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Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Fashion
Diva High Gladiator Heels GLADIATOR shoes comes in and out of trend, and right now it’s back on the scene. Gladiator shoes can be in form of heels or Áat or knee high heels and contrary to opinion it is not such an outlandish style as you can work it with your corporate outÀts too. Thinking about some ways to look divaish in them? You can try working gladiator shoes with corporate outÀt. A knee high gladiator suede shoe could be worn with a sheer lace skirt and cream chiffon shirt with a leather belt that makes it look between rocker chic and corporate wear. A knee high brown leather gladiator heel can also go with a yellow wrap dress paired with a brown belt and yellow purse which also is an awesome work outÀt idea as the length of the dress reduces the attention a gladiator heel can pull. You can as well throw in a knee high gladiator heel, rocked with a jergens and a top with a gold chain necklace, deÀnitely a way to hit the street on a lazy day.Chill with your peeps in a black gladiator knee high shoe, worn with a black triangle shaped dress and simple thin chain necklace. Make your outÀt to the club rock by putting on knee high gladiator heel, it deÀnitely adds the voom to ‘vavavoom’. Pair with jean bum short, a top with faux fur sleeveless coat and a hat or go for a body Àtting bralet crop top and a mini skirt paired with hoop earrings.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Lens Pick Of The Week
Life Is Full Of Thoughts
Photo By
Fidelis Isibor
REVEALED!!!
Dolapo Osinbajo’s Topmost Secret
•The HID Connection By CHARLES ENWEREM THE wife of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo has disclosed one of the topmost secrets of her life which according to a family friend she confided in was the lessons she got from the late matriarch of Awolowo dynasty, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo better known as HID Awolowo, stating that those lessons actually made her a better person Describing mama as a great woman and mother Mrs. Osinbajo who is the granddaughter of the matriarch hinted that “mama” as fondling called was a life philosopher whose lessons not only were drawn from politics but also from matrimony. She further revealed that mama often adviced that she accepts all that comes her way but to be wary of friends. “Grand ma told me to accept all, politics and marriage.Shetold me that in politics I
must accept all but understand that they are all not friendsirrespective of their race, color, class and religion. “She also said that marriage is like a bed, the way you make it is the way you lay on it”. HID Awolowo, the only child of her mother, died on the 19th September, 2015 in Ikenneremo, Ogun state at the age of 99. Sources say that even the week she died, she was still asking about her business, monitoring her sales and stocking her stores in Ikenne. She ran The Tribune until she died. She has been described as a very hard working woman whose hard work paid off when late Chief Awolowo went to the United Kingdom, leaving her with three children. Some politicians even described her as being very politically conscious as she read a lot. “Mama read all the newspapers available in Ikene. If there was anything that concerned any of her associates, she would be the first to draw attention to it. She was very concerned about the image of people close to her”, Mrs Osinbajo added.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Newsreel
Boko Haram Strikes Again!!!
•39 Dead, 49 Injured In Maiduguri Bomb Blast •I Won’t Resign, Buhari Insists
By OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE NO fewer than 22 people have been conÀrmed dead and several others injured after 4 female suicide bombers attacked Umari village in Maiduguri town, Borno state this morning. This comes barely 12 hours after two male suicide bombers attacked a mosque in Molai community killing no fewer than 30 Muslim faithful who had gone to the mosque to pray. ConÀrming this morning's attack, a top ofÀcial of the CivilianJTF, Khalil Abba said "At about 5am, four women, all armed with Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) worn under their garments made an attempt to sneak into Maiduguri through same route where last night’s bombers used, were spotted by soldiers who allegedly shot them down when they deÀed orders to stop
advancing. One of the women was however quick to let go the trigger of her explosive, killing herself and injuring about 14 innocent villagers at village near Molai where yesterday’s blasts occurred. The women were seen trying to sneak through the bush paths along the Maiduguri-Biu road, but soldiers at the checkpoint were able to spot them after receiving some vital intelligence from informants. The women refused to obey soldiers’ orders to halt movement, so the soldiers opened Àre on them. One of the women was unfortunately able to detonate her explosive, which triggered the ones on the bodies of the three others that were shot down. The shrapnel from the bullet had however killed many persons and injured about 14 villagers in the nearby community. We have rushed the victims to the hospital where they are currently receiving treatment”.The Police in Borno on Friday conÀrmed that 14 persons
had so far died and many injured in Thursday’s twin blasts in Mulai on the outskirts of Maiduguri. The Commissioner of Police in the state, MrAderemiOpadokun, while conÀrming the incident to newsmen in Maiduguri. “At about 6.35 p.m. on Thursday, two suspected suicide bombers detonated their explosives in and outside a Mosque in Mulai. “The building collapsed injuring many people that were praying,” Opadokun said. “The number of death so far is about 14, including the two bombers. “The casualties have been evacuated to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and the Specialists Hospital, Maiduguri,” the commissioner said. He said investigation into the matter had commenced, while normalcy had been restored in the area.
Comply With Civil Law, Ambode Begs Military GOV. AkinwunmiAmbode of Lagos State on Friday appealed to the military to comply with the state trafÀc and environmental laws. Ambode, represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the appeal at the Lagos House, Alausa during a courtesy visit by participants of Course 24 National Defence College, Abuja led by Brig.Gen. Mahe Bashir. Ambode sought the cooperation of the military in moving the state forward. “Over the years, the military has cooperated with us but I once again seek for more cooperation in ensuring that these laws are adhered to seriously. “We have always been partners in progress; we have always been supportive of one another. “It is not in our character to embarrass one another; we want the partnership to continue,” he
•Gov. Ambode said. The governor commended the military for its tremendous contributions and efforts in securing the state. ’’The issue of security is very important and we want you to please continue in that trend so that together we can make Lagos the Lagos of our dreams,” he said.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, MrTunji Bello, said that the ofÀcers were on a Àve- day strategic study tour to understudy the internal revenue service of the state. Bashir said that one of the objectives of the tour was to expose participants to the socio-political economic realities of the state. He said that the participants were expected to carry out a research on selected topical issues, with a view to proffering solutions and identifying challenges. Bashir said that the tour, which was ongoing in nine other states, had the theme “Internally Generated Revenue as Catalyst for Development in States: Challenges and Prospects”. “At the end of the tour, participants are expected to write reports and make presentations on their Àndings in the college on Tuesday,” he said.
Opadokun appealed to residents of the state to be vigilant and report any strange movements or objects in their locality to security agents for necessary action. However, National Emergency Management Authority on Friday afternoon revealed that a total of 39 deaths have been recorded with 49 injured. “Within Maiduguri axis in the last 24 hours, 5 bombs exploded, 49 injured and 39 dead”. However, President MuhammaduBuhari has said he will not resign if he does not fulÀll
Spain Places Vote Of ConÀdence On Buhari THE Spanish Government on Friday saidPresidentMuhammaduBuhari’s policies, especially the anticorruption campaign, were vital to attracting investment to Nigeria. The Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Alfonso Barnuevo, made the remark at a ceremony to mark the National Day of Spain in Abuja. Barnuevo explained that NigeriaSpain relation was ‘’excellent’’, having strategic components from the security, economic and commercial points. “President Buhari and His Majesty, the King of Spain, held a meeting in New York on Sept. I, 2014, and I can only qualify the meeting as excellent for our relations. “His (King Felipe’s) message to us is that we want to work closely with the new administration and Spain will always be a friend of your country. “A solid and prosperous Nigeria is important to Spain; the political stability obtained after election will contribute to enhance the sustainable development and growth of Nigeria. “The government of Spain has picked conÀdence in the economic reforms of President Buhari and his anti-corruption campaign; solid policies are important to attract investors,” he said. The envoy explained that trade
Succor To IDPs: Red Cross, Total To The Rescue THE Nigerian Red Cross Society and multinational oil giant, Total Plc, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assist Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) ravaged by insurgency in the North East region. MrAuwal Muhammad, Training and Resources Mobilisation Coordinator of the Red Cross, disclosed this in an interview with the newsmen in Abuja on Friday. Muhammad explained that in accordance with the partnership, which is targeted at assisting IDPs in three affected states of Borno, Yobe and Gombe, Total donated an intervention fund of US 500,000
Dollars. He said the MoU speciÀcally targets intervention in the area of livelihood of IDPs in their host communities in order to help them recover quickly from the traumatic effects of insurgency. “As part of the intervention, we are targeting children and women that are traumatised by giving them psycho-social support, as well as placing children on resilient programmes. “The livelihood would be targeted at helping women generally, especially widows who we will engage in viable businesses such as tailoring, cap making and other
craft work. “100 women from each location of the three states will be accommodated and a start-up capital will be given to each of them,” he said. The coordinator further said the intervention would also seek to improve the health status of the IDPs by providing total sanitation and safe drinking water for the community. Muhammad said they would also engage in distributing relieve materials from time to time, adding that the IDPs’ needs were dynamic and unstable. “The operation would soon
his promise of defeating Boko Haram by December 2015. President MuhammaduBuhariIn a recent interview with Aljazeera, acknowledged that he would be willing to negotiate with the Boko Haram group to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. “They have to prove to us that they are alive, they are well, and then we can negotiate with them. We said it and we meant it. If we are satisÀed that the girls are alive,” President Buharisaid.
commence but need assessment is presently being carried out in the locations. “Within this period till the next six months, relieve materials and food items will also be distributed,” he said.
relations between Nigeria and Spain had continued to grow, pointing out that Spain was Nigeria’s ‘’second best customer’’. He said Spain’s interest in Nigeria included the oil and gas, agriculture and construction, adding that his country was fortunate to have economic and trade relations with Nigeria. “We bought, in 2014, 6.5 billion Euros of oil and gas; we can straightforward say that Spain and Nigeria maintain strategic relation in this area,” he said. He, therefore described trade relation between both countries as “two-way mutually-satisfactory”. Barnuevo condemned Boko Haram attacks in the country, saying that Spain was ready to collaborate with Nigeria in the Àght against the insurgents. “We are happy at the great stride Nigeria is making in the Àeld of peace and stability and in the Àght against Boko Haram. “This is a matter in which Nigeria can always count on the support of Spain. We in Spain have also suffered human terrorism for many years,” he said. He acknowledged Nigeria-Spain collaboration at the UN Security Council, saying the relationship was important in Àghting terrorism and human trafÀcking. In his remarks, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AmbBukus Lolo, commended the Spanish Government and King Felipe for extension of hand of friendship to Buhari. He assured Spain and the international community that Buhari’s administration was determined to bring changes that would impact on the lives of Nigerians. “The promise that came with the campaigns and now that President Buhari is leading the government is one of bringing welfare to the people. “The promise is one of changing the lives of the people for good and also enabling Nigeria to assume and play her role not only in West Africa, Africa but the world,” he said.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Crime
Benue State Amnesty Program:
The Story So Far By STEPHEN AYA THE amnesty programme initiated by the Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom became a huge success with the surrender of the most wanted warlord/criminal in the state, Terwase Akwaza A.K.A Gana, who submitted a cache of sophisticated weapons and other warfare. After his surrender, Gana said reasons for his decision to hand over the large quantum of arms, include his conviction that Governor Samuel Ortom has brought the needed change in Benue State and he believes, the issues that frustrated them to resort to carrying illegal arms and criminality within Benue and Taraba States have now become
history. Other leaders of armed gangs in the state who also surrendered are Messers Terzungwe Shiando, Msugh Tyavyar. They expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to be reintegrated into the society. Gana, who embraced the amnesty programme in August, while submitting the arms and ammunition to the Governor, had requested for a four weeks extension to enable him turn in his foot soldiers and afford them another chance in life. Gov. Samuel Ortom had earlier in July said, that his administration plans to inaugurate an Amnesty Committee to mop up illegal arms circulating in the state. He said then in an interview that the illegal weapons in the hands of unauthorized users constituted a
threat to the security of lives and property in the state. He accused politicians with inordinate ambition of supplying arms to thugs, but promised that his administration in collaboration with security agencies would recover such arms. “I was attacked at Adikpo in Kwande Local Government Area where I went for a burial by some young men who used AK47 riÁes,” the governor said.He added the attackers damaged four vehicles in his motorcade. The Amnesty program which commenced in August was due to end later that month. However when Gana pleaded for four week to enable him reach his foot solders, wisdom prevailed and it was granted. The result was what no one saw coming not even Governor Ortom
The most wanted crime leader in Benue and Taraba States, not only kept his word during the four weeks window to ensure a crime free Wukari/Zaki-Biam axis, but turned his boys in for the amnesty. A total of 366 weapons recovered from 700 persons who embraced the State Government Clemency Programme out of which about 175 are conÀrmed criminals, most of them Gana’s men While rounding up the amnesty programme of disarmament, Governor Ortom in the exercise of his power of prerogative of mercyhad earlier granted pardon to 38 convicted criminals serving their sentences at various prisons of the State. The Governor also paid the Ànes levied on 74 inmates convicted with the option of Àne in Kaduna State and other prisons in Benue state.
One of the inmates granted state pardon, had authored a book on righteousness while in prison, in addition to learning a trade like many others during their incarceration With the amnesty offer no longer on the table, security agents had been directed to hunt down known criminals, while the 38 convicted criminals granted state pardon join the 700 repentant criminals for a skill acquisition training. According to the governor, “anybody or groups caught terrorising the state would be severely dealt with”. What is paramount at this point is that the Governor has shown courage and dogged determination in ensuring that his people sleep with their eyes closed.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Crime
Lagos Oba Raises Alarm, Sacks ‘Erring’ Company
By OUR CORRESPONDENT THE Olubeshe of Ibesheland, Oba Richard Abayomi Ogunsanya (JP) has raised an alarm over the dredging space which is in dispute between two dredging companies Glossands Limited described as “the aggressor” and Eva & Kings Limited stating that if government and relevant agencies fail to stop “the aggressor’ something terrible could happen in his domain. The royal father feared that the “desperate” approach of Glossands and its clandestine actionsare capable of causing mayhem thereby disrupting the peaceful coexistence and economic activities within his community. In a letter to the Chairman of Glossands Limited dated October 9, 2015 which was copied to the Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone 2 Police Command Onikan, Lagos and Commanding OfÀcer of 174 Battalion of the Nigerian Army among others Oba Ogunsanya called on Glossands Limited to vacate the space it presently occupies on the Waterfront until the supervising agency in the Ministry of Mining and Solid Minerals (Mining Cadastre OfÀce) in Abuja concludes her handling of the matter. Part of the letter read, “we (Olubeshe-In-Council) passionately appeal to you (Glossands Limited) to remove your dredger and other equipments from its present position to your waterfront until the Mining Cadastre OfÀce, Abuja concludes her handling of the matter between your company and Eva & Kings Nig. Limited. “Our decision to further this
Photo By
Fidelis Isibor •Olubeshe-in-Council duing a recent meeting over Glossands Ltd alleged tresspass of dredging space belonging to Eva and Kings Ltd directive is due to the fact that you do not have the consent of the community to mine where your dredger is presently positioned.
Attached herewith is a letter from the Mining Cadastre OfÀce indicating such, and we do not have such intentions to issue you
a consent within that area as it has been exclusively given to Eva & Kings Nigeria Limited. Kindly comply with this directive and
remove your dredger and other equipments at once for peace and orderliness in our community tom prevail.”
Two Businessmen Docked For N2 Billion Fraud By STEPHEN AYA
•Ohenhen Nosa
•Abraham Ifeanyi Chukwu
JUSTICE R.I.B. Adebiyi adjourned the case till October 20, 2015 for hearing of the bail application and ordered the accused persons be remanded in the EFCC custody. Two Businessmen, David Nwachukwu and Frank Okeke alonside two companies, Haulage Oil and Gas Limited and Franviok Limited were on Wednesday October 14, 2015, arraigned before Justice R.I.B. Adebiyi of the High Court of Lagos State, Igbosere by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal,
Man, 42 DeÀles 12-Year Old Girl Stories By RUFAI OLATUNBOSUN
The accused person pleaded not guilty and the presiding magistrate,
Mrs O. J. Awope adjourned the case till October 23, 2015 for Ruling.
The police prosecutor, inspector W. Thomas, told the court that the offences are punishable under sections 409 and 285(1) of the criminal law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015. The charges read in part, ‘’That you, Isaac OmotayoOjo, Oni Olumide and others, now at large, on September 5, 2105, at Obi Village, Domestic Airport, Ikeja, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; steal. ‘’That you and others at large on the same date and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did steal a sum of N5, 380, 000 ¬ property of one SaiduMaikankan.’’ The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was admitted to bail by the magistrate in the sum of N1, 000, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The presiding magistrate, Mrs O. J. Awope then adjourned the case till November 11,2015
Two In Court For Stealing
A 42-year-old security, Hamza Baba has been brought before an Ikeja magisterial district one a one count charge of rape. According to the prosecutor, Sergeant JimahIseghede, the accused was arrested on the 6th of July 2015 at exactly 15hrs at Road 5, Block 3, seize ‘c’ satellite Town, Lagos State. Our correspondent gathered that the suspect was said to have deÀle a 12-year-old girl, OkoroOgechi. The offence, according to the police
prosecutor, contravened Section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria 2011. The charge read, ‘’that you, Hamza Baba ‘m’ on July 6, 2015, at about 15hrs at Road 5, Block 3, seize ‘c’ satellite Town, Lagos state in Ikeja magisterial district did deÀle one OkoroOgechi ‘f’ aged 12years by inserting your penis into her vagina and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria 2015.
Two men, Isaac OmotayoOjo, Oni Olumide and others at large have been brought before an Ikeja magisterial District for allegedly stealing. The accused were arrested on the 5th of September 2015, at Obi Village, Domestic Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The suspects were said to have stolen the sum of Àve million, three hundred and eighty thousand naira (#5, 380, 000), property of one SaiduMaikankan.
A 19-year-old carpenter, IsmailaBamgbose has been arraigned before an Ikeja magisterial district one a one count charge of rape. According to the prosecutor, Sergeant JimahIseghede, the accused was arrested on the 8th of October 2015 at exactly 0400hrs at No 21, AraromiAdekunle Street, Baale-Dalemo, Alakuko, Lagos state. Our correspondent gathered that
the suspect was said to have defile a 12year-old girl, EjiroNigua by inserting his manhood into her private part. The offence, according to the police prosecutor, contravened Section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria 2011. The charge read in parts, ‘’that you, IsmailaBamgbose ‘m’ on October 8, 2015, at about 0400hrs at No 21, AraromiAdekunle street, Baale-
Dalemo, Alakuko, Lagos state in Ikeja Magisterial District did deÀle one EjiroNigua ‘f’ aged 12years by inserting your manhood into her private part and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria 2015. The presiding magistrate, Mrs O. J. Awope adjourned the case till October 23, 2015 for further hearing.
... Another 19 Years Old Rapes Minor
stealing and fraudulent diversion of funds. The accused persons are alleged to have failed to remit rentals of over N2 billion to the petitioner, Lecon Financial Services Limited. Some of the counts reads, “David Nwachukwu, Frank Okeke, Haulage Oil and Gas Limited and Franviok Limited sometime between January, 2013 and December, 2013 in Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent converted to your own use the sum of N197,776,420 (One Hundred and Ninety Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty Naira) which sum forms part of rentals accrued to LEASING COMPANY OF NIGERIA LTD (Now LECON FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD) from the use of their trucks to provide haulage services for Eterna Oil Plc” Another count reads, “David Nwachukwu, Frank Okeke, Haulage Oil and Gas Limited and Franviok Limited sometime between January, 2014 and September, 2014 in Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent converted to your own use the sum of N158,721,830 (One Hundred and Fifty Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty Naira) which sum forms part of rentals accrued to LEASING COMPANY OF NIGERIA LTD (Now LECON FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD) from the use of their trucks to provide haulage services for LAFARGE CEMENT WAPCO NIGERIA PLC.” When the charges were read to the accused persons, they pleaded not guilty. In view of their plea, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody. However, Counsel to the first accused, C. O. Taiwo informed the court that he had filed an application for bail and prayed the court to accept his application. He also, prayed the court to remand his client in the EFCC custody. Counsel to the second, third and fourth accuse persons, K. Bello aligned himself to the prayers of 1st defence counsel.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Politics
•Aisha Al-Hassan
•Amina Muhammed
•Kemi Adeosun
Women Of CHANGE By CHARLES ENWEREM
AS Nigerians expect the various portfolios which the ministerial nominees would get after they had been duly screened and approved by the Nigerian senate, the mind bugling question which many ask is who are the women in President Buhari’s government and what change have they to offer. After being sworn in on May 29, there was eager anticipation of Buhari’s changed approach to governance as would be evidenced through his key appointments. After four months of waiting for names, it looked as though the list would not come till the end of the year, some quarters even took to social media to decry the long wait for the men who would the make the president’s cabinet amidst various party crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC). In Nigerian politics, ministerial appointments are closely observed particularly for critical ministries like petroleum resources and finance. Outside of state governorships, much of the corruption and mismanagement according to experts in Nigeria’s history has occurred at the ministry level or at key government agencies. The weeks back saw the case of former oil minister Diezani Allison-Madueke, who was arrested, and later released
on bail, for alleged money laundering in London. Politically, the appointment of ministers allows the president and party leaders ‘reward’ members of their party and also set the agenda for the president’s entire policy and economic direction. There is also an ethnic slant as the Nigerian constitution requires the president to select one minister from each state. The frenzy and expectation that surrounded the September deadline President Buhari gave for nominating minsters was palpable and when it became evident, the women were revealed which left some critics asking if the list wasn’t biased or gender sensitive. Only three of 21 nominees- KemiAdeosun, Aisha Jumai Al Hassan& Amina Mohammed, did certainly raise eyebrows and questions over the involvement of women in Buhari’s administration especially after their predecessors in the last administration were riddled with mass corruption in their various ministries. Some experts have argued that these women are basically coming into the scene to add value to the Buhari’s administration from the feminine perspective, a move which can be likened to the involvement of personalities like the former ministers of finance; NgoziOkonjoIweala, petroleum; Diezani-Alison Madueke and Aviation, who
is now a serving senator; Sen. Stella Oduah, among other notable female personalities that played vital roles in the last administration. Others are of the opinion that these women have a huge task ahead of them especially correcting the impression that Nigerian women are not ready to handle such sensitive and key positions in government especially with the wake of huge financial scandals surrounding their predecessors and as such, their involvement is to clean up the system as well as support the fight against corruption which President Buhari is in the fore front, given that he is incorrigible therefore they also have to be. They are also perceived to have key positions in government as well as become prominent faces of the new administration given that their personalities are worthy of note. A lot is expected from these women who have made it to the long awaited list of ministerial nominees especially in terms of injecting change into the new government as well as into the women folk. AMINA MOHAMMED Amina Mohammed is the United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning. She was appointed to this position on 7 June 2012. Ms. Mohammed has been working in the field of
development for more than 30 years both in the public sector and the private sector. Prior to her current appointment, she was the CEO and founder of the Think Tank Center ForDevelopment Policy Solutions. Previously, she worked as senior adviser to the President of Nigeria (Late Musa Yardua and Goodluck Jonathan) on Millennium Development Goals for six years. In this position, she was in charge of designing and developing government projects to reduce poverty around the country. Between 2002 and 2005, she worked in the United Nations Millennium Project as a coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education. In 1991, Ms. Mohammed founded Afri-Projects Consortium, a multidisciplinary firm of Engineers and Quantity Surveyors, and from 1991 to 2001 she was its Executive Director. Between 1981 and 1991, she worked with Archcon Nigeria in association with Norman and Dawbarn United Kingdom. Ms. Mohammed has also served on many international advisory boards and panels such as the Gates Foundation and the UN Secretary General’s Global Sustainability Panel. Ms. Mohammed was born in 1961. She has six children. KEMI ADEOSUN KemiAdeosun is a finance professional with over 23 years of experience gained in the
United Kingdom and Nigeria. Mrs. Adeosun is an Economics graduate and a member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales, as well as Nigeria. Born and bred in London, her father was a civil servant and she is the third of four children. A graduate of Economics from the University of East London. She was a senior manager at the Price Waterhouse Coopers, London. She is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales. She is a mother of three. She was born in 1967. AISHA ALHASSAN Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan is a former Senator representing Taraba North constituency of Taraba State, which she won under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). She later decamped to All Progressive Congress (APC) and was the Governorship Candidate of Taraba State for the 2015 general elections. She was defeated in the election rerun held on 25th of April 2015 and failed to become Nigeria’s 1st female democratically elected Governor. A lawyer by training, Jummai is the former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Taraba State. She was appointed the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on 17 December 2003. She was born in 1959.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Politics
Ekweremadu Advices APC On Longevity THE Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has advised the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, to build on the successes recorded by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, while it held power for 16 years or risk being pushed aside in 2019. Mr. Ekweremadu gave the advice at the 67th meeting of the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP, which held at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja. He stated that the PDP, in its 16 years of being in power, “changed the face of telecommunication in Nigeria”, making it the best in Africa. The senator also said it was the PDP that laid the foundation for genuine anti-corruption Àght in the country by setting up relevant agencies and
• Sen. Ekweremadu
Kashamu Election NulliÀcation:
The Untold Story By ABDULFATAI SOBANDE, Abeokuta THE March 28, 2015 National Assembly's election of Senator Buruji Kashamu nulliÀed by the Ogun State National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal has been attributed to the failure of the senator elected on the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) platform in the Ogun East Senatorial District to fault the detailed report by the expert brought by his closest rival, Prince Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress(APC). The three-man tribunal led by Justice Tobi Ebiowei while delivering its ruling last week Friday, said the expert was able to convince the panel by giving units by units break down of scores recorded by the two leading candidates at the poll, which the Kashamu legal team did not make case of the report. The tribunal in the verdict, nulliÀed the results of 110 polling units on the ground of non-compliance with the electoral acts and subsequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to fresh poll within 90 days in the affectedareas. Justice Ebiowei said it would be wrong to have declared Kashamu as the winner though recorded 75,856 as against the APC candidate who scored 70,677 of the lawful votes cast at the poll, but the 37,008 votes in the affected areas were too huge to ignore,hence the need for fresh poll. But Kashamu had vowed to challenge the verdict at the Appeal Court,having been declare as the candidate the majority of 146,533 lawful votes counted by the tribunal.
• Sen. Kashamu
• Hon. Shettima
federal constituency with the new deputy governor said “it was fair enough for the deputy governor to emerge from his constituency giving the fact that Durkwa has been a loyal party man and grassroots politician who has the masses at heart. “Just like the late deputy governor of blessed memory, who is a brother and committed party-man, Governor Shettima has found yet another loyal and dedicated politician that would work with him in the interest of the generality of the people of Borno state”. “In terms of experience Durkwa ranks as one of the oldest party man that had been around since the time of the defunct ANPP. I think only former governor Ali Modu Sheriff would boast of being older than him in the ruling party politics of Borno state”, said Rep Satumari. On the argument that the choice of Durkwa from outside Biu local government where the late deputy governor emerged may have caused ill-feelings to the Biu politicians, the Rep member said “I am not sure if that is true, because the good people of Biu local government are very well educated and they are well informed that the deputy-governorship slot is zoned to the southern Borno which consist of nine local government areas.
PDP candidates with tribunal cases. “We use this opportunity to reiterate our call on the security agencies to desist from these abuses in the interest of the sustenance of our democratic system,” he said. Buhari’s anti-corruption Àght targeting PDP members The acting chairman of the PDP also said while the ongoing Àght against corruption by President Muhammadu Buhari is ‘ordinarily’ commendable, he accused the president of going after PDP members only. “It would be morally repugnant to target PDP members while seemingly protecting APC members. All we are calling for is an equal and fair treatment of all Nigerians under the law. “Government should prevent the slide of our dear country into a police state by controlling some of the brazen acts of the security agencies against state institutions as exempliÀed in the invasion of the Akwa Ibom Government House by some ofÀcers of the DSS,” he said. Mr. Secondus also called on the federal government to “come out straight with Nigerians on the state of our economy, which is gradually sliding into recession. “It appears that the lack of an economic direction and remedial actions from the government is having a debilitating effect on the economy – jobs are being lost and small businesses are closing shop as a result of the lack of constructive economic engagement from the APC government,” he said. Some of those who attended Thursday’s meeting include the governors of Delta, Ondo, Kogi, Enugu, Rivers and Taraba, while Gombe state governor was represented by his deputy.
PDP Is The Grandfather Of Democracy In Nigeria –Mimiko
Reps Member Hails Shettima HOUSE of Representatives member from Askira-Uba, Hawul Federal Constituency of Borno state, Honorable Jubril Satumari, has applauded governorKashimShettima’s choice in selecting Usman Durkwa as his deputy governor, even as he said the nominee who is to be sworn in today is yet “another man of the people”. Shettima is to supervise the swearing-in of Alhaji Durkwa by 2pm today in a grand ceremony coming about two months after his late deputy passed on. Rep Satumari who shares the same
pushing for deliberate policies and legislation to achieve the goals. He added that a PDP government relentlessly pursued and got debt forgiveness for Nigeria and that the party actually “changed the face of democracy in the country”. The lawmaker also said the PDP greatly enhanced the fortune of the nation’s democracy when the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan “willingly accepted defeat after a controversial election”. “APC should learn on our success or we would be back in power by 2019,” he said. Mr. Ekweremadu said the PDP has a chance to come back to power because the governing APC was already faltering. “ This is the Àrst time in Nigeria that all sections of the country are crying of marginalization,” he said. Speaking earlier, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, UcheSecondus, said the party is poised to play the role of an opposition party by actively engaging the ruling APC. “Today the PDP as an opposition Party has become the driving force in the National Assembly and our own Senator Ike Ekweremadu is the Deputy Senate President, a feat unprecedented in the political history of Nigeria,” he said. The acting chairman also said the robust approach to opposition by the PDP has led to the challenge of the APC’s ‘inordinate’ ambition when it tried to take the PDP’s mandate in Ekiti state through an impeachment process. While commending the party’s communication strategy, Mr. Secondus said the PDP has been able to highlight certain abuses of the electoral act by security agencies orchestrated against
It has never been restricted to Biu or Hawul alone. That is why we have different people of Southern Borno, from different local government areas occupying the seat at one point or the other of our political history. “I am very much aware that even the people of Biu have endorsed the candidature of Durkwa because he is just one man that has a remarkable qualities. Here is one man that would rather put on a N5000 shoe and save N25,000 for charity than buying and putting on a N30,000 worth of shoes! He has been a grassroots mobilizer and loyal party man. He has suffered denial of similar deputy governorship seat since 2003 when he has all the chances to get it; yet he remained loyal and committed. Now it is his time and I call on everyone in the state to support him while his time lasts”. Honorable Satumari who had just won his election petition tribunal yesterday (Thursday) had been in court where his mandate was being challenged for wining the March National Assembly elections with votes cast at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Hawul and Askira-Uba local government areas are part of the Bornocouncils areas displaced by Boko Haram terrorists since last year.
ONDO State governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, OlusegunMimiko has described the former ruling party as the ‘grand father of democracy in Nigeria.’ He gave this attribute while speaking at the 67th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja. Mimiko, who doubles as Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, attributed the party’s defeat during the general election to complacency. Said Mimiko, “It isn’t possible for any party to be in power for 16 years and not have challenges. Our greatest challenge was our complacency.” The Ondo State governor,
however, raised concerns over what he termed the deliberate plan by the All Progressive Congress (APC)led Federal Government to rubbish the achievements of its immediate predecessor. He further noted that the greatest achievements of the PDP was the sustenance of representative government in the country. He stated, “For me, the greatest achievements of PDP is the liberalisation of the democratic space in Nigeria. So, PDP can beat its chest and call itself the grand father of democracy in Nigeria. “The APC should handle its mandate with caution and fear of God. The selective application of justice won’t advance the cause of democracy.”
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Editorial
9
Ebola And Cholera Scare PALPABLE fear penultimate week, gripped the entire country, after news of the death of a 200 level Political Science student of the University of Calabar, died of a yet to be determined illness suspected to be the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), seven hours after he was rushed into the Accident and Emergency section of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in Calabar, Cross River State. According to reports, the deceased, simply referred to as Eyamba, before his death was said to have vomited blood and bled profuselyfrom different areas of his body, and also ran high temperature, all typical symptoms of EVD and other viral haemorrhagic fevers. Albeit, the hospital management debunked the claim, it, in prompt response to
the development, shut down the unit and quarantined hospital staff and patients, totalling 10 who had direct or indirect contact with the dead. It also sent blood specimen retrieved from the late 21-year old student, to the Lassa Fever Specialist Hospital, in Benin City, Edo state for testing. Correspondingly, the Federal Ministryof Health also sent in its Rapid Response Team (RRT), from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)/National Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (NFELTP), comprising Infection Prevention and Control (ICP) experts, Clinical and Lab experts on EVD, most of whom had participated in the providing services for patients and indigenes of the other countries ravaged by the disease in West Africa subregion. This group, together
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with the Cross River State Government, after preliminary findings from test carried out confirmed it was neither Ebola nor Lassa fever. The World Health Organization (WHO) as well last Friday confirmed there was no Ebola in the state. In a related d e v e l o p m e n t , the Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Professor Jonathan Nok announced at the recent World Health Organization (WHO) biannual review parley that no fewer than 15 persons had died in Dutse Abba, a village in Zaria City from Cholera, after drinking from a contaminated water source. Barely four days later, rumours of a possible outbreak of Cholera in Akwanga Local Government Area, filtered into the air. Thankfully, the UCTH incident was just a scare; nevertheless it
should be a wake up to the FG and Nigerians in general, particularly since of the three EVD most affected countries in West Africa, only Liberia has been declared completely free from the score. Guinea and Sierra Leone, a few days ago began a fresh 42-day countdown after having faced some setbacks in recent past. With the disease lurking around, the FG and its partners should rekindle the Ebola Campaign. The sad truth is that not many Nigerians practice the simple washing of hands principles, which serves as firstline prevention for the deadly disease. As it affects Cholera, National Weekender opines that it is pertinent a similar campaign is initiated so as to reduce the likely effect of the pending floods. It will be recalled that the Cameroonian authorities in Garuoa
LETTER
had in August indicated that between then and November 2015, there would be routine release of water from its Lagdo Dam. The Dam was responsible for unleashing mayhem on Nigerians in 2012. The release led to flooding that killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million people in 30 states. Floods can potentially increase the transmission of several communicable diseases, chief among which is Cholera, especially when there is significant population displacement and/ or water sources are compromised. It is therefore very important that residents of areas prone to floods, e.g. Niger, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kogi and Benue take extra precautions so as to forestall another possible outbreak of Cholera.
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Buhari’s Team Will Work I am satisÀed with the caliber and quality of nominees President Muhammadu Buhari presented to the Senate. From their screening exercise one could gather that they are people who know their onions and understand the Nigerian system. I am not a politician but I know that these men and women will surely deliver. What Nigerians should be praying for is that Buhari should have the wisdom to place them in ministries
where they will deliver. This is very necessary given the fact that the party chieftains and godfathers of the ministersto-be are already scheming for juicy ministries and portfolios for their candidates. Again the clamour by the North for juicy ministries will not help matters. In the light of this, I hope that Buhari would be left alone to do the right thing. We are aware that technocrats dominated the list and as such we look forward to the technocrats bringing
in their wealth of experience to bear on this government. However, I must state that Buhari also needs to give them free hands to operate because that is the only way they can perform. Days are gone when ministers are mere tools to settle political scores. They must work and it is only when they are allowed to perform that their performance can be better evaluated. –Anthony Omar Dumbi, Warri, Delta State.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
On My Own –
From Nothing To Something, Nowhere To o Somewhere, Somewhere, Nobody Nobody To To Somebody...
•This week eek like always, we meet NOLLYWOOD’s OOD’s actor and thespian ERIC OBINNA NNA who throws light on his background und and how their “wrong thinking”” of his love for acƟng propelled d an early life of struggle as told to our ur men CHARLES ENWEREM and STEPHEN PHEN AYA… Let’s get to meet you Most of my fans don’t n’t know that my name is Eric Obinna, I’m from Imo state and I’m a theatre arts practitioner. I started acting way back in secondary school. A theatre director called BasseyEfÀong discovered red my talent and told me that I would make a good ood actor and so I started acting on stage and a few TV production and after secondary school,l, I went into acting and later proceeded to Nnamdi mdi Azikiwe University to study theatre arts and since then I’ve been behind the screens till date. That’s hat’s what I‘ve been doing till today. What’s the biggest screen production you’ve been in? For most actors, it’s difÀcult to say this is the biggest movie you been n in or this is the best you’ve done, but I would uld tell this, the job I really enjoyed doing was SPIDER. It was produced by April il Ventures, we started in Abuja and came ame down to Lagos. We’ve stopped ed shooting for now but would return to the screens soon so I’d say SPIDER is the biggest for now. I also did a stage production duction called EFURU back in the day and it was directed ed by BasseyEfÀong and thatt was a stage production I can’t forget in a hurry. It was a great production and nd I can’t forget it. Over the years, how has the Nigerian Movie ovie Industry evolved? That’s a serious one. The industry is growing ing seriously but we still have problems Ànancially. ally. Actors are not well paid aid up till today, particularly arly upcoming ones. You Ànd out that the stars are paid aid 1 or 2 million naira whilee the upcoming are either paid peanuts or not paid at all, ll, so the industry doesn’t really give room for up-comers ers to stand in it. Most of them m get frustrated and run out, ut, the go and do other things gs and then come back. But generally nerally the industry is growing; ng; the scripts, the equipment and all that. Everything is growing wing but Ànancially, somethingg should be done to help the up-comers, p-comers, they are not being well treated. And where does thee problem lie? I would say the producers oducers are the problem. They are the Ànancial pillars of the industry, ry, they are the ones that bring outt the money; producers and executive ive producer. Most producers believe eve that the actors are out there and d is being seen and that is their joy and d gain and since he/she (producer) is backstage, they want to make all the money, oney, forgettingg that the man or woman an whose face iss out there is being put at a bigger risk risk. k. They believe that with fame, actors can n make a fortune through h other means. Talking about SPIDER, PIDER, was it difÀcult falling into character? haracter? Firstly, the script was very good,
particularly for my character. And most of the time I was speaking in Pidgin English, I enjoy Pidgin English, in fact when you give me something to do in Pidgin English, you bring out the best in me. Then another thing is, when SPIDER started, we were treated very well, general welfare of the actors and actress we were eree
CONT’D ON PG 31
I Hawked On The Streets Of Lagos –Eric Obinna
Photo By Fidelis Isibor
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Entertainment
e f ca
11
Di’Ja On The Rise By FRANCIS OGBONNA
W
hen Mavin's CEO, Don Jazzy, early 2014, Àrst signed the triad of Reekado Banks,Korede Bello and Di'Ja, not many thought they were worth gambling on, especially since they were relatively unknown quantities as far as the music industry in Nigeria was concerned. Except for Banks, whose single "Turn It Up", featuring arguably Africa's Ànest diva and label mate, Tiwa Savage resonated with music lovers, Di'Ja and Bello were considered 'regular', as their singles'Yaro' and 'African Princess'respectively, were unfortunately judged by critics of the proliÀc producer, usingthe works of Jazzy's estranged cronies, particularly D'banj and Wande Coal, who were already established acts as benchmarks. Recall that their enlistments came as part of a rebuilding process embarked upon by 'Don Baba J' as Jazzy is fondly called; following his devastating break up with long time body D'Banj, leading to the death of Mo'hits records, co-owned by both men. Di'Ja, like Belly, taking the bouts of criticism in her stride, returned to the studio and after a couple of months, released her second single 'Awww' as a Mavin. 'Awww', within days of it's release not only received favourable reviews, even from diehard critics of the Main as a label, it according to commentators, established the artiste as a force to reckon with in the industry. "'Awww', unlike 'Yaro', which is commonplace, actually set Di'Ja apart. Now she is no longer under the shadow of Tiwa, because her style is unique," one analyst shared. "What Di'Ja did with 'Awww' was to carve a niche for herself. She not only discovered an area of music need, she also reinvented her music (so it seemed) to meet that need. Kudos to Di'Ja and most of all, accolades should go to the man with the Midas touch, Don Jazzy for keeping faith with her," another analyst corroborated. Apart from the reviews, her recent form also attracted other Good stuffs, most especially monetary rewards, the latest being the multi-million naira ambassadorial deal with Naija's Telecoms Giant, glo, that she and her other 'brothers', Banks and Bello recently raked in. Bottom line, for the 'falling for you' hitmaker, it has been a constant rise to the top. However, some observers have insisted that he somewhat meteoric rise to stardom has been a Áuke, questioning her ability to sustain this level of success. They argue that like the other two Mavin signees, the NigerianSierra Leonian beauty (Real name-Hadiza Blell), have not yet paid the proverbial 'prize for success' and may likely have Áuctuating careers in future, albeit they have failed to take into cognizance of the fact that she has a story. Prior to Main, Di'Ja as a scholar had already taken the Canadian music scene by storm. Her Àrst single 'Rock Steady' aside amassing rave reviews had won her several awards including the 2008 Best New Artiste Awards at the prestigious ‘Best Awards’, and was nominated at the 2009 Canadian Radio Music Awards as one of the Best Urban/R&B single. Aphrodija, like she is sometimes called is a woman of many parts; she is a visual artiste and also a philanthropist. She grew up in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, USA, Canada, and was raised in a family where great emphasis was placed on the value of formal education. As a result of this, Di’ja committed herself to the academics and earned two university degrees at a very young age. Like one observer has said, "Di'Ja has so much working for her right now, with two University degrees in get kitty, a great song writing skill, age on her side and of course the support of Africa's Numero Uno producer, Don Jazzy, all she needs to keep climbing the ladder of success is a humble heart."
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Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Entertainment
•Caroline •Cynthia Morgan
Caroline Danjuma, Cynthia Morgan In War Of Words NOLLYWOOD actress, and Dance Caroline Danjuma j Hall queen, queen Cynthia Morgan are presently engaged in a public squabble, over an action the former had described as “absolutely wrong.” The singer, a few days ago, drew the ire of fans and critics alike after posting a picture of her carrying a baby, while smoking. Also irked by the post, Danjuma took a swipe at the ‘Taken’ hit-maker. Venting her anger, the actress
stated, “A lot of kids are dying from VSD and ASD. A little sniff of nicotine is a huge damage to a child and yet this picture is circulating and being praised. A baby mama who is a BOSS will never put her child through ‘harm’s way’. “This ain’t art. To hurt a child ain’t music. I speak for that innocent child. This is absolute rubbish. You can’t do this abroad. Child agencies in Nigeria should take note. It should never be a normal thing.
Soon child pornography will be a norm in the name of art,” she added. added However, in response, the Northside Inc act hit back at the actress insisting she was a nonentity. Her post reads: “...Thank you Miss Caroline. We all love kids and want no harm near them. You don’t love kids more than I do…And then again the only Danjuma I know is “Daisy” So remind me. Who are you again?”
Mercy Aigbe Gives Hubby ‘Bitters’ For 50th Birthday
SCREEN goddess, Mercy Aigbe Gentry gave her popular socialite and millionaire hubby, Olanrewaju Akanbi Gentry, a rare gift as he turned 50 recently. Osas, as the actress is fondly called, at a secret party organized in his honour at a popular eatery in Ikeja, Lagos, gave him a bottle of ‘Alomo Bitters’, which she had primly placed as part of decoration on the cake. The golden jubilee celebration had the likes of Aneke twins, Adeniyi Johnson, Tunde Moshood and many other dignitaries in attendance. The Edo born actress, Mercy Aigbe Gentry is happily married to Lanre Gentry and they are blessed with two children, a
boy and a girl. Mercy Aigbe who doesn’t hesitate to Áaunts her kids calls the little boy her photocopy and his teenage sister, her princess. The awarding winning actress/movie producer, recently in March won 2014 Africa Magic Viewers choice Award for her movie ‘Komfo’. Mercy Aigbe who started off acting in soap opera before going into Yoruba Àms made her debut in Nollywood in 2006. She has since featured in several movies and has gone on to become one of the most sought after actress in the movie industry. She is a Theatre Arts graduate from the University of Lagos.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
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Genevieve Nnaji Screens Movie At International Festival
NOLLYWOOD actress Genevieve Nnaji’s movie ‘Road to Yesterday’ will be screened at this year’s edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). The movie, produced by the actress and directed by Ishaya Bako, will be the last Àlm to be screened at the festival. According to Pulse, the movies will start showing at the festival from Sunday, November 8 to Sunday, November 15, at City Mall, Silverbird and Genesis Deluxe Cinemas. Apart from Genevieve’s movie, others that will be screened include Akin Omotosho’s Tell Me Something Sweet, Desmond Elliot’s ReÁections and YaredZeleke’s Lamb. AFRIFF artistic director Keith Shiri said the movies were selected based on their African cinematic story telling. He said “The selection in this edition is not only celebrating African cinema but demonstrates once more that the cinematic story telling industry in Africa has become more compelling and visible.” ‘Road to Yesterday’, which stars Genevieve Nnaji and newcomer Ohis Erheuro, will premiere Wednesday, November 18, in Lagos. Fans on Tuesday were teased with stills of a steamy bathroom scene.
I Can’t Do A White Collar Job –Mary Lazarus
NOLLYWOOD actress, Mary Lazarus, has said acting remains her Àrst love and that she wouldn’t leave same for any white collar job, no matter the pay attached to it. The actress said this while Àelding questions from reporters lately shared: “Acting is my life. You know it’s like a spirit, like something dragging and attaching you to it that you can’t do without. So I don’t think I can do any white collar job.” Lazarus, who has a twin brother also disclosed that being a twin, she knows how to play both male and her female roles well that most producers now sort after her to feature in their movies. Fast rising actress, Mary Laza¬rus, is without doubt a beauty to behold. The Abia State indigene has starred in many movies and soaps including Super Story, This Life, Tinsel, Spider, Living In Lagos, Married But Living Single, Behind The Smile, Needle’s Eye and Blackberry Babes. The Geography graduate from the Universi¬ty of Ibadan spoke with The Entertainer on her foray into acting.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Health
13
L iving
Supernatural with
PASTOR EBENEZER BAMISHE 08066440970
The Fear Of God
Sore Throat:
Pains, Remedies
A
sore throat (or throat pain) is pain or irritation of the throat. It is usually caused by acute pharyngitis (inÁammation of the throat), although it can also appear as a result of trauma, diphtheria, or other conditions. A sore throat may cause mild to extreme pain. In simple terms, it is scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. In other words sore throat is pain anywhere in the oropharynx. The most common cause of a sore throat is a viral infection, such as a cold or the Áu. A sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own with at-home care. Strep throat (streptococcal infection), a less common type of sore throat caused by bacteria, requires additional treatment with antibiotic drugs to prevent complications. Other less common causes of sore throat may require more complex treatment. Signs and symptoms may include: • Pain or a scratchy sensation in the throat • Pain that worsens with swallowing or talking • DifÀculty swallowing • Dry throat • Sore, swollen glands in your neck or jaw • Swollen, red tonsils • White patches or pus on your tonsils • Hoarse or mufÁed voice Common infections causing a sore throat may result in other signs and symptoms, as well. They may include: • Fever • Chills • Cough
• Runny nose • Sneezing • Body aches •Headache •Nausea or vomiting Determining the cause of your sore throat can help your doctor treat your symptoms. Your doctor will do a physical examination and examine your throat with a lighted instrument. He or
she will look for signs of inÁammation or white patches, which might indicate strep throat. Your doctor will also feel your neck for swollen glands and check your breathing. Because strep throat is a common cause of sore throats, your doctor may swab the back of your throat and examine the sample for the Streptococcal bacteria. He or she may also run a blood test to determine whether you have a viral or bacterial infection.
Note that it can be difÀcult to diagnose a sore throat in infants and toddlers. In this age group, refusal to eat is a common sign of throat irritation. How to Treat a Sore Throat The treatment for a sore throat depends on the cause. However, you can treat many sore throats at home. Home treatment options include: • Gargling with warm salt water • Drinking plenty of warm Áuids, such as teas, soup, and water • Avoiding allergens and irritants, such as smoke and chemicals • Taking throat lozenges • Reducing i n f l a m m a t i o n with ibuprofen or acetaminophen If a bacterial infection causes your sore throat, your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics to kill the infectious organisms. You should take your medication for 10 days or as prescribed by your doctor to treat the bacterial infection. A sore throat may recur if you stop treatment early. If you have a viral infection, your doctor may want to let the virus run its course. During that time, he or she may prescribe medications, such as decongestants and pain relievers, to ease your symptoms. In some cases, your doctor may want to try an antiviral drug to Àght the virus. Complications of a Sore Throat In the case of persistent bacterial throat infections, your doctor may recommend a tonsillectomyto surgically remove the tonsils. This is a last resort treatment that should only be considered when sore throats do not respond to antibiotics.
THE fear of God is not a religious or moral slogan, morality or religion in social term has been redefined to mean a property of personal opinion and individual conviction. In actual fact the projection of social system is drastically featuring the dispensation of liberty for humanity where humanity will no more be bound by laws of morality or religion; the mankind is gradually entering into her dispensation of manifestation in which everything in existence is becoming clearly understood by the virtue of the exposures in research and discoveries, transition of mental horizon into the abstract world of idealism and particularly, the forces of divine aurora which enhances inspirations and illuminates the subconscious part of the reasoning faculty of man, in the real sense, man is in a process of metamorphosis and it is definite that knowledge is key to this process of metamorphosis, but the question remains, does knowledge has an end? Daniel12:4 say. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased and Job11:7 say. Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? The greatest deception ever conceived by mankind is to exist without God, the fear of God in man is the indicator that connects man to God, the fear of God is the quantum force of passion deposited in man’s heart that makes him reference, honor and respect God to the point of obedience and submission to His will and plan. The major reason why people don’t reference God is because they are not in relationship with Him. Conscience is dead without consciousness. It declares in1Timothy4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; and Heb10:22 says. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. The heart that is dead in sin cannot fear God, evil prevail in our society because we are very far from God in our thinking and conduct, the ability of man to determine right and wrong resides in the faculty of the mind where the seat of conscience is inborn, but no one has the monopoly of conscience, man lost it when Adam disobeyed God and the fall of Adam actually led to a gross perversion, the heart became defiled, seared with hot iron and void of offence. Truly, it is not possible for any individual to love or fear God in a state depravity. The conscience needs to be sought and cultivated and the word of God is the only antidote that can remove the calamity, Jesus is calling on you, accept the word of life so that you may live because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Proverb14:27 say. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death, while Proverb3:7 say. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Accept the Lord Jesus Christ into your life and He will bring an end to the meaningless life of evil you are living. The bible says in Matthew11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.v29: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.v30: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. You can come into glory and be free from evil works, evil heart has no room for peace by accepting Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and savior you will have the peace of God in your heart. A heart without the fear of God is always in crises; all the atrocities of murder, stealing, fornication, adultery etc. you have committed against God and humanity can be forgiven today only if you can surrender your life to Jesus. Say this prayer accordingly.”Father God have mercy on me , today I turn from my wicked ways, please forgive me all my sins: I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord and I believe in my heart that He died and You raise Him from the dead, I thank you, heavenly Father because you are merciful, full of compassion and gracious to save from sins, Father, please, forgive and deliver me from the pit of hell: even now, as I believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and I accept Him as my LORD and SAVIOUR, Photos By confessing with my mouth the LORDSHIP of JESUS CHRIST. I thank you Father because you have saved me in Jesus name. Amen.
Fidelis Isibor
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Relationship
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Letter To Aunty ROSE
News
Buratai Boosts Troop’s Moral Against Terrorism With Aunty ROSE 08097639574
E-mail: rosemaryugiomoh@yahoo.com Dear Aunty Rose,
My name is Kenechukwu, 28, fresh graduate, live and work in Anambra state. Could you please tell the male folks like me why our young ladies prefer older men, like my girlfriend Onyinye; who has been postponing her settling down with me. Why is it so Aunty Rose, why?
Kenechukwu, Read through my response carefully, Older Men are exciting isn't it? They are typically better in bed more experienced with women and have more money than the average guy. These are just the basic reasons women want to go on dating older men versus younger men. But ladies, there are other reasons why dating old men is awesome and why older men are a
great choice! They are More Established Although dating a younger guy can be fun and exciting, typically when you are dating older men, you can tell that they are more established. They typically have a house or a really nice car, have a great career and have money in savings. This is super attractive versus a 20-something guy that might not have all of these.
I Testimony From Mrs Agwai,43, A
t looks like you have spent the bulk of your childhood and early adult life abroad?
ǡ Ǧ Ǥ ǡ ǯ ǡ Ǧ BEING married to a man 35 years older than myself, ǥ ǡ ǡ Ǥ I think I have a good idea for at least few reasons. Women are attracted to older men, but there are ǡ quite a few more reasons why I prefer older men to Ǥ men of my own age as well as those younger than I. What actually prompted I’ve deÀnitely never been attractedyou to guys younger decision to come back home? than myself and this might be because I tend to associate Ǥ youngmen with my own kids. It’d be like dating friend you of my son’s!your I don’t know about you, By acareer mean acting but that just freaks me out. career? ǡ Ǥ They Know How to Treat a Woman Before you came to Nigeria, have
Ghanian Who Lives In Abuja, Nigeria. I’m not just talking about being polite, holding the car door open, waiting by the door and allowing a woman to enter the room Àrst, or anything regarded as being chivalrous(showing respect towards women). Those are all fantastic and I’m thrilled that my husband still does these things. I actually like it when a man holds the door open for me. The other part to this reason involves the bedroom. By the time guys reach middle age, they know a thing or two about how to treat a woman just the way she wants to be treated in bed.
Why Do Younger Women Date Older Men? THE idea of younger women dating older men is a timeless concept. Why do younger women like dating older men, and why has this convention been practiced for so long? The age-old question has been pondered by psychologists, behavioral scientists, talk show hosts, secondary school girls at parties, and younger men walking home alone after closing time. Is it an innate evolutionary tactic for the woman to Ànd the strongest, most conÀdent man who can Ànancially support her and provide her (if she so chooses) with genetically superior children? If so, older men come out on top every time. After all, what’s more attractive? Is it an eager, younger guy, fresh out of college, who’s selÀsh in bed and, pardon me, who has nothing but hope to cling to, or an older, wiser, outgoing, more mature man with a great job, who also happens to be experienced and selÁess in bed? Evolutionarily, it’s the perfect match. Younger women like men who can provide emotionally and Ànancially stability. And, luckily for those women, older men are visual creatures. For younger women wanting to date older men and older men looking to date younger women, the evolutionary dimension provides a good start. But not all relationships
are that simple, because women and men are often a little more multidimensional than that. So maybe there’s more to sexual chemistry than biology. Maybe sexual chemistry is related to the size of the man’s wallet. After all, some younger women don’t want a sexually charged older man; some younger women prefer a man who can shower her with bags in vogue and Àll her closet with Designer shoes. In fact, there are probably many younger women who prefer that, and, lucky for them, there are a lot of afÁuent older men who are more than happy to shower these women with the Àner things. And why shouldn’t they? Consenting adults can date and marry for different reasons. At the same time, most people would be hard-pressed to Ànd examples of beautiful young women dating poor older men with limited Ànancial means. Naturally, gold digging is a conditional arrangement that can be short-lived. After all, older men will only hold onto their arm candy so long as it pleases them. They have nothing to lose, because they can always Ànd another young woman to date. If, however, the ‘who’ is more important than the ‘what’, then maybe age really is just a number. And the attraction runs deeper than anything biology or material
possessions can explain. And, in such cases, you’re dealing with all the little nuances that make the younger woman dating an older man scenario just like any other relationship. The biggest issue in one of these relationships will likely be the recurring need to explain to others that your relationship is actually based on love and admiration—and nothing insincere. Yes, you’ll end up dealing with the mind-numbing responses like, “He’s just a father Àgure to you!” And that may be true. But tell me this: is it even possible to be in a relationship that doesn’t have some sort of psychological undertone? “He’s making you miss out on the fun of being in your twenties!” You might say that to a young woman in a relationship with a more mature man. But would you say that to a guy in his twenties who wanted to marry his older girlfriend? No, probably not. If your reason for hanging out with an older man is beacuase you think “He’s going to die long before you do.” And that’s most likely true, But Not the truth in some cases. You may just be mincing things. But,it is that the younger woman would rather spend all her time with her older man than suffer a second without him. Sometimes, older is better. With age comes experience, which is why many younger women will always want to date older men.
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THE Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. TukurBuratai, has charged troops in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation to brace up their efforts to defeat terrorism in line with the presidential directive. This is contained in a statement issued by the acting Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, and made available to the newsmen in Abuja on Friday. The statement said the coming days would be crucial to the operation aimed at eliminating insurgency from parts of the country. “The next few days will be crucial to `Operation LaÀya Dole’ and it is also crucial to our country Nigeria. “Our sovereignty as a nation is threatened, the Nigerian Army and indeed the military as the symbol of our nationhood is being challenged. “Our ability to stand and defeat the Boko Haram terrorists in the next few weeks will determine the future of our country,’’ it said. The statement said the military could not afford to lose the Àght against insurgency as it was better trained and equipped to win the war. It said the whole nation led by the President was behind the military as it battles insurgency in the North East. It urged the troops to remain steadfast and courageous in the task of degrading and defeating the terrorists.
Police Rescue Three Kidnapped Kogi Poly Students The Police in Lokoja have rescued three students of the Kogi State Polytechnic kidnapped during a Christian fellowship programme on Wednesday. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, told newsmen in Lokoja on Friday while parading their kidnappers that the students were rescued after spending three days with their abductors. Ojukwu said the students, AyodeleOjo , Isaac Oaikhena and SeÀat Musa were rescued from the kidnappers’ hideout along Gadabiu-Kabba Junction Obajana road without paying the N20 million ransom demanded. He said one suspect, Ibrahim Jibo, who was arrested on Thursday when he came to collect the ransom was already helping the police to arrest his accomplices. Narrating their ordeal, one of the victims, Ayodele Ojo, said that they were kidnapped at the middle of a fellowship prayer at about 7.30 p.m. on Oct. 14, at the Osara campus. He said that the kidnappers suddenly emerged and collected their mobile hand-held phones, money and other valuables and later abducted three of them. While in captivity, he said, their abductors called their parents and relations to demand a N20 million ransom for their release but nothing was forthcoming. Ojo said that the development angered the abductors who started maltreating them before they were rescued three days after. The police commissioner said that the abductors would not escape justice. He also paraded 23 other suspects arrested for armed robbery, illegal gun manufacturing and political thuggery at EjuleOfu Local government area of the state.
Two Siblings Die In Navy Barracks’ Inferno TWO siblings were on Friday burnt to death in an early morning inferno that razed a three bedroom Áat in Lagos. The incident occurred inside the Navy OfÀcers’ quarters, Camp site, Kirikiri, at about 3:30am, killing two brothers aged six and nine years. The National Weekender gathered that their father, a Navy Captain, was out of town with their mother when the incident occurred. Our correspondent learnt that they had left their three children with their house help, identiÀed as Patience. Although the Àre broke out when all the four occupants of the Áat were fast asleep, Patience, it was gathered, rescued the couple’s Àrst son, Ayomide, 13. Unfortunately, the younger sons did not survive the disaster allegedly caused by an electrical surge. The Àre was said to have been put out at about 4:30am, by a combined team of Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and policemen from the Kirikiri division. When contacted, LASEMA’s General Manager, MichealAkindele said the remains of the deceased were taken to Navy hospital in the area, adding that the other two occupants of the Áats were treated by LASAMBUS. He stated that they were also taken to Navy hospital for further examination and treatment.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Business
15
•President Buhari
•Akpa
FG, PAN Trade Blame Over N10b Poultry Loss By OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE t may not be pleasant times for poultry farmers in the agricultural sector of Nigeria as a whooping N10billion has been reportedly lost to the outbreak of bird Áu in the last 9 months. Bird Áu is otherwise known as Avian InÁuenza is a virus disease of poultry that has negative impact on both the economy and public health. According to the Director General of The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) OnalloAkpa, disclosed in Abuja that about 1.5million birds has been lost since the outbreak of the Áu in January 8. He calculated that if one laying -bird is worth N5000, then poultry farmers may have lost about N10billion. He said: “We have about 1.7million laying birds that have been depopulated as a result of this outbreak. So to calculate the direct economic loss, if you take this Àgure and multiply it at the rate of N5, 000 which is the economic value of one
I
laying bird, you will realise that Nigeria has lost over N10billion. “This is the direct loss to the Nigerian economy. It does not include the job losses and other ancillary services that are linked to the business. So if the government is paying a compensation of N1.1billion, is that substantial enough? “It might interest you to know that the Nigerian poultry industry alone needs two million metric tons of maize and almost one million metric tons of soya beans on an annual basis. Do you know the economic value of these crops to the Nigerian crop farmers?” This pertinent question asked by the PAN Director came as a result of the stance of the Federal Government on the payment of monetary claims to owners of the 491 poultry farms who are supposedly affected by the loss giving reasons that the compensation package has made many farmers to relax in complying with stipulated biosecurity measures.
It stated that the complacency of the farmers had resulted in the resurgence of Avian InÁuenza, causing the disease had spread to 21 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The government said it had warned that if the non-compliance with biosecurity measures in the poultry farms persisted, Nigeria might be declared an Avian InÁuenza endemic nation. Mr. Sonny Echono, The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developmentsaid, “The resurgence of Avian InÁuenza as of today has spread to 85 local government areas in 21 states and the FCT, affecting 491 farms and resulting in the depopulation of 1,597,191 birds, and requiring compensation claims of N1.119bn to the affected poultry farmers. Echonofurther disclosed that since the outbreak in January, N380m had been paid to 138 farmers as compensation, while additional N263m had been veriÀed by the
technical consultants appointed by the World Bank for the payment of 103 farmers. He explained that N643m was the total fund committed and it was for 246 farmers, adding that N476m was the outstanding fund for the payment of the remaining 250 farmers. Echono said, “We have also noted with concern that poultry associations in states have not been up and doing with regard to assisting the states ofÀcials in the efforts aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease through adequate sensitisation and awareness creation. “Compensation shall be suspended pending substantial progress on biosecurity and other containment measures by the Poultry Association of Nigeria and state veterinary services.” However, DG PAN, OnalloAkpa disagreed with the position of the FG maintaining that it is wrong for government to blame farmers for spread of the diseases as no farmer
will want to lose any bird, especially laying-birds, that has an economic value of N5000 so that he could get paltry government compensation of N500 per bird. Akpa, who noted that the outbreak has affected most of the medium and large scale farmers, said: “I don’t believe that a farmer that has investment to the tune of N5million will not afford to buy a disinfectant of N1000 to protect his birds”. An Economist, Mr. Joshua Abimbola is however of the opinion that, with regards to the economic recovery mission of President MuhammaduBuhari’s administration, trading of blames between the Ministry of Agriculture and Poultry Association of Nigeria is unnecessary. He advised that the FG compensate affected farmers in order to cushion the effect of what they have lost. He also advised that poultry farmers be more vigilant and adhere to all preventive regulations laid down to prevent future outbreak of the Áu.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Business MARKETS/ COMMODITIES
Planned Gas Cut:
CBN Exchange Rates FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES 02/10/15
DOLLAR POUNDS EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR
195.95 297.4129 219.6404 201.0775 1.6294 0.3156 274.6319 30.8156 52.2464 29.4374 275.055
GHANA
196.95 298.9307 220.7613 202.1036 1.6377 0.3356 276.0334 30.9738 52.513 29.5876 276.4587
PRICE MOVEMENT AS AT Fri Oct . 2, 2015
Begs FG
Top Gainers TOTAL FO STANBIC WAPCO ETI
154.90 249.81 22.75 98.50 18.93
4.90 1.81 0.50 0.50 0.38
PRICE MOVEMENT AS AT Fri Oct. 2, 2015
Top Losers NIGSEWING NIWICABLE STOKVIS NESTLE 830.00 NB 141.20
-39.99 -5.80
FLIGHT SCHEDULE FIRST NATION AIRWAYS
Lagos – Abuja (Mon – Fri) 06:05, 09:30, 11:45, 16:00 (Sat) 06:50, 11:45 (Sun) 11:45, 16:00
Abuja – Lagos (Mon – Fri) 09:00, 11:30, 13:40, 18:30 (Sat) 09:00, 13:40 (Sun) 13:40, 18:30 Lagos – Portharcourt (Mon – Fri) 14:45 (Sat) 16:15 (Sun) 14:45 Portharcout – Lagos (Mon – Fri) 14:45 (Sat) 18:20 (Sun) 16:50 AERO CONTRACTORS Lagos - Abuja (Mon – Fri) 06:50, 13:30, 16:30, 19:00 (Sat) 12:30 (Sun) 15:30 MEDVIEW AIRLINES Lagos – Abuja (Mon – Fri) 07:00, 08:50, 12:00, 15:30 (Sat) 10:00, 15:00 (Sun) 17:30, 18:30 Abuja – Lagos (Mon – Fri) 09:00, 14:00, 15:00, 18:30 OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN-ABUJA (MON-FRI)08:30 ILORIN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00
A Ghanaian government delegation is holding emergency talks in Nigeria to avert a drastic gas supply cut threat, a government spokesman said, thus avoiding a potential political crisis. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it will cut gas supply by 70 per cent to Ghana’s main power generation company by today due to unpaid debts of $181 million. Ghana already suffers power shortages and Nigerian gas meets about 25 per cent of its needs. “They are already in Nigeria. They left Ghana last night. We are praying that they are able to negotiate … so that it doesn’t come to a cut in supply,” a spokesman for the Power Ministry told newsmen, yesterday. Power cuts have raised the cost of doing business and angered voters at a sensitive time for President John Mahama’s government ahead of what is expected to be a tough re-election battle next year. Mahama has vowed to end the power cuts by the start of next year and the minister for power has said he would resign if the problem has not been Àxed by then. The government’s room for manoeuvre is limited, however, under the terms of an aid programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) it is following to restore balance to its economy. Ghana was for years one of Africa’s economic stars but falling global commodity prices have blunted the value of its gold, cocoa and oil exports. Its Àscal problems include inÁation of up to 17.4 per cent in September, a currency that has fallen sharply in the last two years and a debt-to-GDP ratio of around 70 per cent with what economists say are high debt service costs. The Nigerian threat is a sign of budgetary stress and the strain of energy sector reform in Ghana, experts said. “It is extremely embarrassing for the government. It touches on credibility … Every investor will be looking at that and saying, ‘Is this a country to do business in?”,
Ben Boakye of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy think tank said. Nigerian gas Áows to Ghana through the West African Gas Pipeline Company’s pipe that runs via Benin and Togo. VRA buys the
gas to Àre power plants mainly in the east of the country. Hydro supplies around 50 per cent of Ghana’s power with the rest from its own gas and other sources. The power crisis stems from a
fall in supply from Ghana’s dams, government underpayment to the Electricity Company of Ghana, residents’ illegal consumption and tariffs too low for VRA to recoup its costs.
•L-R: Mr. Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ms. Pirjo SuomelaChowdhury, Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria and Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Nike Akande, CON, Deputy President of LCCI during a courtesy visit by the Ambassador to the Chamber recently in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Ministry Calls For Close Watch On Illegal Minerals Exportation THE Federal Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday decried the way gemstones minerals were being smuggled by miners out of the country in raw and semi polished forms. Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, the
Permanent Secretary of the ministry made this known in an Interview with newsmen in Abuja. Oyo-Ita called on governments at all levels to place a close watch on illegal exportation of gemstone minerals. Gemstones are minerals noted for
Femi Asu Wins Ecobank Economic & Business Award FEMI Asu of Nigeria’s Punch Newspaper is the winner of the Ecobank Economics & Business Award at the 2015 CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards. Ecobank Group Head of Corporate Communications Richard Uku (ecobank.com) presented the award to Mr Asu at a gala ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday. Richard Uku said: “The Ecobank Economics and Business
Award recognises the excellence of journalistic reporting in this important Àeld, and we are delighted to present the award to Femi Asu for the talent he has exhibited. Ecobank is pleased to be a long-time partner with CNN and MultiChoice in the promotion of excellence in African journalism.” In his winning story, Small businesses in death throes as power supply worsens, Femi Asu reports on the issue facing many Nigerian entrepreneurs, and exposes a major problem for those struggling to grow their businesses.
beauty, durability and hardness which makes them useful for jewellery. Some of the most popular gemstones available in Nigeria are sapphire, aquamarine, beryl, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, topaz, quartz, zircon and amethyst. The gemstones can be found in Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Bauchi, Kauna, zamfara, Benue, Kwara, Oyo and parts of FCT. According to her, there are huge markets for gemstone minerals outside the country, adding that the stone markets in the country lack adequate regulation. “We are calling on government to enforce proper regulations on artisan miners and ensure that the laws are institutionalised.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
17
London Daily Mirror-Pull-out In NATIONAL WEEKENDER
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A BOY was murdered after the collapse of Kids Company left him with nowhere to go, it was claimed yesterday. BBC creative director Alan Yentob said ays after the the killing happened five days rman of, charity, which he was chairman o been folded and there have also stabbings and four suicide bids. He told Westminster’s Public mittee Administration Select Committee vention the boy was using “crime prevention " #
centres which closedâ€?. But committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said MPs heard the incidents “occurred because kids no longer had money to pay drug pushersâ€?. KidsCo closed in August, days after scooping ÂŁ3million of taxpayer cash and amid a probe in into claims of historical Of sex abuse. Officials are now trying claw the ÂŁ3m ÂŁ3million back. char The charity’s founder Camila B a t m a n g h e l i d j h y e st e rd ay admitted giv giving up to ÂŁ200 a week “vulnera to “vulnerableâ€? youngsters.
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The former Top G Gear host will star in the show’s Greatest Hits DVD, which is being released in time tim for Christmas. But the disgraced presenter will not get predicted best-seller. a penny from the pr BBC Worldwide have h compiled the best
moments from the past 22 series featuring Clarkson and co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May, with the DVD on sale on November 23. The last two Top Gear releases topped the DVD sales charts in 2013 and 2014, with more than 820,000 copies sold. And
the new offering, costing ÂŁ13.99, is expected to sell even more, because it is the last featuring the ex-hosts. All profits will go directly to the BBC as Clarkson signed over all rights to the Corporation in 2012. A blurb for the DVD reads: “Once upon
a time, three men and a tame racing driver travelled the world, testing cars, solving problems and arguing about who was the biggest idiot. “This is a collection of their very finest moments of exciting racing, brilliant invention, hilarious disagreements and sudden explosions.� Clarkson lost his job on Top Gear in March after hitting a producer in a row over a hot dinner. Chris Evans is taking over as presenter, with the new series airing next spring. ! % ' ##!# ! &
GUN TERROR ON OUR STREETS
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Christian and mum Jayne, 29, were shot on their doorstep in Salford. She recalled: “I just saw blood pouring from him, then I collapsed.� Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe said: “We must find the people that did this and put a stop to the violence in Salford right now, so no more of our children get hurt.�
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
LABOUR accused PM David Cameron of tossing social mobility down the drain as the Tories approved the first new grammar school for 50 years. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan got round the law banning new grammars because the school in Sevenoaks, Kent, is classed as an “annexe� to an existing one in Tonbridge. The school will pick the brightest 25% of pupils in the area through the
GUNLAW
11-plus exam, now used only in some increase equality of opportunity. They parts of England. Many pass only make it worse. Tiny numbers from because their parents pay for tutors. disadvantaged backgrounds pass the tests – they are the preserve of the Shadow Education Secretary privately tutored.� Lucy Powell said: “Having Ms Morgan told MPs her made social mobility the decision did not mark a centre of his conference change on selection. speech, David Cameron She said: “Rather it should look at the clear reaffirms our view that evidence on grammar good schools should be schools. They do not able to expand.’�
HOME
MUM
kiss him, cuddle him and tell him that he will be all right. Because of the shooting, I can’t care for my son.� The gunman, who was with an accomplice, opened fire after the mum and son answered a knock on their front The seven-year-old boy and his mum door in Salford, Greater Manchester. were on their doorstep when they were It is understood the two men asked for deliberately blasted by a gangster. the boy’s 38-year-old dad, also called Jayne said yesterday: “I just saw blood Christian. Moments later Jayne, 29, was pouring from Christian – I screamed for shot twice, the bullets blasting into her his dad to put pressure on him [to stem legs above the knee. The gunman then the bleeding]. I know he had been shot shot her son. and I couldn’t help him. I collapsed.� After Jayne screamed for her husband The boy’s family released a photo to help, the victims were taken to hospital yesterday showing him in bandages and where medics removed the slug from hooked up to a drip and a blood pressure Christian. In the photo released yesterday, monitor in hospital with his cuddly toy the schoolboy schoolboy’ss face was obscured to dog at his side. protect his h identity. The sports-mad youngster, Poli probing Monday Police who was shot in the left nigh night’s attack have been thigh at point-blank range, me met with silence. Assistant faces an uncertain future C Constable Rebekah Chief after suffering lifeS Sutcliffe said yesterday: changing injuries. “ “The shooting will be Medics say he will e etched on Christian’s need months of m memory for ever, and treatment in hospital. sa we can’t change sadly His bank worker mum, wh what happened to him. who is also being treated
“W “What we can do is find in hospital, said: “Christian the pe people that did this and is an athletic, sporty boy. put a sto stop to the violence in “He likes boxing, swimming and SSalford lf d right h now, so no more of our football. I really hope he can do this in the children get hurt. future. He loves life. “These people are capable of shooting “He is so happy and enjoys school. He a mum and her little boy, please don’t is a very popular boy with pupils in his protect them.� Police have linked the class. I had been put with attack to the gangland feud that led to Christian yesterday the murder of security boss Paul in the children’s Massey, 55, outside his home ward but I in the city in July. th en had a The gang war in the deterioration Swinton and central and had to go Salford areas has led to back to an adult at least five . ward. I can’t be In 2003 Christian with him. I can’t senior was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter for his part in a fatal stabbing in 2002.
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# % ' # ! $ # & " # (# $ !" #! $ # * ' !" # $ " ! $" Nursery manager Kelly Ward, 39, will be clobbered in the Tories’ looming ÂŁ12billion assault on social security. After Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn highlighted her predicament to MPs on Wednesday, she said the PM’s arrogant response made her blood boil. Kelly, one of three million families to be hit in April, has a disabled son and told the Mirror: “I feel terrified.â€? Her ÂŁ14,500 salary is topped up with tax credits. She also has ÂŁ300 a month in disability living allowance because of her son’s severe hearing difficulties. Her household budget “is not too bad at the momentâ€? - monthly bills include ÂŁ460 rent, ÂŁ75 council tax, ÂŁ85 gas and electricity, and ÂŁ60 a week food. But, set to lose about ÂŁ40 a week, Kelly, of Darwen, Lancs, will be forced to make painful economies, including ending treats for her 13-year-old lad when he does well at school. She said: “I want David Cameron to tell me why my son and I going without will help this country. He makes my blood boil. He says they’re a party for the working people. Rubbish.â€? Kelly, a Labour Party member, thought voters’ questions that Mr Corbyn asked at his debut Prime Minister’s Questions were made up. So she submitted her own to test the theory – and returned from work to find the Labour leader had name-checked her. He
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t the PM: “Kelly writes, told ‘I a single mum to a ‘I’m di disabled child. I get ÂŁ7.20 per hour, h so in April the Prime Ministe Minister is not putting my wage up but taking tax credits off me.’â€? He said that Kelly would H be ÂŁ1,800 a year worse off. But Mr Cameron said K Kelly would benefit as the nnational living wage rises tto ÂŁ9, and from an increase in tax-free allowance and other changes. oth Bu But Kelly’s son is in full-time
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care arrangements won’t help; she is in a privately rented house with no state support, and she earns ÂŁ7.20 an hour – equal to the new minimum from April, which is only set to rise to ÂŁ9 by 2020. Ministers were accused last night of hiding the impact of the tax credit changes in a report which flagged up future income-boosting steps. Work and Pensions Select Committee chairman Frank Field said: “George Osborne simply won’t come clean about the impact of these cuts in April on Britain’s lowest-paid.â€? ) "" " %
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Celebrity Cruize
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
•Not every millionaire hits jackpot at 17 and not every 17-year old girl has the privilege of making millions. For actress Funke Adesiyan her story is indeed a super one, call it SUPER STORY. This beauƟful actress is our guest this week and she lays it all bare to our Assistant Editor, FRANCIS OGBONNA. She is not keen about marriage, she dreams of Oscars and she thinks Nollywood is a small fry compare to the Yoruba movie genre….What more? Find out all about Funke in this explosive interview….
Amazing Story Of A Millionaire At 17 What is the next you are worki big thing ng on? There are things’ I am a couple of ‘next big doesn’t necess working on now, that Àlm making. Tharily have anything to do with doing to, for ex ere are a lot of things that I am clothing lines toample I have recently enlarged earlier, there ar cover children wears. Like my that I wouldn’t e a lot of things that are co I said are still secrets want to disclose now, becausoking, just wait for it…and in due time it will mater e they ialize, When you wer e st ar ti ng out as an actres did you ever th s, become this biink you were ever going to g? Honestly, I would say th at I
CONT’D ON PG 2 0
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Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Celebrity Cruize
Meet The Girl Who Will Win Nigeria’s First ‘Oscars’ CONT’D FROM PG 19 have not yet gotten to where I want to be yet. It must interest you to know that one of the things that kills dreams is when you don’t have a great vision for yourself. When I was starting out, I thought I was going to be the Àrst Nigerian actress who would win an Oscar award… Have you given up on that dream? No! It is still in pipeline, but what I have achieved so far is not compared to where I am going to and I wouldn’t want to limit myself. God himself is inÀnite and if one is connected with God, there is nothing one wouldn’t be able to do. God is the limitless God, there is a lot more I should be able to achieve being his child. People who have dreams of winning any award, let alone an international award like the Oscars usually have set out plans, like taking certain types of training to equip such a person for that task. Did you get any formal training for what you do? DeÀnitely! I studied Performing arts in the University… What school was that? Onabisi Onabanjo University and had a BA degree in Performing arts. Also, in addition to the fact that I love entertaining people, I also like to talk, you know to motivateor inspire people and because of that I hold a diploma in Law from the same University. I am not stopping, I am still going to acquire more relevant trainings to help me achieve my plans in life… What has been your most challenging role so far? Every role I have played so far in my career has been either stage or movie
has been challenging. One thing about is that I don’t treat any responsibility I have had in life with levity, I tend to take any role I get serious, everything I have done, every business I have gotten involved in I have always taken very seriously. Which is your area of strength, stage performance or movies? I am comfortable with both. I majored in theatre directing and production, so that makes me proliÀcin stage related performances. In fact right now I am working on something and when it is ready, you would be informed… Let us talk about your upbringing, wereyou born with a silver spoon? I think it is not a function of whether one was born with a silver spoon or not, but what you do with it. You have people who were born with a silver spoon, but ended up exchanging it for plastic spoon and those who were born without one, but ended up acquiring golden spoons. It all depends on your determination to succeed in life and to make it against the odds. Even your silver spoon you need to keep washing it, so that it will keep shining. Most entertainers in Nigeria have a grass to grace story. Do you have one and if so can you share it with us? Life is full of up of ups and downs. If your life is full of ups only, if everything have always been smooth for you as a person in life then you must be very careful, but if the reverse is the case then relax, because it just goes to show that you are still alive. I made my Àrst million at 17, my Àrst major business I did which cost up to N20 million, I did when I was just 22. I didn’t borrow money from any bank
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Celebrity Cruize
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
or person, but I have also lost money. What I am really trying to say is that I have had it all and have lost it all, but through it all, I never let go of God. If you have God whatever you think you must have lost, you will always regain them in multiple folds with God. You are a total package, you are beautiful and converse very well. However, you have not been featuring very well in English movies. Is it deliberate? Well, I don’t it is deliberate. First of all I am a Yoruba girl, I love my language and like to speak my language. I have acted mostly Yoruba movies, and less of English Àlms. But if you ask me, I would say acting Yoruba Àlms requires more work that acting English Àlms. Acting Yoruba Àlm is like acting on stage, you don’t have too many opportunity to re-edit. Since it is easier, are we likely going to see you act in a few more, say before the end of the year? Hope is a beautiful thing, so let us keep hope alive. What is your beauty secret?
My brother, I must tell you that I don’t have any beauty secret other than God almighty… How do you mean? I use anything on my skin, I can use from toilet soap to mild soap, Vaseline to shear butter, I don’t have any secret anywhere. But whatever I do, I try to keep it minimal. I don’t tone, I don’t use bleaching cream and have never used it all my life, a lot of people in my family are even fairer than I am. Sometimes I can be brown, shiny and chocolaty, and sometimes I wish I could be darker than this… Are you married? I am not married… That brings me to my next question. It is actually easier for ladies who are married to tell men who make advances to steer clear and the men would understand, unlike those who are single… That is not entirely true. In actual sense, the reverse is the case in Nigeria.
CONT’D ON PG 22
Life is full of up of ups and downs. If your life is full of ups only, if everything have always been smooth for you as a person in life then you must be very careful, but if the reverse is the case then relax, because it just goes to show that you are sƟll alive.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, y October 17 - Friday, y October 23, 2015
Celebrity Cruize
Marriage
Not Do Or Die CONT’D FROM PG 21
Why do you say so? Married women tend to hide under the umbrella of marriage and commit all sorts of atrocities, unlike single ladies, who are careful about how living a promiscuous life can affect their chances of settling down. Haven’t heard about the research that was conducted recently across the world where it was said that more married women cheat? It is not about you being married, but you being God-fearing. I believe that if you are not ready for marriage that you shouldn’t get into it at all, than getting involved and not being faithful. Also, if you are married and are not happy with your marriage I would rather you get divorced than, become unfaithful. Marriage is not a do or
die affair, it should be happily ever after and not sadly ever after. So whatever it is that you think you cannot work on, please save time and efforts and get out of it. But are comfortable with the rate of divorce in the industry? In the world today, people get married and in a few months they are tired of one another. It is not peculiar to Nigeria or the entertainment industry alone. I understand that life is not a bed of roses, but forever is a long time to want to put up with any rubbish in marriage. You must be in a relationship? If yes he is someone we know? He is not someone you know, but sufÀce it to say that I am happy and he is happy. There is nothing else we need in life than being happy,
when you are happy, you don’t have to use drugs. So when are we going to hear the wedding bell ring? Let us keep hope alive… What is the craziest thing a fan has ever done to you? When you look at me, what is the Àrst impression you get? How do you look at me? Well they say look could be deceptive… I know, but make an attempt… You appear accessible and kind… Thanks, but in spite of the fact that I can be friendly, I am conÀdent and carry myself in such a way that no male fan can do anything crazy or weird to me. Would you for any reason act nude?
No I cannot for any reason. You contested for the House of Representatives in your state, Oyo, but didn’t win… I might not have won, but I didn’t lose as well. I went in and came out a better person. Some time in life, winning is not about you getting what you want, but about the lessons you learn from losing. ‘It is not the Àrst day a child takes the Àrst step that he or she begins to walk. Come to think of it? How old am I? I am still very young and still have a lot of years ahead of me. I have learnt enough from mixing with the down-trodden, it is not about me winning, but about the people I met with. I didn’t lose any of my people and that is the most important thing, on the contrary, I gained more people.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
19 23
BRITAIN: GANGLAND VICTIMS VICTIM
I can’t be with him. I can’t cuddle him and tell him he will be all right
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
London Daily Mirror-Pull-out In NATIONAL WEEKENDER
CRIME has more than doubled – because cyber crime is included in official totals for the first time. Quarterly figures indicate 7.6 million computer-related scams last year. And that is more than the 6.8million other offences put together. Tory Police Minister Mike Penning admitted even his own bank account has been targeted by online fraudsters and added: “I don’t fully understand how you fully protect things.� Sexual assault, including rape, is up 41% to 63,861 offences. There were 31,621 rapes reported in the year ending June 2015. Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham warned: “Crime is rising with the biggest increases in some of the most serious areas.�
A BRITISH schoolgirl who downloaded a terror manual and had links to the Anzac Day plotter has told a court she regrets her actions. The girl, 16, who cannot be named, was held in Manchester in April after UK police discovered the planned attack in Australia. She had a copy of The Anarchy Cookbook, which gives tips on bomb-making. The girl had admitted two terror offences and got a 12-month referral order. She told the judge at Manchester Youth Court: “I regret what I have done. I wish to make changes to prove I am not a terrorist.� A boy of 15 seized in Blackburn, Lancs, in April was jailed for life last month after admitting plans for the Anzac Day attack.
IRAQ Inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot has said when he plans to hand over his long-delayed report, but not when it will be published. He will write to David Cameron by November 3 with a “realistic timetableâ€? for publication, four-and-ahalf years after the inquiry into the Iraq war ended. But in a letter to families of the 179 British troops killed, the retired civil servant said the report would need “national security checkingâ€?. His letter came just days before a deadline set by grieving families enraged by repeated delays. The House of Lords will next week debate sacking Sir John and his panel. The inquiry cost ÂŁ10million.
$ " #" " ! " !" " " # ! $ " "% ! !# " " " The prince spoke of his admiration for Princess Diana and said: “Grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure.� Speaking in London at the 21st birthday for Child Bereavement UK, William said: “Twenty-one years ago last month, my mother attended the launch of the Child Bereavement Charity. “Fifteen years later, I was honoured to be invited to become Patron of Child Bereavement UK to continue my mother’s commitment to a charity which is very dear to me. “What my mother recognised back then – and what I understand now – is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure. “But my mother was determined to help those in need and she would have been immensely proud – as
I am – of all that Child Bereavement UK has achieved these last 21 years.� William, who was 15 when his mother was killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel in 1997, added: “CBUK’s humanity is simply unparalleled. As a father to two young children, I appreciate it all the more.� Gary Barlow performed at the event in Mansion House last night. His and wife Dawn’s daughter Poppy was stillborn in August 2012. Gary said in a statement: “Dawn and I have always felt our own personal bereavement was too painful and private to talk or comment on publicly. Instead I will sing joyous music in support of Child Bereavement UK to say thank you for all the help it has given us and many other families.� The charity supports families and educates professionals when a child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. Earlier, William described his daughter Princess Charlotte as “lady-like� and her big brother George as “lively�. The prince made his remarks on a visit to St John’s College, Cambridge, where he took a course in agricultural management last year.
She would have been proud of all this charity has done in 21 years
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own a fifth of the business, / members which is called 1D Media Limited.
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Harry Styles, 21, Niall Horan, 22, and Louis Tomlinson, 23, still owe ex-bandmate Zayn Malik, 22, his 20% share, as he was a member of the group until last March. As the accounts are
up by the group. Like sensible chaps, the guys have put some of their hard-earned cash in to bricks and mortar, building impressive property portfolios. Harry splashed out £6million on an LA mansion and £3million on a North London home. Nearby sits Louis Tomlinson’s £2.25million abode, while Niall Horan has forked out £1million on a Hertfordshire house and £1.5million on a sprawling pad in LA – next door to the Kardashians. Liam splashed out £5.1million on a Surrey mansion earlier this year.
Frankly just fab
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He’s 76, but actor Sir Ian McKellen was the life and soul of the Attitude afterparty – chattin g to guests and posing for selfies until 1am .
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Business
25
Virgin Media Appoints New CEO For Ireland
iPhone 6S For £1 In UK
PEOPLE PEO PE OPLE E in in the the United Unit Un ited d Kingdom Kin ingd ggdom dom will wil illl be shocked sho hock cked ed d and and d amazed to hear that Apple pp is giving g g a steep s p discount to their customers -- by offering it for £1 (that’s (thatt’s 99% off the original price!) (NASDAQ: LXQZ) has For only 24 hours, Funky Clock (N exclusive discount. This is partnered up with Apple to give an exc not a mistake: £1. All of this being part of a marketing sstrategy, FunkyClock, a reliable distribution partner, is offering the t iPhone 6S device for more than 99% off the retail price. deal to British Why are-they offering such an incredible incr explains: “Last residents? Marketing director Joel Branson Br year, Apple’s UK market share dropped to 35% and is losing to Samsung’s Galaxy S6 worldwide. Apple can recapture British users by giving away extremely low-priced low-pric iPhone 6S devices to people and converting them into repeat Apple customers who will spread the word to their friends” Sounds too good to be true? That’s what wh 29 year-old Richard to give it a shot Watkinson of London thought too. He decided d and received his £1 iPhone 6S in the mail a couple of days later. Richard explains, “At Àrst, I thought this was just another research and saw that Funky internet scam, but then I did some resear company and Apple’s partner. Clock is a legitimate distribution compa cup of a coffee anyway. 5 I decided to risk £1, it’s less than the cu delighted to see a shiny days later, I checked my mail and was d new box with an Apple logo on it.” Apparently this “practically free” promotional tactic is companies with big marketing common practice amongst large compan launched a similar campaign budgets. For instance, Burger King launc Whoppers on Facebook. in 2013, giving away 20,000 free Whopp
China Construction Bank In Talks To Acquire Metdist Trading
CHINA Construction Bank (CCB) is in talks to purchase Metdist Trading Limited, a broker with the London Metal Exchange (LME), in order to gain access to top-tier trading. The UK firm sets the global benchmark prices of industrial metals like copper, aluminium and zinc. The talks have been ongoing for a few months and a deal could officially be announced within weeks. It could also be announced the week China’s president
Central Bank Issues Warning On Unauthorised Firm THE Central Bank has issued a warning against an unauthorised investment Àrm – Whitaker Corporate Partners. The bank said the entity is not authorised as an investment Àrm or to provide investment advice. It said consumers should be aware
that, if they deal with a Àrm which is not authorised, they are not eligible for compensation from any statutory compensation schemes. “It is a criminal offence for an unauthorised Àrm to provide Ànancial services in Ireland that would require an authorisation
under the relevant legislation which the Central Bank is the responsible body for enforcing,” the bank added. A list of unauthorised Àrms/ persons published to date is available on the Central Bank website.
Xi Jinping is in London, according to Reuters. A growing list of Chinese companies has been gaining entry into the LME. CCB will join this list if this deal goes through. LME was established about 138 years ago and is the world’s oldest and largest market for industrial metals trading. After being bought by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing in 2012, it has lured more businesses from China, which apart from accounting for nearly half of global copper demand is also the largest consumer of many other commodities. The benefit to LME from this deal is added liquidity, which has fallen in the recent past as a result of falling prices of raw materials and tighter regulation, leading to the exit of several western banks and hedge funds. CCB could benefit from Metdist, the only privately owned category-1 ring dealing member of the LSE. It will gain access to open outcry, electronic and telephonetradingwhichcategory2traders such as Bank of China International, China Merchants Securities and ICBC, which has a majority stake in Standard Bank, do not enjoy.
VIRGIN Media today announces the appointment of Tony Hanway as CEO of its operations in Ireland. Mr Hanway has held a number of roles with Telefonica across Europe, including CEO of O2 in Ireland, Consumer Director of O2 in the Czech Republic and, latterly, Chief Commercial OfÀcer of O2 in Germany. Prior to joining O2, he held senior roles at AOL Europe. He was Chairman of the Irish Telecom and Internet Federation between 2013 and 2014. Mr Hanway joins on Monday next and, following a short transition with Magnus Ternsjo, will take up the role and join the VM Executive Committee from Monday 2 November. UPC Ireland became Virgin Media earlier this month and launched its Àrst Mobile deal for consumers. Subject to regulatory approval, the Company has also agreed to acquire TV3, the largest commercial broadcaster in Ireland.
Nestle Sales Falls Short Of Growth Target NESTLE SA says its sales fell short of expectations in the Àrst nine months of the year, as the company felt the pinch of a recall of its popular instant noodles in India, where safety tests turned up high levels of lead. The Swiss food and drinks giant behind Stouffer’s and HaagenDazs reported Friday a 4.2 percent rise in organic sales, which compares like-forlike. That’s below the company’s projection of 4.5 percent for the full year. Organic growth was 5.8 percent in Nestle’s main region, the Americas, where it has been revising its frozen foods lineup. Asia, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 0.5 percent decline, due partly to the noodles trouble and slower growth in China. Total sales fell 2 percent to 64.9 billion Swiss francs ($68 billion).
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Business
Forex Talk Mike Fowope
Biz Bits & Pieces
LCCI Group Holds Seminar On ICT
With
08056905612
wale.fowope@gmail.com
Trade Fight (4)
How To Play The Player
THIS lesson focuses on how to start developing the techniques and skills to beat your opponent. This is the most exciting element that TradeFight brings to the table, because it requires a different level of strategic thinking in order to win. To start developing strategies against other players, we’ll Àrst start by presenting general player types. This list is not extensive, and there will be more that come to light. However, we have found that there are, in general, three different player types: • Classic Trader • All-in-Extremist • Balanced Trader The Classic Trader The Àrst type of player is someone that simply trades as best they can, without actually paying any attention to what their opponent is doing. Their edge comes from being able to scalp the markets extremely well, and grow their account accordingly. The Classic Trader trades as if they do not have an opponent, seeking to increase their account as much as they can in three minutes, and wins by relying on pure trading skills. The Classic Trader is a player that treats TradeFight as if it was not a game of two players, but rather as a normal trading environment. This trader aims to increase their account as much as possible in three minutes. This type of player will simply focus on doing a good job scalping the market. They general use moderate position sizes throughout the match, and do not feel the need to hugely over-leverage. Strengths A Classic Trader that is competent at scalping the markets will force an opponent to act, which gives the Classic Trader an upper hand; both in real terms as an edge, and psychologically, as this forces their opponent to play catch-up. They also have an advantage because they tend to be immune to the pressures of what their opponent is doing. For instance, if an opponent is winning, the Classic Trader will not overleverage out of emotion to try and catch up, relying more on their own skills to win. Weaknesses A pure version of this player does not increase risk if lagging behind, meaning that if an opponent is aggressive enough, the Classic Trader may not be able to catch up with their normal trading behaviour. This puts them at a disadvantage, especially if their opponent goes ‘all in’ at the end, as there is every chance that the opponent may win on pure luck. This would
be despite of all the hard work the Classic Trader put into the game, reducing the potency of their edge. The All-in-Extremist The All-in-Extremist relies on their aggressiveness to win, by overleveraging position sizes on the right side of the market. They typically wait for their opponent to make the Àrst move, and act later on in the game depending on whether their opponent has done well or not (so far). The Extremist is the Trade Fighter that looks to make huge gains in their virtual balance by over-leveraging their trades, in the hopes that they are in on the right side of the market. Typical behaviour of this type of Trade Fighter is to wait for their opponent to make the Àrst move, and only act in the last minute of the match (if their opponent is beating them). During this last phase of the match, the trader will open up large positions to beat their opponent. Strengths The All-in-Extremist has an edge over a bad Classic Trader and random players, because: 1. If the opponent incurs a loss and does not recover from it, the All-in-Extremist wins by doing nothing. 2. The Extremist’s ‘all-in’ approach during the last moments of the match gives him a 50% chance of winning, no matter what the opponent has achieved in that time. Weaknesses This type of strategy relies on large market moves happening, and the players ability to get on the right side of that move very quickly, if the game calls for it. If those market moves do not come along when the opponent is winning, or worse, if the player makes the wrong call, their edge is then diluted. The Balanced Trader The Balanced Trader is one that wins by combining the scalping skills of the Classic Trader and the aggressiveness of the All-inExtremist, increasing their account
up and down as needed. This type of player’s edge comes from the ability to play the strengths of both the Classic Trader and the All-in-Extremist. This player applies a consistent scalping trading strategy throughout the game, increasing and decreasing his trade size depending on the: • Balance and open trades of his opponent and the phase of the match. • Balance of his own account • Volatility of the markets The Balanced player accounts for environmental factors, as well as aggressively scaling into and out of the markets when called for. The Balanced Trader has more in common with the Classic Trader, in that they will continuously scalp through the game to win, but will match any opponent in aggressiveness. Strengths Due to the Áexibility that this type of player uses, they do not tend to have their edges reduced as a result of their opponent’s actions, unless they are playing another Balanced Trader. Weaknesses The fact that the Balanced Trader employs a continuous strategy throughout the game means they are susceptible to strategies not working from timeto-time. This could result in a sudden loss of their edge against an All-in Extremist. As they are consistent traders, they may not tend to change strategies within a game and, may in fact, play several games before they realise a different strategy is needed. The Troll As well as different player types that are based on different strategies, there are also those based on personalities. The Troll could be any of the player types above, but will try and ‘tilt’ you by chatting to you during the game, affecting your emotions and hence your ability to play. The Troll gets an additional edge by affecting their opponents psychologically, putting them off their game. However, there is a trade off, because in TradeFight, you are able to choose which player you go up against. Trolls will quickly Ànd that no one wants to play with them, due to these unorthodox tactics. Player types are not set in stone If you develop into one of the player types above, it may not mean that you are one or the other. In fact, many players in TradeFight change from one to the other at different times.
By OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE THE Information Communication Technology & Telecommunications Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the premier Chamber of Commerce and one of the leading voices in the organised private sector (OPS) in Nigeria, is set to hold a Seminar tagged: “The Role of ICT in A Cashless Economy” on Thursday, 22nd October, 2015. According to the organisers, the seminar slated for 11am, will hold at Henry Fajemirokun Hall, Commerce House, 1, Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Expected at the seminar to address the theme of the event
are the following personalities: Mr. Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, Managing Director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc. (NIBSS) and Mr. Guy Clarke, Managing Director, Vodacom Business (Nig.). The president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Remi Bello, FCA, and other notable Council members will also be on ground to provide insight into various issues on the topic. The LCCI ICT and Telecommunications Group is charged with the responsibilities of coordinating the activities of its members with the view to promoting their businesses and other notable projects of Chamber.
Petrol: Marketers Express Worry Over Shut Down Of Loading Depots SOME marketers on Thursday expressed concern over the shutdown of all loading depots of the Pipelines Products Marketing Company (PPMC) in the South West due to activities of vandals. The marketers, who spoke to the journalists in Lagos on condition of anonymity, expressed worry as over 2,000 trucks from various states in the South West now come to load at private depots in Apapa. A correspondent, who monitored the situation at Ejigbo Satellite Depot in Lagos and Mosinmi Depot in Ogun State, reported that loading was no longer going on at these places although trucks were parked there. An executive member of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) at Ejigbo Satellite Depot, who preferred anonymity, told NAN that it had been a serious challenge to trucks coming from Kwara, Ilorin, Ekiti, and Kogi to load at Apapa. The source said that the current situation could lead to fuel scarcity if urgent steps were not taken. According to the source, marketers have not also been able to load petrol in all NNPC depots in the South West since September due to pipeline vandalism. “There might be scarcity of products soon because marketers now face serious problems getting the products in Apapa. “We have over 4,000 trucks within the Western Zone that struggled to load products at Apapa due to non-availability of products at depots in Ejigbo and Mosinmi , but we hope that it will be resolved soonest,” the source said. At Mosinmi, a senior member of IPMAN urged Federal Government to expedite action to combat pipelines vandalism in the area to reduce loading challenges in the South West.
Corporate Affairs Commission Being Repositioned –RG THE Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Bello Mahmud, has said that the commission is being repositioned for enhanced service delivery. Mahmud, according to a statement issued by the CAC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Williams Churchill in Abuja on Thursday, made the statement at a management retreat. He said that management used the retreat to take a critical look at the commission’s regulatory role, its impacts and challenges. ”The RG said that the forum with the theme, “Tomorrow’s registry, today” was organised to enable employees to brainstorm
on emerging administrative and operational issues, to chart the way forward. “He stated that staff have a major role to play in repositioning the commission as a world class company registry. “According to him, the commission is collaborating with stakeholders for a nationwide sensitisation campaign on the beneÀts of business registration. “He stated that the objective was to migrate businesses from the informal to the formal sector,” he. Mahmud was also reported as saying that the recently introduced decentralisation policy of the commission had further enhanced the process of business registration.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Foreign News
Syrian: Russian Strikes Kill Hundreds Of Militants –Putin RUSS RUSSIAN R airstrikes in Syria have killed hundreds of militants, President Vladimir hund Putin said Friday as he called for a shared Put military effort of ex-Soviet nations to mi prevent possible militant incursions to pr Syria Sy from Afghanistan. Putin told a meeting of leaders of exSoviet nations in Kazakhstan that the So Russian military has achieved "impressive" R results during the air campaign in Syria re that began on Sept. 30. th "Dozens of control facilities and ammunition depots, hundreds of terrorists am and a large number of weapons have been an destroyed," he said. de Putin reafÀrmed that the Russian P bombing blitz against the Islamic State bom group and other radicals in Syria will grou continue "for the period of the Syrian troops' con offensive operations against terrorists," but offe wouldn't elaborate. wou He said between 5,000 and 7,000 people H from Russia and other ex-Soviet nations are Àghting alongside Islamic State militants. Àg "We can't allow them to use the
Palestinian In ‘Press’ Vest Shot Dead After Stabbing Soldier A Palestinian man wearing a yellow "press" vest stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday before being shot dead by troops, the latest in a monthlong spate of attacks. In Nablus, another West Bank city, Palestinians Àrebombed a site revered by some Jews as the tomb of the biblical Àgure Joseph. Flames blackened exterior walls of the small stone structure, a frequent site of Israeli-Palestinian clashes in the past. In the past month, eight Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. During the same period, 33 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Àre -- 15 labeled by Israel as attackers, and the others in clashes between stone-throwers and Israeli troops. Many of the Palestinian assailants have come from east Jerusalem, the sector of the city captured by Israeli in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians as a future capital. The recent attacks have largely been carried out by individuals with no ties to militant groups.
In response, Israel has taken unprecedented measures, including setting up checkpoints in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem this week despite Israel's long-standing assertion that the city is united. In one area, men passing through a checkpoint Friday said they lined up and were ordered by troops to lift their hands and shirts to show they were unarmed before being allowed to pass. Israel also imposed restrictions on Muslim worship at the AlAqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site in Jerusalem's walled Old City. Men under 40 were barred from the shrine, and hundreds of young worshippers spread out prayer mats on streets leading to the Old City. The Muslim-run shrine, also revered by Jews as the holiest site of their religion, has been at the root of recent tensions. Palestinian and Muslim leaders have alleged Israel is attempting to change long-standing arrangements that bar Jews from praying on the hilltop compound, a claim denied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, several senior members of Netanyahu's coalition have called for Jewish prayer rights at the site, once home to biblical Jewish Temples. The widespread perception among Palestinians that AlAqsa is under threat from Israel has fomented tensions and violence. On Friday, a Palestinian man wearing a vest with the words "press" written on it
stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier near a Palestinian protest after Muslim prayers. The Israeli military said the soldier was moderately wounded and that the assailant was shot dead by other troops. In Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw Àrebombs at the site known as Joseph's Tomb. Footage on local media showed Áames leaping from the structure before Palestinian security forces extinguished the Àre. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the arson as "irresponsible," ordered an investigation into who was behind it and said repairs would begin immediately, according to the ofÀcial Palestinian news agency WAFA.
experience they have just gained in Syria back home," he said. Russian jets have Áown more than 600 combat sorties since start of the air campaign, said Col.-Gen. Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian military's General Staff. He shrugged off the U.S. claim that four of the 26 cruise missiles launched at targets in Syria by Russian navy ships from the southern part of the Caspian Sea had crashed on the Iranian territory. "The Pentagon may say whatever it wants," he told the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda. "All our missiles reached their targets." Kartapolov said the Russian jets haven't yet faced any surface-to-air missiles and warned that their use by the rebels would signal a foreign involvement. Following a similar statement by Putin, Kartapolov Àrmly ruled out Russian military involvement in any ground action in Syria. He also reacted angrily to U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter's comments warning that Russia would suffer casualties in Syria, saying the statement was "highly unprofessional." Kartapolov said Russian air and land assets in Syria will be pulled together with its Soviet-era Tartus navy facility in one base. Putin, speaking in Kazakhstan, said the situation in Afghanistan is "close to critical" and called on other ex-Soviet nations to be prepared to act together to repel a possible attack. "Terrorists of all kinds are getting increasing clout and aren't hiding their plans of further expansion," Putin said in televised remarks. "One of their goals is to push into the Central Asian region. It's important that we are prepared to react to this scenario together." He said a planned joint buildup of border guards of several ex-Soviet nations should help fend off the threats coming from Afghanistan. Afghanistan shares a porous border with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which has been a source of drugs coming into Russia and is a long-standing worry of Moscow's. Putin's comments come a day after President Barack Obama announced plans to keep about 9,800 U.S. troops in place in Afghanistan through most of next year to continue counterterrorism missions and advise Afghans who are battling a resurgent Taliban.
Brazil's President In Impeachment Row
PRESI PRESIDENT Dilma Rousseff has broken the law and must step so that Brazil can recover its legal bearings, the p down d author auth of a key impeachment petition said. Helio Bicudo, a 93-year-old lawyer who was a high-ranking H member of Rousseff's ruling Workers' Party, said in an m interview that Brazil must return to "the rule of law." After breaking with the leftist party a decade ago, Bicudo is today one of the most visible faces in the growing movement to depose Rousseff. Several impeachment petitions have been lodged in Congress, but his is thought to be the most likely to be considered. Bicudo Àled a new version Thursday at a notary's ofÀce in Sao Paulo, together with representatives from dozens of political and social groups, including congressman Carlos Sampaio from the opposition PSDB party. The petition will then be taken next week to Congress in the capital Brasilia. Its main allegation is that Rousseff Àddled government accounts to cover up budget gaps, an allegation that has been given weight by the country's accounts court.
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TIT BITS...
Tripoli ConÀrms Two New Lockerbie Suspects THE two new Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing probe are Abdullah al-Senussi, the former spy chief of ousted leader Muammar GaddaÀ, and a second man, Mohammed Abu Ejaila, a spokesman for the government in Tripoli said on Friday. Senussi is currently being held in a jail in Tripoli after he was sentenced for his role in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising against GaddaÀ. No details were immediately available on the second suspect in the 1988 airline bombing. Jamal Zubia, director of the media ofÀce of the Tripoli government, sent a message to journalists conÀrming the names but saying the Libyan attorney general's ofÀce had not been ofÀcially informed about the two suspects.
Vietnam Sentences Seven For Defrauding Families Of MIA Soldiers A court in central Vietnam has sentenced seven people for defrauding families of Vietnam War soldiers by moving unidentiÀed war dead into fake graves and claiming to have found their kin. Presiding Judge Vo Ngoc Mau says Nguyen Van Thuy, 56, was convicted of fraud and infringement on graves and given life in prison. His wife and four relatives received 5 to 23 years in the one-day trial Friday. The remaining defendant was given a one-year suspended sentence for infringement on graves. Thuy claimed to have paranormal power, and the group cheated $363,000 from a state-owned bank and 12 Vietnamese families by charging a fee to Ànd dead and missing soldiers. Mau said the group stole remains of soldiers buried in unnamed graves and set up fake graves.
Pan’Am Attack: FBI, Scottish Police Close In On Suspects DEBRIS rained down from the sky over a sleepy Scottish town four days before Christmas in 1988. Giant parts of a Boeing 747 landed in driveways and on homes and left craters in the landscape. Two hundred and Àfty nine people were killed onboard the Pan Am Áight and another 11 residents in Lockerbie were crushed to death when the downed plane hit the ground. Eleven people were crushed in the town of Lockerbie and 259 people died before the plane Áying between Frankfurt and New York even hit the ground. Only one person ever faced criminal charges for the bombing. He was sentenced to life in prison but let out on compassionate grounds shortly before his death in 2012.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Foreign News
SYRIAN troops backed by Hezbollah and Iranian Àghters launched an offensive south of Aleppo on Friday, expanding the army's counter-attack against rebels across western Syria with support from Russian air strikes. The assault means the army is now pressing insurgents on several fronts near Syria's main cities in the west, control of which would secure President Bashar al-Assad's hold on power even if the east of the country is still held by Islamic State. Aleppo, a commercial and industrial hub near the border with Turkey, was Syria's largest city before its four-year civil war, which grew out of protests against Assad's rule. Control of the city, still home to two million people, is divided between the government and rebels. "This is the promised battle," a senior military source in Syria said of the offensive backed by hundreds of Hezbollah and Iranian forces which he said had made some gains on the ground. It was the Àrst time Iranian Àghters had taken part on such a scale in the Syrian conÁict, he said, although their numbers were modest compared to the army force. "The main core is the Syrian army," the source said. Hezbollah, which has supported Assad in several battles during the civil war, said the army was carrying out a "broad military operation", with support from Russian and Syrian jets, across a front at least 10 miles (15 km) wide from the southwest to southeast of Aleppo. It made no mention of Hezbollah Àghters in its statement. Two senior regional sources said this week that Iran sent thousands of troops to Syria to bolster an offensive already underway in Hama province and ahead of the Aleppo attack. Iran says it has sent weapons and military advisers to support its ally Assad, but has denied providing troops. In the last week Iranian media have reported the deaths in Syria of three senior ofÀcers from Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. Hossein Hamedani, a corps deputy commander, was killed near Aleppo and two other ofÀcers have also died Àghting Islamic State forces in Syria, Iran's Tasnim news agency said. Two senior Hezbollah ofÀcers have also been killed in Syria in the last week, a Lebanese security source said.
Syrian Army Launches Aleppo Offensive With Iranian Support
Turkey Shoots Down Drone Close To Syria Border THE Turkish military on Friday said it had downed an "air vehicle" of unknown origin which had violated its air space close to the Syrian border. The army said that the craft had been warned three times by Turkish planes but had maintained course. It was then "downed by Àre from our aircraft on patrol, according to the rules of engagement." The statement did not say if the downed aircraft was manned or a drone. It warned the air force would
"decisively" implement Turkey's rules of engagement. NTV television, without citing its sources, said the object was a drone, and it had fallen three kilometres (1.85 miles) inside Turkish territory. Television pictures showed the military examining the crash site. The location was not speciÀed. Turkey had earlier this month bitterly complained about two violations of its air space by Russian warplanes operating in Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had warned on October 5
after the Russian air space violation that Ankara would activate military rules of engagement irrespective of who violates its air space. "Our rules of engagement are clear whoever violates our air space," Davutoglu said. "The Turkish armed forces are clearly instructed. Even it is a Áying bird it will be intercepted," he added. Turkey supports the moderate opposition in Syria and has been infuriated by Moscow's bombing campaign to support President Bashar al-Assad.
Conservative Canadian Leader Fighting To Stay In Power CONSERVATIVE Prime Minister Stephen Harper's nearly 10 years in power could end next week, along with his dream of shattering Canada's image as a liberal bastion. Harper, one of the longest-serving Western leaders, is seeking a rare fourth term in Monday's election but polls show him narrowly trailing Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, one of Canada's most charismatic politicians. A Trudeau victory could ease Canada's tensions with the administration of President Barack Obama, whose reluctance to approve the Keystone XL pipeline has damaged ties between the two major trading partners. While Trudeau supports the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline, it's not a do-or-die issue like it is for Harper, who represents a district in oil-rich Alberta. The pipeline is important to Canada, which needs infrastructure to export its growing oil sands production. But Harper's unease with Obama goes deeper, said Robert Bothwell, a Canadian history professor at the University of Toronto.
"It's ideological," he said. "Obama sees the world entirely different and Harper sees Obama and sees a liberal." Harper has done what many thought impossible since coming to power in 2006: He won three consecutive elections and nudged a traditionally center-left country to the right. He gradually lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, supported the oil industry against environmentalists and backed Israel's right-wing government. He has put a more conservative face on the nation of 35 million, deemphasizing health care and multiculturalism as the things that make Canadians proud. For Harper, a loss to the Liberals would be personally devastating. Former colleagues say his long-term goal is nothing short of redeÀning what it means to be Canadian, killing the long-held notion that the Liberals — the party of long-time leaders Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien — are Canada's natural party. "His whole being is about destroying the Liberals," Bothwell said. "If Justin beats Harper, Harper will just go through the
roof or maybe he'll melt like the Wicked Witch of the West." The Liberals lead the Conservatives by almost 6 percentage points. According to the CTV/Globe and Mail/Nanos Nightly Tracking Poll, the Liberals are at 36.5 percent, followed by the Conservatives at 30.6 percent. The New Democrats, a leftist party that moved to the center in a bid to get elected for the Àrst time, are at 23.5 percent. The margin of error for the survey of 1,200 respondents is 2.8 percentage points. A minority government in the 338-seat Parliament appears likely no matter which party wins the most seats. That would mean the winning party would have a shaky hold on
power and need to rely on another party to pass legislation. Harper has said he'll step down as Conservative leader if his party loses. But Antonia Maioni, a political science professor at Montreal's McGill University, is not counting Harper out, noting the Conservatives have a strong and growing base and "after 10 years of power, perhaps against all odds, is at least competitive to form a government."
More Than 250,000 People Killed In Syria War –Monitor MORE than a quarter of a million people have been killed in Syria's brutal conflict since it began with anti-government protests over four years ago, a monitoring group said Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has documented the deaths of 250,124 people, including at least 74,426 civilians. The civilian toll includes 12,517 children and 8,062 women. Compiled by the British-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria, the toll is an increase from the 240,000 figure it announced in August. It puts the toll for rebel fighters at 43,752, and the number of foreign jihadists killed at 37,010. At least 91,678 pro-government forces -- among them 52,077 regime soldiers and other allied Syrian and non-Syrian fighters -have also been killed. Syria's army is backed by local pro-government militias but also fighters from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah militia. The monitor said it had recorded the deaths of 971 Hezbollah fighters in Syria. The Observatory also documented the deaths of 3,258 people who could not be identified. Its toll does not include some 30,000 people missing in Syria, among them 20,000 said to be held in Syrian jails. It also does not include thousands of loyalist forces held by rebel factions or by the Islamic State jihadist group. The Syrian conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 before spiralling into a multi-front war across the country after a brutal regime crackdown. At least four million Syrians have been forced to flee the violence to neighbouring countries, and millions more are displaced inside the war-torn country.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Lady GaGa Opens Up On Battle With Depression, Anxiety LADY GaGa understands really well the struggles faced by the children involved in her charity, Born This Way foundation. In an interview with Billboard for the magazine's latest issue, the Mother Monster reveals that she has also suffered depression and anxiety like those kids. She says, "I've suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life, I still suffer with it every single day. I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human." "There is something in the way that we are now," she explains, "with our cell phones and people are not looking at each other and not being in the moment with each other, that kids feel isolated. They read all of this extremely hateful language on the Internet. The internet is a toilet. It is. It used to be a fantastic resource -- but you have to sort through sh*t to Ànd the good stuff." The "American Horror Story: Hotel" actress continues, "These kids just want to feel human, but they feel like robots. They don't understand why they're so sad. There are scientiÀc reasons, which the foundation researches, why you feel sad when you look at your phone all day."
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
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e f Entertainment ca Bollywood Lamar Notes Odom’s
Vital Organs Failing LAMAR Odom's condition is not getting any better days after he was found unconscious at Dennis Hof's Love Ranch South in Pahrump, Nevada, and according to reports four of his vital organs were still failing as of Saturday, October 17. As Lamar showed "absolutely no improvement" two days after he was admitted to the hospital, a source said that "he's in dire straits." Multiple sources familiar with his treatment explained that even if he survived, he would hardly have a chance of leading a normal life. Lamar's apparent consumption of cocaine and Reload pills, herbal substitute for Viagra, was allegedly the main cause of his bad condition. The former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star was "entirely unresponsive" as of Thursday. Lamar wasn't breathing on his own. Doctors believed that there was a signiÀcant reduction in his brain's
Kareena Celebrates Wedding Anniversary Without Hubby
function. In the meantime, the JennerKardashian family reportedly Áew in some specialists from L.A. to consult with Las Vegas doctors to help Lamar's treatment. One source compared Lamar's case to Bobbi Kristina Brown's where she was in a medically induced coma following a bathtub incident. However, there's one big difference between the two. Lamar didn't lose oxygen to the brain for as long as Bobbi Kristina did. It offers more hope for Lamar's recovery. The former "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star was found unconscious with "mucus-type liquid coming out of his nose and mouth" on Tuesday. Doctors claimed to have found "cocaine and opiates" in his system. Furthermore, a source at the brothel revealed that he consumed 10 Reload pills over the course of 3 days before he was found unconscious. Lamar's hospitalization is
I have Kidney Stone, Not Cancer –Dolly Parton DOLLY Parton sets the record straight on the rumors surrounding her health issue after news broke out last month that she was hospitalized. She dismisses rumor that she battled cancer and, in the process, admits to having kidney stones. "It is true that I had kidney stones. I had them removed three weeks ago and I am doing just Àne!" the country music icon said. "There is absolutely no truth at all that I have stomach cancer. I love and appreciate everyone's concern." The "Jolene" hitmaker is now back to work. "Last week I was at Dollywood Àlming parts for my new movie 'Coat of Many Colors', which premieres December 10th on NBC. With the 30th Anniversary of Dollywood, I did a full week of activities promoting my new DreamMore Resort's opening," she revealed.
Suge Knight To Stand Trial For Robbery SUGE Knight and comedian Katt Williams are ordered to stand trial for allegedly stealing a celebrity photographer's camera. According to the Associated Press, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen made the decision at a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, October 13. The judge said that there was enough evidence to support the robbery charges. In addition, a separate charge of felony criminal threats Àled against Knight before he attacked the photographer in
Beverly Hills in September 2014 could also stand up. Responding to the ruling, Knight's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, denied the allegations. He told PEOPLE, "[Knight] never robbed anyone, and he never murdered anyone. He is completely innocent. He never touched this woman, he never ran after her, he didn't assault her. It's a ridiculous case and he will be acquitted." Mesereau explained that the 50-year-old record producer was upset because Leslie Redden, the
photographer who Àled the case, and another photographer were trying to take pictures of his son. "The only evidence that exists is he didn't want his son photographed," Mesereau said. "Any father would have acted as he did." Redden testiÀed she suffered a concussion and injuries to her hands and wrist in the September 2014 attack. An altercation with Knight during which he called her "b***h" and asked someone to get her camera was recorded on a video camera she wore around her neck.
KAREENA Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan complete three years as a married couple on October 16, 2015, and this time they had to spend it away from each other. Kareena is currently shooting for R Balki's Ki & Ka with Arjun Kapoor while Saif Ali Khan is busy prepping for Vishal Bhardwaj's Rangoon which also stars Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut. According to a report on Bollywoodlife.com, her onscreenhubby,ArjunKapoor, and the entire Ki & Ka team played out an extremely heartrending gesture and got her a scrumptious cake to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
SRK Visits Edinburgh Varsity •Speaks On Life Lessons BOLLYWOOD superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be delivering a lecture on life lessons at the University of Edinburgh on Thursday. "My speech today is about Life Lessons at the Edinburgh University and my biggest learning is Life is the only Miracle," SRK tweeted alongside a black and white photograph of himself on Thursday. The actor, who has been honoured with a Padma Shri award, is globally known for Àlms like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. The 49-year-old star has three Àlms in his kitty -- Dilwale Raees and Fan. Dilwale, directed by Rohit Shetty, will see SRK and Kajol together on the big screen after Àve years since My Name is Khan. While Dilwale is slated to hit the theatres on December 18, Raees and Fan will release next year.
Katrina Kaif Not Approached For ‘Don 3’ WHILE there has been ample speculation about Katrina Kaif signing the third instalment of Don directed by Farhan Akhtar, there is absolutely no truth to the rumour. Sources reveal that the actress has never been approached for Don 3. Putting an end to speculation producer Ritesh Sidwani tweeted, "Much speculation on #Don3 & it's Casting. No thoughts of changing its casting.. Working towards developing the script. Will keep u posted." Don director Farhan Akhtar also tweeted, "Please do not react to rumors regarding the sequel. As & when the time comes, you'll hear the truth from me" Says a source, "Katrina has not been approached for Don 3 hence signing the Àlm is out of question. As per producer Ritesh Sidwani's tweet ,the makers have no plans of changing the casting and may stick to the original starcast".
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Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Entertainment
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
e f ca
Producing English Films Costlier Than Yoruba –Hakeem Oloye •Award winning Yoruba Įlm editor, Hakeem Lawal Oloye in this chat with our correspondent ADEBAYO NURUDEEN speaks on his foray into Įlm ediƟng, family and life as a producer among other issues. Enjoy…
Photo By Fidelis Isibor
CAN we meet you? My name is Hakeem Lawal Oloye and I am from, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, precisely. How did editing work begin for you? I have a relative called Rotimi Onalaja (aka Rosco), he is a Camera man.We are very close, and I use to visit him a lot, particularly when I am on holidays. Whenever I visited him those days, he would show me one or two tricks with the camera. That way I learnt a lot from him. I would say that he is my mentor, because he taught me most of the things I know today about handling a camera. So I would say it was the camera thing that actually led me to editing in 1992. How long have you been in the Àlm industry? It has been long, like I said earlier, I started editing Àlmssometime around July 1992, which is about 23 years ago. How many Àlms have you produced on your own in spiteof you being an editor? Personally, I have produced just one Àlm and the title of the Àlm is ‘OlorunOjoyin.I wasalso an associate producer of another movie called ‘OlowoKi se Olorun’, it was produced in 2011 and 2012. Which of these Àlms would you rate the best amongst the two? ‘OlorunOjoyin’. Is it because you are the one that produced it? No!It’s not because it’sis my own. Idon’t justknow why, but if you ask me I would say I prefer ‘OlorunOjoyin’. How many big actors and actresses did you feature in your Àlm?
It had the likes of Taiwo Hassan(Ogogo), Yinka Quadri ,Faithia Balogun,Adekola Tijani, OlaniyiAfonja(Sanyeri), Soji Taiwo and Olajuwon Adewunmi featuring in it. We learnt that you won an award? Yes, I won an award in 2012 December,‘Yoruba Heritage Award’ in UK. How much does is cost you to produce the Àlm? It depend on the number and quality of the cast, so it is not stipulated. For instance, producing a story with four casts, will deÀnitely be less expensive than the one that has 100 cast. The latter will deÀnitely be more expensive to produce. What is your take on the issue of sex for roles as raised by upcoming actresses? Everybody has different character, in my Àlm ‘OlorunOjoyin’, there is a lady I used in the movie, we met on a neutral ground and I saw the lady as a girl that can play a lead role in my Àlm, I did not know that she is a producer. I told her that I want to use her in my moviethat was around 2006/2007.WhenI was ready to shoot the movie in 2011, I called her. I knew she will be surprise that this guy called me without dating her or even demanding to have anything with her. To me I made my promise and I fulÀlled it. Male producers should just know that sex is not everything, they should see whatever they do as service to God. Are you married? Yes, I have married with kids How many kids? Five kids… How many wives? Only one Where do you see the
Yoruba Àlm industry in the in the next 10 years? 10 years is too far, let me say in the next 3 to 4 years,the Yoruba Àlm industry will be far greater than what we are seeing right now. I see an industry with a very bright future. How can you compare the Yoruba Àlm industry and Nollywood (English) Àlms? There is nothing like Yoruba Àlm industry, everybody is under Nollywood. The different between Yoruba and English movie is that in English movies, more money is spent than while producing Yoruba Àlms, although Yoruba also are now spending money. We now use newand advanced cameras with card slots to shoot Àlms, in fact I used two camera to shoot my new Àlm. Also, we now have better story lines than the English Àlms and in the technical aspect, we (Yoruba Àlms) is almost there. As an editor and producer, do you agree that the menace of piracy that haunts the industry is capable of stunting the growth of the industry? Piracy has already killed the industry. It is only God that can help us my brother. Are you currently working on any project? Yes. What is the title? ‘Ota Ibon’. Can you let us into those you featured in the Àlm ‘Ota Ibo’? Yinka Quadri,Tayo Adeniyi,Yomi Fabiyi,Shola Akintunde(Lagata),Soji Taiwo and Mustapha Sholagbade. How do you relax? I relax in my house by watching football matches because I am a Chelsea fan.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
On My Own –
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
From Nothing To Something,
I Was Challenged By Challenges –Eric Obinna CONT’D FROM PG 10 top notch and we had a wonderful director; Patricia Oghre was phenomenal, she basically put us all through the process and it was so easy falling into character and ones she notices that you’re the kind of person that listens and does things very well, she gets inspired. Outside acting, what else are you into? (laughs)… you know how this industry can be, when you meet someone and they ask what you do for a living, you hear people say they are bankers, doctors, journalists and the list is endless and then you hear someone say they are an actor, some persons still ask “what do you do for a living?”. You see, there’s a lot of money in acting and it can take care of family needs even other needs but people don’t see it that way. It can take you to anywhere you want to go to in the world. There’s a lot of money in acting and that’s what I do for living, it’s all I do. How do you judge a good script? Well, there’s an intention to every story. A good script must have a theme, a message as well as something that it is telling the society, either this is the way this thing should be done or not. Sometimes you have entertainment scripts meant to relax people but a good script must have content, it must have all the aspects of drama involved in it; comedy, romance, action, thriller, everything that is involved to make a script good should be in it. What prompted you to start up acting? They say where a man’s heart is, that’s where his treasure is. When I was a little boy, I watched TV a lot and most times I watched drama and musical, at some point I wanted to go into music but my family background doesn’t believe that things like this should be held as a profession, they believed it was worldly. But then it got into me and I started building the desire for it and the love for it and that was how I started, in fact I started writing drama scripts when I was in secondary school and that was where it all started. Was your family supportive when you chose to study and practice as an actor? Honestly, I don’t like talking about it, especially my background. If you must know, I didn’t really have a good background and so I don’t like talking about my background, I like to keep it all conÀdential. As far as my background was concerned, I never had a supportive background. I’m glad that right now, my brother can see me on the road and identify with me as an actor, in SPIDER,
SUPER STORY and all ll that. What were the peculiar peculliar challenges p challlenges you were faced with?? Wow, going by my family familly background, backgrround, after I chose to pursuee a car career acting, reer in act ting, I faced many obstacles. I had ttoo do diffe different erent menial jobs to survive. All e. Al ll those yyears ears were tough and lonely for ely fo or me, I had to do things on my own wn too make ends ends meet given that I wass gett getting support ting supp port from my family because use off my chosen profession. I worked factory, d in a facto ory, I hawked on the streets, reets,, I worked work ked as sales representative, ve, and and I even evven worked as an ofÀce assistant just assistaant all ju ust to make ends meet. Honestly, thos those se were my dark days. That must have been en really reaally tough touggh on you Of course it was, at so some point ome poin nt before my acting car career took reer too ok prominence, I even acted ted for foor free. The Th he thing is this, these days don’t ays I d on’t see it as a challenge, I saw thosee days ass a preparatory step for me to u understand nderstan nd that life is not all rosy. Sometimes sy. So ometimess I look back at those days and helps ays an nd it help ps me make informed decisions decisiions as to what to do today. How does your family y see you yo ou now? (Laughs)… like I said d earlier, they see me with a differe different ent eye, there’s a different ent approach with the wayy to refer to me now than before. I guess I prove to them that the way they saw acting as worldly wasn’t actually what it was. I thank God I have been able to open their eyes to see that it doesn’t have to be all dirty and gore as they thought it was. But those years I was left alone were the darkest I’ve ever witnessed. It was a pleasure talking to you Same here.
Well, there’s an intenƟon to every story. A good script must have a theme, a message as well as something that it is telling the society, either this is the way this thing should be done or not.
31
Nowhere To Somewhere,
32
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Campus Square
ACADA
Admission Scam:
UNILAG Staff Docked
VOX POP With
OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE OG ogunojemiteayodele@yahoo.com
By OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE
MEN of the Lagos state police command have arrested and arraigned a man for allegedly defrauding a student of the sum of N200, 000 under the pretext of helping him secure admission into the University of Lagos(UNILAG). Our correspondentgathered that Gbeminiyi Oke was arraigned before an Isolo Magistrates’ court for criminal dishonesty and stealing under the Criminal Code. According to our correspondent, Oke, who claimed to be a staff of UNILAG, collected the sum from one Reginald Mbanusi who sought admission into the university's post graduate diploma in Economics program. Oke however failed to fulÀl his end of the illegal bargain after collecting the N200, 000 facilitation fee and required documents. He later told Mbanusi that he was not qualiÀed for the admission and the money could not be refunded because it had already been paid for the admission. Mbanusi then Àled a report at the police at Area ‘D’ Command Mushin, leading to the arrest of the self-appointed admissions agent. Oke was then arraigned before Magistrate O.A. Adebayo. He pleaded not-guilty to the charges of criminal dishonesty and stealing. Mrs Adebayo granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum and remanded him in prison custody pending when he meets the bail conditions. This is the second time in three months that a staff of the university will be arraigned for crimes relating to admissions. In August, one Dr. Akin Baruwa, 42, a lecturer at the university’s Distance Learning Institute, was arrested on the 3rd of August for allegedly raping an admission seeker inside an ofÀce at the institution’s Department of Accounting.
Tipsy Tragedy!!!
•Three Female IU Students Die In Auto Crash By OGUNOJEMITE AYODELE
SAD news reaching campus square has it that three female students of Igbinedion University, Okada lost their live on Wednesday, October 14, in a ghastly motor accident. The students have been identiÀed as Vivian, 200L Law student, Ezinne, aka Nicky Minaj, a 200L Petroleum
Engineering student and Oghenetega, aka Kiki, a 200L nursing student. The accident took place at a neighbouring community close to the permanent site of the university. Report has it that the vehicle they were driving which belonged to one of them, while on top speed, lost control and hit a tree. Three of them died on the spot.
Speculations making the rounds have it that the three ladies met their end while celebrating the new car her father bought for one of her. It was learnt that she took her friends out for a drink and while driving back drunk, ran into a three. A friend of the deceased, wrote on social media, “We will miss you... See my classmates for F.G.C WARRI. I will miss them. RIP”.
•Cross section of Batch C Corpers celebrating at their Passing out parade on Thursday October 18
KWAM I, Arrested For Shooting ABUAD CP Abdulmajid Ali. Adejobi said the victim is “Before the policemen got to being treated after she was taken Convocation OOU Student ofthePolice, scene, the musician and his to the hospital by ofÀcers. team had left the place,” he said. “We got the report of the Holds Oct. 21 By RUFAI OLATUNBOSUN "The Commissioner of Police incident and we have taken the THE Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), will bestow honorary degrees on four notable Nigerians at its 3rd convocation ceremonies holding in the 21st of October. Our correspondent gathered that the list include the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Kukah, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, the AlaaÀn of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and a former Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria and Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (1998-2003), Justice Emmanuel Ayoola. According to the Chairman, Governing Council of the sixyear-old institution, Professor Iyorwuese Hagher, the awardees emerged after “after a rigorous, thorough and meritbased selection process, and in appreciation of their services and contributions to humanity."
Popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose, has been questioned by Ogun state police following the shooting of a female student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University(OOU), Ago Iwoye, Kofoworola Azeez, at his show. Our correspondent gathered Kofoworola was on Sunday shot by an aide of the singer, who is popularly known as KWAM 1, during a musical show at the popular Limelite Hotel in Ago Iwoye. The show, organized as part of the AgoIwoye Day celebration, ended due to the chaos that followed the shooting. Spokesman of the state polices commend, Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said KWAM 1, who left the scene with his team after the shooting, was invitedforquestion on orders of the State Commissioner
has instructed that KWAM1 should be invited and he has been invited to tell the Police how it all happened and who among his band members pulled the trigger. “We are expecting him to come and give us the account of everything that happened so as to assist us in our investigation. "He is expected to come with his band boy that Àred the gun."
victim to the hospital," "The bullet has been removed from the victim’s body." Our correspondentalso gathered that Kofoworola was hit in the buttock by the bullet which entered through the rear door of the car she was sitting in. She is reportedly responding to treatment at the General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state.
Seven Things Corpers Should Do After P.O.P BATCH C Corp members on Thursday had their Passing Out Parade popularly referred to as POP and many graduated corpers are now asking themselves, what next? While many are praying to get a good job immediately (even though considering the number of graduates still searching for job, it’s difÀcult) others want to proceed to acquiring Master’s Degree (MSC). A lot of corpers showedexcitement by sharing their POP pictures and NYSC CertiÀcates on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BBM etc. You won’t have to go for the CDS again, no more khaki trousers, no more of those heavy orange boots, and for some, no more issues with your LI and so on and so forth. You just can’t wait to pick your NYSC CertiÀcate and run!. The Big question is, run to where? According to Mr. Adewole Amos, a graduate of 4 years “The truth is, it’s tougher out there in the Nigerian Labour Market. As a Corper, at least you had a monthly income. But after POP, if not retained at your work place, many of you will go “incomeless” (if there’s a word like that) and hop into the world of job search. “The bad news is: Nobody really cares about you. It’s cold and rough out there and that’s not funny. He however compiled, 7 tips to help in process of job Ànding. 1)Exchange Contacts with Others and keep in Touch: It’s very common for most of us to get so drowned in the excitement of passing out. During your POP, don’t just put your lips and take photos with your supposed Corper friends. Exchange phone numbers, emails, BB Pins with them and keep in touch afterwards. This way you can know what is going on in their lives and vice versa. 2) Create a Professional ProÀle: I’ve come to realize that a lot of fresh graduates today underestimate the importance of a professionally drafted proÀle. Prepare a good CV and Cover Letter and keep them handy. Always have a copy in your mail box and if possible in your phone. You never can tell where they will be needed. You don’t want to lose that mouth-watering job in an Oil Company in Lagos just because you couldn’t provide your CV when needed. 3) Relocate to Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt: Talking about Lagos. The truth is, Lagos is a Haven of opportunities. No city in Nigeria has as much opportunities in Nigeria as Lagos. With lots of places to work and lots of things to lay your hands on, from banks to Oil Àrms, multinationals, NGOs, and even to the Entertainment industry! Abuja is another good place to live if you are a job seeker. Though many claim that you have to know somebody who knows somebody that can give you a job. But in all, there are lots of opportunities in the Federal government parastatals, Ministries, International NGOs etc. Last but not the least is Port Harcourt, the Oil city of Nigeria, with a bunch of opportunities in the Oil and Gas industry and other lucrative sectors. My point is, these cities are the job hub of the nation. If you have long being a job seeker and not residing in any of these cities, I guess it’s high time you packed your bags and made a smart move to any of these cities. 4) Network: Leave your nest and start networking with other professionals. 5) Announce yourself: Except for you parents and siblings, most people really do not care what you are doing. You have to tell them yourself. Let them know you are jobless and need a job. 6) Play: All work and no play makes you dull. Do you think Exxon Mobil is looking for a dull employee? Hell No! 7) Subscribe to Recent Nigerian Jobs blog: Lastly, you need to subscribe to an up-to-date job blog to keep yourself updated with the Latest Job Vacancies in Nigeria.
DELSU Student Killed By Ritualists
•While Returning From Boyfriend’s House Ibusa community, Oshimili north local government area of Delta State was thrown into mourning following the death of a 23-year-old undergraduate of the state-owned university. The victim, Josephine Igbokwe, had gone to visit her boyfriend in the same community when she was mysteriously hacked to death by unidentiÀed gunmen. It was gathered that the victim had passed the night with her boyfriend,
Nnamdi Okolie, last Friday and on the following morning was on her way home to her parents’ house when she was allegedly attacked by suspected ritualists who removed a vital part of her body. Sources said that the parents of the victim was not informed early enough of the incident as the boyfriend allegedly took the corpse to the stateowned mortuary claiming she was sick and died.
But this was not to be when during nightfall, the victim was yet to return home. ConÀrming the incident, police public relations ofÀcer in the state, Mrs Celestina Kalu, said the police acted on a tip off when the incident was reported at the Ibusa police division and the police swung into action to confront the boyfriend who could not give details of her whereabouts. She said that the boy was arrested and upon interrogation, confessed that the girl was hacked to death on her way home by unidentiÀed ritualists who removed vital parts of her body.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, y October 17 - Friday, y October 23, 2015
Politics
33
Ambode To Swear In Commissioners, Special Advisers Monday LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will on Monday, October 19, swear in 23 Commissioners and 14 Special Advisers, who will constitute the State Executive Council. According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the ceremony will hold at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat by 10am. According to him, “The House of Assembly has just ofÀcially informed His Excellency that they have completed the screening and conÀrmation of all the 23 Commissioner Designates and 14 Special Adviser Designates which he had sent to the House on September 21. So what is left is for him to conduct the swearing in ceremony so as to enable them resume the task of governance.” It would be recalled that Governor Ambode had named six former cabinet members from the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration including former commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, former Special Adviser, Central Business District,
Folarin Coker, former Special Adviser Commerce and Industry, SeyeOladejo, former Special Adviser Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson and former Special Adviser Rural Development, Babatunde Hunpe. He also named a relatively young cabinet with the likes of Mrs. YetundeOnabolu, Fela BankOlemoh, AkinyemiAshade, a partner in KPMG, former Managing Director, National Mirror, Steve Ayorinde, AlhajaUzamatAkinbileYusuf, a pharmacist, Kehinde Joseph and Prof. AdemolaAbass, a Professor of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 years. Other names include Dr. Akintola Benson, former Special Adviser Political and Legislative Powers Bureau, Dr. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, Dr. Mohammed Akinkunmi, former member, House of Representatives, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, Dr. Femi Onanuga, CEO of LAMATA, Dr. DayoMobereola, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, Arch. Wasiu Anifowoshe, former member House of Assembly, Mrs. Lola Akande, AgboolaDabiri, GaniuOkanlomoSanni,
AnoÀElegushi, Rotimi Ogunleye, MrsAdebimpeAkinsola, Femi Odubiyi, Alhaji MusiliuFolami, AdenijiKazeem, Adeyemi Labinjo, Toyin Suarau, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Deji Tinubu, Mrs. MudiratGiwanson and former Chairman Ejigbo LCDA, Kehinde Bamigbetan.
Diezani Reacts To Senate Screening, Says “Kachikwu’s Responses Show I Did Well” FORMER Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, has reacted to the ongoing screening of President Muhammadu Buhari ministersin-waiting. Her media consultant, Mr. Clem Aguiyi, in a statement yesterday commended the Senate for televising live the screening of ministerial nominees, saying that the truth about Alison-Madueke’s legacy as Petroleum Minister, is beginning to emerge “despite the conspiracy to diminish her sterling accomplishments on the altar of
APC Stockpiling Arms, Recruiting Cultists For Bayelsa Guber Poll A socio-political organisation, Ijaw Youths Democratic Association (IYDI), has raised the alarm that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State is allegedly stockpiling weapons and recruiting cultists with a view to unleashing mayhem on innocent citizens to rig the December 5 governorship election in its favour. The group also claimed that APC was plotting to use violence, intimidation and various federal agencies, including security personnel, to rig the election. The IYDI, in a statement by its President, Ebifagha Timothy, and Secretary-General, Tilly Ekaunkumo, stated that the APC and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, were neither campaigning nor setting up any machineries in motion, as a party about to go into an election as close as December 5. The organisation alleged that the state APC was busy recruiting cultists from outside the SouthSouth state, who are already attacking and kidnapping innocent Bayelsans, while security positions are also being attacked, with arms being carted away to create an arms base for the cultists, preparatory to executing their plans of rigging the elections. The Ijaw Youths Democratic Association said the intention of the APC is to carry out massive rigging of the polls, using the armed cultists and force the election umpire to
announce the results in their favour, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) goes to court. Itnotedthatsuchactsoflawlessness and brigandage, if allowed to thrive, would be spelling serious doom for the nation’s democracy, stressing that President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a major beneÀciary of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s democratic disposition, should rise to the occasion and nip this plan in the bud. “The only way President Buhari and the APC can demonstrate the change they profess to have enshrined in the polity is for them to ensure that a free, fair and credible election holds, where every eligible voter in Bayelsa State will be allowed to vote; one man, one vote. “He is a beneÀciary of a fair, free and credible election, where the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, even had to call to congratulate him before the Ànal results were announced, so it would be too sad to see him allow an election to be rigged under his watch and so soon too” The statement also called on the entire people of the state to be alert at all times and not allow themselves or their children and youths to be used to subvert democracy under any guise, stressing that, no Bayelsan, who means well for the state, should fall prey to the undemocratic and selÀsh manipulations of the APC in the state.
• Gov. Ambode
• Diezani
politics.” Commenting on the screening of Dr. Emmanuel IbeKachikwu, Aguiyi stated that the brilliant performance of the current Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) during the Senate’s screening validated almost all the policies and actions championed and taken by the former Minister. The policies, he said, include the unbundling of NNPC to make it operate like a private company, introduction of stringent internal audit control mechanism, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), concern over the sustainability of the subsidy regime and shutting down of non-performing reÀneries. Kachikwu, while responding to questions by senators, agreed to the unbundling of NNPC into a private sector, while noting that there will be no removal of subsidy until palliatives are put in place. He lamented that with the nonpassage of PIB, Nigeria was losing $15 billion yearly. Kachikwu also told the Senate that he would continue to seek solutions even without the passage of the bill, using existing laws, which was what Mrs. AlisonMadueke resorted to throughout her tenure as Oil Minister. Aguiyi further commendedKachikwu for speaking from the courage of his conviction because his averred plans to distribute free cylinders
to every home with gas stations closer to homes, is in line with Alison-Madueke’s stimulation of gas-based industrialisation. He also noted that AlisonMadueke, besides the PIB, also championed the introduction of local content in the oil sector and pushed for the adoption of the Nigerian Content Development Bill (NCDB) into law as a major priority. It became one of the very Àrst acts of policy reform introduced in the infancy of the administration. The statement noted that over $200 billion worth of procurements and nearly $10 billion worth of research and development project, hitherto monopolised by foreign interests, as well as technical services valued at nearly $80 billion worth of engineering works were retained in the country. According to him, under the former minister, “Nigerians, for the Àrst time, also made critical infrastructure investments such as marine vessels, petroleum jetties and depots to the extent that over 50 per cent of vessels operating in Nigeria are owned by Nigerian indigenes.” “The nation cannot simply wish away the fact that as oil minister, Mrs. Alison-Madueke made giant strides, as she laid down solid foundations and made achievements that can be built upon by the current and future administration,” the statement concluded.
Counsel to the respondent, Rotimi Jacobs, in his own brief, filed October 12, argued that if MrUfoh was challenging the constitution of the tribunal, it still wasn’t enough reason to affect the case brought before it. He further added that there was no order by the Federal High Court compelling the Code of Conduct Tribunal not to sit; rather, the appellant had asked for an interim injunction which the Federal High Court denied. Therefore it was wrong for the appellant to paint the tribunal as a lawless court that does not obey orders, the lawyer said. Mr. Jacobs insisted that the law was being misinterpreted and urged Justices M.A.A Adumien,
J.E Ekanem and M. Mustapha to dismiss the appeal because “arguing it lacked merit”. He prayed the court that the right interpretation of the law be upheld. The Code of Conduct Bureau had on September 11 slammed a 13-count charge bordering on false asset declaration on Mr. Saraki. He is accused of offences ranging from anticipatory declaration of assets to making false declaration of assets in forms he filed before the Code of Conduct Bureau, while he was governor of Kwara State. Justice Adumien reserved judgement for 2pm on Monday, October 19.
Appeal Court Adjourns Ruling On Saraki THE Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Friday adjourned the ruling on the appeal brought by Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Counsel to the appellant J.B.L Ufoh, in a brief filed on October 6, challenged the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, saying the tribunal ought to have obeyed and stayed proceedings when it got an order from the Federal High Court. He further stated that the CCT was not a superior court to the Federal High Court and therefore urged the court to set aside all proceedings, including the charge against Senator Saraki on the grounds that the tribunal was not properly constituted.
34
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Politics
•Prof. Adewole
•Hajia Ibrahim
•Prof. Daramola
•Sen. Lokpobiri
•Prof. Anwukah
•Pastor Usani
Government 'Greenhorns' By CHARLES ENWEREM PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, last Monday sent to the Senate, a list comprising the second and barring any change, which may come as a result of the Senate disqualifying any of the nominees, the Ànal batch of ministers-designate. While 15 names were expected from the Presidency, to make up for the deÀcit created by the initial list which contained 21 names (recall that according to the constitution, the President is supposed to appoint from each of the 36 states of the federation, a minister), the president sent 16, requestingsimultaneously the withdrawalof the name of former Deputy Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, citing administrative error. Alhaji Ibeto, like his counterpart, Abubakar Bwari , who made the other list, hails from Nigerstate and having both men in the cabinet will be in deference to the dictates of the constitution, and likely translate into the FCT not having a representative. (Mr. Bwari was initially thought to have hailed from Bwari LGA of Abuja, FCT, probably because of his name.) The new nominees are a member of the House of Representatives from Yobe State, Kadija Bukar
Ibrahim; a former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and ex-senator, Heineken Lokpobiri; the legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress, James Ocholi, SAN; and the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Isaac Adewole. The others are Claudius OmoleyeDaramola, Professor Anthony Onwuka, Jefferyonyema, M. Dan Ali, Zainab Ahmed, OkechukwuElelema, Muhammadu Bello, Mustapha Baba Sheturi, Aisha Abubakar, Adamu Adamu, Pascal Husseini and Abubakar Bawa. Already 18 candidates, out of the Àrst collection of names have been screened and certiÀed Àt to serve as ministers of the Federal Republic, albeit without the anticipated Àrework supposedly promised by membersof the red chamber. Some political commentators have described what transpired at the red chambers while the Àrst batch of ministers was being screened as the Senate playing to the gallery. It is against this backdrop that political watchers have insisted that the concluding part would see the Ànal 16 nominees, coast to victory without much resistance. The upper legislative chamber subsequently suspended the screening exercise to next week Tuesday.
Nonetheless, a cursory look at the new list reveals that most of the nominees are political greenhorns. Except for Hon. Khadija Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, who is a member of the House of Representatives and former Àrst lady of Yobe state (Khadija is the wife of former governor and ranking Senator Abba Ibrahim), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, a ranking South-Southsenator in the 7th Assembly, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, a serving member of the House of Representatives, representing the Maiduguri Metropolitan Constituency and Professor Anthony Anwuka, a former Secretary to the Imo State Government, others are not conversant with the diverse expectations of governance andthe rigours associated with public Service. The closest any of these soon to be screened individuals has come close to governance is gunning for thegovernorship position of their States of origin, for example James Ocholi (SAN) who contested for the same seat in his home State, Benue, under the platform of ACN. Others like Professor Isaac Adewole, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; Professor Claudius Omoleye Daramola, the Head of the Department of Arts and Social Sciences
Education, University of Ilorin; ZainabShamsuna Ahmed, the executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Transparency Initiative (NEITI); Okechukwu Enelamaho (Abia), medical doctor and cofounder/Chief executive ofÀcer of African Capital Alliance, a leading private equity Àrm on the African continent and Brig. Gen. Mansur M. Dan Ali (rtd.), a thorough-bred ofÀcer, are all technocrats in their rights. Though, some pundits tend to see their introduction into the Buhari administration, (together with technocratson the other initial list like Dr. Osagie Ehaneri, a surgeon and Abubakar Malami, SAN) as a welcomed development, presuming they would bring to bear,as they serve, their expertise and wealth of experience, gathered primarilyfrom the private sector, even as they hit the ground running, others have argued it may mean a continuation of the status quo. These critics opine that except care is taken these greenhorns will be consumed by the bureaucratic bottlenecks, that characterizes public services across the world, not forgetting the peculiar Nigerian situation where bureaucracy isused as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds into private pockets. "If the government of PMB must Àght corruptionto a standstill, he
would have to begin with civil servants and not the ministers. Civil servants, irrespective of who heads their ministries can still perpetuate their atrocities," one analyst said. "A Director General of a government department or agency, or Permanent Secretary of a ministry, could leverage on the ignorance of these green horns and the complexity of the system to either frustrate or steal from the system without being discovered, " another corroborated. "I don't see these greenhorns performing in the Àrst few months oftheir stay in ofÀce because their success would depend on their understanding of the ministries they oversee. Civil servants let you know only what they want you to know as minister. However let us just hope that theintroduction of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) will help plug all the loopholes through which funds are stolen", another concludes. Whether these newly apppointed ministers would perform still remains to be seen. However, one thing that is certain is the fact that the overwhelming majorityof theseministersdesignate have impressive resumes and if these is brought to bear in their assigned ministries (all thing being equal), the much desired change may have indeed come.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Crime
35
Litigation Officer Testifies In Alleged N352.3m Judgement Case By: STEPHEN AYA AN assistant director in litigation department of the Lagos state judiciary, Mr. AbdussalamOluwole, has testified how the judiciary computed the sum of N352.5m allegedly paid to a Lagos based lawyer chief Ladi RotimiWilliams, SAN as a judgment debt paid to him. Testifying before Justice A. Okuwobi in suit No: LD/ 147/2009, Abdussalam, said that the court awarded the cost on different rates.Led in evidence by the defence counsel, Mr. AdeyinkaOlumideFusika, he said that “ I did the calculation with my team and the total judgment debts plus interest include, interest (1-3), special damages, cost awarded and actual refund$”. The witness also maintained before the court that the calculation was based on the judgment documents obtained either by original or the certified through copy. Under cross examinations by claimants’ counsel, Mr. Chris Eneje, the witness, maintained that he started the computation of the interest from the month of June when he was served. The judge however adjourned the matter till November 12, 2015 for further hearing. It would be recalled that in 1998, T.S.A Industries had filed a suit before an Ikeja High Court, accusing First Bank of Nigeria Plc. of negligence and allowing fraudulent activities to be carried out on its account domicile with the bank. The company told the court that in October 29, 1991, its management wrote a letter to First Bank of Nigeria informing it of its decision to suspend and withdraw the signature made to its account with the bank. According to the company, this was to prevent fraudulent activities on its account since the company was already experience difficulties in its operation at that time. However, the company accused the bank of failure to abide by its directives from October 31, 1991 till December 30, 1992, the defendant caused the account of the company to be operated fraudulently by failing to comply with the instruction of the board of directors that was duly communicated to it. The company further said that as at the time the instruction was given between October 31, 1991 and December 30, 1992 funs arising from the sale of company’s product amounting to N22.3m was lodged into the company’s account with the bank. It therefore sought for a declaration that the defendant was fraudulent in keeping of the company’s account, also an order that the defendant should refund the principal sum of N22.3m being lodged into the account as well as an order for the refund of sum of N33.6m being the interest thereon from December 31, 1992 till December 30, 1997 at the rate of 21% per annum until the date of final payment. Pursuant to the judgment, the first generation bank through its head, legal services, Mr. OlaniyiKukoyi, on March 11, 2008, wrote a petition to the chairman, National Judicial Council, NJC, Abuja, alleging compliant of judgment racketeering and attempt to extort nonexisting judgment debt against Justice Funmilayo Atilade of the Lagos State judiciary. The petitioner requested that the
judge should be invited to explain to the commission strange conduct in the case particularly under which law the judge derived the powers to award to the successful party, an amount outside the prescription of the actual award made in that judgment. The petition also want the NJC to unravel the laws which compel an unsuccessful party to a judgment to pay the ‘judgment debt’ over and above what was handed down by the court and the interest accrued, which the petitioners were coerced to pay. It further sought to unravel the application made to the court by the judgment-creditor which was refused by the trial judge, adding that “is it possible that his lordship, after so many year on the bench, does not know how prayers are sought, or the difference between a motion and an affidavit?” The petition further queried how possible it is for a judge after many years on the bench, not to distinguish between an application challenging the competence of a court to make an order and the one seeking the exercise of judicial discretion. In pursuant to the petition, Chief Ladi Rotimi -Williams, who is a party to the matter filed a suit no: LD/147/2009 against the bank. In a statement of defence, the defendant noted that no portion of the judgment in the suit no: ID/9/98 being referred was any award made for the sum of N33.6m, only that the claimants had wrongfully included it in the judgment-debt, and have with intent of cheating the defendant on the judgment continue to insist on enforcing for the amount, even after the defendant had drawn the claimants’ attention to the wrongful conduct inclusion. It further stated that although the said judgment awarded with interest at the rate of 1% per annum on the N22.3m (ordered to be refunded by defendant to the judgment-creditor in the said suit) from 31st December, 1996, “the claimants with intent to defraud changed the 1 % actually awarded to some other higher interest percentrum.” The defence further stated that although the judgment did not award any interest on the N320m ordered to be paid by the defendant to the judgment-creditor, therein as special damages for loss of profit, the claimants in enforcing for this, had with
intent to defraud accrued interest thereon, first at the rate of 6% per annum and lately at the rate of 21%.” It further stated that although the said judgment awarded post-judgment interest on the refund component of the total sum awarded at the rate of 6% per annum from 23 January, 2001 till the amount is liquidated, although the defendant had on the 21 May, 2004 paid whatever amount was due on the entire judgment even to the excess of N22.6m when it deposited the sum of N376m in an interest-bearing account with Union Bank of Nigeria plc. pursuant to an order of stay of execution made on the 3 May, 2004 by the Supreme Court; the claimants have accrued and enforced post-judgment on the entire judgment-amount, first at the rate of 6% per annum and lately at the rate of 21% per annum, for the period after the said 21 May,2004. When the interest-bearing judgment-deposit account was opened with the said Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. and fully funded even to the excess of the amount due as of that date as debt on the judgment.” It added.
•Justice Atilade
25-Year Old Man Burnt To Death By Mob
How My Husband Was Killed –Kemi Fadipe By: STEPHEN AYA
THE wife of the late Lagos-based human rights crusader Kunle Fadipe has narrated to a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja how the alleged suspected killer, stabbed her husband, mother, son and her sister. The trial whichcommenced on Thursday october15, 2015 before Justice Atinuke Ipaye, had Mrs. Kemi Fadipe as the first prosecution witness. She told the court how her husband sustained various injuries before he died in the hospital. Mrs Fadipe said the incident happened on July 3, 2014 around 10pm after the deceased returned home late from office, took his meal and retired into his room. “After his meal, he retired into his room, my sons went to their room adjacent to his room. My sister, (Abiola Owolabi) who worked with him in the chamber lived with us, my mother came for her eye surgery was with us at home.The generating set was on because there was no light. So, I asked my 17 years old boy, Folahanmi, to go and
switch off the generator. Five min after he left, I heard him shouting “my daddy, my daddy, there is thief in the house,” she said. She further told the court that accused chased his son to the living room, having stabbed him. “He (suspect) was shouting that somebody was going to die that night. I was scared and hide behind my husband. He said the house is surrounded by other members of his gang. He demanded for N500, 000.00 but we kept begging him.My husband asked me to bring the envelope from his trouser which contained money. But the defendant still went ahead and slapped my son, (student of University of Ado Ekiti) with the knife, he also stabbed my husband with the knife which cut his neck. “At which point all of us got angry and pushed him. He immediately stabbed everyone in every direction. As he wanted to escape, he met my mother who heard the noise, and came out from her room, he stabbed her too, on her chest.My husband manage torun outside, followed by my second son, Folatunmise to call for help
fromneighbours.” She further added that “The OPC people rushed in and over powered him. We then took my husband to hospital some minutes before 12am, but he died some minutes past 1am. My mother died two weeks later, after she heard of my husband’s death.” Under cross examined by the defendant counsel, Worer Obuagbakahe, Mrs. Fadipe told court that they have been leaving in the estate for over 15 years. The widow also maintained that she does not know whether defendant cloth was wet or not. Adding that it is not easy for anybody to open their gate from outside because it’s a jam key gate. According to her, as at the time defendant entered the house, he had stabbed my son downst airs, and hisblood was all over his body. “The type of knife he used was not the kitchen type, it was glue to his hand”. She maintained that the suspect stabbed her husband severally. Justice Ipaye therefore adjourned cross examination of second prosecution witness till Nov 18, 2015.
AN angry mob at Ungwan-Rukuba, New Road in the Nasarawa area of Jos, on Wednesday burnt a 25year-old man, Mantau Black, for allegedly stabbing one Sati Samola to death. Awitnesswhopreferredanonymity told our correspondent on Thursday that Mr. Black was lynched in revenge for the deadly stab he inflicted on Mr. Samola. The witness said Mr. Black went after Mr. Samola and stabbed him in anger over his intervention in a fight between him (Mr. Black) and his (Black’s) younger sister. The witness further said that Mr. Samola was first rushed to a private hospital, which refused to treat him, before he was taken to the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where he later died. Angered by the development, youths of the area were said to have gone after the suspected killer (Black), wrestled him fromPolicemen and some soldiers who intervened and wanted him to be prosecuted. The witness said “the youths quickly put a used tyre round the neck of the suspect, set him ablaze and waited till he was burnt to death before they dispersed to bury Mr. Samola. According to him, the youths claimed that the suspect was fond of “misbehaving” and might be freed by the security agents to unleash even worse havoc on society.“They, therefore, insisted on ‘removing’ him from their midst,” the witness added. When Contacted, the Public Relations OfÀcer of the Plateau Police Command, Emmanuel Abuh, conÀrmed the incident.“I went there (where it happened), yesterday, but could not see the Divisional Police OfÀcer (DPO), in charge of the area.“We shall soon get more facts on the matter and get back to you,” he added further.
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NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Crime
Reps Probe Of $470m CCTV Failed Contract •More Unanswered Questions By STEPHEN AYA THE House of Representatives, Thursday, October 8th, 2015, commenced the probe into the failed $470m CCTV projects. The Abuja and Lagos Closed Circuit Television Camera contract was won by a Chinese Àrm, ZTE Corporation in 2010. The Chinese company left the contract mid-way without completing the Job. A similar probe was conducted under the 7th national assembly with recommendations made and nothing was heard of it again. The house took the decision to probe the failed contract again following a motion brought by Hon Adekoya Abdul-Majid and Hon Abiodun Faleke calling “for the Reactivation/Installation of Closed Circuit Television, CCTV, cameras in Abuja, state capitals and major cities and
investigation of the failure of ZTE Corporation to complete the contract of installing the cameras in Abuja and Lagos.” Going by the contractual terms, Nigeria was required to make a down payment of 15 per cent, amounting to about $70.5m, while the Chinese EXIM Bank will provide the remaining 85 per cent amounting to $399.5m. Nigeria was required to pay back the loan on a three percent interest rate within ten years at prevailing exchange rate. However, the aim of awarding the contract is regrettably defeated following the failure of ZTE Corporation, the Chinese Àrm to complete the installation of the cameras and make them functional which would have gone a long way in containing the security challenges in the country, The lawmakers told the house that there were several other projects involving Nigerian and
Chinese Àrms that had suffered a similar fate, with the Chinese companies repatriating certain percentage of the sum loaned, including interest; in the process, creating employment for the Chinese and short-changing local Nigerian companies. House Majority leader, Hon, Femi Gbajabiamila while contributing said that the issue came up on the Áoor of the 7th Assembly and was debated with resolutions passed, but nothing was done.“We had documents and paragraphs with damning revelations at that time. When it relates to the security and welfare of this country, it’s our concern, and we have to start asking real questions. He went on to ask the following question .Who signed the contracts with ZTE? Was it the Police or the Federal Capital Territory Administration? There has been a lot of buck-passing on these contracts? Did the department
that award contracts have the power to sign on behalf of Nigeria?” “What is the role of private Àrms in security issues? Do we now farm out national security matters to private companies, foreign Àrms?” “There is so much to ask in this matter, which we must take seriously,” Gbajabiamila added. Nigerians who spoke to National weekender not only supported the house on the probe, but ask for very stiff punishment to the Chinese company and others involve. A lawyer, Mr. S. Akin said that the whole thing is not only questionable, but is Àeld with corruption.” This time, the house should not just stop at investigation, the Àle containing details of the investigation should be forwarded to the EFCC, ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies for prosecutions”he
added. Another lawyer, Mohammed Bashir said that such an act is not only bad, but it is evil.” Nigeria should ban this Chinese company from doing any business with us for twenty years as a punishment, this will serve as a deterrent to other companies from either china or other parts of the world not to take Nigeria lightly”. This contract was awarded as far back as 2010 and it is important to this country in view of the security challenges that we have. Hon Adekoya Abdul-Majid said it all, when he said “That these criminal activities have led to loss of many innocent lives, displacement of thousands of people, destruction of properties worth millions of Naira, traumatization of many and destabilization of economic activities with the attendant damage to the image of the country ,we must investigate and put a stop it”.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Sports
37
Inneh Queens Chairperson, Falode, Hails Falconets, Eagles •Decries State Of Women’s League
Amuneke Confident Of Title Defence
GOLDEN GOLDEN GOLD ENE E Eaglets agl ag glets letscccoach, oach ch, hE Emmanuel mman mm anue uell Amuneke Amun Am unek ekee and striker Victor Osimhen are both upbeat about the chances of the Golden Eaglets successfully defending the trophy. Speaking to the media on arrival in Santiago, the Coach and the striker were unanimous on the chances of Nigeria winning her Àfth FIFA U17 World Cup trophy in Chile. “We are here to defend the trophy. We are here with new players who want to write their own history and we are looking forward to our Àrst game against the United States of America, which is very important for us.” Osimhen echoed the sentiment of Coach Amuneke, adding that they have been psyched up for the expected challenges as the defending champions. “We are here to win,” said Osimhen who is Golden Eaglets’ top scorer with 39 goals in 71 cumulative international and local matches.”Just as the coach said, we are here to write our own story as a team and players.” Immediately after dinner at their Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Santiago-Vitacura, where they are accommodated for their opening match against USA on October 17, Amuneke reminded his wards to focus attention on nothing but football as the team seeks a Àfth U-17 world title.
Nigeria Bank On Chikatara For Goals
NIGERIA will be counting on late callup Chisom Chikatara aka ‘Kolanut boy’ to get the goals that will sink visiting Burkina Faso i n Saturday’s CHAN qualifier in Port Harcourt. Abia Warriors star Chikatara has scored four goals in two test matches to further underline his redhot form in front of goal this season. The skillful forward has also netted 14 goals in the league this season. “I want to continue the good work I have been doing since I joined the training camp,” said Chikatara as he looks forward to his international debut. ‘Kolanut boy’ was called up to the Eagles training camp because Wikki Tourists striker Godwin Obaje opted to attend trials overseas. Eagles assistant coach Salisu Yusuf, who will call the shots from the sidelines on Saturday in the absence of ailing Sunday Oliseh, said the Abia Warriors star has proved an inspired call-up.
Eniola Aluko Leads Chelsea To UCL Last-16 ENIOLA Aluko, the younger sister of Super Eagles’ star, Sone Aluko led Chelsea ladies to the Champion League last-16 with a comprehensive away victory in Scotland on Wednesday. The The FA Women’s Super League champions and FA Women’s Cup holders scored three on the night to secure a 4-0 aggregate victory over Glasgow City. Eni Aluko opened the scoring midway through the Àrst half before two goals in four minutes after the restart, from Fran Kirby and Gilly Flaherty, settled the tie and saw Chelsea progress to the next round in their European campaign. Emma Hayes made two changes from the Àrst leg six days previously, with captain Katie Chapman and Ana Borges replacing Drew Spence and Claire Rafferty. Borges lined up at left-back, joining Niamh Fahey, Flaherty and Hannah Blundell in a back four protecting Hedvig Lindahl in goal. Chapman partnered Millie Bright in central midÀeld, while Gemma Davison, Ji So-Yun and Aluko provided the attacking support for striker Kirby.
FOREMOST Women’s Sportscaster and Chairperson Of Inneh Queens FC Of Benin City, Aisha Falode, has hailed the qualiÀcation of the Women’s U20 National team side, the Falconets for the Ànal round of the World Cup. The Falconets it would be recalled defeated Congo DR 2-1 away from home and won the return leg in Abuja last weekend 2-0, for a 4-1 aggregate win. That has gladdened the heart of Falode, who noted that the lasses have the capacity to go all the way and even win the World Cup. The Falconets were runners-up at the last U-20 championship. Falode said she was delighted that despite the poor organization and running of the Nigeria Women’s league, the Falconets through share determination and zeal were able to come this far in its bid to qualify for the World Cup. She added that she was doubly sure that the team will overhaul South Africa over two legs to qualify for the World Cup proper and urged the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation to continue to extend its support to the Falconets. However, Falode decried the poor organization of the Nigerian Women’s League, which she said is very disturbing. “Apart from the fact that we don’t have a sponsor for the league, what we now witness here is walkover everywhere and that is why almost all the women’s national teams are struggling in all their qualiÀers” she declared. She urged the NFF to take more than a parting interest in the Women’s League, as it is capable of employing thousands of young ladies and take them off known vices that they often engage in. The Fashionistic Sports Diva, also used the opportunity to congratulate the Super Eagles for bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in Belgium, in an international friendly to whip eternal rivals Cameroun 3-0, in its second game. “It shows that gradually, the character of the team is coming out but they must not rest on their oars but ensure that they keep their legs Àrmly on the pedals as more challenging qualiÀers are ahead of the team”.
•Falode
Ighalo Braced For Arsenal Clash NIGER NIGERIAN forward, Odion Ighalo, is looking forward to Ighalo increasing his goal tally in the English Premiership when his club Watford takes on Arsenal tomorrow. In-form Ighalo who was part of Super Eagles trio that crushed Cameroun’s Indomitable Lions in an international friendly in Brussel, Belgium last Sunday has scored Àve goals in the English league this season. The Hornets host the Gunners on Saturday evening in the Premier League with in-form Ighalo looking to add to his impressive goal tally.
38
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Sports
Wenger Challenges Arsenal To Recreate United Against Watford ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has challenged his side to recapture the hunger which saw them blow away Manchester United when they head to Watford on Saturday. The Gunners were put through their paces at their London Colney training ground on Friday ahead of their return to domestic action at Vicarage Road in Saturday’s late televised kick-off. Wenger’s side are looking to maintain momentum from their demolition of the Red Devils, who were taken apart with three goals inside the Àrst 20 minutes. But the Frenchman knows that stunning performance will quickly be forgotten should they fail to deliver against the Hornets. ‘It can increase the belief and the hunger of the team (to win convincingly). On the other hand you have to show that you can come in to every game with that focus,’ said Wenger, who is hoping Alexis Sanchez returns Àt from international duty with Chile having been carrying a hip problem. ‘The level of champions and people who want to Àght at the top is urgency - and urgency is something that keeps you alert, so we know what will be expected of us. ‘We have to be conscious that it will be a different game at Watford, but the level of urgency is a big part of success and that is what we work on.’ Wenger accepts such little time to regroup following the international break is not ideal, especially with the players having been on a high following the manner of their win over United.
League Table Team Man City Arsenal Man Utd Palace Leicester West Ham Everton Tottenham Southampton Liverpool Swansea Watford Norwich Stoke B’mouth Chelsea West Brom Aston Villa Sunderland Newcastle
P 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
GD PTS 12 18 6 16 4 16 4 15 2 15 6 14 4 13 4 13 3 12 -2 12 0 10 -1 10 -2 9 -2 9 -2 8 -5 8 -5 8 -5 4 -10 3 -11 3
Fixtures Saturday Oct. 17
Tottenham v Liverpool Palace v West Ham Man City v Bournemouth Everton v Man United West Brom v Sunderland S’hampton v Leicester Chelsea v Aston Villa Watford v Arsenal
Sunday Oct. 18
Newcastle v Norwich
Monday Oct. 19 Swansea v Stoke
•Klopp
United Looking To Regain Top Spot A couple of weeks since that eye-opening defeat at Arsenal, United move into the blue side of Merseyside to try and quickly resurrect their Premier League title hopes. Last year, United had arguably their worst performance in the league at Goodison. The match Ànished 3-0 to Everton, a match that United never looked like winning. Just like last year, Van Gaal’s team go to Everton on the back of an away defeat. The away defeat at Arsenal was of course very disappointing, but with the team still being only a couple of points from top spot, I don’t think it hurt us as much as other people may think, we were out of the match before we ever got into it, Van Gaal, I’m sure will make sure his team don’t start the same way again this match. Everton go into game with a Àve match unbeaten run in the league. They overturned Chelsea at home as well recently. United have lost their last three Àxtures at Goodison Park, and that’s under all the managers. The international break
saw many fairytales come true for a few European countries, but for United it was the catalyst for a few injuries. Schweinsteiger, Rooney, Carrick and Paddy McNair all picked up knocks and injuries during the break. Fortunately, both Rooney and Carrick are Àt for the match on Saturday. Van Gaal, conÀrmed in his press conference that Ashley Young will miss the game as well. Both Marcos Rojo and Ander Herrera are able to play again. This is the start of a killer week for United, after the trip to Everton, United go to Russia to play CSKA Moscow, and then the Manchester Derby follows next Sunday.
•Van Gaal
Klopp Faces Tough Trip To Spurs JURGEN URGEN G Klopp’s pp arrival at Liverpool p has ggiven the team a boost ahead of the he Saturday y lunchtime match with Tottenham Hotspur but the hosts are in good form, so the top betting tip is to back the draw. That is 5/2 with Bet Victor, Betfred, Titanbet and looks the value play. Spurs to win is 6/4 with Totesport, Betfred and Paddy Power whileTotesport, BetVictor and Sportingbet offer 2/1 for a Liverpool victory. Since Klopp was conÀrmed as Liverpool’s new boss last Thursday, the hype machine on Merseyside has gone into overdrive, despite the man himself trying to temper expectations. The German has not had much time with his new players, with a host away on international duty and only returning to the club earlier this week. History suggests Klopp may Ànd it hard to taste victory in his opening Premier League match – Gerard Houllier, who was joint manager with Roy Evans at the time, is the only Liverpool boss to have done so when the Frenchman won 2-1 against Southampton in 1998. While Liverpool have only managed to win once in their last nine games, the team will get a lift from Klopp’s appointment and they have a good recent record at White Hart Lane. Spurs have lost their last Àve matches against the
Reds but the hosts look made of sterner stuff this season. Maurico Pochettino’s men have not lost since the opening-day loss toManchester United, winning three and drawing four matches and that is without the goals of star striker Harry Kane, who has only netted once this season. Spurs’ defensive record is the joint best in the league and the dismantling of Manchester City in their last home game shows how they are a match for any of the top sides. Klopp’s ‘full-throttle’ approach will be a test for Spurs but with the Reds’ defensive woes this season, I fancy the game to be an open affair which will end in a draw. With the open nature of Saturday’s encounter, the second tip is over 2.5 goals at 5/6 with Boyle sports, Stan James, Coral, Sky Bet. Attack is surely the best form of defence for Liverpool, especially with their porous back line and this will leave to chances at both ends at White Hart Lane. Goals are usually the order of the day in this Àxture – 25 goals have been scored in the last six encounters, including eight in the two matches last season – 3-0 and 3-2 wins for the Reds. The bet would have paid out in those six Àxtures and also in Spurs’ last two league games.
Mourinho Charges Player To Up Form
JOSE Mourinho is challenging his Chelsea players to face up to their problems, with their poor start to the Barclays Premier League season leaving every game as a ‘must-win’. Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Saturday sitting 16th in the table having won just two of their opening eight league games. The champions desperately need to turn their form around, and fast, with no team having recovered to Ànish in the top four from this
position in Premier League history. And Mourinho says he wants his players to recognise the reality of their grave situation and to recognise that their performances and results to this point have been far from good enough. ‘Every game is a must win game and when we don’t win it’s always a frustration,’ Mourinho told his prematch press conference. ‘But we cannot run away from the reality of the situation. ‘We need to win matches for us, for the Chelsea
supporters.’ Reports on Thursday claimed that some members of Mourinho’s Àrst-team squad were referring to the manager by a ‘derogatory oneword nickname’ but he rejected those as false on Friday. The Portuguese coach claimed after Chelsea’s defeat by Southampton earlier this month that while it would be difÀcult for his side to win the title again, he was confident of a top-four finish, a stance he reiterated ahead of Villa’s vist.
•Mourinho
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015
Sports
39
Korir, Cherop Seek Second Toronto Waterfront Victories
Pacquiao Becomes ‘Fists For The Poor’ BOXER Manny Pacquiao has signed an integrity pledge to enter the senatorial elections in the Philippines next year, promising to be ‘the Àsts of the poor.’
The 36-year-old Pacquiao, who unveiled his plans to run for presidency in his home country earlier this month, is one of at least 70 hopefuls standing for the role.
McIlroy Boosted By First Round Opener RORY McIlroy believes he took a positive step forward with a four-under-par 68 in the Àrst round of the Frys.com Open. As the Northern Irishman departed to explore the vineyards of Napa Valley, California, he reÁected on a solid 18 holes at the Silverado course, which is situated in the heart of the wine country. Starting on the back nine in mild early-morning conditions, McIlroy dropped an early shot at the 13th, but as the mercury climbed so the scoring improved, and he made birdies at the 15th, 18th, Àrst, Àfth and eighth. It’s deÀnitely better - better from tee to green than I was at the Tour Championship a couple of weeks ago, so it’s deÀnitely a step in the right direction,’ McIlroy said. ‘I didn’t hole many putts - I holed a few - but if I can get the putter going over the next three days hopefully I can get up the leaderboard a bit.’ McIlroy Ànished 16th out of 28 Ànishers at the Tour Championship last month, 10 shots behind champion Jordan Spieth. McIlroy’s score on Thursday, as he alluded, was not pacesetting form. It left him locked in a 16-player tie for 13th place, but heartened all the same. The lead was held by American Brendan Steele, whose opening nine holes were exceptional.
After a par at the 10th, his opening hole, Steele then made birdie at seven of the next eight to surge to seven under par at the turn, picking up further shots at Àve and six to post a nine-under 63.
But Pacquiao has a status in his home country which borders on that of deity and on Friday, alongside his wife Jinkee and their two sons, he posed with his certiÀcate of candidacy and greeted a huge crowd of supporters in Manila. Pacquiao released a statement after signing his pledge where he revealed he wants to give the poor a better chance of a good life. He added he would push for free public schools up to college level and increase protection for Filipino workers overseas. On October 5, upon announcing his plans to stand in the elections in 2016, Pacquiao said: ‘In the coming days, I will be embracing new
levels of responsibility. I will be confronting tough challenges.’ Pacquiao’s political aspirations do not imminently signal the end of his boxing career. His last bout was the moneyspinning defeat to Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas in May and four days later, went under the knife to repair a shoulder injury he Àrst sustained three weeks before the Àght and aggravated in the fourth round of the encounter. Pacquiao is set to be back in training in November or December, with a return to the ring in March 2016. He has been linked with a Àght against Amir Kahn.
Rosberg Blames Bad Luck For Faltering F1 Season NICO Rosberg has rued a campaign he deems to have been fraught with bad luck after his hopes of winning the Formula One title all but ended in Russia on Sunday. The German, who lost out to Lewis Hamilton at last year’s championship decider in Abu Dhabi, led the opening phase of the race, but was forced to retire with a throttle issue after seven laps. With Hamilton subsequently sauntering to his ninth victory of the season, Rosberg is now 73 points adrift of his Mercedes team-mate with just 100 left on the table. Indeed Rosberg, now third in the standings behind Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, will be eliminated from the championship battle at the next race in Texas if Hamilton outscores him by two points. ‘It is disappointing to see how this year has just been a lot of bad luck,’ said Rosberg, whose retirement in Russia marked the second time in four races he has failed to reach the Ànish. ‘Just when I needed to launch an attack and go the other way it is just one thing after another - many small things - and some major things and race-stoppers have just derailed it in the last months. That has been tough.’ Rosberg, winner of only three grands prix this season, added: ‘You have to be realistic now as it is a lot of points, but it does not change my approach. We are still pushing to the maximum. I am committed and going for it.
•Rosberg
KENYA’S Laban Korir lines up in defence of his Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon title this Sunday (18) knowing that all eyes will be upon him in the IAAF Gold Label Road Race. A year ago he overhauled his compatriot, Peter Some, at roughly 30 kilometres and went on to a surprising victory in 2:08:15. There most likely won’t be a surprise this time, at least not from the 29year-old Kenyan; the strong Àeld assembled for this year’s race will watch him more closely. “It’s not a lot of pressure,” said Korir, who earlier this year showed his form with a 2:07:54 clocking in Paris. “I am ready. I know that the Àeld is so strong so I trained very well. I know to win is easy but to defend is not an easy job. I trained very well. I think my shape is better than early in the season in Paris.” Deressa Chimsa of Ethiopia set the course record of 2:07:05 two years ago and was originally scheduled to take on Korir this time but he became ill a few weeks ago and was forced to withdraw. Nevertheless, Korir faces a strong challenge from Some, who clocked 2:05:38 to win in Paris two years ago and vows to run less aggressively early on, and from Michael Kipyego the steeplechaser-turned-marathon runner. The latter, a 32-year-old Kenyan, has a best of 2:06:48 from the 2011 Eindhoven marathon and ran 2:06:58 in Tokyo in both 2014 and 2013. Leading the Ethiopian contingent in Chimsa’s absence is 23-year-old Belay Assefa, who ran 2:07:10 a year ago in Hamburg. If there is a surprise then perhaps it will be the youngster who provides it. It could be as cold as 2C at the start of Sunday’s race, but Korir seemed nonplussed with the potentially cold conditions that are predicted. And he was given a positive send-off by his training partner Eliud Kipchoge, winner of the recent Berlin Marathon. “I think the weather is no problem because I am not the only one to conquer the cold weather,” said Korir. “If it is cold or not, I am capable of winning. When I was leaving, I talked with Eliud and he told me ‘you are ready, now go and defend the title’.” The women’s race is just as appealing with course recordholder Sharon Cherop returning to Toronto for the Àrst time since that day in 2010 when she recorded 2:22:43. It was a turning point in her career as the following year she was selected for Kenya’s 2011 IAAF World Championships team, earning a bronze medal in the marathon. A victory in Boston in 2012 was another major step upward. Cherop is 31 now and the mother of six-year-old Natalia. Her chief rival this weekend will be the Ethiopian teen sensation Shure Demise who ran 2:20:59 in her debut. That result is a world junior best – the IAAF does not keep junior records for this distance – and was achieved in Dubai this past January.
Saturday, October 17 - Friday, October 23, 2015 BACK PAGE 40
Desmond Ekwueme On SATURDAY
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Diezani, Ministerial Nominees And Female President
I DON’T want to join in the debate over the innocence or otherwise of former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke on the bribery allegation cum corruption charges against her. I also will not discuss the claim of cancer ailment by her family and the beautiful former public ofÀce holder. My position is borne from the fact that I always believe that time is the greatest healer and with time, the world would know the truth. I must also state that we (Nigerians) as a people are very gullible. Everything and anything concerning crime and corruption are taking hook, line and sinker. We are not to blame because our culture detests crime especially stealing. Therefore once a man is called a thief, we first run away from him like a leper and even if he is later found not guilty we still treat him like a thief. The reason behind this is simply that no Nigerian trusts him or herself. Little wonder why some people say to kill corruption you must first kill a Nigerian. It is so bad that we even paint ourselves and our beloved country with the colour of a thief and sadly we do this most times when we are in foreign lands. Now that most Nigerians believe that Diezani is indeed financially dirty and contributed immensely to the sorry state of our dear nation, I think we are deliberately telling every Nigerian woman particularly those seeking public offices and those already in government that the searchlight on corruption is on them, even though, it should be more on the men who do not only see women as unequal but more corrupt. As a result they (women) should not be entrusted with key positions and offices. Remember Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the former Speaker of the House of Reps? She was painted black and made to look like the devil. Whether you like it or not she still struggles in the public to adjust to normal life especially in public functions despite her clean bill of health as regards the N628m home renovation accusation leveled against her. I leave it there. Remember that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is in a war of words with former Finance Minister Dr. Mrs. Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala over Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot. Obasanjo said the amount recovered last was $2B but Okonjo-Iweala said it was $500m. This argument does not portray the former Finance Minister in a good light especially now that the present government is waging a total war on corruption. Recall that former Aviation Minister now a senator of the Federal Republic, Princess Stella Oduah was engulfed in financial misappropriation scandal before she found her way into the hallow chambers of the senate. Suffice this to mean that our women are gradually being shown the exit doors of power even as they struggle to make an impact and close the increasing yawning gap of inequality and gender discrimination in government. So far in President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of ministerial nominees, we have just three women Aisha Al-Hassan, Amina Mohammed and Kemi Adeosun. Three from 37 is not fair enough but when you look at the pictures painted of women in government before this administration came into office then, you won’t but agree with Buhari’s position and decision. However if you ask me, I think three is too few. There are honest, patriotic and diligent women in Nigeria. More so, the sincerity and quality of women we have should not be judged by just the ones that served under the immediate past administration. Systematically we have come to the agreement that women are not better than men in government. At least that is what our system has proven over time. This leads to the question, will a woman ever be president of Nigeria? My answer is yes! And here comes the bigger question, when? That no one can tell because the future of women in Nigerian political terrain is getting bleaker just as their chances of getting closer to the seat of president is getting slimmer. In fact, it is almost non-existent. It is not by accident therefore that none of the 36 state governors is a woman and perhaps just Hon. Rita Maduagwu is a speaker in all the36 state Houses of Assembly in the country. With women in power in Germany, Lithuania, Kosovo, South Korea, Chile, Croatia, Mauritius, Brazil, Argentina and Liberia we can only pray that Nigerian women should rise up, dust off the dirty robe they are consciously or unconsciously putting on and brace up to the real job of cleaning up the system, of course starting with themselves. And after that, aim higher to effect the real change in Nigeria.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER
Saraki’s Home Turns New Mecca NATIONAL Weekender’s checks has revealed that the Asokoro home of Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki has turned into a Mecca of some sort as Ministerial nominees, lobbyists and chieftains of his party –the All Progressives Congress who before have treated him like a plague by avoiding him since he fell out with them over his election as President of Senate have been swarming like bees in his home.
Before the screening exercise of the ministerial nominees commenced on Tuesday, no fewer than 14 of the nominees and their political godfathers paid courtesy calls and visits to Saraki who suddenly turned the beautiful bride since the first list of nominees was sent to him on the 30th of September and the second batch coming in on Monday. A top party official told National Weekender that, “it is a matter of necessity
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for them (nominees and their godfathers) to visit the Senate President because we have got to the point of horse-trading, the point of no return and the point of give and take. Those who before now have belittled him (Saraki) now understand that in politics you win some and lose some. They have made a fast u-turn and are now discussing with Sraki’s camp on how to move the party and Buhari’s government forward. That is the spirit of democracy.”
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‘I’m Back From Babylon’ •Majek Fashek Opens Up On Drug Ordeal By FRANCIS OGBONNA & AFEEZ RAJI ACE reggae artiste Majek Fashek has opened up to National Weekender on his ordeal with drugs. The “Send Down The Rain” crooner was cornered recently in Lagos by our correspondent and Majek sent a message thanking Nigerians for their prayers and good wishes while he was in the rehab in Abuja. “Tell my people that I will forever remain grateful for their love and prayers. I’m back from Babylon and I won’t return there because Jah is with me. Babylon is hell. Babylon can turn anyone upside down. I was in Babylon and I was in the wilderness.” Asked where Babylon was, Majek said, “Babylon was the ugly experience I passed through in those days in the wilderness. I was in Babylon before the exodus to Abuja (making reference to the rehab centre).” Asked what next for him, the songster said, “…Jah Àrst…peace and others will follow. Jah man is happy that things are looking up again. I‘m heading to Canaan.” Recall that Majek has not been the same person that thrilled the music world with his inspirational songs since he returned from America. Friends and close associates have rallied round him to help Àx his problem which led to the Rehab Centre in Abuja where he spent six weeks. The musician has put on weight and looks better than he was before entering the rehab. One of his friends who wants to remain anonymous said, “all we need do for him now is keep praying. He really needs it now. We want God to perfect His work which He started with the rehab move.”
NATIONAL WEEKENDER is Published by SportsDay Printing & Publishing Company Limited. Corporate Head OfÀce: 19 Gbemisola Street, Off Allen Avenue Ikeja Lagos. Tel: 234 1 3426352. Editor: DESMOND EKWUEME. All Correspondence to the above address, ISSN: 23543043