driving increased demand for cassava is the current high level of cereal prices.

This makes it an attractive alternative to wheat and maize, particularly as cassava can be processed into a high-quality flour than can partially substitute for wheat flour. Food security But, together with its importance as a source of food and food security, cassava also has a range of industrial uses that give it huge potential to spur rural industrial development and raise rural incomes.

Cassava is second only to maize as a source of starch and recentlydeveloped varieties produce root starch that will be highly sought after by industries.

Demand for cassava as a feedstock for the manufacture of bioethanol is also growing rapidly.

Another important consideration is that of the major staple crops in Africa, hardy, resilient cassava is expected to be the least affected by advancing climate change.

With Save and Grow developing countries can thus avoid the risks of unsustainable intensification while realizing cassava’s potential for producing higher yields, alleviating hunger and rural poverty and contributing to national economic development.

26 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—27

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28 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Life without my wife at 80yrs

—Teddy Mukoro of the Village Headmaster fame

Veteran actor and advert guru, Teddy Mukoro who played Oghene in one of Nigeria’s most successful TV series, The Village Headmaster, which ran on NTA in the 80s is still in deep sorrow. Three years after he lost his wife, Felicia in an auto-crash in 2010, at Maryland bus stop, Lagos, Teddy still feels the same love he had for her while she lived. At his Maryland residence last week, the old man recounts the ugly experience of living without his wife at 80 years. He also takes a stroll down memory lane, talking about his role as the first Village Headmaster and why he left the set.

By BENJAMIN NJOKU

H

OW would you describe the expe rience you had after the death of your wife about three years ago?

When one loses one’s wife after 56 years in marriage and especially when one is already 80 years, it’s not a very pleasant experience. I have always said that even though men are not eager to die, it’s better for a man to die before his wife. In most cases, men are always older than their wives. In my own case, I was nine years older than my wife. Suddenly, we started mourning. She left home for church service and the next thing we heard that she was dead. It is not easy to adjust but it’s easy for a woman to survive her husband with her children.

After three years of living without your partner, how has life been with you?

Every day of my life I miss her. In fact, it C M Y K

is impossible not to miss her. I thought I was going to mourn her for three months, but by September 2010, I had to convince myself to drop the black clothes. That does not mean that each time, I pray, I always remember her. When I smile, I smile for her. I missed everything about her. I’m now at the mercy of my daughter and her family. She tries very hard to make me feel comfortable. It’s a new experience that I enjoy very much.

But I deeply appreciate the concern and love shown to me by my children and everybody around me. My wife was a very saintly, kind woman who never did anything wrong. At the moment, I don’t feel as if I don’t have a wife. She had gone ahead of me. I believe in the life hereafter and at the end of the race, we will face the judgment of God. My wife was a wonderful woman. I didn’t appreciate her enough.

While she lived, I never met her demands but she was ‘not bothered.

But did you really prosecute the bus driver that killed her?

No, I didn’t. Two or three days after her death, a Policeman came to ask me what I wanted them to do with the bus driver. I told him, I don’t have anything to do with the bus driver. My wife is dead and she’s dead. I didn’t want to see the bus driver and I never set my eyes on him.

How did you become the first Village Headmaster?

Each time any of the cast of the now

then was produced with low budget. He came across the idea in the archives of the NTS. He was excited when he told me that there was no money to execute the project but he made up his mind to give it a trial. That was when he involved me as one of the writers. I have never written a play before in my life.

He brought me into a team of amateur writers including Alex Akinyele. But today nobody remembers Dosumu. It’s as if he did not exist. I had the option of playing the role of either the Village Headmaster or Bassey Okon, which Jab Adu

My wife was a wonderful woman. I didn’t appreciate her enough. While she lived, I never met her demands but she was ‘not bothered rested Village Headmaster dies, people always come to ask me about that person. The other time, it was Chief Segun Olusola,and most recently, Justus Esiri.

But one thing I must state here is that, the man who produced and directed the series, Sanya Dosumu has been abandoned. Dosumu, who is currently the Olowo of Owu in Abeokuta, Ogun State was a very fantastic man. He came back from the United Kingdom and developed strong interest in the programme which

played. But later, Dosumu decided that I should play the role of the Village Headmaster. After we had done the casting, it was time to shoot the series. Dosumu and I were not living far from each other at the Palmgrove area of Lagos. He came to me one Friday evening and said, Teddy, you are going to write the opening and the follow-up episodes of the Village Headmaster. Responding, I said, “I have

Continues on page 29

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—29

Continues from page 28 never written a drama before.”Ididn’t train as a theatre practitioner. But Dosumu was very precise about what he wanted. But I think he wanted some kind of ability to tell a story. And he stood beside me at the dining table. With him, standing behind I came up with a script that night. The next day, two scripts were ready.

The scripts set the tone for the entire series. I believe that anybody has the right to tell his own story. But the most important thing is to find out who did what, in the annals of the Village Headmaster.

That was how we started the Village Headmaster. I was hopeless when it comes to memorising scripts. The problem I had was not only trying to memorise the scripts but also, interpreting the character very well. I wrote many of the early episodes of the TV drama. At a point, we exhausted the 13 episodes we had but Dosumu insisted that we must continue to produce the series no matter the odds.

Then, we were not thinking about the money, but importantly, how we could make an impact on the society. I could recall that at the time, the Village Headmaster was being recorded, the video technology was in its developing stage.

The video system at NTS, WNTV, at ENTV Enugu, RKTV in Kaduna all four stations had different video system . So, we could not exchange program-mes.

It was a wonderful experience. But we had the problem of editing, so when we start recording for 50 minutes or one hour and anything happens in the 46th minute, we start all over again.

What prompted your decision •Teddy Mukoro to leave the set of the TV drama?

My wife had gone to deliver her baby in my Doctor’s friend hospital.The doctor had called to inform me that although she had successfully put to bed her baby, she suddenly developed swollen stomach(gas) and need- ning again. I couldn’t believe it ed to take some injection. He ex- but as a matter of fact, Mr. Femi pressed the fear that she might Robinson was the person that give up if help did not come im- succeeded me as the second Vilmediately. I returned to my home lage Headmaster. I never met that night broken-hearted. him in person but I heard that Gripped with the fear of losing he had a very high regard for me.

However, I consulted a my wife, I went out in search of the injection, and when I finally lawyer, Fred Egbe with the hope found it , I went straight to the of instituting a legal action hospital to deliver it to the doc- against Sanya Dosumu. But Fred advised me to ignore the tor.

He asked me to come back matter, saying that it does not around 5 pm and when I did, she mean anything to me. That was

‘How Femi Robinson succeeded me as the second Village Headmaster’

,

There is something we call directing. We have great directors as well as lousy ones in this country. But it’s amazing even in Hollywood when it comes to how one becomes a director

had already bounced back to life.

However, after this sad experience, we could not record any episode. And there was so much grumbling coupled with my weaknesses in mastering my lines. I think Sanya Dosumu was advised to retire me. He decided to rest the series for some time and I was waiting for more than one month. Suddenly, somebody whispered into my ears that the Village Headmaster was runC M Y K

,

how I dropped the idea. But surprisingly, Dosumu felt bad and later came back to me. He told me that he was misled and as a matter of fact, he wanted me to star in his new film, “ Dinner with the Devil.” After pleading with me, I accepted to star in the film, and that was how we became friends again.

I must state here that credit must be given to all the cast and crew of the Village Head-

master for the pioneering role they played in the development of TV drama in the country.

What do you think today’s film makersshouldlearnfromyourgen-

eration?

There is something we call directing. We have great directors as well as lousy ones in this country. But it’s amazing even in Hollywood when it comestohowonebecomesadirector.

You don’t need a qualification to becomeadirector.I’mverycarefultocriticise our film makers. Although, we have bad directors, I think it’s wrong to dampen the courage of those who areintofilmproduction.

M.I acquires Bentley

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

G

OOD things they say rarely come easily, and for Chocolate City rapper, M.I, this is the time to reap the fruits of his labour.

The dark complexion dude has just got himself a new baby, Silver coloured Bentley with registration number AKD819AV. The 2013 Continental Flying Spur is a 4-door, up to 5passenger luxury sedan. Sources said, the Bentley costs between

$184,200 and $209,600.

M.I who appears to be proud of his new acquisition, drove into ChocolateCity’s office located on the Island, where those present, including the media guys were treated to mouth watering recipes.

Speaking on his new acquisition, M.I gave all thanks to God for his blessings. He recounted the days when he was without a car, and was used to trekking and boarding public buses to catch up with business apointments.

After answering from newsmen, M. I who recently dropped his Chairman single video, proudly posed in front of his car where he took some breath-taking shots.

30— Vanguard, FRIDAY , JUNE 7, 2013

Make-up is the leading cause of eye problems in women

so when he now takes it off …

For someone’s eyes to go backwards it’s the result of a disease condition.

•Dr. Samsedi John

Are you referring to ladies?

For the men they don’t want to give their wives money but they are ready to spend whatever. They tend to be more proactive. The women are a little bit laid back especially if they are dependent but those ones that are independent go out of their way to do whatever they can.

Children are suffering. There are no dull children, only dull C M Y K

parents. Your child tells you, “ I can’t see the tv, I have to move close” and you say “God forbid! Your mother did not wear glasses, your mother did not wear glasses so you will not because they assume that when you see the doctor you must wear glasses. There is therapy. Expensive, but it’s worth it. People believe that wearing glasses is a taboo, a curse.

A lot of people especially ladies are concerned that when they wear glasses their eyes will go in.

That is a myth. In physics there is what we call real depth and apparent depth. Real depth is the real position between the top and the bottom or both ends of the container while the apparent depth is what you think the depth is but it is not. When you wear glasses people no longer see the position of your eyeball because the glasses actually does what we call refractionbending of light rays. Most of the people that wear glasses can see but struggle to see adequately. Vision has to do with the total human being.

For myopic patients the eyeball

,

D

r. Samsedi John, a consultant optometrist and official of the executive committee of the Optometry Society of Nigeria has seen, through his private and public practices, no less than ten thousand patients. Awarded the 2008 Young Optometrist of the year by his association, his productive chat with Lipstick throws light on common eye issues and the various reasons people shy away from discovering and addressing them, as well as why “people will rather spend 15,000 naira to get an aso ebi than pay 5,000 or 2,000 to get an eye exam.”

What causes this disease?

It can be an injury that was not treated. The gel in the eyes has found a way to escape.

There was a day I saw a vulcanizer with a screwdriver in the eye. It is the only organ that is awake when you are asleep. If lens could correct your eyes then mirrors can correct your body.

When you are looking at somebody through the eye of a lens, you no longer see the real position, you are getting the apparent depth depending on the prescription

tends to be longer while for hyperopic patients they tend to be shorter. What the lens do is to bend the light rays to focus on the retina. The number one mistake people make is, glasses correct the sight. Glasses only correct the light. Your eyes will remain the same.

When you are looking at somebody through the eye of a lens you no longer see the real position, you are getting the apparent depth depending on the prescription. If it is a very high prescription you are going to get a very significant apparent depth. You assume that is the position of the eye

,

What of contact lenses? Are they good? Some use contact lenses without prescription.

What is the implication of that?

None. Contact lenses have been widely abused but they are very good. In fact they have some advantages over spectacle prescriptions because they come in contact with your eyeballs. Even salons sell contact lenses. I have seen somebody selling contact lenses side by side with egg roll then when the person picks up a problem you now say contact lenses are bad.

Some of the disadvantages is that wearer

can easily pick up infections if the rules are not properly followed. The advantages is that it’s sitting right on the cornea. Some people sleep with contact lenses. You are not supposed to sleep with contact lenses.

What if you fall asleep?

That should be in the afternoon. You are supposed to take if off at 7. A lot of people who have problems disobey the rules But are there people that are disqualified from using contact lenses?

Yes, people that have dry eyes syndrome. The tear production is not adequate and one thing that makes contact lenses beautiful to use is when the person produces tears sufficiently. There is a test we do for patients who want to wear contact lenses. It’s like someone wants to get married and you are asked to do a fertility test or a sperm count test but people here will just go to the clinic and it will only take a hunger doctor that is not disciplined to just go ahead and prescribe contact lenses.

Even glasses have their rules.

You see people that come and say “these glasses have expired”. Glasses cannot expire. They don’t know how to care for the lenses.

What of false eyelashes and make-up. There was a rumour way back that this kajal eyeliner was making people go blind. How true is that?

When you look at some of these make-up materials, some of them have preservatives that are not good for the eyes. 35% of my patients and 50% or more that are ladies- majority

Continues on page 31

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 31

Continues from page 30 of their problems are make-up related.

What do you have to look out for?

The good ones are expensive.

Really, good things don’t come cheap. A good wife does not come cheap. You need to work extra hard. You have products that have been designed for most eye types to tolerate. You have allergenic products and non allergenic products. When we buy things we don’t look at the contents to see if there’s anything that will not be good for your body Unless you have had experiences People should go through the contents of their products to see the agents there that is if they even know the agents that cause problems in the first place. Hypoallergenic means it actually has low products there that will trigger allergic reactions. You will see some people after they ’ve worn their make up they will come and say they feel there is a foreign body sensation in their eye and the eye is itching terribly. What the cure is for some of them, I just tell them, “can you just stop your make up for three days and come back”. 90 plus percent of the time they tell me the thing has reduced Does allergy have a negative impact on your sight?

No. it may blur the vision because when you begin to itch the temptation is to want to rub. When you rub the eye you are actually increasing your chances of itching more.

You release more histamine cells which encourages you to rub more.

I know a lot of beauty therapists tell you to remove all eye makeup if you are going to bed. Does it make any difference?

Exercise caution when you use makeup. Not every product is good for everybody, even your normal bathing soap. Some people may use lux soap and they will react to it meanwhile some people can use soda and nothing will happen. You should know your skin type first. Know your facial build.

Some people use makeup and you laugh at them . They begin to paint themselves. You should study yourself. Even when you choose frames for people, if it’s somebody that wears a lot of blue or green makeup there’s a tone of frame. It’s just because of money problems we now do it on the basis of the money in your pocket. You look at the tone of the hair, if you are wearing a wig, the tone of the skin, is it caramel, is it fair?

So is there supposed to be a blend?

There’s supposed to be a blend, not colour riot of shape riot. There is what we call first degree fusion, second degree fusion and third degree fusion.

First degree is the ability to distinguish between shapes.

C M Y K

Second degree is the ability to distinguish between colours and third degree is the ability to distinguish depth. Some cannot tell these shapes don’t match, not to talk of colour.

Purple here, red here, all over the place. I buy a lot of fashion magazine.

There are things you are supposed to clean around your eyes. Baby wipers, cleansers, optrex, eye wash. The softest skin in your body is the eyelid.

Are there any local products that will do. People are now so much into traditional alternatives. Some people tell you honey is good for your eyes or aloe vera…

Anything that has not been able to go through the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved for a particular function… there is no gbogbonise (one drug that can cure everything). I was listening to a program on radio. I was ashamed of the station- how could they allow such a native doctor minded person? Somebody asked a question about cataracts so he asked the person to mix honey with milk and water and put it into eyedrop container and be putting it in the eye. I wished I could enter into the radio and squeeze him. People do all kinds of things, seemingly educated people. I’ve seen somebody in a position of authority in this state told me she uses the children’s urine when the children have Apollo.

Maybe the vaccine principle to get antibodies…

Why is it called waste products. My concern is the ocular region. Some people shave off their eyebrows. I don’t want to touch mine You are a man You can brush it. I have seen people trying to shave and the cut themselves very deep.

People may not have allergies in any other part of their body but their eyes.

How often should you have an eye exam?

Ideally before a child goes to school he should have an eye exam, before admitting the child. Age 2, 3, by the time you are 18, once you are above 40, every year, because there are problems like glaucoma that are age related.

N

igeria as a sovereign country cried out in one voice when the first legal gay marriage was conducted and when a gay priest was accepted in an Anglican church. There were demonstrations at the National Assembly in Nigeria against the bill, sponsored in 2011, that was set to prohibit gay associations and civil unions by mostly rent-a-crowd groups. That, and other attempts for the lawmakers to see reason failed, and a law has finally been passed prohibiting not only gay marriage but every gay alliance and association. And the law is very, very popular.

Finally, Nigeria appears to understand that it is important to find Nigerian solutions to Nigerian problems, and that policies that are unpopular elsewhere might as well be popular in Nigeria if they are going to be of value to Nigerians.

When the Chinese Deng Xiaoping took over the reins in 1978 he knew that for the party to regain legitimacy, it would have to achieve economic growth, and a small group of technocrats, headed by rocket scientist Song Jian, persuaded him that for China to meet its economic targets for the year 2000, its population would have to be restricted to 1.2 billion.

The one-child policy they proposed was swiftly introduced: couples in China could have only one child, or in the countryside two if the first child was a girl. The production of children became as subject to state targets and quotas as the production of other resources.

30 years later this experiment in social engineering is still in force. Two generations of children have grown up without siblings, uncles, aunts or cousins.

Women have lost sovereignty of their bodies. The state owns their ovaries, fallopian tubes and wombs, and has become the third participant in every act of love.

While the Chinese economy grows in

Expressions

Criminalizing personal freedoms is necessarily regressive leaps and bounds, the future of the Chinese society is doomed by laws such as this. The same is the case with Nigeria’s new anti-gay law, which criminalizes human functions and human choices. The use of a law is in the organization of society, and any law that criminalizes personal choices which have no clear effects on other citizens and the rest of society is necessarily a bad law.

Of course, like virtually every law in the country, the problem will not be with the promulgation, but of application.

The high-low reloaded

F

ashion has seen an onslaught of the high low dress to an unprecedented level. They have not only been accepted into the wardrobe but is fast becoming an establishment.

•Highlow Evening

Be stylish

B

e prepared to be stylish because the high low dress will force you to be. Avoid casual, bogus and ‘cheap’ accessories and make sure your hair is perfectly coiffured. Avoid bangles, neckchains, bogus watches, scarves, cultural stuff and flats, unless with a short dress.

Appropriate

B

ecause they all look the same, it is easy to think they are all the same but there are appropriate high low dresses for every occasion.

Less is more

T

Highlow Prom

• Highlow Cocktail

he less-is-more philosophy is the right one to adopt in combining the high low dress. Clean, strappy footwear, simple metal earrings, smart cocktail rings and clutch, clutch, clutch.

32—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 With PRINCE OSUAGWU princeosuagwu@gmail.com 08050498513

How much of battery saver is BB Q10?

BY LAJU ARENYEKA

I

f there’s one complaint Blackberry users usually have, it’s the battery life.

No matter how smart a phone is, there isn’t much use for it when the battery is dead. For Blackberry lovers who do not have constant electricity, or heavy phone users on the field, the Blackberry Q10 just might be the answer. A longer battery life, combined with the operating system of the Z10, and the aesthetics of the Bold 9900 is the BB Q10 in a nutshell.

The swipe-driven BB10 OS provides plenty of new, exciting ways of interacting with the device, while keyboard shortcuts and Instant Actions will add extra speed and flexibility. Some of the key features include: a Four-row hardware QWERTY keyboard, similar to that of the BB Torch; 3.1 inches 16Mcolour 720p Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen slightly bigger than that of the Bold 9900; BlackBerry 10.1 Operating System; Office document editor; BlackBerry Hub which is a unified inbox of all your communication and social networking accounts, the BBM with video chat and screen sharing; Impressively good 8 MP autofocus camera with face detection and Time Shift; LED flash Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps; 720p on the front-facing camera; 2MP front facing camera; 16GB of

BB Q10

BB Z10

storage, microSD card slot; Bluetooth 4.0 etc.

The Q10 shares plenty of design language with the key-

board-free Z10. Its 119.6 x 66.8mm dimensions actually slot in somewhere between the Z10 and the 9900. The

Q10’s 10.35mm thickness is one full millimeter thicker than the Z10 that came before and just fractionally thinner than the 9900.

Powering the device is the same 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 dual-core CPU with 2GB of RAM. The phone also offers 16GB of internal storage, with microSD expansion on tap. Call quality was on-par with the Z10.

However, the move to physical keys defeats some of the most compelling aspects of BlackBerry 10’s predictive virtual keyboard, namely the ability to flick upward on individual letters to autocomplete words and the ability to swipe from right to left to delete a whole word. There is a predictive mode you can enable on the Q10, which simply places a row of suggestions along the bottom of the display as you type.

Reaching up to it and then

Rebranding the two-way radio with eVerve

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or marine workers and many other field engineers, two way radio is a close companion. the aesthetics and applications of the latest smartphones, may be interesting to the field engineer but that may just be after the day’s job.

But who says that flexibility and some aesthetics would change the strong communication value that he two way radio has over the years been known for? As every technology has been seen to be undergoing some Innovations, it would not do the two way

radio any harm to add some features that would transform it from the traditional heavy piece of communication metal to a more digital communications gadget.

Perhaps, that was exactly the thinking when Vertex Standard debuted with its new product tagged eVerve digital radio portfolio.

The portfolio included the EVX-530 series portable radios; EVX-5300/5400 series mobile radios and EVX-R70 repeater for a complete digital system.

These new radios are designed to work

Nexus 4 stirs smart competition S

martphone maker, LG is flexing muscles with the testimonials of its latest Android smart device, the Nexus 4 Smartphone. The device maker says that the amount of feedback on the phone since its debut in Nigeria a few months back has reassured it that the Nigerian smartphone market is nobody’s dominance.

C M Y K

back to the keyboard could be a bit clumsy however. Also, it is easier to enter text on the virtual keys of the Z10 than the physical ones of the Q10. On the bright side, getting to special characters is far less cumbersome since they’re all right there on the keys.

The Q10 will also do just fine lasting through a day of usage, as in a recent testing carried out the phone managed nine hours and 35 minutes total. That’s an hour and 20 minutes more than the Z10,putting it more or less onpar with the LTE Samsung Galaxy S III. Experts also revealed that the phone easily got through a full day of typically heavy use without reaching for the charger.

Whether this could just be the battery saving paradise BB users have been longing for, only time will tell.

It describes the smartphone, which comes with exciting features such as the Android Jelly Bean Operating System (OS), an 8 Mega Pixel camera, 16 GB internal Memory capacity,2GB of RAM as well as a 2,100 mAh Li-polymer battery as having been highly rated by phone pundits. “The device in a massive way solidifies LG’s position as a brand to be reckoned with, even in the global smartphone market”.

LG’s marketing manager, Mobile Communications, Mrs. Bukola Arabome, said: “LG Nexus 4 E960 has an excellent display with a fast processor and Graphic Processing unit; the Android jelly Bean 4.2 brings some welcome new features that puts the best of Google in the hands of users. No wonder the level of interests from prospective buyers and 4 LG Nexus

the testimonials of many users who have bought the devices since we introduced it a few months back has proved that there is no dominance in the Nigerian smartphone market. In fact any device can shatter the market tomorrow like Nexus 4 has done today” Weighing a mere 139g, the LG Nexus 4 employs LCD display technology with a screen resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, 320 ppi; and a16M colours display with dimensions of 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm. With the uniquely designed display photos and videos come to life with stunning clarity and crisp, natural colour. The gentlycurved glass edges allow user’s finger to slide smoothly on and off the 4.7-inch screen.

while Zerogap Touch technol-

Vertex two-way radios with existing analogue radios for easy conversion from analogue to digital for added convenience.

Vertex said the innovation was to reinforce its commitment to developing land mobile radios (LMR) that are precision-engineered for more value.

EMEA distribution director for Vertex Standard LMR, Inc. Mr Paul De Carte said that his company built the eVerge radio series to be highly compatible for customers who need greater flexibility and maximum value.

He also explained that the name eVerge is comprised of two principles: evolve to change and emerge to be known. He said: “It is important that radio users understand that not all digital radios are the same, and not all brands of digital radios will talk to each other in digital mode. eVerge digital radios help customers evolve to better communication and do digital right the first time – getting the right radio with the right protocol and right performance – all at a better cost to connect without compromise.”

De Carte added that eVerge radios support easy, efficient conversion from analogue to digital operating in both digital and analogue modes enabling users to migrate to digital at their own pace to best support their functional and financial needs.

They are also designed to help customers use the right digital protocol, TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), for optimum power and spectrum efficiency.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—33

Delta LG polls: APC'll wrest power from PDP —ACN

A

CTION Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has said that it will wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming local government elections and the 2015 general elections in Delta State if the merger party, All Progressive Congress, APC, was registered by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The opposition party said with APC platform, Delta PDP will not see the light of the day in future elections.

Sillo-Fregene bags award

BY FESTUS AHON

U

G H E L L I — FOUNDER of Destiny Helpers International, Mrs. Victoria Sillo-Fregene, has bagged the prestigious Productive Visionary Leader of Action Gold Award, 2013.

Presenting the award to her on behalf of the Centre for Productive Visionary Leadership, Abuja, CPVL, its Coordinator, Mr T. Ayinde said that the award was for people with uncommon qualities, such as Mrs Sillo- Fregene.

Prince Umoren passes on

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RINCE Amaitem Umoren of IkotAba, Mbiabong Clan, in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, is dead.

Until his death, he was the licensed lay reader of the African Church, Uyo Diocese. He is survived by many children, among whom is Mr Victor Amaitem, a former staff of Vanguard Newspapers.

Burial arrangements will be later.

Late Prince Umoren C M Y K

UNEP report: NAOMEW demands pressure on FG for implementation

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

P

ORT HARCOURT— RIVERS State media practitioners of Ogoni extraction have tasked political officeholders from the area to prevail on the Federal Government to implement the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, report on oil devastation in Ogoniland.

The media practitioners, under the aegis of National Association of Ogoni Media Workers, NAOMEW, during a courtesy call on the Deputy Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Leyii Kwanee, in his office in Port Harcourt, noted that since the report was released in August 2011, no visible effort had been made to implement same, while the associated ecological and environmental hazards continue unabated, wondering if the situation would not have been different if Ogonis in political offices showed a bit more concern.

President of the group, Mr. Joe Visangha, said: “It is our thinking that those of you in the legislature should reach out to other elected Ogonis and elite to pressurise the

government to implement the report.”

Responding, the Deputy Speaker, representing Khana II constituency, in the state House of Assembly, assured that he will reach out to the intended political officeholders at both the state and federal levels to collaborate in ensuring that gov-

ernment sees the need to implement the UNEP report without further delay.

Kwanee, who doubles as Chairman, Parliamentary Exchange and Mentorship Programme of the Pan-African Parliament, pledged personal material support to NAOMEW to realise its dream of enlightening the

PROMO: Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo, Regional Operating Director, South, Airtel Nigeria; Bid Winner of ipad mini and iphone5, Christabel Agara and Mr. Victor Bannerman-Chedid, General Manager, Value Added Services, Airtel Nigeria, at the first presentation ceremony for bid winners of the ongoing Airtel Bid & Get Service, in Port Harcourt.

ACN crisis in Rivers deepens ...as faction suspends Ag Chair

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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ORT HARCOURT— THE crisis rocking Rivers State chapter of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has taken a new twist, with a faction suspending the Acting Chairman of the party, Mr. Esuku M. Esuku.

It will be recalled that the suspended Acting Chairman had earlier announced the suspension of some members allegedly behind his suspension, including the state Pub-

licity Secretary of the party, Mr. Jerry Needam, for alleged anti-party activities.

Meantime, Mr Needam in his statement, said Esuku was suspended for anti-party activities.

Needam accused the suspended Chairman of allegedly using the “party's machinery to pursue personal gains.

“For this questionable action and other traces of malfeasance which border on distrust, Esuku has ceased to be a member of ACN un-

til we are through with our investigations. The general public is, hereby, advised in their interest to see Esuku accordingly,” Needam said in his statement.

In another statement, Needam said the party had mandated its former governorship candidate at the last election, Dr Abiye Sekibo and its National Treasurer, Mr Kenneth Kobani, to meet with the national body of the party over the political crisis involving the state governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi.

Jonathan lauded for military action in the President for detroubled Northern states mend ploying soldiers in those

BY INNOCENT ANABA

A

SECURITY expert, Prince Ibrahim Odofin, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for deploying soldiers to the troubled northern states, noting that the activities of the outlawed Boko Haram, were almost threatening the corporate existence of the country.

Speaking in Lagos on the activities of his security outfit, Eleshin Security Services Limited, Odofin enjoined Ni-

people for a better Ogoni, including a planned peace summit to be convened by the body soon.

He, however, said that these aspirations, including Ogoni agitation to produce a successor to Governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2015, would not materialise unless the Ogonis unite to support the current governor in moving Rivers to the next level.

gerians to complement government’s security efforts by reporting to relevant agencies, activities of hoodlums and criminals, who are bent on making the society unbearable for the people.

He said: “I commend the President for the decisive action he took against the outlawed Boko Haram. How can a people be killing their people, bombing churches and mosques, killing their brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers? We must all com-

states, after the state of emergency declared on the states.”

On the activities of his security outfit, Eleshin, he said it has been liaising with the police to ensure that security in Ajah area of Lagos was brought under control. “We collaborate with the police in ensuring that Ajah is free of criminals. We also offer security services to individuals and companies. We should not leave the issue of security to the police alone."

NCTL shut down: Shell predicts fall in Bayelsa's revenue share

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BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

ENAGOA—BAYELSA State's allocation from the Federation Account may drop following the continued shut down of Shell Petroleum Development Company operated Nembe Creek Trunk Line, NCTL. The 97km NCTL was shut down April 15, to remove crude oil theft connections, investigate suspected oil theft leaks and effect repairs.

The production of some 150,000 barrels of oil per day had been deferred due to the shutdown of the facility, prompting the oil company to declare force majeure on Bonny Light export.

Hints that oil theft and the shut down of the NCTL may affect the revenue accruing to the state were dropped during a workshop organised by Shell for journalists in Yenagoa.

Speaking at the event, the Government/Community Relations Manager, East, Mr. Fufeyin Funkakpo, said crude oil theft that resulted in oil spillage and subsequent closure of Nembe Creek Trunk Line, may affect the state’s revenue derivation allocation from the Federation Account soon.

34—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

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Preaching Islam the right way dogmatic, not self-regarding and not offensive. It must be gentle, considerate, such that it would attract attention. Our manner and argument must not be acrimonious, but modeled on the most courteous and most gracious way. In fact, you should not be too dialectic, and never try to get a rise out of your listener or impress unnecessarily, but you must be seen to be marshaling your

impact of Islam on us.

Sometimes, you may be tempted by human passion, or anger against your listeners, Allah says: Inna Laha maha lazhina-itaqa, walazhina hum-muhksinuun: Certainly, Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good always.

Religious hatred is borne out of sheer ignorance or overzealousness. Contrary to most

,

ARDLY a day passes on without any issue relating to Islam making the headlines in a very sorry manner. If it is not the Boko Haram ‘Islamic’ sect, it is the Ansaru ‘Islamic’ sect or better still a Michael that was converted to Islam. Even if they never had any link with Islam as a religion, or whether such heinous activities run contrary to the teachings of Islam, it wouldn’t matter to them. It is Islam here and there. It is one wrong notion or the other about the religion mainly orchestrated to decimate the religion. But no matter the persecution, Islam will outlive its persecutors.

Believers, it is time we look inward and do a proper selfda’wah check because the character we exude at one time or the other go a long way in the way Islam is viewed. This is very important in view of our religious duty on da’wah.

If you want to clothe somebody, you must not be seen in rags.

The ulamas must come together to chart a new begining for Muslims and ensure good inter-religious relationship. An assemblage of this kind, I learnt, was organised last week in Surulere, Lagos. We pray to see more positive development of inter-religious relationship.

Our preaching must thereafter, follow the pattern laid down in both the Qur’an and hadith. Islam as a perfect religion and a way of life has a laid down methodology of preaching the religion. It provides the best guidance on how to invite people to Islam in the most effective way.

Allah commands us to invite people to Islam with hikmah (wisdom) and beautiful preaching. Allah says: “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord (Cherisher and Sustainer) with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: For your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.” (Q16:125) Our preaching must not be

No Muslim is permitted to hate any non-Muslim. We are only permitted to hate evil and its appurtenances and not men as such, irrespective of faith

points with hikmah and expound absolute meekness and peace even when he disagrees with you.

In order to do all these, the individual must be able to show love to other human beings.

You cannot preach to somebody you hate, you can’t get anything meanful from a discourse that is premeditated on hatred.

We must remember that our characters and manners as Muslims can affect people’s attitude towards Islam. This is what is missing today especially among those who preach to others. If we behave nicely, as we ought to do, the non-Muslims will see the

,

of the views about MuslimChristian relationship, no Muslim is permitted to hate or make enmity with fellow human beings. The distinction there is that unless they are out to destroy you, or denigrate your faith, you should deal kindly and fairly with them. No Muslim is permitted to hate any nonMuslim.

We are only permitted to hate evil and its appurtenances and not men as such, irrespective of faith.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) had interactions with the Christians on a number of times. First, when he was traveling to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib. Again, the

Prophet had meetings and dealings with several Christians and Christian groups, including Waraqa ibn Nawfal, a well-known Christian scholar and the Najran Christians.

When the Prophet received his first Qur’anic revelation on Mount Hira, it had a great impact on him. His wife Khadija took the Prophet to Waraqa and told him about the revelation. After listening to the Prophet (s.a.w), Waraqa also agreed that it was Angel Gabriel, who had come to him, just as he had come to Moses, and he said, “I wish I were young.” The argument here is the relationship with fellow human beings.

Again, the agreement on the part of the Abyssinian king, Negus, to accept Muslims as immigrants in his land during the Makkan period was also a significant interaction between a Christian king and the Prophet of Islam. Prior to the start of his mission, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) had encounters with some Christians on a personal basis in his daily life as a pious merchant of Makkah.

The Qur ’an says: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving

you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection).

It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong.” (Q60:8-9) If you preach to non-Muslim and he refuses, you dont need to waist your time further on him or dissipate energy unnecessarily, there are others who are waiting to benefit from your dawah and have their lives changed for the better. If anyone rejects Allah’s message, it is his own loss and not yours as a preacher and certainly not Allah’s. It is not Allah who needs him or his worship; my Allah does not depend on his praises or his sacrifice, Allah is independent of all wants and His attributes are inherently deserving of all praises, whether the unbeliever gives such praises or not. So, if the unbeliever rejects Islam, he is the loser both in this world and in the hereafter. There should not be any uproar about spreading the message of Allah.

If the ulamas are teaching what is right, and condemning what is wrong, it would have been a great dawah effort, which would have benefited Islam a great deal at least in this part of the world. Islam does not preach that you exterminate those who reject the message. Islam lives, not for itself, but for mankind.

The Quran says: “You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind. You enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah...” (Q3:110) Everyone is going to be judged, both the ulamas and non-ulamas, both the scholars and the learners, the leaders and the followers, we will one day give account of what we have done, and we shall see whether those who preached actually preached the truth and whether those who led were just and whether the followers took the path of glory.

O Allah, my Lord! Expand me my knowledge. Ease my task for me; and remove the impediment from my speech, so they may understand what I say. O’ Allah forgive my short-comings. Amin.

Ask Your Imam

On divorce?

I am in a very difficult situation. I suspect my wife going out with another person whom she called her colleague in the office. I have not caught them myself, but people advise me to talk to her.

She comes late at night and hinged every excuse on work. But as a Muslim adultery is enough to pronounce a divorce. Can I divorce her because I feel very bad about the development. Please suggest to me what I can do?

Answer:

From left: Chief Imam S. O Lawal, Chairman Council of Imams and Ulammau, Lagos Division; Imam T.O Gbajabiamila, Vice Chairman and Imam Saadalah Bello, Secretary of the Council Lagos Division at a forum in Eti-Osa. C M Y K

As-salamu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh It is clear from your explanation that you don’t have concrete evidence to accuse her of adultery. Suspicion is not even good in Islam. The prophet advise against it. Until you have a proof that she is adulterous, by the dictates of shariah, you cannot accuse her of that. There must be three witnesses who saw them committing adultery and ready to give evidence at anytime. If that is not possible, talk to her, implore her to change her ways and as a Muslim, try to invoke the fear of Allah in her. Allah sees what is hidden from all human beings. Certainly, divorce is one of the things that is detested by Allah. Make duah and seek Allah guidance and assistance.

Send your questions to facingthekaabah@yahoo.com Question must be brief and include names and telephone numbers.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 —35

Ramadan fast: Sokoto to feed the poor with N163m

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I

T often occurs to me that many of our sisters in Islam are not properly encouraged once they begin to observe the requirements of Hijab. It may be that a sister has been obliged to wear the Hijab without truly pondering over its superiority.

Perhaps she has reached the age of puberty and her parents have instructed her to wear it. Perhaps she has recently accepted Islam and her close companions have told her of its obligation.

Alternatively, perhaps her husband has commanded her to wear Hijab.

A sister who does not truly know the superiority of Hijab will always remain envious of disbelieving women.

Why? Because they observe these misguided disbelievers attempting

Hijabite Sisters are superior to look beautiful for all to see. Hence, the Muslim woman then compares herself to that woman which causes her to feel ashamed of her own Hijab.

Therefore, what follows is a reminder for sisters in Islam. It is a reminder of the true status of these so-called beautiful women. It is a reminder of the excellence of the women who wear Hijab.It is well known that the Muslim woman is a creature of modesty.

Again, it is their outer protection from the decadence of this life.

They are modest and they are not like those

women who show themselves off to the world. How can you compare the world of a woman with hijab with others who flaunt their bodies with tights and mini-skirts, open chests and others. It may be quite difficult for the Muslim woman to go out wearing Hijab in a society that mocks wearing of hijab but the gains are incomparable.

However, if you know how useless and undignified the unbelieving women who flaunt their bodies are before decent men and God, you will crave to wear hijab always and savour your dignity.

BY ABDALLAH EL-KUREBE

TATE government has earmarked N163 million for feeding the poor during the 2013 Ramadan fast, which will commence in July.

The chairman of the Ramadan Feeding Committee, Alhaji Aliyu Attahiru has disclosed this to Vanguard during a one-day stakeholders

meeting in Sokoto recently.

According to Attahiru: “For the programme, there will be a total of 150 feeding centres in Sokoto metropolis and environs during the period of the forthcoming Ramadan fast,” adding, “the programme is aimed at providing free Ramadan breakfast for the poor during the period in

order to alleviate their sufferings.”

Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Prof.

Musa Maitafsir, urged stakeholders not to betray the confidence reposed in them by the state government by ensuring that government’s objectives towards alleviating the condition of the poor is achieved.

2013 Hajj: Jigawa inaugurates 132-member c'ttee to train pilgrims

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HE Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board on Wednesday inaugurated a 132member committee to facilitate training of prospective pilgrims in the state.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), had allocated more than 3,000 seats to the state for the 2013 Hajj exercise.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Sani Alhassan, who inaugurated the committee, said

the gesture was to ensure proper training of prospective pilgrims on the basic tenets of Hajj exercise.

Alhassan said the committee was made up of males and females selected from the 27 local government areas of the state. “The committee is mandated to train prospective pilgrims on the obligations, tenets and cardinal principles of the Hajj. Proper education of pilgrims will prepare them to conduct the Hajj

in accordance with teachings of Islam and be good ambassadors of the country while in the holyland,” he said.

Alhassan also stated that the state government had secured decent accommodation for the pilgrims while free meals would be provided for them during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

According to him, the state government has adopted proactive measures to improve the well being of the pilgrims and ensure a hitch-free Hajj.

Begging has no place in Islam —Salih

A

•Hijab conferes modesty and beauty

Etiquette of Sha’ban

BY HARUN RAZAQ

S

ha’ban is one of the meritorious months in Islam which many Muslims neglect. The importance of the month of Sha’ban cannot be over emphasized. It is the month in which accounts of the deeds (of human beings) are presented before the Lord of the universe; also, it is the month in which Muslims step-up their preparation for the blessed month of Ramadan. Therefore, a Muslim is expected to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan in the month of Sha’ban.

Although fasting in Sha’aban is not obligatory but meritorious and the prophet did not like to miss the fast. In fact, it is reported in a Hadith that the Prophet (SAW), used to fast so much in the C M Y K

month of Sha’ban that he was asked: “Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Sha’ban so frequently that I have never seen you fasted in any other month.”

Prophet Muhammad, (SAW), replied: “That (Sha’ban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe.

So, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting.” Therefore, a Muslim is expected to fast in the month of Sha’ban but it should be noted that, this fasting is expected to commence from the beginning of Sha’ban to the middle of the month.

And to use the other part

of the month to rest before Ramadan, but those who observe Sunnah of Mondays and Thursday fast are allowed to fast. But singling out 15th of Shaban for act of worship such as fast, tahjud, sadaqah etc. with the believe that it has special reward or that on this night the fate or destiny of people is decided etc. are subjected to criticism by Ahlu Sunnah Scholars. For example Sheikh Munajih said: Among the bid’ahs that have been invented by some people is celebrating the middle of Sha’baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan), and singling out that day for fasting.

There is no evidence (daleel) for that which can be regarded as reliable.

Some da’eef (weak) and mawdoo’ (fabricated), haadeeth as has been pointed out by many of the scholars have been narrated concerning its virtues, but we cannot regard them as reliable.

N Islamic scholar, Malam Muhammad Salih, recently commended the proposal by the Kano State Hisbah Board to ban street begging in the state.

Salih, who gave the commendation in an interview with the newsmen, said the plan was timely.

He said that in spite of the efforts made by previous administrations some parents had continued to

send their children to malams to acquire Qur’anic education, without providing for their upkeep.

Salih said as a resultm, the malams send the children out to beg to feed themselves.

Salih also noted that some female beggars also engage in some dubious acts such as commercial sex and stealing as was uncovered by the Hisbah recently.

According to him, begging has no place in Islam and should not be condoned.

The Kano State Hisbah Board recently announced that it was planning to propose a bill to the House of Assembly to ban street begging in the state.

This followed the arrest of some female beggars who engage in commercial sex at some locations in Kano metropolis

From left: Managing Director, Omolara Trading Ventures Limited, Alhaja Banke Shuaib; Deputy Governor, Osun State, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori and State Chairperson, Ansar-ud-Deen Women Worldwide, Alhaja Sidikat Daudu at an award ceremony in recognition of the contributions of eminent Muslim women to the development of Ansar-Ud- Deen Society in Osogbo.

36—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Lawyers urged to maximise use of IT

BY INNOCENT ANABA

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AWYERS IN the country have been enjoined to make maximum use of information technology to ensure that their matters in courts are properly managed and time-consciously concluded.

Speaking at a demonstration of what lawyers stood to gain from the use of information technology, at the Section on Public Law workshop of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Lagos, Mrs. Titilola AyotundeRotifa, Head of Product Development, Law Pavilion, said that“a software like LawPavilion Case Management System makes it easier and faster for lawyers.

"They can keep abreast of all pending matters, cause list, clients’ list and document management for judges, magistrates, Ministries of Justice and private legal practitioners.”

Speaking on “Innovative Tools to help you do More and Increase you Bottom Line: Ask the Lawyer Online,” she said that the software was specially designed with portability and mobility in mind.

“It enables the legal practitioners to always travel light but loaded with all needed resources. This is because they have a constant access to all materials necessary to ease their work.

The platform makes it easier and faster for judges and Lawyers to do their jobs."

Don’t attack Clark over Jonathan’s re-election — Delta Elite

BY EMMAAMAIZE

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ARRI — A group, Delta Elite for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, cautioned those, who truly believe in the re-election of President Jonathan in 2015 against joining issues with elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, so as not to portray a divided house.

Coordinator of the group, Mr. Oroghene Agadaigho, in a statement in Warrri, Delta State, said: “For those of us, who are in the House of Delta Elite for Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2015), we are of the firm opinion that Chief Clark should be respected by all and sundry, especially by those in President Jonathan’s House of Faith.

“Any genuine supporter of Jonathan must think twice before joining issues with him publicly and if this must be the case, it must be discreetly done with the right diction and kind innuendos.”

He said attacking Clark would be counter-productive, adding,”One of the most pragmatic personalities that has stood out in P r e s i d e n t Jonathan’s re-election bid is Chief Clark. He has virI C H A R D tually staked his all Ajanlekoko is in ensuring that dead, aged 74. He will this feat succeeds.”

Oroghene, who is be interred today, June 7, 2013, at Ijebu-Ode also the coordinator cemetary, Ogun State, of PDP Grassroots 10a.m. while guests will Vanguard, said be entertained at De “All hands must, Prime Hall, Molipa therefore, be on Road, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun deck in our collective quest to ensure State.

Wake keep and lying- the re-election of in-state held yesterday, Jonathan in order at his No. 2 Ajanlekoko for Jonathan to Street, Mile 12 resi- fully realise his transformation dence. agenda.”

Ajanlekoko goes home

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From left: Mrs. Eme Akenzua, guest of honour; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, special guest of honour and Mrs. Victoria Tandoh, CEO, King's School, during the King's School, Lagos 6th Children's Art Competition/ Exhibition with the theme, 'Wonderful', at Terra Kulture, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Biodun Ogunleye

Ijaw youth leaders caution Abiye over IYC ise the vision behind the establishment of the council, which is to address the ENIN CITY — IJAW youths in problems of the youths of the Niger Edo State, yesterday, warned the Delta region. leadership of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, An ijaw youth leader, Mr. Andrew against politicising the organisation, Igiri, who spoke to Vanguard in Benin saying that such action would jeopard- City, Edo State, said Ijaw youths in the state were not happy with the way and manner the IYC led Mr. Kuromiema Abiye, was being run. ...warn multinationals to steer clear They alleged that and economic strangula- rather than address the

BY JIMITOTA ONOYtion from pollution aris- problems facing Ijaw UME ing from oil exploration. youths in the Niger Delta ORT HARCOURT Lawisa, who said “ he has been causing di— THE people of Ogoni were not in a hurry vision in the council by Ogoni in Rivers State, to allow multinational oil suspending members inhave again vowed not to companies resume activi- discriminately and politiallow oil explorations ties, condemned what he cising the council. resume in their area un- termed failure of multina“We expected him to til certain conditions that tionals and the Federal follow the footsteps of Dr. would address chal- Government to address Festus Ekiyor and the lenges of environmental environmental chal- level he placed IYC. pollution and other re- lenges of oil exploration. There are current pendlated issues were met.

“Ogoni people, through ing issues we expected Speaking at a one day their protection agency- him to address before programme ,yesterday in OGEPA want to tell the now, instead, he is busy Bori to commemorate the Rivers State Government, using parliamentarians World Environmental Federal Government of to impeach people.

Day in Ogoni, Adminis- Nigeria, Shell, Nigerian "We also expect that by trator, Ogoni Environ- National Petroleum Com- now, he should know mental Protection pany, NNPC , among oth- what IYC stands for, Agency, OGEPA, Mr. ers that there is no idle which is to address the John Lawisa, said that or free land here. We problems facing the the area had suffered so have been sidelined for Niger Delta youths in much pain, devastation far too long." particular."

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

Ogoni commemorate World Environment Day

P

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

39 days of ASUP strike: What is your view?

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HIS strike of a thing is not the best for Nigeria, especially now that youths are angry over unemployment and others. Why cannot the Federal Government resolve this issue, so that polytechnics can resume?

— Mr. Odira Nwobu, Nollywood Actor

A

SUP should, please, leave Federal Government and just call off the strike because of its effect on the students.

Remember, an idle man is a Devil’s workshop. I am begging ASUP — Mr. Chinedu Chinweoda, Worker

W

E outshine our European counterparts in graduate schools abroad, despite strikes. Our education might not be the best but certainly not a failure, so let us bury the hatchets and get things right — Miss Ogbue Immaculate, Reporter

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F the Federal Govern ment insists on not giving the ASUP their demands, I suggest that ASUP should call off the strike. I am supposed to graduate this year, now my fate is unknown because I have spent almost two months at home already — Miss Judith Ekwu, Student

A

T this stage, strike is inevitable. For how long shall we continue to manage the kind of discrimination that is seen in Nigeria’s labour market? Is it wrong for one to go to the polytechnic now? — Miss Chinonye Chinny, Student

I

T will be better that the strike is called off now, before students start reacting to it. At the end of day, it won’t affect the salary of the lecturers and that of those in government. But students will be made to loose many things as a result of it. — Miss Ofomata Ogechukwu, Student

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 37

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38— Vanguard ,

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Anambra NULGE wants INEC to conduct LG polls nationwide

2014: Anambra PDP chieftains warn against imposition of candidates

BY ENYIM ENYIM

BY ENYIM ENYIM NITSHA—STAKE HOLDERS of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Onitsha South local government area, yesterday, cautioned the national leadership of the party against imposition of candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Rising from a meeting, the party chieftains appealed to the National Working Committee, NWC, and the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the party to give aspirants for the governorship election a level playing ground to enable party members choose a candidate of their choice.

Spokesman of the group, Mr Nnorom Ochiaga Fegge, warned that the party might rob itself of electoral fortunes should the leadership fails to allow internal democracy prevail in the party primaries.

He said the failure of the party in 2010 governorship poll was a result of imposition of unpopular candidate, adding that the party might lose again if the scenario played itself out.

O

O

NITSHA—ANAMBRA State chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, yesterday, reiterated its demand for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to take over the conduct of local government elections in the country.

President of the union, Mr Jerry Nnubia, who made the call while addressing newsmen, also called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, on grounds that elections conducted by the state commissions had not been free and fair.

He said the SIECs were created to serve the whims and caprices of state governors who choose when to conduct council poll in their respective states, citing Anambra State as a case in point, where local government elections had not been conducted in the past 13 years.

According to Nnubia, even when some of the governors conduct local government elections, they make sure that only candidates from their political parties won in the poll.

N300m 'll cover cost of completing ongoing projects — Catholic cleric

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NUGU—THE Catholic Diocese of Nsukka in Enugu State has explained that its budget of N300 million for the installation of a new bishop includes the cost of completing some ongoing capital projects.

The Director of Social Communications in the diocese, Rev. Fr. Chuma Nnamene, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday that the projects included the St. Theresa Cathedral, Nsukka, where the ceremony would take place.

Father Nnamene said: “We are also reconstructing two residences for our Emeritus Bishop Francis Okobo and the new one to be installed, Monsignor Godfrey Onah".

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BRIEFING—From left: Project Coordinator, Benjamin Knight Associates, Mr. Wole Lampejo; Enugu State Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Chukwuemeka Ujam; and Project Enumerator, Enugu Virtual Streets, Miss Ifeoma Emengini, during a briefing on property enumeration in Enugu, yesterday. Photo: Hill Ezeugwu.

Police, Abia govt read riot act to MASSOB over sit-at-home order

BY ANAYO OKOLI

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MUAHIA—THE Abia State police command has warned Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, not to disrupt the order and peace in the state, following its plans to enforce a sit-at-home order today.

The command insisted that the full weight of the law would be brought on any person who disrupted the peace in the state.

The police command, through its Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, an Assistant Su-

perintendent of Police, urged residents of the state to disregard MASSOB’s order and go about their lawful businesses.

Similarly, Abia State Government has called on residents of the state to ignore the sit-athome order given by the group.

The government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, advised the people to go about their lawful duties without fear, assuring them of their security.

It warned MASSOB members to keep off Abia State to avoid bloodshed.

The government noted that the warning became necessary as security agencies in the state had been placed on alert to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

It equally called on parents to caution their wards against being used by any group to cause trouble, insisting that the law would take its full course against any offender.

The government warned that the prevailing peace in the state would be sustained at all cost, stressing that it would not fold its arms and watch enemies of progress destabilise the state.

DICON denies production of sub-standard bullet proof

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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BUJA—DEFENCE Indus tries Corporation ballistics factory, DICON MAROM, Kaduna, yesterday, waved aside allegations that its products were sub-standard.

According to the company, its bullet proof has American Justice Department certification, which is the highest in the world.

Documents made available to Vanguard by the company indicated that the bullet proof vests and helmets produced by DICON MAROM were not only of international standard, but also tested by the Nigerian Police armament department and certified up to ISO standard.

Vanguard was told that the Defence headquarters, which purchased the bullet proof vest from the factory after its commissioning by President Goodluck Jonathan in July last year, test fired the vests at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, shooting range and also cer-

tified the ballistics equipment okay.

The statement read: “We have completed our evaluation of the samples of the Body Armour Models submitted by MAROM. It was submitted to NIJ’s Voluntary Body Armour Compliance Testing Pro-

gramme.

“We are pleased to inform you that the Body Armour Model satisfies the requirements of NIJ Standard 0101-04 as incorporated by the National Institute of Justice, NIJ, 2009 Interim Requirements for Bullet Resistant Body Armour".

Councillor harps on community devt programme

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN

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HE need for public office holders to initiate community-based developmental projects that would uplift rural dwellers has been emphasized.

This was stated by a chieftain of Action Congress of Nigeria in Alimosho Local Government Area, Princess Uzamat Akinbile.

Speaking at a briefing to announce the inauguration of her pet-project, called “The Goodwill Project” in Lagos, Princess Akinbile, who is also the Supervisory Councillor for Agri-

culture, Rural and Social Development in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, said: "The rural communities are the pivot of infrastructural development and as such should be well taken care of by elected public office holders.

She said: “To continue to serve my people better and tcomplement the effort of Augustine Arogundade- led administration in Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA, I’m going to inaugurate some projects on June 22, which would serve as dividends of democracy to my people for their love and support over the years".

Mrs Echiejile passes on

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HE death has occurred of Mrs. Agnes Omotian Otiti Echiejile, 80 years, (nee Ebojelu) of Ekpon in Igueben Local Government of Edo State who passed away on April 8, 2013, after a brief illness.

Mrs. Echiejile, a devout Christian, is survived by five children including, Mrs. Christiana Emegha, Mr. Sunny Echiejile, Mr. Richardson Echiejile, Mr. Fred Echiejile and Mr. Henry Echiejile. Burial arrangements will be announced later by the family.

Late Mrs Echiejile

Vanguard , FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—39

DINNER: From right: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, SAN; Princi- DEDICATION: Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (midpal Partner, Kunle Ogunba and Associates, Mr. Kunle Ogunba, SAN, and Mrs. Funke dle), celebrating with Mr. and Mrs. Aniefiok Dennis, during the dediAdekoya, SAN, during the Governor's dinner with body of Senior Advocates of cation of their babies, at St. John's Catholic Parish, Eniong Offot, Uyo. Nigeria, at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Photo: Kunle Ogunfuyi.

SEMINAR: From left: Market Activation Manager (Eastern Division), Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Mr. Cyril Arebun; Head of Department, Nutrition and Dietetics, UNTH, Dr. Chika Ndiokwelu; Corporate Communications Manager, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Mr. Akomen Omijeh and immediate past President of NSN, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, during a seminar organised by Cadbury Bournvita on the importance of nutrition in Owerri.

SEMINAR: From left: Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Sango Amolo; DG, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Arunma Oteh and Corporate Services Executive, MTN, Mr. Wale Goodluck, at the MTN leadership seminar featuring Dr. Charan in Abuja, yesterday.

B I R T H DAY: Former Oyo State governor, Otunba Adebayo AlaoAkala, assisted by his wife, Mrs. Oluwakemi AlaoAkala cutting the cake, during a thanksgiving service to mark his 63rd birthday, at his Bodija residence in Ibadan.

PRESENTATION: From left: CEO, Kasmo Industries Ltd, Alhaji Gazali Owolabi; Mrs. Olufunke Oyelami, DG, De-Raufs Volunteer Group, Mr. Amitolu Alamu and Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the public presentation of De-Raufs Volunteer Group in Osogbo, yesterday.

BRIEFING: From left: Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Awal Jatau; Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Solomon Adeola and Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Sen. Ahmed Lawal, at a briefing on the formation of the Nigerian Association of Public Accounts Committees, NAPAC in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

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From left: Representative of Governor of Lagos State and Special Adviser on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga; Chairman, Imota LCDA, Mr. Ibikunle Adebogun and Director, Ministry of the Environment, Mr. Shakiru Odusanya, during the 2013 World Environment Day, at Ikorodu, Lagos.

Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

CELEBRATION: From left: Dr. Kolawole Olayinka, Special Marshal, Unit 3 Coordinator, FRSC; Nseobong Akpabio, Sector Commander, FRSC, Lagos and Taiwo Amusa, Miss Motors Nigeria 2012/2013, during the children's safety day celebration in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Kwara House passes 15 bills

Catholic Archbishop laments politicians' thirst for blood

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

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BY UJU MBANUSI

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BUJA—THE Presi dent of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has lamented the blood thirsty inclination of many Nigerian politicians, saying that their greed will take Nigeria nowhere.

Speaking during a special prayer session to mark the mid-term of the life of the National Assembly in Abuja, yesterday, he charged that politicians must practice the politics of holiness to contribute to the task of nation building.

The prayer session for the legislators was held at the St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja.

The Catholic Archbishop said those in authority should imbibe the fear of God if the nation will progress in the right direction, saying that Nigeria as a multi cultural and traditional entity is clouded with series of challenges ranging from insecurity, corruption and socio-economic imbalances.

Assuring that despite the challenges facing the nation, Nigeria will remain one indivisible country, he said: “We need goodwill to be our brother’s keeper. We need an attitudinal change to alleviate the pains and suffering of our fellow country men."

MEETING—From left:The Chairman Northern Governors Forum, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State; Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Wakala Mohammed; with Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muhktar Shagari and Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi at the meeting of Northern Governors Forum in Kaduna, yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi.

Al-makura treating House with scorn — Nasarawa Speaker

BY ABEL DANIEL

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AFIA —THE Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Musa Mohammed, yesterday, accused the state Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura of treating the House resolutions with scorn throughout the Second Session of the Fourth Assembly.

Mohammed made the accusation during a valedictory session to mark the end of the Fourth Assembly at the State House of Assembly complex, Lafia, the state capital.

“It is, therefore, unfortunate

that the executive arm of government has elected to treat our resolutions with scorn or at best outright suspicion.

This, I say is rather unfortunate, though not within my purview to fathom the reason behind the action of the state government.

“There is the often held notion by government officials or its agents that the resolutions do not have the force of the law and so can be treated with contempt,” he said.

Mohammed, however, cautioned the Executive to see the House resolutions as

Jigawa Pilgrims Board inaugurates 132-member committee D

UTSE—THE Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board, yesterday, inaugurated a 132-member committee to facilitate training of prospective pilgrims in the state.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, had allocated more than 3,000 seats to the state for the 2013 Hajj exercise.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Sani Alhassan, who inaugurated the committee, said the gesture was to ensure proper training of prospective pilgrims on the basic tenets of Hajj exercise.

Alhassan said the committee C M Y K

members were selected from the 27 local government areas of the state.

“The committee is mandated to train prospective pilgrims on the obligations, tenets and cardinal principles of the Hajj.

“Proper education of pilgrims will prepare them to conduct the Hajj in accordance with teachings of Islam and be good ambassadors of the country while in the holy land,” he said.

Alhassan also stated that the state government had secured decent accommodation for the pilgrims while free meals would be provided for them during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

According to him, the state government has adopted proactive measures to improve the well being of the pilgrims and ensure a hitchfree Hajj.

In a remark, Alhaji Falalu Gantsa, chairman of the board, urged the facilitators to ensure proper training of the prospective pilgrims in accordance with the guidelines set by the board.

Malam Muhammad Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of members of the committee, pledged to be fair and just in the discharge of their duties.

veritable legislative instrument which express the sentiments of the House or in other instances, give advice or directives to the executive.

He also asked the Executive to retrace its steps and take the resolutions seriously as they were the aggregation of the selfless and well thought out views of the members of the House.

“The House has created an additional committee that will appraise the performance of the state government with respect to resolutions passed.

"Henceforth the House will not hesitate to invoke the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to ensure that its resolutions are acted upon,” he added, pointing out that the Assembly has passed 30 bills in 12 months and made 52 resolutions, while 22 others were in their various stages of being passed.

LORIN—THE Kwara State House of Assembly has said that it passed 15 bills and adopted 30 motions as well as 90 other reports during its Seventh Legislative session in the state.

Speaker of the House, Abdulrazaq Atunwa who made this known while giving account of his steward in Ilorin, yesterday, pointed out that members of the Assembly also conducted themselves with decorum, leading to other remarkable achievements.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen to mark the anniversary of the current assembly yesterday, he said “the last two years of the Seventh Assembly in the state has been eventful as members have been performing their constitutional duties, a development that has helped the state to develop.”

He particularly noted that, the success recorded during the period under review was due to the fact that the house not only conducted its affairs with high sense of decorum and dignity, but due to the cooperation of the people.

Atunwa further said that, all the bills passed were government sponsored, adding that, this was due to the need to fulfil its electoral promises to the people.

According to him, the passage of the bills was also due to the unity of the members and support staff of the house of Assembly.

Sambo leads FG's delegation to Kontagora's family

A

BUJA—VICE Presi dent Namadi Sambo, yesterday, led a Federal Government’s delegation to condole with the family of late Maj-Gen Mamman Kontagora, rtd.

Sambo, who was received at the Maitama residence of the deceased by retired Maj-Gen Garba Duba, said he was at the residence to commiserate with the family members of the late general.

The Vice President, who also participated in the seven-day Fidau Prayer for the deceased, prayed to Allah to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Kontagora, a one time Minister of works, under the Ibrahim Babangida’s administration and Minister, Federal Capital Terrotory during retired Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, died on May 29, 2013.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 41

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42—Vanguard , FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

2015: Senate warns against overheating polity

Insecurity: Measures so far cosmetic —Tambuwal zSays unemployment, insecurity constitute grave social danger to the polity

BY HENRY UMORU &

JOSEPH ERUNKE BUJA—AHEAD of 2015 general elections, the Senate yesterday raised alarm that politicians with selfish and unpatriotic zeal were over-heating the polity.

Consequently, it warned that unless elected representatives did away with personal interest, the country ’s quest for sustenance of its unity might be shattered.

The upper chamber said the collision of vaulting personal ambitions was unnecessarily over-heating the polity and distracting the onerous task of governance, saying with so much work to be done, elected officials should focus on governance and justify their present mandates.

Senate President, David Mark, who stated this while presenting the “end of the 2nd session of the 7 th Senate Appraisal”, said “overheating the polity is unnecessary, diversionary, divisive, destructive, unhelpful and unpatriotic.”

Senator Mark warned those beating the drums of war to have a rethink, noting that no nation could survive two civil wars in a lifetime.

He said: “Into this vitriolic mix is being thrown a spate of mindless and distempered effusions that add no value whatsoever to the quest for national cohesion and development.

“Those beating the drums of war should realise that no nation can survive two civil wars in one lifetime. These trends must stop and we must all remember that the nation is greater than the sum total of its parts.”

“Elections are two clear years away. Yet the collision of vaulting personal ambition is overheating the polity and distracting the onerous task of governance.

“With so much work yet to be done, we as elected official, should focus on governance and justify our present mandates. Overheating the polity is unnecessary, diversionary, divisive, destructive, unhelpful and unpatriotic.”

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BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday said measures so far employed to fight insecurity in Nigeria were cosmetic.

According to him, mass employment generating measures would have helped combat the malaise.

Tambuwal, who made the observation in his speech to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 7th Assembly, said: “The vicious circle of unemployment, poverty and insecurity constitutes a grave social malady in our body politic. ” Sadly, the debilitating insecurity situation has forced us to declare a war on consequences rather than causes. ” For now, it may be imperative to fight the consequences in order to create a conducive atmosphere for the prosecution of the war against the causes.

“It is important to realise that along the line, we must commence the war against unemployment and poverty as a consolidation strategy. ”Agriculture provides for the nation the sector with the shortest gestation period for job creation.

Our national statistics reveal that 70 per cent of our population is engaged in agriculture, 20 per cent in services and the remaining 10 per cent in industry.

“It means the agriculture sector alone accounts for over 70 million Nigerians of working age, even then over 65 million would be in

subsistence agriculture where they are either grossly underemployed or mal-employed, thus constituting a waste of the workforce because any employment that does not offer a living wage is a manpower waste. ”This under employment and mal-employment are replicated in similar proportion in the services and industry. ” The challenge before us is, therefore, not merely to create jobs but, infact, to recreate jobs by upgrading all those existing jobs that are, indeed, pretentious employments offering no living wage.”

On weaknesses of the 7th Assembly, Tambuwal said: “Given the improvements in some House processes aimed at reducing legislative red tape, it must be admitted that the timeous reportage

by House Committees on bills and other matters referred to them for action has been far from satisfactory. ” This has impacted negatively on the accomplishment of targets.

Henceforth, Committees will be sited for such breaches and sanctioned appropriately. ”The objective of the House to put in place an efficiently functional electronic voting system has

suffered some set back, this has deprived the House of the several benefits accruing from the system. ” This is regrettable. However, feasibility has been completed and appropriate budgetary provisions made under the 2013 budget of the FCT for the comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrading of the system both for the Chambers and other ancillary infrastructure, the Ado committee on e-parliament and FCT have been mandated to keep a close tap on this project to ensure its successful execution.”

VISIT: Fom left: Mr. Kayode Matthew, News Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; Mr. Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, and students of School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills Course, AWARES, during the visit by the students to Vanguard Newspapers, Apapa, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

FG pledges to pay off PHCN casual staff ....To wage war against casual jobs in banks

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

A

BUJA—THE Federal Gov ernment yesterday promised to pay terminal benefits and gratuity to all staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, including those on casuals.

It also pledged to wage war against casual/contract staff in the banking sector.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who disclosed this during the 2013 Ministerial Platform midterm report of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, said the federal government frowned on casualisation in the country.

He described casualisation as a form of under-employment which employers of labour had cashed in on to ex-

ploit desperate youths desirous to get something doing.

Noting that the issue of casual and contract workers had existed for several years in the power and oil industry, Wogu stated that on assumption of office as a minister, he was confronted with lots of serious issues, including that of casual workers, which he promised to tackle headlong.

The minister said he constituted a committee to look into rampant contract staffing and sourcing in the oil industry, adding that with the support from the affected labour unions, the problem had been reduced to the barest level.

He promised to also address the issue in the private sector, noting that it would

not be possible to force the private sector to give direct jobs to its workers.

Chief Wogu said that through the National Directorate of Employment, 139,371 people had benefited from skill acquisition, vocational, technical and agricultural trades, while 4,379 people benefited from soft loans to set up micro and cottage enterprises.

On capacity building, he said: “A total number of 20,250 people were imparted with marketable skills.

Out of this number, 15,800 people have been certified as against 7,500 targeted on the KPI for the year 2012 thereby achieving 67 percent in performance.”

The Minister further disclosed that a job fair was undertaken in conjunction with the NDE and that 75,640 graduates of tertiary institutions and artisans have been

trained on entrepreneurial skills acquisition and 150 women trained under the Lady Chauffer Training Scheme a programme of the wife of the president, Dame Patient Jonathan.

On the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, the minister said the government, through the initiative, targeted to create 270,000 jobs at the end of 2012 and also provide temporary employment for between 5,000 and 10,000 unemployed youth in each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The areas of major concern are mainly construction of rural roads, beautification and environmental projects,” Wogu stated.

He added that under the Community Services Scheme for Women and Youth Programme, 120,000 people had been engaged, of the 185,000 targeted for 2013.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 —43

Five S/African policemen charged over Nigerian’s death

BY DEBO OSHUNDUN

S

OUTH Africa Independent Police Investigation Department (IPID) has said that five police officers will soon appear in Polokowane, Magistrate’s Court for allegedly assaulting and killing a Nigerian, Onyebuchi Iweaku, in police custody.

Moses Dlamini, IPID spokesperson told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent in Johannesburg yesterday that the police have concluded investigations into the matter and had received a second autopsy report which showed the iweaku from brutality from the hand of the police.

Deputy Director of IPID Thabo Neholo, who spoke in a a telephone interview did not however say when the

suspects will be arraigned in court.

Neholo also told NAN that more than 500 police officers were also facing charges for various offenses ranging from murder to fraud across the country.

“We are dealing with a number of similar cases across the country and they are very serious. We have more than 500 cases on the court roll.” he said.

NAN reports informed that Iweaku who was

living in Johannesburg went to Polokwane to visit his cousin, Miracle Okoye, when six police officer were said to have forced their way into Okoye room and started beating the two Nigerians.

Okoye was said to have been lucky to run away during police raid, while Iweaku was taken to the police station, where he died in police custody as a result of injuries he sustained from the police brutality.

UN nuclear chief says no progress on Iran

T

HE UN nuclear agency chief has said that talks with Iran have been “going around in circles”, with no progress on efforts to clarify concerns about its nuclear programme.

Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran’s atomic work was in “clear contravention” of UN security council regulations.

In comments to the

•Yukia Amano IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors, he also said Iranian advances in building a heavy-water research reactor and in its uranium enrichment work

were in “clear contravention” of UN Security Council resolutions, dating to 2006, calling for a suspension in such activities.

The IAEA has been trying since early 2012 to engage with Tehran over what the Vienna-based UN agency calls the “possible military dimensions” to Iran’s nuclear programme.

But 10 rounds of negotiations in the last 17

months have failed to achieve any breakthrough.

Western diplomats accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA, an allegation Tehran rejects.

“Despite the intensified dialogue between the agency and Iran since January 2012..., no agreement has been reached on the structured approach document. To be frank, for some time now we have been going around in circles,” said.

Syria conflict: Army retakes Golan heights crossing T

HE Syrian army has taken control of a UNmonitored crossing in the Golan Heights which had been overrun by rebel forces, Israeli military sources have said.

Tanks and armoured vehicles were used in the fighting at Quneitra, near Israeli-held territory.

Austria has said it will withdraw its peacekeepers from the Golan Heights because of the fighting.

It comes a day after Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah militants retook the key town of Qusair.

The involvement of Hezbollah and the upsurge of fighting near the ceasefire line with Israel in the Golan have both raised fears that the conflict could spread across Syria’s borders.

Rebels seized the crossing near the town of Quneitra earlier on Thursday, with explosions and heavy shelling rocking the area.

But an Israeli military source said Syrian regime forces retook the symbolically significant crossing hours later and that it was now relatively quiet in the area.

Austria said UN C M Y K

peacekeepers had withdrawn to safety as fighting raged around the crossing and the town of Quneitra.

The government said it would now pull its troops out completely because the threat to them had “reached an unacceptable level”.

Austrian troops make up more than a third of the more than 900 strong UN force monitoring the demilitarised zone and Quneitra, which is the only open crossing between Syria and the Israelicontrolled area of the Golan Heights.

K

Putin to divorce wife

R

USSIAN President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have announced their decision to divorce.

Married just a few weeks short of 30 years, the Putins announced the decision on state television after attending a ballet performance yesterday evening in the Kremlin.

“It was our joint decision,” Putin said.

Lyudmila Putin was rarely seen in public during her husband’s long tenure at the top of Russian politics.”I don’t like publicity and flying is difficult for me,” she said.

Ghana arrests Chinese for ‘illegal mining’

A

T least 124 Chinese nationals suspected of illegal gold mining have been detained in Ghana, officials have said.

Chinese officials said most of those detained were mining illegally without visas, work and residency permits.

Obama names Susan Rice US national security adviser

U

Mali’s military is trying to free areas occupied by Tuareg rebels who say the government marginalises them

Mau Mau torture victims to receive compensation ENYANS tortured by British colonial forces during the Mau Mau uprising will receive payouts totalling £20m, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

He said the UK government recognized Kenyans were tortured and it “sincerely regrets” the abuses that took place.

A lawyer for the victims said they “at last have the recognition and justice they have sought for many

BRIEFS

years”.

Thousands of people were killed during the Mau Mau revolt against

British rule in Kenya in the 1950s.

Mr Hague also announced plans to

support the construction of a permanent memorial to the victims in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Prince Philip admitted to hospital

P

RINCE Philip has been admitted to hospital for an exploratory operation, Buckingham Palace has said.

He was admitted to the London Clinic “following abdominal investigations” and is expected to stay in

the hospital for up to two weeks.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who will be 92 on 10 June, pulled out of official engagements this month.

He will have an operation on Friday under general anaesthetic, BBC

royal correspondent Peter Hunt, said.

In the last week, Prince Philip has been having unannounced “abdominal investigations” at the hospital in central London, adds our correspondent.

S President Barack Obama has formally announced his close confidante Susan Rice as his next national security adviser.

Obama made the announcement, which is seen as a major change in his foreign policy, yesterday.

Germany pledges $130m to help flood victims

A

T least 12 people have been killed in central Europe as floodwater inundates large areas of Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

This is even as Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged $130m in emergency aid for floodravaged areas of Germany on Tuesday, as the swelling waters forced thousands of people from their homes.

44 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013—45

Amaechi, Wamakko:

Who is next?

WITH two governors suspended from its fold, the prospects of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP suspending more senior personalities in its fold are very real.

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

F

•Aliyu: Amaechi's friend

•Kwankwanso: Tinubu's friend

Political backbone

Constitutional importance

•Tambuwal: Aloof from party

•Nyako: National chairman's rival

Indeed, the PDP had until now largely been regarded as a party where anything goes given the party’s often resort to taking things of consequential constitutional importance to the realm of the family or as the party is wont to say, “it is a family affair.” The decision to suspend Governor Rotimi Amaechi on children’s day, penultimate Monday, was an apparent determination of the party hierarchy to show that it would no longer treat dissent with kid gloves.

Amaechi’s offence according to the party was his refusal to heed the party’s instruction to reinstate the elected council executive in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State.

The executive had been suspended by the Rivers State House of Assembly apparently in a bid to cut the influence of the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike who is the arrowhead of the movement directed at cutting down Governor Amaechi. Wike is from that area and has the loyalty of the council chairman and

councilors.

Wamakko who was suspended from the party for serial disobedience to party summons according to a party statement had continuously shown himself to be antagonistic to party authorities including the authority of the national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the party said in Abuja yesterday.

governors known to be sustaining their independence from the party elders in Abuja.

The governors include Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano, Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, all of who are from the north, which is presently the backbone of the political opposition to the president. All southern governors who had in the past been suspected of showing some independence have all fallen in line. Senator Liyel Imoke who had obvious reasons including the loss of oil wells from Cross River to Akwa Ibom State to be apathetic or rebellious towards the party hierarchy, has lately been in the forefront of the proJonathan campaign.

TAMBUWAL The speculation about the party’s whip lashing Speaker Tambuwal have echoed since he in May 2011 led rebellious members of the party to team up with the opposition to win election as speaker of the House of Representatives.

Since then, Tambuwal had been regarded as a marked man. His

Influence of the governor In suspending Wamakko, the party it is alleged may have shown its willingness to forsake Sokoto State in its 2015 permutations given the strong influence of the governor on the politics of the state. For the PDP to win the gubernatorial seat in 2007, it had to tempt Wamakko with its guber ticket and drop its own candidate, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari.

Who’s next?

Among those generally believed to also be on the firing line of the party are Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and three other

The prospect of Tambuwal being marked out for trouble may also be heightened by speculations that he is one of those being penciled by the North to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan for the party’s presidential ticket in 2015.

BABANGIDA ALIYU Governor Aliyu’s troubles with the national party came to full light earlier this year after he came out openly to claim that

,

OR a party that had in the past used all manner of intrigues to force recalcitrant party members into line, the decision of the PDP to suspend two of its governors could be regarded as a return to the rule of law. In the latest development on Wednesday, the PDP’s National Working Committee, NWC in its 338th meeting in Abuja issued a terse communiqué suspending Governor Aliyu Wamakko from the party.

Wamakko’s suspension was the second time in as many weeks that the party would be taking such a severe action against an incumbent governor.

Before the recent rash of suspensions, the only other time that the party had suspended an incumbent governor was in 2003 when the party suspended Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State from the party after he had been allegedly taken away from the office by a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Chris Uba.

actions have not shown otherwise as he has approached party affairs with serious caution and spoken very frankly on issues affecting the party and polity.

Tambuwal has also irritated many party patrons by his open association with the opposition parties especially governors of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. He was in Osun State earlier this week when the ACN administration there launched its tablet of knowledge and was a star appearance at Bola Tinubu’s th 60 birthday anniversary last year.

Tambuwal’s relationship with the party would understandably have been further stressed after Wednesday’s suspension of Governor Wamakko. Wamakko is generally regarded as Tambuwal’s political backbone at home.

party saying that it would be good for the PDP. Governor Aliyu may also have stoked anger in the party after he openly endorsed Governor Jonah Jang as the consensus candidate of the northern governors on the day of the Nigerian Governors Forum election two weeks ago but allegedly worked against him by mobilizing against him during the election.

Indicative of the emerging crisis that may confront the governor was the boycott of the NSGF meeting in Kaduna yesterday by 14 of the 19 governors many of whom are sympathetic to the president.

MURTALA NYAKO Governor Murtala Nyako’s problems with the party are personal and flow from a rivalry with the national chairman, Tukur who is also from Nyako’s Adamawa State.

The rivalry between both men who are said to be in-laws, it is alleged, flows from their rival quest to control the state structure of the party. Nyako apparently saw the trouble coming ahead before Tukur’s emergence as national chairman last year leading him to mobilize northern governors against Tukur.

However, Nyako relented, albeit reluctantly, after President Jonathan intervened to project Tukur as his personal project.

Even after Tukur’s emergence as national chairman both men have continued to clash over

The decision to suspend Governor Rotimi Amaechi on children’s day, penultimate Monday, was an apparent determination of the party hierarchy to show that it would no longer treat dissent with kid gloves

President Jonathan made an agreement with northern governors to serve for only one term prior to the 2011 election.

But so far he has not been able to produce that agreement.

As chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF, Governor Aliyu has also been seen as the rallying point for the political opposition within the party. Like Speaker Tambuwal, Governor Aliyu has also not been coy in relating with the opposition and especially the emerging All Progressive Congress, APC. He was one of those to have formally welcomed the emerging

,

control of the party structure with both men recognizing different party chairmen for the PDP in Adamawa State.

Tukur has given his backing to Joel Madaki while Nyako has continued to support Umar Kigama. Finding excuse to suspend Nyako may not be difficult for the Tukur led NWC should the party ask the local faction led by Madaki to come up with anti-party activities of the governor.

KWANKWANSO Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso has in no way hidden his Continues on page 47

46—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

As Nigerians await a new Constitution:

Matters Arising

BY HENRY UMORU

C

ONSTITUTION of a country all over the world, is subject to amendment when the need arises and it was against the backdrop of strengthening the 1999 Constitution to meet the challenges of our everyday life that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2006, during the tenure of Senator Ken Nnamani as President, made an attempt to review it with 115 listed items for alteration.

The 2006 attempt came up with far-reaching recommendations but was rubbished by the third term agenda hullabaloo.

To avoid the situation of having people work and at the end of the day, the process is jettisoned, Senate President David Mark in 2010 began another process of Constitution review with modification that rather than carry out a holistic review, it should be zeroed down to the electoral process where the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC would be strengthened to conduct free and fair election.

Vibrant democracy •Mark: Will he deliver another amendment?

The recommendations: Considering the financial expenses often associated with re-election and to ensure that executive heads are freed from distractions to concentrate on public policy issues, the committee recommended a single term of six years for President and Governors as contained in sections 135 and 180 respectively.

With the amendment in Section 58 and section 100, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will no longer have the powers to assent to constitutional amendment.

Subsequent election Another recommendation is if a Vice President-elect or VicePresident succeeds the President-elect or the President, he shall not be eligible to contest for the office of the President in any subsequent election.

One major issue that was on the front burner during meetings with stakeholders and consultations was that of state creation. With the submission of the Committee, hope and aspirations of Nigerians who desired to have additional states have been dashed. The SCRC said none of the 61 requests for

new states complied with the entire provision of Section 8(1) of the Constitution.

Another issue that came up during the Public hearings and consultation was that of State Police. The demand was however jettisoned with explanations that what the country needs at the

,

The method worked and delivered a framework for the nurturing of a vibrant democracy. Having achieved that, it became imperative to continue with other areas of Constitution amendment like restructuring of the country and that brought about the Senate Constitution Review Committee, SCRC with Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, PDP, Enugu North, as Chairman.

Last Tuesday, the report of the SCRC was laid and slated for discussions on Wednesday.

However, the report was not discussed as the lawmakers pushed the deliberation forward to when the Senators come back from break.

Presenting the bill for an Act to further alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and other Matters connected therewith 2013, the Chairman of the SCRC explained that committee’s recommendations were derived from the views of Nigerians as expressed in their memoranda.

Issues handled: According to him, devolution of powers, creation of states, recognition of geo-political zones, local governments, fiscal federalism, Mayoral status for the FCT and executive immunity were some of the issues the committee looked at.

Independent Electoral Commissions, Auditor- General of the State and the AttorneyGeneral of a State should get direct funding from the State Consolidated Revenue Fund with the coming in place of first line Charge funding.

In the report, the Committee which also separated the office of the Federal Attorney-General and that of States from the Ministries of Justice to guarantee the independence of the offices, also gave a mayoral status to the Federal Capital Territory in line with what obtains in other capital cities of the world.

No to rotational presidency In the report, the call for rotational presidency and other offices was thrown out on the grounds that it should be a matter of consideration among the various political parties. ‘’We rejected this proposal on the grounds that the Constitution should not make Nigerian leadership subject to ethnic or regional considerations. This should be a matter of consideration amongst the various political parties.”

In the report, it as was also recommended that ‘’where the persons duly elected as President and Vice President die or are unable for any reason whatever to assume office before the inauguration of the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall immediately conduct an election for a President and the Vice President.

"Where a person duly elected as President dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office; is

One issue that has been generating debate in the polity is financial autonomy for local councils, which some governors have been accused of working against

moment was not State police but a total overhauling of the present Federal Police system for effective and efficient service delivery.

One other matter that generated serious concern was the need to allow Nigerians outside the country participate in elections to determine who their leaders should be under the name, Diaspora Voting (S.77 (2)).

The Committee threw it out with reasons that ‘’INEC is still grappling to strengthen its capacity to conduct elections within the country. It would be counter-productive to extend INEC’S responsibilities abroad without the requisite capacity.”

To engender accountability and efficient service delivery, it was recommended that henceforth State Houses of Assembly, State

,

for any reason whatsoever unable to be sworn in; dies while holding such office, resigns from office or otherwise ceases to hold office in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution, the Vice President-elect shall be sworn in as President and a Vice President appointed in accordance with the provisions of this constitution and in the case of(c) above, the VicePresident shall hold the office of President and shall complete the remaining term of office of the President.”

Financial autonomy for LGs One issue that has been generating debate in the polity is financial autonomy for local councils, which some governors have been accused of working against. The committee granted

Financial Autonomy to the Local Government Councils and this the Committee did in Section 162 by removing State-Local Government Joint Accounts as that will give room for accountability and an effective Local Government system. The State-Local Government Joint Account was then expunged from the Constitution.

Life pension for NASS leaders The Committee also recommended that former Senate Presidents, Deputy Senate Presidents, Speaker, House of Representatives shall be entitled to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives provided they were not impeached.

Attachment of portfolios to ministerial nominees: Another area the Committee looked into which is the need to attach Portfolios to the list of Ministerial nominees always submitted by the President for screening and confirmation.

Screening of nominees According to Committee, ‘’this seeks to make provision that will enable the National Assembly to be more effective in the screening of Ministerial nominees by ensuring that portfolio is attached to each nominee.

No special status for Lagos Members of the Committee who rejected a Special Status for Lagos said that ‘’While the Committee appreciates the peculiar needs and challenges of Lagos, it is our considered opinion that according such special status should be a matter of political decision which should be kept out of the Constitution.”

On Ministerial Slot for “Indigenes” of the FCT, the Committee noted that, ‘’This seeks the inclusion of the FCT in the proviso to section 147 (3) of the Constitution as it relates to ministerial appointments so as to ensure that an “indigene” of the FCT is appointed as a minister.

Desirable as that may be, we are of the view that the provisions granting mayoralty status for the FCT will go a long way in ensuring equitability and is sufficient to ensure efficient administration of the Federal Capital.”

Devolution of power: The National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly in the reviewed Constitution may now make laws for the federation or any part with respect to payment of Stamp duties by incorporated companies and other activities or transactions over which the National Assembly have powers to legislate on as well as payment of stamp duties by persons/ individuals/ businesses subject to federal taxation.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 47

could hardly be rivaled.

“Whatever happens, I urge you to always remain supportive of who has

exemplified himself as ‘the Ark of Noah,” Kazaure said.

Could any party afford to lose a popular leader such as Wamakko? The decision of the PDP to suspend the governor may pan out as a miscalculation.

Like the PDP did in 2007, some other parties could use the opportunity to swoop Wamakko as a veritable controller of support.

Apart from people-oriented projects, Wamakko directly touches on the lives of the people for which they are ready to support him any time.

An Aide to the Governor who wouldn’t want his name mentioned told Vanguard that “the most expensive miscalculation is for the PDP to think of suspending a governor who controls the support of his people.”

If the PDP finally boots Wamakko out of the party, it stands the risk of losing elections in 2015 because “any party that the governor joins, we will surely go with him,” a Wamakko supporter, Ibrahim Dange, told Vanguard.

didn’t have problem in 2012 and so, we are quick this year too. The Ministry of Environment organised a press conference to let Lagosians know that it is not just going to be more this year, it’s going to be stormy and we have gone into business immediately.

We have provided more good channels, loading water to the Lagoon which is the ultimate drainage. Also, we have cleared all those channels so that it will be through. We have also repaired the damaged ones. We have even taken it to the local government levels. We have employed Environment Officers that are fixed in the local government to ensure that we have a network of activities. We have also told those staying in the water-log areas to vacate the area so that they don’t have problem. I will like to tell you that the advocacy is still ongoing and

we are at the same time, fully prepared. Rain is not tantamount to flooding.

How has government been making use of the N23 billion Security Trust Fund?

The Lagos State Security Trust Fund has been living up to expectation.

The state government has nothing to do with it. It operates on its own. We don’t have access to their money.

We don’t have anything to do with them. But I am happy that we can all sleep now with our eyes closed in Lagos.

I give kudos to them just as Lagosians have been giving them Kudos. Prior to that security trust fund, we forgot that the man you sent to go and combat crime had no instrument to do so but with the security trust fund, this men have been adequately equipped with arms and ammunitions, patrol vans and uniforms.

Wamakko’s suspension:

PDP’s miscalculation

BY ABDALLAH EL-KUREBE

T

HE news of Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko’s suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was received in Sokoto with surprise.

When in 2007 Wamakko contested the governorship on the banner of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, then President Olusegun Obasanjo and many other bigwigs in the PDP saw a failing trip in an election for which they never had a popular candidate.

The PDP wooed and won over Wamakko and went ahead to win the governorship election albeit clandestinely. Ever since, the governor has held the party with all its apparatuses in high regard.

Subsequently, the party has won all elections in the state 100 per cent. As it is today, all councilors, local government chairmen, House of Assembly, House of Representatives members and Senators are from the PDP. Wamakko’s popularity has continued to swell with only minor criticisms from a few opposition parties. Since his entrance into the PDP, the party has not had any major squabbles.

Most opposition political parties in the state have always rallied round Wamakko, raining praises on him and his administration for his policies and programmes.

When Wamakko commissioned some projects, recently, PDP Northwest Zonal Vice Chairman, Amb.

•Wamakko: Can he ride the storm?

Ibrahim Kazaure, urged the people of Sokoto to remain resolute in their support of a governor, whose popularity

We're focused in Lagos —Ibirogba MR Lateef Aderemi Ibirogba is the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy. In this interview, Ibirogba dismissed insinuations that the state government directed its officials to take oaths of secrecy. Excerpts:

BY DAPO AKINREFON

T

HE Eko Atlantic City project has been criticised by the Peoples Democratic Party as a white elephant, how would you react to this?

It may interest you to know that 62 parties went to 21 million people in Lagos State to canvass for their mandate and by the confidence in our ability to perform, they gave us their mandate. To us, the definition is for us to direct the affairs and restructure this community; at least for the period that we have the mandate and it is pertinent to bear in our minds that we are not a government of any party.

We are not a government of ACN neither are we a government of PDP. So, it is left for us to respond to whatever the PDP or any other party thinks it can bring up to distract us. The right channel that should have responded has done that, the ACN through its publicity secretary has responded to the PDP. We as a government are focused and we understand that Lagos State is a coastal state.

Some areas in Lagos are three meters below the sea level and if we are not careful, we maybe missing the point; issues of how do we cope with a state that has a little landmark whereas more than 10% of the population of Nigeria live here.

•Ibirogba: Focused on Lagos It will not be proper for us to sleep and allow water to take over the little land mark we have in Lagos. If we don’t do what should be done right now, we would find out that the little landmark we are enjoying now will continue to reduce. At the time we were commissioning Eko Atlantic City, the president had to come to be part of it and then promised that the federal government would replicate what we are doing here in some other states. But then, the truth is that we have done it in the best interest of Lagosains and Nigerians as a whole.

NIMET has continually warned that there would be a lot of flooding this year; how is the state preparing for this, especially considering that it is

a coastal state?

The 2012 flood experience has made us to work to get better and it made us to roll up campaigns and come out better. We have opened some channels, to make them free for water passage so that whenever it rains, the flood will not disturb. More so, we have been able to educate Lagosians that they should not be nonchalant with the facilities of government in their communities because if they did, they would be bringing problems to themselves.

So we urged them to see government facilities in their areas as their own. We have been able to let Lagosians know that a little carelessness on their part might affect everybody in the community. That was why we

Amaechi, Wamakko: Who is next?

Continues from page 45 superiority to many of the political players on ground today. A former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives in the third republic, he was elected governor in 1999 and subsequently served as minister of defence following his defeat in his reelection bid in 2003.

Given the fact that even President Jonathan was a deputy governor while he, Kwankwaso was governor, it could be tempting for Kwankwanso to consider many

of those calling the shots today as subordinates. So far, even some in Abuja believe that Kwankwanso is acting above the law. He has stayed away from the fawning habits of many of his colleagues and continuously asserted the north’s contention for the presidency in 2015.

Kwankwanso like Wamakko, it is also believed, is one of the northern backers of Governor Amaechi. Only few weeks ago he caused the state owned university to award an honorary degree to the ACN national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

48—Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

A

NOTHER ‘Democracy Day’ (29th May) has passed innocuously with the usual songs of dividends of democracy from the mouths of many Nigerians (especially supporters of the ruling party, PDP). The opposition, as usual, has continued to remind Nigerians of the woes of missed opportunities under the present Federal Government.

It may be wrong to refuse to acknowledge that Nigeria has achieved a lot since 1999.

It may also be true that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who became the President in 1999 was supported by the military to operate the 1999 Constitution (prepared by the military). The ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, is widely believed to have been influenced and supported by the former military political elite during its formative period.

Some analysts believe that even if there is a bit of doubt about the extent of past military influence on the subsequent growth of PDP, some actions and re-actions of many leaders of that great party suggest adherence and imitation of old military tactics. Within the Peoples Democratic Party, evidence of lack of democratic principles abounds. Of recent, the election of the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum (NGF) provides a classical example of attempt to subvert a cardinal principal of democracy – accept result of a fair election.

It looks as if the loser is trying to make himself a ‘Sarkin Tulasi’ – a king by force or subterfuge. Those who are termed ‘agents of doom’ by their proclamation that Nigeria might break in 2015 might have their last laugh if things remain unchanged.

The current observable impression in political circle is that it is near impossible to defeat a sitting government in any election based mainly on performance.

Elections in the country appear to be based on many extraneous factors of which performance on the job may, or may not be, an important factor. It means that any drives towards peace and political stability must include sound electoral reforms

07059197616

PEACE AND PROSPERITY:

Alternative route which would not only ensure that votes cast are genuine but also, count. It may be necessary to revisit the report on Uwais Electoral Reform Committee for a reappraisal. It is recognized that since 1999 various futile attempts have been made by the past presidents to tackle electoral problems. The noble effort of President Jonathan in making elections free, fair and acceptable, would be desirable.

The idea of a stable political stability as a necessary condition for peace and prosperity has been recommended for many developing countries. The economic transformation of countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China had been based on political stability over a long period under visionary leaders. As against outright dictatorship, it is possible to achieve a fairly stable polity, under ‘a democratic single-party, formed by voluntary merger of all other parties, and behaving like an ideal coalition’. Although such innovation seems enlightened, the plural nature of our society appears a formidable challenge.

At the moment, the tragedy of the Nigerian political scene is the attempted merger of some opposition parties (APC)

BY CHINEDU OSITADINMA NEBO

F

INALLY, the story ends. The story teller has gone to sleep.

He has gone with his stories – a bagful. But then another story begins. It is telling the story according to the story teller. It is the story of Chinualumogu Achebe and his stories. It is also about the stories of Chinua Achebe, the man with the stories.

Ugo belu n’enu oji – the eagle on the iroko. It is a story that thrills, enthralls and captivates both sides of it. Children hear it and demand for more until they go to bed dreaming it. Adults too.

They continue to cogitate over both the story and the story teller until a mental war begins to take place; an endless clash of which is the bigger - the story or the story teller. This was the story penultimate Thursday as the world virtually stood still for the man, his stories and how and where he told them.

At that remote village of Nkwele Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State where the story began 82 years ago, it was a gathering of those who came to tell their own last stories, while others came to hear them. Yet others became the story. They came from all parts of the globe

– Europe, Asia, The Pacific, Antarctica, Australia, Oceania, The Americas and Africa, where the story of the story teller had spread and is being retold in different tongues; written and verbally. Those who failed to make it to the ancient village, physically, had to rely on the varied media instruments to hear the story or tell theirs.

The frenzy actually began on March 22, when the story teller told his last; when the eagle descended from the iroko and took a permanent habitation with others before him.

Sitting there in the crowded enclosure of St. Phillips Anglican Church, I could tell that though many struggled, there were and still are many stories to tell.

Attempts will be made as they were indeed made on that occasion. But it will continue to be like the proverbial story of the blind men attempting to describe an elephant by feeling it, each telling his according to where he touched and felt.

I even told mine. When confronted by those who wanted to know my own version, I said: “Chinua Achebe rose to become an iconic figure in the area of literary geniuses. He stood up for everything that was right, everything that was good, everything that had to do with

Economic stability

to chase the ruling party (PDP) out of power. This avowed aim, in democratic sense, makes good sense if it could be achieved without bloodshed. It is surprising that the ruling party is not known to be making overtures to opposition parties to form a workable coalition based on fair and just principle.

It seems that workable arrangement between the government and the opposition parties is what is absolutely needed to tackle the problems of insurgency and other security related matters. It is, however, unfortunate that the ruling party, under its nebulous policy of ‘winners – take - all’, could not see the difference between principle of sensible politics and that of party - politics opportunism.

The advocates of sensible politics believe, and justifiably so, that in a plural society like Nigeria, where forces of ethnicity and religion are potent, there is no constitutional magic to force people to work together rather than fight, except by dialogue and subtle means. The alternative to dialogue is force or ‘I don’t care attitude’ which is a manifestation of poor governance.

Achebe: The story and story teller

Many political watchers, while welcoming the idea of a strong opposition to oust a non-performing regime, believe and sincerely too, that the present mood of uncertainties calls for coalition of all forces towards the formation of a single platform to combat the evils of corruption and other social evils. There is that credibility gap between the rulers and the ruled, and the gap continues to widen. To many observers, there is little joy in the sense that a new and a moderate progressive regime is in a place to tackle adequately the problems of a plural society.

What has been witnessed so far is shameful exhibition of mediocrity, howbeit, by some seemingly conscientious officials.

It is assumed that if genuine efforts are made to ensure political stability over a long period, economic stability (under common sense economics) would prevail.

If President Jonathan could muster a genuine coalition of parties, either by a merger or by willing co-operation of parties, his economic transformation of the country towards peace and prosperity would become a reality.

However, any policy towards prosperity will have to tackle seriously the nasty problem of large-scale unemployment.

The idea of turning out elegant figures with increase in foreign exchange reserves and growth in national income without appreciable effect on hunger and poverty.

There should be no need for conflicts between the progressive (pro- poor) fiscal stand and reactionary monetary position.

Both fiscal and monetary policies should be pro-growth, pro-employment and propoor in all aspects.

It should be recognized that high output and capacity utilization are an inducement to investment. High employment is extremely necessary for economic growth and investment nurtures growth.

that this wonderful man, one man iroko tree and one man army squad has gone the way of all mortals. But before he did so, he made his mark globally and as an international figure of repute.

Anywhere in the world, wherever you are, everybody is talking about Chinua Achebe and his book and his literary work. He was a literary genius and we thank God for him. I’m so glad to also give God glory that this iconic figure is a son of Igbo extraction. Glory be to God.”

Monstrous edifice

•Achebe: accountability and transparency.

Chinua Achebe was so bold, so great, so courageous that he could hold a whole country ransom whenever he was ready to call for accountability and transparency. Chinua Achebe was a man who never feared anybody and he spoke the truth from the profundity of his heart not minding whose ox was gored. So, we give God thanks

But I knew I was just scratching the surface like many others, because that was not the end of the story. In fact, even after that event, many more stories have been told and heard. So, for Achebe, the Eagle, the story will be endless. Generations after will continue to add to it until it grows into a monstrous edifice that will touch all parts of the earth. Yet, it will not end. That is the lot of great men. For Achebe was indeed a great man.

Interestingly and strikingly, the story of Achebe is not about the number of houses he had or the cars packed in his garages in all parts of the globe, where he ought to have owned them, were he like just an ordinary man of means. No, it was not in the number of children or shares in

companies. If he had any, very few people probably know. I know very little either. Rather, his story of greatness and riches was in what he left for humanity – his intellectual works and his exemplary lifestyle.

To many, the fascination in the story of Achebe was that he told the story of Africa the way no other did – that indeed there was life and living in the continent; that Africans didn’t live on trees or hunted each other for meals; that it was actually the white man that came and put a knife in Africa, cutting the existing cord of sequence and order that bound those elements of life and living together. But he did not stop there. From Things Fall Apart, a book he wrote at age 28, he went ahead to do other works, which basically pointed out the contradictions between life and living, man and his environment and the consequences of those contradictions. These were the import and purport of No Longer At Ease, Arrow of God, A Man of the People, Anthills of the Savannah, The Trouble With Nigeria, There Was A Country, et cetera.

In all, Achebe, simply tried to re-establish the principle of the teaching of Jesus Christ that ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’

•Nebo, a professor of Metallurgical Engineering, is the Minister of Power

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 49

50 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7,

2013

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 51

Jonathan reaffirms commitment to sports development

Keshi will qualify Eagles for World Cup — Okoku

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

E

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abuja, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to grassroots sports development during the presidential launch of the Rhythm N’ Play programme, a Nigeria Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM)’s initiative. The President who is the grand patron of Rhythm ‘N’ Play, said his government is willing to reposition sports by encouraging young people to embrace sports early.

“We are committed to grassroots sports development and we are going to bring back Physical Education into schools by making sports compulsory for every kid because we believe that getting them early will indeed be a better idea to groom world stars,” the President said, adding, “with this initiative, we are aware of the enormous challenges in terms of facilities but we are determined to reverse this trend by making use of cost effective style to ensure that we achieve the target of engaging 2million kids participate in sports.

AIR TUSSLE.....Super Eagles defender, Godfrey Oboboma (L) jumps for the ball with Kenya’s goalkeeper Duncan Ochieng during the match at the Kasarani stadium on June 5. Nigeria won 1-0. PHOTO: AFP

We didn’t deser o lose tto o deservve tto Eagles — Wanyama I

T is difficult to create heroes from defeat it was once said but in Celtic FC star, Victor Wanyama, even Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi admitted he was a winner as Harambee Stars succumbed to the Super Eagles in their backyard on Wednesday.

Statistics will show the teams have clashed 15 times in total, with Nigeria winning 12 and

Musa Continues from BP side CSKA Moscow forward capped his imposing display as part of a three-pronged attack with the 81st minute strike that took Nigeria top of their Group F of their World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday in Nairobi.

“I had a point to prove and the game was very important to us that is why we went all out to do our best to win the game and in the end, we had victory and we feel happy as a team,” the man who netted his fifth strike for the Super Eagles stated.

“I saw the goalkeeper coming out when I wanted to play the ball.

If I did not play it up,

the chance would have been gone. I looked the ball and watched go into the net and it was one of the best goals I have scored for the national team.

“We are like brothers in Nigeria. Everybody can start, for me, I’m a player and any time when I come, I give my best so I don’t think starting from the bench or first 11 is a problem to me.

“Every player I call since I became head coach of Nigeria can be used at the start or come in later depending on what we need in the game. Namibia will be different from Kenya for example,” Keshi clarified.

Kenya managing to draw thrice with the reigning African champions but Wanyama’s show of brutal energy in the middle of the pack was a tale by itself.

“We did not deserve to lose today, we were just unlucky. They caught us on the counter attack and scored but, the best team lost.

“It was a very important game and unfortunately we lost. We still have two games left and we can make it to eight points and take it from there,” the player who won admiration from all present said with tears welling in his eyes as Kenya’s World Cup hopes took a debilitating blow.''

Eagles Continues from BP 28th to 31st spot.

The Eagles played out a 2-2 draw against CONCAF Champions Mexico in a high profile friendly in the United States and also defaeted the Harambee Stars of Kenya barely 24 hours before the latest rankings by FIFA was realeased.

Despite the drop in the world rankings, the Eagles maintained thier status as the fourth highest ranked team in Africa behind Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mali.

Algeria, Tunisia Zambia as well as Burkina Faso, Central Africa Republic and South Africa completes the list of Africa’s top ten

teams World champions Spain remained top of the global list, while Ivory Coast, 13th in the world, retained No 1 spot in the African rankings.

It is expected that the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup and the latest round of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil will ensure plenty of movement in the next edition of the FIFA Ranking.

For the latest edition of the rankings, FIFA said the results of 30 friendlies up to 2 June were taken into account, while it said the results of the FIFA World Cup qualification matches on 4 June is to be included in the next edition.

X-international, Paul Okoku has said that Coach Stephen Keshi was going to qualify the Super Eagles for the World Cup in Brazil.

Reacting to the giant strides of the African champions, Okoku, a 1984 Nations Cup silver medal winner, said that Keshi has overtime shown that he was the messiah that Nigerian football has been yearning for in a long time.

The Mexico 1983 Flying Eagles star, said that he was not surprised that Keshi has completely turned around the Eagles to a solid and effective team capable of grinding out results in difficult terrains.

“I have known Keshi for a very long time. We both attended the same Primary School and he is like a brother to me and when I see the giant strides that he is achieving with the Super Eagles, I am not surprised because he has always been a go-getter, whose biggest strength is ability to manage men.

“Nigeria is lucky to have someone like Keshi as coach. He is surely going to qualify the Eagles for the World Cup. He is very close to achieving this target and all he needs is our support. We all need to rally round him so that he can take our football to the next level”, Okoku added over the phone from USA.

Keshi Continues from BP lead in Group F to eight points, with two matches yet to play against Namibia on June 12 in Namibia and Malawi in September.

Speaking after the match at the Arap Moi Stadium, Keshi said that he was delighted with the win but stressed that his players must not get carried away with their latest conquest.

“It was important to win

this game and I am happy that the players got the three points that we came to Kenya for. It was a good result and it shows that we are learning with every other game. But the job is not yet finished.

“We still have two key games to play and it is important for us to stay focused on the target of qualifying for the World Cup. We will continue working hard to ensure that this goal is achieved”.

Yekini Continues from BP chances by the Eagles attacking trio of Ideye, Oduamadi and Ahmed M u s a .

Ideye was the main culprit not having enough to offer against a Kenya defense that was jittery and uncoordinated in the opening minutes of the match.

Ayo, schooling in Nairobi was a study in nerves visiting the gents intermittently even as the Kenyans made some sporadic moves. ” Oga you know that if they score us now, it is finished. We just have to score first. In fact one goal is not enough. We should have scored two

by now. Ah Yekini, may his soul rest in piece.....” he screamed.

The Eagles attack did not also benefit support services from the midfield of Mikel, Onazi and Mbah, who although had the control of the midfield did not penetrate effectively deciding instead to spray the passes around.

Just when Nigerians had settled down for a possible draw, Ahmed Musa went solo, darted after a clearance from his defense line outpaced Brian Mandela in the Kenyan rear before lobbying the ball over goalkeeper Ochieng for the all important strike.

52— Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

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FRENCH OPEN

Serena sets up Sharapova final M ARIA Sharapova will have to end a nine-year losing streak against Serena Williams if she is to take home a second successive French Open title. The world’s top two players reached the final in contrasting fashion, with Sharapova battling for two hours and 10 minutes to see off Victoria Azarenka 6-1 2-6 6-4.

Williams, meanwhile, routed last year’s runnerup Sara Errani 6-0 6-1 in only 46 minutes to reach her first final at Roland Garros since she won her only title in 2002.

With an obvious difference in power between the two, there was always a concern it could be a horribly one-sided match, and so it proved.

Williams has been in superb form, with this win her 30th in a row since a firstround defeat here last year,

•Sharapova

and has won 73 of 76 matches.

Errani simply could do nothing to counter the power coming from the other end of the court, with her serves dispatched back past her before she could move.

The Italian won only eight points in the first set, and had managed just 10 when Williams moved 3-0 up in the second.

The American had looked a little shaky in her quarter-final on Tuesday, fighting back from a break down in the decider to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova, but she was a woman on a mission.

Errani finally got on the board in the fourth game of the second set, raising her arms aloft, but she had little to celebrate as Williams swiftly reeled off the next three games, dropping just 18 points and finishing with her fifth ace.

•Serena

Bolt, Sanchez to present winners trophies

S

IX-TIME Olympic champion Usain Bolt and eight-time Grand Slam champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario will present the men’s and women’s winners’ trophies at the French Open this weekend.

The French Tennis Federation said Thursday that Sanchez Vicario, who won the French Open three times, will be alongside FFT president Jean Gachassin at Roland Garros on Saturday to hand either Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova the trophy.

Gachassin and Jamaican sprinter Bolt will do the same after Sunday’s men’s final.

In today’s men’s semifinals, top-ranked Novak

Djokovic faces seven-time champion Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga takes on David Ferrer.

•Bolt

54 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7,

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2013

Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 — 55

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Eagles down on FIFA rankings

A

FRICA Champions Nigeria were surprisingly three steps down on the monthly FIFA Rankings released

yesterday by the world football governing body as they dropped from

Continues on page 54

Yekini resurrects in Nairobi

BY PAUL BASSEY

N

IGERIA’S prolific goal scorer Rashidi Yekini, resurrected Wednesday at the Kasarani Sadium in Nairobi.

The late football star popularly known as “ goals father “ was sorely missed by Nigerian student Ayo Aderibigbe

who believed that Rashidi Yekini would have made a difference in the m a t c h . ” Oga I am sure that you will agree with me that if Rashidi Yekini was playing today, Kenya would have been two goals down by now” The exclamation came as a result of fluffed Continues on page 54

GRIT TY: Nnamdi Oduamadi fights for possession against a Kenyan defender during the 2014 World Cup qualifier in Nairobi on Wednesday. Nigeria won 1-0.

I had a point to prove to Keshi — Musa A

FTER Ahmed M u s a ’ s immaculately chipped goal helped Nigeria win the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Kenya on Wednesday, he is pushing for a starting place in the Super Eagles squad for the FIFA Confederation Cup. The Russian league

Continues on page 54

•Musa

Keshi: It’s not yet finished

C

OACH Stephen Keshi has warned that the task of

PUZZLE

not yet finished Nigeria on Wednesday defeated the

Harambee Stars 1-0 in Nairobi, to stretch their Continues on page 54

QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

qualifying the Super Eagles for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Bomb-hole (6) 5 Parade (6) 9 Obscure (5) 10 Combined (6) 11 Talisman (6) 12 Mature (5) 14 Pip (4) 17 Aged (3) 18 Apiary (4) 20 Eject (5) 22 Ship (5) 23 Bullfighter (7) 24 Company (5) 26 Singer (5) 29 Deer (4) 30 Girl’s (3) 32 Cupola (4) 33 Loaded (5) 35 Unfastened (6) 36 Pool (6) 37 Stitched (5) 38 Torment (6) 39 Lustfully (6)

DOWN 1 Rough (6) 2 Slumbering (6) 3 Always (4) 4 Wireless (5) 5 Raged (5) 6 Thin (4) 7 Gamin (6) 8 Stagger (6) 13 Delighted (7) 15 Additional (5) 16 Storehouse (5) 18 Engaged (5) 19 Poison (5) 21 Edge (3) 22 Fate (3) 24 Even if (6) 25 Speaker (6) 27 Bowed (6) 28 Cure (6) 30 Hell (5) 31 Repulse (5) 33 Minus (4) 34 Naked

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

How to Play Sudoku

ACROSS: 4, Essay 7, Rocket 9, Art 10, Rep 12, Gorse 13, Emit 15, Arson 17, Petrol 19, Earl 20, Later 22, Vim 24, Minimum 27, Pad 28, Seedy 31, Kiwi 33, Metted 35, Scene 37, Till 38, Villa 39, Tap 41, Era 42, Delete 43, Unite.

THE VIGILANTE

DOWN:

1,

e-mail: rowolove@yahoo.co.uk

P

lace 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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