www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 10 No. 34 Thursday, February 14, 2013 Rabiul Akhir 4, 1434 AH N150 . . . putting the people first

Members of National Assembly from Borno ANPP at the Lagos Governor's Lodge, in Asokoro, Abuja, in solidaritywith the state Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, during Tuesday’s merger meeting by 11 opposition party governorsin support of the new party All Progressive Congress (APC).

10 burnt todeath in Kano

auto crash>> PAGE 5>> PAGE 4>> PAGE 3

Jonathan commendsBuhari’s support forcentenary

Media black out forMurtala Mohammed’s

anniversary

US snubs Nigeriaover rights abuses

BUYING SELLING

$ 154.74 155.74£ 240.93 242.48EURO 208.77 210.12CFA 0.298 0.318RIYAL 41.26 41.52

BUYING SELLING

EURO 208 210£ 254.50 257.50RIYAL 42 43$ 157 158

CBN RATES

PD INDEX 13th Feb., 2013

PARALLEL RATES

By Julius Ogar & Joy Baba

Katsina State House ofAssembly has given the goahead to people in eleven

local government areas in thesouthern part of the state,popularly called Karaduwa toseek for a new emirate and breakaway from Katsina emirate

council.The State House of Assembly

gave the go ahead while makingefforts to enact a law to supportthe transfer of seven localgovernment areas under KatsinaState to Daura emirate council.

The move to enact the lawfollowed a unanimous adoption ofa motion moved by the minority

leader of the house, AlhajiAbdullahi Ibrahim Mahuta,which was seconded by HaliruAtiku Bakori.

The proposed localgovernment areas to be cut out ofKatsina Emirate, include Kankia,Ingawa, Kusada, Bindawa, Mani,Mashi and Dutsi which arecurrently under Daura

Senatorial zone.The sponsor of the bill noted

that the people of the affectedseven local governments havesimilar culture and norms withthe people of Daura hence themove to merge them with theirbrothers.

Announcing the resolution ofthe house, the Speaker, AlhajiYa’u Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, noted

Contd on Page 2

War in Mali

Contd on Page 2

The United States iswithholding support fromNigerian troops in Mali

over alleged human rights abusesin Borno, Yobe and other states ofthe country where soldiers havebeen deployed on joint securityoperations to contain insurgency.

Nigeria is participating in theAfrican-led International SupportMission in Mali (AFISMA) meantto flush out rebels and rescue thecountry from total breakdown oflaw and order.

A highly placed source amongthe Nigerian contingent in Mali,stated that the US has named fiveWest African countries including:Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Maliand Nigeria as countries wherethere are violations of humanrights by military personnel.

As a consequence, the US hasrefused to fund, kit and equipsoldiers from countries in its listwho are participating in AFISMA.Findings indicate that the USblacklisted Nigeria followingreported cases of gross human

Daura Emirate to get 7 more LGAsKatsina Assembly Approves Break up of EmirateCouncilsFrom Lawal Saidu Funtua, Katsina

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-10

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-18

Business 19-22

S/Exchange 23

S/Report 24-25

Earth 26-27

Update 28-29

The Peoples Daily wants tohear from you with any news

and pictures you think weshould publish.

You can send yournews and pictures to:

letters@peoplesdaily-online.compictures@peoplesdaily-online.comcontact@peoplesdaily-online.com

Phones for News:070-3775636409-8734478

‘Bauchi Assembly’llintensify oversight this

year’, Page 37

WE WANTTO HEAR

FROM YOU

Tribute 30

Int’l 31-34

Newsxtra 36

Politics 37-40

Sports 41-46

Leisure 47

Columnist 48

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013PAGE 2

rights abuses including arbitraryarrests, detentions and extra-judicial killings in Borno, Yobe,Kano and other parts of thecountry where soldiers aredeployed on joint internal securityoperations.

Reacting to these and otherallegations, The ECOWAS FieldCommander, Gen SU Abdulkadir,denied online reports that Nigeriantroops in Mali were starving andwere being fed by the locals.

Abdulkadir said, instead, theMalians were impressed with theperformance of the Nigeriantroops and donated a cow to themin appreciation.

In a chat with ourcorrespondent, the Director of

Defence Information (DDI), Col.Mohammed Yerima said theUnited Nations is not funding anycountry involved in AFISMAseparately.

According to the DDI, “UN isto fund ECOWAS while ECOWASin turn will fund the troops in Malitogether" adding that "there is noisolation in their funding".

He further said that at thebeginning of the operation,ECOWAS sought initial fundingfrom UN but because of theexigency of the situation, ECOWASasked each country to prepareinitial funding for three months fortheir troops which Nigeria did andthereafter, UN will step in.

In a related development,Defence Headquarters said it has

US snubs Nigeria over rights abusesContd from Page 1

N150bn pension fraud: Senate, Jonathanfor showdownBy Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The N150 billion fraudallegation levelled againstthe Chairman of the

Presidential Task Team on PensionReform, Abdulrasheed Maina,yesterday heightened thelingering rift between thePresidency and the legislature assenators recalled with anger theserial refusal of President GoodluckJonathan to obey the resolutionsof the National Assembly.

On this basis, the Senateunanimously mandated federalgovernment to immediatelydismiss Abdulrasheed Maina fromthe public service of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria and disengagehim from all acts related to publicduty, failure of which the Senateis prepared to drag stamina withthe Presidency.

The Senate which also orderedthat Maina be subjected toinvestigation and prosecution,pointed out that the senate hasbeen pushed to the wall, and istherefore ready to bite whoeverthat is backing Maina's corruption.

The Senators while taking turnsto lambast Maina for dragging inthe mud the name of the senate bybluffing the invitation to a publichearing to defend himself publiclyover the N150 billion, also regrettedthat despite the hands of fellowshipwhich they have extended to thePresident Jonathan in the interestof the nation's young democracy,what it has got in return is hostilityand disdain.

The senators, pointing out thatthis does not augur well with theyoung democracy, observed thatif the trend of Presidency shieldingsome corrupt individuals is nottackled, Nigeria will not moveforward.

Suming debate on the motionseeking Maina's dismissal, whichwas moved by the Senate Leader,Victor Ndoma Egba, PDP CrossRiver, and seconded by the entire108 senators in upper chamber,the President of the Senate, DavidMark, threatened that despite thedepth of Maina's fraud and thepersonalities involved in it, everyculprit must be prosecuted.

While emphasising that theSenate does not care who is backingMaina, the Senate President offered

the Presidency to choose betweenMaina and Senate, saying no bodyis bigger than Nigeria democracy.

"...when we react,Nigerianswill appreciate the steps that wehave taken.So I don’t think thatwhat we have done is out ofplace,we gave him enough timeand he crucified himself.

" He is wanted by the police,now, whether the police is seriousor not in looking for Maina is thenext step we are going to takebecause Maina cannot be briefingthe press somewhere and thepolice will say they cannot findhim.Let me assure you that theSenate has the teeth to bite and itwill bite when it is time tobite.Nobody will be spared, we arenot short of ideas," Mark stated.

Speaking ealier, the Leader ofthe Senate, Victor Egba, narratedthat the Joint Committee set upby the Senate to investigate thefraud in the Nigerian pensionmanagement, had heldcommittee and PublicInvestigation Hearings for sevendays and according to Section 5 ofthe legislative houses (Powers andPrivileges) Act, invited Maina tocome and give account of hisstewardship, but he snubbed thecommittee.

He added that for refusal ofMaina to appear before thecommittee, the Senate Presidentinvoked the powers of the senate tocompel his appearance by issuinga warrant of arrest on to InspectorGeneral of Police.

He regretted that the InspectorGeneral of Police has up till now,refused to honour and execute thewarrant as issued by the SenatePresident.

Speaking in the same vein, thechairman of the Senate JointCommittee on Establishment andCivil Service, Aloysius Etok, whochaired the senate committee toinvestigate the pension fraud, saidthat while Maina was in Abujaclaiming to have paid pensionersall their entitlement, names ofmany pensioners are missing in hispensioners list, adding that theN1billion he claimed to gave spentin acquiring bio data capturingmachine for pensioners wasfraudulent.

"He never did any verificationas he claimed. He is a blackmailer,a pathological lier, he has noeducation in the rules of civilservice," according to Etok.

Moreover, the Deputy SenatePresident, Ike Ekwerenmmadu,said the senate has spiritual dutyto cleanse society of lawlessness,lamenting that previousresolutions by the NationalAssembly in general are mostlyundermined by the executives.

Senator Olusola Adeyeye, saidit is a treasonable felony for aDeputy Director in the ministry ofinterior to spun Senate invitation,adding that the President mustpunish this crime if he believes thatthe legislature is the engine roomof democracy.

Gorge Akume, argued that

increased the number of Nigeriantroops to the African-ledInternational Support in Mali(AFISMA).

A statement signed by the DDIin Abuja yesterday said DefenceHeadquarters has deployed a totalof 724 troops, made up of 300Nigerian Air Force personnel and424 Nigerian Army personnel atthe moment.

According to the statement,"Also deployed are heavy weapons,ammunition, vehicles andequipment", adding thatNigerian Air Force assets in theoperation include two Alpha jetsand one MI35 which will provideinterdiction and close air supportto ground troops based in Niamey,Niger Republic.

that the request of the lawmakercould not materialize without alegal framework that would backthe action of the House.

The move, according to thesponsor of the bill, would requirethe funds deducted from theseven local governments to beremitted into the coffers of DauraLocal Government.

However, our correspondentgathered reliably that two moreemirates councils would be carvedout from Katsina Emirate whichwould include one in Dutsin-maand another in Karaduwa zone.

Katsina Assemblyapproves breakup of EmirateCouncils

Contd from Page 1

institutions are bigger thanindividuals, asking what powersdoes a deputy director has to override the powers if the senate if nitbacked up by the Presidency.

Meanwhile, the senate alsopassed a resolution ordering theInspector General of Police,Abubakar Ibrahim, to appearbefore its committee on PoliceAffairs, to give explanation on whyhe refused to produce Maina at thetime directed by the Senate.

Against this background, Marksaid, "When I signed the warrant,Maina of course didn’t show up andthen I called the chairman of policeaffairs and said he should go andwarn the Inspector General ofPolice that he would be on the firingline if he does nothing aboutMaina.I think then,they declaredMaina wanted but even afterdeclaring him wanted,Maina wasstill still talking.

"Yes,he was still talking andsaid he was in his house and I calledthe IGP this time around and saidMaina said he is in his house andhe narrated what happened. Hesaid he sent his men from the ForceCID to go to his house and thatwhen they got to his house, Mainawent out through the back doorand that they had lay a siege inMaina’s house.

"The reason why I am sayingall these things is that there are alot of characters in this countrywho are just pathological liars andthey are professionalblackmailers," Mark stated.

IGP ordered to appear before Senate

FG uncovers ghost workers in federal civil serviceBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

Federal Governmentyesterday said it hasdiscovered 45, 000 ghost

workers from 251 MinistriesDepartments and Agencies ofgovernment under the integratedPayroll and Personal Informationsystem, (IPPIS).

Minister of state for Finance,Yerima Ngama disclosed this whilebriefing State HouseCorrespondents after the FederalExecutive Council meeting.

Ngama who disclosed that theIPPIS was introduced to enhanceefficiency in personnel costplanning and budgeting as

personnel cost will be based onactual verified number and notestimates.

Government has so far undertaken staff auditing in 215Ministries, Departments andAgencies, MDAs and audited153,019 staff as at January, 2013.

He disclose that 321 MDAs areyet to be captured on the IPPIS ,adding that government has alsoestablished the Treasury SingleAccount as a unified structure ofgovernment bank account thatgives a consolidated view of thecash position. 92 MDAs arecurrently on TSA, 97 Abuja basedMDAs will be added by March2013.

The Ministry is tasked withefficient Micro economicmanagement, mobilization offund for the real sectordevelopment and introduction ofstructural reforms that willenhance creation of jobs.

Ngama stated that it also hasresponsibility for Fiscalconsolidation, Budget composition,increase revenue generation andthe building of buffers to take carefinancial crises

He noted that the Ministry forthe first time broke the jinxsurrounding late preparation ofbudget as the 2013 budget waspresented at a record time, inSeptember, 2012.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 PAGE 3

Media black out for MurtalaMohammed’s anniversaryThe 37th anniversary of the

death of General MurtalaMohammed was

conspicuously bypassed by all ofthe national dailies in the countryyesterday.

Gen. Mohammed wasassassinated in a coup plot onFriday, 13 February, 1976,exactly 37 years yesterday.

Nigeria’s fourth Head of States wasassassinated on his way to office inthe then capital city of Lagos.

However, the anniversary didnot receive a mention in theNigerian media yesterday.

Even President Good LuckJonathan had only madestatement about the anniversaryof the great hero of Africancontinent through his social mediachannels, equating late

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule Mohammed’s famous speech of“Africa Has Come Of Age” with thevictory of the country’s nationalteam.

The statement reads: “Todaymarks the 37th anniversary of thedeath of General Murtala RamatMohammed, the great patriot whopaid the ultimate price for Nigeria.I urge all Nigerians to rememberthe life and times of this hero ofNigeria who proved the truism in

By Umar Puma and IkechukwuOkaforadi

Crisis in APCover partylogo

Nigeria Inter-ReligiousCouncil (NIREC), haswarned that terrorism and

its attendant problems hasassumed frightening dimensionsthreatening the cordialrelationship between the two mainreligions in the country therebyworking against national unityand cohesion.

The body stated this in acommuniqué issued at the end oftheir two day first quarterly

meeting held in Uyo, Akwa Ibomstate.

The communiqué jointlysigned by the Sultan of Sokoto andthe President General, NigeriaSupreme Council for IslamicAffairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar andPresident, Christian Association ofNigeria (CAN) Pastor AyoOritsejafor, outlined that peaceand security were necessaryingredients for the sustenance ofdemocratic principles andeconomic development of thecountry.

From Mike Etim, Uyo It reiterated its appeal topolitical, religious and traditionalleaders in the country at all levelsto desist from making offensive andinciting comments capable ofheating up the polity.

To forge peaceful co-existenceamongst both religions, the bodyappealed to both Muslim andChristian leaders to makeconcerted efforts to reach out to thecitizenry in order to dissuade themfrom intolerance whilerecommending interfaithdialogue amongst adherents of

Terrorism has assumed frightening dimension – NIRECboth religions.

The body further stressed theneed for the Police CommunityRelations Committee to beestablished where they do notpresently exist to strengthensecurity and peaceful co-existence.

On the review of theconstitution, the body appealed tothe National Assembly to let thewill of the people prevail in theexercise and urged the assemblyto make laws that would ensurethat no Nigerian is made a

the maxim that people may diebut ideas never die.

“But perhaps most prophetic ishis speech at the Organization ofAfrican Unity (OAU) in Januaryof 1976 where he said ‘Africa HasCome Of Age’. Almost 37 years tothe day, all Nigerians celebrateour victorious Super Eagles who toparaphrase Murtala’s words,proved that Nigeria ‘has come ofage’.”

“settler” anywhere in thecountry.

The body said it regrets theextent at which corruption hadeaten into the country and urgedgovernment at all levels to put inplace strategies that would ensurethat corrupt people are severelypunished.

NIREC condemned the killingof the health workers in Kano stateand that of three Korean Doctorsin Potiskum, Yobe state as well asthe vicious attack on the Emir ofKano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

There are strong indicationsthat a crisis is brewing in thenewly formed All

Progressives Congress (APC), overthe choice of party logo, in additionto the inclusion of part of the logo ofAll Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA).

It would be recalled that beforenow, the leadership of APGA hasbeen at loggerheads, over itsinclusion in the merger thatformed APC.

While Sadiq Massalla lednational executive council of APGAalleged to be backed by GovernorPeter Obi of Anambra statedisassociated itself from the merger,Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imostate, insisted that the original APGAis body and soul in the merger,describing Peter Obi's faction of APGAas an extension of PDP.

Briefing journalists yesterdayafter the caucus meeting of thenew APC in Abuja appeareddeadlocked, the national publicitysecretary of Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN), Lai Mohammed,said APGA pulled out of themeeting to consult with theirleadership over the inclusion ofpart of its symbol in the logo.

He explained that it will not beproper to adopt part of APGAsymbols in the new APC logo, hencethe party is factionalised.

"We cannot subject our newAPC to litigations, if we includepart of their symbol, they can takeus to court," he stated.

Lai, admitted that the new APCstill has a long way to go inbecoming a full-fledged politicalparty, adding that in view of this,the caucus has agreed to constitutecommittees to handle issuesrelating to logo, INEC guideline,constitution and manifesto.

He added that as part of theINEC's guideline, the APC caucusagreed that each party shouldwrite to INEC, indicating theirinterest to join the merger.

Meanwhile, the meeting willcontinue Tuesday next week forfurther deliberations on the APGAissues.

Among the dignitaries thatattended the meeting were Gov ofOsun state, Rauf Aregbeshola,former Governor of Kano state,Ibrahim Shekarau, ANPP Board ofTrustees Chairman, Ali ModuSherif, many opposition Senatorsand House of Reps Members.

Mohammed SuleimanAshafa, who was indictedby the Federal Govern-

ment in 2003 for recruiting andmoving some Nigerian youths toNiger Republic and Pakistan fortraining as members of Al-Qaedahas alleged that the statementtendered in evidence against himwas doctored by the State SecurityService (SSS).

Ashafa is standing trial beforeJustice Adamu Bello overallegations of being a member of aterrorist group and also involved

in training of suspected Al Qaedamembers in terrorism act.

When the matter came upyesterday, Ashafa said although thestatement has his signatureappended on it, the document wasnot his just as he expressed misgivingsover the purported statement.

Speaking through aninterpreter when asked by hiscounsel, N. C. Nwachukwu toverify the statement before thecourt, Ashafa stated: "I wrote mystatement in Hausa languagewhile the present document is inEnglish language and I do notknow English".

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin The accused person who toldthe court that he deals on Islamicbooks, told the court how he wasforced by some officers of the SSS atgunpoint to sign the presentstatement carrying his signature.

"I was tortured, humiliated,severely beaten, and was strippednaked by SSS officials in their bidto make me succumb and sign theirown version of the statement.

"One of them even held mymanhood and was mocking it”Ashafa told the court.

He disclosed further that "whenI refused to sign the statementwritten in English language, a

superior officer brought out a pistoland threatened to shoot me dead ifI refuse to sign the document. Afterthe inhuman torturing andtreatment meted out on me, atthat point, I had to sign in protest".

The accused person said hereluctantly carved into the tortuospressure of the SSS officials becausehe wanted to see his family andthe urge to stay alive.

While answering questionsfrom the prosecutor, O.T. Olatigbe,the alleged Al Qaeda memberrevealed he has been with the SSSsince 2003, till 2006, when he wascharged to court.

Terrorism: Suspect accuses SSS of tampering with statement

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, mother of the President, Mrs. Eunice Jonathan,Executive Secretary, Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Opara, and CAN official, Mr. Abba Mshelia,during a special service to mark the Ash Wednesday, yesterday at the Basilica of Grace, in Gudu District, Apo,Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013PAGE 4

10 burnt to death in Kano auto crashFrom Edwin Olofu, Kano

L-R: Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahaya, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, Chairperson of Hygeia, Mrs. Fola Olaoye,and Chairman, Health Insurance Fund, Mr. Kees Storm, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between HealthInsurance Fund and Kwara State government for the expansion of Kwara Community Health Programme, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Ten people including a one-year-old child were burntbeyond recognition in a

ghastly auto crash at Takai,Kano-Kari federal highway lastMonday night.

Our correspondent gatheredthat the incident occurredaround 11.00pm and involveda Golf car and an articulatedtrailer within the precincts of abridge near Takai, headquarters

of Takai local government areaof Kano state.

A witness who declinedidentification said the Golf carwas overtaking another vehicleat a bend close to the bridge andhad a head-on collision with thetrailer.

The source explained that"the crash triggered a fire thatburnt the two vehicles beyondrecognition", adding that "10badly burnt corpses wererecovered from the scene of the

accident". The source stated that “the

driver of the heavy duty automobile however survived withhigh degree burns, adding thathe was placed on admission atTakai General Hospital.

Confirming the incident tojournalists in Kano, the Headof Operations, Federal RoadSafety Corps, Kano Command,Malam Kabiru Nadabo, statedthat "10 persons died from theaccident".

Nadabo blamed theaccident on "a dangerousovertaking by the golf car",adding that the impacttriggered fire whichconsumed the occupants.

He revealed that "thecharred remains of thepassengers have been buriedat Takai cemetery", stressingthat "this was made possibleby cooperation of the localcouncil officials".

The attitude of FederalGovernment towardsLassa fever treatment in

the country has been decried byformer Vice Chancellor of theAmbrose Alli University,Ekpoma, Prof. DennisAgbonlahor.

Agbonlahor, a professor ofmicrobiology identified poorfunding and lack of political willas responsible for the poor efforttowards the eradication of thedisease over the years.

Speaking on the topic "LassaFever: A 44-year-old deadlyPublic Health Burden in Nigeria"at the 10th College Guest Lectureorganised by the University ofBenin College of Medical

Sciences, the former VCdisclosed that funds given byforeign donors for establishmentof Lassa fever laboratories in eachzone of the federation werecollected by some officials of theFederal Ministry of Health butnever accounted for.

He explained that Lassa feverhas claimed more lives thanmore publicised infectiousdiseases such as meningitis, HIV/AIDs, acute diaorrhea amongothers.

He said over 100,000 liveshave been lost to Lassa feverbetween 1969 and 2013, addingthat many unrecorded deathsoccurred in rural areas out ofwhich 23 states in Nigeria wereaffected in 2012 and of which 87deaths were recorded.

Don berates FGover Lassa feverFrom Osaigbovo Iguobaro,Benin

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

…as four die in Kogi crashFour persons were killed

while 11 others sustainedvarious degrees of injuries

in a ghastly motor accident alongLokoja-Okene expressway in Kogistate.

Following the kidnapping ofits Assistant GeneralManager in charge of

commercial, the managementof Maiduguri Flour Mills, Bornostate, yesterday, shut down thefactory.

Malam Umar Maisalati,was reportedly abducted at thepremises of the company, on

Maiduguri Flour Mills shut down after kidnap of GMFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

Monday evening by threegunmen, suspected to bekidnappers.

The manager was thesecond person to fall prey tokidnappers within a month asprominent businessman, AliBudum was equally kidnapped,but released after a ransom wasallegedly paid to his captors.

Since the abduction, thewhereabouts of Maisalati remainunknown, with family sources

saying contact was not yetestablished with his captors.

Similarly, the phone ofMaisalati remained switched offas several calls put to it did notgo through.

Some staff of the company,who declined identification, toldour correspondent that tophierarchy of the firm, held anemergency meeting over thematter and resolved to suspendoperations for 'security' reasons.

"Yes, it is true that due to theabduction of our top personnel,the factory has been shut downindefinitely, perhaps for oursafety. But nobody briefed us onthe reason for the closure, we justreported for duty to find thecompany under lock and key", thestaff said.

Both the state police commandand the Joint Military Task Force,(JTF), are yet to make officialcomment over the incident.

The accident which occurredat the Crusher village, anoutskirts of Lokoja, involved aToyota Hiace with registrationnumber XA 880 RRU with 15passengers on board.

According to an eye witnessaccount, the driver who was on

high speed veered off the road andsomersaulted into the bushkilling four passengers on thespot, 11 others were woundedwhile one person escaped unhurt.

Kogi state sector commanderof the Federal Roads Safety Corps(FRSC), Alhaji Garba Mohammed

who confirmed the accident toreporters in Lokoja, stated thatthree corpses were deposited at thestate Specialists Hospital, Lokojawhile the remaining one was keptat Federal Medical Centre (FMC)morgue. The injured were rushedto the FMC for treatment.

Inspector General of Police (IGP),Alhaji MD Abubakar,yesterday, ordered the

immediate redeployment of somepolice commissioners to variouscommands and formations of theforce across the country.

The deployment, whichAbubakar said "is part of on-goingefforts to reposition the force forgreater efficiency, covers both somenewly promoted officers, expectedto inject fresh ideas into the system,and other senior officers swappingstrategic command positions.

Police spokesman Frank Mbasaid: "the IGP enjoined the officersto rededicate themselves to theservice of humanity and to ensurethat no stone is left unturned inefforts at tackling violent crimes,as well as corruption in allramifications".

The Postings 1. CP Sabo Ringim - Kebbi 2. CP Musa A. Daura - Kano 3. CP Moses Saba-Ndagi -

Ebonyi 4. CP Johnson A. Ogunsakin -

Kwara 5. CP T. E. Ibitibituwa -

Enugu 6. CP Hilary Opara - Kogi 7. CP Jubril O. Adeniji -

Taraba

Policeredeploy statecommissioners By Lambert Tyem

8. CP Mohammed A.Indabawa - Oyo

9. CP Mohammed Katsina -Imo

10. CP Usman Tili Abubakar- Abia

11. CP Olufemi D.Ogunbayode - FCT

12. CP Dorathy A. Gimba -Osun

13. CP Foluso A. Adebanjo -Edo

14. CP Mbu Joseph MB -

Rivers 15. CP A.K. Shodipo - Cross

River 16. CP Patrick Dey Dokumor

- Ondo 17. CP James O. Caulcrick -

Police Detective College, Enugu 18. CP Steven Audu - Admin

‘F’ Dept. FHQ. 19. CP Wilfred Obute -

Comdt. Police College, Kaduna 20. CP Felix Uyanna -

Comdt. Police College, Oji

21. CP A. J abakasanga - Info-Tech/Admin

22. CP Ambrose Aisabor -Admin ‘A’ Dept. FHQ.

23. CP Chinweke Asadu - CPLegal

24. CP Adebayo Ajileye - CPAirport

25. CP Adams Audu - CP CTU 26. CP John Opadokun - CP

PMF 27. CP Sherifat Dusu Olajoko

- CP Port Authority

28. CP Salihu Garba - CPProvost

29. CP Mohammed J. Gana -CP SARS

30. CP Benjamin U. Onwuka- Dep. Comdt. PSC, Jos

31. CP Markus K. Danladi -Admin ‘E’ Dept. FHQ.

32. CP Ahmed Ibrahim - CPTraining FHQ.

33. CP Isaac Eke - CP Admin‘B’ Dept. FHQ

PAGE 5PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

President GoodluckJonathan yesterday saidhe was impressed by the

presence of his main opponent inthe last presidential election,Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)at the flag off of the nation’scentenary celebration held lastMonday at the State HouseBanquet Hall.

Jonathan said immediatelyhe stepped into the venue and

Jonathan commends Buhari’ssupport for centenary celebrations

saw Buhari, he was impressed.The President said that

informed his decision to askBuhari to join him in lightingthe Centenary Torch.

“When the celebration waspackaged and that day when Igot there, I was impressed whenI saw the former Heads of Stateespecially General Buhari.

“He came that day and thatwas why I said the two of usshould light the Unity Torchand I think it was something

nice”.The President recalled that

when the Federal Governmentcame up with the idea ofcelebrating the nation’scentenary in a big way, thedecision attracted a lot ofnegative statements with manywondering while celebratingamong crisis.

He said the way the flag-offwas however packaged showedthat Nigerians needed tocelebrate.

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

L-R: Sokoto state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Kabir Danbaba,and Zamfara state Deputy Governor,Malam Ibrahim Wakkala, during the visit by governor Wammako to the Emir, yesterday in Gusau. Photo: NAN

Politicians, traditionalrulers and citizens in Kebbistate are living in fear

having allegedly receivedthreats through text messagesfrom members of the BokoHaram sect.

Speaking to our reporteryesterday in Birnin Kebbi, apolitician and one of the

Kebbi residents in fear as ‘Boko Haram’ threat SMS spreadFrom Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

“Initially, when we came upwith the idea of celebrating ourcentenary, there were so manynegative statements in themedia. There were manyNigerians questioning why wehave to be celebrating amidstcrisis. They claimed that ourunity has never broughtdevelopment.

“But finally, when thecelebration was packaged andthat day when I got there, I wasimpressed myself,” he said.

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

An unidentified young manarmed with charmsyesterday morning was

apprehended inside the Alaafin’spalace in Oyo town.

The man with tribal markswho looked stern andaggressive, according to apalace source was said to havesecretly gained entrance intothe palace on Tuesday, around6:00am through the fence.

The source stated thatimmediately the criminalsuspect jumped down into thepalace, security personnel whowere on foot patrol noticed astrange movement, and trailedthe unknown person.

The yet-to-be-identified

Man with charms arrested inside Alaafin’s palaceFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

Defamation:ex-KatsinaSSG re-arraigned,gets bail

Another twist was added tothe lingering litigationbetween the Katsina state

government and a formersecretary to the stategovernment, Alhaji MustaphaMuhammad Inuwa, as thelatter was, yesterday re-arraigned before ChiefMagistrate Court 2 in Katsinafor alleged injurious falsehoodand defamation of character.

The re-arraignment of theformer SSG was sequel to hisapplication over alleged biasagainst a Chief MagistrateCourt 1 presided by MagistrateKabir Shu’aibu where he wasearlier arraigned.

At the re-arraignment, thecourt told the ex-SSG that hewas brought before it due tosome alleged statement hemade in Daily Trust newspaperstory of Tuesday 24 July 2012and in a BBC HausaService interview of 26 July2012 which were alleged to befalse and defamatory to thestate government.

In the said stories it wasalleged that the accused hadmaliciously attacked the stategovernor, Alhaji IbrahimShehu Shema and hisgovernment for allegedlyexecuting projects that haveno benefit to the people of thestate.

It was also alleged that theaccused allegedly attacked thegovernment in the two storiesover alleged wasteful buildingof an Olympic size stadium anda new Government Houseproject and the allegedsecuring of a loan by thegovernment to build 350housing units in Abuja.

However when the chargeswere read to him, Inuwapleaded not guilty to thecharges and filed a bailapplication to the courtthrough his counsel, Mr. ErnestOgunnadike. However the bailapplication was opposed by thecounsel to the state governor,Mr. Uyi Ugunma who arguedthat it was not properly tabledbefore the court.

In his ruling over the bailapplication, MagistrateMustapha Hassan Rumaargued that a bail applicationcan be made through verbal orwritten request and it may begranted at the discretion of thecourt.

He therefore noted thatsince there were no evidencethat the accused would eitherjump bail or interfere withpolice investigation the courttherefore decided to grant himbail on the condition ofpresenting two crediblesureties and at the sum ofN100,000.

The case was howeveradjourned to the 7th of March2013 for commencement ofhearing.

man was later cornered andwhen queried by the palaceguards on what his mission was,he resorted to violence anddeclined comments.

“It was a tug of war beforethis unidentified man could beoverpowered. Initially, all

efforts to apprehend him wereto no avail, due to the charmsall over his body. But afterseveral battles, he waseventually brought on his kneesand taken to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) forfurther interrogation”.

When contacted, the Officerin charge of SARS, DSP SolaAremu, confirmed on telephonethat the suspect has beentransferred to the AtibaDivisional Police Station, as noarms and ammunition werefound on him.

recipients of the threat-sms,Alhaji Issa Usman Koko whiledisplaying the text message,Koko disclosed that they havebeen sending such messages totraditional rulers since last yearadding that security agencies inthe state are also aware of thematter.

“The call you saw I receivednow… they are the sect member(sic), they started calling me

since yesterday and I saved theirnumber, I don’t know wherethey got my phone number, theyurged me to be prepared …” hesaid.

Confirming the incident, theDivisional Police Officer of BirninKebbi division, Mr. Sani Zubairu,said the police has written to thechiefs, politicians and traditionalrulers across the state not toworry as Kebbi state police

command has planted itsoperatives on surveillance.

“We aware and the CPordered us to write to therelevant people informing themthat the state is safe, Kebbi stateis a peaceful state, I ‘don’t thinkit is Boko Haram… it could bethugs or criminals who aretrying to cause confusion in thestate. I promise you nothing willhappen, insha Allah”, he said.

Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI)has condemned in strongterms the killings of health

workers at Kauyen Alu ClinicKumbotso local government areaof Kano state during a routine polioimmunization exercise.

Secretary General of JNI, Dr.

Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, made thecondemnation when he receivedthe officials of the JournalistsAgainst Polio, Kaduna statechapter who paid him a courtesycall at the headquarters of the(JNI) in Kaduna, describing thekilling as an inhuman andunfortunate.

He said the act was barbaric

calling on the government, asmatter of urgency, to fish out theperpetrators of the devilish acts.

Dr. Aliyu also said polio hasremained one of the challengesmilitating against the wellbeingof Nigerian children and JNI ispart and parcel of thegovernment’s effort to wipe outthe polio diseases in the country.

JNI condemns killing of health workersBy Agaju Madugba

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 PAGE 7

NLC lauds Kogi workers’ hard work despite gov’s absence

The commitment anddedication of Kogi state civilservants to duty despite the

absence of the governor, CaptIdris Wada has been described asan immense contributiontowards the sustenance of histransformation agenda in thestate.

Wada was involved in ghastlyauto crash along Lokoja-Ajaokutaroad on December 28, 2012where he lost the Aide-de-camp,ADC, ASP Mohammed Idris.

The Chairman of NigeriaLabour Congress, NLC, Kogistate chapter, Comrade JamesOdaudu made this disclosureyesterday in Lokoja whenmembers of Igala Welfare

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Court decides Oyinlola’s fate March 21Engr. Adebayo Dayo, hadapproached the court seekingamongst others, the removal ofOnyinlola from office as thenational secretary of the party

Dayo had challenged thenomination of Oyinlola by theSouth West Caucus on groundthat two court judgments hadnullified the South-West zonalcongress through which theNational Secretary wasnominated.

While delivering judgmentin the case, Justice AbdulKafarati held that the action ofPDP and Oyinlola amounted tocriminal conduct and liable tobe condemned to prison for theflagrant disobedience of twosubsisting court orders.

He noted that Oyinlola is notworthy to be recognized as theNational Secretary of the partyand should vacate the office.

The court also held thatOyinlola could not have

emerged as the nominee of thePDP in view of the two courtjudgments which nullified thecongress, adding that courtorders must be obeyed whethervalid or not.

The court also beratedOnyinlola for criminal contemptof court and held that all stepstaken thereafter by theOnyinlola is a null and void.

Distraught by the speedycompliance with the court’sdecision by his party, Onyinlolaapproached the court with amotion for stay of executionseeking to delay his ouster at theCourt of Appeal.

At Tuesday proceedingswhere the court heard his motionfor stay, Engr. Oludayo Dayo,urged the court to throw awayOnyinlola’s application as he hadtreated the court with contemptand for that, does not deserve toseek for the court’s discretion atthis time.

A Federal High Court inAbuja was onTuesday asked to refuse

an application brought before itby the sacked national secretaryof the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Chief OlagunsoyeOyinlola seeking a stay ofexecution on the order of thecourt which sacked him fromoffice for treating the court withcontempt.

The court president, JusticeAbdu- Kafarati had on January11sacked Onyinlola from officewhile delivering judgment in asuit brought against him by afaction of the Ogun state chapterof the Peoples Democratic Partyand its chairman. The decisionwas instantly carried

out by the PDP which relievedOnyinlola of his appointment.

The Ogun state chapter of theparty through its chairman,

L-R: Director General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Dr. Anthony Anuforum, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources,Ambassador Godknows Igali, Professor Emmanuel Oladi, Mr. James Anderson, and Chief Executive Officer, Strategy Execution, Dr.Ndidi Nnoli Edozien, during a conference on the Application Of Meteorological Information in Weather Disaster Risk Reduction andSocio-Economic Planning, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Dayo further informed thecourt that they have a pendingapplication before the court asking it to commit Onyinlola toprison for treating the court withcontempt. He urged the court todismiss Onyinlola’s application.

On its part, PDP informed thecourt that it had complied withthe court’s judgment byremoving Onyinlola as theparty’s national secretary andwondered why it took him thislong to file for a stay of executionover an action that had takenplace.

The party also stated thatOnyinlola’s delay intransmitting the records of thecourt’s proceedings to the Courtof Appeal was an indicationthat if he gets the court to stayhis removal from office ,he willtake it forever..

The court adjourned tillMarch 21, to rule on Onyinlola’sapplication.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Association, (IWA) Kogi sportscouncil, led by its Chairman,Elder Emmanuel Akor paid hima condolence visit over thedemise of his mother.

Comrade Odaudu whoreiterated that Civil Servantsare more committed andhardworking at this tryingperiod, noted that it was theonly way to reciprocate the

positive disposition of thepresent administrationtowards civil servants.

He stressed that he woulddo everything humanlypossible to sustain the tempoof cordial relationship betweencivil servants and thegovernment for greaterunderstanding and moreproductivity.

Three gunmen, suspected tobe kidnappers, yesterdayevening whisked away the

Administrative Manager ofMaiduguri Flour Mill, BabaUmar Maisalati, eyewitness andsecurity operatives said.

Maisalati was reportedlykidnapped at about 6:15pm infront of his factory complex atJajeri Ward.

Eyewitness account revealed,the kidnappers laid ambush onhim while he was driving his carout of the factory.

“The suspected kidnappers,suddenly appeared fromunknown location with rifles and

forced him to drive the caraway from the area’, the witnesswho declined identificationclaimed.

A source in the security circlealso confirmed the incident tonewsmen, just as he doubted thehand of Boko Haram members inthe incident.

“ It was unfortunate. I am surehe will be found becauseinvestigation has been launchedimmediately. This could not beBoko Haram related, becausemost of the kidnap victims inMaiduguri usually come out alivethis days”, said the source.

Gunmenkidnap flourmills managerin BornoFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

National President of theNigerian CooperativeWomen Alliance

(NACOWA), Dr. Esther Eka hasurged Nigerian women to pool theirresources into specialized trades,work or activity for self-reliance andrevamping the nation’s economy.

Eka stated this at theinauguration of the Bauchi StateCooperative Women Alliance(BACOWA) in Bauchi noting thatwomen have positively impactedon the Nigerian economy through engagements in various productiveventures.

She observed that the greatestchallenge facing the Nigerianwoman was the inability or lack ofinner-self to accept change.“Whatever your talent is, bring itout so that we can collectively and

individually develop it and eventake it to the next level”, Eka toldBACOWA members at theDevelopment Exchange Centre(DEC), Bauchi, venue of theinauguration.

The NACOWA president saidthat specialized trades are beingpracticed in India, Thailand,Malaysia, and other Africancountries, urging the Nigerianwomen to take their rightfulpositions in the scheme of things inthe country.

Cooperativeurges womento embracespecial tradesFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Taraba: CAN wants inter-religious council revived

Taraba State chapter of theChristian Association ofNigeria CAN has appealed

to the Taraba State Governmentto reconstitute the State Councilfor inter-religious affairs.

The Vice Chairman of theAssociation, Reverend InnocentSolomon made the appeal inJalingo at a seminar on toleranceand peaceful co-existenceorganized by the stategovernment for religious leaders,youths and womenrepresentatives.

Rev. Solomon said the need for

the reconstitution of the councilwas informed by the desire forsustainable peace anddevelopment in the state.

He said the objectives of thecouncil should includedeliberation on reported cases ofreligious conflicts with a view tofinding solution to them, offeradvisory services to governmentmatters of religious importancein order to generateunderstanding, peace andharmony while

handling such issues and to

From Yusha’u Alhassan, Jalingo

mediate on religious issues.The CAN vice chairman said

the seminar was a demonstrationof wisdom by the ActingGovernor to foster peace, unityand understanding amongChristians and Muslims in theState.

He maintained that it was forgovernments at all levels to takeproactive measures to stop crisesand attempt to neutralize thenegative consequences wheresuch crises have already takenplace.

Solomon who x-rayed thesignificance of peace as God’s giftto humanity, quoted variouschapters and verses of the holyBible to buttress his points.

On inter faith cooperation,the clergyman captured thewords of the late Gandhi of Indiawho urged the avoidance ofseven social sins against thesociety,adding that those whokill or cause harm to others forwhatever reason violates God’splan for humanity and are liablefor hell fire.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013PAGE 8

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), in a group photograph with members victorious Super Eagles and officials, during the reception held for them on Tuesday night, atthe State House, in Abuja.

Members victorious Super Eagles and officials at the plenary, during a special sessionby the House of Representatives for them, yesterday at the National Assembly, inAbuja. Photos: Joe Oroye and Mahmud Isa

Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (right), in ahandshake with Chief Coach of Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi (middle), during thespecial session, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja for the victorious SuperEagles in the 2013 Nations Cup. With them is Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Hon.Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (left).

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, decorating Chief Coach of Super Eagles, StephenKeshi with CON National Honour Award during the reception for his team.

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, decorating Captain of Super Eagles, Joseph Yobowith OON National Honour Award.

PAGE 9PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Senate President, DavidMark, has blamed the Westfor generating over 80

percent of the world carbonemission, saying that thereshould be an agreement toguarantee a transfer oftechnology to Africa in helping itto mitigate the impact of climatechange..

Inaugurating the GLOBENigeria Wednesday at theNational Assembly complex,Mark, who was represented bythe Senate Deputy MajorityLeader, Abdul Ningi, regrettedthat Africa bears the greatest thebrunt in what it contributedminimally.

He assured that the NationalAssembly would help to protectthe environment, urging GLOBENigeria to be very committed intheir strive for environmentaldiplomacy so that Nigeria couldget fair treatment in

international treaties andagreement.

Mark emphasised that theenormity of environmentalchallenges in the country hasmade it imperative for sharingof knowledge, skills and buildbridges of understanding so as tostand the chance of mitigatingthe impact.

He said GLOBE Nigeria was averitable platform to poollegislative ideas, adding thatthrough mutual assistance andcooperation, a commoncountermeasure could bedeveloped against

Mark wants technology tomitigate carbon emission in Africa

L-R: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs I, Professor Viola Onwuleri; and Ministerof State for Foreign Affairs II, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, yesterday at the State House,in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye.

Hajj 2013: No Kaduna pilgrims will be deported – Makarfi

Kaduna state pilgrimsWelfare Board Overseer,Alhaji Yahuza Makarfi,

Wednesday said that God

environmental challenges.While commending the

Chairman of the SenateCommittee on Environment,Bukola Saraki, for hiscommitment toward restoringthe dignity of environment, theSenate President also pointedout that these challengesoriginate from humanactivities, adding that the ruleof law as an agent if behaviouralchange was most required now.

Also speaking, Speaker of theHouse of Representatives,Aminu Waziri, Tambuwal,represented by Uche Chinwuba,

who chairs the HouseCommittee on Environment,said that environmentalchallenges are growing indimension withoutcommensurate appropriation tothe relevant ministry to enableit tackle the challenges.

He noted that the lawmakershave a great role to play inensuring adequate environmentprotection, so that Nigeria couldtransmute along with othercountries into a green economy.

In his welcomeaddress,Chairman of the SenateCommittee on Environment,

willing, no intending femalepilgrim will be deported fromSaudi Arabia over the muharamsaga this year.

According to him, the boardwould ensure that only female

who is also the President of theGLOBE Nigeria, Bukola Saraki,said it is an affiliate of GLOBEInternational, a network oflegislators committed toaddressing the major sustainabledevelopmental challengesthrough coordinated policies andlegislation.

He added that GLOBE Nigeriawould contribute to particularlydevelop legislative process thatwould support specific policiesand programmes on pollution,erosion, flooding, climatechange deforestation amongothers.

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

pilgrims with Muharam( lawfulcompanion) would be allowed toperform the exercise as directedby the state government. .

Alhaji Makarfi disclosed in aninterview with newsmen inKaduna shortly after he receiveda delegation of a group fromSabon Gari Local Governmentwho paid him a courtesy visit.

The overseer also commendedthe support given to the board bythe group that led to the successof 2012 Hajj exercise.

He said the board wouldcontinue to work with volunteergroups so as to ensure theimprovement of Hajj operationsin the state.

In her remarks, the group’schairperson, Hajiya HajaraMuhammad Barau, saidAssociation. For Successful HajjExercise Sabon Gari Localgovernment chapter helped toeducate pilgrims from their localgovernment on hajj relatedissues.

The Nigerian Air forceInstitute of Technology(AFIT) Kaduna, has solicited

for TETFUND intervention tomeet the standard of a world classcenter of learning and research inaerospace technology,maintenance and to expand thehorizon for indigenous researchand development.

Air Vice Marshal John OlusolaOshoniyi who led the Airforceteam to the Minister of Education,Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i,said the school is seeking theminister’s directives thatTETFUND re-admits AFIT as oneof the beneficiaries of its fund.

He said the institute is alsosoliciting for TETFUNDintervention to replace obsoleteinfrastructure, trainingequipment and aids which wereacquired in the late 1970’s and toemploy qualified professionals tolecture in the school.

According to him, the Institutewhich was founded in 1977started as a technical and supplyschool and expanded to Instituteof technology (AFIT) on March12,2008, has trained over 30 officerson Aerospace and vehicles designswhile twelve officers arecurrently undergoing training atmasters degree level while sevenofficers are studying for PHDdegrees.

He said in August 2012 theinstitute signed a letter of Intent(LOI) with the institute oftechnologico de Aeronautica ofBrazil (ITA) and with the federalUniversity of Uberlandia (UFU)also in Brazil, adding that AFIThad also trained about 4,000professional military personnelfrom Benin Republic, Ghana,Niger, Sierra Leone andZimbabwe.

In her response, the Ministerof Education assured AFIT thattheir request would be examinedcritically, and once the billbecomes an Act, TETFUNDwould intervene.

Airforce Instituteof technologyseeks TetFundinterventionBy Maryam Garba Hassan

From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

Muslim faithful in thecountry have beenurged to imbibe the

legacies of Prophet Muhammad(SAW), in the interest of peace andunity in the world, especiallyamong followers of the religion.

This point was made bystakeholders at a recent dinner inAbuja, organised by Assembly ofMuslims in Nigeria (AMIN) inhonour of the prophet (SAW).

According to the stakeholders,peace and unity is clearly lackingin the world even amongthe Muslims, which does notreflect the message, life and timesof prophet, an embodiment of love,humility and peace, necessary forpromoting unity and brotherhoodamong any people.

Speaking at the event, AMINchairman, Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh,who echoed some of theexemplary accounts of theprophet while here on earth fromthe Qur’an and various verses ofthe Hadith, noted that Islam does

not promote violence, hence theneed for Muslims to stand unitedand promote peace in the world.

On his part, the guest speaker,Governor of the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN), Malam SanusiLamido Sanusi, urged fateful toalways find time to reflect on thelife and times of the prophet.

Speaking on the topic; “the Lifeand Legacies of the prophetMuhammad (SAW)”, Sanusi,who was represented by hisspecial adviser on non-interestbanking Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar,noted that today the prophetamong other things is loved andrespected among the Muslimsbecause of the legacies he leftbehind.

Stressing the need for unity,former Secretary to the FederalGovernment, Yayale Ahmed,urged all Muslims in thecountry to unite as Allah is one,and all who seek and promotedisunity must be stopped, forthere to be a peaceful co-existence among all the people ofthe country.

Muslim stakeholders advocate unity By Stanley Onyekwere

The North Central zone ofthe tax appeal tribunalhas found Amba Micro

Bank Nigeria Limited guilty oftax evasion.

The company was foundguilty by the court after almostone year of legal battle at thetribunal sitting in Jos, thePlateau state capital.

Federal Inland RevenueServices (FIRS) had dragged thebank before the tribunal inMarch last year over allegationof failure to remit tax to FIRSfor years as well as paywithholding tax for a period of

time.While delivering judgement

on the case yesterday in Jos,chairman of the tribunal,Justice Abraham Ndana Yisaafter listening to arguments bycounsels to the accused, YusufYakubu and that of the plaintiff,Nasiru Ahmed, declared thatAmba Micro Bank is guilty of thetax offence and must pay thepenalty according to tax laws.

Counsel to the defendanthowever pleaded for thereduction of the liabilities andpenalties by 50% quotingrelevant sections of the tax law.

Tribunal chairman,Yisa, accepted the plea andreduced the tax penalties andliabilities by 50%

Other cases pending beforethe tribunal were adjourned toMarch7 ,2013 for furtherhearing.

Tax evasion:Microfinancebank indicted

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013PAGE 10

Reverend Father Richard Gberikum (left), putting ash on the foreheads of children and other Catholic faithful incommemoration of Ash Wednesday, yesterday at the Catholic Pro- Cathedral, Area 3, Garki, in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Sokoto refutes NULGE president’s statement By Joy Baba

Jonathan needs patience, positivemind to succeed, says DonPresident Goodluck

Jonathan has been calledupon to exercise patience

and have a positive mind inother to carry out a successfulTransformation Agenda as wellas urging Nigerians within andabroad to support hisTransformation Agenda.

The call was made Tuesdayby the National Coordinator ofConcerned Nigeria Network inDiaspora, Erebuoye James,while addressing a pressconference in Abuja, adding that

instead of criticizing thepresident, he should be advisedon the way forward.

James warned that only theunderstanding and cooperationof all Nigerians were needed bythe president to succeed inruling Africa’s most populouscountry.

The European based human

rights and anti-corruptionactivist who led the 2010Diaspora Rally in support ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan inthe build up to the 2011Presidential Elections alsopointed out that PresidentJonathan TransformationAgenda is already yieldingresult especially in the road

construction sector where hesought out the Federal RoadMaintenance Agency (FERMA)for praise especially for itsdetermination to fix most of thepotholes bedeviling the nation.

He commended the Nigerianpolice for their swift response tosecurity challenges nationwidedespite threats to their lives and

The Sokoto state Governmenthas refuted a statementmade by the National

President of National Union of LocalGovernment Employees (NULGE)Ibrahim Khalil that governors inthe North- West zone createvacuum at the local governmentlevels by refusing to conductelections.

Rather, Sokoto State,according to the government, hasconducted council elections thrice.

This was contained in a press

statement signed by the SeniorSpecial Assistant to the Governoron media, Sani Umar in Sokoto,Tuesday.

The statement describedKhalil's coment as misleadingadding that “it shows howignorant and ill- informed he isabout the actual happenings in hisso called constituency”.

The statement further saidthat it was self serving andsycophantic for the NULGEpresident to single out one State

and then make a sweepinggeneralisation while in actual facthe lacks information about whatobtains in other States of the zonebecause he confined himself to hisoffice and chose to be an armchaircritic.

Umar also said in thestatement that Khalil is adisgruntled leader who leadswithout knowing those he leads,otherwise he would have knownthat there are other governors whoabhor vacuum and made sure it

The National Health AwarenessTeam has condemned the recentkillings in Kano of 10 poliovaccination officers, describing itas cowardly, wicked and anattempt to truncate the federalgovernment’s total commitmentto eradicate polio in the country.

Rising from an emergencymeeting in Abuja on Monday, theteam in a resolution signed byComrade Salaudeen Abdulkadirand Barrister David NonsoOkonkwo, called on the federalgovernment to probe the killingsand ensure that the perpetratorsare brought to book.

“We looked at the situationand it was devastating that theaction of these disgruntledelements may put a spanner in

CSO condemns killing in Kano By Tobias Lengnan Dapam the wheels of progress of the

exercise, as officials might refusedeployment on vaccination forfear of attacks and this couldhamper the success alreadyrecorded in fighting the disease”,it said.

The statement added that thedeceased have sacrificed and paidthe ultimate price because of theircommitment to humanity and

love of their profession. It noted that the officials were

out to ensure that Nigerianchildren receive vaccines thatwould protect them from polio,tetanus, Diphtheria, andPertussis.

The team frowned atutterances emanating from someMuslim leaders who secretlyoppose polio vaccination by

Yobe to fine erringcontractors N100,000 daily

Ailing contractors in Yobe statewill be made to pay a fine ofN100, 000 per day for failure

to complete a given contractaccording to the contractualagreement.

The state commissioner forworks, Lawan Shetima Ali, madethis known Tuesday during thesigning of a contract for theconstruction of an 8.7 kilometerroad with 8.4 kilometer drainagein the newly constructed 300housing estate along Gujba-Maiduguri ring road, Damaturu ata total cost of N1.39 billion.

The contract, according to thecommissioner, has a completionperiod of 10 dry months.

He called on the contractor,Corps Construction andEngineering Services NigeriaLimited to adhere strictly to thecontract agreement includingquality maintenance or risk losingthe contract.

He also pointed out that the finewould be deducted from sourceshould the contractor fail to meetthe contract specifications in linewith the state government’sspecifications.

The Judicial Commission ofEnquiry into Erin-Ile/Offacommunal crisis has began

sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara statecapital.

Chairman of the Commission,Justice Adeyinka Sikiru Oyinloyewhile speaking at the inauguralsitting, said the commission'sassignment was a fact-finding oneand advised counsels to avoidunnecessary technicalities thatcould cause delay.

The chairman who said histeam was given six weeks tosubmit its report said it would alsoseek the cooperation of membersof the commission and the generalpublic to ensure a peacefulconduct of its assignment.

He advised those who do nothave anything to do with thecommission's work to stay awayfrom the proceeding and avoiddistracting it.

In their responses, theCounsels to Offa and Erin-IleCommunities, Dr. Bello Shittuand Barrister MuyideenAdekoyejo Bello commended thestate government for setting upthe commission and expressedconfidence in the ability of themembers of the commission tocarry out its their assignment.

does not exist in their localGovernment councils.

The spokesman said that localgovernment in Sokoto enjoys somuch autonomy adding that it isthe synergy between the two tiersof governments that led to thedevelopment within the state thathas touched the lives of the masses.

The statement urged Khalil toname the governorsmisappropriating funds orapologise to the governors in theNorth- west for defaming them.

Offa/Erin-Ile:Commission of enquirybegins hearingFrom Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Bauchi state policecommand displayed six carsand eight motorcycles in

their custody for claim by anyonefrom the public.

A statement signed by thePolice Public Relation Officer ASP

claiming they could causeinfertility.

“We want to debunk thatclaim, as government and eventraditional rulers from the northhave come out to explain to thepeople that the vaccination is goodand has no harmful effect. It isunfortunate that till date thatmisconception is still there", theteam lamented.

Police displays 6 cars, 8 motorbikes for public identificationFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi Hassan Muhammad Auyo and

made available to newsmen inBauchi Tuesday revealed that thecommand will soon seek court orderto auction all the vehicles withintwo weeks. He said that some of thevehicles were found underquestionable circumstances andsome without registration

numbers adding that they wereeither confiscated or foundabandoned by the securitymenacross the state.

The police command,according to Auyo, is advisinganyone whose vehicle is missing,to visit the police headquarterswithin two weeks.

By Muhammad Nasir

the Niger Delta Ministry fortheir determination to rebuildthe east-west road and bring themisery of the commuters to anend as well as tackle themultifarious problems of theNiger Delta people.

PAGE 11PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013

The NBA is never just a business.It's always business. It'salways personal. All goodbusinesses are personal. Thebest businesses are verypersonal - Mark Cuban

When budgeting aids your financial goals

Quote

Think, organise your trip before rushing to buy ticket

Know yourself, your beneficiaries for a successful estate planning

Budgeting is a critical processwhich forces you to look atwhat you're spending,

where you're spending it, andthus be able to make informeddecision on where changes can bemade to meet your financial goals.Using software to track yourfinances and assets, you will getthe added benefit of being able totie it into budget planning.

Chart out all your accountsand determine what onlineservices your bank offers, as thiswill make it simplerautomatically download yourregular spending transactionsand bill payments, to beintegrated with your spending

and budget tracking.Try to switch your purchase

habits, do not make purchaseswith cash- cash spending cannotbe tracked easily with budgetsoftware - paying with a bank cardor credit card will help keep anaccurate record of where yourmoney is going.

This one habit will not onlyallow you to track and trend yourpurchases, but also providesinvaluable visibility to yourpurchases. For example, you maydiscover you spend three times asmuch on groceries, or twice asmuch eating out at restaurantsthan you thought.

After you adopt this method,

where your spending can bereduced and adjust your budgetaccordingly.

At its simplest level, budgetingis easy - you look at what youmake, you look at what you'respending, and you look at howmuch is left over to be put awayfor the future - if the numbersdon't match, it gives you a clearerprocess to shuffle your incomeaccordingly. For example, somesavings you may find arespending less on entertaining,reducing the cost of ownership ofa car with a bad maintenancerecord, or shifting your eatinghabits to home cooking instead oftakeout.

The requirements andresearch that go into theprocess of planning an

international trip can becomplicating, but you need to bewary of rushing to buy yourtickets without having gettingsome things right.

For instance, before you buythat ticket, you must make sureyou have everything organisedand have the correct date inmind; otherwise, you could be hitby a hefty fee or even a plane ticketyou can't use.

Know that at least, forinternational travel, you willneed your passport. If you havenever applied for one it can takeseveral weeks to a few monthsbefore you get it. And because youare not sure when you will receiveyour passport, it is better to holdon from buying your tickets untilyou have your passport, which ismost important in your travelpapers.

Another thing to do is to lookat available airline seats and howmuch they cost. It is advisable

that you purchase your seats inadvance as much as possible, asthis will offer the best chance ofsecuring a low-cost flight.

As the time draws near for theflight, and the seats begin to fill,the price for the remaining seatswill increase and you will end uppaying more money than before.

However, before you jump onthe first great price you find, shoparound. Internet booking agencieswill usually have the best price,but they will not always have theexact same price. There is also the

belief that more people travel atweekends because that is whenthey want to go back to theirplaces of works, home countriesafter a holiday, go for a holiday inanother country or probably toattend a conference at thebeginning of a new week.

According to Olu Ohunayo,travel analyst, "fewer people flyduring the week than at theweekend - that is Saturday orSunday. There is less demand onthe flights during the week, soairlines lower the cost in hopes of

attracting passengers. Weekend iswhen the majority of passengersfly and it could cost you moremoney than what it would cost tofly during the week. This equatesto less planes flying, which in turnmeans less expensive airfare."

Therefore, when bookingplane tickets for your coming trip,it is important to find the cheapestones possible. This will allow yousave money and put it towardyour vacation, or whatever elseyou might like to do with it.

Who are you?

Have you ever caughtyourself wondering whyyou seem to 'click'

effortlessly with some people butfind it difficult to work andcommunicate with some others?Has it ever occurred to you thatyou might be insatiable aboutacquiring money, such that youare willing to break laws or rulesto make more money? Have youever been called "a miser"? Maybe you are one who would ratherself-medicate than go see a doctorin order to save money? Do youborrow often but dodgerepayments when your lendercome calling? Perhaps, you are financiallyproactive, like taking up aweekend part-time job so that yousave up for a dream vacation orensuring that you always go intoshopping malls with a budget list,so that you keep track of yourpurchases and avoid spendingbeyond your means?

Would you rather consultwith professional advisers or haveconversations with a lot of peoplebefore taking decisions? Do youprefer to conduct your owninvestigation before coming toconclusions or you would ratherhave somebody do it for you?

Your personalityHere, I will define "personality"

simply as "a set of qualities thatmake a person distinct from

another"Our personalities develop

through a combination of naturalinstincts and life experiences:social experiences - right fromchildhood; experiences that havebeen unique to us in our lifetime;the environments within whichwe grew up and how they madeus behave.

The way you are and the wayyou deal with money define yourlifestyle. Being able to knowyourself well and clearly recognizeyour financial tendencies,strengths and weaknesses willhelp you make smarter estateplanning choices by enabling youidentify your blind spots and helpimprove your sense of control overthe planning process.

Your personalitytemperament is the window

through which you view life andthe platform on which youinteract with others. Over time,as you experience new things,your personality may alterslightly or significantly.

Proper estate planning is awhole lot more than just draftingWills. The most successful estateplans are personal in nature asthey are appropriately based onyour own goals, values, andlifestyle choices - your wholesomepersonality.

Knowing your peopleOne of the fundamentals of

estate planning is family,however yours have evolved.When an estate plan is drawn up,it is usually for the future well-being of families and loved ones.As such a responsibility is not tobe taken lightly, knowing and

understanding the personalitytypes of your family members aswell as what is important to themhas become crucial when puttingtogether a comprehensive estateplan that will cater for them inthe long-term.

An estate plan involves aplethora of issues that must bedealt with for your plan to beeffective. Whether its goalsinclude financial security for yourfamily after you die, funding post-secondary education for yourchildren or setting out asuccession plan for yourestablished businesses, you needto choose estate planning devicesthat factor in both yourpersonality and those of yourfamily - your eventualbeneficiaries.

Have you ever attended largefamily functions in Nigeria andmet with relatives whosepersonalities were really"different" or "funny"? Has yourspouse or partner everdisappointed you when a totallydifferent perspective on asituation or event than you, isexpressed? Has any action takenby your child surprised you? Willyou be happy to have these familymembers inherit all the wealthyou have acquired?

Your money personalityThe study of personality

temperament has been going onfor generations. You can deploy avariety of personality styleassessments and systems to enableyou understand your own style.Some of them include the Myers-Briggs MBTI tool, David Keirsey'sfour temperaments and theInsight Learning Foundation's

simplified and easy-to-recall four-colour personality styles, similarto Keirsey's work.

Briefly looking at Insight'sfour-colour personality of Blue,Gold, Green and Orange will giveyou a quick glimpse of your likelypersonality colour and how youhandle your financial matters:

Blue money manners:Blues value close relationships

and so people really matter tothem. They see money as life'snecessity and should be used forthe benefit of lives. This beliefdrives their spend-rather- than-save disposition and so, they bringunity to the society.

Gold money manners:Golds crave self-sufficiency

and prefer to be providers; theytherefore do all they can to stayout of financial debt. They alsoensure they prepare for the futureby setting funds aside for that.They are frugal, thrifty and bringstability to the society.

Green money manners:Green are not obsessed with the

accumulation of wealth or materialpossessions and although they wouldrather be rich than poor, they donot consider luxury as essential totheir personal satisfaction. Theyusually go entrepreneurial as theybring innovation to society.

Orange money manners:Oranges are generous but could

give away more than is prudentthereby stressing relationships.They do not appreciate the need tosave funds for rainy days. Theyprefer to spend rather than save andare seen to bring excitement tosociety.

( S o u r c e :www.moneyning.com)

track your finances for severalmonths and then revisit yourbudget - look at what you are

taking in and what you arespending, and compare it to yourfinancial goals. Look for areas

PAGE 12 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Centenary celebrationsor jamboree?

Celebrations to mark 100 yearssince the amalgamation thatcreated the country we call

Nigeria today have begun in earnestwith the centenary dinner that held atthe Presidential Villa in Abuja onMonday, Feb. 4. Although the mainevents have been scheduled to holdacross the country between now andJanuary 1, 2014, the dinner at theVilla, which was meant to unveil theCentenary Logo and theme song, havealready set the tone and mood for thefestivities. According to the plansoutlined by the government, acompletely new city would be built tocommemorate the anniversary inaddition to other gigantic projects thatcould gulp billions of naira.

Nigeria evolved following the 1884/5 Berlin Conference where thepartitioning of Africa into Europeancolonies was concretized. In 1914, thecolonial masters, at the instance of thethen Governor General, Sir FrederickLord Laggard, for administrativeconvenience, merged the SouthernProtectorate and NorthernProtectorate.

While the federal government ismaking elaborate arrangements for amemorable celebration, includingplans to spend a stupendous amountof the tax payer's money, each of the36 states of the federation isduplicating that effort, all in a bid tocelebrate a centenary that may notadd value to the quality of life of theaverage Nigerian.

Despite the claims by the organizersof the centenary that the celebrations

“We suggest that spinners ofthe centenary celebrationstake a close look at theseissues and many more in

order not to justify the fears insome quarters that

government is trying togenerate as much money as

possible to prosecute the2015 elections

would be bankrolled by the privatesector, there is public skepticism as tothe sincerity of the government. Theskeptics suspect, not without a basis,that it might as well be another whiteelephant project meant to be used bygovernment officials as conduit todivert the already depleted public funds

into private pockets.Such skepticism is borne out of our

past experience of government officialsmaking frivolous budgetary provisionsfor such events, and in the currentcircumstance, billions of naira mightwell be on their way into privatepockets.

The question on the minds of themajority of Nigerians is whether thecountry truly needs such a celebrationat a time when so many families havebeen bruised and shattered for losing

their loved ones to the insecurity inparts of the country. Are we notfooling ourselves by rolling out thedrums when many families cannoteven afford three square meals? Whenmany people go to bed hungry withouthope of getting food the next day? Theresources that will be wasted on thecelebrations, they reason, could beploughed into the agricultural sectorto, at least, encourage the productionof food for subsistence, since theefforts of government to stabilize thepower sector that could have helped toraise the economic fortunes of ruraldwellers is still a mirage.

There is the question also whether itwill not be a misplacement of priorityfor a country to celebrate its corporateexistence at a time when there areagitations for restructuring by thosewho feel they have not benefitted fromthe federal structure as it is. They feelthat what is being celebrated is acountry of unequal opportunities,where the rich get richer while the poorget poorer. Much as we do not supporta stupendous budget for the festivities,we believe this is an auspicious time toaccommodate proponents of a so-calledsovereign conference to address theirconcerns since the government isaverse to the idea. They deserve a ventto let out steam.

We also suggest that spinners of thecentenary celebrations take a closelook at these issues and many more inorder not to justify the fears in somequarters that government is trying togenerate as much money as possible toprosecute the 2015 elections.

OUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSION OUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLECHAIRMAN

MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ALI M. ALI

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION

HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

EDITOR, DAILY

ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND

JAMILA NUHU MUSA

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING

HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU

ADESOJI OYINLOLA

“To be the marketplace of ideas and theleading player in the

industry by putting thepeople first, upholdingthe truth, maintaining

the highestprofessional andethical standards

while delivering valueto our stakeholders”

“To be a reputable,profitable,

innovative andtechnologically

reliant mediacompany offering

world classservices and

products”

OUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISION

DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRUFA’I IBRAHIM

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIALORIALORIALORIALORIAL

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 PAGE 13

Corruption is like Opiatesthe bribe givers and takers arereligious Nigerians, The thievespilfering and pillaging the nation'streasury are religious Nigerians.Yes, pastors, imams and otherreligious leaders are parts andparcels of the corrupt enterprise.Since money answers all things, ithas become king above all thingsin our lives. How you come aboutyour wealth doesn't matter; it canbe baptized, renamed and you,canonized! Just bring a hefty sumfor the work of God. We legitimizethievery, at least certain modes ofit; we kill our collective conscienceand we wonder why we keepproducing leaders who are callousand unrepentant and veryreligious. We trade in fraud andstock-up corruption like treasure.Our pastors preach sermons copiedin its entirety from televangelistsor their books while claiming suchas divine revelation received asthey prayed. Our professors copy(plagiarize) other people's books andsell them as handouts to students.With the stolen intellectualproperty, we sell grades andgraduate morally inane studentsand we wonder why we produceleaders who are clueless. We bribe(un)civil servants to do the veryjob they were hired and paid to doand we wonder why the engine of

Opiates and other drugswith addictive potentialproduce effects that are

euphoric and illusory to the user,creating a false reality. Theyinhibit the ability of the individualto reason rationally and effectivelythrough the changes they work inthe brain. These substances mimicnatural substances found in thebody, acting through legitimatecommunication systems withinthe body to produce effects that aredetrimental to the user. I cannotbut see the parallel between thesesubstances of abuse and the brandsof religion that has crippled ourbeloved country, Nigeria.

Nigerians are very religious.Across the land, religious activitiesand institutions are as ubiquitousas air. In fact, religion is a necessaryaddictive to political, economicand cultural life of the country. Itpermeates every sphere ofexistence of Nigerians inside andoutside Nigeria. But everywherereligion is found among Nigerians,corruption abounds much more.Although the proof of causality willbe too onerous for this article, anassociation may be easier to adducefrom the abundance of anecdotalevidences out there.

Politically and economically,Nigeria operates in a space definedby a synthetic mixture of blackmagic, religion and vacuous

ideologies. The result is a systemthat has its moral andphilosophical underpinnings in acocktail of magical tales withreligious leanings. To illustratethis, one need not look afar. A policeofficer is a candidate for immediatedouble promotion for doing his jobespecially in the presence of theInspector-General or anyone withthe ability to effect such. Incountries where principles andorder are observed, the officer mayreceive a medal for extraordinarybravery but no promotion becausethere is a laid down procedure anda guiding principle for that.. Yes,although the principles thatinformed the procedures forpromotions are clearly stated inthe police (or for that matter, civilservice, army, bank etc)operational manual, it has nomeaning beyond the pages uponwhich they are written. There islittle wonder why the vastmajority of our compatriots prayfor double promotions - we actoutside the bounds of rationalprinciples. We act by impulse, as ifoverwhelmed by emotions to thedetriment of our capacity to reasonobjectively Due process is a sloganin Nigeria while it is a reality of lifein functional nations.

It is an accepted 'truth' within

the Nigerian religiousestablishment that leaders bothsecular and religious are 'appointed'of God. This invariably means thatsuch leaders are only answerableto God. This has led our people,leaders and followers down the pathof complacency and laziness in thefight for eternal vigilance over theinalienable rights endowed on us byour creator. We rather resort toprayers in place of vocal oppositionthat demand accountability; weturn to fasting in place of civilopposition that articulates a viablealternative. Thus, we enabletyranny and corruption; enthroneinjustice and ungodliness throughour legitimate religious acts. Noreligious leader to my knowledge isaccountable to the congregation infinancial matters. Rather, theyintimidate those who receive therevelation of accountability withheavenly curses and punishments.They teach that they areaccountable to God alone. We growup in our religious groups numbwith respect to accountability. Weare neither supposed to demand orexpect it from our leaders. This surefeels like opium.

There is a saying that theunborn Nigerian child cannot waitto get a share of the national cake.There is some truth to this because

By Victor Nwoko our government is dead, our roads,death traps, our hospitals,morgues and our aircrafts coffins.

We thrive in disorderliness andcrave darkness. Even those of usoutside the shores of Nigeria, wecrave for home in part because itaffords us the opportunity for 'legal'disorderly conduct. For us, to waitin line is not just an inconvenience,it is shameful and beneath ourperson. We love darkness becauselight will expose our deficiencies,our weaknesses and ourwickedness. Light threatens theroot of our power. In our religioushouses, we discourage reasoningand dissent because we preferuniformity to unity. Top civilservants abhor dissent from theirjuniors because they fear beingexposed as truly incompetent orclueless.

Yes! We trade in fraud andbreed corruption because we havecreated an environment whereconsciences, individual orcollective, suffocate and die. Thisenvironment subtly changes thenatural wiring of consciences likeopiates do our brains. The euphoriaof a certain quantity of bootydissipates quickly, requiringlarger quantities for the euphoriceffect. It flows down our headthrough our beards like the oilpoured upon Aaron! No wonder weare addicted to corruption.Victor Nwoko lives inPhiladelphia, USA.

The English say it is "callingspade a spade". Here, one ofthe groups in Nigeria known

for telling the truth and puttingno colour to anything it says is theGbagyi (Gwari). The Gbagyi do nothave any false pretence. They sayanything as it is. That is whyanytime people want to say thetruth without mincing words theysay in Hausa language, "Muyi taGwari - Gwari" (let us do it Gbagyi-Gbagyi style). Today I intend tosay it as it is, no matter where ox isgored. This is what this column isknown for, after all.

With regard to 2015, let us saythat President Goodluck Jonathanis going to contest. The legality orotherwise, as well as the moral andethical dimensions, will be sortedout later by the law courts. If thereis anything that gave him away,it is the interview he had withAmanpour of CNN recently. Thatinterview was able to bring out Dr.Jonathan more than anythingelse. More than anyone else, thepresident is interested incontinuing in office beyond 2015.He has made it clear by saying itas it is in body language. There wassympathy for him in 2009/10when the sick Yar'adua was dyingand the country was held toransom because there was noproper communication to makehim effectively take charge. Allthe governors and the NationalAssembly came to the rescue byusing the Doctrine of Necessity tomake him take charge and,ultimately, nature took its courseand he became substantivepresident in May 2010 with thedeath of President UmaruYar'adua.

For the 2011 presidentialelection, the PDP governors had ameeting and unanimously agreedto support him for ONE term only.That decision was taken onThursday, December 16, 2010,

and the communique was read byGovernor Shema of Katsina onbehalf of his colleagues after theyall had appended their signaturesto that decision individually. It isclear that President Jonathan hasjettisoned that agreement just ashe threw out the zoning policy ofhis party in the course of the lastelection.

The problem he has now is thathe has many things to contendwith over his 2015 ambition. One,he was supported based on trust in2011 and now he has to havesomething to show for staying foralmost six years by 2015. Two,there are 18 PDP state governorswho are in their second term nowwho would naturally want tomove on. Their support was criticalto his emergence in 2011 and,being a former governor himself,Jonathan knows that EK Clark isnot as useful to him for 2015 as the

governors that Clark is insultingnow. From the many SupremeCourt judgements too, such asMarwa vs Nyako and thecelebrated case of Boni Haruna whoinherited an election even beforehis principal was sworn in back in1999 when Atiku was elevated tobe the vice president to Obasanjoafter winning the governorship ofAdamawa, it is very clear that anystay in office of governor orpresident beyond EIGHT years isalien to the constitution. PresidentJonathan has to sort that outquickly with a competent court oflaw.

Due to the fact that fromYar'adua to date every presidentand vice president has been aformer state governor, everygovernor is seen as a potentialpresident or vice president. That iswhy, collectively, these governorsare very crucial to the whole

Saying it as it isequation. There are a couple ofgovernors who are presidentialmaterials and everybody knowsthis. The PDP structure is skewedin their favour so that they are theteeth of the party. Obasanjo andAtiku committed that original sinthat is now haunting the wholestructure of the party. Everynational officer of the party waseither brought by a governor orthe president and was adopted by"consensus" in the spirit of theparty's "family affair".

President Jonathan's mainchallenger in the last PDPprimaries was former vicepresident Atiku Abubakar. Atikuwrongly came from a "northern"consensus platform. His speech atthe convention dwelt on that"zoning" that was alreadyjettisoned by the party. Atiku isstill nursing presidentialambition but I cannot see wherehe will go in the current PDP. Thisis because I cannot see which stategovernor or even any nationalofficer of the party that is behindhim. This is just saying it as it is.Jonathan's main challenger in thepresidential election was GeneralMuhammadu Buhari. His party,the CPC, did not have a singlecouncillor then because it wasnew. Some people in his partyhierarchy also helped tomismanage the chances of theparty to get at least a couple ofstate governors, which wouldhave been a good starting point.Even Al-makura's governorshipvictory in Nasarawa in 2011 waslargely a personal one and notbased on any party popularity oracceptance, since the CPC has onlyfour state assembly members outof 24 in the Nasarawa House ofAssembly. This is just saying it asit is.

Then, there is even the sorrycase of the prisoners' dilemma inthe north. In game theory, theprisoners' dilemma is that one isenjoying at the expense of othersor one is losing because of another'sgain. Some people have beenpeddling the ridiculous falsehoodthat Buhari lost in 2011 becauseShekarau and Ribadu did notwithdraw from the race! Then,who stopped him from becomingvictorious in 2003 when hecontested against only Obasanjo?It does not necessarily mean thatif Buhari alone contested againstanother person from the south, hewould automatically win becausehe is from the north. Politics ismore than that.

Even to rig, you have to havesome level of acceptance. Buharihas paid his dues; he should restnow. Buhari is an inspirationalleader any day but he has allowedhimself to be mismanaged bypeople he is not ready to do awaywith. His main asset is hisintegrity. And, if after telling thewhole world in tears that 2011 washis last contest for the presidency,he tries to change his mind now, atover 70 years of age, it is indeedunfortunate because that integritywill take flight. That is just sayingit as it is.

The ongoing merger talksamong opposition parties are agood thing for Nigeria'sdemocracy. It will create a strongplatform capable of challengingthe PDP so that the democraticprocess will be more matured,deepened and widened. But if thatmerger is based on the ambitionof certain individuals, then, it willgo nowhere. If some people orsection of Nigeria continues to say"Nigeria sai wane!", then, God willleave them with that wane! Andeveryone knows what that means.But, hey, this is just an ordinarycitizen saying it as it is.Abba Mahmood is onwww.Facebook.com

By Abba Mahmood

“Buhari is an inspirational leader any daybut he has allowed himself to be

mismanaged by people he is not ready todo away with. His main asset is his

integrity. And, if after telling the wholeworld in tears that 2011 was his lastcontest for the presidency, he tries to

change his mind now, at over 70 years ofage, it is indeed unfortunate because that

integrity will take flight

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013PAGE 14

Super Eagles' victory: A repeat of historyPeoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text

messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All writtencontributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name anda valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed

to:

The Editor,Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza,

35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.Email: opinion@peoplesdaily-online.com

SMS: 07037756364

WRITE TO USAFCON 2013 in the Rainbow

Nation (South Africa) is nowhistory. The Super Eagles of

Nigeria won the keenly contestedtournament. Eagle's sweet andtimely victory is a repeat of 1980and 1994 victories. By thatyesterday's record, Nigeriannational team is among the fourmost victorious teams in thehistory of AFCON.

The Eagles started thecampaign on a "weak note" becausetheir first two matches endeddraws. Thereafter, they improvedwith each game. Their mostdifficult encounter was thequarter final tango with IvoryCoast. Ivorian Elephants were thetournament's favourites because ofthe quality of players in the squadand the experience of Ivorianplayers in playing majortournaments in their club inEurope and other well organizedleagues. Despite these factors, theEagles proved book makers wrongby resoundingly defeating theelephants with relative ease.Sequel to their encounter with theElephants, it became clear that theteam isn't a push-over as assumed.Super Eagles knocked off allopponents until they weredeclared winners.

After their first two matchesthe coaching crew came underheavy criticism from sportadministrators, fans andcommentators. A vote of noconfidence was almost declared on

Stephen Keshi etal. All saw his/their exit aftert h etournament asfait accompli. Atsome point,Kishi expressedhis frustrationon views ofpeople about hisperformance ina pressc o n f e r e n c e .H o w e v e r ,history has sethim freeespecially on hisdecision to dilutethe national team with localplayers. One of such local boysSunday Mba of Enugu Rangers haswritten his name in gold becausehis two goals in the tournamentwere crucial to the overall victoryof the team. Keshi's experiment

with Europeb a s e dp r o f e s s i o n a lthat their clubsare alwaysreluctant inreleasing themfor crucialn a t i o n a la s s i g n m e n t s .Similarly, it willat the sametime encouragec o m p e t i t i o nb e t w e e nplayers ongetting anational jersey.No doubt the

should have ventilating space infuture planning.

It's about time Nigeria injecttransparency in their localleague because it is now clear thatthat strategy will go a long wayin solving troubles associated

By John Danfulani

local league shall improvebecause players will give in theirbest conscious of the fact that,they have a chance to be call tothe national team irrespective ofthe local status of their league.

The NFF should begin to work

out other sources of funding theiractivities. Subventions fromgovernments are in tandem withglobal pattern of footballfinancing. Their over reliance ongovernment is boomerangingdue to political and bureaucraticbottlenecks hindering timelyrelease of finances forprogrammes and tournaments.Nigeria is a huge economy withtrans-nationals having a goodtime due to the population of thenation. The country also hasbusiness moguls who made Forbeslist of the richest people on earth.They should partner with themand work out independent waysof financing their programmes.If deliberate steps of sourcingfinances outside governmentsare taken, governments will bewilling to intervene by usingtheir strong political will to getthe corporate world andindividuals finance theiractivities.

Let this victory not becloudtheir sense of planning becausethere are World Cup qualifiersaround the corner, under 17tournament in Morocco, and under21 in Algeria. Again, there areother numerous female footballtournaments lined up for this yearand 2014. NFF and all majorstakeholders in Nigerian footballmust get back to the war room anddraw a roadmap that willrevolutionalize Nigerian football ina short while.Dr. John Danfulani@jondanfulani

Ogoni and agony of delayed clean-upWhen the UNEP report onthe assessment of theOgoni environment was

released in August 2011 the worldwas astounded at the level ofdevastation visited on the territoryby decades of oil extraction andpollution. Shell PetroleumDevelopment Company (SPDC orShell), the major polluter in theterritory, paid for the study on thepolluter-pays basis. If that was notan admission of culpability in theecocide in Ogoniland, you mayhave to invent another word forthe crime. The report showed astaggering level of pollution thatwould require 25-30 years of clean-up if there were to be a chance ofreal remediation. Many peopleexpected the government todeclare Ogoniland a disaster zone.The Ogoni people waited to seesome clean-up action. TheNigerian people and theinternational community waited.That the expected action was notforthcoming was a scandal ofmassive proportions.

Nothing was done until twelvefull months rolled by. In otherwords, since the report was issuedtill that date, a full year was addedto the estimated time needed torestore the Ogoni environment.But what was done after one year?It took one year after it had beenascertained that there was no safedrinking water in Ogoniland andthat the land itself was polluted todepths of up to five metres in places,for any whisper to be heard fromthe corridors of power.

The UNEP report set out simpleemergency actions to be taken to

ensure an acceptable clean up ofOgoniland. One of the keyrecommendations was thatgovernment should set up an"Ogoniland EnvironmentalRestoration Authority." Thisauthority was to have a startingfund of US$1 billion. Rather thanset up this body that would setabout the restoration of Ogoni land,what government did was to setup what it calls the HydrocarbonPollution Restoration Project(HYPREP). This project hassucceeded in planting somepollution warning signposts inOgoniland and billboards on oilthefts in Port Harcourt.

A cursory comparison of therecommended body and the entitythat government created showsthat something is critically wrong.

Why set up a body that wouldrestore rather than clean uppollution? Ogoniland is badlypolluted as it is, to set up a body tocompound the pollution isalarming, not amusing.

UNEP officials led by ErikSolheim, former NorwegianMinister of Environment andInternational Development andUNEP Special Envoy for Disastersand Conflicts, visited Nigeria earlyFebruary 2013 to meet withgovernment officials and somepartners in Abuja and PortHarcourt. The purpose of the visitwas to get a sense of what was beingdone with the UNEPEnvironmental Assessment ofOgoniland and to know what thenext steps would be.

It is not clear what the team

came away with, but we at leastknow that UNEP is committed toseeing the report implemented andOgoniland cleaned. The Ogonipeople are one of the most mobilisedpeoples anywhere in the world.The umbrella Movement for theSurvival of Ogoni (MOSOP) enjoysa high level of support across theOgoni kingdoms, has providedconsistent leadership over theyears and is well respected by thepeople. That is, despite somedifficult moments, as would beexpected of any serious movement.The degree of cohesion of the Ogonipeople provides an excellenttemplate for government to setabout the clean-up of the territoryin a transparent and easy manner.If there are to be difficulties it shouldbe of the technical kind, not thesocio-political variety.

It is not too late for thegovernment to scrap HYPREP andset up the recommended"Ogoniland EnvironmentalRestoration Authority." We willcall this the Authority for short.HYPREP was a hasty creation totell the world that at least one stephad been taken, one year after therelease of the UNEP report .Government should not be shy todo the right thing. Steps taken inthe wrong direction may bemany, but keeping in thatdirection may not eventually leadto the right destination. It isequally wasteful to insist onbuilding on a faulty foundation.

Scrap HYPREP, set up theAuthority. This Authority would

“ A cursory comparison of therecommended body and the entity that

government created shows that somethingis critically wrong. Why set up a body that

would restore rather than clean uppollution? Ogoniland is badly polluted as it

is, to set up a body to compound thepollution is alarming, not amusing

then set about consulting thepeople, call mass meetings of theOgoni people, circulate the popular(pidgin English) version of thesummary of the UNEP reportwhich can be downloaded from theUNEP website, present the strategyfor the clean up to the people andtransparently set out the budgetoutlay for the exercise. TheAuthority would have the Ogonipeople endorse its broad plan andstrategies for implementation andmonitoring as well. The Authorityshould be domiciled in either theMinistry of Environment or in thePresidency. It should by no meansbe located in the Ministry ofPetroleum Resources - a keypolluter, through the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation,in Ogoniland.

Getting things on the righttrack is extremely urgent. AsUNEP stated, "Continued delay inthe implementation of therecommendations will not onlyundermine the livelihoods of theOgoni communities, but will alsocause the pollution footprint toexpand. In the long run, thefindings of the study itself willbecome dated, and thereforefurther assessments will be needed,causing additional delays." UNEPhoped to "convey this sense ofurgency to the stakeholdersduring" the mission. It would beanother scandal if this sense ofurgency gets ignored.

Nnimmo Bassey is ExecutiveDirector, Environmental RightsAction in Nigeria

By Nnimmo Bassey

“The NFF should begin to work out other sources of fundingtheir activities. Subventions from governments are in tandemwith global pattern of football financing. Their over reliance ongovernment is boomeranging due to political and bureaucratic

bottlenecks hindering timely release of finances forprogrammes and tournaments

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 PAGE 15

Where are Nigeria's old people?There is nothing quite as

heart-warming as seeing awizened, bent over old man

taking a slow stroll arm-in-armwith a female version of himself.I've often wondered what it is aboutthe sight that moves my otherwisetoughened demeanour. It came tome recently. I am not used to seeingsuch sights.

Back home I don't see old menand women making their waythrough the streets, trudgingalong laboriously with theirwalking aids. They are not in theshops side-by-side with me,pushing along shopping carts;they don't slowly make their wayinto the public buses; they don'thave special front row seatsreserved for them in those buses.In Nigeria, most of the old peopleare either dead or safely tuckedaway in their homes in the village.

You see, in Nigeria, the averageperson dies at age 54 at best.Depending on the statistics youhave access to, the average life spanof a Nigerian is between 47 and54. 2011 data from the UnitedNations Development Project(UNDP) says it is 51.9; the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) saysit is 54; the World Bank says it is

52. Other ratings using differentsocial indicators abound. Takentogether, the result isdisheartening.

Now if you want to dispute thisby recounting how many aunts,uncles, fathers, or mothers of yoursthat died at a ripe old age of 80 or100, please be informed that yourrelatives are a minority. Theseorganisations did not gang up topeddle lies about Nigeria. They arethe same ones that have told ushow Nigeria's Gross DomesticProduct is growing by leaps andbounds, or not. And if we acceptwhat they say about oureconomics, I dare say we ought toaccept what they say about othersocial and human indicators.

In contrast, according to a2012 report from the UK Office ofNational Statistics, the lifeexpectancy of a male in Englandis 79 and for a woman, 83. "Thepopulation of England and Walesis living longer than before," thereport, The Average Life Span2012, stated. No way am I goingto compare the UK with Nigeria.Yet, one must wonder whether weshould not raise an alarm oversome things that can be maderight but are not. The way I see it,it is not so much the fact thatthieving leaders and civil

servants have stolen our countryblind, taking selfishly for the nowand damning the consequencesfor tomorrow, it is the fact that Icannot think of any deliberateeffort by the government and itsburgeoning agencies, ministriesand parastatals to ease entry intoretirement and old age. Aside thepension funds scheme and all thecontroversies surrounding thispolicy, has anyone ever heard ofsocial endeavours to cater for theolder people in our country? Haveyou ever seen road signs askingmotorists to watch out for theoldies making their ways acrossthe road? Can an old personwithout aid make his or her way

around on any of Nigeria's publictransportation systems, fromthose awful township death trapsexcused for mini buses in Abuja,to Fashola's famous BRTs?

Or even more importantly,have you ever seen facilities thatprovide specialised care for theaged? I have seen two in mylifetime. One in Calabar, run bythe Catholic Church, another inAbuja, run by another Christianorganisation. Perhaps there aremore but I would wager that theywould most likely be privateprojects. If so, it is worrisome thatthere does not appear to be anyovert effort by the concernedagencies or ministries to put

forward policies that can giveback to older citizens who havedone their bit in contributing toNigeria's economy. If a citizen isno longer productive, it should notmean that they no longer havethe rights to enjoy what little oftheir lives they have left. Surelyevery person would desire to beable to move about and run littleerrands for themselves whetherthey are 20 or 70.

As it stands, it is safe to say thatold people with mobility difficultiesin Nigeria must stay put at homeand if they must move about, theymust do so with the aid of one personor the other. Simply put, thegovernment knows that you aregoing to die before you are 65 andso will not make any effort thatwould require such extensiveconsiderations. If you do defy thegovernment's expectations, thenyou must find personal care fromyour rich children and wards. Ifyour children have not quitesucceeded in 'making it,' I guessyour only option is to retire to thevillage where life is much slowerand the conditions more suitablefor people your age.Elor Nkereuwem is in theUniversity of St Andrews,Scotland, for a graduatedegree

By Elor Nkereuwem

“Simply put, the government knows thatyou are going to die before you are 65 and

so will not make any effort that wouldrequire such extensive considerations. If

you do defy the government'sexpectations, then you must find personal

care from your rich children and wards

Last week, the Central Bankof Nigeria (CBN)toughened its regulatory

regime. Its review of risk weightson certain exposures in thecomputation of capital adequacyessentially did four main things:(1) It increased the risk weighton direct lending to governmentfrom 100% to 200%; (2) where abank's exposure to a particularsector of the economy exceeds20% of its total lending, the bankin question is now required toapply a risk weight of 150% to itsentire portfolio; (3) where banksexceed the CBN's stipulated largeexposure limits (to prevent abank's over-exposure to a clientor group of connected clients) thecentral bank will henceforthtreat such infractions asimpairments to the respectivebank's capital; and (4) the CBNtightened the circumstancesunder which credit transactionsmay take place between "banks'related parties within a holdingcompany structure".

My first reaction to thesepolicy directives was near panic.Three considerations stood out forme. First, given the sustainedclamour for the apex bank tolower its policy rate (in order it isargued to give fillip to arecovering economy, or, what isessentially the same argument,in order not to restrict theeconomy's potential for growth),this represents a tightening ofmonetary conditions. In aneconomy that slowed downconsiderably last year, despitethe gaping holes across its everynook and cranny, my questionwas "Do we need this newimposition?"

Second, I was bothered about

the health of the banks. (I stillam). True, they are likely todeclare impressive financials forthe twelve months to end-December 2012. However, whatthe numbers do not tell you isthat most still bear the scars ofthe 2009 scare, when the CBNhad to intervene to stave off theimminent collapse of the sector.Consequently, I thought it fair toask if the banks are healthyenough to support the changes totheir balance sheets that this newpolicy requirements demands. Ifthe new policy adversely affectsits capital adequacy ratios, theindustry has any of severalchoices. Raise new capital. Thiswould be difficult if not impossiblein the economy's current state.Banks could also re-price their

assets (i.e. raise the rates onthem). This, in all likelihoodshould force borrowers to payback the loans.

There is the small matter thatcurrently the bulk of banks'lending to the economy is to thefederal government and states(or, what is the same thing, totheir ministries, departments,and agencies). If tougherconditions are imposed forlending to the public sector whatmight the banks do? As it werethe opportunity cost of publicsector lending is warehousing theloanable funds in government'sfixed income instruments. Doesthe new policy not thus introducea strengthened bias in favour ofbanks' purchase of treasury bills?

The responses to my questions

Making sense of CBN's newcapital adequacy requirements

were diverse. The mostpersuasive was that the CBN wasright to put out the new policy aspart of the design of much morerelevant macro-prudentialregulations for the domesticfinancial services space.Essentially, this is part of the shift(driven by the last financial andeconomic crisis) in theregulatory space from atraditional focus on the safety andsoundness of individual financialinstitutions, to a newer focus onthe negative feedback loopbetween the financial system asa whole and the larger economy.

To the worry over banks'health, I received the re-assurance that only two of thetier one banks had red flags overtheir capital adequacy status.Therefore, the risk here is onlyidiosyncratic. The system canbear the new requirements quiteeasily. Options for these twobanks? Re-pricing or outrightforeclosure of the public sectorloans I am told is not such apractical option. Why? Thepublic sector might just be toobroke to go through with that. Re-packaging and selling the loansoff to other banks does not appeartoo attractive either. Given thenew conditions, the haircuts thatpotential buyers will demandmight render the transactionsnugatory ab initio. So, theremight be snafus in a corner of thesystem, which a controlleddetonation might well handle.

Most industry experts that I

spoke to welcomed the CBN'sefforts at restricting the space forpublic sector loans. Not just doesthis crowd out private sectorborrowing, but also there ismounting evidence that thepublic sector increasingly sub-optimises this scarce resource.They are also sure that the bankscannot warehouse the fundsthus freed up in treasury bills.That domestic fixed incomespace is neither broad nor deepenough for the kinds of moneythat will be released. Now, sincethe banks cannot credibly sit onthe stuff, they will be forced toaddress the challenges ofextending loans to the privatesector.

This, they will probably findsome short cuts round. Thetrouble is that the result mightunderwhelm all stakeholders.After 2012's stellar financialperformance, the banks will behard pressed this year to deliverfinancials that good, because ofthe new policy change. So expectshareholders to quibble. Theprivate sector, too, will not get asmuch new loans as the "captainsof industry" have always arguedthe sector needs.

The CBN, however, may sleepbetter in the knowledge that thebanks will be a lot stronger afterthey "immediately" implementthe new rules than they werebefore.Ifeanyi Uddin can bereached on Twitter (IfeanyiUddin @ifeanyiuddin)

“There is the small matter that currentlythe bulk of banks' lending to the

economy is to the federal governmentand states (or, what is the same thing,to their ministries, departments, andagencies). If tougher conditions are

imposed for lending to the public sectorwhat might the banks do?

By Ifeanyi Uddin

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Karako: The abandoned FCT communityAlthough the notion is that

the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT) is a place

where milk and honey flow,members of the Karakocommunity in Bwari AreaCouncil in the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT) have howeverdiscovered differently.

With a population of 500,consisting mainly women andchildren, members of thecommunity have lived in thehope that one day they mightget a better deal from thegovernment, or attract theattension of philanthropic NonGovernmental Organisation(NGOs) and or individuals tocome to their aid.

For now, as it awaitsredemption, the communityappeared to be cut off not onlyfrom civilization but also fromthe developmental efforts of thegovernment. They are slumdwellers living in poor sanitaryconditions thereby susceptible tomany diseases such as malariaand typhoid. With no pipe bornwater, their only source of waterfor drinking and other domesticuses is the nearby stream. Nomedical facility either,and theycould only access medicalfacilities at the neighbouringKuje village. Waterbornediseases and eye problems aresome of the common ailmentsravaging the area.

With no secondary schoo andonly, one primary school whichboats of just three teachers, andattracts N250 as school fees,Illiteracy is, not unexpectedly,high. No police station andmotorable roads, with theubiquitous motorcyle as theform of transportation. And asfar as the people are concerned,electricity is an alien culturethat many of them have no ideawhat it is.

Gbagi and Hausa are the two

commonly spoken languages inthe community. The standard ofliving is low as they mainlysurvive on their farm produce:Yam, Corn and Guinea Corn. Thepeople also engage in rearingcanimals, palm wine tappingand hunting of wild animals.The closest market is Mpapemarket which is one hour rideon motorbike. The level ofsensitization about theirpersonal health and otherpositive life issues is low.

However, the Group 'A' NYSCCorps members serving underthe platform of MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs)offered free medical treatment,drugs and insecticidal treatednets to the community. Thegesture was done in line of theGoal 6 of the MDGs, which aimsto combat HIV/AIDs, malariaand other diseases.

Coordinators of the group Mr.Kefas Steven Garba and Mr.Udaga Monday Inyila said thatthe project was undertaken witha view to assisting the thecommunities.

The Medical Director, KuteHealth Post, Aboki Mohammed,who received the drugs on behalfof the two communities in Kute,assured that he would ensurethat the drugs are equitablydistributed between the twocommunities.

He lamented lowgovernment attention in thecommunities, aqsserting thatthe only support the peoplereceive from government isduring IPDs and immunizations.Unlike Kute Community, which

has a manageable health post,Karako has no such facilitywhere they could receivetreatment. They depend on KuteCommunity for medicaltreatment.

Nevertheless, the Chief ofKarako Community expressed

Sen. Bala Mohammed FCT Minister

Karako, one of the densely populated communities in Abuja, the nation's capital city, hasbeen desperately crying for government's attention for so long without success. Their torrentialtears of despair recently turned to flood as officialdom has apparently decided to turn its backon the community for good. Etuka Sunday tells the absorbing story of the hapless people.

satisfaction with the MDGs CorpsMembers for their show of lovetowards the community.

Like he provervial OliverTwist, the leader of thecommunity requested for anencore of the gesture so thatevery household is touched by

the blessings of the corpsmembers.

A resident of the community,Useni Daji who lamented thetotal neglect of the communityby the government said thatboreholes, clinic and good roadswould go a long way in makingKarako a better place for thepeople to live.

In his reaction to thedevelopment, another memberof the community Danladi Musacanvassed for the appointmentof "somebody from ourcommunity to represent us ingovernment" asserting that theneglect suffered by thecommunity is as a result of nothaving a representative ingovernment "to speak on ourbehalf". According to him, "thereare capable hands here that canrepresent the community wellin government".

To be sure, government at alllevels must be responsive to thepeople, even if government maynot have the capacity to sharemoney or distribute food stuffsto every household in Nigeria.Still, it is government'sresponsibility to ensure thatbasic necessities of life areaccessible to as many people aspossible.

For now, for all the dividendsof democracy it is getting, theKarako Community may aswell living on planet Mars as theFCT administration, nay theFederal Government, hascompletely consigned it onto thebackwaters of its priorities.

Homes to some of the residents of Karoko community

PAGE 17

PAGE 19PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Management Tip of the DayAlways say yes to networking

INSIDE

The building blocks of agreat network aren’tpurpose-driven meetings

— they’re casual encountersand agenda-less coffee catch-ups.

As often as possible, say yesto invitations, even if it’s notclear what you’ll get out of

FG to create jobsthrough textile

industries – Aganga

- Pg 20BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSEmail: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk Mob: 08033644990

them. You may know theperson’s occupation, industry,and job title — but you don’tknow what they may be anexpert in, and you certainlydon’t know who they know.

Of course you can’t takeevery meeting nor should youenter long, unstructured

conversations with everyoneyou meet. But regularlyconnecting without a reason orpurpose — with people whoseem to be doing interestingthings — can have unexpectedbenefits.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

L-R: Mrs. Busola Tejumola, Consumer Insight Manager; Mr.Mayo Okunola, General Manager, DStv Nigeria; Mr. Ayo Osunbunmi, winner ofa Renault Duster SUV won in the DStv Mega Promo and his wife Olufunmilayo Osunbunmi; during the prize presentation held at theMultiChoice head office, Tiamiyu Savage, Victorial Island, Lagos

Glo launches new customer-friendly tariffsNigerian indigenous

network, Globacom(Glo) has introduced

five new subscriber-friendlytariff plans for its prepaidcustomers.

The new tariff plans calledthe Hi-Flyer and Talkfree, willharp on the needs of high valuevoice and data subscriberswhile the new G-Bam, newInfinito and new Gista havebeen repackaged to offer morevalue to its subscribers.

Globacom marketcoordinator, Mr. Adeniyi

Olukoya said that the newtariffs will add more value tosubscribers on thenetwork.”Whether they spendmore on calls or data, these newtariff plans will add more valueas subscribers can make callswithin the network for as lowas 5k/sec and internationalcalls for as low as 15k/ sec”, hesaid.

Olukoya explained thatsubscribers on the Talkfreeplan will enjoy 150 freeminutes and 150 free SMSmonthly while Glo-to-Glo callson the plan will be at 15k/secand calls to other networks will

be at the rate of 18k/sec.To enjoy the fantastic

Talkfree rates, subscribers willpay a monthly subscription feeof N1,000 only.With the Hi-Flyer plan, customers whosubscribe to any data planfrom 200MB and above willenjoy calls to all networks at18k/sec.Under this plan, thecustomers will enjoy the bestdata usage, unrivalledcustomer experience and flatcalling rates to all networks.

The new G-Bam tariff allowssubscribers to call 5 loved onesat 5k/sec and call all networksat 18k/sec. Subscribers will

By Chris Alu also get 5M B free data daily tocheck their mails, browseFacebook, Tweeter as well asbrowse on the Internet afterpaying a subscription fee of N5per day.”This rate is the bestin the market as staying intouch with loved ones hasnever been cheaper”, Olukoyasaid.

He also stated that the newInfinito tariff gives subscribersthe benefit of keeping in touchwith 10 loved ones on the Glonetwork at just 10k/sec.Subscribers on the tariffcan also call other Glocustomers at 20k/sec and other

networks at the rate of 30k/sec.He explained further that

with the new Glo Gista tariff,subscribers can make on-netcalls at the rate of 15k/sec whilecalls to other networks will beat the rate of 30k/sec after the1st minute of the day at 40k/sec.

For all these new planscoming from the stables ofGlobacom, customers willenjoy international calls to theUSA, UK (fixed), Canada, Chinaand India at 15k/sec after the1st minute at 25k/sec. Inaddition, they will enjoy 35hours of free night calls everyweek.

Olukoya said that the newplans are introduced in orderto offer more choices and add more value to new and existingGlo subscribers who register forthese special tariffs on prepaid.

National PlanningCommission minister,Shamsuddin Usman has

announced that Nigeria hassucceeded Republic of Finland toassume the management of theLeading Group on InnovativeFinancing for Developmentduring the just ended 11thPlenary of the 65 – memberinternational body in Helsinki,Finland last week.

With this development,Nigeria is now the centralcountry for initiation ofinnovative financing fordevelopment as part of the broadglobal development financingframework for the attainment ofinternationally agreed goals onpoverty reduction andprotection of public good.

The Minister, who led theNigerian delegation to themeeting in Helsinki, stated thatas the President, Nigeria willguide the affairs of the Groupuntil December 2013 when thecountry will host the 12thPlenary in Abuja.

Usman stated that theNigeria – led organization wouldfocus on a broad range of issuesincluding proper prioritisationof development financing,deploying innovative resourcesto address food security andnutrition, strengtheningmeasures against illicit capitalflight and tax avoidance,refocusing the Leading Group tostrongly influence the post-2015millennium developmentactivities of the United Nations

The Minister further saidthat as the president of theLeading Group Nigeria wouldbecome the spokesperson of thebody as well as the leader in thepromotion of innovativefinancing for developmentwithin the United Nations.

Nigeria leads groupon innovativefinancing fordevelopment

Leading pay televisionc o n t e n tp r o v i d e r , M u l t i C h o i c e

Nigeria has pledged its readinessto consistently introduce loyaltyschemes to rival it’s justconcluded mega promo.

The promo, which was heldto reward its subscribers,produced winners for the FiveRenault Duster sport utilityvehicles (SUVs), as well asnumerous winners of all-expensepaid trips to South Africa towatch the the just-concluded 2013 African Cup ofNations (AFCON).

100 units of 40 inch LCDtelevision sets, 500 units of DStvhand-held Walka devices werealso amongst other prizes thatwere on offer.

Coming on the heels of theformal presentation of a RenaultDuster SUV to Ayo Osunbunmi,a banker, in the fifth and finaldraws of the DStv mega promo,MultiChoice Nigeria reiteratedits desire to always reward theloyalty of its customers.

General Manager, DSTV,Mayo Okunola, who made thedisclosure noted that DStv willcontinually seek ways to thank

and reward customers for theirloyalty and will in a short whileannounce a bigger promotionalpackage to celebrate itscustomers.

“Our subscribers are thebedrock of our business and wetherefore continue to inspirethem through quality programsas well as consistency to showgratitude all year round”, saidOkunola.

Ayo Osunbunmi, whoformally received his prize at ashort ceremony at theMultiChoice office in Lagos, wasoverwhelmed with joy. Heexplained that he was initiallyin doubt when he received thenotification that he had won theprize; as he had never believed

nor participated in promos. “I never knew I had qualified

and entered for the DStv megapromo draws as my payingupfront was simply forconvenience. With myexperience, I can attest to thecredibility of all the winnings”,said Osunbunmi. He furtheradvised subscribers to takeadvantage of subsequentopportunities DStv will bringthe way of its subscribers.

In keeping faith with themega promo commitment, DStvearlier presented four RenaultDuster SUVs to AlloysiusOnuoha, who emerged in thefirst draws of the promo as well

as Garba Ahmed; Most ReverendCharles Oderinde of theAnglican Communion andEsther Omotogunja –winnersthat emerged in the second, thirdand forth draws, respectively.

Just as the numerous prizesare being redeemed, winnershave also described DStv as aprovider of choice programsthrough its quality televisioncontent that have earned theircontinued loyalty.

Most of the winners especiallythe five lucky winners of theRenault Duster SUVs,commended DStv for thetransparent manner in whichthe draws were held.

MultiChoice promises more customer-centric promos ......as SUV winner emergesFrom Suleiman Idris, Lagos

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule

PAGE 20 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

COMPANYNEWS

General Electric

General Electric (GE) is setto commence work onthe construction of its

multi-billion naira engineeringmanufacturing plant at theCalabar Free Trade Zone, MrSadiq Kasim, General Manager ofthe zone said.

Kasim, who spoke at theNational Good Governance Tourteam in Calabar on Tuesday, saidthat the management of thezone and the company hadfinalised arrangements forconstruction work tocommence on the constructionof the factory at the Free TradeZone.

Kasim said the company hadpromised that it would, in thefirst phase of the project, investmore than N250 million in theestablishment of the plant andadded that about 300 Nigerianprofessional engineers andtechnicians would be employedin the factory and that provisionwould be made for the trainingof young Nigerians through thecompany’s technology transferprogramme.

Odukpani PowerPlant

The 565 megawattsOdukpani Power Plant inCross River will

commence operation before theend of 2013, the Minister ofInformation, Mr. LabaranMaku, said at a CitizensForum/Town Hall meetingheld on Tuesday in Calabar.The meeting was held as part ofthe ongoing good governancetour of the state.

He said that the powerplant was the fourth that theteam had visited since thebeginning of the tour.

The minister said that theteam’s visit to Calabar ExportProcessing Zone (EPZ) was arevelation, adding that 69companies were presentlyoperating in the zone.

NAHCO Aviance

In a move aimed atincreasing cargo capacityand boosting trade in the

Northern region, the NigerianAviation Handling CompanyPlc, (Nacho Aviance) hasbegun the modernisation andexpansion of its Kanowarehouse to meetinternational standards andenhance service delivery to itsnumerous clients.

NAHCO Aviance, a leadingaviation handling serviceprovider, currently owns andoperates the largest cargowarehouse in sub SaharaAfrica.

The warehouse situated atthe company’s corporateheadquarters within theMurtala Mohammed Airport,Lagos, is 17,068.5m² in sizeand has the capacity to handle230, 000 tonnes of importcargo and 60,000 tonnes ofexport cargo per annum.

Continuous dumping,counterfeiting andfaking of products in

Nigerian markets could lead tothe collapse of local industries,increase unemployment andunderdevelopment.

This was the submission ofstakeholder at a forumorganized by the NigerianExport Promotion Council(NEPC) themed: ‘Effects ofcounterfeiting and faking ofNigerian goods and dumpingon manufacturing export’, inLagos.

Stakeholders present at theforum included theManufacturers Association ofNigeria (MAN), LagosChamber of Commerce andIndustry (LCCI), NigerianAssociation of Chambers ofCommerce, Industry, Minesand Agriculture (NACCIMA),Manufacturers Association ofNigeria Export Group(MANEG), Nigerian TextileManufacturers Association,Standards Organisation ofNigeria (SON) and the NationalAgency for Food and DrugAdministration and Control(NAFDAC).

They recommended thatimplementation of strictpenalties against culprits,

which might also include therestructuring of existing laws,establishment of law on fulldisclosure and product pre-registration, collaborationamong government agencies,among others, remained theeffective way to tackledumping, counterfeiting andfaking of products in thecountry.

The Chief ExecutiveOfficer, NEPC, Mr. DavidAdulugba said the nationneeded to arise and take upthe challenge posed by theAsian countries, byreinvigorating its non-oilexports through adequatesupport for exportcommodities.

Adulugba, who wasrepresented by the AssistantDirector, Lagos Zonal Office ofNEPC, Mrs. Evelyn Obidike,said if government’s desire tomake the non-oil export sectora significant contributor tothe nation’s Gross Domestic

How to fight fake products- NEPC boss, stakeholders

Ayodele Samuel<gtms06@yahoo.com>

0806 372 7788

Product (GDP) is to becomeachievable, there was a needto urgently address the uglypractice of dumping andcounterfeiting to encouragegrowth of local capacity andexport.

He stated that thenegative effect ofcounterfeiting and dumpingcould lead to the collapse oflocal industries, increaseunemployment andunderdevelopment.

“Various governments ofthe world and the WorldTrade Organisation haveadopted various measures totackle this scourge as it hasbeen declared an internationalcrime. Nigeria cannot afford toignore this. We need to takemeasures before it becomes toodetrimental to our economicgrowth and development,” headded.

On its part, he said theagency had a number ofincentives to encourage export

business. He recalled that in thelast 15 years, export productshad been getting the necessarysupport, urging operators tolearn to operate, according tointernational standards.

Also speaking at the event,the Director-General of the LagosChamber of Commerce andIndustry, Mr. Muda Lawal, saidthere was the need to focus moreon non-oil exports, stressing thata situation where the GrossDomestic Product earnings frommanufacturing had stagnated atfour per cent was not satisfactory.

“We need to developmanufacturing non-export. It isthe only way to confrontunemployment. This can also bedone by reviewing the lawsagainst counterfeiting andfaking,” he said.

Yusuf however taskedgovernment on the need to renewits commitment to thediversification of the economyrather than maintaining itspresent monolithic culture.

The Federal Governmenthas announced plans toimprove the nation’s

textile industry as part of effortsto create jobs for Nigerianyouths.

Minister of Trade andInvestment, Mr. OlusegunAganga declared the federalgovernment’s readiness toexploit her competitiveadvantage in agriculture,mining and the oil and gasrelated industries.

Aganga said the productionof cotton for domestic use andexports will be strengthenedwhile players in the industrywill be supported to expand theircurrent operations.

He blamed the decline onweak links in the value chain butexpressed the confidence thatthe industrial revolution planfor the industry will address thisand increase productivity.

“This is the beginning of an

FG to create jobs through textile industries – Agangaimportant journey. We want tomake this sector number one inAfrica. It is not just about talking;we will come up with actionablepoints to kick-start the neededrevolution.

Aganga said that about8,070 jobs have been savedthrough the disbursement of theN100billion Cotton TextileGarment Intervention Fund.

”We are already makingprogress with the reforms thatare in place. Figures by theManufacturers Association ofNigeria (MAN) revealed that thecapacity utilisation in thissector has increasedsignificantly from 29.14 percent in 2010, to 49.70 per centas at 2011.

“In addition, a number ofhitherto moribund textile millshave been re-opened, whileabout 8,070 jobs have beensaved. Also, over 5,000 new jobshave been created. We cannot

continue to be a raw materialsexporting nation because bydoing so, we are exporting jobs,development and wealth. This isone area that the NigerianIndustrial Revolution Plan is

NEXIM injects N42bn to boast manufacturingThe Nigeria Export and

Import Bank, (NEXIM) hasannounce its plans to inject

about N42 billion of themanufacturing sector’sfinancing requirement, or six percent of the manufacturingsector’s financing needs, whileaccounting for at least 3.71percent of the nation’s GrossDomestic Product (GDP) by2015.

The African DevelopmentBank (AfDB) has blamed what itcalled technical hitches and theNational Assembly as therationale for delay in the releaseof the $700 million (N108billion) loans for small andmedium scale enterprises (SMEs)

…. AfDB blame NASS for delay of $700 million SMEs fundsince 2011.

In 2011, the AfricanDevelopment Bank (AfDB)approved $700 million for thedevelopment of SMEs in Nigeria,It also provided loans to the Bankof Industry (BoI) and NEXIMBank two weeks ago following thesigning of an agreement. Theloans were given in two tranchesof $500 million to BoI and $200million to NEXIM for distributionto the qualified SMEs.

AfDB’s representative inNigeria Dr. Ousmane Dore saidthat the loans arrived latebecause the National Assembly

did not approve it in time.Managing Director of NEXIM,

Robert Orya said his bank hasalready approved and issued$32.3 million worth ofguarantees to support themanufacturing, transport andtourism sub-sectors.

Orya said these facilitieswould create a minimum of 170direct jobs and generate about$20.06 million ForeignExchange earnings annually.

Specifically, he said, thetarget is to increase the access ofmanufacturers to short and long-term credit; create and sustain

approximately 70,479 jobswithin the sector through projectfinance activities in the next fouryears.

Orya also disclosed thatNEXIM Bank has identifiedmanufacturing, agriculture,solid minerals and services, asfour sectors of the economy to playin, hence its MASS Agenda.

The MASS agenda is aCorporate TransformationProject of the bank that waslaunched in April 2010 torevamp the bank and ensure itbecomes “the leading AfricanExport Development Bank”.

trying to address.“I am very optimistic that

before the end of 2013, the wholeof the N100billion would havebeen disbursed”, he stated.

Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga

PEOSPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 PAGE 23

Report as at Wednesday, February 13, 2013

PAGE 24 PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Passengers hope Nigeria's renovatedrailway can unite north and south

Nigeria's railways aremaking a comebackafter virtually

grinding to a halt.The first sign of progress

is the reopening of the longdefunct rail link betweenLagos in the south and Kanoin the north.

"This is my firstexperience on a train sinceI was at school in the early1990s. I heard about itthrough BBC Hausa serviceso I'm giving it a try," says aLagos-based businessman,as the train rumbles along ata steady 45km/h (28mph).

"Credit to thegovernment, although weneed a better service," hesays.

Another passengershrugs at the 1,100km (685mile) journey to see hisrelatives in Kano. He willhave just more than a daywith his family before

Women traders at Agege station in Lagos The scene at Minna Station in Niger state Passengers buy food and other goods through the train window

having to catch the weeklyreturn service.

"This is a development. Ionce spent five daystravelling by train fromLagos to Kano. The enginewould be removed from thetrain and it be taken for aservice whilst we would stayon board," he says.

The state-owned NigeriaRailway Corporation saysthe rehabilitation of1,126km of track has cost24bn naira (£98m; $153m).

With a one-way ticketstarting from 1,930 Naira(£7.50; $12), it is farcheaper and, some say, saferthan travelling by road.

"Last year an armedrobber attacked us on theroad. There was shootingbut thank God we escaped. Ifeel safe on the train," sayspassenger BukolaOgunbanjo.

En route, we pass

abandoned relics of theonce thriving railways -rusty, dilapidated carriagesand goods wagons as well ascrumbling stations.

The first steam engine tohave worked in northernNigeria sits at Minna stationin Niger state. It was built inLeeds in the UK in 1901.

At that time, the British

colonial powers were keento expand the railwaymainly as a way to makemoney through agricultureand mineral exports. Palmoil dominated. It waswanted as lubricant for themachines in Britain'sfactories whilst palmkernels were used toproduce soaps and

margarine.Colonial reports show

that 18 million gallons ofpalm oil were exported fromsouthern Nigeria in 1908.For the same year, theBritish colonial authoritiesbudgeted £2m forexpansion of the railnetwork. By 1913, £6mworth of Nigerian palm treeproducts alone were beingexported every year to

Britain.In order to harness the

agricultural potential in thenorth, the railway wasextended to Kano andNguru.

Sir Bryan Sharwood-Smith was a young employeein the colonialadministration in 1927 andgives this insight into thetrain journey north.

"We lurched and jolted

onward, sleeping a little,but never for long, untildaylight brought the twinblessings of a cool breezeand an attendant with earlymorning tea," he recalls inhis book, But Always AsFriends.

He helped supervise500 locally recruitedlabourers constructing therailway in the north, andbecame the governor ofnorthern Nigeria in the1950s.

By the time ofindependence in 1960,Nigeria had about 3,500kmof railway track.

That figure has barelychanged in over half acentury, although most ofthe track has beenrendered redundant, aspolitical turmoil andmassive corruption havetaken their toll.

There have been falsestarts but now the Nigeriangovernment says a modern,extensive network is on theway.

"Policy flip-flops werethe main reasons for thedelays in sorting out therailways. As governmentschanged, their approachesto the same problem weresometimes markedlydifferent and were notdecisive," says transportinfrastructure consultantRowland Ataguba.

"But the last six yearshave witnessed the mostconcerted capitalinvestment in the railwaysby the government indecades.

"Over $10bn has beencommitted to the railwaysin this period," says MrAtaguba.

'Become friends'Most of the contracts will

go to Chinese firms. Lastyear, the governmentsigned a $1.49bn contract

with the state-owned ChinaCivil EngineeringConstruction Corporation(CCECC) to build a railwaybetween the commercialcapital Lagos and Ibadan.

The train journey offersa real chance to seeNigeria's diverse landscape.After slicing through thehustle and bustle of Lagos,the landscape turns greenand in some areas the thickbushes touch the sides of thecarriages.

Each hour we head northit becomes drier andharsher.

The city of Kano is in themostly Muslim north. With

illiteracy high and povertydeep, it is fertile ground forthe Islamist militant group,Boko Haram, which isseeking to establish anIslamic state in Nigeria.

The group has beenblamed for the deaths ofsome 1,400 people in centraland northern Nigeria since2010.

On board I met 21-year-old Israel, a Christian fromthe south, heading to join thepolice academy.

"I really hope I can fightBoko Haram because I'venoticed what they've doneto so many families," he says.

The conflict has

deepened the dividebetween the mostly Muslimnorth and largely Christianand animist south.

But in addition toboosting trade, some thinkthis train can help uniteNigeria.

"I see all of us aspassengers - Nigerians,northerners, southerners,Christians, Muslims.Everybody is the same - weare just one," says a man onhis way to visit his family inKano.

"Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo- with the help of the trainwe become friends."

Source: BBC News

The railway linking the economicpowerhouse of Lagos and the conflict-hit north of Nigeria has reopened aftermore than 10 years. The BBC's WillRoss made the 31-hour train journeyand asks whether the train line canhelp unite this divided country.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013PAGE 28

EMERGENCY UPDATE

By Yushau A. Shuaib

New Orleans: the disaster resilient CitySometimes in 2011, this

writer got an invitation toattend the annual

International DisasterConference and Expo (IDCE)which takes place every year inthe city of New Orleans in theUnited States of America.

But due to a short notice andstringent requirements for USvisa, the writer missed theopportunity to attend the globalconference. The following year,after the worst flood disaster inNigeria, another invitation wasextended to me as thespokesperson of Nationalemergency ManagementAgency (NEMA). Surprisinglyvisa was granted even at shortnotice after an interview that wasless than five minutes at the USEmbassy in Abuja!

For decades, New Orleans wasreputed to be a city of good music,tantalizing cuisine, rich cultureand friendly dwellers whowelcome visitors from across theglobe with open arms until thearrival of Hurricane Katrina,which on August 29, 2005washed away the city anddevastated the Gulf Coast.Thousands of people fled theirhomes as huge sections of the citydisappeared under floodwaters.

The disaster in this city ofmostly black people has beendescribed as one of the deadliest,costliest and most destructive ofthe 2005 series of Atlantichurricane in the United States ofAmerica. The over 1,500 people

that died in the disaster weremainly those who refused to heedthe early warning. It was alsoestimated that over $80 billionwas lost due to damages toproperty.

The incidence also exposed theweakness of humans in relationto technology. The hurricanesurge protection failures in NewOrleans are considered the worstcivil engineering disaster in U.S.history and this prompted alawsuit against the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers (USACE), whowere the designers and buildersof the levee system. There wasalso an investigation of theresponses from federal, state andlocal governments, resulting inthe resignation of FederalEmergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) director,Michael D. Brown and of NewOrleans Police Department(NOPD) Superintendent EddieCompass.

While first timers in the citycould have anticipated anexcursion into sites of ruins andtraces of destructions fromHurricane Katrina, it wasamazing that New Orleans is notonly bubbling with full of sideattractions is a great example ofdisaster resilient city that haverecovered faster than expected.From the well-tarred roadnetworks, magnificentstructures and uninterruptedutility services, Katrina disasterstory is now in the past tense. NewOrleans is re-enacting its oldreputation as one of the mostpopular convention and leisure

destinations in USA. It wasn’t surprising that the

annual IDCE is designed toalways take place in New Orleanswith a mission to unite public andprivate sector professionals fromaround the world for discussionsregarding policy, lessons learned,best practices, and forwardthinking, resulting in themitigation of loss of life andproperty when catastrophicevents occur.

Though conferences ondisaster management are held invarious cities of the world, IDCEis reputed to be the only eventsupported across a broadspectrum of industryperspectives: HomelandSecurity, EmergencyManagement, EmergencyResponse, Disaster Recovery,Business Continuity, Resilience,Global Security, Large Loss /Claims, academia and manymore.

During a breakout session atthe IDCE Conference,participants were told of howwithin six months of theHurricane Katrina, governmentdeclared that every parts of NewOrleans had become safe as no soilwas contaminated and the airquality was pure, while, waterand sewage systems weregradually restored. Involvementof the residents and thecommunity in the planningeffort also ensured rapidtransformation of the city. Reliefagencies and volunteer groupshelped many returneesespecially in the provision of hot

meals, packaged food, bottledwater and other supplies.

The U.S. military and otherrelevant security agencies wereinvolved in the reconstruction ofthe damaged buildings andstructures. Faith-based andcommunity-based organisationsas well as individuals allvolunteered in providingnecessary relief to the displacedpeople while some non-profitorganisations played active rolesin mobilising funds in rebuildinghouses of the poor and low-earners. Philanthropicorganisations involved infinancial services also madedonations of cash with someproviding soft loans to enablevictims to return to theirbusinesses.

There is no denying the factthat USA has an effective,reliable, integrated, andcomprehensive system to alertand warn the American people.This writer was fascinated by thesophistication of Early WarningAlert System being regularlyutilized to warn residents oflooming disasters whichcontributed to minimal loss oflives during Hurricane Katrina.

The Director for theIntegrated Public Alert andWarning System (IPAWS) inFederal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA),Antwane Johnson toldparticipants that beyond localalerting system, his agency isintegrating public alert andwarning systems so thatwarning messages could reach

the target audience as soon aspossible through variouschannels including television,radio, online media, mobilephones and public signagesimultaneously. The system hascollaboration with variousinstitutions, including telephoneoperators, media owners andvolunteers in its successfulimplementation because itfacilitates single emergency alertmessage delivery to all availablepublic dissemination channels.

After losing billions of dollars intourism business due to Katrina, theNew Orleans Convention andVisitors Bureau successfullyembarked on a rebrandingcampaign to reposition the potentialof the city. The outcome of the crisisand reputation managementcampaign has propelled the tourismindustry of the city to become tallerand stronger than expected.

The success of the rapidrecovery efforts of New Orleansfrom the catastrophe resulted fromthe massive supports from variousinstitutions, groups and individualswho volunteered to sacrifice in therecovery processes. The great lessonhere in disaster management is thatwhile we cannot prevent or evenanticipate all disasters, we shouldplan and prepare for anyeventuality that could occur due tonature or human error. Nigeria andother developing countries,especially in Africa have a lot to learnfrom the disaster resilience andrecovery strategies employedduring and after Hurricane Katrinain the United States of America

. In house refresher training on first aid and casualty evacuation

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013 PAGE 29

EMERGENCY UPDATEYOUTHS FORYOUTHS FORYOUTHS FORYOUTHS FORYOUTHS FOR

PUBLIC SAFETYPUBLIC SAFETYPUBLIC SAFETYPUBLIC SAFETYPUBLIC SAFETYBy Abubakar Jimoh

abujimoh01@yahoo.com

Rising deaths fromcommunal clashes in NigeriaAfter the independence in

1960, Nigeria hasrepeatedly witnessed

conflicts of diverse degrees,which had triggered socio-economic, physical andemotional trauma among thepeople.

Apparently, some of theresultant effects of communalconflicts are manifold loss oflives and property, investmentopportunities, hunger andstarvation, open violence,wars, mass strikes, and otherforms of socio-economicdisorders.

Consequently, almostevery part of the country hasbecome vulnerable to one formof communal conflicts oranother. Similarly, like mostparts of the world, communalcrises in Nigeria are multi-d i m e n s i o n a l — r e l i g i o u s ,political, economic, social andethno-linguistic. For instance,an African economist, GesiyeAngaye noted that the divisiveinterplay of politics, ethnicsand religion in the country hasled to rising nationalism andmilitancy of various ethnicmovements, seeking self-determination, localautonomy, separate identityand true federalism. And thesituation is not unconnectedwith the disintegration of ourvalue system, especially amongthe youths who are alwaysmanipulated by warlords forselfish interests. Theproliferation of small arms andlight weapons, trans-nationalization of terrorism,globalization, and unequaldistribution of resources aresome issues traditionallyidentified as causes variousconflicts in Nigeria.

In the findings of theYouths Against DisasterInitiative (YADI), it wasgathered that the system ofartificial and arbitraryboundaries that split ethnicgroups among different localgovernment areas and states inNigeria are responsible forboundary disputes, neglect,oppression, domination,exploitation, victimization,d i s c r i m i n a t i o n ,marginasation, nepotism,intolerance and demands forsecession by some groups.

It could be recalled that in2012, at a 2-Day seminarorganized by the NationalEmergency ManagementAgency (NEMA) incollaboration with the Instituteof Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR) in Lafia, NasarawaState, the Director General ofNEMA, Alhaji MuhammadSani-Sidi attributed insecurityand violent conflictsconfronting the nation to socio-economic struggles, droughtand desertification, massiveurbanization, landslides,unequal distribution ofresources, ignorance,intolerance among variousgroups and communities.

Meanwhile, efforts to tacklecommunal clashes have

received series of institutionaland administrative attentionsin the country. Among theseare ‘Operation Ceto-Maza’,Free-toll Call and Distress CallCentres initiated under theleadership of Alhaji Sani-Sidi.These proactive measures haveturned out to help avertinghundreds of deaths andmillions of naira property thatwould have been lost tofrequent crises in the country.

In a bid to reduce rumourmongering and recklessspeculations that are noted forsome crises, NEMA has calledon relevant stakeholders to

conflicts; as two conflicts, evenif occurred in the same area,may not be viewed from sameperception. In this regard, theymust conduct a critical reviewand analysis of existingconflicts to be able to forecastand understand futuristicthreats regarding the conflicts.

Strict control must bemaintained against the supplyand use of arms andammunitions as inadequatemeasures on these have fastenthe outbreak of crises in thecountry and empoweredwarlords to accelerate conflictsrather than finding peaceful

removed, and how traditionalpractices can offer alternativeways of ending conflict. Thiswill help to attain post conflictreconciliation, peace building,and prevent reoccurrence ofconflicts.

In order to avoid theconflict of class struggles, theremust be equitable distributionof power, wealth, status andresponsibilities among allethnic communities in thecountry. Equality must be

NEMA to set up community resilience networkThe National Emergency

Management Agency(NEMA), South-South

zone plans to set up communityresilience network and peacebrigades, the Zonal Co-ordinator, Mr Umesi Emenike,has said.

Emenike made the planknown at the opening of athree-day workshop, organisedby the agency in collaborationwith Zaramat Global Company

Limited in Port Harcourt. He said the aim was to

strategise on various efforts inemergency management of theregion, adding that the brigadewould comprise NEMAstakeholders and volunteers inthe zone.

He said the training wasalso part of the resilienceproject, adding that it wasfallout of experience of theagency during the 2012 floods

in the country. “Building resilience at

community level is necessaryand I believe that the workshopwill cover all the aspects ofemergency management as itis necessary in the country,” hestressed.

He advised participants totake advantage of the trainingto build stronger effort indisaster management.

A facilitator, Mr Maji

build the capacity of Nigeriansin ICT and in the application ofsocial media networking inconflict and disaster earlywarning response, and inconfronting misinformationthat exacerbates conflicts andinsecurity.

On its own part, YADIencourages governments at alllevels while seeking to resolveconflicts to first identify thedifferent dynamics of the

resolution. Effort to resolve conflicts

should give priority to the rolesof traditional rulers,community/village heads, andthe religious leaders who arelikely to be more informed onthe root causes of the clashes.They should be given chance toidentify how theircommunities are affected bythe conflict, how the obstaclesto peace negotiations can be

reinstalled in our traditionalinstitutions and judiciarysystem; as national objectivescan only be achieved throughconsideration for individuals’fairness and justice before law.Thus, individuals must shunundesirable elements thatcould capitalize on insecurity toattack innocent citizens; bytaking it part of their civilresponsibility to report apredicted or suspected crisis in

their domain to the appropriateauthority. Various social andtraditional institutions incommunities should alwaysencourage their members onattitudinal change in theirmindset and proper orientationtoward others. This can beachieved through propereducation and enlightenment.

The institutions on theirpart should be operationallyand structurally fortified forthe inculcation of humility andpatriotism in their members.Also, education institutions atall levels should concentrate onimparting useful knowledge,discipline and morality instudents. Due considerationmust be given to the nationalintegration and economicprogress through institution ofgood governance at all levels.

Patriotic efforts must bemade towards povertyalleviation, and employmentopportunities; as warlordswould always source for idlepopulations who they canmanipulate into ethnic,religious, political and classconflicts using food andmaterial enticements.

Moreover, it is evident thatduring the dry season, lowfeedstuff and low water inrivers would trigger an earlymovement of herds in search ofpasture and water as early asDecember/January, therebyincreasing the risk of conflictsbetween herdsmen andfarmers. YADI has encouragedall levels of Government tomake drinkable wateravailable for both man andanimals in water deficit areas,through the provision ofsufficient wells or boreholes inthe affected communities.

Farmers are advised tostart planting at theappropriate period, consciouslyuse their food reserve, andimprove feeds during thegrowing season in accordancewith guidance and advice ofstate agriculture services.Traditional rulers andcommunity heads across thecountry should encourage theirherdsmen to make adequateprovisions for their animalfeeds against dry season;through massive storage ofanimal feedstuffs during thegrowing season.

Peterx, who gave the generaloverview on communityresilience, stressed the need tobe proactive in disastermanagement.

Peterx said the programmewas a wake-up call tostakeholders in the south-southzone.

He urged participants tocontinue to supportgovernment in its effort ondisaster management. (NAN)

. During the 4th Africa Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, theMedia group was briefed on How the National Emergency ManagementAgency uses Social Media to promote Disaster Risk Reduction.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013PAGE 26

ENVIRENVIRENVIRENVIRENVIRONMENTONMENTONMENTONMENTONMENTWWWWWAAAAATTTTTCHCHCHCHCH

By Ambrose InusaSule, mnes

globenviron@yahoo.com0703-441-4410 (sms only)

Although, I have notvisited Zamfararecently, stories coming

out from there areunpalatable. The problem ofZamfara lead poisoning debaclehas become like a recurringdecimal.

From very reliable sources,it has again been reported thatthe situation is becoming worstby the day, as thousands morepeople are believed to still be atrisk with many of them unableto get treatment and neededurgent and coordinatedresponse.

Must we have to always waitfor an agency like MedecinsSans Frontieres MSF to tell uswhat to do to remediate thecontaminated areas inZamfara of lead poisoning?Only God knows how manypeople have already died andhow many are still living withthe lead poison.

Above all, it is criminal forsuch negligence.

Sometimes last year,Hamzat Bala Lawal, theNational Coordinator, AfricanYouth Initiative on ClimateChange (AYICC), Nigeriachapter, at a press conferencein Abuja had to cry out that tilldate, the federal governmenthad not sanitized the affectedareas leading to more childrengetting affected withoutadequate medical treatment.

Lawal claimed that over1,000 people have died fromthis lead poisoning in the sixaffected communities due tomining activities over time.

Within the same period,Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)also cried out that the situationin Zamfara was far from over,as the water supply in the areasbecome polluted and called onthe federal government to domore to deal with the deadlyoutbreak of this unfortunatelead poisoning.

MSF actually discoveredthat the situation was under-estimated because many lead-related deaths were neverreported, and in many cases,these communities attributethem to other factors or denythem altogether.

It could be recalled that itwas during the annualimmunization program, thatMSF visiting doctors realizedchildren in the region weredying in unusually largenumbers. In several villagesthey sawthere were virtuallyno children.

Villagers said the childrenhad died of malaria and it wasonly when an MSF took bloodtests from local people that thehigh concentrations of leadwere discovered.

It was also discovered thatit was more extensive thananyone ever thought as therewere more villages involved,and the lead levels were higher,and the number of childreninfected was higher than

The Unending story of Zamfara Lead poisoninganyone first estimated.

When the incident was firstreported, subsequent tests byexperts show the areascontaminated was 11,000parts per million of lead.According to the U.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency it was at an alarmingrate, as the safe level of lead is400 parts per million.

It could be recalled that inMarch 2009, an estimated 400children were reported to havedied, and 30,000 otherspoisoned in Zamfara state, inthe world's worst recordedoutbreak of lead poisoning.

But the sad news is that theproblem of lead poisoning in thestate persists in the face of

several calls both from localand internationalorganizations for the federalgovernment to remediate theaffected area as a matter orurgency.

It is now three years sincethe outbreak of lead poisoningin Zamfara state, and seems asif the problem is just a week old,as nothing tangible has beendone as gleaned from mydependable sources fromthestate.

The inaction of ZamfaraState government after thealleged warning by the FederalMinistry of Mines about thedanger of the illegal miningbefore it occurred, elicitedpublic condemnationconsidering thenumber ofpeople that died and those thatwere hospitalized.

The blame game betweenZamfara State Governmentand the Federal Ministry of

Mines and Steel Developmentcontinued, until we had to waitfor the United Nations to tell usthat, "The lead pollution andintoxication crisis in Zamfarastate is far from over."

Since then it has been onepromise by either the federalgovernment or Zamfara stategovernment to carry outremediation of the affectedareas.

The source of the outbreakbegan after the price of gold shotup and villagers realised theycould make more money fromexploiting local gold depositsthan from farming, as youngmen began to dig metal orefrom nearby mines and processit in their homes in the search

for gold.But they were unknowingly

mining lead, and the dust fromthe processing contaminatedtheir houses. As children playin the dust around water wells,ignorant of the danger aroundthem were contaminated.

To extract gold, deadlyamounts of lead were releasedand soil containing lead depositswas dumped in water sourcesand in places where childrenplayed.

They were actually poisonedby dust released by gold minersbreaking open rocks near theirhomes.

Contaminated soil was alsodumped in water sources andthere were fears that rain hadfurther spreadpollutants.

Though, ignorance is not anexcuse, but do we have to blamethe communities who did knowthe health implications of theirmining activity? Must we wait

for the entire communities tobe wiped out beforeremediation? MSF's head ofmission in Nigeria, IvanGayton, has repeatedly told the

federal government thatone thousand five hundredchildren are currently lead-

poisoned, but are not receivingtreatment because it isimpossible to deliver effectivetreatment while they still livein contaminated homes.

What has been the responsefrom the government otherthan looking the other way,while mining continueduncontrolled till date, resultingto more contaminations anddeaths? It was reported that thefederal government said itwould spend more thanN500m cleaning up Zamfara,and in some areas this work itclaimed has already begunafter MSF's alert.

Must we be waiting for theinternational community totell us about ourselves before weknow what to do? HumanRights Watch noted thatgovernment had not sent seniorofficials and suggested thisunderlined the fact thatauthorities were not taking the

situation seriously enough.Although the authorities

whose responsibility is toensure remediation, told peopleto stop mining, but bettereducation in place to teachpeople of the health risks shouldbe a priority telling the people

that exposure to high levels oflead can damage the brain andnervous system, and in severecases cause seizures, coma anddeath.

It is possible to do theenvironmental remediationand it is possible to do safermining as we need not die insearch of livelihood as it can bedone safely with education andenlightenment campaign.

When will our leaders beproactive on issues thatconcern the lives of theordinary people? Must we haveto wait for an agency like MSFto tell us what to do to remediatethe contaminated areas inZamfara of lead poisoning?Only God knows how manypeople have already died and

how many are still livingwith the lead poison. Above all,it is criminal for suchnegligence.

Lead poisoning and remediation in Zamfara

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 14, 2013 PAGE 27

The Minister ofEnvironment, Mrs HadizaIbrahim Mailafia has

appealed to stakeholders toensure that the onslaught ofdesertification in the country ischecked through theimplementation of the GreatGreen Wall Project.

Mailafia made the appealrecently in Abuja, at a meetingwith Commissioners ofEnvironment fromdesertification challengedAdamawa, Bornu Bauchi,Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, KatsinaZamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, andYobe.

In a statement issue by theministry’s Deputy Director, Press

Minister calls for renewed vigouron Great Green Wall ProjectBy Mohammed Kandi and Public Relations, Lawrence

Ojabo, the minister, whocommended the enthusiasm andenormous preparatory worksalready carried out in variousstates on the project, emphasizedthe commitment anddetermination of the FederalGovernment towards the fullimplementation of the GreatGreen Wall Programme inNigeria.

The efforts, Mailafia said,should spur the stakeholders tobring on board all seriousness,diligence and moral rectitude onthe ongoing plans and activitiesof the project.

She said: “we cannot afford tolet Mr President, the VicePresident and the people of theaffected communities down. As

one of the principalimplementing agents of the GreatGreen Wall, you asCommissioners of Environmentin your various States, havemajor roles to play towards thesuccess of the programme.”

“These include among others,integration of the Great GreenWall into your state'sdevelopment programmes;massive sensitization andawareness campaigns at alllevels, up to grass roots level;provision of land; communitymobilization; financial, technicaland other resources, as well asensuring ownership andsustainability,” Mailafiaexplained.

“I call on you to redouble yourefforts, carry the Local

Governments, Communities, aswell as all relevant stakeholders,including schools, NYSC,Cooperatives, NGO's by involvingthem in the planning,implementation and monitoringof the programme.In this way wewill get their buy-in and ensureownership and sustainability,”she stated.

The Minister disclosed thatthe Vice President andChairman of the NationalCouncil on Shelterbelt andAfforestation, Architect NamadiSambo has directed that a roadmap for implementation of theprogramme should be preparedfor consideration of the councilwithin the next two weeks, to fasttrack concrete action on theground.

Following the glaring effectof desert encroachment,upsetting most parts of

northern parts of Nigeria, theSokoto State Commissioner forEnvironment, Dr. Jabi Kilgori,said 1, 450 kilometres of shelterbelt had been established acrossthe state to fight bane.

He made the announcementrecently at the annualconference of the ForestryAssociation of Nigeria in Sokoto.

Kilgori, who said the challengeof such encroachment was thebiggest ecological problem facingabout 12.5 million hectares ofland in the semi-arid zone,observed that about 50 millionpeople living in that part of thecountry, who produced about 40percent of the food consumed and100 percent of the livestock, werethreatened by desertencroachment.

He added that the stategovernment made a number ofinterventions, in collaborationwith the Federal Governmentand multi lateral agencies, tocontrol desert encroachment anddrought.

Represented by thePermanent Secretary of theMinistry, Alhaji SuleimanFulani, Kilgori said 16 tree-seedling nurseries were beingrehabilitated, including variousirrigation infrastructure andoffices across the state.

He said it would reposition thenurseries, to produce more goodquality planting stock to nourishafforestation activities.

Kilgori said it would supplyseedlings to the general public,non-governmental organisationsand schools, for tree planting.

Eerlier, Alhaji Saminu Ado,the National President of theassociation, said the conferencewould address the status,challenges and prospects of theforest.

Sokoto Govtestablishes 1, 450kmshelter belt againstdesert encroachmentBy Mohammed Kandi

Kebbi spendsN12.1b on watersupply projectsin 5 years

NESREA sets up environmental clubs in schoolsThe National

E n v i r o n m e n t a lStandards and

Regulations EnforcementAgency (NESREA) has set upclubs in some secondary schoolsin Plateau State to boostawareness on environmentissues.

An environmental expertand NESREA’s Zonal Director inthe state, Dr. William Lappi,disclosed this to the told theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)in Jos.

Lappi said that the essencewas to inculcate environmentaldiscipline and management inchildren at an early age.

“If the younger generationis well sensitised onenvironmental managementand its protection, the worldwill be a better place.

“When that is done, we shallminimise actions highlydetrimental to the environmentand the ozone layer.

“What we do is to sensitisethe students who, in turn,

sensitise their friends andfamily members on theimportance of environmentalmanagement and itsprotection,’’ he explained.

According to him, aside theestablishment of NESREA clubsin schools, the agency hascarried out various sensitisationworkshops at places of worshipand in communities.

“We have gone to variouscommunities and places ofworship to sensitise the peopleon the ills of carrying out

certain acts which aredetrimental to the environmentand to humans in the long run.

“We have been more specificon building along water waysand close to rivers; we have alsoeducated them on the dangersof indiscriminate felling of treesand bush burning.’’

The environmentalistadvised people to be moreconscious of their environmentas it is the only space availableto humanity to live in. (NAN)

The representative ofAfrican Health Project,USA, Mr James Ojeba,

has presented drugs worthmillions of naira as reliefmaterials to flood victims inKogi.

The drugs were received bythe Permanent Secretary in

Flood: Organisation donates relief materials to victims in Kogithe state Ministry of Health,Alhaji Salau Aliu, in Lokoja onbehalf of the

state and victims. Ojeba said that the drugs

were token contribution fromthe organisation to assistvictims who must havesuffered from the flood.

Aliu expressed appreciationto the association for assistingthe state government and floodvictims in time of need.

He said that governmentalone could not meet all theneeds of victims or proffer allthe solutions to flood problem.

He said the government was

making efforts to alleviate thesuffering of the victims.

The epidemiologist of theMinistry of Health, Mrs. FunmiBalogun, advised organisationsto always contact the ministryon the type of drugs that wouldbe required before donatingsuch items. (NAN)

The Kebbi Government saysit spent about N12.1 billionon rural and urban water

supply projects in five years. The State Director of Water

Supply, Alhaji Sunusi Ibrahim,disclosed this in an interview withthe News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Birnin Kebbi recently.

Out of the amount, he said,N4.4 billion was used to provide465 motorised water schemes andN1.9 billion for 2,525 handpumps in the rural areas.

“The Rural Water Schemeswere located evenly in the fouremirates that include Gwandu,Argungu, Zuru and Yauri withinthe period under review.

“The ministry also provided309 kilometres of waterdistribution pipe network in therural and urban centres at thecost of N941.2 million to ensurethat people consume hygienicwater,” he said.

Ibrahim also said that N1.7billion was spent on 25 EarthDams to provide water supply forirrigation and livestock.

He said the urban watersupply scheme comprisedrehabilitation of major waterworks located in Birnin Kebbi,Argungu, Zuru, Yauri, Jega,Kangiwa, Aliero and Kambaemirates.

The director said thatrehabilitation of the urban waterworks included the provision oftreatment facilities andchemicals worth N3.2 billion.

“The strategy adopted forefficient water supply includedthe award of contracts toreputable firms, which includedChinese Geo EngineeringCompany and Zangahoo Ltd.

He expressed delight thatthere was no record of abandonedprojects because technical expertswere involved to monitor theexecution of the projects.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that N5.1 billionwas allocated for water supply inthe 2013 budget, which has beensigned into law. (NAN).

Ogoniland schools mark WED for the first time

PAGE 30 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY, 14, 2013

Suleiman Gimba Ahmed:An irreplaceable gentle soulBy Hassan Gimba Ahmed

He walked into thehospital that day byhimself. But before he left

home, as if he foresaw his death, hehad told his wives where he kepthis shroud (likkafani) and Zamzamwater. A week before he badegoodbye to this world, he haddistributed some of his possessionsto his children, named those hewanted to dig his grave, those whoto first pour sand over him and leftbehind his will (wasiyya) throughImam Alkali Muhammad Ahmedwhom he willed should lead thefuneral prayers for the repose of hissoul.

My first dream, I vividly recall,was of him and the Prophet of Islam,Maulana Muhammad (SAW). Itwas either in 1968 or ’69. I was fourto five years old and we were thenin Gembu. In that dream, I walkedup to the Prophet who stood under atree, glowing in white attires. Hisshoes - the Arabian oriental withthe toes curved inwards - were thetype used by olden day royalties. Icame up to him on his right side.He turned s onto me, smiling andpointing to his left, saying, inHausa, ka kai wannan wa babanka(take this to your father). In thedream, I understood what he offeredto be a bag of millet.

I grew up knowing my fatheras an upright man who feared God,loved His Prophet and did his best towalk the straight but narrow path.He desired to inculcate suchuprightness in us, his children. Thatwas why we always had Qur’anicteachers come to our house to teachus. He always wanted the best forus.

Gimba Ahmed was born inFika, the ancient town ofundulating plains in Yobe state onthe November 6, 1938, where hestarted his Western education inthe town’s elementary school in1947. Being the son of the village’sImam who taught the children ofthe royals and those of their“subjects” as well as preached in thevillage and surrounding ones, thathe had western education at all wasluck.

As God wanted, he excelled tothe extent his classmates at theBorno Middle School (whichbecame a Provincial SecondarySchool before they passed out)nicknamed him “professor”. Thatwas the school he went to in 1951from Potiskum Elementary Schoolwhich absorbed elementary pupilsfrom Fika, Potiskum and otherneighbouring divisions. In thewords of Alhaji Ajiya Idriss whocalled that day to condole, GimbaAhmed was a “humanencyclopaedia”.

My father worked in variousplaces, both public and private andhe distinguished himself. Afterpassing out from Borno Provincial

Secondary School, nowGovernment College, Maiduguri,he worked with the United AfricaCompany (UAC). His strong desirewas not personal wealth but to helphis people through the publicservice. Thus he joined theNorthern Nigeria Civil Service in1961 as an Assistant Script Writer.He rose to the position of an actingPermanent Secretary in 1980when the cutthroat politics of thosedays forced him to resign and rejointhe UAC as Regional Manager(North) in charge of AJ Seward andKingsway chemists.

A man who loved farming,Gimba Ahmed was a good one. Heestablished a flourishing maizefarm at Kidandan, in Zaria, for UAC.It did not stop at that as his 1976report on Agricultural StaffTraining as the then DeputyPermanent Secretary (DPS) in theBorno State Ministry of Agricultureand Natural Resources led to the

setting up of the Borno State Collegeof Agriculture. Another report of histhat same year was on WaterResources Administration whichalso led to the establishment of theBorno State Water Board. Hebecame its first General Manager,in acting capacity, and it was atthat time most of the major townsof Borno got boreholes, massiveoverhead tanks and pipelinespumping potable water to taps inhouseholds and designated publicplaces.

His responsibility at the WaterBoard was coupled with his positionas DPS (he acted as PermanentSecretary on many occasions) inthe Ministry of Agriculture andNatural Resources where, togetherwith other staff, he inspired the effortto restore Borno’s glory as thenumber one granary and meatshop of Nigeria. When he was theDistrict Officer (DO), between 1967and 1969, in charge of Gashaka/

Mambila/Gembu (now Sardauna,Gashaka and Kumi LocalGovernments in Taraba State) healso established a farm and startedthe process that led to the setting ofa Tea Manufacturing Companythere, the renowned Highland Tea.

Even though he achieved somuch in administration andmanagement and people knew himas an astute administrator andconsummate manager, he was ata point in his career a journalist. Hewas Information and TourismOfficer in the Northern CivilService and was promoted fromAssistant Secretary, Ministry ofHome Affairs and Information,North Eastern State, to Acting ChiefInformation Officer. That was whyamong the various courses heattended were those at the NigerianBroadcasting Corporation (nowFRCN) Training School in Lagos,BBC Training School in London andone other in Kenya which wasorganised by the United Nations’Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO). He also went to Switzerlandfor a course in Tourism.

Gimba Ahmed was a man inlove with the Public Service; hencedespite the financial advantages inthe private sector, he resigned fromthe UAC, despite pleadings andpromises by the then Chairman ofUAC, former (Interim) President,Chief Earnest Shonekan, andreturned to Borno. He wassubsequently appointed aPermanent Commissioner in theState Civil Service Commission. Hewas there from February 1989 tillwhen Yobe State was curved out in1991. He was made PermanentCommissioner 1 in Yobe andreappointed to the same office for asecond and statutorily final tenure.He was there up to 2002. Beforethe expiry of his tenure, he was atthe vanguard of laying a solid andbefitting Civil Service in its truetradition and global best practice.He presented numerous papers atWorkshops, Seminars andTraining/Capacity buildingprogrammes for Civil Servants.

One of his hobbies was scouting.He was Secretary, Boys Scout,North East, AssistantCommissioner, Boys Scout, Bornoand later Yobe in 2002. He was atShere Hills, Jos, for the World ScoutJamboree which took place in1977. A man who spoke Englishlike a Briton, he was also fluent inArabic, Hausa, Kanuri, French andhis mother tongue, Bolewa.

He loved reading. From him wegot the habit of reading vastly. Hisbookshelves were stacked with allsorts, from children’s books todifferent Encyclopaedias; fromlanguages to books on law,medicine, administration, religion,history, business, engineering, etc.Growing up as kids, we alwayslooked forward to his return fromwork because he must come with

newspapers, local and internationalmagazines including Reader’sDigest. I recall when I went to Zariain 1982 after my name was,among others, published in the NewNigerian as having successfullypassed the entrance examinationinto the School of Basic Studies (SBS).He proudly told me: “I know youwill see your name because youalways read newspapers!”

A prolific writer, he had writtena lot of articles on wide rangingtopics in various newspapers in the1960s and some books amongwhich are: Ajabul Aja’ib (TheWonder of Wonders), a history ofthe people of Fika Emirate[Manuscript], The Nigerian PublicServices: On the Evaluation andDevelopment of the Public Service,with particular reference to theservices rendered to the Countrywhich also lies in manuscript.Others are: Urwatul Wuthqa (1991)Vol. 1, on the fundamentals of Islamand another monograph onrecruitment in the Civil Service,1993.

He always read the Qur’an anddid what Allah enjoins. Even whenhe died in Potiskum at 2.30pm onMonday, January 7, 2013 at 75,of natural causes, his death cameto us as a shock and a great loss. Iwas saddened when I received thetext of the news of his death frommy brother, Ahmed Gimba(Ba’aba), saying: Inna lilLahi wainna ilaihi raji’un, baba is no more.” Iwas numbed. The weight of the lossdescended on me instantly.Thoughts of what I always wantedto do but could not have done forhim overwhelmed me.

There is a tradition of theProphet, Nabiyyina, HabibulLah,Muhammad (SAW), which saidthat any Muslim who dies on aMonday or Thursday notpracticing shirk and in goodspeaking terms with all, will enterparadise. In another, he said anyMuslim whose four neighbourstestify to his goodness, will meetAllah’s mercy in such words: “Ihave accepted your (theneighbours’) testimony and haveforgiven all that is between Me andhim.”

Gimba Ahmed died on aMonday, believed in only Allah,never ascribing any partner toHim. He was on good terms witheverybody and his neighbours alltestify to his goodness. While hopingand praying that he will continueto be remembered and prayed forby all those whose lives had beentouched, one way or the other,directly or indirectly, by his wisdomand large heart, we beseech Allah(SWT) to forgive him and accepthim into His presence and makeAljannatu Firdaus his abode.

Hassan Gimba Ahmed isreachable onagimbah@yahoo.com

Suleiman Gimba Ahmed

“There is a tradition of the Prophet,Nabiyyina, HabibulLah, Muhammad (SAW),which said that any Muslim who dies on a

Monday or Thursday not practicing shirk andin good speaking terms with all, will enterparadise. In another, he said any Muslim

whose four neighbours testify to hisgoodness, will meet Allah’s mercy in such

words: “I have accepted your (theneighbours’) testimony and have forgiven all

that is between Me and him.

PAGE 31PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

State of the dronesDuring his State of the Union

Address on tuesday,President Barack Obama

said:We don't need to send tens of

thousands of our sons and daughtersabroad, or occupy other nations.Instead, we will need to help countrieslike Yemen, Libya, and Somaliaprovide for their own security, andhelp allies who take the fight toterrorists, as we have in Mali. And,where necessary, through a range ofcapabilities, we will continue to takedirect action against those terroristswho pose the gravest threat toAmericans.

Although the word "drones" is notmentioned anywhere in the speech,they clearly are implied in "directaction". The meaning is clear: Toprotect US national security, we canand must continue to fight wars allover, but we can do so without havingto risk the lives of "tens of thousands ofour sons and daughters".

What distinguishes drones fromother killing technologies employedin war is that drones are unmanned.For proponents of drone warfare, thatis their greatest advantage. They alsotout that drones are highly accurate,precision weapons capable of takingout targets and nothing else. Thatcontention, while popular in the hallsof power in Washington, manifestsas the disputable claim that civiliancasualties are rare.

If drones offer a clear advantageover other types of weapons, it is anadvantage that compares to thecombatant who perfidiouslydisguises himself to approach and killhis target unawares or the sniper whokills from a distance. Perfidy in thecontext of war is a war crime becausethe advantage the combatant gainsfrom disguised sneak attack is illegal,and sniping is at the outer marginsof what we would call "battle" becausedistance and camouflage offerdegrees of protection to the shooterthat those who engage their enemiesdirectly do not enjoy. Being presentin or proximate to the battle, or evenflying manned crafts above targetsand risking being shot down are thekinds of "disadvantages" thatunmanned lethal technologyeliminates.

The actual way in which dronesare actually being used is atechnological innovation to thepractice of targeted killing. This begsthe question: Is targeted killing "war"and if so, what kind of war is it?

Targeted killing is distinct fromassassination, according to itsadvocates, because the context inwhich the killing occurs is war, andin war states are permitted to kill theirenemies on or off the battlefield. Israelpioneered this reasoning as officialpolicy in November 2000, and theUS followed suit in 2002. Thus,advocates would argue, there isnothing more immoral or illegalabout targeted killing than othertypes of wartime killing, as long asthe killing adheres to rules ofproportion, distinction and so on.

Even if one were to accept thattargeted killing is not assassinationbecause it occurs in the context of war,it is distinct from killing the enemyin battle because targets are attackedat times and in places when they arenot directly engaged in armedconflict (killing people in battle or

Although he plans on scaling back 'boots on the ground', Obama plans to continue 'targetedkillings' with drones.

during hot pursuit is, by definition,not targeted killing). Those whoadvocate the legality of targetedkilling hitch their arguments to theconcept of imminence, namely thatpeople who are designated for deathin this manner pose an imminent,dangerous and violent threat, andthat killing them is the only availablemeans of averting that threat.Therefore, advocates argue, thelegitimacy of targeted killing isequivalent to killing enemies duringdirect hostilities.

Whether a target actually posessome kind of imminent threat is amatter of facts and accurateintelligence. But to accept thattargeted killing is just another wayto wage war requires accepting theexpansion and thus distortion of theconcept of "hostilities". The distortionarises from what distinguishestargeted killing from the conventionsof war: surreptitious and risklesskilling, as well as the absence ornegation of elemental rules of armedconflict such as hors de combatimmunity or a possibility ofindividual surrender.

Targeted killing is a small-scaletactic to strike at individuals. But itslogic is that of total war. The total warlogic latent in Obama's State of theUnion address is that the war will (orcan or should) go on as long asterrorists pose threats to the nation.There is no mention of an end of drone

warfare, even as an end to boots-on-the-ground warfare is one of theuplifting themes of the speech. Insuch a total war, surrender,negotiation or armistice literally isinconceivable.

If the question is how we can keepfighting all over, the answer isdrones. The human enemies - theperpetrators and abettors of terroristacts - are elusive, dispersed amongcivilian populations, and "real". Buthow is this reality conceived? In fact,the practice of targeted killing andthe discourse supporting it helps usunderstand this. Juxtaposed againstthe messy and amorphous conceptof terrorism is a kind of certaintyabout the existence of identifiable(and killable) terrorists whose namesare stockpiled in the "dispositionmatrix". The practice of targetedkilling, whether by drones or othermeans, manifests as a lethal whack-a-mole project to eliminate what isimagined and proclaimed to be afinite number of terrorists.

As critics of drone warfarecorrectly point out and investigatorsand analysts can empiricallysupport, such attacks alienate andenrage communities and societieswithin which they occur. In Pakistanand Yemen, in particular,accelerating drone warfare and"collateral damage" (ie, civiliandeaths) have contributed to politicalinstability and intensified anti-

American sentiment. Moreover, USdrone warfare is strongly opposed bypublics in countries far beyond thoseregions.

Indeed, to perceive or anticipatethe adverse consequences of dronewarfare we have only to look at theconsequences of the previouslypreferred US strategy for waging thewar on terror: capture, interrogationusing violent and degrading methods,and indefinite detention. The tortureof Arabs and Muslims was a majorrecruitment tool for al-Qaeda andother terrorist organisations. Theconsequences of the torture policy,according to Matthew Alexander(pseudonym), a retired Air Forcemajor with extensive interrogationexperience in Iraq, included theattraction of foreign fighters to Iraqwho conducted attacks that causedthe majority of US casualties andinjuries. Connecting the dots,Alexander says, "at least hundredsbut more likely thousands ofAmerican lives (not to count Iraqicivilian deaths) are linked directly tothe policy decision to introduce thetorture and abuse of prisoners asaccepted tactics."

Now that killing has supplantedcapture as the preference and thecenterpiece of US counter-terrorismstrategy, drones have supplantedAbu Ghraib and Guantánamo assymbols, recruitment tools andmotivators for America's enemies.

Stanley McChrystal, a retired USArmy general who played a hugerole in the development of dronewarfare andother forms of targetedkilling, and counter-terrorismstrategising more broadly, has begunstriking a very critical chord:

What scares me about dronestrikes is how they are perceivedaround the world. The resentmentcreated by American use ofunmanned strikes... is much greaterthan the average Americanappreciates. They are hated on avisceral level, even by people who'venever seen one or seen the effects ofone.

The criticism of drone warfare inthe US has concentrated mainly onthe secrecy shrouding the policy.Indeed, it is quite troubling that we(the public) do not have - because it isclassified - specific information aboutthe legal authority for dronewarfare, the criteria for beingdesignated as killable, the list ofcountries where the US hasconducted or plans to conduct lethaloperations, and more.

However, we do haveinformation to anticipate blowbackarising from the negativeconsequences and hostile reactions todrone warfare, and we also do haveevidence that contemporary UScounter-terrorism strategy privilegestargeted killing and manifests aslethal whack-a-mole. Evidence isprovided by every governmentofficial who makes a public statementthat we are winning the war againstal-Qaeda by thinning their ranks oreliminating their top leadership. Thelarger point of McChrystal's criticismof drones is that the consequences oftheir current use may be strategicallydetrimental: "[I]f their use threatensthe broader goals or creates moreproblems than it solves, then youhave to ask whether they are the righttool."

Rather than engaging in thisvariety of larger strategic thinkingin which means, goals andconsequences are weighed, manyadvocates tend to emphasise thatthe use of drones to attacksuspected terrorists andmilitants is just, necessary, andeffective because whatever evildrones do is lesser than the evildone by those killed (on purpose)by drones (John Brennan madethe same argument during hisSenate confirmation hearing tobecome the next director of theCIA).

Lesser evil thinking is notwell suited to the kinds ofcomplex strategic problemsdrone warfare and targetedkilling raise. As Eyal Weitzmanexplains:

The principle of the lesser evil isoften presented as a dilemmabetween two or more bad choices insituations where available optionsare, or seem to be, limited... Theprinciple [is] understood as takingplace within a closed system in whichthose posing the dilemma, the optionsavailable for choice, the factors to becalculated and the very parametersof calculation are unchallenged... asif the previous accumulation ofevents has not taken place, and thefuture implications are out of bounds.

Source: Al Jazeera

If the question is how we can keep fightingall over, the answer is drones. The humanenemies - the perpetrators and abettors of

terrorist acts - are elusive, dispersed amongcivilian populations, and "real".

“

By Lisa Hajjar

ANALYSIS

PAGE 32 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Human rights: Nigeria,Switzerland strengthen ties

Child trafficking: two French charity workers jailed

Zimbabweelection chiefresigans

Zimbabwe's election chiefhas resigned citing illhealth, state media reports.

Simpson Mutambanengweresignation comes as Zimbabwegears up for a crucialconstitutional referendum andelections later this year.

Prime Minister MorganTsvangirai had been pushing forkey reforms to guarantee freeelections.

The poll will herald the end ofthe shaky coalition he formedwith President Robert Mugabeafter the 2008 election, whichwas marred by violence.

Mr Tsvangirai - the leader ofthe Movement for DemocraticChange (MDC) - boycotted a run-off vote in 2008 after claiminghe had been robbed of victoryduring the first round.

Mr Tsvangirai and MrMugabe are expected to runagainst each other in the election.

Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF partywas also accused of unleashingviolence against MDC supporters,an allegation it denied.

Justice Minister Chinamasasaid that Mr Mugabe hadaccepted the resignation of MrMutambanengwe, a retiredjudge who took the post after thecontroversial 2008 poll, thestate-owned Herald newspaperreports.

"The resignation is on thegrounds of health," MrChinamasa is quoted as saying

His replacement would bechosen after discussionsinvolving the coalition partners,Mr Chinamasa added.

Last month, New York-basedcampaign group Human RightsWatch called for reforms to theelectoral body, judiciary andmedia, alleging they were loyalto Zanu-PF.

Following talks later in themonth, Mr Mugabe and MrTsvangirai said they had reacheda deal over a new constitution,removing a key obstacle toelections.

They said the constitutionwould be put to a referendum.

Once approved by voters,elections are to be held.

Nigerian and Switzerlandhave advanced theircause against violation of

human rights between the twocountries. This came after thethird round of Nigeria -Switzerland Human RightsConsultations. Held at theministry of Foreign AffairsAbuja, the Nigerian delegationwas led by the PermanentSecretary, Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Ambassador MartinUhomobhi while the Swiss specialenvoy for Human Rights,Ambassador Paul Koller led theSwiss delegation.

Reading out the jointcommuniqué issued at the closingceremony, Director ofInternational OrganisationsDepartment at the ministry,Ambassador Mark Bassey Egbestated that the two sides haveunderlined their keenness andcommitment to the consultations.He said: "the two sides once againunderline their willingness andcommitment to continue to holdthis annual high level discussionaimed at the promotion andprotection of human rights".

"In the two previous editionsheld in 2011 and 2012, issueswere agreed upon, including thewish to step-up mutualcooperation in multinational fora, especially at the UnitedNations Human Rights Council

and the United Nations GeneralAssembly", he added.

The Ambassador stressed thepoint that, the most concreteachievement of the consultationsso far is the on-going review ofthe syllabus for the training ofthe Nigerian Police on humanrights with the sponsorship of theSwiss government.

Sensitive areas such assecurity forces and humanrights, criminal justice system,minority rights, migration,

discrimination and relationshipbetween business and humanrights were discussed in the thirdround of discussions, where a newdimension to human rightsthrough a joint workshop on theUniversal Periodic Review (UPR)of the United Nations HumanRights Council was reached.

Initiated in 2011, theNigerian -Switzerland PoliticalDialogue on Human Rights is abilateral initiative between thetwo countries, providing

Two French charity workershave been sentenced to twoyears in prison for illegally

trying to fly 103 African childrenfrom Chad to France in 2007.

Ambassador Mark Bassey Egbe (R) presents a gift to Ambassador Paul Koller.

Eric Breteau(R) and his partner Emilie Lelouch(L).

South Sudan accuses Sudan of troops' build-upgiving any numbers.

"Our forces are in the state ofmaximum readiness to repel anyattack by Khartoum. We will stay inour current positions, we will keep tothe terms of the (September)agreement," D'Agoot said.

Sudan's army and foreignministry spokesmen could not beimmediately reached for comment.

The two countries came close towar last April in the worst borderclashes since South Sudan seceded in2011 under a peace agreement thatended one of Africa's longest civil wars.

The African Union brokered a dealin September to defuse hostilities.

But the nations have failed to setup a demilitarised border zone andresume oil exports from the landlockedSouth Sudan through Sudanesepipelines, as agreed in Addis Ababa.

Such a buffer zone is a pre-conditionfor Sudan to allow oil exports to restart.

Juba shut down its output of350,000 barrels a day a year ago in arow with Khartoum over pipeline fees.

D'Agoot said South Sudan hadalerted other countries in the region,the African Union and the UN Security

Council about what he called recentborder violations by Sudan.

"We are concerned again aboutthis hawkish mindset, about theruling elites in Khartoum whowould want to escalate the situationalong the border and possiblyprovoke a war between the twocountries," he said.

On Sunday, Sudan's state newsagency SUNA said an infantrybrigade had boosted security at theHeglig oilfield on the Sudan side of thedisputed border. It was not clear ifD'Agoot was referring to these troops.

Eric Breteau, who founded Zoe'sArk, and his partner Emilie Lelouchhad been tried in absentia butappeared in the Paris court forTuesday's verdict.

Four other members of the groupwere given suspended sentences ofbetween six months and a year.

Zoe's Ark received a 100,000euro (£86,000) fine and has beendissolved.

The children were said to havebeen orphans from Sudan's war-tornDarfur region, but turned out to bemainly from Chad and withfamilies of their own.

In a case that shocked France,the defendants were arrested inChad as they tried to load thechildren on to a plane bound forFrance in 2007.

They were sentenced later thatyear to eight years' hard labour bya court in the Chadian capital,N'Djamena, but repatriated toFrance after receiving a pardonfrom Chad's president in March

2008.The six defendants were

charged, in France, with actingillegally as an adoptionintermediary, facilitating illegalentry into France, and fraud inregard to 358 families who hadexpected to adopt children.

Mr Breteau and Ms Lelouch,who had been living in SouthAfrica, refused to attend the startof the trial in early December,reportedly saying they had "nowish to give an account ofthemselves".

But they appeared in court onTuesday to hear the judge rulethat they should face a two-yearprison sentence, a fine of 50,000euros each and a ban on workingwith minors. Their lawyer said theywould appeal.

By Abdulkadir Isa

South Sudan has accusedSudan of building up forcesalong its disputed border, the site

of clashes between the two countrieslast September.

South Sudan's defence ministrydescribed the deployment of troops onTuesday as "unusual" and said theywere ready for a possible incursion.

"The last two months have seenan unusual build-up of forces alongour common border with the Republicof Sudan," Majak D'Agoot, SouthSudan's deputy defence minister, toldreporters in the capital Juba, without

Simpson Mutambanengwe

opportunity for the critical butconstructive discussion of humanrights. This third round that heldin Abuja is the second to hold inNigeria as the first (2011) wasalso held here. The second of theseries (2012) was held in BernSwitzerland.

Civil society groups wereamong participants at theworkshop. It was agreed that thenext round of meeting will holdin the first quarter of 2014 inBern, Switzerland.

PAGE 33PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Dozen hurt in Bangladesh war crimes protest

One of the injured receives treatment at a hospital in Bacho.

Protesters hurl stones at police in Dhaka.

Clashes have rocked the maincommercial district in theBangladeshi capital, Dhaka, as

police battled with oppositionprotesters demanding a halt to thecountry's war crimes trials.

At least a dozen people were

injured by rubber bullets during theclashes, a medical official told theAFP news agency on Wednesday.

Police and witnesses said theclashes - in an area that houses topbanks, the main stock market andinsurers - began after the supportersof Bangladesh's largest Islamicparty, Jamaat-e-Islami, tried to holdmarches.

They torched a bus and attackedvehicles with police reacting byfiring rubber bullets, witnesses said.Television footage showed police inarmoured vehicles and wielding fire-arms chasing protesters.

"At least 100 people have beenarrested," sub-inspector Rafiqul Islamsaid.

Jamaat activists also resorted to

violence in the port city ofChittagong, Dhaka based The DailyStar said.

Wednesday's violence comes aday after more than a dozen peoplewere injured, including the editorof a leading daily, in similar clashesbetween the police and protesters.

Demonstrations over the trialshave left seven people dead since last

month.The protesters have been

demanding a halt to the trials ofJamaat leaders for crimes includinggenocide and rape, which they arealleged to have committed duringthe country's 1971 war ofindependence against Pakistan.

A senior Jamaat leader wassentenced to life imprisonment last

Asia andMiddle East

Militants killedin southernThailand attack

Thailand's military says itstroops have killed 16militants who stormed a base

in the violence-hit south of thecountry.

The attack took place beforedawn on Wednesday inNarathiwat province, near theborder with Malaysia.

No military casualties werereported in the attack, which theThai army said had involveddozens of militants.

Thailand's three southernmostprovinces have been plagued byunrest in recent years.

More than 5,000 people havebeen killed since a decades-oldseparatist campaign reignited inthe Muslim-majority region in2004.

Separatists carry out regularattacks, usually roadsidebombings or drive-by shootings.

Wednesday's attack is thebiggest loss of life in several years.Officials had earlier put the toll at17 but revised it down.

Pramote Phromin, aspokesman for the InternalSecurity Operations Command,said that up to 60 militantswearing military fatiguesapproached the base at around01:00 (18:00 GMT on Tuesday).

Soldiers at the base had beentipped off by locals ahead of theattack, officials said.

"There have been frequentattacks this month, so every unithas been on the lookout. Officershave been assigned on a nightwatch at every base,'' Capt SomkiatPonprayun, provincial marinecorps special task force chief, toldthe Associated Press.

"This week, residents in Bachodistrict have also informed thesoldiers of small armed movementhere and there, which put us onextra alert,'' he added.

The three southern provincesof Pattani, Yala and Narathiwatwere annexed to Siam, as Thailandwas then known, more than acentury ago. Most of the residentsare Muslims, unlike the majorityBuddhist population in Thailand.

The Thai government hasdeployed tens of thousands oftroops and police to the region, buthas been unable to quell theviolence.

On Sunday five soldiers werekilled by suspected militants in abomb attack in Yala, aneighbouring province.

The government has recentlysuggested imposing a curfew incertain parts of the region.

"If we impose a curfew thenmilitants will find it more difficultto enter the area," Deputy PrimeMinister Chalerm Yubamrungsaid.

Qatar handingembassy overto opposition

Qatar is to hand over theSyrian embassy in itscapital, Doha, to Syria's

main opposition group.The news was announced by

the Syrian National Coalition(SNC), which has alreadyappointed an ambassador.

Qatar was among the firststates to recognise the SNC as theofficial representative of theSyrian people.

Meanwhile, Syria's formerforeign ministry spokesman hastold the BBC he abandoned theregime because his hopes forreform had been dashed.

Jihad Makdissi, whodisappeared from Damascus inearly December, told BBC Arabiche left Syria quietly to beindependent and support whathe called "the peaceful changethat's based on national dialogueand partnership away fromhatred, extremism and foreignmilitary intervention".

Mr Makdissi had been one ofthe main public faces of theregime, outlining its position inmany news conferences.

His whereabouts remainunknown, though in a statementto the BBC he said he was not inEurope or the US but with"brothers" who were supportingthe Syrian people withoutdiscrimination.

Suu Kyi offers tomediate Myanmarpeace talks

Myanmar oppositionleader Aung San SuuKyi has offered to help

negotiate an end to conflictsbetween the government and thecountry's ethnic minoritygroups.

Suu Kyi made the offer onTuesday in a video address tomembers of her National Leaguefor Democracy party on UnionDay, which marks when her latefather signed a 1947 agreementwith leaders of the country'sethnic minorities to gainindependence from Britain.

The occasion is a reminder ofan issue that has destabilised thecountry since even before itobtained independence in 1948under the name of Burma.

Rebellions by ethnicminorities striving for greaterautonomy were hard for ademocratic parliamentarysystem to deal with, whichincreased pressure for strongcentral authority and helpedlead to an army takeover in1962. Military rule persisteduntil 2011.Jihad Makdissi

PAGE 34 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

EU, US in free-trade talks

Russian arms exporter sayssupplies to Syria will go on

US Senate panel approves Hagel nominationA divided US Senate panel has

approved Chuck Hagel asPresident Barack Obama's

new defence secretary, the first steptowards a vote by the full Senate,possibly later this week.

The Senate armed servicescommittee voted 14-11, along partylines, to approve Hagel's nominationafter two hours of often intensedebate.

Senator David Vitter, aRepublican from Louisiana, did not

cast a vote, saying the process wastoo rushed.

Democratic Senator Carl Levin,the committee chairman, toldreporters that he hoped for a vote bythe full Senate on Hagel'snomination by the end of this week.But it could be delayed ifRepublicans use procedural tacticsto stall.

Harry Reid, the Senate majorityleader, said he hoped debate onHagel's nomination would start on

included anti-missile air defensesystems but not attack weaponssuch as planes or helicopters. Theexports did not contraveneinternational law or U.N.Security Council resolutions, hesaid.

Moscow has blocked three U.N.Security Council resolutionsaimed at putting pressure onAssad. It says his departure mustnot be a precondition fornegotiations to settle the almosttwo-year-old conflict that haskilled more than 60,000 people.

At the conference,Rosoboronexport announced anew $12.9 billion record for 2012arms exports.

Isaikin said a 2011 contract for36 Yak-130 fighter jets had notbeen canceled but that "not asingle" plane had been deliveredto Syria. He did not explain whyRosoboronexport had not made

the deliveries.A source close to

Rosoboronexport said Russia'sThe European Union andthe US will begin formaltalks on a free-trade

agreement, paving the way for thebiggest trade deal in history.

European CommissionPresident Jose Manuel Barrosomade the announcement followingPresident Barack Obama's State ofthe Union address.

A deal would bring downtrading barriers between the twobiggest economies in the world.

EU-US trade is worth around455bn euros (£393bn; $613bn) ayear.

Mr Obama announced USsupport for talks as part of hisannual address to Congress onTuesday, saying a free-trade dealwould "boost American exports,support American jobs and levelthe playing field in the growingmarkets of Asia".

In a joint statement, US and EUleaders said trade between the USand EU supported millions of jobson both sides of the Atlantic.

"We are committed to makingthis relationship an even strongerdriver of our prosperity," thestatement said.

The EU estimates that a"comprehensive and ambitiousagreement" will boost annual GDPgrowth by 0.5%.

It is not clear how long the talkswill take, but similar trade dealshave involved years ofnegotiations.

The idea was discussedfollowing the formation of aworking group in 2011, and theformal talks may begin in thesummer, EU Trade CommissionerKarel De Gucht said.

He said the deal would focus onbringing down remaining tariffsand other barriers to trade, andstandardise technical regulations,standards and certifications.

Free trade between the US andthe EU has been under informaldiscussion for years.

Previously politicians havebeen discouraged from pursuingfree trade deals for fear of exposingdomestic industries to greatercompetition from abroad.

But Steve Davies from theInstitute of Economic Affairs, athink tank, said the economic crisisin Europe has injected moreurgency into the talks.

"It's happening now becausethere has been seriously depressedgrowth in the EU, and this will begood news for economic growth,"he said.

Wednesday.The nomination of Hagel, a

former Republican senator, has metstiff opposition from some of hisfellow Republicans, who raisedquestions about his views on Iranand Israel, among other issues.

But he is likely to be confirmedsince no Democrat has come outagainst Hagel, and at least twoRepublicans have said they will votefor him.

A few other Republicans have

Rosoboronexport director Anatoly Isaikin talks to journalists af-ter attending a news conference in Moscow, February 13, 2013.

British authorities haveraided a slaughterhouseand a meat processing

company suspected of sellinghorsemeat labelled as beef,shutting them downtemporarily and seizing all themeat found.

Tuesday's raid by the FoodStandards Agency (FSA) wasthe first time since the growingscandal broke across Europethat horsemeat being marketedas beef has been traced tosuppliers in Britain, officialssaid.

The FSA said it suspendedproduction at the Peter Boddyslaughterhouse in Yorkshire, inthe north of England, and acompany it allegedly suppliedhorse carcasses to, FarmboxMeats, in west Wales.

The agency said it wasinvestigating how "meatproducts, purporting to be beeffor kebabs and burgers, weresold when they were in facthorse".

Millions of burgers andfrozen meals have beenrecalled around the continent

Inhofe said, prompting gasps withinthe hearing room and protests fromDemocrats.

Levin insisted the confirmationbattle would not weaken Hagel nordiminish his ability to work with thecommittee going forward.

"Sometimes you come outstronger from these kinds of fights,"he told reporters.

Hagel's testimony before thearmed services panel during hisJanuary 31 confirmation hearinghas also been criticised.

Even some Democrats have saidhe appeared unprepared and attimes hesitant during aggressivequestioning by Republicancommittee members.

Republicans criticised Hagel'spast statements such as hisopposition to president George WBush's "surge," which sent thousandsof additional troops to Iraq.

"There are very few people whohave been this wrong about so manydifferent things," said senatorLindsey Graham, who has been oneof the most vocal opponents of Hagel'snomination.

Levin praised the nominee'srecord and urged his speedyconfirmation, saying the countryfaces steep budget problems andinternational threats such as anuclear test by North Korea justhours before the hearing.

Britain raids abbatoir over horsemeat scandal

Chuck Hagel

and while many accusationshave been made, it is unclearhow the horsemeat wasintroduced into so many beefproducts.

French authorities havepointed to an elaborate supplychain that involved Romanianbutchers and Dutch andCypriot traders that resultedin horsemeat disguised as beefbeing sold in meals like lasagnaand moussaka to consumersaround the continent.

Two Romanian abattoirsinvestigated by authorities for

European Commission Presi-dent Jose Manuel Barroso

Europe andAmericas

Russia will continuedeliveries of arms toSyrian President Bashar

al-Assad and his armed forces, thehead of the state weapons exportersaid on Wednesday, despite theMiddle Eastern country's civil war.

Russia supplied nearly $1billion's worth of arms to Syria in2011 and has long been an ally ofAssad.

"We are continuing to carryout our obligations on contracts forthe delivery of militaryhardware," Rosoboronexportdirector Anatoly Isaikin told anews conference.

Two ships carried arms inJanuary to Syria's Tartous port,where Russia has a repair andmaintenance facility, followingnaval training exercises in theMediterranean, Itar-Tass reportedearlier this month.

Isaikin said Russia's deliveries

Foreign Ministry was looking atvarious scenarios on what to dowith the contracts if Assad fell.

a potential link to horsemeatdefended their business onTuesday.

The abattoirs wereinspected by the authoritiesover the weekend, local mediareported. No evidence of anymalpractice was found eitherat Doly-Com or Carmolimpfacility, officials said,according to media

reports.Horsemeat is largely taboo

in Britain and Ireland, thoughin France it is sold in specialtybutcher shops.

said they would notsupport the use of anyp r o c e d u r a lmechanism thatwould force theDemocrats to round up60 votes to confirmHagel.

Tuesday's hearinglapsed at times intoheated exchangesbetween Democratsand Republicans.

At one point,Republican JamesInhofe accused Hagel ofbeing "cosy" with Iranbecause, as he said,Tehran had backed hisnomination.

"He's endorsed bythem. You can't getany cosier than that,"

PAGE 36 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Minister of Sport, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi (3rd right), joined by his colleagues, savouring African Cup of Nations trophy won by theSuper Eagles at the Tournament in South Africa, during the presentation of the cup to Federal Executive Council by the SportMinister, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

ICPC seeks removal ofpublic officers’ immunityChairman of the Independent

Corrupt Practices and OtherRelated Offences Commission

(ICPC), Mr Ekpo Nta on Tuesdayadvocated for the amendment ofimmunity clause to allowprosecution of public officers evenwhile serving in office.

The ICPC boss stated this whiledelivering a public lecture tocommemorate the golden jubilee

anniversary of the Department ofPolitical Science, University ofIbadan held at the Faculty of theSocial Science Large LectureTheatre.

Speaking on thetopic:"Combating Corruption InContemporary Nigeria: Prospects,Challenges, and Strategies", Ntasaid unless this was done, the futureis at stake.

He said the constitution shouldintroduce traditional oath as part

of modern governance, which hesaid would enhance ethic andculture of true Africans.

Addressing the students anduniversity authorities, he said:"We have allowed politicalsentiment to take over theintegrity of our universities to theextent of appointing universityofficers based on affliation, culturalbackground, tribe and ethnicsentiments.

He however charged the

students to be agents of change andanti-corruption by ensuring thatthey kick against corruption inorder to attain a society free ofcorruption.

"Civil society and the massesshould fix a date for prayers andcurses for corrupt leaders inNigeria, and the government alsomust device a means of rewardinghonest and faithful Nigerians inorder to encourage others" saidNta

Primary school pupil in Abia found murdered, body parts missingstudent in the neighbouringsecondary school who perhaps,did not suspect any bad motive.

It was learnt that when thereport of the missing childrenspread within the community,the student who saw them lastwith the suspect spilled thebeans that led to her arrest.

On interrogation, thesuspect revealed where theUfombas were sold at Ndiakata

a boundary communitybetween Obingwa and AkwaIbom state and subsequentlywhere Miss Ufomba was dumpedafter she was killed.

It was further learnt thatfive persons, including thesuspect's husband and a nativedoctor who hails from a nearbyvillage are also being held by thepolice in connection with theincident.

Confirming the incident onphone, the acting Police PublicRelations Officer (PPRO), AbiaState Police Command, AmaechiJonathan, said the dastardly actwas one too many. He said it wasdisturbing that those who liveclose to these hoodlums refuse toreport such incidents to the policedespite several assurances thattheir identities would not bedisclosed.

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal AlexBadeh has denied claims thatthe Nigerian Air Force has just

one functional aircraft, saying thatit has up to 16 aircraft for operationwithin and outside the shores ofNigeria.

Badeh stated this yesterday whileon tour of Air Force facilities in Abuja.

According to him, ''We have up to16 aircraft types in Nigeria. If anybody said we have only one aircraft,what of the aircrafts being used bythe Army, are they not aeroplanes.

"What of the ones flyingeverywhere chasing Boko Harammembers in Nigeria, are they notaeroplanes? There are some invarious stages of repairs, you havethe regular maintenance andthere is one that is available fortraining and there are threeundergoing 300 and 600 hoursinspection and these areinspections that don't take to long.''

Earlier in the day, the AirChief had signed a Memorandumof Understanding with the FederalUniversity of Technology, Akure onimproving NAF personnel with hisvision to look inward in doing things.

From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

A primary school pupilabducted along with heryounger sister on their

way to school on Friday atOhanze, in Obigwa localgovernment of Abia state, hasbeen found dead with some partsof her body including thegenitals and eyes missing.

While the victim identified asMiss Chigozie Ufomba was founddead, the younger brother,Master Chidozie Ufomba wasrescued at Ndiakata, some fewkilometres away where theywere sold to suspected ritualmurderers.

The bizarre act threw thewhole Ohanze community intomourning when the remains oflittle Miss Chigozie Ufomba whohad been declared missing wasfound in a bush behindCommunity Secondary School,Ohanze.

The two siblings, it wasgathered, were allegedlyabducted by one Mrs. UcheomaJombo of Umueke Village in thesame community, on Friday ontheir way to school.

Unknown to the suspect, whohas been arrested and detainedby the Police at the EasternNgwa police divisionUmuobiakwa, she was seenleading the children away by a

JTF arrests two oil vessels,2 barges over crude oil theft

Authorities of the JointMilitary Task Force codenamed Operation Pulo

Shield yesterday interceptedtwo oil vessels and barges alongthe Akassa Waterways ofOtokolomobio near Oloma andBonny Island of Bayelsa andRivers States.

Also raided were 23 illegalrefineries located along theUghoton River in Okpe andSaghara pipeline inlet channelsof Warri South LocalGovernment of Delta state.

The JTF in a statement issuedyesterday in Yenagoa by theHead of the Joint Media Centre,Lt.Col. Onyenma Nwachukwu,disclosed that the oil vesselsidentified as MT Sophia and MTEVEREST 1 was interceptedwhile carrying out illegal oil

bunkering activities in theregion.

The vessels, are anchored atthe NPA Jetty Bonny Island,Rivers State,Isreal under theclose watch of the militarypersonnel.

According to Onyenma," Asimilar raid was also carried outalong Ughoton River in Okpe andSaghara pipeline Inlet Channelin Warri south, Delta statewhere 23 illegal oil refinerieswere destroyed. The JTF alsoarrested 5 wooden bargespopularly known as Cotonuboats conveying stolenpetroleum products. The boatswere arrested along Ugbokotocommunity in Warri South WestLocal Government Area of Deltastate and Obi Creek atIkomogbemi, Otua, Tebidaba and

Akassa communities in SouthernIjaw Local Government of BayelsaState."

"During these raids, which werecarried out from 19 January to 8February 2013, 52 suspectsinvolved in various oil relatedcrimes were arrested and arecurrently undergoingpreliminary investigation beforebeing handed over to prosecutingagencies."

"Within this period also, fourJTF soldiers on escort duty on boardSterling Global Oil were attackedin an ambush by suspected searobbers on 5 February, 2013. TwoJTF operatives were killed in actionin the fire fight that ensued whiletwo sustained injuries. The JTFis presently carrying out cordonand search of suspected hideoutsto fish out the perpetrators".

Discovery of fiveskulls: Berom,Fulani tradeaccusations

The recent recovery of fivehuman heads in the ceilingof the house of the Fulani

spokesman, Alhaji Sale Abarshiin Mangu in Mangu localgovernment area of PlateauState, is generating seriouscontroversy between the Fulanicommunity and the indigenousBerom tribe.

The Miyetti Allah CattleBreeders Association of Nigeria(MACBAN) had issued astatement, signed by MallamMohammed Nuru, alleging thatthe Berom connived with theSpecial Task Force (STF) on Joscrisis to set up Abarshi in orderto rubbish his good image andthe image of the entire Fulani inthe state by planting humanhead in his ceiling.

In reaction,the Berom YouthMovement (BYM) in a pressstatement signed by RwangDantong and Pam Gyang Mosesviewed the accusation byMACBAN as a trick to fool thepublic.

The statement added that theBerom do not live in PlateauCentral, where Abarshi, whowas arrested lives and wonderedhow the STF would connive withthe Berom to take human headsto Abarshi's house.

The association stressed thatthe Berom are in the northernzone of Plateau state, whileMangun is a Mwaghwuvul areain Mangu local government.

Meanwhile, whileinvestigation continues on thematter by the STF and the Police,Abarshi has been granted bail bya magistrate court.

NAF has morethan oneaircraft-CAS

By Joy Baba

...Signs MOU with FUTA

PAGE 37PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Bauchi Assembly’ll intensify oversight thisyear, says Appropriation C’ttee Chair

to our expectations most especiallythe ministry of Commerce andIndustry and the Ministry ofTourism and culture ,where wehave many companies under itlike the Bauchi Meat Factory,Fertilizer Blending Plants, Hotelslike Zaranda Hotel, ArewaCeramics and many others. UnderMinistry of Tourism, we haveYankari Express. But when wereceived the profile of theseministries, their submissions arequite disturbing but we have donea lot to address the problems. As Itold you earlier, the stategovernment has taken stringentmeasures to improve internallygenerated revenue in 2013budget which will enhance theperformance of these ministries.

While you were notimpressed by the profiles ofthe ministries, did you noticethe problem of corruption?

No, we did not notice any issueof corruption but we noticedmisplacement priorities. We havemade a lot of recommendationsand the House will write to theexecutive for implementation.

Can you tell us some ofyour findings andrecommendations?

No I will not disclose them butyou will see some positive changesin the state this year 2013; andfor our recommendations, youhave to be patient and wait untilafter we have submitted ourrecommendations to theexecutive. When you go to themthey will tell you.

The electorates blame

lawmakers for not performingtheir oversight functions andthis leads to non-implementation of budgets.How would you react to this?

The House is doing its best incarrying out their oversightfunctions; but even we asmembers, we notice some roomsfor improvement in carrying outour oversight functions and wehave made recommendations tothe House and the House hasdirected all its standingcommittees to submit quarterlyreport to it on the performance ofgovernment ministries and Ibelieve it will succeed in 2013.

Many are asking for localgovernment financialautonomy and the stateAssembly as a major tool fordeveloping the ruralcommittee. What is youropinion?

My Personal opinion is I’m insupport of local government

autonomy and financialautonomy to state Houses ofAssemblies

We have seen moneyallocated to the stateIndependent ElectoralCommission was in the BauchiSSG office; many alleged thatthe state government will usethe money to force theelectoral body to favorgovernment candidates in theforth coming localgovernment election. How willyou react to this?

The state Assembly isconcerned with the forth cominglocal government election whichwe hope will be conducted thisyear in order to bringdevelopment to the grass root andto bring more dividends ofdemocracy. We put adequatemoney that will be enough to fundthe election. For your question,what we did, we saw the moneyabout N2.8bn we looked into therelevant laws that established theelectoral body and we saw thatfrom the law, there is noconnectivity between the moneyand the SSG’s office. So weremoved the money andeverything connected with theelectoral body from the SSG’soffice and put it to the electoralbody directly. We equallytransferred some heads from thestate ministry of Special Duties.The issue of plants , electrification,generators we transferredanything connected to powerfrom the ministry of SpecialDuties to the ministry Power andEnergy in the state and weequally transferred some headsfrom ministry of Health to theHospitals Management Board.

Why did the Houseincrease the security budgetwith N1 billion and reduce thestate budget submitted by theGovernor with N1 billion?

The House increased themoney on security because of itsimportance. Even if we devote thewhole 2013 budget of N136bn to

fund the security, it’s not a loss.We did that in order to ensure thesustainance of peacefulatmosphere enjoyed by the peopleof the state. We have also reducedthe budget size by N1bn; wededuced it from the governmentministries personnel cost andexpenditure. We diverted themoney to some capital projects.When we start our work, we havedirected all the relevantministries to submit the numberof their staff and grade level andwe work on that. When you lookat the budget like construction ofSoro Miya road, it will cost aboutN2.2bn and only 30 millionNaira was allocated and thereare construction of Dewu –Anguwan Gishiri road, it was alsoapproved by the governor butonly N39mn was appropriated ,members decided to make someadjustment and fund the projects.

You have just laid thereport of 2013 budget beforethe Assembly can you brieflysummarize how yourcommittee carried out yourassignment

Actually when the Assemblyreceived the 2013 budgetsubmitted to us by hisExcellency, the executivegovernor of Bauchi state, MallamIsa Yuguda, in December lastyear, the House referred thedocuments to the committee onAppropriation for scrutiny. In thecourse of our assignment, wedecided to invite the respectiveministries and governmentparastatals to defend theirbudgets and to explain to us theirperformance in the 2012financial year. We also sat andreviewed the submissions wereceived from relevantgovernment agencies.

What are your findingsafter the submissions?

Well, actually theperformance of the ministrieswas not impressive but we alsonoticed that their problems hadto do with the economicmeltdown and dwindlingresources which affected all thestates of the federation since werelied on federal allocation as ourmajor source of revenue. Apartfrom that, we also felt that theHouse has to take some measuresin other to ensureimplementation of budget byrelevant ministries in 2013despite all hitches. But it’s truethe performance by theministries is very low and Ibelieve the house will dosomething to help the executiveto implement the 2013 budgetas appropriated.

Alhaji Abdulqadir Umar Dewu, member representing Kirfi Constituency in Bauchi state House of Assembly, and ChairmanCommittee on budget and Appropriation in this interview with Ahmed Kaigama explains the nature of his committee andgovernment commitments to complete all outstanding developmental projects in the state in 2013 fiscal year..

There are some projectsthat affect ruralcommunities like Ningi-

Burra Road, Alkaleri- Futukroad Kafin Madaki, and Zaki General Hospital, BauchiState Specialist Hospitalswhich government claimed tohave paid 70% down payment, some were awarded five yearsago but people keep seeingthem in budget even in thisyear 2013 budget they werementioned?

Well, for Kafin Madaki and ZakiGeneral Hospital they werecompleted and for the roads andspecialist Hospital they are stillongoing and the roads havereached 70- 80 %. I believe all ofthem will be completed this yearand there are many ongoingprojects like ten communityRadios that will educate the ruralcommunities. Already thegovernor had commissioned five,the remaining five will becompleted this year. There arealso many rural roads andhospitals and provision of urbanand rural water projects that2013 budget will address.

During public hearings,most of the ministriescomplained of non release offunds in time which sloweddown most of their activities;how do you intend to addressthese problems?

Well, actually this is the majorarea of concern that disturbed thelaw makers because we arerepresenting people in rural andurban areas and all the peoplewant is development because weneed to see developmental projectsin our constituencies. When wevisited our constituencies, wediscovered that governmentawarded many contracts thatwill bring development but thenon release of funds hacked theproject. I believe the problem isconnected with dwindlingresources but 2013 will bedifferent to the all Bauchicommunities because the stategovernment has taken manymeasures that will boost therevenue of the state internally.But despite all odds, wecommended the office of SSG formaintaining a balance sheet; theperformance of his office is worthyof emulations by all governmentministries. For that the House hadsent him a commendation letter,so we use carrot and stick in ourduty.

Since you talk of revenue,how do you assess the revenuegeneration agencies in thestate?

They are not performing up

Alhaji Abdulqadir Umar Dewu

“The House is doing its best incarrying out their oversight functions;but even we as members, we notice

some rooms for improvement incarrying out our oversight functions

and we have maderecommendations to the House

PAGE 38 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

L-R: Members of House of Representatives, Hon. Garba Umar Uba, Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, and Hon. Bimbo Daramola, during theplenary session, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Kogi House of Assemblyhas called for therenaming of the state

Ministry of Commerce and Industryto the Ministry of Trade andInvestment.

The call was contained in aresolution of the Assembly followingthe adoption of a motion moved byMajority Leader, Alhaji YakubuYunusa (PDP-Ofu constituency).

Yakubu told his colleagues thatthe old name was no longer tenableand could hardly be recognized atthe federal level as a ministry.

Urging members to support themotion, the Majority Leader pointedout that at the state level, ‘’the oldname limits the operations of thecomponent parts of the organisationand may not key into what isobtained at the federal level.

“This however does not changethe statutory roles of the ministrybut enhances its recognition at alllevels of governance. It also attractsforeign investors to key in.’’

Yakubu argued that the state beasked to forward a bill to theAssembly for the change ofnomenclature and that the ministrybe given necessary incentives thatwould enable it transform theeconomy of the state.

The motion was seconded by MrHaruna Idoko (PDP-Idah) andsupported by other members whoemphasized the need for the changefor overall development of the state.Speaker of the house, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, followingoverwhelming support of membersfor the motion, adopted it.

Kogi AssemblywantsCommerceMinistry renamed

Adamawa Assemblyurged to pass HIV/AIDS billThe Adamawa State House

of Assembly has beencalled upon for the speedy

passage and amendment of a billfor Agency for the control of HIV/AIDS in the state.

Chairperson of the Agency(ADSACA) and wife of the stategovernor, Dr. Halima Nyako,made the call during a condolencevisit to the house over the demiseof member representingN a s s a r a w o / M b i n y e r iconstituency, Honourable AhmadBuba Gangwaso.

Dr. Halima said the passage ofthe bill will bring succor not onlyto the people living with HIV/AIDS, but will greatly facilitateaccess to donor agencies forsourcing the much needed fundsand accessories to help in the fighttowards zero new HIV/AIDSinfection in the state.

Nyako stated that the bill, ifaccorded a accelerated passage,will bring zero death from HIVrelated diseases and prevention ofmother to child transmission(PMTCT), which have continuedto be the global major healthconcern and most especially in the

From Umar Dankano, Yola Sub-Sahara Africa, Nigeriainclusive.

She also appealed to theSpeaker and his colleagues fortheir intervention through anenforcement of a bill that willensure the success of the advocacyprogramme. “I want to assure youthat very soon we shall requestfor a meeting with the houseCommittee on Health to fine- tunegrey areas so as to get thislegislation in place for the successof the advocacy programme inthe state”.

Responding, the Speaker,Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri assured

her of the state Assembly’sreadiness to support her activitiesin the state especially in areas offighting the scourge HIV/AIDS.

Fintiri noted that, as partnersin progress, the house will givethe bill accelerated hearing toenable the agency carry out itsduties effectively.

He reiterated that the houseCommittee on Health willcontinue to liaise with the agencyfor the control of AIDS to fashionout strategies that will go a longway in enlightening the peopleon dangers of HIV/AIDS in thestate.

Yankwani community inBakori LocalGovernment Area of

Katsina state has dragged apolitician and philanthropists,Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Tata overalleged of erection of structures attheir Community Day Secondary

School without their consent.In two separate suits, NO KTH/

FT/ 20M/ 13 and NO KTH/ FT/ 21M/ 13 filed before a Higher Courtsitting in Funtua, the chairman ofthe Board of Trustees of the secondary school, Alhaji Sani Liti‘Yankwani on behalf of thecommunity urged the court to stopthe dependant from

further development on the

disputed land.According to the community,

the dependant without theirconsent encroached into thevillage and started buildingstructures in their secondaryschool which they said was donewithout consultation.

The community thereforeprayed the court for perpetualinjunction to stop the dependant

or his agent from continuedtrespass on the land housing theschool and demanded for N5million as damages to lands healready encroached on.

Similarly, the communityalleged that in the interest of peaceand security the unwantedgesture by the politician must stopto avert breakdown of law andorder in the area.

Katsina community tackles politician over project

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

Abuja on Tuesday.The statement said that Mr

Maurice Udenta, emerged asthe Deputy Chairman, Enugu-West Senatorial District.

The secretary said that thenew executive committee wouldremain in place until congresseswere conducted at the state,local, and ward levels.

Ameh urged the newexecutive to ensure that they

carried everybody along in theirdecisions as the preparation forthe forthcoming localgovernment elections in thestate gathered momentum.

According to him, theperformance of the newexecutive committee will bemeasured by the number of seatsthe party wins in the elections.

Meanwhile, the new PPAchairman, had sent ‘a get-well-

quick message’ to Gov. SullivanChime of Enugu State. (NAN)

Ude urged all well meaningpeople of Enugu State to pray forprolonged life for the governor,whom, he described as the bestperforming governor in theSouth-East Zone.

He said PPA would have oneor two things to learn fromChime when PPA took over inEnugu State in 2015. (NAN)

PPA executive committee reconstituted in Enugu state

P l a t e a u G o v e r n m e n tHouse Chapel yesterdaystarted a three-day “solemn

assembly prayers’’ for the healingof the state and the return of peace.

The programme, being held atthe chapel, would have 24 ministersoffering prayers for the 17 localgovernments areas.

The chapel’s Chaplain, PastorChidi Harry, told the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that Plateauwas “in dire need of God’sforgiveness“.

“Plateau has been under seriesof attacks since 2008 but we, as apeople, failed to look up to God bytaking it upon ourselves to fightback.

“We can’t fight God’s battle; Heis not happy with us and hasabandoned us, hence the securitychallenges we still face.’’

Harry said that clergy men fromeach of the local governments wouldrepresent their areas duringthe sessions for God’s compassion,grace and mercy.

“It is the belief of the organisersthat this solemn assembly willappease God to heal and revivePlateau. (NAN)

Plateau Govt.House chapelbegins 3-dayspecial prayers

A former Chieftain of CPC,Chief Augustine Ude, hasemerged as the new

Chairman of the ProgressivePeople’s Alliance (PPA) duringits reconstituted Enugu StateExecutive Committee.

The National Secretary ofthe party, Mr Peter Ameh,made this known in a statementmade available to the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) in

PAGE 39PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

The Imo Commissioner forEducation, Prof. AdaobiObasi, has urged Igbo

parents to interact with theirchildren in their mother tongueto avoid extinction of thelanguage.

Obasi made the call when shereceived the executive officers of anon-governmental organisation(NGO), ‘Umuaka Igbo Taa’, whichpaid her a courtesy visit in Owerriyesterday.

She noted that the Igbo peoplewere the pride and brain of thenation and urged them to speakthe language, especially to theirchildren.

The commissioner noted thatlack of ability to communicatefluently in his or her mothertongue could affect a child’s use ofEnglish language.

“A child who does not speak andunderstand his or her mothertongue well can alsomisunderstand terms in Englishlanguage.

“We need to start now tomotivate the children to interactin their mother tongue even athome before we lose trend ofevents,’’ she said.

Obasi frowned at the attitudeof some students who find itdifficult to choose Igbo as a courseof study in the university, sayingit is as a result of children’s neglectof the language right fromchildhood.

She promised to do her best asthe commissioner to ensure thatIgbo did not go into extinction.

“We will adjust the school time-table to ensure the teaching andlearning of mother tongue,” shesaid.

Earlier, the founder of theNGO, Mrs Chidiebere Opara-Ibeleche, said that theorganisation promotes thespeaking and learning of Igboamong children.

Opara-Ibeleche noted that theorganisation saw the need todesign a strategy to attractchildren and make them involvedin revitalising Igbo language andcultural heritage.

She said that the visit was toplead with the commissioner to useher position to ensure thatchildren in primary andsecondary schools interacted intheir mother tongue, especially inthe state.

“We have provided an Igbocalendar with 18 laws to guide thechildren in the language. We needthem to be hanged in theirclassrooms,” she pleaded.

She also called on thecommissioner to support theirprojects which included ‘UmuakaIgbo Taa Day’, which wasscheduled for November annuallyand oratory and poetry debate inIgbo.

“We also need you to supportus in conveying our children toIgbo Language Conference,holding between April 5 and April6, where they are expected toperform in London,” she added.(NAN)

Commissionerwants parents tointeract withchildren in Igbolanguage

SNC must come before 2015election, activists, NGOs insist

Eminent Nigerians under the‘Project Nigeria’ led jointly by the nation’s former

permanent representative to theUnited Nations (UN), Alhaji YusufMaitama Sule and Prof. BenNwabueze, has said the 2015general election may have beenendangered and may lead todisaster and anarchy if a SovereignNational Conference is notconvened.

This is coming as the NationalLeader of the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN), Senator BolaAhmed Tinubu, in a remark at the7th anniversary of the passing ofthe late human rights activist, Dr.Bekolari Ransome-Kuti, alsoinsisted on the convocation of anational conference saying that the 1999 constitution isunworkable and it is not of thepeople, by the people and for thepeople.

Speaking at thecommemorative rally held inLagos, the Chairman of NationalDemocratic Coalition (NADECO),Rear Admiral Ndubisi Kanu;President of Campaign forDemocracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin; former President ofCivil Liberties Organisation (CLO),Dr. Ayo Obe; President of VotersAssembly, MoshoodErubami, warned against notconvening a Sovereign NationalConference (SNC) to determine thepeoples’ wish.

Nwabueze, in a communique after Project Nigeria meeting which had in attendancerenowned economist, Prof. PatUtomi; Afenifere chieftain, ChiefAyo Adebanjo; former Minister ofCommerce, Otunba Bola Kuforiji-Olubi; former governor of DeltaState, Chief Goddie Ibru; formerChief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. AlaniAkinrinade; former EconomicAdviser to the President, ChiefPhilip Asiodu; constitutionallawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome,among others said the nationalconference would provide anavenue for ethnic groups, civilsociety organisations andindividuals to deliberate on theway forward for Nigeria.

“We want the initiation of theprocess for convening a nationalconference. This is more immediatethan anything else. The purposesare: it will enable the people ofNigeria, both as members of ethnicgroups, CSOs and individuals todeliberate and agree on how andwhat terms and conditions they are

to live together in the country.“To deliberate and adopt a

constitution with source ofauthority from the people. Suchconstitution should ensure justice,peace, development and progressfor all Nigerians. Any election heldwithout the conference might spelldisaster and anarchy for thecountry, the forging of a nationalfront comprising various groupsand civil society organisations topress on the Presidency and theNational Assembly the demand fora national conference is necessary.The team will meet with thepresidency and the NationalAssembly to submit amemorandum accompanied by adraft bill, selection of delegates forthe national conference.”

Nwabueze noted further thatcontrary to the fear that theconference might bring an end toNigeria, as he said “Nigeria isindivisible, permanent, theobjective of the conference is topreserve Nigeria as one prosperousnation.

Tinubu on his part said “It is notonly the process of the enactmentof the 1999 Constitution that isfaulty and undemocratic, thecontents of the constitution are alsoinimical to the operation ofdemocratic governance and therealization of the aspirations of thefederating units and the peoples ofNigeria.”

He said the 1999 Constitutionis a document that does not meet

the needs of the people and does notreflect their will. That theconstitution states that “We thepeople of the Federal Republic ofNigeria do hereby make, enact, andgive to ourselves the followingConstitution”, today, the 1999constitution, as contradictory as itis, is still being applied in a unitaryfashion that is inimical to runningthe country like a properdemocracy. That is why we are stillhaving problems about itsoperationalization with aninefficient, greedy and over bloatedFederal Government engaged inconstant power grab with the statesand local government.Responsibilities meant for the statesand local government are beingcontested for by an alreadycumbersome Federal Government.No wonder, due to the cumbersomenature of the constitution and theabuse it constantly suffers, it hasbecome difficult to fight corruptionat the center. The overbearingnature and excessive powers it offersmakes effective supervisionimpossible. The rationale behindthe creation of the 36 States of thefederation was with a view tobringing development closer to thepeople. However, most of these stateshave “Unfunded Mandates”because of a central governmentthat gobbles up almost all theresources and in a constant grab forpower and more resources. Thisnegates the very essence ofdemocracy and what should be the

spirit of the constitution. Mattersbetter left to states to administer arebeing contested for by a fat bellycentral government. The centralgovernment runs a multiplicity ofbodies that are duplicative and awaste of resources that can bechanneled to other tiers ofgovernment. For instance, why dowe need a Ministry of Police Affairswhen we have the Police ServiceCommission? Why would thecentral government dictate tostates or warehouse the fundsmeant for developments in thestates under the Sovereign WealthFund? Nigeria runs a defectivefederalism.

“The constitution should be alaw that we subscribe to, havingfully agreed to its contents. It shouldbe a law that every Nigerian canidentify with; that every Nigeriancan defend with his life. Sadly, thisis not the case.

NADECO chairman Kanu, said“Sovereign National Conference isone of the things that Beko foughtfor during his lifetime. All thoseagainst the SNC don’t want Nigeriato survive. Irrespective ofgovernment attitude to theSovereign National Conference, itwill take place very soon. What wewant is a peaceful SNC but if apeaceful conference is prevented, itmay hold in a violent way. I canassure you that it will not be toolong before SNC will take place.”

In her address, Okei-Odumakinsaid that the civil society must riseto the occasion and have aSovereign National Conference theway Beko, Anthony Enahoro andother patriots have laid thetemplate.

“The attempt by agents of thestatus-quo to water the demanddown by removing ‘Sovereign’from the SNC is a waste of time assovereignty belongs to the people.The sovereignty of the conferencethat Beko asked us to do is that thedecision of the conference will notbe tampered with by the existinggovernment and that is still theway to go,” she asserted.

As various intriguescontinue to unfoldahead of the 2015general election, ourLagos Correspondent,Ayodele Samuel,examines the manycalls for a SovereignNational Conferencebefore the polls.

Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule Prof. Ben Nwabueze

“It is not only the process of the enactmentof the 1999 Constitution that is faulty and

undemocratic, the contents of theconstitution are also inimical to the

operation of democratic governance andthe realization of the aspirations of the

federating units and the peoples of Nigeria

PAGE 40 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

He said the merger processhas become imperative adding"Before now, we have beentalking and by the grace of Godthis merger will succeed and wewill dismantle a governmentthat is not fair to the people of thiscountry."

In the communiqué releasedat the end of the meeting,Magashi also said, "In view of thecurrent political development inthe country, the NEC herebyresolved that the DPP should gointo the merger. A committeewill be setup to talk with the otherparties disposed to merger with a

view to negotiating for the bestinterest of DPP. The committee isto report back within 21 days tothe NEC through the nationalchairman who shall there uponsummon a NEC meeting."

He added, "If you are followingthe history of the politicaldevelopment of parties, youshould put us in the pioneerchampions of this merger issue.We are 100 percent in support ofanything that will bring relief tothis nation; anything that willhelp this nation to develop.

"We have been talking and wehave found out that the only way

DPP joins merger, setsup negotiation C'ttee

We'll not tolerateindiscipline,Wamakko warnsSokoto civilservants

The Democratic PeoplesParty (DPP) yesterdayconcluded arrangement to

join the newly formed oppositionmerger party, All Progressives'Party (APC).

DPP National Chairman,Major Gen. Bashir Magashi, toldnewsmen after the party'sNational Executive Council(NEC) meeting in Abuja that theparty has also resolved to setup acommittee to hold talks withother political parties disposed tomerger.

Sokoto state governor, AliyuMagatakarda Wamakko,has said that his

administration is fully determinedto sanitize the civil service in orderto have disciplined and honestworkers for effective servicedelivery.

He also warned hiscommissioners, PermanentSecretaries and other categories ofcivil servants to desist from cominglate to the office as his governmentwould no longer tolerate suchbehaviour.

Wamakko made thedeclaration in Gusau whiledeclaring open a 3-day retreat ondiscipline and ethics in publicservice held at Karma Hotel alongbye-pass road Gusau, organized bythe Sokoto state government forPermanent Secretaries, Directors-General and Heads of parastatals ofthe state.

According to the governor, it isunfortunate that the civil serviceof not only Sokoto but almost thewhole nation has reached a pointwhere honesty, discipline anddedication are lacking.

He explained that lack ofhonesty and dedication immenselycontributed, in no small measure,to destabilize even the workers,majority of whom have now foundthemselves in corrupt practices.

Speaking earlier, the Head ofService of the state, Alhaji AbdullahiWali, told the gathering that theaim of the retreat, the first of itskind, was to reawaken the civilservants on the need to be good andwell disciplined in the discharge oftheir duties.

From Salisu Zakari Maradun, Gusau

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Hon. Godfrey Gaiya, Deputy Speaker , House of Representatives , Hon. Emeka Ihedioha ,Super Eagles Coach, Mr. Stephen Keshi, Hon. Bimbo Daramola , and Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila , during thespecial session, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja for the victorious Super Eagles in the 2013 Nations Cup. Photo: Mahmud Isa

The former Governor ofOyo State, Chief AdebayoAlao-Akala, said

yesterday in Ibadan that thegang up against the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) wouldfail.

Alao-Akala, who said this inan interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) whilereacting to speculations that hewas set to dump the PDP, notedthat All Progressives Congress

(APC) was made up of strangebedfellows.

He denied rumour of hisintention to defect from the PDPand expressed his determinationto remain in the party in spite ofthe challenges.

“I can never leave PDP. I amin PDP and I will be in PDP. Iheard that some people werespeculating that I am going toanother party. How can I leavea big mansion and go to a boys’

quarters? Any other party inNigeria is a boy’s quarters.’’

He said the PDP remained abig party with diverse interests,adding that the “gang up”against the PDP by oppositionparties in the form of a mergerwould fail.

“Because the party is big,some people are even ganging upto fight it and with the gang uptoo, they cannot get it rightbecause they are not birds of the

Gang up against PDP will fail, says ex Oyo Gov same feather. Circumstancesbrought them together yet theywill still fight.

“If those of us who havecommon interests are fighting,why won’t those who do not havea common interest fight? So, let’ssee what will come out of that.They are ganging up becausethey know that we are Iroko.”

He described those whodefected from the PDP as “political jobbers,’’ adding that

Rindap, who spoke shortly afterthe ministry defended its proposalsfor the 2013 fiscal year, attributedthe ministry’s performance to the“non release of the appropriatedfunds to do its work’’.

He said N7.1 billion wasapproved for the ministry forcompletion of on-going road projectsin the 2012 budget, but they remained undone.

“The budget performance lastyear was just absolutely poor,’’ hedeclared.

Rindap said no new roads hadbeen awarded in the past five years“even though there wereappropriations and releases for thecompletion of on-going road works”.

“There has been no new projectin the works sector; we met on-goingprojects which have not beencompleted up to now as I am talkingto you.

“So, budget performance is farbelow expectation, but we expectmore releases from the governmentthis year.”

Plateau Assembly says 2012 budget performance “very poor’’He urged the ministry to be

sensitive to the plight of road users,especially in the ruralcommunities, and advisedgovernment to ensure promptrelease of appropriated funds torelevant ministries anddepartments.

The law maker said part of therequirements for budget defenceincluded proofs that projects wereactually executed and advised thatmore funds should released tocontractors. (NAN)

we can survive in a politicaldevelopment in this country is toreduce the number of politicalparties so that a clean and faircompetition is afforded to aminimum number of parties. Weare all aware of what ishappening in this country. Ifeach political leader in thiscountry will avoid his personalambition to serve Nigeria, thingswill be better. As a political partywith elected representatives withlegislative arms of government,at various levels it is natural thatwe are interested in the politicalre-alignment taking place."

By Umar Muhammad Puma

Lagoslawmakercommends FGfor rewardingSuper Eagles

Deputy Leader, LagosState House ofAssembly, Mrs Lola Akande,

has commended the FederalGovernment for the national honoursand the N5 million cash gift to eachmember of the victorious Super Eagles.

Akande ( ACN-Ikeja II), toldnewsmen yesterday in Ikeja that theteam’s victory was a well deservedsuccess that would inspire othersporting activities in the country.

The lawmaker said that thenational honours and a plot of landeach in Abuja, was a welcomedevelopment and would also place thecountry on the world map.

“I really thank the Super Eaglesfor the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)victory— after 19 years— since whenthe country won the trophy in Tunis.

“I equally commend the efforts ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan inrewarding the team and its entiretechnical crew, as well as Nigerianswho stood by them during thetournament,” she said. (NAN)

The Plateau House ofA s s e m b l yy e s t e r d a y e x p r e s s e d

disappointment over theimplementation of2012 budget, describing it as “verypoor’’.

Mr Ponmak Rindap, Chairmanof the assembly’s Committee onWorks, told newsmen in Jos that thegeneral performance, especiallyfrom the ministry of works, was“abysmally poor in 2012 despite anappropriation of N7.1’’.

PAGE 41PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Injured GoldenE a g l e t s ’d e f e n d e r ,

Friday Njengo, hasundergone asuccessful surgeryat the NationalHospital in Abuja.

Njengo andgoalkeeper AdamuAbubakar wereinvolved in aghastly accident atDan Anacha Villagein Taraba State ontheir way to theGolden Eagletscamp a fortnightago.

Both players wereinitially treated atthe Federal MedicalCentre in Jalingobut badly-hitNjengo neededmore attention andwas promptlytransferred to theNational Hospital.

Njengo, who hadsevere head injurywith the ComputedTomography( CT)Scan showingepidural hematoma(blood clot over amembrane of thebrain), wasoperated upon by ateam of surgeons atthe weekend.Golden Eaglets’Team Doctor, Dr.Ayodeji Olarinoyequoted one of thesurgeons as sayingthat Njengo wouldneed more timebefore fullrecuperation.

M e a n w h i l e ,Goalkeeper Adamu,who also hadbruises on the faceand shoulder, isnow back at theteam’s camp inCalabar and nowunder strictm e d i c a lobservation.

“We are happy tohave Adamu backon his feet,” saidS u l e i m a nAbubakar, theGolden Eaglets’coordinator s.”Ourfervent prayer isnow for Njengo whois still at thehospital in Abuja,too get better,” headded.

The House of Representatives has urged theFederal Government to name some streetsin the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after

the members of the victorious Super Eagles.The House, which held a plenary session for

the newly crowned African championsyesterday, also demanded for adequate fundingfor sports generally and football in particular.

In recognition of Stephen Keshi’ s insistenceand use of domestic league players to achievesuccess in the AFCON, the lower legislativeorgan urged the federal government tointroduce policies that will encouragedeliberate use of local talents.

The House applauded the federalgovernment for bestowing national honours onthe technical crew and players as well as cashgifts and plots of land in the FCT, with C of Oalready prepared in their names.

In a motion moved by Godfrey Gaiya, theChairman, House Committee on Sports, whichwas unanimously adopted without debate, thelawmakers urged the government and theprivate sector to work in tangent for thedevelopment of sports through infrastructureprovision and sponsorship.

Gaiya, who lamented that the budget forsports in the 2013 budget was less than N9billion, that amount is not only inadequate butgrossly insufficient for any meaningfuldevelopment.

He argued that adequate funding of sportswill boost the economy, reduce both

unemployment and youth restiveness in thesociety. In addition, he said excellentperformance will project the country’s imagecorrectly.

Gaiya appealed to other critical sectors of the

InjuredEagletundergoessuccessfulsurgery

Reps want FCT streets named after Eagles,demand adequate funds for sports

economy to emulate the sports sector addingthat with the victory of the Eagles Nigeria’simage in Africa and the rest of the world is seenin positive light.

He regretted the delay in releasing funds formajor tournaments. It would be recalled thatin November 2012, at a presidential retreat forsports, President Goodluck Jonathan hadpromised radical restructuring of the sector aswell as adequate funding.

By Patrick Andrew

The Speaker of theHouse of

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ,Aminu Tambuwal,said the victory ofSuper Eagles at theAFCON 2013, marksa new beginning inthe history of soccer inNigeria.

Tambuwal said thisat a special sessionheld by the house tohonour the victoriousSuper Eagles in Abujayesterday.

“This Special Sessionholds today to relish,cherish, celebrate andhonour you for thisu n c o m m o nachievement that nodoubt marks a new

beginning in theannals of NigerianSoccer. And therebirth of our nationalpride and global imagein this round leathergame,’’ he said.

He described thevictory as anachievement thatwas uncommon andoutstanding onseveral accounts,adding that nobodygave the team anychance prior to thecommencement of thecompetition.

“This victory is alesson in selfconfidence ratherthan arrogance, alesson in self respect,a lesson in shear

doggedness, a lessonin personal sacrifice inthe promotion ofnational interest.’’ .

He urged Nigeriansnot to relent in thei refforts to support theteam as there weremore daunting tasksahead.

Tambuwal said: “aswe bask in theeuphoria of thisvictory, we mustquickly remindourselves that thetask ahead is moredaunting.’’

“We seek notmerely to be AfricanChampions becausethat much we havebeen twice before, butseek to be the greatest.

“Our goal,therefore, must be toovertake whateverachievements in thiscontinental soccercompetition attainedby other nations,’’ hesaid.

The Head Coach ofthe Super Eagles,Stephen Keshi, in aremark said that theteam would continueto make everythingpossible to make thecountry andNigerians proud.

He promised thatthe team would putthe interest of thecountry andNigerians in theirhearts in everythingthey do.

… Tambuwal says victorymarks a new beginning

Eaglesjubilate afterthe match

President GoodluckJonathan hascharged the

victorious Super Eaglesnot rest on their oars butwork harder to qualifyfor and bring home theWorld Cup in 2014.

The Eagles, whodefeated the Stallions ofBurkina Faso on Sundayto claim Nigeria’s thirdAFCON trophy in SouthAfrica, formallypresented the covetoustrophy to the presidentat a state banquet heldin their honour.

Jonathan, who wasvisibly pleased with theachievement, saidrather than consider theconquest of Africa as theultimate, the Eaglesshould endeavour toensure that Nigeria’snational anthem is sangat the grand finale of theglobal soccer showpiecein 2014 in Brazil.

And in keeping withhis promise that theywill be rewarded if theywon the Nations Cup,the president doled outnational honours, cashawards and landallocation in Abuja toeach Eagles andmembers of thetechnical crew.

Already, the Eagleslead their groupcomprising Kenya,Namibia and Malawiwith four points and willplay the next qualifying

match against theHarambee Stars ofKenya next month.

Meanwhile, thepresident hasappreciated theunrelenting efforts ofthe Nigeria Supporters’club with N5m for for

their patience,perseverance andsacrifice in cheering theEagles to victory.

Speaking yesterdayat the weekly FederalExecutive Councilmeeting at the StateHouse, Jonathan said he

had forgotten tomention the Supporters’Club while rewardingthe African Champions.

He then thanked theSupporters’ Club forsupporting the teamthrough thick and thin,adding that its job is the

most difficult as themembers do alwayskeeping on drumming,singing and dancing toboost the morale of theteam.

“You will discoverthat anytime a team islosing, everybody will

Jonathan charges Eagles to winWorld Cup in 2014

By AbdulrahmanAbdulraheem

Boosts Supporters’ club with N5m

just be disillusioned buteven if a team concedeshundred goals in agame, the Supporters’Club will keep on singingand dancing andurging the players toplay on,” PresidentJonathan said.

PAGE 42 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Lamont Peterson

Bolaji Abdullahi, Sports Minister

The Lagos StateHandball Association(LSHA), on Sunday

in Lagos appealed to theHandball Federation ofNigeria (HFN) to revivethe defunct nationalhandball league.

Anthony Idolor, theassociation’s chief coachtold the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) that thesport would need therestoration of the defunctcompetition to revive itsdwindling fortunes.

He added that the leagueused to be a viablepromotional tool for thesport, which helped to keepthe country’s players inshape for internationalcompetit ions.

“The handball leaguewas a competition whichplayers and coaches lookedup to in the past and ithelped to reform the gameacross the country.

“I appeal to handballfederation to help look intothis and revive the leaguefor handball to reclaim itsrightful place in thecountry’s sports circuit,’’he said.

Idolor urged the HFN toadopt measures thatwould entice potentialsponsors to bank roll itsprogrammes to help thebody to reposition thesport.

He cited the country’sbasketball league as anexample of what thehandball league shouldhave been if the necessarysteps had been taken bythe authorities.

Lamont Peterson is finally set to defend the title he took from Amir Khan 14months ago. The American says his long layoff will not be a problem when hefights Kendall Holt in Washington next week.

Peterson beat Khan on a split decision after the Englishman was twice docked apoint for pushing. A planned rematch last May was called off after Peterson testedpositive for a synthetic testosterone.

The WBA restored its light-welterweight title to Khan but the IBF accepted anappeal by Peterson.

When Zab Judah bowed out as mandatory challenger to take another bout, Holtgot his chance and Peterson finally had an opponent. The two will meet on February22 in Peterson’s hometown of Washington.

“It feels great to get back into the ring,” Peterson said. “The layoff did not hurt mebecause I’ve been in the gym training like I was going to fight for the past year.

“My shoulder is 100 per cent healthy and I feel fantastic,” said Peterson, who hadsurgery on his right shoulder last year. “The explosiveness is there and I’m punchingharder than ever.”

Among his sparring partners has been former world welterweight champion ShaneMosley.

Peterson, whose record stands at 30-1-1 with 15 knockouts, will be up against aformer WBC light-welterweight champion.

TYSON BACK IN INDYFormer heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is putting his personality on full display

when he opens a 36-city tour of his one-man show Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, inIndianapolis on Wednesday.

Tyson was convicted of raping an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant and spentthree years in jail in the 1990s. He has not been back to the city since he was releasedfrom prison in 1995.

Tyson is uncertain what kind of reaction he’ll get from the crowd. His wife Kikiwrote the script for his show. He’s also a father and has started a charitableorganisation.

The Cross RiverGovernment isbuilding two stadia

in Ikom and Ogoja LocalGovernment Areas topromote sportingactivities in the state.

The project awarded toa Chinese firm, CCECC, ata cost of N2.2 billionDecember 2011, isexpected to be completed inNovember this year.

The Commissioner forSpecial Projects, Mr BasseyOqua, who led members ofthe National GoodGovernance Tour on an

inspection of projects inIkom, said that the projectswere being implementedunder the State’sComprehensive SportsD e v e l o p m e n tP r o g r a m m e .

Oqua said that thefacilities, whencompleted, would help tobring sports closer to thepeople as well asdeveloping athletes from

the grass root.He said that each of the

stadia wouldaccommodate 6,000people, have twobasketball courts andswimming pools inaddition to tennis courts.

The commissionerpointed out that with thetwo stadia underway,sportsmen and women inthe local government

Peterson returns 14 months afterLagos handballassociation taskHFN onleague’srevival

Femi Ajagbe, the out-going President of theNigeria Squash

Federation (NSF), hasclaimed that the presentboard of the federation haddone enough to repositionthe sport in the country.

Ajagbe said yesterday inLagos that the board hadhad to contend with amyriad of issues when itfirst came into office but wasable to stabilise thesituation.

“When we came onboard, there were lots ofproblem, and as I speak toyou we have been able tounite members throughour developmentalprogrammes.

“For the first time in 22years Nigeria was able tomake a comeback to theboard of squash federation ofAfrica, at the championshipswhich was held inJohannesburg in 2010.

“And for the first timealso we rose to becomenumber three in Africa,Egypt were number one andSouth Africa number two,’’he added.

Further, the presidentsaid he intended to allow hisachievements in office tospeak for him, and not getdistracted from his

objectives.“It is unfair that some

people will just sit down andrate your performancepoorly, in spite of one’sachievement; ourfederation has taken part inseveral internationalcompetitions.

“We have been able toenergise our grassrootsdevelopment programmesfor budding talents, and wehave competitions like theDavid Mark Championshipsand others too numerous tomention,’’Ajagbe said.

He also said that that hisemergence as the Vice-President was well meritedbecause he was subjected tothe rigours of the body’selectoral processes to getinto office.

“This position has neverbeen attained by anyNigerian, but through theassistance of thegovernment I was elected,and it has improved ourprofile in Africa,’’ Ajagbesaid.

The country’s sportsfederations are slated tohold their electionssometime in April,according to a guidelinerecently released by theNational SportsCommission.

We have repositioned squashin Nigeria, says Ajagbe

Cross River builds two stadiaareas would not need totravel all the way toCalabar in search ofquality sporting facilities.

In the same vein, theSecretary to the StateGovernment, Mr MikeAniah said that the StateGovernment Sports Policywas to catch athletesyoung and develop themto represent the state atnational competitions.

Aniah said that the stategovernment was desirousof producing top classathletes that wouldrepresent the state andthe nation at both nationaland internationalcompetit ions.

The good governanceteam also inspected someroad projects funded byboth the state and thefederal governments.

Babatunde Mohammed, a Lagos State para-tabletennis player on Monday called on corporateorganisations to aid special athletes by organising

competitions for them.Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

in Lagos that potential sponsors should accord specialathletes the same kind of recognition given to their able-bodied counterparts.

“They need to encourage special athletes by helpingthem to organise championships that will feature specialathletes across the country.

“They should give us what they are giving to ourable-bodied colleagues, at least at about 70 per cent oreven more,” he said.

Mohammed said that the Nigeria Table TennisFederation (NTTF) did not have the means to executeall its programmes, hence the call for corporatepartners .

He, however, appealed to the NTTF to adopt measuresthat would successfully attract sponsors to support tabletennis .

“I am appealing to the NTTF to re-strategise very fast,to woo sponsors, because without funds the sport willnot develop. Any federation that wants to execute itsprogrammes will have to source for the necessary funds,if not, everything will be at a standstill,” Mohammedadded.

Special athletes deserve fairtreatment, says Mohammed

About 50 youthsparticipated in acycling competition

organised by the IngawaLocal Government Councilin Katsina State onTuesday .

The race, which covered adistance of 24 Kilometresfrom the roundabout atIngawa town, attracted

many spectators from withinand outside of the area.

Presenting prizes to thewinners of the competition,Alhaji Hussaini Dambo,caretaker chairman of thelocal government, saidthat the aim of thecompetition was toenhance unity among theyouths of the area.

Dambo, who wasrepresented by acouncillor, Alhaji LawalMurtala, also said thecycling race wouldenhance the physicalfitness of the participants.

He called on the youthto engage in sportingactivities, assuring thatthe council was ready to

assist them in thatdirection.

Nasiru Bawa Daunaka,who clinched the firstposition, won amotorcycle, whileAbubakar Nagogo andAbdullahi Usman whocame second and third,respectively, were given abicycle each.

LG holds cycling tourney to enhance fitness, unity

PAGE 43PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Didier Drogba has been given the go-ahead to play for Galatasary, a Turkishfootball federation source and the club said on Wednesday, after his formerclub

Ivory Coast striker Drogba, 34, signed an 18-month contract with top-flightGalatasaray at the end of January but Shanghai Shenhua, with whom he signedon a two-and-a-half year deal in June last year, opposed the move.

He will be paid •10 million to play in Turkey with a bonus of •15 000 for everymatch played.

The Chinese club, which had vowed to appeal to Fifa, will not be compensatedfor his departure, Turkish newspapers said; claiming the player’s contract withShanghai was null and void as he had not been paid for the last three months.

Galatasary are due to play German side Schalke 04 next Wednesday in the last16 of the Champions League.

Drogba a Champions League winner with English Premier League club Chelsealast season is looking to relaunch his career in Europe and play at a higher standardthan in China, with a view to being at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.Didier Drogba

Manager NeilLennon concedesCeltic “need a

miracle” if they are toovercome a 3-0 homedefeat by Juventus in thelast 16 of the Champions

Efe Ambrose

Zinedine Zidane

Rafael Benitez has claimed that the EuropaLeague will not affect his Chelsea team, andmay actually help them maintain momentum

in the chase for Champions League places.For the first time in a decade, the Stamford Bridge

side will have to adjust to the Thursday-Sundayschedule, but the Spanish manager says it had noeffect on his Valencia team who won both theirdomestic league and the old UEFA Cup in 2004.

He said: “In terms of flights and games it’s like theChampions League. In terms of mentality the firstthought is, ‘hmm, it’s different.’ But if you look atthe teams in the Europa League you will see that itcould be quite difficult.

“We have to start thinking about it as a greatcompetition with good teams and that we want to doour best.

The most important thing is in the players’ heads.In England there is a tradition of playing onSaturday. But in Spain I won the UEFA Cup withValencia playing on Thursday and Sunday, whichwas just the same. We can manage if we have enoughbodies.

“Do you expect them to think it’s not important? Idon’t think that. I expect them to be focused and toconcentrate, but we will need some time to talk aboutthis. On the day before when we fly they will realisethat it’s Europe and they must give 100%.

Benitez eyes Europa momentum

Zinedine Zidane haspromised DavidBeckham will

surprise French footballfans and told Canal theformer England captainwill teach certainmembers of the ParisSaint-Germain squad.

There has been noshortage of sceptics keento air the view thatBeckham’s arrival at PSGon a five-month contractis nothing more than amarketing exercise.

Zidane playedalongside Beckham atReal Madrid between

2003 and 2006, though,and he says the 37-year-old will provide far morethan mere window-dressing at the Parc desPrinces.

The former LA Galaxymidfielder has not playedcompetitively since theMLS final on December 1,and though he trainedwith PSG staff in Londonlast week, Ancelotti hassaid Beckham willprobably not be ready toface Sochaux on Sunday

Liverpool chiefexecutive IanAyre has voiced

“major concerns”about the behaviour ofZenit St Petersburgsupporters ahead ofThursday’s EuropaLeague clash in Russia.

A group of theRussian PremierLeague club’ssupporters published amanifesto late last yearcalling for all gay andnon-white players to bebanned from playingfor them although theysubsequently issued astatement in anattempt to clarify thecomments.

The manifesto,which declared that“black players arebeing imposed on Zenitalmost by force”,prompted defenderChris Samba - who hassince moved on to QPR -to label the StPetersburg side’s fansracist.

Manager LucianoSpalletti quicklydistanced himself fromthe manifesto, butAyre has written toboth UEFA and to Zenitto voice his concerns.

Liverpool is set toinclude a number ofblack players in theirsquad for Thursday’smatch, and the chiefexecutive has soughtassurances that theRussian club will takeaction to prevent abuse.

Ayre has indicatedthat Liverpool’s playerswill not walk off thepitch if there is racialabuse directed at themon Thursday, insteadsuggesting that anyaction on the field willbe left in the hands ofSpanish referee CarlosVelasco Carballo.

Liverpoolexpressconcernsoverracism

Rafael Benitez

Beckham will surprise people, Zidaneevening and would morelikely make his firstappearance againstMarseille the followingweek.

Like many of thesceptics, Zidane does notexpect to see Beckhamplay more than a bit-partrole in PSG’s bid for a firstLigue 1 title since 1994but he believes his formerteam-mate’s footballingqualities should not beunderestimated, despitehis advancing age.

Drogba gets Galatasaray green light

League.Juventus striker

Alessandro Matri pouncedon a misjudgement fromEfe Ambrose to score athird-minute goal only forLennon’s side to hit back

ferociously in a breathlessfirst half packed full ofgoalmouth incidents.

The Scottish championswere then caught out on 76minutes when ClaudioMarchisio scored a secondon the counter before strikerMirko Vucinic grabbed athird following anotherblunder from Ambrose.

Ambrose was a surprisestarter, having played forNigeria in Sunday’s AfricaCup of Nations final winover Burkina Faso and notarriving back in Glasgowuntil Tuesday.

And Celtic’s bestopportunity to score fell tothe defender, who sent aweak header into the turfallowing Gianluigi Buffonto make an easy save.

Ambrose had a longflight from South Africaafter a successfultournament with Nigeriabut Lennon defended hisselection.

Celtic need miracle againstJuventus, Lennon admits

West BromwichAlbion strikerPeter Odemwingie

has been told that he still hasa part to play this season afterbeing recalled to thetravelling party for Monday's2-0 win at Liverpool.

Although Odemwingiewas not part of Albion's 17-man matchday squad, bossSteve Clarke involved him byhaving the Nigeriainternational sat on the bench.

The Uzbekistan-bornNigeria international joinedthe Baggies in August 2010from Lokomotiv Moscow for anundisclosed fee and has now

West Brom welcomeback Nigerian striker

scored 31 goals in 83 games.After a month of

speculation over a mootedmove to QPR, 31-year-oldOdemwingie made majorheadlines on deadline daywhen, despite his transferrequest being rejected andthe two clubs not havingagreed a fee, he turned up atLoftus Road,

He then showed up atAlbion's Walsall Roadtraining ground the dayafter his unauthorised tripto West London, but was toldto return the following weekand has since accepted a fineof two weeks' wages .

PAGE 44 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Efe Ambrose has said Nigeriawill now shift focus to qualifyingfor next year’s World Cup afterthey won the AFCON. Nigeria aretop of a qualifying group that hasMalawi, Namibia and Kenya withfour points.

2014 World Cup is next target, says EfeThey host bottom team Kenya

on March 22 in continuation of thequalifying series and the utilitydefender said the Eagles were firedto win the AFCON after they werenot given a chance.

The Glasgow Celtic defender,

who was named as the best rightback of the tournament, said inan interview that unity,determination and zeal to makehistory galvanised them to becrowned African champions.

How does it feel being anAfrican champion?

It is a great feeling. I amon top of the world and give Godthe glory for making it happen.We are worthy championsbecause we worked for it.

Nobody gave the SuperEagles any chance to win thetrophy, what did that do tothe team?

Honestly, we were seen asunderdogs before thecompetition started. Manybelieved Cote d’Ivoire or Ghanawill win the title and I believethat is one of the reasons whywe are now champions of Africa.

How do you mean?You know we were not under

pressure as people were notexpecting us to win, that madeus to be determined to write ourname in gold, work harder andmake Nigeria proud. I thank Godhe made it happen for us. We

worked hard and believe in God.Who would you dedicate

the victory in South Africa to?I dedicate the victory to God

who has crowned my efforts andthat of the team. I also dedicateit to my family and all Nigerianswho stood by us while thecompetition lasted.

Who influenced you themost in the team?

Everybody did his best toachieve this. We are one bigfamily. We talked to ourselvesand played for ourselves on thepi tch.

You were named the bestright back at the tournament,how do you feel about this?

I give God all the glory forgiving me the strength to dowell. It is not only me, but ithappened due to thecontributions of my teammateswho did well on the field to makemy job easier. The coach too dida great job on me and the team.Above all, I thank all the fansand supporters who prayed forme and the team while thetournament lasted.

After winning the AFCON,

what is your next target?That is the Brazil 2014 World

Cup. We have qualifiers by nextmonth and so I want to do mybest and help Nigeria qualify fort h a t .

What of the FIFAConfederations Cup, whichwill take place in Brazil inJune?

It will be a big tournament toowhere we will fly Africa’s flag. Iam looking forward to that too,but the World Cup is the maintarget for me. That is the biggeststage.

MTNFootball.com rates all 23players who made the final squadfor the championship-winningSuper Eagles.

8 Vincent Enyeama

Eagles shot stopper did wellbetween sticks for Nigeriaand made several game-

defining saves leading up to thetrophy particlarly againstEthiopia, Zambia and Coted’Ivoire. He again showed whyhe has remained the Eagles No.1since 2002. He was also namedin the tournament XI by the CAFtechnical study group.

4 Joseph YoboA twisted ankle in the opening

group game against Burkina Fasosaw him relegated to the benchin favour of enterprisingyoungster Omeruo, who went onto take his chance all the way tothe final game against BurkinaFaso. However, it was a happyending for Yobo as he signed offon his sixth and final AFCONappearance with his firstinternational trophy.

8 Godfrey OboabonaThe Sunshine stars captain

was one of the revelations of the2013 AFCON. He played like aveteran in the heart of defencewith a lot of confidence. He wasup against Africa’s finest strikerslike Drogba, Gervinho and

Seydou Keita and he diddisappoint.

- Azubuike EgwuekweHe was Stephen Keshi number

one choice partner for Yobo in theheart of defence until he sufferedchicken pox in training camp,which effectively took him out ofthe tournament. And when hewas well and fit again, he couldnot force his way into a winningteam and so did nit get to kick aball in South Africa.

3 Juwon OshaniwaFC Ashdod of Israel defender

was relegated to the bench dueto the exploits of Echiejile in leftback, but was part of the finalmatch for almost 30 minuteswhen he replaced the injuredSporting Braga star. He madesome rash tackles for the shorttime he was called to action andwas not convincing.

8 Kenneth OmeruoHe was another revelation at

the tournament as he formed agreat partnership with Oboabonaand proved a worthyreplacement for captain Yobo.He played with composure andso much maturity. He is verymuch a part of the first team nowgoing forward.

7 Elderson Echiejile

He was good at the left backthat the more experienced TayeTaiwo was not missed, Eldersondefended well and often joined theattack, which resulted in himgetting his first-ever a goal forNigeria against Mali in the semi-f inal .

7 Ogenyi OnaziHe was a Trojan in the

midfield. His versatility was abig plus for the Super Eagles ashe played as right back as wellan attacking midfielder. Herelegated the more experiencedOgude to the bench. He was gooddefending, going forward andvery mobile. He held his own inmidfield battles against stars likeYaya Toure, Tiote and SeydouKeita to underline his quality.

- Chigozie AgbimThird-choice goalkeeper who

did not get to play a game asVincent Enyeama held his ownbetween the sticks.

4 Ikechukwu UcheHe posted a very disappointing

outing at the AFCON after hefinished as the country’s topscorer in the qualifyingtournament with three goals. Hewas wasteful in front as hisconfidence dipped. He had achance to put all that behind in

the final in absence of theinjured Emenike but failed to doso and he was promptly replaced.

7 Brown IdeyeHe used his abundant energy

and raw power to troubleopposing defenders. Hecomplimented Emenike in theattack and scored a goal thanksto good combination play withSpartak Moscow star. He createdchances but was not very clinicalespecially in the final when hecould have scored at least twogoals.

8 Mikel ObiNamed in the Tournament XI

by CAF. His performance at thistournament has proved hiscritics wrong. Mikel was simplyfantastic and the pivot of theteam. He controlled the midfieldwith his trademark marking andlong balls. The Chelsea starsoared above the likes of YayaToure, Didier Zokora, ChieckTiote, Charles Kabore and SeydouKeita in the various midfieldbattles. He won the man of thematch award twice and fair playaward twice.

8 Efe AmbroseWas one of the best players in

the tournament as he made theright back his own after a sloppystart. He defended well, joinedthe attack and had a greatrecovery. He was always full ofrunning and so little wonder hemade the official Team of theT o u r n a m e n t .

- Austin EjideWas not in action due to

Enyeama’s heroics in goal. Hisinjury during a warm-up gameagainst Cape Verde also slowedhim down from challengingEnyeama for the No.1 position.

5 Ahmed MusaHe started poorly but regained

some confidence after a well-taken goal against Mali. He wasa thorn in the flesh of opposingdefenders against Mali andBurkina Faso in the final. Butoverall, he was far from his best.

9 Emmanuel Emenike‘The new Bull’ was a delight to

watch as he powered his waythrough defences. He shoulderedthe Eagles goal-scoringresponsibilities. He is strong andfast and that ensured he finishedas the tournament top scorerwith four goals and three assists

He was sorely missed in the finalagainst Burkina Faso. He waspicked on the official Team of theTournament by CAF.

4 Nosa IgieborHe came to the AFCON riding

on a lot of expectations, but hefailed to replicate hisperformance in the qualifiersand during the build-up whereit mattered most.

- Reuben GabrielKano pillars combative

midfielder was Keshi’s numberone choice in holding midfieldrole, but for a long-term groininjury and chicken pox. Hetherefore lost his place in theteam and so was one of severalplayers who did not clock aminute of action in South Africa.

8 Sunday MbaYet another revelation for the

Eagles. He replaced thestruggling Nosa Igiebor andmade the most of his opportunityso much so Igiebor warmed thebench by the third match againstEthiopia. His cracking matchwinners against Cote d’Ivoireand Burkina Faso will most likelyhave enhanced his market valueand now a move to Europe is verymuch on the cards.

5 Fegor OgudeHe was the preferred holding

midfielder in Eagles and startedslowly but he improved as thecompetition progressed.Unfortunately, he lost his placeto youngster Ogenyi Onazi afterhe was suspended for thequarterfinal clash against Coted’Ivoire.

9 Victor MosesHe ought to have been picked

as the Most Valuable Player of theentire tournament as he was agreat influence for the eventualchampions as well as their bestplayer. He initiated most of theEagles attack with his free rolein the team. His dribbling skills,pace and vision for goal werethreats to opposing teams. Hescored twice from the penaltyspot and was picked in thetournament XI.

3 Ejike UzoenyiThe smallish left winger was a

surprise pick for the AFCON. Heplayed just a game, but he wasnot in his element and could notshow what he is capable of.

2 Obiora NwankwoHe featured late in the second

half against Zambia, but wasshadow of himself in the game.

Super Eagles ratings at AFCON

Joseph Yobo, Mikel Obi and others displaying the trophy

PAGE 45PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Here we bring to you the faces of thegallant young men and technicalofficials that brought honour to Nigeriaafter 19 years of asking.

The faces of African Champions

Austine-Ejide Enyeama Vincent Joseph-Yobo

Sunday Mba Ogenyi Onazi Ejike Uzoenyi Emmanuel Emenike Juwon Oshaniwa

Elderson Echiejile

Technical crew:1] Valere Houandinou 2] Sylvanus Okpala 3] DanielAmokachi 4] Stephen Keshi 5] Ike ShorunmuEfe-Ambrose

Fegor-Ogude Godfrey Oboabana Obiora-Nwankwo Nosa Igiebor

Victor Moses Mikel Obi Kenneth Omeruo Ikechukwu-Uche

Agbim Chigozie Ahmed Musa Azubuike Egwueke Brown Ideye

Rueben Gabriel

PAGE 46 PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Sarah Taylor

Cian Healy

Newcastle United player Cheick Tiote has hadhis car seized by police after being arrested onsuspicion of fraud.

The 26-year-old midfielder was stopped by policeon Tuesday near the club’s training ground onsuspicion of fraud in relation to driving offences.

His car, a Chevrolet Camaro estimated to be worthabout £75,000, was seized by Northumbria Police,who said inquiries were ongoing.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “At about1.30pm on February 12, a car was stopped on BentonPark Road, Newcastle, and a 26-year-old man wasarrested on suspicion of fraud in relation to drivingoffences.’’

The Ivory Coast international, who recentlyreturned from the Africa Cup of Nations, signed fromDutch side FC Twente in 2010. Police said inquiriesare ongoing. Cheick Tiote

Britain’s Fed Cup team face an away tie againstArgentina in the World Group II play-off on 20-21 April.

They secured their place after winning their Euro/Africa Group I play-off against Bulgaria in Eilat,Israel.

Laura Robson and Heather Watson both won theirsingles matches against Bulgaria to secure their place.

Victory over Argentina would move Judy Murray’sGreat Britain side into the Fed Cup’s World Group for2 0 1 4 .

Murray said: “Argentina away on clay will be atough challenge for us but we have a strong squadand a huge opportunity to grab a place in the WorldGroup. Vamos!”

It is the second successive year Great Britain havequalified for the World Group II play-off.

Last year, they lost 4-1 to Sweden, a result thatdropped them back into the qualifiers for this year’stournament. Murray’s side are currently one placeabove Argentina at 16 in the Fed Cup rankings, withWatson and Robson 41st and 45th in the worldrankings respectively.

Paula Ormaechea is Argentina’s highest-rankedplayer at 195 in the world, ahead of FlorenciaMolinero (214) and Maria Irigoyen (215).

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY DUTSEOld Government House, Kiyawa Road, Dutse,

Jigawa State.Office of the Registrar

http/www.fudutse.edu.ng

ADDENDUM TO INVITATION FOR TECHNICAL ANDFINANCIAL BIDS OF CONTRACTORS FOR

2012TETFUND SPECIAL INTERVENTION PROJECTS

Reference to the advertisement of the above projectspublished on page 50 of the Blue Print Newspaper and page 22 ofPeople’s Daily Newspaper dated January 14, 2013; all the interestedContractors should please note that evidence of IndustrialTraining Contribution Fund is one of the pre-requisites for theirpre-qualification for the advertised projects. Also, the closingdate for the bids submissions have been extended from February4, 2013 to February 21, 2013. The submission closes by 12 noon onthe closing date, while opening of bids will hold by 2:30 pm sameday.Please, note that this information is an addendum to theearlier published advertisement.

Ireland prop Cian Healywill miss two SixNations games after

being banned until 10March for stamping onDan Cole in Sunday’sdefeat by England.

Healy was cited for thestamp during a ruck inEngland’s 12-6 win inDublin and he is suspendedfor the matches againstScotland and France.

The Leinster manappeared before thetournament’s disciplinarycommittee in London onWednesday.

Healy will be availableagain for the final gameagainst Italy on 16 March.

Ireland take on Scotlandon 24 February atMurrayfield before aDublin encounter with

France on 9 March.The loose-head was

found guilty of “stampingor trampling on anopponent”.

Healy escaped without ayellow or red card fromreferee Jerome Garcesduring the match, but thefront-rower was cited byciting commissionerAlberto Recaldini of Italy.

Healy’s suspensionshould now pave the wayfor Ulster loose-head TomCourt to be recalled to thematch-day squad.

Munster’s DaveKilcoyne, who was on thebench for the last twogames against Wales andEngland, is expected tostart at Murrayfield withCourt among thereplacements.

Britain face Argentinain Fed Cup

Healy banned forFrance games

Gavin Rees

Defending championsEngland have beenknocked out of the

Women’s World Cupdespite a 15-run win over

New Zealand.West Indies beat

Australia earlier to renderEngland’s resultmeaningless and put the

Caribbean side through tomeet the Aussies inSunday’s final.

Sarah Taylor (88)helped England to 266-6but the Kiwis looked wellplaced thanks to captainSuzie Bates (79) and AmySatterthwaite (103)putting on 134.

England have paid theprice for two narrow defeats,the one-wicket opening lossto Sri Lanka in the groupstages and a two-run reverseagainst Australia in theSuper Sixes.

West Indies’ shock eight-run victory also endedNew Zealand’s hopes - andEngland will meet theKiwis again in Friday’splay-off for third place.

After that loss toAustralia, England lookedall but out, only for theirhopes to be revived bya thumping win overSouth Africa and WestIndies’ surprise victoryagainst New Zealand.

They still needed helpfrom the Aussies and forlong periods it looked asthough Jodie Fields’ sidewould keep their end of thebargain as they reached130-4 in pursuit of 165.

Gavin Rees claims hewill knock outu n b e a t e n

champion Adrien Bronerwhen they meet for theWBC lightweight title inAtlantic City on Saturday.

Broner, 23, is regardedas one of the best boxers inthe world, and is rankedsixth in The Ringmagazine’s pound-for-pound ratings.

The former WBO super-featherweight champion,who moved up to thelightweight division in2012, is unbeaten in 25fights as a professional,with 21 of those victoriescoming inside the distance.

He is the overwhelming

favourite to beat Rees, aformer WBA light-welterweight champion.

But Broner rejected theaccusation of disrespectinghis opponents, saying: “Idon’t underestimate him[Rees]... I respect him as afighter.

Rees caused a majorupset in 2007 when heb e a t S o u l e y m a n eM’baye to win the WBAlight-welterweight belt,but lost the title in his firstdefence against AndreasKotelnik in March 2008.

A drop in division tolightweight has broughthim European and Britishtitles in a run of 10victories and a draw from

West Indies endEngland title defence

Rees set to shock Broner in world title bid11 fights, and he insistedhe could beat his youngeropponent.

England Hockey chiefexecutive SallyMunday has hit out

at the InternationalOlympic Committee’sexecutive board forconsidering cutting thesport from the 2020Games.

Hockey was one of five

sports being consideredand got down to the finalround of three alongsidewrestling and modernpentathlon.

Wrestling waseventually chosen and isset to be axed, but Mundaywas shocked.

”All our players dream

of playing in the Olympics,it’s the pinnacle of ourgame and if we were nolonger an Olympic sport itwould be crushing for ourplayers”

GB’s women won bronzeat the 2012 Games andone of the stars of theirteam Emily Maguire wasless than impressed withthe news.

Hockey chief lambast IOC

Tiote in fraud arrest

PAGE 47PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

A Somali fisherman carries a shark on his head as he casually walks through the streets of war-tornMogadishu. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Say what?

•Isaac Asimov is the only author to have a book in every Dewey-decimal category.•It takes a lobster approximately seven years to grow to be onepound.•It takes about a half a gallon of water to cook macaroni, andabout a gallon to clean the pot.•It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up.The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is danglingout of its mouth. Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all ofthe stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back downagain.•It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland.•It was once against the law to slam your car door in a city inSwitzerland.•It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain church inOmaha, Nebraska.•It's against the law to catch fish with your bare hands in Kansas.•It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (Don't try this athome!)•Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been overmixingthe soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float.Customers wrote and told how much they loved that it floated,and it has floated ever since.•John Lennon's first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.•“Kemo Sabe" means "soggy shrub" in Navajo.•Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during WWI.•Lee Harvey Oswald's cadaver tag sold at an auction for $6,600 in1992.•Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.•Lightning strikes about 6,000 times per minute on this planet.•Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.•Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son.•Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an alligatorwhile he was host of "Lorne Greene's Wild Kingdom."•Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reinade los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% ofits original size: "L.A."•Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.•Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.•Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.•Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than allof the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.Millie the White House dog earned more than 4 times as much asPresident Bush in 1991.

Some Interesting FactsSome Interesting Facts

SUDOKUSUDOKU

Yesterday’s solution

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT: 0803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 7458BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS: 0805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 1765NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS: 0803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 3308LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS: 0805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 1969

0803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 0344

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako,Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office:No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 805 727 9862.e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTTTTTABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETEHe was not a staff of the EFCC. I wonder how you

could report about the work of EFCC when you werenever part of it, just as I will not talk of the FCTA when

he was the minister — Ex-EFCC chairman, NuhuRibadu on Nasir el-Rufai’s claim that Ribdau

endorsed him for president in 2007

It has been revealed thatSuper Eagles head coach,Stephen Keshi was

compelled to work under aforeign coach by the NigeriaFootball Federation (NFF).

Keshi, who had announcedhis resignation on Monday, citedinterference from the NFF.

The Nigeria trainer, whoeventually rescinded his decisionfollowing a meeting with theNigerian sports minister, BolajiAbdullahi, has also revealed thathe was compelled to work with a"foreign technical team."

This revelation was made bythe President of the Nigeriansenate, David Mark who had acandid conversation with theformer Togo and Mali coachshortly after he announced hisresignation on Monday.

“Keshi confirmed to me thathe had resigned. He said thereason he resigned was becausethere is too much interference.Before the (2013 Afcon) final(against Burkina Faso) onSunday, there was a lot ofpressure on him that he mustaccept a foreign technicaladviser,” Senator Markrevealed.

The lawmaker furtherexplained that Keshi bluntlyrefused to accept the wishes of theNFF chiefs.

“(Keshi) said he is opposed toit because he believes he’s got allthat is needed for him to succeedin this country as there areNigerians who can work withhim and he doesn’t see the gainin bringing in foreigners,” hesaid.

Keshi and his technical staffreturned home to a heroes’welcome from South Africawhere they won a third AfricaCup of Nations title.

Nigeria’s President,Goodluck Jonathan bestowed thenation's second highest nationalhonour of Commander of theOrder of Niger (CON) on Keshi.

Keshi also received cash giftsin addition to landed property inthe nation’s capital, Abuja.

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

NFF wanted aforeign coachfor Eagles

Since last week my hometown has been strugglingto come to terms with the

killing of health workers: ninewomen and one man. As if toreinforce the nature of themadness that has supposedlytaken hold in the North, two dayslater, in a neighbouring province,three North Korean medicaldoctors were found dead, theirthroats slit, one reportedlydecapitated.

One was reminded of theheydays of this type ofreprehensible violencecommitted in the name of Islamby young, brutal murderers inUS occupied Iraq: eg. the videofootage of the beheading offoreign workers by young menmindlessly screaming Islamicscripture. I am thankful that thatghoulish parade has ended. Itmay be over in Iraq but today Ican honestly say I fear for myfamily, community and society.

Meanwhile as has often beenthe case when such numbingand spine-chilling atrocities havebeen committed, our PrimeMinister Jonah was touring afew Western capitals -solicitingfor help to fight the global threatof terrorism. The BH have notclaimed responsibility for eitherattack, but no-one seems toreally care anymore about that.

I am grateful however that Ino longer have to wake onSunday's with fear and dread,praying that there will not beanother criminal attack oninnocent church congregations.Since late last year that type ofterrorism has also ended. Theterrorists have found othertargets: My home town has beenquietly enduring daily, sporadicshootings at checkpoints andrecreation points. No one reallycared until at the tail end of awhole week of shootings theTraditional Emir was attacked.

I worry that those in whomthe trust and responsibility ofgovernance have been placed arecompletely devoid not only ofcompetence but also ofconscience, shame and respectfor human life.

This week we commemorateone shining light that shone foran all too brief six months in thelife of Nigeria. General MurtalaRamat Muhammad, who wasshot in his car, on his way towork on the morning of February13th 1976. He was only 38. Thisgreat national hero exhibitedsuch a selfless and totaldedication to country that it wasrequited by a deep and ferventlove that is still palpable today.

of bomb-making 'factories'raided and nameless suspectsarrested by energetic statesecurity agents. In between allthese main events, we have hada steady and nauseatingsupply of seminars,conferences and meetings todiscuss 'security', interspersedwith the obscene deployment ofsoldiers in our streets or homesas evidence of seriousness.

True to Cartelopian ethics,the singular unusual additionto this insincere narrative arethe huge electronic adverts,billboards and television adsadmonishing the public to be'alert and to report any unusualactivity or sighting to securityagencies'. Of course as pointedout in previous editions of thiscolumn - no specific telephonenumber or numbers are evergiven out in these ads, becausethere are none. These adsmerely serve as yet anotherCartelopian avenue for makingthe quick buck!

Yes indeed - how to makethat quick buck - even on thebacks of scores of dead peopleseems to be the most enduringmotive for nearly all the majorconflicts of this 21st century. Itturns out the earth shakingWar on Terror declared by theUnited States after that fatefulSeptember day in 2001, mayhave run down that country's

It was a mutual love thatwas of course not returned bythe civil servants andinternational geo-politicalinterests who have since beenfar more comfortable with thelikes of our Obasanjos,Babangidas and now of courseour very own Good fortune. Wewill continue to pray for the fulland complete exposure of all thecriminals behind the suffering ofour people, sooner rather thanlater. One little bit of cheeringnews - yes our winning theNations Cup after much strivingand struggle - but moreimportantly- the forcefulresetting of that selfish andmindless hardrive known asOfficialdom by Stephen Keshi. Isalute him for his courage,dedication and commitment toprinciple by resigning -even if itwas for just 24hours. It hastaught some people an importantlesson or two!

This week (and the next) Ipresent excerpts from my four-part series published in late 2011expressing my concerns eventhen, over this atrocious violencebeing committed in a countrysupposedly not at war. It wascalled Theories of Boko Horror:

Cartelopia's rulingbusiness elite are in aquandary. … Time and

again we have been fed footage

Showing respecttreasury but not so the treasurechests of military equipmentmanufacturers and oilcompanies. Unlike the militaryspending of more 'civilised'democracies, however, oursecurity votes are NOT allowedto be accounted for, by law!

There are many theoriessprouting up to make sense of itall: starting with thestrangeness of nearly all aspectsof the story of the growth of theso-called Islamic sect, to theJuly 2009 uprising and thatextra-judicial execution of thesect's only identifiable leader bythe police. Educated andinformed members of the publicare having to switch off from thegovernment's 'officialexplanations' to make propersense of a land populated bysuicide bombers where gunbattles and bombings seeminglytake place at the push of a buttonsomewhere...

Historically, the StateSecurity Service has been verymuch the most efficient andprofessional security service,able to provide substantialintelligence on the activities ofall manner of militant or fringegroups. It is particularlysurprising that thesehistorically proven,professional abilities seem tohave evaporated, overnight!

Take this statement madeby the former head of the StateSecurity Service (SSS),Afakriya Gadzama in 2009, tothe House of Representatives'Joint Committee on Securitythat the SSS had warned theBorno state government well inadvance [before July 2009]about the activities of this BH.He is quoted as saying: Nobodywas taken by surprise; it wassomething that wasadequately covered; that wasadequately reported.

In fact as with many similarfringe movements, the BH wasknown to have been infiltratedby under-cover agents,including women, whoobviously reported fully andregularly on the groups'activities. One is tempted to askwhat happened to all that'intelligence'? Why is itsuddenly so exceedingly easyfor groups of young men toacquire weaponry, arms andammunition, kill in broaddaylight and disappear even inthe midst of areas where thereis already a heavy deploymentof armed security personnel?

To be continued

With Aisha Yolah

CARCARCARCARCARTELTELTELTELTELOPIAOPIAOPIAOPIAOPIA

ayolah06@yahoo.com08086296783 (text only please)

“Historically, the State Security Servicehas been very much the most efficient and

professional security service, able toprovide substantial intelligence on the

activities of all manner of militant or fringegroups. It is particularly surprising thatthese historically proven, professional

abilities seem to have evaporated,overnight!

Stephen Keshi