Nigerian observer 27 11 2013

1 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013THE NIGERIAN

COURTESY VISIT: Hajia Aishetu Oshiomhole, mother of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, flanked byOloi Esther Erediauwa (right) and Oloi Osarugue Erediauwa during a courtesy visit of the Governor’smother to the royal father in his palace yesterday.

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 NO.363 •WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013 . N100.00

The Nigerian

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How govtcan monitoractivities of

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Success byevidenceLessonsfrom Imo

State

EDO STATE

GOVERNMENTSPECIAL

ANNOUNCEMENT Edo State Government has observed thatdespite several warnings in the past, someunscrupulous individuals and groups havecontinued to encroach on the land belong-ing to Edo State Broadcasting Service. The government can no longer condonethis illegality. Consequently, it is herebyannounced for the information of the gen-eral public and those who have encroachedon Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) landat Aduwawa, Ivue, Auchi and other partsof the state in particular, that they are forthe last time, given two weeks from thedate of this announcement to vacate theencroached premises as failure to do sowill attract severe penalties.

Signed:LOUIS ODION,

HON. COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATIONAND ORIENTATION, EDO STATE

Five Governors dump PDP for APCFive Governors dump PDP for APCFive Governors dump PDP for APCFive Governors dump PDP for APCFive Governors dump PDP for APCOshiomhole assures NYSC

of support

Continues on page 2

. Tell Jonathan to startwriting handover notes

Continues on page 2

EDHA lifts suspension on Uhunmwodechairman

Continues on page 2

Benin Monarch urges continuedBenin Monarch urges continuedBenin Monarch urges continuedBenin Monarch urges continuedBenin Monarch urges continuedprayers for peaceprayers for peaceprayers for peaceprayers for peaceprayers for peace

... Presidencynot threatened

- Gulak

Continues on page 2

Continues on page 2

By KEN ABU BENIN CITY - Edo StateHouse of Assembly haspassed a resolution lifting

the suspension on Hon.Roland Alari, the

Chairman of UhunmwodeLocal GovernmentCouncil.

The resolution alsodirected that the SpecialAssistant on Security tothe Chairman, Mr.

BENIN CITY - EdoState Governor,Comrade AdamsOshiomhole said hisadministration wouldcontinue to encouragethe National YouthService Corps (NYSC)

scheme in the state. Governor Oshiomholedisclosed this during theclosing ceremony of the2013 Batch ‘C’ Corps

members orientationcourse at the NYSCOrientation CampOkada, Ovia North EastLocal Government Area

of the state. The Governor who wasrepresented by the StateCommissioner for Youth,Sport and SocialMobilization, HonOmorede Osifo directed

BENIN CITY - The Obaof Benin, Omo N’ObaErediauwa has urgedmothers in Edo state tokeep praying for the peaceand tranquility in the state.

He made the callyesterday when Hajia

Aishetu Oshiomhole,mother of GovernorOshiomhole led other

women in the state,including the APC WomanLeader in the state, Mrs

Modino Emovon, to payhomage to him in hispalace. Continues on page 2

ABUJA - ThePresidency yesterdaysaid that it was notthreatened by thedefection of thesplinter group in theruling PeoplesDemocratic Party(PDP) to the

opposition party, APC.The Special Adviser to

the President on PoliticalAffairs, Ahmed Gulak,made this known when hespoke with the StateHouse Correspondents atthe Presidential Villa.

The splinter group andthe APC in a communiquéyesterday agreed tomerge.

Gulak, who reacted tothe development, saidneither the presidency northe ruling party feltthreatened.

“The presidency doesnot feel threatened and thePDP does not feelthreatened.

“PDP is the party to beat.We have had it beforeeven people who hadoccupied higher offices leftthe party and came back.

“Outside there, there is

ABUJA - Late yesterday morning, at about11:46am, the National Chairman of the New PeoplesDemocratic Party (NPDP), Alhaji Abubakar KawuBaraje, formally announced the merger of the partywith the All Progressives Congress (APC) even asthe two PDP Governors of Niger State, BabangidaAliyu and Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, havereportedly backed out of the said merger.

The merger wascontained in acommuniqué whichAlhaji Baraje read tojournalists at the end of

a meeting between theleadership of New PDPand that of the APC heldat the Kano Governor’sLodge in Abuja.

The communiquésigned by Bisi Akandethe APC NationalChairman and KawuAbubakar Baraje theNational Chairman of

NPDP reads,“A meeting of the

leadership of AllProgressives Congress,APC, and the new PDPmet this morning at the

residence of the KanoState Governor, Dr.Rabiu MusaKwankwaso, in Abujaand after exhaustivedeliberations the two

parties agreed to merge inorder to rescue ourfledgling democracy andthe nation”

With this development,

The royal father whotold the Governor ’smother not to relent in herprayers for the Governorand the state said: “as aMuslim leader, keep usingthe Koran to pray for theGovernor and Edo Stateand for the peace andprogress of the state.”

The royal fatherthanked HajiaOshiomhole for the visitand praised her for her


EDHA lifts suspension on Uhunmwode chairman Continued from page 1

Neighbourhood Watchnot scrapped - IhonvbereFive Governors dump PDP for APC

Continued from page 1


Oshiomhole assuresNYSC of support

Transport Ministry, Egorpartner on traffic control

... Presidency not threatened

News


By KEN ABU

Police Corporal shoots Inspector todeath

Osarinmwenda Ajayi besacked with immediate effectwhile his services are not tobe engaged by the council inany capacity due to hismisconduct at the Chambersof Council’s legislative arm. The adoption of theresolution lifting thesuspension of Hon. Alari issequel to the consideration ofthe report of Adhoc Committeeset up to investigate thealleged invasion of thechambers of the councillegislative arm by thugsallegedly supporting Hon.Alari. Parliament, whileconsidering the five pointfindings and tworecommendations of the Ad-hoc committee, noted that itwas the impeachment of theleader of the UhunmwodeLegisative arm that went awry,an indication that there wasfracas at the legislativechamber of the council.

The report also revealedthat Mr. Ajayi, a specialassistant to Hon. Alari was theculprit who had incurred thewrath of his boss, earning hima suspension for a period oftwo months without pay for hisunruly behaviour. The report further stated thatHon Alari was not present atthe scene of the incidentneither at the premises of the

council secretariat on the saidday, hence, the committeerecommends that thesuspension on Hon. Alari belifted while Ajayi be sacked. Parliament adopting therecommendation with anamendment that theauthorities of Uhunmwodelocal government council bemandated to disengage theservices of Mr. Ajayi in

whatever capacity so as toserve as a deterrent forabusing the sanctity of thelegislative chambers. The lawmakers howeverfrowned at the conduct of themembers of the Uhunmwodelegislative arm who hadappeared in one of thetelevision stations in the state,accusing Hon. Alari ofunlawful invasion of thechambers of the legislativearm of the council buthowever denied their actionbefore the adhoc committee. Furthermore, Hon. PeterAliu who expresseddissatisfaction with the actionof some members of theUhunmwode Legislative arm,called for sanction on them,saying that they can not foolthe people. However, theSpeaker, Hon. Uyi Igbeappealed to the Lawmakersnot to impose sanctions on themembers of the UhunmwodeLegislative arm but should lettheir conscience be the judgein the matter.

all school principals and otherCorps’ employers to be onground to receive corpsmembers posted to theirestablishment with a view toensuring that they areaccommodated andadequately taken care of. Governor Oshiomholeurged the corps members tofeel free with the good peopleof Edo State who are by

nature friendly,accommodating and veryhospitable as they settle downin their various places ofprimary assignment. He advised them to guardagainst vices such as truancy,absenteeism, disobedience,lawlessness and other formsof misconduct and adhere tothe lesson of selfless serviceand humility which they learntduring the orientation course.

BENIN CITY - Secretary toEdo State Government, Prof.Julius Ihonvbere has clarifiedthat the NeighbourhoodWatch Committee, has notbeen scrapped but onlydisbanded so as to allow forthe restructuring of its variousunits for effective protectionand security of property andlives in the state. Prof. Julius Ihonvberestated this at the Chambersof the State House ofAssembly while presentinghis briefs on the activities ofthe State Government andagencies on theimplementation of the year2013 appropriation law aspart of the on-goingministerial briefing. He disclosed that out of thesum of N2.2billion approvedfor the Directorate ofGovernment and Protocol forthe year under review, the

sum of N1.6billion has beenexpended, while the sum ofN877.8 million has beenexpended from the sum ofN1.5billion approved for theoffice of the Governor in the2013 Appropriation Law. Prof. Julius Ihonvbere alsoinformed parliament of theappointment of Mr. JerryObazele as the new Head ofService while assuring that aformal letter would beforwarded to parliament forapproval. In the same vein, theCommissioner for Health, Dr.(Mrs.) Aihanuwa Eregiepresented her briefs toparliament, where sheexpressed resolve ofgovernment to enhance healthfacilities in the state. She stated that the ministryhas so far generated the sumof N31.8 million out of theN52.1 million target of theministry as Internally GenerateRevenue (IGR) in the 2013appropriation Law.

BENIN CITY - Edo StateMinistry of Transport and EgorLocal Government haveformed a synergy to extendthe newly enthroned vehiculartraffic decorum to all the roadsin Benin City.

This came to the forewhen the Commissioner,Ambassador Orobosa Omo-Ojo(JP) led the Ministry’smanagement team and headsof para-military agenciesunder the ministry on a visitto Egor Local GovernmentCouncil, where he met withpeople of the locality at theCouncil Secretarial, Uselu,Benin City yesterday.

According to AmbassadorOmo-Ojo, there is aremarkable difference in thevehicular traffic in themetropolis since he assumedoffice few days ago, hence hehas come to seek the supportof the council in order toextend the horizon of controlover streettrading so as toensure free-flow of vehiculartraffic in the area.

He appealed to the LocalGovernment Chairman, Hon.Victor Enobakhare to ensurethat the council revenuecollectors do not connive withtraders to perpetrate street-trading by displaying theirwares for sale on the walk-ways, while urging him to

construct a vehicle parking lotclose to the Uselu Market formotorists especially as thecouncil could generatereasonable revenue from it.

Commending the EgorCouncil boss for being a leaderin a hurry to deliver goodgovernance to the people of thearea, the Commissioner alsoencouraged him to extend hisgood will to the needs of theministry.

Responding, the Chairmanof Egor Local GovernmentCouncil, Hon Victor Enobakharesaid the council and the ministrywere partners in progress andgave assurance that the councilwould ensure free flow of trafficin the area.

He emphasised the need toeducate motor traffic controlagents to always apply wisdomand caution while on duty,stressing that such agentsshould control vehicularmovement in order to avoidchaotic traffic rather than waitingfor any motorist to default beforegoing into action.

Hon. Enobakhare howevercommended the commissionerfor being pro-active andintroducing innovation for thesmooth flow of traffic.

The commissioner and histeam had before the visitembarked on a walk alongUselu-Lagos road to controlvehicular traffic.

the G7 Governors of NewPDP, namely, Babangida Aliyu(Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso(Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa),Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto),Murtala Nyako (Adamawa),Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) andRotimi Amaechi (Rivers), arenow members of the APC.

The merger thus shoots upthe number of APC StateGovernors to 18 while PDP’sshrinks to 16, with AllProgressives Grand Alliance(APGA) and Labour Partyhaving one governor each.

A similar permutation exists inthe National Assembly wherewe now have the majority withPDP and its allies in minority.

The simple meaning of this isthat APC is now the majorityparty in the country while PDPhas become a minority party.

In the circumstances,President Goodluck EbeleJonathan must now start writinghis handover notes because hisambition to manoeuvre the partystructures so as to get a thirdterm in office in 2015 hassuddenly collapsed.

What a sudden change offortune! What a sad day for thePDP, a party which we labouredto build, which was viciouslytaken away from us but which,out of our great love for it, wedid everything humanly possibleto save but were frustrated bythe unpatriotic elements thathave usurped the leadership ofthe party.

Nigerians could recall thatseveral meetings had been heldbetween the APC leaders andthe leaders of the New PDP.The APC had visited each of ourseven New PDP governors intheir states to convince them tojoin its fold but all thesenotwithstanding while the PDPLeadership on their own sidewere plotting on daily basis onhow to frustrate us out of theparty we suffered to nurture.

The fact remains that we didall within our powers to reconcilewith PDP to no avail and sadlyour dear President allowed thehawks within the Presidencyand PDP Leadership toconvince him to abort our lastSunday’s meeting that wouldhave brought a lasting peace to

our party which the PDPleadership under Alhaji BamangaTukur frustrated, so we have noother option than to formallyannounce the death and burial ofPDP. Day and night we cried out,begging whoever loved PDP tojoin us to rescue the party fromimminent doom but we wereconveniently ignored and abused.Just last night, we issued the lastin a series of passionate appealsto PDP Elders to take urgent stepsto save the troubled party in theface of their unbelievable silencein the face of the chain ofdevelopments instigated byfactional National Chairman,Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, which hasput the party at the edge of theprecipice.

Now, we have reached the

stage that we can only say: “PDP,your sinking ship has beenabandoned to you! You broughtthis misfortune upon yourself, nowyou must bear it alone!”

As for us, we are happy tobelong to the APC, where ourvalue is appreciated, where weare made to feel truly wanted, andwhere we can now join forces withlike minds in our struggle toliberate Nigeria from PDP’smisrule, which is soon to end.

Among those at the yesterdayhistorical merger meeting wereAPC leader and former LagosState governor, Bola Tinubu; APCNational Chairman, Bisi Akande;Kano State Governor, RabiuKwankwaso: former Kwaragovernor and serving senator,Bukola Saraki; former Nasarawa

governor and serving senator,Abdullahi Adamu; former Bayelsagovernor, Timipre Sylva; andAdamawa State Governor,Murtala Nyako.

Others were former Speaker ofthe House of Representatives,Aminu Masari; Rivers StateGovernor, Rotimi Amaechi;National Secretary of the PDP,Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Abiagovernor, Ogbonnaya Onu;former PDP vice chairman, SamJaja; Kwara State Governor,Abdulfatah Ahmed; and NigerState Governor, Babangida Aliyu.

Meanwhile, in a swift reactionlast night, the two PDP Governorsof Niger State, Babangida Aliyuand Jigawa State, Sule Lamido,dissociated themselves from themerger, thus signalling a set-back.

nothing, it is empty. PDP isthe only party,’’ he said.

He added that the party andthe presidency welcomed thedevelopment because it wouldend the distractions that hadbeen going on.

“For a long time, I have saidit that their hearts have notbeen in PDP. It is good thatthey have told the world thatthey have taken a stand sothat PDP will not be distracted.

“PDP as a party will be

focused to build our partybecause a lot of people arewaiting for this moment.

“A lot of people in the APChave contacted me severallythat they want to come backto PDP.

‘They said they were justwaiting for what happenedtoday to happen, and to us, itis a good development,’’ hesaid.

Gulak, however, said if thegroup decided to return to thePDP fold, they would bewelcomed back.

“We are talking about peace

and reconciliation as anongoing process.

“If they go outside there likethose that went there beforethem and taste that theoutside there is empty they arealways welcomed back homelike we did before,’’ he said.

Adams Oshiomhole of APC,was also at the PresidentialVilla shortly after theannouncement of the merger.

The governor, who did notspend up to 30 minutes in theVilla, declined to speak withthe newsmen.

Benin Monarch urges continued prayersBenin Monarch urges continued prayersBenin Monarch urges continued prayersBenin Monarch urges continued prayersBenin Monarch urges continued prayersfor peacefor peacefor peacefor peacefor peace Continued from page 1

motherly disposition andcare for the governor.

Earlier, Hajia AishetuOshiomhole said she went topay homage to the royalfather for taking theGovernor as his son and foroffering him quality advicewhich have helped in movingthe state forward.

She said: “I am here togreet you for all you havebeen doing for the governor.I want to thank you for yourprayers, for your cooperationand royal advice that youhave always given him.

“I have no doubtwhatsoever that yourprayers and suggestionshave been largelyresponsible for the rapiddevelopment that is takingplace in the state. I also wantto thank the Chiefs and toeveryone and say well-done”, she said.

The Governor’s motheralso paid a visit to theQueens in their haremwhere she thanked them fortheir care for the Governor.

Oloi Esther Erediauwawho responded on behalf of

the queens acknowledgedthe good works that thegovernor is doing andthanked God for what He isusing him to do for the state.

She urged HajiaOshiomhole “to keep prayingfor him (Governor). What heis doing, he is not doing it forhimself but he is doing it foreverybody”, she said.

Other women on theentourage were Mrs BlakkyOmoregie, market womenleader, Women Leader inIkpoba Okha, MadamPhilomena, Mrs EsoheAdams, among others.

BENIN CITY – An enragedpolice corporal has allegedlygunned down an Inspector inBenin City.

Another Police Corporal wassaid to have been seriouslywounded during the shooting.

Though it could not beascertained at press timeyesterday, whether the policeCorporal ran amok or acted underthe influence of alcohol, sourcedisclosed that he is on the run withthe loaded police rifle.

The unfortunate incidentoccurred at Wahala Street, offBenin – Agbor Road, Oregbeni,Benin City, at about 8:06pm onMonday night.

Neither his division, OregbeniPolice Division, nor the StatePolice Headquarters, Benin Cityknew why the killer PoliceCorporal acted so dastardly assources disclosed that he fledwithout a word or note.

They were said to be on patrolwhen the ugly incident occurred.

It was learnt that members ofthe embattled patrol team were

said to be en-rapport when theyleft their division.

Another version of the episoderevealed that the late Inspectorwas on his way to his duty post ata bank in Benin-Agbor Road whenhe was shot dead by the Corporal.

The killer policeman was said tohave swiftly boarded a passengervehicle in which his fellow corporalcoincidentally was.

It was further stated that whenthe innocent Corporal alightedfrom the bus and demanded for hischange from the driver, the killercorporal thinking that his colleagueis aware of his misdeed, shot athim and commanded the driver tozoom off the scene.

The corpse of the late Inspectoridentified simply as Ayinla fromGombe State has been depositedin an undisclosed hospital whilethe wounded Corporal is said tobe receiving medical attention atthe same hospital.

Contacted, the spokesman, EdoPolice Command, DSP MosesEguavoen stated that his office isyet to be briefed of the sadincident.

By MIKE OSAROGIAGBON


NewsCSR: Community Protest Neglect By

Oil Coy

Ulemon Community Leader Tasks NDDCOn Completion Of Iyekogba Road Project

Edo Technology Day: Edo Technology Day: Edo Technology Day: Edo Technology Day: Edo Technology Day: The Simba Infrastructure ExperienceThe Simba Infrastructure ExperienceThe Simba Infrastructure ExperienceThe Simba Infrastructure ExperienceThe Simba Infrastructure Experience

Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, CFR (left) receives Hajia Aishetu Oshiomhole, mother ofGovernor Adams Oshiomhole during a courtesy visit of the Governor’s mother to theroyal father in his palace yesterday.

Oloi Esther Erediauwa, wife of the Oba of Benin (left) and Hajia Aishetu Oshiomhole,mother of Governor Adams Oshiomhole during a courtesy visit of the Governor’s motherto the royal father in his palace yesterday.

By ESTHER JOSEPH/BEAUTY OBAMWONYI

Man Charges FG, States On Made In Nigeria Goods

BENIN CITY -TheOrogho Community forYouth DevelopmentAssociation inOrhionmwon LocalGovernment Area of EdoState has called on thegovernment to urgentlyaddress the negligence ofhost communities by SeplatPetroleum DevelopmentCompany. The call was made by the

secretary of the group, Mr.Omoruyi Osagie, yesterdayduring a protest march to theState House of Assembly. According to Mr. Osagie,urgent attention should begiven by all levels ofgovernment to address thenegligence of the socialresponsibility of SeplatPetroleum DevelopmentCompany which hasoperated in the area for two

years now. He said, “we don’t haveany of our indigenouscontractor on the Seplat listor contract and indigenouscontractor should bepatronized”. He therefore urged thegovernment to prevail onthe company to providebasic amenities andinfrastructural facilities forthe community as well asput a stop to oppressivetendency in thecommunity.

BENIN CITY- TheManufactures Association ofNigeria (MAN) has tasked both

the federal and state governmentto implement policies thatencourage the patronage ofmade-in-Nigeria goods. The call was made by the

National Vice President (West )of MAN, Dr. Lazarus Asimonyeduring the association’s GeneralMeeting in Benin City. Dr. Asimonye however,

highlighted the challenges facingindustries to include the lack ofcommitment on the part ofgovernment to encourageindustrialization and making itimpossible for made-in-Nigeriagoods to strive. He added, “lack of policy framework to stimulate growth inindustrailisation has encourageinfrastructural decay”. He called on both federal andstate government to developindustrial zones in various towns,in addition to effective provisionof roads, power and otheramenities that would encourageindustrailisation. In addition, he called ongovernment agencies to adoptgood fiscal policies, continuousfinancial support system andindustry protection policy. The Edo/Delta Chairman ofMAN, Humphery Masodje in hisremarks called for theimplementation of strengthenmade-in-Nigeria products as wellas contribute to thetransformation of states intomajor industrial economy, that ismarket Oriented, technologicaland private sector driven and withgovernment providing theenabling environment. Hw charged state governmentto sign into law its state industrialpolicy as a document that wouldserve as policy guidance for thestates government and otherstakeholders.

BENIN CITY - SimbaInfrastructure participatedin the 2013 annual EdoState Technology fair, anevent that serves as apremium stakeholderplatform bringing togetherpolicy makers, industryplayers, technology experts,innovators and investors, toshare ideas and experiences. Simba Infrastructuresupports the drive of the

Edo State government underthe leadership of ComradeAdams Oshiomhole toexplore opportunities andstrategies for the utilization oftechnology, and charting theway forward on how best tomainstream technology ingovernance and itsdevelopment process. This year’s theme of thefair was: Fostering

Governance withTechnology. The Keynoteaddress was delivered byMrs. Omobola Johnson,Minister of Communicationand Technology with Mr.Hakeem Bello-Osagie,Chairman Etisalat, aschairman of the event. The fair provided ampleopportunity for SimbaInfrastructure to collaboratewith the Edo State

Government to showcaseICT and its manyapplications for bothgovernment and privateestablishment. Simba Infrastructure, amajor player in IP Basedcommunication, leveragedon the event to bring to thefore the endless possibilitiesand inherent advantages inthe latest communicationand data switching solutions

from Avaya.Simba Infrastructure is anAvaya Business Partner.Avaya is the world leader inIP Telephony for office andbranch communication, CallCentre and VideoConferencing Solution. Avaya has recentlyacquired Nortel, a worldleader in Data SwitchSolution and is now offeringlifetime warranties to

prospective clients forAvaya switches. Simba Infrastructure,currently, one of theorganization with fullyaccredited Avaya engineersfor UnifiedCommunications solutionand with up to six yearsexperience in thedeployment of Avaya’scutting edgecommunication.

BENIN CITY- The rate andlevel of development in anycommunity can be attributed tothe State of Security as well asthe protection of lives andproperties within thecommunity.A prominent youth activist andChairman of UlemonCommunity DevelopmentAssociation, Iyekogba-OredoWard 2, Comrade Julius IrediaAdun, made the assertion whilereacting to the spate of violence,killings and destruction ofproperties in some communitiesin recent times. He maintainedthat violence and shedding ofblood is an evil which retards

the peace and progress of thepeople.Comrade Adun commendedGovernor Adams Oshiomhole forhis developmental strides andurged him to prevail on theauthorities of the Niger DeltaDevelopment Commission(NNDC), to complete theasphalting of lyekogba Road,while calling on property ownersin Ulemon Town to removeblocks, sands and stones on theright of way as grading andmaintenance of earth roads willsoon commence towardscomplementing the rural/urbantransformation agenda of thepresent administration. He

admonished Edo People to bepeace-loving and law-abiding, inorder to attract investors anddevelopment to their areas inparticular, and Edo State ingeneral.

BENIN CITY – Hajia AishetuOshiomhole, mother of ComradeGovernor Adams Oshiomhole ofEdo State, yesterday enlistedmembers of the public to join herthank the Benin Monarch, for histenacious support and prayer forhis son, Governor Oshiomhole. She made this position whileaddressing the Benin Monarchduring her courtesy visit to thepalace. Hajia Aishetu appreciated themonarch for what she referred toas wonderful support forComrade Adams Oshiomhole. She summarized the support as“constant prayers andcouncelling”. She expressed gratitude to the

Governor’s Mother EnlistPublic Support In

Appreciating Oba Erediauwa

By INNOCENTOMOAKA

By RAYMOND OSOGBE palace Chiefs in council, whilerequesting for royal blessing fromthe monarch. Praying on behalf of the Oba,Chief Amos Osunbor, called onGod and the ancestors to guide andsustain the Governor to enablehim complete the good works hehas started. In the same vein, the monarchexpressed gratitude to theGovernor’s mother for the goodworks the governor is doing in thestate and charged her to prayceaselessly for the success of herson. The Governor’s mother alsovisited the Oba’s Queens. She was accompanied to thepalace by Mrs. Modinor Emovon,APC Edo State woman leader, andother party members.


NewsFirewood Vendors Record

High Sales In Jigawa

FRSC Adopts New StrategiesTo Reduce Road Crashes

Cleric Urges Members To Pray, Participate InNat’l Confab

NASS Expresses WillingnessTo Promote Cultural Carnivals

KADUNA - The FederalRoad Safety Corps (FRSC)has said it has adopted newstrategies to reduce crashesduring the ember months.

The Kaduna State SectorCommander, Mr. MikeOlagunji disclosed this duringthe inauguration of“Operation Total Forces onRoad Crashes’’ in Kaduna.

The operation, according tohim, which would beanchored in collaborationwith the state NDLEA, wouldtest motorists to ensure they

were free from any harmfulsubstance, before embarkingon their journey.

He said they have deployed200 marshals and 75 officersfor 22-hour routine patrols tomonitor speed and drivingcompliance to traffic rules bymotorist.

“During the operation, wewill make sure all offendersare documented andenlightened on the dangers ofover speeding”, he said.

Olagunji said the patrolwould cover Kaduna-Abuja,

adding that the road marshalswould be stationed at Kakautoll gate, Alheri camp andKatari.

He said similar patrolswould be conducted onKaduna- Kachia- Kafanchanroad.

“We want to reduce carcrashes to the barest minimumthis December, especiallynight journey which is achallenge on our roads and wehope all drivers will cooperatewith us”, he said.

The corps commanderadvised road users to avoidover speeding, over loading,use of mobile phones whiledriving and wrong overtaking, as they are majorcauses of road accidents.

He reminded motorists thatonly the living celebrates, andurged drivers to reduce theirspeed so as to save peoples’lives.

Reports say that the 52-dayoperation will run fromNovember 25 to January 15,2014.

ABA (ABIA) - The inauguralPresident, Eastern Nigeria UnionConference of the Seventh-DayAdventist Church, Dr BasseyUdoh, has called on the Churchto pray actively, for the successand participate in the proposedNational Conference.

Udoh made the call in Aba inan interview with newsmen.

He said that through ferventprayers and encouraging God-fearing members to participate,the outcome of the conferencewould be enriched.

The Cleric added that theparticipation of “the Church ofJesus Christ in Nigeria”, wouldensure enrich outcome and a

result-oriented application of theoutcome of the conference.

“The role of the Church wouldbe to pray for our leaders, andencourage our members in thepolitical class to participateactively and do their best.

“A national conference is okaybecause it will give the peoplesof Nigeria the opportunity tocome together and say theirminds and make their inputs fora better and progressive country.

“They say impression withoutexpression leads to depression.People are depressed becausethey are not allowed to expressthemselves. Let them expresstheir impression and things willbe better for the country,” Udohsaid.

He, however, warned that the

country would be wasting scarceresources if it convened such aconference and the outcome wasignored.

The inaugural President urgedgovernment to incorporate theoutcome into laws and policies tobuild the nation better.

“We are saying that it hasbecome a tradition for us to havea lot of conferences andcongresses and nothing is doneabout them.

“There are many people whohave positive ideas to improvethe status of Nigeria andNigerians. Let us listen to themand make good use of the inputsgiven”.

He said the elevation of the

Seventh - day Adventist (SDA),Church Eastern Nigeria zone;from a Union Mission to a UnionConference, was in recognitionof the zone’s progress over theyears.

Udoh added that the elevationof the church in the zone, from aunion mission to a unionconference, showed that it hadmatured to help others withfinancial and human resources.

The cleric said that the newposition also meant a higherresponsibility for the church.

“We want to do more throughGod’s power, pray more throughGods power. We would want toimprove our people and ourworkforce and our membershipthrough God’s grace”.

ABUJA - The NationalAssembly has expressed itswillingness to promote culturalcarnivals in Nigeria so as toboost the country’s economicgrowth and development.

The Speaker, House ofRepresentatives, Alhaji AminuTambuwal, said this in Abujaat the ongoing AbujaInternational Carnival.

He said that the National

Assembly was ready to partnerwith the Ministry of Culture,Tourism and NationalOrientation to promote nationalcarnivals.

Tambuwal noted that theAbuja carnival had engenderedglobal attention and influx oftourists, adding that theNational Assembly’spartnership would further boostthe country’s tourism potential.

“We are ready to partner withthe ministry to boost thetourism potential of thecountry.

“The sector has a hugepotential to contributeimmensely to the developmentof the national economy,’’ hesaid.

Tambuwal noted that theAbuja carnival promoted unity,peace and harmony in thecountry, with the differentstates showcasing their culturalpotential.

Earlier, Chief Edem Duke,the Minister of Culture,Tourism and NationalOrientation, said that the sectorought to be elevated to becomepart of the major contributorsto the growth of the economy.

He said that currently,tourism currently generatedabout four per cent of thecountry’s income.

The minister, however, saidthat the culture and tourismsector was one of the top foursectors that contributed to thenation’s Gross DomesticProduct (GDP).

“There are lots of prospectsin the sector that needed to beharnessed for economydevelopment.

“Tourism is the secondlargest sector of the economyin the world,’’ he said.

Duke said that the carnivalwould boost the country’sforeign exchange earnings,adding that it also had helpedin repositioning andtransforming the culture andtourism sector.

“Abuja carnival is a sellingpoint in marketing andshowcasing the country’stourism and cultural potentialto the world,’’ he added.

Duke said that the carnivalwould also boost the country’stourism potential; whilemaking Nigeria one of thepreferred tourist destinations inworld.

HADEJIA (JIGAWA) -Firewood sellers in Hadejia,Jigawa, are recording hugesales due to high demand of thecommodity in the area.

Scarcity and high cost ofkerosene and other sources ofenergy have compelled mostfamilies to rely on firewood fordomestic use.

Firewood that is usuallyoutsourced from tree felling, isa popular commodity amongthe residents due to its cheaperprices, in spite of its negativeimpacts on the environment.

Checks in Hadejia showedthat high cost of kerosene,coupled with its growingdemand, attracted many peopleinto the trade.

A litre of kerosene is sold atN175 at the ‘black market’outlets while prices of firewoodhave also shot up by about 50per cent in the last few weeks.

A bunch of firewood is soldat N100 as against N50, whilea measure of charcoal sells forN150 as against its previousprice of N100.

Malam Aminu Dauda, a

firewood vendor, said the tradewas lucrative, adding thatvendors were enjoyingappreciable patronage.

“I am making good sales;prices will further go up as thecold season sets in,” Daudasaid.

Alhaji Muntari Buhari, aresident, said he used firewooddue to its cheaper prices, inspite of its cumbersomeprocesses.

“Unlike kerosene, firewoodis cheaper and readilyavailable,” Buhari said.

Mr. Ahmed Abubakar, anenvironmentalist, decriedindiscriminate felling of trees,saying that the trend was

depleting forest resources andravaging the ecosystem.

Abubakar said urgentmeasures were necessary tocheck the trend, to controldesert encroachment, erosionand protect the environment.

He urged the FederalGovernment to adopt practicalmeasures to ensure adequatedistribution of kerosene anddevelopment of alternativesources of energy at thegrassroots.

Reports say that hundreds ofhectares of forest resourceshave been depleted throughtree felling in spite of the desertencroachment ravaging thearea.

L-R: Director, Citizen Right, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, OmotilewaIbirogba, Component Manager, Justice for All, Nigeria, Jeff Ansell, ChiefMedical Director, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. WaleOke and Representative of Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. RisikatAkinyode, at the inauguration of Mirabel Centre in Lagos recently.

The former Commissioner for Oil and Gas and now Commissioner for Transport, Hon.Orobosa Omo-Ojo (middle), in a handshake with his sucessor Hon. Isimeme Iriogbeformer Commissioner for Transport during the official hand over ceremony. With themis the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mr. Dan. Aigbavbua (left). Photo: BEN IBIZUGBE.


News

Abia Airport For Commissioning By May2015

Abakaliki Records 108 Infernos

Late WilliamsIgbinovia ForBurial Nov 29

Devt: Trad RulerCommends EDSG

Owerri, Port Harcourt andEnugu does not invalidate theviability of an airport in Abia.

“The Federal AirportsAuthority of Nigeria (FAAN)has basic set standards for theconstruction of an airport and,by all the considerations, Abiais qualified,” he said.

The commissioner howeverdid not reveal the total cost ofthe project.

“The state government hasalready considered thefinancial implications of the

He said the unit hadembarked on publicenlightenment campaigns onthe prevention of fireincidents.

The director called onresidents to always put offelectrical appliances whileleaving their homes andoffices.

BY JOELCHUKWUAGHONIM

OTTAH - A traditional rulerin Ottah Igbanke inOrhionmwon LocalGovernment Area of Edo State,H.R.H (Dr.) Julius ChukwuyemIsitor, the Enogie of Ottah(Igbanke) has commended theEdo State governmentComrade Adams Oshiomholefor its tireless effort in ensuringthat democracy dividend go tothe grassroot.

He also thanked the EdoState Governor for the 2.5kmroad contract awarded inIgbanke community,particularly Ottah. Oligiecommunity has not benefited inroad construction, as a way ofhaving a sense of belonging.

He appealed to thecontractor handling theproject to expedite actions forquick completion of the job.

H.R.H (Dr.) Isitor whomade the call in the palacewith THE NIGERIAOBSERVER said thecomrade governor has tried inthe area of distribution ofdemocracy dividend acrossthe state. As he has alsoapproved the renovation ofthe General Hospital inIgbanke community.

He thanked the Ottahyouths (Ikoro) for theirmeaningful contributionstowards the development ofOttah community.

Also thanked the OttahCommunity Chief for theirmeaningful assistance to thecommunity.

ABAKALIKI- TheDirector of Fire Service inEbonyi, Mr Simon Nkpuma,on Monday in Abakaliki saidthe state capital recorded 108fire incidents betweenJanuary and November, 2013.

Nkpuma told newsmen thatthe timely intervention of theorganisation through rapidresponse to distress calls hadaverted colossal damage fromthe incidents.

“Between January andNovember, our office hasreceived no fewer than 108fire calls from different partsof the city and its environs.

“Through the rapidresponse by our officers, wewere able to contain theincidents with less degree ofdamage and only four liveslost from them,” Nkpumasaid.

He said the service had alsoenhanced the capacity of itspersonnel through trainingand retraining.

The director, however,called for adequate fire-fighting equipment, sayingthe efforts of the service weregreatly hampered by lack ofmodern equipment.

He also called for adequatefunding to enable theorganisation improve uponits service delivery.

“We have enoughmanpower to execute ourmandate and serve thepublic better.

“But our greatest

challenges are in the areas ofinadequate fire-fightingmachines and otherequipment critical for our job.

“More fire stations shouldbe created in the 13 localgovernment areas (LGAs) ofthe state for efficient servicedelivery,” Nkpuma said.

Emeka Ananaba, has alreadyreceived land offers frommore than seven communitiesacross the state.

“Because the people loveand welcome the idea, theyare willing to offer their landsand government is making itschoice based on the templatefor the establishment of anairport,” the commissionersaid.

He said further that Abiahad met all the requirementsfor the construction of theairport.

Emesobum said theproximity of the airports in

UMUAHIA- The AbiaCommissioner for Transport,Chief Ikechukwu Emesobum,yesterday said an airportwould be constructed in thestate before May 29, 2015.

Emesobum told newsmenin Umuahia that all theformalities for the acquisitionof land and other preliminaryarrangements to get the siteready had been completed.

He said the location wouldsoon be announced to thepublic.

“A committee, under thechairmanship of the AbiaDeputy Governor, Chief

airport and felt it can embarkon the project,” he only said.

Emesobum advised thepeople of the state to havefaith in the administration ofGovernor Theodore Orji,adding that they would not bedisappointed in the long run.

He also appealed tolandlords and tenants to keepfire extinguishers in theirapartments.

“As we enter into anotherfire season, it is pertinent weutilise various fire outbreakprevention tips to avert firedisasters,” he said.

President Goodluck Jonathan (right) receiving letter of credence from the high commissioner of Namibiato Nigeria, Dr. Peingeonjabi Shipo at the Presidential Villa Abuja yesterday. With them is the SupervisingMinister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri.

US Ambassador toNigeria, Mr. JamesEntwistle inspectingguard of honourmounted by theNigerian Army whenhe came to presenthis letter ofCredence toPresident GoodluckJoanthan at thePresidential VillaAbuja yesterday.

Late Williams Igbinovia

Oshiomhole’s AideLoses Mother

FUGAR - The remains ofChief (Mrs.) ScholasticaAlice Musa who passed on

September 3, 2013 will beinterred Friday, November29, 2013 at Iraokho, EtsakoCentral Council, Edo State.

Thanks giving service takesplace Sunday, December 1,2013 at St Anthony of PaduaCatholic Church, Iraokho at8:300am.

Chief (Mrs.) ScholasticaMusa who passed on at theage of 80 during a protractedillness is survived by manychildren and grand children,among whom is Mr.Ebomhiana Musa, SeniorSpecial Assistant (Media) toComrade Adam Oshiomoleof Edo State.

Late Chief (Mrs) AliceMusa

By INNOCENT OMOAKA

BENIN CITY - The funeralof Late Williams AigbeosuriaIgbinovia (aka Dj Sexy Bele)has been fixed for Friday,November 29, 2013 in BeninCity. In a statement signed by hisson, Ikpomwosa WilliamsIgbinovia, the remains of thelate Igbinovia will leave SuyiHospital to his residence atNo. 5, Osagie Street, Off St.Saviour Road in Benin Citysame day, for service ofsongs in his honour by9.00am. The statement added thatthe service of songs will befollowed immediately withthe interment of his remainsat the same residence.


South-WestUnveil Killers Of Osun Monarch, Lawmaker

Urges Police

Help Rehabilitate Ex-Convicts, Judge Pleads

With Lawyers

Rape: 2 Men Docked

Man, 26, ImprisonedFor Drug Trafficking

JABU To Graduate 366 Students

IBADAN - Justice AbimbolaObaseki-Adejumo, the presidingjudge of the Federal High Court,Ibadan Division, has advisedlawyers to take active part in therehabilitation of their clients whohad become ex-convicts.

Obaseki-Adejumo said thiswhile delivering judgment in acase of 11 Indian hemp sellerswho were sentenced to variousjail terms at the court sitting atAdeoyo in Ibadan.

Reports say that drug-relatedcases have been on the increasein recent times in the law courts.

This had generated manyreactions on the solution to beemployed in tackling the menace.

Obaseki-Adejumo said thesociety was experiencing anupsurge in hard drugs-relatedcrimes because most of thecriminals were jobless.

“When the convicts completethe jail terms, lawyers who aretheir counsel do not do a follow-

ADO-EKITI - A FederalHigh Court sitting in Ado-Ekitihas sentenced one AyodejiOgunsanya, 26, to one year inprison for dealing in 1.5kilogrammes of Indian hemp.

The Presiding Judge, JusticeAdamu Hobon, sentenced theconvict without an option of fine.

“In considering his case andage, his sentence will run fromthe very day he was arrested.

“I have considered the accusedperson’s plea of guilt alongsidethe exhibits presented by theprosecution and I find him guiltyas charged and convicted thereof.

“He is hereby sentenced to oneyear in prison without an optionof fine to serve as deterrent tolike-minded individuals,” Hobonsaid.

Mr Iliya Waji, the Counsel tothe National Drug LawsEnforcement Agency (NDLEA),

EJIGBO (OSUN) - TheSpeaker of Osun House ofAssembly, Mr Najeem Salaam,has called on security operativesto arrest the hoodlums who killedOba Adeshina Anibijuwon, thetraditional ruler of Ilashe in Osun

Salaam made the call whilespeaking with newsmen inEjigbo, Osun.

He also urged the police toensure the release of anindustrialist, Mrs. Yinka Obaleye,who was kidnapped in the stateby hoodlums.

It would be recalled that theassailants had on November 21,invaded the palace of the 80-year-old Anibijuwon, and strangledhim before setting his palace onfire.

As for Obaleye, she wasabducted by hoodlums in Ileshaon November 20.

The speaker, who describedthe two incidents as shocking,urged the police to get to the rootof the matter as fast as possible.

“‘This is an ugly incident andleast expected in the state.

“Despite the effort of thegovernment to secure the livesand properties of its citizenry,some people are still bent ondestroying the peaceful

IKEJI-ARAKEJI (OSUN) -Prof. Sola Fajana, the ViceChancellor, Joseph Ayo BabalolaUniversity (JABU), Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, said that 366students would be conferred withdegrees at the university’s 4thconvocation.

Fajana told newsmen in aninterview at Ikeji-Arakeji, duringthe unveiling of programmes forthe convocation slated forNovember 25 to November 30.

He disclosed that 12graduating students made firstClass, 104 students in SecondClass Upper division, 207 insecond Class Lower divisionwhile 44 students made thirdClass.

ABEOKUTA - Two men,Muyideen Jubril and LanreSofela, who allegedly raped ateenager at night, have appearedbefore an Abeokuta Magistrates’Court sitting at Isabo.

The police charged Jubril andSofela, aged 23 and 22respectively, with raping a 17-year-old.

The Prosecutor, Insp SundayEigbejiale, told the court that theaccused committed the offenceson November 8 at Ago Oko inAbeokuta.

“They convinced the girl thatthey will take her home on their

atmosphere in the state.“‘The killing and burning of

the monarch’s palace is againstYoruba’s tradition, and it isindeed strange and unbelievable.

“This incident is very sad andunfortunate; the people behind it

must be made to face the wrathof the law,’’ he said.

He called on the

Commissioner of Police in thestate, the Director of StateSecurity Service and othersecurity operatives to get to the

root of the matter.“‘They should ensure the

arrest and prosecution of thosewho perpetrated this evil acts toserve as a deterrent to others,”

Salaam said.The speaker, however, said the

government would not relent in itseffort to eradicate crime in thestate.

up on how they are positively re-absorbed into the society,’’ shesaid.

The judge further stated thatlawyers should not only beconcerned about their pockets,but should also fulfill the duty ofhelping in the reformation ofconvicts.

“As partners in socialreformation, you have the duty tohelp rehabilitate ex-convicteddrug addicts and Indian hemptraders by helping to providelawful trades for them,’’ she said.

Obaseki-Adejumo said the ex-convicts would not go back totheir old bad ways when theywere empowered and gainfullyemployed.

“The court has encouraged theNigerian Prisons Service toprovide convicts with trade andvocational training before thecompletion of their respective jailterms,’’ she said.

told the court earlier that theconvict was caught with 1.5kilogrammes of Indian hemp.

He said the convict wasarrested on June 25 at Oke-Ilaarea of Ado-Ekiti.

The NDLEA counsel said theoffence contravened Section11(C) of NDLEA’s Act Cap N30Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,2004.

Waji presented to the court, thebulk of the unanalysed substanceand the confessional statementmade by the accused.

He also presented thecertificate of test analysis, arequest for Scientific X-ray and adrug analysis report, which hesaid confirmed the substance to beIndian hemp.

Reports say that the convict,who pleaded guilty to the charges,was not represented by anycounsel, but prayed for leniency.

He said that the university runs44 academic programmes inarchitecture, humanities, naturalscience, civil engineering, socialscience and management as wellas entrepreneurship amongothers.

Fajana, who noted that all thecourses were accredited by theNational University Commission(NUC), said cultism was not inJABU due to the high level ofdiscipline maintained by theuniversity authorities.

“We have professionalaccreditation in architecture,accountancy, insurance, buildingtechnology and estatemanagement.

“Architect Registration

Council of Nigeria has justapproved automatic professionalmembership for our graduates,’’Fajana said.

According to the VC, theprivate institution is makingimpact on students, communitiesand the state particularly in theentrepreneurship trainingprogramme for self-employmentand eradication of poverty in thesociety.

Fajana said the university wasin training agreement inagriculture with the Osun StateGovernment under its “O YES’’programme to tentatively train20,000 people inentrepreneurship, while EkitiState Government had indicated

interest.“In terms of intellectual

achievement, JABU is bigbecause the university is blessedwith intellectuals; our student-teacher ratio is 1 – 6; ourgraduates have been doing verywell outside; we have goodwelfare package for staff, apartfrom prompt payment of salary,’’Fajana said.

The Acting Director ofAcademic Planning, Dr KehindeEniola, also told newsmen thatJABU graduated 203 students atits first convocation, 309 at thesecond , 215 at the third session.

JABU is owned by the ChristApostolic Church worldwide.

bike; on their way, theyblindfolded her with a piece ofcloth and raped her,” he said.

The prosecutor said theoffences contravened Sections516, 357 and 358 of the CriminalLaw of Ogun, 2006.

The court did not take the pleasof the accused because they didnot have legal counsel.

The Magistrate, Mr MatinsAkinyemi, however, grantedthem bail in the sum of N200,000with two sureties each.

Akinyemi adjourned the caseto February 13, 2014 for mention.

Cross section of Investors during a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Monday.

President Goodluck Jonathan in a handshake with Prof. Jerry Gana who led ateam of Foreign Investors to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.


LagosScam: Court Remands

Man

Murder: Doctor Has Case ToAnswer - Court

EFCC Re-Arraigns Fund ManagerOver N390m Fraud

NGO PlansScienceFestival

LAGOS - A YabaMagistrate’s Court in Lagosheld that a 35-year-oldMedical Doctor, EdeyeMonday, had a case to answerover his alleged murder of a22-year-old pregnant woman,Tolani Aderoju. The Police Prosecutor,Insp. Godwin Anyanwun,while arraigning Monday incourt on July 31, 2012, saidthe accused on May 29, 2012,injected Aderoju with someunknown drugs, whileattempting to abort herpregnancy. The prosecutor had told thecourt that Aderoju’s mother, inher complain, said herdaughter had informed herthat she was pregnant for oneMufutau Alonge. She said that Alonge hadtaken her daughter toMonday’s private clinic for anabortion. According to theprosecutor, the accused, afterinjecting Aderoju with drugs,but could not terminate the

pregnancy, rushed her toanother hospital, where shedied. Anyanwun said that theoffence contravened Section221 of the Criminal Law ofLagos State, 2011, and thatthe penalty was a deathsentence.But the court adjourned thematter till November 25 toawait the advice of the StateDirector of PublicProsecution’s (DPP) on thematter, while it ordered thatthe accused be remanded inprison custody. At the resumed hearing ofthe case on Monday, theMagistrate, Mrs AdekoredeAjibade, said: “a murder casehas been established againstthe accused.“Consequently, his case willbe transferred to a court ofsuperior record”. She said that legal advicefrom the DPP had establisheda prima facie case of unlawfulkilling against the accused.

Ajibade consequentlyordered that the case file betransferred to the High Court,for trial.

IKEJA - The Economicand Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC) re-arraigned a fund manager,Segun Bright, at an IkejaHigh Court, charged withN390 million fraud.

Bright, 36, is facing a 21-count charge, bothering onstealing before JusticeOlutoyin Ipaye.

Reports say that theaccused was previously

arraigned before JusticeHabeeb Abiru on July 18,2012.

He had pleaded not guilty tothe charge and the judgegranted him bail in the sum ofthree million naira with twosureties in like sum.

The re-arraignment was

necessitated by the elevationof Abiru to the Court ofAppeal, and the matter wassubsequently, transferred toIpaye.

The EFCC Counsel, MrAbba Mohammed, said thatBright collected N390 million

from 40 people betweenJanuary and December, 2010at Abule Egba, a Lagossuburb.

Mohammed said that theaccused, through hiscompany, Wexford GlobalResources Ltd., hadcommitted the offences byfloating an investmentcompany.

He said that Brightcollected various sums,ranging from N10,000 toN615,000 from differentpeople with the promise to re-invest the funds for highreturns.

The prosecutor named those

IKEJA - An Ikeja HighCourt has ordered that NifemiAyinla, 23, be remanded inprison custody, pending thehearing and determination ofhis bail application, fixed forDecember 2. Justice Kudirat Jose, gavethe order after Ayinla wasarraigned by the Economicand Financial CrimesCommission, charged withdefrauding Ms Gina McCoy,an American woman of$25,000. Ayinla, who lives at No.115, Obafemi Awolowo Way,Ikeja, is facing a four-countcharge of possession of falsedocuments and obtainingmoney by false pretences. The EFCC counsel, MrTaqiyudeen Aribi, alleged thatthe accused had committedthe offences between Januaryand May in Ikeja. Aribi alleged that Ayinlahad claimed to be Andrew

Edmund, an Italian Americanbusinessman, to defraudMcCoy, through an internetlove scam. He said Ayinla hadobtained $25,000 fromMcCoy, under the guise ofusing it to finish his project inNigeria, where he claimed tobe on a business trip. The prosecutor said theaccused also had in hispossession, documentscontaining false pretences,with numerous fraudulentscam e-mails, addressed toMcCoy. According to him, Ayinla’salleged offences contravenedSections 1(1), (a), (3) and 6(6) of the Advance Fee Fraudand Other Fraud RelatedOffences Act of 2006. Reports say that theaccused pleaded not guilty tothe charge.

LAGOS - Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO), Home EdutainmentNetwork, is set to host ascience practical trainingfestival that would addresslack of interest in research bystudents. In a statement issued inLagos, in which the NGO saidthat the festival, to take placeat the Faculty of Science,University of Lagos, wouldstimulate interest in sciencefrom the primary school level. It said that pupils andstudents would be the majorparticipants at the event slatedto hold from November 27 toNovember 29. According to the NGO, theevent will highlight the LagosState Government’s EnergyConservation Initiative bytraining participants onenergy conservation, usinghousehold items. It said that students whoregistered for the festivalbefore its commencementwould be trained free.It said that the SupervisingMinister of Education, MrNyesom Wike, would be thespecial guest of honour at theevent expected to produce‘scientific stars‘. Home EdutainmentNetwork said that participantsat the festival could win partof the N1.5 billion researchfund set aside by the LagosState Government. The NGO said that theresearch fund was set aside forcreation of innovations andproffering of solutions inscience.

L-R: Manager, Deep Water Esso Exploration and Production, Nigeria, Mr. Goodluck Adagbasa; Head,Department of Geology, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Dr. Akaha Tse and representative of UNIPORTVice Chancellor, Prof. Etiebet Nduka, at the inauguration of laboratory at the Department of Geology,UNIPORT on Monday.

Health official administering vitamin ‘A’ to a young lady during a health weekin Gombe on Monday.

swindled as Mr Toyin Peter,Mr Afolabi Oluwaseun, MrAmos Ogunsanwo, the Rev.Olusoji Adegboyega and MrsVictoria Salako.

He said that the offencescommitted by Brightcontravened Sections 383 (1),and (9) of the Criminal Code,Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

Reports also say that theoffence of stealing attracts aminimum of seven yearsimprisonment, if an accusedis convicted.

Bright, again, pleaded notguilty to the charge.

The judge permitted him toenjoy the bail terms grantedhim by Abiru and adjournedthe matter till January 15,2014 for trial.


NorthMilitary

Transformation OnCourse - Ihejirika

NSCDC Arrests 4 Suspected PipelineVandals

Principal Advocates Introduction OfPress Clubs In Schools

Calm Returns To KukahVillage After Attack

JOS - The Plateau PoliceCommand in Jos has said orderhad been restored to Kukahvillage of Shendam LocalGovernment Area after Saturdayevening’s attack by unknowngunmen.

Eye witness reports hadclaimed that four people werekilled and many houses burnt by

the armed attackers who stormedthe village on Saturday around5.20 p.m.

Mrs. Felicia Anselem, thecommand’s spokesperson, toldnewsmen that normalcy had beenrestored in the area by securityagents posted there.

Anselem however said threepeople were killed by theattackers.

“Investigations to unravel theidentity of the attackers, with aview to arresting them, havesince commenced,’’ she said.

Capt. Salisu Mustapha, thespokesman for the specialsecurity task force in the state,also confirmed the attack.

“I can only confirm twodeaths. The attackers werehowever estimated to be about100 in number.

“They burnt some houses. Butthey have been repelled and calmhas returned to the area,’’Mustapha said.

Reports say that the attack wasthe second in about five days inthe state.

Before the latest attack, twoother persons were killed duringan attack in the Barkin LadiLocal Government Area.

KADUNA - The Chief ofArmy Staff, Lt.- Gen. AzubuikeIhejirika, says the transformationof the military for efficientservice delivery, is on course.

Ihejirika gave the assurance atthe opening of the 2013Convention of RegimentalSergeant Majors (RSM), inKaduna.

Represented by Maj.-Gen.Mohammed Abubakar, the Armychief said the transformation wasalso to reposition the military todischarge its constitutionalresponsibilities more effectively,to meet the growing demands fora secured country.

“This gathering and themecould therefore not have come ata more auspicious time than now.

“This is more so consideringthe nature of security challengesthe Nigeria Army is grapplingwith, alongside the expectationsof the citizenry,” he said.

Ihejirika added that the changeswould affect all segments of thearmy including the WarrantOfficers.

He said the convention, withthe theme, “Enhancing theCapacity of the RSM TowardsEffective Administration in theNA”, was meant to aggregate theinputs of RSMs for inclusion inthe policies of the army.

“I urge you not to view thisforum as a mere academicexercise or mere get-together, buta means of imparting positivelyon the system.

“Your suggestions could assistin the changes required toentrench regimentation.

“Such regimental activities, ifsuccessfully implemented, wouldyield greater and more permanentimpact on professionalism”.

He assured the participants thatthe army would not compromiseon their welfare, adding, “youwill continue to get the best fromthe leadership”.

Earlier, Maj.-Gen. GarbaWahab, the General OfficerCommanding 1 Division of theNigerian Army, Kaduna, said theconvention would address“issues of regimentation andprofessionalism”.

He expressed optimism that theoutcome of the convention wouldassist the army in tackling thecurrent security challenges in thecountry.

Wahab added that it wouldbroaden the knowledge of theparticipants “to understand theseriousness of the securitychallenges facing the system andcome up with ideas to deal withthem.

ILORIN - Four personssuspected to have damagedNNPC pipelines in Afon, Kwara,have been arrested by the NigeriaSecurity and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) in the state.

Mr Gana Yerima, thecommandant of the agency in thestate, who confirmed the arrest ofthe suspects to newsmen in Ilorin,said the people were arrested ona tip-off.

Yerima said the suspectedvandals were about syphoningpetroleum product into a waitingoil truck at about 1.30 a.m. whenofficial of the command, whowere on surveillance duty in thearea, arrived at the scene.

He said the suspects openedfire on the NSCDC team whenthey sighted them, adding,however, that they escaped withgunshot injuries after they wereoverpowered by the “superiorfirepower of my men”.

Yerima said that aside from thetruck, with reg. no. OYO XA 773WEL, 18-seater bus with reg. no.XB 954 AME, and a ToyotaCorolla, marked AR 351 KEY,were found at the scene.

According to him, a generator,a pumping machine and threelong hoses were also found at thescene.

The commandant said the

arrest was aided by somecommercial motorcyclists, whocarried them earlier as they wereescaping.

He said that the command hadmaintained a 24-hoursurveillance of pipelines in thearea since he assumed office inthe state in 2012.

The commandant warnedvandals still operating in Kwara

to relocate, saying the state wouldno longer be conducive to theiractivities.

He urged members of thepublic to continue to support thecommand by supplying usefulinformation that would lead to thearrest of people that destroypublic facilities in the state.

MALUMFASHI (KATSINASTATE) - Alhaji Shehu Bature,the Principal of Federal Scienceand Technical College (FSTC),Dayi in Katsina State, has urgedschools to introduce press clubsto educate students on currentdevelopments.

Bature made the call duringthe college’s Press Club Day andLecture, with the theme “Roleof Secondary Education inNigerian DevelopmentalProcess’’.

The principal said the clubswould enlighten students oncurrent issues happening in andaround their environment andthe world at large.

He noted that the press club

in the college had alwaysinformed the students on latesthappenings in the countryduring the school assemblies.

Bature explained that the clubhad served as a medium ofinforming, educating andpreparing the students for debateand quiz competitions.

The principal commended theclub patron, Mr. OloweOluwambo, on his effort, andadvised other schools to emulatethe initiative.

Bature urged individuals andorganisations to provide moreassistance to the club to enable

it achieve its goals.The Guest Lecturer, Malam

Dahiru Biso, describedsecondary education as the stageof preparing individuals forfuture challenges geared towardactualising their dreams.

Biso, who is the ManagerNews, Nigerian TelevisionAuthority (NTA) Katsina, saidthat the scheme remainedparamount in the country’sbuilding process.

He said that secondaryeducation contribute a lot tonational development andappealed for collective supportfrom parents and teachers toensure standard.

He further urged authorities toensure adequate posting ofqualified teachers, provision ofinstructional materials and otherinfrastructure that wouldfacilitate good learning at alllevels of education.

Another speaker, MalamHabibu Harisu, said nationaldevelopment was a collectiveresponsibility of all citizens andadvised the school management

to support the club’s activitiesin view of its importance tostudents upbringing.

Harisu, a Correspondent hasexpressed appreciation over theclub’s performance on news,features and commentarypresentations.

The District Head ofMalumfashi, Justice MammanNasir, who was represented bythe Village Head of Dayi, AlhajiLawal Dayi, commended theFederal Government for citingthe school in the area.

The monarch said the school’s

presence gave opportunity toresidents to access educationespecially vocational trainingand promised more support tothe school.

Reports say that the eventwitnessed competitions oncommentary writing, storywriting and news cast amongthree participating schools.

The schools were the FSTCDayi, Federal Government GirlsCollege (FGGC) Bakori and theFederal Government GirlsCollege (FGGC), Zaria, KadunaState.

The FSTC Dayi emergedoverall winners of thecompetition.

L-R: Zonal Co-ordinator, West Africa Network for Peace Building, Gombe Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, Commissionerfor Justice and Grand Patron, Human Right Coalition, Gombe, Alhaji Abdullameed Ibrahim and Special Consultantfor National Association for Peacefull Election in Nigeria (NAPEN), Mr. Joshua Kusheen, at a two day workshopon Sensitisation of Youths Toward a Purposeful Life, Security Consciousness and Violence-free DemocraticSociety in Gombe recently.

Youths at a two-dayworkshop onSensitisation ofYouths toward apurposeful LifeS e c u r i t yConsciousness andv i o l e n c e - f r e edemocratic Societyin Gombe recently.


AbujaStakeholder Urges Promotion Of Tourism

2 Men Jailed ForConstituting PublicNuisance

Recharge Cards Marketer Arraigned For Breach Of TrustABUJA - The Police have

arraigned a recharge cardmarketer, Mr. Fidelis Agabi, ina Kubwa Magistrates’ Court inAbuja for breach of trust.

The prosecutor, Sgt. LucasEphraim, told the court that theaccused was standing trial forcriminal breach of trust andcheating.

The prosecutor said thematter was reported at the policestation by Mohammed

ABUJA - Chief MargaretFabiyi, President, WebiscoInternational Federation ofNigeria Entrepreneurs ofTourism, says that developingtourism potentials in Nigeriawill create 20,000 jobs in twoyears.

Fabiyi announced this in aninterview with newsmen inAbuja at the ongoing 2013Abuja Carnival with the theme“The centenary carnival”.

“Nigeria is blessed with lot oftourism attractions that can turnher to one of the best tourismdestinations in Africa and as

He said that the accusedpersons intentionally broketheir windscreen valued atN16, 000.

Elijah said that duringpolice investigation, all theaccused persons confessedto committing the crime.

The offences, he saidcontravened the provisionsof sections 79, 265 and 327of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, when thecharges were read to them,they pleaded not guilty.

The Senior Magistrate,Ms Binta Dongoyaroadmitted the accused to bailin the sum of N50, 000 eachwith one reasonable suretyeach in the like sum.

The magistrate orderedthat the surety must beresident within the courtjurisdiction.

She adjourned the matterto December 2 forcommencement of hearing.

Police Arraign 3 forSmashing Car Windscreen

well create jobs if wellharnessed.

“The government shouldthink of turning the tourism to arevenue generation sector forthe country, aside oil.

“We should turn our culturaland tourism potentials toimplement the strategies andplans towards developing thecountry.

“If we give adequate attentionto the cultural and tourismsector, the country can reducethe poverty level to the barest.

“Nigeria has over 500 touristsites that if properly tapped, will

lead to the advancement of thecountry.

“We have tourist sites likeYankari Game Reserve, ObuduCattle Ranch, Ikogosi WarmSprings, and National Parks.

“All these and the rest, if well

and adequately harnessed anddeveloped, will create jobs forpeople at the grassroots andmany unemployed Nigerians,”she said.

Fabiyi stressed the need toalso improve the security

situation in the country, as thiswould be an advantage totourists across the globe.

She advised stategovernments to develop theEco-Tourism potentials in theirlocality to reposition their

tourism image.The president called for

private-public partnership to beinvolved in the development ofnational carnivals to meet upwith international standards.

ABUJA - A Kubwa UpperArea Court in Abuja hassentenced Amaechi Maxwell andEze Ihuoma to nine months inprison each for constitutingpublic nuisance.

The Presiding Judge, AlhajiLawal Munir, sentenced Maxwelland Ihuoma after they pleadedguilty to the one-count charge ofconstituting public nuisance.

Munir, however, gave theconvicts an option to pay a fineof N200, 000 each.

“In sentencing you, the courtputs into consideration the pleaof the convicts because they arefirst-time offenders, whoadmitted committing the offenceand did not waste the time of thecourt,” Munir said.

Earlier, the prosecutor, CplEgwusigwo Charles, told thecourt that on July 20, the patrolteam attached to Area CommandHeadquarters, Kubwa raidedZuba Motor Spare Parts marketwhere Maxwell and Ihuoma were

Abudullahi of Levotel GrassNigeria Ltd.

Ephraim told the court thatAbudullahi reported that hegave the accused recharge cardsof different networks worthN6.1million sometime in Mayto sell.

He said the accused gave himN400, 000 and refused to paythe balance as agreed.

The prosecutor said the

offences contravened sections312 and 322 of the Panel Code,but said he had no objection tobail request for the accused.

The Presiding Magistrate,Mrs. Elizabeth Jonnes-Wanni,granted the accused bail in thesum of N300, 000 with twosureties in like sum.

Jonnes-Wanni said each ofthe sureties must have meansof livelihood, and should

present two utility bills, aphotograph and be resident inFCT with fixed residentialaddress.

arrested.He said that it was observed

that Maxwell and Ihuomaconstituted public nuisance byloitering, smoking Indian-hemp,and snatching people’s luggage,“knowing full well that they donot have any business in themarket’’.

He said that the convicts alsoinjured some shop owners in themarket.

The offences contravenedSection 198 of Panel Code.

ABUJA - The police hasarraigned AbdullahiMohammed, 25, TersooOrban, 27, and StephenAugustine, 26, before aWuse Zone 2 SeniorMagistrates’ Court forsmashing car windscreen.

The accused persons, wholive in Lugbe, Abuja, weresaid to have committed thecrime on November 20 andwere charged for joint actcriminal force assault andmischief.

The prosecutor, Insp.Jeremiah Elijah, told thecourt that Mr. StephenRabo, lodged a reportagainst the accused personsat the Lugbe Police Stationon November 20.

According to theprosecutor, the complainanttold the police that theaccused jointly assaultedhim and his brother whilethey were driving to Lugbeon the Airport Road, Abuja.

She also directed that the twosureties must fill a bond form,and adjourned the case toDecember 4.

L-R: Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide; Director-General of NYSC, Brig-Gen. NnamdiOkore-Affia and Chairman, NYSC FCT Governing Board, Mrs. Blessing Onuh at the Closing ceremony ofthe 2013 NYSC Batch ‘C’ Orientation Course at Kubwa in Abuja yesterday.

Rescuers taking away a Corps member from the parade at the closing ceremony of the 2013 NYSC Batch‘C’ Orientation Course at Kubwa in Abuja yesterday.

1 0 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013THE NIGERIAN

Business + EconomyKaduna Spends Over N155m On Community

Development

ASHON Links NSE Recent GrowthTo Increased Investors’ Activities

NDE Trains 150,000In Adamawa

UNILORIN To Boost Nation’sEconomy With Moringa

YOLA - The NationalDirectorate of Employment(NDE) has announced thatmore than 150,000 personsbenefited from its skilledacquisition training sinceinception in Adamawa.

The Director-Generalof NDE, Mallam AbubakarMohammed, announcedthis in Yola at the launchingof Sen. Ahmed BarataStrategic EmpowermentScheme.

Barata is representing theAdamawa South SenatorialDistrict.

Mohammed, who wasrepresented by theAdamawa Coordinator ofNDE, Alhaji AbubakarAliyu, said 45,000 of thebeneficiaries were trained inRural Agricultural TrainingScheme (RATS) and RuralHandicraft Scheme (RHS).

He said more than100,000 persons in the statewere trained in vocationaland technical trades likefashion designing,carpentry, tailoring, automechanic, hair dressing andelectrical installation.

According to him,more than 10,000 weretrained in landscaping ande n v i r o n m e n t a lbeautification.

The coordinator saidthat 600 of the beneficiarieshad so far been resettled

with seed funds to enhancequest to be self employed.

He commended Baratafor partnering with NDE inalleviating the hardship ofmembers of hisconstituency through thetraining of 360beneficiaries.

Barata said thebeneficiaries would beprovided with inputs as partof his poverty alleviationprogramme.

The News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) reports thatbeneficiaries werepresented with sewingmachines, grindingmachines and water pumps.

KADUNA - More thanN155.2 million has been spenton the provision of accessroads and portable water to 40communities in Kaduna Stateunder the Community-BasedAgricultural and RuralDevelopment Project(CBARDP).

The State Coordinator ofthe project, Alhaji SaniMohammed, disclosed this inan interview with newsmen.

He said the projects involvedthe construction of 30 boreholes and a total of 54kilometres of feeder roads innine local government areas ofthe state.

Mohammed said N36.6million was spent on thedrilling of bore holes to ruralvillage areas in Zaria, Sabongari, Ikara, Jaba, Kachia,Sanga, Birnin Gwari, Igabi andKaduna South LocalGovernment Areas.

The Coordinator also

said N118.6 million was usedto rehabilitate and construct10 feeder roads, spanning 54kilometres in the nine localgovernment areas.

He said two new roadslinking Acade School toAgunu Dutse and Doka toAmale Junction in Kachia,were constructed under theprogramme.

According to him, eightother roads wererehabilitated under theprogramme since it started in2006.

He listed the roads asthe 4 km Kurmin Jatau-Galadimawa and 3.5kmAnkung-Gora in Jaba; aswell as the 7 km Gwaraji-Bugai road in Igabi;

He said three otherroads were rehabilitated inBirnin Gwari localgovernment area.

These were the 6 km GSSBirnin Gwari-Bagoma Daji;8 km Kutemeshi-Ungwar

Kanawa Magaji and 8 kmGonar Alhaji Muntari-KurgiSarki roads.

Others rehabilitated were

the 6 km Kofar Galadima-Wuccirin Abba and 3 kmDutsen Abba-Dalatu roads inZaria local government.

He said the project wasbeing implemented incollaboration with the AfricanDevelopment Bank, theFederal, State andparticipating localgovernments, and the

communities. The coordinator urged

the participating communitiesto be more alive to theirresponsibilities bycontributing the required oneper cent to attract fundingfrom other contributors.

ILORIN - Prof.AbdulGaniyu Ambali, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin,has said that a moringaprocessing factory set up by theuniversity would producemoringa-based food productsand health supplements oncommercial basis.

Ambali disclosed this inhis address on Monday at thesecond Moringa at the LeadingEdge (MLE), conferenceorganised by the MoringaPlantation ManagementCommittee of the University.

The four-day conferencehas the theme: “EmergentMoringa: Roles in Heath,Wellness, SustainableDevelopment, EnvironmentalProtection and Global FoodSecurity”.

The VC pointed out that theuniversity was keenly interestedin the potential of the moringaplant.

He said that this wasbecause of its contributions notonly to health and wellbeing butalso to diverse areas of theeconomy.

Ambali said that theconference offered an ampleopportunity to unlock

knowledge and provideinformation about the plant.

“The university is equallyinterested in the plant with a viewto demystifying it against thebackdrop of many fanciful claimsmade about it.

“This mystery createsscepticisms among those who arescientifically-minded about itsvalidity,” he said.

He warned that the producthad attracted abuse fromunscrupulous agents and quackpractitioners, hence the

need to tighten the control overthe production of herbal productsincluding moringa.

In his own address, AlhajiBature Masari, the DirectorGeneral, Small and MediumEnterprises DevelopmentAgency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),said there should be a deliberatelinkage between the academia,industry and government for

efficient partnership to driveinnovation.

Masari, who was representedby Dr Friday Okpara, Head,Public Private Partnership (PPP)at SMEDAN, said this wouldhelp achieve food security,employment generation andeffective response to raw-material needs.

LAGOS - Mr EmekaMadubuike, President,Association of StockbrokingHouses of Nigeria (ASHON),has attributed the recent growthin the capital market toincreased activities of retail andinstitutional investors.

Madubuike told newsmenin Lagos that the newconfidence of investors in themarket was noticeable in theequities market.

He said that renewed investorconfidence was due tosignificant returns oninvestment by quotedcompanies.

Madubuike said that thenew market strategies like

market making, securities lendingand investors’ clinic contributed tothe market growth.

He advised local investors totake advantage of the new growthby increasing their stakes in themarket.

Madubuike said that the newstrong fundamentals posted byquoted companies and stablenational economic policies wouldensure that the market maintainedthe upbeat trend.

Meanwhile, investors lastweek traded 3.69 billion sharesworth N29.08 billion in 28,386deals against the 1.59 billionshares valued at N15.85 billionexchanged in 23,453 deals in thepreceding week.

The Financial Services Sectoremerged the most active on theactivity chart with 2.11 billionshares worth N10.93 billiontraded in 12,178 deals.

The Conglomerates accountedfor 948.06 million shares valuedat N4.76 billion in 3,713 deals.

Investors exchanged

318.70 shares in the oil and gassector worth N5.37 billion in4,901 deals.

Transcorp, Equity Assuranceand UBA Capital were the mosttraded shares, accounting for 1.68billion shares worth N5.14 billionachieved in 3,945 deals.

The NSE All-Share Index

A Corps member claiming her luggage at the close of the 2013 NYSC Batch ‘C’ Orientation Course at Kubwa in Abujayesterday.

Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide inspecting the parade of Corpsmembers at the closing ceremony of the 2013 NYSC Batch ‘C’ Orientation Course inAbuja yesterday.


View Point

Education: A Tool ForNational Development

EDUCATION in a broad senseis a process by which anindividual acquires the manyphysical and social capabilitiesdemanded by the society inwhich he/she is born into tofunction. In an ideal sense,education is an ultimate valuesand hence, through theprovision of social service, it isan agent of change. It is to anation what the mind is to thebody, just as a diseased mind ishandicapped in the co-ordination and direction of thebodily activities. Therefore, thesingle most significant complexof social-control tools fornational development is foundin the educational system be itformal or informal. In ancient Greece, the cradleof Western Scholarship,education was a highlyfunctional search-light beamedon society, it transcendedreading and writing. While theNigerian state were still undercolonialization, moderneducation had already takenplace in advanced countrieswhich brought about successfulengendered industrialrevolution and breath-takingdevelopment. Development on the otherhand, is a progressive unfoldingof the potentialities of a givenreality. As it applies to human,it is the integration of thevarious giving, natural,physical, acquired, by humantowards the full working out,permanently and cumulativelyof their being, as persons oftheir nation and their realproductivity the essence ofeducation whether formal orinformal is to produce a personwho will be a useful member ofa society. According to Joe F. Dogle, itmust engender in the individuala disposition of personalautonomy, responsibility andrelevant forms of life thoughtand action. The word relevantas used by her is the matter ofcultivating individual interestand potentialities whileautonomy stands for a personwho is able to judge, act andthink accurately as well asrationally. For me, educationalstandard is supposed to bedesigned to suit the requirementof a society, hence in the pre-colonial era when Nigeriacommunities were small andlargely rural and self-sufficientthe system of education waswith a few exceptions, notspecialised. Education also helps in nationbuilding whereby nationbuilding which is theimplementation of processesthat are geared towardsrecomposing the nation’sinstitutions so that they can

reflect the wishes, needs andaspirations of the wider society.Since education is the pathwayto any nation-buildingenterprise, it provides thefollowing goodies to nation-building and development. Firstly, education creates anenlightened society. This is acrucial prerequisite to nation –building because the more thepeople become enlightened themore they would refrain fromdoing practices that willendanger the nation secondly,nation – building requires a‘meritocratic’ bureaucracy inorder to make the state’sinstitutions effective.Therefore, with education, the

is allayed. Fifthly, education creates alarge middle-class‘professionals, teachers,doctors, technicians etc). Thisclass is very important tonation-building because theyprovide the necessary expertisethat is needed to building anation. This is the more reasonwhy emphasis has been laid oneducation because an educatedsociety is always a strongsociety, and a society that is setfor development. It has been observed in the lifeof every child, that there are

three important institutions thatplay a crucial role in shapingits outlook and futureprospects. These are the family,the school and the community.It is these institutions thatsocialize, inculcate values andnorms, as well as anchoring thechild. They educate, train and shapethe young both formally andinformally into a valuableadult. We all are thereforeproducts of our society. If weare successful in life, we owethat success to our families,schools and society and if wefail, our society must take acertain amount of the blame. There is no educationalsystem in the world that isculturally, politically andideologically neutral. Everyeducational system in everycountry serves thephilosophical, economic andcultural needs of its society. Often, times, public schoolingwhich ought to make a majorcontribution by providingappropriate education neededfor effective development ofthe people is lacking in its

duties. Thus, it can be effectiveif properly anchored in thephilosophical and culturalethos of its society. Unfortunately, in our case itis not quite so. Our educationsystem is still culturallyalienating to black people.Thus, if we could get educationright we could solve all otherproblems that exist in oursociety such as crime andunemployment. More oftenthan not, our schools are areflection of the communitiesin which they are located. If the surrounding community

is stable, the school may enjoysome degree of stability.Because, public schools areessentially community schools,these schools have to play adirect role in the developmentof our communities. The public schooling systemand adult education have toconfront the challenge thatthreatens to reverse or slowdown the process of nationbuilding. Research carried outhave shown that about sixmillion of our citizens cannotread and write. This,unfortunate situation has andcontinues to havedisadvantages to our people intheir quest to better the qualityof their lives. Unless we helpour people out of thisquagmire, our efforts at nationbuilding will be severelyhampered. Illiteracy excludes our peoplefrom the mainstream activitiesthat are geared towardsbuilding the nation. Theybecome marginal to the nationbuilding project. That is whythe much-vaunted deepeningof democracy becomes mere

idle talk if the supposedparticipants can hardly do asimple act like voting withoutbeing helped. Have you ever thought of thehumiliation and helplessnessvisited upon our people bybeing unable to read and write?This imposes on them acondition of perpetualdependency. To break thebackbone of illiteracy is amammoth task that requirescommitment and dedicationfrom all of us. Otherwise thenoble project of nationbuilding is immenselyweakened. Judging from the first post-

educational system becauseseveral attempts were madefor the nation to evolve in asystematic, workable andstable national developmentprogramme, the defects in ourimplementation and adoptivestyle has compounded itssuccess. As a result of thisthere are many quackgraduates, incompetentleaders with selfish motives ,an act gotten from the colonialmasters, they are just therecreating more problems forthe impoverish and the nationat large, I am of the opinionthat government shouldreview this existingcurriculum because highereducation, particularlyuniversity education, is thebedrock of research fordevelopment. Therefore theshelves in the various shouldbe dusted off and theirrecommendations used asveritable materials for solving

By IYORE ENADEGHE/MARY OKOSODO

country will have the besthuman resources that arecompetent enough to carry theday-to-day affairs of the state.Most states collapse as a resultof a low level of educationbecause the human resources isso weak that it is incapable offilling state institutions. Butwith education, this problem isaverted. Thirdly, nation-buildingrequires a democratic societythat allows the contribution ofall, rich or poor. Witheducation, there will always bean increase in democraticparticipation. And thisparticipation will in turnenhance nation-buildinginitiative because theparticipation of all the citizenis counted in nation-building. Fourthly, education is verycrucial in the formation ofcross-cutting cleavages thatembrace diversity. Acceptingdifferences is very important tonation building because untilwe accept our differences andcome together to build thenation, progress will never bemade. With education, this fear

independence NationalEducational NigerianConference on curriculumdevelopment organised in1969 by the Nigerianeducational council with thefollowing resolutions:

(1) provisions andexpansion ofeducational faculties toensure education gets tothe door step of everyNigerian child.

(i) Overhauling andreforming thecontext of generaleducation to make itmore responsive tothe socio-economicneeds of thecountry.

(ii) Development andconsolidating thenation’s highereducation inresponse to themanpower needs ofthe country.

Developing technologicaleducation in order to meet thegrowing needs of the nation.All these resolutions failed toachieve its purpose in the

many of our developmentalproblems. Finally, education correlateswith nation-building. Both ofthem complement each other.A nation cannot be builtwithout education. When youbuild a house you do notexpect to finish it in one dayand occupy it the same day.With education, professionalsare nurtured that will enhancenation-building. In the samevein, education leads toefficient usage of a nation’sresources which in turn is verycrucial to nation-buildingbecause without efficientusage of a nation’s resources,nation – building will not besuccessful. This is evident inthe development nations. Tocontinue to build their nations,they educate their citizens,because education shapes theattitudes, behaviours andvalues of citizens. These arequalities that are needed fornation- building and it is onlyeducation that will bring thosemechanics.


THE NIGERIANTHE renewed effort of the Edo StateGovernment to sanitize the ObaOvoramwen Square otherwise called RingRoad, Upper Mission, Oba market road andother areas in Benin City, Edo State, fromthe activities of street traders and otherhawkers of assorted wares is not only timelybut commendable.

LAST week, the Comrade Governor,Adams Oshiomhole had to personallysupervise the ridding of Benin Metropoliswalkways of street traders whose activitieshave become irritable.

UNDOUBTEDLY, street trading which isthe act of engaging in the buying and sellingof goods and services, in undesignated andunauthorized centres by traders and theircustomers alike has assumed a worrisomedimension, especially in parts of Benin City.

IN recent times, street trading in Nigeriaespecially in our towns and big cities hasbecome one of the menacing social andcommercial activities of some Nigerians.

IN both traditional and modern Nigeriansocieties, certain areas are reserved ascentres for commercial activities anddesignated and built as markets for tradersto go and occupy for purposes of displayingtheir wares and engaging in the buying andselling of same, and this was well organised.

BUT today, what we find is wantonblockade of major streets and centres meantfor other purpose by traders, who, withimpunity and effrontery engage in theirbusinesses without due consideration forother road users, or the health implicationsof their actions. Centres like Ojuelegba in

Lagos State, Ore in Ondo State, Obolafor inAnambra State, Dugbe in Oyo State, NewBenin, Lagos Street and the popular RingRoad in Edo State to mention but a few, havebeen notorious for acts of street tradingovertime,

FACTORS responsible for the use ofundesignated centres for trading are not far-fetched; the lack of respect for constitutedauthorities by such traders; the fact that thesociety has become highly organic in nature,thereby attaining a level of sophistication thathuman activities are getting more and morecomplicated; the fact that there is populationexplosion to the extent that Nigerians nowmigrate enmasse from the rural to urbancentres; the effect of urbanisation anddevelopment with all its attendantadvantages and disadvantages, the high levelcorruption on the part of our law enforcers,who, after collecting gratifications,financially or otherwise from these traders,leave them undisturbed to carry out theirillegal street trading.

BEING that the disadvantages of streettrading far outweigh the advantages,governments and concerned Nigerians haveindividually and collectively kicked againstthe act, calling for a halt to such attitude.

FOR instance, there have been instanceswhere vehicles with mechanical faults,crushed traders who display their waresvery close to the road; an experience whichhave in the past, left relatives of victims inpains and agony.

ALSO, street trading in undesignatedcentres in our cities and towns, have addedin no small measure, to bastardization ofthe aesthetic value of such areas, even as ithas also contributed to the depreciatinghealth status of the people who live in andaround such market areas, due to the highvolume of filth generated from the activitiesof such illegal traders.

AGAINST this background, TheNIGERIAN OBSERVER in additionappeals to market women to abide by andlisten to wise counsel from government bymoving into vacant stalls inside the markets,to help add to the aesthetic value of ourcities, even as they are also admonished tohelp enhance their health status.

IT is something worthy of note to see howthe city centre (Ring Road) looks like whenit is devoid of any street trading. The fact isthat the scenario provides a beautifulatmosphere to behold and equallysomething of pride that Benin City couldbe equaled to any beautiful city in the world.

HENCE, we enjoin all residents tocontinue to maintain the standard that hasbeen set by the Comrade AdamsOshiomhole-led administration who isdesirous to ensure that a befittinginfrastructure base is put in place that willbe something of pride to everyone.

Curbing StreetTrading In Benin


Stemming The Tide Of Insurgency In NigeriaLessons From The Boko Haram Sect

THE Boko Haram group wasfounded in 2002 in Maiduguriby Mohammed Yusuf. In2004, it moved to Yobe State,where it set up a base called“Afghanistan”, used to attacknearby Police out posts,killing Police officers.According to them the warwould continue for long, if thepolitical and educationalsystem was not changed. On30th July, 2009, allegationswere made that Yusuf (theleader) himself was killed byNigerian security forces afterbeing taken into custody. Boko Haram is seen as anoutcome of Nigeria’s internalpolitical, social, economic,and to some extent religiouscontroversy. Boko Haram isa controversial Nigeriamilitant Islamist sect thatseeks the imposition of ShariaLaw in the northern state ofNigeria. The issue of Boko Haramhas been a threat to theNigerian security especiallythe southerners who areresiding in the Northern partof the nation. In January2012, over 190 deaths wererecorded by the terroristaction of Boko Haram.According to research, theBoko Haram situationerupted when the presentpresident, Goodluck Jonathanbecame the acting presidenton 6 May 2010. As a presidentwho hailed from the southernpart of the nation, thenortherners did not approvethe position as being thepresident of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria. It has been stipulated by thefederal government that anymember of Boko Haram sectfound would face 20 yearsjails term, also with theirsponsor if caught. The BokoHaram is an Islamist sect, itremain quite unique in allramification, the sect claimedresponsibility, of severalbombings in Northern andcentral Nigeria, especially instates like Jos, Borno,Nassarawa, and Yobe. It has been allegedly saidthat some top governmentofficials are the sponsor of theBoko Haram group inNigeria, few officials havebeen suspected but theirnames have not been knownyet. Nigerian force, haveintensified attacks againstBoko Haram since May,when president GoodluckJonathan declared a state ofemergency in three states.This group is seen as thebiggest security threat toAfrica and they have bombed

the capital territory Abuja at least three times, including adeadly attack on the United Nation head quarter in 2011. This issue is an intensify threat to the unity of the nation,however it is the single biggest security nightmare to confrontNigeria since after amalgamation of both southern and northernprotectorate by the British in 1914. The Boko Haram issuecan be solved when the federal government reform andenhanced effective Poverty alleviation policies andenforcement by the various agency concerned, the federalgovernment should make good policies to promote effectiveand efficient leadership, good governance transparency and amechanism to check, prevent and totally eliminate corruption.The group is known for attacking Christians and governmentoffices, bombing churches, attacking schools and police station,but has also assassinated members of the Islamic establishment.Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted inan estimated 10,000 deaths between 2001 and 2013 androughly 3,600 killed, including 1,600 civilians between 2009and 2013. Populace believe the group is motivated by inter-ethnic disputes as much as religion, and that it founder believethere was a campaign in “ethnic cleansing” by plateau governoragainst the Hausa and Fulani people. President Jonathan, for whom the Boko Haram leaderpromised “more troubling times ahead,” the ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (C.A.N)in the after math of recentbombings, and individuals opposed to the group includingthose that see it as a “cancer among the people”. It is difficult for anyone to suggest an alternative to gounderground for the group after the treatment experienced theYar’adua administration in 2009. Instead of abiding to the ruleof Law, like arresting its leader and charging him to maximumprison treason, the authorities deliberately chose to provokethe group. The group promised to retaliate after Ramadan in2009. What happened after that Ramadan when the groupprotested necessitate an all-out war against it. Many groupshave attacked the police before but they were handled bynormal means without resorting to extreme measures like

massacre. The over whelming opinion among muslims then was thatthe group was indeed treated unjustly. Public commentatorsfrom the north openly accused Yar’adua of playing “Animalfarm” with his brothers. The killing of Boko Haram memberscame just some few months after the president negotiate “andgranted a lucrative amnesty to more destructive militants inthe oil rich Niger- delta. Beneficiaries of the amnesty wereplaced under a welfare package and chunks of the federalgovernment expenditure was sunk into the development of thatregion in addition to the “Lion share” that it’s state governmentcollect from statutory allocations, which is greater than thereceive 13% of Nigerian revenue earnings. Finally, as it wasclear in 2011, its 86% of federal project are now allocated tothat region. However, for Boko Haram, the government chose to negotiatewith them. It is not surprising, therefore that the group repliedit in its own language. In this context, one can easily understandit’s resort to violence as a means of survival. If Yar’adua waswrong in treating Boko Haram in the 21st century with the samestrategy that Shagari and Buhari used to overcome in the 1980’s,Jonathan did little to correct that mistake. He has not shownany interest in dialoguing with the group so far. The group hasmany times cited this as another reason for continuing it’sstruggle. Appeal to it’s member to put down it’s weaponsformat: “How can we trust any negotiation with people whoare amassing arsenal to attack us”. All that Jonathan did was to constitute a committee to studythe group and matters related to it. When it was insinuated thatthe mandate of the committee included negotiating with thegroup, the secretary to the federal government quicklydismissed any such mandate. Months after the committeesubmitted its report, its recommendation for peacefulnegotiation between government and the group continues toremain frozen. This is in sharp contrast to what happened inthe October 1st , 2010 bombing. President Jonathan labouredhard in public to exonerate the perpetrators who claimed to

belong to the movement forthe Emancipation of Niger-Delta. They said they did it,and he said they didn’t.Security officials told thenation that they have evidencelinking Raymond Dokpesi,the presidential campaignmanager of IbrahimBadamusi Babagida andOwner of AII, to the attack. Boko Haram stated toselectively kill people thatassisted the authorities inidentifying them, issuing awarning that they would goafter all those that aided theauthorities in persecutingthem. The government has beenunable to protect itsinformants and other citizensfrom these attacks. Thispartially explains the silenceof the muslims communityover Boko Haram. Generally,though, it could be argued thatit has not been the tradition ofcommunities in Nigeria tocriticize their own militants.The Niger Delta and thekilling of muslims in Plateauand Kaduna States are the badexamples that readily come tomind. Though the groupwould gain the advantage ofinstilling fear in the populace.It stand the chance of losingpublic sympathy and gainingthe benefit of correction as itis called in Islam. Islamwhich the group is linking itcause to is very wide and itopinions on the same issue. Up to last charismas, BokoHaram has not clearly claimedattacking any church. It ispossible to see the angle fromwhich the group justifies itsattack on security personnel.Some journalist wereplanning to visit Gombe, Yolato investigate the recentattacks on christians becauseof the widespread belief thatthose attacks could not havebeen the work of muslims.Meanwhile, the attack haveintroduced some favourabledevelopment in Muslim-Christian relationship in thecountry, some muslims havetaken extra measure to protectthe christians every Sunday intheir church service and viceversa. The government may todaysucceed in subduing BokoHaram by arms ornegotiation. But unless wemeet the above challenges,another group will come uptomorrow to face us, withsimilar or greater challenges.

“However, for Boko Haram, the government chose to negotiate with them. It is notsurprising, therefore that the group replied it in its own language. In this context, onecan easily understand it’s resort to violence as a means of survival. If Yar’adua was wrongin treating Boko Haram in the 21st century with the same strategy that Shagari and Buhariused to overcome in the 1980’s, Jonathan did little to correct that mistake.”

President GoodluckJonathan

Perspective


Opinion

Ideal Leaders: What Nigeria NeedsBy FAMOUS IGUISI LEADERSHIP in its

simplest form can be depictedas the ability to inspire, direct,motivate and encourageothers positively to targetedend. Also, leadership is aboutrising up to the occasion byorganizing and adequatelycoordinating the resources oftime, relationship, skills,expertise and finances toachieve a goal for thecommon good of all.

It is true that Nigeria isbroken. Our leaders havebecome more interested inpersonal profit than nationalprogress. The welfare of ourfamilies has taken a back-seatto corruption and patronage.

Our democratic systemneed full transparency andaccountability to ensure goodgovernance. Quiteunfortunately, our leadersplay machine politics and thepolitics of God fatherism,thereby manipulating thesystem to producing leaderswith no connection to thegoverned. These leaderstherefore proceed to usegovernment resources to buildup personal wealth. Ourleaders need to be open andtransparent, be able to ensurethat government policiesreflect the will of the peopleand the best interests of ournation. Our budgetary recordsand leaders’ personal financialdisclosure forms should beposted on the governmentwebsite, open to investigationby journalists, politicalorganizations, and ordinaryNigerians.

Our leaders need to beservants to the people,committed to shared idealsand honest, open government.The term ‘servant leader’ hasto be used genuinely as amanifestation of an intentionto serve the people and notjust campaign rhetoric to bediscarded after being sworninto office.

We can’t expect the samecorrupt players to take us in anew direction. We need tobring into political life a new

class of leaders – people ofintegrity and proven trackrecords of service, honour,and competence. ‘’We need ademocratically elected teamthat will collaborate, poll theirintellectual capabilities, andmake a road map for progressin Nigeria. We need the bestand brightest to accomplish aquantum leap in progress thatcan take Nigeria from“Paradise deferred” to“Paradise reclaimed”. Weseek to draw from the“Principled Centered School”of leadership in preparing alegion of people of characteras new leaders who arepassionately committed to theadvancement of the CommonGoodwill of our nationalendeavour’’.

‘’We need a movement ofmillions of young people thatwill collectively stand-up andsay “enough is enough.” Weneed to take politics awayfrom the corrupt elites andgive it to the people. We needa new generation of Nigeriansto demand change, to takeresponsibility, and to becomethe foundation for a newNigeria – a generation thatpasses on a better nation to itschildren’’.

According to McFarland, aleader “is one who makesthings happen that would nothappen otherwise. If theleader causes changes that heintended, he has exercisedpower, but if the leader causeschanges that he did not intendor want, he has exercisedinfluence, but not power”.Sidney Hook shares a similarview as McFarland. In hiswork, The Hero in History,Hook depicted a heroic leaderas one who makes thingshappen that ordinarily wouldnot have happened.

Leaders have duties too.John Gardner has pointed outthat the task of leaders is tohelp societies “understand theproblems that all must face, toaid in the setting of goals andpriorities, to work with othersin finding paths to those goals

chosen, maintaining publicmorale, and motivation andnurturing a workable level ofpublic unity”.

Leaders must also helppeople know how they can beat their best with malicetoward none, with charity forall. In a free society leadersperform these functionswithin a framework of

constraints. This includes anuncorrupted electoral process,the rule of law, institutionalchecks and balances and a freepress

Instead of putting thenational interest first, most ofour leaders who have keyroles to play in uniting andpromoting democratic idealsin this country are known tohave indulged in defendingtheir nocturnal interests.’’ Itwas through such negativeculture that tribalism andcorruption took root anddestabilized the Nigeriannation immediately aftergaining politicalindependence from Britain in1960. There is no gainsayingthat the Nigerian Civil War of1966 to 1970 was ignited byunreasonable political and

tribal sentiments. Fifty yearsafter, Nigeria has not stillrecovered from the lossbrought about by thatavoidable conflict’’.

We need somebody that isneutral and who did notcontest against Jonathan.Revolution normally bringsout people who were notknown at all. What we need

is somebody who is radicaland ready to lay down his lifefor the country.

In essence, if a leader doesthings according to the way ofthe leader then, he is truly aleader in fact and indeed.There is a correlation vis-à-visname and actuality. Thus, anindividual may be popularlycalled a leader, but if he failsto carry out theresponsibilities of a leader ashis name implies then he isnot actually a leader.Therefore, the Confucianvirtue affirms that every namein social relationship denotescertain responsibilities andduties. Leadership position issaddled with theresponsibility of fulfilling itsduties according to itsnomenclature. The leader ofmen essentially thinks of his

character, self-cultivation,nomenclature, and is humble,and deferential to superiors,generously kind and alwaysjust. Also, leader promotesthose who are able andinstruct those who do not haveit and they will be anxiouslywilling to be led.

Many of these so-calledleaders since 1960 rather thantackle the very serious andpressing need of nation-building and developing the

diverse nationalities into acohesive and dynamiccountry, decided to engage inself-aggrandizement, ethnic-jingoism or simply lacked therequired leadership qualities.So, whilst we had gallant andable leaders who collaboratedeffectively to push the case forand eventually succeeded inattaining independence for theNigeria State, we have not hadanything close since 1960 interms of determinedleadership to forge andtransform Nigeria into acohesive nation state.

‘’Leadership is a sacredtrust like the priesthood incivilized, humane religions.No one gets into it lightly orunadvisedly, because itdemands qualities of mindand discipline of body andwill far beyond the needs of

the ordinary citizen. Any whooffers himself or herself or isoffered to society forleadership must be aware ofthe unusually high demandsof the role and should, if inany doubt whatsoever, firmlyrefuse the prompting’’.

The ability to lead isgenerated within the contextof a person’s ethical andphilosophical framework inconsonance with one’sfollowers and constituents; it

is a function of character, notan accident of birth or aprerogative of position. Thischaracter of strong and ablyleader can be developed onlythrough careful, intentionalpractice.

Our leaders and all of usmust be patriotic,hardworking, and selfless.Candidly, we are the onlyones responsible for cleaningour stable; to do that we must,in order that we can walkhand-in-hand with othernations as we seek to improvethe quality of our lives as apeople. Our past experienceshave shown that old pathsmust be abandoned and newones found, and old traits andvalues must be reassessed andsome discarded, while newones are imbibed.

“We need a movement of millionsof young people that willcollectively stand-up and say“enough is enough.” We need totake politics away from the corruptelites and give it to the people.”


IssuesHow Govt Can Monitor Activities

Of CDAs - Sunday Osaro Evbonaye OVERALL national

development cannot be saidto have been accomplishedwithout a deliberate policythrust that can integrategrassroot requirements intonational developmentframework.

In other words, the dreamof rural-urban integration andcommunity development willcontinue to remain a fleetingillusion until governmentrealizes the need to assistcommunities in theirdevelopment efforts.

Community DevelopmentAssociations, an initiative thatseeks to entrench the cultureof self-help and promotecooperate efforts has todaycome to be a living reality ofour times.

What role is a CommunityDevelopment Associationexpected to play incommunity life.

To get answers to thisquestion, The NIGERIANOBSERVER engaged thechairman of Evbotubu/Evbeodaiyi CommunityDevelopment Association.Mr. Sunday Osaro Evbonayein an encounter. According tohim: “We owe it a duty topromote and ensure peacefulcoexistence in ourcommunity. I say this becauseno development can takeplace without peace.Therefore, the first thing forme is to ensure we live inpeace and conduct ouractivities within the confinesof law.

When asked what hisvision for Evbotubu/Evbeodaiyi community is,Mr. Evbonaye said:

“When I came into officeas the new chairman, Iarticulated my vision basedon the needs of thecommunity. Against thisbackdrop, the following aremy areas of priority.

“(1) To laise with EgorLocal Government for therehabilitation/grading of badroads, thereby enhancing andpromoting commercial andeconomic activities”

“(2) We intend to go intotransportation business bypurchasing buses to ease thetransportation problems ofour people.

The need to fill the gapcreated by the ban oncommercial motorcycles hasbecome very compelling”.

(3) We will also call on theresult-oriented ComradeGovernor to come to our aid

Development Associations.Scrapping them will createmore problems and heightenthe level of crisis incommunities. So it is better toallow them operate within awell articulated frameworkthat can instill discipline intheir activities”.

How can this be done andachieved?

“Government shouldestablish a machinery forcoordinating and overseeingthe operations of CDAsthrough the instrumentality ofPeace and ConflictResolution Commissionheaded by Chief EduwuEkhator and should holdmonthly meetings with all

CDA Executives where issuesbordering on security andpeace will be discussed.

Mr. Evbonaye speaksfurther: “Of a truth, there isneed to sanitise the operationsof some CDAs and theattainment of this goaldepends on the extent towhich government caneffectively use its machineryto checkmate the excesses ofsome members. Therefore, Iwant government to considerthis suggestion because themonthly meetings of CDAExecutives with Peace andConflict ResolutionCommission will also be usedas a platform for discussingdevelopment issues. For us in

Evbotubu/Evbeodaiyi, we arepeaceful and law abiding. Weare not involved in illegaltransactions. We arerespecters of law and order.We enjoy peace here becausewe know our limitations andthe rule of law. We cannot andcan never take laws into ourhands. We are enlightened andevery transaction we executehere follows due process.Therein lies our strength prideand integrity. I recognize thefact that my position aschairman is to ensure that theresources of the Associationare utilized for thedevelopment of thecommunity. Anybody thatsees his position in CDA asopportunity to eat the people’s

in the area of roadrehabilitation. Our primaryschool has almost beenrendered unaccessible bysevere flooding of the roads.So, we are appealing to theComrade Governor for help.

“Our problem is furthercompounded by the conditionof Owina-Evbotubu Roadwhich has gone completelybad. Infact we needgovernment’s help in thisarea”, the chairman said.

In recent times, the activitiesof some DevelopmentAssociations have beencharacterized by arson,murder and bloodshed. Allthese criminal indulgences arecaused by land deals. Somepeople have, in the light of theforegoing suggested thatCommunity DevelopmentAssociations be scrapped.

How does Mr. OsaroEvbonaye feel about thissuggestion?

In his reply, he statedemphatically;

“I don’t think it is reasonableto scrap Community

money is not fit to be elected.Here in Evbotubu, I havehonest members in myexecutive. They are lawabiding. My Vice Chairmanand Secretary are very loyal,resourceful and intelligent andthey are fully assisting me inmy day to day activities”.

In retrospect, the electionthat brought Mr. OsaroEvbonaye into office asChairman was not without theusual bickerings, strugglesand tussles associated withpolitics. At the end of it all thematter was resolved in hisfavour by the highly reveredpalace of the Oba of Benin.

In two separate letters Ref:Palace 113/Vol XI/S/329dated 3rd September 2013 and

palace 113/Vol xi/S/243 15th

November, 2013 both signedby Secretary to Oba of Benin,the Omo N’Oba recognizedMr. Sunday Osaro Evbonayeas duly elected and acceptedChairman of Evbotubu/Evbeodaiyi CommunityDevelopment Association andadvised the chairman and hisExco to respect the elders ofthe communities.

Mr. Evbonaye expressedgratitude to the Omo N’Obafor the amicable resolution ofthe problem and pledged torespect the three odionweresin the communities byensuring that they get theirdues.

On the monthly meeting, heearlier suggested, he said itwill also be necessary toreplicate such at localgovernment levels withoverall harmonization by thestate government through theC o n f l i c t - R e s o l u t i o nCommission headed by ChiefEduwu Ekhator.

In his closing remarks, thechairman advised members ofhis community as well as thegeneral public never to takelaws into their hands, but tofollow due process in theirquest for justice.

Born, weaned and raised inEvbotubu Mr. Sunday OsaroEvbonaye was formerlyYouth Chairman of theAssociation for about 12 yearsduring which period, he issaid to have displayed rareleadership qualities that havetoday thrown him up to higherpedestal of stewardwarship.He is also said to have beenvery loyal to the formerChairman.

Now 58 years old, he ishappily married with children.While thanking God for Hismercies he advised thatrecognized CDA chairmenshould have certificates givento them by their localgovernments.

On the inauguration ofPeace and Conflict ResolutionCommission on Monday, Mr.Evbonaye said: “I will like touse this medium, on behalf ofmy executive and family, tocongratulate the chairman ofthe commission, Chief EduwuEkhator, I pray that God willcontinue to endow him withwisdom to discharge hisduties”.

Mr. Sunday Osaro Evbonaye

“Government should establish a machinery forcoordinating and overseeing the operations ofCDAs through the instrumentality of Peace andConflict Resolution Commission headed by ChiefEduwu Ekhator and should hold monthly meetingswith all CDA Executives where issues borderingon security and peace will be discussed.”


Good GovernanGood GovernanGood GovernanGood GovernanGood GovernanBBBBB

What then is goodgovernance?

The best way tounderstand good governanceis to contrast it with badgovernance. We are allfamiliar with badgovernance and badleadership. The truth is thatgovernance is about people— how to mobilise,organise, empower anddeepen their socio-politicalconsciousness as they workto better themselves andsociety. Good governance isabout leadership and people-focused political institutions,working with the people toempower them to reach thehighest points of theirproductive and creativeabilities. Good governanceis about democratisingpolitics and economicopportunities, and openingsustainable option andpossibilities for peace,harmony, unity, collectivework, and collectiveprogress. Good governanceis about improving thegeneral environment in waysthat make it possible for thepeople, their communitiesand constituencies to valuethemselves, their culture,values, and communities andto develop a culture ofworking to promote peace,positive leadership andcommitment to people-centred sustainabledevelopment. Goodgovernance can be said toexist when the norms ofsensitive leadership, socialjustice, transparency,accountability, due process,and prudent managementand deployment of scarceresources to serve the peoplebecome institutionalised.Good governance, therefore,is opposed to corruption,indiscipline, violence,rascality, politicalopportunism andgrandstanding, and themanipulation of the fearsand needs of the people toserve narrow and personalinterests.

It is my argument thatunless we have such a goodgovernance environmentthat is anchored onconstitutionalism, positiveleadership, and the people,there is no way that a people

or nation can enjoy anyform of economic bliss. Ofcourse, good governancedoes not-fail from the skyor come from prayers alone.We all need to work for it.In the process of workingfor good governance, theenemies of democracy willdevise all sorts of strategiesto distort, delay, distract,confuse, manipulate and ifpossible destroy any effortat establishing andconsolidating a culture ofgood governance. This iswhy we must not take anychances and must stopexperimenting withloyalties, sentiments,leaders and policies. Wemust all remember that oneyear of bad governance setsa community back by tenyears at the minimum. So,four bad years of bad, noisy,visionless, opportunisticand delinquent governancewill set a community backby 40 years in sustainedgrowth and development.This should give us seriouscause for concern.

What factors and forcescan promote economic blissor to put it mildly, economicprogress and prosperity? Inits most elementary form,how can we meet the basichuman needs of themajority for security,shelter, health care, water,education, child andmaternal mortality, foodand employment?

In addition to well-thought out pro-peoplepolicies, science andtechnology and ICT,provision of basic facilitiesand infrastructureespecially schools, roads,water, energy, markets, andhousing and encouragementto private initiatives andinvestments; is the issue ofsensitive, responsible,disciplined, sound,educated, exposed,enlightened, courageous,and God-fearing leadership.Let us take this briefdiscussion down to Nigeriaso as to have practicaldimensions to our theories

and postulations.Governance, Economy

and Leadership in NigeriaNigerian leaders, ok, most

Nigerian leaders, do not fearGod or respect the people.Forget their numerousspeeches and fancy politicalfoot works. They are justgrandstanding orpretending. How can theyexplain that in 49 years ofpolitical independence, thisis how far they have takenus as a people? I believe wecould have done muchbetter. I feel ashamed whenI think of missedopportunities, mind blowingcorruption, waste,mismanagement, the abuseof power, nepotism, plandiscipline, and totaldisregard for law and orderand the constitution, I feelembarrassed when I seeleaders joking around andmaking light the veryserious problems that ourpeople face. I feel painedwhen I see those that beggedus to put them in leadershippositions giving lameexcuses for their failures andincapacity to bring aboutpromised changes. Thecriminal fixation on thecapture and abuse of rawpower Nigeria has very fewparallels in the world. Thefixation on primitiveaccumulation of capital isunbelievable. The level atwhich mediocrity iscelebrated is difficult tocomprehend. They seem toenjoy seeing poor peoplearound them so theycelebrate their ill-gottenwealth by just dolling outofferings and sacrifices hereand there. I challenge all ofyou here to tell me: inalmost five decades ofindependence, in which areaor sector can they say theyhave succeeded?

How can these so-calledleaders sleep well at nightwith all the pains, poverty,disillusionment, abandonedprojects, squalor anddilapidated infrastructureand insecurity around them?How do they manage to

cement factory, Nicon-Hilton Hotel, Nigeriaairways, Nigeria NationalShipping Line, Okou-IbokuPaper Mill, NITEL, MTEL,Eleme Petro-ChemicalsLimited, Ajaokuta SteelRolling Plant, National IronOre Mining Company ofNigeria, Nigeria railways,Delta Steel Company, the

Catering rest houses, theburnt brick factories, theuniversities… the list ofembarrassment frominefficiency, ineffectiveness,incompetence, corruption,waste, mismanagement, andthe inability to think out ofthe box to enhanceinnovation is endless. Is itstudents or traders thathandled the over 20,000abandoned projects that dotthe nation’s landscape?Certainly the very wrong wayto economic bliss.

Can any Nigerian leaderconfirm at anytime, even inthis technological era, howmany teachers, civil servants,professors, soldiers, and evencitizens we have in Nigeria?The IG even recentlydeclared that he did not knowhow many police officers wehave in Nigeria just as he hascomplained that officers thatwere supposed to ensurepublic safety and security arebusy carrying handbags for

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Midweek Magazine

By PRO

smile and crack jokes andpretend to be simpletonswith children hawking in thestreets day and at night? Dothey ever think of thethousands they renderhomeless and unemployedwith some of their half-baked policies and actions?These are not conjectures.They are the realities that welive with. Bad governanceand bad leadership arebedfellows and we mustfight both together.

The so-called leaders inNigeria have no sense ofhistory, no sense of missionand sense of nation. To besure, there are some Islandsof integrity that arestruggling daily not to becontaminated, compromisedand consumed by the mostlycorrupted majority that revelin incompetence. Thiscorrupted majority has alsocorrupted the followers andtheir organisations. Theyusually find excuses insaying “Nigerians are noteasy to govern” as if theneeds of Nigerians arefundamentally differentfrom those of other nations.Food is the cure to hungerin Nigeria as it is inAmerica, Europe or theMiddle East. Education isthe cure for illiteracy allover the world. Energy is thesolution to slow businesspractices, low capacityutilisation and darkness allover the globe. Goodinfrastructure is the cure tovery bad environment forbusiness, transactions, andsocial engagements in anysociety. Good leadership isthe cure for badfollowership.

The so-called leaders havedemonstrated theirincapacity to establishconcrete foundations forgood governance, thuseliminating orcompromising opportunitiesfor socio-economicprosperity given theirpenchant for corruption,short cuts, the privatisationof opportunities that shouldbe meant for all, andpretentious sensitivity to theplight of our people. Elsehow do we explain why theyhave failed to improve ourlives and environment inalmost 50 years ofindependence, collection oftaxes, foreign aid and grants,collection of trillions ofnaira in oil and gas revenuesand so on?

Was it farmers or studentsor poor people that looted,mismanaged and ran downNkalagu Cement factory,Bendel brewery, Okpella

LET me not waste timewith intellectualgymnastics, definitions andunnecessary grammar. Theissue before us is“economic bliss and goodgovernance.” I havechanged it to “goodgovernance and economicbliss” because it is goodgovernance that makeseconomic bliss possible.The truth is that if you putN50 billion daily into anunstable, violence-ridden.corrupt and undemocraticenvironment, it will notproduce any growth ordevelopment. Even if itproduces some growth, itwill surely not producedevelopment.

What exactly is‘economic bliss”? Is thissituation of “bliss” notidealistic? Economic bliss,in my view, would refer toa situation where theeconomic structures,processes and institutionsare operating effectively,efficiently and at overseventy per cent capacity inthe interest of the largersociety and the people. Thedeliverables of such aneconomic environmentwould involve a steady andsystematic process ofstructural change ortransformation that movesthe people toward meetingtheir basic needs andguarantees social security,almost full employment,reduced corruption, respectfor contracts and the rule oflaw. Under conditions ofeconomic bliss, crime andcriminality, includingkidnappings, hostagetaking, assassinations,armed robberies, endlessstrikes and politicalviolence either do not existor are reduced to the barestminimum, This is what allnations are aspiring toachieve or attain. The so-called developed nations,by most indicators, arecloser to some of thesegoals. For the Third andFourth worlds, they arevery far from these goals.In fact, most of them are onthe reverse and may neverachieve these goals in thenext fifty years unless theyhave good governance.

Prof Julius Ihonvbere

“The so-called leaders have demonstrated their incapacity toestablish concrete foundations for good governance, thuseliminating or compromising opportunities for socio-economicprosperity given their penchant for corruption, short cuts, theprivatisation of opportunities that should be meant for all, andpretentious sensitivity to the plight of our people.”


nce And Economicnce And Economicnce And Economicnce And Economicnce And EconomicBIissBIissBIissBIissBIiss

ers, touts, so-called big or their wives and

cubines? They evenmpany them to salonsmarkets!just got back from

mbra State. Erosion isng the East. Once yous the Niger Bridge, youon your own. There areroads. Look at the

elections even in threewards as we saw in EkitiState or one LocalGovernment as we saw inAkoko-Edo recently. Theparties still revel inimposition of candidates,manipulation of electionsand voting figures, and thecorruption of the politicalinfrastructure. Even to

when our taps are dry. Theyhave no shame to be flyingBritish Airways and otherforeign-airlines afterrunning down NigeriaAirways. They have noshame to be sending theirkids abroad to school whilekilling local schools with.unpaid salaries, wage cuts,heavy taxation, andconfused policies. Theyhave no shame to be eatingimported foods when theiragricultural policies lackcontent, direction orcontext. They are alwaysabroad at public expenseroaming the streets likebeggers yet we do not seethe results of those trips.How many Americangovernors have visitedNigeria in the last ten years?America was built byhuman beings and notspirits.

These are just some of theindicators of badgovernance. I have not saidanything new but you are allliving witnesses to all that Ihave catalogued. Aleadership that is ignorant,not computer literate anddoes not read cannot movea people anywhere. It hasnever happened in history. Aleadership that does all thetalking, does not takecriticism of any type,assumes to know all, andtrivialises serious issues byacting like comedians cantake the people no where.Look at our politicalcampaigns, it is all aboutabusing the opposition,singing and dancing. Noserious issues and noconcrete plans. We makepromises and follow up withexcuses when we get intooffice: no money, nothingleft in the treasury, federalgovernment is cheating us,it is rainy season so we can’tfix roads, no bitumen in theworld, leaders arepressuring me, myCommissioners are bad as ifthey were chosen byforeigners!. It is time to say“no” to such deceptions,misdirections and political

ospitals, after the VAMFDfurbishing of Teachingospitals, that was it. Theb was even politicised andday, it is not completed.ook at the schools. The bestbrary is at least ten yearsehind in relevant books andurnals and our kids are

upposed to competeobally. Private schools and

ospitals have taken over asublic sector institutionsave become too dangerous patronise. How can

niversities be closed foronths and we are notnding a solution?What would happen if wead an earth quake, typhoon,udslides, wild fires orher disasters? We spent

undreds of millions ofollars to set up anmergency system plustellites, yet we could notnd a missing airplane inross Rivers State untilrmers found it? We can’tn proper political parties conduct violence free

Midweek Magazine

review our constitution, wehave wasted over a year onwho should be chairmanuntil a divorce took placebetween the two arms of theNational Assembly. Clearly,the two sides were dancingto music being playedelsewhere, certainly not bythe people.

Then the banking sector.We all hailed consolidationonly to discover underSanusi that the innovationhas created room for high-tech financial malfeasance.The agricultural and thetextile sectors claim to havehuge loans or grants forinvestment. But where is themoney for the real farmers?The banks managed to rig aloan for a former presidentonly for him to-discoverthat what he got was notavailable to other farmers.Our police force is rundown and we rely on stategovernments to buyvehicles etc. The conditions

OF. JULIUS IHONVBERE

infantilism.So what do we do and where

do we go from here? Afterindigenisation, privatisation,structural adjustment, severaldevelopment plans and rollingplans, Operation Feed theNation, War AgainstIndiscipline, ICPC, EFCC,new LGAs, new states, newparties, a new constitution,military and civilian leaders,bank consolidation, ReformAgenda, and now re-brandingand 7-Point Agenda, thenthere is not much to celebrate.We can thank God for keepingus alive and keeping Nigeriatogether. That is all. Nothingelse. We don’t need the samelong speeches or meaninglessparades. We need the truth,justice, commitment,mobilisation of the people, thedeployment of scarceresources to the needs of thepeople, social security and ifthose that have seized powerby hook and crook cannotassure us of these, they shouldplease leave us alone.

In conclusion, I believe thatgood governance emergesfrom the right leadership:Leadership in the home, atwork, in government andindeed, everywhere. Nigeria isabundantly blessed with allthat we need to move forwardbut we must go beyonddiversions and distractionslike re-branding. We mustdevelop the courage to tackleour challenges, contradictions,and future squarely. We needreal and true and God-fearingleaders. Not leaders that aremade by TV or radio andnewspaper articles written byaides or journalists onpayrolls. Not leaders that arebuilt on the basis ofmeaningless and uselessawards given by dubiousorganisations and individuals.Not leaders that begin to studyour problems after forcingthemselves on us which meansthey were unprepared forleadership. They cover up thetime with travels, jokes, fakeactions, and inflicting pain anddistress on alreadyimpoverished and frustratedpeople, Not leaders that recruithundreds of sycophants thatlaugh and clap when the so-called leader coughs andblows his nostril. God will

help us to go far beyond suchleaders. God will separate usfrom such leaders. God willclear our way and future awayfrom such leaders. God willremove such characters fromour midst and increase our joy.

President Umaru MusaYar’Adua, declared that themain problem of Nigeria wasleadership. As he put it the“concept of leadership has beenbastardised in Nigeria, andpeople use leadership positionsto show arrogance, oppressothers and misappropriateresources meant for thegenerality of Nigerians insteadof serving them as directed byGod” (Leadership August1,2008, p. 3). What more canan ordinary citizen say?

The leaders that we pray forand must work for, should inthe perspective of John C,Maxwell, have character,charisma, commitment, abilityto communicate the truth,competence, courage, vision,focus, initiative, be responsiblygenerous, have a high capacityto listen, have passion for thepeople in a real and true sense,have a positive attitude, beresponsible, have self-discipline and distancethemselves from making lifeeven more difficult for thepeople they are supposed toserve. They must not be shy toadmit their weaknesses andfailures: know they are human.But they must not lie to thepeople to cover their failings.Government is about makinglife better for the people andanyone that cannot make lifebetter, ensure and assuresecurity, give hope to thepeople, manage our society andresources well, abandonconfrontation for collaboration,build lasting institutions, andallow us to feel and see a brightfuture anchored on love,justice, and gratitude to God,should leave us alone. This isthe time to come together andstruggle for the future.

Only such leadership cangenerate the political will to tellthe truth, fight corruption,mobilise the people, supportconstitutional and electoralreform and carry the peoplealong in real terms by buildingsustainable confidence ingovernment and leadership.

I thank you all for thisopportunity to speak the truth.May God continue to bless thischurch, bless our homes andmake our state and nation betterthan they are today.

of service remainsshameful. The civil servicethat some like to call the“evil service” remainsbackward and totallydisconnected from modembureaucratic practices inspite of reforms uponreforms. Look at theproducts of our schools,especially the publicschools. Many just manageto write their names andmany schools abroad onlyadmit first class and maybesecond class upper degreeholders because ofdeclining quality.

We ignored the NigerDelta despite severalreports and studies untilmilitants put the fear ofGod in our leadership. Nowwe are begging them andspending over N50 billionto get them to surrendertheir weapons. In typicalfashion, we remain Silenton the reasons for themilitancy in the first place.

The elites are buyingbullet proof cars andinstalling bullet proofdoors, burglary proofs andspending money on hugedogs and private security toprotect them from theterrible society they havecreated. Rather thanrestructuring the society,giving people hope,reducing their pains, andbuilding faith ingovernment, they go aboutdestroying hard-earnedproperties, harassing thepoor, and building personalprisons with all facilitiesthat they call homes: thewalls are higher than thoseof “kirikiri”. Then theyabandon the public sectorand keep their wives andchildren abroad, sink theirown bore holes, buy twogenerators for day andnight, use courier services,and even travel abroad toconsult opticians anddentists. They have noshame in buying housesabroad while demolishingthose of poor people athome. They have no shameto be thinking the mostexpensive champagnes

“The leaders that we pray for and must work for, should in the perspective ofJohn C, Maxwell, have character, charisma, commitment, ability tocommunicate the truth, competence, courage, vision, focus, initiative, beresponsibly generous, have a high capacity to listen, have passion for the peoplein a real and true sense, have a positive attitude, be responsible, have self-discipline and distance themselves from making life even more difficult forthe people they are supposed to serve.”


Future Of US Troops In AfghanistanInternational Analysis

AFGHANISTAN’SPresident Hamid Karzaihas refused to sign asecurity deal with theUnited States, the WhiteHouse said, opening upthe prospect of acomplete withdrawal ofU.S. troops from thestrife-torn nation nextyear.

Karzai told U.S.National SecurityAdvisor Susan Rice inKabul on Monday thatthe United States mustput an immediate end tomilitary raids on Afghanhomes and demonstrateits commitment to peacetalks before he wouldsign a bilateral securitypact, Karzai’sspokesman said.

The White House saidKarzai had outlined newconditions in themeeting with Rice and“indicated he is notprepared to sign thepromptly”.

“Without a promptsignature, the U.S.would have no choicebut to initiate planningfor a post-2014 future inwhich there would be noU.S. or NATO trooppresence inAfghanistan,” a WhiteHouse statement quotedRice as saying.

The completewithdrawal, called the“zero option”, would besimilar to the pull-out ofU.S. troops from Iraqtwo years ago.

On Sunday, anassembly of Afghanelders, known as theLoya Jirga, endorsed thesecurity pact, but Karzaisuggested he might notsign it until afternational elections next

spring.The impasse

strengthens questionsabout whether any U.S.and NATO troops willremain after the end ofnext year in Afghanistan,which faces a still-potentinsurgency waged byTaliban militants and isstill training its ownmilitary.

Karzai’s defiance hassurprised the many whohad attended the LoyaJirga, which he hadproclaimed would havethe final word on thesecurity deal.

A senior politician inKabul said it appearedthat Karzai’s reluctanceto let the deal go throughstemmed from hiseagerness to keep hishands on the levers ofpower in the run-up to apresidential election inApril, when he is due tostand down.

“He is now inconfrontation with hisown nation as well as theUnited States,” said thepolitician, who asked notto be named.

He added that thepresident’s demand forno U.S. meddling in thecoming electionsuggested that Karzaicould be looking toensure he has room toinfluence the outcomehimself.

RESIDUAL FORCEU.S. and other foreign

troops have been inAfghanistan since theousting of the Talibanregime by U.S.-backedAfghan forces in late2001.

Just over two yearsago, U.S. PresidentBarack Obama pulled

the plug on talks with Iraqabout keeping a residualAmerican force thereafter that war. In October2011, when he announcedthat decision, there weremore than 40,000 troopsin the country. By the endof the year, they had allbeen withdrawn.

In Afghanistan, there arestill 47,000 Americanforces. The United Stateshas been in discussions

with Afghan officialsabout keeping a smallresidual force of about8,000 troops there after itwinds down operationsnext year.

U.S. officials, includingSecretary of State JohnKerry and DefenseSecretary Chuck Hagel,have said the bilateralsecurity deal withAfghanistan must be

signed by year-end tobegin preparations for apost-2014 presence.

Rice, who made athree-day visit toAfghanistan to visitU.S. troops, told Karzaiit was “not viable” todefer signing the dealuntil after the election,the White House said.

The delay “would notprovide the UnitedStates and NATO allies

the clarity necessary toplan for a potential post-2014 militarypresence”, the WhiteHouse said.

CONDITIONSKarzai spokesman

Aimal Faizi said theAfghan leader laid outseveral conditions forhis signature to the dealin the meeting,including a U.S. pledgeto immediately halt allmilitary raids on, orsearches of, Afghanhomes.

The Bilateral SecurityAgreement (BSA)includes a provisionallowing raids ine x c e p t i o n a lcircumstances - whenan American life is

directly under threat - butit would not take effectuntil 2015.

This issue isparticularly sensitiveamong Afghans after adozen years of warbetween Afghan andforeign forces andTaliban militants.

“It is vitally importantthat there is no morekilling of Afghancivilians by U.S. forces

and Afghans want to seethis practically,” Faizisaid.

Karzai also called onWashington to sendremaining Afghandetainees at the U.S.military detention centerin Guantanamo Bay,Cuba, back toAfghanistan, saying thatthe Loya Jirga hadendorsed the pact withthis condition.

Faizi said Karzai alsoasked the U.S. officialsto guarantee that theUnited States wouldrefrain from endorsingany candidate in nextyear’s election.

Karzai blamed theUnited States formeddling in the 2009

presidential election,while his opponentsaccuse the president ofusing the pact to ensurehis influence in nextyear’s polls.

U.S. officials haveappeared exasperated byKarzai’s stance on thesecurity agreement,which they say is neededto help them plan a futuremission that will assistAfghan forces fight

Hamid Karzai

militants and that willallow for future aidcrucial for theimpoverished nation.

The Obamaadministration has notsaid when it would makea decision to abandon thetalks and commit topulling all of its troopsout of Afghanistan at theend of 2014, as it did inIraq.

Faizi said the Afghanpresident had asked hisAmerican visitors toreturn to the U.S.president with hismessage.

“The ball is in yourcourt now, and get backto us,” he said.

Courtesy: REUTERS

“Karzai’s defiance has surprised the many who hadattended the Loya Jirga, which he had proclaimed wouldhave the final word on the security deal.A senior politicianin Kabul said it appeared that Karzai’s reluctance to letthe deal go through stemmed from his eagerness to keephis hands on the levers of power in the run-up to apresidential election in April, when he is due to standdown.”


Natural Medicine WithDr. MAO

08030717341

Menopausal SyndromeMENOPAUSAL syndrome is the constellation ofsymptoms which menopause gives rise to in women.Before we discuss them, let’s first of all know whatmenopause is. Briefly, menopause occurs whenwoman stop menstruation naturally in their post-adult age of between 45 and 55years. Before the onset of menopause, the womanexperiences irregular menses and bleeding pattern.Because some women are not prepared for thedevelopment, the experience traumatizes them. Butit shouldn’t. Afterall, it is a natural event. Everymenses with a beginning has an end. Life is acontinuum. Not all women experience menopausal syndrome.Studies show that 35% of women don’t have it. Incontradistinction, 65% of women encounter thesyndrome. Out of this, 15% of women have severe symptomswhile 50% others suffer mild attacks of thesyndrome. The fundamental reason why menopause occurs isthat when a woman approaches the median age of50, ovaries shrink leading to a drop in or totalstoppage of the secretion of a hormone calledestrogen. Invariably, progesterone, a twin ovarianhormone, now predominates child-bearing is nomore naturally possible as a result. As I have said earlier on, menopause can be causedby the natural age progression of a women in herlater years. However, there are unnatural reasonswhy menopause may step in. One of them is thesurgical removal of the ovaries, maybe, because ofbreast cancer or other illnesses. Below are the syndrome associated withmenopause. Firstly, a woman begins to experiencesudden tiredness. Unlike before, she now suffersfrom fatigue, frequently. Secondly, her hair loses their gloss mass and texture.They break more easily resulting in poor hairdistribution pattern on her head. Sometimes, she has bald patches like those of men.Thirdly, she suffers from heart palpitation whichexposes her to an elevated risk of heart problems. Fourthly, her libido drops. Sex does not interesther as much as it did before. This condition isworsened if she experiences pain/injury duringintercourse. The pain/injury arise from poor vaginallubrication; and her thinner vaginal cell wall due toher menopause. These are responsible for herfrequent urinary/ reproductive tract infections. Fifthly, a woman in menopause suffers from lossof fat in the skin and poor skin elasticity. Because

of these developments, she experiences wrinkling ofthe skin which no cream can fully remedy. Or hasold age any medicine? Of course, no. Furthermore,her skin is thinner. Thus, it cannot offer as muchprotection against environmental factors as it didpreviously. Sixthly, she suffers from joint and muscle painarising from the wearing away of her joints/ muscles.Linked to this is her new status of osteoporosis giventhe fact that her blood estrogen hormone has either

dropped significantly or has been phased out by hernon-functioning ovaries. Seventhly, she begins to put on weight with moreof it deposited around that waist line. Her growingweight means that her physical movements slowdown. This results in further building up more weight.If she doesn’t exercise and modify her diet, sheballons with time migrating from overweight toobesity. she is also prone to recurrent body heat, whichinterpret as malaria or typhold fever. Hence, the needfor differential diagnosis by a health care giver toknow what is really wrong with her. It isn’t enoughfor her to be popping pain or fever medications

because this habit will damage her liver or kidneyover time. She will experience cold night sweats. It is acondition in which she wakes up all night only tofind her body soaked in cold sweat. Certainly, thiscan be embarrassing. However, when she is awareof this sysmptomatic effect of menopause, she willbe able to cope with it. Tenthly, she also will have what is called hot flushesor flashes. Here, there is an elevated blood flow to

her skin for some minutes. Therefore, the skinbecomes warmer. She feels a sensation of generalwarmth under her skin for a fleeting moment. Her breasts are equally affected by her menopause.Her once relatively saggy mass of breasts now loseform, dropping and becoming flat and slipper-likeon her. Chest. Hence when she walks or runs theyflap with pendulous attractive A main reason whyher breasts take on this new profile is because herovaries doesn’t produce estrogen or significantamount of it required for stimulating her breasttissues. To reverse this trend, some women undertakeestrogen replacement therapy or breast transplants.Well, these procedures have their own benfits andshortcomings. Take your pick. Women in menopause also experience memoryloss. Thus, they tend to misplace things during thisseason of her waning but interesting life. On a final note, she now also has to battle withdepression, irritabity, anxiety, loss of dynamicexuberance, difficult breathing and poor sleep atnight What a load of health challengers for a womanin her menopause. Well, there is no cause for alarm.Natural medicine is well stocked with resource tomanage the syndrome accompanying this phase ofher life

“The fundamental reason why menopause occurs is thatwhen a woman approaches the median age of 50, ovariesshrink leading to a drop in or total stoppage of thesecretion of a hormone called estrogen. Invariably,progesterone, a twin ovarian hormone, now predominateschild-bearing is no more naturally possible as a result.”


Migrants Flee Hardship In Eritrea

International Features

Legacy Of Kim Jong IL

TEN years ago, Eritreanmigrant Habtu hunkered down onthe vomit-stained deck of acreaking trawler on theMediterranean Sea, making thefinal stage of his perilous bid toreach Europe.

It is a trip thousands of Eritreansattempt each year, fleeing one ofAfrica’s poorest and most isolatednations, a place where armyconscription with pitiful pay canlast years.

Many die on the trek. Probablyall of the more than 360 migrantswho drowned in a shipwreck nearItaly’s coast in October wereEritrean, though many are stillunidentified.

So the computer sciencegraduate felt fortunate when hisjourney across a quarter of Africavia the scorching Sahara broughthim to Malta - even if he hadhoped to reach Italy, a formercolonial power in the Horn ofAfrica.

But his luck ran out when hisasylum request was rejected andhe was sent home. Now 32, Habturemains undeterred and wants tomake the treacherous trip again,rejoining the flow of often well-educated Africans dreaming of anew life in Europe.

“Your only choice is to fight,and one way to fight is to makesuch journeys,” Habtu toldReuters in Mai-Aini, one of sixrefugee camps in Ethiopia housing79,000 Eritreans. “You can’tcontinue this way.”

Officials say about 40 or 50Eritreans cross into Ethiopia a day,using camps as way stations ontheir longer journey north.

Camp officials asked that onlyfirst names of refugees be used toprotect families back in Eritrea,where rights groups say freedomsare trampled on by the state.Asmara denies this.

KIM Jong Il left as his legacy great exploits whichguarantee the everlasting foundation and bright future ofsocialist Korea.

He raised the Juche idea and Songun idea as the eternalguiding ideology of Korea and as the great guiding ideologyof the era of independence. Being endowed with theoutstanding ideo-theoretical wisdom, he launched energeticideo-theoretical activities from his early years, during whichhe systematized the revolutionary ideas of President Kim IlSung, founding father of socialist Korea, as the integralsystem of idea, theory and method of Juche.

He published many works including On the Juche Idea(March 1982) to further develop the idea.

By developing and enriching the idea of giving priority tothe arms, the idea of attaching importance to military affairsput forward by the President, to meet the requirements ofthe new era, he formulated the Songun idea and raised it asthe invincible sword for accomplishing the cause ofindependence. Thanks to this, the Juche idea and the Songunidea became the great guiding ideology in the era ofindependence and the immortal Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. This ideological and theoretical wealth is themost precious legacy bequeathed by him for the Koreanpeople and progressive mankind.

Kim Jong Il developed the Workers’ Party of Korea intoan ever-victorious guiding force, the DPRK into a powerfulsocialist state and the Korean People’s Army into invinciblearmed forces.

The 50-year history of his leadership of the WPK was aperiod when he created a model of building a socialist rulingparty.

Thanks to his energetic leadership, the WPK developedinto a militant party, in which unitariness of ideology andleadership is firmly secured and the sense of organization

and discipline is strong beyond comparison, into a motherly party,which takes responsibility for the destiny of the masses, into aveteran and sophisticated party, and into a party, in whichinheritance of leadership is firmly secured.

In the end of the last century when socialist Korea was facedwith the worst adversity on account of the collapse of socialismin several countries, the vicious schemes of the US-led imperialistallied forces to stifle it and the natural calamities that hit it forseveral consecutive years, he administered Songun politics in acomprehensive way, with the result that the DPRK demonstratedits might as an invincible bulwark of socialism and the KPAdeveloped into formidable armed forces. By attaching top priorityto strengthening the national defence capabilities, he strengthenedthe might of the KPA to the maximum through his incessant fieldguidance and turned the whole country into a formidable fortressby materializing on a new, higher level the policy of arming allthe people and fortifying the whole land. Under his leadershipKorea became a nuclear possessor, with which nuclear threat bythe imperialists cut no ice, and the KPA displayed its might as anarmy strong in idea and faith and a-match-for ahundred armywhich is ready both for defence and attack.

Kim Jong Il turned the whole society of Korea into a grandharmonious family with his politics of love and trust, and thewhole country into a political and ideological power in which allthe people are united single-mindedly.

Thus, in the DPRK everlasting cornerstone was laid foraccomplishing the cause of socialism, unperturbed by anyupheavals of history. It is not coincidental for the Korean peopleto have held Kim Jong Il in high esteem as the eternal GeneralSecretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and eternal Chairman

of the DPRK National Defence Commission.Kim Jong Il laid solidly-built foundations for building a

thriving socialist country. He drew up a bright blueprint forbuilding a thriving socialist power and created every conditionto put it into reality through his devoted field guidance. Byopening up the era of knowledge industry with theintroduction of CNC technology into the machine-buildingindustry, he led the effort to stoke the flames of industrialrevolution of the new century across the country and makethe overall national economy modern and knowledge-based.

Under his leadership in the DPRK an amazing reality wasunfolded of switching over to knowledge economy; cutting-edge CNC machine tools are being mass-produced, Juche ironproduction system that uses no coking coal and scrap iron, arevolution in the world’s metallurgical industry, wasestablished and modernization of the production of vinalonand introduction of DCS system of the fertilizer productionthrough coal gasification were materialized. Many factoriesand enterprises including the Huichon Ryonha GeneralMachine Factory and the Taedonggang General FruitProcessing Factory were newly built or renovated as world-class ones. The DPRK is now one of the few artificial earthsatellite producers and launchers in the world. Everywhereincluding Pyongyang across the country has been refurbishedin a modern way, unfolding the prospect for the Korean peopleto enjoy all the benefits of socialism.

The immortal exploits Kim Jong Il achieved by devotinghis whole life will shine for ever as the most valuable legacywhich guarantees the triumph of the cause of Korean-stylesocialism and the cause of independence of mankind.

Yet, even if Habtu makes iton his second attempt, he maystill face disappointment inEurope. Activists there saythose who survive thedangerous trek often end up inbadly paid and illegal work,scraping by as house helps orhawking on streets.

For some, it can be worsethan back home.

“Europe is a mirage,” saidKossi Komla-Ebri, 59, adoctor who immigrated toItaly from Togo in the 1970sand who now works with theAfro-Italian community.

“People are drawn toEurope with a positive imagein their heads. It’s a fatalattraction. They don’t realizethey will be eating scrapsunder the table,” he said.

But Habtu’s case highlightsthe difficulty in stopping theillegal migrants, even whenthey have first handexperience of the dangers.Others have also not beendeterred, even as news of theOctober shipwreck off Italy’sLampedusa island filters back.

IN TRANSITMany Eritreans who spoke

to Reuters in Mai-Aini saidquietly they still planned tomake the journey to Europefrom the camp, which liesperched amid craggy hillsabout 1,200 km (750 miles)north of the Ethiopian capitalAddis Ababa.

“We need to do everythingpossible to stop this riskyadventure,” said MosesOkello, who is therepresentative for the U.N.refugee agency UNHCR inEthiopia, which manages thecamps with their rows ofcement block huts.

“However, no amount ofpositive intervention in the

camps can stop those refugees whocome with the intention to useEthiopia as a transit point,” he said.

Many like Habtu have fled fromcompulsory military service, arequirement for everyone aged 18 to50. It can run indefinitely. Habtudescribed a life of virtual servitudein the army, saying he earned ameager $20 a month.

Most Eritreans live in poverty. Thecountry’s annual gross nationalincome per capita in 2012 was $450,far below the $1,345 figure for sub-Saharan Africa, World Bank figuresshow.

Eritrea’s fiercely self-reliantgovernment has turned down aidfrom the United States, saying suchhandouts will breed dependency inthe nation of 6.1 million people, oneof the least developed in the worldwith an economy based on

beaten by the traffickers andthe women among us wereraped,” he said, describingtreatment at the hands of SinaiBedouins who had initiallypromised to help him andothers across. He was then shotat the border and later sent backto Ethiopia where he had beenregistered as a refugee.

The route through Egypt toIsrael was until a few years agoa common one for Eritreanmigrants, but rising insecurityin Egypt’s Sinai which bordersthe Jewish state and a newIsraeli fence with more patrolsmean many now headwestwards to Libya.

ESCAPINGFrom there, traffickers offer

berths that can cost more than$1,000 each on barely

agriculture.Abdulkadir spent 10 years in

Eritrea’s military, includingserving in trenches on thefrontline of a 1998-2000 warwith Ethiopia. He said he wasnot paid enough to feed himselfso he started an illegal trade infood to make ends meet.

He was caught and locked upin a makeshift cell - a metalshipping container in the searingheat of Eritrea’s Red Sea coast.Released after a year, he fled thecountry and reached Egypt. Hewas shot when trying to cross toneighboring Israel.

“We suffered a lot,”Abdulkadir said, rolling up histrousers to show a wound thatmeans he now walks with acane.

“We were also regularly

seaworthy vessels to Europe. Mostmigrants aim for Italy, though tinyMalta is where many also end up.

Of more than 32,000 migrants toreach southern Italy by boat thisyear, about a third are Eritrean, theUnited Nations says.

The final sea journey can be themost dangerous stage as theLampedusa sinking highlightedlast month. Habtu was on his boatfor 34 hours being buffeted bywaves before making it to Malta.

Eritreans blame theirgovernment for the tragedies.

“It is well known that the onlyperson responsible for theshipwreck is the Eritrean dictator,”said Magda, 20, a political sciencestudent in Rome and daughter oftwo Eritrean immigrants.

“If there weren’t a dictatorshipin Eritrea, 16-year-olds would notbe escaping,” she said during aprotest in Italy.

Eritrea dismisses charges ofrights abuses. It says it hasindefinite military service due tothe festering border dispute withEthiopia. It says conscripts also dodevelopment work.

After the Lampedusa sinking,Eritrea said the United Statesencouraged human traffickers toundermine the country.

“The prime responsibility for thegross loss of human life, as verifiedby concrete evidences, squarelyrests on the U.S. Administration,”Eritrea’s Information Ministrysaid.

Washington, which has accepted5,547 Eritrean refugees from theEthiopian camps since 2009,rejects the charge.

“I think that’s nonsense,” AnneRichards, U.S. Assistant Secretaryfor Population, Refugees andMigration, told Reuters at the Mai-Aini. “This problem that promptsthem to leave is completely thedoing of the Eritrean government.”

Migrants escorted by Italian Guardia di Finanza at the Italian island ofLampedusa.


PoliticsSuccess By Evidence: Lessons From Imo State

By CHUKWUKA IFUNANYA

Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo State

2015 election is fastapproaching, so one is notsurprised at the propaganda andpull him down campaign goingon against notable politicians.politics as we know is generallyassumed to be uncleangame.Indeed,it is unclean in somany aspects and senses to theextent, that most politicians andtheir unsuspected followers oftenpresent a feature that do notclearly debit the realityconcerning the distinguishachievers as a means of giving adog a bad name in order to hangit. This is as a result of how non-directional leadership which hasdealt blow to masses of Nigeria.When there happens to beevolving leader in our society,who really feels the sufferings ofhis/her people, and understandsthe need to create positivechanges for them, there is equallya need for us to give him/her greatwords of praises. It is good toappreciate a leader who strugglesto create better life for the entiresociety than one who only fightsto help just a handful ofindividuals.

Owelle Rochas Okorocha,the governor of Imo state is at thereceiving end of so many mediapropaganda by people who wantto see him out of governmenthouse Owerri in 2015, by allmeans. They way thesepropagandists throw outfalsehood and denigrates truthbaffles me. The have embarkedon a mission of massivemisinformation against thegovernment programs for Imostate.

The latest propagandaagainst the Imo state governor isthat he took a loan of 73billionnaira from banks using Imo localgovernment area allocation ascollateral. Others say hemobilized miscreants to take tothe streets to protest againstfederal government. Thequestionis, why will Okorochamobilize anyone to protest forhim against the federalgovernment?

Tracing his background, agreat philanthropist of no equalmeasure, teacher, educationists,and orator and a trouble shooter.Born on the 22nd, September,1962, in ogboko, ideato south,Imo state.Rochas Okorocha is afather to the poor Nigerianyouths, standard bearer of a newNigerian, an accomplishedadministrator, a politician who inhis political career, has thisambition to become a top leaderin Nigeria. His ambition led himto the running of the April 26,2011 gubernatorial elections.Being the people’s man, due tohis catchy manifestoes was votedfor and declared the winner.

So far, efforts being made

by the Okorocha’s government tobring life back to Imo state arepalpable. And when oneconsiders the fact that thisgovernor and his subordinateshave done all these within a veryshort period of time of takingover the government of Imo state(May 2011-october2013), weneed to give him lots of kudosand commendations. He requiresno introduction as he is a leaderwho is diligently and humblyserving his state Imo.One canrecall that the ascendance ofOkorocha to government houseowerri as governor of apolitically sophisticated state asImo is spectacular.

Within a space of two andhalf years, the people of Imo statehave witnessed the tremendousImpact of okorocha’sgovernment. His leadership inImo so far has impacted on boththe state and her people. suchpositive impacts includes, theareas of road network, therehabilitation of public utilities,peaceful co-existence in thestate,security,heath,agriculture,youthempowerment, infrastructureimprovements, societal re-orientation and free educationfrom primary to tertiary schools.

A government that hasdeclared free education fromprimary to tertiary schools in thestate so that the children of thepoor can go to school should becommended. Tracing the state’shistory, this is the first time freeeducation has ever been given tothe pupils and students of Imostate. As an educationist, thegovernor knows that education isvery important in our society.Education helps us to gain andacquire knowledge. It teaches ushow to live our lives by minglingin the society and turning out tobe good citizens. Education alsomakes us capable of interpretingrightly the things perceived. Thenotion that an investment ineducation and human capitalpromotes economic growth canbe traced to (Adam smith, 1776),the Scottish philosopher in hisfamous study of what constitutesthe “wealth of nations” themodern history source book.

The government ofokorocha increased subvention toImo state university from57.56million to100,000,000million naira monthly.He reversed the Imo stateuniversity fixed school fees150,000naira to an affordablepayment. His administrationreleased 138,000,000millionnaira for payment of arrears ofacademic and non-academicstaff’s entitlements in Imo stateuniversity. The governmentdistributed thousands of schooldesks to secondary schools inImo state and has renovated

several schools in the state. Inaddition, the government is alsobuilding several modern secondaryschools in the state.

The governor established Imostate college of advancedprofessional studies. He alsosecured approval of 922.000,000million naira from the educationtrust fund (ETF) to be used forprojects in educational institutions

in Imo state. His administrationcommissioned a well –equippedinformation communicationtechnology (ICT) laboratory at girlssecondary school Ikenegbuowerri.He also secured approval forthe establishedment of nationalteacher’s institute (NTI) studycenter in Imo state. To make thingseasier for the parents and guardians,the state government is alsoproviding school desks, uniforms,sandals, books, for Imo pupils.Allocation of imprest is made to theauthorities of all primary andsecondary schools in the state forthe purpose of carrying out routinemaintenance in their respectiveschools.

We have seen and witnessed theimmediate and prioritizedrehabilitation of old and dilapidatedroads across the state. A clearexample is the transformation ofOrlu and okigwe town in Imo megacities. An opinion samplingconducted by me, shows that Imocitizens are happy with what thegovernment is doing, many said thatthe roads enables them to driveabout smoothly around the state

during working days andweekends, rather thanexperiencing the hasslesassociated with unmotorableroads.

It is commendable to notethat Rocha’s government hasstopped political godfatherisimin the state. He changedgovernment house to look likewhat is seen abroad. He is re-

absorbing the returneeteachers, civil servants offloaded by Abia, Ebonyi andBenue state governments.Within two years, Imo state isto the envy of his critics. It ishighly commendable.

Unfortunately, at thisadvanced age of humanexistence, we all still findourselves in a Nigeria rife withso many forms of shortsightedness in leadership. Wefind ourselves in a countrywhere the rehabilitation ofroads is still considered a bigpolitical score that the politicaloffice holders even find itdifficult to carry out suchprojects, then to think ofconstruction of new roads. Weare yet in a Nigeria wheregovernments still finds itdifficult to work in the interestof the citizens of their state.Some concerned Imo statecitizens, argues that the waygovernment is going, carryingthe whole projects together,hence doing a lot of spending,He may end up exhausting thecapital of the state. But to some,it’s better for the governmentto continue that way, even if thepocket of the state is emptied.So long as he is carrying out agood cause.

The case of Nigerianleadership as a whole, wherefor ages we have not seen apolitical office holder whoreally wants to affect the livesof Nigerian citizens positively,it is very good for us towelcome the efforts of few who

are trying to redirect theleadership of the country towardsthe right channel. GovernorRocha’s okorocha is one of suchpeople. The good work he isdoing is manifesting at a rapidpace.

However, no human beingis perfect. And while governorokorocha is on the right track ofleadership, while we support andcongratulate him on areas wherehe is performing well, there arefew areas where his decisionmay not really be in proper order.He should look deeply andremember other electionpromises he made toImolites.Some certain decisionshe made may cause up and downin the state.

One of such, is the issue ofestablishment of two moreuniversities in the state. Hisdecision was actually born out ofthe general opposition of his ideaof uprooting Imo state universityfrom its present site to anotherplace. Setting more universitiesin the state may be a good idea,but it really is not the problemsolver for the achievement ofmore educational height in thestate. The appalling thing is thatwe want every child to attain thelevel of university education inNigeria, but in reality, this is notfeasible. The establishment ofsome lower educationalinstitutions is more ideal. Forinstance, the setting ofentrepreneur and skill acquisitioncolleges in the state will be moreeconomy boosting.Everywestern country is fighting tostrengthen its middle classcitizens. The middle classcitizens are highest spenders inevery economy. If for example,the government establishes skillacquisition centers and colleges,in Imo state which will achievetwo year training of furnituremakers, machine operators,fashion designers and stylists,bricklayers and so many others,it will be to the state’s advantage.

These days, we lack automechanics that are up-to-datewith the electronics mechanismof modern day cars. Diplomacertificate training could help usovercome this defect. And whenwe have plenty of well trainedprofessionals of this nature, theseindividuals will work even asprivate practioners earn moneyand in turn help to fine-tune theeconomy of the state. This is howeconomy boosting is achieved,and not necessarily only throughtraining of a mass of universitystudents. Many Nigerianuniversity trained persons, are onstreets going back to the level ofwheelbarrow pushers. That iswhy the government needs toreconsider this issue.

The second issue is that oflack of public water supplyscheme in the capital city ofowerri.It is quite surprising thatin a state where its governor isperforming well, its capital hasno water to drink. Looking backin the 80s according to history,thanks to the presence of the veryclean otamiri river. The Mbakwegovernment set up excellentwater treatment plant.theremnants of the plant andreservoir should still be intact.Because of the transparent

cleanliness of the Otamiri Riverand the absence of waterpolluting industries along thebank of the water, the treatmentof the water was and will alwaysremain cheap. The okorochagovernment should try and re-initiate this pipe borne waterproject so as to solve the statecapital’s water problem. Boreholewater is good, but its cleanlinessdepends on the cleanliness of theindividuals who sell it to thepeople. And its consumption isvery expensive for the people.There is need for more affordablewater scheme for the people ofthe state.Honestly, it would not beto government’s credit that whileowerri capital city has goodnatural water resources to exploit,its citizens are in need of drinkingwater.

Meanwhile, thegovernment should also lubricatethe Imo state economy bycreating enabling environmentfor business to thrive.Unemployment rate is high.People will be alive to enjoy allthe good things he is providing.The government should stop thecapital flight from Imo state bygiving jobs to indigenes.

The government shouldalso look into the settlementarrears of former councilors andpolitical office holders at the localgovernment councils. Eventhough it was anotheradministration that incurred thedebts, government is a continuousprocess. The governor should beable to pay for contracts done byhis predecessor because, after histenure, his successor expected topay for those he may not be ableto pay.

Okorocha’s governmentmade a mistake by scrapping theexistence of developmentalcenters. The existence ofdevelopmental centers broughtgovernment at the door steps ofthe rural settlers in the state.Pointedly however, since he hasdecided and created communitygovernment council, he shouldnot conduct elections into them,but should do appointment intothem.

Furthermore, thegovernment should buildindustries to employ the plethoraof graduate turn out every year bythe universities. This will ensurethe immediate employment ofgraduates in the state. And thiswill also give under graduates theassurance that as soon as they arethrough with the university, theywill surely get a job.

Naturally, as human being,governor okorocha like any otherpolitician has his own flaws,weakness and areas he is notdoing well as pointed earlier, butdespite these flaws, the fact stillremains that he is doing his bestto take Imo state to a greaterheight.

Propaganda, evilmachinations and ill-feelingsfrom opponents and counterpartsagainst the Imo governmentcannot ease the Imo stategovernment achievements.Critics could always have say,while truth will eventually haveits way. The question is will thecritics overtake the truth aboutImo government in 2015election?.

“A government that has declared free educationfrom primary to tertiary schools in the state sothat the children of the poor can go to schoolshould be commended. Tracing the state’s history,this is the first time free education has ever beengiven to the pupils and students of Imo state.”


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1923


Everyone Is Devastated

Wenger Denies Henry,Pires Moves

Ron VlaarPraises

Aston VillaSpirit

Munich Disaster Survi-vor Passes Away

Nicklas Bendtner Arrested- Report

Robert Pires and Thiery Henry

Nicklas Bendtner

FORMER ManchesterUnited defender BillFoulkes, a survivor of theMunich air disaster, hasdied, aged 81.

United said Foulkespassed away in the earlyhours of Mondaymorning.

Foulkes made his debutfor United in 1952 andwent on to play 688 timesfor the club - a figure onlysurpassed by Ryan Giggs,Sir Bobby Charlton andPaul Scholes.

Manchester United’sexecutive vice-chairmanEd Woodward paid tributeto Foulkes, saying: “Bill

was a giant character in thepost-war history ofManchester United.

“He was a very gentle man,who I was privileged to meeton several occasions,including most memorablywith his team-mates at theChampions League final inMoscow, 50 years after hisheroics in the Munich aircrash.

“Bill’s contribution overalmost 700 games and nearly20 years will never beforgotten.

The thoughts of everyone atthe club - directors, players,staff and fans - are with Bill’sfamily.”

Foulkes, whose father andgrandfather had both playedrugby league for his hometown St Helens, started workas a coal miner and was stillgoing down the pit at LeaGreen Colliery in the mid-50s, by which time he was aregular member of MattBusby’s United first team andhad won his only Englandcap, in 1954.

After the Munich tragedy,he took over the captaincy andbecame the leader of the‘Busby Babes’.

He played for United for hiswhole career, the highlightcoming near the end of hisplaying days when he waspart of the 1968 EuropeanCup-winning team, aged 36.

Foulkes had played a keypart in the semi-final too,scoring the winning goalagainst Real Madrid at theBernabeu.

ARSENAL striker NicklasBendtner has been cautioned forcriminal damage, according to areport in the Daily Mirror.

The newspaper alleges thatBendtner was questioned bypolice after “doors to a gym werekicked in and a window smashedat his apartment block in Bushey,

Herts.”A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire

police is quoted by the Daily Mirroras saying: “A 25-year-old man fromBushey has been cautioned forcriminal damage.

“He was released and is no longerin custody.”

Bendtner posted a response to thereports on his Instagram account: “OnSaturday night after our win againstSouthampton I went out with myfamily and friends for dinner. Afterour dinner we all wanted a night swimin my gym so we changed to shortsand brought towels down.

“As we arrived at the gym my keyfob changed the colour from red(locked) to green (open) but the doorremained closed. We thought the doorwas stuck so we tried to open it and itcaused some damage.

“I apologise for any inconveniencefor my neighbours and I have paid infull. We had no part in damaginganything else in the building.

“The matter is closed withthe police, and my focus is ontonight’s match.”

Bendtner, 25, is back atArsenal after two seasons onloan at Sunderland andJuventus, but he hasstruggled for first-teamfootball so far this campaign,failing to start for the

Gunners in the Premier League.In February 2012, Bendtner,

along with Sunderland’s LeeCattermole, was charged withcriminal damage after cars wereallegedly vandalised close to thehome of their arch rivals.

And in March 2013, theDenmark international was fined842,000 kroner ($147,000) fordrunk driving and had his driver’slicence suspended for three years.

TOTTENHAM Hotspurskipper Michael Dawson hasexplained that everyone at theclub is devastated in the wakeof their humiliating 6-0thumping at the hands ofManchester City.

Spurs were on the back footfrom the onset, conceding 14seconds into the encounterfollowing a mistake from HugoLloris.

Dawson, who recently signeda new contract at the NorthLondon club, expressed thatthere are no words to describe

- Dawsonhow bad the team feelsfollowing the loss.

“There are no words todescribe how we all feel afterlosing 6-0. I can’t explain it.It is a bad day,” Dawson toldtottenhamhotspur.comfollowingthe loss to the Citizens.

“You don’t say a lot afterlosing 6-0. Everyone isdevastated. The fanstravelled in their thousandsagain and it’s a hard day foreveryone.”

The Lilywhites had anopportunity to square thingsup after Navas’ early strike

but Erik Lamela’s poor effortwas cleared off the line byMartin Demichelis.

It was all downhill for Spursfrom there though, as theyslumped to their worst defeatin the Premier League since1996.

“We came back into thegame until they scored thesecond goal,” added Dawson.

“We maybe could havenicked a goal to go to 1-1 butafter that there was only onewinner.”

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has ruled outsigning former stars Thierry Henry and RobertPires.Henry and Pires have

returned to their formerclub in a bid to stay fitduring their absence fromfirst-team football.

Henry, Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer, isin the off-season with hisMLS side New York RedBulls, while Pires has notplayed top-flight clubfootball since appearingfor Aston Villa in 2011.

But despite the duo’sinvolvement with thenorth London club,Wenger has deniedrumours linking the clubwith a loan move for eitherplayer.

“They like to come backto Arsenal, to practice,”Wenger said. “When theycan join in, they do. Theyintegrate well with thespirit of the team, nothingmore than that.

“They have no realtarget to bring something,they just want to enjoythemselves and keep theirfitness. Usually they don’tpractice with the first

team, because they come inand work on fitness.

“When we have someroom we invite them toplay with us but usuallythey train separately to us.”

The Gunners boss alsoruled out the idea of Henryreturning to the club in acoaching position,believing the 36-year-oldstill has a lot to offer as aplayer.

“No, at the moment he isinvited just to practicewhen he wants,” Wengercontinued.

“We have a big staff, avery competent one, andwe have the right numberto support the team to

achieve their targets.“Thierry is a player. One day,

certainly, it will bedifferent but, at themoment, no.”

ASTON Villa captain RonVlaar saluted his team’s spirit afterthey recovered from 2-0 down todraw 2-2 with West Brom.

The Baggies and Shane Long inparticular caught Villa cold earlyon as two fine strikes from thestriker put them clear.

It could have been more too,with Stephane Sessegnon inparticular guilty of a bad miss thatmay have settled the issue, butVilla stayed in the game and afterKarim El Ahmadi pulled one back,Ashley Westwood got a stunningsecond to earn a point.

“I’m very happy. We showedsome mentality,” Vlaar told SkySports 1. “The first half was notgood at all. If you start the way wedid, you’re in trouble. They scoredtwo in the first 10 minutes and hada good chance of a third. We arelucky they didn’t score.

“In the second half we turned itaround and I’m very proud. Thementality we showed shows whatwe are capable of.”

Manager Paul Lambert’sintroduction from the bench ofGabriel Agbonlahor, Fabian Delphand Andreas Weimann — all onthe road back from injury — gaveVilla the impetus they needed.

“I thought we were fantastic,”the Scot said. “We were terrificwhen we got going and wereresolute. We were 2-0 down in 10minutes and knew we had to hangon to half-time.

“We spoke about the subs atlength and I thought we had to getthem on quickly as we knew weneeded a goal. To lose the threewhen we did was a blow and theyonly started to train on Friday.”

After witnessing Long’s earlybrilliance, Albion boss SteveClarke was disappointed to let thethree points slip.

“I think, when you’re leading 2-0 midway through the second half,you feel you should get the threepoints,” he said. “Villa made a fewchanges, the energy of the subsunsettled us and we gave away abad goal. They took advantage.

“We missed one clear-cutchance to make it 3-0 and if it goes3-0 it’s probably over. In a localderby you never know. At half-time we knew the next goal wouldbe crucial and sometimes chasingat 2-0 down you get a bit of luck.”

Bill Foulkes


French75% TaxRate Pro-posal Re-

jected

Ex-Parma PlayersCould Be Investigated

Ancelotti Motivated ByChampions League Chase

Bayern Hope ‘Mole’Stays Silent

Lionel Messi

Carlo Ancelotti

... Rubbish Messi’sFee

SEVERAL formerParma players could bequestioned as part of aninvestigation intofraudulent activity duringthe bankruptcy of Italianfood giant Parmalat, thenthe club’s biggest backer, in2003.

Parmalat’s demise wasbrought about by fraud andfalse accounting, and it hasbeen alleged that someleading Parma players ofthe time filed invoices fornon-existent publicityappearances.

Gazzetta dello Sport has

reported thatinvestigators would liketo talk to former playersincluding Juan SebastianVeron, Faustino Asprilla,Enrico Chiesa, LilianThuram, Dino Baggio,Hernan Crespo, HristoStoichkov and TomasBrolin as part of theirprobe into the case.

They are part of agroup of 26 individualsaccused of extortingaround 10 million eurosfrom Parmalat during thecompany’s decline.

Parma were heavilyfunded by the food giantduring the 1990s — themost successful era intheir history, duringwhich they won theEuropean Cup Winners’Cup, the UEFASupercup and the UEFACup and finished secondin Serie A in 1997.

In 2004, as a result ofthe Parmalat scandal,Parma were declaredinsolvent, re-formingwithout the big namesand the spending powerand suffering their firstrelegation to Serie B in18 years in 2008.

KARL-Heinz Rummenigge has said he hopes theBayern Munich “mole” who leaked tactics to themedia ahead of the 3-0 win at Borusia Dortmundwill “fall into hibernation.”Bayern coach Pep

Guardiola said “headswill roll” after his teamfor the game againstJuergen Klopp’s sideappeared in Germantabloid Bild before thematch.

And as the clubprepared for theirChampions Leaguematch at CSKA Moscowon Wednesday, CEORummenigge said: “Ihave the faint hope thatthe mole will fall intohibernation with the firstsnow, that we can endthis really soon.”

He described the leak as“an unlikeable topic” and“something that is not OKfrom a moral or ethical pointof view.”

“I hope that whoever did itwill now end it,” he added.“Anything else wouldsurprise me with this team,which otherwise has a greatcharacter.”

“That is not positive, thereare rules. We will need to talkabout it,” captain PhilippLahm was quoted as sayingby Bild. Bayern’sNetherlands winger ArjenRobben added: “It’s a shame,it’s sad, but nothing new. A

big team does not needanything like it.”

But club president UliHoeness was more relaxed,telling reporters: “Theplayers are dying oflaughter because of yourheadlines.

“I can also only smileabout it. Should that be ouronly problem, we canperfectly well live with it.”

On Monday, Guardiolareportedly warned his

players that, if the mole wastraced, he would never playfor Bayern again.

A Bild report quoted himas saying: “No matter whoit is, heads will roll. Theperson will be thrown out.He will not play any moregames under me.”

Following the victory atthe Westfalenstadion, theTreble winners are nowunbeaten in their last 38Bundesliga games, and havebeen hailed as the “best teamin the world” by many,including Dortmund CEOAki Watzke.

REAL Madrid coachCarlo Ancelotti says theclub’s quest for theirtenth Champions Leaguetitle serves as motivationfor him and the players.

The Whites won theirninth title against BayerLeverkusen in 2002 andhave since failed to reachthe final, something theItalian says isunacceptable for a clubof this stature.

Real trust in Ancelotti’scalm to rekindle success

“The club hasn’t spokenabout what happened lastyear with (Jose) Mourinhoand I haven’t asked,” he toldThe Times.

“To reach the semi-finals ofthe Champions League is notbad. It’s not good enough forsome clubs but it’s not bad.

“Winning ‘La Decima’(tenth title) is not anobsession but it’s a

motivation. For the club it’svery important.

“The last time RealMadrid played in the finalwas 2002. For a club likeReal Madrid this is notgood.”

Madrid will look toconfirm their qualificationfor the knockout stage ofthe Champions leaguewhen they host Galatasarayat the Santiago Bernabeu onWednesday night.

Assembly, has yet tohave its say on theissue.

Socialist SenatorFrancois Marc hadattempted to add anamendment, whichwould have meantMonaco — currentlyexempt from Frenchtax laws — also beingsubject to the measure.

The Principality clubhave already made itclear they will notaccept the FrenchFootball League’sdemand that allaffiliated clubs bebased on French soilfor tax purposes comethe end of the 2013-14campaign.

With the Senate’srejection of the bill,however, theamendment is renderednull.

THE French Senatevoted on Monday to rejectthe government’sproposed 75 percent rateof income tax that clubssay will damage Frenchfootball.

President FrancoisHollande wants to tax allrevenue over one millioneuros at 75 percent. Thelevy would be paid byemployers and affectsome 14 Ligue 1 clubs,bringing in an additional44 million euros to thegovernment.

Clubs had threatened toboycott games in France’stop two tiers at the end ofNovember as a means ofraising awareness over theissue, which they claimwill lead to French clubsbeing less competitive inEurope and seeestablished stars andpromising talents goelsewhere.

However, France’supper House ofParliament has votedagainst the measure. Thelower house, the National

A record-shattering $250moffer for Lionel Messi hasbeen rubbished by BayernMunich chairman Karl-HeinzRummenigge Despite reportssuggesting the ChampionsLeague holders could attemptto reunite the Argentinian starand manager Pep Guardiola.

Reports in Spain suggestedthat the Bundesliga leaderscould activate Messi’s £209mrelease clause in an effort tofurther strengthen their alreadyblossoming squad, withhonorary president FranzBeckenbauer adding fuel to thespeculation after admittingMessi would be a “good fit” forthe Bayern squad whenspeaking to Bild.

But Rummenigge has spokenout to rubbish the moveclaiming that the fee is simplytoo much for any club to afford,despite the four-time Ballond’Or winner reportedlyconsidering his options at theCatalan club according tofurther reports coming out ofSpain in recent weeks.

“Messi? We are talking aboutfigures here that are simplyabsurd, a transfer fee that iseven higher than what we spenton Javi Martinez. We won’t gothere,” Rummenigge said whenspeaking to Sky90.

“Plus I know Sandro Rosell.Barcelona would never sellMessi. He is a saint atBarcelona and they will not sellhim.

“And I think it would be inMessi’s best interest to stay atBarcelona. He fits in perfectlythere.”


‘No Pres-sure ToVote ForQatar’

Manny Pacquiao’s Speed Would‘Overwhelm’ Maywealther

Ferreira Explains Equatorial Guinean Surprise

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (right) fights Brandon Rios of the US during a Welterweight boxingbout in Macau on Sunday.

UCLShows

PhilippinesSolidarity

ZambiaFiles 2019

AFCONBid

me to play for Bafana. That wasin 2008 or 2009, so close to theWorld Cup.

“Brazil has some of the bestdefenders in the world and Icouldn’t get in. So I said ‘whynot?’ to Equatorial Guinea.

“I took the decision and I feelgood about it. I played againstSpain- against some of thebiggest players in the world-andI feel great.

“The people here have givenme support and it is a greatfeeling. I am surprised from whatI see there and they make mehappy.”

Over 40 Brazilians have beennaturalized to play with theirgoalkeeper, Danilo, being themost notable player of all.

was at Ajax.”The current Mpumalanga

Black Aces center-back had thechance to become nationalized asa South African citizen and wasa keen target by then BafanaBafana coach, Carlos AlbertoPerreira, to join South Africa’s2010 World Cup team.

Ferreira added that his decisionto join the Nzalang Nacional wasdue to his desire to play for acountry, but that his opportunitiesto join the Selecao are limited.

“They asked if I wanted torepresent them and I said ‘yes’. Ifeel the same playing for them asBrazil,” he went on to explain.

“It is very difficult to get intothe Brazil team and when Perreirawas here, as a coach, he wanted

a colony of Equatorial Guinea,has revealed all to MTNFootball,saying he had been monitored bythe African nation for some time.

“The guys there have beenfollowing me for some time now.They have seen me in the PSLbecause the games are shownthere on TV throughSuperSport,” he reveals toMTNFootball.

“They [the Equatorial GuineaFootball Federation] werelooking to see my relations withmy grandfather, my mom, mydad...

“They started looking and forthree or four years now they havebeen interested. They saw meplay at Ajax and Sundowns andthey especially liked me when I

FORMER Ajax Cape Towndefender Eduardo Ferreira hastalked about his surprise outing inthe Equatorial Guinea colourswhere he featured in a friendlyagainst Spain.

The Brazilian shocked everyonewhen he unexpectedly came offthe Equatorial Guinea benchagainst the World Champions inan international friendly matchtwo Saturday’s ago.

And upon further digging,MTNFootball discovered that theEquatorial Guinea FootballFederation had been naturalizingforeigner passports in order to helpimprove the standard of playingquality for the country.

Ferreria, whose surname is ofSpanish ties, which happens to be

GERMAN chancellorAngela Merkel has rejectedclaims that pressure was puton German FIFA executivemembers to vote for Qatarto host the 2022 World Cup.

Merkel’s comments cameafter FIFA president SeppBlatter claimed Germanyand France had put pressureon their FIFA executivemembers, saying: “Twocountries who put pressureon the FIFA electors wereFrance and Germany.”

He added: “They have toexplain what they make ofthis situation,” and allegedthat both countries had urgeda vote for Qatar because theyhad economic intereststhere.

But Merkel’s spokesman,Steffen Seibert, rejectedBlatter’s claims and said:“For the chancellor, I canclearly say that at no timewas there a recommendationto vote for Qatar as the hostfor any German FIFAexecutive member.”

Earlier, FranzBeckenbauer, a member ofthe FIFA executive at thetime of the vote, had toldfootball talk show Sky90 hedid not feel there had beenany pressure on him or hisfellow FIFA executivemembers.

On the same TV show,Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, alsothe chairman of theEuropean Club Associationsaid that while it was knownthat former France presidentNicolas Sarkozy was amajor friend of Qatar,“similar stories are unknownto me from Germany.”

A banner supportingvictims of the Philippinestyphoon will be raised atevery Champions Leaguefootball match this week,UEFA announced onMonday.

“‘You are not alone,Philippines’ will be themessage on a banner at eachUEFA Champions Leaguegame this week,” theEuropean footballing bodysaid on Twitter.

“The whole Europeanfootball family will standunited on the pitch this weekbefore the matches toexpress our deepcompassion and ourunfailing support for thepeople of the Philippines,”UEFA’s chief Michel Platinisaid in a statement.

“We wish them thestrength to face theconsequences of thistragedy,” said the formerFrench football star.

More than 5,200 peoplehave been confirmed killedand another 1,600 aremissing after SuperTyphoon Haiyan tore acrosssome of the country’spoorest islands, generatingtsunami-like waves that leftdozens of towns in ruins.

THE Football Associationof Zambia on Mondayofficially filed its bid to hostthe 2019 Africa Cup.

FAZ general secretaryGeorge Kasengele travelledto CAF headquarters in Cairoover the weekend to lodge inZambia’ bid to host the 32ndedition of the tournament.

“The Football Associationof Zambia is pleased toannounce that we havesuccessfully lodged the bid tohost the Africa Cup ofNations finals of 2019,” FAZstated.

“The Zambia bid was filedat CAF headquarters in CairoMonday afternoon 25thNovember 2013 by FAZGeneral Secretary GeorgeKasengele.”

Zambia has already won therights to host the 2017 CAFAfrican Youth Championshipthat it hopes to use as a dressrehearsal for the 2019 AfricaCup should their bid succeed.

Meanwhile, Zambia is inthe race for the 2019 AFCONtogether with Cote d’Ivoire,DR Congo, Gabon, Guineaand Algeria.

Zambia’s last successful bidto host the Africa Cup was in1988 but later withdrew dueto financial reasons.

still has it.”Rios’s trainer Robert Garcia

also paid tribute. “I thinkeveryone had that question afterthe Marquez fight: ‘WhichPacquiao are we going to see?’ Ithink we saw the best Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao took more than twohours to get to his post-fight pressconference, after having tosupply two urine samples fordope testing by VADA(Voluntary Anti-DopingOrganisation) and thesanctioning body, the WorldBoxing Organisation (WBO).

One of the biggest stickingpoints preventing Mayweatherfacing Pacquiao in the past hadbeen the American camp’sinsistence on strict drugs testing.That may have been removednow, with Pacquiao being testedfrequently.

So did Pacquiao foresee anyother obstacles in the way of thefight? “You’ll have to ask him,”he said, referring to Mayweather.

MANNY Pacquiao would “overwhelm” unbeaten WBCwelterweight champion Floyd Mayweather with his lightningspeed if the fight that fans crave takes place in 2014, according totrainer Freddie Roach.

After Pacquiao returned towinning ways by demolishingformer world lightweightchampion Brandon Rios inMacau on Sunday, talk turnedinevitably to the long-awaitedmega-fight against eight-timeworld champion Mayweather.

Promoter Bob Arum confirmedto AFP that Pacquiao, the onlyman to have held world titles ineight weight divisions, wouldnext fight on April 12 in LasVegas, with one of his conquerorsfrom last year — America’sWBO welterweight championTimothy Bradley, or Mexicanarch-rival Juan Manuel Marquez— the likely opponent.

After that they would try forMayweather, who already has afight scheduled against an as yetunnamed opponent on May 3.

The earliest that “Pac-Man”,

34, and “Pretty Boy”, 36, couldmeet, a fight that could generatea record $300 million in pay-per-view revenues, is next September.

“It’s a fight that should happenand where there is a will there isa way,” said Arum, followingPacquiao’s big points victoryover Rios for the WBOInternational belt.

“Particularly after thatperformance.”

Roach said he would prefer afifth meeting with Marquez, whoknocked out Pacquiao on themost recent of their epicencounters almost a year ago, “toshut him up”.

But then Roach wants victoryover Mayweather. “That’s thefight the world wants to see,”Roach told AFP.

“Mayweather in his last two

fights has been slow, he doesn’tmove as much as he used to. Ithink Manny’s speed willoverwhelm him. Mayweather isnot good against southpaws. Andhe has trouble with speed.

“Manny Pacquiao, he’s back,but I never really had the thoughthe went anywhere.”

Pacquaio told reporters he wasready to go toe-to-toe withMayweather, but that the decisionrested with the American.

“My job is to fight and I willfight anybody who will fightme,” Pacquiao said. “I am willingto fight Floyd. So it is up to him.”

Rios, wearing dark glasses tocover his battered features,agreed that Pacquiao’s blisteringspeed of punching and his fastreflexes had taken him bysurprise.

“He’s much faster than Ithought he was,” Rios told a pressconference. “He was great. I tipmy hat to Manny Pacquiao. He

“There are a few Brazilians andSpaniards in the team,” added the30-year-old. “Danilo has beenplaying there for a few years nowand, for us, it is easy because weunderstand Spanish because ofPortuguese.

“[Equatorial] Guinea is tryingto do things. They have a goodnational team and some of theplayers are wanting to come backnow and play for them. I amcomfortable being with them.”

Sampdoria starlet PedroObiang is one notable player whois of Equatorial Guinean decent,but has been naturalized bySpain, while Juventus’ PaulPogba has Guinean relatives butplays for France.


HockeyCoach CallsFor Struc-tured Pro-gramme

NFAHoldsAGN

Nov 28

Top Football Official Banned For Corruption

Iheanacho Opts For Man City

STAYA 2013 Sports Fiesta Ends In Benin

Victor Anichebe

AnichebeGets World

Cup LifeLine

Iheanacho

THE Nigeria FootballAssociation (NFA) said onMonday that arrangementshad been concluded to ensuresuccess of its 69th AnnualGeneral Assembly (AGA)billed for Nov. 28.

Mr Ademola Olajire, theNFA Assistant Director ofMedia, said in a statementissued on Monday in Abujathat the AGN would hold at theBrown Hill Events Centre inWarri.

Olajire said Gov.Emmanuel Uduaghan of Deltawould declare the assemblyopen, while the Minister ofSports, Malam BolajiAbdullahi, would be thespecial guest of honour.

He said the event would alsowitness a Charity Shield matchbetween Kano Pillars, thewinners of the 2012/2013Premier League, and the 2013Federations Cup winners,Enyimba of Aba, at WarriTownship Stadium.

Olajire said the meetingwould also be used tocelebrate the achievements ofNigeria football in 2013.

He said that with the SuperEagles winning the Africa Cupof Nations and picking a 2014FIFA World Cup ticket, “theyear 2013 has been amagnificent one for Nigeriafootball’’.

“Golden Eaglets won their4th FIFA U-17 World Cup titleand the Eagles Team Bqualified for the first time everto participate at the AfricanNations Championship forhome home-based players.’’

COLLINS Iheanyi, HeadCoach, Rivers HockeyAssociation (RHA), on

Monday urged the NigeriaHockey Federation (NHF) tointroduce well structuredprogrammes that wouldreposition the sport in thecountry.

Iheanyi told newsmen inLagos that the stagnation thathad pervaded the sport inrecent times was due to theabsence of viable developmentprogrammes.

He stressed that it was onlythrough a structuredprogramme that the progress ofbudding talents could bemonitored to fruition.

“The problem is that theyneed to go back to thegrassroots. I mean a structuredprogramme such that there willbe Under-12 tournament, therewill be Under-17.

“Now, if I get to othertournaments and you see that Iam consistent in myperformance, I can now moveon to the national side.

“That is one of the things weare lacking. We should be ableto have a structured plan.

The coach also urged statehockey associations tocomplement the efforts of theNHF in promoting the sport atthe grassroots through regulartalents discovery programmesin schools.

James Iheanacho toldMTNFootball.com:”We prayedyesterday and after dueconsultations with familymembers, we came up withManchester City believing he hasa future there. That is where hewill be uplifted.”

The family meeting, which wasattended by the football star, wenton past midnight on Monday.

Last week, there was a majorfalling out between father and sonover the choice of a Europeanclub for the MVP of the 2013FIFA U17 World Cup.

Kelechi had insisted onPortuguese champions FC Porto,which would have also takenEaglets teammate Chidera Ezehas part of the bargain.

But his father wanted him totake up the offer from ManchesterCity or Chelsea.

Kelechi finally got home inOwerri Monday morning after heleft home for several days withoutthe consent of his father.

The father had to go on radioto say his son was missing.

E N G L A N D - b a s e dstriker Victor Anichebe willbe considered by Nigeriafor next year’s World Cup,the country’s coach hassaid.

Anichebe has not playedfor Nigeria since 2010 andhe has said he would ratherput his club ahead of hiscountry after he suffered along-term shin injury in thebuild-up to the last WorldCup.

However, Super Eaglescoach Stephen Keshi hasnow thrown the WestBromwich Albion striker achance to feature at his firstWorld Cup.

“It was Anichebe whochose not to play for Nigeriaat a point in time, so if hedecides he is ready to play,why not?,” Keshi toldComplete Sports.

“If he calls me today thathe wants to play for theEagles again, of course Iwill give him a chance toprove himself and possiblygo to the World Cup inBrazil next year.”

The 25-year-oldAnichebe, who was alsoeligible to play for England,debuted for Nigeria in 2008and featured at the 2008Olympics in Beijing, China.

The big, direct-playingcentre forward has a goal ina dozen appearances for theEagles.

A shin injury caused himto miss a final cut for the2010 World Cup. Chidi Ofo Okenwa was

told to step down from hisrole pending the outcome ofthe police probe.

Match fixing andcorruption is a problem inNigerian football and has ledto sanctions against a numberof clubs, referees andofficials.

Four clubs were suspendedearlier this year after twoteams vying for promotionwon 67-0 and 79-0respectively with the NFFcalling it a “scandal of hugeproportions”.

score was 0-0, claiming thatone of their officials hadbeen attacked.

Shooting Stars werefighting relegation at thetime. A subsequent hearingawarded Sunshine Stars thethree points from the match.

The NFF also bannedanother senior official for 10years for claiming he wasattacked in the game andalso referred to police anallegation that the chairmanof Enugu State FootballAssociation was animposter.

association in Oyo state,southwest Nigeria.

He was alleged to havereceived a cash payment of 1.5million naira ($9,400) before adisciplinary hearing againstShooting Stars, from the Oyostate capital Ibadan, after theyabandoned a league matchagainst Sunshine Stars earlierthis year.

He was said to have receivedmoney to find in favour ofShooting Stars after theirplayers refused to take the fieldin the second half when the

A senior Nigerian footballofficial has been banned for10 years for corruption, thecountry’s football federationannounced late Monday.

A Nigerian FootballFederation (NFF) emergencycommittee handed LeyeAdepoju the sanctionexcluding him from allfootball-related activitiesfollowing an investigation.

Adepoju was a member ofthe NFF executivecommittee and also thechairman of the football

BY INNOCENT OMOAKA

BENIN CITY - The physical competitive componentnature of sporting events has been described as an effective toolin the development of the child.

This view was expressed bythe initiator and coordinator of

Sporting Talents At Young Age(STAYA), Mrs. Victoria Ilona

during the 2013 GrassrootsSports Fiesta held recently inBenin city.

According to Mrs. Ilona, “theGrassroots Sports Fiesta wasaimed at stimulating sportinginterest among students ofprimary and secondary schools”.

She added that such interest insports was important to the growthand development of the childrenoutside the school curriculum.

Mrs. Ilona said, “The physicalaspect of sports which isinstrumental in the developmentof a child helps in bringing out thespirit of friendliness, quickjudgment, self control, alertnessand fair play. “The grassrootssports fiesta which is an annualevent in the state has assisted thestate in producing andencouraging young athletes”, sheadded.

She however appealed togovernment and non-governmental organizations forfinancial assistance to enableSTAYA achieve its fundamentalobjectives.

In addition, Mrs. Ilona appealedto parents and school authoritiesin collaborating with STAYA inbuilding a viable future for thechildren.

Highlights of the sports fiestawere sporting games includingfootball and athletics amongprimary and secondary schoolstudents representing Oredo, OviaNorth East, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas.

FATHER of Golden Eagletsstar Kelechi Iheanacho has toldMTNFootball.com the final

choice of Manchester City wasbecause God will lift him there

after the family prayed over thematter.

The Coordinator, Mrs. V.A. Ilona speaking during the 2013 STAYA SportsFiesta in Benin City. Photo: SOLOMON ENAIGBE.


CMYK

TODAY, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan has550 days left on his oathof office.

I would like to suggestresignation to him as apatriotic and honourablecourse of action, but I useboth adjectives with adeep sigh.

When I first penned myfirst Countdown Calendaron his presidency, in July2011, he had almost 1400days. On November 27 ofthat year when I offeredthe reminder again, hehad 1,278.

In the past two years, Idid not write the calendarat all in order to avoidsounding like a heckler.Today, with just one anda half years left, most ofwhich will fall into the no-man’s land of preparingfor the 2015 election, Ithink it is only fair toremind him again thatTime does everything butwait.

What Mr. Jonathandoes next, politically,could maim his legacy, ormake it. In my view, theonly way for him to makea significant impact onTime may be to resign hisoffice, or at least resist thetemptation to seek re-election. If he respects hiscountry—and his party,the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP)—more thanhe loves himself, he oughtto consider these options.

For certain, nobody inthe presidency will tell himthat under his leadership,Nigeria is a defeatedcountry and the laughingstock of the internationalcommunity. Nigeria isdefeated because Mr.Jonathan is defeated.And the irony and theagony is that he has beendefeated more by hisfriends than by hisopponents.

As he left for Londonlast week for a meeting ofthe Honorary InternationalInvestors’ Council (HIIC),Mr. Jonathan held in hisbag his latest defeat, byhis own Minister, StellaOduah. The HIIC aims toadvise Nigeria ondevelopment issues, inthe course of which it isheavy on politicalcorruption and otherchallenges to investmentsuch as crime, violence,

Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531Editor: Barr. SOLOMON IMOHIOSEN (KSJI)- (07030699646), Deputy General Manager, Marketing (08023457566), Assistant General Manager, Advertisement (08023808856)

Lagos Office: 3/4 Amode Close, Kudirat Abiola Way, By Olushosun Bus Stop, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Busi-ness District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631. All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: [email protected] (ISSN 0331-2674)

TOMMORROW’S ON THIS PAGE

Countdown Calendar550 Goodluck Jonathan

Days To Gopoverty and politicalinstability.

Mrs. Oduah has beenembroiled for nearly twomonths in extremelyscandalous corruptionallegations that havetaken on a life of their own

internationally. But evenwhile the thunderousallegations went off hourlylike bombs on an old Beirutstreet, Mr. Jonathan neitherfired nor suspended her.

Even when he finallysuccumbed and set up apresidential panel allegedlyto probe the matter, he tookthe Minister with him on aforeign tour for the first ofthe panel’s two-weeklifespan, along with amember of the three-manpanel.

You did not need anyoneto tell you the presidentwas not really looking forthe truth, and it is nosurprise the panel hassince receded intoirrelevance, with no report,no presidential action, andno resolution. The Ministerremains a member of thefederal cabinet, andNigeria is the butt of jokesaround the world, many ofthem certainly heard bymembers of the HIIC Mr.Jonathan was due to meet

in London last week.Perhaps it was no

surprise the Nigeria leaderopted for the safety andsecurity of a Londonhospital bed. Had thatevent been in Nigeria andhe had to contemplate a

hospital bed, I am certainlyhe would have leapt off theambulance into theconference hall like theUnder-17 football captainMusa Mohammed after acrunchy tackle.

In other words, whileMrs. Oduah may well beinnocent, corruption,incompetence andindolence again won thelatest battle.

Regrettably, under Mr.Mr. Jonathan, they havewon every conceivableethical confrontation so far,and I challenge anypresidency official tocontradict this.

This is why nogovernment official dwellson the TransformationAgenda ruse any longer.As I continue to say, thereis neither transformationnor agenda, certainly noneof an ennobling or positivecharacter.

I have no love for thePDP, everyone knows, butanyone who tells Mr.

Jonathan the PDP—old ornew—can win the nextpresidential election islying to him. Worse still,anyone who tells him hecan win re-election ismerely flattering him.Nigerians who voted forhim in 2011 did on thebasis of his potential, butalso because of his

ruthless armada of politicalpromises.

Those conditions havechanged drastically, and Ido not see Nigerians fallingfor any further “I once hadno shoes” stories. Mr.Jonathan’s demonstrationof considerable weakness,along with his romancewith the seedierdimensions of politics iscertain to yield only grief atthe polls. The PDP, likeNigeria, would have a farbetter chance withsomeone else that has achance at seekingbelievability on his own.

Once upon a time, Mr.Jonathan dismissedWikiLeaks revelationsabout the corruption inNigeria of which he was apart, as “beer parlourgossip.” At the time, theCoordinating Minister forthe Economy and Ministerof Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, also called therevelations, one of whichinvolved her, “fiction.”

There is neither fictionnor gossip about Ministerswho face extensive fraudallegations, just as there isneither fiction nor gossipabout looming anarchybecause a chief of statecannot summon thecharacter to enforcediscipline.

Not only is Mrs. Oduahneither “beer parlor” nor“fiction,” the menace sherepresents can damage Mr.Jonathan’s presidencyirretrievably. She confirmsthe advancement ofNigeria’s lootocracy whileMr. Jonathan’s inability toact decisively confirms theworst possibleadvancement of hispolitical impotence, and hisdefeat.

The quality of Mr.Jonathan’s defeat as aleader is even morepronounced when oneconsiders that he is unableto identify the relationshipbetween his inability to leadand his unsuitability forleadership.

I am prepared to cheer aleader who pursues thebest interests of hiscountry, but when a leaderis dragging that country intothe depths of despair, theonly thing a citizen can dois ask to be set free. Thatis why I advocate for Mr.Jonathan a graceful, quietexit.

Think about it: anywhereelse in civilization, Mrs.Alison-Madueke, claimingto be “deepening reformsand rooting out corruption”would be one of thosehilarious jokes to which youwake up laughing in themiddle of the night, but notin Nigeria.

I have written elsewherethat Mr. Jonathan’s biggestfear on the corruption fileis that he cannot controlwhat might fall off thebranches should he shakethe tree. Nigerians whowander about the futuremay want to keep in mindthat during the streetprotests of 2012, theNigerian leader actuallysent armed soldiers intothe streets in what I thoughtwas a dangerous power-sharing arrangement withthe military

And yet…and yet this isthe year, 2013, that hepromised Nigeria wouldsee performance wondersfrom him. At his MediaChat in June 2012, hedismissed his critics aspeople who would behumbled in 2013. “Nomatter the abuse, we mustplan. And after the abuse,people will see the resultsby 2013 and things willchange,” he said.

Really? 2013 is all butover, and Nigeria is doingworse, not better. Mr.Jonathan may want toremember that it is themark of a man to be ableto look into the mirror andsimply say, “No more!” Nomore recycling of hopesand promises.

Save yourself, Mr.Jonathan: resign.Alternatively, pleaseremember that with 550days, miracles are stillpossible.

Can you summon thecharacter? I am notholding my breath.

•[email protected]

• T w i t t e r :@SonalaOlumhense

President Goodluck Jonathan

Excess crude is excess fraud. Itis a veritable source of slush funds ofall sorts, particularly campaign funds.It is like stolen money for which noproper account can be expected.

- Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan

“”

Nigerian observer 27 11 2013

Documents

Transcript of Nigerian observer 27 11 2013