Saturday, august 1, 2015 binder1

Another suicide apc to pdp: Daura’s }6 blast in Borno }4 Produce party membership kills 8, injures 7 card or keep quiet

SATURDAY } 10 Saturday, August 1, 2015 Vol. 2 No. 528

Iya Rainbow

My late husband’s friend asked for sex to help me }17

Appeal Court voids Kogi tribunal’s verdict }51

} /newtelegraph

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

N150

WAEC REGISTRATION

‘why WE’RE YET TO paY OUR FEES’ AREGBESOLA

DINO MELAYE

Sanctity of Truth

OKOROCHA

WIKE

lOsun, Imo, Rivers on debtors’ list as Ogun makes payment } 52-53 lParents, students in anxious wait

Three sisters die as fire destroys vehicles, eight shops in Lagos }9

}52-53

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Contents | 01.08.15 CONVERSATION

Like Old Wine There are not many people you could call legends without sounding patronising. 85-yearold Pa Chris Ajilo is one of such. The singer and producer speaks of his new album.

}13

INSTYLE

Just Clutch It Clutch purses are no longer limited to special evening or cocktail events. They are also perfect for day events like wedding

}16

SHOWBIZ

Comedy Lane Since winning the Amstel Malta Box Office award, Bhaira McWizu has risen to become one of the most familiar faces in Nollywood

}20

INVESTIGATIONS

Time Up for Wall Clocks Wall clocks used to be the fad for almost every household, offices and corporate environments.

Today, however, they are gradually becoming relics of a past era

}23

SPORT

A Hurdler’s Dreams Nigeria’s 400m hurdler Amaka Ogoegbunam speaks of her hopes for the World Championship which begins in Beijing on August 22

}27

DESTINATION

Not a Warm Tale Although home to Ikogosi Warm Spring, one of Nigeria’s most compelling natural attractions, Ekiti State has failed to make any remarkable gains in tourism

}42 Plus: Street Diary 10 | Features 52

SATURDAY

Comment

Need for autonomous sports ministry

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here are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is bent on running an austere regime in the face of dwindling revenue accruing from Nigeria’s sole source of economic survival, oil. One such step as he has affirmed severally, is the need to merge some ministries, departments and agencies.

The 1999 Constitution as amended, is emphatic on the accomodation of all states in the Federal Executive Council. In other words, it is illegal to ostracise any state of the federation in the composition of cabinet. Nigerians are waiting and watching to see how President Buhari intends to kill birds with one stone.

Possibly the president could prune down the ministries to 19 with each having a minister of state. That will give 38 ministers, just enough to have a way round the provisions of the constitution. There are 36 states of the federation, when we add the Federal Capital Territory, the number goes up to 37.

The new All Progressives Congress (APC) government wants to prove that the ‘Change’ mantra is real and for the good of the country. Compatriots have been promised all that they could not get in the last 16 years of democracy. Regular supply of water, power, food, jobs name it.

While the waiting game continues since May 29 when President Buhari was sworn in, we have a word for the change agents. As they continue to map out strategies for the belt tightening years ahead, we dare say the sports ministry should remain just what it is.

We single out sports because politicians must come to the bare reality that it is one area where this nation speaks with one voice. No one cares if all the players in the Super Eagles camp are from Daura like President Buhari or they bear Mohammed Lawal like some of the appointees in the new administration.

If indeed this government believes in one Nigeria, then sports should

be given special consideration. With all the head cutting and bombings in the North -East, there have never been reports of Boko Haram attacking sports targets. Gombe United, El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri and Kano Pillars are doing well in the Premier League and have had managers from the Christian South -East like Kelechi Emeteole and Okey Emordi who helped them to a clutch of laurels.

As military dictator, President Buhari dumped sports in a ministry that comprised four huge concerns.

The grandiose name was Ministry of Information , Culture, Youth and Sports. Group Captain Samson Emeka Omeruah was given the task of managing four ministries put in one.

Omeruah , a great sports lover, did not have as much time for sports as he would have wished.There were other things calling for attention especially some of the Draconian laws of the junta which needed regular defence in the face of mounting criticisms at home and abroad.

We expect President Buhari ,to look back and see what sports has done for Nigerian unity and use it to prove that we all could also be united in his administration. We emphasise that sports is too strategic to be treated with kid gloves.

Sports , we insist is politics and plays a huge role in international relations. When Nigerians travel to Turkey, they are warmly received because of Jay Jay Okocha, Okey Uche and Dan Amokachi who played soccer there. When President Olusegun Obasanjo visied Paris, France in 1999, he was given PSG number 10 shirt bearing Jay Jay. President Buhari must therefore not toy with this vital bond of unity called sports. He must go beyond an independent sports ministry. The minister must also not be one who could not get one of the plum positions.

Sports is not a dumping ground for failed politicians. The sports minister should be one that can move the country forward.

DAILY TELEGRAPH PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief

Funke Egbemode

Editor n Yemi Ajayi Editor, Saturday n Laurence Ani Editor, Sunday n Emeka Madunagu

Deputy Editor, Saturday n Waheed Bakare

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

Bureau Chief, Washington DC n Marshall Comins

Editorial Coordinator, Europe n Sam Amsterdam

Ag. Bureau Chief, Abuja n Onwuka Nzeshi

News Editor, Saturday n Ndubuisi Ugah

Business Development Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Sales/Circulation Manager n Oyebanji Abiodun

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

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117 fighters killed in anti-Boko Haram operation –Chad Army Ndubuisi Ugah and Ahmed Miringa

N Maiduguri

o fewer than 100 terrorist fighters have been killed in an operation against Boko Haram Islamists holed up on the islands of Lake Chad, the Chadian army said in a statement yesterday.

The disclosure, however, came on a day when about eight people were feared killed while seven others were injured when a male suicide bomber riding a tricycle detonated the Improved Explosive Device (IED) he was carrying on in the middle of the road near Gamboru Market in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted the Chadian army spokesman, Colonel Azem Bermendoa Agouna, as saying that in the operation against the Boko Haram sect, which began two weeks ago, “117 terrorists have been killed, two Chadian soldiers died and two others were wounded.”

Agouna, who said military operations were ongoing, said: “For two weeks, Boko Haram terrorists have been trying to infiltrate our islands on Lake Chad to carry out attacks on peace-

l Suicide bomber kills eight, injures seven in Borno l HRW to UN: Act to empower women in conflicts

ful citizens.”

Agouna said further that: “Our armed forces and security forces have launched a vast offensive to dig out and neutralise these terrorists on these islands,” stressing that: “Several boats have been destroyed and several weapons of different calibres have been recovered.”

Though no immediate confirmation of the death toll could be made from independent sources,

Agouna, however, said the operation had notably targeted the island villages of Koungya, Merikouta, Choua and Blarigui, stating that: “The sweep continues and the definitive toll will be released later.”

About 1,000 Chadian soldiers have been deployed in the area of Lake Chad “to occupy all the islands and neutralise Boko Haram,” a security source said.

However, an eyewit-

ness, who saw a suicide bomber detonate explosive device, Abubakar Ibrahim, said the suicide bomber who was carrying the IED in a tricycle popularly known as Keke NAPEP stopped at the middle of the road and after traffic build up detonated the IED, killing eight people including himself and injuring seven others’.

He said: “The blasts affected three Keke NAPEP, a

taxi Golf car and Honda 86 model killing eight people including the male suicide bomber, while seven others that were injured have since rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).”

According to Abubakar, human flesh littered the area, as the heavy blast shattered the three tricycles and the Golf car that were close by, scattering the flesh of their occupants

Buhari approves N5bn to Victim Support Fund Anule Emmanuel Abuja

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resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday approved the release of N5 billion to the Victim Support Fund (VSF), which is headed by General Theophilus Danjuma.

President Buhari gave the directive after Danjuma, who was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had briefed him on the activities of the VSF which was inaugurated exactly one year ago.

He said: “We informed the president of what we have done and what we are going

to do in the nearest future.”

Danjuma said the fund had a total pledge of N50 billion from the Federal Government and other organisation as well as private individuals who were yet to redeem them.

“Only N23 billion have so far been redeemed, so there is a lot of money out there. Of the organisations and individuals, that have not fulfilled their pledges, the Federal Government is one, we are expecting N5 billion from the Federal Government and the President promised today that he would honour the pledge of the Federal Government,”

he said.

He said: “We will continue to ask people who pledged to honour their pledges, you the press should assist us in raising the fund, N20 billion is a drop in the ocean compared with the needs and if really the war stops tomorrow, already those displaced are really looking for support to go back to their homes and this N20 billion is nothing.”

Danjuma had told the president that out of the N55.92 billion pledged at the fund-raising dinner for the Fund in August last year, N33.54 billion is

still outstanding, including N5 billion from the Federal Government.

He said the VSF currently had N23.33 billion in four bank accounts and that the committee received approval from the immediate past administration to incorporate the fund into a trust fund, to insulate it from political interference.

Following the concern, President Buhari directed the Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, to facilitate the immediate release of the N5 billion pledged by the Federal Government since August 2014 for the VSF.

on the blast scene.

A victim of the blast, Mohammed Abubakar, said he was standing by the roadside when he heard the sound of the blast, upon regaining consciousness he saw himself on the hospital bed with friends and relation surrounding him.

Confirming the incident, the Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Kanar, said six people were killed while 11 others were injured in the blast.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) yesterday urged the United Nations and member countries to tackle the problems which women in armed conflict face around the world.

In a statement issued yesterday, an advocate of women, peace, and security in the HRW, Sarah Taylor, said this year marked the 15th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, a landmark resolution on women, peace, and security, which the Security Council would debate in October.

She said: “Women and girls whose lives have been torn apart by conflict are tired of promises. It’s time the UN and member countries brought women and their rights to the front of negotiations and aid."

1 AUGUST 2015

Buhari: Nigeria has capacity to deal with Boko Haram Anule Emmanuel Abuja

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government has the capacity to successfully fight the insurgency in the North- East, especially with the formation of a stronger regional coalition.

The President said Nigeria and neighbouring countries had an increased capacity to deal effectively with not only Boko Haram but other terrorist groups through the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF).

He stated this while granting audience to the United Nations SecretaryGeneral’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, at the Presidential villa, Abuja.

President Buhari reaffirmed his belief that the full activation and deploy-

ment of the Multi National Joint Task Force which had been established under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission would lead to the speedy defeat and elimination of Boko Haram.

The President added that with the Command and Control Centre of the Nigerian military now in Maiduguri, Borno State, the morale of troops in the frontline states had improved significantly.

“You can tell the Secretary-General that we are doing our best and our best will be good enough for the nation and the sub-region,’’ President Buhari told IbnChambas.

Against the background of upcoming elections in Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the President also called on the United Nations to assist African countries in the acquisition and use of innovative technologies to ensure more credible elections.

APC governors to resolve allegations of marginalisation Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

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overnors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said that the issue of marginalisation of any geo-political zone would soon be over.

The governors also stated that there was little APC could do on the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Deputy Senate President, stating that it would be resolved naturally.

The APC’s governors who met behind closed doors for several hours, spanning early Friday morning told journalists after the meeting that the issue of marginalisation being complained by the SouthEast would soon be resolved.

Chairman of the forum and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who briefed journalists, said: “We deliberated on a lot of issues. One is that we have resolved to strengthen our party and prepare for the forthcoming elections, especially the ones of Kogi and Bayelsa.

“We are also very happy about the development in the National Assembly as peace is gradually returning to the National Assembly.

"We are very happy that what has taken place in the lower house will soon take place in the senate and we resolved to make our party bigger and bigger than what it is now. So, we welcome interested parties to join us in building the Nigeria of our dream. Peace will return.”

Kaduna refinery to resume 90% production, says MD

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anaging Director, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC), Mr. Saidu A. Mohammed, has said the company will attain 90 per cent production of its 110,000 installed capacity

by March next year, Fielding questions from energy correspondents who toured the refinery yesterday, Mohammed said the refinery was operating at 60 per cent production capacity before the commencement of the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in October 2014.

He said: “The 80 to 90 per cent resumed production of the 30-year-old refinery is equivalent to three to

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five million litres of petrol, which is 150 trucks of 30,000 litre capacity truck per day.”

Mohammed said: “We have opened every column, changed what we can change to give us that level of production. What is outstanding is crude supply, but with the volume we have in stock, we have started production three days ago.

"We undertook phased rehabilitation because we do not want to completely shut down the refinery.

Crude Distillation Unit was tested, units are running, basically we are retracing our steps, one unit after the other, essential unit like the FCC will follow by the end of the week.”

KADUNA Army re-engages retired officers as consultants

NEWS IN BRIEF

ST

The Nigerian Army has re-engaged a number of its retired officers to serve as consultants and instructors at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA), Kachia, Kaduna State, Major General Lawrence Jokotola (rtd) said yesterday.

Jokotola, who spoke at a pulling out parade organised for him and 32 other retired generals of NACA at the Kalapanzi Barracks, said: “This will no doubt greatly ensure the sharing of knowledge and expertise between serving and retired officers of the Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA).”

He advised the army to sustain the initiative, arguing that “as retired gunner officers, we are available at all times to contribute in whatever way the corps sees us fit to perform in the achievement of its organisational goals and indeed those of the Nigerian Army.”

£1.42m

The monthly salary of Thiago Silva of PSG. Source: Paywizard.co.uk

SOKOTO Hajj fares: Sokoto pilgrims get ultimatum

Chairman, Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Alhaji Muktar Maigona, has announced hajj fares for this year’s intending pilgrims.

While stressing that intending pilgrims that had deposited the sum of N700, 000 were requested to settle the balance before the end of July, Maigona said male pilgrims would pay a minimum fare of N780, 500 while their female counterparts would pay the sum of N782.500.

A statement signed by the Media Assistant of the agency, Faruk Umar, said the male intending pilgrims would pay a maximum fare of N820, 500 while female pilgrims would pay the sum of N822, 500 respectively.

The statement added that the minimum hajj fare category would attract Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA of $750 while the maximum category would attract $1000 as BTA.

5

FCT Clark hails Buhari over Boroh’s appointment

Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment of Brigadier-General T. Boroh (rtd) as coordinator of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.

Clark in a letter to the President noted that the appointment was very timely, and had immediately lifted a threatening spectre of frustration, despondency and restiveness.

He further stated that the appointment has doused the tension which emanated as a result of the news, last week, that beneficiaries of the Programme were facing destitution, either by being sent out of their training programmes, especially abroad, or denied their allowances in Nigeria.

164

The current deployment of electricity (TWh/year) in total hydro market area of CIS (ex-USSR countries) in 1995.

Source: Unesco.org

0.32%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Nigeria in 2002.

Source: Itu.int

Alleged fraud: EFCC quizzes Enugu PDP chairman Emmanuel Onani and Yekeen Nurudeen

O Abuja

peratives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday interrogated the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ikeje Asogwa, over alleged diversion of public funds during his tenure as the Managing Director of Enugu State Housing Corporation.

The Enugu State PDP chairman’s interrogation at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja came on a day after the anti-graft agency grilled Chief Ifeoma Nwobodo, the erstwhile Chief of Staff to former Governor Sullivan Chime.

Asogwa was said to have arrived the headquarters of the commission about 10.30am yesterday and was

l I went to anti-graft agency because of Saraki's wife –Melaye immediately ushered into the room, where he was being interrogated by a crack team of detectives.

Saturday Telegraph gathered from highly placed sources at the EFCC that Asogwa's invitation came on the heels of the discovery that Enugu State funds meant for housing development were allegedly diverted.

The source said investigations revealed that there was nothing to indicate that the huge funds were applied to any housing development.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “The interrogation of former aides and associates of Chime

by EFCC continues today (yesterday), with the grilling of Ikeje Asogwa, former managing director, Enugu State Housing Corporation and incumbent chairman of the Peoples Democratic

Party, PDP, in Enugu State."

The EFCC within the week grilled Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, over allegations of corruption.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached for official comment on the outcome.

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Mr. Dino Melaye, has defended his recent visit to the headquarters of the EFCC, when Toyin Saraki, appeared before the anti-graft agency.

Melaye, who is the chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, also challenged anybody who would controvert the truth that he has never done any government contract, either at the local government, state or

federal levels, to come forward with evidence.

Melaye in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday and entitled: “Stand up for what you believe regardless of the popularity or acceptance of your belief”, said he had made sacrifices to the extent of escaping attempts on his life.

“I was arrested 14 times in one year by the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan because I desired a country where my grandchildren (that I may never know) will dwell in a nation where life is already structured for them.

“I cannot throw away my sacrifice of being beaten and my clothes torn on the floor of the House of Representatives because of fighting against corruption. I have come too far to compromise my stand on corruption and corrupt persons."

President Muhammadu Buhari (left) and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Victim Support Fund (VSF), Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, during a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…yesterday.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

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FCT Police reads the riot act to non-NURTW members

N EWS I N BRIEF

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The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, has directed transporters in the country to register with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and ensure that their vehicle particulars are up to date within two weeks.

Arase made this declaration during a meeting with the national leadership of the NURTW. The meeting, according to the NURTW, was to commend the police for the ongoing reorganisation of the system which has led to better policing.

The IGP said while the police would continue to sanitise their system, they would not take it lightly with any transporter found on the wrong side of the law.

130,000

The estimated number of Americans above 65 years with Alzheimer’s in Virginia in 2014.

Source: Alz.org

EHIME MBANO South East APC Rep berates party

A member representing Ehime Mbano/Ihite Uboma/Obowo Federal Constituency under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo Sate, Chike Okafor, has condemned the APC for what he perceived as discrimination of members of the party from the South-East.

Okafor, who made the allegation in a statement issued on Thursday, said the South-East APC House members nominated him for the post of Deputy Majority Whip, but was overran by the APC hierarchy.

He recounted the several efforts of South-East APC party faithful who “fought against stupendous odds” to see their beloved party entrenched at the centre of governance.

N32.78m

The IGR realized from road taxes in Adamawa State in 2011.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

MARYLAND Oducha: Committee hails support

The Committee of Friends coordinating burial arrangements for Chief Victor Oduocha has expressed satisfaction with the response to appeals for a farewell to Oducha who was the pioneer administrator of Eko Hospital in Lagos.

The committee is jointly-steered by Prince Chika Onyemenem and Mr. Charles Oputa (aka Charlie Boy).

Oduocha, who is survived by four children, died on June 12, this year after battling with heart failure.

According to the committee, while the response by friends and members of the public to appeal for a rousing farewell for the first administrator of Eko Hospital has been tremendous and overwhelming, Onyemenem urged that no contribution in this regard could be regarded as either too small or insignificant.

25.7%

The percentage of expatriates’ football players in France in 2012-2013 season.

Source: Football-observatory.com

10 die in Ogun multiple accidents Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

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o fewer than 10 persons were killed yesterday in a multiple accident at the Ogunmakin area of LagosIbadan expressway.

The crash, which occurred about 5a.m. involved two trucks and two commercial vehicles.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Ogun State, Mr. Adegoke Adetunji, who confirmed the incident, said the two buses rammed into the trucks.

Adetunji said 10 persons were confirmed dead in the accident while several others were injured.

He stated that the corpses of the victims have been

deposited at the Fakoya Mortuary in Sagamu.

According to him, a Mazda bus with registration number MAY 152 XA and a Toyota bus marked LND 21 XQ were travelling to Ibadan before they crashed into the stationary trucks.

He said: “We went to the scene and met the crash which involved two trucks and two commercial buses.

We understood that the first truck had broken down in the night and was rammed into by the second truck while the two commercial buses, may be did not see clearly because of the weather, also rammed into the trucks around 5a.m.”

The FRSC boss advised motorists to desist from travelling at night because of limited visibility at night.

Eight killed as militants invade Zaki Biam Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

T L-R: Technical Adviser to the Managing Director, Pan Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bawo Omagbitse; Chairman, Executive Trainers Limited, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan; Managing Director, Mr. Ibrahim Boyi; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Executive Director, Mr. Jumat Alu-Oluwafuyi; Mr. Johnson Sehinde and the company’s spokesman, Mr. Bashir Usman, during a courtesy visit to Osinbajo in Abuja …yesterday.

Produce Daura’s membership card or keep quiet, APC tells PDP Johnchucks Onuanyim Abuja

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday insisted that the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, was not a card-carrying member of the party.

It said nothing short of producing Daura’s membership card or evidence of his membership registration would convince discerning Nigerians that he was indeed a member of the APC as alleged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said: “While it amounts to rabblerousing and crass politicking for the PDP to have wrongly accused Daura of being a member of the APC without a scintilla of credible evidence, the PDP has weakened its argument by using

l PDP releases evidence the pictures in which Daura appeared with the President and the fact that he served in an election committee as evidence of his membership of the APC. “Possession of an APC membership card by Mr. Daura or evidence of registration as a party member at his ward, local government or state will be the only conclusive evidence of his membership of the party.”

The party noted that: “Until such an evidence is produced, we are sorry we have to tell the PDP to shut up!”

The party said the PDP was jittery because it was aware of the kind of impunity perpetrated under the Federal Government it sired from 1999 to 2015.

According to APC, “PDP has forgotten the saying that he who must come to equity must come with clean hands. When

Mr. Mike Okiro chaired the security committee of the PDP campaign in 2011, did that prevent him from being appointed the Chair of the Police Service Commission, which is responsible for issues concerning the welfare, promotion and discipline of all police personnel, in 2013?

“When the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, was appointed into the Jonathan election committee in 2015, did he resign his appointment as head of the agency or did he automatically become a card-carrying member of the PDP? “Did retired Col. Kayode Are not become the DG of the DSS despite being a close confidante of Gen. (Olusegun) Obasanjo during his electioneering to become President? Was this not under a PDP Federal Government?

“In any case, even in the world’s most advanced democracy, United States, was a card-carrying Democrat, Mr. Leon Panetta, not named as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by President Barack Obama in 2009? Here in Nigeria, the APC-led FG has not even gone that far, and the PDP is blabbing."

But in a swift reaction, the PDP in a post by online portal, titled: “The Limit of Lies and Deceit…’Lai Mohammed When Will The Lies End?” said it had published three documents: two photographs and a register of APC Presidential Campaign Security Directorate with Daura on number eight on the list.

One of the images released showed members of the security directorate in a group photograph with its then President Muhammadu Buhari during a campaign The DSS DG is also shown in the group photograph with Buhari and others.

here was pandemonium in Zaki Biam, headquarters of Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State on Thursday when armed militants struck again, leaving at least two people dead.

The gunmen, Saturday Telegraph gathered, invaded the town about 9 p.m. on a motorcycles popularly known as “Bajaj” and headed to a supermarket located in the heart of the town and spread bullets at customers who went for shopping and killed about eight of them.

Reports say, scores of others who sustained vary-

ing degrees of injuries from the gunshots and stampede were rushed to Saint Anthony's Hospital for treatment while the dead were deposited at the morgue.

Saturday Telegraph gathered that after the attack at the supermarket, the gunmen zoomed off and killed six others at another settlement bringing the total number of people killed that night to eight.

Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson of the state Police Command, Mr. Austin Ezeani, said two people were killed while three others were wounded, adding that investigation into the matter was ongoing.

Ekiti PDP suspends Aluko, others Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

T

he crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took another twist yesterday with the suspension of five members of the State Working Committee (SWC) and the setting up of a seven-man disciplinary committee to probe allegation of anti-party activities leveled against them.

The affected persons are Tunde Olatunde, who until he was made Acting State Chairman by a faction, was the Vice-Chairman (North) and Tope Aluko, the State Secretary.

Others are Mrs. Busola Oyebode (Women Leader), Tunji Olanrewaju (State Auditor) and Femi Esan (Assistant Secretary).

At the end of the State Executive Committee meeting held at the party's State Secretariat, Ado-Ekiti, the Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, said the decision was in line with the provisions of

the party's constitution and directives from the National Working Committee of the party on the need to maintain discipline in the party.

Adebayo said the sevenman committee would be headed by the Legal Adviser of the party, Kolapo Kolade.

Other members are: Babade Ige, Hon. Animasaun Bamidele, Mrs. Lanre Fajuyi, Smart Adebusuyi, Hon. Dele Ajibola and Mr. Kola Lawal.

However, Aluko and Olanrewaju while addressing a press briefing where they faulted the decision by Chief Idowu Faleye led - SWC, said Faleye did not have the required number of SWC members to suspend them.

Aluko, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved SWC members, said: “Nobody can push me out of the PDP. I have invested and sweated so much to build the party.

But if the party is heading to implosion, then I will take my destiny in my own hands, because nobody has the right to my happiness more than me."

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My govt won’t witch-hunt anybody, says Bauchi gov Alhassan Yusuf Bauchi

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auchi State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar, yesterday said it was not the intention of his administration to witch-hunt or discriminate against anybody as regards the effort of his government to recover all properties looted by the past regime.

Abubakar, who said this when he received a delegation from Misau Emirate Council (MEC), at the Government House, Bauchi, said his administration had recovered about 70 official vehicles from the past government, which was sold through an improper channel of auction.

He said among other properties siphoned include 60 generators and 5,000 airconditioners which were allegedly traced by the committee headed by Air Commodore Tijjani

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among others in the state.

He said his government would not leave any “stone unturned” toward the recovery of government's properties, pledging to fulfil the yearnings of the citizenry.

Abubakar also thanked the members of MEC along with other traditional institutions for the prayers made in the last general election in the state and the country at large.

He added that the prayers helped immensely towards the successful completion of the election.

The governor further said his administration would continue to carry along everyone and see that it fulfils its promises.

In his response, the leader of the delegation, the Dan’isan Misau, Alhaji Aliko Muhammad, said the visit was for the council to pay their Sallah homage to the governor.

JOS Plateau inaugurates panel on Laminga chlorine gas leakage

NEWS IN BRIEF

ST

Plateau State Government yesterday inaugurated an 11-man panel to investigate the cause of the chlorine gas leakage which killed eight people and left over 100 hospitalised in Jos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the incident occurred on July 25 at the Laminga Water Treatment Plant in Jos. The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Rufus Bature, who inaugurated the panel on behalf of Governor Simon Lalong, said the members were carefully selected because of the technical nature of the investigation.

He stressed that their mandate was to identify the cause of the incident, determine safety standard at the plant and proffer solution against reccurrence.

€1.20bn The total value of Chelsea FC in 2015.

Source: Forbes.com

IKEJA Passengers stranded as KLM develops technical fault

KLM passengers were left stranded at the Lagos airport following a technical fault developed by the airline’s aircraft on Thursday night at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The passengers are, however, apprehensive that they might not depart the shores of the country any moment soon, as they claimed that the management of the airline in Nigeria was not communicating with them despite being checked into an hotel in Amuwo-Odofin Area of Lagos.

Some of the passengers who spoke to Saturday Telegraph yesterday night said the passengers were already boarded before the airline’s crew announced to them that they won’t be departing Lagos as arranged due to technical fault developed by the aircraft.

9

FCT '36,000 police officers to attend promotion courses'

The Inspector-General of Police (IG) , Mr. Solomon Arase, has said 36, 000 Police Officers will be attending promotion courses in December this year.

Arase, however, warned the affected officers against paying any form of charges to instructors as, according to him, the Police will take care of all expenses.

The IG, who made the disclosures yesterday in Abuja, during an inspection tour of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, also warned Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Area Commanders, against deploying personnel to guard individuals without approvals.

He said: “If you go on course, do not give any instructor money during the course for whatever reason. The illegal deployment of police officers is not going to be accepted."

330,218

The estimated number of male circumcision needed to reach 80% coverage among males 15 – 49 years old in Namibia.

Source: Who.int

4.18

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of D.P.R. Korea in 2003.

Source: Itu.int

Strike: Osun NLC orders workers to resume work Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

T

he leadership of the Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday directed the state workers to resume at their different duty posts after the few months strike embarked upon by the union.

Chairman of the union, Mr. Jacob Adekomi, who gave the directive after entering into a new agreement with the state government, assured the workers that all their entitlements would be attended to by the state government in no distant time.

The chairman who announced the resumption after entering into a new agreement with the state government, said: “The decision to suspend the industrial action was taken in the interest of the state workforce and the

state government. I am assuring you that workers will resume the strike if the agreements were not honoured by Monday next week.”

He then directed all the workers to resume with immediate effect, affirming that the state government had renewed its commitment to full employment and not retrenchment of workers.

Speaking at the meeting, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, said the payment that was effected was based on the available funds and the urgent need to cater for the needs of all strata of workers in the state instead of paying only a few sections and leaving the others.

He said: “Government had never reneged on its agreement but industrial action was due to shortfall in the federal allocation which is not peculiar to the state alone.”

Police smash arms manufacturing gang Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

K

aduna State Command has smashed an illegal arms manufacturing syndicate which it accused of supplying arms to criminals operating within and outside the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Shehu, said this yesterday while parading two suspects: Bulus Kinze and James Kinze, who hail from Kogun village in Jema’a Local Government Area yesterday, adding that the duo had been using their residence for the illegal trade.

According to him, the

suspects were arrested during a raid on their residence where various exhibits were recovered.

Bulus, who owned up to manufacturing of locallymade arms, however, said they were meant for selfprotection against bandits that had been terrorising their area.

“Bandits have continued to terrorise our area and kill our people. So, since we could not get adequate protection from the security agencies, we decided to produce locally-made arms to protect ourselves and our people from the recurring attacks by the bandits,” he said.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Mr. Femi Ajayi; Managing Director, Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited, publishers of New Telegraph newspapers, Mrs. Funke Egbemode and Head, Press and External Relations, Mr. Kalu Otisi, during a courtesy visit to the PTDF office in Abuja …on Thursday PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

Three sisters die as fire destroys three vehicles, eight shops in Lagos Muritala Ayinla and Stanley Ihedigbo

T

ragedy struck yesterday in Lagos when a fire outbreak gutted a house in Oke Afa area in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), killing three sisters and destroying properties worth millions of naira.

Three vehicles, eight shops and some houses were also completely burnt in the inferno.

Although the cause of the fire could not be immediately ascertained, three sisters of ages seven, five and two who slept in one of the razed shops were said to be burnt beyond recognition.

It was also gathered that there was an outbreak of fire at Travel Day Inn at Toyin Street, Ikeja, while no fewer than five shops

and parts of Divine International Hotel at Owode Ajegunle were also razed by fire overnight.

Confirming the incidences, the state Director of Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, said the incident occurred overnight when many residents were asleep.

According to him, the children’s mother was not in the shop where the children died.

“We were told that their father doesn’t live with them and their mum was not with the kids when the fire razed the shops and consumed the kids,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Sanni Sidi, appealed to Nigerians to be safety conscious and take utmost precautionary measures against action that can cause fire outbreak.

Sidi, who spoke through

the agency’s South-West spokesperson, Ibrahim Farinloye, said some of the disasters recorded lately were preventable if only people could take safety precaution.

Speaking on the incident, the vice-president of the Estate, Mr. Adedeji Gbadamosi, lamented the impact of the fire incident.

Also, the General Manager of the state Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Micheal Akindele, who inspected the incident scene, alleged that the fire outbreak was caused by a vehicle loaded with petroleum products which collided with a stationary bus.

Meanwhile, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday commiserated with the family of the three children who lost their lives when fire gutted a section of some lock-up shops at Rainbow Avenue, Jakande

Estate, Isolo area of the state.

Three children, Christiana 12, Feranmi 8 and Pelumi 6 of the same parent lost their lives in the fire incident which occurred overnight.

Expressing deep regrets over the unfortunate incident, Ambode, who sent a delegation led by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Governor, Michael Ola-Dawodu, said the loss of any life is always painful, how much more losing three kids to a preventable fire incident.

He said: “It is indeed an unfortunate incident and words cannot really express our sadness as a government over the loss of three innocent lives, who have become victims of an incident they know nothing about. It is indeed a pathetic situation and we can only express our condolence and commiserate with the bereaved family over this incident.”

SATURDAY

Voices Will you give an ex who jilted you a second chance? p.12

Street Diary SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015

'No children missing in my orphanage'

this one was not so. When I got wind of what they wanted to do, I was annoyed because I know that my hands are clean. At this stage I called their mothers and relations to come and collect their children. These children have their parents and majority of them are from Atani with addresses. Some of them are orphans who are now with their relations. So there are no missing children in the orphanage home.

Rev. Sister Augustina Uyanne, founder of Madonna Angels Orphanage Home, in Atani, Anambra State, made the headlines for the wrong reasons when her home was shut by the government which accused her of running a childtrafficking ring. She broke her silence recently in an interview with Okegwo Kenechukwu, denying the allegation including the claim that 21 children are missing in her home Excerpts What's the story behind your orphanage?

I'm a German-trained Reverend Sister of the Roman Catholic Church and founder of the Madonna Orphanage Home, Atani. I started the building in 2004 and it was completed and commissioned in 2014. The home is sponsored

by Colbermoor, a city in Germany and the city mayor of Colbermoor, Mr. Peter Kloo, is the patron. I lived in Germany for 17 years and had never received a dime from the Anambra State Government or the Archdiocese of Onitsha to set up the orphanage. I have all the necessary documents and approval for the orphanage home. The certificate includes certificate of registration from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Anambra State, endorsed by the then Honourable Commissioner, Dr Ego Uzoezie. I also have the certificate of incorporation issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja. I also have another certificate of registration issued by Anambra State Government issued to me on July 1, 2013. Then I have the permission to build and run the home on the land belonging to St Joseph's Parish Atani in the Archdiocese of Onitsha. The Archdiocese also through the office of the Chancellor Archdiocesan Secretariat issued a permission letter endorsed by Rev. Dr. John Anosike.

So why would the state government order the closure of your orphanage if you had every necessary approvals?

The true position is that on the 20th of June, some armed men who claimed they were from DSS Awka came around and said I was under arrest.

They ordered me to go upstairs and when we got there they asked about the children. I showed them and when we came down they demanded to see the social mothers (mostly pregnant teenagers) and before we could get to their apartment, I discovered that they

had brought them out. They now said I should follow them to DSS Office in Awka with the social mothers and five other workers, I only excused myself to get my tablets because I am diabetic.

When we got to their office in Awka they ordered me to remove my habit.

They brought out a file and scanned through it and found our name, Madonna Orphanage Home Atani. One of them said, "your God has saved you".

He then directed me to go and join the pregnant social mothers.

So the following day, the commissioner came and bailed us out and I thanked her so much. The commissioner later invited us and had a meeting with us, advised us on the dangers of child trafficking and operating a baby factory.

What were the allegations against you?

The allegations were two. They alleged that I'm not supposed to keep social mothers in my Orphanage Home and that the Home was a baby factory.

But I think that two people are after me. The first is the man who came to adopt a child from my Home. He lives in America and is married someone from Ossomalla here in Ogbaru Local Government Area. He came for adoption and I told him our requirement, because in my home I don't force the social mothers to give out their children for adoption, and we don't over levy them. I told him what to pay and how he should settle the mother and treat her with compassion and love.

And at that point there was a woman who was in our home about eight months with a female child. She was also pregnant. She told us that the man who impregnated her had died in an accident. She said she would like to give out the child for adoption. I advised her to take her time and make her decision. When the man came back I now told him that I have a child the mother want to give out but she had

10

not signed the affidavit. I pleaded with him to wait until the woman gave her consent. But before then the man had brought N150,000 for her feeding, medicare and delivery and when I told him to wait he became angry and demanded the refund of his money. And after two days I paid the money into his account, the DSS now came with these allegations. Every month we submit the list of children in our homes to Awka. For instance, in June, the number of children in my home was 26 and there was no column for the pregnant women. I made space for it in the form where I indicated the number of the social mothers in my home.

Secondly, before the incident, I was asked to come and take a letter from the commissioner’s office. When I got there the personal assistant to the commissioner informed me that they were coming to close down the orphanage home. As the state chairperson of orphanage homes in the state I do know very well that the system had been that if government wanted to close down orphanage homes, they would normally relocate all the children. But

I don't force the social mothers to give out their children for adoption, and we don't over levy them.

When was the home shut down?

Two days later, staff of the ministry led by an assistant director and some police officers came with document and said they want to count the children. I showed them the remaining seven children and they asked about the others. I told them that their guardians had come for them. I brought their files with their pictures and addresses attached and showed them. They now said they will take the remaining children back to Awka but the police refused saying they were not instructed to collect the children and there was no written document from the ministry to that effect. Later, they left but on reaching the main road they stopped and went to the parish priest, Rev. Fr Michael Uzodigwe’s home at St Joseph's Catholic Church Atani where they stayed for hours.

On Sunday mass, the parish priest announced to the congregation that my orphanage home had been shut down and asked members of the Legion of Mary and Block Rosary to stop coming to my orphanage to assist us. He also asked those who had been bringing things to the home to stop because the home will never be reopened again. My sin against him was that I always turned down his request for assistance each time I returned from my trips to Germany to see my sponsors.

On July 1, the commissioner for Women Affairs in a letter titled, "Temporary Closure of Madonna Angel Children’s Home Atani Ogbaru," wrote: "The findings by the Department of State Security Services as part of the activities of your home are a great source of concern to the ministry. The registration of Children's Homes does not include harbouring pregnant teenagers and women/young girls without specific approval of each of such by the ministry.

"I am therefore further directed to suspend further activities of your home until the Honourable Commissioner is satisfied that the home could be child friendly. The children are also ordered by the Honourable Commissioner to be relocated to State Model Community Children's Home, Awka. Please inform all Parents/Guardians of the children in your custody to verify them and collect their wards/children from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development through the Child Development Department. Your certificate of registration is hereby withdrawn till further notice."

This was how the allegation and rumour that I am operating a baby factory and involved in child-trafficking began. It is also important to state that after 30 years of my ordination as a Rev. Sister I came back home fully prepared to assist the less-privileged, especially the orphans in my community. That is why I attracted the assistance of the Germans who assisted me financially to start off the orphanage home.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Street Diary

Lagos task force arrests marijuana-smoking female teenagers

O

Muritala Ayinla

fficials of the Lagos State Task force on Environment and other Special Offences Unit have arrested 93 miscreants and commercial motorcyclists also known as okada riders across the state.

Other arrested suspects are illegal occupants of abandoned buildings, hemp smokers, hoodlums suspected to have been terrorising some areas in the state. They were arrested in Oshodi, Agege, Ojuelegba and Iju-Ishaga areas.

Among those arrested were three teenagers and 90 males.

Speaking with Saturday Telegraph, one of the arrested girls, Zainab Kamal,19, said she was arrested in Oko Mola by the officials of the task force.

Kamal said she and other vagabonds numbering about 50 paid N50 daily each to sleep at a hide-out in Oko Mola in Oshodi, adding that she sells sachet water also known as 'pure water' as a means of livelihood.

She said: “Before I broke down, I was smoking at least four sticks of cigarette and other drugs. I smoked heavily before I developed tuberculosis. I smoke only cigarette with what we called “Jedi.”

Also speaking Iyabo Okunola, 16, also said she made the tattoo on her face at Oshodi to make her have a feeling of belonging among other Oshodi street girls.

"I don't take much of Indian hemp but I take minimum of four stick in a day. We were arrested under Oshodi Bridge where we managed before we were arrested. Sometimes we sell ‘pure water’ when there are no jobs for us.

Speaking on the arrest, the taskforce chairman, Mr Akeem Adedeji, a Superintendent of Police, said the suspects were arrested following the notice of increase in crime rate by the agency, saying that the agency would

Lanre Odukoya and Olushola Ricketts

R

eactions have been trailing the death of popular Yoruba veteran actor, Mufutau Sanni Abdulahi aka Ajigijaga. The popular actor died yesterday morning at his Oko-Oba residence, Agege, Lagos, following injuries he sustained in an okada accident about two weeks ago.

In a chat with Saturday Telegraph, veteran actor, Chief Kehinde Akinremi aka Kanran, said the news of Ajigijaga’s death was so sad, describing him as one who had contributed greatly to the Yoruba film industry.

He said: “Broken bottle Ajigijaga that I know was an easy going person and cool headed, but he does not like to be cheated or people around him to be cheated. He fights for the interest of fellow actors and he can assist people to a fault. He doesn’t condemn any religion and I didn't even know he was a Muslim until we met.

“I am just going through my internet and I saw the news. I thank God for his life because he has a son that has taken the line of entertainment in the area of music. This is the noise I have been making all these years. People who have given so much to the country are easily forgotten. He has given so much to the industry and country, but I know very well that he didn’t get anything. The man just worked, suffered and died.”

not fold its arms and allow criminals to overrun the state.

He added that the arrested miscreants would be screened while the underage would be referred to the juvenile homes for rehabilitation, adding that most of the 'young miscreants' are between ages 12 and 15 and from broken homes.

Adedeji said: “We won't back down on the miscreants. This will serve as a clear warning to them that the task force will not condone indiscipline and environmental nuisance. There is no hiding place for criminals in Lagos.

“We are also clamping down on the street traders who have become armed robbers on major highways. We are getting complaints from the residents and motorists. The Lagos State Government frowns at street trading, begging, touting and other criminal activities. We won't stop arresting and prosecuting them until they are ready to obey the law of the state.

“You can see many of the arrested have tattoos on their bodies. Many are chain smokers. Some are robbers who terrorise Oshsodi residents and pedestrians.”

According to him, the Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, was committed to protection of lives and properties in order to attract more investors and make life easy for the residents.

He said that some of the arrested criminals would be screened before they are charged to court, saying “it is better to allow criminals to go scot free than to punish the innocent.”

Adedeji added that the state government took the giant step again, especially in Oshodi, to sanitise the state, saying that the measure became necessary following several complaints from citizens over the rising cases of robbery attacks especially at night in Oshodi area.

11

Two of the suspects

Reactions trail death of popular Yoruba actor, Ajigijaga Olabisi Phillips, the daughter of Mrs. Idowu Phillips also known as Iya Rainbow, also said he was very humble and respectful, adding that he knew his onions.

“He respected my mother a lot.

The last time I had contact with him was three years ago when I followed my mother to a location. He has contributed a lot to the society through his acting skills. The government and private sector should help the Yoruba movie sector. Most of these old actors are living in abject poverty because we all know that they don’t get any pension or retirement benefit,” she said.

Olabisi, who is also an actress, regretted that most veteran actors and actresses laboured in vain unlike now when those in showbiz make a lot of money.

“We can as well form a non-governmental organisation to cater for the ones who need help. Some of them live by the grace of God, some have been abandoned completely and some have retired to their villages. They made the industry what is it today so they

Ajigijaga

should be helped,” she said.

According to the President of The Golden Movie Ambassadors of Nigeria (TGMA), Mr. Saidi Balogun, Ajigijaga died at the age of 60.

In his tribute to the deceased, Balogun said, “Ajigijaga’s death is a big

loss to the movie industry, especially to members of The Golden Movie Ambassadors. Just last week, he called me to explain why he couldn’t attend our last monthly meeting. I can recall that he mentioned that his absence was due to injuries he sustained in a motor-bike accident about two weeks ago. I was shocked this morning to get a call from one of his children that he has passed on. We shall miss his useful contributions to discussions on how to move the movie industry forward and instil discipline and professionalism in our members. May his soul rest in peace.”

Ajigijaga better known for his toughie roles that earned him the moniker, ‘Broken Bottle’ would be sorely missed. His remains will be interred in his village near Wasimi, along Abeokuta, Ogun State today according to Islamic rites.

The actor was quite famous in the early 90s in Yoruba movies and was popularly known for his roles as leader of criminals. He started acting and film making in 1981. He got married in 2012 to a young bride, Taiwo Hassan.

SATURDAY

Voices SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

12

Will you give an ex who jilted you a second chance?

That would mean I am worthless

I will not give her a second chance because I really don't know what her true intentions are.

No, although it depends on circumstances surrounding the whole scenario. But I don’t think I can think of giving an ex who jilted me a second chance because that would mean I am worthless.

– Chuoke, trader

– Ifeoma George, lecturer

He should be ready to marry me

Time to correct our

mistakes

If she comes back and asks for a second chance, with the promise that she will never do it again, I will forgive her. But as a human being, it will surely take a gradual process to fully accept her.

If the love is still there

I can’t abandon my present love

No, for me I will say a friend in need is a friend indeed. She was not there when I needed her and someone else is filling the gap. So, I will not abandon my present love because my ex wants a second chance. It will be hurting two people at the same time and that will be a problem.

– Daniel Agwaramba, businessman

Giving a second chance will only take you back to your vomit and it will never end well. So there is no point in accepting him or her back.

– Christian Chuka, student

I will forgive if he is sincere

I will give him a second chance because the Bible preaches second chance.

But If I accept and give him a second chance and he misbehaves once more, it will be very difficult to forgive again.

– Oluchi Ughene, student

compiled by

COMPILED BY PEACE MORRISON, AMAKA UMEH AND NGOZI OGBOLU

It is called ex because something came in between and separated us but if the love is still there, why not?

Remember ‘love covers a multitude of sins.’ So it is a yes from me.

– Gentlesmart Nelly, engineer

There is no need

The Bible preaches second chance

I will definitely give

her a second chance

– Ogbonna Adaeze, student

– Cyril Peters, accountant

– Austine Ayawu, student

I will definitely give her a second chance because love cannot just get out of someone’s mind easily, only lust does. It is a yes and would always be a yes from me.

– Tunde Bass, musician

I had same experience where my boyfriend deceived me. There is no way he will come pleading and I will accept. The betrayal alone gives me every reason to say no.

Yes, it would ensure that there would be intimacy and we should be able to share ideas, accept apologies and correct our mistakes.

Not if she left me for someone wealthier

It will take a gradual process to accept her

No, I have been jilted once

– Joy Linus, sales representative

– Frank Lucas, cinematographer

It depends on the cause of the break up. If she left me for someone handsome, wealthy and more educated than me, there is no way I will take her back. On my part if I eventually find someone caring, loving and contented I won’t take her back.

– Chris Ozoemena, student

No, because she has already rejected me and ‘once a cheater always a cheater'.

No matter how repentant she claims to be, I wouldn’t know what is in her heart. She might reject me again. So I don’t think I will give her a second chance.

–Chuks Ajia, businessman

If I really love that man I may still give him a second chance but I will ask him if he is ready to marry me because I cannot start all over to date him a second time.

It will inspire love and appreciation Yes, people get their priorities misplaced sometimes and they can be forgiven if we think they are repentant. I also feel that accepting them back will encourage them to love and appreciate you more.

No room for second chance

I won’t forgive her

Yes! I will forgive my ex- if his apology is sincere because we are humans and we are not perfect. There is a saying that to err is human and to forgive is divine.

– Ebere Chukwu, businesswoman

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015

SATURDAY

WeekendDelight 13

Instyle

C o n v e r s at i o n

Steal the attention from the bride p.15

Chris

AJILO

TV & Radio A glimpse of celebrities’ knowledge of Nigeria p.34

Love & Living ‘I met my life partner in a lift’ p.35

It’s a waste of time keeping women There are not many people you could call legends without sounding patronising. 85-year-old Pa Chris Ajilo is one remarkable example of the few music greats. The foremost producer and singer was the first general manager of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (then known as Performing and Mechanical Right Society) for 14 years.

OLUSHOLA RICKETTS caught up with him last Sunday at a concert organised by Beautiful Nubia in Ikeja, Lagos.

Hospitality

It’s a surprise it took you another 50 years to release an album. Why did you wait that long?

I released my last album at the age of 83; I am 85 years old now. I am not only a recording artiste; I am into many parts of entertainment. In 1979-1996 I was the only star producer in Polygram Records and it was not just recording that matters to me, I was grooming artistes. So, I was not after what I could make for myself and I didn’t bother myself about recording. Also, there were other things I did, which included copyright and management. When we started the Performing and Mechanical Right Society of Nigeria (Copyright Society of Nigeria), I was the first general manager of that society and I held that position for 14 years. I retired in 2007.

Now, composers and performers know that they need to have returns for their works, but it was not like this before.

I started the campaign by letting the owners of copyright to know what they deserve and the need to claim it. So, I am not doing this because I want to fetch money from it.

Royal Senchi Resort: Where leisure meets luxury p.41

How would you describe the impact of the album?

The album is a success for those who have heard it. Thanks to Beautiful Nubia who made it happen. I have about 10 tracks and you can get a copy from the producer, Beautiful Nubia. All the tracks are important to me.

Could you recall your first contact with music?

In my time it was compulsory to study music from class one to three. I went to CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos. That was the first time I had contact with music and my background in music education came from the school.

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

EPELLE

What were those fond memories in CMS Grammar School?

Life in CMS Boys was fulfilling and

I enjoyed it. I think I belonged to the 1948 set. We were all disciplined outside, but in the school we played pranks like other young students. You had to be very careful because once you were caught doing the wrong thing and the report gets to the school, you would be in trouble. I am sure you don’t know about LJ Louis, our principal then. As much as he could play football with us in the school compound, he was much disciplined. He was the only one that gave us punishments with his cricket (wicket) stick. In our time, no teacher had the right to punish students; they didn’t beat us. The only person who could do that was our principal and he would do it in front of the whole school.

Tell me who likes to experience that? We called him Jeki.

I learnt that you changed your name to Johnny Faster in other to get easy passage to England. Were you not scared you might be caught?

When you are determined to do something which is sincere you don’t think of anything. I didn’t call myself a Jonny Foster because I wanted to do any illegal thing; I did that to make my journey safer.

I went through a lot, but I left home with determination. So, whatever I needed to do as long as I kept myself out of trouble, I did it and I was never scared. I had my identification card and my birth certificate with me so when it got to a stage to prove my real name I did it.

How did your parents react to your decision to study music in England and not some other professions people seemed to prefer then?

My mother didn’t support my decision to study music and I lost my father many years ago. In Yoruba land we regarded musicians as beggars, so my dear mother didn’t want me to come back home from England to become a beggar. But because of my exposure I knew that musicians were CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14

CONVERSATION

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

‘Most songs today are nothing but noise’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

doing well for themselves in England. That explained why I kept my decision of learning music and when I got back home they were all happy for me. I didn’t need to do much to convince someone who was 4000 miles away from where I was. It was for me to go ahead and make the best of it. So, that was why I suffered a lot to learn music so that when I get home they would know I am not a beggar and I had never been one since then.

What did you hope to achieve with your autobiography unveiled in 2013?

Reminiscences of a Nigerian Musicologist is the story of my life for those who can learn from it and those who are interested in knowing about me. It is my gift to the future. It took me two years to complete it and I am proud to say I wrote the book with no assistance from anybody. Read the book and you will share in my experience; the journey I had to travel through life Do you still have a music school?

I have been involved in teaching music since I was in Europe. The first musical band I had was in Birmingham (UK). I went to London to play with a band and my brothers (blacks) saw me playing the

saxophone and they all became interested in becoming musicians.

So, I started teaching different kinds of music and I was able to form a band known as Cool Cats. It was the first all African band introduced to London. It was successful in England because before then there was nothing like that and I found the band since the musicians at home were interested. You can go find out from Victor Olaiya if you’ve not heard anything about Cool Cats band before. After the Cool Cats’ experience in Lagos, I later formally launched Chris Ajilo and his Cubanos on August 1, 1995.

So, I have been involved in music education for many years. Right now, I have my music school (Chris Ajilo School of Music) in my compound at Ijebu Ijesa, Ogun State, and I have few students who are willing to learn music.

Why does it appear that music schools in Nigeria struggle to attract students?

The subject of music education is a disciplined one and you must know what it means to be a music student. Anywhere in the world where there is music school you may have just 20 students in a class; it is always the usual thing.

Everybody likes music, but it is a problem to learn the rudiments.

That is nothing new to me. If you

Pa Ajilo exciting the audience

I am not looking for fame anymore because I have already had it in abundance.

come to my school I would let you know that this is no child’s play and ask if you are truly up to the task.

If you are willing to learn I would guide you. My students pay a certain amount for 12 lectures and you can decide to have the lectures in three months or anyhow it works for you. If you wish to continue you would have to pay again. In my school, I have a 72-year-old man who is taking music lectures and owns a primary school. Also, his children are in the university. So, if our musicians can just put down their pride and learn properly the rudiments and theories of music, it goes a long way. In my school, I teach people individually too.

Is there any consideration for students who are passionate but don’t have the means to pay for tuition?

What you get for nothing you don’t value it. But if I have students who are serious about music I give them scholarship when they get to a stage. I know they would succeed. It is not the money that really matters to me, but the music skills I am impacting. It is my life and I love it.

Do you agree that the trend of music has changed over the years and it might be a big problem for one like you to stage a major comeback?

The trend of music has not changed at such than the fact that it has watered down. Most songs we listen to today that they call the music of youths are just noise.

They feel that the more noise you make the more you enjoy music.

What we want is music that can cure a heart that is dying, a music that gives hope to a dying person for a better tomorrow. And you can only get that from musical lyrics. Is that happening today? No, I don’t think so.

What would you have done better if you had the opportunity?

There is nothing I would have changed about me. What I do is a calling by my creator. Though I am not a millionaire, I have always had whatever I wanted. I am not a

rich man, but I am happy. I don’t do things because I want to please you or anybody; I do what the Lord wants me to do. I am not a religious fanatic but whatever I do, I do it accordingly. I don’t say I wish I could have this car or something, as whatever I want God gives it to me and my life has always been fulfilled one way or the other.

I don’t have any regrets in life, though maybe I would have loved to be more disciplined over the years or make money. But I thank God for what I have achieved and I would never stop trying to achieve something regardless of my age. I get a good life being a musician; I owe nobody anything and I have peace of mind.

Are your children into music?

I have two children, a boy and girl, and none is doing music. But they have flair for the arts. My son, at the age of three, picked up a trumpet and blew it. I didn’t force any of them to do music, but my grandson who is now in CMS Grammar School shows interest in music and he is doing well.

Why do veterans like you prefer living in the countryside and not Lagos which is seen as the hub of entertainment?

When I started music in Lagos the security was there. You can walk from Bar Beach to anywhere without being molested, but I cannot say the same today. If you want to have peace of mind and live longer, it is better you get out of Lagos.

Has your fashion sense changed over the years?

If you come to my house I wear only underwear. I have all types of clothes in my wardrobe, but I like to be free in what I put on. I don’t pretend that I must be this or that, I just want to be comfortable with what I wear and I don’t follow fashion. Fashion comes and goes, but I remain myself.

Would you love to work with the likes of Wizkid, Davido and Olamide?

At my age I don’t want anything that will give me headache. I am not looking for fame anymore because I have already had it in abundance.

Do you plan to release another album soon?

I am not thinking of any now, but when the time comes I would surely look at it.

How about your wife?

I don’t have a wife anymore.

I am my cook, I do virtually everything myself. It is a waste of time to keep women. What you can get from there is nothing but problems. I am friendly and I have had a wife because I cannot have children without a woman. But I presently live alone with my God. My wife died in 1998.

... with Beautiful Nubia and Blackman Akeeb Kareem at a concert held last Sunday

Why didn’t you consider remarrying?

Do I have to get married to stay alive? I have my students to keep me company and music keeps me living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

Instyle

Styles that steal attraction from the bride

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Angela Davies here is nothing like looking glamorous when attending that wedding on a weekend.

Nevertheless, sometimes dressing up for a wedding is not an easy task whether you will be wearing an exclusive aso-ebi style or other traditional ensemble you intend to wear.

To be the cynosure of all eyes especially fashion photographers at the wedding venue, your outfit should be unique and striking. So, to stand out at any wedding, there are various trendy and beautiful styles you can opt for in a variety of fabrics or fabrics combina-

tion for a sophisticated look.

Ankara - There are lovely body flattering styles to make with Ankara fabric alone. But, to add panache to your outfit you can combine Ankara with materials like taffeta, lace, chiffon, organza or any other fabric of your choice. Just ensure the style looks absolutely fabulous on you.

George – There are lots of colourful, beautiful and exquisitely embellished George fabric to make eye-catching fitted gown, stylish long skirt worn with lace blouse. However, you can also opt for a lovely long skirt with a complementing lace blouse and thrown in a short wrapper instead of tying the usual two wrappers.

Indian lace - You can sew beautiful Indian lace fabric into a variety of style of your choice but not limited to long skirt and blouse, midi-length front slit dress or even short skirt and blouse Sequin – Sequined fabrics come in a wide variety of colours and sequins size. You can make classy styles with this glittery material and stand out.

You can also combine two complementing colours or patterns or even with lace for more oomph.

Lace - These days lace fabric seems to be the favourite of many brides-tobe as they select nice and colourful ones for their close friends. So if you will be wearing a lace outfit, the styles

to select from is unlimited especially if you are not a fan of iro and buba. You can also mix lace with taffeta, tulle, Ankara and sequin to make that exclusive style you want.

Accessories - No woman’s ensemble will be complete without accessories to harmonise her outfit. So ensure your headgear, shoes, bejewelled sandals, jewellery and clutch complement your outfit before you step out.

So, you can choose from the different superb, alluring and inexhaustible styles with striking necklines, sleeves, fitting and details on this page to flatter your silhouette and make heads turn at your next wedding event.

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Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

Accessories to live for

Clasp a stylish clutch purse Clutch purses may be small but they are nonetheless an important accessory to complete a great wedding look. ANGELA DAVIES writes.

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lutches are no longer limited to special evening or cocktail events.

They are also perfect for day events like weddings.

They help accentuate, add panache and complete a great wedding look So, you should not wear a stunning traditional outfit all set to attend that wedding and carry an oversized bag; it will definitely thwart your entire look. Clutch purses may be small in size, but they are dramatic in style. All you need to do is think of them like jewelry

you can hold right in the palm of your hand.

They come in different shapes like box, long, round as well as other styles to choose from.

Clutch purses are extremely fashionable, handy and charming. Also, some come with chain strap to either elegantly hang from the shoulder or carry in your hand while its interior holds a few essentials like lipstick or lip gloss, handkerchief or tissue and some cash.

You can go for clutch purse in fun shape to make a luxe statement. You can also opt for clutch

in simple but sleek designs or those embellished with beads, pearls, sequins and other embellishments for that extra glamorous factor. Just ensure whatever style or colour you pick complements your outfit.

Whichever way you intend to carry your clutch purse, it is a statement in perfect style. So, stylishly grasp or hang a classic clutch for a flawless look at that wedding.

But don’t forget to get your fingers manicured because they will be on display when you clasp that clutch.

SATURDAY

Ade Bantu

Bayray

Family members, people were ashamed of me because of my dreads p.18

'I wish I'd acted better in some movies'

p.20

ShowBiz SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

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My late husband’s best friend asked for sex to help me -Iya Rainbow

Madam Idowu Phillips popularly known as Iya Rainbow ranks as one of the best to cast in Yoruba movies to play the role, ‘mother’.

She turned 70 years recently and had spent the better part of her life acting. With outings in over 500 movies, Iya Rainbow is still a delight to watch. She shares her career, family and romance tales in this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA. You look too young to be 70, what is the secret?

Well, I don’t eat much of heavy food, I exercise once in a while, I take lots of fruits and vegetables and I rest well.

How does it feel turning 70?

I feel honoured and as well great to have witnessed a day like my 70th birthday on earth because so many people clamoured and wished they could stay long like that, but in all I give God almighty the glory for sparing my life up to that very moment. Attaining 70 is not easy, but I pray to see many more years on earth.

Why did you decide to go into acting?

I started out as a stage actress in my late husband’s Osumare theatre group.

Even while I was working as a nurse, I still found time to go on location to shoot films. At 45 in 1986, I retired from nursing on the advice of the late Chief Hubert Ogunde. He (Ogunde) reasoned that since my husband died in 1984, there was the need for me to continue with the family legacy. So, I went into acting full time. It was not easy at first, because I was formerly a salary earner.

In fact, the first set of movies I acted in were: Aje ni Iya mi and Eru. My late husband’s group was called Osumare Theatre Group, meaning Rainbow theatre group. One day, I went to act with some white men and in the course of acting, someone asked for the meaning of Osumare and I replied- "rainbow." Then he said I should henceforth be called Iya Rainbow and that was it. I have produced lots of movies like; Alamu S’eniyan, Alepo Rebi, Anikulapo, Modupe Oluwa, Orisa rebi, among others, but I have acted in over 500 movies.

Is it true that your father was a prophet?

Yes he was. My father was Prophet Jacob Adebanjo Ifemade. My late mother was also a captain of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. I hail from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State and I have been a member of the C&S since1969.

I attended African Methodist School and Anglican Modern School for my primary and modern schools respectively. Later, I was admitted to a

nursing school and upon graduation, I worked for 20 years as a nurse before quitting for acting.

So, you just quit your nursing career for acting?

Like I said earlier, I stopped my professional job where I had worked for 20 years all because I wanted to continue the family legacy which is acting done by my late husband. Prior to my quitting, the late Chief Hubert Ogunde had advised and I have no regrets heeding that counsel.

When was the last time you produced a movie?

It was about five years ago. Marketers no longer patronise people like me: and my son, who used to write those scripts is abroad now. When he is back, we will go back to business.

Do you do any other thing aside acting?

I anchor engagement/wedding ceremonies. It was even one of the people whose engagement I anchored for that paid for the tiling of this floor (pointing to the floor of her room). When he came to thank me, he was surprised to find out that I had not tiled the floor, so he offered to do it at no cost.

What would like to change in your industry if you have a chance?

It is the issue of privacy and marketers. Some marketers are not sincere.

Often times, they pay you in bits and pieces, not minding how you sourced the money to produce the film. But when I was still active as a producer, my marketer, Corporate Pictures, was faithful to me. In fact, he bought my car for me. But since he stopped doing business with me, God has not abandoned me. He never cheated me. But I think since he realised that producers seldom feature me, he seems to have changed.

So, now, when I visit him, he may welcome me or instruct his family to tell me that he is not available. Before now, he would make me most welcome in his house, but suddenly, he changed. I don’t even know why and I don’t want to bother myself about that. Though it pains but God knows best.

Since you joined the movie industry,

Iya Rainbow

what were the challenges?

There were a lot of challenges that I faced and other people in the industry also face these challenges. Let me tell you some of the challenges. The issue of transportation to location was a difficult one for me. I have had to transport myself going and coming back, at the end of the day, they would give me peanuts as my pay. Most times, they will tell you they would pay later and I would not get to see the money. For each of the movies, I was paid N25, 000. Imagine a widow with five children surviving on such a meagre fee? It got to a point that I wanted to go back to nursing. A lot of people advised me against it. They thought my husband would be forgotten, but I must keep on struggling.

my husband died a long time ago and since then, I decided not to re-marry.

I have five children and they have all made me proud. God has been my pillar of support. My late mother was also a great helper; she took care of my children whenever I went on location.

But I usually made it a point of duty to go to their schools whenever I was around to supervise their education.

What I missed most about my mother is that I no longer have a bed partner.

Ever since the death of my late husband, we had always slept together and now she is gone. Then whenever I went to locations, she was always there for me. Above all, my mother loved me so much, she had six of us and I was her only female child.

What’s your experience as a single mother?

When I lost my husband, a long time ago, that was in 1984, I thought the world would come to an end. It was difficult for me to cope as a woman, especially with the financial aspect. I had to continue from where my husband stopped and there was no money in theatre then.

I had to meet one of my late husband’s friends, who said that I would have to sleep with him before I could get the money. I was shocked, because this was someone we all called father and a very close ally of my late hubby.

There is the issue of grammatical and spelling errors in the subtitle of most Yoruba movies; what’s your take on that?

We correct them every time, there is nothing we can do than to correct them.

I didn’t go to school of language, they did and at least they should be the one to correct these errors. We are Yorubas; we don’t speak English, and we do that for our fans, because we found out that non-Yorubas also watch our movies.

Why didn’t you remarry?

My marriage was a challenge because of my husband’s early death.

I did not enjoy my marriage because

Can you tell us about some of your major achievements?

I must confess that theatre has paid off for me because I have now built my house, bought a car, and three out of my five children are graduates. One of my sons is a very popular writer.

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

Ade Bantu: Family members, people were

After 23 years, Adekoya Odukoya otherwise known as Ade Bantu recently removed his trademark dreadlocks. In this encounter with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS, the KORA award-winning singer speaks about the tale behind his dreads, being bi-racial, Project Fame and his monthly gig at Freedom Park, Lagos.

What really influenced you to do music?

My earliest memories were sound.

I grew up in a household where people listened to music. The radio was always on and our parents turned themselves to disc jockeys. Those moments of sound and music captivated my imagination and over time I got more attracted to it. So, what started like a play became a vocation or calling for me. I would say it was a natural transition. Though none of my parents were into music as such, my dad played the traditional talking drums to some extent because he grew up in the village. His dad was a king, so part of their trainings was music and he was also lucky to belong to one of the last generations that actually had training in the arts. I know he played music up to high school, but it wasn’t something he pursued further. I never saw him play; I only noticed from what he told us and the images I saw.

How many instruments do you play?

I play none and it is very easy to say why. I went to a government school, Adeniyi Jones Primary School, and for my secondary education I went to the Federal Government College, Minna. I grew up in Ogba, Lagos, and I don’t

Ade Bantu's new look.

even know if the primary school is even still there. It was free education, but by then there was no music education anywhere. We didn’t even have music theory; that was very sad because I remember when I was much younger we had music theory in the private school I attended before I moved to a public school.

Why did you decide to cut off your dreadlocks after many years?

I wore my dreads for 23 years and it was an important part of my story. I wore dreads to be identified with the African liberation movements. I wore it as a political statement and also to remind us of whom we are. I think it is an element of our colonial legacy that I have a big problem with. They would tell you that an unkempt hair is not nice or fashionable, but our culture was never like that. If you look at the Yoruba history, you will know that ‘Dada’ was a brother of ‘Sango.’ There are connections that we don’t make anymore because we’ve been brainwashed by the white people who used appearance to subjugate us. So, the dreads were part of trying to re-educate myself and my people. I kept the hair because I felt it was important then, but at some points I just felt it had served its purpose and I wasn’t also comfortable with the idea of it being tagged my brand. It was just time to let go and move on.

How did people react to your new identity?

I realised that my hair was even more famous than me. It trended on the internet when I removed it. I put a private picture on facebook and it was everywhere. I visited family in Europe and someone called me that my photo was all over the internet. I found that quite hilarious because it was superficial, though it has also influenced some people that I know personally to remove their dreads. So, it is interesting to see such influence in a very humble way. But I missed my hair because it was like cutting off a part of me after 23 years. Because of the dreads I was arrested, people refused to shake me and family members were ashamed of me, but overtime it became part of me. My family just wanted to protect me, they don’t want me to go outside and people start talking to me in a hurtful or disrespectful way. So, they voiced their concern and I think it came from a place of love. I wore them proudly just like I wore

photo credit: Aderemi Adegbite

my colour proudly.

Despite the fact that your father was killed by armed robbers here and the perceived socio-political instability, why did you come back to Nigeria?

I grew up in a Nigeria that was still functioning. I am in my 40s, so when I say I went to a free primary school I had the best teachers then. This country has made me who I am today and I was deeply rooted in my Yoruba culture and saw the dynamism. I have always loved Nigeria but I won’t also deny the fact that I am from Germany. I left Nigeria when I was about 16-year-old to further my education. I lived in Europe for like 20 years and in Nigeria for 23 years now.

I came back to Nigeria six years ago. I also think my job on earth is to break the artificial divide between the continent of Africa and Europe and to help initiate a dialogue in a way that we can reconcile and find peace and respect for each other. I saw my parents practiced that at home and I tried to replicate it in my philosophy, music and worldview.

Would you say being bi-racial is more of a blessing for you or disadvantageous?

I am actually at peace with myself; I don’t have to please anybody. I have experienced racism in Europe and I have experienced other forms of discrimination in Nigeria as well. Also, I have experienced positive racism in Europe and discrimination where people try to elevate me because I am seen as bi-racial. Because I am black, the white would just accord to me certain attributes that are for blacks such as I must be a good athlete, a gifted musician or sexually endowed. So, if someone says I am not Yoruba or German enough that is their headache to be honest with you.

Do you speak Yoruba very well?

What is very well? I speak Yoruba Language. Does this mean because I speak good Yoruba I actually understand Yoruba culture, philosophy and traditional religion? We should stop fooling ourselves because almost 80 per cent of our people despite speaking their indigenous languages do not know who they are. So, they impose western values on their culture and that is sad. When someone tells me I am not Yoruba because I don’t speak fluent Yoruba I just laugh it off. And I don’t have to prove myself to anyone.

I know my 'Oriki', I know my village, I know my elders and they know me.

I'm from Owu Ijebu just like my other village is Berlin, Germany.

What came to your mind when you were nominated for the KORA Awards?

This year is our 10th anniversary of winning KORA and it was incredible.

Though I wasn’t fully based in Nigeria, I used to visit then. I would spend like a month and go back. My music has been engaging people here for a long time, as my whole idea was to keep people aware of what we were doing musically.

The awards led to many other projects and also boosted my morale because the winning album was a very playful one.

I did it with my brother, Abiodun, and Adewale Ayuba who I considered to be one of the most gifted fuji vocalists ever.

We won Best Group Africa and West Africa. We went to the studio and we had series of session that led to songs and it was very unconventional. We didn’t

Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

ashamed of me because of my dreads

really sit down to do music; it wasn’t a strategic one at all. It remains one of my most playful albums till date. It was number three on the European world’s music chart and got KORA.

that takes a lot of work and experiment.

You will always make errors. We are also in an environment where there is no structure and this affects the business side of music.

Have you ever thought of the idea of adjusting your music to have more commercial appeal?

I think it is a natural thing; there were times a bit of disorientation came in place, though a lot of artistes might not admit it. At times you feel like trying something different, but ultimately I cannot bend myself. I cannot try to be a Wizkid or Davido. I have something inside me that keeps telling me to stay true to who I am.

The telecommunication just unveiled their ambassadors and the likes of Davido, Wizkid, Patoranking dominated. What does that tell you?

They would ultimately go for the faces and voices that are popular. It is pop music, it is all calculated and they want return on their investment. We are also in a society where very few people take risk and are visionary. In Europe for example, a brand would love to be identified with a Beautiful Nubia for example because of what he stands for and his consistency. But in Nigeria it doesn’t work that way. 85 to 90 per cent of all the artistes making noise are not really making money. The lucky 10 per cent are the ones that could sustain themselves and have dignify livelihood through music. The name of the game is ‘try your luck,’ everyone hopes to have that one big single that translates to big endorsement and shows. We have loyalty collection society but no one actually pays to them, no health insurance or pension funds. We are still going through the same thing the likes of Ebenezer Obey, Dele Abiodun, King Sunny Ade among others went through. It is actually a shame and I still don’t know why people call it an industry.

How would you describe the Project Fame’s experience since you became a judge on the music reality show in 2011?

It is my first television experience and now we are in our fourth year. It is beautiful to work with young kids, mentor and to see them conquer the music world. It is exciting to be part of their story in our little but important way. It is also highly educational for me.

Are you aware that most of the graduates struggle to make an impact in the industry?

You have to pay your dues and that is how creativity works. It took Praiz, Iyanya even Chidinma that others may assume was lucky time. So, it is all about finding yourself and when you are that young I don’t think you should succumb to all the pressure that you have to be an instant success. If you want to be here for long you have to align yourself with your creativity and

How has it been with your monthly show at Freedom Park (Afropolitan Vibes)?

I wanted to revive the live music culture and it started over two years

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to get people to perform for free but it is quite an experience. A lot of artistes are beginning to understand that you have to come to the platform to prove to your audience that you can hold it down live.

If you haven’t proven yourself in Afropolitan Vibes I don’t think a lot of people would consider you to be a good live performer. The audience is so critical; it is a spoilt crowd in a good way. They didn’t come to look at you because of your big name; they want you to entertain them and take them on a journey.

Ade Bantu with his dreadlocks

ago. I have a band and we invite artistes to come perform with us. We also rehearse with them before the show so that it doesn’t turn to a jam session. We’ve had the likes of Salawa Abeni, Victor Olaiya, Sheyi Shay, Yemi Alade, Sound Sultan, Praiz, MI, Beautiful Nubia among others. Everybody does live music, there is no playback. We start 8pm and finish by 11pm. Also, everyone performs for free and it is a free show. I have noticed in Nigeria that quality entertainment comes with heavy price; you have to go to some big hotel and pay huge money to see good live performances. So, what we are trying to do is to encourage more live music. Though it could be stressful, we’ve had over 110 artistes. So you can imagine the amount of begging and calls

What about security concerns since it is a free show?

We started with a 100 people, but we have 3000 people that come every month.

There is certain energy that goes with the show and we have trust ourselves that we can behave and be supportive of each other's dreams. People say I do it in the middle of area boys on Lagos Island, but we’ve not been recording violence. We have the CEOs, Lagos big boys next to street boys and expatriates. We don’t do VIP and the 3,000 people are all always standing.

How was it like losing your father at a young age?

My mum later became the breadwinner. Out of the whole painful experience something beautiful was born. I have two brothers and a sister. It gives us the strength to actually become who we are.

If you go through such a dramatic loss, you are either bitter or willing to find peace for the rest of your life. I was 15 when he died and I chose to be at peace with life and to reconcile with my pain.

Music has helped me a great deal too to achieve that. We have a doctor and a manager in the corporate world in the family.

Music not a fast way of making money, says Cleo Thelma Olushola Ricketts

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his is an exciting time for youngsters in the music industry. And one of those artistes who is determined to tap from the wind of change is Cleo Thelma Orji, a one-time host of a talk show on Cool FM. She did that at the age of 15.

Last year, she dropped a single Ogwu Ego and a video, which starred Don Jazzy’s "triplets": Korede Bello, Reekado Banks and Dija.

Though the song didn’t the make the kind of impact many expected considering the effort she put in, it gained reasonable airplays on the radio and deserving attention. It was also a glimpse of her potential. Her first official single was in 2012, however. The title of the song was, What is the Matter? and she featured Dammy Krane on the remix.

As a rapper, she says she comes into the industry with something different.

She says, “I have a style that is not common; I don’t think I have heard anyone who sounds like me. I don’t do the regular kind of rap songs that every other rapper does out there. I am a rapper who has come to make a difference and to help other female rappers grow. I recently dropped a single ffeaturing Korede Bello. It's a love song and the title is I Gat You” Thelma denounced the notion that music is a fast route to wealth. According to her, the past five years of her sojourn in the music industry is pretty much about discovering

herself as an artiste.

She explains, “I don’t think music is a fast way of making money because it entails a whole lot of things. Before you could start thinking of making money from music it takes a lot of hard work, penetration, creativity and consistency. It is not a trade a lazy person can survive. It is just like playing football; you cannot just go into it and start making money instantly. I am basically developing myself and within the space of five years I have been around showbiz. It is a process because I am not just coming to drop a song and disappear.

Right now I feel I am there, though I am still growing. I had a reality show on TV which ran for like a year. At a time too, I had a show on Cool FM. I have got to a point where I can stand head-to-head with other established artistes in the industry.”

Asked why she dumped the radio. She replies, “It is basically music for me right now.

That was just a phase in my career. I stopped being on radio sometime in 2012 before the reality show. The radio programme was a platform for teenagers to call in and talk about their life and get people who can relate with them on how to go about things. The TV reality, Going Places, was the making of the first female rap group in West Africa.”

Convincing her parents to do music was not a tug of war. The Anambra State indigene describes her parents as understanding, saying that all she needed to do was to make them see reasons to support her.

“I am the only one who does entertainment in my family at the moment, but I am pretty sure that my other siblings will want to look towards that direction too when they get older. I am the first of four children. I think music is hereditary for us because while I was growing up, I heard the story of my dad being in a band. Also, my grandmother was a good dancer. If I don’t do music, I would still be around entertainment because that is the only thing I love. I could venture into management part of showbiz or acting because I still have flair for that,” she states.

She believes, at present, that the industry is taking shape and anyone with a good platform and quality in his music will surely go places. In the next five years, she sees herself being the best female rapper in Africa and hopefully with two albums to her credit. She is, however, not certain if she would drop her debut album this year.

“I cannot really say now if my debut album will drop this year, but anything can still happen. I am dropping a mix tape soon, a compilation of my songs. I am also in the process of getting a record label.”

She doesn’t like the fact that people tag females in showbiz as promiscuous. To her, what an individual wants in life and how to go about it is a choice. If a lady feels being wayward is the way to go about her music, she says, that is a personal decision and it doesn’t apply to everyone.

Thelma

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'I wish I'd acted better in some movies' Eberechukwu Nwizu a.k.a. Bhaira McWizu earned her pseudonym from the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show. Since then, she has become one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry. She speaks to LANRE ODUKOYA about the industry’s gross misconceptions and her career among sundry issues.

We have not seen you in movies lately, what has been happening to you?

In recent times, yes, and that is because I am doing a lot of work at the moment. I am on different sets shooting movies and soap operas.

I am also on television at the moment, I am on ‘Tales of Eve’ that is showing on air now.

ing to put their wealth of wisdom into play.

I also want to do this, but not right now. For now, I am still exploring the field of acting and dramatising.

After winning AMBO, you just went straight to work, how did the show impact your career?

Before the show, I was not acting, though I was going for auditions, I was never picked.

By winning the competition, I quickly became famous and a lot of people saw how talented I was and the kind of roles I played seamlessly. It is not easy for a reality show winner to make it to the big stage, but I was determined to make it, I did not let the winning of the show get to my head. I went straight to work, attending auditions. My mother was also very helpful, she was always pushing me after AMBO. Unfortunately she died recently.

Young actors are easily stereotyped to be at their best at certain roles, how does this make you feel given that it’s true in a few instances?

I want to be able to play any role.

I don’t want to fit into any sort of role and people will get to associate me with certain roles. For example in Nelson Jumbo’s movie I’m on at the moment, I had to play a typical Igbo woman who is the breadwinner of her house. In another movie I did recently, I played a frigid woman.

On a stage play, I played Sidi a Yoruba woman. If you see, all these characters are so different, and that is what I like. Playing unfamiliar roles are always the challenge I like to take on. I like to explore myself.

After becoming famous, actors tend to try their hands in movie production, are you looking at this direction?

For now, I’m not. I don’t think I will be going into production very soon. I understand why some of my colleagues do that. I believe that every actor turned producer is just try-

Have you regretted taking on a particular role?

No, I don’t regret anything. The closest thing to regret is that I sometimes do is when I look back at some movies I had taken part in and I tell myself, I could have done better. But that is not regret, I only learn from such.

Bayray

You have been popular for some time now, are you still surprised the way some fans react?

That continues to amaze me.

Sometimes I would be in church and people will come to tell me about one role I played or the other. I’m an usher in my church and there are some places I cannot go in the church because I know that some people will be staring at me instead of concentrating on the message. I am a kind of person that easily forgets about the stardom and live my life as I have always done, but it is impossible.

Sometimes I would have forgotten my status, my assistant will quickly pinch me and tell me that people are staring at me. I really do not live in that euphoria but, I have to be properly comported because people are always watching.

What is the craziest thing that a fan has done to you?

I see crazy things every day. One funny thing happened on my social media handle recently. There was big fight between two of my fans. They were fighting over who is my greatest fan. I first thought it was a joke, until it became serious. They started to insult each other, I had to intervene.

How do you use your popularity to impact the society positively?

I do a lot of charity work. I don’t like to mention them because, what I do is between me and God. I don’t need to start mentioning what and what I have done for charity.

How do you feel when actresses are described in uncomplimentary terms?

Well you know I don’t do anything of such, then I do not judge people for the decisions they make in life. The fact that my own sin is not the same as someone else’s sin does not give me the right to judge them. It is not my battle to fight. My energy is for my work and not to be looking for who is sleeping around. What you even talk about is in all industry whether it is banking or journalism, people will do what they want to do. So not all actresses are promiscuous.

Since you have confirmed that you are not that kind of girl, is there a man who occupies your time?

I have a happy private life and I don’t want to speak about it. I am a very happy lady.

You recently changed your name from Bhaira to Bayray, why is that?

There was a lot of misconstrued notion on why my name Eberechukwu was stylised to Bhaira, but people are entitled to their notions. Bayray is another stylised version on my name.

Twisting my original name is nothing new; stars all over the world do it. With Bhaira people thought I am from Cameroun. I am from Imo State, Nwizu is my surname, but McWizu is a stylised form of that. If you call me Bayray, I will answer you, if you call me Ebere, I will answer you as well. If you write, my name as Bhaira, I will still answer you.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

May Shua: I'm a very angry lyricist For reggae dancehall artiste, Maryam Shuaibu, who goes by the moniker, May Shua, music was simply a pastime that grew into passion, she tells ANGELA DAVIES. When did your love for music begin?

Music hit me like an action movie, I didn’t see it coming. It was sudden and it started in my 200 level when I was studying accounting at Lead City University, Ibadan. Back then, I started doing it to while away time during leisure. But with time after school, I realised that the passion was so strong, I had to turn it into a profession. So basically, that was how I found myself in music and I have been singing for almost five years now. And my brand of music is reggae dancehall.

Is there any hit track?

Yes, I have two. One is titled Bad Gal and the second one is a commercial song titled, Yeghe, which means shake in Edo language and it features Oritse Femi.

How do you get inspiration?

If you are creative, you subconsciously think out of the box, you don’t need to force it. It just comes naturally and if you are honest with your passion, you can tap into anything around you. Passion drives you at the end of the day.

Tell us about your growing up?

I will say growing up for me was quite balanced because both of my parents are disciplinarians. My mother is a journalist, she works with Radio Nigeria and my father was in the army. So basically I was brought up in a very disciplined manner.

Coming from such a disciplined background what was the reaction of your parents when you told them about your music career?

My mum was the first person I told because obviously she is more into entertainment working in the media. I knew she would definitely understand more than my dad would. So when I told her, she wasn’t shocked surprisingly because music runs in her maternal family. She agreed to give me her full support but with the deal that I must do well in school which I did. My mum managed me for about four years between 2010 and 2014, I changed management this year. But it took my dad by surprise. He probably thought it was youthful exuberance. But when he saw that three, four years later past and I am getting to the fifth year and my passion for music is even getting way deeper, he knew it was really passion. In a nutshell I am getting great support morally and physically from both parents.

my fans what they haven’t seen before.

Do you have any mentor in the industry?

Honestly, I describe all artistes as a piece of a pie. Once you want to eat out of a pie, you take out a triangular slice.

Imagine taking out a slice that represents D’banj, Tuface or MI, definitely that pie will not be complete. And I am not looking to miss out on any flavour, so that makes everybody an important piece of the pie. I look at them in the big picture, so, I take out each quality I want in each individual. So they all play a very important role in all honesty.

How would you describe your style on stage?

I’m a very angry lyricist. I basically do not smile on the microphone. I sing with so much authority and confidence it just holds the audience. The basic target is for people to hear and listen to me.

What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?

At the end of the day everything is a growing process. That will just be like writing a fairy tale. If I say I want a private jet now, it is something that will come with hard work and success. So, basically I am on that milestone and I can definitely see it right in front of me.

Talent or ambition, which one matters more to success?

Talent is driven by ambition which

Is the ponytail your signature look?

Yes, basically I do different styles of ponytails because it projects my face. So I’m trying to put my face out there and make people recognise the brand better.

If you had a coat of arms, what would be on it?

The first thing I can think about is a symbol of sunshine in the background to show that everything is bright because even if you check May Shua out as a person or artiste, I love to combine a lot of bright colours. When I see bright colours, it reminds me of cartoons from childhood.

Remembering cartoons from childhood gives me a very happy feeling, it just tells you everything will be alright.

What is your relationship with Denrele Edun?

He is a very good friend of mine. We are very good pals and that’s about it.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Amazing, intellectual and sure - those are the words.

In what place are you happiest?

In my room when I am alone. I am always very happy when I have my privacy, it is priceless because then I can think, look into the mirror and reflect on things that will be uninterrupted by the rest of the world. I am a very deep person and as a lyricist you always like your time alone, it helps you organise yourself more.

O u t &A b o u t

21

Drying Tears, Healing Wounds Tomorrow will be exactly 61 days after the double disasters hit residential homes in Accra. The Books & Books foundation brings together Stonebwoy, Stephen Appiah, Kalybos, Gifty Osei and others to "dry the tears and heal the wounds" of hundreds of children affected in the sprawling suburb of Tema.

The event tagged "Drying Tears, Healing Wounds" will see the children compete with each other in reading, Azonto dance and soccer at the popular playing pitches of Ashaiman Mandela Park.

2015 BET Award winner, Stoneboy, who was born and raised in the Ashaiman area is expected to rock the kids with good music. He gets supports from Gospel musician Gifty Osei and popular satirist, Kalybos.

Star Trek comes to Makurdi It is Makurdi’s turn as the likes of Gbenga Adeyinka, Faze, MI, Tuface, Yemi Alade, KC, Runtown, Tony Blaze among others rock the city today. The venue is FBB Square at 7pm.

DJ Cuppy ready for tour

DJ Cuppy’s tour to eight African cities is set to kick off this weekend. The "Cuppy takes Africa" tour begins in Lagos today before heading to the eastern and southern regions of the continent.

The event today will be held at the Federal Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos and it would feature performances from some of Nigeria’s finest DJs and producers. Some of regions to touch include Accra, Ghana; Nairobi, Kenya; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; Kigali, Rwanda; Kampala, Uganda and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Club Quilox re-opens Nigerian luxury nightclub, Quilox, reopens yesterday for its second session of the year. The popular club, which has been on a break in the last couple of weeks, held a grand re-launch tagged Quilox Season.

King of the Lagos party, Banky W, was the host of the night while Quilox in-house DJ Consequence was on the wheels.

The luxury club is now prepared for even more class, with the enhanced interior decoration and introduction of new restaurant, karaoke and other exciting parties and club activities for fun-seekers.

Given the teeming number of stars in the entertainment, do you think there are real prospects for breakthrough?

At the end of the day, originality speaks louder than noise. If you hype a copied product or an imitation, the noise will be heard quite well but it will soon fade.

Originality is evergreen. The attention I have been getting so far in the industry is because of my originality. I come with a fresh sound, I basically speak confidence, I am fluent and people tell me they love that. Probably that is not what they get to see everyday in the industry. So when I bring that on stage, the applause I get, the smiles I get all keep me going.

What do you consider your unique selling point?

Well for me, I don’t intend to blow my trumpet. But people say my looks, voice and education as well. It also has to do with focus, balancing and knowing what you want. These all adds to the entire package. And since I know I am promoting originality, I am definitely going to give

brings success in my world. So, both of them go hand-in-hand.

Showbiz

Kaffy’s Dance Camp

"Denrele is a very good friend of mine," Shuaibu says.

The Dance Camp is finally here. It starts on Monday and ends on Saturday.

According to Nigerian dance queen, Kaffy, the camp curriculum includes dance classes, fitness classes, counseling and mentoring, games and competitions and music. The fee is 10,000 and there is a designated account to pay into.

Top Nigerian entertainers, including Olamide, Iyanya, Darey, Psquare, Joke Sliva, Chidinma among others have extended support to the initiative in their own little ways. The venue of the camp will be disclosed after an individual must have completed registration.

TV & Radio with Angela Davies

SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

22

This weekend STV

TELEVISION

Saturday 8:00 Nickledeon 9:00 Nollywood English 11:00 Crack In The Wall 11:30 UAC Soccer Lafflines 12:00 Music, Video and More 12:30 City Bishop 2:00 Adam’s Apple 2:30 Wetin Dey 3:00 Unspoken 3:30 BoomTown 4:30 Local Movie L-R: Tee A, Mo Cheddah, Makinwa and Bamtefa with their supporting audience in red jersey

When celebrities put their knowledge about Nigeria to test

‘I

Love Nigeria Television Show’ is new and fresh. But most importantly, it is a variety game show comprising two teams where celebrities participate in the show to answer various questions about Nigeria.

In the last episode, Team Tee-A was captained by Tee A and his team members were singer, Mo Cheddah, on-air-personality, Toke Makinwa and veteran actor, Kunle Bamtefa.

This team was supported by audience in red jersey.

Captain of Team Ebuka was lawyer turned presenter, Ebuka ObiUchendu. His team members were Sound City presenter, Moet Abebe, on-air-personality, Nedu and musician, Seyi Sodimu. Team Ebuka also had the support of audience in green jersey.

The show began with the “Mother tongue” segment to test the spelling abilities of each team members on English and different Nigeria language. To add fun and excitement to the show, first, each team member had to spell a word and then the whole team spelled one word together, each member giving a letter of that word.

The next round was “Guess a song” where teams scored additional two points if they guessed correctly the song played by the music band. It is assumed that the first team captain to hit the buzzer knows the title of the song as well as the name of the artiste who sang it. The twist is that if the captain gives a wrong answer, the points is automatically passed over to the opposing team. At the end of both rounds, Team Ebuka scored seven points while Team TeeA had three points.

The two minutes ‘Famous compatriots’ segment tested both teams’ knowledge of famous people in Nigeria. In this round, both team captains were handed a list of famous Nigerians and to earn points, they had to describe each one of them to the understanding of their team members without mentioning their names. At the end of this round, Team Ebuka had 14 points while TeeA scored 8 points. However, with another round of “song game”, Team Tee A scored 13 points while Team

Ebuka was in the lead with 21 points.

The “Birthday game” segment celebrates birthdays of celebrities who come on the show. Hence, Seyi Sodimu’s birthday was celebrated with all the celebrities and host seated around a table but without either drinks or food to enjoy themselves.

Instead, the celebrant was given a present that ticks and will explode in four minutes. This segment was exciting and hilarious as the host threw questions at each celebrity in quick succession. If the person gives the correct answer, he/she passes the ticking present to the next person. But if the answer is wrong, the present remains with the person and continues to tick until he/she gives a correct answer.

The catch was that whoever is with the present when it explodes, his/her team will have all their points automatically cancelled.

The final round was the ‘The Big wheel’ where both captains had a chance to spin the big wheel and add more points to their score. Here, the host asked one team a question and the opposing team had to guess if the

correct answer was higher or lower.

If the answer is guessed correctly, the team captain spins the wheel but if got wrong, the opposing team captain gets to spin the wheel and earn more points. The team that manages to accumulate more points after answering three questions correctly with the help of the team’s audience becomes the winner. At the end of the exciting show, Team TeeA emerged winner scoring 26 points against Team Ebuka’s 23 points.

The programme has a lively studio audience and beautiful studio arrangement that has the picture of the National Arts Theatre as the background. The I love Nigeria band also added spice to the show.

So if you want to see the facial expressions of your favourite celebrities when they are put on the spot, then watch this one hour entertaining, exciting, educating and ingenious programme anchored by actress and presenter, Stephanie Coker, every Sunday on Silverbird Television (STV) at 9:00 pm.

FACE BEHIND THE VOICE

J

Smooth FM's Jumoke Bello

umoke Bello started out as a Pidgin English radio presenter and producer. She anchors the late night show on Smooth 98.1 FM called “Smooth Sessions.” She was also a news editor at the Nigeria Television Authority, Victoria Island, Lagos.

She studied theatre arts at the University of Lagos and documentary filmmaking at the Nigerian Film Institute, Jos. Bello has

been a television actress for seven years. She has among others played the role of Peju of “The Juice with Peju” on Mnet’s Tinsel and also played “The Lady in Orange” in the Nigerian stage adaptation of the movie “For Coloured Girls” in 2010.

Bello loves music, movies, romance, dogs, children and travelling. She is also very passionate about life, love and human rights.

Programme summary Catholic Mass (AIT)

Smooth Motivations (Smooth FM)

Sunday @ 8:00 am

Sunday @ 7:00 am

A Christian programme that celebrates the holy mass in accordance with the catholic doctrine.

This show is designed to inspire and motivate the mind, heart and soul through spoken word from great poets.

5:30 Two Sides of a Coin 6:00 MTV Base 7:00 News 7:30 Secrets And Scandals 8:30 Jenifa’s Diary 9:00 Knorr Taste Quest 10:00 News 11:00 MTV Base Sunday 8:00 Indomitables 9:30 Gospel Rhythms 10:00 St. Dominics 11:00 Gospel Symphony 12:00 Walking with God 1:00 The Advantage 1:30 Love, Dating And Marriage 2:00 Mountain Top Life 2:30 Impact Today 3:00 The Quantum leap 3:30 Singles and Married 4:30 Elevation Church 5:00 Reel Infotainment 5:30 Clinic Matters 6:00 Local Movie 7:00 News 7:30 Hour of Salvation 8:30 Entertainment Weekly 9:00 I Love Nigeria 10:00 News

City FM

Saturday 8:30 Nollywood Yoruba 10:00 Sport Edge 10:30 Excellent Leadership 11:00 Disney Pair Of Kings 11:30 Silent Noise 12:00 Empowerment Zone 12:30 Galaxy Party Time 1:30 Editor’s Forum 2:30 Kuti’s Career Palace 3:00 Ile Alayo 3:30 Naija Rave 4:05 Nollywood English 5:00 Looks and Essence 6:00 Rhythms and Blues 6:30 Made For Each Other 7:00 News 7:30 Squatterz 8:00 House 22 8:30 Nollywood English 10:00 News 11:00 Primetime Africa Sunday 8:00 Cartoon 9:00 Nollywood Yoruba 10:30 Celebrity Zone 11:00 Echoes 11:30 Woman 2 Woman 12:00 Galaxy Party Time 1:00 NTFS 1:30 Solid Entertainment 2:00 Hour of salvation 2:30 Living Hope 3:00 Galaxy Party Time 4:30 Reel Nollywood 5:00 Looks and Essence

6:00 Made For Each Other 7:00 News 7:30 Beyond Doubt 8:00 Inspire Dot All 8:30 Mama and Me 9:00 Nollywood English 10:00 News

RADIO

Saturday 6:00 Saturday Breakfast Show 8:00 Weekend Update 8:30 Growing Up Matters 9:00 City Talks 10:30 Don-Diggy’s Corner 12:15 The City Kids Show 2:00 Fan Zone 3:30 Soccer Wrap 7:00 Encounter With Grace 8:00 Round Table 11:00 Elisha Baza Show

Ray Power 100.5 FM Saturday Saturday 7:50 Breakfast Show 9:00 Mega Sports 10.00 World News 10:30 Family Affairs 11:30 Presenter’s D’Lite 12:00 UK TOP 40 2:00 Saturday Jamz 3:55 News Trip 6:00 Nigeria Today 6:55 Sat.Nite Groove 9:00 Kennis Music 10.00 Tonite@10

GALAXY TV LAGOS

Sunday 5:00 Praise In The City 5:30 Christ Embassy 6:00 Sunday Praise Show 3:00 Music Culture 6:00 Singspiration 8:00 Only the hits 9:00 Once Upon A Time 10:00 Refresh

Sunday 7:00 Apocalypses 7:30 Newspaper Headline 9:00 Ward Rounds 10:00 World News 11:50 News Desk 12:00 Ray Power Cruise 2:00 News in Retro 3:55 News Trip 4:00 UK TOP 40 6:55 Power Play 7:05 Watch & Pray 8.00 Jazz Hour 9:00 Ballade

Investigations SATURDAY TELEGRAPH 1 AUGUST 2015

23

IT'S TIME UP FOR

Wall clockS

Wall clocks used to be the fad for almost every household, offices and corporate environments.

Today, however, they are gradually becoming the fashion of old. What has happened over the years? Find out in this report by Chinyere Onah

2015 modern design acrylic 3D wall clock photo: www.mobofree.com

Ferrari red wall clock photo: kodiak.chevypickuptrucks.com

T

Herdsman 3 flux clock

ime, they say, is of essence. Today, however, people tend to neglect the very device through which they can access the time.

Wall clocks may sound boring as a decorative piece but if they are selected with care, they can add meaning and character to a house. There are people who are passionate about this and would take pains to search for the perfect clock to match the interior of a home. It, most times, add to the attractive touch of an office too.

Innocent Anene, a father of five, who lives at Ogba, a suburb of Lagos, said he grew up to know wall clock as a timepiece that is very important in a home. “When I was in school also, which resumes at 8 am, I always strived to be there early enough before assembly. I don’t like missing any lesson. So, I tried to be punctual at all times.

“Today, even on Sundays, I wake my children quite early so that we can

Isioma madike

Editor, INVESTIGATIONS isioma.madike@newtelegraphonline.com © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Uji ECG clock

Creative wall clocks designs photo: SOSnation.com

prepare on time for church. About 3 pm of the same day, I attend a family meeting in which I am the secretary.

I cannot afford to be late to such a gathering because it won’t speak well of my position as the secretary. So, the need for wall clock in my home cannot be over-emphasised.”

Anene lives in a two-room apartment with his family and has wall clocks in both rooms which he said always give accurate time. “I try as much as I can to instill this ethics in my children and today they have learnt to be time conscious, including

my youngest child who is 10 years old this year,” he added.

Favour Nwachukwu is in this league also. The Imo State indigene who lives with his uncle at AbuleEgba in Lagos State is passionate about beautiful timepieces. This is his second visit to the state.

When he first came he noticed that the wall clock in his uncle’s house was in a good condition and the battery was changed regularly. Now on his second visit, he is complaining that the clock has almost been abandoned. It is two months since

it stopped functioning and he does not understand why his uncle is not doing anything about it.

“We had two clocks but they have stopped working now. One was bad because the engine got tampered with by his youngest son while the fault of the other is just the battery.

“But my uncle has not done anything about it. It is just like he has not noticed it which is impossible because he is also a time conscious man. He seems to be overlooking the wall clock. May be he does not care about it any longer,” Nwachukwu lamented.

However, Anene and Nwachukwu are not the only ones that enjoyed the fun of having a wall clock in their houses. Mrs. Joy Atandare, a Londontrained teacher also spoke about her love for this timepiece while growing up.

“Fashion is going round and round. We depended on wall clock a lot then. When you hear the cock crow early in the morning, you just go directly to check the clock to know the exact time,” Atandare said.

But, a security expert who hails from Isieke, Ibusa in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Patrick Ukwubuiwe, painted a different picture. He said that life CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

24

Investigations

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

‘Cell phones and wristwatches have C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

was crude in those days, but admitted that the thought of a wall clock in the house was fun.

“While we were in school there was no cell phone, the television sets available were the black and white models, and so, there was no room for unnecessary distractions. The students were more focused.

“To know the time then, we looked at the sun. If your shadow was under you, it was noon and if it lengthened then it was evening. We depended on instinct.

“When my children were in primary school, I taught them how to be time conscious too. At that time, wall clock was in vogue and they were used to going straight to check the time where it was hung. Then, wall clock was so important that it attracted every prying eye.”

For Kehinde Salawu, who lives at Abule-Egba, their house with nine rooms has only one wall clock, which is placed where no eye will miss it.

“Though, most times, we don’t look at the clock to know the time. It is always dusty because nobody cares for it. We prefer to use our phones instead of straining our eyes just to know what the time says.

“Usually, it is my mum that notices whenever the clock stops working.

When that happens, we would immediately change the battery before water starts dripping out of it.”

Chibuike Okechukwu, though of a younger generation, also loves wall clock as well. He is a student of a private polytechnic in Abia State.

Okechukwu prefers wall clocks to calendars. This, he said, is because calendars could make a room look unkempt if they are not properly arranged as they usually come in different sizes.

But, he has some misgiving. “Most of these clocks these days are not original. The batteries too; they no longer last up to a month before they stop working. They swell up after sometime and I don’t know why. If this trend continues, I will just stop using wall clock entirely. After all, there are phones everywhere that have inbuilt time now. And since the essence is to check time, I’ll switch,” he said.

Religious houses are not left out of this craze for wall clocks. Most of them cannot do without it. This reporter

Display of wall clocks

An outdoor clock at Oba-Akran Junction, Ogba, Lagos

Anene

Herdsman Linear clock

photo: tony eguaye

photo: chinyere onah

gathered that nine out of 10 mosques for instance, have at least a wall clock no matter how roughly built.

“The clocks could be so plain and ancient but they are not bothered about that. What they are after is for the time to be correct to help them keep track of when they have to pray,” said an adherent, who does not want his name in print.

This, however, seems to be the opposite in most churches. “The churches are not interested in such things. They are just after how sturdy and beautiful their buildings are which will make it the talk of the vicinity,” said a member of one of the orthodox churches, who declined his name for fear of being misunderstood.

Like most of the churches, a student of Babcock University, Ogun State, Ozioma Okafor, who lives at Akute, said she cannot remember the last time she bought a wall clock in her school room. Cell phones and wristwatches, according to her, have taken the place of wall clocks.

“We don’t have to buy a wall clock just to hang it in our room; things have changed. We are in the 21st century and so we can easily make use of our phones to keep to time. I don’t think there is need for clocks in this age and time,” Okafor affirmed.

Indeed, telephones and wristwatches appear to be replacing wall clocks these days. Bangles, bracelets, shambala (coloured wool interwoven with lettered beads) and other wrist bands are, according to some, better options to be considered at present. They are usually seen as a status symbol than a device to tell time.

In an age when cell phones and digital pagers display tiny quartz clocks, the mechanical wristwatch has slowly become less of an object of time keeping. They are today more of pieces of modern fashion.

Wristlets, as they were called in those days, were reserved for women, and considered more of a passing trend than a serious timepiece. In fact, they were held in such disdain that many were actually quoted to have said that they “would soon prefer to wear a skirt than wear a wristwatch.”

Wall clocks may sound boring as a decorative piece but, they can add meaning and character to a house

SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

SATURDAY

FREE

Sport Splash 25

Interview

I am going to make Nigeria proud at the World Championships - Ogoegbunam p.27

Global Football

Eagles stars seek to soar in Europe p.28

Community Shield Arsenal, Chelsea fight for season's first silverware p.29

Nigeria's Ogenyi Onazi (left), jostling for the ball with an Iranian player at the 2014 World Cup

Olympics qualifiers

U-23 Eagles, Falcons walk tight rope p.31

World Cup 2018

Beware of early upset, Nwosu warns Eagles

H

Vincent Eboigbe

The Team

Vincent EboigbelAssistant Editor Ajibade Olusesan l Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya l Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

enry Nwosu has cautioned against dismissing or underrating Djibouti or Swaziland, insisting that it is such so-called small footballing nations that can throw "spanner in the works" of Nigeria’s bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Nigeria were drawn to play either of the two teams in the second round after being given a bye from the first round in the World Cup draws conducted last Saturday in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Nwosu, a former Eagles captain, noted that Nigeria must prosecute matches involving such seemingly weak teams with their best players and that anything less could spell disaster.

“I am not one to gloat over such draws.

The truth is you cannot underrate any team; most of these so-called small sides are the ones that cause problems and surprises. If they get a draw away and then manage a win at home, no matter how slim, that is the end of your World Cup dreams.

“So we need to play all the matches with our top players, if we can defeat any of them with as many as 10 goals so be it. My father used to say that if you can beat anybody do it so thoroughly when you have the chance such that they would be scared next time.

The same thing applies to football, deal with such teams mercilessly so that next time they are so afraid that they make mistakes,” Nwosu said.

The former New Nigeria Bank and ACB midfielder also warned Super Eagles new

coach, Sunday Oliseh, against restricting his choice of players for the national team to those featuring only in top leagues in the world. Oliseh, had during his unveiling, verbalised sentiments to that effect, but Nwosu is not convinced that move would be helpful.

He said: “The immediate response to that (Oliseh’s) position is to ask how many of our players are in the top leagues or clubs in the world? They are very few. So if he implements that strategy he would automatically exclude many players.

“I think the emphasis should be on not disregarding or ignoring any player. Let those in the top flight and those in the lower leagues compete and show what they can do, that will spur competition. I think it is wrong to just exclude players only on the basis of playing in the lower leagues.”

26

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Nigerian League Rendezvous BRIEFLY

NPFL LEAGUE TABLE

No.

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Sunshine

19

11

3

5

30

18

12

36

2

Enyimba

19

10

6

3

26

16

10

36

3

Wolves

19

10

3

6

29

18

11

33

4

Wikki

19

9

6

4

24

19

5

33

5

Heartland

19

10

2

7

30

20

10

32

6

Giwa FC

19

8

7

4

24

21

3

31

7

Abia Warriors

19

9

2

8

23

23

0

29

8

IfeanyiUbah

19

8

3

8

21

17

4

27

9

Kano Pillars

19

8

3

8

23

21

2

27

10

Rangers

19

8

3

8

21

21

0

27

11

Shooting

19

7

5

7

18

15

3

26

12

Nasarawa

19

7

5

7

18

20

-2

26

13

Akwa Utd

19

7

3

9

13

18

-5

24

14

El-Kanemi

19

7

3

9

17

28

-11

24

15

Kwara Utd

19

6

5

8

19

23

-4

23

16

Lobi Stars

19

4

9

6

17

23

-6

21 18

17

Sharks FC

19

3

9

7

15

21

-6

18

Bayelsa Utd

19

4

6

9

12

21

-9

18

19

Dolphins

19

3

8

8

16

22

-6

17

20

Taraba

19

2

7

10

17

28

-11

13

Mid Season Transfers

Wikki, Enyimba sign new players

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lubs continue to take advantage of the mid-season transfer window to do business with some already adding players to beef up their teams.

League title hopefuls Wikki Tourists boosted their attacking department by finalising the signing of Enyimba striker Ebenezer Odeyemi and former Giwa FC winger, Nura Usman.

Odeyemi signed by the People's Elephant from Kogi United at the start of the season found games hard to come by, making just two appearances in a star-studded Enyimba line up.

In the case of Usman, the exciting winger started the season with Nasarawa United but a poor goals return has seen him fall down the pecking order at the Lafia club.

Enyimba International also announced the capture of AS Sonabel Burkina Faso International, Ahmed Kone.

The 23-year-old midfielder was one of the three foreigners on trials with the six-time Glo Premier League champions, and manager Kadiri Ikhana, impressed by his contribution, encouraged the management to sign the midfielder.

"Kone is predominantly a right winger and will put pen to paper for Enyimba subject to a medical," the club said via their Twitter page.

Wikki Tourists currently occupy the third position on the NPFL table, three points behind Enyimba in second position.

The mid season transfer window for NPFL will close on August 19 as clubs continue to search for the best and available players to strengthen the squads.

Odeyemi

Akwa United to recruit strikers Akwa United coach, Zakary Baraje, has said he will be looking to improve his team with quality strikers before the end of the transfer window.

“We have been creating chances but have not being getting the goals, so we plan to recruit quality strikers as soon as possible,” the coach said.

Reiterating the coach’s words, the club’s spokesperson said the coaches had been working hard to beef up the team with four or five players and said fans should expect to see some new faces in the team soon.

Warri Wolves, Sunshine motivate players

Enyimba's Mfon Udoh scores from the spot against Sharks in a recent league match

Rangers in revenge mission at Enyimba Stories by Charles Ogundiya

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he last game of the first half of the Nigeria Professional Football League season between Rangers and Enyimba ended in a home defeat for the Flying Antelopes as Rangers are popularly called.

But the Enugu side will be going to Aba this weekend to quickly settle the score by getting the three points or at least a point.

Already Rangers fans have tagged the game a revenge mission expecting their team to inflict a home defeat on Enyimba in Aba. However, Rangers technical adviser, Imama Amapakabo, has played down talks of a revenge mission against the People’s Elephants when both teams confront each other.

"I don't think there's anything like revenge in football because no two games are alike,” the former Enyimba coach said.

“Every game is different but I can tell you that if I lose in Aba

it's no news, so I'll go there to attack. My only strategy is just to go there and attack."

Currently second on the NPFL log, Enyimba will hope to continue their fine form from the first half of the season to keep the pressure on table toppers, Sunshine Stars of Akure, while the visitors, Rangers, will hope to start on a positive note.

It is going to be a big battle in Aba and another home win for Enyimba cannot be ruled out, but Rangers can spring a surprise by picking a point.

Warri Wolves recently boosted their players’ morale with payment of two months salaries and the players responded to the gesture with 5-0 bashing of El-Kanemi Warriors in Warri at the weekend. They also got a 1-1 away draw against Kwara United.

“The players were excited with the money and they have promised to do better in their next game against Sharks on Sunday,” Moses Etu, the Media Manager of the team said.

Also the management of league leaders, Sunshine Stars of Akure, has made available two months salaries to their players as the second half of the season resumes.

MATCHDAY 20 El-Kanemi vs Shooting Wikki vs Heartland Dolphins vs Nasarawa Utd Giwa vs Kwara Utd IfeanyiUbah vs Abia Warriors Sharks vs Warri Wolves Taraba vs Sunshine Enyimba vs Rangers Bayelsa Utd vs Akwa Utd Kano Pillars vs Lobi Stars

Top Scorers

Sunshine Stars look to win title for South-West

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ince 1998 when Shooting Stars of Ibadan won the Nigeria Premier League, no team from the country's south-west has won the league.

The closest was when Sunshine Stars finished second behind Dolphins in 2011 after placing third a year earlier. Currently, the Akure Gunners are top of the league table with 36 points after 19 games, same as Enyimba International, but with better goals difference. Already, the coach of the side, Kennedy Boboye, has said he will only be a fulfilled man if his side ends the season as champions.

“I want to win the league for Ondo State. If I can achieve that I will be satisfied that I have done a good job this season. Anything short of that, I won’t be happy,” the coach said.

Kano Pillars won the last three editions of the league but they are currently out of the race with Enyimba battling Sunshine for the title.

League resumes with double-header in P'Harcourt

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fter a two-week break, the Nigeria Professional Football League resumes on Saturday (today) with a double header involving the Rivers State sponsored teams, Dolphins and Sharks.

The match-day 20 games will be played at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Omagwa, where Dolphins will now play their home games following approval from the League Management Company.

Dolphins will take on Nasarawa United in the first game at 2pm, while Sharks tackle Warri Wolves later at 4pm at the same stadium in a game expected to be shown live on television.

In Aba, Enyimba International will hope to make it a double against former coach, Imama Amakapabo, who will be leading Rangers to Aba in an Oriental derby.

Enyimba defeated Rangers 2-1 two weeks ago in Enugu to maintain their push for the title, and the coach Kadiri Ikhana-led side will be looking forward to making it back-to-back victories against Rangers.

Defending champions, Kano Pillars, let a 3-0 lead slip against Lobi Stars during their Week 19 game at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, which led to the sack of Okey Emordi after the game ended 3-3. But they will be looking forward to a win in front of their fans under new coach, Baba Ganaru.

11 GOALS Bright Ejike (Heartland) Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars)

8 GOALS Ibrahim Shuaibu (Giwa FC) 7 GOALS Chisom Chikatara (Abia Warriors) Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves) Ndifreke Effiong (Abia Warriors) 6 GOALS Esosa Igbinoba (Nasarawa Utd) Ocheme Edoh (Giwa FC) Ibrahim Mustapha (El Kanemi Warriors) Christian Obiozor (Enyimba) 5 GOALS Adamu Muhammed (Kano Pillars) Mubarak Umar (Wikki Tourists)

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Sport

I am going to make Nigeria proud at the Worlds - Ogoegbunam It has been difficult for Nigerian athletes to make a mark at the World Championships…

For me, I have already qualified for the championships, but for the others I believe they are also working hard to reach the mark required of them to qualify.

Now that you have qualified, what is your target?

I am trying to lower my time to maybe 54secs or below and hopefully even do better than that. My coming to Nigeria was to see how I could improve on my time. I have been in Europe for some time now, working hard and trying to achieve a lot in my training. It has not been easy in Europe because of the weather; sometimes it is cold and sometime not so cold. It could also be windy and this also poses some difficulty but I have had to maintain my training in spite of this.

Only very few Nigerian athletes have qualified for the World Championships which begins in Beijing on August 22 and one of them is women’s 400m hurdler Amaka Ogoegbunam. In this interview with CHARLES OGUNDIYA, the athlete sheds light on her short-term dreams, difficulties of preparing for the World Championships as well as the prospect of competing against a former compatriot and teammate who now runs for Bahrain. Excerpts…

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currently making waves running for Bahrain in the same discipline, and you are likely to come up against her at the World Championships. How will it be competing against a friend and former teammate?

I am so happy for her because she had gone through a lot of difficulties before now, but for her to achieve what she has achieved, I give her credit for that. I am happy for her success but I am doing my own thing and working to become the best too. I keep training hard doing what I need to do to achieve my expected goal.

What should we expect from Nigerian athletes at the Worlds?

I believe we are going there to make Nigeria proud. Every Nigerian athlete is really striving to be at their best, to be in the shape they need to achieve success in Beijing. We want to go there and not disgrace our country. Anybody that picks a medal, to God be the glory.

There are so many athletes targeting medals in Beijing and Nigerian athletes are no exception. As has been frequently pointed out, the championship will be for the top stars and competing against them brings out the best in you too. So I want Nigerians to expect the best from the athletes going to China.

How do you compare your experience in Europe with now that you are in Nigeria, specifically Warri; where the Relay and Grand Prix took place last weekend?

The weather in Europe where I have been for some months has been windy, cold, and sometime extremely cold, but in Nigeria we sometimes have rain and at other times it is sunny all day. Seriously, I don’t really care about the rain, the wind or the sun because training under different weather conditions will surely help me as an athlete, and whatever I am experiencing now will make me stronger.

What can you say about your own personal preparation and your expectations?

I am preparing very hard to be in the final, and from there anything can happen. We are talking about 400m hurdles where anything can happen; nobody is praying for somebody to fall or get injured, but if you can get to the final, everyone will have equal chance of winning a medal. I want to go out there and do the best I can where people can really applaud my performance. I can also get a personal best in the process and that will be fantastic for my career.

In June you competed at the IAAF Diamond League in Rome; what was the experience like for you?

Fantastic! It was a big experience for me; that was my first time of competing at the Diamond League. I was just so happy and wasn’t even too bothered about my position at the end of the day because it was a wonderful time competing in one of the biggest IAAF meets. I was running from lane nine which is one of the most difficult lanes for a race, but I was not worried. All what was uppermost in my mind was to run my season’s best, and despite all the obstacles I was able to achieve my goal. I ran my season best of 56.72secs.

I was happy achieving my goal.

What can you say about the Athletic Federation of Nigeria’s preparation of athletes for the championships?

The president of the AFN, Solomon Ogba, is really doing a lot; he is doing his best because it is not easy to lead athletes in a country like Nigeria. He has been trying all he could to take the athletes to the top and also achieve success for the country. I believe he needs the support of everyone to achieve success for Nigerian athletes and the country as a whole.

A Nigerian, Oluwakemi Adekoya, is

My coming to Nigeria was to see how I could improve on my time Ogoegbunam

Ogoegbunam (middle) after winning gold at the Warri Relays and Grand Prix

oach Jose Mourinho is ready to give his winger another chance to prove himself at the Stamford Bridge after an excellent showing in the pre-season but the Nigerian must prove he can challenge for places in the star-studded Chelsea squad.

Brazilian Willian is the undisputed first choice in the right side of Chelsea’s attack but Moses has the capacity to knock Juan Cuadrado from the second position after the Colombian failed to impress in his first few months in England.

Moses was impressive during his loan spell in Stoke scoring three goals and three assists, his dribbling skills and directness seem to have improved and could play a part as Chelsea look to retain the EPL title and challenge for the Champions League trophy.

FRANCE Vincent Enyeama, Lille Enyeama will enter his third season as Lille first choice goalkeeper and the Super Eagles skipper will be keen to make an improvement on the previous terms.

Victor Anichebe, West Brom The Beast gave flashes of his brilliance when he returned from a long injury layoff towards the end of last season. He still managed to score three goals and he is expected to contribute more if he avoids sustaining injury.

not be enough to guarantee him a place in the star-packed Manchester City; just like the Arsenal prodigies he has to go out on loan for his development.

Elderson Echiejile, Monaco Echiejile’s future at Monaco looks increasingly bleak after he was not registered for the 2015/2016 Champions League action but the former Porto defender can reclaim his status with impressive performance for the club in the domestic league whenever given the opportunity.

French youngster, Layvin Kurzawa, who is the first choice for the club in the left flank of the defence, limited

His second season as Lille undisputable number one was not as successful as his first after conceding 68 goals in 38 matches and the former Maccabi Haifa safest hands will be keen to banish the experience of underwhelming 2014/2015 season to make the former Ligue 1 champions challenge for the title.

They will begin their campaign on a strongest possible note as they come up against the defending champions, Paris Saint Germaine and all eyes will be on the Nigerian to stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his mates.

SCOTLAND Efe Ambrose, Juwon Oshaniwa, Celtic Ambrose lost his indispensability in Celtic squad last season but he can regain that status this term with commanding performances. He will enjoy the company of his national teammate,

Musa Muhammed, Basaksehir The Flying Eagles captain completed a €300,000 deal to the Turkish side and he can start his development at the modest club.

Kenneth Omeruo, Kasimpasa Omeruo will start a fresh challenge in Turkey with Kasimpasa after failing to force his way into the plans of Mourinho in Chelsea.

This is the third time the Eagles defender will go on loan since he joined Chelsea in 2012, he has had spells at ADO Den Haag and Middlesbrough and his stay in Turkey could ignite a new experience for the defender.

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Osaze Odenwingie, Stoke

Odion Ighalo, Watford He was one of the brightest stars in the Championship last season as his 20 goals helped Watford gained promotion into the English Premier League.

However, the former Granada of Spain striker must learn quickly that EPL is a different proposition. He has to make an instant impression in the elite division and if the Hornets are to avoid immediate return to the lower cadre somebody like Ighalo must be on top of his game.

but he has since lost his place to Nemanja Matic who restricted him to just 18 matches last term most of them as second half substitute.

Ajibade Olusesan in this piece previews the chances of Nigerian players in their various clubs as the 2015/2016 season gets underway in Europe

seek to soar in Europe

ENGLAND Victor Moses, Chelsea

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Global Football Special

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28 SATURDA 1 AUG

Anichebe

Ambrose

GERMANY Anthony Ujah, Weder Bremen The lanky striker has already bagged a reward for his outstanding performance for Cologne last season with a move to a ‘bigger’ club, Werden Bremen. He scored 11 Bundesliga goals to help his former side stay in the top side and he is already proving he can even go a step further for his new club by scoring eight goals in the pre-season. Bremen faithful will expect their new man continue the spree when the season gets underway.

Juwon Oshaniwa, who moved to Celtic this summer. It will be interesting to see the two Nigerians in the four-man Celtic backline.

liance will be crucial for Wenger ’s men. Chelsea skipper John Terry believes that his former teammate can even save upto 12 or 15 points for his new team.

TIME: Sunday, 3pm

obert Lewandowski says Bayern Munich are seeking to avenge their 4-1 Bundesliga defeat against Wolfsburg in January when they take on the DFB-Pokal winners in the German Super Cup final on Saturday.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is hoping to finally win the German preseason cup following consecutive final defeats against Borussia Dortmund, though Wolfsburg have promised Bayern a fierce fight at the Volkswagen Arena.

Four-time Super Cup champions Bayern go into the match on Wolfsburg's turf as favourites, but also have January's heavy defeat -- their first league loss of the 201415 season -- at the same ground at the back of their minds.

TIME: SATURday, 7:30pm

Lewandowski

"Indeed, we didn't play well that day," Lewandowski said, and hoped that Bundesliga winners Bayern will "get a small revenge" on Saturday.

"We want to start the season with a victory.

But Wolfsburg are a dangerous opponent in the Super Cup," the Polish striker added.

Bayern out for revenge against Wolfsburg R

German Super Cup

ITALY Ogenyi Onazi, Lazio Onazi is most likely going to remain at the capital club for another season but he will be desperate to relaunch himself into the main stream of the team in the new season. He started just six of 15 matches he played for the club last term which was far cry from the 29 matches he racked up in his first season as senior player at the club. Onazi will relish the chance of featuring more regularly in Stefano Pioli team as they take part in three competitions including the UEFA Champions League.

Leon Balogun, Mainz Balogun is a defender with TURKEY excellent eye for goal. He scored Godfrey Oboabona, Rizespor four times to help Darmstadt gain The 22-year-old defender was promotion into the Bundesliga involved in just half the number of but he will not be doing business league matches his club played last for that club this term after movseason and he will look to feature ing to Mainz at the end of last seamore than the 18 times he managed son. He is expected to light up the last term. division.

the Nigerian to just 13 appearances last term and he looks ready to consolidate but Echiejile must grab the opportunity when given the chance in the Principality Club

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helsea target Antonio Candreva could leave Lazio following a disagreement over the captaincy at the club.

It had been anticipated the 28-year-old, who was also on Liverpool's radar in January, would take on the armband for the coming season however Argentine star Lucas Biglia was named as captain.

The move by Lazio manager Stefano Pioli has caused a stir in the Biancocelesti camp and Candreva's agent has spoken of his disappointment at the

decision, hinting that his client could leave the Stadio Olimpico as a result.

"Considering Antonio's path [at the club], I thought he deserved recognition and different consideration," Federico Pastorello told the Corriere dello Sport.

Lazio star set to quit club over captaincy

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London because of his family.

Many are suggesting that Cech’s transfer to Arsenal have made them genuine title contenders. The former Chelsea player ’s experience and bril-

Arsenal, Chelsea fight for season's first silverware

Community Shield

Kelechi Iheanacho, Man City He has proved to have what it takes to rub shoulders with the big stars with his display of confidence, skills and determination. Those may

Alex Iwobi, Chuba Akpom, Arsenal It remains to be seen if Arsene Wenger will allow his two Nigerian prodigies go on loan to other clubs so they can garner experience because it is going to be extremely difficult for them to get games in the starstudded Arsenal.

The two players had incredible pre-season and many are already seeing them as the future of the club but the most appealing option for the duo is to seek experience elsewhere to prepare for future at the Emirates. Nevertheless, they may get some action especially in the FA Cup and Capital One Cup.

He spent most part of last season on the treatment table but a fit Osaze can cause problems for any opposing defence but his chances of regular appearances have become slimmer with the arrival of Ibrahim Afellay from Barcelona.

or only the second time in the history of the annual match, Chelsea and Arsenal come together this Sunday when Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger meet to compete for the first silverware of the season.

The Gunners are the third most successful team in the history of the annual match after Manchester United (20) and Liverpool (15). The North Londoners have won the cup 13 times in contrast to Chelsea’s four triumphs.

Last time when these two sides met in this annual event in 2005, Chelsea defeated the Gunners 2 – 1.

Arsenal defeated the former Premier League champions Manchester City 2 – 1 last season to lift the 2014 Community Shield but this time they’ll face a tougher test in Mourinho’s Chelsea. The FA Charity Shield match is the unofficial kickoff of the Premier League season and is contested by the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners.

If a team wins both these trophies then the league runners-up competes for the trophy.

Petr Cech’s first outing in an Arsenal shirt will be against his former club. The towering goal keeper won almost all the major laurels with the Blues before being replaced by the Belgian keeper Thirbaut Courtois. The 33-year-old moved to Chelsea’s rivals as he didn’t want to move away from

F

Mikel Obi, Chelsea As has been the tradition in the last four seasons, Mikel was linked with a move away from the Stamford Bridge but Mourinho has not minced words about his desire to keep his midfielder. Mikel has incredible 224 EPL matches under his belt but he has to produce some extra-ordinary performance in his 10th season in Chelsea to win over his critics.

He is an anchor man with grit

Brown Ideye, West Brom Ideye’s first season was heavily underwhelming. Although he experienced an upturn of form midseason, that proved temporary as he subsequently switched off after a six-match run of good form.

He seemed to be weighed down by the tag as the Baggies' record signing when he moved to the Hawthorns on a 10million pound deal from Ukraine having managed just four EPL goals. The honeymoon is over and the hierarchy at the club will not tolerate another dull showing from their prized asset. He has to hit the ground running and win over doubters.

AY TELEGRAPH GUST 2015

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

We managed to boost the money the continents and the federations receive as support terest of Africa, it is best that he finds a successor. But anyway this is a problem for Africa to solve. I will only step in if they seek my help.

Diack

Lamine Diack: I am leaving a financially stable IAAF You were not only a long jumper but also an ardent footballer and later Technical Football Director…

I was a skinny kid at 16. I weighed only 44 kilograms and you can imagine this was too small for a footballer or even for the field events.

At school during the physical education courses, I mainly practiced athletics and combined long jump, high jump, shot put and a sport we had then called climbing which was an interesting mix of gymnastics. I was good at long jump and high jump but not at shot put or climbing. The sport I enjoyed then was football. I was a good footballer, by the time I was 12, I controlled the midfield. I played football from 1958 to 1962 and scored a lot of goals, and was also a good volley-baller.

How did you get into IAAF and how did Senegalese politicians and administrators get into this?

The first IAAF (then International Amateur Athletics Federation) congress I attended was in Rome in 1974, and I remember then it was difficult to talk, to be heard. I was sitting with the national Senegalese delegation because the congress then didn’t recognise the African Confederation that I headed. But later Montreal was important as this is where I was voted in and some key changes were made to the composition of our membership.

I was the vice-president who recorded the highest votes of 300 whilst the second got 270 votes.

What this showed was that all the countries in the congress voted for me and I became senior vice-

It is easy to celebrate Lamine Diack the outstanding footballer who stamped his footprints in sports from Paris to Dakar and then globally. And as he bids farewell from the saddle as president of IAAF, he takes on a variety of issues, including who succeeds him between Seb Coe and Sergey Bubka, in this interview with International Sports Press Association, AIPS. Excerpts… president in 1995.

South Africa was barred in Montreal and two years later China was included as an independent affiliate association of the IAAF in 1978.

We created the World Cup in 1977 in Düsseldorf and independently organised competitions as IAAF. Before 1977, we had only one competition before the Olympics that was the world championships, besides race walking and cross-country. In 1982 we changed our rules and changed our association to allow athletes to get earnings from their international races and events. 1984 was the year when we started the marketing programme after the signing of the IAAF/ISL agreement in 1983.

In 1999 you were elected as President, but you still remained as President of Africa. How did you manage both offices?

In Africa we always had consensus. During my tenure we never had elections and I always tried to make sure all the athletics nations were represented in the AAAC Committee. But as I prepared to hand over Africa, it was clear consensus had failed as we had leaders from West, East

and Central Africa wanting to succeed me. After talks that ran deep into the night with each of the aspirants, I decided then that consensus had failed and they insisted we should have to go for a vote. I was clear then that my choice was Malboum Kalkaba because he spoke good English and French and that worked well for Africa. He also came from the Commonwealth and was the president of a national Olympic committee, so he could be a strong leader; he also had a strong sporting background. But as you know they didn’t accept my suggestion and they insisted on the vote that Kalkaba won finally.

It is the same modality I tried to get council members on the IAAF Executive.

My appointment in 1999 as IAAF President was by consensus and acclamation of the majority.

Taking over from Primo Nebiolo of Italy was a highlight but as I have explained it was a journey that took me round sports administration.

And now I know it’s time to hand over the baton.

The IAAF presidency will certainly be returning to Europe and for the first time we shall have

elections for the post. What do you think of the two candidates, Seb Coe and Sergey Bubka?

Well consensus may not work for now as they have both declared their wish to vie for the post… I don’t know. But these two are both my picks. In 2006, I met colleagues of my generation who were on the council and I told them I would leave in 2015 and I thought that we needed a new generation of leaders to take over, because most of them were my age mates. I told them that both Seb Coe and Sergey Bubka are great champions and have been in the council long enough and are well versed in the Association as vice-presidents. So for now both of them are my picks and I am keenly following their campaigns. If later I have to decide and back one, I will announce my pick on who I think is best of the two and why.

There is so much interest on the IAAF vice-presidency as well, so many contenders…

There are quite a number. I think it would be good to have one representative from each area, each continent. There is no way for instance Africa can have two. Kalkaba and Kiplagat (Isaiah) have to agree. I will try and talk to them but they have to sit and agree. Kalkaba is already in the council as IAAF representative so maybe he can say: ‘I will support Kiplagat to be the vicepresident’. If they want to be two, only one of them will be elected because the other continents and even Africa will not vote for two Africans. If Kalkaba decides to go ahead and he succeeds for the in-

As you leave the IAAF what are your biggest achievements?

I think I would be proud of the financial situation of the federation because in every situation we cannot achieve everything. During my tenure, the IAAF and its marketing partner Dentsu raised over one billion dollars of revenue from TV & sponsors. In 2015, the financial reserves will be $65-67 million. I think it’s a big achievement and all the way I have been very successful. I tried to make athletics universal and now athletics is everywhere.

I was interested in bringing the world championships to Africa and although it has never been a priority, we managed to boost the money the continents and the federations receive as support.

The IAAF used to have six European one-day meetings with few athletes participating every year. Now we have a league of 14 competition meetings that are spread over three continents.

Athletes are also now living and making money from athletics.

I think the Athletics Federation was among the first who were very conscious of having a clean sport soon after we introduced money into the sport.

We were the first federation to set up a comprehensive and well-funded Medical and Anti doping programme, alongside clear rules, manuals on doping violations for both in and out of competition testing. In 2014 we had 3600 tests with 120 positive cases, but nobody makes noise about the 2900 negative cases. It’s a fight that the Olympic Committee, WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) and governments all have to play a role in, we have to continue the fight against cheating and it's great that there are now establishments of National Anti Doping organisations in key track and field countries.

Do you have any regret or anything you wish you could have done but didn’t do?

Yes, in Africa I was not able to make athletics the number one sport everywhere. Look at athletics in my country and where we are now… very far from what we used to be. We were good high and long jumpers, produced great sprinters, and organised great championships. But the reason for the decline is simply because athletics has disappeared from school in Dakar, unlike for instance the Caribbean islands which have a robust school athletics programme.

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Olympics qualifiers: U-23 Eagles, Falcons walk tight rope

World Championships: No hope for Nigerian athletes, says Aliu

1 august 2015

Ajibade Olusesan

N

igeria’s U-23 team and Super Falcons are in precarious as they must win their games this weekend to brighten their chances of making it to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Samson Siasia’s U-23 defeated their Congolese counterparts 2-1 in the first leg of the CAF U-23 Championship, a qualifying tournament for the Olympics, but pundits have expressed fears that the Nigerian side may be hurt by the goal the Congolese scored in Port Harcourt when the two sides meet in Pointe Noire this Saturday.

The Nigerian side, created several chances but the strikers were profligate and could only manage two goals when they should have taken the game beyond their opponents. Juniour Ajayi, Godwin Saviour and Taiwo Awoniyi have a lot of work to do tomorrow (Sunday).

Siasia’s men can take inspiration form their senior colleagues (Super Eagles) who responded to their 3-2 defeat in Calabar with a resounding 2-0 win in Pointe Noire in the reverse fixture of the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“If the Eagles can do it, we can also do it,” Siasia said. “We are watching the last game's video and trying to look on how to score at least one goal, because if we score one goal, they will have to score two, and if we score two they will have to score four, so it’s not going to be a joke.”

Christopher Danjuma, the Falcons coach, has exuded similar confidence but his side’s situation is a little dicier. Falcons could only manage a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in the first leg and with the absence of some of his key players including Assisat Oshoala the new coach may find life difficult in Bata.

Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, has refused to press the panic button as he believes the African champions can stun their hosts.

Siasia

We're ready for WAUG Games - UNN VC

Charles Ogundiya

F Warri

ormer Nigeria sprinter, Deji Aliu, has said Nigerians should not expect much from the country’s athletes going for the World Championships in Beijing, China.

Speaking with Saturday Telegraph in Warri during the National Trials, the Athens 2004 Olympic Games bronze medalist said the chances of Nigerian athletes making any impact at the championships were slim if the performance of other competitors from around the world was put into consideration.

“It is sad commenting on Nigerian chances because we have a very sad situation at hand,” Aliu said.

“I don’t want to talk about chances because we

De Gea, Real rumours worry Van Gaal M

T

he vice-chancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Professor Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, has disclosed there are plans to make the hosting of the forthcoming West Africa Universities Games slated for October 2O15 a success.

The vice-chancellor, who stated this yesterday at the presidential lodge, Nsukka campus of the institution, while addressing journalists during the official flag-off and unveiling ceremony of the 14th activities lined up for the games.

Ozumba explained that the university was granted the hosting rights to WAUG on the heels of University of Ilorin who served as the last host in the 2O11\2O12 13th edition of the games.

He stated that well over 1OO universities from Francophone and Anglophone countries of west Africa were expected for the games, adding that the games had previously been held in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Benin Republic.

He further said that from inception in 1965,WAUG had provided the enabling environment for numerous students on the entire continent, stressing that the platform has further enhanced good relationship among the universities.

anchester United manager Louis van Gaal conceded that uncertainty surrounding David De Gea was "not favourable" as the Premier League giants ended their US tour with a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

De Gea, who is reportedly Real Madrid's top summer transfer target, gave a shaky goalkeeping display as the French champions exposed United's defense with soft first-half goals by Blaise Ma-

Asumnu

tuidi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Van Gaal is hopeful United will retain the services of De Gea this season but acknowledged the rumors swirling around the goalkeeper were not helpful to either the play or the club.

"We have a situation that is not favorable for David De Gea, but neither for us and neither for the club (Real Madrid) that maybe he wants to go (to)," said van Gaal after United's defeat at Soldier Field.

RIGAN 2015 will be best ever – Adamu

Charles Onyekwere Enugu

don’t really have any, but I will advice the athletes that qualified to go there and work hard.

“I just pray that they get the strength and push to withstand what they are going to face in Beijing. But for chances, I don’t know.”

He said the problem of Nigerian athletics was a failure to move with the tide in the world.

According to him, track and field has evolved all over the world but Nigeria has failed to improve on past achievements.

The former junior champion said: “Track and field has changed, technology has entered, so many things have evolved compared to what we had in the past.

“But here in Nigeria we are yet to move with the times and until we embrace development, it might be difficult for us to perform well at major championships.”

T

�As Zaria hosts Games

he 15th edition of the Research Institute Games, also known as RIGAN Games will be the best organised in the history of the biennial competition.

This was the view expressed by the newly elected President of RIGAN, Prof.

Rabiu Adamu. Rising from the elective congress of the Research Institute Games Association of Nigeria, where a new executive was elected to run the affairs of the body entrusted with the responsibility of organising the biennial Games for Research Institutes, Prof. Adamu of the Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said that the giant strides achieved during the 14th edition of the games hosted by the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, would be surpassed by the next hosts of the Games. “The Research Institute Games has come a long way and RIGAN as a body has also evolved with the Games. The last edition hosted in Lagos set a new standard for the Games. The new executive is committed not only to improve the Games,

Tuchel

but also ensure that the objectives of the biennial ‘Olympics’ of research institutes are achieved.”

Meanwhile, after a keenly contested

bidding process, The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NIIT) Zaria won the hosting right of the 15th edition scheduled to hold from November 20 to 30, 2015.

Other members of the executive elected at the congress include Ahmed Yusuf who emerged the vice president; Dr. Fortune Owolade was elected the secretary general.

Conceived as a platform for bringing together all research and development Institutes through sports and also enhance recreations, interactions and friendlies amongst members of the research institute families, RIGAN Games is a biennial game endorsed by the leadership of the National Council of Research Institutes of Nigeria and recognised by the National Sports Commission.

Over 30 research and development institutes are expected to participate in this year’s Games. Events expected to be competed for includes Athletics, Football, Badminton, Table Tennis and five other sports.

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Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Unveiling Man United goalie’s babe

L

Eliana

ouis van Gaal has brought in Argentine keeper Sergio Romero to help boost his options between the sticks and in doing so he has welcomed in a new Man United WAG, underwear model Eliana Guercio.

The 37 year old is well known in her native Argentina as a model and TV personality and will no doubt be a regular in the English tabloids.

Another of van Gaal’s new additions, German international Bastian Schweinsteiger, is also intro-

ducing a hot new WAG to the Premier League in the form of tennis star Ana Ivanovic.

Guercio married Romero in 2008 and the pair have two children. The former Sampdoria keeper is also known to have a fan in celebrity, Rihanna.

The gorgeous singer was linked with Romero during the 2014 World Cup finals.

Romero will replace Victor Valdes as Man United’s back-up to first choice starter David De Gea.

Schweinsteiger, Ivanovic to buy a house

S

erb tennis player Ana Ivanovic and her boyfriend Bastian Schweinsteiger, who plays for Manchester United are allegedly buying a house in the place where the real estate prices range from EUR 3.3 million.

As reported by the media, it is a place in Cheshire, which is fenced by the cities of Winslow, Knutsford and Prestburg, and popularly called the "Golden Triangle."

The average price of real estate in this

area is 3.3 million, where some of the stars of the Premier League live including Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, David Silva and Joe Hart.

Former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson along and present Manchester United Coach Louis van Gal also stay in Cheshire.

Schweinsteiger, who this summer joined the team from German club Bayern Munich will earn a year 13.26 million euros, or 255,000 euIvanovic with Schweinsteiger ros week.

style of Sportsmen

Life

Neymar enjoys final days off as he prepares for Barca return

N

eymar made the most of his final day off before returning to Barcelona during a holiday in Ibiza.

The 23-year-old was pictured with friends and family on a private yacht in the popular holiday resort on Tuesday, as the highly-rated youngster enjoyed some downtime before the beginning of the La Liga season.

Neymar was given an extended break off by the Catalan giants after participating in the Copa America for his country.

Neymar has a clause in his contract which allowed him to rest further over the summer pe-

riod as he returns to the La Liga giants raring to go ahead of the big kick off.

As well as visiting Ibiza, the Brazil star has been in Las Vegas this summer, most notably being in attendance for the UFC 189 fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes in the Nevada desert, while also meeting American basketball legend Michael Jordan on his travels, too.

Neymar will be hoping he and his team-mates can continue where they left off last season after claiming a memorable treble, when they face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup final.

Neymar and partner

Yobo plans baby number three

J

Forget all the reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will.

- Unknown

oseph Yobo's wife, Adaeze, took to Instagram to reveal that she is ready for her third child Since hanging up his boots, ex-Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, seems to have taken up parenthood on a permanent basis.

The former Everton defender has already started planning for his third child according to his wife and former beauty queen.

Adaeze who gave birth to the couple's second child-both boys- in

Yobo and wife

April 2015 took to her Instagram account to reveal that she is ready for her third child which she prefers to be a girl.

"He's growing so fast; I think I'm ready for the 3rd one; a girl though JK #almost4months," she wrote alongside the photo of Jayden who is their second child.

Yobo and former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria then Adaeze Igwe got married in 2010 in a midnight ceremony held in Jos

Stories courtesy Dailymail

Investigations

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

33

taken the place of wall clocks’ We prefer to use our phones instead of straining our eyes just to know what the time says

A wall clock in an electronics shop at Abule-Egba

Today, there are dozens of prestigious wristwatches, including such names as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Frank Müller and the likes. But, this has not always been the case. Less than a century ago, no self-respecting gentleman would be caught wearing a wristwatch. In those days, real men carried pocket watches, which was the preferred status symbol of the time.

Omolola Giwa, a student of Covenant University, Ota, in Ogun State, is of the opinion that wristwatches must go well with a particular outfit.

“I don’t fancy it unless it is a gift which I cannot refuse. The last that I had, stopped working after five months that the person gave it to me; since then, I didn’t even bother to repair it. I’m actually used to checking my cell phone for time. But, anytime I forget my phone or tablet, I’d just use my instinct to guess what the time could be.

“When there is tablet, laptop and my phone, what would I be doing with a wall clock? I never cared about it. There is even nowhere to hang it if I decide to buy one. Although, we have an alarm clock in the house just to keep to time, it is not the same as a wall clock. I have thought of buying so many things but it has never occurred to me to buy a wall clock,” she told Saturday Telegraph.

However, decorative wall clocks come in many varieties and are easily available. Some are made with metal while others come in form of plastic.

Most people choose wall clocks they feel suite and enhance the decor of their room.

Hanging a wall clock is pretty much like hanging a picture or a painting in a room. It is part of the overall decor. Since wall clocks are

photo: chinyere onah

Ogbu

Salawu

generally inexpensive, one could actually have a collection of them and set it to display real time of some popular cities in other parts of the world.

It could be anything that shows the time and can be hung on the wall.

The shape or the material of a wall clock does not really matter hence it provides a wide space for creativity.

Despite the fact that nowadays a wall clock is rather a design object than just a timekeeper, 90 per cent of them, according to findings, have a round shape, shows 12 numbers with the hand placed in the middle.

They are not only meant to be

Giwa

Okechukwu

become mere decoration than a piece to help road users keep to time.

However, as wall clocks are going out of fashion, the younger ones appear to be going crazy about bracelets in recent times. But, has bangles become an alternative to clocks? To some, it is not just about checking the time; it has to go with fashion costumes.

Ebuka Ogbu, like most people of his generation, sees no need for clocks in this modern age. He is not disturbed also about wristwatches.

He prefers bracelets like most of his friends.

“When I am ready, I’ll get a watch of my choice. Moreover, I have my phone; so, there is no need for any rush to buy any watch for now, Ogbu told this reporter.

Yet, there are others who do not bother about any wrist band. This is the case of Austin Peter, who said that he does not like putting on any wrist wears because his nature of job is quite rigorous. Even at that, he cannot think of buying a wall clock.

“I have never thought of buying a wall clock in my life. And personally, I don’t think there is any need for it because I can always check my cell phone to know the time of the day.”

Ibrahim Musa, a petty trader at the ever busy Agege Abule-Egba Road, is lamenting. He is so concerned because of low patronage from clock users. Musa acknowledged though, that mobile phones may be in vogue for now and could be quite helpful in keeping in touch with loved ones, “it has drastically affected my business.

“Most people do not come looking for wall clocks as before. Those that manage to come would haggle at such a ridiculous low rate that sometimes I sell at a loss. These categories of people are those giving clocks out as gifts. They usually pay extra to have them properly wrapped in a gift format,” he said.

Peter

functional, but also put in a place that is comfortable and stylish. This is because the secret of good design, experts say, often lies in details.

The clock, called Uji, uses a wearable Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor to record the electric activity of the heart. This information is sent wirelessly to the clock, which moves its hands backwards and forwards in time with the pulse.

But, most of the ones placed at popular roundabouts hardly works.

This has given room for most people to overlook the importance of a wall clock. And so, some of them have now

Atandare

34

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

Is there no cure for Nigerian ‘movie criticism’? l Some unhappy thoughts on Oris Aigbokhaevbolo’s brave but bad: On Didi Cheeka’s review of Afolayan’s October 1

H

Didi Cheeka ow backward movie criticism is in Nigeria may be judged, not just by the state of movies, but also by the critical facility of those who practice the craft.

A few days back, there was an online response to my review of the above movie by an essay writer who, for one reason or the other, considers himself a movie critic but whose writing on movies remains completely within the limits of the self-conscious sophistry fashionable among a section of middle-class intellectuals drawn to movies as a concession to fashion. Lacking critical opinion of his own on this movie, this reviewer tries to hold on to the coat-tails of my review – which to him offers the shortest avenue, a sort of aesthetic shorthand, to his own thoughts.

This reviewer fails to offer a single concrete rebuttal to the points I raised in my review. We would hardly get anywhere with Oris Aigbokhaevbolo if we try to examine, sentence by sentence, what he is saying – not least because his review of my review consists of pieces of accidental quotations violently torn out of context. Still, because it is of symptomatic interest – in the sense that it discloses the essential features prevailing in current movie reviews in Nigeria – let’s try. Here is an example of Oris’critical method, with reference to my review.

“First, our reviewer agrees with an earlier review that says October 1 tries to do many things. This, frankly, is false, or at best the result of a misreading. October 1 wants to be an examination of a killer’s motives and a police procedural. Two things can hardly be described as ‘too many’, and whether it fails to be either is irrelevant to the number of ideas it juggles.”

This, of course, testifies to how much ignorance could be imposed on the public as movie criticism. Dear reviewer of my review, a little lesson in genre classification and the workings of genre.

October 1 is not police procedural – a sub-genre. Rather, it “wants” to be a detective story. Unlike traditional detective stories which concentrate on a single crime, in this instance, the serial murder of village virgins by a single killer, police procedurals usually depicts investigations into several unrelated crimes in a single story.

Also, in police procedurals, the perpetrator’s identity is often known to the audience from the outset. October 1 tries to hide its killer’s identity as if it “wants” to be a whodunit. So far, we have whodunit, detective story, psychological drama, and then, a few paragraphs later, we are told, as if this reviewer of a review “wants” to contradict himself and reveal his lack of knowledge of arithmetic, that: “October 1 is preoccupied with today’s problems in a film set in 1960, on the cusp of Nigeria’s independence. It so aches to say something about the way we live now that it photoshops current concerns into a supposedly ancient story.”

“Kunle Afolayan’s October 1 is not a great film. Even so it deserves a better review than the one published recently by the Saturday Telegraph newspaper . . . by Didi Cheeka, who ordinarily is an astute critic.” This is how this reviewer begins his piece. The tone, line by line, paragraph by paragraph is hostile to the end – as if out for a cat-fight, as if my re-

A movie crew on set

view of the movie makes him feel inferior. This hostility is not without meaning.

What kind of review does this reviewer think the movie deserves? “October 1,” Aigbokhaevbolo had written elsewhere of the movie’s “tacked-on social message that succeeds but only just. This does not mar the film, it is quite enjoyable, yet it is a film that should yield its own idiom, pave its own way…” It is not just the general audience out for an evening’s entertainment who seem as shallow as this picture, there’s a feeling you get: this person does not have a strong movie sense, he lacks a strong feeling of what he wants movies to be, besides entertainment.

If hints and half-thoughts, unreliable judgments and insults are all that we want from a reviewer, then Oris’ Brave but Bad might be considered criticism.

It’s not, it’s something far less – a dull, verbose, catty, self-consciously prosy piece, but it falls far short of movie criticism. When I call out critics for some badly-written piece, as I tend to do, I place my critique alongside. This reviewer opens up nothing new for us, his intellectual range is too narrow, too limited, it exhausts itself in pretensions – in the sense of its desperate need to achieve a too self-conscious sophistication.

The impression you get is of a person who, in serving an ideal with all the zeal of youth, reduces movie criticism to an obsession with style. “The reviewer…goes after the director and anyone with an opinion which deviates from his own.” It is possible this person feels himself threatened by my ‘promiscuous aggression’? “Our reviewer then directs his ire toward cinematographer Yinka Edwards. . . Our reviewer fails to ask how many people reading his review know that Edwards and Afolayan have worked together prior.” Surely, it’s safe to assume that anyone interested enough in movies, as to read a review, uses the director’s name as a sort of guide and also reads the credits?

Continuing to chop me up, Oris quotes me, “How far do you go with a director who manages to frame narrative and character out of his screen?

It is not just the general audience out for an evening’s entertainment who seem as shallow as this picture

Who, while tackling genre filmmaking, refine character type and trait – that could transform his genre film from the ordinary – out?” And responds thus: “Sure, our reviewer has big opinions.

But those first two questions have not earned their rhetorical status. Could Cheeka not take the time to tell his readers how Afolayan frames narrative and character out of his screen? Why should anyone take an unproven declaration seriously?”

What does Oris think, beyond prowling around my opinion like a cat around a bowl of hot porridge? This reviewer of my review is an intellectual coward, he confines himself to hints and halfthoughts, to catty comments on pieces of quotations torn from my review, as if afraid to reveal his own thoughts, as if afraid to reveal his own critical bankruptcy. Does he think the characters have many sides, that the characterization is not simply a function of the plot?

Quoting me further: “[W]hen you listen to people who like this picture, they seem as shallow as the picture”? Since the establishment of the auteur theory, the director has become fair game— he is equal parts star and scapegoat.

However, going after the audience this coarsely demotes Cheeka’s criticism to a rant.” What goes on in the mind of this reviewer? If at all he is a man of honour, and criticism – as against P.R – demands honesty, shouldn’t he be ashamed of himself? For quite awhile now, as the reviewer admits, I’ve been

trying as “perhaps the only critic in Nigeria who has almost constantly written art reviews seriously since the early 2000s… in a field that doesn’t exist— in relevance or revenue.” If I’ve learnt anything, I’ve learnt this: criticism is not play, often, all too often you can’t help hurting someone, and if you’re an honest person you’ll admit it to yourself.

You can only imagine how much of a person’s life had gone into producing the work you’re subjecting to public ‘attack’. But, then aesthetic critique is part of the territory, you can’t run away from it. What we must know is that a critic is on the line too. You get attacked with particular hostility and glee – even by someone who goes by the label critic but refuses – or is unable – to formulate his own response to the work.

Am I “going after the audience”? The thing is, If people have grown up with certain type of movies, how do they get to respond to other types of works? How do they break from this torpidity of the familiar? Are they willing to make the effort, or do they submit to the tyranny of what is? But then, you’d think this reviewer of Didi would have recognized himself in that statement he misdirects.

What is there, really, to say of this ‘review’ that finds its weapons in the arsenal of the practitioners of P.R. - as -criticism? “Is Cheeka saying,” Oris asks – as if to finish his self-portrait with a masterstroke – in reference to my contention that no character in 1960 Yorubaland would say “Western education is bad,” not just because they have not heard it, but because, unlike the Muslim part of northern Nigeria there was no Arabic conquest and subsequent imposition of an education system counter-posed to the West – “the truth for a region is true for every individual therein? Is it even true that the Yoruba had no alternative?”

To questions like these Heine replied: And the fool expects an answer. Concluding: “There is a perceptive mind at work here but it is clouded by an undue indignation.” Dear Oris, I’d say the same of your review – just that it’s minus the perceptive.

- Cheeka is a filmmaker, critic and curator Lagos Film Society.

SATURDAY

Dear Love Doctor, 'Her friend made us break up'

p.37

Life Experience

'I got into an emotionally abusive relationship after losing my partner'

p.36

L ve&Lv ng SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

35

‘I met my life partner on a lift' Confession

Kelechi wasn’t rich, and I wasn't rich too.

But we cared for each other.

Love was more important to us than money

In this story, a man and woman get on a lift, but when the lady begins to apply makeup while on the elevator, she takes his breath away...

Michael Uchebuaku

"H

ow do I look," she asked me, as she applied lipstick on her sweet, soft, and sexy lips. "Do I look beautiful, ugly or crazy?"

"You're beautiful," I replied.

"Do you really think so? Or are you just saying that to flatter me?"

"I really think you're beautiful, from the bottom of my heart. And sexy too."

I tried to look as sincere as I could so that she would believe me. And I thank God that she did believe me.

I kept staring at her as she applied her makeup and wishing I could make her mine, even though we were obviously total strangers to each other. The truth was that her beauty took my breath away.

My name is Frank. I’m an Igbo guy and I work with an ICT company with branches in the SouthEast. I met Kelechi my wife in a lift while she was working as a contract staff of a major telecommunications company.

I got into the lift from the second floor of the high rise building, and she was already in the lift when I entered. Apparently, she had entered the lift from the ground floor. I was going up to the twelfth floor and I promptly told the lift attendant.

As the lift resumed its journey upward, I watched with curiosity as the woman standing beside me brought out a small mirror from her handbag and started applying makeup on her face.

I was actually supposed to be minding my own business instead of staring at her the way I was and seconds later, she noticed that I was watching her.

"Is this the first time you're seeing a woman applying makeup," she said, as our eyes met.

"Of course not," I managed to answer, "but that mascara made your eyebrows and eyelashes look so alluring, and I couldn't just take my eyes away."

"But I haven't yet finished applying my makeup," she reminded me. "Why not wait till I'm done, then you can pass your final judgement?"

After about a minute later, she told me she was done with her makeup.

Then she asked me if I thought she was beautiful, ugly or crazy.

I told her she was beautiful and those words seemed to open the door of her heart. She looked into my eyes and I didn't need to say more than, "I would really like to see you again.

How can I see you again?"

As we reached the top floor of the building, we walked out of the lift and exchanged phone numbers and business cards before parting from each other with a smile.

"I will definitely call you tonight, my queen," I said to her.

"I'll be expecting your call, my king."

Kelechi wasn’t rich, and I wasn't rich too. But we cared for each other.

Love was more important to us than money.

The fact that we cared about each other was the secret to our endless love. Valentine’s Day of 2008 is a day I’ll never forget.

That night at my place, we made love on the floor of the living room with the television on. We slept all night long on the floor. It was really exciting and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Kelechi had everything I wanted in a woman. She was fair, attractive, sexy, and good in bed, or should I say, good on the floor? I loved every moment I spent with her and I was determined not to let her go, no matter what.

I told her to move in with me for three months, so that I could make up my mind to marry her.

I convinced her to go to work every morning from my apartment.

And every single day that she left me to go to her job, she would tell me that she would miss me. Normally, she would say, ‘I’ll miss you. When she returned home, she would show me how much she missed me that day at work through her passionate gestures.

Her passionate gestures swept me off my feet. She simply blew my mind with the way she kissed me and hugged me, and that made me always look forward to seeing her again in the evening after work.

I missed her like crazy when she wasn't around. But when I held her in my arms, my pains seemed to melt away and I would be filled with the joy of love.

After supper, we would take a shower together and make love in the bathroom. I never knew that love could be so sweet. Everyday, we kept on saying I love you to each other and acting as though both of us alone existed in the world.

Sometimes as we lay in each other ’s arms on the bed, we would switch off our GSM phones so that no one would disturb our romance. It was worth it.

Every single step we took was worth it because it helped to bring us closer and make us become more intimate.

Before the three months were over, Kelechi’s mum came to see us and told me to do the right thing by marrying her if I actually liked her that much.

I didn’t need to think so much about it because no other girl had made me so happy. We wedded in Enugu State in October 2008 and when we moved into our new home, we decided to put carpet and rug on our floor instead of tiles, so that it would be convenient for us to make love on the living room floor whenever we felt like. We both cherished the moment.

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Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

Goulding in minidress, poses with bare-chested boyfriend, Poynter

T

Love News

hey've been dating for over a year and are one of the music world's most loved-up couples.

And now Ellie Goulding and her boyfriend Dougie Poynter are taking the next step in their relationship... their first joint photoshoot together.

Both Ellie, 28 and 27-year-old Dougie shared a picture from their Rollacoaster magazine shoot on their Instagram pages with the caption 'Coming soon.'

The picture shows Ellie in a PVC minidress which highlights her long legs as she sits with one hand on Dougie's thigh.

He is shirtless, wearing just a pair of black jeans as the pair lounge on a couch together.

The couple have been inseparable over the past year and Dougie recently hinted that an engagement could be on the cards in the near future.

Speaking to MailOnline at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London earlier this year, the McBusted star lavished praise on the 'beautiful and talented' pop princess.

She’s grown into a pop singer with her own style identity, so we weren’t surprised to see that Ellie Goulding put a stamp on her gown for the Glamour Women of the Year Awards earlier this year. She’s letting the style rule book Burn.

Dropping a major hint that the couple could be set to take their romance to the next level, he joked he didn't want to 'ruin the surprise' for Ellie by giving too much away.

Asked how he felt about Ellie claiming she was 'punching above her weight' in

the relationship, Dougie told MailOnline: 'I mean, it's rubbish. She's beautiful and talented... just incredible.'

When pressed further on whether wedding bells could be the next step, he said with a smile: 'Well... I don't want to say too much. It would ruin the surprise.'

Dougie - who lives with girlfriend Ellie - admitted his McFly bandmates Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Tom Fletcher have set the bar rather high when it comes to their respective nuptials, in particular Tom's inventive speech on his big day.

He added: 'All of the weddings have been incredible. Who doesn't enjoy a good wedding? I don't know if I'll be able to top Tom's speech, though!'

Earlier in the evening at the Glamour Awards, Ellie, who has referred to her man as 'the one' before, gushed over her man as she

accepted her prize for Cointreau Solo Artist.

Taking to the stage, the pretty blonde thanked her man in her acceptance speech.

She said: 'My boyfriend is the coolest person in the world. Definitely punching above my weight.'

Dougie and Ellie have officially been dating since March 2014, and it seems the couple even have matching skull and crossbones tattoos.

The pair have become inseparable over the last year, having met at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards in December 2013.

Dougie famously dated Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge, while Ellie has been linked to Niall Horan, Greg James and Skrillex.

Courtesy: Daily Mail.

'I got into an emotionally abusive relationship after losing my partner'

S

and trans-identified--who could not practice self-care. Love with the right person would save the day!

I disregarded my gut, which indicated that GT’s words were a red flag. He appeared proud of himself for giving me a chance in spite of Eva’s warning--like he was bestowing some act of charity on a pitiful woman, a tragic figure plagued by insanity and loss. It seemed an unkind thing to tell me as I recovered from an incident that made me fear I would be perceived as damaged and, indeed, unloveable for the rest of my life. I suspected that Eva based her advice on reports from my former long-term girlfriend, who had been my rock during some extremely difficult depressive periods of my life,

Jordin Sparks

'No Air' Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?

If I should die before I wake Its 'cause you took my breath away Losing you is like living in a world with no air, oh I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave My heart won't move, it's incomplete Is there a way I could make you understand?

But how Do you expect me, to live alone with just me?

'Cause my world revolves around you It's so hard for me to breathe [Chorus] Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?

Can't live, can't breathe with no air That's how I feel whenever you ain't there There's no air, no air Got me out here in the water so deep Tell me how you gon' be without me?

If you ain't here I just can't breathe There's no air, no air No air air, No air air I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew right off The ground and float to you There's no gravity to hold me down, for real But somehow I'm still alive inside You took my breath but I survived I don't know how but I don't even care So how do you expect me to live alone with just me?

'Cause my world revolves around you It's so hard for me to breathe [Chorus:Repeat x2]

Life Experience

he told me, ‘Hook up with her all you want, but don’t date her.

She’s crazy.’

I was speechless when my new boyfriend GT relayed these words to me. They had come from a mutual acquaintance I’ll call Eva. Why would anyone who knew me and was aware that I had recently survived my partner’s suicide say this to GT? Perhaps even worse, why would GT then go and tell me?

I had not, up until that point, begun suspecting that GT was anything but princely. He certainly presented a shiny facade when we began dating: intelligent, handsome, and ambitious in what I believed was an ethical way, he impressed me as fully engaged in and happy with his life. I was not used to this, having gravitated toward deeply unfulfilled people in years past--people who were stuck and didn’t seem like they could figure out how to move forward. But GT seemed utterly different.

Although I began dating GT far too soon after my beloved Christian, in the throes of degenerative illness and alcoholism, took his own life, I thought I was helping myself by moving on. Loving GT would be a healthy way to continue healing from the barrage of pain I experienced in the months following Christian’s death. I believed I was breaking my pattern of getting involved with people--both cisgender

Love Songs

but with whom things had ended badly.

I questioned Eva’s integrity and GT’s judgement, but worst of all, I questioned myself--because although I had reached a higher level of wellness in recent years and was coping with the aftermath of Christian’s suicide in a more functional way than anyone (including I) could have anticipated, what if Eva was right? What if I wasn’t dating material because I could relapse; I could be crazy? Maybe my reputation was smeared across town and I didn’t even know it. Sure, I’d dated around and had long-term relationships besides the ones with the aforementioned ex-girlfriend and with Christian, but none of those had been with the right people. What if GT was my last chance?

Thank God it turned out that he wasn’t. As the months went by, he pulled every classic textbook move designed to make my world smaller--coercing me into "proving my love" by giving him sexual favors upon demand, forbidding me to have contact with friends I'd once dated, monitoring my Facebook posts and photos, becoming enraged with me when I told him I wasn’t ready to move in with him after only four months together-and gradually I recognized that something was direly wrong with this picture.

I made my first attempt to leave GT a few months into our relationship, after a huge fight that caught me completely off guard. He became suspicious and angry over the phone when he learned I was hanging out with, among a few other people, a friend of mine he didn’t continued on page 38

Got me here out in the water so deep Tell me how you goin' be without me?

If you ain't here I just can't breathe There's no air, no air No air air, no air air

Love Poem

Michael Uchebuaku

If I Could Repaint A Goldfish If I could repaint a goldfish, I would paint it the color of sunsets.

And if I could move the sands of the seashore, I would move them right into my heart, Because in my heart, your footprints can’t be forgotten.

*Send your love poems along with your name and number to ireto007@yahoo.com

Romantic Joke

Married to a twin

Dan married one of a pair of identical twins. Less then a year later he was in court filing for divorce.

"Tell the court why you want a divorce," the judge said.

"Well, Your Honor," Dan started, "every once in a while my sister-in-law would come over for a visit, and because she and my wife are identical twins, sometimes I'd end up making love to her by mistake."

"Surely there must be some difference between the two women," the judge said.

"Exactly, your honor. That's why I want the divorce."

1 AUGUST 2015

Relationships & Love Advice

‘Her friend made us break up' Dear Love Doctor, *My name is James. I was dating a girl and we really loved each other. But one of her friends who resides in the same area with us always used to condemn me before her, and that led to the break-up of our relationship. Now, it is really affecting me. Please help. What do I do to get her back?

From 07026452xxx.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear James, How old is she? She seems to be quite young and under the influence of her friends or peer group. Find a way to tell her that you really do love

her and miss her. Try to reconcile with her and tell her to grow up and act mature. She should learn to trust you and accept you for who you are.

She shouldn't depend on her friends to approve or disapprove of you as her guy but must learn to take decisions by herself and stand by her decisions. Her friend who condemns you in her presence might even be doing so out of envy. So try to improve in whatever areas her friend condemns you in, so that the kill-joy would have nothing else to say against you. Reach out to your girl now and iron out your differences!

Blackberry Connection

H♥♥K UP...find your heart’s desire Women SEEKING relationship/ marriage

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♥ Tosin, 43, from Kwara, a Christian, works, 6ft, AA genotype, needs a man between 44-50 years for marriage. 08137398286.

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08039318878.

Lovers’ Answers Game: The rule: Ask the opposite sex one question about love, and choose your lover from the top 3 answers.

A girl whose number is 09098192687, is asking

all men: "Why do some men want to marry virgins, and who will marry those girls they deflowered?"

Odd News

H

ave you ever wondered what happens to your body after you drink a can of your favourite fizzy drink?

A new infographic has revealed the reaction you go through for an hour after consuming, from the first sip, right through to 60 minutes after finishing.

The graphic was compiled by Truth Theory, a blog run by a former pharmacist who goes by the name Niraj, based in the US, and includes a seven-stop breakdown.

He reveals: In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100 per cent of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavour allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment).

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centres of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism.

This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic prop-

erties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.)

It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water. >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You've also now, literally, urinated the water that was in the Coke.

But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

In his blog posting the former pharmacist writes: 'Coke is not just high in high fructose corn syrup, but it is also packed with refined salts and caffeine.

‘Regular consumption of these ingredients in the high quantities you find in Coke and other processed foods and drinks, can lead to higher blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.’

Ella Allred, Technical Nutritionist at NutriCentre.com told FEMAIL: 'These facts on Coke, may shock you, but it is a good indication as to why we shouldn't be drinking it.

'The NHS has just changed the total added sugar allowance from 10 teaspoons per day to 7.5 teaspoons per day.

'This makes just one can more than your total free sugar allowance for the entire day.

'Such a high surge of sugar causes your

pancreas to over work to produce insulin, increasing your chances of developing Diabetes Type 2 and causing you to lay down fat around the middle, which increases your chances of developing heart disease.

'The caffeine hit from the coke silences certain receptors in the brain making you feel alert and awake.

'We don’t feel tired in the first place due to caffeine deficiency, so it just masks the symptoms of another problem. Ignoring this problem isn’t going to get you anywhere!

'The huge sugar hit that your body now needs to deal with uses up valuables nutrient stores such as magnesium and calcium, our biggest stores being in our bones - just think about that for a second.'

'It also causes you to become dehydrated, making you feel drowsy and tired, again needing another energy hit.

'The sugar and caffeine stimulate the same pleasure centres in our brain as drugs such as cocaine and heroin, leaving you craving more, which further worsens the effect on your body,' MailOnline has contacted Coca-Cola for comment.

It comes after it was advised that adults should restrict the amount of sugar in their diet to just seven teaspoons or cubes.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) said the move, which will mean a can of Coke is more than a person's daily sugar allowance, to combat spiralling obesity levels and stem the diabetes crisis.

Furthermore, reducing sugar intake for children will help lower the risk of tooth decay - the primary reason for children being admitted to hospital.

Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Nkechi, 29, from PH, a graduate and beautiful, wants a man of 32 to 35 years for a relationship that will lead to marriage.

He must be a Christian and working or businessman in the East. BB pin: 293AE0D5.

• Connect with Mike on WhatsApp or BlackBerry Pin: 7ab29e22 or 21978F71 for details on how to send your BlackBerry or Smartphone Connect request.

• Call Mike on 07031028714, 08131161840 to link up and for direct hookup.

*Call Mike: 07031028714 to send questions or issues.

What a can of cola drink really does to your body?

37

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Love Education

What is physical intimacy?

P

hysical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It is an act or reaction, such as an expression of feelings (including close friendship, love, or sexual attraction), between people. Examples of physical intimacy include being inside someone's personal space, holding hands, hugging, kissing, caressing, and sexual activity.

It is possible to be physically intimate with someone without actually touching them; however, a certain proximity is necessary. For instance, a sustained eye contact is considered a form of physical intimacy, analogous to touching. When a person enters someone else's personal space for the purpose of being intimate, it is physical intimacy, regardless of the lack of actual physical contact.

Most people partake in physical intimacy, which is a natural part of interpersonal relationships and human sexuality, and research has shown it has health benefits. A hug or touch can result in the release of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, and in a reduction in stress hormones.

Source: Dr. en.m.wikipedia.org.

Elist;

38

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

True Story

'He married me because he thought I was pregnant'

I

had been dating Anthony for about 18 months and I had always felt that I was more into the relationship than he was. He would always stare at other girls when we went out, which I was fine with, he could look, but he couldn't touch.

We shared an apartment together and it was great, I was sure Anthony was the one for me and despite his wandering eye I was very happy.

However, I did have another niggling worry, for the last 6 months, our sex life had been slowly degrading to the point that it was almost non-existent.

I figured that it was because he was under a lot of pressure and stress at work, meaning he couldn’t properly unwind at home. My university studies were keeping me busy too, so it didn’t bother me that much.

It was only a few months later that I realised he was cheating on me. When he was in the bathroom I casually took a sneaky look through the messages on

his phone and saw the one that every girlfriend/wife dreads to see.

It was from a woman unbeknown to me and said, 'Yesterday was great baby, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow.' I was devastated.

I couldn't bear to confront Anthony, I knew our relationship would be over if I did and above all the emotional turmoil I knew one thing for sure, I didn’t want to loose him.

After some scouting around I found out that ‘Gemma’ was Anthony's boss' PA, it’s such a cliché it would almost be laughable if it wasn’t true.

I didn’t know how long their affair had been going on, but from the other text messages I found it became clear that it wasn’t just a one-off. I was heartbroken. I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else and my family was always pressuring me to get married and have a baby.

I told my best friend Michelle as she knew how in love I was with Anthony and I knew I could rely on her to help

Wedding Traditions

The goose as a symbol of fidelity: Korea

B

efore the wedding takes place, a bride must participate in a traditional introduction ceremony where she is accepted into the groom’s family.

Ducks and geese are animals that are known to mate for life and so in the olden days, the groom would give his mother in law a live goose to represent his fidelity, but now the live goose has been replaced by a wooden one. In Korean culture these animals are the perfect symbols of fidelity and are incorporated into weddings.

work out a plan to save our relationship.

She was 5 months pregnant and after a night of comforting and planning, we decided we would trick Anthony into marrying me because I was going to fall pregnant. I knew that it was a bad thing to do but then so was his cheating.

The following day I went to the supermarket and bought a home pregnancy test and kept it in my bathroom

until after the next time Anthony and I had sex.

A month later I drove to Michelle's to put our plan into action.

Later that night I told Anthony I had some exciting news, he looked nervous so I tried to calm him by explaining ‘It’s good news, darling! – I’m pregnant!’. He looked very alarmed and asked me if I was sure so I presented him with the pregnancy test with positive plus sign (courtesy of Michelle).

His face was priceless, his first words were, 'you told me you were on the pill!' I put on the water works, 'don't you want to have a baby with me?', my plan was working.

The following day we began to plan our wedding. Anthony's parents were very ‘moral’ so we couldn't let them know that I was 'pregnant' until we were married.

We decided that we would take an unexpected holiday and get married whilst we were away at a registry and allow our families to have a small party when we arrived home, it was perfect.

We came home the following week as Mr & Mrs and I couldn't have been happier. I had a 'miscarriage' 2 months later, where the cheating stopped and we were happily married!

Anthony and I have been married for three years now and we have our 'second' baby on the way, I haven't even considered telling him the truth and I don't think I ever will.

'I got into an emotionally abusive relationship...' continued FROM page 36

know; clearly I was going to cheat on him. He cancelled our plans for that night, cursed me out and hung up on me, then called back dozens of times. I ignored his calls for as long as I could; when I finally picked up, I told him I was not ready to talk, that I needed some space and time to think. I stayed at my friend Jordan’s place for hours, trying to figure out what to do. When I finally headed home, I found that GT had let himself into my apartment and was sitting on my couch.

I asked him repeatedly to leave; he would not, although he wasn’t acting angry anymore. Now he was pleading, and when I told him we were through, he freaked out and began crying, shaking, and shivering. He would do this twice more during the course of our relationship, going from a bully to a frightened child I felt cruel trying to leave behind.

You can probably guess how the next day went: GT sent me a heartfelt message and asked if we could talk. I relented and agreed to meet up with him; he apologized in a way that I thought was sincere. I was sure this was an isolated incident--and of course, it was not. A couple of months later I tried to break up with him again after another terrible fight, and stupidly I let him talk me into going back for more. It felt so goddamn unfair to go from one doomed relationship, resulting in the worst trauma of my life, right into another. I believed that surely it would get better; I couldn’t just give up and walk away when things got rough.

But they kept getting rougher. GT would sometimes fix me with an icy stare for some perceived infraction and at one point, while lying unprovoked in my bed, he told me that he hated me. At other times he accused me of fetishizing trans men (because he was not the first one with whom I’d had a relationship), but then he'd

also proclaim me a lesbian who secretly pined for a body that wasn’t like his. Suffice it to say that these were not accurate assessments.

I confess that I was occasionally dishonest with him--about other people I’d once dated or the importance of my friendships, which he insisted should be secondary to the way I felt about him. It would be an insincere attempt at virtue for me to say now that I never should have lied. The fact of the matter is that if I didn’t tell GT the truth about something, it was because I quickly learned that when I neglected to give him the answers he wanted, he would become furious with me.

Although that did seem to happen an awful lot anyway.

That year, on the anniversary of Christian’s death, I got together with friends to light a candle, share memories, and cry. GT came over later and quickly grew angry with me; he begrudged my weeping and told me that I was cheating on him with Christian’s memory. Nights later, I sobbed alone on my couch after yet another fight over the phone in which GT verbalized fury at me for any one of a multitude of imaginary sins that I can no longer remember.

What I do remember is saying aloud to no one, “I can’t do this anymore.”

I guess the third time’s the charm, because this time I didn’t threaten to break it off and then backpedal; I actually walked away and stayed away. I’d been involved in this madness for less than a year, yet it felt like the weight of a decade was lifted off my shoulders after we said a final sad goodbye. And I was sad--it felt like a world of possibility had just dissolved in front of me, that everything I had done so far to rebuild my life was undone yet again.

Only one person knew the whole truth about how dysfunctional my situation had become: Jordan, the friend I’d been with the day of my first big blowout with GT. Weeks after that distressing event, Jordan confronted

me over dinner. “You know that you weren’t at fault at all, right?” he asked, his eyes full of concern. “You know it’s crazy if he’s telling you that you were. You know that, don’t you?” I weakly protested that I was fine, that GT had apologized and all was well.

I knew by the way Jordan--who is a therapist and already knew GT from being in the LGBTQ community himself--looked at me that he wasn’t buying it. He encouraged me to contact him if I felt unsafe.

Later, I thanked Jordan profusely.

He had shown up for me in every possible way in the immediate aftermath of Christian’s death and had had my back at every single turn since. It took many months for me to understand that this relationship wasn’t just garden-variety disastrous; I had survived emotional abuse. I didn’t fully absorb that fact until I stumbled across a memoir entitled Crazy Love. In it, author Leslie Morgan Steiner painstakingly details her marriage to an abusive man who nearly killed her. I read it and became furious with GT all over again: Steiner described feeling trapped the way I'd already begun to experience.

Granted, unlike Steiner’s husband, GT had not been physically abusive; I do not think my life would have been at stake if I had stayed, just my dignity and happiness--you know, those two tiny, inconsequential things! With the exception of once angrily poking me in the chest during an argument--and getting even angrier when I asked him not to do that because it hurt-GT never did hit me, and he’d been drinking that night anyway.

So I stayed quiet, and I stayed with him. I bought into the idea that time after time, it was my fault--I’d been so blind, how could I have failed to see that I was entirely responsible for whatever transpired?

Wait, who the hell had I become?

This wasn’t like me at all!

Courtesy: go.co

SATURDAY

Travel &Tourism SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2015

Travel Personality Chiquita Afuluenu Johnson: African tourism a sleeping giant p.40

Hospitality

The Royal Senchi Resort Hotel: Where leisure meets luxury p.41

Destination

Ekiti: Not exactly the fountain of tourism p.42

CHEF'S CORNER

I

t is time you take a second look at your breakfast menu list again as you check out this top 10 rated breakfast menu that guarantee you high protein in-take and reduces any health risk, especially for people who take early breakfast.

Vanilla milkshake smoothie: Made with only four ingredients - tofu, vanilla soy milk, frozen banana, and peanut butter - this smoothie tastes remarkably like a vanilla milkshake. For just 328 calories, it offers 17.4 grams of protein.

Vegan gingerbread (Buttermilk) pancakes: These decadent "buttermilk" pancakes are vegan and whip up in 30 minutes, so feel free to make a bunch and put the leftovers in the fridge for later in the week. Enjoy a stack of three, topped with a cup of fresh fruit and an eighth-cup of sliced almonds, for a 350-calorie breakfast that offers 15.5 grams of protein.

Overnight oats: This makeahead breakfast only takes minutes to prepare. Top yours with half a container of vanilla soy yogurt and half a cup of fresh fruit, and this 450-calorie breakfast offers 15 grams of protein.

Baked eggs in avocado: If you're not avoiding eggs, these baked eggs in avocado are the perfect choice to warm you up on a cold morning. Made with avocado, eggs, and chopped chives, enjoy two halves for 449 calories and 15.2 grams of protein.

Tofu scramble with kale/ sweet potatoes: If you're also

39

10 high-protein breakfasts without a drop of dairy

Vanilla milkshake smoothie

Poached eggs with tomato

Baked eggs in avocado

Vegan gingerbread pancakes

avoiding eggs, whip up this tofu scramble made with sweet potatoes and kale. For those in a hurry, make this breakfast the night before and just warm it up in the morning. For 264 calories and 18.8 grams of protein.

Banana-oat protein balls: For a truly on-the-go breakfast, whip up a batch of these protein balls made with only three ingredients - rolled oats, banana, and protein powder. Enjoy six balls for 282 calories and 16.2 grams of protein.

Poached eggs with tomato/ swiss chard/chickpeas: Another savoury egg dish, this play on the traditional Middle Eastern dish shakshuka incorporates both eggs and chickpeas to offer 20.1 grams of protein for 339 calories.

Luten-free almond oatmeal protein bars: Make it the night before and you've got breakfast for the week. Munch down two chewy, nutty bars, and that's a 350-calorie breakfast with almost 17 grams of protein.

Blueberry grape barley bake: Low in sugar, this blueberry grape barley bake is sweet and satisfying. Enjoy yours with half a cup of vanilla soy yogurt for 339 calories and 15.2 grams of protein.

Culled from msn.com

TRAVEL BEATS

Rwanda to host 2016 Africa Hotel Investment Forum

ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA Editor, TRAVEL&TOURISM iroandy@ymail.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Rwanda has been given the nod to host the 2016 edition of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AIFH) in Kigali with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), in charge of the country’s tourism development and promotion, as the host. Ethiopia is the host of this year’s event, which is scheduled for Addis Ababa between September 30 – October 1.

AHIF brings together the leading international hotel investors in Africa with local operators, ministers, government officials and industry experts, to discuss all aspects of hotel investment and operations in Africa. The decision to host AHIF in Kigali underlines a clear strategy by the government of Rwanda to attract investment in the tourism sector.

According to the chief tourism officer of RDB, Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, Chief Tourism Office: “We see AHIF as an excellent platform to meet many of the most important decision makers and investors, who have the power collectively to influence investment in the hospitality industry in Africa. We are determined to build relationships and showcase Rwanda as the right place to do business and therefore we believe that hosting the event will create an opportunity for local

hotel developers to forge partnerships with investors.”

The goals to which AIHF and the government of Rwanda are committed include: Supporting hotel and infrastructure development within Rwanda and across Africa; Promoting Africa to the international hotel investor and operator community; Educating the hotel investment community about the tourism potential of Africa; Facilitating networking between African stakeholders and the international community; and Supporting Rwanda’s ambition for growth through travel and tourism.

According to Mr. Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events, organizers of the yearly forum, Rwanda stands to benefit immensely from the event: “I know of at least three hotel projects in Rwanda that came

about as a consequence of a conversation at AHIF.I have every confidence that the proactive approach that is being displayed by the Rwanda Development Board will pay off, as all the major hotel chains are seeking new opportunities in Africa – and one of the most crucial issues for them is to find public sector partners that are making a serious effort to speak their language.”

Rwanda’s tourism sector has continued to grow, positioning itself as the leading foreign earner for the country. For the financial year 2013 to 2014, the sector recorded a three per cent increase in the number of visitors to Rwanda. These numbers grew from 1.14 million visitors to 1.2 million visitors, also accounting for an increase in revenue from $293.4m in 2013 to $303m in 2014.

Cape Town is venue for Africa Business Travel Association conference Africa Business Travel Association (ABTA) has announced Cape Town, South Africa, as the host of its second annual Africa Business Travel Conference, slated for The Westin Cape Town Hotel between November 21 and 23.

Some of the topics scheduled for

discussion at the conference include the following: Liberalising African skies, selling value across the supply chain, fraud assessment and management, data, technology and payment trends, dealing with perceptions of Africa and elevating procurement practices.

Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, president of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort honoured with the best beach resort/ tourism award at the recent 10th anniversary awards ceremony by Paceworking, London

40

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

clients to persuade them that Africa is the future for travel and tourism.

We act as a liaison between you and your destination by handling all dealings from the application process to receipt of your business licence. All the while keeping you accurately informed to promote increased customer satisfaction.”

TRAVEL PERSONALITY

CHIQUITA AFULUENU JOHNSON

African tourism a sleeping giant

On her target market Our target market for the tour operator is millennial in and outside of Africa. We have a special focus on the Black Travel Movement of the United States. For the brokering side, our target market are investors (we offer tours to these individuals exposing them to tourism development areas) centred on luxury and responsible tourism development.

Chiquita Afuluenu Johnson is a hospitality and tourism specialist and the chief executive officer of Liberia-based West Hospitality Management. She speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on the unique brand of services offered by her company and efforts at encouraging pan-African travel and investment.

T

Philosophy aking on the Africa continent is no less daunting task but Johnson is buoyed by her life’s philosophy, which over the last one decade of her involvement in the tourism world has stood her well. “My philosophy is to foster and maintain a specific vision for what you want to achieve not only for yourself, but for your community as a whole. I believe it is possible, and give it to the most high (God) to manifest.

Be grateful and wait for it to come to light.”

Inspiration for setting up of West Tourism Management The original idea for West Tourism Management was to be a platform to promote the importance of Pan-African travel and tourism, and to serve as a broker between tourism investors and African destinations.

Currently, West serves as a boutique tour operator highlighting unique and memorable experiences in African destinations with special focus on luxury, responsible tourism, and investor relations.

Focus Her focus in the industry is very clear, as she tells you that “West Tourism Management is an African based brand and boutique tour operator with the goal of encouraging and promoting Pan-African travel and investment. Specialising in a variety of travel and tourism services, we are proficient and passionate about

African tourism is a sleeping giant and West Tourism Management intends to awaken it but the biggest challenges are infrastructure and the price of air travel

Great experience Engaging with the continent and some of it wealthiest, famous and powerful, she says has been a great experience. “The experience has been great so far. Many people have been very supportive and I have received many requests for potential partnerships.”

Hence she is confident that “in the next few years I would like to see West as the premier tour operator for Pan-African travel and tourism as well as the premiere tourism brokerage firm in West Africa.”

highlighting unique and memorable experiences in African destinations, most especially Liberia and The Gambia.”

In the area of tour packages, she says that her company is committed to building a memorable and unforgettable tour packages for the special interests and requests of clients. Services offer

by West Tourism Management, she says, include -hotel reservation and booking services, itinerary management, travel representative services, ground transport services, excursion management, event coordination and concierge services.

“When travelling to a destination for non-tourism related matters let us provide you with some fun and excitement during your spare time. As your personal concierge, we will advise and introduce you to the best your destinations have to offer in regards to what is trendy and luxurious in art, traditional culture, pop culture, entertainment, food and beverage, and special events,” says Johnson of her commitments to leisure

seekers.

While for those seeking to invest in African tourism industry, she says: “Permit us to plan an itinerary for you and your team indicating various investment opportunities in your destination of choice.

Our mission is to instil trust and reliability in each of our potential

PROFILE Chiquita Afuluenu Johnson, a Liberian, is a hospitality branding, marketing, event planning and tourism investment brokering specialist. She offers boutique and upscale services. But more than that, Johnson who has over the years been exposed to different environments and personalities starting with America where she grew up, studied and trained in the tourism industry is committed to promoting travel across the Africa continent.

She obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Penn State University in 2008 then worked as a member of the guest services department at the America’s number one boutique hotel company, Kimpton Hotels.

In 2010, Johnson was recruited as the Front of House Manager at RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas necessitating her relocating to her native Liberia. Her new job brought her in contact with such high personalities as her country’s President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former prime minister of Britain, Tony Blair and Robert L. Johnson among others.

In 2012, she launched Q Hospitality Management, a consulting outfit, dedicated to educating the African hospitality business owners in targeting international travellers. She has in this capacity consulted for a number of firms and countries within the continent, including her country and The Gambia.

In furtherance of her quest for

offering the best service possible she this year launched West Tourism Management and she is the chief executive officer. With taste for boutique services as a tour operator, she is known for providing a new brand of experiences in African destinations with special focus on luxury, responsible tourism, and tourism investment relations.

The impressive list of her clients include - The Liberia Philanthropy Secretariat (LPS), Ace Communications Executive, International Centre for Responsible Tourism West Africa, Ecotourism Society The Gambia (ESG), FahionweekendGambia, Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia (ITTOG) and Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT).

Tourism is alive in Liberia Reflecting on her country’s past, she says that tourism business is thriving as the past has not beclouded and affected adversely its tourism receipts. “Though Liberia does have a controversial past, it has not stopped business and leisure tourists from coming to visit.

“Liberia, Robertsport specially, is the surfing capital of West Africa, and people travel from far and wide to ride our waves.

However, West does seek the opportunity to shift the way the world as a whole looks at Liberia.

Our goal is to project and promote positive images about the country to entice other types of tourists to see what Liberia really is like against the negative images on the web and in the media.”

The Gambia is second home Besides America and her native Liberia where she has lived and worked extensively, The Gambia is another market in Africa where she has been fully engaged. For her The Gambia is her second home. “West also operates in The Gambia. Not only is The Gambia the most competitive tourist destination in West Africa, it also became my second home when I attended the Institute of Travel and Tourism of the Gambia for postgraduate studies.”

African tourism is a sleeping giant “African tourism is a sleeping giant,” she says, but appears daring enough to volunteer that “West Tourism Management intends to awaken it.” On the other hand, she also acknowledges the challenges inherent on the continent. “The biggest challenges are infrastructure and the price of air travel. We can overcome these challenges and therefore integrate if we decide to work as a collective instead of individual nations.

“It is imperative for us to focus on structure, capacity, promotion and investment but most importantly become proactive instead of reactive.”

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

41

HOSPITALITY

The Royal Senchi Resort Hotel

Where leisure meets luxury

The Royal Senchi Resort Hotel in Volta region, Ghana, boasts facilities that are consistent with the experience at any true four-star resort hotel, writes ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA River suite

simply put, an ideal venue for such events by virtue of its serene environment and perfect conference facilities.

These include a boardroom and a ballroom for up to 200 guests, as well as an attractive outside event space.

Complementing these are state-ofthe-art technical facilities and a team of dedicated staff.

All conference packages are inclusive of conference room set up with tables and chairs, overhead projector with screen, mineral water and mints, note paper and pens and flip chart with markers.

Resort's attractive scenery

T

he Royal Senchi Resort Hotel is sure in a classy world of its own. A world made perfect by the blend of eco tourism and naturally fascinating landscape.

Tucked in the historic kingdom of Akwamu, the hotel’s scenery offers a picturesque hideaway for the urbane and wealthy to experience upscale leisure.

It is the only four-star property in the Eastern region of Ghana and it sits on the west bank of the Volta River overlooking the eco-tourism island known in the local parlance as Denkyenyam while serenaded by the soothing Senchi River from which its derives its name and the rich forested region.

Built in 2011, the luxury hotel suffused with the serenity of the Volta Lake and complemented by the highest standards of hospitality services, according to its sales and marketing manager, Emmanuel Mensah, seeks to create a leisure and relaxed environment for people to savour nature plus a mix of high end facilities. The hotel prides itself as the place where leisure meets luxury.

Winning this year’s travel Oscar award in the World Travel Awards (WTA) as Ghana’s leading hotel for the year, Mensah is testament to its world acclaimed status and the fact

that it is Ghana’s authentic leading resort hotel.

We are proud to be the winners of the “Travel Oscar” for the Hospitality Industry worldwide, Ghana's Leading Hotel 2015.

Rooms The hotel has about 84 luxury guest rooms, all tastefully furnished and fitted with the latest and most modern facilities for the pleasure and comfort of the guests. It has three room categories, namely – Silver View Room, River Suite and The Picathartes Suite with each opening to exotic and enchanting view of the hotel’s landscape.

Some of the amenities include queen size comfy bed, en suite bathroom, tea/coffee making facilities, newspapers, complimentary continental breakfast, bath robe, safe, satellite TV, mini–bar, nespresso, Wifi, and ice bucket among others. While Picathartes suite has additional features such as private kitchen, outdoor swimming pool, a spacious balcony and two floors with the lower floor featuring the living room with 42” LED TV, kitchen, large lounge, private bar, guest washroom and the upper floor boasting a dressing room, master bedroom with king size bed and

luxury bathroom with Jacuzzi Wining/dining Wining and dining are luxury affairs here with The Senchi Restaurant offering a perfect dining experience for its patrons. Its delicious offers include an à la carte menu of international and Ghanaian culinary for lunch and dinner and sumptuous buffets at weekends.

Alfresco dining is also set up for guests to explore the magical and serenading environment of the hotel with the riverside and its allures as a perfect backdrop.

For variety and classic wine treats, Nsu Bar with its artistic and beautiful setting offers a wide selection of wines, spirits and cocktails. Sip on an “Exotic Bongo” or a glass of Moet while the sun sets over the Volta and forget all your worries.

There is also the Palm Lounge where you are serenaded with good music as one explores fresh and exotic flavours with popular cocktails like the Mojito, or enjoy a glass from the hotel’s wine list from a full bodied Chilean Malbec to a fresh French Semillon.

Conference The hotels also offers room for business conferences, seminars, workshops, trainings and other social events. It is,

Leisure/entertainment Its infinity swimming pool with a bar and sit–out is for in–house guests while you can enjoy sport fishing, boat cruise, quad bike, kayaks, paddle boats and other water related activities on the Volta lake.

Live band is also available on weekends and special occasions while its fitness centre and gymnasium are fully equipped for guests to savour spa treatments, massage and aerobatics among other keep regimes.

For the record The hotel is very strong in terms of its green culture and heritage with its commitment to international best practice and conservation of energy and water resources. It also contributes to sustainable tourism by strict adherence to environmental standards, such as these: All illumination by LED lights; Solar farm to power our hot water boilers; Thatch roofing and other architectural features to reduce reliance on air conditioners for cooling; Compliance with the Montreal Protocol with the introduction of R-410 refrigerants in all air conditioners in place of R-22 freon which is gradually being phased out; and All liquid waste goes through elaborate treatment system using the effluence to irrigate the pristine landscape which is home to a rich birdlife.

NEW TELEGRAPH PARTNER HOTELS B E N E F I TS There are lots of benefits to derive as one of our partner hotels. For enquiries and details on how to join the programme, please contact Andrew Iro Okungbowa: 08023152195 (sms only), e-mail: iroandy@ymail.com or Chinyere Opara: 08063768131 (sms only) e-mail angela_ curtis-2@live.com

FESTAC, LAGOS

ABA LAGOS

REE DANIELS HOTEL AND SUITES

Panda Hotel Suites & Lounge

42 Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

DESTINATION

L

ike any of the western states, people of Ekiti State trace their ancestry to the legendary Oduduwa regarded as the progenitor of the Yoruba race.

Of the 16 children of Oduduwa, 14 are cited as the founders of the land as they were said in their long journey from their ancestral home, Ile Ife, to come across Ekiti land, which was characterized by hilly and rocky plains, which they referred to as Ile Olokiti – the land of the hills, which presently translates as Ekiti.

This physical features, undulating valleys, hilly and rocky plains are quite visible and actually sights to behold in such parts of the state as Aramoko, EfonAlaaye, Ikere-Ekiti,Igbara-odo-Ekiti and Okemesi-Ekiti. Ikere-Ekiti hills in the south, Efon-Alaaye hills on the western end of the state as well as Ado-Ekiti hills are quite unique and of cinematic view.

Interestingly, the state’s natural endowments, especially rich and fertile land makes it an agrarian enclave with the production of cocoa as one of its cash crops during the Western Region era, but efforts to recreate this rich economic tradition over the years have not yielded the desired effect. It's a similar tale with its luscious and luxuriant vegetation and forest resources, which have been largely depleted due to logging and indiscriminate deforestation.

When it comes to food production, its people are noted for their extensive yam cultivation. Kola nut was also produced in commercial quantities. In the culinary world, Ekiti people are noted for their love of pounded yam (Iyan). A visit to any part of the state without a taste of its legendary Iyan meal is not a complete experience of the state’s culinary tradition.

Tourism agenda Ekiti State has rich tourism attractions particularly natural endowments as symbolised by the Ikogosi Warm Springs, which is the poster attraction of the state. But besides the warm springs, it also has a number of waterfalls of rich magnitude scattered across its landscape.

All of these unique attractions and many more ought to make the state not just the fountain of knowledge for which it is reputed but also the fountain of tourism. But not many people can savour or experience its rich tourism offerings because many of them are still in their rustic state while others are abandoned and simply left to rot.

Its star attraction, Ikogosi Warm Spring was in this state of abandonment for years until the twilight of the former governor Kayode Fayemi's administration. The governor carried out some renovation work and gave it a face lift. Even though this was not total the fact remains that the little amount of visibility and traffic it enjoys today is a result of this effort.

Fajuyi Park in Ado Ekiti, which is also the foremost leisure spot for the people in the city, was also refitted with a number of facilities thus raising its status and giving the people a spot to unwind particularly during festival periods and public holidays. But other than this, not much was done to elevate its tourism profile with many of the other attractions lying in ruins.

Many people and observers attribute this state of affairs to the lack of a tourism agenda and vision for the state by the many governments, including that of Fayemi. Riding on a populist mandate to get to the government house, observers and tourism operators argue that Governor Ayo Fayose should look the way of tourism as a major platform for the development of the state given its multiplier effect. Ten months into the new regime, the government is yet to meet this expectation as there appears

Entrance to Ikogosi Warm Spring

The meeting point of cold and warm water

Ekiti: Not exactly the fountain of tourism Although home to Ikogosi Warm Spring, one of Nigeria's most pristine and compelling natural attractions, Ekiti State has failed to make any remarkable gains in tourism, writes ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA

to be no set agenda or underlying vision for tourism in the state. Looking through the government's website, the following areas were underlined as its agenda: Development of agriculture, health care, security, empowerment, infrastructural development and education, science and technology.

Tourism or even arts and culture are not listed among the expressed agenda of Fayose’s administration. But the state has a Bureau of Tourism, Arts and Culture, which was recently created and, as stated, ‘‘saddled with the responsibility of ensuring adequate promotion, preservation, and documentation of cultural values and heritages of Ekiti State.’’

The Bureau is divided into Finance and Account; Administration and Supply; Culture and Troupe; Arts, Antiques; and Tourism Departments while its vision is: ‘‘To make Ekiti State a destination of choice for visitors and tourists alike for relaxation and business through the promotion of tourism Art and Culture.

The mission statement is: ‘‘To make tourism a dynamic and viable tool for the promotion of Ekiti State vast cultural heritage and natural endowments as well as for the generation of foreign and local investments, with a view to

sustaining the economic growth of the state through the provision of opportunities to a large number of unemployed citizen and some as a boaster of poverty alleviation.’’

The stated functions of the Bureau include: Promotion of Tourism and Historical sites of Ekiti State; Preservation and presentation of Cultural values of Ekiti State; Development of museum inputs and gallery of Arts; Documentation, calendarization and inventorization of both tangible and intangible cultural/Tourism heritage of Ekiti State; Development and preservation of monuments and Artifacts potentials of Ekiti State; Regulatory and registration efforts on the hospitality industries in Ekiti such as hotels, eateries, restaurants, guest house etc; and Planning, Research, Statistics and Budgetary of the Bureau’s programmes and projects.

These are indeed noble vision, mission and functions that if well executed over the years or in the last nine months of Governor Fayose’s administration would have placed the state on a different pedestal. But the reality on the ground shows that even the bureau is struggling to meet up with basic exigencies and is therefore hamstrung in

carrying out its mission and functions towards creating a tourism economy.

Hope rising for tourism A journey across the state’s landscape shows that most of its attractions are in ruins with no attention paid to them and hardly any look in from the people or even visitors. But there are hints that given the recent private visit by the governor and some of his aides to a privately run resort somewhere in Nigeria, there is some cause for celebration. The visit by the governor to the resort where he held critical sessions with the resort owner and others is described as a prelude to the launch of his tourism blueprint.

It is hoped that when the governor finally comes around to launching his tourism agenda it will be a departure from the past where it simply entailed renovation of one or two attractions as demonstrated by the former regime in the state. Rather, the agenda should be an encompassing one which takes into recongisance the need to build a tourism-driven economy through a philosophy that places tourism at the front burner and consideration in the policies and actions of the government.

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Travel & Tourism 43

Aerial view of Fajuyi Park in Ado-Ekiti Ekiti cultural ambassadors in their symbolic traditional attire

BACKGROUND Ekiti State, one of the five states in the south-west, was created in 1996 from the old Ondo State with Ado Ekiti as the capital city. It has 16 local government areas (there are plans to create additional 18 local council development areas from the existing 16 local government areas), and has a naturally appealing landscape.

The state’s landmass spans 6,353 square kilometers and is bordered in the south by Ondo State, in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Kogi State and in the west

by Osun State. Of the 36 states of Nigeria, Ekiti State is noted for its proclivity and fecundity in the area of education as its people are largely very literate and well read, reputedly producing the highest number of doctorate degree holders and professors in the country.

The list includes illustrious figures such as Professors Adegoke Olubummo (professor of mathematics), Ekundayo Adeyinka Adeyemi (professor of architecture), J.F. AdeAjayi (professor of history), Sam Aluko (economics) and Niyi Osundare (a renowned poet and professor of literary arts).

Attractions

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose

It is this kind of philosophy as demonstrated by Cross River State where tourism at least enjoys some measure of visibility and importance both in the calculations of the government and the people. Ekiti State has the potential to reach this height especially with its peculiar natural endowments such as its numerous waterfalls.

The focus of governor Fayose should be on leveraging on the comparative advantage of the state. There is no need trying to build gigantic and magnificent structures that will never be completed by anyone. Rather, simple, naturally and people-orientated programmes and structures are what are needed to jumpstart the state’s tourism project. He should dwell on the agrarian nature of the people, their unique culture, dance, music, arts, oral and theatrical performances because these and many more are what attract foreign tourists and even domestic tourists.

Nigeria is gradually becoming a country of pockets of carnival just like Seychelles or Trinidad and Tobago due to the pioneering effort of Cross River State. That is a very wrong notion and concept of developing a tourism economy or product. No Nigeria state can ever

build a carnival to rival that of Trinidad and Tbago and Cross River State knows this too well and that is why yearly, the people make concerted effort to indigenize their carnival.

Therefore, what Ekiti State needs is to produce something that is peculiar to it and not come up with another bad imitation of Cross River State carnival or Calabar Festival. To start with, the state has a number of festivals that can be developed into a cultural tourism product. Osun State has remained true to its Osun Osogbo Festival even though it is driven by the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo and there is nothing stopping Ekiti from latching on to something like this as well.

The local community or people of the state must be at the core of any product because they are the ones that would first sample it, experience it and begin to propagate it before others in the country and even outside can notice its existence as Cross River State's tourism poster product, Carnival Calabar has shown.

Therefore, the challenge of governor Fayose is to blend all these elements together to come out with a winning tourism product on which his tourism agenda can fly.

Ikogosi Warm Spring Unarguably the poster attraction of the state and a Mecca of sort for leisure seekers and people looking for a natural getaway spot. It is a natural and enchanting environment where one can enjoy both spiritual and physical retreat unhindered.

Located in the rustic town of Ikogosi in Ekiti West Local Government Area, which is itself an attraction to explore, the star attraction of the place is the spring, which is a combination of cold and warm springs at the point where both meet.

It has an enduring ecosystem and natural environment with very appealing landscape and home to a number of floras and fauna while chalets and other amenities for leisure have been developed.

It is also a good ground for conference.

Erinta Waterfalls Erinta Waterfalls is located at Ipole-Iloro, about six kilometres North-West of Ikogosi where you have the star attraction of the state, Ikogosi Warm Springs. It is an enchanting fall with fascinating natural environment that lend itself to a number of activities especially eco-tourism.

Efon Alaaye Waterfalls The newly discovered waterfalls in the town of Efon Alaaye in the remote and hidden part of the Effon ridge adds to the growing list of waterfalls that populate Ekiti’s landscape. Just like the other waterfalls, this falls possesses an alluring and fascinating environment and features worth exploring and developing into a leisure site for the people.

Erin Ayonigba Sacred Fish River, Erinjiyan-Ekiti This is one interesting town in the state

where visitors could be treated to the rich cultural and religious heritage of the people with its sacred fish river harbouring fishes that are forbidden to be caught or killed. According to a myth, it is forbidden to kill any of the sacred fishes as doing so has dire implication for the person and the community. A visitor to the site would be enthralled by this revealing myth and tales of the people. This community is just within Ikogosi town as well.

Oroke Ewo War Centre, Ilupeju Ekiti This location essentially bears relics of the war exploits of the people during the years of inter-tribal wars. A rich historical tale awaits visitors to this site located about two kilometres from Ilupeju-Ekiti along the Ibele Araromi road.

Osun River Source While Osun State celebrates and takes all the glory for Osun Osogbo Festival which is held annually in the Osun Grove, the actual source of that river is in Igbeti-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Egbigbu Artificial Lake, Ayetoro-Ekiti Located at Ayetoro-Ekiti, the lake takes its source from three springs (Oloke Aere, Ayedu and Igborogboro).

The springs meet to form a mini lagoon and spread over one kilometre. It provides a beautiful scenery and hosts various aquatic species and is ideal for relaxation, boating and fishing.

Ero Water Dam This dam is located at Ikun Ekiti in Moba Local Government of the state.

Stretching across 11 kilometres, it holds a natural appeal for people while boat cruise and sport fishing are some of the water-related tourism activities that can be experienced here.

Fajuyi Park The Adekunle Fajuyi Memorial Park, which is in honour of one of Nigeria’s military leaders and a son of the state, is located in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

It serves as one of the regular spots for the people and visitors to catch fun. It was renovated with a number of facilities installed not too long ago, making it very attractive to the people.

Olosunta and Orole Hills of Ikere These are hilly regions of Ikere Ekiti with interesting features and good location for a resort and where mountaineers can explore. For the people, the region also holds some religious significance as a local myth has it that it is home to two deities in the region which they worship.

Ewi’s Palace, Ado Ekiti It is one of the traditional architectural masterpieces that dot the landscape of the state and warehouses the arts and craft of the people. It offers visitors a window to the cultural heritage of the people.

44

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

MY STYLE

Elegance with a girly edge There is a subtle elegance in the dress sense of fashion designer, Adaku Nwoko. ANGELA DAVIES writes.

How would you define your style?

My style is sexy and elegant.

What determines the kind of outfits you wear?

The outfits I wear depend on my mood. I mean how I want to look at that particular time. Sometimes, it could also depend on if there's a dress code for the event I'm attending.

Which outfits take up the most space in your wardrobe?

I would say dresses. But I love jackets too.

Is there any outfit you’re unlikely to be seen wearing?

I can actually wear anything because I'm a designer, what matters is how I choose to wear it. But, I will wear it in a way it won’t look offensive to whoever sees me.

Do you consider any fashion item indispensable?

I can’t do without my lip gloss.

I am not really a makeup person but with lip gloss and mascara, I am good to go.

What fashion rule do you live by?

Looking sexy and elegant always.

Best designer In Nigeria I admire Tiffany Amber and Lanre Da Silva because of their exceptional designs. They

Nwoko

Beauty Ebeye

A

motivate me too. Internationally, I like Zuhair Murad and Vivienne Westwood.

How do you love your makeup?

I like it simple. But when I am going for an event, I like it a little more than simple but not dramatic.

How do you love your hair?

I love to weave my hair all back; it brings out my face and makes me look younger.

What kind of jewellery appeals to you?

I like pearls because they are classy. You can never go wrong wearing pearls whether it's pearl necklace, earrings, bracelets or even cocktail rings.

What sort of shoes do you find most striking?

I love high heels.

If you were a fashion item, what would you be?

I would love to be a dress.

Most expensive fashion item ever bought It’s a dress and that was before I started making clothes for myself.

Signature perfume Gucci. I love the fragrance.

Best colour Pink because I am very girly.

Facts Olakunbi Oyelese is the creative director of April by Kunbi. Inspired by the month of April, Oyelese launched her brand in 2010. The graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York is fearless at making heads turn for the right reasons with her great sense of style.

All trousers were pull-ons until the 19th century, when front closures using buttons were introduced.

Black is generally considered a serious colour. In the West, black is traditional for both funeral dress and sophisticated evening wear.

The world's most tattooed person is Tom Leppard from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He has 99.9 per cent of his body covered with a leopardskin design.

Homemade avocado face masks

vocado is considered to be one of the healthiest fruits with healing properties especially when used as an ingredient in natural face masks. It deeply hydrates and nourishes the skin without causing any form of irritation.

So, when it comes to homemade avocado face mask, there are different ingredients you can combine to achieve your desired results according to your skin type.

Below are avocado face masks for oily, normal and dry skin.

Oily skin

This facial mask helps regulate skin oiliness, hydrates the skin and reduces inflammation.

Avocado face mask with egg white and lemon juice Ingredients • ½ avocado • 1 egg white • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice • Preparation Mash the avocado pulp in a bowl, add the egg white and fresh lemon juice. Mix the ingredients until they form a paste.

Then apply to face and neck while carefully avoiding your eye area. Leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse with lukewarm water. Use this facial mask once a week.

Normal skin

Avocado face mask with carrot and olive oil This face mask cleanses and moisturises the skin.

Ingredients • 2 tablespoons avocado • 2 tablespoons boiled carrot • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Preparation Mash the avocado and boiled carrot together, then add the olive oil and mix until you get a smooth paste.

• 1 tablespoon mashed banana • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Apply mixture to your face carefully, but ensure you avoid your eye area. Preparation Mash the avocado, add the olive oil Leave it on for 15 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water. This facial mask should and the orange juice and properly mix ingredients until you get a smooth paste. be used once a week.

Then apply to face carefully and allow to stay for 15 minutes. And rinse with Dry skin Avocado face mask with banana, olive oil lukewarm water. Use this facial mask once a week. and orange juice Applying avocado face mask that This facial mask smoothens and moisturises the skin, exfoliates dead skin cells suits your skin type regularly helps in clearing and deep cleansing to remove and fight wrinkles. dirt which builds up in the skin pores.

Hence, preventing acne breakouts and Ingredients making your skin glow.

• 1 tablespoon mashed avocado

SATURDAY, 1 AUGUST, 2015

SATURDAY

Politics saturday interview 45

Famurewa

Perspectives

Can Buhari transform Nigeria with science, technology? p.47

Feature

Oluwole: A ‘tarmac’ at the heart of Ogba p.48

News Extra

Fear grips candidates over WAEC's threat to withhold results p.52

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

House will amend constitution on resource control A member of the House of Representatives representing Ijesa-South Federal Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Ajibola Famurewa, explains to ADEOLU ADEYEMO, why people who benefit from government should be encouraged to pay their taxes.

Why have workers salaries been unpaid in Osun?

On the issue of salary payment, I want to believe that there was misinformation along the line. People were not well informed about the true position of the state of finance and salary payment in the state. People have been talking about bailout from the government at the centre. The whole story about the bailout has not been opened up to our people. I think that was what actually caused confusion and misunderstanding and the state government has a very good intention. Their intention was to make sure that they pay workers but unfortunately, the resources at its disposal as that point in time was not enough to pay the entire workforce of Osun State. So they decided, in their own wisdom, to pay the junior work-

ers (grade levels 01 to 07), their full salaries and pay the senior officers part. It was not as if the government did not pay; the balance will be paid very soon. They are still working on how to garner more funds to make sure that all the salary arrears would be paid completely.

Was there any effort by members of National Assembly to assist their states that are owing salaries?

We are aware that this issue is not peculiar to Osun State.

I can say, categorically, that we have about 25 states in the same shoe of inability or failure to pay.

At the National Assembly level though, when the issue came up, we took the present leadership up on this issue., I mean Mr. President has also been informed of the issue but basically, I think what we need to do is that we need to look inward. If you look at the situation of Nigeria’s economy today, unless if we have a different scenario starting from tomorrow but as at today, the revenue coming into the federal purse may not be as buoyant as it used to be simply because we have relied so much on crude oil for a very long time. Our leaders forgot to develop other resources that may as well bring revenue into the purse of the Federal Government to complement what we are having from the oi.l And if you look at the international market today; it is not favourable; unless these things get better tomorrow. So each state needs to look inward on how to manage their resources and how to develop the resources within their terrain to boost their IGR in a way to complement whatever they get from the federation account to pay the workers.

And still, the state will want to undertake Famurewa

one or two developmental projects and enhance infrastructural development of their respective state. So we need to be very careful in managing resources in a way that it will not even affect our workers and in a way it will not also affect ordinary Nigerians.

We want to develop industries within our terrains so that we can have more money to complement what we have from the federal. At the National Assembly, we are discussing with the executive arm of government on the way to handle the matter that will not affect most of the states and parties involved. But to me, I believe in this state, we still need to call a stakeholders meeting where the government, labour leaders, artisans, community leaders, religious leaders, some opinion leaders and political leaders. All of us will sit down and assess the state holistically. What do we have that we can develop?

How much are we having presently from the federal? What do we need to pay pour workers on monthly basis? What is the short fall and how do we need to resolve this.

This has to be a joint decision and, more so, we need to encourage our people that are benefitting from government to pay their taxes. But we don’t want to introduce additional tax that will make life difficult for our people in Osun. But the existing ones, let our people pay their taxes. We need to sit down together as a people and decide how we should move forward from there.

Please, clarify if Gov Aregbesola actually said in Abuja that the situation in Osun (concerning salaries), is beyond him. The impression people got was that there is no solution from his end again?

If you look at the situation on ground and if you look back, say eight or 10 months ago in the state, you will notice a pattern regarding the revenue coming from the federal. Before now, we used to collect between N4.4billion and N4.6billion on monthly basis from the Federal Allocation, apart from our IGR. Our IGR varies between N800million and N900million monthly.

Then if you add that to our monthly allocation from the federal, it gives us N5.5b plus every month to pay salaries, do projects and run government in the state. But along the line, the allocation from federal dropped from about N4.4b to around N1billion and recently N400m. If you look at salary of about N3.6b and if the allocation is about N1b, we need to collect allocation for three to four months to pay one month salary.

Definitely, if I am in the shoes of Mr. Governor, he can say the issue is beyond him because there CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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'Tax compliance only solution to Osun cash crunch'

CONTINUED from PAGE 45

is no way for him to pay two months, he must have collected allocation of six or seven months and if you look at the financial market, the banking industry, there are rules and regulations; there is a limit to the amount of money that a particular state can borrow from financial institutions, you can’t go beyond that limit.

And if you find yourself in such situation, definitely there is no other way to relay that this issue is clearly beyond him. I believe that Mr. Governor was speaking in that context.

Does it mean that the 8th assembly is going to start all over the process of constitutional amendment that had almost been concluded during the 7th session?

I think there was a move in that direction by the NA but unfortunately, were unable to conclude the constitutional amendment process in the 7th assembly.

But the house rules were amended before the end of that assembly to enable us continue from where we stopped in the 7th assembly.

So that we will not start all over again in the 8th assembly. By the grace of God, we are going to continue from where we stopped on constitutional amendments. All the aspects that have been treated in the 7th assembly would be completed in the 8th assembly. That particular aspect of the constitution is one of aspects that we want to amend in a way that the state will have a stake in whatever resources are within their domain.

Is the state government contemplating reducing the size of its workforce?

As a government, I don’t think we are thinking in that direction for now. What we are looking at, we are looking at a way to develop all our resources to generate more revenue internally so that we complement what we are having from Abuja, to settle our workers and do other things.

What region of the federation do you think the APC BOT chairmanship should emerge from considering the fact that most political positions under the present dispensation have been zoned to the north?

BOT Chairmanship position is a very sensitive seat that we need a disciplined and thorough party man to handle. And if you look at the leadership that we have now, and manner different offices have been shared; personally I will prefer it comes down south then southwest because I know we have a competent hand

that can occupy that seat effectively in the person of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. If you go through his antecedents right from Action Congress (AC) days, how he was able to rally round the opposition and wrestle power from the ruling party and led us to where we are today. And the stakeholders should consider the fact that whether we like it or not, we have the President from the North, Senate President from the North, Speaker from the North, we have senate leader from

the North, Deputy Senate Leader from the North. If you look at all these offices, I think it will be normal and better and favourable, beneficial to our party if we have someone like Asiwaju to chair the party’s BOT. What do you plan to do for your people during your second term in office?

During my electioneering campaign, I promised them good representation and, as a representative of the people, I want to represent them to the best of

my ability. If you look at what I was able to deliver in my first term, I intend to do more in the area of infrastructural development, provision of social amenities to our people, touching virtually all areas concerning our people and I intend to do more than what I did in the first term. I was there in the first term as a new comer but now I have garnered some experience, I am not only better off to do what I need to do to better my people and people should expect

more from my end.

Will the present leadership of NA give Mr President necessary backing in his anti-corruption crusade?

I know one thing for sure! And that is that we disagree to agree. I know the rancour within the leadership of NA will be resolved and by the grace of God, the whole crisis has been resolved; our party will come out stronger and be more united than what we were before.

Famurewa

Perspectives

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1 august 2015

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Now that stealing is corruption...

ormer President Goodluck Jonathan is a lucky man. His name worked for him. And the former president at different fora acknowledged how lucky he has been over the years. Only a few people have the rare privilege of moving from obscurity to prominence. For a man who claimed he had no shoes while growing up in a relatively unknown village, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, his meteoric political career remains unrivalled in the annals of Nigeria’s political history.

The ex-president also did well by conceding defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari even before the outcome of the March 28 presidential election was made public. Nigerians have duly acknowledged that. But we cannot continue to use that as a defence each time there is an allegation against the Jonathan-led administration or an individual member of his government.

There has been a lot of hullabaloo since the President said in the US last week that he would probe only the immediate past administration. Since then there have been heated debates as to whether the pronouncement to probe only the Jonathan’s administration is selective or not.

Before leaving office, ex-president Jonathan expressed similar sentiment now being espoused by his horde of supporters that any probe by the new administration would be seen as a “witch-hunt” if same is not extended to the administrations before his. Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose also joined the dissenters who feel narrowing down the probe to Jonathan’s administration is “playing to the gallery.”

“From all indication, it is obvious that the probe they are talking about is targeted at some people and if activities of the anti-graft agencies during the tenure of President Buhari are going to be selective, the president should know that the world is watching,” Fayose said.

The questions are: who is afraid of

E

Waheed Bakare on Saturday 08124877036 (sms only) waheedbakare2003@yahoo.com

I think the problem with Fayose is that he wants to be seen as fearless, consistent, bold and a loyal party man to the core probe? Is the maxim: “clear conscience fears no accusation”, no longer relevant? Is allegation synonymous with guilt? I think the problem with Fayose is that he wants to be seen as fearless, consistent, bold and a loyal party man to the core, or like the proverbial pigeon that wined and dined with its owner and remained loyal to him even in his death. I have no qualm with unalloyed loyalty. But I detest adulation.

From the way Fayose goes about his criticism, I doubt if he won’t rationalise it if there are overwhelming evidence that the Jonathan’s administration abused the privilege of being the custodian of our commonwealth for six years.

However, adulation is not a problem of the Jonathan’s group alone. The Buhari’s group is not even better. To them, every action of the president is laudable and Buhari can do no wrong. If mortals are sometimes fated to fall, then all the President’s steps since he assumed leadership position cannot be right. I will

not even touch the cult-like followers of Buhari with a long pole. It is time they realised that adulation and sheepish followership will only do damage to our polity.

Who says the President cannot be criticised as long as the criticism is constructive? But I have issues with some naysayers who are ready to go on their knees, pray and possibly fast if those are what it requires for Buhari to fail. Such cynics are quick to point out how revealing the pants of the President were when he visited his farm in Daura, Katsina State, how he struggled to pronounce his vice-president’s name, his perceived nepotism and lopsided appointments or how he could not even get the name of his party right when he visited the US. Loads of such jibe are available on the social media where people never hesitate to plant hybrid seed of discord, or what can be referred to as residual of hate campaign that later became the albatross of the Peoples Democratic Party during the election.

Unfortunately, that is the price we have to pay for citizen journalism. Though with its own advantages, it lacks vestige of ethics, ethos and professionalism largely because social media is an all-comers’ affairs.

For the former president’s supporters and their tale of selective probe, they need to be reminded that life is about choice.

If truly former president Jonathan closed his eyes to malfeasance under his nose or chose to be ‘a good man’ if there was brazen corruption under the administration

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of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo that is his own cup of tea. Former president Jonathan may not have even seen the reason to probe his immediate predecessor even if there was the need because of his stealing is not corruption theory and the yam and goat analysis.

But if President Buhari on the other hand chose to probe the Jonathan’s administration because there is evidence against it, the choice is Buhari’s.

If former president Jonathan found lethargy a convenient companion when important national decisions were to be taken and did not see reason he should jealously guard his reputation, should we then expect Buhari to do the same?

The President said during his visit to the US that “We have started getting documents where some people in government, former ministers, some of them had as much as five accounts and were moving about one million barrels of oil per day on their own” and the “money moved into individual accounts.”

If the President has questions to ask Jonathan and his team, it will be a disservice to Nigerians for him to keep quiet.

Nigerians are eagerly waiting to know how well our commonwealth was either judiciously used or squandered under the immediate past administration.

I will neither buy the narrative driven purely by haughtiness that the President is eager to find fault with the immediate past administration nor pour effusive and undeserved encomium on Buhari if he turns out to be a disappointment.

Probing only the administration of Jonathan can only be regarded as selective if President Buhari looks the other way if a Daura man, an individual or group of individuals who had soiled their hands in corruption are allowed to walk the street freely on account of being members of the All Progressives Congress. Until this happens, I won’t accuse the President of being selective in his anti-corruption crusade.

Can Buhari transform Nigeria with science, technology?

arly in the week, President Muhammadu Buhari pledged that his administration would take concrete actions to correct the neglect of research, science and technology by past administrations.

He spoke after receiving briefing on the activities of the Ministry of Science and Technology, in Abuja - and for good measure declared his administration would dedicate more resources and energy to the sector.

According to the president, this position had become necessary because no country could make progress without serious commitment to the development of science and technology.

This homily from successive administrations sounds quite familiar. But the lack of political will to give teeth to this policy proclamations has linkages to the nation’s development quandary.

It is the contention of this writer that to give real teeth to its conceptual assumptions, the ‘change agenda’ of this administration must pivot on science and technology to transform Nigeria. Here is why.

It took the United Kingdom, the world’s first industrial nation, 58 years (1780-1838) to double her per capita income. In contrast, with vast improvement in technology it took some Asian countries much less time.

For example, it took Japan 34 years (18851919); Indonesia – 17 years (1968-1985); South Korea - 11years (1966-1977) and China -10 years (1977-1987).

Whereas it took the West three generations to demystify and domesticate the technology of coal and iron, the so-called 'Asian

The Nation-State With Louis Achi

achilouis35@gmail.com Tigers took less than one generation to master microchips technology and achieve international prosperity and prestige.

Several studies validate the unquestionable relevance of science and its cousins to genuine socio-economic transformation.

It was the 1987 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, Professor Robert Solow, whose award winning work sought to analytically quantify the contribution of technology, a derivative of science, to economic growth.

By examining the relationship between output and technology, Solow attempted to measure the contribution of technological change to economic growth in the United States over a 40-year period (1909-1949).

Solow's analysis revealed that while output per man doubled within this period, only 12.5 percent of this increase was due to the use of more capital. The remaining 87.5 percent was attributable to technological advancement.

Unquestionably, the gulf between genuine sovereignty and prosperity on one hand and insecurity, dependency and mass poverty on the other, is to be found in the level of a country's science, engineering and

technology (SET). In this connection, bountiful endowments in human and material resources are meaningless unless advances in SET are demystified domesticated and applied to solve the country's industrial, socio-economic and infrastructural problems.

This is the core message to President Muhammadu Buhari. Let’s track to the most immediate challenge to the Nigerian state today – insecurity chiefly encapsulated in the Boko Haram depredations. A quick look at a map of the North-East geopolitical zone would show that Borno State alone constitutes almost 90 per centof the combined landmass of the South-East and South-South geo-political zones.

Deploying half a million soldiers to the territory to fight Boko Haram, with their current level of equipment and morale, will be highly inefficient. But imagine if just two modern surveillance drone aircraft are deployed on 24-hour over flight of the same territory, they will generate a massive amount of specific intelligence data that can guide a special forces’ squad to clinically degrade the insurgents offensive capacities.

I recall that in 2012, a memorandum on

a new policy on Science, Technology and Innovation was rolled out. The document, signed by former Minister of Science and Technology under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar was presented to the National Council on Science and Technology in Lagos.

It was subsequently adopted by the council with the expectation to reinforce the provision and utilisation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) infrastructure for the attainment of macro-economic and socioindustrial objectives as elaborated in the vision 20:2020 projections.

The new policy targeted reforming and optimizing Science and Technology (S&T) for enterprise development, wealth and job creation and enhanced global competitiveness. It could be recalled that a related national policy was first formulated in 1986 and reviewed in 1997 and 2003. But both review processes were inconclusive as they lacked necessary legal support.

The central thrust of this article is to stress that to demystify, domesticate and exploit science and technology for the nation’s socioeconomic and industrial transformation is an imperative. But they also require more than impressive rhetoric. National planning, security, education, energy, agriculture, infrastructure development and more clearly will benefit hugely from exploiting the bounties of science and technology.

President Buhari who on Monday showed some smattering of appreciation of this imperative must take specific, focussed action to key into this arcane terrain to change Nigeria for good.

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1 august 2015

Oluwole A ‘tarmac’ at the heart of Ogba Bars in the open at a popular spot simply called Tarmac in Oluwole Estate, Ogba, are redefining Lagos nightlife, writes ISIOMA MADIKE

“L

et the beer see the sky” was a popular beer advertisement a few years back in the “Centre of Excellence.”

Today, however, the beer appears not to be the only thing seeing the sky. Its consumers, too, are eager and willing to see the sky. They have relocated from the regular beer parlors to the outside.

In many parts of Lagos, at night, bars in the open now adorn the skyline. Though, drinking joints are not entirely new in Lagos metropolis, they are, at present, being redefined and gaining more prominence.

This points to a new way forward in business activities in the mega city and offers the residents a break to kill the day’s boredom.

More street corners and roads become a beehive of activities every evening, especially on weekends in the ambiance of the cool night. On the vast anterior spaces, the corporately-dressed men and women display the latest state-of-the-art cars besides the joints. And commuters traversing those streets have tough time passing through each point.

At night fall, these areas metamorphose into something else. Open air drinking, suya spots, food vendors and commercial sex workers, all compete for space at the joints. There are no marble floors, well decorated settees or cushioned chairs. But, those who patronise the joints are sure to listen to tunes from quadraphonic sound systems and watch their favourite teams play in the English premiership league while they consume their liquor.

At LASCOFIS, along WEMPCO road, a first time visitor may have difficult figuring out the enjoyment that goes on there.

Coming from the Ogba end of the road, “parish”, as the joint is fondly called, is on one’s right. The not-too-smooth street stretches out in an apian bowl-shaped manner that barely suggests anything unusual in the neighbourhood. But a stroll

into the half-fenced land with buildings spread in vehicular formation will expose a modern relaxation arena that offers various kinds of entertainment to its guests.

The assemblage is typically not the usual party crowd of flimsy professional chasers. It is a blend of journalists, technocrats, top civil and public servants, businessmen and women, and the young upwardly mobile, the type described with the street lingo “aje butter.” Hence, incidents of lost cell phones and body adornments are not often heard in the joint.

Pomo (cow skin), smoked cat fish, ofada rice, and of course, the ever cool beer are the main attraction of the joint. The other delicacies are asu barbecue (a type of goat meat suya), Nkwobi and fish pepper soup that are prepared in a special way.

“We also have quite a sizable number of bankers and other professionals apart from our big time journalist customers, who apart from drinking, engage in very serious business discussions. They are mostly people who try to escape the terrible holdup.

“We also have respectable members of Island club here as well. Some use our joint to intermingle with old friends too,” a lady staff who refused her name in print because “I’m not authorized to speak for the joint,” told Saturday Telegraph.

However, a good number of the “parishioners”, as LASCOFIS guests love to call themselves, see the “Slaughter House” as the centre of attraction because of the absolute privacy the joint offers. Slaughter house is the members’ slang for short time lodging with the opposite sex in a replay of the Adam and Eve game in the days of yore.

Elis is another joint located on the Ikoyi axis, very close to Yoruba Tennis Club. It opens about 6.30pm every day and sometimes runs through the night till early the next morning. This joint caters for the big boys of Lagos Island.

Working into the venue, the first thing that arrest your attention is the stand, the dim lights, and the spiraling metals. From whatever part of the ground you find yourself, the encircled and wooly music envelopes guests like a warm welcome hug. Live bands perform every Friday night.

Girls flock the place like bees to nec-

One of the bars seeing the skyline photo: www.virtualtourist.com

...waiting for patrons photo: www.bbc.com

At night fall, these areas metamorphose into open air drinking, suya spots tar and the men often are "spoiled for choice", as a regular patron describes it.

“Abattoir”, the equivalent of the “parish’s” slaughter house, is the craze here.

A regular caller at the joint, who refused to give his name, said the girls make their days worthwhile in Elis.

“We slaughter them at the abattoir and they are the reason we are spending our hard-earned ‘dole’ every evening.

Although, other enjoyment dey this joint oo,” he said comically in Pidgin English.

There is yet another, Rock Az at Isheri Road by Akiode Bus Stop. This booming night-out place initially was a one outlet fast food joint. At that time, snacks, oven fresh chicken, fish and fries as well as jollof rice including icecream, were the main delicacies.

According to a lady who claimed to be the supervisor in charge of food, “the feedback from our yuppie customers informed our change of style. They love it the other way round,” she said.

The lady, however, maintained that they neither have “abattoir” nor “slaughter house” but simply ‘take away.’

“The girls come around but no room

Enjoyment all the way photo: lindaikeji.blogspot

for ‘jingolo’ here. So, the big boys take them somewhere else. My brother, it is difficult to run this type of joint in Lagos without them,” she revealed.

Yet, Oluwole tarmac, opposite the Ogba Retail Market, paints a different picture; large spaced and fully concrete in the centre of the popular Oluwole Estate, and situated at the heart of Ogba, in the outskirts of Lagos. It is a special kind of joint.

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Oluwole tarmac exhibits an extremely tired appearance but swims in the mannerism of a well-managed neighbourhood Another bar in the open

Patrons watching a premiership league match while they consume their liquor photo: afp

Pool Bar and restaurant

For the first timer, it is likely going to be a tasteless impression about this quarter and its occupants. It is also possible for a few to conclude that this neighbourhood is just about hustlers and fun seekers.

Barack-like, with obvious grimy environs that could scare the faint-hearted; the smoke from ganja-smoking guys frightens while its surrounding exhibits a calm serenity. Even at that, moving around the area offers the sight of comfort, especially

at night. The tarmac is unique and quite popular among its guests.

It exhibits an extremely tired appearance but swims in the mannerism of a well-managed neighbourhood. It has a commercial flair, and can well be described as one of the last relics of age. Yell in the middle of the night, out of fear or excitement, and you will be sure to get a response. It is all part of the fun.

This is the harmonious attitude of the natives as the tarmac gestures around the willing. Enjoyment in this estate is 24 hours a day and seven days a week. For the ladies, the ever festive moments at the tarmac presents a convenient shovel that digs them up from the monotony of brothel life.

One could read the shock and surprise on their faces as the callers show familiarity with some of their antics. This trend of acquaintance with crimson sisters, no doubt, leaves a big impression on the minds of the visiting wolves.

Chris Idemudia is a frequent crawler at the tarmac. He confirmed that tarmac is the place to be any day. Just go there with your friends and have the fun of your life, he said. It is a place that accommodates all kinds of people who come not for the fun alone but also to discuss business.

“If you are the fast type, those big boys can connect you. You don’t have to know anybody. Just walk into the tarmac and you won’t have any problem,” Idemudia said.

The main attraction, according to him, is the air of freedom. He said that everything is done in the open with cool breeze that sooths nerves.

“So, all manner of people find the place convenient to relax; the main thing really is the cat fish pepper soup. They will

photo: www.travelstart.com.ng

show you a live one to select from (point and kill) and in 10 minutes the soup is ready. The aroma alone is something that many would find difficult to resist.”

There are also girls aplenty and those who fancy them and want to have fun with them usually call them aside to negotiate the price for either “short time”, which is a quick stand at a nearby block or behind a parked car.

“When the night is well spent, they lure you into taking them for whole sale”, another guest who identified himself simply as Ojo, said.

Mama Akin, Old School, Hunters and White House are some of the popular bars that operate at the tarmac. The beer manufacturing companies seem to be at war at Oluwole tarmac as they compete for patronage. But the most

Responsible drinking not in her dictionary photo: google

popular, according to these sellers, are the Guinness and Star brands.

To the occupants of the estate, this seeming invasion of their domain is welcome and satisfying. The human and vehicular traffic in their vicinity does not betray the mammoth crowd that gathers here on a daily basis.

Other attractions include big screen television sets where premiership matches and pornographic films are served.

The pornographic films are deliberately played to arouse lustful feelings and interest in the girls that flock around.

There are also the big “mamas”.

They come in flashy cars and try some old tricks to entice the young men.

They are wealthy and most likely unmarried.

As you traverse these joints, what seems to be prevalent is nothing but love songs, which fill the air. Lovers either locked together romantically in between parked vehicles or seated with each other only waiting for passionate moments.

But not all guest come around seeking pleasure in this relaxation spot.

Some attribute their presence in the area to heavy traffic, which adds to the already tensed situation in the office environment.

“I am just here to relax pending the time traffic will be less so that it will be easy when I’m going home,” a guest who craves for anonymity told Saturday Telegraph.

However, there are some who visit tarmac and other open beer joints as a way of keeping away from trouble at home. For this set of guests, tarmac serves to bridge between the office and the home. The level of activity that go on at the tarmac tells the story of the booming night out drinking parties in Lagos metropolis. It has, indeed, gained wide patronage.

The owners of the bars told this reporter that there could be occasional squabbles among the guys but that such has never degenerated to something unusual. They also reveal that the police do not come to harass anybody except to have fun as well, insisting their domain is usually very peaceful in spite of the human surge on a daily basis.

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News Extra

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1 AUGUST 2015

AKWA

MOSAN

said from today, it would commence free registration and issuance of identity cards for all commercial and private motorcycles and vehicles as well as boats and canoes operating in the state.

The government also said it would commence the free distribution of branded bibs or vests to all motorcycle riders and life jackets to all commuters using boats and canoes as means of transport in the riverine communities of the state.

In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uju Nwogu, said the venue for the registration would be the headquarters of the 21 local government areas of the state.

celebration of Obesere Fans’ Club (Alimosho chapter) which holds tomorrow. The event staged by Abass Akande (a.k.a Obesere) will hold at Abidap International Hotel, Mosan-Ipaja, Lagos.

To serenade the guests attending the show are top music acts like Olamide, Reminisce, Mega 99, 9ice, She-baby among a host of others. The show which begins in earnest at 12noon will be hosted by renowned Yoruba humour merchant, Baba Gboin. Jide Oshokoya, the chairperson of the club boasts; “it’s going to be the mother of all shows to celebrate this great Fuji musician. We must appreciate our artists when they are still alive to see how much they are loved.”

IKEJA Anambra issues free identity Olamide, others for Obesere Buhari appoints Kari as Commissioner for cards to motorists Fans’ Club Anambra State Government yesterday All is set for the first anniversary Insurance N EWS I N BRIEF

ST

2 The number of penalty goals scored by Colombia in Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Fifa.com

President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR has approved the appointment of Alhaji Mohammed Kari as the new Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

His appointment was conveyed in a letter signed by the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi.

He succeeds Mr. Fola Daniel whose second and final tenure as Commissioner lapsed on July 31, 2015.

Until his current appointment, Kari was the Deputy Commissioner for Insurance (Technical) in the Commission. The appointment is with immediate effect.

N332.55m

384

The total capital importation value of the Telecommunication sector in 2011.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

The number of refugees in South Africa at the beginning of 2010.

Source: Blatantworld.com

Ooni: Traditionalists declare 7-day ‘Oro Festival’ Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

A

s the death of Ooni Of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, remains a cloudy matter in the face of all and sundry, the traditional festival called “Oro” has been declared in Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yorubas.

Saturday Telegraph investigations revealed that declaration of the festival would last seven days and that within the period inhabitants and residents of the town who are girls and women must not stay beyond 7p.m. of each day before the expiration of the tradition.

Informed sources who preferred anonymity revealed that violators of the order would face the consequence and charged affected people in the ancient town to comply in their own interest.

It was gathered that traditionalists would use the period of the festival to appease the gods and perform necessary rituals

that would make the town to be more peaceful and at the same time avert looming danger in its environs.

The reason for the festival declaration was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report but Saturday Telegraph gathered that this might not be unconnected with the recent happenings in town.

However, sources insisted that the “Oro Festival” did not have anything to do with the cloudy situation over the Ooni’s death, claiming that it only coincided with the festival.

He said: “There is a door that remained closed during the life time of a sitting monarch and since the door remained closed, it means that the monarch is presumed to be alive.

“The closure of markets to business and ringing of a special bell to announce the death of the monarch are two major significant signs to show that a monarch has joined his ancestors and these are yet to be done.”

APC faults INEC’s request to relocate Taraba tribunal Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

T

Rescue workers towing a taxi car and a tricycle at the scene of a bomb blast near Gamboru vegetable market, where eight persons were killed and several others injured in Maiduguri, Borno State …yesterday

PHOTO-NAN

PDP staff call for resignation of NWC members Onyekachi Eze

S ABUJA

taff of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have called for the immediate resignation of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The staff under the umbrella of PDP Staff Welfare Association, at a press conference yesterday also accused the NWC members of squandering the sum of N12 billion belonging to the party in nine months.

The staff who addressed the media against the background of the termination of the appointment of about 50 per cent of their members by the NWC, said the intervention of the anti-graft agencies is necessary before the party leadership “finally takes the party to the grave yard.”

Chairman and Secretary of the group, Ngozi Nzeh and Dan Ochu-Baiye, noted that the political fortunes of the PDP have continued to

dwindle since the coming on board of the present NWC in March 2012.

But the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo and the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, dismissed the allegations as baseless and nonsense.

“They are free to make allegations. We have asked them to bring letters from their state chairmen to prove they are loyal to the party. All these are diversionary and we are not bothered,” Metuh said in a telephone interview.

He described the allegations as curious and wondered why it came at a time the party was demanding for the removal of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

PDP had requested the few staff retained to obtain letters of confirmation of

loyalty to the party from their respective state party chairmen.

Apart from accusing the NWC members of fraud, the staff added that the leadership has lost all moral right to remain in office as they allegedly were dragging the PDP to extinction.

The angry workers also alleged that the NWC compelled delegates to the last presidential convention to pay a levy of N10,000 each, which they said amounted to over N1 billion which was allegedly paid into a private account.

“Never in the glorious history of our great party has its fortunes been so hopelessly mismanaged by an inept and dishonest group whose sworn mission is to permanently destroy and liquidate the lofty organisation that mid-wife the current democratic dispensation.

“The current National Working Committee is only hanging on because of the obscene and bizarre bazaar

which they have subjected the purse of the party to.

Millions of PDP members are in great pains with the current reality of how the party which in the recent past paraded the most decent and nationalistic Nigerians is now being run aground by a patently incompetent and self centred sets of NWC members."

he Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in the last election, Aishat Alhassan, yesterday faulted a request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the relocation of the election tribunal to the state.

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bilkachuwa, empowered under the constitution to constitute election tribunals in respect of disputed elections, had set up the Taraba State Governorship Tribunal in Abuja owing to security challenges in the state.

INEC, in a motion, however, challenged the sitting of the tribunal in Abuja on the ground that the tribunal ought to sit in the state where the election was held.

The electoral body also noted that the state’s legis-

lative election tribunal was currently sitting in Jalingo, the state capital, praying the tribunal to relocate to the state.

In a counter-argument, counsel to Alhassan and APC, Mahmud Magaji (SAN) faulted INEC’s request but wondered why INEC was more concerned about the location of the tribunal than the other respondents.

He also wondered why INEC, with its headquarters in Abuja, was not comfortable with the tribunal’s sitting in Abuja.

Magaji also argued that since INEC was, by its motion, challenging the Court of Appeal President's exercise of her constitutional power, it should go before the Federal High Court.

While urging the tribunal to note the decisions of the Akwa Ibom and Rivers states governorship tribunals in similar motions, Magaji urged the tribunal to dismiss the motion by INEC.

Capital Oil moves against fraudulent marketers Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

T

he management of Capital Oil yesterday declared that it had banned fraudulent Independent Marketers from lifting petroleum products from its terminals until they comply with the directive to deliver products at designated locations and sell at government approved and regulated prices.

The ban came on the heels of an allegation made by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IP-

MAN) factional President, Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, that the Chairman of Capital Oil, Chief Ifeanyi Uba, was responsible for the crisis in the association.

Announcing the ban in a statement issued in Abuja, the company lamented the unpatriotic and fraudulent activities of some petroleum marketers who load petroleum products at its terminal and resell the allocated product at exorbitant prices.

The statement read: “It has come to our notice the unpatriotic activities of some

petroleum marketers who load petroleum products at our terminal and resell the allocated product at exorbitant prices. “Unscrupulous practices such as these ultimately affect the citizens of our country as products are sold at some locations above the fixed price of N87 per litre for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

“Our company is committed to making petroleum products available to Nigerians at the prices stipulated by the relevant government agencies."

1 AUGUST 2015

'10 bomb blast incidents claimed 56 in Gombe' Ben Ngwakwe Gombe

T

he Medical Director of Gombe State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Reuben Maifantaya Ardo, yesterday said the hospital had recorded 10 incidents of bomb blasts which affected 230 persons, with 95 admitted and 135 treated and discharged while 56 were brought in dead.

Speaking with journalists in Gombe, Ardo said a total of nine patients were referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital, while three patients from Tudun Wada bomb blast were also referred to Flossy Orthorpaedic Hospital in Gombe with all the medi-

cal expenses fully paid by the state government through the Drugs Revolving Fund (DRF) of the Ministry of Health.

He appealed to the state government to provide emergency drugs, which would be kept in the facilities to handle emergency cases instead of rushing to DRF. Besides, he urged the government to provide Trauma and Orthorpaedic Unit in the hospital for the management of trauma and accidents and disaster cases in the state.

He said: “The first thing the Federal Government has done right is the way and manner they handled Ebola crisis in Nigeria.”

Appeal Court voids Kogi tribunal judgement Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

T

he Court of Appeal, Abuja Division yesterday voided the dismissal of the petition of Senator Smart Adeyemi by the Kogi State National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Lokoja.

The appellate court faulted the hasty ways and manners the petition was thrown out by the tribunal headed by Justice Akpan Ikpeme on June 18 on technicalities that were not back up by laws.

A retrial of the petition was ordered by the court after it has been restored and that the trial must be accelerated conducted within the time allowed by section 185 of the 1999 constitution which stipulates that all petitions must be heard and judgment delivered within 180 days.

Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by Adeyemi, the Appeal Court knocked the tribunal for relying heavily on technicalities to determine the petition and ordered a retrial on merit in the interest of substantial justice.

Justice Mohammed

Adume who delivered the unanimous judgment of the three-man panel of Justices disagreed with tribunal that the petition was not filed within the 21 days frame allowed by law.

The appellate court also rejected the position of the tribunal that the response of the petitioner to the reply of the defendant (Dino Melaye) was filed seven days after being served with the reply as against the five days allowed by law.

Justice Adume held that there was no affidavit evidence from the bailiff of the tribunal that the reply of Melaye to the petition was served on the petitioner on May 13 as held against the petitioner by the tribunal.

“From the available record, the petitioner was reportedly served with the response of the defendant within 26 minutes the response was filed at the registry of the tribunal but for all intent and purposes, it is practically impossible for the petitioner to have been served with the response within 26 minutes more so, when the contact address of the petitioner is outside the tribunal premises in Lokoja.

Stop attacking Tinubu, Arewa chieftain cautions northerners Temitope Ogunbanke

T

he National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Ado Dansudu, has cautioned northern leaders and politicians against attacking the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He said northerners should be grateful to Tinubu for playing crucial role in the emergence of a northerner as the president, nothing that President Muhammadu Buhari would not have emerged as the APC

presidential candidate and president during the March 28 presidential election if Tinubu and the South-West did not support him.

Speaking to Saturday Telegraph in an interview, Dansudu also took a swipe at those blaming Tinubu for the leadership tussle in the National Assembly, saying it was unfair for anybody to link the APC national leader to the crisis among the federal lawmakers, considering his position in the ruling party and contribution to Nigeria’s democracy.

News Extra

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

BIRNIWA 40,000 children immunised against polio in Jigawa

NEWS IN BRIEF

ST

No fewer than 41,379 children have been immunised against polio virus in Birniwa local government area of Jigawa in the last round of immunisation.

The Information Officer for the council, Malam Daudu Sulaiman, who said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Dutse, said the council targeted 36,820 children for the exercise, but was able to immunised 41,379.

He also said that 13 non-compliance cases were recorded during the exercise, resulting in the non-immunisation of 15 children in the council.

Daudu, however, said all the noncompliance cases were later resolved with the intervention of traditional rulers and religious leaders in the area.

133.28m

The total number of active lines of Nigeria in August 2014.

Source: ncc.gov.ng

YOLA Adamawa okays N15bn for projects

Adamawa State Government yesterday said it had embarked on series of development projects worth about N15 billion.

The Chief of Staff to Governor Muhammed Jibrilla Bindow, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abba Jimeta, who said this while addressing traditional rulers in Yola, said the administration since inception had awarded contracts for about 25 rural and township roads.

He also said the government had set up a committee under the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Martins Babale, who visited key hospitals in Yola, Mubi, Jada and Numan for total rehabilitation by a Chinese company.

“Work will also resume at the abandoned Yola International Hotel and Stadium; we have reached agreement with the contractors.

Surely there will be something to celebrate when we clock 100 days,” Abba said.

51

FCT FG declares Aug 24, 25 Diaspora Days

The Federal Government has declared August 24 and 25 as the Diaspora Days to recognise Nigerians in the Diaspora as important stakeholders in national development.

A statement issued by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (OSGF), Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, said: “The event, slated to hold at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, will be declared opened and closed by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

According to the statement, the 2015 Diaspora Day celebration will be marked with a National Diaspora Day and Conference with the theme, “Diaspora and Nigeria Change Agenda”.

4

The number of goals conceded by Argentina in Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Fifa.com

22.92m The total population of Australia in 2012.

Source: Un.org

AfDB raises $830m for infrastructure devt in Africa

A

Andrew Iro Okungbowa

l ‘Tourism has impacted on Nigeria, South Africa economies’

frica50, a platform of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has raised about $830 million (about N163.47 billion) to support accelerated infrastructure development in Africa.

A statement issued by the bank in Lagos yesterday, said the disclosure of the mobilisation of the fund was made at the Constitutive General Assembly of Africa50 held on Wednesday in Casablanca, Morocco.

It said 20 African countries and the AfDB subscribed to the fund and listed them as Nigeria, Benin, Cameroun, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Others were Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Gambia and Togo.

The statement stated that first tranche of the subscription was available to only

African countries, while the second and subsequent tranches of subscription for equities would be thrown open to other countries.

Also, the outgoing President of AfDB, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, has said the large response of African countries and their financial commitments are testimonies to shared vision on new ways toward bridging the continent’s infrastructure deficit.

“Africa50 will be a step change for infrastructure financing and development in Africa,” Kaberuka, who is also Chairman of Africa50 Board of Directors, said.

He said the significance of Africa50 was to mobilise long-term savings within and outside Africa for the financing of commercially viable infrastructure projects across Africa.

“Africa50’s medium term capitalisation is projected to hit three billion

dollars,” he said.

Meanwhile, the contribution of tourism to the economic growth and development of Nigeria and South Africa’s economic has been lauded even as both countries have been urged to continue to strengthen their partnership in order for tourism to reduce the scourge of unemployment and poverty plaguing the two countries.

The South Africa ConsulGeneral to Nigeria, Ambassador Mokgethi Monaisa, who said this while declaring open the South African Tourism West Africa Trade Workshop/Roadshow held in Nigeria, said: “It is, without doubt, that tourism is making a huge contribution to Nigeria and South Africa’s economies and as such is creating hope and opportunity for many people in both countries.”

Monaisa, who said the roadshow was part of

SAT’s effort to further the partnership between it and Nigeria as source market, added that the two days event, which ended yesterday with a Lagos City Tour organised by the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), was attended by key travel operators and SAT’s team from South Africa and a host of operators in Nigeria.

He said tourism was: “Arguably the sector of economy with the greatest competitive advantage”, adding: “If we continue to work together and do the right things, tourism can do even more to reduce unemployment and eradicate poverty.”

To draw home his point, he revealed that tourism contributed no less than 9.4 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of his country last year while one in every 10 jobs was supported by tourism.

L-R: DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo; the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi (II) and Group Managing Director of Viko, Mr. Lukky Kalu, during Mbanefo’s courtesy call on the Emir in his palace in Kano…recently

52

News Extra

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Fear grips candidates over WAEC's threat S

Mojeed Alabi

ome of the candidates of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in the last West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) whose state governments are indebted to the examination body have expressed their fear over the body's threat to withhold their results.

WAEC has threatened not to release the results of states that are indebted to it except they pay up within the next few days before the announcement of the general results of the other candidates.

This is even as major stakeholders in the nation's education sector including the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT); Parents' Teachers' Association (PTA); the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and non-governmental organisations such as the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiative (LYLI), have accused the affected state governors of misplacing their priorities.

The groups have also challenged the states’ commitment towards building a sound future for their youths.

Kolade Abobarin, a student from Ogbaagba in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area of Osun State, is among those currently blaming his parents for withdrawing him from a private school to be enrolled in a public secondary school in the state.

Kolade, 17, whose father lectures at the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, was in 2012 withdrawn from Funmilayo Ige Baderinwa School, Obaagun, Ifelodun Lacal Government Area of the state, and taken to Ataoja School of Science in Osogbo to continue his education from Senior School (SS1).

The attraction, according to the father, Mr. Wale Abobarin, was the free distribution of iPads or "tablet of knowledge" (Opon Imo) to senior school students and the payment of WASSCE fees by Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration.

Today, the pupil, who wrote the last WASSCE, is busy preparing for the postUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination screening of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, where he hopes to study civil engineering, having scaled the first huddle of the UTME by scoring above the 200 cut-off mark.

However, the young Kolade is afraid that WAEC may not release his WASSCE result, which is a major requirement for admission if the state does not pay the money it owes the examination body before the release of the results.

Speaking with Saturday Telegraph, Kolade's father said though, his son is currently in OAU preparing for the test, he is already disturbed by WAEC's verdict, which may affect the outcome of his screening.

He said: "I don't want to say I am regretting my action for withdrawing him from a private school but it is frustrating.

“We only pray the unexpected does not happen and are appealing to the state to fulfill the pledge for the sake of the future of these children.”

Similarly, Oyebamiji Ajara of Bashorun Grammar School in Ibadan, Oyo State, is presently not comfortable with the development. Her fear is that the situation may frustrate her future ambition.

The situation is the same for Bola-

...NUT, PTA, ASUU, others express disappointment, blame governors

Student writting exam

photo: www.premiumtimesng.com

dale Yisau (not real name) of Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Ogun State, whose parents have been mounting pressure on the school management since Monday, to know what fate awaits their son.

On Monday, WAEC had threatened to withhold the results some of its candidates in 19 states who participated in the May/June 2015 WASSCE over non-payment of their registration fees by their state governments.

The head of WAEC's National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu, while addressing the media on the development in its Yaba office in Lagos had urged the affected states to off-set their debts as soon as possible.

He insisted that the Council cannot guarantee that the results of their candidates will be released alongside others.

Eguridu, who said the examination body already owed its supervisors as a result of the development, also added that the many contractors of WAEC are currently being owed lots of money.

According to him, a total of 19 states in the country owe the Council, having not paid the entry fees for states government-sponsored candidates for the May/June 2015 WASSCE.

WAEC head office, Yaba, Lagos

Some of the states have been rushing to pay the fees to avoid the impending public embarrassment

"Sadly, the states have been nonchalant towards the payment of the debt, which amount to well over N4 billion.

“As I speak to you now, we are cashstrapped as a result of the delay in offsetting the registration fees owed the Council by some states.

“As a result, we are finding it difficult to meet our financial obligations, particularly to our supervisors, examiners and service providers.

“We have written to the affected state governments without any response. The poor response is threatening the smooth

operations of the Council,” Eguridu said.

But in his reaction to the development, the immediate past Chairman of NUT in Lagos State, Mr. Thomson Idowu, accused the concerned state governments of misdirecting their energies and resources Idowu noted that the states concern never had good intention for the children of the poor and that their decision to pay WASSCE fee lacked noble intention but was mere political posturing.

According to him, the innocent children if allowed to experience the psychological trauma associated with withholding of results may not forgive the system for as long as they lived, "because they never solicited for this gesture from the governors in the first instance."

He said: "The danger in their inability to pay will constitute to the life of the affected candidates will be unquantifiable, and the indelible mark will stay longer on their minds that it will be so difficult to erase."

Idowu berated the chairman of the Governors' Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulazeez Yari, who was reported to have said that the inability of the states to pay up the debt was as

Stranded JAMB candidates and their parents at the new WAEC office at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos photo: punchng.com

News Extra 53

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

to withhold results

a result of mix-ups in identifying the details of the monies owed.

He said Yari's reason was very unreasonable, insisting that the governor was only justifying the people's allegation that the whole idea of sponsorship was just an avenue for the governors to loot the treasury.

"How can a governor say such a thing? Was he saying there was no verification before the registration?

“Was he saying the government never knew the budget before giving approval? Does it mean the Ministries of Education and Finance never harmonised before deciding to take up the burden?

“Was that the first time they would be sponsoring? The reason is dirty and the governor deserves knocks for coming to the public to say that," Idowu stated.

Similarly, the NUT chairman in Osun State, Mr. Saka Adesiyan, said the damage will be too great if WAEC's decision was allowed to come to pass.

Adesiyan, who blamed the governors for paying lip service to the education sector, said if the state could no longer fulfill their obligation to the education sector, the foundation for national development was already in ruin.

...another set of students in an exam hall photo: www.premiumtimesng.com

Also speaking with Saturday Telegraph, the Southwest coordinator of the PTA, Deacon Olusoji Adams, said the governors were not being realistic if they claim they do not have enough resources to pay the fees.

According to Adams, it is only the children of the poor who attend public schools and their parents were those put under the sun and in the rain to monitor the governors' votes at the risk of their lives.

He pleaded with the federal government to quickly intervene and command the defaulting states to fulfill their obligations, saying the nation will be sitting on a keg of gunpowder if the "innocent children were made to suffer the punishment for crime they never committed."

Also pleading for the federal government's intervention on the matter was the chairman of the Lagos Zone of ASUU, Dr. Sola Nasir, who blamed the governors for what he termed "misplacement of priority".

According to Nasir, while it is not arguable that physical infrastructure should be invested on by the state, the real bedrock for national development are both education and health sectors.

He insisted that if quality education is not given to the people they would come back to vandalise the infrastructure built by the state no matter how beautiful.

Nasir, therefore, appealled to both WAEC and concerned states, to resolve the issue within the window period before the release of results.

The executive director of LYLI, Mr. Lekan Oladapo, criticised the affected state governors for what he termed failure to secure their various states.

According to Oladapo, the security votes being approved for the governors was not just for providing physical security for themselves and their families "as they currently do" but to secure the state by providing essential things that will make insecurity difficult in the states.

He said one of such was to ensure that qualitative education is provided for the youth so that they do not become weapons of crime for the states.

In a similar vein, the secretary of Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Mr. Michael Ogundele, said the new development is just one of those contradictions of a capitalist system.

“The working class people are usually at the receiving end of the state's bad policies,” he stated.

Ogundele, who said the rot in Nigeria's education, was allowed to set in because the governors and the elite class do not have their children in public schools.

He called on the affected candidates, their parents and members of the civil societies to organise a mass movement against the governors of the affected states.

Meanwhile, investigations by Saturday Telegraph have revealed that some of the states have been rushing to pay the fees to avoid the impending public embarrassment.

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, for instance, has revealed that he had on Tuesday signed the cheque for N496 million for the payment of the fee.

Amosun, who did not give specific reason for the delay, hinted that the state's wage bill had jumped to about N9 billion monthly.

Why we can’t pay WAEC fees, by states � Wike blames Amaechi for unpaid debt, promises to pay up

By our correspondents

A

s controversy continues to trail the non-payment of registration fees of candidates sponsored by some states in the May/June West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) examinations, Rivers and Osun state governments have advanced reasons why they did not meet up with their financial obligations.

This is just as Delta and Akwa Ibom governments kept mum when their reactions were sought on the debt put at over N4 billion by the examination body last week Monday.

Also, the Imo State government said it was not sure of its status and insisted that WAEC had not approached it on the debt.

On its part, the Rivers State government has promised to offset its debt. Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Nyesom Wike, said that the debt was part of the debt left behind by former Governor Chiibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

He said that the Wike administration was committed to human capacity development, as well as the overall development of the state, noting that it could not achieve that without paying serious attention to education.

Inko-Tariah said that the governor had demonstrated his commitment to education by releasing funds for the state’s stranded students on scholarship abroad.

He said: “This was caused by former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. That was how students on scholarship abroad suffered until Governor Nyesom Wike paid. The debt owed WAEC was inherited from the Amaechi administration, but it will be sorted out.”

Also, the Osun State government has admitted that it owes WAEC but said it will soon offset the debt.

Speaking through the Director, Beareu of Communication, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the government attributed nonpayment of its registration fees to the dwindling monthly allocation from the federal government.

Okanlawon who affirmed that the state would not be among those whose students’ results would be withheld by WAEC, said every necessary arrangement was being made to meet WAEC’s request on the matter.

When contacted, officials of the Akwa Ibom state government refused to comment on the matter, an indication that the state may be one of the debtors.

The state Commissioner for Education, Mr Aniekan Akpan, neither answered the many calls to his mobile phone nor responded to the text messages.

In his reaction, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said he is not aware whether the state is among the debtors or not.

Okorocha, who spoke with reporters at the Government House, Owerri, said he, “We have not received any letter to that effect and I am not sure we owe WAEC but in the event that the council writes us to that effect, we will pay because education is the biggest industry in Imo State and happens to be one of the focal points of my administration.

"I can tell you that no letter from WAEC has come to my attention and if they write that we owe them, then we shall do the needful.”

Although in Niger State there was no

official confirmation, a source said the state is among the debtors as the immediate past administration of Muazu Babangida Aliyu did not pay the money in full before the students sat for the examinations.

Efforts to find out the status of the state from the Niger State office of WAEC proved abortive as an official, Mr. Gershon Dandak, declined to make comment.

But the Public Affairs Officer of WAEC in the state, Mr. Yusuf Ari, said the examination body might release the names of the states involved soon.

Although he acknowledged that some of the states had started responding, he said: “We want to give them a little more time and we want to believe they will respect our patience. I can assure you that by the time we release the results, any state that is still owing will be made public."

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has exonerated itself from the debtor states.

The state government in records of activities exclusively obtained by Saturday Telegraph, said that it paid N535,047,000 million for the examination and administrative fees of 42,995 SSIII students, who sat for the West African School Certificate Examination, WASSCE in the state.

According to the report, the state government said in addition to prompt payment of the fees annually, it had been meeting with the WAEC officers and principals of Public Senior Secondary Schools, saying the meeting had served as a forum for education of the principals on their roles in the security and proper conduct of the WASSC examinations.

On its part, the Kaduna State government said it only paid for students who want to sit for NECO exams.

Speaking to our correspondent on Thursday, the immediate past Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali, said that the state usually pays NECO and not WAEC registration fees for its students.

According to him, not every final year secondary school student is eligible to enjoy the privilege. The former commissioner said that only those that get five credits during the qualifying exams for SS2 students benefit from the government’s kind gesture.

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said he has offset the debt owed the WAEC by the state-sponsored candidates.

Amosun, who spoke in Abeokuta during the week, disclosed that he had approved the payment of a sum of N496 million owed the regional examination body.

The examination body is due to release the results of the May/June 2015 WASSCE in two weeks time.

But speaking at the Oba's complex, Governor's Office, Abeokuta during the inauguration of new transition committee chairmen for the 20 local government areas, Amosun said the state was no longer among the WAEC club of debtors.

According to him, he has on Tuesday signed the cheque for payment of N496million being the outstanding registration fees for the state candidates.

Also, Ekiti State is not among the states owing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) fees for the participation of final year students in public secondary schools in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination conducted by the body.

54

Sport Extra

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 august 2015

Ogunlewe is Nigeria’s fastest man Charles Ogundiya

S Warri

eye Ogunlewe on Friday in Warri won the 100m men final at the 2015 edition of the All Nigeria Athletics Championship to become the national champions and the country's fastest man.

Ogunlewe won the race in

10.19secs ahead of OghoOghene Egwero and Jonathan Nmaju who finished second and third with 10.21secs and 10.33secs respectively.

Speaking to Saturday Telegraph after his race, the son of former works minister, Adeseye Ogunlewe, said he would be working hard to do better.

“Metu and Ogho-Oghene are my role models in 100m and it was a happy moment for me finishing ahead of the two of them,” he said.

“There is a lot of room for improvement for me and I am going back to work more on my performance to achieve my goals.”

In some other events

decided as at the time of going to press, Patience Okon George won the women’s 400m in 51.31secs while Chidi Okezie won the men’s 400m in 46.15secs.

Amaka Ogoegbunam became the national champion in women’s 400m hurdles in 55.78secs as Miles Ukaoma won the mens’ in 48.84secs.

Adeolu Johnson Abuja

I

Oke

Nigeria's Al-Farouq Aminu (right) will represent Africa in the NBA match

S’ Africa hosts first NBA match

B

asketball fans across Africa would enjoy live first-ever National Basketball Association game with the fixture of Team World against Team Africa in South Africa.

This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by SuperSport, saying the exhibition match has been scheduled for Saturday (today) at the Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg.

It said the match would enjoy the support of various charity organisations across the continent, adding the ticket had since sold out.

The statement noted that Sudanese, two-time captain of the NBA All Stars, Luol Deng of Miami Heats would lead the pack for Team Africa.

It added that it would be a homecoming of sorts for Team Africa players, whose parents were of Af-

FIFA: Brazil backs Zico

Z

ico has secured the backing of the Brazil Football Federation in his bid to become FIFA's next president.

The Brazil great last month announced his intention to run but admitted he may struggle to attract the five necessary nominations.

Now his home as-

Adekunle Salami adekunles@yahoo.com 08050498539 (sms only)

Tough battle for Olympic teams

A

Uninvited Oke stuns AFN t appears all is not well between Nigeria’s gold medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, Tosin Oke, and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the National Sports Commission.

He however, competed as an uninvited athlete only on Thursday at the national trials in Warri and came out tops. He won with 16.98m to clinch the gold medal and a ticket to the world championship.

Oke, who used to jump for Britain later won the silver medal in the same event at the Glasgow Commonwealth four years later and placed 7th in the world at the last Olympics in London.

Sources said Oke’s saga started during the last Games in Scotland where he had hot exchange of words with some top shots in sports administration.

This, our source said signaled his cold war with the sports big wigs who promised to deal with him in subsequent games.

Since then his calls for support from the AFN during some world championships and Grand prix had been turned down.

Oke, we learnt was denied ticket to the last Nigerian trial and asked if he wants he can come on his bills.

At the last trials in Warri last weekend authoritative sources said that Oke arrived Warri and was given a cold shoulder by the AFN secretary, Olumide Bamiduro, when he asked for his ticket refund.

Sport Slaming

sociation has set the ball rolling, promising to endorse his candidacy if he can secure enough nominations to get on the ballot paper.

"Zico has our support to pursue his candidacy", a statement from CBF president Marco Polo Del

Nero said.

"If he gets the other four signatures, the CBF will back his application."

The 62-year-old said he was "happy with the response," which he called a "kick-start" for his bid to succeed Sepp Blatter.

rica descent.

Some of the players were born on the continent, while a few second generation Africans.

The African Team include, AlFarouq Aminu who plays with Portland Trail Blazers, U.S.; has Nigerian parents.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who plays for Milwaukee Bucks from Greece has his parents from Nigeria.

Nicolas Batum, plays for Charlotte Hornets from France but his parents from were from the Cameroons, Bismack Biyombo, plays for Toronto Raptors had the Democratic Republic of Congo parents.

Nigeria’s Festus Ezeli, who plays for Golden State Warriors, is Nigerian, while Serge Ibaka, who plays for Oklahoma City Thunder, from Congo and Luc Mbah a Moute, plays for Sacramento Kings, is Camerounian.

Walcott, Cazorla extend deals

A

rsenal forward Theo Walcott has signed a new four-year deal with the club worth £140,000 a week.

The 26-year-old has scored 50 league goals in 208 appearances since signing from Southampton in 2006 in a deal worth up to £12.5m.

Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla, 30, has also signed a new deal, extending his terms for another two years.

"Both are topquality players who are hugely important and influential to our squad," said manager Arsene Wenger.

t the London 2012 Olympics, Nigeria failed to qualify for the men and women’s football events of the games. The Super Falcons were eliminated by Cameroun while the male team was unable to emerge from the playoffs involving the last eight countries on the continent.

Nigeria is again on a cliff hanger as the men and women’s teams jostle for honours this weekend. The Male team defeated Congo 2-1 in Port Harcourt and will need to avoid a defeat in the return leg especially because of the away goal.

The women team recorded 1-1 draw in Abuja and will need to play high margin draw or get an outright win to progress.

Samson Siasia paraded a bunch of talented players in the first leg. They created many scoring chances but were unable to score more than two. No doubt, the two teams are going to face a stern test in their respective encounters.

Although, I believe a good team can triumph anywhere, it is always good to win home games in a home and away fixture simply because other logistics could hinder the team and the opposition will take advantage. If a travelling team has just a slim advantage and face flight difficulties thereby arriving at the match venue late, the qualification ticket could be lost. If injury occurs before the return leg, the pendulum of advantage could again swing.

The results posted by the two Olympic teams two weeks ago were very disturbing. U-23 coach Siasia requested for a chartered flight to enable the team to surmount any logistics bottlenecks and travel straight to Congo. The NFF was unable to grant that request which I believe was very important. The team travelled on Thursday and might not train for two days (Thursday and Friday) until the players file out to test the turf of the match venue on Saturday. The stop-over is in Addis Ababa was a burden on the players.

It took the team 24 hours to get to Congo from Abuja. To be on the safe side the NFF should have granted the request of Siasia to avoid excuses if things go wrong in Congo.

However, here is an assignment that requires the proficiency of psychologists in the two teams. There is no doubt the crowd in Equatorial Guinea and Congo will not be friendly to these two sides seeking Olympic tickets.

I cannot in any way trust the football federations of the two countries especially that of Equatorial Guinea. The NFF should have officials in place at the two venues to handle the logistics of the respective teams. For example, I expect that the NFF should plan for separate accommodation for the teams. Feeding arrangement for the teams should be handled in a similar way especially from today (Saturday), which is 24 hours to the match. The national U-23 team and the Falcons can never be comfortable with the arrangement of their hosts in crucial matches of this nature. It is Nigeria that plays the big brother role to visiting teams and also exhibits the fair play spirit in keeping with FIFA’s position. Most African teams are always hostile to Nigeria in away games because the country is a threat in the game.

The coaches and players have themselves to blame for the situation we are today. The chance to make the second legs easy was bungled in Nigeria. It is pertinent to state that high level of discipline and concentration is required for success. The players have to be united and focused all through the 90 minutes. They have to play for one another because any mistake could be very costly.

Falcons have a mountain to climb. I leant the Equatorial Guineans played even better in Abuja. They have Nigerian players as well as other foreign players who naturalized in the team. I fear for Nigeria but if the team can brave all the odds, a high score draw of 2-2 or 3-3 could be recorded. It will be difficult to win that ticket. A goalless draw is enough for the home team.

The U-23 male players also have a tough hurdle because the Congolese must score to win and the Siasia team I know is a high scoring side anywhere. I expect them to compete and get a draw or win the match.

In a dicey situation like this, the NFF should also write the Confederation of Africa Football ahead to focus on these games and ensure fair play. The two matches will be played on and off the pitch and if the country is serious about playing football at the Olympics, Nigeria should play the politics.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

1 AUGUST 2015

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DESTINATION

SATURDAY

Sanctity of Truth

Now that stealing is corruption...

p.47

Ekiti: Not exactly the fountain of tourism

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015

Perspectives

N150

Cech

threat for

Mourinho, Chelsea M

Ajibade Olusesan

ost of the past few days have been dominated by jibes between two of the biggest coaches in the English Premier League, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, but the tacticians can take the battle to the pitch when they lead their sides out in the 93rd Community Shield tomorrow (Sunday).

The two coaches have exchanged hot taunts since Mourinho fired the first salvo, claiming Wenger had attempted to buy the EPL title with massive spending in the past few seasons. Wenger hit back at the Portuguese saying that in the final analysis the Blues have spent far more than the Gunners.

The altercations have prepared the ground for the sumptuous season curtain raiser on Sunday and pundits will be keen to see how things pan out at the Wembley Stadium.

Wenger has never defeated any team Mourinho has superintended over; the two coaches have met 12 times with Mourinho running away with victory on six occasions. The six others ended in draws including the last one which ended goalless this April at the Emirates Stadium. Mounrinho’s sides have scored 19 times against Arsenal while Wenger’s side have managed just six against a team managed by his rival.

Once again, Wenger has the opportunity to get one over his old adversary

tomorrow and he is of course buoyed by the arrival of goalkeeper Petr Cech whose capture by the Gunners has been described as a major coup.

The 33-year-old swapped west London for north London this summer in a £10 million deal after playing second fiddle to 23-year-old Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea last season.

It is safe to describe Cech as one of the most successful goalies in Chelsea’s history after helping the team to four EPL titles, UEFA Champions League, three FA Cup and Europa Cup. He is also a winner of two Community Shield titles.

He is a three-time Premier League Golden Glove winner. He also once held the record for most minutes (1,025) without conceding a goal in the Premier League which he set during the 2004-05 season.

The Czech Republic international arrived Emirates with plenty of experience and is capable of saving the Gunners in the days of their trouble.

He has reasons to be fired up for this tie. He will be desperate to prove to his former boss that he was wrong to dump him for a younger keeper and to show Courtois he is the master of the trade.

Above all, winning his first silverware for his new side can also be an impetus and with is excellent awareness, distribution accuracy, good timing, commanding presence and deep understanding of Chelsea’s movement and direction he can land Wenger his first win over Mourinho.

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