Double Whammy: Google Jars Investors, Releasing Disappointing 3rd-Quarter Report Prematurely

Michael Liedtke,

In this Monday, Sept 17, 2012, file photo an unidentified man's shadow reflects on a commercial bus with an advertisement for Google Mail, in Lagos, Nigeria. Google Inc.'s stock plunged suddenly on Thursday Oct. 18, 2012, after a contractor prematurely released the search company's third-quarter earnings report. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

SAN FRANCISCO - As far as unpleasant surprises go, Google hit Wall Street with a double whammy Thursday.

The Internet search leader that prides itself of organizing the world's information lost control of its own data when a contractor released its third-quarter earnings report more than three hours before the numbers were supposed to come out.

As if that wasn't jarring enough, the results alarmed investors because the company's earnings and revenue fell well below analyst projections. The disappointment triggered an 8 per cent drop in Google's stock price that erased about $20 billion in shareholder wealth.

"This is a monumental failure of epic proportions," said Michael Robinson, an executive vice-president for the Levick Strategic Communications, which specializes in financial crisis management. "This was bad news compounded by bad process. It came out in the worst way possible."

Google Inc. blamed printer R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. for filing the company's quarterly statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission more than three hours ahead of schedule.

"We are fully engaged in an investigation to determine how this event took place and are pursuing our first obligation, which is to serve our valued customer," R.R. Donnelley said in a statement.

The embarrassing mix-up prompted Google CEO Larry Page to preface his review of the quarter with an apology during a conference call with analysts.

"I am sorry for the scramble earlier today," Page said, still sounding hoarse from a mysterious throat ailment. The problem left Page unable to speak during the summer, causing him to skip Google's second-quarter earnings call three months ago.

Page went on to paint a bright picture, not only of the most recent quarter, but for the next few years. "Every day, I wake up and I am delighted about our opportunities to keep growing," he said.

The pep talk didn't immediately resonate with investors.

Google's stock initially plunged more than 9 per cent after the early release of the results. Trading was then suspended to allow more time for the information to be digested. After a nearly three-hour break, investors decided the results weren't quite as bad as they initially appeared, and the shares recovered slightly.

Even so, the stock wound up dropping $60.49, or 8 per cent, to close at $695.

The sell-off reflects a reversal of the optimistic sentiment that had propelled Google's stock to an all-time high earlier this month. The stock had surged 27 per cent in the three months before Thursday's unsettling developments.

Google earned $2.18 billion, or $6.53 per share, during the three months ending in September. That compared with net income of $2.73 billion, or $8.33 per share, last year.

The earnings would have been $9.03 per share, if not for Google's accounting costs for employee stock compensation and the Motorola charges. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting $10.63 per share, on average.

Revenue climbed 45 per cent from last year to $14.1 billion. Excluding compensation for websites that generate traffic for Google's ads, revenue was $11.33 billion. Analysts were expecting $11.86 billion

Most of the trouble appeared to be concentrated in Motorola Mobility, a troubled cellphone maker that Google bought for $12.4 billion in May. Analysts have been fretting that Motorola Mobility would turn into a financial albatross, and some of those fears appeared to be realized in the latest quarter spanning from July through September.

The device maker suffered an operating loss of $527 million, more than tripling from the same time last year when it was still an independent company.

Google is trying to improve Motorola Mobility's performance by laying off about 20 per cent of its workforce — about 4,000 employees — and closing one-third of its 90 plants and office. Those cost-cutting measures resulted in $349 million in charges during the quarter. But it still could take a few years for Google to turn around Motorola Mobility, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said on the conference call.

The stronger dollar also hurt Google, just as it has many other U.S. companies that do a lot of business in other countries. That's because overseas sales are now translating into fewer dollars than a year ago, resulting in less revenue. Excluding Motorola Mobility, Google said its revenue for the latest quarter would have been $557 million, or 5 per cent higher, if currencies had remained at the same levels as a year ago.

But there were also some worrisome signs in Google's main business of selling online advertising.

Google's ad revenue rose 16 per cent from the same time last year, the slowest pace in three years. The company's ad revenue had climbed by at least 21 per cent in each of the previous 10 quarters.

Advertising accounts for 77 per cent of Google's revenue. The rest comes from Motorola Mobility and other products, such as Google's recently released Nexus 7 tablet computer.

As has been the case for the past year, the average prices companies pay Google for ads appearing alongside search results also fell. The year-over-year decline for advertiser's "cost-per-click" on Google's ads declined 15 per cent from the same time last year.

The decelerating growth in ad revenue is likely being driven by the growing use of smartphones and tablet computers to access the Internet.

The ads are more difficult to see on smartphones, in particular, so marketers aren't willing to pay as much for those commercial messages as they do for ads that are seen by people on personal computers. And people relying on mobile devices tend to use specially designed applications that so far haven't been set up to show as many ads as can be seen in Web browsers. People using mobile apps also have less reason to conduct searches on Google, depriving the company of opportunities to show ads.

"I am not at all worried about this because I think we are better position than most companies," Page assured analysts.

Google is reaping more revenue from the rapidly growing mobile market, largely because of its Android software than now powers more than 500 million devices. The company gives away Android to device makers, but the software is fruitful for Google because it's designed to drive up more traffic to its search engine and other services that show ads.

Page said the mobile market is now generating about $8 billion in annual revenue, including sales of applications, video, books and music in its Play store. Not all of those, sales, though, are recorded in Google's books because most of the money goes to developers, studios and publishers. A year ago, Google said the mobile market was generating about $2.5 billion in annual revenue, but that figure consisted entirely of ads, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison to the $8 billion.

Los Angeles Deputy shoots suspect in hospital emergency room

A jail inmate suspected of drug use was shot and killed Thursday by a Los Angeles County deputy after the man grabbed a gun from another deputy in a hospital emergency room, authorities said.

The 27-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, was pronounced dead at Centinela Hospital Medical Center. No one else was hurt.

The man had one wrist handcuffed to a gurney in a private triage room with two deputies when he suddenly grabbed the gun from one officer's belt and "tried to gain possession of it," sheriff's Lt. Holly Francisco said. The other deputy fired the shot that killed the inmate, she said.

The man had been arrested Wednesday for investigation of possessing a controlled substance. While jailed at the South Los Angeles station, the man complained of feeling ill and responding firefighters took him to the hospital.

It was unclear if the man was under the influence at the time of the shooting.

Ken Cobb, who was in a wheelchair, said he heard one of the deputies tell the man he was going take off the handcuff to sign some paperwork.

"It happened so fast it was like a quick flash reaction," Cobb said.

There were roughly 20 hospital employees working at the time of the shooting, but no one was in the area where the shooting occurred, hospital spokesman Steven Brand said.

Centinela Hospital, which had about 60,000 emergency room visits last year, does not have an inmate ward like some other medical facilities but routinely treats suspected criminals who have injuries or illnesses, Brand said.

In addition, the hospital provides safety training for its staff and employs security guards who are not armed, he said.

"We treat the safety of the public and our staff with the utmost importance," Brand said. "We believe this facility is as secure as can be."

Officer-involved shootings at hospitals are rare, although a San Diego County deputy fatally shot an inmate at UC San Diego Medical Center last month.

That inmate was taken to the hospital after allegedly attacking deputies at a San Diego jail. He broke free of his restraints as he was about to undergo a medical scan and hit one deputy with a chair before he was shot and killed, officials said.

.......JOURNAL STAR

U.S. Army General Nominated to Africa Command

BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/DEFENSE NEWS

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta nominated on Oct. 18 a former senior commander in Afghanistan as the new head of the military’s Africa Command, which oversees U.S. security efforts on the continent.

The change in leadership comes amid growing concerns over al-Qaida’s affiliates in the region, particularly in Mali, and a deadly attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya linked to Islamist extremists.

Panetta said Gen. David Rodriguez, who served as the deputy American commander in Afghanistan and helped plan the “surge” of additional troops in the war, was well-suited to the post.

As chief of the NATO-led force’s joint command, Rodriguez “oversaw the coalition and Afghan forces during the surge, and was a key architect of the successful campaign plan that we are now implementing,” Panetta told a news conference.

Rodriguez, known by troops as “General Rod” and who currently serves as head of U.S. Army Forces command, was touted as a possible chief commander for Afghanistan last year. The job however went to a Marine, Gen. John Allen, who after a year in Kabul is due to hand over soon to another Marine, Gen. Joseph Dunford.

If his nomination is confirmed by the Senate as expected, Rodriguez will succeed Gen. Carter Ham, who played a key role in the NATO air war in Libya.,br />
As head of Africa Command, Rodriguez would help oversee counter-terrorism missions in Somalia, Yemen, Mali, Nigeria and elsewhere, as well as training and other efforts designed to bolster U.S. military ties across the region.

The command’s headquarters is based in Stuttgart, Germany. Panetta also named Gen. John Paxton as the new number two of the U.S. Marine Corps, as the outgoing assistant to the commandant, Dunford, will soon be taking over as the top U.S. and NATO military chief in Afghanistan.

High Life Music Mixer Flavour Nabania Opens 2Nite Club In Enugu

The Coal City (Enugu) joins cats-run-pub nightlife when highlife music mixer Flavour Nabania (Chinedu Okoli) opens his private club "2Nite Club" to the public on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, joining his fellow newbreed mixers 2Face Idibia a nd Basketmouth who first ran underground digital music and the Improv. Fellow mixers Tiwa savage, Kcee, Wizkid and others will be showing up.

Death of actor sparks protest in Benin

Atienwhen died because he could not pay the N150k demanded by doctors before treating him

The death of a Benin-based actor and staff of the State Ministry of Arts, Culture Tourism, Brown Atienwhen, has sparked protest as hundreds of actors took to the streets Tuesday.

Mr Brown died last Sunday at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

The actors and actresses protested on major streets in Benin City, the Edo state capital, alleging that he died because he could not pay the N150,000 demanded by the doctors treating him.

Colleagues and the leaders of the workers’ union in the Edo Arts Council, a unit under the State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, also alleged that the artiste died because of negligence on the part of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Caroline Edo-Osagie, who did not release money for the treatment of the deceased.

Reacting to the allegations, Chairman of the Edo Arts Council chapter of the Radio, Television and Theatre Workers’ Union (RATTAWU), Mr. Mike Kadiri, said although the commissioner in charge of the ministry approved the release of the sum of N150,000 to the family of the late actor last week, the Permanent Secretary refused to release the money, because according to her, the late artiste owed her N7,000.

Kadiri, who said he personally took the deceased to the hospital where he was diagnosed, noted that the doctor requested for the sum of N150,000 to carry out a major operation and he immediately informed the ministry.

He said that the man eventually died on Sunday, just two days after the money was eventually released to the family.

“The commissioner confirmed that she approved the money immediately the request was made and that we should see the Permanent secretary, Edo-Osagie. But she sent us out of her office and said she had no business with us and when we persisted she walked out of the office,” Kadiri said.

The state Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Miss Aanena Jimitola, confirmed that the money was released to the family of the actor before he passed on, adding that though there was dearth of funds, she expected that with various income sources available to the ministry the money should have been released earlier.

..........IYOBOSA OMOREGIE/DAILY TIMES NIGERIA

Los Angeles County assessor arrested for corruption

BY LINDA DEUTSCH/ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles County assessor John Noguez, a top aide and a campaign contributor were arrested Wednesday as part of an investigation into influence peddling and slashing of property taxes for political allies.

District Attorney Steve Cooley called it the most significant case of public corruption he has seen in his four decades in the district attorney's office.

"Instead of acting in the best interest of the citizens of Los Angeles County, he turned his back on them," Cooley said.

Noguez was arrested along with his chief appraiser Mark McNeil and Arizona tax consultant Ramin Salari after being accused of conspiring to slash property values and save millions in property taxes for clients of Salari, a campaign contributor to Noquez.

At a news conference, Cooley declined to comment on whether owners of the properties, primarily located on the west side of Los Angeles, knew of the conspiracy. However, he said the investigation is ongoing and there could be further arrests.

Charges against Noguez include conspiracy, bribery and corruption. The others were charged with conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds. They were arrested at their homes.

Asked about Noguez' motive, Cooley said, "greed."

Defense attorney Michael J. Proctor said Noguez had been assured he would be able to give his side of the story before any charges were filed. He said Cooley was engaged in a one-sided investigation aimed at "getting" Noguez.

Proctor added that Noguez has a history of professionalism and cares deeply about the job and the people at the assessor's office.

Cooley said his office would talk to Noguez if he waived his Miranda rights.

Bail was set for each man at $1.36 million -- the estimated amount the county lost because of their alleged misdeeds. They were expected to be arraigned later in the week.

The complaint alleged that Noguez accepted $185,000 in bribes from Salari between February and September, 2010.

Noguez was a longtime county appraiser before being elected to the top job in 2010. Cooley said the investigation uncovered that Noguez' real name is Juan Renaldo Rodriguez.

Investigators looked into improper tax breaks granted to more than 100 wealthy property owners since Noguez's election.

Assessor's office employees complained they were pressured to lower property taxes for clients of prominent Noguez campaign contributors, authorities said.

The Kola Nut As An Igbo Cultural And Social Symbol

BY FADA JON OFOEGBU UKAEGBU, Ph.D

Preface

On account of the multi-referential nature of Igbo cultural symbols, a number of the earlier scholars on Igbo culture confused the sacred and profane, the religious, social and political. Bishop A.K. Obiefuna testifies to this by saying that "In traditional Igbo life no distinctions were made between the sacred and profane, fact and fiction, history and poetry, all served the same purpose in a world where the natural and the supernatural interchanged hands..."[1] It is an exaggeration to say that there was no distinction between fact and fiction in traditional lgbo society. Nevertheless, there is a natural union or marriage between the natural and supernatural in the Igbo society; and this phenomenon confirms the truth that religion is natural to man. The fact that most social symbols are associated with religion does not ritualize them or make them become religious symbols. This aspect of the union between the religious and profane makes our work a little more difficult. In some cases there can be distinction between the religious and profane without possible separation of the two. In such cases, any separation does violence to the harmony and tranquility in the people's culture. We feel the absence of the plates and images in the extract and this marks a notable difference between the excerpt and the main work.

Ọjị – The Kola Nut: Origin

There is no Igbo cultural symbol that has received an equal attention as the kola nut. Ọjị Igbo, - cola acuminata, has more than two cotyledons or seed leaves which is the material that is chewed. Ọjị Awụsa or gworo, - cola nitida, has only two cotyledons. In Igbo traditional rituals and ceremonies, the gworo is not a valid matter: only the Igbo kola, cola acuminata is acceptable. The reason for this distinction will be made clear when we treat the ọjị symbolism.

There is a popular but cheap etymology of the kola nut, Ọjị: Ọ = Omenala (custom); J – Jikọtara that unites); Ị Igbo. Thus ọjị means “Omenala jikọtara Igbo", that is, “Custom that unites the lgbo". Cola acuminata and cola nitida are both regarded as having the same symbolism in general and private cases except on occasions like serious traditional ceremonies like marriage and sacrifices where only the Igbo Kola is used.

Eze Silver Nnanyere Ugo Ibeme Ugbala, Eze Ugo III of Okporo in Ọlụ made a revealing research on some aspects of lgbo culture, and ọjị symbolism featured prominently in his exercise. The Kola nut and the tree are regarded as the first tree and fruit on earth. The sacredness of the kola is by nature, for example, the dry wood of the tree is not used as fire wood.

The kola is a symbol of life, and for this reason, many profound and mysterious interpretations and formalities are accorded it. The Igbo kola is always accompanied by wine or drink because the Igbo say that “Onye nyere agbara ọjị ga enye ya mmiri ọ ga eji elofe ya" -“One who gives a deity kola has to give him water with which to assist him swallow it".

Igbo Interpretation of the Kola Nut.

Kola with one cotyledon is a dumb kola or Ọjị ogbu. It is called ọjị mmụọ, that is, kola of the spirits. It is not eaten. Kola with two cotyledons is equally a dumb kola and it is not eaten. This is the main reason why the Igbo do not use the gworo or cola nitida for rituals or in serious traditional celebrations. Kola with three cotyledons is called ọjị ike, ọjị ikenga, that is, kola of the valiant. Only warriors or brave men and consecrated or ordained persons are permitted to eat this kola, as a matter of principle.

Kola with four cotyledons is called "ọjị udo na ngọzi", that is, "kola of peace and blessing”. It is the normal kola. Igbo symbolism of the number four will be well treated in chapter four. The number four is very sacred among the lgbo. Kola with five cotyledons is "ọjị ụbara mmadụ, ọmụmụ na ụkwụọma that symbolizes increase in procreation, protection and good luck.

Kola with six cotyledons indicates communion with our ancestors, that is, "ọjị ndi mmụo na ndi mmadụ jiri gbaa ndụ". The smallest part or cotyledon is not eaten but is thrown away for the ancestors to eat. In like manner, kola with one cotyledon is not eaten by man, that means that it is not broken during ceremonies because it belongs to the ancestors, an attitude reminiscent of the direct link between the living and the dead in Igboland.

Presentation of the Kola Nut:

Eze Ugo III of Okporo says that "The kola nut is the 'bread' of Igbo Sacramental communion, and must therefore be specially presented, broken, shared and partaken by all the parties and families in every marriage ceremony as the final consummation and blessing."

The reference to the bread of Igbo sacramental communion reminds us of the fact that in Igbo Traditional Religion, everyone pre-sent at a sacrifice participates in the consumption of the sacrificial meal, and the children are not left out. The importance of the people’s communion in Igbo native rites is analogous to the priest's communion in the Catholic Church in the sense that every priest who celebrates is bound to partake of the communion. No other symbol represents Igbo communal spirit more than the kola nut.

The Eze goes on to talk of kola presentation. "Ọjị is the first thing served in every function or ceremony, personal or communal agreements, welcoming of a visitor to an Igbo home, and settlement of family disputes."[4] G.T. Basden records that Igbo welcome is not complete without the sharing of the kola nut. 1mmediately after the prolonged greetings in the traditional manner, "...the kola nut is brought forth on a dish or saucer or, what is more correct, on a wooden platter (really a small box fitted with a vocer) prepared and kept for the sole purpose of presenting kola nut.”[5] He goes deeper in the description of the kola presentation. "In the dish are one or more nuts. The owner first receives it from the slave attendant or one of his wives. He takes a nut and puts it to his lips, thus signifying that it is about to be offered in good faith. This symbolic action proves him to be free from malice. The dish is, thereupon, passed to the visitor."[6] The kola presentation is not essentially descriptive; rather it is at the same time a symbolic action.

The symbolism in the kola presentation comes out clearly when many people are in attendance. The social aspect is clearly brought out because the ọjị is carried from one person to another according to a trace of kinship relationship starting from the home of the host, spreads out in the direction of left to right movement and comes back to the host. This symbolic action is a manner of headcount or a way of checking the identity of all the people in attendance in any gathering before any type of discussion could be had. The kola presentation symbolizes peace and welcome; and if one makes a mistake while carrying the kola round, 'ịpa ọjị or ịre ọjị ', he is traditionally dealt with according to norms in different communities. Such an error is considered as very grave and indicates that the offender is not so responsible and may not be a reliable person.

Blessing of Kola:

The blessing of kola, ịgọ ọjị, is the right of the eldest person in any gathering or it may be that of the Eze (king) as the case may be. However, the oldest person is preferred in most cases because he is the custodian of truth and closer to the ancestors. In the evolutionary trend of the tradition, an ordained minister or one consecrated to God now takes precedence in the blessing of the kola; but the eldest per-son or the Eze who has this right will give or transfer it to minister as a privilege, not as a right.

The Ndi Ichie Akwa Mythology gives an account of the blessing of the ọjị in Igboland. “The principle behind this Igbo kola culture is that the nut cannot be broken without saying of prayers or incantations by the eldest in the gathering. This gave rise to the proverb ‘He who brings kola 5rings life', because in the kola nut prayers, the elder in addition to his wise sayings normally requested for peace prosperity, long life, happiness and protection from all ill fortunes."[7] Not only do the Igbo say prayers before the breaking of the kola nut, no traditional Igbo would drink or eat without sharing at least, with the ancestors. Thus writes E. Elochukwu Uzukwu that "The kola nut, a symbol of life and commensality which is never omitted in the morning cult, is broken. The traditional part for the spirits (the radix) is given to them, and those present share the rest."

The kola libation or blessing is employed in all occasions, formal and informal. Thus we now present a case of an old man who called his sons to give them his final blessings before he would join the ancestors. The man in question is Akpụobi, the father and founder of the town of Enyiogwugwu in Mbaise. The meeting opened with the normal blessing of kola when they were all seated. He took one kola nut and said to his dead father: "These are the sons, the sons EKE KEREỤWA gave me, and to whom I am now giving my blessings as you my father once gave to me". He raised the kola and said:

"Eke kereụwa, this is kola;

my father and the ancients, this is kola;

lyiafọ, this is kola;

four days that make eight, this is kola.
Eke kereụwa is one of the lgbo names for God; in this case it means "the One who made the world". lyiafọ is a local deity to whom the town's market, Afọ Enyiogwugwu is dedicated. A brief analysis of this kola-prayer shows that all beings, spiritual and human are invited to partake of the kola and therefore ac-company this family meeting. But ultimately the blessings to the sons come from Eke kereụwa (God) through the deities and the ancestors. This cosmic meeting is made possible, thanks to the kola symbolism of commensality. Here the kola symbolism unites man, the ancestors, cosmic forces, the deities and God. As a symbol of life, the kola libation makes clear this truth when ever it is celebrated.

Why the Kola is Always Broken with a Knife:

Why is the kola preferably broken by knife rather than by hand? Many of the answers received from the questionnaire indicate that it is due to health reasons, that is, for hygienic reasons as the immediate motive. Some people say it is because the kola is sacred, and as much should be treated in a sacred way – "Sanctae sanctae tractata sunt".

The popular reason is that ' the kola is broken with a knife as a mark of honour to it because it is not up to the size of a piece of yam which people bite and chew'. The remote reason is essentially religious, for people who have shed blood develop a "strong hand" -"aka ike" and may not break the Sacred Kola for others using the soiled or profaned hand or bloody hand. The sacredness of the ọjị stems from the fact that ọjị is Igbo symbol of life.


Right of Breaking the Kola:

Another consideration that brings out the kola symbolism is the question of the rightful person to break it. Is it the youngest or eldest in any given gathering? There are two major traditions: In the south of Igboland, the youngest in any group breaks the kola, while in the north-west and northern parts of Igboland the eldest person breaks the kola. In both cases, the breaking of kola helps in the tracing of seniority. The young-man tradition says that the young is preferred because he is presumed to be innocent, and his hands are not polluted by blood-shed in battle. This tradition has a loop-hole because at times there are gatherings where no one is really young, or where the youngest in the group is also elderly. This tradition is nurtured by the philosophy of Igbo ethical puritanism. The puritan ethics or mentality is strongly founded in Igboland.

The old-man tradition is preferred because the eldest man blesses the kola, holds the Ọfọ, and represents the authority of the ancestors. One of the strongest reasons for religious activities like blessings by the eldest person is that in Igbo traditional society, the first born or eldest man in a family or ụmụnna (kindred) assumes some priestly functions ipso facto. It is more by reason of his priesthood and not necessarily because of his age that the eldest man is preferred; and this is why today, the eldest man gives an ordained minister the kola to bless as a privilege. However, the most probable solution is that the eldest man blesses and breaks the ọjị and gives it to the youngest in the group to share and distribute. Another probable solution is that the eldest man blesses the kola and gives it to the youngest to break and share. This second alternative will eliminate monopoly of function by the eldest man.

Why Women do not Break Ceremonial Kola:

Eze Ugbala of Okporo says that “The high degree of sanctity ac-corded the Kola nut throughout lgboland is likened to that of the biblical ‘forbidden fruit of Par8dise’ in that women are forbidden from either planting, climbing, plucking or breaking the Kola nut."[11] This does not mean that men are holier than women in Igbo society. It is just a question of a mentality similar to the biblical regard for women.

The denial of women's right to break Igbo ceremonial Kola is more of social character and organization and does not imply a let down or inferiority. Women do break the Igbo kola when they gather in their usual cultural groupings of ụmụada or ụmụọkpụ or ụmụmgbọtọ; and also in the Ọha Ndom, that is council of women where no man has a saying. On the contrary, Igbo women have their cultural organizations which are completely independent of men. Igbo women have many customary rights and privileges in the society so that they may not complain over the kola nut tradition which is a matter of division of labour or function.

Coming near to the kola symbolism, we note that kola is also used as a symbol of reconciliation and to effect a covenant between two or more persons. A case between two brothers, Ezeakam and Igwe was settled by their eldest brother Elem, who "... brought a piece of kola nut and divided it into two and gave one half to each."[12] When settling murder case in an Abịrịba traditional way, kola is normally used.

In a general sense, the kola nut in Igboland constitutes a remarkable social symbol of hospitality, life, peace, kindness, good-will, commensality, fraternity, reconciliation and integrity. The kola is a typical multi-referential social symbol. While the eldest and youngest persons may break and share kola in social gatherings, it is the exclusive right of the priest to break kola during Igbo rituals to juju, as is made evident in Abịrịiba. "The kola nut and palm wine are jointly used in the Igbo Sacrament of Igbandụ – final reconciliation of man with God in all disputes or misunderstandings."[14] The unconditional attention given to ọjị symbolism reveals much of the Igbo cultural identity.

Culled from Igbo Identity and Personality vis-à-vis Igbo Cultural Symbols, being the thesis presented for the doctorate degree by Rev. Fada Jọn Ọfọegbu Ụkaegbu.

Cite this document:

OBIEFUNA, A.K., Some Aspects of Traditional Moral Heritage with Particular Reference to the Igbo People of Nigeria, art. in Lucerna, Enugwu, Bigard Memorial Seminary n.1. vol. 1, 1978 p. 25.

Ekwueme At 80: Jonathan, Lar, Fashola Debate Nigeria’s Structure

Alex Ekwueme and Yakubu Gowon.

The issue of Nigeria reverting to regionalism resonated again yesterday in Abuja, but President Goodluck Jonathan called on Nigerians to be committed to their country in the face of threats to its national integration.

Speaking at the 80th birthday celebration of former vice president Dr Alex Ekwueme, which also served as an international colloquium that touched on the theme “Nigerian Federalism: Building on the Ekwueme Legacy”, other notable speakers harped on the essence of restructuring the polity along the six geopolitical zones as propounded by Ekwueme. Yet some others insisted that what is required is good governance and not constitution amendment.

The president, who was represented by the Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, emphasised the importance of national integration for the survival of the country, describing it as “the foundation in which federalism can stand”.

According to him, “without national integration, there is mutual distrust and when there is mutual distrust, nothing will work”. He reiterated his determination to pursue policies which would focus on national integration and encouraged Nigerians to remain patriotic and renew their commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria.

However, the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, said constitution amendment is not necessary and instead advocated the need for Nigerians to restore their values and improve on the current structure of governance before taking on constitution amendment.

Fashola, who likened the current process of constitution amendment to “putting the cart before the horse”, said the need to salvage our diminishing value system and governance surpasses that of amending our constitution.

He pointed out, “If we were to continue at the rate that we are going, our constitution would be no better than the minutes of a village town hall meeting where every opinion and point of order is well documented in it.”

Fashola further argued that the efficacy of the constitution is not determined by the paper on which it is written or how long it is debated, adding that it is defined by the willingness of the parties to the agreement to adopt the agreement – “the people behind the agreement rather than the agreement in itself”.

“So our hope to ensure a better union will not be solved by changing any document; it will be solved by changing ourselves,” he said.

Also speaking on the occasion, former Plateau State governor Solomon Lar said the decision to adopt the federal system of government was born out of the enormous powers at the regions, but now it has been realized that too much power was concentrated at the centre.

“Why we decided to adopt federalism was because the regions had enormous powers, and we overdid it by giving too much powers to the federal government. That is why the states look like local governments. Nigerians should be patriotic, because we are sectional at the moment. We want the six geopolitical-zone structure to be strengthened and improved upon,” Lar said.

For Senator Ahmadu Ali, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the need for the restoration of good governance in Nigeria remains paramount.

Ali, who was arguing on the same point as Governor Fashola, stressed the need for the country to amend itself rather than amend the constitution.

Nonetheless, the moderator of the event and chairman of ThisDay newspaper, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, immediately questioned Senator Ali’s statement: “The former chairman of PDP saying there is no good governance?” Ali responded in the affirmative, arguing that if there was good governance Boko Haram would not exist and the students of the University of Port Harcourt and College of Health Technology, Mubi, would not have been slain.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, who also spoke at the birthday celebration, stressed the need for constitution amendment in order for every component entity in the country to be treated in fairness and equally. Governor Obi made reference to the current structure of the six geopolitical zones, where some zones have up to seven states while others have only five as an example of how the current constitution arrangement is in favour of some geopolitical zones and not others.

First Republic minister of information Chief Edwin Clark called for the abolition of the existing 36 states and their replacement with the six geopolitical-zone structure as the country gears up for another constitution amendment.

Clark said the states have failed to deliver the expected development and that has made governors solely depend on the federal government.

“Looking at our national anthem, which reads, ’The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain’, I remember, in 1994, Dr Alex Ekwueme proposed at the constitutional conference six geopolitical zones for the country. A situation where one zone having seven states, the others five states; it is unacceptable. Let us restructure them based on experts’ advice, and not on land mass or population.

“A situation where governors will come to Abuja at the end of the month to collect what belongs to them according to the section that provides for federation account indicates that the states are too small, and some cannot generate revenue in their states. They think the federation account can solve their problems. The six geopolitical zones should be the federating units of this country, and let the 36 states be abolished. A federation where each region develops at its own pace -- if your region is weak you don’t trouble others.”

Clark also opposed the view of Gov. Fashola that there is no need for constitution amendment but good governance. He said every country needs a working document to develop based on the agreements reached by the people.

The elder statesman stressed the need for a constitutional conference where Nigerians would meet and discuss on how best to solve the problems on ground. On the issue of state police, Clark said it is too early for Nigeria to have it in place. He made this assertion when Governor Obi of Anambra State said that states in the south-east were working out ways to tackle insecurity -- having vigilante groups to address security challenges.

According to Clark, the governors will abuse it, as they are already operating in such a way that they do not have regard for the country, whereby they use their Governors’ Forum to intimidate policies of the government. He added that the governors in the present democratic system are worse than the military governors.

In attendance were former head of state General Yakubu Gowon, who was also the chairman of the event, PDP national chairman Bamanga Tukur, speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, deputy speaker Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha, deputy governor of Kano State Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (who represented Kano State governor Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), deputy governor of Niger State Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, former PDP Board of Trustees chairman Chief Tony Anenih, former minister of transportation Alhaji Umaru Dikko, former minister of information Professor Jerry Gana, and PDP national publicity secretary Olisa Metu, among others.

...... GABRIEL EWEPU AND SA’ADATU SHUIBU/LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS

Man pushes wife into pit latrine

Ogun police command also arrests 80-year old man and wife for illegal possession of arms

A 46-year old man who allegedly killed his wife by pushing her into a deep pit latrine has been arrested by the police.

The accused was paraded on Tuesday in Abeokuta by the Ogun Police Command.

Speaking to journalists during the parade, Ikemefuna Okoye, the state’s Commissioner of Police, said the 46-year-old unemployed man committed the act on October 7 at Agbado area of the state, after a misunderstanding with his late wife.

"The Agbado Division had a distress call that a man had pushed his wife into a deep pit; we quickly rushed to the scene where the victim was met dead in the pit.

"The suspect was immediately apprehended and we are still interrogating him. He will be charged to court as soon as we are done with our investigations," Okoye said.

The command also paraded an 80-year-old man and his 64-year wife over an allegation of illegal possession of firearms.

Okoye said the couple was arrested on October 13, after the police conducted a search on their house at No. 21 Obarinwa street, Aiyegbami, Ago-Iwoye.

"The DPO of Ago-Iwoye, Stephen Iriavbijeh, got information that the couple’s son is a notorious robber and he led a team to conduct the search," he said.

"On getting there, the suspect was not seen but while executing the search warrant, one cut-to-size gun, two locally made pistols and 16 live cartridges were recovered in his mother’s wardrobe.

"Thus, we arrested the two of them in whose possession we found the firearms for thorough interrogation."

Okoye appealed to members of the public to assist the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of criminals in the state.

The commissioner assured them that their identity would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

According to him, the police are working round the clock to ensure the safety of lives and property. Adebola Rayo


.......FUNSO AJEWOLE/DAILY TIMES NIGERIA

Los Angeles takes next step toward ID cards for undocumented immigrants

A Los Angeles city panel on Tuesday asked for a request for proposals on the next steps needed by the city to create a city Services Card, a photo identification card to be issued by the Library Department that could also serve as debit card.

"The federal government has failed on immigration and we hundreds of thousands of people living in the shadows," said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who authored the proposal with support form Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee asked the Library Department be authorized by the City Council to report back on firms that could help develop the City Services Card.

Alarcon aides said a full report will be sent to the City Council within the next three weeks on the program designed to help provide local identity cards to illegal immigrants, the elderly students and the transgender.

In addition, Alarcon said, the Library Department was asked to develop a financial literacy program to try to help the 12 percent of the population that does not use banks or other financial institutions.

Deputy Mayor Larry Frank said the mayor is in agreement with Alarcon on the need for the program.

"We believe this car will address the 200,000 people who are unbanked in the city and will help lead to a financial empowerment for these people," Frank said.

Alarcon said he hopes to have the program started within six months.

There was no opposition voiced during the committee hearing, but Councilman Mitch Englander said he has some concerns about it.

"I think there are security concerns that have to be addressed before we go ahead with this," Englander said. "I also have questions about whether this is creating another bureaucracy within the city at a time when we are unable to pave our streets or trim our trees."

......Rick Orlov/Daily News

Fela Kuti Museum Opening In Lagos (Photo Essay)

Seun Kuti (L) and Femi Kuti, sons of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti, share jokes at the opening ceremony of a museum in honour of their father in Lagos, October 15, 2012. Kuti, a human rights activist and Afrobeat music pioneer, died of AIDS related complications in 1997. Image: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

A cameraman shoots framed photographs of Afro Beat King, Fela Kuti, during the opening ceremony of the legend's museum, at the start of a week-long annual "FELABRATION" to mark Kuti's seventy fourth birthday in Lagos. Image: Akintunde Adeleye/Reuters

A man stands near a mural on a wall of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti during the opening ceremony of a museum in his honour in Lagos. Image: Akintunde Akinleye.

The front view of a museum opened in honour of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti in Lagos October 15, 2012. Kuti, a human rights activist and Afrobeat music pioneer, died of AIDS related complications in 1997. Image: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

he daughter of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti, Yeni, attends the opening ceremony of a museum in honour of her father. Image: Akintunde Akinyele