SUNDAY MARCH 30 2014 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

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Praise & Worship

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My cousin took my poisoned food, died –Oritsejafor’s wife

Electricity: Still in the dark hour

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Vol. 4 No. 15

Sunday, March 30, 2014

APC: Modu Sheriff, Tinubu in near-fight

N150

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...as ex-Borno gov gets angry

N5bn pension scam

Trial judge under fire, faces NJC probe I’ve nothing to fear, says judge PASSION 2

Sanusi’s CBN reforms ’ve ruined economy –Unegbu, ex-CIBN president

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28 DAYS ON, CRASH SITE OF MALAYSIAN PLANE WITH 234 PERSONS ON BOARD STILL ELUSIVE

Sunday S d March 30, 2014

A Lifestyle Magazine

PASSION

‘Women alone can make their marriage work’ >>27 DUDE STYLE

‘Alibaba helped me to become a comedian’ >>29

I can spend my entire fortune on shoes –Tese Onokala

Royal Australian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams speaks to members of the media at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Pearce, located north of Perth yesterday as journalists struggled to get the latest on the crash site of a Malaysian plane with 234 persons on board, 28 days after.

Boko Haram: We’re not relenting, says Jonathan News

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Alleged N700m fraud: Assemblies of God begins probe of sacked national leader P. 9

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Politicising Oyo’s evil forest ...the APC-Accord tango

Passion

Seven Days TALKING POINTS OF THE PAST WEEK

Defection: PDP can’t declare lawmakers’ seats vacant –Court

MARCH 30, 2014

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday declared that the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would not declare vacant the seats of some of its National Assembly members who recently defected to other political parties. The court explained that the ruling PDP would not do that because it had, on its own, approached the court with two different suits to

achieve that goal. Justice Ahmed Mohammed made the position clear while terminating a lawsuit by the 79 lawmakers seeking to halt PDP from declaring their seats vacant. The judge had reasoned that if PDP attempted to declare any seat vacant, it would have, by that decision, decided the two cases filed by it still pending before the high court.

National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday warned aspirants to political offices in the party to forget about “imposition and godfatherism”. Muazu, while handing over the Certificate of Return to Ayo Fayose as the governorship candidate of the party in Ekiti State also called on his opponents at the primary to close ranks with him and support him.

This is even as Fayose himself asked his opponents to forgive whatever wrong he might have done to them during the primary as they were not intended. Mu’azu asked him to reach out to all the aspirants for reconciliation, promising to invite all the other aspirants to a meeting to lend their support to Fayose so that the party could recover the office.

Forget about god fatherism, Mu’azu tells PDP aspirants

JTF parades two Britons, 12 others over oil theft

SM Extra

The Joint Task Force ( JTF) yesterday paraded 14 suspected oil thieves who included two Britons and 12 Nigerians in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. It disclosed the expatriates and principal suspects as Messrs Piers Eastwood and Vincent Haywood. The JTF said the suspects

had attempted to bribe a Brigadier Gen. Fidelis Azinta, Commander of 4 Brigade with the sum of N20 million when they were caught siphoning crude oil from Chanomi creek, Delta State which belonged to Shell Petroleum Development Company.

An amicable resolution of the crisis and protests trailing the discovery that Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, secretly deducts between N750 and N1, 800 monthly fixed charges from consumers in Edo State for electricity power not supplied seemed far-fetched even after another meeting that was held to prevent looming violence. Convened inside Mike Akhigbe Hall of the Edo State House

In 2011 presidential election, the people of South East gave their unflinching support to President Goodluck Jonathan. The zone alone accounted for more than five million of the over 24 million votes cast for Jonathan/Sambo.

the zones after the president’s South-South zone and accounted for 22.93 per cent of the total votes cast. Although till this moment, the president is yet to make his second term interest known, there are strong indications that he will go for another term.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said it has arrested a 34 years old man from Pakistan who inserted heroin in his anus. The suspect, Ulelu Ugwumba Michael, a textile dealer was allegedly arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos for inserting two wraps of brownish powdery substance found to be heroin into his anus on his

way from Pakistan. An online statement from the spokesman of NDLEA, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, stated that its officials detected the heroin weighing 120 grammes during inward screening of passengers on Qatar Airline flight. NDLEA Airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, who confirmed the arrest said that the drug seizure was facilitated by scanning machine.

of Assembly Complex by the Hon. Michael Ohio EzomoChaired House Committee on Energy and Water Resources, the second meeting that found no basis for deduction of fixed charges was attended by Head of Market, Competition and Rates Division of National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Dr. Haliru Dikko and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of BEDC, Mrs. Funke Osibodu.

Kwankwaso’s silent revolution in Kano University of Ibadan management team was in Kano State to pay homage to the institution’s Chancellor, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. The team led by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, was also strategizing towards building a lecture theatre in honour of the Emir which is to be known as Ado Bayero Lecture Theatre of UI School of Business. This mission, as well as other matters of interest, compelled the team to spend four days in the ancient city of Kano. However, at the end of the visit, the team members, later

populated by a majority of the Governing Council’s members, who also came to Kano to felicitate with one of their own, Senator Masaud Doguwa El- Jubril (who was giving out his daughter in marriage), figuratively became political converts of the state governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso , following his silent revolution in the northern commercial centre. From the testimonies of the commercial cab operators to the visible evidence of modernity as well as on-going projects dotting the landscape, visitors to the state begin to savor the flavor of rich dividends of democracy.

Mazi Nwachukwu Sidney

2015: Assessing Jonathan’s chances The zone had the second in the South-East highest votes cast by any of

Drug suspect inserts heroin in anus at Lagos airport

How 22-yr-old undergrad raped, killed headmistress in Ondo

Consumers want end to fixed electricity charges

DIRECTOR, LOGISTICS &OPERATIONS STRATEGIA BLAST INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

MON

Politics

SUN SAT FRI THU WED TUE

What’s new

After prayers with my family, I do exercise within the house. I take my breakfast and proceed to the office which resumes at 9 a.m. I close at 7 p.m. In the office, I start off with meetings of what should be done from Monday to Friday. I go for business meetings till about 5 p.m, and then retire to the club (Embar Greek) to unwind. After some office work from 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., I go for midweek prayer session with my group. I get to the office, check my files, put them in order and then do what I call contact reach-out. That is checking up on my friends and new business contact via phone calls. I start early enough in the office from 9.30 a.m. until about 2 p.m. I go for club meetings later. About 11 a.m., I go for functions. I normally have two or three different functions to attend onSaturday. Today is devoted to God. I go to church in the morning, go for house fellowship later in the evening. At night, I watch and listen to Christian songs and movies with my family. *By Adaeze Amos (0802 301 2293)

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Big Read SUNDAY SPECIAL INVESTIGATION March 30, 2014

Almost six months after the government handed over power generation and distribution to private companies in the hope of improved services, it has remained same old litany of woes, as Nigerians still rely on generators to supply power. Head, Special Investigations, Tayo Adelaja, unravels the world of the new energy providers -the GENCOs and DISCOs -and provides their scorecards.

Electricity: Still in the dark hour

he entire tenants were outside lying on their mats and clothes which were spread on the pavement across the front of the house. In an angry and frustrated tone, Mama Bobo as she was called (real names Mrs Okafor Gloria) who spoke with Sunday Mirror about the state of power supply in her area declared, “Imagine ooo, na so we dey take breeze ooo, since we don no say we no go get light. How many hours we they get light for one month? Even sef since the beginning of this year, how many hours we don enjoy light wey dem dey bring plenty bill? Our transformer don spoil since second week for January, na contribution we still dey do for our area, still yet them they carry big bill come give us. Yeye people!” Mama Bobo lives in Olodi-Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos. She was angry because she had not enjoyed electricity since the beginning of the year owing to epileptic supply. Sunday John also who lives in Wilmer, Ajegunle, Lagos in a separate chat said, “Initially it is NEPA - Never Ex-

pect Power Always. Suddenly, the name changed to PHCN, meaning Problem Has Changed Name. From that name, we can easily translate it to Please Hold Candle Now. It is just change of nomenclature, but the situation does not actually change as the billing became outrageous and exorbitant. “Today, we don’t even know what to call them, because they are just like chameleon changing name without changing services despite the noise of privatisation by the government.” A former senior staff of the National Electric Power Authority who left the service a few years ago, Babalola Kehinde, stated that the problem was not that of NEPA/ PHCN. “You have to look at the root of the problem. I want to emphatically say that the problem actually started during the Shagari regime when they directed that the money generated by the corporation should be remitted to CBN. Then, as I can vividly recollect, NEPA was buoyant. It

‘PHCN PRIVATISATION WILL EARN FG $2BN ’ 4

was NEPA money that the government of the day used in prosecuting the 1983 election. You may not know but as at then, power supply was not as bad in the country as it became in later years. We were even supplying power to neighbouring countries. One of the popular politicians was asked to supply transformer; what did he supply as at then? Of course, substandard materials and no one queried him nor was he prosecuted,” Kehinde recalled. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), formerly the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was the organisation in charge of the use of electricity in the country. The history of the nation’s electricity development can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, when the first generating power plant was installed in the city of Lagos in 1898. From then until 1950, the pattern of energy development was in the form of individual electricity undertaking scattered all over the towns. Some of the few CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

MINISTER BLAMES POOR POWER SUPPLY ON INADEQUATE GAS

The Big Read

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘PHCN privatisation will earn FG $2bn’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 undertakings were Federal Government bodies under the Public Works Dept, some by the Native Authorities and others by the Municipal Authorities. By 1950, in order to integrate power development and make it effective, the then colonial government passed the ECN Ordinance No. 15 of 1950. With this order in place, the electricity department and all those undertakings which were controlled came under one body. By 1970, the military government appointed a Canadian consultant firm, Showment Ltd, to look into the technical details of the merger. The report was submitted to the government in November 1981. By Decree No. 24, ECN became NEPA with effect from April 1, 1972. The actual merger did not take place until January 6, 1973 when the first general manager was appointed. The day-to-day running of the authority turned into the responsibility of the managing director. For several years, despite consistent perceived cash investment by the Federal Government, power outages have been the standard for the populace. However, the citizens still do not see this as normal. Because of such outages, NEPA was humorously nicknamed ‘Never Expect Power Always’. The statutory function of the authority was to develop and maintain an efficient and economical system of electricity supply throughout the federation. The decree further stated that the monopoly of all commercial electric supply shall be enjoyed by NEPA to the exclusion of all other organisations. This, however, did not prevent privy individuals who wished to buy and run thermal plants for domestic use from doing so. NEPA, from 1989, gained another status - that of quasi-commercialisation. By this, it was granted partial autonomy and by implication, to feed itself. The company formerly known as National Electric Power Authority Plc changed its name to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Plc in May 2005. PHCN through its subsidiaries produced and distributed power. The company’s subsidiaries included Generation Companies (GENCO), Transmission and Systems Operations Companies (TRANSYCO), and Distribution Companies (DISCO). Its services included construction and engineering of power generating units; maintenance and servicing of power grids; dams operations and water management for power generation, flood control, and navigations; resettlement; maintenance of control equipment, protections and communications; maintenance scheduling; security and post contingency analysis. The government had to divide the then PHCN distribution sector into separate companies or entities that was called Local Electric Distribution Companies or Local Distribution Companies (LDC) among the regions. Barrister Obijimi Kunle noted that, “Prior to the enactment of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), 2005, Federal Government was responsible for policy formulation, regulation, operation, and investment in the Nigerian power sector. Regulation of the sector was done through the Federal Ministry of Power (FMP) with operations through NEPA, which was responsible for power generation, transmission and distribution. “To address the twin issues of NEPA’s poor operational and financial performance, the Federal Government amended the then prevailing laws (Electricity and NEPA Acts) in 1998 to remove its monopoly and encourage private sector participation. The amendments, however, were not far-reaching. This informed the Federal Government’s need to undertake holistic policy, legal and regulatory reforms. The National Electric Power Policy, 2001, specified that the reform agenda, while EPSRA provided the legal basis for the unbundling of NEPA, the formation of successor companies and the privatisation of the latter. EPSRA also provided for the development of a competitive electricity market, the establishment of a dedicated regulatory body and the establishment of a rural electrification agency. “Consequently, the Federal Government established

Outage: A typical Nigerian child, burning the midnight candle

the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN – the initial holding company) and subsequently unbundled it into eighteen (18) successor companies which comprise six generation companies, 11 distribution companies covering all 36 Nigerian states, and a national power transmission company. The act stipulated that ownership of these companies be granted to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (the privatisation arm of the federal government) and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. This unbundling paved the way for an ambitious privatisation program to be carried out by the Bureau of Public Enterprises in Nigeria.” Strategically, the objectives of the reform include (i) the transfer of management and financing of SC operations to the organised private sector; (ii) the establishment of an independent and effective regulatory commission to oversee and monitor the industry; and (iii) focusing on policy formulation and long-term development of the industry. This will lead to (i) increased access to electricity services; (ii) improved efficiency, affordability, reliability and quality of services; and (iii) greater investment into the sector to stimulate economic growth. In 2007, the BPE hired CPCS Transcom Limited, an international consulting firm based in Ottawa, Ontario, to provide advice about the best ways to move forward with the privatisation of the country’s 11 distribution companies and the six generation companies. In 2010, CPCS was consulted again in order to provide advice on the Nigerian government’s privatisation program. PHCN ceased to exist from September 30, 2013 following the privatisation process by the Federal Government. The Director-General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, disclosed that PHCN privatisation was expected to earn the Federal Government about $2 billion. Dikki said: “To purchase this Power Holding Company, over $2 billion will be paid by the bidders, and that is because the investors can see a clear investment horizon. They don’t have to go and lobby anybody, all they require is to meet the technical requirement, go to the regulatory authority, apply for licence and they are limited by their own ingenuity and their access to the capital. “The Nigerian economy is becoming more and more liberalised. So, we in the Bureau of Public Enterprise are not surprised. That is what we have been working for. That is the benefit of the reform, which the Bureau of Public Enterprise has been spearheading. What this transformation agenda is doing is to create an enabling environment for the private sector investment in the country and that has given rise to reform activities in various sectors.” In reaction to the privatisation, a consultant, Bolaji Gbadamosi, said, “Privatisation in itself is not a bad policy if properly executed and managed, especially in a country

like Nigeria where public corporation is badly handled by both the government and the workers. Consumers are always at the mercy of the corporation, customers are always shortchanged and when they do, their complaints always fall on deaf ears, yet they cannot sue the said public corporation; if they do, they get no joy from the verdict. It’s either they wait endlessly or they don’t have a case, yet there is no ombudsman! “So far, privatisation has not been achieved in the country, since the privatization is always in a monopolistic market, most privatised companies always enjoy no competition thereby leaving the consumers with no alternatives, for example if you live in Ibadan and you do not derive any pleasure in the services provided by IBEDC, you cannot withdraw their service because there is no other electricity company in your region. The services offered by the said ‘privatised companies’ come at a very high unaffordable rate. You either take it or leave it. Thirdly, the owners of these companies always prioritize profit making at the expense of welfare of the citizenry! “Take IBEDC for example, it is the electricity distribution company based in Ibadan, it covers Kainji, Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and part of Ondo states. Prior to the takeover in November last year, the NERC (the regulatory body) has licensed different companies to manufacture and supply meters, some companies were licensed to install the meters in order to allow for fairness and proper accountability leaving the DISCOS to distribute electricity and collect revenue. After the bid, the suppliers set to work in September, by November after the takeover, the new owners asked consumers to stop the payment for meters. “IBEDC told all its suppliers that their contract agreement has been cancelled that it wanted to embark on a new metering policy and not the CAPMI that NERC has authorized. The suppliers after having procured meters were left in the dark. Since November till date, no meter has been installed, IBEDC has not found an alternative to metering, yet the suppliers are not allowed to install. There has been no sign of seriousness on the part of IBEDC, they kept changing policies since the takeover. “Here, the consumers are at the mercy of IBEDC, those that have paid are yet to receive their meters since November 2013. The consumers that are ready to pay have been told not to pay, yet the estimated bills keep coming. Unfortunately the consumers cannot withdraw from the services of IBEDC. Since there are no alternatives!” he added. Olamide Bakare of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos argued that, “There is no doubt that the incessant epileptic power supply is one maCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The Big Read

Sunday, March 30, 2014

We distribute what generation companies give us –Eduziare Corporate Affairs Officer of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Oghale Eduziare spoke with Hakeem Gbadamosi in Akure on issues bordering on power supply and its effect on consumers. He gave reasons for erratic supplies in the state and some neighbouring states in recent times. Excerpts: Why is it that since the handing over of the PHCN to the new management, the general public noticed that there was no difference between the new company and the old in the area of power supply? I disagree with that because in some quarters, people have told us there is tremendous improvement in power supply, though I know there are drops in some areas, but we are encouraging the consumers to always get across to us when they noticed that there is no power supply in their area. However, if the generation company could not generate, they can’t transmit and if the transmission company has nothing in stock, we at the distribution end are like an overhead tank on the roof and if the pump does not function, there’s no way water can get to the overhead tank and then distribute to the entire house. What I am trying to say in essence is that we have problem with transmission. We had problem with one of our transmission recently, because it got burnt and what that means is that the power that was supposed to be distributed will be transferred to other transformers. This has a negative impact on our stations and this does not affect this state alone because it affects five states of the federation: Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, parts of Oyo and Kwara states. It has actually not been easy for us at this end and again, mainly we are in the distribution and whatever we get; we distribute but I am assuring you that we are going to be there soon. What about the insinuation from some quarters that some areas are more favoured in the distribution of power, most especially the industrial area that can afford to pay their bill regularly? To the best of my knowledge in this state, there’s no industrial estate and if you know any let me know where power is being channelled to. What we have is residential and industrial mix up and if there’s any place you know is being favoured, let’s go and find out. We don’t have such places here; it could be in another distribution company. Some consumers complained about not being given meter after applying for it. They claimed that the meter was not being delivered to them. What’s your take on these complaints? Well, that was in the past because since late last year, we have a programme credit advanced payment metering implementation, and in that programme if you pay for a meter, within 45 days, you are metered and we religiously follow this. If you know of anybody that has not been metered in the last three months, just

tricians or people who know about the business of electricity than the people inside. You cannot just generalise by saying that it is the same set of people that are working in BEDC or the former staff that vandalise installations or transformers. There are so many people who have graduated from technical colleges and are jobless, they can engage in this kind of destruction. Again, it is from the public that we recruited people to work for us in most cases. A lot of people tampered with transformers and other installations because they have knowledge of it. What we advise people in Akure where we cover, is that the host community should ensure the safety of their transformers and any other utility materials. If the host communities protect these utilities, the vandals would stay off. It is not true because all the vandals being prosecuted in court; none of them is a staff of this organisation or of this company.

Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Power Minister

bring the person to me and let’s find out what’s happening. Everybody that pays in the last three months had been issued meter. But the one that has happened in the past; I can’t say much about that because some people in the past paid for the meter. They’ve not been metered during the era of PHCN. In the new scheme, in a minimum of 45 days you will get your meter. Despite the erratic power supply, the consumers are complaining that the bill being distributed by your company is on the high side. I wouldn’t believe that people are arbitrarily billed. Find out from those who are metered; it is what their meter read that we billed them. Then on the other hand, people know when they get supplied, they usually put all electrical appliances on standby and immediately the supply is restored, they plugged all their electrical appliances and gadgets. of course, they have to pay for that which they consume. What they are supposed to consume in a week, they tend to consume it within 30 minutes. The consumption is on the high side because anytime people see power, they plug every available appliance. However, if there are few problems in over-billing, the consumer should not hesitate to come to us, so that we can sit

down and look into it. This is a company and it is no longer PHCN and anybody who has genuine complaint over billing should approach us and let’s look at how we can resolve the issue. Is the BECD in this area working on the digital or pre-meter alone or with the old analogue meter, since some people who requested for the pre-paid have not been metered? Both the analogue and pre-paid exist. It depends on the one you requested for. Some people prefer the pre-paid while others believe in the old analogue. The difference between the two is that in pre-paid, you buy energy before using the energy; it is pay before service. In analogue, you consumed energy and pay later. Whatever you consume this month will be forwarded to you in the following month; so it depends on what is your preference. The two are available in our company. What is your opinion on the belief thatthe transformer vandals are some of your former staff ? What I will tell you in this instance is that at present any new construction you see going on is being undertaken by contractors who will then hand it over to our company. There are over 1,000 elec-

What are the steps taken to restore the spoilt transformers in Osogbo and how soon do consumers expect better days and services from your company? That’s another company entirely which is being owned by government. I know that government is taken steps to restore that transformer. We are in transmission and still learning the ladder, but I am assuring you that we will do our best towards the actualisation of interrupted power supply. The problem we are trying to correct now is because of some defects in the old system. That’s why we’re experiencing some hitches, but I believe that it will work by the special grace of God. With the support of the entire populace of the country, we are getting there gradually. Do you see President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise of having a relatively stable power supply in the second quarter of this year realizable? We are still in the first quarter and I believe that the President said that because he believes in the new system. Many plans have been put in place and work is ongoing in achieving this. Work are ongoing in so many power transmission stations across the country, so I have the confidence to tell you that things are getting better and I believe in what the President said about stable power supply because the investment in power sector is much. Very soon most of these things will soon materialize. Let’s have faith in the system and believe that it will work. The system is fast changing and soonest Nigerians will experience permanent and stable power supply.

The Big Read

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Minister blames poor power supply on inadequate gas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 jor area that has spread its cancer to every sector of the Nigerian economy over the years. Therefore, it is almost guaranteed that if the power sector is fixed, virtually every other sector would feel the positive impact. No doubt, the successive governments, including the present one, have pumped unimaginable amount of money in the power sector with a view to reviving this critical area of our economy. Unfortunately, the trillions of dollars that has been spent are yet to yield the desired result, except economy setback and hardship. “The economic impediment Nigeria has experienced and it’s still experiencing as a result of the government’s dismal failure to fix the problems plaguing the power sector cannot be quantified. The acute losses an ordinary Nigerian has acquired as a result of the erratic power supply cannot be measured. Several thousands of small and medium businesses have closed down as a result of irregular electricity. There is no doubt that if Nigeria could afford gas flaring worth millions of dollars, it could also afford to utilise those unwelcome wastage of natural resource for the betterment of its citizens. Truly, Nigeria has both the natural resources and human capital that can provide her 365 days uninterrupted power supply. Alas, the reverse is the case. What is the problem in the power sector? “Without any iota of sentiment, the Nigeria Power Sector has never gulped such colossal amount of money its “swallowed” during the eight years of the former administration. The $15 billion that went down the drain on the Independent Power Producers (IPP) project is yet to get tenable excuse for its unfulfilled dream since then. The outrageous $16 billion that was squandered on the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) was unimaginable. Having seen that all efforts geared towards resuscitating this sector proved abortive, the government consequently deemed it best to privatise it, believing that it is the best solution and the way out of the mess. “In the bid to execute the privatisation of the power sector, the government came up with various strategies to ensure transparency. Among them is the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The PPA is an agreement that legally bound the electricity provider and the buyer within the term frame of the contract. It is a Federal Government’s idea for a successful privatisation. Unfortunately, the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was greeted with the anger of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). According to the two bodies, they are not against the government decision on privatisation but all their entitlement must be paid before the sale of the company. After several protests and counter-protest, the government eventually agree to pay N200 billion to settle the labour dispute. “Now the PHCN has finally landed in the hands of private investors. The Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) has finally completed its ‘transparency’ in the handling over $1.11 billion been bidded by the investors. Three thermal plants have been

A league of generating sets at a Lagos market

sold for $633 million; two hydro plants have also gone to two consortiums as concessions for approximately $75 million. Several other millions of dollars have been paid by highest bidders on various portions on the company. But guess what! The bidders are the power that is! “Nigerian does not need a fortune teller to tell her who and who have inflicted her power sector with such terrible diseases that it could not be healed in spite of all the medications given her by successive governments. If the cabals are the ones Nigerians would have to depend on for the desired uninterrupted power supply, then we must be ready to pay with the last dime on us for the service they would be rendering to us. Exploitation is banging at the door. The truth is Nigerians could have 365 days uninterrupted power supply in the hands of these people, because it is basically on business basis. But workers should be ready to spend their N18, 000 wages on power bills,” he said. Ayo Ayodeji in his report, “Oppose the fraud called privatisation of PHCN” pointed out that the first victims of the privatisation of electricity in Nigeria are the ordinary consuming masses who will find their electricity bills go up in multiple fold. Scores will incur huge electricity bills as tariffs will continue to go up and leaving huge dent in the pockets of toiling masses. “Increment in tariffs and outright deregulation are part of the consequences of the move towards the privatisation of PHCN. The argument of the government is that price increment and total deregulation of electricity tariff would attract the “foreign investors”. However, the privatisation programme entered into major crises as anticipated. For one, we did not see the massive inflow of the so-called foreign investors who are supposed to come in with huge foreign exchange to save the electricity sector in Nigeria. “What we witnessed are companies representing the crude and selfish interests of Nigerian elite class (past presidents, governors, ministers, top government contractors, etc). The same elements that was responsible for the crisis in the first instance. Most of these companies have no experience in the power sector and little or no capacity at all to manage the Nigerian power sector. No doubt, the move to priva-

tize PHCN is going to land the country in darkness. “Billions have been spent on government propaganda to polish the fraudulent privatisation, however, the objective realities point to the fact that the whole process is corrupt and would land the country in a much bigger crisis. “The fact that the Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, who was probably the most vehement driver of the privatisation process, had to be sacked due to his corrupt interests in the process is a major indictment.” Some of the consumers who spoke with our correspondents across the nation lamented that the sector was not only becoming worse but accused the companies in charge of power distribution of extorting the consumers with exorbitant bills being distributed monthly as they tactfully stopped the distribution of card meter. A consumer, Mrs Ibironke Ayanwale said, “These people have turned our light to toy. We used to complain in the past not knowing that the new management will be worse. “We have not had stable power supply in the last few months. What they normally do is to supply the electricity after midnight and by 5:30 a.m. we are back to normal situation of no light and yet they come around to distribute bills at the end of each month.” Another consumer who runs a frozen food outfit lamented that she had been running her business with generating sets and that the little profit was being used to fuel the generators, as fuel had even become essential commodity. Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, at a press briefing last week on the current challenges in power supply across the country, in Abuja disclosed that the recent dip in supply was owing to inadequate gas supply to the thermal power plants as a result of recurring vandalism of the gas pipelines. He stressed that the country had been losing about 2,100 megawatts of electricity in the past few months as a result of vandalism of gas pipelines His words: “Some of the more recent attacks on gas infrastructure associated with the power sector include the ELPS in which a pipeline was out for over seven months with a loss of 200 million standard

cubic feet of gas and generation capacity of about 800MW; the Trans-Forcados is out now with a loss of 200mscf of gas and generation capacity of about 800MW. “Also, the Alakiri-Onne LBVS was blasted in March and this adversely impacted on gas supply to industries. There have been similar attacks on the Trans Niger with a loss of 120mscf of gas and 500MW from the Afam VI IPP. This pipeline is vandalised for bunkering about twice every month. The temporary shutdown of the Chevron gas plant this month contributed to the low peak generation of 2,672MW on March 12, 2014.” The minister said gas shortage was not just affecting the availability of power for dispatch to consumers, but the frequency of system collapse. On what the government was doing to ensure gas supply, the minister said that it was projected that additional 295mscf of gas would be available by June 2014 and another 370mscf by the end of the year. He added, “In order to actualise the generation targets provided in the strategic plan for the power sector, the President recently approved the reconstitution of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gas to Power. “The committee will be charged with the responsibility of identifying and ensuring that all the enablers and interventions required to deliver adequate power to the nation’s power plants are delivered on time.” Rather than privatisation, top management staff of NEPA/PHCN who spoke on conditions of anonymity in separate chats with Sunday Mirror disclosed that the following steps should be taken in order to bring an end to permanent darkness in the nation. “It is corruption that crippled NEPA/ PHCN. Therefore, government should prosecute and bring to book all those who have contributed to milking NEPA/PHCN. “All the individuals, owners and beneficiaries of the companies found culpable in the probe of the electricity sector by the National Assembly should be prosecuted and brought to justice. All public officials, elected and appointed, their family members, relatives and cronies should be prohibited from taking public contracts, including contracts in the electricity sector. “It is immoral and unethical for members of the government who unconstitutionally decide to privatise public enterprises to seek to be the beneficiaries of the same unconstitutional policy. “Retain the jobs of about 50,000 workers rather than lay them off for the sake of some elected and appointed public officials, or their cronies who seek to turn NEPA/PHCN from its public monopoly status to private monopolies. “Retain the electricity subsector of the economy, at least, on the basis of the current constitutional provisions. S. 16(1) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) which provides that without prejudice to its right to operate or participate in other sectors of the economy, the Government shall manage and operate the major sectors of the economy. It is a form of corruption to run a society contrary to constitutional provisions.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Sunday March 30, 2014

Boko Haram: We’re not relenting –Jonathan TITUS EZEKIEL BAUCHI

resident Goodluck Jonathan said in Bauchi yesterday that the Federal Government would not relent in its effort at addressing the

problem of insecurity in some parts of the country. In the last two months, the Boko Haram insurgent group has killed no fewer than 250 persons in Borno and Yobe states, while unknown gunmen have also eliminated 150

others in Kaduna and Katisina states. In the same vein, some Fulani herdsmen have reportedly killed about 200 persons in Benue State. Speaking when he visited the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu,

President Jonathan said that the problem must be tackled for the country to progress. He explained that one of the measures was the introduction of various skills acquisition programmes to tackle the

L-R: Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda; National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President, David Mark and Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, during the party’s rally in Bauchi, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

... Advises African leaders on industrialisation plan

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said African leaders should prioritise the structural transformation of African economy if they must achieve regional industrialisation initiative. Jonathan said this in Abuja at the 7th Joint Annual Meeting of the Economic Community of African Conference of African Ministers of Finance. He said: ``the theme of this conference, industrialisation for inclusive and transformative development in Africa is of special relevance to Africa at this time. ``Here in Nigeria it corresponds with the transformation agenda and ongoing programme of national renewal. ``The structural transformation of African economy must continue to be a core priority to close the poverty gap and industrialisation must be key for transformation.” He said African economies in the 1980s and 1990s had gone through many challenges and saddled with high foreign debts. According to him, the GDP growth of most countries was about two per cent on the average but has reversed recently. ``Our foreign debts are in decline and the foreign direct investments are positively coming up in the continent.

``In fact, African Diaspora are also investing robustly in our economies and in the past decade African economy has grown to about five per cent,” he said. He noted that the benefits of the positive economic growth had been restricted by inequality, noting that countries must work together for the benefits to spread to the grassroots. He said that although many of the African economies had been classified as middle income, frontiers and MINT economies, they still shared common challenges. He noted that some of the challenges which needed to be fixed included job creation, industrialisation and building social safety nets. ``We need to focus on industrialisation as a backbone for our structural transformation,” he added. Jonathan noted that the impact of industrialisation in countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brazil among others remained relevant adding that Nigeria had continued to learn from them. He added that the launch of the industrial plan was to boost the sector from four per cent of GDP to 10 per cent by 2017. He said the plan focused on four areas of light manufacturing, agro business, petrochemicals as well as

solid minerals and metals. This, he said, might not take off until the nation’s infrastructure was fixed adding that same would be applicable for the continent. He said Nigeria had made infrastructure core priority and had transparently done the power sector privatisation and the launch of the construction of N117 billion second Niger bridge. He called for effort to ensure that positive economic growth in the region was translated to jobs to change the lives of Africans. ``As we grow our economies it’s our obligation that we carry everyone along; we can learn from some of the social programmes introduced by Latin American countries. ``We must ensure that the social protection programmes will become financially sustainable and also reach the reality of those that need our support,” he said. He urged the conference to focus on issues as they affect the continent especially in the areas of corruption, insecurity and come out with practicable recommendations. ``Whenever you mention security, I always remember that sometimes when you look at the characters that carry the weapons in turbulent areas, including the Northern part of Nige-

ria, you see a young person carrying AK 47 equivalent of 1000 U.S. dollars. ``But the total thing he wears in the body is not up to 50 U.S. dollars; so where is the money coming from that they use in buying these weapons to kill and increase our problems. `We need to find out if there are external forces that don’t want Africa to grow by providing these weapons. ``So we should all work as a team and share knowledge on social financial options for regional infrastructure projects. He expressed the hope that good industrialisation plan and trade would help to consolidate the positive economic growth witnessed in the region. Mambila dam project to generate 200,000 jobs - Minister The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said in Bauchi yesterday that the proposed Mambila dam in Taraba State would create about 200,000 job opportunities when completed. Speaking during the North East Zonal rally of the PDP, the minister said that the Federal Government had concluded plans for the construction of the dam. “The study for the dam has been completed and the project is expected to commence soon.

problem of youth restiveness and create opportunities for employment. The President commended the Emir for working towards ensuring peace in the state, adding that in spite of Bauchi being in the North East, it had remained relatively peaceful. Jonathan also expressed satisfaction with the performance of the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmed Muazu, an indigene of Bauchi. He observed that with the appointment of Muazu as the National Chairman of the party, PDP had stabilized and continued to forge ahead. The President, who thanked the Emir for the warm reception accorded his entourage, however noted that the Bauchi Central Prison was too close to the palace. He therefore suggested

the re-location of the prison, promising to talk to the Minister of Interior on the issue. Earlier in his remarks, the Emir had thanked the President for visiting him, expressing satisfaction with the cordial relationship existing between the people of Bauchi State and the Federal government. He also thanked the Federal Government for appointing some indigenes of the state in some key positions, as well as establishing a Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre and National Obstetric Fistula Centre in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the President, Vice President Namadi Sambo and some prominent politicians were in Bauchi to attend the North East Zonal Rally of the Peoples Democratic Party.

More trouble for suspended Rivers CJ, Agumagu •Faces NJC probe DENNIS NAKU

PORT HARCOURT

he last has not been heard of the suspension of the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Peter Agumagu, as indications emerged yesterday that he is being investigated by the National Judicial Council, NJC, which slammed the suspension on him. A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Onuwze Chukwujuka Okocha, gave the hint yesterday, while reacting to accusations on him by the Rivers State government. The State had accused Okocha of instigating the NJC to issue Justice Agumagu a query and suspension because of his ‘filial’ relationship with Justice Daisy Okocha. It would be recalled that Justice Okocha was recommended by the NJC for the position of chief judge, but was bypassed by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. But the former NBA President, who is also a member of the NJC, explained that Justice Agumagu was suspended from office to enable the NJC investigate the events that led to his swearing-in as Chief Judge of Rivers State. “What I can say is that Justice Agumagu was suspended to enable the NJC investigate the events that led to his appointment as the Chief Judge of Rivers State. “The NJC could have opted to suspend Justice Agumagu to enable it to properly examine the events that culminated into his swearing-in as the Chief Judge of Rivers State,” Okocha said. Continuing, he said, “I believe the NJC in its wisdom feels that it is better to investigate Justice Agumagu while he is suspended to enable the body have access to all the material facts that are involved in the matter that led to his suspension.” He further said that Justice Agumagu was being investigated by the regulatory body NJC on two grounds. First, if Justice Agumagu in accepting to be sworn-in by Governor Amaechi as the Chief Judge of Rivers State without the recommendation of the NJC has breached his oath of office as a judicial officer. “Two, whether Justice Agumagu in going through the process of being sworn-in as Chief Judge of Rivers State has breached the code of professional ethics for judicial officers”.

National News

Sunday, March 30, 2014

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Jonathan urges varsities to step up revenue generation DENNIS AGBO, ENUGU

resident Goodluck Jonathan has urged universities in the country to pursue increased revenue generation so they can use it to fund research and capital developments. He said government alone should not be left to fund all universities projects, noting that inadequate funding was not the only problem with the Nigeria’s educational system but also challenges of poor work ethics and prolonged industrial actions. Jonathan spoke yes-

frican leaders and prominent institutions across the globe are meeting in Abuja today to brainstorm on how to boost local production of pharmaceutical products. The effort is to help reduce import of pharmaceutical products into the continent from other developed nations, to engage experts in the pharmaceutical sector all over the world in order to address those involved in policy formulation in the health, finance and other sectors so as to provide all that are needed to drive the local pharmaceutical industry in Africa, said Spokesperson of the AU, Janet Byaryhanga, at a briefing in Abuja, yesterday. Stakeholders involved in the project are the African Union (AU), United Nations programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Byaryhanga said: “The AU, UNAIDS, UNECA and UNIDO are holding a high level meeting with African ministers of Finance, Health and Economic Planning. The event will highlight the opportunities for developing a high-quality pharmaceutical industry in Africa, which will bring important and economic development benefits.

(NAN), that the fire started at about 6.02 a.m. Yahaya-Joe said he received a phone call and was informed that the fire started from a cold-room store before spreading to other parts. ``I received a distress call at exactly 6.02 this morning that there was fire outbreak in one of the shops with a big refrigerator and gas cylinders. ``We used fire extinguishers as an interim measure to curb the outbreak before the arrival of the fire service personnel. ``The fire fighters came from the State House, the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service.’’

“We must also admit that inadequate funding is not the only problem with our educational system. To run a 21st century educational system, we also need to address the challenges of poor work ethics and prolonged industrial actions.” He said he was pleased that peace and normalcy had returned to the university and reiterated that federal institutions should not be seen as the property of the communities or states in which they are situated. Jonathan stressed that universities are international and universal learning centers where

people of all races are given equal opportunities to excel. Earlier in his speech, Vice Chancellor of UNN, Professor Bartho Okolo, had disclosed that the number of doctorate and masters degrees awarded at the 43rd Convocation ceremony represented significant increases over the figures awarded at the 42rd graduation. The Vice Chancellor explained that Mrs. Folarunso Alakija, Mr. Samuel Onyisi, Late Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and Chief Innocent Chukwuma were awarded honorary doctorate degrees in recognition

The theme of the meeting is: “Local manufacture of pharmaceuticals: An untapped opportunity for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Africa.” Byaryhanga, however, lamented that Africa had the highest disease burden in the world and was yet still depending so much on imported pharmaceutical products for its survival. The meeting, she stressed, would witness in attendance all those that matter in the production of pharmaceutical products on the African conti-

nent including Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu and Minister of Finance, Ngozi OkonjoIweala. On his part, the spokesman for UNAIDS, Pride Chigweder, disclosed that over 35 million people are said to be HIV positive globally in which over 25 million are in Africa. Chigweder further revealed that there are plans on the ground to assist African pharmaceutical manufacturers to get WHO pre-qualification for their manufacturing outfits.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Patrick Aina; Ekiti State Governor/Visitor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, Aladesami III and former Governor Old Ondo State/Chancellor, EKSU, Evang. Bamidele Olumilua, during the commissioning of the new Medical Library and road project at the university campus as part of activities marking EKSU’s 19th Convocation in Ado Ekiti, yesterday.

MARCUS FATUMOLE, ABUJA

Nigerians on the need to curb the menace of open defecation, stressing that unless the issues of water and sanitation are taken seriously by government, sensitising the masses might not be enough. His words: “This issue of water and sanitation is very important; it is one of the lagging issues in the MDGs, we all know that water and sanitation is crucial component. ‘’Presently, every member state undermines the importance of water and sanitation. The fact that 2.5 billion people in the world lack sanitation and 768 million people in the world don’t have water to drink and the facts that this leads to more than 2000 children under the age of five dying every day should be con-

AU, others meet to boost local production of drugs MARCUS FATUNMOLE, ABUJA

of their personal accomplishments. Present at the ceremony were Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, immediate past governor of the state, Peter Obi, Supervising Minister of Education, Nyeson Wike, among others. Fire guts 40 stalls in Abuja market No fewer than 40 stalls were burnt in a fire outbreak at the Garki Model Market in Abuja on yesterday morning before it was put out. Mr. Ibrahim YahayaJoe, the Manager, Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML), told the News Agency of Nigeria

terday through the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, during the 43rd convocation and conferment of Higher Degrees and Award of Honorary Degrees of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN. According to him, “the reality we face today is that the task of funding our universities cannot be left to government alone. Let me therefore reiterate my appeal to university administrators to continue to seek other ways of generating additional revenue needed to fund research and capital development in the institutions they administer.

UN tasks Nigeria on water, open defecation

he United Nations has called on Nigerian government to tackle the problems of water and open defecation which it said were of major concerns to the UN. Deputy Secretary General of United Nation, (UN), Mr. Jan Eliasson, made the call when he visited the Minister of Water Resource, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, in Abuja at the weekend. He said though Nigeria was making progress in provision of potable water and fight against open defecation, more needed to be done. He advised government to embark on sensitising

vincing enough,” Eliasson said. Responding, Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, said Nigeria had been able to access the Global Sanitation Fund to address issues of sanitation on a pilot basis in two states, which are Benue and Cross Rivers states.

She said a local government was at the point of certified open defecation free, adding that the government was expanding the campaign as some states, according to her, had already bought into it. “We are happy with your visit and we are hoping that through this

process we will be able to strengthen the support for Nigeria in addressing the issues of sanitation. We still have a lot of work to do and there is the challenge of funding. We belief that you will be able to use your office to get mores needed agencies to support us,” she said

ceived a phone call and was informed that the fire started from a cold-room store before spreading to other parts. ``I received a distress call at exactly 6.02 this morning that there was fire outbreak in one of the shops with a big refrigerator and gas cylinders. ``We used fire extinguishers as an interim measure to curb the outbreak before

the arrival of the fire service personnel. ``The fire fighters came from the State House, the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service.’’ He said there were also other cold rooms and cylinders around the area which aggravated the fire’’, he said. Yahaya-Joe commended the men of the fire services for their prompt response to stop the fire.

40 stalls burnt in Abuja market

o fewer than 40 stalls were burnt in a fire outbreak at the Garki Model Market in Abuja on yesterday morning before it was put out. Mr. Ibrahim YahayaJoe, the Manager, Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the fire started at about 6.02 a.m. Yahaya-Joe said he re-

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Sunday March 30, 2014

N5bn pension scam: Trial judge under fire, faces NJC probe •I’ve nothing to fear, says judge ISE-OLUWA IGE

he National Judicial Council (NJC) is probing a Federal High Court judge of the Abuja Division, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, over his purported controversial handling of a bail granted

to a former Director of Pension Accounts in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation [OHCSF], Dr. Sani Teidi Shaibu. The investigation is to establish whether the trial judge has not violated certain provisions of the code of conduct for judicial officers in Nigeria by his

authority is welcomed to probe his handling of the case. He claimed that from Day One when he assumed jurisdiction in the case, he, as usual, had been guiding himself by the judicial oath of office which he took as a judge, the relevant provisions of the 1999 constitutions and the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the discharge of

handling of the case and whether he is still a fit and proper person to occupy his exalted seat in the event a case of judicial misconduct is established against him. But the trial judge has said he has nothing to fear about. He is contending that the National Judicial Council or any other

Former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi (2nd right), with the Coordinating Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Nwike (1st left) and the Chairman of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Governing Council, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala (1st right), during the conferment of honorary Doctoral Degree in Law on the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, represented by his wife, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu (2nd left) at the convocation arena of the university, yesterday.

Alleged N700m fraud: Assemblies of God begins probe of ex-General Superintendent CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

he Assemblies of God, Nigeria, has set up an 11-man panel to investigate the 36-point allegations including alleged misappropriation of fund raised against the former General Superintendent of the Church, Rev. (Prof.) Paul Emeka who was sacked as minister of the church on March 6, 2014. It was gathered that over N700 million was involved in the alleged fraud. The former General Superintendent, who was found guilty by the church’s General Committee, was also suspended as a member of the church after the Execu-

tive Committee of the church had failed to resolve the allegations levelled against him by the Body of Ambassadors of the Kingdom and the National Consultative Assembly. Sunday Mirror gathered that the panel sitting in Lagos and headed by the former Treasurer of the church, Rev. Dr. Deme Bot, is expected to submit its report to the General Committee in May 2014. The panel, comprising a judge, estate managers, lawyers and retired Generals, it was learnt, is mandated to look into the 36 allegations levelled against the former General Superintendent, particularly the core issues of alleged arbitrary withdrawal of funds from the Assemblies of God Ministers’ Benefits

Scheme (AGMBS), sole acquisition of properties worth N250 million in Germany and arbitrary sacking of staff in the Evangel University. The problem between the sacked General Superintendent and members of his Executive began on September 24, 2013 when the body of Ambassadors and National Consultative Assembly wrote to all District Presbyteries, raising 36-point allegations against the former GS which include misappropriation of N200 million withdrawn from the Pension Fund for retired pastors without due process in contravention of the Pension Act; spending of N250 million to acquire a property in Germany with-

NIGERIA IN BRIEF ECOWAS Court bemoans non-enforcement of judgements ECOWAS has listed delays and nonenforcement of the judgments of its Court of Justice as some difficulties facing it. President of ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kadré Ouédraogo, who announced this in annual report released to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, added that citizens also experienced difficulties in filing cases. Ouédraogo presented the Annual Report

for 2013 to the Summit of Regional Leaders in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, at the weekend. He, however, attributed the difficulties to the absence of competent authorities at the national level in some member states. The report also said the commission signed a 56 million Euro financing agreement with the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).

out the approval of Executive Committee; unaccounted expenditure of N2million on equipment hire every time the general council activities such as Penile, Men’s, Pastors meetings were hosted at Okpoto, Ebonyi State; abuse of power which had led to exodus of members to other churches; autocratic behavior, among others. Sources close to the church told Sunday Mirror that frantic efforts were made to resolve the matter at the Executive Committee level but “due to his arrogant nature, the former General Superintendent refused to appear before the Executive Committee to defend all these allegations.”

his duties. He confirmed to Sunday Mirror that, indeed, there were petitions written against him by one of the accused persons in the matter-one Dr Teidi-over his purported refusal to sign his bail papers and other ancillary matters, but that he had answered the query issued him over the petitions. He, however, insisted that he would not hurriedly sign the papers as being wished, until every document submitted for the purpose had been carefully vetted and verified. Dr Shaibu is facing a criminal trial before Justice Ademola alongside a former member of staff of Oceanic bank, Mr Udusegbe Omoefe Eric, and a few other corporate persons. In the 22-count charge slammed on them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, they were accused of obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension funds. After arraignment, the judge did not deny them bail when they formally applied for it. The court record, of course, showed that the course of the trial has appeared to be in their favour since July 12, 2013 but despite that, they are still in prison till date. Expectedly, the accused persons have been protesting, asking for the judge’s head. The questions that are begging for answers, however, are: why would the accused persons be granted bail since last year, yet, more than eight months after, they are still in prison? Why would an accused person granted bail be writing petitions against the trial judge who so admitted him? Why is the National Judicial Council (NJC) showing interest in this case? These and other ancillary ones are what this report

attempts to answer. Following strange discoveries of syndicated and institutionalised corruption, fraud and embezzlement in the administration of the payment of pensioners and administration of pension funds in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) moved in and picked up some top officials handling pensions accounts for interrogations and charged those who purportedly had a case to answer to different courts in 2011. Teidi who was one of those suspects was arraigned before Justice Adamu Bello (rtd) of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/28/2011 . His offence, according to the charge filed against him, was alleged involvement in a whopping N5billion pension fraud. But Teidi who denied any involvement in such fraud, formally applied for bail and was so admitted in the sum of N10million with one surety in like sum. He did not waste time to meet the bail condition and was attending trial from home until EFCC withdrew the case, citing a technical reason. But sometimes in May 2013, the case was relisted by EFCC and re-assigned to Justice Adeniyi Ademola by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. In the fresh suit, the EFCC had slammed Dr Teidi and a former Manager of the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc, Eric, with a 22-count fraud charge. But as soon as the EFCC brought an application to get the court’s permission to prosecute Dr Teidi and his accomplice, Justice Ademola not only gave his nod, he also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the former pension director for the purpose of bringing

CONTINUED ON PAGE P57

Commuters task Amosun on rural road Commuters in Akute, a boundary between Lagos and Ogun states, on Saturday appealed to Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun to repair the Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road to ease traffic. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akute that the road was the only alternative to the 32-km Sango-Ijoko-Akute-Alagbole Road undergoing expansion. The expansion of the Sango-Ijoko-Akute-

Alagbole Road is causing gridlock on the road, compelling some motorists to ply the dilapidated Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road. A banker, Mr Monsur Abdulfatai, said that motorists spent hours using Sango-Ijoko-AkuteAlagbole because the alternative road was bad. “I expect the state government to have repaired the Denro/Ishashi Road before embarking on this project.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Man in the News Godwin Emefiele, CBN Gov-designate

Promises from a new man on block AYO ESAN

t about 1:36 p.m. last Wednesday, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, became the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor-designate after Senate President David Mark hit the gavel as official seal for his confirmation. There was no single ‘nay’ to his confirmation in the chamber. Mr. Emefiele was grilled by the lawmakers for two hours before his confirmation which is coming three months ahead of the expiration of the tenure of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The former CBN governor was suspended from office by President Goodluck Jonathan on February 20 over alleged “financial recklessness”. Special Adviser to the President on the Media, Dr Reuben Abati, had explained that Mallam Sanusi was suspended because of reports by the Financial Reporting Council which claimed the CBN governor had engaged in “financial recklessness and misconduct”. The release did not specifically name any particular financial crime but went ahead to announce Emefiele as replacement for Sanusi. President Goodluck Jonathan forwarded Emefiele’s nomination to the Senate on February 20, on the same day Sanusi’s suspension was announced. Emefiele had said before the Senate that he would look into the expenditure profiles of the bank to unravel the circumstances that made the apex bank run a budget deficit of N266 billion last year. In the question and answer session on the floor of the chamber, the 53-yearold Delta-born Emefiele reeled out his roadmap for a revamped, new CBN when he resumes office in June. He promised before the senators to look into the CBN books as well as never to incur any illegal spending. The pledge followed a question by the Chairman of the Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, as to what he would do to address the N266 billion 2013 budget deficit of the CBN, last year. His words: “I will look into the budget expenditure components in the CBN, but I am aware that we have what is called the Operational Expenditure Profile as well as Administrative Expenditure Profile. “I think and I imagined, I suspect that more of the deficit would have come from areas that are pertaining to operational expenditure and if it is about operational expenditure, it means that, unfortunately, we cannot do anything about it because those were the expenditures that were incurred in the course of open market

operation which is needed to ensure that we maintain a strong currency and ensure that we continue to have a good country. “The core mandate of the CBN is to achieve monetary and price stability, ensure strong exchange rate and build foreign reserves. We will ensure that we have a sound financial system in Nigeria. We will work hard to achieve macro-economic stability in the country, where inflation rate will continue to come down. We will ensure that the interest rate continues to come down. “During my tenure, whatever monetary policy decisions we take will be those that

will lead to the improvement in the level of employment because employment is very crucial to national development.” On reports that the CBN spends over 25 per cent of the national budget without recourse to the National Assembly and how much he would spend in contravention of the Constitution, he said: “I will not spend any money in contravention of the law.” Thereafter, Senator Ita Enang took him up on the dollarisation of the Naira. He replied: “One of the core mandates of CBN is to ensure that we maintain a legal tender and respect it and ensure that whatever is done, that our Naira has to be

EMEFIELE, WHO SAID HE WOULD DO EVERYTHING WITHIN HIS REACH TO BRING DOWN HIGH INTEREST RATES, ALSO SAID

HE DID NOT SHARE THE IDEA OF BOTH THE

MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND CBN WORKING AT CROSS PURPOSES.

used as a legal tender.” Emefiele, who said he would do everything within his reach to bring down high interest rates, also said he did not share the idea of both the Ministry of Finance and CBN working at cross purposes. “The Central Bank of Nigeria is the monitory authority whereas the Ministry of Finance is the fiscal authority. It is important that in their relationship, they must work in one direction. They must push in one direction. “If we work in opposite directions, what you will find is that we are not going to be able to achieve economic growth and the development that we are talking about. It is important that both the Ministry of Finance and the central bank move in one direction. “I will take it as a primary responsibility to ensure that the attempt to dollarise the Nigerian economy is discouraged. We should not allow it because it will create problem for the economy…,” he said. The CBN governor-designate assured the chamber that he believed he has the requisite experience “to run the CBN around. I believe I can run the CBN. I believe that with my 27 years in the banking industry, I would be able to manage the task ahead.” Emefiele hails from Agbor, Delta State. He served as Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc. He served as Executive Director in charge of Corporate Banking, Treasury, Financial Control and Strategic Planning of Zenith Bank Plc and had been in the Management team since inception. Emefiele served as Director at Zenith Bank Plc and Zenith Bank (Gambia) Limited. Until he took over as Group Managing Director, Emefiele was directly responsible for all the Group’s local subsidiaries, Treasury and Correspondent Banking, and Multilateral, Conglomerates and Private Banking. He also had responsibilities for direct supervision of the majority of the bank’s branches in Lagos and Northern Nigeria. Emefiele has over 26 years banking experience and holds a B.Sc and an MBA in Finance both from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Before starting his banking career, he lectured Finance, Bank Management, and Insurance at the University of Nigeria and University of Port Harcourt respectively. He served as Director of ACCION Microfinance Bank Limited. He is also an alumnus of Executive Education at Stanford University, Harvard University (2004) and Wharton Graduate Schools of Business (2005).

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Politics PROVIDING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO ISSUES MARCH 30, 2014

APC: Modu Sheriff, Tinubu in near-fight

…as ex-Borno gov gets angry P. 13

Ajimobi

Political parties have to get attention on having credible, trained, political agents and it is a major issue. In the last one year, we have been telling parties that in our electoral institutes we are willing to organise workshops, training of agents, what we call ‘training of trainers

Professor Attahiru Jega

Ladoja

Politicising Oyo’s evil forest

...the APC-Accord tango AYO ESAN

enultimate Saturday, to the chagrin of Nigerians, a deep forest being used by kidnappers/ritualists was discovered by security agencies in Soka area of Ibadan in Oluyole Local Government area of Oyo State. From the forest were recovered about 20 putrefying bodies. It was also gathered that another 23 other people -18 men and five women, including one who had just been delivered of a baby apparently on the captors’ ‘death row’ were rescued from the bush. Each of them were said to be looking disheveled; having been chained together for many days and denied food and any form of comfort. It was also gathered that human skulls and other parts littered the bush while all over the bush were shallow graves in which mangled corpses were dumped. Bodies were also seen in open containers and dried up wells in the bush while an abandoned factory which the Kidnappers/ ritualists apparently used as slaughter slab was found. The discovery led to trooping to the area by many residents of Oyo State and nearby states who have been visiting the forests to look for their missing loved ones. However, the discovery of the kidnappers’ den and the ownership of the forests as well as the factory therein have become a subject of politicking and has pitched the ruling party in the state, the All Progres-

sive Congress, APC, and the main opposition party in the state, the Accord Party, together in a fierce battle. Many political analysts were not surprised that the issue has been politicized because such a development is not unusual in less than a year to a general election. First, it was gathered that some residents of the state felt that the response of the State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to the discovery of the forest and dead bodies therein was not prompt enough. Some watchers of political events in the pacesetters state felt that such a discovery would have deserved immediate attention of the governor through a visit to the forest but that the governor only paid a visit to the forest last Monday, almost 48 hours after more than 20 bodies were discovered from there. Ajimobi on his visit to the forest said the Certificate of Occupancy of the abandoned factory and the factory has been immediately revoked and that the state government has taken over the forest. He also ordered the immediate demolition of the abandoned factory in the forest. From this point, political colouration was introduced into the bizarre discovery. First, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, ordered that the demolition of the kidnappers’ den at Soka be stopped midway to allow the team of forensic experts from the Police headquarters in Abuja to carry out their investigations. The governor, who had hinged the demolition and the clearing of the forest on

the request of the Soka community to allow for visibility of the area, also directed environmental health officers to fumigate the forest and the entire area to prevent outbreak of epidemics. But no sooner had the demolition of the buildings where the kidnappers were carrying out their nefarious activities commenced, than the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Ndabawa, called the Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Prince Ayoade Abass-Aleshinloye, informing him of the need to stop the exercise to allow forensic experts from the Police headquarters in Abuja to carry out their investigations. Abass-Aleshinloye was at the site, in company with his Ibadan South-West Local Government counterpart, Mr. Taoheed Adeleke, and the General Manager of Ibadan Local Governments Property Development Company, Mr. Lekan Babalola, to supervise the exercise. The police boss noted that if the exercise was allowed to continue as earlier planned, concrete evidence that would help the police in their investigations would have been destroyed. Also last Wednesday, the discovery assumed a political dimension as the Oyo State chapter of the Accord Party said Governor Ajimobi’s administration should be held responsible for the deaths of sane and insane persons as well as those at the forest of horror. Speaking at a press conference attended by some chieftains of the party, a former CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Anti-Amaechi lawmakers decry non-payment of 12 months entitlements P. 12, 13

Briefly CONFAB: Ogun lawmaker urges delegates to put nation’s interest first A member of the Ogun House of Assembly, Mr Oludaisi Elemide, has urged delegates to the National Conference to put the interest of the nation first in all their deliberations. Elemide, (APC-Odeda), made the call on Saturday in Abeokuta in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The lawmaker said that the outcome of the on-going national conference would only be meaningful if the interest and future of the nation were put into consideration in all issues to be discussed. He stated that lack of love for one another had been a major factor affecting development and growth of the country. He added that Nigerians should love one another irrespective of religious or ethnic differences. The legislator noted that Nigeria would be a better place if the fear of God, love and honesty were allowed to reign supreme at the conference. He, however, urged the leadership of the country to ensure that the views of Nigerians were not subverted at the end of the conference. “At the end of the conference, the leadership of the country should let God guide them and without wasting time should be prepared to endorse whatever consensus the delegates arrived at. “I do not believe in impossibilities, if things are done well, I am optimistic that something tangible will surely come out of the conference,” he said.

Imo Speaker tasks farmers on cooperatives The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu has admonished the farmers in the Okigwe senatorial zone of Imo state to form co-operative societies so as to benefit from the Federal and State Government’s soft loans to improve agriculture. Uwajumogu who gave the admonition when a group of farmers in the zone paid him a courtesy visit at his Umuihi country home in Ihitte-Uboma local Council Area of the state, stated that when farmers come together and speak with one voice, relevant authorities would be compelled to assist them. Hon. Uwajumogu, noted that lack of incentives and technical support have been the bane of agricultural development in the country, stressing that it was in the bid to promote agriculture that the state government earmarked soft loans to enable farmers take their career to another level. He lamented the steady decline of youth’s participation in agriculture and maintained that people of the state must re-invent the era of notable leaders like Chief M.I Okpara, Chief Sam Mbakwe and a host of others who ensured that agriculture remained the mainstay of the Igbo economy. “It is important for you to know that with co-operative societies, you as farmers will be taken serious and government will recognize your efforts by giving you access to soft loans to improve your yield and make the country’s economy grow.

Politics

Sunday, March 30, 2014

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Anti-Amaechi lawmakers decry non-payment of It’s not true –Speaker

Dennis Naku PORT HARCOURT

he seven members of the Rivers State House of Assembly opposed to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi have decried the alleged non-payment of their entitlements and salaries for the past 12 months. The lawmakers claimed that they had been living on “charity” since the crisis that broke out on the floor of the House on July 9, 2013. Member representing Ogu/Bolo constituency, Hon. Evans Bipi, and six others told newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, that they were currently being owed salaries and allowances running into millions of Naira, adding that no one cared to know how they were surviving. Evans, who was picked as speaker by his colleagues opposed to the governor said he was personally being owed N60 million as allowances, which include security, ward drop and accommodation among others. He further said his salaries amounting to N8.3 million for the same period had been withheld by the state government. “For the past 12 months, my constitu-

Amaechi

ency project funds of N100 million yearly have not been paid for the past two years. That was even before the crisis began. “This is adversely affecting my immediate constituency because we need to impact on them positively with projects,” he explained. But in a swift reaction, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Otelemaba Amachree, faulted the claims of Bipi and the six other lawmakers, saying nobody was withholding moneys be-

longing to any member. Amachree said, “They are not ready for their money. Whenever they are ready, they will come for it. We are not stopping their salaries or allowances.” The speaker pointed out that since there was a matter on the ground, “nobody can deliberately hold up their money. They know what to do. They have to do it because all of us in Rivers State want peace and the only way we can achieve that is for

everyone to come together in the interest of our dear state.” On the funds for constituency projects, the speaker who spoke through his Media Assistant, Jim Opiki, said there was a procedure for the payment of such funds. “You must present the project you want to embark on and if it is approved, then the money is released to you to go ahead with the job. They have not done that. I am not very sure if they did that before the crisis,” he said.

APC, Accord’s war of words over Oyo evil forest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 Permanent Secretary and former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Ayodele Adigun, said the forest was acquired in 2011 by the Ajimobi administration for rehabilitation of the destitute taken away from the streets. He said: “The premises in question until the time of unearthing the dastardly acts have always been in custody of Oyo State Government. “Between 2011 and 2013, it was gathered that the state government, in its effort to beautify the environment, set up a committee headed by Yomi Oke, a Special Adviser on Environment and Habitat, and started gathering lunatics and the destitute on the streets of Ibadan and depositing them on the premises. “The efforts could, however, not be sustained as no provision was made for their maintenance. “Revocation of the certificate of occupancy of the land was a mere ruse by Ajimobi because the place had since 1999 been in the custody of the state government until Ajimobi’s administration started making use of it when it came in for the care of the destitute and lunatics.” But in a swift reaction, the state chapter of the APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Dauda Kolawole, advised men of goodwill in the state to stop Accord Party from capitalising on what it called the fresh blood of the dead people of the state to gain cheap political advantage. Kolawole said: “The people of Oyo State are in a state of grief and shock at the horrendous discovery of ritual killers’ den in the state. “The situation calls for sober reflection from all and sundry. To be confronted with this cheap politicking in the name of infantile accusation by the Accord Party is like opening the fresh wound of the people of the state who are still mourning their dead and lamenting the ugly incident.” He stated that from emerging testimonies of the kidnap victims, it was obvious that the den had been in existence almost 10 years ago, a period that covered what it called “the drab government of Senator Rashidi Ladoja” and his successor. The APC spokesman said that rather than accuse the government of insensitivity, it was the security consciousness

of the government that led to the discovery of the den and the prompt response of government had been commended. But Adigun, who was accompanied by Niyi Adeyinka (Vice-Chairman), Dr. Remi Ayodele, Prince Dotun Oyelade, Chief Wasiu Emiola, Chief Ogundiya Oguntoye, said that, “we challenge them to take us to court and we are ready to substantiate our claim”. Also, Accord Party Publicity Secretary, Dr. Remi Adeniran, said: “The government of Ajimobi contracted the place out to one Mr. Gbadamosi at the cost of N45 million for the care of the destitute, but the government only paid N5 million. Owing to lack of food and medication for the victims, many of them died in the forest.” Adeniran, a lawyer, therefore, urged the Human Rights Commission and civil society groups “to investigate this matter and get to the root of it, lest those who have died, including the woman killed by security men’s stray bullet when the governor visited the site, died in vain”. The APC image maker said: “We are aware that the Accord Party had been attempting to use this unfortunate event to come back to reckoning by instigating the people and selling them cheap lies of government using the forest as a camp for mad people. “We are also aware that Accord Party chieftains have infiltrated the ranks of sympathizers at Soka with the sole aim of creating a violent scene and disrupting the peace of the state. Unfortunately for them, the evidence of the victims who told the world that they were not insane have put a lie to their campaign of destruction”. While warning the Accord Party faithful to desist from profiting from the people’s grief, he said the state had left the era of politicians climbing to the people’s hearts by manufacturing lies. Also an interest group, Oyo Development Initiative (ODI), in its own reaction to the politicization of the discovery of the den, said the Accord Party in the state is seeking to cause violence in the state using the unfortunate ritual killings in a forest discovered at the Soka area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The group, in a statement issued in Ibadan last Thursday by its Coordinator, Dr. Adesola Okanlawon, said it was un-

fortunate that the party could be deliberately politicizing the issue and feeding innocent members of the public with lies over an incident that called for sober reflection. According to ODI, the deliberate falsehood being peddled by Accord Party is an indication that all the party is after is to throw the state into confusion and set the people against the government, all in an attempt to gain cheap political point. “It is no longer news that the stock-in-trade of Accord Party is peddling of lies, politics of destruction and character assassination. The reaction of the Soka ritual killings by the party is another testimony of its politics of falsehood and mischief. ``No sooner had the forest of horror been discovered than the Accord Party went to town to insinuate that the state government had a link with the incident. “This is not only wicked, it has also shown the desperation of Accord Party to set the state on fire in order to set the stage for the coming back to power of its chief promoter, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, which will continue to be a pipe dream. “The outburst of the party has also shown it and its stalwarts as grossly insensitive to the mood of the moment, as they are feeding fat on the misfortune of the families of those who had been killed for ritual purposes and the captives who have just been rescued from the jaws of death,’’ it said. Rather than making mountain out of molehill over the incident, the group said the Ajimobi administration should be commended for the discovery of the evil forest and its prompt intervention in rescuing the victims. “Indeed, Accord Party has no moral justification to accuse the Ajimobi government of any complicity in the Soka incident. Rather, Sen. Ladoja, who is the Chief Promoter of the party, should bury his head in shame that throughout his tenure, he was not security conscious enough to discover the den which had been in existence right from the inception of his administration,’’ ODI said. It called on the people of the state to be aware of the antics of Ladoja and his cohorts to re-enact the era of violence in the state which characterized his tenure as governor by inciting members of the public against the government.

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Politics

Sunday, March 30, 2014

12 months entitlements The Rivers House of Assembly located on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt has been under lock and key since last year, even as an Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, is still stationed at the main gate of the complex, meanwhile, Governor Amaechi yesterday approved the funding for the permanent site of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, promising to complete the project in one and half years. Amaechi, who disclosed this at the 26th convocation of the university, further said that work on the institution’s permanent site would begin in a fortnight. The governor said the state executive council met on Friday and gave the approval for the funding of the new campus. His words: “Yesterday (Friday), the cabinet met and approved for funding the commencement of the new campus for Rivers State University of Science and Technology and the new Port Harcourt City. Let me also tell you that contractors will complete this project within a year and six months. “We hope that contractors will move to site within the next one to two weeks and we believe that they have one year and six months to complete it so that students can enter the campus.” He assured the people that the state gov-

ernment would improve funding for the university, even as he blamed the recent poor funding of the RSUST on the drop in the monthly federal allocation. Amaechi, who is also the visitor to the university, however, pointed out that the Federal Government had recently improved the funding of the state, adding that the development would have a positive effect on the university in the area of funding. “Let me assure the vice chancellor that I am aware that the funding of the institution is poor and the reason is simply because we are not getting enough funding from the Federal Government. “Now that there is an improvement from the Federal Government, we are sure that there will also be improvement of the funding of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology,” he said. He praised graduands of the school for their hard work and promised that his administration would soon establish a medical school in the university. Earlier in his address, RSUST Vice Chancellor, Professor Barineme Beke Fakae, explained that the university was sending to world a total of 4, 855 highly skilled manpower. Fakae noted that 34 of the 38 programmes being offered in RSUST had received full accreditation, while the remaining four had earned interim accreditation status.

National confab: ‘Delegate’s death won’t affect sitting’

Kutigi

The secretariat of the ongoing National Conference says the death of one of the delegates, Hamma Misau, will not affect its resumption on Monday, March 31. The conference’s Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, Mr Akpandem James, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that Misau died at the National Hospital in Abuja on Thursday. James said Misau, 67, a retired Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), was initially rushed to the Federal Civil Service Clinic after he took ill in his hotel room in Abuja. “No, his death will not affect the resumption of plenary on Monday. What I think the conference will do is to observe a one-minute silence in his honour. “This will be done first thing on Monday before the commencement of the day’s business, because he was one of us,” he said. James, however, expressed the secretariat’s sadness over the death of Misau, who was representing the retired police officers, and prayed God to comfort his fam-

ily over the loss. The conference official said Misau’s driver had gone to the deceased’s hotel room to check on him on Thursday but the door was not opened even after repeated knocks. “The driver came to the secretariat to inform us that he could not gain entrance to the room and we rushed to the hotel and forced the door open. “We initially rushed him to the Federal Civil Service Clinic, because that was the closest medical facility, before we contacted his doctor. “It was later that the clinic said that his case was beyond them and we transferred him to the National Hospital, where he eventually died,” he said. James said that the secretariat could not issue any statement on Thursday pertaining Misau’s death because it wanted to contact his family before making any announcement. NAN recalls that the secretariat had, at the inaugural meeting on March 17, requested that the delegates submit the contacts of their medical doctors to the secretariat. James said the measure was to ensure prompt contact of the delegates’ doctors for their medical history in the event of any emergency during the conference. He also said the secretariat gave consideration of sitting positions to some of the delegates who had health challenges, the aged and those living with disability. NAN learnt that Misau’s corpse was taken from the hospital by the family to Bauchi and buried in accordance with Islamic rites.

Sheriff

Tinubu

Buhari

Atiku

APC: Modu Sheriff, Tinubu in near-fight

…as ex-Borno gov gets angry

ndications of a major crack in the leadership of All Progressive Congress, APC emerged over the weekend as former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Ahmed Bola Tinubu and former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, recently engaged each other in a heated argument over the party’s congress. Pointblanknews.com, a news web service quoted sources as saying that trouble started at the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the party in Abuja when Tinubu insisted that the APC should not have a congress. APC is currently running an interim leadership. They are yet to organise a congress to elect substantive leaders. Initially, it was agreed the interim officers would stay in office for six months, but events seem to have overtaken that arrangement. According to sources at that meeting, trouble started when Sheriff, a leader of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP which had fused to form the APC, midway into proceedings, grabbed the microphone and pointedly reminded Tinubu that he cannot impose his opinion on the party. Tinubu had during the meeting according to a source, argued that instead of having a congress to elect leaders of the party, APC should rather elect its leaders by consensus. According to a source that attended the party’s NEC meeting, Sheriff told Tinubu, “this is not ACN, you cannot come here and tell us how to run APC, this is my party, and I own this party.”

Tinubu, according a source, replied Sheriff and warned him against any utterances that will insult the APC. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, General Mohammadu Buhari, Chief Bisi Akande and other top echelon of the APC who were at the NEC watched in shocked as Sheriff tongue-lashed Tinubu. The former Borno Governor was said to have rained insults on Tinubu who was urged not to respond by other chieftains of the party on the high table. A source said Sheriff is also angry with the APC leadership for not siding with him in his fight with Governor Kasim Shettima of Borno State. He had also accused Tinubu for siding with Shettima, even though Tinubu had made attempts to reconcile them at his Ikoyi Lagos home, few weeks ago. Sources told Pointblanknews.com that Sheriff has been having running battles with Tinubu over what he (sheriff) perceives as an attempt by the party not to accord him respect and address him as a National Leader of APC, an appendage enjoyed by the former Lagos Governor. It was further gathered that that while some leaders of the APC are not comfortable with Sheriff going by insinuations on his role in the Boko Haram saga, the party hierarchy is not ready to let him go. The former Borno Governor is seen as a major political player in the North East. It was gathered that it took the intervention of General Buhari to calm both party leaders.

Politics

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Only AD represents Awo progressive governance –Oluseye Bolaji Oluseye is a stalwart of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and a developmental professional who worked on the vision 20: 2020 set up by former President, the late Umaru Yar’Adua. In this interview with Ayodele Weke, he speaks on why he has sympathy for the AD and on his role in the Vision 20:2020, among other issues. Excerpts: You’ve been known to be with the Alliance for Democracy, AD for quite a while now. Why did you choose AD out of many political parties in the country? I would say I do have AD’s sympathy. So if you mention three parties, PDP, APC and AD and you ask me, which one do I prefer, I will tell you that my sympathy is with the AD. This is for obvious reasons; which are because it was the party which was formed out of ‘June 12’ by its believers in 1999. If you ask Nigerians, they will tell you this. The party also has another dimension, because it was seen at that time and even still seen now by people like me as a continuation of the progressive legacy of Awolowo governance which is concerned on how to lift the poor, how to help them to empower themselves economically, how to spend public money wisely. In other words, the Awo legacy is the legacy that I can see in the Alliance for Democracy. So I like that, it’s a party that has consistency. It had the same name and logo right from its inception. In a country where everyone is worshipping money, you find people who stay with a party which doesn’t have even a local government or even a senator. People, who stay with AD despite all these, are unusual Nigerians and I respect them a lot. They are not interested in money politics. Money politics was what dislodged AD from its initial race. This is because, AD ruled the whole of Western Nigeria before. It is still the natural party of the progressive south west of Nigeria. It is the continuation of the Awolowo party family which started with the Action Group; it became UPN, and now AD. I personally can’t see any other party, because PDP or APC cannot be called a continuation of the Awolowo party. Even Awolowo that we are talking about played politics for about six and a half decade out of which he only belonged to just two parties. So if you are a true Awoist, how come you have joined four different parties in just six years? In the past, we knew Afenifere to be an umbrella organization for political parties in the West. However these days, we hardly hear of Afenifere again, so what socio-political organisation can you say AD belongs to, or operate under? Afenifere exists, but they may not be as coercive as before, it is not as united as it used to be. AD was the reaction of the people who believed in June12. Anyone who thought an injustice was done when MKO Abiola won an election clean and clear and also later died in government custody supports AD. So all the people who thought something should be done right came together and formed the Alliance for Democracy AD. I still believe in

Oluseye

I still believe in that vision. If God wants to put AD back to its place of pride in Nigerian politics, God will do it, with or without Afenifere that vision. If God wants to put AD back to its place of pride in Nigerian politics, God will do it, with or without Afenifere. What is being done to reposition the AD and do you see yourself campaigning under the AD if you intend to contest? I have sympathies for the party like I said earlier. I am aware that some people are doing things to reposition the party, and they have even spoken with me, knowing that I have sympathy for the party. I was an unofficial member of Falae’s think-thank when he was running for the presidency in 1999 and I like to be constant. When I am ready to contest for elective post if at all, it will be under the AD. People don’t call you, you choose to go and join a party. And I am not likely to go and join any other party apart from AD. God makes kings, I am not a politician.

I do not have all the political gadgets people use in politics. But I can help a political party to grow, to anchor its manifesto and policies. If God wants me to run for the senate or governorship tomorrow, I will run. This is because man proposes and God disposes. I am the kind of person who has an idea and then leaves it to God to give divine guidance. As a Lagosian, if you are opportune to be the Governor of the state, what are the things you will put in place? I was one of the many primary school children who marched in October 1 1960 at Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS in Lagos. Back then, it was a Lagos of hope, it was a Lagos where though we were children of the poor but we had good medical care. There was a time I was sick and was admitted to the General Hospital and when

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I was discharged and was going home I was crying. This was because the food I got there was better than the one in my house. It was in this same Lagos. Anybody who becomes governor in Lagos have to be concerned about the plights of the majority, your policies have to be removing the plights of the poor. Create conditions, introduce projects that will enable them to empower themselves. The people are not lazy, but the thing standing between them and their hard work is the government and its agencies. It is good to focus on the poor because it is good for the economy. You can keep any society poor by not caring for its masses or majority. In the bottom of the pyramid is where a good governor should concentrate. Can you explain a bit of vision 20; 2020? In Vision 20: 2020, my mandate along with that of the committee is to help set out implementations for the vision 20: 2020. The broad objectives, the initiatives to set out the expectation, those who will do it, what they needed in terms of resources, and also put a date around all the objectives. And that was what we did in 2009. Thousands of reports have been done already, and our own efforts were to distill those reports into implementable activities and projects. We did that, and presently the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Mobolaji Johnson was one of the overall coordinators. I am happy to see that she is a minister today, because it may imply that the government still has some intentions to still focus on the vision 20: 2020. However, whether it is being implemented or not presently, I cannot know, because I am not in government. Same with my other colleagues then. Their impression is also same. One of the aims of that project is to make Nigeria one of the biggest economies by GDP per capital by year 2020. 2020 is five and half years away from now. There are certain critical foundations a country needs to be able to get to that stage. Because we are talking about joining the likes of United States of America, Brazil, Holland and Belgium. South Africa for example is not even among the 20 biggest economies, and I don’t think we are up to the level of South Africa. If you don’t have a steel industry, you cannot have an economy that is big enough to be among the first 20. Nigeria is talking about generating 500 megawatts, 6 000 megawatts, that is an insult to that vision. The power has to be fixed. Nigeria should be talking minimum 70-80,000 megawatts. We do not have a viable steel industry. It is embarrassing that we got independence in 1960 and we are in pre-independence situation right now and have got trillions of Naira from oil, yet we are still pre-industrial. There are some elements in all our major industries. This country has a lot of unemployed people and disguised unemployed people. Nigeria has up to 70% of her youths not employed, in school or useful. We must teach more Mathematics, basic Sciences and IT courses in Nigeria because these are areas where we don’t have any power yet. Vision 20: 2020 all what I have said above should be implemented, I believe the government knows these things too. Are they doing them? time will tell.

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Interview ENCOUNTER WITH A NEWS MAKER MARCH 30, 2014

There is no more Saraki dynasty in Kwara –Dara, guber aspirant

Deacon John Dara is a key figure in the politics of Kwara State. He was a fiery Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in 2003 when the battle between him and Bukola Saraki in the primaries which has become a watershed. He spoke with Wole Adedeji on the emerging order in the state. Excerpts:

ON THE STATE OF KWARA

President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Kwara State recently witnessed a large turnout. Does that indicate a sort of revolution in Kwara State vis-a-vis the political leadership of Dr. Bukola Saraki who is now in APC? The truth is that over the years, Kwara people were not satisfied with the Saraki leadership in the state. But the late Baba Saraki was a stable politician who was a little more diplomatic. I think because Bukola was not able to study and appropriate the structures he rode on. It appears he did not understand what it took to sustain that structure. When you begin to tell lies many times, people will begin to believe it and even the liar will begin to believe his own lies. The lie was that Kwara people were docile and contented to follow one person. They did not care for democracy, they did not want good governance, good quality leadership; they just wanted to have a leader who will dole out patronage at his whim and caprices. Most Nigerians believed this about Kwara State. They even looked down on the rest of us in Kwara whereas the real problem was that the majority were just weak economically and politically to effect a change. They could have done so if they were well mobilised. That is what I tried to do in 2002. I came on the scene, created awareness and mobilised the people and there was real yearning for change. If not for the intervention of external forces created and forced on the state by the then Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, who is now going about pretending to be a democrat, he was the one who overturned the process. He scuttled the process of democratic selection and imposed a candidate on us in the Kwara PDP. The rest is history. Whereas the people of Kwara State knew how he came, the people outside were cynical whether he won or not. It still confirms the old myth. We kept on hoping that change will come. Maybe, it is taking this long for the wind of change to begin to blow strong enough. What is remarkable is that it is not based on a John Dara initiative, or some other change agents, individually or collectively do anything without it. I think what has happened is almost like the story of Rehoboam and Solomon in the Bible. You remember that when Solomon died, the people of Israel gathered and said, ‘look we were only enduring your father, Solo-

A lot of people became scared to tell the truth. But the truth is that Kwara State which was created in 1967 has been stagnant. The last 13 years or so have been worse than any in terms of revenue available to the state and the low quality of deliveries mon. He overworked us. He over-tasked us to build the big places, temples. It was tough on all the people of Israel. You are now the king succeeding your father, we want you to reduce our burden.” And Rehoboam said, “I am bigger than my people. I am going to make your burden even heavier.” The people suddenly snapped and rebelled. That is how the famous saying, “to your tent o Israel” was made. I think Kwara has reached a breaking point with the overbearing, arrogant attitude of Bukola. This is what has helped to create this situation. We would say it is also God’s time. Alas the old saying, God’s time is the best. Gbemisola is Bukola’s sister. Ordinarily, they will be on the same page but you see the same attitude has so alienated her that she will rather be anywhere else than where he is. The same feeling that his sister has is the feeling that most of the political actors in Kwara State have. So, APC has been a blessing to us in taking Bukola away from PDP. They have helped those of us who are the original members of PDP. In fact, most of the people who are scattering into all other parties were doing so out of frustration. The day Mr. President came here to receive our brothers and sisters who defected to our party and the calibre of those who decamped to us was a day of great reunion, a great realignment of forces. That is why it is a revolutionary development for the people of Kwara State. We are all celebrating because we know that change has finally come. Let me place it on record that I have a personal admiration for the late Dr. Olusola Saraki. I respect his political acumen. While I did not agree with him, I respect his capacity to follow through with what he believed in. I

think Bukola on his own part is just presumptuous. He did not quite understand what even his father did to rule Kwara for so long. This time round, the game is up. This is not a game against the Saraki family, because Saraki family is in fact with us in PDP. It s a movement against Bukola Saraki. He is now fully isolated in Kwara politics. He is on his own. But Bukola is not in government; Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed is now governor of the state; has he done well in terms of human capital development and provision of infrastructure? You are a journalist that we know has been in the state for quite some time. You are in position to know that a lot of lies had been told in the past. When the local revenue for each local government is not getting to them, when you take almost two-thirds of their money away and leave only a fraction left for them and a few of these council people who dared to challenge it were suspended, persecuted, ostracised and everybody was intimidated into silence. When many people were writing books about scams that are going on in the name of agriculture, even the press became an accomplice in the deceit because we know how the system works. Correspondents are here in the state. They have their families, lives to preserve and if it gets to a point where there are threats to their livelihood, and we know of cases when news correspondents in this state were made to lose their jobs by people in government. A lot of people became scared to tell the truth. But the truth is that Kwara State which was created in 1967 has been stagnant. The last 13 years or so have been worse than any in terms of revenue available to the state and the low quality of deliveries. I believe that what we have been running is a huge scam and we hope that the freedom that the people of Kwara are celebrating today is not just from an individual dictator but it is also from bad governance, from governance by deceit, propaganda, monthly hosting of editors and sharing money for people to continue to sustain lies. I believe that the possibilities in Kwara are incredible. I see that the infrastructure in the state is very poorly developed. We have some of the worst roads in the country. Worse than that, I pity people from Kaiama and Baruten. It is like they have been forgotten completely. The bridge linking Kaiama is in a state of total disrepair. It is worse than what it was in 1967 when I first travelled on it as a young secondary school boy. That is still how it is till today, in fact with age, it has deteriorated. Many times, the transporters are cut off. We have to follow a long way in order to cut off that place and yet, we have government. It is in my view that it is sheer wickedness CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Interview

Sunday, March 30, 2014

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‘At 46, Kwara State is still stagnant’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 and every government during campaigns did promise to do something about the road. It is not just the road, it is the whole attitude towards the people of Baruteen and Kaiama as if they do not matter, as if they are not part of Kwara State. You should look at the map of the state; they are like some after-thoughts in the scheme of things. I think a good government will know that land is money and we cannot live almost half of the land of the state completely abandoned and unutilised. I believe that if we have serious governance, that the area has its uses and the possibilities are enormous. That is not to talk about a more developed area like Patigi, the river course (River Niger) between Jebba and Patigi could conveniently become one of the best for river-basin tourism in the country. Talking about development, would it be right to say it is a case of lack of understanding of how government should be run or is it outright mismanagement of resources? In most states of the federation, the problem has been that some people went into government with the mindset that an opportunity has come for them for self-enrichment and not necessarily to serve the people. Never mind what people say when they are campaigning. A few have the discipline or the integrity to maintain their original vision when they get access to power. I do hope that we would get that kind of orientation now and things would change as we in the PDP put structures in place to check those who are in government. Is it therefore that those in government don’t know what to do when they get there? It is because they don’t have the will to do what is right. They never intended to do what is right. But, the way to change that is to make it costly and risky for anybody to misappropriate any government or public money. I believe that corruption thrives where the prospect of being caught or heavily sanctioned is limited. As things are today, people know that they are likely to get away with stealing of public funds in one form or the other. By the time you inflate contracts and you lose your job, go to jail or ruin your name and your career, then people will know that it is a dangerous thing. I have always believed that when you really serve and build infrastructure, human resources, the economy, it is likely that you would have created enough wealth for everybody that even you or your children would benefit from. But what we have is people spending a substantial faction of public funds for their private interests. As I said, it won’t change by pleading to the people or appealing to them. It will change when the system is put in place that there would be the whistle blowers, sanctions for everyone and the prospect of anyone tampering with public funds being caught at anytime would be very high. How do you see Senator Gbemisola Saraki in PDP and Bukola Saraki in APC? Can PDP expect a sustained rift between brother and sister? On the issue of Gbemi; we happen to be close friends long before now. It is long before the developments that made the ACPN, ACN or even the PDP that has brought about all these realignments of late. I felt that Gbemi was a more truthful and forthright person than Bukola. I could relate far better than. Even now, I have had opportunity to ask her the kind of questions you are asking me playfully. I come with the conclusion that she is more interested in team work, collective leadership and democracy. She is not struggling to build an empire which is good for her and the family. She is just like any other politician offering her services to the state as a person. People talk of handing over PDP structures just to anybody. This question does not actually arise. That was how the original PDP was like before the Sarakis came on board; team work, collective leadership and everything was democratic. No individual can say I owe the structures of PDP. So, Gbemi Saraki will be part of the team. Many of her supporters will be elected as of-

ON BUKOLA, GBEMI RIFT I think the person who will probably be the biggest scourge for Bukola Saraki will be Gbemi, but that is neither here nor there. We are not interested in their personal interests or private matters. We are more concerned about democracy and good governance in Kwara State. I am happy that Gbemi has opted to be part of the democratic group, the pro-good governance group, which is now in PDP ficers in the wards, local governments and the state as other interest groups will also have their people elected. There will be primaries for whatever office she is aspiring for in future. She would either win or lose. I think the person who will probably be the biggest scourge for Bukola Saraki will be Gbemi, but that is neither here nor there. We are not interested in their personal interests or private matters. We are more concerned about democracy and good governance in Kwara State. I am happy that Gbemi has opted to be part of the democratic group, the pro-good governance group, which is now in PDP. The issue of who flies the flag for the governorship election has always been the problem in your party; how would you go about it this time round? You gentlemen of the press should not begin to give credence to bear parlour talk. It is true that if party primaries are not well managed, they can tear the party into shreds. But what our National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu has been saying is that he is not interested in imposing candidate(s) anywhere. What President Jonathan has been saying is that he is not interested in imposing candidates anywhere. When it was a tradition of the PDP, you have free and fair primaries. Whether the emerging candidate is from Ilorin, Baruteen, Oyun or wherever, it becomes irrelevant. This is because it would have been fairly contested for and won. It is incumbent upon the winner to reach out to those who have lost. It is the tradition in democracy that those who have lost will count their losses by bargaining for something. When Mrs. Clinton lost to Obama, she did just that; they held meetings and she became the secretary of state and even with the prospect of becoming the successor to Obama. We can always work it out once the primary is free and fair. But when you have a situation where some external forces are trying to impose a candidate; that is bound to cause some problems. I believe that the new direction at the national level, even in Kwara State would be to ensure that we have free and fair contest and we can then enjoy our democracy and just move on. How do you go about the registration of members into PDP bearing in mind that APC in Kwara recently did the registration of members and is boasting of 380,000 registered; can you make this also in PDP? APC in Kwara State did not register 100,000 members. That is something that you may want me to prove.

Dara

I didn’t see their books. But I know what happened in my ward. I know what happened all over the place because I have coordinators in every local government and I was sufficiently interested to ask what happened and they said, APC? Nobody paid attention to them. If somebody sat down in one corner and was compiling a list of names and says he has 300,000, I wish him good luck. The Yoruba say when a man has planted 100 yam seedlings and claims and boasts that he has planted 200, he will know his folly when it is harvest time; when he has harvested the 100 genuine seedlings, he would have to go and look for how he would get the remaining 100 false seedlings to harvest. If APC is living in self delusion, in next election, they would know that they have lost Kwara State. Can the turnout during Mr. President’s visit on March 3 be translated to election fortune in 2015? Rallies are a good way of showing the popularity of an idea or a group but they are not the ultimate test. For us as party members, we are more interested in the structures we are putting in place. It is even more exciting that on a ward by ward basis, even attendance of wards’ meetings now that we have not formalised, I mean putting formal executives in place. The caretaker committee will soon commence registration. But meetings are going on, even without the registration yet. Meetings are going on in every ward. In my local government, Oyun for instance, we rotate meetings from ward to ward. Each ward is supposed to host one meeting or the other and then host the local government in addition to their own ward meetings weekly. In other words, in each ward, the likelihood of at least two meetings a week is very high because members would go for their meetings and then, a rotational local government meeting will follow. Before you know it, it will become a carnival. They do meetings; and everyone is excited and that is being replicated in every local government in the state. So, for us, we would see a PDP that would almost have an intimidating strength. When that comes, the result would be much more than just rallies. For example, how many buses did we allocate to each ward for the rally? We allocated buses to the wards but the truth is that too many people were sadly frustrated because they could not get spaces in the buses allocated to their area. This response is not truly a true reflection of our strength. When the time comes and our candidates emerge and the President is coming to flag off the mother of all rallies, you will see the true position of our strength.

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Construction of a second Niger Bridge

onday, March 10, 2014 marked a watershed in the annals of Nigeria’s history. On that day, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan flagged off the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge at Onitsha, Anambra State. The ceremony was coming 49 years after the first and only bridge linking the eastern and western parts of the country was commissioned by former President Nnamdi Azikiwe in December 1965. The existing bridge, which was rebuilt after being destroyed during the civil war that ended in 1970, has seen the volume of traffic passing through it more than quadrupled, thereby putting a lot of strain on the infrastructure, while endangering the lives of thousands of commuters who use it on daily basis. President Jonathan deserves commendation for giving form and substance to the hopes and aspirations of the majority of Nigerians, particularly easterners, many of who had lost hope of seeing the bridge completed in their life time. We have no cause to think such optimism is misplaced, particularly under the current strategic enforcement framework. Mr. President personally raised such hope when he had stated at the foundation laying ceremony: “It is interesting that all the funding arrangement have been concluded to ensure that the project is not abandoned as was the case in the past.” The disclosed details of the bridge project are such that should lift the spirit of ever mobile easterners and the rest of the country. The 1,590-metre bridge, which would form part of the 11-kilometre Onitsha by-pass, would be completed in four years at a total cost of over N117 billion and the project would be executed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for a period of 25 years. The arrangement appears solid only if it would be followed to the letter. The importance of a second

bridge across the River Niger, to not only ease the burden of increasing traffic on the almost dilapidated old one, but more so, guard against any future catastrophic event which may likely occur if the present one suddenly collapses, has long been established. But bad politics had hampered all constructive efforts to get it off the drawing board. General Ibrahim Babangida, a former military president of the country, had in 1992 commissioned its design, but the impetus to take another step forward in its execution plan was weakened by bloated costs, when the scope was broadened to include an East-West rail line. In 2003, the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Nigerians have waited for so long to see the construction of this bridge. History beckons and President Jonathan should grab the opportunity to write his name in gold administration revived the initiative, but this time to finance the construction through a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. However, the non-existence of concession law in the country frustrated such move. While all the rigmarole lasted, the people of the South-East and SouthSouth geopolitical zones bore the brunt both in human and material costs. Such costs could only be appreciated during the festive periods of Easter and Christmas, when travellers are stuck on the bridge for endless hours and even days, thereby causing serpentine grid-

locks that extend for miles. The degree of social dislocations this leaves on the hapless commuters, who for lack of alternative routes are condemned to put up with such inhuman conditions, is better seen than imagined. It smacks of callousness on part of the Federal Government to continue watching its citizens go through excruciating agonies for no fault of theirs in order to travel from one destination to another in the country. There is no arguing the fact that the East-West road remains the busiest in the country in terms of traffic, especially in view of the fact that the majority of the goods cleared at Lagos ports pass through it. And given that those vehicles conveying those cargoes pass through the old bridge, it is, therefore, obvious that it continues to suffer degradation. Now that President Jonathan has finally broken the jinx and seen the compelling importance of a new bridge, it is proper that all efforts and resources be harnessed to see to its final completion. He should consider the construction of the bridge a top priority of his administration. It is not enough flagging off the commencement of the construction in a blaze of publicity, the President should be aware that the world is watching to see whether he is merely following in the footsteps of his predecessors or not. However, with Julius BergerNigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Consortium and the Federal Government owning the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) driving the execution process, we have full confidence that the end of the long wait is in sight. Nigerians in the eastern and western geopolitical zones of the country and indeed all Nigerians have waited for so long to see the construction of this bridge. History beckons and President Jonathan should grab the opportunity to write his name in gold.

Reminiscences MARCH 30 IN HISTORY 1987: U.S. - Gogh’s masterpiece sold for $36.3m An anonymous foreign buyer purchased Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece ‘Sunflowers’ for nearly $36.3 million,

2002: England - Queen Mother dies The Queen Mother died in her sleep today at the age of 101. Tributes have been flooding in from across the world and from all corners of society for “Queen Mum” as she was affectionately known by the British public.

1909: U.S. - 59th Street Bridge opened The Queensboro Bridge also known as the 59th Street Bridge, linking the New York boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, opened. The bridge which is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City was started in 1903.

1945: Austria divided after World War II The Soviet Union invaded Austria during World War II, and at the end of the war Austria like Germany was divided into four zones: American, British, French and Russian with Vienna similarly divided but at its centre was an International Zone, sovereignty of which alternated at regular intervals between the four powers.

1998: BMW buys Rolls Royce for $570m The German car maker BMW buys Rolls Royce cars for $570 million.

2006: Iran gets UN ultimatum on nuclear program Iran has been given 30 days to return to negotiations on its nuclear program. The talks in Berlin have reinforced the deadline that was set in by the UN Security Council, which was urging Iran to halt its uranium enrichment.

2008: Iraq - Shi’ite cleric withdraws militia Iraqi Shi’ite cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, has ordered his Mehdi Army militia to withdraw from the streets of Basra and other cities The Iraqi government has welcomed this, and a government spokesman has said that the decision is ‘positive and responsive’ and that the move would ‘help the government confront those who are violating the law’.

2008: U.S., EU in economic agreement The United States and the European Union have agreed to a new transatlantic economic partnership in Washington. This has been designed to promote trade and investment by harmonising the continent’s regulatory standards, and creating the basis for a single U.S.-E.U. market.

2010: Russia - 38 killed in suicide bomb attacks At least 38 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in two suicide bomb attacks on the Moscow Metro. Female suicide bombers are believed to have carried out the attacks on trains that had stopped at two stations during rush hour.

Opinion

Sunday March 30, 2014

Uncensored U nc

Sheriff S Folarin

E-mail: sheffie2004@yahoo.co.uk 08094217972 (SMS only)

hat is human life worth in Nigeria? A mansion of many rooms? A fleet of cars? A harem of wives? Retinue of loyal staff ? Cloth of many colours? Fat bank accounts? Variety of “blings”? Food on the table? A bed of roses? Just what? The shocking discoveries in Ibadan last week of a forest of ritual murders shows the entrenched norm of horrific human practices that our Nigerian society has come to uncritically absorb and accept. The gory details of abandoned and decomposing bodies of hundreds of innocent victims packed in deep and dry wells, shallow but mass graves and the litter of dismembered remains of humans somewhere in the pretentiously and deceptively sedate Soka forest of Ibadan graphically tells the story of the extreme degeneration of value and worth placed on human life in this part of the world. Among the few rescued was a woman who had just been delivered of a baby that had probably been sold off or whose parts had been severed for sale to some politicians seeking first or second term, ritual money makers, protection-seeking individuals and those generally seeking some mystical powers for control of the ethereal or to appease some unseen forces perceived to be after their pathetic lives. The Ibadan horror cuts the picture of a decomposing society- the forest of evil

Ibadan tragedy as metaphor for zero value for life deeds was said to have had lots of “big” patrons buying and selling severed heads, limbs, eyes gouged out, tongues cut off, organs evacuated, and genitals removed, and had captured persons awaiting the butcher’s knife. This was not poultry or animal farm where livestock is made available for customers’ kitchens. These were human lives cut down in most grotesque ways by fellow humans who seek their fellow humans’ heads for pepper soup. Mechanics and Fulani herdsmen had done years of cover-ups or lookaway until nemesis had had enough of patience on the evil doers. It was time to uncover one of the thousands of covens in the country where hundreds of missing children and adults end up never to return home or to stay alive; and where human lives are daily wasted for the love of money, desperation for protection and lust after power. The Ibadan evil forest incident is just one of the numerous cases of how poorly human life is prized in the country. There is also the “baby factory” phenomenonAba, Onitsha, Enugu, Ogun State, etc. At these baby factories, as they are called, many different women are made to mate two or three men in order to conceive and bear children. Such children are either sold for as low as N25, 000, to foreign buyers who desire to adopt the children, or to western and oriental patrons that seek to have baby’s internal organs for their medically impaired children, or to local buyers who seek baby parts for ritual purposes. The phenomenal baby factory tragedy is however surpassed by the persistent mass slaughter in the North-east and more recently in Kaduna and Katsina states. Cowardly terrorists in the dead

of the night invade harmless children’s schools and slaughter them, or gun their tender souls down. When they are not doing this, they are burning down every home of unarmed men and women and pursuing their victims to the point where they are eventually butchered or shot. In some cases, the brainwashed killers take the battle to the barracks and murder soldiers’ wives and children. As at the last count, the terrorists had killed no fewer than 6, 000 Nigerians and foreigners since 2009. As the Islamists are rampaging somewhere in the desert areas, Fulani herdsmen who seem to complement and work in concert with them strike at dusks and dawns in central Nigeria using swords and knives to butcher hundreds of women and children. The Fulani, who prize their cattle over human life, for no known reason, burn down their victims’ homes and sometimes use assault rifles to overpower their targets. Sometime last year, the Ombatse sect in Nassarawa State, in the heat of the communal/sect problem at the time, laid ambush to about twenty anti-riot policemen bound for the region to keep the peace, to butcher all of them. It was one of the most humiliating and dishonourable measures the police had encountered since the Agbekoya era of the 1970s. Aside the ritual murders, baby factory tragedies, terrorist butchers, and ethnic insurgencies, there is also the frequent cases of police stray bullets and common practice of brutality that culminate in unnecessary deaths of innocent civilians. And just like that, the case is closed immediately after the incident. What of the frequent road mishaps that are

The Lord is here, but hard to find BAYO OLUWASANMI

hings have never been so bleak for believers today. The world is going through unprecedented economic challenges. Security in an increasingly insecure world is one of today’s most sought often – and elusive – commodities – security for the future, security for vocation, and security for protection. We’re bombarded with legislated immorality and confused political leadership. People who boast to know Christ especially the pastors do not actually believe he is the only way to salvation.Many people planned to ruin their lives. Yet, many a life ends in ruins. Some pastors are craftily cunning like the Satan in their attempts to destroy the moral fiber of God’s children. Their deviance from God’s ordained pattern for love, sex, marriage, and family is both attractive and inviting. Recently, three pastors made headlines across the globe about the wildly unorthodox demonstration of how some believers can be controlled by their pastors. According to a report in Times Live, Pastor Lesego Daniel of Rabboni Centre Ministries in Garankuwa, South Africa,made his congregation of about 1,000eat grass followed a sermon in which he explained that Jesus had many other disciples than the 12 listed in the traditional Bible who were doing new things

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which were considered unconventional at the time. The minister who is popularly known as “miracle man” said eating grass is part of ritual to show that humans can be controlled by God’s spirit. A Kenya Pastor, Pastor Njohi told his female congregation not to wear underwear when they attend his church “so God can enter their bodies easier.” According to the Kenya Daily Post, Reverend Njohi of the Lord’s Propeller Redemption Church in Dandora, Nairobi, reportedly banned women from wearing underwear during his services so people can be “free in body and spirit” in order to receive Christ. Njohi is also said to have warned his women members of the “dire consequences” if they did not follow his orders. The women were reported to have adhered to the new rule and attended the church’s following service without any undergarments. They were also advised to check their daughters were not wearing anything under their outer clothes. Pastor Allen Parker of the Virginia White Tail Church, Virginia, USA, passed a new law where the congregation was asked to serve the Lord the way God created them by worshipping in the nude. According to ABC 13, Pastor Parker said some of Jesus’ most important moments happened while he was naked. “When he was born he was naked, when he was crucified, he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb and he was naked,” he said.If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?” The

church now describe itself as “Family Nudist Community.” The naïve will play with fire and get burned. The foolish will take the bait – and find that every kick offered by the pastors also contains a kickback. It is the filth of unfaithfulness for the so called “men of God” to engage in spiritual terrorism against their congregations. A well, or fountain, offers pure water for personal use. The water that runs through the street is basically sewage. The pastors are feeding their sheep sewage. Religious indoctrination is a powerful and potent Weapon of Mass Deception (WMD). It deals with virtually every facet of human relationships. These maxims deal with folly and wisdom, pride and humility, vengeance and justice, laziness and initiative, poverty and wealth, enemies and friends, lust and love, anger and anxiety, masters and servants, life and death. The three pastors and so many others have re-evangelized the world by preaching a diluted version of the Gospel. They have become wealthy through deception and distraction. They have become a spiritual opposition to all that the Gospel stands for. They are prime examples of pastors who are jailbirds and desperadoes who thrive in thieving and grand scale larceny. The pastors are guilty of eisegesis. Eisegesis is reading into the text what is not there. Theyread their own feelings or thoughts into the Bible. By this theological treachery, they based their teachings and

principally caused by very poor road conditions and use of defective or counterfeit vehicle parts such as tyres and brake pads? Many human lives had been lost to poor road conditions. In some cases, mere small potholes had caused fatal accidents leading to loss of lives. Closely related are pipeline explosions and deaths as a result of the situation of such pipes so close to places of human habitation. There are too many cases of loss of precious human life due to factors ranging from people’s inhumanity to fellow human beings arising from greed and selfishness, to religious intolerance, poor public funding of infrastructure as well as the general carelessness of people. The Ibadan evil forest episode is particularly sordid and can never be acceptable. The eight persons caught must be made to expose all the “high and mighty” involved. The culprits must be made known; the police in Oyo State have to be commended for this feat; but must not compromise on this one, for the sake of God and humanity. All those in the act of killing others for their security or financial prosperity must be made to face the full wrath of the law. The practice of ritual killing has been on for too long in Nigeria and this might just be the time to stop the evil. Innocent children’s blood has been sadly shed over the years, some of these children being those that God has ordained to rise like Moses to deliver our nation from its throes. The ritual killers and their patrons must not go unpunished. • Dr. Folarin is the Head of Department of Political Science and Internatinal Relations at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.

interpretation of the Bible on something the Bible or Scripture is not about. How can the pastors reconcile eating of grass, women coming to church without underwear and bra, and worshipping in complete nudity to the teachings of the Scriptures? By preaching the opposite of injunctions of the Lord, they are the real enemies who try to lure away men and women from God. Instead of comforting the persecuted, they are tormenting them. Instead of freeing the prisoner, they imprison them. Instead of drawing people into the light, they lead many into the darkness. They have traded their congregants’ peace for anxiety, joy for hopelessness, and selfishness for humility. Their congregants are less confident in God in the face of uncertainty. The people have turned from their spiritual independence and reliance on God to become dependent and appendages of the pastors. The pastors have turned God to be god of terror that must be offered sacrifices to withhold or ward off sickness, death, and destruction from the congregants and their families. They shamelessly deceive and entertain evil. They multiply the miseries and tragedies of worshippers and demand the impossible from them. The people feel brutally betrayed, hopeless battered, and desperately lonely. Instead of rejoicing, they have been thrown into a pit, a spiritual slavery if you will. CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

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QUOTE God’s Word is the custodian of God’s power. The Holy Ghost is the channel to it, while God’s Word is the source. The Holy Ghost is the Messenger and Interpreter of the Word.

– Dr. David Oyedepo

EDIFYING GOD Sunday March 30, 2014

Helen Oritsejafor: How I escaped being poisoned

I was once a chorister –Lewd singer, St. Janet Still on how to recover losses, by Muoka 24

Nigeria’s foundation built on corruption –Bishop

Dangers g of disregarding g g prophetic instructions 21

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Briefly Upper Room to hold Revival meetings

pper Room Brethren Ministries (Interdenominational Prayer and Deliverance Ministry) has announced a five-day transforming Open Air Revival programme tagged ‘Ephphatha’ (Iwo si) -Mk7 32:34. The programme will start on Monday, April 7 through Friday, April 11, 2014, from 6pm - 9pm. Venue is Open Ground beside Railway Police Station, Mushin, Lagos. The host, Prophet Paul Adesina Esupofo Onaolapo, said everyone that attends will be revived, saved, healed, and liberated. Side attraction includes drama among others.

Church announces special events

oice of Salvation Evangelical Ministry, a.k.a Land of Testimonies, has announced a month programme which started from March 1 to end on March 27, 2014 beginning at 10 am daily. In a statement signed by Head Pastor, Evangelist J. Olu Ayeni, the church said the programme will run till 1pm and feature inspiring themes such as: Fresh Anointing, Manifestation of New Anointing for Miracles, Anointing for Exploit, Anointing with Comfort, Anointing for Healing and five Sundays, Tuesdays & Fridays prophetic prayer meetings tagged ‘Meet Jesus’. Theme is ‘Heal Me and Bless Me’ (Wo Mi San, Ko Si Bukun Mi) and will end on March 27, 2014. Other programmes include Testimony night which comes up every Friday at 10pm till dawn at No. 12/14, Ademolu Adefuye Street, off Davies Street, Alapere, Ketu, Lagos. The host, Evang. J. Olu Ayeni, said it is fresh anointing, healing, blessing, Joy and testimony for all participants, adding that everyone that attends these special crusades will be blessed abundantly.

Evang. Ayeni

Sunday Mirror/Babcock University Bible Quiz Winners can collect their prizes from the office of the Editor, Sunday Mirror, 151/161 Broad Street, Lagos any time from Monday to Friday. Paticipants should always indicate their name when sending their entries

Vineyard Celebration Sunday March 30, 2014

Assemblies of God honours men ODINAKA URUAKPA

he glitz, razzmatazz and glamour that attended the celebration of Men’s day at the Assemblies of God Church Ajegunle, Lagos, saw the clergy, members, choristers and guests gathering to render songs and praises to God at the church premises recently will remain in the minds of all who witnessed the celebration for a long time to come. The week-long programme which had as its theme “A new day for new things” was organized by the Men’s Ministry in the parish and culminated with a church service on Sunday being the General Council Men’s day. In a chat with Sunday Mirror, the associate pastor, Rev. Felix Effia, highlighted the divine, spiritual and financial favours which members have been receiving while taking the moment to urge the members and Nigerians in general to continue to trust in the Lord for all their needs. He said there was a spiritual undertone to the resolution of the political, religious, tribal, economic and most importantly the security challenges the country is facing right now, and advised that citizens tackle these problems by totally submitting themselves to worshipping God in spirit and in truth through prayers and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior who in the twinkle of an eye, would suppress all challenges. Also speaking on the occasion, the president of the Men’s Ministry, Deacon Alimine Odogwu Ngbeonyejeugbo, while enumerating the importance and duties of men in the society and as heads in the family, charged them to be up and doing in their task and responsibilities as bread winners in the home and urged them to desist from laziness or idleness as the case may be. He further spoke on how the church had decided to use the week-long affair to reach out to people in the streets especially those considered as miscreants in the society. Hear him: “We dedicated a particular day to go out and preach to people on the streets, area boys in particular; we invited them to worship with us and I am sure some of them are at this service and are celebrating with us today”. A panel of discussants that featured at the event while speaking on laziness as their topic of discussion called upon men and youths in Nigeria to desist from living their lives in laziness and idleness, but that they should endeavour to imbibe the spirit of hard work which is the surest way to

Sectional head, Assemblies of God, Ajegunle Lagos, Rev. Dickson Onyeiri with elders and other members of the Church.

live a fulfilled religious and financial life. According to one of the discussants, Ambassador Nwameme Joel, laziness which was chosen as the topic of discussion is the unwillingness to work or be physically active and this, he said, is fast eating into the fabric of the society where you see able bodied men and youths who vehemently have refused to engage themselves in one labour or the other that could earn them good pay. He also stressed that it is common now for people especially the youth to stay idle not wanting to burn energy doing anything worthwhile. “The youths of today want everything to come quick and easy for them; they expect manner to fall from heaven and this is the reason they sit and fold their hands doing nothing. Laziness is a disease which yields nothing but poverty and it also is a sin which one must ask forgiveness for. People must realize that if they would be able to put food on the table and also take care of other necessities of life, then they must get up and go look for jobs or engage themselves in legitimate business,” he said. Some of the discussants at the panel also lent their voices, saying that laziness exist not only in homes but also in the church where members do not work hard enough to provide funds for some projects to be executed. They further said that when people are lazy in the church, they won’t be able to render help or assistance to those who need them such as widows and orphans. Spiritual laziness was also pointed out to be very dangerous for the church especially when people lag in

prayers finding it difficult to pray or not knowing how to pray at all could lead to the collapse or demise of the church. The discussants who proffered solutions to combating the spirit of Laziness in the home and church explained that laziness though in some cases may not be intentional on the part of people but yet breeds spiritual weakness, mental imbalance, loss of credibility and respect and physically it makes one develop inferiority complex and this makes those affected stay away from their peers or groups which they originally should be part of. They advised people who for one reason or the other find themselves idle to come out and mingle with peers and share their problems with others because by so doing, they could eventually meet someone who could help out by offering them a job or giving information about one. Highpoints of the event were parades by the official army in the church, the Royal Rangers, who took their time to display their military expertise and at the same entertaining all present. The church band was not left out as they took centre stage rendering soul moving and inspirational songs of worship and praise to the glory of God. The event also featured a session tagged Star programme where members and guests picked some wrapped items which the organizers called water of life and which have been blessed by the head of the church for some token as appreciation believing that their prayers and intentions will be favourably granted by the Lord as they present their gifts in his house.

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Sunday March 30, 2014

Praise & Worship News

Nigeria’s foundation built on corruption –Bishop ODINAKA URUAKPA

orruption remains the bane of Nigeria and this is so because the foundation of the country was built on corruption. So we do not expect it (corruption) to leave us now and for it to even abate or be totally eradicated from our society in times to come, it will surely take the grace of God for such total cleansing to come to reality in Nigeria. These were the words of Bishop Pius Nnona, General Overseer of Trinity Power Pentecostal Mission (TPPM), Ago, Okota, in an interview with Sunday Mirror in Lagos recently. He said contrary to what some school of thought have been saying that the country can only be delivered from its problems through the interven-

tion of women like in the days of old when God used Esther to deliver the Israelites from their enemies, it won’t be as realistic as they think, stressing that women such as the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, had been given the opportunity to serve but she eventually could not deliver as she disappointed everyone who looked up to her by involving herself in a financial scam. Said he: “I don’t like being sentimental when it comes to issues like this. The truth is that everything that you see happening today is in order. Political or economic crises are not peculiar to our country; it happened in America, it happened in Europe. These problems as we call them are just processes that we have to go through. The time will

Church holds thanksgiving service for Pastor’s birthday EMMANUEL EGHAGHE

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he Pastor-in-charge of the Youth Church of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Solid Rock Parish, popularly known as The Rock Centre, Ojodu, Lagos, Pastor Femi Enigbokan, today holds a thanksgiving service in commemoration of his birthday at the church’s auditorium. Enigbokan, whose birthday was on Tuesday, March 25, said it was necessary to show gratitude and appreciation to God who has kept him thus far. “What else can I give other than thanks to the King of kings and owner of the universe? Nothing; hence I want to give Him all the glory because He alone deserves it”. “I give all glory to God for making me see today. Despite the challenges and obstacles, I overcame them all and I will keep overcoming because it is a divine mandate for God’s children to have dominion. So nothing can stop me from being an overcomer as I anticipate more fruitful years of doing God’s will and impacting the world,” he noted. Enigbokan charged youths to desist from evil and seek God because it is in Him you get the

Pastor Enigbokan

whole package. “ Desist from seeking vanities and wrong role models in the world, rather come to Jesus Christ and make Him your mirror and in no time this action will reflect awesome results”. While speaking on the rate of crime and unemployment in the country, he could not hide his bitterness at the way and manner government is treating the matter. “The truth be said; it is a shame to be begging for milk and honey in Cannan land, that is how I best describe this country in this matter. We have resources and manpower, yet cannot utilize them. “Imagine how many youths lost their lives to unemployment in the recent Immigration recruitment and the government is not taking apt steps to bring this to an end,” he lamented. Also speaking, his wife, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Enigbokan, could not hide her joy and gratitude to God for sparing the life of her ever young husband. “First of all, I thank God for the blessing of Femi as not only a husband but a mentor and I would forever be grateful to God for marrying him. He is a visionary leader and a man that sees possibilities in everything he does. I am proud of him and I pray God keeps and refresh His oil upon him so that he would fulfill destiny in Jesus’ Name, amen”, she said. In the same vein, minister-in-charge of the Sunday school department, Deji Akinsanya, whose birthday was Friday, March 21, 2014, also thanked God for the journey so far and anticipates greater years of fruitfulness and fulfillment.

surely come that we will mature and begin to take care of ourselves in this country. People shouldn’t just think that we can wake up one day and grow like America within the twinkle of an eye and in the space of time. No; when I was young, I remember that there were things we used to see then that we do not see again. For instance, the first time I ever saw a computer, it was as big as a giant table but today the computer we see is as small as they come these days”. He emphasized that the country is going through an unavoidable metamorphosis which is why we are witnessing all the ills happening therein, stressing that for one to get a fruit, he has to shake the tree for the fruit to fall. He said it is unfortunate that the people who started Boko Haram sect can no longer control the sect, adding that luckily international bodies have intervened and God-willing, they will get to the bottom of it all. “I see what is happening now as a process of rebuilding in order to actualize the dream we hope for. Though it is a painful passage but the rebuilding is for the future

generation. I give kudos to the people at the helms of affairs though they are been sabotaged, but they are still doing all they can to curb the menace that is rocking this country. “Nobody likes the way innocent people are been killed but the truth is that God has ways of taking action and if the Boko Haram is one of the ways, let it be. Few years back, I made a prophecy that there is going to be a spate of attacks and a period of time that Nigeria will be classified as a terrorist state and that the moment it starts, it would last for a long period of time. Thank God for what the Army is doing to curb the activities of these terrorists. These are also situations that God uses to bring his people back to himself and as we speak, I believe some people are becoming more mindful of God now”, said he. Regarding the on-going National Conference, the cleric said that in the history of the country, no conference convened has been as sincere as this one which he says he sees as an avenue to molding a better Nigeria and pave a way for-

ward for the country and people, adding that all recommendations made there will surely undergo scrutiny by other delegates that would be chosen for the job so as to make sure that all issues deliberated upon will translate to the general good of the country. He stressed that where he has problem is the amount of money each delegate would be receiving, which he said, is on the high side. “I have absolute trust in Nigeria and its leaders. Any time a leader is chosen to rule this country, it is either for the purpose of pruning the people by force or to bless them. The country will not experience any break or separation like some people have predicted. I see a Nigeria that will one day be better than America where citizens will no longer leave the country for greener pastures. I see a Nigeria that will be self-sufficient, a hope for the world. I have absolute confidence in this nation and I believe there is no country like ours because there is nothing that you need that you cannot find here”, he submitted.

Worshippers in the church

God’s love yielding fruit in Nigeria –Prophet Daniel

he Presiding Pastor of Fulfilling Dreams Ministry International, Ojuore-Ota, Ogun State, Prophet Oluwafemi Daniel, has stated that in spite of the ongoing socio-economic challenges facing the nation, only God’s love for Nigerians had been sustaining the country from disintegration. Daniel made this remark early in the week during a sermon at a special programme held at the Oju-Ore, Ota, Ogun State headquarters of the Church, with the theme, ‘By the Anointing’. The cleric gave praises to God for His unlimited love for the nation, which has not only kept Nigeria together for 100 years but has also ensured the country’s indivisibility in the face of daunting security and socio-economic challenges. He enjoined all Nigerians to rejoice and give praises to God and appreci-

ate His great mercy as demonstrated by His concern to hold the country together since1914 when the Northern and Southern Protectorates were amalgamated, urging Nigerians to assist the government in the ongoing war on terrorism if the country must remain together. Daniel appealed to Nigerians to detest violence in all its ramifications, explaining that no society or organization could make progress in an atmosphere devoid of peace, adding that only peaceful co-existence was the only thing that could guarantee socioeconomic development. The prophet said that to have peace, every Nigerian must be prepared to make sacrifices, pointing that Jesus made peace through his blood on the cross (Col. 1:20). “Jesus is the Prince of Peace and all Christians must have the desires to witness to the value of life, love and peace of which the solemnity of Christ’s birth reminds us.”

The cleric, however, regretted that instead of the nation’s leaders to emulate Christ by living in peace they have turned themselves to promoters and sponsors of violence and killings. He counseled those behind the Boko Haram insurgency that the nation’s fledging democracy was no license for violence and called on Nigerians to see one another as brothers and sisters, as well as take issues on safety of lives more importantly in their day-to-day activities.

Pastor Daniel

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Sunday March 30, 2014

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Day I was almost poisoned at

Helen Oritsejafor

Wife of the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Helen Oritsejafor, in this exclusive interview with Emmanuel Eghaghe gives insights into her background, opportunities and challenges in her daily life and how she manages them. She also spoke on variety of issues including how she narrowly escaped being poisoned. Excerpts: How did you get saved? To start with, I actually gave my life to Christ about 30 years ago. I was born into a Christian family and grew up in a Christian background. My father attended an orthodox church. We all went to church because daddy wanted us to and when we got to church, we found it boring but even then, the love of God was evident in my life. I say so because at age eight, I started fasting. My father was usually curious whenever I fasted because to him; what on earth would I have been praying for at that age? Surprisingly, it was that period of my life that God did something for me which I would never forget. I, my friends and some of my cousins were invited for a birthday party. The mother of the house prepared a

delicacy for me to eat. Even though we were all given food, my plate seemed different from the others. When I was about to pick my plate, the Lord moved my hand away and I picked something else to eat. That was what saved my life. A cousin of mine who stood close to me saw me leave my food and decided to eat the food on my plate. She passed on shortly after. Before I got saved, even though I had one big Bible and a big cross which I always carried in my bag, I did not really understand the concept of being born-again. Until one day, I left England to Nigeria to attend a business meeting. Whilst waiting for the bank manager, the receptionist asked me if I had given my life to Christ and with all assertion, I said, “of course”. I showed her

my Bible and my cross which as usual was in my bag and she laughed. She repeated her question. This time, I told her to just leave me alone. She then invited me to a particular church to attend the following Sunday, promising that I would have an encounter with God. When Sunday came, I did not go to the church. The following week, when I returned to continue the meeting, she asked me if I attended the church and I said I did. She looked into my eyes and said you actually just lied to me. I was really dazzled because she was speaking with much boldness. I just couldn’t believe. At that point, I made up my mind to attend the church. To cut a long story short, I attended the church. When the pastor started ministering, it was just as if somebody gave him a photocopy of my life. Like some persons who lost a parent at an early age, I had lost my mum when I was four years of age and I had always believed in being strong, trying to fight my way through life but then I realised that the only solution was Jesus Christ. When the altar call was made, I was in tears and the first to jump out of my sit. It was an experience of a lifetime. For about two weeks after that day, I was so broken that without reason tears kept dribbling on my cheeks. I made a decision that day to the glory of God and thank God I did.

a struggle because I always thought I would get married to a fellow banker and not a man of God. When I came into his life, I asked him his vision amidst many other questions and began to seek the face of God concerning what God would have me do. One day in the place of prayer, God spoke to me and gave me a name, a mission and strategy. It was a big one for me. I then went to our father and told him all that God said to me. He said he was going to pray about it and after a while, he told me exactly what God said. I give God the glory. A few months later, the Daughters of Sarah Convention was birthed. The essence of the Fellowship is actually to help towards fulfilling the vision God gave our father which is “Building and equipping the people who build the nation”. It is an avenue to drive the womenfolk towards the realisation of the vision. God gave us an idea on how not to only impact our women spiritually but also financially, materially, marriage-wise and in every area of their lives so that they can fulfil their divine purpose and be a total woman to the glory of God. We also have as part of the DOS Convention, a trade fair. The reason was that the convention was birthed at a period when there was inter-tribal crisis in Warri. We felt we could use the trade fair as an avenue to broker peace amongst the tribes. During the first trade fair, we brought in traditional rulers from different ethnic groups and we cut what we called, “the Unity Cake” after which our father had some discussions. We just thank God for the vision of Daughters of Sarah.

There are some persons who think they are self made and do not need Christ. What do you say to those persons? Well, it is ignorance and foolishness that makes a person feel he/she does not need the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. For instance, if you were born in affluence, you influence your environment and believe you have it all. You probably have had good opportunities and well positioned, there may be the tendency to say, “Why do I need Christ?” The fact remains that giving your life to Christ has nothing to do with wealth, affluence, opportunities, etc. it is simply having a relationship with your maker. It is the greatest gift/experience any human being can ever have on earth.

The theme of this year’s convention is “Discover to recover”. What brought about that theme? You know in life, there is nothing more important than knowing who you are as an individual. Most times, people define who they are either by the environment they live in; the level of education they have attained, the connections and degree of affluence they have, etc; but during the convention, God revealed to us our inward selves that we may be able to discover who we really are in order to capture our world. It is only what you discover that you can recover. There was a shepherd in the Bible who had a hundred sheep and lost one. He could have decided to forget the one which was lost as he still had 99 sheep. But that one sheep was important to him and so he went after it and eventually recovered it. Sometime ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and gave me the theme for the convention. I was dazzled at what God was revealing to me. He said, “I am taking the women to the place of Royalty”. That was what informed the choice purple and gold for the convention. It is very symbolic. God is taking us to that destination for total recovery to His Glory.

When did the Daughters of Sarah Fellowship begin? Well, before I came into my husband’s life, I had a covenant with God that “I would do him good and not evil all the days of my life. Before I said yes to my husband, it was

THE MOTHER OF THE HOUSE PREPARED A DELICACY FOR ME TO EAT. EVEN THOUGH WE WERE ALL GIVEN FOOD, MY PLATE SEEMED DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO PICK MY PLATE, THE LORD MOVED MY HAND AWAY AND I PICKED SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT. THAT WAS WHAT SAVED MY LIFE.

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Sunday March 30, 2014

a function –Helen Oritsejafor ate an atmosphere for my husband so that he can be himself and feel good about himself. That is what I try to do for my husband. Without flattery, I nurture the ego in him as a man so that he can give his best to me, his children, and the larger family which is the church community and in his fulfilment of God’s vision for him. With the other things like the bank, the school, ABN, the bookshop and all other aspects, I just manage my time properly. I know when to go to the school, I know when to go to the bank, I know when to demand for records, I know how to proffer my opinion, take decisions, etc. God has helped me so far and I think He blessed me with the skill of management.

Pastor Oritsejafor and wife, Helen

How would you evaluate the success of past conventions? It has been one level of success to another year after year. We have had incredible testimonies of how God changed the story of women who were tagged barren, persons who had lost hopes of getting married, finding their life partners to mention a few. Also, through the trade fair, a lot of business ideas have been birthed in a lot of persons. Thousands testify daily that God has used you to transform their lives, marriages, families, businesses, education, etc. How would you assess yourself and the contributions you have made to the kingdom? Would you say you have fulfilled your dreams? I think I would have preferred if someone else were to define who Mama Helen Oritsejafor is. I am just a lover of people and ever thinking of how to make life better for someone out there because I believe that life is not just about what you have, it is about what you have been able to do with what you have to make someone better. For what God has used me to do to His glory, I think we are just starting. There are so many things to conquer and achieve in the lives of women. You drive your achievements with so much passion and excellence. What advice do you have for admirers out there? The only way you can stay focused on a thing is when you are passionate about what you do. For you to be passionate about what you do, you must like that thing you do. Liking what you do goes with your personality traits. You must discover who you really are to find where you can be well suited so that even when you face trying times, you will not get discouraged because you like what you do. That is why you should discover what you love to do, that even when you are woken up from your sleep, with all joy, you do it with all your might. It becomes a tonic/ drive for you to be an achiever. If you strive to be an achiever who wants to fulfil destiny, my advice for you is, “find out who you are and what you can do; never let it go until you give birth to that thing”. You are ever young and beautiful. Could

you share with us the secret? How does your beauty affect your home because we all know Papa is very proud of you in a world where many men are not proud of their own wives? I think beauty should start from within because the number one ingredient to beauty is receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. I do not know what would have become of Helen Oritsejafor without Christ. I just thank God that I have Him as my Lord. The second thing is being blessed with a glorious man, Papa Ayo Oritsejafor; my husband whom I love so very much and who is ever there for me. He encourages me and gives me support. Whenever he tells me, “Honey, I know you can do it...” It is a tonic that keeps me going. On the other hand, I live a stress-free life. Although I can be busy but I know when to draw the line. Someone once asked me when is my time of rest and I laughed because I am always working but there comes a time when no matter how hard I try to work, I can’t do anything; I have reached my limit. I know myself and I know that time. When the time comes, I take out time to rest. It is not enough to know when to take a break; sometimes when you are faced with challenges that could on its own introduce stress to life, you need to allow yourself to break down. Some persons even develop grey hair. They believe worry is a solution. When you worry, nothing is solved. The challenge remains standing, waiting for you to attend to it. One of the things that have helped me is that when I find myself in critical and defining moments, I get very practical in such situations. I ask myself; “how do I get out of this situation?” because there is always a solution to a situation of conflict. I go on my knees and spend a very long time talking to God about it. The first prayer is usually, “God show me the way out”; “What can I do for the situation to change?” With that in mind, it helps me to conquer stress. Instead of feeling troubled and worried, I concentrate myself in a positive way of resolving it and believe me, I will not let God rest until I find a solution and it helps me. I see it as another feather I need to add to my cap being challenged in that manner. One other thing that I consider is the as-

pect of time. Many times, we lack time management. I have a cell fax for everything I do. I have time for the bank; for the school. I usually jot down things I need to do in my diary and when I get home, I reminiscence over the happenings of the day. I put down the next line of action and put them aside, that helps me a lot. All these put together, the secret of my beauty is the fact that I have been able to put my life in the hands of Jehovah God and being born-again, I know how to by the grace of God navigate through trials because they would always come. I know my role as the wife; I know the God who has brought me into my husband’s life to fulfil the vision that God has given to him and that I am ultimately passionate about. I know also that after Jesus, comes my husband, even before my children and so I must do everything to make sure that he is a fulfilled and a happy man. All these have kept me beautiful by the grace of God. To add to that, I do exercises because little exercises profits. I also watch what I eat. I apply some beauty tips like making sure I have a bath before going to bed, massing my face with natural honey and moisturizers to reduce wear outs on my face. I apply sun block on my face in the morning because of the weather to prevent damage. I like natural things and it is good to maintain what God has given to you. As you advance in age, some parts of your body wear out. How do you manage to function in the multiple capacities of a preacher, mother, wife, entrepreneur, role model and counsellor? Time management! I said that earlier. The whole essence is being able to manage my time properly and the fact that I do not want to fail in anything I put my hands into. If I make up my mind on something, I throw myself hundred per cent into it. I give my very best. I do not know how to do things haphazardly but I manage time, I manage myself. As a mother, once in a while, I take the children to school because that is what they remember when they grow. Children do not care about how much you know or how much you have; they care about how much you care. The best thing to do is to cre-

What role should the church play in business and what is your vision for women empowerment? They are many. I know that every human being is endowed with what is needed to change their world. Most times, people do not know what they carry. I have a dream of empowering women to see how they can set themselves free from poverty, encouraging self worth and human dignity because when you can provide for yourself, it gives you a level of confidence. More than winning souls, the Church is also concerned about the needs of the people. God admonishes us that it is not enough to pray for a hungry man. If you have the means, find a way to help him. Go beyond praying and do something about what the person is praying for. That is another essence of introducing the trade fair in the DOS Convention so that people can be empowered and get blessed financially and materially which would positively affect other areas of their lives and help them fulfil their destinies, to the glory of God. Business is about meeting needs in every chosen environment. Most times, people just do business because they see others doing it. Business goes beyond that. In developed countries, when a product is about to be launched, questionnaires go out first. They hire researchers who would examine the locality the business is to be established and find out what their needs are. They look at the demographics: age factor, job related and economy of the people to help them ascertain if it is worth it. Do not just rush into business. You need to do your homework, feasibility study to know the kind of business that would thrive in that locality.

I THINK BEAUTY SHOULD START FROM WITHIN BECAUSE THE NUMBER ONE INGREDIENT TO BEAUTY IS RECEIVING THE

LORD JESUS

CHRIST AS YOUR

LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOUR. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE BECOME OF

HELEN ORITSEJAFOR WITHOUT CHRIST.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

From the

Pulpit Sunday March 30, 2014

Still on how to recover losses, by Muoka General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, in this exhortation, teaches on how things lost can be recovered. Excerpts:

s we prepare to put in remembrance the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ which culminated into His death, burial and resurrection, we should understand that without His death, and atonement of His blood on the cross of Calvary, our sin cannot be washed or forgiven. Heb. 9: 22 says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”, If Christ did not shed His blood, our sins cannot be washed away. And without shedding of blood there would be nothing like washing away of sins and forgiveness of sin, and that is why Jesus went to the cross. So He died to save us from sin and satanic slavery. Christ went on the cross of Calvary and paid the highest price for our sin, He died, was buried and on the third day resurrected for our justification and freedom. God used the occasion of His death and resurrection to recover us and restore to us all that we lost in Adam. Rom 3: 23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Before the death of Jesus Christ all had sought to be justified, or approved by God but all failed. All the works of the law could not secure God’s approbation for mankind and thus they remained therefore under condemnation. And consequently are equally helpless and guilty and, because God is no respecter of persons as all human creatures are equal before Him there is no reason why one should be preferred before another. And since all have sinned, to have the divine likeness restored, all must have their sins blotted out. And until this is done they come short of the glory of God, that is, the everlasting life, which consists in our being made partakers of the glory of God. Beloved it was because of the sin of Adam and Eve that all of us became sinners. But by mercy and love, God sent Jesus Christ to die and atone for our sins since over 2000 years ago. The finished work of redemption on the cross of Calvary is for all creatures. But if you are not in Christ and not born again you are not part of this work. This is because you will still be suffering of Adam’s sin and your life will be full of sorrow, struggle, want and lack of every good thing. But if you are born again, you ought to have re-

covered everything but if you have not started recovering all that Christ has made available for you, then that is why we brought this sermon to you. I don’t know what you have lost but I am very sure that no one that will read this message will remain the same. No matter what you have lost I am assuring you that, the God whom I serve will make you to recover all. Christ has finished the work, you have nothing to contribute or work but just believe and give your life to Jesus and all other things shall be yours. I don’t know what you are going through, but as you give your life to Christ today, the mercy of God shall be shown to you. While many people will be sorrowful in this Easter, you will be celebrating. This is because everything you have lost will be coming back to you. Whether it is physical, financial, spiritual or academicals, all will be coming back to you. I don’t know what you have lost but today will mark the beginning of recovering everything. Wherever they are standing against what belongs to you, honestly they will release it in Jesus name! Jn 19: 30 says, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. The sacrifice of sin has finished at the cross of Calvary. And that was when your debt was paid. And everything you have lost must come back to you. Christ said, ‘it is finished’ that is saying, ‘God!! I have executed your great designs for the redemption of mankind. I have satisfied the demands of your justice. I have accomplished all that was written in the prophets, and suffered the utmost malice of our enemies; and now the way to the holy of holies is made manifest through my blood. My sufferings are now ended, my race is run, my work is done, I am now putting my last hand to it, I have finished the work, the whole work, which I came into the world for, doing as well as dying, all is upon and the matter completed, therefore it has instantly finished. The scriptures are now fulfilled. All the types that did prefigure me, all the prophetical predictions that were made of me, all the Jewish sacrifices that pointed at me, have now received their final accomplishment in

Pastor Muoka

me, and are abolished in my death. Now is my Father’s eternal counsel concerning me accomplished, and now is the promise that He made of my becoming a sacrifice for sin fulfilled. Both my Father’s purpose and my Father’s promise are now receiving their final accomplishment’. This was an audacious statement of our Lord. So through His tragic death God is reconciled to man, and the kingdom of heaven opened to every believing soul. The work long contemplated, long promised, long expected by prophets and saints is done. The toils in the ministry, the persecutions and mockeries, and the pangs of the garden and the cross, are ended, and man is redeemed. REASON AND POSSIBLE THINGS LOST Remember, our father in heaven created us in His love and likeness, and gave us all things for our pleasure that we should not suffer which was His concern when He put Adam in the Garden of Eden. Besides He takes pleasure in our fellowship with Him because He created us for that purpose. God wants to take pleasure in you just as you can go to the market to buy a fan or a vehicle for your pleasure. He created you take pleasure in you and the pleasure comes when you have fellowship with Him and praise and worship Him. Then at that time He will begin to pour His blessing upon you. And if God is not taking pleasure in you then ensure that from today God will begin to take pleasure in you so that all you lost shall be recovered.

Rev. 4: 11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” There is no other reason why the universe and its inhabitants exist at all than that such must bring pleasure to God Almighty. This truth brings more distinctly into notice the fact that we owe our existence to His will. We are not eternal, neither are we self-existent. We were formed from nothing to satisfy all His pleasure. If your action or inaction on earth does not bring pleasure to Him, it therefore means that your existence on earth does not satisfy the reason for your creation because that is the major purpose of your coming to this world. And that is why you must be recovered. All that are into sin, are lost except they repent. Gen.3: 8 says, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden”. You can see as soon as they heard the voice of God, which in time past would have endeared them to have fellowship with God and God would take pleasure in them. But at this time they heard and started hiding because they have sinned. They lost that relationship with God. When the devil who has lost heaven forever saw this wonderful relationship CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

PASSION

S d Sunday March 30, 2014

A Lifestyle Magazine

PASSION

‘Women alone can make their marriage work’ >>27 DUDE STYLE

‘Alibaba helped me to become a comedian’ >>29

I can spend my entire fortune on shoes –Tese Onokala

Passion

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

I’m a shoe freak –Tese Onokala Tese Onokala is a lawyer and celebrated fashion designer. She is the chief executive officer, CEO, Needlekraft Couture, a fashion outfit. In this interview with Adaeze Amos, this wife and mother of three opens up on her likes and dislikes in the fashion world. She also speaks on what she does to retain the right shape and the fashion accessory she can spend a fortune on. You are known as a lawyer who went into fashion designing because of passion, why have you remained silent about Tese Onokala Foundation? That is the aspect of me I do not intend to blow. You know, when people are into charity work and empowerment, we intend to be noisy about it and want the whole world to know about it. But that is the area I have decided to keep to myself. But my event is coming up soon and during it, we would be empowering a couple of graduating students...about hundred and something of them.

Are you a shoe freak? I love shoes and I love bags. I love shoes so much, especially if they are up to seven inches high. I can spend my entire fortune on shoes that are as much as seven inches high. That is where they catch me. I walk them elegantly!

How do you feel knowing that you are a popular fashion devotee? It depends on how people rate you. They judge you based on what they see. You look at who you are, what you perceive of yourself. Does it go with what people say about you?

What do you do to maintain your curvy shape? Remember that I’m a fashion designer. I love fashion. Even if I had opted for any other vocation, I would have still loved fashion. 80 per cent of every woman who is into fashion would want to look good. And you look good by keeping your shape right. To keep it right, you have to work on your diet plan. If you would have to exercise on a regular basis, you do that. You do everything it takes for you to maintain a particular shape or your dream statistics.

How do you perceive yourself? Well (laughs), I think I have always loved fashion. If I wasn’t a fashion designer, I still would have been a style icon, no matter how. I see myself as a seasoned fashion designer. What are some of those things someone needs to bear in mind when dressing up? As a fashion designer, I encourage and advise women to wear things that would accentuate their best features. If you are excessively busty for instance, you don’t have any reason to want to show it off to the entire world by wearing clothes that are deeply cut with deep necklines and all of that, just to show that you are very busty. You can cover that aspect and then possibly work on other parts of you. Maybe you have a small waist, for instance, try and wear clothes that would show more of your waistline. If you have slim legs, I advise that you wear things that would cover you properly. You don’t need to wear mini because everyone is wearing it. You have to wear it because you have good legs to show for your mini. These are some of the little things you have to look at or bear in mind before dressing up. Does this mean that fashion is all about covering your flaws? Yes, fashion is covering your flaws. If you are short and you don’t like being short, you have to wear high-heeled shoes all the time. You are covering your flaws by wearing high heels. It makes you elegant and stand out. That is what fashion is all about. You have to cover those things you don’t want people to see. What are those things about you that are not to be seen, that you need to cover regularly? I really do not have anything to hide about my body but generally I don’t like things that are extremely short. Maybe, because I am too scared that I’m beginning to develop cellulite. I didn’t have it before but I just feel when I look at the mirror, it seems as if I have a little cellulite here or there. So, I’m very conscious about not wearing short things. I don’t want people to point out certain things when I’m on the red carpet. You know how cameras can zoom at a particular place on your body; you see it and feel embarrassed! I cover up completely. I have a very slim waist, so whenever I want to dress up, I work very much on that.

Are you married? Yes I am. I am a mother of three

Are you saying that fat women or ladies are not fashionable? If I want to be fat, I would achieve it. Do you know that in my family, we are actually big? We don’t have anyone that is less than size 16, but I’m not big because I chose not to. It has to do with what you want. I have been able to work my size to what I want and that is where I stay. How would you rate the Nigerian fashion industry? Nigerian fashion industry is on a daily basis amazing me. They are amazing me in their choice of design, in their choice of colours and in their finishing. They are working closely to the standard of the western world. Believe me, in a couple of years, you would not find anything that is not made in Nigeria in our country.

What is that part you wouldn’t mind flaunting? My waistline. It is about the prettiest part of my body because it is like 15 inches smaller than my hip. When I’m dressed up, on a good day, I wear things that would show my waistline because it is very curvy.

What really inspires your designs? I’m inspired by what I see. Sometimes I go into creative thinking. When you are going into creative thinking as we are taught in fashion academy, you close your eyes. When you are ready to put sketches together, you close your eyes and visualise anything. Whatever you visualise, you put it down into a sketch and when you are done, you put it back into a design and then you do a photo shoot with it. If the turnout is fine, you launch it out, and it becomes a collection. I’m inspired by what I see, the things that I read about and my environment.

When you are dressing up for a red carpet event, what do you bear in mind? I want to look good, to catch the attention of all the cameras. If I have that in mind, I put very conscious effort to make sure I get that; and I always do except I’m not going for an event.

Who are those Nigerian fashion devotees you admire? I admire a couple of them. In fact, I can’t tell who I don’t admire in the fashion industry. Every woman is meeting up to standard. When you go out there, you’d love them. On the red carpet, our ladies are doing much. I doff my hat for them.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Applause

‘Women alone can make their marriage work’ ADAEZE AMOS

‘My waistline is prettiest part of my body’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 What makes you proud as a woman? The fact that a woman is curvy makes me proud. The fact that you wear your clothes and have something to flaunt, is a thing of pride. The fact that you have a womb, destiny, career, living for yourself, other people, your children and the people around you makes you glad. You don’t do things because of yourself; that is why I could say, if I do this, what would people say about my children or what could be the after effect on my children and my society. Because of that, I think it is an advantage to be a woman. How would you define your style? I’m simple, chic and flawless. I don’t like to be found wanting. When I’m doing my collection or think of style, I think of simplicity, flawlessness and being likeable. You have to be likeable as a fashion icon. People have to like your style. So, style is about comfort, simplicity, elegance and acceptance. How do you relax when you are not working? For two or three years now, it’s been work all the way. I have told myself that I would make out time to unwind. I have registered my kids for lawn tennis. I’m going to play with them. I’m going to go with them during their swimming classes and, of course, I think I should be able to unwind. What is that clothing item you would never be caught wearing? I would never be caught wearing micro mini. Since I started having kids, I’m not comfortable with the fact that I could start developing cellulite. So, it scares me up wearing mini. What is your take on married women who flaunt their cleavages? I don’t think being married or single has anything to do with what you want to flaunt. But what I am concerned about is moderation. Whether you are married or single, I don’t think you should go overboard. You should be moderate in whatever you want to flaunt.

sther Ileogben, affectionately called Estito by friends and fans, is a popular fashion designer who recently switched into packaging of events. She is a lady who does things that would positively affect humanity. “Apart from fashion designing which I started after graduating as a lawyer, what I love doing is to package events to benefit people. There is no season that I don’t have one event or the other that would benefit the society. For instance, because I have been worried recently about the way divorce rate is still on the rise, I’m moved to package an event this Easter period to see if marriages could be touched. I’m doing it in conjunction with Planet One, located in Maryland, Lagos. “My prayer is that through this event, there would be an avenue where couples can come together, have a good dinner, good laugh and at the end of the day there would be other things to spice it up like fashion shows, dance and dinner,” she said. In a society where marriages are crumbling, can this help to build stable homes? “Yes, it can. Those mundane things we count as nothing actually go a long way to heal our homes and marriages. Do you know how many mariages that are on the verge of breaking up as I speak to you? It honestly pains me the way things are going in the homes of so many people. You would hear about a couple’s wedding today and in a few years, you’d hear that they are no more together. This affects our society indirectly because it impinges on our children. Our children are the greatest part of the society. I’m worried about this, coupled with my Christian faith that these days, couples just get married and in less than two years, you find that they have separated. They tell you it is due to irreconcilable differences. What the hell is irreconcilable difference? I don’t know where that comes from. It pains my heart to find out that our parents of yesteryear lived together despite the odds, challenges, whatever they faced in marriage; they still respected the vows of for better and for worse. “So, in any way I can contribute my own quota in bringing couples together, I find it as a step in positive direction. I know that if couples spend more time together, quality time and have fun, they would tend to create a strong bond, especially those that are too busy and never had enough time to be together. Not finding time to be together creates a vacuum. We are trying to bring back this bond in an atmosphere where they can rekindle their love and have a nice time. This would help in solidifying love in marriage,” she emphasised. Estito asserted that when marriage is working, it affects the society positively. “If the bond of marriage is solidified and there is oneness or togetherness, it affects the society. If a society wants to be together, let’s start first from our homes. It helps to bring up the children well and to promote our own culture as Africans. We don’t have to inherit the western culture where divorce is nothing to them. It is not African, not our culture,” she enthused. What about her home front? What has she been doing to make her own marriage work? “My home front is okay. It’s true that my husband and I are always busy but the little time we have to spend together, we use it wisely. In the event that I’m packaging for couples, my husband is also going to attend. We would have enough time to spend together and have fun. I think it is something every couple should look forward to. This kind of thing shouldn’t be restricted to Valentine Day alone. It is something that must be continuous in marriage. Find time to dine and unwind with your spouse. If it has to be every weekend, let it be because the bond in marriage matters a lot,” she counselled. This wife and mother maintain that marriage should be enjoyed and not endured. “Yes, it should be enjoyed and not endured. Mind you, it takes the two parties to make marriage work, especially the woman, because it has been said that the woman would have to be able to be resistant. She would face some things she wouldn’t like. I’m a married lady, so, I’m speaking authoritatively on what I know. As women, we are at the receiving end. We have to be prepared to make our marriage work. Even if it means bringing our husbands to events where they need to get tips on successful marriage and interactive sessions on marriage,” she restated.

Celebrity

& Faces Events

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

MARCH 30, 2014

Day Enter Decomedy With Jimboi was launched elebrities, among them comedians and other dignitaries came in large number for the official launch of Enter Decomedy With Jimboi audio album which took place recently. They came to unwind

and have their ribs cracked. Venue was White House Hotel, Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos. Comedians who graced the occasion included Elenu, Shakara, Openteeth, MC Shaggy and Baba De Baba. Others were Talk-talk, MC Linchung, Still Ringing and Mayor to mention but a few. Some musical artistes also came to add colour to the event.

Guests

Comedians

Jimboi and crew

Still ringing

VICTOR UDOH

Jimboi and Shakara

Talk Talk

Omobaba

Odogwu

Baba D Baba

Bimbo

Eboh Bomb

Igos

Jimboi

Mayor

MC Shaggy

Mc Abbey

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Dude Style ‘Alibaba helped me to become a comedian’ Chidi Uzoma, also known as Baba D Baba, studied Computer Science at the Federal Polytechnic, Ife, Osun State. He calls himself the comedian with the ears suits biggest ear. This up-and-coming comic told Victor Udoh why he wears regularly and how Alibaba influenced him to go into comedy. Can you tell us about your dress sense? I like to be corporate because it makes me simple and convenient. I like to wear what would make me smart when I’m delivering my jokes on stage. Also, I like my dressing to be comfortable on me. Why do you like corporate attire? I wear suits because I had corporate training. My mum trained me in a way that anytime she was dressing me up, she would make sure I tucked in my shirts and she’d knot my ties for me. She taught me how to knot ties. I had that corporate training from my mum since I was small. I like to look serious and smart with regard to my dressing. Do you wear perfume? I’m not really a fan of perfume. I only wear it when a friend or colleague buys for me. I don’t even know their names. Sometimes if the need arises to wear it, I like wearing my sister’s own. I don’t like to spray it on my shirt; I prefer to spray it on my two wrists. What is that thing you can never be caught wearing? I can’t be caught wearing earring because I see it as a sign of irresponsibility. I see people who wear earrings as touts. These days you see some artistes wear earrings in the name of fashion. I would have loved to wear it but you see street urchins too wear it. I make up my mind that what is the essence of wearing what every tout on the street wears. In fashion, who is your mentor? I have no mentor in the fashion world. The way I admire people is, I try to look at reputable people in the society; how they dress. Those are the ones I try to emulate. Most celebrities these days dress in a flamboyant manner. What they wear is more expensive than their income. I saw Dangote, a billionaire, putting on a T-shirt the other day and I asked myself if this kind of man with his billions could be very simple in his dressing, then who am I to

opt for expensive wears. Billionaires es are the kind of people I’m looking up to, not the people who are trying to survive in the name e of packaging. I don’t have any mentor when n it comes to dressing. Have you ever been embarrassed over er what you wore? Yes, I was embarrassed the day I went out, well dressed in white shirt and a carr splashed dirty water on me. There was no way ay I could have gone back home to change because ause I was close to my destination. I had no choice oice but to go like that. I didn’t notice that the shirt irt was seriously stained behind. Nigerians are e so wicked they would never tell you that your ur shirt is stained. They would just be looking att you, and you would be wondering why. But fortunately, tunately, a friend had to call me to go and change my shirt. That was really embarrassing to me. What is your take on colour-blocking? ? Well, if it is good on you, go ahead, no harm. Haven’t you seen people putting it on n and it is good on them? But remember that you need swag to carry yourself in it very well.. Who is your mentor in comedy? Alibaba, because he is the king off comedy in Nigeria. I respect him a lot because use he has really helped so many comedians to o achieve their dreams. I respect such people a lot. If he did not give a platform for other comedians, medians, I wouldn’t have been one nor know that at there is money in making people laugh. What is your philosophy of life? Life is simple. Take it the way it is and don’t kill yourself for what you can’t achieve. chieve. At times, you want to achieve something ng and it looks very difficult for you. Don’t relent, lent, keep trying, you will achieve it. What do you call your kind of jokes? Situational jokes! Jokes you can sit down and think about after laughing. At times, mes, I call them thought-provoking jokes.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Weddings Engagements CELEBRATING THE JOY IN MARITAL BLISS MARCH 30, 2014

You have a story to tell us about your wedding/engagement, or your new born baby. You can call this line 08062704002

Crème de la crème as P-Square’s Paul Okoye weds ADAEZE AMOS

he garden city of Port Harcourt stood still as the popular Paul Okoye of PSquare, the Onyinye crooner, married Anita Isama. The colourful marriage ceremony took place at the Aztech

Arcum, Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently. Anita and Paul’s joy knew no bounds as they posed before paparazzi in their traditional regal attires for some shots. Guests couldn’t help but to watch in admiration and smiles at the happy couple. The wedding was planned

and coordinated by Omu Obilor Luxury Event Planner, who did an amazing job ensuring all the elements were seamless. Guests included celebrities from Nollywood, musical artistes, media personalities, politicians and of course family and friends.

Others included Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, D’Banj, Naeto C, Ikechukwu – Killz, Iyanya, Ubi Franklin, Ini Edo, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Susan Peters, “Mr Ibu” – John Okafor. Others were Olisa Adibua, Mike Ezuruonye, Majid Michel,

BABIES OF THE WEEK

B His gentleness charmed me –Bride AYODELE WEKE

t was exhilaration when the families of Mr and Mrs Falola and Mr and Mrs Idowu celebrated the marriage of their

children, Kehinde Falola and Adeshina Idowu recently. The wedding which was held at the Deeper Life Bible church, Iju branch in Lagos saw an array of guests and family members of the couple who graced the cer-

emony. The bride who spoke to Sunday Mirror explained that it was the happiest day of her life as she finally tied the knot with her better half, while the groom described her as his help mate and better half. Kehinde the bride explained that they both met during their undergraduate days. According to her, they were both in the same faculty. Adeshina was in Linguistics Department while Kehinde was in English and Literary Studies Department. She said the first day they met was during a joint lecture both departments were having. Asked what attracted him to her, she explained that her husband is quite gentle and won’t speak except he was spoken to. According to her, “that was the first thing I noticed the first day we met. I noticed that despite that everyone around was talking, he kept quite. Aside from his gentle nature, what also attracted me was his love for God.”

AY, Chinedu Ikedieze, Ify Ighodalo, M.I., Monalisa Chinda, Uti Nwachukwu, Pasuma Wonder, Funke Akindele, Ebube Nwagbo, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Uche Jombo-R, among many others. Julius Agwu kept everyone thoroughly entertained from the start to finish, as the MC.

abatunde Akowonjo was born to the family of Mr and Mrs Akowonjo at Trinity Hospital in Lekki, Lagos. At the time of birth, he weighed 2.9kg. His mother Dorothy Akowonjo told Sunday Mirror that Babatunde’s birth was timely. This is because he was born just two months after she lost her father who she is very close to. According to her, “My hus-

he family of Mr and Mrs Williams rejoiced over a baby boy who they named Olamide Williams. Olamide, who weighed 2.9kg at birth, was born at J-Rpah Hospital at Ajah, Lagos. His parents had waited for two years before this baby arrived. They described Olamide as a gift from God.

band and I decided to call our baby Babatunde, because we believe he is my father reincarnated.’’ Dorothy explained that the period of her pregnancy was smooth and she enjoyed eating fruits a lot and taking long walks in the evening as a form of exercise. She said what she loves most about her son is that he bonds well with his father, as he always allows his father to carry and cuddle him, thereby allowing her enough time to rest.

His mother described her period of pregnancy as a time she enjoyed a lot because she got lots of pampering from everyone around her. She related this to the fact that she had waited for a child for long. She explained that what she loves about her son is that he is always restless and keeps her on her toe all the time.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

What to wear â&#x20AC;Ś to a musical video shoot MARCH 30, 2014

ADAEZE AMOS AD

re you a musician planning your musical video shoot; something that would earn you international award at the end of the day? That is a good idea. If you are thinking of what to putt on to look different from what others wear, consider what the beautiful diffe ul style enthusiast, Queen Ure Okezie, the Porpori crooner, wore for her musical thus shoot on March 21 at Tafewa Balewa Crescent, Surulere, Lagos. shoo agos. When she stepped out on the stage to do porpori dance with her dancers, ancers, she stole the attention of everyone.

Perfect Cut

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tips to consider before pu ADAEZE AMOS

re you thinking of putting on a close-fitted dress today for that event or for Sunday service? That is a good idea, especially if you like loose, flowing dresses. It is therefore necessary to vary your look. But remember there are things to consider before wearing curve-flaunting dresses. Here are there: *Ensure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a big navel that can easily protrude. That would make a mess of the style. *Check your tummy well and ensure it is flat enough. To be on the safe side, wear first a firm body magic or tummy girdle that would help you hold in those folds on your tummy (this is one of the prices you need to pay to look shapely). *If the dress you wish for is a low back, it would flaunt your back. Ensure that the back you want to show off is spotless. This is important. Or does it have a low v-neck in front to reveal three inches of your cleavage? Then be sure that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have stretch marks or mutilations there. Is it a bustier dress or a mono strap, that would enable you shrug your shoulders nicely? But check your armpits. It is not hip to flaunt lush armpits. First have a clean shave. Apply your feminine fragrance; carry yourself well because poise (swag) is needed to bear your style well. Then hit the street real hard damning all consequences.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Perfect Cut

utting on close-fitted dresses

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

African Look MARCH 30, 2014

Pieces from native prints/batik are very useful ADAEZE AMOS

ave you been throwing away pieces of your colourful native prints because you feel they are of no use? Or you have not been telling your fashion designers to gather for you those pieces they cut out while designing your dress? If so, you have been making a mistake. Those pieces are very useful. According to Temitope Olanre-Alade, a fashion designer, and Creative Director, Ibile Vogue Academy, “pieces from your African prints are indeed useful because you can use them to make assorted jewellery: earrings, bangles, necklace, brooch, etc. They can be used to make belts, slippers, sandals of all designs, handbags, clutch bags too. So, don’t throw them away. Tell your fashion designer to help you keep the pieces.” Ibile Vogue, as she is fondly known, gives a tip about how native prints can be used to make bangles: *Go to market and buy cheap bangles you can easily wear without forcing it into your hands. *Get a piece of African prints that is fabulously colourful and with your tape measure it if it can cover your bangle round and with your scissors cut it out. *Use your Uhu gum to hem the edges of the piece of African print you want to use. *Then carefully wrap your bangle with the piece of your hemmed fabric. Ensure that the finishing is smooth. *That of course is your bangle. You can do many like that to wear or sell.

Ibile Vogue

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Pregnancy Talk

Naughtiest Thing

with

The naughtiest thing I’ve ever done

Adaeze Amos 08023012293 (SMS ONLY)

I told a lie to my mother

The 10 commandments of pregnancy When a woman misses her monthly flow, she is assumed to be pregnant, all things being equal. This then means that you are about being a mum. Whether you are pregnant by choice or by chance, the overriding thing is that you are pregnant, thus you ought to take care of yourself and your unborn baby health wise. We therefore believe this topic is necessary to highlight things you should do and what to avoid till the end of your nine months term. Below are 10 dos and don’ts of pregnancy. You may call them 10 commandments you ought to abide by when pregnant. *First, in your nine months journey, desist from self medication. The days when you feel feverish, you suspect it is malaria and walk into any pharmaceutical shop close to you to buy malaria drugs are gone. Self medication is dangerous when you are pregnant. *Do not fling away your routine drugs. Take them on a daily basis, according to your doctor’s prescription. It is no good news when your tiny infant starts having jaundice at birth because you refused to take some medications that ought to have prevented it. *Start your antenatal clinic early enough so that you would be taken care of. Don’t wait until you are seven months before starting probably because your friend waited that long and she was still able to deliver safely. There is no crime in starting as early as when you are 16 weeks gone. You start receiving lectures on the signs of labour, what to do when you observe those signs, your blood pressure would be regularly checked and some other necessary medical tests can be done early enough. *Confide in your doctor everything about your pregnancy. Information needed to help you at this stage shouldn’t be concealed. Don’t hide your age from your doctor for the fear that they would insist that you have your birth by caesarean section. Even if he insists, he may have his reasons. It is for your own safety and the safety of your baby.

*Eat the right food. Good foods would give you enough blood and strength you would need at the time of delivery. A woman in labour is equivalent to a warrior in the battlefield. When you deliver safely and carry your baby, it means you have won the battle. *Don’t wear tight pants that would keep you uncomfortable. This is the period you need to consider comfort while dressing up. *Don’t brood over how you would deliver your baby. Don’t lose sleep. It could be fearful at times when you remember that soon the labour would start with its usual painful contractions. Don’t bother about that. Sleep well so that you don’t shoot your blood pressure up. Always occupy your thought with positive things. Realise that there are those you are older than who were able to push their babies out. *When your amniotic fluid/water breaks, report to the hospital at once. Even if your doctor told you it is false labour but that you ought to be hospitalised for a few days and wait for the real labour to start, hearken to his instruction and wait. Some women disregard that and go home only to be infected before coming back to the hospital. Remember once your water has broken, there are chances that you can easily be infected. That is why your doctor may choose to place you on antibiotics until the real labour starts. It is all for your own good. *It is not out of place to read journals on pregnancy and what you should know. Also feel free to ask your doctor about anything you read that confuses you. *Always know your Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) off hand. Also know that labour may start two weeks before the date or two weeks after. When you are overdue for delivery and labour is still a far cry, your doctor may want to induce labour. You have to accept so that your unborn baby would not be unnecessarily stressed.

–Amby Opara

efore I tell the naughtiest thing I have ever done, I would like to say that when I was growing up, I was seen as the sincerest girl in my family. Whatever I told my parents; they would believe. I did not blame them for having such trust in me because, indeed, I told more truth than lies. Between me and my other five siblings, if anything was amiss, I would be the one my parents would ask. Whatever I said, though I am the fifth child, would be accepted without doubts. That was the kind of background I had until something happened - the naughtiest thing I’ve ever done. I told a lie to my mother that I went to my auntie’s house. I did not know that she went there. I wanted to visit a friend of mine. I knew that if I told my mum, she wouldn’t allow me. She would tell me to go back to my room and read my books. She was an avid reader and she encouraged her children to read. According to her, there is a lot to gain from books. Reading indeed was her hobby; she wouldn’t let go. When I lied that I was going to see an auntie that all in our family cherished, she didn’t hesitate to say okay. I dressed up well, carried my handbag and off I went. I have always been known as someone who dressed well. She didn’t raise eyebrows when she saw how I was dressed. When I got to my friend, I relaxed and we chatted happily. I forgot that I lied that I would be coming home after an hour. When my mum waited and didn’t see me, she headed straight to my auntie’s house. Mother was shocked. She picked up her phone and called me. I told lies that I was in my auntie’s house unaware that she was calling me from there. She asked me what colour of dress my auntie was wearing. I lied again that she was wearing pink whereas it was my friend that wore pink. She then told me to give her my phone to speak with her. I became confused not knowing what to do. I lied again that I just stepped out of her house and that I was on my way home. That she shouldn’t worry, soon I would be home. She paused for a while on the phone and asked if I was serious with my answers. I lied that I was serious that she even sent her regards to her. She started asking me where I learnt to tell lies. That she would never trust me again. I was calm and worried as I listened. She was angry but didn’t call me names. Neither did she abuse or curse me. Mum was against mothers that cursed their children. She never did that no matter your offence. When she said I should hold on for that my auntie, I was scared; my heart was beating. When she gave my auntie her phone, she first called my name thrice, and asked me how many times she called me. I couldn’t respond because I was shocked and dumbfounded. She asked me why I should tell my mum such lies. I couldn’t respond. I felt like vanishing into thin air. That lie I told my mum really cost me a lot. She stopped trusting me. Even my siblings started doubting anything I told them. It is not good to tell a lie no matter how little, because when you are caught, it cheapens you. Stick to the truth no matter how it hurts. Amby Opara is the Miss Afrikqueen 2014. She is studying Geology at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State. –ADAEZE AMOS

Sunday, March 30, 2014

alking with Yemisi SEX Adeniran

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Heart-throb ...Find your soul mate heree Send text only to 08023012293 012293

In need of a serious relationship/marriage My name is Akanni, 30 years old. I’m in need of a mature, intelligent lady or woman to date and share Ideas –07064243435. I’m Olawale, 30 years old. I need a mature lady between the ages of 27 and 35 for a very serious relationship –08062961506. I’m Femi Ibikunle. I need a woman for love and she should be between 42 and 50 years old. I live in Ibadan, Oyo State –08143346762. Nelson is my name. I live in Lagos. I need a committed, honest and diligent woman for marriage –08091475117. My name is Kenneth. I live in Akure, Ondo State. I want a sugar mummy who can take care of me. I promise to be loyal to her –07065203329. My name is Donald K from Jos, 30 years old. I want a lady who is working and God-fearing for relationship that may lead to marriage –08133038209. My name is Dolapo Adepoju, 32 years old and a mother of two. I require a responsible Yoruba for a serious relationship that can lead to marriage –09094781739. My name is Femi. I’m dark-complexioned, 5ft tall. I need a lady for relationship –08116911160.

Models

Make your spouse special, give a pet name

t goes without saying that how pleasurable one’s sex life or love affair is in general , is determined by a lot of factors. Significant among them is the depth of affection expressed by the partners to each other. This affection is also expressed in different ways, one of which is the use of pet names. Pet names ,often times, result from the passion one partner has for the other, or how one partner feels as a result of certain things that transmit between them. Simply put, a pet name is the type that makes one’s partner feels very special. You would agree with me that at the beginning of any relationship, the very common pet names are often adopted and they can pass. That is why you have names like Sweetheart, Honey, Love and others. But as time goes on and the relationship endures, things are taken for granted and such beautiful names are dropped. Especially when the children start coming, here in our part of the world, they give way for Baba Bose, Papa Emeka and Papa Jumai, for instance. It should however, not be the case. Rather, even if one has to drop those names, they should be replaced with others that come as a result of careful thought or better knowledge of one’s partner. This is to say that with time, the partner has the opportunity to take a good look at different things concerning the relationship and particularly about the partner to be able to come up with a good and enduring pet name which the partner will also appreciate. The partner should not be oblivious of the fact that giving an inappropriate pet name may affect the relationship negatively. The pet name should not be such that would make him hesitant in doing certain beautiful things that would make the relationship continue to be a fantastic one. Also, you need to study his or her reaction to know whether he approves or disapproves of the name. Once he feels good about it, then, great, but if not,

then, another one would need to be sought for. There are countless sweet names. Apart from the common ones, you can come up with others that make meaning to your relationship or partner. Mind you, it could come in your dialect. For instance, there is nothing wrong for a Yoruba man to call his spouse, Oreke (the short form for Orekelewa - a name which extols her beauty. The names are not those to stress oneself over to create or come up with. Some of them come naturally. They may just emerge from nowhere. It could be as a result of one action or the other in your relationship, your activities. Such names, when they come up naturally can be long lasting. The “sanctity” of the name should not be violated. In view of the role it is to play or the affection it emanates from, it should not be called with a harsh voice or with anger. Once it registers with anger, it would, with time lose its beauty and the purpose it is to serve. Note that pet names are precious and they should be well preserved. Actually, people are divided over whether or not to call their partner his pet name in public. Those in support of its use irrespective of where the partners may be, believe that it tells of the depth of love between the two. But those against it believe that it draws the partner away from friends and relations. It is more or less like laying claim to the partner and that for all you care speak better volumes to his or her friends and relatives on the depth of your care. Where or when it is called may not really pose any great challenge to the ideal partners. As long as the essence for which it is created is achieved, nothing else matters. The most important thing is to give him that pet name which makes him special and want to die loving you. As we start another week afresh, may you be able to take this sweet step that will end up redefining your relationship.

I’m Bashir, 45 years old. I work and live in Katsina State. I need a lady, 30 years and above, for a relationship –07059239559. I’m Rahama from Kogi. I live in Kaduna and I need a mature man of 40 years and above for a serious relationship –08183131170. My name is Samuel, 46, a single, businessman from Abia State. I’m in need of a serious-minded lady between 35 and 40 for a relationship that would culminate in marriage. I live in Ogun State –08038434293. My name is Fred; I’m tall and dark-complexioned. I live in Lagos. I need a supportive and caring woman, between the age of 43 and 52 for a relationship –07042692768. Dominic is my name. I’m 38 years old and live in Lagos. I need a working-class and God-fearing lady for relationship –08037190664 My name is Adonis, 19 years old. I’m very intelligent. Therefore, I need an intelligent girl or woman to share ideas –08120889291. I’m Ifediaso Onuchukwu. I live in Enugu. I need a virtuous woman for sex and marriage –07087699800. Ezejiofor is my name. I’m 39 years old. I live in Lagos. I need a businesswoman who is single, between 30 and 35 years old, for a serious relationship that would lead to marriage –08028971144. Solomon is my name. I need a sugar mummy who is living in Lagos or Abuja. She should be between 35 and 52 years old, for steady mutual relationship –08081738463. My name is Lucky, 32 years old. I want a rich lady for serious relationship that would culminate in marriage –07064707576. Matty Balogun is my name. I’m 78 years old, tall and fair in complexion. I’m a personal development consultant from Edo State. I need a mature lady, between 48 and 56 years old, for serious, caring and loving relationship –08069145477. I’m Lian, 26 years old, 4.7ft tall, dark in complexion and a student. I need a caring and working-class guy who can take care of my needs and love me with sincerity for a serious relationship. He should be between 28 and 34 years old –080304068350. I am Pascal, 33 years old. I’m a Technical Engineer living in Lagos. I need a lady that is kind, God-fearing, sexy and beautiful for a serious relationship. She should be between 25 and 30 years old –08032645162 and 08023583217. My name is Henry, 23 years old, from Lagos. I need a decent, responsible and beautiful girl for a serious relationship and she should be ready to love me –08030573460. Ade is my name, 32-year-old graduate. I’m cool, caring and romantic with good and strong body frame. I need a lady living in any South- West states for real fun –080867298761. I’m Ladele, 33 years old. I need a sugar mummy who can take care of me –08060234984.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Celebs on red carpet at Personality Awards Night VICTOR UDOH

Buchi and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan

op celebrities stormed Vanguardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Personality Awards recently. The event which took place at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos began at 5 p.m. There was a large turnout of great personalities which included Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who was the special guest of honour; former Ogun State governor,

Olusegun Osoba; Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan to mention but a few. Celebrities stepped out looking splendid in their attires. Among them were Nyanya, Alibaba, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Kaycee and Timaya. Others included Gordons Olubunmi, Mandators and Ngozi Nwosu, among others.

Igodye, Igosave and Buchi

Bimbo Akintola and Olubunmi

Comedians

RMD,Daddy Shockey, Mudi and Alibaba Ngozi Nwosu and Mandators

Mandators and Fred Amata

Alex

Charwakhan and Timaya

KayCee and Olubunmi

Bovi

Gordons

Kay Cee

Olubunmi

Richard Mofe Damijo

Ngozi

Nyanya

Olubun and Omowunmi

Maleke

Ojemba

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

& ovies M usic M Edited by Adaeze Amos 08023012293 e-mail: adaezeamos@gmail.com

Being married makes you responsible –Teju-Baby Face Gbadewonuola Olateju Oyelakin is known professionally as Teju Babyface. He is a motivational speaker, master of ceremonies, television producer, stand-up comedian and actor. He is the creator and host of Teju Baby-face Show, a talk program that showcases the best of African society. In this interview with Victor Udoh, he speaks about his lifestyle, marriage and why he is leaving comedy for TV talk show. Why have you not been regular with your stand-up comedy? Yes, you are right. You observed well. You know that life is a progression, you must always progress. What you are seeing is just a movement; soon you would understand where I’m going to. We would reach one of the major milestones from the journey of my life. It’s a progression, you would soon understand. You have been doing the Teju-Baby Face Show so well, is comedy a bridge to achieving that? No, I did not set out to do any of these two things. I was among a few in life who didn’t know what to do. All I wanted in life was success, anything that would make me successful, I try to do it. When the opportunity of acting came, I followed it, when the opportunity of comedy came, I also followed, now The Teju Baby face Show has come and I still have to follow it. I believe in life, anything my hand finds to do I put my best, and ensure that I bring a good result out of it. I never planned to do any of this things, it is just by the grace of God. Where do you see The Teju-Baby Face Show in a few years to come? Whatsoever a man’s hands find to do, he should do it diligently. This is because, if he finds himself in the desert, men would always seek for him. Just be the master in your game. I’m one person who believes in hard work a lot. I bring in some new ideas into the show. I’m trying to infuse new things to make the audience at home hungry for more. Very soon, it would be a household name in the whole of Africa. How was growing up? Growing up was great. I have my cousin, Yinka, here with me; we grew up together before he left for United States of America. Growing up with my family was okay, I think without mincing words, it was fantastic. Because, anything I wanted, my parents provided it for me. Why did you opt for show business having studied a different course?

My father never wanted me to opt for show business. The Bible says you should not try to understand your life because the Lord is the one that orders your footstep. As I said, I got out of these schools, Corona Secondary School; Federal Government College, Ogbomoso and University of Lagos. As my father would say, I send you to the best schools. I went to the best schools but I was motivated to do the show business and it is paying me very well. Showbiz to me is only a means of earning a living. I know history would remember me as a comedian and showbiz personality. Why is your dress sense always corporate? I like to dress corporate because it speaks much about me. I remember the day I went to meet my in-law and wore a T-shirt and jeans. The way they looked at me as if I was unserious person, I knew I was in for problem. I like to wear suit because it makes me feel better and presentable. Let me site an example: some people prefer yellow girls while others prefer black girls; some people like driving while others don’t like it. For me, suits are good for me. What is that thing you can never be caught wearing? There are so many things I would never want to wear. I can’t do tattoo on my body. My cousin has two tattoos on his body; I don’t know how he manages to go through the pains. For me, I don’t think I can do that, but if my wife insists that I should wear tattoo, I don’t have any choice than to do that just for her. Having been married for some time now, how do you see marriage and when you were single? It is a personal thing. Being married makes one responsible, and you would achieve a lot. The Bible says one will chase one thousand, two will chase ten thousand, so being married, I’m so happy because I have a companion, soul and body to fall back on. Being single exposes you to do whatsoever you want to but now I’m limited to do just some things. It is good to be married. By the special grace of God, I’m a happy man.

Teju and wife

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Apaye: Emotional movie of a mother’s love ‘Apaye’, an emotional movie that unfurls a mother’s love, is a must watch. It is a presentation of Royal Arts Academy; a touchy story of one woman’s quest to succeed against all odds. Inspired by true events, ‘Apaye’ is a story of Elder Irene Yepayeye Uriah, born in the creeks of what is now Bayelsa State and left to fend for her six children. She struggled, toiled to provide for her family and to make sure they enjoyed a life that she never had. Against the odds, she became a woman of substance in a community that

never believed any good could come from her. She was a devout Christian and peace maker; an advocate for the lonely, deprived and oppressed. Being a fearless, uncompromising, principled and strict disciplinarian, her strong moral value and good sense of reasoning presented her as a leading light for women in Otakeme community of Ogbia Local Government area of Bayelsa. ‘Apeye’ was a mother’s mother - and to the poor she encountered. She was beloved by her children’s friends, workers, associates, young

and old. Her motherly love was infectious; feeding and caring for the poor and encouraging the motherless to have self-belief and actualise their dreams. The movie features Kanayo O. Kanayo, Clarion Chukwura, Mbong Amata, Belinda Effah and Milicent Jack. It’s produced by Emem Isong and directed by Desmond Elliot. Uduak Isong Oguamanam is the co-writer/ co-producer . Assistant director is Niyi Akinmolaran. –Adaeze Amos

Celebrities who attend events with their spouses There are some celebrities you would never see with their spouses, especially at events. Not even for a thousand dollar prize. Those are the types that people know they are married, but who the person is, no one knows. They are hardly seen on the red carpet together or any kind of event whatsoever. Those celebrities are many but it may not be proper to mention their names or show their faces for some reasons. But there are those that are constantly seen with their spouses. Those that are ever proud to showcase their partners on the red carpet. We unfurl their faces and roll call on this page. Sammy Okposo and wife: The award-winning gospel artiste loves to attend events with Ozioma his wife whom he married about five years ago. He met her at a concert in London. When asked why he steps out often with his wife, he said, “Without sounding vain, I have a beautiful wife and I should flaunt her. Most of these events hold during the weekends and it will be hard for me not to take my wife along with me. She works too and is also very busy. Going out together is another opportunity to spend time with each other. If we are not at events, you would catch us at the cinema or having fun somewhere. It is a good thing for any celebrity to be a family man. Stepping out with my wife is also a form of shield for me, bearing in mind the kind of society we live in.

crooner and her hubby Tee Blitz are twosome that are always seen together at events. They are inseparable. They are like two dolphins in love and are journalists’ delight. Folake Daramola and Salako: The popular actress Foluke Daramola is always bringing her husband Salako to events. They were recently seen together at The Haven Event Centre, Ikeja,Lagos for Global Excellence Awards. They moved hand-in-hand as if they were walking to the altar for more marital vows. Foluke was looking delectable and happy, as if to show her fans that it is good to be married. Mercy Johnson Okojie and husband: After Foluke and Sakalo stood before the paparazzi for some shots, another Nollywood diva, Mercy Johnson Okojie, and her man, Prince Odianosen Okojie, sauntered in. The man was protecting his wife from attending to journalists who may want to ask questions he could tag too personal. Mercy too was glowing in her green sequined dress and her hubby held her as if to say here comes my wife, don’t come close. Tuface Idibia and Anne: These two celebrities - music superstar and Nollywood actress respectively prefer to attend events together. They are hardly seen separately.

Tiwa Savage and husband: Tiwa Savage, the Eminado

Vicky Akingbade and man: Victory Akingbade

fondly known as Vicky Dancer, the founder of Just Dance Entertainment is so close to her husband. They are always coming together to events. The good thing is that they usually take their little baby boy along. When she came to perform at Niteshift Coliseum, Opebi Lagos during the Women Leadership Conference three weeks ago, her hubby carried the baby while Vicky was performing on the stage. Yours sincerely was just watching as the loving daddy was feeding his son. You may wonder how many celebrity husbands can do this in an event. Omotola and hubby: This is another interesting celebrity couple who are usually seen at events together. Omo sexy and her pilot husband Matthew Ekeinde are the couple that are inseparable. Ireti Doyle and Patrick Doyle shouldn’t be left out of this list. They are two loving couple that are always seen together at parties, events and glamorous ceremonies. The paparazzi can attest to this. Joke Silva and Olu Jacobs: How can one forget to include these two celebrities on this list? That would be an unpardonable error. Joke and her husband are couples who have proved to people that marriage of two celebrities can actually stand the test of time. They are almost always seen together in most of the events except when the man travelled to Asaba in Delta State to shoot movies.

The Salakos

The Ekeindes

The Idibias

The Baloguns

Lessons of Life

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ADAEZE AMOS Adanneamos@gmail.com 08023012293 (sms only)

TRUE LIFE STORY ON MATTERS OF THE HEART MARCH 30, 2014

‘My husband slept with my brother’s wife’ (2) This is the concluding part of Fiona’s story started last week. Fiona was seriously battered by Kennedy, her husband, after catching him in the act with Ugochi, her sister-in-law.

s Fiona shouted and alerted her neighbours about what she saw, Kennedy, her husband, denied vigorously. In the process, he gave her the beating of her life. “When Ken lost his job, I was the one sustaining the family with the proceeds I made from my petty trading. I couldn’t ask Ugochi for financial help because she was stingy to a fault. Although, my brother was regularly sending money to her, when I begged her, she would grudgingly give after reminding me that Ken and I had no need for money as we had no children. So, I stopped asking her for money,” Fiona recalled. When things became tough financially, she decided to travel to Lagos to ask her maternal uncle for some money to boost her petty trading. “But before I travelled to Lagos, I had already made adequate preparations so that my husband would not starve for the three weeks I would be away. I pleaded with Ugochi to help me prepare breakfast and dinner for him while I was away. She agreed and kept to her promise. She served my husband both food and her body,” Fiona lamented. In the first and second week she stayed away, Ugochi was just keeping her promises of serving Ken breakfast and dinner until the third week when something happened. “Ugochi who started pleading for forgiveness when I confronted her told me how the devil threw in the spanner and she lost control of herself. She said when she brought dinner for my husband on one of the nights I was away, she couldn’t go back home because it started raining so heavily,” Fiona said. According to Ugochi, her two daughters who were already in Ken’s living room watching the television, as usual, had slept because she prepared dinner late. She couldn’t wake them up to eat because they usually find it dif-

ficult whenever they had slept. She said owing to the rain, she had to stay, had her dinner with Ken and couldn’t go back home. While Fiona was still wondering how that could lead to what happened, Ugochi knelt down before her and pleaded, “please Auntie Fiona, forgive me, not because of me but because of God. I’m begging you in God’s name. I didn’t know what came over me. It was Uncle Ken that made the move first. He asked me to stay; I refused initially but he started pleading with me not to leave him alone in that flat, that he had been lonely since you left. I refused, but he would not take no for an answer. He told me how he had admired me right from the time I was your maid of honour on your wedding day and how he had shown me the green light but that I refused to budge. While he was pleading, the electricity that went off as a result of thunderstorm suddenly came up and everywhere was lit up again. But it was still raining and late to drive back home. I decided to sit back and watch movies with him.” While Ugochi was narrating her story in an emotion-laden voice, Fiona listened, but refused to ask questions. “We watched a particular romance movie together. Perhaps, that was why he left the

cushion where he was sitting and came over to where I sat. Suddenly, j-u-s-t, just suddenly,” she stammered, “something came on me, and we started kissing each other and...” “Shut up,” Fiona shouted at her with a hot slap on the right cheek and asked her to leave Dorothy’s house, a good friend of hers whose house she was putting up for a while when Ken threw her out. Ugochi refused to leave and started pleading. She wept profusely that Fiona had compassion on her. She refused to get up from the floor where she stretched out as she begged for forgiveness. “Auntie, I will never get up from this floor until you forgive me. I know I have offended you, God and humanity but find a place in your heart to forgive me. Just this one, Auntie! I have never done anything to wrong you, have I? I never knew I could do this, not in my wildest imagination. But I promise never to come close to your husband again as long as I live,” pleaded Ugochi. When Dorothy saw how Ugochi was wriggling on the floor begging, she pleaded to her friend on her behalf. At that, Fiona held her up from the floor. “I have forgiven you Ugochi. No one would hear what happened. I will conceal it from your husband and my parents because what

RESPONSES

Re: ‘My late friend’s husband wants to marry me’ Eucheria, You promised to be there for your late friend’s family and not to let Chioma take over her place if she failed to make it and you even promised to keep to that. She had the premonition that she wouldn’t survive the surgery and handed her children and her hubby to you. There is nothing wrong both before God and man in marrying your late friend’s husband. Remember you are just fulfilling your promises and failure to do so is a sin and being unfair to Rita’s children. B.D Akuki Karmo, 08058519213. Eucheria dear, It is a pity that your bosom friend

died just like that. If you love Mr Johnson and your friend’s kids, you can go ahead and marry him since the children are already used to you. You won’t have problem with them. -080115402603. Auntie Eucheria, Go ahead and marry your late friend’s husband and take care of her children and even add your own children. I’m in support of that one hundred and one per cent. Timothy Y.I. Bulus, Kchia.-08060719425 Eucheria, My sister, marry Johnson and don’t maltreat the kids. Take care of them as

you would do to your own children. Fulfil your promises. Kenneth, -08137473584. Eucheria, Johnson cannot be truly serious to ask your hand in marriage after such a large family he already has. You can’t cope with the rigours of raising all his children coupled with your job. Don’t lose your respect and dignity in an effort to fulfil a promise. Don’t do what you would regret in future. Still be patient. Your ideal man would come. Apeji Onesi, Lagos, 08060504740.

you did is an abomination. But, honestly, I would not forget this. You stabbed me in the back unexpectedly. Go home, I have forgiven you,” Fiona said. She relocated to Lagos to start life afresh. “And honestly, God really helped me by making it possible to forget everything about Ken. I didn’t know I could live without him. I got a job in a company where a course mate in the same university was the managing director. Life was indeed good except that at times I would still miss my husband. I had some men who were coming to me for relationship, but I didn’t want to rush into any so soon. I still had in mind that I was a married woman until Ken and I parted legally.” Fiona had lived three years in Lagos when Ken came to her to plead for forgiveness. “My mother gave him my address in Lagos and he was able to trace me. He had actually lost some weight and immediately I noticed tears in his eyes, I couldn’t hold back my tears. We cried together. I cried because he was looking unkempt and without being told, I knew he had gone through a lot of hassles. Ordinarily, I wasn’t supposed to cry because he hurt me. He cheated on me,” said Fiona. Ken asked to be forgiven, but Fiona said not until he had gone back to her father who still insisted that he did some traditional rites before both could come back together. “I didn’t allow Ken to sleep in my house else my father would kill me. My mother is a bit soft but my father is still bent on his coming back home to him and making promises before the elders of my village that he would never throw his wife out again. He would also be fined for what he did. But ego would not let him do that. He told me that he wasn’t ready for all that. That as long as we hadn’t divorced, I was still his wife,” Fiona recalled. Readers what do you think? What’s your advice? Fiona is reluctant to welcome him back into her life as her husband until he goes back to Umezigbe village where both of them come from and perform some traditional rites and render apologies to the elders of the village for throwing her out.

Re: ‘I was thrown out because of barrenness’

Florence, Whether you open up to Eric or not is immaterial. The truth should be revealed. After all, you have not told us whether the fault is yours or Charles’. If it is yours because right now Charles already has a set of twins from his new wife, you need God’s mercy and deliverance upon your life . Joy Njoku, Owerri. -08061615188.

Florence, My advice to you is that you should open up to Eric. If you have a spiritual problem, then go for deliverance in MFM. -08136799682.

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From the Pulpit

Sunday March 30, 2014

Dangers of disregarding prophetic instructions General Overseer of Omnipotence Mission of God, Prophet Joshua Daramola Oloruntimilehin, in this piece points out the dangers in disregarding prophetic instructions. Excerpts:

isregard is a thing that people should not allow to be part of their lives. What does disregard do? It destroys and kills people. Disregard has done a lot in the lives of many people. It is dangerous for a person to think something will not happen and it eventually happens or a person thinks this thing is not like that and it is like that. Disregard leads to destruction. A person can be destroyed by disregard. Before he or she could be cursed, the person must have done something that warrants a curse. That behaviour of curse is what is called disregard. The Elders say disregard comes before destruction. Some people are fond of night crawling and there is the belief that night crawling is not good, and that darkness does not respect honourable persons. When these persons disregard the warning not to crawl in the night, a day will come when the person will encounter the danger of darkness. It is pertinent to share with people true life stories experienced in the course of my counselling and interacting with people as a Prophet of God. This is to encourage and influence them to amend their behaviours. There was an elderly man in my town and he invited me to his house while I was passing by. We had many discussions with other people present. He informed me that no court case particularly murder case that is brought to him that sees the light of the day. He told me what he does is to use charm and nail it on a tree. This was confirmed by those present when the discussions were going on that he had the power to change the course of justice in murder cases. Instantly I told him that there are some murder cases that he cannot change the course of justice and that he should desist from doing such thing. I warned him seriously. In the evening of the same day, he reciprocated my visit to his house. While we were discussing and

enjoying ourselves, I reminded him of the warning and made him realize that it was the spirit of God that was messaging him. Unfortunately he disregarded the warning and continued with his behaviour until the time when thunder struck and uprooted, torn and destroyed the tree he used to nail the cases against. Immediately the tree was destroyed, he felt sick and began shouting to people that his body from the toes to the head had been nailed. Furthermore, he was in this painful condition for seven years and when he was about to die, he said it seemed his voice was nailed with the same nail he used to perpetrate his evil act and his heart was hot. Also, he said he preferred to die than to be subjected to further pains and agony and he died the same day. Why? He disregarded a lot. Another experience was a lady who came with her mother for spiritual counselling concerning her travelling abroad to join her husband. What was revealed to me by the Lord was not about her trip to London but what was to happen to her after joining her husband. I told her that I did not see her with any husband and that she should do a victory work immediately. She promised to come back and do it. It was a pity she failed to heed the message of God and even took me to be a fake prophet. About four years later, she came back to the country with her husband and two kids for the burial of her father-in-law. On their way back to Lagos, they had an accident and her husband and one the kids died instantly while she and the other kid were hospitalized. A few days later, the other kid also died. Now she was left alone and her mother passed on because of the disaster that befell her daughter. Imagine, she allowed her disregard to make the message of the Lord through his servant to come to pass. After five years, she now moved to another man’s house

Oloruntimilehin

unceremoniously and unnoticed. Now she is always requesting me to pray for her so that God can forgive her for disregarding what his servant told her. The incident is indelible in her mind till today. The secret of people would not have been exposed but excessive ways of doing things and disregard nature of the person expose the secret. If a person persistently does something secretly, for example, stealing, the secret may not be exposed if the person quickly thinks that there needs to stop stealing and he or she stops it. The person’s secret may never be exposed. But if he or she fails to stop, the secret will be exposed one day. In the same vein, if a prophet of God

should tell somebody to desist from certain behaviour and the person says someone has told him or her before and nothing happened, he or she is suppose to have the mind that something will happen or not and do what the Lord says through his prophet because there is nothing God does that is not revealed to his prophets. Amos 3 verse 7 says: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophet”. Anything that leads to destruction does not have time before God and there is no correction for destruction. Do whatever the Prophet of God tells you to do and when it is done, then you will have peace of mind.

‘How to recover what you lost’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 between God and man, he became envious and having being seeking for retaliation, he saw the only reason he can retaliate was to damage the relationship God has with man. That was why he went through the wife and made man to disobey God. As a result that glory departed from man and man became sinful in nature. Jn 10: 10a says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” Beloved, who is the thief ? It is the Devil. And what did he come to do? To steal, kill and destroy. All these were aimed at destroying the relationship man has with God. Thus man started suffering as soon as he was driven out of the Garden of Eden. The devil succeeded in this attack and man lost the glory of God as it is written all have sin and come short of the glory of God. He was driven out of the Garden of Eden as written in the Book of Gen 3: 24, “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword

which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” And as a result of this, man lost his divine nature of righteousness and holiness. Man was no longer righteous but became sinful. So because of sin man lost everything to devil and became empty. The above was the condition in which the devil left the man. Man was caught by the thief the devil, wounded, was stripped naked and the glory taken away. The Bible made us to understand that man died spiritually. That was the condition after the attack of Adam and Eve, all the people that were born by them automatically became victims of same circumstances. And this is the condition of anybody that is not born again. The person is wounded by the devil, stripped naked and only alive in the flesh but spiritually dead. And the only option for that person is to make sure that he embraces the word of God which God has given to the whole world over 2000 years ago. That is why the Scripture says, “But

seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Mt 6: 33) So if you are a man or woman and want God to bless you, heal, deliver, preserve and supply you anything from the abundance of His glory, you must seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Whatever that has been taken away from you as a result of Adam’s sin, such as the goodness of God, the glory, blessing, mercy, divine nature and etc can be recovered today through Jesus Christ. Without the application of this principle of Mt 6: 33 nothing can be recovered. At the Garden of Eden man was spiritually alive, full of the glory of God, having fellowship with God but as soon as he was deceived by the devil, and disobeyed God, he lost all. And now Jesus Christ was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. If you want to be a blessed person, you need to come to Jesus Christ, be in a state where you will answer a child of God, a state where you can fellowship with God and God takes

pleasure in you. And when that happens, all those things taken away from you by the devil will be restored. Beloved, if you are not a child of God and are not born again, you are in trouble. You cannot lay claim to the blessing of God which was bestowed on original Adam. So, the only way to inherit those blessings of God is to come into the kingdom and become a child of God through Jesus Christ and all those things shall be added unto you. This is because all of them are available in the kingdom of God. In fact if one is not born again and dies, he will go to hell fire but today, Jesus Christ has told us that the only way to recover everything is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things shall be added unto us. So it is very clear that what we have lost today is that relationship with God, that divine nature of God. And if we can return to seek His fellowship and righteousness it shall be well with us in Jesus name.

From the Pulpit Peace Tabernacle International with Pastor Sola

Aderibigbe

t’s great to be able to meet with you once again. This is worthy of thanks to Him. Halleluyah! Let me come in today with God’s word in Col. 2:6-10 : As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding there with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the God head bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” One cannot consciously maintain what he does not know. It takes one to know the customs of a place to be able to maintain such customs. After you’ve accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, you must walk in him and get rooted and established in him and get rooted and established in him (verse 6 & 7). Your completion is also in him (verse

Freedom Hour with

Prophet Samson

Oludele

Tel: 08080720684, 08056763215

ickness and disease did not exist in the original plan of God. Upon completion of the work of each creation day, God passed it through His quality control laboratory and declared it was very good” (Gen. 1:31) and said everything that he had made and “behold, it was very good and the evening and the morning were the sixth day”. God never intended that sickness in body, soul and spirit should be the LOT of man. See also the following scriptures- I Thess 5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. III John 1:2 says: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as they soul prospereth”. Now this disease, diabetes: It affects both the rich and the poor; both old and the young ones are not left out. Report say about 35 per cent of Nigerians are suffering from this disease. Diabetes is an endocrine disorder caused by a deficiency of the digestive hormone known as insulin. The organ called pancreas is the organ responsible for producing the insulin and pancreas fluid. Every cell of our body requires glucose for its survival and insulin pumps glucose present in the body into the cells of the body. Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the cell. Therefore

Sunday March 30, 2014

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Maintaining mandate in God’s community 10). Therefore, every mandate you want to fulfill must be fulfilled in Christ. This can be done in God’s community. Whatever you possess, be it position, authority, material things, talents, wisdom, family etc. must be in priority for the family of God. The little ability and skills that David possess was passionately used in favour of God’s community. That was what he used to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Esther also used what she had (beauty and position) to deliver God’s community from destruction. She took it as priority. Let us also examine 2Cor. 5:18 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” From there we can see that, Christ reconciled us to the father, therefore we have all received the same ministry to bring about reconciliation of others to the father. Therefore, God is giving individuals ministry to form a community of God’s people and also reconciling people to the father through Jesus Christ and increasing and advancing the community of God. The early church formed a community in Antioch and they were first called Christians there. Let’s appreciate this in Acts 11:25-26 “25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26 And when

he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” The gift and ministry that God gives you are meant to be used and fulfilled inside God’s community. Mandate fulfillment cannot be outside God’s community. Joseph used the gift of organization to save the entire world in his time and especially preserve God’s community (Israel). It’s not uncommon today that immediately someone can manifest a gift, say prophecy, the next thing is to go and establish a church. Whereas, he is supposed to use such gift to develop the community of God where he used to be. The ministry is supposed to manifest under the community he belonged to (Church) rather than establishing his personal church. In such a life, no matter what he does, there won’t fulfillment. Great vacuum would exist in such person’s life. Majority of leaders who have a ministry today have either or on the verge of establishing another church when God has not instructed them to do so. They’re only triggered to do such just because God gave them ministry. For the records, having a ministry is not the same as having a church, someone that has not been instructed by God to establish a church must use his ministry within his church notwithstanding how powerful or strong the ministry is.

Also, 1Tim.3:15 says “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth”. This means there are acceptable ways of behaving in the church of God. Mandate is as well given for fellowshipping and helping one another to stay on course. Gal.6:1-2 goes thus: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The damage to someone’s life is a shortage to God’s kingdom. Therefore, strive to save every soul or make the person better. In conclusion, no matter the ministry you manifest, remain humble. Humility is like a bridge that links every brethren together. Let’s meet again next week to continue this discuss. Shalom. *For testimonies, comments, enquires, counseling or prayer, don’t hesitate to contact me at: Peace Tabernacle Int’l (Power Palace) Between FRSC and Atiba Police Barrack Oke-Ebo, Oyo, Oyo State. Or 08067142127 Or bunmichristy75@yahoo.com

Total deliverance from diabetes (1)

it accumulates in the blood. When the concentration of glucose in the blood exceeds a particular limit, it overflows into urine. This shows that the pancreas is diseased and needs repair. There are two types of diabetes: a. Diabetes insipidos b. Diabetes Mellitus (Common One) Note: Both can be spiritual attacks and it may not be medically treated. Unfortunately with sin came sickness into the world and so death passed upon all men but Romans 5:2 says: “By whom also we have access by faith into the grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:14 says: “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam transgression who is the figure of him that was to come. Genesis 2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die”. Genesis 3:17: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the three of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life”. What will happen to the person that has Diabetes? a. The affected person becomes irritable, fatigued, weak and exhausted. b. Excessive urination. This is the commonest sign of diabetes. The urine tastes sugary. If you find yourself urinating frequently, better go for medical check-up. c. Persistent itching all over the body especially in the genital part since the cells are starved of glucose.

The body makes use of stored fats so as to nourish the cells. This makes the person to lose weight. d. Diabetes patient often suffers from excessive hunger experienced by lack of glucose. e. Because of the high quality of fluids lost through urine, the body experiences dryness of the mouth and excessive thirst.

Cause of diabetes a. Wrong Medication: Because of the level of poverty in our society, people don’t go to hospitals for treatment; rather they go to chemists and get whatever drugs they can afford. The wrong use of these drugs can destroy the pancreas. b. Obesity: High intake of protein and carbohydrates can lead to obesity. These extra calories are stored in the system to cope with the extra calories the kidney, liver and pancreas have to have to do extra work. This over-work will lead to break down of these vital organs. c. Life style: What people are using to enjoy themselves are those things causing diabetes. Many people cannot do without carbonated and energy drinks, Ice creams, chocolate and refined foods, not knowing they are destroying their body organs. d. There exists a high predisposition of inheriting diabetes and this is most easily produced in obese people. These people can control their diabetes through normal diet. Food recommeded to be taken: Onion, garlic, green pepper, Avocado pear, tomatoes, orange, grape, unripe pawpaw, unripe plantain, pineapple, etc. How to control diabetes a. Eliminate all forms of sugar

and replace it with honey b. Eat little fat; No smoking of Cigarette and don’t drink alcohol c. Eat fruits and vegetables that contain fiber d. Eliminate white rice, cassava, white bread e. Lower your cholesterol f. Eat small amount of food several times a day instead of regulated 3 times daily g. Regular intake of garlic is important Jesus Christ brought solution to mankind. He destroyed the work of Satan on Calvary, so we must abstain from the work of Satan if you need solution to your problem. I John 3:8: He that committed sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the work of the devil”. And through the work on the cross, the believer has a right to physical health as well as the salvation of his soul. Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed”. Genesis 2:16-17 says:”And the Lord God command the man saying of every tree of garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest of the tree, thou shall surely die”. Therefore, there some food and fruit that is good for the body and some can damage the cells in the body when you have sickness and diseases in your body. To Continue next week

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Learn with Kunle

Macaulay Email: profkunlemacaulay@ yahoo.com (08023032698, sms pls)

nybody who cares about Nigeria should appreciate that at last the long expected National Conference had been inaugurated and the conferees have converged in Abuja for the task ahead. Nigerians and especially Christians must give this conference all it deserves especially when it comes to the freedom of worship and practice of our religion and also the threat to our religion by some religious extremists. I appeal to Nigerians to give this conference a chance and to carefully follow the event to the end. It does not matter whether you are inside or outside, your support and prayers are needed. Our government is ‘’a government of the people, by the people, for the people’’. Our constitution provides for us to participate in the decision – making processes. A good government thoroughly serves people and honours God. A secular nation cannot honour God. If the conference is going to achieve its aim, then one of the fundamental issues is the position of religion in this country. It is a sensitive issue. We have accepted Christianity as a way of life and we must understand that we live in a world created by God our heavenly Father. Every Christian has moral

From the Pulpit

Sunday March 30, 2014

Purpose of the National Conference

responsibility to defend and preserve what belongs to God but placed in our care – THE CARE OF THE WORLD. It is the responsibility of Christians and their leaders not politicians, engineers, captains of industries or military personnel to teach and improve human morals. So nobody should blame the politicians for the moral decadence of Nigeria. I know that Christians do not want to wash their linen in the public. They do not want to expose the weakness of their leaders to ridicule; hence, they keep quiet all the time. Quietism this time is dangerous. All the decisions reached at this conference will shape the life of a NEW NIGERIA, so, this is the right time to speak out. Only shallow minded and arrogant leaders will not be able to accommodate the truth at this crucial time that all hands are on deck. This conference gives every group of people, even individuals the opportunity to place on the table the analysis of the present human situation in the country and to collectively decide on how to create a new Nigeria and govern it. Who are the people representing the interest of Christian religion and what is their agenda for this conference? It is a pity that Christian leaders do not have a feeling for their followers. We do not even know the profiles of people representing us. The representatives should have the signatures of people they are representing. We must be informed and involved. This is the time to

fulfill our God – given responsibilities to preserve the purity of our religion. Many people refuse to talk now but we must realize that whatever decision reached at the conference will affect all religionists including Christians. Our representatives must demonstrate the nature of Christ in them. They must behave like people who believe in the living God and in his absolute system of values. They must yield themselves as living sacrifices to the complete control of Holy Spirit. We all know that it is impossible to live the Christian life in human strength and wisdom. Now is the time to demonstrate the presence of God in them. Let them reject the twelve million (N12, 000,000) naira offer of the government as a mark of their sacrifice for the good of all Christians in Nigeria. Let us see these qualities in them, honesty, loyalty, integrity, dependability, honorableness and dedication to productive work. They should present a true alternative to the empty, valueless and disorientated society that Nigeria is today. We believe that the national conference is for development and integration. The sincerity and implementation of secularity of the country must be considered where twelve (12) States of the nation practice Sharia and governors of these States spend tax money to build mosques, Quranic schools, train Muslim clerics and absorb these clerics in the teaching service of the States while trained, certified and licensed theological teachers are denied

the same opportunity, when our constitution states clearly that no government –Local, State or Federal should adopt any faith or even be involved in any faith. At present, some people are demanding for secular nation. We know that Nigeria cannot have a national religion, therefore, let us make sure that we have an environment that will permit freedom of worship and practice of our faith. What we read in our papers and watch on television confirms that our nation is decaying. Today our leaders are turning their backs on the evils that are attacking our nation. We witness increase in corruption, insecurity, joblessness, poverty. There is evidence of luxury, instant gratification of sensual appetites, widening gap between the rich and poor and a growing indifference to the plight of the poor by the people in government. We do not need to wait until we see and experience political oppression and socio –economic collapse. We have seen enough. Christians have a role in governing Nigeria. They have the privilege and the duty to participate in the governing process. Government is for the benefit of the people. Standing on the fence must stop. Prof Kunle Macaulay is the Director of Studies of United Bible University, Lagos. Phone : 0802 – 303 – 2698; Email : profkunlemacaulay@yahoo.com

Dancing your way out of shame Prophet Lai Bamidele, General Oversser of Christ Glorious End-time Evangelical Ministry, in this exhortation, explains how praise can bring one out of shame. Excerpts:

e’ll be using the instrument of praise to come out of disgrace in the course of the journey of our life. Don’t mind where you are being disgraced; don’t mind where you are being mocked; don’t mind where you are being put to shame, but mind where God is taking you. The Bible says that ‘the just shall live by faith’. What God requires of you is your faith. It’s the dimension of your dance that is what God is interested in. Where you are working they disgrace you but after celebrating God, the level of your dance determines the level of grace you encounter. Few weeks ago, I was going through some pains in my shoulder. I went to a surgeon in Kano every 3 months for checkup. By the time we entered into the New Year, the pains disappeared. I was advised by my surgeon that I should be doing exercise. But I didn’t because I was relieved. The pain came back, got so bad that to remove cloth from my body was war. I now went back and he gave some injections and drugs, then I started raising the hand again. If you love yourself, don’t mind your situation but mind what God is about to do in your life. Dance to God. But if you feel it is your thinking that can bring solution to your problem, it is a lie. If you want to dance away your shame, you must come with a heart of celebration. What has all your thinking done in your life? It is the same air you fly safely that a Malaysian plane carrying 239

people flew and cannot be found again. God proved to scientists that there is a limit to their science. We are not mocking them. Thank God we don’t have a relative among them. Some of them would have called their wives to cook a certain type of people for them. But God has kept you and me. After dancing to God, everyone contending with your destiny God will put them to shame today. Ps 47: 7: For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Your dance must be with understanding. When you dance for God, don’t mind the cost of the cloth you are wearing because even when a person dies, ants eat the white it is buried with, including the body of the dead itself. When you praise Him, He raises you, and erases your enemies. Continuous praise is a guarantee for continuous place. Beginning from today, in your house, at your closets, you must praise God 30 minutes per day. Dance to God and celebrate His faithfulness. That thing that brought disgrace will turn to grace. Ps 34:1-5: I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. Are you ready to magnify God? Praise is comely.

Pastor Bamidele

Praise is pleasant. Praise is beautiful. Praise is attractive. Every time you pray, God sends His angels, but when you praise Him, God Himself comes down to answer you. Praising God always is moving God always. Praising God is the highway to high time. Even in the midst of what you are going through, you need to praise God. Those that applied for the immigration job never bargained for death. 19 people died, including 3 pregnant women. But your relative is not there. And you say you will not praise God. Everything that has brought reproach and mockery to your life, God will turn your disgrace to grace. Everywhere there is praise, God is moved. How do we move God to action? You must keep praising Him Ps 34:2: My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Praising God makes God to arise for your

help – Ps 146:3: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Only God can help you. Ps. 147:1: Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. Let us worship the King of kings. We owe God praise. Every calamity that the enemy has programmed for you this year, as you praise God, you will escape the calamity in Jesus Name! You will not crash; your life will not crash. Your testimony will not crash. You need to praise God. It is not our perfection that makes us escape danger, it is God’s mercy. There is no small journey in Lagos. Praise lifts up the broken-hearted. Praise also casts down the wicked. If you must break new ground in life, you require new knowledge and ap•For Counselling Contact: Pst_lai@yahoo. com. Phone: 0807448415, 08027502864 and 08161285586

From the Pulpit

T The Voice o of wisdom

with Dr. David

Oyedepo

here are no special people with God; there are only people with special insight. That is what makes them appear special, because we serve a covenant-keeping God. A sister came to our Sunday service for the first and Jesus visited her. How? The mysterious disease of tears pouring out of the eyes of her baby ceased, because God is no respecter of persons, but a respecter of covenant. There are no incurable diseases with God; even death is curable with Him (Matthew 19:26). God’s Word is the carrier of God’s power. It’s through the Word that we take delivery of our inheritance. And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching…the power of the Lord was present to heal them (Luke 5:17). The power of God was being transmitted, bringing healing to them. We serve a covenant-keeping God (Psalm 89:34). The Bible is a Book of covenants. When your part of the covenant is fulfilled, the blessing thereof is sealed and delivered. What is a covenant?: A covenant is a deal between two parties, to which they subscribe in totality to the terms there-

Sunday March 30, 2014

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Understanding the covenant of total health! of. God, the Covenantor, is constant; the only variable is the covenantee. When your part if fulfilled, no devil in hell can stop the delivery of your blessings (John 8:32). How to cut a covenant of total health with God: • Living on the Word: Living on the Word is the principal key to cutting a covenant of total health with God (Psalm 89:34). • The love of God: Love is presented in 1 John 3:14 -15 as a vital source of life. So, when you begin to operate on the frequency of perfect love, you operate where there is no room for sickness (1 John 4:16-18). • Supernatural utterance: Your well-being is a function of the things that come out of your mouth (Mark 11:23). When the Holy Ghost gives you utterance, heaven will respect it (Prov. 18:21). God’s principal power channel: God’s principal power channel is the Holy Ghost. According to Jesus’ diagnosis, every sickness is an oppression of the devil (Acts 10:38). Oppression only bows to power (Psalm 66:3). When Jesus saw Peter’s mother inlaw, He stood over her, rebuked the foul spirit of fever and set her free. Jesus could see an oppression behind fever. The Holy Ghost is God’s principal power channel (Acts 1:8). Where is the power of God?: God’s Word is the custodian of God’s power. The Holy Ghost is the channel to it,

while God’s Word is the source. The Holy Ghost is the Messenger and Interpreter of the Word (Malachi 3:1-5). God’s Word is where our total health is domiciled (Psalm 107:20; Proverbs 4:2022). What is in the Word that heals and keeps healthy?: • Divine life: Life is in the Word, and life is the cure for death. There is the Spirit of life in the Word that keeps you actively alive (John 6:63). So, the more insight we gain, the more lively we become. • Divine light: The oppressor that operates in the realm of darkness cannot survive this light (John 1: 5). • Divine medication: God’s Word is medicinal; it goes to treat your affected parts (Proverbs 4:22). So, living on the Word guarantees total health. • Joy: Joy is a spiritual therapy for a healthy life. It is a spiritual medicine to the body (Jeremiah 15:16). What is in the anointing oil?: ¬ The Spirit Of The Lord: Inside that oil lies the mysterious manifest presence of the Spirit of the Lord (1 Samuel 16:13). ¬ The Power Of God: Jesus gave His disciples power over unclean spirits. The power of God is in the oil (Mark 6:7). ¬ The Fan and the Fire: The fan and the fire are in the oil, because the Holy Ghost is in the oil (Matt. 3:11-12). He has the fan and the fire in His hand. The fan and the fire are to service our

wanting to quickly get her hooked up, will use charms, incantations or other fetish stuffs on the guy, thereby blacking out his brain and reasoning. He will not be able to reason on his own but the wife will be the one taking all the decisions. He can only get out of this if he is able to use a higher power to counter the existing power. 2. The lady may be very beautiful before and even after the wedding. However, she might have been affected in the spirit realm. For some who are matured, from their dream, they would quickly know something has gone wrong, but many don’t even give cognizance to their dreams. Spiritually the wife can be affected in three different ways, just to take her out of the house. Firstly, in the spirit realm, mostly in your dream, demonic agents on assignment will remove all clothes from her body, thereby making her naked. The result of this is that all her glory has been taken; so physically though having cloth on, there is nothing good about her anymore and when people look at her, they see emptiness. Secondly, they can pour dirt, excreta or urine on her in the spirit realm. People around her will always detest her because to them she smells, thereby not seeing anything good in her. Thirdly, the act of actually changing the lady in the spirit realm. With demonic power, the lady will be changed to an animal (goat, chicken, rat, etc),

while some will be given old woman’s body, so that when people are looking at them, they are not seeing the beautiful woman again but an old wrinkled woman. 3. However some do a lot of packaging of their body. During our Singles’ programme, l used to tell guys that if you really want to know the real girl you are about to marry, go on an announced visit very early in the morning when she has just woken up, having no time for packaging. You will be able to see the real her, not until you get married and you will be faced with surprise that can no longer be corrected. My dear HUSBAND, coming back to you, I’m not really sure you are a Christian and if you are, that means you don’t really understand spirituality. For two years she was still beautiful in your sight meaning that something went wrong along the way. How are you sure you too have not been affected. What you need to do is to look for the proper solution to the problem. Get her into sessions of deliverance prayers, believing that God who has the power to deliver will deliver her (Col.1:13). God is also in the business of beautifying and decorating men. The Bible says in Genesis 1:31: “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Also the book of Psalms says ‘she is fearfully and wonderfully made’. Hand her over to God and let God bring out the beauty in her. Your wife can be

bodies and keep us free from every sickness. ¬ The Holy Ghost – our supernatural quickener: He quickens our mortal bodies to keep us alive and healthy (Romans 8:11). Friend, to benefit from the above, you have to be saved. You get saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as Your Lord and Saviour. If you are set for it, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You for saving me. Now I know, I am born again!” Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, please get my books — Keys To Divine Health and The Healing Balm. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or Email: feedback@lfcww.org I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

The real beauty in your spouse Let’s go

BIBLE with Favour

Tioluwani Email: letsgobible@gmail.com

have been married for a few years. During the first two years, I was happy with my marriage and I loved my wife, but after that, I started to feel that I disliked my wife, mainly because of her beauty, because she is not beautiful enough to keep me chaste and make me lower my gaze. I am afraid of mistreating her because I don’t feel happy with her again and sometimes I frown at her for no reason. I’m seriously considering another woman who will be more beautiful. So many reading the above statement will feel like seeing this guy and giving him a good slap, maybe that will make him to come back to his senses. I felt like that too at first but the Holy Spirit made me to understand some things which l will like to share. One major question to ask is; didn’t he look very well before going into it? Yes he did. So what happened? 1. Some men unknowingly fall victim. Maybe, because the wife was desperate in settling down or maybe her family

more beautiful if you desire so. For the new woman you are already considering, how are you sure the same thing will not happen to her too after some few years, or something even worse than that. WIFE. Stand up. If your husband is not doing anything about it, seek God and let him beautify you. You can be more beautiful, presentable and gorgeous than the strange woman outside. It is not when you start dressing like the world or putting on clothes that expose your body, believing that that will make his head to spin, that he will fall and accept you back. Lie! Dress well, let God showcase you. Don’t live a carefree life, thinking that since you are now married, you don’t need to dress well again, even in the house. Some on getting married, to welcome back their husband from office, they will just wear a dirty blouse and put a wrapper round the blouse. Desist from all these and wake up. Also, be natural and stop giving him artificial you. ln all, hand over the situation into God’s hand; let Him handle it. The hearts of all men are in His hands and He will direct it as He wills. He will definitely work on your husband and he will start seeing the glory of God in your life. You can send in your QUESTIONS and the Holy Spirit will be set to give you the ANSWERS. Barr. (Mrs.) Favour Tioluwani Tel: 08050272259 or 07062738213. Email: letsgobible@gmail.com

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

From the Pulpit

Sunday March 30, 2014

The real ATM I

recently came across some Biblical Mathematics. This could not be a coincidence: Shortest Chapter in the Bible = Psalm 117 Longest Chapter in the Bible = Psalm 119 Center Chapter of the Bible = Psalm 118 There are 594 Chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 Chapters after Psalm 118. 594 +594 = 1188. The Center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 –“It is better to TRUST in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” God is saying: ALWAYS TRUST ME! This is obviously the central message of the whole Scriptures. Without this, “it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6)! The real ATM means: ALWAYS TRUST ME! For every situation in your life, God says: ATM! There is no problem or challenge in which you cannot use this divine ATM. Whatever the need, Christ can meet it! “Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Carry your ATM at all times, to all places. Cash-in on God’s promises. They have never failed or run out of currency! In every circumstance in your life, family, education, relationship or business, God says: ATM: ALWAYS TRUST ME! Use God’s ATM! ALWAYS. Not sometimes but all the time; in all situations and circumstances. You will never find yourself in a place or situation where you cannot use it. “For with God, NOTHING will be impossible!” (Luke 1:37). Faith is a universal currency! When you carry it with you, it works in every continent and every economy and

Desti Destiny Hour with Pastor Femi

Lanre-Oke

lory be to God; great things He has done. He has kept you alive to see the end of the first quarter of 2014. So many have lost their lives but God has sustained you, amidst the chaotic happenings all over the world. He has kept His covenant of protection, provision and safety over you and family. To God alone be all he glory. Today by the grace of God, I want to speak to someone who is grateful to God. The Bible explicitly states in Psalm 103:2, that we should bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits. That passage says; “Bless the Lord o my soul and forget not all His benefits”. I want to start from here. The soul is the seat of the will, the emotions and the intellect, meaning that you have to willingly bless the Lord, you have to bless Him with the whole of your emotions and you have to bless Him with your understanding. We are in a generation too busy to give all the glory back to God for all He has done. We have also learnt to give thanks to God mechanically and that is why we push through life sweating, struggling and blaming everyone around us including God. Even when we go to church, we have learnt to bless the name

every socio-political situation. It always works! “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chron 16:9). TRUST. To “trust” is not the same as to “believe.” Years ago, visitors at a national mints company were told by a guide that if they first dipped their hands in water, a ladle of molten metal could be poured over their outstretched palms without burning them. A husband and wife were part of this group. “Perhaps you would like to try it,” the guide said to the husband. The husband drew back sharply, “No thanks,” he said. “I’ll take your word for it.” The mint employee turned to the wife. “Would you like to try it?” She replied, “Certainly.” She pulled up the sleeve of her blouse and thrust her hand into a bucket of water. Calmly she held her hand out while the metal was poured over it. It’s obvious that the husband believed at one level, but he wasn’t willing to put his belief to the test. The wife believed on a completely different level. She was willing to take a risk. Belief is a mental accent while trust is putting your belief into action. The story is also told of a tight ropewalker walking across the Niagara Falls between the Canadian and American ends of it. He asked the thousands of onlookers if they believed that he could do it. After he did, they all echoed that they believed! He pushed a wheelbarrow across on the tight rope back and forth and people also agreed that he could do it because they saw him do it! He loaded the wheelbarrow with blocks and went across to their amazement. Since they all believed his abilities, he asked for a volunteer to sit in the wheelbarrow to be pushed across the Niagara. None who had said they believed him was willing to act on it. Why? They believed him but did not trust him! Similarly, not all who say they believe in Jesus truly trust Jesus! God says: ATM:

ALWAYS TRUST ME! Joshua and his people also were faced with the risk of crossing the dangerous, flood-swollen Jordan (Joshua 3:13). God had previously opened the Red Sea when the people had to cross it, but this time the priests had to step into the water first and trust the Lord to open the way as they went. They had to get their feet wet and trust that God would honor their faith. Many Christians dislike taking risks. They want the way opened before they move out for God. Often, He graciously honors their desire. But we must remember that a risk is only a risk if God doesn’t go with you. We need to step out and trust that God will confirm our faith at the appropriate time. If your way seems blocked today, step forward by faith. Be willing to get your feet wet and wait for God to respond. God honors wet feet, not cold feet. Whom should we trust always? ME. That is, God Almighty. God has proved Himself trustworthy. Years ago, a military officer and his wife were aboard a ship that was caught in a raging storm at sea. Seeing his wife’s fear, the man tried to comfort her. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and cried, “How can you be so calm?” He stepped back and drew his sword. Pointing it at her, he asked, “Are you afraid of this?” “Of course not!” she answered. “Why not?”, he inquired. “Because I know you love me too much to hurt me,” she said. He replied, “I also know the One who holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of His hand, and He loves us too much to fail to care for us!” Bible says Job had that same trust (Job 13:15). He had lost his children, his wealth and his health, and then his wife also turned against him. Yet Job continued to trust that God had a purpose in everything that happened to him. In Job’s eyes, the important issue was not what was happening but whose hand was behind it. If God did it, Job knew he could trust it. Often our trust is based on the “what” rather than the “who.” We focus on the event rather than the One

who controls that event. Therefore, in the midst of sore trials and tribulations while we may not understand why our loving Heavenly Father would allow such grief, we still confess: “even though He slays me, yet will I trust Him. His infinite wisdom and goodness will turn the most difficult circumstances of my life into His good and mine. When you are facing life’s most severe trials, focus on the character of God. Build your trust on who God is, not on what is taking place. When you know who He is, you never have to worry about what He will allow to happen. Trust is based on character, not circumstances. God has given you His ATM: ALWAYS TRUST ME! I have found this so true in my life. Whether it was planning my wedding with no money at all or going for further studies abroad penniless or returning home amidst countless uncertainties, I can testify to the efficacy of God’s ATM: ALWAYS TRUST ME! I implore you to use God’s ATM! Tunde Ojewole, PhD, is the Babcock University Pastor in charge: Division of Spiritual Life. Get your copy of the newly released book: GOD’S FOOTPRINTS. For enquiries, contact: ojewolea@babcock.edu.ng or call/SMS 08058299434/08060376577 Answers to 23/03/14 quiz 1. Tent- Josh 7:21-24 2. Sheba- 1 kings 10:1 3. Amos 1:1-Tekoa, shepherd Quiz for the week 1. Who was Ahasuerus’ wife before Queen Esther? Supply the scripture. 2. The just shall live by… Fill in the space and supply the scripture. 3. Who fled to Egypt when Solomon sought to kill him? Locate the scripture.

Gratitude, the attitude for altitude of God as a routine thing to do. We return all the glory to God in our prayer meetings with different things on our mind, the same mind you require to give quality thanks to God. Psalm 100:4, Enter His gates with thanksgiving…… the reason why we seem not to be doing fine in life despite the numerous promises and prophecies for the year is that we have not completely learnt how to enter His gates. We have not learnt how to thank God honestly and with our spirit, soul and body for what He has done and what He will do. There is a place God has promised to take you; you have seen it in dreams, you have heard it and read it from His word, the Pastor has spoken to you about it. “God is ready to do something new in your life” you have shouted amen with expectation. Now we are coming to the end of the first quarter and you are neck deep in debt, school fees do not seem to be coming, job is not coming, bills are there to pay and so many more things and you keep wondering; “God, will 2014 also go like this?” I have come with a single message today, return all the glory to God. Thanksgiving sustains, meaning if God has done anything good for you then as you thank Him, He ensures it stays good. Thanksgiving multiplies, Jesus thanked God for the little in John 6:11 and it fed at least 5,000 people. Thanksgiving perfects, the leper healed came back to thank Jesus and he was made whole Luke 17:15. I also want to talk about a characteristic of thanksgiving that is most essential to our generation. Thanksgiving reverses negative situations. Jesus got to Lazarus’ grave and the man had been dead for 4 days. This rep-

resents a stinking and hopelessly negative situation, representsa disgracing negative situation. Everyone knows that the situation is bad, you are no longer able to hide it from people, people are pitying you, some are insulting you, in fact you do not know what to think or do yourself. The answer to reversing such situations is quality thanksgiving that expresses unshakeable trust in God. Jesus in John 11 did not make Lazarus the centre of his focus, He looked up to the most high and gave thanks expressing quality thanksgiving for the assurance that God hears and answers Him always. And it wasn’t surprising when Lazarus’ negative situation was turned around for good. We serve a God who can do the impossible. However we wallow in miserybecause we have made the situation god of our lives. We have made issues the focus of destiny and not the God of heaven who can turn everything around for our good in the twinkle of an eye. I want you to have a praise hour in your home this new week as we enter into the second quarter of the year 2014. List the good things God has done already, list the prophecies you are holding on to, list the passages that expresses the good plans of God for your life and also list those hopeless situations, the negative situations and the bad situations. Now let your spirit, soul and body begin to thank God profusely for all these things. Determine never to allow any situation draw tears, worry or anxiety from you. Turn these emotions to thanksgiving ones. Then you will see the sustaining, the multiplying, the

perfecting and the negative reversing to positive hand of the Most High from the month of April. Finally the Bible says to Him that is joined to the living there is hope Ecclesiastes 9:4, you are alive, God has kept you alive in order to show you His faithfulness, there is hope for you and gratitude is that attitude that will get you to God’s altitude for your life. Be blessed in Jesus name. Amen Don’t forget that you are blessed and not cursed and cannot be cursed because you have given your life to Christ and if you have not, the process is simple: • Believe in your heart that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. • Believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross of Calvary paying the price for your sins and rose from the dead the third day to establish your victory • Confess with your mouth that Jesus is lord and saviour. • Repent of all sins before the Lord and forsake them. • Welcome into God’s family. *Please locate a bible believing church and share you new- birth experience with the church leaders. For further prayer & counseling Pls contact: Pastor Femi Lanre-Oke Jesus Praise Evangelical Ministries International, Ibadan, Oyo state 2348030752799, 2348053695097 Email: femi_ lanre01@yahoo.co.uk

From the Pulpit

Sunday March 30, 2014

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The

Chorister’s World Sunday March 30, 2014

I was once a chorister – Lewd singer, St. Janet ODINAKA URUAKPA

motoyosi Kayode Iyun, popularly known as Saint Janet in the music scene, is one act that is known for her love for singing lewd lyrics in Yoruba but surprisingly the chorister- turned highlife/juju singer says she is not ready to quit that genre of music anytime soon not minding the controversies that come with it which seem to have become a part of her life. In spite of her vulgar style of music and controversies trailing her as a female thriving in a world considered to be exclusively an area for men, the former back-up singer to Los Kenge, a popular highlife/juju maestro in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is surprisingly a completely shy person when she is not on stage doing what she knows how to do best. Speaking on how she began her quest in the beat scene, St. Janet said being a Christian, she began as a chorister in her church which she says is a white garment church before she delved into highlife/juju world where she started as a back-up singer in Abeokuta for three years before going solo. According to her, after spending some years as back-up singer, her master (boss) felt she could be on her own since she was very good at what she was

doing. Her words: “It got to a time both of us i.e. my boss and I became the lead vocalists in the band. Nobody could differentiate between us because we were doing the same thing; so he decided it was time I went solo. It was this same boss that gave me the name ‘Saint Janet.’ Those days, I was and of course, I still am a very shy person. Then, whenever we weren’t doing anything, I would just be on my own. I would sit quietly and not bother talking to anybody. People would be complaining because they knew I wasn’t like that on stage. They would say I usually behave like a quiet person but would turn to another thing on the stage. My boss would tell them to leave his ‘saint’ alone. He would call me Saint Janet. So I decided to stick to the name when I left him. “People who do not know me well think the worst of me but it doesn’t bother me at all; it only shows that I am very good at what I do. It means I am entertaining people greatly. I weigh my level in the industry with what people say about me.” When asked why her songs are basically lewd songs, she said: “Not all my songs are vulgar. I know that more than 70 per cent of the people who have listened to me feel that way. But it is not true. I am talented. I am gifted. I am an

Saint Janet

all-rounder. I give you what you want. There are some shows where you will not hear me sing lewd songs. It all depends on what the people want. I give

them what they yearn for. I do gospel as well. I know the songs I have to sing on different occasions. I know what to sing at different times”.

Choir Ministry is a high calling –Philip Olayiwola

Philip Olayiwola

YEMI OLAKITAN

hilip Olayiwola, popularly known among fellow believers as Shalom, is a Choir master at the Global Church of the Living God, Golden Estate, Lekki, Ajah, Lagos. He graduated from Praise and Joy Music School in 2002.

He is the Head of Sunday School and Choirmaster of his church. He particularly loves to stay wherever they are playing music. He often skips meals because of music. He recollected that while he was growing up, there was a certain man that lived in their neighborhood. Philip joined the choir at the age of 12 in 1983 because of his

love for music. He recalled that while he was growing up, there was a man that used to run a music shop. This man used to play different kinds of music which drew young Philip to him. According to Philip, he always stayed with the man most of the time especially when he was less busy. Those are the things that led him to join the choir. Speaking further, Philip said God called him into the ministry at a very early age. On the challenges of running a choir, he said there are many challenges, one of which is gossiping. ‘‘There is a lot of gossip. Do you think that everybody loves one another? Some lift you up while others bring you down. When people don’t understand what you are doing, they just kick you in the back. At that particular time, I run to God, but later

I try to enlighten them, and God manifest his power and glory even more,’’ he said. On his experience in the choir ministry, he said: “I’ve being in the choir for 15 years. I started from junior choir for 5 or 6 years before I got promoted to senior choir; you know, in Baptist Church where I was born and brought up, they will train you from childhood, so there are some people that are watching you. I didn’t even know, but I just focused on music and how to do it well. My main goal was to make contributions to the development of the choir and to bring up to a higher standard. This is because the choir ministry is a high calling. One of my fathers in Lord, anytime he sees me, he will say to me, ‘you have leadership spirit,’ and true to his word, I become a choirmaster in 1998.

On the various challenges in the choir, he said: ‘‘wherever there is a group that is more than 10 or 15 people, you will experience some tough time, even our Lord Jesus Christ experienced it. Among the 12 Disciples, there was Judas Iscariot. It can be a bit tough but with God, all things are possible.’’ He categorized the different groups of people in the choir ministry into five different groups. The first group includes those that are genuinely called by God into the choir ministry. This set of people, he said, are ready to go anywhere they hear the voice of the master Jesus. The second group of people, according to him, is those that are targeting the choirmaster, or anyone else in the choir or the church or it may even be one of the

instrumentalists. They are agents of the devil and they come to steal, to destroy, and to kill- John 10:10. They will not come into our ministry in Jesus name,’ he said. He categorized the third people in the choir as people who have friends in the choir, and whatever their friends do, that’s what they do also. ‘‘They join the choir because of their friends or friend. “The fourth people join the choir because they want to dance, and that is why they will come late to choir practice, and if you ask them, they will not be able to provide any genuine excuse. The fifth people join the choir because they want to do something in the house of the Lord. If you choose to give them any position of responsibility, they will do it. They will even say, yes sir! ‘’ he said.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Opinion

Sunday March 30, 2014

Safety Tips with

Jonas as Agwu u Email: j.agwu@frsc.gov.ng Tel: -8033026491, 8077690055

n the 9th of March, I wrote a touchy piece titled, Bidemi and the FRSC Annual Lecture Series. Just as I was contemplating on my piece for this week, my friend Chris Nwandu alerted me on another tragedy involving a 29year old Sumbo who died just a month before her wedding date. Sumbo, according to the report, was on her way to see family members on arrangements regarding the wedding when the tragedy struck. This incident, according to my friend, involved a commuter bus and a trailer. There was yet another tragedy: the death of Colonel Emeka Okere, former Sergeant at Arms at the National Assembly I never met Bidemi, neither did I know Sumbo. However, I met Colonel Emeka whom I would prefer to refer to in this piece as Emeka just once. Even though I was never enlisted into the Nigerian Army but I can boldly declare that he was a soldier to the core. Our meeting was incidental .I had just been posted to the Federal Capital Territory in 2005 as Sector Commander from Imo State where I was Sector Commander for barely eight months. Shortly, on assumption, I proceeded on courtesy visits to various offices including that of the Clerk of the Assembly. After the visit, I stopped over to see the late Colonel whose flowery praise of the Corps made me taller than I am. That brief meeting left me with great admiration for Emeka. We never met again at close range until recently when the news of his death hit me. According to a report by the Nation Newspaper, Colonel Okere was involved in a crash shortly after leaving the National Assembly sometime in February 2012 to inspect the construction of some additional security structures at the gate of the National Assembly. The report quoted a source who said that ‘’He was driving home after checking some additional security structures being erected at the National Assembly gate when a motorist veered off

Between Bidemi, Sumbo and Okere its track and headed straight for him near the Defence College in Garki’. In an effort to avert a head-on collision, Okere veered off the road and hit a pole. Speaking over this tragedy, Senate President, David Mark described him as a very hardworking and passionate officer who believed in the Unity of Nigeria. He recalled his days with Okere at the Nigeria Military School, Zaria and later in their working career and described him as an intelligent officer who served the nation meritoriously in different capacities. Similar accolodates must have been poured on the tough but amiable and soft spoken Colonel. Same for Bidemi and Sumbo. Same for those not lucky to survive crashes caused by one irresponsible driver. As I write, I am not aware of the fate of the driver responsible for Emeka’s crash and ultimate death. Maybe he died also. Maybe he sustained injuries but survived the crash. Whatever his plight, Emeka is no more. His family has been left behind to mourn his loss and to suffer the trauma of losing a loved one; one who served his country and was neither felled by the enemy’s bullet nor of terrorists. He did not die travelling on a long distance journey or on a night trip. He died through a crash caused by a reckless and irresponsible driver. Contrast his crash and other road traffic crashes with the recent Malaysian airline crash. Another monumental tragedy of our time. But unlike the Malaysian crash victims which attracted the whole world attention, drawing sympathy from experts on what may have triggered the crash, Emeka’s death, like those of Bidemi and Sumbo, has since been swept underneath. Few analysis. Few concerns, except from close friends and families. Daily, crashes resulting in deaths, injuries and disabilities rarely attract the kind of attention that air crashes do. This was my concern when I wrote on Between Air and Road Crashes. Airlines Pilots all get the sledge hammer when there are crashes. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case when there is road crash. It is either swept underneath or the blame shifted to Government for its numerous failures. Nobody x-rays the spate of irresponsible driving which society has tacitly endorsed as cool. However, it must be stated that some of these deaths sometimes occur because of the absence of the necessary and appropriate response. This explains

my excitement at the recent partnership between the Corps and Shell Petroluem Development Company who recently donated crash rescue equipment to boost the capabilities of the Corps in responding to road traffic crashes. Speaking during the ceremony, Mr Chike Onyejekwe, Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration Company Limited, at the inauguration of the National Community Post Crash initiative and the Shell (SPDC and SNEPCO) donation of extraction equipment to FRSC on 13th March had this to say, ’’It is unacceptable to have so many men, women and children dying unnecessarily from road crashes in our country. It is even more dismaying, because we all know road traffic crashes are preventable and if they do happen, death is not inevitable. According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries remain among the top ten causes of healthy years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death worldwide’’. “Our involvement in road safety support is not solely about crash prevention. Our ultimate aim is the prevention of crashrelated fatalities and severe injuries. This we do through a double pronged approach: supporting crash prevention and post crash care support. ......... Many road crashes can be prevented if pedestrians and motorists obey traffic laws”. Throwing more light on the partnership with FRSC, he said, ’’Within our second key area, Post Crash Care, we are focused on three main areas: crash rescue capacity strengthening for road safety and traffic management agencies across Nigeria, which commenced with 100 officers from FRSC, Nigeria Police, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Traffic Management Authority in Rivers State”. He equally spoke on the National Community Post Crash Initiative, the volunteer rescue initiative, which was inaugurated at the handing over of the rescue equipment. The post crash care initiative leverages on a wonderful aspect of our culture – helping one another. It utilizes a key resource, the humane road side community member, who normally rushes out to assist when a crash occurs. These lay bystanders are normally the first to the scene and due to limitations in formal emergency services, are sometimes the only available support

for crash victims in rural areas, where a vast number of fatal road crashes occur. Unfortunately due to a lack of skills and tools, they are often unable to provide requisite assistance. Within this programme, SHELL is providing basic crash rescue and first aid training for the volunteers, as well as fully equipped, non invasive, crash rescue kits for each volunteer. Commencing with 540 volunteers from states across the nation, within the pilot phase, providing these skills and the requisite tools will enable the volunteer provide effective assistance to victims, within the critical minutes after the crash. This, it is strongly believed, will make a difference in the outcomes for many victims of road traffic crashes The third area of focus within the Post Crash Care support is the provision of victim extraction equipment. The FRSC states that victim entrapment is one of the causes of high post-crash fatalities in our country. Rescuers currently attempt extraction by hand or using makeshift tools. These methods are often unsuccessful or adversely impact the victim. Mechanized victim extraction, using mechanical extraction equipment such as spreaders, cutters and gall cutters enable a safe, speedy and successful victim extraction. There are however a very limited number of these equipment currently in use in our country. The donation of 12 each of these to FRSC by Shell is therefore a welcome gesture that will enhance rescue. Shell had also gone further to engage the World Rescue Organization of UK to provide technical competence strengthening in mechanized victim extraction for statutory rescue organizations. The hope is that these contributions will provide benefits to all Nigerians far beyond the contribution. He summed up by making the call that FRSC has consistently made, that it would require the support of all tiers of Government, the armed forces, transport unions, NGOs, Communities and the private sector to decisively combat the scourge of road traffic crashes and its resultant casualties. Our wish for Nigeria is a reversal of the upward trend of road crashes. This is possible but can only be achieved if it is the focus of every organization and individual. Your contribution as an individual can be as simple as assisting the volunteer rescuers or calling 122, the toll free FRSC emergency number, if you witness a crash.

reality. The fact is that, far from seeking to reduce poverty and ameliorate its impact, the Nigerian polity wages an unceasing, gruesome war on the beaten down, the crushed, the poor. On Saturday, March 15, Mr. Moro catapulted himself into the forefront of this grisly war on the wretched of the Nigerian earth. His ministry had fewer than 4800 positions to fill in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). The ministry invited more than 500,000 desperate youngsters to jostle for the posts. The applicants were asked to show up at stadia in different Nigeria cities to take an aptitude test that was a first step towards filling the posts. Each applicant was compelled to pay N1000 for a chance to play what amounted to a lottery with long odds. Nigeria’s unemployment figures hover near 25 percent. And that, by the way, is going by the official data. Many Nigerians would describe the official rate as laughably understated. Getting facts and figures right is among the many basic things the Nigerian

state hasn’t figured out how to do. The anecdotal hunch is that Nigeria’s unemployment rate is significantly higher. Each year, Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education pour out more (ill-educated) graduates into a “patronage” economy that produces millionaires and billionaires, but generates few jobs. I know friends and relatives who graduated from universities more than fifteen years ago, but have never been able to receive employment. They make do however they can. They hustle and beg and lend themselves to all kinds of political schemes—whatever gives them their daily bread. Nigeria has a grave crisis of unemployment. The mix of desperation on the part of the unemployed, the terrible paucity of jobs, and the brainlessness of Nigerian institutions are a recipe for disaster. That disaster was actualized on March 15 when some 20 job-seekers died in stampedes at the National Stadium, Abuja and at other centers where the NIS tests were scheduled.

The tragedy is not simply in the lives lost. It’s in the vile, exploitative impulse of the Nigerian state, a monster that feasts on its own children. There were not just 20 victims that Saturday; there were more than half a million! Let’s be clear: the Ministry of the Interior did not set out to offer jobs. At bottom, the ministry had devised a mindless scheme to exploit youngsters who were jobless, desperate and vulnerable. The N1000 fee the ministry charged each applicant amounted to a sort of scam. The ministry was able to collect more than N500 million from the desperate applicants, and had only the illusory reward of 4800 jobs to offer! Who came up with the crazy idea of putting hundreds of thousands of job seekers in stadia, as if the unemployed were cattle fed through a chute? Who decided that only one gate should be open at the stadia? Whose idea was it to use this mass method to fill 4800 jobs?

Abba Moro and the war on the poor OKEY NDIBE

was going to title this piece, “Why is Abba Moro Still a Minister?” but changed my mind. In the context of Nigeria, the answer to the question seemed rather obvious. Nigeria is ravaged by human-made poverty. A society with a humane sensibility would invest every resource and deploy its imagination to fight this plague of poverty. In Nigeria, instead, the war is directed not at poverty but at the desperate poor. A culture of depraved accumulation has seized Nigeria. In turn, that culture has created one of the most pestilential crises of deprivation, hunger and disease anywhere in the world. Deprived Nigerians are daily afflicted with the plague of a callous war on the poor. Mr. Moro, Nigeria’s Minister of the Interior, is sitting pretty precisely because the Nigerian state has scant regard for Nigerians wounded by the festering sore of poverty. That sentence actually puts a gloss on the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

Growing Up

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

GROWING UP with

Aunty Ayo

Hello children, I hope you are preparing well for your exams. To achieve success, you should continually read your books. In this edition, we have interesting stories and articles to help you improve your knowledge.

Once upon a time A hole in the fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he lear ned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.” The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Moral of the story: A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends and loved ones are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Water your relationships with kindness… and they will grow. So be careful little lips what you say. And you won’t chase friendships away.

The Rabbit

• Rabbits have an excellent sense of smell, hearing and vision. They have nearly 360° panoramic vision, allowing them to detect predators from all directions. They can see everything behind them and only have a small blind-spot in front of their nose. • Rabbits have extremely strong hind limbs which allow them to leap great distances. They can jump up to one meter high and three meters long. • Rabbits are territorial animals which live in loosely organized social groups. They live in warrens comprising of an intricate series of underground tunnels with different entrances and exits.

• When rabbits ‘binky’, this is an expression of joy. They will run, jump into the air, twist their body and flick their feet. • Rabbits are affectionate social animals that enjoy the company of other rabbits. • Although typically very quiet, rabbits do communicate vocally, with varying types of vocalizations communicating different messages, e.g. low humming when running around an individual is a signal of affection. • Rabbits stand upright on their hind legs to give themselves a better vantage point to look for predators. They alert other rabbits to the presence of danger by thumping their hind legs.

Children, you can send your contributions and pictures through this email address Ayoweke@gmail.com or call telephone number: 08024694990

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Growing Up

Sunday, March 30, 2014

FAIRY PUZZLE

DID YOU KNOW?

• The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed. • Of all the words in the English language, the word ‘set’ has the most definitions! • “Almost” is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order. • “Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel. • There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.” • The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Russian and Spanish. • Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible. • Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th.” • Coco-Cola would be green if colour in weren’t added to it. • The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.

TONGUE TWISTER

RIDDLES

What does a cat have that no other animal has? - Kittens. What has two heads, four eyes, six legs, and a tail? - A cowboy riding his horse. What always sleeps with its shoes on? - A Horse. What is as big as an elephant, but weighs nothing at all? - The shadow of an elephant. What fur do we get from a Tiger? - As fur away as possible! Why do dragons sleep all day? - They like to hunt Knights.

POP

YOUNG FASHION Hi children, the raining season is almost here and today on young fashion we are looking at fashion accessories you can add to your wardrobe during this season.

WORDS ON MARBLES We worry about what a child will become tomorrow. Yet we forget that he is someone today.” –Unknown

WHO INVENTED WHAT? THE COOLING UMBRELLA There is never an age too young to invent, a point proven by sixyear old Peh Yong the Singaporean who invented a cooling umbrella designed to be used in hot weather. Peh Yong’s invention imitates the transpiration process of plants using a combination of a water container, plastic straws and threads. Water vapor that evaporates from the water container is released through holes in the straws which line the structure of the umbrella. ‘’The ‘cooling umbrella’ is meant for the soldiers to use in the hot weather conditions, so they can keep up a level of high performance explains’’ explains the six year old when asked why she decided to create a cooling umbrella.

A raincoat

A rainboot

Jelly Sandal

An Umbrella

JOKE

Luke Luck likes lakes. Luke’s duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luck’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

Teacher: John, tell me your date of birth? John: July 13th Teacher: on which year? John: it is in every year, Ma’am! Teacher to students: can anyone tell a word which has more than

1000 letters in it? Sam suddenly stands up and said “postbox”! Why the music teacher did not able to open his room? Because the keys were on his piano!

SM Extra

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

STORIES THAT TOUCH YOU MARCH 30, 2014

How 22-yr-old undergrad raped, killed headmistress in Ondo HAKEEM GBADAMOSI AKURE.

he Police Command in Ondo State is working round the clock to unravel the mysteries surrounding the death of a 52-year-old primary school headmistress, Mrs. Eunice Ajayi, who was gruesomely murdered in her home by a 22-yearold undergraduate simply identified as Jerry who was also said to have had canal knowledge of the teacher before killing her. Jerry, the suspect, who is now on the run, was not only alleged of killing the woman but was said to have injured the husband of the late primary school headteacher, Pastor Omoniyi Ajayi, in an attempt to escape from the scene of the incident and to cover the crime, leaving the Pastor in a pool of ownblood. Though Pastor Omoniyi Ajayi was lucky to have survived the attack and is still recuperating at the Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, after he was referred from the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure , for further treatment, his wife was not lucky as she was hacked to death by the young man who attacked her. Mrs. Ajayi had retired home from her school after the day’s work on February 20, 2014, and was busy with some domestic chores in her residence, Peaceland Road, along Ilesa-Akure Expressway when the suspect who was well known to the family visited the home on the pretence of having an important message for the headteacher. A cousin of the deceased, Mr. Ige Komolafe, who spoke with Sunday Mirror, explained that the suspect visited the home of the Ajayis on the fateful day around 3pm demanding to see the woman of the house and since Jerry was a regular caller at the home of the Ajayis, the husband ushered him into the house, telling him that his wife was busy washing clothes at the backyard. The unsuspecting husband who is a pastor was said to be reading Bible and listening to radio outside their home and could not suspect anything, Komolafe said, addding, “Jerry met Pastor and asked after his wife and due to the fact that Jerry was not a stranger to the house, he told him the woman was at the backyard and he went inside and did not come out until after some is minutes”. He narrated that the suspect came to call pastor that his wife was calling him and he followed him only for Jerry to pounce on him too, using digger and spade on him, inflicting serious injuries on the pastor. The old man cried for help and the suspect left believing people were on his trail and leaving the old man in his pool of blood. But before help could come, the old man lost consciousness while his wife had given up the ghost. The man was rushed to the

Husband of the deceased, Pastor Omoniyi Ajayi

Mrs. Ajayi’s corpse

The late Mrs Ajayi

State Specialist Hospital in Akure for treatment but no one could tell him about the condition of his wife. However, for Jerry to get out of the community, he approached one of the private hostels which housed students of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), breaking into the room of one of the students and removed his blood-stained clothes, wearing one of the student’s clothes instead. Unfortunately, the student met the suspect in his room but the suspect rushed out to avoid being apprehended. Jerry left his blood stained cloth behind and bolted out of the community since then. The residents rushed to his mother’s house hoping to find him there but the suspect never returned home. The people of the area started combing the community, tracing him with the blood only to find Pastor Ajayi in his own pool of blood inside his house and rushed him to the ICU at the Specialist Hospital in Akure for treatment from the head injuries inflicted on him. However, a member of the community

who does not want his name in prints told Sunday Mirror that it was discovered that the woman had been raped before the suspect snuffed life out of her. He said the position of the underwear suggested that the suspect had had canal knowledge of the woman. He said the suspect might have used the digger and spade on the woman to overpower the victim while struggling with him. He, however, said the police should be able to unravel the truth during the cause of their investigation, adding that only a hospital test can confirm if the deceased was actually raped. The man said the suspect could not be ruled out of that crime, saying Jerry was a notorious person in the area. “The suspect is a very notorious person in this area; Jerry was some time ago was rusticated by the authorities of FUTA and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, for being a member of secret cult. I believe he can commit the act,” he said. A colleague of Mrs. Ajayi described her as an easy going woman who was loved by all. She said the late headmistress of Pe-

ters Anglican Primary school, Ijare, never knew that she was going to spend her last day at work as she held series of meetings with her staff at work before she came back home from work. Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the suspect had not been arrested, adding that the police are already on his trail. “We discovered that the suspect attempted to rape the deceased because her pant was half-removed by the suspect. Our men had visited the house of Jerry but he has fled as he was not found there. So we are yet to make any arrest on the matter,” Ogodo said. He, however, said police had commenced Investigation into the matter as efforts are in top gear to apprehend the suspect and bring him to justice as soon as possible. The Police spokesperson said that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary of the State Specialist Hospital, Akure, while her husband who sustained serious injuries from the attack is still in on admission at OAUTH, Ile-Ife.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SM Extra

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Soka: The making of kidnappers’ den KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

hen residents of Soka area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, woke up penultimate Saturday, little did they know that before the end of the day, the sleepy community would be a spot of fear for not only themselves but also the people of the state, Nigeria and the entire world, no thanks to the discovery of an evil forest in the community where dying men, women, human skulls and decomposing bodies were found. For the past one week, the community has been in the news daily with the site, a large expanse of bush behind Macmillan Publishing Company, which from the relics of abandoned equipment, containers and uncompleted structures must have served as construction site for an unnamed firm, playing host to a large number of people from all walks of life who either came to have a glimpse of the gory sights of decomposed bodies and human skeletons or in search of their lost relations based on an unconfirmed report that there were still some people hidden in the dungeon crying for help and recounting their pains, grief and at times, hope that they are living in a dream which they will soon wake up from to the ears that care to listen. Among those who for the first three days made the site a point of call is a young man, who identified himself as Kunle Oluwole. While speaking with Sunday Mirror, he said he came looking for his cousin Yemi, who got missing more than a week ago, but yet to be seen. According to him, he was not around when Yemi got missing but came back on Saturday and had to join in the search for him at the site because those there kept telling them that there were still people hidden somewhere in the bush. Speaking in an emotion-laden voice, Oluwole said Yemi left his Anfani Street residence to browse at a cyber cafe at Ring Road and since then calls to his mobile line were not going with no trace of his whereabouts. He added that the 26-year-old Sociology graduate who is yet to marry was planning to travel out of the country before the end of the year. His words: “I don’t pray for this kind of situation in which our family has found itself for my enemy not to talk of my friend. There is the Yoruba saying that “ Omo wa ku, o san ju o sonu lo” meaning it is better to have a child dead than missing, and what makes our own painful is not finding our son among those still found alive at the site. “But while not losing hope that we will still find Yemi, I can only appeal to the state government to demolish all the structures in the place and put it into proper use and make sure that most of the areas that are desolate within the city are identified and everything is done to ensure that we do not have the repeat of this horrific and terrible site”. However Sunday Mirror investigation revealed that the site has been in existence for more than 20 years as it was gathered that it was the site given to the Federal Government by the Oyo State to be used as works site by the multi-national company which handled the Ogunpa channelization project in 1979. While the land was allocated by Ibadan Municipal Town Planning Authority owned by the

The building where the discovery was made

A victim

Police Commissioner, Oyo State, Mohammed Indabawa, Gov. Ajimobi and other top government officials at the site

11 local government areas in Ibadan land, for the use of the company, the company later sub-let the contract to another construction company which led to the termination of the contract by the Federal Government after which the company left the site and abandoned the structures already erected and some of its equipment. Between that time and when the acts of the kidnappers came into the open, the structures had been occupied by no organization but was at the mercy of miscreants and hoodlums. Similarly, the site also became a thick forest spanning a large expanse of land and den of squatters. But the story was to change penultimate Saturday when it was discovered by security agencies that the place was being used as a den by kidnappers and not less than 20 people were rescued half-dead while several decomposed bodies were also discovered in the forest. And to forestall untoward occurrence, the place was promptly cordoned off by a combined team of security agents. As the Chief Security Officer of the state, the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, visited the scene on Monday in company of some security chiefs for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. The governor who was visibly moved by the gory scene at the forest had to call for a minute silence

and led prayers for the repose of the souls of those who died. Towards avoiding future occurrence, Ajimobi while describing the incident as most unfortunate, announced the immediate revocation of the Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) of the expansive forest and directed that the bush be cleared. He said this was necessary so as to ensure easy access to whatever had been transpiring in the forest while also pledging that the entire area would be combed by security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book. He said: ``We came here with all the security chiefs. We have seen things for ourselves. It is surprising that such a thing existed here for a long time. Nevertheless, we will take the following actions: we will revoke all the C of Os of the owners of the land; government is taking it over immediately. Then we will set up a panel of forensic experts; we will get to the root of the matter and then we will find out those involved in the act. Even though we were told that the inhuman transactions here had been in existence for over 10 years, we will dig it up’’. Head of the community, Chief Isiaka Bello Olupoju, who commended the governor’s prompt intervention, said his coming showed him as a humane person who is passionate about the well-being of his people.

The state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), in throwing its weight behind the governor refuted any culpability of the state government in the existence of the kidnappers’ den as alleged by the opposition party. The party in a release issued by its state Publicity Secretary, Hon. Dauda Kolawole, enjoined all men of goodwill in the state to stop the opposition from capitalizing on what it called the fresh blood of the dead people of the state to gain cheap political advantage. Kolawole said: “The people of Oyo State are in a state of grief and shock at the horrendous discovery of ritual killers’ den in the state. The situation calls for sober reflection from all and sundry. To be confronted with this cheap politicking in the name of infantile accusation is like opening the fresh wound of the people of the state who are still mourning their dead and lamenting the ugly incident”. According to him, from the testimonies of some of the kidnapped victims, it was obvious that the den had been in existence for more than 10 years, a period that covered the tenure of Ajimobi’s predecessors. He said rather than accusing the government of insensitivity, it was the security consciousness of the government that led to the discovery of the den.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG adopts PPP for completion of Enugu trade fair site DENNIS AGBO, ENUGU

he Federal Government has disclosed plans to complete work at the permanent site of Enugu International trade Fair through Public Private Partnership deal. Government made the disclosure at the commencement of the 25th

Enugu International Trade Fair. Minister for Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, who made the disclosure, stated that the PPP deal is for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Fair’s permanent site complex. Aganga was represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry of Trade and Investment,

Mr. Samuel Ewa. The Minister explained that the arrangement would fast-track the early completion and effective maintenance of Enugu International Trade Fair Complex, which appeared to have been abandoned for years. He said that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Trade and Investment officially

Civil servants queuing for the 2014 Public Service Lecture accreditation in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

EDC boss canvasses human capital devt RICHARD NDOMA, CALABAR

hief Executive Officer of Shield Academy Partners Limited, Mr. Sheri Hazzan, has stressed the need for Nigeria to give priority attention in the area of human capital development if the country is to be rank among countries willing to achieve economic growth in the nearest future. Hazzan gave the charge while speaking at the inaugural week of Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprise organized by the South South Enterprise Development Centre, Calabar, with theme: “Unleashing potentials, imperatives for

job Creation and inclusive growth”. He said that as an implementing agency of the Central Bank of Nigeria Enterprise Development Centre, South -South zone given its wealth of experience on issues that dwell on economic growth, the nation stands the chance of turning around the fortune of its economy to a greater height if it chooses to invest more on that aspect, adding that in less that no time, the country is bound to witnessed economic boom. The CEO went further to urge the managers of the nation’s economic resources to re-double their effort towards harnessing potentials of youths, adding

that such an initiative can help the country’s economy break even. He urged leaders not to over concentrate on oil exploration alone as such over concentration had been identified as being responsible for why other sectors of the nation’s economy had suffered setback. According to him, if the nation is serious to reduce unemployment plaguing the country’s population, government needs to create enabling environment for people to work irrespective of academic qualification they possessed, adding that it is only by so doing that the country can afford to sustain its financial independence like other developed nations of the world.

handed over the shopping Arcade comprising 40 shops to Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) to manage the facility on behalf of the Federal Government for a period of time and to generate revenue for the government. “The gesture of government is to give credence to the planned PPP arrangement for the completion of the complex,” he said. The Minister described the theme of the fair, “Increasing competitiveness of Nigerian products in the global market” as apt and timely considering the present administration’s determination to place Nigeria’s economic environment as an investment hub in Africa and among the 20 largest economies in the world by the year 2020. Earlier, the ECCIMA President, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, repeated his several appeals to Federal

Government to set aside adequate fund for direct award of contract to a competent contractor to complete the development of Enugu International Trade Fair complex just as was done in Kaduna and Lagos. Okoye said trade fairs offer great opportunities for industrialists, investors, buyers and sellers to interact, exchange business ideas, and share experiences for investment promotion and general growth. He assured that ECCIMA was determined to sustain the effort and to continue to improve the standards. While welcoming guests, exhibitors and participants, Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime said government has taken far reaching measures to reduce impediments to doing business in Enugu State such as multiple taxation, poor access to bank credit and land as part of

efforts to make Enugu economic hub of the SouthEast. Governor Chime, who was represented by Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Jude Akubuilo, said that with President Jonathan’s upgrade of Akanu Ibiam Airport to international status and approval for establishment of “EM Power Enugu Free Trade zone” at Ninth Mile corner, Enugu has become choice destination for foreign and local investors. National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, while commending Federal Government’s efforts so far in provision of enabling environment, called for more economic reforms and incentives that would engender sustainable level of real growth and development.

Investment Commission underway in Enugu DENNIS AGBO, ENUGU

eputy Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Chime Oji, has proposed through a private member sponsored bill to establish the state’s Investment Promotion Commission. Oji, while making case at the floor of the house for establishment of the commission, argued that it is on record that Enugu State is the most peaceful and investment friendly state in the South-East with the requirements for businesses to succeed such as population, infrastructure, manpower, security and peace. He also said that the state is also blessed with abun-

dant natural resources to attract prospective investors, noting however that it is unfortunate that despite all the potentials, the state has minimal foreign investments. Oji argued that the low foreign investment profile has impacted negatively in the economy of the state as reflected in the volume of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. He regretted that the state is largely dependent on Federal allocations to fund its budget and development aspirations, noting however that with the proposed commission, the state’s IGR would be beefed up. Oji who represents Enugu North constituency drove his point for the passage of the bill for a Law to establish the

state Investment Promotion Commission 2013 when it came up for second reading. The Deputy Speaker, who took time to elucidate on the bill, retreated that over the last 13 years, Nigeria has recorded tremendous improvement in foreign direct investment which he said has greatly impacted on the Nigerian economy in the area of employment generation, international trade balance and improvement in non-oil revenue. He said an analysis of the investment profile revealed that most of the investments are in the areas of solid minerals, raw materials, petroleum, telecommunications, manufacturing, food and beverages, agriculture, raw materials among others.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

From the Civil Service

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Minister lists gains of youth devt fund TOLA AKINMUTIMI, ABUJA

he Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, has disclosed that the Ministry was working on a Bill approved by Federal Executive Council for the establishment of a National Youth Development Fund as part of the ministry’s efforts to fast-track the realisation the youth sector development component of the present administration’s Transformation Agenda. The Minister gave the hint when he received a delegation of former

members of Adamawa State House of Assembly led by former Speaker, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja. Haruna explained that the National Youth Development Fund was conceived to deal with employment deficit being experienced in the country now, similar to the Fund established to deal with the current housing deficit. While justifying the importance of the Fund, the Minister said that “it is not going to be like any other funds, but this all important bill is purposely conceived to encourage the entre-

preneurial skills of the youths which will invariably create wealth and reduce poverty in the society”. According to him, with over 60 percent of country’s population being youths, the Fund will greatly galvanise the current moves by all stakeholders’ on the national youth empowerment agenda in line with the President’s vision for the youth development. He expressed optimism that the provision of the Fund for the teeming youths to access will provide an avenue for optimising the utilization of their skills pro-

ductively for national development. The Minister thanked the delegation for the solidarity visit and said he was overwhelmed by the sense of unity and of purpose the members exhibited which, he said, was needed

for the development of Adamawa State and the country. Earlier, leader of the delegation, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, who thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for the minister’s appointment, noted that

Haruna’s choice was a logical one given his pedigree as a former Governor of the state. Abdullahi expressed confidence in the Minister’s capacity to realise the mandate of the Youth Development Ministry.

National Institute for Legislative

Studies receives N13.5m grant

he African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has signed a capacity development agreement worth 900,000 U.S. dollars (about N13.5m) with the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) in Abuja. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, the Executive Secretary of ACBF. It said that the agreement would enable the Foundation to continue its support to the Institute in its goal of developing the legislative arm of government in Nigeria. According to the statement, the assistance which is for two years, has four components training, research, networking, and the strengthening of the institute. ``The training programmes are expected to benefit both legislators and staff of the Nigerian National Assembly. Legislatures in the 36 states and the parliament of ECOWAS would also benefit from the training, the statement said. It said Nnadozie signed on behalf of ACBF, while Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy President of the Senate and President of the ECOWAS Parlia-

ment signed for NILS. ``The NILS-CAP is designed on the premise that as key governance institutions, the role of effective legislatures is critical and fundamental as Africa evolves to consolidate democratic gains. ``It is also designed to resolve pockets of instability in parts of the continent,” it stated. The latest support, according to the statement, is to consolidate on previous ACBF intervention which is largely instrumental to setting up the institute. It said that since its inception in 1991, the Foundation had committed about 28 million U.S. dollars to supporting projects in Nigeria. The ECOWAS Economic Policy Analysis Unit and the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management have benefited from the 28 million dollars. ``We will explore options and opportunities to deepen this engagement through grant and non-grant support, such as technical assistance programmes,” the statement quoted Nnadozie as saying. It said that Ekweremadu, in his remarks, commended ACBF for its help in strengthening

legislators in West Africa in their pursuit of good governance and the fight against corruption.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Amb. Godknows Igali; Chief Executive Officer, CRAAG Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Reuben Chukwuma; Chief Marketing Officer, JMET Corporation, Gianjing Yuan and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Abdulkadir Musa, at the signing ceremony between Nigerian and Chinese companies on power plant projects in Abuja recently.

NOA launches campaign on cleanliness, waste disposal AYO ESAN

agos State Directorate of National Orientation Agency, NOA, has launched the ‘ Do the right thing: avoid dirt, be clean’ campaign, just as it has unveiled the Word Waste Bin, WWB programme, in Lagos state. Speaking at the launch which was held at Somolu in Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State, the state Director of NOA, Mr. Waheed Ishola, said the programme which is tagged: “Do the right thing: avoid dirt, be clean” campaign essentially conforms with the underlying philosophy of the NOA’s mandate which borders on value re-orientation and attitudinal transformation of the people. He said the basic reason why there is need to re-orientate and transform people’s attitude on the issue of cleanliness is because wastes which constitute dirt in the environment and capable of compromising cleanliness are a fall-out of human activity be it domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural and institutional

wastes. “The volume and complexities of wastes generated in Nigeria leaves much to be desired. This no doubt necessitated a national policy on the environment (NPE) formulated in 1989 and revised in 1992 of which its implementation is a tripartite responsibility amongst the three tiers of government: Federal, State and Local government”. Ishola commended the Babatunde Fashola-led administration in Lagos State, saying it has taken giant strides in environmental management. “Considering the ever increasing population in the state with the daily influx of people as a result of its commercial attraction, one would have thought the state would lose its grip on environmental management but instead the reverse is the case. Indeed international bodies had adjudged Lagos State’s Waste Control and Management as the best in subsaharan Africa. “ From available records, the state government has credible institutional frameworks such as Lagos State Waste Management Authority , LAWMA, Lagos

State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Land Records Company, LRC, etc, with vast human and material resources deployed for efficient and effective management of the environment”, he said. He explained that the, “Do the Right Thing: Avoid Dirt, Be clean” campaign is anchored on the use of a specially designed Word Waste Bin on one hand, and the use of Waste Marshall to constantly re-orientate Nigerians in markets, motor parks and communities. He said this is aimed at fostering among them positive attitudes and behaviours in matters of environmental cleanliness. Lagos State Director of NOA said the Waste Bin is compartmentalized to receive different kinds of wastes which makes it easy for scavengers and waste recycling agents to source of raw materials, adding that “this waste management initiative is private sector driven”. He said the agency is currently liaising with private organizations to key into the programme by branding the Waste Bins for development by LAWMA. He said the attitudes of

most Lagosians to waste disposal are nothing to write home about. “It is common place to see many of our people dumping wastes into drains or water channels. The resultant effect of this ugly act is blockage of drains and flooding of the environment. This is very worrisome with the prediction of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET in 2013 of global climatic change on outbreaks of epidemics and destruction or habitation,” Ishola said. He called on all stakeholders to take it upon themselves to mobilize, orientate and sensitize the people to embrace good hygienic attitudes, saying that NOA on its own part shall redouble its efforts in ensuring all the populace in the state imbibe the desirable attitudes or behaviour to properly manage the environment. Also speaking at the occasion, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, (SAN) who was represented by a special adviser , Major Phillip Panos (rtd) urged people to always observe the monthly environmental exercise and to always keep their surrounding clean.

Business

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FRESH BUSINESS NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Sunday March 30, 2014

Why US-FAA wants to audit Nigeria aviation –Investigation Olusegun Koiki

resh facts emerged yesterday on why the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, of the United States of America, USA, insists in auditing the entire Nigerian aviation industry. A source close to the Ministry of Aviation, confided in our correspondent that events in the last one year in the sector especially in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, prompted the American safety inspectors to want to audit the sector. The ministry source who is not allowed to comment on the issue, also confided in our correspondent that FAA specifically wrote in its letter of inspection to NCAA that it wanted

to check its books on the recent issuance of Air Operators’ Certificates, AOCs, to some new airlines in the country, which it felt did not follow the due process. But the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke said he could not confirm the report when contacted on phone by our correspondent. The audit of the industry, which is expected to commence next Monday will determine if Nigeria will continue to retain the Category one Status it attained in September 2010 or will lose the status. If Nigeria retains the status, Nigeria and the US will continue to enjoy nonstop flights on the route while its loss will lead to stoppage of direct flight between the two countries. The Category One Sta-

tus is a prerequisite for countries to operate direct flights to the USA and it is sanctioned by FAA. This is done by meeting the country’s International Aviation Safety Assessment, IASA, Category One. The status is achieved when a country’s civil aviation authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO aviation safety standards. The FAA assessment is a very detailed audit process that spans several visits by the FAA team to the country being assessed. Besides, FAA in its letter to the regulatory authority specifically requested to see the documents leading to the issuance of AOC for

Hak Air, which it was issued by mid 2013. Also, FAA is said to be worried about the autonomy granted NCAA in November 2006, which it stated was being violated by the government. The source said, “FAA in its letter to NCAA specifically requested to see the papers leading to the granting of AOC to Hak Air and some other airlines granted certificates in 2013. You know, there were speculations that some of the airlines issued AOC in 2013 did not follow the due process and that they were favoured by the government. “Also, FAA is concerned about the interference in the running of NCAA by the government. NCAA is supposed to be autonomy and it’s expected to do its job professionally, but re-

cent happenings in the agency call for concern. The FAA feels if the interference in the agency is not stop, it might eventually affect safety in the sector.” Commenting on the issue, Ndubuoke denied the knowledge of the content of the letter, but informed our correspondent that some technical personnel in NCAA had travelled to Bauchi for the purpose of the audit. He could not also confirm if the audit would commence on Monday as earlier arranged. He said, “I can’t confirm the content of the letter, but what I know is that our guys have gone to Bauchi because of that purpose. Until they come back, I won’t be able to know if we are commencing on Monday, but when they come back, I will let you know.”

CMACL holds D’LINGUA awards The CEO of Corporate and Media Africa Communications Limited and publisher of Corporate Standard magazine, Alex Omordia, has announced that the 11th edition of the Distinguished Leadership in National Development Gold Awards (D’LINGUA) of the outfit has been tentatively slated for April 26, 2014 in Abuja. According to Omordia, there will be a public lecture to commemorate the awards and 10th anniversary of Corporate Standard magazine which has as its theme, ‘Leadership Question and The Need for Sustainable Co-existence: Nigeria as a Case Study’, to be delivered by Prof. Emmanuel Adelowo of Ekiti State Universitty, Ado-Ekiti.

L-R: Managing Director, Nokia West and Central Africa, Nick Imudia; Head of Marketing, Debbie Shepard and Head of Sales, Nigeria and Ghana, Joseph Umunnakwe, during the launch of the Nokia X smartphone in Lagos at the weekend.

CBN to empower corps members in C’River RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has promised to assist corps members who conceive viable and good business plans with loans that can make them become entrepreneurs and self-reliant after their service year. Controller of the CBN,

Calabar branch, Dr. Grahams Kalio, made the disclosure at the weekend while delivering a lecture on role of CBN in facilitating loans for corps members at the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC orientation camp, Obubra, Cross River State. He said that the aim of the ceremony was to reduce drastically, the rate

of unemployment hindering economic growth, adding that after carefully listening to the lecture, graduates would could come up with alternative measures on how to sought out themselves with issues pertaining to unemployment. “We are interested in the growth of the youth, because they are the fu-

ture of this country. “We must keep theme focus for the sustainability and development of the nation. “Nigerian youths have been classified as the future of the nation, that is why CBN is partnering with NYSC to empower corps members who wish to earn a career with entrepreneur``, he said.

‘Rehabilitation of P’Harcourt/ Maiduguri rail line for completion in 2014’

The Federal Government would complete the ongoing rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri rail line by the end of 2014. The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, announced this at the PDP North-East Zonal Rally in Bauchi yesterday. He said that the Lagos to Kano line was completed last year. He added that government was determined to revive the agricultural sector through encouraging the shift from subsistence to commercial production. He added that this had attracted a private firm to invest 40 million dollars in rice production in Taraba for domestic consumption and for export. ``The project has taken off ’’, he said. According to him, the Federal Ministry Agriculture has undertaken massive intervention to make the North-East zone the lead producer of cotton and sorghum in the country. “Farmers in the zone have been supported to produce cotton, sorghum, tomato and other vegetables due to their rich agricultural heritage. He said farmers’ income in the zone had increased to N75 billion due to government’s intervention through its Agricultural Transformation Agenda in the past three years. On education, the minister said government had established 10 universities in the north in the past four years - five in north west, three in north east and two in north central. “We have also constructed 125 Almajiri schools in the north, mostly in the north eastern states, furnished and handed over to the states to ensure that we take our children away from the streets. “The idea is that in addition to Qura’anic education, which is important, they would also learn modern education for the growth and development of the nation.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business

Sunday, March 30, 2014

‘Sanusi’s reforms’ve left the economy in ruins’ Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu is a renowned financial analyst, and the former President of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN. In this interview with Udo Onyeka, Unegbu who is also former Managing Director, Citizen International Bank Limited, speaks about some economic issues such as the nation’s budgeting system and the banking sector reforms by former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, Malam Lamido Sanusi, among others. Excerpts: How do you see the country’s budget system, especially the 2014 budget? I don’t know whether there is a budget, even though there is something on paper called the budget, but I am saying that the budget should be based on something. What budget are we talking about? A budget must be based on relativism. In other words, financial relativism: you either do zero budget or budget based on the performance of previous year’s budget. For me to analyse 2014 budget, you must be able to know how 2013 performed. But from my observation, when the budget was presented for the National Assembly, I didn’t see that relativism. You may now ask; when was the 2013 budget passed? And what percentage of that budget was achieved. These are things one is not sure of. People say they are analysing the budget for me, they are not analysing anything. For our budget planners, one can say if we achieved five per cent last year, there is the likelihood of achieving 15 per cent this year because of factors A, B or C. And for me, there seems to be a distance between monetary policy and fiscal policy in the budget. Look at interest rate problem that we have, this is not being addressed by the budget. Look at the unemployment level. And the budget just says 400,000 jobs generated, but without telling the people how you are going to generate those jobs and from what area you are going to generate those jobs. And for me, it is a political statement. Then they tell you that growth rate is seven per cent and projected growth rate is 7.5 per cent without saying from which period and from where, because it is not easy to say you are projecting growth rate at seven per cent when the things you see in the external sector show that it is unachievable. Again, what are the products that you have that give you a growth rate of seven percent. Only oil; the other sectors are not being emphasised, the foreign exchange market is in disarray, Naira is selling for N170 to one dollar because of skewed policies that the government has brought up. These are some of the things. If you look at 2013, budget, the National Assembly started very well but at a stage, the Presidency put pressure on them and they passed a budget I considered as ‘budget of fear’, instead of ‘budget of progress’. What government needs to do is to look at our environment, and, for instance, consider seriously the level of unemployment in the country. Again, the budget should have achievable overheads. They should look at the budget

thoroughly and see what we can achieve. We don’t just say we budget N4.5trn and people will clap for the president, and at the end of the year, that 4.5trn will not impact on the economy. Do you think the recommendation of the Orasanye committee that the number of ministries and parastatals should be pruned to reduce recurrent expenditure an ideal one? Yes I think so. Remember, Nigeria is running its ministries, departments and Agencies in the 21st Century with the 16th Century instruments, as it were. We are in a century where technology has taken the centre stage. Technology coming in does not mean loss of jobs. There is what we call back and forward linkages. If you reduce the various ministries, agencies and departments and make it fluid and responsive, you make them run like a business. I tell you, unemployment will be addressed. Why we hear about ghost workers everywhere in the public sector is because we are still running a 21st Century business with 16th Century instruments. I don’t see any change in the way things are done in the public sector. The only change would be when the number of those engage in the civil service are reduced drastically, making those of them that are left to be responsible. Then those that are left will know that they are there to serve you. Well, the only way we can move forward is to go with Oronsaye report, but that was to happen but political factors came up before the President carved in. And I don’t know why they should have even appointed that committee, because they have ended up wasting the tax payers’ money. What do you have to say about the bank reforms of ex-CBN governor, Malam Lamido Sanusi? The reforms failed to achieve the desired target. In fact, the system is being destroyed gradually, because if you go to the banks, what you see are not bankers. What you see are workers. An average banker is no more satisfied doing the job. Some want to get into the civil service where they can take bribes and grow fast. In the case of banking, the essence of the reform and the key aspect of the reform is good but the implementation of that reform has not been effective. I am not saying the reform is not good but the implementation has been skewed. There has been this shift in policies, policy somersault. To show the extent of the decay in the banking sector, the public sector deposit limit which was raised

Unegbu

to 75 percent made bankers cry. They cry because there have been over reliance on the government deposits. And when they get this government deposits, they become lazy and would not go to small depositors whose deposits are hard cover and stay longer in the bank. A banker is supposed to go to the lower end customers, help him to raise hard core deposits and use it to build others. I still have to recognise the difficulty of the environment because of lack of data-base. Most people borrow and when they borrow, they run away. The bank themselves are not helping matters. Look at the foreign exchange market, FOREX, which has been destroyed. We did say this, when they were saying that people in Diaspora, when they send money through western union or Moneygram, that banks should pay them the official rate of the Central Bank. What happened? The source dried up. So there was supply and demand imbalance which is still on till today, a situation where you get money at N157 or N158 from the Central Bank and sell it at N170 or it comes from abroad. It does not come from the abroad any longer, but it had been coming before, when people come home around December January; there used to be surplus of foreign currency. It does not happen again. Assuming there were even supplies, the rate was unattractive and not good for the economy. I can go on and on, the reforms

may have been well intentioned but it did achieve much. Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN, which is supposed to train and retrain bankers seems not to be alive to its responsibility considering increasing rate of unethical practices and corporate governance abuses in the sector. What is your take on this? Yes remember it is a body, not a regulator. It is a body meant to train bankers. The bankers; not those of them that went to read Arabic Studies and because they had their big brother or uncle somewhere, they were put into the banking sector and they become managing director. They do not see the institute the way it should be seen. If the institute’s mandate is to train certified bankers for the entire banking industry, those who want your services must believe in you. You also have the financial institutions’ training centre. I know CIBN is doing its best not because I was a former president but because I still go to do so many things with them; but the issue is, people are chasing shadows instead of the real thing . If you talk to these bankers, they speak all the grammar and say people are conservative, the grammar that destroys all the world economy. They are also being deceived by awards. I don’t know who gives them those awards. Maybe Financial Times and all thoe rest. I don’t know.

SM Extra

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Ogun Killer cop finished off six out of nine persons on his watch list…then took his life’ FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

resh facts have emerged as to the real reason the late Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, the police Corporal who shot and killed his wife, Oluwatosin, along with six other members of a family before finally shooting himself dead actually committed the crime. The incident occurred in Akingbala area of Eleweran community last Thursday. Sunday Mirror reliably gathered that the 34-year-old corporal who hailed from Ondo State actually committed the crime out of frustration deriving from the incessant domestic problems he had been having with his wife, Oluwatosin who was also of the same rank with Sunkanmi. Although the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Police stated that it had commenced a “forensic investigation” into why Sunkanmi had to behave the way he did, Sunday Mirror however gathered that the late Corporal actually had intentions. He went straight for his target and did not rest until he was sure that his mission had been accomplished before he finally killed himself too. This assertion, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi also attested to as he emphasised that the killer cop never manifested any symptom of psychiatric disorder prior to the incident.

Neighbours at the house very close to the late landlord’s, Iya Basira who was killed by Sunkanmi told Sunday Mirror that the refusal of the late landlord to play the role of a ‘grandma’ in the series of quarrels between Sunkanmi and his wife forced him to swear that he would make sure that he eliminate every member of the landlady’s family. It was further gathered in the neighbouhood that Sunkanmi had once lived with his family in the house near Iya Basira’s before and that each time he quarreled with his wife, the landlady would shield the policewoman from being rebuked by her police husband. Sunkanmi had also on several occasions pleaded with the landlady to ‘please play the role of a grandmother’ and assist his family at finding permanent end to their squabbles rather than harbouring his wife and children each time there was disagreement in the family, which the woman allegedly refused to heed. Oluwatosin, the late Sunkanmi’s wife, was also said to have packed out of her matrimonial home with the two children and secured another apartment in the same area. Sources further told Sunday Mirror that Iya Basira would take custody of the two children; the over four years old boy and about two years old girl on daily basis to await the chattered commercial motorcycle operator (okada man) taking them to school and upon their return trip, the children would stay with the landlady pending the

arrival of their mum. This situation was said to have continued until the previous week Friday, March 21, when the killer cop allegedly confronted Iya Basira, slapping her and engaging her in physical combat before the police intervened. The incident was said to have been reported at the Obantoko Divisional Police headquarters within the Abeokuta metropolis where Sunkanmi’s wife, Oluwatosin was serving as a police woman. The late Sunkanmi was also said to have approached the commercial motorcyclist (okada man) simply identified as Kunle in a gentleman discussion where he allegedly warned him to desist from “aiding and abetting” his wife in the crime but the okada man “politely ignored him.”. Apparently miffed by the “no solution to the civil war” however, Sunkanmi made up his mind and carried out his plan last Thursday March when he shot the nine people on his “watch list”, out of which six died and three others survived. Sunday Mirror gathered that when Sunkanmi closed from the night duty, he rode on an okada along with his colleague who both performed the night duty with him at the police quarters, about a kilometre away from his station and headed straight to the scene of the crime after the cyclist haddeparted. After killing Iya Basira, her two sons, Taofeeq and Sikiru her daughter Basira and her two years old daughter, Jesuto-

Okoye

funmi, the rampaging cop further moved to his former house where he shot the wife of a soldier before other neighbours in the house fled in horror. It was also gathered that the late cop gently carried his two children, kissed them after emptying all the money in his pockets to the four years old elderly one and handed them over to one of the people in the neighbourhood to help him take care of them before he finally shot himself dead. Sunkanmi was also said to have told the neighbours who were running away from him that he was not after them and that he had completed his mission to completely wipe off the family that offended him before he shot himself.

The Lord is here, but hard to find CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 They continually use the Bible as a tool to transform evil into good. They have rephrased and reshaped its contexts and contents as weapon to exploit, oppress, and extort. In the midst of tragedies faced by their congregants, they look for simplistic answers and quick fixes and other Band-Aids to cover their gaping wounds. The situation with many Christians today is grim and dim. It looks like darkness will prevail. They are con-

fused how to navigate the narrow strait between chaos and deception. In such a strait, the wisest are perplexed, and the boldest staggered. The increase of wickedness in the church thwarts them with fear, discouragement, and confusion. If the spiritually imprisoned parishioners continue to feed steadily upon a diet of confusion and distortion and extortion being served by their pastors, they will permanently be victims of danger, spiritual lethargy, and anxious thoughts, and being led astray. They will

ultimately become fools of self-destruction. Every wise course of action to pursue is contrasted with a fool’s course of action to avoid. The pastors are rebelling against God and they will end up destroying themselves. They will fall beneath their own load of sin and will be trapped by their own sin. My warning to the simple-minded, the gullible, the naïve, and the vulnerable worshippers is: Don’t play with matches – especially Satans that

masquerade in cassocks. Carry a book of matches with you whenever you go to church to keep that warning fresh in your mind and heart. Listen to the God inside you – he writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, and acts with a hand that never fails. The cathedral is famous for its ornately carved columns. Most of the churches today are spiritually empty hollow sphere – the Lord is here, but God is hard to find!

Abba Moro and the war on the poor CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 Whether he made those decisions or not, the Interior Minister, Mr. Moro, owns them. It’s part of the principle of ministerial responsibility which is respected in every serious country in the world. If the exercise had gone well, Mr. Moro would have been entitled to count it as one of his accomplishments. It ended tragically, a monument to poor planning—and, without question, it’s Mr. Moro’s can to carry. Except that the minister wants none of it. He’s blamed everybody else, including the dead themselves. He’s told the press that the question of his resignation does not arise. He’s berated that unknown, invisible

person who decided that only one gate should be opened. He’s implied that the applicants failed to conduct themselves in an orderly manner. Mr. Moro looks at the deadly wreckage of his policy, and the only thought that occupies his mind is how to save his own job. The minister is desperate to shirk his ultimate responsibility for the disaster of March 15. And, this being Nigeria, Mr. Moro can count on many enablers. So-called traditional rulers from his state have urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to sack their “son” in whom they remain well pleased, the needless death of 20 poor Nigerians notwithstanding. One Nigerian newspaper has speculated that Mr. Moro’s cabinet seat is not threatened because the minister has champions in

high places, including Senate President David Mark. Nigeria has never had a history of holding any public official to account. Ministers simply waltz away from the sins and scenes of their disastrous policies, their jobs intact. President “Do-Little” Jonathan revels in the tag of “transformational” president. But the president is not about to invoke the ethos of “transformation” to demand that Mr. Moro hand in his resignation. Nor is he about to serve notice to his other ministers and aides that the era of being held accountable is here. There’s little temptation for presidential firmness in this case when the dead were poor, the injured part of that wretched mass that the Nigerian state has made it its mission

to decimate. Mr. Moro is likely to hold on to his job. Mr. Jonathan is bound to go on reading speeches that contradict his actions. Hordes of poor Nigerians will continue to die from the callous policies and indifference of the Nigerian state. But here’s something that must give sleepless nights to the Moros of Nigeria. There are millions of desperate, unemployed and angry youths in every space in Nigeria. Sooner or later, sooner than later, they will realize that there’s a war on them, that their wretched condition is not an act of God, but the acts of man/woman. They will rise in fury, and there will be hell to pay! Prof. Ndibe teaches Africana Literature at Brown University, United States

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Sunday March 30, 2014

N5bn pension scam: Trial judge under fire, faces NJC probe CONTINUED FROM P9 him to court for arraignment. The issuance of the bench warrant angered Dr Teidi who protested to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to the effect that Justice Ademola was not fair to him since the record before him did not indicate that he had, at anytime, made himself unavailable for trial since the issue became a subject of litigation even as he alleged that the bench warrant was issued to embarrass him. Teidi said he was eventually arraigned by EFCC in May 2013 and was ordered remanded in Kuje Prisons by the trial judge while further proceedings in the case was adjourned sine die, purportedly to punish him for daring to protest to the Chief Judge over issuance of bench warrant in the matter. He added that the matter was not fixed for hearing until his counsel personally intervened. He also said that even after his formal bail application was eventually heard, he said the trial judge though granted it, he imposed a purported onerous condition of which a former CJN, Justice Idris Kutigi had warned against as far back as 2007. To establish his claim, Dr Teidi said that in what appears a clear departure from the N10million bail with one surety in like sum totalling N20million granted him by Justice Bello over the same offence, he said Justice Ademola admitted him to bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum, totalling N1.5billion. He said the other accused person in the case was also granted bail in the same sum with similar conditions attached. He said that more than six months after the bail was granted, both of them remained in prison. He however added that when it was evident that they could not meet the bail conditions, he said they informed the judge who encouraged them to bring an application for variation which they did but was turned down. Teidi, through his wife, Hajia Fatima, narrated his story in a copious petition addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and

Chief Justice Muktar Aloma

acknowledged January 10, 2014. Teidi said that after the application for variation of the bail conditions was refused, his wife did the copious petition to expose purported reasons why his application did not find favour with the judge. Fatimah who told the CJN that the trial judge gave the most onerous bail condition of N1.5billion, allegedly the highest so far in the history of justice administration system in Nigeria, added that notwithstanding the outlandish bail conditions, “the learned trial judge kept frustrating every effort to meet this onerous condition of bail. “We discovered, for instance, that the learned trial judge will interfere with the duties of the registry staff as they tried to process suitable sureties,” she added. She said that after the bail variation application was refused on the account that enough materials were not placed before him, “my husband’s counsel filed an appeal and requested for certified true copies of the ruling as well as the proceedings of the court to enable them promptly compile the record of appeal, they were informed that the learned Justice Ademola personally keeps the case file with himself and takes it home with him, therefore frustrating all efforts to quickly appeal against the dismissal of the application for variation of my husband’s conditions of bail,” she said, adding that as at December last year, her husband had spent sev-

en months in prison since he was sent to prison since May. She further alleged: “I have reasons to believe that the trial judge is abusing his powers by keeping him detained in order to extort money from him, my family or our friends. The basis of my belief is that I have been receiving anonymous phone calls and text messages from people purporting to act on behalf of Justice Ademola asking me to deposit certain large sums of money into a particular UBA account No 2023439971 in the name of one Kingsley O. “At other times, the callers will demand that I should arrange the sum of N25million in cash and await further instructions on where to drop it off in order to get the judge to approve my sureties or vary the onerous conditions of bail “What I find curious but alarming is that the persons making the demand for N25million from me always have prescient foreknowledge of every move that the Hon Justice Ademola will make at adjourned dates of the matter. “For instance, they will inform me weeks in advance whether the judge will sit on a particular day or not, whether he will deliver a ruling or not and indeed, I was informed that unless I make the payment of N25million, ready by the day the ruling was fixed for delivery, the court will not find favour in our application for variation of the bail and this came to be true “Ïn every case, I staunchly refused to cooperate. As

predicted, on the 28th of November, 2013, the day fixed for delivery of ruling on our application for variation of the conditions of bail, the Honourable Justice Ademola failed to deliver the ruling. The next day, the judge gave his ruling and dismissed the application. “Ï am therefore writing this complaint to invite the NJC to look into the entire circumstances of this case and determine whether the conduct of the judicial officer in questions does not amount to an abuse of power and an attempt to extort money from us in exchange for my husband’s freedom on bail “Ï am also requesting that you investigate and determine whether it is not unethical and a breach of the judicial oath for Hon Justice Ademola to continue to preside over my trial even after I had written a complaint against him to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and to investigate and determine whether the flagrantly onerous conditions of bail imposed on my husband by Honourable Justice Ademola were not imposed as an act of vindictiveness or revenge contrary to the oath of office for judicial officers,” she said. Besides, she also said that she wanted the NJC to “investigate and determine whether on the peculiar facts and circumstances of this matter, whether the difficult and onerous bail conditions imposed by Honourable Justice Ademola was not designed to facilitate corrupt demand for gratification and to investigate and determine whether a judicial officer can hold on personally to a case file at all times so that he can monitor every administrative act carried out by court officers and in particular to prevent my counsel from obtaining copies of rulings and proceedings to assist in the process of applying for review to the Court of Appeal,” the petition added. Although by the principle of self-imposed dumbness, a trial judge, most times, would not publicly join issues with his accusers, particularly parties appearing before him, even when his image is being battered, Justice Ademola

however departed from this principle to make certain clarifications during proceedings in the case. He said the clarification was necessary to clear his name on the issue of his alleged reluctance to sign Dr Teidi’s bail paper. That was late last year. His exact words on the issue: ‘’There have been reports in the media suggesting that I was deliberately keeping the 1st accused person [Teidi Shuaibu] in prison custody even after perfecting his bail conditions. “But that is not true. Let me tell you that there have been some funny developments involving his bail. “For instance, everything regarding the bail documents presented by his sureties was forged. “All the documents brought were forged. From the Certificate of Occupancy [C of O]; tax valuation report and even the International Passport brought had expired. I was at the point of signing the bail form when on a second thought I said they should cross-check the documents. It was in the process of cross-checking that the forgery was discovered. “In the case of the C of O, we went to the Ministry of Lands and they said nobody was bearing the name of the person that signed the papers. Even the tax clearance certificate was forged. All the documents were from Oluwole (an acronym for a one-time forgery rendezvous on Lagos Island).” A bailiff of this court, one Alhaji, and another are involved and are now facing trial before a Magistrate’s Court for forgery.

“I don’t want anybody to talk any nonsense to me. My integrity and my name are so important to me and I have no other job apart from being a Judge and I’m not ready to lose it because I love my job. “What is the big deal about this case? I’m not the one keeping him in prison. As soon as his papers are correct, I will sign his bail documents. If I were not careful and had signed his papers and NJC gets to know, I would have entered a serious problem,” he added. Although Teidi insisted that the documents presented by his sureties were genuine, he said he was not ready to join issues but would use another set of sureties to get his bail so that he could take adequate medical attention from his personal doctor and prepare for his trial from home. He claimed that he had presented fresh sureties whose title documents had been vetted and verified at AGIS but that the judge had refused to sign his bail papers. Indeed, during the third to the last proceeding in the case, Mr. Sunday Ameh (SAN).lead counsel to Dr Teidi had confronted the judge in the open court to find out what was still delaying the bail of his client after all documents had been confirmed verified by the court registry, to which the judge said that bail was an administrative issue and could not be discussed in open court, adding that a lot of files were pending before him and that he would create time to look at them.

TEIDI SAID HE WAS EVENTUALLY ARRAIGNED BY EFCC IN MAY 2013 AND WAS ORDERED REMANDED IN KUJE PRISONS BY THE TRIAL JUDGE WHILE FURTHER PROCEEDINGS IN THE

CASE WAS ADJOURNED SINE DIE, PURPORTEDLY TO PUNISH HIM FOR DARING TO PROTEST TO THE

CHIEF JUDGE OVER ISSU-

ANCE OF BENCH WARRANT IN THE MATTER.

South News

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Yoruba must preserve traditions, culture –Adams AYO ESAN

he National Co-ordinator of pan- Yoruba Group, Oodua People’s Congress, OPC and Chief Promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation, Otunba Gani Adams, has admonished the Yoruba to do everything within their power to preserve and promote their culture and tradition. Speaking at one of the events to mark this year’s annual Eledumare Festival being organized by the Olokun Festival Foundation in Lagos, Adams said the Yoruba have to uphold and sustain their cultural heritage and traditions.

Adams, who is also a delegate of the South West at the on-going National Conference in Abuja, debunked allegations that the OPC does not believe in God, saying: “We believe in God. By this festival, we are trying to sustain our identity and make sure that Yorubas don’t forget their roots. Some people’s impression about this organization is that we only believe in traditional religion without taking into cognizance or recognizing the Almighty God. I am using this opportunity to correct this impression. Our organization believes in the almighty God. We are using this festival as a point of

contact to almighty God to get all we are praying for in Yoruba land”. “Any human society that fails to sustain its identity can never be united or progressive. Since we started promoting our festival, other groups in the South East, Niger Delta and other parts of the country have started doing same in their regions. We started with Osun Osogbo but it was very low when we started with them. But when we mobilized thousands of our members to take part in it, UNESCO recognized it as a world cultural heritage site.” Speaking on the 21day Eledumare Festival

The former Anambra State Governor also took the opportunity to mourn the death of the former Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Chapter, Mrs. Tochukwu Udoji Omelu, describing it as sad, pathetic and a great loss to the journalism profession. Obi, who recalled that Mrs. Omelu was the NUJ Chairman when he was the Governor, described her as resourceful, hard working and always thirsty for success. He said that her death was like a thunderbolt to him and that he nonetheless consoled her immediate families, the Journalism family and all those affected by her death and prayed God to grant her eternal rest. Be patient for outcome of police investigations into kidnappers’ den – Ajimobi’s Aide The Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Security, Mr. Segun Abolarinwa, at the weekend urged people of the state to patiently await the outcome of police investigations into the recently discovered kidnappers’ den at Soka in Oluyole Local Government Area of Ibadan. He also said the outcome of forensic investigations currently being conducted by security agencies as well as examination by experts

to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killings by alleged perpetrators of the dastardly act would soon be made public. Abolarinwa, who spoke on a radio programme in Ibadan, said it would not be proper to pre-empt the outcome of the investigations before it is concluded by security agencies. The Special Adviser, who described the incident as highly unfortunate and disheartening, absolved the state government of any complicity in the plights of the captives and the killings of the victims at the den, saying no government would sit by watching its citizens being killed and taken captive. He recalled that the site was acquired in 1988 by a firm, Habiton which later leased to a construction company, Aprofill, adding that Aprofill abandoned the site when the contract it was executing then was terminated. On why the site had not been taken back by the state government since it was abandoned, he said that Habiton had taken Aprofill and government to court and that the case had yet to be determined, thus preventing the government from tampering with the large expanse of land which he put at 11,000 square metres.

which has been engaging the youths and helping to discover talents for the country in every human endeavour, Adams said: “This is the third edition of the Eledumare Festival and we are having boxing as one of the activities to mark the festival. There are so many activities lined up for the festival. We have the cultural fight, quiz competition and lecture. The grand finale will

involve a lot of cultural promotion. “Eledumare Festival is one of the best we have ever organized. Olokun Festival used to be the best of our festivals but it is only held for ten days. Eledumare Festival is for 21 days. We use it to discover talents in every area of human endeavour and by so doing, we keep our youths engaged. What we are doing is an avenue to pro-

mote sporting activities and to discover talents. Apart from Eledumare Festival, I also have Gani Adams Foundation. The foundation has been organizing sporting competition for the past six years. By so doing, we have been discovering so many raw talents and have been empowering them,” he said. The festival will be rounded up with a grand finale on Saturday.

Obi celebrates Ojukwu, mourns Anambra NUJ boss CHARLES OKEKE, AWKA

he immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi, has described as glorious and meritorious, the posthumous honorary Doctorate in Law conferred on the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu yesterday by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Speaking to journalists, Chief Obi, who attended the conferment ceremony at the Convocation Arena of the University yesterday, said that Dim Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu, dead or alive, was eminently qualified for any award, be it academic or otherwise. According to Obi, “Ojukwu stood for the dignity of his people till death, which has been abundantly acknowledged by the people and institutions of repute concerned with the restoration of the dignity of man. Considering what Dim was to his people, they loved him profoundly. In death, they still love him”. Obi described the posthumous Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, as another gesture of love for what Ojukwu was and for sacrifices he offered for his people.

Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo, in warm handshake with Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, during her courtesy visit to the governor in Umuahia recently.

Group commends Senator Adeseun on empowerment

he chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senator Ayoade Adeseun, has been commended by a voluntary organisation under the aegis of Adeseun Progressive Movement for the effective representation of people of Oyo Central Senatorial District and hosting a mega empowerment programme for his constituents recently. The Group in a press statement jointly signed by the Zonal leaders from the Local governments of Ogbomozo zone, Hon. Abioye Idowu (Surulere), Elder Ogunkanmi Moses (Ogo Oluwa), Mr. Abiodun Sunday (Ogbomoso North) and Chief Gbolagade Adegboyega (Ogbomoso South), the group poured encomiums on Senator Adeseun, adding “he is a patriot whom we are so proud of; this albeit is coming on the heels of the Senator, a true representative of the masses for successfully hosting the biggest empowerment in the political annals of Oyo State”. They added that Adeseun Progressive Movements is

a voluntary organization which strongly believes in the political beliefs; ideals and aspiration of Senator Ayoade Adeseun and feel highly elated and proud of his recent empowerment programme where thousands of beneficiaries became enlisted in poverty alleviation programme uncommon in this clime. The group stressed further that “ It is an unprecedented empowerment where close to 5,000 people were liberated in a single programme with materials that will liberate them from the shackles of poverty like Cars, Motor cycles, Deep Freezers, Sewing Machines, Grinding Machines, Generating set, GSM Packages/Farm Support in their alarming quantities to large gathering of beneficiaries . “In similar vein, mention must also be made of students in their thousands who also received bursary awards of N10,000 each, drawn from all tertiary institutions across the country (extracted from the 33 LGAs of Oyo State). So also women trained in vocations

such as Tye & Dye, Soap & Pomade making, Fish and Poultry Farming were also given cash donations to commence their enterprise in addition to materials already donated to aid the different vocations after training. With cash ranging from N30, 000 - N50, 000, these classes of people went home in ecstatic mood of satisfaction and hope to renew their living and existence. This is highly exceptional and monumental”. The group while pledging their loyalty to Senator Adeseun said “we restate our unwavering commitment to Adeseun’s belief;we enjoin Adeseun to continue in more deliverance of dividends to his Senatorial district and that he should not rest on his oars to keep doing what is needful to further ensure the dividends of democracy permeate more every nook and cranny of Oyo State. Let it be stated that we are absolutely committed to, through our unalloyed and unflinching support to future aspirations of the Distinguished Senator now and in the nearest future”.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North News

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Katsina, Zamfara convene security meeting to curb attacks

he Katsina State Government said it had concluded arrangement to convene a special security meeting with the neighbouring Zamfara State on ways to fight crime and attacks on villages. Governor Ibrahim Shema said this at a meeting with his Zamfara State counterpart, Governor Abdulaziz Yari, at the Government House, Gusau. He expressed the con-

cern of the two state governments over the increasing criminal activities where large number of heavily armed hoodlums invaded villages, maimed and killed several community members. He said security effort would particularly be concentrated on the Rugu forest of Katsina State and other suspected criminal hideouts in the two states. ``We will not allow these criminals to overpower

us and I will like to assure our people that very soon they will witness positive changes on security issues,’’ Shema said. While explaining that Fulani people could not be said to be perpetrating and organising the attacks as alleged, Shema maintained that the Fulani were known as peace loving people. ``The Fulani are more concerned about their herds, their wellbeing and moving the nation for-

ward,” he said. In his remarks, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara also expressed his government’s readiness to cooperate with Katsina state to curb criminal activities and ensure security of lives and property. ``These killings must be stopped by all means and all those involved be

brought to face the full wrath of the law,” he said. Yari expressed confidence in the rejuvenated partnership between the two states, noting that it would further bring more development to the two states. He enjoined other neighbouring states to join hands with them so

as to make criminal operations highly impossible in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shema was in the state to receive the Fulani title of Lamido Fulbe (Head of Fulani) of Gusau from the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Kabir Danbaba, yesterday.

LG to immunise 121,000 animals in Jigawa

he Birniwa Local Government area of Jigawa State is targeting immunisation of 121, 000 animals against various diseases within four weeks, the Chairman, Mallam Muhammad Bundai, said yesterday. Bundai gave the assurance while inspecting animal vaccination in Birniwa. He urged Fulani herdsmen to present their ani-

mals for vaccination to check outbreak of diseases and improve animal health. The chairman said that the council had provided logistics support to facilitate smooth conduct of the exercise. Alhaji Inuwa Abubakar, the Head of Agriculture Department of the local government council, said that the vaccination began on Monday and would last

for 28 days at designated centres in the area. He said that the state Ministry of Agriculture had supplied adequate doses of vaccines for the exercise. Mallam Shugaba Janto, a Leader of the Fulani Community in the council area, commended the action. He said that vaccination would encourage livestock production.

Sultan to attend symposium on diplomacy, religion in Vatican

L-R: Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Hon. Justice Aloma Mukhtar; Osita Chidoka, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps and Justice Hahmud Mohammed, Justice of the Supreme Court, during the Corps Marshal’s visit to the CJN in Abuja at the weekend.

he Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has been nominated as a speaker at a symposium on Cultural Diplomacy and Religion in the Vatican City of

Rome. The symposium is to hold from March 31 to April 3. This is contained in a statement signed by Mr. Dickson Omoregie, Coun-

Kano introduces parking, paying services •NGO offers free cataract surgery

ALEX MOMOH, K ANO

n its bid to ease problem of road traffic congestion in Kano, the state government in conjunction with Platinum Parking Management Services (PPMS) has introduced parking and paying system in all the state’s major roads. Managing Director of Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Muhammadu Gambo Diggol, who disclosed this yesterday during an enlightenment programme organized by Platinum Parking Management Service in Kano, said the concept of parking and paying system was part and parcel of the overall transport sector reforms being undertaking by the administration of Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state. Said he: “The compo-

nent of transport sector reform could be seen in the expansion of our gateways, the establishment of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), establishment of Kano Road Maintenance Agency (KARMA), the construction of Fly overs, the introduction of Bus Mass Transit and the introduction of Parking and Paying System under the competence of organization that has been doing similar work in other cities of the country”. Muhammadu Diggol explained that Platinum Parking Management Service was selected to conduct the operation in the state in conjunction with Kano State Government through KATOTA and entered an agreement with the company to coordinate and conduct on and off road system. “Though the system is new in our cities, our

people need to be enlightened because the system is already taking place in Lagos, Ilorin, Abuja and Katsina and host of others “, he said, adding that because the old system was progressively inadequate, the new Parking and Paying System needed to be introduced in the state because of the lot of its advantage. Speaking at the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Platinum Parking Management Service (PPMS), Otunba Olarewaju, said this was a great opportunity for the people of Kano in creating jobs for the teeming youth and increase also in revenue generation in the state. He noted with delight that roads that has been constructed with millions of Naira by the government was therefore advisable for the state government to generate revenue out of it and to maintain

the status of the road and also to make Kano roads beautiful as well as make Kano a beautiful city that people has been yearning for. Olarewaju further commended the Kano State Government and KAROTA for cooperation given to his organization and urged the people of Kano State to support the administration of the state in other to actualize its noble objectives. Meanwhile, a non-Governmental Organization, Aminu Musa Abdulsalam Foundation (AMAF) Kano, has sponsored 335 persons suffering from eye cataract in the state for surgery and this kicked-off yesterday in the state capital. In an exclusive interview with Sunday Mirror in Kano, Programme Director for the Foundation, Aisha Yusuf Mamman, disclosed that the free cataract surgery would be carried out

monthly in various communities across the country as the Foundation`s commitment in giving back to those in need. The AMA Foundation which focuses on three key areas of, Health Care Delivery Services, Education and Empowerment, started this month`s exercise in Garo, Rimin Gado Local Government Area of Kano state”, said the DG. “This is our third outreach since the beginning of this year 2014. We conducted screening for cataract and other eye ailments but we focus mostly in eye problems because cataract is the major source of total blindness in Nigeria and it is 15-minutes operation that can change life and is not expensive”, she disclosed, adding that it was something that could be done on a patient and in 24 hour, he or she was out from the hospital.

try Representative of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in Abuja. The statement was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday. The ICD said that the symposium would explore the use and potential of inter-faith dialogue to promote discourse with the ultimate goal of global peace. It said that the symposium would provide a forum that would unite religious leaders with politicians, diplomats and academics in order to create cultural platforms. ``The symposium will have the theme, ``Promotion of World Peace through Inter-Faith Dialogue’’. ``Speakers and delegates during the symposium will include religious and spiritual leaders, leading politicians and diplomats, senior academics and other dignitaries from around the world,’’ the institute said. ``The Vatican City is expecting 11 speakers at the symposium,’’ it added. NAN reports that ICD was founded in 1999 as an international, non-governmental organisation with headquarters in Berlin, Germany.

Sport

Fergie would have struggled with Red Devils —Moyes P. 63

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net www.nat

Sport

Scolari is P. 62 capable of leading Brazil to victory –Almeida

KEEPING YOU ABREAST OF SPORTING NEWS NEW WS W S March 30, 2014

Wolves will upset Bizertin in Tunisia –Aigbogun Action recorded last weekend when Warri Wolves hosted CA Bizertin in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup tie at the Warri City Stadium.

IFEANYI EDUZOR

AF Confederation Cup contenders, Warri Wolves will today battle Tunisian club side, CA Bizertin in their second leg, second round tie of the competition and Coach Paul Aigbogun has assured Nigerians that his club side will upset their hosts at their backyard at the end of full 90 minutes. When both sides met last week at the Warri City Stadium, the match ended goal less putting Wolves in a tight corner in their hope of advancing to the playoffs of the tournament. While it is expected that the four -time Tunisian champions who needs only a goal to advance to the next stage of the competition will be counting on home advantage and good football artistry to overcome the resilient Wolves, the Seasiders will be looking for an upset to overcome the North Africans. Bizertin who won the now defunct CAF Cup Win-

ners’ Cup in 1988, reached the second round of the CAF Champions League in 1985, as well as getting to the semi- final stage in 1992 have a very good home record at their 15,000 capacity Stade 15 Octobre, but the decision of Confederation of African Football (CAF) to approve only 3,000 fans for the team due to crowd violence could be of advantage to Wolves in today’s all important cracker. It is expected that Wolves who missed some good chances during the first leg will count on the services of their inspirational captain, Azubuike Egwuekwe, who returns in today’s game having missed out of the first leg because of his wedding. He will be assisted by such players as Goodluck Onamado, Joseph Eyimofe, Ike ThankGod and goalkeeper, Okiemute Odah, in their bid to create an upset in the match. On the other side, the North Africans will be relying on such players as Hadhria Nour who showed flashes of brilliance in the midfield and he will be assisted by M’bengue Youssoupha who caused some havoc in the

Wolves penalty area with deft touches and intelligent runs off the ball and Rejiabi Adem who was extremely unfortunate not to score late in the first half. However, not minding the tight position they found themselves, coach of Warri Wolves, Paul Aigbogun said the 0-0 draw recorded in the first leg will ginger up his players in today’s reverse fixture, promising that they will come out victorious at the end of the day. “We are not yet out. We will go to Tunisia and beat them. We have watched the tape of this game and have plotted our strategy for the return leg “I want to assure Nigerians that we are not going to approach today’s match with fear because we believe that if Bizertin can come to Warri and get a draw, we are also capable of defeating them in Tunisia. “It is true that they are a great side as far as pedigree in African club competition is concerned, but we must not think too much about that. In football, it’s actually what you do on the day and not what you have done in the past that counts,” Aigbogun said.

DStv Basketball: Warriors sink Islanders

odan Warriors Basketball Club of Lagos defeated their city rivals, Lagos Islanders, 69-59 on Friday, in the Atlantic Conference match of the ongoing DStv Basketball League. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Islanders’ loss to Warriors at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, is their first since the

competition started four weeks ago. Warriors led the match from the first quarter and dominated till the end of regulation time. Although, Lagos Islanders had the opportunity to turn the game around, the players failed to convert their offensive rebounds and free throws. Coach Chris Nomigo of Dodan War-

riors told NAN that he was proud of his players for living up to expectation. “We lost our previous match to Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan in Ibadan; this really affected us because we should have won that match; hence, we learnt from our mistakes. “We know Islanders capabilities, and we were prepared to take the game to them

and not allow them to dictate the pace. “We were the more aggressive side and hungrier for victory. This, perhaps, was what made us to play well and win at the end,” Nomigo said. In another match played, Police Baton of Lagos humbled Customs of Lagos 55-47. The victory is Baton’s first since the start of the league.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday March 30, 2014

National Female Basketball League ends

he First Bank female basketball team yesterday thrashed Plateau Rocks 65-42 to maintain their winning streak in the Zenith Bank National Female Basketball League. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first phase of the league ended yesterday. In the Group B match played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Abuja, both teams started the game on a par level for the first quarter to end 15-15. However, former league champions, First Bank displayed their superiority in the second quarter by garnering 18 points, while their

Nigeria Basketball Federation President, Alh. Tijjani Umar.

Jos-based opponent had 10. First Bank extended their lead in the third quarter by scoring 21 points, leaving Plateau Rocks with only nine.

With the win, First Bank has won all their seven matches in the first phase of the league that started on March 21. They had beaten Benue Queens 66-20, Coal City 97-18, Customs 4231, FCT Angels 79-31, Dolphins 4841, and AHIP Queens 55-21. In the other matches, Immigration defeated Taraba Hurricanes 77-48, Coal City lost 33-74 to Benue Queens and GT 2000 beat Oluyole Babes 47-40. The second phase of the league, which is in its 10th edition will hold in Ilorin from May 1 to 11. The final eight play-offs will be in Lagos later in the year.

Bala to miss Abia clash

nyimba central midfielder, Zakkah Bala will miss the local derby against newly promoted side, Abia Warriors in the Glo Premier League match day 4 encounter today at the Enyimba Stadium. The former Kwara United playmaker lost his mother and will be heading home to Kaduna for her burial today. Madam Jummai Bala, 75, passed on Friday after a brief sickness. Bala said though he will miss the crucial game he has no doubt in his mind that his teammates will subdue the Umuahia-based side for the sake of the departed soul of his mother.

“I won’t be available for the local derby today against Abia Warriors in Aba because I just received the sad and shocking news of my mum’s death. “I just came back from training and about hitting the camp when the call came with the sad news so I’ll be heading home to take part in the burial programme and interment today. “It pains me that I’ll not partake in the local derby against Abia Warriors after putting in so much in terms of preparations. “We’re not treating Abia Warriors as minnows rather as equals to be handled with all seriousness. “The local derby is always tough

Bala

this one won’t be an exception but I’m confident my colleagues will rise to the ocassion to win big for me and the departed soul of my mum,” said the former El-Kanemi Warriors star to supersport.com.

NYSC commends Promasidor on volleyball sponsorship ANDREW EKEJIUBA

he National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has commended Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk, for consistently sponsoring the finals of the female volleyball competition. Mrs. Maria Osadebe, the camp director of the Lagos Orientation Camp located in the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos disclosed this while

delivering an address of welcome at the 2014 final Volleyball ‘Batch A’ match between Platoons 8 and 10 in Lagos on Thursday. The director who welcomed stakeholders to the match also thanked Promasidor for the sponsorship. Miss Egede Nneka, the captain of Platoon 8 led her side to victory by defeating Platoon 10 in a three set game. Mr. Kingsley Onuoha, Cowbell

Brand Manager, presented a cash reward of N30, 000 and cartons of Cowbell products to the first place winner, while the second and third place winners got N20, 000 and N10, 000 respectively with cartons of Cowbell products. Besides sponsoring the game on yearly basis, Promasidor had in 2011 taken a giant stride in sports development in Nigeria by donating a standard volleyball court to the NYSC, Lagos camp.

RCCCG assures on sports fiesta IFEANYI EDUZOR

rganizers of the forthcoming maiden edition of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Region 13 Mini- Sports Fiesta scheduled to hold between April 26th – 30th in Edo and Delta States respectively says the reason for the festival is to win souls for Christ. The Pastor in charge of Region 13 of the church in Benin City, James Dagunduro told our correspondent that they are using the sports fiesta

to win many souls into God’s kingdom to enable them make heaven which is the vision and mission statement of the church. According to him, the event is in keeping to the vision of the General Overseer of the church, Pastor E.A Adeboye who believes that with sports, many people can be connected to Christ, adding that if we are conversant with what is going on today particularly in Nigeria, sports especially football is becoming what keeps the country together most of the times.

“We have discovered that on Sunday morning many youths instead of going to church will be on the street playing football .Because of this the church authority decided that the sports fiesta should be organized so that through it we can reach out to so many of them. “It is even stated in the Bible that exercise will profit our body, so when we do sports it gives us some benefit as well, through it we can also reach out to those people that have not known the Lord,” Dagunduro said.

Knockout IFEANYI Eduzor with

08055829770 ifeduz24@yahoo.com

Samuel Peter (right) exchanging punches with Oleg Maskaev during their heavyweight clash in 2008.

Peter returns to the ring He went the distance with ormer WBC world heavyweight champion, Samuel Wladimir in 2005, losing on F points despite knocking Peter has been handed a place in the Prizefighter- Style “Super 8” boxing tournament to be held in Auckland, Newzeland in June. Dubbed the “Nigerian nightmare,” the 33 year old joins Kali Mechan, Michael Sprott and Martin Rogan on the card for a night that marks Sky TV’s first foray into boxing promotion. A further four boxers are to be named later. Peter has been in the ring with some of the biggest names in the current scene; including both the Klitschko brothers; Vitali and Wladimir. He beat Oleg Maskaev to win the coveted WBC title in 2008 but lost the belt in his first title defence against Vitali.

down the Ukrainian three times. In a 2010 rematch, Peter was knocked out in the 10th round with three heavyweight belts beckoning. He has lost four of his last eight fights and hasn’t been in the ring for three years. The June 4 event sees eight fighters competing in a quick- fire knock-out format over three rounds. Each fighter is guaranteed $15,000; second round winners receives $30,000 with the losing finalist getting $100,000 while the tournament winner gets $ 200,000. There will also be knockout, best fight and fight of the night bonuses to make total prize money of $500,000.

Ajisafe targets world title

igerian-born British light heavyweight champion, Bob Ajisafe says that his recent winning of the vacant British title will give him the desired motivation to challenge for the world title. Ajisafe, 28, on March 18 recorded a point’s decision of 118-112 and 116-114 over veteran Dean Francis in the city of Readings, London to win the vacant title. According to the South

paw, his recent victory over Dean Francis is an indication that he is ready for the big one which is the world title, as he affirmed that he is ready to face any of the champions in the various boxing bodies. “I am really happy that I won my last fight because my opponent is a veteran in the ring and he gave me a lot of problems during the fight,” he said.

Hagler wants Mayweather to fight Pacquiao, Khan would have been an excelormer undisputed world lent fight but I think that has middleweight champion, F gone out of the window now Marvelous Marvin Hagler believes that people will question Mayweather’s position as one of the best pound- for- pound boxers if he walks away from fighting Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. Hagler, 59, who was part of a golden era that also featured great boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, noted that Mayweather/ Pacquiao fight would have been a sell out. “I think Mayweather, after a couple more fights, might even retire because there is no-one else out there. “His fight with Pacquiao

because it wouldn’t have the interest it had. That might have been the biggest fight in boxing history. Maybe they would have pulled in $100 million. He (Mayweather) is having a great time because there really isn’t anyone else out there. He can make all this money and probably walk away from the game. “I believe the best way is to fight the top fighters and the way my career led me was fighting the best so this way you feel good about yourself when you have finished because you know you didn’t duck anyone,” Hagler said.

Sport

Sunday March 30, 2014

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

It could be argued that Portugal’s players rarely get the credit they deserve, with the name Cristiano Ronaldo leaping invariably to the forefront whenever talk turns to A Seleccao das Quinas. The FIFA Ballon d’Or winner has been a genuine global great for many years now; however there are plenty of other talented players in Paulo Bento’s group. Indeed, look no further than Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mates Pepe and Fabio Coentrao, or Monaco’s midfield maestro Joao Moutinho. With 49 goals in 110 international appearances, Ronaldo’s goalscoring record may be unrivalled. Yet, in Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida, Portugal have two more experienced attacking options for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. FIFA. com spoke exclusively to Almeida, about the upcoming tournament in Brazil, Portugal’s group-stage clash with Germany, and his superstar international team-mate.

Scolari is capable of leading Almeida

Brazil to victory —Almeida The World Cup in Brazil gets underway in three months’ time. Are you excited? Of course! But there is still a long way to go. We still have plenty to do in the league, but the excitement levels are going up day by day. You have already been to one World Cup. What’s it like to play at such a tournament? It’s completely different to what you usually experience as a player. You play against the best national teams in the world – not only from Europe, but also from other continents. That’s an incredible experience! What was your reaction to the draw? Only quality teams have qualified, so our group is naturally very difficult. We’ll have to see what we can achieve. As well as USA and Ghana, you’re also up against Germany again? Our record against them in recent tournaments is not that great. I hope we’ll do better this time. It’s definitely an advantage that we’re playing Germany in our first game. If you have to play such a strong opponent at the end of the group stage, it’s much more difficult. For me, it’s special to be playing against Germany, because I still have many friends in Bremen who I haven’t seen for a long time and might be seeing in Brazil. But there are no friends during the game, of course. We have to fight and give everything in order to get our first points on the board. Speaking of Bremen, your former club are having a few problems at the moment and are fighting rel-

egation. What’s your reaction in this regard? I’ve been following everything and I’m disappointed with Werder’s development in recent years. When I was there, Bremen were fighting for the title. That’s changed now and it makes me sad, but I hope things will start to improve. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Werder. You’ve been at Besiktas since 2011. What does the future hold for you? We’re currently challenging near the top and are continuing to fight for the title, or a place amongst the top teams in the division. My contract runs out in December and I haven’t made any further plans for next year. You never know what might happen. Back to the World Cup, who would you say are favourites for the tournament? I wouldn’t say there is one. If I had to name one team, it would be Portugal of course. The teams who have won the World Cup in the past will certainly be trying to do so again – Brazil as hosts, Spain as defending champions. Germany have also come close in recent years and you mustn’t forget Italy. Are Portugal capable of winning the World Cup? First of all, we want to get through the group stage. Anything can happen in the knockout rounds. We’re certainly not one of the favourites, but we’re not underdogs either. We have a good team, but we have to prove that on the pitch. After finishing second behind Russia in the quali-

fying group, Portugal had to face Sweden in the playoffs. How did the team deal with that disappointment? Games like that are always difficult. It was disappointing for us because we had a good team, but we made several mistakes during our qualifying campaign. We were punished and had to settle for the play-offs, but against Sweden we showed our true class and played good football. Cristiano Ronaldo almost single-handedly clinched Portugal’s place in Brazil, with four goals against the Tre Konor. What’s Ronaldo like as a person? Ronaldo’s a great guy and a very good friend of mine in the national team. We’re always together. He’s a very likeable chap. He’s always asking everyone if everything’s all right. He’s first on the scene if anyone needs help. You and Helder Postiga are the national team’s most prolific goalscorers behind Ronaldo. How do you see your role in the side? (Laughs) That’s a question for the coach. For me, it’s important to be in the squad and to play for my country. I love it when I score, because the goal is for the entire country. Your former national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (2003 to 2008) is now coaching Brazil. What did you make of Scolari? He’s a very good coach who pushes the team on. He likes to have a bit of banter with the team, but he works incredibly hard and leaves nothing to chance. He is definitely capable of leading Brazil to the title.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday March 30, 2014

Fergie would have struggled with Red Devils —Moyes

Pirlo

Pirlo happy

to finish career at Juve

uventus veteran Andrea Pirlo said he is happy at the Italian champions and is ready to bypass any opportunities abroad. The 34-year-old former Milan hero said he had contemplated opportunities outside of Italy, but the playmaker - who has never been based outside of his homeland - was content with life at Juventus Stadium. “In recent years I have assessed chances to have an experience abroad, but in the end I’m fine here,” Pirlo said.

PREMIERSHIP TABLE Team

1.Chelsea

2. Liverpool

3. Man City

4. Arsenal

5. Everton

6. Tottenham

7. Man Utd

8. Southampton

9. Newcastle

-9

10. Stoke

-8

11. West Ham

-7

12. Aston Villa

-12

13. Swansea

-3

14. Hull

-7

15. Norwich

-25

16. Crystal Palace

-19

17. West Brom

-12

18. Cardiff

-32

19. Sunderland

-19

20. Fulham

-40

nder-fire manager David Moyes believes even Sir Alex Ferguson would struggle in charge of the Manchester United squad this season. Moyes’ men are struggling in the Premier League, with the Scot under increasing pressure after poor losses to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City. Replacing Ferguson was always going to be a tough task for Moyes, who said even the man who led United to 13 league titles – including last season – would have found it hard this season. “I actually think if Sir Alex was here this year it would be difficult for Sir Alex as well, and I’m sure he’d be aware of it,” Moyes said. “I think people are aware there’s a squad that is a bit

more ageing, so I think it would have been a tough season for probably whoever was in charge of Manchester United this year.” Moyes believes he has the support of the fans, who he praised for their understanding during major change. “The supporters I see are the ones I speak to, and I have got to say the supporters outside Old Trafford have been fantastic,” he said. “I would say United supporters have probably been as good as people have seen them for many a year because they understand there is a change. “There has been a change from a great manager and not just a great manager, but a manager who was here for 25 years, and to make that change is always going to be difficult.”

Ferguson

Bacca dreams of playing for Barca S evilla forward Carlos Bacca says it would be “a dream” to play for Barcelona in the future. The Colombian, who joined from Club Brugge last summer, has scored 14 goals in 29 La Liga appearances - including both in the 2-1 win over Real Madrid - as the Andalusian outfit have sustained a challenge for the Champions League places. With Barca believed to be scouring the market for a new centre-forward in the summer, Bacca has revealed his admiration for the Liga champions’ style of play - although he feels he could be better suited to Madrid’s system. “As a kid I dreamed of becoming a professional so I could face the best teams in the world. On Wednesday I had a new chance to face a great team like Ma-

Bacca

drid,” he said. “I’ve always liked Madrid as much as Barca, but I’ve always had an affinity for the game that Barca play, although I like that Madrid always play with a fixed No.9 or two central strikers. “It would be a dream to be

at a club as big as Barca, but one always has to live in reality. I’m with Sevilla, where I’m very happy and have a contract. What happens next is whatever God wills.” Bacca is expecting Barca, Madrid and Atletico Madrid to mount a serious challenge for the Champions League in what he believes will be a fiercelycontested quarter-final stage. “The favourites are Bayern, they are very strong and have a great coach in Guardiola. But Barca are still Barca, Madrid are still Madrid, Atletico are playing well...” he said. “Chelsea are getting stronger and stronger with Jose Mourinho, Paris Saint-Germain have reached the round with great players. It will be a very tight Champions League.

Falcao: Tevez is Serie A’s only champ

ormer Roma star Falcao believes Juventus striker Carlos Tevez is the only “champion” of international reputation currently playing in Serie A. The Argentine striker currently tops the goalscoring charts in Italy’s top flight after an impressive first season with the Bianconeri following his summer move from Manchester City.

Falcao feels significant investment in Italy’s top flight is needed in order to attract more players of Tevez’s standing and bolster the standard of the competition. “The only champion of international character in Italy is Tevez, and that makes a difference. We need new sources of revenue to compete with La Liga, the Bundesliga and Premier League,” he said.

The former Brazil international also hit out at question marks over the ability and commitment of Mario Balotelli, insisting the AC Milan striker can be one of the leading lights for Italy at this summer’s World Cup. “For me, Mario is a champion. Full stop. I don’t judge the man, I don’t know him. But his talent is unquestionable,” he said.

Tevez

Odemwingie

Hughes hails

Odemwingie

toke City manager Mark Hughes says that forward Peter Odemwingie was well worth waiting for. Hughes swapped Kenwyne Jones for Odemwingie during the January transfer window. It wasn’t the first time the Welsh manager had made a move for the Nigerian but he was pleased that it eventually went through. Hughes said: “I tried to get him in the summer but unfortunately he went to Cardiff. “But when you miss out on players you keep an eye on them and wonder if something might come off in the future. “I didn’t anticipate the opportunity would come up quite so quickly but we got him and he’s had an immediate impact. “It’s well known we had issues with Kenwyne and needed to look at options. When the possibility of getting Peter came up we were more than happy.”

Vol. 4 No. 10

Sunday March 30, 2014

I N

F I G U R E S

Mr. ‘Do no wrong’as CBN Governor

Back Page

Comment

E-mail: nwaunah@yahoo.com Unah is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lagos

with Jim Unah

www.nationalmirroronline.net

N I G E R I A

250,000 tones:A 1,294,211,018: The total value mount of liqueof assorted goods seized by fied petroleum gas customs federal unit zone A ( LPG) consumed by NiN150 gerians in 2013 Ikeja in 2013

he name “Emefiele”, in Ika dialect, is an exhortation. Literally, it means “Make no mistake”. But since humans are not perfect and are always prone to error, the proper connotation of the name for Ika elders who coined it is: “Do no wrong”; implying that deliberate wrong-doing is avoidable. Thus, a person who bears the name “Emefiele” carries, so to speak, an ethical placard proclaiming to the world that deliberate wrong-doing is avoidable and, therefore, inexcusable. Ika elders are aware that mischievous people do hide under the cover of imperfection to perpetrate all sorts of atrocities, often with impunity. So, they decree to their children to avoid wrong-doing at all cost; especially where the provisions of the law or social conventions create ample room for deliberate wrong-doing. Truly, the Ika coinage which transliterates as “do no wrong” is: “emelenjo”. But then, Ika elders who coin names are quite aware that Ika aesthetics does not permit the uglification of names given to children. Only families without culture go about giving their children names that are bereft of

aesthetic polish. Thus, “Emelenjo” is the uglified version of “Emefiele”; the latter being a euphemism for the former and the product of cultured, aesthetic, thinking. Another point of interest regarding naming amongst Ika people is that carefully coined and well thought out names underlie first, the circumstances of a child’s birth and second, a desire to communicate intrinsic ethical conversation that defines a family value orientation and pedigree intended to be perpetuated by progenies. Of course, not all Ika families like other groups, are serious-minded and take the trouble to construct aesthetic and value-laden names for their children. Some frivolous and lazy parents make no consultations with elders before giving names to their children; thus ending up with calendar and market day names such as Afor, Orie, Monday, Friday, et cetera, as if there are children born outside the calendar. Every child is born on a calendar day or a market day. Imagine if all parents were to name every child by the calendar or market day they were born! Yes, carefully coined and well thought out Ika names like Emefiele, Unah, and Odazee are not just borne like any other name. They are given to be lived. They are ethical prescriptions and guides for living. They are moral instructions to the bearers. I am yet to find an Ika person who is flag-bearer of a name like Odazee or Unah who is not dapper, who is not always exqui-

sitely dressed, and who is not a person of integrity. Likewise, the flag-bearer of the Emefieles is always careful not to breach the rules, always striving to live according to accepted or prescribed norms. He tries always to do no wrong. Of course, like all humans, he may make mistakes. But such mistakes are few and far between and they are often innocuous mistakes! I do not wish to enter into a pretense here that there is consensus in literature, amongst scholars, that names have essences or that there is a settled question regarding proper names, such as the names assigned to persons. Controversy lurks around the issue of how names, especially general concepts that apply to many entities, can be shown to have significations that make the things to which they refer become recognizable as such. The problem is discussed extensively and constantly in the Doctrine of Universals espoused by the early Greek thinkers. Time and space will not permit us to go into all that here. The point of interest in this interface between names and the persons who bear them is that some African names, nay Ika names, have meanings which are tailored to suit those for whom they are designed, and which are used to remonstrate them when they falter or appear to falter. Such Ika names, like Emefiele, carry a moral billboard warning everyone, particularly the bearer, to “do no wrong”; as there are dire consequences for both society and the

CAF Confed Cup: Bayelsa United stuns How Mine, set for playoffs

AF Confederation Cup contenders, Bayelsa United have qualified for the playoffs of the continent’s second- tier club championship after they beat How Mine of Zimbabwe 2-0 yesterday at Sapele Township Stadium to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Bayelsa, who reached the semi-finals of the same competition in 2009, will know their opponents in the next round of the competition after Monday’s draw by CAF. The overall winners of the playoffs will qualify for the mini-league stage of the money-spinning competition.

The Nigerian club took the lead against a very defensive How Mine after 57 minutes through Jafar Buhari.

In a game they struggled to create many scoring chances, Bayelsa finally doubled their lead two minutes from time through midfield-

er Azubuike Okechukwu. Bayelsa were without star striker Peter Ebimobowei, who suffered a hamstring injury in training.

persons who perpetrate wrong-doing. This brings me to the person of Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the newly appointed Central Bank Governor. Suave, patient, listens more and talks less, and always working by the rules, with guarded visibility, Mr. Emefiele, is what you could call a system’s man and a stickler for rules and principles. A conservative, yet innovative, banker who piloted Zenith Bank to loftier heights, after its founding MD/CEO, Mr. Jim Ovia had built it to last, Godwin Emefiele has lived by and up to his name—operating unobtrusively, almost unnoticed. With a record immune to professional misdemeanor, he has skillfully kept out of controversy and out of wrong-doing. So, let all persons schooled in African names, in Ika culture of public probity, urge him on poetically thus: Mr. do no wrong Go get the job done Sharp sharp With clinical thoroughness Like the thoroughbred Ika boy that you are This careful, conservative-innova tive, Banker This tactician This Methodical person It is our hope That you live up to your name EMEFIELE AS CBN Governor

PREMIERSHIP RESULTS Man United 4-1 Aston Villa Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea Southampton 4-0 Newcastle Stoke City 1-0 Hull City Swansea 3-0 Norwich City West Brom 3-3 Cardiff City Arsenal 1-1 Man City Today’s Matches Fulham v Everton 13:30 Liverpool v Tottenham 16:00 Monday, March 31, 2014 Sunderland v West Ham 20:00

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