40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
Impeach govs who abuse state police, if created —Saleh BY INNOCENT ANABA
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INSTALLATION: From left: Vice- President and Chairman, Planning Committee, Mr. Tayo Adelaja; Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo; President, Rotary Club of Gbagada, Dr. Bayo Windapo and Past President, Rotary Club of Gbagada, Dr. Tayo Lawal, during the installation of Windapo, in Lagos.
Mr. Victor Gotevbe, Administration Manager, Vanguard Media Limited (right), paying homage to Okorefe I, Ovie of Agbarha-Otor, moments after the installation of the royal father in his palace.
O address the mis givings and fears being expressed by opponents of state police, Senator Mohammed Saleh, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, yesterday, called for the impeachment of governors who would abuse state police, if eventually created. He also blamed the state governors’ over reliance on the federation account for not doing enough to resolve the problem of settlers and indegines in the country. He spoke at the on-going Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, conference, in Abuja. The debate over state police, was, again rekindled at the conference with Senator Saleh supporting its creation, arguing that same should be created to perform limited functions. Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, also supported state police, arguing that not creating same was simply playing politics with the issue. Similarly, Prof Isawa Elaigwu, who spoke on
The Security of the State: An Imperative for National Development, said Nigerians should get over the arguments on both sides, as it would be in the interest of the country for the creation of state police. They all spoke at the Armed Forces Lawyers Forum. Senator Saleh, Congress of Progressive Change, CPC, Kaduna Central, said: “The state police can be created and
Nigeria to host BWI regional confab BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG
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IGERIA will be hosting the second edition of the Building and Wood Workers International, BWI, Regional Conference. The conference, scheduled for Abuja between September 2 and 7, 2012, will be attended by workers in the construction, civil engineering, furniture and wood sector in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The theme of the con-
BY ISHOLA BALOGUN
HE Minister for Ag riculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has urged Nigerian universities and other institutions of higher learning to wake up to reality in order to play crucial roles in the nation’s agricultural transformation agenda. Delivering the 2012 Annual Lecture of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba- Akoko, in Ondo State, Adesina posited that universities had a crucial role to play He said: “Universities, and especially faculties of agriculture, need to wake up to the reality around them. Agriculture is changing rapidly. “Today, only countries that move into commercial agriculture and agriculture as a business have a chance to compete. We must change the way we train students, what we train them on and what we prepare them for. "We must retrain our C M Y K
students to become job creators, not job hunters. The faculties of agriculture and the universities of agriculture need to change their curriculum to be in line with the realities of the labour markets and prepare students with practical technical and business skills they need to set up agribusinesses. “This will require link-
ing of the faculties of agriculture and business administration to set up agribusiness entrepreneurship centres. These centres should be used to provide technical farming skills as well as agribusiness management skills for young commercial farmers.” Tracing the main reasons for the low level of use of modern agricul-
tural technologies to lack of a functioning agricultural extension system, the minister said the extension system must be fixed as the extension to farmer ratio in Nigeria was 1:20,000 which is 20 times below the global best practices. According to him, the institutional support system to support farmers is also critical.
Rotary harps on peace, conflict resolution BY LAJA THOMAS
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OTARY Club of La gos has emphasized the importance of peace, conflict prevention and resolution at home, work place and every facet of life, to promote understanding and build a better society. This was the summation of the club at a lecture it organised for traders at Araromi Sangrouse
Market, with the theme: Achieving peace in commercial relationship through conflict prevention and resolution. Addressing the traders, Rotn (Mrs) Modupe Sasore, Chairman, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Rotary Club of Lagos, said: “In every type of relationship, be it commercial or personal, we require orderliness, understanding and love to relate successfully with
one another, to ensure peace in our lives, community and nation. “It is only when we are right in our relationship with one another that we can enjoy peace in our daily interactions and consequently in the society.” She noted that “peace can be equated with security, well being and tranquility in one’s life and interaction with others.”
ference is: Building and Advancing Workers Power in Construction and Forestry Sector. Speaking on the conference, the PresidentGeneral of the National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers, NUCECFWW, an affiliate of BWI, Comrade Samuel Adeoye, said the conference was an opportunity for employees in the industry to brainstorm on the challenges confronting them in the region.
Ex-NDDC boss eyes Defence Ministry portfolio
Minister tasks varsities on agric F transformation T
made to perform limited functions. In this case, if there is abuse of same by the governor, he should be impeached by the House of Assembly and if the House fails to impeach a governor who abuses state police, federal might should step in and restore order.” He blamed the problem of settlers/indegens in the country on over reliance of state governors on federal allocation from oil revenue instead of taxes.
ORMER chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Amb. Sam Edem, who last June won a long-drawn legal battle against a Warri-based herbalist, may be considered for the vacant portfolio of defence minister, according to reliable sources. A group known as Friends of Sam Edem had gathered in Lagos recently to celebrate the landmark judgment that upheld Edem’s claims that he loaned Sonoma, the said sum to execute a business not as payment for services ren-
dered to the diplomat as claimed by the accused. The herbalist was convicted by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the federal High Court, Abuja division on June 26, 2012 for contravening section 7 (2) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences Act 2006, thus ending the traumatic experience of the former NDDC boss who had been in limbo since he left his post over the controversy. Amb. Edem’s friends are relieved that his victory at the court has vindicated their friend who is now free to aspire to any political office of his choice.
NIMET's rainfall prediction faulted Abubakar Makarfi, in
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BUJA—A group, known as the North-South Alliance for Good Governance, has faulted the annual Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, SRP, by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for this year. In a statement by the National Coordinator of the group, Kayode Babalola and Secretary,
Abuja, the group said the prediction by NIMET was inaccurate, revealing the incompetence of staff of the agency. It said: ”In recent times various parts of the country have experienced flooding that has claimed several lives, destroyed property and rendered many homeless even in areas that are not prone to flash floods."