Binder777777 sunday, may 11, 2014

Sunday Edition

Sanctity of Truth Sunday, May 11, 2014

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Vol. 1 No. 82

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Nigeria’s most authoritative newspaper in politics and business

POLITICS/FAITH

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Sanctity of Truth

ON SUNDAY

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Bamanga Tukur’s wife, Fatima, sparkles

Page 15, MAY 11, 2014

NTWEEKEND ONLINE AT www.newtelegraphonline.com/body&soul

We watch Arsenal matches together

Look your best at work every day

-Tee A and wife

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My driving force is the desire to be good –Prof. Ashiru

Boko Haram abducts DPO’s wife, children

lObama’s wife, Mandela’s widow demand release of Chibok school-girls lInterpol combs Cameroon, others lUS, Nigeria seek UN action

Pupils receiving Maths lesson in a dilapidated classroom in Yolde Kohi Primary School near Yola, Adamawa State... recently

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Power generation hits 4,500 megawatts – Minister Biyi Adegoroye

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inister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has attributed current significant improvement in power sup-

lFG connects South-East to gas network ply in Lagos, Abuja and a few other cities in the country to systematic increase in gas supply to power plants

across the country.

Nebo said that in the last two weeks, the country has generated a total of

4,500 megawatts of power, an increase of about 1,500 megawatts. This was made possible, he said, through

strategic synergising between the Ministries of Power and Petroleum for some time now.

Speaking on a Channels Television programme monitored in Lagos, Nebo

said: “Lagos has been an Eldorado of sort, with the supply of 450 mega watts of power, as against 300 previously supplied.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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SUNDAY 11 MAY 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

News

Boko Haram abducts DPO’s wife, two kids

Ibrahim Abdul

M Yola

embers of the Boko Haram sect continued their horrendous activities on Friday night, attacking Liman Kara, a village bordering Adamawa and Borno States, and abducting the wife of a divisional police officer and his two children.

The insurgents also bombed houses and blew off a bridge linking the two states in a desperate bid to deter soldiers from pursuing them after it appears that they had fled across the border Residents of the community said that the insurgents had engaged soldiers in a fierce battle that lasted for hours before they destroyed the link bridge between Adamawa and Borno .

“The affected bridge is a vital one connecting Adamawa with Borno State. They burnt our houses, abducted the wife of a police officer and his two children. The fleeing sect members destroyed the bridge in anger to frustrate troops from pursuing them,” a fleeing resident said.

According to him, the damage of the bridge would not allow armoured vehicles to pass through and their target was to halt the movement of troops across their hideouts in Sambisa. ‘’They also looted our food stuff and other domestic animals,’’ he said.

Another resident said that

the insurgents blew up the bridge when they were withdrawing from the attack. ‘’They came in over 10 vehicles, including an armoured tank while others were on motor bikes, and the soldiers stationed there who were only about 16 in number could not repel the attack,” he said.

He added that many houses were destroyed while many people were feared dead. None of the survivors who fled for their lives could not give details of the casualty.

When contacted, Chairman Madagali local government Mr. Abawu James Watharda confirmed the attack but could give details of casualties.

He said: “I can’t give the casualty figures, but already over 3,000 people have fled the area to Madagali town.

The refugees are in need of assistance. They need food and other necessities.”

The sect members had in recent time raided many villages for food as it could be recalled that only last Wednesday’s night the dreaded sect members struck in Kishirnga village of the same, stealing two herds of cows numbering about 170.

The group had earlier in the week blown up a bridge in Gamboru-Ngala, linking Nigeria and Cameroon, in a desperate bid to deter soldiers pursuing them after it appeared that they have fled across the border with

some of the schoolgirls, abducted on April 14. They also kidnapped eight children in another attack.

Their recent horrendous activities have attracted international outrage, with the international community united in its condemnation of the group. Britain, the US, France and China have all sent military assistance to Nigeria to help track down the missing girls and have promised logistical support to eliminate the terrorist sect.

Major General Chris Olukolade, military defence

headquarters spokesman said: “The affected bridge is a vital one connecting Nigeria with Cameroon.

The fleeing sect members destroyed the bridge in anger to frustrate troops from pursuing them. The way they destroyed the bridge, only light vehicles can manage to pass. The damage will not allow armoured vehicles to pass through and their target is to halt the movement of troops across the border.”

Gamboru has been an area where Boko Haram has been very active and in January

2013 it took control of more than eight local government areas in northern Borno State bordering Cameroon. These included Gamboru- Ngala, Marte, Mobbar, Gubio, Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, and Kala-Balge but Nigerian troops succeeded in regaining the control of the area.

Meanwhile, parents in Northern states may soon begin withdrawing their daughters from schools in the region, to prevent a repeat of the Chibok incident.

Telegraph of London quotes a teacher in Yolde-Kohi Pri-

mary School near Yola, Adamawa State, Habu Umara as saying that some of his pupils’ parents had threatened to pull out their daughters.

A Telegraph reporter, who met Umara where he was teaching 50 young pupils Maths in a shack with barely any seats and half the roof falling down, quoted him as saying, “Some of my pupils’ parents have said that if the abducted girls don’t get rescued, they will take their own girls out of school. They are waiting for the news.”

L-R: Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji; his wife, Mercy; first lady, Patience Jonathan; Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, and his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, during the funeral service for the father of Hon. Nkiruka Onyejiocha, member representing Isukwuato/ Umunneochi Federal Contituency at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Umueze, Amuda Isuochi, Umunneochi LGA, Abia state… yesterday.

Mandela’s widow charges world leaders to search for Chibok girls Johnchuks Onuanyim

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he wife of late Nelson Mandela, Graça, has charged world leaders to search and rescue the abducted school girls of Chibok Community in Borno State.

Machel, who broke her mourning silence to write to #BringBackOurGirls# group was of the opinion that the world should deploy all the energy and resources deployed to search for the missing Malaysian

plane with 239 passengers.

In the letter she personally signed, she said, “I decided to break the restrictions of my mourning because silence is not an option. I know however, that Madiba will understand and approve.”

To the abducted girls she said, “If someone somehow can get this message to our girls, even if is just the wind whispering to them, we want them to know that we love them and we care for them. Their plight has touched millions of hearts

in Africa and beyond. We send them waves of love and comfort, to warm their hearts and dry their tears.

We pray for them and look forward to the day when they will embrace their parents and families at home.

“We send them waves of energy to keep their inner selves strong and resilient.

When the dark night in the forest is overwhelming, they must lift their eyes to the sky. The stars are watching over them. They must not lose hope and they must

not succumb to fear and despair, even in the most adverse of circumstances they find themselves in. We love them always.”

For the parents of the girls, she said, “I am a parent and so I stand among you holding your hands, in pain and anguish; in solidarity.

There are millions of parents in Africa and beyond, who genuinely feel that your girls are our girls. We want them safe and back in the loving and caring space of their families.

“We demand alongside you the parents, that the Nigerian government does everything in its power to locate all the girls, make sure they are safe, and bring them back home.; All of them.

“It is government’s first and foremost responsibility to protect its citizens, and keep them safe. If the world can mobilise all the means possible to search for a plane carrying 239 passengers, certainly it can also mobilise the means to find our girls. They deserve nothing less.

“We want to see the same resolve, commitment and focus from the Nigerian government, African governments and of course those governments who have the capacity and resources to save our girls.

We stand among you.

We hold your hands. In solidarity“ The over 200 girls of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, were abducted on April 14 in their school premises.

We are outraged, heartbroken, says Michelle Obama US

First Lady Michelle Obama has said she and her husband Barack Obama were “outraged and heartbroken” over the abduction on April 14 of over 240 girls from their school, and called for their release.

Speaking instead of her husband in the weekly presidential address, Michelle said the mass kidnap of the schoolgirls was part of a wider pattern of threats and intimidation facing girls around the world who pursue an education.

British Broadcasting Corporation reports that Mrs.

Obama, who spoke ahead of Mother’s Day in the US today, (Sunday), said the girls reminded her and her husband of their own daughters.

“What happened in Nigeria was not an isolated incident. It’s a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions,” she said.

She cited the Pakistani schoolgirl and campaigner, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and wounded by the Taliban for speaking out for girls’ education. “The courage and hope embodied by

Malala and girls like her around the world should serve as a call to action,” Mrs. Obama said.

It is unusual for a US first lady to make outspoken foreign policy remarks, but Mrs. Obama has campaigned for the girls’ release.

Michelle Obama has often appeared alongside her husband during the weekly address, but this is the first time she has delivered the speech alone.

Earlier this week, she tweeted a picture of herself in the White House holding a sign with the message

“#BringBackOurGirls”.

The UN Security Council expressed outrage over the abductions, saying it would consider “appropriate measures” against Boko Haram. The US is seeking to have UN sanctions imposed on the group.

Meanwhile, the movement to raise awareness and ultimately secure the kidnapped girls continues to gain momentum globally as some celebrities and political leaders have joined the fray.

Anne Hathaway attended a protest in Los Ange-

les. She and her husband, Adam Shulman, reportedly surprised the protesters, showing up and leading the crowd in chants.

Filmmaker Ramaa Mosley was also in attendance.

She told Entertainment Tonight that Hathaway’s “voice was louder than everybody else. They were yelling at all the cars (passing by)!”

Speaking to Yahoo’s own Katie Couric, Mosley, who helped popularise the #bringbackourgirls hashtag, said she first heard about the mass kidnappings on

April 23 on the radio. “I was heartbroken, I was sickened. I couldn’t believe this could happen in 2014.”

Mosley continued, “I am completely inspired and have so much respect for the Nigerian people. …

They raised their voices up that we could hear it. I am so honoured that I could help in the ways I have been able to.”

Other celebrities who have posted messages of support for the kidnapped girls include Amy Poehler and Alicia Keys.

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 11 MAY 2014

News

Jonathan, Buhari, govs, others honour Awujale Kunle Olayeni

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Abeokuta

resident Goodluck Jonathan and a former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday joined Nigerians from all walks of life to honour the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, as the monarch celebrated his 80th birthday.

It was at a grand luncheon party held at the Otunba Dipo Dina International

Stadium, Ijebu-Ode to round off a week-long activities marking the traditional ruler’s birthday.

The Ogun State Government also used the occasion to name the first flyover in Ijebu-Ode, located at Lagos Garage area of the town, after Oba Adetona.

In attendance were Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; his Bayelsa State counterpart, Hon. Seriake Dickson; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; former Lagos State

lOgun govt names flyover after Oba Adetona Governor, Asiwaju BolaTinubu; former Oyo State Governor, Chief Omololu Olunloyo; as well as former governors in Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

Among other dignitaries at the event were the President, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga; National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,

Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; former House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Masari; former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Senator Adegbenga Kaka; Senator Gbenga Obadara; Senator Lekan Mustapha; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Otunba Subomi Balogun; Chief Razak Okoya; Chief Sunny Kuku; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Dr. Oba Otudeko; and former Deputy Governor

L-R: Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; host and Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu; Obi of Onisha, Nnaemeka Achebe; Alake of Egba Land, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, and Olori omoba Ijebu Land, Otunba Subomi Balogun, at the 80th birthday of the Awujale of Ijebuland held at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State… yesterday

Disengaged Imo workers: Abia gov blasts Okorocha Ikechukwu Ucheoma Umuahia

A

bia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, on Friday accused Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, of being insensitive to the plight of Imo workers disengaged from the Abia State Civil Service.

He was reacting to a statement credited to Okorocha on May Day, in which he was said to be apologising on behalf of Imo workers sacked by Orji’s government and were yet to be Dele Alao

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he Federal Government has said it plans to grow 17 million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country by seeking the assistance of the Stock Exchange.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, said this during the World Economic Forum on Africa, 2014 Small and Medium Enterprises Summit, in Abuja.

The minister said the country stood a better chance of creating more jobs for Nigerians if the sector was well

re-engaged.

The Abia governor, however, said his administration had so far re-engaged a total of 2,133 workers back into its civil service, majority of whom are from Imo State.

Addressing newsmen on the matter at the Government House, Umuahia on Friday, Chief Press Secretary to the Abia State Governor, Mr. Charles Ajunwa, said Okorocha’s statement was unfair on Governor Orji and the state government.

He added that it was wrong for the Imo State governor to use the occasion of May

Day to castigate his Abia State counterpart.

According to him, the Imo governor’s apology to workers was unfair.

He said Orji had shown love and compassion to his citizens., adding that although Abia indigenes were the first to be disengaged by neighbouring states, the Abia State Government was able to quickly reabsorb them without fuss.

He explained that Orji wrote to his colleagues in the South-East before disengaging non-Abians in the

state civil service, wherein he explained the reason for his action.

Ajunwa stated that with an increase in its Internally Generated Revenue profile, the Abia State Government rescinded its earlier decision and had been striving to reabsorb all those affected by that decision.

He challenged Okorocha to reabsorb Imo indigenes yet to be re-engaged by the Abia State Government just like Orji did to Abia citizens when they were sacked rather than playing to the gallery.

SMEs: FG to partner Stock Exchange

developed.

He said, “The SME sector is one area that we want to grow as much as possible because, naturally, Nigerians are entrepreneurs. They know how to work hard to make money. Moreover, the return on investment in the country is quite high because there are so many opportunities that are yet to be fully explored. For new businesses that are coming on board, it is always difficult to access money. We have different sources of funding, for instance, for

debt capital, you go to the banks to borrow money but for equity capital, it comes from the entrepreneurs or from other sources. We want to create venture capital because we don’t have enough here.

“Also, we want to work with the Stock Exchange to make sure that SMEs can raise money from the second tier market and then get private equity players who can come in and build skills and help with the businesses.

Currently, we are looking at areas where we can have

clusters for SMEs in order to make it easier for them to have shared facilities to boost their productivity.”

He noted that the country was working on a number of initiatives that would enhance the financing of the SMEs value chain by developing innovative ways of attracting finance.

He also said the country was working with the United States Government to boost the export of Nigerian products to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo.

Traditional rulers that graced the celebration included the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Michael Sonariwo; Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle; Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Olusanya Dosunmu; and Osile of Oke-Ona, Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso.

While paying glowing tribute to Oba Adetona, President Jonathan, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Brig-Gen. Jones Arogbofa (retd), described the monarch as a ‘big masquerade’.

He commended the traditional ruler’s enormous contributions to the development of the country, urging well-meaning Nigerians to emulate him.

Jonathan also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians to cooperate with the Federal Government in addressing the current deplorable security situation in Nigeria.

In his remarks, Buhari congratulated the Awujale for joining the league of octogenarians, saying the monarch is exceptionally lucky.

“The Awujale has wit-

nessed all the political processes in the country. He is an exceptionally lucky person and I congratulate the people of Ijebuland for having a steadfast leader of great quality,” he stated.

The Bayelsa governor commended Oba Adetona for promoting the cause of harmony and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

Earlier in his address, Amosun extolled the virtues of Oba Adetona, describing him as a ‘colossus’.

The governor noted that apart from using his position to redefine the landscape of Ijebuland, the monarch had also used his wealth of experience to assist various governments.

“Kabiyesi is a colossus. He is one Oba that represents the finest and the best in the traditional institution. He is fearless. He uses his wealth of experience to help government; he doesn’t use it to fight government,” he said.

Amosun thereafter named the first flyover constructed by his administration in Ijebu-Ode after Oba Adetona.

Responding, the Awujale expressed appreciation to Nigerians who trooped out to celebrate with him during the various activities marking his 80th birthday.

He lauded other traditional rulers within Ijebu kingdom for their cooperation, which he noted had contributed to the peace enjoyed in the area.

‘Gas for South-East’ C O N T I N UE D F R O M PA G E 1

Nebo attributed this to the recent completion of the repair of vandalized gas pipe line which supplied gas from escravos to Lagos.

He expressed optimism that with sustained gas supply, complemented by hydro-power as water level of the dams increases, electricity generation would increase to about 6,500 mega watts for distribution in many parts of the country.

“Arrangements are ongoing to attain equilibrium in gas supply to the Eastern and other parts of the country within the third quarter of next year, many cities in the country will have more power for business and other activities. By the end of June, as President Goodluck Jonathan said, many cities in the country will have 18 hours power supply,” he said.

Lamenting the major cause of power outage in the country, Nebo said: “It breaks my heart see our youths vandalizing our electricity infrastructures.

In Delta State in particular, some youths were arrested and they confessed they

axed electricity transformers and other coppers there worth N27million, melting and selling them to fabricators of cloth hangers for N45, 000.”

He called for the enactment of “robust legal framework in the form of legislation with high jail term against vandalism, in order to deter such criminals. On the alternative, he called for more employment opportunities to engage the youths and sway them from criminal activities.

On the part of the his Ministry, Nebo said, the National Power Training Institute is training thousands of youths for employment in the power sector, and recently, the Subsidy ReInvestment Programme has bought into it, underwriting the cost of training over 200 for engagement in the power sector.

He said the products of the institute will increase the local content in the electricity distribution, generating and transmitting companies recently established to avoid domination of the work force by the foreigners as against what obtains in the oil and gas sector.

4

Moments

L-R: Group Managing Director, Chams, Sir Demola Aladekomo; Chairman, Honeywell Group, Dr. Oba Otudeko; and Chairman Plc, Board of Directors, Chams Plc, Ayo Richards, at the post-Annual General Meeting/Stakeholders’ Forum organised by Chams …on Thursday

L-R: I.T Vice-President, Schneider Electric, West Africa, Ayo Adegboye; Vice-President, IT Business, Middle-East and Africa, Thiery Chamayou; Managing Director, Resourcery, Tani Fafunwa; and Senior Business Manager, Bisike Uba, during the presentation of “Elite Data Center partner” to Resourcery by Scheider Electric, in Lagos..on Thursday

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha (right); receiving a document from the Head, Shared Service, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Chidi Umeano, during a visit of the bank’s officials to the governor in Owerri …on Friday

L-R: Chairman, Personnel Practitioners Consultative Association (PPCA) Lagos Island Chapter, Mr. Reginald Akwobi-Roberts; Guest Speaker, Sir Chris Ogbechie; Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Emmanuel Imafidon; and Chairman (PPCA), Lekki Chapter, Mr. Adeniyi Aromolaran, at the 12th Annual lecture held in Lagos. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Managing Director, Azura, Dr. David Ladipo (left), and Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, Mr. Austin Avuru, after the agreement signing ceremony for the Aura-Edo US$1 billion 450MW gas turbine power project in Abuja

L-R: Human Resources Manager, Bristow Helicopter, Dr. Femi Collins; Managing Director/CEO, Capt. Akin Oni; and Group Managing Director, Verdanlzeal Marketing Communications Limited, Mr. Tunji Olugbodi, during a press conference on the achievements of Bristow Helicopters, in Lagos.

L-R: National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba; Deputy Governor, Ekiti State, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; Governor Kayode Fayemi; and his wife, Erelu Bisi, during a Fund Raising Dinner, hosted by “Friends of JKF” in Lagos... on Friday.

Chairman, Stallion Group, Mr. Sunil Vaswani in a handshake with President Goodluck Jonathan while Chairman/CEO, Nissan Motor Company, Mr. Carlos Ghosn (middle) looks on

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

L-R: Territory Sales Manager, Ijebu, Airtel Nigeria, Olufemi Otunla; Head Teacher, St. John’s Anglican Primary School, Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, Mr. Adewale Oladele; Education Secretary, Ijebu North Local Government, Alhaja Mistura Tanwa Balogun; and Airtel’s Area Business Manager, Lagos North, Mr Akinsola Omoniyi, during the presentation of eye glasses to pupils of the school in Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State

L-R: Category Marketing Manager(Standard Milk), Nutricima Limited, Mr. Raphael Agbaje; Head of Marketing, Mrs. Wande Oluwasegunfunmi; e-raffle draw presenter, Ifedayo Olarinde aka Freeze; Head, Trade Marketing, Nutricima Limited, Ojoma Okotie-Dimas; and IMC Manager, Mr. Funsho Jacob, at the grand finale of the e-raffle draw to select winners in the Nutricima Mega Cash Promo in Lagos…on Friday

5

Moments

L-R: Manager, Special Products, Honeywell Flour Mills PLC, Jumoke Moses; founder, Women Inspiration and Enterprise, Dee Poku; Head, Group Human Resources, HFMP, Juliana Ezezobor, and Brand Activation Manager, Ebele Oluwalana, at the Women Inspiration and Enterprise Africa symposium supported by Honeywell Flour Mills PLC, in Lagos…yesterday.

L-R: Manager, Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Orah Egwu; Winner of Etisalat branded laptop, Odunmbaku Gideon; Analyst, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Michael Nwoseh; Winner of Etisalat branded laptop, Balogun Rilwan; and Manager, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Idiareno Atimomo during the presentation of gifts at the 43rd edition of Etisalat Cliqfest, at the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State...on Thursday

L-R: Medical Officer, Ojokoro LCDA, Lagos, Dr. Abimbola Adekoya; Supervisor for Agric, Social and Community Development, Ojokoro LCDA, Hammed Tijani; Managing Director, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani; and General Manager, Air Conditioning and Energy Solutions, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Junhwa Jeong, during the presentation of Mosquito Away Air Conditioners and treated mosquito nets to Ojokoro Primary Health Centre by LG Electronics in Lagos

L-R: Vice-Chairman, Annual Conference, District 9110, Rotary International, Mr. Segun Ogunye; District Governor, Mr. Olugbemiga Olowu; and Chairman, Annual Conference, District 9110, RI, Mrs. Antonia Taiwo, during the press conference on the Annual conference of RI in Lagos… on Thursday.

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Segun Odusanya; Managing Director, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Mr. Rumundaka Wonodi; and Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo, at the Azura transaction closure summit in Abuja recently

Chief Executive Officer, Contact Centre Support Professionals Limited (left), Erica Ayenuro, presenting the African’s Most Trusted Quality Building Materials Company Award to Executive Director, Emel Group, Jomy Antony, at the Africa Quality Achievement Awards 2014 in Lagos recently

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

News LAGOS

FCT

Amosun’s wife donates furniture to school

IPMAN resolves crises, elects new officers

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L-R: Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano; Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and President Goodluck Jonathan, at the ground breaking ceremony of NIMASA Shipyard, Dockyard and Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, in Warri, Delta State…on Saturday

Chibok: INTERPOL combs Cameroon,others T Anule Emmanuel

he International Criminal Police Organisation, INTERPOL, has said it will carry out a comprehensive search within Nigeria and across the globe to rescue over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State on April 14.

President Goodluck Jonathan stated this yesterday in Gbaramatu Kingdom where he performed the groundbreaking ceremonies of the NIMASA Shipyard and Dockyard at Okerenkoko and Nigeria Maritime University at Kurutie, Delta State.

According to Jonathan, INTERPOL President, Mrs. Mireille Ballestrazzi, vowed that the organisation would fish out the girls wherever they may be.

While assuring Nigerians that the girls cannot be sold as threatened by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a recent video clip, the President used the occasion to again thank the international community for rising up in unison to condemn the abduction as well as resolving to fish out the girls wherever they may be.

He told the people of the Ijaw nation that “the international community is angry with the whole thing.

We have support from other countries; we promise the world that we must get the girls out. I am very pleased with the support coming from the United States, the United Kingdom, France

the Republic of China, Israel, Spain and others.

“I am happy with the cooperation we are getting from neighbouring countries - Cameroon, Niger ,Chad and Benin, we are totally committed to making sure that we these girls out. I just had a communication with the President of INTERPOL who said they are ready to work with the Nigerian government to search the whole world. Wherever these girls are, we must get them.

“And I believe that no sane person will attempt to kill those girls.”

On the twin projects that brought him to the community, the President expressed delight that development can now take place in the Niger Delta because the people have embraced peace.

He recalled his last visit to Gbaramatu Kingdom in 2007 to negotiate for amnesty, saying, “I was here the on a journey when nobody could smile. It was a very tense situation because there was a lot of crisis in this part of the country.

“That tells us clearly that without peace, there will not be development on earth.

Collectively, we will rebuild this community now that there is peace. We are pleased with this community, we are pleased with the Niger Delta for now. Generally, the Niger Delta is relatively peaceful and that is why development is now coming in.”

Speaking on the importance of the projects, the President noted that on completion,

jobs would be generated while the university would enhance capacity building in the maritime sector.

He therefore, called on the sons and daughters of the region to take advantage of the various programmes available in NIMASA and

Amnesty Office to enhance their skills.

Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, in his address thanked the President for his support for the transport sector, saying the two projects would boost the maritime sector on completion.

n fulfilment of her 48th birthday anniversary pledge, the wife of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, on Friday donated over 150 chairs and tables to the students of Ajuwon High School (Senior), Iju-Ajuwon in Ifo Local Government area of the state.

Amosun said the donation was as a result of the promise she made to the students when she visited the school as part of activities marking her 48th birthday celebration in the school.

She gave the assurance that her Uplift Development Foundation through the UPLIFTing Schools programme would distribute more chairs and tables to other schools in the state as part of measures aimed at making learning more conducive for Ogun State students as well as improving quality of lives of the people.

James Nwabueze Abuja

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he leadership crises rocking the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in the past months may have ended, with the association electing new national officers.

The election which was the high point of the IPMAN Annual General Meeting in Abuja on Friday, saw 12 new national officers emerging to pilot the affairs of the association in the next five years.

The new leaders are Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo as the national president;AlhajiAbubkar Maigandi as deputy national president; while Danladi Pasali emerged as the national secretary.

Others include Mr. Bola Adeleke (national treasurer); Hammed Fashola (national assistant secretary); Dr. Leo Nkameme (national organising secretary); Yakubu Dimka (national auditor).

Consumers hail MTN Xtra –Time service Azubike Nnadozie

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housands of MTN customers are celebrating the innovative approach of the GSM giant in meeting consumers at their point of need through the MTN Xtra time which allows eligible customers access to advance emergency credit to make calls even when their call credit is already reading zero.

The customer is enabled to pay back upon his next recharge.

First launched two months ago, the product has rapidly become a hot consumer favourite for its capacity to help

them respond to emergencies and get themselves off potentially embarrassing or even dangerous situations.

Hailed for its convenience and versatility, several consumers across the Lagos commercial landscape say they are grateful to MTN for making life more enriching for them.

“It used to be difficult in those days when you suddenly run out of credit late at night and you urgently need to make a call and there was little you could do especially if there was nobody nearby whose phone you could borrow.”

Projects: Amaechi shops for fresh funds Joe Ezuma

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Port Harcourt

ivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday said his administration would need more funds from the State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to complete ongoing projects in the state.

To this end, Amaechi has invigorated the State revenue Board by swearing-in a New one as well as new judicial officers. The governor, who spoke shortly after simultaneously swearing in the chairman of the State Board of Internal Revenue, Onene Osila Obele-Oshoko, and three members of the State Judicial Service Commission, noted that it was the responsibility of the Board of Internal Revenue to ensure that more funds accrue to the state from taxes and levies to assist government expenditure.

The three JSC members are Mr. Jackson Orage, Mr. Tonye Lolomari and High Chief Ambrose Igbokwe Nwuzi.

He said that increased funding was needed from internal

sources to enable his administration to complete the new state-of-the-art Rivers State University of Science and Technology at the Greater Port Harcourt City among other ongoing projects across the state.

While congratulating the appointees on their appointment, Amaechi recalled that the state’s revenue base jumped up shortly after he became governor of Rivers State and urged Oshoko to plug all loopholes in tax payments to sustain the increase in IGR. He urged them to rededicate themselves to their responsibilities, saying, “When we took over government, it was N2.5 billion in a month. We have got to N6 billion and I hear we are doing an average of N8 billion now. It’s still not enough. Our recurrent expenditure has gone up to N8.9 billion, so we need to be able to make between N10 and N11 billion for the IGR to be able to at least handle our recurrent expenditure.”

Amaechi congratulated the three new appointees of the Judicial Service Commission.

“Let me congratulate the newly appointed officers of the State Judicial Service Commission and enjoin you to discharge your responsibilities in a manner that all of us will believe that we have been fairly treated. I hope that the current crisis in the judi-

ciary will be resolved soon,” he said.

In an interview with Government House Press, ObeleOshoko gave the assurance that more efficient measures would be taken to stop touting and illegal collection of tax revenue.

Suswam woos investors

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overnor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State on Saturday urged investors to utilise the friendly atmosphere of the state to invest in agriculture and energy.

Suswam made the call while speaking to newsmen at the venue of the joint Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and United States Investors’ Summit held in Abuja.

The governor said the state required investment in agriculture and energy in order to realise its status of being called the ``food basket of the nation.’’

He explained that adding value to agriculture produce entailed stable elec-

tricity, adding that Benue was yet to be linked to the national grid since its creation in 1976.

Suswam declared that infrastructure deficit being experienced by states in the North, especially Benue, made the region a destination point for investors in the sector.

He said that Northern governors were making efforts to reposition the region.

“Benue State has coal and with the recent discovery of gas in commercial quantity, exploring and exploiting energy to support industrialisation in the state has become profitable,’’ he said.

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Fashola warns residents against false alarm

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Muritala Ayinla

overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has appealed to residents in the state to desist from spreading false and fear message through social media, urging to always to channel their security verified information to the appropriate agencies.

Fashola’s reaction might not be unconnected with rumour of abduction of another set of school girls in some parts of Lagos and the report of Boko Haram’s attack on LagosIbadan Expressway which circulated in the social media recently.

The governor who charged residents not to be voluntary purveyors of messages of fear that can

cause panic, said broadcast of false and fear message do not help the society but heightens the tension in the country.

Fashola spoke at the end of the 11th Executive/Legislative parley which was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac, adding that residents must resolve that any message that is likely to cause panic must not be forwarded to other people but security agencies so that the link through which panic can spread will be broken.

He said: “Don’t help to transfer those kinds of viral messages. They do not help the public, if there are any such messages you are aware of, send it to us and don’t pass it on to your friend because your friend cannot do anything about it. We can, if it occurs”.

“So we must stop passing those kind of messages of fear and be assured that security agencies are working round the clock. We will check everything that we see. I have told the Policemen and all other law enforcement agencies that nothing that is suspicious must be left to any chance.

We must check and double check”.

“There may be inconvenience to some citizens but I assure you that I have told the officers not to take undue advantage or any advantage of the need to enforce for an improved vigilance and security checks.”

The governor also appealed for restraint, patience and tolerance by citizens and residents, maintaining that all the measures are in the entire public interest, assuring:

“Other than that, carry on with your life, your State is safe”.

Fashola also advised the people to stop looking at things in terms of threats because life is a mixture of the good and bad and by many measures it is observed, the State and nation have experienced more good than bad.

He added that there could be hills and valleys in a journey but the hope and assurance is that the nation will stay afloat on more of the hills and quickly get out of the valleys when she slips into them.

While using the opportunity to localize some of the issues, the governor said Government is doing its very level best to ensure that all the residents and visitors are safe as there should be no cause for alarm.

LAGOS Dana Air launches app

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ana Air has launched its mobile and social media sales and distribution solution called ‘flydana mobile’.

Head of Commercial, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo, while speaking at the launch of FlyDana Mobile App, said it is expected to further improve the all-round passenger travel experience in areas relating to searching and booking flights as well as checking-in.

The FlyDana App is an enhanced and innovative distribution channel that will allow passengers and customers to view flight information and availability in real-time while giving them the option to book and pay for flights from the comfort of their homes or on the move. With the introduction of the mobile App, Dana Air has further aligned its vision with technology in providing innovative and pioneering solutions centered on improving passenger experience.

Jalingo

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2015: Edo PDP woos Ize Iyamu Cajetan Mmuta Benin

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embers of a faction of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State loyal to Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu have turned the beautiful bride of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2015 state and National Assembly elections in the state.

The leadership of the PDP in the state as at yesterday morning was making deft moves, with a crucial meeting with the Pastor Ize Iyamu group to woo them as well as hundreds of APC faithful who quit the ruling party over the controversial outcome of the recent membership registration as well as ward and local government congresses.

A top loyalist to Pastor Ize Iyamu, who preferred anonymity, told New Tele-

graph on Sunday that the leadership of the PDP in the state had indicated interest to visit the group for possible discussions but was silent on the shape that such would take.

The group is said to be seriously weighing all the available options before its members, with a view to ensuring a safe landing that will guarantee them positive opportunities and avoid costly mistakes.

“Yes, you are right because we are talking and weighing the options with the PDP. But we are taking our time because you know we have just resigned from our party. However, we don’t want to be stampeded and we want to avoid making mistakes. We are looking at the most available option of a particular political party to choose for our members.

It’s too early to draw conclusions now and like I said we

don’t want to be hasty in our decisions,” he said.

Another strong apostle of the Ize Iyamu political movement and ex-Special Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Project Monitoring, Osaretin Edosonwan, said the former APC members had resolved to move to a new platform.

Edosonwan said, “We have crossed the Rubicon, we have resigned; the die is cast. What we are doing is not about Pastor Ize Iyamu; it is about our people and let the truth, the people’s will prevail.”

But the South senatorial leader of the PDP, Dickson Imasogie, told our correspondent on the telephone yesterday that the former APC members are set to join the PDP by next week.

Imasogie said the state PDP leadership and the Ize Iyamu group were in a

meeting over their possible return to the party.

Indications point to the PDP as the most available platform for the group, considering the nearness of the forthcoming elections. There are fears that it is too late for the group to form a new political party that can make an impact in the 2015 elections in the state.

Findings showed that some of Ize Iyamu’s loyalists under the umbrella of Grace Group are also said to be at crossroads at the moment about the attempt to join the PDP. Some of the chieftains claim that this was a platform they dumped several years ago after they were unjustly deregistered as members during the second term of the PDP led government of former governor, Lucky Igbinedion.

More worrisome is the influence of Oshiomhole, who is said to be reaching out to some of them to return back to the APC in the state.

News

OWERRI S’East magistrates to meet Monday Steve Uzoechi

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agistrates in the SouthEast are expected to hold their biennial conference from Monday May 12 to Wednesday May 14, 2014 at the City Global Hotels on Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, Imo State.

The theme of the event, which is being organised under the auspices of South East Magistrates Association of Nigeria, is, ‘The Contemporary Magistrate and the Need for a Paradigm Shift’.

The Chief Judge of Imo State, Justice B. A. Njemanze, will be the chairman of the event while Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour.

The conference will feature keynote addresses, lectures and talks from eminent jurists and visits to some choice locations in Owerri.

INEC orders billboards removal over early campaign Sabiu Mustapha

L-R: Special Adviser on Education to Ogun State Governor, Dr. Tunji Abimbola; Principal, Ajuwon High School (Senior), Iju Ajuwon, Alhaji Sekinat Omolola Ogunwolu; wife of the state governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun; and state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Segun Odubela, at the handing over ceremony of 150 chairs and table to the School as part of Mrs. Amosun’s 48th birthday celebration in Abeokuta...on Saturday

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given politicians in Taraba State seven days ultimatum to remove all campaign billboards and posters or face prosecution.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie, gave the directive at a stakeholders’ meeting in Jalingo.

Okojie warned against pasting of campaign posters now, stressing that it was contrary to the Electoral Act. “The commission has given those behind the erection of campaign billboards and pasting of

posters seven days within which to remove their billboards and posters.

“If they fail to comply with the directive, we will appeal to law enforcement agents to assist in removing them and possibly prosecute the culprits…We urge politicians to always play by the rules to instill sanity in the political arena,” he said.

Okojie said that the commission fixed general elections for February 2015, noting that political campaigns would start three months to the elections.

State chairmen of all registered political parties, representatives of women and youth groups attended the meeting.

Security men stop Kaduna protest Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

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he planned ‘Occupy Kaduna’ protest over the security challenges in the North was stopped by security, agents yesterday as scores of military and police men as well as Civil Defence personnel blocked all access roads leading to the Murtala Square venue of the protest .

A coalition of northern youths groups under the aegis of Northern Youths Consensus Movement had on Wednesday declared its intention to mobilise 150,000 youths from the region to occupy Kaduna at the weekend.

The movement equally told Northern delegates at the ongoing National

Conference and National Assembly members of northern extraction to return home until security challenges bedevilling the region is totally addressed.

In an address to newsmen, the Coordinator of the movement, Comrade Ibrahim Garba Awala said the youths are tired of the senseless killings going on in the region, particularly North-East.

According to him, “killings are increasing in the north on a daily basis and the government seems not to be doing anything to stop it. As northerners and Nigerians, we believe, we must gather to fight this insecurity problem together, because the security of Nigeria is a collective responsibility.’’

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

News ABUJA Budget delays airports remodeling project

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Johnchuks Onuanyim oordinating General Manager of Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, yesterday stated that the delay in the passage of the 2014 budget was responsible for the slow pace of the airports remodeling project.

Dati said this in a statement, while exonerating the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Dr. Jamila Shu’ara, of allegedly withholding contractors’ funds.

The contract was awarded by the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, at the cost of N7.5 billon to Trevor Nigeria Ltd, Archvisual Solution Ltd, Mesh Projects Ltd, Paache Construction, ARDC Ltd and Ogbosite International Ltd among others.

Dati said the Supervising

Minister of Aviation, Dr. Samuel Ortom, had given the assurance that the project would be completed at the given time. He stated, “The attention of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been drawn to misleading and mischievous reports in some sections of the media alleging that the Airports Remodelling Project has been abandoned because the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Aviation has refused to release funds to contractors handling the project, which she considered a non-priority project.

“We hereby wish to emphasise that the airports remodelling project, designed by the Federal Government to modernise all airport terminals in the country, in line with International standards and best practices, has not been abandoned.

OSUN 18,000 women get N600m loan in Osun Adeolu Adeyemo

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sun State Government has given out a N600m loan to 18,000 women across the 30 local governments and area offices of the state to contribute substantially to the improvement of their conditions and households.

The loan will also help their children in terms of nutrition, health, education and general welfare.

While speaking at the official launching of Osun/ Grooming Assisted Women Empowerment Programme and Distribution of the loan held at Freedom Park, Osogbo on Friday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources, Rural Development and Community affairs, Kunle Ige, said that the present administration

in the state took the step to alleviate the suffering of women in the rural communities.

He said, “Available data has shown that majority of our women, especially in the rural communities, are economically active but are constrained financially. This is why the current administration has committed so much to poverty alleviation interventions to reduce this ugly trend and make life more meaningful to her citizenry, especially the women.”

Ige, who also pointed out that such programmes as skill acquisition training for 610 women and distribution of N12.2M to beneficiaries in the state had begun even before this intervention, stated that the partnership between the state government and Grooming Microfinance Centre, Lagos, was recognised as a big step against poverty.

‘Entrepreneurship’ll curb unemployment’ Leo Sobechi

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articipants at the 2014 Youth Summit sponsored by the member representing Nnewi North/ Nnewi South/Ekwusigo federal constituency, Hon. Chris Azubogu, yesterday identified entrepreneurship as the best way to address youth unemployment.

The two-day 2014 youth summit with the theme: ‘Raising Global ChangeMakers’, held at Anaedo Hall, Nnewi, Anambra State attracted many speakers.

The speakers, among whom were the keynote

Police arrest ex-Oyo NURTW boss Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

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A cross-section of participants at the just concluded professional development workshop on ‘The Best Collection Practices to Transform Debt To Cash Flow’ organised by Global Debt Collection Services Limited in Lagos recently

ormer controversial Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Oyo State branch, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a Auxiliary), who was in 2010 declared wanted by the state police command, has been arrested.

Auxiliary, according to New Telegraph on Sunday’s findings, was arrested early Saturday around his Olodo, Ibadan residence by policemen from Ikeja, Lagos State.

He was said to have been whisked away straight to Lagos by the policemen, who did not allegedly inform their colleagues in the Oyo State Command.

This fact came to light when New Telegraph on Sunday tried to confirm the development from the spokesperson

Stolen grader: Ebonyi police quizz Elechi aide’s son

Leo Sobechi

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he Ebonyi State Police Command has in the past two weeks been trying to find out how a caterpillar owned by Ebyia Development Centre in Izzi Local Government Area disappeared and the alleged attempt by a syndicate to remove another bulldozer owned by a construction firm in the state.

Already, the son of a high ranking appointee of Governor Martin Elechi (name withheld) and another person have been arrested over the alleged attempt to cart away a bulldozer leased by a construction firm, JUKOK Nigeria Limited, from one Ncheta Mbazulike, son of a first republic minister of Aviation, Chief MbazulikeAmaechi.

Investigations by New

Telegraph on Sunday revealed that barely one month after a grader belonging to Ebyia Development Centre was declared missing, a group of four young men were apprehended at the construction site of JUKOK Nigeria Limited trying to remove a bulldozer left there.

It was learnt that when a member of a vigilance group in the community accosted the suspected hoodlums, one of them fled. This aroused suspicion that their mission may be illegitimate despite their claim that an officer in the Ministry of Works sent them to remove the bulldozer.

In an interaction with New Telegraph on Sunday, the vigilance group member said that on April 18, 2014 while he was heading to Abakaliki from Ebyia, he saw a group of

young men at Ebonyi Bridge trying to move an abandoned caterpillar and decided to accost them.

He said, “I stopped and asked them why they were moving the grader. They told me that someone in the Ministry of works told them to carry the grader. I requested for a note from the person, showing that they were really from the ministry but they could not provide any.

“I asked them whether they informed the chief security officer of our development Centre, because we were still grappling with the mysterious disappearance of the development centre’s grader.

“They did not show me any written note from the ministry. Suddenly, one of them ran away. That was when I decided to inform

our chief security officer about the incident.”

Also the traditional ruler of the area, Eze Emmanuel Nwojiji, told New Telegraph on Sunday that when he was alerted by the coordinator about the missing grader, he joined in the search for the equipment.

He said that the community had consulted traditional seers.

“We went as far as consulting the prime ministers of Izzi clan, the Ishiuke at Amagu, our ancestral home.

They performed their oath rituals and made a general pronouncement. Two weeks after that, some people were caught trying to carry another caterpillar at Ngbo,” he declared.

The coordinator of the development centre, Hon. Paul Nwachi, said his life had been under threat even before the grader was stolen. He explained that shortly before the grader was stolen, some hoodlums came to his residence and

speaker, Dr. Okey Ikechukwu; State Director of the National Directorate of Employment, Chief M. O. Mbata; Regional Head, Fidelity Bank, (South East Zone), Dr. Chiefo Ejiofobiri, challenged young school leavers to shake off indolence and explore their talents for creativity and enterprise.

Azubogu, who is also the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Capital Market, told the more than 500 participants that “if we agree that there is the problem of unemployment, we can come together to find the solution.”

stole his official documents.

“They made away with all documents belonging to Ebyia Development Centre, including my seal, and I reported to the police. After one month, they returned the bag without anything missing from it. I packed out of that premises to the Guest House.

Then on February 7, 2014 the grader that was handed over to me parked at Amaechara village was stolen,” he added.

Our correspondent also learnt that the original grader was dismantled and sold in parts in Enugu.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Mr. Chris Anyanwu, said investigations were still in progress.

He added that the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations. The PPRO denied knowledge of any attempt at a cover-up, pointing out that efforts are on to arrest other suspected accomplices.

for the state police command, Mrs. Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, and she told our correspondent on the telephone that she was not aware of the arrest. She said, “We don’t have that information.”

Auxiliary, along with his rival, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola. (a.k.a. Tokyo), had been declared wanted after a bloody gun attack on many travellers at Iwo Road, Ibadan park on June 4, 2011.

The attackers were reportedly dressed in army uniform and stormed the area around 11.45pm, shooting at passersby.

In the process, the attackers killed no fewer than 25 persons, including Auwal Shanono, a 500 Level medical student, and national president of the Nigerian Medical Students Association.

Tokyo absolved himself and his supporters of blame and blamed the attack on Auxiliary.

However, after Abiola Ajimobi was elected as governor in 2011 and proscribed the NURTW, the police relaxed the search for Tokyo and Auxiliary as they were seen attending functions.

When the news of Auxiliary’s arrest was broken yesterday morning, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Senator Lekan Balogun, described it as ‘political’.

Balogun accused some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress; Ajimobi; and the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Indabawa of orchestrating the exNURTW leader’s arrest as a ploy to weaken him ahead of the 2015 elections.

Responding however, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said, “Senator Balogun’s allegation sounds like an absurd speculation, especially against a government which is the first in the history of Oyo State to abhor and openly demonstrate hatred for violence. It lacks logic and is inconsistent with the pedigree of his personality.”

EDITORIAL

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Our VISION

To build a newspaper organisation anchored on the sanctity of truth.

Our MISSION

To publish a newspaper of superior value, upholding the fundamental ethics of journalism: balanced reporting, fairness, accuracy and objectivity.

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igeria lost a foremost film producer, writer, director and a leading player in the motion picture industry last week. Mrs. Amaka Igwe had gone to Enugu in the company of her husband for pre-production work on a new Igbo soap when she suffered an asthmatic attack and eventually died.

The deceased broke onto the scene at a time the industry was undergoing a renaissance, and steadily became an accomplished writer, producer, director, entrepreneur and teacher. She founded the BoB TV Expo, and was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top Radio 90.9 FM, Amaka Igwe Studios, and the newlylaunched Q Entertainment Networks.

Amaka hit national limelight as the writer and producer of the awardwinning TV soap, “Checkmate’’, and “Fuji House of Commotion”. Her Nollywood projects include `RattleSnake’ and `Violated’, two critically-acclaimed movies that set apart Amaka Igwe Studios in the much-criticized Nollywood industry.

Born on January 2, 1954 to Mr. Isaac Ene, a civil engineer from Obinagu-Udi in Enugu, Amaka had her early education at All Saints School (now Trans Ekulu Primary School), Girls High School Awkunanu in Enugu and the popular Idia College in Benin, Edo State. She proceeded to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study Education/Religion and obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Ibadan.

Amaka may arguably be the singularly

Sanctity Truth Sanctity of ofTruth www.newt e le g r aphonline .com

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Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2014

Adieu, Amaka Igwe most important woman in the terms of contribution to the rapid evolution of Nollywood. Starting out as a young Assistant Lecturer at the then Anambra State University, she first came to the notice of the public through her involvement in Lola Fani-Kayode’s “Mirror in the Sun”. She began building up a momentum with the creation of “Checkmate”.

Amaka will be remembered for her numerous accomplishments, most notably in creating widely popular, highly entertaining programming that resonated with audiences across this continent, and throughout the Diaspora.

A tireless champion for content made in Africa for Africans by Africans, Amaka has left behind an enormous legacy built on skill, talent, determination and vision.

Her recent vision was to reposition the Igbo film industry which she felt was being undeservedly neglected Some of the most respected actors in Nigeria today, people like Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ego Boyo, Funlola AofiyebiRaimi, Kunle Bamtefa, Ngozi Nwosu, the

In recognition of her consistency and creative zeal, the Federal Government gave her a national award, Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR). It was a well-deserved honour, one that she was eminently qualified for

late Toun Oni, Sola Onayiga, John Njamah, Jude Ororha and many more made their names from her productions. Great as all of this may be, Amaka’s biggest contribution to the development of the creative industries in Nigeria goes beyond the films she has made or the actors her works have made famous. Her greatest contributions, perhaps, remains her willingness to share all that she knows about filmmaking with anyone interested. In 2007, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) gave Amaka a licence to run a vocational institution for the film and media studies. This was done in recognition of her personal efforts at training Nollywood practitioners in the diverse areas of filmmaking, something she did since 1997 at a personal cost.

In recognition of her consistency and creative zeal, the Federal Government gave her a national award, Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR).

It was a well-deserved honour, one that she was eminently qualified for. The body of work she produced in her twenty-two years as a major player in the entertainment industry is a proud testimony.

Richard Mofe Damijo who starred in “Checkmate” as Segun Kadir described Amaka as “the best screen writer of her generation. She was the game changer not only for Nigerian soap operas but Nollywood too. She not only penned and produced the best TV dramas and movies; she brought class and glamour to it.

Raised the bar of TV production with an unparalleled sense of humour, her death

has created yawning gap in the Nigerian creative industry.”

Cynthia Agholor spoke of Amaka as, “a goddess in the entertainment world, she is an inspiration to all the female movie makers. She is one classic and intelligent woman that makes movies of a kind. No one can ever be like her. Her legacy shall remain forever”.

In the words of Chief Joseph Odobeatu, celebrity restaurateur: “She was so passionate about the industry that her passion became an obsession. No matter how hard-hearted you are, Amaka Igwe was able to infect you with her passion for Nollywood. It was so contagious that at a point, I was so drawn to her in my active days as a reporter just to hear her talk about her plans for the industry as what government should do to create an enabling environment for the sector to grow.”

Amaka is survived by her husband Charles Igwe, three children, and an aged mother. There is no doubt that she lived a fulfilled life as she came, she saw and she contributed positively. She was a reference point in her area of specialization. The African creative arts industry has lost an admired and respected leader whose vast knowledge, proven business acumen and boundless imagination made an immeasurable contribution to the development and success of the entertainment industry. Amaka Igwe has etched for herself a place in the country’s annals as a visionary of modern Nigerian TV drama and film.

GABRIEL AKINADEWO Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief IKE ABONYI Deputy Managing Director/DEIC FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU Managing Editor, South SULEIMAN BISALA Managing Editor, North YEMI AJAYI Editor, Daily LAURENCE ANI Editor, Saturday EMEKA MADUNAGU Editor, Sunday LEO CENDROWICZ Bureau Chief, Brussels MARSHALL COMINS Bureau Chief, Washington DC SAM AMSTERDAM Editorial Coordinator, Europe EMMAN SHEHU (PhD) Chairman, Editorial Board JOSEPH ONYEKWERE News Editor (Sunday) PADE OLAPOJU Production Editor TIMOTHY AKINLEYE Head, Graphics ROBINSON EZEH Head, Admin.

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

OPINION Creating a quality culture for nation building

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Sam Azoka Onyechi ow does quality build a nation?

A very simple question with myriad answers which we will attempt to answer, albeit with definite inability to cover the full scope in such a small treatise as this.

PREAMBLE How are dry fish and crayfish preserved by the petty trader in our local market? I have been told and have also confirmed from the dry fish petty traders themselves that most if not all of them apply the locally sold liquid insecticide popularly called “TusaTusa” or “Ota piapia” on the dry fish by spraying. Their erroneous justification for this deadly practice which obviously stems from sheer ignorance is that while it is deadly on insects and rats, it does not seem to be dangerous to humans. This is probably because they do not see their customers falling down immediately like the cockroaches and dying right before them.

The fact however is that this is a very toxic, likely illegal, pesticide which has been known to kill in minutes as evidenced by a few persons who have swallowed even small quantities either accidentally or as suicide portions. A neighbour lost a dear dog after the poor pet inhaled the toxic chemical after it was bought off the local market and used by the wife in the dog pen in an attempt to eliminate fleas. To the local petty trader however, this is her panacea to housefly infestation of her wares but to the nation, an increased sickly populace and predictable eventual fatalities from liver and kidney damage and possibly cancer, as such chemicals are known to be carcinogenic. Why is this happening? Some answers will be attempted down the passage here from reviewing the role of quality in nation building and better life for all citizens.

How does the butcher sell his meat at our local Nigerian market? How isit butchered and displayed, and what is the pricing strategy? A visit to the local butchery shows the animal is butchered on a dirty floor, and the meat market shows the meat and its seller usually in an unsavory environment with the meat atop a bloody, wet,very old, usually discoloured, blood-cakedand permanently dirty table with machete cuts all over it. Both table and owner are standing on an equally blood-soaked, wet and soggy floor. ”How u dey sell?” enquires the buyer, struggling to find a spot to place his foot on the blood-muddied floor. “Na 15,000, make you price”, the Seller replies as he chases the persistent flies and spreads out the piece of meat to show it is quite a big

lump. It may have been soaked in water for hours to improve its “weight”. “You no sell 1,500?” asks the buyer. “Na market” the seller mockingly rebukes, “Oya bring 5,000”the seller expansively exhibits his “magnanimity”. And so the haggling continues until the meat is sold at something near its real market value of about Two Thousand Naira.

The questions are: Why can’t the meat be butchered or sold in a cleaner environment?

Why won’t the meat be sold by weight using calibrated scales? If a foreigner comes into Nigeria, can he or she buy meat at this market given the shoddy unhygienic environment and how would he or she avoid being grossly cheated by someone who knows that a piece of meat is actually worth N2,000 but would start off its sales bargain from N15,000. What are the rules guiding such trade? Is this a globally accepted sales method? Answers also down the road here!

Another trip to the wood market to buy wood for roofing is also a study in the way we live. The builder has recommended trusses and rafters of particular wood dimensions and heads to the wood mill market to buy the required sizes. Civil Engineer: “I want 200 pieces of 2 x 4 x 18 and 100 pieces of 2 x 3 x 12”. “Oga, I have them”, enthused the wood merchant. “Pls show me” requests the Engineer, bringing out his measurement tape. “Ah, Oga, if you want measure the wood, you go saw that type yourself”. “Na this type we dey sell here”, the wood seller remarks resignedly.

Which type does he sell here? Wood pieces of varying dimensions, most of them bent, measuring different sizes at both ends, some curvy in the middle and all definitely undersized. Why is this so?

Is it that he does not know his measurements or he does not understand that these given dimensions have calculated weights they are designed for and required straight shapes are needed for both appropriate fit up and aesthetics of the building project?

Answers also to be attempted along our line of argument down here.

The above are just three examples out of a million ways we live and interact that show the terrible lack of quality initiatives and practices in the nation, to which our leaders and responsible agencies either turn a blind eye or are totally ignorant of what should be done to remedy the unacceptable national lack of a quality culture.

What Is A Quality Culture?

Culture is generally accepted as the totality of a people’s way of life – how they live, what they wear, what they eat, how

they view life physically, spiritually, psychologically, etc. A corporate quality culture consists of an organization’s formal approach to providing satisfactory, generally acceptable goods or services to its customers, designed to meet and indeed exceed the customer’s requirements and expectations. Companies that wish to be taken seriously undertake this formal journey of instituting quality into their business, hence they certify their quality systems formally to varying standards such as ISO 9001; 14001; 27001,etc, because no one on earth likes shoddy, unsatisfactory or unsafe goods or services. Everyone also deserves value for his or her hard-earned money.

By extension therefore a national quality culture should begin with a formal quality policy articulated to ensure that the national outlook on life and living are centered on doing things right always to the benefits and satisfaction of the nation’s first line customers - citizens as a whole. It is important that nations understand that their citizens are simply their customers queuing for service - quality service that justifies the tax they pay, the labour they contribute, the inalienable rights they possess as guaranteed by their constitutions.

Corporate bodies that understand this customer-focused service and the need to keep all their stakeholders satisfied go the extra mile to treat even their own staff as their internal customers knowing that a happy staff translates to a happy external customer.

The key to running a good nation therefore seems not to be different from running a successful business, as it indeed centers on the mutual understanding between the governors and the governed that state business is purely an exchange of goods and services,– but this time, firstly between citizens and their government, and then extended to one nation and other nations.

When referring to quality culture on a national or international level therefore, the world is seemingly one global corporation made up of mini-corporations purely involved in exchange of goods and services, just like any normal business. Little wonder nations apply trade sanctions on erring nations and suddenly the affected nation is lacking essential goods and services that most often cause it to comply with whatever these other corporations demand of it.

To be able to successfully trade internally and externally therefore, nations that want to beat others in the trade game, enshrine quality in their business and develop a quality culture that is designed for continuous improvement to guide acceptable ex-

change of goods and services. That is why you would buy a clothing item from WalMart in US or Primark in UK and if there is any quality requirement it is lacking or any defect you observe on it, you will simply take it back to the Exchange Department of these chains and get a refund without a fuss. For countries like Nigeria that is yet to develop a quality culture, the receipt with which you bought the clothing item would have boldly printed on it “NO REFUND OR EXCHANGE AFTER PAYMENT”.

The problem with nations like oursis that we totally fail to see this corporate-style aspect of nationhood, or appreciate the inter-related nature of global existenceespecially in bilateral trade. Moreover we simply ignore the fact that citizens of our Country are major stakeholders and internal customers to the nation who need to be served and served well for their contributions to nation building through the payment of taxes and other contributions including intellectual, military and leadership roles. We also fail to see the quantum of money lost to shoddy service provision from such poorly run government agencies like NEPA (PHCN), water boards, hospital boards, education commissions, etc. The national loss is immeasurable when you consider the population of this country and the volume of trade that it translates to. Just think of the volume of goods Nigerians buy from US and UK to which they travel regularly to buy anything and everything including light bulbs. Yes, light bulbs for God’s sake, because the level of poor quality of light bulbs imported into Nigeria simply guarantees their replacement on daily basis. Note that the same light bulb made by the same Chinese Company for the UK or US market complies with the international quality standards for making bulbs, and so Nigerians buy bulbs from UK and fly them to Nigeria at four times its local cost because they last for upwards of six months to one year before getting blown.

What then makes this huge difference between Nigeria and the rest of the world? Do Nigerians love little or no quality? Are they happy living at this level of poor quality?

Does the Nigerian nation know and assess the losses – economic, social and political, that attend poor quality? Does the life of the citizen matter to him or her and the nation as well? The yes and no answers to these questions can easily be answered by my six years old son. People love quality and are willing to seek it out and pay for it.

TO BE CONTINUED

How Africa is reinventing the social enterprise

W

Lamia Hatira hat does sustainability mean to Africa? The continent has embraced the buzzword in the same way Western nations have, but are we adapting it to the African context?

Many African cities find themselves ranked as the “fastest-growing” or as having the “biggest economic potential” – yet without proper discussion of what growth means, or whether social and environmental factors are being considered alongside economic ones.

Generally, sustainable development is understood as the use of today’s resources in a way that meets our needs but does not undermine the environment or threaten future generations.

In the context of Africa, there are two assumptions to avoid: that sustainable practices are not already in place, and that the systems and priorities of each nation are the same. Learning from practices that are successful in other countries is beneficial; replicating them without adapting to your surroundings is not.

And what if we are not forward-thinking enough? Instead of looking at lessons learned and following one pattern of development, we have to think about what we would like our future to look like, and consider whether we have the resources to make it a reality.

The DaVinci Institute’s Thomas Frey claims that “60% of the best jobs in the next 10 years haven’t been invented yet”. With this in mind, businesses throughout Africa are in a position to drive future trends and influence the types of jobs that will be “in-

vented”, while keeping the ones that are of value today.

One form of enterprise experiencing an upward trajectory is the “social business”.

These address social problems while reinvesting profits into sustainability efforts.

This type of business model can create jobs, help communities, promote sustainability and contribute to economic growth.

For example, in Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis, Ferme Thérapeutique de Sidi Thabet serves as both a full-time educational facility to local people with physical and mental disabilities, and a working farm. Nearly 100 young people from the ages of eight to 33, plus 40 staff members, come to the farm every day for traditional schooling, vocational training and emotional and physical therapy – services that would not be available to them otherwise.

The farm is part non-profit educational or-

ganization and part profit-driven business.

It sells farm produce in Tunis, and in less than a year has been able to replace 5% of its donor support with homegrown revenue.

The farm is also certified as 100% organic.

In Ghana, meanwhile, a clothing company called Afia sells locally sourced and manufactured products. The craftspeople receive a fair wage for their work, and reach a wider range of customers than they are accustomed to. This is a business that supports local people while contributing to long-term development.

These are the kinds of business practices – combining profit, environmental sustainability and social impact – that we should be inspired by, aspire to and be recreating throughout Africa.

Lamia Hatira is a sustainability consultant in Tunisia and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper

Life How human rights commission I enjoy roasted plantain and yam p.12

NTWEEKEND ONLINE AT

www.newtelegraphonline.com/life

11

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

MAY 11, 2014

driver died in second Nyanya blast

Soldiers at the scene of the blast

Yekeen Nurudeen

W Abuja

hen he took up employment with the National Human Rights Commission on February 14, 2012, he was full of hope of not only making ends meet but also to be able to give his family the best of everything within his resources.

However, few hours after James Jeremiah, 44, left his wife and three sons on Workers’ Day on a special assignment, he never made it back home.

He was caught in the blast, which came after an earlier one on April 14 at the same place. While returning home, James as he was fondly called by his colleagues in the office met his end; he was among the unfortunate 19 who were killed yet another bomb blast at Nyanya bus terminal, Abuja.

Though, like many workers, he was expected to mark the day either at home or with several others at Eagle Square but he was at work.

To many of his colleagues, James Jeremiah was one employee of the NHRC who took his work serious.

He was a driver at the commission, he was said to be ready to carry out any assigned duty. That explains, why on Workers’ Day, he was on duty when several of his colleagues were elsewhere marking the day.

However, his commitment to work and loyalty was paid back with untimely death.

According to John Isa Garuba, his close friend and a fellow driver at the commission, James closed from work that fateful evening after being asked to come for special duty.

“He was on his way home on that eve-

ning from work. I think he must have alighted from the bus to buy some stuffs for his family at the other side of the road when the bomb went off,” he said.

Isa told New Telegraph on Sunday that it was a call from a friend that alerted him to the second bomb blast at the Nyanya bus terminus that evening.

“When I got the call about the blast, James was the first person that I called because I know he lives in that axis. When I called him first, there was no response, second time there was no response and the third time, the call was rejected.

“So I called the line the following day and someone picked the call and said he was involved in the bomb blast; that we should check mortuaries of hospitals in Abuja for his body,” he said The search team comprising friends, neighbours, family members and even wife of the Executive Secretary of the commission went looking for his remains to no avail the following morning.

“We went to National Hospital, Nyanya General Hospital, Garki and Maitama but we didn’t see his body at the mortuary there. It was when we went to Asokoro Hospital that we saw him lifeless at the mortuary,” Isa revealed.

On the degree of injury that led to James’ death, Isa said unlike many who were burnt beyond recognition and others whose body parts were severed or mutilated, James’ clothes and body were intact.

“He didn’t suffer burns except for his chest where I think he was wounded by the blast.” he added.

Speaking on his attributes, the commission’s Transport Officer, Alhaji Bashiru Abba who was Jame’s supervisor till his death described him as an easy going and

James Jeremiah

committed worker.

He lamented that when tragedy strikes, unique and extremely good people always fall victim. He added, “There are few drivers that are more of friends than colleagues.

He would never say anything about his boss unlike others.”

This was corroborated by Isa who said the late James was always serious with work and responded promptly to any call.

He said that for the period of two years that he was working for the commission he was hoping to give his three sons a qualitative education which he never had.

As at the time of filing this report, the remains of James who was on grade level 04 and hailed from Madakiya in Zangokataf, Kaduna State were being interred in his home state.

12

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Diaspora Notes

After staying 50 years in Nigeria, Indian-born NG Patel says

I enjoy roasted plantain and yam usinessman When Indian bpist, Mr. NG and philanthro igeria in 1964 to Patel, came to Niness, little did establish a bus e would stay up he know that h tells AHAOMA to 50 years. He rience since he KANU his expe came to Nigeria

I

When was the first time you came to Nigeria? came to Nigeria to establish this industry in March 1964 and before the end of that year we started the production of plastic shoes, polyethene bags and others.

How was the economy of Nigeria when you arrived?

That time if you looked at it, the country was progressing well. Infrastructure was working unlike what we have today. Electricity, water, roads, all of them were functioning very well. But today, it is very different, although there has been expansion both in business and population.

Two years after you came into Nigeria, you started production and there was a civil war.

How did you manage during that time?

I was in Lagos throughout the civil war. You know the war was happening in the eastern part of the country then and the effect in Lagos was not much. So the business continued but some of our customers, especially from the east, were affected. The war did affect the business, particularly in the east, but in the north, the local business was doing fine.

Before deciding to settle in Nigeria, did you go around other parts of the world and why did you choose Nigeria?

Before coming to Nigeria, I first visited Ghana in 1947; my eldest brother started his business in Ghana. In 1957, Ghana gained independence and in 1960, we started the first industry in Ghana. I had to join him in 1957 along with my other two brothers. Four of us were in Ghana until 1964. I had to come here to establish the company but our foundation started from Ghana, though it was called Gold Coast then.

Being in Ghana and also in Nigeria, how did you cope initially when you arrived Africa?

We came here for a purpose not minding what the condition was or the circumstances.

We came down to do trading and manufacturing; that was the ultimate aim. Fortunately, God being very kind to us, the people we met were very nice and friendly in both Ghana and Nigeria so we progressed from there.

At the time you were establishing this business, Africa wasn’t much of a place that was that fertile for business growth as compared to Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.

What did you see in Africa that made you choose to be here?

Let me tell you, a lot of Indians had been in Africa for many years before even Nigeria or Ghana got independence. Some of the Indians stayed for more than 100 years in this part of the world and that was how we got a clue. My elder brother went to South Africa first in 1947 but when he saw that apartheid was so strong, he came to Ghana and established his trade there. In 1964, we decided to move forward to Nigeria. We also established industries in Zambia and Sierra Leone. But those industries no longer exist in those places. They exist only in Ghana and Nigeria.

As a pioneer manufacturer in Nigeria, what was the potential the country had? Would you say that has been harnessed based on your long stay in the country?

In 1964when we started our business in this place, there was no single company in Ilupeju area of Lagos. We were the first industry here and later on others started coming. We constructed the roads from the Ilupeju bypass to this place in order to bring the materials into this place. But today, you see Nestle, PZ, GSK and other industries here. It is a good thing that at least we kind of opened up this

industrial area.

What similarities will you say India has with Nigeria in terms of history, culture and economy?

India got independence in 1947 and was also left behind at that time. If you compare post-colonial India, the development was limited to what citizens did and what they could get. When the country was fighting for independence, they fought for so many years.

Mahatma Ghandi was in South Africa and he fought against apartheid. Then he came back to India and joined the fight for independence. From then on, developments started in earnest and today India is regarded as one of the most developed nations. In Nigeria, the history is similar and God blessed this country with a lot of oil and mineral resources. If the government uses these resources to develop certain areas in the country, Nigeria will be much better that we are seeing today.

From the time you settled in Nigeria till today, you saw all the leaders Nigeria has ever produced. Which among them will you say during his time in office exhibited a kind of leadership that was inspiring?

This is a political question and I don’t like getting into it. Initially, it was Tafawa Balewa and President Azikiwe were the leaders before the others. I would say that those who came in the first batch had the country at heart; they really sacrificed and fought for the independence of the country. They tried their very best, sacrificed so many things they owned and their lives. They did whatever they could and some of them lost their lives. But since then, unfortunately, we started going down, we stared retrogressing. Some of the leaders, who came in later through coups and so on, had their own interest too.

You have employed Nigerians from the inception of your company. How will you describe your staff over the years?

It varies from one person to another. There are some that are sincere and will carry out whatever assignment you give to them. On the other hand, there are those who just don’t care. But this happens all over the world; it is not peculiar to Nigerians. But I think unfortunately that the workers in this country are going through hardship; whatever pay you give them does not solve their problems.

The cost of living is very high. I think the government should look into that by providing amenities; affordable housing at a rate they can buy. I tell you, workers in Nigeria are in a very bad shape. Some can hardly afford three square meals.

To what will you attribute your sustenance of this company established in 1964 when some Nigerian companies that came thereafter are no longer here?

I think that government policies must be considerate of the local industries. If everything is imported, how can manufacturers survive? The importation of everything means you are creating massive unemployment. Many people were employed in the textile industry, in fact at a time they were the second highest employers of labour. Unfortunately, smuggling came into this country, nobody bothered, nobody looked into it, we informed the authorities yet nothing happened. This led to an increase in these activities and this shut down many of these industries. The manufacturing sector is going through a hard time.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Diaspora Notes

Taste of China in Lagos

Ojota China Shopping Complex

A

Ahaoma Kanu s Chinese Premier Li Keqiang led a high powered team of investors to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa last week in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Jin Yuan stood expectantly in front of his shop located at Ojota China Shopping Complex located in Lagos. Business in Nigeria is good, he says, but the trading that brings in the big bucks is selling goods wholesale.

For Yuan, the business friendship between China and Nigeria is yielding desired results and the promise of further investment agreements between both countries is heartwarming.

During his visit, Li pledged continued support for African economic growth and assured that the cooperation between both countries would be consolidated.

“We hope to see not just more trade with China but also stronger cooperation between the two countries in the development of infrastructure in Nigeria. We wish the Nigerian people even higher living standards and also greater achievement in terms of health and social progress,” he said, announcing that trade between Nigeria and China has hit $13.6billion.

This renewed friendship between both countries can be practically seen at the Ojota China Shopping Complex. A first-time visitor to the complex will be deceived into think-

ing business is dull as there is the absence of a shopping crowd. But trading in this complex is not really seen in the wares displayed outside the shops.

“We engage in selling our commodities wholesale,” said Xi Lou who deals in footwear.

The complex was commissioned in March 2005 by the late First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, to encourage business partnership between Nigeria and Chinese traders. The words inscribed on the entrance gate of the complex captures the objective of the partnership, ‘Long live NigeriaChina Friendship’.

The goods sold in the massive complex built in Chinese architectural fashion with high walls and decorations range from footwear, clothes, textiles, fabrics, decoration items to travelling bags, drugs, cosmetics and entertainment products.

There are no hardware like computers, electronics or telecommunication gadgets.

Most of the stores are hired by Chinese entrepreneurs but they are run by Nigerian managers, salesgirls and shop keepers, who help in driving the business. One of the barriers this kind of relationship breaks is the language problem.

When New Telegraph on Sunday attempted to speak with some of the Chinese traders, the effort was mostly defeated as many of the traders understand only Mandarin.

“Many of them come here straight from their country and they don’t really mix up with Nigerians as they have their friends to be with,” said one of the sales assistant who gave his name as Edoh. He informed New Telegraph on Sunday

that he has been working with his boss for three years and the relationship is cordial.

“We understand ourselves when we do business. Of course, in the business of money, language is not a barrier,” he said.

The way business is conducted here is that the Chinese import the goods, pay for the shops and employ shop and sales assistants to do the actual selling and marketing of the goods.

“My Oga (boss) tells me the prices and then we talk to the customers when we come. The Chinese give us enough space to really convince our customers and also add some marketing tips to us. Like my Oga will always be around to smile and tease female customers and that strategy always works for us,” said Joshua, another sales attendant.

The Chinese entrepreneurs are nice to their employers and pay some of them some commission. Most of the employees who spoke to New Telegraph on Sunday maintained that they are treated with respect and that one quality they have seen in the Chinese is that they want to build a relationship with Nigerians.

“Honestly, I must tell you that these people behave like they are coming here for an examination, which they don’t want to fail. They try as much as possible to get you to be their friend and they respect you and don’t really treat you like you are below them,” One of the complaints made by many analysts is that the quality of goods for sale in at the complex are substandard but Kashim Oludare, a shopper who spoke to our correspondent does not agree.

“I don’t want to believe that all the products are fake. You have to first of all look at the prices at which these guys are offering these products; China has helped in making life easier for Nigerians in all the sectors that they have impacted.

“Let us take the electricity situation in the country. China made it possible that low income earners and people in the lower class can afford a generator that they can maintain and sustain.

That is the same way I see the clothes and materials they bring in here. They make it possible for people to afford new clothes at low prices for their children; they have made it possible that you can wear a suit and look presentable. It is a choice anyway so you have to make that choice.

If we keep saying that all their products are bad, then let us produce ours,” said Willy Ekwuonu, a trader who buys his goods from the China town, as the complex is also known.

He informed New Telegraph on Sunday that he comes from Onitsha in Anambra State to buy his goods from his Chinese friends.

The friendship that exists among the traders who usually buy in bulk from the Chinese market is getting stronger according to some of the traders New Telegraph on Sunday spoke with.

Mrs. Olabisi Akinola who deals on foot wears said the Chinese helped her in visiting China on a business trip and got introduced to some of the manufacturers of the products she deals on.

“I started coming to this market in 2008 and then I was consistent because I buy and sell at Ibadan. Because I was always coming back to get more supplies, the Chinese man I was dealing with took an interest in me and asked me how I would like to visit China. I thought he was joking and he arranged for the visa and travelling logistics and took me to the manufacturers of the shoes that I buy. They took me round and really opened my eyes to other opportunities in their country,” she said.

Onuorah Ifedinma, a trader from Ihiala in Anambra State said the mall has saved him the stress of having to travel to China to purchase his goods, his friend, Chao Ling, who owns a shop at the mall helps him buy his goods and brings them into Nigeria.

“All I just have to do is to come down to Lagos and settle him for transportation and take my goods home,” he said.

As the World Economic Forum on Africa concluded last week in Abuja, one of the countries that has found a partner in Nigeria is definitely China as they have invested in virtually every sector in the country in a manner that is different from what Africa used to be exposed to; they provide assistance without interfering in the internal affairs of the country or try to focus on the natural resources of the country. They strengthen the relationship and friendship between the two countries which is practically exhibited at the Ojota China market.

I enjoy roasted plantain and yam CONTINUED FROM PAG E 1 3

How expensive is it doing business in Nigeria?

If you look at this, I am sorry to say this, if you compare what is happening here to neighbouring countries, you will understand what Nigeria is losing. In neighbouring countries, there is a lot of discipline and industries are springing up.

Here, they are not looking at everything. I think if you want to create employment, fix the manufacturing sector. Today, many goods are imported from China and India ready-made, they are discouraging local industries. I would like government to look into this area and support the local industries to survive. There is a lot of harassment from the local authorities. Everybody wants some PR or entertainment as they call it; unfortunately, even if you are right or wrong, you have to give in to whatever they demand. That is the situation today and it is very sad.

You have a huge display of humanity in the sense that you are a philanthropist and involved in so many charitable works in Nigeria. Is this a way of paying back to the society?

You see the people in Nigeria, the working class, are really

suffering. We assembled ourselves and started an NGO to impact on the people. We started out by giving out artificial limbs when government hospitals were charging close to N200, 000 for a limb. We started then and provided for thousands of persons from different parts of the country. Some that came from far-flung parts of the country were given money to go back. Then we went into the eye project which was initiated in 2005. Also, government hospitals were charging for some of these procedures and many of these people could not afford to have a cataract removed from an eye. We wanted to get into cornea transplant but it is impossible here because nobody donates their eyes. In all these eye-related diseases, we provided these services free. It would cost you not less than N100, 000 to get a cataract removed from an eye. So we started doing that for people. We have provided about 16,000 eye surgeries free of charge to Nigerians and also about 20,000 eye glasses to those who need it. We have done it in Abeokuta, Kaduna, Abakaliki , Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Yola and Jos. It is our way of giving back to Nigeria. We owe what we are today to Nigeria and the people of Nigeria. I believe it is high time we paid back and we will continue doing this for as long as it lasts. Fortunately, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola,

has donated a piece of land for us to build a hospital but we are still waiting for the approval. We hope that the government approves our plan so we start.

What is your favourite Nigerian meal?

I like plantain and yam. I am a vegetarian so I enjoy roasted plantain and yam.

Do you watch Nollywood movies?

I do.

Who is your favourite actor?

There are many but the television series I enjoyed most is Village Headmaster and it made people laugh and increased life span. Those are the kind of movies that should be brought back to Nigeria.

Have you lived in Nigeria with your family since you came here?

Yes. All my family members lived in Nigeria until our children grew up. They are more Nigerian than Indian.

What does your wife like about Nigeria?

My wife likes Nigerian food.

14

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

News Plus

Nigeria, U S seek UN support against Boko Haram

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igeria and the U.S. are working on a UN Security Council resolution to designate Boko Haram a terrorist organisation, diplomats at the Foreign Ministry in Abuja have confirmed.

Sources told News Agency of Nigeria that the sources as saying that the two countries have agreed that the UN should take a quick action to designate Boko Haram a terror organisation.

A strong indication that the 15-member council would consider the resolution emerged on Friday when

the members spoke with one voice in condemning the activities of the group.

The council said it would actively follow the situation of the abducted school girls in Chibok and Warabe, both in Borno, and threatened to use “appropriate measures” against Boko Haram.

The council also noted the attacks by the group since 2009, saying “it had caused large scale devastating loss of life and represent a threat to the stability and peace of West and Central Africa”.

A diplomat familiar with the workings of the Security

Council told NAN that UN sanctions against Boko Haram meant that all assets and finances traced to the group would be blocked worldwide.

It would also impose travel ban and arms embargo on individuals and entities associated with the Boko Haram organisation.

The governments of Nigeria, U.S, U.K. and Canada have variously designated Boko Haram a terrorist organisation.

The U.S., in addition to designating Boko Haram a terrorist organization, de-

clared its leader, Abubakar Shekau, as the ninth most wanted person in the world.

The Americans have placed a seven million-dollar reward on his head.

The Federal Government on its part had placed a reward of N50 million to any information leading to the rescue of the no fewer than 200 girls kidnapped by the group on April 14.

Meanwhile, international solidarity on the government’s efforts to ensure safe return of the kidnapped girls continued to soar with the arrival of teams of experts from

the U.K., U.S. and France.

China has also indicated that it would help international efforts to find the girls.

Speaking at a reception on Friday in Abuja to commemorate the EU National Day, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Micheal Arion, said the region’s foreign ministers would discuss the abduction of the school girls on Monday in Brussels.

“The abduction of the more than 200 young girls in Chibok in particular shows a total lack of respect for life and for human dignity,” he said.

Polo MD to speak at FT Business Summit

M

anaging Director of Polo Limited, Mr. John Obayuwana, has been selected to speak on the evolution of the luxury industry in Nigeria, where the industry currently is, the challenges facing the industry and why is there a spotlight on Nigeria’s luxury industry at the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit 2014.

The Summit which has been slated for the St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City on May 11th through May 13th, will take a deep-dive into the markets of the future, from the geographic to the virtual, and the value systems that make the difference.

Other speakers at the summit include Christian Louboutin, Robert Stern, Stella McCartney and William Lauder just to name a few. Mr. Obayuwana is a pioneer in the luxury industry in Africa. He was one of the first individuals to create a true luxury company in Africa that is of international standards. Furthermore, he has played a significant role in shaping and defining the landscape of the luxury industry in Africa and particularly Nigeria.

Goldberg auditions elevate musical content

I

n its drive to celebrate and promote Nigerian musical content, music talent hunt activation, Fuji to Bam, organised by a popular brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Goldberg Lager Beer came alive in various audition centres.

Fuji music lovers and artistes thronged different locations in Nigeria including De Palace Bar, Ilesha; Kwality Express Bar, Oshogbo and La Cuisine Bar, Ibadan as the contest for the coveted cash prize of N750, 000 and other exciting prizes heightened.

L-R: Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson; Chief of Staff to the President, Gen. Jones Arogbofa, Awujale/Paramount Ruler of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona and Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, during the 80th birthday celebration of the Oba in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State…on Saturday

Tambuwal appeals for peaceful co-existence Umar Danladi Ado Sokoto

S

peaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, has appealed to Nigerians, irrespective of their different tribes and religion to live together in peace and unity.

Tambuwal made the appeal on yesterday in Sanyinna, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, described Nigeria as ``historically a united and an indivisible nation, irrespective of the myriad of political, ethnic and religious differences.’’

Speaking at the launching of a book entitled: ``Sanyinna District: Events, Trends and Turning Points.” Tambuwal who was represented at the occasion by Alhaji Lawalli Zayyana, his counterpart in Sokoto State House of Assembly, said: ``Nigerians should go back to history and we should write more books on Nigerian history and its co On security, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to report the presence of any suspicious persons in their midst to the security agencies, and restated that traditional rulers had important roles to play in ensuring sustainable

peace, security and unity in their domains.

Gov. Aliyu Wamakko, who was represented by Dr Jabbi Kilgori, the Commissioner for Environment, advised Nigerians to write and read more books. ``Books will help us to reflect on our past with a view to attempting to better our present and the future,’’ he said.

Alhaji Sambo Modo, the Chairman, Tambuwal Local Government Council, appealed to the various communities in the area to complement the efforts of the security agencies to secure lives and property.

The book reviewer, Prof. Aliyu Bunza of the Department of Nigerian Languages, Usmanu DanFodiyo University, Sokoto, stressed the need for Nigerians to eschew nepotism and violence. ``We have to put Nigeria first and never allow our various interests to over shadow the need for all of us to be our brothers’ keepers, irrespective of our religious, ethnic and political differences,” he said.

Over N6.7 million was realised at the event with the chief launcher, Dr Jabbi Kilgori donating N2 mil-

lion, while the state Commissioner for Local Governments Affairs, Alhaji Faruk Malami,donatedN500,000,with

a promise to renovate a block of three classrooms at Government Secondary School, Sanyinna, his alma mater.

Tears as ex-NUJ chief is buried Onah. O. Onah Onitsha

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ears flowed freely at Isiokwe village Onitsha, in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, the ancestral home of late Mrs. Tochukwu Udoji, the immediate past chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalist Anambra State Chapter when she was laid to rest.

Sympathizers including political leaders in Onitsha community thronged the commercial city to pay their last respect to the young and dynamic leader of NUJ whose life and death on earth left a great legacy worthy of emulation.

Tochukwu, 43, , and a staff of the National Light Newspaper was remembered for her contributions to the development and growth of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and Anambra state in particular was an eloquent testimony of a patriotic woman whose life was well lived, even though it was short.

Among the foremost and front line politicians in Anambra State that attended the burial, include the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi and Chief Godwin Ezeemo, the gubernatorial candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance, PPA, in the last Governorship election in Anambra State.

Governor Obi, who was at Tochukwu’s interment at her village Isiokwe Onitsha, described her death as a painful death which leaves in its wake a vacuum and disruption in the lives of her beloved ones.

NSGF predicts Boko Haram’s end

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he Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has said all elements of the Boko Haram terrorists group would be stamped out within three months.

Gov. Babangida Aliyu, Chairman of the forum, said this in an address at a joint Northern States Governors/United States investors’ summit held in Abuja.

Babangida said: ``Contrary to insinuations that leaders in the region failed to openly condemn the rascality of the terrorists, we have instead worked subtly to see to the end of the insurgents…The coming of the United States’ army to rescue the abducted Chibok school girls was as a result of the meeting the northern governors held with the American Government. `He added that the 19 governors that make up this forum would continue to condemn the invasion of the north and we are happy with the Federal Govern-

ment, adding that :The group is equally happy with United States, Britain, France, China and Canada which have offered support to tackle the insurgents,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, said the summit was organised to accelerate the socioeconomic development of the north and the country as a whole.

It said that, the symposium organised by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and NSGF between March 17 and March 19 in Washington laid the foundation for the summit and partnership with investors.

The communiqué, which was signed Gov. Aliyu, said strengthening relations between the entire northern governors through the summit was the right recipe for the development of the area. ``The summit addresses the issues of concern to the people of the region, and particularly the challenges

faced by some states presently plagued by poverty, youth unemployment and insurgency. ``It seeks to act as vehicle through which the NSGF attracts partnership with the international investment community and aid agencies to assist in rebuilding, reconstructing and rehabilitating the north,’’ it said.

According to the communiqué, the courage and confidence reposed in the region in the face of enormous insecurity challenges in the country was well-known.

It said the summit would complement the gains of the just concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) for Africa and the far reaching initiatives of the Federal Government to develop the country.

It, called on all investors to have confidence in the opportunities that abound in the region, adding that the deficit found in region should be a motivating factor to invest.

Sanctity of Truth

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We watch Arsenal matches together -Tee A and wife

NTWEEKEND ONLINE AT www.newtelegraphonline.com/body&soul

Look your best at work every day

My driving force is the desire to be good –Prof. Ashiru

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Contents 11.05.14 COVER

45

We have even found out that when we treat this type of people, they still don’t get pregnant, which has brought me to another level of research. It shows that the way we eat and our environment can have severe consequences on our fertility

-Prof. Ashiru

} 18-19

OUR LOVE STORY We started as friends for five years. Our friendship graduated into a relationship and we dated for another five years.

So, we had known each other for 10 years before we got married } 45

GLAM DUDES

There’s something absolutely sexy about a man in a blue suit. The blue contrasts sharply with the skin colour to bring out that manly essence that is so attractive

} 44

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Studies have shown that women who wear makeup to work are more likely to get promoted. With the right makeup, your confidence increases and that’s pretty powerful

T h e Te a m l Juliet Bumah (Editor)

} 21

BED, WORK & LIFE

“How will I look my wife in the eyes, knowing another man has been eating from the goodness that makes me go gaga?

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} 20

l Bayo Adeoye (Senior Correspondent) l Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent) l Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent) l Ugochukwu Nnakwe (Graphics) l Edwin Usoboh (Graphics) +234 (0) 811 675 9770, +234 (0) 701 110 1014 chibumah@yahoo.com julietbumah@newtelegraphonline.com

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Immunise for a Healthy Future: Are you up to date?

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his week has been an extremely busy one as I prepare to participate in the 2nd annual WIE Africa conference that will take place in Lagos on Saturday May 3, 2014; where I will be moderating the Girl Effect panel, discussing how we can empower African girls and build a better future. At the same time, together with my team at the Wellbeing Foundation, I have been running a social media advocacy campaign about the importance of receiving vaccinations as World Immunisation Week that started last Thursday. This year, countries, organisations and individuals have taken up the World Health Organisation’s global campaign and we’re sending a clear, unified message: Know. Check. Protect.

Vaccinations remain one of the most cost-effective interventions we have today and it speaks to the future cause of medicine, that being prevention rather than treatment. It is important for everyone to ensure they are up to date on their vaccinations as this is the best means of protecting yourself and your children against many infectious agents and harmful diseases. As a mother, knowing that I can permanently reduce the risk of losing a child, or my children losing me is powerful. Coverage of immunisation against preventable childhood illness is still somewhat low in Nigeria but it is important that we continue to strive towards every child being fully immunised by the age of one, with a national coverage of more than 80 per cent across all preventable childhood diseases by 2015.

For children, there are certain ages at which they should be receiving specific vaccinations, so if you have recently given birth, you should ask your midwife to give you this information in order for you to track it.

I would urge everyone to make updating his or her vaccinations a priority. Knowing which vaccines you need may be difficult due to lack of information and access to patient health records. It is therefore important to speak to a health worker and crosscheck the information they may have against your own; understand your vaccination status and what you may need.

Access to both healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals remains a critical challenge for

many people in Nigeria, despite the efforts of both national and some state governments. Along with this, ensuring that our population has the right information, in the most appropriately persuasive manner is important, that is why The Wellbeing Foundation has teamed up with McCann Health to develop insight-driven behavioural change and demand creation campaign to increase uptake of immunisation (along with many other important health inventions and behaviours).

While there are countless illnesses in the world, the World Health Organisation has identified at least 20 common diseases that can be prevented with a vaccine including measles, mumps, rubella,

with Toyin Ojora Saraki tuberculosis, tetanus, hepatitis A & B to name a few. Maintaining and tracking ones immunisation record, especially in a low resource setting like Nigeria can be a challenge, which is why I have been advocating and campaigning for the distribution of Personal Health Records across the country for every child from birth - this is not just as a project of the Wellbeing Foundation. Nigerians have the right to access and check their medical information whenever they wish and this right should be realised and facilitated. It is important not only to check when vaccinations are due but also, when booster shots are required, as some vaccinations are given in two or three stages, for the health and benefit of the individual.

During my time as First Lady of Kwara State and throughout my time as Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation, I have heard many myths about vaccinations; this is not surprising as people can be afraid or suspicious of what they’re unfamiliar with. However, it is time to dispel the misconceptions and protect Nigeria’s future by protecting its people. A common myth I have heard is that the vaccination for poliomyelitis (polio) causes sudden infant death syndrome – this is a false and dangerous statement as failing to protect a child against polio puts them at serious and potentially fatal risk. We look forward to Nigeria becoming a polio free country, though the security situation in the north of the country continues to impede efforts. A second common myth I have heard is that vaccine-preventable childhood illnesses are just a sad fact of life; again this is a false statement. If an illness can be prevented through administering a vaccination, it does not have to be a fact of life.

It is up to us, as mothers and fathers, to ensure that we eradicate vaccine-preventable illnesses in Nigeria and protect our children to see them safely through to adulthood.

There are many challenges facing us as we move ever closer to the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and, in the case of Nigeria, pushing forward with the provision, monitoring and communication surrounding healthcare generally but vaccinations specifically, will help us get ever closer to achieving those goals. It is my sincere hope that through our efforts this week and through this article, I have been able to communicate to you, dear reader, how great the importance of vaccinations is for everyone and have encouraged you to take action to ensure you and your family are up to date. The steps are simple: Know. Check. Protect.

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My driving force is the desire Prof. Oladapo Ashiru is regarded as the first doctor to successfully conduct the In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) procedure in Nigeria on a couple and deliver a healthy baby. This has earned him many awards in the field of medicine.

Ashiru, an Officer of the Federal Republic, talks about his job, lifestyle and achievements in this interview with VANESSA OKWARA How long have you been in the medical field?

This year I will be celebrating 40 years of medical practice, 30 years of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) infertility practice, 20 years of establishing Medical Art Centre, then 10 years of the new improved medical diagnosis, which was opened in 2004 with IVF cutting edge infrastructure, and five years of genetic implantation.

How did you become the first doctor to go into IVF in Nigeria?

After my undergraduate studies, I proceeded for my National Youth Service in the Nigerian Navy. As a surgeon lieutenant, I took up position as the medical officer and we used to go on the ship for that one year service.

They commissioned me to be in the navy and I was uniformed, but I recognised the fact that the level of activity that I wanted was not t h e re .

I wanted to expand on the field of medicine and also pursue some high levels i n anatomy. So the College of Medicine University of Lagos gave me a post-graduate research study with pay and I went to the University of Nebraska in the USA. That was where I was fortunate to work with a young scientist in the Medical College who had an ambition to win a Nobel prize and we started active research. The research was in the understanding of the mechanism that controls ovulation. The Population Council of New York and the Rockefeller Foundation were my supporting agencies for the post-graduate studies.

When I was coming back to Nigeria to continue my lecturer position at the College of Medicine in the University of Lagos, they encouraged me to go further and gave me a grant to continue the same research that I was doing over there.

Did you succeed in achieving your dreams here in Nigeria?

Yes, I returned in 1980 and two years before then, Steptoe and Edwards had done a research and had succeeded in having a test tube baby. Edwards eventually got a Nobel Prize for it. I also got challenged that it could happen here in Nigeria. I told myself that if this thing was done in America, I also could do it with all the skills I had displayed while in the US. That was how I got one of my post-graduate students, who was doing his post-graduate studies under my supervision to begin to do some work with me. We started it with a difficult animal which I had helped in bringing back to Nigeria. It is the kind of animal that we use to do research in the US called the Dolly. We then started in-breeding of this animal in the college of medicine. We used this animal in the research and we succeeded. After this research in 1981, we decided to try humans and we also succeeded. We had miscarriages initially, but the fact remained that we succeeded in doing it in this country.

The research got a gold medal award from the Anatomical Society of Great Britain.

We got it to be presented at the Endocrine Society in the US. Eventually, we succeeded with a live baby from a nursing sister, but she was not ready to make it public.

With that, my recognition internationally was quite high.

When and where did you get your professorship?

I got my professorship in 1983 at the College of Medicine University of Lagos even before IVF became known. I was already a professor through the publications and research that I had done in the US on the mechanism that controls ovulation. I was 32 years old at that time. I was the youngest professor that ever happened then in the field of medicine in Africa. To prove to people that it was not just a fluke, I then moved into IVF. I had moved with my family during the military intervention in 1994, I also worked as a professor there in IVF Centre in Chicago. I was appointed as the Director of the IVF programme and as a professor in anatomy and gynaecology.

By 1999, there was democracy in Nigeria and I moved back home. I always knew that I was not going to stay long or forever in America. No matter what you are, as a black person in America, you end up seeing a glass ceiling. So when I got home, I started teaching as a professor at the Lagos State University College of Medicine. I was one of the people that participated in the process of drawing up the curriculum and plan for its execution. I also helped to establish the department of anatomy before eventually starting my own practice.

When did you start your own private practice?

I started the Medical Art Centre as a parttime practice in 1994. Even while I was in the US, I came home during vacations to help work on one or two cases. One of the things that helped was the fact that

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to be good -Prof. Ashiru there was more need for me here than over there. For example, in Chicago, there were 52 IVF centres at that time. So I recognised the need to start my own practice full time and just kept my position at the university as a professor. I am happy to say that as recent as this March, the University of Lagos recognised me as one of the pioneer professors in anatomy, and appointed me as Adjunct Professor in anatomy to help in some lectures and researches.

Has there been improvement in the field of IVF in Nigeria since then?

The field of IVF has expanded and we are proud to be at the cutting edge of IVF technology here in the Medical Art Centre. We don’t do ordinary IVF alone.

We also include anything that will ensure the success of pregnancy. At the end of the day, virtually any woman that comes here ends up going home with a baby. It may take more than one attempt or two, but we will find out the reason and we will be able to address them regardless of their age.

Are you saying that a woman who is above 50 years and past menopause will still deliver at your centre?

Yes, we have had women of 50, and 57 years successfully have babies of their own.

Were they still ‘seeing’ their period?

One of them was not ‘seeing’ her period but some people go through donor programme.

What other assisted medical technology do you conduct at your clinic?

We also help you to select the sex of your baby. We have a technology where if you are a sickle cell carrier, we can help you not to have a sickle cell baby.

This is because we can select the chromosome of the embryo before you even give birth. It is known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

Do you go back abroad to do more researches or you conduct them here in Nigeria?

Yes, I do a lot of research here in Nigeria but I also travel abroad to expand in the frontier of assisted conception. I expanded it through collaboration to have the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. We have even found out that when we treat this type of people, they still don’t get pregnant, which has brought me to another level of research. It shows that the way we eat and our environment can have severe consequences on our fertility. That is how we came to set up the detoxification centre, which is the first modern Mayer therapy in Africa. It is detoxification, using the principle of Mayer who was a physician and brilliant doctor from Austria 100 years ago. Detoxification cleanses the body with medical supervision through outlets such as the bowel, urine, skin, lungs and lymph.

Mention some of the awards you have received in the field of medicine.

In the field of fertility, I am humble to say that I am on the international committee. I am on the executive council of most facilities. Also, I am on the executive council of morphological scientists. I am a Chairperson of a committee of the International Federation of Anatomy. I am the president of the Anatomical Society for Africa. I am the president of the International Society for Modern Mayer Medicine.

What exactly does the Modern Mayer Medicine teach?

It teaches us that the problems we have, which makes us sick of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cancer or any type of sickness, infertility, aging badly, pre mature death, all come by only one way - through what we eat. We may not have control over environmental factors but we have control over what we eat. There is a lot of mis-education about the way we eat and it is based on the control of the industry that produces most of these foods.

When you went into medicine, was specialising in infertility something you wanted to do or you stumbled on it when you went to the US? I come from a family where my mother was the first nursing sister in western Nigeria. We lived near the hospital. She was a matron and had her own maternity centre. While in school, I learnt reproductive medicine, but I didn’t want to practise it because of the way my mother’s social life was being disturbed as people came in to deliver, even at night. Luckily for me, my PhD was

in that area of reproduction, that was how I delved into the field of IVF and infertility. Today, I have a worldclass maternity centre. And I just delivered my first grandson there this month. With this centre, people do not need to go abroad anymore to deliver their babies because everything is here.

Did any of your children take after you in the field of medicine?

No, none of them, but they are involved in the whole organisation. The group is made up of the Medical Art Centre, which deals in infertility; the Mart Diagnosis which is where we diagnose why you are infertile and proffer solutions; and we have the Mart Life Detox Clinic where you can go to regenerate your body, refresh your body, lose weight and remove toxins to enhance fertility. We have the Mart Medicare, where the pregnancy will be monitored until you deliver because these are high risk pregnancies. So my children are actively involved in the running of these sections of the organisation.

What inspires you?

What inspires me is in the words of the 17th Century composer, Beethoven, who says, “I recognise no superiority in mankind other than goodness.” So, my driving force is the desire to be good. To me, goodness is the most superior quality any human being can have.

Goodness also challenges you to excel in what you do, discover things for mankind and to improve the lives of people.

Can we meet the woman behind the erudite professor?

She is Mrs. Idowu Ashiru, the daughter of Chief Shonibare. She was educated abroad and then came to Unilag were we met at a function and within six months of dating, we got married; that was in 1975. It was love at first sight for me and my wife.

Next year, we will celebrate 40 years of marriage and we are blessed with three daughters and three grandchildren -two girls and one grandson - and hopefully more to come.

Looking at you, it’s obvious you are a stylish person. What inspires your style?

I think I got my stylishness from my mother. She always made sure that we were well dressed even while I was still a young boy.

Most doctors are not stylish.

You are an exception.

Not really; in medicine there are different types of people.

You have those who have the culture of immaculate dressing, those who are just normal dressers and then those who don’t care how they look at all.

The high level consultants in Britain and in America often reach a particular professional level where your dressing must be 100 per cent immaculate; either in suits or white coats.

Where do you shop for your clothes?

I get my clothes mostly from abroad. Most of my suits are Italian suits.

And your watch, which of the designers do you wear mostly?

The one I am wearing currently is a Birkin watch.

What words do you have for the Nigerian government on how we can improve the health facilities in the coun-

try?

Well, the government is trying, but what I have always emphasised on is that the health plan for this country is not on a developmental strategy, unlike in America or any of the developed countries. We don’t have a developmental strategy in which the government can say in one year we want to achieve this or that. Our health plans have been of machine gun approach; we have been on primary health care for ages now, since (Prof. Olikoye) Kuti set it up. We do not say that in this year’s budget, we will achieve a particular purpose in the health sector. We can say that in this budget, we will complete a renal station whereby people can stop flying to India or any other country for any cases that have to do with renal failure. We have the financial power to do these things, but never carry them out. In most countries, they will first identify the manpower before they even construct the building, whereas in Nigeria the reverse is the case.

As an OFR, do you have a voice when it comes to giving advice to the government on how to make things better in the health sector?

On many occasions, I have been in contact with the Minister of Health, and I have been able to give some of these pieces of advice or commend what he is doing.

The minister happens to have been one of my students at a time.

You look very trim, what is the secret to your fit frame?

The secret of my aging well is simple. It is the Mayer medicine which says that you must detoxify on a regular basis. I am 63 years old and I still look good.

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with

Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770 chibumah@yahoo.com

Worry, like rocking chair, keeps you busy

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ichie was dressed, ready to go out. It was 4.45am.

His timepiece said so. His eyes were heavy. He barely slept.

A cup of coffee would have done him a lot of good, but it was too early to wake Martha up.

He left the still sleeping Cherish in the room and moved to the sitting room.

“What do I do? Do I confront my wife? Do I demand to know how she came about that pregnancy? But that means I’ll be announcing my infertile state to the world! Do I pretend that I know nothing and accept a child that is not mine? Who has been sleeping with my wife? For how long has Patra known about this challenge and kept quiet? Hmmmmmmmm! I need to talk to someone. My pastor? Friend?” He paced up and down and suddenly stopped.

“I have to talk to KC.” He checked his timepiece. 5.14am. He dialed KC’s number anyway.

Dr. KC’s voice was very clear. He had been on the phone with his Canada-based family. When the phone rang immediately after his wife disconnected the line, he sighed.

“Richie, Hope no problem? KC said into the mouthpiece.

“KC, there is. I don’t know what to do...” Richie began and KC cut in, “What is the problem. How’s Patra? What exactly is the problem?”

“KC, the child in Patra’s womb may not be mine.

What do I do? Do I pretend as though I know nothing?” Richie asked.

KC said, “Richie, the child in your wife’s womb is NOT yours. But you should approach the issue with wisdom. Have you told her of your reproductive challenge? You should know that before you broach that subject, you have to tell her that you are responsible for her childless state. Also, you have to sort out the issue of the other woman that claimed to have had children for you.”

KC had just hit Richie’s main problem on the head.

How would he announce to the world that because he could not impregnate his wife, she got another man to do it with ease? Really, this issue would need to be handled with utmost care, the way one would kill a fly that perched on the scrotum.

“KC, I’m really confused. How could my wife seek another man? Why didn’t she discuss the issue with me when she realised I was the cause of our infertile state. Just as you told me before, there were options.

The IVF was there, as you suggested. We could have sorted this out without getting a strange man into the picture. Patra betrayed the trust I had in her,” Richie said.

“Look Richie, another man’s semen would have been used for the IVF because yours is too weak. You talk as if you are certain she’s aware of your reproductive challenge. What if she doesn’t? What if you drove her into another man’s arms. What if this pregnancy was a chance occurrence? Do you think she would tell you she was pregnant if she knew you couldn’t have been responsible? Use your head my friend,” KC said and Richie’s heart almost failed him.

He thanked KC and promised to get back to him.

He never thought of those possibilities.

“I’m going back to Lagos,” he told nobody in particular and went into the room to pick his bag. A glance at the sleeping Cherish and his heart melted. It was so difficult to leave a child he had called his own for over three years. He loved her so much. He brought out his cheque book and scribbled on a leaf which he tore out and put in his pocket.

He then took a picture of the sleeping girl with his phone and walked out of the room.

In the sitting room, he dialed Ruth’s line and she picked.

“Hello, good morning my dear,” Ruth said.

“Good morning, he replied,” adding, “I’m afraid, I have to get back to Lagos this morning...” Ruth was speechless.

“This morning? She managed to ask and Richie said, “Yes. Something came up in the office that I have to attend to immediately. I’ll drop the card with the nurse at the hospital’s reception for you. I have to get to the airport immediately.”

Immediately he disconnected the line, he called Martha and said, “Martha, please take care of Cherish. Her mum is coming back later today.”

“Yes sir,” Martha replied.

He dialed Patra’s number to inform her he was coming back but the line was busy.

It was a few minutes after 6am.

“Who could she be talking with on the phone this early in the morning? Could it be the father of her unborn child?” His stomach churned at the thought of his wife in the arms of another man. ******* Patra was on the phone with Pius.

“My love, I’ll be with you in Lagos in three days time. I’ve missed you so much,” Pius said.

“I’m missing you so much baby. Can’t wait to be in your arms,” she replied, setting his blood on fire.

“I love you Patra. I want to spend the rest of my days on earth with you. I can’t imagine not being with you, my love,” he said.

Deep down Patra’s heart, the prospect of being with the man that proved to the world that she was indeed, a woman, appealed so much to her, but she still felt something for her husband. She had been wondering what could be in her husband’s mind since she told him she was pregnant. If she knew he had that medical challenge, she wouldn’t have told him she was pregnant. He could be hatching a plan right now. If not, why did he pretend to be the father when he knew quite well that the baby was not his?

“My love, are you there?” Pius asked.

“Yes my baby. I love you. You have brought so much joy into my life. Let’s just watch and see what happens,” she told him. ********** Ruth’s eyes were puffy. She didn’t sleep well. How could she? Somehow, she wasn’t sure Richie was re-

sponsible for her pregnancies. Old Jim was always there, so also John. When she informed him the first time, she was hoping that he would give her some money to get rid ofthe pregnancy. She was pleasantly surprised when he gave her the amount of money she had only seen in her dream and told her to have the baby for him.

When she learnt that his wife could not conceive, she felt she could tie him to her waist forever with another baby.

“How could this be happening to me? How did he get to know he is not responsible for my pregnancies?

What do I do now?” ******** Richie gave the card to the nurse at the reception area of the hospital and was walking away when Ruth grabbed him.

“What is the matter with you? Why are you returning to Lagos today? Richie, I love you. Don’t leave me,” she pleaded.

Richie did not want her to cause a scene at the hospital premise.

“I’ll come back soon. I told you, I have to attend to an urgent business. Here, take this to sort out your expenses until I get back,” he told her, thrusting the cheque into her her hand and walked quickly away.

When he got to the airport, he called Patra once again to inform her he was on his way home.

As he boarded the flight to Lagos, he thought about the whole thing, wondering what he would say to his wife.

“How will I look my wife in the eyes, knowing another man has been eating from the goodness that makes me go gaga? How will I look her in the eyes, knowing that another man had been farming in my yard and sucking my honey?”

The plane taxied to a halt and he took a deep breath. ************ How did Richie react to Patra’s warm welcome?

Find out next Sunday as the series continues.

21

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Body&Soul

Look your best every day at work Y

Vanessa Okwara ou are a woman who works five days a week and most of that time you are in the office.

Of course, you need to look your best all through the day.

Looking competent and professional is incredibly important and everything that will enhance that look should be taken seriously, especially your makeup.

One challenge many young women face is choosing the right makeup for a corporate environment. Studies have shown that women who wear make-up to work are more likely to get promoted. With the right makeup, your confidence increases and that’s pretty powerful. The trick is finding a look that enhances

your natural beauty. Although that might mean putting down the glittery eyeliner, it doesn’t have to mean barefaced beauty.

However, smoky eyes in the workplace are generally considered a no-no. They either look too sultry or like you didn’t remove last night’s make-up.

Make-up should make you look beautiful and confident.

While at work, heavy makeup can be a sure turn off. Perfect your techniques and be minimal on loud colours.

Rules for a workplace safe make-up look: 1. Keep it natural. There’s a time and a place for smoky eye and scarlet lips, and the office is not that place. It’s important to look polished and professional at work; the

right look can create the right impression and help ensure that people take you seriously.

Plus, the more make-up you wear, the longer it’s going to take you to get ready.

2. Try not to wear glittery make-up or nail polish to work. Save the pixie dust and shimmer for weekends, and even then, wear with caution.

A little goes a long way.

3.

Avoid using brightcoloured eye shadows as they can be very distracting.

Choose an eye shadow that will bring your eyes alive. Go for colours like grey, taupe, bronze or brown. Try to stay away from glitters.

4. Don’t apply too much mascara; nothing looks worse than heavy clumpy lashes. Choose a lightweight

lengthening (not thickening) mascara formula with a great separating brush.

5. Eyes are the prime point of contact when you speak at work. So make sure that they stay alive throughout the day with a good primer, foundation and concealer combo.

6.

Make-up should enhance, and not hide who you are. It shouldn’t be distracting. Remember, you want people to be listening to what you’re saying without being mesmerised by your hot pink lipstick or neon colored eye shadow.

7. It should make you feel both comfortable and amazing. If you’re busy stressing your eyeliner and nail polish, how can you concentrate on that complicated job?

22

Body&Soul

Embellished dresses:

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

43

Hardball Jonathan's associates are deceiving him p.28

biyi adegoroye, ASSISTANT Editor, Politics biyi.fire@yahoo.com

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Tel: 08033024007

MAY 11, 2014

Interview Why we recommended creation of more states - Okurounmu p.27

23

Politics ON SUNDAY

Amaechi’s proposed N50bn fresh loan stirs controversy Barely three months after accessing a N100 billion bond from the stock market, Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s move to take a N50 billion loan from the banks about a year to the terminal date of his government draws the ire of the opposition. JOE EZUMA looks at the arguments from both sides

A

gain, the political turf in Rivers State is getting tougher, not as a result of political violence, but this time for the use of government’s funds. Despite the huge revenue which accrues to the state monthly either in the form of internally generated income or allocations from the federation account, which enabled it to pass a N485.5 billion budget this year, its want to raise a N50 billion loan from some banks and has become a source of fresh acrimony in the state.

A few months ago, Governor Rotimi Amaechi got the approval of the Rivers State House of Assembly to access a N100 billion from the stock market. The bill to that effect got speedy passage, as the house argued that with the current realities in the state, there was a great need to make the law empowering the governor to access the bond very flexible.

Justifying the bond, the state government has alluded to dwindling revenue from the federation account and its internally generated revenue. At a recent outing, the governor openly admitted that insecurity had affected state revenue sources and by extension, caused capital flight from the oil-rich state.

Amaechi attributed the dwindling IGR of the state to the rising insecurity in the state “at a time when desperate politicians resorted to power play at the national level ahead of the 2015 elections and the recent influx of political thugs and miscreants that were chased out of the state when he assumed office in 2007.’’

Amaechi lamented the resurgence of kidnapping in the state with specific reference to the of kidnap of some of his colleagues including a lawyer and a bishop recently in the state, - activities he thought had become relics of history.

Ironically, the state government has been able to increase internally generated revenue since 2007 when Amaechi came into office.

Observers believe that this current resort to credit facilities is a poignant irony for Amaechi who had mapped out a robust and watertight revenue generating strategy that shot the state’s IGR from N2.5 billion to N6 billion monthly since he assumed office in 2007.

Amaechi has argued that: ‘’It was N2.5 billion, but now it is N6 billion monthly. It is not enough, we need to drive it up to N8 billion so we can pay our monthly recurrent expenditure. We did not introduce new taxes; all we did was to block the avenues that people used to steal our money. So, there was no sharing of the state venue into private pockets. We reduced corruption, and that is why we are

Amaechi

able to save more money for our people” It is for this reason that many stakeholders in the Rivers project are worried about the current move to take a N50 billion facility.

For instance the Peoples Democratic Party in the state expressed a great concern over the current moves. Its chairman, Felix Obuah, expressed displeasure over Amaechi’s spending pattern since he assumed office.

They include N100 billion bond in February this year, the N50 billion as well as approval he sought to access the N30 billion Rivers State Reserve Fund, out of the N53 billion in the account. Obuah said all these loans were political loans and warned the prospective creditors that in-coming administration would not take the responsibility of repayment. But the Amaechi administration said that it had paid back 20 per cent of the loans it had sourced.

The PDP, in a statement, said it was saddened by “the reckless manner” in which Amaechi has threw the state into a debtor status in the past three years by borrowing

Okonjo-Iweala

billions of naira for no just cause. The party wondered why “lawmakers that are not properly constituted and lacking the legal standing to make laws and give authorization or undertake such legal actions will ...be aiding the governor to squander the state resources and destroy the future of the people’’.

This latest reaction was sequel to the Assembly approving another round of N50 billion loan for the administration. To the PDP, the latest N50 billion loan by the governor is unnecessary and one too many. It regretted that development on ground in the state, the environment and the living condition of the people and residents did not reflect the claims by the government on the injection of the huge financial revenue and monthly collections by the Amaechi administration since inception.

It wondered where the monies, the internally generated revenues, federal allocations and loans collected, had all gone. The PDP expected that the governor to explain these to the people first before asking for further

financial aid from any institutions.

The party further accused the governor of sourcing for the loans for political purposes to enhance his sole sponsorship of the APC, in expectation of a presidential ticket. PDP big wigs including Chief Sergeant Awuse; Senator Adawari Pepple; Chairman of PDP Reconciliation Committee, Hon Olaka Wogu, and the supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike insisted that the proposed N50 billion loan to Amaechi is unacceptable and should not be granted by any financial institution. ''It is our view that any bank that goes further to deal with the Rivers State Government in honouring its loan application does so at its own risk, because Rivers people do not support such financial transactions and no legal authority backs it. The Rivers State House of Assembly remains non-functional and illegal in view of the events surrounding its operations, and therefore, does not give any of its members any right to approve any loan for

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Politics / Analysis

Dickson depletes Sylva's APC Last week's defection to the Peoples Democratic Party by former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State under Timipre Sylva, Werinipre Seibarugu, and hundreds of his former aides is seen as a final quit notice to Sylva and his All Progressives Congress in the state. CHRIS EJIM examines the declaration and the future of PDP ahead of the 2015 and 2016 presidential and gubernatorial elections respectively in the state

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overnor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has left no one in doubt about his feelings for the last administration of Chief Timipre Sylva. Dickson is more irritated when Sylva's new party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) claimed to have a wider membership and is ready to take over power in the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan.

For Dickson, in spite of the tall dream of the APC and the perceived weak leadership under Sylva, he welcomes every opportunity presented to display his loyalty to his boss, President Jonathan, and his party, the PDP with all pleasure. So Dickson was at his best when the former Deputy Governor to Timipre Sylva, Hon. Werinipre Seibarugu and hundreds of his former aides and supporters decided to make open their support for Jonathan and the PDP. Instead of allowing the PDP leadership led

by Col. Sam Inokoba (retd), the honour of receiving the Seibarugu's group, Governor Dickson made himself available to receive Seibarugu and over 68 members of the last administration in the state to declare support and loyalty to the ruling PDP and the administration of President Jonathan.

Seibarugu and other former political office holders in the last administration, under the

Dickson

aegis of Ex-Bayelsa Government Officials’ Forum (EBGOF), the APC have verbally attacked the administration of Jonathan, and the PDP for excluding them from recent political activities showed that they had accepted the erroneous claim of alleged defection with Sylva.

Aside from Seibarugu, other members of the forum are former Secretary to the State Government, Alabo Ekeuwei, former Information Commissioner, Chief Nathan EgbaOlogo, former Special Adviser on Economic Planning, Prince Michael Amaegberi, former Special Duties Commissioner, Hon. Kesiye Frank-Oputu and former Commissioner for Employment and Conflict Resolution, Barr.

Fitzgerald Olorogun.

Also on the list are former Commissioners of Finance, Hon. Stephen Ogulah,Benson Dagidi (Health), Kenigua Ibomo (Commerce and Industry), Opukiri Jones-Ere (Sports and Social Development),George Fente (Political Adviser), the former Personal Assistant to Sylva, Austin Adigio and the former Commissioner for Local Government, Chief Ben Eyororokumoh New Telegraph on Sunday gathered that the group also commands a wide membership of former state legislators, including the former

Sylva

House Committee Chairman on Information, Chief Robert Enoa. It was gathered that the move to dump Sylva for Jonathan was mooted in Abuja and Yenagoa. It was further gathered that Seibarugu and Ekeuwei have been nominated as the leader and deputy leader of the group.

The plot to dump Sylva, according to some of them, was their non-involvement in the defection to APC and the perceived weak APC executive put in place recently. Some of them claimed that those termed APC leaders are far below in status and lack needed experience in politics of the state.

While many claimed the move by Sylva's former aides was informed by their political ambition, unpaid severance payment from the state government as former political office holders and need to hijack some party positions come 2015, others argued that it might be another plot by Sylva to infiltrate the fold of the PDP and scuttle Jonathan's plan in 2015 from the home state.

But the group, in its letter to the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Mua’zu, Jonathan and his wife, Patience, Inokoba and the Governor Dickson, noted that the claim that they dump the party alongside Sylva is "erroneous". The letter signed by Seibarugu,

stated that: "The majority of the political office holders in Sylva’s administration did not move with him to the APC as was erroneously claimed."

Receiving them back into the party, Governor Dickson described their as a welcome development. Calling on them to always be peaceful and work towards the development of the State, the governor said the era of political violence is over in the state, disclosing that since the present administration came on board, over two years ago, the state has been enjoying relative peace.

According to him, “what unites us is bigger than party affiliations. We are first of all Bayelsans and Ijaw people. Parties go, but we remain united by a common destiny and it is in that respect, that I join the chairman and the leaders of the party in receiving you back into the fold.”

Describing the PDP as the most formidable party without ethnic and religious bias in the country, he told the returnees to see their absence as a political accident, adding that, ‘the most important thing is that, you have always remained members of the PDP in Bayelsa State. Though APC sees the defectors as traitors, to the PDP, their defection is a nail on the coffin of APC in Bayelsa.

Amaechi’s proposed N50bn fresh loan stirs controversy C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

the executive arm,” the PDP said.

To the PDP in the state and other critics of the administration, the current development and quick recourse to credit facilities are evidence that the state is broke. They blame it on the governor’s profligacy in allegedly using state fund to prosecute political warfare both in the state and in Abuja, claiming that the governor has abandoned his duties to his people.

Amaechi’s place in history

Needless to say, in the beginning, things were robust in Rivers State because money was not the problem. Rivers State was described as the fastest growing economy in the country with massive infrastructural work going on while security was restored in a hitherto strife-torn state. Also, phenomenal advance was made in the health and educational sectors as well as on road construction.

According to public opinion, since the exit

of Alfred Diete-Spiff’s administration in the old Rivers State, the state has not witnessed the rate of development seen under Amaechi. In fact true to his pledge in October 26, 2007, Amaechi is said to have saved the River’s about N1 billion every month from the state’s share of the federation account and he strove to actualise this ambitious strategic fiscal programme, keeping it in the State Reserve Fund.

The government has executed a lot of projects including the multi-billion Naira MonoRail project, while on February 17 and 18, 2014, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was on a two-day visit to the state, commissioned about 16 newly completed projects by Amaechi’s administration. Right now, the state needs to pay 500 medical doctors it had recently engaged to address labour issue and health improvement, all of who have cars attached to their positions. There is also the payment of 13,000 teachers it engaged some months ago but who had not received salaries.

To Amaechi, the prevalence of insecurity in the state has hampered operations of companies, forcing them outside Port Harcourt, which negatively affected the state’s internally generated revenue that would have hit N10 billion monthly. “Most of the companies ran to Lagos and some of them came to Port Harcourt, and later also ran back. Things were improving before now with the Army, Police and the State Security Service (SSS), which enabled us to arrest the insecurity in the state.”

He argued that recently though, “because of the power play at the national level ahead of the 2015 elections, the security of the state has degenerated badly, such that one is wondering whether we should not differentiate between politics of election and politics of leadership. It is also important for you to know the economic interest of the people, as against our private interest too.”

Of loan and politics

One clear accusation is that Amaechi is

believed to be squandering state’s funds in fighting political battles in Abuja and at home. In the process, he seems to have abandoned statecraft, a situation critics allege , has led to his inability to pay workers’ salaries, especially teachers, and in some cases, slashing workers’ salary.

Others observers and residents of the state believe that the governor has been unduly harassed, distracted and harangued with the immediate past police commissioner in the state as agent provocateur.

Speaking on the legality or propriety of the approval of the loan, a Port Harcourtbased legal practitioner, Mr. Moses Oha, said that as long as the members of the house formed a quorum, wherever they sat was immaterial and whatever they approved or decided had the force of law.

Oha accused those attacking Amaechi and the legislature over the approval of not wanting the embattled governor to have money to run the government so that they could brand him a failure.

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Politics / Interview

Boko Haram: I smell a rat over America’s intervention W

hy are you kicking against American soldiers’ coming to assist Nigeria in the battle against Boko Haram insur-

gency?

Before I will say something on the coming of American soldiers or what I can refer to as second invasion, I will first look at the whole thing from the historic perspective. Historically, we all knew that America has predicted the fall of Nigeria society in 2015. As a Nigerian, this is a terrible thing that we don’t want to happen but they had said it whether we like it or not.

Secondly, how can Nigeria as a sovereign nation which got its independence in 1960 and has become a regional super power that is today known in the African sub-region where they helped to restore peace in other countries cannot solve its internal problem, we have to invite America or France? Remember we got our independence from the British.

The question I want to ask is that: Is this colonisation? I want to ask. If Nigeria is a sovereign country with a government in charge of security, then, it is the National Assembly and the masses of the land who can resolve for any external invasion in view of what America has predicted on Nigeria Secondly, I think if the government wants to make such policy, the National Assembly and the people of the land will collectively agreed on what should be done. What did the National Assembly say regarding the coming of Americans, a country which had early predicted the collapsed of the country in 2015, into the country? What did the government said about this? What did the people of the country say? Or is this another way of colonising Nigeria again? If our National Assembly did not invite them and the people of the country never invited them, then I think this is another uncertainty that has befallen the nation.

Again, this has shown the inability of the government to handle the situation. Everybody knows that the president is the chief security officer of the country and any governor or a local government chairman is equally the chief security in his own domain. How then is it impossible for both of them to control the security of this nation if they have to invite this invasion into the country? If today you put on your radio, you will hear Nigerians masses are alleging that they are being attacked by Nigeria soldiers. You will also hear them saying that the day before the attack; all the checkpoints were being dismantled before the incident. Then, how can the masses of this country understand the truth about the whole saga?

Do you think the Nigerian government has failed in this direction?

That was what I said earlier, that there is apparent failure of the Nigerian government particularly the presidency on the maintenance of our internal security. There is also a complete failure on the part of the National Assembly which failed to make their stand known to Nigerians over their inability to maintain the security of this nation. But now that they have all kept quiet over it and Nigeria is today invaded. We the masses are lost over the whole situation.

What do you think is responsible for the total silence of the National Assembly on this matter?

I think the National Assembly members are elected to represent their people. How can they keep quiet over issues affecting the people? I think they need to come out and tell Nigerians their reasons for that. If our National Assembly remains silence over such issues and we are today invaded by another

National Chairman of Jama atul Izalatul Bidia Waikamatus Sannah, Sheik Sani Yahaya Jingir, in this interview with Buhari Bello expresses great concern over disposition of the western world to the issue of insurgency in the country, the intervention of America as well as alleged complicity of security operatives in the Boko Hara saga

Jingir

country, to me it is another way of colonising us because these America has the record of destabilising other nations of the world.

What can you say on the alleged complicity by the security forces?

This is an area where they make us to think otherwise over the role played by the security in the country because today, they are being accused of so many complicities on the internal security. I want to call on the international community and the concern bodies to investigate into the role of the soldiers in the operation of Boko Haram.

How do you see the kidnapping of the school children’s in Chibok and the religious dimension?

I think it is wrong for any Nigerian to give it a religious coloration because before there were incidences where many Nigerians were killed and several school children attacked. They attacked many schools and in some places, they attacked mainly people of a particular religion, who were all killed. They were both Muslim and Christians in such attacks. And today, the country is being told that somebody is now saying he will bring back the children who were kidnapped. The question is, did such a person know the whereabouts of the children?

So to me, I think, this is not the issue of religion, but a clear case of complete failure of the government responsibility in the democratic setting because Nigeria has the strength to confront its own internal problem, but where the government calla for assistant from another country, then I think this is another way of controlling the nation in search of the missing school girls.

You once said that Boko Haram cannot be

associated to Islam because of what they are doing to fellow Nigerians. What then don you think is responsible for the whole situation?

I am quite sure that Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam because Islam is a religion that encourages the search for knowledge. The Holy Quran starts with the commandment saying that you should read in the name of your Lord and not the knowledge that encourages killings, bloodletting, Corruption, cheating of individuals and stealing. .

If today somebody comes out killing people and claiming that the whole thing is Islamic, definitely this to me, is another way of giving the religion a bad name or what I consider the work of enemies of Islam. Such people commit all atrocities and linked it to Islam simply because they want to spoil its name. I think if anybody wants to understand Islam, he must look at the Quran and the Hadith to see what the books are saying. Islam teaches the need for safeguarding the human sanctity, the need the respect of human dignity and respect for the constituted authorities. Islam is separate from Boko Haram. Those that I think created Boko Haram can be linked to the statement credited to a foreign envoy that they created al-Qaeda and after some years the body became too powerful and cannot be controlled by them any longer.

What is your advice to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum?

My call to the governors of this country is for them to remember that they were elected by the masses of this country to represent them and not for them to do otherwise. They were elected into office to provide security of lives

and properties of Nigerians. Today there are conflicting reports about the role of government especially the huge money spent on the maintenance of security and yet there is insecurity in the land, which prompted Nigerians to be asking question on the money spent on security. Where is the money being channeled into? Today nobody is talking about this and people are instead talking of the burning of one village to another. We want to see their achievements. What they have done in the past?

What is your organisation doing on the issue of unemployment and youth restiveness in Nigeria today?

Under JIBWIS, one of the cardinal principles is to educate the people particularly our followers on this earth to note that an individual requires sound knowledge and also the need for us, to preach on the leaders to hold the trust bestowed on them and we are also educating the people of this country to do what is right and desists from prostitution, drugs abuse, and other vices.

We also engage in building schools, hospitals, agricultural activities and other hand work for the people so that they can depend on themselves. We are now calling on the government to give us the support and the cooperation needed so that we can ensure that the masses of this country have something doing and not to embark on a mere propaganda.

Do you support the extension of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States as allegedly contemplated by the presidency today?

I do not support the extension of the emergency rule because we in Plateau State and other places have witnessed it in the past. And I think the essence of such extension is to solve the problems created, but such problem has not been solved by the declaration of the state of emergency in the past. Today it is being rumored that they want to extend the state of emergency in other to stop the state from 2015 election. So this means that they want to extend the emergency rule for political reasons and I am not in support of that because it has never solved any problems in the states. It is being speculated that the move is to dislodge certain section of this country, and I think that it is wrong for any section of this country to marginalise another section for whatever reason.

So, I think there is need for fairness and the elected representative in this country should do what is for the interest of this country.

What is your take on the need for different sections this country to remain together as one?

My call to all Nigerians is for us to realize the fact we are stronger as one nation and God has his reasons for keeping us together.

I want Nigerians from all the regions to come together and unite. We should make sure that whatever we do, we should have a fear of God behind our minds and I am calling on Nigerians to keep praying for the unity as well as oneness of this great country. We should not give a chance to anybody who wants to see the break-up of this country or who is interested in bringing back colonialism in our land. I also employ all Nigerians to search for knowledge because the recent kidnapping of the school children’s is aimed at discouraging education in the land.

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Politics

A

lthough the office of the First Lady in Nigeria is not recognised in the constitution, its occupants have continued to wield and exert heavy influence on governance issues.

But, way back into the days of the inaugural holder of the office, Flora Azikiwe (1963), there have been criticisms on the basis of the existence of such an office in the organogram of government.

Interestingly, Dame Patience Jonathan appears to be among the powerful First Ladies the country has produced, particularly since the return of democracy since 1999.

Last week, Dame Jonathan exhibited an emotional side yet unknown to many. In the wake of the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls missing saga, she had on Friday May 2, 2014 summoned a meeting of wives of 36 state governors and other women leaders of various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to brainstorm and suggest how best the issue could be best handled.

The abduction of the female pupils at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State has caused outrage worldwide.

While presiding, the First Lady did not fail to show those present at the meeting that she was in charge. The moderation method adopted by Dame Jonathan, also known as Mama Peace, did not leave anyone in doubt of her capacity to find the truth about the missing girls.

On the day the women first met at the First Lady’s wing of the Presidential Villa, President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier approved the constitution of a presidential fact finding committee on the abduction of the girls from Borno. Could the mother of the nation be working at cross-purposes with the President? This was one question murmured among some of the women at the meeting, who seemed abreast of the President’s intention, which had been announced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, some hours before they had gathered.

And the First Lady wept Anule Emmanuel emmyanule@yahoo.com Not minding the step which her husband, ‘the commander in chief’, had already taken, the First Lady proceeded with the meeting which lasted for over six hours.

She also constituted a special fact finding committee. Unlike her husband, whose committee’s composition was broad and expanded along lines of experts and professionals, Dame Jonathan focused on key actors in the saga.

She insisted that the wife of the Borno State governor, Nana Kashimma Shettima, should chair the team made up of two teachers; wife of the Chibok traditional ruler; two parents of the missing children; two of the schoolchildren that escaped; and the school security man, Borno State Commissioner of Police; Chibok Divisional Police Officer; director of the Department of State Security in the state; the army captain in charge of the region; as well as the commissioners for Health and Education; and the principal of GGSS Chibok, Hajia Asabe Kwabura.

It was interesting to discover that only a few members of this committee showed up during the second day of the meeting on Sunday night, a day after, at the same venue. The Borno State governor’s wife was represented by the commissioner for women affairs in the state. Call it a probe panel and you will not be wrong either.

Dame Jonathan did not fail in expressing her disappointment over the absence of

the governor wife and the other witnesses she had directed to be brought forward for questioning. This development would later throw the President's wife into an unpredictable mood, to the surprise of guests.

For the First lady, these were signs of sabotage against the Federal Government. The thought of this of course was the reason she broke into tears.

But while the quizzing of these actors to obtain relevant information about the missing students dragged on, Patience Jonathan and her women painted an unfortunate picture which apparently sent the signal that no student may have been missing, in the first instance.

“If you are President Jonathan, will you believe what we have in our hands now that children are missing?" the First Lady asked. “No, no, no” was the response from the women. But she concluded, “I am not the one saying so. Nigerian women have said so.”

Notwithstanding this position, a number of resolutions were taken by the women to include the fact that going forward, President Jonathan should desist from visiting bomb blast sites and that within the next few days, about 20 selected women above the age of 60 would meet at the presidential villa to pray for the successful rescue of the students and return of peace to the country.

One thing that remains clear in the criticisms that have trailed the first lady's outburst is the fact that the whole drama in its self was unnecessary. Mobilising Nigerian women to pray for the country at this trying times could make more meaning. Her array of numerous advisers need to wake up and tell their principal how best issues could handled within this office unknown to law without generating such public attacks that have followed this issue.

Sambo’s first outing after brother’s death

S

ince the death of his immediate younger brother, late Capt. Yusuf Sabo Sambo, Vice President Namadi Sambo has not appeared in public. He remained indoors, receiving guests in the long days of condolences that poured in from friends and well-wishers.

Capt. Yusuf had died in the early hours of Sunday April 27 in an autocrash along Bill Clinton Drive while driving to Nnamdi

Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Sambo was first sighted on Tuesday at a special dinner organised for Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, in the Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa.

His calm posture and facial looks as he entered the venue along with President Goodluck Jonathan at the event indeed depicted someone in grief.

Working towards reducing void votes

T

he three-day public holiday declared by the federal government for the World Economic Forum (WEF), which ended last Friday in Abuja notwithstanding, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) knows where the shoe pinches.

The commission had planned to inaugurate a 15-member Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP as part of the measures to reduce high number of rejected votes during elections.

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), Chief Observer, Alojz Peterle, in his report on the conduct of the 2011 general elections said that “deficits were observed especially in rural areas and respecting groups which might be least likely to participate, such as first time voters, minority groups and women.

He recommended that Nigeria should address the high number of rejected votes in her electoral system through voter education.

Indeed, the number of rejected votes in the 2011 general elections was alarming. In the presidential poll, out of the 39, 469, 484 total number of votes cast, 1, 259, 506 votes were rejected, leaving only 38,209,978 valid votes. Some of the mistakes included double thump printing, improper folding of ballot papers. These, by all standards, are abnormal in this 21st century, and also given the fact that the election was

INECDiary Onyekachi Eze

For instance, the electorate should be told what card reader which will be used in the 2015 general elections is all about. They should also be told how to verify their name via online the fourth since Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999.

Some have blamed this on the confusion created by the number of political parties that fielded candidates in the elections. Due to the liberalisation of political space, Nigeria, in 2011, had over 50 registered political parties and over 30 of these fielded candidates in the presidential election. It may be in the process of trying to locate the name and logo of party of choice from the long list of political parties on the ballot paper that

ezekatchy@yahoo.co.uk

the electorate encountered some problems.

But in climes where there is proper voter education, this would not have been a problem. Perhaps, this is why INEC is trying to set up the inter-agency committee on voter education.

The committee is comprised of officials of INEC, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Federal Ministries of Information, Women Affairs and Social Development, Communication, and Education, as well as some parastatals under the Ministry of Information, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) among others.

In the view of NEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole OsazeUzzi, the decision to set up the committee was to enhance effective dissemination of electoral information and enlightenment of the electorate.

In furtherance of this, the commission on Wednesday last week, held information sharing conference with national publicity

and deputy national publicity secretaries of registered political parties. The conference was also designed to involve political parties in educating and enlightening their supporters on the electoral process.

Again, the introduction of online verification of voter's name will be challenging to both the electorate and the commission in the next elections.

In a bid "to incrementally fortify the electoral process against age-long susceptibility to abuses," INEC has introduced many technical jargons, which may be confusing to the electorate if they are not properly educated. For instance, the electorate should be told what card reader which will be used in the 2015 general elections is all about. They should also be told how to verify their names online.

Happily, the commission has intensified its public enlightenment in Ekiti and Osun States where governorship elections will be held this year. This is probably why turnout for the distribution of Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) and Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was high.

It however, needs to do more to ensure that people were not disenfranchised during the elections as was the case in Anambra State in 2013. More importantly, next year's general elections will be a defining moment in the evolution of the nation's electoral process and INEC should do everything possible to ensure their success.

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Politics

Between Reps and abducted Chibok girls

T

he House of Representatives is known for its radicalism and responsiveness to issues. Perhaps, for the fifth House led by Hon. Aminu Bello Masari (2003 -2007) and the few months of the sixth House (20072011) led by the first female speaker, Hon. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the House has almost always exhibited proactive tendencies. The current seventh Assembly led by Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has exuded progressivism right from day one, culminating in the election of an independent leadership in defiance to the directive of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. It was in line with its independent and radical posture that the House convened on a Sunday, January 8, 2012, for a special session to protest the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.

Like when the hike in the prices of petroleum products was announced in January 2012, the House was on recess when the over 200 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State were abducted last month (April 14). Many Nigerians had expected that following the precedence set by the House in 2012, the Green Chamber would cut short its recess and reconvene to lead the way in putting pressure on the abductors to release the hapless girls.

Surprisingly, the House continued on its Easter break and only returned almost

From the

GreenChamber

Philip Nyam What made the House to remain silent for that long when the whole world was visibly shaken by this crime? two weeks after the students were seized

by Boko Haram. This left many people guessing as to whether the House was losing steam as it inches towards the last lap.

Curiously, even some members of the House had expressed the same reservations over the failure of the leadership to convene a special session on the abduction. While contributing to the debate on the motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Peter Gumtha representing Chibok/Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State, Hon. Aisha Dahiru

ternyam@gmail.com (PDP, Adamawa) had submitted that the motion was ‘belated’, as according to her, the House should have reconvened as soon as the incident happened to deliberate on the way forward. In her words: “In as much as I support this motion, the debate on this issue is belated. I thought this House would have suspended its recess and come back to tackle this matter." I believe many would have reechoed this in their minds.

It is true that the House has invited all the Service Chiefs to come and brief it on the rescue process. This should have been done much earlier. So, what made the House to remain silent for that long when the whole world was visibly shaken by this crime? Was it an oversight on the part of the leadership or was it a deliberate plan to avoid being seen as playing to the gallery? Perhaps, the leadership was engaging other agencies of government through other means to see to the release of the girls. But as representatives

of the people and a chamber renowned for indulging in populist campaigns, not a few Nigerians had expected the House to reenact its January 8, 2012 pro-people move that earned the lawmakers deserved accolades from across the country.

This House has set for itself a very high standard and has been riding on a high pedestal. It must not allow the tempo to die down. This is not the time to lower the flag at half-mast. The House must ensure that it keeps the flag flying till the last day.

By this, one is not oblivious of the good showing of the House since its inauguration on June 6, 2011. I must acknowledge that crucial and critical bills and motions have been passed by the current assembly. In fact, just a week ago, the House passed the Pension Reform Bill.

Therefore, as this House moves towards its last session, it must remember how and where it started. The elaborate and comprehensive 'House Legislative Agenda' must be rekindled and rewired. It is often said that ‘first impression counts’ but to create a lasting impression, one needs to be consistent. This is especially for a House that wants to be on the side of the people at all times. The House Legislative Agenda is a laudable working document, which if it is properly and judiciously implemented, would raise the ante of legislative democracy in the country. This House must not fall!

Why we recommended creation of more states - Okurounmu

The National Conference committee on political restructuring and forms of government last week recommended the creation of an additional state for the Sout- East geo- political zone. Dr Femi Okurounmu, the man who led the presidential advisory committee that laid the foundation for it and currently a member of the conference committee, gives an insight into their recommendations, in this chat with ONWUKA NZESHI

Y

ou were advocating for a return to the regions based on the six geo- political zones but it appears you finally settled for the states as federating units. How did you arrive at this?

Yes, we wanted the regional arrangement but it did not sail through at the end of the day.

How do you feel about the outcome?

I don't feel bad. We have made some slow progress. We did not succeed in making the zones to be the federating units of the country, but in a way we managed to recommend that those states who want to operate together would be free to do so. They are free to merge if they want to; that is a step forward. That is a provision that allows the South -West to have a zonal or regional government if it chooses.

If some states merge into regions when the constitution recognizes states as federating units would that not affect their revenue from the central purse and create some distortions in the polity ?

When we say that states that are willing to work together could merge, it is without prejudice to the fact that the states are the federating units. Each state will still get its due as a federating unit but then they can put their resources together to run a central administration.

Does it mean they can also establish their own regional parliament?

I don't want to go further than we have decided. See, you are in a hurry. If you are able to form a common or

zonal government, from then on nobody knows where it is going to end.

What informed your recommendation for an additional state for the South-East?

In view of the fact that the South-East is the only zone that has the least number of states, we recommended that it should get an additional state. We also recommended that other people clamoring for states should also be considered based on the merit of their demands. We were not particular about any state even in the South-East. We didn't mention that XYZ state should be created. We just said the South-East should be given additional state. But you must remember that beyond the South-East there are many other demands for states and that was why we recommended that these other demands should also be considered.

What exactly did your committee recommend on the status of the local government councils?

There are only two tiers of government now and that is the federal and states. The local government councils by our recommendations would cease to be a tier of government.

The local government councils will no longer be listed in the Constitution. Each state would be free to create as many local government areas as it can fund, manage and sustain.

Each state would provide for the management and administration of its local councils. In other words, the number of local government councils you have in your state does not concern other states. It is now purely the decision and

Okurounmu

responsibility of individual states.

Would the local councils still receive money from the Federation Account?

No. There are only two tiers and the local government is not one of them. Therefore, funds from the Federation Account would no longer go to the local governments every month.

Don't you think that he states as they are would be too small to wield the kind of powers and influence some of you have proposed in the power devolution committee?

That was the argument we used in our demand for regionalism instead of states, but since the majority didn't agree with us we had to reach a compromise to leave the states as federating units and also provide a window of opportunity for a cluster of states that desire to work together to merge.

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Politics / Hardball

Yahaya Kwande: Many of Jonathan’s Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Switzerland, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, in this encounter with BUHARI BELLO, speaks on several political and security issues in the country, as well as the lingering face off between some northern governors and the presidency, saying many of the President’s advisers are deceiving him

W

hat is your view on the ongoing National Conference?

I will only have to repeat myself that the conference to me is a waste of people’s time, effort and resources. Because we have had conferences which examined the constitution two or three times with credible people that I discovered are in this conference again. So I have known that they will not achieve anything. They may achieve something but my problem is that what are they going to discuss that is beyond what they have discussed in the past or that is beyond the members of the National Assembly?

So, anyway, I think the Presidency wants to take away the attention of the ordinary people of this country from its inability to handle the topical issue which is security. As far as I am concerned, believe me, it is only something that this people

will like to do for doing sake - which every President created a constitutional conference in the past and now the hawks around the President have taken the opportunity by creating another conference to waste people’s money and time..

Don’t you think that the recommendations of the conference will help in solving the nation’s problems?

What is the nation’s problem that has never been discussed in the past?

Unless they are talking about the problems created by the current administration, otherwise if it is the problem of Nigeria ranging from ethnicity, religious, economic to other problems, every aspect of it has been discussed by prominent, educated, elderly politicians and academics and the reports have been placed in front of this administration. I told them that it is a great waste of time for them to add to the reports which have been done and concluded.

How do you see the current faceoff between some

northern governors and President Goodluck Jonathan?

You see, people have forgotten the source of the political wrangling. A lot of people have forgotten the reason why there is disagreement in the country today. The problem started when President Goodluck Jonathan reneged on the agreement he himself signed over the rotational system adopted by his political party. If that has been followed and executed, believe me sincerely all these problems, including even the security problem would not have been happening now.

So you think President Jonathan’s disregard for the zoning arrangement in his party is the source of the problem today?

Yes, because they had agreed within the political party, it wasn’t the question of South, North, East or West only. It was the idea of the PDP to win an election and to give a fair share, fair treatment between the North and the South when they decided to be rotating it till such a time when Nigeria would have stabilised in 10, 20 or 30 years.

We thought we will reach a situation one day, when nobody will care who contests an election but to stabilise the wrangling, the quarrel, the injustice and the mistrust of each others.

So PDP decided that the presidency will rotate, but when President Jonathan decided to throw the decision away because of his interest, that is why we are having this problem, and until justice is done as agreed upon, there will never be peace within the party.

And because the PDP is the largest party that has remained in government for a very long time, whatever touches the members torches the whole country, and that is why they themselves cannot handle it.

Until they come back to the reality and

agreed on carrying every parts of this country along, the problem will remain.

What is your view on the impression that President Jonathan’s style of governance is the worse in the history of Nigeria?

Well, you know that that one is more of a problem created by the military regime in the past. Nigeria is supposed to be a federation of units of almost independent governments that formed the federation. It appears now that because we have inherited this new system from the military, everything now is with the Federal Government and it is in the hand of one person. Let me tell you, in our days, when a minister presented his own budget estimate and it is approved, he will never go back to the President to tell him anything anymore until he executes it. But at the moment, I am telling you they are all like servants of the President. Even if you want to create a toilet in your ministry, you have to obtain approval from the Presidency.

All these things are causing the trouble and that is why we are not at peace. Everybody is not happy except those who sit on the fence and are still crying inside because they don’t like the system, - a system where more than 170 million people are being ruled by one single head who dictates their affairs. This is not good.

Do you foresee more defection from the ruling People’s Democratic Party over internal disagreement and conflict?

Take your pen and write it down. We are waiting for our congresses to be completed in the APC a party which I now belong now.

On the day our presidential candidate appears on the scene, I have no doubt in my mind that those who are talking today to the hearing of President Jonathan will be on their way to the APC because they believe that the change can only be made in APC. And in this country until people believe that we need a change, we will hardly have peace.

Why do you think that everybody is blaming the regime for promoting corruption?

People are accusing the wrong Nigerians. People are accusing the intelligent and gifted people in the country.

Wherever you find a Nigerian that is comfortable, you think he is stealing and the people who are stealing are being left untouched. The injustices being meted on the ordinary people who are deprived of their human rights is today CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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associates are deceiving him C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 8

more than ever in the history of Nigeria. Offenders are not being punished and rewards are not given to those who merit it today.

People are only talking about the Billion of Naira being stolen and they forgot about the ordinary Nigerians. If you go to do something in a ministry without a single kobo in your pocket, then you will be surprised that you will never get what you want because it is not only the minster that is involved in the mess. The whole thing has eaten deep into our borne and now it looks as if everybody now in Nigeria is almost leaving on corruption. Why so?

To correct that, we must start from the grassroots so that everybody will change.

Why should it be that up till now Nigerians are still sufferings? Drive on the streets and you will definitely see somebody will abuse you on the slightest reasons and he will just go away as if there is no law and order in the country. These things are due to corruption.

How has corruption affected the state of insecurity in the country?

It is even the main thing today in government. Can you imagine a misunderstanding between the governors and Mr. President is being discussed on the streets and in our markets? The ordinary person has almost lost respect for the government, because he now has information which he is not suppose to have. That itself is the reason why the state of insecurity is getting beyond control.

Tell us some of the obvious challenges before the northern governors today?

I want to beg them and Mr. President to please know that they are not the one that started governing this great country, and they should know that some Nigerians have governed before. Their misunderstanding and quarrelling and a situation where they are almost boxing themselves on the streets is destroying the virtues and image of our country.

There are ways of doing it but what is happening now is beyond understanding. It has never been done anywhere in the world where a president will pinpoint a governor and say you are corrupt by just a mere accusation. If he thinks he is corrupt, we would have only known when the investigation is finished and the report is given to the president. Nigerians are now beginning to ask whether such person is capable to become a governor or a president. This begins to worry us. Can you do things and just go? Can a President do what Jonathan is now doing?

How would you compare President Jonathan with his predecessors?

No. Everybody has his own styles of leadership. Governments come and go. They all did what they did and they have gone but this display of childishness I could call it, is beyond my understanding. Nigeria is far better than what President Jonathan is providing now. Nigerians should be respected. What happens if somebody abuses your president? What are you going to say?

I think we should lay down our lives for the leadership of this country, but the way they are going, I don’t understand. I think they should change.

Are they setting any good example for this country?

Of course, do you think that these Americans or British people that we always call are so happy with each other? No. I know of a county that when something is wrong they don’t display it.

They will go under the carpet and they will deal with it in such a way

I think if not for the soldiers, we would have finished, because I believe they are doing their best. Even the police are doing their best that they don’t disgrace their county, but in our case we do not only quarrel within our country, but we also use media to tell the whole world that we are bad.

Let me give an example that I always give.

It is only in Nigeria that when a taxi driver picks a foreigner to his hotel, he will first ask him, ‘how is your country?’ And the taxi driver will answer ‘Oh Oga, our country is bad.’ How about your president? And he will say ‘leave that thief.’ But by the time he takes him to the airport, he will tell the foreigner, “Oga, help me to get visa to relocate to your country.’ So by the time he settles down he knows your character; he knows you don’t like your country.

Is that not a failure on the part of the political class in the country?

Yes. It is the failure of the publicity aspect of our nation. Foreigners pick on bad things and project them. Instead of us to pick on good things to project we also pick on the bad things to project. So the problem is with the journalism of our country and all these things need to be tackled.

How would you access the role played by the Nigerian press in this regard?

What worries me about the Nigerian press is that they are doing well because you can say Nigeria is the only country where there is a vibrancy of the press in general, but then as the nation is divided along ethnic and religious lines, that is how the press in Nigeria is. If I pick a newspaper and read it or if I close my eyes to read one story, second story and third story, then I will be able to tell you from which part of the country that paper is from before I open my eyes to confirm.

It shouldn’t be so. How many of you have gone to prison because of the truth you tell?

How many ministers have you caused to resign?

Look at what happened with this immigration recruitment exercise. How can Nigeria be at peace when a single person messed you up in the eyes of the world that cost you the lives of your youths and the man is still sitting at the table? You took him up for one week and the press has now left him. So it is over. People don’t respect the lives of Nigerians anymore.

How do you look at the dichotomy between the various parts of this country especially as the nation approaches 2015 elections?

The issue is that a Nigerian is always a Nigerian. If you want to know a true Nigerian, then you can go to market where you will see the ordinary people exchanging their commodities for cash.

If you want to know the problems of Nigeria, then you can go to the politicians

or elite who are only promoting themselves based on the ethnicity when the other people are there whom they just kill for nothing.

I remember when there was crisis in Jos which was a fight between Christians and Muslims, and when the whole thing calmed down, they came back to the same market and they will begin to drag themselves calling each other’s survivors. Both the Igbo’s, Yoruba’s, Hausas and the indigenous tribes are seen greeting one another and congratulating one another for surviving the crisis that was supposedly fought on their behalf. So the problem is for you the press and ordinary politician. The governments in particular need to be fair to all these parts of the country.

The northerners accused the president of being biased in his policies and programmes. How correct is that accusation?

Well, he is the one that is behaving like that, otherwise it shouldn’t be so. But it appears to be when the likes of Chief Edwin. K Clark, an elderly person is referring to the Northerners as if we are beggars. Many people like the position of the Lamido of Adamawa at the conference when he argued that derivation fund should be given to every part of this country. Can you imagine if they give 100 per cent to the Deltans and we start working out derivation on our land mass? Do you think we shall have peace on this country?

If we decide to charge for our landmass and any plane passing to the East or South will be charged for the space they covered. Will it work? Then we are no more one nation.

So they should stop people like Clark from speaking nonsense.

How do you see the Christians and Muslims uniting for the oneness of this country as we approach 2015? Do we expect more divisions?

No. I think Nigerians sometimes want to create a situation that is not there. We should learn from the experience of this country when Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe contested for the presidency on a Muslim/ Muslim ticket. Why do people always think that if you have a Christian-Christian ticket it will not work?

Had it not been done in this country before now? I am sitting in Plateau State today but the governor and his deputy are Christians, and so what?

I only want them to be good leaders.

You know people like to create a situation so that they can benefit from it. Otherwise, I don’t see that division coming. Nigeria is a very good country because there is no verse in the Holy Books that says unless you

hate the other side, God

will

Politics / Hardball

not give you salvation. It is never like that.

I think the press is giving it a bad projection because when an Alhaji rapes a young girl; the projection of that story is as if the whole Muslims in the world are raping a girl and when a Reverend does the same, they think that every Christian is bad. We are talking not about the followers of particular religion, but about the teaching of the religions. Does Islam or Christianity say you can steal?

Many Nigerians are of the view the millions are being spent daily on the maintenance of security in vain and soldiers are on the streets, yet peace is elusive?

I think if not for the soldiers we would have finished, because I believe they are doing their best. Even the police are doing their best but the problem is that if the money budgeted for the security is being spent on the personalities to make them comfortable, I think even the budget would have been less if it has been spent on security. If you make a policeman happy and you pay him what is due to him, he will be afraid to rundown the government, because he will not do something that will push him out. But the problem is that he risks his life protecting us and nothing is done for him. Look, thinks are bad in Nigeria and we are not even following God’s commandments anymore.

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Politics

'Zoning is part of A'Ibom politics'

A

Biyi Adegoroye gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Managing Director of Duran Intermediaries Limited, Mr. Robert Umoette, has reviewed the political skirmishes over which senatorial district produces the next governor of the state, asserting that zoning has been an integral part of the state's politics.

A meeting of the PDP State Executive Council in Uyo has reached a consensus that Eket Senatorial District should produce the next governor - as against rumbling that the contest should be thrown open to all interested qualify party members. The SEC, has predicated its position on the fact that the other two districts - Uyo and Ikot Epkene have taken their turns in 1999 and 2007.

The action however, was described by many leaders of the party in the state, including former Secretary to the State government, Umana Okon Umana, a member, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Don Etiebet, who spurned the meeting, as an attempt to screen out some aspirants.

In an interview in Lagos, Umoette said though Don Etiebet is respected personality and political leader in the state, “ his assertions in that report concerning zoning and trying to drag the Presidency into the matter did not go down well with Sen. Anietie Okon and other leaders of the party in the state, and does not represent existing understanding.”

Umoette said “such a comment on the pages of the news papers does not dignify the PDP considering that the party's constitution rec-

ognises zoning and zoning has been applied since 1999 until 2007 and this principle will now not be abandoned to some people outside the Eket Senatorial District (Akwa Ibom South).

In a veiled allusion to the fact that attempt to drag the Presidency to the issue in Akwa Ibom State was responsible for the sack of Ahmed Gulak, former political adviser to the President, he warned against dragging the Presidency into the affairs of the PDP in the state, “because the Presidency has its own challenges that it is trying to address and it is not known to support injustice.”

He advised elders of the party in the state to take it easy, “come together and resolve the matter behind closed-doors. Whatever the situation is, we can sit together and resolve it.

I am aware of the capacity and capability of the elders of the party to handle that. Akwa Ibom will solve Akwa Ibom matters. It is wrong to say or imply that Governor Godswill Apkabio who was at the SEC meeting of the party has pocketed it.”

According to him, since this was triggered by the 2015 gubernatorial election and who succeeds Akpabio, “we should not set the house on fire with our remarks. In Akwa Ibom, the people decide whom they want based on the area position has been zoned to as far as governorship is concerned.”

He reminded leaders of the elder of the party that: “Zoning has been an integral part of Akwa Ibom politics. You will recall that in 1999 election, it was resolved that Uyo should produce the governor and Obong Victor Attah from Uyo Senatorial District became the governor. And towards the completion of his

tenure, Obong Attah, as the leader of the party in 2005, decided with the executive of the party and elders that governorship position should be zoned to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district and since the Anang constitute the majority, an Anang man, in the person of Akpabio became the governor. So it is only right, fair and just to allow the third leg of the tripod that is Eket, Akwa Ibom South Senatorial district to produce the next governor in the state. On the basis of this, zoning has always been there, and I see no reason why it should not happen again.”

He noted that while this did not exempt other aspirants outside Eket form contesting, “but the fact remains that the position of the party is that the governorship position is zoned to Eket Senatorial district.” He urged all party leaders in the state “not to disrupt the peace in the party. Akpabio should think seriously about the process that produced him as governorship candidate of the party and allow the people to choose their candidate from Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District. This is very vital in the overall interest of the party in the state.”

Some of the aspirants for the position are Obong Nsima Ekere; Senator Helen Esuene: Hon Okpolupm Etteh; Bishop Samuel Akpan and Barr Effiong Abia. Others are Mr. Udom Emmanuel; Barr Ekpeyong Ntekim; Mr Mike Sabastine; Arc Otu Ita Toyo and Hon Jerome Isagendighi all of who are from Eket senatorial district.

Umoette also warned the matter against taking the risk of fielding “a wrong

and unpopular candidate, a man rejected by the people, if it is not serious about promoting equity and justice, because the party will lose if it fields such a candidate. He therefore called for transparency and open ballot system in the conduct of the party primaries for the governorship election. “The process for selecting the candidate should be transparent and the policy of inclusiveness must be practiced.

This will afford the people the opportunity to pick the candidate of their choice,” he said.

Umoette

PDP: We're not perturbed in Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Rivers State, and Secretary-General of the Grassroots Development Initiative, Comrade Samuel Nwanosike in this interview with CHARLES ONYEKWERE speaks on the battle for selecting the party’s flag bearer in the governorship election

W

hat is the position of the PDP on the endorsement of some gubernatorial candidates, like Chief Nyesom Wike?

The PDP has no problem with that. If I may ask, is it the first time this is happening in politics? Will it end after Wike becomes governor and goes away? It will keep happening. People will keep asking. For instance, the President was in Enugu, at the South-East rally, they asked him to declare his interest on their platform. Mr. President said he is still consulting. That would not stop people from coming to declare their interests…The truth remains that the national chairman of the party has said that there will be no imposition of candidates; that everybody will go through primaries.

Do you have arrangements for rotation of the governorship seat and other positions in the PDP in Rivers State?

Thank you for this question…I will tell you that in every election, right from Melford Okilo’s era, (1979 to1983); Okilo contested keenly as an Ijaw man against an Ikwerre man. In fact, at a particular time, the Ikwerre people claimed victory in that election, until the Sagbama votes came in to decide Okilo’s fate as the governor of Rivers State.

We moved back to that of Ada George (1992 to 1993), you will recall what happened between Sergeant Awuse, Abule and Eric Aso. These men are not from the same ethnic block. These men were not from upland or riverine areas all through. Let us come to Pe-

Nwanosike

ter Odili. Odili became governor by God’s grace, because Ebenezer Isokarari, from the permutations of those that participated in the electioneering process then, was the best candidate to win that election. If you were living in Rivers State, you must have known what happened. It took a rerun election in Gokana Local Government Area for Odili to emerge as governor. What are we talking about? So if Isokarari had won that election, would you have said that the entire Rivers State agreed that Orashi man should be the governor? Or would you have said that the governorship position was zoned to Kalabari because Ebenezer won?

In Rivers State, because of our multi eth-

nic background, we always go for the best candidate. Each party would have its political ideology; each party would have its political manifesto. Parties would want to see candidates that would be able carry out their political manifesto and ideology to better governance in Rivers State and to bring the dividends of democracy to the people. So when you see Rivers people vote, they vote for credible candidate.

Will it be morally right for an Ikwerre man to succeed an Ikwerre man in the next elections?

The point we are making is that the constitution of Nigeria is not talking about morals. If you talk about morals today, then that means a lot of things that have been happening in this country would not have happened. We are talking about meritocracy. We are talking about the power to deliver. Let me throw back one question to you. If all the Rivers people sit down today and say this best candidate we have, by the grace of God, is an Ikwerre man, are we going to reject him because the outgoing governor is an Ikwerre man? So whether he is an Ikwerre man or he is not an Ikwerre man, is not what we are talking about. To us in the PDP, if he wins the primaries, we will support him to be the governor is Rivers State. And we are convinced that he is going to do well.

With the internal crisis in Rivers PDP, can the party confront with APC in 2015?

I start by laughing because Nigerians are being fed with all manners of stories. In PDP in Rivers State, we are not perturbed. I make bold to say that PDP has grown stronger and stronger right from the inception of Felix Obuah as the Chairman of the party. PDP has tripled its membership, its authority. It is simple. Let me explain this. In 1998 when the party started, we had great men that formed this party in Rivers State. But starting from

the time of Odili as governor and until he finished his tenure, the party enjoyed a robust size of followership. But when Rotimi Amaechi came into power, PDP lost a lot of followership. People were choked into a corner. People were forced out of the party. A lot of people didn’t have a voice in the party.

A lot of people lost faith in the party. That is why somebody like Abiye Sekibo could go and vie for election on the platform of the then Action Congress of Nigeria; and then Celestine Omehia went to APGA, because as far as they were concerned they were no longer protected in the party.

That is why Amaechi insisted that one of the conditions on which he would remain in party was for the political structure to be given back to him. Then we asked him: Will anybody dash political structure to anyone in this world? People sit down and vie for elections. People sit down to contest for chairman, secretaries and other positions of political parties. So why do you want them to dash you a political party, because you want to keep controlling the party as an autocratic leader!

So as far as we are concerned in Rivers State, the PDP has grown bigger and bigger. What you see today which they call infighting, is nothing but activities of persons who are not members of PDP. They are being sponsored by APC under the leadership of Amaechi, because he believes that if our best candidate comes to contest, that his APC will have no chance in Rivers State. He knows that. ..Today the culture of impunity reigns in the state. In governance, we have three arms of government, for checks and balances, but in Rivers State, we don’t have such things anymore. We have one man taking decisions for the people and implementing and investigating himself. Very soon, Rivers State will have an opportunity of voting out such issues.

Football NFA ended my career unceremoniously, says Fatai Atere p.32-33

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Football Unforgettable moments of the FIFA World Cup p.34

Dapo Sotuminu, Deputy Sports Editor dapo.sotuminu@newtelegraphonline.com 08099400190, 08038154192

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Sp rt

Peter Rufai: Eagles will crush Argentina

Enyeama

Did you know?

The record for most goals scored at the World Cup with all different goal scorers and no own goals is 7, set by the Soviet Union in 1982 Dapo Sotuminu

A

two-time Super Eagles World Cup goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, has told New Telegraph on Sunday, that, with the current form of the Nigerian team, the Stephen Keshi-tutored lads have the capability of crushing group F tough opponent, Argentina, when the two teams clash at the Brazil 2014 World Cup on June 25.

He said: “I believe that the Eagles knowing what winning at the biggest stage is like after the triumphant outing at the 2013 African Nations Cup and seeing what President Goodluck Jonathan did for them after winning the cup, I am sure they would want to go for more in the World Cup. It is a known fact that. No rich man would say he does not want more money. With such motivation behind them I swear Nigeria will crush Argentina at the 2014 World Cup group game.”

Rufai noted that with the preparation so far and what the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has been doing to get the Eagles well prepared for the World Cup, the team from Nigeria would be the one to beat in Brazil.

“Argentina won’t take it lightly with Nigeria, while the Eagles

will also not give up against them. So it is going to be a very tough encounter in Group F when the two teams play on June 25 which incidentally is the last group game. The result of this game which I know would favour Nigeria would determine a lot of things in the competition.

“Argentina knowing fully well the result of our last encounter in Abuja where the Eagles defeated them 4-1 and coupled with the performances of the Nigerian team in recent times, the two teams are keeping an eye on each other monitoring and based on this fact, they won’t take the match lightly, but in a nutshell, I will give victory to Nigeria because of the team’s preparation, the current form of the players and the motivation which the NFF has been giving to the team so far.”

The former Stationery Stores FC of Lagos goalkeeper, stressed that, the team’s technical crew headed by Stephen Keshi should do their best in ensuring that all the experiences garnered during the course of playing as top international stars, as well as being coaches are impacted unto the squad and in doing that, I know that, it is like telling a student before an examination that you have prepared very well.

“Something tells me that the Eagles will go very far at Brazil 2014,” stressing that, the Nigerian team should not at any time underrate their other group opponents Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The Eagles’ stars should not see these countries as pieces of cake which would be consumed easily. I tell you that this is a kind of fixtures that your opponent wants to die with you. They are ready to play everything they know while we would be looking at it from our own perspective that we know football more than them.

“This could be likened to a scenario where you are beating someone on a physical ground and the person is not ready to give up, if you are not careful you will get tired throwing the punches. So I emphasise that the Eagles must not underrate these two group F opponents.”

He added: “As far as the pairings are concerned, I am yet to see any group that is easy in the 2014 World Cup finals. We can say here that we are not equally matched with teams like Germany, Italy, Spain and Brazil, but it would be wrong to assume that we are better than Iran and Bosnia.”

While speaking on the Ea-

gles’ goalkeeping area, Rufai reiterated his strong believe in the excellent performances of Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide, who he assured, would safely keep the goal for Nigeria at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. “With these goalkeepers Nigeria is sure to go far in the World Cup.” He was however sceptical on the inclusion of home-based keeper, Chigozie Agbim, who he said the Eagles goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu, still needs to work very hard to put him i n

Rufai

shape and give him the needed confidence to rise to the occasion whenever he is called upon to defend the team’s goal line.

“We all saw what happened at the CHAN Championship in South Africa where the keeper’s confidence was suspect. My take is that Agbim should be given more exposure and Keshi as the chief coach has the responsibility to measure his performance during the pre-World Cup camping. This is very important towards shaping a future for him,” Rufai said.

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Sport / Stars of Yesteryears

NFA ended my career unceremoni For Fatai Atere it was a case of mixed fortunes as the Nigeria Football Association which gave him fame and glory, was the same that ended his football career unceremoniously. The China 85 victorious Golden Eaglets’ star spoke to DAPO SOTUMINU on his broken dreams of playing professional football in England, his aspiration to win the FIFA World Cup for Nigeria as a coach and many more

After the Canada 87 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Nigerians didn’t see much of you again, what happened?

I was still very much around as I played in the Flying Eagles team in the ECOWAS Cup in 1988 before I finally travelled out first to England and later to the United States where I have been in the last 26 years.

In 1988 I was in my club at Bank of the North of Kano when a top English League club, Tottenham Hotspur FC, sent an invitation to me to embark on a trial so as to make the team. I left for Tottenham and passed the trials. I was given a contract worth one million pounds to play for the club.

When I returned to Nigeria to get the necessary clearance and release to play for the English top flight club, the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, turned down the request, as they refused to give me a release certificate.

The reason the NFA gave then for the refusal was that, I was a government property and they won’t want me to travel outside the country to play football. The NFA reiterated that it was preferable to monitor me playing club football in Nigeria.

You remember that soon after we returned from the Canada 87 World Cup, the Head of State, General Ibrahim Babaginda, declared that all the team’s players are government properties. This was in a bid to prevent us from moving abroad to play professional football.

In Tottenham Hotspur then, I made the team under Coach Terry Venables to play in the first team, but when the clearance was declined I stayed back in England before travelling to America to further my education. That was how my bright career in top flight club football and international soccer ended.

It is painful that m y

career ended unceremoniously courtesy of the Nigerian government who insisted that it is either I play football in Nigeria or I hang my boots. I had a choice and took the path of honour in 1988. To God be the glory.

The late Patrick Okpomo was the man in charge at the Nigeria Football Association when the ugly incident happened. But it is okay, that is in the past now. It is often said that in every disappointment there is a blessing, but ini-

tially it was like the end of the world for me, but God gave the courage to forge ahead and here I am today radiating the grace of God. In a way, that damaging action was enough to cripple any young player, how did you survive it?

It was a very sad moment for me. I felt bad that the country I served with all my life could turn back to stop me from playing professional football in England. I felt as if it was the end of the world initially. I was not myself, but the God I serve pulled me through. Every disappointment is a blessing. If I have to change anything, I won’t want my destiny to be changed.

Even myself, I wouldn’t know what might have happened to me playing top flight football the way I really wanted.

It’s all good; I believe that is the way God wants it to be. Everything happens for a reason.

In America before going to school, I played club football for Wa s h i n g t o n Diplomats FC when the American Major League Soccer started newly.

The process in America was different, as the procurement of a Work Permit was compulsory. This affected me adversely and forced me to stop playing club

football in the United States.

Instead of brooding over spilled milk, I opted to go to school and get myself equipped for the future. While doing my A-Levels in America, I started playing for the school team. From there I did my Advanced Coaching Certificate and today I am still studying for my A Licence Certificate.

Soccer is my passion, I don’t think I can do anything outside football, it is my life. My prayer is to be able to coach Nigeria one day to the FIFA World Cup and win the trophy for the country at any level of the national team. It can be the U-17, U-20 and even the Super Eagles. I know that by the special grace of God it would be possible.

Invariably you didn’t play big time club football in America I played for Washington Diplomats in the MLS for over three years, but had to stop due to a requirement that I couldn’t get. I explained it earlier. After this time, I concentrated on playing some pastime soccer with other top Nigerian soccer stars based in the United States in a team we called Nigerian Eagles which had great stars like Ndubuisi Okosieme, Humphrey Edobor, Waidi Akanni, Olukanmi brothers, the Harbour brothers and many others. We represented Nigeria in number of friendly competitions beating all opponents. Though it was not a big deal, but we had fun.

Do you have any memorable moments playing for the national team?

The highpoint was the final of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup against Germany in China, in 1985. First of all, we surprised our people by getting as far as the final as no one ever expected us to reach that stage of the competition as big as the World Cup especially as we were from Africa.

In the finals, we were so intimidated much that we couldn’t even remember our names; it was as bad as that. Our opponent in the final got first class treatment as jerseys for each of the matches were given to the players, while in our own case we had to wash our jerseys after each game and make sure it get dried before the next game. It was that bad. So, in all the Germans were well motivated to win the World Cup title.

When we arrived in the dressing room, the German players were fully dressed in adidas sports wears from head to toe, while majority of the Nigerian players wore bathroom slippers, the ones we brought from Nigeria, it wasn’t cool at all. The Germans were taking pictures and we were just there admiring them.

This was demoralising for our team, at this point I told the Eaglets’ assistant coach to the World Cup, Christian Chukwu, that he should allow us go inside and start singing, because merely looking at the Germans the way we were doing, the game was already won and lost with the Germans having all the advantages.

We started singing the popular Nigerian song: “Today today tomorrow no more, if we die today we shall die no more,” this action restored our confidence.

We believe the Germans were superior in terms of equipment, but we vowed never to give up on the field of play. You can tell from the beginning of the match that Nigeria would carry the day, as we scored the first goal in the first 45 minutes. The layup came from me as I sent a pass to BabaFatai Atere tunde Joseph who in turn

33

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

iously, says Fatai Atere fatai atere’s profile Birth: born August 1, 1971 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Clubs: Lagos Sports Bees FC, IBWA-Africabank 1983, Bank of the North of Kano 1987, Tottenham Hotspurs 1988.

Honours: Greater Tomorrow Football Club gold medal, YSFON. FIFA Kodak Under-17 World Cup title 1985, silver FIFA U-17 World Cup 1987. ECOWAS Cup 1988. Commissioner for the NSF-USA Nigeria Soccer Tournament in 1990. Managing Director, EJJE Youth Soccer Academy, Florida.

A street in Mushin, Lagos named after him by the Nigerian Government. Member of the Order of the Niger. connected Jonathan Akpoborie who scored the goal.

After the first goal was scored we told ourselves that no matter what happens we were winning, we were ready to die on the pitch to win. As I am talking to you I have goose pimples all over me, it is like playing back that moment. We showed the world that we were Nigerians. And that is why I am telling you that if the teams at the Brazil 2014 World Cup should allow the Super Eagles of Nigeria to get to the semi-finals of the competition, the world should be ready for Nigeria.

After winning the World Cup we still had to go to France to pick our victory t-shirts because the NFA and the Sports Ministry never knew we were going to win. After every game, while other European and South American countries gave their players the jerseys for keeps, in our own case we had to wash to reuse them, that was how bad it was. We thank God for life.

I can never forget that moment; we couldn’t win the cup at Canada 87 but played in the grand finale. We lost against Russia, I didn’t play that game as I had an ankle injury, but I supported my teammates morally.

One of your teammates Philip Osondu has been in Belgium doing some menial jobs

Dimeji Lawal (l) with Fatai Atere

and not having anything to do with football.

What do you think?

Oh my God, Philip Osondu is still alive, that is good to hear. I don’t really know anything about him doing any kind of job in Europe, so I can’t speak for him. I have not seen him since 1987. You never know, don’t believe the eyes, Osondu is the only one who can tell you why he is doing what he is doing in Belgium. I only knew him to be a fantastic soccer player.

Sometimes it can be frustrating out there in Europe and America to survive. Life out there is better than staying in Nigeria to play football. I know everybody wants to play for Nigeria, we all love our country but after doing that for so many years what do have to show for it?

When I came to Nigeria for visiting, the condition I met some ex-international players was deplorable and saddening. I think there should be a Foundation to help to build a life after soccer. Sometimes, it is better to be there abroad instead of staying back in Nigeria to look wretched.

Do you have any regrets playing for the national team?

I won’t say it was a regret passé, but when I think back that the Nigerian football authorities stopped me from signing a professional contract to play for Tottenham Hotspur in 1988 to the tune of 1.5million pounds, it was regretful and back-breaking. Believe it or not I was really down, but one thing is paramount God knows best. I thank God for my life. I believe strongly that, what happened then had been ordained by God to happen the way it did, so I don’t see it as regret.

The bible says in Jeremiah 1: “That I have known you before you were born, I know what you will be.” So what happened was just part of the struggle of life.

You were a product of the School Sports through the Principal’s Cup competition, but that is as good as dead in Nigeria today.

Yes I was a product of school sports. I have said it in some previous interviews that, for Nigeria to get it right again in international football, we must go back to the grassroots, and this would take a lot of these boys off the streets, while it reduces crime in the society it also build a new generation of soccer stars that would make the country’s

U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams stronger. You remember that in those days we don’t even rely on foreign-based professionals to play international games and yet Nigeria was a great nation in world football. The team that had the Muda Lawals, Odegbami, and Christian Chukw u

were good enough to beat a n y team in the world.

T h e likes of Paul Okoku, F e m i Olukanni, Tajudeen Disu, Wakilu Oyenuga, Waidi Akanni, Samson Siasia, Tarila Okoronwanta, Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu and host of others were discovered in the Principal’s Cup, but today everybody wants to run abroad to play football. Even before they are 16 years old, they already have agents.

There is soccer academy everywhere, so I don’t know what we are going to do to solidify the national teams. But what I saw in the finals of the Shell/NNPC All Nigeria Secondary School Soccer Championship in Lagos was encouraging. I saw young boys played their hearts out, which reminds me of my days as a schoolboy player where I played for Matori Grammar School and Eko Boys High School, in Lagos, that was where I came out from. From here, I played for YSFON and later the Golden Eaglets, and the Flying Eagles.

Which was the first club you played for?

It was called Lagos State Sports Bees FC it was under Coach John Fashanu. We used to play street soccer popularly called ‘jeun jeun.’ Later I played for Greater Tomorrow.

I also played for Super Stars. One of my brother’s friends took me to a Lagos State Divisional League team called IBWA FC (International Bank for West Africa), here I played for a long time even while going to school at Igbobi College for my A-Levels. It was from IBWA that I moved to Bank of the North FC of Kano, and it was here that I travelled to England for the botched Tottenham Hotspur contract that never was in 1988.

How will you describe your club football experience in Nigeria?

The experience was good as I played under some great coaches who gave me the opportunity to develop despite my small size.

Even though I was small the coaches would put me in the midst of the lions and this gave me a lot

o f exposure. It was also good playing football at that young age and taking some money home to take care of myself and the big family.

In the Matori area of Lagos state, the street named after you has been there since 1985 and would remain so forever, how do you feel about this?

I thank God for that, and also appreciate the Nigerian government for honouring me with such. That is my gain for serving the country meritoriously. My children have seen it; my great grandchildren would see it too. That is given.

Will you allow your kids play professional football?

Yes, I will if they really want to. But the kids are tired of me in America, they say daddy everything about you is soccer. And they are not wrong, as I sleep, talk and eat soccer. You can’t force them. As a kid, my father didn’t want me to play soccer, he wanted me to face my studies in school and do something better for myself. If my children choose to play they will get my blessing.

How will you describe playing football as a career?

It made me what I am today, everything I am today I achieved it playing football.

Even though I have to go to school, it is the epitome of everything I am today and I thank God for that. I never even had any major injury during my career. I am still in soccer; I will coach soccer until I die. I am still playing to enjoy myself to keep fit and my prayer is to comeback to Nigeria one day to coach the national team to win the World Cup at any of the levels.

34

E-mail: ifeanyiandrewibeh@gmail.com Tel: 08085973490

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

MAY 11, 2014

Countdown to FIFA World Cup

Unforgettable moments

of FIFA World Cup

Bobby Moore Bobby Moore’s tackle on Jairzinho England’s Bobby Moore tackles Jairzinho of Brazil.

England captain Bobby Moore makes a perfectly-timed tackle to prevent Jairzinho from scoring during their famous 1970 World Cup group game against Brazil.

East Germany defeat West Germany East Germany beat West Germany. Jurgen Sparwasser’s goal gives East Germany a famous 1-0 win over their neighbours West Germany during the 1974 tournament in one of the most politically-charged matches in World Cup history.

Ray Houghton fell Italy Ray Houghton celebrates scoring against Italy at the 1994 World Cup. Ray Houghton scores a memorable goal against Italy at USA ‘94 to secure the Republic of Ireland’s most famous World Cup victory.

Garrincha’s curler Garrincha scores for Brazil against England.

Garrincha fires a wonderful curling shot against England’s Ron Springett to help Brazil secure a 3-1 quarter-final victory over England at the 1962 World Cup. The 24-pass goal Esteban Cambiasso scores against Serbia and Montenegro.

Esteban Cambiasso finishes off a breathtaking 24-pass move for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup. Glory for Archie Gemmill Archie Gemmill scores against Netherlands.

Archie Gemmill scores a sublime solo effort for Scotland against much-fancied Netherlands at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

Scotland went on to beat the Dutch 3-2, but were eliminated on goal difference by Peru.

Rivaldo’s ‘injury’ Brazil’s Rivaldo feigns injury against Turkey.

Brazil’s Rivaldo causes controversy after he feigns injury when the ball is kicked towards him by Turkey defender Hakan Unsal during the 2002 World Cup. It led to Unsal being sent off, but the TV cameras Cambiasso caught Rivaldo’s delayed reaction.

Rivaldo Baggio’s penalty Roberto Baggio was the best player at the 1994 World Cup, dragging Italy to the final virtually on his own. Indeed, the Divine Ponytail had even impressed Madonna -finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist as ever -- who selected him as the sexiest player at the tournament, suggesting she didn’t catch Ray Houghton in action for Ireland. It therefore verged on the tragic that Baggio not only missed a penalty against Brazil in the final but missed the crucial spot kick, ballooning the ball over the bar in a fashion that Chris Waddle would have blushed at, to hand the Brazilians the trophy. Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro also erred in that shootout for Italy, but Baggio’s is the one that is remembered.

Security at Westminster Central Hall, London Not all World Cup moments must have to happen on the pitch, as shown by the eagle-eyed guards charged with keeping tabs on the Jules Rimet trophy while it was on display in London before the 1966 World Cup. Five guards were supposed to be on duty to keep the cup out of harm’s way, but on a Sunday three months before the tournament, some enterprising thieves took advantage of a lax moment to swipe the trophy.

A ransom was issued, the thief demanding 15,000 pounds for its safe return, but the police operation to hand over the money went awry and it remained missing, with the nation looking under benches, behind bushes and down alleyways for the trophy. Until, that is, David Corbett and his dog, Pickles, found it underneath a neighbour’s car a couple of days later. “I was suspect No. 1,” Corbett told the Guardian in 2006. “They questioned me until 2:30 in the morning. I wondered if I should’ve chucked it back in the road.

I was up at six the next day for work.”

Pickles would become something of a celebrity, sharing an agent with Spike Milligan for a spell and even attending, with his owner, the England squad’s party after winning the tournament.

WITH IFEANYI IBEH

HOLE IN ONE

My disability not a problem -Chidi Tobias How and when did you get into golf?

I actually started out as a footballer and played alongside former Super Eagles forward, Pius Ikedia, at the secondary school level. I lived around Shogunle, near the Ikeja Golf Club, and that was where we usually played football.

I got to see golfers in action and I got interested in it, especially as I was always picking up injuries playing football. This was in 1991.

Even though I was handicapped, I never saw myself as being handicapped and I was quite g o o d playing football, but I took interest in golf and started out as a caddy for some of the golfers playing at the golf club.

But when it came to playing golf, unlike in football where all I had to do was kick

Chidi Tobias is one of the top players on the Nigerian Professional Golfers’ Tour but it is difficult for anyone watching him on the golf course to accept that he is actually one-handed.

In this interview with IFEANYI IBEH, the Lagos-based professional reveals, amongst other things, his reasons for delving into the sport. Excerpts… the ball with my legs, I couldn’t quite come to terms with striking a golf ball with my one good arm.

But over time, I found a way of supporting my good arm with the bad one and I have been playing golf ever since.

Was this how you were born or was it something that arose from an accident?

No, this is how I was born, but I am not complaining.

Who encouraged you to take to golf?

A lot of people encouraged me to play golf such as the late Chief

I don’t know when I’ll be back – Woods

T

iger Woods released a lengthy blog post to his website earlier in the week and provided updates on his back surgery, the Masters and thoughts regarding his golf swing when he does ultimately return to competition.

“My recovery from micro discectomy surgery for a pinched nerve in my back is coming along, but it’s a very slow process,” Woods wrote. “I’m still sore. Not from the procedure itself but the incision. I just need to get back to my day-today activities, and that’s it.”

Woods noted that he hasn’t yet swung a sand wedge, stating that he’s only done light putting and chipping.

“As far as taking a full swing, I have conference calls with my doctors every couple of weeks to see how my progress is and just kind of chart it out from there,” he said. “Basically, you just follow a program.

It’s tedious because it’s little rehab stuff, but you still have to do it.”

Speculation on Woods’ return is

simply that. Even he doesn’t have a timeline.

“As for my return to golf, I really don’t know,” Woods said. “Some people heal up in three months, some people take four months, some people take longer. I just don’t know.”

Once Woods returns, many have wondered aloud if he would need to change his swing to alleviate pressure on his back. Woods will work on a plan with swing coach Sean Foley.

“That’s up to Sean Foley and me on what we do,” he said. “As far as limitations, it’s a building process, just like when I came back from my knee and Achilles injuries.

“We have to make sure my back heals fine and I have the strength and mobility going forward.”

Aside from the back, Woods said that missing his first Masters since 1994 was difficult. He watched quite a bit of the action, especially since his good friend Fred Couples was in contention.

Edigare, and Chief Okoli, the chairman of National Oil. They were golfers at the Ikeja Golf Club and they provided me with golf sets. There was also Dr Awa Ibrahim, who paid for my membership at the Ikeja Golf Club. I was a member of the club for five years and after winning the club’s championship for three years, I was encouraged to turn pro and it is a decision I have not regretted.

Is golf an elitist sport?

I will say golf is not meant for the rich. It is just a sport that anybody can play. But you have to start from somewhere, and if you are not from a rich background you can start out as a caddy and get familiar with the sport.

In all these years you have been a golfer, what have been your career highlights?

When I was an amateur I was the Ikeja Golf Club champion for three years and actually won a lot of other tournaments across the country, especially the Oyinlola Golf Tournament in Ibadan. But my sweetest memories are from my first tournament win as a pro, and that was in Calabar, at the Mary Slessor Open in 2011.

I understand you are also a golf instructor, right?

Yes, I am. I coach young players. I got my certification in the United States of America. My sister resides in the state of Michigan, and when I went on a visit, I took the opportunity to earn my certification.

So for anyone aspiring to be a golfer, how do you suggest such a person should go about it?

Anybody that wants to know about this sport must start from the scratch and go about it the way I did. Start out as a caddy, get to know the rudiments and the ethics of the sport, and from there go on to become a golfer.

What message do you have for special people out there who feel their disability is a hindrance to their dreams?

I will beg them to stay off the roads and come and see people with worse disabilities than themselves making money through their hard work and determination.

Roving Worshipper Night of grace, worship at Redemption Camp p.37

Interview Our concern is to develop the human mind -Rev Akinadewo p.41

TAI ANYANWU, titus.anyanwu@newtelegraphonline.com 0706 438 0029

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

NTWEEKEND ONLINE AT

MAY 11, 2014

www.newtelegraphonline.com/faith

Sermon A true sign that was rejected p.42

35

Faith ON SUNDAY

Clerics differ on foreign offer to fight Boko Haram

Osu

T

Ayodele

Tai Anyanwu

he offer by the US, UK, France, China and other foreign nations to help fight Boko Haram over the abduction of 276 pupils of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State has attracted divergent views from Nigerian clerics.

Some of the clerics believe that the April 14, 2014 abduction of the school girls, which has been widely condemned within and outside the country, exposed the weakness of Nigeria’s security forces due to their inability to contain the menace of the terror group, especially in the NorthEast.

Though all the clerics interviewed would want the abducted girls recovered and returned to their parents as quickly as possible, some have expressed concern over the security implications of international cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram.

Spiritual Head of INRI Evangelical Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, advised that Nigeria should be careful about accepting the foreign offer to help fight Boko Haram.

“It is a Greek gift,” he said.

Ayodele had recently said that Boko Haram was receiving backing from the United States.

“Quote me; I am saying it, it’s from the United States of America. And the same United States of America will be the one that Nigeria is going to meet to help them with the Boko Haram issue. The boys are not spirits.

“We need divine intervention. Now, up till this moment I don’t know why Nigeria will be begging America to help them with Boko Haram issue. Doing that is going to be a serious negotiation. Other countries can help with prayer; that is the truth. The issue of Boko Haram is political and self-centred,” he had said.

But the Director of Communication, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, has a different perception of the issue. He said, “My interest for the girls is for them to be healthy and for them to be seen. We have a problem on our hands. We cannot do it alone. My prayer

Paramallam

is that all will be well.”

He dismissed fears that the foreign nations had a hidden agenda, explaining that the US was not coming to advance its national interest but to give genuine help.

“That is not what they are coming to do, but to help.

Prayer alone cannot do it. Prayer without action is nonsense,” he said.

President of Christian Welfare Initiative, Bishop Magnus Atilade, said it was not out of place for Nigeria to get needed assistance from America or any other country.

“All the countries that are offering to help us are friendly countries. There is no controversy about that,” he said.

He added that if going to the devil to get help was the way out of the menace, “when we know that our capacity is not enough to handle the situation, let us first take the help.”

His words: “If the devil will give those who need education scholarship to go to school, they should take it. After getting the education, we then decide whether to serve Jesus Christ or the devil.

“As long as we will have peace in this country we should accept the offer from those friendly countries to help us deal with Boko Haram,” he insisted.

For his part, Regional Secretary, IFES-ESPSA, Africa, Gideon Para-Mallam, pointed out that the Nigerian situation had got to the point where fighting the war against terror would necessitate cooperation beyond the shores of Nigeria.

According to him, the very nature of terrorism is beyond what one country can handle.

On the question of protecting Nigeria’s national interest, he added that there were certain areas where the country would need to apply breaks and wisdom.

“This does not mean opening our military secrets to those we are collaborating with. It has implications for our national security. This is why I would like to task our military leaders and the President to guide our national interest and national security.

“The partnership will not just stop with US, UN, France, UK and western nations. We actually need our

Atilade

West African neighbours such as Cameroun, Niger, Ghana, Cote d’Iviore and even Mali; because Boko Ham is no longer a local Nigerian terror group,” he stated.

He explained that Boko Haram had its links with Al Qaeda in North Africa as well as the Movement for Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and al Shabaab in East Africa.

“All these suggest that we need partnership because even the terrorists have their interest and networks of terror,” he said.

Para-Mallam accused some prophets of causing confusion in our country.

“How come they don’t come up and tell us when Boko Haram will strike and tell us what to do to prevent the disaster?” he asked.

He disagreed that the United States predicted that Nigeria would break in 2015.

He pointed out that what the US gave was a predictive policy analysis of the Nigerian situation, which suggested that Nigeria would break if some contentious issues such as marginalisation, political exclusion, corruption and the rights of the minorities were not addressed.

He warned that if a winner-takes-it-all attitude continues to prevail in elections, there would be problems in Nigeria.

The cleric said, “Is the US fighting terror alone? They are getting cooperation from Afghanistan, UK, France etc. So people should not talk out of ignorance, but with knowledge and understanding.

“The question is not whether we need international cooperation or not but the biggest problem is whether our leaders make good use or maximise the opportunity for the benefit of the whole people and not for their personal interest. The question is not whether we should accept or reject the offer, but to maximise the offer to safeguard the people. By the very nature of terror we cannot fight it alone.”

Also lending a voice to the discussion, a cleric, Bishop Ogbansiegbe, said that accepting the US-led offer of assistance was a step in the right direction.

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Interview Interview

Our concern is to develop the human mind -Rev Akinadewo

M

How was the name, Motailatu Church, derived? otailatu is a spiritual name sent

by God to the founder of the church, my father, Archbishop Isaiah Akinadewo; who is in the headquarters of the church in Ondo town, Ondo State. The name connotes holiness; it is about blessing and healing. That is what the church stands for; and God is doing his work on daily basis in the church.

Alright, how is the church different from every other Cherubim and Seraphim church?

We are the original C&S, in the sense that C&S started with mass evangelism, delivering people. Our father of blessed memory, St. Moses Orimolade Tiwalase, saved Africa from demonic doldrums with mass evangelism for people to see the light of God. And that is what we are doing because God now gave us the light to show to the whole world. We are on mass evangelism, delivering people and bringing them to light. When we do that, those who are oppressed by the devil are saved. Jesus said he came to save people. That is the assignment from heaven that the whole world will be saved. We are following the instruction given by Christ that we should go into the world and save the world through mass evangelism, through teaching of the word and then bring them to the light. When they are brought to light, we help them discover that God has something unique for them.

They will understand it and become better and unique people that God designed for them. The whole world will now become better. Once a soul is transformed he becomes a blessing to the generation. That is what we are doing in this local church, blessing lives: elders, adults, youths and children. We are touching various facets of life and different strata of society are being blessed through the word of God, the word of truth and testimonies are coming in everyday about what God is doing in the lives of these people.

It does appear that you became a minister because your father founded the church.

Or was there a calling?

God gave me the grace through my father to go to school. I studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, attended some courses at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and other professional courses within and outside the country. I tried to make it in other beautiful areas of life, in mass communication, in journalism, public relations and other areas God gave me the grace to be educated. But the call had been there. My father used to tell me: “You have a call. You will be a pastor, saving souls.”

Thank God I went to school and reached the pinnacle of education to the glory of God. I studied Mass Communication and have done a lot for myself on that line until God said it was time. It was not easy until God had to use that mighty hand.

What form did that mighty hand manifest?

It got to the extent that anything I did I faced lots of challenges. I remember there was a day I was putting a set of University of Lagos students through their project. I was giving a lecture on how to do it better, and then I saw a powerful light. I couldn’t control myself. I heard a voice and said, ‘What is the Lord telling me’? He said, ‘You have to start from now to follow me. Everything I did then I faced a lot of challenges.

Rev. James Akinedewo was a practising journalist before he yielded to the divine call and began to minister at Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide, Lagos District headquarters. It is widely acclaimed for its commitment to unique leadership training, helping people to discover purpose for life. He spoke with Tai Anyanwu As I went through those things, I was telling my father. My father was telling me, ‘You have to prepare; it is time to take up the call’. He said, ‘You are a covenant child, a prophetic child’. He explained that the message came since I was born; that I was a prophet sent by God for a special purpose in the world. Hence, when I continued to face those challenges, I started to pray to God. Through prophetic messages, God will send to me, saying that I had to go and liberate people for Him, bless lives and carry the cross now because he has assignment for me. God was telling me and my father confirmed that. It got to a stage that my father said, ‘Whether you like it or not, you must take this up cross now’; so that I would not face more severe challenges.

And God began to speak to me directly.

I heard Him speak; He also spoke to me through the word of God and prophetic messages. I became an evangelist, going from one town to another preaching the gospel. God confirmed His word and God was blessing lives. I began to find inner peace doing that. Then, the voice would be telling me, ‘This is what I sent you to the world to come and do’. I had to succumb to the will of my creator and I thank God. God has been there.

Just how has your ministry been blessing lives?

We go out to save people that are depressed, people who thought there was no way again for them to make it in life. We tell them that there is still a way out for them, the sick are being healed. We reach the unreached. God is blessing them, bringing them out from depression, from evil bondage and they are delivered. Through prophetic word, evangelism, He has sent me to heal the broken hearted and the sick; we have been touching hospitals, prisons and youths and adults are being empowered through leadership trainings. We bring them to light; teach them about what God sent them to do in life. Many people do not know what they have come to do. We enlighten them in this area. This is called ‘purpose discovery’. Many people are living borrowed lives, so we have to teach them that life is more than that. Through prophetic unction, God reveals some deep things which you cannot see on the surface. As we teach, God will be revealing some things concerning their lives and show how they can achieve their purpose on earth.

This is the light that God said we should show. When they are blessed they will become a blessing to their generation, bless their families, the nation. They come to know what they should do and become the total men or women that God said they should be. We go to people who are under the bondage of the devil and evil spells. We break that, they are delivered. We follow them up with

step by step teaching; we teach prophetic prayer and their lives begin to change.

They begin to know the purpose of God for their lives; they need to know that and once they do, God is glorified. Millions of souls have actually been blessed, to the glory of God. For instance, many indigent youths have been taken off the streets through our ministry. God used us to restore homes that have been broken for years, marriages have been saved. At least 10, 000 have been taken off the street through empowerment and a lot of things that can make their lives better. Many of them are now called ‘Jesus boys’, no more ‘area boys’. Many of them were drug addicts, prostitutes before they were transformed through our ministry. Today, some have graduated from tertiary institutions of learning, having benefited from our church sponsorship. A lot is being done to develop the minds of people through teachings, seminars and leadership trainings.

What actually informed your preoccupation with

developing people’s minds when some others engage in prosperity teaching?

It is the church that must show the light to the world. The duty of the church is to give to the people. When you give, you give them life through Christ. Christ laid down His life to redeem people. So we have to continue in that light. All this I’m telling you, Sir, is the vision God gave to me about leadership. It is a great vision.

If people are taught about leadership, the country will become better and the whole world will enjoy a better place for people to live in. It is a vision we must give it out.

That is the call of God, that we must give life to people, training them in leadership.

There is societal leadership, there is church leadership and there is home leadership.

Everybody has attributes of leadership in them. Our teaching is a big segment of teaching, loads of teachings; this place is a leadership school where minds are being developed. Members of this church are found in different strata of society; when we teach them they will still go and make a difference in those places so that the society will benefit from the light they carry.

There is something we call ‘market place anointing’. We teach them, and in their offices, professions and businesses they become better, applying the strategies they have learnt. We believe that professionals will leave the church and go into society, businesses, schools, markets and maximise that leadership training they have had; and bless lives through it. Then the name of Christ is glorified every day. The church can bring change into the world through leadership; it is a serious business for us. It is a job that God gave me to bless the world through leadership and purpose discovery to give the people so that the world can be a better place.

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Roving Worshipper

Night of grace, worship at Redemption Camp

A crowd at the Holy Ghost service

Adeboye

I

Tai Anyanwu

n 1988, as a first time visitor to the Holy Ghost Service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Roving Worshipper was not opportune to get into the huge prayer arena.

First, because it had rained heavily on that day, and the road was muddy. I was also in the company of my wife and little daughter. And manoeuvring through the messy road, as it were then, to the tent of meeting was unimaginable.

And there was the third factor, which of course did not encourage me to contemplate another visit to the Holy Ghost festival.

Outside the prayer arena, the first impression one gets is that among the sea of heads shuffling down the camp road, are many who appear to have come for a picnic rather for a solemn meeting with the creator.

We spent that night trying to pray outside the prayer arena, but it was a very weak attempt.

But what I did not realise then was that it was a different ball game if one managed to get into the prayer arena. I seriously missed the glorious praise and awesome presence of God at my first visit, probably because I failed to make use of the grace that was ever and abundantly available.

Incidentally, Roving Worshipper

finally found the grace to be at the just concluded April Holy Ghost service, having found reason to endure the terrible traffic jam on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway enroute the RCCG camp.

As usual, human and vehicular traffic got tighter within the camp road. Commercial activities were in full swing, as many vendors of different items catered to the needs of many who had thronged the camp.

Yet, there were enough people who walked hand in hand like they were out on a picnic. The difference this time around was that the road was crispy, I was not accompanied by any one, and so I made it this time to the sprawling arena.

Roving Worshipper settled down behind Pillar 2B, one of the massive reinforcements that held the metal roof of the arena firmly. Roving Worshipper dissolved into the infectious aura of worship that pervaded the arena.

The choir was on fire, churning out soulful songs that prepared worshippers for the vigil.

And among the sea of heads in the auditorium, you would find people enveloped in intense communion with the creator. Unknowingly, Roving Worshipper’s hands shot into the air in heart-felt adoration to the Lord. For more than half an hour, it was beautiful savouring the awesome presence of the Lord.

Just then, the baritone voice of the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, launched the vigil into another segment of worship.

“Lift up your voice to him and say, ‘Father, God of mercy please be merciful unto me; be merciful unto my family; be merciful to your church; and be merciful to my nation’. Go ahead and talk to the almighty God,” he declared.

When the people had prayed for some minutes, Adeboye said in conclusion, “Almighty God, gracious God, merciful God, Ancient of Days, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the Lion of the tribe of Judah; glory be to your holy name. Greater than the greatest, we worship you; higher than the highest, we worship you. Stronger than the strongest, we worship.

Holier than the holiest, older than the oldest, wiser than the wisest, the Almighty God; glory be to your holy name. Accept our worship in Jesus name. Thank you for January, thank you for February, thank you for March, thank you for April, thank you for May. Accept our worship in Jesus name.”

With that, the special Holy Ghost Service moved to the next phase.

Picking his message from Psalm 18:35, Adeboye read, “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation and thy right hand has holden me up and thy gentleness has made me great.”

Having set the stage for the sermon, he gave the topic as ‘Made Great by Grace’. The crucial word here, he explained, is the word ‘MADE’, a word of action - made great by grace. He explained that the passage referred to David, whom he described as ‘the forgotten who was remembered’ and

‘the unqualified who was qualified by grace’.

Delving into scripture, he said, “Thy gentleness has made me great. I was a nobody but thy gentleness has made me great.”

He added, “I am where I am today by your grace alone.” He pointed out that anytime David wanted to talk about something very crucial to him, he would use the personal tense.

He quoted Psalm 34:1, which reads, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my

mouth.”

Testifying that God had been merciful to him, Adeboye wanted to know if there was anyone else who could say the same thing.

“He made us; that is the first thing.

God made us according to John 1: 1-3, ‘All things were made by Him and there was not anything made that was not made by him. And according to Revelation 4:11, ‘He made all things for His pleasure’. He decides what He CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

WOR D S EA R C H

Some names in the first book of the Holy Bible ADAM MEHUJAEL JUBAL EVE METHUSHAEL NAAMAH CAIN LAMECH SETH ABEL ADAH ENOSH ENOCH ZILLAH JARED IRAD MAHALALEL JABAL A A P E R S E I D A V H G I K M H E A R E H R J H A H E T J A R A N O M O L M A J O T C V H D H M N O R Z E H C E M A L A C B U T Y D I V A M U Z I L L A H M L Z E R E P T H I N J A B A L E E L L A H D M A D A L V D H B T A A B A L H C O N E V E S A J H J N O M O L F U L N R F H G H U U N O R Z E J B F O D A R I V S H Y D I V A O A C S U I J D G H E E R E P T J L E H Y J U L Y A M R T H E Z W T D B G B B I F E T A A S I Z H F G H A M A A N L Y T M J A E L A M E C H L F H K I L O A D R Z I L L H F E N O S K Olulana Kayode

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Faith

T

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

In the beginning

here’s something refreshing and optimistic about these words, whether they refer to the dawn of a new day, the birth of a child, the prelude of a symphony.

BEGIN means literarily to start or commence or open, free of problems and full of promise; beginnings stir hope and imaginative visions of the future.

The Account of Creation Genesis: 1 – 2 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface.

All at once we see Him creating the world in a majestic display of power and purpose, culminating with a man and woman made like himself.

Genesis: 26 Then God said, “Let us make people* in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life—the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals,* and small animals.”

The purpose of creating man was almost being defeated by Satan, but for the divine intervention of God who sent His only begotten Son to save, deliver, and redirect man’s purpose of existence again, to fulfil God’s purpose on earth again. Thank you Jesus.

Because of this divine intervention man has no reason to fail in life. Man was made and left in the environment where all resources are made available to him and yet converting it becomes an issue to many till today.

Genesis: 28 God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.”

As an individual, you are made a master, independent of others, purpose driven by nature, filled with ability and power of enablement, but today many have

one excuse or the other for their failure.

Man was created and put in an environment that has no barrier, no bottleneck, no failure. God’s pronunciation on man is to go and succeed; no failure is attached. Every comfort that man needed God provided them, but amazingly converting it for proper usage becomes difficult for man.

So God created people in His own image. God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them.

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.

Records show that God created the whole thing that was made, including man, within six days.

Up till today and I also believe that till the end of the world, man is carrying out research. In this journey of research, some are faster some are slower and some are depending on others; yet finding it difficult in fulfilling God’s purpose of creating man.

Some have made things difficult for fellow men, forgetting that we were asked to subdue and have dominion over all that God has made, not fellow men.

Today, master to slave is in the increase, superpowers like the way they are called. They never want others to succeed like them. Amazingly, mineral and human resources used in developing their areas are spread all over. With the earlier knowledge of these, they created bottlenecks for others not to succeed.

Have you ever imagined why some areas in the world are not affected by natural disasters and some are always affected?

In my subsequent write-ups, I will expose some hidden facts as recorded in the Bible.

God made man and kept him in the garden he also made before man. He placed all He had made before men under man’s control. Sin brought man out of the garden, and outside the garden man began to discover a lot of things made by God through

wisdom given to man by God. God never wanted man to be in want, but I also discovered that some choose to be poor and decide also to live with poverty.

Many have left God and put their dependency in other men made like them. Some put their dependency on government, some on one uncle, aunty or on irrelevant things.

To me, government has put a lot in place but because of greed and wickedness, the people in charge turn things the other way round for their personal and selfish motives. They deprive others and capitalise on their ignorance.

The Bible referred to wisdom as the ‘principal thing’, but also advises that we should be filled with understanding.

Proverb 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

As a Nigerian, I did not grow up alone. I grew up with others, male and female. We started as play mates, in this process we discussed what was happening around us, e.g. a bit about our family matters, our school, churches. Even as small as we were, we took some of these discussions back home. At times, our parents’ response may be positive or negative, depending on the side they turned to the matter.

As kids, we would always go to our neighbour’s house to watch television. At times we were permitted and at times they sent us back. When my father found out what kept his children outside his house always, we told him how much we were in love with watching television. One day, he got us one that kept us at home.

Our neighbour bought a bicycle for their kids, we got attracted to that. When our father discovered that, he got us one.

Many parents, even when they have all it takes to take their kids out of the street, will not respond. This attitude at times

From the Pulpit by

Olasupo E.A. Oladele

Email: eaolasupo@yahoo.com, Tel: 08058161864

introduces and exposes kids to a wayward life. We should also know that all that we need in life God has provided. It is just for us to discover this, build up on it, grow with it and share with others then the society will be great.

Today, partially government is trying to run free education. Go out during the school hours there are still lots of kids on the streets. They are not in school. They are doing street hawking, gambling, hemp smoking, prostituting etc.

Time waits for nobody, make use of it when you are able. A boy was advised to go for three years’ apprentice in one craft; work that will in future enable him to at least live an average life. To him, that looked too long. He left home to a distant place where his parents could not reach him, and joined a bad gang. They went to steal and were caught. They were charged to court and were sentenced to six years imprisonment. His parents later heard of it and paid him a visit where he was serving his jail term.

The parents broke down in tears.

He responded by saying, “Mum, dad is it not six years only? I will be back soon.”

Coming back is not relevant; six years of hard labour and three years to enable you to be a man considering the options, no time should be wasted.

Don’t try to look like another man.

God made you the original, start from where you are, with what you have and let it be now, as procrastination is one of the major keys to failure. If you decide to live a life of ‘till tomorrow’, that tomorrow may be hindered. So start now, help will definitely come; your own is to start.

I am what I am today by God’s grace, when people depend so much on others. Many are heading for failure. I knew my parents couldn’t afford to send me to secondary school after my elementary school. I went

to the then Western State Modern School as an option. Still, they could not meet up paying my school fees.

After six months, I left; at home I was still determined but there was no help. But my hope was not lost even as it glaring that my parents had failed to meet up. I never disobeyed them; I still honoured them.

I was introduced to learn how to operate an earth-moving equipment.

Even while doing that, I still felt that one day I would go to school. During the period, I had little savings that enable to go and conclude my modern school. Still no help to go further.

An opportunity for me to move forward came when Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo announced free technical education. The certificate I had enabled me to be given admission. I became an object of mockery to others, discouragement came from all quarters. I despised shame and went to the technical college. Long ago I had learnt not to use other wristwatches to time myself.

Weeks before graduating, Shell Petroleum employed me as a trainee.

After the training, I was given employment. I left there for NNPC. After a while, I left NNPC to start business though not that was easy.

But with God, all things became possible for me.

The only thing I can tell you is to first of all give your life to Jesus Christ; He will make impossibility possible. Have faith in God and believe in your potential.

Take your yesterday out of your mind and have great hope for the future. Jesus never fails.

Pastor Dr. Olasupo E.A. Oladele Snr. Pastor Christ Kingdom Apostolic Bible Church ( No. 1, Ogale Farm Road Nchia Eleme, Rivers State) Managing Director (Tenidel Integrated Ventures Ltd, Ajoor Shopping Complex, Obo Nwanke Road,

by Coca Cola Junction, Ogale Nchia Eleme, Rivers State).

Night of grace, worship at Redemption Camp CO N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 3

wants to make for his pleasure alone.

“Now, according to Jeremiah 18:3-6, God is the porter, we are the clay. And the porter is free to make anything that he wants from the clay. So, He could have made you or me a goat.

It would still be for his pleasure. You say goat?

“He could have made you something worse; He could have made you or I a snake or a cockroach so that wherever people see us they want to kill us. But he said he made us human beings,” he pointed out.

Continuing, Adeboye said, “When you consider the fact in Jeremiah 1:4, that before He formed us, He knew us, before he began to put us together at all, He knew what he wanted to do; you can consider the fact that He could change His mind even before He started forming us.

“He said, according to Jeremiah 29: 11, He said He prepared a good destiny for us. He said, ‘For I know the thoughts that I think towards you. Thoughts of peace not of evil, to give you an expected end’.

“Aren’t you grateful to God that He had a

great destiny awaiting you?” he asked.

Delving into the teaching, Adeboye said that one thing that people should thank God for is that He made them.

His grace, Adeboye continued, caused Him to make human beings in His own image.

“But that is not all. He protected us when we were still in our mother’s womb. He was already there protecting us according to Isaiah 46: 3-4. He protected us even in our mother’s womb otherwise we would not be here today.

If He had not protected you while you were in your mother’s womb, you would have been probably aborted or a still-birth.

“And I know what I’m talking about. I can tell you stories upon stories. I can tell you one in my family, when one of my sisters was pregnant and all of a sudden a woman just befriended my mother. I was very young then and I was surprised, who is this woman visiting my mother every day, every day?

“Until one day she offered my mother something, she said I can see your daughter is pregnant. Give her this so that on the day of delivery everything will be easy. That baby was still-born. She gave my sister poison to

kill the baby in the womb. When I think back, somebody could have poisoned me while I was still in the womb.

“Somebody could have poisoned you when you were still in the womb. Thank God that God didn’t allow it to happen. While you were still in the womb, He protected you.

What about when you were born? Some of us were born right in the hands of death. And I mean very powerful enemies were waiting.

Some of the old ones will understand. When you were born in the village, you were born in a mud hut.

“The ground of the mud hurt had been painted in a coat with some green leaves mixed with cow dung. You were born right into the hands of tetanus, and then they called the woman to come and cut your umbilical cord and she took a knife that was completely full of germs and used it to cut the thing.

“Ask the elders and they will tell you how many children that died before they were seven days old. And they said witches killed them.

“No, not witches. It was other enemies that cannot be seen with ordinary eyes. Yet, you

survived, and yet I survived. He protected us. When we were young, some of you will remember, you younger ones you are more fortunate. When you are sick and you are running temperature, your mother puts you on her back, and wraps thick clothes around you because you are shaking; and she thought that the hotter you are the better.

“You were already running a temperature.

They ask you to eat because you are sick you couldn’t eat. So they put you on your side, block your nose to compel you to eat and you survived. They gave you concoctions, medicine that had no dosage and you survived.”

Adeboye’s lesson on the dimension of God’s grace was unique and touching; however the following facts are note worthy: “Grace has appeared to all, grace is available to all but some may receive grace in vain.

Some people may even despise the grace in their lives. The opportunity to be great may be there but then some people will say, ‘who cares’. Due to lack of diligence, some people may fail to utilise grace. There are people who will not utilise grace,” Adeboye warned.

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Effects of fear on anxiety

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ear is the natural emotional response to perceived threat(s) to one’s security or general well being.

When the intensity of anxiety gets to its apogee, the consequential result is fear. This emotional state of mind may be positive in implication, especially, when it produces caution. This is why we believe that fear is a natural preservative instinct. To this end therefore, man often avoids those things he fears.

On the other hand, fear can constitute an encumbrance to the advancement or enjoyment of one’s life. The concept of fear is referred to in the Bible; several hundred times, directly or indirectly, through such effects, as, trembling, shaking, shuddering or cringing.

From the annals of scriptural history, God has always encouraged His people in times of great encounters or opposition by opening up with the word ‘Fear Not.’ It may therefore be said that the believer is one who fears nothing but God. In this line of thought, therefore, the fear of God can be obedience to the word of God, submission to the will of God, worshipping and honouring God. When God is the object of our fear, this is one thing that freed Mary from the business and worries experienced by her sister. The answer is that Mary preferred our Lord Jesus Christ to any other thing; Mary chose to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary elected to listen only to Him. Mary was not irresponsible, but rather she gave our Lord Jesus Christ due honour and priority. Put God first and He will free you from worries. Put God first and you shall subdue and overcome worries and anxiety in the name of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ in His words gave a standard prescription on how to overcome worries and stated thus, “Behold the fowls of the air sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into bans, yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are not much

better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his status? And why take ye thought for raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not neither do the spin, and yet, I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if God clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, o ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Where withal shall we be clothed? (for after all these do the gentiles seek) for your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”Matthew 6:26-33.

In order to emphasise the senselessness of worry and anxiety, our Lord Jesus Christ opened up by asking, “Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” In fact, worry and anxiety cannot add an inch to your height or an hour to your life. The simple truth is that worry does not add anything to our lives. It can subtract hours from your day, and even more; it can subtract days, months and years from your life.

It is a bad investment of time and energy no matter how you look at it. Aforesaid, worry makes the believer a pagan or unbeliever.

Thus, the word of God declares, “For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows you have need of them all.”

The word of God also enjoins God’s children to borrow a leaf from the birds of the air and learn from their ways. The Bible says that they do not sow or reap in bans, and yet our heavenly father feeds them. Are ye not much more valuable than they?

When you take this divine fact into consideration, you will discover that the rest of God’s creation does not worry about

anything, yet God provides for them. This does not imply that we should not work, but God is indirectly telling us that we should not worry about anything. This scriptural position, when practised, is an antidote to any source of anxiety. Another way of overcoming our worries is to sing away your troubles just like the birds. I have noticed that the birds sing always. Their singing brings glory to God. Because they are always singing, you can never see a worried bird. The Bible says that God provides for the birds. But the way and manner of His divine provision is worthy of note. God provides for the birds as they fly about looking for food. These birds do not just stay idle, waiting for God to throw it down for them. They sing, and while singing, they move around and search.

One other way in which you can overcome worry and anxiety is by taking an analytical consideration and meditation on the mysteries of creation. Can you fathom how God created them and the purpose of their very existence? Lift up your eyes and enjoy the pleasures of creation. Take time to consider the flowers and the grasses.

The Bible called them ‘the lilies of the field’. Matthew 6:28. Also look at the sky; the sun, moon and stars, and the fresh air we breathe. You cannot help, but wonder in appreciation and gratitude to God at the glorious mysteries of creation. The intricate care of God over the minutest details of his creation should be a mighty solace and encouragement to us who worry always or find it difficult to stop worrying.

Stop what you are doing now and go outside. Spend some time with God in His creation, perhaps this exercise on daily basis will help you win over your worries.

Our Lord Jesus Christ sees those who are always worried and anxious as faithless. In other words, the ultimate cause of worry is the lack of faith in the Holy Ghost.

The question here is, ‘How can someone enlarge a little faith?’

The Voice of

Dominion by

Bishop David Oyedepo

W

Phone: 7747546-8; E-mail: feedback@lfcww.

elcome to your regular column. I began the teaching series, Impartation of Spiritual Gifts for Supernatural Turnaround, last week by highlighting the means by which we become filled with spiritual gifts, which are: hearing the word of God and by prophetic impartation.

We also identified two profound spiritual gifts at work in our Commission. These include the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Faith. This week, we shall continue in outlining and discussing the other Spirits

evident in our midst and working for us as a Commission. ➢ The Spirit of Love (2Timothy 1:7): It empowers us to love God, and this brings us to realms of unlimited breakthroughs (1 Corinthians 2:9).

The Spirit of love is a giving Spirit, and it is the gateway to a world of financial fortune. When we are overwhelmed with the Spirit of love, giving becomes a natural lifestyle. ➢ The Spirit of Revelation (Isaiah 60:1): The Bible in Ephesians 1:1718 calls it the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. That is, the Bible opens to

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Faith

Power of Insight with

Bishop John Ogbansie gbe Tel:08033416327

The bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and believing the truth about God. The increasing of your knowledge of God increases your faith. This might be both informational or experiential, or relational.

The Bible tells us what we need to feel and know in our heart. When we have an adequate knowledge of God and we have a personal relationship with God, and still see ourselves in worries and anxieties, it is because we have chosen the wrong focus and misplaced our priorities. We have actually chosen to worry instead of trusting God. In overcoming worries we must have a multiple choice of what to trust and believe about God. We can choose to believe that God is big enough to handle the vey point of our concern or even quench the source of our worries. We can also choose to believe and trust God that He can provide what we really need.

We can choose to place ourselves in the hands of this able God, who is among other things, a trustworthy potter; who shapes us into perfection.

Finally, in overcoming worries, it is also pertinent to put into strict analytical consideration, this fundamental scriptural prescription from our Lord Jesus Christ, which states thus, ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.’ Matthew 6:34. In other words, our Lord Jesus Christ is instructing us to leave one day at a time. Handle each worry as it comes by absolute trust and dependence on the power, potency and promises of God. From the above scripture, our Lord Jesus Christ advised his disciples that tomorrow will worry for itself.

This means that so long as we are on planet Earth, worry will never cease to exist. Every new day will give birth to new worries. These worries should rightly be handled as they come in the present. If you add today’s trouble to tomorrow’s worries, you may not have enough energy to handle it. But God has given you enough grace to

handle today’s worries.

Faith connects the present to the future in the positive step and enables us to take positive steps. Worry connects our present to the future in the negative and limits our mobility with fear.

Planning for tomorrow may be part of today; but worrying about tomorrow is not. Remember that the past is history, the future is mystery. We have today before us, which is called present.

Whatever you are going through right now, recognise that God is on His throne, everything is going to be alright. Do not be anxious about your health because Jesus Christ is still the great physician. Don’t be anxious about your finances, because your father in heaven is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who supplies all our needs. This is why the word of God declares, “It is he that giveth thee power to make wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:18. Do not worry about your children’s future. King David said, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25. The same God who cared for you will care for your children.

Do not worry about your feeling of insecurity because “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1John4:4. When you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted the nation of kings and priests unto God, and the royal blood of heaven flows in your veins. When you walk out of your house, angels go before you and behind you. Don’t worry about your marriage. If you and your spouse will obey the word of God, your marriage may go through the fire of hell, and nothing can touch you.

But marriages that rebel against the word of God for guidance cannot be kept together with money, sex, or 10,000 counsellors. Stand on His promises and every impossibility in your life shall become possible in the name of Jesus Christ.

Impartation of spiritual gifts for supernatural turnaround! (2) us supernaturally. The secret of scriptures is unveiled to us through this Spirit. ➢ The Gifts of Healing: This puts us in command of sicknesses and disease. It is first beneficial to us and then it flows to others around us.

All the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit and seven Spirits of God are available to every believer that truly thirsts for them. Therefore, today, we will look at two of the seven Spirits of God that will secure our place in destiny.

These Spirits were at work in Jesus, and they are ordained to be at work in us because we are to do greater works than He did (John 14:12). So, every child of God is ordained to be a carrier of the seven Spirits of

God. When we possess these Spirits, then the saying shall come to pass that saviours shall come up from Zion (Obadiah 1:21). I call the seven Spirits of God, “The Messianic Anointing.” It is the anointing that makes a saviour of a believer.

Friend, the spiritual gifts for supernatural turnaround are the preserve of the saved.

Are you born again? You can become a redeemed soul, by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. You can be God’s child now, if you haven’t been, by saying this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me

from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You, for saving me! Now, I know I am born again!”

I will conclude this teaching next week.

I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. respectively.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.

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eaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the (very) close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).” Matt 8:20 (AMP) It is only God that can assure you of His presence at all times, even in your darkest hours. Some years ago somebody dropped a baby at the frontage of a pastor friend’s house with a note, ‘Sweetheart, this is the result of those wonderful times we had together. Though you have rejected me, I still love you. Please take good care of our son’. This incident did not only tear his home apart, it also scattered the church of God and the whole saga lingered for about seven years.

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Your dark hour (2) To further complicate his life and situation, as the baby boy grew, he took on the semblance of this man to which he also called my attention.

I could imagine what he was passing through. He had to return to the village as a farmer; needless to say, he was in his dark hour. Say this prayer with me, ‘Oh Lord, help me to know what to do in my dark hour. Show me the way so that I will not fall out of grace in Jesus name’.

Seven years later, the mother of the boy returned, confessing that she was a prostitute but could not take care of the baby; hence, had to drop him because she knew the man of God and his wife would take care of the baby. She said that the Lord had been dealing with her and that she had to come back for the baby. She said, ‘I actually didn’t come back to take the baby because

I want to; I came because I do not have peace. I can’t rest’. She was looking like an HIV patient after God had dealt with her. Now what about the shame, disgrace he had passed through? The wife and the children that left him?

What about the church and all that he had laboured for?

Sometimes, when this hour befalls a man, he would be stripped of honour and reputation and all investments in whatever capacity would seem to come to naught. Jesus Christ our Lord, our role model in suffering passed through all of this and His confidants all deserted Him. The apostles who ought to stand by Him abandoned Him, everybody left. Listen to me, you must surely pass through it. Jesus went to the grave alone, so you also will be left alone. But let me remind you that you might be alone physically but spiritually, you are not because the heavenly hosts that are with you are more than your enemies. If the apostles could flee, so tell me what will your friends do? The time when you are lonely is a time to learn, that is the time God wants to gather you together.

In Luke 10:30-37, a traveller was wounded by thieves and a pastor came passing by but refused to help him, not even the priest except a Samaritan (whom we popularly call the Good Samaritan). That means spiritual title does not equal spiritual virtue. There are some people

The business of seeking the lost

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ikewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angles of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10.

The book of Luke 15 is one of the most dearly loved chapters in the entire Bible. Some have referred to it as ‘the gospel within the gospel.’ It represents a glorious picture of the Heavenly father in His love for lost mankind. He is seen as the ‘seeking father,’ reaching out to bring those who have wandered into sin. The chapter contains three familiar parables the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. Together, they form a trilogy on the character of God. The parable of the lost sheep speaks of God’s love, for those who are lost through their own foolish ways. The parable of the lost coin speaks of God’s love for those who are lost because they have never known the way. The parable of the prodigal son speaks of God’s love for those who are lost because they have deliberately turned their back on the goodness of their Heavenly father. Luke 7:36 – 50, which tells the story of the notorious woman who came to Jesus, and John 8 : 1 – 11, which tells the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery, are companion chapters to Luke 15. In each, the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees surfaced. But in each, the love of God for the

lost also stands in bold contrast to the narrow legalism of the Pharisees. (a) Searching for the lost Luke 15 : 1 – 10 Publicans, the collectors of taxes for the Roman government, were despised for their greed and avarice.

Sinner comes from the Greek word ‘haramartanoi,’ which is to miss the mark. To fall short of God’s law is to sin. It is to miss the mark of His perfect will. Ten places of silver – a married woman sometimes wore a headpiece with 10 silver coins affixed to it. It was the equivalent of a wedding ring – a great treasure to the wearer. Repenteth from the Greek, Metanoeoi, which means ‘to have another mind, to turn around.’ A radical and definite about face (B) God’s love for the lost. What an incredible picture of our heavenly father loving, forgiving – reaching, believing – until finally the lost are found. It is this nation of God that must prevail in the church.

Seeking for the lost - Luke 15 : 3 – 2 “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” A guideline for living; God has taken the initiative to reach out to man. Consider the situation of mankind after the fall: self-centered, small-minded, greedy, impatient for the immediate satisfaction of any de-

sire, cruel, unconcerned about the welfare of others. Then compare these qualities with those of God; loving, patient, gracious and merciful. It would seem there could never be any common ground for fellowship between such opposites. This would be similar to imagining that a wealthy, educated man would be interested in being friends with an uneducated, penniless, skid row alcoholic.

Doctrinal Discussion: The gospel of God’s grace is clearly seen in this parable. The law spoke of God’s demands.

Righteousness was measured by man’s response to those demands. But under grace, the basis for righteousness was altered. No longer was the accent on what man could do but on what God had already done.

Paul stated it clearly – “By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph 2: 8 & 9. [b] The Reaching Heart of God: Jesus moves on to another parable, which illustrates most vividly the reaching heart of God. The setting has been changed, but the message is the same. The story is that of a woman who inadvertently had lost one of the coins that adorned her headpiece, a symbol of a wedding covenant. Realising the value both as a coin (the equivalent of one day’s

you are looking up to, expecting they will be available in your time of challenge. What if the so-called ‘saviour’ falls sick at the time, or worse still, passes on to the great beyond? This is the reason you need to remove your focus from men.

When Jesus fed the 5,000 people, they were happy to come back so as to be fed again. But when He was captured they ran away. People will only gather around you when you have the crown or the cash but when the crown drops or there is no more cash, they will begin to back off. It is a natural phenomenon. You have been disappointed because you are expecting too much from men.

“And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob (supplanted), but Israel (contender with God); for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.” Gen 32:28 (AMP) When everyone left Jacob, God brought out a prince. Looking very well through the Bible, between one verse and another might be a space of hours or even years. This particular context was a space of hours. Jacob had to remain alone for his life to change. You cannot see who you are, you cannot discover your divine original, you cannot know what you weigh until you are alone. God sometimes will arrange it that way. When a seed goes into the ground does it come out alone? No, it comes out

with fruit. Also, the fact that you are alone does not mean that God has forsaken you. Jesus went into the grave and came out with sons and daughters; He went into hell and collected the key of life. This time that you are alone, God is teaching you that you are going to bounce back again and when you bounce back again, the whole world will celebrate you in the name of Jesus.

Pray these prayers aggressively • Oh Lord let your death remove my trouble, pain, tribulation and deal with my present situation.

• Holy Spirit, strengthen me in my dark hours.

• Any battle of life that wants to take advantage of my dark hour, crumble from your foundation by fire.

• I refuse to let my dark hour push me to accept the offers of the kingdom of darkness.

• As Jesus emerged victorious in His dark hours, so will I. • My Father, let my seasons of disappointment turn to the making of my breakthrough. …in Jesus name I know you have been blessed.

Write and share your testimonies, comments, etc., with me through; info@thehebrewsng. com.

Rev’d Femi Akinola – The Hebrews International, Lekki, Lagos

The word makes rich by

Prince N. Samuel Tel:

08037240738 or 08080523632.

Samuelprince71@yahoo.com or bishopsamuelprince@gmail.com

work) and ever more as a keepsake, she searched feverishly until she found the lost coin.

Historical insight: A peasant’s house in the Palestine of Jesus day was both small and dark. There was only one small window for light, resulting in an inconvenient darkness. The earth floors were made with a mat of straw, reeds and rushes understandably. The only hope of recovery was to sweep the floor, looking to catch the glitter of the coin as it moved through the straw. Only diligence assured success.

Receiving the lost: Luke 15:17: “And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare and l perish with hunger?” He was given the best robe and a ring.

The robe represented authority – not unlike the power of attorney.

The father killed a calf, an animal carefully fed and set aside for slaughter on a special occasion [a] The decision to return: one of the most instructive statements in scripture is found here - when he came to himself. This was the moment of truth - he had been away from God and away from himself.

(Luke 15: 18 -24) The imaginations

and memories of the son did their work. He thought about home.

He speculated about the occupation of the servants. He said, “I will arise and go to my father.”

The work of transformation had already begun - what would he say when he sees his father? The words had already formed in his mouth: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and earth before thee.” True repentance always involves a two-fold admission - an offence is against God and against man. All transgression is first a sin against God; the prodigal son was right in admitting that his sin was against heaven first and then against his father.

(B) The happy reunion, as his custom was, the father had come to the roadway to ponder and pray. Could this be the day of his son’s return? To his joyful surprise, he caught a glimpse of his father still a long way off. His fatherly heart beat with excitement. Soon, the two were linked in joyous ambience. The son had returned.

Worship with at Champions Embassy Global Church, lne Albert Drive off Ada George Road by Salvation Avenue Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Just before you get to the altar

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here are two many things that are put into consideration before you start thinking moving up to the altar for your marriage consecration.

The would-be couple has these questions to answer: 1.

Are you physically strong to be husband and wife?

In this area, you are supposed to consider the health fitness of each other. Is there any seasonal sickness any of you suffers? How long has it been there? What are your blood group and genotype?

You don’t have to get married to a person blindly in this modern age; you will have yourself to blame if you do.

For example, if you are getting married to a lady who always has irregular menstruation, you have to know it and help her treat it before wedding so that it wouldn’t be the first trouble you will begin to encounter after your marriage.

Help him or her treat any infection before wedding. A man who has low sperm count should have himself treated properly before his wedding. It is a spiritual crime to hide some of these things from your partner. If you both love each other as you claim and can live together as a union, then you have to be truthful to each other.

If medical science has no solution to your case, God truly has. It is written, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37.

2.

Are you emotionally mature? This has to do with your ability to absorb certain shocks.

You may marry a person who eventually is discovered infertile. Can you accommodate barrenness for a period of time and still be happily married? Think of this! What if there is sud-

den death? Prolonged sickness?

Shame of disgrace? Besides, are you emotionally strong to stand before each other, may be for the first time, naked? Can you accept the marital jokes of each other wholeheartedly?

A young lady, after her wedding, refused to let her husband touch her or see her nakedness.

She was still shy for almost a month before she started giving in to the jokes of her husband.

Even after delivering her first baby, she could not allow her husband see her nakedness while she was dressing or undressing. This exposed her immaturity of mind.

And this, of course, can irritate a man, and if not quickly checked, can attract the presence of the devil in a marital home. This is why we should know that it is one thing to be married, and another thing to stay happily married. Shun those things that can open the door of your marriage union to the enemy called Satan.

3.

Are you spiritually matured? In this area, we are talking about your close relationship with God. Spiritual maturity deals with your high level of prayer, Bible study, teaching and living in the Word; also making judicious use of spiritual gifts. If there is no existence of spiritual maturity in a matrimonial home, the couple is bound to fail in marriage, business or profession. There are issues you can handle prayerfully and get a solution without outsiders being aware. But it calls for spiritual maturity. Couples who quarrel and often misunderstand each other lack spiritual graces.

So, both of you need to get closer to God and seek answers from Him in difficult times, if you want to stay happily married. Remem-

ber it is always said, “The family that prays together, stays together.” Endeavour and you will have a blissful marriage here on Earth.

4.

Are you financially stable? It is important to note that a marriage without financial stability is a world of regrets. Of course, we are not insisting you must be rich before you get married. Not at all. But the issue is that there must be a regular cash inflow from the business or working place. Discuss your source of fund for domestic obligations. Do not marry to suffer. Marry to change, enjoy and increase in knowledge, in strength and in stature. For young ladies, only few men still want to marry a liability. You can only become a proud woman when you have something doing to assist your husband financially.

It increases your joy and peace at home.

5.

Are you mentally and intellectually fit? This has to do with your ability to handle issues reasonably and intelligently.

Education is very vital to whatever we are doing in the present day world. A graduate may marry a non-graduate and they will still be happily married. But it is very rare. However, what is encouraged is if you get married to someone who is not educated so that both of you will be sound in reasoning.

There is something about reasoning ability. If the gap between you and your partner is too long, there will always be misunderstandings. Do not marry blindly. A woman barrister got married to a carpenter whom she felt loved her. After their wedding, she began to encourage him to study. The man did, wrote his examinations, gained admission to the university. He did it and graduated after all. Today, it

Faith

Word of FAITH byby Apostle Clement Apostle Clement Ogbonna Ogbonna apostleofgraceinwof2010@gmail com, apostleofgraceinwo clementogbonnaya2007@yahoo.com Tel: 08036774737 .

is a family of elites. Do not marry someone who will make fool of your intelligence for it will be a union of ‘had I known’ if you do marry someone who even has the ability to think ahead of you, offer you some constructive criticism on certain things you want to do.

Marry someone who will be your first adviser, consultant or mentor.

Marry a man or woman who will help you climb higher in life and assist you achieve your goals in life by his or her reasoning abilities. Marry your lawyer, accountant, medical doctor and pastor.

Let me put it this way: Marry the mission of your mission, and the vision of your vision and you will have a blissful family. Are you willing to cultivate united action of love? This means your ability to reason together, pray together, laugh, bath, dance, sing, read and perhaps do everything together.

If you can’t flow in the same frequency together, this means there will be misunderstanding. Ponder over all these things just before you both get to the altar. But if you can apply the principles as explained here, you will have a blissful relationship.

6.

Can you accept or tolerate each other? If you are thinking of your wedding, think of tolerance. In every new home, there must be new changes. So, you have to develop the mind for adjustment and adaptation.

Be able to tolerate new changes and adapt to new developments.

Try to marry your favourites and hobbies. Accept what each other likes and does. May be you like reading newspapers, and she doesn’t, try to help her like it.

Accept hers and gently teach her to admire and accept yours.

Also consider the fact that one day, there may not be that which you need from each other. Can you still accommodate him or her? When there is financial lack, can you still be happy? Consider this question well before your “Yes I do!”

7.

Can you accept to adjust some social activities? There are things you always like to do now you are still single. But when you go to the altar for joining, you will have to let go some of these things. Keeping late nights will stop. Some of your social activities will stop. Being always alone or being with your family or relations always will stop. Entertaining all kinds of visitors will stop. You will have to learn that your spouse should know who your friends are or who some unknown faces in the house are.

Moreso, if you must work with extended family relationship, both of you must agree on it.

There should be no secret expenditures for relations without the knowledge and agreement or consent of each other.

You can worship with us at Word of Faith Int’l, No 62 Ohanku Road, Ngwa Road, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria, West Africa.

Manna ministry explains importance of Our Daily Manna

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Tai Anyanwu

he Trade Fair Centre in Accra, the capital of Ghana was agog recently when the General Overseer of Manna Prayer Mountain Inter-denominational Ministry International, Bishop (Dr.) Chris Kwakpovwe, preached a message that overwhelmed worshippers at the pavilion.

The Ghana anointing service came on the heels of another successful four-day revival titled, ‘Talithacumi! - I shall arise again,’ held in Lagos recently.

The Lagos programme which took place at the ministry’s headquarters at OriokeOgudu in Lagos featured deliverance and supernatural breakthroughs in marriages and businesses.

Bishop Kwakpovwe, who is also the publisher/author of the life-changing devotional booklet, Our Daily Manna, had earlier declared during the service in Lagos that those who had gathered against Nigeria and her citizens shall become the ladder the country and the people would use to climb to success.

Stressing the need to always read the ODM, the National Coordinator of the devotional booklet for champions and

General Overseer,(GO), Manna Prayer Mountain inter-denominational Ministry International, Orioke-Ogudu, Lagos, Bishop (Dr.) Chris Kwakpovwe and Rev. (Mrs.) Flora Ejiro Kwakpovwe

wife of the publisher, Rev. (Mrs.) Flora Ejiro Kwakpovwe, stated that it contained 400 deliverance prayer points, including praise and worship songs.

She further said that the book was meant to provide people with daily practical life stories, inspirational Bible expositions, breakthrough prayer points,

songs and strong prophetic declarations, adding, “This is what Our Daily Manna helps to provide for you and your family.”

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Sermon & Faith

THE Oracles A true sign that was rejected of God by

Frank Oboden Olomukoro

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frankolomukoro@yahoo.com, 07033621866

ow, Jesus here was rebuking that generation because they had not believed His scriptural sign. Watch these Pharisees: “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, “Master, we would see a sign from thee.” But he answered and said unto them, “An evil and an adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and no sign shall be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas” Matthew 12:38 – 39. Watch the blindness of these religious authorities. The sign had already been fulfilled, the sign was with them and they didn’t recognise it.

Do you know that one day the Rapture will take place and people will know nothing about it? Lord have mercy! One day, the disciples asked the Lord, “Why is it then that the scribes say that Elias must first come?”

Truly, Malachi 3:1 says, “I will send my messenger before my face.” Now we know that Jesus turned and said to them, “Elias has already come and you didn’t know him, but have done unto him whatsoever you listed.” Matthew 17:10 – 13.

Then the disciples understood

that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist. It was the little minority that believed, recognised and accepted John. The majority, made up of the religious juggernauts, overlooked him. Luke 7:29 – 30. “And all the people that heard him and the publicans (the common people, as it is always) justified God, being baptised with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptised of him.”

The powerful delegation sent by the Sanhedrine Council to find out who John the Baptist was, did not help their spiritual blindness. Instead, they were more stone-blind. John the Baptist declared to them that he was a scriptural sign, a forerunner, a prophet, heralding the Messiah, Christ. Did it help matters? In John 1:19 - 34, John’s record was explicit. They asked him, “Who art thou?” He was very direct and clear in his answer. “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, what then? Art thou Elias?

And he saith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No! Then said they unto him,

who art thou? He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord as said the Prophet Isaiah.” Isaiah 40:3.

That was his personal identification testimony of his calling. It is now left for them to believe him or reject him.

They quizzed John rigorously.

Yet they still could not identify that he was a true sign, the greatest of all the prophets a woman gave birth to. Beware of your church doctrine. It could be your greatest spiritual hindrance to scriptural knowledge of prophetic fulfillment. The Lord warned His disciples of these - “Take heed and beware of the leaven (doctrine) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Matthew 16:6 - 12. This religious body preferred the traditions of elders over and above the word of God. However, Jesus sounded out, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:2 - 9.

Jesus was thrown out of His church by the unscriptural teachings of church leaders and ministers. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to Him and sup with him and he with me.” One day, the door of mercy will be closed and people will go

right on thinking they’re getting saved, preaching and so forth not knowing that mercy has since been spurned and the Rapture has already taken place. Sectarian beliefs have divided the body of Christ; now in this great glare that the religious people are under, they are more inclined to belong, I belong to this, I belong to that, I belong to Catholic, I belong to Protestant, I belong to Pentecostalism. They all have nothing to do with God. It only has made the people spiritually separated from God. Where did Jesus Christ, our example, belong? His disciples, where did they belong? Noah was of which denomination? How about John the Baptist, to which of the churches did he belong?

He came from God like Jesus Christ and went back to God; they did not belong to any group. Why is your Christianity, the definition of the church you belong? I have nothing against having a home church to which you belong, but surely I’m against sectarian indoctrination that does not teach the doctrines of Christ. Life comes by feeding on the doctrines of Christ.

Ephesians 2:19 – 20.

Paul summarised the spiritual blindness of the Jews and the church thus in Romans 10:1 – 3 “Brethren, my

heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel (church) is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge (scriptural truth, the knowledge of Christ to recognise God’s prophet messenger of their day). For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Everybody, every denomination, every religious sect has got its own private interpretation and Bible school of theology or seminaries to hatch out a bunch of incubator preachers who are all over the place establishing churches without divine leading. I have always felt sorry for incubator chickens; no matter how much they chirp, they are not mothered.

That is the way these machines turn out clergymen who were not incubated by Jesus Christ.

If Jesus Christ or John the Baptism or Noah were on ground today and they are not coming from your church, would you have believed them and followed them?

Frank Oboden Olomukoro writes from Christian Ministry of Reconciliation Km 14 Lagos – Ibadan Expressway (beside PUNCH Newspapers), Ogun State.

WORD OF Forgiveness takes you forward LIFE by

Moses Kattey

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Tel: 08087707486, Email: moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

ake a look at Saul and David. You will discover that the direction of forgiveness is forward, and un-forgiveness is backward.

Both forgiveness and unforgiveness are vector quantities.

Forgiveness has magnitude and also has direction. Unforgiveness also has magnitude and also direction. Its direction is backward.

Saul was anointed a king in 1 Samuel Chapter 10 and eight chapters ere devoted to his rule and development.

He become envious of David in Chapter 18, and pursued him to kill. Fourteen chapters were devoted to this backward trend (1st Samuel chapter 18: up to chapter 31). Unfortunately, Saul when he turned backward to face David who considerd himself a ‘flea’ and a ‘dead dog’.

David, for his own part, simply refused to turn backward. When he had an opportunity to kill Saul his enemy ‘one hand’, he refused to do so. When opportunity came for David to kill Saul and have rest and the kingdom, David refused.

And he (David) said unto his men, “The Lord forbid I should do this thing unto my master, the lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him seeing he is the anointed of the lord. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered him not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way (1 Samuel 24:6,7).”

Remember that this happened when Saul was on a mission to kill David.

“And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it

was told him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. (1 Sam. 24:1,2) In the spirit of warfare, David forgives Saul simply in order to move forward. This happened twice (1 Sam. 24 and 26). Hear David on both occasions speaking to King Saul on the meaning of unforgiveness.

“After whom is the King of Isreal come out? After whom doth thou pursue? After a dead dog, after a flea?” (1 Sam. 26:20) The moment you refuse to forgive, and decide to retaliate, you pursue a flea, a dead dog, taking all the risk and moving backward. I forgive therefore because I resolve to move forward.

On the way to the top with my detractors My enemies and I are on the same lift. The Master wanted to forgive both servants together, lift them up together and to bless them. The person who forgives enters the lift, and the person who refused to forgive drops out, and the

lift goes up leaving him/her behind.

Some persons are prepared to die provided their enemies die. I am not one of them. I am not a suicide bomber. Some persons are also prepared to remain stagnant provided the enemy does not progress, but I am prepared to move up even though the enemy moves up with me. I discover that in many cases, the distracters drop and the lift takes me up, leaving them behind.

Why? They refuse to stay on the same lift with me by refusing to forgive me.

The lord asked me this question in one incident - For me to promote you, bless you, and for me to punish or deal with your enemy, take one.

Don’t take the two. Choose one.

You, which would you like to choose?

I resolved to be promoted and be blessed, and He did it for me. My business is my promotion, not what happens to my enemy. So, I’m obliged to forgive. I forgive because I want to move forward and upward. So forgive also to move forward and upward.

First to forgive, first to win

One other important reason why I forgive is because if I allow my enemies and distracters to forgive me first they will win. In fact grace, not forgiveness, is needed here to win. I always like to forgive first before them in order to remain in the lead.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Prov. 25:21; Rom. 12: 20) For him to heap coals of fire on your head, and for you to do so to him, which one will you choose? I resolve that coals of fire should not be heaped on my head. In this battle, coals of fire are the determining factor of who wins.

Forgive quickly and make efforts to help him/her to avoid coals of fire being heaped on your head.

You can worship with us at COMMONWEALTH COVENANT CHURCH INT’L INC. (aka Christ Fellowship Deliverance Church) Alode Nchia Eleme, River State. Nigeria.

P. O. Box 555 Nchia Eleme, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

ADVERTISE YOUR CHURCH EVENTS, SPECIAL PROGRAMMES, CONVENTIONS AND OTHER CHURCH ACTIVITIES ON THESE PAGES. CONTACT: TAI ON 07064380029

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Biwom Iklaki litz, glam, fab -these are a few words that come to mind when one sees a woman in an embellished dress! There is no doubt that when you step out in an embellished dress, the bling tends to

raise your star factor. It is your go-to design when you want to stand out or make a coquettish statement.

Do consider your body type when doing embellishment.

Play up your best features and draw attention away

Simply dazzling from trouble areas.

With all that glitter on you, it’s best to keep accessories to the barest minimum. Some people opt out totally or just do a simple stud and bracelet.

You should let the dress say it all...it often does!

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Body&Soul

Dashing shades of blue Vanessa Okwara

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here’s something absolutely sexy about a man in a blue suit. The blue contrasts sharply with the skin colour to bring out that manly essence that is so attractive. Colour blue is trending this season for both sexes.

A blue suit is suitable for every occasion and you can never go wrong when you

match it with complimentary shirts and tie. A darker shade of blue such as the navy will be suitable for work while the lighter shade will look amazing on the red carpet.

In matching your blue suits, go for brown belt and shoes.

Dark brown shoes complement blue colours much better than black, and they look just as professional when worn correctly. Just remem-

ber to match your belt with your shoes, or else you’ll look goofy.

As far as socks go, you’re always safe with blue socks that match your suit – or with brown socks that match your shoes Assembling a good blue suit is an art, but if you do it correctly, you’ll walk you’ll make heads turn on the red carpet.

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Accessories

Body&Soul

Cross body bag is the fad

Biwom Iklaki

C

ross body bags or saddle bags were made popular by mailmen and horse riders. Mailmen often carried letters in bags which hung from one shoulder and across to the opposite hip. No wonder they are also known as messenger bags. The horse men/ hunters used them for packing bare necessities for their hunting trips.

Today, they have become fashion items. In styling yours, you do not have to stick to hanging it across your body, it can also be hung straight down from the shoulder like a regular shoulder bag.

Beware, this bag is a casual affair. It can, however, hold all your treasures on an outing, from phones to money, lip gloss, compact mirror, etc.

Bring out your personality with this historical piece.

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Body&Soul

Dangote, Otedola, Adenuga Between Akin Ambode congratulate and Tunde Buraimoh Awujale @ 80 S with

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ichest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote; Forte Oil chairman, Femi Otedola; and Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, congratulated the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, on his 80th birthday anniversary, describing him as a unique monarch whose acts, thoughts and aspirations have catapulted him to the realm of a living legend.

In their congratulatory message, they said Oba Adetona had transformed his environment positively in the last 54 years of his reign as Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.

Adenuga saluted the monarch’s love for education typified by his enrolment at the National Open University in his quest to make history as the oldest monarch to bag a degree in Law. He concluded by wishing Oba Adetona good health and more prosperity.

Hajiya Nana Kashim-Shettima’s love for farming

Bayo Adeoye 08032016869

ince he has been rumoured as the governorship hopeful of the APC in Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode has been a frequent face on the social scene.

However, he has not been attending these events alone, as the former Accountant General of the state has often been seen with another political chieftain of the party, Tunde Buraimoh.

Celeb Lounge has met

Austin Okocha’s new endorsement deal

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t seems the former Super Eagles’ midfield maestro, Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha is still a favourite of many, judging by the number of endorsement deals he has signed of late. The retired player is now the brand ambassador of Bullet Energy drink.

Nigerian actress, Chika Ike, was also unveiled earlier in the year as one of the faces of the brand.

A source privy to the deal told Celeb Lounge, “It was an easy decision to choose JayJay as a face of Bullet Energy drink.

His commitment to excellence, his work ethic even after retiring from active football and his liveliness are qualities that got him the endorsement. It’s a just great match.”

In a bid to excite and reward Bullet fans in Nigeria, the producers of Bullet Energy Drink, Sun Mark, are also reliving some of Jay Jay’s best skills with the ‘Bullet Juggle with Jay Jay’ online competition.

these two politicians at several events where they sat together.

Bisi Ibidapo-Obe goes into sex toys business

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oruba actress, Bisi Ibidapo-Obe, will b e playing

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oon after she became the First Lady of Borno State, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima told all who cared to listen that she would not allow her position as First Lady of the state to deny her of her first love, which is farming. And this pretty woman who has been busy in her farms is also encouraging other women to embrace farming.

Celeb Lounge learnt that the First Lady has a large farm along Damaturu Road and another one along Biu Road where she is teaching women of the state farming methods and how to use improved seedlings to multiply yields.

Recently in a message to mark the World Women’s Day, Hajiya Nana Kashim Shettima decried the alarming rate of deprivation among women, she said that urgent steps must be taken to reduce the high rate of poverty among women, maternal and child death, denial of education among others.

bayoolunla@yahoo.com

host to top celebrities today as she launches her lingerie business. The light complexioned actress confirmed to Celeb Lounge that the shop is a one- stop shop for kiddies and unisex adult underwear, adult sex toys and other beauty accessories.

She said that she went into the business to satisfy the yearnings of her clients.

However, the mother of one denied the news making the round that she has dumped acting for business.

Fashola, IG, others for Erogbogbo’s wedding

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ome May 24, Lagos social circle will host top Nigerian politicians, civil servants and other celebrities as one of Lagos State’s ‘finest’ civil servants and the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omolara E ro g b o g bo, gives out her child in f all the former PDP National m a r Chairman, Bamanga Tukur’s r i a g e . wives, the youngest, Hajia R e puted Fatima Tukur, reigns supreme.

The Delta State-born flamboyant as a lady is a frequent face on the social thorradar and she is very close to many governor’s wives and those who call the shots, thus making her a good oughmediator between her husband and bred those seeking favour from him.

Celeb Lounge learnt that guests besiege her Abuja home every week to pay homage.

The light complexioned lady, who was recently sighted with her husband at Okoya’s daughter’s wedding, launched her NGO, The Crying Child, last year June.

Bamanga Tukur’s wife, Fatima, sparkles

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civil servant, Erogbogbo has traversed the length and breadth of the Lagos State civil service, before she got to her present position.

Billed to attract top Nigerians including Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola; Inspector General of Police, Mr. MD Abubakar; senators, lawmakers and others, the event is scheduled to hold at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Gbagada, w h i l e guests will be e n t e rtained at the prestigious Ark Events Centre, Lekki, Lagos.

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Body&Soul

We watch Arsenal matches together -Tee A and wife Tunde Adewale, aka Tee A the Comedian, had known his wife for 10 years before they decided to be together forever. The stand-up comedian and his wife, Kehinde, talk about their nine year old marriage in this interview with BAYO ADEOYE

Your marriage will be nine years soon; how did you meet?

Tee A: We met at the University of Lagos, Akoka. We started as friends for five years.

Our friendship graduated into a relationship and we dated for another five years. So, we had known each other for 10 years before we got married.

Kehinde: He was my elder sister’s friend and we met on campus. We became friends and he later asked me out. It was funny. I didn’t take him serious. I even thought he was joking.

What has marriage done to your life?

Kehinde: It has been a very worthwhile journey. I must say that I am blessed and lucky to have met such a wonderful man who supports my dreams.

Tee A: Marriage has added a lot to my life. Before I got married, I could do anything anyhow, now, I shoulder a lot of responsibility and I have learnt a lot and I have grown. There is a lot of maturity in my performances, and even in my personality. Marriage has taught me to be more accommodating.

You should be able to accommodate all manner of people in different circumstances. That is what I learnt from my wife because she is very accommodating. I understand that we are all human beings and are bound to make mistakes. So I have learnt to accommodate all manner of people. I don’t keep issues in my heart. My heart is free and clear.

What is the secret of a successful marriage?

Kehinde: The secret is simply making God the beginning and the ending of your relationship. Also, being each other’s best friend.

Is he as funny at home as he is outside?

Kehinde: He doesn’t joke

so much at home, but when he wants to play, he behaves like a child. But most times, we watch his favourite club’s (Arsenal) matches together.

How much time do you spend with your wife, considering your busy schedule?

Tee A: I operate a very busy schedule, anchoring events and producing my TV show, so it can be very demanding.

But whenever I’m not busy with those things, no events or filming, I will be at home.

Kehinde: I understand his hectic schedule; I don’t miss him so much because we are always together at events.

How do you cope with his female fans?

Kehinde: It never bothers me. They all know he is married and he never hides that. He introduces me to the whole world whenever we go out. He is a very friendly and nice person, even to his male friends. Whenever we go out together, we stop to greet everybody before we even get to our seats.

What makes him angry?

Kehinde: Does he get angry?

He rarely does. But he hates laziness.

Tee A: She gets angry whenever I ‘scatter’ the house like take off my shirt, drop it on the sofa and leave my shoes somewhere else.

How do you apologise?

Tee A: I just smile and say, ‘Sorry.’ I have this cute baby face which I put on whenever I am saying sorry. Then, she smiles and says, ‘Please, just put those things back where you took them.’

How do you spend time alone?

Tee A: We both love travelling for holidays but we are only able to do that once a year because of my schedule.

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DIY on the GO

Body&Soul

Resize your gown for perfect fit Abimbola Sodeke

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ou may just notice that a gown that used to fit you perfectly is now a bit loose.

It may also be that when you pull in your gown at the sides, it looks better.

When you notice these, then the gown needs sliming.

Get your sewing kit and follow these steps.

Wear the cloth and stand before a mirror. Identify the areas that need to be tucked in. Get a tape rule and measure your waist, bust and hips. Measure these areas on the gown to determine how many inches you need to tuck in. Mark them out with chalk or pencil and sew.

If the allowance is too much, you can trim after sewing to avoid bulging.

While marking out the stitch line, ensure that the mid section is not too tight around your waist - when you pull it to one side, there should be about an inch of folded fabric.

Consider the mid section when sitting down as a very slim fit may lead to a slit when seated. Be sure that the bust is neither too tight nor loose.

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Wine & Dine

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Body&Soul

The world in your glass (II) Biwom Iklaki Shiraz Shiraz wine refers specifically to wines made from dark-skinned grapes called Syrah. It is considered to be the man’s wine and like men, it has a distinct, dependable and steady flavour - not to be messed with. It is a flavour that has become a favourite to the general public.

According to AskMen.com editors, though this popular wine is known as Shiraz, Syrah is what it is known as in its country of origin -France. They, however, retain their bold, robust and full-bodied experience. While it originated in France, the Australians have taken it to the level of popularity it enjoys now. They have numerous vineyards, most notably from South Eastern Australia. They have been very consistent in their

production of aromatic red wines.

Labels like Penfolds, Wolfblass and Wyndham Estate have Shiraz table wines that are so enormously different, you’d be shocked to know they came from the same grape.

However, that’s the beauty of Shiraz; while each wine may originate from a single family of grapes, the methods used, climate, and even the soils in which the grapes are grown can change the final taste and aroma so dramatically that each producer ’s personal Shiraz has its own personality and qualities to enjoy.

Pair with: Shiraz is best paired and enjoyed with red/and or game meats as well as full-bodied cheeses. So, when next you are cooking with bush meat or any other red meat, be sure to get a few bottles of Shiraz varieties to complement the meal.

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MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Body&Soul

Fab tees for kids to rock!

Biwom Iklaki

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or parties, play time, outings and just hanging out at home, t-shirts are a perfect choice for the kids.

They are cool and comfortable, often made with very soft fabrics or 100 per cent cotton. They are the best choice given our hot climate.

From tots to toddlers and even teenagers, the tee is a girly and chic piece for their wardrobes. Long or short sleeved with fabulous and witty words crafted on them, they are a darling for your darlings.

Paired with pants, shorts, skirts, leggings, even denim, it makes for a smart-casual for

the kids. You could also add glam shoes with glitter or conspicuous and colourful bows to dress up the look.

The hair is also important.

Depending on the look you are aiming for, you can dress the hair with the appropriate hairpiece that suits your kid’s face shape and outfit.

ICT World Innovation in the computer industry p.59

NTWEEKEND ONLINE AT

www.newtelegraphonline.com/politics

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

MAY 11, 2014

Market and Malls Fake products: Market leader canvasses stiffer regulation at ports p.57

51

Business AZUBIKE NNADOZIE, ASSISTANT Editor, SUNDAY

azubike.nnadozie@newtelegraphonline.com

ON SUNDAY

Globe Motors plans $120m vehicle assembly plant

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Paul Ogbuokiri

lobe Motors Holdings Nigeria Limited has said it will begin local assembly of automobiles to take advantage of the Federal Governmet’s new auto policy.

To this end, the company has entered into partnership with Higer Bus Company of China to build an ultra modern vehicle assembly plant in Lagos. The plant which will come on stream

within 18 months will begin with buses and thereafter produce other Higer range of vehicles.

Managing Director of Globe Motors Holdings Nigeria Limited, Mr. Victor Oguamalam, said in Lagos on Monday that his company has already acquired about 12 hectares of land for the plant that would cost $120 million (about N19.8 billion). The company would have the capacity to produce over 22,000 vehicles annually although it would take-off with 6,000 vehicles.

He told New Telegraph on Sunday that his company decided to partner Higer Bus Company because of the high quality of products and wide range of models available, which are comparable to leading brands across the globe.

Oguamalam also said that the new auto assembly plant would be the first of its kind in the country as it would have separate divisions that would produce two other international automobile brands in addition to the Higer

range.

In a bid to domesticate the products, Oguamalam said the Globe Motors assembly plant would also introduce completely new models designed, developed, branded and manufactured according to the best international standards of automobile design and engineering solely for Nigeria. This will give the brand a Nigerian identity.

Higer Bus Company Limited, known as ‘Higer’, was established in 1998, and is one of the

fastest developing bus manufacturers in China. It is renowned for its innovation driven by its strong Research and Development efforts. Higer’s technological infrastructure is provided by Toyota, the internationally renowned Japanese auto maker, and also has technical partnership with Scania for developing, manufacturing and exporting buses of very high and international standard to Europe. The company produces and sells buses and other vehicles in different countries in Africa, Middle East, Europe, South-east Asia and South America.

After 15 years of continuous improvements and growth, Higer has built a modern bus manufacturing base exporting to 85 countries and territories worldwide. It has over 50 series and more than 300 models covering Coaches, City Buses, New Energy Buses, Mini Buses, School Buses, Bus Rapid Transit Buses (BRT), PickUps, SUV’s among others.

Oguamalam stated that Globe Motors’ partnership with Higer would ensure high quality and affordable vehicles for Nigerians and would create jobs in the country.

Inside

L–R: Executive Director, Business Development, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; and Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo at the Fidelity Bank Plc Facts Behind the Figures, presentation at the Exchange… Thursday.

NUPENG tasks DPR on petroleum pricing

Azubike Nnadozie

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igeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has called on the Department of Petroleum Resources DPR to be alive to its responsibilities of effectively monitoring price deferential in pump price of petroleum products.

Speaking during a recent chat with select media in Lagos, zonal chairman of NUPENG, Comrade Tokunboh Korede, blamed government action for the issue of differential in fuel price and quantity dispensed.

In the face of the current differential pricing of the product

and manipulation of the pump gauge at petrol stations in the Lagos area, Korede queried, “What is the job of DPR? Are they not the policing officers? Let them do their job if truly they believe those selling at N97. As they are looking for those who are selling above pump price they should also go after people selling at N97 and find out the quantity they are dispensing.

“To be candid”, he added, “We need to tell ourselves the bitter truth. I cannot blame any dealer selling above pump price.

“It is not that I am supporting them but government created these artificial prices by not making the fuel available to

everybody.

“The fuel is so scarce that people are also going the extra mile instead of staying idle doing nothing they decided to buy at the black market. There is no way they can buy from black market and they will sell at the control price.

“I am putting a question to people selling at the control price. Look at the quantity they are dispensing out. Is it commiserate with the price they are selling? No. He however disclosed that the depots are rationing to products. “All the depots are rationing which is why they are selling this differential price

and what comes out of rationing is artificial scarcity but if marketers fold their hands and not buying from the black market Nigerians would not see any fuel to buy.”

Korede debunked the allegation that its members caused a recent fire incident involving four fuel tankers at Kirikiri.

“It is far from the truth, the work of our members is not to mix chemicals but to pick products from the loading point to the destination.

“Whosoever alleged of such act should prove it as we are law abiding citizens and do not indulge in any criminality,” he stated.

Abiodun

CFAO’s cars are affordable

pg 53

Ifie Sekibo

Heritage Bank launches new Mastercard

pg 56

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Business / News

NB, Consolidated Breweries to explore merger opportunity

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he Board of Directors of Nigerian Breweries Plc and their counterparts in Consolidated Breweries Ltd have agreed to explore a combination of the two businesses by way of a Scheme of Merger subject to regulatory approvals.

In a joint statement, both companies confirmed that a preMerger application has been filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission for its approval and Nigerian Breweries Plc has duly lodged a notification with The Nigerian Stock Exchange.

On receipt of the regulatory approval, both parties will take further steps to consummate the proposed merger including obtaining the approval of their respective shareholders to the Scheme of Merger at separate Court-Ordered Meetings.

Until regulatory and other approvals are obtained, both companies (who are majority owned subsidiaries of Heineken NV) will continue to operate as usual.

Kagiso Holdings acquires minority equity in Fidelity Bank Ghana

F

Azubike Nnadozie ollowing the announcement of a formal signing of a minority equity investment in Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, Kagiso Tiso Holdings Proprietary Limited (“KTH”) has announced that the transaction has been successfully concluded after receiving approval from the Bank of Ghana. KTH is investing alongside Amethis Finance and Edmond de Rothschild Europportunities II and in addition to the equity investment, has also subscribed for convertible preference shares, which upon conversion will increase its stake over time.

According to KTH’s Chief Investment Officer, Jacob Hinson, “As our first transaction outside of South Africa, we are delighted to be partnering with Fidelity Bank and its outstanding man-

agement team. Our experience throughout this transaction has reinforced our strategy of partnering with companies in various key sectors with strong, effective management teams in order to build on the diversity of our portfolio.

As Fidelity Bank pursues its strategy to become a world class, Ghanaian bank, we intend to explore synergies between the Ghanaian and South African markets and look forward to identifying mutually beneficial opportunities. Now that we have successfully concluded our investment in Fidelity Bank, we are eagerly pursuing new investment opportunities in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia.”

KTH is South Africa’s pre-eminent black owned and managed investment holding company and boasts a diverse investment portfolio with stakes in market-

leading companies across key sectors, including media and ICT, financial services, resources, power and industrials. The group has a net asset value of approximately ZAR 10 billion, a solid track record of investment performance and has demonstrated an ability to create long term shareholder value through its superior capital allocation skills.

Sources close to KTH disclose that following the recent completion of a ZAR 1.9 billion buy-out of the minorities in its Kagiso Media subsidiary, the group announced its ambition to diversify its portfolio into fast growing markets, particularly in West and East Africa and has set aside substantial funds to pursue this strategy. The Fidelity transaction represents a significant milestone for KTH and is its first direct investment outside of South Africa.

Fidelity was created in 1998 as a discount house to provide investment products and services to both private and institutional customers. Fidelity Bank was issued with a universal banking license in 2006, with the ambition to create a world class commercial bank. The Bank has grown at three times the industry average and is now seen as one of the strongest indigenous banks in the industry, with a network of 50 branches across Ghana. Fidelity is the 6th largest bank in the country by customer deposits.

Edward Effah, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana said, “We welcome KTH’s investment in Fidelity Bank and their appointment to our board of directors. We look forward to building a mutually successful relationship that will assist us in achieving our strategy of becoming a world class bank both in Ghana and in Africa.

American agency validates Nigerian made antiretroviral drug Chijioke Iremeka

T

he fight against HIV/AIDS in the country recently received a boost as the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) validates the Tyonex brand of Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) drugs as safe and devoid of any substance capable of causing injury or death to HIV patients.

The FDA Case/Sample Report, issued from its Forensic Chemistry Centre, in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 3, 2014, was signed by Adam Lanzarotta and concurred by four others.

World Health Organisation has also been sent a copy of the result of the analysis, which was at the instance of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group, Treatment Action Movement.

The clearance from FDA, which is easily the world’s most respected food and drug regulatory authority, is a major boost to Federal Government’s fight against the pandemic.

It also vindicates Tyonex Nigeria Ltd, the manufacturer and marketer of the ARVs, which has always maintained that its products were safe.

Tyonex Managing Director, Emmanuel Tyohemba Agba in his reaction, said: “It is the Lord’s doing. I’m delighted that no less a body than the FDA has waded into this matter and the result is there for everyone to see. This Report validates what NAFDAC did, it authenticates what LASUTH Lab did, and it also confirms what the Independent Public Analysis Laboratory in Lagos did.”

L-R: Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, Ministry of Aviation, Ibrahim Idris; Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Saleh Dunoma; Director, Project Monitoring, Ministry of Aviation, Alex Osakwe; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Jamila Shu’ara, and Supervising Minister of Aviation, Samuel Ortom, during a tour of Airport projects, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja… Friday

Heritage Bank launches new Mastercard

H

eritage Bank Nigeria Plc has launched a uniquely designed Mastercard as a way of entrenching its innovative banking service delivery across different spectra of Nigeria’s economy.

The bank said the new Mastercard is a product of its electronic banking research, adding that the payment instrument is designed to be physically transparent in appearance as well as reflecting transparency in transactional charges for its holders.

Speaking on behalf of the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, at the unveiling of the card in Lagos, Executive Director, Ivory Banking, Mrs. Mary Akpobome, said the new Mastercard is a product of thorough research by the company’s E-bank team led

by Mr. Tobe Nnadozie and his

colleagues, with support from the Heritage Bank’s partners like Mastercard and Interswitch Limited, among others.

Akpobome said, “At Heritage Bank, our commitment to excellent service comes with uniqueness.

Here we create, preserve and transfer wealth to our teeming customers. Our transparent Mastercard that comes with a unique green strip at the bank will not only be transparent in its stylish outlook, it will also bring the transparency to bear in dealings with our customers. Our Mastercard can be used anywhere without hitch or technical bottlenecks. Ours is a culture of integrity, service and uniqueness at its best is our nature.”

She further said that as an institution, Heritage Bank has redefined innovation through its banking products, style of service delivery

and quality partnership in its overall operation.

“We cherish innovation and quality partnership. That’s why we can go to this level to pioneer a transparent card for customers’ satisfaction,” the executive director noted.

While congratulating the bank for introducing the product, Country Manager for Mastercard in Nigeria, Mrs. Omokehinde Ojomuyide, expressed delight in the partnership between the two corporate institutions.

“We are delighted to partner with innovative bank like yours.

We thank you for the opportunity you gave us to be your partner on this. We are on an innovative journey together. This the first time I will be holding a transparent card in this part of the world,” she said.

The Director, Payments Infra-

structure and Processing at InterSwitch Limited, Mr. Akeem Lawal, expressed happiness at the partnership between the two firms. He observed that the bank’s unquenchable thirst for innovative banking service delivery is commendable.

“We are happy that you chose us as your partner. We are equally delighted that a bank that will bring us back to our heritage is here,” he said.

The Bank’s Group Head, E-Bank, Mr. Tobe Nnadozie, described the organisation’s innovative success of the bank within a short span of time as a result of team spirit and shared value of excellence and flexibility. He hinted that some notable online stores and two states are currently on line to partner the organisation on Mastercard and other innovations.

SundayTransport 53

PAUL OGBUOKIRI, paul_ogbuokiri@newtelegraphonline.com 0802-779-0557, 08037613380

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNRDAY

MAY 11 , 2014

The all new 2015 Chevrolet Trax

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hevrolet already has one of the widest ranges of small cars on the market, with the Cruze compact sedan, the Sonic subcompact small-car family, and the Spark minicar.

Now the little 2015 Chevrolet Trax crossover, which is closely related to the Buick Encore—and, by extension, the Chevy Sonic—is on its way to grab an even larger portion of small-car shoppers’ wants and needs.

The 2015 Trax follows what we see as very much a two-box design; it mates an even taller, stubbier version of the current Chevrolet corporate grille, with a high hoodline, what essentially looks like a tall-hatchback profile otherwise. As with other models in the past, such as the late (to the U.S.) Suzuki SX4, the Trax has an arched-back roofline, nicely sculpted flanks to keep it from feeling too slab-sided, and rubber-look lower-body components that give off a hint of ruggedness—although, of course, the Trax isn’t meant for the trail. Inside, the Trax gets an instrument panel look that has a lot in common with the motorcycle-influenced one in the Chevrolet Sonic, including a sweeping tachometer, a digital speedo, and otherwise, a simple, sporty, upright look to the dash and trim.

All U.S. Trax models will come powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque—with peak torque from just 1,850 rpm on up. It’s paired to a six-speed automatic transmission with a wide range of gear ratios, allowing relatively quick takeoffs but a deep overdrive sixth gear for relaxed, fuel-efficient highway cruising.

Fuel economy ratings—already out, as the Trax is on sale in Canada—range up to 26 mpg city, 34 highway on regular-grade gas. The Trax is front-wheel drive, although all-wheel drive is available.

The Trax’s underpinnings are much like those of many typical small cars and carlike crossovers, with a MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion-beam rear setup with tubular V-shaped beam and twin-tube gas shocks.

Column-mounted electric-boost power steering provides maneuverability and responsiveness, and all models will include four-wheel disc brakes (ventilated in front).

The Trax is about 169 inches long, with a 101-inch wheelbase and 61-inch-wide track, which gives it the footprint of a subcompact by today’s standards. It is, at 66 inches tall, quite a bit higher than a typical subcompact hatch, though.

This small crossover—or tall hatchback, more appropri-

ately—can fit four adults, or five in a pinch if the three in back are quite small. Rear seats are split 60/40 and fold forward flat, while there’s storage in all four doors as well as various cubbies. Cargo space expands from 18.7 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks up, to 48.4 cubic feet with them folded forward. The front passenger seat can

fold flat for long items, too.

A rearview camera system will be standard, as well as an electronic stability control system with rollover mitigation, electronic brake force distribution, and Brake Assist. And the Trax offers an astonishing ten standard airbags. Both the driver and front passenger get standard knee bags; front and rear outboard positions get side thorax airbags; and side curtain bags cover those in front and rear outboard positions.

The Trax will be offered with next-generation OnStar telematics services and MyLink connectivity, including an available seven-inch color touch-screen system with additional USB ports, SiriusXM satellite radio services.

That system is compatible with expanded Siri Eyes Free connectivity for iPhone m o d els, and with the BringGo navigation app, which essentially allows smartphone users with the installed app to project maps and directions to the vehicle’s display screen. Chevrolet’s new OnStar 4G LTE embedded vehicle data system will also be offered in the Trax, potentially turning the vehicle into a WiFi hotspot when needed.

The 2015 Chevrolet Trax will arrive to the U.S. in LS, LT, and LTZ trims, with keyless entry included across the model line.

LS models offer 16-inch steel wheels, while LT models get 16-inch alloy wheels and top LTZ models get 18-inch alloys. Options will include remote start and the infotainment upgrades, but other details haven’t yet been announced.

Auto Clinic Auto Repair Safety Rules When you’re repairing your car or doing basic maintenance, practise these safety methods to avoid injury to yourself and damage to your automobile.

•Don’t smoke while you’re working on your vehicle.

•Never work on your vehicle unless the parking brake is on, the gearshift is in Park or Neutral, and the engine is shut off (unless it has to be running for you to do the work).

•Be sure that the parts of the engine

you’re working on are cold so that you don’t get burned.

•Never jack up a car unless the wheels are properly blocked.

•Use insulated tools for electrical work.

•Before using a wrench or ratchet on a part that seems to be stuck, make sure that if it suddenly comes loose, your hand won’t hit anything. To avoid the possibility of bruised knuckles, pull on wrenches rather than push them whenever possible.

•Before working on your car, take off your

rings, tie, long necklaces, and other jewelry, and tie back long hair.

•If you’re using toxic chemicals such as coolant, cleaners, and the like, keep them away from your mouth and eyes, wash your hands thoroughly after using them, and either store them safely away from pets and children or dispose of them in a way that’s safe for the environment.

•Know that gasoline is extremely dangerous to have around. Not only is it toxic and flammable, but the vapor in an empty can

is explosive enough to take out a city block.

•Work in a well-ventilated area. If possible, work outdoors in your driveway, your backyard, or a parking lot. If you must work in your garage, be sure to keep the garage door open and the vehicle as close to the door as possible.

•Keep fire extinguishers handy. Place one in your garage and one under the front seat of your vehicle. (Be sure to secure it with a bracket that will prevent it from rolling under the pedals.

54

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Sunday Transport

Auto Trend: Vehicles, accessories, discounts and more...

Stallion lauds new auto policy, pledges commitment Chijioke Iremeka

W

est African conglomerate Stallion Group has commended the Federal Government’s new automotive policy, describing it as a crucial step towards industrial and regional economic emancipation.

Mr. Sunil Vaswani, Chairman, Stallion Group of Companies said in a statement

by Media Advocacy Communications Solution on behalf of the company said the automotive industry is a proven spark for regional development.

The Stallion Group’s chairman thanked President Goodluck Jonathan, for his visionary leadership and progressive policies aimed at developing Nigeria’s local industries and putting companies on the path of profitability.

He also commended the supervisory role of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment under the guidance of Dr. Olusegun Aganga, for helping Nigeria embrace the needed policy for the development of the local automotive industry.

According to him, the evolution of automotive companies in Nigeria would not only encourage more foreign direct investments (FDI) but stimulate industrial clusters such as original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and component manufacturing facilities, including steel plants, glass manufacturers, aftermarket shops and transportation service providers.

He cited Detroit in the United States and Ulsan in South Korea as major auto economies with strong industrial clusters

Lagos Motor show organisers task govt on economic tourism Paul Ogbuokiri

M

anaging Director BKG Exhibitions Limited, Mr. Iheanyichukwu Agwu, has said that the opportunities and potential of the annual Lagos Motor Show is one which Lagos State and neighbouring states could leverage on to promote ‘economic tourism.

Speaking at the close of the four-day show in Lagos on Tuesday, he said Nigeria is very important to the global automotive business as virtually all brands in the industry compete to enter and capture the market.

According to him, Nigeria needs to have internationally recognised auto shows to help in showcasing and opening the automobile market and its potentials to attract the much desired investments to develop the sector.

“We therefore ask for the urgent help of the Lagos and neighbouring states governments in shouldering this important responsibility, bearing in mind that no investment in this key sector is a waste”, he said.

Agwu sfurther said that with the giant strides some of the states in the area of Industrialisation and development of the road transport sector they need to actively support this event to consolidate and even surpass set targets.

The Permanent Secretary in-charge of Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oluseyi Coker represented the State Governor, Mr. Babtubde Raji Fashola at the opening event last Friday.

while listing ABC regions near Sao Paulo in Brazil; Pune, Gurgaon, Chennai in India; and Guangzhou province in China as emerging clusters in the developing countries.

“These clusters have led to new municipalities with solid road infrastructures, railway, freight connectivity and housing developments,” the Stallion Group helmsman remarked.

He urged stakeholders to support the new auto policy initiative and discourage gratuitous importation of fully-built-up vehicles in favour of locally assembled vehicles

which would create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Adding that the new auto policy is potentially viable given the high demographic dividend of youth population with 65 per cent below the age of 25 years and the availability of raw materials such as petrochemical, iron ore and an impending large ECOWAS export markets, similar to the SADC lead by South Africa, Vaswani said that the new policy initiative would facilitate a sustainable growth index in the automobile subsector by 2020, with no

fewer than a million jobs in the country.

The Stallion chairman is also hopeful that the current population of Nigeria can convincingly support the production of half a million vehicles annually, which is more than sufficient to sustain an automotive industry,” he envisaged.

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Bangladesh are about now the only top 10 countries by population without a vibrant automotive industry as China, India, US, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Russia, the Stallion Group chairman evoked.

L-R: Chairman, Globe Motors, William Anumudu; an official of Higer Bus Company of China, Steve Wang; Managing Director of Globe Motors, Victor Oguamalam; and another Higer official, Mr. Charles Cao, after signing a partnership agreement with Higer …. Tuesday

Toyota Nigeria completes $2m body,paint workshop

Paul Ogbuokiri

T

oyota Nigeria Limited has inaugurated a new workshop exclusively devoted for body repair and painting.

The workshop valued at $2m and located at the company’s Oregun facility in Lagos, is geared towards sustaining the brand as the first, not only in sales, but also in all segments of the after-sale services in the country According to TNL, the body and paint workshop will also be available to train technicians from its accredited dealers to enhance their quality of work on their customers’ cars.

The Managing Director of Toyota Nigeria, Mr. Chandrasheker Thampy, said the body and paint workshop was meant to give the after-sales service a new meaning, describing it as a turning point.

He noted that it was designed to give users/owners of Toyota vehicles in the

country real value for their money, essentially by keeping their precious cars on the road longer than they imagined in their original shining beautiful look.

Thampy said the body and paint repair segment, traditionally called panel beating, was largely an untapped market in Nigeria, having been operated in an unorganised manner, adding that a professional touch would be given to it under the new arrangement.

He stressed that the workshop would be a training centre to pass on the skills to the dealer workshops.

Thampy said the company would be encouraging the dealers to take advantage of the facilities at the centre for the new after sales services that would ultimately benefit the end-users of Toyota vehicles.

“We are transferring high-tech skills to the dealers to satisfy our customers,” he added.

In a presentation, the Manager, Train-

ing and Workshop, Mr. Nishant Sasidharan, said the TNL came up the idea of body and paint workshop to increase the dealers’ technical skill level and help them to attain the Toyota Motor Corporation’s certification’s standard.

According to him, the company, under the new arrangement, will encourage more B&P workshops in all the dealers’ service network; establish good business relations with its B&P business partners and request the dealers to conduct regular in-house and external audit and create a healthy competition among the dealers.

Nishant said the essence of the initiative was “to ensure that Toyota remain number one in all aspects and make the dealers to be employee-friendly and customer service-oriented.”

It was also aimed at introducing Kaizen activities in all B&P areas, he added.

55

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Business / Media

POWER PLATFORM xxxxxxxx

Electricity consumers decry tariff hike E

We are calling on them to give us electricity.

Chijioke Iremeka

lectricity consumers in the country have decried the increase in electricity tariff, saying their expectation is that such should follow increase in power supply.

“At least, we were paying the new tariff, hoping that power supply would improve. But our hope was dashed, when in some weeks and months, we did not get electricity,” they said in separate interviews with Power Platform.

They said that there was better power supply in the past, when the tariff regime was cheaper than the current tariff.

“I have not felt the impact of this new regime, even as the distribution companies are busy reaping where they have not sown.

I wonder whether government permitted the companies to be collecting what they are calling service charge from electricity consumers in the country,” said Vincent Ezeme, who lives at Nkpor in Anambra State.

He also said that in spite of the huge funds pumped into the sector, it was puzzling that it was not improving.

“The new PHCN is very exploitative. The poor masses are being exploited without anyone caring for them. It could be good for the government to privatise Nigeria too, maybe, to some American or British businessmen to manage the country for us,” said Johnpaul Omeife, who lives at Okokomaiko in Lagos State.

To him, electricity, which is supposed to be a social service under the purview of government as part of its responsibility to the people, is now a luxury that both the rich and the poor cannot afford.

Kingsley Uwem, from FESTAC, Lagos, says power supply is quite expensive.

“Go to most villages and families outside Lagos, you will discover that majority of rural dwellers have been disconnected from the electricity sources for their failure to pay service bills, which they didn’t enjoy,” he said.

He noted that most of the disconnected houses, including his father’s house, are being powered by generators. He said they opted for this instead of paying for electricity they did not consume.

“If one spends N3, 000 on the fuelling of one’s generator, one would be able to predict and use light when one desires. What do they need light for? Is it not to see at night? The old people do not need cold drinks or water; they need water to illuminate their homes at night. So, the generator serves that purpose. But this shouldn’t be when we have a government in the country. The population is growing every day and I wonder what our fate would be in the next decades,” he said.

“Citizens do everything for themselves. What else does the

We thought privatisation meant well for us Vincent E., Nkpor, Anambra State I thought privatisation of the power sector meant well for the country. Maybe my judgment was premature, but then, I was thinking that by now, we would have seen the dividend of privatisation in the form of power stability.

Electricity is said to be the major obstacle to the country’s economic growth. We were thinking that with the massive change in 2013, there would be a great turnaround in the power sector by now but all to no avail.

Nigeria has a population of 167 million people but produces fewer grids than Britain. This has led to decline in profit margin in the country. The government is hoping that privatisation would be a solution to that.

I would say that under-investment and mismanagement are the hindrances to power stability in the country.

I’m wondering why the Federal Government sold PHCN to those who destroyed this economy, if the government wanted the power sector to come onboard.

No bills if outage continues Prince Ademola, Aisegba, Gboyin LGA, Ekiti State We have not had light for over four weeks now and that is after six weeks of blackout. We have complained to the business office and they said they would restore the light before May 15, else we should not pay bills.

We have not seen electricity for almost two months running Iyabo F., Evie Street, Ajeromi, Lagos Still, the light has not come.

There have been power blackouts here, which started as low voltage for two weeks and metamorphosed into blackout.

We have gone to PHCN, but there was no light despite their promises. They said the transformer was faulty. We contributed money for a new transformer which we are still waiting for.

For almost two months now, we have not enjoyed electricity.

We are calling on governments at all level and PHCN to come and restore power supply to this community. Our businesses are going down day by day for lack of electricity. We need new and big transformer that would serve us.

Still same story Kola B, Mushin We have yet to see any improvement in the power supply situation in Mushin. There is yet no change in the 30 minutes to one hour they usually gave us light before. We experience regular outage here. We are making use of heavy machines to print and we need light.

We spend so much on diesel and that has made this place uninhabitable. There are fumes everywhere. We are asking the government to give us light. Light is so important to this economy. They are committing a serious fraud in Nigeria by collecting money they did not work for.

Poor supply in Osun – F.A Afonja’s report While there is great improvement in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, electricity supply in other parts of the state is not encouraging. There is the need for improvement in the power supply to those places that experience epileptic supply of power in recent times, especially the rural areas.

Other people interviewed on the state of power supply in the States, however, admitted that electricity supply to some towns and villages in Osun was grossly inadequate due to a number of problems.

Pls send in your complaints via: sundayplatform@gmail.com

Clusters of wires crying for attentionat Orile in Lagos...Friday

government do for the masses?

We generate power, we hire security operatives, we sink boreholes, construct our roads yet the power that the Federal Government has, we can’t boast of it. I suggest that power should be removed from the Exclusive List and decentralised,” Akin Oyebola, from Aguda, Surulere, Lagos said.

These situations above, have led to the following complaints, which New Telegraph on Sunday captured on this page from different zones across the country.

New investors are opportunists Johnpaul O, lives at Okoko, Lagos The Federal Government is running away from its responsibilities and that is why it has privatised virtually every sector in the country. We thought privatisation of the power sector would mean something better for us but the reverse is the case.

We need to privatise Nigeria too so that government will not have any responsibility to the masses.

Look at the state of insecurity in the country, yet there is a government that directs the affairs of the people here. We need to privatise Nigeria too so that things will work well since nothing tagged ‘government’ thrives.

“The new investors in the power sector are opportunists. They

came skillfully and capitalised on the loopholes in the system to milk the masses dry. In the past one week, I have not seen light, but PHCN officials still move around freely and distribute bills. In fact, it is their practice not to supply power regularly until the end of the month when they would distribute bills. Anytime you experience regular supply of power, look clearly, the distribution of bills is around the corner.”

‘I can’t do my bulk cooking again’ Mrs. Adebanjo, a banker, lives at Ijegun, Lagos I don’t really have much time to cook everyday due to the nature of my job. I used to do bulk shopping and cooking so as to create a chance for myself. But today, I have to stress myself beyond limit due to outage. The last time I managed to cook a large quantity of food, thinking there would be light to refrigerate it, was an experience I would not want to repeat. What I now do is to cooking a small quantity of food and buying some quick stuff like noodles and bread for my children daily.

These are the things they can easily eat, whether at night or day.

Any day I see light, I take because I’m scared of running a generator. Generators have caused much havoc in my area. A gen-

erator killed my neighbour’s wife and disfigured the husband.

There is nothing like electricity.

We need it. It comes with peace not like generator noise. Our poles are firm and transformer still intact.

56

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Sunday Transport

CFAO’s cars are affordable - Abiodun General Manager and Head, Intermotors, a division of CFAO Motors, Nigeria, Mr. Ladi Abiodun, spoke with AZUBIKE NNADOZIE on the challenges of Nigeria’s auto industry at the just concluded ninth Lagos Motor Fair

Y

our stand and displays are quite impressive; but do you think a forum like this gives your products the ultimate exposure that would engender a high level of patronage?

Trading in a highly competitive market such as we have here in Nigeria compels a company to use every available opportunity to showcase its products and services.

Aside from a time when you as a company would want to either push your brands or models as the case may be, in which case you decide on what forum, platform or venue to use and it is going to be just you.

But at a forum like this, not only would you be showcasing your brands, not only would you be showcasing your models, you would be showcasing them side by side with the competition. So at a forum like this, as they say, you want to compare apple with apple. So as prospective buyers come, as they are checking what you have, they are also going to the next stand to see what they have and comparing to see which would give them the ultimate value for money’s worth. They would see what features your products have in comparison to the others and also the prices in order to make informed decisions. Comparison is the name of the game. If we are not here, we would not be able to give the public an opportunity to compare apple with apple.

We have good products and we are not scared of bringing them out and showcasing them and standing side by side with the competition. For me, it is a good opportunity for every one that has products they are proud of to showcase them before the world and say, you can compare us with the others.

Going back in time, CFAO has been in this country for as long as one can remember. I grew up seeing CFAO and they are still there, even when a whole lot of their peers and newer entrants have long shut shop. What is the secret of your staying power?

The business has continually met the objectives of the owners, and I think that is key. There are objectives to be met, there are key performance indices (KPIs) that are being kept in view, and it is an international company as you have rightly said. CFAO has been around since 1902. It is an international company, a global brand with many divisions, as it were. But the bottom line is profitability. I believe that CFAO is a profitable venture. That is why it is still here, and it is being sustained by this environment. Then, of course we observe global best practices on all fronts. So, that cascades down to all our products also. From our products to how we make the money and declare profits, everything is ethical. That is how it has been. CFAO must be meeting its objectives, that is why it is still here in Nigeria and it is doing business.

If I remember correctly, when we were

Abiodun

kids, CFAO was involved in the importation of Peugeot cars into the country.

But overtime, it does not seem to have Peugeot on its menu any more. What brands of cars do you currently have?

You can liken CFAO to a father having many children and at any point in time, it may decide to showcase a particular child to the world. At some point, Jesse would say, this is David, and he has six other brothers (using Biblical allusions).

And to answer you directly, CFAO sold off Peugeot. CFAO now has Chevrolet.

CFAO is the sole distributor of Chevrolet in Nigeria, we also have Mitsubishi and a whole range of other products, either as CFAO or under any other name. But beyond Nigeria, CFAO is into the distribution of many other brands, including Toyota, in some other West African countries. CFAO is what you may call a grand master of trading. But it is not just a trader, we are not just trading, we are distributors who would stand by our products. For different markets, we choose our merchandise properly and we stand by them. That’s what we have, that’s what you see here. Yes, CFAO still does Peugeot, even in Nigeria, but it chooses to showcase for now Chevrolet as one of its children, the Mitsubishi as one of its children and the FUSO as one of its children.

Does CFAO still believe that Nigeria is a huge market?

CFAO does not have to believe that Nigeria is a huge market. Nigeria is a huge market. It is not a belief thing, it is a statement of fact, and CFAO rides on facts. If that is a fact, CFAO wants to be part of the market. CFAO is here to be a part of that market and it will continue to be here for as long as those facts stand the test of time.

Are your cars affordable?

Of course, they are. Every of our models

CFAO is a profitable venture. That is why it is still here, and it is being sustained by this environment. Then, of course we observe global best practices on all fronts. So, that cascades down to all our products also. From our products to how we make the money and declare profits, everything is ethical is affordable; that is what we repositioning them in such a way that they would become ‘every man’s car’; every man’s dream car, that’s what they would be ultimately.

That’s what we are repositioning them to be. Our cars are very affordable as their prices show. We are not just showcasing these cars, we are showcasing them with price tags on them for the fair. Look at the Chevrolet Aveo, for example, we are showcasing them at between N2, 250,000 and N2, 650,000 for a 1.5litre engine car. That, for me, is phenomenal. Look at the Cruz, it is a 1.8litre engine with leather seats and comes with touch buttons to start. It has so many features and it goes for just N3, 995, 000. That’s phenomenal. The Spark is a 1.2litre engine car and it sells for just N2 million. Our cars are affordable, any which way you look at it. Our Captiva is a 2.4litre engine car and it sells for N6.85 million.

Is it the highest?

It is not. Look at the Trailblazer, that’s our flagship. It is a 3litre V6 engine vehicle. We

have an introductory price of N7.9 million for this fair; outside of this fair it goes for N8.5 million. It has everything you can dream of in a car.

What does the management structure at CFAO look like? Do you have many Nigerians or more of expatriates?

I am a general manager. The structure is such that we have expatriates, we have Nigerians. But it is so well balanced. CFAO in Nigeria employs more than 2000 people nationwide, and of the over 2000 people we have less than 20 expatriates. So it is almost like a ratio of 1:100. If you look at it from that perspective, I don’t think that we are top heavy with expatriates.

What about your branch network, has it shrunk to only Lagos as has happened to some other companies?

No, we are still found all over the country.

We have offices in Lagos, in Abuja, and in Port Harcourt. We have dealerships, a network of dealers scattered all over the country. And we can be found in as far as Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kaduna and down South. In the South, we are in Uyo, Calabar; in fact we are everywhere. We are scattered in such a way that you can find us everywhere in the country. The whole essence of vehicular asset ownership is not so much as you just ride for today, you have to think of tomorrow, what happens to my car tomorrow? Can my asset be maintained? It is beyond the acquisition, it is the maintenance culture that is of utmost importance.

We are so spread out that we can manage our assets. Look at the Aveo, for example; it is called the Taxi in Abuja. The Nigerian government’s Sure-P programme, for instance, has bought into it for their projects and they are continually buying the vehicle. And we maintain them all over the country, not just in Abuja, Lagos, Bauchi, no. We provide maintenance services for our vehicles where ever they are sold across the nation. We did not only come here to showcase these beautiful vehicles, we also maintain them. We also showcase the spare parts. We have technicians on ground; we continually train our partners so that they maintain these vehicles. That’s the whole essence of the vehicle ownership experience that we expect every Nigerian to enjoy. We are all over the country and we continually train and retrain our partners.

We replicate ourselves in them to ensure that there is spontaneity, to ensure that these vehicles can last the distance.

Over time it appears that CFAO is not interested in advertising its products and services anymore. We hardly see any advert bearing your name on TV and other media any more…?

Talking about TV, adverts come in many forms. The world has gone so technological nowadays that even tweeting can be advertising. Use of internet space could be advertising and we do a lot of that. It depends on your target market or the group of people you are targeting. And of course we do a lot of newsprint advertising. We are not really into TV advertising, but then, if you are a fan of the Manchester United Football Club of England or watch matches involving the club, you would see that even the seats that the coaches sit upon are branded with the name of Chevrolet. That is advertising and Chevrolet is an official sponsor for Man U. For us, it is virtually like that all over the world. It is a global brand and we do not initiate it from here, it is initiated from the very top. We don’t stop advertising, we cannot stop advertising. It is just that the medium we choose and the audience we choose may be different. Maybe that is in line with what you are talking about. But television, I am not sure that we do local TV for now, maybe in the future.

MARKETS&MALLS

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

MAY 11, 2014

Tel: 08027790557, 08037613380

Fake products: Market leader seeks stiffer port regulations

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Paul Ogbuokiri eneral Chairman of Ojo International Market Centre, Lagos, Mr. Godwin Ibe, has called on government agencies responsible for the clearance of imported goods into the country to ensure that fake and substandard items are not allowed into the Nigerian market.

Ibe, who spoke to the New Telegraph on Sunday shortly after a meeting of the market task force, said on Thursday in Lagos that the leadership of all sections of Alaba International Market had made tremendous efforts to rid the market of fake and substandard goods.

“Our efforts are now paying off as complaints of sale substan-

dard products in this market have drastically reduced. We owe this development to the sensitisation visit of the Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, to the market last year. His message was well received by the traders and they have realised that it is in the best interest of their businesses to sell only original products. However, we want government to lay more emphasis on the point of entry of those fake and adulterated goods into the country.

“SON, Nigeria Customs Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control have to ensure that fake products do not enter the country at all. This is important because these poor traders are not the importers of the fake products. The

big importers, who are the offenders, do not suffer the consequences because they do not have direct dealings with the final customers but the small traders do. That is why we want stiffer regulatory actions at the port of entry of the unwholesome products, so that they are not allowed into our country at all. That is what governments in other civilised countries do for their people,” he declared.

Ibe said the leadership of Ojo International Market Centre had taken further steps to ensure that customers who come to the market speak well of the traders.

“We have spoken to the landlords of the properties in the market to stay action on the hiking of rents so that the traders will not be put in a desperate situation to meet up with rent obligations. They will

then be able to meet their other operational costs and break even. We have also ensured that the market is serviced by good access roads.

Quality public conveniences are also available. The benefit of the effort is that wherever the trader may be, he is on site. We have repositioned the market and it is no longer a haven of fake products,” he added.

Ibe said his administration was working hard to ensure that the market meets the best standards in terms of security of lives and property and orderliness. He said the Lagos State Government had given the assurance to the leadership of the market that a garage would be provided for traders and customers.

According to him, the proposed world-class garage was in the

L-R: (sitting); PRO, Ezeugo O. Ezeugo; Vice Chairman, Victor Okoye; Taskforce Chairman, Eze Ibe; General Chairman, Godwill Ibe; Secretary Taskforce, Sabastin Ejimogu; and Assistant secretary, Rufus Nkemjika. L-R: (Standing); Taskforce member, Charles Akunne; Taskforce member, Tochukwu Onuoha and Assistant Provost, Emmanuel Obidimma; all of Ojo International Trade Centre, Alaba International Market, after a meeting of the executives of the market... Tuesday

Arena market records N500m daily transactions - Manager Chijioke Iremeka

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he Senior Manager, Business Development and Strategic Planning, Whobs Resources Limited, Mr. Igwe Obed Ozoemena, has said that the Arena Military Market in Oshodi, Lagos has become a functional market with world-class facilities, going by the volume of transactions in the market.

He said on Thursday in Lagos that the world-class status of the market had attracted a number of businessmen and women to the market in search of space for business. According to him, this attraction to the market had led to Arena recording N500 million turnover on a daily basis, especially with the influx of car and apple importers to the market.

He also said that the entry of several banks

and information technology firms, such as SLOT and others had increased the market’s business portfolio, adding that the development has made Arena an investment destination in Lagos.

According to him, the Arena Market has strength in three major areas, namely fruits, abattoirs, shoes and affordable textile materials, when compared with other places. He added that it is the biggest apple market in the state.

However, during New Telegraph on Sunday’s visit to the market, three 40ft refrigerated containers were sighted with cartons of apples inside; perhaps, confirming the claim that Arena is the biggest apple market in the state.

Also, it was gathered that while some trad-

ers are laughing to the banks, others are complaining of low patronage. Rafai Aboderin is among the traders, whose businesses are thriving, as he spoke positively of the patronage.

Joy Okeke, one of the sellers of baby wears, said the business is going on well, though not as much as one would expect during festive periods because her line of business is seasonal.

Also, food vendors and foodstuff sellers are enjoying high patronage. A number of items such as fruits are very cheap at this market.

Also, between 54 and 70 cows are being slaughtered at Arena Market on a daily basis, making it a prominent meat market within its neighbourhood.

original plan of the market, saying it has yet to be realised because government had not redeemed its pledge to allocate space to the market for the purpose.

“We are patiently waiting on the government’s promise. We know that Rome was not built in a day.

We are hopeful that the garage project will materialise in the nearest future because this market is the largest in West Africa. It cannot do without it (a garage),” he said.

LG washing machines get European rating Chijioke Iremeka

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G Electronics has said that its range of front loading washing machines recently earned top ratings in Spain and Italy for their superior performance.

According to the company’s General Manger, Home Appliances Division, West African Operations, Mr. Hyunwoo Jung, the OCU-Compra Maestra and Italian Consumer Advocacy Organisation, Altro Consumo, gave the machines the highest marks in its latest product rankings.

He said that in the latest edition of tests carried out by the organisation in Spain, OCU-Compra Maestro, named LG’s front-loading washing machine (F10B8NDPA) “Mejor del Analisis” (Best Product) with scored 60 points to earn award.”

Jung also said that the machines were rated on their ability in 15 categories, including washing, rinsing, drying, energy efficiency, noise level and convenience. He added that out of the 11 products tested by the organisation, LG’s range of products were the only models to receive a ‘Purchase’ recommendation.

“Our washing machines have proven time and again that they are second to none when it comes to performance and value. LG’s proprietary six-motion direct-drive technology is the magic behind our success as well as our innovations that continue to drive the company towards its goal to create valueadded solutions,” he added.

Jung noted that the drives bring greater convenience and efficiency to users, adding, “In this technological age, consumers have come to expect more from household appliances in terms of innovation, design and performance and LG continually delivers products that guarantee safety, reliability and durability.”

He continued, “Last year, due recognition was awarded to LG Electronics by the certification of its DD (Direct Drive), motor which is a key component of a washing machine by Verband Deutsher Rlektrotechniker (VDE) - German Association of Electrical Engineering, as a product with a life span of 20 years, the longest yet to be certified by the VDE.”

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fter a brief transition into the bearish mood, the Nigerian stock market partly swung back into a positive season during the week ended with most sectors partaking in the reverse trend, to close the market flat ex-DANGOTE CEMENT. This has been driven largely by attractive pricing following the previous weeks’ of downtrend occasioned by the profit takers activities.

A section of the market participants opined that the 24th World Economic Forum (WEF) for Africa being held in Nigeria for the first time also contributed to the positive sentiment in the market this week, signalling some economic strength despite the insurgency worries. Out of the 16 African companies selected to join the WEF global growth companies community, six are Nigerian companies (SEPLAT, CWG, UAC, INTERSWITCH, NOTORE CHEMICALS AND NAGODE GROUP) which draws attention to the great potentials of the Nigerian market.

Banking Sector: Tempered Expectations May Bring Revival

SKYE BANK gained the most during the week appreciating by 6.40% to end the week at NGN3.66. Though there was no major news in the market to drive the appreciation. However, our expectations for SKYEBANK this year is high and we believe it represents a good buy at its current price.

Also, UNITY BANK concluded arrangements to raise a total of N39billion through both rights issue and private placement. The bank plans to utilize proceeds for shoring up its capital adequacy in compliance with the Central Bank’s directives. The capital raising is comprised of N19billion from rights issue of 38billion shares of 50k each and N20billion through a private placement which will be fully taken up by Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON). However, the news has had no effect on the price of the stock as there is no incentive to cause any upward price movement as the only possible direction in this current circumstance.

Post rights issue and private placement, UNITY BANK will emerge as the bank and company with the largest outstanding shares on the Exchange with 116.89billion shares. We strongly believe the bank is not anywhere positioned to generate earnings to support this huge shareholding. Hence, it will have to undertake share reconstruction post capital raising for meaningful performance metrics

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Stock Market closes at -0.06% for the week

… as six Nigerian companies enlisted as global growth companies

Okonjo-Iweala

Consumer Goods Sector: Quiet Market Mood Persists

FLOURMILL share price has remained flat in the last few trading days post release of Q3:2013/14 results. In a similar trend, 7UP, CADBURY, DANGOTE FLOUR, NNFM and PZ have been trading relatively flat in the past weeks. HONEYWELL FLOUR, NESTLE and VITAFOAM on the other hand have been marginally swinging in opposite directions without major news flow to trigger significant uptrend in price performance. On the other hand, UNILEVER sustained marginal gains throughout the week.

Interestingly, National Salt Company of Nigeria (NASCON) was on the front burner in the week posting positive returns for major part of the trading days. The stock returned 8.25% on back of expectation of its 2013FY results. We suspect mixed reaction in the coming week on NASCON shares owing to sentiments on possible drop in 2013FY revenue whilst a modest dividend yield will likely play out.

Industrial Goods Sector: Production and Cost Efficiencies Dictate Profit Performance

DANGOTE CEMENT posted Q1 results, which was largely below expectations with the company record-

DG, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema

ing a modest 8.5% revenue growth largely owing to production hitches at its Obajana and Ibese plants caused by gas supply constraints and LPFO shortages. The lower gas utilisation contributed to 26.2% growth in cost of sales while operating expenses rose by 24.4% due to expenses incurred on direct-to-customer distribution and depreciation on additional trucks.

Similarly, the expiration of tax holiday and commencement of tax payments on some of its new plants led to the 11.3% drop in PAT. However, with its coal milling plant projects expected to be completed this year, coal should then act as a substitute for LPFO to augment gas usage, which should support smooth production process and reduce the pressure on its costs. While the stock has lost 1.11% since the release of its Q1 results, DANGOTE CEMENT remains a top pick for medium to long term value investors.

ASHAKA CEMENT gained 10.51% in the week as investors priced-in its impressive performance numbers. The company grew its Q1:2014 profit by 69.5% compared with the decline recorded in 2013. Increased cement production volumes following maintenance works on its kilns last year drove revenue growth of 7.7%. Earnings expanded on the back

of increased coal usage as opposed to Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO; a more expensive energy source), and other cost cutting strategies. We expect the company to maintain its current cost levels as coal utilisation persists. The ground-breaking for its new plant capacity expansion was done in April with project completion expected in the next 2-3 years which should support Ashaka Cement’s medium term growth prospects.

Insurance Sector: Impressive week for the Insurance Sector

The insurance sector was on investors’ radar throughout the week as the sector recorded 4.06% WtD gain as measured by the MERI-INS Index. The upward swing in the price of CUSTODIAN & ALLIED (second most capitalized stock in the sector, which gained 21.07% WtD) contributed to this feat. Following the release of its impressive Q1 results, the company grew earnings by 78% and investors’ sentiments have swung largely in favour of the stock to push its price upward by a massive 33.18% in 10 trading days. While market participants expect audited 2013FY results from CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE, its share price appreciated by 2.97% compared to previous week’s close.

Some market participants express

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NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY MAY 11, 2014

Market Report bias that this trend may continue as more investors discover some inherent values in the Nigerian insurance space. Our top picks based on company’s fundamentals and investors’ sentiments remain CUSTODIAN, CONTINENTAL and NEM INSURANCE.

Oil & Gas Sector: WEF Recognizes SEPLAT’s Growth Potential

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa on Tuesday named the newly listed SEPLAT a global growth company; a recognition that further reinforces the company’s focus on being a champion among indigenous oil exploration companies. The stock gained 8.31% in the week to close at N682.33 , owing to boosted investors’ sentiments. We anticipate this to linger for a while.

On the back of impressive Q1 results, MOBIL’s price trended during the week, returning 18.15%. We see this positive trend being sustained in the coming week although profit taking may temper expected gains. Meanwhile, the uncertainty trailing OANDO’s completion of its ConocoPhillips acquisition was further fuelled when the company announced extension of the deadline for completion of the deal to June 30 from May 23.

Agriculture Sector: Sentiments May Continue To Favour PRESCO

Negative earnings growth in 2013FY results plus “lower-than-expected” dividend declarations for OKOMUOIL and PRESCO made the 2 stocks shed some Naira bringing them closer to their “fundamental” prices, according to our valuations.

OKOMUOIL Q1:2014 results reveal revenue declined only marginally (0.47%). However, this may be rated impressive especially in the light of about 30% decline in the price of Dangote rubber (which accounts for one-third of the company’s revenue) and about 4% increase in Crude Palm Oil (CPO) prices. We advise cautious trading on the stock in the meantime.

However, we envisage some positive sentiments to favour PRESCO especially as we expect Q1:2014 revenue and PAT growth to be positive. In spite of this, we still re-iterate our position that the stock is fairly valued at N35.18. As for LIVESTOCK, in the absence of any significant news flow, we

ICTWorld

see the stock’s price gyrating around current level.

Services Sector: A Glimmer of Hope?

The services sector has witnessed sustained negative trading sessions with returns to date at -11.54% as measured by our MERI-SERVICES INDEX. The downbeat mood in the sector could initially be linked with the general negative mood in the market in the first quarter. However, this depressing trend was further wors-

ened by largely unimpressive 2013FY and Q1:2014 results as most of the companies recorded huge declines in earnings. AIRSERVICE, LEARNAFRICA, TRANSEXPR, CAPHOTEL, AFROMEDIA and TOURIST all posted earnings decline of 82%, 43%, 23%, 53%, 86% and 76% in that order.

As an exception, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (TRANSCORP) grew its top and bottom lines in Q1:2014 by whopping 196.86% and 278% respectively; driven largely by continued its Oil & Gas and Energy business divisions. However, TRANSCORP and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) signed a production sharing contract last week for the exploration and production of OPL 281.

Under the terms of the contract, the company has a working program to prove and develop an approximate 104 million barrels of oil reserves, an additional 335 million barrels of probable reserves, and about 4trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves. Investors possibly reacted positively to this with news flow during the week ended as the stock closed at N3.67 to post +7.31% capital appreciation. We expect the stock to witness positive trading in the short -to-medium term as investors take position ahead of impressive performance numbers in 2014FY.

with

Kingsley Roberts kingndcha@yahoo.co.uk

Innovation in the computer industry

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learning-curve approach has been employed to study inventiveness in the computer industry.

The appearance of new models as well as the appearance of new computer manufacturers has been following typical logistic S-curves over the last 26 years of computer history. Innovation seems to come in S-waves, and even though many of today’s major manufacturers are close to exhausting their maximum innovation potential in their present S-wave, the overall computer market is rather “young.” In contrast, the personal computer market is already beyond its maturity phase. Remarkably invariant over the 26 years considered, and through the complete range of computer sizes, remains the fact that for every five new computer models appearing on the market, there is one new computer company emerging also.

I. Introduction A learning process, like any other growing process, typically follows an S-curve logistic pattern with time. That is, it starts slowly, then progressively increases in rapidity to develop into an exponential growth. Later on, the rate slows down to asymptotically approach a

maximum value. The constraining maximum carries the hallmark of capacity (potential), while the evolution of the process is subject to the dynamics of competition.

Learning a game is limited by the complexity of the game. Improving further on ticktack toe becomes soon impossible, while learning to better play chess can go for a longtime before it slows down. And when this happens, it may be so because of the learner’s limitationsexhausting the niche of his intellectual capacity-rather than the number of different configurations permitted by the game. In either case, however, it will happen logistically because it will be a niche being consumed to completion.

We propose here to look at innovation in the computer industry as a learning process.

As in the games mentioned earlier, there must be a finite number of reasonably distinguishable computer models that can be put forth from a certain set

of technological breakthroughs.

Alternatively, on the analogy of the chess game, the number of new computer models realised may not be limited by the set of breakthroughs. We may allow for an almost continuous stream of small successive breakthroughs (one can further visualise these as a chain of smaller S-curves), in which case the number of models put out may just be limited by the ability’ of the organisation to fill up its own niche, e.g. exhausting the ingenuity of its engineers who

happen to have been all trained in a particular school of thought, etc. In either case, at any given time some niche will be in the process of being consumed. The usefulness of the approach is in forecasting the remaining of a “well established” S-curve. Once the filling up of a niche has followed a logistic path for the historical range available, forecasting becomes possible for the remaining of the curve.

Under-performing is “unnatural”. No niche was ever left partially filled in nature for natural reasons.

Over performing can only be envisaged with a subsequent S-curve whose characteristics we do not know and which will start at the “end” of this one. Thus, there is a window for forecasts. If one considers that in the computer industry, the historical periods treated here cover from 10 to 25 years, the forecasting horizon is a rather long-term one, reaching the year 2000.

We gained confidence in our endeavour to describe innovation in

computers as a logistically growing process from a twofold success.

The first success is a good logistic description of the historical data for the industry’s most representative manufacturers. The second is a successful forecast when considering history to stop five years ago. Moreover, in the process, we stumbled across an idiosyncracy of the computer market that can, in it, be used as a forecasting toola ratio between new models and new manufacturers that is in variant with time over the whole range of computer sizes.

The historical data we used were drawn from the International Data Corporation (IDC) 1985 Processor Data Book covering the period from the beginning of 1958 up to the end 1984. All computer models other than personal computers, including different versions, whenever reported separately by IDC, are considered. We treated personal computers separately in Section IV because we felt that they were probably belonging to a niche distinctly different from other computers. Appearance date for a given model is taken as the first installation date reported. Models reported with zero installations have been left out.

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Abuja Beats Johnchuks Onuanyim

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ast week, Nigeria hosted the 24th World Economic Forum, which was held in Abuja, the metropolis of the Federal Capital Territory. The forum that lasted for three days had in attendance 13 heads of states and more than 1, 000 delegates from over 70 countries around the globe.

The Director of World Economic Forum Africa, Ms Elsie Kanza, said the number was one of the largest the forum had witnessed in the many years it had been hosted in different countries.

Her words: “We are expecting over a thousand participants from over 70 countries, more than half will comes from African countries and many will come from the business communities, NGOs and religious groups” The hosting of the Forum by Nigeria came at a time when the nation was faced with security challenges with abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State and two bomb blasts that had killed over 100 persons in Nyanya, a suburb of the metropolis, with the last a week to the World Economic Forum.

Given the scenario, there were palpable tensions globally on the safety of delegates to the Forum.

This fear was visible as BRAND South African key marketing company had cancelled its plan to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Abuja because of security fears after two bombings and the mass abduction of schoolgirls in the country.

In a letter signed by the Brand SA CEO Miller Matola, expressing the regrets of the company not to attend, he said, “South Africans travelling to Nigeria can expect to be reasonably safe although they should exercise due caution and vigilance.”

“However, it is with regret that we must inform you that the Brand SA team will not be travelling to Abuja due to the inability to secure additional security services for our delegation.”

Given the fear caused by the security situations in the country, federal government declared a three work free days for civil servants in the FCT and restriction of movement in the Federal Capital City, FCC for effective security for the delegates of the WEF. The action of government to declare work free days and the police to restrict movement had led to putting busieness activities in FCC on hold in the three days that the economic forum lasted.

It was a serious concern for resident of Abuja on the first day of the Forum as they could not move beyond the satellite towns because of fear of security men on the streets of Abuja. Activities therefore were grounded in the FCT as banks and businesses were shot down.

But one question the residents of FCT is asking during and after the WEF is what is the gain to their existence.

For Amaka, a trader in Wuse market, he stated that a three day out of business was a big loss. “Not only that people did not come to buy, but the harassment by the security operatives was something else, he said”.

The satellite towns of Abuja were not left out on the effect of the WEF as schools were shut down and people stayed in doors for fear of the unknown.

The roads leading to the satellite towns from the Abuja metropolis were also con-

Effects of WEF in Abuja

doned off by security agencies confirmed fears on the resident that anything could happen.

In Zuba axis for instance, the usual military checkpoint before Dei-Dei was fortified with additional deployment of military police. Traffic flow was slower due to narrowing of passage created for vehicles heading to metropolis.

Vehicular traffic from Zuba axis to the city centre was still at barest minimum as many stayed back at home observing free work days.

Also, the hustling and bustling nature at Bwari town especially at the Bwari market were physically absent as many market men and women stayed away.

Only a few shop owners opened to display their stock.

Government and private schools in the town were also shut down in compliance with the federal government directives.

Parents in the town had on Tuesday rushed to the respective schools of their wards to secure their custody to avoid the unknown also.

Vehicular movements on the Bwari express road which connects Kaduna also reduced as there were few private motorists plying the road except heavy duty trucks and construction companies’ earth moving equipments working along that axis.

There was however heavy security check points along the expressway and there were police and military check points between Bwari and Ushafa bridge.

As the Forum progressed, the Nigeria Police Force had given update on security situation justifying the security budget for the event.

The Police, through statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba assessing the first day said,

“Today, Wednesday 7th May, 2014 marks the official commencement of the World Economic Forum on Africa taking place at Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. So far, activities and proceedings at the huge economic event have been without any security hitch or breach whatsoever.

“The Nigeria Police Force wishes to once more restate its commitment to ensuring a peaceful and successful event.

It will along with other security agencies continue to be on full alert so as to provide adequate protection for all delegates and participants throughout the period of the conference”.

The same security situation report was given on the second day of the World event by the Police Force.

Besides what the federal government spent in hosting the WEF, the residents of FCT must have lost millions of naira for businesses been paralyzed for three days.

Insecurity: Traders boycott Nyanya market Onyekachi Eze

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or three weeks running, the weekly Nyanya market in Abuja failed to hold. Also, traffic congestion often witnessed on the AbujaKeffi road in the evening hours has drastically eased off.

This was attributed to tight security mounted in and around the area by security personnel and concern over security of their lives by traders and buyers.

Nyanya market holds every Wednesday and attracts itinerant traders and patrons in and around Abuja as well as neighbouring towns of Nasarawa State.

Resident traders are equally complaining of poor patronage. A trader who gave his name as Nonso told this reporter: “People are afraid of visit-

ing the market now. We are not selling anything. If this continues, I may look for shed some other places”.

Nyanya motor park witnessed two bomb attacks within a space of two weeks, which claimed over a hundred lives, forcing security personnel to cordon off the area. Armed operatives are currently patrolling the vicinity.

Last, Tuesday, armed men invaded a private school at Gbagalape, also in Nyanya and snatched a school bus. Although police said the invaders were car snatchers, there were fears that the mission was to kidnap school children.

Residents are calling on the authorities to increase security surveillance and to relocate Nyanya Motor Park, which they believe is attracting people of questionable character to the area.

A source told New Telegraph that the Federal Capital Territory Administra-

tion (FCTA) is considering relocating the entire market because it is along the road and is causing obstruction.

However, officials of Abuja Environment Protection Board (AEPB) have succeeded in chasing away roadside traders, hawkers and motorcycle operators from both sides of the road, after the second blast, which occurred on the May Day. The activities of these people greatly obstructed vehicular movement.

Investigations revealed that most of these traders are not eager to return; the two blasts that occurred affected most of them.

Also, investigation further revealed increased business activities in Mararaba market in Nasarawa State. A trader in the market confessed that “business is good these days despite the rainy season”.

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Abuja Beats

Menace of ‘Okada’ in Abuja satellite towns

Johnchuks Onuanyim

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n October 2006, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai banned the use of motorcycles, known as ‘Okada’ in the local parlance, as a means of transportation in the Federal Capital City, FCT. This policy led to the concentration of Okada riders within the satellite towns of FCT and also the relocation of some riders to cities of states around the FCT. The e-Rufai policy was borne out of the need to restructure the Federal Capital Territory and return the Master-plan of the Abuja Metropolis. But not too long, most governors started banning the use of Okada alleging that they were avenues for crimes in the state cities.

The governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu in banning Okada in the cities of the state, said the decision to introduce the Keke Chief Servant and ban the Okada operators had to do with the present security situation as well as the increasing rate of crimes in the country, most of which are being perpetrated by hoodlums on motorcycles.

Also the Kaduna State government has banned the use of Okada as means of transportation in the cities of the state. This has been condemned by the opposition All Progressive Congress, in the state.

The ban on Okada on the cities of these states has incontrovertibly increased the population of Okada riders in the FCT satellite towns in recent times. Therefore increasing the rate of crimes in those areas.

Musa, an Okada rider in Mpape, Bwari Area Council in the FCT said he relocated from Niger State given the fact that nothing much in terms of business could be made in the rural areas in the State with Okada.

Musa is one of the thousands of Okada rid-

ers that relocated from one state or the other to the satellite towns of FCT as a result of the ban on Okada transportation in the cities of the states.

The satellite towns of FCT include among others: Kubwa, Bwari, Dutse, Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, Mpape, Kugbo, etc, while the FCT areas are: Maitama, Asokoro, Gariki, Wuse 1and 2, Mabushi, Utako and Jabi.

However, the ban did lead to the increase of Tricycles as another means of transportation, which is being also restricted to the following areas:- Gwarinpa, within the Estate, Life Camp, within the Estate, Karmo, within the Estate, Kado Kuchi in Jabi, Kado Estate in Jabi, Gishiri! Wuye Junction, Kabuda and the environment, Durumi, New Garki Settlement and also satellite towns and Area Councils in the FCT. The result of restriction of Okada riders to

the satellite towns and the influx of Okada from the neighboring states could be attributed to the increase of crimes in those areas.

According to an FCT resident speaking after the Nyanya blasts, “they provide a shield for criminals and those planning to commit crime.”

He went ahead to state that even though nobody can say how involved they are in all kinds of crimes, including insurgency, they create avenue for those involve to operate easily.

According to him, not only do they provide a shield, they also fall victim of bomb blast as it was alleged that most of the victims of the Nyanya bomb blast were Okada riders.

That Okada provide shield for criminals was evident in blasts as it was alleged that the suicide bombers positioned their cars where the Okada riders drop passengers and converge for passengers within the motor

parks.

There had been reports on how Okada riders were used to perpetrate crimes, including bombing in some states in the North in the recent past. Although no such incident had been reported in Abuja, the management of Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA and the police should be conscious of this, stated Mike Chukwu, an FCT resident.

He suggested that the FCTA should also consider to deal with issues of Okada transportation in the FCC satellite towns. “Security of lives and properties in FCT should not be restricted to FCC”, he said.

What it means is that FCTA Transport Sector should start to plan for effective transport system that would eradicate the Okada transportation in FCT. Such effective transport system will include among others the construction and expansion of roads within the satellite towns to encourage taxis to ply within the areas, which will ease movements of residents.

Also, the FCTA should make sure that the seized motorcycles from the territory should be made away properly with by destroying them or find ways to share them to farmers in rural areas to assist them in the farming.

The dumping of such seized motorcycles at the FCTA Transport Sector dump site in Gosa would not probably bring the expected result as people watching over them are human beings and could make them come back on the roads.

A recent media report had quoted the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, as saying that 9,143 motorcycles had been seized for defiling the ban, since it was introduced in 2006.

The minister added that his administration has impounded a total of 1,231 commercial motorcycles, which are all at the Abuja AutoPound.

62

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Abuja Beats

Abuja top schools have high rate of drug abuse -MD, Kubwa General Hospital Dr. Ahmed Danfulani is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon and also the Medical Director, Kubwa General Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. In this interview with YEKEEN NURUDEEN, he speaks on the rising number of people with mental health illness and absence of a substantive rehabilitation centre to keep such people What’s your reaction to the increasing number of people with mental sickness in Abuja?

Actually I observed that in Abuja; within the city and the suburb. That’s not something that is totally avoidable because this class of mentally sick people are what we call the vagrant psychotics.

They are people who have very chronic psychiatric issues that have to be confined.

And even when you confine them, once they get well, they will escape from rehabilitation center and you again find them in the city center.

I’m aware that the FCT administration has actually gone to rehabilitate this category of people; not only the vagrant psychotic but also beggars who so to say are not mentally ill, they are just handicapped.

However, the major challenge is to keep those people inside the rehabilitation center without them getting out.

Are there categories of psychiatric illness?

Yes, I specifically mentioned psychotic vagrant for you to understand and for the general public to also understand that psychiatric ailment is a very broad term.

It encompasses simple cases of may be just mild depression to some other intermediate psychological disturbances such as drug addiction, to what we call mania: people who unnecessarily get excited. It’s a variety of conditions.

You would be amazed that even mild stress, unnecessary stress also goes under the purview of psychiatric. So we a lot just than people wandering the street.

That particular category of people you see on the street are just small aspect of psychiatric sickness. And as I said by virtue of nature of ailment they have they are very difficult to pin, very difficult to lock up in a place.

However, there is still room for them to come to the normal hospitals especially when they have acute cases. Some of them can be managed so that when they become normal they can integrate easily into the society.

How is mental illness different from other known illnesses like malaria and others? There comes with it, stigmatization, neglect and some time maltreatment.

Yes, I agree with you that mental illness, especially in our society people don’t even want to associate with mad people. Aside from that stigmatization, I’m not sure there are other differences b e -

tween sicknesses of mentally sick people and other kinds of ailments.

So to say, the community considers this category of people; the vagrant psychotic as the so-called mad people. If I tell somebody that depression is also seen as psychiatric, people don’t understand the fact that there are kinds of ailment. Those ones don’t suffer any form of stigmatization because people don’t even consider them as being mad but the only mad people they see are those on the streets.

Essentially, medical practice or treatment of diseases are the same except that stigmatization as it affects , in fact people with other terminal illnesses would also want to conceal it because of the societal response.

HIV/AIDS victims suffer stigmatization, cancer and a host of other diseases.

A psychiatric expert recently said that the current poverty level in the country continues, lack of adequate housing, depression and the likes, there may be a serious growing in the number of people having mental illness in Abuja in particular and Nigeria as a whole. Do you share this sentiment?

Absolutely, like I said one of the major triggering factors of psychiatric problem may include poverty, deprivation, societal illness and what have you. If there are a lot of challenges with poverty; employment is not available, a lot o f

Danfulani

stress in the society, poor health care services, certainly, not only mental illness, a lot of other diseases in general will tend to come up.

Given its own nature, you said that it is not different from other kinds of ailments. One would have expected that all the secondary health care facilities in Abuja would have a unit for mental health illness. But there are no such places, what’s the problem?

First and foremost, you must know that the number of psychiatrists we have cannot go round all the secondary health care facilities. That’s one limitation. The second limitation is that you need to provide a specially secured place to admit those category of people. It’s not any open ward.

Again, the ward must not be an up stair, it must have its own corner, that’s a secluded area and thirdly, it must be secured; you need to have security. You need to have well experienced and properly trained nurses and doctors in that regard. And considering the fact that they don’t pay special fee, most hospital may not want to go into the stress of having to get all these things in place.

That’s why in FCT, it is only in my hospital presently that has that facility to admit such people. It is specially created for them. It is an eight bedded ward. It is close to a year now that we opened it.

How many patients have you treated there?

So many of them, we admit people on a daily basis. The other thing is that the Karu General Hospital is also having a well designed psychiatric department that will come on board any moment from now.

There is a report that Nigeria has less than 100 psychiatrists and you also said that the number of specialists available cannot go round all the hospitals. Is it that the field is less attractive or has it been neglected?

No, it is not like that. You know such specialisation in Nigeria for a long time has been limited to may be general surgery, obstestric and gynecology, physician and dietician. But now a lot of diversification is coming up so that you are now having more and more smaller areas of specialisation being given attention they required.

By and large, the small number of psychiatrists is just an indication of how long the program has opened up. Just as I’m an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeon, we are not up to 120 in the whole Nigeria that are practising ENT. And the simple reason again is that it is a small specialisation that is just coming up. Before they would just train one resident doctor or two resident here.

But I can assure now that in rate at which they are training they will be

sufficient in that field What is the treatment process like for mental health patients?

You know psychiatric ailment is not like you are treating malaria that if you give drug to a person, the malaria is gone and the person is okay. Or may be someone has an accident you fix the bone and it’s all over.

It is a long term treatment and that is why they talk about the initiation of the treatment, maintenance and rehabilitation.

When someone comes in an acute case, you want to give medication so that you bring the person to normal level.

But then you have to do the maintenance, when the drugs would have relapsed. You have to monitor the person from time to time to see that he is taking is medication and also that he is not going back to whatever caused the initial problem.

Here the major challenge is adherent. You need a very good adherent counselor in that respect to let the patient know why he or she must continue with the medication otherwise the problem will come back.

And of course having secured a patient back to his normal level, you maintain, rehabilitate and then integrate which is the major problem in our society. Rehabilitation and re-integration are a very big issue in the sense that if somebody has a depression; psychosis and everybody knows he has psychosis even when he has been treated and normal all effort to get him back and people to treat him as a normal member of the society becomes difficult. And their attitude towards him can actually send him back to the psychiatric ward.

So the rehabilitation aspect is a very big challenge.

Since FCT does not have a rehabilitation centre and that aspect is a big challenge in mental health care, what efforts are people like you making in this regard?

I think about six months ago the Honourable Minister was particularly interested in this area and again the FCT Health Secretariat gave us a mandate that something like that happens. In fact, the fall out of that instruction is the creation of the unit in my own hospital. I’m sure they are still working on a larger project that will encompass psychiatric rehabilitation and even beyond the process of rehabilitation, in terms of reengagement and re-orientation.

Don’t you think there should be more awareness campaigns in secondary schools about the danger of illicit drug use, depression and others?

I’m aware that in schools now because one day my boy came back and started about ‘daddy what’s drug addiction and all that’. Some schools have taken it into their curriculum to talk about the hazards of drugs. Surprisingly, they are becoming aware now. It will shock you to realise some of those big schools in Abuja today the incidence of drug abuse and drug addiction is alarming there.

My psychiatric was involved in investigating a particular school and the result was over 50 per cent. So that is a very alarming statistics that if nothing urgent is not done the future of this category of people is in danger.

What are the hazards involved in treating people with mental illness?

The only hazard is that they can be very violent. They can injure; there has been instance when one health worker was killed by a psychiatric patient. The other hazard is that they commit things like rape. A psychiatric patient can rape a female nurse and vice versa; health worker can rape a psychiatric patient.

63

MAY 11, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY

Sport / News

Odemwingie takes a swipe at West Brom

Premier League:

Man City, Liverpool set for title finale

A

dramatic Premier League season comes to a conclusion today, with Manchester City favourites to pip Liverpool and win the title.

Manuel Pellegrini’s City side will be champions if they draw or win their home game against West Ham. Liverpool - in the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster - can clinch their first league title since 1990 by beating Newcastle if City lose.

At the bottom, Norwich will be relegated even if they beat Arsenal.

The Canaries can finish level on points with West Brom if they beat the Gunners and Albion lose at home to Stoke, but Neil Adams’s side would require a 17-goal swing in goal difference to prevent a return to the Championship.

For Liverpool, it looks set to be a disappointing end to an otherwise brilliant season. Brendan Rodgers’s side finished in seventh place last season, 28 points behind champions Manchester United, but they were favourites to win the title as recently as two weeks ago.

A run of 11 straight wins had put the Reds on top, but after a slip from captain Steven Gerrard, Chelsea won 2-0 at Anfield to put City back in control.

Liverpool then further fell behind on Monday evening when they threw away a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace, eventually drawing 3-3.

They are now relying on West Ham winning at Manchester City but Rodgers is delighted with his team’s progress.

He said: “We certainly don’t feel here as if we’ve thrown it away.

We knew it was always going to be tough. The final hurdles are always difficult to get over.

“In the Chelsea game we made a mistake - a slip - and that can happen to anyone. We just couldn’t find a way to get the goal and that happens.

“If we win on Sunday and don’t win the league but finish second that means we have finished second to the richest and most expensive team in world sport.

“We will have taken them right to the wire. That will be a sign of the remarkable progress we have made this season.”

City have only been top of the table for 14 days all season but are a point away from a second title in three years, and a first for Pellegrini, who won the League Cup earlier in his debut season.

He said: “I expect to win. We are thinking not of winning one point but just winning the match, and the best way to do it is to play the way we always do.”

S

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola with the German Bundesliga champions shield yesterday

We are ready for Brazil 2014, says Maigari The president of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, said in Makurdi at the weekend that all arrangements for Nigeria’s campaign at the 2014 World Cup have been concluded. He told New Telegraph on Sunday’s CEPHAS IORHEMEN, in this interview that he is comfortable with the list of players selected by the Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi, for the World cup camping

Sir, with the Brazil 2014 World Cup fast approaching and the release of a 30-man list by Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi, would you say the NFF is prepared for the tournament?

I think all arrangements have been put in place ever before this time. The Football Federation has done almost everything you can think of in terms of enabling environment, accommodation, transportation and medical care.

As you may be aware, we have

just organised some three ‘A’ Grade matches for them to play against Scotland in London, and two matches in Greece and the United States of America. So we are very ready for Brazil 2014.

Have you taken a look at the list of players presented by Keshi?

You see, usually the Federation is limited to what we can do; we don’t interfere with the chief coach’s list. So usually, he brings his team list for the pur-

But from your own view, do you think the team is capable of winning the World Cup? I am not the coach, but I believe in the capabilities of the coach that we will make it, and he has put in his best so far. I am concerned this is a no-goarea for me but the coach has done his best to come out with this kind of list. NFF has given approved to the list presented by the Chief Coach.

Did you give the coach a target that should be met?

No. Usually, since I took over, we don’t put our coaches under any pressure. You know we allow them and say look, go and do well we have trust in you, we have given you the confidence and mandate to ensure that Nigerians are happy especially within the football family.

FIXTURES

Sunday, 11 May All games 15:00 kick-offs Cardiff v Chelsea Fulham v Crystal Palace Hull v Everton Liverpool v Newcastle Manchester City v West Ham Norwich v Arsenal Southampton v Man. United Sunderland v Swansea Tottenham v Aston Villa West Brom v Stoke

pose of formality, for the technical committee to sit down and discuss if there is any area they feel they can advise the coach.

But we don’t tamper with list and we don’t impose players for any of the national teams’ coaches.

L-R: NFF Secretary General, Musa Ahmadu; Lobi Stars Vice Chairman Dominic Iorfa; Chief Steven Lawani and NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, after a courtesy call on Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam at the Government House, Makurdi

Do you have any message for Nigerians?

They are our usual friends and supporters. They have been praying for us to sail through successfully and bring back the trophy from the tournament in Brazil. So that is all we ask from Nigerians, to pray for the team to succeed.

uper Eagles returnee striker, Osaze Odemwingie, has said that the way his former club West Bromwich Albion handled his departure has tainted his reputation.

The Nigeria forward returns to his former home today with Stoke City after a notorious departure.

“It was hard to take,” Odemwingie said. “I had not been playing much, and there were other things people don’t know. I said to the chairman that as I am not a key player any more, can I have an evaluation to leave in the summer?

They refused.

“But I said they can’t have it always their own way. I asked for a nice meeting with the chairman, but they refused to give me any valuation.”

Clarke was quoted as calling Odemwingie’s decision to drive to QPR “sheer lunacy,” but the striker claims the manager knew a deal was being brokered.

“Steve Clarke said in an interview there was a point where he thought the deal was done,” he added. “But nobody picked up on that, they just picked up on seeing me at Loftus Road.”

Odemwingie claims to have left West Brom peacefully and believes the way the club handled his departure has tainted his reputation.

“If the club had handled it different, saying what had happened, it would have closed the chapter, we’d have moved on, but they didn’t and I became the bad guy,” he claimed.

LCM/Heineken tennis ends at Apapa Club Ifeanyi Ibeh

T

he LCM/Heineken Tennis Tournament came to a close at the Apapa Club with Emeka Ebinum defeating Tony Ugochukwu 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 to win the men’s singles Group A event.

The championship organised by the Tennis Section of the Apapa Club, saw Ebinum needing over two hours to get the better of the hard-fighting Ugochukwu to the delight of club members who cheered on the two finalists during the epic final.

Paul Abutu clinched the men’s singles group B category after his opponent Tunde Ayorinde was forced to retire owing to fatigue.

Abutu was ahead 5:1 in the first set.

The Group C title was won by Tunde Yusuf who defeated Chuks Igbinedion, while the ladies singles title went to Ekwi Okam.

All the finalists went home with various prizes ranging from television sets, refrigerators, generators, and home theatres.

The club also used the opportunity to honour some of its member for winning laurels and contribution to the development of the Section.

Those awarded include: Innocent Njdofor, Edward, Dauda Kabir, Benjamin Ozoadibe, Lucky Akhigbe and James Uduji. Others were Serena Uloma, Tony Anene, Olu Omotayo and Gold Okom.

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SPORT Peter Rufai: Eagles will crush Argentina

Sanctity of Truth w w w. new tel eg rap ho nl i ne. co m

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. – Buddha

VOL. 1 NO. 82

SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2014

N150

Faith Night of grace, worship at Redemption Camp

}37

Chibok: We may never know the truth of the matter

I

join thousands of other Nigerians in saying that the current international attention on terrorism in Nigeria is welcome. Hitherto, the rest of the world appeared to have assumed that the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria was just an isolated local crisis, which did not deserve the kind of attention that the world had paid other terror organizations like the alQuaeda and Alshababs. Very wrongly—in the light of what is happening now—the international anti-terrorism establishment seemed to have regarded the Nigerian insurgency as a local irritant, which would sooner or later exhaust itself and life here would return to normal again.

But, why did it take the world this long to respond to the challenge of terrorism in Nigeria? If reports are anything to go by, we now know that it’s because the United States State Department under Mrs. Hilary Clinton failed to designate Boko Haram a foreign terrorist group, when it ought to have done so. Had the State Department done so at that time, the group would have come under the United States’ watch as a foreign terror group out to hurt American interests around the world and which everything possible must, therefore, be done to dismantle. That may well be so. But, in my view, that is only half of the story. The questions we must ask are: what was the Nigerian Government’s contribution to that costly mistake by the State Department? Did we lobby for it or did we lobby against it?

As lawyers would say, I put it to you that the Nigerian Government could never have allowed Boko Haram to be designated a terror organization at the time of Mrs. Clinton as Secretary of State because that was exactly the time the government was under pressure to treat the insurgents as mere disgruntled elements in society who should be given the same treatment as was accorded Niger Delta militants under the largely successful Yar’Adua/Jonathan Amnesty Programme. We were all witnesses to that ferocious campaign to put Boko Haram on the same pedestal as the Niger Delta militants. We were told that poverty and unemployment were the twin problems responsible for the insurgency and that once they were tackled under an earnest poverty reduction programme by the federal government in the affected areas, indeed in Northern Nigeria as a whole, the sect would be defanged because it would lose its recruits to more gainful employment in agriculture or to the classrooms.

And that was part of what inspired the Jonathan Administration’s highly successful Almajiri education programme under which billions of naira have been invested in new classroom blocks, teacher education and salaries in parts of the North. It also partly explains the government’s heavy investment in agriculture, especially in the north,which has become a major growth area in the nation’s ‘new economy’.

Seen at the beginning by a section of this country as an acceptable counterpoise to, or variant of, the Niger Delta militants, Boko Haram could never have been allowed to be designated a terror group by the United States. After all, the Niger Delta militants also carried arms against the state---it doesn’t matter to the purveyors of this view that they never killed indiscriminately, never attacked mosques, never

Sunday

Notebook

Felix Oguejiofor Abugu

abugufex@gmail.com 08076290498 (sms only)

lobbed bombs into local markets with intent to kill and maim, never sacked villages and slaughtered villagers like goats. When we acquiesced to this dangerous view and parroted it as necessary to deal with the Boko Haram problem, we wittingly or unwittingly emboldened this implacable enemy to up their game. When the government moved to deal with the sect with an iron feast, we chorused ‘ah there they go again with human rights violation!’ The world applauded when Osama Bin Laden was killed by the United States, but in our case, Amnesty said –and we chorused ‘yes indeed’—that it was human rights violation to have killed the head of a murderous organization like Boko Haram; instead, he should have been kept alive in comfort so his followers would not go to war with the state! Isn’t it obvious, then, that we the people, the elite and the media, more than the government, contributed to making the country lower its guard on Boko Haram, so to speak?

I have three beautiful, healthy daughters and I love them so much. Just to imagine any of them in harm’s way in their school environment or wherever else they may

MAMA LASISI

be is enough to draw tears to my eyes. So, make no mistake about it: I weep for the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters of these Chibok girls each time I imagine what those young ladies must be going through now, both physically and psychologically, in the hands of those low-lifers. But, I think we are playing too much politics with the calamity that has befallen these girls and their families.

To be sure, I am in solidarity with the bring-back-our-girls marchers across Nigeria and in some parts of the world, but I am not comfortable with the ‘new facts’ that are emerging. I do not know who are behind these marches and I think that’s not even important. But, I am worried that they managed to coral all of us into the crusade even before we had enough time to ask relevant questions so as to find out the truth. Consider the recent ‘revelation’

by Amnesty International, for instance.

The omnipresent, omniscient Amnesty International was widely quoted in the papers and on international television yesterday as saying it had information that the security agencies were informed four hours before the Chibok girls kidnap but

that they did nothing to prevent the attack.

Really? Well, that may be true. But, I ask, three weeks after the incident? The Nigerian media has been on top of this Chibok story since it broke over three weeks ago and not one reporter had the privilege of this information as an exclusive story?

Not even one from ‘sympathetic’ media outfits like Daily Trust or Leadership? The informants had to wait for three weeks to give out this information, even against the groundswell of revulsion against the school authorities and the Borno State Government for the untidy way they had handled the incident, and to Amnesty? If you have such important piece of information in a situation like this, would you go to Amnesty or to the media? Why Amnesty? Would Amnesty go to town over security agencies’ alleged non-response to SOS as rights violation more than it should inveigh against the violation of the human rights of those girls by their abductors?

Perhaps the government could have done better in the circumstance; no doubt about that. But, to continue to insinuate (and to insult in the process) as we have done in the past few days that the government has done practically nothing to rescue the kidnapped girls is to lie to ourselves. Every citizen knows, for one, that the insurgents did not run to the remote border towns in the North east, where they have since been confined, out of hate of cities; they were forced to. All over the world, citizens come together in bipartisanship to support government to fight a war as elusive as one against terror, but here we are more interested in scoring cheap political points.

How can we explain that the government declared a state of emergency to tackle the insurgency but left the governments in the affected states intact but rather than assist the nation to fight the insurgency, the state governors would not even provide information at their disposal to the federal authorities because they believe the government is fighting a ‘genocidal war against phantom Boko Haram’ (read my people), with the President and his Eastern brethren leading!

Thank goodness we now have outside help. As neutral people, they may just bring the final solution to the problem. But, tTruth is, we have reached a point in our interethnic relations that we can no longer trust anyone who is not of us, even if he is president, to do the right thing for the good of everybody. The hullabaloo over the Chibok girls is not because Jonathan has not ‘tried’, as we say in these parts. Quote me.

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By Aliu Eroje