sunday, september 30 21012

Big Read News

THE

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Aviation: Industry in dire straits

News

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Ondo governorship poll

Akeredolu rejects INEC’s voter register

Buhari shuns CPC rally in Akure I’ll be the next governor, Oke vows

…Airlines groan over huge debts

www.nationalmirroronline.net

248 escape death as aircraft crash-lands in Lagos Vol. 2 No. 42

Sunday, September 30, 2012

N150

P. 7

Landing gear had low pressure –Pilot

Aircraft shortly after the emergency landing with fire truck on standby.

Inset: The burst tyre

NEMA, Fire Service, LASEMA on standby

NEMA and fire officers at the airport, yesterday.

More pilgrims deported as FG protests to S’Arabia govt in New York

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Budget: We can’t receive Jonathan on Oct 4 –Senate

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, and Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ahaji Saa’d Abubakar during the burial of the Secretary-General of NSCIA, Dr. Lateef Adegbite, in Abeokuta, yesterday.

News

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Flood: Aondoakaa, Ogbe, ex-governor lose fortunes

P. 10-11, 50

Jonathan, Obasanjo, Sultan, Fashola, Amosun extol Adegbite’s virtues at burial P. 8

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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What’s new Interview

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Seven Days TALKING POINT OF THE PAST WEEK SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Nigeria at 52: The battle over insecurity Applause

For marriage to survive, women should be old-fashioned –Nigeria Go Survive crooner

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How to know if you are at risk of ovarian cancer

nity provided by Article 61 (5) of the ICJ statute to file the appeal ahead of the October 10, 2012 deadline when the Green Trade Agreement, GTA, comes into final effect.

The Senate described the process that led to the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon in 2006 as illegal, unconstitutional and inchoate.

Floods: Govt orders Kogi community to relocate

Veno Marioghae is the lady of songs thatt sang a popular hit in the 80s entitled Nigeria ia Go Survive. Now Mrs..

Veno Mbanefo, she is married with three children. As the country try clocks 52 tomorrow, she tells Adaeze Amos os in this interview what motivated her to do that hatt song.

Wellness

The Senate has passed a resolution, urging the Federal Government to immediately file an appeal against the October 9, 2002 International Court of Justice, ICJ, judgement which ceded the oilrich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon.

It also advised the Federal Government to take advantage of the opportu-

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The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has urged some communities in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State to move immediately to high ground in the neighbouring councils.

It said the relocation order was necessitated by the rise in water level in the area. This is even as rescuers continued to

evacuate displaced people from rooftops and trees.

NEMA Director-General, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, gave the warning after presenting additional relief materials to the victims. He added that the agency was working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society to explore further assistance for the affected persons.

NNPC releases four million litres of petrol

The Nigerian National In the world today, different Petroleum Corporation, types of cancers plague NNPC, pumped additional humanity and yet no solution four million litres of fuel is in sight to cure this deadly from the Kaduna Refinery disease. Cancer is one ailment to Lagos and environs to that has cut across gender, beef up depleting stocks. age, tribe and race. It has NNPC Group Managing extended swiftly and silently all Director, Mr. Andrew Yakuover the world, killing millions. bu, made this known on Tuesday during a meeting Today the world is perplexed theSO Senate Commitas to the cause of WE thisHAVE disease DEPLOYED D 20with BUSES FAR –MASSOB tee on Petroleum (Downand how best to stop it.

stream) at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The GMD, who was represented by the Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Dr. Peter Nmadu, said the corporation made alternative arrangement involving the diversion of products to private depots after the rupturing of the S4y s t e m 2B Pipeline at A r e p o , Ogun State.

It was a bloody Sunday as a suicide bomber struck at the gate of St. John’s Catholic Church, Bauchi, killing himself, three worshippers and injuring 46 others.

The attacker, it was gathered, beat the usual tight security provided at the church before hitting the gate to detonate the bomb. The blast took place at about 8.55 a.m. when the first

batch of worshippers was leaving the church and the second batch was coming in.

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Bauchi State chapter, Rev. Lawi Pokti, said: “It occurred around 8.55 a.m. when the first set of worshippers was coming out of the church and the second session was about to start.

Toyin Phyllis Ayoola CEO CARRIAGE STUDIOS

TUE MON

Bakassi: Senate asks Jonathan to appeal ICJ judgement

Bloody Sunday in Bauchi: Suicide bomber hits Catholic Church again

Monday is usually my meeting day in the office. It is not a follow-up day This is the day of the week I map out to visit clients and I make business calls.

WED

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sultative Forum, ACF, the Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, and the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, condemned Sunday’s suicide bomb attack on St. John’s Catholic Church, Bauchi, which claimed three lives and injured 46 others.

I go to church on Wednesdays after work. But at work on Wednesdays, I do follow up and make sure that my targets are met. Mondays to Wednesdays are hectic for me. I don’t compromise on anything to get the best.

That is just me.

THU

Politics

sador to Nigeria, Khaled Abdrabuh, for explanation over the detention of about 1,000 Nigerian female pilgrims.

Those deported who returned to the country through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, aboard Med-View Airlines and Max Air flights, complained of maltreatment in the hands of the Saudi authorities.

Thursday is close to the weekend. I usually start taking it easy on Thursdays. This is when I start planning for the week ahead. , I do follow ups as well on phones and sometimes I go out to see clients; submit projects and generally plan for the next coming week.

FRI

Professor Akin Oyebode teaches International Law at the University of Lagos. In this interview with Ayo Esan, he speaks extensively on the renewed agitation of the Bakassi people to review the judgment of the International Court of Justice that gave their land to Cameroun.

About 159 Nigerian female pilgrims were deported on Wednesday from Saudi Arabia for embarking on Hajj without male guardians and proper travel documentation.

341 others are still being held pending deportation by the Saudi authorities for the same reasons.

This development came even as the Federal Government summoned Saudi Arabia’s Ambas-

A fierce gun battle and houseto-house search jointly conducted by the military, the police and the State Security Service, SSS, in Adamawa State led to the killing of a terrorist and the arrest of about 156 suspects.

This is even as the Arewa Con-

My Fridays are same with Thursdays.

SAT

Let’s bargain with Cameroun over Bakassi –Oyebode

One killed, 156 arrested as soldiers search for terrorists

I go to the salon on Saturday. I get my hair fixed. I do my hair twice a week. I also find time on this day to do my pedicure and manicure. My facials and body massage I do on Saturdays. I come back and take care of the house, tidy up everywhere. In the evening, I go for test drives for cars. I’m a car freak. If there is a new car in town, or some brands are launching their new products, I go for test-drive. Test-drive is when they bring a new car, I test-drive it so that I can write about it, because I also have a magazine that writes for auto industry which is called On Wheels Magazine.

SUN

Saudi Arabia deports 500 female pilgrims

I go to church on Sundays. They are usually like a work day for Redeemed members. I would be in the church from 6.30 a.m. till noon. We usually have departmental meetings. If I should leave the church before 2 p.m., I would still have to go for my house fellowship. My Sundays are dedicated to God.

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

THE

Big Read SUNDAY SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

September 30, 2012

Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, Abuja. Inset: Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah

Aviation: Industry in dire straits

…Airlines groan over huge debts

Nigeria’s aviation industry is in dire straits. Riddled with huge debt burden and cloudy operational environment, experts are in agreement that something urgent must be done to arrest the drift. This is the focus of this week’s report by Head, Special Investigations, Isioma Madike

DEBT BURDEN ARIK

IRS

FAAN………..N7b

NCAA………….N672.4m

NAMA………N1.1b

NAMA…………N343.6m

NCAA……….N2.5b This is aside the N85b assertion by the minister

The story of the Nigerian aviation industry is a sorry one. The sector has, over the years, been faced with lots of challenges, bordering mostly on high debt profile, inability to access loans from the banks, poor finances and low capital base; failure to merge and form strong and formidable carriers, inability to access new aircraft, dilapidated infrastructure, dearth of skilled manpower and below par airplanes that are a common sight in the country, all contributing to stunt the growth of the industry. Experts have, however, singled out financial problem as the major factor crippling the operations of many airlines, forcing some to bear huge debt loads and others to close shop.

Besides the huge debt, observers say the airports are not befitting of a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa. The state of the airports has made it impossible for near perfect operations, especially in the area of passenger facilitation, which experts say is a major prerequisite for aviation to thrive. A walk around the country’s airports tells the story of decaying infrastructure. From archaic conveyor belt, to non-functional cooling system, congestion, sometimes manual handling of luggage, to

stinking and waterlogged toilets, all fall short of the standard expected of airports.

As it stands today, no Nigerian airline can boast of being vibrant. Even though, Arik is believed to have huge capital base and asset, particularly in modern equipment, it is currently in murky waters. Years back, it was rated number eight in Africa in terms of size of fleet and operations, and number nine in passenger capacity. That was then. Today, Arik Air, it appears, sits on a huge debt profile, which threatens to engulf it if something is not done urgently. Despite the large successful front being projected by the airline, it has become common knowledge that the company is feeling the weight of the debts, though the airline believes there is no cause for alarm considering its fleet size. Incidentally, industry experts believe that the twin evil of corruption and mismanagement aligned to put the airline in its present parlous state. A few months ago, Arik Air reportedly lost one of its Airbus 330 jets, which roughly cost $222.5million, as a result of the company’s inability to service the loan it procured for the purchase of the said aircraft.

Just last week, the Minister of Aviation through her

‘IF AIRLINES CONTINUE LIKE THIS, NONE WOULD FLY BY NEXT YEAR’

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AERO

CHACHANGI NCAA………N386, 767, 359.99 NAMA……..N862, 635, 565.90

NCAA………….N737m NAMA…………N731.3m

BELLVIEW (Now First Nation)

DANA

NCAA………..N87.4m

NCAA/NAMA….N643.4m

NAMA……….N317.6m

Special Assistant, Joe Obi, had raised the alarm that Arik is groaning from a crippling N85.4 billion debt. “The time is ripe for Arik to change its business module that thrives on unprecedented accumulation of debts and liabilities,” the Minister said. Arik is also heavily indebted to the banks. A wholly-owned Nigerian airline, Arik took over the former Nigeria Airways facilities in Lagos on April 3, 2006, some three years after its liquidation.

Yet, Arik is not alone in this financial mess. Before now, First Bank and Union Bank were said to be locked in a struggle for the soul of IRS Airlines. While First Bank put up the airline for winding up, Union Bank placed a caveat emptor against it, saying its investment in the airline was CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

MERGER CAN’T WORK, THE INDUSTRY IS SICK – AERO AIR BOSS

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The Big Read

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘If airlines continue like this, none would fly by next year’

NCCA DG, Harold Demuren

Uriesi

Chachangi aircraft

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 at stake. The story is not different for the 51-year-old Aero Contractors, one of the four major commercial airlines in Nigeria and the oldest among them.

Aero would have been history by now but for the support of its creditors, the defunct Oceanic Bank, which it owed over $200 million. Aside that, the Nigerian aviation sector was plunged into uncertainty last week with the reported take-over of Aero Contractors by Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), a development that threw the corporate clients of the airline, especially the multinational oil companies into confusion. The Ibru family-owned airline was reportedly taken over due to massive debt amounting to over $203 million. Besides the reported take-over by AMCON, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also dealt another blow to the airline, when it announced on Friday last week that all credits to Aero should be halted because of the debt.

However, the Managing Director of AMCON, Mustafa Chike-Obi, has come out to deny the purported takeover of the airline. He said that reports that AMCON has taken over Aero Contractors is not true. “We took over the debts, not the company. We have had the debts for almost a year now. Therefore, what AMCON has done does not have any impact on Aero Contractors’ normal business,” Chike-Obi added. The situation, nonetheless, heightened fears of a failed aviation sector. AMCON, which was established through the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act, 2010 (AMCON Act), is mandated to efficiently resolve all problems associated with non-performing loans in Nigerian banks, financial institutions and corporations. Section 1 of the Act charges the company with the responsibility of acquiring the non-performing loans from banks and other financial institutions by receiving the underlying collaterals and filling the remaining capital inadequacy challenges necessary to make the country’s economy stronger and viable.

The CBN had listed Aero Contractors among about 419 corporate entities and organisations whose huge debt stocks disqualify them ffrom further loan facilities from any bank or financial institution within the country. Aero Contractor’s Chief Financial Officer, Omoke Enyi, confirmed the debt take over by AMCON, saying that Aero is currently going through a restruc-

turing exercise. “We can confirm that Aero’s debt has been taken over by AMCON. Currently Aero is going through a restructuring exercise under AMCON, pending final approval by AMCON board, which is expected very soon. The airline is allowed limited access to funds by the banks through AMCON for its working capital,” Enyi added.

Aero is the preferred airline by multinational oil companies. With the technical support offered by the Canadian Helicopters Corporation (CHC), the world’s largest commercial helicopter operator, Aero has played a key role in the oil and gas operation in Nigeria. It was formed in 1959 as wholly-owned by Schreiner Airways B.V of the Netherlands. It became a company with initial 40 per cent Nigerian holding in 1973 and subsequently 60 per cent in 1976. In January 2004, Schreiner Airways was bought by Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC), which acquired 40 per cent holding of Aero Contractors while 60 per cent majority share remained within the Ibru family group. Currently, Aero is whollyowned by the Ibru family and is said to be managed by Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, the former Managing Director of the defunct Oceanic Bank. The Company started in the early 1960s as an air charter operator. From this beginning in the 1970s, Aero has gone-on to provide both rotary and fixed wing services to all the major oil, gas and related support companies working in Nigeria and in West Africa sub-region.

Investigations have, however, shown that Arik Air, though the most stable airline in the country today, according to experts, owes Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), N1.1 billion and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) N2.5 billion. This is aside the Aviation Minister’s claim. Aero Contractors is the second largest debtor with N737 million owed to NCAA and N731.3 million to NAMA while IRS Airline’s debt stands at N672.4 million to NCAA and N343.6 million to NAMA. Dana Air’s debt burden is N643.4 million to both agencies while Chachangi, which has become epileptic with its operation, owes NCAA N386, 767,375:99, and NAMA N862, 635,565:90. For Bellview Airline, which transformed to First Nation Airline after it ceased operation following its crash on October 22, 2005, carries a debt burden of N87.4 million to NCAA and N317.6 million to NAMA. However, Raymond Omodiagbe, who is the General

Manager Operations and Development of Max Air, says his company does not have what one may call disturbing debt profile because, according to him, “we know our limitations and we allow that to guide us in our operations. We don’t engage in activities that will cost us much as we restrict our operations to Hajj and Murah.”

The Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi, has also claimed that Arik Air owes the authority over N7 billion. He said the debt resulted from the company’s refusal to pay the mandatory parking and landing charges. “I have come to the conclusion that the business module of Arik is to operate and get by without paying its bills,” the FAAN boss said. It was also gathered that most of Arik Air flight cancellations are as a result of the company’s inability to pay for aviation fuel. With the level of Arik Air’s indebtedness, it was expected that its management would be prudent so as to salvage the already bad situation, but that does not seem to be the case. It was gathered that Arik’s expatriates’ employees are housed in posh hotels while the company’s brand new guest houses are lying waste. The company is said to be spending close to N2 billion per annum to accommodate these expatriates.

And the debts are mounting. All efforts to get the side of Arik were rebuffed. After several calls, Arik Public Relations Officer, Ola Adebanji, sent his email address through text asking that questions be mailed to him. He is yet to respond to the questions sent to him while calls placed to him were ignored.

Sunday Mirror gathered that the creditor agencies have devised a method at getting back what the airlines owed them. The new strategy led to the introduction of the ticket sales tax. This payment system compels each airline to remit five percent charge per ticket sale. The new system has created room for a payment platform that shares the revenues collected to aviation parastatals. There were initial hiccups in remitting money but the issue has been resolved through a tripartite meeting involving the banks, airport agencies and the airlines.

The money is now deducted at source, and this has made the airlines to be more accountable.

Mohammed Tukur, Assistant General Secretary, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), is worried about the state of the airlines, especially with what he says it portends for the industry and the economy. “I tell you, if CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Big Read

5

Merger can’t work, the industry is sick – Capt. George, Aero Air Boss Capt. Akin George is the Managing Director of Aero Contractors Airline. He speaks on several challenges facing the Nigerian aviation sector, especially the concern for mergers of airlines, among other issues, in this interview with our aviation correspondent, Segun Koiki There have been stories on debt profile of Aero to several financial institutions. How much Aero owe Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON)?

Well, until they sign off on that we do not know where we stand in AMCON. This started last year and this is now eight months down the line. Again, that is why I said these things don’t happen overnight. We are waiting for AMCON to finish its own work, come back and say this is the package for Aero Contractors and sign off on it and then we would know where we stand. It is a question I cannot answer until that is done. When you go to AMCON, it was a bank in AMCON deal. It was not an Aero deal. We did not go to AMCON to say we want to go into AMCON. It was the bank that went to AMCON and handed over to AMCON. We now came in to say since you are moving our facilities from one bank to AMCON; there is a need to know what Aero Contractors is all about. So, we also went and made our business case to AMCON and did presentation and all that. We talked about how Aero Contractors works and all that. Now they have to put that package and come back and sign off to Aero Contractor and say based on what we got from the bank and based on what you have presented to the board, this is what we are going to do for Aero Contractors.

Did any airline, including Aero get cash in the intervention fund as alleged in some quarters?

We told them we needed the money and at that time the Bank of Industry (BOI) money became available, the whole industry had changed; we had come out saying we are dying and this is what is happening and by the time that solution came, what we were trying to solve has actually got worse. When we asked for intervention, aviation fuel was N80 per litre and by the time they came and said alright we can do this for you, aviation fuel was no longer N80 per litre but N200 per litre. So, what you said you want to give us and what we need is completely different again.

Now when the fund came out, the fund did not come out as cash; that is the mistake a lot of people are making on this issue. All that was done was to re- finance the bank, because it was banking problem that came up. All we got at that point in time was to say ‘you owe these banks N10 million and you are paying 30 per cent interest on it. Bank you

George

need the money. I will give you the money to retire that debt. Now, you owe BOI and instead of paying 30 per cent interest, you can come and pay seven per cent.’ That was all that happened. They did not come and say, take cash or okay what do you want to buy, that was not the aim of it. So, it was not a cash to start operating, go and continue operating; it was a change of ridiculous interest rate from between 25 and 28 per cent.

The Federal Government is making moves to reduce the age limit of aircraft in the country from 22 years to 15.

What is your view on this?

The law says you cannot bring in aircraft that is above 22 years old, but if it is in the country as long as you maintain it, according to the regulation, then you can continue flying. So, it is a different thing; it is not like say you get to 22 years and you stop flying the aircraft. Now, if you go back to the minister’s statement, she said it will be hard on the airlines. Now, we are complaining that the airlines are close to dying and they need drips, but as you are trying to give them the drips on this hand, you want to pull out blood on the other hand. When you want to force airlines to ‘buy new aircraft,’ how much is a brand new 737 aircraft? You can go to Boeing website and all that and you can get discount and all that. Again, it also depends on what discount you are going to get. If you say you have money, you are going to pay about $60 million straight off, if you don’t want to negotiate. If you negotiate and you

negotiate on the point of view of a big airline, you will be paying in the $40 or $50 million bracket. Where is that money coming from? Then, I will come here and say I want to import it because of the percentage instead of paying a N100 or N200 million, I will be paying a billion naira or so on that aircraft again. My question now is that, by the time they push us to that bracket of trying to buy brand new aircraft, where do they expect us to get the money from? I will come out and say I want to charge N100, 000 from Lagos to Abuja, people will shout Aero Contractors has started again. Transportation in any country is the lifeline. Whether it is road, rail, water or air, they are all inter-linked.

Considering the fact that you control 34 per cent of the load factor in the airline business in Nigeria, are you favourably disposed to a policy of merging airlines that would bring about stronger and healthier airlines?

I am not for merger and the question is this; if I say somebody is sick and this person is sick and you want to put the two of them together, who is going to carry who?

You must have somebody who wants to support somebody who is sick. We are saying that the aviation industry is sick, and then who is carrying who? Now, if you say you want to merge and consolidate and you don’t want competition. Basically, you are saying all of us should come in and say well I am going to charge N100, 000 for an hour flight.

‘Fuel gulps 40 per cent of airline’s revenue’

Tukur

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 they should allow airlines to continue to operate under the present condition for the next one year, we are not going to see any airline flying, as the only remaining viable

one, Arik is also heavily indebted. If care is not taken, at the end of the day, all the airlines would go and foreign ones would come and operate our domestic routes for us.

And we would have opened our economy to foreigners,” Tukur said. He did not stop there, but noted that the high price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, has led to the high cost of flying. He also listed custom duties paid on imported aircraft spare parts as among the greatest challenges facing Nigerian airlines. To him, government needed to intervene in the crisis plaguing the sector by making long term financing available to airlines. According to him, fuel gulps 40 per cent of the airline’s revenue and Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world where airlines pay huge duties on imported aircraft parts.

A litre of fuel, Tukur said, is sold for between N195 and N200, depending on the marketer who supplies it. He says an aircraft needs an average of 14, 000 to 15, 000 litres of fuel per trip. According to him, an aircraft would also need between eight and 11, 000 litres on a return flight because an aircraft is expected to make provision for three

hours maximum on air to any part of the country. “Even at that, the airline would have to pay the airport authority N1.00 for every litre bought for flight,” he said. Tukur is equally worried that airlines are made to pay all kinds of charges ranging from landing, parking and higher navigational charges among others. Some of these fees, he recommends, should be reviewed to remove the burden from them, as, according to him, these charges affect the operations of the various domestic airlines. He said when domestic airlines are granted some waivers, air fares would drastically reduce and by so doing, the government is encouraging Nigerians to fly.

The AON scribe puts the cost of landing in any local airport at N14, 000, but said the amount depends on how big the aircraft is. This amount, he explained, expires after 30 minutes of landing and goes into counting again from one hour while terminal charges attract N5, 000 per aircraft. For spare parts, the AON scribe said 10 percent of the total cost of the aircraft is expected to be paid to the CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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The Big Read

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Govt can help with industry protection policy’

Departure Hall, Port Harcourt International Airport

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 airport authority in spare parts dealings. He laments that airline owners operate under harsh conditions occasioned by these high costs and calls on government to intervene, noting that these could plunge the industry into avoidable crisis. “This is responsible for the incremental fares experienced in domestic routes,” he said.

Tukur, however, attributed high operating costs, rising price of aviation fuel and lack of an enabling environment as being responsible for failure of airline business in the country. He ascribed the failure of the Federal Government to implement the waiver on importation of aircraft spare parts and other sundry factors to part of the reasons airline undertaken remains an uphill task. He said airline operators could not overcome these factors and make profit because they are grappling with a myriad of operational and safety issues that have made aviation business unattractive. He urged the Federal Government to intervene to save the industry from total collapse. “All taxes and charges relating to airline operation, including import tax/duties on aircraft and spares, stamp duty on aircraft purchase/lease agreement, withholding tax and VAT on aircraft lease should be reviewed downwards. The government has to protect them because if airline collapses, the entire economy of that region will collapse, and fuel suppliers would also be affected,” he added.

However, an industry expert and Chief Executive Officer of SY&T Communications Limited, Simon Tumba, says the airline operators are not only to blame in this mess that the aviation sector has found itself. He pointed at unprofitability of airlines, obsolete facilities, lack of frameworks and development policy as constituting impediments to aviation growth in Nigeria. He says that the country does not lack enough air travelers to domestic destinations, but that in spite of high revenue, the airlines make little or no profits. Though, Tumba agrees that the airlines fares are high, even higher than fares for sub-regional and regional destinations in other countries, he believes that people who invest in that sector lack adequate knowledge of how an airline operates. “It is a capital intensive business that yields very marginal profit. If an airline, for instance, invests $100 million, and makes like five per cent profit from that, that is about $5 million, one would say that such an airline has done extremely well in terms of profit making. That’s the way airline business is. Unfortunately, our people here will see the cash and rush to collect it on weekly basis. They often do not save to run and maintain the aircrafts and other facilities in place to ensure smooth operations. And when the aircraft are put due for compulsory checks, they find it difficult to get the money out. When these accumulate, it forces the airline into bankruptcy. It is pathetic,” he remarked.

Tumba

To ensure the survival of these airlines, Tumba pleads that government should reduce taxes, especially those paid on aircraft parts and charges. He also recommends that the Federal Government should modernise its aviation training institutions so that more personnel could be trained in those schools to boost manpower in the sector. “Air fares are high in Nigeria compared to what you get in other places, but the cost of operations is also very high. The airlines cannot train enough manpower that will sustain the industry also. So, government has to improve training, apart from providing the necessary infrastructure so that there will be personnel to take over from the ageing ones currently in service,” he said.

Another industry expert and CEO of Belujane Konsult, Chris Aligbe, is also of the view that government should introduce infant industry protection policy, which it would use to help the airlines by removing duties on aircraft parts importation, reduce airport charges and introduce long term loan repayment. “Infant industry protection can be introduced because most of the Nigerian airlines are relatively new, with average of six, seven years. So, government can introduce a policy that all spares should be duty free, carry out downward review of tax regimes and charges should be made cheaper at the airports where airlines use as their base, as less as 50 percent.” Aligbe noted that government has to upgrade the airports, which it has already started, but observed that the remodeling programme embarked by government would put the airports in shape to concession them. The former head of communication of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) further said, “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) should make airports look sensible. Concessioning is the only way to go for continuous improvement. FAAN should develop non aeronautical revenue base as obtained in other parts of the world, where aeronautical revenue sources shrinks as non-aeronautical sources increases.”

In the same vein, an aviation consultant, Nick Fadugba, says the Federal Government could grow the aviation industry by either significantly reduce or abolish all duties and taxes on aircraft spares and do away with any barriers that restrict the growth of the aviation industry in Nigeria. “Whatever revenues the government currently generates from these duties and taxes would be small in comparison to the taxes the airlines would pay if they were able to grow and prosper,” he said. Fadugba also said that there should be reduction of punitive duties and taxes and elimination of bureaucratic procedures involved in importing aircraft spares and other essential equipment.

The problems in the aviation industry had forced nonpayment of regular salaries by the domestic airlines.

This has also become the major issue in the country’s aviation sector of late, setting the National Association

of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) on collision course with the management of some of the airlines.

But, the government had in a bid to bring the sector to international standard and save it from total collapse, approved N300 billion as intervention fund to help airlines upgrade their fleet and remain afloat. Yet, despite the intervention fund, nothing seems to have changed with the fortunes of the domestic airlines; rather, it has been on a gradual decline.

And with a declining fortune and downturn in business, experts are recommending that the domestic airlines should merge. They are quick to refer to the consolidation in the banking sector that brought down the number of banks in the country to support their argument. “Yes, owners have done well in trying to invest in this capital intensive area, but why own 100 per cent of a loss-making investment, instead of owning 10 per cent of a thriving and profit-making investment,” Aligbe quips. He regrets that Nigerian business owners like to hold on to it even in the face of outright failure. But, Tumba differed. He says it will not be proper to force airlines to merge. “I support that idea, provided it is mutually agreed. If you force a marriage, it will crack sooner than you expect. That’s my opinion on that,” he added.

The Nigerian domestic airlines have had a peculiar trend since the early ‘90s when over 20 domestic airlines fly the countries airspace. Some of those Airlines included Okada Air, Oriental Airline, Albarka Air, Sosoliso Airline, Kabo Air, Chachangi airline, Associated Airline, Capital Airline, Bellview Airline, Triax Airline, Space World Airline, Dasab Airline, Fresh Air, Chrome Air, Harco Air services, Harka Air, Allied Air, EAS and later NICON Airways, Aero Contractors, and of recent, First Nation Airline among others. Today, most of these airlines have disappeared from Nigeria’s airspace leaving only Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Overland Airline and IRS Airline. While the fate of Chachangi Airline, First Nation Airline and Associated Airline have remained uncertain based on poor finances to run these airlines professionally.

However, many have raised concerns over the safety of airlines operating in the country due to these myriad problems. Fear is being expressed that going by the huge debt overhang, the airlines may be forced to cut corners to meet the debt obligations and, in the process, compromise on safety. “How would airlines concentrate on their operations when they are daily faced with threats to ground them over huge debts? And what is an airline that cannot pay or service its debt still doing in the business?” a concerned stakeholder asked.

Additional report from Augustine Madu-West (Kano)

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NEWS

Sunday September 30, 2012

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Nestle wins 248 escape death, as Qatar aircraft SERA award makes emergency landing at Lagos airport N OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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assengers numbering 248 escaped death yesterday when an aircraft A330 belonging to Qatar Airways made an emergency landing at 1.10 pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos due to low pressure on its landing gear.

It was learnt that before the plane landed, the pilot had told the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs)to prepare for the aircraft as its landing gear had low pressure , so that it could be towed when it landed at the airport.

At the MMIA, fire fighters belonging to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Lagos State Fire Service trucks and fire trucks belong to Julius Berger and ambulance vehicles were already mobilised at the cargo unit of the airport preparatory to the aircraft landing.

Also on standby before the aircraft’s arrival were officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), who were fully mobilised to the airport in the event of any crash on landing.

The aircraft landed at the gateway airport at about 1.10 pm contrary to expectations that the air-

craft would land at 2pm.

On landing, it was learnt that most of the passengers were overwhelmed by fear, as they made calls to their loved ones.

When the aircraft landed, it was towed by a tow bar to the apron for the passengers to disembark, while officials of FAAN, other agencies and a fire truck escorted the airplane to the apron.

Contacted, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, said that the aircraft landed safely with all the 248 passengers on board at 1.10 pm and that there was no casualty.

He confirmed that the aircraft A33O was coming from Doha and that it did not take off from Lagos contrary to speculations making the rounds and that it had low pressure on the landing gear, adding that FAAN, Fire fighters, the NCAA and other agencies were on ground as part of pre-cautionary measures.

Speaking to journalists at the Cargo Section of the MMIA, Lagos, the media officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, who led the emergency process on behalf of the agency, explained that they received

a radio message distress call from the pilot of the aircraft on approach to Lagos, saying that the aircraft had a burst tyre on the rear side, which would require emergency management on landing.

Farinloye explained that sequel to the distress call, NEMA had to coordinate all stakeholders involved in emergency management to get prepared for the operations, which he said were carried out successfully as the aircraft landed safely.

He explained that interagency collaboration was well coordinated as all the concerned agencies responded swiftly.

More pilgrims deported, as FG protests to S’Arabia govt in New York

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he Saudi Arabian authorities have continued to deport more female pilgrims intending to perform Hajj in the Holy Land in Mecca and Medina, citing the same reason of their not being accompanied by Muharrams (male companions).

The chairman of Taraba Muslim Pilgrims Board Alhaji Hamman Tukur over the weekend said that 63 unaccompanied female pilgrims from the state were deported by Saudi Arabian authorities.

This is coming at a time Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga A. Ashiru, on Friday in New York met with Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, Acting Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly to register Nigeria’s displeasure over the non-admittance and eventual deportation of the female pilgrims from the Holy Land.

Ashiru used the occasion of the meeting to register Nigeria’s strong objection to the treatment meted out to many Nigerian female pilgrims, who after fulfilling the visa requirements were denied entry to Saudi Arabia in order to perform Hajj, one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam.

The minister had summoned the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Khaled Abrabuh, in his office in Abuja to complain about the ill treatment to Nigerian female pilgrims to the Holy Land. Abrabuh assured Ashiru that he would communicate Nigeria’s position on the matter to the Saudi government.

Tukur, while speaking with newsman on Saturday in Jalingo, said the deportees were between the ages of 18

and 35 years.

“On arrival at the Madinah Airport on September 24, the pilgrims were detained at the airport for about 11 hours because they were not accompanied by their close relations. The Saudi officials insisted that a female pilgrim between 18 and 35 years must be accompanied by a male pilgrim whose first name must appear as her surname in the visa,” he said.

Tukur said he could not ascertain the remaining female pilgrims likely to be affected, addimg that he was optimistic that the disagreement with the Saudi authorities would be resolved soon.

About 783 female pilgrims from Nigeria have so far been deported back to the country.

The first batch of 171were deported back at the Kano International Airport last Wednesday and the following day another batch of 612 was flown home.

The 612 were made up of 102 female intending pilgrims from Sokoto state that arrived Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto aboard Max Airline.

Another batch of 510 intending pilgrims from Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Zamfara states arrived Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano aboard the same Max Airline.

A total of 59,000 pilgrims are expected to perform the pilgrimage from Nigeria.

A statement by the foreign affairs ministry yesterday explained that, in referring to this worrisome development, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister in the meeting with Prince Abdul Aziz in New York, expressed Nigeria’s particular concern at the denial of consular access to the detained female pilgrims by both the Nigerian Ambassador and Consul-General

•Blame Islamic regulation, not Saudi govt – Envoy

L-R: Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali; Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Sen. Bala Mohammed; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar; Vice-President, Namadi Sambo and Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero, during a speacial Juma’at prayer to mark Nigeria’s 52nd independence anniversary celebration at the Central Mosque in Abuja at the weekend.

in Saudi Arabia, which is in contravention of the Vienna Convention.

Ashiru, the statement said, also expressed the view that the action of the Saudi Authorities was not only unfortunate but did not truly reflect the historic friendly ties between the two nations. He concluded by requesting the Saudi authorities to immediately find an appropriate solution to the problem “while ensuring that these intending pilgrims are treated with respect and dignity so that they can consummate their religious duties and obligations.”

The Saudi Acting Foreign Minister it said, while expressing regrets at the development, informed that the denial of entry to unaccompanied female pilgrims to perform the Hajj was not a Saudi Arabian regulation but an Islamic requirement that all women must be accompanied by Muharrams .

The envoy, the statement noted, informed that efforts were being made to find an immediate solution to the problem. This was as the ambassador expressed the hope that Nigerian pilgrims would in future fully comply with this Islamic injunction in order to avoid such unpalatable consequences.

On Wednesday, the Senate had passed a resolution asking President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene over the matter urgently.

One of the deportees, Maimuna Ibrahim, called on the Federal Government to intervene in the matter to enable them to go back for the Hajj.

As part of moves to resolve the impasse, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, who is the head of the Federal Government’s delegation to this year’s Hajj on Thursday met with the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ni-

geria, Mr. Khaled Abrabuh, in his office.

At the end of the meeting, Abrabuh gave an assurance that the issue would be resolved very soon.

Tambuwal equally assured yesterday that the dispute with Saudi Arabia repatriation of the female pilgrims would be resolved amicably, and told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that concerted efforts were being made for Nigerians to perform the pilgrimage.

He expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved, considering the cordial relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and appealed to the prospective pilgrims to exercise patience as the matter would be resolved to enable them to attend the religious function.

“As I depart from this occasion, I will be heading to Saudi Arabia to ensure the dispute is resolved,” he said.

estle Nigeria Plc has emerged the best company in Creating Shared Value in the country, having received the award at this year’s edition of the Social Enterprise Reports and Award (SERA) held at the MUSON Centre, recently.

The company was also voted as the third most socially responsible company in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, the managing director of TruContact, the organisers of the event, Mr. Ken Egbas, said the annual award is to reward companies who have excelled in their CSR activities.

Nestle was particularly commended for its partnership project with IITA on Cassava Starch.

According to a release signed by the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager of the company, Dr. Samuel Adenekan, the project was aimed at building capacity of smallholder farmers and increasing productivity per hectare in Cassava through multiplication and dissemination of high-yield varieties.

The company was also lauded for its quality Grains Improvement Project aimed at ensuring high quality grains by reducing Mycotoxin contamination in grains through good agricultural and storage practices.

The SRA CSR award is coming on the heels of justconcluded Creating Shared Value Forum in Central and West Africa held at the Lagos Business School of the Pan-African University.

NYSC urges FCT councils to support corps members

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he National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday urged area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to support community development projects initiated by corps members in their area.

FCT Director of the NYSC, Mr Frank Okunobi, made the call in Abuja at the inauguration of a new refuse dump facility donated to Galadimawa community by a corps member, Dr Pascalina Onuoha.

He said such support was vital in encouraging the corps members to complete the projects and to ensure the sustainability of the community development programme.

The director noted that such projects would impact positively on communities within the area councils.

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News

Sunday, September 30, 2012

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We won’t receive Jonathan on Oct 4 –Senate

EMMANUEL ONANI

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he request by President Goodluck Jonathan to present the 2013 appropriation bill before a joint sitting of the National Assembly on October 4, would have to be shelved until a later date.

The Senate has said that it would not receive the President on the scheduled date, as doing so would negate the constitutional provision which

stipulates a joint sitting.

This disclosure was made to Sunday Mirror via a text message by the Chairman, Senate committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Abaribe, who responded to an enquiry on the position of the Senate in relation to that of the House of Representatives noted that, “The constitution stipulates a joint sitting. If one side is missing, it will no longer be a joint sitting and thus will be a viola-

tion of a constitutional provision.”

He stated that the upper legislative chamber will not receive President Jonathan until such a time when both chambers would have agreed on a new date to play host to him at a joint session to be presided over by the Senate president, David Mark, who is the chairman of the National Assembly.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday suspended plenary till October 9 saying the devel-

opment will enable members carry out “a proper implementation of the 2012 Appropriation before we look into the 2013 budget”. This, it said, would be done through oversight checks on budget performance of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs. Spokesman of the House, Zakari Mohammed, had explained that, “We made it clear immediately we resumed from our annual recess that we shall embark on a one-

week inspection of MDAs. So the President cannot present the budget on October 4.

“Hopefully, the House will resume on October 9, then we can look into it and see what can be done.

Presenting the budget on October 4 is unrealistic.”

Though, it has been a tradition for past presidents to address joint sittings of the federal legislature on budgetary proposals, Section 81 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not

require the physical presence of the President for the purpose. In fact, the he can delegate any of his officials to submit budget estimates to the National Assembly.

Specifically, section 81 (1) provides that: “The President shall cause to be prepared and laid before each House of the National Assembly at any time in each financial year estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the federation for the next following fiscal year.”

Ondo Governorship Race

Akeredolu rejects INEC list of registered voters The Akeredolu Campaign Organization (ACO) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State to explain how it came about 1,654,205 registered voters in the state.

Speaking through its Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, ACO said it was worried by the statement credited to the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Akin Orebiyi, that there were names of voters whose photographs could not be found in the last elections but which would be allowed to vote in the governorship poll.

According to Ajanaku, “Orebiyi said 88 polling booths would be created to supplement the 135 existing ones in the Akoko NorthEast of the state which Orebiyi claimed will be used by these voters whose photograph did not appear in the voters register. It stated that ACN will not the use of the illegal voter register in the state.

“However, ACO wants to sound a note of warning to the Orebiyi-led State INEC that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will not allow those whose photographs did not appear in the voters register to vote, as this is against the Constitution and the Electoral Act. The creation of these

Sisters polling booth is not necessary.

“To us, this could be capitalised upon by the drowning Labour Party to rig elections in the state. Is Orebiyi saying that the Mimiko-led administration has succeeded in smuggling the result of their biometric registration exercise into the data base of INEC? Orebiyi himself confirmed that the electoral body only had fifty requests of Voter registration transfer in the State.

The statement also lambasted the governor, challenging him to explain to the people of Ondo State why he should not share in the blame of the Dr. Segun Agagu led PDP government which he strongly berated and described as the years of the holocaust. It wondered whether Mimiko has suddenly forgotten how he was a major player in that government: “Is Mimiko not the Secretary to the State Government and member of the State Executive Council in the Agagu’s government? If he was that pained, why did he not denounce the policies of that administration or resign? The same Mimiko was rewarded with a ministerial appointment by the same PDP and under former President Obasanjo whose administration pauperized the entire South West, leaving the Ota road, his home town in a dilapidated state.”

“For us at ACO, we are surprised that Mimiko would describe what he

has done for Ondo State as mega projects when indeed, these are supposed to be projects for Local Government councils. For an oil-producing State like Ondo to be celebrating the building of markets, stalls and boreholes in the 21st Century is a shame!

Ondo people cannot be deceived, they are interested in sustainable and real development which the ACN flagbearer Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu(SAN) has promised in his well articulated vision for the people of the State.

In a related development, the South West chairman, Campaign for Democracy, CD,Ifeanyi Odili has described the government of Dr Mimiko as one that reeks of corruption, stating that the governor and his administrators have been ‘ the worst, most wicked and heartless government in the history of Ondo State.

He stated that since the advent of the LP-led government, there has been starvation, while businesses have paralysed everywhere in Ondo State.

Meanwhile, the ACN is set for its senatorial rally in the state as its leaders, led by the National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Segun Osoba, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Chief Lam Adesina and all the governors of the six ACN-controlled states will this week storm the three senatorial districts of the state.

tives of the National PDP Youth Vanguards, SouthWest zone, who visited him at his campaign office.

The PDP standardbearer said his experience as a public office holder would be used to administer the state.

Oke boasted he would surely win the election because the people of the state knew him and that his economic blueprint would earn him victory.

He said: “By the grace of God and the support of the good people of Ondo State, I am the next governor of the state.

The people of Ondo state know me and my running mate, Hon. Saka Lawal.

We have unique economic agenda that are genuinely designed to give to the people of Ondo State, solution to economic problems confronting the state, due to improper management of resourc-

es. We must salvage this state together because of the younger generation.”

The former national legal adviser of the PDP urged the youth to support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the votes of the people count in the October election, saying all the politicians must also support any effort that would guarantee free and fair election.

ONUKWUBE OFOELUE AND OJO OYEWAMIDE

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L-R: Deputy Governorship Candidate of ACN, Otunba Paul Akintelure; Director, Media, Publicity and Strategy of ACO, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku; the Governorship Candidate of ACN, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and DirectorGeneral of ACO, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, at the Akeredolu Campaign Office in Akure at the weekend.

Ondo CPC rally flops as Buhari, guber candidate shun event OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

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ormer Head of State and 2011 presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammudu Buhari (rtd), yesterday failed to attend the party’s rally in Akure, where he was expected to drum support for the party’s candidate, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo, and his running mate, Mrs. Damilola Oluyemi, in the October 20 governorship election in the state.

The flag-bearer of the party and his running mate were also absent at the rally which was scheduled to hold at the Democracy Park, Oja-Oba in the state capital.

A statement by the Director General, Soji Ehinlanwo Campaign Organization (SECO), Mr. Yomi Adetimehin, had on Friday said that Buhari would be in Akure to present the party’s candidate and his run-

ning mate to the electorate in the state.

A handful of members of the party who came to the venue of the flopped event left in disappointment.

It was gathered that the national body of the CPC had earlier directed the State Executive Committee of the party to call off the rally, a development which was said to have been responsible for the absence of its leaders at the event.

Sources at the venue of the event told Sunday Mirror that the national leadership of the party was divided over support for the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Barrister Rotimi Akeredolu, and that of the Labour Party (LP), Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

While Buhari and some national leaders of CPC were said to have directed members of the party in the state to support Akeredolu, the running mate of the former Head of

State in the 2011 presidential election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, and some other leaders were in support of Mimiko.

A source who preferred anonymity said, “We are disappointed in the attitude of our leaders. We thought they would be here today to give us encouragement. It is not necessary that we win the October 20 governorship election. But our participation would have enhanced the rating and popularity of our party.”

I am the next governor of Ondo State –Oke OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

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he gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusola Oke, has said that he would win the October 20 governorship election in Ondo state if the poll is free and fair.

He said this yesterday in Akure while addressing the representa-

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Sunday September 30, 2012

9

Jonathan, Obasanjo, Sultan, Amosun, Fashola extol Adegbite’s virtues ROTIMI FADEYI, TORDUE SALEM, ABUJA,

PRISCILLA DENNIS, MINNA, AZA MSUE,KADUNA, FEMI OYEWESO, ABEOKUTA

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he remains of the late Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), Dr. Lateef Adegbite, was yesterday buried in his family compound at Onikolobo area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital amid encomiums from eminent Nigerians.

The burial rite for the late Islamic scholar, the Seriki and Baba Adini of Egbaland, began by 3: 50 p.m. shortly after the arrival of the motor hearse marked with registration number (Lagos) TOS 7, bearing the corpse which came in at exactly 3: 40 p.m.

Among eminent Nigerians who paid their last respects for Dr Adegbite were the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, former head of Interim government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President General of NSCIA, Sultan Sa’aad Abubakar, who arrived at the venue of

... Atiku, Mark,Ekweremadu pay tribute

the burial at about 3:45 p.m. and the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Alao Arisekola.

Former Military Administrator of the old Western Region, Brigadier General Oluwole Rotimi (rtd), Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashol, and the two immediate past governors of Ogun, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, also joined the host governor of Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun, to give the late Adegbite who was described as a bridgebuilder and true Nigerian, a befitting burial.

President Goodluck Jonathan in a statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described the deceased as a bridgebuilder who reached across ethnic and religious divides to promote peace and unity in the country.

The President said “Dr. Adegbite’s tenure as the Secretary-General NSCIA would forever be remembered for fostering peace and unity

among religious groups in the country and for his moderating influence.”

In his tribute, Obasanjo described Adegbite as an icon, compatriot, who would not only be missed at religious level but at social life, in Ogun state and the whole country.

“But we take consolation in the fact that he had lived a worthy life and legacy worthy of emulation. His place will be difficult to fill within our community, Egbaland.

We pray that God will not leave us mourning and groping in the dark for a worthy replacement.”

In his own tribute, Sultan Abubakar said the death of Adegbite was a great loss not only to his family but the generality of Muslim community in Nigeria and the entire world.

“We accept the loss of this great servant of Allah; we have worked with him for six years and I know how much he has put his energy and resources to serve the Muslims. The family has not lost anybody; the loss is for

the Muslim Ummah. The Almighty took him for reasons best known to him. Let’s continue to pray for Baba Adinni because he has paid his due to Islam. May the Almighty Allah in his own wisdom who knows that we have worked for Him, reward him.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in a condolence message released by his media office on Saturday in Abuja said Nigeria has lost a voice of unity and moderation with the death of Adegbite.

According to Atiku, the late Adegbite, in collaboration with former Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki, had significantly removed the seeming distrust between the Muslims of the South and the North.

Brigadier Rotimi under whom the late Adegbite served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as well as that of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the old Western Region, said he felt bereaved as a friend because the late Adegbite served with

L-R: Oba-Idowu Abiodun Oniru, father of the groom; mother of the bride, Justice Tokunbo Majekodunmi; the couple, Adedapo and Olatorera Oniru; mother of the groom, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Oniru and father of the bride, Chief Femi Majekodunmi, during the solemnisation of Holy Matrimony at the Chapel of Christ the Glorious King, Obasanjo Presidential Library Complex, Abiola Way Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday.

excellence.

“He was not just my commissioner but my personal friend. We entered King’s College together in 1950 and left in 1956. I left for the university and then to the army, he travelled overseas to study Law. “In 1971, when I became the military administrator of Old Western Nigeria, I invited him over to serve his fatherland. He was my commissioner between 1971 and 75, first as Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and later the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,” Rotimi said.

Governor Fashola, who extended the grieve of the people of Lagos to the family said the late Adegbite would have lived longer, but he spent much more time catering for the welfare of humanity, stressing that “Islam came first, community came first, Nigeria came first”.

“I extend the sympathy and condolence of the people and government of Lagos State to the family, children, widow and of course, to my brother and governor of Ogun state, Ibikunle Amosun and the people and the government of Ogun state.

“In extending condolence from Lagos, it is also appropriate to acknowledge the bereavement on our part because he was as much part of us even though he was made in Ogun.

Ex-governor Gbenga Daniel described him as ‘a major stabiliser and a factor in this era of religious extremism’, stressing that the late Adegbite was somebody that spoke and people listened to.

Daniel also stated that it would be difficult to find a replacement for him.

“He was one of the important personalities that I came across in the course of ruling the state; he was a member of our Elders Con-

sultative Forum and a major stabiliser in politics and somebody we will definitely miss because of the outstanding role he had played in the lives of the masses.

The state again has lost another major personality, Nigeria has lost something major, he was a stabilising factor in this era of religious extremism, that is somebody that speaks and people will listen.”

Amosun in his tribute described Adegbite as a confluence in academics, religion, tradition as well as social services to the country.

The governor noted that Adegbite was a man who usually offered wise counsel to governments at federal and state levels, stressing that his death would create a vacuum in the nation.

Senate President, David Mark noted the immense contributions of the late Islamic scholar which spread across religious and ethnic boundaries. “He was a colossus of sort, a true statesman and a passionate believer in the unity of Nigeria” Also the deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu described Adegbite’s death as a huge loss to the nation.

In a statement in Abuja yesterday, the deputy Senate President described the late religious leader as a fine gentleman and intellectual, noting that Adegbite would be remembered as a ``national agent for religious stability’’.

Also, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement described the death of Adegbite as a rude shock. He said Dr Adegbite was a fervent believer and a leading light of Islam and legal profession in Nigeria.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, said Adegbite’s death had created a vacuum.

balised nature of the world.

He said across the world, a new generation of architects are making waves, experimenting with new materials and technology. “You only need to see what is happening in Dubai, Singapore and some other third world places to appreciate that the train is moving, and the world will not wait for us,” he noted.

“The problem of the indigenous Nigerian Architects starts with the clients, most of who don’t believe they need to pay for architects’ service while abandoned projects are eye-

sore across the length and breadth of the entire country”, Agbesua explained.

He bemoaned the situation where construction projects in the country are still mainly executed by foreigners, while also calling on the government to do something in that regard.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter, Ladipo Lewis, had said the ‘Architect in Focus’ had been the chapter’s programme to honour, profile, study and learn from senior architects in the generation.

No excuse for building collapse, says Agbesua MESHACK IDEHEN

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rchitects and builders have been urged to see to the effective and efficient supervision of construction projects. They should also see supervision as extremely crucial if instances of building collapse are to be completely eliminated from the country.

Speaking in Lagos on Saturday when he was featured as the “Architect in Focus” for the month of September by the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Isaac

Olusola Agbesua, said contractors would always attempt to cut corners during construction.

He said it was the job of the professionally trained architect to see to it that low quality usage of materials was avoided.

“More so, builders, architects and other stakeholders involved in designing and construction must embrace the use of modern technology, in order to deliver professionally on jobs, and also become aligned with global best practices in the field of building and architecture,” Agbesua added.

According to him, architecture has been the major barometer by which human civilisation is assessed, and it was important for Nigerian architects to remain committed to the course of construction that can stand the test of time.

Urging indigenous practitioners to up their practice and contribute to sustainable national and international socio economic development, Agbesua said that elsewhere in the world architectural practices had moved on, and it was the contributions of individuals committed to profession-

alism and uncompromising efficiency that made such achievements possible.

Giving insight into why the country is grappling with incidences of building collaspe, he explained that issues that affect project longevity owe to poor financing, inadequate professional supervision and the tendencies of some contractors to engage quacks.

Agbesua added that the challenges confronting the architects were numerous, particularly the current generation who are usually not able to compete effectively owing to the glo-

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SM Extra

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STORIES THAT TOUCH YOU

Rampaging flood!

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Aondoakaa, Ogbeh, others lose fortunes

•1,000 families displaced in Bayelsa •Kogi victims get 10,000 drugs EMMA GBEMUDU, YENAGOA; ADEMU IDAKWO, LOKOJA

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rominent Benue State indigenes, including a former governor of the state, the late Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu, have already lost property estimated at hundreds of millions of naira as a result of the floods.

Others in the same category include former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and former Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Chief Mike Aondoakaa.

The late Adasu’s Covenant Clergy Retirement Home located along the beach road has been completely submerged while his Covenant Projects Company Office located along Makurdi-Gboko road has also been flooded.

The floods have also overrun the Makurdi residence of Chief Ogbeh.

Hundreds of bags of rice which Chief Aondoakaa had stocked in two warehouses on Chief Ogbeh’s premises as raw material for Miva Rice Factory have also been destroyed.

The floods have also not spared the residence of foremost historian, the late Dr. Tesemchi Makar also along Makurdi-Gboko Road.

Similarly, the proprietor of Bridge Viem Resort at Mu Bridge along Makurdi-Gboko Road, Group Captain Ianta Tor-Sabo disclosed that the floods washed away all the fish in his four ponds estimated at N44 million The floods currently ravaging several communities in Benue on account of release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in Cameroun appear set to submerge a substantial part of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital.

Journalists from the Independent Print Media Association of Nigeria, IPPAN, who monitored the flood last Tuesday, discovered that already, crucial parts of the hospital such as electricity transformers and the maintenance block, were submerged.

During the tour, the journalists also discovered that prominent indigenes of the state have also lost property estimated to cost hundreds of millions of naira.

At the Teaching Hospital, Benue’s Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Orduen Abunku, told newsmen that the facility was threatened by the flood waters which have already scaled the parameter fence and surrounded some buildings.

He said the transformers from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, have already been affected and that the hospital now relies on two power generating plants for electricity supply.

But Dr. Abunku said parts of the hospital where clinical services are provided were on higher and safe ground, adding that if the situation got worse, the governor would be required to come to the hospital’s rescue in any area of necessity.

The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr. Cephas Hough, however said according to experts’ advice, there was cause for alarm at the moment.

Also, small-scale farmer, Usaka Akem, resident at Km. 12 Makurdi-Gboko Road, told journalists that he lost two fish ponds, houses, rice, yam, vegetable, beniseed and cassava farms.

The floods have also substantially submerged the North Bank Golf Course, Benue Links, Mass Transit, Tipper, New Nyanya and Duku parks as well as Living Faith Church.

All the three camps set up by the Benue State Government for people displaced by floods

A lady and her children with some household properties from her submerged house due to rising water levels at Sagbama Town in Bayelsa State.

in Makurdi metropolis lack beverages and baby foods, investigations have also revealed.

A visit to the camps by journalists revealed that none of the camps had milk and other beverages at the time the team visited, recently.

Camp commandant in charge of L.G.E.A Primary School Wurukum, Mr. Terumbur Alabar admitted that the development was a major challenge.

In the two other camps at St. Catherine and NKST Primary Schools the situation was the same.

Also in Bayelsa State, flooding could be described as a recurring decimal in most communities.

At least 1,000 families scattered in over 70 communities have been displaced by this year’s rain flood in six local governments which included Yenagoa,Ogbia,Ekeremor, Sagbama, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Southern Ijaw. Brass and Nembe local government are yet to experience the flood.

The flood situation has disrupted fishing and farming activities in the hinterlands.

Governor Seriake Dickson’s community , Toru-Orua in Sagbama Local Government of the state was also submerged by the dreaded flood. It was gathered that two prominent traditional rulers in Sagbama, King Ekadi Aziza and the Ebidaowei of Kabowei Kingdom, King Hope Torruo also had their homes submerged by the flood. There are indications that epidemic may erupt in the flooded areas.

At present, state government officials led by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Sylvanus Abila, are conducting assessment tour of the flooded communities to ascertain the extent of damage. Investigations revealed that officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are yet to provide relief materials to the victims now squatting with their friends and relations. The state government is working out modalities aimed at providing relief materials for the flood victims.

Incidentally, NEMA has no functional office in Bayelsa State. Its officials always come from the zonal office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to address emergency issues in the state. In a telephone interview, Zonal Co-ordinator of NEMA in Port Harcourt, Umesi Emenike told Sunday Mirror that the agency has conducted assessment tour on four communities which include Sampou,Odi,Sagbama and Kaiama. The official said the agency would provide relief materials such as rice, beans and mattresses to the affected communities ravaged by flood.

He said: “We have done assessment in Sagbama, Sampou, Kaiama, Odi. So far, we have visited these key four communities .We have visited close to eight communities .Walson Ibarakumo led the NEMA team that visited these communities.”

Worst hit in the flood problem are Sabagriea, Odi, Olodi, Sagbama, Adagbabiri, Torufani, Ekperiware, Gbarain, Tombia, Tungbo, Ebedebiri, Toro Orua, Odi, Boru-Orua, Anibeze, Sabagreia, Amassoma,Otevi, Oporoma, Peremabiri, Olugbobiri, Ondewari, Zarama,Biseni, Okpotuwari, Ombugbene, Korokorsei, Ikebiri, Ogboinbiri and Olodi communities.

The flood also submerged the secondary school and health centre buildings at Adagbabiri community in Sagbama local government. Academic activities have been suspended in the area,just as the health personnel at the health centre have been displaced.

Sampou is not left out as the flood submerged at least 300 houses including the primary school buildings.

Agua Memorial Nursery/Primary Schools under lock and key as a result of rising water levels at Sagbama Town in Bayelsa State.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SM Extra

Sunday, September 30, 2012

11

Day gunmen invaded UNIJOS JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

S Chief Audu Ogbeh’s Makurdi residence

Faithville Montessori schools submerged by water at Sagbama town in Bayelsa State.

Another flood victim and native of Sagbama community, Chief Bernard Agai, said one of his buildings was affected by the flood. Agai disclosed that he was accommodating about 100 flood victims in his building that was not affected by the flood. The PDP stalwart noted that the victims were experiencing difficult times and appealed for government assistance in rehabilitating them.

“I have packed to the side of the road where I have another building. We cannot remain in the flooded area. I’m now accommodating about 100 flood victims in my house. Government should come to our aid,” Agai said.

In his comments, paramount ruler of Toru-Orua, Chief Gosselin Touaregha described this year’s flood as the worst in the past 30 years, stressing that the flood had destroyed so many farmlands as well as valuable property in the area. Touaregha appealed to government and other well-meaning organizations, including the NEMA, to come to the assistance of the community.

Meanwhile, Federal Government has donated 10,000 anti-malaria drugs as well as treated mosquito nets and water filters to the victims of the flood disaster in Kogi State.

Presenting the items to the governor of the state, Captain Idris Wada, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the Federal Government has decided to be proactive in view of the reported likely epidemic following the disaster.

The Minister who was represented by the Deputy Director, Health Emergency Response and Disaster Management in the ministry, Mr. John Kehinde, said the items including some personal protective equipment, were provided on medium and long-term bases.

Wada commended the Federal Government for its prompt response to the situation. Wada, who promised that the items would be put to judicious use, equally added the state had been receiving assistance from various non-governmental organizations, as well as the citizens of the state in the Diaspora.

Children in Wurukum Camp in Benue

ince the incident of September 27, 2012 when three unknown gunmen stormed the University of Jos, Plateau State, and opened fire at the Naraguta Campus of the institution, there have been concerns about the safety of the students and members of staff of the ivory tower.

On that fateful day, three young men suspected to be cult members trailed a student said to belong to a rival cult group and shot at him.

But while the bullet missed the fleeing target, it hit two students who were identified as Uju Imo and Esther Ugwu, both 100 level students of the English Department.

In the ensuing stampede, some students who gave the attackers a hot chase, succeeded in apprehending two of them, while one escaped.

It took the intervention of the security men for one of the injured attackers to be rescued from the mob that wanted to lynch him. He was later taken to the hospital while the other died from injuries sustained from the reprisal while his body had been deposited at the morgue.

A pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from the survivor suspect whose name was identified as Fabian Ido. The university authority had also confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, Steve Otowo, saying that the unknown attackers were apprehended and handed over to men of the Joint Military Task Force for necessary action.

Since the incident, some lecturers and students of the university, many who spoke with Sunday Mirror, have been expressing worry.

Mr. Dankyes Ephraim of the Department of Theatre Arts said for the gunmen to operate in daylight when the students were still on the campus, spoke volume of the need to secure the institution from further invasion.

“What this means is that, both the students and members of staff of the university are no longer safe. I think that something urgent should be done to secure their lives before the situation degenerates”.

Also in his reaction, President of the Students Union Government (SUG), Amos Nanbol, described the incident as unfortunate.

“We are really concerned because this is not the first time students were being attacked by gunmen. About two weeks ago, another student

UNIJOS VC, Prof. Hayward Mafuyai

close to the village-hostel was attacked by gunmen. It is happening at a time when students are preparing for their examination. Such an ugly occurrence should not be allowed to continue unchecked.’’.

When Sunday Mirror visited the male medical ward, Room 5C of the Plateau State Specialist Hospital at the weekend, where the surviving suspect was receiving treatment, a police corporal guarding him told our correspondent that the case had been taken over by the State Security Service (SSS), to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“Our concern now is to see that he survives the injuries he sustained so that he will help the police investigation.’’ Although the suspect was not allowed to speak with newsmen, a look at him where he was chained to the bed showed heavy bandage on his head with multiple stitches all over his body.

Also at Room 4, Amenity Ward of the hospital, where one of the shot female students, Esther Ugwu ,was receiving treatment, only close relatives were allowed by the hospital staff to visit her. But a nurse who spoke with this reporter at the entrance to her ward’s door said that Ms. Ugwu was responding to treatment.

According to her, the doctors who examined her discovered no bullet in her body.

“The bullet just pierced through her shoulder and left only some holes there. So she is recovering from the injury,’’ she said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Security Officer of the University of Jos, Col. Labaran Shok Bature, in an interview with Sunday Mirror, is appealing to the Federal Government to come to the rescue of the institution to enable it relocate to its permanent Site.

He said the university was doing everything possible to safeguard its environment and would soon install CCTV on the campuses .He expressed the hope that if the university eventually moved to its permanent site, the institution would be more secured.

His words: “The University presently is scattered in many places with porous borders, which makes it easy for criminal elements to infiltrate the campus at ease. This is why we are calling on the Federal Government to assist us in this regard, because other second-generation universities established at the same period with UNIJOS like University of Ilorin, Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and University of Maiduguri have all moved to their permanent sites.”

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September 30, 2012

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Interview ENCOUNTER WITH A NEWS MAKER SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Let’s bargain with Cameroun over Bakassi –Oyebode Professor Akin Oyebode teaches International Law at the University of Lagos. In this interview with Ayo Esan, he speaks extensively on the renewed agitation of the Bakassi people to review the judgment of the International Court of Justice that gave their land to Cameroun and on other national issues. Excerpts: Two weeks ago, Professor Wole Soyinka raised the issue of Bakassi again, saying the people of Bakassi should have been consulted before the decision to cede Bakassi to Cameroun. This was coming 10 years after a decision was taken on the Peninsula.

What do you make of the comment?

It is not really new in terms of the demand that the inhabitants of the Peninsula should be consulted. You know it was the late Chief M.K.O Abiola who used to say that you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. So definitely, the people concerned wear the shoes and they know where the shoes pinch. Trying to play Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, I think is untoward. Professor Soyinka, if I recall correctly, did not say whether or not Nigeria owned the Peninsula. In fact, he believes that our claim to the Peninsula was tenuous at the very best; but despite that, he believes that the people who live in the area ought to have been consulted, which I completely agree with. You know in international law, we speak of the rights of the people to self determination. That implies that the people have the right to exercise their options in terms of the structure of their organs, in terms of ownership of their resources and in terms of their wellbeing and their social arrangements.

But the point really is that, the people there claimed to be Efik and they accept the over-lordship of the Obong of Calabar .And so even all the way back to 1884, when the Obong of Calabar entered into a treaty of the so-called protection, with the British and the British recognised that the Obong was the overlord of the whole area, the British, in characteristic colonial attitude, decided to negotiate the fate and destiny of the territory and the people, outside of the people themselves. And it seems unfortunate that Nigeria as a country, before independence, at the night before independence, the then Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, agreed to accept all the treaties that the British had signed when it was the colonial overlord here.

But having said that, we are living in a different time when the world recognises the right of the minorities, the right of the so-called unrepresented people, and the right of the people in the Bakassi. So,

Prof. Oyebode

I think there is a good case to be made that the right of the people should be respected.

I don’t think it is asking for anything extraordinary than what the people of Sudan did, than what the people of Eritrea did and what the people of Bangladesh did.

So, there are notable precedents just like what the people of Western Sahara are doing right now. So, I think the job is undone; we have not finished the Bakassi matter.

Although, how we are going to now realise the wish of the people that is the problem that Nigeria has to face up to.

Then, how do we go about realising the people’s wish?

Well, the way I understand it: the people have made representation to the United Nations, asking for the UN Commission dealing with such matters to look at their matter. They have been itching to have their grievances ventilated. I understand too that they have approached the National Assembly, that the National Assembly should ensure that the matter is revisited. In fact, I read in the newspapers that they are threatening to engage in self help, in direct action just like the Boko Haram, if the matter is

not revisited at the International Court of Justice. . Well, I think that creates some problem for Nigeria because, the decision was taken way back in 2002 and Nigeria made so many mistakes in terms of that case. But having made the mistakes, I think we can’t unscramble the egg. Once a case has been decided at that level-the International Court of Justice, the highest court in the world, it is final, except you apprehend new facts which were non-existent or unknown to the court when the judgement was made. You cannot go back to have the omelet upturned.

So quite sincerely, I think Nigeria will face an uphill task if it wants to embark on an application to the court to reconsider its previous judgement. But there are other possibilities. For instance, if Nigeria feels sufficiently attuned to going ahead, it might engage Cameroun that the matter has not been properly handled because the obligations that Cameroun engaged under the Green Tree Agreement which Obasanjo entered into with Paul Biya, article 3 of it provided that Nigeria and Cameroun should ensure that the people of the place live their lives without let or hindrance.

And that they had the right to stay and carry out their activities. And the Camerounians, once they took over the control of the territory, should not violate their right or interest. But I think it was in error for Nigeria to have asked them to come back and leave the Peninsula because there are Nigerians in many parts of the world, even in Cameroun itself. I believe there are almost three million Nigerians who are living there. In a place like Sudan, there are almost five million Nigerians. In the United States, there are over a million Nigerians living there; so also in many parts of the world. So, there is nothing really that warranted the recalling of our nationals and we have been unable to settle them properly when they came back home. I think that Nigeria ought to have let them stay there and pursue the protection of their rights or interests in Cameroun.

So, we can resume negotiation with Cameroun in terms of atoning for all the malfeasance they had perpetrated against the Nigerians there. Also, we can put it to the Cameroonians that we want to buy back the peninsula which we in error transferred to them. If we give them an offer that is so attractive that they can’t refuse, then the Cameroonians might reconsider and sell off. In other words, we settle them, using money. And of course, the Cameroonians are our neighbours and you know that you can only choose your friends, you can’t choose your neighbours and there must be life after Bakassi. So, there are other things they would want to enjoy with us, even the resources in the Bakassi. There is no way they are going to enjoy those resources without taking Nigeria and Nigerians’ interest into account. Because, if they want CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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‘We can’t continue pretending that all is well’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

to lay claim to what we call the continental shelf under the law of the sea, their claim would have to overlap the claim of Nigeria because if you look at the geography, at the map of Cameroun, their shelf locked as we say in international law; they don’t have enough room to utilise or to lay claim to 200 nautical miles, which international law grants to them. This is because Nigeria too has a claim of 200 miles, so there is going to be a conflict. So, we might tell them that we can engage in what we call ‘unitisation or joint development zone’ for the exploitation of the resources. And bring them within the arrangement that we have established with country like Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe, what I call, ‘the Gulf of Guinea Commission; under which Nigeria and say Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe will jointly exploit the resources and the proceeds are shared on 60:40 basis. In other words, Cameroun should be properly advised to think of the future and think of the larger thing that lies ahead for that country in terms of its relations with Nigeria.

So, the other thing which nobody wants to talk about is military action. If Nigeria prosecutes its claim under military framework, then Nigeria can of course change the fact on the ground, by expelling the Cameroonian gendarmes that have located to that territory and then of course, take charge of the whole territory. And heavens will not fall if it succeeds in overwhelming and expelling the Cameroonian troops that are occupying the territory. I know because of Nigeria’s foreign policy as the big brother and very understanding, and based on the paddy- paddy relationship that Nigeria has with its neighbours, that might be an option which is not on the table right now.

I think that the legal solution might not be a very worthwhile solution. Diplomatic solution is what we should explore more to extract more concessions. Even if we are not going to revert to the ownership of Nigeria over the territory, we can extract and exert some concessions from Cameroun, undertaken beyond even the Green Tree Agreement which has not been approved by the National Assembly, to compel Cameroun to respect the right of Nigerians who are inhabiting that peninsula. After all, I am not sure Camerounians are in the peninsula. Camerounians have not lived in the area; they have some romantic claims. The Plebiscites for Southern Cameroun in 1961 did not include the residents in Bakassi. Although you might say our claim to the ownership .might be tenuous. It might even be, because the court said we did not prove that we are in effective occupation of that particular area. We don’t have real structure that we can point to, which will confirm a long possession. We have fishermen camps and what have you, which might neither be here nor there.

But do you think the Federal Government is interested in pursuing the issue further?

The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohamed Bello Adoke, made a statement about a month ago that the case is already decided. And also, Prince Bola Ajibola who represented us in the negotiation with the Cameroun and who by the way was a judge advocate in the case himself, said that we should forget about Bakassi, that Bakassi is gone forever, using his language. I also heard another person saying the issue is a done deal. In other words, the thinking in government circles is that, we should move beyond that. That the matter is already done with. That we can’t really go back to unscramble the egg. They think the matter is finished, that we should move on. I don’t know what they mean by moving on, but that is the attitude of Aso Rock.

But the people of Bakassi already resettled in Nigeria are threatening that they would declare their independence; would that not cause some problems?

It could but let us be frank with ourselves; the population of the inhabitants is a little bit marginal. At best, you have 300,000 people. Their international nuisance value is not enough to cause any serious worry for either Cameroun or Nigeria. I think they just want to raise the stake, as it were, to raise the ante so that they will not be ignored.

What I think they really want is proper resettlement or to be properly taken care of by the Federal Government, so

Prof. Oyebode

that they don’t continue to nurse the wound of marginalization, alienation and discomfiture. They need some golden handshake from Nigeria, to take care of themselves. I am not talking of an amnesty arrangement like the one we granted to the Niger Delta militants, but we might have to revisit what needed to be done to rehabilitate them; to engage them and even to reconsider the new Bakassi Local Government which is an upland area. These people are basically fishermen and they need an outlet to the sea where they can continue their activity as fishermen. Where you call new Bakassi is not an area for fishing and they are not upland people.

How will you react to the state of insecurity in the country, especially the incessant killing in the Northern part of the country?

I think you are talking of the Boko Haram imbroglio.

We heard that over a thousand people have died from the action of the Boko Haram people. Right now, we don’t know what precisely their game-plan is. One time, we heard they wanted to turn Nigeria into a Sharia-dominated country. There was a time they were asking non-Muslim people to leave the North, however they described it. But that is not practicable. There is no monolithic North anymore. And there are places in the so-called North that are not Muslims-dominated. And we know that in the world of today and in Nigeria of today, there has to be peaceful co-existence. If you go by the experience of people of the South-West, there is hardly any family in Yorubaland that does not have Christians and Muslims on both sides of the divide. And we have learnt to live together and celebrate together. I think the Yoruba have an example to show to the rest of the country, more so that we should know that Christianity and Islam are not indigenous to us. They are foreign religions emerging from the Middle East. Our traditional religions, African religions have been sidelined.

So I don’t see why we should be killing each other over foreign religions, if you ask me. And we should be Nigerians as a whole, who should enjoy God-given bounties. We are Nigerians and we have bond of friendship, blood solidarity with your fellow brothers and sisters. I think that is what we should emphasise.

We also learnt that the situation was brought about by unemployment. I don’t really see the validity of that position because poverty and unemployment have no known

ethnic or religious frontiers. And poverty in Borno is like poverty in Kwara or poverty in Benin. I think it is a rederring. We can of course agree that the leadership in that part of the country have not demonstrated sufficient empathy in terms of policy making to arrest the upsurge in the violence. Look at what, for instance, we have in certain parts of the South-West, where governments are making social security provisions for the elderly. When you are giving people above 65 years N5,000, it is not the amount that is as important as the empathy and sympathy engendered by those hands of fellowship thrown by the government . So I think we have to recognise that governance or politics is about the people. It is about taking care of the under-privileged and making their interest, their welfare and their wellbeing the constant factor in the government’s policy, both formulation and implementation.

So, there is a case to be made for a new socio contract in this country but the way the Boko Haram people are pushing it, I don’t think it is a right way of putting it. We can make demands but by the time you start creating instability, resulting in killing of innocent people, burning churches and even mosques, burning schools and committing all manners of mayhem and in fact increasing the level of poverty and alienation in the country, I don’t think that is the correct way. You can’t destroy the North in order to save it. I think they have made their point; whatever point they are making, it is time to sit around a table and discuss.

So are you saying you are in support of a Sovereign National Conference?

I am strongly in favour of those who argued for a Sovereign National Conference. A great family meeting of all aggrieved parties in the country, to reconfigure and reconstruct and reorder the basis of our co-habitation.

The rules of engagement in Nigeria have to be reinvented.

You see, we can’t continue pretending that all is well. I think we have to sit around the table. Going back to the drawing board in order to ensure that we redraw the guidelines of cohabitation. We are not the same people, that is the truth. And in a country of heterogonous people, of different cultures, different languages, federalism must be the basis of our cohabitation and the basis of federating must be hammered out at a table where we renegotiate the basis of our federalism.

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Politics PROVIDING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO ISSUES

IF

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

YOU LOOK AT

N IGERIA

TODAY , IT IS

BETTER FOR US TO SIT DOWN AND DECIDE ON HOW WE MOVE FORWARD AND THE TERM OF OUR CONTINUOUS LIVING AS A NATION

Despite elite war, Jonathan has remained focused –Nwosu, ADC chairman P. 16, 41

S ENATOR A NNIE O KONKWO

Nigeria at 52: The battle over insecurity

Oil well: Presidential pronouncement and a bagful of contentions P. 40

Briefly

Yakowa threatens to sack erring contractors

Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State yesterday threatened to sack contractors handling the evacuation of solid waste in the state over poor performance.

Yakowa told newsmen in Kaduna after going round the city to assess the conduct of the state monthly sanitation exercise that the government would review the performance of the contractors and sack those found wanting.

The governor noted the heaps of refuse dumped on major high ways of the city, saying, “erring solid waste contractors will be sacked irrespective of their connection because they are not fulfilling their part of the contract agreement”.

Yakowa also noted that in spite of the huge amount being spent on waste management, the city has remained dirty.

Tinubu lauds Lagos govt over projects

One of the churches bombed by the Boko Haram sect (Inset: President Goodluck Jonathan)

AYO ESAN

N

igeria will be celebrating its 52nd independence anniversary tomorrow.

But there seems to be no cheers or smiles on the faces of Nigerians as they are currently living in fear of the safety of their lives and property.

At 52, security of lives and property is no longer guaranteed in the country and the government seems to be at a loss as to the way forward toward the restoration of peace in the country. The country’s image has gone worse as lawlessness and spilling of innocent blood seem to be the order of the day.

In the past, the nation had to grapple with the assassination of many of its citizens by suspected fellow citizens through guns and letter bombs as was the cases in the killing of Pa Alfred Rewane, believed to be a National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) sponsor, and renowned journalist, Mr Dele Giwa in 1986. There was also the cold-blooded elimination of some other Nigerians. They included Mr Funsho Williams, a leading Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant as well as Chief Bola Ige, the country’s former

Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, to mention but a few. These killings and maimings are too numerous to mention.

However, the level of insecurity has been on a larger but frightening scale in recent months, starting with the twin problems of armed robbery and kidnapping which are more prevalent in the southern part of the country, to the large scale killing and destruction of property, through a series of bombings being perpetrated by the insurgents in the northern part of the country. Today the country is already being labelled a ‘terrorist’ nation.

Many citizens are worried about the insecurity because of the position of the country in Africa. Political and events watchers feel that there is the need to search for solution to the insecurity problem.

United States President, Barack Obama, restating the prime position of Nigeria on the African continent said: “Nigeria is critical to the rest of the continent and if Nigeria has not got it right, Africa will really not make progress. In this connection therefore, it is no exaggeration but most appropriate to say that Nigeria is and will continue to remain the giant of Africa.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is not left out in the search for a tranquil Nigeria. He had said that dialogue remained the way out of the insecurity problem in the country.

The elder statesman emphasised that studies had shown that a number of factors were responsible for violent conflicts in the country, among which are poverty, unemployment, religious intolerance, ethnic rivalry, growing acculturation and resource control agitation.

Speaking as the chairman of the opening ceremony of a two-day ‘National Conference on Culture, Peace and National Security: The Role of Traditional Rulers and Local Government Chairmen’ organised by the National Institute for Culture Orientation (NICO), Obasanjo said the most critical of the factors is ignorance, which leads to suspicion and mistrust.

He noted that the issue of national security should be accorded top priority attention as no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of chaos and persistent violence.

Corroborating this view on the solution CONTINUED ON PAGE 16, 41

The Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has commended the state government for embarking on projects to beautify the state.

Tinubu, who made the commendation on Friday in Lagos in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the projects would make the state the `best tourist destination in Africa.’

She described Governor Babatunde Fashola’s efforts in the development of the tourism sector in Lagos State as commendable.

“The government has contributed immensely in boosting tourism in the state,’’ she said.

The senator, however, stressed the need for proper maintenance and improvement of tourist centres, which she described as of paramount importance to the development of the sector.

She listed some of the tourist centres rehabilitated by the government as including Water Park and Freedom Park.

She also commended the government for beautifying the city with flowers and for establishing mini football fields.

“All these are great tourism potential that the Federal Government could tap from,’’ she said.

Sen. Oluremi Tinubu

16

Politics

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Despite elite war, Jonathan has remain Ralphs Okey Nwosu is the national chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC). He recently hosted newsmen on a wide range of issues as they concern building a vibrant and viable nationhood. He also used the occasion to state his mind on the menace of the insurgent groups, insisting that the sects’ anger and desperation, aimed at frustrating President Goodluck Jonathan or his government, were misdirected. Head, Special Investigations, Isioma Madike, was there. Excerpts: What, in your view, is the root cause of insurgent attacks in the country, and how can the Federal Government curb the trend?

The murky Nigerian environment could be attributed to many factors rooted in over 40 years of abuses. Nigeria just got out of military rule. Military rule by its nature distorts smooth and predictable process; it is about taking power by force and in Nigeria’s situation, it is ganging up under different façades, pretexts, and emotional appeal. We see the direct result of the personal and selfserving nature of power enterprise in Nigeria; the corruption, the ‘power by force’ and coup d’état syndrome, and the cruel fanning of emotions of ethnicity and religion by the military elite and a bunch of their apologists, who manipulated the country for almost 40 years.

What would you say have been the consequences of all these?

The consequences have been failed leadership, corruption and insincerity that prevailed; all combined, have denied us the chance to build the foundation that can carry today’s Nigeria, grow the nation’s economy, and remain a relevant member of the world community. The nation suffered from severely stunted growth and kwashiorkor. We have collectively, either by commission or omission, failed to construct a foundation good enough, strong enough to carry about 167 million persons. Rather, we have a fading but unrepentant “power-machines” that are still causing problems with their big purse.

How does that concern the Boko Haram sect?

The present polarisation and destructive activities of the Boko Haram sect has direct correlation to the national malaise. Unfortunately, some northern youths are caught in this web by sheer accident and their misreading of the past, and lack of patience and understanding to see the liberating leadership from a humble man, who is determined to drive transformation. I feel for them, their effort is misdirected. President Goodluck Jonathan is not responsible for the poor state of the North or any part of Nigeria. The SouthSouth people were not responsible for the underdevelopment in the North, neither was there any southern or Nigerian Christians’ conspiracy at any time to deny the North access to life-enhancing opportunities. As a matter of fact, the young people in the North should ask themselves how come that all the development indicators point to the fact that the northern states were more underdeveloped, and the people more backward when their military elite was in control of the Presidency and all powerful positions in government. That was a time their people dictated what happens in the country for upwards of 40 years. The North has witnessed better development in every respect within the last 12 years than within the 30 years before 2000.

Venting their anger, desperation and frustration on Jonathan or his government is really misdirected.

The insecurity in the country, whether

Boko Haram or kidnapping and the generally toxic Nigerian environment, are the direct outcome of about 40 years of bad and stereotypical government we have had in the past. Unemployment and underemployment, constricted economic and social space, and non-existent or poor quality education have made it impossible for a great majority of Nigerians to feed well, and be happy. This condition has persisted for a very long time.

Are you saying that this administration does not deserve all these?

Obviously! Dr. Jonathan’s presidency does not deserve the kind of treatment it is getting from some of the elite, and these misled young people. However, you cannot intimidate a well-meaning man like Jonathan from the presidency for many reasons. One, he is fulfilling a destiny already crafted by the Almighty. Two, amidst the confusion that surrounded his time as Vice President, and acting President, he had the courage to call the bluff of some egomaniacs and withstand the plots of more devious power schemers.

Therefore, you can see that the man is focused. Thirdly, you know it would have been easier to be in the villa and continue with business as usual, but this President has resisted playing the comfort-zone politics; the man has guts and deep resolve. The man has his eyes on history, and is committed to delivering for the people and placing Nigeria on the right track again. He does not have a bloated ego, or messianic posturing. He will overcome all the challenges and be a tremen-

dous success.

Would you say that Mr. President has generally justified the confidence reposed in him by the electorate?

Mr. President is not a magician or a miracle worker but he is, from all indications, authentic and deeply committed to the Nigerian project. But he is grossly misunderstood.

What the President aims to achieve with his transformation agenda will shock Nigerians the way I interpret him. Already, we can witness the deconstruction of long-held beliefs and habits at the federal level. The man does not operate on the same plateau as others before him. There has been a shift of paradigm; this kind of phenomenon needs appropriate interpretation to be appreciated at this level.

A silent revolution is certainly going on; you have to understand it to interpret it to the people and for the people to appreciate it at this moment. We are still stuck in the mental model and euphoria-creating schemes of the old. The presidency is no longer the big elephant that has its fingers in every dirty deal or throws its weight around every corridor, every institution, and agency, and bullies the state governments and their local government counterparts and dictate to all from the pigeon hole in the Villa. If any arm or tie of government is not performing, it is not traceable to the villa. It has become a more focused presidency, and robust and egalitarian.

What about the military?

He has also reconstructed the military and

Nigeria at 52 and the state

Prof. David-West

Ayo Odumakin

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 to the insecurity crisis, a former Military governor of former Western Region and Minister of Police Affairs, Major-General David Jemibewon, said: “‘I think in any situation, even under a war situation, dialogue is very important, particularly if you know the parties that are involved in disputes or in disagreement. Dialogue is the best alternative. It ought to be tried and it is when it fails that you look at the other alternatives. So I am in support of dialogue, where people who are to be involved in dialogue can be identified.”

Also speaking on this development, the Primate of the Anglican Church, the Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle the problem of insecurity in head on, describing it as the greatest problem confronting the nation today. He as well called on all stakeholders to wake up and act as required.

According to the cleric, “the government should ensure that the lives of the masses are secured; those who are throwing bombs should surrender so that we can make progress and live in peace”.

He emphasised that “those who are harming others are not friends of the nation and are not interested in the progress of their lives, that of their children and even the future of the children yet unborn.”

A professor of International Law at the University of Lagos, Professor Akin Oyebode spoke animatedly about peaceful coexistence: “Right now, we don’t know what precisely the game plan of the insurgent in the northern part of the country is. One time we heard they want to turn Nigeria into a

sharia-dominated country. There was a time they were asking non-Muslim people to leave the North. But that is not practicable. There is no monolithic North anymore. And there are places in the so-called North that are not Muslim-dominated And we know that in the world of today and in Nigeria of today, there has to be peaceful co-existence. If you go by the experience of people of South-West, there is hardly any family in Yorubaland that does not have Christians and Muslims on both sides of the divide. We have learnt to live together and celebrate together. I think the Yoruba has an example to show to the rest of the country more so that we should know that Christianity and Islam are not indigenous to us. They are foreign religions emerging from the Middle East. Our traditional African religion has been sidelined. So I don’t see why we should be killing ourselves over foreign religion if you ask me. We are Nigerians and we have bond of friendship, blood solidarity with your fellow brothers and sisters. I think that is what we should emphasise.

“We also learnt that the situation was brought about by unemployment. I don’t really see the validity of that position because poverty and unemployment do not know ethnic or religious frontiers. Poverty in Borno is like poverty in Kwara or poverty in Benin. I think is a red-herring. We can of course agree that the leadership in that part of the country have not demonstrated sufficient empathy in terms of policy making to arrest the upsurge in the violence. Look at what, for instance, we have in certain parts of the South-West where governments are making social security provision for the elderly People above 65 years are being given five thousand naira

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM OFR PUBLISHER All the Facts, All the Sides STEVE AYORINDE

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HEAD, GRAPHICS

President Jonathan’s frequent foreign trips

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan arrived in New York last Sunday for the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Reports said Jonathan, at the UN General Assembly, was scheduled to meet with other world leaders like the presidents of China, France, South Korea, Brazil, Bulgaria, Finland and Switzerland. He was also to deliver a speech at the meeting on the rule of law and join the Prime Minister of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, with whom he currently serves as Co-Chairperson of the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, in presenting its report to the Secretary-General of the world body, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.

Likewise, the president was billed to attend a high-level meeting on the Nigerian economy, meet with the chairman and top executives of world oil giant, Exxon- Mobil, grace a reception to be hosted by President Barack Obama of the United States, as well as another event to be hosted by the Secretary-General on the eradication of polio. In the president’s delegation to the UN meeting were governors Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State; Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke; and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, among others.

While we see nothing wrong with the president’s physical presence at such a high profile meeting as the 67th session of the UN, Jonathan’s scheduled October trip to the United Arab Emirate (UAE) to attend the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) world summit holding in Dubai between October 14 and 18, presents sufficient backdrop to appraise his frequent foreign travels.

Reports indicated that the president would double as the leader of the country’s delegation to the Dubai event and the special guest at the Nigerian pavilion.

We think that President Jonathan sometimes travels to events that could be delegated to his ministers or other top government officials.

He had travelled to Brussels, Belgium to attend the Customs summit, an assignment that ought to be delegated to the Minister of Finance or the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service. He was in Kampala, Uganda to attend the fifth inauguration of President Yoweri Museveni, a leader whose government is perceived by local political opposition and segments of the international community as authoritarian and repressive. Indeed, the Kampala trip drew the flak of critics, who rightly failed to understand the basis of the romance between Jonathan, a seeming democrat; and the Ugandan civilian despot.

It was, in addition, reported that the president attended the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22 this year with roughly 116 delegates, said to be one of the largest. The president was in Ethiopia to attend the burial of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

He had been to Malawi and Cote d’Ivoire as well, among others. The president’s trips are often preceded with advance parties and entourages which attract huge estacodes at the country’s expense; whereas back home; the Federal Government has been grappling with an economy whose state many view as parlous.

It may be necessary to remind Jonathan that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo traversed the world, travelling to about 90 destinations to canvass for foreign investment, external debt forgiveness and debt re-negoti-

ation. Though the Obasanjo government succeeded in extracting partial debt forgiveness, it is doubtful that the Direct Foreign Investment (FDI) attracted to the country justified the former president’s globe-trotting.

Besides, the country’s external debt profile is on the rise again and has hit $5 billion, according to recent reports. Related to the foregoing are questions as to whether the country should rely heavily on FDI to develop, and how the FG would reconcile the capital disinvestment element that goes with FDI policy over time, worldwide.

Perhaps, the Presidency should be reminded that the strength of a country’s foreign policy and the ability of a leader to attract foreign investors are not necessarily defined by the frequency of foreign trips.

President Jonathan appears to be very economical when it comes to the delegation of powers on foreign assignments. Consequently, we look forward to the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, among others, being put to more effective use.

There are many challenges confronting the country that demand the president’s presence more at home than has been the case. They include the Boko Haram campaign of violence, kidnapping, ethno-religious feuds, secessionist threats and general security deficit. Now added to the list is flood disasters and looming food and fuel crisis, etc. All these deserve serious presidential attention which an “Ajala travel” president may not sincerely cope with.

And while it may be uncharitable to accuse the president of embarking on foreign trips to shy away from these responsibilities, being abroad frequently, even when the exigencies at home demand the contrary, is an indication that he is becoming tired of such challenges and may be overwhelmed if the trend is not reversed.

Reminiscences SEPTEMBER 30 IN HISTORY 1949: Germany - Berlin airlift ends The Berlin airlift officially came to an end after 250,000 flights took food, medical supplies, clothing and fuel to West Germany. This was to circumvent the Soviet Union’s blockade of West Berlin.

1956: Cyprus faces marshal law The city of Nicosia is under marshal law and a curfew following a number of attacks by the Cypriot underground on British servicemen patrolling the streets.

1966: Botswana gains independence Botswana, previously known as Bechuanaland gained independence within the Commonwealth from Britain.

1980: Iran-Iraq war intensifies Iran continued bombing oil installations in Baghdad in retaliation for Iraq aircraft bombing its oil refineries in the Persian Gulf. These major oil producing nations both claimed victory during each skirmish.

1981: US - O’Connor emerges first female Supreme Court judge Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice in history when she was sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger.

1993: India earthquake kills over 10,000 An earthquake 6.3 on the Richter scale stroke the city of Latur in southern India. By normal accounts, 6.3 is not a massive earthquake but owing to poor construction of houses and village huts made of stones and because of the time it struck, over 10,000 died when they collapsed on sleeping persons in early morning hours.

2005: Northern Ireland gives up weapons The Irish Republican Army (IRA) has given up its weapons to independent weapons inspectors. The IRA had been operating as a terrorist organisation since the 60’s with bombings and high profile assassinations as the military arm of Sinn Fein.

2008: Terrorists target Iraqi doctors Iraq’s government decided to allow doctors to have guns to use for selfdefence after complaints from medical workers. Many doctors and other medical workers were targeted by militants and other criminals since the 2003 invasion by the United States.

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Opinion

Sunday September 30, 2012

Uncensored U nc

Sheriff S Folarin

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

A

t 52, and with its multiple national capacities as well as a great heritage and its significant roles in African development, Nigeria should be the power house of the continent and people of African descent. The country has the largest population in the continent and by extension the most populous black nation in the entire world. In addition to this is its massive landmass. With 923, 768km (square), Nigeria is the 32nd largest country in the world. It is therefore expected that blacks should see the country as their home, source of pride and a place to roost.

Nigeria is among the seven largest oil producers in the world; with oil, it naturally belongs to the exclusive club of the wealthiest in the world. Coupled with this, the country has nuclear capacity and could develop such potentials to a nuclear power level, which could elevate it to becoming one of the superpowers in global politics.

Indeed, beyond deterrence, nuclear weapons are the essential credentials a nation requires in the contemporary system to join the biggest boys’ club. No wonder, one-time Foreign Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi had desired that Nigeria optimizes its nuclear potentials and emerge first as a Medium Power and then subsequently as the first African superpower.

With its nuclear potential, Nigeria may decide not to take the option of war instruments but aim at meeting its electricity and other nuclear energy needs with very little cost implications. It can solve its energy problems with such capacity. The giant could also utilize solar power to complement or generate entirely electricity.

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At 52, yes, we can!

Available records from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) show that Nigeria is among the countries whose solar energy generation per day alone could meet its electricity needs for about a week.

Aside the oil, natural gas, nuclear and solar energy, Nigeria is endowed with other mineral resources that can facilitate domestic development as well as revenue generation. These include iron and steel, tin, coal, bauxite, tantalite, limestone, gold, copper, among other minerals. Its alluvial land all over and the many cash and food crops, including cocoa, cassava, palm oil, groundnuts, yam, rice, maize, and several others combine to make Nigeria one of the most agriculturally fertile nations in the universe. Like a popular musician once surmised, everywhere is ‘green’ and rich.

The Nigerian military is one of the most formidable and active in the continent.

Indeed, it is the most active. From fighting to keeping the nation together in 1967-70, to operating and distinguishing itself in conflict-ridden parts of the world alongside United Nations forces, leading other African troops in peacekeeping missions around the continent, securing and restoring democracy in West Africa, to combating local terrorism today, the Nigerian armed forces have shown class and deserve a place in a global Hall of Fame.

The history of the over 100 ethnic groups that make up the country is a very long and rich one. The empires and states that evolved in pre-colonial Nigeria had influences in the Western Sudan and beyond.

The Oyo Empire (until the 19thc) and the Egba Kingdom on several occasions were dominant over several states in West Africa, particularly Dahomey (now Benin Republic) and over the Ewe-speaking people of Togo. Benin’s rich culture and terracotta civilization resonated in Ghana and overseas. The Kanuris established one of the most formidable empires in the continent.

From Mai Ali Ghaji to Idris Aloma, the Kanem-Borno Empire (where, sad enough, Boko Haram has now turned into terrorist enclave) established suzerainty over

vast areas that included Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. It is even on record that the first diplomatic mission and state visit carried out in the continent (or at least Western Sudan) were by Mai Idris Aloma.

The Kwororofa kingdom of the Jukum controlled a vast part of western Cameroon. After the Jihad of Othman dan Fodio, most of the entire West Africa came under his theological and political influence. In fact Northern Nigeria became the place of ordination of West African Islamic kings and preachers.

Nigeria has shared its resources and strengths with fellow African states. It has pumped money into helping needy states in the continent and beyond. Aside resolving conflicts, it has also assisted in post-conflict rehabilitation, lending helps by way of grants, loans, interest-free loans, manpower and expertise. Only a few countries of the 53 sovereign states have not enjoyed these Africanist or Afrocentric roles of the giant.

The beneficiaries are all the states of West Africa, Western Sahara, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Uganda, Namibia, DR Congo, Rwanda, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, and of course South Africa. Nigeria was the only African country that saddled itself with the responsibility of confronting the apartheid regimes in Southern Africa and intensified campaigns, spending enormous money, to free Mandela and get rid of Pieter Botha’s regime in South Africa (whose people, today, interestingly paint Nigeria and Nigerians black everywhere they go).

Nigerian music is globally celebrated and the musicians are one of the most talented in the world. We have persons that have been nominated in all known music awards. We have even had the likes of King Sunny Ade, Femi Kuti and PSquare nominated in the most prestigious Grammy.

Tuface, Naeto C and Dbanj are hottest cakes from Africa. The Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood ranks third after Hollywood and Bollywood of America and India respectively. The sports entertainment industry

is lit up with Nigerian stars. The country surprised the world when it became the first African country and the first nation in the world to win the Under 17 World Cup in 1985. It repeated the feat in 1993 and 2005, winning that World Cup three times. It won the Olympics Soccer Gold in 1996. It was the first in Africa to host a FIFA World Cup in any category (Under 20 in 1999 and Under 17 in 2009). Egypt and South Africa followed Nigeria’s leadership in that direction.

This same country has the highest number of Christians in the world (this can be argued). It has the brightest preachers and the most charismatic Christian leaders.

Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo, Prophet Abiara, Olubunmi Cardinal Okojie, among other great Christian leaders, have made Nigeria become a pilgrimage land for Christians all over the world. The Guinness Book of Records listed largest single auditorium in the world as at 2009, the Faith Tabernacle of the Winners (Living Faith Church) in Canaanland is right here in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a great nation with huge potentials. But why is it unsung these days/ Why are the memories of its unmatchable accomplishments fading away? Why is no one talking about its prospects? It is perhaps because of the wastefulness and frivolities of its rulers over the years; the pandemic corruption and many cases of advance fraud within and overseas, which have made it disliked and distrusted around the world; collapsed infrastructure and dwindling fortunes in the education sector, which have undercut its achievements and have the potentials of killing the spirit of the people; growing insecurity that overshadows its past military exploits; and of course, poor leadership, which makes it object of debauchery in international circles. At 52, should we not rather relive our past achievements and optimize our great prospects while rejecting this menacing mediocrity on our land?

•Dr. Folarin teaches Politics at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

Akwa Ibom at 25: The vision, mission of Akpabio EKPENYONG WILSON

O

n Sunday, September 23, Akwa Ibom celebrated its silver jubilee alongside Katsina State. “Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria named after the Qua Iboe River. It is located in the coastal South-Southern part of the country, lying between latitudes 4°321 and 5°331 North, and longitudes 7°251 and 8°251 East. The State is bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west

by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean and the southern-most tip of Cross River State.

“Akwa Ibom is one of Nigeria’s 36 states with a population of over 5 million people and more than 10 million people in diaspora.

It was created from the former Cross River State and is currently the highest oil and gas producing state in the country. The state’s capital is Uyo with over 500,000 inhabitants.

Akwa Ibom has an airport (Akwa Ibom International Airport) and two major seaports on the Atlantic Ocean with a proposed construction of a world-class seaport, Ibaka Seaport, at Oron. Along with English, the main spoken languages are Ibibio, Annang, Eket, and Oron.

“The current region of Akwa Ibom State in the old Calabar Kingdom, was the first to

encounter Western education in Nigeria with the establishment of Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar in 1895, Methodist Boys High School, Oron in 1905 and other top flight schools such as the Holy Family College at Abak”.

In all ramifications, there is no contesting the histo-geographical exactness of the foregoing facts about the Land of Promise.

But there is need for a caveat on these facts, which indeed, is both a part of the problem of nation building in Nigeria and an anticlimax to existential advancement of the geopolitical entity before the coming of Godswill Akpabio’s uncommon transformation. This is the protracted or prolonged transmutation from colonial peasant to neo-colonial ultra rural economy in spite of its chequered history of being the first to encounter Western education in Nigeria and super abundance of human and material resources.

Really, this piece is not meant to undermine the developmental efforts of all the leaders in the state from the pioneering administration of retired General Tunde Ogbeha to that of Obong Victor Attah, the first democratically elected leader and predecessor of Governor Akpabio. But, without sounding unduly patronizing, there is the consensus among majority of Akwa Ibom citizens, including a sizeable percentage of those in opposition Akpabio that the socio-

economic and infrastructural transformation the state has witnessed in the last five years dwarfs all have been achieved by preceding administrations from 1987.

Of course, there is the need to understand and appreciate the fact that pre-Akpabio Akwa Ibom State, as an integral part of Federal Republic of Nigeria, had its own share of leadership skewed vision of what true essence of government is. As this bane of genuine human and material development of most states in Nigeria persists, it is apt to allude that that the silver jubilee of Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom State was celebrated with pride of purposeful, focused and disciplined strides of a great mind and leader, does have a divine connotation.

All political entities in human history, which have witnessed positively transformational change, development or advancement, have one thing in common: In all of these entities, accomplishing historic socio-economic mission by the leadership, as being experienced in Akwa Ibom at her silver jubilee, is usually powered by a fastidious articulation of an uncommon vision. Thus, if Akwa Ibom is been celebrated and appreciated by the political and business elites of Nigeria today, it is consequential to state the obvious that there is need to pay a premium attention to the uncommon vision, which has driven her out of the mire of ‘just one

of the states in Nigeria’ to numero uno in all-round human and material development and advancement.

The issue of correlation between the vision and mission of Governor Akpabio as a great mind, goal-getter and man of history can best be understood when weighed against his now popular declaration and dictum that “My vision for Akwa Ibom State is an empowered populace and a private sector-driven economy, acting as a catalyst to Nigeria`s industrial revolution. I desire to create a dynamic prosperous, productive populace where equal opportunity, justice, social, political equity, and harmony prevail among all ethnic nationalities and geopolitica*l zones in Akwa Ibom.”

Indeed, given the unprecedented ‘deluge’ of infrastructural, material and human development, which has turned Akwa Ibom into a Mecca of political gatherings as well as business ‘Dubai’ of many Nigerian and international politicians and leaders of the industry, one is bound to proudly agree with Governor Akpabio in his September 23 speech that “the last five years could best be described as the icing on the cake” of the Akwa Ibom silver jubilee as a distinct geopolitical entity in Nigeria.

•Dr. Wilson is a Chicago-based medical practitioner and public commentator.

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Applause LIFESTYLE, FASHION & ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

For marriage to survive, women should be old-fashioned –Nigeria Go Survive crooner Veno Marioghae is the lady of songs that sang a popular hit in the 80s entitled Nigeria Go Survive. Now Mrs. Veno Mbanefo, she is married with three children. As the country clocks 52 tomorrow, she tells Adaeze Amos in this interview what motivated her to do that song, her feelings about Nigeria today, and what a woman should do to ensure her marriage endures, among others.

What have you been doing of late?

Somewhere along the line I got into full-time ministry. Full-time in the sense that I left everything else I was doing and just dedicated myself to the work of God… which I’m still doing till date. I serve God with gifts he has given to me: a gift of writing and song.

Is it gospel songs that you sing now?

I have not done any gospel album. That is the funny thing. But when I was very young in my early 20s, I came out with a popular song entitled ‘Nigeria Go Survive.’ I was fresh out of school and I had no job. So I sang the song that later became very popular.

What inspired you to sing the song ‘Nigeria Go Survive’?

I knew that Nigeria will survive all that she was passing through then. As a young student, I had seen the best times of Nigeria when corporate bodies came to campuses to woo the best and the brightest to work for them; when we went abroad on holidays to shop and relax rather than become economic fugitives in a land that didn’t want us. This was when we had the best local and international teachers. We also had a school system that was stable, credible and uniform. Our parents’ jobs and businesses were stable; secure and progressive. The Naira was stronger than the Dollar and almost on a par with the Pound Sterling.

Then overnight in the very early 80s, under Shagari regime and worse under IBB, we became paupers, with grossly devalued currency and no jobs. Everything started crumbling in succession and people despaired.

I just wanted to say ‘Chin up, all is not lost! Look at what we still have. Let’s work with them and stem the slide, and we will be okay!’

Do you actually think Nigeria has survived after 52 years of our independence?

Barely by the skin of our teeth. We should long have stepped out of the survival mode to the arrival mode. We can’t still be circling this mountain of corruption, selfishness and despair. Now anger, resentment and violence have been added to this simmering, unpalatable stew! Our values have gone to the dogs.

All it takes to make the stew sweet and edible is to change our collective psyche from selfish and criminal to selfless and transparent; from bossing people around to really serving them. From starving our people from what is rightfully theirs to feeding them fat with it.

Why are you hardly seen at parties and events?

No, I’m not a party person. I read, write, sing and I love to spend time with my husband. We gist a lot. I’m quite content, we watch TV together.

You have been married for over 20 years, what is the secret and why do you think some marriages are crashing?

I always tell people that for a marriage to survive, in this time, the woman, especially has to be prepared to be old-fashioned and willing to abide by God’s blueprint. The Bible says a wise woman builds her home and a foolish one tears it down. What I’m doing right? It is just God. Does it not take two to agree for a marriage to survive?

One thing I know is that if you do your own bit as the wife and the woman, and you cry out to God when things are going the other way, God has a way of fighting for you. Because He has seen that you are coming to him with clean hands, He can plead your case. God says, ‘come let us reason together’. Tell him strong reasons why he should do that for you. You go to God’s court and plead your case: ‘I stand and say I’m innocent, I plead I’m innocent and I say Lord come and do this for me’. It is not for Him to judge the man because you wouldn’t want God to judge your husband and find him guilty.

Why not if God finds him guilty?

There are consequences. But you have to keep your goal in line. What is your goal? You want a change in CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

HOW BEST TO HELP RAPE VICTIMS –CLAUDIA

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‘COMBINING MOTHERHOOD WITH MODELLING IS NO BIG DEAL’

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Applause

Sunday, September 30, 2012

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How best to help rape victims –Claudia Effervescent Claudia Noble-Arett is the Director of Films, Noble Pictures, South Africa. The eloquent mother of a daughter at a recent event revealed to Angela Davies that rape is her greatest fear in life. She also spoke about what can be done to help victims, among other issues.

You look really elegant. Can you define your fashion statement?

The way I dress determines the way I feel about myself. Women must always be proud of who they are and what they have accomplished. Therefore, the fashion should make that statement – I have arrived.

You also look like a woman who loves jewelry. Are you one?

Yes, I like jewelry a lot. But I have my rules when wearing jewelry. If my earrings are very big, I don’t wear necklace and if they are small, I wear necklace. The jewelry complements your entire outfit and it is important to accessorise. Sometimes you can put on a dress and if you don’t accessorise, you will not actually see the beauty of the dress. Accessories actually make a statement with your outfit.

Everyone has one fear or the other in life. What is your greatest fear?

Oh, to be raped is my greatest fear. I don’t know what it is but I have this huge fear for that. I was a Sunday school teacher and I work with the youths and I have always felt bad when young girls come to me and tell me their experiences. That has been my biggest fear in life really. My heart always goes out to women and young girls who have gone through such experiences.

What do you do to help these victims?

I counsel them. Counselling is always the best thing. It is very difficult, I don’t think it is something they would ever get over, it would always be with them but the important thing is learning how to live with oneself. It is not forgetting it because it doesn’t get away but it is learning how to carry on living, although you have had a terrible experience in your life.

Don’t you think that it is actually a difficult thing to live with?

It is true; most girls can’t live with it. It is very difficult and it ruins their entire life because they go on with life however, they cannot have proper relationships again with the opposite sex. But they have to try. You cannot change the world but you can try to make a difference in somebody’s life by giving them encouragement.

How many children do you have?

I have one child and she is 16 years old. My husband was married before and he has three children, so I have three step-children.

In Africa, many women do not like the responsibility of taking care of step-children. How do you cope?

It is difficult because it is a kind of adoption. My husband’s children are already ages 18, 19 and 24 years, so it wasn’t a difficult adjustment. My daughter is 16 and it was difficult for her to come into a family and she just felt like I was giving the other children all the attention and I didn’t love her anymore. I had to be very sensitive to that need that she had. I wanted to give his children attention too because I didn’t want them to feel that I had taken

their dad away so I had to really try and balance my life. I try and make it work but all situations are difficult but together, if you love each other and you have God in your life, it does really help you to get through all those barriers and to pull together as a family.

What do you love about womanhood?

We could look lovely whenever we want. We could get dressed, look at ourselves and say we are so gorgeous. The fact that men turn their heads, look at you and appreciate your beauty. I think that is wonderful about being a woman - just having that power and control over men.

What is that fashion item you cannot do without as a woman?

My earrings, I always feel like I am undressed if I don’t have them on.

What kind of shoes do you love to wear?

I really love shoes that glitter but it must be high heels always. I don’t feel I am dressed unless I have a high heeled shoe on, so I am always on heels.

How do you love to carry your hair?

If I am putting on an evening outfit, I would normally wrap my hair up but during the week, for the office, I leave it straight and down.

How do you love your make-up?

I like my make-up standard. I love to wear red lipsticks. They always say a man looks at a woman twice when she is wearing red lipstick.

How do you keep fit?

The truth is that I have added weight. I have to start dieting again, although it is very difficult because we have a lot of lovely food. When you are way over 40, the metabolism slows down. So it is difficult to keep yourself trim and slim but it is important to look good, maintain a good exercise routine and try to keep a healthy diet.

You are over 40 and you look really graceful. What is the secret?

I am actually 45 years old. I think it is having good genes and also eating healthy. I had very bad acne as a child and so I battled with my skin. As a result I used a lot of skin products to always make sure that my skin was cleansed. It simply helps if you make sure you are using cleanser and moisturiser.

What kind of books do you read?

I read mostly magazines. I also read inspirational books to improve myself. I actually grew up with the book ‘Think And Grow Rich’. There is this part that says, “Anything the mind of men can believe and conceive he can achieve”. I have always turned it around and said, “Anything the mind of women can conceive and believe she can achieve”. That is a book my dad gave to me as a young girl and I have always kept that in my mind.

What are your hobbies?

I love filmmaking, reading, horse-riding and dancing.

‘Women should be old-fashioned’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 your situation, a change in your marriage? God would come in and fight for you. For example, if another woman is trying to take your husband, you have a lot to stand in. You can say, ‘your word says that my husband would only drink from my fountain. The wife of his youth, he would not cheat on, and so on and so forth’. Let women whose marriages are shaking cry to God but you must do so with clean hands. The reason is that it should be enough with breakages in marriage. It affects the society.

How does it affect the society?

My heart breaks over breakages in marriage. My children have a lot of them as friends and a lot of them are from dysfunctional homes. You don’t know how this thing affects the children! There are some who would come to my house sometimes and they look at my children and look at us and say ‘wow I wish my parents were like these’. And you see, I tell my children that every morning, y o u should bless God for some things. Like my pastor would say, ‘there are some things that money can buy but there are many others that money cannot buy’. For instance, good marriage, money cannot buy, no matter how much you think you have.

My husband and I can’t boast of being wealthy or any thing but we are wealthy in Jesus’ name. You find that the things that really matter are what money cannot buy. When you can provide a good home for your children, where they can grow up with the right values, that is worth more than gold. I’m happy that you brought this up because it is something that is very close to my heart. By God’s mighty grace, I have been married for over 20 years. My son is over 20.

What do you do to keep fit?

All those talks about exercises, I have not been hearkening to them. I think I should start.

You applied blue nail polish because you are putting on blue jeans; is that how you change colours of your nail polish to blend with what you are wearing?

Yes, it is one of my crazy moments. In fact, I was telling somebody that those moments have passed but I noticed they still come back gradually.

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Cocktail Whispers

Stories by Olumide Segun-Oduntan

0818 941 8761 e-mail: lumidezy@yahoo.com

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Osaze Odemwingie, wife expecting first child

River Niger flooding: Road Safety leads by example Last two weeks, following release of water from Lagdo Dam by Cameroun, Southern Nigeria was virtually cut off from the North at the Lokoja axis by a flood that swallowed the area. The deluge destroyed property, killing people and rendering thousands homeless. A lot of small villages in Lokoja and Kogi will soon be wiped out if nothing is done soon. In fact, some people are trapped on top of trees.

According to the Minister of Works, the level of water seen in the past two weeks had never happened in the last 100 years.

But what is most interesting in this picture is that the Federal Road Safety Corps have decided to live by example by plying the Abuja Expressway in canoes.

Although, they have directed that vehicles travelling to Abuja and environs on the expressway take other routes, it would have been better if they opted for the use of canoes to travel to Abuja instead of the usual cars.

That is on a lighter note. Everyone must agree that this incident is a national tragedy that requires the urgent attention of National Emergency Management Agency, FRSC, the police, and, of course, the army, just in the event Boko Haram decides to exploit it in order to harm innocent travellers.

Gov Oshiomhole remarries After two years, Cocktail Whispers can authoritatively reveal that plans are afoot for Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to remarry. You will recall that the comrade governor lost his wife, Clara, about two years ago to cancer.

The new bride, according to information, is a student of Law at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. In fact, it was gathered that the bride-to-be is a regular caller in the Government House, Benin though most times, she stays with the governor’s mother in his home town. Rumour carriers are even saying the traditional ceremony had been done last year. Whatever the case, this is wishing the comrade governor, the best of luck in this endeavour.

Wife of Super Eagles and West Bromwich Albion hitman, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, Sarah Michael, who is pregnant, is expecting their first child. Osaze and Sarah got married on May 26, 2012.

Odemwingie is a Soviet-born Nigerian footballer who plays for English Premier League club, West Bromwich Albion, as a striker. His name, Osaze, means “God chooses (for you)”.

Brought up in Russia, Odemwingie chose to pledge his allegiance to the national team of Nigeria, although he was also eligible for Russia and Uzbekistan.

He first plied his trade with Nigerian Premier League side Bendel Insurance, where he scored 19 goals in 53 league appearances from 2000 to 2002. He signed for Belgian club La Louvière in 2002 and made his mark by helping the club to win the Belgian Cup in his first season. Scoring nine goals in 44 appearances attracted the attention of the French League 1 side, Lille OSC, and before long he was a starter in the first team playing in the French League. Famous for his technique and pace, the Nigerian player is being monitored by a number of prestigious European clubs.

Odemwingie and wife, Sarah

How Ogun highlife musician, Buki Lotion, died Details have emerged on how Abeokuta, Ogun State highlife crooner, Bukola Aderounmu a.k.a. Bukky Lotion, died.

Buki, it was gathered, died last week Monday in a London hospital after battling with Leukemia (cancer of the blood).

Cocktail Whispers gathered that on being diagnosed of the ailment about a year ago, the highlife musician whose wife gave birth around the same time, sought spiritual help from Churches in Abeokuta without success.

He had to relocate to London thereafter before he eventually passed on in the presence of his wife and mother.

Alao-Akala throws one-in-town party Former Oyo State governor, Otunba Adebayo AlaoAkala, is always a news maker both in and out of office. He did not disappoint recently when he had a lavish 60 years remembrance party for his late father on September 15.

What made the party a talk-ofthe-town was the planning and the no-expense-spared nature of the gig.

Cocktail Whispers learnt that the party had in attendance over 8,000 guests in Ankara Aso-Ebi which was given to them free. Not only that, there were about eight musicians in attendance, including Chief Ebenezer Obey, Yinka Ayefele, Idris Abdulkareem, Yemi Gold and some local musicians. All guests had enough to eat and drink.

Movies & Music

Stories by Olumide Segun-Oduntan

Sunday, September 30, 2012

0818 941 8761 e-mail: lumidezy@yahoo.com

R Trimnell hits Nigerian airwaves Rudolph Trimnell, a Nigerian-born singer based in the United Kingdom, is set to launch his kind of Afro beat music into the Nigerian music industry. Rudolph, who came into the country recently, is set to rock the music scene with his chart buster singles – Here We Go, Filling My Funky and Fi Le. In a bid to stamp his authority in Nigeria, his record label Fly Boy Entertainment is poised to release the singles as part of his 10-track album entitled The Trap within the next few days.

According to Rudolph, “I am back to my fatherland to give back to the community, because I have travelled worldwide and know what stuffs that our music entails. Right now, I am releasing three singles, thereafter the full album will follow. I enjoy competition but I am not here to be better than any artiste but to play my part in the restoration of Afro hip-hop in Nigeria.”

On his musical sojourn, he disclosed that he started off as a 12-year old. “I began by saving my lunch money here in Lagos and I eventually came up with a 10-tracker music production in a cassette which I showed my mum. When she saw it, she said okay boy, but I want you to be a lawyer like myself. And when I was 17 years old I started working with a couple of artistes including Usher and Puff Daddy as a back-up singer.”

R Trimnell would not do anything else but music. In his words: “I believe in positivity and living within one’s means. If I wear big chain or jewelry, it’s not to show off but to say to you that you can do it. It’s to motivate you to work harder and you don’t have to do 419 or go into drugs to make it big.”

His words: “From next week, I shall begin a massive promo of my works. The songs and the videos which I produced and directed shall be on air for my fans.”

Flyboy Entertainment noted that with the kind of music Rudolph plays, he would be a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry in Nigeria because he has seen it all. He had worked so hard to get these singles ready. Videos for these songs were shot in the UK and it is going to be a big bang for music lovers across the country.

The former student of University of Westminster, London also desires collaboration with hip-hop acts whose songs are a morale booster to the entire citizenry.

Marley’s son opens up on relationship with Lauryn Hill When Rohan Marley shocked the public by announcing his engagement to supermodel Isabeli Fontana, everyone was asking the same question. What happened with Lauryn Hill? After 15 years and 5 children, you marry another woman?

The son of Bob Marley just recently spoke on the subject for the first time and cleared things up.

“As a man, there are certain things I don’t accept, and it just so happened that

I didn’t accept certain things in the relationship,” Rohan told UK’s The Voice. “It doesn’t mean she’s a bad person or I’m a bad person. It just didn’t work out.”

A serious rift in their relationship came when Lauryn revealed she had her sixth child with another man, but sources say the relationship was probably failing even before then. Rohan Marley says he would just like to focus on the two of them being good parents to their children.

Rising UK Af makes debu

Introducing rising UK Afrobeats sation MoeLogo with his brand new but single titled “Bo Si Ta”. Co-produ

by Mictizzle and Bayoz Muzik and off MoeLogo’s forthcoming debut EP The T Off, “Bo Si Ta” - which means “come side” in Yoruba is a sweet and infectious robeats tune laced with enthralling and lodious verses and a instantly catchy h which highlight MoeLogo’s appealing cals and cleverly-penned lyrics, all bac by captivating drum patterns, interjec lush synchs and a funky bass line, that leave you hitting the replay button over over again.

Already receiving early radio supp from the likes of DJ Xclusive (Cool FM) Wise Tola (Playvybz) and shutting do Afrobeats clubs up and down the Un Kingdom, MoeLogo is starting to cau massive stir in UK Afrobeats circles a

Rapper, Ikechuk relationship wit

Trybe Records acquires limousine for artistes

Hill and Rohan

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Trybe Records CEO, Mr. Lanre Dabiri, popularly known as eLDee The Don recently purchased a Cadillac Escalade limousine for his newly signed Trybe Records artistes. eLDee posted a few pictures on instagram and twitter earlier this week, and the caption on one of the photos reads- “Newly acquired TrybeLimo, Nightlife in Lagos will never be the same for TeamTrybe”.

When asked about why Trybe Records would make such a huge investment, he said “the management felt the need for their artistes to be conveyed in style and also to ensure their safety as responsible drinkers by providing a chauffeur to ensure nobody ever drives under the influence”.

Trybe Records founded by eLDee The Don over a decade ago has in the last nine months signed over five artistes on the label. Aside K9 and Sojay who were winners of the Top Talent Reality Show organized by Trybe Records and immediately signed on Trybe Records last year, the likes of versatile producer- Sarz, gifted singer and producer, Sheyman, talented rapper- Eva, song bird- Aramide and lyricist- Rukus have been signed on Trybe Records.

And according to eLDee, the label will still sign more artistes in the nearest future.

The Trybe Records team recently returned from their Summer Olympics UK tour where they thrilled endlessly their UK fans. According to the label, the tour was intended to promote the new artistes and also to prepare them for the world stage.

Rapper and songwriter, Ikechu has revealed why he and D Banj ar ways together. He spoke to a soft sell m azine, Encomium on this developmen Hear him: “I have heard a lot abou relationship with D’banj. Some pe call me his houseboy, bouncer, and rest, but let me say this; I have been c to D’banj since day one. The first ti saw him was at Obi Asika’s house, w he was about signing to Storm Reco and if you’re observant, you would discovered that we have similar featu

D’Banj with Ikechukwu

Chidinma Obai ANGELA DAVIES

c

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Chidinma Obairi, a Computer Science graduate brought to birth her fashion outfit, Chidinma Obairi Clothing Company, named after her in 2010 as a luxury couture brand.

Unlike numerous designers who spent years in learning the act, Chidinma’s creative talent came to the fore when she played with fabrics, thread and needle in her childhood days. Today, the light-skinned

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The blessing of the righteous,

by Pastor Okereke

Praise Worship E-mail:richardeghaghe@yahoo.com

E-mail:titusanyanwu.2012@gmail.com

EDIFYING GOD

26

September 30, 2012

Nigeria at 52

Briefly

Tackle the nation’s woes, Kumuyi tasks leaders

Pastor Adeboye prays for lawyers The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye, will on Sunday, October 7 hold a special prayer session with lawyers, particularly those still in active service. It would include all judicial workers from across the country, at the RCCG Headquarters Church, Throne of Grace Parish, Redemption Way, Ebute-Metta.

The special prayer programme for the ‘men in wigs’ and the general public at large, is coming at a very critical time in Nigeria’s history when tension is rising over the possible loss of the Bakassi peninsula to neighbouring Cameroun, on October 9. This is going by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which ceded the Bakassi Peninsular to Cameroun, 10 years ago.

Confirming preparations for the programme at a press conference in Lagos, Pastor Goke Aniyeloye of the Headquarters’ Church, revealed that “this particular prayer programme is very crucial at this stage of Nigeria’s development. He said Daddy G.O. is highly spirited to have members of the bar and bench and indeed all citizens of this great country for the prayer session, for peace and justice to reign supreme.”

TAI ANYANWU

T

he General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, has urged the leadership of the country to remain focused and find solution to the nation’s problems.

Kumuyi gave the advice while briefing newsmen in Abuja on the commencement of a four-day programme by the church with the theme: ``Divine Connection for Full Freedom”.

The programme began at the headquarters of the church in Abuja n Friday, as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s independence anniversary.

Kumuyi sympathised with families of the victims of the recent flood disasters across the country He said that only a focused leader would take the country to the Promised Land in the light of all the challenges facing it.

He, therefore, advised the leaders to take heart and look at the future, believing that the problems would be solved since it was God who put them in the position of authority.

Kumuyi urged the leaders to make good use of the resources God gave to the country. ``My message for our leaders is to take heart and to look at the future with a mind set of believing. ``Sometimes, when problems overwhelm us and we are not able to settle down to look with focus and determination, we might be so shaken and wondering if there is a future. ``We know that there is God in heaven; we know that God has appointed us, who-

Oritsejafor defends integrity President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Ayo Oritsejafor, has debunked insinuations that he was once a violent man and a murderer.

Briefing newsmen in Calabar when he declared open a six-day meeting of the Niger Delta Christian Leaders forum, the CAN president also denied that he is a fundamentalist and partisan leader, saying these insinuations are misleading.

“Against what people that have taken control of a section of the media portray in order to confuse the people, I wish to say that I have never shot a gun before in my life; I have never killed anybody before and I have never encouraged anyone to kill a human being,” he said.

He frowned that some people took delight in giving out half-truths in order to create problems in the country, adding that though he was not afraid of trouble, he would not join issues with them.

Speaking on the insurgents, Oritsejafor said they were fueled by extreme religious ideology and not poverty saying, “because they have not come out to tell us that they are killing people because they are poor”.

Pastor Kumuyi

ever we are as leaders to be in this particular place at this point in time.’’

On the programme, he said that he would be in Abuja to minister live, to impact the lives of participants at the weekend. ``I have been preparing and waiting on the Lord. There is going to be a great breakthrough for everyone that is going to be connected through the radio and everywhere. ``The country is about to celebrate its independence anniversary. The country has gone through quite a lot since it got

its independence. Everybody is thinking about what to do with the challenges ``This time, we are focusing on divine connection to full freedom, fruitfulness and security so that we can connect with our God. ``We can look at the future with real courage and we know that our God will not leave us alone. He is going to do something,’’ he said.

Kumuyi urged Nigerians to always elect leaders based on their past records and what they could deliver.

CAC moves to resolve 22-year-old crisis IKEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

T

he 22-year-old crisis which has polarised the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) into two factions may be resolved soon.

The factionalisation of the church had resulted in the emergence of a group with the name, “The Movement for the Divine Restoration of the Christ Apostolic Church”.

The group, which has its base in Lagos, consists of professionals who are Elders and Pastors not on salary from any of the factions.

They include among others, Engr.

Tokunbo Pearse and Elders Oyedokun Ol-

orunniyi. The Coordinator, Pastor Adedokun was not present at a forum at Alasepe prayer ground, Ibadan, Oyo State, where the principal officers and other pastors were briefed on efforts towards reconciliation.

Pearse, who led the group from Lagos to the ongoing 2012 Pastors Conference of the Supreme Council faction of the CAC, disclosed to the President of the Church, Pastor Joshua Ogunlade and thousands of pastors, the various efforts being made to resolve the lingering crisis and the essence of peace in the Mission.

He said his group consisted of men who were committed to the restoration of peace to the church, adding that though he was from the General Executive

THE POWER OF YOUR DESIRE’

27

faction of the church, all efforts would be made to resolve the conflict and bring all the factions together under one umbrella.

He announced the proposed reforms that would take place in the church, stating that new principal officers would emerge with the dictates of the Holy Spirit and a new constitution.

Pearse who received applause from pastors at the conference, added that a new welfare package would be approved for the pastors of the church in order to enhance their callings.

He stated further that the coming development would force many members of the church who had left to come back to CAC reputed to be the first Pentecostal church in the world.

SHOULD A CHRISTIAN HAVE TATTOOS?

Sunday Mirror/Babcock University Bible Quiz: • Current and past winners can collect their prizes from the office of the Editor, Sunday Mirror, 151/161 Broad Street, Lagos anytime from Monday to Friday. Participants should always indicate their names when sending their entries.

QUOTE The perfect wife or husband is the one who agrees that he or she is not married to a perfect partner.

–Pastor Olukoya

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Praise & Worship

Sunday September 30, 2012

Our prophets are not telling govt the truth –Rev. Chidi Recently, Founder of King in Christ Church, Rev. Chidi Anthony, gathered people to an arena of prayer and merriment. It was also a time to answer questions raised by newsmen. Excerpts, as presented by Tai Anyanwu

Rev. Chidi

Do you share the view that Christians should at times gather to relax, merry, get entertained and not necessarily to be occupied only with religious activities?

As you can see, we are having our Gala/Suya Night this evening.

The purpose is to bring people together, thank God together, Pastor Chidi praise God together. A sister and two other brothers in the church brought one cow each to thank God for what He did in their lives.

My family and I cannot eat the cow alone, so I decided to gather people together to eat, to merry together; as Jesus did when he fed the multitude with few loaves of bread and fish. It is a unique way of reaching out to souls. One of the problems the church of God is having today is that we are over-spiritual.

Somebody comes to you as a pastor and tells you that he and his family have not had any food for the past four or five days. You tell him, ‘Kneel down’; and you pray for him while you have the shortest way to solve his problem by giving him money to feed the family. So we do not need to be over-spiritual. Once in a while, we do gather people together, share with them and entertain ourselves. Some invite some prominent in Nigeria’s entertainment industry like Victor Okafor, Victor Osuagwu, Francis Odeka, John Okafor and Mr. Ibu. Occasionally, we do gather together in atmosphere of relaxation, eating and making merry. At such times, we release microphones to them to entertain the church with some Christian jokes.

What is your take on wearing of jewelry in some churches?

I do not see anything bad about it; but I do not support that ladies should put on trousers because demons have entered into fashion.

These days, ladies put on sagging trousers without underpants so that you can see those parts of the body that only their spouses should see. But my girls need to look clean.

Once in a while, I pull my own necklace and throw it to the congregation and anyone that catches it is a blessed. Somebody also bought this chain and wristwatch that I am wearing, for me just yesterday.

I am not against it. I like my daughters to look clean so that they can marry good husbands. Check out those churches that tie wrapper around, watch their young girls,

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they look older than their mothers.

Young men in such churches do not marry the girls in their churches.

They go outside the churches and marry. My brother, those ladies you see here are for sale. I want them to marry so that I will conduct wedding for them. They need to look clean, put on good perfume, put on clean ornaments so that when you look at them, you will like them.

You will come to me and you will marry them. But hear me; we don’t wear make-ups, we don’t paint in this church. However, church is meant for sinners. If ladies come here all painted up or putting up ear rings, trousers, we don’t close the door on them. Rather, we welcome them and after hearing the undiluted word of God, they change. When you push them out, you have killed them; they will run and you have lost a soul. Our target is to win souls and depopulate the kingdom of hell.

In your deliverance ministrations, how come you are too sure when you are making proclamations?

Even in those days, Elijah did same. Elijah said to Ahab that there would be rain. Do you know what it means to go to a Head of State and declare such a thing with authority? When you hear direct from God in heaven, you don’t need to shake. It is like I am talking to you, I hear what you say directly from you. And I cannot tell you something unless I heard from the third heaven. So, say it with every assurance because I know I hear directly from God in heaven.

What is the relevance of a prophet in a society like ours?

In the olden days, a king cannot do without a prophet. I remember King Josephat in the bible, when they were going to war with the King of Syria, he enquired, “Is there no Prophet in the land; let us go and inquire about the mind of God. They had the military might yet they still needed to hear the mind of God. The truth is that today, most men of God go to Aso Rock but to search for what they will eat. When they heard the mind of God concerning the nation, they cannot say it to the government people because they have mortgaged their conscience. That is the problem we are having today. A na-

tion is supposed to rely on men of God who know the mind of God, whom God gives direction on how to move this nation forward.

How do we know the true man of God? A man of God is not known by the private jet he owns and flies about with or private university, glamorous estate and chains of businesses he operates under the canopy of the church. When you see a real man of God, you do not need to be told. His congregation may be small but the breakthrough that manifests in his ministry counts. Again, what matters is how many people that are being led to heaven and the kind of life a man of God lives. Many men of God today are highly anointed without integrity. If you see a man of God, check his ministration, watch his life and check if the prophesies he has given out have come to pass.

There are people today who can prophesy; they can even tell you what you ate before coming out.

But they know it without solution.

By their fruits, you will know them.

What do you think about the political arrangement called Nigeria, that has been described as a failing nation?

Subsequent leaders have failed this great country. But I strongly believe that the President is God-sent.

He never knew that he would be on that seat. Though many people say he is not doing well so far, I believe that the President can work with men of God who hear directly from God. Nigeria will become better, tomorrow. Within and outside the country, people are complaining, our resources are misused, and the poor are getting poorer. Why? Because, the leaders are not leading well. We need to come together and call upon God to give us leaders who are not selfish. The problem we have is bad leadership; this nation is one of the best nations in the world. I love this country; I cannot run away. The USA has been inviting me to programmes, Europe also; but I love this country. When I travel to those places, I don’t spend more than seven days. My wife is here; I come back because I love this nation and I do pray for Nigeria. And I know that one day, God will intervene in our case.

‘How a Bishop confessed sin, quit secret society’ If this message touches you, know of a truth that it is time to surrender your life to Christ, says Rev. Chidi Anthony of Kings in Christ Church, in this exhortation. Excerpts, by Tai Anyanwu

I

was preaching in Takoradi in Ghana. After my ministration, I was led to make an altar call.

I wanted to lead people to Christ.

When I said, ‘if you know you are a sinner, you want peace with Christ, come out.’ I was surprised that even the Bishop in Anglican Church, Takoradi Diocese, came out, clad in his Bishop’s apparel.

I have never seen such a thing in my life.

After the service, we entered into the Bishop’s office. I called him His Lordship, and he answered. I said ‘you came out today

as a sinner before your congregation. Do you know what you did?

He said, “Yes, I came out as a sinner.” I said ‘why?’ He said, “You won’t understand.”

He explained that the Bishop’s seat he was occupying was hotly contested for until finally, some of his friends helped him to occupy the seat. He said, “They deceived me to join Lodge Fraternity. They helped me to secure the seat as a Bishop. Since then, I have been in the Lodge fraternity all these years until now.

“I came out to denounce the fra-

ternity. I know that they will come after me. But even if they kill me now, I will be very happy because I will not die as a sinner. What is in this Bishop’s regalia and after death I will end up in hell fire? I have found peace and if anything happens now, I will make heaven.

Son, don’t think of me, think about yourself ?” he advised. If this message has touched you, you are a sinner, this is the hour to surrender your life to Christ. Confess your sins now; tell God you are not worth to stand before Him and with your hands raised up, say af-

ter me: ‘Oh Lord, before your presence and the presence of thy servant I confess your Lordship over my life. You are my Lord, my personal saviour. You died at the cross of Calvary to save my soul. Anywhere I sinned against you knowingly and unknowingly, have mercy on me. Sanctify me Lord, purify me Lord, clean and wipe off all my unrighteousness in the name of Jesus. “Lord, I promise you today, yours I am; yours I want to be. Use me according to your will in the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.’

Now, lay your hands on your chest, I want to pray for you: Father in the name of Jesus, You have spoken your word. They have heard your word and turned around. And I now pray, everlasting Jehovah, that their names be withdrawn from the book of death and transferred into the book of life. Sin will not have right over their life again; sickness has no right over their lives again. Every seed of sin your life, today I destroy it in the name of Jesus. Congratulations.

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Sunday September 30, 2012

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How to achieve righteousness, by Apostle Utibe-Abasi As it was possible for people of God to live a righteous life in the Biblical days, so it is in this modern era, says Apostle Utibe-Abasi Emmanuel, General Overseer of The Rock of Salvation Church Ministries, Iju, Lagos. He, however, lists the qualifications you must possess to be called righteous.

Excerpts:

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he Bible says in Romans 3:10.

As it is written, “there is none righteous, no not one.”

1 John 3:7 says “little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” Ask yourself this question; “Why should the Bible say there is none righteous and at the same time says he that doeth righteousness is righteous?

Genesis 6:5-6 states, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thought was only evil continually.”And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.”

Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.

Who can know it?” Now look at the world today, it’s very hard for one to know who is righteous, you can see someone and think he or she is a saint, but the next thing you hear about him or her will be unspeakable.

Wickedness all over, no brotherly love, envy, jealousy, hatred, bitterness and strife consume the heart of man. The Bible states in Eph. 2:8, “For by grace are we saved through faith and that not of ourselves.” It is the gift of God. When this grace is upon you, it means you are loved and chosen by God. You will be eager to please Him (God). The Bible calls you ‘righteous’. If there were no righteous men, the Bible will not keep record of any. So it means you as well can be righteous, if you choose to be. There were righteous men who were faithful, honest, pure in spirit, who were not ready to compromise. They stood by their faith no matter the consequences; they loved God with their body, spirit and soul, and even if it meant to die they still stood by their faith.

Peter said to Jesus, “I will follow you to the end, if I die let me die.” (He was ready to die with the saviour, but he never knew he was more valuable to Jesus alive, to continue with the ministry after Him). Along the way, he denied Jesus to stay alive.

(Everything that happened to Peter was for a purpose) What about Job? His wife told him to ‘curse God and die’, thus escaping the excruciating pains of

his sickness. Job was rejected by friends and family, but he still held fast to God. He was ready to die than to curse his God. Job 2: 10b says “In all these did not Job sin with his lips” They did not compromise, they stood firm with their God. But today, most of us are compromising because of one problem or the other; churches selling their foundation to the devil, because of fame, power, and money, they forget about God, the saviour of the world, but rather, they put their trust in man-made god.

2 Chronicle 16:9a states, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him.” A person will say I’m a born again, but his behaviour does not tell, then I come to a conclusion that sometimes people don’t understand what it means to be born again.

Some believe going to church means being born again. Being born again is receiving Christ into your life, and doing His will (keeping His commandment). If one can deceive man, God cannot be deceived, because His eye is everywhere, He sees in light and in darkness. Job 34:21-22 states, “For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings.” There is no darkness, nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. There will be no hiding place for the workers of iniquity. In Gen. 18:32; Abraham spoke to God, he said “peradventure, 10 righteous shall be found in Sodom? God answered and said unto him, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” But God did not find 10 righteous in Sodom. If God should come to Nigeria today, will He find 10 righteous people or will it be worse than Sodom? That’s the big question you should be asking yourselves. 1 Cor. 11:31 states, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

Judge yourself, search your conscience, is your exhibition as a righteous man real? Search your conscience very well so that you will not be judged. Know that if there were righteous men in the past, you can be one of today.

Gen. 1:7 states; “And the Lord God said unto Noah, come thou

and all thy house into the ark, for thee have I found righteous before me in this generation.”

There were righteous people whom God sanctified and prepared for His holy service, and you can be one of them, as I said earlier. The problem most people have is thinking that when you serve God, you will be poor.

I once heard a lady say; ‘’my life has been a mess since I gave my life to Christ, nothing works for me anymore’’. Most of us have this same belief.

When You Follow God

•You will never go hungry or thirst for anything. Matt. 5 v 6 says ‘blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.’

•He will heal and nourish you. Mal. 4 v 2 states: But unto you that fear my name, shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

•You will be favoured. Psalms 5 v 12 states. For thou Lord, will bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou compass him as a shield.

•He will bless your wife and children. Psalms 12 v 3 states.

Thy wife shall be as fruitful vine, by the sides of thine house; thy children as olive plants round about thy table.

•No man will be able to condemn you. Deut. 25 v 1 says. If there be a controversy between men, and they came unto judgement, that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.

•You shall be purified and purged as gold, Mal. 3 v 3 states.

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi (that’s you) and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto God an offering of righteousness.

•You shall have security.

Psalms 34 v 7 states. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and deliver them. Psalms 68 v 17 makes us to know how many angels are on guard about us.

It reads: The chariot of God are twenty thousand, even thousand

Apostle Utibe-Abasi

of angels, the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

•You shall have eternal life with Christ. Rev. 3 v 4 states.

Thou has a few names, even in Sardis which have not defiled their garment. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

All these promises and more are laid up for the righteous.

But if as a righteous man you are still wanting, search yourself, there is something (a quality you have not possessed) missing. Eze. 18 v 5 – 9 states, “But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right. And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife; neither hath come near to a menstruous woman.

And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor, his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; he that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath ex-

ecuted true judgement between man and man, hath walked in statutes, and hath kept my judgement, to deal truly. He is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.” Are you sure you are cleared of all the qualities you just read, but still wanting? Mark 10 v. 28 – 30 states, “Then Peter began to say unto him; ‘lo, we have left all, and have followed thee’’. And Jesus answered and said. ‘’ Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left his house or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s. But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions and in the world to come eternal life’’. Then it’s the normal persecution that will soon pass away. But if you are not cleared of those qualities, start possessing them now, and receive your blessing of life. I say again, there is a righteous man which God hath sanctified and prepared for his holy service.

Are you that man?

•For enquires, call 08037187775

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he righteous are those that are obedient to God’s command because they live right and are justified before God and even before man. They portray the true life of a Christian. They are like an evangelical tool of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ because they are pure symbols of obedience to the commandments of God; and the blessings of God are greatly upon them. For example, God has commanded us not to kill, steal, commit adultery, convert our neighbours things, bear false witness and in summary to love Him and our neighbours as ourselves. The righteous will earnestly keep these commandments and in reward, the blessings of God will come upon him.

Although they will experience trials and tribulations in the cause of living right but because God has given them the Spirit of righteousness but surely, they will overcome them all. The Bible says ‘many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all’ Psalm 34:1-9. It is only the wicked that works contrary to the commandments of the Almighty God. Isaiah 3:10-11 states, “say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. God loves righteousness. He said that ‘their righteousness is of me’. These are His blessings for those that are obedient to God’s command (the righteous).

Deuteronomy states, 28:1-13 “And it shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations on earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shall thou be in the city and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Blessed shalt be the fruit of thy body, and thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou commest in, and goest out.

The Lord shall cause thy enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

The LORD shall command the blessings upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto, and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways and all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make the plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy father to give thee. The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season and to bless all the works of thine hand; and thou shall not borrow.

And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only; and shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them”.

This is the word of the Almighty God to those who keep His commandment in righteousness. The Bible says “His word

Sunday September 30, 2012

The blessing of the righteous –Pastor Okereke Pastor (Dr.) Chima Okereke, General Overseer of Global Success Ministries, analyses the blessings that will accrue to a righteous person, in this exhortation. Excerpts, by Richard Eghaghe

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

For you to enjoy these blessings, you have to render true service to God. Make out time out of your busy time for God, use your talents, money and all that God has blessed you with to serve him and win souls to Him. Ask yourself; since you became a Christian, gave your life to Christ and start practicing righteousness, how many souls have you won for God. This is why God redeemed you so that others can be redeemed through your testimonies.

Don’t just fold your arms and watch your brethren languishing in sin and you say you are righteous and expect the blessings of God. In John 15:2 “every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth, that it may bring forth fruit”. Many people today believe in what they know regardless of what the word of God says or rather they make the gospel in a way that it will suit them; that is why some of them are the way they are. If God recognizes you as a righteous man, he will open the heavens for His blessings to be upon you. In Gen 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness”. And if you go through the life of Abraham, his later end was blessed and today, we are the fruits of his blessing.

As a child of the Most High, you have to be a representative of Christ and practice righteousness in all your ways in order to propagate the gospel to the end of the earth and be a partaker of the blessings. I pray that God will grant you the Spirit of righteousness in Jesus’ Name.

For more information and enquiries about our programmes and church activities, please send text messages only to these numbers: 08067802407, 07038638984, and 08033599027.

Briefly GSM marks Holy Ghost victory night

Dr. Okereke

can not fall to the ground’. I asure you today, that as you work to live according to his commands today, you will experience His blessings upon your life like never before in Jesus’ name.

Many people today feel that they are righteous and could be wondering why things seem to be difficult for them. The reason is because they have not been practicing genuine righteousness. A righteous man will always be delivered from his trouble. If you are battling with ill health, financial set back, disappointment, failure, delay in marriage, marital crisis, rise and fall, stagnancy, limitation and so on, for a long time without being delivered from them all, then you will have to amend your ways.

Being righteous does not end only in decent outfit, It is how your heart responds to the laws or commandments of God. How

do you use your tongue; is it to condemn people, or bless them, say all kinds of calumny of others, do you push people aside and say you are righteous and they are sinners, forgetting that even Jesus eat with sinners and spent time in their houses just to call them to God. Sometimes you will see those whom you may look upon and classify as being unrighteous but they are prospering in their endeavours but you as a Christian, claiming to be righteous may even be living at their mercies; it is because even though these ones’ outward appearance may not be pleasing to the eyes but their hearts are pure and obedient to the commandments of God and so the blessings of God are upon them. Most Christians today find it difficult to render sacrifice to God but rather they prefer to give to God what does not cost them anything.

Fresh from a spiritual revival in the United States of America, General Overseer of the Global Success Ministries, Pastor (Dr.) Chima Okereke, has declared Friday, October 5, 2012, Holy Ghost night of victory.

The programme which is expected to attract both members and non members of the church, according to the powerful man of God is aimed at securing total victory from all agents of darkness and principalities for total breakthrough. He added that the Holy Ghost victory night is equally aimed at reinforcing the on-going interdenominational breakthrough programme, tagged: “I Must Shine Before Christmas”, in the church.

Tagged, ‘The Voice of His Majesty (Psalm 29:4)’, the all-night vigil holds at the main auditorium of the Church on Plot 34, Global Success Street, FESTAC, AmuwoOdofin, Lagos, from 7.00pm. According to the clergyman, the best way to attack and destroy the enemies to achieve total victory and breakthrough is to attack from all spiritual angles.

“That is why the Holy Ghost all-night victory service has become very vital to battle and weapon to conquer the agents of darkness called by what name for liberation and total breakthrough. There will also be deliverance, healings, breaking of yokes and powerful ministration by other anointed men of God, during the programme.

“So, the best good you can do for your friends, family members, neighbours and business associates, at this period of the year, is to invite them to the programme and they will never go back home the same but will live to celebrate their breakthrough with you. My request from God is to see that everyone celebrates this year’s Christmas like never before while thanking God for all His miracles and the testimonies,” said Pastor Okereke.

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Sunday September 30, 2012

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Learn to fear God, says Pastor Oloruntimilehin Pastor Oloruntimilehin Joshua Daramola, Founder of Omnipotence Mission of God says if a person has the fear of God, he or she has wisdom. He adds that whenever the person falls, that fear of God will lift him or her up. Excerpts, presented

by Tai Anyanwu:

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lot of people have died and perished, many people are in bondage. Also, many people are begging and praying for death to come. Anyone that kills himself or herself, that is, commits suicide is under eternal damnation.

Imagine what Judas Iscariot did. He was guilty of betraying his master and he decided to take his life when the weight of his offence dawned on him. He did not allow himself to be judged before he hanged himself.

A wealthy businessman in India committed suicide because his business crashed. In that circumstance, he could not offset his debt; he refused to heed his wife’s advice to manage the situation, focus on turning around the business.

He lost all hopes and considered himself to be a failure. Sometime, if a person’s journey of life becomes unpleasant, he or she could become desperate and lose every opportunity to turn his or night back into day. In extreme cases, such people can commit suicide.

Imagine someone who feels strongly in his or her heart that they cannot have children and believes it. The person may never have children because what he or she accepts is what God the Almighty will sanction.

One who thinks he or she will die in sickness has already submitted himself or herself, and the faith that should bring about healing is lacking; therefore, healing cannot take place his or her life.

Judas Iscariot had accepted to deliver Jesus Christ to his persecutors and he did it Matthew 26 verse 14 – 16 records: “…

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anna in Shiloh was always complaining over her neighbours. She had been going to Shiloh without desire. But on this remarkable season, she went to Shiloh with a desire, backing her desire with a covenant.

The Bible later records that God responded to her desire and blessed her with a child. Thus her years of barrenness came to an end. That is why I like to encourage every believer that if you are looking for something from God and you cannot get it, enter into covenant with God, give your desire the desired backing of covenant.

The day I discovered the secret of covenant practice was the day that my level in the ministry changed. Since then, everything I desire from the Lord, I back it with a covenant: Lord, if you give this to me I will do this. This is my covenant with you. Lord if you do this for me, this is what I will do in return. Lord if you can do this for me, I will never do this thing in life.

God is a covenant-keeping God, not a covenant-breaking God. I want to show you a secret; and what is the secret? For every desire, back it with a covenant. As long as you keep to that covenant, God will ever be faithful over his covenant with you.

It is men that break covenant. God is ever a covenant-keeping God. Men are covenant-breaking men. When Hanna came with desperation, she backed her desire with a covenant and God granted her desire.

Man’s desire will always place a demand on God’s virtue. Wherever there is a desire, virtue is always drawn. Take the case of the woman with the issue of blood.

What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you…?” Judas Iscariot was one of the disciples of Jesus that felt the expensive fragrant oil poured on Jesus’ head by a woman should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. He regarded the anointing of Jesus Christ by Mary Magdalene as a waste.

When his eyes were opened and awareness came upon him as his leader was being punished and tortured, he realised his betrayal. The money he collected became nothing to him. When he saw the glory in Jesus, he rejected and returned the money. Matthew 27 verses 1 – 5 states, “…Jesus was condemned; he was seized with remorse and returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priest and the elders. I have sinned, he said, for I have betrayed innocent blood. What is that to us? They replied. That’s your responsibility. So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.

Then he went away and hanged himself ”.

Judas saw his guilt and thought that what was left for him was to die and he did.

Brethren, what is the problem confronting you? Is it lack of job, inability to bear children, sickness, not having husband or wife? Are your children wayward? What problem wants to make you decide to commit suicide?

Remember that they are temporary setbacks. Don’t think these setbacks can never be changed for good. Have you lost your job? Remember that your life is not lost; even if it is lost, it can be restored as Jairus’ dead daughter (Luke 8 verse 49-55)

Pastor Oloruntimilehin

and Lazarus ‘ four days dead body were revived (John 11:1-16).

I have a strong conviction that conviction that if Judas Iscariot did not hanged himself and started crying all over the places Jesus would have appeared to him and forgive him because he is merciful and compassionate.

Peter and Judas committed the same offence i.e. betrayal. What is betrayal? Jesus had predicted during the Lord’s Supper that one of the disciples would betray him.

At that point, all the disciples knew who was to betray Jesus because of Judas’ response to that allegation and Jesus’ reply.

Matthew 26 verse 25 says, “Surely not I, Rabbi, Yes it is you.”

In another occasion, Jesus told his disciples that all of them would fall on account of him (Matthew 26verse 31-35). Peter replied that if all fell, he (Peter) would never fall. Then Jesus told Peter that he

The power of your desire,

by Pastor Bamidele Founder of Christ Glorious Evangelical Ministries, Pastor Lai Bamidele, declares that the best way to get God’s attention to your heart’s desire is to enter into a covenant with Him, because He is a covenant-keeping God. Excerpts, by Tai Anyanwu The woman desired in her heart that, “If I may but touch the helm of his garment, I know that I shall be made whole.”

And as desired it, she began to pursue it.

When you desire and you don’t pursue, then your desire is going nowhere.

When that woman with the issue of blood desired that if she could touch the helm of garment of the Master then her desire would be granted, she began to push. Even when the disciples were trying to stop her, she refused to look at their side.

When you desire something, you will notice that many Sambalats and Tobiases, the Pharisees and the Sadducees will begin to arise; they try to make the gospel look like a lie. Do not look at their direction; rather, focus on where God is taking you to.

Let me just show you one thing before I round off this teaching. How do you build your desire? It is through knowledge. Knowledge remains that fountain of man’s desire. When you are a knowledgeable man, you will know what you

Pastor Bamidele

desire from God. When you are a man of knowledge, you will know what you want to pursue.

Knowledge intoxicates. When the wom-

would deny him three times before the cock crowed. Therefore, there was similarity in what Jesus said to both Peter and Judas. Jesus was subjected to punishment and torture in cold weather, and Peter was warming himself beside a bonfire.

When the antagonist crowd took Jesus away, Peter followed them until he was identified as one of the disciples of Jesus.

He eventually denied ever knowing Jesus, thrice, to the extent that he cursed himself (Matthew 26 verse 7). After the third denial, a cock crowed and immediately, he realised what Jesus had told him. He wept bitterly but he was genuinely repentant. Peter was supposed to commit suicide. However, he felt all hopes were not lost.

Brethren, you can see the similarities in both cases. You can also notice that there are equally differences. The differences could be seen in the wisdom Peter had demonstrated; Judas proved that he had not the wisdom and understanding, that he could ask for forgiveness and that Merciful Master would forgive him.

The wisdom is the fear of God. If a person has the fear of God, he or she has wisdom. The day a person falls, the fear of God will lift him or her up. If a person does not have the fear of God, the day he or she falls, the wisdom will die with the person The Bible says in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom……”

Imagine, it was the same Peter and other disciples that Jesus appeared to after resurrection, to help them to catch fish miraculously; and He reinstated Peter as the leader of his followers. (John21: 1-23) .This is a message from the September’s Anointing Revival Service.

•For counseling, contact Pastor Oloruntimilehin Joshua Daramola (JP), founder of Omnipotence Mission of God, on 08023002834. an with the issue of blood caught the knowledge that if she could get close the Lord Jesus and hold onto His clothe, that her case would be settled, her knowledge made her to push and she pushed successfully.

See also the case of Zachaeus. When he knew that the Master was about to pass by, he climbed a tree and began to scream, “Jesus Son of David have mercy on me;” because he has a desire in his heart that there must be an end to his problem.

If you have a desire and you are not a prayerful Christian, you will stay long in the journey of your waiting. And when the man cried, his cry caught the attention of the Master and the Master stopped and said, ‘what do want me to do for your’?

And Jesus said, ‘come down from the tree’s top, today, I will be in your house.’

The man’s situation changed when he met with the Master. The man at the beautiful gate when Peter, the Apostle was passing by, he told them his desire; and Peter said, ‘Neither silver nor gold do I have but in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.’

I like to encourage someone that to be deficient of information is tantamount to having weak desire. It is the picture you see that determines the future in place.

Your picture is your future, what you do not desire, you do not deserve.

You must have a desire and whatever is your heart’s desire, pray and pursue it.

Desire without pursuit has no meaning.

God will only back up the corresponding effort that you put forward to pursue your desire. May the Lord grant us grace, in the name of Jesus. I pray this message will bless the life of someone.

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Sunday September 30, 2012

God will answer you again, says Pastor Muoka General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, says he is in high spirit to seek God’s divine intervention in every unanswered prayers and unfulfilled demands by all category of people as the church organises a crusade, tagged: ‘God has the answer’, at the church’s headquarters in Lagos. Richard Eghaghe brings this report:

Pastor Muoka

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he trace of sorrow, grief and mourning that has dominated the mind of the people for some time because of unanswered prayers will come to an end this weekend. The Almighty God has decided to give answer to all unanswered petition and supplications to him, since the time you were born till now. This good news of God is coming from Pastor Lazarus Muoka who says this would manifest at the crusade with the theme: ‘God Has The Answer’ scheduled to hold this weekend at the church’s headquarters at Ijesha, in Lagos.

The crusade which holds on Saturday, October 6, and Sunday, October 7, 2012, the cleric said, is expected to bring blessings to participants as the glory of God will come down with its abundance of provisions that will bring contentment. By it, the man of God reveals that ‘yokes shall be broken; diseases shall be cured, sicknesses shall be healed and the afflicted shall be delivered’.

“My beloved, is there any petition you could remember that you have presented to God before and has not received an answer to it? Are there requests you have made to God concerning your loved ones and have not seen the physical manifestation of the

answer? If the answers you have provided are in the affirmatives, I want to assure you that the same God who answered you before, who made provision for you, and delivered you from the hands of your enemies in time past, who cured you when you were sick, who sustained you till date, will do it again in your life in Jesus’ name.

It does not matter how bad your situation is now, or how powerful the enemy behind your predicament may be, the fact is that He has delivered you before and He is able to deliver you again today.

You may have been in pain for one reason or the other and thinking that God has abandoned you because you have not gotten answer to your prayer. It may be the pain of stroke, poverty, barrenness, lack of promotion, it may also be the pain of sicknesses such as HIV, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, etc, and you have been praying and fasting for solution but there have been no answer to your prayers. I want to assure you that this time round, my God, even the God of Chosen who brought you into this world, has seen your predicament and heard your cry and is determined to answer now. In this forthcoming crusade all prayers must be answered.

Why are you afraid that God will not give answer to that petition you made to Him? Why are you so disturbed that God who brought you to this world will not give you your own husband/wife? Why are you afraid that God who fed you yesterday will not feed you again? My friend, the God who answered you before will do it again.

God will give you answer of peace come this crusade in Jesus’ name. Bring that problem that has defied solution to Him at this crusade and He will give you answers.

Beloved, only God has the answer to all your problems. Babalawo cannot give you answer of peace, that rich man has not gotten all the answers to your problem, your father or mother has no answer to give you because they are not the creator of your life. Doctors’ reports are not the answer to your problems. The sorcerer has no answer to your problem. Only God has the answer.

When Pharaoh had a dream that puzzled him beyond imagination, he sought for an interpretation among his people.

He sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men and told them his dream, but there was none that could interpret them unto him.

Gen. 41: 15-16 says, “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard of thee, that thou can understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace”.

The magicians and wise men of Egypt were perplexed about the dream as the rules of their art failed them. These people who used to lay claim to supernatural skill in occult arts and sciences, in revealing mysteries and dreams could not give answer to the puzzle haunting their master.

Before now opportunities had rendered them experts in devising a plausible way of getting out of every difficulty and framing an answer suitable to the occasion. But the dreams of Pharaoh baffled their skill because it did not fall within the compass of their fraud. When Pharaoh met with Joseph who has the favour of God, Joseph made him to understand that it was only God that had the answer to any problem troubling him. It is only God that has the answer to any problem confronting mankind.

This weekend, there shall be answers to your prayers. Yokes shall be broken; diseases shall be cured, sicknesses shall be healed and the afflicted shall be delivered.

Having got the knowledge of this outstanding blessing, what then shall be your preparation?

Required preparation

Amos 4: 12 says, “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”.

Everybody must be in attention to receive God’s answers to his or her problems during this programme, ‘God has the answer’. There is no doubt that after that day our lives shall never be the same again.

The dumb shall speak; the lame shall walk, the blind shall see and the afflicted delivered. But that will depend on our faith.

Mark 9:23 says, “Jesus said unto him, If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”. The answer to your problem is available only if you can believe.

If you can believe, this was an answer to the enquiry of the man whose son’s sickness had defied solution, not even from the disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus told him that He has sufficiency of power, but the healing of his son will depend on his faith to receive it. The question is not whether Jesus can, but whether the afflicted father can have the needful faith in Christ? Faith is the great need for our answer. Jesus is

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saying today that the problem is not the lack of power to heal, but the recipients’ ability to manifest faith that will activate answer to his prayer. Our problem does not turn on His power, but our faith, because He can do all things. If you can have the least measure of true faith, no answer will be denied you.

James 1: 5-7 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” The man who is not thoroughly persuaded that if he asks of God he shall receive answer, resembles a wave of the sea. He is in a state of continual agitation, driven by the wind, and tossed, now rising by hope, then sinking by despair. The man whose mind is divided, who is not properly persuaded either of his own wants or God’s sufficiency may pray, but having no faith, he can get no answer. A double-minded man, man of no fixed vision and mission, a man who has no decisive purpose is unstable in all his dealings. The scriptural exhortation is that the children of God should not have two hearts, one for the holy blessed God, and one for something else. This is because a man of this character is continually distracted and will neither let earth nor heaven go, and yet he can have but one.

Many people who were in the Apostles’ days, who dined with the Jews and sometimes with the Christians are in our midst today. Some of them are divided betwixt God and the world, between holiness and sin but never fixed to either. Such a man is unstable in all his ways, that is, in all his actions, he cannot get answer to his petition.

Are you a sinner and thinking that God may not forgive you and give answer to your prayer or grant you salvation when you pray? That is a double-minded position. Are you praying and having doubt that God may because of a certain sin you had committed refuse to give answer to your prayer? Then you are advised to confess and repent from your sin and God will show you mercy and you will receive answer to your prayer.

Are you afraid you may not pass the exam you have taken or the one you are doing now? You are in between two opinions. The Scripture says a double-minded person cannot receive answer to his prayer or desire. Such a person may pray, but because he is not focused, he cannot get any answer. Let your mind and focus be directed to seeking the kingdom of God first, and His righteousness and everything shall be yours in Jesus’ name.

We must not come to this crusade alone to receive answers to our prayers as that will amount to greediness. We must all go out to invite people that are deaf, insane, blind, afflicted etc. When we invite them with faith and believe that God will heal them, I am assuring you, my God will give answer to your prayer and their problems in Jesus’ name.

It is no longer in doubt what our God can do. This is because testimonies are everywhere to attest to what He can do. This time is your time, come and have your prayer answered.

Rev. 22: 12- 13, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last”.

Christ is talking to you; He says He is coming to give answer to your problem, so take advantage of this information and do the will of God and have your prayer answered in Jesus’ name.

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Praise & Worship

Sunday September 30, 2012

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Glorious Generation: Emerging victorious over hopelessness, by Pastor Adeboye The September 2012 Holy Ghost Service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) held at the Redemption Camp ground, Mowe, in Ogun State, was dedicated to women in search of ‘the fruit of the womb’. In this chapter of his sermon, tagged: ‘Glorious Generation’, the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, speaks on the making of a victorious, glorious generation with the power of God, even from a hopeless situation. Richard Eghaghe brings you the extracts:

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n Matthew 11 : 11, the Lord Jesus Christ testified concerning John the Baptist (Old Testament), that of all the children born of a woman, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist. I decree to all of you who are here today that your children will be great, they will be greater than you, and they will be number one among their own generation.

That is the fact that they are all victorious. Every child that is born in this glorious generation is victorious one way or the other. They are victorious over hopelessness. For example, in Genesis 18: 9-14, when God said to Abraham, that Sarah was going to have a son in nine months, Sarah laughed because she thought the situation was hopeless, but the Almighty God who could have said alright because you laughed I cancel what I have said, did not change his mind. He said you can laugh as much as you like, Isaac will be born. All of you who consider your situation hopeless, I have good news for you today. In the name that is above every other names, your Isaac will be born. There is no hopeless case with God, none at all.

Jeremiah 32:37 says, behold I am the God of all flesh, is anything too hard for me?

In Genesis 37: 1-10, the Bible tells us that the Almighty God caused dry bone to live again; it wasn’t just dead bodies, it was dry bones. The Bible says they were very dry and yet the Almighty God caused his servant to prophesy and the dry bones came back to life again. The God who can make dry bone live again can take care of your situation, because even if they say your womb is already dried at least it is not yet dead, and even if they say it is dead. There is someone who has the power of the resurrection, and that power is going to work for you tonight in Jesus’ name. Daddy asks me to tell his people tonight, ‘I will reverse the irreversible’. Even if we stop at this stage and go home, I believe the job is already done.

The children of this glorious generation are those who overcame doubt; when their parents doubted, God gave hem victory over the doubt. When the man of God spoke in 2 Kings 4: 8 -17 to the Shunamite woman and said ‘you are going to have a son’, the woman said ‘man of God don’t deceive me, it is too late’, but the Almighty God said ‘well whether you doubted me or not, I will do what I will do’. We are not belittling the part of faith, the Bible says the just shall live by faith. Four times, God repeated himself in the Bible: ‘The just shall live by faith’ but the same God said in Isaiah 43: 13, ‘I will work, who will let’. In order words, I will work, who will hinder me? The Almighty God said when I have decided to do something, who are you to stop me?

Pastor Adeboye

CHILDREN IN THE GLORIOUS GENERATION ARE VICTORS OVER DOUBT; THEY ARE ALSO VICTORS OVER MOCKERS Every force that may be whispering to you now, saying that you are not going to have your own children, the Lord will silence them today.

The Bible says clearly in Psalm 33: 8-9, ‘let the whole earth fear before the Lord, because he spoke and it is done’. If God speaks, it doesn’t matter who is doubting, His word shall come to pass. In Psalm 33: 11, the Bible says the counsel of the Lord shall stand. I remember the testimony of one of my sons. He came with his wife and said, ‘Daddy pray for us, we are trusting God for the fruit of the womb’. That was several years ago. I said what do you want the sex of the child to be? He looked at me and said, “I asked you to pray for us, you have not even prayed, you are asking of the sex of the child?” I said what sex do you want? Then he said “okay, a

boy”. I said get ready for a boy. When he was sharing his testimony, he said he left disappointed because he had thought we will shake and jump up a little bit before the prayer can be answered. I prophesy to someone here today, in the name that is above every other names, whatever sex you want, girl or boy or a set of twins, even if you want a triplet, receive now in Jesus’ name.

Children in the glorious generation are victors over doubt; they are also victors over mockers. In Genesis 21: 1 – 6, Sarah told us that there must have been some people mocking her, who would have thought that Sarah would not bear a child; that is why she called the name of the child, laughter. There are many of us who have been mocked in the past, but Psalm 115: 1 – 3, tells us clearly that there

might be people who will say where is your God? But then God will tell them I am in heaven and I do as I please. Everyone who has been asking where is your God, before one year from this moment, they will gather to celebrate with you in Jesus’ name. Thank you father, the Lord said there is someone here tonight, by this time next year, you will already be in the club of the fruitful.

Glorious generation: a generation of victors; victorious over enemy, known and unknown. Many at times when people find themselves in this kind of situation that they have to wait a long time before fruitfulness, it is usually because of an enemy; it could be as a result of an enemy within, it could be an enemy without. There could be an enemy within, cooperating with an enemy without as you find in the case of Samson in Judges 15: 11- 14. It is the relatives of Samson that handed him over to the Philistine before the Almighty God moved in.

I have told you several stories before: the story of a woman. For the sake of those who are new, just to encourage you that it doesn’t even matter, that if the enemy is within, God will take care of that. If the enemy is without, God will take care of that also. Some of you will remember the story of a woman; she got married and was happy. One day the mother-in-law came from the market with a loaf of bread and gave it to the young wife and said eat this and use it to block your womb. The lady asked, what kind of joke is this? She innocently took the bread and eat. From that day onward, she ceased to menstruate. Until one day the Almighty God decided to send us to a particular town to hold a program. She heard that we were coming, so she began to fast, that at least that particular program will bring an end to her problem.

The day we were to arrive, she slept in the afternoon and had a dream. In the dream she saw some people dressed like doctors, they came in and laid her on a table, operated her, opened her belly and began to pull out a rope. She saw them pulling out a rope and at the end of the rope there was something like a loaf of bread, black, and they put that thing with the rope in a basin, sowed her back and left.

When she woke up, she was trembling but. She noticed that the bed was wet with blood as she was menstruating again. Whatever the enemy has planted in you that is causing your delay shall be uprooted tonight in Jesus’ name. I am sure you know the rest of the story.

Soon after, she became pregnant. The last time I heard from her, if I remember correctly, she already had five children.

Whatever the enemy has stolen from you shall be fully restored in Jesus’ name.

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Praise & Worship

Sunday September 30, 2012

Idols of the heart,

by Pastor Olukoya Nowadays, we have a lot of modern-day idols that people worship. “The problem of the idol is that it hinders the move of God,” says Dr. D. K. Olukoya, General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. The following are some of the idols of the heart and their hindering activities in the excerpts presented by Tai Anyanwu

Pastor Olukoya

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oney: A lot of people now just keep running after money all the time.

They do not understand any other language except money. When you tell them to get serious with the Lord, they would say, “I will become very serious with the Lord when I make my first million.” When you ask them to come to night vigils, they will tell you that they must do overtime to make ends meet. They do not know that the only person that can make ends meet is the Lord Jesus. I know a man who had a simple boil on his neck that cost him more than half of his salary to treat. At the end of the day, it is only God that can make ends meet.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you,” the Bible says. When you start seeking all other things before the kingdom, you have an idol in your heart. The Bible says, “I have been young but now I am old, I have not seen the righteous being forsaken or his children begging bread.” There is no man who sought the kingdom of God and got it that ever remained poor. What is the use of gathering money and at the end of the day, you go to hell fire? What is the use of gathering money and at the end of the day, some people are just waiting for you to die so that they can fight and kill themselves over the money they did not make?

The world: There are so many fellowships now where all they talk about is financial prosperity. According to them, if you are a herbalist, a thief, or a fornicator, God will prosper you. They say, “Come whoever

you are and donate money”.

Fame: A lot of people are looking for popularity. They just want to be known.

Without knowing that if the whole world knows you and God does not know you, you are wasting your time.

Pleasure: People just want to relax and enjoy themselves.

Power: Some seek power.

Knowledge: Some people have turned their certificates to their god. God hates idolatry with perfect hatred. Once you give what is due to God to an object, special demons move in and turn that thing into something powerful. The internal idols will then invite wicked spirits from outside. Until these internal idols are destroyed, you cannot make a head way as a Christian.

Let us look at the secret idols that many Christians are going about with. You will do yourself a lot of good to look deeply into your spirit because these may be the things that the enemy is using to harass you and you think it is witches or wizards that are harassing you.

Unforgiveness: This is common among Christians. Many Christians harbour malice in their hearts concerning others. If you are living in a house and you cannot get on with the people there, not because of your faith but because they are abusing you, or they ask you to sweep or keep your things somewhere, then you have an idol. You may try to prove that you are right but you have an idol, which you must pull down. Unforgiveness in the heart is an idol. Some people

cannot forgive their pastors, group leaders, university lecturers, etc. Don’t forget that anytime you come to God with an idol in your heart, the first thing that the enemy would say is, “O God, hold on, look at this”.

And the unforgiving idol will say, “I am here, sir”.

Sometime ago, a woman came to me for prayers. She complained that things were rough and her business was grounded. As I was praying, the Lord said, “Son, there is somebody this woman does not want to forgive”. I opened my eyes and said, “Madam there is somebody you do not want to forgive. God says you should first of all forgive that person before any other thing.” She looked at me and said it was her husband.

I asked her to forgive him. She said no, that the man had hurt her badly. She said when they were poor and struggling, the man did not abandon her. But when they became rich, the man went and took a girl, the age of their last daughter, as second wife and abandoned her. So she would not forgive him. I told her that the Bible says she must forgive him no matter what he had done. She went away in anger because I refused to pray for her. The next day, she came back and said she was ready to forgive him. After she repented and forgave the man and we prayed, all the miracles that she had been asking for, for five years came within a week. Things have been going on well for her since then.

Bitterness; Jealousy; Envy.

Hatred: Unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy and envy give birth to hatred. There is no how these three things will be in the life of a person and the person will not have hatred inside. Any believer that has hatred against anybody and does not repent will go to hell fire.

Discouragement: Many people get easily discouraged. They lose hope when their prayers are not answered quickly or when they are disappointed. In a vision, a sister saw the shop of the devil. In that shop, she saw hypertension, diabetes, bad luck and all sorts of things with their price tags. She asked the devil, “Mr. Devil, what is the most expensive item in your store?” The devil told her it was discouragement. He told her that once he was able to get believers discouraged, he captured them. She asked him, “When does discouragement come to a person?” He explained to her that discouragement sets in after depression; and both of them give birth to hopelessness. Sometimes when somebody is heading towards a miracle and the devil wants to hinder the person, he uses discouragement.

Worry: The reason some people are looking older than their age is because of worry.

They worried over any little thing.

Confusion: Confusion gives birth to fear.

This is present in many lives and is an idol.

It must be cast out today.

Impatience: Impatience is the opposite of patience. Patience is a virtue. The patient person always laughs last but the impatient person will spoil the blessing that God has for him. The perfect wife or husband is the one who agrees that he or she is not married to a perfect partner.

Selfishness.

Evil thoughts: These give birth to evil imaginations. Many Christians commit sins in their hearts. No serious Christian will bow down to physically carved idols but they worship the idols inside their hearts.

You see believers watching films, which they are not supposed to watch. This is because of the idol in their hearts.

Doubt: Many believers are clever doubters like Thomas. Thomas said, “Well I am an honest doubter. I am not asking for too much. All I am saying is, let Jesus come and show me His hand because I saw Him when He died on the cross and I was there when He was buried. Now you say He has resurrected. I will also like to touch the holes in

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His hands and feet because the holes cannot heal within three days.” So, when Jesus got there, He said, “Thomas it is because you have seen me, that is why you believe. But blessed are those who have not seen me and yet they believe.” That simple word he told Thomas changed the life of Thomas. He died preaching the gospel. Doubt is an idol and the Bible says a doubting man is like the wave of the sea. Such a person does not believe that he can receive anything from the Lord. Some people have high level of doubt.

Such people even ask if there is God at all.

Some people doubt so much that they do not even believe that witches exist.

Indecision: This is another idol, which has destroyed so many people.

Pride: Pride leads to self-exaltation and unteachable spirit.

All these secret idols must be chased out by the Lion of Judah. The problem of the idol is that it hinders the move of God. God is saying, “Clear away the idols. Cast them into the fire. Then you can see what I can do.”

There was a medical doctor who died. When he died, his wife prayed that he must come alive again. She prayed for hours. Eventually the man came back to life and narrated what he saw when he died. He saw himself arriving somewhere. In that place, somebody held him by the right hand, another person held him by the left hand and they were dragging him away. He first of all thought that they were dragging him to heaven but as they dragged him along, he felt heat on his face. He remembered the Bible and thought: “If this place is heaven the breeze will not be uncomfortable.” Then he began to appeal to them to leave him alone. He said he was born-again, and that they should not drag him to hell fire.

They did not listen. Then they dragged him to the edge of hell fire. He said people were being dumped into hell fire like tipper lorry tips sand down. He was amazed and suddenly as they were about to throw him inside, a voice sounded from above, “Release him”. They left him. Immediately they released him the devil came out and said, “O God, You have no right to take this man to heaven, because he is free from all sins apart from one, and that is idolatry of the heart.” Just one, but many of us are committing serious sins daily. God said, “Okay, agreed” (The devil does not tell lies against anybody. If the devil is reporting you to God, he tells God the truth. But you cannot tell God a lie anyway). God said. “Devil, you are right. I am not taking this man to heaven, because he is not qualified as you have said, but at the same time, I will not allow him to go to hell fire now because of his wife.” The importunate prayers of his wife compelled God to send him back to life. Although that man was a Sunday School Teacher and he taught the Bible very well, there was an idol hidden in him.

On the last day, if an idol is still in a person apart from the idol hindering his blessing, the person cannot go to heaven. Our greatest prayer should be: “O Lord, break down every idol in our hearts, in the name of Jesus.”

If you have not given your life to Jesus, and you try to remove any idol from your heart, the idol will resist you because you belong to the same camp. To be able to break the idols in your heart, you must give your life to Christ.

Prayer Points

•Lord, break down every idol in my heart, in the name of Jesus.

• I cast out every idol from my heart, in the name of Jesus.

• I break down every hidden idol, in the name of Jesus.

• Let the fire of God boil all rivers harbouring my enemies, in the name of Jesus.

• Let the blood of Jesus wipe off all my evil dreams, in the name of Jesus.

• I destroy every satanic accident organ-

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with Special Apostle James

Akinadewo E-mail: molailatugrow@hotmail.com

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hank God for His presence. What a wonderful results we got from past teachings.

We received your messages and calls.

Eagerly praying that your miracles shall be permanent.

Those passing through challenges and pains, the Balm of Gilead (Jehovah Rapha) will soothe them. We declare your victory now. We celebrate your freedom in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Home is the bedrock of a good society.

Without a solid home, the society will be the worst for it. Father, mother and the children must have a fluid together to have a better and enjoyable world.

Led by the Holy Spirit, this informed our teaching today – Basic rules of parenting.

Divine word

“And ye fathers (mothers), provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesian 6 verse 4) The first point today is to love our children.

According to the scriptures, admonition is showing our children the true love of God for them and speaking the truth to them, we as representatives of God to them (they cannot perceive God in their infancy); we must show them undiluted love, covering, giving them the confidence to confide in us.

Showing them the right way and correcting them in love, they must be willing and ready to approach the parents for direction in their pursuits in life.

We must create a serene and conducive atmosphere at home – correct and rebuke them when necessary and let them know why they were rebuked after the punishment to serve as deterrent to others and guard against future occurrence.

Challenge

Are you a Lion or Gorilla? Some parents have created destructive fear in their children. It has got to the level that the children are not happy staying with their parents (there is a difference between honour/respect and fear).

Once your children quakes in your presence, there is a problem in that house.

Your arrival at home should ignite love, not for them shivering by merely hearing your steps. Parents, stop behaving like beasts, Christ did not teach us that way, simply not the love God showed us. “As the father hath loved me, so have I loved you, continue ye in my love.” (John 15 verse 9) Showing love to our children is an im-

portant aspect of their upbringing in life and the leadership traits seen in us will serve them in good stead for a glorious future.

Another point is right example. Good parenting is for us to set the right examples. There is a saying that ‘example is better than precepts’. As mentioned earlier, parents are the big picture (God’s image) the children are watching and looking up to in their infancy, making it imperative for us to set the right examples for the children. As God’s mouthpiece for them, their success in life depend largely on the examples set for them, imbibing those examples by the children will give us (parents) rest of mind and securing a better tomorrow for them. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverb 22 verse 6) The first thing they must learn is the home example. There must be peace at home – Daddy and Mummy must love themselves and the love must be contagious. Know that a bad marriage is the immediate younger brother of hell fire.

Food for thought

Parents must settle every disagreement quickly. Children must not be aware that there is feud in the home. Children have computerized brain, pretending there is nothing when actually there is– the masquerade will be unmasked shortly.

Children will not misbehave outside if

Fashola, Amosun extol Methodist Church at 170 TAI ANYANWU

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overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, have lauded the achievements of the Methodist Church Nigeria in building a spiritually vibrant and healthy nation as the church celebrates 170 years of its existence in Nigeria.

The governors spoke at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu, Ogun State during the formal opening of a three-day Sports Festival and other activities which include Singing Competition and Bible Quiz organised as part of the programmes lined up to celebrate 170 years of ‘Methodism in Nigeria and 50 years of autonomy’.

Governor Fashola, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Rev. Sam Ogedengbe, said, “Methodist Church Nigeria has been a reliable partner in the building of a prosperous and spiritually healthy Nigeria.

“As the first church to come into Nigeria, Methodism has impacted the lives of many through socially responsible programmes, policies and actions which have in turn transformed into benchmarks for many in government today to emulate; and in emulating them, it must be done correctly and adequately in a way that would be beneficial to the people.”

The church, he added, was a pioneer in providing quality healthcare services, good, sound and quality education and community-friendly welfare projects which had in many ways transformed the lives of many across the country.

“These are enviable achievements which the people are yearning for today,” he pointed out.

In a similar vein, the Governor Amo-

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Basic rules of parenting

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Divine Message

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Sunday September 30, 2012

sun, who was represented by his Deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, said, “there is no denying the fact that the church has a great role to play in the moral rebirth, value reorientation and character modification which we so much desire in Nigeria today. The Methodist Church should be in the forefront in this direction.”

He added that spiritual leaders must instill in their followers the need for peaceful co-existence with people from other faith and cultural background.

Amosun said it is only through this that we will jointly take our nation to the desired heights.

Makinde thanked the participants from across the Methodist Conference area and urged them to show good character and personalities during the events.

•For enquires text 08037188392 or send email to Motailatugrow@hotmail.com.

Patty Obassey, gospel singer, dying

Patty Obassey

Redeemer’s varsity students bag Total scholarship Two Accounting students of the Redeemer’s University, Olumide Oluwatomiwa Ifeoluwa and Olurin Fiyinfoluwa Tolulope, have won the Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited’s awards of national merit scholarship for 2011/2012.

News of the scholarship award to the students was contained in a letter dated July 16, 2012 and signed by the Deputy Managing Director (Deep Water District), Mr. Charles Ngoka. The value of the scholarship, according to the letter, was put at N150,000 to each of the awardees. The letter stated that the award is renewable annually upon attainment of a CGPA of 2.5 in a 5-point grading system or its equivalent.

They were advised to make good use of the opportunity by embracing the virtues of hard work, honesty, and obedience to constituted authority. They were also told to submit their academic performance at the end of each session to avoid the non

we show them the right examples at home.

A man turning his wife into a punching bag is not showing good example; a drunkard is a misnormer, while those having extra-marital affairs are home killers. “Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” (Ephesians 4 verse 26) The Bible says anyone who is not a good leader at home is not fit to lead in the society and in the church of God – “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God.” (1 Timothy 3 verse 5) The effect of bad leadership being experienced in the world today is the result of wrong home training for such bad characters. Someone schooled very well with good home training and with the attendant fear of God will behave rightly when entrusted with leadership roles and the world will be the better for it.

Parents, are we doing things rightly or just there as figure head? Time will tell.

Many parents will miss heaven because they failed to teach their children the right way and set the right examples. Like begets like – A monkey cannot become a goat overnight. You still have the opportunity.

Start now before it is too late.

Pray for our homes. Jesus loves Nigeria.

Run from sin. It is well. *To be continued

renewal of their scholarship, and non payment of their entitlements, which may cause the award to lapse. Their institution was equally advised to send their seasonal results at the end of each academic year to Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited.

Other conditions the awardees must strictly adhere to are, that they would not be involved in any examination malpractice, cult activities or display any negative attitude in or outside the University. They should not also enjoy any other scholarship from the oil and gas industry. The scholarship takes effect from the award year and will cover the remaining normal course they are offer (20111/2012-2012/2013) only. The Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited’s Awards of National Merit Scholarship is open to only students pursuing a full time programme.

The soul of Igbo gospel, Patty Obassey, is dying and this is authoritative. Obassey, the crooner of the hit gospel track, ‘Nwammy Water’, is seriously ill and dying if nothing is immediately done to rescue his failing health.

The sensuous, captivating, sonorous and good-for-the-worship-of-God and thanksgiving-for-His-infinite-mercies’ singer, who reigned supreme in the 1970s and 1980s, is now a shadow of his ebullient self.

He has practically reduced to a heap of wrinkled face and suffers frequent bouts of pain and sorrow. Obassey could not manage a long chat owing to fatigue and exhaustion.

According to him, “for over a year now, I’ve been in a bad state of health.

The problem is kidney problem, holistic kidney problem. I don’t know how it affects the body. But they said it affects the digestive organs or system. God has been helping me to survive; because according to the doctor, my two kidneys have failed, so what is keeping me alive must be God; prayer of the saints; that’s how I feel”.

He appealed to well meaning Nigerians and, of course, those fans who have been enjoying his music to come to his aid.

His words: “All that I will require is kidney transplant, that is where the problem is because l do not have money for transplant and the doctor said it will be in India”. The cost for the trip and medical cost in India is N10 million,” a sum Obassey confirmed is totally beyond his reach.

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Honour your father and your mother Christian Relationship with Taiwo

Odubiyi

E-mail: info@pastortaiwoodubiyi.org.uk

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ou may be wondering, “What does it mean to honour them?” It simply means to give them great respect or regard, to esteem them highly, revere or treasure them. It also means that children should not disrespect or scorn their parents.

In Ephesians 6: 2,3, the Bible says, “Honour your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” We know by now that God’s promises are not empty ones for His words are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Jesus. Honouring parents is not an advice or something children can do when they feel like it but a commandment, and it is important to the extent that it was one of the Ten Commandments that God gave the children of Israel as written in Exodus 20. Moses reminded the children of Israel about this commandment in Deuteronomy 5:16, and in Colossians 3:20, the Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to the Lord.”

God wants us to honour our parents whether they are rich or poor, literate or illiterate. In one of my novels ‘You Found Me’ Sam told Ann, “You’ve seen photographs of my family. You know I come from a very humble background.” He shrugged.

“If I had a say in the matter when I was being born, I would probably choose rich

parents but I didn’t have a say, I wasn’t consulted.” Smiling, he added, “I don’t have regrets though. I have wonderful parents and I love them very much.”

I need to point out here that there cannot be true honour without love, and there cannot be love if the child doesn’t know why he or she should honour the parents.

Why should we honour our parents?

1. According to the above quoted scriptures, it is so that we may live long and that it may be well with us.

2. By honouring them, we are also sowing seeds of favour for our future that our children may honour and take care of us. Life is about sowing and reaping, and honour brings honour. As I have preached several times, the truth is that a time will come when the children will become parents, when the care giver will become the care taker, and parents will depend on their children. In John 21:18, Jesus told Peter, “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”

3. We should honour them because God says so.

4. We should also honour them because they are our parents and deserve it. Parents love, take care and provide the most for their children.

Parents are a blessing to their children but sometimes, it turns out that the children don’t do so much or even appreciate or give respect to their parents.

Some children obviously have no regard for their parents. When I was growing up, there was this young man in the neighbourhood who regularly hit his mother, to

everyone’s horror! One particular morning, I saw him come out of his house, shouting and telling some neighbours who stood by, “Warn her! If she as much as touches me, I will beat her up!”

I wondered who he was referring to but soon knew, as his mother rushed outside and lunged at him, cursing him. True to his word, he carried his mother up and threw her on the ground! I was shocked!

I – had – never – seen – such a thing before in my life! Such a thing is very wrong and should never happen.

Honouring our parents on Mother’s and Father’s Day is very good but not enough. We should honour them every day.

1. By obeying them. Young children especially should obey their parents and do what they are asked to do. In the Bible, the children of Jonadab obeyed the commandment of their father. For that reason, God told them in Jeremiah 35:18-19, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.”’”

2. By helping them around the house and doing things for them especially things which they can no longer do for themselves, such as cleaning the house, doing the laundry.

3. By respecting them in our words, body language and attitude. If for any reason you don’t share your parents’ opinion or like what they are saying, you should

still show respect in your words and the way you talk to them.

4. By giving them gifts regularly and supporting them financially.

5. By visiting or getting in touch with them on phone regularly.

6. By taking care of them and showing them love.

7. By praying for them.

8. By appreciating them publicly. In ‘Love On The Pulpit’ when Dave’s parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary, he came out to say how much he appreciated them. Then he added, “I rejoice with you today, and it’s an opportunity for me to tell you how much you’re appreciated. On behalf of myself and my younger ones, I want to say that we love you.” He left where he was and walked over to his parents to embrace them. His brothers and sisters came out as well and embraced their parents in turn.

9. By remembering their birthdays and special occasions.

My father used to tell us his children not to bother giving him and my mom gifts or monthly allowance. His reasons were: they had enough money to live by; he wouldn’t want any child to say he or she was providing for them; we (the children) had our own families to take care of. But my mother corrected him by saying, “It doesn’t matter that we have our own money. We should take whatever our children give us.

It is biblical and right for children to honour their parents and do things for them so that God can bless them. Whenever they bring a gift, we should take it and pray for them.” She was right.

Even if your parents are very wealthy, you still need to do things for them and give them gifts. It is good and well pleasing to God.

discipline as can been seen from Paul’s statement above. It takes discipline to have regular prayers and study God’s word in order to grow spiritually. Many cannot fast and pray today because they cannot discipline their body to abstain from food for a given period of time.

In Genesis 49: 1 – 4, we see how Reuben, who is the Excellency of Jacob, being his firstborn, lost his position because of indiscipline. Because he could not control his sexual appetite, he slept with his father’s concubine and his father cursed him. Thus he lost his position because of indiscipline.

Esau also lost his position because he could not discipline himself. Here was someone who had come from hunting. He was with meat and he had a wife at home who could prepare food for him. But he could not discipline himself to wait till he gets to the house. He sold his birthright for a plate of pottage. How many people have lost their destiny simply because they could not fast? The Bible says that certain problems will not go away except by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17: 21).

In proverbs 25: 28, the Bible states, “He that hath no value over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls”. This means a man who is undisciplined is vulnerable to so many evils.

Lack of discipline leads to immorality, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, crime, abuse of office, and even death.

Lack of discipline leads to being stigmatised with a bad name. It will also lead to physical incarceration in the form of the undisciplined person being sent to the prison or spiritual bondage; when can be in bondage as a result of a sinful lifestyle.

The reason many will end up in the lake of fire is because of lack of discipline. To be able to flee immorality and every other sinful vice, we must be disciplined. To be a Christian, you must be a disciplined person. Jesus said if anyone will follow him, he must take up his cross daily and deny himself. To deny yourself is to discipline yourself.

Joseph was successful because he disciplined himself not to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife. It was his disciplined nature that made him to stand out even in the prison. It was discipline that enabled him to store food that will last throughout the seven years of famine.

Daniel, Shedrach, Mechack and Abednego were another group of people who disciplined themselves. When others were busy partying and enjoying themselves, they purposed not to defy themselves with the portion of the King’s meat (Daniel 1: 8, 11, 19).

Beloved, if you want to fulfil destiny, you must learn to discipline yourself. It takes discipline to overcome that habit that is threatening to destroy your life. May God give you the strength to discipline yourself in those areas you need to do so in order for you to fulfil your destiny.

How do we honour them?

Discipline and your destiny

Shepherd Life with Bishop Kingsley

Enakirerhi

D

estiny, simply put, is what you were born to fulfil in life. This refers to the purpose for which an individual is in existence. It is very clear that until a man fulfils his destiny in life, his life becomes an abuse. This is the reason we said earlier that we must pray to God to discover our purpose in life so that we can fulfil it. It is the fulfilment of purpose that brings about satisfaction in life.

I want to say here that it is possible for a man not to be able to fulfil destiny because of his own negligence. This brings us to the place of discipline in the fulfilment of destiny.

Discipline, simply put, talks of a moral or upright training; a subjection of one’s flesh or desires in order to achieve a goal.

Many who are supposed to be rich today are still poor because of lack of discipline. To be rich does not come by accident. Rich and successful people are disciplined people.

It takes discipline to wake up very early in the morning, stay up late at night or skip a meal in order to achieve a set goal.

It takes discipline to continue working in order to achieve a goal when your flesh wants you to quit. Diligent people are dis-

ciplined people.

Some have ‘eaten’ the capital of their business and they wonder why their business is not growing. Whatever comes their way, they must buy, even if it is not needed at that moment. It takes discipline to practise the principle of delayed gratification.

A student who wants to be successful in his academics must be willing to discipline himself to study while others are playing, in order for him to get good grades. While a good student disciplines himself to buy books and read, the foolish one will spend his money to buy clothes and an expensive handset. But the good student will discipline himself and pay the price now because he knows in the nearest future, he will be able to afford whatever he wants when he is now successful.

Even in sports, you will discover that the sportsman who wins laurels is much disciplined in training. Even when the weather is not favourable, he must get up to train because he is focused on his goal.

The lazy one will give one excuse or the other why he cannot train. It takes discipline to train under harsh weather conditions.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:26 – 27, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away”. This is discipline.

To be a victorious Christian requires

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Praise & Worship 33

Sunday September 30, 2012

Nigeria, we hail thee!

Footprints with Dr. Tunde

Ojewole Email: ojewolea@babcockuni.edu.ng Phone: 08058299434

T

he Republic of Nigeria clocks 52 tomorrow! Hurray! Some would say we are still crawling at age 52! Others ask: “What is there to celebrate?” People are scared to congregate in large gathering for fear of Boko Haram attacks. Insecurity abounds everywhere. The state of our health system mirrors the health of our nation. We cannot take care of our citizens and our leaders are flown abroad for regular medical check-ups. The country remains in significant darkness in spite of the measureable progress in power supply. I say on this our birthday, “Let there be light!”

Reminiscent of Nigeria’s National Anthem, composed by Lillian Jean Williams and used from 1960 to 1978: “Nigeria, we hail thee, our own dear native land!” Our varying tongues increasingly complicate and heat-up our polity. Our politicians serve their pockets and not “our sovereign motherland.” Truth and justice fail in the land. Oppression persists while peace and plenty remain illusions! Shall we say then: “Nigeria, we wail thee?”

Nigeria, we wail thee! We are saddled with increasing debts, like our sisterhood of debtor African nations. According to the All-Africa Conference of Churches, “Every child in Africa is born with a financial burden which a lifetime’s work cannot repay. The debt is a new form of slavery as vicious as the slave trade!” Deforestation abounds and results in more erosion and environmental degradation. Dilapidated infrastructure litters the land, from roads to water projects and electricity. Dubious leadership loots our national treasures and bleeds the economy to stupor. Oil subsidy is oil subversion and sabotage! Nigeria, we wail thee!

Deviant geniuses (419, yahoo-yahoo boys, and hackers) continue to paint Ni-

Holy Inquiry with Pastor Paul

Nkirukah E-mail: pstpaul11@yahoo.com

Sir, I am a serious, born-again Christian. Recently, I decided to put on tattoos because I saw ladies like me doing it and I love it. But since I cut some beautiful ones on my shoulders and boobs, I have been feeling very much uncomfortable with myself. I dreamt some funny dreams, about the trumpet blowing. Have I committed a sin? Is it a sin to wear tattoos? Man of God, please help.

Rosemary, Abuja Dear reader, I wonder what made you feel you are seriously born again when you cannot be able to know this common thing in the Bible. If you were to be a serious ‘born again’, as you claim to be, you ought to have known that tattoo is a very big sin.

You said it was of recent you committed this sinful act; not even when you were in the world. If it had been done before you

geria and Nigerians black. Indiscipline and indolence is the order of the day in the rank and file of the Nigerian society, with more paper qualifications without character. Senseless assassinations, kidnappings have not abated. Brain-drain has not ceased. We export our best brains in search of greener pastures, to help develop other nations. Our schools have ill-prepared and insufficient teachers and many classrooms have no roofs. Our University professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas; so many university graduates are functionally illiterates. Our nurses have gone abroad and more about to go. Nigeria we wail thee!

Nigeria owns millions of acres of arable land and billions of cubic litres of water, but cannot feed its citizens. Coonsequently, we spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2billion to import milk yearly. We produce rice, but hate to eat it.

We have 60 million cattle but no milk. Nigerians drive all the latest brands of posh cars in the world but have no roads. Nigerians lose family and friends everyday on roads for which funds have been looted.

We sacrifice our future to avoidable accidents caused by the potholes, craters and crevasses on our roads and we are in permanent mourning.

For Nigeria to arise from the dust, each person in Nigeria must wake up from our collective lethargy. The prophet said: “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you”

(Isaiah 60:1). “Arise” from the dust you have been sitting- like a mourning female captive (Isaiah 3:26; 52:1-2). “Shine” and be enlightened, for your light has come!

Impart others with the spiritual light you have received (Isaiah 60:3). “Be enlightened” and be resplendent of posterity (Isaiah 58:8, 10; Eph 5:8, 14). Rise up, your deliverance is at hand! Your light shall rise from obscurity (Isaiah 58:10). Get ready for a flourishing and prosperous state. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed in this land!

Christians must let their lights so shine (Matt 5:16). Brighten the corner where you are! If Nigeria is to take its place in the comity of nations, Christians must become kingdom-minded. “Your kingdom come” must be the mantra of each believer. We must extend the rulership of Jesus to the market-place of our profession. Wherever you are, let kingdom principles guide your interactions and behavior. You cannot let it be business as usual. More practising Christians in politics would change the face of politics. Be a promise keeper.

If you will not give or receive bribes, we will sanitize our society of its ills.

Live within your income. Be faithful in tithes and offerings, and watch God multiply your resources exponentially. God’s blessings is what you need, not money. A blessed man is wealthier than a rich man.

If Christians would just follow the biblical principles on handling money, we would turn our personal and national economies

Answer these questions and win a prize 1. “I and my husband were so wicked such that we even sought to kill Elijah.” Who are we and where in the Bible?

2.

Name the heavenly record in which the names of the righteous are kept. Supply the scripture.

3.

There are … number of books in the Old Testament.

•Please, be informed that the first correct entry via text message wins the prize.

See next week’s column for answers to the quiz. Send your answers with your names to 08054238905. Gifts: courtesy Babcock University.

around.

God’s promise is true for Nigeria: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2Chronicles 7:13-14). Let the faithful few arise and shine! Let us call on God to heal Nigeria. There is still hope for us!

Today, let us pray for the peace of Nigeria. In her peace, is our peace! God’s injunction was: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love you” (Psalm 122:6). This applies to Nigeria too. Jeremiah calls upon all citizens, immigrants, and sojourners to “seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof you shall have peace (Jeremiah 29:7). Let us make it our daily commitment to pray for each city, local government, senatorial district, state, and country. Pray for our leaders at these levels daily.

If the righteousness of ten (10) people would have averted the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, then there is hope for Nigeria. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov 14:34). If not you, who else? If not now, then when! May the Lord depend on you!

Happy birthday, Nigeria! May we truly say: “Nigeria, we hail thee!”

Tunde Ojewole, Ph.D., is the University Pastor and Associate Vice-President for Spiritual Life, Babcock University.

For enquiries: ojewolea@babcock.edu.ng; 08058299434/08060376577

Answers to September 23, 2012 Quiz 1.

A stone; Goliath

2.

In Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the land of Canaan- Gen 2;31 NIV 3.

Sows; reap- Gal 6:7 NIV

Should a Christian have tattoos? became born again, it could have been a deferent thing altogether. Don’t you know that as a born-again child of God, you are very deferent from others?

As such, before you do anything, you have to be sure of what you do and how you do them. It is also very certain that you belong to a Christian or church denomination. Where you are at a crossroads over any issue, the best thing to do is to consult your pastor or leader. This is because, it is very important for you to know the truth in the word of God: what God said concerning putting on tattoos on your body, or making marks on your body with any incisors. Let’s quickly go into the scriptures and hear from the Lord, for better understanding.

The book of Leviticus 19:28 reads, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks (tattoo) upon you: I am the LORD.” According to the scripture above, it is very obvious that tattoo is a sin before God; so, whatsoever you can do to remove it, please, you better do as soon as possible before it will be too late for you.

Of more concern; you said that since you put on these tattoos, you have been

dreaming bad or negative dreams, and your mind could no more be at rest. What do you think about that? Why is it that it was after you put on the tattoos that you started having nightmares? Does that not show clearly that what you did was totally wrong and against the wish of God? Has your conscience not been telling you that those tattoos you have on your body are sins before God? Didn’t the Bible tell us as a born again that your body is the temple of God? Why are you cutting marks on it in the name of tattoos? Let’s also take a quick look at the scriptures, from the book of 1 John 3: 19 to 21 which reads, “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him; For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things; Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confident toward God.” I believe that after taking a very careful appraisal of these scriptures, you need not ask why you are having bad or negative dreams again or why you cannot have rest of mind after putting on the tattoos on your body. So better do something about it and be at peace with God, the Almighty.

If what you did was right before God, your heart would not be troubling you; thus the scripture above states that to know that we are of the truth is when our heart did not condemn us in anything we do, but that whatsoever we do and our heart condemns us, is wrong and is a sin before God. It went further to say that if our heart condemned us, what about God that is greater than our heart? Will He not condemn us because of the wrong thing we do? And it is very obvious that it is sins that lead to condemnation.

My dear, I will advise that you seriously ask God for forgiveness and see what you can do to cleanse or remove the tattoos from your body. And next time before you do anything, you have to first of all find out whether what you are about to do is right or not, seeing you are deferent from others in the world.

And also, try and look for a very good deliverance ministry and attend deliverance exercise to be spiritually cleansed, and all those bad dreams as you said, will stop.

You had through that means (dotting tattoos) entered into an unknown covenant; believe it or not.

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

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Movies & Music

Sunday, September 30, 2012

35

frobeats crooner, Moelogo, ut with new single Bo Si Ta

senw deuced f of Take outs Afd mehook g vocked cting will and

port and own nited se a s he

gears up to release The Take Off. MoeLogo, real name Mohammed Animashaun, is a talented 22-year old UK Afrobeats vocalist who is fast becoming a household name and infamous within the African music industry.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he moved to the United Kingdom in 2001 and at the age of 14, he became a member of his Secondary School choir where he improved his vocal abilities and garnered more music knowledge. He recollects, “singing for fun and imitating other musicians such R.Kelly and Usher became part of my daily routine as I fell and grew in love with music”.

MoeLogo first gained notoriety with a stellar performance in Gambia alongside Jamaican Reggae artist Busy Signal where he wowed a daunting crowd of 60,000 people with his smooth vocals and eclectic musical style. Since then, his love and passion for mu-

kwu, reveals th D’banj, Don Jazzy’

ukwu re almagnt. ut my eople d the close ime I when ords, have ures.

He’s slim just like me and we have same swagger.

So, we’ve created some kind of bond right from time which I was not opportuned to share with Don Jazzy. I only find people that find me, simple! Those that I am important to are those that are important to me. I am just chilling with D’banj and now that he’s making a stand abroad, it’s going to be stupid of me not to utilize the situation he already has. So, we are not just friends, we are also doing business”, the rapper stated.

sic has grown insurmountably and with collaborations with some of the best UK urban artistes including Gunna Dee, Joe Grind and the Marvel Boys already under his belt, his stock has steadily been on the rise. Via his time at Starlight Music Academy, MoeLogo gained even more exposure and had the pleasure of working with influential charttopping artists such as Chipmunk, Kano and Black Rob, to mention a few.

In 2011, MoeLogo spent six months in New York City to develop his career and broaden his musical knowledge. While in studio sessions out there, he discovered another side to his talent, his ability to write and record in both English and his native Yoruba languages and combine the two, which inspired him to create his first Afrobeats song which was a remix of Davido and Naeto C’s smash hit “Back When” titled “She’s My Indomie”.

Maria Carey, Nicki Minaj join American Idol as judges

Carey (2nd left) and Minaj (4th) pose with other judges

While rumors have been making the rounds in the past few weeks on who the American Idol judges are going to be. Now that they have finalized the panel, Nicki Minaj is officially going to be the fourth judge on American Idol. She will be joining veteran idol judge Randy Jackson and newcomers Mariah Carey and Keith Urban.

Nicki’s deal is rumoured to be around $10-$12 million range and no time period has been released for her contract.

“With an unparalleled star like Mariah, fan-favourite Randy, chart-toppers like Nicki and Keith and our incomparable host Ryan, we’ve put together one of the most exciting judging panels around,” said Mike Darnell, Fox’s President of Alternative Entertainment.

“With the exciting addition of Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, alongside Randy Jackson, American Idol’s star power has never been so great,” added Idol creator/executive producer Simon Fuller.

iri unveils clothing collection creative director of Chidinma Obairi Clothing Company who just clocked 24 years, has built a fashion empire which has created employment opportunities for many in the various departments of the fashion establishment.

The fashion line designs clothes for men and women of all classes using fabrics such as linen, silk, Ankara with beautiful sequins to create outfits that will stand anyone out. This year, Chidinma’s enthusiasm for ageless, contemporary fashion and record-breaking

activities resulted in the launch of her highly acclaimed readyto-wear collection. This new collection is made readily available, affordable and it’s in fast demand given its quality finish.

Known for her beautiful and lavish approach to style and luxury, Chidinma’s ready-to-wear collections resonate with her signature layering, intricate draping and exquisite attention to detail. The brand reflects her vision to create a lifestyle that goes beyond couture and ready-to-wear outfits.

Chidinma

Tuface launches official fans’ club, website Multi-award winner, 2face Idibia, has recently launched an official fans’ club called ‘2facemaniacs’ along with an official website.

The group, which will be “the official and authorized fans base of 2face Idibia across the globe”, is conceived to celebrate the musician, draw attention to events around him and promote programmes through which he can give back to the society.

According to the promoters of the club, the event will be held at Club Scintilla, Lekki and will also witness the inauguration of 2facemaniacs website, to be unveiled by Tuface himself. The website is also built on the basis of giving back to the millions of ever passionate fans of the legend 2face Idibia. One of the ways of achieving this is through 2facemaniacs Quiz and fun zone like 2facemanic games. The website will also host news about the singer, events, where he will be performing and lots more.

L-R: Peter Okoye of Psquare, Tuface, Annie and daughter

...As Annie Macaulay gives him surprise birthday bash

Annie Macaulay-Idibia threw her husband, Nigeria and Africa’s legendary 2Face Idibia, a surprise 37th birthday party at Club Rumours, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos recently.

As expected, it was a gathering of the best heads and in the Nigerian entertainment market. Some of the celebrities spotted at the birthday party were Genevieve Nnaji, Psquare, Jude Okoye, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Waje, Omawumi, Karen Igho, Desmond Elliot, Bovi, Ruggedman, Timaya, Sound Sultan & his gorgeous wife Farida, Basketmouth, Rita Dominic, Iyanya, Ter-

ry G, Chidi Mokeme, Ice Prince, DJ Spinall, Baba DEE, Florence Ita Giwa, Abba Folawiyo, Efe Omorogbe, Cally Ikpe, Empress & John Njamah, Uti Nwachuku, Dammy Krane, Ayo Animashaun, Faze, Alex Ekubo, KCEE, The GRIP Boiz, Azadus, Solid Star and Dr. Fresh.

2Face Idibia was born Innocent Ujah Idibia in Jos, Nigeria. From the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, he rose from singing jingles at Enugu State Broadcasting Services (ESBS) in 1996 to become Nigeria’s most celebrated hip hop musician.

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

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Models

Discuss your finances before marriage K enneth and Grace met through a mutual friend and fell in love. They quickly got married after a brief courtship of six months.

At the time they met each other, Kenneth was a building contractor while she was working as a sales girl in a boutique nearby. They had a small wedding and moved into their one bedroom apartment to start their lives together.

Initially, they didn’t have qualms about money issues. Kenneth will drop N1,000-N2,000 for her to prepare food for the day. She will manage it and even bring back home some balance. This went on for a while until one day Kenneth came home with the announcement that he had lost his job. Grace was devastated because she had earlier quit her job when she became pregnant. Unfortunately, Kenneth did not have any savings in any bank so things became quite rough at home. It got to the extent that to eat three square meals became almost impossible.

After Grace gave birth to their son, she overstayed at the maternity ward of the General hospital because her husband couldn’t pay the required bills for her discharge from the hospital. The situation angered Grace so much that she decided enough was enough with her husband’s financial situation.

When she got home, she made the life of Kenneth very miserable. She started making demands for things she knew her husband could not provide with his current jobless predicament. For instance, she wanted to use pampers for her baby when she could use napkins as an alternative. When her husband tried to explain to her that he couldn’t afford to buy pampers from the meagre money he was making hustling at different construction sites carrying bricks, she will shout and scream abuses at him using horrific and unprintable words. The man has lost all the respect the woman had for him.

Kenneth tried to bear her abuses as much as he could until one day he couldn’t take it anymore.

When she started berating his character and calling him all sorts of names, he didn’t know when he swiftly turned and gave her a furious slap on the cheeks! That was how a fight ensued. Their neighbours rushed into their sitting room to separate the fight and to find out what could make an amiable man like Kenneth beat his wife black and blue.

When the neighbours found out from both parties that it was “money palaver” that was causing the fight between the couple, an elderly man in their

midst had to sit them down to drum in a few home truths about managing their home finances.

In the Nigerian parlance, it is often said that “where there’s no money, love flies out of the window’’.

How true this is depends on your perspective and past experiences. A lot of marriages have crashed because the man failed to provide for his family or that the woman felt the grass was greener in another man’s house. It’s true that love can make the world go round, but disagreements over money can stop even the best relationship dead in its tracks.

If you are in a committed relationship like marriage or you are in courtship, it is important to talk about money and how both of you intend to handle the financial issues at home. Often times, you will hear people say “Please don’t bring money into a relationship. It will surely ruin it. Money will not bring you happiness’’. Well, it is only an ostrich that buries his head in the sand and expects problems to disappear. Granted that money is a very sensitive topic that people shy away from, yet it has become the bane of many marriages as they head off to court for divorce settlements.

As much as you are in love with your partner, before you make that commitment of saying “I DO” in the presence of many witnesses, it is imperative both of you sit down and discuss how you intend to handle your finances in the home.

The days when men were described as the sole bread winners in a home have gone with the last decade or so and the same thing goes with the times when women have been described as Oriaku (eater of wealth). In these days of economic crunch and recession, women have woken up to the rude shock that their men can no longer provide for their every need. It is a wise woman who strives to engage in a career or trade to support her husband at home. In that way, she will rather be referred to as odoziaku (good manager of wealth).

Marriage is a partnership. That means both parties need to be involved in the finances. Separating the money and splitting the bills is a bad idea. It often breeds lack of trust and suspicion if your partner does not know how you make your money and how you also spend it. But if everybody brings their finances to the round table where it will be used for the good of all, it will relieve the marriage of money pressures and the many quarrels it may bring into your relationship.

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

37

&

Weddings Engagements CELEBRATING THE JOY IN MARITAL BLISS SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

A-list attendance as Tinubu’s nephew, Adedamola, weds ANGELA DAVIES

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t was celebration galore for the families of Kasunmu and Akomolafe on Saturday, September 1 as their children, Prince Adedamola Kasunmu, and Princess Oluwaseun Akomolafe, were joined in holy matrimony in a superlative Nikkai

ceremony.

The couple, who had been sweethearts for some years, met in the United Kingdom and had since been dating before they decided to say, ‘Yes, I do,’ to each other. The bride looked stunning in her gold sequined outfit while the groom complemented his wife in a well-tailored cream outfit.

Nollywood star actress and multiple-award winner who has won the heart of millions, Funke Akindele-Oloyede, was the compere of the day. She added panache to the event. The colourful aso-ebi for the day was sky-blue. Women attended the occasion in their sky-blue aso-ebi designed in different styles which they complemented with a silver headgear while many of the men came in white lace agbada which they harmonised with sky-blue fila.

The couple had about three different sets of wedding cake in varied tiers designed basically in cream and gold colours. The cutting of the cake was witnessed by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and his Deputy, Mrs. Orelope Adefulire.

Invited guests were treated to good music, assorted food, drinks, small chops and choice wines.

Prince Adedamola, a trained lawyer, is the Executive Director of BIODAMS Integrated Ventures and Modupe Group of schools, Magodo, Lagos. He graduated from University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. Also, he is the grandson of the highly respected Iyaloja-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaja (Dr) Abibatu Mogaji OON, and nephew of former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The pretty bride, Oluwaseun, is an alumnus of Babcock University. She is currently into fashion and make-up artistry.

The ceremony was witnessed by personalities from different sectors of the economy. Other guests at the event were Kemi Nelson; former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and his wife, and Obas, among others.

You have a story to tell us about your wedding/engagement, or your new born baby.

Please call this line: 08051980588

BABIES OF THE WEEK

Oluwaseun Oluwatobi Yusuf was born at Orile Agege General Hospital, Lagos to Mr. and Mrs. Yusuf. He was delivered at 1.45am and weighed 3.10kg.

According to Oluwabunmi, she craved for yam at the early stage of the pregnancy.

“During the early stage of the pregnancy, I craved for yam so much. I took a lot of oranges and watermelon.”

What were the obvious physical body changes? “I had lots of pimples on my face aside from my bulging stomach,” Oluwabunmi revealed.

According to her, she was irritated by the smell of petrol and turkey soup.

What do his parents love about Oluwaseun? “He hardly cries. He is also a gentle baby,” she stressed.

What do they want him to become in future? “We want him to become an architect that will be widely recognised,” Oluwabunmi emphasised.

What is the meaning of his names? “Oluwaseun means God has done well and Oluwatobi means God is great. These names were given to him because we expected a son and God gave us one,” she stated.

Glamour as Ebitimi, Tosin marry K AYODE FASUA

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t was all pomp and ceremony at the St. Louis’ Catholic Church, Akure, Ondo State, last week. There, Oluwatosin Ann, the second daughter of Dr. Dele Oludare, the Chief Medical Director of Oludare Hospitals, Akure, said ‘I do’ to her heartthrob, Musa Ebitimi Osigbemeh, a native of Agenebode in Edo State.

For the Oludares of Oka-Akoko community in Ondo State, this is a season of revelry, in that, within two months, the family had given out two daughters in marriage. Apart from Oluwatosin, Yemi, her elder sister, got married three weeks earlier.

Tosin, as the bride is fondly called, is a graduate of Agricultural Economics from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The bridegroom is also a senior person in a project managing firm, in Lagos.

The church’s cathedral was a roseate glow of aesthetic blend, as the couple

walked down the aisle. A combination of the bridal train and the groom’s men trailing the couple majestically, found rhyme in an admixture of purple, silver and gold colour outfits.

In the cool of the evening, the gathering moved to the Airways Avenue, home of the bride’s parents in Akure, for the traditional engagement, where Ebitimi prostrated statutorily, alongside his friends, to demand for his

wife.

Summing up his joy, an apparently enthralled Ebitimi had this to say of Tosin: “My wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me; thank God I met her.” Responding too in the same hue of love, Tosin said this of her man: “My husband is God-sent; a calm, understanding, caring, loving and wonderful man.” All, said at the memorable wedding event.

Naheema Olayinka Adisa was born at Gloryland Hospital, Osogbo to Mikhail and Shakirat Adisa. She was delivered at 12:30 p.m. and weighed 3.00kg.

“During the pregnancy, I longed for watermelon, oranges and apples,” Shakirat said.

Were there obvious physical body changes? Shakirat emphasised that, “I did not experience any swollen feet, face, nose or face. Rather, I looked more radiant.”

What irritated Shakirat during the pregnancy? “Nothing irritated me,” she said.

What does Naheema’s mother love about her? “My little girl is beautiful,” she intoned.

What do her parents want her to become in future? “We want her to become a successful medical doctor so that she can help save lives.”

What is the meaning of Naheema? “It means the blessing of God. We gave her the name because she is indeed a blessing from God,” Mikhail added.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

38

A Fashionista’s

World SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

‘Combining motherhood with modelling is no big deal’ Anita Ugochukwu, a model, wife and mother has a strikingly beautiful face. She started her modelling career in 2005 after graduating from the University of Lagos where she studied History and Strategic Studies. In this interview with Adaeze Amos, she insists that mothers too can be models in so far as their figure and beauty are intact.

What makes you happy as a woman?

Modelling makes me happy because it gives me opportunity to express myself in diverse ways.

What one studied in the university does not hinder you from being a model. You can be a doctor and have passion for modeling; you can be a teacher and may still choose to pursue a career in modelling. It is a forum or platform that gives you room to express yourself.

Anita Ugochukwu

How come your husband doesn’t frown at what you do?

It’s because I married someone who reasons like me. I married a friend who has 100 per cent trust in me. My husband knows me in and out and he is ready to help me pursue my dreams. Marrying a friend is the key. If you are a model and you want to remain one after marriage, marry a friend. Avoid a jealous man whose intention is to lock you up in a cupboard. When you eventually marry a friend, try and build trust in your marriage. Also good communication counts a lot. Bear in mind that marriage is not bondage and nothing would hinder you or cage you from pursuing your dreams. After all those women we cherish to be like, those who have succeeded in all walks of life, never allowed their marriage to hinder them. And don’t hinder yourself. I say this because one can be a hindrance to herself.

Focus on your areas of strength so that you can deliver. If you are a runway model or a bill board model, just focus on your areas of strength.

When did you start having the passion for modelling?

It started a long time ago, when I was a little girl. I used to admire models on the calendar, billboards, TV adverts and so on. When I grew up in 2005, I started.

I allowed my passion to come on board and since then, it has been like an open door for me. Jobs have been rolling in. I have not been idle since then. Even when I got married, I never stopped because I married a man who supports my dreams. Modelling is like a hobby to me.

What is your selling point?

My face is my selling point. However, what keeps me going is my personality. I won’t forget to mention the favour of God which has opened doors for me.

How have you been combining this with motherhood?

I am happily married and have three children, even though I don’t look it. I still maintain my shape and my beauty because I don’t relent on my exercise and I don’t joke with what I eat. I rest when I need to. Combining motherhood with modelling is no big deal. It is just a matter of planning my schedule well and making sure none collides. There is time for everything: time to take care of the kids and family and the time to work. I make sure that none suffers.

What is that fashion accessory you adore so much?

That would be gold. I love diamonds but you know they are very expensive. Gold is affordable. I adore it.

Why is it that most mothers are not aware that they can still be models?

Maybe because they thought it is not possible.

But it is possible, why not? Abroad mothers still model as long as your shape and beauty are intact.

Another thing that matters as well is confidence. Be confident in yourself and what you do.

Define your style?

My style is moderation. There are some fashionistas that do things to the extreme. They wear loud make-up, their jewelry are bizarre and all that. I prefer to dress bearing moderation in mind because small is beautiful.

What is one thing about life you have never regretted?

I never regretted my sex as a woman. I have heard some ladies, because of one problem or the other, who say they regret being women. I believe women are special before God. That’s why He gave us special responsibilities. We are the ones that bear children, wives, mothers and at times breadwinners. Sure, some women are breadwinners. Without them telling anybody they are the ones feeding their husbands.

What’s your best colour?

Red. I’m always attracted to the colour red.

How do you derive your inspiration?

By reading. I read a lot, especially motivational books. I also sing and play on my guitar.

Have you ever been sexually harassed?

Sure, and that happened a long time ago in 2005 when I started modelling. Sexual harassment can be found in all walks of life - in the banking hall, telecom sector, I mean everywhere. It is not only in the modelling circle. As a model, it is left for you to choose between being vulnerable, taking your chance and walking away.

What is that good thing you would always remember as a model?

One good thing that has happened to me as a model is the right step I took into registering with the right modelling agency. When you register with a wrong agency, things tend to fall out of place. It has been a source of strength and encouragement to me. The people care about their models and even in auditioning for jobs.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Opinion

Sunday September 30, 2012

39

Jonathan and the place of providence

s young Italian Felice Peretti di Montalto jabbered chirpily in company with his friends some day in some month in some year in the early 16th Century, world renowned clairvoyant, Nostradamus, suddenly accosted him.

Nostradamus, the ageing seer, surprised Montalto by kneeling down before him and kissing the feet of the young friar.

When tasked to explain the rationale behind his action, the prophet exclaimed with verve, “Oh, that’s a future Pope.” And on April 24, 1585, 19 years after the death of Nostradamus, Montalto was ordained Pope Sixtus V. That archival incident, today, pops to navigate similar trajectories, in Nigeria’s chequered history. It serves to explain the roles of vision, perception and clairvoyance, all foreshadowing a tomorrow, for both humans and nations.

One more instance, which is very near in the rollup of time, also suffices. The late former governor of Ondo State, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, while campaigning for a second term in 2003, relived a personal experience way back in 1997. That year, his old-time political associate, Chief Wumi Adegbonmire, a native of Akure who was at the time a book seller in Ile-Ife, Osun State, came visiting. Then wracked by the familiar torture of daily want, more so as it was the period the military dictator, General Sanni Abacha was hounding down pro-democracy activists, Adefarati and his ilk had no chance in hell to be anything near partisan politics.

But on this day, Adegbonmire came to tell Adefarati; “I saw you in my dream as the next governor of Ondo State.”

First bemused, Adefarati looked ahead in deep contemplation and then laughed

hilariously, the crescendo of which was that, “Please Wumi, if the Amala meal prepared for you by my wife is so sumptuous that you have now transmogrified to a seer, please, make haste and go back to IleIfe; I don’t want you to travel in the night.”

In essence, Adefarati doubted the vision in view of prevailing circumstances and the patently forlorn hope for the era. But the vision of Wumi Adegbonmire, who somewhat benefitted from own vision by becoming Secretary to the State Government under Adefarati, came to pass.

Same might have gelled for the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan, who emerged from the ivory tower to become deputy governor to then Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. He reportedly worked humbly under the hue expected of him as deputy governor, since every deputy in a democracy is a potential ‘predator’, not by himself but by the ‘extra tyre’ nature of his office, in that if the unsavoury befalls his principal, he automatically takes over.

Despite Jonathan’s perceived gentility, other variables still consumed his boss, making him to ultimately step in as the governor. From there, he got invitation again by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, to be Vice-President to would-be President Umaru Yar’Adua. While in the office, Yar’Adua died of natural causes, paving way to a Jonathan Presidency.

Perhaps, a community Nostradamus in the remote village of Otuoke in today’s Bayelsa State had done something close to kissing Jonathan’s feet (after all, the President had no shoes!), proclaiming that ‘one day, you will become the President of Nigeria.’ Or better still, maybe while in the staff-room or his office at the univer-

sity, a fellow lecturer, gifted with a third eye, had made a similar prediction.

Whichever way, the President has now reached the apogee of any natural human craving and what should engage his earnest desire is to build an enduring legacy.

For, as his providential voyages are all concomitant with his name, ‘Goodluck’, the goodness of his luck shall endure if he can decisively transform Nigeria to what it is truly not-the giant of Africa.

For a 52-year-old country with almost listless potentials in abundant natural and human resources, and having an intimidating 150 million population, to still be wracked by mass unemployment of the refuse-dump scavenging dimension, simply bespeaks of leadership failure.

Granted that the country’s problems date to successive drifts in public administration, and to unbridled corruption by past leaders, there should be clear demonstration of departure from that inglorious era, for all to be convinced that the Jonathan team can truly deliver the nation from its hiatus.

Fifty-two years on, uninterrupted power supply remains only achievable in the dream world; the manufacturing plants that the country hoped to expand, all simply packed up, yielding their warehouses to religious bodies; and the education system, pummelled by economic and associated ill-wind, has now tottered to the extent that a student could write, ‘I want to went there’, and receive a pat on the back, from his teacher.

And many more; the rot is corrosive.

While the President has hammered on the fact that there is a transformation agenda working as programmed, the best way the citizenry can be carried along is for him

Kayode Fasua

kayodefasua@nationalmirroronline.net (08034101207; SMS only, pls)

to demonstrate strong will in the prosecution of corrupt public officials and economic saboteurs, some of who now go with the sickening acronym, ‘oil thieves.’

Besides, his ongoing unbundling of the power sector aimed at ending the era of epileptic power supply should be boldly and genuinely pursued, as all are still circumspect for its transparency.

Same counsel equally applies to the state governors, some of who now operate as the lords of the manor, lacking in initiative to properly deploy monthly federal allocations in transforming the rural communities and providing jobs. But this is not also to deny that a few of them have excelled, barring general socio-economic inhibitions.

While the security crises besetting the country in the mould of insurgent attacks and suicide bombings are a test of will to the President, who must be man enough to confront them, the task of revamping the economy should also be pursued with utmost doggedness, not yielding the destiny of Nigeria to selfservers in the garb of political friends, that now throng the corridors of power.

For Jonathan, a President brought to rule by providence, this is food for thought.

Democracies Nigeria should emulate TUNJI ARIYOMO

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t is difficult to watch the recently concluded political party conventions in the United States (US), particularly the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that took place in Charlotte without wishing that was Nigeria. There is no doubt that each party saw the need to front-load its best in order to be considered serious by the American public. Placed side by side with Nigeria, the US conventions exposed the stark reality of Nigeria’s claim to democracy as nothing more than a bold-face attempt to pass off the notorious Mucuna pruriens as an everyday edible bean. The naked fact of our pseudo democracy is at the heart of what is wrong with Nigeria because real democracy is a key element to attaining leadership accountability or the institutional framework for propping up leadership whose emergence depends upon its ability to convince the people of its capacity to address issues that are of primary importance to them. Consequently, even though many Nigerians continue to desire leaders like Barack Hussein Obama, the incumbent president of the US or a Bill Clinton, the chances of such leaders in Nigeria are very slim. When such do emerge in Nigeria, he would be a statistical outlier, a product of accident. He also stands the risk of being encumbered by the system, which in this case is the norm.

I identified two major differences in the Nigerian democracy when compared with the US or United Kingdom (UK) democracies. These are: (1) ownership of political parties, and; (2) mode of determining party

representations in government. The first affects the party as an institution while the second affects party’s involvement in government.

In both US and UK democracies, the political parties are owned by the masses (citizens who freely elect to become members of such parties) and anyone who decides to join a political party can rise to the pinnacle of leadership in that party simply by being very active, very capable, very educated, very committed and by maintaining high moral standards and not simply by who they know. This is why on the average, a leader of any of the major parties in the US and UK is likely to be very knowledgeable about the economy, foreign policy and other issues that are of importance to the average American or Briton unlike in Nigeria where anybody irrespective of his ability can become anything simply by kowtowing to well connected god-fathers. It should be noted that there are ‘god-fathers’ in both the US and UK democracies as well, the difference however is that since actual representative selection shall be decided by “every member of the local” party, those ‘god-fathers’ are themselves forced by circumstance to scout for the best and most marketable people who can be promoted with their resources for the purpose of securing the approval of ordinary members of their parties and not by simply imposing them upon those members. They have no such power. The US Tea Party movement’s relative success at positioning its preferred aspirants for GOP tickets over a short period of time is a typical example of how ordinary folks can dynamically alter power equation in real democracies. It is inconceiv-

able to expect such external youth-led putsch to faze the power brokers of Nigeria’s major political parties.

The Vanguard newspaper of 20th January 2011 credited a national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with saying that his party ‘elders’ have the supreme right to decide and impose candidates on the rest of the party. He even erroneously cited British model to justify his argument. He called the process consensus.

Usually, other aspirants except the one that has been so favoured would describe that same process as an imposition. Yes, both great democracies (UK and USA) have room for consensus, but the consensus must also be decided by the members of the party and not a few ‘elders’. This is the core ingredient that makes real democracy such an appealing system of government.

It is the reason political office holders in real democracies tailor service deliveries to meeting the pressing and legitimate needs of their people rather than simply skewing public policies towards creating unlimited pool of free money for godfathers. They know as a fact that they need the public for the survival of their political careers.

The selection of party candidates by the general house via a system akin to a Direct Primary protocol as practised in the US and to some degree in the UK is the present missing link in our democratic experiment. It is the core ingredient that gives absolute power to select a candidate to the people of the constituency to be so represented. It is the restraint that prevents Mafia-like syndicates from taking over the party systems in those

places. It is also the key to the emergence of supposed underdogs as champions. Examples of such people include the much celebrated Barack Obama’s victory over Hilary Clinton in 2008. Had the decision to select the US Democratic presidential flag-bearer in 2008 been solely in the hands of Democratic Party leaders, Obama would undoubtedly never have had a fighting chance. Also in the UK, if the decision to elect a new leader for the Labour Party in 2010 had been solely ‘in the hands’ of the party leadership, Ed Miliband would never have emerged. Ditto for David Cameron’s rapid rise to Tory leadership in 2005 as his party sought a brilliant (he made first class), youthful, moderate candidate who would appeal to voters.

The Direct Primary System empowers all members (not just delegates) of a particular political party to ultimately vote in the election of candidates that will represent such a political party. Essentially, every member of the political party gets to have a say in the selection process. A direct implication of this is that it takes the power to predetermine the outcome of party primaries away from a few people – a tiny rank of godfathers. This directly promotes high leadership turnover, ensures a political party that belongs to the people rather than to a small group of privileged men; it eliminates capacity to stifle dissenters and enhances the ability of ordinary folks to get involved in party processes.

•Ariyomo is a Policy Chair of the National Development Initiative NDi (an independent think-tank). NDi project can be accessed at www.nd-i.org.

40

Politics

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oil well: Presidential pronouncement and a bagful of contentions CHARLES OKEKE, AWKA; DENNIS AGBO, ENUGU

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landmark event took place in Anambra on August 30 when President Goodluck Jonathan declared the state an oil producing state. The proclamation was made at Aguleri-Otu in Anambra East council area, during the commissioning of Orient Petroleum facilities.

The declaration of Anambra as an oil producing state immediately elicited contentious reactions from the neighbouring states of Enugu and Kogi, as both are now laying claim to oil wells found in Anambra. The oil wells have been allocated to Orient Petroleum and Refinery (OPR) Plc with Oil Prospecting Licence OPL 915 and 916.

Specifically, the Igga community of Kogi State and a section of Uzo Uwani local government area of Enugu State have been claiming that these oil wells belong to them and that Anambra does not own them. This latest development has created a frosty relationship between Anambra State and her neighbours, with all the key concerned groups and their allies issuing contending statements on the issue.

The news had always been there that there is crude oil deposit discovered somewhere around Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu State or in some community of Anyamelum in Anambra State.

Early this year, the Chairman of Uzo-Uwani local government, Mr. Cornel Onwubuya raised the alarm that Orient Petroleum Plc was about to begin exploration on their land whereas, Orient Petroleum belongs to Anambra state.

Mr. Onwubuya threatened hell and brimstone to stop the exploration for an alleged failure by the prospecting company to accord the council its due recognition.

He frowned at what he described as the misleading pronouncement from the chairman of board of directors of Orient Petroleum, Chief Emeka Anyaoku that Anambra would soon become an oil producing state even when the oil wells which the company intends to explore are located in Enugu State.

According to him, the pronouncement by the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth was generating tension among the oil host communities of Igga, Asaba, Ojjor and Ogrugu in Enugu state.

Agreeing that Orient Petroleum was promoted by majority of Anambra state indigenes and has the controlling shares of the company, Onwubuya insisted that the least his local council would expect from the management of the company was to ensure that Uzo-Uwani was put in the picture of whatever was going on in the over 640 square kilometres covering the oil production licenses (OPL) 915 and 916 oil blocks won by Orient Petroleum.

The council chairman said that “from all historical and documentary evidence, the Oil wells are situated in Igga land in Uzo-Uwani local government of Enugu State. The distance of the oil wells to Igga is eight kilometres and seven kilometres from Echenwo community in Ibaji local council of Kogi state. The nearest Anambra migrant settlement, Enugu Otu, to the oil wells is 50 kilometres”.

Not long after Owubuya’s alarm, the Enugu State Government refuted claims by the management of Orient Petroleum Plc (OPR), Mr. Emeka Nwaka, that the lingering contention between it and the company over the oil wells have been resolved.

Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke described Nwaka’s claim as “unfortunate and a misrepresentation of the facts”, adding that the dispute revolves around the continued refusal of the company to acknowledge that it has oil wells in Enugu State and not Anambra State alone, and the need to reflect the existence of oil wells in the three communities in all its communications and instruments.

Ugwoke said that no resolution of any sort was reached as the company merely briefed the representatives of the

Gov. Chime

Gov. Obi

state government on its operations in the affected communities and even proposed that a conflict resolution committee be set to address the issues while holding further talks on it.

Tension further built up at the border communities of Enugu, Kogi and Anambra immediately after the president designated Anambra as an oil producing state. The three Oil producing communities of Ojjor, Iggah and Asaba of Enugu State chided the state government for indifference and lack of seriousness in safeguarding the oil wells in their communities.

“We are indeed shocked and pained as it concerns the recent happenings revolving around the oil wells located in our place. We describe as a glaring injustice and bare faced gangsterism a situation where Anambra politicians through Governor Peter Obi have arm-twisted our people and claimed ownership of oil wells located in Enugu State.

For the avoidance of doubt, the oil wells in the three oil blocks in Ojjor, Iggah and Asaba communities of Enugu State provide the bulk of the crude oil supply to the Orient Refinery.

“Our anger is even more against the Enugu State government over its nonchalant attitude in safeguarding the oil in our place. Like a man who pursues a rat while his house is on fire, Enugu State government has continued to treat this issue with levity as against the seriousness it deserved,” the communities said in a joint statement.

Deputy Leader of Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon John Ukuta, who hails from Igga community in a similar testimony, said that the location where the crude oil wells are is within three communities in Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu.

He noted with dismay the attitude of Anambra State government in resorting to subtle means to claim ownership of the land where the oil is deposited, insisting that the oil was discovered in 1952 by his grandfather who served as parliamentarian in the First Republic.

He posited that the oil basin is specifically located in three communities which are Iga, Ojjor and Asaba all in Uzo-Uwani maintaining that their ancestral shrine is located in those communities.

The lawmaker disclosed that Enugu and Anambra state governments held a meeting in Awka, Anambra state capital at the prompting of the National Boundary Commission, and that given the contentious issues in the submissions of the two parties, the commission advised both parties to wait for its finding before taking further action.

Ukuta stated that Kogi state has now joined the fray because the three states have disputed borders but advised all parties to sheathe their swords and wait for the outcome of the findings of the commission rather than restoring

to self help. He added that Enugu State has been providing boundary documentary evidence to buttress her legitimacy to the land while calling on the Federal Government not to cede the location to Anambra given that the matter is still under contention and a declaration is yet to be made by the commission.

The people of Igga community have equally protested the declaration made by the president including Anambra as the 10th oil producing state in the country. The community called on the Anambra State governor to henceforth desist from laying claims to the oil wells they said is located on Igga land of Enugu state.

“We challenge Governor Obi to produce documentary evidence that makes the present location where oil is being produced by Orient Petroleum Resources to be in Anambra State,” the community challenged.

Similarly, the Aguleri community, a principal party in the issue has vowed that nothing will make it abandon its God’s given Anambra Forest Reserve where Anambra River Oil Wells 1, 2 and 3, are domiciled. In a recent statement, the community contended, “the people of Aguleri are the true owners of the land in question, that is, the Orient Petroleum Resources Oil Wells, otherwise, known as Anambra River Oil Wells”.

Meanwhile, Obi in a recent state-wide broadcast gave a brief history of how Anambra became owner of the oil wells in contention. He said: “it is pertinent to recall that Orient Petroleum Resources was formed during the government of Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju in 2001and allocated oil fields domiciled in Anambra State. Under our government between 2006 to 2009, Anambra State with the vision and belief in the positive impact of the project on the economy of the state and country invested directly and indirectly the sum of N4.4 billion which boosted the confidence of other investors to invest in the venture that made its commissioning a reality”.

“Whilst my predecessors never visited the site, I personally laid the foundation of the refinery; I have also visited the site severally since 2006, without any group or state interfering in its ownership as is now the case following the announcement of drilling of oil there”.

Obi said it was pertinent to note that till date, neither the group nor the states laying claim to the fields have directly or indirectly invested a kobo in the project, while Anambra State and her people have invested several billions of Naira. The governor summed up his position on the issue, saying, “let me at this juncture state that Anambra State believes in good neighbourliness and will in conformity with our culture, always admire and celebrate other states which may become producers of oil or any other mineral resource in the future”.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Sunday, September 30, 2012

41

ned focused –Nwosu, ADC chairman

g e . f e s r o w e y k d s

y n a e t g y. a

gradually, that institution is becoming an exemplary one. He is building a solid foundation to make Nigeria relevant again; we now have a reinvigorated, disciplined and intelligent military. Recently, the President launched a special amoured vehicle, naval weaponry and naval ships wholly developed and built by our men. Can you compare the military of today to the coup-plotting military of the past? Same thing is happening in the police, and other security organs of the nation. The President is laying foundation for quality education by offering scholarship to our sharp brains to study to the highest and within a few years, populate our universities with the best of hands. The President has empowered the state governments, and the legislative arm to contribute genuinely to nation-building. Note that before this presidency, state’s administration was like concomitant function of the President. State contracts, local government contracts, and contracts from other government agencies were awarded from the villa or to villa-appointed contractors, but now, all 36 governors, 776 local council government and other agencies of government are truly independent administrations. Freeing the entire government ecosystem to work for the people is really amazing. So, Jonathan’s style is touching the people positively, no matter where they are. If anyone is not feeling the dividend of democracy, they should knock on the doors of their governors and even their local governments. Development in education, agriculture, water resources, power, oil and gas, transportation and other federal concerns are being handled more professionally, and the ministry of finance is being run like a world-class institution.

What preparations is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) making toward Anambra 2014 governorship election, as a prelude to the 2015 general elections?

As a political party, we are strategising to remain very relevant in ensuring good governance in the country. Any responsible

political leader desires change of fortune in a positive sense for his country. In the last presidential election, we supported President Jonathan, and we are still committed to supporting him. I want to believe that the primary reason reasonable people are in politics is to usher in a great dawn for the people. Therefore, ADC will continue to work with Jonathan and collaborate with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) so long as they continue with the transformation effort.

On Anambra 2014, we see how the pendulum swings. A few candidates have indicated interest to run on our platform. Events of the next couple of months will decide our position, whether to partner with another party or go it alone.

present democratic enterprise. He is a very discipline man. Within all these years, he never allowed the office or shenanigan of his colleagues to change him. He remains simply Mr. Peter Obi. He is also a good resource manager. He has a very strong character, and he is resolute. For a leader, these are exceptional qualities.

Would your party be open to any alliance with either APGA or PDP in future elections in the South-East?

These things are not cast in stone; it de-

pends on who is running, and the agenda.

People must start closing ranks for the interest of the greater majority. Every four years, having 40 to 50 men and women running for one position does not speak well of my state. As an organisational architect, and craftsman, I will collaborate with the good people of the state to begin to redesign the state and reshape the idiosyncrasies.

People like Chief George Okoye, a first-class architect, organizer and a creative thinker will make a very good governor. But, I do not think he is running.

What manner of leadership do you think Anambra people desire ahead of the 2014 governorship poll?

Anambra needs a visionary leader; someone capable of big-picture thinking, futuristic and ready to sacrifice in building a great and exemplary state. I think I know the kind of leader Anambra State needs to make sustained progress.

Are you impressed by the performance of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA) government in your home state?

Governor Obi has shown tenacity and discipline. You cannot take these away from him. His doggedness rescued Anambra State from the solid grip of gangsters, election riggers and very destructive fellows in politics. This equally made four governors in two terms of him and this is quite a record. Mr. Obi’s political record and successes can make the Guinness Book of records. Governor Obi’s firm resolve helped to realign our judges in dispensing justice in election matters and also helped to give confidence to many political candidates to fight perceived electoral injustice to their logical conclusion; so, in a way, Obi remains symbolic and an emancipator in the nation’s

of insecurity each. It is not the amount that is as important as the empathy and sympathy engendered by that hand of fellowship thrown by the government.

“I think we have to recognise that governance or politics is about the people. It is about taking care of the under-privileged and making their interest, their welfare and their well being the constant factor in the government policy, both formulation and implementation.”

The eminent academic said that as a way out, a case should be made for a new social contract in the country but condemned the way the Boko Haram people were pursuing their grievances. “I don’t think it is a right way of putting it. We can make demands but by the time you start creating instability resorting to killing of innocent people, burning churches, mosques and schools and committing all manner of mayhem, in fact, you are increasing the level of poverty and alienation in the country. I don’t think that is the correct way. You can’t destroy the North of the country in order to save it. I think they whatever point they are, it is time to sit around a table.”

Lagos lawyer, human rights activist and politician, Dr Tunji Braithwaite, speaking on the current security situation in the country and the way forward, said he had always held the view that Boko Haram is a political protest.

“Unfortunately, some people are trying to confuse issues by making it to appear religious as well. That is being bedeviled further from what we are seeing in the Arab world and using Islam wrongly to perpetrate violence. In my book which is over-publicised, this issue has been addressed that Islam is not a religion of violence. No religion is a religion

Okey Nwosu

of violence.Unfortunately, it would appear that fanaticism flourishes at the moment with some evil fellows using Islam. I know that Islam is against what these fundamentalists are doing. The solution to that would be for many of the Islamic faithful not only to condemn these outcasts but to work in harmony with the people of other faith. When that is done and there is social justice in the land, there will be peace.

“Again we go back to the issue of oppression caused by corruption because it is not only members of one religion that are victims of corruption or injustices. Everybody is a consumer of the consequences of corruption. When corruption has been addressed, when there are sanctions and obvious rogues (people who live beyond their means, people who benefit because they have been in government before or who hang around the corridors of governments are seen to have been dealt with), you will find that there will be less of these violent organisations, these kidnappings and all what not. But because people don’t see the criminals, high-class criminals dealt with, they are resorting to self help, and that is dangerous. Although, I personally and I have been in the struggle for a greater part of my adult life, I never subscribe to violence under any pretext.

“There are other means of dealing with these social problems. For instance, expose and confront the sacred cows. Bring them out, ostracise them but because of poverty in the land and irresponsibility on the part of the elite, they celebrate these obvious worthless characters. Only in Nigeria do this sort of things happen. When we begin to stigmatise them publicly, these regional militant groups will not find much ground on which to operate.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Professor Tam David-West, said the security situation in the country is at its worst level ever. He said it is not only security but

that everything is bad.

“As Nigeria celebrates its 52 years of existence, everything is negative and is at the worst level. Any Nigerian leader that thinks we are giants of Africa is living in dreams. We are not giants in positive things. We are only giants in corruption. In fact, we can say we are ant of Africa. When I was minister, a naira was exchanged for 1.5 dollars, now a dollar is about one hundred and sixty naira”, David-West said.

Also speaking with the Sunday Mirror, spokesperson of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Mr Yinka Odumakin, said Nigeria at 52 is a difficult place to live on earth. “This is because of the spate of insecurity, ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping and to the high level of terrorism.”

He condemned what he described as ineffective leadership that has bedeviled the country since independence.

Odumakin said the high level of insecurity in the land was a product of corruption, adding that corruption had become the ‘ten commandments’ of Nigeria He gave example of Afghanistan where corruption had led to unprecedented violence, saying “where there is corruption, insecurity always reigns supreme”.

Odumakin noted though that several amounts of money were voted as security votes, such funds had not been used to prevent or curb insecurity in the country.

Chairman of Committee 21, a pressure group fighting for the right of the South-East, Senator Annie Okonkwo, said looking at Nigeria at 52, “the point is that the country is not moving forward the way it should. The high rate of insecurity is there standing before everybody’s face, the high rate of corruption is there, poverty is endemic, the infrastructure are not there and the integrity of the nation is dwindling by the day. As a country we are not moving forward,” he emphasised.

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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

WHO INVENTED WHAT…?

GROWING UP Chris Haas: created hands-on Aunty Angela with

growingup5@yahoo.com

Hello Children, How was your first week in school, especially for those of you who resumed last Monday? I hope your mind is set to the reality that your holiday is over and that it is time for studies. I wish you a wonderful week ahead.

IT’S STORY TIME

The Greedy Mouse

A

greedy mouse saw a basket full of corn and he wanted to eat it. He made a small hole in the basket and squeezed himself into it through the hole. He ate a lot of corn until he was satisfied. This made him very happy.

When he wanted to come out of the basket, he tried to come out through the small hole he had earlier made but he could not because his stomach was full. He tried again and again but he could not.

Then, he started crying. A rabbit was passing by and heard the mouse’s cry and asked: “Why are you crying my friend?” The mouse explained: “I made a small hole and came into the

I

n 1994, Chris Haas was just nine years old when he came up with a great basketball training invention.

He saw his friends missing “easy” shots during basketball practice at school and thought there’s GOT TO BE ANOTHER WAY!!!

He was the son of a basket-

ball coach and knew a thing or two on the right way to aim and shoot. After trying to show his friends how it should be done, and giving them helpful hints on the right way to hold a ball, he came up with his invention: the hands on basketball.

The hands-on basketball is a basketball training tool

basket but now I am not able to get out through that hole.”

The rabbit told him: “It is because you ate too much. Wait till your stomach shrinks”. The rabbit laughed and went away.

The mouse fell asleep in the basket and by the next morning his belly had shrunk. But the mouse wanted to eat some corn. So he ate and ate. His belly was full once again. He thought: “Oh! Now I will go out tomorrow”.

Unfortunately for the mouse, the cat was the next passerby. He smelt the mouse in the basket. He lifted its lid and ate the mouse.

Moral: We should not be greedy.

QUOTE

To lose a child ... was something that could end one’s world. One could never get back to how it was before.

The stars went out. The moon d isappeared. The birds became silent.

–Alexander Mccall Smith

A talking pig

JOKES

P

hilip, a six-year-old boy listened attentively in class as the teacher was reading the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to acquire building materials for his home.

Then, she said “...And so the pig went up to the man with a wheelbarrow full of straw and said, ‘Pardon me sir, but might I have some of that straw to build my house with?’

The teacher then asked the class, “And what do you think was the reply of the man?”

Philip raised his hand and said “Teacher, I know! I know.”

The teacher said, “Philip that is good, so why not tell us what the man said.” “The man said Holy Moses! A talking pig”.

Children, you can send your contributions and pictures through this email address growingup5@yahoo.com or call telephone number: 0805 198 0588

Did you kno

Circulation of blood A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the topic clearer to the students, he said, “Now, boys, if I stood on my head, the blood as you know would run into it, and in no time, I will turn red in the face.”

“Yes, sir,” the boys said.

“Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position, the blood doesn’t run into my feet?”

A little boy behind the class shouted, “Because your feet are not empty.

You are wearing shoes”

Sharks are immu imm harks are the only animals that almost never get sick: they are immune to almost every known disease. Their body frames are not made up of bones. Instead, they are made of cartilage - the tough, fibrous tissue that shapes our noses and ears. Instead of scales, sharks’ skins have small tooth-like spikes that are so sharp that the skins have long been used as sandpaper.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

basketball training aid for kids and has hands painted on it, indicating the correct positions to hold the ball when shooting. Chris entered his school Invention Convention, a kid inventions competition at his school where he first submitted his invention. However, he didn’t win, but with his teachers’ and family members’ encouragement, he went on to patent his idea anyway.

After the patent was granted and with the help of his father, he approached several sports equipment companies inquiring whether they will be interested in buy-

ow?

Growing Up

Sunday, September 30, 2012

ing the licensing rights to his idea. But none of them was interested.

He persevered and a year and a half later signed the contract that brought the hands on basketball to the market. Chris sold the exclusive manufacturing and selling rights to a sport equipment company, Sportstime Inc. of Atlanta who has since manufactured and sold hundreds of thousands of the hands on basketball.

Today, his invention is sold successfully around the world

une to almost all known diseases

43

WORD SEARCH

Find and circle all the words below. They could be found in any direction C

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Bread Pancake Coconut

The Park

Cake Sandwich Doughnut

Waffles Salad Carrot

Chocolate Caramel Garlic

POEM

Syrup Pear Sauce

TONGUE TWISTERS

The park is very great and green And full of many things unseen Swings that come swinging and knock off your head Germs in the fountain that kill you quite dead And lots of wild children who like to throw sand And sometimes there’s even a musical band!

RIDDLES What has two humps and is found at the North Pole?

Answer: A lost camel

Where do tadpoles change?

Answer: In a croak-room What sort of animal is a slug?

Animal: A snail with a housing problem What is “out of bounds”?

Answer: A tired kangaroo Teacher: Now class I want you all to answer at once. How much is six plus four?

Answer: Class: At once

On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.

Wow, race winners really want red wine right away!

Does this shop sport short socks with spots?

Answer to last week’s sport quiz 1) Austin Jay Jay Okocha 2) Number 10

POP

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

44

Lessons of Life

ANGELA DAVIES lessonsoflife2@yahoo.com 08023342083

TRUE LIFE STORY ON MATTERS OF THE HEART SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

‘Who do I marry, Ossai or Niran?’

E

veryone called Niran and me ‘five and six’ because we were always together. Whenever you see Niran and I am not with him, just look back and you will surely see me coming right behind him. He was not my first love however; he was my first true love.

I met Niran inside the luxury bus on my way back to Lagos from Kaduna where I went to attend my cousin’s wedding. We sat together and moments into the journey, we started chatting. By the time we got to Lagos, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses to keep in touch. Before we knew it, we had started dating. We dated for close to two years. However, I broke up with him after he failed the one test I gave him which I however regretted later.

I wanted to know how much he loved me so I lied to him that I was pregnant.

He told me he was not ready to become a father. In fact, he was not the father of the bastard in my womb. He insulted me and called me all sorts of names. I wept and pleaded with him not to reject me and the baby but instead he pushed me out of his house.

Standing on the doorstep, I said, “I thought you loved me?” “Julie, I do love you but I am not ready to be a father. You better go and find the father of the bastard you are carrying. Better still, go and abort that thing you call a baby in your womb,” Niran stressed. “And if I refuse?”

I asked. “Well that is the end of the relationship,” he declared. “You profess your love to me everyday but now I know better, you don’t love me at all,” I sobbed.

I was so bitter and disappointed at his reaction. “So if I was really pregnant, Niran would have actually denied the pregnancy. Men are something else,” I murmured. I walked away and decided that it was the end of the relationship even though I loved him so much. Although, he was not my first love, he was my first true love. There are times I think about him and regret why I had to put him through that test which he failed woefully.

Surprisingly, we met again three years later in Enugu but in a rather strange circumstance. That day, after I left Niran’s house, I vowed that I was going to stay off relationship for at least two years. Nevertheless, about a year later, I met Ossai in Port Harcourt and he swept me off my feet. He loved and adored me so much. I loved him too but I was scared of being hurt so I didn’t give the relationship my all. About seven months later, he proposed and I accepted. A month later, he was transferred to Enugu from their head office in Port Harcourt. We were both scared that distance will put a strain on our relationship but we were able to come up with a plan that will not make us feel each other’s absence too long.

Every weekend, I travel to Enugu to spend the weekend with Ossai. However,

the last time I visited, Ossai informed me that his younger brother’s friend will be putting up with him for a while until he gets his own accommodation because he just got a job in Enugu.

“Julie, Jason my friend’s brother, will be spending some time with me before he gets his own apartment. He has just got a job here in Enugu and he does not know anybody here except me. I am sure you will meet him when next you come. He is a nice person,” he disclosed. “That is alright. I am sure I will see him when I come in two weeks time. At least it is not a lady that is coming,” I jokingly said.

Two weeks later, I went to visit Ossai as usual. But, I decided to surprise him.

Instead of travelling to Enugu on a Saturday morning as I usually do, I took an evening flight on Friday. When I got to Ossai’s house, the gateman was even surprised to see me. When I enquired after Ossai, he said he just came back from work about two hours ago and must be resting.

I met the parlour door open, the television was left on the highest volume and everywhere was littered with cigarette and empty bottles of beer bottles. “What happened here? But Ossai does not smoke so how come this place is like this?” I muttered. I turned down the volume of the television and made straight to Ossai’s bedroom.

On getting to his bedroom, what I saw with my eyes, even in my dreams I would swear that he was not capable of doing such. The bedroom door was left ajar, I quietly pushed it open. First the room reeked of cigarette and alcohol and he was in bed with two women half nude. I was so shocked that I didn’t know when I squealed. Surprised to see me, he immediately ordered the ladies to leave the room. They jumped out of the bed, picked all their belongings on the floor and ran out.

“Ossai, so this is what you do in Enugu. In fact, when did you start ‘carrying’ women? Hmm … maybe this is the real you and you have been pretending all this while. What have I done to warrant this humiliation? I decided to come a day earlier just to surprise you but I can see you surprised me instead,” I sobbed. “Julie, what you saw is not really what it seems.

I was just having fun. I don’t love any of those women,” he explained. “I thought I knew you but I now know I actually don’t.

I thought you don’t smoke nor drink but I guess I was wrong,” I emphasised.

As I rushed out of Ossai’s bedroom crying, I bumped into Niran. Shocked, I looked at him from the head to toe sobbing. He held my hands and asked, “Julie, quite a long time, what are you doing here?” I removed his hand and ran to the sitting room. He came after me, so did Ossai.

Ossai tried pleading with me but I told him he was a big disgrace and disappointment. About 30 minutes later, when I had

A model

calmed down, Ossai said, “Julie, please meet Jason, my brother’s friend that I told you about.” “We have met before.

I know Julie but she does not know me as Jason. She knows me as Niran,” Jason revealed. Ossai was surprised that we knew each other and was interested in knowing more about us. Niran told him all about us and how he regretted his actions, but the most painful was letting me go. In the presence of Niran, he apologised and professed his love for me. He pleaded with me to give him another chance so that he could rewrite the wrong he did to me.

At this point, Ossai was furious. “Jason you must be mad. Have you forgotten she is my fiancée? You had your chance with her and you blew it. She is mine now,” Ossai retorted. There was so much misunderstanding in the house that evening that Ossai asked Jason to leave his house. “Jason, please pack your belongings and leave my house. You cannot come between Julie and me. I will do whatever it takes to keep and marry her,” he stressed. Jason packed and left that night while I travelled back to Port

Harcourt on Saturday morning because I could not stand the situation on ground.

Now Ossai and Niran are fighting themselves over me and their fight is turning really dirty. I am afraid they may injure or even kill themselves. Ossai’s family is insisting that I must not leave their son while Niran is intensifying all efforts to ensure that he wins back my love. My own family has given me an ultimatum of four months to get married. They don’t care whether it is Ossai, Niran or someone else. All they know is that I must get married in four months time.

Niran is my first and only true love but do I have to marry him after what happened between us? Ossai has disappointed me beyond my imagination. Can I still trust him? Do I even really know who he is? Maybe I have to pray that someone else should come along before the ultimatum expires. I am so confused.

What do I do?

Please send your advice to the phone number or e-mail address above. No calls, please.

45

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wellness YOUR HEALTH AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

The late Maryam Babangida died from ovarian cancer

Bloated tummy, a symptom of ovarian cancer

Diagram of a woman’s reproductive organ with ovarian cancer

How to know if you are at risk of ovarian cancer Facts

VANESSA OKWARA

I

t will interest you to know that the United States President, Barack Obama; General Ibrahim Babangida and the popular American Hollywood actress, Angelina Jolie, have one thing in common: they all have a loved one who died from ovarian cancer. Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, died years ago from the sickness; the same thing happened to Marcheline Betrand, who was Angelina Jolie’s mother. Nigeria’s former first lady, Maryam Babaginda, also died in December 2009 at the age of 61 from ovarian cancer.

From the faces of these popular people, it becomes obvious to us that ovarian cancer indeed transcends race, class or tribe.

It could happen to any woman!

In the world today, different types of cancers plague humanity and yet no solution is in sight to cure this deadly disease.

Cancer is one ailment that has cut across gender, age, tribe and race. It has extended swiftly and silently all over the world, killing millions. Today the world is perplexed as to the cause of this disease and how best to stop it.

The spate of ovarian cancers is no different. A recent study by the American Cancer Society disclosed that gynaecological examinations conducted in about

Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all the gynaecologic cancers. It is the 8th most common cancer in women.

Ovarian cancer, just like every other type of cancer, does not have any cure.

Women with certain risk factors may have a greater chance of developing the sickness.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer are not specific to the disease but they often mimic those of many more common conditions, including digestive and bladder problems.

45 per cent women show signs that many women are living with this ailment without knowing that they have it.

Women usually do not talk about gynaecological issues, but we need to stop the silence, ask questions and get informed. It is important to talk to your doctor if you notice any signs we will be revealing in this article today.

The study states that ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all the gynaecologic cancers. It is the eighth most common cancers in women, excluding skin cancers. It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women and kills more than other cancers of the female reproductive tract, such as cervical or uterine cancer.

Historically, ovarian cancer has been called the “silent killer” because symptoms often become apparent only when the

cancer has spread and is harder to treat.

Experts say the exact cause of the disorder is not known, although they know some of the factors that make a woman more likely to develop it.

Dr Lekan Ajayi, a gynaecologist and medical director of Metroline Hospital, Lagos, revealed that ovarian cancer does not discriminate. It can strike a woman of any race or at any age. “Ovarian cancer just like every other type of cancer does not have any cure. What we know is that women with certain risk factors may have a greater chance of developing this sickness. It is very important that once a woman reaches puberty and child-bearing age; she should endeavour to always check herself and observe if there are certain changes in her body to avoid getting unpleasant surprises from any of these dead-

ly diseases like breast, cervical or ovarian cancers,’’ he said.

Dr Ajayi informed that certain factors may increase your risk of ovarian cancer.

“A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease.

It is important to understand that if you have one or more of these risk factors, it does not mean that you are sure to develop ovarian cancer, but your risk may be higher than that of the average woman. The reason women are asked to be more conscious and informed about this sickness is that if it is detected early enough, there is a high percentage chance that it could be cured,” he said Some of these risk factors include: • Inherited gene mutations: A small percentage of ovarian cancers are caused by an inherited gene mutation. The genes known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer are called breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). Another known genetic link involves an inherited syndrome called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Women in HNPCC families are at increased risk of cancers of the uterine lining, colon, ovary and stomach.

• Family history of ovarian cancer: If CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

HEALTH NEWS

Ear care centre to conduct free surgery Foundation seeks education for children with disabilities The National Ear Care Centre in Kaduna says it would conduct free ear, nose and throat surgery for 30 Nigerians in October.

Head of Clinical Services, Research and Training, Dr Solomon Labaran, told newsmen in Kaduna that the exercise would

hold between October 8 and 11.

He said the surgery would be conducted in conjunction with some Indian ear, nose and throat specialists.

Labaran said that the centre had started screening of the patients, adding that the screening exercise

would end on Oct. 8.

He also disclosed that the free surgery was initiated to promote the prevention of deafness in the country.

He urged patients to seek medical advice for proper treatment instead of self medication.

National President of Down Syndrome Foundation, Mrs. Rose Mordi, recently in Lagos, appealed to governments at all levels to pay more attention to intellectual disabilities.

Mordi in an interview with reporters said there was the need for inclusive education for children with intellectual disabilities.

She regretted that in Nigeria, there were no structures on ground for children with such a challenge and

other intellectual disabilities.

Mordi said that in developed countries, all children went to the same school but those with disabilities were provided with special education teachers.

She said down syndrome was an intellectual disability, but that the victims could excel in arts, music and other endeavours, “if they get early medical intervention”. ``People with disability need to

be properly trained, that is why we advocate that the federal and state governments put in place programmes to carry out early intervention for them medically, educationally and socially. ``In Nigeria, no such thing has been put on ground and that is why a lot of parents hide these children with down syndrome, because of stigmatisation and ignorance,’ she said.

46

Wellness

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Know your organs

T

The Ovaries

he ovaries are a pair of female reproductive organs. They are a pair of gland in the reproductive system where eggs are stored, and a key part of the normal development and reproductive function of women.

Ovaries are oval shaped. The size of each is about 1.5 inches long.

from the ovary through a fallopian tube to the uterus. The ovaries also regulate the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. The ovaries are the main source of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone). These hormones control the development of female body characteristics, such as the breasts, body shape, and body hair.

Location The ovary (for a given side) is located in the lateral wall of the pelvis in a region called the ovarian fossa. The fossa usually lies beneath the external iliac artery and in front of the ureter and the internal iliac artery. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries are connected to each other by the fallopian tubes. Eggs are transported from the ovaries to the uterus via the fallopian tubes. Surrounding the entrance to the fallopian tubes are tiny fimbrae, or fingerlike projections, which guide the egg into the tube each month.

Role in pregnancy While cycles may be irregular in the beginning, they will eventually become more regular with about 28 days between the first days of each period.

Each month, approximately 10 to 12 egg follicles will begin to develop. One will continue on to produce a mature egg.

The rest will be reabsorbed into the ovarian tissue. About 14 days into a woman’s cycle, that mature egg will be released in a process known as ovulation. After ovulation occurs, the empty follicle is known as a corpus luteum. It will produce progesterone and other hormones crucial for pregnancy for about 14 days. If fertilisation occurs, this hormonal support will continue throughout pregnancy. If fertilisation does not occur, the corpus luteum will degenerate and cause the cycle to start all over again.

Release eggs every month The ovaries are not attached to the fallopian tubes but to the outer layer of the uterus via the ovarian ligaments. Usually each ovary takes turns releasing eggs every month; however, if there was a case where one ovary was absent or dysfunctional then the other ovary would continue providing eggs to be released.

A woman is born with all of the eggs she’ll ever need, around one million in each of the ovaries. By puberty, when she’ll most likely receive her first period, the number of eggs in each ovary is around 200,000 to 400,000. During her childbearing years, approximately 300 to 500 eggs will develop and be released during ovulation. After menopause, the ovaries will stop producing eggs, and atrophy (shrink).

Main functions The ovaries have two functions: they produce eggs (also called ova) and female hormones.

Each month, during the menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one ovary. The egg travels

They produce hormones The ovaries are sensitive to the effects and changes of the endocrine or hormonal system.

They respond to and produce their own hormones as needed by the body.

In addition, the ovaries also respond to FSH and LH which is produced by a small gland in the brain called the pituitary gland. FSH, or Follicle Stimulating Hormone causes the estrogen level to rise and a group of egg follicles to grow each month. As one follicle becomes dominant and reaches maturity, the higher estrogen level will cause the LH (luteinizing hormone) to surge, triggering ovulation.

The ovary may be the site of several disease conditions. Some of the possible diseases are acute and chronic inflammation, tumours, cancer, and cysts.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Head injury

BONE Health

ead injuries are one of the most common causes of death and disability in the United States. Every year, almost a quarter million people are hospitalized because of traumatic injuries to the brain, and 50,000 people die. As well, 80-90,000 people sustain long-term or lifelong disabilities because of a brain injury each year. Children are not excluded, with more than 2,500 deaths and almost a half million emergency department visits per year for head injuries.

Blows to the head most often cause brain injury, it is important to remember that the face and jaw are located in the front of the head.

Brain injury may also be associated with injuries to these structures. It is also important to note that a head injury does not always mean that there is also a brain injury.

The brain is a rather soft, pliable material almost jelly-like in feel (like Pap in a living person), and is surrounded by a thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The brain is surrounded by thin layers of tissue called the meninges; 1) the pia mater, 2) the arachnoid mater, and 3) the dura mater. These are like nylon wrappers around the brain) The CSF is present in the space beneath the arachnoid layer called the subarachnoid space.

The dura mater is very thick and has septae, or partitions, that help support the brain in the skull. The septae attach to the inner lining of the bones of the skull. The dura mater also helps support the large veins that return blood from the brain to the heart.

The spaces between the meninges are usually very small but they can fill with blood when trauma occurs, and this build-up of blood can potentially press into the brain tissue and cause damage.

The skull protects the brain from trauma but it does not absorb any of the impact from a blow. Direct blows may cause fractures of the skull; there can be a contusion or bruising and bleeding to the brain tissue directly beneath the injury site. However, the brain can bounce around inside the skull if it is subject to significant force and because of this, the brain injury may not necessarily be located directly below the trauma site. A contre-coup injury describes the situation in which the initial blow causes the brain to bounce and is damaged by hitting the skull directly opposite the trauma site. Acceleration/deceleration and rotation are the common types of forces that can cause injuries away from the area of the skull that received the trauma.

H

Your

with Dr. Olatunji Idowu

If you have any problem or question about your musculoskeletal system (bones, joints and muscles) do send me a mail at tunjiidowu@live.com for advice. Meanwhile, your comments and feedback on the issues discussed are highly welcomed.

‘Symptoms of ovarian cancer not specific to the disease’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 women in your family have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you have an increased risk of the disease. Also, women who have had cancer of the breast, uterus, colon or rectum have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.

A previous cancer diagnosis: If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer of the breast, colon, rectum or uterus, your risk of ovarian cancer is increased.

Women over the age of 55: Your risk of ovarian cancer increases as you age.

It most often develops after menopause, though it can occur at any age.

Never having been pregnant: Women who have never been pregnant have an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Hormone replacement therapy for menopause: Some studies have suggested that women who take estrogen by itself (estrogen without progesterone) for 10 or more years may have an increased risk of ovarian cancer You’re overweight or obese: Fat accumulation plays a lot of role in most gynaecological problems in women.

You eat a lot of meat: Studies show that women who eat a low-fat diet or one high in vegetables have a lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who eat a high-fat, low-vegetable diet – especially animal fat.

You smoke and drink: These may increase the risk for epithelial ovarian tumours.

The expert said the symptoms of ovarian cancer are not specific to the disease but they often mimic those of many more common conditions, including digestive and bladder problems, so it is easy to ignore them, but as the cancer grows, it worsens. When ovarian cancer symptoms are present, they tend to be persistent and worsen with time.

In 2007, three main cancer organisations - Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, and American Cancer Society - issued a unanimous statement concerning ovarian cancer stating that symptoms may start early. “Ovarian cancer is the most deadly cancer of the female reproductive system.

Its high death rate is partly due to the lack

of early detection and screening tests.

This new statement is to help women note ovarian cancers possible early warning symptoms and seek help swiftly’’.

According to the statement, the following symptoms are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than in women in the general population: • Bloating • Pelvic or abdominal pain • Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly • Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency) “Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks should see their doctor, preferably a gynaecologist. However, those symptoms don’t always indicate ovarian cancer.

Only doctors can diagnose ovarian cancer,” the organisations state.

Other symptoms include constipation, pain during sex, bleeding between periods or a change in your cycle, back pain, upset stomach or fatigue. However, the experts stress that these symptoms can be common and are often caused by less serious conditions than ovarian cancer, so it’s easy to ignore them or diagnose it to be

another ailment. That is why it is very important to go and see a doctor for proper diagnoses and tests.

Diagnosis Your doctor may order the following tests: • Physical examination — Your doctor will palpate your abdomen to look for discomfort and tenderness or abnormal fluid • Pelvic examination • Blood Test — your doctor may order a CA-125 blood test. This test measures CA-125 in the blood. CA-125 is found on the surface on ovarian cancer cells and also normal tissue. A high CA-125 level may indicate ovarian cancer or other conditions.

• Ultrasound • Biopsy How is ovarian cancer treated? The experts say that the main treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Sometimes, two or all three are recommended or your doctor may give you several treatment options.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

47

Business FRESH BUSINESS NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS September 30, 2012

UDEME AKPAN

F

or the past 52 years of Nigeria’s independence, the Federal Government has held forte as the sole regulator, generator, distributor and marketer of electricity in the nation. The reasons were not far-fetched.

First, many people felt, albeit wrongly, that it was the government that had the resources to do so.

Second, there were also many who thought that power issues were tied to national security, which should not be left in the hands of private investors. More than that, inconsistent policies of past administrations also made it unattractive for local and foreign investors to show interest in the sector even when it became obvious that government had failed to deliver. Available statistics showed that despite the allocation of billions of naira and other currencies, the government did not accomplish much in the sector.

Consequently, electricity generation hovered between 1,000 megawatts (mw) and less than 2, 000 mw for a population of over 140 million throughout a greater part of the period. This is meagre, considering the capacity of other nations, especially South Africa that is blessed with about 40,000 mw. It was even difficult to transmit and efficiently distribute the limited volume of electricity to consumers in different parts of the nation because of insufficient infrastructure and other challenges.

These resulted in too frequent blackouts and instabilities that impacted negatively on individuals, households, institutions and the economy in general. In fact, at the advent of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, power generation was a little over 2,000 mw resulting in many parts of the nation experienced chronic darkness for a greater part of the year.

Determined to change the picture, the Jonathan-led administration adopted the sector as a strategic area of interest and established some structures capable of enhancing the planning and execution of different projects and programmes. These included the Presidential Action Committee on Power, consisting of Ministers and Heads of agencies that have important roles to play in the sector. The Committee had the responsibility to develop policy and grant instant approvals for critical decisions, thus bringing about fast execution of decisions.

The government also set up the Presidential Task Force on Power, which has representation from relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Power, the Bureau of Enterprises (BPE), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency (NERC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Accountant General of the Federation and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to drive the implementation of the reform.

With these and other structures in place, the government produced and launched a roadmap for the nation. The blueprint stated the direction, which the government was to go in the sector as well as the roles which different stakeholders were expected to play. This was followed by the holding of a presidential retreat for investors before the government embarked on road shows to selected locations with high concentration of potential investors such as London, South Africa, Dubai and the United States.

These and other actions aimed at enabling the government to effectively execute the nation’s National Electric Power Policy (NEPP), which set out the policy framework for re-designing the sector. The redesign has the legal backing of the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act. Specifically, the 2005

Power stations: Great expectations as private investors take over

Peterside Atedo

Bolanle Onagoruwa

Act provided for the creation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to take over the assets, liabilities and employees of the defunct National Power Electric Authority (NEPA).

As the Director General of BPE, Ms. Bola Onagoruwa pointed out: “It called for the unbundling of PHCN into successor companies and ensuring greater operational autonomy, market development, privatisation of successor companies, establishment of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and establishment of the Rural Electrification Agency and Fund to provide electricity to the rural areas as well as fund rural electrification projects.”

The Chairman of the Council’s Technical Committee, Mr. Atedo Peterside, also added, “The Act also paved the way for implementation of what has come to be known as the seven pillars of the Power Sector Roadmap.

These included the empowerment of an Independent Regulator for the sector (NERC); establishment of a Bulk Trader; introduction of cost-reflective electricity tariffs (via the Multi Year Tariff Order).”

These seem to be bold steps in the right direction. The feats were boosted when government opened financial bids for five of the power generation companies this week.

Details showed that five consortia with members including local firms – First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Forte Oil and Transnational Corporation Plc, – as the preferred bidders

of power generation companies slated for privatisation. A total of eight consortia bid for successor companies, including three thermal plants namely, Geregu Power Plc, Sapele Power Plc, Ughelli Power Plc and two hydro stations located in Shiroro and Kainji.

Details have it that Transcorp and Wood Rock/ Symbion/Thomasen PSL Power Consortium emerged as the preferred bidders for Ughelli Power Plc with a bid price of $300 million. Transcorp is chaired by Tony Elumelu, the former Chief Executive Officer of UBA. Elumelu’s company, Hiers Holdings, has the single largest stake in the conglomerate.

Amperion Consortium, including, Forte Oil Plc, which has Mr. Femi Otedola as its Chairman, emerged as the preferred bidder for Geregu Power Plc with a bid offer of $132m.

Amperion Consortium emerged reserved bidder for the Ugheli power plant with an offer price of $252 million. Other partners in Amperion include Guernsey, a UK-based firm and Shanghai Municipal Electric Power of China.

CMEC/Eurafric Energy, a consortium made up of First Bank Plc, won the bid for Sapele Power Plc with an offer of $201 million while JBN-Nestoil Power Services Ltd, a group made up of Julius Berger Plc and Nestoil Limited, emerged preferred bidder with an offer price of $106.5 million. For the hydro plants, which are being concessioned for an initial period of 15 years, the bid for Kainji was won by Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, which offered to pay yearly fee of

NCC URGES TELECOMS CONSUMERS TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS

48 WORDS WORK!

$50,760,665. It will also pay an upfront commencement fee of $237,870, 000. The bid for Shiroro Power Plc was won by North South Power Company Ltd at a fixed annual fee of $23,602, 484 and a commencement fee of $111, 654,534.30.

A group, North-South Power Company Ltd, which has Niger State government as a stakeholder, won the bid for Shiroro power plant with an offer of $23.6m Investors in North-South include indigenous firms XS Energy Ltd, BP Investment Ltd, Urban Shelter Ltd and Road Nigeria Plc. The group also includes China International Water Electric and China Three Gorges Corporation, an electric power utility firm. For Kainji, Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, a consortium with some firms, including NIGELEC, a Niger Republic registered company, was declared the preferred bidder with an offer of $50.7m.

Like some stakeholders, the NCP believed the process that culminated to the emergence of winners was transparent. The Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku, restated government’s commitment that the privatisation exercise remains on course.

He expressed the hope that the various milestones set as its target would be met if successful bidders ensure effective management of the power plants and improve the level of their performances through improved power supply.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Gbenga Obadara and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Power, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, described the emergence of the preferred bidders as historic in the annals of the nation’s privatisation programme.

Already, the investors have promised to do their best. The Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp, Mr. Obinna Okudo had this to say: “We are going to let Nigerians know that a Nigerian company can lead a foremost Nigerian sector (electricity).”

Expectedly, the entry of the new investors has created mixed reactions that are driven by two schools of thought. The first is dominated by labour whose officials expect untold suffering for the sector’s employees. For instance, the General Secretary of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Mr. Joe Ajaero, and others have at different occasions remarked that the privatisation of the stations would culminate in retrenchment of personnel, thus causing hardship for their families and dependants.

Ajaero and his colleagues vowed to halt the handover of the Ugheli, Geregu, Sapele, Shiroro and Kainji power plants to successful bidders unless the government pays their severance packages.

Unlike the first, the second school is optimistic that the involvement of the investors would mark a new dawn for the investors, workers and the nation. For instance, the BPE is confident that the participation of private investors would lead to increased inflow of funds required to boost investment, and by extension improved performance, meaning increased supply of electricity to consumers.

The BPE also expects limited political interference, a level playing field/ground for all investors as well as the release of government’s funds to finance projects and programmes in other sectors of the economy.

But most close observers, including the National President of Oil and Gas Association of Nigeria (OGSPAN), Mr. Colman Obasi, think differently. Their position is that it would take between a medium- to long-term period to realise adequate and stable electricity supply because of the enormity of challenges, including inadequate gas supply and vandalism that still stare the sector in the face.

49

48

Business

Sunday September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NCC urges telecoms consumers to protect their rights

Property Watch •For Lagos area as at Friday Sept. 28, 2012 A. Building materials Cement: Dangote Cement per bag of 50 kg.......N1,800 Burham Cement per bag of 50kg.......N1,800 Elephant Cement…………………N1,800 Sandcrete blocks 6 inches sandcrete block ..........N130 9 inches sandcrete block ..........N150 Sand Sand per tipper load .......... N12,000 Sharp sand (double) ..........N22,000 Gravel (single) ...................N18,000 Gravel (double) ..................N23,000 Granite ...............................N120,000 Reinforcement 8mm(153) pieces per ton (N125,000 10mm (153) pieces per ton .......... N135,000 12mm ............................................N161,000 16mm ........................................N172,000 20mm (53) pieces ....................N122,000

T

he Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah, on Friday urged telecommunications consumers in the country to protect their rights.

Speaking at the first National Telecoms Subscribers Summit in Lagos, Juwah said they could do this by reporting to the appropriate authorities any unfair practice by the telecoms operators.

The summit with the theme ‘’Nigerian Telecoms Revolution: Consumerism as the Last mile Challenge’’ was organised by the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS).

Represented by Mr. Tony Ojobo, the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Juwah urged the consumers to take advantage of the Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), established by the commission to protect their rights.

“In a bid to implement this mandate, the commission established the Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) in September, 2001,” he said.

He said that one of the commission’s mandates was to protect and promote the interest of consumers against unfair practices from their service providers.

According to him, there is a paradigm shift from mere service provision to ensuring that

consumer satisfaction ranks highest in priority, in the provision of ICT goods and services.

He added that the telecommunications umpire ensured that consumers were compensated when wrongfully billed or for loss of service.

“The consumer occupies the central position in our scheme of things and comes top among all our stakeholders,” he said.

Juwah said that NCC had developed a Consumer Web Portal, serving as an interactive avenue to disseminate information on its activities and initiatives toward achieving consumer protection.

He said the portal was also to empower consumers and get

FCMB partners Lagos on renewable energy project

Wood Timber (hard) 1x1x12 ..........N1,000 Timber (hard) 2x2x12 ..........N600 Timber (hard) 2x4x12 ..........N700

JOHNSON OKANLAWON

F

irst City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB) has supported the Lagos State Electricity Board’s (LSEB) Renewable Energy Project by funding 2,500 rechargeable solar lamps for the state to distribute to school children.

Soft wood 2x2x12 ..........N250 2x3x12 ..........N300 Plywood 3x3x6-----------------N3,500 2x4x8-----------------N2,400 Roofing Sheet Corrugated iron sheet per bundle ...N10,000 Asbestos 4x8 per piece ..................N1,600 Asbestos (solo) ............................N1,100 B. Landed property Focus area: Lagos Mainland 1. Four bedroom detached house with BQ at Omole Phase 11, Kosofe -----N40m Estimated price in 5 years--------------N60m 2. 800 square metres at block 47 at Isheri North Estate, Lagos ---------- N6m Estimated price in 5 years----------------N15m 3. 6 bedroom wing of duplex plus BQ at Adeniyi Jones off Opebi, Lagos------- N55m Estimated price in 5 years----------------N100m 4. A land measuring 5.081 square metre at Ajasa, Ipaja, Lagos------------------------------N25m Estimated price in 5 years-----------------N50m 5. 2 nos bungalows on 800 square metres along Oba Akran, Lagos----------------N150m Estimated price in 5 years-----------------N250m 6. 1.12 acres of land with uncompleted building at Marwa Road, Satellite Town, Lagos---------------------------------------------------N1,5bn Estimated price in 5 years------------------N2bn 7. Uncompleted block of flats at Isheri -Osun, Lagos--------------------------------------------------N15m Estimated price in 5 years--------------N20m 8. Four bedroom duplex at Gbagada------N18m Estimated price in 5 years--------------------N30m 9. 8 nos of 3bedroom flats with BQ at Surulere, Lagos---------------------------------N80m Estimated price in 5 years--------------N100m 10. A detached house at Oke Ira, Ogba, Lagos--------------------------------------------------N22m Estimated price in 5 years--------------N35m •Compiled by Dayo Ayeyemi, E-mail: dayoayeyemi@yahoo.com

feedback from them on the performances of service providers as well as the commission.

The President of NATCOMS, Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo, said that the aim of the advocacy group was to foster understanding of consumer issues among stakeholders in the industry.

He said that NATCOMS had been monitoring and working with service providers on regular basis to ensure good quality service delivery.

Ogunbanjo added that the association was charged with the responsibility of educating consumers on the protection of their rights and other telecoms issues.

L-R: General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN, Mrs. Oyeronke Oyetunde; President, National Telecommunications Subscribers, Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo and Head, Quality Assurance/Training, Etisalat, Mr. Nwaje Jebunoh, during the first National PHOTO: NAN Telecoms Subscribers’ Summit in Lagos, on Friday.

OPS seeks waivers to Traffic Law in Lagos M embers of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos State on Friday appealed to the state government to grant them concessions in the implementation of the new Lagos Traffic Law. They made the appeal at the Private Sector Stakeholders’Forum on the law, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Ikeja.

The members, who contended that some provisions of the law were not favourable to their business, implored Gov. Babatunde Fashola to give them some waivers.

The representative of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. John Aluya, said the restriction on the movement of articulated trucks, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., was a big threat to their operations.

He said, apart from the security risks trucks might face travelling at night, the poor illumination of most roads might also result in accidents and loss of consignments.

“We, therefore, appeal that our trucks should be allowed to move between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the roads are mostly free,” he said.

Presenting the position of courier companies on the law, the Managing Director of UPS, Mr. Ralph Ozuede, said the prescription of 200cc motorcycles for their operations was not convenient.

According to him, 200cc motorcycles are not readily available in the country and cost about N1 million each.

“We want the government to allow us some grace of between six months and one year to transit to the prescribed motorcycle capacity. As it is now, it

will be difficult for us to get the 200cc engines because they are very expensive,” he said.

Equally, the representative of the Road Haulage Association of Nigeria, Mr. Joseph Umoni, argued that the ban on movement of trucks during the day could cause a lull in their operations as well as loss of jobs.

Responding, Fashola said the traffic law, just like every other law, was not perfect and could be amended.

He, however, said that some of their concerns were based on selfish reasons rather than for the common good, pointing out that the law was made for the prosperity of the state.

“The way some of us do business in the state is not sustainable. We do business to affect others. We need to reconfigure our business models. Things are changing and we need to move fast,” he said.

Trade Fair: Exhibitors express optimism on patronage

E

xhibitors at the ongoing 7th Abuja International Trade Fair have expressed optimism that the level of patronage would improve as the 12-day fair progresses.

The fair, organised by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industry,

Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA) commenced on Sept. 27, at the J.T. Useni Trade Fair Centre, Airport Road in Abuja.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents at the venue on Saturday report that both local and

foreign exhibitors displayed their wares.

An exhibitor from Ghana, Mr Henry Offor, who sells packaged natural foods, told NAN that the patronage would increase as the fair progresses.

The Lagos State Electricity Board’s Renewable Energy project aims at maximizing power supply through independent power projects (IPPs) and improving public lighting for the citizens of the state.

A statement from the bank yesterday quoted the bank’s Group Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Kalu, as saying that the project is in line with the moral direction of giving back to society, “which we share with the Lagos State Government.”

According to him, the rechargeable solar energy lamps will not only support the beneficiaries in their quest for knowledge, which will eventually lead many out of the vicious cycle of poverty, but provide opportunity for students to be introduced to the essential paradigm of renewable energy and environmental sustainability.

The General Manager, Lagos State Electricity Board, Mr. Damilola Ogunbiyi, noted that the provision of solar light bulbs to school children in the state by the bank would have a significant impact on their living conditions.

He said, “Our aim in providing solar bulbs for school children is to enhance their efficiency and promote studying habits in them. We see FCMB as not only our bankers, but also as our energy development partners in this laudable initiative.”

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business

Sunday September 30, 2012

49

Words work!

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT –DAVID, THE BELOVED (THE HOLY BOOK)

Inspirati with Lanre

Oyetade

NMMA Capital Market Award Winner 2004, 2005 E-mail: lanreoyetade@gmail.com, 08039428648

W

ords indeed work! There definitely is power in the spoken word. This fact has been known and acknowledged over the ages; and this principle, which has been used by many to achieve success and attainment in life, has been variously referred to as the principle of audible autosuggestion (which we discussed a while back) or more commonly, the power of positive confession/affirmation.

My first contact with what the Master said about it over two thousand years ago was through my late Dad about three decades ago when he told me during the course of one of our several discussions that ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’

Expressed longings And Dr. Sidney Newton Bremer, whom I was to come into contact with later through his writings, taught me a profound truth and explained the Master’s pronouncements further when he said, “our heart longings, our soul aspirations, are something more than mere vapourings of imagination; they are prophecies, predictions, couriers, and forerunners of things that can become realities.”

And I dare add that the starting point of these ‘prophecies’ coming true is in releasing the words through our mouths in total deference to Christ’s declaration that we can have what we say. What we say does come to pass; albeit not immediately but surely.

God’s creative power Creative power was in God’s mouth and it is in our mouths also as creatures made in His likeness. Our words carry potential creative power and become even more potential when we speak them in faith or any of the lesser emotions of desperation, anger or fear.

As in the opening quote taken from psalm 23 verse 1 of the Holy Book, where David was employing this principle, as he did several times throughout his inspired speeches, masters of the times have learnt to make use of this all-potent concept.

So, so powerful The spoken word is so powerful that, if repeated many times, both the hearer and speaker begin to believe it even when it is a lie! And this is the basis of most advertisements and of what is commonly known as ‘brainwashing’.

It has long been established that words are so powerful that when the same sets are repeated to children over the years, whether true or false, these children believe them, at times permanently. And this procedure is known to be most potent in the moments just before sleep or just after waking up.

It also works, albeit to a lesser extent, on adults too and that is why it is often advised to observe positive prayers and meditations in the early hours of the morning, when the ‘resistance’ from the sub-conscious mind is at its minimal level.

Words so spoken and repeated at such times settle into the subconscious, which is the seat of our actions and emotions, and over time, affects our very thoughts, speech and action, which in turn, affects our lot and ‘destiny’.

I remember sometime in 1985, after havReader, 08062082315.

Money Consult Your money questions Y t answered E-mail: lanreoyetade@gmail.com, 08039428648

I missed the Warren Buffet article Dear Lanre, God bless you for your inspirational messages sir. Sir, I missed the Warren Buffet article in the Sunday Mirror. Can you send me the article sir? Thanks very much.

Favour James, E-mail jamfavour@yahoo. com.

Dear Favour, Please find the article in your box.

Interested in grass cutter farming Dear Lanre, Happy weekend to you sir. I want to go into grass cutter farming business this year and I need your help on how to go about it. Thanks.

Mayowa, Abuja, 08036317095.

Dear Mayowa, Please get in touch with Mrs. Tomi Olatoye of the Centre for Urban Agriculture (CUAD) on telephone number 08061697604 concerning your request.

What business with N80,0000?

Dear Lanre, Good day. I just rounded off in school and before I go to NYSC, I need a business to go into. I have like N80,000 but I don’t know the actual business to go into. i need your advice.

Please reply.

Dear Reader, There are quite a number of businesses you can start with the kind of money you have. The fact of the matter, however, is that I cannot give you hard-and-fast recommendations as to the kind of businesses you should do, since this will depend, to a large extent, on the opportunities available in your vicinity and more importantly, on your ‘comparative advantage’, i.e. your talents and preferences. However, in order that you get some suggestions into the kinds of businesses you can do, I will advise that you get the book, ‘66 businesses you can start and run on your own’ by Ladi Olatunji. Best wishes.

ing not performed well in my Advanced Level exams, locking myself in our sitting room and praying earnestly that failure should no longer be my portion, and resolving to put in fresh effort into my studies.

I then declared aloud with a holy indignation and almost mysterious faith that I was no longer going to fail any written examination. Well I did put in that resolved effort and the result? 300 points at my JAMB result that year; 10 points at my GCE ‘A’ Level exams; an admission to read Economics and Statistics at the University of Benin; a Best Student Award at UNIBEN and a University Scholarship for academic excellence!

Words indeed do work, especially when backed with the emotion of faith and the resolve of a determined heart.

Strong and not weak, rich and not poor Illness and poverty are two of those things a man should resist on principle.

Never say you are weak if you wish to be strong, fatigued if you would be perpetually fresh or poor if your desire is wealth and plenty.

About the principle of audible autosuggestion, Dr. J. Herman Randall has the following to say, “Let a man take 15 minutes, and get away somewhere from the noise and turmoil of it all, and just say to himself, ‘I am God’s child, I am God’s child, I am God’s child.’ No man can do this very many days without carrying into all of life – the life of the home, the life of business and finances and the social life – a sense of dignity and confidence and power such as he has never experienced before.”

Think about it!

Till next week, please stay inspired in His presence. on how to make money and what to invest on. I am a corper and I want to be buying stocks every month out of the little amount I’m collecting. Please I need your advice on the amount I may invest each month. I am serving in Lagos.

Thanks and God bless.

Oladipo Taiwo Busuyi, Lagos, 08032242288 Dear Taiwo, On the issue of how much to invest, this will of course depend on what your earnings are. You can invest as little as N5,000 in the primary market whenever low-priced public offers are made. But if you would like to invest in the secondary market, you may need between N50,000 and N250,000, depending on which stockbroker you are dealing with.

N10,000 investment for foreign admission

Dividends/bonus from private placements?

Dear Lanre, I have N10,000 with me and I want to know how can I go about investing it. I want you to reply me please because I want the investment to process my admission into a university abroad. Is it possible for one to get it done?

Reader.

Dear Lanre, Thanks for the good work you are doing for this generation. I want to ask if dividend and bonus shares are given to private placement subscribers before the stock is listed on the NSE floor and I want to ask how much Tantalizers then sold a unit of their private placement.

Fadipe Yusuf Abiola, FUTA.

Dear Reader, Most viable investments in the country return roughly 35-50 per cent yield per annum and with an investment of N10,000, I am not very sure you will be able to make the kind of returns you will need to finance your admission in a foreign institution in good time.

I will advise that you give your resolve a good consideration and weigh the costs. There are good universities in this country, you know.

Corper wishes to invest Dear Lanre, Sir, I do read your column in the Sunday Mirror. In fact, I like the way you advise people

Dear Yusuf, For companies that have the intention to list their shares after a private placement, the time between the private placement and listing is usually short so they usually declare and give dividends/bonus only after they declare their financial results, which usually comers after listing, but for companies that do private placements but do not intend to list their shares, nothing stops them from giving dividends and bonus as declared by the board of directors. Tantalizers sold its private placement at N5.00 per unit.

Wealth Nuggets ‘Top 10’ Most people are comfortable with status quo; the only person who readily sees the need for change is a baby with soiled nappies –Anonymous Proper planning prevents poor performance –Anonymous Hasty climbers have sudden falls –Anonymous Everything comes to those who wait –Anonymous Circumstances do not make a man; they merely reveal him to himself –Epictetus Character is power – Booker T. Washington Use power to help people.

For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor make a great show in the world, nor a name; there is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people.

–George Bush Failure can be divided into those who thought and never did and into those who did and never thought – Reverend W.A. Nance

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, and far enough ahead to motivate them –John C. Maxwell Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality –Warren G. Bennis

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Zonal News

Sunday September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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NORTH CENTRAL

Flood: 15,000 residents Yakowa awards displaced in Benue N28bn road projects HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

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n estimated population of over 15, 000 displaced persons are taking refuge in three different camps provided for flood victims in Benue state.

The rehabilitation centres include Wurukum beside Mainstreet Bank, where over 7,000 refugees have been camped; NKST Church, another camp, reportedly has about 5,000 displaced people while another one called Owner Oc-

cupier has 3,000 persons.

The number of houses submerged in the water could be put at about 3,000 while household materials, including farm produce like rice, beans , yams, and fish, as well as livestock estimated at over N3 billion were destroyed and lost to the floods.

However, as at yesterday when Sunday Mirror visited the worst hit areas such as Airforce Base, Mu stream, Wurukum, New Garage and Rice Mill, the water was gradually reced-

ing as houses which were completely submerged in the water were beginning to emerge, once more.

At the NKST camp, the state zonal coordinator of National Emergency Management Authority, Mallam Abdulsallam Mohammed, described the influx as unprecedented, noting that efforts were being intensified to improve the wellbeing of the refugees.

He declined to comment on the funds made available for the upkeep of the displaced persons.

A ZA MSUE KADUNA

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overnor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State has awarded 31 roads contract worth N28 billion across the three senatorial districts.

According to a statement signed by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Reuben Buhari, the government also awarded contracts for the purchase of 40 additional new operational vehicles for state security the outfit code-named Operation Yaki.

The statement said 25 per cent advance payment had already been made by the government to each road contractor.

The statement further said contracts for the purchase of 700 Kings tricycles that would be used for transportation in the state had been given at a cost of N288.75 million under the state SURE-P programme.

According to the statement, “In continuing

efforts to improve the motorability of roads in Kaduna State and to improve on the needed access to densely-populated communities in Kaduna, the state government has awarded contracts for the immediate construction of 31 roads all across the 23 local governments of the state at a total cost of 28 billion with various completion dates.”

The statement continued, “Based on the inauguration of a committee to identify programmes and projects to be undertaken by the Kaduna State government with its share of revenue from the fuel subsidy reduction, the committee, under the chairmanship of the deputy governor, has identified projects and submitted its reports.

“Considering the social security challenges in the state, and based on the recommendations of the committee, a contract was today awarded for the purchase of 40 Nissan Sunny

vehicles that would serve as taxis at a cost of N105.6 million” “The state government also gave the contract for the purchase of four 15-seater Toyota buses with AC to four faith-based institutions in the state at a total cost of N37.128 million,” the statement added.

It, however, said government had given the contract for the procurement of four 22,000-litre Dong Feng DF1250 metre trucks and two 60,000-litre high-impact, corrosionfree surface tanks at a total cost of N153.615.

“In view of the hardship being experienced by people in Kaduna State in getting kerosene for domestic use and to ensure that the Kerosene Direct Scheme gets to the rural areas at all times, the Kaduna State government will ensure that it has the means to ensure that kerosene gets to all at the approved price of N50.00 per litre.”

Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, Alhaji Musa Mohammed (middle) displaying some of the weapons recovered from suspected armed robbers at a recent briefing at the Command Headquarters, Lokoja, Kogi State, at the weekend.

Zamfara govt receives 137 Senator makes case for flood victims deportee pilgrims OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

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enator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman representing Kogi Central Senatorial District has expressed sympathy for the about 73,000 people reported to have been displaced by the recent flood disaster across nine local government areas of Kogi State and others in other parts of the country.

The senator, in a statement signed by his media assistant, Michael Jegede, asked the Federal Government to

waste no time in responding to the demand of the Senate for a supplementary budget to address the immediate needs of those affected by the flood.

He said: “My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the 73,000 people in Kogi State and those in other parts of Nigeria, said to have been displaced by flood, and of course, the families of those who have lost their lives to the calamity.

“President Goodluck Jonathan must as a matter of ur-

gency, respond to the demand of the Senate asking him to come up with a supplementary budget to assist the victims of the flood, which has brought untold hardship to the people affected.”

While commending the government of Kogi State and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), for making effort to provide relief camps for the victims, Abatemi-Usman maintained that the situation in Kogi is beyond the state government and NEMA.

Al-Makura urges sport development G overnor Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State yesterday urged stakeholders in sport to develop it as a tool for promoting peace and unity in the country.

Al-Makura made the appeal yesterday when he received the Torch of Unity for the 18th National Sports Festival scheduled for Lagos from November 27 to December 9.

He said that sport development could also be used for national development.

The Zonal Director of Sports, National Sports Commission, North Central Zone, represented by the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Sports, Daniel Ogah Ogazi, handed the torch to Al-Makura at the Lafia Township Stadium.

The governor appealed to the three tiers of government to have a renewed political will to fund sports adequately. ``Sports are very crucial in the educational and

emotional upbringing of any society; as such it required the attention of all for the nation to move forward,’’ he said.

The governor described the torch as a symbol of unity that demanded all citizens to sit and play together as one indivisible entity. ``I want to use this platform to showcase Nasarawa State to the world as a model of peace and unity,” he said.

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he Zamfara Government on Friday received 137 female pilgrims who were deported from Saudi Arabia.

The deportees, who arrived at the state capital Gusau, were received by the deputy governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala, at the Presidential Lodge.

Addressing the pilgrims, the deputy governor, who is also the state Amirul Hajj, sympathised with the women.

“If the requirement of the Saudi authorities was

for you to have a guide, the state government and the Federal Government are your guides and so they have no grounds to make you go through all these hardships.”

Wakkala assured that the Federal Government had entered into diplomatic discussions with the Saudi Arabian government over the matter.

He added that the matter would be amicably resolved and that the pilgrims would be taken

back so that they could perform the Hajj.

The deputy governor said that the state government would take care of the pilgrims pending the resolution of the matter.

Addressing newsmen later, the deputy governor said that the state government would meet with other states affected by the deportation to discuss the possibility of asking for compensation for the deportees from the Saudi government.

Local council to buy improved seeds for farmers T

he Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State has said it would buy a variety of improved seeds for distribution to farmers in the area.

The council chairman, Alhaji Khalid Ibrahim, disclosed this in Birnin Kudu.

Ibrahim, who said this shortly after launching 12 hectares of new maize

variety demonstration farm in Birnin Kudu, said the improved seeds to be bought were maize, ground nuts, millets, sesame and rice.

He pledged that his administration would continue to give priority to agriculture as contained in President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda to make things bet-

ter for the citizenry.

The chairman disclosed that the council had so far spent N450,000 on the purchase of improved seeds from the Jigawa State Agricultural Supply Company (JASCO).

Ibrahim also said that the agriculture department of the council would train farmers on new techniques and extension services.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Zonal News

Sunday September 30, 2012

Impeachment: Panel Flood: Obi seeks FG, lacks competence others’ assistance –Taraba Dep Gov

he Taraba Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, yesterday challenged the competence of the panel investigating allegations of gross misconduct against him.

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry was set up by the state Acting Chief Judge, Justice Josephine Tuktur, to investigate the allegations by the state House of Assembly which was seeking to impeach the deputy governor.

His counsel, Barrister Yunusa Usman (SAN), said the panel was not properly constituted and was, therefore, not competent to investigate the allegations against his client.

He said the acting Chief Judge, who constituted the panel, had over-stayed the statutory three months provided by law to hold the office in acting capacity.

The counsel also alleged that a member of the panel, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed, had been indicted by a judicial commission set up by the present state administration.

Usman said he was appearing under protest, adding that his client had filed a case at the state High Court in Jalingo challenging the constitutionality of the entire impeachment process.

“We have also filed another originating summons No TRSG/82/2012 of 25/09/2012 challenging the competence and jurisdiction of the panel itself where the chairman and all the members are made parties and defendants.

“I want to bring to the attention of this tribunal that we also have filed motion on notice and injunctions restraining all defendants including your honourable selves from proceeding with this inquiry pending the intervention of the court.”

The prosecution counsel, Barr. Elijah Nyaro, however, objected to the admissibility of all the documents presented by the defence, saying that the proper procedure was not followed.

Ruling on the matter,

the Chairman of the panel, Barr. Nasiru Dangeri, said that the panel did not constitute itself hence it was not competent to adjudicate over the integrity of its own members.

He held that all the court processes sought to be tendered by the defence counsel were mere rumour as the panel has not been served by the court.

“We shall do what is right as soon as we are served with the court order,” he added.

After taking testimonies from five prosecution witnesses, the panel adjourned sitting to October 3, for continuation of hearing.

The sitting witnessed large turnout of people including the deputy governor, speaker of the Assembly and other legislators.

It would be recalled that the deputy governor was served with an impeachment notice by the Assembly on September 4, this year.

He was accused of gross misconduct and engaging in private businesses.

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overnor Peter Obi of Anambra State has appealed to the Federal Government, charity bodies and the international community to come to the aid of the state which, according to him, is the worst affected by the current flood ravaging many parts of the country.

He made this call yesterday while touring the affected local governments of Ayamelu, Ogbaru, Anambra West and Anambra East.

The governor who had a hectic day accessing the affected areas on canoe, cancelled his planned trip to Mexico tomorrow on the reason that “it is only a man devoid of feeling for

his people that will travel out from the state for whatever reason, while his people face dangers of death and displacement.

“The only trip I am disposed to undertake for now is answering calls to come for aids for the affected communities or for discussions on how to mitigate the suffering of those affected”, the governor said.

In some of the communities he visited, he held meetings with the stakeholders on the best possible way to render immediate assistance to the people.

Besides giving directives to his cabinet members from affected communities to stay with their people and monitor distribution

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of government relief materials, the state had also set up camps for the displaced and sent vehicles and boats to evacuate those who were trapped in different parts of the State, including those taking refuge on three tops.

At the places visited, flood had completely taken over. Buildings and palm trees were completely covered by flood. “We have not borrowed a dime or raised bond, but the crisis we are facing now is better seen than explained. We will continue to do everything possible to see that our people are taken care of, even if it means borrowing this time round”, Obi said.

NDLEA warns pilgrims against drug smuggling T

he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Gombe State has warned intending pilgrims from the state against smuggling drugs to Saudi Arabia.

The Commander of the agency in the state, Mr. Aliyu Adole, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe at the weekend.

According to him, taking drugs to Saudi Arabia attracts

death sentence, urging the pilgrims to avoid such acts.

“We also advised the intending pilgrims not to be involved in drug smuggling because we all know that drugs smuggling in Saudi Arabia carries death sentence; so we advise them strongly to desist from that.”

Adole also warned the intending pilgrims against carrying messages from unknown persons without verifying the contents, add-

ing that some consignments could be drugs.

“They should not carry peoples’ bags, they should not get message in envelops for somebody because you don’t know the content of the letter, we are expecting them not carry any drug of misuse.

“People can package drugs and put into an envelope or bag and tell you to help me carry it to my brother in Saudi Arabia, don’t.

Bauchi pasture firm set for production – Commissioner

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he Bauchi State Pasture Company, Udubo, in Gamawa Local Government Area of the state, would commence production in November, the Commissioner for Animal Health and Nomadic Resettlement, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir, said.

Abdulkadir made this known on Friday in Bauchi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN).

“We have rehabilitated the giant engines for belaying the pasture, we have also rehabilitated the structures. ``As I talk to you, come November, we will start harvesting the pasture and we are going to sell it to the public.’’

Abdulkadir said that it was for this reason that leaders of Udubo commu-

nity visited Bauchi to thank the state government for establishing the company in their area.

“And we were, at least, able to accomplish that one successfully. The pasture is developing and thank God that we have adequate rainfall, that will be in our favour and advantage.”

Abdulkadir said that two of the belaying machines had been fixed.

Governor Peter Obi with Anglican Bishop of Mbamili, Most Rev. Henry Okeke, traversing what was once a sprawling community of Umueze Anam in a boat. The entire Ogbaru, Ayamelum, Anambra West and Anambra East are completely subsumed by flood.

Dons, Igbo leaders defend UNIZIK VC NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

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gbo leaders and Deans of faculties of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State at the weekend unanimously debunked A speculations making the rounds that the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Boniface Egboka, is into financial recklessness and misappropriation of funds belonging to the institution.

Their reactions followed an internet publication which alleged that Egboka was awarding contracts to his relations at inflated costs, thus creating an avenue to siphon funds.

Among the dons who reacted in defence of Egboka are the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Ven. Prof. Ben Chuks Okeke; The Dean of Students Affairs and member of the Governing Council of UNIZIK, Prof. Austin Nonyelu and the Dean, Faculty of Law, Prof. Kenn Nworgu, who all exonerated Egboka.

The Igbo leaders, represented by the Ogirishi Igbo, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, also condemned what they termed as ‘pullhim-down syndrome’ being practised “here in Igboland.”

Speaking on behalf of the Igbo leaders during a solidarity visit to

Prof. Egboka in his office, Ezeonwuka regretted that “this pull-him-down syndrome which is peculiar to ‘Ndigbo’ against themselves has done a lot of havoc to Igbo sons and daughters to the extent that the Ndigbo have lost political and economic grip of this country”.

He, therefore, warned those he identified as rumour mongers to comport themselves and allow Egbokato complete his tenure successfully in 2014 “because if the detractors embark on the pull-him-down phenomenon against him now, his future career be might be rubbished and he would lose federal appointments.”

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Sunday September 30, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ekiti varsity shut over A’Ibom oil spill probe in students’ protest progress –NOSDRA

ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

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kiti State University, Ado Ekiti, was yesterday closed down indefinitely following a violent protest on Friday by some students over the killing of one of them, Abiola Teslim Yusuf, by a vehicle on Wednesday.

No fewer than five cars and a motor bike belonging to the institution and staff were torched during the protest, just as the rampaging students vandalised some buildings including the Information and Communication Technology Centre.

The Agriculture Farm of the university, comprising about 3,500 birds, 10 goats, 75 sheep and rams, 25 rabbits, 30 pigs was not

spared as the students had a free time looting.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oladipo Patrick Aina, said the University management would investigate the extent of damage done to the buildings and ensure necessary punitive measures for students and staff involved.

Aina, who said the massive destruction would have been averted if the law enforcement agents had responded to his call on time on Friday, said he intimated the police when he got the security report that the students were mobilising for protest, but lamented that they only surfaced at about 7pm after the damage had been done.

But spokesman for Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Victor Babayemi, who

said denied police lateness to the scene, said seven students that partook in the looting and vandalism carried out in the institution had been arrested and being held at the Command’s headquarters in Ado Ekiti.

He assured that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the run-away driver, who was said to have fled the scene after knocking down the victim along Osekita Hostel, a students’ residential building located in the University vicinity.

The Vice-Chancellor said he personally ensured that the accident victim, who he said had been confirmed to be a member of a dreaded cult group, Eye Confraternity, was taken to Ikere-Ekiti Specialist’ Hospital for medical attention.

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he National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), at the weekend, said that its investigation into the Aug. 13, oil spill at the Qua Iboe Oil fields was still ongoing.

The Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN), operating the oil fields, reported the spillage within its operations on Aug. 14, stating, however, that the source was unknown.

A statement from MPN, signed by Mr Paul Arinze, the General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, stated that the oil firm had taken samples of the suspected crude for tests to determine its source. ``Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), operator of the NNPC/ MPN Joint Venture, confirms that oiling from an unknown source has been sighted on the shoreline,

near Ibeno, Akwa Ibom. ``An emergency response team was immediately dispatched to the shoreline and samples of the substance collected for fingerprinting to determine its source, which remains unknown,” it stated.

Mr Irvin Obot, the Zonal Director of NOSDRA, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the agency was making progress in its efforts to ascertain the source and cause of the spill. ``The agency is committed to getting to the root of the spill and we are painstakingly taking the necessary steps to arrive at a scientific conclusion. ``These things take time but the important thing is that we are on course and so far, from the profile of the samples, we have confirmed that the substance is crude oil.

SOUTH SOUTH

``We are currently matching the samples with the crude samples in our database to be able to identify the company responsible for the spill,’’ Obot said.

He also said that the agency was worried that the clean up exercise, it ordered Mobil to conduct on the impacted site, was being disrupted. ``I got a report that there is an issue between Exxon Mobil and the communities that is obstructing the exercise and I will get across to find out what is happening. ``Our concern as regulators is to ensure that the impact of the spills on the environment is minimised.

So any delay in the clean up process is unacceptable.’’

It would be recalled that MPN on Aug. 19 began clean up of the Ibeno coastline with 40 youths engaged from the communities.

Don urges proper waste disposal culture A

R-L: Standing, Capt. M. Akpotare, Capt B. Faniyi, Col. Remi Oguntade, Col Ernest Akoteyon, Major Badmus and Capt. F. Umukoro; all officials of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos Zone ‘A’, during a review session with NEMA on the June 3 Dana plane crash, in Lagos at the weekend.

I’ll fulfill all electoral promises –Aregbesola

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he Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fulfilling all electoral promises made to the people of the state.

He made this known yesterday during the monthly Walk-to-Live programme at Ikire, headquarters of Ayedaade Local Government area of the state.

Despite a downpour, the long, winding procession of participants massed through the streets of Ikire, soaked as they sang various songs and danced.

Aregbesola, who saluted the endurance of the participants who walked with him despite the rain, equally used the opportu-

nity to once again call the attention of the people of the Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency and the entire state to the obligatory duty to take care of their personal health and hygiene.

While re-emphasising the importance of the monthly physical exercise, the governor stated that the main purpose of the programme is to raise the bar of the low life expectancy ratio attributed to the African people, which is due largely to lack of regular physical exercises by the people.

He stressed that life expectancy is low in this part of the world owing significantly to inadequate healthcare system and good, qual-

ity foods.

Besides, he enjoined the people across the state to sanitise their immediate environment so as to prevent flooding and outbreak of life-shortening ailments.

“Our main aim for introducing this programme is to educate our people on the need to take good care of their personal health and hygiene.

“This alone will go a long way in increasing the low life expectancy ratio ascribed to Africa.

“This is the fulcrum of the monthly exercise. We as a human being owe certain responsibilities to our body for it to function very well and for us to have healthy body.”

don, Dr Eteakamba Ukpong of the Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, has advised Akwa Ibom people to imbibe good waste disposal culture to minimise flooding in the state.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Friday, Ukpong identified poor sanitation habit as one of the causes of flooding in the country.

Ukpong observed that many Nigerians, including Akwa Ibom people had formed the habit of emptying their waste into the drains whenever it rained. ‘‘We must have the right attitude to waste disposal.

So many people have the attitude of pouring waste

into the gutter, especially when it rains, without thinking of the consequences that their actions will cause. ``Until our people cultivate good waste disposal habit, we will continue to experience flooding in the state and the country.’’

The lecturer also decried people’s penchant for felling trees for firewood and other economic uses without thinking of how to plant more trees to provide shade and control erosion.

According to him, one of the reasons why many Nigerians are not environment-friendly is poverty. ‘‘Poverty has made us not to understand the impact of the exploitations

we carry out in our forests; poverty is the arch-enemy causing us to destroy our environment.’’

Ukpong appealed to governments and relevant agencies to re-engineer the various poverty alleviation programmes to ensure that they achieved their objective.

He canvassed for sincerity and honesty of purpose on the part of the people saddled with the responsibility of implementing these programmes, to enable them to deliver on the assignment.

“Until we are able to eradicate poverty especially from the rural areas, the exploitation of the environment would continue,” he said.

L-R: Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama; Hon. Justice Z.L. Smith; Chief Judge of Delta State; Justice S.O. Uwaifo; Retired Judge of Supreme Court and Retired Chief Judge of Edo State,Justice Constance Momoh at the burial ceremony for the late Hon. Victor Ovie-Whiskey at Agbarho, Ughelli North Area of Delta State, yesterday.

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mascherano denies rift in P. 55 Barcelona

Sport

Terry deserves second chance, says Chelsea P. 55 manager

KEEPING YOU ABREAST OF SPORTING NEWS

Rampaging Blues down Gunners

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helsea stayed top of the English Premier League (EPL) table after inflicting Arsenal’s first defeat of the season at Emirates Stadium yesterday. Two soft goals from set-pieces earned the visitors’ victory.

Chelsea captain John Terry made the starting line as he decides whether to appeal against the four-match ban and £220,000 fine imposed by the Football Association after he was found guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Chelsea manager Di Matteo demonstrated attacking intent by fielding Oscar, Mata and Eden Hazard from the start - a selection that restricted Frank Lampard to a place on the bench.

Inevitably, Terry’s every touch was jeered by Arsenal fans as was that of for-

September 30, 2012

mer Gunners defender Ashley Cole - even six years after his move to Chelsea.

It was Chelsea, however, who settled better and took the lead after 20 minutes through a goal that was a combination of dreadful Arsenal defending and the opportunism of Torres, who easily escaped the flimsy attentions of Laurent Koscielny at the far post to hook his finish past Vito Mannone.

Torres should have doubled Chelsea’s lead soon after when he raced clear with only Mannone to beat but he hesitated and could only manage a fresh air shot under challenge from Koscielny, with his subsequent appeals for a penalty ignored.

Arsenal’s rhythm had not been helped by the early loss of Abou Diaby with a hip injury but they forced their way back into

the game with Gervinho’s equaliser three minutes before the break.

The striker collected substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross and punished Terry for retreating too far towards his own goal with a fine finish high past Petr Cech.

Arsenal’s improved defensive work under Wenger’s new assistant Steve Bould has drawn much praise this season but once again they were sloppy as Chelsea regained the lead after 53 minutes.

Thomas Vermaelen was penalised for fouling Torres and the punishment was complete as Mata’s angled free-kick took a slight touch off Koscielny to drift beyond Mannone into the bottom corner.

Cech had not been overworked in the first half but excelled in clawing away Lu-

kas Podolski’s header and then saving from Giroud’s deflected effort after he had replaced the Germany striker.

Chelsea threatened on the break without testing Mannone but the best chance fell to Giroud in injury time, the France striker rounding Cech but hitting the side-netting from a tight angle.

It was the final act and Terry celebrated by advancing towards celebrating Chelsea fans after the final whistle and handing his boots to a youngster in the crowd.

The 2-1 win by Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium has enabled the team to climb to the top of the Premiership log with 16 points as Di Matteo continues to shift the emphasis in personnel and tactical approach after May’s Champions League triumph.

NSF: Lagos will surpass performance in boxing –Adesegun

T

Crunchy! Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen (left) and Chelsea’s Juan Mata compete for the ball during yesterday’s Premiership match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.

Heartland defender happy over Eagles’ invitation P. 54

Ezeonwuka, Udoji, others get Anambra pillars of sports award P. 54

he Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association, on Saturday pledged to increase its medals haul at the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival, scheduled for Nov. 27 to Dec. 9 in Lagos.

Adesoye Adesegun, the secretary of the association told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the association at the last edition of the festival won five gold medals.

“Preparation is in top gear at the moment. With the level of training, I strongly believe we will increase our medal haul at the festival.

“The state has put necessary logistics in place to ensure our excellent performance at the festival.

“Coaches and athletes allowances are regularly paid, while some athletes are given sports grant to help them take care of their personal needs,” he said.

The secretary added that the association has employed the services of a former head coach with the state, Joe Mensah, to further strengthen the performance of the boxers at the festival.

“The presence of coach Mensah has been a source of inspiration to the coaches and the boxers.

“Coach Mensah’s presence and influence cannot be overemphasised at this point in time. He is a veteran coach and it’s being wonderful having him around to assist the team.

Hatton set for comeback fight P. 54

54

Sport

Sunday September 30, 2012

Knockout IFEANYI Eduzor with

08055829770 ifeduz24@yahoo.com

Omotosho looks beyond Sostre

N

igerian-born, undefeated Australian welterweight boxer, Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotosho says that his recent points decision win over Puerto Rican, Daniel Sostre, is not an indication that he has lost his knockout powers, but will challenge him to double his efforts in future bouts.

Omotosho, last two weeks at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas scored a unanimous points decision of (80-72, 79-37, 79-73) against his opponent.

The fight was his fifth since joining “Top Rank Promotions” last year, but was unable to stop the Puerto Rican within

the distance like he did to his previous two opponents.

According to him, his win over the South American will prepare him for greater challenges in future, even as he promised that he will not be satisfied until he becomes a world champion.

“My last fight was a difficult one, but I am happy that at the end of the day, the three judges gave me the fight. A lot of people had expected me to record a knockout against my opponent, but the most important thing was that I won the fight and it will prepare me for future challenges which include winning a world title,” he said.

Afghanistan to host peace fight

G

erman-based Afghan middleweight boxer, Hamid Rahimi, has finally succeeded in getting approval from the Afghan government, multinational forces and different international NGO’s working for peace in the war-ravaged country to organize the first ever professional boxing in his home country.

The championship tagged “Fight 4 Peace” will take

place on October 20, at Ghazi Stadium, Kabul, the country’s capital, where the Taliban regime used to execute and torture women before they were sent packing through American invasion.

According to him, he plans to have a female boxer from Afghanistan to compete on the undercard of the show as well as support the women’s right movement through the bout.

Hamid Rahimi carried shoulder high after winning the WBU middleweight title in Hamburg Germany.

Hatton set for comeback fight

F

ormer two-weight division world champion, Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton, will make his long-awaited comeback to the ring against Ukrainian Vyacheslav Senchenko on November 24.

The Hitman, who will celebrate his 34th birthday next week, retired from the sport last year after losing his last fight to Manny Pacquiao, but after confirming the bout with 35 year old Senchenko, admitted he’s itching to get back into the ring.

“I can’t wait to get in the

ring now and I’m sure that Vyacheslav Senchenko will give me a good fight. It’s one that I am confident I can win though.

“Senchenko lost the last time he fought Paulie Malignaggi but he has got a good pedigree. I’m in great shape, I’m feeling good and I know I can put on a performance for all those watching.

“I’m a guy who loves boxing. I’m driven by a hunger to box and look forward to getting back in the ring on the 24th,” Hatton said.

Ricky Hatton (right) squares up with Manny Pacquaio in his last fight before retiring from the ring.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Heartland defender happy over Eagles’ invitation SAYO OGUNDEJI

H

eartland and new Super Eagles invitee, Kingsley Udoh, says he is excited over his invitation to the senior national team, adding that he will do his best to make the final cut for the make-or-mar game against Liberia on October 13.

Coach Stephen Keshi earlier in the week released his 38-man list to face the Lone Stars

in the important 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and the former Togo national team handler surprisingly included the former Akwa United defender among the home-based players.

Udoh, a member of Coach Austin Eguavoen’s national U-23 team that failed to qualify for the last London 2012 Olympics expressed his readiness to battle his foreign and home-based colleagues for a place in the team.

“This is great opportunity for me to show the coaches and Nigerians in general what I can do to help the team and I hope to challenge everybody for a place in the team,” Udoh stated.

“Being called up at this time when the national team is facing the Lone Stars for a place at next year’s Nations Cup shows the level of confidence the coaches have in the home-based players and I am excited to have been given this opportunity,” he added.

Ogun to renovate sporting facilities

ANDREW EKEJIUBA

O

gun State Government says it will carry out a total renovation and rehabilitation of all the facilities at the Alake Sport Centre, Ijaiye, Abeokuta to international standard.

The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, stated this when he visited the sport centre to congratulate the state athletics for doing well at the just concluded Southwest Team Sport elimination in Ibadan where the state qualified for nine sports out of the thirteen on offer.

Amosun expressed dismay at the level of decadence of the facilities built over twenty-five years ago at the centre

and praised Team Ogun athletes for excelling at different national and international competitions despite the dilapidated structures.

He therefore promised to overhaul all the facilities as a way of providing enabling environment so that the athletes will continue to give-out their best and charged them to do the state proud at the forthcoming National Sports Festival, tagged “Eko 2012”.

Responding on behalf of Team Ogun athletes, the Vice Captain, Ephraim Daniel, thanked the Governor and his entourage for the visit and promised his colleagues’ resolve to do the state proud at the festival holding in Lagos.

Lagos NUJ Media Games: Football draws hold Oct. 2 IFEANYI EDUZOR

T

he Main Organizing Committee (MOC) for this year’s Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council Media Games, has concluded arrangements to hold the draws for the football event on Tuesday, October 2 at the Auditorium of the Lagos State Sports Writers Association (SWAN) secretariat inside the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Chairman of the Council, Comrade Deji

Elumoye, who is also the chairman of the MOC, said all arrangements has been concluded to ensure this year’s event is a success.

“On Tuesday, October 2, we will unveil plans for this year’s event and as well hold the draw ceremony for the football event which is a 5-Aside tourney.

“We expect officers of all participating Chapels to have submitted their team lists to the secretariat of the Union on or before the draw ceremony,” Elumoye said.

Udoh

Ezeonwuka, Udoji, others get Anambra pillars of sports award

NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

T

he Proprietor of Rojenny Tourists/Games Village, Oba, Anambra State, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, and the owner of Udoji United FC, Chief Oscar Udoji, are among five indigenes of Anambra State who were at the weekend honoured with a pillar of sports award for their contributions towards the development of sports in the state in particular and the country in general.

Three other recipients of the pillar of sports awards at the just concluded 6th Anambra State Sports Festival included the owner of Gabros International FC, Nnewi, Chief Gabriel Chukwuma, the Proprietor of Neros Stadium, Nanka, Chief Polycarp Emenike and Chief Okwuchukwu Emejulu of Akiota Works Limited.

Among the eight deceased persons who received posthumous awards were Ernest Okonkwo (MON) (commentator), Regina Okafor (athletics), Matthias Obianika (football), Aloy Atuegbu (MON) (football), Emeka Onyedika (football), Ogidi Ibeabuchi (football), Jude Ezechukwu and Mike Okpala aka Power Mike (wrestling).

In his address at the occasion, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr. Edozie Okay Aroh disclosed that the

Ezeonwuka

essence of organizing the sports festival was in preparation for the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival billed for November 2012 in Lagos.

He therefore appealed to private sectors to tap into the vision and partner with the State Government in funding sports noting that the focal point of this administration henceforth is security, sports and poverty alleviation, SSP. Governor Obi who was physically present at the ceremony, which took place at Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium, Onitsha, expressed happiness with the kick-off and noted that much has been invested towards the upliftment of sports in the state.

In his vote of thanks on behalf of the awardees, Ezeonwuka disclosed that his City Sports Academy would soon kick off at the Rojenny Games Village and commended the interest of the state government towards the upliftment of sports in the state.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday September 30, 2012

Mascherano denies rift in Barcelona

B

Mascherano

arcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has revealed his admiration for long-serving team-mates Xavi, Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, before refuting any notions of a rift in the squad.

The Argentine joined the Blaugrana from Liverpool in 2010, and was largely expected to compete with Sergio Busquets for the holding midfield slot.

However, the 28-year old has since been converted to a central defensive berth where he has featured regularly, but he concedes he is still not a major player.

“Cases like Xavi, Puyol, Lionel

R

Hoffenheim’s midfielder in critical condition H

offenheim’s midfielder Boris Vukcevic is still in critical condition in a Heidelberg clinic after being involved in a road accident.

Vukcevic was placed in an induced coma after receiving lifethreatening injuries when his black Mercedes-Benz was involved in a collision with a lorry on a main road not far from the club’s training ground in Sinsheim.

The 22-year-old underwent sur-

gery immediately upon arrival in the Heidelberg clinic and is reported to be in a critical condition with no prognosis for recovery.

Vukcevic, who was born in Croatia but has represented Germany at under-21 level, has been a regular in the Hoffenheim side since making his debut in May 2009.

He has played a total of 78 times, scoring in the club’s 5-3 defeat to Freiburg just a fortnight ago.

Vukcevic

No set date for Rodgers tasks Downing to Gomez return show commitment B L ayern Munich has yet to set a date for Mario Gomez’s return to action, more than seven weeks after surgery that was supposed to keep the striker out for only three weeks.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes says the operation on Gomez’s left ankle on August 7 “was somewhat more complicated, that’s why his comeback is delayed. You can’t tell. We have to wait and see how it goes.”

Gomez returned to the training field this week and Heynckes says the 27-year-old German striker “is happy to smell the grass, but I don’t want to make a prediction”.

Gomez has had to watch as his replacement, Mario Mandzukic, scored eight goals in Bayern’s first eight competitive games of the season, including five to lead the Bundesliga.

Gomez

iverpool Manager, Brendan Rodgers has charged Stewart Downing to be more committed and fight for the shirt at the club.

The England winger has started just one Premier League game under Rodgers, who wants to see evidence of his commitment before considering using the £20m signing more regularly.

“Stewart is a good guy and a good lad who came here for an awful lot of money. It hasn’t quite worked out for him as he would

want it.

“The big challenge for him now is that commitment to the cause to fight, because he has the qualities.

“He has a wonderful left foot but what is important is that it is more than talent. Talent alone is not enough. You have to work hard; you have to fight for the shirt.

“We have seen that in a number of the young players and if you don’t do that then longer-term you won’t be here. It is as simple as that really,” Rodgers said.

dition,” Mancini said.

Spain midfielder Silva was one of the top players in the Premier League last season but has had a muted start to this campaign.

Mancini pointed out that, as well as being part of Spain’s Euro 2012 side, he also travelled to Panama for a friendly.

“After the European Championship, he came back and did only 10 days for pre-season and after then went two times on international duty; once in Panama and once I don’t know where,” Mancini added.

“I think maybe he’s so tired after the European Championship but I am not worried for him because even if he’s not 100% he’s still a good player.”

W

oberto Di Matteo believes Chelsea skipper John Terry deserves a second chance after being found guilty of “using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour” towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Terry was handed a four-game ban and fined £220,000 over the incident, which occurred at Loftus Road last October.

Di Matteo refused to comment specifically on the outcome of Terry’s Football Association hearing, but asked if he believed in second chances, he said: “Yes, I do. I’m sure you’ve made some mistakes in your life.”

Chelsea has adopted a siege mentality since the punishment was handed down on Thursday.

The Blues’ captain will have 14 days to appeal the decision once written confirmation is received.

“We have to set good standards,” Di Matteo said. “I try to set good standards. But, at the end of the day, we won’t be liked by our opposition’s fans. That’s generally speaking for everybody.

So we cannot waste too much energy worrying about what they’re thinking.”

est Bromwich Albion’s derby meeting with Aston Villa today will carry long-term significance after Billy Jones revealed there is a determination to again finish as the top team in the Midlands. The Baggies secured a top-10 finish last season while Villa struggled to avoid relegation by only two points before sacking manager Alex McLeish and replacing him with Paul Lambert.

Jones

Moyes committed to Everton

D

avid Moyes has insisted he is happy with his current contract situation and speaks to his chairman every day. Moyes has been in charge at Goodison Park for a decade and says he remains fully committed to the club, having masterminded an excellent start to the new season.

Bale keen on oversea move

T

ottenham midfielder Gareth Bale says he would be open to playing abroad at some stage in the future. The 23-year-old Wales international signed a new fouryear contract with Spurs this summer preventing speculation of a move overseas, but it is something he would consider in the future.

Bale

PREMIERSHIP TABLE Terry

Mancini: Tevez, Silva are tired!

M anchester City Manager, Roberto Mancini says that Carlos Tevez and David Silva’s drop in form is due to fatigue from international commitments.

The City manager claimed Tevez’s spell away with Argentina impacted on the striker’s condition even though he did not play and said Silva’s drop in form was a result of his efforts for Spain in Euro 2012.

“Carlos was good for the first month then after the international break his form dropped.

“He worked well for one month in pre-season. He was fantastic for three or four games and played always. Then he went to Argentina for one week and maybe loses his con-

EURO BRIEFS Jones dreams midlands top finish

Terry deserves second chance, says Chelsea manager

Messi, and Iniesta are different from the rest of the squad.

“They are the heart of this team, the most important.

“It’s like a movie, with major and lesser actors. Everyone is needed, but they should know their place. I am happy with my position and do not intend to occupy a role more important than my current one,” Mascherano said.

The former Corinthians player went on to dismiss any suggestions of a feud between teammates Messi and David Villa, who engaged in a heated argument during Barcelona’s recent victory over Granada.

55

Mancini

TEAM

P

GD

PTS

1. Chelsea

6

8

16

2. Everton

6

6

13

3. Man Utd

6

5

12

4. Man City

6

4

12

5. Tottenham

6

3

11

6. West Brom

5

3

10

7. Arsenal

6

6

9

8. Fulham

6

4

9

9. Newcastle

6

0

9

10. West Ham

5

1

8

11. Swansea

6

1

7

12. Stoke

6

1

7

13. Sunderland

5

5

7

14. Liverpool

6

-3

5

15. Aston Villa

5

5

4

16. Wigan

6

-6

4

17. Southampton

6

-8

3

18. Norwich

6

-9

3

19. Reading

5

-5

2

20. QPR

5

-8

2

N I G E R I A

N93 Vol. 2 No. 42

Sunday, September 30, 2012

www.nationalmirroronline.net

N150

I N

F I G U R E S

N28

0bn, worth of Foreign Direct bn, amount the CommissionInvestment (FDI) into Onne er for Works and Transport, Oil and Gas Free Zone since 1997, Suleiman Richifa, disclosed as what the according to Trade and Investment Kaduna State Government would spend Minister, Olusegun Aganga. for construction of 31 township roads.

Destroyer as FCT minister

Back Page

Comment

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

with Jim Unah

F

rom the gleeful manner the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr. Bala Mohammed, disclosed the number of houses he has demolished in Abuja since 2010, one gets the impression that a sadistic destroyer is on the prowl in the nation’s administrative capital.

This is a federal capital the inhabitants of whose main gateway - the LokojaAbuja bridge axis – has been sacked by unusual flood arising from the overflowing of the River Niger. It is amazing and puzzling how malevolent human agencies and natural forces conspire to render thousands of citizens homeless, even simultaneously. If the minister could not prevent nature from wreaking havoc on humankind, he should, at least, not compound the problem by adding insult to injury.

The serving honourable Minister of the FCT is not the first to execute a demolition exercise on houses built with people’s sweat. What is worrisome is that he is boastful that he has out-performed his predecessors fivefold in the act of destruction. For, according to him, while his predecessors put together managed

to demolish about 30,000 houses, Mr. Mohammed and his lieutenants have demolished no less than 124,000 houses in two years! This record is unprecedented, and probably calls for celebration; but only for sadists and misanthropists. How could a minister of the federal republic be verbally celebrating the misfortune of his compatriots when, indeed, he should be sweating to alleviate their plight?

I have heard of talks about Abuja Master Plan, and how some Nigerians have been developing private property on Federal Government lands, ostensibly earmarked for other purposes. But where were the FCT Ministers, Bala Mohammed inclusive, when the building constructions were going on? What were the officials of the Federal Capital Territory doing when 124,000 housing units were being built by private developers on lands designated for other purposes in the Master Plan? Why would the administrators of the FCT not create estate infrastructure, such as well developed roads and streets, billboards warning private speculators to keep their distance from areas designated for government use in the Master Plan? Why would the administrators of the FCT wait for people to develop the lands before coming up with the disingenuous strategy of demolition? Isn’t there something sinister and macabre, something wilfully destructive, about the policy of property demolition?

More importantly, could those structures have been built without the permission of government officials? Why would houses built under the very eye of government officials be demolished by a successor administration? Should political administrations not bind their successors, in terms of honouring approval or permission granted by a past regime? If for the sake of argument, the permissions were fraudulently given by government officials, as it is usually claimed, why are such officials not brought to justice to serve as deterrent to would-be offenders of the Master Plan Law? Why would government wait for citizens to build, and then, demolish what had been built with people’s life savings? What manner of government is that? Ultimately, isn’t development about people, and isn’t the objective of government about the well being and security of lives and property of citizens?

It seems that the administration of the FCT has mainly focused on the protection of a putative Master Plan and the traumatisation of citizens rather than real governance and service delivery to the people. Where are the ultra modern hospital complexes, world-class schools that should normally adorn a country’s capital city, such as Abuja? They are nowhere to be found. Everyday top notched government officials up to the President and members of his family go overseas for medical treatment, such as Mrs. Pa-

tience Jonathan, now somewhere in Germany. Nigerian children, not only the children of the elite, are desperately in search of schools to attend in foreign lands, owing largely to the inadequacies at home. There are well over 75,000 Nigerian students currently studying in the neighbouring Ghana owing largely to the shortage of space in Nigerian institutions of higher learning; spending well over N160 billion annually. An ingenious FCT minister should be concerned about how to take that huge educational market out of Ghana and bring it to Abuja, not to be on a demolishing spree, and celebrating it.

Where government has failed to take proactive measures to protect its Master Plan, and people have been allowed to build, such properties should be regularised, possibly exacting heavy fee for the exercise, not demolished. The Lagos State Government of Babatunde Raji Fashola is a resounding example of how to manage desperate developer citizens who somehow encroach on government land. Once an area has been built up; an area originally intended for government use, and there are human beings living in such areas, say up to at least 1,000 housing units, the owners are then invited by government to come up for regularisation. That way government and citizens meet each other half way. That way administrations become humane, and government becomes pro-people.

Azerbaijan 2012: Nigeria demolish Colombia, book quarter-final ticket Rampaging IFEANYI EDUZOR

N

igeria on Saturday booked a quarter-final ticket in the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan after defeating Colombia 3-0 in the final preliminary match of Group A. Before the encounter, the Flamingoes had earlier played a 1-1 draw with Canada before walloping hosts, Azerbaijan by 11-0.

With this result, Nigeria tops Group A with 7 points, same as Canada but with a superior goal aggregate.

Nigeria dominated possession from the first blast of the whistle but had to wait until the 32nd minute to open scoring through Halimatu Ayinde who

collected a loose ball from Chinwendu Ihezuo to beat Colombian goalkeeper, Lissa Cardozo.

At the beginning of the second half, the Flamingoes mounted more pressure on their opponents but were denied an early goal by their opponent’s keeper.

Colombian captain, Dayana Castillo, almost drew Colombia level in the 20 minutes of the second half but was denied by the brilliant performance of the Nigerian keeper and seconds later, substitute Yetunde Adeboyejo combined well with Halimatu Ayinde before the latter got the second goal, which ensured her second brace in the championship.

The woes of the South Amer-

Blues down Gunners P. 53 FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP RESULTS Gambia 2-10 France USA 1-1 Korea DPR Canada 1-0 Azerbaijan Colombia 0-3 Nigeria PREMIERSHIP RESULTS

Halimatu Ayinde

icans were compounded some minutes later when an own goal

by Diana Duarte ensured they crashed out of the competition.

Nigeria will now face Group B runners- up, France in one of the quarter-final matches of the championship on October 4.

Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea Everton 3-1 Southampton Fulham 1-2 Manchester City Norwich City 2-5 Liverpool Reading 2-2 Newcastle Stoke City 2-0 Swansea Sunderland 1-0 Wigan Manchester Utd 2-3 Tottenham

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