ABUJA—Leader of militant Boko Haram Islamic sect, Abubakar Shekau, yesterday, rejected the idea of any potential amnesty deal which the Federal Government may offer the sect members if the committee set up to look into it gives the go-ahead. Shekau, in a 30-minute audio recording, where he spoke in Hausa, Arabic and English declared that his group had “not committed any wrong to deserve amnesty”. He said it was the government that should be seeking amnesty from his group and not the other way round, adding that even though the sect was the one wronged and the one that should be asked for amnesty, it was not ready to grant any pardon to the government.

10 killed in Delta as villagers, herdsmen clash On April 14, 2013 · In News 10:29 pm BY AUSTIN OGWUDA ASABA— NO fewer than 10 persons have been reportedly killed following a bloody clash between villagers in Ogume community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State and herdsmen who were challenged by the villagers for allowing their cattle to vandalise farmlands in the area. There is growing tension in the community following the clash which commenced on Saturday evening. Both warring parties were still at daggers-drawn at press time, although security has been beefed up in the area A community leader and human rights activist from the community lamented the late arrival of security agents, saying: “My community was invaded by Hausa herdsmen using AK 47 rifles and six people were killed while three persons still missing are believed to have been killed too. The most painful aspect was that all efforts to make the police to come to our rescue were abortive.” Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme, confirmed the story, saying: “I have got in touch with the DPO in charge of the area and 10 bodies have been confirmed recovered. Investigations are on.”

Our position on amnesty for Boko Haram misrepresented – Ohanaeze Ndigbo On April 14, 2013 · In News 9:26 pm BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU ABUJA — The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo, the apex social-cultural cum political body of Igbo people world over, Chief Gary Enwo- Igariwe, has said that the position of the group on the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram Islamic sect by the Federal Government in Kano State last week was wrongly presented in the media, saying the option of amnesty was treated in isolation. Speaking with Vanguard Sunday, Chief Igariwe regretted the embarrassment the issue had caused him, pointing out that the group’s position was that Ohanaeze would support any option of the Federal Government to bring lasting peace in the country to guarantee a healthy atmosphere for economic activities. His words: “The statement on amnesty should not be taken in isolation. What was on ground was the issue of anything that can be done to bring peace because our people want to live in peace in their environment, everything, including every option of government. That was my statement. Igbo will support anything that will bring peace.”

Family planning reduces maternal, infant mortality – Gynaecolgist On April 14, 2013 · In Health 10:37 pm 0 Lagos — A gynaecologist, Dr Juliet Offor, yesterday said the practice of family planning and healthy child spacing would help in reducing maternal and infant mortality in the country. Offor told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, that family planning had been recognised as one of the most effective ways of reducing maternal deaths arising from preventable causes. Offor, who works at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said that women who practise family planning could avoid high-risk births and avoid having a baby that would die in infancy. She said: “Unhealthy child spacing and having too many children have contributed to maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. “Babies born less than two years after a prior birth are much more likely than those born after a longer interval, to be premature and die in their infancy. “Infants of mothers who die as a result of giving birth also have a greater risk of poor health and dying in infancy.” The gynaecologist said that many middle aged poor women suffer from anaemia, malnutrition and damage to their reproductive systems from frequent childbearing. She said that without family planning, the conditions increased the likelihood of having a baby who would die in infancy. According to her, family planning allowed a woman to choose when to become pregnant and determine the number of children she will have. The gynaecologist also commented that family planning relieved the parents of financial stress of caring for a large family size. “Women who embrace and practise family planning are able to have healthy child spacing and prevent ill-timed pregnancies and births. “It provides the woman the opportunity to pursue a career and have a paid employment. “Also, having smaller families allows parents to invest more in each child, and it will reduce the number of children that are out of school due to financial constraints”. Offor, while calling for easy access and proper education on the various methods of family planning, urged men to be supportive of their wives in accessing the facilities. She also called for the continued sensitisation of religious leaders and the general public to help resolve myths and prejudice about family planning.

Family planning reduces maternal, infant mortality – Gynaecolgist On April 14, 2013 · In Health 10:37 pm 0 Lagos — A gynaecologist, Dr Juliet Offor, yesterday said the practice of family planning and healthy child spacing would help in reducing maternal and infant mortality in the country. Offor told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, that family planning had been recognised as one of the most effective ways of reducing maternal deaths arising from preventable causes. Offor, who works at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said that women who practise family planning could avoid high-risk births and avoid having a baby that would die in infancy. She said: “Unhealthy child spacing and having too many children have contributed to maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. “Babies born less than two years after a prior birth are much more likely than those born after a longer interval, to be premature and die in their infancy. “Infants of mothers who die as a result of giving birth also have a greater risk of poor health and dying in infancy.” The gynaecologist said that many middle aged poor women suffer from anaemia, malnutrition and damage to their reproductive systems from frequent childbearing. She said that without family planning, the conditions increased the likelihood of having a baby who would die in infancy. According to her, family planning allowed a woman to choose when to become pregnant and determine the number of children she will have. The gynaecologist also commented that family planning relieved the parents of financial stress of caring for a large family size. “Women who embrace and practise family planning are able to have healthy child spacing and prevent ill-timed pregnancies and births. “It provides the woman the opportunity to pursue a career and have a paid employment. “Also, having smaller families allows parents to invest more in each child, and it will reduce the number of children that are out of school due to financial constraints”. Offor, while calling for easy access and proper education on the various methods of family planning, urged men to be supportive of their wives in accessing the facilities. She also called for the continued sensitisation of religious leaders and the general public to help resolve myths and prejudice about family planning.

Family planning reduces maternal, infant mortality – Gynaecolgist On April 14, 2013 · In Health 10:37 pm 0 Lagos — A gynaecologist, Dr Juliet Offor, yesterday said the practice of family planning and healthy child spacing would help in reducing maternal and infant mortality in the country. Offor told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, that family planning had been recognised as one of the most effective ways of reducing maternal deaths arising from preventable causes. Offor, who works at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said that women who practise family planning could avoid high-risk births and avoid having a baby that would die in infancy. She said: “Unhealthy child spacing and having too many children have contributed to maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. “Babies born less than two years after a prior birth are much more likely than those born after a longer interval, to be premature and die in their infancy. “Infants of mothers who die as a result of giving birth also have a greater risk of poor health and dying in infancy.” The gynaecologist said that many middle aged poor women suffer from anaemia, malnutrition and damage to their reproductive systems from frequent childbearing. She said that without family planning, the conditions increased the likelihood of having a baby who would die in infancy. According to her, family planning allowed a woman to choose when to become pregnant and determine the number of children she will have. The gynaecologist also commented that family planning relieved the parents of financial stress of caring for a large family size. “Women who embrace and practise family planning are able to have healthy child spacing and prevent ill-timed pregnancies and births. “It provides the woman the opportunity to pursue a career and have a paid employment. “Also, having smaller families allows parents to invest more in each child, and it will reduce the number of children that are out of school due to financial constraints”. Offor, while calling for easy access and proper education on the various methods of family planning, urged men to be supportive of their wives in accessing the facilities. She also called for the continued sensitisation of religious leaders and the general public to help resolve myths and prejudice about family planning.

IFC, EDC to promote entrepreneurial development in Nigeria On April 14, 2013 · In Finance 11:13 pm BY JONAH NWOKPOKU International Finance Corporation, IFC, has pledged an expansion to serve more entrepreneurs with its SME Toolkits. The firm, a member of the World Bank Group, made the pledge at a conference marking its 10th anniversary in Lagos. Speaking at the event, the IFC Country Manager, Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Quaynor said the firm’s resolve is to continue to support and strengthen Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, especially in developing countries. “One of our strategic priorities is supporting Small and Medium Enterprises so they can create jobs and reduce poverty in developing countries. This event further strengthens the SME Toolkit to become the ’go-to’ resource for small businesses to help improve SME productivity, competitiveness and employment creation potential,” he said. The conference is co-sponsored by Enterprise Development Centre, EDC, and sponsored by IBM with the theme; Enabling SME Success: Becoming the Go-To portal for business growth. Also speaking at the conference, the EDC Director, Peter Bankole said; “building a network of entrepreneurial leaders is the core focus of EDC and partnering with IFC helps us achieve our goal of promoting and supporting enterprises that contribute to economic development. The SME Toolkit Global Partner Conference provides the platform to strengthen partnerships that grow enterprises.” Taiwo Otiti, Country General Manager for IBM West Africa, said; “IBM is proud of its partnership with IFC and our support of the SME Toolkit since 2006 has helped to greatly expand the toolkit’s capabilities. This relationship has also enriched the innovation process, providing the opportunity for entrepreneurs around the world to work with open source platforms like the SME Toolkit so that they can in turn support and add value to their local economies.” The event brought together representatives of local SME Toolkit projects from around the world to share experiences, train partners on the latest initiatives, and gather ideas for future programme development. Launched in 2002, the SME Toolkit which is an innovation of IFC, developed in partnership with IBM, leverages the latest information and communication technologies to help entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Enterprises in emerging markets.