A stampede at TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All nations, has killed four persons in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

The incident happened Sunday a thousands scrambled for “holy water”, which they believed had healing powers, leading to the crush.

“All of us were caught by surprise. No-one knew the crowd will be so huge,” said police spokesman Freeman Tetteh.

Joshua’s church, according to the BBC, claims it can perform miracles, such as curing blindness.

Mr Tetteh told the BBC’s Newsday programme there was a larger than expected crowd at the service after church officials announced that “holy water” would be given to worshippers.

“The church was also caught by surprise… Nobody can apportion blame [at this stage],” he said.

“We need to investigate and establish responsibility.”

Some of the wounded were in a critical condition in hospital, Mr Tetteh said.

T. B. Joshua: anointing water led to deaths

SCOAN’s anointing water

The stampede took place when people at the back of the church began to push to get to the altar, AFP news agency reports.

“The crowd surged forward and became uncontrollable,” Mr Tetteh told the BBC.

One worshipper, Gertrude Sumbamala said she had suffered a broken leg after being caught up in the stampede, AFP reports.

“People from the back, they pushed… and they fell on us. So we were battered by a lot of forces,” Ms Sumbamala is quoted as saying.

The church’s Rev Sam McCaanan told local radio station Citi News that the stampede was regrettable.

“We are devastated, it’s very unfortunate and we are very sorry,” he is quoted as saying.

US President Barack Obama in his planned second visit to Africa has snubbed Nigeria again.

Obama will head out on his first major African tour since taking office, traveling to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from June 26 to July 3, the White House said Monday.

The National Security Council announced the trip on its Twitter account, without immediately offering further details.

Obama, born in the United States to an American mother and a Kenyan father, has so far only been to one sub-Saharan African country since becoming president: Ghana, in July 2009.

The trip aims to “reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders,” press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

Obama will meet with officials, businessmen, and civil society leaders, including youth, in a trip that underscores his “commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity.”

First Lady Michelle Obama will accompany the president on the trip, the National Security Council said on its Twitter account.

His wife, however, went on a trip in southern Africa in June 2011, during which she met former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

At the end of March, Obama welcomed at the White House his recently elected Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, along with the leaders of Sierra Leone, Malawi and Cape Verde, lauding them as examples of “the progress that we are seeing in Africa.”

In 2011, Obama received four other African leaders at the White House, the presidents of Benin, Guinea, Niger and Ivory Coast. He had promised them the US would remain a “stalwart partner” to democracies in Africa.

In June 2012, Obama unveiled a sweeping new Africa strategy, with the goal of reinforcing security and democracy on a continent facing the threat of Al-Qaeda and a Chinese economic offensive.

The new US blueprint seeks to boost trade, strengthen peace, security and good governance and bolster democratic institutions, declaring that a continent torn by poverty, corruption and discord could be the world’s next big economic success story.

The administration touted “successes” from helping to restore democracy in Ivory Coast, nurturing the new state of South Sudan, backing stability efforts in Somalia and engaging young African leaders.

In his speech before Ghana’s parliament in 2009, Obama proclaimed that even though the continent now needs international aid, “Africa’s future is up to Africans.”

Kazeem Ugbodaga

Governor Babatunde Fashola has set up a tribunal of enquiry into incessant collapse of buildings in Lagos State.

The tribunal is chaired by Arch. Abimbola Ajayi, while other members are Mr. Joseph Adewale, Mrs. Roli Craig, Mr. Segun Adedeji, Mr. Moses Ogunleye and Architect Biodun Rufai.

Inaugurating the tribunal at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria today, Fashola said he expects the tribunal to diligently inquire into the immediate and remote causes of collapsed buildings in the state, especially those that recently collapsed.

Giving the tribunal three months to submit its report, the governor said the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development would provide for the panel detailed information on recently collapsed buildings and look into the quality of building materials and building methods employed in the state generally.

a collapsed building on Lagos island

“It is expected that the tribunal will come up with recommendations and measures to avert building collapse in the state; advise on the roles of persons involved in collapsed buildings and recommend appropriate legal actions.

“I hereby require that the tribunal submits its reports within three months commencing from the date of the first sitting to such extended period that I may allow it. Our government remains grateful to all of you for accepting to serve on this panel,” he said.

The governor lamented that over the years, building collapse had been an incident that had challenged the state’s capacity to protect lives and properties, stressing that it had been an environment of mixed blessings.

No fewer than ten students were arrested by the police Monday when students of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago-Iwoye in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the State staged a protest against the institution’s decision not to allow unregistered students write the examination scheduled to commence Monday.

The students used two of the Student Union Government buses to block the entrance into the main campus to prevent staff and other students from entering.

The protesting students rejected appeals made to them by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, ASP Mohammed Abdulkadri and the Ijebu Area Commander, Usman Alabi to shelve the planned action and allow movement in and
out of the main campus.

The situation caused stampede at the main gate as police fired tear gas to disperse the students.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the school authorities had directed all the students of the institution to regularise their studentship with immediate effect.

The regularisation, according to the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Saburi Adesanya was in line with the Federal Government’s directive through the National Universities Commission, NUC, requesting all universities to provide a comprehensive students‘ audit within the next six weeks.

Prof. Adesanya added that the only way to achieve this is to compile the list of bona fide students who have been duly registered through payment of their school fees.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Vice Chancellor said, “the protesting students were those who failed to meet the deadline of Friday, 17 May, 2013 to comply with the instruction.

“The deadline has been shifted more than three times to allow them complete their registration which some of them refused to do.”

In her reaction, the Vice President o the Students Union Government of the institution, Ajayi Kikelomo Oyindamola said they have been trying to resolve the issue of extension of the deadline with the institution for the past three months.

She explained that the students acknowledged that the step of the school authorities was commendable but added that the closure of the school portal for payment and generation of receipt made things difficult for them.

Oyindamola added that the SUG even pleaded on behalf of the affected students who have not paid their school fees for 2010/2011, 2011/2012, and 2012/2013 academic sessions for more extension due to the present economic situation in the country, which did not go down well with the school’s management.

She confirmed that some of the students have spent up to six years and more in the institution as a result of their inability to pay the school fees.

According to the Student Union Leader, “it’s not right for students not to register for a particular session but most of them pay the school fees themselves and even Ogun State government makes things difficult by not paying us bursary allowance.”

The SUG leader says teargas was fired by the police to disperse the protesters, claiming that the police did not shoot at any student.

The Assistant Police Commissioner in charge of Operations, Mr. Mohammad Abdulkadri confirmed that ten suspected rioters have been arrested and two buses seized from them with no casuality recorded.

The students who were sent away from the scene of the protest returned to the Ago-Iwoye township to regroup and make bonfires along the streets, which disrupted vehicular movement within the community.

Muyiwa Adejobi, the State Police Command spokesman confirmed that no student was killed and stated
that some students have been arrested and they were being interrogated.

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

There was drama at the Oke Mosan, the secretariat of the government of the western Nigerian state of Ogun today when Governor Ibikunle Amosun locked out his Deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun and three of his Commissioners for coming late to the office.

Apart from the Deputy Governor and the Commissioners, there were some civil servants and other Political office holders who were also shut out.

Our correspondent gathered that the two gates leading to the expansive complex were locked at exactly 8 a.m., a development which caught the Deputy Governor, the Commissioners, Senior Special Assistants, Aides and hundreds of the workers in different cadres unaware.

Apparently miffed by the development, it was further gathered that the Deputy Governor had to return to his lodge to avoid further embarrassment.

Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa decried the late coming attitude of the workers, warning that
government would not condone their nonchalant attitude to work any longer.

He noted that the civil service rules and regulation on punctuality were clear and unambiguous, urging workers to adhere strictly to them to avoid sanctions and other penalties.

“This action is a routine exercise to ensure that civil servants know the essence of punctuality and imbibe it as a virtue and not aimed at frustrating or scaring anybody, ‘if Governor Amosun could make it to the office before 7:30 am, there can be no excuse for anyone who comes late to work”, the SSG noted.

The State Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle affirmed that all the late comers would be issued queries accordingly, adding that, ‘the query would be followed to the letter in line with civil service rules .’

While noting that the gate lockup would be a routine and continuous exercise, the Head of Service revealed that all Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Department had been instructed to submit the day’s attendance registers of their respective agencies to her office for necessary actions against those that got to the office late.

The decision of the unions to call off the strike followed meetings they held in Abuja on Monday with government representatives, led by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

The unions had urged their members to start the strike on Monday over a dispute with the Management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on issues bordering on staff welfare.

The directive led the junior workers to stay away from work and as a result, the management staff manned the control towers to ensure flight operations were not disrupted.

The spokesperson for NAMA, Mr Supo Atobatele, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that the management staff took over operations, saying: “flights took off from Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.’’ But there were reports of flight disruptions, as well.

However, the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Aviation, Mr Joe Obi, said in a statement that the parties agreed that due notification was not given to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity on the dispute.

It said the meeting resolved that “the issue of determination of the basic salary and other allowances for the staff of NAMA concerned shall be taken up by a committee to be headed by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Aviation.

“Other members of the committee are the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the chairman, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

“Other members are to be worked out by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation including the number of Trade Union membership,” it said.

The statement said the committee was expected to deliberate and conclude its works within a reasonable time.

“Based on the above, the proposed strike by the Trade Unions was shelved,’’ it added.

The resolutions were jointly signed by the National President of ATSSSAN, Mr Benjamin Okewu, his NUATE counterpart, Mohammed Safiyanu, and the Director, Human Resources Management, NAMA, Dr. Uwem Akangson.

Other signatories to the resolution were the Director, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Mr Clement Dosunmu, the National President, NATCA, Mr Eyaru Victor, Director Compensation, NSIWC, Ukut S.U, and the Director of Trade Unions, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs C.C. Dike.
The statement said the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, assured Nigerians, the international community and travelling public that the Nigerian airspace remained safe and secure for local and international flights.

Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after a turbulent three-year spell in charge of the Spanish giants, club president Florentino Perez confirmed Monday.

“After the conversations we have had with our coach Jose Mourinho we have arrived at an agreement to end our working relationship at the end of this season,” Perez told a press conference.

Mourinho, who has been strongly linked with a return to Chelsea – a team he managed between 2004 and 2007, has endured a torrid final season in charge of Los Blancos culminating in Friday’s defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final that ensured Real end the season without a major trophy.

However, Perez denied that Mourinho had been sacked by the club and said they will not have to pay the Portuguese coach compensation despite the fact his current contract runs until 2016.

“No one has sacked anyone, it has been a mutual agreement,” Perez said.

Mourinho:leaves Madrid

“It is not nice for anyone to have to leave but it is also true that after three years we both decided it was the right moment to break this relationship.”

And despite rumours linking Paris Sant-Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti with the manager’s job at the Bernabeu, Perez also claimed he has not reached an agreement with any coach to succeed Mourinho.

“I want to clarify that we have not established any agreement or pre-contract with any coach. This is a job we have ahead of us in the coming days,” he said.

“I want to show my maximum respect to PSG, their president and all the clubs.”

The 50-year-old Mourinho’s time in charge of the nine-time European champions has been littered with high profile bust-ups with the local media and many of his stellar squad of world class players, but Perez hailed his demanding standards throughout his time in charge.

“He is a very demanding coach, with himself and with the rest and this wears you down,” he said.

“The important thing is that we have recovered the level that we didn’t have before.”

Just as in his spells in charge at Chelsea and Inter, Mourinho’s time at the Bernabeu has been filled with controversy, debate, scandal and no lack of success.

Brought in by Florentino Perez to bring back the Champions League trophy that he had won for Inter Milan in the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010, his legacy in the Spanish capital will though be indelibly marked by his failure to deliver “La Decima”, Madrid’s 10th European title.

The Portuguese’s relationship with Madrid has been a love-hate one throughout his three years in charge and the degree to which he was allowed to cross what some saw as unacceptable lines of conduct very much depended on just how much he was winning.

The ultra-defensive tactics used against the all-powerful Barcelona side in Pep Guardiola’s reign were palatable when winning the Copa del Rey against them in 2011, but not so much when Madrid lost their Champions League semi-final against the same opponents two weeks later.

There were flashpoints such as poking the now Barca boss Tito Vilanova in the eye on the touchline in another heated El Clasico clash between the two in August 2011 and so many clashes with the press that any media briefing from the Portuguese has become a rarity in 2013.

However, for all his media squabbles, Mourinho’s real problems throughout his time in Madrid, but particularly this season, have been not so much with the press but a number of his own players.

In past years splits between the Portuguese and Spanish speaking groups in the dressing room have been patched together by a common goal and hunger to oust Barcelona as top dogs in Spain.

Yet, having won the league last season, from very early on in this campaign Mourinho was quick to criticise in public those that he saw as not reaching the standards they set in last season’s record-breaking run to the La Liga title.

The likes of Sergio Ramos and Mesut Ozil were singled out early in the campaign as Madrid relinquished their title with barely a fight as they dropped 20 points in the first-half of the season to gift Barcelona a commanding lead that they never relinquished.

And there were even more fireworks to come as Mourinho dropped club captain and legend Iker Casillas for a couple of games at the turn of the year and then refused to bring him back into the side once the Spanish number one had returned from a three-month absence due to a hand injury in April.

Those undercurrents of dressing room division exploded in recent weeks following their third Champions League semi-final elimination in three years against Borussia Dortmund.

As Mourinho continued his own personal campaign against Casillas, Pepe, one member of the squad seen as being closest to Mourinho, publicly criticised his coach for having a lack of respect for Casillas.

That led the Portuguese coach to leave his compatriot out of the Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s judgement to put personal duels ahead of the team was questioned even more when Atleti sprung a huge surprise to lift the cup in their neighbours’ own backyard.

That embarrassment capped a horrible year for the club and one which Mourinho accepted was his “worst in his career.”

In recent weeks Mourinho has been keen to stress that his overall delivery of a title, a first Copa del Rey for 20 years and three consecutive Champions League semi-finals is a great improvement for Real given their previous six-year run of not having made it past the last-16.

Nigeria’s military said Monday it had re-established control in five remote areas of the northeast where Boko Haram insurgents had seized territory, as it pressed on with a sweeping offensive against them.

Several thousand troops were last week deployed across three states in the volatile region, and fighter jets have pounded Boko Haram camps as the military tries to rid the country of “terrorist activities.”

The military has “secured the environs of New Marte, Hausari, Krenoa, Wulgo and Chikun Ngulalo after destroying all the terrorists’ camps,” a defence ministry statement said.

All of the areas recaptured in northern Borno state near the Cameroon border were considered Boko Haram stranglehold.

President Goodluck Jonathan sent troops in after declaring a state of emergency in Borno and two neighbouring states of Yobe and Adamawa.

Shekau and other Boko Haram members: militants in disarray

He said Boko Haram — whose shifting demands include the creation of an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north — had chased out local officials in some areas and removed the Nigerian flag.

Residents in New Marte and Krenoa said they were among the areas targeted by military air strikes.

“The troops are already interacting with locals and citizens assuring them of their safety and freedom from the activities of insurgents,” the statement added.

The military said that 120 suspected insurgents were arrested while organising the funeral of one of their leaders in Maiduguri, who had “died in an encounter with special forces the previous day.”

The arrested suspects are being interrogated by the military, said the statement, adding that troops had also blocked insurgents trying to flee towards neighbouring Chad and Niger.

Sources in Cameroon said thousands of Nigerians fleeing the fighting had crossed the border in recent days.

“Since Nigeria declared the state of emergency, they have been coming here,” a Cameroonian security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An AFP reporter in the village of Seram, barely a mile from the Nigerian border, saw several hundred Nigerian civilians who had set up camp.

Aly Doukar, a Nigerian driver from the village of Woulgo, said his home was deserted when he returned from work last week.

“When I enquired, I heard the army had been there and fired shots in the air. I was told my family had fled to Cameroon. This is why I am here, I’ve come to bring them back,” he said.

The remote, thinly populated region of northern Nigeria has porous borders where criminal groups and weapons have flowed freely for years, and the army has deployed troops to seal border crossings.

The military on Saturday imposed a round-the-clock curfew in 12 Maiduguri neighbourhoods considered Boko Haram strongholds.

There is a risk of high civilian casualties, with Nigerian military having been accused of massive rights abuses in the past.

The Boko Haram conflict is estimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security services.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will host the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire between 6 and 7 July in the first of a two-leg qualifying fixture for next year’s African Nations Championship, the Confederation of African Football, CAF, has decided.

In a letter to the Nigeria Football Federation, CAF also stated that the return leg, billed for the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, will come up between 27 and 28 July.

The first leg of this qualifying fixture was earlier billed for between 21 and 23 June with the return leg in Abidjan to take place between 6 and 7 July. However, Nigeria’s triumph at the

Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa earlier this year made the Super Eagles eligible for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, which will be played between 15 – 30 June.

Nigeria have never played in the African Nations Championship finals, which is the continental tournament for players based on the African continent.

The first edition was staged by Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 with Democratic Republic of Congo emerging champions, while Tunisia were triumphant at the second edition held in Sudan in 2011.

The bi-ennial competition had to give way this year after CAF moved the Africa Cup of Nations from even to odd years. The third edition will now take place in South Africa early next year.

The tourney will be the biggest in the competition’s history, with 16 teams to take part for the first time, double the number that took part in the first two championships.

Jose Mourinho’s fate as Real Madrid coach will be sealed at a directors meeting scheduled for Monday evening.

According to Daily Mail, Real have already made their move to make Carlo Ancelotti their next boss after the Italian asked to quit French champions PSG on Sunday.

Mourinho brought the club into disrepute yet again on Friday night when he was sent off along with Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final at the Bernabeu.

•Embattled Mourinho

Mourinho signed a new contract at Real last summer, just days after they won La Liga, but his fractious relationship with senior board members and players will cost him his job.

Real president Florentino Perez wants compensation for Mourinho from Chelsea in order to use the cash to release Ancelotti from his contract at the Parc des Princes.

According to reports in France, Ancelotti said at Sunday evening’s Ligue 1 awards evening: ‘I had a meeting with the president and Leonardo. I asked – because I have a contract – to leave the club. We have to wait for the club’s response, they will decide.’

That response seemed already to have been made clear, though, when Al Khelaifi told beinsport.fr: ‘Yes, we had discussions, he asked to depart for Real Madrid.

“I said it is not possible because he has a contract for one year more, so that is our decision.

“It is his problem, it is not our problem. We have offered him another year more on his contract as well as the one he has.

“When you have a contract, everyone is normally obliged to honour that.”

Speculation continues to Mourinho with a return to his former club Chelsea and Ancelotti continued: ‘Real is a possibility but I have a year left on my contract. It is the club who will decide.

“We have to decide together. My decision is to leave the club. It is not easy because I have had a very good relationship with everyone.

“It is not the time to explain the reason why I wish to leave the club, and perhaps I will never explain it.”

Ancelotti has just led PSG to their first league title in 19 years, as well as a Champions League quarter-final.

Leonardo insists no plans have been made to replace him, telling L’Equipe: “The priority is still that he stays. We have not contacted any other coaches.”

The duo of Alex Adewale and Jude Uwaize, in company of Coach Frank Tarmena, left for Turkey via Accra, Ghana last night because they failed to meet their original travel plans from Lagos on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the opening ceremony and draws for the tournament  took place yesterday evening at Club Ali Bey Manavgat, Antalya, before play gets underway today with the first of the round-robin pools ties.

International Tennis Federation Wheelchair Tennis Manager Mark Bullock and Demirhan Serefhan, President of the host organisation, the Turkish Sports Federation for the Physically Disabled, welcomed the 52 teams from 28 countries before BNP Paribas World Team Cup Referee Anders Wennberg oversaw the draws.

Nigeria will play Spain in Group D. Other in group are Great Britain and Sweden. Australia are drawn alongside Croatia and Sri Lanka in Group A.

France embarks on title defence without Jeremiasz

Top seed Netherlands have been drawn in round-robin Group A, alongside Austria and South Africa, with South African making their debut in the Men’s World Group this year.

Defending champions, France will contest this week’s tournament without world No. 8 Michael Jeremiasz, who pulled out through injury. But France are still second seed and will face Poland and Thailand, the winners of Men’s World Group II in 2012, in Group B.

Third seed and two-time former champions Japan will play USA and Argentina in an intriguing set of match-ups in Group C, while fourth seed Great Britain will face Sweden, the winners of the Men’s World Group in Antalya in 2010, and Korea Republic in round-robin ties in Group D.

Two of the three nations that earned places in Men’s World Group II through regional qualifications earlier in the year all begin their challenges on Monday’s first day of play, as Greece face host nation Turkey in Group B before playing second seed Canada, the winners of the qualification event for the Americas, later in the week.

In their debut outing in the World Team Cup, Nigeria caused one of the biggest upsets in the last edition held in South Korea, beating Switzerland, one of the favourite teams, in their opening game.

A total of 52 teams from 28 countries are contesting in five events: Men’s World Group (12 nations), Men’s World Group 2 (12 nations), Women’s World Group (12 nations), Quad Event (8 teams) and Junior Event (8 teams).

The Netherlands are the defending the women’s and junior titles, while France are the defending men’s champions. Israel are the defending quad champions.

The coach Lateef Erinfolami-led Deepwater have qualified for the final phase of this year’s league after they won all the matches they played so far in the first and second phases in FCT, Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.

Mary Chinweokwu, a member of the Deepwater team said that the team have dominated the league since the 2009/2010 season, adding that winning the trophy is not their target this time wround but  to do well at the African Clubs Championship that will hold later in the year.

“We have won all our matches in the league this season and we have qualified for the final 8, which will start in Lagos on 6 June. Our main priority now is to qualify for the continent and for us to win the trophy this time around,” Maleba said.

Commenting on why Deepwater have not been able to do well on the continent despite their dominance in the domestic league, the experienced guard said: “It has always been down to inexperience on the part of some of our players. We have been winning matches on the continent but we’ve always come short in the later stages of the championship. Now that we have been together for two years, I belieeve we will go for the title this time around.”

Chinweokwu said further that teamwork and the determination to succeed have been the reason behind their success in the Nigerian women’s league, adding that they are in strong form to win the league trophy once again at the end of the final 8 in June.

“The league this year is more competitive especially the just concluded second phase in Asaba. Personally, I am impressed with my performance in the second leg than what I did in Abuja some weeks ago.

“I think we had our success in Asaba because we had more time to play together as a team and again the organisation was better in Asaba than what we had in the first leg in Abuja,” Maleba stated.

Some 200 troops arrived in Yola on Monday in continuation of the deployment of troops in Adamawa state following the declaration of a state of emergency.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the three north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe on Tuesday, May 14, following prolonged insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamic group.

Addressing the troops at the headquarters of the 23 Armoured Brigade in Yola, the Brigade Commander, Brig.-Gen. Fatai Alli, urged the soldiers to adhere to all necessary rules of engagement in their assignment.

Alli said necessary areas for deployment in the state had been identified for action and that more troops were on their way to join those on ground.

He appealed to members of the public to accord maximum support and corporation to the troops to facilitate the successful execution of their assignment.

The commander commended the support and corporation so far shown by the public in the state since the declaration of the state of emergency and urged the people to sustain the relationship.

Meanwhile, the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on the state is still being enforced.

Even if he is less known when compared to more prominent players like Luol Deng or Serge Ibaka, Al-Farouq Aminu has been affirming himself as one of the future flag-bearers of the African continent in the NBA.

Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, Aminu has been showing great things, starting 71 games during the 2012-13 campaign.

He burst onto international basketball’s scene last year when he made his national team debut for Nigeria at last year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

He impressed with his versatility, averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Along with Ike Diogu, Aminu was one of the key players that led the national team to secure the country’s first appearance in the Olympic Basketball Tournament.

The 2.05m forward had big performances in key wins over European powers Lithuania and Greece to clinch one of the three Olympic berths on offer.

The Nigerians managed only one win – over Tunisia – at the London Games but look to be among the favourites to be crowned African champions in Abidjan this summer and book a place for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Speaking with FIBA.com recently, Aminu said: “Even if I was born in the USA, I’ve always been dreaming of playing for the Nigerian national team.”

“But I didn’t know how to play for my country until I met Ike Diogu, who helped me to be in contact with the Nigerian federation.

“It’s a source of great pride for me to be part of this team. I’m representing my parents’ country and I’m helping put Nigeria basketball back on the map.”

Aminu is ready to do his part to ensure the continued progression of the D-Tigers in years to come.

“I’m ready to get involved long-term in the project. We have a very talented group of players and we showed in Venezuela and also in London that we can compete at the highest level,” he explained.

As he lets his body recover from the grind of the NBA season, Aminu is optimistic that he will turn out for Nigeria this summer.

“My participation at the Afrobasket will depend on my physical fitness but if I’m in shape, I’ll go for sure,” he said.

“By having a great performance there, we can reach a spot to the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the team will keep improving by playing against the best teams.”

Presidents of the Table Tennis Federation of Nigeria, NTTF, Barrister Enitan Oshodi has assured Nigerians that his board would transform the federations for the better.

Oshodi, who is the Commissioner for Sports in Lagos State, said the transformation would fetch Nigerian table tennis tangible results.

•One of the Lagos State players, Olaide Atinuke in action at a recent tournament at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Photos: Emmanuel Osodi

Speaking after he was sworn in as the president of the federation in Abuja on Friday, Oshodi told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that many talented young players were in the country, assuring that his election would bring back the glorious days of table-tennis in Nigeria.

“Our plan for the next four years is to get table tennis back to the top, where it used to be. The federation has worked hard over the last four years, so we need to take it a step higher now.

“This means that we have to work very hard across the zones, getting players at much younger ages, though the National team is still quite young.

“There are some ageing players such as Segun Toriola and Funke Akindele, who have participated in six and five Olympics, respectively.

“So, we have to start working on people who would replace them in future; if we can harness them quickly, we will achieve the desired results in the game.

“I think it is a job that we can do and we expect that in the next one year, we will be working very hard to achieve this goal,” Oshodi said.

He, however, explained that the older players would still play an integral role in his administration.

“These players will be part of that process. The experiences they have gathered over the last 20 years have been amazing and they have to pass that experience on to the younger ones.

“That was how they developed. We need them also to start coming back home to help our coaches to enhance their productivity.’’

By Dimeji Daniels

“Longevity is a public health achievement, not a social or economic liability. On this International Day of Older Persons, let us pledge to ensure the well-being of older persons and to enlist their meaningful participation in society so we can all benefit from their knowledge and ability”- UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon on the 2012 International Day of Older Persons observed annually on October 1.

Kindness is not a constitutional requirement for leadership or positions of government, but just as nature, the Law of Nigeria recognises kindness as an integral part of human existence and survival. Above all other features, it is what separates humans from animals. This is why despite not stating that kindness is germane to becoming an elected leader, the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended has such provisions as stated in section 17 subsection 2 (b, c):

(b) the sanctity of the human person shall be recognised and human dignity shall be maintained and enhanced;

(c) government actions shall be humane;

Unfortunately, the debasement of governance has in so many ways eroded human dignity that Nigerians now find it difficult to wholeheartedly trust any leader with a kind heart. If they do not say he is being kind to secure re-election, they’d pin it on some ploy of his to siphon state funds by instituting human-centric programmes. One cannot blame our people as years of inept and myopic leadership have affected their psyche so much so that they forget that a kind leader is only spending their resources (commonwealth) to give them the dignity of humanity which, of course, is their God-given right.

This consciousness is what is being restored in my home state, Ekiti. I was recently driven to tears while watching the beneficiaries of the state social welfare scheme for the aged recount their ordeals and how the scheme had made their lives better. I was moved to tears because I know that in Africa we push unnecessary responsibilities to these old people rather than bear their burdens. Many of them rise very early to go into the bush to gather firewood which they could sell to feed themselves and their grandchildren living with them. Looking at them sometimes totter under the weight of the firewood would melt the hardest of hearts. And there are some, who in spite of their frailty, would still take up manual jobs at construction sites. So, listening to them bear testimonies to how the N5, 000 monthly stipend given them by the Fayemi administration had brought them succour drove me to tears.

Speaking on behalf of her father who was too fragile to talk, a daughter of one of the beneficiaries in Ikere-Ekiti, Ronke Omotayo, said she was unemployed and that the stipend paid to her father, Pa Michael Omotayo, by the Fayemi administration had been a life-saver. The money, according to her, took care of his drugs and feeding.

Mrs. Juliana Dada of Igbemo-Ekiti had a different tale: “Fayemi l’omo mi keji. Ko omo mi bati me o komi, ma muroogun. Eo ki Fayemi bati mu komi ni momu ijeun. Oun ni jemi ti ku.” Translated, it means: “Fayemi is my other child. The money given to me monthly by my child is what I use to buy my drugs. The one given to me by Fayemi is for my feeding. That’s why I am still alive.”

Another beneficiary in Igbemo-Ekiti drew the most tears from my eyes. Mama Wura Adeniyi spoke in Ekiti dialect: “ Ojojumo ni mo sadura I ko. Udi re a se pepe. Oso a ri, aje a ri.” Translated, it means: “I pray for him daily. He will not lose his seat. Witches and wizards will not be able to harm him.” “Upepe” in Ekiti means a paved surface where people can sit and relax. However, Mama Wura Adeniyi was not talking about the literal pavement; she was being metaphorical. Maybe if I paint the picture, it’d help to understand mama’s meaning. Imagine a man who wants to sit and somehow he misses the chair and ends up landing on his buttocks on the floor. It can be very painful. Metaphorically, Mrs. Adeniyi meant that the governor would not lose his position and place in life.

Pa Afolabi Adeniyi on his own part said if possible Fayemi should become the leader of Nigeria.

In Ijan-Ekiti, Madam Elizabeth Olowolafe said her husband was also a beneficiary and that she had been using her own stipend to buy drugs as she had been sick before the commencement of the scheme. To her, the programme was timely.

Mrs. Esther Ayodele of Ikere-Ekiti also caught my attention as she knelt down and touched the ground with her head, praying that the governor will receive God’s help and mercy at all times.

There is the belief in some quarters that elderly people are worthless in today’s increasingly industrialised and fast-paced world and there are politicians, especially from the opposition in Ekiti, who have said giving the aged monthly stipend would amount to nothing during election for they assume that the present administration in the state embarked on the programme to curry the votes of elderly people. They argue that most of the elderly persons will be too weak to make it to polling units on election day. Their position is in tandem with my earlier observation that governance has been debased to a level where every good act must either be to curry votes or to siphon state funds. To most politicians, if it is neither of these two, it is a no-go area.

After reading the Ekiti State Senior Citizens’ Welfare Law 2012 and the United Nations’ position on the issues affecting the elderly, I could glimpse into the mind of those who conceptualised the Ekiti social welfare scheme for the aged. The United Nations states that it is assumed by many that there are high birth rates corresponding with high death rates, but the prevailing trend is that there are low birth rates and low death rates.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs states that “one out of every ten people on the planet is now 60 years of age or older. If the current trend of lowering birth rates and lowering death rates continues, by the year 2050 one out of five people will be aged 60 years or older and by 2150, one out of every three people will be aged 60 years or older. Additionally, the oldest old are the most rapidly expanding segment of the elderly population. Currently, the oldest old make up 11 percent of the 60+ age group and will grow to 19 percent by 2050.”

What this means is that the elderly population is not as minute as many erroneously think and it seriously behoves any responsible government to plan for this sector of the human population. According to the United Nations statistics, the world population of older persons will total 2 billion by 2050. This, I know, is why the Fayemi administration has instituted the social welfare scheme for the elderly.

In the statement of UN Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon on the celebration of the International Day of Older Persons on October 1, 2010, he revealed that “in sub-saharan Africa, 20 percent of rural women aged 60 and older are the sole supporters of their grandchildren. These caregivers, who take on added and often unexpected responsibilities, typically with little or none of the necessary resources, desperately need social services, especially social pensions, so that they and their families have a chance for life beyond mere survival.”

Ban-ki Moon stated further that the key interventions to addressing the needs of older persons are “granting universal access to social services; increasing the number and worth of pension plans; and creating laws and policies that prevent age and gender discrimination in the workplace. With five years left before the 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline, it is time for Governments everywhere to institute financial, legal and social protections that will lift millions of older persons out of poverty and ensure their rights to dignified, productive and healthy lives.” This is what the Fayemi administration has done through the Ekiti State Senior Citizens Welfare Law, its free health missions and the monthly stipend to the elderly, in line with acceptable and responsible global trends, far ahead of any government in Nigeria, including the Federal Government, and in sub-saharan Africa.

The Fayemi administration is aware that not all the older persons can make it to the polling booth on election day. In fact, it is aware that not all of them can make it to the points of payment of the monthly stipend. That is why section 5 subsection 4 of the Ekiti State Senior Citizens Welfare Law states that: “Where a person is by reason of illiteracy, age or disability unable to understand, appreciate or exercise any of the rights, duties or obligation under Law, the Commissioner shall provide the assistance to the person for the purpose of benefiting under this Law. Such person may be for this purpose appoint a third party whose name and other details shall be noted on the Register.” This was what happened in the case of Pa Michael Omotayo of Ikere-Ekiti whose daughter Ronke Omotayo was appointed to help him collect the stipend every month.

To ensure that no qualified person is left out, the Law also states in section 11 that “The Commissioner shall for the purpose of this Law (at least once a year) conduct periodic enumeration exercise to review the Register of Beneficiaries prescribed under section 4 of this Law.” This provision is to remove the names of those who have died and to include the names of those who just qualified.

In line with the observation of the United Nations, section 2 subsections 2 (c) (d) (e) of the Law states that: “the objectives of this Law are to:…

(c) Provide for a system of welfare assistance including free health care and payment of welfare grants to beneficiaries under this Law and thereby achieving a minimum standard of living for the relevant elderly people;

(d) be an effective tool to reduce old age poverty, destitution and vulnerability and invest in human capital development;

(e) prevent social exclusion, rights abuse and discrimination of elderly persons.”

The world is globalized, though most Nigerian leaders are oblivious of this fact, thinking that universal statistics cannot apply to their locale. Ekiti is, however, lucky to have a governor with a global perspective, who is wise and visionary enough to prepare for the future, even though he knows he would not be around forever. The opposition in Ekiti, however, reasons differently as everything for it always boils down to votes and elections.

•Daniels writes from Ado, Ekiti State

By Felix Femi Ajakaye

On Sunday, 12 May, 2013, the Catholic Church celebrated the 47th World Communications Day, with the theme of the Pope’s message, Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelization. Pope Paul VI introduced the World Communications Day in 1966 to celebrate the media practitioners and artistes all over the world. Usually, annually, the Vatican releases the message to the public on 24 January, the Memorial of St Francis De Sales, regarded as the Patron of Journalists.

Here is my reflection to the congregation, including the media people and government officials at St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. As you read this, please, let me remark here that on Tuesday, 14 May, 2013, the President declared emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Yes, the President who had always been saying that he was on top of the situation, opted to be on top of the situation so that the insurgents would not overrun our cherished country, Nigeria.

In his message this year, the Pope considers the development or emergence of ‘digital social networks as helping to create an ‘agora’ (‘marketplace’ in ancient Greece, an open space in a town where people gathered, especially a marketplace), an open public place in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being’. The Pope urges people to make use of ‘these spaces in a wise and balanced way’ in fostering forms of dialogue and healthy and critical debate as we share both ideas and our very selves. The Pope states that ‘in social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus’.

Believers are to be consistent witnesses in communicating and sharing the Gospel – the Truth. We are to touch hearts sincerely in our journey of faith with hope and love. ‘If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal’ (1 Cor. 13:1).

In our celebration too, this year, I would like us to reflect on our beloved country, Nigeria.  In the words of Edmund Burke, ‘Evil triumphs where good people keep silent in the midst of moral crises’. Without mincing words, Nigeria is indeed in crises. They are really a legion, and generally, man-made. Unfortunately, we tend not to be addressing these crises practically. We continue to chase the shadows, instead of facing realities. Our security agencies are being over-stretched. Both the armed security agents and harmless civilians are being killed and attacked by the sophisticatedly armed assailants. These assailants seem to be having their way, ruling with their networks, while Nigeria tends to be in ruins. Unfortunately, what we normally hear from the Jonathan-led government is: ‘We are on top of the situation’. Realistically, they are below the action. Must we continue in this madness? To put a stop to the continued bloodlettings and other crises such as corruption, kidnapping, indiscipline, nepotism, abuse of power and deceit in our country, President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and his lieutenants must learn to be on top of the action rather than the situation. Action speaks louder than words.

“Power without control is nothing” (Pirelli tyre advertisement). In this light, I also state here that press freedom without responsibility is meaningless and dangerous. The role of the media is of great importance in the society. This is why the Press is regarded as the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Though coming after the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, the Press is the hinge. It is the bastion. Once the Press derails in its role, it then becomes a subject of derision. Journalism is described as ‘reporting news for the media’. It is ‘the profession of gathering, editing, and publishing news reports and related articles for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio’. Responsible journalism is being accountable and reliable in news-gathering. Therefore, I affirm that, social networks too should be used responsibly for the good of all.

I appreciate the media practitioners for their efforts in committing themselves to the struggle in the sanitization of our society. However, I challenge them to focus more on developmental journalism and uphold press freedom with responsibility so that they can be a force to reckon with. Enough of sensational journalism! Strive to make research and operate objectively. In this way, with your integrity intact, you will also be portals of truth and faith to the people. Indeed, information is power. A well-informed mind is a living and healthy person. He/she is an asset to the society.

I expect the media practitioners to start working together and have a formidable team to save this country from those who do not mean well for Nigeria. For instance, it is sad and criminal that while our country is faced with serious security challenges, certain people are still over-stretching the security agents with limited number to fight their personal and selfish wars of attrition in the name of political power. With this, there is more tension in the land. For instance, the ugly political drama in Rivers State purposely orchestrated against Sir Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Rivers State governor, whether being masterminded by the combination of both the ‘oga and the madam at the top’, their cohorts, or other people, portends a great danger to our society. This is politics of rascality, politics of recklessness, politics of deceit, politics of intimidation, politics of terrorism. This is not acceptable and we must not allow these political rascals and terrorists and their clannish supporters to have their way. I remind these people that nothing lasts forever and no condition is permanent. Today’s president, president’s wife, or governor, or bishop may be nobody tomorrow. This is food for thought. I assure these political opportunists and their agents of do-or-die and turn-by-turn politics that, with or without them, Nigeria, our beloved country, will continue to exist.

Recently, there had been alleged inflammatory statements by Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Mr Kingsley Kuku, and a former self-acclaimed militant leader, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, that there would be a crisis in Nigeria if President Goodluck Jonathan was denied re-election in 2015. What a lazy and illogical statement! In a country faced with many crises such as Nigeria, even the uninformed will want to be relevant and recognised. Basically those who threaten others are deficient. By God’s grace, our cherished country will not fail. Nigeria will not fall. With unity and faith and our individual and collective willpower as a people, we shall overcome. Agents of the light will always overcome agents of the dark. We must learn to do things right so that things will be right with us and for us. May I state here too that politics of turn-by-turn is politics of mediocrity. It is politics of a lazy person’s idea and it is negative, destructive and retrogressive.

In these trying times in our country, the media practitioners must never join the crowd. They must never lose their heads, even when other people are losing theirs. In fact, those who join the crowd lose their focus and identity. Such people are daydreamers. Daydreamers believe in fantasy or hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled. On the other hand, focused people are visionaries. Visionaries have foresight and they are never afraid to take decision. We need to keep identifying visionaries to serve at the local, state and federal government levels. We do not need gatecrashers, thugs, gangsters, looters, riff-raffs and pretenders anymore. We must wage a total war against this group of people, using all the legitimate available means, including the social networks.

May we not be found wanting in promoting justice, peace and development through our God-given talents. Amen. Happy and blessed 47th World Communications Day. With confidence in God, Christ is our strength.

•Most Rev. Ajakaye wrote from Ekiti state.

Apart from Boko Haram insurgents, other trouble makers threatening the peace of this country are the Fulani cattle rearers. They move with their cattle from state to state wreaking havoc. And worse still, they do not respect the borders of nations. If it were just a matter of seeking pasture alone without inflicting deaths and mayhem, it would not have provoked any reaction. Rather, they drive their cattle beyond grasslands to invade farmlands where their cows, unable to distinguish between crop and grass, munch whatever comes their way like combined harvesters.

One of the states that have felt this invasion is Benue, especially Agatu, Guma, Gwer West and Makurdi local government areas. Like invading Mongols, the Fulani ceaselessly attack the farmers in the areas, who have the cheek to complain about their crops eaten up or trampled under feet by cows.

At least 400 persons, including women and children, have, in the past 14 weeks, been murdered when Fulani cattle herders invaded and rendered over 42 communities desolate. One of the most gruesome attacks occurred on 12 May, 2013 when the Fulani herdsmen gunned down more than 47 mourners at Okpachanyi village in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue state while carrying out the burial rites of two police officers killed recently by Ombatse cult in Nasarawa State. This prompted Governor Gabriel Suswam to summon a security council meeting, saying that soldiers and police officers have been deployed in all the affected communities and villages in order to stem the repeated attacks which are taking a dangerous dimension.

Benue State Deputy, Chief Steven Lawani, also lamented that the attack was beyond imagination: villages and communities were sacked, women and children have been rendered homeless because their homes were burnt and destroyed, adding that it is sad that today, human life seemed not to be appreciated anymore unlike what was obtainable in the past when the death of an individual elicits a lot of lamentations among the people.

In December last year, the border town of Oja-Odan in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State was invaded by some Fulani herdsmen who killed a farmer and injured dozens of others. The farmer, Agbaose Sewotan, was killed because he complained against the invasion of his farm. His elder brother, Mr. Oluwole Sewontan, bemoaned: “This is not the first time that our people were slaughtered like cows on our own soil with impunity. My dear brother was killed simply because he protested the invasion of his farmland by the herdsmen.” He added that at least 40 people were killed over the years “and our law enforcement agencies have not been able to bring the culprits to book.”

States such as Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, Cross River, Edo, the northern fringes of which lie by the Savannah region of Nigeria, have tasted this bitter pill administered by the herdsmen. We submit that the Federal Government should consider this as much a threat to national security as it takes the Boko Haram and kidnappers. The belief that an ethnic group has right to cross cities, states and borders to destroy crops with the owners having no right to complain should stop.

The states and federal ministries of agriculture must come out with a deliberate policy to carve out grasslands solely for foraging in different states of the federation so that the farmers and cattle rearers must know their boundaries. If the two tiers of government must go and study how other countries that practice animal husbandry, it is okay.

The Nigerian security agencies must come up with an effective system of monitoring the unruly herdsmen to stop the death and destruction they cause wherever they go.

Jacky Hatiramani Dana Air MD

Dana Air has stepped up its customer convenience services through the introduction of the Book on Hold option, which gives the convenience of booking tickets and paying later at designated bank branches across the country as well as using interswitch enabled automated teller machines (ATMs).

Head of Commercial, Dana Air, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo, described the introduction of the book-on- hold option as “a good step forward in our effort to make the process of booking travel more accessible to guests throughout Nigeria.”

He explained that guests can access the option by making reservation either online or by phone, after which they will take their booking reference number to any of the designated banks or interswitch enabled ATMs to make payments not later than 48 hours to confirm the booking.

Dana Air offers a full complement of online transactions that delivers a one-stop booking, payment and general travel requirements to guests which reduces inconveniences and in addition eliminates the associated risks of carrying cash around.

It will be recalled that since the launch of its commercial operations in Nigeria, Dana Air has been at the forefront of introducing innovative and customer friendly products to make air travel a pleasurable experience. Dana Air just recently introduced ‘Mobile Check-In Devices’ which allows guests to be checked-in and presented boarding passes on arrival at the airport by mobile airline staff.

Dana Air currently operates 10 daily flights on the Lagos-Abuja route and has just recently re-launched daily flight services to Port Harcourt city, from Lagos and Abuja. The airline is reputed for its efficient customer services, world class in-flight services as well as on-time departures and arrivals, innovative e-airline products and high quality standards.  Dana Air is consolidating its flight operations in the domestic market as it aims to steadily develop a route network that connects major cities across the nation to offer seamless connectivity and travel options.

—Simon Ateba

Thousands of shops are empty and  traders are not willing rent and occupy the shops for fear of losing their goods as some of them had experienced in the past.

Corporate bodies such as banks and insurance companies have closed down their offices and left.

Even the traders there are moving out of the place on a daily basis and those who have not left are making plans to leave. Those still in the market lament that they do not make sales and their businesses are declining every day.

When P.M.NEWS Business Week visited the market, many shops were under lock and key while some traders were busy either sleeping or playing board games in their shops as there were no customers to attend to.

The chairman of the few traders remaining, Prince Tony Nkem, lamented the sorry state of the market and appealed to government, individuals and corporate bodies to come to their rescue.

He said at the initial stage, when the market was commissioned, all the shops, about 3,000 of them, were occupied by the traders until problem started between the developer and the council.

He explained that the market was lucky to have been commisioned when Tejuosho traders were displaced and it was quickly filled.

He said the disagreement between the developer and council got to a stage where the council brought keys and started locking shops already occupied by the traders.

He said that this caused a lot of problems because traders started moving their goods and left the market; and since then the market has not recovered.

“This market was opened for business five years ago and you can see the standard, yet traders refuse to come in to do their business here” he stated. Asked if the problem with the parties still persists, he said that the council has settled the developer and taken over the management, yet most shops are still empty because traders refused to rent the shops from the council.

He added that the market has no light, while the road that leads to the main entrance of the market is classified as one way which makes it difficult for customers to drive into the market.

“Invariably most customers prefer to go somewhere else to buy what they want” he said.

When P.M.NEWS Business Week contacted the head of the market from the council, she declined to make any comment, saying she is a civil servant and not authorized to speak to the press.

—Cyriacus Izuekwe