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Vol. 10 No. 21 Monday, January 28, 2013 Rabiul Awwal 16, 1434 AH N150 . . . putting the people first

The Federal Governmentyesterday deniedallegations credited to Mrs.

Obiageli Ezekewesili that theregimes of late Umar MusaYara'dua and Goodluck Jonathanhad squandered $67 billionreserves in the last six years.

The former World Bank VicePresident had at the University ofNigeria (UNN), Nsukkaconvocation ceremony held onJanuary 24, 2013 alleged thatPresident Goodluck Jonathan andhis predecessor had lavished awhooping $67 billion left in thereserves (including $45 billion inexternal reserves and $22 billionin the Excess Crude Account) byPresident Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Federal Government hashowever said the statement waslacking in credible facts andaccused Ezekwesili of displayingpoor understanding ofgovernment finances even thoughshe once held a top position in theFederal Government.

Speaking in a media briefingyesterday, Minister ofInformation, Labaran Makunoted: "The statement by theformer World Bank Vice Presidentthat the governments of PresidentsUmaru Musa Yar’adua and

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

Three herdsmenmurderedin Benue

>> PAGE 2 >> PAGE 3 >> PAGE 40

Govs to review stance onconstitution amendment

process today

Reps set to probe govt.MDAs, sponsor autonomybill for Auditor General

How we squandered$67bn reserves, by Maku

Contd on Page 2

L-R: Sultan ofSokoto, AlhajiMahammaduSa'ad Abubakar,Vice-PresidentMohammedNamadi Sambo,Shehu of Borno,Alhaji AbubakarGambau, andSokoto StateGovernor AlhajiAliyuMagatakardaWamakko,unveiling thebuilding designsat the appeal fundfor the building ofprimary andsecondary schools,Juma'at mosque,staff quarters andconference hall ofthe NationalCouncil of Ulamaof Jibwis,yesterday, atEagle Square, inAbuja.Photo: Joe Oroye

Questions Ezekwesili's credibility

Power: Jonathan is not in touch with reality - ANPP

The All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) has condemnedPresident Jonathan’s

assertion on power generation inthe country during an interviewwith CNN’s Christiane Amanpouron Wednesday.

"The assertion on powerpatently shows that either he is notproperly briefed, or he is not intouch with the reality on groundin the country".

In a statement issued by thenational Publicity SecretaryEmma Eneukwu, the party said

"This was an obvious deflatedego trip, effectively shot down bythe fact that stable power supplystill remains a mirage in our greatnation, and could not beameliorated even by any contrivedpublic relations mileage that couldbe garnered via a world renownedmedia channel like the CNN".

Stressing that "officially,Nigeria’s power generation has

dropped from its December 2012figure of 4,502 megawatts to4,286 megawatts, though thereare suggestions from variousinformed quarters that the actualgeneration is 3,700 megawatts. Infact, we make bold to aver thatmost of the Nigerian citizens arenot feeling the impact of anyincrease in power generation, andthe figures bandied around by thePDP-led Government does nothave any impact on the lives ofthe ordinary citizen".

Recall last week, PresidentJonathan When questioned byCNN about his promise three yearsago to ensure stable power supplyin the country, he answered thathis government had recordedsuccess and pointed out that everyNigerian, even the civil societygroups, were happy about powergeneration, and could readilyattest to the commitment of hisgovernment to stabilize powersupply in the country.

By Umar Muhammad Puma

Contd on Page 2

BUYING SELLING

$ 154.72 155.73£ 24576 24735EURO 205.99 207.32CFA 0.2953 0.3153RIYAL 41.25 41.52

BUYING SELLING

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

CBN RATES

PD INDEX 25th Jan., 2013

PARALLEL RATES

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

Law 26

Education 27-28

Health 29-30

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Presidency, PDP: Twosides of same coin,

Page 4

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Int’l 31-34

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 2

By Lawrence Olaoye

How we squandered $67bn reserves, by MakuGoodluck Jonathan havesquandered $67 billion in reservesleft by the ObasanjoAdministration at the end of May2007 is factually incorrect. At theend of May 2007, Nigeria’s grossreserves stood at $43.13 billion -comprising the CBN’s externalreserves of $31.5 billion, $9.43billion in the Excess CrudeAccount, and $2.18 billion in theFederal Government’s savings.

These figures can beindependently verified from theCBN’s records. The figure of $67billion alleged in her statement istherefore clearly fictitious.

However, since PresidentObasanjo left office, the reserves haveexperienced fluctuations, risingfrom $43.13 billion in May 2007,peaking at $62 billion in September2008 during the Yar’adua/Jonathan Administration when oilprices peaked at $147 per barrel, andfalling subsequently to a low of $31.7in September 2011. This fall inreserves was a result of thevicissitudes of the global financialcrisis which caused CBNinterventions in the currencymarket to defend the value of thenaira.

The Excess Crude savings, acomponent of the reserves, was alsoused to stimulate the economy atthe height of the global financialcrisis to the tune of about $1 billion(or 0.5 percent of our 2009 GDP).As a result, Nigeria is one of thefew countries in the world that didnot seek assistance frominternational financialinstitutions. It should be noted thatthe fiscal stimulus used to shore upthe economy during that periodwas shared by all 3-tiers ofgovernment, includingcommitments of about $5.5 billionmade under the ObasanjoAdministration for power projects."

On the use of reserves, Makuargued that "it is fallacious to saythat the nation’s external reserveswere dipped into or misapplied bythe Federal Government. It isimportant to note that the FederalGovernment cannot dip its hands

into external reserves. Like inother countries, the managementof external reserves is one of thestatutory mandates of the CentralBank of Nigeria (CBN). Section 2sub-section (c) of the CBN Act(2007) states that the Bank shall“maintain external reserves tosafeguard the international valueof the legal tender currency” – inother words, to defend the valueof the Naira. No President sincethe democratic dispensation hascontravened this Act. Other usesof the reserves are to settle bothpublic and private sector foreigncurrency obligations of Nigeria,including the importation of goodssuch as equipment for powersector.

Whenever a ministry oragency of government needs toincur approved expenditure inforeign currency (e.g. paymentof goods and services, settlementof external debt, etc) it mustprovide the naira equivalent tothe CBN before the Bank sells therequired foreign currency. As aformer World Bank Vice-Presidentfor Africa, surely, Mrs. Ezekwesilimust have known this.”

Maku continued: “We alsofound Mrs. Ezekwesili'sinterrogation of the educationalsystem somewhat disingenuousand borderline hypocritical.During her tenure as Minister ofEducation between 2006 and2007, she collected a total sum ofN352.3 billion from directbudgetary releases. In addition,she received about N65.8 billionunder the Universal BasicEducation Commission (UBEC)Fund, and over N40 billion fromthe Education Trust Fund (ETF)during her time as Minister ofEducation. In view of thesehumongous allocations, a fewlegitimate questions arise. Whatdid she do with all theseallocations? What impact did ithave on the education sector? Onewonders if our educational systemwould have been better today ifthese allocations were properlyapplied.

“No one disputes that Nigeria

Contd from Page 1 still faces challenges, most ofwhich were built up over a longtime. But we need to acknowledgethe significant achievements ofthis administration in theaftermath of difficult butnecessary macroeconomic andstructural reforms beingimplemented in the country."

The minister insisted that thepresent administration hasrestored macroeconomic stabilityagainst the backdrop of globaleconomic uncertainty, slowgrowth in the United States andhigh unemployment andunsustainable debt in Europe.

“In the first 3 quarters of 2012,Nigeria’s economy grew by about6.4 percent and is set to continueat a similar pace in 2013according to independentforecasts. We have reduced ourfiscal deficit to only 2.17 percentof GDP in the 2013 budget, whilerebalancing our spending infavour of capital expenditure.These achievements havealready received strongendorsement from internationalratings agencies. At a time whenmany advanced and emergingmarkets are being downgraded,Fitch and S&P have upgraded oursovereign credit ratings.

“The inclusion of Nigeria’ssovereign bonds in the emergingmarket bond indices of JP Morganand Barclays also testifies to thegrowing confidence of theinternational investmentcommunity in our economy.

“We have also focused ourattention on removing thebureaucratic and structuralbottlenecks in the economy toenable the private sector createmore jobs for our youths. In thepower sector, most Nigerians willattest to improvements in powersupply even as the 10 new powerplants being built by thisAdministration are yet to fullycome on stream. There have alsobeen improvements in rail services;for example, the Lagos—Kano railline is now fully operational andserving Nigerians for the first timein over 20 years. There have been

Govs to review stance on constitutionamendment process todayThe Nigeria Governors`

Forum (NGF) is scheduledto meet today to review its

stances on the ongoingconstitution amendment processand its peer review exercise.

The NGF in its agenda madeavailable to newsmen in Avuja atthe weekend stated that thegovernors would also review theForum efforts in polio eradicationin the country.

The Forum chaired by theRivers state governor, RotimiAmaechi is also expected to reviewthe country`s security challengeswith a view to proffering solutionsand formulate agenda that wouldguide the NGF’s activities in2013.

Other priority issues that

would engage the governor’sattention at the meeting includefunding implications, budget andthe NGF’s litigation against theFederal Government at theSupreme Court.

It is presently challenging theFederal Government’s deductionsfrom the Excess Crude Account tooffset fuel subsidy.

The NGF is asking the court tocompel the Federal Governmentto adhere to the provisions of theconstitution with regards todeduction from the account.

It criticized the continueddeduction of oil subsidy from theexcess crude accounts, sayingthat the deduction negated theprinciple of federalism andbudgetary provision.

The NGF at its meeting of Oct.18, 2012, had also constituted a

seven-man committee to engageand collaborate with the NationalAssembly on the ongoingconstitution review process.

The decision, according toAmaechi is taken after the forummet with the Senate Committeeon the 1999 Constitution Review.Members of the committeeincluded Governors of Rivers,Jigawa, Bauchi, Lagos, Niger,Anambra and Akwa-Ibom states.

The forum at that meeting alsoset up a committee on peer reviewand good governance, which hadgovernors of Kano, Sokoto, Kwara,Adamawa, Delta, Rivers, CrossRiver, Enugu Zamfara and Osunstates as members.

The creation of state police andthe inclusion of the six geo-politicalzones in the constitution weremajor issues that had engaged the

interest of the governors since theissue of constitution review began.

The governors are alsodemanding for the abrogation ofthe offshore/onshore dichotomyand the derivation principle,which allows oil-producing statesto retain 13 per cent of the totalrevenue derived from explorationof mineral resources.

significant improvements in roaddevelopment; aviation – inparticular refurbished terminals;and agriculture, where new jobsare being created every day.Serious work is ongoing to improveour ports and lower the cost of doingbusiness and the cost ofconsumption in Nigeria.

“The government has furtherlaunched a number of initiativestargeted at creating jobs for ouryouth, including support forentrepreneurship through theYouWin Programme; work for theunskilled through the CommunityServices programme of theSubsidy Reinvestment andEmpowerment Programme; andsupport for unemployed graduatesthrough the Graduate InternshipProgramme.

“This administration issquarely focused on promoting astable, non-inflationary, andinclusive economic environmentfor Nigeria to ensure thatNigerians can live better andmore fulfilled lives.”

Power:Jonathan is notin touch withreality - ANPP

ANPP advised PresidentJonathan to concentrate on theprovision of basic infrastructure forthe populace, rather than gloatingover meager power generationwhere trillions of naira of thepeople’s commonwealth hasalready been squandered.

"What is 4,000 megawatts oreven 20,000 megawatts on paper,when the artisan in the streetcannot see power to run hisbusiness; the entrepreneur doesnot have hope of powering hissmall venture; and the housewifedoes not have enough power topreserve her food items in thefreezer? This is the least that couldbe demanded of a leader by hispeople", he said.

Contd from Page 1

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 3

Three herdsmen murdered in BenueFrom Uche Nnorom, Makurdi …residents flee for fear of reprisalsAt least three Fulani

herdsmen have beenreportedly murdered and

8 of their cows killed in Amla,Otukpo local government area ofBenue state at the weekend.

Amongst those murdered werea man and his wife while Fulanisettlements in the area have beencompletely razed down.

Our correspondent gathered

that the cause of the recent killingwas linked to destruction of farmproduce including beans, cassavaand yams by cows belonging to theFulani which the host communityclaimed they complained severaltimes about but all the pleas fell ondeaf ears.

Similarly, the Amla peoplealleged that the herdsmen and

their cattle contaminated theirstreams and ponds therebymaking it difficult for them tohave access to water for theirdomestic use especially during thedry season.

Meanwhile, there ispandemonium in the area asresidents of Amla as well asneighbouring Otukpo-Icho,

Otukpo-Nobi and Odudaje, havealready started fleeing theirhomes for fear of reprisals attackfrom the Fulani community in thearea. They are said to have takenrefuge with their kits and kin inOtukpo town.

Reacting to the development,the head chief of Otukpo townOch'Otukpo, Chief John Eimonye,

expressed shock anddisappointment at the incident andcalled on residents of the area toremain calm, maintaining thatthe matter would be thoroughlyinvestigated with the hope ofbringing the culprits to book.

The Benue State Police PublicRelations Officer, DSP Daniel Ezealawho confirmed the killings,however said no one has beenarrested, adding that investigationhas commenced on the matter.

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

Kano state governor, RabiuMusa Kwankwaso hasexplained reasons behind

the banning of motorcycles inKano metropolis, saying hisadministration had no option butto take the decision.

Speaking during a meeting inGovernment House Kano at theweekend with some party leaders,Governor Kwankwaso said thedecision was taken after dueconsultation with securityagencies in view of the risingsecurity challenges the state finds

itself in."The security agencies had been

advising government on the issuesof safeguarding the lives andproperty of the people. Weconsidered such advice given thefact that protecting the lives of ourpeople is important to us. It is aweighty decision we had to take,"said the governor.

Kwankwaso however saidstatistics at the emergency unitsof hospitals in the state shows thatmost of their patients are either thecommercial motorcyclists or theirpassengers. According to him, injust Murtala Mohammed Hospital,

a total of 8,428 cases of maleaccident victims related tomotorcycles were recorded fromJanuary to December 2012.

He revealed that within thesame period, 2,367 femalessustained injuries throughmotorcycle-related accidents."That aside, a total of 2,018 peoplelost their lives last year throughmotorcycle accidents in just onehospital. So government has aresponsibility to protect the livesof the people. Despite the fact thatwe don't want to prevent peoplefrom doing the business, but onehas to live to ride the motorcycles,"

explained the governor.Explaining further, the

governor said between March andJune 2012, a total number of 45people were killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen, and in Januarythis year alone a conservativeestimate puts the death toll ofkillings by bike-gunmen at 21.

While appreciating the level ofcompliance to the governmentorder, which he described asappreciable, the governor urgedpeople to register their motorcyclesand also make other requireddocumentation in their respectivelocal governments.

Banning motorcycles a weighty decision – Kwankwaso

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Governor Abdualazeez Yariof Zamfara state has beenaccused of mounting

pressure on a judge of the StateHigh Court to set aside a garnisheeorder against the state government.

A firm, Barbedos Ventures Ltd,which made the accusation, saidthe court garnished Zamfarastate’s FAAC account by itsgarnishi order nisi of November29, 2012, in its favour against afirst generation bank and that thetotal judgement sum as at datestood at N2,012, 616,752.20.

The management of thecompany said in statement that the

garnishee order nisi was madeabsolute in favour of BarbedosVentures Ltd and a cost of N50,000was awarded jointly against theBank and Zamfara stategovernment on January 8, 2013.

“On the service of the order onthe bank and the stategovernment, the state governorsummoned all the judges of theState High Court for a meetingwherein he intimidated andrebuffed the High Court 2 Judgeover the granting of the application.

"Presently, the judge is underpressure to grant all applicationfiled by the bank and Ministry ofJustice in order to deprive thejudgement creditor (Barbedos

Venture Ltd) from reaping thefruit of the judgement.

"It is a trite fact that the FederalGovernment of Nigeria and thePDP still obey the rule of law. Wewonder why the state governmentis putting the High Court Judgeunder pressure to pervert justice”,the statement stated.

The firm recalled that it took outa writ on January 10, 2011 underthe undefended list claiming1,062,000,000 being theoutstanding balance due to BarbedosVentures Limited based on contractagreement for the supply of fertiliser.

Since the contract agreementmakes provision for arbitration,the firm revealed that the matter

was referred to an Arbitrator (Mr.Babatunde J. Fagbohunlu basedon the consent of the parties.

"The Arbitrator entered a finalaward against the Zamfara stategovernment which was publishedon 20th December 2011. The saidaward was served on the Zamfarastate government who failed tohonour same.

"On that ground, BarbedosVentures proceeded to the ZamfaraState High Court 2 and filed anapplication for the recognition ofthe award. On the 10th of October2012, Hon. Justice Nasir UmarGummi recognised the award asthe judgment of the court”, thestatement explained.

Firm accuses Zamfara gov of mounting pressure on judgesThe Nigerian Airspace

Management Agency(NAMA) is to commence 24-

hour service in three airports inthe country as from March thisyear after due consultations withappropriate authorities in theaviation sector.

The Managing Director ofNAMA, Engr. Nnamdi Udoh whodisclosed this in Abuja over theweekend, explained that theagency will open its runway for24-hour flight operations in Yola,Owerri and Enugu airports afterfull installation of air field lightings.

Udoh revealed that NAMA willnegotiate with airport authorityand airline operators wishing tooperate night flights at the airports.

NAMAcommences24-houroperations inthree airportsFrom Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Unknown gunmen onSaturday burnt a schooland a hotel and also robbed

a prominent businessman inMaiduguri.

Witnesses said the gunmen,numbering over 10, stormed theRoyal Day Nursery and PrimarySchool at Bolori layout in Maiduguriin the early hours of the night andset all the buildings ablaze.

An insider said this is the secondtime that the school was burnt inless than two years, a damage thatcaused the abrupt closure of theschool.

“We would be compelled to tellparents to leave their children athome,” a source at the school said.

Around the same time, anothergroup of gunmen burnt the MaryJoe Hotel also in Bolori area of themetropolis, witnesses said.

Residents of the area saidworkers and few guest at the hotelfled when they got a hint that theplace will be burnt.

It was gathered that earlier inthe day, some gunmen, suspectedto be armed robbers trailed anexpatriate and a businessman tohis Bulunkutu residence inMaiduguri and dispossessed him ofhis car when they could not getmoney from him," witnesses said.

Gunmen burnschool, hotel,rob bizman inMaiduguriFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

L-R: Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, Minister of Information, Mr LabaranMaku, and Special Adviser to the President on Monitoring and Evaluation, Professor Sylvester Monye, during reactionto the allegation of mismanagement of $45b foreign reserve by Yar'adua and Jonathan administrations by the formerWorld Bank Vice-President (Africa), Ms. Oby Ezekwesili, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

There is something of themotor park tout in thelanguage and conviction of

the spokesmen of the Presidencyand the PDP whenever they havecause to speak about GeneralMuhammaduBuhari, the leaderand 2011 Presidential Candidateof Congress for Progressive Change(CPC). While their language iscoarse, the spokesmen seemalways to lack the courage of theirconviction to also apply the stickon persons who 'sin' no less thanBuhari.

When in April last year,General MuhammaduBuharihadwarned that if the ruling partydid not end its corrupt ways andstop short-changing Nigerians, arevolution in the country wassimply a matter of time, PDP'sNational Publicity SecretaryChief OlisaMetuh had cried that"Buhari should spare the nationhis thirst for blood".

"If there is no social justice, ina question of time there will berevolution in one form or theother," Buhari had said.

To which the PDP PublicitySecretary had responded in alanguage not quite becoming ofthe spokesman of a self-respectingruling party. In a long windedstatement, Metuh calledBuhariblood thirsty and bad loseramong other uncomplimentarynames. Buhari's revolutionstatement, according to him, is,in addition to being "a sure sign offrustrations over his inability andthat of his party to win elections",an attempt "to truncate thejourney in this right direction byadvocating violence and civilunrest".

But when in early Novemberlast year, former PresidentOlusegunObasanjo warned thatunless the government tookurgent steps to arrest the menaceof youth unemployment andpoverty, Nigeria would see arevolution soon, the PDP PublicitySecretary's voice was very loud byits silence.Metuh's couragedeserted him to respond toObasanjo in the manner he did toBuhari.

The deadly terrorist attack onthe Emir of Kano, Alhaji AdoBayero, penultimate weekend,has now provided an opportunityfor the Presidency to outdo theparty in demonising GeneralBuhari for doing what manyothers have done; condemning theattack on the emir .

Soon after the 19 Januaryattack on the convoy of the emir,which led to the death of fourpeople,including his driver and atraditional guard, there was anoutpouring of grief andcondemnation from across thesocial divide. In his reaction to theattack, General Buhari had thisto say in a statement signed of thePublicity Secretary of the CPC,RotimiFashakin;"This is indeedone attack too many! Let it bestated that insecurity of lives andproperty in any clime is a measureof its level of development. Thisaptly explains why the Nation'sconstitution, in section 14, placessecurity and welfare of the people

Presidency, PDP: Two sides of same coin

on the Government. As Citizens,we look forward to the time thatthis cloud of insecurity shall belifted and all Nigerians (ofwhatever religious persuasionand ethnic extraction) shall befree to pursue happiness and livinganywhere under the Nation-spacein tranquil setting. God blessNigeria".

And in his comment on theattack,the President CAN, PastorAyo Oritsejafor, in a statement byhis Media Assistant, Mr. KennyAshaka, stated that the given themany bombing incidents in thecountry, and the attack on therecent attack on the Emir of Kano,there was the need for the FederalGovernment to do more insecuring the lives of the people.

He said: "This attack reinforcesCAN's call to the FederalGovernment on the need to domore in the area of securingNigerians and Nigeria. AlthoughNigerians are yet to know thosebehind the barbaric act, I wantto, again, appeal to northernpolitical, religious and traditionalleaders to say and do more in orderto, practically, engage thoseresponsible for the 'madness' goingon in northern Nigeria and findways to help end this nightmare".

Former Military President,General IbrahimBadamasiBabangida was no lesssparing in his comments aboutthe attack.

According to him: "It is not indoubt that our dear country isundergoing serious securitythreats on a regular and unbrokenbasis. The reported cases ofterrorist attacks are becomingfrightening and seriously call for

security alert by all and sundry."Despite spirited efforts by

government, it is disturbing thatthis ugly trend has refused todepart from us, reason whygovernment must change tacticsand methods in handling thissecurity challenge.

"I wish to advise the FederalGovernment to exploit the optionof dialogue with members of theinsurgent groups in order toarrest this prevailing drift in ournational security.

"The use of force has proven tobe inadequate and ineffective tocheckmate this ugly trend. We

must therefore put hands togetherto find a more rewarding andmeaningful end to this securityconcern. "Dialogue is mynumber one preference in thisregard. Government must alsoencourage positive discoursesamong its political appointeesdelivered with respect andrendered in temperatelanguage to soothe the mood ofthe nation.

"Language of force will nothelp us in our strongdetermination to address thisinsecurity problem. We mustengage ourselves

constructively and in amanner that puts the interestof the country far and above otherpartisan consideration."

But among these and othercomments, President GoodluckJonathan's so-called SeniorSpecial Assistant on Public Affairs,Dr. DoyinOkupeOkupehas onlyGeneral Buhari to direct his coarsewords against. According to him;"the statement by GeneralMuhammaduBuhari, his partythe CPC is unfortunate, recklessand opportunistic. Any attemptto politicise this unfortunateattack on the revered Emir ofKano, Ado Bayero, and membersof his family is irresponsible.Though, the attack itself isregrettable, it is difficult atpresent to blame it on the BokoHaram or terrorism or in fact onsome criminal elements withinthe society that hid under thespate of insecurity in the state toperpetuate this heinous crime."

Well, who is to be blamedforthis dastardly act if "the BokoHaram or terrorism or in fact onsome criminal elements withinthe society" are not to be heldresponsible; is it the Presidency,or Buhari its whipping boy?

This latest attack onBuharionly goes to expose Okupeas a coward who, like his PDPcounterpart lacks the courage ofhis conviction. Okupe was silenton CAN president's and otherprovocative statements aboutthe attack.

Clearly, the Presidency isusing General Buhari as ascapegoat to hide its tardyresponse to the deadly attack onthe emir of Kano. Period.

In the eyes of the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),GeneralMuhammadu Buhari would seem to do no right, which perhaps explains why their spokesmenalways speak disrespectfully of the leader of the opposition Congress for Progressive Change(CPC), writes Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.

President Goodluck Jonathan Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

PAGE 5PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Oct 1 blast: Group wants Jonathanto apologise for exonerating MENDA group, ‘League of Voters in

Nigeria’, has called onPresident Goodluck

Jonathan to as a matter ofurgency apologise to Nigeriansover the hasty comments he madeexonerating the Movement for theEmancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND), from the October 1, 2010Independence Day bomb blast atthe Eagle Square in Abuja.

The group led by ComradeBenedict Kokoiwen, at a press

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdiconference in Makurdi at theweekend, noted that a court ofcompetent jurisdiction hasconvicted the mastermind of theact and MEND leader, Mr. HenryOkah. Therefore, they maintainedthat the President owed Nigeriansespecially families of those who lostdear ones, unreserved apology.

Comrade Kokoiwen whocommended Justice NeelsClaassen and the entire SouthAfrican judiciary for thejudgment, said it further showedthat President Jonathan is guilty

of promoting or defending hisethnic group as the number onecitizen of the country.

“Mindful that a ruling whichcontradicts in entirety his positionon the matter has now beendelivered by a competent court oflaw, it behoves him to retract hisstatement without further delayand apologise to Nigerians,particularly the bereaved, injuredand the multitudes of Nigeriansand other nationals that sufferedall forms of psychological traumaas a result of the bomb blast”, the

group said.They posited that only by

apologizing that the President willredeem the embarrassment hisstatement caused on the office ofPresident and.

It would be recalled that shortlyafter the bombing that claimedlives and injured many during the2010 National Independent Daycelebration; President GoodluckJonathan exonerated MEND andother Niger-Delta militant of theact and accused the opposition asmastermind of the act.

Movement for theEmancipation of theNiger Delta, (MEND)

has threatened to launch freshattacks across the country inreaction to the life imprisonmentsentence on Henry Okah by aSouth African court last week.

On Monday last week, a SouthAfrican High Court convicted andsentenced Okah to the lifeimprisonment for mastermindingthe October 1st bombing in Abujawhile marking IndependenceAnniversary and killed 12 people.

MEND made this known in astatement signed by ComradeAzizi at the weekend saying that itwill go after “all the familymembers of the governmentofficials (1999-2013)” and that“Nigerians as a whole will feel ourpresence when we finally decide tocarry out our threats which willnot be restricted to the Niger Deltaregion alone”.

The impending attacks,according to the statement, willbegin after Okah's appeal, addingthat their respect for the SouthAfrican judiciary has vanishedwith the sentence and thereforewarned South African companiesoperating in Nigeria to “LEAVE

NIGERIA totally, there will bemassive and aggressive campaignon all companies owned, operatedand affiliated to South Africancitizens or their government bothin Nigeria, Western and SouthernAfrica respectively”.

By Ibrahim Kabiru SuleThe group also cautioned all

federal, states and localgovernments’ workers to stayaway from the Niger Delta regionas they should have nobody toblame should they fail to heed theirwarning.

…as MEND threatens fresh onslaught

The Federal Governmenthas reacted to theMovement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND)'s threat to break upNigeria after Henry Okah'sconviction in a South African courtover his role in the October 1, 2010bomb blasts at Eagles' Square,Abuja.

Minister of Information,Labaran Maku, while fieldingquestions from newsmen in Abuja,said Okah was found guilty of actsof terrorism in South Africa underdue process.

MEND had made the threatsequel to the recent conviction ofits former leader, Henry Okah, ina South African court over theOctober 1, 2010, IndependenceDay bombing, saying Okah'sconviction will be the beginning of

the disintegration of Nigeria."It will be very shocking if any

Nigerian or group will take thisagainst the country. Nigeriansshould have greater degree ofpatriotism," Maku said.

While saying that the FederalGovernment expected Nigeriancitizens to understand thatanything they do against theircountry is not a plus, Maku urgedNigerians to commit themselvesto the law of the land and allow thepeace reigning in the country andthe Niger Delta not to be breached.

"Acts of threats and terrorismagainst the country should becondemned. The challenges we faceare serious.

"We should not at this time addmore problems. This countrybelongs to all of us; it doesn't belongto those in government. We shouldnot return to violence. We mustgive peace a chance," Maku stated.

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

...FG repliesThe Ogun state police

command has arrestedthree teenagers for cult

activities in Apeti area of Agbara,Ogun state.

A statement issued at theweekend by the Police PublicRelations Officer, MuyiwaAdejobi, said the anti crime teamled by DPO CSP Ayo Sonubi metthe trio, Sodiq Akeem 16, SS 1student of Agbara High School;Adeniyi Clement 14, a vulcaniser;

From Bolaji Olasunkanmi,Lagos

and Rilwan Aina an apprenticetailor with a locally made pistoland cartridges, where they wereholding a meeting in preparationfor an operation.

They were so deep in cultismthey confessed to be a member ofEiye Confraternity. The stateCommissioner of Police, IkemefunaOkoye, has ordered a thoroughinvestigation into the matter andwants all the other membersarrested. He however warnedparents and guardians to warntheir children against cultism. Hegave the same advice to schoolauthorities particularly secondaryschool in the state.

Police arrest three teenagersover cultism

The deputy governorNasarawa state, Hon.Dameshi Barau Luka, has

launched a two-day free medicaltreatment in Ningo area ofAkwanga local government, incollaboration with pharmacystudents of the University of Jos,who are indigenes of the state.

Declaring the exercise open, ina brief ceremony that held at theLGEA Primary School in Ningo, hiscountry home, Luka, expressed

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia gratitude to the students forembarking on humanitarianservices even while in school,urging the students to make theexercise an annual event that willcover the entire state.

Leader of the students, MissTessy Umbugadu Bala, toldjournalists at the function thatmembers of the group took itupon themselves to reach out tothe less privileged in the society,guided by the motto of theassociation, “Building a healthysociety”.

Nasarawa dep gov launchesfree medical care

Police College:HURIWAdemandscommission ofinquiry

Human Rights Writers’Association of Nigeria(HURIWA) has advocated

the need to set up a judicialcommission of inquiry that willcomprise “tested and trusted”Nigerians so that the dubiouscircumstances in the budgetaryreleases to the Nigerian Police Forcecould be uncovered.

The association called onPresident Goodluck Jonathan “tovisit the Garki Police station and/or any of the police stations inAbuja and any part of Nigeria tosee for himself the monumentaldecay and the harsh conditionsunder which police operativesoperate”, and expressed surpriseat the disappearance of “hugebudgetary releases meant for theNigeria Police Force since 1999”.

In a statement jointly signedby the National CoordinatorComrade Emmanuel Onwubikoand the National Media AffairsOfficer Miss Zainab Yusuf,HURIWA said the recent visit ofPresident Jonathan to the PoliceTraining College Ikeja, Lagosshows that “those in power arecompletely shut out from therealities on the ground.”

They maintained that thedecay in the police has alwaysbeing a notorious and so well-known fact since two decades agowhich was the fundamentalreason why virtually all successiveadministrations including thecurrent government have had toset up presidential reformcommittees for the police.

HURIWA then demanded the

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule

A cross section of Headsof State and Governmentof Africa Union (AU),during their 20thordinary session, at theweekend in AddisAbaba, Ethiopia.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 6

By Adeola Tukuru

NUJ to supportFCTA's newtransport policy

Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) FCT chapter haslent its support to the new

transport policy of the FederalCapital Territory Administration,FCTA, aimed at sanitizing thetransport system in the federalcapital city, enhance security andpromote the aesthetics of the city.

In a statement in Abuja signedby the chairman of NUJ in FCT,Comrade Chuks Ehirim, NUJobserved that as the fastestgrowing modern city in Africa,the traffic situation as is obtainedpresently was at best chaotic,disorganised and pose gravesecurity threat to the wellbeingof residents and visitors alike.

It therefore welcomed theconcerted effort of the Sen. BalaMohammed-led FCTA to takepractical and workable stepsto address the traffic problemby designating specific routesfor all categories of buses.

The statement reads:"TheNUJ FCT Council welcomesthe practical and workablesteps taken by the FCTA toaddress the chaotic trafficsituation in the FCT bydesignating routes for allcategories of buses. We have nodoubt that the new measure isaimed at sanitizing the deplorableexisting traffic congestionoccasioned by gross indisciplineespecially from operators of minibuses in the territory"

" It is however important forall residents and motorists tounderstand that minis buses havenot been entirely banned fromFCT roads rather they cannot plysome routes"

"As professionals tasked withmonitoring government on behalfof the people and hold its officialsaccountable, the Council can saythat the policy is in the overallinterest of all of us and for thefuture and sustainability of theFCT.

"We therefore urge all

Yuguda laments lack of continuity in govt programmeswhen he became Minister ofAviation, lamenting that as soonas he left the Obasanjo government,all his successors abandoned theairport project.

"As soon as I left thegovernment, all my successorsabandoned the Bauchi airportproject. It is a pity that there is nocontinuity in government policiesand programmes. Each personcomes to office and abandons whathis predecessor was doing, only tostart his own projects afresh.

He said the strategic location ofBauchi as a gateway to the North-east and home to the West Africa'spremier game reserve, theYankari Game Reserve in Alkalerilocal government area of the state,made the construction of an airport

Bauchi state governor, MalamIsa Yuguda, has decried thelack of continuity in

government policies andprogrammes by successiveadministrations saying it slowsdown the development of thecountry.

Yuguda who stated this whilespeaking at the site of theconstruction of BauchiInternational Airport, said theproject which the cost N7.9billion,was long overdue.

The governor said the airportconcept dated back to the 1980swhen the administration ofPresident Shehu Shagari approvedits construction alongside those of

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Police arrest five suspected armed robbersThe police in Lagos State

arrested five suspectedarmed robbers and recovered

vehicles, arms as well asammunition in the last four days.

A reliable source told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) onSunday in Lagos that the suspectswere currently undergoinginvestigations by the Special Anti

Robbery Squad (SARS).The source said that two of the

five suspects were females, whoclaimed to be girlfriends of the othersuspects.

He said that the two ladiesclaimed that they were ignorant oftheir boyfriends' criminal activities.

The source said that policemenfrom Ejegun Police Division arrested

NGO beginscampaign forreduction in salariesof top govt officials

Worried by the ever-increasing salaries andentitlements paid to senior

government officials, a non -governmental organisation (NGO),Civic Duties Awareness Initiative,(CIDAI) has begun a campaign -Operation Salvage Nigeria which isadvocating reduction in the paypackages of top government officials inthe country.

The campaign commenced witha call on Nigerians to sign a petition toreduce the salaries of all seniorgovernment officials such as thePresident, Vice-President and theirsupport staff, National Assembly,House of Representatives and theircounterparts in the states.

The executive director of CIDAI,Emmanuel Ulayi, explained that themoney gathered from the campaignshould be used to improve the poorstate of the security agencies in thecountry particularly the Nigerianpolice.

In his words: "We, with a burningdesire to witness a prosperous Nigeria,have decided, to take a stand now. Ourdemands are as follows: Reduce salariesof all senior government officials suchas the President, Vice-President andtheir support staff, NationalAssembly, House of Reps with theircounterparts in the states to adequatelyprovide for all the security agencies.

"It is high time serious attention ispaid to the Nigerian police even thoughwe know they are soaring in massivecorruption, the issue of corruption is acrucial national issue and the recentexposure at the Ikeja Police Collegeshows how bad we have gotten".

"We also want salaries of all securityagents such as the police, State securityservice, and Civil defence corps to beincreased, whereby their minimumwage is N50, 000", he said.

By Adeola Tukuru

Members of Women Missionary Union of the Faith Baptist Church, Lugbe, singing the memory verses to mark the Nigeria Baptist ConventionWMU Focus Week, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

the suspects on Jan. 23, shortly afterthey allegedly invaded one houseand stole four cars.

One locally made double-barrel gun, two cartridges andfour cars were recovered from thesuspects.

"The robbers are among thedeadly armed robbers terrorisingthe good people of Lagos", the

Ibadan, Abeokuta, Minna, Akureand Warri.

He said lack of political willprevented the Bauchi airport frombeing constructed by theadministration and successiveones, though some of itscontemporaries had since becomeoperational.

He added that the project wasresuscitated by the Chief OlusegunObasanjo administration, when he(Yuguda) as minister for transport,got the Federal Executive Council'sapproval for the construction of abefitting airport for Bauchi, whichserves as the gateway to the North-east geo-political zone.

He explained that he had theopportunity to complete allpaperwork for the construction

UNESCO condemnsmurder of journalistin OnitshaDirector-General of the

United NationsEducational, Scientific

Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) Irina Bokova, hasexpressed concern for the safetyof journalists in Nigeriafollowing the killing ofIkechukwu Udendu in

Onitsha, Anambra state onJanuary, 12, 2013.

In his words: "I believe theauthorities will investigate this caseand do all they can to bring theculprits to trial. Journalists andeditors must be able to carry out theirwork without fearing reprisals ifthe basic human right of freedomof expression is to be respected.

"Safety is an essential

By Adeola Tukuru condition for press freedom toallow journalists to exercise theirduty and to nurture informeddebate", he said.

Ikechukwu Udendu, who wasthe editor of the monthlynewspaper, Anambra News,was shot dead by unknownassailants on January 12th, 2013in Onithsa, where the paper wasbeing printed.

an imperative."With an international airport

in place, Bauchi state will attractvisitors, both local and foreign, andmore tourists to Yankari GameReserve," he declared, adding that,"this will go a long way in boostingthe economy of the state."

According to Yuguda, theBauchi airport had been registeredwith the International CivilAviation Authority in Canada asNigeria's fifth internationalairport.

He then expressed optimismthat the Federal Governmentwould reimburse the Bauchi stategovernment for the money spenton the construction of the airportwhich according to him, had arunway of 3.4 kilometres.

source said.Meanwhile, SP Abba Kyari, the

Officer-in-Charge of SARS, whoconfirmed the suspects' arrest, saidthat they were currently beinginterrogated by the squad.

He said that as soon as theinvestigations were concluded, thesuspects would be charged to court.(NAN)

82nd KANO STATEEXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

ENGR. RABI`U MUSA KWANKWASOExecutive Governor, Kano State

Today, Wednesday 23rd January, 2013 (11thRabi'ul Awwal, 1434 AH) Council sitting was presidedover by Gov. Rabi'u Kwankwaso FNSE during which17 memoranda were submitted by 11 MDAs fordeliberation. An expenditure of N1,252,366,347.61covering 12 projects was approved for execution bythe Council. Thus;

1. MINISTRY OF HEALTHPresentation of a request for endorsement by

Gov. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso FNSE of adocument on 2013 Nigeria ImmunizationLeadership Challenge:-

Since the inception of this administration, healthsector has been an area of great concern to theGovernment because of its direct bearing on the well-being of the teeming population of the State.Government, therefore, is ready to collaborate withany organization either public or private in the provisionof healthcare facilities. The Ministry of Health presenteda document requiring endorsement by the GovernorRabi'u Musa Kwankwaso FNSE. The document calledfor indication of interest by the State to participate inthe program called 'Nigeria Immunization LeadershipChallenge', which was launched last year at the NigeriaGovernors' Forum to sensitize and encourage the levelof support for the fight against polio. Participation atthe program will further cement the relationshipestablished with the Bill and Melinda Foundation as wellas the Dangote Foundation. Again, there is a chanceof winning 500,000 US Dollars in each of the twoprograms.

Council noted, considered and appreciatedcompliance of the Governor in signing (endorsing) thepages indicated on the document.

2. MINISTRY OF RURAL AND COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT

This Ministry presented one (1) memorandafor Consideration and approval by the Council.Thus;

a. Presentation of notification of some selectedvandalized electrification projects earmarked forrehabilitation:-

The sum of N70,000,000.00 was highlighted bythe Ministry of Rural and Community Development asthe amount of money required for the rehabilitation ofeleven (11) vandalized electrification projects shortlistedfrom nine (9) LGCAs. These are from among the alreadyapproved twenty five (25) such projects spanningfourteen (14) LGCAs but the ones specified areadjudged to be the most critical. Council approved theexecution of the rehabilitation of the following vandalizedfacilities:i.Faragai-Batayya I.T.C Maintenance

-Albasu Local Government -N10,682,028.00ii.Gwagwaranda I.T.C.

-Albasu Local Government -N5,575,181.00iii.Rehabilitation of I.C.T. at Jibia

-Gaya Local Government -N6,123,894.00iv.Fita ITC/S/Garin Durbunde TDN

-Takai Local Government -N5,096,609.00v.Dambazau/Diribo ITC Maintenance

-Takai Local Government -N5,183,214.00vi.Kuki and Anadariyya ITC

-Bebeji Local Government -N11,84,085.00vii.Yadakwari-Danmauri ITC

-G/Malam Local Government N8,598,371.00viii.Kura-Kosawa-Guraza-DomawaITC

-Kura Local Government -N6,222,987.00ix.Yargudau ITC Maintenance

-D/Tofa Local Govt -N2,288,922.00x.Karari-Dutse Karya

-Bichi- Local Govt -N1,865,222.00xi.Rogo-Tsamiya-Rogo-Bari/Falgore,Tasha Baduku

-Kanwa ITC -N7,279,487.00TOTAL N70,000,000.00

3. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATEGOVERNMENT

The office of the Secretary to the StateGovernment submitted 6 memoranda on behalfof other MDAs for deliberation by the Council asfollows;

a. Request for release of Counterpart Fundsfor the provision of free Tuberculoses Treatmentin the State using WHO recommended observed

treatment (DOTS) started 2003:-The sum of N9,852,000.00 was approved for release

as requested, by contents of this memorandum, to theOffice of the Secretary to the State Government, whichpresented the request on behalf of the Ministry of Health.This was done in compliance with earlier agreementreached between the State Government and WorldHealth Organization (WHO).

b. Request for approval and release of fundsto host the Super-4 (pre-season tournament):-

The Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youths,Sports and Culture reminded the Council of its approvaland release of funds to host the 7th Congress of NigerianPremier League by Kano Pillars Football Club. The moneyapproved and released was N5,000,000.00. The eventwas not held in Kano but shifted to and held in Abuja.

Nevertheless, another hosting right was granted tothe Kano Pillars by the newly established Nigeria PremierLeague (NPL) Board to host the Super 4 (pre-seasontournament) comprising Kano Pillars, Rangers, Lobi andHeartland Football Clubs. So, the Ministry of Information,Internal Affairs, Youths, Sports and Culture requestedfor the release of an additional fund in the sum ofN9,460,000.00 to augment the initial sum of N5millionto cater for hosting the Super 4 pre-season Tournament,which is projected to gulp the sum of N14,460,000.00.

Council noted, considered and approved the releaseof an additional sum of N9,460,000.00 to the Office ofthe Secretary to the State Government for onwardpayment to the Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs,Youths, Sports and Culture to enable the hosting of theSuper 4 pre-season League Tournament for the year2013. This was in support of Sports generally and Footballin particular in the State.

c. Request for funds to enable the paymentof 13,000 Litres of Diesel (AGO):-

The sum of N2,860,000.00 was approved for releaseby the Council to the Office of the Secretary to theState Government for onward payment to the Ministryof Agriculture and Natural Resources, as requested forthe payment of 13,000 Litres of AGO supplied to FarmersRadio by Alhaji Yahaya Mai Kifi.

The gesture was to smoothen, continuousperformance of the Farmers' Radio whose activitieschampion the sensitization efforts rendered for farmersto improve their performance to improve yield and generalproduction for economic and social advancement.

d. Request for funds to settle expensesincurred by the Task Force Committee onStreetlights for six (6) Months (i.e January-June,2012):-

Office of the Secretary to the State Governmentrequested, on behalf of the Ministry of Works, Housingand Transport, for the release of the sum ofN134,421,760.00 to enable settlement of expensesincurred by the Task Force Committee on Streetlightsfor Six (6) months (January-June, 2012).

Essentially, diesel (AGO) was supplied to the Committee

to keep their Electricity Generators operational. Supplyof the commodity (AGO) was confirmed, and Councilapproved the release of the requested sum ofN134,421,760.00 to the Office of the Secretary tothe State Government for onward payment to theMinistry of Works, Housing and Transport to enablethe settlement of expenses on AGO incurred by theTask Force Committee on Streetlights. Streetlights arecurrently seen functioning almost everywhere asenvisaged by the incumbent administration under theleadership of Gov. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso.

e. Presentation on an arithmetic error andrequest for additional release of funds to enableconduct of the empowerment/training programfor less privileged Women:-

The Ministry of Women Affairs and SocialDevelopment, through contents of this memorandum,as submitted by the Office of the Secretary to theState Government, drew the attention of the Councilto its earlier approval granted for the release of thesum of N1,164,500.00 to enable conduct of thereferred program.

However, in the course of implementation, it wasdiscovered that there was an inadvertent arithmeticalerror in putting the proposal for 500 women atN10,000.00 each to read N500,000.00 instead ofN5,000,000.00.

As such, Council was requested to approve therelease of the sum of N4,500,000.00 to bridge thegap so as to ensure successful and effective executionof the program.

Council approved the release of the sum ofN4,500,000.00 to actualize conduct of theempowerment program since it is among the cardinalresolutions of the present administration. TheCommunity Re-orientation Committee is to be involvedin the selection of participants.

f. Presentation on "AgriculturalTransformation Agenda (ATA)-Establishment ofStaple Crop processing Zone in Kano State:-

Council was reminded of the establishment of thestaple crop-processing zone for rice, sorghum andtomato in Kano State, which is sited at Kadawa. Nine(9) Local Government areas are to serve as the readysource of supply of raw materials for the processingzone. They include Kura, Garun Malam, Rano, Kiru,Madobi, Bunkure, Tudun Wada, Bebeji and Doguwa.

Details on the general arrangements were presentedin this memorandum, which culminated to a requestfor the Council to consider and approve the release ofa piece of land under KNARDA'S control along Bagauda/Kura road for the establishment of Staple CropProcessing Zone.

Council noted and approved the proposal on theestablishment of the Staple Crop Processing Zone inKano State. This is in agreement with the StateGovernment effort to increase farmer productivity inaddition to the millions being expended in the provisionof bulls, ox-carts, and ridges. This action and theresources committed in agriculture have attracted theattention of both domestic and internationalorganizations to partner with the State to improveagricultural production.

4. MINISTRY OF EDUCATIONTwo (2) memoranda were submitted by this Ministry

for deliberation by the Council as follows;a. Presentation on the need and request to

release funds to augment the earlier approvedsum of money for the provision of schoolfurniture using 2011 and 2012 UBE MatchingGrant for 187 Kwankwasiyya blocks ofclassrooms:-

The Ministry of Education reported variation of anearlier approved expenditure on the provision of Schoolfurniture using 2011 and 2012 UBE Matching Grantthrough contents of this memorandum. Anaugmentation to the tune of N162,316,000.00 wasrequested for in order for the Ministry to enable theprovision of comparably high-quality school furniture for187 Kwankwasiyya blocks of classrooms designed toaccommodate 15,708 pupils and 2,168 teachers.

Council approved the augmentation and release ofthe sum of N162,316,000.00 to the Ministry ofEducation to enable the provision of high-quality school

www.kn.gov.ng/new/

furniture for 187 Kwankwasiyya Blocks as the projectis in line with the resolve of the present administrationto provide qualitative education in the State.

b. Request for funds to facilitate additionalrepairs and renovation works on existingstructures at Government Girls Secondary School,Madobi, Madobi Local Government:-

Required additional repairs and renovation works onexisting structures at GGSS Madobi was brought tothe attention of the Council by contents of thismemorandum. The Ministry of Education requested forthe release of the aggregate sum of N53,847,380.32to enable the execution of fourteen (14) projectsitemized and respectively estimated by contents of thismemorandum.

Council noted, considered and approved the releaseof the requested sum of N53,847,380.32 to theMinistry of Education to effect the required repairs andconstruction of new structures at GGSS Madobi so asto provide efficient teaching and learning atmospherein the school , Colleges and places of teaching andlearning across the State.

5. MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, INTERNALAFFAIRS, YOUTHS, SPORTS AND CULTURE

Request for funds to Sponsor Kano PillarsBasketball team for the 2013 DSTV NationalPremier Basketball League:-

The Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youths,Sports and Culture informed the Council throughcontents of this memorandum, of having received anInvitation Letter from the Nigerian Basketball Federationrequesting the State to register its players for the year2013 DSTV National Premier Basketball Leaguebeginning on 23rd February, 2013. Contents of thismemorandum reminded the Council of the fact thatthe Kano Pillars Basketball team was the runner up oflast year's (2012) final-8 Championship, which qualifiedthe team to represent Nigeria at the West Africa ZonalQualifiers that took place in Liberia in which theyemerged champions of the West Africa Sub-region andwon the trophy. So, the Ministry of Information, InternalAffairs, Youths, Sports and Culture requested on behalfof the Sports Council for the release of the sum ofN23,957,000.00 to cater for registration, feeding,accommodation, allowances, sign-on fees and otherlogistics for the new season so that the Kano PillarsBasketball team can participate in the 2013 DSTVPremier Basketball League Season.

Council considered and approved the release of thesum of N16,241,000.00 to the Ministry of Information,Internal Affairs, Youths, Sports and Culture to enablethe Sports Council to facilitate for the stated purpose.

6. MINISTRY FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONRequest for funds to enable the provision of

furniture and equipment for Academic Staff,Computer Center, E-Library and supply/installation of air-conditioners at NorthwestUniversity, Kano:-

The aggregate sum of N130,774,023.06 wasapproved for release by the Council to the Ministry forHigher Education to enable provision of furniture andequipment for Academic Staff, Computer Center, E-Library and supply/installation of Air-conditioners atNorthwest University, Kano.

Details on how the money approved for release is tobe utilized were presented for Council's consideration.It was understood that;

i. Provision and Installation of furniture forAcademic Staff Offices, Computer Center, E-Library andSenate Chamber=N97,640,481.84

ii. Supply/Installation of air-conditioning units for1-6 Floors =N33,133,541.22

Total=N130,774,023.06

7. MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCESPresentation on EU-Water Supply and

Sanitation Sector Program (EU-WSSSRP) andrequest for funds to address shortfall in thepayment for Works Executed:-

Water is life and has to be available in requiredquantities and suitable quality for use by man for hisexistence to be normal and comfortable. This explainsthe present administration resolve to expend billion ofNaira in order to provide and make water available toits teeming population. All possible strategies are usedto make this possible. Among them is the agreemententered into between the State Government and theEuropean Union (EU)-Water Supply and SanitationSector Reform Program (EU-WSSSRP). The purposeof the program is to increase access to safe, adequateand sustainable water supply and sanitation services insix focal States, which include Kano. A lot has beenachieved since the commencement of the program inwhich joint financing provided the money for all theworks executed-thus;

i. European Union N219,489,512.13=48%ii. Federal Government N104,705,331.88=25%iii. Kano State GovernmentN62,823,299,.13

=15%iv. Local Government N29,317,492.93 =7%

(11 LGCs)v. Communities N39,396,341.31 =5%

(N18,455,274.93 in kind) Total N455,731,877.36

A total of thirteen (13) contracts were successfullysigned and executed while the various Communities areenjoying the facilities provided. A shortfall ofN10,516,547.31 remains to be paid to contractors onretention for sanitation facilities and allowances. So, theMinistry of Water Resources requested for the releaseof the sum of N10,516,547.31 by the Council to enablethe payment of the shortfall.

Council noted, considered and approved the releaseof the requested sum of money to the Ministry of WaterResources to facilitate for the stated purpose.

8. MINISTRY OF FINANCENotification on money owed the State Pension

Trustees Fund by the 44 Local Government Councilsand SUBEB:-

Contents of this memorandum substantiated to theattentive Council that the sum of N5,977,066,064.38 isowed to the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees by the44 Local Government Councils (LGCAs) and State UniversalBasic Education Board (SUBEB). These organizations havefor years failed to remit their mandatory pension shareon every employee in accordance with the Pension andGratuity Law of 2006 (as gazetted 11th January, 2007).Details are;

i. 44 LGCAs 17% non-remittedDecember 2011 -N203,244,413.55Jan-Dec 2012 -N2,626,333,585.63Total =N2,829,577,999.18ii. SUBEBJan-Dec 2012 -N3,147,488,065.20iii. Grand total=N5,977,066,064.38

Council noted, considered and approved gradualsettlement of the owed amount of money in nine (9)months. Specifically, N664,118,451.59 is to be jointlyremitted to the Pension Fund Trustees every month fornine (9) months -thus;

i. LGCAs=N314,397,555.40ii. SUBEB=N343,720,896.10iii. Total=N658,118,451.50The gesture is to ensure that the scheme's objectives

are achieved in that every person who worked in KanoState Public Service gets his benefit as and when due.

9. MINISTRY OF WORKS, HOUSING ANDTRANSPORT

Two (2) memoranda were submitted forconsideration by the Council from the Ministry ofWorks, Housing and transport, thus;

a. Request for funds to facilitate the re-construction of the wall fence at BUK Old Sitealong Sheikh Ja'afar Mahmud Road:-

The Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport informedthe Council, through contents of this memorandum, thata portion of the perimeter wall fence at BUK Old Sitehad to be demolished to pave a way for the roadconstruction work in progress along Sheikh Ja'afarMahmud Road. The wall had to be re-positioned 3metresinto the University's premises. So, the Ministry of Works,Housing and Transport requested for the release of thesum of N43,563,550.80 to facilitate the demolition andreconstruction of the wall fence at its new location so asto pave a way for the road construction work in progress.

Council considered and approved the release of therequested sum of money to the Ministry of Works,Housing and Transport to expedite action in theexecution of the stated project so as to ensure timelycompletion of the road construction project along SheikhJa'afar Mahmud Road, which is in line with the laudablepolicies of the present administration.

b. Request for funds to enable Renovation andConversion of Former "ICRISAT" Center situated atKadawa into a Horticulture Institute:-

The Horticulture Institute is among the skill acquisitionand empowerment provision establishments embarkedupon by the present administration. The Institute is toprovide training in modern ornamental farming(Gardening) agriculture in the State. As such, the Ministryof Works, Housing and Transport requested for therelease of the sum of N19,747,634.53 to facilitate therenovation and conversion of "ICRISAT" Center at Kadawainto the envisaged Horticulture Institute.

Release of the requested sum of N19,747,634.53was approved by the Council to the Ministry of Works,Housing and Transport to facilitate for the statedrenovation and conversion projects so as to actualizethe provision of the required site for the envisagedHorticulture Institute.

UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF THE82ND SITTING

1. GOVERNOR'S OFFICIAL WORKING VISIT TOINDIA

Council noted the successful official working visit by

the State Governor Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso andmembers of his team on Saturday 19th January, 2013to India where they met with different investmentpersonalities and organizations such as PRIMUS Hospital,Garment Factory and, Vocational School for Teachingof Garment, Sewing & Embroidery. This working visitwas meant to attract foreign investments and thesetting up of industries in the State.

2. TRAINING OF YOUTHS FOR THE AMANALUXURY TAXIS

In its effort to eradicate poverty among the citizensin the State, Council recalled the successful launchingof 1000 fairly used taxis and 500 fairly used buses lastyear. Similarly, Council having observed the beneficialdevelopment of the previous program, also approvedthe supply of an additional 1000 luxury taxis to amelioratecommuters problem within the State. Already anorganized training of the 1st phase set of selectedunemployed youths to drive the luxury taxis had beganin conjunction with the Institute of TransportTechnology, Zaria, on Friday 25th January, 2013 atMurtala Mohammed Library.

3. ATTACK ON THE EMIR OF KANOCouncil noted with dismay the sudden attack on

Emir of Kano, Alh. (Dr.) Ado Bayero and his entourageon Saturday after attending an Islamic School launching/graduating ceremony. During the attack, three (3) liveswere lost and many had sustained injury. Accordingly,the State Security Agents discovered that thosesuspected to have carried out the attack and numerousothers (attacks) use motorbikes as a means to, and agetaway of transport. This convinced the Governmentto announce the prohibition of carrying of two or morepersons on motorbikes within the metropolitan area toensure safety of lives of innocent individuals in the State.

Similarly, Council condoled with the families of theattacked victims, which included the InterimManagement Officer of Kumbotso Local Governmentand three (3) of the Emir's servants. The StateGovernment also gave the sum of N1million and 3Bedroom Flat each to the families of those who losttheir lives. Council prayed for the gentle souls of thosekilled to rest in peace. The sum of N250,000.00 wasreleased to the other three (3) victims each who arepresently in hospital receiving medical attention whileGovernment will continue providing free medicaltreatment to all the victims of the attack.

4. LAUNCHING OF THE MALARIAPROGRAMME

Council noted the launching of malaria program onthe distribution of free malaria drugs across the StateHospitals coming up on Tuesday 29th January, 2013,which was donated by Medshare International of UnitedStates of America to the State towards the eradicationof malaria parasites.

5. GOVERNMENT POLICY ON PLACINGPOSTERS

Council publicly announced the prohibition of placingposters on official buildings and roundabouts across theState. Accordingly, Council urged politicians and generalpublic to respect the environment and bear with theprohibition in order to beautify the surroundings, whichwill attract more investors into the renowned city.

Useful telephone numbers:I. KANO ROAD TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

(KAROTA) USEFUL PHONE NUMBERSContact KAROTA for:Breakdown Vehicles blocking roadsTraffic CongestionAccidentIllegal/Wrong Parking

Call Karota on - 08091626747i. For security call the Police on the following

numbers; 08032419754 08123821575 08099831808 064-977004 064-9770511- For Fire Service call the following numbers 064-895435 07051246833 08191778888 08190548888 08190548888 08107888878

For further information on Government activities visitus at:

www.kano.gov.ng/new

Signed:Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information,Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 10

350 women graduate from 1 Battalion skill acquisition programme

No fewer than 350 soldier’swives of 1 BattalionNigeria Army Brinin

Kebbi have completed their twoweeks skills acquisition trainingand were awarded certificates ofattendance.

Students of Senior Course 35of Armed Forces Commandand Staff College (AFCSC)

Jaji commenced environmentassessment tour of some selectedStates in Nigeria over theweekend.

A statement issued by thePublic Relations Officer of theCollege, Lieutenant ColonelMuhammad Dole in Kaduna overthe weekend said the tour is toform part of Senior CourseCurriculum of the student.

He said the tour is to affordthem ample opportunity tointeract and have a firsthandknowledge of specific socio-cultural , economic and ecologicalproblems in the states they willvisit.

According to the statementthe tour will also afford theInternational Studentsopportunity to know the countryand compare notes with what isobtained in their home countries.

The Students are divided into9 syndicates, each to visit aparticular state.

The themes of this year’s tourare: ‘National Integration forimproved National Security’(Osun and FCT), ‘ DiversifyingNigeria’s Economy for NationalDevelopment’ ( Ogun andBayelsa), ‘Youth Empowermentfor improved NationalDevelopment’ ( Zamfara andEbonyi).

AFCSC students tocommence tour

Nyako’s aide denies threat to journalist

Adamawa State PoliceCommand has confirmedthe receipt of a formal

complaint against the ChiefSecurity Officer (CSO) toGovernor Murtala Nyakoalleging to have threatened todestroy a private media outfitowned by former Vice PresidentAtiku Abubakar in the state.

Police Public Relation Officer(PPRO) of the command D.S.PIbrahim Muhammad toldPeoples Daily in Yola that themanagement of GotelCommunication Limited haslodged a complaint against theGovernor’s Chief SecurityOfficer over threats to lives oftheir staff and the organisation’sfacilities adding that, the officerin question has beeninterrogated over the allegation.

Speaking to Peoples Daily onthe allegation CSO, S.P SheriffAbubakar Rabiu said, he didn’tissue any threat rather, hecautioned the presenter of afamous political Hausaprogramme in Gotel Radio‘Dimukaradiyya ayau’ on theusage of that platform to castaspersion on the personality ofhis boss (Nyako) in the name ofpolitics.

Sheriff stated that as asecurity officer, his duty is toprotect lives and properties of allNigerians with special emphasisto his boss (Nyako) and thatthere have been a series ofintelligence

reports available to himwhich indicates that there

From Umar Dankano, Yola is pressure from GovernorNyako’s loyalists and supporters(youth groups) that wants tolaunch attack on the saidpresenter (Shekarau Yerima)and the facilities of the GotelCommunications.

According to him, thedevelopment motivated him tocall Shekarau and advise him toinform his management to dosomething about it with a soleaim of maintaining peace andharmony among the politicalclass and interest.

When contacted on thematter, the presenter of theprogramme, Mal. ShekarauYerima said it was true that

someone called him with atelephone number08088811117 at about 10:36am on the 22nd January, 2013and warned him and his station(Gotel Radio) to desist fromfeaturing some politicians thatare giving bad name andabusing Governor MurtalaNyako.

Shekarau stressed that,when he asked of who wastalking, the caller simplyintroduced himself as ChiefSecurity Officer to theGovernor of Adamawa State.

Commenting on thedevelopment, the Head ofAdministration of Gotel

Communication Ltd Yola,Mallam Muhammad Sani Isatold Peoples Daily that theorganisation is yet to hear anyresponse over the complaintslodged to Commissioner ofPolice and Director,department of Securityservices in the State.

Mal. Sani added that, this isnot the first time such threatwere issued to their staff,another journalist, Miss EnoJonathan was also threatenedthrough a postal mail on herGotel TV show during flooddisaster over the sharing ofN500million relief assistanceform Federal government.

From Muhammad Adamu, Kaduna

L-R: Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, Chairman of the occasion, Professor Ralph Akinfeleye, andProject Director, Democratic Governance for Development(DGD), Dr. Moutarda Deme, during the DGD/Nigeria Community Radio Coalitionbriefing and strategy meeting, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo.

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin KebbiThe women, who were

engaged in various aspect oftrades such as ICT, photoprocessing, tailoring, hat andbeads making, hair dressing,soap making and otherhousehold items were mainlywives of senior Non commissionofficers (SNCOs) and below

ranks.Addressing the participants

at a ceremony organised by thebattalion to mark the end of thetwo weeks training exercise, Col.Mohammed L. Augie whorepresented the Chief of DefenceStaff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim toldparticipants that the equipments

which will be given to them tostart doing the various tradesthey have learnt will be as loanto them to enable them becomeself reliant and self sustained.

The loan he said is to be paidback over time and will serve asrevolving loans urging them toput in their very best

Gombe flagsoff SURE-P

Gombe state governor,Alhaji Ibrahim HassanDankwambo, has said that

the administration of PresidentGood luck Jonathan has broughtsanity with a view to harnessedthe subsidy removal towardsproviding socio-economiccondition to the citizenry

The governor who wasrepresented by his deputy, MrThaanda Raibanu, stated this atthe flagging off ceremony of therecruitment of 3,ooo youths,women and vulnerable under thefederal governments subsidy re-investment and empowermentprogramme held at school ofnursing in the state.

Dankwambo lauded theinitiative of the federalgovernment aimed at ensuringmillions of youths, women andvulnerable are gainfullyemployed.

Speaking further, the governordirected the committee of theprogramme to meet with groupsin all local governments areas inorder to ensure the success of theprogramme.

In his address, the chairman ofthe committee Alhaji Adamu YaroGombe thanked the governor forfinding them worthy to serve,adding that the committee woulddo everything possible to ensuresuccess of the programme.

Also speaking at the event, theattorney-general andcommissioner for justice of the stateAlhaji Abdulhammid Ibrahimnoted that the programme canonly entertain citizens from age of18to 40 years with a view totransform them.

Mr. Suuru Avoseh, amember of the LagosState House of

Assembly, says that the Housewill soon enact a law that wouldcheck the excesses of fast foodproducers.

Avoseh, who is the Chairmanof the House Committee onHealth Services, told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) onSunday in Lagos that most of thefoods prepared by variousrestaurants were “junk foods.

“And these junk foods areharmful to human health”, hestressed.

Avoseh said that the Housewould strive to emulate the

Lagos State Assembly to regulateactivities of fast food producers

National Assembly which, henoted, was planning to ban theimportation, distribution andconsumptions of energy drinksin the country.

“For instance, the presence ofcaffeine in energy drinks isinjurious to the human body;some people take these foodsignorantly, without consideringits side-effects on their body.

“Most of the foods are junks,which are not good for ourconsumption”, he added.

Avoseh also said that “junkfoods should not replace ournormal meals, as most of themcontain too much fat and sugarwhich are not only unhealthy

but are also addictive.’’The lawmaker said that

many people had been addictedto eating junk foods, adding thatsuch dietary habits oftenresulted in either obesity ordiabetes, while posing serioushealth threats to the body.

He, however, stressed thatNigeria was endowed with a widevariety of healthy foods whichwere good for humanconsumption.

Avoseh noted that a lot ofmoney was spent annually onthe health sector because ofdiseases which could beprevented through purposefulpolicies and laws. (NAN)

PAGE 11PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Five tips that can helpyou grow your businessDo a proper competition

analysis, it gives anunderstanding of your

own competitive advantages/disadvantages relative to youcompetitors, It also provides anunderstanding of competitors'past, present (and mostimportantly) future strategies.

It provides an informedbasis to develop strategies thatwill help achieve competitiveadvantage in the future.

Always do properaccounting, One major pitfallof small businesses is pooraccounting. Separate thebusiness purse from yourpersonal purse, never confuserevenue or sales with profit,and always pay yourself thesalary commensurate to yourwork even if you cannot affordto pay the salary, alwaysrecord it in your books, so thatyou can determine if you arereally making profit or not.Hire an accountant tostraighten your books, if youcannot do it yourself.

Focus on one thing at atime, Try to focus on one thingat a time, this allows you toorganize your work more, andacheive more ,step by step,

mile by mile, you will makeit.

Create a customer profile;Conducting a detailedcustomer survey andgenerating a demographicdata of customers contributesto proper customer

7 Guide on how to use forex hedging strategy

In forex trading, hedging is sadto give beneficial system sotraders can buy and sell in a

currency in the same time.However, it can be tricky as well.We need expertise and experiencebefore we start using this. Expertseven still need tips to use them.Here are the tips and we hopefullycan learn from these following tips.

• No Newbie is Allowed

"Beware of little expenses;a small leak will sink agreat ship."

— Benjamin Franklin:US statesman,philosopher

Quote

Here are more tips that you can use to help you grow your business.

management, and generatingmore prospects for yourbusiness. Properdocumentation of customersand prospects is essential.Prospect list generation workswell, especially for service-based businesses.

Be an Outlier; An Outlier issomething that lies outside thenormal experience, it isphenomenal, your businessmust stand out from the crowd;have a competitive edge, anda unique selling point- that isthe reason why customers will

choose you rather than yourcompetitors.

To build a lasting businessenterprise, you need to constantlysearch for new techniques todevelop, create, improve andenhance your competitive edge.(Source: businessoutliers.com)

Hedging is not made fornewbie. So if you are new on forextrading, you will need to postponeyour desire to try it. You need to beused to current system and be goodat it first.

• With Certain BrokersSeveral brokers do not allow

you to use hedging. They havetheir own reasons for this.Therefore, you must make surefirst that your broker is fine withthe fact that you are going to usehedging.

• Automatic ExecutionWhen you use hedging, you will

need to make automatic execution.EA will be able to provide you withappropriate solutions for this.Learn first about it before you startusing hedging.

• The Timing

Hedging only works on severaltimings. It works well whenmarket is going sideways or whenthe movements are practicallylimited to the current range. So,watch your timing and use themethod wisely or you are trapped.

• Large Pip RangeRemember that you will finally

need to pay for commission fromyour profit. Therefore, you shouldtry to make larger leap on it. Youdo not need extraordinary leap butmake it bigger than you usuallymake.

• You Need to be PatientBeing patient means you

should wait if your market does notmake any performance yet. Later,in the meantime, certain movewill make the balance, and that isyour time. Do not force or push toomuch or you will break the system.

• Evaluation Again andAgain

Make continuous evaluation.This will help you recognizing yourmistakes, and you can makecalculation and prediction for yournext step. Make multipleevaluations.

Those 7 tips are based on expertsuggestions and experience ofsenior traders. If you are about totry hedging on forex trading, youshould memorize the tips and applyit on your trading actions. This canbe tricky but you have to giveyourself some time to be able towork with it. Hedging is helpful.Good luck with it!

Bouncing back after a lay-off

Layo-ffs, sacks andretrenchment have alwaysbeen known in the Nigerian

business sector most, especially inrecent times. Mass sacks and layoffshave been common in banks andother establishments , Sometimesthey come as a surprise, while othertimes employees can get a warningand time to seek another job beforetermination is official.

As hard as a lay-off can be, youdo not have to sit in depression;there are many things that youcan do before and after a lay-off.Knowing how best to manage alay-off can position you forgreater positions of increasedcareer opportunities, and youcan also serve as a source ofmotivation to others that onecan bounce back and succeedeven after an event of a masssack.

The dynamics in theEconomy, evidenced byemployers seeking to recruit highly

Accept change: There was aman that was asked to resign fromhis position as the area sales managerof a multinational, for a very longtime, this man will drive to the gateof the company and wait outside andwould ask his ex colleagues, abouthis seat "has any one taken my seat?,is my desk still vacant? etc; for a longtime he lived in denial. Once youaccept things the way they are youare position to forge ahead and fornew and greater things to happen.

Now you have more time inyour hands: Do not spend that timesleeping and mourning, rather tryto do enjoyable things, spend timewith family, relax, and enjoy themoment knowing and believing itwould not be like that forever.

Do not neglect your network:The network you have; family,friends, former colleagues may justbe the ones that will help you landthat job you need, so stay in touch,let them know you are in search of ajob.

qualified staffdaily is proofthat there arejobs out there,you only needto positionyourself toenhance andshow caseyour talent. Toachieve this,here are somethings youshould do.

PAGE 12 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Armed Forces RemembranceDay: Beyond its symbolism

Nigeria, on January 15, 2013,marked the 43rd ArmedForces Remembrance Day

since it was shifted in 1970 fromNovember 11 which coincided withRemembrance Day (Poppy Day) forWorld War 11 veterans in the oldBritish Commonwealth of Nations.Nigeria changed the day to January15 to mark the end of a 30-monthcivil war. It was that day thatBiafran soldiers surrendered tofederal troops. Ever since, the ArmedForces Day has been marked withoutfail in this country.

In theory, the Nigerian Legion isin charge of the annualcommemoration ceremonies inAbuja and the 36 state capitals, butin practice, it is the federal and stategovernments that fund them. Theoccasion is characterized by a 21-gun salute by the military,comprising the army, navy and airforce; the laying of wreaths, theplaying of the Last Post, march-pastsand the release of pigeons signifyingpeace.

In Abuja, the federal capital, theceremonies were held at theNational Arcade in the Three ArmsZone. President Goodluck Jonathan,as the grand patron of the NigerianLegion, took the traditional gunsalute and inspected a parade infour colours -the national and threeregimental colours of the army, navyand air force. He also led in thewreath-laying ritual.

“The picture of a poorlyclothed blind, aged ex-

serviceman howling at thevenue of the AFRD, last

week, in Ibadan, Oyo state,should sear the

consciences of our leaders.But will it?

The armed forces day remembranceis a worldwide tradition. Nigeria, as amember of a global community,should be fully involved, as indeed wehave been. Our civil war experiencemakes our case poignantly so.Thousands of men and women in ourmilitary gave their lives in defence ofthe fatherland. It is, therefore, only

right that we keep their memoriesalive. The annual remembrancecelebrations are only a part of this.They should be no more thansymbolic. Unfortunately, we do notseem capable of going beyond thissymbolism of remembering our "fallenheroes".

More often than not, we forget thesurviving members of those deadheroes who today live in abjectpenury. The heroes still living tell

tales, not of comfort but of utterneglect by the government of the day.Our military's men and women ofsorrows are not limited to veteransof the civil war; they include post-war soldiers who have now retiredinto a private life of wretchedness.

President Jonathan was toopatronizing about these men andwomen of honour in his remarks atan interdenominational Christianworship service to mark the day theprevious Sunday. "Let me especiallythank the armed forces because thisis their day and also the police andother services; we sleep because theystay awake", he said. "I think thebest gift we can give to them... is ourprayers."

Gift? We don't believe it is giftsthat the families of those who diedfighting to "keep Nigeria one", andmany more who are endangeringtheir lives today so that the rest of uscan sleep well, is a gift of perfunctoryprayer. Rather, the families of thedead need material sustenance paidfor by the government on behalf of agrateful citizenry. And those who areretired and alive but have not beenpaid their full entitlements must getthem in order to live a comfortableprivate life.

The picture of a poorly clothedblind, aged ex-serviceman howlingat the venue of the AFRD, last week,in Ibadan, Oyo state, should sear theconsciences of our leaders. But willit?

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, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 13

With high energy andexpectation, theNational Good

Governance Tour train took offfrom the Federal Capital Territory,September 2012. A train, as weall know, is an articulatedtransport system moving on raillines, and is powered to conveylarge number of persons and goods,safely, swiftly and conveniently.A train service goes withminimum distortion orinconvenience to the overall wellbeing of the environment and lifeof the people where it is operated.

It was therefore poeticallycoincidental and significant thatone of the very first projects seenby the tour team was the AbujaLight Rail Project, desired anddesigned to be the bulk mover ofpersons within and around theburgeoning city of Abuja. Whenaccomplished, it will assuage thepain of commuters such as isassociated with populationexplosion that Abuja, like many ofthe major cities in Nigeria, iscurrently experiencing.

Indeed the train analogy fits thetravelling team comprisingdiscernible stakeholders likejournalists, civil society persons,the heads of various Ministries,Departments and Agencies whoseprojects were being visited, hostState's officials, a few officers fromthe Federal Ministry of

Information, the NationalPlanning Commission, NigerianGovernor's forum, and securitypersonnel.

Labaran Maku's order to thesecurity personnel was clear: "beproactive, and hinder not anyNigerian at any of the functionsbecause the tour is mainly for theirbenefit". At various pointstherefore, the people of surged toengage with their leaders,especially at the Citizen's Forumsconvened for them to interactdirectly with their Governors.

In the Federal CapitalTerritory, the Minister, SenatorMohammed Bala proved that thepeople are his primaryconsideration, with meeting theirneeds and aspirations as thefulçrum of his administration'sdevelopment actions. He revealedhis plans to impact the populationdirectly with two items, water andhousing, which essential for theircomfort as human beings.

Accordingly therefore, he hasembarked on very bold andambitious water projects, to meetthe city's water needs. Thedevelopment of dams, the buildingof treatment plants and thereticulation schemes, expected tobe completed within the next year,are such that would increase theportable water volume by44million litres per day, almostten times the current volume inuse.

In the same vein, the

development of New Districts andSatellite Towns which he isvigorously pursuing will providemass housing for residents of theFederal Capital Territory and itsenvirons and invariably forcedown rent charges. The farreaching effect of such feats wouldrub off on the quality of life of thepeople and stem the rampantincidents of diseases such as cholera,diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria, organpoisoning and other ailmentsassociated with drinkingcontaminated water, and living inunhealthy environments.

Human angle, as it relates tothe FCT, cannot be said to havebeen fully told without beamingthe light on the person of the FCTMinister who exuded great energyas the team moved from one site toanother. He talked very smoothlyand boldly, even when askedquestions on contentious subjectslike the demolition of illegalstructures.

Moving on to Kwara State wasfor me very thrilling. I was goingto the town where I began mycareer over three decades ago. I wasgoing to see people I know to be veryhospitable, friendly and peaceloving. Interestingly, I noticed thatKwara people of today, as those ofthe late 70's and early 80s havenot changed much despite thaturbanization has virtually takenover Ilorin the State capital and afew of the other towns we saw. Butthe essential character of

refinement, civility, openness wasintact, as I took time to visit andrelate at the popular Oja-Obamarket, the ever busy Sabo Okemotor park, scenic Asa dam areaand a few of the surviving parkswhere we took walks in those days.But I lamented how the roadsleading to my "beautiful Kwara"have metamorphosed awfully andmonstrously.

The Governor of Kwara State,Alhaji Ahmed Abdulfatah dazzledeveryone with great erudition andcommunicative power. When hetook the stage at the Citizen'sForum, his debonair look was goingto deceive those who did not knowhis antecedents but when he wasdone, persons around me said hecame out much taller than he wasat the beginning. They enthusedthat Indeed Nigeria is endowedwith many great brains thatoperate unobtrusively, and it takesfinding them out, to be able toappreciate what quality of humanresources Nigeria is endowed with.

In Niger State, it was excitingwatching the people go about asnaturally as they could be. Theordinary folks of Niger, the State ofthree former Presidents namelyDr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Gen. IbrahimBabangida and Gen. AbdulsalamiAbubakar, and which houses thebulk of Nigeria's power sources, aremostly farmers andcharacteristically warm, friendlyand resilient people. This easilyshowed in their application to their

By Charles Chikezie

As far as civic consciousness isconcerned, the Opposition does notonly produce far more spectacleand entertainment for the people(witness the entertainmentprovided by Asiwaju, as he boastedopenly about the "millions ofpounds" he spent corruptingdemocracy on behalf of anincumbent he was "opposing" inOndo), she also poses greaterdanger by giving a battered andp s y c h o l o g i c a l l y - d a m a g e dcitizenry the seductive impressionthat a viable alternative is in theoffing; that she is a harbinger ofstrategies, processes, andstructures more progressive thanthe corrupt and integrity-challenged political mechanismsof the ruling party and theincumbent Presidency.

In essence, the gangrenedPresidency of Goodluck Jonathanand the organized banditry of thePDP are less of a danger becausethey belong in the realm of thefamiliar. In fact, the people alreadyhave a symbolic, consolatoryvictory over this establishmentbecause she has lost the ability toshock or surprise them. The figuresof their loot no longer shock; thelack of vision, of moral fibre, ofleadership qualities in individualmembers of this establishment, nolonger shock; their unendingcapacity for cant and chicaneryno longer shocks. They have lostthe element of surprise.

This explains why the feint ofhope the people have in "theOpposition" is more dangerousthan the galling familiarity of theestablishment. When the idea is inthe air that there is a crediblepolitical opposition toestablishment rot, when that idearides on the personal capital of

"opposition spokespersons" inparties such as the ACN, the CPC,etc, when the attacks by these"opposition spokespersons" on thePresident fill the airwaves; whenthese spokespersons enter the sametrouser with the President'slobotomized aides such as DoyinOkupe, Reuben Abati, and RenoOmokri, and social media is regaledwith tales of such roforofo, the peopledraw false comfort from the illusionthat the rapists of our destiny inthe establishment are being givena run for their money.

There is psychic satisfaction inbelieving that somebody is at workon your behalf, fashioningalternatives of civic agency. Youhear that Asiwaju will show thempepper. You hear that ChiefLagbaja, Honourable Tamedun,and Alhaji Lakuregbe will rob thenoses of the looters in theestablishment against the iron rodof justice. Ah, dem go take! Thispyrrhic comfort sedates the people.Spectocracy is reinforced becausethe people forget to ask very criticalquestions about the nature of this"opposition", its creed, and its modesof becoming. The people forget to

ask whether the ethos of this"opposition" inheres in the peopleor, just like the PDP they claim tooppose, in party elders, partychieftains, and "prominentNigerians".

This is what makes thesimulacrum of an opposition thatwe have in Nigeria so dangerous.With spectocracy thus reinforced,the people even forget the basicdefinition of a political oppositionin a genuine democracy. Theyforget that, since 1999,oppositional morphology andevolution in Nigeria can only giveus one definition: a confederacy ofout-rigged, out-manoeuvred, out-corrupted, outfoxed formermembers of the establishmentlicking their wounds outside of thecircles of power and waiting for re-entry. The establishment knowsthis; hence, they have no respectfor the opposition. They know thattheir sensational exits from theparty are all hot air. Like AtikuAbubakar, like Orji Kalu, they willcome back and realign.

Meanwhile, what does theopposition do while waiting for re-integration? They decamp noisily

The opposition is simiulacrumfrom the ruling party. Where theyhave the means from the proceedsof corruption, they startnewspapers and begin to buildother structures of massdissemination. They make a lot ofnoise, aligning strategically withlabour, civil society organizations,human rights organizations, etc.Gradually, the lines betweenhuman rights activists, civilsociety activists, publicintellectuals, and social mediaactivists on the one hand, andoutfoxed opposition politicians onthe other hand gradually recedeand disappear.

With so much spectacle comingwith the very idea of the opposition,the people can be forgiven for noteven seeing that whereoppositional party politics isconcerned, the modus operandi ofthe opposition is nothing but a wayof poorly photocopying the PDPfrom a different platform.Consider the recent case of themerger of some political parties. Itwas on Nasir el Rufai's wall that Ifirst caught wind of it. He hadposted a media release signed, Ibelieve, by one of the spokespersonsof the parties aspiring to merge.The media release announced thatthe parties in question hadconstituted a committee of"eminent Nigerians" to work outthe modalities of the merger and Iscreamed: there they go again!Yes, the names they announcedare credible and respectablecitizens, all elderly compatriots butthat is not the point. The point isthat the opposition wasannouncing such an importantdecision top-down, with its partybase contemptuously treated asspectocrats. How is this differentfrom the way the PDP treats theNigerian people? When did theleaders of these opposition parties

By Pius Adesanmi

Human angle of the national good governance tour

crisscross Nigeria, selling the ideaof this merger to their respectivebases?? Let's go to them and findout. Nope, they just woke up andannounced it top-down.

This is what happens whenneither the establishment nor theopposition really needs you to runyour life. This is what happenswhen the processes leading to theelection of your leaders do not takeyou into account. You are alwaysasked to "await further directives".Nobody consults you aboutanything. Whenever the timecomes to legitimize decisions takenabout your life in your absence,they distribute rice, rechargecards, and okada helmets to you.They send buses to bring you tothe state capital or Abuja for a rallyor for a party convention. Theygive you six yards of ankara withsome money for the tailor. Youappear at the rally, decked in theankara, singing and chanting, andcursing President Jonathan andthe establishment. You are too fargone to notice that those who sentbuses to fetch you to the statecapital or Abuja have merelyphotocopied the methodology ofPresident Jonathan and his ownparty.

This is not acceptable. You,Nigerian, deserve better than thisinsulting scenario. It doesn't matterwhether you are with the PDP orwith the opposition parties. Whatwe have for now are just variationson a theme of spectocracy. This iswhy those of us who are workingon the spectocracy project believethat an alternative politicalmovement is necessary as we beginthe march to 2015. We believethat the Nigerian people have thenumbers to force a paradigm shiftfrom which shall emerge a politicalprocess and democraticmechanisms that inhere in them.We believe that the death ofspectocracy is the only path to thedignity of the Nigerian citizen.Pius Adesanmi is reachableon www.twitter.com

daily tasks. In all the places that we

interfaced with them, like at theShea butter factory near Kotongorawhere women were diligently andhappily processing the butter, theSabon Wuse and other districtclinics, the primary schools, the oldmarkets being renovated and thenew international markets inMinna, they did not count on theirpresent day challenges but exudedgreat hope for a better and greatertomorrow.

The Governor, AlhajiBabangida Aliyu, stole the humanangle show in Niger State. He stolepeople's heart by the sheer gustoand display of patriotism. He hadhardly returned from a duty tourelsewhere, and being informedthat the NGGT was in the state, hedecided to host the team at a galanight, but had to keep "standing"till the team returned to Minnafrom Kotangora, close to mid-nightafter a hectic road travel, andstayed all through the function.What a commitment!

At the Citizen's Forum,Babangida Aliyu spoke withuncommon eloquence. Arenowned administrator, oratorand a public speaker perexcellence, he handled all the issuesposed with effortless savvy andpedagogic clarity. Charles Chikezie is theDirector, PublicCommunication, FederalMinistry of Information.

“With so much spectacle coming with thevery idea of the opposition, the people canbe forgiven for not even seeing that where

oppositional party politics is concerned,the modus operandi of the opposition is

nothing but a way of poorly photocopyingthe PDP from a different platform

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 14

Nigeria and paradox of 21st century savageryPeoples 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 USBy Philip Amiola

On December 31, 2012,while the world wasenraptured with the

prospect of ushering in the NewYear, someone in Kogi state, wasbusy scooping the brains out ofhis four-month-old son who hehad just murdered. Earlier inOctober of the same year, thenation was shaken by thegruesome murder of fourpromising undergraduates whowere beaten to death and setablaze over a minordisagreement. And just as I wascontemplating this piece, newsfiltered in again - a man has sethis pregnant sister-in-law ablazefor pouring water on his dog!

It's amazing the indifferencewith which we have adjusted tothe torrents of abominableincidents that assault our mindsdaily. News of carnage, acidtreatments (or acid baths, if youlike), ritual killings and otheracts of brutish violence no longerhave the sobering effect thatthey used to have. We claim tobe the most civilized andtechnologically advancedgeneration of Homo sapiens onearth, yet savagery is at an all-time high. What a paradox!

Over the years, the West hasmade us believe that savageryis endemic to Africa but recentevents, such as the frequency ofindiscriminate shootings inAmerica, have proved

o t h e r w i s e .According toUS newspaperreports, at leastsixteen massshootings tookplace inAmerica in2012 alone.S i m i l a rincidents havebeen recordedin other partsof the Westernw o r l d .S a v a g e r ythen, is notlimited to anygeographical location; it onlyputs on the garb of the dominantculture and adapts itself to theprevailing circumstanceswherever it is permitted to rearits ugly head.

A critical examination of thecurrent trends all over the worldreveals a fundamental problem- our value system, the set ofpersonal principles, standardsand beliefs in which we have anemotional investment. The gorytales recounted above arefundamentally linked to awarped value system. Theherbalist who scooped out hisbaby's brains obviously valuedpower, his religious beliefs orwhatever it was that promptedhis action, over and above thelife of his son. We can reachsimilar conclusions about theother incidents; all culprits have

How does one maintainoptimism aboutNigeria? All visible signs

show a country in a poor shapeand steadily getting worse.There is very little security oflife and property, even withoutthe Boko Haram onslaught.There is a lot of money in veryfew and undeserving hands.Random and systematic crueltyrules the day. The level of publicdebate on very importantmatters is so low that it is worthhaving only for its nuisancevalue, which is of no value in thiscircumstance.

The ivory tower, the naturalfountain of knowledge, is ametaphoric farm where weedsare steadily taking over,scorching the life out of genuinelife-sustaining crops. In and outof the university, people trainedto live by judicious use ofcuriosity and criticism, havesuccumbed to religioussuperstition of the most self-defeating varieties, and seemdetermined to drag everyoneelse down with them.Knowledgeable people, includingthe former ambassador of a verypowerful country in Nigeria,have predicted that the countrywill disintegrate about two yearsfrom now.

Yet in the last few years, thepoet and critic, Odia Ofeimun,has celebrated this country inhis own unique way. In acompelling display ofimaginative and politicalgenerosity, he has put up a series

of dance-dramas, stageperformances developed fromhis evocative poems. Hear thename of one of these festivedances: Nigeria the Beautiful!

A puzzling title, not becauseits literal meaning is untrue,but because it is uncanny.Nigeria the Beautiful is adramatic poem, a narrativedesigned to highlight the twice-told and forgotten stories thatcombine to make the epic wehave come to take as theNigerian nation. Its concern isto reach for a reservoir of faiththat one would be hard put tobelieve exists anywhere underthe living sun, given all thevisible signs surrounding thecountry like a bright, densehalo.

Ofeimun is not one of thoseprofiting from the unacceptablestate of things-he does not holdelective position and, as far as Iknow, is not a card-carryingmember of a political party. Likemost hard-headed realists, hehas his preferences for onepolitical tendency or another,and does not fight shy ofexpressing these biases in public.In doing so, he easily incurs theirritation or annoyance of thosewith vested interests. But this isnot unusual, even for the mosttemperate of opinion-makers.Ofeimun is exceptional in addingto this dogged expression of hisviews a certain kind of

unapologetic abrasiveness, onethat often leaves his argumentsunanswerable.

What does one make of this?Anyone who has tried to keep asteady view of things will knowthat every age could appear asbad as the next, or the onebefore. But the old is oftenappalled by the historicalamnesia of the young; theyouthful enthusiasm about aseemingly new phenomenon istreated either with amusementor with exasperation dependingon the temperament of the old

Nigeria the beautiful?and the demeanour of the young.For example, a teacher who hasspent years writing or teachingabout Darwinism could be sorelyoffended if her student were tocome up with an aggressivedefense of "intelligence design"that also comes across as adiscrediting of Darwinism.

When Ofeimun appears to beabrasive during a public debate,I think it is this kind of inabilityto convincingly connect the dotsthat riles him. And it is alsobecause such an inability is notalways an innocent lack of

be other factorssuch ase m o t i o n a lp r e s s u r e ,f i n a n c i a lhardship and ahost of othersthat mightseem to triggersuch actions.The facth o w e v e rremains thatthese otherfactors arem e r e l yaccessory; thereal cause has to

By Akin Adesokan

lost touch with a fundamentalvalue - the sanctity of humanlife.

I understand that there may

do with our fundamentalbeliefs, our value system. Ittherefore goes without sayingthat if we are serious about

meaningful change andsustainable development; wemust start with a deliberate andsystematic process of valuereorientation.

No quick fix will get the jobdone; we must start from thefoundation - our individualfamily units. The educationalinstitutions, religiousinstitutions, mass media andother agents of socialisation areonly supposed to build on thefoundation that has been laid bythe family. Parents mustcommit themselves to acomprehensive process of childtraining that will help theirchildren imbibe sound ethicalprinciples.

If children are trained up inthe right way, they will notbecome a menace as adults. Thismight seem farfetched butnothing less will yield lastingresults. How else do we raise anew generation of refined,cultivated and civilized humanbeings if not by entrenching anew mindset in the youngergeneration? We're not giving upon the Old Guard but we'reinvesting more in children andyouths. This way, we can be surethat there are better days aheadeven though today may seemdark and dreary. God blessNigeria.Philip Amiola, a teacher,writer and campaigner ofempowerment, can befollowed on Twitter @

“Anyone who has tried to keep asteady view of things will know that

every age could appear as bad as thenext, or the one before. But the old is

often appalled by the historical amnesiaof the young; the youthful enthusiasm

about a seemingly new phenomenon istreated either with amusement or with

exasperation depending on thetemperament of the old and the

demeanour of the young

information. It could be a lack ofrigor, but often in the context ofNigerian history it is a mark ofintellectual dishonesty in theservice of divisive politics.

Between this steadfastexpression and defence of hispersonal views and the idealisticcelebration of Nigeria in thedance-drama, I think, lies theimportance of the ideas Ofeimunis developing, or has developed,about his time and place. It is anuncanny vision because it seeksto hold on to the promise of anidealistic future for which thepresent is not a reliablebarometer. In fact, to go only bythe present signs about Nigeriais to confront a reality certain tocripple the imagination. Dearreader, review the list of woes atthe beginning of this piece andsee if you won't find it tooincomplete. There is no mentionof corrupt, none of barelyliterate assemblymen awardingthemselves salaries andallowances without comparisonanywhere in our known world.There is nothing about hungrymillions, the reserved army ofthe unemployed.

For Ofeimun and builderslike him, the point is to seethrough to tomorrow by gazingsteadily at today. It would besalutary enough if this visionwere limited to Nigeria, butdreams obey no boundaries.Akin Adesokan is anAssociate Professor ofComparative Literature atIndiana University,Bloomington.

“If children are trained up in the right way,they will not become a menace as adults.

This might seem farfetched but nothing lesswill yield lasting results. How else do we raise

a new generation of refined, cultivated andcivilized human beings if not by entrenching a

new mindset in the younger generation?We're not giving up on the Old Guard but

we're investing more in children and youths

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 15

Every time we gather toinstall an election rigger, weshowcase our strength to the

world on how easily subvertableour Constitution can be. Weconfirm that our democracycannot deliver its intendedpromise. We recall that what keepsthis nation in bondage is not theshape of our noses or structure ofour faces, not the type of beads orrosary we pray with, or the originsof our religions but the insatiablegreed of every agbada wearingman and buba and wrapperwearing woman in this placetoday. What makes us exceptional- what makes us enviable - is ourresolve to mismanage our naturalresources (by which I mean oil)every time we claw and clubberour way to power. This has beenthe case since we asked ourcolonizers to go back to their coldcountries fifty something yearsago.

My fellow politicians, we aremade for this moment, and we willnot fail to seize it - so long as weagree to share whatever booty wegather together. We, thepoliticians, still believe that ourobligations are only to ourselves,not to all Nigerians. We willrespond to the threat of detractorsfrom ordinary citizens and otheropposing political parties and setattack dogs on them, knowing thatthe failure to do so would preventour children and futuregenerations from excessive wealthand going to schools abroad or buy

houses in Washington DC that wemay never live in. Some may notsee reason with this and tend to begood leaders, the overwhelmingbacklash will teach you the lessonsno science can teach. If you try todisgrace or make us look bad, youcannot avoid the devastatingimpact of our EFCC, ICPC and thecrippling drought that will befallyour allocated oil blocs andimportation licenses. Rememberwe are a government of point andkill.

The path towards getting asustainable inverter to carry ourair-conditioners and largerefrigerator will be long andsometimes difficult. But wepoliticians cannot resist the lureand immediacy of Mikanogenerators. We must lead peopleto believe in gens and not NEPA.We cannot cede to other nationsthe income generated from ourfriends selling generators andcreating jobs with the onlythriving market. Throughmassive generators we shouldmaintain our electricity and ournational treasure - our fridges,electric fences, large flat-screentelevisions and what have you,whether in the wetlands of NigerDelta or the dry lands of theSahara desert.

We, the politicians, still believethat enduring security and lastingpeace cannot be achieved, andhave ordered bulletproof jeeps andwagons for all elected rulers. Ourbrazen JTF soldiers in uniform aregetting snuffed out by the day,tempered by flames of scorching

Boko Haram whose unmatchedskills and courage we havewitnessed in the past years. Ourcitizens and places of worship,traumatized by the memories ofthose they have lost, know too wellthe price so they have resolved tohire their own security and thathas freed up some more money inthe security vote.

We, the politicians, declaretoday that the most evident oftruths - that all of us are createdunequally in this country - is thecoldness of the Star lager beer wewill be drinking afterwards, just asour forebears drank it in DodanBarracks, Federal Palace Hotel toNicon Noga Hotel to TranscorpHilton to Eko Hotel, just as our 1stand 2nd and 3rd republic rulersdrank the same cold Star, sang anddance in 1004 Senators' flats, anddanced to King Sunny Ade jujumusic in nearby clubs onSaturdays and went to hearpreachers preach on Sundaysproclaiming freedom for those whohave jollied all night, and thefreedom of the rich that isinextricably bound to theenjoyment of our looted earth. It isnow our generation's turn to carryon what those pioneers began, bychopping very well. For ourjourney is not complete until ourwives go to Dubai to shop till theyfall sick, our mothers go to Americafor hip replacements and tommytucks, our daughters go toAmerican universities and returnto enjoy what we have looted forthem.

You senators have no business

with laws that will create jobs forour youth or empower ourwomen to prevent them frombeen perpetually harassed orraped. Your journey is notcomplete until you catch somemen who wear makeup, walk likewomen, hold other men's hand orwomen wearing pinafore andwaist coat and liking other womenallover the place - and throwthem into Kuje jail for 14 yearsjust to pretend you are doing yourjobs. Our journey is not completeuntil our houses in Ministers' Hillare uncountable. Our journey isnot complete until youbreakdown every little shantyand poor people's living quartersthat make foreigners think ourneighbourhood is ghetto - untilwe crush the hope of every littleboy or girl from a remoteminority village who dreams ofever rising to the top and leadingthis country to greatness, ourjourney is not complete. Ourjourney is not complete until weteach all our own children thatyou can only win electionsthrough rigging and distributionof bribe in Ghana-Must-Go, fromSabon Gari, Kano to Eguare,Ekpoma. Our journey is notcomplete until we consider peoplefrom Sokoto as immigrants inIsikuato and people fromUmuahia as infidels in Maiduguriand don't give a damn about theirsafety and security. We shouldalways cherish the fact that theordinary citizen is perpetually inharm's way, until then before ourjourney is complete.

Obama: The inaugural speech of a Nigerian politicianFor now powers are upon us,

and we cannot afford to wastetime in arranging ourselves, wemust chop. We cannot make themistake of subverting leadershipprinciples, or substitutecorruption for good governance,or treat name-calling byinvestigative journalists as areasoned debate. We must chop,we must chop decisively knowingthat our work will always beimperfect like that of ourpredecessors. We must chop fast,knowing that today's victoriesmight be challenged in courtstomorrow and we be removedfrom power like we have seen inrecent times. We must chop andclean mouth and it will be up tothose who stand here in fouryears, eight years and for life tofind their solution to the myriadof problems we were supposed tosolve. We cannot waste time inthis timeless spirit of choppingonce conferred on us by theBritish in Lagos.

My fellow politicians, the oath Ihave sworn before you today, likethe one recited by others who arechopping in the Senate and at thestate level was not an oath of Godand country, but of us as a band offresh filches, inner caucus of ourparty, national workingcommittee, godfathers andgodmothers - and we mustfaithfully execute that pledgeduring the duration of ourchopping.Victor Ehikhamenor'sprofessional profile is onLinkedIn

The Ikeja police piggeryThe Nigeria Police College inIkeja, Lagos, Nigeria'spremier police training

institution, is in the news. It hasbeen since President GoodluckJonathan paid an unscheduledvisit last week. The visit followed arevealing report by ChannelsTelevision, Lagos. The reportwhich exposed the unbelievable rotin the institution is said to be a partof Channels' corporate socialresponsibility initiative, with aspecial focus on the state ofNigeria's security institutions. Apublic discourse planned by theTelevision House, as a follow-uptown hall gathering, scheduled tobe held on Tuesday, January 22,2013, in Lagos, with top policeofficers attending andparticipating, was hurriedlycancelled. No reason given. Thereason is not farfetched, however.After the visit and the reportedpublic annoyance exhibited by thePresident at the audacity of thereport, no right-thinking policeofficer, is expected to grace theChannels' event, without theassurance of the President that hewill not be on the firing line.

During the visit, the Presidentwondered how the sorry footage ofthe decrepit police facility, shownon television, was recorded. ThePresident knew what he wastalking about. Given the extensivecoverage of the report: library,toilets, kitchen, dormitory and aclass in session, it is obvious thatthe recording could not haveoccurred without official "policepermit" or without insidercollaboration. Thus, the Presidentcould not have believed the denialof the Commandant of the Collegethat he knew how and when therecording was made. In thecircumstances, if any police officer

had shown up at the ChannelsForum, he would haveunthinkingly put his head on thechopping slab.

The political opposition, publiccommentators and mediaeditorialists have taken on thePresident for demonstrating furyover the state of utter neglect inwhich the college lies, and forattempting to constrict freedom ofthe press. The President ought tobe sorry, that under his watch, thecollege is in that state of disrepair.The President was not sorry. Hewas angry.

By demonstratingunwarranted anger instead ofcontrition, and by not seizing themoment to promise to rehabilitatethe college and others, thePresident missed a good publicrelations opportunity. Thepromise to rehabilitate all policecolleges in Nigeria, anafterthought, made by theMinister of Police Affairs, at a pressbriefing in Abuja, on Tuesday,January 22, 2012, cannot undothe damage that had been done bythe President. The President'svisit, a detour while on his way toan ECOWAS conclave in Coted'Ivoire to discuss the war in Mali,was a fitting event to demonstratehis care and love for the men andwomen in police uniforms that herelies upon to maintain law andorder and keep the peace. Men andwomen he puts in harm's wayeveryday to fight armed robbery,kidnapping and bloodlettinginsurgency in the country.

What is the correct position tobe pushed by the public regardingthe neglect of this police facility? Isit to demand that the police college

and others scattered all over thecountry, suffering from neglect, berehabilitated, or that all policefacilities all over the country thatare in a state of general disrepairbe fixed? We think not. TheUnitary Government of Nigeriaalias the Federal Government ofNigeria is incapable ofrehabilitating all the policefacilities in Nigeria. The PoliceCollege, Ikeja, is a metaphor forinfrastructure decay in all spheresof our national life: roads, schools,hospitals, court rooms, militaryfacilities, et cetera. There is toomuch concentration of legislative,executive and judicial powers atthe central government level.That is the central problem, andthis is a distortion of federalism.

In the United States, there arethe Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, Federal Marshalls,State Police, and County Police. Ontop of all these, certain publicinstitutions like university collegeshave "police units". Thisarrangement has not causeddysfunction. There is synergy and

inter-police cooperation. With theguarantee of the rule of law, nomayor or governor will use thepolice to terrorize politicalopponents.

Fundamental rights areprotected by the Constitution, andjust as it was the case in the UnitedStates during the civil rightsmovement when federalmarshals escorted schoolchildrento school whilst enforcing anti-segregationist laws in Alabamaand Georgia, if a state police iscomplacent or conniving at theviolation of rights of the citizenby a state government, theFederal Police, under an executiveorder, subject to a constitutionalchallenge or the court's power ofjudicial review, can intervene.

Nigeria ought to have astatute of general applicationunder which states and localgovernments all over the countryshall establish their separate butidentical police forces, lest wehave disparities in the existence,structure and powers of the policeforces in the same Nigeria. The

envisaged police statute will moreor less be like the NigerianConstitution, under which theFederal, States and LocalGovernments are established,with the governments of thevarious states and localgovernments exercising similar,if not identical powers. There is nounitary police in a federal Canadaor Germany. Even in the UnitedKingdom, there is no unitarypolice system.

The federal government hasnot been providing the facilitiesand equipment the police inNigeria need to function optimally.State Governments have come tothe rescue of the Police.Demanding that the Jonathanadministration should revamp thedilapidated police colleges, withoutposing the central issue of re-organization, decentralization andre-federalization of the NigeriaPolice Force will only sustain theillusion that in a federal state likeNigeria, the police force could beadequately established, organizedand funded, solely and unitarily,by a central government.

A distant federal governmentin a country like ours where thegovernance arena has become acrime scene cannot ensure thatmonies disbursed to publicinstitutions like the police colleges,customs training schools, prisons,et cetera, are not stolen or diverted.This has become a culture. Theother time, for protesting againsttheir superiors for theembezzlement of their paymentsduring peace keeping operations,soldiers of the 31st Brigade of theNigerian Army in Akure, Ondostate, were court-martialled. Theoffence? Mutiny or "conductprejudicial to good servicediscipline." What a country!Jiti Ogunye wrote in fromLagos.

By Jiti Ogunye

By Victor Ehikhamenor

“Nigeria ought to have a statute of generalapplication under which states and localgovernments all over the country shall

establish their separate but identical policeforces, lest we have disparities in the

existence, structure and powers of thepolice forces in the same Nigeria

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 16

Asokoro District Hospital getsdialysis, intensive care unitsAn Intensive care unit,

dialysis unit have beencommissioned at Asokoro

District Hospital, Abuja. This was as all the Medical

Directors of Federal CapitalTerritory(FCT) hospitals werealso presented with utilityvehicles to.

While commissioning thefacilities, the Secretary FederalCapital Territory (FCT) Healthand Human ServicesSecretariat, Dr. DemolaOnakomaiya reaffirmed thecommitment of FCT

Administration to providequalitative, accessible andaffordable health care servicesthat is comparable anywhere inthe world.

He said FCT Administrationwas aware of the rising numberof cases of kidney diseases in ourhospitals and communities,many of which have to bereferred out of the country to savelives.

This has necessitated theurgent need for responsive healthcare services like the FCT health& Human Services to establishfunctional and effective kidneydisease management centreswith dialysis and intensive care

units.Dr Demola expressed delight

that that presently the FCThave two dialysis and intensivecare units that are fully equippedin Asokoro and Wuse DistrictHospitals to care for the citizensof the FCT and beyond.

He noted that the units would reduce the hardship faced bymany patients and save manylives and at subsidized rates.

He further observed thatgeneral hospitals are scattered allover FCT catering for theincreasing number of residentsfor which we are expandingservices and building morehospitals to provide specialized

care to our people.He commended the efforts of

FCT Minister Senator BalaMohammed for grantingapproval for the procurement ofutility vehicles to all the MedicalDirectors of FCT hospitals which he added would go a long way inensuring that FCT residents getefficient and affordable services.

Responding on behalf of themedical directors, Dr.Abubakar Ahmadu said FCThospitals has witness a radicalchange in the last one year,while thanking the FCTadministration for the gestureand promise to use the vehiclejudicially.

A corps member, MissChineze Diogu, at theweekend donated an

illuminated directory board to theUniversity of Abuja TeachingHospital (UATH).

Unveiling the board inGwagwalada, Dr. Peter Alabi, theChief Medical Director (CMD) of thehospital, said the board would assistthe hospital toward patients’ care.

“Coming into a environmentthat is as large as this hospital, a properdirectional sign will limit timewastage, particularly for visitors andpatients who have no goodknowledge of the hospital.

“With the directory board, I amsure that the stress of locating placeswithin the hospital is eased and lifewill be more comfortable for ourpatients and visitors”.

Alabi said that the directory wasin line with the commitment of thehospital’s SERVICOM to ensureefficient service delivery to the people.

“In my opinion, I think the corpsmember who executed the projectdeserves a national award. But foremployment, that will have to takeits normal course.

“If we have an opportunity, theseare the kind of people we will givepriority to”.

He called for dedication amongcorps members, particularly inembarking on projects which theycould be remembered for even aftertheir service year.

In her remarks, Diogu said theproject was borne out of the need toaddress difficulties in locating placesin the hospital, especially visitors.

Diogu, a dental therapist servingin the hospital, said that the fund forthe execution of the project wassourced from individuals within andoutside the hospital.

She said that the project gulpedN219, 000, adding that it would alsoadd to the beauty of the hospital.

“I saw the need to have a directionin the hospital because most of thetime you see patients roamingaround in the hospital before gettingto the department they are visiting,”Diogu said. (NAN)

Corps memberdonatesdirectory boardto UATH

the Federal Inland RevenueService (FIRS), without a properdesignated authority as acoordinated managementsystem for other IGR base, whichif properly harnessed wouldprovide billions for the Territory.

Gashinbaki, who is the globalpartner and Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO), Discovery CycleProfessionals and also policyconsultant/ adviser on IGR to theNigeria Governor’s Forum(NGF), made this point in aninterview with our reporter, saidthe committee when set up withthe support of well experiencedexperts to craft the process,would ensure a more coordinatedand efficient revenuemanagement system in the FCT.

He said: “FCT has tax

IGR expert advocates revenue collection c’ttee for FCTcollection frameworks for otherforms of internal revenueassessment and collection; whichare not per se backed by law.However, the revenues itself arenot illegal as they are legalcollections, but the bodies oragencies collecting these taxesare not backed by the appropriatelegal framework”.

Also the expert noted thatalthough the PITA, which is thelaw that designated revenueauthorities in all the thirty-sixstates of the federation, excludedthe FCT because of its status asthe nation’s capital, it won’t bedifficult to reverse the currenttrend and set up a revenue boardfor the FCT.

According to him, this makesit imperative for the PITA to be

amended for the territory to haveher own designated revenuemanagement authority, whichwill further boost her IGR base.

However, according to him,there could be another widow tobe explored in the transition tocreate an FCT tax authoritythrough amending the existinglaw under the currentarrangement.

He added that this isimportant given the territory’shuge potential of IGR, which isbeing explored through a systemthat is not as organized as whatyou would find across the states.

He further explained that ”going by other studies, thecurrent population of the City’sis put at about seven millionpeople; so the territory is not just

The Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya ( right) watches while the Director, Public Health,Dr. Folashade Momoh presents the keys of utility vehicles to the Medical Director of Bwari Hospital, Dr. Ebedi.

By Josephine Ella Ejeh

only the federal capital of civilservants that people used toknow, as it is now a full blowncommercial centre, but becausethere is no designated revenueauthority that would havecomplimented or evencompletely substitute what FIRSis doing, these potentials are notadequately explored”.

Also he is of the view thatbecause Abuja has evolved tohave become a big commercialnerve centre and as a result, theconduit for generating moreinternal revenue has triple overthe years, which the committeewhen set up with the support ofwell experienced experts to craftthe process, would ensure a morecoordinated and efficient revenuemanagement system.

By Stanley Onyekwere

To ensure properassessment, collectionand accountability of

Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) and boost IGR base in theFederal Capital Territory (FCT),an Abuja based IGR expert, IlliyaB. Gashinbaki has advocated forsetting up of a revenue collectionCommittee as an interimdesignated tax authority, whichwould eventually evolved into anFCT revenue board at theinstance of amendment ofPersonal Income Tax Act (PITA).

According to him, it is anabnormality that the PersonalIncome Tax of residents of theterritory are been collected by

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 17

Police arraign commercial motorcyclist for fraudThe Federal Capital

Territory(FCT) PoliceCommand at the weekend

arraigned a commercialmotorcyclist, Zayyanu Ahmed,20, of Area 1 , at the Wuse Zone6 Magistrates’ Court, Abuja foralleged misappropriation of amotorcycle.

Prosecutor, Corporal MusaAbdullahi, told the court that

Musa Ibrahim reported thematter at the Utako PoliceStation on January 21, 2013.

Abdullahi said that onOctober 20, 2012, Ibrahim ofArmy Barracks, Kuje entrustedhis Bajaj motorcycle to Ahmedon hire purchase.

“Ahmed was to pay N150,000 but by installment. But onJanuary 20, he alleged without

satisfactory evidence that themotorcycle was stolen,” he said.

He also told the court thatthe accused had only paid N30,000 before the reported theft ofthe motorcycle.

He said that the offencecontravene Sections 312 and322 of the Penal Code.

The accused howeverpleaded not guilty to the

An applicant, SaiduMohammed, 25, of AreaF, Nyanya, Abuja on

Wednesday appeared before aKaru Upper Area Court foralleged theft.

The Police Prosecutor, MrSilas Nanpan, told the court thatone Faith Ngbede of Area E,Block 86, Nyanya, Abuja,reported the case at the NyanyaPolice Station on January 22,2013.

Nanpam said that while

Faith was coming back fromchurch at Dunamis, Area 1,Mohammed, who was riding abike, came closer and forcefullysnatched her handbag.

“The bag contained one Nokiaphone, one Samsung phone anda bible. And Mohammed sped offafter snatching the bag.

“Faith shouted for assistanceand one Bilyaminu Mohammedof Aso, Nasarawa State, ranafter the accused and blockedhim,” Nanpan said.

Applicant, 25, in court for alleged theft

charge.The magistrate, Alhaji

Musa Jobbo, granted bail to theaccused in the sum of N100, 000and a surety in like sum.

He said that the surety musthave a fixed address within thejurisdiction of the court.

The magistrate howeveradjourned the case to February7 for further hearing. (NAN)

He further told the court thatwhile trying to escape,Mohammed hit a vehicle and felldown.

Nanpan said that the bag wasrecovered from the suspect.

“The offence contravenesSection 287 of the Penal Code.

Mohammed, however,denied the allegation.

The Defence Counsel, MrSunday Essienekak, urged thecourt to grant the accused bail.

He said the ConstitutionA 25-year-old man, Kabiru

Mamman, of Jabi, at theweekend appeared before an

Abuja Chief Magistrates Court, Zone6, charged with conspiracy, criminaltrespass, mischief and theft.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr MusaAbdullahi, told the court that onJanuary 22, 2013 one Jibrin Auduof No. 30 Anthony Enahoro Str.,reported the incident at the UtakoPolice Station.

Abdullahi said that the accusedwho was a houseboy to thecomplainant, conspired with twoothers now at large to trespass into hiscompound and stole his belongings.

The prosecutor listed the itemsstolen to include one Toshiba laptop,valued at N180,000 and aBlackberry cell phone valued atN80,000.

He said that the offencescontravene Sections 79, 348, 327 and288 of the Penal Code.

The accused, however, pleadednot guilty to the charges.

In his ruling, Magistrate MusaJobbo, granted the accused bail in thesum of N100, 000 with two sureties,who must reside within the court’sjurisdiction.

Jobbo adjourned the case toFebruary 7, 2013 for hearing. (NAN)

Houseboydocked fortrespass,mischief

Apo 6: Court adjourns for adoption of written addresses

An electrician, RafiuKazim, 27, of AirportRoad Abuja has been

arraigned before a Karu SeniorMagistrates Court for criminalconspiracy, breach of trust andmisappropriation.

The Prosecutor, MrChristian Munonye, told thecourt that one Ikechukwu Ezeof the same address entrustedhis Toyota Carina E car withregistration No. AX 473 GWAvalued at N350,000 to theaccused for repairs.

The prosecutor said theaccused, who collected the carsometime in December, 2011,disappeared to an unknowndestination.

He said efforts to discoverthe car and the accused provedabortive.

Munonye said the accusedwas, however, seen andarrested on Jan. 16.

He said that Kazim hadduring interrogation confessedthat he conspired with oneSunday Ojo, who sold the car

to one Ozoemena Nwankwo ofZuba Motor Spare Parts Villagefor N70,000

“The offences contravenedsections 96, 312 and 309 of thePenal Code,’’ he said.

The accused persons pleadednot guilty to the charges.

The Senior Magistrate, MrsSharon Ishaya, granted Kazimand Ojo bail in the sum ofN100,000 each and a surety inlike sum, who must residedwithin the jurisdiction of thecourt.

presumes the accused innocenttill proven guilty.

He assured the court that theaccused had a reliable surety ifgranted bail.

The Judge, Alhaji UmarKagarko, granted bail to theaccused in the sum of N50,000with a surety, who must residereside within the court’sjurisdiction.

The case was adjourned toApril 29, 2013 for furtherhearing. (NAN)

The magistrate also grantedNwankwo, the alleged buyer ofthe stolen car, bail in the sumN100, 000 and a surety in likesum.

Ishaya said the suretiesshould present their recentphotograph, driving licences orinternational passport to thecourt’s registry.

He also directed that theiraddresses should be verified bythe prosecutor and adjournedthe case to February 20, forhearing. (NAN)

A youngmanreceivingpedicurefrom alocalspecialistyesterdayin Area 1,Abuja.

Photo:JustinImo-Owo

INSIDE FCTCOURTS

A mason, Michael Anthonyof Lugbe in Abuja, was atthe weekend arraigned before

an Abuja Senior Magistrates Court foralleged joint act, trespass, house-breaking and theft.

The Prosecutor, Mr JeremiahElijah, told the court that the case waslodged at the Lugbe Police Station onJanuary 20, 2013 by one StephenSimon and Mabogunje Oludare of theFederal Housing Authority, Lugbe.

Elijah said that on that date, Simonand Oludare were in church whenAnthony and one other person now atlarge, criminally broke into theirhouse through the ceiling.

He said the accused stole a 20-inchLCD television, two digital cameras,one LG cell phone, two laptops and onewindow blind.

“Anthony admitted to the offenceduring investigation and the televisionand window blind were recoveredfrom his possession,” Elijah said.

The prosecutor added that theoffence contravened Sections 79, 343,347 and 288 of the Penal Code.

Anthony pleaded not guilty to thecharges.

Senior Magistrate, SimisolaAdeniyi, granted bail to the accusedin the sum of N100,000 with twosureties in like sum, who must residewithin the court’s jurisdiction.

Adeniyi ordered that one of thesureties must be a civil servant andadjourned the matter to February 20,2013 for hearing. (NAN)

Police arraignmason overhouse-breaking

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 18

An elderly man seeking for alms on the pedestrian bridge, in Nyanya.Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

MDGs corps members offerfree medical treatment forKute, Karako communities

Group A NYSCmembers servingunder the platform of

Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs) at the weekendoffered free medicaltreatment, drugs andinsecticidal treated bed netsto the people of Kute andKarako in Bwari AreaCouncil.

The gesture was done inline with goal 6 of the MDGswhich is to combat HIV/AIDs,malaria and other diseasesand also in fulfilment of theMillennium DevelopmentGoals’ Awareness CreationProject of the FederalGovernment.

Speaking shortly after theexercise, the Group ACoordinators Mr.

Kefas Steven Garba and

Mr. Udaga Monday Inyilasaid that the group project wasnecessitated by the zeal to helpthe communities and to alsoattain the MillenniumDevelopment Goals.

They also added that withthe present level ofdevelopment in the

country, Nigeria mayachieve the MillenniumDevelopment Goals,

disclosing that mostAfrican countries could notmeet up with the

earlier dateline.According to them, they

left some drugs at the KuteHealth Post to

ensure the sustainabilityof the project, saying thatthey worked

based on the proceduredirection given by the FCTPrimary Health CareDevelopment Board(PHCDB)

Receiving the drugs onbehalf of the twocommunities in Kute, the

Medical Director, KuteHealth Post, AbokiMohammed said that thepeople due demonstratewillingness for medicaltreatment therefore hewould ensure that the drugsare equitably distributedbetween the twocommunities.

He lamented lowgovernment attention in thecommunities, adding thatthe only support the peoplereceive from government isduring IPDs andimmunisation.

Meanwhile the Head ofKute, Chief Yunana Gimbaand that of Karako ChiefAyuba Madaki thanked theMDGs corps members for thegesture and pray God toreward them richly.

By Etuka Sunday

Mini bus operatorshave beenwarned to desist

from harassing or attackinghigh-capacity bus operatorsand users in order to preventthem from operating in thewake of their recent ban fromoperating on some designatedroutes.

Lamenting that suchbehaviour constitutes acriminal offence and offenderswould no doubt face the fullwrath of the law if caught, theSenior Special Assistant to theFCT Minister on InformationManagement Systems, HajiyaJamilah Tangaza whoaddressed journalists at theweekend, explain the rationale

Mini bus operators warned againstattack on high capacity buses

behind the new policy.She said the FCT new

Transportation Policy has beenplanned to curb congestion,persistent gridlocks, chaos,reduce traffic accidents,enhance security and ensuretraffic sanity on the major roadsand interchanges in Abuja.

According to her, this is thetime for us as nation to takemajor decisions on whether wewant to sanitize the system andmake it work to propel Abuja tobe one of the best 20 cities in theWorld by 2020 or continuewith this chaotic situation.

Tangaza further explainedthat no category oftransportation mode in Abujawas banned by the newTransportation Policy; notingthat the measure entails a

restriction of operations of mini-buses (popularly known asAraba) to certain routes and thehigh-capacity ones to otherroutes in the City.

This was as sheemphasized that the policy hastaken good care of all the modesof transportation including thehigh capacity buses, mini-buses(Araba) as well as the taxis;insisting that none will sufferbut will only be restricted to thearea of their operations.

She further called forcooperation andunderstanding from theseveral transport unions as wellas the motoring public becausethe policy has been carefullyplanned to allow alltransportation modes dwell ontheir areas of jurisdiction.

By Josephine Ella Ejeh

PAGE 19PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Management Tip of the DayKeep your audience engaged by sharing the stage

INSIDE

Audiences find monologuesboring. They’re no longerwilling to sit for an hour while

a single speaker drones on. The keyto getting and holding theirattention is having new thingscontinually happen. You can keepyour presentation lively by doingtwo things:

· Bring in other presenters.

CBN sustainsintervention with

NTBs

- Pg 20

Email: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

Invite other experts to join you onstage or by video. Or look for waysteam members can play to theirstrengths. If your colleague Samis quick on his feet, for example,have him lead the Q&A.

· Mix up your visuals.Alternate between slides andother media. Hang posters andexhibits on the wall. Use video

to inject humor, boostcredibility throughtestimonials, or clarify conceptswith animated infographics. Ifyou’re talking about a product,give a demo — hold it, displayit, and allow people to interactwith it.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

Left to right - Tarik Mumtaz (CFO Al-Qahtani), Umaru Kwairanga ( Director Jaiz Bank PLC), Salah Al-Qahtani (Vice Chairman Al-Qahtani), Dr.Mohammed Indimi ( Chairman, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd. and Director Jaiz Bank PLC), Mohammed M. Bintube (MD/CEO), MusbahuBashir (Director, Jaiz Bank PLC) and Mr. Rick of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, during the official visit of Al-Qahtani Group a Saudi basedCompany to the Bank's Head Office in Abuja recently.

Nigeria’s power generationhas dropped from itsDecember figure of 4,502

megawatts to 4,286 megawatts,the Transmission Company ofNigeria, (TCN), has disclosed.

The company said thatelectricity generation has hit4,286 megawatts as against the3,700 megawatts that is beinginsinuated in the country.

Nigeria reached its highest

peak generation of 4, 517megawatts on December 23,according to the TCN andhovered around that figure inDecember.

The current generation of4,286 megawatts also droppedon Monday, the TCN’s AssistantGeneral Manager, PublicAffairs, Dave Ifabiyi, said. Heexplained that the drop in powergeneration on Monday was dueto the one-day shutdown of apower plant.

Mr. Ifabiyi, who made theclarifications in a telephoneinterview with the News agencyof Nigeria on Wednesday inLagos, said that powergeneration dropped by 460megawatts on Monday.

“The 460 megawatts drop inpower generation on Mondaywas due to the one-day shutdownof the Okpai Power Plant ownedby Agip Oil Company inDelta. The plant was closed toundergo repairs,’’ he said.

Nigeria’s power generation drops to 4, 286MW- TCNBy Udenna Orji

The Federal Government willofficially handover PowerHolding Company of

Nigeria (PHCN) generation anddistribution companies to coreinvestors in the second quarter of2013.

A top official of the Bureau ofPublic Enterprises (BPE) disclosedthis to the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) in Lagos oncondition of anonymity.

The official attributed theslow pace of the bidding process ofsome of the power stations in thecountry to the cumbersomeprivitisation process.

He said that the distributioncompany in Kaduna and thegeneration company in Afam inRivers were exempted from theexercise because no preferredbidder had emerged for the firms.

He said that an agreementhad been executed by thegovernment and labour thatguaranteed the cooperation ofworkers in the handover process.

The source said thatgovernment was working to raisethe finance to pay staffentitlements, adding that theBPE was collaborating with the

Ministry of Lands and Housing toresolve land and property titles.

"I don't think we can handoverPHCN to successor companies nowdue to the ongoing bidding processof some of the power generationand distribution companies.

"But am sure that by secondquarter of this year, governmentwill officially hand over PHCN tothe core investors,'' he said.

BPE to handover PHCN to successorcompanies in 2nd quarter of 2013 - Official

The official, however,debunked insinuation that theFederal Government would in thenext two weeks handover thePHCN successor power generationand distribution companies to thecore investors.

He said that handing over ofPHCN to investors within the nexttwo weeks was not realistic sincegovernment had just cleared all

the preferred bidders for thePHCN successor generation anddistribution companies to enterthe final negotiation stage on thesale of the electricity firms.

NAN recalls that inNovember last year, the BPEannounced that it received 335million dollars from the biddersfor both the generation anddistribution firms.

The 11 distribution companiesup for sale are located in Abuja,Benin, Enugu, Eko, Ibadan, Ikeja,Port Harcourt, Jos, Kaduna, Kanoand Yola.

The generation companiesslated for privitisation include theUghelli Power Plc, Sapele PowerPlc, Geregu Power Plc, KainjiPower Plc and Shiroro Power Plc.(NAN)

Mozilla, one of theforemost internetbrowser providers, has

dolled out details of it’s plans tolaunch new smartphones to bepowered by its Firefox operatingsystem.

It disclosed that two mobilephones would be introduced bya fast growing Spanish firmcalled Geeksphone and will betargeted at developers before thesystem is formally launched.

The system will be based onthe HTML5 web programminglanguage and is being sold asoffering software writers more“freedom” than alternatives”

However, it may face stiffcompetition from other systemsthat will soon be released into themobile market.

It is no longer news thatBlackberry 10, Ubuntu, Tizenand Sailfish will be releasedbefore 2013 runs to a close, tocompete in a market that hasalready been taken over byAndroid, iOS, Windows Phone,Blackberry 7 and Symbianamong others.

Some analysts believe thatthe global market will be toosmall for the entiresmartphones to survive.Nigerian analysts have seen thedevelopment as a welcome one,considering the dominance ofBlackberry.

FirefoxlaunchesMozillamobile phone

He said that the one-dayclosure of the Okpai Power Plantforced power generation to standat 4,100 megawatts, which roseto 4,286 MW on Tuesday.

“As at Tuesday, Nigeria’spower generation stood at 4,286megawatts. We are expectantthat our power generationcapacities will build-up withtime.

“The shutdown of the Okpaipower plant was because ofvandalised line, which was laterrestored back on stream the sameday,’’ he said.

Mr. Ifabiyi said that theongoing privatisation of thepower sector would result inincreased power generation andimproved supply of electricity toNigerians.

President Goodluck Jonathanhad claimed, in an interviewwith the CNN, that powergeneration and distribution inNigeria was getting better andthat Nigerians could attest to thatfact.

PAGE 20 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

CBN sets new deposit limit for account holders

The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) on Friday set newdeposit limits for all

categories of account holders andintroduced three-tier Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements forbanks.

The policy pegs a maximumsingle deposit amount of N20,000and maximum cumulativebalance of N200,000 at any pointin time on the Low Value Account.

It also places a maximum singledeposit of N50,000 and amaximum cumulative balance ofN400,000 on the Medium ValueAccount. However, for the HighValue Account, no limit is placedon cumulative balance.

The policy also categorisedbank customers into Low ValueAccounts (Level One); MediumValue Accounts (Level two) andHigh Value Accounts (Level three).

A circular to all banks and otherfinancial institutions (OFIs) signedby the CBN’s Director, FinancialPolicy and Regulation, ChrisChukwu, explained that the policybecame exigent after the CBNrecognised that access to basicbanking facilities and otherfinancial services is necessary inachieving the policy on financialinclusion. He advised banks toadopt the new KYC requirementadding that the proposed depositlimits is meant to reduce the risk of

COMPANYNEWS money laundering and financing

of terrorism.He said the Low Value Accounts

are subject to close monitoring bythe financial institutions and lessscrutiny by bank examiners.

The CBN director said theaccounts could be opened atbranches of banks by a prospectivecustomer or through bankingagents and no amount is requiredfor its opening. However, suchaccounts prohibit internationalfunds transfer.

According to him, the MediumValue Accounts can be opened face-to-face at any branch of a bank byagents for enterprises or by theaccount holder but, the accountsare strictly savings with noamount required for its opening.Also, where cross-checking ofclient’s identity cards informationis not completed at the point ofaccount opening, withdrawalwould be denied.

Chukwu added that for theHigh-Value Accounts, banks arerequired to obtain, verify andmaintain copies of all the requireddocuments for accounts opening.Account is to be opened at the bankbranches by physical presence ofthe prospective customer and theaccounts could be both savings andcurrent.

However, for mobile bankingproducts, the account attracts amaximum transaction limit ofN100, 000 and daily limit of N1

FAAN

The management of theFederal AirportsAuthority of Nigeria (FAAN)

and AIC Hilton Ltd., on Fridayengaged in a serious argumentwith each other over theownership of hectares of land.

The land is located at theMurtala MohammedInternational Airport (MMIA),Ikeja. It took the quickintervention of the Commissionerof Police, Airport’s Command, MrOlatunde Caulcrick, to bring thesituation under control.

A similar fight broken outearly this month between the twoorganisations when workers of AICHilton were chased out by aviationsecurity, the security outfit of

FAAN and armed policemen.

NPA

The Managing Director ofNigerian Ports Authority,Alhaji Habib Abdullahi, has

approved the purchase of moreboats for waterfronts patrol,motorcycles, patrol van andtowing vans for the securitydepartment of the authority, inorder to ensure efficient andeffective security at the nation’sseaports.

The General Manager incharge of security in theauthority, Lt. Col Jamil Tahir(rtd.) disclosed this whileaddressing heads of securitydepartment from all port locationsat their quarterly meeting, whichtook place in Port Harcourt, RiversState.

According to the GeneralManager, baggage scanners andscanning machines which willscan vehicles, trucks and theirdrivers will also be installed atports. Tahir pointed out that theequipment will not in any wayconflict with Nigerian Customsoperations because as he puts it,“customs are looking forcontrabands, Nigerian PortsSecurity is looking for dangerouscargoes”.

NDE

The National Directorate ofEmployment (NDE), OyoState, has graduated 80

unemployed youths thatparticipated in the four monthsRural Agricultural DevelopmentTraining Scheme (RADTS) of theagency.

In his keynote address at thegraduation ceremony held in Oyotown last week, the representativeof the Commissioner forAgriculture in Oyo State, Mr YodeAyanlowo, urged beneficiaries ofthe programme to make the bestuse of the training and skills theyreceived by venturing fully intoagriculture.

Oyo state coordinator, NDE, DrAyodele Olusegun Akinremi saidthe programme, which is ongoing,was meant to engage theunemployed youths in the state inmodern agricultural businesses,increase food production and toreduce unemployment in linewith the Federal Government’sVision 20:2020.

Earnings Report for Banks Source:Pro-share Nigeria

million however, such productsare subject to the CBN RegulatoryFramework for Mobile PaymentsServices in Nigeria.

He said that banks are requiredto have robust, effective andefficient anti-money laundering /combating the financial terrorism(AML/CFT) solutions withscreening tools in place that willmonitor the various thresholds.“All accounts, no matter how lowthe transaction or the risks, mustbe subjected to continuoussuspicious transactionsmonitoring by financialinstitutions which will determinewhen incremental KYC

By Aminu Imam requirements need to be providedby the customers,” he said.

He said the CBN will ensure theestablishment of appropriateprocesses and procedures for thepurpose of monitoring compliancewith the regulatory framework. Headded that non-compliantfinancial institutions would besanctioned in line with theprovisions of extant laws andregulations.

He said 64.1 per centrepresenting 56.3 million adultNigerians do not have access tofinancial services, hence the policyis also meant to bridge the gap.

Inflation rates from Jan, 2012 to Dec, 2012Max = 12.9 %, Min = 11.3 % for period in display.Current Inflation rate = 12 % Source:CBN

CBN sustains intervention with NTBs

In the economic report of 2012,the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has said it had sustained

its normal call through OpenMarket Operation (OMO), as it putout for sale, the Nigerian TreasuryBills (NTBs) in November lastyear.

In its eighth time interventionwithin the month, it had given outN820.00 billion for sale and

By Abdulwahab Isa N1.523 trillion for publicsubscription, while it maintainedN939.54 billion allotment.

Making this disclosure in theNovember 2012 Economic Report,presented by CBN, it said that thebusiness engagement showedmixed fortunes when beingcompared with the entire offer,subscription and allotment inOctober of N1.2 trillion, N1.2trillion and N882.80 billion, as thecase may be.

Fidelity Bank Plc hasmandated Citi to raise $100million via a two-year loan

from the international debtmarket, to help increase its foreigncurrency lending capacity, asenior executive told Reuters onFriday.

Head of Strategy, FrancisIkenga said Citi was in the debtmarket to secure the loan througha book building process and thatyield on the paper will bedetermined at the end of thetransaction.

Ikenga said Fidelity had seenan increase in demand for foreigncurrency loans from all sectors ofNigeria’s economy especiallywithin the oil and gas and telecomsectors. (Reuters)

By Abdulwahab Isa

Bankers and financialexperts from Nigeria andother West African

countries will converge inAbuja today for a week- longannual banking workshoporganized by a leading globalinvestment bank, DeutscheBank.

At the workshop, experts willbrainstorm on issues includinginternational trade finance,international payments,agriculture funding andcompliance regulations andoperations. “To date, DeutscheBank had organised three ofsuch annual workshops inAbuja, Nigeria and Accra,Ghana.

“The workshop is aimed atadding value to investmentbanking operations in the WestAfrican sub-region.”Accordingto Charles Weller, Head,Deutsche Bank, Nigeria, “Overthe past years, we have hostedclose to 500 West Africanbankers at our training eventsand we have been delightedwith the success of theseworkshops.”

Deutsche Bank experts acrossthe globe will be presenting andspeaking at the event,highlighting the everincreasing importance of Nigeriaand West Africa in theinternational financial space,”Weller said.

“The bank’s Deputy Head inNigeria, Mrs. Adeola Azeez, saidthe workshop aims at puttingNigeria and the region morefirmly on the Deutsche Bankmap and equally cementing andincreasing relationship with thebank’s clients and customers inthe West African sub-region.

Deutsche bankholds GlobalBanking workshopin Abuja

Fidelity Bankasks Citi to raise$100m debt

PAGE 21PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

INVESTORSNEWS BITS

Source:Pro-share Nigeria

Market CAP records N200.93bn gain in week

Trading activities in theweek closed with a gain of2.12% as the bulls

continue to dominate thebourse amid low market pricevolatility. The marketwitnessed sustained cautiousbargain drive to extendprevious week’s gains riding onlow-key speculative tradingas sentiments remainedpositive in the week.

Nigerian stocksexperienced sell pressure onMonday, losing -0.27% to openthe week on negative note.The key benchmark indicesgained 0.46% on Tuesday onthe back of improvedoptimistic trading paraded by

value investors towards theblue chips.

Furthermore, marketsustained the rally as the keybenchmark indices climbedfurther on Wednesday by+1.47% despite the prolongedsell pressure witnessed duringsession as investors sustainedstrong commitment towardsblue chips.

Subsequently, equitiessustained healthy breadth onFriday as market tradedabove the line to end the weekwith aggregate gain of+ 2 . 1 2 % .

Further analysis onacquiring banks sincetransaction date showed thatthe share price of Access BankPlc has recorded +124.85%

Flourmills ofNigeriaFlourmills of Nigeria Plc

has notified the exchangethat both the Boards of

Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc andNiger Company Limited havebeen in discussion andnegotiations with regard tomerging their respectivebusinesses.

The proposed scheme ofmerger will be undertakenpursuant to part XII of theinvestment and securities ActNo. 29 of 2007. Flour Millscurrently holds 99.97%equity in Niger Mills and theproposed merger will facilitatethe consolidation of thecompanies’ operations andprocesses into a singleenlarged entity.

The scheme will beachieved by the transfer ofliabilities and undertakings ofNiger Mills to Flour Mills inexchange for which ordinaryshares of flour mills will beissued to the minorityshareholders of Niger mills oralternatively a cashconsideration in lieu of theallotment of the said FlourMills shares be made to the

minority.

NSE

Several weeks after theSecurities and ExchangeCommission (SEC)

revoked the licences of 35stockbroking firms, theNigerian Stock Exchange(NSE) is yet to remove thenames of the affectedbrokerage firms from itswebsite.

The delay by the Exchangeto act promptly has beendescribed as one capable ofmisleading both local andinternational investors to stillcarry on business transactionswith the stockbroking firmswho had their operationlicences withdrawn.

A check on the NSE websiteportal on Friday showed thatthe addresses, emails and phonenumbers of the chairman andbrokers of the stockbrokingfirms were still intact.

EcobankTransnational

Ecobank TransnationalIncorporated hasdisclosed that it will sell

shares, and bonds in order tomeet rising capitalrequirements in the Africancountries where it operates.

Ecobank has operations in33 African countries, andmany of these countries areasking their financialinstitutions to recapitalize inorder to deepen their capacity.

The CEO who took over fromArnold Ekpe last year also saidthat the bank may considerlisting its shares on anExchange outside Africa .

Pencom to open Lagos officeArrangement has been

concluded to open theSouth West Zone office of

the National PensionCommission (PenCom).

The office to be open in Lagosis considered by PenCOM verystrategic as it would ease theburden of retirees moving oftento Abuja for clarification andprocessing of their benefits.

PenCom zonal Head,

Operations Department,Polycarp Anyanwu whileconfirming setting up of Lagoszonal office said Acting DirectorGeneral of PenCom, Mrs. ChineloAnohu-Amazu has put logisticsin place for the Lagos office.

Polycarp Anyanwu said theidea behind the establishment ofthe zonal offices was to extend theservices of the commission closerto its stakeholders.

"We already have zonaloffices in Calabar for South-

Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos gains with FCMB recording+25.90% gain while UnionBank Plc leads the chart with+269.86% gains. However,Sterling Bank Plc recorded+121.26% gains and ETIclosed positive with 9.68%gain recorded.

However, the All-ShareIndex in the week underreview appreciated by+2.12% to close at 31,583.49as against appreciation by+5.91% recorded last week toclose at 30,927.18.

In the same vein, themarket capitalization in theweek appreciated by N209.93billion (US$1.37 billion) toclose at N10.10 trillion(US$66.03 billion) as againstappreciation by N553.23

billion (US$3.45 billion)recorded last week to close atN9.89 trillion (US$61.82billion)

The total volume traded inthe week closed at 2.61 billionunits valued at N19.51 billion(US$125.51 million)compared with 3.25 billionunits valued at N21.63 billion(US$135.22 million)exchanged in 27,186 dealslast week.

The volume transaction inthe week when compared withthe previous week data moveddown by -19.85% as against upby +50.91% recorded last week.Weekly value also went downby -11.28% as against positiveposition of +27.29% recordedlast week.

South, Ilorin for North-Central,Gombe for North-East, Kano forNorth-West and Awka for South-East."

He lamented that "retireescome to make enquiries, peoplecome to ask for different things,how to access funds afterretirement and complaintsabout the services they get fromPFAs and we have startedengaging stakeholders onsensitization seminars withinthe zone."

He noted that "the zonal officestructure is to get more of ourcontributors, retirees to haveeasier access to the commissionand it brings us closer to thePFAs to enable us have betteroversight of their operations".

According to him, "the ZonalOffice will facilitate logistics andmake it easier for PenCom tocarry out the usual enrolmentexercises for prospectiveretirees".

It was also disclosed over theweekend that 21 states of thefederation have passed thePension Reform bill, which hasas its flagship, the ContributoryPension Scheme (CPS).

He said , 14 states havecommenced proceedings leadingto the passage of the bill whileseven states have startedcontributions under theContributory Pension Scheme.One State it was revealed is yetto make any effort towardsadopting the Pension Reforms.The CEO of the Nigerian

Stock Exchange, OscarOnyeama has stated that

the market capitalisastion ofthe Nigerian stock market willincrease if government createsan enabling environment forinitial public offerings to returnto the exchange.

He said to journalists at apress briefing earlier in theweek that the market recoverywill be sustainable if efforts aremade to deepen the market.

He said, “We cannot say thatour market is completely backuntil initial public offers andnew listings are back in themarket; therefore, we needactive government support interms of providing theenvironment for companies tolist their shares on theExchange.

“Presently, our marketcapitalisation is only 17 per centof the country’s Gross DomesticProduct, and this is one of thelowest in Africa. We need theutility companies, oil companiesand telecoms companies to listtheir shares, and we believe thatgovernment has a great role toplay in this regard.”

Speaking on the goal ofachieving $1 trillion marketcapitalization by 2016, hesaid it was still possible if theoil and gas majors listed theirstocks on the exchange.

“Our goal is to grow ourmarket capitalisation from$74bn to $1tn in five years. Ifwe can attract the oil and gassector, if we can attract thetelecoms and power sectors,then we should be able to hitthose numbers.”

FG must create enablingenvironment for IPOs – NSE CEO

The International FinanceCorporation (IFC), hasannounced innovative

plans to launch $50 million/N8billion worth of bonds and listthem on the Nigerian StockExchange (NSE).

The initiative wasannounced by the IFC Vice-President and Treasurer , Mr.Jingdong Hua, who described itas the first Naira bond to be issuedby the IFC and the first of its kindin emerging markets.

The bond, which has a fiveyear tenor is a collaborative effortof the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), the Ministry of Finance

and other regulatory agencies.He said the IFC chose the name

“Naija” bond in order to representthe Nigeria spirit of hard workand patriotism.

He said: “The IFC Naija bondwill be a milestone achievementas we continue to work withgovernments and localauthorities to strengthendomestic capital markets in theregion.”

The IFC Naija bond istargeted at investors such aspension funds, insurers, assetmanagers, and banks seekinghigh quality assets and portfoliodiversification.

IFC to list N8bn Naija bonds on NSE

By Abdulwahab Isa

PAGE 22 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

PHCN privatisation to be completed in two weeks

The much-anticipatedprivatisation of the PowerHolding Company of

Nigeria (PHCN) should becompleted within two weeks. Thisis the assurance of the FederalGovernment, as declared by theSecretary to the Government ofthe Federation, Chief Anyim PiusAnyim on Thursday in Lagos.

Chief Anyim, who was in

Lagos to unveil the centenarydocument and project, expressedoptimism that the Nation willwitness remarkableimprovement in the power sectorwith the privatization processunderway.

He said “In the next two weeks,power generation anddistribution will leave thegovernment into private hands,as plans have been concluded tohandover PHCN to new

investors”.On the centenary celebration

(100 years of Nigeria’s existence),which will start from this monthtill October 1,2014, SenatorAnyim said, “The Successes ofcities like Dubai, Monaco,Shenzhen, Singapore andSongdo, have shown thatdevelopment of certain class ofcities is the strongest social,political and economic tool tosecuring foreign investment,

By Udenna Orji

R-L: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NigerDelta Power Holding Company, Mr. James Olotu, and senior special assistant to the president onpower reform, Mr.O.S . Egberongbe, during vice-president meeting with Nigerian IndependencePower Project Contractors, on Saturday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

promoting positive internationalattention, and indeed signallinga new national economicawakening.”

He said the FederalGovernment was planning toprovide the private sectorpartnership with 1,000 hectaresof land along the Abuja Airportroad, for a city that will be builtfrom scratch to attract about $15billion investment into thecountry, when completed.

One of Africa's mostdiversified investors,Rosehill Group, has

offered a recipe on how theFederal Capital TerritoryAuthority can boost its revenuebase.

Chairman of the Group AlhajiSuleiman Yahyah said theintroduction of tax on propertywould not only grow the revenuebase of Abuja but would also forcelandlords to bring down houserent.

He said there are manycompleted but unoccupiedbuilding in Abuja.

Speaking at last NTA'sTuesday live programme on,FCTA and the challenges ofDevelopment, Alhaji Yahyahsaid there is also the need for alaw that would regulate rentalfees charged and time for tenants.

Commending FCT MinisterBala Muhammad for partneringwith the private sector, AlhajiYahaya said Abuja now beingone of the best cities in Africashould have a revenuegenerating agency backed by thelaw.

He said the FCTA can alsopartner with other governmentagencies that have long timefund at their disposal. Rosehill

Rosehill Group gives recipe for revenue generation in AbujaGroup is one of Nigeria's topestate companies that recentlyqualified for the land swapprogramme where lands wereallocated to them to develop newdistricts in Abuja, a statementfrom the Group said.

Speaking at the interviewsession moderated by NTA's CyrilStober, the minister of Abujacommended Rosehill Group forits input and contribution in theconception and implementationof the Land Swap Policy, whichhe described as very central tothe Goodluck Jonathanadministration.

The Minister described thechairman of Rosehill Group

Alhaji Yahyah as an intelligenteconomist that has beencontributing in the areas of jobcreation and economicdevelopment in the country.

Other members of thetelevision discussion panel are:Chairman Senate Committee onFCT Smart Adeyemi, AdamauSamaila, Executive Secretary ofFCDA and Onibokun Abimbola,an urban development expert.

The Group is diversified withinterest in oil and gas, trading,infrastructure development,power and engineering,information and communicationtechnology, financial servicesand property development.

Rosehill has establishedinterest in Aviation handlingservices, hotels andentertainment andinfrastructure concessioning,agriculture and management.The group is head-quartered inAbuja with business offices inKaduna, Lagos, Gusau, Rome(Italy) and Dubai (UAE).

The Rosehill Group has in itskitty: Nahco Aviance, DeluxeSuites, Rosehill Luxury SuitesLtd, Rosehill Ltd, Rosecom IT,Tartar Cargo, MaitamaAmusement Park, Madeira Ltd,Turnkey Project Ltd, RosehillEngineering, Empire Group Ltdand Rosegas Ltd among others.

By Muhammad Nasir

By Chris Alu

In a bid to ensure affordableservices in the telecomssector for about 100 million

subscribers , the NigerianCommunications Commission(NCC) has ordered the slashingof Short Message Service (SMS)charges in the country.

As at the moment, the SMS,which has been massivelyutilized in the Country, has ahigh price rate of about N10 foroff-net, which according tosubscribers, is unfavourable.

The Head, Public Affairsand Media for the NCC, Mr.Reuben Muoka, who issued outthe statement on Thursday,said the TelecommunicationsCompanies had been notifiedsince January by theregulatory body of its decision,affirming that the new SMStariff would take effect fromFebruary 5,2013.

President of the NationalAssociation of TelecomsSubscribers of Nigeria, ChiefDeolu Ogubanjo said thedevelopment was a good oneand will encourage subscribersto patronize the Networkservices, especially the SMSprovisions.

He further stated: “Whilewe appreciate thisdevelopment, we believe thecommission can do better. Whatit has done is on SMS. Thetelecoms subscribers areexposed to three areas, whichare voice, data and SMS. NCChas done SMS; the data dependson the networks”.

Director Legal andRegulatory Services for theNCC, Ms Reginald Amuwa saidthat “There was a generalrecognition that the cost of SMSis too high, especially in viewof the interconnection rate ofN1.02 for SMS as determinedby the commission in 2009.”

She said the decision was inaccordance with the provisionsof Section 4, Chapter VII of theNigerian CommunicationsAct, 2003, which empowers itto dictate SMS tariff wherenecessary.

NCCslashes SMStariff to N4

Ex-CITN chief seeks autonomy for revenue bodiesFormer Chairman of the

Ikeja Branch of theChartered Institute of

Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), MrChukwuemeka Eze, hasadvised State Governments togrant autonomy to the InternalRevenue Service (SIRS) in thestates.

Eze told the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) over theweekend in Lagos that thegesture would enable the SIRSto perform optimally.

He said that it wasunethical for government todirectly be involved in theaffairs of the SIRS.

Eze said that CITN hadwritten all State Governmentsin the country to allow the SIRSto manage their affairswithout interference.

He said that only five stateshad honoured the letter.

“About five states out of the36 states have honoured ourletters on the need to grantautonomy to the SIRS — theyare Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa,Ekiti and Benue.

“We have written letters toState Governments on the needto grant autonomy to thevarious SIRS.

“However, we will continueto press harder to ensure theremaining StateGovernments implement our

plea,’’ he said.Eze said that tax

administration had become agreat challenge, due togovernment’s involvement inrunning the tax authorities.

“When a new governmentassumes office, the first thingis to remove the chairman ofthe revenue board and appointits own,” he said.

Eze said that the autonomywould enable the taxadministrators “hire and fireany erring official”.

He noted that the autonomywould instill professionalismand enhance efficiency by wayof improved revenuegeneration into government’scoffers. (NAN)

A former Director ofCentral Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Mr Chris

Nemedia has urged the FederalGovernment to prioritise itsdevelopment agenda to achievegoals.

Nemedia told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) inLagos that it was economicallyunhealthy for the government totry to achieve many things atonce.

He advised the FederalGovernment to followelementary economics principlesabout making opportunity costchoices from a scale of preferenceof its development agenda.

“And it is a common preceptin economics that choice andopportunity cost is made from notmore than two or three items.

“So, it will not augur well forour economy if the governmentis not prioritising itsdevelopment agenda andfocusing on attaining some at atime,” he said.

Nemedia said that theeconomic transformation ofNigeria would not be speedilyattained if governmentcontinued to “do many things atonce“.

He added that government atall levels needed to consultwidely, especially with experts,on projects that requiredimmediate attention. (NAN)

Prioritise your developmentagenda, former CBNdirector tells FG

PAGE 24 PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Boko Haram: The last gasps of a killer group?

The terror group BokoHaram would havebeen history by now

had its bandits beenoperating in Niger or Chad.This is for the simple reasonthat security agents inthose countries are abreastwith terror groups and theirantics and could have easilyrouted them. The troops inNiger and Chad are battletested in the real sense ofthe word. This explainswhy Ansar- u-Deen choseMali, not Chad or Niger, twoplaces where it would havebeen easier for them toconverge. Of course, AlQae’da clearly avoidedNigeria for very tacticalreasons: they would have

The Chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr.Aliyu Babangida Mua'zu: Boko Haram is active in several northern states

Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero wasattacked by suspected Boko Haram elements a week ago

National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar

had no hiding place as theskin colour of most of theirfighters would easily givethem away. So it wasconvenient to train local,dark-skinned Nigerians todo the dirty work of thepredominantly fair-skinnedAl Qa’eda fighters.

One may be right towonder why terror groupsare operating with relativeease in Afghanistan sinceAfghan troops are, to alarge extent, equally battletested. The answer issimple: since theforebearers of theMujahideen forced theBritish to abandonAfghanistan in 1922, to thewar against Soviet invasion

from1979 until they toofled in 1989, many Afghanshave come to view militantopposition to foreignintervention as a patrioticcall to duty. This is the waymany Afghans today view

the American intervention.It has nothing to do withreviving Islam; Islam wasmerely a rallying point, aneffective battle cry againstthe British and the formerSoviets and now theAmericans. After all, whatother brand of Islam is theTaliban bringing to a peoplewho subscribe to the basictenets of Islam? This says alot about the failure of theFulani Jihad of 1804 in thedefunct Kanem BornoEmpire. By the time theFulani Jihadiststhreateningly arrived theshores of Borno, they met apeople deeply steeped inIslamic practices and wereaccordingly questioned byBorno Ulamas as to theirmotive since Borno hadembraced Islam at least onethousand years before theSokoto Jihad. Which Islamthen is Boko Haram revivingin today’s Borno? What onearth is Ansar-u-Deen doingin Gao and Timbuktu?

Back to Boko Haram! Allthumbs should be pointingskyward for Nigerian troopswho must be commendedfor rising to the occasion.Unused to counterinsurgency and unfamiliarwith fighting urbanguerrillas, Nigerian troopshave, under three years,succeeded in containingand localising Boko Haram.

There should be nosurprises on the day BokoHaram leader, AbubakarShekau, is captured. Of

course, he will appear sober,as most gangsters are wontto be and probably indisguise: no long, unkemptbeard, no over sizedchewing stick, no turban andprobably spotting a Frenchsuit. Despite an increase inserial killings, he no longerappears to be in control ofhis group which is incomplete disarray. Theymay continue to targetprominent and not tooprominent northerners andcontinue in their unislamicpractice of bombinginnocent people in theirplaces of worship but truthis that they have come to thegrim realisation that theycannot win their misguided

war. They have reachedthe end of the road and aredesperately clawing atstraws in their bid to avoidthe deep blue sea. Oneinstance of clawing atstraws is the 19 Januaryattack on the Amir (Emir)of Kano, Dr. Ado Bayero.

Northern Nigerianshave serious issues withtheir traditional rulers andmany wish to seetraditional institutionsabolished. Many seetraditional rulers as part oftheir problems becausemost of them have beencompromised: they do notspeak for their people andhave teamed up withpoliticians who mindlessly

corner the commonwealth. Some traditionalrulers are happy playingcourt to polit icians whocome calling with bags ofi l l gotten wealth, andsimply turn a blind eye tothe many atrocitiescommitted by thepolit icians. Some of thejuiciest governmentcontracts are reserved fortraditional rulers who seenothing wrong withindulging in monthlyfederal al locations thatshould be used to provideinfrastructure forcommunities. Of course,their children pick some ofthe best jobs in the landwithout having to break asweat. It is now an opensecret in manycommunities in northernNigeria that voters remainundecided untiltraditional rulers decreewho they should cast theirvotes for. Having failed touse religion to rally thepeople to support theirwrong-headed campaign,Boko Haram must havereasoned that exploitingthis genuine anger of thepeople against theirtraditional rulers would do

the magic. This thinkinginformed the fai ledattempt on the life of theShehu of Borno last yearas well as the attack on theAmir of Kano, twotraditional rulers whoshould feel genuinelyinsulated from allegationsof greed.

Like the failed bid toexploit religion, the attackon traditional rulers is adesperate change oftactics, a counter-productive move that has

further widened the gulfbetween the people andBoko Haram. Aside the usualAllah ya isa or God dey, orsuch invectives asazzalummai which peopleemploy to describe theirtraditional rulers, very fewright thinking Muslims andChristians of northernNigerian extraction, despitetheir genuine anger imaginethat killing traditional rulersis part of the solution to themany problems of the north.Of course these are polluted,

“There should be no surprises on the dayBoko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, iscaptured. Of course, he will appear sober,

as most gangsters are wont to be andprobably in disguise: no long, unkemptbeard, no over sized chewing stick, no

turban and probably spotting a French suit.Despite an increase in serial killings, he no

longer appears to be in control of hisgroup which is in complete disarray

“Like the failed bid to exploit religion, theattack on traditional rulers is a desperatechange of tactics, a counter-productivemove that has further widened the gulfbetween the people and Boko Haram.

Aside the usual Allah ya isa or God dey, orsuch invectives as azzalummai which

people employ to describe their traditionalrulers, very few right thinking Muslims andChristians of northern Nigerian extraction,despite their genuine anger imagine that

killing traditional rulers is part of thesolution to the many problems of the north

hateful and hate filled timesbut despite the madness ofthe moment, manynortherners do not imaginethat killing innocentNigerians, Muslims and nonMuslims, in their homes, inmarket places or at theirplaces of worship or killingpolicemen, be theyChristians or Muslims, is theway forward. Only criminalswho read their religiousbooks upside down do.

Like a bad dream,Nigerians will outlive theongoing madness. Theattack on Dr. Ado Bayerowas probably intended to bea game changer. A punchdrunk boxer will gasp forbreath to muster all effortin the hope of landing akiller punch to turn thetables against a betterprepared and moredetermined foe. That iswhat Boko Haram’sdaredevilry of 19 Januaryrepresents.

Abdulrazaq Magaji,writer, journalist andformer historylecturer, lives inAbuja, Nigeria and canbe reached atmagaji777@yahoo.com

Over the years, Nigerian forcesseem to have succeeded incontaining Boko Haram terrorgroup. In disarray and havingrealised they cannot win theirwar, the group has growndesperate and resorted to attackson traditional rulers to try andrally locals around a lost cause,writes Abdulrazaq Magaji

PAGE 26 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

08028402920sbejike@gmail.com

The Lawan/Otedola saga: Matters arising

organizations. Prosecution is aserious business and a seriousstatutory duty, it is not a frivolousthing, and you don’t do it to catchfancy or to make people to hailyou. These are persecutors andnot prosecutors”.

Keyamo had, in a letter datedJanuary 23, 2013 requestedAdoke to indicate whether he wasprepared to prosecute or not toprosecute Lawan.

The human right lawyeraccompanied the letter with adraft charge in readiness tocommence private prosecution ofLawan if Adoke fails to do so.

According to Keyamo, hisaction is sequel to expiration ofthe ultimatum he gave the Policeto charge Farouk Lawan.

He attached to the criminalcharge: the proof of evidence, arecording of a telephoneconversation between FaroukLawan and Femi Otedola,contained in a memory cardwherein Farouk Lawan wasallegedly soliciting or asking forgratification to doctor his report,and appealing to Otedola to keepit secret, the transcript of the saidrecording and court processes(including a sworn testimony onoath) in Suit No. FCT/3839/2012:Between Zenon Petroleum & GasLimited & Another vs. Lawan &Others where the graphic details

of how the accused personssolicited for, and receivedgratification from Femi Otedolawere stated.

Excerpts from Keyamo’s letterto the AGF reads: “Last week, Igave a seven-day ultimatum to thePolice to commence prosecutionof one Farouk Lawan, a memberof the House of Representativesand his accomplice, one BonifaceEmenalo, for agreeing to andactually accepting gratificationfrom one Femi Otedola in order todoctor the report of the House ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy.From reports I read in the mediaafter issuing my ultimatum, thePolice have passed the buck overto your office for the inaction sofar, claiming it has finished theinvestigation and that your officehas just refused to file charges forreasons unknown to the public.

“It is for the above reasonsthat I have prepared a charge(attached herewith) for thepurpose of private prosecution.

“May I kindly request that, byvirtue of Section 342 of theCriminal Procedure Act, Cap.C41, Laws of the Federation ofNigeria, 2004, you endorse onthe Charge whether, having seenthe Charge, you are prepared toprosecute Farouk Lawan andBoniface Emenalo for the countsin the Charge or whether you

There are strongindications that theFederal Government has

finalised legal preparations toarraign former chairman of theHouse of Representatives Ad-Hoccommittee on fuel subsidyprobe,Hon Farouk Lawan forallegedly receiving $620,000bribe from a Lagos based multibillionaire businessman, FemiOtedola in order to strike out thename of his company, ZenonPetroleum and GasCompany from the list of indictedfirms in the oil subsidy scam.

It would be recalled that, at thewake of oil subsidy crisis, theHouse of Representatives set upan adhoc-committee headed byFarouk Lawan to probe the oilsubsidy regime.

The Lawan led committee hadindicted some firms andindividuals of short-changing thesubsidy regime to the tune ofN1.7trn and consequently,recommended that they should beprosecuted. Otedola has allegedthat Farouk-led adhoc committeedemanded $3 million out of whichhe paid $620, 000 as gratificationin order to strike out the name ofhis company from the of indictedfirms.

Otedola who had slammed aN250 billion suit against theembattled lawmaker and thespeaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Hon. AminuWaziri Tambuwal before an AbujaHigh Court, wants the court toorder the Defendants to pay himN100 billion as general damagesfor acts of intimidation, loss ofgood-will and patronagesoccasioned by the acts of theSpeaker of the House ofRepresentatives and FaroukLawan.

In the legal action he jointlyfiled along with his ZenonPetroleum and Gas Company,Otedola is claiming another N150billion against the Defendants asexemplary damages for theiralleged oppressive and arbitraryactions against him and hiscompany.

He is also challenging thealleged move by Farouk Lawanand Tambuwal to re-list hiscompany among the oil firmsindicted for allegedly defraudingthe federal government.

Meanwhile, a Lagos basedlawyer, Festus Keyamo had lastweek threatened to commenceprivate prosecution of Lawan ifthe Attorney General of theFederation (AGF) and theMinister of Justice, Mr.Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN)fails or delay further to do same.

The AGF had on Friday toldnewsmen in Abuja that theFederal Government will beginthe trial of Farouk Lawan and oneBoniface Emenalo this week overthe bribery allegation.

While responding to questionsover Keyamo’s threat, ChiefAdegboyega Awomolo (SAN) whohas secured AGF’s fiat toprosecute Farouk said althoughKeyamo’s statement could havebeen capable of jeopardizing theprocess of prosecuting Lawan

except that the Police have alreadyfinished its investigation on thematter.

Awomolo said the office of theAGF is too responsible and busyto react to market talk, but that hecan assure that the Police havefinished investigating theallegation and that they havemade verifiable facts to AGF tocommence the trial.

“Verifiable facts can only comefrom the Police that investigatedthe matter. You don’t investigatesuch matters based on what youread on the newspapers or heardover the radio and televisions. No,that is not investigation. ThePolice, as responsibleorganization have investigated thematter and I can assure you thatthe AGF will not react to themarket talk. The matter will be incourt next week’’.

“We will prosecute and notpersecute. We are men ofintegrity, honour and learning.Nobody should think that he canuse the market language or drawus to open debate on this matter.We are not civil societyorganization”.

He added also that, “The AGFis the Chief Law Officer under theconstitution and will exercise hispower responsibly and notirresponsibly to satisfy whims andcaprice of civil society

have declined to prosecute at thepublic instance the counts in thesaid Charge.

“The position of the law isthat, before I can commenceprivate prosecution, I should begiven the opportunity toprosecute or to decline toprosecute. This is what I havedone by this letter.

“I will expect your reply by theclose of official business onTuesday, January 29, 2013, toenable me determine my next lineof action”, Keyamo stated in theletter.

The Lagos based lawyer whoexpressed the hope that the AGFwould make his decision knownadded that any indecision on theAGF would amount to a refusal toact on the matter. He listed FemiOtedola, Officers of State SecurityServices (SSS), Officers ofNigerian Police Force (NPF),Officials of Zenon Petroleum &Gas Limited and Clerk of theHouse of Representatives aswitnesses.

As Keyamo’s deadline to theChief Law Officer of the countryexpires tomorrow, there areindications that the FederalGovernment is set to charge theembattled lawmaker under theIndependent Corrupt Practicesand other Related OffensesCommission (ICPC) Act.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Femi Otedola Farouk Lawan

Worried by the delay by the Federal Government to prosecute the former chairman of the Houseof Representatives Ad-Hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawan for allegedly receiving$620,000 bribe from a business magnet, Femi Otedola to strike his company’s name from the listof indicted firms in the oil subsidy scam, a Lagos based human right lawyer, Festus Keyamowrote a strongly worded letter to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), giving him tomorrow, Tuesday January 29, 2013 to eithercommence Lawan’s prosecution or give him the fiat to do so. Sunday Ejike Benjamin reports

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 27

Vice-chancellor,Federal University ofTechnology, Owerri(futo), ProfessorChigozie Asiabaka(middle), with thestudents uniongovernmentexecutive, duringthe 31stMatriculationceremony of theinstitution, lastFriday in Owerri.PHOTO: NAN

Only standard education will guarantee futurefor Nigerian children –JonathanPresident Good Luck

Jonathan has recentlyannounced that only high

standard of education wouldguarantee a better future forNigerian children.

He made this remark in Nsukkaat the 42nd convocation andconferment of higher and honorarydegrees at the University of Nigeria,Nsukka.

He said the best way to derivethe benefits of the country's largepopulation was to get the peopleeducated, skilled and employable.

“It is for this reason thateducation receives the highestfinancial allocation in our budgetin 2013,” Jonathan said.

“The present administration isdetermined to provide access toquality education at all levels forNigerians”.

Represented by NUC Secretary,Prof Julius Okogie, Jonathan urgedthe private organisations to joinhands with the FederalGovernment in forging partnershipin funding of research andscholarship with the universities.

“We are prepared to work withall relevant stakeholders toimprove education sector of ournational economy.

“As a developing economy, oursocial progress and economicadvancement will depend largelyon progress we make on researchand technology,” he said.

He urged the recipients ofhonorary doctorate degrees to seethe awards as a way to strengthentheir relationship with theuniversity as well as make them tocontribute more to nationaldevelopment.

“Let this honour done to you bythe oldest university in the countyspur you to greater height in yourservice to your fatherland, “he said.

Jonathan commended theuniversity’s Vice-Chancellor Prof.Bartho Okolo and his managementteam for the massive infrastructuredevelopment going on in theuniversity, urging otheruniversities to emulate it.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that four eminentNigerians conferred with honorarydegrees includes Sen. Anyim PiusAnyim, Secretary to Federal

Government.Responding, Anyim expressed

appreciation to UNN for findingthem worthy of the award.

He notes that the award wouldmake them to do more to theuniversity as well as to the country.

"We are excited for finding usworthy of this prestigious award,we will continue to identify withthe university in its quest to becomeworld Class University,” he said.

Earlier, Okolo said that theawardees met the stringentconditions of the University forConferment of honorary degree,

having distinguished themselvesand contributed so much tonational development.

“By this award, they awardeeshave become alumni of UNN andwill share in pride privileges andresponsibilities of the university.

"As special alumni of theuniversity we hope you willhearken to our calls in times ofneed," he said.

The VC announced that 198persons would bagged doctoratedegrees, 2,268 master degreeswhile 269 will receive post-graduate diploma. (NAN)

The Oyo State Governor,Senator Abiola Ajimobi, hasdistributed 10 vehicles to

Local Inspectors of Education (LIEs)in 10 local government areas inthe state as part of his commitmentto strengthening the inspectoratedivision of the education sector inthe state.

The governor while presentingthe vehicles to the LIEs at the statesecretariat at the week-end, said theremaining 23 LIEs would receivetheirs very soon.

The beneficiaries were LIEs fromIbadan North-East, Ibadan North,Ibadan North-West, Ibadan South-East, Ibadan South-West, Akinyele,Egbeda, Afijio, Atiba and Oyo WestLocal Government Areas.

Ajimobi, who was representedat the occasion by the stateCommissioner for Education, Mrs.Adetokunbo Fayokun, said that hisadministration is poised to ensuringa total transformation of theeducation sector.

This, he said, informed the needto strengthen the inspectoratedivision through the provision ofnecessary logistics to the localinspectors of education for schoolmonitoring and supervision.

Fayokun charged the localinspectors of education to workdiligently so as to ensure a totalturn-around of the educationsector.

Responding on behalf of others,Mrs. Yetunde Fatoki, the LIE forIbadan North-East LocalGovernment, commended the stategovernment for its commitment tothe repositioning of the educationsector, pledging that the vehicleswould be used for the purpose forwhich they were meant.

Ajimobi distributesvehicles toeducationinspectorsFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

Yobe organises workshop for school principals, supervisors

In an effort to improve thestandard of education in thestate, Yobe state government

in collaboration with the FederalInspectorate Service of the federalministry of education, hasorganised a 3 day trainingworkshop for school inspectors,principals and local governmenteducation supervisors on qualityassurance.

The workshop which took placeat the Government Girls School,now Unity School, witnessed thepresence of distinguished federaland state inspectors, schoolmanagers and supervisors.

In his opening remarks, thestate Commissioner of the stateministry of education, Alhaji. MalaMusti, represented by Mai AliyuUsman, the Special Adviser to

By Uche Uche, Damaturu Governor Ibrahim Gaidam oneducation, said the workshop isintended to enable the participantsacquire knowledge and skillstowards improving their capacityand remain relevant on theirstatutory responsibilities.

He said the administration ofGovernor Gaidam is committed tothe promotion and up -liftment ofthe standard of education in thestate and by implication, thequality of education servicedelivery.

To achieve this vision he saidthe government has continued topay adequate attention to theeducation sector by earmarking26% of its annual budget toeducation in line with UNESCOrecommendation and inaccordance with global bestpractice.

Listing the achievements made

so far by the present administrationtowards uplifting the sector, he saidthe state government has amongother things, established a newdirectorate of Inspectorate Serviceand provided it with monitoringvehicles at the headquarters andzonal levels to ensure prompt andregular monitoring and inspectionof schools.

Earlier in his welcome address,the permanent secretary in theministry, Alhaji Muhammad Ta’aDaura, said the resource personsfrom the federal ministry ofeducation were nominated not onlyon the basis of their knowledge andexperience but for their outstandingcharacters and ability as well.

He expressed confidence,therefore that they would be ableto deliver and contributemeaningfully to the noble courseand called on the beneficiaries of the

training to dedicate themselves tothe training to enable them acquirethe much needed knowledge andexpertise for the successful conductof the current inspection andmonitoring.

In his opening remark, Dr.E.G.Kutara director, federalinspectorate service, stressed theneed to enhance quality educationsector, saying “ the falling standardof education at all levels with theprevailing state of examinationmalpractices in schools and massfailures of students in examinationshas become a major concern tomany Nigerians.”

“High rate of dropouts, theinability of our graduates tocompete favourably in the world ofworks are all pointers to the factthat our nation is in dire need ofenhanced quality educationsector,” he added

The Vice-Chancellor ofMichael Okpara Universityof Agriculture, Umudike,

Prof. Hillary Edeoga, has warnednew students that the institutionwill not condone cultism andexamination malpractice.

Edeoga, who gave the warningwhile matriculating newundergraduates and postgraduatestudents on Friday, said thatappropriate sanctions would bemeted out to culprits.

He also warned against``forgery of any kind’’, extortion,gangsterism, and indecent

VC warns matriculating students against cultism, exam malpracticedressing, among others.

He promised that theinstitution would continue toprovide the necessary facility andenabling environment for thestudents to excel in their studies.

``I therefore, enjoin you toavail yourselves of theopportunities provided by theuniversity to lay solid foundationfor your success in life,’’ Edeogasaid.

He explained that theuniversity’s curricula in all thecourses were structured to makethem ``not only self-employable

but also job and wealth creators ongraduation’’.

The vice-chancellor said thatfrantic efforts were being made tofind a lasting solution to inadequateclassrooms and hostels facing thestudents.

He said the Niger-DeltaDevelopment Commission-assistedhostel project in the university wasalmost completed adding that 10hostel complexes built by theuniversity also be completed soon.

``I enjoin you to strive to protectall facilities provided for use by theuniversity against vandalism and

theft,’’ he said.According to him, the

authorities are working toreposition the institution, and thatall their activities will betechnologically-driven.

He said that state-of-the-artmedia accessories, interactiveboards, improved Internet access,were being provided to boostacademic training.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that no fewer than4,000 students matriculated forvarious undergraduate andpostgraduate programmes. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013PAGE 28

The authorities of AhmaduBello University (ABU),Zaria, Kaduna State, has

advised students of the institutionagainst acts capable of disruptingpeace on the campus.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.Abdullahi Mustapha, gave theadvice at the 2012/2013matriculation ceremony of 6,000students of the institution held atthe main campus in Samaru,Zaria.

Mustapha, who wasrepresented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof.Na'iyaSada, said the advice becamenecessary in view of the currentsecurity challenges in the country.

He said peace was critical tosuccess and as such the universitycommunity required peace to runstable academic calendar.

The vice-chancellor urged thenew students to make judicious useof the unique opportunity to learnand become useful to themselves,their families and the society.

"Let me use this medium tocongratulate you for securingadmission into this prestigiousuniversity because many wishedto be here but were not opportune.

"I urge you to desist from allforms of social vices that will tamperwith your educational career, thesevices are in no doubt inimical toyour future success," Mustaphasaid.

He identified some of the vicesas examination malpractice, cultactivities, alcoholism, drug abuse,indecent dressing, among others.

ABU VC advisesstudents againstthreat to peace

The National Union of BornoState Students (NUBOSS)has commended Governor

KashimShettima for declaring astate of emergency in the state'seducation sector which led to thetotal transformation of the sector.

The union in a statementissued by its spokesman MallamBaba Isa in Maiduguri yesterday,stated that the creation of theministry of higher education totake care of tertiary education,

ministry of education to takecharge of secondary education and

the ministry of Universal BasicEducation to take charge of basiceducation is a clear indication ofthe governor's determination tomove the state forward.

The statement said "wecommend GovernorShettima forthe establishment of the Borno stateUniversity which would solve ourlong problems of qualified stateindigene not getting admission. Weequally commend him for theupward review of allowance of thestate medical

students undergoing studies indifferent tertiary institutionsacross the country."

Borno students laud Shettima'seducation sector revival

They however commended thegiant strides of Shettima throughhis laudable projects andprogrammes which they said hasdirect bearing on the lives of peoplein the state despite the dauntingsecurity challenges facing the stateand prayed to Allah to protect him,grant him good health and wisdomto pilot the affairs of the state.

NUBOSS also appealed to thegovernor to review the allowancesof allthe state students studying inthe tertiary institution across thecountry, as the minimum andmaximum scholarship beingreceived by students in the state

ASUSS wants FG to establish nationalsecondary schools commissionThe Kebbi chapter of the

Academic Staff Union ofSecondary Schools (ASUSS)

has called on the FederalGovernment to establish NationalSecondary Schools Commission(NSSC) for improved performance.

The state Chairman of theassociation, Alhaji IbrahimGarba, made the call in aninterview with the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) in BirninKebbion Friday.

He said that if established, thecommission would help topromote the standard ofeducation at the secondary level.

“The federal and stateauthorities must ensure theestablishment of the commissionif they wish to improve teachingat the secondary school level.

“If established, thecommission will also help toimprove performance in externalexaminations which had been on

the decline over the years inNigeria,” he said.

Garba also stressed the needto reduce the disparity in thesalary of secondary schoolteachers and graduate assistantsin the university.

“A fresh graduate lecturer inthe university receives aboutN100, 000 per month whilegraduate teachers in secondaryschool receive far less.

“This has contributed in brain

Enugu state acting governor, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi (4th left), with officials of NationalMathematical Centre, during their visit to Government House, recently in Enugu. PHOTO: NAN

Form Mustapha IsahKwaru, Maiduguri are N2,500 and N3,500respectively which they said is

inadequate considering theincrease of tuition fees in tertiaryinstitutions, inflation rate and theeconomic hardship because of thecurrent security challenges.

The union also called on thegovernor to intervene and directthe payment of their backlogscholarship allowances of the2010/2011, 2011/2012 and2012/ 2013 academic sessionswhich were long overdue and alsosolicited for an 18 seater Bus fortheir runnings.

The Federal University ofTechnology, Owerri, onFriday matriculated 4,300

students at its 31st matriculationceremony.

The Vice Chancellor of theinstitution, Prof. ChigozieAsiabaka,called on the matriculatingstudents to be diligent to uphold thereputation of the university.

Asiabaka also urged them toobey the rules and regulations ofthe university and avoid anyinfringement on the laws of the landin the pursuance of theireducational aspiration.

He said that it would be in thebest interest of the students to shunbad company, illegal associationsand secret cults among others.

The vice chancellor said theuniversity had establishedscholarship scheme in favour of thebest undergraduate students ineach school of the university witheffect from the current academicyear.

According to him, students withthe highest Cumulative GradePoint Average (CGPA) from eachschool will be given scholarship toentitle them to undertake theirtraining at no tuition oraccommodation cost.

He, however, stressed that thescholarship would be withdrawn ifthe beneficiaries failed to maintaintheir positions as best students.

He promised that hisadministration would improve thelearning environment and welfareof staff and students. (NAN)

FUTO matriculates4,300 fresh students

Nigerian Law School begins lecture in Yola campus

Lectures have commencedat the Yola Campus of theNigerian Law School.

The Deputy Director-Generalof the school, Prof. Isa Chiroma,made this known recentlyduring a courtesy call on Gov.MurtalaNyako, at theGovernment House, Yola,

Chiroma said the first 250students admitted into the schoolcommenced lectures on

January 14.He however lauded the

Adamawa Government forproviding the school with theneeded infrastructure andvehicles for its take off andpromised that the managementwould uphold the standardobtainable in other campuses.

Chiroma called on thegovernor to intervene in thematter of encroachment on theland allocated to the school tocheck the trespass and requestedfor the extension of the school

library, pointing out that thepresent library could onlyaccommodate 30 per cent of thestudents.

In his response, Nyakoassured the deputy director-general that he would doeverything possible to assist theschool and make sure that thestudents enjoy their stay in Yolaadding that the StateGovernment would take fulladvantage of the school byintroducing law programmes inthe state university.

From Umar DanKano, Yola

Form NasiruMu'azu Isa, Kaduna

drain in secondary school,” hesaid.

The chairman said theassociation would soon work outmodalities for a new salarystructure for secondary schoolteachers.

He said that since there wasdearth of qualified teachers inKebbi State, the associationwould advocate the enactment ofa law for the return of teacherstraining colleges. (NAN)

The Bayero University Kano(BUK) branch of AcademicStaff Union of Universities

(ASUU) has threatened to institutea legal action against securityoperatives in the state who heallegedly said assaulted one of itsofficials.

Addressing newsmen at a pressconference in Kano on Wednesday,the Chairman of the branch, Dr.Mahmoud Lawan, alleged thatarmed security operatives stormedthe ASUU secretariat at BUK onJanuary 20 with the intention ofarresting the Zonal Co-coordinatorof the union, Dr.AbdullahiBichi,who was a leading figure in the massprotest against the removal of petrolsubsidy in the country.

Lawanalso alleged that thearmed security personnel who couldnot tender an arrest warrant asrequested by Bichitried to forcefullyabduct him but left him woundedwhen he resisted and raised alarmand rushed out of the campus.

He said the government shouldnot transfer their aggression on theirmembers as they are not responsiblefor the security failures in thecountry.

He however warned that theunion could not be intimidated,threatened or subdued saying thatall their actions are legal and withinthe confines of the constitution.

The union however, declaredevery January 20 asAbdullahiBichi Day tocommemorate the attack on him,saying, the day would be markedwith series of activities.

BUK ASUUthreatens to suesecurity menForm Edwin Olofu, Kano

PAGE 29PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

In recent times, traditionalmedicine has been receivingsignificant attention in

health management effortsacross the world partly becauseseveral people have somewhatlost confidence in the efficacyof orthodox medicine.

Analysts attribute thepeople's loss of confidence inorthodox medicine to factorssuch as drug counterfeiting anddrug reactions as well as theaffordability and accessibilityof the healthcare delivery.

They also observe thattraditional medicine has beenused to cure various life-threatening ailments in allparts of the world at lower costs,even before the discovery ofsome medications.

The general acceptance oftraditional medicine is evenattested to by the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), whichnotes that more than 80 percent of the population of Africadepends on traditionalmedication.

According to the globalhealth agency, certaincomplementary andalternative medical therapiesare also getting popular amongAustralians and Europeans.

Besides, a survey conductedby the Roll Back Malariaprogramme, indicates that 60per cent of children with highfever in countries such asNigeria, Ghana, Mali andZambia, use herbs as first-linetreatment.

With this trend in itspatronage, experts, therefore,recommend that traditionalmedicine should be regulatedand incorporated into Nigeria'shealthcare system to ensure thequality, safety and potency ofproducts.

Sharing similar sentiments,Mrs. Julie Offoboche, a formerSolicitor-General of Cross River,urged the Federal Governmentto acknowledge the work oftraditional medicinepractitioners by licensingthem and creating room forthem in hospitals. She stressedthat although orthodoxmedicine had a great value inhealthcare delivery, therewere some ailments that couldonly be effectively treated withlocal medicinal herbs.

Offoboche noted thatvaluable goods and services,including herbal medicine,were being produced in Nigeria,urging the government to givetangible support to these small-scale enterprises.

She said, "The governmentshould give them some grantand ensure that the amount ofmoney given to them isactually given to the rightperson. "When this is done,herbal medicine practitionerswould be independent and be

Incorporating traditional medicineinto Nigeria's healthcare system

able to give quality servicedelivery; they can evenperform better than theircounterparts in India andChina.

"As regards herbal productscoming in from India andChina, people will tell you, "Itook this and I took that but itdid not work;" when they takethe Nigerian herbal formula,it would work for them.

"Our herbal products areevery efficacious. Thegovernment should givesupport to the herbalmedications' producers bygiving them grants to enablethem to conduct research andproduce more drugs,'' sheadded.

Nevertheless, Offobochenoted that the Cross RiverGovernment had beenlicensing herbal medicinepractitioners via annualrenewable agreements, urgingthe Federal Government toreplicate the policy at thefederal level.

Mrs. Quincy Ayodele, atraditional medicinepractitioner, shares a similarviewpoint, she underscored theneed to develop and implementa national policy for regulatingtraditional medicine in thecountry so as to ensure itsefficacy.

She also stressed the need toincorporate traditionalmedicine into the country'sPrimary Health Care system,saying that it would expand thecitizens' access to good,affordable healthcare delivery.

Ayodele called onstakeholders in the healthsector to develop long-term andshort-term trainingprogrammes for traditionalmedicine practitioners toimprove their knowledge.

At the 62nd WHO AfricanRegional Meeting in Luanda,Angola, in November 2012,traditional medicinepractitioners also argued thatresearch was very essential inthe drive to improve thequality of traditional medicine.

Traditional medicine

practitioners from Congo,Mozambique and Mali, in theirseparate contributions at themeeting, particularly stressedthat the integration oftraditional medicine intonational healthcare systemswould enhance the people'saccess to affordable healthcare.

However, Prof. AbayomiSofowora, the formerChairman of WHO RegionalExpert Committee onTraditional Medicine, stressedthat the practice of traditionalmedicine ought to be strictlyregulated. He said that theregulation of herbal medicinewould stimulate the productionof quality, safe and efficaciousherbal medicines.

Sofowora said, "Traditionalmedicine has been with us sincethe beginning of time, and it isthe only source of healthcarefor most people due to itsaccessibility and affordability."The holistic approach attractsmany people who want to goback to nature for treatmentbecause many people are nothappy with the healthcareprovided by orthodoxhealthcare.''

Sofowora stressed that theglobal trade in herbs grossedover 100 billion dollars perannum, stressing that Africashould seize the opportunityand start reaping the economicbenefits of traditionalmedicine.

Angola's Minister of HealthJoseviera Dias Van Dinemnoted that many Africanspreferred traditional medicineto orthodox medicine becauseof its affordability andaccessibility. He, nonethelessadvised traditional medicinepractitioners to share theirknowledge with others,stressing that mostpractitioners only bequeathedtheir skills to their familymembers alone.

However, Mr ShekwoduzaBaba, the Manager (HealthSystems StrengtheningProgramme), Clinton HealthAccess Initiative, in Liberia,suggested that rigorous

analytical work ought to becarried out to ascertain thepotency of any herbal remedywhich traditional medicinepractitioners claimed to havediscovered.

"I have a soft spot fortraditional medicine becausethe knowledge of healing hasbeen passed on from generationto generation on my mother'sside. "I am working to catalogueall the medicinal plants whichmy mother recommended formanaging or curing differentailments in 2013.

"This is in an effort to set thefoundation for furtheranalytical work, which willinvolve isolating the activeingredients in the plants.''

Baba, nonetheless, stressedthat in spite of claims of cureby traditional medicinepractitioners and the demandfor collaboration, thepractitioners ought to disclosethe contents of theirmedicinal preparations forscientific proof.

Corroborating this view,Dr. Dorcas Angbazo, anephrologist at the NationalAssembly Clinic, said thatinasmuch as there wereclaims of cure in traditionalmedicine, there should beclinical trials to ensure safetyof the medications.

She warned that the healthhazards of ingestingtraditional medicines withoutknowing their ingredientsand dosage could be quitedevastating.

Angbazo cited an incidentin Belgium in 1992 whenchronic interstitial nephritiswas diagnosed in mostmiddle-aged women in the

country who were usingChinese herbal pills to shedweight.

She, therefore, called ontraditional medicinepractitioners to subject theirclaims to the NationalInstitute for PharmaceuticalResearch and Development(NIPRD) for verificationthrough thorough research.

However, NIPRD'sDirector-General, Prof.Karniyus Gamaniel, said thatinstitute was only engrossedwith research, adding that itwas not a final productdeveloper. He therefore,stressed that the institute'swork on traditional medicineproducts could not satisfy theextant market standards interms of the products' dosageand standardisation.

Besides, Gamaniel said thatthe institute was trying toreduce the spurious "can-cure-all'' claims of traditionalmedicine practitioners byverifying their claims on thetreatment of sundry diseases.

He, however, gave theassurance that the institutewould collaborate withtraditional medicinepractitioners in efforts to garnerwider acceptance for theirproducts.

According to him, researchinto herbal medicines wasconsidered imperative becauseof the high patronage for themedicines, especially at thegrassroots.

Gamaniel and other experts,therefore insist that withoutscientific proof of the potency ofany traditional medication, theusers face the risk of toxic,adverse side-effects. (NAN)

By Anna Angbazo

Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

Corroborating this view, Dr.Dorcas Angbazo, a nephrologistat the National Assembly Clinic,

said that inasmuch as there wereclaims of cure in traditional

medicine, there should be clinicaltrials to ensure safety of the

medications.

“

PAGE 30 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Snorers more liable to heartattack than smokers or obeseSnorers are more likely to

have a heart attack thansmokers or the obese, say

researchers.Far from being merely a

nuisance, snoring could be theearly warning sign of life-threatening health problems,they warn.

US researchers believe thatthe condition may cause athickening of the arteries whichcan lead to brainhaemorrhages, strokes andheart attacks.

Snorers are more likely tohave thickening orabnormalities in the carotidartery that supplies the brainwith oxygenated blood

Around a quarter of womenand four in ten men arefrequent snorers, althoughnearly half of us snoreoccasionally. Though it caninterfere with our sleep andthat of our partners, it was notthought to cause any long-termhealth problems until recently.

American researchersclaim the condition is as seriousas having high blood pressureand urge snorers to seekmedical advice.

A team from the Universityof Detroit found that frequent

snorers are far more likely todevelop a thickening of thecarotid artery - which suppliesoxygenated blood to the brain.

The condition has also beenlinked to hardening of otherarteries in the body and canlead to heart attacks, strokesand brain haemorrhages.

Dr. Robert Deeb, from the

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,who led the research said, "Ourstudy adds to the growing bodyof evidence suggesting isolatedsnoring may not be as benignas first suspected."

"So instead of kicking yoursnoring bed partner out of theroom or spending sleeplessnights elbowing him or her,

seek out medical treatment forthe snorer."

Dr. Deeb and his colleaguesstudied 54 men and womenaged 18 to 50.They had all filledin questionnaires about theirsnoring habits and then hadultrasound scans to look at thethickness of their carotidartery. The researchers found

that the innermost layers of theartery walls were far thickeramong the snorers than theother adults.

He said that the thickeningof the artery may be caused bythe constant vibrations of thesnoring which results ininflammation.

The researchers now hopeto carry out a larger study tosee if snorers are more likelyto have heart attacks andstrokes. Dr.Deeb, who hassubmitted his findings to theLaryngoscope journal forpublication said, "Snoring ismore than a bedtimeannoyance and it shouldn't beignored.

"Patients need to seektreatment in the same waythey would if they had sleepapnoea, high blood pressure orother risk factors forcardiovascular disease."

Last year researchers fromthe University of Wisconsin, inthe US, said that snorers weremore likely to die from cancer.

The study of 1,500 adultsfound that moderate snorerswere at 4.8 time greater risk ofdeath.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Finding the right snoring cures, solutions, and remediesThe first step to solving a

snoring problem is to findthe cause of your snoring.

It's crucial to note the differentways you sleep and snore. Sleeppositions reveal a lot, andfiguring out how you snore canreveal why you snore. Whenyou know why you snore, youcan get closer to a cure.

Closed-mouth snoring mayindicate a problem with yourtongue.

Open-mouth snoring maybe related to the tissues in yourthroat.

Snoring when sleeping onyour back is probably mildsnoring, improved sleep habitsand lifestyle changes may beeffective cures.

Snoring in all sleep positionscan mean your snoring is moresevere and may require a morecomprehensive treatment.

Self-help cures to stopsnoring

There are many things youcan do on your own to help stopsnoring. Home remedies andlifestyle changes can go a longway in resolving the problem.

Lifestyle changes to stopsnoring

Lose weight. Losing even alittle bit of weight can reducefatty tissue in the back of thethroat and decrease or evenstop snoring.

Exercise can also help to stopsnoring. Working out to tone

your arms and legs also leadsto toning the muscles in yourthroat, which in turn can leadto less snoring.

Quit smoking.If you smoke,your chances of snoring arehigh. Smoking causes airwaysto be blocked by irritating themembranes in the nose andthroat.

Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills,and sedatives, especially beforebedtime, because they relaxthe muscles in the throat andinterfere with breathing. Talk

to your doctor about anyprescription medications you'retaking, as some encourage adeeper level of sleep which canmake snoring worse.

Establish regular sleeppatterns. Create a bedtimeritual and stick to it. Hittingthe sack in a routine waytogether can help you sleepbetter and often minimizesnoring.

Bedtime remedies to helpyou stop snoring

Clear nasal passages.

breathing and encourage yourtongue and jaw to moveforward. There are speciallydesigned pillows available tohelp prevent snoring bymaking sure your neckmuscles are not crimped.

Avoid caffeine and heavymeals within two hours ofgoing to bed, especially dairyproducts and soymilk.

Sleep on your side. Avoidsleeping on your back, asgravity makes it more likelyfor your tongue and soft tissuesto drop and obstruct yourairway.

Stop Snoring Solution: Thetennis ball trick

Sleep with a tennis ball (orsimilar sized ball) attached tothe back of a pajama top or t-shirt. (You can sew or safetypin a sock to the back of thepajama top then put a tennisball in it.) The tennis ball isuncomfortable if you lie onyour back, and you wil lrespond by turning on yourside. Or wedge a pil lowstuffed with tennis ballsbehind your back. Soon youwill develop side-sleeping asa habit and not need thetennis balls.

Practiced for 30 minutes aday, throat exercises can be aneffective way to reduce or stopsnoring. Repeatedlypronouncing certain vowelsounds and curling the tongue

in specific ways can strengthenmuscles in the upperrespiratory tract and therebyreduce snoring.

Try the following exercisesto stop snoring. Start slow andgradually increase thenumber of sets you do. In somecases, you may be able tocombine the exercises withother activities, such ascommuting to work, walkingyour dog, working out, ortaking a shower.

Repeat each vowel (a-e-i-o-u) out loud for three minutes afew times a day.

Place the tip of your tonguebehind your top front teeth.Slide your tongue backwardsfor 3 minutes a day.

Close your mouth and purseyour lips. Hold for 30 seconds.

With mouth open, movejaw to the right and hold for30 seconds. Repeat on left side.

With mouth open, contractthe muscle at the back of yourthroat repeatedly for 30seconds.

Singing can increasemuscle control in the throatand soft palate, reducingsnoring caused by lax muscles.

If you've tried the self-helpsolutions to stop snoringwithout success, don't give uphope. Consult your physicianor an otolaryngologist.

www.helpguide.org

Having astuffy nosem a k e si n h a l a t i o ndifficult andcreates avacuum inyour throat,which inturn leads tosnoring.

K e e pbedroom airmoist with ahumidifier.Dry air cani r r i t a t emembranesin the noseand throat.

Reposition.E l e v a t i n gyour headfour inchesmay easeThroat exercises to stop snoring

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 PAGE 35

Mice eat Marijuana evidenceat Kansas police storage facility

Hey, vermin, don't bogartthat evidence! Wichitapolice in Kansas are hot

on the tail of mice that chewed

through bags of marijuanakept in a police storage facility,KMBC reported. The threepackages were evidence seized

during arrests in 2009.The rodents apparently

nested in the pot and ate someof it. "We've got some mice that

Water gun like the one pictured above was used in the crime.

Lt. Doug Nolte of Wichita Police Department shows sketch of suspect.

Boy fakes kidnappingso parents will missteacher conferenceAn 11-year-old boy in the

town of Xinzo de Limia,Spain, really wanted his

parents to skip the scheduledconference with his teacher.

So he did what other kidsmight think about, but notactually do: Fake a kidnapping.

The incident happened earlyMonday afternoon when theunnamed aspiring criminalmastermind sent a text messagefrom his mobile phone to tell hisfather he had been kidnapped,according to the Guardian.

When the father, a Spanishpolice officer, phoned back, theboy claimed he'd been snatchedwhile emptying the trash and

was now locked in a car trunk,according to Yahoo! News.

A nationwide alert was sentout, and cops in Portugal werenotified in case the boy slippedcross the border. Then, the boy'sdad noticed the keys to anotherhouse also owned by the familywere missing. Uponinvestigation, he discovered hisboy was hiding out there, FoxNews reported.

The fake kidnapping victimadmitted he was afraid of thepending parent-teacherconference and was trying tomake a way to avoid it.

Fake kidnappings areunusual, but not uncommon.

are stoners," Police Lt. DougNolte said on Thursday. Theanimals were probablyattracted to the scent, he

added.At first look, authorities

thought the evidence wastampered with, but some super-sleuthing revealed "that theculprits were operating on amuch smaller scale," quipped TheInquisitr.

Still, officials adhered toprotocol, photographing thescene, resealing the stash andreweighing it, Nolte told KSN.

The mice remain at large buta precinct artist did produce asketch of one of the suspects withbig ears, little beady eyes and along tail (see above).

No drawn-out investigation orjury trial will be necessary. Anexterminator has been called.

Other outlets were quick tomake sport of the potheadvarmints:

"There are some mice inKansas with major munchies,"MSN wrote.

And our favorite headlinecame from the Kansas CityBusiness Journal: "Dude,Where's My Cheese?"

A boy of Xinzo's age.

Back inN o v e m b e r ,2011, KevinAshton, 17, ofDelray Beach,Fla., wasaccused offaking his ownkidnappinginan attempt to toextort his fatherfor $50,000.

Back inOctober, policein San Antonio,Texas, arrestedSheila BaleyEubank,48, forfaking her ownabduction andsaid she did itbecause shewanted moreattention and aday off fromwork.

Man allegedly points AK-47 rifle at daughterover "B" grades

When will the violenceend? Not with a bangbut a dribble.

A pair of unsuspecting folksin San Francisco's ExcelsiorDistrict were robbed at waterpistol-point, according to the SanFrancisco Examiner.

Police responded to the cornerof Naples Street and PersiaAvenue at 11 p.m. Wednesdayto reports of a robbery, thenewspaper reported.

There, the soggy, sordiddetails were spilled.

A 20-year old woman and a19-year old man were accostedby three robbers with a gunnear a bus stop, according topolice.

The robbers demanded thewoman's cellphone, and thendemanded "property" from theman.

When the man tried to handthe items over, a robber pulled

the trigger and "squirted" thevictim, the newspaper reported.

The 19-year old victim triedto wrestle the water pistol away

and recover the woman'scellphone, but he was struck onthe head, and then the suspectsfled, the newspaper reported.

Water pistol weapon of choice in SF robbery

Kirill Bartashevitch, 51, has been chargedwith two counts of making terroristicthreats.

A Minnesota man has beenarrested after allegedlypointing an AK-47 rifle at his

daughter during an argumentstemming from her getting two B's -- instead of straight A's -- on her reportcard.

Kirill Bartashevitch, 51, hadrecently purchased the gun becausehe was afraid that PresidentObama's push for gun controllegislation would lead to a ban onthose kinds of weapons, according toa criminal complaint obtained byWCCO.

Bartashevitch and his 15-year-old daughter were arguing abouther grades on Jan. 13 in their St.Paul home, the complaint states.When he swore at the girl over her

lack of straight A's, she told him shehated him, which led to himallegedly pointing the rifle at her.

A social worker at the girl's highschool notified police of the event onJan. 17, according toKMSP. The socialworker said the girlhad sent a textmessage to a friend ofhers about theincident. The friend'smother had seen themessage and told thesocial worker about it.

Bartashevitch'swife toldinvestigators thattheir daughter wastelling the truthabout whathappened, the Star

Tribune reported. She added that shetried to protect her daughter, buther husband pushed her onto thefloor and pointed the gun at both ofthem.

PAGE 36 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Stand up in the office to lose weightand boost circulation, says expert

Teas up! How four cups a daycan slash the risk of a stroke

Hugging a loved one isn'tjust a great way to bond- it has several physical

benefits as well.Scientists found that the

hormone oxytocin was released intothe blood stream when you hold afriend close. This lowers bloodpressure, reduces stress and anxietyand can even improve yourmemory.

However, you have to beselective over who you hug. Givinga polite embrace to someone youdon't know well can have the oppositeeffect, according to research from theUniversity of Vienna.

Oxytocin, a hormone producedby the pituitary gland, is primarilyknown for increasing bonding,social behaviour and closenessbetween parents, children andcouples.

Increased oxytocin levels havebeen found, for example, in partnersin functional relationships. Inwomen, it is also produced during

Office workers who spendall day behind theirdesks should consider

working standing up instead,according to new research.

Staying on your feet for anextra three hours a day wouldburn off 8lbs (3.6kg) of fat eachyear, according to exercisescientist John Buckley fromChester University.

He said there is no need to sitdown so much and those feelingsluggish would do well to pushtheir chairs away during the day.

Dr Buckley added that peoplecould switch to higher thannormal computer desks to answeremails and type documents.

An upright working stancewas championed by author ErnestHemingway who wrote hisvigorous prose on a typewriter ata special chest-height desk.

By Pat Hagan

On your feet: Humans are designed to stand up and keep moving,says Dr Buckley

In a letter in 1950,Hemingway wrote: 'Writing andtravel broaden your ass if not yourmind and I like to write standingup.'

Dr Buckley, from thedepartment of clinical sciencesand nutrition at ChesterUniversity, said that switchingfrom chairs to working standingup will reduce obesity andimprove circulation.

Standing up for three hourswill consume 144 calories, heclaims.

'People are sitting down atwork, then sitting in the car andthen sitting down in front of thetelevision,' Dr Buckley told BBCNews.

'Your metabolic rate crashes toan absolute minimum. It isn'tnatural. Humans are designed tostand up and keep moving.'

Dr Buckley is part of a group ofexperts working with England'schief medical officer on ways totackle obesity.

There have been severalrecent reports warning about thesedentary nature of work andrecreation.

A study late last year made astrong connection between toomuch sitting down and anincreased risk of diabetes.

Meanwhile a majorAustralian study published inMarch 2012 found sitting downtoo long increases your risk ofdying within a few years - evenif you are already physicallyactive.

It found adults who sat 11or more hours per day had a40 per cent increased risk ofdying in the next three yearscompared with those whosatfor fewer than four hours ad a y .

Dr Buckley concludedmaking small changes in theworkplace such as standing atyour disk can make long-termimprovements to your health.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Tealeaves: Britons drink an estimated 165million cups of tea a day

A calming cuppa: Tea ispacked with componentscalled flavonoids that arethought to be good for the heartand brain

the childbirth process and duringbreastfeeding in order to increase themother's bond with the baby.

Hugging can also soften yourpersonality. The researchers saidsomeone who hugs loved ones oftenbecome more empathetic over time.

Neurophysiologist JürgenSandkühler, said: 'The positive effectonly occurs, however, if the peopletrust each other, if the associatedfeelings are present mutually and ifthe corresponding signals are sentout.

'If people do not know each other,or if the hug is not desired by bothparties, its effects are lost.'

When we receive unwantedhugs from strangers or even peoplewe know, the hormone is notreleased and anxiety levels rise.

'This can lead to pure stressbecause our normal distance-keeping behaviour is disregarded. Inthese situations, we secrete the stresshormone cortisol,' Sandkühler said.

He added that: 'Hugging is good,but no matter how long or how oftensomeone hugs, it is trust that's more

important.'Sandkühler therefore cautioned

against the worldwide 'free hugs'campaign - a social movementinvolving individuals who offerhugs to strangers in publicplaces.

He said people would onlyhave a beneficial effect 'ifeveryone involved is clear thatit is just a harmless bit of fun.'

Otherwise, it could be perceivedas an emotional burden and stress.

'Everyone is familiar with suchfeelings from our everyday lives, forexample, if someone we don't knowcomes too close to us for no apparentreason.

'This violation of our normaldistance-keeping behaviour is thengenerally perceived asdisconcerting or even asthreatening,' he said

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Link between concussions,dementia is complex- study

In a new study of National FootballLeague (NFL) veterans, formerplayers with thinking and

memory problems also had morelesions in their brains than healthyplayers and non-athletes in acomparison group.

But cognitive difficulties weren'tdirectly related to the number ofconcussions a player had suffered inhis career - complicating thecontroversy over long-term effectsof head injuries.

"Not everyone gets this problem,"said Dr. John Hart, Jr. from theUniversity of Texas at Dallas, whoworked on the study. "It's a morecomplex issue than has just sort ofbeen thrown out there."

The topic of concussions in theNFL and other sports leagues hasbeen thrust into the spotlight afterreports of players suffering fromdepression or memory trouble longafter retiring. Last year, former SanDiego Chargers star Junior Seaucommitted suicide after what somebelieve were years of depressionrelated to concussions he may havesuffered as a player.

Hart hopes the new findings willencourage more NFL players to gettheir brains checked out.

Ideally, he said, all players wouldbe evaluated before, during and aftertheir careers to check for brainchanges. That would help doctorslearn more about how head traumais related to mental decline anddementia - and hopefully avert thoseproblems in future athletes.

Hart has been evaluating formerfootball players for years, both inBaltimore and Dallas.

"Starting a long time ago… guyswould come in with these problems,and they'd look somewhat differentthan the typical types ofdegenerative diseases and cognitivediseases that you see from folks," hesaid.

For their new study, he and hiscolleagues evaluated the thinkingand memory skills of 34 retired NFL

By Genevra Pittman players and also took brain scans of26 of them.

The men were between 41 and79 years old and had spent anaverage of 10 years in the league.Hart's team compared their resultswith those from non-football playerswho were similar to the originalgroup in terms of age, education andIQ.

Of the retired players, all but twohad sustained at least oneconcussion, with one playerreporting up to 13.

Twenty of the men werecognitively normal, according tothinking and memory tests.

Two formers players haddementia and the rest had mild orfixed (non-progressing) mentalimpairment. The players with thoseproblems were more likely to alsoshow changes in their white matteron brain scans, the research teamreported Monday in the journalJAMA Neurology.

White matter contains nervefibers responsible for sending signalsfrom the brain to the rest of the body.

Eight of the former players weredepressed - a slightly higherpercentage than would be expectedin a normal group of men.

Hart said there are a couple ofexplanations for why moreconcussions didn't mean a higherrisk of cognitive problems in hisgroup of NFL veterans.

"Sub-concussive injuries, all thewear and tear… may be playing arole in this" - not just concussions, hesaid.

Second of all, "I think there arepredisposing factors that if you doget an injury, some people responddifferently than others," Hart added.His team has started examiningwhether genetic differences mayinfluence the effect of concussions onplayers' mental status.

An NFL representative said theleague would be sharing the reportwith members of its Head, Neck andSpine Committee.

Source: Reuters.com

PAGE 37PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

The Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) hascondemned the poor

handling of the reported illnessof Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugustate, saying it fits into thegrowing pattern of shroudingthe health problems of electedofficials in secrecy.

In a statement issued in Lagosyesterday by its NationalPublicity Secretary, Ahaji LaiMohammed, the party alsocriticized the choreographedvisit to Chime in London by adelegation of the NigerianGovernors Forum (NGF), whichwas apparently designed toreinforce the lies being peddledby his supporters rather thankeep the people of the state betterinformed of the true situation ofthings.

It said there is no doubt thatthe reason behind all theshenanigans is the desperationby public office holders to holdon to power at all costs, even

ACN condemns poor handlingof Chime's illness, slams NGF

when it is clear that their healthhas failed to such a level thatthey are better off stepping downso they can attend to their healthproblems.

''We do not have details of whatis wrong with Gov. Chime andhonestly that is not the reasonbehind our intervention. Ourconcern is that the conspiracy ofsilence being perpetrated by thestate governors who are reportedto have taken ill and abandonedtheir duty posts, as well as theirsupporters especially the NGF,does not serve the interest of ourdemocracy.

''In the case of Gov. Chime,how can a man who ispurportedly on vacationdisappear for over 135 days andthe people who voted him intooffice are not expected to askquestions? Does the constitutionprovide for such a long 'vacation'without consequences? Is Gov.Chime's deputy, whom hereportedly handed over to, givenenough latitude to adequatelypreside over the affairs of the

L-R: Minister ofEnvironment,Hajiya HadizaIbrahimMailafiya,Minister ofSteelDevelopment,Alhaji MusaSada, Ministerof Housingand UrbanDevelopment,Ms. AmalPepple, andChairman,Civil ServiceCommission,DeaconessOlatoyosi AyoJoans, duringtheir meetingwith PresidentGoodluckJonathan,recently at theState House, inAbuja.

Photo: JoeOroye

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos state. If not, how has thisaffected governance in thestate? And to what extent havethe people of the state beendenied the dividends ofdemocracy by this unnecessarycontroversy?

''These are the issues thatshould be of interest to all loversof democracy, not the antics ofsome governors who arefrittering away taxpayersmoney by gallivanting toLondon to see Gov. Chime andthereafter releasing a pictureshowing a 'hale and hearty' Gov.Chime, dressed-up like a Soviet-era spook, which has nowgenerated even morecontroversy.

''The governors said Chime isrecovering well but did not sayfrom what illness. They say he isin good shape but has not saidwhy he has been away from hisduty post for so long. If he is sohale and hearty as they claim,let him come home and end theendless controversy over hisillness. In any case, who made

the governors the spokespersonsfor the people of Enugu state? Arethey the ones who voted him intooffice? Do they really care howthis whole controversy hasaffected governance in Enugustate? Is this the way democracyis run in other climes?'' ACNqueried.

The party said since anyhuman being can take illanytime, no one, especiallypublic office holders, should beashamed to admit his or herillness through a full disclosureand, if necessary, cede full powerto those constitutionallyempowered to take over.

''Nigeria and its democracyhave yet to recover from thesecrecy thrown around the illnessof late President Umaru Yar'Aduaand the anti-democratic antics ofhis 'kitchen cabinet'. It is time westopped this practice that onlyserves the purpose of those whoare hell bent on clinging to power,not considering the interest of thepeople who voted them into office,''it said.

Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, Hon.Aminu Waziri

Tambuwal, has enjoinedreligious leaders in thecountry to preach the gospelof love, peaceful co-existenceand inter-religious harmonyso as to eliminate religioustension among the people.

He stated this weekendduring the ThanksgivingMass and 60th birthdayanniversary organized by theCatholic Community in honorof Bishop of Sokoto Diocese,Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah held at Anchuna Catholic Church inKafanchan Local GovernmentArea of Kaduna State.

In a statement by hisSpecial Adviser on Media andPublic Affairs, Malam ImamImam,Tambuwal urgedreligious leaders to emulatethe exemplary conducts ofBishop Kukah and describedthe honoree as a humble andcommitted religious leaderwho uses his God-given talentand energy in buildingbridges across religiousdivides.

“Bishop Kukah is onereligious leader who believesin the universality of theworld and therefore dedicateshimself to the service ofhumanity and unity of ourcountry. I therefore call onreligious leaders to emulatethe Bishop’s efforts atpromoting inter-religiousharmony “, Tambuwal stated.

Kaduna State Governor,Mukhtar Lamaran Yero,represented by his deputy,Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga,called for continuedintercession of religiousleaders for Nigeria toovercome its security andother challenges.

Bishop Kukah had earliercalled on Nigerians to eschewbitterness and continue to livein unity and peace with oneanother.

Tambuwaltasks religiousleaders onpeace,harmony

The United ProgressiveParty (UPP) candidatecontesting for

councillorship in the City CentreWard in the Abuja MunicipalArea Council (AMAC) of theFederal Capital Territory (FCT),Prince Ikenna Iheme, hasdeclared that he joined the

Councillorship aspirant pledges better deal with AMAC residentscouncillorship race to fill avacuum created by theincumbent lawmaker at the areacouncil.

Speaking to journalists aheadof the forthcoming area councilpoll, Iheme, who is contestingunder the flagship of the newlyregistered political parties led byChief Chekwas Okorie, explainedthat he decided to join the

councillorship race to usher in abetter deal for the residents ofCity Center Ward.

He emphasized that a lotneeded to be done for improvedsanitation of the ward. “I amin the race to correct thosethings that are not in place inmy community. The CityCenter Ward is the Presidentialward. It is not surprising

therefore to see beautiful roadnetworks, edifice, gardens andabundant water supply. But alot more needs to be done toimprove on the sanitation of theward. I am coming in to fill avacuum. My campaign sloganis tagged: “the City Center Wardmust be better.” The presentsituation is good, but we have tomake it better for the good people

of the ward,” Iheme said.Commenting on his political

platform, the UPP, Iheme said“though it is a newly registeredpolitical party, but whatNigerians yearn for is a bettercondition of living and nomatter the political platform,religion or tribe, Nigeriansare prepared to stand byyou” .

By Josephine Ella Ejeh

By Lawrence Olaoye

PAGE 38 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

Group cautions PDP governorsagainst heating up the polityElected Governors of

Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, has been

advised to desist from advancinginterests that are at variancewith the true goals and interestsof the party.

Comrade AugustineAdebayo, National Chairman ofthe Save PDP Group stated thisyesterday while addressing

reporters in Benin City on whathe said was “the need to savePDP from the ‘satanic’ grip ofthe Governor’s Forum.” He saidthe antics of the governorsamounted to

anti-party activity, both incontent and form.

“The unique ‘sovereignty’ ofmembers of the party which hasthrough the years defined itsdirection and goals have beensorely undermined by the

Akpabio hosts maiden NIREC meetingmeeting would hold fromFebruary 11 to 13, 2013 at Lemeridian Ibom Hotel and GolfResort, Uyo.

“In keeping with the protocolso far established, the Councilextended the hosting right of thefirst 2013 General Meeting toSouth – South and it is beinghosted by His Excellency, theExecutive Governor of Akwa-Ibom State on behalf of the zone’’

“The entire Governors from

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

Maku tasksObi oncouncil polls

The Minister ofInformation, MrLabaran Maku, on Saturday

in Awka, urged Gov. Mr Peter Obi ofAnambra to facilitate the smoothconduct of elections into LocalGovernment Councils.

Maku made the call in hisgoodwill message at a town hallmeeting to mark the end of theNational Good Governance tour ofprojects in Anambra.

He said that the governor hadperformed well in ruraldevelopment but should entrenchdemocracy in the LocalGovernment Areas.

Maku said that democratisingthe local councils would deependemocracy at the grassroots andincrease the government’s impactin the local councils.

“Democracy is the best form ofgovernance and as the president hasdemonstrated at the federal level, Iam calling on the state governor todo something about elections in thelocal councils.

“The State Government mustwork as a team and ensure that truedemocracy is enthroned by allowingtrue election in the LocalGovernment Areas.

“Tthere should be nointerference, state electoralcommissions should work like INECto give a true reflection of the people’swill.

“Let democracy win, that will bea part for the development of Nigeria,that is what we want,’’ he said.

Maku also called on residents ofthe state to complementgovernment’s efforts by protectingits investments in infrastructuraldevelopment.

He lamented the lack-lustreattitude of some people of the state,especially in the protection andmaintenance of government’sproperty in their domains.

In a related development, theNational President of RATTAWU, MrYemisi Bamgbose, called for theentrenchment of democracy in theLocal Councils in Nigeria.

He said that only truedemocracy, regardless of politicalaffiliation, could guarantee genuinedevelopment in the local areas.

Bamgbose called on the people ofthe state to complementgovernment’s efforts in providingbasic infrastructure by protectingpublic infrastructure.

The state’s Commissioner forInformation, Mr Joe-MatrinsUzodike, said that the tour of projectsin the state had exposed the goodwork of the State Government.

He said that 86 projects werescheduled for visit in the state but itwas reduced to about 15, due to timeconstraints.

Uzodike commended the FederalGovernment for the initiative to helpshowcase the efforts made by theState Government to make lifebetter for the people.

He called on stakeholders in thestate to support the government’sefforts to leave a landmark in theadministration of the state.

The event was attended by toppublic officials in the state, eminentcitizens, and traditional rulersamong others. (NAN)

the zone, first Class TraditionalRulers, Religious Leaders, Politicaland Community Leaders from thezone are expected to interact withmembers of the Council fromacross the length and breadth ofNigeria’’.

Oloyede said the formalopening ceremony of the meetingwould hold on Tuesday Feb. 12,2013 at 11.00 a.m.

Top on the agenda of themeeting is the security situation

in the country and how to ensurepeaceful coexistence of the twomajor religions. NIREC is a councilcomprising of 50 members withMuslims and Christians having25 members each.

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adAbubakar III, President GeneralNigeria Supreme Council forIslamic Affairs (NSCIA) and PastorAyo Oritsejafor, ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (CAN) areco-chairman of the council.

overbearing influence of ourgovernors, the majority ofwhom cannot be said to sharethe vision of the party’sleadership and millions of PDPmembers”.

He said that it is worrisomethat the Governor’s Forum overtime has emerged as a ‘cabal’manipulating the party, “witha view to having its way inevery subject matter, even if foronly the purpose of self-

exaltation”, adding that this isunacceptable to the teemingmembers of the party.

The Save PDP Group leadersaid that the frequent andunnecessary over-heating of thepolity by the Governor’s Forummust stop, and announced plansby the members of the party tomobilize themselves to confrontthose with selfish agenda thathas made the PDP the laughingstock to the Nigerian people.

According to him, allmembers of the party must seethe party as supreme andsacrosanct and those who wereelected to direct its affairs mustbe selflessly supported for thebenefit of all Nigerians.

Adebayo said that theconsequence of the governorsplaying national politics isevident in their lessercommitment to governance intheir respective states, which,means denying the people themany dividends of democracywith grave consequences for thepolity.

Adebayo added “ThePresident, who is the leader ofthe party, has more often thannot been made to bear the bruntof the haughtiness of theGovernor’s Forum, and hasopenly suffered humiliation intheir hands.”

He referred to the recent spatbetween Elder GodsdayOrubebe, the Minister for NigerDelta Affairs and GovernorRotimi Amaechi, the Chairmanof the Governor’s Forum onrespect for the office of thePresident of Nigeria and saidthat it was an instance in which“an exasperated Nigerian hashad to openly expressfrustration over the situation.”

The governor of Akwa Ibomstate, Godswill Akpabio, isto host the first 2013

General meeting of Nigeria InterReligious Council (NIREC) onbehalf of South-south states.

This is contained in astatement issued by theExecutive Secretary of NIREC,Prof Is-haq Oloyede in Abujayesterday. Oloyede said the

Senator blames decadent society for Nigerians’ criminality in foreign countries

Sen. Mohammed Saleh(CPC- Kaduna) says thedeterioration of ethical values

in the country is responsible for theincreasing number of Nigeriansinvolved in criminal activitiesabroad.

He spoke to the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.NAN recalls that the SenateCommittee on Foreign Affairsrecently informed the Senate that notless than 776 Nigerians were serving

various jail terms in foreigncountries.

Saleh described the involvementof more Nigerians in illegal activitiesabroad as “a reflection of theenvironment of general lawlessnessin our country’’.

He noted that political leadersand public officers had continued toperpetrate illegality and abuse of thelaws of the country with impunity. “If Nigerians leave the shores of thiscountry and go outside to go and

misbehave, it’s a reflection of what ishappening in Nigeria.

“They didn’t just pick that culturefrom somewhere. Look at theenvironment in Nigeria, there isgeneral lawlessness. From the time achild is born, he sees crime all over theplace and he sees that criminals go free.

“He has learnt this here and whenhe goes outside he thinks that othersocieties are like this because he knowsno better. He thinks that when he goesoutside that it would be okay for him

Former Anambra state Governor, Senator Chris Ngige (left), and Igwe of Amansea community,Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo (middle), during the Senator's visit to Ezu River, Awka North LGA inAnambra last Thursday, where corpses were recently recovered. Photo: NAN

By Lawrence Olaoye

to commit a crime that there will be away out just like there is a way outalways in Nigeria. So he goes thereand immediately falls foul of the law.”

Saleh urged leaders at all levels toembark on a reformation of society’sethical values through exemplaryleadership driven by honesty,transparency and accountability.

He said, however, that the task ofreforming the Nigerian society wasan onerous one that could not be left togovernment alone. (NAN)

PAGE 39PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

Zamfara state governor,Abdul Aziz Yari hasexpressed worry and

frustration over the spate of ghostworkers in the state civil service.

Yari after receiving the reportof the Alhaji Ahmad Zabarma'sled Assessment andRationalization committee with amandate to fish out ghost workersin the state said in frustration Ithink I better resign than tocontinue to work in this kind ofsituation whereby there is nohonesty among the people;

Gale of ghost workersworries Zamfara governor

everybody's hearts is full ofinsincerity and not ready tocooperate in our desire to moveour dear state forward."

According to the governor, noresponsible government will foldits arms and allow few people toembezzle its funds for nothingdespite appeals to them to behonest in the discharge of theirduties.

The Zabarma's committee haddiscovered, among other things,indiscriminate employments thatwere not in accordance with thelaid down rules and regulation ofthe civil service act.

He explained that out of thetotal number of 8000 teachers,only 3000 are qualified to teach,and even among them, few ofthem are also incapable ofteaching, particularly in thesecondary schools. Thecommittee submitted that theunhealthy situation was one ofthe contributing factors placingthe state as one of the poorest interms of education coupled withthe poor infrastructure.

The committee, according toZabarma was constituted tocome up with the actual numberof civil servants, but indicted the

From Salisu Zakari-Maradun

Two Edo state basedjournalists haveindicated interest in

contesting the chairmanship ofsome local governments in thestate in the forthcoming LocalGovernment election billed for20th of April.

This is as they called in theAction Congress of Nigeria (ACN)in the state to ensure the conductof a free and fair congress toproduce the right candidates forthe poll.

A former chairman of Edostate council of the NigeriaUnion of Journalists (NUJ),Ralph Okhiria and formerGeneral Manager of AfricanIndependent Television/Raypower, Benin City, IsaacOmoaka made the call whenthey submitted their forms ofinterest at the state secretariatof the Action Congress of Nigeria.

Omoaka, who wants to beChairman of Etsako Central localgovernment council said “Iexpect our party, the ACN tofollow its rules and regulationsand I trust the leadership of theparty to do that which is right;to select the best aspirant ascandidates that will move eachof the 18 local government areasto the next level. You knowdevelopment in Nigeria shouldbe grassroot based because Ibelieve that if the grassroot isdeveloped, if what we have in thecity centres are replicated in therural areas, then the problem ofover population, the problem ofcity congestion would have beensolved. It is because there aresocial amenities lacking in thecities that is why you see therural-urban migration. Thepurpose of my going for theelection is service, my aspirationis service driven. As an agendasetter, being a journalists, ifgiven that opportunity to serve,you don’t expect less from methan to serve and replicate thegood thing the state governmentis doing.”

On his part, Okhiria said hehad the capacity to replicatewhat the state government isdoing in his Esan Central council.“It is my hope that the leaders ofACN would allow fair play sothat at the end of the day, thebest candidate will emerge. I willlook at the issue of water whichhas been a major problem to Esanpeople; youth and womenempowerment, repair existingand construction of new roads.The motto of ACN is democracyfor justice, I know the ACNleaders will learn from themistakes of a party that pridesitself as the largest party inAfrica by not doing what theleaders of that party have beendoing. If ACN continues to be aparty for all, a party that hasbeen embraced by Edo people, byNigerians, then the party mustat all times enthrone justice sothat the people will know thatACN is not like others that haveno fairness for their people.”

Edo Journalistseye LG seats,task ACN onfairness

A former Minister of Works,Chief Tony Anenih, sayshe has embarked on a

mission to discuss the corporateexistence of the country withstate governors in the South-South geo-political zone.

Anenih spoke on Saturdaywhen he visited Gov.Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta

in Asaba, announcing that hewould leave for other states forthe same mission.

In Asaba, Anenih lauded thegovernor for landmark projectsin the state, including the newGovernment House.

He said that the FederalGovernment placed the state inhigh esteem and thanked the

governor for his contributionsto the growth of the PDP.

“I am not just here to see ason of course, one of the reasonsI am here is to discuss thecorporate existence of thiscountry.

“We still have two peoplewe respect; who can say yes inthe morning, afternoon and in

Anenih embarks on discussion mission with governors

L-R: Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Duke Edem, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, andSecretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim, during a briefing of members of House of Representatives bythe SGF on the Nigeria Centenary Project at the National Assembly, recently in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

state's Education Ministry oftconniving with someundesirable elements to siphongovernment's funds.

He revealed that over N300million was lost to the ghostworkers monthly even as helamented that such funds couldhave been used to fund projectsthat are of benefit to the people.

The committee also submittedthat the state remained thepoorest in the country in terms ofhealth care delivery disclosingthat all the hospitals across thestate are populated by quacks andghost workers.

Three former governors ofJigawa: Alhaji Sa’adBirninKudu, Retired Brig-

Gen. Ibrahim Aliyu and RetiredCol. Rasheed Shekoni, havecondoled with Gov. Sule Lamidoover the death of a prominentIslamic scholar, SheikhSuleiman Abubakar.

The former state chiefexecutives paid their

condolence in Bamaina, thehometown of the deceased.

They described the lateSheikh as a great Islamic cleric,who has contributedimmensely to the peace andunity of the people of the state.

The ex-governors explainedthat Suleiman would always beremembered for hiscontribution to the

development of Islam inJigawa and the country ingeneral.

Similarly, Lamido alsoreceived a delegation from theNTA headquarters Abuja ledby Alhaji Nda Adama whopaid him a condolence visit .

The Wazirin KatatagunSen. Garba Gada,Kano stateGrand Khadi, Alhaji Dahiru

Former Jigawa governors, others condole with Lamido over death of uncleRabiu and special team fromJingir of Plateau and Wukariof Taraba state were also inBamaina to condole with thegovernor.

They prayed for the reposeof the soul of the deceased andthe family and people of jigawato have the courage andfortitude to bear the loss.(NAN)

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

the night, Emmanuel is one.“I believe that after our 15

minutes meeting here, we mayhave to go to another state,’’Anenih said.

Uduaghan assured Anenihof the State Government’ssupport for FederalGovernment and thanked himfor his visit. (NAN)

PAGE 40 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

Reps set to probe govt. MDAs, sponsorautonomy bill for Auditor General

Tambuwal who had flownin from Enugu tocommiserate with theJigawa governor over theloss of his uncle had a one-on-one with Lamido.

Although the duo refusedto comment on the meeting,there are insinuations thattheir discussions may not be

Tambuwal in closed door meeting with Lamido

L-R: Speaker, House of Reperesentatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, and Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, during the Speaker'scondolence visit to the governor over the death of his uncle, yesterday in Dutse. Photo: NAN

Indications have emergedthat the House ofRepresentatives has

concluded plans to robe allgovernment ministries,departments and agencies (MDAs).

This ic coming as the GreenChamber has equally perfectedplans to sponsor a bill seeking togrant full financial autonomy tothe office of the Auditor General ofthe Federation.

According to the Chairman ofthe House committee on PublicAffairs, Hon Solomon Adeola, theessence of the probe is to ascertainthe level of compliance of federalinstitutions to the various Auditor

General’s audit reports.He said “members of our

committee will visit the six geo-political zones to ascertain theirlevel of compliance. Those whofailed to comply would be invitedto defend why they failed tocomply. We are also aware of thefact that many of these institutionshad embarked on white elephantprojects. “On the present status ofthe AuGF’s Office, Adeola said “wewill ensure that full autonomy isgranted to the office because theirpresent status has made auditorsto compromise standards.

This proposed bill will ensurefull autonomy to the AuGF’s officewithout going through the rigoursit has been going through in the

far from the state of thenation. It was also rumouredthat the two of f ic ia ls mayhave taken the t ime todiscuss pol i t ics ahead of2 0 1 5 .

Though Tambuwal wasaccompanied to theGovernment House by hiscolleagues in the House from

that state , the lawmakerswere not allowed to be partof the discussion.

Asked the kernel of theirdiscussion, Lamido toldnewsmen “Tambuwal is myson who only came to greethis father and do you haveany problem with a soncoming to greet his father?”,

past years.”“Can you imagine that the

budget office allocated less than abillion naira for the office to overseea N4.9trillion budget before wejerked it up. We will also ensurethat all auditors are located in onecomplex rather than the presentsituation where auditors areattached to MDAs making themto submit doctored reports.

“It would be recalled that in oneof its meetings the committee hadthreatened to deal with theDirector General of the BudgetOffice and the Minister of Financefor allocating a paltry sum to t’heAuGF’s Office late last year.

The committee, in a bid tocheck paltry allocation to the AuGF

Office, suggested that it was timeto sponsor an amendment to theconstitution so as to place theAuGF’s office on a first line chargefrom the federation accounts.

The committee also turneddown the allocation of N892.5million to audit the proposed N4.9trillion 2013 budget, adding thatsuch poor budgetary allocationwould render the operations of theAuditor-General’s office ineffective.

The AuGF, Mr. SamuelUkura, in the meeting told thecommittee that his office hadsought approval for the allocationof N5.2 billion to audit the 2013budget, adding that the Ministryof Finance and the Budget Officeapproved only N892.5 million.

Borno ready topartner with DFIDfor development— Shettima

Gov. Kashim Shettima ofBorno said on Sundaythat the state government

would partner with the BritishDepartment of InternationalDevelopment ((DFID) to develop thestate.

Shettima made the statementwhen he received a team of officialsfrom DFID in his office in Maiduguriand added that his administrationwas determined to harness the fullpotential of the area to achievegreatness.

He said that the governmentwas willing to collaborate withagencies and other developmentpartners to achieve its aim.

He commended DFID on itsnumerous achievements in globalpeace.

“I want to commend the DFIDinitiative of achieving global peace.I also want to heartily welcome itsplanned support toward peacerestoration in Borno.

“However, I will like to add thatthe key to restoration of lasting peacein Borno lies in the hands of thepeople,” the governor said.

Earlier, Dr Ryan Christ, theleader of the DFID team, hadcommended the governor for hisefforts to restore peace in the state.

He said “I am happy to say thatwe have followed with keen interest,your efforts in implementingdevelopmental projects in the state.

“We are also happy with yourefforts in restoring peace in thestate.”

Meanwhile, the BornoGovernment has expressed itsreadiness to assist in the take-off ofthe North-East office of the NigeriaNuclear Regulatory Authority(NNRA) in Maiduguri.

Shettima gave the assurancewhen he received the NNRADirector-General, Dr MartinOgharandukum, in Maiduguri.

He requested the agency tosubmit its requirements to the stategovernment for consideration.

Ogharandukum, who led adelegation of the agency on the visit,had told the governor that the teamwas at the Government House tointimate him with the operations ofthe authority.

He said “we have been trying toconsolidate our operations in thecountry by establishing the North-East office in Maiduguri.

“Already we have similar officesin other geo-political zones of thecountry for the smooth operationsof the authority.” (NAN)

Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives, AlhajiAminu Wazir i

Tambuwal, yesterday held aseventy-two minute meetingwith the Jigawa stateGovernor Alhaji Sule Lamidobehind closed door.

From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

invention’’.According to Ajayi, Nigeria, like

other developing nations is facingchallenges associated with theimplementation of copyright laws

She said that in developedcountries, most intellectual workswere internet-based and not largelyavailable for plagiarism.

“In Nigeria, people’s works arereplicated without caution byvarious individuals.’’

She added that theinfringement on such rights of

FG told to enforce intellectual property lawindividuals was not properlyaddressed by the NCC, resulting toflagrant abuse.

Ajayi urged government toensure adequate protection ofintellectual property rights ofindividuals to foster confidence increativity.

Another Lagos-based lawyer, MrGeorge Ogbolu, said that if Nigeria hadattained a higher level of technology,cases of copyright infringement wouldbe reduced.

Ogbolu said that a major oncern of

the commission should be in the area ofstrengthening copyright laws in thecountry.

He said that protection ofintellectual properties would enablethe owners to derive maximum benefitfrom the products of their creativity.

Ogbolu observed that lip-servicehad continuously been paid tocopyright laws in the country.

He said that an appropriate legalframework should be put in place tocushion the wanton infringement oncopyright laws. (NAN)

The lawyers called on the NCCto put in place a mechanism forproper enforcement of copyrightlaws.

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs KemiAjayi, said that a major aspect ofintellectual property constantlyabused was the copyright, whichhad to do with literary and artisticworks.

She said that “if a check is notplaced on the infringement ofintellectual property, there will be amajor drawback on creativity and

By Lawrence Olaoye

Some lawyers in Lagos havetold the FederalGovernment to enforce the

country’s intellectual property lawto protect creative outputs ofindividuals.

The lawyers, who spoke to theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) onSaturday, said that the NigerianCopyright Commission (NCC)should do more in protectingintellectual property rights ofcitizens.

Copyright law guides andprotects the intellectual propertyworks of individuals from beingreproduced by others.

PAGE 47PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

Say what?

Brave pack man Werner Freund has a tug of war with a hungry wolf over a chunk of raw meat, at hissanctuary in Merzig, Germany. Source: TheSun.co.uk

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Some Interesting FactsSome Interesting Facts

UNBELIEVABLE BUT TRUE FACTS

•If you save one penny and double it every successive day, (day two you have 2 penniesand day three you have 4 pennies, and so on), by the end of 30 days you'll have $5,368,708!(or £'s or whatever currency).

•It is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns therest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, itignores the resulting sensation.

•The best time for a person to buy shoes is in the afternoon. This is because the foottends to swell a bit around this time.

•The typical lead pencil can draw a line that is thirty-five miles long.

•Due to precipitation, for a few weeks, K2 is taller than Mt. Everest.

•Astronauts get taller when they are in space.

•There are over one hundred billion galaxies with each galaxy having billions of stars.

•The surface area of the lungs is roughly the same size as a tennis court.

•A dog can hear sounds that are 100 times fainter than the faintest sounds that aperson can hear. If a person can just hear a noise that is coming from 10 feet away, a dogcould hear that same noise from 100 feet away.

•If a sole (a type of fish) lays upon a chessboard it can change the colouring of its bodyto match the pattern of the chess board. The sole takes about 4 minutes to make thechange.

•Of all the animals on earth the mosquito has contributed to the deaths of morepeople than any other animal.

•In the courts of the Roman Empire, instead of swearing an oath on a bible, men sworeto the truth on their statements while holding their genitals. Hence the word 'testify',from 'testicles'.

•The first soap powder, produced in 1907, was made with Perborate and Silicate -hence its brand name, Persil.

SUDOKUSUDOKU

Yesterday’s solution

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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

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTTTTTABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETEI have said it; they (federal government) don’t

like Rivers state...Everything that comes toRivers state they have taken away. I have

said it to the President.— Rivers state Governor Rotimi Amaechi

After we fry the fat, we see whatis left - Yoruba proverb

Very few phenomenahighlight unique classdifferentiations and

perception in Nigeria more clearlythan the ubiquitous commercialmotorcyclist. If you can read thispiece, chances are that you belongto the privileged group which findsthe achaba (or okada) worker anirritating and dangerous nuisancethat should be either extremelyregulated or banned altogether.You may have a car or cars, andtherefore been spared theharrowing experience ofsurrendering your life or limbs to ayoung man in constant hurry tomake a living, armed only withcontempt for laws, rules, and thoseprivileged to share the road withhim in cars. You will be least likelyto speak against the wideningclampdowns on this mobile threat,even in cities like Kano and Lagoswhere life for majority of people willbe drastically affected by it. You arethe elite, and you would ratherhave an increase in the cost ofliving, than live with Achabariders.

If, on the other hand, you areone of millions of Nigerians whomake use of this necessary evil, yourrelative poverty will be much morecompounded in areas where theonly means of transport you canafford is either banned or severelyrestricted. You may already havesuffered previous injuries or hadclose shaves with your rider who isimpervious to pleas or fear. Youhave become used to having yourheart in your month, and by nowlive with the numbing uncertaintythat no trip on commercialmotorcycle is guaranteed to endsafely. You are a one of the Nigerianswho will be bitter at governmentsthat provide no alternative for theachaba, have failed to regulate it atthe point when it was bothnecessary and possible, and are nowreacting in a manner that makeslife more difficult for everyone,except the elite. You are the lumpenelement, and a victim of a state runby elites. Your life will be moredifficult, and you will fight for theachaba rider.

If you are an achaba rider inareas where your lifeline is viewedas the prime source of threat tonational security, or in parts of thecountry where state governmentsclamp down on you more forpolitical reasons than for purposesof improving public safely or publicwelfare, you would be made evenmore desperate. Your life on themargins of legality and safety,hanging on an investment of lessthan N100,000 (quite possiblymade by someone else), is about tochange for the worse. If you havebeen banned altogether, you wouldhave lost your only source of living.If you have been curfewed, yourincome is severely slashed, and you

policies. Major stakeholders, (whoare basically the relatively poorercitizens, but by far the largestmajority) and the achaba riders,mechanics, operators of the largeinformal sectors of the economy,security agencies, healthmanagers, youth groups, civilsociety organizations andcommunity elders would all havehad a say in the matter. Studieswould have been conducted toestablish how and why themotorcycle has become such asvital element in our society andeconomy; and indices ondemographic changes,urbanization and changes in thestructures of the national economywould all have been assessed.Hearings may have been held bylegislators, where experts andadvocates would have testified onwhat the achaba represents.

But we are not one of suchcountries. achaba riders and relatedstakeholders are only useful aroundelection times. We are the type ofcountries which are perennially onthe defensive, and our decision-making is almost always aimed atdealing retroactively withproblems that have becomeintractable. So Lagos Stategovernment comes down heavilyon achaba ostensibly as part of itssocial and environmental sanitizingcampaign, but in reality as ameasure to create the false imageof a state which has moved beyondthe need for the motorcycle taxi.Governor Fashola will not be happyto hear the complaint that hisdecision will be that much moredifficult to implement if themajority of the achaba (okada)riders in Lagos come from his state;or that the service will resurfacesooner than later, because it is need-driven.

Now Kano State governmentorders suspension of the service inKano city and environs until theygo through a registration exercise,a few days after the Emir of Kanosurvived a day-light assassinationattempt. It admits it acted onrecommendations by securityagents. Perhaps the securityagents told the Kano Stategovernment something new orspecifically related to theattempted assassination of theEmir that made achaba riderssuspect, but it would have beenuseful to learn lessons fromattempts to ban or restrict

The sentencing of 21 peopleto death for their role inlast year's Port Said

Stadium disaster has led tofurther tragedy after at least 22people were killed and 250injured in riots protesting thedecision in the Egyptian city.

The football world was leftstunned last February when 74people were killed in violentscenes that saw supporters of AlMasry invade the pitch andattack Al-Ahly fans and playersafter a league match between thetwo clubs, causing a stampedeand leading to many beingcrushed to death.

A year on from the incident,Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguidcondemned 21 people to death fortheir role in the violence - a decisionthat was broadcast on televisionand cheered in Cairo by thefamilies of the victims and Al-Ahlysupporters. The latest clashes inPort Said have brought furthertragedy, with at least 22 peoplealready killed and 250 injured.

Egypt's 2012 football leagueseason was cancelled after lastFebruary's disaster, andSaturday's outbreak of violencecomes just a week before the 2013campaign had been scheduled tostart behind closed doors.

Another 52 defendants willdiscover their fate in March,with all death sentences requiredto be confirmed by Egypt's seniorreligious authority, the GrandMufti.

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

Egypt deathsentencesspark fatal riots

Scapegoating the achaba

are exposed to the predatorytendency of the police and otherregulatory agencies when youattempt to stretch the curfew a bit.The return you make to the ownerwill be lower; your own incomevirtually wiped off, and theinformal sector of the economy towhich you provide a lifeline wouldhave shrunk with your fortunes.

If you are one of the manygovernors who take decisions tocurtail, regulate or ban achabariders, it is very likely that youwould not have found the decisioneasy to take. If you have adviserswith the courage to tell you, youwould have heard that achaba is avital part of the economy whichsupports large sections of thepopulation, provides essentialservices to millions as they movearound, and that any measureagainst the service is politicallysensitive. You would have heardthat night time bans on achaba willvirtually wipe out night economies,and young people who live off theservice are likely to be pushed intodesperation, crimes or become footsoldiers of the insurgency.

It is also likely that securityagencies have advised that limitingthe operations of achaba will reduceattacks on them; or on other targets.They may have provided evidencethat Achaba riders are used to ferryintelligence and conductsurveillance, and they are difficultto track before, during or afterattacks. The evidence may or maynot be conclusive on whetherpartial banning, curfews oroutright bans improve security,but as a decision-maker, you needto be seen to be acting in the interestof security. You may also haveheard from one or two advisers thatbanning or regulating Achaba hasnever worked; is not the source ofinsecurity; and that the decisioncannot be enforced owing todifficulties of enforcement andweaknesses of state regulatoryorgans.

In nations where public opinionis a vital tool of democraticgovernance, matters such asbanning, regulating or restrictingachaba riders will be hotly debated.Politicians and policy makers willweigh the consequences of decisionsvery carefully. Studies into thephenomenon of a transport servicewhich fills critical gaps andendangers millions of lives wouldhave been undertaken to support

motorcycles in Borno, Yobe,Plateau and one or two places, andthe impact of those decisions onlevels of insecurity and poverty.

In plain terms, the tendency toclamp down on achaba riders isrelated to the practice of usingmotorcycles to assassinate people,attack security agents or escape.Motorcycles are easy to maneuver,difficult to identify and control andthey raise little suspicion. Theproblem is that there are, in anyone city, hundreds of thousands ofmotorcycles, and only a few ofthem are used by insurgents orassassins. The rest are used byhonest young men to earn lawfulliving. Even in areas where nighttime bans on motorcycles havebeen placed, attacks have notceased. Nor is it evident that eventotal bans on motorcycles willobliterate the threats of theinsurgency.

Achaba riders are beingscapegoated by governmentswhich are desperate to findsolutions. They represent the mostvulnerable members of society, thegroup that insists on a slice of thecake even if they have no politicalclout and live on the margins ofpoverty and legality. Majority ofthem should be in schools, technicalcolleges, working in trades orengaged in agriculturalproduction, but these are notavailable. If the economy expandsfast enough to provide taxis andbuses for the public, achaba willnot exist. If the Nigerian state hadaccorded due recognition toproviding quality education, skillsacquisition and expansion ofopportunities in agriculture, thearmy of unemployed who rideachaba with such reckless gustoand fill massive gaps in theeconomy will hardly exist.

Kano State's decision to registerachaba may be a ploy to limit theiroperations in Kano. No one needsto tell Governor Kwankwaso thathe may have to revisit the decisionin the very near future. Kano stateeconomy is already severelyaffected by the insurgency. Thehost of further restrictions andother social problems which therestrictions will impose will makelife more difficult. Even thesecurity situation in Kano could getworse. The alarming failure ofsecurity which was exposed in theattempted assassination of theEmir of Kano will take more thantinkering with the operations ofachaba to fix. Kano state is chasingshadows. There is a real problemin dealing with insecurity in alarge, densely-populated city likeKano, but scapegoating the poor isnot the solution. Nonetheless,achaba riders in Kano shouldcooperate with Kano StateGovernment, so that thoseinvolved in legitimate search forlivelihood can resume. They are,after all, as much victims of theinsecurity as any Kano citizen.

FIFTEENFIFTEENFIFTEENFIFTEENFIFTEENMINUTESMINUTESMINUTESMINUTESMINUTES

drbabaahmed@yahoo.com

withDr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

Tottenham bowed out ofthe FA Cup at the fourth-round stage as they were

beaten at Championship sideLeeds United.

Andre Villas-Boas went intothe Elland Road clash without arecognised striker and it showedas Spurs, Clint Dempsey'sconsolation strike aside,repeatedly failed in front of goal.

Spurs could have respondedthrough Dempsey, but he wasunable to get the ball out of hisfeet when put in by Lennon,while Ashdown did well to getdown quickly when TomHuddlestone caught him coldwith a snap-shot.

Leeds' two-goal cushion shouldhave been restored whenMcCormack got away again with72 minutes gone, but this timehe allowed the angle to get tootight and Friedel shut him out.

Leeds Uniteddust Tottenhamout of FA cup