Defend Yourselves, Group Urges Southern Taraba People

A socio-cultural group, the Jukun Development Association (JDA), has called on the people of southern Taraba in Taraba State to defend themselves by any means possible against external aggression aimed at exterminating them in the country.

JDA also demanded the immediate evacuation of all Fulani herdsmen from southern Taraba, claiming that the presence of “these violent herdsmen, driven from Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue States, was responsible for the rising cases of violence in their homeland and that the herdsmen must leave for peace to reign in the area.”

The group threatened that if the herdsmen refused to leave their homeland, they would take up arms against them.
In a statement signed by JDA National President, Mr. Benjamin  Danborno, the group said the call to take up arms became necessary due to federal government alleged failure “to check the violence and protect the Jukun people from the clutches of the blood-thirsty Fulani herdsmen, who have been killing, maiming and burning our houses.”

It said the latest attack, carried out last Sunday on innocent Christians by armed Fulani herdsmen in three Jukun villages, led to the death of 115 people.
According to the group, unarmed worshippers came under a volley of gun fire and by the time the smoke ebbed, at least 115 people have died.

The group equally expressed its disappointment on all elected and appointed Jukun people both in Abuja and Jalingo, for “their conspiracy of silence while their people are being killed in their hundreds.”

Danborno said the spontaneous eruption of violence at Wukari, Ibi and Rafinkada, all in southern Taraba, during worship service last Sunday have further confirmed the group’s fear of a grand plan to exterminate the Jukun people.

He therefore called on all Jukun indigenes around the world to rise up in defence of their people in their time of travail.

“At the last count, 51 villages belonging to the Jukun and Tiv people have been completely destroyed and burnt down while farm produce worth several millions of naira destroyed.

“Everywhere you go around southern Taraba villages, Fulani herdsmen have taken over our people’s farmland commandeering Jukun and Tiv’s homes and their live stocks,” the JDA president said.

He noted that the Jukuns were aggrieved and disappointed that both the federal and the state governments have not been able to resolve the matter leading to the avoidable bloodshed. Danborno said it is perplexing that in a country where firearms licences are not freely issued to individuals, “these herdsmen openly carry
firearms with which they harm and kill innocent people, giving the impression that some people are above the law.”

He said documented evidence showed that the violence which began on November 18, 2012; and another on February 23, 2013, April 5, 2013 and April 15, 2014 before the present one on June 15, 2014, are indications that all the peace agreements between the Jukun people and the Fulani herdsmen and the Muslim community of southern Taraba have been thrown to the dustbin as powerful forces are hell bent on throwing the area into political turmoil.

He therefore warned all politicians to steer clear of fueling crisis in southern Taraba especially now that it is the turn of the zone to produce the next governor of the state come 2015.

“We see in all these a grand design by some disgruntled politicians to deliberately heat up the polity of the area and render the zone incapable of being able to produce a formidable candidate for the forthcoming governorship election. Let us assure them that such gimmicks will fail like others before it. “Let us also sound a note of caution that we are all peace loving in southern Taraba and we want justice. Let politicians who are looking towards fomenting trouble for us look elsewhere as we are better engaged in thinking of solutions to the problems besetting our state,” Danborno further stated.

Customs Arrests Man with Vehicle Loaded with Military Uniforms, Boots

The increased security checks at the nation’s seaports in the wake of the insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country has yielded fruits as a young man, Emmanuel Eko, has been arrested for importing  of army camouflage boots, belts and other military accessories.

The 38-year-old man who has Nigerian and British international passports was apprehended yesterday officials of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Ports and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) Command, Apapa, Lagos.

The suspect, who claimed to be a soldier with the British army was arrested becaused the items are listed. 

Army camouflage, military uniforms, boots, belts and other military accessories are items listed in the Import Prohibition List (IPL) maintained by the NCS.

Eko who looked undisturbed as he answered questions from reporters, said the items were reportedly approved for clearance by the NCS and he was on his way out of the terminal when he was stopped at the exit gate of the port.

While parading the suspect before reporters, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), NCS, PTML Command, Comptroller Adegoke Folorunsho, said the suspect was arrested yesterday during an inward screening of a white bus imported from Hamburg, Germany.

Folrunsho who is barely two weeks in office, said the men and officers of NCS on duty who were shocked beyond words when they sighted the large quantity of the military camouflage and boots carefully concealed in a fairly used LT Volkswagen bus.

His words: "Immediately, the clearing agent who presented the bus for clearance was interrogated after which he was asked to invite the importer. We all know the state of insecurity in the country. If these items had slipped into the hands of terrorist groups, only God knows how many lives would have been lost.”

The CAC revealed that all efforts at ensuring that the suspect volunteered useful information to assist investigations into the matter proved abortive as he was said to have refused to provide any assistance to this effect.

Folorunsho also revealed that the suspect was unable to produce documents given to him by either the Ministry of Defence or the Nigerian Army for the importation of military equipment during interrogation.

His words: “We are all aware of reports alleging that members of terrorist groups who have been wreaking havoc in the North-eastern part of the country do so wearing military uniforms. If a non-military personnel is seen in these attires, unsuspecting members of the public might not be able to differentiate them from genuine soldiers. So it is criminal of those behind the importation of these items".

The customs chief noted that because the suspect cannot be detained indefinitely, the Controller General of Customs, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi, directed that the suspect along with the items be handed over to the Department of State Security (DSS) for further investigations and subsequent prosecution.

In his defence, Eko alleged that the items were detected by NCS on Tuesday and he was invited for questioning.

He explained that he went to the port on Wednesday with a view of resolving the matter, pointing out that in fact, the issue had been settled and the vehicle was on its way out when it was returned at the gate.

Eko also claimed that the Nigerian Army authority was contacted before it was allowed to go. He also alleged that two military officers who were assigned to get the uniforms were also at the Lagos port to take delivery of the items.

Scores Dead from Pipeline Explosion at Takwa Bay in Lagos

Scores were killed and several others injured on Tuesday after an early evening explosion that rocked one of the pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the Takwa Bay Beach area of Lagos.

Although the inferno had been contained as at press time, the entire area was still pervaded with a thick smoke and the stench of petrol.
According to eyewitness accounts, some vandals had beforehand, visited the area, vandalised the pipeline and successfully siphoned fuel by digging a pit where the stolen products from the ruptured pipeline flowed into.

Although the cause of the explosion was yet to be ascertained, the deceased and injured persons were said to have been among those that stormed the site of the spillage to scoop fuel after the vandals had disappeared.

Some of the villagers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the vandals had stormed Takwa Bay in canoes laden with several hundreds of 50 liter jerrycans.

According to the villagers, the vandals had filled up their jerrycans with the stolen products, tied them to several yards of ropes with which they dragged the already filled cans across the murky waters to their take off point, where a boat was kept for onward transportation of the products.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Public Relations Officer, South-west Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, who confirmed the incident to THISDAY, said no corpse had been recovered yet.
He said the relatives of the victims might have carted away the bodies of the deceased persons for fear that government agencies might use it to track down the whereabout of the vandals.

He said: "These vandals had punctured the pipeline at Takwa Bay area, which takes petroleum products from Atlas Cove at Apapa to Ejigbo and Mosemi depots  both in Lagos and Ogun States respectively.

"The activities of these vandals around the punctured area led to an explosion at about midnight. Although supply valves had since been shutdown to contain the fire, efforts are still ongoing to track down either victims or fleeing vanda;s by the security agencies.

"Safety officials from NNPC Atlas Cove base worked from the time the incident was reported around midnight to put out the fire. It was not until around 10a.m. that the fire was completely put out. Cooling process has commenced while pumping of products will start soon."

In another development, Farinloye said the corpse of the lone victim of Tuesday's boat mishap at Tincan Island has been recovered and the corpse handed over to the family members accordingly.

Turai Yar’Adua and the Cancer Billions

The Verdict By Olusegun Adeniyi;   olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

In what turned out to be perhaps his last public outing, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua spent practically the whole of July 18, 2009 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. It was to attend a fundraising event organized by his wife and then First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua to build an international cancer centre in Nigeria. With President Olusegun Obasanjo as chairman of the occasion, the ceremony had in attendance most of the movers and shakers in Nigeria, and financial pledges were made, all running into about N6.8 billion. On return to the Villa that day, the late President told one of the aides, “Please tell Mr Hallawi I want to see him.”

Born in Kano to Syrian parents, Mr. Waleed Hallawi, a respectable old man, was a dependable associate of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.  “Inherited” by his younger brother, Mr. Hallawi was the go-to man whenever the Yar’Adua family wanted results on any project. That the president would send for him was significant and I was not surprised when I learnt from inside sources within the family a few days later that he had not only asked Mr. Hallawi to superintend the project, the late president had also requested a direct involvement. I gathered that he instructed that his wife would neither be a signatory to the account nor be on the board of trustees for the cancer centre and with Mr. Hallawi as project coordinator I knew it was in safe hands. But that was the last I heard about the project.

With cancer ravaging our country in recent times, I have had to dig to find out what happened to the initiative. Of course, I have read unfounded reports about the former First Lady going away with the money realized at the launching. I know that could not be true given the way things were structured but I have also been interested in what happened to the Cancer Centre whose fund was launched with fanfare some five years ago. And I have received mails from several people who sought my explanation on the issue.

Thanks to Jackie Farris, the Director General of the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, I visited the Cancer Centre last week and was delighted that work is practically done on the building. What remains now is to bring in the equipment. More delightful is the fact that the centre will be recruiting the best Nigerian professionals in the field from the Diaspora so that they can come home to work. It is conceived to promote excellence in cancer management (diagnosis and treatment), cancer education, training and research as a one-stop centre of its kind in Africa where, Mr. Hallawi told me last week that “the rich patients will pay for the poor.”

The first phase of the project just completed consists of three units: The general out-patient department; the link building and the diagnostic and therapy building. In the general out-patient building are the emergency reception hall, consulting rooms, nurse stations, X-ray rooms, scan rooms, theater complex, ultrasound room, observation rooms, treatment rooms, drug storage, wheelchair and stretcher rooms, dispensary, I.C.U rooms, screening lab, blood bank, microbiology laboratory and several general and private wards. The link building is solely for administrative purposes with offices, conference room and board room while the diagnostic and therapy building comprises evaluation rooms, nurse station with waiting area, equipment sterilization room, bachitherapy control rooms, scan rooms, radiography x-ray rooms, fluoroscopy rooms, mammography room etc. Plans are also underway to build the doctors’ quarters, guest accommodation, half-way houses, auditorium, mortuary etc. Ultimately, the idea is to make it the number one referral centre for cancer in Africa.

The Centre has a temporary board of trustees that include Mr. Hallawi, Dr Kase Lukman Lawal (a US-based businessman), Ms Comfort Sira Wiwa, (legal practitioner and immediate younger sister to the late Ken Saro Wiwa), Hajia Zainab Dakingari (the late president’s daughter), Alhaji M. A. Maimaje (brother to the former First Lady) and Alhaji Bilya Sanda. With Senator Adamu Aliero (former Kebbi State Governor and immediate past FCT Minister) as chairman, I have been made to understand that a management board comprising professionals from across the country will be constituted before operations start. But there remains the issue of how much money has actually been realized to date.

While media reports after the launching suggested that about N7 billion was raised, my findings reveal that there is a gap between pledges and what actually came in at the end of the day. For instance, Senator Aliero told me on Tuesday that despite all their efforts, they could only realize about N3 billion from all the pledges but from the way he sounded, he and some other members on the board of trustees of the centre are no longer as involved in the project contrary to what their titles suggest. Yet, by Nigerian law, trustees are the legal owners of all properties or assets deposited in a trust and given the way the cancer centre is structured, Senator Aliero and other members on the board hold a strategic position for which they would be held to account for two reasons. One, the fund involved is public money (no matter how one looks at it) and two, the land on which it is being built, 7.3 hectares in a prime area of Abuja (on the airport road), belongs to the federal government. It is also important to know that by Nigerian law, the founders or promoters of a trust fund can neither usurp the functions of the trustees nor take over its assets one way or another.

On the actual amount of money raised, I understand that the Chief launcher, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who publicly pledged N500 million gave N10 million. He reportedly said that on the day of the event, he came with the intention of donating N10 million but the organizers told him that if he pledged such a “paltry sum”, it might discourage other potential big donors, so he announced 500 million. Unfortunately, that is what obtains at most launchings in Nigeria where “chief launchers” are made to pledge scandalous amounts they are not expected to redeem, just in the bid to get others to make big donations. Another businessman who is now a governor in one of the southern states pledged the sum of N210 million but up till today, not a kobo has been received from him. One particular donor who also made pledge of a hefty amount gave a cheque of N10 million that bounced. By the time they met him on the issue, Yar’Adua was already in Saudi Arabia and Dr Goodluck Jonathan had become the acting president. The businessman said when he made the pledge, he did it in anticipation that he would get contracts from Yar’Adua’s government but since that didn’t work out, they should bear with him. So, at the end, he gave nothing! But at least he was honest. Several other people who pledged jumbo sums of money just vamoosed the moment Yar’Adua was out of the scene. Notwithstanding, Mr. Halawi assured me that the hospital will be fully equipped to international standard, because of the solemn commitment he made to the late president. He also said the centre would focus on four types of cancer that account for most deaths in Nigeria: cervical cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and throat cancer.

In her speech at the occasion on July 18, 2009, Mrs Yar’Adua had said that the whole idea of establishing the cancer centre was conceived out of her utmost desire to contribute her little quota to achieving standard healthcare delivery for the vulnerable of our society. She said the centre would specifically render services to women and children, especially the rural and urban poor. “My resolve to stand up to the menace of cancer is occasioned by the devastating effects of the disease on our population,” she said before adding that “the more enlightened and financially capable among Nigerians suffering from cancer have been able to travel out to seek professional and medical attention in the form of diagnosis and treatment.”

I believe the idea of a cancer centre is noble but it is important that we all remember that the National Hospital in Abuja was conceived and built by Mrs. Maryam Abacha as National Hospital for Women and Children, also in her capacity as First Lady at the time before the federal government took it over. Therefore, the cancer centre is not a personal hospital of the former First Lady and cannot be run as one because the money with which it is being built was raised from the public using the instrumentality of her position as wife of the president at the time. While the project has been designed to operate as a not-for-profit NGO, there is need also for constituting a proper board that has to take into account the diversity of Nigeria with the right mix of professional men and women of integrity who will ensure proper management of resources in such a manner that there will be transparency and accountability.

The Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation provides a worthy template of how such trusts are managed as it remains perhaps the best-run not-for-profit institution in Nigeria today. That is because the founders and promoters in the persons of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are not known to have taken over or undermined the functions of the trustees or that of the management. The family of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua has also commendably stayed clear of the Foundation except as members of its Board of Trustees, and in this role they have not tried to show that they are more equal than the other members. It is therefore important for the former First Lady to allow the trustees of the cancer centre to discharge their legal functions for which they will be held to account if they are ever found guilty of ignoring their fiduciary responsibility.

All said, the unfortunate bit is that it would seem that we are not paying enough attention to what has become the most lethal but silent killer in Nigeria which is cancer. That explains why we have over the years neglected to build facilities for its care and treatment in our country. That is also why the Abuja cancer centre initiative of the former First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, is very important and we must commend her for it. But to the extent that my late boss was involved in the project, I will be monitoring developments on the cancer centre until it is completed and delivered to the Nigerian public.

Boko Haram abducts 20 women near Chibok: View

Monday. “The three young men they met there could not help the women, as they (gunmen) also ordered the three of them to enter the Toyota Hilux vans and took all of them away,” Tar added. The news channels also reported that three young men who tried to stop the abduction of the women were also taken away. When contacted by one of our correspondents, the Borno State Police Commissioner, Lawan Tanko, denied that the incident took place. He said, “I believe there is no truth in the attack as I just spoke to my divisional police officer in Chibok. He should have informed me of the abduction if there was any.” Also, the Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area, Baana Lawan, said, “When I saw the report on online new sources, I despatched some vigilance group members and hunters to the scene. They came back and told me that the place was never attacked and that no one was abducted.” Telephone calls by one of our correspondents in Abuja to the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, were not picked by him. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him. Before then, Olukolade had said Special Forces killed 50 Boko Haram insurgents on Saturday. Olukolade, in an electronic mail on Monday, said the insurgents were ambushed by troops at Bilta following intelligence reports that they were going to attack some communities in Borno and Adamawa states. He added that four soldiers who received gunshot wounds in the encounter were receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital. The DHQ spokesman stated that the troops also seized “30 rifles, 36 hand grenades, seven machine guns, 11 rocket propelled grenade tubes, 3500 rounds of ammunition, six smoke grenade canisters, locally-fabricated guns and four vehicles used by the terrorists in the foiled attack.” He said, “Troops conducting anti-terrorist campaign in the North-East have successfully averted attempted massive raid on villages in Borno and Adamawa states during the weekend. “The terrorists who were on their way to attack selected communities were ambushed by troops at Bilta, Borno State on receiving intelligence report of the terrorists’ intention. “The attack was launched on the terrorists as they filed out of the forest to embark on their mission at about 10pm on Saturday. “Over 50 terrorists died in the fierce encounter that ensued. The four soldiers who were wounded in the operation are currently receiving medical treatment in the military medical facility.” Meanwhile, the people of Attagara, Aganjara and Agapalwa in Borno State have buried over 100 bodies almost a week after Boko Haram attacks. Local leaders, Lawan Abba Kaka and John Gulla, told The Guardian of London on Monday, that many more victims of the last Tuesday and Wednesday attacks had yet to be found. Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the senate, gave the breakdown of burials as 42 in Attagara; 24 in Aganjara and 20 in Agapalwa. “From what those who fled told us, there are more corpses in nearby bushes and the mountain side,” he told reporters after a meeting in Maiduguri. “Many people that fled the communities are also trapped on the hills, as they are without food or water,” Ndume added. The United Nations has however expressed fears that half of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls might return home pregnant. It raised the alarm during a luncheon in New York as part of the preparation for the June 10 global summit in London on sexual violence in conflict last Friday. The UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Bangura, said, “My worry is that half of those girls don’t come back home pregnant.’’ She urged the international community to prepare the minds of the pupils’ families for their return and make available psychological and other support for the girls. She said before the kidnap of the Chibok girls drew global attention, more than 2,000 girls had been abducted worldwide. The UN representative was meeting with editors and the British ambassador to the United States in preparation for a first-time global summit on sexual violence in conflict which will hold in London between Tuesday( today) and Friday. William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, are co-chairing the summit. How to rescue the Chibok schoolgirls and provide them with needed support are expected to be an intense discussion at the summit.

Walnut, potato, mango boost brain performance -Expert

A nutritionist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Mr Tunde Ajobo, on Tuesday said walnut, potato and mango were super foods packed with health enhancing properties for the human brain. Ajobo, a Dietician and Head, Dietetic Department of the college, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan. “These foods have health functions ranging from prevention of heart diseases and cancers to improving skin tone and boosting memory and brain function,” the don said. He explained that walnut was a rich source of ALA (Omega3), and therefore, useful in boosting depression and raising cognitive functions. Ajobo said walnut was an edible seed of Juglans Regia tree which originated in India and the regions surrounding the Caspian Sea. “The tree has multiple uses, it can be used as food (edible seed), medicine, furniture, and dye. “The seed has a number of health benefits ranging from weight management to prevention and slowing of various cancers,” he said. Ajobo added that baked potato with its flesh and skin but without salt had healthy low calorie and high fibre. He said, “It is a good source of vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese; all are beneficial to brain health. “One hundred grammes of baked potato supplies 16 per cent Daily Value each of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6; 15 per cent DV of Potassium and 11 per cent DV of Manganese. “Vitamin B6 plays an important role in the production of Serotonin9, Melatonin and GABA.” Ajobo said mango was rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Vitamins K, A and E. “Fruits like mangoes and bananas are high in Vitamin B6 and therefore, good for brain health,” he added. He said honey was the oldest natural sweetener known to man as it comprised equal parts of glucose and fructose. “It contains B vitamins, magnesium, Manganese and Anti-oxidants; all are good for brain health. The fructose in honey fuels the brain which is the most energy demanding organ of the body. “It protects the brain from mental exhaustion and keeps it perked up,” he said.

Troops shun Borno border towns, residents flee to caves

These are hard times for residents of border towns on Borno State following the refusal of the military authorities to heed their calls for the deployment of soldiers to protect the embattled villagers. As a result, the residents, who are said to be in the throes of a serious food scarcity, have started fleeing their homes to hills and caves while reportedly feeding on wild fruits. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Maiduguri, the immediate past vice chairman of Gwoza Local Government, Mr. Francis Nduka, and Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Hamman Ahmadu, said the people of Gwoza East, affected by Boko Haram insurgency in six border villagers, had fled into Gwoza hills and took refuge in mountain caves for safety. They said the people said they would only return if troops were deployed in the area, saying staying in the affected villages would be suicidal. Nduka said, “Our people have been gripped with ‘fears and trauma for over two weeks, and have no any other place to flee than to run into caves of Gathahure, Gjigga, Kunde, Hwa’a, Hrazah and Hembe hill settlements. As fleeing hill dwellers cannot come down to the plains for food and water, they have resorted to eating wild fruits and roots to survive since the villages had been attacked and the insurgents believed to be lurking around.” He said other villagers had fled to Maiduguri for safety and depending on the relief materials coming from the Gwoza Resettlement Committee, led by Dr. Asabe Bashir, who is also the Borno State Commissioner for Commerce, Tourism and Investments. Ahmadu on his part said, “More than 50 per cent of Gwoza council has been taken over by the insurgents, they have torched houses in six affected border villages and towns, including Ashgashiya, the district headquarters, 10 kilometres from Cameroonian territory recently. “But my fears and concern about the destroyed villages in this council is that these boys are forcefully recruiting youths into the sect, since they succeeded in taking over Gwoza East last month.” He appealed to the military authorities to deploy more personnel in the affected areas in order to wrestle them from the insurgents, noting that only Pulka and Kirawa towns have troops to protect people’s lives and property.

Nokia XL is a smartphone Nigerians will love.

Call for more details on your choice of smartphone 08032105060 Abuja residence only.

Also known as Nokia X plus, Nokia X+ Dual SIM RM-1053, Nokia X plus Dual SIM

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
		GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
	SIM	Optional Dual SIM (Micro-SIM)
	Announced	2014, February
	Status	Available. Released 2014, May

Body	Dimensions	115.5 x 63 x 10.4 mm, 73.2 cc (4.55 x 2.48 x 0.41 in)
	Weight	128.7 g (4.52 oz)

Display	Type	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches (~233 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes, up to 2 fingers
		- Nokia X platform 1.0 UI

Sound	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

Memory	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB, 4 GB included
	Internal	4 GB, 768 MB RAM

Data	GPRS	Up to 85.6 kbps
	EDGE	Up to 236.8 kbps
	Speed	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP, HS
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0

Camera	Primary	3.15 MP, 2048 x 1536 pixels
	Features	1/5'' sensor size, panorama, face detection
	Video	Yes, 480p@30fps
	Secondary	No

Features	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play
	CPU	Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A5
	GPU	Adreno 203
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	Stereo FM radio
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Bright green, bright red, cyan, yellow, black, white
		- SNS integration - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/Flac player - MP4/H.264/H.263 player - Video/photo editor - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input

Battery		Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery (BN-01)
	Stand-by	Up to 408 h
	Talk time	Up to 13 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 10 h 30 min (3G)
	Music play	Up to 26 h

Misc	SAR US	1.30 W/kg (head)     1.37 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	0.93 W/kg (head)     0.75 W/kg (body)
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Tablets sale rises by 68 per cent

Worldwide sales of tablets to end users reached 195.4 million units in 2013, a 68 percent increase on 2012 figures, according to Gartner.com. It was learnt that while sales of iOS tablets grew in the fourth quarter of 2013, iOS’s share declined to 36 per cent. Gartner.com also reports that the low-end smaller screen tablet market, and first-time buyers fuelled the tablet growth in 2013; this led Android to become the number one tablet operating system (OS), with 62 per cent of the market. “In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications,” said Miss Roberta Cozza,a research director at Gartner.com. “As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditised, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value — beyond just hardware and cost — to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins,” said Miss Cozza. It was gathered that in 2013, the share of Apple’s iOS dropped 16.8 percentage points as the market demand was driven by the improved quality of smaller low-cost tablets from branded vendors, and white-box products continued to grow in emerging markets. Gartner.com analysts said emerging markets recorded growth of 145 per cent in 2013, while mature markets grew 31 per cent. “Apple’s tablets remain strong in the higher end of the market and Apple’s approach will continue to force vendors to compete with full ecosystem offerings, even in the smaller-screen market as the iPad mini sees a greater share,” Cozza said. She also said that in 2013, Microsoft’s tablet volumes improved but share remained small. She said, “Despite Microsoft now acting more rapidly to evolve Windows 8.1, its ecosystem still failed to capture major consumers’ interest on tablets. “To compete, Microsoft needs to create compelling ecosystem proposition for consumers and developers across all mobile devices, as tablets and smartphones become key devices for delivering applications and services to users beyond the PC.” She added that Microsoft enjoyed better shares in ultramobiles that are more productivity- oriented, where its partners are ramping up new-form factors and designs. “The tablet market has become a challenging environment for branded hardware-driven players. Service-driven and content-driven players, and aggressive prices from white-box vendors squeeze them. “In addition, a situation where the top two tablet vendors have captured 55 per cent of the market in 2013 compounds the challenge,” she added. From a vendor perspective, Apple’s strong fourth quarter helped it to maintain the top position in the market in 2013. Samsung, ranked number two, exhibited the highest growth of the worldwide tablet vendors, at 336 per cent, in 2013. The expansion and improvement of its Galaxy tablet portfolio, together with strong marketing and promotions, helped Samsung shrink the gap with Apple. In line with its smartphone approach, it was gathered that Samsung’s segmentation of its tablet portfolio helped it to offer a wider size and price choice but also helped it to test the market and find niches. Among the vendors that have a less than six per cent share of the worldwide tablet market, Lenovo did particularly well in 2013 with tablet sales growing 198 per cent. “Lenovo‘s success is a combination of launching innovative new tablet models during the second half of 2013 and the sales of its Yoga model and Windows tablets doing particularly well,” said Isabelle Durand, principal research analyst at Gartner. She said, “Moreover, Lenovo’s strong R&D capabilities and its ability to react quickly to tablet market dynamics have helped it to introduce innovative and a range of attractive products to the market. However, establishing a strong brand with consumers outside China, which is especially important in the tablet market, remains a key challenge.”

Ondo football fans divided over Keshi W/Cup list

Some football fans in Ondo State on Tuesday faulted Coach Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles’ final list for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, some believed nothing was wrong with the list and that all that was needed was prayers for the team to succeed at the Mundial. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Keshi on Monday released the 23-man final list, including three goal-keepers, six defenders, seven strikers and seven mid-fielders. The fans in separate interviews told NAN that Keshi dropped some important players who helped in securing the 2013 AFCON Cup in South Africa. They also advised that Keshi should inject his technical prowess in coordinating the squad for the team to go beyond the round of 16. A sports analyst in Ondo, Oluwatoyin Olafusi, said Keshi made a big mistake by dropping Sunday Mba, who sealed the 2013 AFCON Cup in South Africa. Olafusi said most of the players featured in the list might not have the zeal to surpass the round of 16 at the tournament. “The problem I have with Keshi is the dropping of Mba. Most of the players on that list will only help Keshi to lose his job,’’ he said. A television sports presenter, Kayode Bamiduro, said Keshi should have featured more of the home-based players instead of just three of them he listed. He, however said names like Joseph Yobo and Osazie Odemwingie should not have been on the final list. “What is Yobo and Odemwingie doing in that list? I think Keshi should have given more opportunities to the home-based players who could help pursue our dream,” Bamiduro said. For the General Manager, Ondo State Sports Council, Idowu Akinbulumo, the list had been released already and changes could not not be made again. Akinbulumo said Keshi should put in all his best to ensure the team went far in the World Cup. “Although, I am not too impressed with the list but Keshi must be ready to employ all technical prowess for the team to get to the quarter-finals in Brazil,’’ he said. A former Director, Ondo State Football Academy, Tunde Ogunja, said nothing was wrong with the list, adding that Keshi knew what he was doing. “I do not see anything wrong with the list; Keshi is the overall boss and he knows why he chose those he listed,” he said

FG uncovers 56000 ghost workers

President Goodluck Jonathan | credits: nigerianbulletin.com The Federal Government has so far eliminated 56,000 ghost workers who have been drawing salaries from the nation’s coffers for years, thereby increasing government’s recurrent expenditure. The government has therefore saved N161.9bn that would have gone to the ghost workers as of March 2014. This was contained in a book, “The transformation agenda: Reviewing progress, matching forward,” presented by President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja as part of activities marking the nation’s Democracy Day. The 98-page book catalogues the achievements of the present administration between 2013 and 2014. According to the book published by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the feat was achieved through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System. It said the decision to put the IPPIS in place was borne out the various fiscal challenges faced by the nation’s economy at the onset of Jonathan’s administration. It said, “In terms of fiscal deficit, in 2010, the government’s fiscal deficit stood at 3.5 per cent of GDP, despite the maximum three per cent deficit stipulated by Fiscal Responsibility Act. “On government spending, a large chunk of government expenditure was focused on recurrent items such as the cost of running several government agencies with overlapping responsibilities and a huge wage bill, leaving little fiscal space for investment in critical infrastructure that could drive economic growth. In 2010, recurrent expenditures took 73.4 per cent of the total FGN budget while capital expenditures stood at just 26.6 per cent. “On debt, Federal Government’s debt was rising rapidly, reaching N7.5 trillion at the end of 2012 and N10.2 trillion at the end of March 2014. “On revenue, Nigeria needed to diversify its revenue base and reduce its dependence on oil revenues which are subject to volatile prices.” According to the book, the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System was introduced in 2012 to improve the acquisition, allocation, utilisation and conservation of the government’s resources. It said the system used automated and integrated economic information to track government expenditures and minimise waste. It added that the system was used to execute 58 per cent of the 2013 budget while it is expected that 100 per cent of the 2014 budget would be executed, using the programme. The book further revealed that the government had created a Treasury Single Account, which is a unified structure of government bank accounts that give a consolidated view of the government’s cash position. It stated, “Over 10 per cent of Ministries, Departments and Agencies on TSA and the government has already gone from an overdraft of N102bn to a credit of N86 bn as at the end of 2013. “As a result of these measures, the government’s fiscal deficit declined from 3.5 per cent of GDP in 2010 to about 1.85 per cent in 2013 but is projected to rise marginally to 1.9 per cent of GDP in 2014. “Recurrent expenditure also reduced from 74.4 per cent in 2011, to 71.5 per cent in 2012 and further to 67.5 per cent in 2013, but it has risen back to 74 per cent in 2014 on the back of military and civilian pension arrears that needed to be incorporated in the budget and also possible decline in oil revenues.”