Don’t wait for job, create one, says Adeboye

BY DAYO ADESULU

… As RUN churns out 24 first class graduates

As calls for self reliance continue to pour in, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye over the weekend joined other stakeholders in the education sector to urge Nigerian graduates not to wait for job, but endeavour to create jobs and be employers of labour.

Adeboye who is a visitor to Redeemer's University (RUN) during their 4th convocation ceremony where 24 graduands made first class said; "You have graduated into a world of uncertainty, don't wait for ready-made job, create one."

The clergyman charged unemployed graduates to be bold enough to start their own businesses instead of waiting for unavailable jobs. He prayed that within three months, if they hold on to the wisdom of God, they will succeed  in their aspirations.

Moreover, Adeboye noted that for parents who think the Redeemer's University is a reformatory school where people who are not willing to do God's will could be revolutionised if admitted, will be disappointed, stressing that he, as a pastor, is not ready to influence the institution's policy if a student does anything wrong that warrants his rustication.

He said; "It pains me as a pastor to find a 300-level student rusticated for violating the university's policy, adding, "The vice-chancellor of any institution should have a free hand to run the university as it should be run without interference. Tell your children that this university does not stand for nonsense."



Cross section of graduands

On his part, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), RUN, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN noted that the realistic questions to ask given the state of the nation today are; "what hope is there for a young person leaving school today? Where will we work? How will we pay for a post-graduate degree?"

In answering these questions, Osinbajo said that the problem with taking opportunities is how we use our  time, adding that many young people do not use their time very profitably as many are addicted to chatting on the social media networks at the expense of the opportunities that exist today.

According to him, there    are more free on-line courses for self-improvement in a variety of disciplines than are available in most universities, urging them that their priority before and  during their service year should be self-improvement. His words; "Read useful materials on the economy, local and international politics and finance. Many useful magazines such as The Economist, Time and Newsweek are available free on-line.

Many opportunities now come globally and you can take advantage of them without even stepping out of Nigeria. Today, many foreign companies are outsourcing their work. Good engineers, architects, well spoken graduates who write well are getting high paying international jobs while still resident in their own countries. This is the way of the future. But the future belongs to those who are prepared for the incredible opportunities available.

One other useful way of preparing yourself is to improve your written and spoken English. English still remains the most important language for communication and presentations commercially and socially. You must deliberately improve your capacity to express yourself clearly orally and in writing."

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor  Debo Adeyewa stated that out of a total of 489 graduating students, 24 graduands made first class, 156 graduated with second class upper division while 238 graduated with second class lower division as about 71 graduands fell into other categories.

The Vice-Chancellor while justifying the numbers of first class graduates produced this year, explained that Redeemer's University students are doing pretty well academically due to the school's conducive learning environment with qualified lecturers and professors in charge of each department and state-of-the-art labouratory equipment the institution possesses.

According to him, all the 14 academic programmes the university presented to the National Universities Commission (NUC) in March 2012 were granted full accreditation.

The programmes are: Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Marketing, Insurance, Biochemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Industrial Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, Political Science, Sociology and Social Works. Others include: English, History and International Relations, Theatre Arts, Psychology, Actuarial Science, Mass Communication, Microbiology, Physics with Electronics.

He said some of the programmes have gained recognition and endorsement from some professional bodies such as Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, and Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, adding,  "In the international fora, RUN has been recognised for excellence by becoming member of Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Association of African Universities (AAU).

Awolowo and Achebe’s Tale of Fantasy, by Fani-Kayode

I am a historian and I have always believed that if we want to talk history we must be dispassionate, objective and factual. We must take the emotion out of it and we must always tell the truth. The worst thing that anyone can do is to try to re-write history and indulge in historical revisionism. This is especially so when the person is a revered figure and a literary icon.

Sadly, it is in the light of such historical revisionism that I view Professor Chinua Achebe's assertion (which is reflected in his latest and highly celebrated book titled "There Was A Country") that Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late and much loved Leader of the Yoruba, was responsible for the genocide that the Igbos suffered during the civil war. This claim is not only false but it is also, frankly speaking, utterly absurd. Not only is Professor Achebe indulging in perfidy, not only is he being utterly dishonest and disingenuous but he is also turning history upside down and indulging in what I would describe as ethnic chauvinism.

I am one of those that has always had tremendous sympathy for the Igbo cause during the civil war. I am also an admirer of Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who stood up for his people when it mattered the most and when they were being slaughtered by rampaging mobs in the northern part of our country.

At least 100,000 Igbos were killed in those northern pogroms which took place before the civil war and which indeed led directly to it. This was not only an outrage but it was also a tragedy of monumental proportions.Yet we must not allow our emotion or our sympathy for the suffering of the Igbo at the hands of northern mobs before the war started to becloud our sense of reasoning, as regards what actually happened during the prosecution of the war itself.

It is important to set the record straight and not to be selective in our application and recollection of the facts when considering what actually led to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Igbo women, children and civilians during that war. And, unlike others, I do not deny the fact that hundreds of thousands were starved to death as a consequence of the blockade that was imposed on Biafra by the Nigerian Federal Government.



To deny that this actually happened would be a lie. It is a historical fact. Again I do not deny the fact that Awolowo publicly defended the blockade and indeed told the world that it was perfectly legitimate for any government to impose such a blockade on the territory of their enemies in times of war. Awolowo said it, this is a matter of historical record and he was quoted in a number of British newspapers as having said so at the time.

Yet he spoke nothing but the truth. And  whether anyone likes to hear it or not, he was absolutely right in what he said. Let me give you an example. During the Second World War a blockade was imposed on Germany, Japan and Italy by the Allied Forces and this was very effective. It weakened the Axis powers considerably and this was one of the reasons why the war ended at the time that it did. If there had been no blockade, the Second World War would have gone on for considerably longer.

In the case of the Nigerian civil war though the story did not stop at the fact that a blockade was imposed by the Federal Government which led to the suffering, starvation, pain, death and hardship of the civilian Igbo population or that Awolowo defended it. That is only half the story.

There was a lot more to it and the fact that Achebe and most of our Igbo brothers and sisters always conveniently forget to mention the other half of the story is something that causes some of us from outside Igboland considerable concern and never ceases to amaze us.

The bitter truth is that if anyone is to be blamed for the hundreds of thousands of Igbos that died from starvation during the civil war, it was not Chief Awolowo or even General Yakubu Gowon but, rather it was Colonel Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu himself. I say this because it is a matter of public record and a historical fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria made a very generous offer to Ojukwu and the Biafrans to open a road corridor for food to be ferried to the Igbos and to lessen the suffering of their civilian population.

This was as a consequence of a deal that was brokered by the international community who were concerned about the suffering of the Igbo civilian population and the death and hardship that the blockade was causing to them.

Unfortunately Ojukwu turned this down flatly and instead insisted that food should be flown into Biafra by air in the dead of the night. This was unacceptable to the Federal Government because it meant that the Biafrans could, and indeed would, have used such night flights to smuggle badly needed arms and ammunition into their country for usage by their soldiers. That was where the problem came from and that was the issue.

Apart from that, Ojukwu found it expedient and convenient to allow his people to starve to death and to broadcast it on television screens all over the world in order to attract sympathy for the Igbo cause and for propaganda purposes. And this worked beautifully for him.

Ambassador Ralph Uweche, who was the Special Envoy to France for the Biafran Government during the civil war and who is the leader of Ohaeneze, the leading igbo political and socio-cultural organisation today, attested to this in his excellent book titled "Reflections On The Nigerian Civil War". That book was factual and honest and I would urge people like Achebe to go and read it well. The self-serving role of Ojukwu and many of the Biafran intelligentsia and elites and their insensitivity to the suffering of their own people during the course of the war was well enunciated in that book. The fact of the matter is that the starvation and suffering of hundreds of thousands of igbo men, women and children during the civil war was seen and used as a convenient tool of propaganda by Ojukwu and that is precisely why he rejected the offer of a food corridor by the Nigerian Government. When those that belong to the post civil war generation of the igbo are wondering who was responsible for the genocide and mass starvation of their forefathers during the war they must firstly look within themselves and point their fingers at their own past leaders and certainly not Awolowo or Gowon. The person that was solely responsible for that suffering, for that starvation and for those slow and painful deaths was none other than Colonel Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the leader of Biafra, himself.

I have written many good things about Ojukwu on many occasions in the past and I stand by every word that I have ever said or written about him. In my view he was a man of courage and immense fortitude, he stood against the mass murder of his people in the north and he brought them home and created a safe haven for them in the east. For him, and indeed the whole of Biafra, the war was an attempt to exercise their legitimate right of self-determination and leave Nigeria due to the atrocities that they had been subjected to in the north. I cannot blame him or his people for that and frankly I have always admired his stand. However he was not infallible and he also made some terrible mistakes, just as all great leaders do from time to time. The fact that he rejected the Nigerian Federal Government's offer of a food corridor was one of those terrible mistakes and this cost him and his people dearly. Professor Chinua Achebe surely ought to have reflected that in his book as well. When it comes to the Nigerian civil war there were no villains or angels. During that brutal conflict no less than two million Nigerians and Biafrans died and the Yoruba who, unlike others, did not ever discriminate or attack any non-Yorubas that lived in their in their territory before the civil war or carry out any coups or attempted coups, suffered at every point as well. For example prominent Yoruba sons and daughters were killed on the night of the first Igbo coup of January 1966 and again in the northern "revenge" coup of July 1966. Many of our people were also killed in the north before the outbreak of the civil war and again in the mid-west and the east during the course and prosecution of the war itself. It was indeed the predominantly Yoruba Third Marine Commando, under the command of General Benjamin Adekunle (the "Black Scorpion") and later General Olusegun Obasanjo, that not only liberated the mid-west and drove the Biafrans out of there but they also marched into Igboland itself, occupied it, defeated the Biafran Army in battle, captured all their major towns and forced the Igbo to surrender. Third Marine Commando was made up of Yoruba soldiers and I can say without any fear of contradiction that we the Yoruba therefore paid a terrible and heavy price as well during the war because many of our boys were killed on the war front by the Biafrans.

The sacrifice of these proud sons of the South-West that died in battle to keep Nigeria one must not be belittled, mocked or ignored. Clearly it was not only the Igbo that suffered during the civil war. Neither does it auger well for the unity of our nation for Achebe and the Igbo intelligentsia that are hailing his self-serving book to caste aspersions on the character, role and noble intentions of the late and revered Leader of the Yoruba, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, during the civil war. The man may have made one or two mistakes in the past like every other great leader and of course there was a deep and bitter political division in Yorubaland itself just before the civil war started and throughout the early '60′s. Yet by no stretch of the imagination can Awolowo be described as an Igbo-hating genocidal maniac and he most certainly did not delight in the starvation of millions of Igbo men, women and children as Achebe has tried to suggest.

My advice to this respected author is that he should leave Chief Awolowo alone and allow him to continue to rest in peace. This subtle attempt to denigrate the Yoruba and their past leaders, to place a question mark on their noble and selfless role in the war and to belittle their efforts and sacrifice to keep Nigeria together as one will always be vigorously resisted by those of us that have the good fortune of still being alive and who are aware of the facts. We will not remain silent and allow anyone, no matter how respected or revered, to re-write history.

Simply put by writing this book and making some of these baseless and nonsensical assertions, Achebe was simply indulging in the greatest mendacity of Nigerian modern history and his crude distortion of the facts has no basis in reality or rationality. We must not mistake fiction and story telling for historical fact. The two are completely different. The truth is that Professor Chinua Achebe owes the Awolowo family and the Yoruba people a big apology for his tale of pure fantasy.

Femi Fani-Kayode  was a former Minister of  Culture & Tourism and Aviation.

Lagos Assembly May Review Traffic Law

The Lagos State House of Assembly may review the impact of the state Road Traffic Law signed recently for implementation by the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Taiwo Kolawole gave this hint while addressing protesters who stormed the Assembly complex yesterday to register their displeasure over the law which they claimed reminded them of the military era.

According to Kolawole, the law is currently passing through impact assessment. This would make the government have a true knowledge of the impact of the law on those it meant to affect.

He promised that the House would take a critical look at the controversial Schedule 2 of the law which banned commercial motorcycle riders from plying 475 roads in the state.

The okada riders, as they are popularly called, had agreed to obey every provision of the law including the ones banning them from carrying two passengers or riding on the highways, but they kicked against the Schedule 2.

One of the civil rights activists, who accompanied the protesting motorcycle riders to the Assembly, Gbenga Akomolafe, wondered why Acme Road where industries are located could be among the listed roads forbidden by the okada riders.

While addressing the Deputy Speaker, Akomolafe informed him that commuter buses do not ply Acme Road thus making the workers in the area rely on motorcyclists.

"What happens to them now that the road is listed?" He asked Mr. Kolawole.

The Deputy Speaker said though the law passed through a public hearing before it was formally passed by the House, the grievances of the protesters would be considered.

"A gentleman also spoke about a road (Acme) that is not plied by our yellow buses, we will look into this.

"We will look at your complaints and the ones that are truly genuine, we may reconsider," he said.

Kolawole, who later raised the issue at the floor of the House, noted that there were several graduates and artisans among the okada riders and that they took to the means of generating money because government had not performed its responsibility concerning creating opportunities for job creation.

He however said the law came into existence because of the risky behaviour of some of them.

While advising the protesters against unruly behaviour during protests, Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji took a swipe at security officials who prevented them from gaining access to the Assembly.

According to Ikuforiji, the Assembly is a general place where protesters can register their grievances.

He lamented that the road leading to the Assembly complex was blocked by the huge number of protesters because of the action of the security agent, mostly the police.

The House later handed the petition from the protesting okada riders and the civil rights activists over to the House Committee on Transport, Commerce and Industry for recommendation.

BY EROMOSELE EBHOMELE

Regards,

IAT Boluwatise ¦ +234 808 716 0197
Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

Global recession risk rises, says IMF

By Omoh Gabrielin japan

LAGOS — The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has presented a gloomier picture of the global economy  saying that prospects for growth have deteriorated further and risks slower economic growth as well as recession has increased.

Overall, the IMF's forecast for global economic growth was marked down to 3.3 per cent this year and a still sluggish 3.6 per cent in 2013. This is a clear message to Nigeria and other countries that depend on crude oil export to be cautious of the figures used for 2013 budget.

In its latest World Economic Outlook, unveiled in Tokyo ahead of the IMF-World Bank 2012 Annual Meetings, the IMF said advanced economies are projected to grow by 1.3 per cent this year, compared with 1.6 per cent last year and 3.0 per cent in 2010, with public spending cutbacks and the still-weak financial system weighing on prospects.

Growth in emerging market and developing economies was marked down compared with forecasts in July and April to 5.3 per cent, against 6.2 per cent last year. Leading emerging markets such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil will all see slower growth. Growth in the volume of world trade is projected to slump to 3.2 per cent this year from 5.8 per cent last year and 12.6 per cent in 2010.

"Low growth and uncertainty in advanced economies are affecting emerging market and developing economies through both trade and financial channels, adding to homegrown weaknesses," said IMF Chief Economist. Release of the closely watched forecast opens a week of intense activity in Tokyo, where more than 10,000 central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, academics, and journalists are gathered to discuss global economic issues at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings being held in the Japanese capital. Two other key economic assessments will be issued, the Global Financial Stability Monitor report on the state of the financial sector and the Fiscal Monitor, which examines public finances.

The IMF said that its forecast rested on two crucial policy assumptions—that European policymakers get the Euro area crisis under control and that policymakers in the United States take action of tackle the "fiscal cliff"and do not allow automatic tax increases and spending cuts to take effect. Failure to act on either issue would make growth prospects far worse.

The forecast said that monetary policy in advanced economies was expected to remain supportive. Major central banks have recently launched new programs to buy bonds and keep interest rates low. But the global financial system remains fragile and efforts in advanced economies to rein in budgetary spending, while necessary, have slowed a recovery.

The recovery is forecast to limp along in the major advanced economies, with growth remaining at a fairly healthy level in many emerging market and developing economies. The IMF said leading indicators do not point to a significant acceleration of activity, but financial conditions have recently improved in response to euro area policymakers' actions and easing by the U.S.

• In the United States, growth will average 2.2 per cent this year. Real GDP is projected to expand by about 1½ percent during the second half of 2012, rising to 2¾ percent later in 2013. Weak household balance sheets and confidence, relatively tight financial conditions, and continued fiscal consolidation stand in the way of stronger growth.

• In the euro area, real GDP is projected to decline by 0.4 percent in 2012 overall—about ¾ percent (on an annualized basis) during the second half of 2012. With lower budget cuts and domestic and euro area–wide policies supporting a further improvement in financial conditions later in 2013, real GDP is projected to stay flat in the first half of 2013 and expand by about 1 percent in the second half. The "core" economies are expected to see low but positive growth throughout 2012–13. Most euro area "periphery" economies are likely to suffer a sharp contraction in 2012, constrained by tight fiscal policies and financial conditions, and to begin to recover only in 2013.

• In Japan, growth is projected at 2.2 percent in 2012. The pace of growth will diminish noticeably as post-earthquake reconstruction winds down. Real GDP is forecast to stagnate in the second half of 2012 and grow by about 1 percent in the first half of 2013. Thereafter, growth is expected to accelerate further.

• Fundamentals remain strong in many economies that have not suffered a financial crisis, notably in many emerging market and developing economies. In these economies, high employment growth and solid consumption should continue to propel demand and, together with macroeconomic policy easing, support healthy investment and growth. However, growth rates are not projected to return to precrisis levels.

• In developing Asia, real GDP growth will average 6.7 percent in 2012 and is forecast to accelerate to a 7¼ percent pace in the second half of 2012. The main driver will be China, where activity is expected to receive a boost from accelerated approval of public infrastructure projects. The outlook for India is unusually uncertain: for 2012, with weak growth in the first half and a continued investment slowdown, real GDP growth is projected to be close to 5 percent, but improvements in external conditions and confidence—helped by a variety of reforms announced very recently—are projected to raise real GDP growth to about 6 percent in 2013.

• In the Middle East and North Africa, activity in the oil importers will likely be held back by continued uncertainty associated with political and economic transition in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and weak terms of trade—real GDP growth is likely to slow to about 1¼ percent in 2012 and rebound moderately in 2013. Due largely to the recovery in Libya, the pace of overall growth among oil exporters will rise sharply in 2012, to above 6½ percent, and then return to about 3¾ percent in 2013.

• In Latin America, real GDP growth is projected to be about 3¼ percent for the second half of 2012. It is then expected to accelerate to 4¾ percent in the course of the second half of 2013. The projected acceleration is strong forBrazil because of targeted fiscal measures aimed at boosting demand in the near term and monetary policy easing, including policy rate cuts equivalent to 500 basis points since August 2011. The pace of activity elsewhere is not forecast to pick up appreciably.

• In the central and eastern European economies, improving financial conditions in the crisis-hit economies, somewhat stronger demand from the euro area, and the end of a boom-bust cycle in Turkey are expected to raise growth back to 4 percent later in 2013. The Commonwealth of Independent States will grow at 4.0 percent this year, with Rusia posting growth of around 3.7 percent.

• Sub Sahara Africa is expected to continue growing strongly, averaging above 5 percent. Most countries in the region are participating in a strong expansion, with the exception of South Africa, which has been hampered by its strong links with Europe. Recently some food importers in the region have been hit by the sharp increase in global food prices for a few major crops.

‘Third Mainland Bridge repair for completion this month’

LAGOS – THE current repair works on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will be completed by the end of this month, (October, 2012) accor- ding to the company handling the rehabilitation, Borini Prono Nigeria Limited.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the repair works, which began in July, had been scheduled for completion on Nov. 6

However, Mr. Nastani Claudio, Borini Prono's Manager, told visiting members of the House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Works yesterday that only three of the eight joints were left to be fixed.

"We are now working on the last three joints," Claudio told the lawmakers who were in Lagos for an on-the-spot assessment of works on the bridge and other projects.

The manager said that if the bridge was properly maintained after the current repairs, it would be all right for another 25 years.

Dr. Rafiu Ibrahim, Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency, Kwara, who led the team, told newsmen  he was sure that the contractor would not disappoint the government.

CBN Adds INEC Voter Card To List Of Identification Options

Introduces Uniform Account Opening Forms For Money Deposit Banks

BANK customers can now tender their Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter cards as part of identification requirements while seeking approvals for highly sensitive transactions, including cheque withdrawals and account opening.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which has also introduced uniform account opening forms for all money deposit banks in the country, said the move is in line with its vision of financial inclusion in the country. It, therefore, directed banks to, henceforth, accept INEC voter cards as means of identification from customers who may not have any means of identification.

The adoption of a uniform accounts opening forms, according to the apex bank, is to simplify the process and encourage the teeming number of unbanked to embrace new financial culture.

The CBN explained the new measures in separate circulars issued to all money deposit banks and other financial institutions.

The inclusion of the INEC voter card as means of identification, it said, followed an earlier circular on Anti- Money Laundry regulation of 2009 on acceptable means of identification.

The circular, which was signed by Mr. Amugo, K.N for the apex bank director in charge of Financial Policy and Regulations, reads in part; " further to our Circular on AML/CFT Regulation 2009 on acceptable means of identification for the purposes of accounts Opening and transaction of banking business in Nigeria, it has become necessary, as a result of the need to enhance financial inclusion, to extend the acceptable identification options."

Accordingly, it directed all banks and other financial institutions to accept INEC's voter registration card duly issued by INEC, bearing the holder's particulars, such as name, photograph, date of birth and address, as valid additional means of identification of natural persons for the purpose of conducting banking business in Nigeria.

On what informed the introduction of a uniform account opening forms for banks in Nigeria, the apex bank, in a circular by Mr. Ubot, U.A for the same director of Financial Policy and Regulations, said:   "The absence of uniformity in Accounts Opening Procedure and documentation for prospective customers has continued to hinder the effectiveness of Know Your customers [KYC] requirements in banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria.

It continued: "The adverse implication of this on the fight against money laundering and combating of terrorism cannot be over-emphasised. The CBN, in conjunction with the chief compliance officers of banks, has, therefore, developed draft uniform account opening forms for adoption by banks and other financial institutions in order to increase customers' due-diligence; comply with AML\CFT standard and facilitate quick investigation of financial crimes by relevant agencies."

Regards,

IAT Boluwatise ¦ +234 808 716 0197
Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

Ofeimun , Adebanjo stoke controversy over Achebe’s comments on Awolowo

PREDICTABLY, more diverse reactions are pouring in over renowned author, Prof. Chinua Achebe's new book – There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra.  While Chief Olanihun Ajayi would not like to comment until he had read the book, a prominent member of the Pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo suspects that Achebe had been quoted out of context. He told The Guardian yesterday that he was preparing a treatise to put what really transpired during the Biafra war in proper context.

However, to a prominent poet and author, Odia Ofeimun, Achebe should not have thrown his weight behind the justification for the war in his book, because what the Biafran leaders did, he insisted, amounted to genocide against the Igbo people.

Ofeimun, who spoke at a Book Party organized by the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), to celebrate the 10 authors shortlisted for the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize for Literature in Lagos at the weekend, argued that Achebe had the opportunity to set the records straight in his book but failed to do so.

Adebanjo wondered why anybody could have reported that Chief Obafemi Awolowo started the Biafra war when he (Awolowo) was in prison.  He said: "How can any one report that Awolowo started the war? He was in prison when all this (Biafra war) began. Ojukwu started the war. Even against all odds, Awolowo went to Ojukwu with Chief Samuel Mariere and Prof. Sam Aluko to try to persuade him to avert the war, but Ojukwu insisted."

However, Ofeimun insisted that the Biafran leaders should have been compelled to face the Nuremburg-Type trial, organized by the United Nations, similar to the one conducted by the Allied Forces in respect of the Nazi Germany war criminals.

He said: "All leaders of Biafra should be taken to Nuremberg-type Trial for committing genocide against their own people and made to face genocide charges. They knew they had no guns; they knew they were unprepared for the war but took the Igbos to war. And because the rest of us were angry, we allowed ourselves to be misled by propaganda. What happened to the Igbos was very bad; it was wrong. The leaders committed genocide. And the rest of us are being made to feel guilty for their crimes. And I expected Achebe to correct the story in his book, he merely took the jelly out of the jar".

Ofeimun, who, as a 17 years old, was ready to sign up to fight on the Biafran side, lamented that the Igbo leadership that took the war decision misled the rest of the world and the ordinary Igbo people with the propaganda that was mounted. The poet stated that even a Biafran commander, like Hilary Njoku, warned of Biafra's unpreparedness for the war. He insisted that they couldn't fight the war.

Achebe's book, like other various accounts of the bitter Civil War (1966 – 1970) before it, has lived up to the reputation of sparking off controversy.

Regards,

IAT Boluwatise ¦ +234 808 716 0197
Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

Feud Brews between Namadi Sambo and Yakowa



With the presidential elections of 2015 drawing near, the would-be political players have begun the mapping of strategies against what experts believe will be a horse race. Particularly, since the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan, had begun exhibiting body language indicating he may have interest in contesting for re-election in 2015.

But information received from sources inside Kaduna government house reveal that a caustic feud may be on the offing between the former governor of Kaduna State, Namadi Sambo and the present governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa. This is as the source disclosed that the vice President, Namadi Sambo appears uneasy over the close relationship enjoyed by the present governor of Kaduna with the President.

"Sambo is afraid of Yakowa's relationship with President Jonathan" said our source.

The source noted that President Jonathan's decision to select Namadi Sambo as his vice president was clear, calculative and intentional in order to hoist a Christian governor in Kaduna State. Vice President Namadi Sambo is said to have been aware of the reason behind his selection.

Following Sambo's selection to the top seat, our source indicates that the President's relationship with Governor Yakowa grew tighter and has flourished – to the extent that Governor Yakowa's political clout in the State appears threatening that of the Vice President.

The cozy relationship with the president has afforded the governor a rising political currency. And it negatively concerns the vice president because he believes the governor and the President may be "up to something".

In turn, the Vice President Sambo opted to checkmate the relationship. Our source reveals that Sambo unleashed an underground campaign against Governor Yakowa alleging that Yakowa was hatching a plan to go up against President Jonathan in 2015 for the presidential seat. But the Yakowa group was quick to deny the allegation in a half page advertorial placed in Daily Trust Newspapers of October 3, 2012.

It is no secret that Vice President Sambo harbors aspirations of becoming the president of Nigeria come 2015. But he suspects that Governor Yakowa maybe clandestinely preparing to join the presidential contest.

Already, the Kaduna political line-up and structure under the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] appears accenting more towards the governor rather than the Vice President – as it restructures for 2015. The Governor is seen as the go to guy owing to his closeness to the President. The Senators and the members of the House of Representatives from Kaduna State are reportedly loyal to the Governor – rather than to the vice president.

Sambo's fear had already robbed Kaduna its fair share of the national cake.  No Kaduna indigene's name was submitted to receive a national award from the President – owing to the fear on the part of the Vice president.

Three of 10 Nigerian men are not fathers of their ‘kids’ – DNA expert



Is paternity testing becoming an issue in Nigeria?

We have seen that there is serious need for it because in many homes things are happening that are scary both to the lives of children and their parents. And for the general statistics that is now available, it is found that three out of every ten men are not the fathers of their babies. Similarly, three out of every ten children are not fathered by men they have seen as their biological fathers. What we have found out is that, anytime we take ten men, at least three of them eventually found that they are not the fathers of the children they call their own. And these men would have taken care of the children for all their lives.

Now, the global statistics is 100, 000 out of every 300, 000 men. But what we have found that is that the situation is higher in Nigeria than other places. For example in our laboratory here, 50 per cent of the cases comes out negative. And we also realised that majority of the first-borns are affected. You only need to be here to see big men cry like little kids and watch children weep in agony. It has been that bad. And I dare say it is becoming something every home must do and you may be quite surprised at the level of dastard revelation.

About thirty per cent of fathers are unknowingly bringing up children who are not biologically theirs. And it is suspected that this percentage may be on the increase due to sexual recklessness. According to recent trends in sexual health, especially in Nigeria, it was suggested that unprotected sex and multiple partners are comparatively common occurrences with a large proportion of conceptions still unplanned. So, more than half, that is, 50 per cent of all paternity tests carried out by our lab comes out negative and the most affected are first-borns, except in a few cases.

Do these cases happen mostly in matrimonial settings or in casual relationships?

In both matrimony and casual affiliations! I tell you, we have had series of married men come here and go back home devastated. In one instance, a man came here with his wife. Out of the five children he thought were his own, he discovered that only two belonged to him. And they are both duly married, living together as husband and wife. You see, the major problem we have in our country is that most of these cases are not duly documented. So, people don't know we have such issues among us. In fact, some even don't know where to go for the test to determine their child or children's paternity. And I tell you, if you go to ten homes as we speak, you will be amazed to find that in almost all of them the children there do not belong to the men. It is that rampant.

If it is that rampant, how would you describe the three years since you started testing men?

Now, the general statistics by the American Association of Blood Banks is that globally, 100, 000 out of 300, 000 men are not the actual fathers of their presumed children. And like I said earlier, the Nigerian situation is even alarming. Also, Duess International, the condom manufacturers, once noted that Nigeria has the most reckless sexual life. So, you can then imagine what the outcome would be like if we say okay, let's start taking statistics one-by-one.

How many families do you attend to each week?

We test about 15 to 20 families. People come here as a result of various types of controversies over the paternity of certain children. You know, families have come to us with claims that a child neither takes after the mother nor the father in looks and character. So, the man of the house would be curious to ascertain facts. And when they come here with such children, the fears of the fathers have often been affirmed. Fathers usually have the doubts; maybe he has been hearing some rumours, and you know, men are often the last to hear such things about themselves. Until many of them come here to take the test, they have nurtured other men's children before realising it.

What does it take to do a paternity test?

Technology has made it so easy. It is just like any other deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test. In less than two seconds, we take the sample from the man. We use the Helix Swabs like a "big cotton buds" to extract some cells from the man's mouth. We rub the 'Swab' up-and-down the mouth to get some epithelial cells from around the cheek bone. In the nucleus of every cell, there is DNA. Once we collect that, we purify, extract and then multiply it and get the genetic profile which we then send to DNA laboratory abroad for testing.

What happens in situations where DNA samples do not match as we saw with someDANA victims?

So many reasons could be responsible for that. We have had a case in which a boy went to an hospital to claim the body of his deceased dad and on testing him, it was found that he was not fathered by the dead man. The genetic profile of the boy does not match with that of the man he claimed to be his father. And DNAs don't lie. The medical experts conducting these tests have nothing personal against the people that come to them for testing. Every human being take half of the genetic profile from either parent. Therefore, it is a matter of case closed if the genetic profile of the living does not match with that of the dead man. He is simply not that father.

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Source: The Nation

Ways to tell your car is overheating

The first thing to check in a car that is overheating is to perform a visual check. First, look underneath the car for any visible sign of a coolant leak. A light green, yellow, or orange fluid on the floor is a sign of a leak. A leak can occur anywhere around the engine bay. Check the radiator reservoir and make sure that there is enough fluid. Is there is not enough fluid, add fluid until it reach the full mark.

The quickest way to check for coolant is to perform a pressure test. Hook-up the equipment to the radiator and apply pressure. This will help you determine where the leak is coming from. Set pressure to around 16 pound and if the gauge start dropping, the pressure is not holding then there is a leak somewhere. Now here are seven reasons to look for in an overheating car.

1. A bad radiator cap can cause the engine to overheat. A radiator cap should hold pressure according to the cap specification. If the cap is rusty or looks like it is worn, you will have to replace the cap.

2. A failed cooling fan will not help the radiator to dissipate the heat. Coolant flows from the engine water jacket passage to the radiator. The radiator fan helps remove heat from the radiator. If the cooling fan fails to do its job the car will overheat.

3. A stuck closed thermostat will not allow coolant to circulate around the engine. The coolant will sit in the engine water jacket and in the radiator causing heat to build up. Replace the bad thermostat.

4. A failed water pump will overheat a car. The fins on the water pump have been worn down and are not able to circulate the coolant.

5. A clogged radiator like most of the symptoms above prevents coolant from circulating. Keep in mind that a radiator can look like it is in good condition but in fact clogged.

6. A blown head gasket will allow coolant to seep into the chamber and burn the coolant. The end result is low coolant and an overheating vehicle.

7. Bad hoses or worn hoses are common for a car to overheat. Coolant leaks out of the hoses resulting in loss of coolant, therefore causing a car to overheat.

Cars overheat most often in very hot weather. It's rare with modern vehicles, but even a well-tuned automobile can overheat. If you find yourself in stop-and-go traffic or climbing a steep grade on an extremely hot day, and your dashboard temperature indicator starts to rise or a malfunction indicator light comes on, here's how to help your vehicle regain its cool:

At the first sign of overheating, shut off your air conditioner and open your windows: Doing so decreases the load on the engine and helps it cool off.

If it continues to overheat, turn on the heater and blower: Doing so transfers the heat from the engine to the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

If you're stopped in traffic and the temperature gauge is rising, shift into Neutral or Park and rev the engine a little: Doing so makes the water pump and the fan speed up, which draws more liquid and air through the radiator. The increased air and liquid circulation helps cool things off.

Try not to ride your brakes: In stop-and-go traffic, crawl along slowly, on little more than an idle, rather than moving up and then braking repeatedly. Brake drag increases the load on the engine and makes it heat up. If traffic is crawling, move up only when the gap between you and the vehicle in front of you gets too large.

If you think that your vehicle is about to boil over, drive to the right-hand side of the road, open the hood, and sit there until things cool off. Remember, don't open the radiator cap under these circumstances, and if your engine has boiled over, don't add water until the engine is quite cool again.

Sources: enginemisfire.com, dummies.com

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