30 WWE superstars to entertain Doha fans

OVER 60,000
PEOPLE MAY
VISIT FAIR
THIS YEAR:
OFFICIAL
PAKISTAN
FORUM FETES
PIA FOR
RELIEF
EFFORTS
NO PLACE FOR
VIOLENCE IN
DEMOCRACY:
NIGERIAN
EXPATS
PAGE 18 | QT SPOTLIGHT ON CAREER FAIR
PAGE 23 | METRO MUSINGS
PAGE 24 | QT SPOTLIGHT ON ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA
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Partnership on
education and
innovation
LANI ROSE R DIZON
DOHA
CNAQ President Dr Ken MacLeod (right) hands over a cheque to ROTA Director Essa al Mannai
after signing a pact, in Doha, on Sunday. (HANSON K JOSEPH)
Talking at the event, al
Mannai said, “The partnership will be a significant
input to improving our programmes. CNAQ has a
wealth of knowledge that we
will be happy to share and
transfer to the countries in
need. Their expertise in the
field of education will be
invaluable for our work with
the children in Asia. ROTA is
about knowledge and education. Knowledge transfer is
the aim of the charity and it is
not only about monetary donations. We are eager to
learn from CNAQ and collaborate with it for the betterment of children in Asia.”
Talking about the key proj-
30 WWE superstars to
entertain Doha fans
WWE star Sheamus (left) with Golden Relations CEO Bilal Taha at a press meet, in Doha, on Sunday. (MANEESH BAKSHI)
AILYN AGONIA
DOHA
RING heartthrob John Cena will
face reigning World Wrestling
Entertainment (WWE) champion Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin for
the main event of the ‘WWE
presents Wrestlemania Revenge
Tour’ to be staged at the Qatar
Sports Club Stadium on April 23.
About 30 WWE superstars
will be flying into Doha for the
first such live event in the country. The show is organised by
Golden Relations in partnership with Qtel.
Reigning ‘King of the Ring’
Sheamus made the official
announcement of the muchawaited event at a press conference on Sunday. The Irish
wrestler said, “All the WWE
superstars are excited to visit
Doha and put in their best show
for our fans in Qatar. We will not
disappoint our supporters. We
Dhuhr: 11:36 am
Maghrib: 5:55 pm
Isha:
7:25 pm
Monday, April 11, 2011
ROTA, CNAQ sign pact
REACH Out To Asia (ROTA)
and the College of the North
Atlantic Qatar (CNAQ)
signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) on
Sunday to explore partnerships in the fields of education and innovation. ROTA
Director Essa al Mannai and
CNAQ President Dr Ken
MacLeod signed the pact.
As part of the MoU, the two
organisations will work together on future collaborations using the skills and expertise available at the CNAQ to
help fulfil the needs of ROTA
projects in Asia.
The CNAQ is also planning
to work with ROTA on education-based initiatives which
will include teacher quality
training, curriculum development, as well as English language training, among others.
3:55 am
3:05 pm
will provide good entertainment
for everybody.”
The championship match
between John Cena and The Miz
will be the highlight of the threehour action-packed programme.
An exciting match between
seven-time world champion
Randy Orton and CM Punk is
another event to watch out for.
The other top WWE names to
take part in the event include
Daniel Bryan, John Morrison,
Dolph Ziggler and Ted DiBianse.
Executive Director of Qtel’s
Group Communications Adel
Mutawa said, “Entertainment is
important to Qtel and WWE provides a unique form of entertainment that is popular, particularly
among the young people of
Qatar. We are happy to bring
WWE to the community, because
of its immense popularity in the
country and the region.”
He said that Qtel will give away
150 pairs of tickets to Hala cus-
tomers that use eTopUp and 50
pairs of tickets to customers who
use ePayment for their monthly
bills. Customers who use top-up
via e-services will be eligible to
win the tickets.
Golden Relations CEO Bilal
Taha assured interested people
that the show will be an evening
to remember. He said, “The fans
in Doha will get an opportunity
to meet up-close the WWE
superstars during a ‘meet and
greet’ event at the Virgin
Megastore in Villaggio at 11am
on April 23.”
Ticket prices are at QR1,000,
QR750, QR500, QR350 and
QR250. Tickets are now on sale
and
can
be
purchased
from Golden Relations representatives present at Qtel’s
Virgin Mobile service outlets at
Villaggio,
City
Center,
Landmark, The Mall and Hyatt
Plaza or online at www.spotsbyme.com.
ects, McLeod said, “This is a
general partnership on many
things that we can move forward within areas of primary,
secondary and tertiary education. We discussed technology transfer, among other issues. We have a range of technology at the college that quickly gets updated and we can
transfer it to ROTA which
can be transferred to the countries in need. We also have a
high level of expertise at the
college which can be mobilised on a short notice. I see this as an exciting partnership.”
After the signing event,
MacLeod presented al Mannai with a cheque worth
QR38,069 raised during the
2009 and 2010 CNAQ holiday
bazaars. The donation was
raised through admission
charges and table rents. All
CNAQ proceeds have been
used for charitable causes.
Since 2005, CNAQ has raised
over QR150,000 for charity
bodies, including ROTA, Qatar Charity, Qatar Red Crescent, Qatar Cancer Society
and Qatar Minor Hockey.
Wireless research
forum begins today
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
OVER 100 member organisations from both industry
and academia will take part
in the 26th Wireless World
Research Forum (WWRF)
meeting to be held at the
Intercontinental
Hotel
from Monday.
The three-day conference will be organised
by the QU Wireless
Innovations Center at
the Qatar Science &
Technology Park, with the
support of the Qatar
National Research Fund.
This is the first time the
WWRF conference is being
held in the Middle East.
WWRF is the primary
forum of the global wireless
industry
and
research community. It
helps to develop a strategy for the world’s
wireless programmes.
WWRF organises two
conferences every year in
different regions.
Executive Director of
QUWIC Dr Adnan AbuDayya said, “We have goals
to build the local capacity
and to establish an eco-system for research and development. This conference
will bring global industry
and leaders to the country
for a series of discussion
and workshops. It will focus
on the role of wireless technologies in the development
of solutions in vertical markets, which is at the core of
our business.”
The conference will feature world-class speakers
from globally renowned
companies, universities
and research centres, as
well as panel discussions
and
working
group
sessions. The plenary sessions will focus on topics
such as Middle East R&D
Initiatives,
intelligent
transportation systems,
wireless for smart living
and mobile health.
18
Monday, April 11, 2011
www.qatar-tribune.com
QT SPOTLIGHT ON QATAR CAREER FAIR
Over 60,000
may visit jobs
fair this year,
says official
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
WITH over 135 exhibitors
and 355 volunteers registered for the five-day
event, this year’s edition of
the Qatar Career Fair has
surpassed previous such
event in terms of interest
and patronage, said Fair
Steering Committee CoChairperson Khalid A al
Sulaiteen.
Addressing a press conference
on
Sunday,
Sulaiteen said the organisers expect around 50,000
to 60,000 people to visit
the fair at the Doha
Exhibitions Centre over
the next five days.
He said that the event
focuses primarily on fresh
graduates from universities and high schools.
“We are not concerned
about the number of visitors to the fair. We are
focusing on students and
graduates from schools
and universities. There
might be other visitors who
would be looking for better
job opportunities but our
primary target is the freshers from universities and
schools,” Sulaiteen said.
He said that a special
addition to this year’s programme is the ‘INVEST’
programme which aims to
help youngsters in choosing the right career.
Sulaiteen said that the
organising committee has
received 130 projects from
various individuals who
proposed many innovative
ideas.
“These proposals were
screened and 30 projects
were sent for the consideration of the organising
committee. Altogether, 11
were sent for evaluation
and four were selected for
final approval. After the
interview with all the four
candidates, two proposals
were accepted for funding
and implementation,” he
said.
Regarding the selection
of volunteers, Executive
A special addition
to this year’s programme is the
‘INVEST’ programme which
aims to help youngsters in choosing
the right career.
Director of Qatar Career
Fair Abdullah al Mansouri
said, “Over 700 students
from universities and secondary schools across the
country applied as volunteers. Out of these 355
were selected and trained
in various departments of
specialisation.”
He said that the INVEST
programme is meant for
attracting people towards
private sector jobs.
Mansouri said that
another important initiative at this year’s fair is the
‘Open Day’ for school and
university students.
He said it is aimed at
making young Qataris
familiar with the educational employment, training and development in the
country. (JV)
Co-Chairperson of the Steering Committee of Qatar Career
Fair Khalid A al Sulaiteen addresses the media, in Doha, on
Sunday. (JALAL PATHIYOOR)
The Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Emiri Diwan HE Abdullah bin Hamad
al Attiyah with officials at the opening ceremony of Qatar Career Fair, in Doha, on Sunday.
Deputy Emir graces opening
ceremony of career fair
JOSEPH VARGHESE
DOHA
THE Deputy Emir and Heir
Apparent His Highness
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al
Thani graced the opening
ceremony of Qatar Career
Fair 2011 at the International
Exhibitions
Center
on
Sunday.
Held under the slogan
‘Write the next chapter in the
success of Qatar,’ the five-day
event is witnessing the participation of 130 top organisations from both the public
and private sectors.
The opening ceremony was
attended by Deputy Prime
Minister and Chairman of the
Emiri Diwan HE Abdullah
bin Hamad al Attiyah and a
number of ministers and senior officials.
HH the Deputy Emir
toured various booths at the
fair where officials of the participating
organisations
briefed him about their
employment plans.
He also visited the photo
exhibition held on the sidelines of the fair.
In a statement to the fair’s
‘Visitors’ Guide’, HH the
Deputy Emir said, “Human
development and investment
in knowledge are key elements of the comprehensive
modernisation and development vision of the Emir His
The Qatar Career
Fair aims to
familiarise young
people with
opportunities
available to them
for effective participation in the
march of
progress of Qatar
HH SHEIKH TAMIM BIN HAMAD AL THANI
Highness Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa al Thani who has paid
attention to our youth by
educating them and enhancing their capacities. The
Qatar Career Fair aims to
familiarise young people with
opportunities available to
them for effective participation in the march of progress
of Qatar. The 2022 World
Cup represents one of the
achievements made by young
The Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani with an official
at the Qatar Career Fair, in Doha, on Sunday.
people aspiring for the elevation of their homeland.”
The fair aims to provide
employment, training and
development opportunities
in addition to career guidance to graduates.
The exhibition includes a
series of activities, events and
workshops in addition to
other programmes and contests.
Qapco to attract local talents Vodafone to offer career tips
to Qatari graduates
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
QATAR
Petrochemical
Company (Qapco) is taking
part in this year’s Career Fair,
thus demonstrating a strong
determination to achieve its
strategic goal of attracting
qualifying Qatari nationals to
join the Qapco family.
The opening ceremony of
Qapco stand at the fair was
attended by its ViceChairman and General
Manager Dr Mohamed Yousef
al Mulla, Group Manager
Marketing & Commercial
Abdulrahman al Abdulla,
Group
Manager
Administration
Rashid
Abdullah al Sulaiti, Learning
and Development Manager
Nasser al Hajri, Senior
Development Officer Mejali
Waleed M al Kuwari and
Public Relations Executive,
for Events & Hospitality
Hamoud Sa’ad al Enazi.
Several of the company’s
managers and senior officials
were also present at the cere-
DOHA
Qapco officials at the opening ceremony, in Doha, on Sunday.
mony.
The
company’s
ViceChairman and General
Manager Mohamed Yousef al
Mulla said that Qapco’s participation in the Qatar Career
Fair is part of its commitment
to the strategic Qatarisation
plan, which strives to develop
a quality national workforce in
diverse industries, including
the petrochemical sector.
“With the full support of HE
Dr Mohamed Saleh al Sada,
Minister of Energy and
Industry, and following the
directives of Hamad Rashid al
Mohanadi, board chairman,
Qapco has developed an
extensive strategy to implement the Qatarisation policy,
and to raise the targeted percentage of Qatari employees
up to 50 percent. This will be
achieved through attracting,
encouraging and urging the
fresh graduates and students
to join the company, by allowing them to get an insight into
the work opportunities avail-
able in the company’s different departments,” he said.
Qapco
Learning
and
Development
Manager
Nasser Mohammed al Hajri
said, “The application forms
presented in the fair will be
carefully reviewed in order to
identify the candidates’ skills.
The best applicants will be
selected according to their
qualifications and experience.
Priority will be given to Qatari
graduates who have distinctive job aptitudes.”
THE Deputy Emir and Heir
Apparent HH Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al Thani and the
Deputy Prime Minister and
Chairman of the Emiri Diwan
HE Abdullah bin Hamad al
Attiyah visited Vodafone’s
booth at the Qatar Career Fair,
on Sunday.
A number of Vodafone staff
comprising of Qatari nationals and international employees led by its Acting CEO
John Tombleson, were on
hand to receive the important
dignitaries.
Welcoming them to the
booth, Tombleson said that it
was a great honour for the
company to host HH the
Deputy Emir and the deputy
prime minister.
He said, “Vodafone Qatar is
looking forward to meeting the
Qatar Career Fair attendees
this week and sharing potential
opportunities for people to join
the organisation.”
HH the Deputy Emir and the
deputy prime minister were
later taken round the stand by
Tombleson alongside other top
officials of the company.
Vodafone Qatar’s booth
Vodafone Qatar is
renowned as a
centre for talent
development, driven by its coaching
and mentoring
programmes.
located at BFS 4 offers interested candidates the opportunity
to meet with Qatari employees,
discuss potential opportunities
and get some insight into the
working life at the telecommunications company.
Vodafone Qatar is currently
recruiting for their retail
stores and call centre, and is
actively seeking Qatari nationals who are eager to gain experience in a ‘front-line’ sales
environment. There are also a
number of other opportunities available, including
Vodafone’s graduate rotation
scheme and intern programmes as well as a variety
of permanent roles.
“For Qatari employees
specifically, Vodafone Qatar
presents an exciting environment and an unrivalled
opportunity for career building and growth with a leading
global company,” said Jan
Mottram, Vodafone Qatar’s
HR director.
He added that Vodafone
Qatar is renowned as a centre
for talent development, driven
by its coaching and mentoring
programmes.
“Vodafone Qatar is a highly
dynamic and collaborative
organisation,” Mottram said.
“Our people find incredible
opportunities in many different areas of the business,
while at the same time drawing on the global resources
and opportunities of the
Vodafone Group,” he added.
Monday, April 11, 2011
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METRO MUSINGS
www.qatar-tribune.com
23
Pakistan forum fetes PIA for relief efforts
L N MALLICK
DOHA
PAKISTAN Engineers Forum
(PEF) recently honoured
Pakistan
International
Airlines (PIA) for airlifting
relief items for flood victims
in Pakistan.
At a brief ceremony held at
the airline office, PEF
President Nadeem Ahmad
Bashir presented a shield of
appreciation to PIA Country
Manager Jan Mohammad
Mehar.
In attendance at the event
were PIA’s Sales Executive
Kabir Uddin Khan and
Accounts Manager Rasool
Iqbal.
The PEF executives comprising of Vice President
Tahir Jamil, Joint Secretary
Azeem Uddin, Webmaster
Asif
Nadeem,
Steering
Committee Member Naseer
Uddin and Community
Advisor Mohammad Ajmal
Chaudhry also graced the
occasion.
Mehar thanked the PEF
officials for acknowledging
the services of the national
carrier and appreciated the
efforts made by the forum to
collect items for the flood victims.
Bashir thanked the PIA
officials for the cooperation
the PEF members received
during their relief campaign
for the flood victims.
PIA airlifted two tonnes of
food items and blankets collected by the PEF to Pakistan
free of charge.
The recent floods in
Pakistan struck the whole
country and affected millions
of peoples. PIA airlifted more
than 40 tonnes of relief goods
collected by different organisations in Qatar.
The goods were airlifted
free-of-cost to Islamabad
where it was received by
National
Disaster
Management
Authority
(NDMA), the official government agency entrusted with
the rehabilitation activities of
flood victims in Pakistan.
Founded in 1997, PEF is a
non-profit and non-political
professional organisation for
Pakistani engineers and other
professionals in Qatar.
Besides holding technical
seminars, the forum also
arranges functions on national days of Pakistan.
PIA Country Manager Jan Mohammad Mehar (fourth left) receives a shield of appreciation from PEF President Nadeem Ahmad Bashir, in Doha, recently.
Georgetown hosts summit
on community engagement
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
A FOUR-day ‘Soliya’ Summit
on community engagement,
media production and leadership
sponsored
by
Georgetown
University
School of Foreign Service
concluded on Sunday on the
university’s campus in
Education City.
Soliya is a pioneering nonprofit organisation that uses
new technologies to facilitate
dialogue between students
from diverse backgrounds
across the globe.
The summit which was
held from April 6 brought
together 25 young adults
from more than 15 countries
in Europe, North America,
Australia and MENA.
Welcoming participants on
the opening day, Interim
Dean of School of Foreign
Service Dr Mehran Kamrava
said, “You have gathered
here at a time of extraordinary and historic change in
the world at large and in this
region in particular. Change
driven largely by young
adults exactly like yourselves
and the young men and
women who study here at
Georgetown. And change
accelerated by the use of new
media technologies that your
generation has pioneered,
enabling human beings to
connect with one another as
never before.”
He said that the main aim
of the summit was to build
the participants’ sense of
community, their media
skills, leadership skills, and
their support network so that
GSDP, CMU-Q
discuss ways to
implement
national strategy
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
Participants at the Soliya summit, in Doha, recently.
they may help promote
cross-cultural understanding
within and between their
societies using new media
and communications technologies.
Over the summit’s four
days, the young adults spent
time with journalists at Al
Jazeera headquarters and
participated in various training exercises and activities.
They also worked with
award-winning filmmaker
He challenged the
participants to see
themselves as
responsible citizens of their different communities.
Julia Bacha of Just Vision,
and visited key cultural sites
around Doha.
Addressing the summit,
Founder
and
Chief
Innovation Officer at Soliya
Lucas Welch said, “As our
world grows more and more
interdependent, it is critical
that the next generation
establishes ways to communicate constructively about
the common challenges we
face and finds solutions that
respect the dignity of all people.”
He challenged the partici-
pants to see themselves as
responsible citizens of their
different communities and to
be alive to their civic responsibilities.
The summit delegates
were chosen from a pool of
applicants
to
become
“Terana
Fellows”
and
received online media and
facilitation training prior to
attending the summit in
Doha.
THE General Secretariat
for Development Planning
(GSDP) and the Carnegie
Mellon University-Qatar
(CMU-Q) recently held
discussions on knowledge-based economy and
the implementation of the
National Development
Strategy.
The meeting held at the
GSDP building was at the
instance of the GSDP
director-general.
In attendance were the
GSDP Director-General
HE Sheikh Hamad bin
Jabor al Thani, Director
of
Institutional
Development Dr Saleh al
Nabit,
Director
of
Economic Development
Dr Frank Harrigan, and
Expert on Institutional
Development Dr Barak
Saeed Yehya.
The CMU-Q team was
led by the Dean Professor
Richard Tucker, and it
comprised
of
the
Assistant
Deans
Dr
Robert Monroe and Dr
Kevin Lamb, and Director
of Government Initiatives
and Employment Services
Fadhel Annan.
Participants at the
meeting discussed ideas
and views on the possible
role of CMU-Q and other
universities in the country, in supporting the
State of Qatar to advance
its agenda on the ‘knowledge economy’, building
on GSDP’s projects and
initiatives on this issue.
A concept note was supplied to CMU-Q on a
GSDP Knowledge-Based
Business (KBB) project.
Participants at
the meeting discussed ideas
and views on the
possible role of
CMU-Q and other
universities in
the country in
making Qatar a
knowledgebased economy.
The KBB project aims to
provide a coherent, context-specific framework
for assessing knowledgebased economic development in Qatar at the business cluster and infrastructure level.
Ways through which
CMU-Q can contribute to
the implementation of the
NDS were also discussed,
and a number of practical
possibilities were identified for further investigation.
It was agreed that CMUQ will make proposals for
the next joint meeting on
the way forward, in light
of the discussions, and in
line with the NDS and its
programmes and projects.
QDA to hold training course for diabetes educators
CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
QATAR
Diabetes
Association (QDA) in collaboration with International
Diabetes Federation (IDF)
will hold a four-day course in
Advanced
Diabetes
Education at the Education
City’s Club House from April
11.
The course is aimed at
improving the knowledge as
well as updating the information of the diabetes educators in Qatar by using the
latest guidelines and methods of care used worldwide.
The participants will be
addressed by professionals
who will highlight the critical knowledge, skills and
strategies
needed
to
increase their understanding of diabetes management
and education.
Talking about the event,
QDA’s Executive Director
and Manager of IDF in
MENA Dr Abdullah al
Hamaq said, “Diabetes is a
threat to our region, so one
of our objectives is to work
towards empowering diabetes educators to be well
equipped to take better care
of their patients and to share
this knowledge with others
to ensure that the people
with diabetes are committed
The course is
aimed at improving
the knowledge as
well as updating
the information of
the diabetes educators in Qatar .
to self-management of their
condition.”
He said the trainers were
drawn from Kuwait, Iran
and Pakistan and that the
event will also witness participants from the MENA
region.
Commenting on the
course, QDA Programme
Manager Dr Sharoud al
Jundi Matthis, said, “The
course is intended to
empower health educators
to produce positive patients’
response in the prevention,
management and care of
diabetes. The goal is also to
minimize the development
of chronic diabetes complications, as well as supply the
health care professional with
advanced knowledge and the
skills required to properly
manage and care for the people with diabetes.”
Among the topics to be
addressed are: Role of
Diabetes
Educator,
Nutrition Management in
Diabetes, Physical Activity
Management in Diabetes,
Foot
care
and
Pharmacological
Management in Diabetes,
Acute
and
Chronic
Complications of Diabetes,
Socio-economic challenges
in the gulf region Tools and
Technologies
for
Monitoring, among others.
24
Monday, April 11, 2011
www.qatar-tribune.com
QT SPOTLIGHT ON ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA
NO PLACE FOR VIOLENCE IN
DEMOCRACY: NIGERIAN EXPATS
W
ith the results of the
first round of voting in
Nigeria trickling in, it
seems the ruling party
is set to see its parliamentary majority dwindle. The
poll, which is being held in three
rounds, has witnessed much
violence with 11 people being
killed in a bomb explosion on
Saturday itself. Many poll pundits believe that the election is
likely to be a close call, and that
is the reason why parties are
using all tactics to clinch the
issue. Qatar Tribune reporters
Victor
Bolorunduro,
Opadijo Jelili and Ikoli
Victor talked to some Nigerian
expatriates in Qatar to ascertain
their views on the ongoing democratic exercise. Excerpts:
POLLS MUST BE CREDIBLE
Q a s i m A, IT expert
We are looking forward to having
a free and fair election in Nigeria.
The outcome of this democratic
exercise will surely tell the world
how viable is the democracy in
Africa’s most populous country.
Nigerians, both at home and
abroad, expect credible elections
and authentic results that will
result in a government of the
people and for the people. I want
to urge our politicians to behave
in a democratic manner and
allow people to cast their vote
without fear. The poll campaign
has been marred by sporadic
incidents of violence, and this is
very unfortunate.
People cast their vote at a polling station, in Ibadan, Nigeria, on Saturday
ALL EYES ON NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY
A y o d e j i G r a c e, Estate Manager
I hope Nigerian politicians will
allow peace to prevail during the
elections. The country cannot
afford to be like another Ivory
Coast. The politicians should
play the game, and at the same
in the first round already underway, we can expect that ultimately the people’s mandate will prevail over bullets. Past polls in the
country have been marked by violence and rigging, but this time
the elections have been conducted in a much better way. We need
to change the world impression
that Nigerian elections are synonymous with rigging and violence. Nigerian politicians should
come of age to make the poll one
of the most credible in Africa.
MASSES MAY VOTE RULING
PARTY OUT
R a y m o n d O b o n g, Engineer
People are tired of the ruling
party but it wants to hold on to
power at all costs, especially in
the south-western region where
there has been no development
so far. The ruling party wants to
use all resources at its disposal,
including the police, to remain
in power. But Nigerians have
learnt from their past mistakes.
If the masses are given a chance
to make their choice freely, they
will definitely vote out the ruling party to pave the way for
new beginning.
Buhari-led CPC which is the should we kill each other? I urge
main
opposition
party. my countrymen back home to
Everything points to a major open their eyes and see that
showdown as the opposition their democratic rights are not
parties are ready to give the rul- robbed by anti-social elements.
ing party a run for its money. They should not allow any
The politicians must allow peace politician or political party to
to prevail. We
use and dump
cannot allow the
They
Readers’ them.
mischief-monshould vote wiseSpeakup ly and elect leadgers to create
problems. They
ers who can serve
should know that politics is not them well. We cannot afford
a do-or-die affair. They must instability in the country. The
allow the will of the people to whole world is watching us and
prevail. We cannot afford to we must live up to the internahave a repetition of what is tak- tional community’s expectation.
ing place in Ivory Coast.
It is high time we prove to the
world that we are capable of
POLITICIANS MUST RESPECT
managing our affairs without
MANDATE
any intervention.
B o d e L a w o y i n, Geologist
The country’s security machinery
CURB VIOLENCE TO SAVE
should be on high alert to stop
DEMOCRACY
any kind of violence. Elections in A u g u s t u s A k p a n , Logistics Officer
Nigeria have become synony- It is sad to know that violence is
rising during the elections in
Nigeria. Political parties and
candidates should try to restrain
their supporters from indulging
in violence and must ensure that
the elections are held in free and
fair manner. The parties should
not add fuel to fire by encouraging their workers to win elections
by hook or by crook. The government and the security forces
must take stronger steps to curb
poll violence. So far, the police
have failed in their duty to stop
mous with violence because the anti-social
elements
from
opposition and the ruling party
are keen to win every seat. If the
parties are really sincere with
their manifestos, they must
allow the people to decide. But
due to violence, we fear that the
voices of people will take a
backseat and trouble-makers
will ruin our democracy. I hope
the federal government will
provide the security agencies
with enough logistic support to
maintain law and order. This
election means a lot to the people of Nigeria, and their man- indulging in violence and terrorising the people. We must underdate must be respected.
stand that elections are important
PEOPLE MUST VOTE WISELY
in a democracy and they must be
L a n r e A k i n l o s e, Receptionist
held in a peaceful manner.
The current violence is condemnable, and if not stopped
LEADERS TO BLAME FOR
quickly it will spread to other
VIOLENCE
areas as well. I decry violence R o t i m i J o l a y e m i
and unwarranted killings in the Computer Scientist
country. We are brothers, why It is unfortunate that most of the
QT
PEOPLE’S MANDATE WILL PREVAIL
D e l e B a l o g u n, Lab Technician
Though the campaign has witnessed violent incidents, the first
round of polling on Saturday was
by and large peaceful barring an
incident in Maiduguri where 11
people died due to explosion.
With the counting of votes polled
time not violate the rules. It is
high time the leaders eschew
politics of bitterness and
embrace fair play in all aspects
of politics. They should know
that all eyes are on them since
Nigeria is the most populous
country in Africa. Democracy
has come to stay in Nigeria and
we must strengthen it during
these elections. The time has
come to do away with the ‘sit
tight syndrome’ that is common
with most African leaders. I
hope that the polling will be
peaceful despite some violence
being witnessed in parts of
the country.
PRESIDENTIAL POLLS TOO
CLOSE TO CALL
T o n y O g u n l a d e, Teacher
Nigeria is on the threshold of creating a new history. From the
feelers we are getting in the runup to the election, the presiden-
tial poll is going to be a close call
between the ruling party and the
retired General Muhammadu
(AP)
politicians in Nigeria do not know
the meaning of democracy. The
current phase of violence does not
augur well for the country. It is
really sad that the politicians are
giving statements that are
provocative and not good for
democracy. Many are inciting the
youth to indulge in violence for
selfish interests. Our leaders must
understand the importance of
election and do their best to keep it
peaceful. They must allow the people’s will to prevail for the betterment of Nigeria.
PARTIES VITIATING POLL
ATMOSPHERE
O P J a c o b s, Electrical Engineer
The situation in Nigeria is really
bad as the government machinery
is intimidating political rivals and
hindering their poll campaign. It is
unfortunate that the rule of law is
being given a short shrift by the
ruling party leaders. Instead of
helping to keep the poll process
peaceful, politicians are making
provocative statements and
encouraging their supporters to
win elections at all costs. I urge the
politicians to ensure that the poll
atmosphere is not vitiated and
people get a chance to take part in
the democratic exercise without
fear. Nigerian leaders should learn
how to behave like statesmen.
They should know that the whole
world is watching and the country’s reputation is at stake. The
government whose responsibility
is to ensure the security of people
must put its act together and do its
best to strengthen democracy.
LEADERS MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE
R a m o n R a h e e m, Receptionist
The tension in Nigeria is a result of
the uncouth utterances of some of
our politicians. Due to the unending violence, many precious lives
have been lost. I urge politicians to
conduct themselves properly as
the whole world is watching our
elections closely. Leaders must
lead by example and ask their supporters to not indulge in violent
activities. I urge the voters to think
twice before supporting a party
because their vote will decide the
future of the country. They must
use their voting right with care.
LISTEN TO AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL’S CALL
W a l e A d u, Safety Officer
The violence that is being witnessed during the elections is
highly condemnable. There is
hardly any part of the country
which has not been affected by
poll violence. Due to the recurrent
violence in the country, the
Amnesty International has urged
the government to act quickly to
stop anti-social elements from
hurting the stability of the country. Our leaders must understand
that there is no place for violence
in democracy. The Nigerian government must act to protect people’s lives, and all political candidates should denounce violence.
The Goodluck administration led
by the PDP must talk with the
opposition and take all steps to
curb violence and allow people to
cast their vote.