The Nation Newspaper

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  • Emir urges peace

    Emir urges peace

    The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari, has charged Nigerians to embrace peace for the attainment of more development in the country.

    The monarch gave the charge during a special prayer for the new Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim.

    He said that nothing could be compared to peace and unity and urged Nigerians to shun tendencies that could retard the growth of the country.

    Gambari expressed gratitude to President GoodLuck Jonathan over the appointment of an indigene of llorin as Chief of Defence Staff and prayed for success in his new task.

    The emir urged the chief of defence staff not to relent in ensuring that peace prevailed throughout the country.

    The prayer, led by the Chief Imam of llorin, Alhaji Muhammed Bashjru, featured the recitation of the holy Qur’an.

    The prayer attracted several eminent indigenes of the emirate, including the wife of the chief of defence staff, Hajia Modupe Ibrahim.

    Later in an interview with newsmen, Ibrahim urged Nigerians to support the armed forces and President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle the security challenges facing the nation.

    He expressed confidence in the ability and capacity of the military experts and professionals to successfully address the security challenges.

    He thanked the emir for the prayer and support from his kinsmen in the emirate.

     

  • Boko Haram: SSS warns Senator

    Detectives visited Senator Ahmed Khalifa Zanna’s home yesterday, The Nation learnt.

    Also, operatives visited the Senator’s home yesterday but met it under lock and key.

    Zanna is being questioned after the arrest of a suspected Boko Haram Commander, Shuaib Mohammed Bama, at his residence in Maiduguri.

    There were indications that the Senator might have gone underground for fear of attacks.

    After initial interaction with the Senator on Monday, the State Security Service (SSS) asked him to report for a second round of interrogation by 11am yesterday.

    It was gathered that the SSS investigating team waited for many hours without seeing the Senator or receiving a call from him on why he could not honour the appointment.

    Zanna, however, turned up at about 6.20pm.

    A source said: “We waited for several hours for the Senator but he refused to honour the 11am appointment.

    “When the Senator did not come as expected, we sent a team of operatives to his house but the residence was found locked. He also became incommunicado from morning till about 6.20pm.

    “We asked our operatives to visit Zanna’s residence out of concern for his safety and health. When he appeared before us on Monday, he was behaving sickly after sitting for many hours.

    “It got to a point that our operatives had to assist him to get up after we finished the first strand of investigation.

    “But at about 6.20pm, he came to the SSS Headquarters without any genuine excuse. We told him that the SSS does not interrogate in the night.

    “We warned him to respect this agency because the issue at stake is about a security challenge facing the nation. We are not ready to tolerate this type of attitude. Courtesy demands that he should either send a text or an emissary to the SSS if he won’t be able to keep to time. We have asked him to report by 11am on Wednesday (today).

    “We still want to treat him with respect; we will give him time to report to the SSS again for a follow-up session on the statement he raised.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “He raised many issues and left a lot of gaps to be filled. He said the Boko Haram commander was not arrested in his house but we have a report from the JTF and the suspect is also in custody to confirm the veracity or otherwise of his claim.

    “He also levelled some allegations against ex-Governor Modu Ali Sheriff, who disputed the Senator’s claim.

    “The Senator admitted that there are three types of Boko Haram. We want him to expatiate on this.”

    Zanna said last Sunday: “There are three types of Boko Haram. The political Boko Haram is there, that is ex-Governor Modu Sheriff’s own. And that is why I don’t take my security lightly. The actual Boko Haram is there. And there are some who are chipping in and claiming to be Boko Haram, harassing people and extorting money from them.”

     

  • NAFEST heralds the path of peace

    NAFEST heralds the path of peace

    A clarion call for peace was made through music, dance, cultural displays, food fair, indigenous circus, choral music and more at this year’s National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST). It was a carnival of the nation’s artistic, cultural and tourism wealth, reports EVELYN OSAGIE.

    • Olusola honoured posthumously

    This year’s edition of the National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST) was a celebration of cultural, artistic and tourism treasures and the richness of their diversity.

    It witnessed a lavish display of culture, tradition, arts and colours with a creative mix of various performances. The events were to promote community understanding and tolerance through various competitive and non-competitive events.

    With the theme Culture, Peace and Economic Empowerment, cultural ambassadors, art enthusiasts and tourists sought points of convergence of the various cultures, arts and traditional practices that typify Nigeria’s collective essence.

    Hence, it was no coincidence that the organisers of the festival chose The State of Harmony – Kwara State – for this year’s edition. Having a collage of various ethnic groups – Yoruba, Nupe, Baruba, Hausa and Fulani – enjoying peaceful coexistence, the state typifies what Nigeria should be, according culture enthusiasts.

    Declaring the festival open, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, said the proper harnessing of the economic potential in the culture and tourism sector would help arrest unemployment, poverty, youth restiveness and societal vices. He urged Nigerians to focus on harnessing cultural activities, such as NAFEST, for unity as the nation moves close to its 100th year anniversary. He also renewed his commitment and support to the arts and tourism sector and NAFEST, in particular.

    He said: “As Nigeria moves gradually towards the celebration of the Centenary of the union of our peoples, cultures and heritages into one nation, in 2014, we must look forward towards harnessing our cultural activities such as NAFEST to further project our national unity and integration. The economic opportunities that abound in the culture and tourism sector if properly harnessed will surely contribute towards arresting youth restiveness, rural urban drift, reducing poverty and unemployment and many other societal vices.”

    Kwara State Deputy Governor Elder Peter Kisira, who represented the governor, said his administration would put in place strategies to ensure that artistic and cultural activities are appropriately ultilised for sustainable revenue and employment.

    In spite of the security challenges and flood experienced in recent times, 25 states, including Bornu, Kano, Kaduna, Benue, Anambra, alongside Abuja, participated in the festival, which was the 26th edition.

    The states showcased their creativity in dance drama, traditionally furnished apartment, moonlight games, children’s essay competition and painting competition, arts and crafts exhibition and traditional wrestling. The festival also featured a colloquium. Each section was anchored on the festival’s theme.

    Participants went out of their way to impress. Guests and tourists caught a glimpse of a cultural market, colourful traditional attires, indigenous furnished apartments, games, and the foods from the participating states. Osun, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Kebbi treated guests to creatively-crafted traditional furnished apartments.

    At the end, Rivers State emerged the overall winner while Nasarawa and Benue states came second and Niger State bagged the third position.

    The children were not left out in the fun. They thrilled guests with moonlight games and essay competitions. But their artistic interpretation of NAFEST theme on canvas was noteworthy.

    According to Alhaji Mohammad Maidugu, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the agency hopes to ignite the interest for arts in children and task them on the relationships between culture and peace and economic empowerment.

    In line with the theme, the major preoccupations were violence, insecurity, peace, unity, dialogue, and cultural empowerment.

    Through their works, the children called for cultural and religious tolerance.

    “The art pieces not only reflected their environment and burning national issues, they also highlighted the symbols of peace in Nigeria’s milieu such as dove, white pigeons and kolanut etc.

    Interestingly, the artworks of participants from Bornu State, a state that has witnessed waves of violence in recent times, stole the hearts of the judges. Bornu State won the drawing/painting competition.

     

    Scholars sue for peace

     

    Is Nigeria, after 52 years, at the threshold of sticky end as predicted by non-Nigerians and Nigerians alike? With the threat of violence and insecurity reaching levels unprecedented in our history, why is Nigeria, in spite of its ensemble of rich culture, human and material assets, tending towards the precipice through extremism of various kinds? How do its leaders recognise and appropriate the richly diverse cultural values and practices and use them for nation-building, peace, economic empowerment rather? These and more were some of the questions asked at a colloquium.

    Scholars called for a reexamination of culture, values and beliefs that will help unite the country. Dr Gbemisola Adeoti called for a friendly environment, suitable for strangers or visitors to enjoy, settle, invest and prosper as people do in other climes.

    The Director of Research and Policy Analysis, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr Oshita Osang Oshita, linked the rise in violence and insecurity to culturally-driven mental and material impoverishment. He listed music, arts and crafts, performing arts/film, dressing, language and sports, among others, as culturally-driven practices that can foster peace and economic empowerment across the country, adding that “badly managed culture can become an instrument of violence”.

    He said: “Cultural practices that enhance women’s and youths’ economic empowerment could ease corruption and violence, promote greater environmental sustainability, and through education help improve the general standard of living.”

     

    Celebrating a culture icon

     

    The late Ambassador Olusegun Olusola was honoured posthumously during the festival. NCAC dedicated the collage of NAFEST’s Colloquium 2010 and 2011 in his honour. Chief Olusola was the chairman of the Central Planning Committee of the first All Nigerian Festival of Arts, the precursor of today’s NAFEST; and his love for culture endeared him to all within the sector, especially, his active involvement in NAFEST every year, till he passed on last June, according to NCAC.

    Maidugu said Olusola was honoured “for the role he played in the culture sector and the legacy of humility, active response to national call, and exemplary life as a true nationalist”.

    The book was presented by the former Minister of Aviation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope. Babatope, a friend of the deceased, eulogised Olusola, describing him as a “detribalised Nigerian who, during his active years of service, treated every Nigerian equally and the nation as one entity.

    He said: “Ambassador Olusola, although from Ogun State, did not believe in tribalism but carried everybody along; and so, today, people do not know where he came from but saw him as a true Nigerian and a cultural icon.”

  • Suspended Kogi Assembly sacks two members

    Barely 24 hours after the National Assembly suspended legislative activities in the Kogi State House of Assembly, the lawmakers yesterday suspended two of its members for alleged defection to another party.

    Henry Ojuola and Funsho Daniel, from Mopa Muro and Yagba East, were “suspended” following a petition the Assembly reportedly received from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

    The Assembly declared their positions vacant for leaving the party on which platform they won elections into the House.

    The “new Speaker” Lawal Jimoh said about two months ago, the ANPP informed the former leadership of the Assembly about the alleged defection.

    The House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee on the Assembly crisis on Monday suspended the Assembly’s activities till further notice.

    Jimoh explained that in a letter by Patrick Daudu and Issac Ainoko, Chairman and Secretary, the ANPP listed the reasons the two seats should be declared vacant.

    These are contained in Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution.

    The letter said: “The fact that there was no record of division or merger with the parties shows that the members under reference chose to belong under the provision of Section 109(109)(g) of the Constitution.”

    Ojuola was elected on the platform of the ANPP but was the running mate in last year’s governorship election under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Daniel was elected on the platform of the ANPP but defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in September.

    A three- man Ad-Hoc Committee was constituted to investigate the ANPP petition.

    Tuesday’s session was held in the presence of the Clerk of the Assembly as well as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

    The lawmakers condemned the Police Commissioner Musa Katsina for allegedly sealing off the Assembly premises.

    They vowed to lodge a complaint at the Office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Muhammed Abubakar.

    Katsina had warned that he should not be dragged into the crises because he only tightened security to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

     

  • Why poor telecom service will continue, by MTN

    Drop calls and general poor reception on mobile telephone will continue for a while, MTN Nigeria, the nation’s biggest telecom company said yesterday.

    The MTN said its ambitious expansion work – for which the substantial part of its $1.3billion capital expenditure for this year has gone into – has been stalled by the massive flooding and general insecurity in the country.

    MTN Corporate Service officials Akinwale Goodluck and Funmi Omogbenigun yesterday appealed for understanding from its subscribers.

    They described the network modernisation and swap-out exercise being carried out as important so as to replace obsolete equipment with modern ones.

    The MTN has the largest customer here in Nigeria with 43 million subscribers.

    Goodluck said: “We regret, however, that the pace of work has been considerably challenged by the spate of insecurity coupled with the unprecedented flooding being experienced in many parts of the country,” he said.

    He added that the network optimisation programme will affect over 4,000 base stations out of its over 10, 000 across the country.

    According to Goodluck, ‘The task that we are undertaking is tantamount to building a new network .We are seeking to replicate what we achieved over a six-year period in nine months,” he said, lamenting that in several communities, the base transmission stations (BTS) of the firm were submerged, a development that will inevitably affect service qaulity in the affected areas as subscribers across the network will find making and receiving calls difficult.

    “Several swap-outs have reached very advanced stages of completion. The entire network modernisation process is a very logistic-intensive one and the problem of insecurity has seriously affected the pace of work in some parts of the country,” he added.

    According to him, insecurity has compounded the problem in at least 13 states, lamenting that flooding has created additional logistic impediments such that the pace of the ongoing network modernisation efforts has slowed down.

    Acknowledging the fact that the telco’s customers have been experiencing some disruption over the last few weeks, he thanked them for their patience. “We sincerely express our thanks to our customers for their patience. We sincerely appreciate the enthusiastic support which our engineering teams continue to receive from different communities in many parts of the country,” Goodluck said, adding that such support is often a much-needed tonic in the face of the enormous logistic-challenges the project regularly encounters. He pledged that MTN would stick to its original plan of carrying out the network procedures only at night, in order to minimise disruptions to services and assured that MTN is doing everything possible, including doubling its work teams, to complete the project as quickly as possible.

    “MTN’s current network modernisation and swap-out exercise which began in July is expected to cover the entire country and was originally expected to span a period of nine months. Its objectives are to considerably enhance capacity on the MTN Network and improve service quality. Under the project, which is being implemented by a combined team of MTN engineers and technical partners that include Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE, key network components are being swapped with the latest upgrades in the industry. In addition, current power systems are being replaced with hybrid power systems which are more environment-friendly.

    “It’s a massive investment we are making to boost not only the quality of telephone services, but also to enhance the back-end information and communication technology support which we provide for banking and financial services, the oil industry and several other industries across Nigeria,” he said.

     

  • Creating space for children poets

    Creating space for children poets

    One of the greatest threats to children in their early developmental stage is denial of the opportunity to express themselves. In Nigeria, for instance, a number of children have displayed skills that have proven prowess in a particular area.

    One of such rare gems is upcoming teenage poet Maeve Idara Dan-Abia, an SS 3 student of Pacesetters College, Abuja. The 15-year-old girl objectively pursues her passion for writing, singing, fashion, beauty contest and athletics with her studies. To prove her worth and versatility in the competitive world of arts, she recently won laurels in a beauty and athletic competitions.

    As a young reader, Maeva was encouraged by her parents and mentors to develop her writing skill. Last month, she published her first book, entitled Fortified. The 56-page book, a collection of poems, reflects the deep thoughts in the hearts of the young. It echoes the totality of the muse in the soul of a teenager who, sometimes, wants to think like an adult. It also reflects the world of the young while taking a peep into the world of the old.

    Dedicated to her mother, Pastor Uloma Dan-Abia, who recently clocked 40, according to her, her passion for the art was gingered by her father, Mr Bassey Dan-Abia, a lawyer.

    The 40 poems address every sphere of life. 40-fied, her first poem, is for her mother’s 40th birthday. Her accolades in this poem for her mum are inspiring and expressive. She describes her mother as the unknown gift to mankind, loaded with unspoken talents. Her mother in response in the second poem does a self-auditing of her 40 years sojourn on planet earth.

    “I am forty/It’s time to walk on springs/I am forty/The sky grins at me in blues…”

    Maeva’s anger appears to have been triggered in A Wired World in which she imagines the consequences of social ills in the society.

    “What do they feel?/When they destroy the happiness of others/What do they feel?/When they take bribe?/What do they feel?/When they pull down another.

    In The Life of a Girl, she tells her peers that feminine world is not all about beauty but the impact made to improve the world.

    “I curse beauty/And everything that comes with it…I look to the stars every night/Seeking for perfection in an imperfect world…”

    Most of her poems depict her boldness and determination to face any challenge. Her emphasis also proves that she has plans to explore her talents to achieve her dreams and to also maximise her potential to make impacts.

  • Suspended vice chair replaced

    THE People Democratic Party (PDP) has replaced its suspended national vice-chairman, North East, Girigiri Lawal, with a former member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Wakil.

    Lawal was suspended a few weeks ago by the party’s national leadership for allegedly flouting provisions of the party constitution and directives from the leadership of the party.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, yesterday directed party officials to comply with provisions of the party’s constitution with regard to the submission of names for election into public offices.

    The statement called on the National Working Committee members, state governors, zonal officers as well as state chairmen and secretaries to always comply with Section 50 of the party’s constitution.

     

  • Council canvasses cleaner environment

    Council canvasses cleaner environment

    The Chairman, Care-taker Committee of Ibadan North Local Government, Hon. Babatunde Idris Lapade has praised Governor Abiola Ajimobi for providing purposeful and vision-driven leadership in the state.

    The council chief made the commendation while inaugurating the Skip Bins at the premises of the council secretariat.They were provided for the residents to keep the area clean.

    Lapade said he was following Governor Ajimobi’s example to see that the lives of the residents are positively touched.

    He said:“Skip Bins are made available so that refuse would not be disposed indiscriminately as these skip bins are placed in all strategic places in the council area of coverage.

    “It would be an offence for anyone to dump refuse on the road in the local government area and that whoever flaunts the law would be prosecuted by environmental health officers.

    “Before the present administration came on board, Oyo State ranked number one among the dirty states in Nigeria but with the effort of this government, the state is now among the neatest.

    “The credit can only be given to the governor and that is what we are also working to achieve in our local government. I want to implore the entire people of the state to support the governor in his effort to make Oyo State great again.

    Lapade also use the occasion to call on the state government to assist the council in evacuating the heaps of refuse at the Bodija market.

    Speaking at the event, the state Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Hon.Wasiu Dauda and Chairman, Oyo State Waste Management Authority, Engr Adebisi Adesina praised Hon. Lapade for his effort to keep the environment clean than ever before.

    They called on other chairmen in the state to emulate Lapade in his quest to develop the council in every sector. They submitted that Hon. Lapade has continued to perform as a true disciple of Governor Abiola Ajimobi by following religiously his footsteps in the responsibilities of the restoration agenda of the Oyo State government.

  • Reps, NDDC bicker over budget

    There is a serious disagreement on the  N250billion budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The House of Representatives Committee on NDDC and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are divided on some figures in the budget.

    Members of the committee, who had converged for the budget defence, stormed out of the closed door meeting yesterday.

    The NDDC came before the Committee to defend its 2012 budget which went through second reading last week.

    The Committee had earlier walked reporters out of the session and commenced covert deliberations on the budget.

    The NDDC, last week, told the committee that it needs an additional N1.3 trillion to satisfactorily fund ongoing capital projects in the region.

    Sources alleged that the meeting was to find ways of infusing additional funds into the budget of the commission, but the members of the Committee disagreed on certain figures.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Nicholas Mutu who has earlier promised to brief reporters, cancelled the briefing.

     

  • Musician raises N6m for kidney patient

    Popular Benin-based artiste, Idowu Moye, (aka Maleke), has raised over N6million for the treatment of a female artist, Esohe Osagiede, who has been battling kidney problem.

    Maleke raised the fund at an event he originally organised for the launching of his new album.

    The ailing Esohe was asked to pay N8 million by an Indian hospital but was unable to raise the fund.

    Maleke told repoters that he decided to convert the occasion to a fund raising to save Esohe.

    According to him, “when I recognised that her life is more important than my album, I decided to change the occasion.

    “And luckily for us, all my friends that came made donations and at least we were able to raise N6million. I know I am a musician but I have the fear of God in me. Even though I failed to raise money for myself, I am glad I did it for someone who needed it more than any of us” he stated.