Saturday, august 22, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

Fatai Rolling Dollar’s wife

TERROR SUSPECT

FG suspends Immigrations boss

My kids and I now beg to eat }13

SATURDAY } 10 Saturday, August 22, 2015 Vol. 2 No. 549

AYO OMIDIRAN

Sanctity of Truth

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N150

Asari Dokubo

buhari’s government deceitful }45

A top socialite A government said it is fightonce begged ing corruption, but we have me for sex }6 Rotimi Amaechi who squandered billions of naira and AJIMOBI a known ISIS boss who got Nigerian visa.

ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR You’re on I did not abscond; I refused to announce your own, PDP tells fictitious result members }5 }8 ABIA NORTH RETURNING OFFICER

Why we stopped paying WAEC fees }8

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Contents | 22.08.15 CONVERSATION

No Rolling Dollars Two years after highlife maestro, Olayiwola Fatai Olagunju, popularly known as Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar, died at 86, one of the wives, Zainab, says it has been a grim experience

}13

INSTYLE

Belting It Up Leather belts for fashionable men are one of those classic accessories you’re unlikely to replace soon if you buy a high quality

}16

SHOWBIZ

Project Benjamin Actor and television host Joseph Benjamin speaks about hosting MTN Project Fame for seven seasons and having two children even though he’s single

}19

SPORT

Eyes on Beijing As the International Association of Athletics Federations’ World Championships open today in Beijing a report on Nigeria’s medals prospects

}30

FEATURES

Clinical Finish Ayo Osonuga, a Nigerian medical student in University of Cape Coast, Ghana, gives practical meaning to graduating in flying colours after winning 14 of the institution’s 22 available awards

}34

DESTINATON

On Lander Brothers’ Trail Lander Brothers’ Anchorage ought to be a major tourist playground in Asaba where a compelling part of Nigeria’s history can be relived. But the name doesn’t quite resonate here

}42 Plus: Street Diary 10 | Investigation 23

SATURDAY

Comment

Tracking Benjamin Edim’s killers

rief is smudged across the faces of family and friends of Lieutenant Benjamin Edim, a young Army officer who lost his life supposedly on a mission to capture kidnappers in the Ugwunabo area of Abia state. He was attached to 144 Battalion of the Nigeria Army in Asa. Lt. Edim, head of administration of the military base, was billed to lead soldiers to rescue a kidnap victim on Sunday July 26 this year. Events leading to his eventual death did not sound tidy. Suddenly the driver attached to him disappeared. An advance party had proceded to Ugwunabo, the subaltern was therefore on his way to join in the operation. In the inexplicable absence of his driver, he drove to meet up with his troops. That was the picture his father, Charles Edim, himself a retired Warrant Officer, painted last week when he addressed a press conference. According to the senior Edim, he had information that his son was killed by his own troops. The battalion also confirmed the findings and that has led to suspicion and protest. Commander of the 144 Battalion, Lt. Col K.U. Sidi, in the words of Edim claimed that the officer was killed by friendly fire in the course of rescue operation. In the military it is not unusual for such mistakes to take place. However, Charles Edim has ruled out mistake in the death of his son. He believes his son was murdered. His own version is that some people within the unit did not feel comfortable with the uncompromising attitude of the lieutenant and might have decided to get rid of him. He cited the absence of a driver when needed and signs on the body of the dead. Friends and some colleagues seem to agree with the father. Lt. Edim was said to be a hardworking , no nonsense man who would bend over backwards, for love of friends and fatherland. The father added that when he saw the body in the morgue there were about six bullet holes and lacerations raising fears that the truth has not been told yet concerning the manner of his son’s demise and he also raised questions.

One big question is how soldiers could not identify one of their own, their head of administration. Why he was left behind by the advance party is another sore point. To think of the fact that this rescue operation took place a little after mid-day . We do know that soldiers are well trained in weapons handling and there is a world of difference between accidental discharge and friendly fire. There is also no distinction between a trigger happy soldier and murderer. The alleged defence put forward by 144 Battalion should also interest higher authorities. This is one challenge Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Burutai must tackle headlong. He is well at home with that battalion having served as Brigade Commander I Port Harcourt which is a stone throw away from Asa. Both Units fall under the 82 Division. Lt. Edim’s death must be investigated to unearth if indeed it was the type of friendly fire that his Commanding Officer explained or pure daylight murder as alleged by his family. This will go a long way in restoring confidence within military circles. It is painful that an officer who served successfully in Mali, a brave warrior who spent close to three years fighting Boko Haram in the North-East would just go down because he was involved in an operation to bust kidnappers. It is even more painful that while Lt. Edim died, none of the kidnappers was killed. Reports have it that they were only shot in the legs in order not to escape arrest and possibly justice. The young officer has left behind an equally young widow. They got married just 11 months ago and she is in her final year in the university. If news came that her husband died gallantly in the battle field, it would be easier to bear the pain. No sane person would accept that a decorated officer was wasted in the bid to grab local kidnappers. This case must not be swept under the carpet. Defence Headquarters must wade into the matter. At this time when brave and dedicated officers are needed, we must not allow our men of honour to be wasted like condemned criminals.

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

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

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

News

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22 AUGUST 2015

Buhari writes RMAFC over pay cut Onwuka Nzeshi and Isa Abdulwahab

P ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari has written formally to the Revenue Mobilsation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in respect of the voluntary 50 per cent cut in his remuneration and that of the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The move to effect the pay cut of the two leaders followed criticisms that it cannot be effected by a verbal pronouncement and might have been a mere gimmick by the new government to endear itself to the masses. In the mean time, Saturday Telegraph learnt that RMAFC was gearing up to roll out a new revenue allocation formula and a new pay package for political office holders in the country. Buhari and Osinbajo had about a month ago, offered to forfeit half of their salaries as a way of cutting down the cost of governance in the face of declining oil revenue and general downturn in the economy. The sacrifice has, however, elicited mixed reactions with some Nigerians faulting the process and doubting the sincerity of purpose

l We’re working on it, says commission of the action. Available data from RMAFC shows that the annual salary of Nigeria’s president is currently set at N14,058,820 including allowances. Similarly, the salary of the Vice-President is currently pegged at N12,126,290 per annum. Both men would receive half of their entitlements when the pay cut takes effect. Head of the Public Relations Department at the RMAFC, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, who confirmed receipt of the President’s letter to Saturday Telegraph on the telephone, also said the commission had started working on it. He, however, did not divulge the

details of the letter. Mohammed also disclosed that RMAFC was also working on a new template for an appropriate remuneration package for political office holders and certain category of public officers that will reflect the yearning of Nigerians. “Yes, we have received a formal letter from Mr. President about halving his salary and that of the Vice-President but I can’t disclose the contents of that letter to you even though it’s already in the public domain that he (Buhari) was going to forfeit half of his salary.” “We are working hard to come up with a review of remuneration package

and we are going to interact with a cross-section of Nigerians. We shall be interfacing with officials of the states, Federal Government, local governments, the media and civil society groups across the six geopolitical zones in the country. All these views would be aggregated before we arrive at an acceptable benchmark,” Mohammed said. In the wake of the criticisms that trailed the announcement of the pay cut last month, RMAFC had endorsed the move by both leaders and said though individuals cannot fix their salaries, it cannot stop the duo or any other political office holder from cutting down on their salaries and

allowances. Some experts had argued that the President and the Vice-President had no power to cut their emoluments since it was the constitutional responsibility of RMAFC to fix the salaries and allowances of political and public office holders. At that time, RMAFC acknowledged the constitutional provisions on the subject but was quick to defend the right of the individual to make sacrifices. “The constitution is clear on who determines the salaries and wages of public office holders. However, we cannot stop any political office holder who wants to do charity

Buhari appoints Obasanjo envoy to Guinea Bissau Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari has appointed former President Olusegun Obasanjo as Nigeria's special envoy to Guinea Bissau. Obasanjo is to help mediate in finding solution to the crisis rocking

the country following the dismissal of Guinea Bissau's Prime Minister, Mr. Domingos Simoes Pereira and her cabinet by President Jose Mario Vaz. A statement by the special adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the decision of sending the former President is a demonstration of

true African solidarity and brotherhood. Obasanjo embarked on the first leg of his mission by consulting with the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Macky Sall of Senegal in Dakar yesterday. “It is regrettable that

while Chief Obasanjo was still consulting with President Sall, President Jose Mario Vaz of Guinea Bissau proceeded to appoint and swear-in a new Prime Minister in the person of Mr. Baciro Dja, a development that has worsened the political situation in his country,” the statement stated.

from giving up part of their entitlements. “It is a voluntary thing. Before the President took the step, the governor of Kaduna State and another governor had also announced 50 per cent reduction in their salaries and allowances. “Since we have started the process for the review of the salaries and allowances of political office holders in the country, we take these actions as their inputs towards the review exercise,” the commission’s spokesman said. It would be recalled that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008 announced 20 per cent reduction in his salary and allowances and those of his cabinet members. When he realised that he had no power to fix the salaries and wages of his cabinet members, Yar Adua directed RMAFC to officially undertake the review of the emoluments of public office holders. However, when the exercise was concluded and a new bill was sent to the National Assembly seeking a review of the emolument of public office holders, the move ran into a hitch as the bill never sailed through the legislative mill.

22 AUGUST 2015

Visa saga: FG suspends Immigration boss Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

resident Muhamnadu Bubari yesterday, suspended the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. David Shikfu Parradang from office. The suspension came as federal government began to unravel the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a Nigerian Visa to Sheik Ahmad alAssir, a terrorist in Lebanon. Al-Assir, a Lebanese Sunni Muslim extremist and a radical cleric, was arrested by security officials at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday, August 15, 2015 as he attempted to depart that country for Nigeria through Cairo, Egypt. The visa was said to had been issued on a fake Palestinian passport. Officials of the Immigration Service had on Thursday absolved the service of any blame on the controversial visa insisting that the NIS does not have Immigration desk at the Nigeria Mission in Lebanon and could not have had a hand in the visa allegedly issued to the terrorist. But it appears that the Presidency was not pleased by the explanation. In a letter a letter signed by the Director of Press, Ministry of Interior, Mr Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji, the federal government said, Parradang's suspension was with immediate effect and would be indefinite. The letter also directed that the Deputy Comptroller General, Mr. Martin Kure Abeshi of Works and Procurement Directorate should take over the affairs of the office. Saturday Telegraph investigations revealed that the Nigeria Immigration Service had no hand in the visa issued to a terrorist in Lebanon as the Service has no desk in the Mission in Lebanon. According to a source,

who spoke on the condition of anonymity there are three agencies involved in the issuance of visa namely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Security Attaches and the Immigration Service. The source stated that with the absence of Immigration Desk at the Lebanon Mission it becomes obvious that the Service didn't know anything about the visa. The Immigration service has been under attack since the news that the Nigeria Visa was issued to the fugitive terrorist. Another senior staff of the Service who also spoke on the condition of anonymity explained the process of visa issuing. "In an ideal Embassy, Consulate or High Commission, the Head of Consulate who is the head of the Mission, either an Ambassador or High Commissioner is the final authority on this issue. If you an American and you are applying for Nigeria Visa, you don't apply to the Immigration Officer, you apply to the Ambassador or the High Commissioner. So, wherever this person got this Visa from, he or she must have applied to the Ambassador or High Commissioner and it is depended on what the person said he was coming to Nigeria to do. "We have different attaches in the Embassy and they all do briefs in respect of application on the ratification of the Ambassador or High Commissioner as the case may be and they may say this case is a good case for them to issue a Visa for the person to come into Nigeria. "So, it is a team. The Immigration officer is looking at the Immigration status of the person, the Intelligence Agencies at the Embassy will carry out the background check on the person and it is their briefs that the Head of Mission looks at for approval."

Troops kill Boko Haram fighters in Borno –Army Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he Nigerian Army has announced that troops of 7 Division in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have successfully cleared Gudumbali town, Kukawa Local Government Area, of Boko Haram fighters, after killing many of them. It, however, said it lost two soldiers of the Explosive Ordinance of the 5 Brigade and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), during an operation to clear mines buried by Boko Haram between Marte and

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Kerenoa junction. A statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, said: “As part of the continued offensive operations against the Boko Haram terrorists, troops of 7 Brigade have today entered and cleared Gudumbali town, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. “During the operation, quite a number of the terrorists were killed and their weapons and equipment were destroyed. The troops are currently doing clearance operations in the general area.”

ILORIN BIRNIN KEBBI PDP faults Ahmed’s N5bn loan Kebbi orders payment of The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July salaries to LG workers

NEWS IN BRIEF

Kwara State has faulted the rationale behind the state government’s decision to borrow N5 billion to pay the arrears of local governments’ staff salaries. The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Rex Olawoye, made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin. Olawoye, who challenged Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, to explain what the monthly Federal Allocations to the councils have been used for, maintained that the N3.5 billion Federal Allocation to the 16 local governments in the state for the month of June was adequate to offset the three months arrears of salaries allegedly owed council staff. He said this was aside the state statutory allocation of N5.2 billion from the Federation Account for the same month.

€866m The total value of Liverpool FC in 2015. Source: Forbes.com

The Acting Governor of Kebbi State, Samaila Yombe, yesterday directed the immediate payment of the July salaries of local government employees in the state. He also directed that payment of salaries for August should be completed on August 24. Yombe, who gave the directive when he spoke with journalists after an emergency meeting with officials of the state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Birnin Kebbi, said the delay in the payment was unfortunate and condemned the conduct of local government payment departments over the delay. He said: “Government will not hesitate to deal with officials who engage in shortchanging innocent workers of their hard earned monthly take home".

140,000

The projected number of Americans above 65 years with Alzheimer’s in Washington State by 2025. Source: Alz.org

FCT APC NWC member denies lobbying for ministerial post

National Auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief George Moghalu yesterday disassociated himself from the lobbying of ministerial slot on his behalf by some group. According to him, he has not engaged the services of any person or group to lobby on his behalf either covertly or overtly, stating that his antecedents over many years in politics are sufficient to speak for him if ever the need arose. In a statement he signed in Abuja, the he stated that appointments into the Executive arm of the Federal Government are the sole prerogative of the President Muhammadu Buhari, which he believes the President will appointment the best qualified to execute the duties of the office they are assigned.

The estimated deployment of electricity (TWh/year) in small hydro market area of CIS (ex-USSR countries) in 2010. Source: Unesco.org

L-R: Senior Vice-President Maersk Group African Region, Mr. Lars Reno Jakobsen; Group Chief Executive Officer, A.P.MOLLER-MAERSK, Mr. Nils Andersen; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; former Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan; Chief Executive Officer, African and Middle-East Region, APM Terminals, Mr. Peder Sondergaard and the country’s Manager of APM Terminals, Mr. David Skov, during a meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…yesterday PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Graft war: You’re on your own, PDP tells members OUR POSITION

PDP rules out legal option to defend aides of former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration. Onyekachi Eze

T ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have ruled out legal option to defend aides of the former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who are being hunted by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for corruption. The party had raised the alarm that Buhari's anti-corruption war is onesided and is being targeted against its members. Among aides of past administration who had been quizzed since the May 29 handover were Jonathan's former Chief Security Offi-

cer (CSO), Gordon Obuah, who spent some days at the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS); and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, who was placed under house arrest by operatives of DSS for two days. Also figures were being bandied by some government officials, especially Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimhole, as being stolen under Jonathan's watch. But the Acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, regretted that only stalwarts of the party were being investigated for corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). “So far, statistics show clearly that the EFCC has only arrested members of our party, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) former governors are left alone. A government so serious about anti-corruption

crusade, cannot be one-sided. It must be holistic. “Have they given former APC governors a clean bill of health? Is this aimed to ensure that PDP doesn’t exist as opposition party, that’s why they are clamping down on ex-governors and ministers? “We are ready to play our constitutional role. It is time for the APC to give its best in governance and stop intimidation and harassment of opposition party members,” Secondus stated. A source at the PDP National Secretariat said the party is not considering raising legal team to defend members against Buhari's anti-corruption war. “For what? This is an individual affair. PDP cannot defend corruption. It is like defending armed robbery. Anybody accused of corruption should raise his or her own legal team but not the party,” he said. PDP National Legal Ad-

viser, Victor Yusuf Kwon, in a telephone interview, refused to comment on the issue. “Our position is in the public domain; there have been newspaper publications on this, and that remains the position of the party,” he said. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who was outside the country, could not be reached at the time of filling this report.

change of name

NNANYEREOZO

I formerly known and addressed as MISS EGBE PATRICIA STEPHEN now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. NNANYEREOZO AMAKA PATRICIA. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

SHERIKETU

I, formerly known as FAITH SHERIKETU MICHEAL, now wish to be known and addressed as FAITH SUCCESS MICHEAL. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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22 AUGUST 2015

Top socialite prostrated and Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, a member of the House of Representatives, came into limelight when she established Omidiran Babes, a female football team. In this interview with ADEKUNLE SALAMI and WAHEED BAKARE, she spoke about her experience growing up in a polygamous family.

Omidiran

What was your growing up like? I grew up in a polygamous family. My father was a cleric so to say. He was a politician. He was into cocoa business and I think he got into politics through that. From what I heard, he met Chief Obafemi Awolowo during that time and when politics came up, he was one of the few people that entered into politics very early and till he died he was a politician. So, I grew up in a home where we always had people, there was no privacy, we always had a lot of people coming in and going out at any time of the day. In fact, throughout the time I was in primary school, I can’t remember a time that we ever locked our door. Our door was always opened, even if we closed it at night, there will we be no key to lock the door because people will always come in and go out at time. I later psycho analyse myself and realise that sometimes polygamous too has its advantages when it is done very well. We all grew up together as brothers and sisters. We eat from each and every one of our mothers. And we learnt to compete in a very healthy way. If somebody comes first in his class this term, those of us who were second and third will work harder be-

cause of the way my father will treat the one that came first. So, we all wanted to be the best. That's where am going. I grew up in an environment where competition is nothing. We were never afraid to compete; we don’t see it as anytime. The family was at the same time very religious, my father even though a politician, was the Imam of our area. He built a mosque and he would lead the prayers. So, he was religious and in politics. I went to Islamic Primary School. I also went to ile kewu (Arabic school) and I graduated. I did my ‘Walimat’ (graduation) while I was in primary school. From there, I went to Ayedade Grammar School in Ikire. And I was the head girl of my set, though one of the youngest then. I got admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) to do Basic Study. From there I got admitted to study Biochemistry in ABU. I was the Secretary of Queen Amina Hall till I graduated. Are we now missing those advantages came with polygamous in those days? I won’t say we are missing them because there will still be some polygamy that are working. It depends on the head of the family. Let me give an example, when I

was growing up, my mother was one of the older ones. I was grown up enough to know that my father had his last two wives within a week. He was getting married to one; he was already courting the other one. I used to follow him to the house of one of the women and she would prepare food for me. A week before she was to come in, we did not know that one of my father’s friends had given out her daughter in marriage to him. So, that one eventually became ‘senior wife’ while the one we were all expecting became her ‘junior.’ However, when the two women came, they were handed over to my mother as the ‘most senior’ wife. So, my mother was responsible for all their upkeep to the extent that she taught them how to trade. She will keep them in her shop and teach them how to buy and sell. She was feeding and clothing them. How many women can do that now? As I am speaking to you now, if my husband decides to marry another woman, she will be on her own. That is why the polygamy thing is changing. Do you understand me? Those days it was normal, we all grow up expecting that we will have half-brothers and half-sisters. The way a family blends depends on the head of that family. So during this time that I am telling you whenever there was any quarrel among the women, they would quickly settle it without the knowledge of my father because he may send them away. And you know that if you were sent away, you would leave your children behind. So, who will help you to look after them? So, it was so smooth that time. I remember that during Ramadan, my father used to feed the whole area during the period. So, all the wives and the wives of our uncles and the wives of our elder brothers would come home and stay in my father’s compound throughout the period. They had time table, the day they would do pounded yam, the day they would make amala , the day they will make eba, everybody would get to together they would cook and we the young children would now be the ones that would share the food to houses within the neighbourhood. During the Eid-il-Kabir(Ileya), it is the same thing. Between Ramadan and Ileya anybody who needed assistance for Ileya would have informed my father early enough. So, he already had an idea on the number of rams to buy and share, so that on that day, everybody would be happy. So with that kind of family you will just believe in communal existence. May be that’s why am in teams sport, I am a team player, I love to be in the crowd, do my beat and make sure that everybody is carried along . That is the kind of upbringing that I had. How were you coping with dates and all particularly because we had no gadgets at that time? The fact that we were not having all these distractions like social media, phone and stuffs like that really helped me personally because I became a bookworm. I loved to read. In primary school, I stared reading James Hardley Chase. Before I left primary school I had graduated to bigger ones like Harold Robinson. Remember I grew up in Ikire and I had to read all these from sisters and brothers who came home from Lagos for holiday. So, I needed to finish reading those books before they returned to Lagos. I was lazy to do chores. I would go and hide myself somewhere and I would make

sure I finish all those books. The first time I travelled abroad I felt like I have been there all my life. When I see a street I would remember I have read it in a book before. It helped me, I became a bookworm and up till now I am a voracious reader. I love to read. I was reading Yoruba book, I was reading English books, and I was reading history books. Anything I lay my hand on, I would make sure I read it, I go through it. Then those days in our secondary school, they encourage us to always spend at least one hour in the library every day. We had to read newspapers; we had to read journals apart from reading our textbooks I remember that I used to stay at least two hours because I would find a way to spend more time reading. I would borrow books, take home and come back. How has your busy schedule affected your home front, your children and your husband? This is where divine intervention comes in because I can’t tell you that I am so clever that I got to marry the man I did. I think God just bless me with a man that takes life very easy. He doesn’t feel threatened that he married a beautiful girl, that’s his luck. He sees marrying a woman that wants to be active at all times as an advantage. People did not know that he was the one who encouraged me to be active. What brought me into the limelight was sports although am sure I would have gone into some other thing. But he knew how passionate I am about football. So, he was the first person to say instead of us fighting over 'I want to watch this, I want to watch that why not float a football team?' I have said this story several times: we travelled abroad and from Amsterdam we were scheduled

Those days it (polygamy) was normal, we all grow up expecting that we will have half-brothers and halfsisters

Opening Shot

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22 AUGUST 2015

begged me for sex –Ayo Omidiran to go to London and there was this match between Juventus and Ajax. I won’t forget that day. His business partner said he could get us ticket to watch that match. So, I got so excited I said we should stay and watch that match in Amsterdam. But I did not know that my husband had plans for us to celebrate our wedding anniversary in London, which was a day after the match. I said we should stay in Amsterdam and watch the match but he said ‘no’ and I wasn’t happy. When I got to London, I saw that they already had anniversary cake, and everything. I felt so bad and my husband said ‘you see, you were fighting me, leaving anniversary for one match. These people don’t even know you and you want to be fighting your husband. If you feel this way about football why don’t you have your own team?' That was it. Before we got to Nigeria I was already thinking. Then to be on the safe side I said let me have this team as a means of doing some philanthropy. So, I chose women football. Another reason is that during my growing up days we were allowed to play football. I played football with boys but they used to beat me, the teachers too used to beat me because I was playing football. They felt that I was not supposed to play football. So, I will be crying and crying. I now said ok, now that girls can play football I should encourage them because I really missed that opportunity. When we got home I told him that am starting women’s football. He said 'do you know how they do it?' And I said I will ask. I started asking around. Although some people defrauded me, some people would say, you must do this, do that. You must bring that money. I spent a lot of money and finally I got somebody who took pity on me and said it was not like that just go like this and so I started that Omidiran Babes. People who didn’t understand it were against it. But because I am also blessed to have an understanding family that I married into, they didn’t restrict their in-laws. You can be anything you want to be in the Omidiran family. My father-in-law also encouraged and supported me. If you are going for social event how long does it take you to dress up? It depends; if I have time I will take my time dressing up, if I don’t have time, I will make it snappy. I hate being late for events. If your event is 2 O'clock don’t tell me that it is 1o’clock otherwise, I will embarrass you. Latest by quarter past one, I will be there but if the event is going to start by three tell me the exact time. So, if am preparing for

My father gave me my first sex education. And that was what my father was always doing an event in an hour and it will take me 30 minutes to get there, believe me I will not spend more than 30 minutes to get dressed. How do you spend your weekends? It is very active because of my status and family background. I have a lot of activities at the weekend. My husband is very reserved, he is not a socialite but if it is family event he will ensure that he is available. But I am always available because people may not know that this ‘Owanbe’ lifestyle is good for us. It is a time to unwind, meet people you have not seen for a long time and even meet new people who may play important part in your life if not now but later sometimes. I love to dance and crack jokes because they do a lot to settle a human being. When you are watching football, you put aside your worries and you are relaxed. I listen to good music and dance a lot.

...with her daughters

Do you eat outside? I eat outside, I eat everywhere. I eat amala and ewedu and beans a lot. What is the craziest thing some body has ever done to you before you got married? Only one person asked my hand in marriage and that is my husband. But to woo me, people tried all sorts of things to get me. I won’t lie to you. You know because growing up was very hard for me in a different way and after sometimes I started getting suspicious of all men. I thank God for my parents. My father gave me my first sex education. And that was what my father was always doing. If my father saw that you are attaining puberty, he would call you and say, do you know that you can get pregnant now and you won’t go to school again? He would have examples to tell you about somebody who abandoned school because she became pregnant while

in school. I enjoyed being around boys. I was free to say my mind, in fact I used to wrestle boys I didn’t see myself as different from anybody. I won’t give specifics but there was an influential man that people were afraid of who sent for me and I went there. I was very naïve as a young girl. The man just knelt down on the floor and prostrated and said there is only one thing that can make him get up from that position. He said I should just allow him to have sex with me just once and he would be okay. I was scared to say no because the man had people around him who can keep me in his compound for one week without anybody knowing. I was wondering what will a man like that want from a small girl like me. But God has given women wit, regardless of

our age we are much wiser than our age. If you are a brave young girl it helps. So, I want to encourage all of us that we make sure that we always talk to our girls, especially our daughters, try to let them know that they are in control of their own destiny. That they have no excuses that because am a small girl that is why this thing happened to me. You can be whatever you want to be. So, I told him to get up that it is not like that. I used my wits I told him that I understood perfectly and that was not a good moment and that in fact I was looking forward to doing it with him and by the time I finish my period in three days , I would be ready for him. I didn’t want it to be long so that he would not start getting afraid. He asked me if I was sure and I said ''yes.'' So, he got up and allowed me to go. He even gave me money. The money he gave me I think for one month I was still spending it. And let me now tell you, that experience really did a lot to my thinking about man, woman relationship. This was a man who can get any beautiful girl from anywhere in the world prostrating for me. Is there anything you are doing that has helped you to maintain your beauty? Beauty is not on the outside. You have to be beautiful from within. If God has not given you a good mind no matter how gorgeous you think you look outside, you will be ugly. I think that one thing that has helped also, is that I have good genes. My mother died at 85 and she didn’t even look a day older than 70. My mother had a very good gene. My dad too. I think I got a lot of who am I from my parents. What is your favourite food? My favourite meal is beans, I love to eat it.

...with her sons

...with her husband, Moshood

How many times do you eat it in a week? When I see beans I just eat. I love to eat beans a lot, what I do is that I make beans in a very delicious way and keep it in the fridge. So, I always have food to eat in my house. I also ensure that my children grew up to love beans. There is no way they will not eat beans at least three times in a week. I like amala and ewedu.

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

FCT Senate condoles with Shettima, Misau Emirate

N EWS I N BRIEF

A delegation of the Senate yesterday visited Maiduguri, capital of Borno State and Misau in Bauchi State to commiserate with Governor Kashim Shettima over the death of his deputy, Zannah Umar Mustapha and the people of Misau Emirate, who on Monday lost their Emir, Alhaji Muhammad Manga III. The five-man delegation led by Senator Danjuma Goje included Senators Kabiru Gaya, Hamma Misau, Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Bashir Marafa. Goje, while delivering the condolence message on behalf of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Senate in Maiduguri and Misau Emirate respectively, lamented the sudden departure of both the deputy governor and the emir.

0.56%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Nigeria in 2003. Source: Itu.int

IBADAN Ladoja/Ajimobi: Tribunal adjourns till Aug 27

Having concluded calling witnesses, Mr. Patience Richard Ogunwole (SAN) who represents Senator Rasidi Ladoja of the Accord Party (AP) yesterday rounded off his evidence before Justice Mohammed Mayaki yesterday in Ibadan. The defence counsel were supposed to commence their defence and call witnesses on Monday. However, the defence counsel comprising Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Olumuyiwa Aduroja (SAN), Babatunde Aiku (SAN), and Sikiru Sanni, urged the tribunal to adjourn the next hearing date till August 27 to enable them to attend the annual Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference.

CALABAR Council seals 148 medicine shops in Cross River

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) yesterday sealed 148 medicine shops in Cross River State for unauthorised sale of drugs. The Deputy Director and Head of Enforcement, PCN, Abuja, Mr. Stephen Esumobi, who said this during a press conference in Calabar, explained that the action was taken as part of measures to ensure that only quality drugs are sold to members of the public. According to him, the patent medicine shops were also closed for operating without the supervision of a pharmacist, poor storage conditions of drugs and low education of medicine vendors, among others. “At the end of our one week enforcement exercise, we visited 198 drugs premises. 148 of them, comprising two pharmacies, 48 patent medicine shops and 98 unregistered premises were sealed for various offences,” he said.

183,450

The estimated number of male circumcision needed to reach 80% coverage among males 15 – 49 years old in Swaziland. Source: Who.int

The sex ratio of men to 100 women in the 60+ age group of Ecuador in 2012. Source: Un.org

Abia North poll: ‘I resisted pressure to announce fake results' CLARIFICATION

INEC's returning officer has said he did not abscond from his duty post. Igbeaku Orji

UMUAHIA

he Returning Officer for the Abia North senatorial election, Dr. Ihekweaba Chukwugoziem, has told the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia that contrary to the allegation that he was not at his duty post during the election. Instead, he said he neither absconded nor abandoned his duty but refused to declare the falsified result presented to him. Chukwugoziem, under cross-examination said at

the continued hearing of the consolidated petition of Chief David OnuohaBourdex, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the March 28 election, against Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 13 others, that glaring irregularities were discovered in the results of Arochukwu and Ohafia local government areas. He said: “We started to examine the results local government by local government and after we examined Arochukwu and Ohafia results and discovered huge anomalies, the Respondents refused and resisted the continuation of the examination of the remaining three local government areas. That pressure was brought on me to sign and declare the results as presented with all the manipulations in them, and I

refused, insisting that the right thing should be done by concluding the examination of the rest of the local government areas before the declaration.” He further stated that he wrote a report to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) informing her that the evasive persuasion on him to announce a prearranged result which was not in tandem with the law, could not go down well with him as well as his conscience. When further asked under cross-examination why he went to the Federal High Court to swear to an affidavit after submitting the report to the (REC), he went the extra mile to ensure the right thing was done concerning the report he submitted to his employers, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through the REC for the state on the large

scale defalcations, mutilations and inflation of votes on the result sheets skewed in favour of Ohuabunwa. Ihekweaba, who disclosed that he is also an Associate Professor in Computer Engineering at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, said he refused to budge to pressure allegedly mounted on him by supporters of Ohuabunwa. He said at no point did INEC send another person to replace him as the Returning Officer, adding that he was in a position to know whether INEC had power to appoint another Returning Officer. He stressed that he was given appointment via a letter signed by the Head of Department of Electoral Operations, INEC, Mr. Okoli G. I., which he tendered to the tribunal.

Amaechi ‘stashed’ N80bn in American banks, Rivers PDP alleges Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

ivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that former Governor Rotimi Amaechi stole N80 billion from the state coffers, and deposited them in different Swiss accounts. The party, in a statement by its chairman, Felix Obuah, claimed that the Bancorp Bank, Minnesota, United States, had got in touch with the Nigerian government over an alleged $757 million (N80 billion) said to belong to the former governor. He claimed that the transfer was facilitated by a Nigerian bank and that the Minnesota-based bank intends to return the money to Nigeria, noting that “there are enough evidence on several corrupt actions and the monumental looting carried out by Chibuike Amaechi and his aides, which must be recovered.” The Bancorp Bank letter to President Buhari stated that the said transfer to both banks in Minnesota and

Switzerland were for the purchase of security Helicopters, spraying of mosquito insecticides and for the purchase of a residence for Mr. Rotimi Amaechi in America. He said: “The PPD reiterates its position that the former governor stole billions of dollars and looted assets belonging to the state, some of which he used in funding the activities of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and also lodged in several of his private foreign accounts.” Obuah said Amaechi lied by claiming he left N7.5 billion when he was unable to pay workers, noting that the former governor left behind a bankrupt state even though the state was getting N6 billion monthly from internal revenue. He said the former governor could not pay “civil servants, pensioners, TIMARIV workers, Students’ Scholarship, Contractors, Teachers at the Nne Krubo Model Secondary School, Eleme among others, for several months when he still had the said amount he claimed he left in the State’s treasury.”

Ajimobi: Why we stopped payment of WAEC fees Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

yo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has defended the state government’s decision to stop the payment of the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASCE) fees for candidates in the state, and the introduction of N3,000 annual Developmental Levy for each secondary school pupil in the school. The governor said the decisions were borne out of the economic reality in the state and the desire to address abysmal performance of candidates in the examination, adding that the decision to introduce levy was taken after it was discovered that parents no longer involve themselves in the

education of their children. The governor said: “With the paucity of fund in the state, we had to face the reality that we could not continue to sponsor children without involving their parents in a way. This is why we introduced the developmental levy. It’s just for a period of time, as soon as things improve for the state financially, we will put it down. It is an emergency situation that we must address. “Training of children is not a sole responsibility of government or teachers; parents must play their role too. We discussed with the parents and realised that because parents were not involved in secondary education of their children, they did not bother what happened to them."

Tsav vows to drag Akume to EFCC Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

L-R: Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Senator Jim Nwobodo and a guest, celebrating the governor’s victory after the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Okey Ezea, in Enugu…yesterday PHOTO: GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ENUGU

ormer Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, yesterday said he had concluded plans to reopen the petition he filed against former governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume, before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Tsav, who said this while fielding questions from journalists in Makurdi, said he was moved to take up the matter against the former governor in order for him to

return the alleged monies he and his cronies reportedly siphoned through inflated and illegal award of contracts as well as sale of government property among others to the coffers of the state government. “I still have with me authentic documents against George Akume, some of the documents were given to me by those working with him then, those that are sensitive, I have kept in the bank," he said. see ne w s e x t r a o n pa ges 5 2 a n d 5 3

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

SaturdayLetters You have a right to be heard. Send your letters and photographs to saturdayletters@ newtelegraphonline.com. Letters should not be more than 150 words and must have the name and address of the sender.

Q uotes of the week “In the course of carrying out this assignment you must be accountable for all men and equipment placed under your command. Your troops welfare must be uppermost in your ,mind, take care of them and make available what is due to them.” - President Muhammadu Buhari, while addressing the new service chiefs.

Waiting for buyers

PHOTO: MADAKI JEREMIAH.

Nigerian Youths Need Jobs Fast I was elated to hear from the president and his party, the APC, that they intend to create millions of jobs for jobless youths in Nigeria. It is indeed a thing of joy for this country to have a sensitive government that cares for the interest of its people. However, I fear that the president and his party may not be able to fulfill their promise if Nigerians do not hold them accountable each and every day. Therefore, I would like to use this medium to urge Nigerians everywhere to hold this government accountable daily, especially concerning its promise to create millions of jobs for Nigeria’s unemployed youths. The best way to help Buhari succeed is not only to support him but also to hold him accountable each and every day. If the president fulfills his promise to solve the problem of unemployment in the country and revive the economy, he will no doubt go down in history as the best president Nigeria ever had. - Larry G. Edmund, Oyo State.

Tricycles, motorbikes, and traffic lights regulations I have observed that motorbikes and tricycles, particularly in Lagos, do not obey traffic lights and traffic regulations. For example, I noticed that whenever traffic lights stop vehicles on the roads, commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as okada, as well as tricycle operators, popularly known as Keke Marwa, will still keep moving instead of stopping like other vehicles. Many a time, innocent pedestrians have been knocked down by commercial motorcyclists while trying to cross a road after the traffic lights have stopped vehicles, just because the commercial motorcyclists refused to stop according to the directive of the traffic light. The Lagos State government needs to urgently look into this matter of commercial motorcyclists and tricycle operators’ disobedience and impunity when it comes to traffic lights in Lagos. Emeka H. U. Lagos.

Abandoned roads and areas in Lagos and the crisis of development I want to use this medium to remind the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and the Lagos State government about their electoral promises to Lagosians, based on which the governor was elected in April this year. One of those campaign promises is that roads in the state would be given proper attention. Based on that, I want to draw the governor’s attention to the fact that the Ijegun-Ijagemo road has been abandoned for over 20 years now and this abandonment is

The need to establish special funds for education in the 36 states It is a shame that many state governors in Nigeria failed to pay the fees required by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for students from their states. That goes to show the low regard we have for education in this country. In other climes, the education of children and youths is considered a priority and money is set aside for educational projects long before the commencement of the projects. But in Nigeria, it is the other way round. Therefore, if sanity is to be restored in the way the state governments and even the federal government manage the educational system, I propose the establishment of special funds for

having a severe negative impact on the people of Ijegun in Lagos State. It is rather unwise for the government to limit development to Ikotun area of Lagos State instead of extending development to Ijegun. Ijegun has been neglected for too long by successive administrations in Lagos State and the earlier the IjegunIjagemo road is tarred, the better! - Yemi A.Z. Lagos.

education all over the 36 states of Nigeria and also in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Each state government should be made to automatically contribute a fixed percentage of its revenue to the special fund for education. In addition, these special funds for education should be purely dedicated to the education of students within the 36 states and state governors should not be given access to such funds to avoid stealing of the funds. This will help restore sanity and eliminate corruption in the way the education sector is managed all over the 36 states of Nigeria. Aliu T.N.R. Niger State.

“This is about making Nigeria work for the benefit of other Nigerians and we have to bear in mind that governments are not run on the basis of collection of crude oil alone but government, regardless of colour or political affiliation, is run on taxes. So if you have tax-generating agencies that are not remitting taxes, government cannot run like that. In the long run, Nigeria has to live on taxes.” - Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. “He (President Buhari) should scrap NYSC. It’s not useful, he should please do that for Nigerians. I have looked at the programme thoroughly and exactly what it’s supposed to have achieved over the years. Believe me, there is no credible or tangible result. It’s a total waste of time and resources and I think all the time and resources should be channelled into something more resourceful.” - Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, star actress. “We will not tolerate the killing of citizens and destruction of property; in as much as we urge you (troops) to adhere strictly to human rights abuses, the time to crush Hoko Haram and other criminal activities in this country is now or never.” - Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Buratai “There are attempts by the APC to use members of the judiciary to scuttle my petition by unnecessary delay due in part to changes in the constitution of the panel.” - Miss Tolu Ebun, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate for Shomolu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, at the March 28 National Assembly elections. “The task of restructuring the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) into a lean, efficient, and business-focused organisation has commenced with management’s approval of the retirement of 38 senior managers. The exercise, apart from gearing the corporation in the direction of a leaner and more efficient organization, has enormous cost-saving benefits.” - Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alegbe.

Voices Would you leave your abusive spouse on the directive of your parents? p.12

Street Diary SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015

Buying of soups in canteens on the rise in Lagos Cooking used to be a pastime for women, especially the married ones. Today, however, such an act, according to PEACE MORRISON, who visited some eateries within the Lagos metropolis, is fast becoming a thing of the past.

Another woman patronising a food vendor

ama Ola Restaurant is one of the eateries in the mainland area of Lagos. It is not your typical highbrow outfit, just a regular canteen with not so much to behold. But amazingly, it commands heavy human traffic most times of the day. It is normal to find among the regular customers of eateries located around street corners mostly men but in Mama Ola’s and few others of its like, you find women - mostly young and few elderly married ones and high society ladies among the patrons. A number of these women come in exotic cars and dressed to the hilt. Interestingly, they don’t sit in to eat rather they come mostly to buy soups and stew while only a few of them buy soups with either garri or amala or pounded yam and rice with stew. For those who come to buy only soup and stew, we learnt that they place their order ahead and are usually attended to by Mama Ola, the operator of the eatery. For Mama Ola and others, this growing trend is appreciated because they make good money from these married women and ladies who normally call to order for their favourites of the day. They are treated with a lot of respect, decorum and priority is given to them whenever they come for their orders. Mama Ola says it is a good development and business, adding that there is nothing bad about these women preferring specially ordered soup and stew and sometimes fully packaged meals from the eateries rather than stay back at home to cook. According to her, not many of the women and ladies have the time to cook and also a number of them, she says, are not good cooks and so prefer patronising eateries. ‘‘There is high expectation based on our culture as Nigerians that a woman should know how to cook. Whether you are a man or a woman, it is an important and necessary skill to have,” says Eniola Headmen, a fashion and textile designer, while speaking on this fad. A source at one of the restaurants revealed that women from the corporate world, working class ladies and married women are mostly the patrons. “Some of them get very busy and do not have time to cook while some do

Food vendor surrounded by women

not know how to cook and some can cook but still prefer to patronise food vendors. They make orders for different types of soups to be delivered to them while some come to the restaurant,” the source says. The source says that one can get a pot of soup at different rates ranging from N10, 000 to N20, 000 depending on how one wants the soup to be prepared. “They order for different types of soups like efo riro, ogbono, egusi, okro, ewedu, edikaikong and afan soups with assorted meats, beef, chicken, fish, turkey or bush meat. It depends on the customer’s choice,” she says. Also, a canteen owner, who craved anonymity, says her soup is cheaper compared to others. “You can get egusi soup at the rate of N4, 000 and any vegetable soup at the rate of N6, 000.” A 30-year-old hotel manager, Daniel Ahibi, attributes the growing trend to lack of proper home training among women. “Nowadays young women do not assist their mothers in the kitchen, they neglect domestic work. The main reason they patronise canteens is that they do not know how to cook. And some men are irresponsible, because if a man is responsible he will not marry a woman who cannot cook. I personally will not allow my wife to work. I will prefer to establish a shop where she can do her business and still cook for my family.” he adds. He says cooking and other domestic chores are normal routines for women “and those are what make you a woman.” “If for any reason the woman should work, it should not be a full time job that will not allow her to do her domestic work. The man should make sure he is responsible and provide for the family.

photoS: PEACE MORRISON

The society expects women to be super humans. You want them to cook and do the house chores and do not break down And a woman who does not cook will affect the family negatively. “If a woman does not cook how will her children know how to cook? The family will not be at peace and the marriage will not last. If you are working you should know how to schedule your time to manage your home,” Ahibi says. He however suggests that women need to organise seminars to educate Nigerian women on the need to go to the kitchen and cook for their husbands. Customer service personnel, Abigail Owolabi, observes that Lagos women patronise food vendors because they do not have time to cook. “Women need to work with their hands not always to work in the banks or for someone else. They need to be self-employed so they can stay at home and take care of their family. That is why we have untrained children these days because nobody is at home to train them.” Public Relations Officer of a Lagosbased firm, Bunmi Adekunle and 28year old businesswoman, Tobisin Akin, say time factor is the reason why some women patronise food vendors. “Women cook but as result of our busy schedule, we depend on packaged food. I think most mothers will want to give their children home cooked foods

and not food prepared outside,” says 45-year-old Adekunle. A food vendor, Ajibodu Funke, explains that because of chaotic traffic situation in Lagos, some women do not have a choice but to patronise food vendors as they may get to their offices late if they spend much time cooking at home, adding that by the time they get home, they are also tired to go to the kitchen. Another food vendor, Blessing Robert also expresses similar sentiment. “They leave home early to beat traffic, they get home late also because of traffic. I cannot really expect them to start cooking. For you to really eat a balanced diet, you need to eat at the right time, it is not ideal for you to eat late. The ideal time for dinner is 7pm and because they do not want to eat late that is why they have to patronise food vendors.” A sales representative, Ashomiwo Blessing, wants men whose wives do not cook most of the time to show understanding. “It is because women go to their offices very early and come back very late. And they cannot leave their jobs because of cooking, their husbands have to be supportive.” A medical doctor, Osholale Shade, regrets that “the society expects women to be super humans. You want them to cook and do the house chores and do not break down. It’s not the same in this generation because things have changed and you have to move with the change.” However, a 52-year-old food vendor, Akinyeni Caroline, advises married women to create time to cook for their families, adding that large portions of food can be cooked and kept in the fridge so as to save them from the burden of frequent cooking. “There are so many women who come to our canteen to buy food; some even bring their husbands and children to come and eat in the canteen. Despite the fact that we make money from them I think women should try to create time and cook for their families,” she adds. A canteen owner, Chiemeka Charity, explains that some of the women are just lazy while some do not have time to cook. “As for me I cook, I love cooking. It is my hobby and I think I inherited it from my mother. But some women find it difficult to cook and so prefer to buy food outside while some even buy drinks and snacks as their meals. Many women do come here to eat. A woman that cannot cook can inadvertently make her husband to look for another woman who can cook for her,” Charity says.

Street Diary

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Accept gunshot, accident victims, IG tells hospitals zzPolice arrest nine over alleged rape, theft Emmanuel Onani

T Abuja

emporary reprieve may have come the way of accident victims as well as persons with gunshot wounds, as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, has charged medical personnel and members of the public, to attend to them, before alerting the police. A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Offi-

cer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police, said Arase’s advice became imperative, in view of reported cases of deaths occasioned by the attitude of medical personnel regarding such incidents. The statement reads: “The IGP has enjoined members of the public including medical personnel to attend to accident victims and persons with gunshot injuries and thereafter, inform the Police for necessary action.

“This became imperative, following neglects and consequent untimely death of victims in this regard out of fear of being implicated without Police involvement. The Police High Command also directed its Officers and men not to harass good Samaritans/Nigerians in this regard, but endeavour to elicit correct facts in relation to incident from them. Doctors on duty are equally duty bound to treat victims of gunshot wounds and fur-

ther inform Police of relevant facts...” Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Command yesterday said it arrested five suspected rapists and four other persons for alleged criminal conspiracy, theft and vandalism. The command’s spokesman, Mr. Zubairu Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kaduna that the rape suspects carried out the act in Rigasa area of Kaduna metropolis.

He said the suspects were arrested on Aug. 19 following complaints by the victim’s parents. “Among the suspects, two of them raped a 13-yearold girl, while three others raped a 20-year-old girl. Two other suspects involved in the act are at large. The victims were taken to Rigasa General Hospital and the medical reports have confirmed that they were raped,” he said. Zubaira said the other

four suspects were arrested for criminal conspiracy, vandalism and theft. He said the Regional Manager of Forlknox, Mr Musa Usman, had lodged a complaint with the police on Aug. 13, that some unknown persons were vandalising the company's property. “After the complaint, the police took immediate action and arrested the four suspects with five 4KVA generators belonging to the company,” Zubairu said. The command’s spokesman said all the nine suspects will be arraigned in court.

Eulogies as DIG Omojola retires Juliana Francis

Arugba on procession during the grand-finale of this year’s Osun-Osun Festival in Osogbo…yesterday PHOTO: Andrew Iro Okungbowa

Andrew Iro Okungbowa Osogbo

he Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, Olanipekun Laroye (11), has called on the Federal Government to focus more on economic development and improvement of the well-being of Nigerians in view of the dwindling economic fortunes of the country. Similarly, Osun State governor, Rauf Aregebsola, has reiterated the commitment of his government to the state tourism with priority on developing tourist attractions. Both spoke at the grand finale of this year’s Osun Osogbo Cultural Festival held at the Osun Grove. According to the Ataoja the celebration of the annual communal and religious feast was somewhat tempered due to the economic

Ataoja of Osogbo urges FG to focus on economic devt situation of the country and that of state. “The economic situation our nation, Nigeria and in particular the state of Osun cannot be said not to have contributed to the adjustment in the planning and hosting of this year’s festival,” adding that despite the dire situation, “but the continued commitment and steadfastness of all stakeholders have really assisted in the successful hosting of the fiesta’s 2015 edition.’’ The monarch also said the prayer was for the Federal Government to focus more on strengthening the economy of the nation so as to better the fortunes of Nigerians. “Our prayer and hope is that the new administration

will further strengthen and protect our economy for the betterment of the masses,” he said. The Ataoja then offered prayer for God guidance and institution of good governance in the country. ‘‘We are here gathered in supplication to Eledumare through the Osun deity for the guidance and continued good governance for greater development of the country by our referred leader, President Muhammadu Buhari.’’ On his part, Aregbesola who was represented by the former Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Home Affair, Adetona Sikiru Ayedun, pledged the commitment of the government to the continued development of the state tourism.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, has called for the preservation of Yoruba cultural heritage for future generations. Adams told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo, at the grand finale of the 2015 Osun Osogbo Festival yesterday, that there was the need to preserve the norms and culture of the Yoruba race, which he said depicted the real identity of Oduduwa, the founder of Yoruba, in its entirety. He also appealed to Yoruba leaders not to allow the Yoruba cultural values to be infiltrated and polluted by foreign culture and ideology.

Enemchukwu, ex-Anambra Assembly Speaker dies at 75 Pamela Eboh Awka

former Speaker of the old Anambra State House of Assembly and a Second Republic Speaker, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Enemchukwu, has died at the age of 75. Enemchukwu who was

still in active politics before he passed on planted his name on the sands of time in the political arena between 1979 and 1983 when he reigned as the speaker of the old Anambra State. His death was made public yesterday by the speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs.

Rita Maduagwu, when she read a letter from the Enemchukwu family on the floor of the assembly. The reading of the letter was preceded by a minute silence by the members of the state House of Assembly in honour of the departed speaker. The lawmakers in addition held a special ses-

sion in honour of late Enemchuckuwu as they described him as a lawmaker whose contributions during his active days as politician and speaker helped to shape the country’s democracy. They also called for the immortalisation of late Enemchukwu by the state government.

t was with pomp that Mr David Omojola, a Deputy Inspector-General-ofPolice (DIG), bowed out of the police, after he clocked the statutory 60 years of age. Omojola was the DIG in charge of Information and Technology, G Department. The former DIG said when he was promoted to the rank of commissioner of police; he barely had only three years to his retirement. He said: “With the stagnation of many officers in one rank for many years by successive administrations, it was my belief that I will end my job in the force as a CP. It was only by providence that I got two promotions within three years. What men could not do or refused to do, God, in His infinite mercy, did it for me.” While advising Nigerians, especially security agents to shun cultism and

satanic ways of life, Omojola said promotion comes from God and not from man or any other power. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has concluded plans to ensure that robbery activities along major highways are curtailed. The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of Zone II Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, Mr. Mbu Jospeh Mbu, who disclosed this during the launch of the new ‘Safer Highway’ project, said the project would ensure that armed robberies on Nigeria highways would become a thing of the past. Mbu, who is in charge of Lagos and Ogun states police commands, further said he was going to hit hard on land grabbers who use police officers to perpetrate evil on landowners in the two states. Mbu said: “We just came back from the security summit organised by the IG. ''

Fire destroys N10m worth of goods in Lagos Deborah Makoji

t was a dark moments for residents on Awoniyi Elemo Street yesterday as a three-bedroom flat stocked with electronics, mainly laptops and desktops that is worth over N10 million was razed down as a result of a fire outbreak at 52, Awoniyi Elemo Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos. The building, it was gathered, had over 400 laptops and other goods. It was gathered that the goods were brought in less than 24 hours ago before the fire incident. According to Mrs. Mong Ironiyi, a friend of the owner of the warehouse, the fire started about 8:30p.m. and lasted for three hours. Commenting on the issue, an Assistance Chief Fire Sergeant, Teibo Olayinka, told Saturday Telegraph that the cause of the fire was

traced to electric spark. He said firefighters came in immediately they got the distress call, adding that he also called on the assistance of his colleagues operating at Anthony Bus-Stop, after they exhausted water in their tanker. However, an eye witness who identified himself simply as a next door neighbour said that firefighters came almost immediately but unprepared. Another eyewitness, Mr. Rome Buchi, he said did something significant to put out the fire. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Patricia Amadin, said the incident was not reported to the nearest station. “There is no report of the information. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) proceeded to the scene but it appears they didn't want the case,” she added.

SATURDAY

Voices

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2015

Would you leave your abusive spouse on the directive of your parents? I will seek for pastoral counsel If I love the girl I will not leave her. I will instead take her to my pastor to seek for advice on how to get a lasting solution. – Abiodun Ajose

It is a better idea to

such a woman alone

It is a two-sided question. The bible said we should honour our parents and do whatever we are told to by them. But sometimes as a man you have to apply wisdom because the bible also said that wisdom is profitable to the living. If you leave an abusive wife based on the recommendation of your parents, in order to honour them, to make peace, it is a good idea. It is a welcomed idea to leave such a woman alone based on the condition attached to it. – Ademusi Taiwo, engineer

I may have to obey my parents It depends if he abusive in terms of hitting me at any slightest misunderstanding then I have no other option than to do what my parents say because they might have foreseen what will happen in the future. – Odilia Robert, teacher

I have my life to live

I will not leave her because I believe that the love is there. My parents have their lives to live and I also have my life to live. – Adedayo Samuel,

computer scientist

I won’t but will change her

I won’t because they never found her for me. Rather I will make her change for the best that my parent will forever like her. – Murphy Chime, businessman

You can pray for your abusive husband

Your parent advice may not favor you. If your parents accept you today what happens after the divorce. Marriage is not bed of roses, especially when you are wedded you cannot divorce your husband irrespective of the issue. Marriage is all about understanding. As a woman you need to know what makes your husband angry and avoid it. Most times what causes abuse is when a woman is disrespectful. You can pray for your abusive husband because God can change him. – Madelyn Okelesa, businesswoman

I will run away I would definitely run away from him because if he continues abusing me, he might even kill me someday by mistake and they would say it is the devil’s handiwork. Once I complain to my mother especially and she asks me to leave, I will obey her but as for my father, he might want to advise me to be patient. –Simi Egberongbe, student

If he is abusive I will pray to God to change him

I will personally send her away

It depends on the level of abuse. If it is severe then I do not even need my parents; I will personally send her away. After I have tried my best to stop her and she still continues, the best thing is to separate. – Oliver Ikechukwu, security guard

I will endure her for love I will not divorce her because she is my wife. The bible said husband and wife will come together to become one. My parents are not supposed to tell me what to do. No matter how the situation is I will endure her because I love my wife. – Babatunde Sokunmi, driver

My parents should not direct me to leave Not at all, once I discover my spouse is turning into a vampire to torment my life, I will pack my things and leave the house with my kids. Maybe for some time and see if there will be changes in him. Once he changes I will return and still take good care of him. After all, he was not that way when I married him, so my parents should not direct me to leave my marriage. – Ogechi Nnamdi, actress

compiled by

COMPILED BY CHINYERE ONAH, PEACE MORRISON, AMAKA UMEH AND NGOZI OGBOLU

I will not leave my husband for anything whatsoever. If he is abusive I will pray to God to change his life. I believe in miracles so even if my parents advise me to leave, I will still persevere.

– Fortune Oghene, accountant

It is not easy to let go of her Well, it is not easy to just let go of her. If we have kids together I can involve our parents to let them know about her abusive behaviour. But in case she refuses to change then I will consider a divorce so as to have peace in my life. – James Smart, businessman

I will not on my parent’s directive I will not on my parent’s directive unless I want to because it is my decision not theirs. I decide what happens in my life and how I live my life. – Viny Umeh, civil servant

My parents want the best for me Since the spouse in question is abusive then staying with him is like chasing after the wind and your parents want the best for you. – Franca Stephen, businesswoman

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015

SATURDAY

WeekendDelight 13

Instyle

C o n v e r s at i o n

Cropped trousers: A fashionable work wear p.15

ZAINAB

OLAGUNJU

TV & Radio dessecting society’s ills with Today on STV p.44

Love & Living ‘How a friend lured me into a lesbian relationship’ p.35

Hospitality

Cotton Suites: Promising a culture of luxury p.41

(FATAI ROLLING DOLLAR’S WIDOW)

My kids and I now beg to eat Two years after highlife maestro, Olayiwola Fatai Olagunju, popularly known as Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar, died at 86, one of the wives, Zainab, says it has been a grim experience in this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA

Olagunju

I didn’t even know that he had a younger wife after me when he was alive

he eldest wife of the late musician, Zainab, 49, played host to Saturday Telegraph’s correspondent in their Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos, residence where she recounted the ordeal the family has endured since the singer’s death. “Since 2013 before my husband passed on, I was selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but the proceeds of the trade are not enough to pay all the bills. (She showed this reporter crates of bottles stacked up at the entrance of the three-bedroom apartment) These are some of the bottles I was using to do my business. I was selling from here because my husband didn’t allow me to open a bar outside the estate because of the kind of things that characterize this kind of trade. I was supplying ‘pure water’ to people too. But our kids, Jamiu, 14 who is in secondary school, and Mojeed, six, is still in primary school, were attending a private school, Maxwell Primary and Secondary School in Abule-Egba, Lagos, before their dad’s death. We started owing school fees since the breadwinner of the family was gone. I had to bring them back to Vetland School, a public school in our neighbourhood.” But we learnt Pa Rolling Dollar had more than one wife with kids. She explained how she got to know the deceased also had an affair with a woman who later surfaced after the news of his death broke. “The other wife is in my husband’s uncompleted building in Ikorodu. I didn’t even know that he had a younger wife after me when he was alive. She claimed to

have kids with Baba and she came the day he passed on. There’s another boy who’s between 12 or 13 years of age, Baba had that boy with a wife he had before he married me. In total, all the kids from Baba who are still very young are five. Since then, we’ve been enduring the austere time.” Zainab and her children plus Baba’s three other kids now live at the mercy of neighbours. She showed this reporter a N500 note a good Samaritan had just helped the family with to make breakfast that fateful morning. Fighting back tears that were already close to streaming down her face, she continued: “It got so excruciating last year that I tried to go on air on a popular Yoruba programme, Labe Orun, to share my grief with well-meaning Nigerians and solicit help, but I was cautioned by some people who reminded me that Baba was a star and that it would bring his name to disrepute. Things have really gone even worse, so much that, as I speak to you, I’m looking for a job to be a street sweeper (a.k.a. highway managers). There’s no family member of Baba anywhere that has the ability to help because his siblings are old and weak. I approached one of his nephews last year when Jamiu was to enrol in Vetland Secondary School, but I could tell that he also had enough up his sleeves. He promised us N10,000 which he has not been able to fulfil since then. But people around us bring us food, some stipends and that’s what I live on with my boys.” Asked if she didn’t establish CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

CONVERSATION

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

‘I don’t intend to get married again’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

a relationship with any of Baba’s allies in music when he was alive, she explained: “Well, you know Baba was old and he didn’t allow me to make any connection with people. It was only on a few occasions like whenever he wanted to celebrate his birthday that I got to meet some notable people around him. I sincerely also didn’t like to be dotting on him everywhere he went because he was always feeling unsafe. That’s perhaps because he had some girls he was seeing and he didn’t want me to stand between him and his harem. I had my small business and kids to look after and that was enough for me to worry about. So, I allowed him go wherever he wanted unhindered. But a few of Baba’s allies know me; one of them is Dr. Ebenezer Obey. In fairness to him, when Baba died, he called us - me and Baba’s first son. He gave us N25,000 each. Baba’s second son, Rasheed, died in May last year at 50, and sometime in April this year, Baba’s first son, Tunde, Happier days... Zainab and Rlling Dollar who is seen here cradling one of his children wiht the former 54, also died. ” In the last interview this reporter had with the singer, he spoke about a private abode he was building somewhere in Ikorodu, Lagos, the same which currently houses his youngest wife and kids. He began to work on the project after the then Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gave him a three-bedroom apartment in the Millennium Estate, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos, when the former performed at a party function and used the opportunity to beg for a house. If Rolling Dollar had completed the Ikorodu house before his death, the rent would help cushion the hard times the family now endures. How did the last wife secure the place? “Baba didn’t build the place for anyone. As I speak to you, it’s still an uncompleted building. Baba’s youngest wife who stays there was said to be very headstrong, she quarrelled with her landlord in a rented place Baba got for her when he was alive. The landlord ejected her and she had nowhere to stay. So Baba got her another place. But when the rent expired, she Rlling Dollar plucking away on his guitar Inset: Their sons couldn’t continue to pay, so she was his medical check-up. He did his checkejected again. During the first year how the cash gift was expended, Zainremembrance ceremony of Baba, we ab clears the air. up at Ahmadiyya Hospital, Abule-Egsold Baba’s car and she mentioned ba, Lagos, and another hospital called “It’s true that the company gave us Fafolu Hospital at Mushin, Lagos. So, a her plight at the meeting. It was from some money, but it didn’t come to me the sale of that car the family gave her directly. It was delivered to the fammonth after he’d been in the US, he was N50,000 to go and find herself a small ily who administered it. They messed with his first daughter, Shadiat, and it place. Somehow along the line, on her up the funds and gave us a paltry sum was the lady that called her mother to inform her of Baba’s ailment. He spent volition or perhaps with the backing of that I cannot even remember as I speak. about four months in the US and by some members of the family, she used They said they were using the rest for the time he returned. He told me he the money to complete a room in the his burial.” was going to be part of a show for 9US building and she has since been living Like most people who met their there. The house was built and halted deaths when least expected, the singer president Barack) Obama and when he at the lintel stage before Baba died.” has got his unfulfilled dreams. was checking his instruments, in fact, Zainab’s ultimate plea to Nigerians he had just held his microphone at the “His biggest dream was to set up is with regard to ducation for her boys. a music foundation in Ikorodu. There rehearsal when suddenly something hit him in the chest. His sight was blurred “Even in public school, it’s by the were guys who were already on the and he was rushed to a hospital in the grace of God that he’s still in school. same page with him to float the founUS where he spent three months. So, This is because even when he got ad- dation and they were done with all the he returned still feeling sick. Upon remitted into the school, for a whole term brain work. The guys even visited us turn, we went to Ahmadiyya Hospital he couldn’t resume the school because here. There were so many things Baba and the doctor who attended to him we couldn’t afford nearly everything was unnecessarily discreet about, insisted he would be admitted. So, he the school asked of us. It was during though he also didn’t know that he spent seven days there. At the US hosthe second time that God almighty did would die when he did. This was a pital, he was treated for malaria fever His wonders for the boy to resume.” man who returned from a trip to United and the doctors believed he was okay He was a brand ambassador of Daily States of America with clothes he was to discharge him. But three days into Needs company’s product, De Deon going to wear on his birthday which his admission at Ahmadiyya, his legs blood syrup. The company reportedly was to hold on July 22, 2013. He had no were getting swollen and he could gave the family N500,000 to support the premonition of his death at all.” hardly walk. So, he was transferred to children’s education in 2013. The comShe recounts his last days. “Before a private hospital at Sam Shonibare, Supany identified with Pa Rolling Dol- he traveled to the US, he was very hale rulere, Lagos. He spent five days there lar’s family because he was its brand and hearty. In fact, anytime he was to before he gave up the ghost. The test he ambassador for almost five years. On travel, he always ensured that he did

had read that he had cancer of the lung. He was shocked to hear that he had cancer because he never had it all along.” On her relationship with Shadiat, Baba’s first daughter who is based in the US, Zainab explains: “She’s my stepdaughter and you know that she would naturally feel more obliged to her mother than anyone else. I was the one who trained her because when I married Baba, she was just 10 years old. But because Baba had some of these kids late, he over-pampered them. It was through her father’s help that Shadiat travelled to the US. In fairness to her, she called me twice but the things she had done to me when she was in Nigeria still grieve my heart and would make me rather seek help outside. If she’s privileged and looks back to assist her brothers, it’s okay but I will never ask for that kind of favour.” Zainab told New Telegraph that it doesn’t make sense for her to get married anymore. “I’m not going to marry again. I’ve had three kids with another man before I married Baba. if I try to re-marry, I’ll lose this house to my late husband’s family. It’s the grace of God that keeps me in this house today because my husband’s younger brother was up to something negative. But if God grants it for me too to own my own house, I can then consider another shot at marriage. If I think going into another marriage will favour and it turns out sour, I would have lost everything. That’s why I cannot remarry.” However, she acknowledges Tinubu’s benevolence to the family during and after her husband’s death. She further spoke about the role Ebenezer Obey played during his funeral. “When Baba died, Tinubu sent us N1 million but it was delivered to Baba’s extended family members. But sincerely, my husband’s funeral was grand and Ebenezer Obey brought his band to perform live in this estate. But when things were getting too hard, I called Obey and from what he was saying, I knew I wasn’t to expect anything.” She also spoke of her children’s aspirations and her resolve to help them realise the dreams. “Jamiu, my older son loves to play music like his father. And he was close to him. If Baba had taught him more, he would have been better than he is now. He performs ‘Won Kere Si Number Wa’ (his father’s biggest hit song) with rap. If not that Baba had what he was hiding, he would have taken him everywhere he went. Baba used to perform every last Sunday of the month at O’Jez in Surulere and Jamiu used to go with him except on the days he had to go with a lady. He was always afraid that Jamiu would report him at home. He plays football too and he’s very good at both and I’m encouraging him. Mojeed, his younger brother is all about music, he rehearses with his father’s guitar at the same spot where he always played his guitar in his lifetime.” Rolling Dollar had married Zainab at a rather old age and this stirred questions about the musician’s virility. Laughing, she defends her late husband: “Haaa, Baba was very agile in bed. I’ve told people who doubted him to bring their daughters or sisters for just one hour. He believed in herbs more than synthetic drugs and he used herbs that worked for him. There was even a time when he asked us if we would drink a herbal concoction that already had maggots in the bottle. He insisted everything including the maggots were medicinal.”

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Cropped trousers: A fashionable work wear

looks. Women with all body types can pull off cropped trousers.

Tips

Deborah Makoji or those days when you just can't face another dress work outfit or skirt/blouse, grab a piece of brilliantly designed ankle trousers that are specially made for stylish women who love their unique style. Whether your office is casual and creative or buttoned-up and sophisticated, get inspired and shop high style ankle trouser that presents ever-feminine and chic look. These trousers are not as short as capri pants and instead have a hem that falls between the ankle and the calf. Ankle trousers are also known as cropped trousers and usually have straight legs so that they don't hug the legs too closely. One can look quite chic in ankle trousers when properly paired with dress shirt and low heel pump shoes or ankle strap sandals. Ankle trousers are casual work wear essentials that can be easily mixed and matched to give you chic and casual work

• Fine cotton and polyester ankle trousers have an elegant appearance for women who want to look their best. • Some styles, like the straight leg, are versatile enough to flatter any body type, while other styles like skinny trousers only work for specific figures. Opt for the style that is appropriate for your figure. • Solid colours or pinstripes are the best when it comes to choosing trousers for the workplace. • Cropped trousers are found in all fabric types, colours and designs, for a professional look in the workplace, you may wish to stay away from cropped trousers. • Keep it simple with neutral designs or add some punch with patterns jewel tones. • Women with a shorter stature should avoid cropped trousers that have a cuff. This can actually make women appear shorter than they already are. • Usually these trousers are better suited for casual or business casual occasions. • Trousers that are too small can be uncomfortable and extremely unflattering. Trousers that are too large can add bulk to the figure in a similarly unattractive way ensure you shop for your size. • Lighter colours can often help to balance a woman's figure to help her look taller and more proportional for a casual look.

fashion etiquette Never wear your suit with brand label on cuffs!

re you afraid no one knows your net value? Well, wearing brand label on your cuffs is not the best way to highlight your worth. I see people walking around with labels on their cuffs every once in a while and it is often difficult to comprehend how odd it looks. The fact that you are a high-end jacket does not mean you should proclaim it on your sleeve literally. Fashion etiquette demands that you remove the brand label from the cuffs of your jacket before wearing it. Or, was it purchased with the intention of returning it? The label should come off when you buy the suit because it is only there to help you easily identify the brand in the rack. Leaving the brand label on a suit after purchase is sometimes a telltale feature of an insecure person. But it also arises from ignorance. A lot of people simply don't wear suits often enough to know how to remove the tag, especially when their usual clothing is covered with logos. Yet, that is never an excuse to wear your suit with brand label on the cuff.

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Accessories to live for

Leather belt harmonises outfit

Ngozi Ogbolu

eather belts for fashionable men are one of those classic accessories you're unlikely to replace soon if you buy a high quality. The key to proper dressing is combining elements that are consistent in their level of formality and purpose, therefore choosing leather belts for the classy man’s look completes your wardrobe. The best way to wear leather belts is with trousers that have belt loops because it helps keep the trouser in place and adds to the beauty of fashion more especially for cooperate or casual look. Leather belts are designed to hold up a pair of heavy jeans or trouser pants, so ensure you choose the right one. Put it on correctly and make it a habit of wearing leather belt in style.

Tips

• Always match your shoes with your leather belt, unless you wish to be creative with your own style. • Whenever you wear a black suit, always opt for a slim leather belt with a simple silver or gold buckle so as to have that peculiar professional look. • Note that the bigger your belt buckle, the less formal it is choose your belt accordingly. Wear an alligator leather belt with a brown shoe for board meetings or conferences. • Look out for leather belt that is a little bit wider so as to make your casual look sporty and stunning. In this case, larger buckles with rounded shapes can be used. • When you wear a belt that fits, you will look trendier and better as you tuck in your shirt into those trouser pants or jeans.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

News

Kikanwa: A sucker for sun shades

MY STYLE

Fashion designer and current Miss Global Peace Nigeria, Kikanwa Olamide Aroguma; speaks with DEBORAH MAKOJI about her fashion philosophy. How do you intend affect lives through your office? I have an empowerment programme, a skill acquisition that I am working on presently. Which fashion item catches your fancy while shopping? I love shoes, and I am a sucker for sun shades. Do you easily get your fashion items in Nigeria? My sister has a fashion store in Lagos Island. I just show her a picture of what I like and she gets them for me. When it comes to fashion will you say your physique works to your advantage? Whatever body you have, as long as you are comfortable and okay with it whatever you put on will be fine. Yes to an extent, my physique works to my advantage fashion wise. What is your fashion weakness? I don't have a fashion weakness, if my pocket can afford it,

Beauty B

Ebeye eauty is magic and

Kikanwa

Facts

After its modern debut, the bikini was banned in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Australia, and it was declared a sin by The Vatican.

You can thank former New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia for popularising the modern-day thong. He introduced it in 1939 to make NYC’s nude dancers cover up a little bit.

The first miniskirt was unveiled by designer André Courreges in 1965. It ended a modest four inches above the knee.

There is a bra that doubles as a gas mask. It’s meant to be snapped off and put over the mouth in the event of an emergency.

yes I will buy but if I can't, I just let go. How do you love your makeup and hair? I like a mild makeup and a well treated hair to go. What is your sense of fashion? My sense of fashion is chic and classy and I love strappy heels.

High heels Wearing high heels will obviously make you look taller, but shoe color can be just as important as shoe height. Wearing heels that match your skin color or your hosiery will make your legs seem like they are going on forever. High and go wide High waist pants give the illusion of longer legs. Flare jeans are flattering because they elongate your legs when paired with chic heels. Show some leg Wearing a skirt or dress with a slit up the side or front will definitely make you look taller. With all that leg on display it’s impossible to think that they don’t go on for days. Patterns and shapes Vertical and diagonal stripes are definitely a timeless trend that let you put your best body forward: they lengthen your torso and make you look even slimmer

Do you bleach your skin? Am definitely not, I love my skin and wouldn't want to do anything to damage my skin.

Do you consider any fashion item indispensable? Am not greedy, I don't see any fashion item as indispensable, if I feel have worn something a number of times I give it out. Especially because I am in the limelight, people feel you shouldn't wear something more than once.

Your ready to go outfit? Jeans and tops.

What is your beauty routine? The first thing I do when I get out of bed is to drink a lot of water; I really don't have any special beauty routine.

Who is your best designer? Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel and Versace. I love their product.

Is there anything you will never be caught wearing? Fashion is evolving, you can

Tips on lengthening height

magic is all about illusions. The right colour and style can make you look taller and will compliment a petite look. We can’t all be a six feet tall model, but that doesn’t mean we can look our tallest! Good posture and a confident attitude are mandatory for every fashionista. So is stocking your wardrobe with the right clothes to help you look taller while you wait for the scale to catch up, here are some tips to make yourself look taller.

say you won't be caught wearing something and before you know it, that's the in thing. But I definitely won't be caught wearing sneakers on iro and buba. Also, I cannot wear bikini to events.

than you are. Dresses, shirts, slacks and even long sleeve cardigans with vertical and diagonal stripes are a petite woman’s best friend. Stay away from horizontal stripes, check and dots patterns. V-necks When picking shirts and dresses, opt for V-necks, they elongate your neck and will give you “giraffe” like qualities. Tuck a V-neck into a high-waist pant or skirt to increase the optical illusion. Come undone Another great way to create a long line is to leave your jacket/cardigan/blazer unbuttoned. That is why shorter guys never button their bottom blazer, sure it’s more comfortable, but it also makes them look taller! Accessories Wear a long necklace, this will give you the illusion of having a long neck and you definitely want as much of the “giraffe affect” as you can get. Stay away from chokers, although chokers are cute but they will cut your neck in half.

Signature perfume I love Dior and Versace. Most expensive fashion item ever bought? That should be my Chanel box.

What kind of hairstyle appeals most to you? It all depends on the event I want to attend but I am comfortable in pony tail.

SATURDAY

The Arts SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2015

Okigbo assumes new life in ‘Words over Bonfire’ C James Eze

hristopher Okigbo metaphorically rose from the dead in his native Ojoto when six Nigerian poets sought to invoke his genius in a colourful ceremony held on the eve of his posthumous 85th birthday at the weekend. The ceremony, aptly tagged Words over Bonfire saw Nigeria’s most enchanting poets, Amu-Nnadi (Through the Window of a Sandcastle), Tade Ipadeola (The Sahara Testaments), Nduka Otiono (Love in a Time of Nightmares), Chuma Nwokolo (Final Testament of a Minor God) Uche Umez (Dark through the Delta) and Iquo Diana Eke (Symphony of Becoming) singing the moon to sleep under the glow of a bonfire in an effort to give a new figurative life to the heroic poet. The ceremony which held in the vast compound of the Okigbos in Ojoto-Uno, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State was the opening sequence of a two-day poetry festival organised by the Awka Literary Society in honour of the late poet. The night began with a flourish with the poets arriving to the warm embrace of Obiageli Okigbo, the late poet’s daughter, her hitherto unknown half-brother, Onyebuchi and the rest of the family led by Uncle John Okigbo (the late poet's nephew) who had ordered several pots of tasty palm wine to slake the thirst of the poets who would soon ease into the performance mode to honour their hero. The eclectic audience of writers, storytellers, culture lovers, students and curious Ojoto residents were soon to get a foretaste of what the night held in its vast folds when Okigbo Mbem, an extra-ordinary verbal poet with a voice that has no need for a microphone opened the curtain with a haunting invocation of Christopher Okigbo. His voice ripped through the night air and stirred everyone awake to the business of the night. Okigbo Mbem is a well-known griot in Awka and environs who practices a very difficult art form. His rose and fell with the moods of the night as he painted a picture of Okigbo’s life of promise and its abrupt termination by war. He also heaped eulogies on the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano for creating a conducive environment for the arts to thrive.

John Okigbo. Inset: Eze

But the mood soon became sombre when the poets filled out and walked up to Okigbo’s grave to pay obeisance to the fallen poet. Each poet approach the tombstone with deep respect and stood before it for a moment before walking back to their seats. Umez was the first to take the stage. Every poet began his reading with a brief remark about what Christopher Okigbo meant to him or her. As Umez read, the bonfire crackled to life, sending an incandescent glow into the surrounding darkness. Umez’s performance was solemn and intense, heightening our sense of the moment. But all that changed when Iquo Diana Eke floated to the arena. Iquo’s performance was celebratory, involving a calland-response that swept the audience along. The mood was infectious as the audience struggled to sing in Ibibio after her. The night however Amu Nnadi reading his poem

took a new edge when Prof. Nduka Otiono, author of The Night Hides with a Knife took to the stage. His deep baritone rolled over his lines in a smooth delivery that had the feel of a waterfall on hard soil. His vast experience showed in his seamless glide through his poem, sweeping the audience on what seemed like a rollercoaster ride into a night of words over bonfire. When Chuma Nwokolo stood up to perform, his grey hair glowing into the cascading shades of the night, the performance took yet another turn for the better. Nwokolo seemed so regal, radiating the sense of solemnity that descended on the scene when Okigbo Mbem opened the night with an invocation. Nwokolo’s voice sounded like the drop of a feather onto a dark still void, soft and soothing. Tade Ipadeola performance was probably the first time Okigbo’s poem would be read to an eclectic audience of poets and writers by his graveside. Ipadeola’s delivery and choice of poem to read heightened the sense of gratitude from the audience to the fallen poet. His brief talk on why Okigbo would always be outstanding was just as brilliant as he recalled how Okigbo had turned around when the limelight was on him as Africa’s greatest poet and pointed out that the honour actually belonged to the Congolese poet, Tchicaya U Tam'si. But the audience finally felt the magic in the night when amu-nnadi took the stage, accompanied by a flutist. Finally, the performance found its mooring. The flute sang intermittently, weaving in and out and twirling around the words of Amu-Nnadi’s lyrics, spraying magic around the scene. The bonfire glowed silently in the backstage as the smouldering wood crackled and hissed in the flame. Dr. Ngozi Chuma-Ude’s performance was a fitting end to a night that belonged to the gods; a night which could only have been made possible by the spirit of Christopher Okigbo. It was an extra-ordinary night; a night when words reached their zenith, frothing and hissing over a smouldering bonfire! But perhaps more importantly it was poetry’s first night in Nigeria's South-East and a fitting posthumous birthday present on the eve of Christopher Okigbo’s 85th birthday. Eze is Special Adviser on Media to the Anambra State governor.

Reflection with

Tim Akinleye 08098668480

timwriteswell@gmail.com

Loving Trees, Loving Life (Tribute to natural trees) God in His infinite wisdom at creation, Made trees afore man for eternal friendship, Access granted He to all but one. In defiance and disrespect to the Tree, Man twisted the order and in comes abuse of trees. Though betrayed, yet, Tree offered her leaves. Out of Eden, trees desert not their friends: From sun they shield us from harmful rays They feed us round the seasons. He who loves trees loves life. Trees suck away carbon dioxide, Gives us oxygen in return. Sycamores, oaks and more, homes are, To birds, bees, possums and squirrels Under which other wildlife take a rest. Trees muffle noisome odours and sounds; Absorb dust, and create eye-soothing greenery, Luring customers to our landscaped districts. Trees announce our seasons: Winter, Spring, summer and fall Blessing us with assorted fruits and food. Trees protect our children at schools' campuses And playgrounds from ultra-violet rays And in their greenery are healing therapies. You reduce runoff by breaking rainfalls Rainwater flows down your trucks for earth to drink You disallow stormwater ferrying pollutants into our ocean. An acre of mature trees I nurture, Absorbs the amount of carbon dioxide My car produces over 26'000 miles. The first draft of this tribute I did on paper from pulp, Even as I sat on my wooden chair, Your inner backs contain latex for my lamp. You give us timber for our buildings, You furnish our homes and offices, You provide tools for us to earn a living To be continued

SATURDAY

Pa James

Kenneth Okonkwo

I would have been frustrated if not for Papa Ajasco p.21

It’s normal for actors to forget their lines

ShowBiz

p.20

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2015

JOSEPH BENJAMIN

It’s key to try to protect your children from the limelight. Shut them away from all of that; create a world for them and let them be in that world

I’m fine being a single parent His good looks and velvet voice have endeared Joseph Benjamin to movie buffs home and abroad. It's no surprise then that his face adorns many movie jackets. The actor and TV host speaks with LANRE ODUKOYA on hosting MTN Project Fame and having two children even though he's single. You're looking forward to winning the award of the Best Actor award at the City People Entertainment Awards; how does this feel? That’s correct, I look forward to it and I’m just calm to expect whatever comes out of it. But I have a feeling that I’ll carry the day. I trust my God and the instincts he gave me. Is it true that you were a bus conductor at some point? To God be the glory, I’d been through a lot of things and I’ve come out a conqueror. And victory from the shackles of negativity is all that matters; God has given that and much more. The journey to the top hasn’t been easy but I’ve walked the path. How long have you hosted MTN Project Fame now? This is the seventh year I’ve been hosting the show. Dare Art Alade did the debut edition and I joined from the second till date. Have you no fear that you might lose it to someone else? I have no such fear as long as I’m passionately dedicated to what I’m doing. You always don’t talk about the woman in your life, is anything the problem? I’m sorry but I’ve always drawn a line here. How is life taking care of two kids all by yourself? It’s not a task. It’s an experience, and a beautiful one. Being a father has helped me build the very fabric of who I am as a man. It’s helped me to grow and mature. It’s taught me responsibility and so I would say being a father has been a blessing for me because I have been able to draw strength from that and put it into my work. It has helped me balance my life in a sense. How do you juggle work and fatherhood? I try to balance it. It can be difficult at times, but I try in the midst of all that to balance it. I speak to them a lot. What do you find most exciting about being a parent? Being responsible for lives is as exciting and challenging. Knowing that these lives are your responsibility; whatever comes out of this is on you. That has me in check and it’s lovely. So what has being a father really changed about you? I have a different view on life. I’ve come to understand what our parents went through and I can relate with them directly. I do understand. And it’s made

You sometimes get emotional in the course of the show especially when certain contestants are evicted. Aren’t you supposed to hide your sentiments even if your judgment favours anyone? It’s because I’m passionate about what I do and maybe at a point, those people have put up a good fight and they end up defeated. We’re humans first of all.

me more accountable. And businesswise, it has helped me because you realize every penny counts as a father and a parent because you know that you have a responsibility to these people. So whatever business decisions you are making, you understand that. You are also economically conscious of the fact that they are your first priority. Do you have some counsel for men who find themselves in similar situation? My advice is that your children and family should be first priority. Be close to them and let their lives be part of yours and [and let your life] be a part of theirs. You guys should be together – make time for them – you can speak to them now and then and let them feel your presence even if you are not there physically, it goes a long way. And more personally try to be there for special events in their lives. Those are memories that would constantly remain with them. It’s key to try to protect your children from the limelight. Shut them away from all of that; create a world for them and let them be in that world. That way, they have a balanced life. Which is more tedious between hosting shows and acting? Both of them come with their workloads. In being a compere - it’s about you. You’re the one relating with the people on behalf of a brand like Joseph Benjamin does for MTN Project Fame. But being an actor, you take on the personality of another person, you have to reason and act like that person and that is more demanding because it has to be believable.

Apart from hosting MTN Project Fame and acting what else should fans expect from you? After Project Fame and acting, music is in the works. Are you not considering producing your own film like most of your colleagues? I might do that but music is the most prominent. What kind of music is it likely to be? It’s going to be soul gospel. I’ve always been in music, that’s where I started from before I went into any other thing.

Benjamin

Of all your movies, which one has been the most challenging? It will be very difficult to tell which one is the most challenging but I remember that Iyori, the one I did with Rita Dominic is really challenging for me. This is because it was set in the ancient Benin kingdom in Benin city and it’s my first epic movie. And it’s been quite successful, it took a lot from me to get into that character. As it comes you understand and you discover. Have you had a crush on any of the actress you’ve crossed paths with? I’ve had no crush on anybody, maybe I have a crush on my mum (giggles).

How did you start acting? I started off acting as a child, aged 12, in the popular children’s programme – Tales By Moonlight on NTA. My first acting experience was on Tales by Moonlight. I was part of the people that were acting out the stories then. Then I left the acting scene for many years and later in 1991, I was cast in my first movie titled, Crossroads. It had the likes of Ramsey Noah, Pat Attah, Victoria Iyamah, Sandra Achums, Ejike Asiegbu and Gbenga Richards. I also played a role in popular TV Soap, Edge of Paradise, where I was a bachelor who lived next to a family whose daughter had soft spot for. What was memorable about that role was that I had to be on dreadlocks. It was quite an amazing experience for me.

Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

KENNETH OKONKWO

It’s normal for actors to forget their lines Kenneth Okonkwo’s name has gone into the annals of the Nigerian movie industry and he keeps the buzz going. The actor and lawyer in this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA speaks about his career, politics and Nollywood. You heralded the birth of Nollywood with your stellar performance in Living in Bondage. Looking at the level the industry has got, how does it make you feel? Honestly, it feels great. When I see people coming around because of what Nollywood has become, it gives me great joy because when we started, a lot of people had doubts. And seeing this happen in our lifetime is something we will be eternally grateful to God for. Was that your best outing ever? Fans are still waiting for you to beat that record you set over twenty years ago Living in Bondage came at a time when the eyes of Nigerians had not been deflowered. So, they saw it with that eye and some have made up their minds to conclude that the movie is the best no matter what you come up with later. I believe there have been very good movies that I acted in, Nigerians are now more knowledgeable as to what films should be. So, they criticize modern films more than they’d ever do

with Living in Bondage. Have you ever forgotten your lines during filming? Yes. From time to time every artist forgets his or her lines. It is natural. It shows you are not God but man. Again if you lose concentration, you may forget your lines. If the actor you are acting with misses his or her lines, it may affect you. The most important thing is when you miss your lines, you concentrate, get it back and continue. What is that thing you know now that you wish you knew when you first started out as an actor? That when you become popular you have fans who, unknown to you, regard you as their role model and you must put them into account in how you live your life. This means you can no longer be yourself. You do not have a private life anymore. People want to know what you eat, drink, who you see, talk to, and so on. What other people do and get away with, you will do

Okonkwo

and will not get away with it.

DJ Neptune

Have you rejected roles before; if yes, which roles were they and why? Yes. I am very selective with the scripts I receive. Because God used me to start Nollywood as an actor in the movie, Living in Bondage, I always feel that I have to keep that standard to make people maintain their interest and love for Nollywood. This encourages me to choose only the best scripts that will add value to me as an actor and to the industry in general. I do not want to mention the ones I rejected because they were rejected in the first place because they will not add any value. So they will not add any value to this interview. You sought a political office during the last election when most people thought that you would return to your other profession, law, when you take a break from acting. Why did you try politics? Let’s put it this way, the source of my greatness has always been from the love of the people. When you have such love from the people, the surest way to empower and repay them for the love they’ve shown me is to represent them and bring true dividends to them. So, I felt the sense of obligation to look for opportunity to serve them and that was what led me to politics because I would have more access to the resources that will enable me help the people.

But you didn’t see the dream to fruition… Yes, I boycotted the primary. I must confess that at the initial stage, what I saw was below my barest minimum of participation. And I wouldn’t lend my name to anything that is not up to the standard of Living in Bondage. So, I know that we’re growing and we’ll get there. So is it safe to say that you’ve said goodbye to politics? I am still in politics, I boycotted the primary but I’m still in the Peoples Democratic Party. Don’t you think delving into politics will negatively affect your acting career? No, politics won’t set me back. Even my being an actor didn’t affect my legal career. We started acting as a hobby. We were trained professionals and we used acting to entertain ourselves just as you play football. It became so successful that a lot of us are now seeing it as a profession rather than hobby. Have you relocated to Lagos? No, I’m in Abuja now. I’ve got to a level where anybody who needs me to be part of a movie project knows where they’ll get me and movies are shot all over Nigeria and all over the world. What are you doing in Abuja? That’s where I have my law chambers.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Showbiz

I would have been frustrated if not for Papa Ajasco –Pa James The hilarious performance put up by Kayode Olasehinde, popularly known as Pa James in the popular television drama series, Papa Ajasco, has earned him an enviable reputation. Despite his lack of higher education, he has been able to weather the storm in the world of make-believe. He tells OLUSHOLA RICKETTS how Papa Ajasco changed his life. Are you the same person on screen in real life? When I am on set I may look or say funny things but when I am off set I am a serious person, though people find it hard to take me seriously. How would you describe your life as an actor? I have really gathered wealth and fame from acting. The little money I get I have been able to use it well. As a matter of fact, everyone in the industry charges fees, but what we use our money for is different. The industry is not as poor as people say, although producers don’t make life easy for us. When was the first time you starred in a movie? I cannot remember the exact year again. I think it was early ‘70s. I cannot remember the name of the movie too because we didn’t know that it was for commercial purpose until the producer suddenly mentioned that he was taking it to Idumota, Lagos. The equipment he used also were not the best in quality. I have starred in many movies and I have lost count. It is work for us and whenever I wake up in the morning my prayer is to get jobs. Are you fulfilled? Yes, I am. I don’t have other things I do than acting. It is just that producers use actors and dump us, especially Yoruba films’ producers. They don’t like to pay well and I cannot really blame them because they probably have low budget. It is always a problem to pay artistes. Instead, they would start using characters that are not fit just to cut corners. They call it caucus; they would claim that such people belong to their caucus. Most of such films don’t come out very well since they didn’t use the best characters. How do you think the Yoruba film industry could be improved? It was not like this before. Then, if you see a movie you would be wondering where they shot it, but now you can easily tell the location because people in that area will dominate the movie. If it was shot in Abeokuta, Ogun State, people there will dominate it. Now, people use those who are close to make films not minding professionalism. Look at Tunde Kelani for example; I see him as one of the best producers in Nigeria. He picks characters from different states and brings them together. That is the best way to produce quality films and develop the industry. That sense of unity is lacking in the Yoruba film industry.

When was the last time you worked with Tunde Kelani? I have worked with him before and I was so happy I did. I starred in “Ti Oluwa Nile” part three some years ago. He called me for “Narrow Path” at a time, but I was so busy. I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t make myself available and it was painful to him also. It is a thing of joy to work with people like that because the job comes out well. The movie was shot at the Republic of Benin and my son starred in it. How many of your children act? I have only one who does films. I don’t think the other two are thinking of acting. Even the one that is acting I didn’t put him there and he is doing well. In 2000, he got the best Kid actor award and got another award in 2007. His

name is Samuel Olasehinde. Do you agree that people know you more in Papa Ajasco & Company? You are very correct. I can never forget Papa Ajasco production and I always give kudos to Wale Adenuga. If everyone thinks like him this industry would have grown bigger because he knows the right people for roles. He picked the characters himself; I didn’t even know him from anywhere. They just called me that I should come. I cannot remember the year particularly; I don’t border myself with dates, but I wrote most the details somewhere. We are like in our 18 years now. There is no point lying; If there is no Wale Adenuga production I would have been frustrated out of this industry because of the use and dump system. When they give you small money and you request for a better pay for another movie, they won’t come to you gain. They would always want you to help them. After helping a producer two times, have you done any wrong to ask for payment? But since I met Wale Adenuga Production I have not had any regret. I thank God for him and I always pray for the company. But how come it seems Pa Ajasco & Company is dead? Pa Ajasco is alive, the production is alive. The challenge is that most people don’t follow the stations we are airing it now. When it was being aired on AIT people were seriously following it. Many people often ask me the stations airing it. It is on Startimes, Wap TV; they do it like three times in a week. We even have other films that are equally funny there. I am an actor so I am free to do any other production, but I won’t use the name Pa James.

Pa James

It's the fact that you had limited formal education a challenge in your movie career? I thank God. As I speak to you, my highest qualification is secondary school certificate. As you are speaking all these big grammar to me, it is the grace of God I have been able to answer. People call me and give me scripts to read. I can read well and do what they require of me. I am always surprised too when I play some of these roles and I do them well. I always tell people that if you speak bad English, people would correct you and

you would learn from it thereafter. You should say it; there is no point being ashamed. Why didn’t you try to improve yourself? Though there is no age barrier to education, I am not interested in going to school again. My children can go to all the schools; I don’t want to disturb myself anymore. The actor attends Obafemi Awolowo University, one is at the University of Ilorin and the last is still in secondary school. How long have you been married? I got married very late because I thought that I must have the necessary things to bring a woman into my home. What is killing most people now is that they don’t plan well before they venture into marriage. Marriage is a journey for which you must be well prepared because it is forever. But people don’t see it that way. I used to tell myself that if I get married with empty pocket how do I take care of my family? Then, this industry was so poor. In the ‘70s, ‘80s and partly ‘90s, there was no money in this industry. Though people got married and had kids, I didn’t like the fact that I would have to beg to take care of my family. This made me to take my time before I settled own. I tell people to make sure that they are ready before they go into marriage because it would make the home strong. Young people especially should think well before they go into that journey. What makes you happy as an actor? I have many things that give me joy. The moment I am in the midst of my colleagues I forget all my worries. Once you tell them what is bothering your mind, they have a way of making you to forget it. You know this industry doesn’t welcome one being moody because it affects one’s output. Do you have other businesses asides acting? None yet, but I plan to start selling fish. I started that, but it was so small. I plan to do it on a large scale now. Acting remains my first priority and I will not drop it for anything. How do you spend a day without work? I am always at home if I am not working. If there is no light I would put on the generator. I like to rest; I see movies because it affords me the opportunity to watch out for techniques. I see English and Yoruba movies, even the ones I featured in. I would look at areas I didn’t do well and make sure I don’t repeat those mistakes again. What do you still plan to achieve? I hope to be more committed to Christ because all what we do in life has no gain if we don’t make the kingdom of God. If you do well here on earth you will be praised in heaven. Also, I pray that my children become useful to the nation just like I have been to the country even though they’ve not give me national award.

Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

LANRE ODUKOYA

SHOWBIZ TODAY

08059296445 lanre.odukoya@newtelegraphonline.com

Mercy Ajisafe unveiled as face of DFNG

Reports that I'm dating Davido belittling me –Eniola Badmus N

he general manager of DFNG, Edwin Okoye, has announced the launch of DFNG online platform in Nigeria and revealed on-air-personality and presenter, Mercy Ajisafe, as the face of DFNG in Nigeria. DFNG is a platform that gives UK and US brands an opportunity to showcase their work on an international level. Hand-picking only the best designer wears makes DFNG the premium brand with individual piece, creating a range of timeless wardrobe essentials. Based in London, DFNG.COM ships in its customers order in three working days using UPS. What customers find really enigmatic is that DFNG.COM has the quickest delivery time and sells like for like prices as brands based in the UK. More importantly, Nigerians all over the world and in Nigeria can buy and ship their best loved brands to friends and family in Nigeria and all over the world through this refreshingly new platform. Bringing the East and West together, DFNG creates the stable foundation required in order to inject the key elements of creativity and individuality into everyday looks and styles with ease especially for the strong and confident modern West African female of today. The concept of DFNG originated in 2012 through a variety of eclectic ideas and discussions inspired by elements of the everyday life. A fusion of originality and innovation is the base upon which DFNG has been built. 2Face Idibia has also been throwing his weight behind his wife, winning hearts of new converts for BeOlive Hair.

Eniola. Inset: With Davido

Majek laments unfair media coverage

C Ajisafe and Okoye

Basketmouth to host Lauryn Hill’s rescheduled Lagos show

Lauryn Hill

ollywood actress, Eniola Badmus, has reacted to rumours that she is having an affair with Davido, who she has never hidden her love for. She claimed the worst of the rumours she has heard about her is the alleged romance with the younger celebrity singer. The actress described Davido as her younger brother as well as the YBNL crew, headed by Olamide, a rapper for whom Eniola had voiced her admiration. "That I'm dating Davido? I mean that was so weird. I didn't even hear about it on time, it was David that told me. We were just laughing about it. Why would you say I'm dating David? Davido is my brother. We are almost together every day if I'm not working. I'm always in his house, he comes around to my house too. YBNL, HKN, they are my family," the actress declared.

our months after her planned concert in Lagos could not hold due to what she labeled "inadequate travelling arrangements", multiple Grammy award winner, Lauryn Hill, is billed to perform in Lagos on Sunday, August 30. The former Fugees member will lead her 20-member band to Nigeria for a performance at Eko Hotel & Suites and the event, according to the organisers, will be hosted by comedian, Basketmouth. The list of Nigerian music acts who are also expected to perform alongside the Killing me Softly singer has not been revealed yet by organisers. The concert was initially billed for Friday, May 1, but the American didn’t show up while blaming the organisers of the event. In a video released by Lauryn Hill after it became obvious she would not be in Nigeria that day, she apologised for not turning up while stating her reasons. The event however went on with the likes of Yemi Alade, Flavour, Chidinma and many others entertaining fans.

harles Oputa a.k.a. Charly Boy recently visited Majek Fashek at the Abuja rehabilitation centre where he is being treated for drug and alcohol addiction and the weird showbiz personality shares what he found exciting about the troubled singer. Excerpts “The other day I was at the Rain Maker's (Majek’s) press conference, a little anxious but mostly excited about the personal progress made so far in regards to his physical well-being. I was anxious if the press in firing questions at Majek were going to be kind this time around or insensitive to his situation. The questions where mostly directed to Majek and my colleagues in the media were gentle, till one of them had to voice out what was probably on the minds of most of them,” said Charly Boy. “I’m seeing a different picture in front of me, and I am pleasantly shocked at the way you have answered all questions thrown at you. I came here expecting to meet someone incoherent, confused and off track but I’m faced with someone who is not only articulate, but who understands what is happening to him and is desirous of a positive change. I’m glad I came here today or I wouldn’t have believed this. It was Majek’s answer that inspired this piece.” MAJEK: “When I first started my music

Charly Boy and Majek

career, the media played a massive role in making me the rain maker. Sadly, they have also been an instrument to my predicament. I have played with a lot of reputable international stars and done a lot of positive stuffs, but this was never reported by the media in Nigeria. As I struggled with my addiction, the media hyped my struggle and made me feel more worthless than I already felt, because of my botched contract with Island Records. I am hopeful that as I make this recovery journey, that you all will be kinder to me and report stories that would reflect my victory from my addiction.” Then Charly Boy continued: “Over the years I have been called all sorts of names, but I no send and I didn’t back down. Some of us don’t have that tough skin. Intolerance is alive and well these days, and many of us are accustomed to thoughtlessly passing judgment or speaking negatively about someone we do not understand or things too deep for our minds to grasp. "It is time we take care not to pass judgment on people who are challenged in one way or the other, and people who are simply different. "Nollywood movies are made to educate/entertain the masses, like the movie DRY. Fictional characters like Charly Boy are created for the purpose of entertainment. Our entertainers, actors and actresses did not sign up to have their real lives splashed all over the place. Watching a friend or yourself deal with a dysfunctional marriage or going through serious challenges is heartbreaking, now, just imagine all of one’s (travails) plastered all over the papers for some reporter’s screaming headline, because paper must sell. How would that make you feel? It is hard enough dealing with real life drama and these celebrities do not need to deal with it in front of a camera, or on the pages of the newspaper.”

Investigations SATURDAY TELEGRAPH 22 AUGUST, 2015

An acutely malnourished child PHOTO: Muhammadalibenmarcus. blogspost.com

HUNGER and the Nigerian child

Children are supposed to be precious gifts in every family; the hope of the future. But, this seems far from being the case in Nigeria as many under age five suffer stunted growth as a result of malnutrition. ISIOMA MADIKE, in this report, looks at undernourishment as a problem that affects more than 80 per cent of the country’s child population

e lives in the remote area of Orile Agege, a suburb of Lagos. He should be within the age bracket of two years. He is pipe-stem thin. His rather large teeth jut from a somewhat perpetually open mouth etched on a face with skull-tight skin and buzz-cut hair. He often grits his teeth when he talks. His name is Osamudiame. Pathetic as Osamudiame’s condition may seem, he is not an isolated case. Also, in an obscure quarter of Shomolu in Lagos, is a four-year-old Alaba. She was naked on this day with wrinkled frame. Her sight casts a dark shadow over a rising Nigeria, where millions of children have little to eat. Alaba is skinny, listless and sick in this locality with its intermittent power supply. If she survives, she will grow up shorter, weaker and less smart than her better-fed peers. She weighs 9kg, about half of what she should. She is as light as a leaf,” said her mother, Oluwatoyin, who, sporadically, jabbed her rib-protruding stomach, jokingly. Yet, Osamudiame and Alaba are not alone in this pathetic state. In the northern part of the country are many of such sights. In Kano, for instance, one-year-old

Isioma madike

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

Aminat, who weighs a little above 3kg and rests on a bed next to her equally malnourished mother, is one of such kids. The little girl and her poor family live on Warri Road, in Sabongari area of the ancient city, “You see her arms? They are almost the width of my thumb,” said Zainab, as she carried her flabby, emaciated daughter with one palm. “She is too weak. She can't even sit by herself,’’ the distraught mother added. The sight of other women holding their severely malnourished children as they stand outside their homes is also common. Poor hygiene, low public health spending and little education and awareness have all but helped the situation. Age-old customs discriminating against women such as child marriage have equally contributed, but are far harder to tackle, said experts. Like Aminat, most of the children in this bustling neighbourhood are said to come from Nigeria’s poorest communities, according to natives, where literacy is poor and poverty high. Their mothers are themselves often undernourished, forced into early marriage when they reach puberty, and give birth to underweight babies with weak immune systems. This is not surprising. In many Nigerian neighbourhood are children whose bones are popping out of the body. The sunken eyes, drooping faces, swollen belly, chapped lips and wrinkled skin are common place in most states of the federation. This, incidentally, is the physi-

cal description of a child, who is malnourished. Due to lack of food and insufficient health supply, many children in Nigeria suffer from this heartbreaking disease. Though, no longer news to a vast majority of the people as many who live in big cities with posh houses and cars, still have plenty of chances to come across the malady. In rural areas, they are considered to be low and windows are usually shut when they beg for money for their survival. But, Nigerians, as a minimum, deserve a life free from hunger, considering her resources. Unfortunately, both poverty and hunger have continued to haunt the country’s landscape. Hunger is both a cause and consequence of poverty, as people on low income tend to have worse diets, while people who lack adequate nutrition struggle harder to extricate themselves from poverty. The scary picture is the same all over. Illiteracy or lack of awareness has, indeed, taken its toll on Nigerian kids. Mothers, in most communities, according to investigation, do not breastfeed their children well, chiefly because of ignorance or lack of nutrients in their own bodies. They often rely on offering buffalo milk and contaminated water, making their children prone to illnesses like diarrhea, which prevents nutrient absorption. Incidentally, many of these families live on less than $1 a day, which can hardly afford anything beyond local

foods like corn mill (tuwo) in the North and palp (akamu) in the South. These foods are devoid of much-needed protein and other nutrients. For the children, their mothers’ plans mean little unless they put enough of the right food in their stomachs. Almost as shocking as Nigeria’s high prevalence of child malnutrition is the country's failure to reduce it. This is in spite of her supposed increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) a few years back. “It is a national shame. Child nutrition is a marker of the many things that are not going right for the poor masses,” said a nutritionist, who identified himself simply as John. But, it does appear that the country’s efforts at reducing the number of undernourished kids have been largely hampered by blighting poverty where many cannot afford the amount and types of food they need. In addition, shoddy management of food stocks, over reliance of carbohydrate-rich food that fuel and fill the poor rather than truly nourish them in the country’s poorest rural settings, according to findings, have not only added to the problem but have worsened it. Studies have shown that every one out of three Nigerian child is malnourished, while almost half of the child population in the country dies because of this. The country’s GDP maybe high, but majority of the children under five years of age is immensely underweight. C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 2 4

Investigations

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST, 2015

Approximately 1.7 million under-five

A mother cradling her emaciated child. PHOTO: Isioma Madike

Mothers feed their children with locally prepared food. PHOTO: Phgardencity.com

C O N T I N U E D f r o m PA G E 2 3

They have no source of gaining their weight back or stay healthy, as rich people or even the government is not taking enough actions to mitigate this. Despite the starvation crisis that East Africa goes through, they somehow look good next to the malnourished in Nigeria. This obviously leaves many wondering how ignorant the country is trying to be towards the poorer strata. One of the major reasons for this is because the mothers are under-weight themselves. They have to work all day even during their pregnancy, and with the very little food they get, they eventually drain out. The foetus, however, eats up whatever they want when they are in the womb, but the lack of nutrition while they are growing

up hits them as early as the age of two. The ones who suffer this cannot afford vitamin and iron tablets and thus grow weaker and weaker. If they are lucky, they do not have to suffer for a long time. This is because many of such children can now be reached and saved through lifesaving malnutrition treatment powered by the community-based treatment of acutely malnourished children in some parts of the country. At present, over a million children have been reached with over 200,000 lives saved in the past six years, according to government and its partner on child issues, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The programme, Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) was piloted in Gombe and Kebbi states in 2009 and has now been introduced

A mother feeds malnourished child with tuwo. PHOTO: www.research-intelligencemagazine.com

Malnourished children with their mothers waiting for their turn in one of the CMAM centres in the North. PHOTO: Thewillnigeria.com

in 11 northern states where malnutrition poses the greatest threat. CMAM treats acutely malnourished children from six months to five years old on an out-patient basis. More than 830,000 children have been cured in the programme with the cure rate rising steadily, currently standing at 85 per cent. Of the remaining children, about two per cent do not respond to treatment and are referred to hospitals. The current mortality rate is just one per cent, while the other children have defaulted from the programme. “We must scale-up CMAM in Nigeria. It is a proven high-impact intervention that is saving lives and helping Nigerian children reach their full potential through a good start in life,” noted UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Jean Gough. “We need greater investment in Nigeria’s future by investment in good nutrition,” she added. There are approximately 1.7 million underfive Nigerian children acutely malnourished, accounting for a 10th of the global total. Nearly a thousand Nigerian children die of malnutrition-related causes every day, amounting to a total of 361,000 each year. Acute malnutrition leads to stunting of children, according to medical experts, causing life-long physical limitations and can reduce intellectual capacity. “The Government of Nigeria is committed to reaching more children with CMAM,” said Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health. “We cannot accept that Nigerian children continue to die of malnutrition and that our potential future leaders should be diminished by its effects.” CMAM is carried out during weekly appointments over approximately eight weeks at primary health care centres. It includes education of parents and caregivers on nutrition, the importance of continuing breastfeeding and the role of hand-washing and hygiene.

One of the malnourished children receiving treatment. PHOTO: 1080plus.com

Another stunted child

PHOTO: www.mynewswatchtimesng.com

The nutrition status of the children is assessed during the CMAM sessions and children are given a health screening; if necessary, they are also treated for other illnesses. Children are given highly nutritious Readyto-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) during the sessions also and mothers and caregivers are provided with supplies of RUTF to feed the child at home. The cost for CMAM is just US$160 for each child treated, including US$76 for the RUTF; the remaining US$84 covers all other costs, including staff time and training, transport and storage of supplies, and basic medicines. UNICEF and the Government of Nigeria are scaling up the CMAM response while UNICEF is advocating for increased investment in CMAM from both the Government and external donors. Over the years since its introduction in 2009, financial support for the programme has been provided by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), The Department for International Development (DFID), which is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid. Others are an agricultural support agency to the world, the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO), which exists to reduce hunger and improve the lives of small-scale farmers worldwide, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). But, in the face of absolute hunger, Nigeria, it seems, mislays on daily basis to the tone of N1billion on contraband foods. The insurgents' activities in the northern part of the country have in addition been contributing to the increasing level of malnutrition as farmers are forced to abandon their farms for their lives. The estimated numbers of farmers who

Weak and swolle

PHOTO: en.wikiped

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST2015

SATURDAY

FREE

Sport Splash 25

Interview

My greatest joy is knowing my girls are doing well -Akiode p.27

Global

Revenge mission as Barca, Bilbao clash again p.28

News

Shaq ranks self higher than Olajuwon p.30

Features

World Championships: What hope for Team Nigeria? p.31

Temile backs Oliseh’s list

…says exclusion of Mikel, Moses bold move

Vincent Eboigbe

The Team

Vincent EboigbelAssistant Editor Ajibade Olusesan l Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya l Correspondent

x-international, Clement Temile, has thrown his weight behind Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh with regard to the team list he released during the week for the 2017 African Nations Cup qualifier against Tanzania. The list for the AFCON tie against the Taifa Stars had a few surprises as hitherto regular names like Mikel Obi, Victor Moses and Austin Ejide were conspicuously missing, raising reservations in certain quarters. But Temile told Saturday Telegraph on the telephone that Oliseh’s invitations were spot on as he couldn’t possibly have handed call-ups to players who were not featuring regularly for their clubs. “I believe strongly that the list of players for the Tanzanian match is an impressive one; it was a bold move to drop players like Mikel Obi and I

don’t see the reason people should make heavy weather of it. If you are not playing for your club, how can you play for your country? That was one area where (Stephen) Keshi, erstwhile Eagles coach, got it wrong. “When we were playing, for instance, John Chidozie was always invited because he was a regular for his club, but the same couldn’t be said for Tunji Banjo, the reason being that he was not playing consistently for his club. That is the way it is. “Again, I think we need to also give opportunities to others so as to build a large pool of players to pick from at any given time. It wouldn’t do to just have only a small group to always depend on, as that is dicey. In this regard, I am also impressed that Oliseh invited many home-based players; he might not even play them now, but it would serve to encourage them and create a large pool for future engagements,” said Temile, who was a member of Eagles’ silver medal-win-

Mikel

ning team to AFCON ’84 in Cote d’Ivoire. So what explains the exclusion of in-form players like Odion Ighalo given the manner the Watford striker had hit the ground running for the newly-promoted English Premier League side. Ighalo was also instrumental to the club’s promotion to the top flight last season, scoring a total of 21 goals for the Hornets. Temile was ready with a defence. “The truth is the coach can’t invite everybody at the same time; there will be other times to callup those that were not this time. If Ighalo was not invited now that is not to say he’s no longer a part of the national team or that he has been dropped permanently. “I would also have wanted to see Obafemi Martins in the team, but the coach needs to vary the squad so as to have more options. Again, it is his call and we need to respect that and support him,” Temile added.

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 august 2015

Nigerian League Rendezvous

Enyimba take

NPFL LEAGUE TABLE Team

PTS

1 Enyimba

2 Sunshine

3 Warri Wolves

4 Wikki

5 Kano Pillars

6 Abia Warriors

7 Heartland

8 Giwa FC

-2

9 Nasarawa

10 IfeanyiUbah

11 Shooting

12 Rangers

13 El-Kanemi

-11

14 Akwa Utd

-4

15 Lobi Stars

-4

16 Kwara Utd

-8

17 Dolphins

-5

18 Sharks FC

-9

19 Bayelsa Utd

-12

20 Taraba FC

-11

MATCHDAY 25 Enyimba vs FC Taraba Bayelsa Utd vs Sharks FC Lobi vs IfeanyiUbah Akwa Utd vs Giwa FC Rangers vs Dolphins Sunshine vs El-Kanemi Warri Wolves vs Wikki Abia Warriors vs Heartland Kwara Utd vs Shooting Kano Pillars vs Nasarawa Utd TOP SCORERS 12 GOALS Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars) 11 GOALS Bright Ejike (Heartland) 9 GOALS Esosa Igbinoba (Nasarawa Utd) Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves) Chisom Chikatara (Abia Warriors) 8 GOALS Shuaibu Ibrahim (Giwa), Ndifreke Effiong (Abia Warriors) Ibrahim Mustapha (El-Kanemi) Anthony Okpotu (Lobi Stars) 7 GOALS Ocheme Edoh (Giwa FC) Prince Aggreh (Sunshine Stars) Godwin Obaje (Wikki) 6 GOALS Christian Obiozor (Enyimba)

Stories: Charles Ogundiya

Pay us our money, former El-Kanemi players cry out

ome of the players that featured for ElKanemi Warriors during the 2014 season have called on the management of the club to pay their money. Some of the players that spoke with League Rendezvous said they were aware that the government had released 25 percent of last season’s sign-on fee. “They are paying others but those of us that left for other clubs are yet to get anything,” one of the players who craved anonymity said. “I have been calling the chairman (Zannah Mala) but he has not been picking my calls. I don’t know if they don’t want to pay us.” Another ex-player of the team said the chairman was playing pranks with them, since he has not been picking their (ex-players) calls. He said: “We worked for the money and we need to be paid like others, sometime when we call the chairman, someone else will pick the call and warn us not to call the number again.” However, the media officer of El-Kanemi Warriors, Anthony Obaseki, said: “We are paying the moneyin instalments. The management received 25 percent from last season, but we have to pay the players currently featuring for the club before the ones that left. “I can assure them that their money will be paid soon since they played for the club last season and the money we have now is from last season.” Some of the players that played for the club last season but have joined other clubs are: Idris Aloma (Enyimba), Reuben Ogbonnaya (Kano Pillars) and David Obiazor (Heartland) among others.

'Enyimba owe players two months’ salaries'

unbeaten run to seven

eague Rendezvous can reveal on good authority that current league leaders, Enyimba of Aba are owing their players two months’ salary and 18 match bonuses. A player in the team said their performance so far this season was a function of their

personal goal and ambition and not due to the club’s motivation. “We want to win the league and we want all the encouragement to achieve this,” he said. “They have been owing us some money and if care is not taken we might lose out.”

Enyimba's Ezekiel Bassey (right) jostling for the ball with Kano Pillars' Tony Edjomarigwe

ince their nine-game unbeaten run was ended by Warri Wolves in a week 17 game, Enyimba are yet to lose and have now taken another streak to seven with the 1-0 victory against defending champions, Kano Pillars, during the week. The club has recorded four wins and three draws with the highlight of the unbeaten run being the defeat of title rivals, Sunshine Stars and the champions. Speaking on the team’s run so far, the captain of the side, Chinedu Udoji, said he was more concerned

about winning the title. “Unbeaten run will amount to nothing at the end of the season if we fail to win the title,” Udoji said. “We want to take it one game at a time and at the end of the season we can smile home with the trophy. “For the last three seasons we have been losing out to Kano pillars, but now we want to try our best to take the trophy.” With the victory against Kano Pillars, the former champions have increased the gap on Sunshine Stars to two points. They take on bottom club, FC Taraba, this weekend in Aba in another home game and hopefully move a step closer to the title.

Brothers wallow in relegation waters

Eguma

he two Rivers State sponsored clubs, Dolphins and Sharks, are currently enmeshed in relegation waters after 24 round of matches in the Nigeria Professional Football League. Dolphins are currently occupying the 17th position on the 20-team log while Sharks are not faring better. They are a spot below their brother in 18th place on the table. It has been a difficult season for the two sides, playing without money for the larger part of the first half of the season as the players were owed backlog of salaries and match bonuses. Respite came their way when the new governor, Nyesom Wike, released the sum of N400m to offset the outstanding salaries of the stateowned sides: Dolphins, Sharks and Rivers Angels. Before the release of the funds, the players of Dolphins and Sharks refused to train for a week to protest the non-payment of their salaries. Despite promises to the governor after the payment of the salary back-

log, it has remained the same old story with the two sides finding it difficult to win matches. Dolphins however got some reprieve during the week when they defeated title contenders, Sunshine Stars, 1-0 in Port Harcourt, although Sharks’ home game against Lobi Stars was postponed due to Lobi Star's Federation Cup engagement. Speaking to League Rendezvous, the coach of Dolphins, Stanley Eguma, said the battle against relegation continues against Rangers on Sunday. “The victory against Sunshine Stars during the week has given the players a bit of confidence that they can get a victory against the top teams,” Eguma said. “It is going to be a big game and we are not going to relent in our efforts until we escape relegation finally. “We have started preparations for the Sunday game and we are not going to allow the victory on Wednesday get into our heads because the battle still continues.”

Shooting aim to bounce back against Kwara United

hooting Stars of Ibadan have said the target will be maximum three points when the take on Kwara United in Ilorin this weekend. Speaking with League Rendezvous, the media officer of the team, Jubril Arowolo, said they had put the 4-1 loss to Kano Pillars behind them, as they are already looking forward. “The one week break has given us time to look at what went wrong against Kano Pillars and also opportunity to correct them,” Arowolo said. “It is not that we are underrating Kwara United, but we are going to Ilorin for business and hopefully we can get the three points.” The two sides did not play at the midweek due to Federation Cup engagements of their Shooting Stars' Yinka Adedeji (middle) dribbling past Rangers' Osas Okoro (left) during a recent league game opponents.

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

My greatest joy is knowing my girls are doing well -Akiode Mobolaji Akiode is a former star of Nigeria’s national women’s team and currently works with America’s National Basketball Association – the NBA. She is also the founder of the Hope 4 Girls Foundation, and spoke with Saturday’s Telegraph’s IFEANYI IBEH during her NGO’s recently concluded annual basketball camp. Excerpts... On Hope 4 Girls 2015 Hope 4 Girls is now in its sixth year but this national camp was our fifth. We weren’t able to do it last year because of the Ebola issue as it was very sensitive at that time in August 2014 and we didn’t want to bring girls from all over when we had a health crisis. Once the crisis was over the kids had to go back to school so we just had to shift it to this year. Challenges in assembling the girls annually I think it is just having support

for girls in general; people wanting to see this happen; people appreciating the fact that sport can really impact the lives of young girls. The girls want to be a part of it but we are always constrained by the budget that we have. So the more people that believe that sports can really be of benefit to girls the more the number that we can really accept. Motivation behind foundation I am a former basketball player and I know all the benefits that basketball has brought into my life. I’m a Nigerian girl and I could easily have been one of the girls. When I grew up here in Nigeria, I didn’t know what basketball was until I went to the United States. So we want to bring this type of opportunities to the girls here in Nigeria. The Unites States is not for everyone but we want to be able to provide that opportunity for them.

That is my motivation. I want these girls to grow up in a positive environment and to have role models that they can look up to, especially somebody that has the name that they can relate with. Like I said earlier, I could easily have been one of these girls, and I take that very seriously. At every camp we always have life skills. For this year, we had a partner called Better Africa Foundation that really did a great job in preaching leadership and confidence to the girls. We also had Media Concern,

Akiode

which preached against girl-child abuse, especially rape, which is a big issue here in Nigeria and needs to be brought to the forefront. And for the first time we had First City Monument Bank and they talked to the girls about financial literacy and the importance of being moneywise because a lot of these girls are going to become entrepreneurs in the near future. Nigeria is 80 percent informal economic sector and it would be really important, as they get older, to be able to have entrepreneurial skills and to be financially literate. Greatest pride Every time I come home I love it when somebody tells me ''one of your girls is doing this'' or ''one of your girls is doing that''. It makes me feel good because all of the time it is positive. I have never heard anything negative about the girls. The fact that I can come home and know that the programme is positively impacting these girls’ lives gives me great joy. For me it is just the little things that really matter. Just the fact that we are role models for these girls translates to success for me. On Hope 4 Girls graduates One of our very first, Uju Ugoka, went to college in the United States, at Virginia Tech and had a great career there, and is now playing overseas (in Italy). We have two young girls who are going to be freshmen at two big universities in the US: Pallas Akpanah is going to Northwestern University, while Olamide Aborowa is heading to the University of Texas. We also have girls like Felicia Aiyeotan, who is 6-foot-9, and one of the most sought-after girls in the US. We had some of our girls in the national U-16 team that just won a silver medal at the African Championship and, of course, some of the girls are now playing in the league. But it is not all about basketball; it is what it can do for the girls; how it can turn them into the next generation of leaders. And to watch some of them, like Ugoka, playing in the national team and passing on their knowledge to younger players is a great thing because we need more girls being leaders for our young ones. Plans to extend Hope 4 Girls beyond Lagos and Ogun We have been in Lagos for the last six years and just recently opened in SangoOta, in Ogun State. So we are going to wait another year or two to see how that develops. But that is the goal; to find people who are really focussed on girls; people who are focussed on developing the fundamentals in the young ones and not about winning or losing. And as we see that we will continue to expand. Biggest challenges First of all, there needs to be a mental shift within corporate bodies and government to appreciate that sports is a really positive way to impact girls. And I think if corporate bodies understand that, they will be more supportive. We haven’t had the support that is need-

Akiode

But it is not all about basketball; it is what it can do for the girls; how it can turn them into the next generation ed and we hope that by been here and seeing the assistance from some of the biggest supporters of youth basketball in Nigeria, like Milo, that they will really get on board and start to support the girl-child initiative. I know they have been supporting the boys’ camp (Giants of Africa Top 50 Camp) for a really long time but I think it is time for them to complete the cycle. They do secondary schools championship for boys and girls and a camp that supports boys, so why not finish out with a camp that supports girls. And I believe that they will. On where she hopes to see Hope 4 Girls five years from now My goal is that a lot of these girls who are going to be successful young women will also give back to society, and that it won’t just be Mobolaji Akiode; that they would be doing other things in other cities, other states and other countries. Current role with the NBA I currently work at the league office. I hold a role as a specialist working on international social responsibility efforts. After I leave Nigeria I will be focussing on our youth basketball development for the US. The NBA, like everybody else, is looking to the youth; to really go into grassroots basketball. And because of my background with Hope 4 Girls they assigned me with another person to help run their youth basketball initiative in America.

apoli have rejected a substantial offer for winger Dries Mertens from German outfit Wolfsburg, according to Gianluca Di Marzio. The Volkswagen-owned club made a €30m offer including bonuses for the Belgian international which was turned down by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis. This move by Napoli signals their intentions of keeping hold of one of their prized assets. Mertens has been taken off the

Napoli reject wolfsburg offer for Mertens

Lucas

oma are on the verge of signing Lucas Digne from Paris SaintGermain as the club’s transfer business draws to a close. Whilst the Giallorossi will still be conducting business until the transfer window slams shut, Digne is set to be the last major acquisition as Rudi Garcia finalises his side’s preparations for the upcoming season. The Lupi are still busy trying to rubber-stamp their purchase of the 22-year-old, who will join on an initial loan deal before making his move permanent next summer. According to Il Tempo, the hold-up in ratifying the deal is that the French champions have themselves still to finalise the signing of Monaco’s Lavyin Kurzawa.

Roma on verge of deal for PSG defender

TRANSFERS

www.newtelegraphonline.com

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

ago, while the return leg saw Gerard Pique sent off for insulting a linesman, which landed him a four-match ban. However, Barca won at San Mames twice last season and they will be keen to set an early marker in what is likely to be another tussle with Clasico rivals Real Madrid for the title.

anchester City have made a devastating start to the season: six goals scored, none conceded, and looking absolutely irresistible so far. But trips to Goodison Park are notoriously tough, and with Everton unbeaten in their two matches - the latter of which was a 3-0 win away at Southampton - confidence will be running high in Roberto Martinez's squad, particularly as it seems they've finally beaten Chelsea off in the fight to keep John Stones. The Toffees have kept six clean sheets in their last 10 Premier League

did in his previous 17 (2). After two games of the Premier League season, Ross Barkley has already equalled his top-flight goal haul from last season . Since his debut in August 2010, David Silva has provided more Premier League assists than any other player (49) and has a league-high 467 chances created. Of players to have made 25+ Premier League appearances, Sergio Aguero has the best minutes per goal ratio in the history of the competition (110.5 mins – 79

Man City invade Goodison Park M

arcelona will hope for a more favourable result against Athletic Bilbao at the third time of asking, as rivals start the latest battle for La Liga supremacy this weekend. Luis Enrique's Barca swept aside all comers en route to a stunning La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA

Champions League treble last season, with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez scoring a scarcely believable record 122 goals in all competitions. However, the Catalan club may travel to San Mames with some trepidation having lost 5-1 on aggregate to Bilbao in the Supercopa de Espana. That included a 4-0 loss at Athletic just five days

As Barca, Bilbao clash again

Revenge mission

Kickoff: 5:30pm

Global Football Special

however, last season under coach Markus Gisdol and after narrowly missing out on a Europa League spot, the club from the small western German village, backed by SAP software company founder and billionaire Dietmar Hopp, is eager to rebound from last week's defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. "We should not pull back into our defence," striker Kevin Volland said. "Because then it is only a matter of time until Bayern score. We have to be courageous, we have to attack and be aggressive. They are not used to that."

ing Thauvin as soon as possible. "He's a really talented footballer, somebody who we hope will add to the group and

Sport

ew signing Florian Thauvin could be thrown straight into the Newcastle United squad for Saturday's

Thauvin

Thauvin starts Newcastle career at Man United

offenheim have never beaten Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in 14 attempts but when the champions travel there on Saturday, the hosts will be looking to stage their first major upset against the overwhelming favourites. Once hailed as theBundesliga's new blood after their exciting climb up the divisions and their first top tier season in 2008, Hoffenheim have so far failed to replicate that season when they were ahead of Bayern by the halfway mark. They improved,

Bayern's Thomas Muller

Hoffenheim hope to upset Bayern Munich

28 SATURDAY N 22 AUG

Yilmaz

goals in 8729 mins). Man City are now on an eight game winning run in the Premier League; their best PL run of wins since January 2014. Manchester City haven’t won nine top-flight league games in succession since September 1912. The Citizens have also gone longer since playing out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League than any other side (53 games).

'Olympique Lyonnais promptly returned to winning ways in Saturday's 1-0 win over l'En Avant Guingamp thanks to Claudio Beauvue's first goal for his new side, which will have boosted morale ahead of the reception of Rennes. Nevertheless, les Gones are still far from their best level and new man Mathieu Valbuena will need some time before he can successfully gel with the team. Le Stade Rennais benefited from

Betis v Villarreal 9pm

SPORT BRIEFLY

Levante v Celta Vigo 9pm

Espanyol v Getafe 5:30pm Atletico v Palmas 7:30pm

Bilbao v Barcelona 5:30pm Gijón v Real Madrid 7:30pm

Deportivo v Sociedad 5:30pm

Vallecano v Valencia 9:30pm

SUNDAY

La Liga SATURDAY

Sassuolo v Napoli 7:45pm

Sampdoria v Carpi 7:45pm

Palermo v Genoa 7:45pm

Inter Milan v Atalanta 7:45pm

Frosinone v Torino 7:45pm

Fiorentina v Milan 7:45pm

Empoli v Chievo 7:45pm

Juventus v Udinese 5pm

SUNDAY

D'mund v Gladbach 5:30pm

Bremen v Schalke 2:30pm

Lazio v Bologna 7:45pm

EPL

SATURDAY Man Utd v Newcastle 12:45 Crystal Palace v Aston Villa 3pm Leicester v Tottenham 3pm Norwich v Stoke 3pm Sunderland v Swansea 3pm West Ham v Bournemouth 3pm SUNDAY West Brom v Chelsea 1:30pm Everton v Man City 4pm Watford v Southampton 4pm

FIXTURES

Sebastian Vettel has welcomed Ferrari's decision to keep Kimi Raikkonen alongside him during the 2016 F1 season. The Finnish driver faced an uncertain future as his contract with the Maranello team was coming to an end, but the Italian outfit announced on Wednesday it had extended its deal with the 2007 world champion. "I think he's a very good driver. Other than that, I think it's good for the team," said Vettel.

No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Clubs P Pts Bayern 1 3 Dortmund 1 3 Schalke 1 3 Cologne 1 3 Wolfsburg 1 3 Leverkusen 1 3 Hertha 1 3 Ingolstadt 1 3 Darmstadt 1 1 Hannover 1 1 Hoffenheim 1 0 Frankfurt 1 0 Augsburg 1 0 Mainz 05 1 0 Stuttgart 1 0 Bremen 1 0 M’gladbach 1 0 Hamburg 1 0

TABLE

BUNDESLIGA

improve the group," Simpson told nufcTV. "If he's involved at Old Trafford on Saturday, we're not expecting him to go and set the world alight straight away but if we can get him involved it'll give the whole football club a boost, and the rest of the players because they want competition for places. "And I also hope it'll give the supporters a boost, because so far we've only got one point but the level of performance against Southampton [in a 2-2 draw] gave us all a little taster of where we can get to and what levels can be achieved.

Usain Bolt has been saddened by the doping crisis engulfing athletics — but warned he could not save the scandal-hit sport by himself. The six-time Olympic champion, who turns 29 on Friday, said: “It’s really taking centre stage, all I’ve been hearing over the past couple of weeks is doping, doping, doping, the majority of the questions are about doping. “It’s sad it’s at the forefront of a World Championships and not the competition that’s coming up ahead.”

Usain Bolt

No Clubs P Pts 1 Man City 2 6 2 Leicester 2 6 3 Liverpool 2 6 4 Man Utd 2 6 5 Everton 2 4 6 Swansea 2 4 7 C' Palace 2 3 8 West Ham 2 3 9 Norwich 2 3 10 Aston Villa 2 3 11 Arsenal 2 3 12 Watford 2 2 13 Stoke 2 1 14 Tottenham 2 1 15 Newcastle 2 1 16 Chelsea 2 1 17 S'thampton 2 1 18 West Brom 2 1 19 B'mouth 2 0 20 Sunderland 2 0

TABLE

Premier league

trip to Manchester United. Thauvin, 22, agreed a five-year deal at St James' Park on Wednesday, becoming manager Steve McClaren's fifth signing after Georginio Wijnaldum, Ivan Toney, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba. And the French attacker - who has moved from Marseille - could hardly have wished for a tougher debut, with Newcastle having only picked up one victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League era. However, assistant boss Paul Simpson has no qualms about utilis-

Surrey Cricket Club have honoured Richie Benaud on Thursday by re-naming one of the broadcasting booths at The Oval after the former Australian captain. The newly-named box was opened at the start of the final session of the first day of the fifth Ashes Test between England and Australia at the south London ground by Benaud's widow, Daphne. Benaud, who died aged 84 in April, was one of the most influential cricketers of his generation.

SATURDAY

Serie A Verona v Roma 5pm

Kompany

Kimi Raikkonen

winger Kamil Grosicki's fortunate goal to grab their first points of the season at the weekend but - as is the case for their hosts - they are still struggling to create goalscoring opportunities, notably due to Paul-Georges Ntep's absence. Mathieu Valbuena and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will make their home debut this weekend in what should be a tricky fixture for the home side, who should nonetheless come away as victors as they face a weakened side in all departments of the pitch.

Lyon ready for Rennes clash

Benitez

afael Benitez takes control of Real Madrid competitively for the first time as they confront newly promoted Sporting Gijon. Real won the Copa and Champions League in the 2013-14 campaign, but a failure to retain those trophies and finish-

ing second to Barca ultimately cost Carlo Ancelotti his job. Benitez knows the pressure will be on to deliver from the off against Gijon and the Spaniard will hope that Cristiano Ronaldo – who scored an incredible 48 league goals that term – can continue to shine to dispel rumours of a spat between the two. Mateo Kovacic has arrived from Inter to try to add more spark in midfield, but key for Real will be to ensure cohesion between front three Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale – the latter looking to rebound from a difficult second season in the Spanish capital. Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Valencia are the usual suspects attempting to shake things up at the top. Europa League winners Sevilla have added the likes of Ciro Immobile, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Adil Rami during the close-season.

Benitez set for baptism of fire

home matches. Manchester City have only won three of their previous 18 Premier League trips to Goodison Park (L10 D5). Roberto Martinez has won only two points in 12 Premier League games against Manchester City as a manager (W0 D2 L10). Arouna Kone (3) has had a hand in more Premier League goals in his last two appearances for Everton than he

Richie Benaud

est Ham United have seen a £3.5 million bid rejected by Galatasaray for their striker Burak Yilmaz, as report the Evening Standard. The Turkish international, 30, has been with the Turkish champions since 2012 and scored in their league opener against Sivasspor last weekend taking his tally to 57 in 87 games and Hammers boss Slaven Bilic knew the forward from his time in Turkey as Besiktas boss. The club released in a statement that they had rejected an offer from West Ham for their striker, but the club may well come back with a second offer in the next week or so.

West Ham miss out on Yilmaz

Mertens

transfer market by his club, with only days in the summer transfer window remaining which is likely to fend off further interest from Wolfsburg, who have substantial financial means. NEW TELEGRAPH GUST 2015

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Heptathlon: Osazuwa aims for glory in Beijing Charles Ogundiya and Ayomide Solaja

igeria has not been known to compete in combined events at major championships - decathlon for men and heptathlon for women - but that will soon change as Uhunoma Osazuwa has been pushing the boundaries; she qualified for the IAAF World Championships scheduled to start on Saturday (today) in China. Osazuwa competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's heptathlon event, but failed to finish the competition after recording marks in five events. Currently, her personal and season best is 6106, which she achieved in Warri during the national trials which was enough to qualify her for the World Championships. Speaking to Saturday Telegraph after her victory in Warri, the USA based athlete said the victory in Warri has boosted her confidence ahead of the World Championships where she intends to meet the standards for next year’s Rio Olympic Games. “It feels great, (qualifying for the World Championships),” she said. “This is just my first season after being out

for two years, so I didn’t even expect to come this far after my first year back in training. “I didn’t exert too much energy in Warri because my target was to qualify for the World Championships which I was able to achieve. “I am looking forward to going after the African record, it’s like 6423 and I am looking forward to making it a goal of mine… to achieve it in a few years’ time.” Another heptathlon star, Temidayo Osinbajo, has also been making waves in the event. At the last African Junior Athletics Championship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, earlier in the year, Osinbajo, was not given a chance to achieve anything especially in the heptathlon, in fact a source at the Athletic Federation of Nigeria revealed to our correspondent that she was at the verge of been dropped from the championship. She however won gold to open a new chapter for Nigerian athletics according to the technical director of the AFN, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama. Nesiama further stated that the federation would build on the success in Ethiopia by delving more into combined events and others not so well known in Nigeria like road walk, pole vaults and others.

Fernandinho: Costa is always trying to offend

anchester City midfielder Fernandinho has called out Chelsea’s Diego Costa for his temperament following their clash at the Etihad last weekend. City left the match with a 3-0 win, as Fernandinho scored the final goal for Manuel Pellegrini‘s side in a very impressive performance for the Brazilian midfielder. One of the most talked about match-

Osazuwa

ups throughout the game was that of Fernandinho and Costa, as the two were locked in a physical battle for 90 minutes, highlighted by a clash towards the end of the first half. As the pair went up for a header, Fernandinho caught Costa with an elbow to the back of the head, leaving the striker bloodied on the floor in need of medical attention. Minutes later after the halftime whistle, Costa had to be held back by his teammates in the tunnel as he tried to confront Fernandinho about the challenge. When asked about the altercation, Fernandinho said his elbow was unintentional, and that the Chelsea striker is always looking to get under the skin of his opposition. “It was an accident and the nature of the game. It happens in football. He [Costa] is always trying to offend the opposition, but I keep calm and keep playing. I just didn’t want to fight or have any confrontation and just to play for my team,” Fernandinho said. Costa is known for playing an extremely physical game, often using it to his advantage as defenders get fed up with his antics and commit foolish fouls against him. However, sometimes his temper can get the best of him and cost Chelsea.

Badminton targets four gold at AAG

aptain Badminton team to the All Africa Games, Fagbemi Ebenezer, has said his team will be targeting four gold medals at the quadrennial games. The Games are scheduled to run from September 11 to September 19 in Congo Brazzaville. Ebenezer told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the Badminton team won three gold medals at the last Games in Maputo, Mozambique. According to him, the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) has prepared adequately for the Games, because the National Sports Commission granted their request for 14 players - seven men and seven women for the badminton event ``Last time we won three gold medals but this time around we want to increase the number of gold medals to four. That is why we requested for extra players so that everybody will play in one or two events with concentration and aim to win more medals. ``There are six gold medals in the badminton event; we are going with 14 players to avoid overloading any player in the singles, the doubles and the mixed doubles. ``We want everyone to go for one event, so that we can concentrate and win all the gold medals available in the sport,’’ Ebenezer said. He added that personally, he would be hoping to win three gold medals from the games. ``I won two gold and a bronze medal the last time and my target this year is to win three,’’ he said.

Shaq ranks self higher than Olajuwon Ifeanyi Ibeh

ormer NBA superstar, Shaquille O'Neal, has amazingly ranked himself higher than Nigerian-born basketball legend, Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon, who did not play basketball until he was 15 years old, won back-to-back NBA titles with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, defeating O’Neal’s Orlando Magic in the 1995 final, a year after becoming the first player in NBA history to win the Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. The Nigerian was also the first player in NBA history to record at least 200 steals and 200 blocks in a season during the 1988/89 campaign, and won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, a fitting recognition of his status as one of the game's all-time greats. But asked to rank himself among the NBA’s great centres, O’Neal, who won four NBA titles and was also a former league MVP, rated himself in second place behind

Boston Celtic legend Bill Russell. "Bill Russell, me, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon," said the player fondly known as Shaq, who won three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and a fourth with the Miami Heat, at an event to promote an athletic footwear and apparel company in Seoul, South Korea. Like Olajuwon, Russell, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, although O'Neal looks certain to join them once he becomes eligible next year, following a mandatory five-year waiting period from retirement. Olajuwon led the Rockets to a 4-0 sweep of O’Neal’s Magic side in the 1995 NBA Finals, but looking back on his illustrious career, O'Neal said getting swept by the immensely talented Nigerian and the Rockets in that 1995 NBA Finals might have been a blessing in disguise. "I was a young guy and didn't know how to win yet," said O'Neal. "Before you succeed, you have to fail. I learned how to become a champion. I went to the Finals five times after that and won four titles. So I am happy."

FIFA to raise club standards worldwide

F Fernandinho

IFA has said football clubs will have to meet minimum standards and principles in areas such as infrastructure and financial affairs in order to compete in certain competitions, as it unveiled plans to roll out a global club-licensing framework by the end of 2016. The world football governing body said the FIFA Club Licensing system will see it work together with the six regional

confederations to improve club football by setting minimum standards in key areas such as stadium safety, fan experience and youth football development. The FIFA Club Licensing principles are designed to form the basis for the confederations’ own club licensing principles, taking into account the regional specificity of club football. Clubs then need to meet these principles to be eligible for cer-

tain competitions, adhering to international statutes, investing in training facilities and agreeing to the independent auditing of finances and greater transparency of ownership. FIFA director of member associations and development, Thierry Regenass, said: “Stronger clubs mean a stronger foundation for global football. Club licensing is a priority for FIFA’s investment in the game and a crucial part of raising profes-

sional standards. We are now working hand-in-hand with the six confederations and our member associations worldwide to implement this blueprint for the future of football.” The FIFA Club Licensing system requires clubs to commit to minimum standards and principles in five key areas of criteria defined as ‘sporting’, ‘infrastructure’, ‘personnel and administrative’, ‘legal’ and ‘financial’.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Sport

World Championships:

What hope for Team Nigeria? T

The 15th edition of the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships takes centre stage from Saturday (today) at Beijing’s National Stadium. CHARLES OGUNDIYA chronicles Nigeria’s participation in the past and looks at prospects of winning medals in China.

he idea of having an Athletics World Championships was conceived well before the first event in 1983. Before then, the Olympics played that role for athletics since 1913. Originally, it was planned to be held every four years, but this changed after the third edition in 1991, and it has since been run biennially. 1,970 athletes contested in 47 different events in the last edition held in Russia, but with no fewer than 1936 athletes (1043 men and 893 women) already entered by 207 IAAF member federations, Beijing 2015 could potentially be the biggest World Championship ever. Ajayi Agbebaku won Nigeria’s first and only medal at the first edition in 1983, winning bronze medal in men’s Triple Jump with a leap of 17.18m. Four years later in 1987, Innocent Egbunike won Nigeria’s first medal on the track after a silver medal finish in the men’s 400m ahead of USA’s Butch Reynolds. Egbunike finished the race with an African Record of 44.56secs. It took the country's athletes eight years before another medal finish albeit in the relay as the quartet of Udeme Ekpeyong, Kunle Adejuyigbe, Jude Monye and Sunday Bada won bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 1995 edition staged in Sweden. Two years later in Greece, Davidson Ezinwa, Osmond Ezinwa, Olapade Adeniken and Francis Obikwelu and won silver medal in 4x100m relay. Two Nigerians climbed the podium during the 1999 edition of the championships hosted by Spain. Francis Obikwelu (200m) and Gloria Alozie (100m hurdles) won bronze and silver medals respectively in their individual events. They both would later dump Nigeria to compete for Portugal and Spain respectively. It took the emergence of Blessing Okagbare two years ago in Russia for Nigeria to win their next medal, a bronze in the women’s 200m. The hope of the nation will solely rest on the shoulders of Okagbare who will be competing in three different events, 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay for women. Okagbare has the chance to pull away from Mary Onyali as the best performer for Nigeria in the 100m when the championships begin on Saturday. Onyali’s 10.97 personal best in the first round of the event in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany, remains the best by any Nigerian at the championships. Okagbare however holds the best record placing finish by any Nigerian with Onyali, as both finished fifth in two separate championships. Onyali’s fifth placing run (11.05secs) in 1993 was equalled by Okagbare when she also placed fifth (11.12secs) at the 13th edition of the championships in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011. Okagbare’s major challenge will come from Jamaican, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, whose season’s best is 10.74secs, far better than Okagbare’s season best of 10.80secs. Others are Jamaican Veronica CampbellBrown, 10.99secs (SB), USA English Gardner, 10.79secs (SB) and USA Tori Bowie 10.81secs (SB). Two Nigerian women will be competing in the 200m, Regina George and Okagbare,

Okagbare... Nigeria's biggest medal hope

but it is going to be a miracle if George can even make it to the final putting into consideration her season’s best of 23.22secs. Okagbare on her part has a better chance to get to the final where anything can happen after running 22.67secs this season, although she has to overcome the challenges of the qualifiers from the USA led by Allyson Felix, who had already run 21.98secs as her season best this year. Okagbare’s bronze-winning feat two years ago in Moscow has made her Nigeria’s best placed athlete in this event, supplanting Onyali’s fifth placing at the fourth edition of the championships in Stuttgart in 1993. The best time however belongs to Fatimah Yusuf who ran 22.28secs personal best in Seville, Spain, in 1999. Three athletes were registered for the 400m women, but the top of the pick will be Patience Okon-George who ran 50.76secs as her personal best and season best. Regina George and upcoming junior athlete, Tosin Adeloye, will be there to complement Okon-George’s efforts and hope to

Much is not expected of the men as Nigeria only registered three male athletes for the championships

stage of the seventh edition of the championships in Seville in 1999 and the best placed Nigerian courtesy of her fourth position finish (50.03secs) at the same championships. Regina made it to the semifinal of the last edition where she ran 50.84secs Personal Best. The 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, heptathlon and high jump are other individual events that Nigerian women will be participating at the Worlds, but the best placed athlete to get to the championships is Amaka Ogoegbunam (400m hurdles), who already ran 55.77secs personal best and season best. In 2009 she actually qualified for the semifinal but was suspended after she was adjudged to have taken a performance-enhancing substance. The relay will be another final finish prospect for Team Nigeria after the performance of Nigerian female athletes at the last IAAF World Relay Championships in the Bahamas early in the year. Team Nigeria will be competing in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the championships. Much is not expected of the men as Nigeria only registered three male athletes for the championships with the best hope of a making the final resting solely on Tosin Oke, although others might spring a surprise. Oke will be aiming for his first final placing in triple jump men after crashing out in the qualifying stages in his two previous attempts. He will also be looking forward to achieving his first 17m and above jump after 16.87m and 16.60m jumps in 2009 and 2011 Ogoegbunam respectively. will do battle Odele Tega and Miles Ukaoma will in the 400m be competing in the men’s 200m and hurdles 400m hurdles respectively as they pray for a final finish in their respective events. Speaking to Saturday Telegraph form China on the prospect of Team Nigeria, the Technical Director of the AFN, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, said they went to China with the best athletes. make it to the “I want people at home to believe that we final. are not here (China) to play second fiddle,” They will be contending with the USA’s he said. Francena Mccorory who ran the best time in “All the athletes here are medal prospects 400m this season - 49.83secs and Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller with 49.92secs this season. A and the first step is for them to get to the final final finish for the trio from Nigeria will be a of their various events from where anything good achievement. can happen.” Falilat Ogunkoya remains the best woman 17 athletes (three men and 14 women) quarter-miler in Nigeria. She holds the record were registered by the Athletic Federation of of both the best performer in terms of time Nigeria and will be competing in 12 different returned with her 49.96secs at the semifinal events for both men and women.

Oke will compete in the triple jump event

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Lifestyle of Sportsmen

Romero, Darmian, Schneiderlin spotted out M

Romero (left) and Darmian

anchester United may have started the season quickly, but some of their newest players are still based in a hotel after their arrival at the club. United's new stars seem to have settled quickly as Louis van Gaal's new signings have helped his side to consecutive 1-0 wins at the start of the Premier League season. But Sergio Romero and Matteo Darmian are still living in the city's Lowry Hotel as they search for more permanent residences. The pair were spotted near the luxury hotel last Saturday, after United's unconvincing win over Aston Villa the night before. Romero looked like he had received a text message, while Darmian appeared relaxed after a solid start to life in the Premier League. Another new signing, Morgan Schneiderlin, took a walk around the city centre hand in hand with girlfriend Camille Sold after his impressive start to his United career continued the previous evening.

Ronaldo shows off physique as son strikes matching pose

e is known for showing off his washboard abs while dancing on luxury yachts and posing in underwear campaigns. And it seems football star Cristiano Ronaldo is now passing on the tricks of the trade to his fiveyear-old son Cristiano Jnr. The Real Madrid player recently uploaded a hilarious Instagram photo of the pair striking matching poses as they tensed their muscles wearing nothing but towels. The photo, which quickly earned almost 200,000 likes on the

social media site, was captioned 'Like Dad like son'. Earlier this week he posted another amusing photo featuring he and Cristiano Jnr to his Instagram page. The photo saw both father and son wearing masks modelled on the Transformers films and was captioned 'Play as a child with CRJ'. Ronaldo has never been shy of attention when it comes to showing off his phenomenallysculpted physique and recently featured in adverts for the latest range of his CR7 Underwear.

XXX

Varga

Meet EPL sexiest WAG, Varga

UNGARIAN hottie, Viky Varga and Southampton hot-shot Graziano Pelle, have been together since 2012. Model Viky and the Saints’ Italian striker are Instagram specialists – regularly posting pictures of themselves. Well, if you looked like that, wouldn’t you?

Chelsea doc Eva Carneiro set to make shock CBB appearance

Ronaldo strikes a pose with son

helsea’s sexy doctor Eva Carneiro is tipped to appear on Celebrity Big Brother after being sidelined by the Blues. It could be the perfect new role for the medic bizarrely banned by club boss Jose Mourinho after running onto the pitch to help an injured player. Bookies have seen a flood of bets on Eva cashing in on her newfound fame by jacking in her job with the Premier League champs to go into the telly fly-on-the wall house. Paddy Power, who have slashed their odds to 12-1, said: “I was certain Radamel Falcao was going to be first out the door at Stamford Bridge but it looks like poor old Eva has beat him to it. “It’s not all doom and gloom though – we’ve seen punters backing her for a stint on CBB.”

Carneiro

Investigations

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST, 2015

Nigerian children acutely malnourished

en bellied child on a bench.

demand from staple consumers. Unfortunately, little or nothing is being done to reverse the trend. According to the Country Manager, Nigeria and Regional Representative West Africa, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Dr. Larry Umunna, “malnutrition has become a public health concern in Nigeria as micronutrients were absent in staple foods.” Also speaking on the issue, Prof. Laolu Akinyele of the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Ibadan, called for the fortification of food products with micronutrients to reduce high rate of malnutrition induced diseases. Akinyele, who described micronutrients as nutrients needed only in tiny amounts but which absence in the body has severe consequences said the importance of micronutrients in the body could not be overemphasised as their absence affects every stage of the lifecycle from embryo to the adult stage. “The lack of micronutrients in foods could cause delayed growth and intellectual development in babies, blindness and anemia in adolescents; night blindness and maternal anemia in pregnant women and diabetes and cancer in adults,” he added. Also, the Regional Fortification Coordinator, Helen Keller International, Burkina Faso, Mawuli Sablah, has disclosed that Nigeria alone represents five per cent of global underweight problem. Sablah noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO), recommended micro nutrients such as iron, folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 and zinc to be included in every consumed food. Speaking at the Nutrition Education Programme recently in Lagos, President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof Ngozi Nnam, quoting statistics, said about 37 per cent of Nigerian children were stunted, 29 per cent underweight and 18 per cent wasted while micronutrient deficiencies were also high. According to her, “while we are grappling with the challenge of under nutrition, the incidence of obesity and related manifestations of over-nutrition are beginning to emerge at relatively significant levels.” Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, deputy director/head of nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, said that malnutrition is one of the underlying causes of under-five mortality rate in Nigeria, contributing 53 per cent of infant mortality. While blaming malnutrition on low level of exclusive breastfeeding of Nigerian children under the first sixmonths of life, Isokpunwu urges mothers to scale up nutrition before pregnancy and during pregnancy till age two of a child’s life in order to empower their mental de-

dia.org

have abandoned their farmlands were said to be more than 60, 000, with more than 30, 800 acres of farmlands left uncared for. The unrealistic policies of the Federal Government in the agricultural sector are as well abetting the food insecurity. A few months ago, a bag of rice, for instance, sold for about N13, 000. Prices of items such as fish, bread, meat, cereals, chicken, yam, onions, beans, vegetable oil, tomatoes, groundnut oil and others are also on the increase. Investigations have revealed that most states in Nigeria are currently faced with severe food insecurity in which poor families had used up their food stocks and were facing high food prices awaiting the next harvest. Scores of people had suspected that the country's Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) had been usurped by dishonest operators across the country's borders. In the case of rice, the implementation of high tariffs had brought legal imports into the country to a standstill, creating a massive

Mothers with their children in one of the sessions of CMAM in Kano State. PHOTO: ISIOMA MADIKE

Gwat

Isokpunwu

velopment. For Dr. Abimbola Ajayi, Director of Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, “we are often told that we are what we eat. Not just that, food is what makes you and nutrition comes out of food and one thing we also know is that, if a person is not adequately nourished, the person is practically in no place to do much of anything. “We can make complimentary foods from our locally available foods in such a way that they will be adequate in nutrients. Complimentary foods must be filled with key vitamins, minerals, the right energy and other essential nutrients to bridge the gap between what is provided by breast milk and nutrients needed by your growing baby,” he stated. He recommended examples like pap mixed with soya beans, groundnut, crayfish that is well prepared, as essential in meeting a child’s requirements. UNICEF had lamented that malnutrition is becoming widespread in Nigeria even as its Chief of Communication, Doune Porter, stressed the need for media partnership so

Porter

as to attract the necessary intervention to stop the malaise in the country. Also, UNICEF’s Chief Nutritionist, Arjan De Gwat, said that 55 per cent of child deaths are attributed to malnutrition in Nigeria. He added that malnutrition of a mother could result in disability of a child or miscarriage. Worldwide, hunger afflicts nearly a billion people, many of whom are children. Over extended periods, hunger causes malnutrition, which in turn makes the victims vulnerable to diseases, which can result in death. Acute malnutrition is said to threaten the lives of 19 million children, and every year at least 3.5 million of them die from malnutritionrelated illnesses. One in four of the world's children are said to be stunted by the ravages of malnutrition, while the bodies and brains of one in three children in developing countries are damaged by malnutrition. Iodine deficiency, a form of malnutrition caused by a lack of specific nutrients is said to affect one-third of school children in developing countries and is associated with a loss of 10 to 15 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) points.

CLARIFICATION On our Investigations page last week we wrote that former Ebonyi State governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, had unsuccessfully run for the Senate. This is incorrect as his only bid was in the last general elections which proved successful. It was also suggested he had covertly lobbied for a ministerial slot in the last administration. That assertion did not further convey the true position. These were by no means intended to embarrass the Senator who we hold in very high esteem. -Editor

Features

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Clinical finish for Nigerian student in Ghana

It was a shower of garlands for Ayo Osonuga, a Nigerian medical student in University of Cape Coast, Ghana, who gave a practical meaning to graduating in flying colours when he won 14 of the 22 available awards. His story is a lesson in fortitude, writes ISIOMA MADIKE

urely, fortune favours the resilient. A few years back, Ayo Osonuga was as devastated as any fledgling scholar whose academic quest has been unceremoniously truncated would be. His medical study at the Olabisi Onabanjo University ended abruptly when the National Universities Commission (NUC) withdrew accreditation for the institution's faculty of medicine. Undaunted, he still nursed his childhood dream of becoming a doctor. A window of opportunity would open several months later when his father, a professor, was offered a job in Ghana. Osonuga applied and was admitted into the University of Cape Coast's school of medicine, this rekindling an ambition that had only been sustained by hope. Given the earlier frustrating experience, many would simply have been content with living life on the margin, like an average student more or less. Not so for Osonuga. He never lost his zeal for academics and that became evident last week at the pristine campus of UCC when he stepped out to give the valedictory speech for the graduating set, having emerged as the most outstanding graduand. Like anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of Osonuga’s goal. His, has proved that opportunity does not just come along; it is there all the time for the willing to see it. “Imagine that you no longer have to feel discouraged, depressed and frustrated from all the set-backs and challenges that you face every day of your life. Instead, you can face all these temporary obstacles with a smile,” he said. The short but inspiring story of Osonuga seems to epitomise the young Nigerian whose voyage into the medical school began with all ecstasies of youths and ended on a fruitful note on August 15. For six years, he journeyed in thorns, preparing for a great future. His oath-swearing and induction thus marked the highlight of his promising career as well as the first session of the 48th congregation and the third for the medical college. Though, the first and pioneer class of this great school was inducted into the medical profession on August 31, 2013, the privilege and honour of having a Nigerian to give a valedictory address for the class of 2015, was simply marvelous. “Our hearts are filled with gratitude that you all made it here today to be part of this memorable occasion,” the young Osonuga continued. He held his audience in awe, taking them through to what they encountered during their trainings in the prestigious university. He never forgot to extol the virtues of their lecturers as well as the contributions of their parents in the quest to mould them into responsible and responsive medical doctors. Osonuga recalled with nostalgia his early days in the institution. “Coming from Ghana’s ‘sister and brother’ country Nigeria, I remember vividly my first day as a student in Ghana; the names were difficult to pronounce, and I could hardy keep up with the language difference. Through this, I enjoyed genuine friendship, care and encouragement from these wonderful about to be doctors and members of faculty. He painted a picture of a fantasised young medical student but reconciled it with the hard realities of the intricacies of what it takes to become a thorough bred medical doctor. “Cycle 1 took us through the Basic Medical Sciences, which I must say was a sharp transition from the Physics, Chemistry and Biology we were used to. And to those with first degree, we looked to recheck the names on our 1st class (degree) certificates and began to wonder if we now have a ‘brain

Osonuga (right) receiving one of his awards

attack’. “Unlike the curriculum of most other medical schools in the West African subregion, UCCSMS prides itself as not only emphasising the five main clinic areas (i.e. Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Community Medicine), our curriculum exposed us to ‘therapeutic doses’ of psychiatry – with local and foreign faculty giving their input. Indeed, the faculty and by extension the college deserve an applause,” he thundered. He did not stop there. He added that that the countless examinations the medical student are meant to undertake, toughened and made them to learn not to be complacent in life. ”While preparing this speech, I looked in retrospect trying to count the number of exams I have written and your guess is as good as mine – I lost count! Osonuga did not hide his joy and that of his colleagues in fulfilling their childhood ambitions of donning the famed medical white coats and holding a stethoscope. “We were excited to be donned with white coats, and oh the joy of holding a stethoscope! Attending wardrounds with our seniors, specialists and consultants was a bittersweet experience. For the first few weeks, I was maniacally bewildered by the excellent show of the mastery of the art and science of medicine by our teachers. “The basic sciences did not seem ‘basic’ anymore as we soon realised the most undesired function of the medical student’s brain – that is to forget. Questions to us flew across the ward in quick succession with shaky answers following after some minutes of grave yard silence. At other

times, the answers to these answers never came. Indeed, our teachers have been like the Biblical David, who took destitute men and transformed them into men of valour.” However, the journey of a medical profession, like every other good venture, does not come cheap. It was a journey that truly requires hard work. This may be why Osonuga made reference to the proverbial self-denial in the pursuit of actualisation. “Our evenings, weekends, and holidays, were spent in the classroom or on the ward taking histories, examining patients or writing case summaries for the next day’s rounds. “Some of us had to move our families to Cape Coast, while others who could not had to travel long distances often. Some of our married women had medical school as their ‘contraceptive’, having to put a temporary hold to child bearing, while others who were daring had one or two as addition to their MB.Ch.B degree.” Their wide exposure equally received a kind mention when he said, “we were fortunate to receive tuition from a host of lecturers who span from both local and international faculty. Permit me at this juncture to appreciate a role model to the graduating class: Professor Ganiyu Adebisi Rahman.

Indeed, our teachers have been like the Biblical David, who took destitute men and transformed them into men of valour ...with parents and relatives

His 7.30am tutorials, lectures, ward and clinic teaching sessions have made the principles and the practice of ALL aspects of surgery interesting; also not forgetting our teachers at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, some of whom are here today.” The young doctor admonished those coming behind them to respect their teachers not only because they mark their papers but, as elders say “what a child cannot see while on top of an Iroko tree, the old man can see while seating down”. And to his colleagues, he advised: “As we receive our hard earned certificates and take our oaths, we must remember that today we take a big step into power and responsibility – one I feel we have been greatly prepared for. We must remember that henceforth society will see us differently. Be it our patients, family and friends. “They will permit us to hear their secrets, use drugs and instruments that can do harm as well as good on them. We would be required to give advice and to counsel. Let’s remember that great power comes with great responsibility. The real world awaits us with all its intricacies. The journey that we began together five and six years ago has led us to this moment. Congratulations.”

SATURDAY

Dear Love Doctor, ‘I slept with my boyfriend’s dad'

p.37

Life Experience

'I was raped by a woman at a party'

p.36

L ve&Lv ng SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2015

'My friend misled me into a lesbian affair' Confession

In this story, a young lady gets admitted into a university but rather than face her studies, she gets involved in an inappropriate relationship.

Chinyere Onah hinwe was a student of one of the state universities in the east. She looked forward to a brighter future which would be opened through the door of education. But suddenly, she fell head over heels in love with her roommate. Going back down the road of memories, Chinwe recalled how she came to seek the touch of her fellow female. She was a 'jambite', and the school surroundings were breathtaking to her. She looked out of place. Standing with the wall as a support, she noticed a very beautiful fairskinned lady, who couldn't be more than a few years older than her. She thought she looked friendly and could help her. After much turmoil in her mind, she decided to approach her for directions. “Good day, aunty,” she greeted her but was stunned when the lady opened her mouth to respond to her. Her voice was so soft she almost had to strain her eyes to hear her properly. She had the most angelic voice she had ever heard. “Good day dear and how are you?" she questioned her back. “I am fine." Chinwe hurried her words for she was every bit anxious over this first meeting. “I am just lost as this is my first day in school. Could you please direct me? I am on my way to the outskirts of town." “Sure, come with me. That is where I also stay and I am already on my way." It sounded like music to her ears to know that she would finally be on her way after a hectic day in class. She could not hear half of what the lecturer was saying because she was sitting in the middle having arrived thirty minutes late. The lecture was so boring she almost slept off in class. It was like they were destined to meet each other. During the course of discussion, she got to know that the lady who would later be her roommate was called Grace. Grace hails from Rivers State but was born and bred in Lagos and was in her second year. Chinwe thought the name fit her because she was so graceful. She walks like she is on water, so cool. “I just got tired of the hustle and bustle of Lagos. I have always wanted to school in the east and I have never regretted my decision," Grace told her. Chinwe was left in reverie as Lagos was only stories she heard from people who travelled back to the village during ceremonies. The state university was the only big place she had ever travelled to on her own. She had always lived a very sheltered life with her grandmother, as

the sun had set for both her parents. She was quite delighted when she received her admission letter to go to her dream school. She could not stop smiling and talking about it to anyone who would spare her a minute of his/ her time. She was quite hopeful to pass out in flying colours. But life as a student is very hectic. Waking at the crack of dawn to prepare early enough for a front row in school was tasking as she hardly slept at night. Sometimes she caught herself dozing off during lectures, but she knew where she was headed, to a successful era after education. Her motto which she always recited whenever she felt like slacking was: “Education is the key to success” and she so much wanted that key. Her friendship with Grace blossomed so much that they were always together at school even though they were in different departments. Chinwe was studying Banking and Finance while Grace was studying Business Administration but this did not in any way affect their closeness. They were study mates, al-

ways seen together after lectures in the library, smiling and laughing out loud over ridiculous and mundane things. Things got a little tight for Chinwe and she was later cajoled by Grace to be her roommate. After much ado about nothing, Chinwe agreed and she found out she could save a little for herself to make ends meet in the process. It felt like the world was at her feet and she could concentrate on her studies without disturbance from landlords. Grace had never asked her to pay a dime because she came from a well-to-do family. Her father was a business tycoon and his private firm had two branches in Lagos and the capital city, Abuja. She was the only female child in the family of four and was quite pampered. Two months after they started living together, Grace told her she wanted to discuss something important with her, which could also be shocking to her. Chinwe thought it was just the usual trivial school incidents, but she was wrong. “I have something I want to share and I want you to see reason with me,"

Grace said to her. Chinwe replied that she could always say whatever is bothering her, after all they had been friends for a long time. “I want you to be my lover because I am always happy when you are with me," Grace said. It dropped like a bomb shell but Chinwe could not help it. She burst out laughing and thinking aloud that Grace could not be serious as to say such a thing to her. But something kept lingering in her mind as she recalled the unusual disappearances of her roommate during school hours, and the sketchy explanations she gave whenever she returned from another friend’s birthday party which Chinwe never got to be invited to. But the truth dawned on her as Grace revealed her secret. Grace told her how she had joined a lesbian club during her freshman year, paying the sum of N30, 000 and meeting with older ladies before she was accepted as a full member of the club. She also revealed to Chinwe that all those disappearances were escapades with her lesbian friends. She said she was also making plans to travel to Brazil for a film shoot and possibly reside there permanently. Chinwe's jaws could not help but drop as she heard this from someone she thought she knew so well. She had grown to love Grace as her elder sister. She felt disappointed but at the same time intrigued, for she had heard tales of the existence of a lesbian club. Chinwe's curiosity got the better of her because she wanted to know how it felt being a lesbian, and she allowed her roommate to satisfy herself without any thought to moral teachings. No day passed without Grace deriving pleasure from Chinwe's body before and after class each day. As a result, Chinwe began to lose her focus, and her grades at school began to nosedive. She no longer cared about what she had chosen as her life ambition, but was swayed from her set path. Chinwe was no longer interested in going to school. It was like torture for her to be without Grace for a moment, and she could not stand being separated from her mate even for a minute. Staying in class was just for her to answer present to the roll calls which were sure to come. She had no time even to chat with her fellow course mates. All she ever thought about was going home to be in bed with Grace. Chinwe particularly dodged those socalled born again disciples of school fellowship to avoid being invited, but a particular boy kept pestering her to attend the fellowship. His name was Jude and he had brains to go with his good looks. She thought that she may have been interested in him, but only if she were into boys. So she sighed for the umpteenth time while thinking about him. “Excuse me, Chinwe," Jude blocked her way. "Come with me to the school fellowship even if it is for only today. I have a feeling you need to be there." Just to get him off her back she agreed and made a promise to come another day since the notice he had given her was too short and she already had her day planned. continued on page 38

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Love News

Love Songs

'People think we're twins'

'Thinking About You' (feat. Ayah Marar) If I told you, that this couldn't get better baby And your heartbeat, it lets me know you feel the same. I can hold you, keep you safe until you fall asleep. Never worried, cause I can give you what you need.

... Mother, 42, and her daughter, 19, look so alike their partners get confused

eing mistaken for your daughter's sister is the ultimate compliment - and for one duo, a daily occurrence. Georgie Smedley, 42, and daughter Jazz, 19, have become accustomed to incessant comparisons and confusion from strangers, colleagues and even family who often mistaken them not only for sisters, but for twins. And with both women sporting matching fiery hair, measuring in at nearly the same height, weight, and shoe size - as well as sounding alike - it's not hard to see why. Standing at 5ft 3in, with natural strawberry-blonde hair and a slim size 8 figure, Jazz's resemblance to her mother - with her cherry-red locks and 5ft 2in measurements - is uncanny. Speaking to FEMAIL about their resemblance, Georgie admits: 'We get told we look like sisters all the time - to the point where I get embarrassed. 'It's nice for me, but because it happens so often, it must get a bit annoying for Jazz.' Adding to the confusion, Georgie, who is the director of beauty brand Nail Har-

mony HQ, even works in the same building as her daughter. But the pair have revealed that the constant comparisons have only been a recent development. Back in 2012, mother-of-two Georgie underwent gastric bypass surgery, and it's the resulting weight loss that they attribute to the similarities in appearance. The 42-year-old used to be a size 14 and due to the surgery, shed a staggering four and a half stone, dropping down to her daughter's lithe size 8 frame. 'In my mind, a lot of the resemblance comes from the weight I lost back in 2012, due to having a gastric bypass in 2012,' Georgie said. 'I shrunk so much that I had to completely change my wardrobe, and Jazz helped me pick out new things.' Jazz agrees, adding: 'I've always thought I look like her facially, but when she lost all the weight, you could really see the resemblance. 'She felt more confident with the weight loss so she was dressing better. She went from wearing baggy clothes all the time to basically sharing my wardrobe!

Now everything I do, is all for loving you. Its not something that we're used to. No other way to say, I need you every day. And now I'm gonna change my ways. And it's a part of you, I never wanna lose. I'll do anything you want me to. Like any other day, I know I'll find a way-aa-aay. And if ever I'm alone you'll say.

'Every time we go to the airport, we get asked if we're sisters, and we have even been asked if we're twins, once or twice.' After the surgery, it even became difficult for Georgie's husband and Jazz's father, Jason, to immediately distinguish between the pair. Jazz explains: 'Dad says that we look alike a lot actually. When she first had the surgery, he said "I cant tell you apart!", and we also sound quite similar, which doesn't help.' Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Life Experience

'I was raped by a woman at a party' I n December 2013, I was raped at a small all-women sleepover party in a very upscale neighborhood of a major city -- the type of place we’re all conditioned to believe is safe. The party was organized through a private women's friendship group on Facebook, and since everyone there knew each other personally, I figured it was a safe opportunity for me go drink, gossip and let my hair down for the night after a busy week of studying. What followed was anything but the low-key night of harmless fun I envisioned. There were seven of us at the sleepover. One woman showed particular interest in me, and started asking me questions about my love life. I thought nothing of it -- people are interested in others' relationships all the time, right? I told her my marriage was on the rocks and I was upset that I hadn't had sex in quite a while. She looked into my eyes and I thought I noticed a hint of longing in her eyes as she said, "But, you're so sexy. You deserve to have sex." I brushed it off, thinking she was trying to comfort me during a shitty time in my life, but my stomach flipflopped uncomfortably. The drinks continued to flow freely -- although I imbibed very little, intuitively sensing I needed to stay alert. The woman called to me from the bathroom saying she needed some help. I went, thinking maybe she had a little too much to drink. Instead, when I entered the bathroom, she abruptly pushed past me to lock the door and shoved me against the sink. I am not a small woman by any means and I lift heavy weights, but she outweighed me by at least 100 pounds and towered over me by

nearly a foot and I was horrified to feel how she pushed me around as if I were little more than a rag doll. She turned her glassy eyes toward mine and breathed, "You're so sexy," pinning me against the sink as she violently pulled off my panties. I started to scream but she covered my mouth with her hand and I started to suffocate. The other guests were calling our names, searching for us. They thought we had gone outside and I could hear them wandering the grounds looking for me. I was terrified, but couldn't do anything but let her assault me, because if I screamed, she pressed her hand harder over my mouth and nose. Finally, the other guests got close enough to the bathroom where she held me prisoner that she spooked. She let go of my hand, pulled up my panties and told me, "Shhhh. Let's leave one after another so they don't

CALVIN HARRIS

suspect anything." Shell shocked, I nodded and quietly exited the bathroom. Immediately, I pulled aside a friend of mine and told her what happened. She believed me, but was heavily intoxicated and had no idea what to do. She told the hostess, who separated me from the woman who assaulted me, who was now crying and begging to talk to me to "explain." The hostess offered me Xanax to help me sleep, which I declined. She told me, "I don't know what happened between you two, but you can sleep in my bed tonight. She won't get to you tonight. Sometimes these kinds of misunderstandings happen at parties. Girl drama!" While that was a small comfort, the woman at the party was not asked to leave and I didn't sleep a wink the whole night. Looking back on it, I should have immediately left the party but I was in shock. The next day, the other party guests acted like nothing had happened, and I left as soon as I woke up. Luckily for me, the woman who assaulted me left at the crack of dawn. As soon as I got home, though, there were dozens of Facebook messages from her trying to explain herself, asking if we could talk and "hook up" again. She said she “cared” about me, which actually made me laugh because it was so insane. Appalled, I immediately blocked her. Her friend also contacted me and apologised for bringing her to the party and said she was embarrassed. Her friend made a few attempts to invite me to her social gatherings, but not wanting to ever run into the woman who assaulted me again, I declined every time. Wordlessly, my rapist’s friend unfriended me on Facebook about six months later, and that was that. My last connection to my assailant was severed. No one ever spoke of it to me continued on page 38

I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. In a moment, I know that everything could change. And I know that, my life would never be the same. You're the only one that's making sense to me. When I close my eyes, you're the one, I see. There's no other way I could ever be ... Without you babe. Now everything I do, is all for loving you. Its not something that we're used to. No other way to say, I need you everyday. And now I'm gonna change my ways. And it's a part of you, I never wanna lose. I'll do anything you want me to. Like any other day, I know I'll find a way-aa-aay. And if ever I'm alone you'll say. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you. I'll be thinking about you.

Love Poem

David G. Kelly

Thank You My Love A gentle word like a spark of light, Illuminates my soul And as each sound goes deeper, It's YOU that makes me whole There is no corner, no dark place, YOUR LOVE cannot fill And if the world starts causing waves, It's your devotion that makes them still And yes you always speak to me, In sweet honesty and truth Your caring heart keeps out the rain, YOUR LOVE, the ultimate roof So thank you my Love for being there, For supporting me, my life I'll do the same for you, you know, My Beautiful, Darling Wife.

*Send your love poems along with your name and number to ireto007@yahoo.com

Romantic Joke

DYING BEAVER

Little Johnny was taking a shower with his grandma. He casually asked,"Grandma whats that?" She quickly replied, "That's my beaver". Little Johnny didnt say another word. Two days later he was taking a shower with his mom. Little Johnny asked,"Mommy whats that?" She replied, "Well Johnny thats my beaver." Little Johnny thought for a bit and said,"Well grandma's beaver must be dying her tongues hanging out!!"

22 AUGUST 2015

Relationships & Love Advice

‘I slept with my boyfriend’s dad'

Dear Love Doctor, I’m 24 and pregnant. I’m keeping the baby but my boyfriend doesn’t know. I’ve been sleeping with my boyfriend’s dad for like four months now. I wanted to tell my boyfriend but his dad said that if I tell him, he would definitely tell his mother and it would cause a lot of trouble in his family. And I got pregnant around that time. I intend keeping the baby because the doctor said that if I abort this one, I might never be able to have another child. My boyfriend’s dad has promised to give me a lot of money so that I can relocate to another state and live there with my child, but my boyfriend doesn’t know. He said the only option left for me if I don’t want to relocate is to claim that my boyfriend is responsible for the pregnancy. What should I do? From Princess. Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Princess, I’m sorry that you’re in such a bad situation that you caused for yourself. I don’t think it is right for you to transfer the fatherhood of your pregnancy to your boyfriend. It is better to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness from your boyfriend. Leaving town after making your confession might be a good idea, except you decide to marry your boyfriend’s dad. You may choose to live separately from your boyfriend’s family and raise your child alone to avoid causing further tension within that family. If you

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

don’t want to raise your child as a single mother, you may also decide to have your baby and hand it over to your boyfriend’s dad and family as their property. Or you could put your child up for adoption. It may not be easy but you can’t run away from the truth. Don’t deny or falsely transfer the paternity of your child to someone else. Since you’re pregnant for his father, consider your relationship with your boyfriend over. Face the truth and in the end you will be happy. It is either your boyfriend’s dad marries you or bears the responsibility for the upkeep of your child. Your boyfriend’s father should not be allowed to shirk his responsibility towards the child. Don’t let an innocent child who will soon come into the world suffer just because you had him for your boyfriend’s dad. Tell the truth and in the end you will be happy, because having a child for your boyfriend’s father will not prevent you from getting married to a good man in future.

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Your breathing could be the cause of pains and tiredness Odd News

e all know that drawing a deep breath makes us feel instantly better. So why is it so easy to forget? Most of us never think about how we breathe unless we are short of breath through exercise, illness or stress. The result is we get into the habit of using only about a third of our lungs, even though the area that our lung tissue would cover if it was spread out is unbelievably the size of a tennis course. Writing for Healthista, Anna Magee talks to the experts about breathing techniques and how your breath can make you healthier. FIVE SIGNS YOU'RE NOT BREATHING CORRECTLY One or more of these symptoms can indicate you aren’t breathing correctly, says Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a psychophysiologist at Capio Nightingale Hospital. Sighing more than usual Cause - Habitually holding breath With intermittent deep sighing, the body is instinctively trying to make up for the oxygen deficit that holding the breath leads to. Yawning often Cause - Shallow breathing. When we’re relaxed we take about five to eight breaths a minute. A shallow breather can take anything from ten to 20, most from the chest. If people are commenting that you sigh or yawn often, or you’re doing it when you wouldn’t normally, incorrect

l Experts reveal how to boost your health with simple exercises breathing may be to blame. Grinding your teeth at night Cause - Stress and shallow breathing Breathing incorrectly often accompanies tooth grinding as both are symptoms of stress. In about 40 per cent of the chronically stressed or mentally ill people I see, tooth grinding and breathing inefficiently go hand in hand. Tight neck and shoulders Cause - Chest breathing. When you breathe only into your chest, the muscles in the neck, shoulders and back will attempt to ‘chip in’ and help the body breathe deeper so the lungs get more air. If you find you often feel tense in this area and it’s not related to recent exercise or injury your breathing may be to blame. Always feeling tired Cause - Inefficient breathing. Breathing incorrectly means you don’t get enough of one of the three essentials needed for energy – oxygen, food and water. Furthermore, if people breathe inefficiently they use as little as 20 per cent of their lung capacity leaving other muscles such as the back, neck and shoulders making more effort to fill the lungs. One of the most convincing theories behind chronic fatigue syndrome connects it to incorrect breathing. TWO COMMON BREATHING TRAPS These two common breathing patterns can constrict your lungs’ capacity

Breath Holding Unconsciously holding our breath is prevalent among driven, highachieving personalities, according to Dr Ramlakhan. They may be really fit, but also anxious by nature. So the natural flow of breathing is held unconsciously but habitually – usually because of stress. Breath holders find themselves taking sudden deep breaths or giving deep sighs to over-compensate. Breath holders often breath into their chests too, which increases feelings of stress and may also cause tightness in the shoulders and neck.

when you breathe. Sound familiar? Mouth Breathing Breathing through our mouths instead of our noses is the most common bad habit says Lizzie Flude, a chartered physiotherapist specialising in respiratory medicine. People who are anxious and busy often start using their mouths to breath which causes a dry mouth as well as tiredness. Plus the intake of more air than is needed also means the release of too much carbon dioxide too quickly which can cause palpitations, chest pains and tingling in the hands and feet. Left unchecked, such breathing can turn into recurring panic attacks and hyperventilation when people are nervous or frightened, says Dr Prowse.

HOW TO BREATH EASY Follow these exercises three times a week for three weeks to change your breathing technique. The aim is to breathe slowly and deeply in and out through your nose, ensuring you are breathing from your diaphragm rather than taking a shallow breath into your chest. To find your diaphragm, place your hands at the base of your ribs and breathe deeply. The diaphragm should expand sideways while your belly expands outwards, while chest and shoulders stay relaxed. Now sit on a chair or lie on the floor, making sure to keep warm. Keeping warm helps to relax the respiratory muscles which are the abdominal muscles, the diaphragm and the muscles in the back. Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

True Story

'I was cheating on my boyfriend when he died' I was 16 years old. I had just moved from the Midwest to the East Coast. I got my first job at a pizza place. The 23-year-old manager began hitting on me right away. I fended him off over and over again even though I was flattered by his desire. During this time, I was growing closer with a boy my age who also worked with us. We began dating and it was wonderful. I found out his mother had died of breast cancer the year before and my heart opened up to him. Now it was just him, his Dad and his brother. We spent all of our shifts working together exchanging smiles, looks, and the occasional pat on the ass. We didn’t go to the same high school so that was our only place to be coy and flirt with each other until we felt comfortable enough to hang out alone. We would leave to go to either his Dad’s house or mine and have sex, watch movies and enjoy each other’s silly company. Many date nights and every Friday, the whole Pizzeria went to cosmic bowling. He was very sincere, charming, gentle and so funny. He always had me laughing. We coordinated Halloween costumes – he was a zombie and I was a zombie princess. We were cute. We both lived with our parents so I remember a lot of sex in the car. Yet, at a certain point, I couldn’t resist my manager any longer. I secretly loved the attention he showered me with, and I eventually gave in. I don’t know exactly why I did it. The thrill and adrenaline rush of doing something I knew I shouldn’t have been. The sort of “I know something and you don’t” childish mentality I had at the time. He was in a committed long term relationship and I had become close friends with his girlfriend. My boyfriend and I would even spend the night in their guest

room close to our work. I was not a victim. I made an active decision to cheat on my boyfriend and have sex with someone else. I began having sex with him all of the time. At night when the restaurant closed, in the booths people sat and ate in (disgusting I know). I would go to his apartment, have sex everywhere -- the couch, the floor, their bed, the shower. I would park far away from his building and walk in the back so his neighbors wouldn’t notice how frequently I was there. I found a thrill in this routine and embraced it. My boyfriend and I and my manager and his girlfriend went on many double dates. My boyfriend and I would still spend the night at their place. I became closer and closer to his girlfriend. I knew what I was doing was wrong and hurtful on so many levels, yet I continued this lifestyle for many months. When leaving my manager’s place, I felt like the world knew that I was secretly trying to slip out of the apartment complex. But still I didn’t change a thing. On a Wednesday night at the beginning of January, my manager's girlfriend called me and asked if she could come to my parents’ house to talk to me. She had never been there before. I was very alarmed. I thought she had found out what had been going on between her boyfriend and me. I started thinking of all the lies I could. I am 30 now, yet I can recall her entry into my home so vividly. We went back into my parent’s room to speak privately because my room was in the basement; it seemed like too long of a walk for what I thought was about to ensue. I just wanted to get this confrontation over with. As my stomach was doing flips thinking of how I was going to explain my

'My friend misled me into a lesbian affair' continued FROM page 35

This went on for a while until one day she stumbled on an ongoing programme held in the school. The programme which centered on youth and relationships was more interesting than she had thought. It was a talk on godly relationships leading to a blissful marital life. This got her thinking and she realized that no matter how much time and energy she had spent in a relationship with a fellow female, it wasn't right with God and was neither fruitful nor accepted by the society. She could not hold back her tears during the delivery of the sermon. She cried helplessly while Jude held her, not saying a word through her emotional crisis. When the time came for altar call for deliverance, she tearfully stepped out with-

out much prodding, pleading with God to be merciful unto her. Tears streamed out and rolled down her face in quick succession and she cried to her heart's contentment. She promised never to stray from the path of morality again and she moved out of her roommate’s house after Grace kicked her out for quitting their relationship. However, before she packed her bags, Chinwe had advised her friend to change for the better. Jude has now become Chinwe's hero, helping her through her academic struggles to rise back up to the top of her grades. She is quite hopeful of both her academic and romantic future, as Jude has fulfilled lot of the promises he had made to her, including taking her to meet her future parents-in-law.

affair with her boyfriend, her words melted the world away. She was coming to tell me that my boyfriend had died in a motorcycle accident only an hour before. At the time, we used AIM to communicate. I had messaged with him and few hours before and he told me he was going for a ride. That was the last time we “spoke.” What I had envisioned as a skirmish between two girls over a guy was was literally about life and death, about so much more than my teenage stupidity. After she got out the first words – that he had crashed his motorcycle around a steep curve – everything became a blur. I cried for three days. I cried so much that when it came time for the funeral all of the tears were dried up and gone. I was just a zombie. I have never been a religious person. But once he died,I believed he could see everything, know everything that I had been doing to him. How much I had wronged him, lied to him, and had continuous sex with someone he had become very close friends with. I also felt something I didn’t think I would feel; anger. I was angry that he had died not only because of the loss of his beautiful life, but because I felt caught. The shame of this reaction weighed on me so heavily I can still feel the heaviness today. Yet his death did not change my habits. I continued having sex with my manager. His girlfriend took me in and tended to me as though I was her child. She took such pity on me for having lost my boyfriend to a deathly accident.

I would spend the night in the guest room, but I never spent the entire night alone. My manager would come in and we would have sex after she fell asleep. Even the night before the funeral, I had sex with him in the same bed I had shared with my boyfriend. I have never come to terms with this specific act of complete lack of respect to my boyfriend who had passed, and the wonderful woman who was nursing me out of my depression. I went to the funeral with my manager and his girlfriend. He picked out a white rose for me to put on his casket. My manager was one of the pallbearers. Seeing him walk along holding my boyfriend’s casket was too much to bear. Yet I still could not shed another tear. I had found this comfortably numb space in my mind and I just stayed there. At the time I don’t think I realized the scope of my actions, and how they would affect me for the rest of my life. I have harbored this “I am an evil person” mentality ever since. People will tell me I’m a good person and I secretly think to myself, You have no idea the damage I have done. I kept my job at the Pizzeria for about a month. I tried to work there without thinking about my boyfriend, but I kept expecting him to be around every corner. One day my manager’s girlfriend showed up to surprise me with a very nicely framed picture I had never seen of my boyfriend and I on Halloween. It is still in my bedroom to this day. I suppose I torture myself with it. It’s a reminder not only of him but her as well; the thoughtfulness of the frame, of surprising me, of trying to lift my spirits. And the whole time I was having sex with her boyfriend. That day she came and gave me the picture, I later quit and walked out. She never found out about the affair, but I was left to harbor so much pain that here I am still writing about it nearly 15 years later. Now it was just his father and his brother in a house where there used to be a family of four. I could never even express my sympathies to his Dad; my guilt was too all-consuming to share comfort with others. Would I be able to find peace with myself and those choices I made as a 16-year-old? If I could speak to my boyfriend now, I would acknowledge what I did to him. Own up to it and tell him how I have felt the burden for years. Names have been changed for privacy reasons. Courtesy: nine.com

'I was raped by a woman at a party' continued FROM page 36

again, which made me incredibly enraged. I actually ran into one of other party guests a couple of weeks ago, and she pretended that she didn’t even remember me, probably to avoid any awkwardness. Peevishly, I played along and inside, my blood boiled. The assault has had a profound affect on my mental health and sex life for years afterward. My ex husband and I split up almost immediately after the rape and a few months later I began dating a new guy. My new boyfriend begged me for a year to let him go down on me and then kiss me afterward, but my own smell reminded me of the rape and her hot breath reeking of my intimate parts and booze, and I would recoil from him in tears. I became obsessed with getting stronger and bigger so I could avoid ever being victimised again – and of course, that turned out to be unten-

able. After spending over 20 hours per week in the gym and putting on 20 pounds of muscle in a year, I burned myself out training. Perhaps the most disturbing effect of my rape, though, was how people treated my story. Those I confided in seemed completely unimpressed by the seriousness of the matter — from my friends, to my therapist, to my then-boyfriend. These people are generally progressive and compassionate people, but they couldn’t seem to grasp the terrible brutality of the rape because my rapist was a woman. I asked an acquaintance on the police force for advice who counseled me not to even bother filing a report, since the assaulter was a woman and there would be no evidence. I took him at his word. Exhausted and frightened by the entire ordeal, I never reported it formally, feeling as if there would be no point in doing so. Any reader who is lesbian or

queer will recognize the logic in these denials of what happened to me — they are based in the same reasoning that causes ignorant people to ask “How can women have sex”? Since women are deemed incapable of sexual agency in this way, how could they be capable of violent sexual assault? People believe women are inherently non-violent and that discredits victims' experiences of sexual assault. Woman-on-woman sexual assault is rarely discussed and victims of it are often dismissed as liars or as parties to lesbian experimentation gone wrong, as happened in my case. I have been sexually assaulted by both a man and a woman, and my experiences were equally terrifying, yet I received much less support after a woman assaulted me. No one could even register my experience as important, let alone react. Courtesy: go.co

SATURDAY

Travel &Tourism SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2015

Travel Personality

Marek Zmyslowski: Nigeria is good for business development p.40

Hospitality

Cotton Suites: Promoting a culture of luxury p.41

Destination

Lander Brothers’ Anchorage: A tourist haven begging for attention p.42

CHEF'S CORNER

ice is a favourite Nigerian staple and a fixture on African and global menu. In Nigeria it could be eaten as white rice, fried rice or jollof rice. Today, however, it is the ever reddish and delicious rice that we delight your weekend with. You must certainly have found it served in many restaurants and at parties and other social events. But just like the commonly served white rice, jollof rice ought to be served regularly at home but not many people want to go through its painstaking preparation. Depending on which part of the country you find yourself, your discovery also is that it is differently cooked and served. The chef is at liberty to use any ingredient to enhance its presentation and taste. In Africa, particularly West Africa, jollof rice is also fast becoming a commonly served meal both at home and eateries. It could be served with any protein of choice ranging from fish, chicken, goat meat to assorted meal and also garnished with plantain, salad or coleslaw and moin moin, steamed bean pudding, among others.

Good old Jollof rice Although virtually every home has a peculiar way of preparing jollof rice, ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA writes that it doesn't hurt being experimental with a new recipe. • • • • • • • •

Either palm or vegetable oil Onions Tomatoes puree Red bell pepper chopped Meat/vegetable broth Green chilli pepper Papprika Cyenne of chilli pepper powder

• • • • •

Salt Garlic Grind pepper Curry powder Fresh thyme or dried pepper

Preparation: Start by frying the onions and bell pepper in the coconut oil

until it is cooked and then add garlic, tomato puree and the rest of the seasonings Once done then add the rice followed by the broth, stir and then leave to cook until it has absolved all the broth Then it is ready to be served.

Ingredients: • Rice • Chopped tomatoes

World Heritage Museum opens new outlet

ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA Editor, TRAVEL&TOURISM iroandy@ymail.com

The World Heritage Air Museum (WHAM) has announced the opening of its new headquarters and flight operations base at a renovated hangar at Oakland County International Airport. The hanger will be home to several rare vintage jets from around the world where visitors can get an up close view and learn more about the aircraft and the roles they played in history. According WHAM board member and jet-owner/pilot Tom Proctor, "we are thrilled to have this new space to expand the mission of WHAM at Oakland Country International Airport. These rare jets are truly spectacular and we hope to be able to continue to expand our fleet as well as encourage aviation interest in today's youth." The mission of WHAM is to rescue military jet aircraft from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, return them to flight status, and use them to encourage the youth of America to dream, wonder, and soar. The current collection of jets originated from around the world including Britain, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Spain, France, Russia and Poland. "OCIA welcomes WHAM to the airport and we look forward to watching this worthy charity grow in Oakland County," said Oakland's county director of central services, J. David VanderVeen. "To see these types of

TRAVEL BEATS

military jet aircraft in one place will be a great experience for visitors and pilots alike," he added. WHAM was founded in 2011 at Detroit City Airport. That space will continue to serve as the maintenance and restoration location while the Oakland County facility in Waterford will be the flight operation base and group tour location. "We are passionate about planes and role they played in world history," said WHAM Founder and Board Member Martin Tibbitts. "There is a steady decline in aviation careers in our country and we hope our museum can help the youth of today feel the passion and excitement we feel about flying. We are fortunate to be able to restore and fly these jets as part of our mission."

Royal Caribbean introduces royal suite class

The Royal Caribbean cruise liner has upped the luxury experience of its high end patrons with the recent introduction of the royal suite class to its luxury packages. The newly created royal class suite is designed for the most discerning adventurers. When vacationing in one of a range of innovative accommodations, guests are promised an experience like no other featuring a wide-range of benefits and amenities. “The new Royal Suite Class redefines luxury at sea with exceptional experiences that discerning travellers will appreciate,” said the president and CEO of the cruise liner, Michael Bayley. “We offer some of the most amazing and unique suites aboard the most revolutionary ships, and with Royal Suite Class we are creating an experience that is both inviting and invigorating for guests seeking a luxurious

adventure that is anything but boring.” Along with well-appointed accommodations, royal suite class will offer a range of exclusive amenities based on three-tiered service levels. Premium features include a royal genie, certified by the British Butler Institute to meet guests every need; free VOOM, the fastest internet at sea; complimentary specialty dining; an ultimate beverage package; inclusive gratuities; preferred seating at select onboard venues, and upgraded room amenities. The new class will be available for sailings beginning May 2016 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis- and Quantum-class ships, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas, as well as Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas when they debut in spring 2016.

UNWTO highlights tourism's importance The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has stressed the importance of tourism to national economy development while reacting to the less attention being paid to it despite its immense socio-economic impact. The UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, Less Development Countries (LDCs) should do well to leverage on tourism. According to him, in 2013 LDCs received 24 million international visitors and earned $18 billion from international tourism. “This represented eight percent of total

exports of goods and services of LDCs and 12 percent for the non-oil exporters among them,” said Rifai. Tourism lifted countries such as Botswana, The Maldives and Cape Verde from their previous LDC status while in the Philippines, the contribution of tourism to the economy was estimated at 7.8 percent in 2014. Despite being a high impact economic activity, a major job generator and key export sector accounting for six percent of total world trade, tourism

receives only 0.78 percent of the total Aid for Trade (AfT) disbursements and a mere 0.097 percent of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA), the UN organisation said. “As we move forward to adopt a new sustainable development agenda, we have a unique opportunity to raise the level of assistance in tourism to further harness its vast potential for stimulating green growth and inclusive development worldwide, particularly for the countries most in need,” Rifai added.

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TRAVEL PERSONALITY

Marek Zmyslowski: Nigeria is good for business development Marek Zmyslowski is Polish-born and the managing director of Jovago.com, one of the leading global online hotel booking portals operating out of Nigeria. The banker-turned information and communication technology expert and entrepreneur, speaks to OLUSHOLA RICKETTS on the operations of his firm and the Nigerian hospitality sector. When did you start operation in Africa? We launched officially sometime in August 2013. Lagos is our headquarters, this is where we started and now we have offices in Kenya, Senegal, and other locations across Africa.

BACKGROUND I was born and bred in Poland. I moved to Nigeria over two years ago. My background is in the banking sector and I have been involved in investment and financial products. In 2009, I decided I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I have been building online businesses for five years, excluding Nigeria. I was able to build successful companies and sell them. So, I sought for more international adventures and I met my current investors, who told me many things about Nigeria and the opportunities residing there. At that time I was 27; I didn’t have a wife and children. So, I decided it was fine for me. I have always wanted to do something more. When you build a business in Africa it is not just about making profit, you are also impacting the environment because of the changes you will bring. You don’t have that kind of feeling when you build a company in Europe.

Why Lagos, Nigeria? When you look at economies in West Africa, Nigeria is considered one of the most challenging. But on the other side, it is also most rewarding once you succeed. The reward could be really attractive because of the size of the market. Nigeria is like a testing ground if you want to grow your company in Africa. What makes your company different from others? There are many international players but no one has properly come to Nigeria and try to understand the market. No one has built a good relationship and also tried to find local customers. This is what we have been doing. We have been visiting hotels in person and signing deals with them, no one else is doing this. Then on the long run what we are really focusing on is the quality of customer service. I think this is one of the biggest challenges in many sectors in Nigeria. We want to make sure the experience in booking hotels on Jovago is easy and at the best rate available. If you deliver good customer service, people will always come back regardless of other hotel booking agencies. How lucrative is the business so far? It has been challenging because running an online business in Nigeria is different from Europe. There are many problems you have to solve. For instance, online business means finding customers online and we do the rest of the job ourselves. Some hotels we are partnering with do not use internet on a daily basis, so, it means we have to put people in all the states in Nigeria. This is to make sure that when the booking is made we would give them the best. Also, internet helps us to find new customers online but most customers we service do not find out about us on the internet. They got to know about us because they saw our stand at conferences, airports and other places. In terms of growth, I can say the number of bookings we service grow by five per cent every week. We have been able to maintain that growth but you know the bigger you are the harder things get. But we have managed to do this and I am also happy that customers are coming back. It is not easy to convince a firsttimer but when the person comes back you feel fulfilled. How often do bookings take place in the northern part? Obviously, we do not have many hotels and travellers in the north and eastern part of Nigeria probably because of insecurity. But because we are an African brand and we focus on African customers, all these safety issues don’t really affect us and we are familiar with

Zmyslowski

them. There’ve always been problems everywhere and travellers have to travel anyway. If you need to visit your family you must travel and you need to make more money for your business too. What do you aim to achieve in the near future? We definitely want to make our operations bigger in terms of coverage. We have free hands in Kenya, Senegal and Nigeria. We have people visiting hotels and building partnership in 17 countries already. In a little while we want to be in every country in Africa and be the biggest online travel agency. In order to do that, we must have the biggest hotel network to choose from and boost our customer service. Our motivation is the number of hotels we are working with. Once you have all these hotels on your platform you can give the best rates and customers will come.

When you build a business in Africa it is not just about making profit, you are also impacting the environment How do you give back to the society? First of all, we are a starter and when you ask me of Corporate Social Responsibility it is mostly used as a phrase for international and oil companies that are making huge profit. They have to do something to make their PR better but we are a starter. However, we started with three staff two years ago and we

now have 75 people in the office, plus 14 on the field. So, in two years, we’ve been able to hire more than 100 people. We provide them know-how and they grow in our company. We don’t necessarily look for experienced people but we look for young people who are smart and highly motivated. We give them experience as no one knows what they would be in years later. But the experience is very valuable. We provide them with salaries too. This may not sound so fancy but I think it is the most important way of giving back to the society. Despite the fact that we just started we still try to do our bit. In Lekki there is a motherless babies home we visited where we provided them with some things. But the biggest thing we are creating is employment since it is the major problem of Nigeria. Everything bad happens when the youth are unemployed.

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COTTON SUITES

Promoting a culture of luxury ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA who was at the Victoria Island-based boutique hotel writes on the exciting and luxury treats of the hotel which prides itself on offering personalised customer service.

ucked away in the serene end of Amodu Tijani Close, off Sanusi Fafunwa, Victoria Island, Lagos, is Cotton Suites, a boutique hotel that is very unique and flaunts appealing facilities as well as luxury treats in an enchanting scenery with enthusiastic personnel. The blend of its opulent and natural setting is one of the first features that caught one's attention on this morning. As the security guard opened the gate, one drove into what could be described as a cosy haven of sorts. The open garden and gazebo, all lush green, the well treated and swaying flowers and trees no doubt helped to accentuate the architectural appeal of the hotel. Its other remarkable feature is the creative use of space given the hotel's rather not too spacious land mass. You can’t also miss the Victorian touch which in many ways add to the beauty of this creatively crafted boutique facility that quietly attracts. The choices on offer are better experienced than imagined. Sitting at the reception desk, a very appealing set up exuding luxury, was a young boy. After some enquiries, the food and beverage manager, Abiodun Deganono, showed up and right behind him was the general manager, Toba Jimoh both young, smart and beaming optimism as they spoke glowingly about the property under their watch. The target is for the corporate and business travellers as well as the regular travellers and residents of the area. As the food and beverage manager put it, guests have found a culinary home in the hotel's 411 Restaurant, which he described as a world class signature restaurant offering the best treats.

Executive room

HOSPITALITY Besides the evident luxury on offer, Jimoh explained that ‘‘we have actually tried to put in place a standard service as a boutique hotel.’’ Other unique features of the hotel outlined by him include its naturally inviting and peaceful environment, security and 24-hour service. ‘‘We have a very strong hold on our customers and prospects,’’ adding that ‘‘Cotton Suites is an affordable luxury.’’ And to drive home this point, Jimoh disclosed that the hotel's name was carefully chosen. Cotton actually means luxury, he said. Describing it as home away from home, Jimoh said that the hotel has served as home to both short and long stay guests, enjoying over 80 per cent occupancy at peak period. Also, he paid glowing tributes to its numerous clients, who he said have been very good and well behaved. He is convinced the hotel has a bright future and is poised at claiming the top spot in the hospitality sector. He said it would continue to strive to uphold its luxury and maintenance culture as well as its professional, excellent and personalised service delivery, which he said have served it well these past years. Rooms The hotel has 15 differently-fitted rooms, all furnished with modern facilities and very spacious. Jimoh pointed

The lounge

out that each room has different setting meant to appeal to customers' diverse tastes. The room categories include Standard, Deluxe, Executive, Executive premium and Chalet while some of the standard amenities include soft furniture, jacuzzi, flat screen LED TV, fridge, settees, work desk and chair, safe deposit, wardrobe and tea/coffee facilities while the Executive premium and Chalet have sophisticated fittings and furnishing. The Chalet, for instance, has a fully equipped kitchenette and living area well furnished as well. Dining The hotel surely rates high when it comes to dining and wining as it has a specialised and fine treat for people at it 411 restaurant, which according to Daganono's not only a signature restaurant but actually a toast of town particularly for residents in Lekki, Victoria Island and

Ikoyi. It offers a wide selection of rich African and international menu and also office/home delivery service for Victoria Island residents at no cost and outdoor catering services as well. It two gazebo settings, non – smoking and smoking bars as well as the open roof terrace, all offer good sceneries to relax any hour of the day and savour their delightful offerings of wine, champagne, cocktails and beverages. Sports enthusiasts also have the opportunity to catch up with their favourite sporting events, especially live matches across Europe. Other services/facilities Wireless internet, drycleaning and laundry, shuttle service on request and complimentary newspapers and bathroom slippers as well as 24-hour business and concierge services and constant power supply.

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

ABA

FESTAC, LAGOS

LAGOS

REE DANIELS HOTEL AND SUITES

Panda Hotel Suites & Lounge

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DESTINATION

Ifeanyi Okowa

LANDER BROTHERS’ ANCHORAGE

A tourist haven begging for attention Lander Brothers’ Anchorage ought to be a major tourist playground in Asaba where a compelling part of Nigeria's history can be relived. But DOMINIC ADEWOLE writes that the name does not quite resonate in the capital city due to neglect by the state government.

The Anchorage opularly referred to as either The Anchorage or Lander Brothers’ Anchorage by residents of Asaba, Delta State, it was built in memory of the Lander brothers expedition to the River Niger right at the bank of the lower River Niger in Asaba where the brothers were

believed to have first anchored their ship on their famous expedition to the River Niger in 1830. It was built by the former governor of the state, James Ibori in 2002 and was commissioned by the former president Olusegun Obasanjo at a very colourful ceremony attended by many dignitaries from across the state. The Anchorage enjoys a unique loca-

tion in the city, as it is sandwiched between the bank of River Niger and the famed Ogbogonogo Modern Market, along Nnebisi Road. Approaching the site from the town, you descend into a pristine and valley-like landscape with a scenic view accentuated by the river, which lies ahead. Besides being a testament to the exploits of the Lander brothers, The Anchorage actually was designed and created as a relaxation and leisure spot for the people. In its earliest days, it was one of the most popular and must visit attractions in the city. It was particularly noted as a fun

centre during public holidays and festive periods as families, individuals and groups visited for picnics and hosted all kinds of leisure activities at the centre. Even the government took the lead through the state tourism board and the ministry of culture and tourism, hosting residents particularly children on days like Children Day celebration and Christmas seasons to exciting and fun time. Since its commissioning, The Anchorage has experienced mixed fortunes - years of buoyancy and of neglect after it was abandoned by the state government, the legitimate custodian of the facility. A recent visit to the centre shows the level of decay at the leisure haven, which was once a lively and beautiful sight to behold. On this day, one was virtually the only person in sight as there was nobody around and even the staff and curator at the museum were not in sight and quietly one took in the unfolding scenery, walking down the lonely path to the scenic river bank and quietly exploring the natural beauty of the centre. Moving from one facility to the other, it was a similar tale of ruins due to lack of patronage and maintenance culture. The centre’s facilities include an information centre, a restaurant and bar (both are non-functional), expansive playground and the anchorage itself rising several feet above the ground, and then there is a museum which is perhaps the most resourceful aspect of the centre with various art works mostly revealing the history of the expedition undertaken by the Lander Brothers and others during the colonial era. The curator of the museum, that is if you are fortunate to encounter him on a visit, makes the brothers' story come alive as he takes you through the fascinating history of these two Scottish men. To give the story a realistic hue, a life-size boat, which is taken as a replica of the boat used by the brothers is warehoused at a section of the museum. Part of the anchorage’s complex is also home to a graveyard presumed to be the burial ground of some Europeans who lived and died in the region during the colonial days. This is a rich piece of history that you find in other parts of the country such as Lokoja where you also have expatriates’ graveyard. Bodies interred here include those of the former governor of Asaba Prison, Reginald Eric Duncan Campbell, Royal Irish Fusilliers, aged 42. He was the son of Queen Victoria’s Sergeant-at-Arms, Sir Alexander Campbell and 16 other Europeans who were part of the colonial administration and missionary then. Views from the state tourism board Later in the day, one headed to the office of the state tourism board on Okpanam road to speak with the assistant chief tourism officer, Charles Enegede. First, he spoke on the expatriates’ graveyard. “No black grave is

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PROFILE Richard Lander: Richard, the eldest of the Lander’s brothers was born in Fighting Cocks Inn (now Dolphin Inn) to a Truro inn keeper and began his explorations of the world as an assistant to the Scottish explorer, Hugh Clapperton, with whom he undertook a trip to the west coast of Africa in 1825 extending their forays to Nigeria. Clapperton was said to have died in April 1827 near the present day Sokoto while Richard continued with the expedition and later returned to Britain in 1828. He returned again to the west coast and Nigeria accompanied by the younger brother, John. They landed at Badagry on March 22, 1830 and then to Bussa in Niger State before heading to the lower River Niger, River Benue and Niger Delta and went back to Britain in 1831. A year later, they made a return to the west coast and in the process of the expedition, the team was said to have been attacked with Richard wounded on his thigh by musket ball and later died from the injuries sustained. To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Richard Lander and celebrate the Lander brothers’ remarkable achievements, an Expedition of Goodwill was sent in November 2004 to retrace their historic journey. John Lander: Born on November, 6, 1807, John is the younger of the Lander brothers who were noted for their several expeditions in Africa. John who later took to printing died in 1939 from a disease said to have been contracted in Africa.

The expartriates graveside with the museum at the foreground

there, they are all white men because they could not take them back to their home-country in the United Kingdom after their death resulting from malaria attack.” Going down memory lane, Enegede rehashed the story of the latter day British explorers in 2004 who retraced the Lander Brothers' trail to re-enact the expedition to Nigeria: “When the team arrived Nigeria, they stopped at New Bussa and sailed with a boat, a re-enactment of what Richard and John did in the 19th century. ‘‘Guided by some military officers, they sailed with the boat and anchored at the Lander Brothers’ Anchorage at Asaba where they laid wreaths and donated a 24-feet engine-powered boat, which was constructed in the United Kingdom and shipped to Nigeria where it was assembled, to the state government. The boat is now kept at the Richard Lander Museum in the anchorage for reference purposes.’’ Enegede said the expedition team “led by Doughton anchored here and then donated the boat to this office, Lander Brothers’ Anchorage. We now built this mansion to call it Richard Lander Museum and the boat is housed here.” Enegede added that the significance of the anchorage to the state was to show that “the voyagers actually anchored at the particular point”, insisting that “although they came to meet their brothers at the Royal Niger Company, the adventure however opened up Asaba and made it the headquarters of the then Southern Protectorate.’’ Apart from its historical and leisure value, Enegede revealed that it has also become a veritable research home for students of tertiary institutions across the country and even outside the shores of the country who visit in their numbers regularly to conduct researches and findings on Nigeria’s colonial past. On the leisure side, the tourism officer noted that the anchorage despite its run down state is still very heavy on fun as it plays host to hundreds of children and fun seekers, especially at weekends. Enegede revealed that the centre plays host to an average of 5,000 visitors besides the children, annually, adding that students pay N100 gate fee while adults pay N200 which he said are channeled towards the maintenance of the facilities. “Therefore people come here for relaxation, get to know the history and know what the anchorage is all about. It is built for people from within and outside the

De replica boat at the museum

state. The prospect is that more activities will be taking place here. We are thinking of making it an event centre for major ceremonies like October 1, Independence Day celebration, Easter variety show and Christmas packages, among others. Asked why The Anchorage has failed to achieve its potential as a leisure outfit, Enegede blamed past administrations which had over the years failed to adequately fund the centre's maintenance and upgrade beyond the level it was from its inception. However, Enegede is hopeful that the new government will come to the rescue of the centre even as he revealed that the tourism board is working on a blueprint aimed at transforming the centre into the best attraction in the city. Views from visitors It is supposed to be a favoured haunt for leisure seekers given its scenic beach front which offers ample room for picnics, parties and boat cruise, among others. But the discovery is that not many people patronise the centre anymore because of its derelict state. One of the few visitors that strolled into the centre on this day was Charles Anyanwu who resides in Onitsha. He came to visit The Anchorage having heard so much about it over the years. He was accompanied by a female friend, Ngozi. Were they disappointed by the centre's state of affairs? They were disappointed by the fact there was neither any activity nor functional bar and restaurant, they explained. But they considered the centre's fascinating and natural environment to be redeeming features.

hai Delta Centre in Sapele; Ibru Centre in Agharha-Otor; Mungo Park House in Asaba; Asaba Recreational Park; Head Bridge, Asaba/Onitsha; The Turf, Abraka; Leisure Paradise Amusement Park; Ekpan and Olona Ranch and Holiday Resort, Onicha – Olona. Also, Demas Nwoko Traditional House and Ned Nwoko Resort both are fascinating architectural masterpieces to savour. Then, of course, there is the $250 million Delta Leisure Resort project initiated by the administration of former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in partnership with a private concern, Sarner PFM (Africa), which has long been abandoned. The twin leisure projects were designed to have a theme park in Oleri Village in Udu local government and Wild

Cultural troupe from the state tourism board entertaining guests at The Anchorage

Anyanwu lamented the fact that such a potentially viable facility is neglected by the state government. “These are areas where states that are owing salaries and are unable to provide employment for their teeming youths should focus on. Apart from the fact that it would boost the tourism sector it will also generate thousands of direct and indirect employment and shore up the revenue accruing to the state as visitors would rush in from within and outside the state to catch a glimpse of what they have read and heard about history in such places,” he said. Other tourist attractions Other tourist attractions scattered across the state’s landscape include: The Bible Site in Araya; River Ethiope Source in Umuaja; Nana Palace in Koko; Obi’s Palace in Idumuje-Ugboko; Song-

Life Park in Ogwashi–Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area. The Delta Leisure Resort projects were heavily publicised then by the state government as the next big thing to happen to the state, which then sought to develop other apart from its oil and gas wealth but, unfortunately, the project suffered a stillbirth and was enmeshed in controversy. Some locals in the host community had alleged that the motive behind the project was anything but noble.. Today the only memories of the twin projects housed on an expansive land now overgrown with grass are the abandoned road and bridge, among others. For some, however, the Governor Ifeanyi Ukowa administration should revisit the project because of its enormous potential. But whether the governor will do so is still at the realm of conjecture.

TV & Radio with Deborah Makoji

SATURDAY, 22 AUGUST, 2015

This weekend TELEVISION

Desmond Majekodunmi and Akpobari Celestine

‘T

Today on STV: Tackling society's ills at breakfast

oday on STV’ is Silverbird Television's breakfast show that highlights some of problems facing our country. It is anchored by Aghogho Eboh and Victoria Pepple. This television series is aimed at discussing real life problems in contemporary Nigerian society in other to call attention of relevant authority to address the situation. In Nigeria, oil was reportedly first discovered in Oloibiri, a town that now falls under Bayelsa State in 1956. Till today, oil is the main sustenance of the Nigerian economy. However, there have been debates as to whether oil is a blessing or curse on Nigeria. Those who argued that it is a curse would point to the unrest in Niger Delta with its attendant destruction of lives and property, oil spill, which has destroyed the flora and fauna of a place like the Ogoniland. So, it was cheery news President Muhammadu Buhari on August 5 approved several actions to fast-track the long delayed implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme Report on the environmental restoration of Ogoniland. ajekodunmi This was the kernel of discussion on the programme last week. The series, which was entitled: “Restoring Ogo-

niland” had a right activist, Akpobari Celestine, and an environmental activist, Desmond Majekodunmi, as the guest speakers. The two speakers brought to fore their knowledge about oil exploration, exportation, environmental degradation, pipeline vandalism among other issues that make the Niger Delta a recurring problem. They argued that while the cleanup is laudable, the government should also put an end to the widespread pipeline sabotage, crude oil theft and illegal refining that are the main causes of environmental degradation in Ogoniland. Majekodunmi suggested the first measure that is likely to work in restoring Ogoniland “is mechanical removal of the oil spill rather than over dependence of chemicalising the place because there are different ways in trashing the chemicals that will dissolve it”. He also suggested that, if the mess was broken down into smaller constituencies it would go deeper into the ground. He buttressed his points saying, “We have good biological substances that helps decomposes the carbon and convert it to biological entities”. On his part, Celestine suggested that “the first thing is massive physical cleaning which means bringing big machines

to scrap those stuffs away.” Both speakers agreed that it is much more expensive to clean up Ogoniland than to maintain it. Celestine regretted that those at the helms of affairs do not consider the welfare of the masses as important. “The government of Nigeria should use righteous and justifiable means to prevail in its system”, he added. As the speakers spoke, video clip of damaged Ogoniland was occasionally shown on the television.

Programme summary

Lunch-Time Gist (Nigeria Info 99.3)

Monday to Sunday @ 1:35pm It’s an interactive programme that dwells on light discussions and gives lucky callers recharge cards.

Singles and Married (STV) Sunday @2:30pm

It is a Christian religious programme that features discussion on issues that affect marriages and relationships.

FACE BEHIND THE VOICE

Yaw

Sun TV

3:30 Midsomer Murder 5:30 Catchphrase 6:00 Stv news 6:30 You’ve been framed 7:00 Keep it in the family 8:00 The saturday Night Story 9:00 The Bourne Supremacy 11:00 Itv news and weather 12:30 Win cash live Sunday 6:00 The Aquaabats! Supershow 6:25 Pat &Stan 6:45 Dino Dan 7:00 Carimals 7:30 Super 4 8:00 Young Justice 8:30 ITV News 9:00 Weekend 10:30 The Jeromy Kydle Show 12:30 ITV News &Weather 12:35 Love Your Garden 1:30 Smokey and the Bandit 3:30 The Incredible Hulk

10:00 Super Kudumbam 11:00 Apoora Raagangal 11:30 Bommalattam 12:00 Devathai 12:30 Maragatha Veenia 1:00 Pornnungal 1:30 Thamarai 2:00 Chendralekha 2:30 Kalya Parisu 3:00 Valli 3:30 Movie 6:00 Keladi Kahmani 6:30 Pasamalar 7:00 News 7:30 Kula Deivam SUNDAY 5:00 Bakthi Paradalga 6:00 Aalaya Vazhipadu 6:45 Surya Vanakkam 7:00 Deiva Dharisanam 7:30 Breakfast News 8:00 Kalyanamaalai 8:30 Top 10 Movies 9:00 Sunday Galatta 9:30 Sollungane Sollunga 10:00 Mahabharatham 11:00 Suh Singer 12:00 Chellame Chellam 1:00 Super Challenge 2:00 Movies 5:30 Puthu Pedam Eppadi Irukku 6:00 Kutty Chutties 6:30 Movies 10:00 Bhairavi 11:00 Super Challenge

Saturday 6:00 The Aquaabats! Supershow 6:25 Pat & Stan 6:45 Dino dan 7:00 Carimals 7:15 Sooty 7:30 Super 4 7:45 Fish hooks 8:00 Young justice 8:30 Itv news 9:00 Weekend 9:25 Murder, she wrote 10:30 The jeromy kydle show 12:30 Itv news &weather 1:00 The jeromy kydle show 1:30 Tipping point 2:30 Celebrity squares

Saturday 6:00 Aalaya Vazhipadu 6:45 Deiva Dharisaram 7:30 Breakfast News 9:00 Dhil Dhil –Fear Factor

RADIO

Traffic Fm Saturday 6:30 Regular Traffic Updates 8:00 Sports Programme 8:30 Your Side Mirror 11:00 Automedics 12:00 Lunch Time Waka 2:00 Bosenlo 4:00 Return Trip With Regular Traffic Update. 6:00 Traffic Update 8:00 Music And Traffic Update 9:00 Night Wave

Sunday 6:30 Regular Traffic Updates 8:00 Sports Programme 8:30 Your Side Mirror 11:00 Automedics 12:00 Lunch Time Waka 2:00 Bosenlo 4:00 Return Trip With Regular Traffic Update. 6:00 Traffic Update 8:00 Music And Traffic Update 9:00 Night Wave

Nigeria Info

Wazobia FM’s On-Air Personality - Yaw teve Onu popularly known as Yaw is a graduate of the Lagos State University with a diploma in Radio, TV and film production from the English Department. He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and started his career as an actor. With over 14 years experience, Yaw has featured in a few home videos and over 50 plays in both Nigeria and the UK.

Silverbird TV

He is also a cast of the awardwinning Radio Drama by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) story story. He has been an on air personality on Wazobia FM since 2007. Onu is a humour merchant who has won many awards including the “Best On Air Personality.” He anchors “Make una wake up” at 5am daily on Wazobia FM.

Saturday 5:00 Rise To Wisdom 6:30 Newspaper Review 7:00 This Is The News 7:45 Vox Populii 8:00 News Update 8:30 The Celebrity 9:00 Business News 9:30 World News 10:05 Sports Drive 10:30 Headline News 10:35 The Situation Room 11:00 News Commercial And Music Break 11:11 Focus On FCT

Sunday 5:00 Rise To Wisdom 6:30 Newspaper Review 7:00 This Is The News 7:45 Vox Populii 8:00 News Update 8:30 The Celebrity 9:00 Business News 9:30 World News 10:05 Sports Drive 10:30 Headline News 10:35 The Situation Room 11:00 News Commercial And Music Break 11:11 Focus On FCT

SATURDAY, 22 AUGUST, 2015

SATURDAY

COVER 45

SATURDAY INTERVIEW

Politics

Politics is about struggle for supremacy p.47

Features

Boom time for Abuja property owners p.49

Perspectives

Avoiding Executive, Legislature crisis over 2016 budget p.51

Dokubo: Jonathan's government was sabotaged

Tracking ex-Niger Delta militant, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, for a chat since May 29, was herculean. The efforts, however, paid off on Wednesday afternoon when we met at his country home in Obuama, Degema Local Government Area in Rivers State. It was an opportunity to also meet with his wife, Mrs Caro Dokubo, better known as Mummy Aluta, who had initially opposed the interview on the grounds that her husband had been misquoted on many occasions by journalists. We had braved the military check point where our mission was ascertained at the entrance to Obuama before arriving at Chief Opaks' compound where we were finally led to the 51-year-old fiery speaker. The issues he speaks about in this interview with SONY NEME are expectedly topical. Excerpts…

What is the situation with your face off with the federal government on the oil pipeline contract? Companies in which we are directors were awarded contracts by NNPC to protect PPMC and Nigerian Gas pipeline for three months. We executed the contracts. There were no complaints as far as I know, about the company in which I am a director. I think that also applies to other companies that were awarded the same contract. At the end of the contract, after the three months, the government have not paid our companies for job done till today. And we have a right to seek legal redress. When was this contract awarded, what were the terms and what is the situation now? It was awarded in March 2015 till June 2015. We completed the three months. After that, the contract was not renewed. The government was supposed to have paid so that we can go, under the terms of the contract. Recently there was an attempt by Niger Delta youths to meet at Yenagoa, which was eventually foiled by security operatives. What was it meant to achieve? I am not aware of any particular meeting by Niger Delta youths that was botched, because I know that Niger Delta leaders call for meetings almost on daily basis and review the prevalent situation now. What I heard was that a group called MEND wanted to host a meeting of excommanders, which took the federal government’s so called amnesty offer, and they were not paid since the inception of this government. So they decided to hold a meeting. Some other people under MEND came out to oppose the meeting. That is what I heard. I did not take amnesty, I am not a criminal, so nobody offered me amnesty. There is nothing like amnesty. I did not take it when the late Yar’Adua offered them the deal. So I am not part of it and do not know anything about it.

What is your assessment of the new government? Is there any government in Nigeria today? It is a government of deceits. They make promises all based on deceits. When they were campaigning

Dokubo

to come to power, they promised that they will, on assumption of office commence free education from primary to secondary schools; they will be feeding primary school children with one meal per day. The billboards were everywhere. They promised that they will pay Nigerians who has no employment a certain sum of money every month; they will bring the naira to par with the dollar. Today the naira is on a free fall. But they continue to deceive the people. A government that said they are fighting corruption, but they have Rotimi Amaechi of

Rivers State who squandered billions of naira. How about other people? How can fighting corruption be selective? I am a Muslim. Our prophet said, ''No society will be good, there will be no justice in any society if laws are made for one set of people as against another. How can you say you want to start with Jonathan’s government when we have the Halliburton scandal that is known to everybody? We have so much money spent on power by the previous governments. We even have $2.8 billion missing since 1978; CONTINUED on PAGE 45

COVER

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

'We desired a govt of lies and propaganda' CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 you are not going to try all that. You want to be vindictive. They said they have made improvement on power without a minister of power. They were busy sabotaging Goodluck Jonathan when he was in office. Their people were busy sabotaging him. Where power will be, they would go and cut off the cables so there won't be electricity; they would be in the office and switch off the power and do all sorts of things. Power is improving where? Refineries are working when you don’t have a petroleum minister? When everything is in chaos! You cannot continue to deceive the people and think that deceit will continue. They promised to crush Boko Haram with a wave of hand. Yet Boko Haram is killing an average of 50 people per day since they came. They have been suppressing the news. Look at a known ISIS boss getting Nigerian visa. They think these are things they can just wish away, and people won’t ask questions. It is very wrong when you accuse people of what you truly are, you appoint your niece as an INEC chairman, appointed your cousin as director of DSS and took your child as member of a national delegation to the US. But a people deserve the leader they have. We desired a government of lies and propaganda. If you are opposed to amnesty, how do you want the ex-militants to be compensated? It is very easy. The people who own the land also own the resources under it and the people have a right to it. It won’t be Asari Dokubo’s decision. When the time comes the people will decide. With Dr. Goodluck Jonathan out of power, we have been witnessing defection of Ijaws to All Progressives Congress. What do you make of this development? Well there is freedom of association. People are free to move to anywhere they want. But it is very, very unfortunate, because whatever people say about Jonathan, he was very good to our people. He ran a government where the minister of finance was from the Niger Delta, minister of works from the South-South, so also that of petroleum; and so many others. Let us see what Buhari has to offer, because he has to offer something better before we decide whether Buhari is better than Jonathan. So far he has not offered anything. For me, people are moving because of their stomach. Some of us are used to hunger, but our integrity matters, which is what we have chosen for ourselves. How do you think unemployment in the Niger Delta can be tackled so the youth do not become a willing tool for politicians? Youths of Niger Delta must embrace the dignity of labour. They must work to earn a decent living. I am the son of Melford Goodhead. I was born into a middle class family and my forebears were rich people. I am an Amachree; I am a Harry, and these were people who were described as prominently rich people in their time. So whatever suffering I go through today, I chose it by myself. Every young man must have a dream and follow it with integrity and sincerity of purpose. My siblings didn’t go through what I have subjected myself to. I had the best of opportunities, yet I use my head and my hands. You can't sit at home and expect that every month N65,000 will be paid to you in the name of amnesty. From the beginning I have been saying that this project will destroy our knack for earning a living. That is not what an Ijaw man is known for. Let us narrow it to Ijaws because I am not an authority on other nationalities that make up the proud people of Niger Delta. The Ijaw man paddles his canoes miles into the river to throw hooks, nest and set trap for fishes. He goes by night, whether rain or not. He calculates

the tides on the river to know when fishes will be available. And he goes and gets the fishes, brings them on shore, goes to the forest and hew down trees with which he smokes them. He paddles to markets in Igbo land, Ibibio land and everywhere he could to make sales. He also brews salts from the salty water and travels and deliver it in return for farm produce as most of his land is not good for farming. Yet there has never been an outbreak of kwashiorkor or malnutrition in Ijaw land. Our people are primarily fishermen; and in the river you have crocodiles, hippopotamus, sharks and big snakes. The Ijaw man braves all these and survives in this harsh land where you also travel miles before you can get drinkable water. This is the hardship and pain in which the Ijaw man grew up and became strong and proud of himself. Not somebody somewhere in Katsina coming to hand over to him, N65,000 of his money that comes from the resources of his land. We have been saying this, it is wrong, let us work. But there are no employment opportunities, just as rivers have been polluted with oil spills that have thrown the people out of their natural occupation? It is our choice to have allowed ourselves to be used in that way. It is our choice to have allowed oil pollution to be ravaging and destroying our land. If we say we don’t want it, it will cease. So, it is not by moving over to APC and rewarding the people who stole the mandate of our brother as the elections were glaringly rigged. When an educational disadvantaged state like Kano will turn up with millions of votes and no void; and all of a sudden the INEC chairman in that state died with his family and residence burnt? Yet, nobody is asking questions. What kind of conspiracy is that? There is work for Niger Delta youths, I work, and I don’t need government work. I am 51 years old. I do not depend on oil subsidy to survive. I don’t have oil block either, even when it is my right to have all these. So, without all these I survived, which goes to show that I have worked and I am still working. What are your views about the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa? I believe that Seriake Dickson has done well. I say this because all the characters, both those crossing or not, are known to me and are my friends. But we are talking about the dignity of the Ijaw man. The Ijaw man cannot reward treachery. Our brother Goodluck Jonathan was there and we knew what we had. If it doesn’t reach Dokubo today, it doesn’t mean that because Kingsley Kuku is there I should complain; that tomorrow when Dokubo is there, then Kingsley Kuku should be complaining. It is selfishness and greed. It is as simple as that. Dickson has left an indelible mark that cannot be wished away. All these noise is about this new found laziness of our people that I have been talking about. It has led to the destruction of our cherished values. Our intrinsic value that makes us proud Ijaw people is hard work. When this issue

The people who own the land also own the resources under it and the people have a right to it

of N65,000 cropped up and people were accepting it, they questioned why would Dokubo oppose it? It is because we saw beyond today, and the damage the N65,000 has done is becoming manifest as things have fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold, which is what they set out to achieve. That was what some of us saw and screamed about the dangers inherent. We insisted that we should go on working as we have always done until we gain the desired freedom. They shunned it, saying, ''Dokubo you have rich relations''. And I asked how many people my rich relation will give money to if I have. They claimed I don’t care because of my pedigree. I asked them I don’t care and I’m a mechanic? It is about our values. When people think only of themselves instead of the collective good of the people, then they have a problem. I don’t think we will have any problem in Bayelsa State elections. We are all Ijaw people. Whether you are in any party, you are an Ijaw man. But I think people should look beyond the euphoria of today. General Muhammadu Buhari has made 47 appointments, and the only appointment given to an Ijaw man is amnesty coordinator. And an acting Customs comptroller-general that is duly earned as it is not a perpetual right of a certain section of the country to hold that office. Goodluck Jonathan, anywhere he is will be regretting now, because we advised him and he didn't listen. He is in his 50s like I am. But when people get to power they think that the proceeds of victory belong to them alone. Could you be specific with regard to the advice? He was advised to remove Jega because Jega was tainted and he refused. Now impunity has been enthroned. Somebody will enthrone his niece as INEC chairman? How do you contest with such a person? We advised him, people demonstrated in Igbo land, Yoruba land and even Abuja. He was warned that this man was not going to be fair to you with his card reader summersaults. Jega kept saying, ''we are ready'' until the day of elections as even the president could not be accredited. Then midway into the exercise card readers were jettisoned. And the president could not stop the charade? Who was he afraid of? Now all of us are suffering it.

raded as those that took amnesty does not reflect the number of those who took part in that revolt, because a lot of people didn’t partake. The whole of Niger Delta people volunteered, but majority did not partake. There are so many active participants in the struggle for a better life for our people that did not go for the amnesty handouts. They are still out there earning a living as boat makers, fishermen, bus drivers and much more. Security people know them, they never went for amnesty. Most of them hated the word amnesty, and were not ready to be associated with it. When the heat was on, majority of them, apart from Tompolo and a few others, did you hear of all these generals? They came from the blues in connivance with the military. They claimed to have dropped guns and all what not. Everybody knew that the battle was almost won. And it was because of (former Bayelsa State governor Diepriye) Alamieyeseigha and I that it blew into the open. That was when we went on detention. When I came back, I can’t go and tell my people to stop fighting for what is their right. All I said was, ''Hello, Jonathan is there, let us support him''. There was a disagreement as some people questioned what he was bringing on the table. That was same way some of us refused when the amnesty was brought. I didn’t accept it and I was chased out of this country by late President Yar’Adua. I went into exile for 11 months. I only returned a month before Yar’Adua’s death. Who really is Asari Dokubo? I was born to Justice Melford Dokubo Goodhead as Melford Dokubo Jr. I lived a normal life. I was raised by a Christian family. I was baptized in the Deeper Life Christian Ministry in 1981. I was a Baptist before then. I became a Muslim on September 17, 1988. I am married with 20 children and I live with 218 children in my house. I have schools. My business is education. I want to continue giving the best to the people around me. I have never been convicted for any crime in any part of the world for 51 years.

There are reports that suggest that wives and children of late Niger Delta militants have been abandoned to their fate. Why is that so? I am not part of the amnesty deal, and that issue about the abandonment is a bloody lie. The revolt against the Nigerian state was an Ijaw project, and mainly executed by Ijaw people. And I know that the number of people pa-

Dokubo

Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Reuben Okoya is contesting the governorship of Bayelsa State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He tells CHRIS EJIMS his inspiration for contesting against a sitting governor How would you evaluate Bayelsa as a state? I will answer by starting from the beginning, when you couldn't get to Amassoma by road, unless by water- and it was an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey. When I came back from the United States of America, the government then called me to service and somewhere along the line, Julius Berger was commissioned to do the Amasoma Road. I was the first person to drive on the road with a pick up truck which we had sent by barge to Amasoma. In any case, we took the state from almost nothing to where it is today. In the year 2003, when Alamieyeseigha won his second term, he appointed me Commissioner for Special Projects and we went to work building roads, structures and other things. Unfortunately when he was removed from office in 2005 and Goodluck Jonathan took over, he re-appointed me in special projects. I was there till 2007 when he went to Abuja to become the vice- president and I became the manager of Niger Delta University. I did many projects, including Treasury House, Revenue House, Kiaima Road, the Cultural Centre, the Secretariat and many others. I have been a part of Bayelsa since it reverted to civilian administration. I later went into private practice in 2007, working as a registered architect in both America, UK and Nigeria. I am a development person. Then in 2011, when Jonathan became the President, he invited me to Abuja to help him manage the city of Abuja. For those who know how the Federal Capital Territory was, the president is actually the governor of Abuja, but by virtue of his busy schedule, he delegates those powers to a minister. And that is how the FCT minister came on board. Will it then be right to say that you were the face of Abuja development management counsel? I was called by the president to help him manage the city and by that reason, I oversaw the entire development in Abuja. We approved plans and made sure that the master plans were sacrosanct; we made sure that the master plan was implemented properly. We made sure that the city was developed according to the master plan. I was actually the Abuja developmental management counsel, a kind of a mayor, and as a city manager, I also oversaw the Abuja Environmental Protection Board which was in charge of environmental sanitation in the entire city. I also took charge of all the parks and gardens in Abuja and the FCT Fire service management agency. Every time there was a bomb blast in Abuja, we were the first to be there to make sure that people were evacuated and the fire service employed to manage the disaster. Also, the facility management was under our care; including management of street lights as well as any facility that needed to be taken care of. And, of course, when the Jonathan government ended, my also job ended. I considered everything and said decided to come back to the state, having acquired this experience, especially in development. I decided to come and transfer the experiences I had into developing Bayelsa, unlike some politicians who prefer to stay back after serving. But I wanted to bring my experience to

POLITICS IS ABOUT STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY, SAYS OKOYA private hospitals and primary care facilities to treat malarias, des entry and simple diabetes. When the necessary things are taken care of first, then the investors will come by themselves. There are a lot of things that government does today which amount to a waste of money, time and energy. Bayelsa deserves the best, so coming on board, I will give them the best.

Okoya

I have been a part of Bayelsa since Nigeria's return to civilian administration Bayelsa. In summary, I am here to serve Bayelsans in any capacity that I can, but in this case, I want to do it at the highest level to be able to develop the state. We are called the glory of all lands, but when you look around, sometimes you don't see the glory. Why the PDP as a platform and what is the situation in the Bayelsa chapter of the party? I have belonged to the PDP since the year 2000 when I came into the country from America. I will continue to remain in the PDP. About the situation in the party, PDP is a united party and in any party, there are always issues to resolve; any problem that is in the PDP can always be surmounted. Any problem you see in the PDP are the same problems you see in other parties. There is no situation on ground; you know as politicians, there is always this struggle for supremacy and that is the situation on ground. To become governor of a state, one should understand its peculiar problems. What, in your mind, are the peculiar problems in Bayelsa? I agree that over 70 per cent of the surface area in Bayelsa is water. And we have the problem of developing the state in terms of structures. Rainy seasons last

for seven months or there about, depending on various factors but a couple of years ago, we had a devastating flood that actually consumed some homes. So we have problems of rain and environment which pose problems to development unlike in Abuja. In Bayelsa, you have to excavate before you sandfill and you spend a lot of money in making foundation. So we have that problem of developing Bayelsa state infra structurally. But these problems are surmountable and we can do it, You know, we are not much- educated as we should be and you know education is the key to success. I took a ride a couple of years ago to Nembe and was stunned by what I saw- no chairs, no structures, etc. The problems are many. It takes focus, proper direction, dedication and carrying people along to help you solve these problems. No man is an Island and as a leader, you must get lieutenants that must help you work. What is your blue print to diversify the economic base of the state? When I was Commissioner of Special Projects and I was doing buildings, the governors that I worked for, hardly came to my site because they had confidence in me, so I know how to go about the problems. Another problem we have is the lack of private industry in Bayelsa which really affects the IGR and all that. It is all over the world that if you build a good city, investors will come; if you build a good Bayelsa, investors will come, tourists will come. Investors find investment destinations by themselves and tourists find theirs by themselves. If you go to Dubai, no body is calling on investors to come and invest. We must deal with first things first; we must have good roads, schools,

Do you have the structures to go into party primaries against a sitting governor? Let me say this very distinctly, politics is not a do-or-die affair. And the constitution allows for just two tenures which is not necessarily a must; doing one tenure does not guarantee you a second tenure. No body is perfect. However, people say politics is a game and I believe that if you are a serving governor and you want to go for second term, you ought to work for it; you ought to convince your party and the people that you want to go for it. If somebody decides to compete with you in an election, it doesn't mean he is your enemy; it should be a check on you. The reason why presidential election has two tenures is that if you are not performing well, somebody else or another party will be given the opportunity to take over. Now, Nigeria adopted the presidential system for a purpose, to make sure that governors, senators, members of the house of reps and state legislators stay in check. There are some systems that have one tenure of six years; if someone decides to run election against you, it doesn't mean that the person hates you, only that you should buckle up. In Bayelsa, we have had four governors: Alamieyeseigha finished his first tenure and his second tenure was cut short before Jonathan took over. Then Sylva took over and did not get his second tenure because somebody felt he should run against him and the person won. Was it criminal to run against him? Of course, no! If Dickson wants to run for a second tenure, he is free to run, as a true democrat. Two tenures do not mean you are guaranteed the two tenures; you are only guaranteed the current one you are running. The issue really, for me, is for us to change our mind set. Talking about structures, the party structures belong to the parties and not to individuals. That is why there are party primaries and the delegates vote for who they want. Structures simply mean to talk and convince your delegates to vote for you because of one reason or the other. We must train ourselves to know that politics is not do-or-die. If you partake in it, either you win or lose. Jonathan ran and conceded, in Ekiti state, Fayemi ran and conceded. That is good for democracy. What are those things the current administration is not doing right which you think you are going to correct if elected into office? I would look at the state budget critically and only undertake those things we know we would be able to do. The reason why most governments fail is that they bite more than they can chew; you are building this road and that road or structures just to answer name that you are embarking on projects. Again, you have political patronage and before you know it, you have given out contracts worth N100 billion when you have N10billion budget. As an individual you would not get yourself involved in what you can't finish; simply cut your coat according to your size. I will be able to look at the budget critically and ensure that the projects I tackle are the projects I can finish in no time.

48 Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

11-month blackout cripples IPP host community zIkot z Abasi residents bemoan uncommon power outage The prolonged absence of power despite hosting the Akwa Ibom State Government-owned Independent Power Plant (IPP), throws up a peculiar irony, reports TONY ANICHEBE from Uyo

he wisecrack about the prevalence of water everywhere but none for sailors in the high sea to drink must have been invented specifically for Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State. For those who may not know, the sleepy town also doubles as seat of a local government council that bears the same name as well as seat of the moribund Aluminium Smelter Plant (ALSCON). For the past 11 months running, an unbroken power outage has crippled economic activities in the community which, ironically, hosts the state government-owned 191-megawatts Ibom Power Plant (IPP). Besides the steady nosedive in economic and social activities, residents are desperately appealing to the state government for urgent intervention to lend practical relevance to the trending propaganda of uncommon transformation that was popularised by the administration of Chief Godswill Akpabio, who is now the Minority Whip of the Eigthth Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Before now, Ikot Abasi, was a major hub of economic activities in the state, especially when ALSCON was vibrant and provided employment for a good number of indigenes of the area and beyond. The giant complex now lies in limbo, crippling the economic reliance of the people of the area. This prevalent gloom in a oncebustling environment has been compounded by the 11-month power outage currently experienced in the area. Residents of the community told our correspondent that the development has caused unprecedented hardship among the people, leading to migration to other areas, including Eket, Port Harcourt and Uyo where power supply is believed to be comparatively better. They explained that the development was causing serious hard-

ship as most of them now depend solely on generators which require a lot of money to run which most of them just cannot afford. Mr. Etim Bassey, a hotelier in Ikot Abasi, said that the whole town had been in darkness for the past 11 months Bassey attributed the black out to the malfunctioning of ALSCON. He said that the company was earlier supplying electricity to the community as part of its cooperate social responsibility but could not sustain it due to inadequate supply gas supply to the area. Bassey said he now operate his hotel with generator which runs for 24hours so as to meet up with the expectations of his customers and still remains in business. “No light in Ikot Abasi because of the closure of ALSCON and now that the company is no more working, we are passing through hardship in the area. “There is no hope for electricity for now because ALSCON had sent their workers home”. Mrs Ekamma Hanson, a business woman, described the situation as critical while nothing that her business was no longer booming due to lack of electricity supply. Hanson alleged that Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) has stop to supply gas to the aluminium company. She called on the government to come to their aid, stressing that life had been miserable without electricity. A business man, Mr. Ifeanyi Okechukwu, expressed displeasure over the situation and even as he noted that the development had crippled his business. “I no longer make profit as I used to because I now run generator from morning to evening for the past 11 months”. Okechukwu however, attributed the blackout to non-supply of electricity by the aluminium company, alleging that the company. He appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aids by connecting Ikot Abasi to the national grid.

Gov. Emmanuel

I no longer make profit as I used to because I now run generator from morning to evening

Accordingly to a banker who gave his name as Mr Emmanuel Peters, the economic crisis of the area was gradually noticed when ALSCON ceased from distributing power to people of the area, “the situation had persisted for over 11months”. He said. Mr. Etim Affia, an hotelier attributed economic woes of the area directly to the blackout occasioned by the malfunctioning of ALSCON. He offered insight to the fact that the company was earlier supplying electricity to the community as part of its cooperate social responsibility but could not sustain it due to inadequate gas supply to the area. He pointed out that the development has affected a lot of business in the area making it unpleasant for people to stay in the community and engage in meaningful business activities. He maintain that the power outage and the malfunctioning of ALSCON have invariably depreciated the economic base of the area, stressing that if the situation is allowed to persist without swift and pragmatic approach of the government to salvage the situation, the economic woes which he likened to cancer, may envelop the entire state.

Afia wondered how the state hopes to embark on its industrialisation plans without urgently looking into the condition of present firms operating in the state. He, however, called on Governor Udom Emmanuel to look into the power outage experienced in Ikot Abasi and set a committee to look into the challenges of ALSCON which resulted in the power outage. A business Man, Mr Maurice Udom, described the situations as critical, maintaining that it was obvious that the business no longer boom in the area owing to lack of electricity supply, He alleged that NGC had stopped supplying gas, creating crisis for both the company and the residents. Udom noted that those who are more affected by the crisis are entrepreneurs. He appealed to the federal government to come to their aid by connecting Ikot Abasi, already blessed with the Independent Power Plants to the national grid. Speaking on the controversy, Anastasia Voronkova, ALSCON’s media Manager, said his company was providing free electricity and clean drinking water for over 30,000 residents in the local community around Ikot Abasi before now.

Features

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Boom time for Abuja property owners It is not just with regard to the new pecking order it creates, change of administrations often shakes up a few things in more radical ways that are not immediately obvious. There is already an upbeat mood among property owners in Abuja who have carried out renovation projects in anticipation of new appointees who will throng the city, write ABDULWAHAB ISA and SHUAIB YUSUF

or ardent observers of the serene capital city of Abuja, structures in the upper scale sections of the metropolis are adorning newer looks. The city has been massively prepared in readiness for new political gladiators that would be swarming the city before and after inauguration. A new set of ministers, federal parliamentarians comprising senators, House of Representatives members and their various aides and other political appointees are expected to assume duties in Abuja and to hit the ground running for next four years (2015 -2019). As would be expected, political appointees prefer accommodation, decent houses befitting of their status as Ministers of the federal republic, distinguished senators and law makers. Abuja property owners, estate agents and key players in the estate and housing industry have taken strategic positions in readiness for huge opportunities offered by change in government. Abandoned houses are being speedily worked on ready for occupation; new ones are being overhauled to enhance their aesthetic outlook- all geared towards accommodating the new political set that would occupy political space in the next couple of weeks. Mr.Peter Okolo, Principal Partner in Peter Okolo & Company, an Estate Surveyor & Valuers based in Abuja, told Saturday Telegraph that players in estate sector are ready. He said every new political regime brings forth business boom to property business stakeholders in Abuja. “ Yes, one can attempt a very simple analysis and it inches towards issue of supply and demand. If we presume and assume that there would be quite a good numbers of new entrants into the city within the next one or two months, then

what follows is issue of accommodation. Certainly this would be addressed because they are not coming with their own buildings and they are bound to stay here; that means they must have a roof over their heads because staying in hotels is temporary. I think they have only 28 days to stay in hotels, going by the civil service rule and after that, you are on your own because you must have been given your housing allowance and whatever you want to do with it, you are virtually on your own to do so”. “That means people will definitely move into town to look for accommodation of various types, which also means that, automatically, there would be pressure on property market in Abuja to be able to satisfy those new entrants and this cuts across board”, he said. Okolo explained that houses are in different categories and in different locations and have been designed to suite personalities and portfolios of political occupants. “There are various categories of houses. The ones for ministers, legislators, political aides and the Special Assistance have been built in different locations to suite their designations. No matter how you look at it, there would be pressure on property market in Abuja, positive one because the landlords would smile to the banks. But one thing is certain: the pressure will not break up Abuja. Abuja property market I can tell you authoritatively can accommodate the demand. If you look outward or drive around , you will see that we have a good number of beautiful estates that are quit habitable for this caliber of people. They would sufficiently and comfortably accommodate and everyone will be a winner”, he said. On building specifications and their cost, he said it varies depending on lo-

cations. For instance, he said, a threebedroom duplex apartment in Asokoro district goes for N3 million. He said players in the sector would carry out analysis in order to cater and provide the apartments suitable to political appointees. ''We will analyse the influx of new entrants so that if you have more people going for the five bedrooms and there are not too many duplexes to meet that demand , then there would be definitely the issue of market force between demand and supply and this will imply that the prices will go up for that particular demand. But where you have enough three bedroom terrace buildings of 500 of them, it may not affect the prices because every landlord wants to have a chunk of these bite and therefore, would not want to price himself or herself out of the market. So playing between these sides of the coin, we may have some fairly stable price in Abuja, and there won’t be that drastic increase in rent price, because even those who are coming in would want to make profit out of their housing allowance and none of them would be prepared to give all their allowances for accommodation. They would like to step down just to have some money in their pockets. So the Abuja housing may not have that drastic price in terms of cost because we have more than enough accommodations,” he said.

As would be expected, political appointees prefer accommodation, decent houses befitting of their status as Ministers of the federal republic, distinguished senators and law makers.

However, he said, choice of location of the accommodations is a key factor. “The issue of location is a matter of choice because if you want to play big and live in the midst of big guys that mean you have to prepare to pay higher. Considering that the cost of living in Maitama and Gwarinpa axis of Abuja can never be the same, but if you want to cut down cost to save money, you go to Gwarinpa. So it’s a matter of choice because locations have a direct impact on the prices of houses and it cuts across board anywhere in the world”, he explained. Speaking in similar vein, Chief Executive Officer, Estapro’s Limited, an Estate Development firm, Ndubuisi Stephen Nnam, ruled out outrageous hike in property. “As we expect new legislators, ministers, political aides and new CEOs to be appointed by new government, there will be influx of high profile personalities to the city center but there numbers would not be enough to trigger high cost of rent within the metropolis even though there will be market for the real estate because most of the new people who have not lived in Abuja would either acquire new houses or rent one for their aides , so developers will flourish in their business ”, he said. He noted that property owners and agents would harvest more profits months after the new government has settled down when family members of the new appointees would begin to move to Abuja. “With many unoccupied houses in Abuja, we may not be talking about hike in the cost of rent because we expect that the houses already built should have market, we also expect that may be government should also establish new parastatals so that more people and especially foreigners will move in with more investment coming into Abuja". Asides of estate and property agents that have taken position to harvest bountifully from the fortunes of new political appointees, the banks normally use the occasion to advance credit facility to new political appointees to enable them deal with their financial needs before their allowances are paid.

Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

A pet toy for political mischief T he service chiefs may have been directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to relocate to Maiduguri, the epicentre of insurgency to better manage the ongoing war against Boko Haram insurgents but the development is yet to drown out reverberations from staggering disclosures by the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh regarding the allegedly pitiable state of the military continue to resonate. The most resonating, however, has been the curious demand by the Borno Elders Forum for the trial of former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes. In a statement which was signed by its chairman, Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, the forum said disclosures by the former CDS were too damning, too ''disturbing to be wished away''. The group also called for the constitution of a judicial panel to unravel the circumstances surrounding the six-year counter-insurgency war in the North-East and if found culpable, the former president and others should be charged for alleged genocide before the ICC. Besides demanding an apology from the former president for his failure to handle the crisis, (an apology which logically extends to the new administration which is yet to quell the insurgency within weeks as originally promised), the group took exception to Badeh’s frank admission that the military was too illequipped and ill-motivated or infested with saboteurs, including snitching insiders, like those who facilitated the fatal ambush of over 100 security men in Alakyo, Nasarawa State last year. Sample portions of Badeh’s statement which the forum say drew the same effect as a red rag waved, perhaps provocatively, before an enraged bull. ''For the first time, I was head of a military that lacked the relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace''. This local populace, of course, includes members of the forum who apart from shielding the terrorists, also consistently failed to provide the basic intelligence that is required to win the protracted war. Badeh also said that in addition to these fundamental problems ''was the exploitation of of a serious national security issue by a section of the press and the political class to gain political mileage''. This aspect of Badeh’s speech was conveniently skirted by the forum. Obviously buoyed by the trending tendency by politicians to distance themselves from the last administration for obvious reasons, the forum approached equity with dirty hands by demanding that Jonathan must explain why he allegedly ''refused to provide the military with the required functional and superior equipment'' but refused tlo address the aspect of collusion which Badeh equally emphasised. According to it, the alleged negligence of the previous administration exposed officers and soldiers ''to mass murder, severe injuries and grave destructions of our communities''. The statement added, among others, that ''the Borno Elders Forum found Badeh’s comments very revealing, an eyeopener, a precursor to judgement day and extremely disturbing''. The group is however yet to respond to similar allegations by the immediate past Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Kenneth Minimah that politics and sabotage are major reasons why security forces are yet to rout the insurgents conclusively, six years after the campaign started. Because issues involved are of an ultra-

The demand by the Borno Elders Forum for the trial of initiators of the war against insurgency without isolating factors that made the abduction of Chibok Girls possible amounts to political mischief, writes DOMINIK UMOSEN.

Badeh’s bombshell: Borno Elders demand apology from Jonathan, ex-service chiefs

sensitive nature, we should permit the relevant authorities to respond appropriately. But even as we concede this, the point must be made, that contrary to the erroneous impression given that the criminality of insurgency concerned only the forum, perhaps because of their proximity to the theatres of war in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, other Nigerians who lost relatives and loved ones in the crisis deserve the right to register their views in the spiraling conflict. The forum was definitely right to have observed that Badeh’s comments were certainly revealing! And part of the revelations by the former CDS was the allegation of high-level sabotage and undue politicization of the anti-insurgency drive by scheming politicians, including some members of the forum. For example, we recall that after the bomb blast which rocked Jaji, a serving general was subsequently indicted but that was the last Nigerians heard of the matter. As Badeh made eloquently clear, sabotage was not only provided by rogue members of the military community who allegedly shared information with the enemy for whatever motivation but also members of the affected communities who failed to provide the requisite community-based intelligence that would have hastened decisive victory by troops. As have been noted on different occasions, it bears relevance to rehash here that prosecuting the fight against terrorism is not like fighting a conventional war where protagonists are easily-identifiable. A snap review of similar campaigns across the world reveals that any counterterrorism war relies more on intelligence and less on conventional war strategies. Part of the famous revelations, which the forum lacked the courage to admit or found convenient to ignore, is the fact that members of the forum failed, woefully, to provide the necessary collaboration which could have assisted security agents to over-run the enemy. General Minimah, not only reinforced Badeh’s indictment in this regard but went further to say that other factors, including ethnicity and sub-national considerations, contributed to deny troops a decisive victory against the insurgents. And if sub-national considerations and

A snap review of similar campaigns across the world reveals that any counter-terrorism war relies more on intelligence and less on conventional war strategies other factors that members of the forum know only too well about, constitute the missing link that is preventing a decisive rout of the criminals by government troops, what is the justification in the deliberate vilification and demonization of Dr. Jonathan as the forum has done? The famous naivety of the former president may have been exploited by his lieutenants for a panorama of personal gains but that is not the same thing as impugning the authenticity of Jonathan’s determination to reclaim the country’s sovereignty from the criminals which is the same resolve that President Buhari has severally re-affirmed? In line with their claims of altruism, Nigerians expected members of the forum to demonstrate sincerity in the damning fact that since 2009 when the war against insurgency began, curious citizens have waited in vain for input from members of the forum regarding the activities of insurgents who, in any case, are not spirits but members of who operate within specific communities. As a matter of fact, the belief among many is that when the insurgents first unleashed their criminality, it was convenient to turn a blind eye because the initial target seemed to be persons of other faith in the North-East. Now that the ill-advised exhuberance has spiraled out of control, the forum is manipulating an enduring dishonesty by posturing as a genuine defender of those whose persecution it conveniently ignored initially. This forum may not be the most com-

petent platform for the defence of Dr. Jonathan but Nigerians deserve to appreciate the fact that the forum is merely recycling hypocrisy that even the affected religious minorities in the region have accepted as jaded. For instance, by recommending prosecution for Jonathan for ''failing to empower the military'' to prosecute the war even when legitimate efforts were made to secure weapons, what does it recommend for those who alleged that the fight against insurgency provided the former president a pretext to prosecute genocide against northerners? Perhaps to underscore the charge of undue politicking with a serious national issue, the forum also lost the courage to condemn the fact that on the fateful night the insurgents abducted over 200 female students of Chibok Girls Secondary School, the daughters of some principal officers of the institution (also students), were curiously absent, fuelling a torrent of well-founded allegations. In the raging vortex of conspiracy theories, the exaggerated show of concern only leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Observers say that even if details of decay in the military were as jaw-dropping as Badeh alleged, a blanket villification of the former president as the forum has done further reinforces the charge of undue-politicisation of a serious national security issue which Badeh spoke about. Such politicisation might be convenient, as is the case here, but it is no less alarming that members of the forum made no mention of the unresolved issue of sabotage or its corollary of curious failure to provide community-based intelligence regarding the activities of collaborators who are not spirits but reside in and are wellidentifiable in communities in Borno. And perhaps to reinforce the trending politics of mischief which Minimah alluded to, the forum, which is approaching equity with soiled hands, might also find it imperative to recommend where to try those who back-pedalled on initial promises to sell arms to the Nigeria; a refusal which forced the country to adopt unconventional methods to procure arms with which to liquidate the menace of insurgency, on one hand, and deny mischief-makers the joy of their pet toy, on the other.

Perspectives

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

22 AUGUST 2015

Where and who are the teachers?

few months back, I took my son to sit for the Unity Schools examination at a centre at Egbeda, Lagos. While the children were waiting to be checked into the examination hall, a young man came around. Some of the children who were already in the queue ran towards him and gave him ecstatic welcome before dashing back to join the queue. Since they called him “uncle”, I knew he is a teacher. The young man also exchanged pleasantries with a few of the parents. I concluded that the guy must be popular and properly good at teaching. He later came around to join four of us -all males-who were discussing Nigeria’s myriad of socio-political and economic problems. The reason he came to join the quartet was that he was familiar with one of us. He was courteous enough to greet the other unfamiliar faces in a tone of familiarity. I seized the opportunity to talk with him thinking that I might need his services later on. The guy told me he read Business Administration but teaches English Language at a nursery and primary school not too far from the centre. I found that to be a square peg in a round hole. I took him up because as a graduate/student of English Language, I know he most likely depends on residual knowledge to teach his pupils. His equivocation reinforces my position that there is a misconception that every Tom, Dick and Harry can teach English Language provided they are university graduates. But that abuse is not limited to primary schools alone. I remember that a friend who read Psychology found himself in the employ of a private secondary school some years back in Lagos as “English master” of that school. Apart from the “Use of English”, which every first year university student must pass before graduating, my friend had nothing to do with English Language in his four years in the university. Yet he was among the “English masters” that prepared students for their West African Examinations Council’s English Language

Waheed Bakare on Saturday 08124877036 (sms only) waheedbakare2003@yahoo.com examination, which the students must pass before they are eligible to seek admission into any tertiary institution of their choice. This abuse is not limited to English Language alone particularly in some of the so-called 'government approved' private secondary schools that abound in Lagos. Unfortunately, some of these schools continue to receive patronage as a result of governments’ inconsistent and egregious educational policies. It is therefore not surprising that of the over 1.5 million students that sat for the May/June 2015 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations Council (WASCE), only 616,370 candidates representing 38.68 per cent, obtained credit in five subjects including Mathematics and English Language. The teachers teaching our children and how they are recruited should give cause for concern. Incompetence and lack of dedication are like two-edged sword piercing our educational policy apart from lack of well-defined and consistent governments’ educational policies. One recalls with a wave of nostalgia how teachers were revered in those days not only because they were competent but were dedicated to teaching. To such teachers, teaching was a vocation rather than just doing something in the absence of any other job which is the practice today. In other words, there are many reluctant teachers now in our classrooms compared to the numbers of willing teachers in those

days. Even those who read education are not willing to teach because in the first place, education was not their preferred choice while seeking admission into tertiary institutions but they found themselves in education faculty due to keen competition in their preferred areas of interest. In August 2013, the nation was thrown into swirl of controversy when the Edo State government insisted on carrying out competence tests for its teachers following the embarrassing discovery that a teacher in a primary school, Mrs. Augusta Odemwinge, could not read a sworn affidavit she purportedly tendered as part of her credentials at the venue of the verification of certificates of primary school teachers in the state. Odemwinge, who made the headlines for the wrong reasons, was just made a scapegoat in the midst of a bad policy. Since she had taught for so many years before the bizarre discovery, a good system would have discovered and raise doubts on her proficiency before then. There are still so many such teachers in our system. The idea of organising competency tests for teachers has generated a lot of debates even beyond the shores of Nigeria where a similar issue has been raised. Conducting such tests frequently may not be a bad idea as one of the ways of improving the standard of education especially going by the maxim that: ‘you cannot give what you don’t have.’ I want to align myself with the position of the National Commission on Excel-

lence in Education (NCEE), a body in the United States, that “...persons preparing to teach should be required to meet high educational standards, to demonstrate an aptitude for teaching, and to demonstrate competence in an academic discipline.” However, such tests must be all-encompassing. In other words, they must include knowledge of the subject, teaching methodology, class management and control and understanding the psychology of the pupils. Teachers who showed high proficiency in the subject they teach but are found wanting in other areas should be helped by the government/employers to improve in those other areas rather than throwing the baby with the bath water. Teachers who did not meet the standard should not be allowed to teach our children nonsense. Periodic checks on those so-called government-approved schools are also needed while teachers should be seen to be receiving their rewards on earth so as to encourage more people to join teaching. However, our children will continue to get bad results as long as parents abdicate their responsibilities by thinking that only the teachers have the magic wand that can bring the best out of our children. I was at a car wash centre with my friends during the last football season. The centre also doubles as football viewing centre. So, we chose to watch one of the English Premier League (EPL) matches while the car was being washed. Six young boys whose ages should be between 13 and 15 were peeping through the perforated wall of the centre to watch the match. What arouse my interest was that each of them had a ticket with which they had placed bets on the outcome of the matches to be played that week in Europe. If they do that often, why won’t they fail their exams? How well are they being monitored by their parents? And who allowed them to place bets if they are not up to 18 years? If we must get our education right, it’s not about government alone.

Avoiding Executive, Legislature crisis over 2016 budget James Eze Okoroma

y the letters of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007, the federal government is empowered to submit through the Minister of Finance, the Medium Term Economic Framework (MTEF) for the prudent management of the Nation’s Resources, aimed at ensuring a Long Term Macro-Economic stability of the National Economy. This is to secure greater accountability and transparency in Fiscal operations within the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Framework and the establishment of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure the promotion and enforcement of the Nation’s Economic objectives. In section 11 (a and b ), the act said that the federal government shall not later than six months from the commencement of a new financial year, that it shall be caused to be prepared and laid before the National Assembly, for their consideration a Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the next three financial years; and thereafter, not later than four months before commencement of the next financial year, cause to be prepared a medium - term expenditure Framework for the next three financial years. Specifically, the Minister of Finance by the letters of FRA as contain in section 14 (1) shall before the end of the second quarter of each financial year, present the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and endorsement. The Medium –Term Expenditure Framework as endorsed by the Federal Executive Council

shall take effect upon approval by a resolution of each of the National Assembly. But as we talk, there is nothing on ground that suggests that is about to be done. By the provisions of the act, the budget estimates under the dictates of MTEF are supposed to be ready before the National Assembly goes on its annul break. At the moment, the National Assembly is on recess and it is expected to be resume by September 29. Yet, there was no MTEF before the two arms of National Assembly. To make matters worse, the sections of the act stated that the Minister of Finance is to be caused to write to the National Assembly stating the template and budget projections for the coming financial year. This is after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the estimates and thereafter, the letter would be sent to the National Assembly for the consideration of the MTEF. As it is at the moment, there is no Federal Executive Council. One of the issues expected to be resolved before the budget is eventually passed is the benchmark for the budget, that is, what would be the price of oil, upon which the budget would be based. The issue of benchmark has become a tug of war battle between the National Assembly and the Presidency. The matter is not made easy with recent trend of the falling prices of oil in the international market. The benchmark for the 2015 price of oil was $78 per barrel, but so far, the price of oil in the international market has fallen below $50 per barrel. It is not even known what the quantity of oil to be sold in 2016 would be at the moment, as the production level has fallen terribly to less than two

The principal officers of the National Assembly may pledge loyalty to the Buhari administration, but there is a limit when the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is fragrantly abused million barrel. As such, it is not known the shape of the 2016 budget, as the Federal Executive Council is not in place to scrutinized the 2016 budget, but President Buhari in a manner reminiscent of a one man show has ordered the National Planning Commission to go back to the drawing board and produce the framework for the 2016 national budget that will reduce recurrent expenditure and prioritise developmental projects. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said early this month that the President has directed that the recurrent expenditure should be reduced. He said that the President gave the order after receiving a briefing from the Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr. Bassey Akpanyung, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Garba Shehu said the President told Akpanyung and the directors of the NPC that capital projects must now be given priority because Nigeria cannot achieve real development without adequate investment in capital and infrastructural project.

The amazing thing here is that the Executive Secretary of National Planning Committee and its Directors does in no way constitute the dictates of the FRA as envisaged in the act. The act clearly stipulated that the MTEF should approved by the Federal Executive Council and thereafter, the Minister of Finance should write the National Assembly. As it is at the moment, there is no Federal Executive Council let alone the Minister of Finance. In all these, there is no MTEF under consideration, yet the budget processes are on. Under previous administration, it was mandatory that the MTEF were passed in accordance with the FRA. But far into August, none of the details of the MTEF is being pursued let alone implemented. Before Nigerians would start shouting, let President Muhammadu Buhari listen to the dictates of the acts duly passed by the National Assembly and assented into law. The principal officers of the National Assembly may pledge loyalty to the Buhari administration, but there is a limit when the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is fragrantly abused. Recent examples are the constitution of the board of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) and the bail out to states. It is the non compliance with some of these statutory provisions of the law that could provoke legislature executive quarrels. The sooner the Buhari administrations obeyed the dictates of the law, the better it would be in ensuring a harmonious executive legislature harmony. - Okoroma is a Public Analyst based in Abuja

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22 AUGUST 2015

KADUNA El-Rufai warns against extortion of applicants

N EWS I N BRIEF

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir elRufai, has warned officials of the state against extortion of job seekers in the state’s civil service. The state government had recently announced its plan to recruit science teachers and traffic officials into its workforce. It said 10 qualified applicants each would be recruited from the 250 wards in the state. El-Rufai made the announcement in Zaria during his second edition of the Town Hall meeting to interface with the people of the state early in August. The governor, through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement yesterday, said no applicant should be made to pay any fee or buy form for the recruitment.

159.8m

The total number of connected mobile (GSM) lines of Nigeria in December 2013. Source: Ncc.gov.ng

JOS 1,262 hajj pilgrims from Plateau

No fewer than 1,262 intending pilgrims have been cleared by the Plateau Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to perform the 2015 Hajj from the state. The Chairman, Committee on Hajj Operations in the state, Malam Danlami Mohammed, said this yesterday in Jos when the state House of Assembly Committee on Parastatals visited the board. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that of the total number cleared, 398 including operational staff and preachers were sponsored by the state government, 150 sponsored by the various local government councils while the remaining would go on self sponsorship. He assured that all arrangements has been concluded, adding that the first batch would be airlifted from Kaduna straight to Madina, Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

The total number of goals conceded by Mexico at Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Fifa.com

ENUGU Tribunal upholds Ugwuanyi’s election

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Enugu yesterday upheld the election of Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on the grounds that the petition was frivolous, lacked merit and against court processes. Ezea had challenged the declaration of Ugwuanyi as the winner of the April 11 governorship election in the state. While the Court of Appeal in Enugu had recently dismissed an appeal by the petitioners challenging an earlier decision of the tribunal to strike out certain paragraphs of their petition, the tribunal in a ruling earlier on a preliminary objection brought by the counsel to Ugwuanyi, Mr. Patrick Ikwueto (SAN), struck out certain paragraphs it considered offensive in the petition.

N29.8m

The total capital importation value of the Consultancy sector in 2012. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Youths give NDDC gets ultimatum to pay N1.05bn project fund Chris Ejim and Idris Salisu

Yenagoa/Gusau

ngry youths from some communities in the nine states of the Niger Delta yesterday threatened to invade and shut down the business activities of the Port Harcourt office complex of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over delay in the release of the balance payment of N1.05 billion project fund for clearing of water hyacinth along the creeks and waterways of the region. According to the aggrieved youths, who said they had completed the job of clearing the hyacinth along the coastline and creeks but were yet to receive their balance, it was unthinkable why the NDDC officials were still

l MDGs: Zamfara executes over N9bn projects

withholding the payment. Some of the youth from the Peremabiri and Koluama communities of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area said the project was awarded by the last administration to over 700 youths from coastal communities of the Niger Delta states to clear water hyacinth and empower youths from the region. The youth declared that they had given the NDDC a 14-day ultimatum to commence the payment of the project fund or face a total invasion and shutting down of its activities. “All the affected youths and representatives of their communities will invade the NDDC office and would not vacate the place until the money is released,” the youths in a statement warned. Speaking on the develop-

ment, an ex-militant leader and President of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiatives (LPDCI), General Pastor Reuben Wilson, said: “The youth are seriously breathing down the neck of the contractors to pay them the money since they had completed the task. The youths have alleged that the money has been paid by the FG and diverted by some persons. The youths are also aware that the money has been released since the assumption of the present administration.” Meanwhile, Zamfara State office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) yesterday said the state government had spent over N9 billion on the execution of developmental projects under the Conditional Grant Scheme

Programme (CGSP) for the benefit of the people across the state from 2007 to date. Speaking with journalists in Gusau, the state MDGs Focal Officer (FC), Rilwan Musa Zurmi, said numerous economic developmental programmes initiated by the state government had been actualised in terms of health, energy, transportation, agriculture, human capital development, education, rural water supply and poverty reduction. Zurmi said the state government was able to access over N4 billion from the debt relief gains and contributed over N5 billion being state and local governments counterpart funding, which gave the total of over N9 billion utilised for the targeted purposes in the state.

Subpoena: Tribunal dismisses Okowa, PDP’s applications Gabriel Choba Ughelli

he Delta State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, on Thursday dismissed the motions filed by the three respondents in the petition, challenging the subpoena order granted by the tribunal which was served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the April 11 election, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, is challenging the declaration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the April poll. Emerhor was billed to call in witness last Tuesday but was stalled following three fresh motions filed by

Artistes on Glo shows promise to lock down Nigeria

rtistes on the crew of the two premium shows organised by Globacom, which begin next weekend in some major cities of Nigeria, have promised to lock down the locations where the shows will hold. The two shows, the first being a purely musical concert is tagged Glo Slide and Bounce, while the second, a comedy extraordinaire, called Glo Laffta Fest, will kick off in the cities of Ibadan on August 29 and Benin on August 30. Speaking to journalists in Lagos, one of the artistes, Wande Coal, said Nigerians “are set to witness the best of entertainment as the Glo slide and Bounce concert and Glo Laffta Fest are not just loaded, but are pregnant with fun.” He said: “The beauty of it all is that the shows will be rotating in the different

locations weekly and for the 11 weeks that the two shows will run, nobody will have a dull moment. I promise you that, it's gonna be fun like never before.” Taking a cue from Coal, one of the comperes for the shows, Okey Bakassi, said: “Two Glo shows are a combination of music, dance and comedy and the synergy the artistes are bringing to the shows will leave indelible marks in the entertainment repertoires of the audience. Whoever misses any of the shows, I can authoritatively say, will be missing a huge opportunity to meet the best of the Nigerian artistes and some foreign talents.” Globacom, had while unveiling the shows last week, promised that the shows “will redefine showbiz and change the perception of the entertainment industry."

‘Police still working out modalities for recruitment of 10,000 personnel’ Emmanuel Onani Abuja

A cross-section of pensioners of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) protesting the non-payment of their pensions at PHCN office, at Yandoka Road, Bauchi …yesterday PHOTO: NAN

the counsel to Okowa, PDP and INEC. Subsequently, the tribunal adjourned till Thursday to hear the fresh motion filed by Okowa, PDP and INEC counsel challenging the subpoena served on the INEC by the petitioner. At the resumed hearing of the fresh motion on Thursday, counsel for the petitioner and the APC, Chief Thompson Okpoko (SAN), branded counsel for the three respondents as “meddlesome interlopers and rabble rousers”, whose applications were meant to cause confusion and stall the hearing of the petition. Okpoko, while citing many judicial authorities, said: “These applications have one purpose: It is to stall the hearing of the petition and an attempt to defeat it by delaying the hearing of the petition."

otwithstanding the approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the recruitment of 10, 000 police officers, the Nigeria Police have announced that, modalities for the exercise were still being worked out with the Police Service Commission (PSC). The police, therefore, warned interested applicants to be wary of fraudsters, who might want to take advantage of the approval, to defraud them. A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police, said the police would

give the exercise wide publicity, once pending issues have been sorted out. The statement reads: "Following the approval for recruitment of 10,000 Police officers by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria Police wishes to inform the general public that recruitment into the Force is yet to commence. “The modalities for the recruitment are being worked out with the Police Service Commission and would be announced in due course. The general public is hereby warned to beware of online fraudsters who may take advantage of the recruitment information to defraud them of their hard earned money.

22 AUGUST 2015

Groups flay alleged ‘assassination attempt’ on Gani Adams

he Europe Coordinator of Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), Akogun Banji Ojo, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to arrest those who wrote a letter to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to finance them “in removing” the convener of the OPU, Chief Gani Adams. Ojo in a statement issued from Amsterdam, Holland, said the letter dated August 4 and addressed to Tinubu which was signed by Rasak Balogun, Monsuru Akande, Musiliu Amusa, Adesina Akinpelu, Olayiwola Ogunsola, Lateef Ogungbayi, Gbenga Egunlusi, Ranti Akande, Lateef Olawale Oshodi, Soji Folorunso, Segun Olusanya, Idowu Akintunde, Sunday Bankole, Kehinde Ogunyale and Sunday Adebayo, was completely in bad light. Ojo claimed that the letter “revealed a grand scheme and devilish intention of social irritants and scoundrels to “kill” the National Co-

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ordinator of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, with emphasis on the clause "getting rid" as contained in the letter. Meanwhile, the global right protector and monitoring organisation, the International Right Monitoring Council (IRMC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to investigate the alleged “assassination plot” against Adams. In a statement made available online and signed by Mr. Philips Hall, the group said: “The international community is not comfortable with the story of the attempt to assassinate the leader of OPC and the Convener of OPU.” The group recalled that: “Assassination attempt is not only condemnable but criminal in motive, intent and action. It is deadly, unfashionable and repugnant to social order and fundamental human rights. The news of the alleged assassination attempt on the leader of OPC has continued to wreak havoc on the rising image of Nigeria which the credibility of President Buhari has engendered of late.”

DUTSE FG hands over farm equipment to firm in Jigawa

NEWS IN BRIE F

The Federal Government yesterday handed over five tractors and other farming equipment to Savannah Water Resources and Conservation Limited, an Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE) in Jigawa State. The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Adamu Labaran, who handed over the equipment to the company at a ceremony in Dutse, said the gesture was government’s initiative to lease various kinds of agricultural equipment to corporate organisations. Labaran said on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, he was handing over five tractors, five units of harrows, five units of plough, one unit of tipping tractors to Savannah Water Resources Conservation Limited for leasing to farming communities in Jigawa.

N38.7m

The IGR realized from road taxes in Benue State in 2011. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

ILORIN MAKURDI Benue approves construction Saraki’s loyalists defend of Makurdi old bridge Borno IDPs visit Benue State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Emmanuel Manger, said the state government has approved the construction of the Makurdi old bridge road, to check flooding. Manger, who is also the Chairman, State Committee on Erosion and Flood Control, said this in Makurdi yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said the state government’s approval of the construction of the road was a panacea to the annual flooding along the bank of River Benue. “Commercial activities on the road across the river always suffer difficulties, especially the transportation of food stuffs," he said.

Members of the ABS Leadership Forum defended yesterday Senate President, Bukola Saraki against attacks by some critics over his recent visit to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Maiduguri, Borno State. Coordinator of the forum, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape, while speaking with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State said contrary to insinuations, there was no political motive behind the visit. Rather, the group said that Saraki's initiative was to complement efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in tackling insurgency in the country. Ajape said the visit was not the making of the Senate President, pointing out that it was a product of the resolution of the Senate during a plenary.

The percentage of the population of women above 60 years of Congo in 2012. Source: Un.org

26.84%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Andorra in 2004. Source: Itu.int

Tribunal watches video alleging rigging in Akwa Ibom Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Akwa Ibom State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday watched series of video clips of how the April 11 governorship election was allegedly manipulated and rigged in the state. The video clips were tendered by the petitioners, All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Chief Umana Okon Umana, who are seeking cancellation of the poll. Though disputed by defendants in the petition, the video clips showed how election materials were being secretly thumb-printed and stamped by some al-

leged officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They also showed the petitioner complained bitterly to some electoral officials on the shortage of voting materials at his polling but partial election was alleged to have taken place. Testifying before the Tribunal, Umana maintained that there was no valid election in the state and asked the tribunal to cancel what INEC allegedly labelled election. He alleged that what took place in the name of an election conducted by INEC was a sham that should not be allowed to stay in law and in the interest of democracy.

Shell JV lifts force majeure on gas supplies to NLNG Adeola Yusuf

hell yesterday declared that it had lifted force majeure on gas supply to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG). Shell had, through the force majeure declared on August 4, notified that it might not be able to meet up with some of its contractual obligations to NLNG, which accounts for about eight per cent of global LNG supplies and produces 22 million metric tonnes of LNG per year. The company however

said that its Joint Venture (JV) lifted the force majeure on gas supplies to NLNG from the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS-1) following repair of a sabotage leak on the line. The Joint Investigation Team which visited the site found that the leak was caused by a crude theft connection, apparently installed by people who thought the line was transporting crude oil, Shell JV said in a statement by Corporate Media Relations Manager, SPDC, Mr. Precious Okolobo.

A scene of a trailer accident along Oworonshoki Expressway, Lagos… yesterday

Respite as power supply jerks up to 29% IMPROVEMENT

The NEC says Nigerians can heave sigh of relief following improvement in power supply. Ndubuisi Ugah

with agency reports

ational Economic Council (NEC) has said there had been an overall increase in power supply by 29 per cent as of the first six weeks of the present administration. The governor of Jigawa State, Muhamadu Badru, who briefed journalists at the end of the NEC meeting in Abuja, said power generation had reached 4,662MW by July 29, according to an online news portal, Elombah.Com. The governor also said the council was informed that the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s management contract had been extended for another year. To increase transparency in the power sector, the NEC also announced the development of a website www.

l NLC, NUEE picket Port Harcourt Electricity DISCO office in Bayelsa nesistats.org that will enable Nigerians monitors’ developments in the power sector. The NEC said the repair of hydro standard capacity of the Kainji, transportation of gas from power plants to industrial off takers and fixing of major transmission constraints are some of the top priorities of the government. NEC directed state governments to ensure prompt payment of electricity bills by the vendors as well as provision of security to avoid vandalisation of distribution assets in the country. The vice-president and the state governors, who form the National Economic Council (NEC, also brainstormed on several economic issues, ranging from the exchange rate of the naira, to latest developments in the power sector since the inception of the Buhari administration. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, briefed them on why the naira has

been unstable in the money market and what he is doing to address the situation Out of 22 states that have applied for restructuring, only eleven have scaled through with the documentation. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) yesterday picketed the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that NLC and NUEE officials stormed the premises of the PHEDC in Opolo, Yenagoa, and locked the gates and prevented access to the offices, a development which compelled customers to turn back. Placards with inscriptions such as “HED stop intimidation and slavery; Freedom of Association should not be denied staff; We want a stop to institutionalised casual contract appointment in

PHED”, among others were on display. Speaking on the development, the state NLC Chairman, Mr. Fred Oruseibo, said the workers grievances include arbitral dismissal and termination of appointments of employees without cogent reasons. Oruseibo said the company had refused to negotiate its procedural agreement and conditions of service of staff with labour. “We all know that casualisation of workers is against the convention of the International Labour Organisation and against Nigerian labour laws. The management of PHEDC refused to negotiate the conditions of service with the staff. They did that in order to enslave the workers,” he said. On the sale of the DISCO, the NLC chairman said when the company bought PHEDC, it sacked 33 operators, who were on salary scale of between N100,000 and N150,000 a month.

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Mikel available for Nigeria, says agent

helsea midfielder Mikel Obi is still available for Nigeria duty despite not being involved since November, according to the player's representative, John Shittu. Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, said he omitted Mikel from his first squad because he was unable to reach the player. However, Shittu told BBC Sport: "Mikel will never turn his back on Nigeria. "He loves playing for his country and this is just a miscommunication between coach and player." On Thursday, Oliseh told journalists in Abuja why Mikel was not part of

his plans for next month's 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Tanzania. "I was in England early this month and I put a call through to Mikel. I called him four times, the phone kept ringing. I sent him a text message, I got no response," Oliseh said. "I called his Chelsea teammate and compatriot [Victor] Moses and we met after the Community Shield. "I didn't hear from Mikel to acknowledge my calls or text until I travelled back home [on August 6]. Shittu however insists Mikel has not been deliberately evasive. "Mikel sincerely missed the calls and wasn't sure who called. Once he realised who it was he made efforts

to reach Sunday Oliseh but could not speak to him." he said. "It's unfortunate that a miscommunication is being blown out of proportion in the media. "Efforts are being made to sort things out amicably because Mikel is dedicated to Nigeria.'' Oliseh's predecessors Berti Vogts, Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi also experienced difficulties with Mikel, who has been criticised for appearing to show indifference and a lack of respect. Mikel, who made his debut for Nigeria against Libya in August 2005, has scored four goals for his country in 64 appearances.

Murray wins thriller, Nadal beaten again

Nadal

Odizor, Okocha, Oliseh to grace NCC tennis league Adekunle Salami

igeria’s foremost tennis icon, Nduka Odizor, is one of the three special guests of honour to grace the final of Blue Group round robin match between Team Civil Defence and Team Tombim taking place at the Package B tennis courts of the National Stadium, Abuja, from 10 am on Saturday (today). The others are world renowned soccer maesto, Jay Jay Okocha and Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh, both of whom are very decent tennis players. Odizor played in all the Grand Slams and attained a career highest ranking of 52. Okocha and Oliseh, besides playing football at the highest levels were former captains of the Eagles and have taken to tennis as a recreational past time. Director of the International Tennis Academy, Godwin Kienka, who is the coordinator of the league, said the presence of these sports icons would boost the atmosphere today in Abuja. “We are excited about this development and we believe the league will get better and better,” Kienka said. Moses Michael, Team Tombim's lead player is the highest ranked Nigerian on the ATP Tour and won

the Lagos Governors Cup last year. He also played in eight weeks of the Egyptian satellite early this year along with teammate Christian Paul. Former national champion, Henry Atseye, and Onyeka Mbanu, a CBN Senior Championship semifinalist, are also in the team. The match has been described as the cream of the round robin stage. “This is like having five national singles championship finals – four men’s and one ladies’ – and a men’s doubles and mixed doubles finals over two days.” said Ubale Mohammed, the national junior tennis coach who is coming in from Kaduna to watch the tie. “I do not think I want to miss that.”

Oliseh

ritain's Andy Murray saved a match point as he came back from the brink to beat Grigor Dimitrov and reach the last eight at the Cincinnati Masters. Second seed Murray trailed 5-2 in the final set but recovered to win 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 after almost three hours. "There were many, many important points in that match," he said. "I'm not quite sure how I managed to get through it." Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer also progressed, but Rafael Nadal lost 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to Feliciano Lopez. Murray came through a huge test against Dimitrov after trailing by a set and a double break, and then losing five straight games in the decider. "If you want to win the big competitions, you'll have to come through difficult situations," said the Scot. "Last year, I didn't come through enough of them. I lost a lot of matches from winning positions, and this year I managed to turn that around, which was very positive." Murray, 28, will face Frenchman Richard Gasquet next, after the 12th seed defeated US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-5 6-3.

LVG trusts Ed Woodward with Man United targets

anchester United boss Louis van Gaal says he trusts executive vicechairman Ed Woodward with club transfers. Woodward has overseen deals that have brought in Matteo Darmian, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger this summer. But United missed out on transfer target Pedro, with Barcelona's Spain winger, 28, opting to join Premier League rivals Chelsea. "Every day I am updated by him and I trust him," said Van Gaal. "I have the idea you want to separate Ed Woodward with me. Never. Never." Van Gaal was speaking at a news conference ahead of United's home game with Newcastle on Saturday. He added: "I don't think [the critics] have to doubt Ed Woodward because he has proven already for many, many years he is the right person on the right spot."

22 AUGUST 2015

Sport Slaming Adekunle Salami adekunles@yahoo.com 08050498539 (sms only)

Supremo Oliseh’s first salvo

rom his active days till date, Sunday Oliseh is known as a very strong-willed person. He had an imposing personality even before he became the captain of the Super Eagles. As skipper, he became more vocal and almost turned as the team to a ‘trade union’ of sort. He challenged policies and positions of the federation and all these informed the reservations some Nigerians had when he emerged the new Head Coach of the senior national team. Oliseh himself knew his antecedents, so on the day he was unveiled to the public, he said: “I am here to serve and not to wage war.” Shortly after he signed the contract, Oliseh began underground moves to change some policies the Nigeria Football Federation lined out for former coach, Stephen Keshi. Oliseh succeeded easily. All the ‘checks’ NFF told us were in place to put the erstwhile coach on his toes to enable him to deliver results have been erased for Oliseh. Respected former Eagles coach, Shaibu Amodu, was engaged by the federation as the technical director and was expected to scrutinise the list of invited players, make inputs and ask questions where necessary. A few months back, Keshi was told to abide by the template or quit. Today, that seemed to have changed with another ‘supremo’ now in charge of the national team. It was authoritatively learnt that soon after Oliseh was employed, the NFF severed relationship with Amodu. The body was no longer interested in his plans for the Eagles and the role he was expected to play to check the new coach. A frustrated Amodu saw the handwriting on the wall that rhythm in the football house had changed. It got so bad that the former BCC Lions coach has now taken time off duty since he was almost rendered redundant. Confirmation of Oliseh’s powers manifested when the list of 18 professional players that will battle for shirts in the September 5 match against Tanzania was released. There was no input of the Technical Director or the technical department in the list. Interestingly, there were questionable additions and omissions. The President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, is said to be ‘obsessed’ with Oliseh and he is ready to do anything for the new coach. How long the romance will last only time will tell. It will be fascinating to review this relationship after Eagles must have played four games under Oliseh. During the week, Oliseh rolled out the 18-man list of foreign pros and it was a rude shock that Odion Ighalo’s name was missing. Ighalo was a consistent performer for Watford last season as he was one of the key players who made the team realise its EPL ambition. In the first match against Everton, Ighalo came in as a substitute and recorded a great goal for Watford. This was just two weeks ago. So far in 2015, the Nigerian is the highest scorer in England. The last match Super Eagles played was the AFCON 2017 qualifier against Chad and Ighalo did very well, scoring one of the two goals for Nigeria. On current form, Ighalo and Ahmed Musa are the most consistent exports of Nigeria in the game. In defence of his list, Oliseh argued that he left out Ighalo because invitations were extended to Emmanuel Emenike and Anthony Ujah. The coach goofed with this decision because it is wrong to attempt a total change of a team that is currently seeking a ticket to Gabon 2017. The change has to be gradual and not wholesale. The inclusion of Sylvester Igboun and Izunna Uzuchukwu on the list is apparently linked to the influence of Oliseh’s brother, Churchill, who manages the two players. Yes, a coach has the right to pick his team but some obvious cases of omissions could be demoralising. How will Ighalo feel now? It is bad for his confidence in the team. I was also surprised to see Wolves goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, on the list. That to me is an interesting development especially if more work could be done to bring in the likes of Liverpool’s Jordan Ibe and Arsenal’s Chuba Akpom and Alex Iwobi. Oliseh is gradually showing his true self. We expect more surprises. I pray for the success of the Eagles and other national teams because their failure is bad business for sport journalists and numerous other stakeholders and above all fans. Missing out of the 2015 AFCON was bad but to miss the next edition due to arrogance or sentiments of Oliseh and or Pinnick will be a disaster for Nigeria.

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22 AUGUST 2015

DESTINATION LANDER BROTHERS' ANCHORAGE: A TOURIST HAVEN BEGGING FOR ATTENTION

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Sanctity of Truth

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PERSPECTIVES Where and who are the teachers?

N150

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015

p.51

Another chance for

Messi

• Barca star leads charge to wreck stubborn Bilbao

Ajibade Olusesan t is only the first match of the season but all eyes will be on Barcelona in this encounter against Athletic Bilbao. Normally a trip to San Mames for Barcelona is an easy one but the Los Blaugrana will thread with caution if they visit that venue for La Liga opener against hosts, Athletic Bilbao tomorrow (Sunday). Barca had never lost at the venue since 1997 but were humiliated in their last visit when they were handed a disastrous 4-0 defeat in the first leg of the Supercopa last week despite their general, Lionel Messi, featuring in the entire duration. The four-time Ballon d’Or winner was in the thick of action in the second leg and could not help his side overturn the deficit as the less illustrious Bilbao ran away with a 5-1 aggregate win to claim their first title in the last 30 years. What can you write or say about Messi again? He is one of the greatest players of all times and facing him in any match is enough to send a jitter down the spine of any opponents. He is again expected to lead the revenge mission. Barcelona need to win on that ground to resuscitate their deflated ego. Messi rebounded from an injury-disrupted 2013-2014 campaign in which he scored 'only' 28 league goals to be the driving force behind the club's success last season. He scored an impressive 58 goals in all competitions, and Messi effectively combined with Luis Suarez and Neymar to score incredible record 122 goals. The Argentina captain put an early season falling out with Luis Enrique to one side to score 35 of his goals after the turn of the year, but also showed that there is more to his genius than just his goal scoring prowess. He provided 18 assists in La Liga as well as creating 95 chances for his team-mates. He was majestical when Barcelona routed Bilbao in the league at San Mames last season and he should be the one

to put them to the swords again today. The ambition to do just that is stronger now as Bilbao denied them the chance to win six trophies in 2015. Bilbao coach, Ernesto Valverde, seems to have the a n t i dote for Messi’s magic when he said before their Superc o p a ties that he would detail players especially defender Balenziaga to man-mark the Argentine. "Of course Balenciaga will do the same thing again (man-mark Messi), and a few more players will as well. You only have to say it and do it. We did it in the final (Copa del Rey) and we watched as he beat five players and scored a goal. That gave them the upper hand in that game. We'll see in these three games we have against them. It's an option,” he said before the first leg of the Supercopa and they actually successfully did that as Messi was rendered ordinary over the two legs but can they tame him again? That will be seen in the course of another 90 minutes.

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