www.peoplesdaily-online.comweekend.peoplesdailyng.com

VOL. 3 NO. 40 SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 RAJAB 8 - 9, 1434 AH N150. . . putting the people first

WEEKEND.PEOPLESDAILYNG.COM

20 insurgentskilled in raid

‘Not bestalternative’

LarabaMai Mage:The cats’mother ofKatsina

>> Pg 13

PEOPLE page 8

Our seniorsshould stopharrassing us—A’isha Al-rahusKANNYWOOD page 24

The road to stateof emergency

>> P2

Boko Haram

>> 9,10,11

COVER

Balarabe Musa

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 2

News

Yero, Hameed Ali, others hail 'Rediscovering Quran' launched in Kaduna

K a d u n a State GovernorMuktar Ramalan Yero,former Military

Administrator, Colonel HammedAli an other important Northernleaders, have hailed the launchingof a Book titled Rediscovering theQur'an: Understanding the rootand essence of unity in Islam"written by an analyst, EngineerAbubakar Fari in Kadunarecently.

According to speakers at theceremony which was held atArewa House, Kaduna, the bookcame at the time Muslims neededto understand the importance ofunity among themselvesirrespective of their differences.

Speaking shortly after theevent, the former Governor ofKaduna state, Col.Hammed Alicalled on Muslims, to unite inforging interest of the peopleaccording to Islamic tenets.

According to him, Northerners

irrespective of all differences mustcome together as one in order totackle the insecurity challengesfacing the region, adding thatUnity is the fundamental thingthat is missing in the North.

"We have disunity everywherein the North, we have in thefamily, among tribes and thebiggest one is between religions. Forus to tackle these problems, wemust unite in this part of thecountry," he said.

Earlier in his welcome address,

Dr. Salisu Shehu of the BayeroUniversity, Kano said Muslimsmust rise to fight external andinternal forces of disunity againstthem in the country.

He stressed that Muslims cannever forge ahead in a state ofdisunity among them.

Governor Mukhtar RamalanYero, who was represented by hisSpecial Assistance on Islamic andHajj Matters, Imam Sani Isahreiterated the commitment of thestate government in ensureing

unity amongst all the people of thestate.

In his remarks, EngineerAbubakar Fari, Author of the bookthanked all those that attended theoccasion as he prayed to Allah toaccept the Book as his littlecontribution to the developmentof Islam.

He also urged Muslim writersto always embark on research soas to come up with intructivewritings that will benefit Muslimsand Islam in particular.

From Mohammad Ibrahim,Kaduna

20 killed as troops shell insurgentstraining camps in BornoFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

T h o u s a n d s of troopsdeployed to quell the BokoHaram insurgency in

Borno state, yesterday continuedshelling training camps of thesuspected insurgents in SambisaGame Reserve for the second day,killing at least 20 of the BokoHaram fighters.

Sambisa forest, which is about300 square kilometers, cut acrossBama, Gwoza and Damboa localgovernment councils of the stateand also linked with Nigeria-

Cameroon border.The 20 suspected militants

were reportedly killed in a fiercegun-duel with security forces atthe Sambisa forest, which isbelieved to be the major enclaveof the insurgents, doubling as theirmajor training camp, securitysources said.

It was further learnt that thefederal troops launched massiveground and aerial attacks on atleast three separate trainingcamps of the gunmen.

Sources added that thattelecommunication networkswere deliberately cut off as parts

of security strategies to preventthe militants fromcommunicating with theircolleagues in other areas undermilitary surveillance which cutacross Sambisa forest Mafa, Wulgoand Kirenowa desert areas.

"Since the commencement ofthe ongoing operations, therehave been fruitful development,especially in Sambisa forest as nofewer than 20 militants werekilled as at yesterday in separateattacks launched on threedifferent insurgents camps andthat we are not pulling out untilall the terrorists are cracked

down", said the source toldnewsmen.

"After the raid, 20 of theterrorists were gunned down byour troops and several othersescaped into the deep forest withgunshot injuries, but they won'tescape as the entire jungle isalready cordoned", the sourcefurther added.

Our correspondent reportedthat besides the last Wednesdaybomb explosion, which left twopersons dead in the Post Office Roadof Maiduguri metropolis, the townhas witnessed relative peace sincethe declaration of emergency rule.

Tree kills 31 people, injures 16 in ImoT hirty one persons were

killed in Imo State when atree fell on them. The

incident happened at the UkwuUko evening market atUmuejinwaoke UmudaguVillage, Mbieri, Mbaitolu LocalGovernment Area of Imo.

About 16 others sustainedvarious injuries during theincident, which was caused byrainstorm on Thursday night.

A resident of the community,Nnaemeka Emenyonu, said that

the tree fell on the affected personsaround 8:00 pm. He said the treealso destroyed the Village Hall.

“The big tree fell suddenly on31 people, who died at the spot andinjured 16 others. Those injuredwere taken to hospital.

“The victims include twosisters, who sell tomatoes.Honestly, this is a saddest eventin the history of our community,”he said.

The traditional ruler of thecommunity, Godwin Duru,

lamented that such a tragicincident had never occurred in thecommunity.

“I do not know what to say.God, what can we call this? Mypeople were destroyed within atwinkle of an eye. What a pity,”he said.

The Police Public RelationsOfficer, Joy Elemoko, declinedcomment on the incident afterseveral efforts to get thecommand’s reaction to the issue.

(NAN)

A Professor of CounsellingPsychology, Departmentof Counsellor

Education,University of Ilorin,Prof. Sunday Harrison Umoh hasrecommended that any adultfound guilty of rape should begiven life imprisonment.

Umoh who stated this whiledelivering the 131st inaugurallecture of the University of Ilorinentilted " That your road not berough", noted that there are menwho also lust for animals andwomen’s dead bodies and shouldbe given stricter penalty.

"The belief that victims ofrape are the ones who call for itshould be discounted becauseabnormal men rape youngchildren. There are men who lustafter animals, yet others lust afterthe bodies of dead women.

"If a homesexual cannot lustafter a female but after a male,the nude body of a female willmean nothing to such a fellow. Iwould recommend stricterpenalty for men who participatein raping women. The penaltysuggested for them is to send themto the penitentiary for life".

Umoh who cautioned parentson ways of taking care of theirchildren said if parents or teachersshow bad model to a child, suchchild should be taken away bysocial welfare department.

University donrecommend lifeimprisonmentfor rapists

R-L: Minister of State For Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike with the PermanentSecretary of the Ministry, Dr. MacJohn Nwabiala, at the opening of training workshopfor Teachers, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

I n a bid to improve the lot ofteachers in the state,Governor Umaru Tanko Al-

makura of Nasarawa state, hasintroduced a new interventionscheme for unqualified teachersin public schools in the state.

Malam AbdulkarimAbdullahi Mohammad,Executive Chairman of the stateUniversal Basic Education Board,disclosed this yesterday, whilereceiving the national executiveofficers of the Parent TeachersAssociation who were in his officeon a courtesy call.

Malam Abdulkarim statedthat when the governor realizedthat the state has one of the highestnumbers of unqualified teachersin the employ of government, he,in collaboration with the NationalTeachers' Institute, Kaduna,introduced the EducationallyDisadvantaged Teachers Scheme,aimed at impacting the requisiteknowledge for teachers in thestate for maximum output.

He disclosed that already,three of such centres have beenestablished in Lafia, Akwangaand Keffi, urging teachers in thestate to take advantage of thegesture to improve their lot.

Malam Abdulkarimchallenged parents, as majorstakeholders in the educationsector, to take up the gauntlet inthe collective desire to improve onthe standard of education in thestate.

"In this new template of changebeing propagated by Governor Al-makura, parents are our partnersin progress and we challenge youto monitor the performance of ourschools and report to us where youthink there is a failure."

The executive chairmantasked the PTA members in theschool to conduct regularsupervision on the activities ofteachers in the state, with a viewto bringing change to publicschools in the state.

Earlier, national president of theassociation, Alhaji HarunaDanjuma, said they were inNasarawa to commission the newlyconstructed state secretariat of thePTA, saying members weredelighted with the edifice, which hedescribed as the best; not only inNigeria but in Africa.

Al-makuraintroduces newinterventionscheme forteachersFrom Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 4 — SUNDAY 5, MAY, 2013 PAGE 3

NewsPeople panic as soldiers arewithdrawn from Kogi road

CHANGE OF NAMEI, FORMALLY KNOWN AS FATIMA BINT AHMAD, NOW WISHTO BE KNOWN AS FATIMA BINT ABUBAKAR. ALL FORMERDOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

T h e presence of militarymen on Lokoja-Ajaokuta-Enugu road has served as

relief to many motorists who plythe route as the men of theunderworld had their businessclosed.

But yesterday, the suddendisappearance of the militarymen from the spot usually

described as 'flash spot' has sentjitters down the spine ofmotorists and other road users.

According to Shaibu Negedu,a taxi driver who ply the roadon daily basis, the withdrawalof the military men was notnecessary at this time whencases of Fulani herdsmen andvillagers have become astubborn decimal whichcontinues to recur.

He said since the militarytook over the place, the safety ofthe bridge across Rivers Nigerand Benue with other essentialmaterials along that route, wereguaranteed.

He further re-iterated that itwould be a matter of regret thatat this crucial time of trying tonib crime in the bud, thedecision to remove the militarymen would not have been

contemplated.Ejikemogu Ogbu who has

been plying the route in the lastseven years said relative peaceand security came to the roadwhen the military men took overthe road. Now that they aregone, only God knows whatwould happen next, addingNigeria government shouldlearn to be proactive to issuesrather than waiting to react.

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

T h e newly appointedExecutive Secretary,Petroleum Technology

Development Fund, Dr. OluwoleOluleye yesterday assumed dutywith a call on management andstaff of the Fund to be moreproactive and diligent in providingservice to the people.

A statement quoted, Dr. OluwoleOluleye as saying that he wouldmaintain an open door policy withlittle protocols in his administrationof the agency, the objective being toprovide transparent and resultoriented leadership.

Dr. Oluwole Oluleye'sappointment as Chief Executive ofPTDF is seen as a positivedevelopment, in view of his vastknowledge of the Oil and GasIndustry having served as pioneerExecutive Secretary of thePetroleum Products PricingRegulatory Agency PPPRAbetween 2003 and 2009, andmember/secretary, PresidentialProjects Assessment Committee.

His achievements include thedevelopment of a transparentpetroleum pricing mechanismthat responds to the dynamics ofmarket fundamentals. He alsoinitiated deregulation policy onthe supply of products into thesystem by creating a level playingfield for industry players as well asset up guidelines for the subsidyFund in collaboration withstakeholders.

As a fellow of the InternationalLabour Organisation, Dr. OluwoleOluleye is stepping in as the 6thExecutive Secretary of PTDF andwill be bringing his wealth ofexperience in the industry and theacademia to confront thenumerous challenges of PTDFcapacity building initiatives. Dr.Oluwole Oluleye is from EkitiState, South West Nigeria.

New PTDFExecutiveSecretaryassumesdutyBy Etuka Sunday

K a d u n a state MuslimsWelfare Pilgrims Board,Executive Secretary Tahir

Umar Tahir has said that there isno way the state will achieve ahitch free hajj exercise withoutMedia support.

Speaking when he led adelegation from the board to somemedia organizations within thestate, Tahir emphasized that themedia has a greater role to play forthe success of 2013 hajj operations.

At the Federal RadioCooperation of Nigeria FRCN, hesaid they were at the radio stationdue to its importance asstakeholders.

"We really need the cooperationand support of media organizationsin the state so as to record success inthe forthcoming hajj operation. Weknow Hajj exercise is a very crucialexercise and that is why we think itis important to built relationshipwith the media," he said.

According to him,strengthening relationship withmedia stations will go a long wayin improvement of the hajj exercisein the country, particularlyKaduna state.

In his remarks, FRCN ZonalDirector, Malam Ladan Salihupledged to support the boardachieve a hitch free Hajj exercise.

"I know the ExecutiveSecretary to be a hard workingindividual. We hope Allah willassist you in the course of carryingout your responsibilities. Nobodyis perfect and we know there willbe criticism from some quartersbut we wish you the best.

"We will continue to supportyour activities as usual so that weachieve a hitch free exercise in thestate. Our doors are always openfor you and we are ready to partnerand support you as usual. We hopethis year's exercise to be better thanthat of last year," he said.

Other media stations visited bythe board management includeDITV/ Alheri Radio, NagartaRadio, Desart Herald Newspaper,Liberty Radio and AIT Kadunaamong others.

In another development, themanagement of the board alsoreceived a delegation from KadunaState House of AssemblyCommittee on Hajj who paid acourtesy visit to the board.

Chairman of the committee,Yunusa Garba Turawa, said theywere at the board only to accessthe level of preparation for 2013hajj exercise.

"We are partners in progress sowe only came to know how for youhave gone with regards to 2013hajj exercise preparations," he said.

The delegation was received byDirector of Administration andAccount, Malam Umar MustaphaDan Raka on behalf of theexecutive Secretary of the board.

Let us focus our attention onyouth development not 2015election, says Gov. Wamakko

S o k o t o State Governor,Alhaji AliyuMagatakardan Wamakko

has strongly cautioned thecountry's leaders against totalneglect of the youth whom hedescribed as vulnerable and futureleaders.

Wammakko gave the warningin Sokoto on Wednesday whiledeclaring open the 2013 NYSCannual Management Conferenceheld at Giginya Hotel, sokoto.

He said "if the energies,resources and economic costdevoted to maintaining seats in the2015 election should be channelledto the development of youths, onhow to re shape, re model andmake them more relevant andproductive, I am sure the countrywould be a better place to live ineven by our yet unborn children''.

''Let us be honest to ourselves,let us start thinking and acting ina positive ways about the future ofour country's vision because this

nation is a great nation for all of usand loved by God, a nation wellblessed..

In his welcome address, theDirector General NYSC, BrigadierGeneral NT Okore Affia said theannual conference is a forum fortop managers of the scheme to takestock of their performances duringthe past year, with a view tocritically examine all areas ofoperations of the scheme.

The scheme, he continued, isconfronted with problems ofsecurity and welfare of corpsmembers and all these requireconcerted attention in view of theprevailing security challenges insome parts of the country.

He said the theme of this year'sconference is ''the relevance ofNYSC to national development:Achievements, Challenges,Prospects and the way Forward''which are geared towards re-examining the objectives of thescheme and its contributions tonational development in the last40 years of its existence.

Kogi needshard work,prayers, saysAttah Igala

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

The Attah of Igala, HRMIdakwo Ameh Oboni (11)has said with hard work

and prayers, kogi state will attaina greater height in the nearestfuture.

His Royal Majesty made thisremark at Government House,lokoja while on a courtesy visit toGovernor Idris Wada, yesterday.

He said he was in theGovernment House to thankgovernor Wada and his cabinetmembers for their generosity ofspirit which saw him through toascend his forefathers' throne.

"This very house is where I wasconfirmed as Attah of Igala. It isgood of me to come and thank HisExcellency, Governor Idris Wadafor his magnanimity", he said.

While commending HRM formaking his office the first place ofhis official assignment since hiscoronation, Governor Wada said thegovernment will not leave anystone unturned in its drive to boostagricultural products in the state,and urged the Attah to assist thestate government in this direction.

From Mahmoud Muhammad,Sokoto

L-R: Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Finance, Elder Albert Akpan with his Bauchi State Counterpart,Mallam Mahmoud Maijama'r, during the Federal Account Allocation Committee Meeting, onThursday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

2013 Hajj:KadunaPilgrimsBoard bossseeks mediasupportFrom Mohammad Ibrahim ,Kaduna

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 4

News

of Vom-Manchok road in Plateaustate; completion of the repairs of thirdMainland bridge phase II andadditional works for the repairs of 8Nos expansion joints in Lagos state.

Others were completion of therehabilitation of Owerri-Aba road,in Abia and Imo states; completionof the rehabilitation of Ijebu Igbo-Ajegunle-Araromi-Ife Sekona road,section II, in Ogun state; completionof the rehabilitation of Katsina-Daura road in Katsina state;completion of the rehabilitation ofUba-Mbalala road in Borno state;completion of the dualization ofaccess road to Onne Port, in Riverssate.

In addition, the minister saidthat the ministry is also embarkingon major on-going road projectsincluding the dualization of majorarterial highways in the country,noting that very impressiveprogress has been made so far in thataspect.

According to him, the arterialhighways include dualization ofAbuja-Abaji-Lokoja, Kano-Maiduguri road, Suleja-Mina road;all in FCT, Kogi, Kano, Jigawa,

"32 road projects completed intwo years", says Works Minister

A total of thirty-two major roadprojects have been completed in twoyears, by the President GoodluckJonathan-led federal government, aspart of the significant strides made inthe road development in thecountry, minister of works, Arch.Mike Onolememen has disclosed.

He said the ministry betweenMay 29, 2011 and May 29, thisyear, in addition to the stated numberof roads projects completednationwide and many more whichare nearing completion, it succeededin recovering of failed portions of thefederal highways across the country.

Onolememen, who revealed thisThursday, at a media forum whenhe presented the scorecard of theministry within the period underreview, said with the developmentNigerian roads have becomeveritable tool for economic growthand national integration.

The minister said thegovernment, having theunderstanding that roadinfrastructure development andeconomic growth are mutuallyreinforcing, plays a vital role inwealth creation as it designed farreaching changes and reformsespecially in the areas of policy,

management and financing of roadsinfrastructure in the country.

"About two years on, Nigerianroads which hitherto were taggeddeath traps, can no longer bedescribed as such due to the markedimprovement in the condition of theroads as a result of the unprecedentedand massive rehabilitation,construction and expansion of majorarterial highways under the currentleadership.

"Today not only that travel timeson these roads have been drasticallyreduced, also maintenance costs ofvehicles have equally reduced as aresult of improved driving surface",explained.

The analysis of the score cardshows the nature of works done out ofthe total 32 road projects to include,13-completion works, 14- periodicmaintenance works, 9-rehabilitation works, 4- constructionworks, 4-emergency reinstatementworks and 2-reconstruction worksrespectively.

He listed some of the roads toinclude: completion of the dualizationof Ibadan-Ilorin road section I, in Oyostate; completion of the reconstruction

Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Edo and Nigerstates respectively.

Others are: rehabilitation ofApapa-Ohodi expressway in Lagosstate; construction of Loko-Owetabridge over River Benue withapproach roads in Nasarawa andBenue sates; and rehabilitation ofBenin-Ore-Shagamu expressway inEdo, Ondo and Ogun states.

"Today, the journey from Beninto Lagos, which took upwards ofnine hours in 2011, now takesbetween three to four hours; andtravel time between Abuja andLokoja has improved from fourhours or more to about two hours;these are part of indicators thatprogress is being made steadily onfixing our roads.

"Also the operation Safe thepassage embarked upon by theministry in the 4th quarter of 2012led to the recovering of failed portionof federal highways nationwide; fromIlorin to Jbba, Lafia to Makurdi,Aliade to Otuurkpo, Oturkpo to 9thMile, Enugu to Port Harcourt, Kanoto Kastina, Lagos to Ibadan, andOdukpani to Itu", he further said.

By Jamila Nuhu Musa

Insecurity: Boko Haram insurgents usemilitary uniform to operate —Army

Defence Headquarters hassaid the Advancing troops ofSpecial Task Force deployed

to Borno state, after the declarationof State of Emergency, has destroyedsome terrorists camps sited in theforests of Northern and central Borno.

This was contained in a pressstatement signed by the Director ofDefence Information (DDI) Brig. GenChris Olukolade yesterday in Abuja.

The statement also said thatheavy weapons including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns were alsodestroyed in the process.

According to the statement "thespecial operations which precededtroops movement has resulted in thedestruction of much of the insurgentsweapons and logistics such asvehicles, containers, fuel dumps andpower generators.

"The casualties inflicted on theinsurgents in the cause of the assaultwill be verified during mop up".

The DDI in the statement saidDefence Headquarters is quitesatisfied with the progress of theoperation and the fighting spirit ofparticipating troops urging them tosustain the tempo.

He further said that border postsaround the state have all beenmanned by security agents toprevent escape or infiltrations byinsurgents.

Troops destroyterrorist base inBorno

The Nigerian Army has raisedalarm over the use of theircamouflage uniform by

members of the Boko Haraminsurgents in their operations,thereby giving the public falsereputation about the Army.

The Chief of Civil MilitaryAffairs (CCMA) Maj. Gen MobolajiKoleoso stated this yesterday, inAbuja while addressing journalistsat the Army headquarters.

Koleoso said investigationshave shown that the insurgentsdressed in fake military uniformin the recent exchange of gunfire

with the military in the northeastern part of the country whichresulted in a large number ofcasualties.

He also said that Boko Haraminsurgents, who dressed in fakemilitary uniform, were actuallyresponsible for the incident inBama and perpetrators of most ofthe dastardly acts that themilitary are being accused of inthe north eastern part of thecountry.

On the latest attack in Daura,Katsina state, the CCMA said 35Battalion located in Katsina movedinto Daura to take charge of thesituation after getting a distress

call that the insurgents attackedthe town around 10pm.

Koleoso further said that twosoldiers were killed and an officerwounded in the attack adding thattwo insurgents were killed, whilethe others escaped with bulletwounds and that three of them,who escaped in a car had roadaccident and they all died.

He appealed to the generalpublic to report to any nearestsecurity agency, anyone foundwith bullet wound, and alsourged hospitals not to treat casesof gun shots wound withoutreporting such cases to securityagencies.

By Joy Baba

L R: Senior Regional Advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa Office of International Programs ,U.S Food andDrug Administration , Dr. Beverly Corey, Director General, NAFDAC , Dr. Paul Orhil ,and Director ,Registration & Regulatory Affairs of NAFDAC, Dr. Monica Eimunjeze , during envoy Courtesy Visit toNAFDAC Headquarters, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Pregnancy not women's issuealone —Says physician

Dr Haroun Isah, Public HealthPhysician, Institute of HumanVirology Nigeria, has called onmen to support their wives duringpregnancy to promote maternalhealth and sustainabledevelopment.

This is contained in a statementsigned by Mr Dennis Mordi, Headof Communication Unit at theinstitute in Abuja on Monday.

The statement quoted Isah assaying that men's support duringpregnancy will give their wivesthe psychological strength to go

through pregnancy and deliversafely.

He said, ``A husband's supportfor the woman goes a long way togive her a high sense of wellbeing.

``The fact that I recognise whatmy wife is going through in themoment of pregnancy is enoughpsychological strength.''

According to him, men shouldknow that even if they cannot gofor every antenatal appointmentwith their wives, they should notfail to go with her on the antenatalvisit.

``It is an opportunity for theman to know the enormity of theproblem of the woman carrying apregnancy and give her theneeded support," Isah said.

He also said that men shouldappreciate their wives and knowthat the health of a woman is tiedto the wellbeing of the family andsociety.

``Where the woman's health iscompromised, it has a lot ofbandwagon effect on sustainabledevelopment of a country.

``In the family, in manyinstances, the woman is a multipleplayer at home, she is a breadwinner, she is a house keeper, ateacher, a lot of things.

``The death of a mother is adevastating experience, those whohave experienced it will tell better,''he added.

Isah urged pregnant women togo to the hospital on time for earlyantenatal care. (NAN)

Health Minister, Prof.Onyeabuchi Chukwu

By Joy Baba

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 5

News

.L R: Chief of Staff, Directorate of Army Public Relations, Col. John Agim and Chief of Civil Military Affairs, Maj. Gen. Mobolaji Koleoshoduring the press briefing and showcasing fake camouflage Army uniforms being used by Boko Haram members, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

State of emergencyis to mess up APC ,opposition alleges

Bauchi state first lady, HajiyaAisha Isa Yuguda hascharged women in Nigeria to

participate in partisan politics, not toonly for political appointments.

Aisha gave the charge whiledeclaring open a workshop organizedby her office and ministry of womenaffairs and social development withthe theme: "Capacity TrainingWorkshop on Gender Mainstreamingand Good Governance: A Panacea forPolitical Reform for Wives of TopGovernment Functionaries", holdingin Yankari Game Reserve.

The first lady who wasrepresented by wife of the DeputyGovernor, Hajiya Zainab SagriAminu Sale said womenparticipation in politics would helpin alleviating the suffering of womenand change the fortune of thecountry.

She advocated for enrolment ofgirl child into schools and tasked wivesof top government functionaries toencourage girl child education withintheir neighbourhood as educatingand empowering a woman was likeempowering a nation.

According to Aisha, her petproject is meant to ensure that girlchild education ratio in the state wasincreased.

Speaking earlier, theCommissioner for Women AffairsHajiya Talatu Barwa said the stategovernment has put in place thepolicy of free maternal and childhealth care services, with hospitalsand clinics either build or renovatedand equipped with modern facilitieswith skilled personnel to improvehealth sector.

According to her "The educationsector has received a boostparticularly in the area of girl childeducation as witnessed in highenrolment, retention and completionof schools by girls, the ministry hasdone series of skills and vocationaltraining programmes toeconomically empower women, caregivers and widows were given seedgrants for self sustaining businesses.This has yielded much result and hasgreatly improved the socio-economicstatus of women across the state.

Opposition merger party inBauchi State has allegedthat the state of

emergency declared on threestates is meant to mess up the newAll Progressives Congress, APC,by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) led government ahead

2015 general elections. The Bauchi State Secretary of

the Congress for ProgressiveChange, CPC, Alhaji Ali IbrahimDogarai made the allegations onbehalf of other partners of otherpartners yesterday whilespeaking with newsmen inBauchi.

He alleged that Borno and Yobe

are not the only states that havesecurity challenges but rather, thepresident did it deliberately to clipthe wings of the APC since Bornoand Yobe are among the twostrongest states of APC in the North.

The opposition parties allegedthat “the President includedAdamawa state because of the feudbetween the Chairman of PDP

Bamanga Tukur and GovernorMurtala Nyako, and advisedJonathan not to politicise thesecurity of the country.

They explained that the APCwould not shaken by the recentdevelopment but rather makethem stronger and united in orderto successfully chase PDP out ofpower in 2015.

hospital secretaries andpharmacies held at the River EdgeHotel, yesterday in Bauchi.

According to him, out of thebudgeted amount, the sum of N40million was approved by thegovernment to the agency which,he attributed, to budgetaryconstraints.

Pharmacist Adamu Gamawaexplained that the approvedamount was used to launch theprogramme for only 10 generalhospitals, stressing that it wouldbe expanded to meet the needs ofother health institutions in the

state with the release of more fundsby the government.

He noted that with theincrease of funds to the agency, itcould provide drugs and medicalconsumables of the various healthinstitutions for the ever-increasing populace of Bauchistate.

“Bauchi is a very large statewith twenty local governmentsand a population of about eightmillion now with the currentsecurity challenges fromneighbouring states where peoplemigrate to Bauchi and the

population increasestremendously”, Gamawa said.

Gamawa further explainedthat pharmacists are thecustodians of drugs and medicalconsumables who distribute themto various hospitals and otherhealth centers, hence theirtraining to make themaccountable in all what they aredoing.

The hospital secretaries, headded, are the chief accountingofficers and who go to the bank asthey also do a lot of financialtransactions, and therefore need

to know the financial aspects of thescheme.

Noma revealed thataltogether 35 participants areinvolved in the currenttraining comprising of DMAstaff, Central medical store, aswell as hospital secretaries andpharmacists.

He also warned that aspersonnel of the monitoring andevaluation department of theagency go round; anybodycaught sabotaging theprogramme will have himself orherself to blame.

Bauchi DMA makes drugs affordableFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The sum of N140 million hasbeen budgeted by theBauchi State Drugs and

Medical ConsumableManagement Agency (DMA) toenable it purchase drugs for saleat affordable rate to the variousgeneral hospitals and primaryhealthcare centers in the state.

The Managing director of theagency, Pharmacist AdamuIbrahim Gamawa stated thiswhile fielding reporters’ questionsat the training workshop for

Bauchi first ladywant morewomen inpolitics

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 19 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 6

Crime Cycle(Send your crime stories to

pmlcrimecycle@gmail.com)08138559513 (SMS only)

How female friend lured me intokidnapper's den —WitnessA businessman, Ayodele

Olaoye, told an Ikeja HighCourt how his female

friend conspired with others tokidnap him and collect N5 millionransom from his parents.

Olaoye, 28, was testifying atthe commencement of the trial ofEsther Phillips, 23, and six others.

Phillips is alleged to be themastermind of the kidnap on April22, 2012.

She is being prosecutedalongside Patricia Nna, 26;Kingsley Okonwa, 24; OsitaAdigwe, 35, and UzochukwuEzioha, 25.

The other accused persons areJude Sunday, 36, and MichaelOlarenwaju, 31.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the accusedpersons - two females and five males- were arraigned before JusticeOlabisi Akinlade on March 5.

They are facing a five-countcharge of conspiracy, armedrobbery and kidnapping.

They, however, pleaded notguilty and were remanded inprison custody.

Olaoye, who was led inevidence by the Lagos StateAttorney-General, Mr Ade Ipaye,said that he met Phillips inFebruary, 2012.

He said, "I met her at a clubcalled Pegas in Opebi; she told methat her name was Jane and thatshe was a student of Lagos StateUniversity (LASU).”

The witness said that Phillipswas”just a friend” but admittedthat he had sexual intercourse withher twice.

According to Olaoye, Phillipsasked him on April 22, 2012 tocome and know her hostel in LASU,which he obliged.

He testified that he carried herin his Nissan Murano SUV from abranch of the Guaranty TrustBank at Opebi, Ikeja, and that theyheaded for LASU.

“We later picked up Nna(second accused) at Dopemu. Shetold me that the lady was herschoolmate.

“After driving for some time,they told me to stop at an isolatedplace because they were feelingpressed”, he said.

The witness told the court thatimmediately he stopped the car,three men who he identified asOkonwa, Adigwe and Eziohaentered the car through the backdoor.

Olaoye said they were armedwith a battle axe and knives,adding that they dragged him tothe back seat; and in the processtook possession of his mobile phone,wristwatch and necklace

“After that, I was tied,blindfolded and taken to anunknown destination by the first,second, third, fourth and fifthaccused persons.

“They told me to cooperate orthey will kill me; but Phillipsspecifically told me to convince myparents to pay the money or theguys will kill me,” he said.

The witness said he wasincarcerated for four days, addingthat the accused persons called hisparents on telephone anddemanded for 400,000 U.S. dollarsas ransom.

According to him, his father,Mr Segun Olaoye, later paid N5million to them which they shared.

He said that while they weresharing the money, he sneakedoutside the house, where he wasbeing held, and escaped.

“I took a motorcycle and toldhim to go and drop me at myfather's office on the Gowon Estatein Iyana-Ipaja.

“After then, I wrote a statementto the police but I can't rememberthe exact date or the particularpolice station,” Olaoye furtherrevealed.

The judge adjourned thematter till May 17 for Olaoye'scross-examination. (NAN)

Court jailsfashiondesigner forstealing carstereo

A 30-year-old fashiondesigner, Aliu Oderinde,has been sentenced to three

months imprisonment by anIbadan Chief Magistrates' Court forstealing a car stereo valued atN24,000.

The prosecutor, Insp OladejiObayanju, said that the defendantwas arraigned on a one-countcharge of stealing.

He added that Oderindecommitted the crime lastWednesday at about 5. a.m. atPopoyemoja area of Ibadan.

Obayanju said that thedefendant was apprehended whenhe was removing the car stereobelonging to one Kadir Busari fromwhere the car was parkedovernight.

The prosecutor told the courtthat the offence contravenedsection 390 (9) of the CriminalCode Cap 38 Vol. II Laws of OyoState of Nigeria, 2000.

The defendant pleaded guiltyto the charge and prayed the courtto temper justice with mercy.

Chief Magistrate AdamsAdeshina convicted the fashiondesigner of the offence.

He consequently sentencedhim to three monthsimprisonment with an option ofN3,000 fine. (NAN)

Cashier arraigned over alleged theftof employer's N516,000A cashier, Chigozie

Okwueme, whoallegedly stole

N516,000 from his employers,God Bless Ezenwata TransportCompany Ltd., has beenarraigned before an EbuteMeta Magistrates’ Court inLagos.

Okwueme, 32, who resides atNo. 10, Jones St., Ebute Meta,Lagos, is facing a charge of stealing.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Cousin

Adams, told the court that theaccused committed the offence onMay 13, at about 6.30 a.m., at thetransport company’s terminus atNo. 9, Oto Causeway, Oto, Ido,Lagos.

He said that the cashier couldnot account for the money kept inhis care the previous day, whenofficials of the transport companyreported at work the followingday.

The prosecutor said that when

the police was invited, it wasdiscovered that no forceful entrywas made into the cashier’s officewhere the money was kept.

Adams said that the offencecommitted contravened Section285 of Criminal Law of Lagos State,2011.

The accused, however, pleadednot guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr K.O.Ogundare, granted the accusedbail in the sum of N100, 000 with

two sureties.He said that the sureties must

be gainfully employed and showevidence of tax payment to theLagos State government in thepast two years.

The case was adjourned tillJune 24, for hearing. (NAN)

The presiding judge, MrIbrahim Abdulquadri, adjournedthe case to June 4 for a report ofsettlement or continuation ofhearing. (NAN)

A 36-year old spare partsdealer, OnyebuchiNzominu, was docked at a

Senior Chief Magistrates’ Court,Apapa, Lagos, for allegedlyreceiving vehicle spare partsworth N1.1 million under falsepretences.

The accused, who resides inOlodi-Apapa, is facing a two-countcharge of stealing and receivinggoods under false pretences.

The prosecutor, Cpl. FridayInedu, said the accused had on Dec.14, 2011, received the spare partsfrom one Azuzu Tochukwu, with apromise to pay for them later.

“Nzominu collected 4,424chromes, head lamps, bumpers

and windscreen wipers worth N1.1million; however, he abscondedand failed to pay for the items aspromised,’’ he said.

Inedu said that the offences, whichwere allegedly committed at No. 5/7,Industrial Road, Olodi-Apapa,contravened Sections 285 and 312 ofthe Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Section 285 stipulates threeyears imprisonment for anyonefound guilty of the offences.

Nzominu, however, pleadedinnocence of the charges.

Senior Magistrate AdeyemiAmos granted him bail in N500,000 with two sureties andadjourned further hearing to May17. (NAN)

A housewife, Hawa’u Idris,has prayed an Ilorin AreaCourt to dissolve her three-

year-old marriage to her husband,Olalekan, for allegedlypersistently maltreating her.

The 34-year-old complainanttold the court that her husbandoften treated her as a slave.

“My husband always treatsme like a slave. He shouts at meand at times he beats memercilessly without any reason,”she alleged.

The complainant also told thecourt that her husband was fondof accusing her falsely and callingher derogatory names in thepresence of his friends.

According to her, their three-year-old marriage has producedone male child.

“My lord, I want an end to thismarriage because I cannotcontinue to endure thishumiliation,” she said.

Her husband, however,objected to the prayer of his wife,saying he was still interested in themarriage.

“I do not mean to maltreat mywife, but she always provokes meto do so with her stubbornness,” hesaid.

He urged the court to adjournto enable him make areconciliatory move andamendments.

Spare parts dealerdocked overN1.1m fraud

Wife drags husbandto court over allegedmaltreatment

IGP Mohammed Abubakar

PAGE 8 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

People

Laraba Mai Mage:The cats’ mother ofKatsina

Laraba Mai Mage is a civilservant working withKatsina state Local

Government Agriculturedepartment but now onsecondment to the StateAgricultural and RuralDevelopment Authority,(KTARDA) where she was postedto the Ajiwa irrigation site. She hasno child but is occupying a sixbedroom apartment which sheturned into a reference centre tolovers of cats who want to catch aglimpse of different types of species.

Hajiya Laraba Mai Mage toldPeoples Daily Weekend that “mylove for cats started right from thetime I was young. I use to feed themthen with the little food I was givenin the house. Anywhere I see cats Itried to salvage those that arevulnerable to give them shelter

and chances of survival’. She addedthat when she grew up and got ahouse of her own, she kept a specialroom for them where these cats arekept.

A visit by Peoples DailyWeekend to her house revealedthat, Laraba Mai Mage has sparedtwo rooms from her six bedroomapartment for the cats. The tworooms are directly opposite herbedroom and she said this isdeliberate to “enables me tomonitor their conditions in theroom”.

“If there is any threat fromany predator or one of them is sick,I can easily hear or notice”, she said,adding that “the greatest crime tobe committed against me is to tryto harm my babies. To me, its anunpardonable offence”.

Mai Mage noted that despite

...Takes care of 92 cats in her house

Laraba’s ‘babies’

the economic crunch in thecountry, her “babies” as she calledher cats, don’t eat ordinary foodand nobody should think ofbringing left over to them. PeoplesDaily Weekend observed that thecats have their special cooking pot,service dishes and watercontainers. Interestingly, thefavourite food for the cats isSpaghetti or imported rice mixedwith fish and oil to make itcomplete.

Hajiya Laraba added “ if youreally want to assist my babiesdon’t come near them with leftover food. You either bring theirfavourite for me to cook for themor you cook it yourself for me toinspect and serve them”.According to her, “daily, I spendthe sum of N750 on their food andby Allah’s blessing, I never runshort of money in feeding them”.

To neighbours who want to keepcats as pet in their houses, Mai Mageis their major nemesis. Shedisclosed that “my neighbours nolonger keep cats as pets becauseeven if they do, they wouldeventually relocate to my house.Look at that cat I named ‘YarKwaraka, it was chased away andlife threatened by her owner whenshe started coming to my house’.She noted that recently, somepeople far away from her area

brought four infant cats whosemother was killed for her to takecare of. Mai Mage said she nownurses them with milk and keepsextra-vigilance on them.

Surprisingly, all the cats canrecognise Mai Mage’s voiceimmediately they hear it andwould converge at the house’smajor entrance to welcome her.Some of the cats try to let her knowwhat happened in her absencethrough their cries and bodylanguage. Mai Mage noted thatshe can easily recognise if any ofthe 92 cats is sick or in danger. Shesaid “ if anyone of them is sick, itsnose will dry off and it is from therethat I know he is sick and I will setout to look for expert advise anddrugs to cure him”.

Similarly, almost all the catshave their names and respondimmediately when she callsthem. The eldest of the female catwhich has been in her house for15 years is called Rakiya, othercats include Sale, Baby, Sada, DanLukuti, ‘Yar Kwaraka, Gagare,

Karima, Salihi, A’isha, DanBakoko, Tumbus among others.She added that newly broughtorphaned baby cats would soonget their names immediatelythey recovered from theloneliness of losing their mothers.However one importantobservation made by PeoplesDaily Weekend was that evenwhen alone with them she speaksto them as human beings byissuing instructions such as ‘ don’tspoil my shoe’, ‘don’t go outside’, ‘come and take your food’, ‘stopfighting, among others’.

However when asked about thecats’ fate if something happened toher, Laraba Mai Mage becameemotional and started sheddingtears. Later when she composedherself she said “that is my greatestworry as even if I have child he/she may not be interested in them.Had it been our religion permits it,I would have handed over myinheritance to them. I always praysomeone would take over after mydemise”.

The story of Hajiya Laraba Mai Mage, livingin Abattoir Quarters in Katsina Metropolis is justlike a fairy tale or a story from one of the bestseller wildlife films. It is often said that dog, isman’s best friend but to Laraba, the Katsinamother of cats, her best friends, companion andchildren are some 92 cats she keeps and feed inher house. Lawal Sa’idu Funtua reports

Hajiya Laraba, holding some cats

InterviewPEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 12

State of Emergency: Soldiers areexpected to operate within the law – ACFMr. Anthony N.Z. Sani, is the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF),In this interview with JAMILA NUHU MUSA, he speaks on the State of Emergency and what itportends for the nation.

What this portends for the states involved andthe nation is the realization that our

democratic institutions are still weak todeliver; and that military must be called in to

give their helping hands. So what needs to bedone is deliberate effort at strengthening

“

How did ACF receive thenews of declaration ofthe state of emergencyin some states of thefederation; and whatdoes it portend for thestates involved and thecountry generally?

ACF had earlier advisedagainst State of Emergencyin view of the forum's beliefthat it cannot goconcurrently with dialogue.More so that it is not more,that mere use of force whichhas failed in the past notonly in Nigeria but in otherclimes. In any case, it is tooearly to forget that state ofemergency were declared inPlateau state and later insome local governmentareas in North East butfailed to deliver on thedesired level of peace.

What this portends forthe states involved and thenation is the realization thatour democratic institutionsare still weak to deliver; andthat military must be calledin to give their helpinghands. So what needs to bedone is deliberate effort atstrengthening thedemocratic institutions, andNigerians should makejudicious use of theirdemocratic rights to ensurepromotion of purposefulleadership at all levels of thepolity.

Do you see the move assolving the problems ofinsurgencies knowingfully well that state ofemergency was earlierdeclared in some statesbut it did not stop theviolence in Plateaustate,for instance? Sowhat difference can thisone make?

Note that the hankeringfor dialogue stemmed fromrealisation that force on theinsurgencies has been foundto be ineffective. But wemust make allowance for thefact that government knowsmore than those of us on thering side. Since thegovernment has declaredthe state of emergency amidexistence of a committee fordialogue, it means itbelieves it can manage thetwo concurrently. In whichcase, Nigerians should praythat the two-prongedstrategy going on at thesame time will bring an end

to insurgencies.

Does the ACF see theaction of Mr. Presidentin good light? Whatabout the senate orNASS throwing theirweight behind thismove?

Nigerians have noreasons to think Mr.President is doing things inbad faith. No. The Presidentcannot reasonably beexpected to relish inpresiding over a peopleoverwhelmed by securitychallenges or presiding overa divided nation/people. So,rather than regarding theactions of the president inbad light, we rather see noactions with suspicion, butsee disagreeable actions as"mistakes" of the head andnot of the heart.

In the circumstances, it ismore patriotic to supportany efforts of thegovernment at bringingabout an end to insurgence

and violence instead ofsublimating our energy inunhelpful blame game.

Most governors hadkicked against declarationof emergency in thetroubled states before Mr.President moved, saying itwould plunge the nation indeeper crises. Did you thinkthey had a case?

Yes, I thought they had acase, considering force andstate of emergency hadfailed in the past. But sincethey are also in the Councilof state, I want to believeMr. President's reasonsmust have prevailed infavor of state of emergencygoing concurrently withcommittee for dialogue. Inthe circumstance, letNigerians give both thestate of emergency and thedialogue a chance,especially in the light ofreports that the sect nowcontrols some localgovernment areas in thosestates. I do not want to be

part of blame game in suchextenuating situationbecause Nigerians cannotafford sharp divisions onmatter of national security.

About 100 armoredtanks have beendeployed with troops tothe affected states. Doyou see war situationhaving psychologicaleffects on the people ofthe state, consideringeffect on their socio-economy?

We have reached asituation like Mali where theinsurgents have taken overthe control of some localgovernment areas in theaffected states. Where that isthe case, it is hard to avoidthe conclusion that we arein war situation with all theimplications of war.

People havecommended Mr.President for actingwithin the purview ofthe constitution by nottampering withdemocratic institutions.But can they perform insuch situations?

Please note that thesituation is no more normaland so we cannot expectoptimal performance frompublic office holdersbecause the priority now ison how to bring to an endmindless killing of innocentNigerians by the sect.

Though the troops andother security agencieshave been given theorders to take allnecessary actions,people are apprehensiveout of fear of the use ofexcessive force. Do youagree?

Not only Nigerians but

international communitieshave warned against the useof excessive force that caninflict very high unintendedcollateral damage but alsobecause excessive force canradicalize and inspireextremism, therebyexacerbating the alreadybad situation.

But I think the military istoo intelligent not to knowthe importance of observingrules of engagement and theeffect of acting outside same,considering the negative imagethat came with Baga. I expectthem to learn their lessons andoperate within the law.

What then is the role ofthe dialogue or amnestycommittee, given thedeclaration of state ofemergency? And do yousee peace being restoredsoon and soldiers goingback to the barracks?

Most of us had thought theuse of force symbolised bystate of emergency anddialogue could not exist sideby side. But the governmenthas said they can. Did you notread the presidency'sresponse to U S that thecounter terrorisms strategy istwo- pronged of stick andcarrot? May be thegovernment wants force toprecede dialogue from aposition of strength in orderto secure the best of terms.

I believe, given the highestof imagination,determination, political will,patriotic courage andpurposeful leadership that cantake risk, peace can return andsoldiers go back to thebarrack. This is because thesituation is not beyondredemption. More so thatNigerians believe that oneunited Nigeria is notnegotiable.

Mr. Anthony N.Z. Sani

PAGE 13PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Interview

State of Emergency is not bestalternative – Balarabe Musa

What is your view withregards to declaration ofstate of emergency in threenorthern states byPresident Jonathan?

Apparently the presidenthas the power to declare stateof emergency but subjected toapproval by the NationalAssembly and otherconsiderations like governorsof the states affected and bystate Assemblies of the affectedstates. This is the legalposition. But in terms ofpolitical position, I think thedeclaration of state ofemergency, taken everythinginto consideration in Nigeria,is not the best alternative.

The best alternative istightening up security,secondly making sure thatforeign interests are notinvolved. Thirdly, trace thesource of the insurgency thatled to this situation. Thesource of the insurgency hasshowed clearly that thegovernment lacks moral andpopular legitimacy.Remember the Presidenthimself misused hisincumbency to undermine theposition of his party.

Remember also thedoubtful nature of the victoryof 2011 general elections. So,that is a major factor inbringing about theinsurgency. The other factorswhich are equally important,some of them even moreimportant, is this level ofunemployment in thecountry. In particularunemployment of about 15million post secondary andgraduates in Nigeria.

There is this level ofcorruption and criminallystealing and waste of resourcesin the country. The issue ofcollapsed public services andfinally the corruption in theparty controlling the federalgovernment in Nigeria. Theseissues can be addressedwithout declaring state ofemergency.

A state of emergency aslimited as it is today has thepotentiality of involving thewhole country eventuallybecause for instance, even thePresident himself in the courseof declaring the emergency,mentioned the fact that thereis insecurity in about 11 statesin Nigeria which means thereis insecurity in one third of the

country. This is very seriousand if you declare a state ofemergency mindlessly in thissituation there is thepossibility of it being createdin every one of the 37 unitesmaking 36 states plus Abuja.

If state of emergency is

the equivalent of Arab springs,anarchy or revolution?PDP recently alleged thatthe Opposition parties,particularly CAN arebehind the insurgency inthe country, how do youreact to this?

No, the popular opinion isthat the government is behindthe insurgency, it is using theinsurgency as a kind ofconfronting its opposition ordiverting attention. They arealso using it as an agentprovocation so as to know its realenemies and dealing with them.It maybe possible thatgovernment is using it to divertattention from its failures.

It may even be possible thatthe presidency is using it tomake sure that for the purposeof without peace andtranquility it will be given thechance to continue come 2015.Every thing is possible becausethis is politics and power politicsfor that matter.

With the declaration by thepresident will it likely bringan end to insecurity in theregion and country ingeneral?

It is not likely going to bringan end to insecurity it mayeven make the situation worse.Definitely it can make it worseand the president has also saidit because one third of thecounty is involved ininsecurity and at least one ofthe states affected Adamawa isnot even the worst. We mustcommend the President forbeing honest by including hisown state as of the statesaffected with insecurity.

If the State of Emergency isnot the solution then whatwill be the way out of theproblem?

I think the first thing is forpatriotic Nigerians to come outin spite of the state ofemergency, as we all know thestate of emergency hasimplications for those whomay want to speak out their

minds. So the solution now isfor the National Assembly toreally act. They have thedirect responsibility toapprove or not to approve theState of Emergency and onceit is disapproved by theNational Assembly it meantthe state of emergency endsand cannot be continued.

But once they approved itthen should be prepared forwhat will happen if the stateof emergency is not properlyhandled.

But Sir, the NationalAssembly just said theyare yet to receive thegazette from thepresidency with regards tothe declaration. Whichmeans they had not evenapproved it before thePresident went ahead todeclare it.

No, according to theConstitution, the Presidentcan declare a State ofEmergency first before goingfor approval from theNational Assemblies. Anotherproblem caused by thedeclaration is that it showsthat the declaration is doneimproperly without dueconsultation. Even though thelaw allows the President todeclare State of Emergencybased on security reports,politically he has theresponsibility to consult thosewith him before declaration.These are the Governors, Speakerof House of Representatives andSenate President, because theyneed to be aware before anyaction. The Statement of theNational Assembly means therewas no proper consultation. Thisposes another danger. It meansthe President deliberatelyignored essential conditionsbefore declaration of the State ofEmergency.

Since the declaration ofemergency is a seriousconstitutional matter, it meansthe National Assembly cancharge the President for grossmisconduct, which is animpeacheable offenceparticularly under theprecarious condition whichNigeria is today. If the Presidentis part of the insecurity, in otherwords the insecurity is politicallymotivated, the NationalAssembly under thiscircumstance may attribute thestate of insecurity to the actionsof the President and declare thoseactions as gross misconductwhich may bring impeachment.

But honestly I don't supportimpeachment as a solution tothis problem because if theyimpeach the President and theVice President takes over,what is the guarantee that theVice President may not eventurn out to be the worse. Weknow this as reality inNigeria.

declared throughout thecountry, it means thePresident will act as dictatorwithout being consistent withour choice. It may even showthat the President is incapableunder this circumstance inwhich case what next willhappen? Is it a military coup or

“There is this level of corruption and criminallystealing and waste of resources in the country. The

issue of collapsed public services and finally thecorruption in the party controlling the federal

government in Nigeria. These issues can beaddressed without declaring state of emergency.

Alhaji Balarabe Musa is former Governor of old Kaduna State, and isalso CNPP National President. In this exclusive Interview withMOHAMMAD IBRAHIM, he contended that the declaration of Stateof Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States may worsen thesituation rather than solve security problems.

Alhaji Balarabe Musa

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 14

Focus

Ombatse: Moreunanswered questions As the furore generated by the murder of scores ofpolicemen in Alakio, Nasarawa, allegedly by membersof the Ombatse militant group is yet to settle, a pressbriefing by the Eggon Cultural and DevelopmentAssociation (ECDA), seem to paint a different picture ofthe unfortunate event, even as it threw up moreunanswered questions. Ali Abare Abubakar, our Lafiacorrespondent reports.

Of late Nasarawa state has been inthe news, mostly relating tofrequent communal clashes

between farmers and herdsmen, withcasualty figures from these skirmisheshardly raising eyebrows beyond thedisplacement of victims from their abodes.

However, this was all to change, albeitrudely, when over 100 policemen wereambushed and killed by members of theOmbatse militant group in Alakio village,10 kilometers away from Lafia, the statecapital. Reports has it that the policeofficers, conveyed in 11 Hilux vans, weremassacred while on a mission to arrest oneLega Agu, popularly called Baba Alakio, thechief priest of the Ombaste sect, as well asrecover a cache of illegal arms said to havebeen stockpiled at a shrine.

The grim story of over 100 armedpolicemen being massacred by bands ofhostile youth, has brought to the forequestions that have so far remainunanswered. How these youth did acquiredthe sophisticated weapons they used inhacking down the officers? Who is behindthe killings? Why kill the officers who weremerely on a lawful duty to ensure theprotection and safety of lives? How could acommunity of about 200 people only,confront, challenge and vanquish a teamof armed security operatives numberingover a hundred?

At a recent public lecture, with the topic“Communal conflicts in Nasarawa state:causes and prevention”, variousparticipants brainstormed over the matter,with the organizer of the lecture, SuleimanIsmaila Nchi, maintaining that theeconomic, social and political environmentof a community may provide fertile groundfor the sprouting and justification ofcommunal violence by disaffected groups.

On his part, Senator Solomon Ewuga,in his lead presentation, wondered inmaking him the first speaker in the seriesof lectures, whether it was a deliberatechoice for him to address the Eggon issue inthe state or it was meant for him to addressthe numerous crises the people of the statehave experienced for some time.

As an introduction, Sen. Ewuga said hewould not oblige those expecting him todelve into the Eggon issue, despite thecommonly held view of his complicitknowledge of everything an Eggon persondoes, which he said led to the misconceptionsuggesting that his senate seat was meantto prepare him for the governorship of thestate hence the emergence of Ombatse.

After taking a detour to contemplateglobally on why man fought wars, Ewuganarrowed his discuss to Nasarawa, sayingthe crises in the state had been there beforethe creation of the state, ”some only startedafter the state was created and others willcome up that we have not envisaged.”

He argued that some arose as a result ofknown reasons like “the ubiquitous Fulaniattacks”, some for unexplained reasons likethe one between the Eggons and Fulani,adding that, there are “frivolous ones likethe Migili and Eggon crises thatdegenerated to senseless mayhem inNovember last year, and deliberate oneslike the one in Assakio.”

“Some of the sentiments are expressedin clichés and terms that are derogatoryand demeaning making some have loss ofpride and belonging”, which Ewuga said,results in a negative reaction that reflectsa deep seated feeling of frustration, “thiscreates a disconnect, and a loss ofneighborliness to a point when their senseof reason is overtaken by a harsh feeling ofrevenge.”

These descriptions aptly fit in with thereaction of the Ombatse members whokilled the policemen on a lawful duty toAlakio. But the loser is who was responsiblefor mobilizing, organizing and arming theyouth into a formidable fighting machinethat could vanquish over 100 armedpolicemen?

Events prior to the Alakio incident,aside of remarks by the formercommissioner of police in the state, Mr.Abayomi Akeremale suggesting that theOmbatse have been infiltrated by criminalelements who resort to kidnapping peopleof Eggon extraction for forcefuladministering of oath of allegiance andtaking of concoctions, pointed to a sinistermobilization of mostly unemployed youthtoward an unidentified purpose.

Twice reports had it that Eggon youthwere being mobilized from across the state,for a purpose considered to be cultural innature but for which, after the Alakioincident, pundits agree was a deliberate,planned attempt at achieving apredetermined end.

Two months ago, report had it thatEggon youth were summoned to a meetingin Sabon Gida, Kokona local governmentarea, where the paramount ruler of the area,the Sarkin Sabon Gida, confirmed to ourreporter that there was a large gathering ofEggon youth in the area but that when hesought for an explanation from the Eggoncommunity leaders in the area, they toldhim the youth only met to deliberate on theneed for peaceful co-existence.

However, a resident of the area whospoke to Peoples Daily Weekend undercondition of anonymity disclosed thatcontrary to the claims of the Eggon elders,the youth gathered in Sabon Gida to beadministered with a concoction, as well asproclaim allegiance to the Ombatse cult.

Also barely a month ago, the same youthwere sighted at a village by the Many-Have-Gone-Hills, ill attired youth, two or threeon motor-cycles, from across the state,

gathered at the foot of the Eggon hills, witheven Mr. Abayomi, while he was stillcommissioner, confirming to journalists inhis office that, ”I saw them and I called myfriend to ask him what those boys weredoing there. He called back to say there wasnothing but when we finally send our mento find out, they discovered the youths haveclimbed the Eggon hills and there was noway we could follow them up there.”

When officials of the Eggon Cultural andDevelopment Association (ECDA), invitedjournalists for a press briefing last Tuesday,in Nasarawa Eggon , many were takenaback when the national president of theassociation, Chris Mamman, debunkedclaims suggesting that members of theOmbatse were responsible for the Alakiokillings. According to him, “the Ombatse isa spiritual movement just like Islam orChristianity and it is a great fallacy toassociate the sect with the killing ofpolicemen in Alakio.”

He went on to blame the crisis on“miscreant masterminded by disgruntledpoliticians who had earlier proclaimedthere was no vacancy in GovernmentHouse.”

According to the ECDA nationalpresident, some politicians in the state stillsmarting from the defeat in the 2011 guberelection, have resorted to fomentingtrouble and making the Eggon people takethe blame, “they are paying us back forour role in the emergence of Tanko Al-makura as governor.”

Gov. Umaru Tanko Al-makura

A major fallout of the briefing was thesuggestion that prior to the 2011governorship election, Al-makura hasentered into an accord with the Eggons tospend only four years in office, after whichit would be their turn to govern the state.

It was generally accepted though thatwhen Ewuga joined the CPC, after hisdetractors in his former party, the PDP,have succeeded in frustrating his bid toclinch the Nasarawa North senatorialticket, he brought along with him amammoth followership of his kinsmen,which contributed immensely in theelectoral success of the CPC.

But for anyone to claim that it would beEwuga’s turn to be governor because hefacilitated Al-makura’s emergence, thensuch a person may have chose to close hiseyes to the reality before the election. Punditsare of the view that with Ewuga in the senate,that that is a direct reward for hiscontribution to the victory of the CPC andthere would be no need for furthergratification, even to the point of suggestingthat an Eggon man must be governor in 2015.

So, going by the claims of the ECDApresident, if the Ombatse did not kill thepolice in Alakio, who else did it? And despitehis confirming that Baba Alakio, the chiefpriest of the Ombatse leaves in Alakio,coupled with the already mentionedeffective mobilization of Eggon youth,Ombatse members, prior to the unfortunateincident, who killed the policemen inAlakio?

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE15

Interview

R ecently, a formermilitant came out toissue threats that if by

2015 President Jonathan fails tobe re-elected, there will be nopeace in the country. What isyour reaction?

We believe the threat is emptybecause this is not the first time AsariDokubo is making such statements.Just a few days ago he held a pressconference in Lagos to say that thepresident is not capable of governingthe country and that he cannot evenwin a councillorship in Ijawconstituency and today he is singinganother song.

We believe that something musthave happened. In that case I believeAsari Dokubo is not a serious person.Secondly, if President Jonathan doesnot come out to disown thatstatement to show that he is not partand parcel of it, he is going to lose lot ofsupport and sympathy from theNorth. 90 percent of the people in thispart of the country believe that he istalking on behalf of the president. So,we are prepared on our side that eachtime he makes a statement, we aregoing to reply him because we havea lot of dossier about him. We justissued a statement that the presidentshould sack him from being apermanent member in the NationalHajj Commission of Nigeria. This isbecause such a person cannot have aplace where the Sultan is. People whothe Saudi Kingdom take in highesteem because they are people ofintegrity.

We are also trying to write alatter to the Saudi Government notto issue him any visa. If anythinghappens in the future, they shouldnot hold Nigeria responsible. Lastyear, we set up a committee with Ijawyouth and he was part and parcel ofit where we all agreed that we shouldwork towards the country's progressand do away with regional politicsand sentiment. But unfortunatelywhat he is doing is different fromwhat we agreed. So this is a sign of fireto fire relationship between us. Wealso read where he dared the NigerState governor and the NationalAssembly to take him to court orarrest him. That is another issue wealso want him arrested for . That isour position and if he is not arrested,then everybody will have the rightto say whatever he wishes to say inthis country.

What is the stand ofNorthern Youth on 2015?

The stand of Northern youth aretwo fold. First, we are strategising to

look for a credible person and wecannot get a credible person withoutunity. The country is not united, ourelites are dividing themselves due toselfish interests. Our stand is thatmaybe in the next few months, wewill take a stand by supporting ayouth to aspire for the presidencybecause we don't believe in the elders.

When you said a youth, willhe be from the North?

Yes of course.Do you think you can wrestle

power from President Jonathancome 2015, looking at Dokubo'sthreat?

The Dokubo threat as I saidearlier is empty and the northernpart of the country has the highestpopulation. We also have lot of alliancewith South-south and South-east andthey support our decision.

Are you saying PresidentJonathan should forgetcontesting 2015 election?

The issue of saying whetherJonathan should contest in 2015 ornot is never an issue to us. If he likes,he can contest but we will havesomebody to contest with him.

Are you now saying thatpower should come back to theNorth?

Power must come back to thenorth because it is a right.

What do you mean a right?It is the right of the north because

late Umaru Musa Yar'adua did notfinish his tenure and the issue of zoningthat was killed just because ofJonathan who came up because ofthe role played by Ogbulafor and co.So, it just happened that Jonathancompleted the first tenure and secondtenure of late Umaru Yar'adua.Though the case is still in court butwe believe even if the partynominates him as aspirant, we willunite ourselves against him.

Many northern leaders inthe likes of Babangida Aliyu,Ibrahim Shema and the rest allare all eying the presidency.Who are you going to pick amongthem?

We are not picking anybodyamong them but we are meetingeveryone of them to put the interestof the north first. So far, we havevisited Sule Lamido, BabangidaAliyu and majority of the northerngovernors. One is to unitethemselves, secondly to produce acredible candidate for 2015. If theydo not produce any credible personthat will have the acceptance of all,we are going to produce one.

The candidate to be

produced by your group tocontest 2015 election will befrom which political party?

We are not political, our group isnon-political but we will support onewhen the time comes.

Should your candidatecontest against PresidentJonathan and loose, what willyour group do next?

That is democracy especially ifthe election is free and fair, we willaccept it. But you heard what theformer leader of the militants in NigerDelta said that if their candidate lost,there will be fire.

That is because he does not knowthe history of war. I do advise him togo back and read the book on the civilwar so that he understands what waris. There are people who do not evenknow what is happening. People likeAsari Dakubo, Tompolo and Kukudon't know what they are saying.They are only opportuned to findthemselves in a temporary powerand they are power drunk.This isNigeria and we want the country tobe united. So, the question if Jonathanfails to emerge, something willhappen to us, is just an empty threatbecause they cannot do anything.

How can you accessPresident Jonathan'sadministration?

It is unfortunate that lot of peoplesurrounding him are not seriouspeople. He is somebody that is tryinghis best to bring in transformationbut there is a missing link betweenthe people and the government.Many don't understand what thetransformation agenda is. So he isbusy telling people that he has donelots of things but people don'tunderstand really what he isdoing.So, the most important thingis to have that link because right nowthere is disconnection betweengovernment and the people.

As a leader of Northernyouth, what are you doing withregards to insecurity in theregion?

When you look at our variousstatements, press conference, seminarsand public lectures, we sensitize youthto stay away from thuggery. On theissue of Boko Haram we have been onthe forefront of agitating for amnestyat the same time asking the militantsto accept the amnesty. There is nothingyou do because I believe the whole thingis political. But I am sure things will beok.

Do you think the amnestycommittee will get results?

Ours is just to pray for thecommittee to succeed but I don't thinkthey have taken the right channel.This is because if the committee cango to prison to meet with KabiruSokoto why can't they move down toMaiduguri which is the main field tolook for the people. Secondly, northerngovernors too are not helpingmatters, this is what is affecting thenorthern region.

Our economy is down. So, thenorthern governors should go downto Maiduguri to see things forthemselves and make attempts to

sit with these people. But everybodyseems to be afraid of them. Thecommittee just have 90 days andthey have so far spent about twoweeks. I don't think the committeewill do anything well. We will prayfor them to succeed. Nobody wantwar, we all want peace and stabilityso that our economy will grow.

How has the securitysituation affected the northernregion?

It has affect the region greatly, interms of the economy. I just returnedfrom America and most of theinvestors there don't want to come toNigeria for business. The informationthey are having is different fromhappenings here, so nobody is willingto come and without investors thiswill be hard. Most if the industries inthe north have collapsed.Today mostof the governors are hiding undersecurity votes to siphon money. Thereare lot of damages done to this region.

Some reports have it thatBoko Haram was created inorder to render the Northpowerless before 2015. Do yousubscribe to this statement?

No, I don't agree with that reportbecause I believe without north, noneof the region will produce thepresident of this country. I believe itis political, it just like what happenedin Nasarawa State. The securitypersonnel were aware of the group'sexistence but only took the innocentpolicemen there to arrest the peoplethey don't even have enough detailsof. So, the problem is from the securityagents.

Boko Haram is not an exception,any group that has up to 15members, security agents shouldknow more about them. This is whyI sald it's political. They are fully awareof them but let it to escalate. Look at itnow, even the governor cannotcontrol it, They have to even pleadwith the insurgents to accept theamnesty.

U.S officials that visited ACFfew weeks back also visited your

group, tell us what you discussedwith them?

They came with two issues, theywanted to find out the true situationin Kaduna State and the northernpart of the country. I told them thereality. Most of the information theUnited States have with regards tothe northern part of this country arenot real. This is because we have lotof people with no interest of thecountry at heart. They will write areport for the United States for reasonsbest known for them.

So they came to Kaduna to findout because the impression theyhave was that Muslims andChristians in Kaduna are not safe. Itold them that it was totally wrongbecause we are living in peace andmajority of my executives whomthey saw are Christians. I told themthat the whole thing is political. I saidanytime politics is approaching, theonly thing used to divide the people ofthe north is to bring in religion.

The other issue is Boko Haramand I told them to leave us to solveour internal problems ourselves.That is basically what we discussed.

You just returned from theUnited States of America; whattook you there?

I was invited to participate in achange maker programme for socialentrepreneurship and I am the onlyNigerian invited. I spent three weeksthere.

Tell us more about theprogramme and theorganisers?

It was organized by the statedepartment and we were only 15participants from 15 countries. Thetraining was held in Washington,Denver Colorado, California andother states.

How were you selected?I don't know how but maybe they

have been following my activities.The only thing I know was that I sawan email that I have been nominated.So, I went for an interview and theygave me the visa.

We plan to support youthto aspire for presidency—Nat. President NYFThe comments made by the former Niger Delta Militant,Mujahid Asari Dokubo with regards to PresidentGoodluck Jonathan's re-election bid come 2015continues to generate uproar nationwide. In thisinterview with our correspondent, MohammedIbrahim, the National President of Northern YouthForum.Comrade Ibrahim Gambo Gunjugudescribed Asari's statement as empty rhetoric froman serious person. He also spoke on other importantnational issues among others.

Comrade Ibrahim Gambo Gunjugu

PAGE 17 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

with Sonde Abbah0803-2159-249 (SMS only)

asonde@yahoo.com

Caution: Minister BalaMoh’d’s wife at work

The Abuja-based journalistand fashion designer, MrsComfort Onche, was a year

older recently. To mark thisauspicious occasion of her life, shededicated the whole thing to whatshe calls “God’s uncommonfaithfulness”.

In fact, ‘God is faithful” is amotto of sorts for her. “In good orbad times alike, I always believethat God is truly faithful”, shesaid. “I have been through somuch in life - both the good, thebad and the ugly - but through itall the grace and faithfulness ofGod has been sufficient for me”.

Little wonder she and herfamily bubbled with joy andappreciation throughout lastweek. After all, she points out,“the way this world is now, just towake up from sleep and realisethat you are still alive and in goodhealth, is a source of joy in itself.”

Truly so. Happy birthday,Comfort Onche.

Comfortcelebrates‘God’sfaithfulness’

One of the most “hardworking”public figures in Nigeria inrecent times is Hajia Aisha

Mohammed. Wife of the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT) Minister, BalaMohammed, that is.

How really hardworking has theMinister’s wife been in recent times?Consider the following examples:

*Recently she went all the way toKhartoum, Sudan, to be bestowed with a“Honarary Doctorate Degree of Art”.

*Barely had the ovation that greetedthat extraordinary “hardwork” subsidedthan Hajia Aisha Mohammed waltzed toJiwa to be annointed by the traditionalruler as that community’s “GarkuwarMata”.

Can you see how reritablyhardworking she is? Some say it’s all partof her plan to contest a high profileelectoral post in 2015. Others say it’s adress rehearsal for her impending role asFirst Lady of Bauchi state come 2015.

Whatever is behind Hajia Aisha’srather unusual brand of hard work, let’slet her be. Caution: Minister’s wife atwork; don’t disturb!

Behold chiefwho holdsOju spellbound

Ferguson: An IconBows Out in style

Chief Obande Adogah. Ever heard of him?No? That must be because you do not residein Oju LGA of Benue state and its environs.

In these parts, Chief Adogah’s name rings bells.Not just on account of his position as District Headof Igede Central. Ask the typical indigene of Ojuand he would regale you with tales of Chief ObandeAdogha’s humanitarian efforts.

“He undertakes quite a number of communityprojects for us”, said on of the elders of Igede, PaJames Aneke. “And he is emphatic, humble andGod-fearing. In short, he is a traditional ruler witha difference.”

A few weeks ago this columnfeatured a piece entitled ‘Timefor Ferguson to go’. Fergie, we

pointed, has come, seen, and conquered atManchester United football club of Englandfor nearly three decades. Go while theovation is loudest, we admonised.

And that’s exactly what happenedlast week. The iconic coach has bowedout. Not only did he bow out, he exitedwith a deafening ovation, havingclinched the coveted English PremierLeague crown as the curtain was beingdrawn on his illustrious career.

So long, Fergie. Managers like youare veritably rare. You and your ilk

come once in a million years. And youracheivements - including anastonishing number of 49 trophies -speak for themselves.

“Managers like you areveritably rare. You andyour ilk come once in amillion years. And your

unprecedentedacheivements speak for

themselves.

”

LearningPAGE 20

Book Review

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19 MAY, 2013

With Emmanuel Eko08165618872

junioremma419@gmail.comDid you know that?

• A shrimp's heart isin its head.

• The "sixth sicksheik's sixth sheep's sick"is said to be thetoughest tongue twisterin the English language.

• Rats multiply soquickly that in 18months, two rats couldhaveover a milliondescendants.

• W e a r i n gheadphones for just anhour will increase thebacteriain your ear by 700times.

• If the governmenthas no knowledge ofaliens, then why doesTitle 14, Section 1211 ofthe Code of FederalRegulations,implemented on July16, 1969 make it illegalfor U. S. citizens tohave any contact withextraterrestrials or

their vehicles?

• In every episode ofSeinfeld there is aSuperman somewhere.

• A duck's quackdoesn't echo, and no oneknows why.

• 23% of allphotocopier faults world-wide are caused bypeoplesitting on them andphotocopying theirbutts.

• Most lipstickcontains fish scales

• Like fingerprints,everyone's tongue printis different.

• If you sneeze toohard you can fracture arib. If you try to suppressa sneeze you can rupturea blood vessel in yourhead or neck and die. Ifyou keep your eyes openby force they can popout.

How a Newspaper columnist capturedher collections in new books

We must stopc o m p l a i n i n gthat reading

culture is vanishing inNigeria. Let's read andwrite on how best we canadd value to our lives;that of our generationunborn, our society andtowards the commongood of our belovedcountry," KhadijahAbdullahi Iya, a Lawyerand Columnist statedwhile presenting her newbooks titled: "SearchingInwards (SI) andTatsuniya Series."

"Writing has alwaysbeen my thing, it's myforte. It's something I lovedoing since I was a childso it grew over the yearswhen I started onecolumn in the Leadershipnewspaper.

"I think we all haveissues in Nigeria and Ithink we should addressthe issue starting fromourselves before weextend it to other people.

We keep blaming thegovernment, we blameour leaders. Yes, ourleaders we have issueswith them but we shouldlook at what we do, likethe way we behave fromthe moment we get out ofour houses and when weget to our working place.

"We shouldunderstand that thereare social values that weought to have.Motivational modelinglike in parenting wherewe have the humanangle and the leadershipangle so there are somany segments, itdepends on you," Iyaadvised.

In her regular columnin the LeadershipNewspapers, the authorhad on weekly basis,availed her readerscutting across all stratawith interestingmaterials relating to theNigerian society, givingher opinions andproffering solutions tosome issues of publicinterest.

On the column titled:"Searching Inwards" Iyahad featured issuesrelating to socio-political,ethnic and humanproblems facing theNigerian society as awhole but with specificemphasis on the northernpart of the country.

Meanwhile, theTatsuniya Series,according to the author,are "Tales by Moonlight"

(folk tales) told by mostlyold people to entertainthe children in the past,especially before theadvent of cartoons.

"The Tatsuniya Seriesis about folklores, theTales by moonlight whenwe were young and thenI thought that if we areable to bring all thosewriting back into ourbook store instead of thosebeauty and the beast thatwe see.

"You know they wroteit very well and made itcolorful for children toread but we do not haveour own folklores writtenin colorful presentation sowe decided to get agraphic artist and relateto that but still our ownculture, we have our ownmaterial.

"This rendition is tocapture the essence of lifein days when things weresimple! The storiesillustrate our trueAfrican tales, life in theold days, when we usedclay water pots, cookingpots, plates and woodenspoons," the authorexplained.

According to theauthor: "Those are thethings that are writtenin the new ones, themoral values, there is achapter in the book thatis talking about theerudite culture so whenyou get into the book,you will find out thatthere are so many lapseswe have with ourreading culture, we areworking with AbujaWriters Forum to startwith the children so thatwe can catch them fromthe young, so that thechildren can startwriting, we teach themthe writing style andeverything. That is whatwe are doing."

Nonetheless, array ofdignitaries in attendancesaid the books are

How a Newspapercolumnist captures hercollections in her newbook apt, consideringNigeria's copious securitychallenges, just herwriting style have beenadjudged to be attached toher readers of diverseextractions.

At a book presentationand launching of theSearching Inwards (SI),the Tatsuniya Series andSI Online Magazine inAbuja, recently,President of the AbujaWriters Forum (AWF),Emman Shehu,applauded the author'senthusiasm in her effort

to continue to reflect thecountry's eludingcultural values andeducation.

Describing the writeras "prolific genius", Shehunoted that the event wasa celebration of Nigeria'srich cultural diversity,presence of wide religiousaffiliations and theappreciation of diverseethnic groups.

Preservation ofculture through books,the President urged,should be appreciatedand the writer areexpected to be celebratedand encouraged for"saving our culturethrough writing to avoidelusiveness".

The occasion whichhad in attendancemyriad of cream the lacream in the societyincluding politicians,business and members ofthe corporate world, civilsocieties, parents,students and the authorsfamily members, waslikened a cosmopolitanforum.

By Mohammed Kandi

Dan Brown's Inferno

The tall writerSteven Pooleopened the

wooden door of thestrong house andpeered at the smallfigure on the stonedoorstep.

It was a boy.Cradled in his palmsthe boy nervously

proffered a startlingobject. It was the newbook by the famousnovelist Dan Brown.

The tall writer tookthe precious artefactfrom the nervous boy'shands and thanked him.The miniature humanscuttled off. An idlingengine revved into life.The writer glanced downthe street, thenretreated into theresidential building. Heknew he had better getto work. Looking at hisTag Heuer Swiss watch,he calculated that hehad only 48 hours todecode the arcane puzzleof the bestsellingauthor's latest novel.

Peeling away theplump layers ofprotective wrapping, thewriter opened the bigbook and out fell anobscure document. It was

a nondisclosureagreement inthreatening legalese.The long-awaited novelwas strictly embargoed.Nervously, the freelancewriter looked out of theglass window. He saw abright glint on a distantrooftop. Was that areflection from thesniper scope of a patientbeautiful femaleassassin dressed in blackleather, waiting to shoothim if he let slip anydetails of the importantbook too soon?

As the tall writerturned the paper pageswith a hungry rapidity,he easily visualized thecelebrated symbologistand fancier of Englishtailoring RobertLangdon runningaround a series of famoustourist attractions inFlorence, Venice andIstanbul.

Khadijah Abdullahi Iya

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 21

Healthy Living

Drug management ofdiabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitus being

a chronic disorderrequires synergy in the

management protocols toachieve target blood glucosecontrol, however, the success ofany protocol depends oneffective education of the personliving with Diabetes and theirfamilies by the Diabetes careteam. Management of Diabetesrequires a team approach as noany Professional can claim tosatisfy the entire need of aperson living with Diabetes.Treatment is thereforeindividualized on the basis of thetype of Diabetes and specificneeds of each patient. From ourprevious discuss in this column,Diet alone may not be enoughto control certain individualblood glucose, hence drugs maybe introduced.

I like to use this opportunityto inform my readers that thereis nothing like "Mild Diabetes"or "Unserious Diabetes". I havemet some persons in cause of myawareness programs who toldme that they have "MildDiabetes". Diabetes mellitus is aserious issue no matter whattype, it requires seriousness anddiscipline to put it under control.

It is important to note thatthere is yet a scientific cure forDiabetes mellitus especiallytype 2. Though research isongoing even to advanced stagefor possible cure for type 1 withthe emergence of artificialpancreas amongst othernotable landmark researchacross the globe towards possiblecure. It is common to findadverts and slogans for"Diabetes Cure" around publicplaces in Nigeria especially inPublic places like buses andmotor parks and even in ruralareas. The agent mostlyadvertized comprise of leaves,teas and other extemporaneouspreparations. This group ofagents may contain essentialminerals like Zinc, Selenium,Calcium, Magnesium, alphaLipoic acid, vitamins C, D etc.They are generally referred toas Supplements which are addedto Conventional therapy andthus should not be used alone formanagement.

The following class of drugscan be used depending on thehyperglycaemic(high bloodglucose) state of the differenttypes of Diabetes.

a. InsulinsExogenous Insulins are

usually administered byinjections either as twice ormultiple doses. An expert isrequired for appropriate dosingcalculation and titration mostlyin type 1 though insulin can beused in type 2 and Women with

Gestational Diabetes mellitus.So many companies arecurrently marketing Insulinsin different formulations in theCountry, however, since thediscovery of insulin over 100years ago, its availability andaffordability is still a majorconcern for people living withDiabetes in sub-Saharan Africaand even in Nigeria today.Where insulins are available,the appropriate syringe maynot be available hencecompliance becomes achallenge. An U100 Insulinformulation requires U100syringes for effectiveadministration and accuratedosing to ensure good bloodglucose control.

b. Sulphonylureas:As exemplified by drugs like

Glibenclamide , Glimepirideamongst others are mostlyemployed in persons with type2 diabetes. They act on thepancreas to produce Insulin.The usage requires expertopinion to avoidhypoglycaemia(low bloodglucose).

c. Biguanides:This class of drugs is

exemplified by metformin. Itexerts its effect mainly bydecreasing gluconeogenesis(glucose formation by the liver)and by increasing peripheralutilization of blood glucose.Metformin is mostly used inoverweight patients who havefailed to respond to dietarytherapy alone.

d. Thiazolidinedione:This group is exemplified by

With Isaac Yakubu Akogu

Wellnesswww.diabetesguidenigeria.blogspot.com,

08176179496,diabetesconcepts@gmail.com

Pioglitazone. The act to reducethe peripheral Insulinresistance leading to eventualreduction in blood glucoseconcentration. It is mostly usedin combination with other antidiabetic agents.

e.D i p e p t i d y l p e p t i d a s e - 4Inhibitors:

This group is exemplified bySitagliptin, Vildagliptin,Saxagliptin etc. They act byinhibiting this enzyme thusincrease insulin secretion andlower glucagon secretions.These groups of drugs arerelatively new agents inmanagement of Diabetes. Theyare not readily available andwhere they are, they may be outof reach of an ordinary personliving with diabetes due to costimplication.

f. GLP-1 Analogs:Examples include,

Exenatide, liraglutide both actby binding and activating theabove receptor GLP-1 (Glucagonlike peptide-1) therebyincreasing insulin secretion andsuppress glucagon secretion.Gastric emptying is slowed incause of this. They areadministered by injections.

g. SGLT-2 Inhibitors (Sodium Glucose linkedTransporter 2)

This is a protein within thekidney tubules that regulatesthe reabsorption of glucose in

A Diabetes expert, Mr. Isaac Yakubu Akogu, is also Pharmacistwith over 16 years experience with specialisation in DiabetesEducation.

the kidney. There is also,predictably, a SGLT 1 which ispresent in both the kidney andthe gut. In the kidneys, undernormal conditions, virtually allthe glucose that passes into theurine from the blood isreabsorbed by the action ofSGLT2. In Diabetes, theabnormally highconcentrations of glucose in theblood means that thisreabsorption mechanism in thekidney is overwhelmed, so thatglucose passes into the urine,thus glycosuria (glucose in theurine) one of the fundamentalsymptoms of diabetes isobservable. The SGLT2inhibitors as a class of drugs actto reverse this process toprevent glucose in the urine.Examples of drugs in this classis Dipagliflozin

The drug management ofDiabetes mellitus requires anexpert opinion and the healthcare Professionals prescribingthe drugs needs regularupdates in terms of capacitybuilding to be in tune withcurrent dynamics oftherapeutic management.

Though different health careinstitutions have developedtreatment algorithms andprotocols for management ofDiabetes mellitus, there is a needfor use of treatment guideline(Asrecently launched by DiabetesAssociation of Nigeria inconsultation with FederalMinistry of Health FMOH) toensure standardization ofpractice and care.

The International DiabetesFederation (IDF) advocates ateam approach for themanagement of Diabetes, thusa Diabetes health care teamcomprise of :

Doctors, Pharmacists,Nurses, Bio medical scientist,Podiatrist, Dietician, DiabetesEducator amongst others andthe person living with Diabeteswho is the driver of the teamand must be encouraged tobring in discipline and showownership of the managementplan agreed upon for effectiveblood glucose control.

Currently, the costs of antidiabetic drugs are veryexpensive in Nigeria and the costand availability varies as youmove from major cities to ruralareas. This makes life difficult forsomeone with diabetes in Nigeria.The appeal is for Government tointervene to reduce and regulatecost of anti diabetic products beingimported into the Country bydifferent Companies withoutprice regulation. These will go along way in bringing succour topeople living with Diabetes inNigeria.

Since the discovery of insulin over 100years ago, its availability and affordability isstill a major concern for people living with

Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa and even inNigeria today. Where insulins are available,

the appropriate syringe may not beavailable

“

PAGE 24 PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Kannywood EntertainmentOur seniors should stopharassing us – Aisha Al-rahus

Why are you nicknamedAl- rahus?

I am nicknamed after the

first company that I workedwith. It becomes virtually atradition in the film industry

to nickname an artiste afterthe first company that he orshe worked with.

How old are you?I am 20 years old.

When did you joinKannywood?

I joined Kannywood forclose to two years.

Are you married?No, I have never got

married but I am intending todo so in the future.

What motivated you intofilm making?

Indeed, I developedpassion for film making afterI became fascinated by howfi lm art istes enl ighten thegeneral public and how theyearn enormous fans in thesociety. That attracted myattention to join the f i lmindustry in order to becomelike them. I a lso enjoywatching the Hausa films, thatis another reason why I joinedthe industry.

What is your major role inthe films?

My role is act ing as adaughter, sister, and I onceappeared as a housewife.

How may films have youstarred in so far in yourcareer?

I have featured in 14movies.

So can you mention someof them?

I featured in in films like "macijiya", "jameelujjiddan", "kalamu waheed" and "suwaga".These are the f i lms that Iappeared and acted so well.

What was your firstmovie?

My f irst movie is "macijiya."

What is your favouritefilm in Kannywood?

Although, all my films aremy favourites, I l ike "majiciya" the most because itis my debut film and it was thefilm that made me a bit popularin the industry.

How do you cope withfans, especially male fans?

I don't face any problemfrom my fans because I treatthem with respect. That is whythey respect me too, they alsosupport and encourage me inmy career.

Which problem have youfaced in your career?

Omotola joins Hollywood stars in supportfor women with breast cancer campaignNollywood super actress,

Omotola Jalade Ekeindeand Hol lywood star ,

Halle Berry went all out to fightfor a cause when they joinedothers in a walk to supportwomen with breast cancer.

The duo, along with otherswas spotted recently in LosAngeles , USA, where theyembarked on a walk to do acampaign on the s i lent ki l ler-disease.

It was learnt that the eventwas held at the' EIF Revlon Run/Walk For Women' , anorganisat ion is known forrais ing money for womenaff l icted with cancer of thebreast.

The walk was also aimed toincrease awareness, research,educate and provide diagnostic

treatment services on breastcancers.

Award-winning actor andmovie director, Kunle Afolayan,is making anothergroundbreaking entry into theAsian movie market as he takeshis recent works, Figurine and

Nollywoodcelebrities honourFred Amata's 50thBirthday

The major problem I andmy fellow upcoming artistesface in the industry isharassment. in the sense that,if we make mistakes in a scene,for instance in a dialogue orare unable to cram well duringrehearsals, our seniors wouldharass us, instead of correctingus politely. This reallydiscourages us and wouldaffect our performance.

What do you suggest is thesolution to this problem?

Our senior artistes shouldcorrect us in a polite mannerduring or after the scene. Thiswould make us understandmore and would encourage usto become experts. Forexample, in a movie tit led"jameelujjiddan", I played arole of a sister to Ali Nuhu.Instead of showing himdisrespect, I ended up fearinghim in the movie. After thescene, Rahma Hassan, calledme and corrected my errors ina polite manner, reminding meof the role that I should bedisrespectful to Ali in thescene, not obeying and fearinghim. I accepted the correctionand performed as such. Shewas happy and applauded me.I was very happy for that.

Who is your favouriteactor?

Ali Nuhu.

Who is your favouriteactress?

Zainab Indomie.

In your view, what is thesignificance of media indeveloping Kannywood?

The media is doing verygood for the film industry. But,some photographers are of thehabit of transmitting our on-scene pictures, especiallypictures of indecent dresswhich we normally use in filmsto portray real bad dress byour girls, to the public. This iswhat makes the public wronglyperceive our industry aspromoter of bad cultures.They fail to understand that wedo it to enlighten the society.It is a task that we are assignedto perform.

What message do you havefor your colleagues in theindustry?

Let me use this opportunityto call for unity, love andassistance to one another bymembers of the industry. Thiswill certainly take us to thehighest level of development.I pray to Almighty God to helpus and uplift our status, ameen.

For a couple of years, Aisha Isa Musa, popularly knownas Aisha Al- rahus, has carved a niche in the film industryas an upcoming actress. In this interview with MustaphaAdamu, the SSCE holder, shares her experience in thefilm career.

Aisha Al-rahus

Phone Swap, to Tokyo, Japan.Reports indicate that his

foray into Tokyo is on theinvitat ion of Cinema Africa, anon-prof i t organisat ionestablished in 2006 to developunderstanding and appreciationof Africa.

Internationalstudents' filmdebuts in Jos

by June

The Nigerian Fi lmCorporat ion (NFC) hasannounced that all is now

set for a four-day internationalstudents film festival scheduledto take place in Jos.

Notice of the fest ival iscontained in a statement issuedby head of public affairs, NFC,Mr Brian Etuk.

The statement noted that theevent, with the theme "MovingImages: Talking Peace' ' wouldtake place from June 18 to June2 1 .

It stated that the festival waspowered by the Nigerian Fi lmInst i tute , Jos and theUniversities of Jos and Lagos.

"It is sponsored by the WorldBank, under the STEP-B projectfor Centre of Excel lence inMult imedia Technology andCinematography,' ' it added.

The statement said that theobjective of the festival, amongothers, was to expose students tointernational standards in filmproduction.

"It wi l l foster interact ionwith industry professionals ,reward excel lence, raise theawareness of young talents andref ine ski l ls throughcompetition on an internationall e v e l .

"Also create a platform forthe creation of opportunity forfilm students from Nigeria andbeyond to encounter new f i lmtechniques."

The event is expected to drawmore than 2,000 part ic ipantsfrom about 50 inst i tut ions ofhigher learning from Nigeria ,Africa and Asia, who run film-related courses.

"My son is getting married"-Patience Ozokwor

Nollywood actress PatienceOzokwor is in a busymood, as she prepares for

her son's wedding, just fewmonths after the wedding of herdaughters, her first son is aboutto get married, reportsNaijagists.com.

According to the report ,Mama Gee as she is fondly calledtwitted thus: "Fighting hard tomaintain a l i fe working and

preparing for a wedding;thri l led to announce that myson is getting married.

"Waiting for a wedding is likewait ing for sunrise; andknowing it's coming, yet I can'tw a i t

Oo the bride has to sparkleand dazzle; gett ing the smal lsmal l things that make i thappen",

Several celebrities rangingfrom Comedians toNollywood stars and former

Super Eagles players honouredone of their own, nollywood actorFred Amata's 50th birthdaycelebrations.

In a novelty match betweenNollywood and Super Eaglesended with 3:4 goal score margin;popular comedian Ayo Makun akaAY scored 2 out of the 3 scores byNollywood team while ex-SuperEagles middle fielder, Austin JayJay Okocha scored 3 out of 4 goalsfor Super Eagles team.

Patience Ozokwor

PAGE 29 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Up till now, I regret that I didn’t run

Womanhood

Lamentions of woman trapped in abusive relationship

I will always remember 2004 as theyear of living hell with Chris as hecontinued in the thick of his

relationship with Mary Stacey. There wasthe day I returned from work early, I wasnewly pregnant with my daughter, andI had just started to feel sick. I came home,and called Chris and Mary to bring Davidback, and he brought David back home. Ifed and bathed him and I was just aboutto have a bath myself, so I was already inmy robe, when the front door opened andChris and Mary came in.

I had actually let out a scream whenthe door opened because I was notexpecting anyone, seeing asDavid had already beendropped off. So it was Mary,and as they walked in, sheand Chris said, “Why areyou screaming?” I said,“Well, I wasn’t expectinganyone to just open the doorand walk in.” And Mary said,“Well, we came to cook ourdinner as my oven is notworking.” And whattranspired shortly afterwardswill never ever cease to amazeme, even if I live to be 100. ThatI could be so badly treated, thatmy supposed husband and hisgirlfriend would not only carryon their affair in front of me, butthat a woman who had beenmarried and who had childrenof her own, could be so calloustowards another woman.

Chris and Mary carried intheir shopping bags and headed tothe kitchen of the suite, for which Iworked daily to pay the rent, andthey proceeded to make fish in theoven. They chatted as they cooked.I just watched them. They made aGhanaian pepper sauce with thefish, and they brought out Kenkey,which is a Ghanaian corn meal. I satthere in my robe just continuing towatch them because I could not reallybelieve what I was seeing. As I sat andwatched, David fell asleep in my arms. So Iwent to put him down and then I went tohave a bath. After I had gotten dressed, Icame out of my room.

By then, Chris and Mary had finishedtheir cooking, and they were now sittingon the floor in the living room and eatingtogether from a big round bowl. I walkedpast them into the kitchen. The entireplace was a disaster from the preparationof their dinner, so I had no space to makemy own much-delayed dinner. I wasreally upset. I was exhausted. I went intomy room and I called a lady and told herthat I was really ill and I needed her tocome immediately. I waited, but sheeventually never showed up. I calledanother man, whose name was Sampson,and I asked him to please comeimmediately. He said he was inDowntown Vancouver, but that he wouldleave for Surrey at once.

I went back out to the living room,they had finished their dinner by then,and they were now watching a video onthe TV. I couldn’t do anything, so I pulledup a chair like the uninvited guest that Iwas at their dinner, and I sat right in frontof the TV so that they could watch melive in person if they really wanted to

watch me. When I did that, they wereboth silent for a couple of minutes. ThenMary stood up. She said, “Let’s go.” So theyboth got up and left.

Immediately the door closed behindthem, I just broke down and wept. I justsat on the couch and cried and cried aboutthe horrible life that I was living. I didn’tknow how I was ever going to be able toescape it all. As I sat down and cried, thedoor opened once more and Chris camein. I looked at him. He saw me – I wasobviously crying – and I keep sayinguntil now that when a normal personcomes in and sees another person crying,they would

immediately ask to showsome concern, but not Chris – never him.He simply took whatever it was that hehad come for and he made to leave.

I now said to him, so after you messedup my whole kitchen with your fish, youand your girlfriend left without cleaningit up, and now I don’t have any place tomake something to eat for myself. Youhad the guts to make fun of me, eventhough I was sitting right there. You’rereally a devil. When you go out in the carwith your girlfriend, both of you are goingto have a car accident, and both of youare going to die!” And he grabbed me andshoved me away, and then he left. I justsat there numbly.

I called Evelyn again, and she didn’trespond. I called Sampson, and he said, “Iam nearly at your house.” Well in about10 minutes, Chris came back again andwent to grab my sleeping baby, then ranto the car with him. I realized then that itwas my car keys that he had come forwhen he had come in earlier on. I ranafter him. He had already started the car,so I jumped on the hood of the car in a bidto stop him from driving off with mybaby, but he kept driving even with meon top of the car hanging onto the hood,and this was the scene

that Sampsonarrived to see.

He stopped when he saw Sampson driveup and he came out of the car towards me,and I said, “Stop! Don’t come near me!”And I went to the car, I took my baby, andI went inside. The police soon arrived. Thelandlord had called. One of the policemencame inside to talk to me and I told himwhat had happened. He looked around thewhole place and he came out and sat withme at the kitchen table.

The policeman said to me, “Don’tremain like this. You say you arepregnant?” I nodded mutely. “And he isthe father?” Nod again. “And that’s hisgirlfriend?” I kept nodding. He said, “I amtalking to you as my sister, and assomeone who has seen a lot of these kinds

The policeman said to me, “Don’t remain like this. You sayyou are pregnant?” I nodded mutely. “And he is the father?”

Nod again. “And that’s his girlfriend?” I kept nodding. Hesaid, “I am talking to you as my sister, and as someone who

has seen a lot of these kinds of things. You need to getaway from a man that will treat you like this. Pack your bags,

take your child, get away, go somewhere else.

“

of things. You need to get away from aman that will treat you like this. Packyour bags, take your child, get away, gosomewhere else. If you continue like this,you could get badly hurt or killed, or youcould be pushed to the point where youwould hurt or kill someone, and thenwhere would your son be? And how aboutthe new one that you’re carrying? Wherewould they be? Leave now. Leave as soonas you can.”

I remember that policeman. He wasthe first person that had shown me

compassion in years. He said, “Lookafter yourself,” as he left. He then askedChris to go away and not to return for48 hours. I think he was probablyoffering me the 48 hours to get myselftogether and to run. And of course, Iregret until now that I did not run. Ishould have.

I called Evelyn’s mother, Hannah,and asked her if she could come driveme to the hospital, but I’m not surewhat delayed her. So, I just went tomy car and I drove myself to thehospital. When I arrived at thehospital I parked and I started to walktoward the family birthing unit. Iwas walking and just trying to holdon to the sides of the wall, I was in somuch pain.

I looked up and there was awonderful woman standing besideme. She said, “Oh my God, you’rein labour!” She ran for awheelchair, which she broughtback and sat me in, and thenpushed me to the reception. I toldthem as they were checking mypreregistration that I was veryclose to delivery and they rushedme to a room. While they werestill trying to get the bed made, Ipushed the other nurse aside, goton the bed, and I just had mybaby.

It was about 9:00 am by then.One push – boom – and she was out, justscreaming. She was the most adorable babygirl I had ever seen, and I was completely,just completely in love with her. And mylove for my dear Christine has only grownmore and more as each day reveals a newaspect of the beautiful, wonderful, kind,cheerful, loving girl that she is.

When she was about two weeks old,Chris told me that he had an old girlfriendfrom Ghana, whose name, I believe, wasLydia. He said she had moved to Toronto,and that he was leaving me to be withher. I could barely contain my joy –freedom at last, freedom! I attributed myimpending freedom in part to Christinecoming into my life, and we had herchristened in the Church about two daysafter Chris told me that he would beleaving, and I named her Ositadinma, anIgbo name, which means; ‘it shall be goodfrom today onwards’.

I couldn’t believe he was actuallyleaving. He said when he was settled hewould come and visit sometimes. I said,“Fine, no problem.” He also promised tosend money for the upkeep in the future.I was so excited. I couldn’t believe thatafter everything I had suffered at hishands, that he would just get up one dayand be gone, and I would be free. A fewdays after Christine’s christening, hepacked his bags and he left.

The story continues……..Source: online.com

Continued from last week

I

Amaka and her children

PAGE 30

ArchivesPEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Nigerian Navy in history, in 1914

The Biafra midwest invasion of 1967

Do you have old pictures for memories?Send them to junioremma419@gmail.com

Colonial Secretary Oliver Lyttleton, Awolowo and Oba Adesoji Aderemi in 1952

Post Colonial era of Nigerian history was being dominated by three actors, NnamdiAzikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello in 1982.

PAGE 31

LeisureWORD SEARCH

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Find the words which are listed at the right side of this page in the WordSearch grid. The words can be forwards, backwards, up, down, or diagonal.Circle each letter separately and keep in mind that the letters in eachwords may be used in more than one words name.

Word search

CARTOON

1 . Bay of Bengal is in whichstate?

2. If you had three apples andfour oranges in one hand and fourapples and three oranges in theother hand, what would youhave?

3. Why is 6 afraid of 7?

4. What does an Island and theletter T have in common?

5. Who is silent in theparliament

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

1. Make a Good First Impression. Research shows that people decide whatkind of relationship they want with you in the first ten minutes of ameeting, so making a good first impression really matters.

2. Know the Hype Behind Bottled Water. Have you ever stopped to thinkabout just how incredibly odd it is to buy bottled water?

3. Leave Work at Work. Want more time for your family or personal life?Here's how not to think about your job 24/7.

4. Create a Landing Strip to Become Organized. We come from workexhausted, often carrying our work bags, groceries, and the mail. A landingstrip will help you avoid disorganization from the time you get home.

5. Understand Time to Increase Return on Investment. Time is your mostvaluable resource. Understanding these ideas will help you make optimaldecisions.

Brain Teasers Success Tips

Photo of the day

ST

PETPRIVATEANTMUSICDOGRAND

GREETTEASEEVICEBATONLINE

1.east side of indian ocean

2.7 apples an 7 oranges

3.Because seven was hungry

and “seven ate nine” (7, 8, 9).

4.Because it is in the middle of

waTer

5.The Letter 'A'

African proverbs1 . A chick that will grow into acock can be spotted the very dayit hatches.2. A child's fingers are notscalded by a piece of hot yamwhich his mother puts into hispalm.3. An old woman is alwaysuneasy when dry bones arementioned in a proverb.4. A man who pays respect tothe great paves the way for hisown greatness.5. A proud heart can survive ageneral failure because such afailure does not prick its pride.6. As the dog said, 'If I fall downfor you and you fall down for me,it is playing.'7 . A wise man who knowsproverbs, reconciles difficulties.

(Yoruba)8. Do not look where you fell, but whereyou slipped.9. If a child washes his hands he couldeat with kings.10. If you don't stand for something, youwill fall for something.11 . It takes a whole village to raise a child12. Looking at a king's mouth one wouldnever think he sucked his mother'sbreast.13. People should not talk while they areeating or pepper may go down the wrongway.14. The lizard that jumped from the highiroko tree to the ground said he wouldpraise himself if no one else did.15. The mouth which eats does not talk.16. The sun will shine on those who standbefore it shines on those who kneelunder them.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 32

Compiled by Emmanuel EkoFBabbanRigaBabban Riga as it is

popularly calledand worn by Northerns,

originated from a clothing wornby the Islamized Tukulor,Mandé and Songhai peoplesof the historic 8th CenturyTakrur and GhanaEmpires, and 13thCentury Mali and SonghaiEmpires.

It is k n o w nb yv a r i o u sn a m e s ,dependingon thee t h n i cg r o u pw e a r i n g

them: agbada(Yoruba, Dagomba,k'sa (Tuareg) grandboubou (in variousFrancophone WestAfrican countries)and the English termof gown. TheSenegalese boubou, avariation on the

grand boubou described below, is alsoknown as the Senegalesekaftan. The femaleversion worn in somecommunities is alsoknown as a m'boubouor kaftan.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 33

Business News

High interest rate slowing downbusinesses – NASME

L-R: Member, Governing Board, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), General Yunana Nom (rtd), representative of Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. DaudaKigbu, and Executive Director of NEPC, Mr. David Adulugba, during NEPC workshop and exhibition, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Shareholders of UnileverNigeria Plc on approved thepayment of total dividend of

N5.29 billion for the year endedDec.31, 2012.

The shareholders at thecompany's 88th Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) held in Lagos, alsodemanded for bonus shares in the2013 financial year.

Speaking, the Zonal Coordinator,Independent ShareholdersAssociation of Nigeria (ISAN), MrSunny Nwosu, urged the company toincrease its share capital by issuingbonus shares.

Nwosu said that the shareholdersdeserved bonus shares, saying thatthe last time the company declared abonus was in 2006.

He, however, commended theboard, management anddistributors of the company for theperformance achieved in 2012financial year.

Nwosu said that the N1.40 pershare dividend declared was highlyimpressive.

He also urged the managementof the company to increase itsmarket share by through massivedistribution of its products acrossthe country.

Mr. Gbenga Idowu, the NationalCoordinator, Shareholders UnitedFront (SUF), also commended thecompany for its improvedperformance in spite of thechallenging operating environment.(NAN)

Nigerian Association ofSmall and MediumEnterprises (NASME) has

decried that soaring interest ratesof commercial banks wereimpediments to the growth ofentrepreneurs.

NASME's Director of PublicRelations, Mr. Nerus Ekezie, toldthe News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) in Lagos that interest ratesbeing charged by banksconstituted a "disservice" to localbusinesses.

He said that the interest rateswere on the high side and this hadstunted the growth of youngbusinesses.

"It is more disturbing that thebanks charges as much as 26 per

NSE moves 380.90m shares as index improves by 0.45%Investors on the Nigeria Stock

Exchange (NSE) traded a totalof 380.90 million shares worth

N3.53 billion in 5,638 deals, thisThursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the volumerepresented a marginal increase ofthree per cent over the 371.26million shares valued at N4.73billion exchanged in 6,122 dealson Wednesday.

The All-Share Index, whichopened at 36,236.49, grew by

163.67 points or 0.45 per cent toclose at 36,400.16 as a result ofprice gains by some highlycapitalised stocks.

Also, the marketcapitalisation appreciated byN52 billion or 0.45 per cent toclose at N11.64 trillion againstthe N11.58 trillion posted onWednesday.

CAP led the gainers' chartwith a gain of N3.02 to close atN65.05 per share.

It was followed by Okomu

Oil which gainedN2.92 to closeat N53.94, while InternationalBreweries inched by N2.37 toclose at N26.07 per share.

Cadbury gained N1.99 toclose at N44, while MRS Oil roseby N1.80 to close at N19.80 pershare.

On the other hand, FlourMills topped the losers' chart,depreciating by 65k to close atN85 per share.

Mansard Insurance lost 20kto close at N2.50, while Diamond

Unilevershareholdersapprove N5.29bndividend,demand bonusshares

cent on short-term loans; becausehow can the businessmen makegains and return the borrowedfunds?"

As a way out, Ekezie urged theCentral Bank of Nigeria (CBN) tocome up with appropriatemonetary policies to relieve thecommercial banks.

On the issue of infrastructure,

he advised the government to bepragmatic in its approach insolving the nation's epilepticpower supply.

The director believes if thenation would experienceunprecedented level ofdevelopment if it could get thepower sector working. (NAN)

Bank dipped 19k to close at N6.92per share.

May & Baker dropped 18k toclose at N1.81, while RT Briscoelost 17k to close at N1.81 pershare.

FCMB was the most activeequity with 31.12 million sharesworth N155.53 million traded.

UBA came second, accountingfor 26.01 million shares valued atN226.85 million, while Transcorpsold 25.43 million shares worthN33.32 million. (NAN)

Aviation expert advises FG over failed concession agreements

An aviation expert, MrChris Aligbe, hasadvised the Federal

Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) to put in placenecessary frameworks,before entering intoconcession agreements at theairports.

The News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) reports thatFAAN had entered intoseveral concessionagreements that have failed,with some of the agreements

resulting to litigation.Aligbe, a former General

Manager at the defunctNigeria Airways, however,told NAN in Lagos that mostconcession agreements byFAAN were properly enteredinto.

"The necessaryframeworks that should be inplace before you engage inthe concessions were notthere, so the concessions thatwere done were on aframework void.

"All the institutionalframeworks, legalframeworks, legislativeframework, policyframework necessary for it tobe a sitting platform for theconcessionnaires, are not inplace.

"If people do thingswithout the basic conditionsfor it, it will not be standingon a firm ground; they arenot sitting on any firmfoundation and that is whythey will always fail," he said.

Aligbe therefore advisedthat government should puta proper framework in placewhen concessioning theairports to the private sector.

The expert who explainedthat the framework shouldbe done away with, subject tothe approval of the NationalAssembly, also noted that forNigeria airports to be ratedthe best among itscounterparts in the world,the country's internationalairports must be world class.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 34

Entrepreneur

Rhoda, starling example foryouths as student & CEO"I actually cannot remember the last time I depended on someone for money. Anymoney I use is the money I worked for" Rhoda Nduaesa is not just a Universitystudent, but a student with a difference. She is an entrepreneur, a photo model,graphic artiste and above all the CEO of Rhodes world,(www.rhodiesworld.com)an online magazine. Hers, is an inspiring story of a young girl, who has decided tomake a difference among her peers. In a world where most young girl, of her agestill depend on their parent and other relatives. Rhoda picks her own bills and paysher school fees. At her young age, she is already an employer of labour, payingsalaries to her own staff. She spoke with our reporter Mike Etim.

Rhoda Nduaesa

Tell us about yourself?My name is Rhoda Nduesa, I

am a 400 level student ofcommunication Arts, Universityof Uyo I am a blogger, a photomodel, a graphic artists anentrepreneur, and the CEO ofRhodies world an on-linemagazine. Rhodiesworld is anonline entertainment site thathelps in stress digestion.

How do you feel as studententrepreneur and CEO ofyour magazine?

I don’t really know how. It feels,someone can do the feelings for me.I am just myself. It’s amazing I haveworked for about 5years and someof my age mates have not workedfor a day. It’s all about destiny andwhat you want for yourself.

I have been a business personfrom childhood. I have alwaysbeen looking for ways to do things.I am a business kind of a person so Idon’t feel any difference. I just feelit is something that was destinedby God to happen now. So I don’tfeel any important, I’m still mynormal self, I still have my friends,it’s just that the blogging workkeeps me at home most of the timethereby keeping me away frommy friends.

What actually inspiredyou to go into the bloggingbusiness?

It all started when I wasworking for a magazine firm inUyo. You know working forsomebody and also going to schoolcould cause a lot of problems forthe person you are working for.Such a person may notunderstand. He demands a lot ofyour time and when it is time forme to attend lectures, the bossthinks you are taking too much ofhis time. There were too manyissues with my boss then and I washaving a whole lot of headachetrying to impress him and whenthe problem got so much I had toquit. And I said to myself since Istill like the entertainmentindustry, and since it has becomedifficult for me to work withsomebody, so why don’t I be myown boss so that I can have time todo my work, I blog in the morningI go to school in the afternoon. Sinceit is my own thing I do it anytime Ilike. I am fulfilled about school andwork now.

When did you start thisblogging business and howfrequent do people visit yourwebsite?

I started Rhodiesworld on the18th of November, 2012. And aswe speak Rhodiesworld will soon be5 months old, and we have morethan 184,000 hits. The hits is veryencouraging, because I know of somany site with 100,000 hits in ayear. I also thank God for thededicated crew I have, becausethey have been so hardworking.

How much is involved inthis business?

Categorically I can’t really say,but a whole lot of money isinvolved. If it were a personalwebsite it could be less expensivebut since it is a magazine, it entailsa whole lot of things. As I speak toyou now I am planning to redesignmy interface.

From what you haveachieved so far would it beright to be called a big Girl?

No, No, No, I cannot be called aBig Girl. I’m not big, you can seeI’m slim, (laugh) Big Girl? I don’tknow what they look like I’m just avery normal person. I know oneday I will be big. If I am big now,what would you call me in the nextten years?

How do you cope withschool and business?

I am doing a part timeprogramme and it gives me timeto do my business. Bloggingrequires time, so I blog in themorning, go to school in theafternoon come back at 6pm and Icontinue blogging.

Can you think or the firstbusiness that brought youmoney?

Well, well, well, I don’t think Ican remember now, because like Isaid I started doing business at avery tender age. Over the years, ihave done a whole lot of business.My friend’s call me jack of all trade,I have sold women wears, men’swears, perfumes, sunglasses,shoes, even now if I see anylucrative business I will do it.

I am a business kind of personand when I look at things that aremarketable, I deal on it. I love work.

A lot of young girls likeyou, still school depend so muchon their parents for money,and some on men. What isyour advice for such students?

It is not just my advice herethat would bring a change in thelives of those students. Some mightjust ignore it.

Actually I cannot rememberthe last time I depended onsomeone for money. Any money I

use is money I work for. One of mylecturer told us that what holdssome of us back is our culture, “thisis how we do it, a young girl is notsupposed to do certain things”.Base on this, we rate ourselves onwhat we are told, and echo “I’mtoo young to do this.” That is whatis holding us back. Our young girlsshould add value to themselves. Ifyou add value to yourself peoplewill seek for you. King and queenswill be looking for you even if youwant to do fashion designing. It’sno more called sewing, people inthe fashion industry are calleddesigners. If I decide to go intofashion designing, I will do it in abig way. My mind will tell me I’llbe the best in the profession. Thatis the kind of mind I have. You haveto think big, don’t be limited bythe thing you already know.Even, if I want to start producingpure water now, I believe that mywater would be announced in thenext two months. It is my ownmentality. I believe in anything Iwant to do, if I believe it is possible,then it is possible.

People will struggle to go toschool and when they come out,they come out with nothingbecause they did not add any valueto themselves. For instance, somestudents will graduate withoutbeing able to use the computerexcept for Facebook & other socialMedias. This is what I term novalue after school. Even if youcame out with a first-class degreewith no extra value to yourself, andsomebody who made a pass comesout with value attached to his life,he will be more sort after. You canuse your holidays to learn differentcraft such as; (Baking, Sewing,Furniture making, & lots more).During your holiday, you can evenwalk into an establishment andoffer to work for them free, thatwill give you a workingexperience. When I see peoplefinish their Masters, Phd’s and keepgoing to school I get amazed. BillGates who is one of the richest menin the world left school to develophis values. I know of a 40 years oldman who still lives with his parent,still fed by his parents. He is agraduate but has never workedbefore, recently, he left for hismasters. Still sponsored by hisparents. Some girls do not evenknow how to operate the computer,some students don’t even knowhow to use the internet to processtheir online registrations, too bad.

How do you maintain yourbody seeing that you are quiteslim?

It is a conscious thing, I checkon my weight, I gym, since Istarted blogging I have missed thegym and I have added a littleweight. I do aerobics, and diet.People might think it is difficult butno – consciously cut down on thesize of food you eat. You can’t haveflat tommy if you consume a lot offood. Eat a lot of fruits and water.There are some of us who havenatural beauty. If you are not verybeautiful, you can work it out. Itdoesn’t mean you should overmake up drinking water andeating a lot of fruits can make youfresh. I don’t actually select food. Ieat everything but moderately.

How busy is your day?Quite busy. Some days I sleep

at 3.00am and wake up by6.00am to continue my work. Iam used to such routine lifebecause I have to manage schooland work. In the morning since Iwon’t have lectures, I try to updatemy site, work and coordinate otherthings, meet people, do otherbusinesses, go to school by 12noonand comeback by 6pm. Sometime

I rest a bit, get up and read mybooks and I sleep late. The averagetime I sleep normally plus or minusis 2am and I have to wake up by6am because I have to do exercisebefore I move out.

You are a workaholic, youare beautiful, you have abright future, and do a lot ofthings, what time do you havefor relationship?

This business you see here, thisblogging job is demanding, itrequires a lot of my time, schoolrequires a lot of my time too. Guysare attracted to me because of onething or the other. Reasons I don’tknow. ‘But I have to be very carefulhere because since I don’t have allthe time as a very normal girl whosleeps by 8pm and wakes up by10clock in the morning I am notthat lucky. I don’t have time foran unserious person. At this pointof my life I won’t really say I aminto any relationship because, Ihave not found that person. I don’tneed a man who would come andtell me to get off of my future andforce his future on my future. Ineed a man who would come withhis future, me with my future andwe move on the same level.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 35

Business

Despite the departure of Dr.Bukola Saraki, the twoterm governor of Kwara

state after eight years ingovernment on May 29,2011, hiscontroversial project, Shongafarm, where Zimbabweanfarmers are working forgovernment or privateindividuals are still generatingissues among the stakeholders inthe state.

The Government under Dr.Bukola Saraki, now a Senatorrepresenting Kwara Centralsenatorial district in a bid torevitalize the agricultural sectorin Kwara State, instituted theBack-to-Farm Project meant toencourage commercialagriculture in the state. Thegovernment cleared largehectares of land, procuredagricultural inputs like fertilizers,herbicides and insecticides, anddistributed lands to farmers. TheBack-to-Farm project wasreported to have recorded 14percent success, for variousreasons, including inadequatecommercial farming experienceon the part of the farmers.

Shonga Farms, according tothe diary of the farm, was madeup of 13 commercial farmersinvited by the government ofKwara State,Nigeria, torevolutionize agriculture in thestate as well as promote jobcreation, improve productivityand enhance food security. It wasa learning experience for theKwara State government which

decided to seize the opportunity ofthe situation in Zimbabwe, wherewhite farmers were beingdisplaced by the Zimbabweangovernment, to offer the farmersan opportunity in Kwara State.The bold step was met with a lot ofenthusiasm by a lot of theZimbabwean farmers and led tothe development of the pilotscheme, Shonga Farms involving13 farmers, who have nowrelocated and settled in Shonga,Kwara State. The farmers wereeach given 1,000 hectares of landunder a twenty-five yearrenewable lease for commercialfarming purpose.

The document obtained byour correspondent show that thestate government provided theinitial equipment for landclearing and guaranteed initialcredit facilities for the farmers.The government compensatedthe local community and furthergave them incentives, in additionto relocating them to some otherlands to farm.

Shonga Farms HoldingLimited (SFH) was financed byfive banks including GuarantyTrust Bank, IntercontinentalBanks, Unity Bank, FinBank andBank PHB. The banks ownseventy-five percent equity whilethe state government ownstwenty-five percent equity. TheShonga Farms Holding on theother hand owns sixty percentequity in each of the 13 farms,leaving the farmers with fortypercent equity. Despite these

claimed success, there was nofarm produce in the open marketexcept Shonga milk whichsupplies 2500 litres of raw milk toWAMCO,producers of PEAKMILK.

The Kwara State Governmentand Senator Bukola Saraki hadlast weekend issued separatestatements celebrating theaward, which a Kwara StateGovernment’s spokesman, Dr.Femi Akorede, claimed was“further validation of Mr Saraki’sunparalleled vision for agro-reform.”

Akorede had claimed in astatement he circulated to thelocal media that thedocumentary, titled “A Farm forAfrica”, won the “Grand PrixAward in the Agriculture andGreen Economics. The film wasproduced by a British filmproducer, Matt Reid, and directedby Ed Wardle.

Ajakaye added: "But acommuniqué showing winners inthe various categories of theaward, issued in French, by theorganisers’ press relations officers,Camille Hewitt and Razika Baa,was believed to have contradictedthe claims by both the stategovernment and Saraki.

According to thecommuniqué, accessible throughwebsite of the organizer, a farmfor Africa actually won the GrandPrix for Best Audio-VisualEnvironmental InstitutionalPolicy.

"The Grand Prix in the

Agriculture and Green Economicswas won jointly by a film titled'New Vision for Agriculture',directed by Simon Waldron andproduced by Lonelyleap(sponsored by the World EconomcForum) and a documentary calledGlobal gâchis, Le ScandaleMondial Du GaspillageAimentaire, which was directedby Olivier Lemaire and producedby CAPA Televisions.

The opposition party furtherargued that the English versionof the communiqué titledPalmarès DEAUVILLE GREENAWARDS 2013, obtained fromthe organisers, confirmed theinformation in the communiquéissued in French. The party notedthat Shonga farm was not on thelist of farm that won the award.

The party thereforedemanded an apology from thestate government. Thegovernment and Saraki shouldapologise for the embarrassmentcaused the people of the state.“Now, despite these glaringevidences against their position,we regret that the Kwara StateGovernment and its officials arenot remorseful. This indicatesthat the decision to claim anaward they never won wasdeliberate.

“And in its warped attempt todefend its lies even whenconfronted with irrefutableevidences, the state governmentended up contradicting itself. Forinstance, in its Thursday April 25response to our statement, thegovernment insisted (withoutany verifiable fact) that thedocumentary on Shonga Farm‘beat 200 other entries to win AGrand Prix Award.’ Did Akoredeforget so soon that he had claimedin his statement on ThursdayApril 18 that the film “beat offtough competition from sevenother entries.” So how manyentries did the documentaryactually beat?

“We also note that thegovernment, obviouslyoverwhelmed and embarrassedby the facts in our statement,insisted it won a ‘Grand PrixAward’ without stating this time,as it shamelessly did in the April18 statement, the category of theaward it won. ‘Grand Prix’ is not acategory of award in

that competition. You cannotwin just a Grand Prix; it must bea Grand Prix in so and so.

“The lesson the stategovernment should draw fromthis self-inflictedembarrassment is that falsehoodcannot travel far undetected.Finally, we demand from thegovernment and of courseSenator Saraki a public apologyon behalf of Kwara people whoare embarrassed by this verydishonourable conduct.”

In its reaction, the Kwara stateChairman of Congress forProgressive Change(CPC), AlhajiSuliemam Buhari in a statementsaid “Our Party is the leastsurprised about the latest episodeof lie that is being played out yetagain by the government of Mr.Abdulfatai Ahmed, this time, overa so-called ‘Grand Prix Award inthe Agriculture and GreenEconomics’. This is because to us,we have seen and experiencedfirsthand the deliberatelyscrupulous attempt by thegovernment of the day to eitherdownplay bad situations oroutrightly resort to falsehood allin a desperate bid to cover up thepatently incompetent governorand his laid back disposition togovernance.

“Rather, this latest publicshow of shame by theGovernment fits in perfectly intoa pattern of ‘official falsehood’that has formed the directiveprinciple of the PDP-ledgovernment; if the Governmentis not denying the fact of thedumping from neighbouringstates of beggars and destitutethat are now distorting the socialfabrics of the streets of Kwarastate, it is outrightly cookingfigures of the numbers ofclassrooms constructed evenwhen the facts on ground indicateotherwise. All these and manymore have indisputably put aquestion mark on both theintellectual and moral quotientsof the state ruling elite! It has alsofurther underlined the PDP-ledgovernment’s distance fromhonour.

“To us as a Party, ourimmediate concern is not only onthe public opprobrium that hasgreeted the lie of the morallydeficient government but theamount of public fund reportedlysunk into producing adocumentary that has neitherbrought food to the table of theKwaran poor populace nor addedto the quality of their lives.

In this piece, our correspondent, Olanrewaju Lawal in Ilorin examines thecontroversial France “award” to Shonga Farms in Kwara State and the vociferousreactions of the opposition parties, thereby leaving the question where theZimbabwean farmers project is indeed a success or failure

Kwara govt,opposition tradewords overShonga Farm

Is it a success or failure?

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed Shonga farmers

PAGE 36 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Re: Sovereign wealth fund

Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messagesand ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Wordlimits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and

a 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@peoplesdailyng.com

WRITE TO US

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

ACTING EDITOR, DAILY

HAMEED M. BELLO

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND

JAMILA NUHU MUSA

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING

HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

“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

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU

ADESOJI OYINLOLA

A gainst all odds, it is a tragicirony that religious issues havemaintained an aggressive

domination of the national agenda,especially in the last two years of baptismby bombing. If only the prominence ofreligious issues had been hinged on faithrather than fatalities all could have beenblissfully well with us, but it is now ourfate as Nigerians to reap only theretribution for misdeeds while thesoothing reassurance of salvationremains a distant mirage. This mangledstatus quo is the latest manifestation ofour nemesis, erupting like a recurringnational plague and casting darkness onthe horizon of hope for peace, harmony,development and prosperity in Nigeria.

In search of the cause of this curse,we must admit the fact that we are notas fanatical about our faiths as ourcollective tendency for acerbic advocacyand aggressive defence of our respectivereligions might suggest. Like dementeddemagogues we are quick to jump atperceived infractions and desecrationsof our faiths with alarming zeal but verymuch at home with the sickening socialills bred by devilish propensity. The issueof corruption is mainly seen from theangle of looting of public treasury bythose entrusted with its safe keeping butthe very kingpins of this scourge are ourgleefully elevated into leadership cadreswhere they manage to keep a straightface as they swear to pious oaths of officeand proceed to preach perfidiouslyagainst their game. Meanwhile evencorruption cannot stand the hypocrisyand is fighting back ferociously!

If our ogas at the top are suchincurable infidels we can only expect towitness perdition as the dividend ofGodless rule. Thus, we live in towns andcities reeking with the original sins,

most notoriously the oldest vice ofprostitution. Wherever a seat ofgovernment is sited there your moralconscience will be assailed by so-calledqueens of the night, marauding the streetswith shameless swagger as they fulfil theend-time profanity of chasing clients. InAbuja where the Presidency is perched,there is now a budget for prostitutes butnone for the homeless. These are the banalby-products of a devilishly disorientedcountry that has also mortgaged its youthand its future to decadent indulgences ofthe uncultured Western world. We mightas well be talking of Godless-generationsyet unborn!

A nation whose leaders are all too busygorging themselves from the public till canhardly spare a thought for the perilousplight of people, the overwhelmingmajority of whom have always been outof sight and out of hearing. Nothing couldbe worse than abandoning pensioners tothe callous mercilessness of officialcorruption. The result is an epidemic ofpsychotropic escapism as the hapless jointhe hopeless in reveries of intoxicatedrefuge from such hell-on-earth existence,aided and abetted by the booming sinisterbusiness of brewing liquor and promotingit as the elixir of life. Now we are facedwith the dilemma of frustrated youthfuldelinquents bringing all that high hypedown to their level with a mind-boggling

chemo-therapeutic menu that rangesfrom cough syrups to industrial glue. Aforbidding present of dashed hopes iscreating a forsaken future of wasted livesand opportunities!

These deplorable scenarios can only besustained by injustice in an unjust society

A prayer fornational amnesty

and we have been told in the HolyScripture that God can never be withthe unjust. Unjustified inequitiescreated and imposed by rich andpowerful elite to oppress theircompatriots abound in this country aswe have only recently been remindedby the ridiculous law that rewardsobnoxious crimes like theft of pensionfunds with the lightest of sanctions whilethousands languish in jail with stiffsentences or hefty fines for petty crimes.The life of the poor is worth peanuts anddependent on appeal funds and deadlyconsulting clinics in case of healthchallenge but the self-enriched,especially the public officials, heartlesslyflock to private specialist hospitals athome and abroad. Same goes foreducation. Believe it or not, the poorman's prayer is rarely in favour of therich and powerful, except for the fewamong them who are humane andcharitable. Indeed the rich and powerfulhave long ago adopted the world ofvanities, leaving the poor to sway andswoon in the name of religion.

Yet God is still the Greatest and Hisworship through observance andallegiance to His Decrees remains theperfect panacea to peace in Nigeria andindeed the world. The contradictions ofpractice and preachment which bedevilthe religious communities and spreadlike contagion to the entire nation canonly lead to cycles of conflict and crisesbecause it remains a fearful fact of lifethat evil will never triumph over good,though the confrontation lasts a lifetime.May the Bounteous Mercies of AlmightyGod save us from the catastrophicconsequences of our seen and unseenmisdeeds and grant us all a divineamnesty, amen.Abdulhamid Babatunde, formerEditor, The Democrat, now MediaConsultant, wrote from Kaduna

By Abdulhamid Babatunde

Nothing could be worsethan abandoning

pensioners to the callousmercilessness of official

corruption. The result is anepidemic of psychotropicescapism as the hapless

join the hopeless inreveries of intoxicated

refuge from such hell-on-earth existence, aided and

abetted by the boomingsinister business ofbrewing liquor and

promoting it as the elixir oflife.

“

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 37

OpinionGov. Shema's abracadabra over LG pollsM a n y people are apprehensive

about the unwillingness of mostgovernors to conduct local

government elections in their respectivestates in accordance with the constitutionalprovisions made to enhance the smoothadministration of the third and most abusedtier of government. Ironically, this informedmy decision to withdraw my suit againstKatsina state government for its refusal toconduct local government elections.

Based on professional advice the suit waswithdrawn to deny the government ofKatsina state the luxury of employing legalacrobatics to keep foot dragging on localgovernment elections on the flimsy excuse of'contempt.' Already, rumour mills have itthat apart from the laughable excuse offunding the government is giving for itscontinued refusal to conduct council polls thesecond reason is my pending suit which hasbeen dragging with endless adjournment.This informed my decision to withdraw thecase. Having said that, let's analyse the issueon a broader perspective.

Perhaps, the administrative andconstitutional arrangement that made localgovernment the connection between theother tiers of government and the people is itsgreatest undoing. No doubt, the flawsinherent in the laws governing localadministration though made with the bestof intentions left ample room formanipulation which many governors todaywaste no time to exploit. Of particular interestare the flexible laws governing leadershipselection process of this tier.

No doubt this process is having a reallybad time in the hands of governors who useslocal council's funds to cover theirmisadventure with state funds. In thisdevilish scheme, 'joint account' came inhandy as a convenient tool. The attempt bythe designers of 'joint account' to checkcorruption and ensure smooth and constantflow of democracy dividends to the grassrootsbackfired when state governors started toturn their eyes to these accounts to cover theirdeficits in governance. Now it has reachedan alarming stage where such accounts aresimply turned into slush funds for thegovernors to do as they wish with chairmenpractically turned into glorified "cashiers"running errands for most governors. What

happened to the mandate hanging on thenecks of these "cashiers" can best be explainedby these modern day Pharaohs. Perhaps, thismay explain the desire of governors to imposethe most subservient cronies in position ofleadership in the system to do their biddings.Where this desire faces threat of polls revolt,the governors turns to the creative"caretaker" arrangement.

Interestingly, the complimentary effort bythe legislative arm to build a cushion that wouldsoften the brutal effect of the executive brigandwas met with stiff resistance by the executive.The idea of "constituency project" was broughtabout by the glaring infrastructural deficit thathas virtually become part of the Nigeriansystem. Regimes breeze in and breeze out withpromises of social and developmental reformswith nothing to show for it while the promiseskept being recycled. It was this unpatriotic voidthat "constituency projects" is addressing; andexcellently too. Many state governors cannotcompete with these projects in their domainboth in purpose and quality. Unlike stateprojects, constituency projects are designed andexecuted with meticulous precision. In-builtsafety mechanisms make it impossible totemper with constituency projects unlike localcouncil funds that can be juggled with like a yo-yo.

The smear campaign engaged by theexecutive arm to tarnish the image of manyhard working members of the legislature byweaving lies around these projects weresimple efforts to demobilise the "lie detector"that constituency projects has became.Virtually the country is now running onconstituency projects. Call it the "PTF" of ourtime if you like. In saner societies, the idea ofa legislature performing the functions of theexecutive by providing basic necessities tolocal communities is enough to expose the rotin the executive arms.

Every prize has a price. The price for thesuccess of the "constituency projects" was theillogical lies sponsored by the real cheats (theexecutive) desperate to cover their tracks.Many people were brainwashed to accept"constituency projects" as some kind of poolfor slush funds that the legislative arm canplay with like the infamous "joint account."Few people know the intricacies of accessingfunds for constituency projects. In a wellthought plan, the process is made stringentand almost "FRAUD PROOF." This process isan all inclusive that carries along the

executive, legislature and the public, whilethe judiciary enforces compliance. So muchlies have been woven around this that manypeople believe members just carryconstituency projects funds in the trunk oftheir cars to do as they wish. It was a creativemethod of diverting attention by theexecutive.

From the time constituency projects wereincorporated in to the system to date, I'm yetto hear a past or serving member whoconfesses to any dealings in regard toconstituency projects. More amazing, no oneis in prison or court for any constituencyproject related offence despite all thesponsored noise being made about theimaginary abuse being perpetrated. Ofcourse, we can agree, former legislaturescould not be as powerful as former governorsmany of whom are cooling their heels inprisons and a good number jumping fromcourt to court fighting corruption charges.How this failed to register on the people istruly amazing.

Agreed, some may argue that thelegislature has a fair share of "rats", but thenwe also have to agree there are many "cats"patrolling the corridors of the chambers. Wehave instances where members publiclyrejected hundreds of millions of Naira fromthe executive arm. What stopped thesehonourable men from exposing any shadowyarrangement in regard to constituencyprojects can better be explained by theproponents of these ideas?

Narrowing this issue, the anxietyexpressed by Ilelah in his piece furtheramplified and exposed the systematic fiscaland administrative abuse local councils aresuffering under the leadership of governorIbrahim Shehu shema of Katsina state;incidentally a barrister of "repute." Thisprofessional reputation however, whichordinarily should add value to the systemdid little or nothing to help ensure adherenceand respect to rule of law in local governmentadministration in the state. So disreputableis the system that even a goat in Katsina isaware - down to the tiniest detail of the "ONEMAN CHOP" policy governing local counciladministration. The fiscal rascality withwhich the regime of governor Shemaadministers local government funds throughthe instrumentality of 'joint account' issomething that Katsinawa of all ideologicaldivides wishe to see an end to.

Ahmad B. Kaita Projects/policies designed with devilishingenuity were being executed with thegovernor as the major beneficiary. Take forinstance the rumoured purchase of drugs forlocal councils. It was alleged that about N800mis being expended quarterly to purchase drugsfor the 34 LG councils while in reality only afraction of it reaches the people. These are thekind of issues we encourage people to comeforward and challenge the government toexplain. How do one reconcile such a hugequarterly amount with our empty hospitals?This technique is built on the silly idea thatexpenditure for consumables is not easilyverifiable.

It can easily be said that the refusal of thegovernment to conduct council elections maybe due to the fear of losing the leech like holdShema have on the councils and, an evenmore horrifying fear of the expose anyleadership structural change in the councilsmay bring about. Not an unfounded fear,considering many rumoured instances offunds released with strict instructions toreturn most of it to the "Palace." Even if thisremains unsubstantiated rumour for now,people can hazard a guess at the dirt thatmay be uncovered with a change ofgovernment. Nobody should live with theillusion that people will not talk. Talk theywill, and with facts too.

It was this desire that necessitated myaction to drag the government to court toforce the regime to conduct council elections.Trust the ingenuity of the "learned" people.My legal option was reduced to an excuse forthe regime not to conduct council electionsfor fear of "contempt." I was left with no optionthan to withdraw my case to deny thegovernment the luxury of exploiting legalrigmarole to pursue an anti people agenda.

Incidentally, the case of the flagrant abuseof local governments in Katsina state wasvery prominent case study the agenda of thelatest round of agitation for local governmentreforms in the National Assembly. Manymembers were swayed to the needs for localgovernment reforms entirely on argumentscaptured from the suffocating relationshipbetween the state and local councils in Katsinastate. Nowhere in Nigeria have previousefforts of building an acceptable workablesystem in local government administrationwas reduced to nought than in Katsina state.Ahmad B. Kaita is a member of the Houseof Representatives from Katsina State

I n Nigeria, one thing that thrivesamong our public office holders arebloated and bogus projections, often

coming from those in charge of thenation’s economy.

Before now, I used to be excited aboutthese ‘paper talks’ but as a field reporter,I discovered that Nigerians are fed withofficial lies and plenty promises mouthilyfulfilled.

Dr. Oluseguin Aganga, our Ministerof Trade and Investment is fast making acareer out of voodoo economic projectionand spurious job promises.

Why won’t Nigerians believe aminister with a degrees from Nigeria’s

Oxford University in the United Kingdom.Dr. Aganga parades an intimidatingacademic resume and his words areexalted and we put them back to him.

Aganga’s claims is bolstered by anequally awesome international workexperience; lived in Europe for manyyears , appointed Minister of Finance bythen Acting President, GoodluckJonathan, later nominated andsubsequently confirmed as Minister ofTrade and Investment amid protest fromhis supposed Lagos home state for notbeing eligible to occupy the State’s slotbecause he is not an indigene.

He had promised at several fora in

2010 that more manufacturingindustries would spring up across thecountry, and moribund companies wouldbe put back on their feet before 2013.Where are they?

Aganga needs to shed more light onhow many closed companies has been re-opened since he came on board as ourMinister of Trade and Investment, I knowDunlop Plc and many others are still incomatose battling bank debts.

In July, 2012, Aganga was at his bestwhen he proclaimed to a Refinery-thirstynation that his Ministry has concludedplans with a US company called VulcanEnergy, and its local partner in Nigeria,Petroleum Refining and Strategic ReserveLimited, to construct six brand newmodular refineries. In the MOU asannounced by the minister, six modularrefineries would be built with a capacity

With Ayodele Samuel

My Thoughts08074420617 (SMS only)

Aganga, Where arethe industries, jobs?

p r e m i e rUniversity ofIbadan andt h ep r e s t i g i o u s

of 180,000 barrels per day and two of therefineries will be completed within oneyear all the cost of N697.5 billion ($4.5billion). Where are the refineries ?

The Minister virtually unleashed anew album with the proclamation thatthe National Enterprise DevelopmentProgramme, NEDEP will create 3.5million jobs for unemployed Nigerianyouths. Aganga, where are the jobs?

Another major stir last year was whenAganga proclaimed by the strap of hisboots that the Bank of Industry hascreated 1.3 million jobs. Shame was putto the claim days later when officials ofthe Bank denied such achievement.

In the spirit of transformation andnational development, Mr Aganga mustcome out to tell Nigerians and indeed theworld what he has been doing as ourMinister of Trade and Investment.

Online commentsPEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 38

Asari Dokubo: Demented orpsychopatic?

Senate queries Civil Defenceboss over recruitment scam

The Nigerian Securityand Civ i l DefenceCorps (NSCDC) should

please restore balance inthis organization. We are

suffering for the past threemonths without salary andstill go to office. Please helpus!– Olatunde Oluyoye

Mixed reactions as parties, lawyers,others commentCan we ever get anything rightwithout people complaining?"Astate o f emergency i s agovernmental declaration whichusually suspends a few normalfunct ions of the execut ive ,legislative and judicial powers,a ler t c i t i zens to change theirnormal behaviors , or ordergovernment agencies toimplement emergencypreparedness plans.

I t can a lso be used as arationale for suspending rightsand freedoms, even if guaranteedunder the const i tut ion. Suchdeclarations usually come duringa time of natural or man madedisaster, during periods of civilunrest, or following a declarationof war or s ituation of internalarmed conflict."

Anenih decries PDP's internal wrangling

If the PDP becomesfragmented as a result of theinordinate ambitions of a

few members, our country, ourdemocracy and our people will

Asari Dokubo

In my own opinion, yourdeluded views are notmeant to appear on any

national newspaper in the firstplace. I hate seeing things likethis online. What is your rationalbehind all the name calling? Mr.Ahmed, you probably need to air

your views amongst your peersusing a town-crier. Please goback to your shell and stopembarassing the Nigerianmedia. You may get arrested forverbal abuse!– Justin

I think the above writer has

been looking for ways to expresshis new learnt English words andthink that this is the best time toexpress his stupidity . Well, Ihave an information for him, thecongress is the one backing Asari,with the help of God and the willof the true Nigerian people,Nigeria will be history come 2015without GEJ as president.– Frank

suffer" says Anenih…… Yesbecause PDP is our moderncolonial master

who always believe that it iseither her or no Nigeria. Keepgoing with this naive thinking,PDP is leaving our democracyscene come 2015 whetherAnenih likes it or not.– Dankasa

Gun battle,explosions rockMaiduguri again

GEJ is seriously readingthe script of Paul Biyaagainst the Northern

Muslim but time shall tell.InshaAllah he will answer hisname at The Hague one day.– Dankasa

2015: S/south group endorses Buhari/Oshiomhole's ticket

I'm with this group onehundred percent. Howcan they be contacted?

– Abdullah MusaGood combination

– Nass

How can you be contacted, Isupport you.– Hon Ihuanne NkemStephen

Yes, they can fight corruption100%.– Hussain Kwaifa

These people will changeNigeria. Buhari/Oshiomhole canfight corruption and bring security.Babatunde Fashola/Rochas can

transform and unite Nigeria,– Ameka

If only sentiment willallow us to see the lightespecially we the Igbo– David

For God's sake, Buhari shouldstep aside and be a goodstatesman.Why does he want torule this country by all means?He should allow the youngerones to come on board andencourage them. He cried lasttime and told Nigerians, that hewill never contest any electionagain. I'm surprised to hear, heis coming out. Oshiomhole shouldjoin someone else, not Buhari, if heis really interested in thepresidency.

– H. L

Need forpresidential aide

on space mattersI really believe Mr. President would givethis a trial as these criminals in thesector are busy squandering Nigeria'smoney.– Bash

The minister in charge of that agencyshould be questioned. A lot of things arenot just well. We hope this person withsuch a kind hearted ideology can begiven an opportunity to work on theAgency because we spend loads ofmoney without any return.– Nnaelo

Mr. President Sir, please give thisperson a chance since he has aninteresting strategy. Don't look at thepolitics behind it. Nigeria is reallysuffering out of ignorance.– Bash

New Attah Igala emergesFor reasons beyond my control,

I was unable to go home to bepart of history in the coronation

of our dear Attah Igala. However, Iwas wrong in my assumption that thehistoric event would be beamed tothe world live, at least nationally.This was not to be, as all the local

channels on satellite I tuned to did notair the event. Shocking I guess for anoccasion of such magnitude! I calledmy people at home to get someupdates on the event. They told methat NTA Idah was beaming it live butnot nationally.– Umaru Yusuf

Anenih

President Goodluck Jonathan

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 39

DigestStudent rushed to hospital with a urineinfection discovers she has four kidneysA woman who underwent

surgery on one of her kidneyswas stunned to be told by

doctors she had actually had fourof them.

Jessica Curphey, 20, was rushedto hospital after she developedexcruciating pain on her right side.

Just weeks earlier, her GP haddiagnosed a urine infection,prescribing her antibiotics.

But scans at Surrey's St HelierHospital revealed what doctors firstthought was a 17cm cyst on herright kidney.

Then 11 days later, further testsshowed Jessica actually had twokidneys on her right side, thesecond of which was the 'cyst' andwas so damaged it would have tobe removed.

During the operation, surgeonsdiscovered yet another kidney,meaning Jessica had four and the'extremely rare' privilege of havingdouble the amount.

After having the damaged kidneyremoved in June last year, Jessica isnow raising money for KidneyResearch UK.

She said she had a lot to thank herhousemate Steph for, who firstrushed her to hospital.

She said, "At first I didn't knowhow to feel because I had been toldso many things.

"Now it's quite fun watching howpeople react when you tell them thatyou've got an extra kidney.

"I suppose it's weird not knowingwhat's going on inside your bodyuntil

"The upside of the whole thing isthat I don't get as bad hangovers asmy friends, which is perhaps downto my extra kidneys. Overall I havecome out of this as a stronger person.

"It was a difficult experience butI was looked after and I've comethrough it the other end and lookingforward to the future."

Scans revealed she actually hadfour kidneys, one of which was sodamaged it had to be surgicallyremoved

Consultant urological surgeonRobyn Webber said, "Having threekidneys on a single side of the bodyis exceptionally rare. There areperhaps fewer than 100 casesdescribed in textbooks andpapers."

Jessica's mother, Alison, 45,raced down to Surrey fromManchester when she heard herdaughter had been rushed tohospital.

Alison said doctors drainedmore than 2,000ml of infected fluidfrom the damaged third kidney,which was unable to drain becauseit was damaged.

She said, "Jess had never beenill before this. Because this kidneywas so badly stretched anddamaged by the infection, theconsultant urologist informed Jessthat the only solution was to haveit removed.

"He said he would try to save thelower kidney but prepared her incase both of them had to beremoved.

"As you can imagine there werelots of tears all round but we were justthankful that they had managed to stopher going into septic shock."

After the operation on June 11

Jessica (right) with her best friend and housemate StephMoorghen, who she credits for saving her life

Jessica made a full recovery and islooking forward to finding out herdegree results.

Alison said, "Jess was placed on theenhanced recovery program and in

true 'Jess fashion' she charmed anddelighted everyone with her recovery.

"The nurses called her "smiler".Three days after having a major organremoved, she was discharged."

Scans revealed she actually had four kidneys, one ofwhich was so damaged it had to be surgically removed

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 40

Tourism

The Dancing Dubai Fountain

Tourists from around the world arehighly fascinated at the DubaiFountain. Most of them take

pictures for the memories to be kept alive.The Dubai Fountain is the world's largestchoreographed fountain system set on the30-acre manmade Burj Khalifa Lake, atthe center of the Downtown Dubaidevelopment in Dubai, United ArabEmirates.

It was designed by WET Design, theCalifornia-based company responsible forthe fountains at the Bellagio Hotel Lakein Las Vegas. Illuminated by 6,600 lightsand 25 colored projectors, it is 275 m(902 ft) long and shoots water up to 500ft (152.4 m) into the air accompanied bya range of classical to contemporaryArabic and world music. It was built at acost of AED 800 million (USD 218million).

The name of the fountain was chosenafter a contest organized by the developerEmaar Properties, the result of which wasannounced on 26 October 2008. Testingof the fountain began in February 2009,and the fountain was officiallyinaugurated on 8 May 2009 along withthe official opening ceremony of TheDubai Mall. On 2 January 2010 thelength of Dubai fountains was increasedto 275 m (902.2 ft).

MechanismThe Dubai Fountain can spray

22,000 gallons (83,000 liters) of waterin the air at any moment. More than6,600 lights and 25 colour projectorshave been installed. During the end of2010 the fountain had got a new element,fire, which outlined the fountains (the firewas temporary for the 2011 New Year'scelebration). The Dubai Fountains projectwater in the air in many differentcombinations and patterns. The beam oflight from the fountain can be seen fromover 20 miles away.

The Dubai Fountain consists of manyhigh-pressure water jets and shooters:oarsmen or water robots, which can makethe water seem to dance, shooters, whichshoot water upwards; super shooters,which shoot water under more pressureup to 240 feet in the air, and extremeshooters, which can shoot water underthe most pressure to 500 ft (152.4 m) inthe air. These shooters create a loud"boom" noise after water is ejected. Thesuper shooters are used the least duringeach show because it takes a lot of time tobuild up enough pressure and energy toshoot water that high in the air. Afterthe opening ceremony, the extreme

shooters have been disabled and are nolonger used in the shows.

PerformancesThe fountain is animated with

performances set to light and music. It isvisible from every point on the lakepromenade and from many neighboringstructures. Performances take place at1:00 pm and at 1:30 pm as well as every30 minutes from 6 pm to 10 pm onweekdays, and from 6 pm to 11 pm onweekends (weekends being Thursday,Friday, and Saturday).

Performance repertoire includes:"Sama Dubai", a tribute to Dubai's

ruler Sheikh Mohammed, which isusually the first show of the day

"Baba Yetu", a Grammy award-winning song in Swahili from theCivilization IV video game soundtrack

"Shik Shak Shok", an Arab dancenumber by Hassan Abou El Seoud

"Inshed An Aldar" ("Ask About Home"),an Emirati song written for theinauguration of the Burj Khalifa on 4January 2010[4]

"Con te partirò" (Time to SayGoodbye), a piece by Andrea Bocelli andSarah Brightman

"Dhoom Thana", a Hindi song byAbhijeet

"Waves" ("Amvaj") by Bijan Mortazavi"Bassbor Al Fourgakom" by Emirati

artist Hussain Al Jasmi"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney

Houston"Halo" by Beyonce"All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel

Richie"The Magnificent Seven", main theme

from the film The Magnificent Seven byElmer Bernstein

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson"Ishtar Poetry" by Furat Qaddouri"Mon Amour""O Mio Babbino Caro" by Dame Kiri Te

Kanawa"Enta Omri" by Hossam Ramzy"The Prayer" by Celine Dion and

Andrea Bocelli"Lana Allah" by Mohammed Abdu"Ezel", Theme song from the TV series

of the same name"Flying Drum""Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto""Ensan Akthar""Everybody On" Presented by HP

(Showed only for the month of October2011)[citation needed]

" "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"Presented by DHL (Showed for only themonth of October 2011)

"Ishy Bilady", The UAE NationalAnthem

"Wen Bie" by Jacky CheungDHL Express premiered an

advertising campaign at The DubaiFountain on 20 October 2011. It waschoreographed to a specially reworkedversion of the Motown classic "Ain't NoMountain High Enough", and was

The Dubai Fountain performing to the song: "Bassbor Al Fourgakom".

The Dubai Fountain

repeated for about a month.All of the fountain's performances are

accompanied by music played throughspeakers around the lake, althoughsometimes the fountains are operatedwithout music for testing purposes. Whenperformances are viewed from furtheraway, i.e. from surrounding buildings,the music might not be audible.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

WeekendPAGE 41

Finally, NSC sacks its secretariesfrom sports federations

By Patrick Andrew

After years of dilly dally overcomplaints about itsrecalcitrant secretaries in

the various sports federations, theMinister of Sports and Chairmanof the National SportsCommission (NSC), BolajiAbdullahi, has finally wielded thebig stick by sacking the secretariesappointed for all the non-

Members of Super Eagles celebrating Sunday Mba’s goal against the Elephants of Ivory Coast. The Eagles arealready in Germany preparatory for the May 31 friendly with Mexico

Court Order stalls swearing in of HFN boardThe Minister of Sports,

Malam Bolaji Abdullahi,yesterday adhered to the

court order restraining himfrom swearing in the board

and leadership of the HandballFederation of Nigeria.

Weekend Peoples Sportsrecalls that the commissionand the sports federations '

e lec tora l panel had beenserv iced not ice f rom theFederal High Court Abujarestra in ing them frominaugurating the board.

concessioned sports federations.Hitherto, the secretaries were

appointed for the respectivesports federations by thecommission, supposedly as eyesof the government.

But over the years, therecurrent complaints againstthem by various leaderships ofthe federations had been blaring.Repeatedly they had beenaccused of being thin gods who

Yusuf Daudu had emergedvic tor ies in the e lec t ionsconducted on Wednesday, byaggrieved elements faulted thecommission for breaching its

Djokovic beaten by Berdych at Italian OpenWorld number one Novak

Djokovic lost 2-6 7-5 6-4 to Czech Tomas

Berdych in the Italian Openquarter-finals.

Serb Djokovic wasattempting to win his thirdRome title, but had beentroubled by pain in his anklerecently.

Frenchman Benoit Paire, 24,reached the first Masters Seriessemi-final of his career with a 6-

1 6-0 victory over Spaniard MarcelGranollers in Rome.

Djokovic lost in the secondround in Madrid last week, anddefeat to Berdych, 27, comes aweek before the clay-court seasonreaches its climax at the FrenchOpen.

The Australian Open championlooked set for a routine victorywhen he took a 6-2 5-2 lead, butBerdych broke Djokovic as heserved for the match at 5-3.

electoral guidelines and soughtredress in the court of law.

In a suit brought before thecourt by a handbal lstakeholders group known asMega Handball Veterans, thegroup lamented that thecommission failed to complywith its Election Guidelinesand specifically pointed at theprovision that concerns thenomination of stakeholdersand appointment of players'representative, which was notproperly followed according tothe Election Guideline.

The minis ter sa id a f terinaugurating other boards thathe was acting in obedience tothe court d i rect ive butproceeded to say no further onmatter.

spurned board's directives witharistocratic disdain.

What's more, they allegedlydo always impose their decisionson how funds appropriated forthe federations are expended,often without recourse to theleadership of their boards.

Besides, they had beenaccused of lackingentrepreneurial spirit as theydemonstrated unhidden

preference for funding fromgovernment to which no properaccounts are rendered even as theywould shy away from aggressivelyengaging the private sector to fundthe programmes of their respectivefederations.

Yesterday, the Sports Ministerunburdened the leadership of thefederations by authorising them tohire their desired secretaries andtechnical personnel to drive their

machinery for the progress of thesports federations.

"We at the commission will notappoint secretaries or technicaldirector for federations againbecause the NSC can't be referee inmatch it is playing. We want themto do whatever they feel can movethe federations forwards while thecommission will only serve aspartner in progress," he said.

In a similar vein, the ministerequally said that budgetaryallocations to the sports federationsare stopped forthwith. "The era ofspoon-feeding the sportsfederations are over," he saidstressing that the boards wouldhave to source for funds for theirprogrammes.

This though is far from absolutefinancial autonomy as they stillenjoy some level of support to effectsome activities.

This would come in the formthree tiers funding structure forsports programmes, which theminister revealed have been createdand includes that meant to fundgrassroots sports in which thecommission will directly locatefunds for grassroots programmes.

The second tier is what he calledthe amber funding which is forselected Olympic sports ( presentlyseven) in which the country hasprospects for medals and finally thegreen fund- a pool from wherefunds would be allocated to eliteathletes.

According to the minister, whowas speaking at the inauguration ofthe boards of 20 non-concessionedsports federations, technicalofficials would also draw funds fromthat pool to upgrade themselves.

However, he was quick to saythat sports which currently enjoyOlympic status could only sustaintheir rating based on performanceadding that constant appraisalwould be carried out to ascertainwhether any sport still retains thatstatus.

PAGE 42 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Argentina, England, South Africa set forAbuja Unity Polo tourney

Badminton Playervow to protectcolleagues'interests in board

Jinkam Ifraimu, the newly-elected athletesrepresentative on the

board of the BadmintonFederation of Nigeria (BFN),has promised to protect theinterests of his teammates inthe federation.

Ifraimu, current nationalnumber one player, said hisplan while on the board wouldbe to ensure a better welfarepackage for his teammates.

``I will try my best toadequately represent myfellow athletes' interest as aboard member. I will ensurethat athletes have good welfarepackages, especially in thearea of local competitions.

``I will ensure that athletesattend regular seminars andworkshops, to update theirknowledge. I will also embarkon sponsorship drive with mycolleagues for internationalchampionships and overseasseminars and workshops,'' hesaid.

NWBF cries out for sponsors for African qualifier

Victor Anusa, theSecretary, NigeriaWheelchair Basketball

Federation (NWBF), said unlessthe sponsors come to the rescueof the federation it would beimpossible for them to attendthe Senior WheelchairBasketball qualifier in Angolain July.

Anusa, who disclosed thatthe team had been facing hardtimes getting sponsorship forthe qualifier, said the situationis such that the prospect ofparticipating in thecontinental seems bleak.

``We have submitted our

proposal to the National SportsCommission (NSC) for therelease of funds; we are yet toget any positive response.

``The African qualifier is toget the single ticket torepresent the continent at theworld championship inHolland later in the year. But Iam afraid the senior team maynot be able to attend thequalifier due to lack of fund,"Anusa said.

The secretary recalled thatthe national U-23 wheelchairteam to World Cup qualifier lastmonth in South Africa wasjointly sponsored.

He said they were co-sponsored by the Lagos StateGovernment and thefederation's Grand Patron,Victor Ochei, who is also theSpeaker, Delta House ofAssembly.

``However, our senior teamseems to be unlucky with nosponsors yet and no responsefrom the NSC,'' he noted.

The secretary said thatearly camping and probablysome warm-up matches wouldhelp the players to sharpentheir skills for the Angolaqualifier.

Edibi excited at FIFA invitation to officiate at U-20 World Cup in Turkey

Nigeria's FIFA-badgedreferee, Peter Edibi, iselated at the decision of

FIFA to invite him and 68 otherreferees for the male U-20World Cup.

The competition, which isscheduled for Turkey fromJune 21 - July 13, will seeNigeria featuring alongsideCuba, Korea Republic andPortugal in Group B. The FlyingEagles will play their firstmatch on June 21 againstCuba at the Kadir Has Stadium,Kayseri.

Edibi, who expressed hisdelight at the honour by FIFA,said yesterday in Ikom, CrossRiver state that he wouldjustify the confidence by

working hard to apply the rulesof the game fairly.

It would be recalled that inthe list, made up of 19 refereesand 50 assistant referees, threeof the referees are from Africawith Edibi being one of the sixassistant referees from thecontinent.

The referee also expresseddelight at the reward of landand money showered on himby Gov. Liyel Imoke when hereceived members of the SuperEagles team after they won the2013 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON).

Edibi was one of theassistant referees and the onlyNigerian that officiated at thecontinental soccer showpiece in

South Africa.``I am quite elated. The

invitation has also helped inwiping off tears from my eyesbecause it came shortly afterthe death of my father,'' hesaid.

According to Edibi, theappointment by FIFA and thereward by the Imokeadministration will spur me toperform better.

``I see myself as Nigeria'sAmbassador in the game.Nigerians and the people ofCross River should not expectanything short of goodrepresentation.

Edibi has now logged fourAFCON tournaments --- Ghana(2008), Angola (2010),Equatorial Guinea (2012) andSouth Africa (2013).

Pillars pay N35m players' outstanding allowances, says Yola

Kano Pillars have settledoutstanding allowancesof players and technical

crew amounting to N35million, according to thechairman of the managementboard, Alhaji Abba Yola.

Speaking after the boardmeeting in Kano yesterday,Yola said the club opted tosettle the debt to enable the

players and technical crew tocommit total efforts intomeeting the target set forthem without being distractedby worries over debts.

"We have paid both playersand officials their outstandingmatch bonuses and otherdebts for the season. The sumof of N35 million was used tosettle the allowances, ' ' Yola

said.Further, Yola said the

state government wouldrelease the sign-on fees for theseason very soon and notedthat Governor Rabi'uKwankwaso hasdemonstrated his resolve tosupport Pillars to achieve bothnational and continentalsuccesses.

No fewer than 60 poloplayers from Argentina,England, South Africa

and Nigeria are expected tofeature in the Abuja Unity PoloTournament, which will be usedto commemorate DemocracyDay on May 29.

This was disclosed by theCaptain of the Abuja Guard PoloClub, Mustapha Junaidu, whoalso disclosed that the event ismeant to celebrate Nigeria'sdiversity, fosters peaceful co-existence as well as strengthensunity in the country throughsports.

The unity tournament,which is scheduled to kicks-offMonday 20 through May26,will throw up top class players

from Argentina, England, SouthAfrica and Nigeria.

The high goal, which is thePresident's Cup and the biggest

trophy of the tournament, willparade the best of the best ofNigerian polo players and poloponies.

The medium goal is taggedthe Legislative shield while theintermediate and low goal wouldparade six teams with a +3 to+7 goals from various polo clubsin Nigeria.

Some the quest to be expectedto attend the event are, NigerState Governor, AliyuBanbagida, former Speaker of theHouse of Representatives DemajiBankole, Ibrahim Mohammed,Minister of Youth DevelopmentInwa Abdul-kadir, Minister ofCulture and Tourism EdemDuke and others.

Some of the top players areLandswasa brothers, Deigo,Guazialo Dodieu, Bello Bubabrothers, who will feature infour categories namely; thehigh, medium, intermediateand low goal.

He also revealed that no fewerthan four trophies will be won,even as teams from Zaria,Kaduna, Kastina, Bauchi, KeffiPonys, defending championRubicon and Abuja are to featurein the tournament.

By Albert Akota

WEEKEND

FIXTURESCAF Confederation Cup

St George v ENPPIStade Malien v LLB AcademicJSM Bejaia v Etoile Sahel

SundayTP Mazembe v LigaEnugu Rangers v CSBizertin v Ismaily

French Ligue 1AS Nancy v BastiaSt Etienne v MarseilleTroyes v BordeauxEvian TG v ValenciennesSochaux v ToulouseMontpellier v LilleNice v LyonPSG v BrestReims v LorientRennes v AC Ajaccio

German BundesligaBorussia Dortmund v TSG

HoffenheimB/M'gladbach v B/MunichVfB Stuttgart v MainzHannover 96 v Fortuna

DusseldorfNurnberg v Werder BremenSC Freiburg v Schalke 04Augsburg v GreutherHamburg v Bayer

LeverkusenE/Frankfurt v W/burg

Italy Serie ASampdoria v Juventus

SundayAtalanta v ChievoBologna v GenoaTorino v CataniaPescara v FiorentinaCagliari v LazioSiena v AC MilanRoma v NapoliPalermo v ParmaInter Milan v Udinese

Spanish Primera LigaGetafe v ValenciaGranada v OsasunaSevilla v R/Sociedad

SundayLevante v R/VallecanoDeportivo L/Coruna vEspanyolR/Zaragoza v Athletic BilbaoBarcelona v Valladolid

Barclays Premier LeagueChelsea v EvertonLiverpool v QPRMan City v NorwichNewcastle v ArsenalSouthampton v StokeSwansea v FulhamTottenham v SunderlandWest Brom v Man UtdWest Ham v ReadingWigan v Aston Villa

Nigeria ProfessionalFootball LeagueSharks v SunshineHeartland v ABSRangers' v 3SCNasarawa United v A/UnitedEnyimba v B/UnitedNembe City v W/TouristsWarri Wolves v K/PillarsKaduna United v L/ StarsKwara United v DolphinsGombe United v El-Kanemi

Mohammed Babangida Nigerian Team captain tries to clearthe ball during polo tournament (lead), Abba Yola,Chairman Kano Pillars

PAGE 43PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Barclays Premier League1 Man Utd 3 7 2 8 4 5 8 1 3 8 4 3 8 82 Man City 3 7 2 3 9 5 6 4 3 1 3 3 7 83 Chelsea 3 7 2 1 9 7 7 3 3 8 3 5 7 24 Arsenal 3 7 2 0 1 0 7 7 1 3 7 3 4 7 05 Tottenham 3 7 2 0 9 8 6 5 4 6 1 9 6 96 Everton 3 7 1 6 1 5 6 5 4 3 8 1 6 6 37 Liverpool 3 7 1 5 1 3 9 7 0 4 3 2 7 5 88 West Brom 3 7 1 4 6 1 7 4 8 5 2 -4 4 89 Swansea 3 7 1 1 1 3 1 3 4 7 4 8 -1 4 61 0 West Ham 3 7 1 1 1 0 1 6 4 1 5 1 -10 4 31 1 Stoke 3 7 9 1 4 1 4 3 3 4 4 - 1 1 4 11 2 Norwich 3 7 9 1 4 1 4 3 8 5 6 -18 4 11 3 Newcastle 3 7 1 1 8 1 8 4 5 6 7 -22 4 11 4 Southampton 3 7 9 1 3 1 5 4 8 5 9 - 1 1 4 01 5 Fulham 3 7 1 0 1 0 1 7 4 7 6 0 -13 4 01 6 Aston Villa 3 7 1 0 1 0 1 7 4 5 6 7 -22 4 01 7 Sunderland 3 7 9 1 2 1 6 4 1 5 3 -12 3 91 8 Wigan 3 7 9 8 2 0 4 5 7 1 -26 3 51 9 Reading 3 7 6 1 0 2 1 4 1 6 9 -28 2 82 0 QPR 3 7 4 1 3 2 0 3 0 5 9 -29 2 5

1 Barcelona 3 5 2 9 4 2 1 0 7 3 8 6 9 9 12 Real Madrid 3 6 2 5 6 5 9 6 3 7 5 9 8 13 Atletico Madrid36 2 2 6 8 6 2 3 0 3 2 7 24 Real Sociedad 3 5 1 6 1 1 8 6 4 4 5 1 9 5 95 Valencia 3 5 1 7 8 1 0 6 2 50 1 2 5 96 Malaga 3 6 1 5 9 1 2 4 9 4 5 4 5 47 Real Betis 3 5 1 5 7 1 3 5 2 5 4 -2 5 28 Sevilla 3 5 1 3 8 1 4 5 2 4 7 5 4 79 Getafe 3 5 1 3 8 1 4 4 2 5 2 -10 4 71 0 Rayo Vallecano35 1 4 4 1 7 4 3 6 1 -18 4 61 1 Espanyol 3 5 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 3 4 7 -4 4 41 2 Valladolid 3 5 1 1 1 0 1 4 4 6 50 -4 4 31 3 Levante 3 5 1 1 9 1 5 3 6 5 3 - 1 7 4 21 4 Athletic Bilbao 3 5 1 1 8 1 6 4 0 6 1 -21 4 11 5 Osasuna 3 5 9 9 1 7 2 9 4 2 -13 3 61 6 Granada 3 5 9 9 1 7 3 2 5 3 -21 3 61 7 Real Zaragoza 3 5 9 7 1 9 3 5 5 3 -18 3 41 8 D/ La Coruna 3 5 7 1 1 1 7 4 4 6 6 -22 3 21 9 Celta Vigo 3 6 8 7 2 1 3 4 5 2 -18 3 12 0 Mallorca 3 5 7 8 2 0 3 8 7 0 -32 2 9

1 B/Munich 3 3 2 8 4 1 9 4 1 5 7 9 8 82 B/Dortmund 3 3 1 9 9 5 8 0 4 0 4 0 6 63 B/Leverkusen 3 3 1 8 8 7 6 4 3 9 2 5 6 24 Schalke 04 3 3 1 5 7 1 1 5 6 4 9 7 5 25 SC Freiburg 3 3 1 4 9 1 0 4 4 3 8 6 5 16 E/Frankfurt 3 3 1 4 8 1 1 4 7 4 6 1 507 Hamburg 3 3 1 4 6 1 3 4 2 5 3 - 1 1 4 88 B/M'gladbach 3 3 1 2 1 1 1 0 4 2 4 5 -3 4 79 Hannover 96 3 3 1 2 6 1 5 5 7 6 2 -5 4 21 0 Wolfsburg 3 3 1 0 1 2 1 1 4 5 50 -5 4 21 1 VfB Stuttgart 3 3 1 2 6 1 5 3 5 5 3 -18 4 21 2 Mainz 3 3 1 0 1 1 1 2 4 0 4 2 -2 4 11 3 Nurnberg 3 3 1 0 1 1 1 2 3 6 4 5 -9 4 11 4 W/Bremen 3 3 8 1 0 1 5 4 8 6 3 -15 3 41 5 F/Dusseldorf 3 3 7 9 1 7 3 9 5 4 -15 3 01 6 Augsburg 3 3 7 9 1 7 3 0 50 -20 3 01 7 TSG Hoffenheim33 7 7 1 9 4 0 6 6 -26 2 81 8 G/ Furth 3 3 4 9 2 0 2 5 5 7 -32 2 1

1 PSG 3 6 2 3 8 5 6 3 2 1 4 2 7 72 Marseille 3 6 2 1 7 8 4 2 3 4 8 7 03 Lyon 3 6 1 8 9 9 5 8 3 7 2 1 6 34 Lille 3 6 1 6 1 2 8 5 8 3 9 1 9 6 05 Nice 3 6 1 7 9 1 0 5 4 4 5 9 6 06 St Etienne 3 6 1 5 1 4 7 5 7 3 1 2 6 5 97 Lorient 3 6 1 4 1 1 1 1 5 6 5 4 2 5 38 Bordeaux 3 6 1 2 1 6 8 3 8 3 2 6 5 29 Montpellier 3 6 1 5 6 1 5 5 4 5 1 3 5 11 0 Toulouse 3 6 1 1 1 2 1 3 4 5 4 6 -1 4 51 1 Valenciennes 3 6 1 1 1 2 1 3 4 7 50 -3 4 51 2 Rennes 3 6 1 3 6 1 7 4 7 5 6 -9 4 51 3 Bastia 3 6 1 2 7 1 7 4 8 6 7 -19 4 31 4 Sochaux 3 6 1 0 1 0 1 6 4 0 55 -15 4 01 5 AC Ajaccio 3 6 9 1 4 1 3 3 8 4 8 -10 3 91 6 Reims 3 6 9 1 2 1 5 3 2 4 2 -10 3 91 7 Evian TG 3 6 9 1 0 1 7 4 3 5 1 -8 3 71 8 AS Nancy 3 6 8 1 1 1 7 3 5 55 -20 3 51 9 Troyes 3 6 7 1 3 1 6 4 1 5 9 -18 3 42 0 Brest 3 6 8 5 2 3 3 0 5 7 -27 2 9

French Ligue 1

Spanish Primera Liga

German Bundesliga

Tottenham hope forArsenal's scalp fortop four finish

Just like last season when theeventual English PremierLeague champions was

decided in the death of time in theMan City versus QPR clash, (ManUnited were almost certain theyhave nipped it) this year's top fourfinish remains unsettled until thevery last moment of the 2012/2013 season.

For months now, while ManUnited were confirmed winnerswith eight games to spare, the topfour positions remainedcontentious with Man City,Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea andsomewhat Everton within reachof the remaining three spots.

However, Rafael Benitez didthe magic and Chelsea joined ManCity in the coast to safety. Thatleft Tottenham under the watchof Andre Villa-Boas and ArseneWenger's Arsenal in hectic battlefor the fourth place.

Whereas Arsenal sealed thefate of Wigan courtesy 4-1bashing, Tottenham's hopedimmed after the draw withChelsea, one game many hadhoped going by their form theywould wrap up. But theyrekindled their aspiration with aninspiring winning at the stadiumof Britannia beating Stoke Citythere.

However, against thebackdrop of Arsene Wenger's topfour finish quip: 'like winning atrophy' a fourth place finish forthe London club is a priority andmeans more to the Emiratefaithfuls than winning theBarclays shield itself.

Therein lies the Herculeanbattle for both North Londonclubs. Arsenal though seem tohave a lighter challenge as theytravel to St James' Park today toconfront Newcastle, who are safe

By Patrick Andrew from the murky waters of relegation:that to Tottenham's annoyance andpains. Had Arsenal in battle with atougher opponents and perhaps one indire need of a victory, the contest wouldhave seem even.

Of course, that's understandable; thecontest could have been fiercer wereNewcastle threatened by relegation justlike Sunderland who must survive Spurs'onslaught to escape, perhaps with theskin of their teeth, from the vicious gripof relegation.

Tottenham will hope that Arsenalcrumple while they win at White HartLane. The duo though would havethemselves to blame- Spurs for lettingwhat seemed an unassailable lead slipfollowing their derby victory, andArsenal for having fought their wayback only to blow it.

All Andre Villas-Boas' men can do atWhite Hart Lane versus is Sunderland iswin, and cross their fingers.

Indeed, in theory it is they who havethe easier game, with home advantageagainst a team missing key playersthrough suspension and having to relyon Danny Graham to score his first goalfor the club.

Arsenal have Olivier Giroud back attheir disposal, after the Franceinternational's three-match ban, and heis likely to return to the starting XI, inspite of Lukas Podolski's brace duringmidweek.

Mikel Arteta, though, is set to missout with a calf injury, which means theoxygen tent Jack Wilshere is kept in isabout to be unzipped, ahead of his minorankle surgery following the season'sconclusion. Make no mistake about it,Arsenal having it in their hands meanslittle, for they have the propensity tocapitulate.

Spurs have their rave of the momentin Emmanuel Adebayo, whose vein ofform is incredible and should hope forGary Bale's sensation to deal in theirSunderland and pray for the worst tohappen to Arsenal and then a place inEurope's elite clubs' fiesta: UEFAChampions League.

15 premiership clubs oweplayers, coaches, says APFONThe Association of Professional

Footballers of Nigeria(APFON) has revealed that

15 Nigeria Premier FootballLeague (NPFL) are in debted toplayers and coaches rangingfrom the period of six months to18 months salary arrears andother allowances.

Accordingly, the associationhas urged the LeagueManagement Committee (LMC)to prevail on the clubs to settlethese debts as well as strive tohard improve on the welfare ofplayers and coaches.

A statement signed byAustin Popo, the Chairman ofAPFON, in Lagos yesterdayacknowledged the turn-aroundbeing effected in the running ofthe league, but appealed to theLMC to ensure that theentitlements of players andcoaches were settled.

It urged the LMC to deductthe money at source and settle

the players and coaches, in accordancewith the Arbitration Panel decisionsof 2010.

It noted that the efforts of theleague body would not makesignificant impact on the game, if theissue of players' welfare were notaddressed.

The statement added that the clubshad not shown good faith andwillingness to comply with arbitrationdecisions and noted that only fiveclubs have reasonably met theirobligations to their players andcoaches.

According to the statement, the15clubs heavily indebted to their playersand technical officials and have thusfailed to comply with the rules andregulation covering professionalfootball are: Akwa United, Rangers,Enyimba, Bayelsa United, NasarawaFC, Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourist.

Others are: Sunshine Stars, Sharks,Dolphin, El Kanemi Warriors,Heartland, Warri Wolves and NigerTornadoes.

PAGE 44 PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

PICTORIAL

Maria Sharapova's preparations for the French Open suffered a setback after shewithdrew from the Italian Open because of illness.

Former England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is included in a five-strong shortlist forEuropean Player of the Year.

Retiring greats: who achieved the most out of Beckham, Owen and Scholes? PlusPremier League news conferences

Glen's Diamond denied French favourite Top Trip in a photo-finish to win a thrillingchase for the Yorkshire Cup.

Diego Simeone says Real Madrid may have more individual quality but he is confident his hardworking Atletico Madrid side can pull off a shock

PAGE 45PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

Interview

Constant interaction with youths havebrought peace to Delta state – Hon. IjomahHon. Ebifa Ijomah is the Commissioner forYouth Development in Delta State. In thisinterview with EMMANUEL EKO, Ijomah saidthat the land mark achievements of the stategovernment through his ministry, particularly incarrying the youths along in the governance of thestate has brought relative peace every Deltanenjoys now Excerpts:

What is the journey so farabout youth developmentand empowerment in DeltaState under theadministration of HisExcellency, Dr EmmanuelUduaghan?

First of all, I think hisExcellency, Dr. EmmanuelUduaghan has done very well.Before you can actually achievesuccess in matters that affect theyouth in any society, you mustfirst of all have passion and lovefor the youth and the youngergeneration. His Excellency is ayouth loving person and he isman that has been able to createthe enabling environment foryoung people who have thingsto offer in terms of intellectualcapabilities and those that canalso drive economic developmentthereby adding value to hisadministration.

I think he has done well.These things are evident in thevarious skills acquisition centreshe set up and, his micro creditscheme which has empoweredmany people in Delta State. Thisscheme has also positioned ourpeople to start their littlebusinesses. There is thescholarship scheme offered byHis Excellency the Governor, toevery citizen of Delta State whomakes a first class, and thisgesture of government to theyouths encourages them tofurther their education towhatever level they want toattain in any university of theirchoice in the world. So you cansee that a man, who has all theseprograms lined up definitely,has the interest of the youths atheart.

How has the stategovernment been able toconnect to the youths at thegrass root since theinception of thisadministration?

To drive any organization,you must position people whohave the passion anddetermination to achieve. Theymust be target driven and resultoriented. In driving the ministryof youth at whatever level,weather at the federal or at thestate level, you must be able toput round pegs in round holes.Putting people that can affect thesystem in various positions atevery point in time, we mustalso understand that you onlyput people that can relate andcommunicate with the youths.

You don't expect to achieveresults when you bring a 70year old man and expect him toconvince a young man who isstill growing and full of life, andhas a lot of expectations; theyoung man as it is will not seereasons why that man shouldadvice him. He may take theadvice but he will say oh, you

have outlived your time. Butwhen you put people who are onthe same age group or who canactually come to their level,young people who still have theenergy and time and realize thatthey still have a long way to go intheir career and life, they performbetter and that is what HisExcellency Dr Emmanuel EwetaUduaghan has done with myappointment. The governmenthas been able to relate better withthe youths at the grass root.

As a young man with therequired verve, energy and driveI have tried to represent the DeltaState Government with theyouths at that level all over thestate. I think we have so far donewell in adding value by keyinginto the mind-set of this age rangeand with their peers.

Delta State for a long time nowseems to be enjoying a visiblepresence of peace, what is thesecret and strategy yourministry and governmenthave put in place to achievethis?

Like I said earlier, the secret ofthe success of the peace we enjoytoday is to the credit of HisExcellency who gives me thesupport to perform. Like I said,whoever wants to understandwhat we do, can actually meetwith His Excellency for somelectures, because we have putstrategies in place that areworking, and it is not rocketscience, but it is all about reachingout, bridging the gap and constantcommunication.

To achieve such results, youmust be selfless, you must bewilling to take up the mantle ofleadership and act as soon assituations arise. You must be onpoint and on time at everyinstance to address issues.Basically it is about directconnect, communication andbridging the communication gap,where they are identified, keepingin touch with them, running anopen door policy and giving themthat mindset that we are here foryou and we are ready to listen toyou at any point in time.

Do you think your office isopen to every youth in thestate?

At every point in time,whoever comes to see me hasaccess to me. Be it in the morningor evening. This also includes ifam in the office or at homebecause I receive everybody. Ayoung man who has an issue andsees you as a channel to pour outhis grievances and walks up to youand does not have access to you,and he realizes that he has spentso much to come from a very farplace, will still go back moredisgruntled and aggrieved.

So what we do, is to leave ourdoors open because what we

believe is that, as they come tous and can access us, it helps todouse the tension, anger andcalm their frayed nerves, andthat is the way out of youthrestiveness and agitation.

Kidnapping is one of themajor crimes youths areinvolved in today in DeltaState. What are theproactive measures theministry of YouthDevelopment have takento curb the situation?

These are purely securityissues and they require stiffsecurity measures. Like I said,what we do is to keeprepositioning the mindset of theyouths, reaching out to them,talking to them, organizingorientation programmes forthem to educate them on theills of kidnapping, relatedcrimes and the damage it cancause to society and theindividuals themselves.

We keep reaching out tothem, making themunderstand the negativeeffects of the crime ofkidnapping on the economy ofthe state and also on them asindividuals. Like I said, it ispurely a security issue and thesecurity agencies are doingtheir best and we are doing ourbit through advocacy for mind-set change in the youths,moving their focus away fromall types of crimes against thepeople, and against the state.

How do you spread youthe m p o w e r m e n tprogrammes in the statefor maximal results?

We have a structure, and

also we realize that to achievefull success we need structuresthat cut across the 25 localgovernment areas of the state.We have spoken to the youthleaders and have made themunderstand that even as youths,they have the mandate to carrythe people along, especially inthe communities they reside in.We go out and reach them intheir various communities tointeract with them, especiallythe youth leaders who in turn,spread the gospel of positive mindset change among the youths intheir communities.

On a regular basis weorganize workshops, seminars,summits and other interactivesessions. We also have decidedthat visiting with the people willbe the only way that we will beable to know their needs andthereby assist us to learn abouttheir challenges, and tacklethem at that material time. Wehave engaged manycommunities in town hallmeetings and we have seen thatit really helped in some positivedecision making by the stategovernment.

The truth is that everybodywill be happy when you visithim or her in their naturalenvironment as a government:Youths usually respect andrecognise the humility of thepower of government, especiallywhen this humility is displayedby government representativeswhen they mingle with thepeople at the grass root levels ofsociety.

How is Delta State keyinginto President GoodluckJonathan's job creation

initiatives throughagriculture as far as youthempowerment is concerned?

The administration of ourGovernor Dr Emmanuel EwetaUduaghan is looking at Deltabeyond oil. Job creation is notjust a Delta State factor but aglobal issue. This administrationunder has introduced aprogramme called YouthEmpowerment ThroughAgriculture (YETA), which isbeing handled by the Ministryof Agriculture in the state. Theyare working and I mustcommend them for theircreative initiatives to drive thevision of his Excellency in jobcreation through agriculture.

We are talking to them anddeveloping the platform forinterfacing with them so that wecan generate the manpowerinput by re-orientating theyouths to key-in and embraceagriculture as a viable route outof unemployment and poverty.This is a major means of youthengagement for job creation andHis Excellency means to drivethis vision as the new stimuli forour state economy beyond oil.

What advice do you have forthe youths in Delta Stateand Nigeria at large?

The popular saying is that,we the youths are the leaders oftomorrow, but I can say that weare the leaders of today fortomorrow. If we learn the ropesof leadership today we canembrace leadership tomorrowwith good governance as alegacy from our experiencetoday.

It is in visible evidence thatmany youths are occupyingstrategic positions today eitherin government or in the privatesector and they are doing verywell. If we have to be involved innation building, and serve ourelders in pursuing goodgovernance for tomorrow, wemust be humble and dedicated,patriotic and finally, we mustdisabuse our minds of all formsof evil tendencies.

We must build our mindstowards serving ourcommunities and Nigeriathereby growing our society tobecome a better place for all ofus. The key word is for all of us tobe good ambassadors andstakeholders in nation buildingand be commendable flagbearers of the communities weall represent, especially asyouths who have been given theprivilege to be in today'sleadership.

Hon. Ebifa Ijomah

To achieve suchresults, you mustbe selfless, you

must be willing totake up themantle of

leadership andact as soon assituations arise.You must be on

point and on timeat every instance

to addressissues.

“

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013PAGE 46

Insight

Decline of textileindustry in northernNigeria and wayforward

Fatima Ibrahim

The Tsunami that has sweptthe Nigerian Textileindustry has more negative

socio-economic implications in theNorthern region than in otherparts of the country. In fact, theNigerian textile industry has itsbase in north. And it has collapsed!All of us may have contributed inone way or the other-corruptleaders, weak policies, lack ofincentives to cotton growers, poorenergy policies that led to highenergy costs, indifference andsometimes lack of courage to speakout. A huge problem that is sendingseveral of our compatriots into thelabour market and loss of source oflivelihood is staring us in the face.

A short historical explorationof the development of the textileindustry in Northern Nigeria andthe present sorry state of affair arenecessary in this context.

In late forties, Alhaji AhmaduBello the Sardauna of Sokoto andPremier of Northern Nigeria hada vision for the industrialization ofthe region. He established the KanoTextile factory in Gwammaja,Kano and the Kaduna Textile MillKTL to use the abundant cottonproduced by farmers in the region.Kano became a textile marketingcity and Kaduna also developedinto a textile city as other factoriesand support services, such as thespinning and weaving industriesblossomed. Marketers of Kaduna-made textile materials; mainlyAfrican prints also carved a nichefor themselves by selling theseproducts locally and exporting toneighbouring countries.

How all that was to change- aswell all watched with hopelessnessas one textile factory after anotherclosed shop. The last factory tohave been affected last year wasthe United Nigeria Textile UNTLwhich sued to produce fine was thatwas a good match for any importedbrand.

The scaling down of operationsof UNTL opened anotherunpleasant chapter in the North'sdeclining textile industry andeconomic downturn. It wasestablished in 1964 by theNorthern region government ofSir Ahmadu Bekllo in the heat ofthe healthy competition thatexisted among Western andNorthern regions for industrialsupremacy. At the peak of itsproduction, in the 90s, thecompany had well over 20,000employees but when it recentlyclosed shop, the work force hadshrunk to only 4,000, all of whomhave now been thrown into theunemployment market.

The closure of textile factories

was not limited to Kaduna, but wasrepeated in Funtua, the headquarters of the cotton productionbelt, the commercial centre ofNorthern states.

Set to close shop are many millsin an industry that has shrunkfrom more than 200 millsemploying over one millionworkers in the 1980s to 20 millsnow employing fewer than20,000 workers.

We are gradually losing thesectors- agriculture and textile thatreally defines the competitivenessof Northern Nigeria.

The problem in the industrystarted in the days of the StructuralAdjustment Programme (SAP),when the cotton commodity boardsresponsible for the growth andsustenance of cotton, the mostimportant raw material for textilemanufacturing, were scrapped.The government then introducedan Approved User Scheme whichmade the importation of rawmaterials, such as viscose andpolyester yarns, a difficult task fortextile manufacturers.

Nigeria's policy makers shoulddo well to disregard the prescriptionof outsiders and formulate policiesthat will protect the interests oflocal industries and the lessprivileged ones.

The oil boom should also beblamed for the neglect of theagricultural and industrial sectorof the country and its over relianceon crude oil as the major source ofrevenue.

Northern policy makers and allof us, to a large extent should acceptresponsibility for not initiating realpolicies to vigorously diversify theregion's economy away from oil.

The factors responsible for theclosure of UNTL and other textilecompanies in the North are: highcost of operation (includinginadequate supply of water, powerand raw materials), unstablebusiness environment, theactivities of smugglers and piratesof textile products and high cost ofaccessing facilities from banks.Others are inconsistentgovernment policies, the negativeeffect of globalization and energyproblem.

Obviously, these factors are notlimited to the textile sector alone,as many companies from othersectors are closing shop for the samereasons. The textile sector is worsehit because of the high incidence ofsmuggling.

About 80 per cent of textileconsumption in Nigeria comesfrom smuggled textile materialsfrom China and other Asiancountries. Only 20 percent ofconsumption is from the localindustries, while 40 million litres

of textile are smuggle to Africa fromChina, out of which Nigeriaconsumes 40 percent of this.

Technological gap in theindustry is another factorplaguing the textile industry inthe country, especially in the areaof weaving mills. Labourproductivity in spinningoperations is not high because oflow capacity utilization andinadequate provision for on-the-jobtraining. Low productivity levelslimit export possibilities.

There seems to be impropercoordination in the process ofdisbursement of the FederalGovernment's intervention fundfor the textile industry, andaccessing the loan might be sorigorous for a sector that needsurgent support.

In addition, analysts say thatthe manufacturing fund to revivethe textile industry wascommendable, but observed thatthe problems of the industry havegone beyond money because, whenthe basic infrastructure such asregular power supply are not thereto boost production, the moneymay still be invested in the sectorand be spent on infrastructurewhich should have been providedby government.

If the problems in the textileindustry and the manufacturingsector as a whole are to beeffectively tackled, Northern Stategovernments should incollaboration wit the FederalGovernment take definitemeasures to revive themanufacturing sector throughdeliberate and implementation ofpolicies that would overhaul thecountry's infrastructure and givelocally manufactured goods betterpatronage.Way forwardThe decline in the textile industryin the industry in the region isredeemable if certain steps aretaken by all the stakeholders-governments especially, and all ofus gathered here today.These steps are the following:1. Effective and hastenedimplementation of the N70 billionTextile industry revival fund. Thiswill ensure that operators andcompanies in the sector who are indire need of financial lifeline get itin order to commence operation,purchase equipment and rawmaterials. Northern StateGovernments could pool resourcestogether and provide counter-partfund to match the FederalGovernment's intervention fortextile operators in the region.

2. Government should ensurethat the nation's borders are wellguided against smuggling. TheFederal Government and some

Asian countries need to sign anti-smuggling agreements, as wasdone by NAFDAC to checkcounterfeit drugs from India.

3. Cotton farming andspinning should be encouraged ona large scale. Garment industriesshould be established along textilefactories to effectively utilize theproducts. Women who are mostlyin this business should be givenadequate training.

4. Strengthen the NigerianCustom service to effectivelymonitor the boarders to checksmuggling. There may be need toconstitute an Anti-smuggling TaskForce (ATF), which can also drawstrength from other agencies toensure that there are no leakages.

5. As part of the clean-up in theNigerian financial system, theCentral Bank of Nigeria shouldcome up with macro-economicpolicies to address the decliningvalue of the Naira against otherinternational currencies. This willcreate stability in the localeconomy and instill confidence inthe minds of investors to continueto investing in the textile industry.

6. Government should havestrong textile products' importregulation policy which willrequire 10% levy on all textileimports into the country. If thislevy is approved andimplemented, it would generate alot of revenue to government andwould resolve the intractableproblem of raising funds to bail outthe garment industry and act as adeterrent to importers.

7. Since the textile industry isthe largest sector in North and issuch a huge area capable ofemploying many people, StateGovernments should see its revivalas a key factor in quickening jobcreation and poverty alleviationwhich are the planks on whichthey are building theirdevelopmental programmes.

8. Improved power supply inthe country will cut overhead oftextile companies by one-third. Itis important that governmentdelivers on its promise of 6000Megawatts of electricity before theend of the year. It will not only give

life to major garmentmanufacturers operating in thecountry, but also to those ancillarybusinesses that depend on them.Opportunity for use of solar energyand wind mills to generateelectricity abounds in the Northand is recommended.

9. Addressing the problem ofinconsistency in governmentpolicies is one basic issue that needsto be resolved, especially policiesconcerning the textile industry.

10. Additionally, the Nigeriangovernment should encouragethose Asian countries like India,Korea, China, Malaysia, etc. fromwhich textile products aresmuggled into Nigeria to invest inthe country rather than see thecountry as a dumping ground.

11. Banks should beencouraged to give low interestloans to the Textile industry. TheCentral Bank of Nigeria should dosomething about the prohibitivelending rate which hascontributed to the collapse ofmanufacturing sector.ConclusionThese measures are notexhaustive. Each and every one ofus has a role to play if the textileindustry in the North is to go backto what it used to be.

Given the north's hugepopulation, there are basicrequirements of citizens for fabricwhich must be met. Some of theseare provision of uniforms for pupilsand students of variousinstitutions from nursery ,primary to secondary level,uniforms for professionals such asthe military, paramilitaryorganizations, medical workers,industrial garments, corporatewear, under wear, t-shirts, babydresses, beddings, sportswear, etc.

We can leverage on this hugepotential to re-launch the textileindustry in the North not only tothe national and regional levels,but also to the international levelwhere there will be greaterreturns on our efforts.

Contributed by FatimaIbrahim, politician, activist

and fashion designer

By Fatima Ibrahim

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013 PAGE 47

From the Pulpit

GREENGREENGREENGREENGREENPPPPPASTURESASTURESASTURESASTURESASTURESBy Pastor T.O. Banso

cedarministryintl@yahoo.comGSM: 08033113523

FFFFFAITHAITHAITHAITHAITHDISCOURSEDISCOURSEDISCOURSEDISCOURSEDISCOURSE

WITH

Pastor W. F. Kumuyi

Matthew 5:6

Christ 's teaching on the Mountbegan when He saw in themultitudes their need of the

saving revelation of God (Matthew 5:1;9:36; Mark 6:34). Christ was moved withcompassion on the people He saw.Apparently, they lacked the strength,energy and sustaining grace to live theKingdom life and so He taught them.Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit:for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are they that mourn: for theyshall be comforted. Blessed are the meek:for they shall inherit the earth."

The fourth beatitude is, "Blessed arethey which do hunger and thirst afterrighteousness: for they shall be filled "(Matthew 5:6). The judgement of Godon earth and the fear of eternaljudgement make the inhabitants of theworld to seek and desire righteousness(Isaiah 26:9). Jesus reveals that we, asbelievers, can be filled withrighteousness. And this happens whenwe are passionate for it. It is possible tobe full of righteousness. It is possible tobe full, to be filled with (1) the fruits ofrighteousness (Philippians 1:11), (2) joy(Acts 13:52), (3) goodness andknowledge (Romans 15:14), (4) desired

physical blessings (Mark 7:27-30), (5)wisdom and spiritual understanding(Colossians 1:9), (6) the Holy Ghost (Acts4:31), (7) the fulness of God (Ephesians3:19). There is no limit to the infilling andfulness of any true believer who is reallythirsty for God.

1. THE GREAT PASSION OFTHE THIRSTY

Matthew 5:6; Psalms 42:1,2; 63:1,8;84:2; 143:4-6.

"Blessed are they which do hungerand thirst after righteousness…."Hunger and thirst, in the natural, areindicative desires that show you are aliveand not dead. Though you might not besaturated yet, but when you hunger andthirst after righteousness, it shows thatyou are spiritually alive.

True spiritual yearning and thirst forGod's righteousness moves the believerinto the action of prayer, and into placeswhere he can be satisfied. "As the hartpanteth after the water brooks, sopanteth my soul after thee, O God. Mysoul thirsteth for God, for the living God:when shall I come and appear beforeGod?" (Psalm 42:1, 2). The spirituallyalive manifests a longing, a passion anda desire to possess the nature of God.Like the hart, when your longing for thesustaining water of life is a consumingone, you will leave everything you do to

seek it and run after it. Physical thirsthas the power to redirect your thoughts,imagination and feelings and get themfocused on the possible solution. Then,you passionately seek to satisfy thatquest. So also is hunger forrighteousness. When the thirst orhunger for righteousness is in you,material things, friends, people,opportunities and privileges will not beimportant to you at that moment.

Why are many people so indifferentto spiritual things? They are not thirstyand hungry for them because they aresatisfied without the river of life. Evenwhen God wants to fill them with Hisrighteousness, He does not find themthirsty. How can they be made thirsty?It is by waking them from spiritualdeadness through salvation andrestoration. The passion of the thirsty isan

(i) individual desire, (ii) internaldesire, (iii) intense desire, (iv) increasingdesire, (v) incomparable desire, (vi)interminable desire, and (vii)instructive/influential desire.

2. GOD'S PROMISE TO THETHIRSTY

Matthew 5:6; Isaiah 44:3; 41:17,18;55:1-3; Psalms 37:3,4; 21:1,2; 145:16-18;Hebrews 10:22,23.

"Blessed are they which do hungerand thirst after righteousness: for theyshall be filled ". God is ready to fill uswith righteousness according to Hispromise. But He first identifies thebeliever to find out how thirsty forrighteousness he is before releasing theblessing. He keeps what He has; Hedoes not play with or waist preciousresources of the Kingdom on those that

Abundant provision for the thirstydo not need them. God wants us tomanifest thirst before He poursrighteousness upon us. "For I will pourwater upon him that is thirsty, and floodsupon the dry ground: I will pour my spiritupon thy seed, and my blessing uponthine offspring " (Isaiah 44:3). He doesnot grant righteousness, as anexperience, to just anyone. He gives tothose who manifest and reveal theirheart-hunger and earnestness for it. Theonly thing that satisfies a child of God isrighteousness. There is somethingdeadly wrong with a Christian who isnot thirsty after the righteousness ofGod. God's promises to fill the thirstywith righteousness are great. But wemust thirst and respond to His call soHe can fulfil them in our lives.

He has given His Son, Jesus Christto atone for your sin and make fullprovision for your righteousness. If youpassionately desire His righteousness,"…he shall give thee the desires of thineheart" (Psalm 37:4). God imparts Hisnature of holiness to those who are alivein Christ and thirst for it. And if we havenot experienced the promised fulness ofrighteousness, it is because we havefailed to do our part of passionatelydesiring it. If we desire and seek Himwith faith He will fulfil His promise."Blessed are they which do hunger andthirst after righteousness: for they shallbe filled." He will fill us with Hisrighteousness. When God makespromises He fulfils them, when theconditions are met: "… for he is faithfulthat promised " (Hebrews 10:23).

3. GRACIOUS PROVISIONFOR THE THIRSTY

Matthew 5:6; 6:33; Psalms 48:9,10;

118:19-21; Isaiah 45:8,24; 46:12,13;51:1,5,6; Hosea 10:12.

Righteousness is not a product ofhuman endeavour, trial, struggle orwork. It is a provision of the grace of God.A study of the word "seek" in both Oldand New Testaments reveals a list ofthings God commands us to seek after.But many Christians today do not seekthe fulness God has promised andprovided for through the vicarious deathof Christ. When you examine yourselfsincerely and compare the list of whatyou seek with what God asks believersto seek after in His Word, you willdiscover a wide margin of disparity. Thesame applies to Christian assemblieswhose posters and handbills displaytheir passion and emphasis and whatthey call people to seek. But if the churchis going to please God and remain at thecentre of His will, it must abandon allthe temporary but legitimate things it ispreoccupied with to seek Hisrighteousness. God has provided for ourrighteousness. Therefore, He issues acommand: "seek ye first the kingdom ofGod, and his righteousness; and all thesethings shall be added unto you"(Matthew 6:33). Even in the OldTestament, saints of God sought, desiredand thirsted for God's righteousness andGod answered their prayer. And if ourdesire is so intense, and we seek the Lordin prayer, He will fill us with Hisrighteousness. But if symptoms of decayand death are visible in your life, repentof your sins. To be filled with Hisrighteousness, "break up your fallowground: for it is time to seek the Lord, tillhe come and rain righteousness uponyou" (Hosea 10:12).

Who are you listening to? (I)Praise the Lord! I welcome you

to the second part of this serieswhich I began last week. Before I

stopped last week, I said you shouldn'tlisten to rumour mongers or backbiters;you shouldn't listen to those who want tocause enmity between you and someoneelse, and are giving you unsolicitedinformation.

Unfortunately, Saul listened to theZiphites who came to tell him that Davidwas hiding in the hill of Hachilah,opposite Jeshimon. So Saul went againin pursuit of David to kill him, and thiswas the second time David could havekilled Saul but David again refusedlistening to his men's suggestion. "SoDavid and Abishai came to the peopleby night; and there Saul lay sleepingwithin the camp, with his spear stuck inthe ground by his head. And Abner andthe people lay all around him. ThenAbishai said to David, 'God has deliveredyour enemy into your hand this day. Nowtherefore, please, let me strike him at oncewith the spear, right to the earth; and Iwill not have to strike him a second time!'But David said to Abishai, 'Do not destroyhim; for who can stretch out his handagainst the LORD's anointed, and beguiltless?'" (1 Sam 26:7-9 NKJV)

On this occasion, David actuallyprophesied the end of Saul! "David saidfurthermore, 'As the LORD lives, theLORD shall strike him, or his day shallcome to die, or he shall go out to battleand perish.' The LORD forbid that Ishould stretch out my hand against theLORD's anointed. But please, take nowthe spear and the jug of water that are byhis head, and let us go." (1 Sam 26:9-11NKJV) Saul later perished in battle;David didn't kill him. He only took thespear and the jug of water by Saul's head.

David and his men went away - no mansaw or knew it; they were not awake butwere all asleep, "because a deep sleepfrom the LORD had fallen on them."

Don't listen to those who set youagainst others. Don't become a victim ofothers' devices. Hear what David toldSaul: "If the LORD has stirred you upagainst me, then let him accept myoffering. But if this is simply a humanscheme, then may those involved becursed by the LORD." (1 Sam 26:19 NLT)The enmity between Saul and Davidmust have been a human schemeconsidering the fact that David had askedSaul in 1 Sam 24:9 why he was listeningto the words of men who said he soughthis harm. Once again, beware of rumourmongers - they have their own motive.

What are those around youtelling you?

In 1 Sam 30, David and his menpursued, overtook and recovered all thatthe Amalekites who had raided andburnt Ziklag had carried off from David'scamp including the women, children andeveryone else. After this victory, Daviddemonstrated that he was not just a greatwarrior but a very considerate leaderbecause he was very careful the kind ofadvice he listened to. 1 Sam 30:21-22says, "When they reached Besor Brookand met the two hundred men who hadbeen too tired to go with them, Davidgreeted them joyfully. But sometroublemakers among David's men said,'They didn't go with us, so they can't haveany of the plunder. Give them their wivesand children, and tell them to be gone.'"(NLT)

That sounded like a very fair decision.But David knew that was not a gooddecision; he knew it would bring divisioninto the camp. Hear what he said: "No,

my brothers! Don't be selfish with whatthe LORD has given us. He has kept ussafe and helped us defeat the enemy. Doyou think anyone will listen to you whenyou talk like this? We share and sharealike - those who go to battle and thosewho guard the equipment." (Verses 23-24 NLT) From then on, David made thisa law for all of Israel, which theycontinued to follow.

Did you see the quality of David'sdecision contrary to what those whowanted to cause confusion asked himto do? Beware of the type ofinformation or advice those aroundyou are giving you; don't take hook, lineand sinker what those in leadershipposition under you are telling you.Distill the information they are givingyou. Every leader should be aware ofthis otherwise he will be used by theleaders under him to achieve theirhidden agenda.

David demonstrated a large heartwhich every leader should have. He wasgenerous not only to those following himwho some people had wanted to bedenied of the booty, he went ahead toshare the spoil with others who were noteven in his army. "When he arrived atZiklag, David sent part of the plunder tothe leaders of Judah, who were hisfriends. 'Here is a present for you, takenfrom the LORD's enemies,' he said. Thegifts were sent to the leaders of thefollowing towns where David and hismen had been: Bethel, Ramoth-negev,Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, thetowns of the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, Hebron, and all the otherplaces they had visited." (Verses 26-31NLT)

What a great thing David did! But

did you notice that without Davidknowing it a season of his life was justabout to pass away because Saul was justabout to die. Chapter 31, the very nextchapter after this incident, the last chapterof 1 Sam, details the death of Saul. Davidthereafter began to rule as king first overthe tribe of Judah for seven years andlater over the entire nation of Israel 33years.

Who are you listening to? Advice isgood. (Pr 11:14, 12:15, 15:22, 19:20, 20:5,18, 27:9) But don't listen to just anycounsel but wise counsel. "For by wisecounsel thou shalt make thy war: and inmultitude of counsellors there is safety."Prov 24:6 KJV) Don't despise advice -you'll always need good advice. Prov 25:11says, "Timely advice is as lovely as goldenapples in a silver basket." (NLT)

You must know that it is noteverybody who gives good advice. "Thegodly give good advice, but fools aredestroyed by their lack of commonsense." (Prov 10:21 NLT) Prov 10:31 says,"The godly person gives wise advice, butthe tongue that deceives will be cut off."(NLT) According to Prov 15:7, "Only thewise can give good advice; fools cannotdo so." (NLT)

I believe God has spoken to youalready. Who are you listening to?Respond to God now!

TAKE ACTION! If you are not born again, you need

to give your life to Jesus. I urge you totake the following steps:*Admit you're asinner and you can't save yourself andrepent of your sins. *Confess Jesus asyour Lord and Saviour. *Renounce yourpast way of life - your relationship withthe devil and his works. *Invite Jesus intoyour life. *As a mark of seriousness tomature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. Thereyou will be taught how to grow in theKingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: "0 LordGod, I come unto you today. Iknow I am a sinner and I cannotsave myself. I believe that Jesusis the Son of God who died on thecross to save me and resurrectedthe third day. I confess Jesus asmy Lord and Saviour andsurrender my life to him today. Iinvite Jesus into my heart today.By this prayer, I know I amsaved. Thank you Jesus forsaving me and making me a childof God"

I believe you have said this prayerfrom your heart. Congratulations! You willneed to join a Bible believing, Bibleteaching church in your area where youwill be taught how to live your new life inChrist Jesus. I pray that you flourish likethe palm tree and grow like the cedar ofLebanon. May you grow into Christ in allthings becoming all God wants you to be.

How many morecanaries must die...?

SATURDAY 18 — SUNDAY 19, MAY, 2013

BIG PUNCHBIG PUNCHBIG PUNCHBIG PUNCHBIG PUNCH

War, Gore Vidal writes in hisState of The Union 1958-2005,is solvent. 'But what...was adesign to acquire an empire,'Vidal says about America'saddiction to war, 'is for us a meansto transfer money from theTreasury to the various defenseindustries, which in turn pay forthe elections of Congress andPresident.' A nation may beimpoverished to the point ofbankruptcy, its institutions maybe in a state of decay, it may itselfbe in absolute decline - but it willalways find an excuse to go towar, and the means to financewar, precisely because warbrings money and money makespower. In war people suffer painand death, particularly theinnocent, the weak, the poor.War may bring glory to nations,but promiscuous war brings anation to its knees. Leaders oftengo to war not because there is apressing need for war but solelybecause they want to remain inpower.

Reflecting on the BostonBombing of April 15, 2013 whichoccurred barely a day before theBaga massacre, now infamousthroughout the world,perpetrated by the NigerianArmy, Richard Falk, a worldrenown scholar of InternationalLaw, and UN special rapporteuron human rights in Palestine,suggests that the sad incidentcalls for soul searching and selfscrutiny from the Americanpeople. 'It is better to moveforward with calm resolve and are-commitment to therevolutionary ideals thatmidwifed the birth of theAmerican nation,' he writes.'Such responses are generallybenevolent, especially whencompared to the holy war feversespoused by national leaders, themedia, and a vengefulpublic...that also embracedIslamophobic falsehoods.'America, he suggests further,had gone on promiscuous warson the basis of such falsehoods,causing destructions andhardships on an unprecedentedscale. Its actions are, however,yielding results, but mostly notthe types that are desirable orexpected. After ravaging Iraqand Afghanistan almost beyondforeseeable recovery America

“Warri Prison was built in 1805; Azare in1816, Degema in 1855, while the newest,Zing, was built in 2011. Bauchi, Ningi andMisau prisons were built in 1820, 1827 and1831 in that order”.— NHRC report

itself has not found real security,however measured. On thecontrary, 'these unlawful warswasted trillions expended overthe several years during whichmany Americans were enduringthe hardships and pain of thedeepest economic recession' inliving memory. The BostonBombing awakened many anAmerican to the realization thatinjustice can and does elicitblowbacks, as no nation isimmune from the natural andinevitable consequences of itsactions. Those to whom evil isdone/do evil in return!

It has become imperative forAmerica, for the sake of its ownfuture, to embark on a process ofself-scrutiny and selfadjustment. Otherwise 'suchadjustments will eventuallycome about either as a result of avoluntary process of self-reflection or through the force ofunpleasant events.' America is 'amenace to the world and to itself'because of its easy, and in mostcases, unjustifiable use ofmilitary prowess. 'The signatureirony is that the more Americandecline is met by a politics ofdenial, the more rapid and steepwill be the decline, and the moreabrupt and risky will be thenecessary shrinking of the globalleadership role so long played bythe United States,' Richard Falkasserts. Agonising on a situationwhere the tiny powerful see thevast majority as mere canaries -bribe them or otherwise coercethem into submission - Falkconcludes his reflection in thesewords: We should be askingourselves at this moment, howmany canaries will have to diebefore we awaken from ourgeopolitical fantasy of globaldomination?'

At our national level, we areapt to reflect in more or lesssimilar manner. Domination,however fantasized, is a rootcause of the current crisis. Thegreat majority of the people inthe system which produces thekind of democracy we all mustendure in our country are seenand treated as canaries, nothumans. These canaries may bescholars, professionals, soldiers orordinary men and women, butto those who exercise and enjoypower, they constitute mere

ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT: 0803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 7458BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS: 0805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 1765NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS: 0814 292 90460814 292 90460814 292 90460814 292 90460814 292 9046LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS: 0805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 1969

0803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 0344

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako,Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office:No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 8024432099.e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141

WEEKENDWEEKENDWEEKENDWEEKENDWEEKENDwith

Ibraheem Sulaiman

sa427420@gmail.com

fodder to their ambitions. 'For200 years we have had anoligarchical system in whichmen of property can do well andthe others are on their own,' GoreVidal says it as succinctly as hecould. 'Or, as Brooks Adams putit, the sole problem of our rulingclass is whether to coerce or tobribe the powerless majority.The so-called Great Societybribed; today coercion is verymuch in the air.' Those who carryarms, those who spy, those whojudge, those who collectivelybear the burden of keeping thestate alive and in perfect health,have all become instruments ofcoercion, the fodder. Theymurder, torture, oppress oneanother in their variouscapacities so that the men ofproperty can do well.

As Nigeria declares war onitself, its unbalanced andrepressive political structure isunashamedly exposed. GovernorHashim Shettima of Borno,whose state, one of the poorestplaces on earth, is at thereceiving end of the Nigeria'sdescent into cannibalism, is veryclear about the source of the

gruesome, escalating tragedy.'Underneath the mayhem ofBoko Haram, beneath themadness lies the underlyingcause which is extreme povertyand destitution which havepermeated all spectrums of oursociety,' he said recently. 'Onlyand until we address some ofthese issues, believe me, thefuture is very bleak for all of usas the current crisis is just anappetizer of things to come. Verysoon the youths of this countrywill be chasing us away.'Furthermore: 'The mostimportant thing in Nigeria is allabout the last election and thenext election, that is the onlything that is agitating ourminds. How we can perpetuateourselves in power, how muchwe can steal, how manymansions we can buy in Florida,Dubai and London, these are thethings agitating the minds of theelite of this country, includingyou and I.' So as Revolutionlooms, while Nigeria is seized byhysteria rather than greatbrilliance, wisdom, and deepthinking, the question to ask is:How many more canaries must

die before the ruling class cometo their senses?

We are where we are now asa result of a monumental failureof governance, an embarrassingand unforgivable failure of thesecurity services, and a generalbetrayal of the nation by thosewho have sworn to protect it.Nigeria is caught up between afeckless government, a brutalarmy, a ferocious insurrectionand one hundred and fiftymillion canaries, cowed bybribery or coercion. JohnCampbell [cfr.org], a formerAmerican ambassador to Nigeriahas rightly urged the world todiscount the lies being peddled byNigeria. Remove the lies, andyou will see an orchestratedpolicy, as Campbell and manyother honest and impartialobservers have discerned, toalienate Northern Nigeria 'fromthe Abuja government and,increasingly, from theFederation.' In his words: 'As forthe United States and otherfriends of Nigeria the firstprinciple must be "do no harm."The Islamist insurrection is theresult of internal, specificallyNigerian, factors, especially ahistory of poor governance,impoverishment, and politicalmarginalization against thebackdrop of an Islamic revival.It would be unwise to viewNigeria's situation through theprism of jihadist movementselsewhere in Africa, even if theyshare some of the samevocabulary.' In addition:'Nigeria's friends should urgeAbuja to approach the Norththrough political means, ratherthan through more violence. AU.S. relationship with theNigerian military would beparticularly high risk. It isunlikely that U.S. trainingwould be sufficient to affectmilitary behavior. But even atoken amount risks association ofthe U.S. military with Nigerianhuman rights abuses.'

Nigeria may be facing whatsome see as a bleak, fractured future,yet it has the capacity to weatherthe storm provided there is aconscious process of self reflection,self scrutiny and self adjustment.Otherwise self scrutiny and selfadjustment will come eventuallybut through the force of unpleasant,unforeseen events.

President Goodluck Jonathan