Saturday 09, March The Guardian Nigeria by The Guardian Newspaper

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E D I T I O N LIFE&STYLE 23

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POLITICS 52

LOVE&LIFE 18

Taraba: Worries Over Lingering Absence Of The State Governor

APC Is A Collection Of Frustrated Political Parties, Says Filani

My Girlfriend’s Ajuebon: Aunt Is Pregnant Hard Work, Diligence For Me The Ingredients For Success’

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Vol. 29, No. 12,490

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Controversy Trails Revelation Of Oil Blocks Ownership By Samson Ezea and Sunny Neme OLLOWING the shocking Ftherevelation on Wednesday by Chairman Senate Committee on Business and Rules and Senator represent-

ing Akwa Ibom North-west in the upper chamber, Mr. Ita Enang during the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) debate, that about 83 per cent of the entire oil wells in the Niger Delta are owned by Northerners, former

Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and member of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) Prof Ango Abdullahi has demanded for the comprehensive and authentic list of ownership of

oil wells so that Nigerians will know the truth and the way forward. Enang had stated that the 10 per cent provision to oil communities was fair and in order, insisting that the amount was

nothing compared to what accrues to the owners of the oil blocks, most of who are northerners. Speaking with The Guardian yesterday on the issue, Abdullahi said Enang’s allega-

tion on the floor of the Senate was a mere political debate that needs further clarification and confirmation to ascertain the correct information. He said: “I have not seen the details of the list of owners and there isn’t a comprehensive list from the government on the ownership. “I do not care who owns what. My concern is that there is need for the government and its relevant agencies to disclose the full list of owners of the oil wells to Nigerians. “It is an information Nigerians are willing and will be ready to have so that they know who controls and manages their collective wealth. Such disclosure will give the true picture instead of mere debate and allegation,” he said. On the issue of 10 per cent allo-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

NEWS 5

Ojukwu’s Family Suit Adjourned To May 30 NEWS 7

Cardinals at a meeting in the Vatican

Suntai: For How Long Can Taraba Wait? By Godwin Ijediogor, Lagos, and Charles Akpeji, Jalingo N Taraba State, all has not Icrash been the same since the of the Cessna 208 aircraft with registration num-

ber 5N-BMJ on October 25, last year in Yola, Adamawa State being piloted by Governor Danbaba Suntai. The governor and three other occupants (his aides) were injured. Although the then newly appointed Deputy Governor,

Alhaji Garba Umar, has since taken over in acting capacity, the return of the governor to duties has been a subject of controversy and uncertainty and has gradually started to impact on governance and politics in the state.

Suntai and his injured passengers were initially treated at the Adamawa Standard German Hospital in Yola before they were flown abroad. The governor has been receiving further treatment in a German hospital

since then. Now, the question has arisen of how long the governor can be away from office and what should follow if it becomes perpetual. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Opposition Parties’ Defects Bane Of Nigeria’s Democracy, Says Lamido NEWS 7

PDP Panicky Over APC Profile, Says Rep

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

Kukah, MURIC Disagree With Jonathan Over Amnesty For Boko Haram By Samson Ezea and Bankole Shakirudeen Adeshina President OLLOWING Fration Goodluck Jonathan’s declain Yobe State on

Thursday that he would not grant amnesty to members of the Boko Haram group unless they show themselves physically for negotiations, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Dr Mathew Hassan Kukah and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) have expressed the need for the government to try the amnesty option for the sect for the sake of the peace. Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Kukah said: “The Boko Haram insurgency has made all of us victims as a

nation and as a community and we must deal with the problem holistically and reject the imprisonment of sentiments and politics. We must pursue what can help us end it. “I am a member of the Committee set up by the Northern Governors whose statement the Sultan is supporting. When you negotiate, you do not put limits immediately. If asking for amnesty is on the list of demands by the members of Boko Haram, I have no problem with that until they have come to the table. “In principle, there is no guarantee that they will get the amnesty because it is the prerogative of the negotiator to lay down his own conditions.

Those conditions will be debated and finally, we will make recommendations to the authorities that will then decide. When you enter a plea, the judge’s response will be based on the evidence before him and this evidence has to be weighed. So, I cannot by reflex say that we should reject amnesty because we have not seen the other conditions and even the President knows that he cannot declare fiat. by just amnesty “It will take further negotiations laying down of conditions and so on. Even the members themselves who stepped forward said that those of them who are guilty of any crimes should be tried. How can you have a problem with that? The

door has just opened and we have not even reached the sitting room not to talk of sitting down. So I do not know how anyone can reject what has not been clearly offered. We should at least even confirm if these people are who they say they are and so on. This turn may lead us to the highway, or it may lead to a cul-de-sac, but we cannot reject it outright, ” Kukah said. On the claim that there is no need for amnesty for them because they are faceless, he said: “What do you mean faceless? Can faceless people be on the Internet and the media? It is a different thing if we have no capacity to find them, but Boko Haram has never been faceless. Perhaps we can say we have

been looking in the wrong place. The world believed that Osama Bin Laden was faceless. Today, where is he? Read the book on the killing of Osama titled, No Easy Day and you will see that where there is a will, there is a way. In Nigeria, there is only a shortage of capacity, political will and competence on our part. As you can see, we prefer to steal incredible sums of money, give out and embark on self-serving projects of dubious relevance. Reacting to the development, MURIC, in a statement issued yesterday by its Director, Prof. Ishiaq Akinola said that Sultan Abubakar’s call for amnesty for the sect members was borne out of patriotism, concern and

an attempt to help government resolve the security challenge and that it was unfortunate, unfair and unjust for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to have reacted the way it did. “CAN’s claim that only Christians and churches have been the targets and victims of attacks in the North is false, baseless and unfounded. We affirm that more Muslims have fallen victims than Christians in the on-going Boko Haram imbroglio. Hundreds of Islamic scholars have been reported killed by Boko Haram. This insurrection is therefore not about religion. This is where CAN missed the point,” the group said.

with the constitution and amend what you can and endure the rest.” In the current scenario, Suntai was unable to write to the Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr. Istifanus Gbana, intimating him of his absence from office, and it is doubtful if he is in the right frame of mind to do so now, from all indications. Section 189 (1) says: “The Governor or Deputy Governor of a State shall cease to hold office if: (a) “By a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the state, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and (B) “The declaration in paragraph (a) of this subsection is verified, after such medical examination as may be necessary, by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the Speaker of the House of Assembly.” Sub-section 2 says: “Where the medical panel certifies in its report that in its opinion, the Governor or Deputy Governor is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the

Speaker of the House of Assembly shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of the State.” Sub-section 3, it says: “The Governor or Deputy Governor shall cease to hold office as from the date of publication of the notice of the medical report pursuant to subsection (2) of this section,” while Subsection 4 adds: “The medical panel to which this section relates shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly of the State, and shall comprise five medical practitioners in Nigeria – (a) one of whom shall be the personal physician of the holder of the office concerned; and (b) four other medical practitioners who have, in the opinion of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, attained a high degree of eminence in the field of medicine relative to the nature of the examination to be conducted in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this section.” According to Sub-section 5, “The reference to ‘executive council of the State’ is a reference to the body of Commissioners of the Government of the State, howsoever called, established by the Governor and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of Government as the Governor may direct.”

Suntai: Taraba Waiting In Limbo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Guardian’s investigation revealed that the slow pace of development in the state is due to the absence of the governor and the inability of Umar, according to Bala Danbai, a resident of Jalingo, to “have full control of the finances of the state.” Danbai said: “For now, I don’t think he has the power to reach out effectively to the leadership of the various federal government security outfits operating in the state, because he has not yet being given that mandate.” Although Umar, as an acting governor, has the constitutional backing to function as a governor, in practice, it may not be so due to political schemings. “For me, our constitution is just too ambiguous. Was it not the same constitution that failed to stipulate the numbers of days, months or years a governor can stay away from office before he

can be removed?” queried Gideon Hamisu, another resident of Jalingo, the state capital. He added: “That same constitution is now telling us again that as an acting governor, you have all the legitimate power a substantive governor has. I say no to that, because with what we are seeing now in Taraba, the power of this acting governor is limited.” More worrisome to the people is the refusal of the core loyalists of the ailing governor to allow the acting governor, who is still operating from the deputy governor’s office, to relocate to the Government House. Lady Comfort K, a student of one of the higher institutions in the state, said: “To be frank with you, although I am not originally from this state, one major problem I have discovered to be militating against the growth of this state is religion. That will take them to nowhere. Instead, it will continue to drag them backward.” The people have been com-

pelled to wait, hoping that something positive happens, and soon, to break the debacle. The stalemate in Taraba perhaps re-echoes the position of Michael Aondoakaa, then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, that his boss, brought down by sickness that finally took him, could govern, infinitum, from anywhere, even as he did not communicate the Senate President his absence from office. Section 190 (as amended) of the constitution says: “In the event that the Governor is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in subsection (1) of this section within 21 days, the House of Assembly shall, by a resolution made by a simple majority of the vote of the House, mandate the Deputy Governor to perform the functions of the office of the Governor as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits a letter to the Speaker that he is now available to resume his functions as Governor.” But the section is silent about what happens if the Governor fails to transmit a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly or how long he can be away from office with or without transmitting such a letter, as is the case with Suntai, whose capacity to continue in office, as a result of the

injuries he sustained in the crash, remains a subject of speculation months after. There is there is no time limit in both the old and amended versions of the constitution regarding how long a Governor can be away from his duty post, thereby creating a lacuna of sort. According to Godwin Uwazurike, Lagos-based lawyer: “The constitution clearly allows a Governor or President to be absent from his/her office, but where it is extended, he/she shall transmit to the legislature a written declaration that he is going on vacation or will not be available to exercise the functions of his office. “From the tone of the section, there is no time limit. Endless absence is not what the people bargained for when they elected the state chief executive.” He added: “The issues at stake are very dicey, because the acting governor is just a mere decoration; he cannot do any thing unless directed by the chief of staff. “If he is not careful, he will lose his seat if he tries to act like the chief executive. There is a lacuna, but over time, it will be cured. “The effect on democracy is that the people are not happy with such state of affairs and the way out is to keep faith

Controversy Over Oil Blocks Ownership CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cation to host communities in the PIB (bill), Abdullahi said that it is not necessary. Rather, the host communities should be given seven per cent from the 13 per cent that goes to the states in the Niger Delta region, while the states retain six per cent. He stressed that there is need for accountability and transparency in the management of the funds that accrued to the region through different agencies since 1999 which amount to N11trillion without something to show for it. “Unless discipline and transparency is instilled in the management of funds accrued to the region, no amount of money given to the region will change things there as long as wastage and looting prevail,” Abdullahi said. But on his part, PresidentGeneral Trade Union Congress (TUC) Mr. Peter Esele, said the debate on the ownership of the oil wells, whether by people from North or South, is unnecessary at this point, but how

they used the proceeds from it to empower the people and develop the country is what should bother Nigerians. He said: “Do you prefer foreigners to own them? I prefer Nigerians to own them instead of foreigners. The questions should be how have the owners used the proceeds from it to develop the country and empower the people for better days ahead? “Award of oil block license and renewal, especially during the military regime, was done in secrecy which has not helped matters as regards to accountability and transparency in governance.” Esele insisted that there is urgent need for the passage of the 10 per cent allocation to host communities in the PIB bill that is before the National Assembly. Reacting to the development, President of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah congratulated the Northerners for hijacking their oil, stressing that the people of the SouthSouth region were the architects of their problems.

His words: “Niger Delta region produced the highest number of political prostitutes in the country because they do not know what they want and how to go about. The Northerners were able to hijack the oil wells because they are more organised than our people. We have no political or economic strategists in the region that can show the way forward.” He said that no percentage of the oil money should be accrue to the states. Rather, all of them should be directly used in developing the oil communities which is in accordance with international best practices. In a similar development, a human rights activist, Ms. Anko Briggs has called for total stoppage of oil exploration in the Niger Delta following the raging controversy over the allocation of over 80 per cent of oil blocks to highly placed Nigerians from a section of the country. According to her, “My reaction to the development is one of anger and total disbelief that a handful of people can rob a

whole region of their resources? We need to know what qualified them, who allocated them the oil blocks. This is criminal and the President must follow necessary procedure to withdraw it from them.” She further called on the people of Niger Delta region to stand up against the injustice. “I call on Niger Deltans to demand for a total resource ownership, not just control. I will want to encourage the people of Imo, Abia and Ondo states to join in this battle for the soul of the oil-rich region.” On the PIB bill that has entered its second reading after so much dust was raised, she said: “We are no longer interested in it. It is about 10 per cent and a few individuals have over 80 per cent. “If going back to the trenches will solve this matter once and for all we will go there, because I am using this medium to call on the people of Niger Delta to stop all oil exploration in the region until this injustice is address.”

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

NEWS

Arewa Elders Back Sultan’s Amnesty Call For Boko Haram From Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna REWA leaders have risen with one voice in support of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III’s call for total amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect to end the insecurity in the North. Sultan Abubakar had urged President Goodluck Jonathan to use the opportunity of his visit to Maiduguri, the Boko Haram enclave where the sect over the years launched their attack against the authorities and innocent Nigerians, to grant them amnesty for them to lay down their arms. Sultan Abubakar said on Tuesday at the Council meeting of Emirs in the north, while appealing to

Urge Jonathan To Dialogue With Group President Goodluck Jonathan before his trip to Maduguri: “We want to use this opportunity to call on the government, especially Mr. President, to see how he can declare total amnesty to all combatants without thinking twice. That will make any other person who picks up arms to be termed as a criminal. If the amnesty is declared, the majority of those young men who have been running would come out and embrace that amnesty and some of them have already come out because we have read some of the stories

in the papers. “Even if it is one person and he denounces terrorism, it is the duty of government to accept that one person and see how he can be used to reach others. Whether it is true or not, the government should accept that person first, evaluate him and see whether he is genuine or fake.” Jonathan however turned down the demand, saying that amnesty cannot be granted to ghosts or faceless people. But, in reaction to the emerging controversy on amnesty

for Boko Haram sect, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has asked President Jonathan to consider ways of ending their insurgency which has continued to endanger the north and the country in general. ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani in a text message to some journalists in Kaduna yesterday, said:“When you ask ACF to react to Sultan’s suggestion for general amnesty and the president is saying that there cannot be dialogue and amnesty for a faceless group, I wonder what you want me to say. “I do not think the Sultan

meant amnesty without conditions. Consider this is not a conventional war in which type the use of force has not been successful, hence the clamour for dialogue. “And because leaders of Boko Haram may be afraid to show themselves for dialogue out of fear, the Sultan may be suggesting an offer of amnesty in the hope of encouraging the leaders of the Boko Haram to come out for the dialogue without fear for their lives. That is to say, the Sultan may be saying in his own way that the government needs to go beyond rhetoric and do something practical in order to make the leaders of the sect show their

faces. “Mr. president may be right when he says the government cannot dialogue with a faceless group. Yet, he cannot say it is not the responsibility of the government to find a way of bringing leaders of the sect into the negotiation table, however difficult”. In another statement signed by Mr. Sani, the Northern elders said: “The attention of Arewa Consultative Forum has been drawn to the allegations on the floor of the Senate that 83 per cent of oil blocs are owned by Northerners; and that there should be application of federal character in the allocation of oil blocs.

NMA, Group Mark International Women’s Day By Chuwkuma Muanya (Lagos) and Isa Abdulsalami (Jos) HE Nigerian Medical T Association (NMA), on behalf of all Nigerian doctors and dentists, yesterday congratulated women all over the world, particularly Nigerian women from all tribes, tongues and backgrounds as the world marked the International Women’s Day yesterday. In a statement signed by its President, Dr.Osahon Enabulele, NMA said: “It is worthy of note that women, being the vessel for continuity of life, bear the greater part of the pains and pangs of family upkeep, child upbringing and are indeed, managers-in-chief of families as well as embodiments of societal, financial, moral and spiritual values.” The statement continued: “NMA most remarkably salutes the unrivalled support, unfailing affection and unwavering loyalty of the Nigerian woman exemplified by Nigeria’s first lady, Her Excellency Dame Patience Jonathan and other women who have in no mean magnitude demonstrated unequivocal support and faithfulness to their spouses in various positions of authority in Nigeria. “While we bemoan the unsatisfactory female representation at the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and State Executive Councils, the association wishes to use the occasion of this year’s celebration to call on the National Assembly and other legislative institutions to expedite action on all prowomen legislations currently receiving attention in order to deal with various sources of pain to the Nigerian woman. In Jos, the Plateau State capital, a group, Women for Women International Nigeria (WFWIN) yesterday joined their counterparts all over the world to mark the day with a peace rally tagged ‘Join Women On The Bridge.’ The event, which witnessed songs, Berom traditional dance, drama on ‘Women participating in Politics’ also witnessed the release of pigeons and balloons symbolizing peace. Women across the two religious divides were there to grace the event.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo (middle) flanked by the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Osita Chidoka, right, and Otunba Johnson Fasawe when he visited the commission’s Abuja offices to renew his driver’s license yesterday.

Amosun Swears In Ogun’s First Female Attorney-General well.” GUN State governor, Speaking at the inauguration women. He told the two women to see The Oath of Allegiance, Oath of O Senator Ibikunle Amosun, ceremony attended by the Chief yesterday swore in the first Judge of the state, Justice (Mrs) their inauguration on “the day Office and Oath of Secrecy were female Attorney General since the state was created in 1976. She is Barrister (Mrs) Abimbola Ibironke Akeredolu. The governor also swore in Patricia (Mrs) Barrister Funmilola Oduniyi as Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary.

Olatokunbo Olopade and immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wemimo Ogunde (SAN), at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, Amosun recalled that this was the first time the entire top echelon of the justice system in the state would be manned by

the world is celebrating International Women’s Day” as a call to service. “We must ensure that the confidence reposed in us by the electorate is not misplaced,” he said. Amosun praised the immediate past Attorney- General, noting that “he worked diligently

administered on the new officials at 9.15am. The new Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs Abimbola Akeredolu, was born in 1964 and secured degrees and certificates at the University of Lagos as well as institutions in France and Italy.

Her appointment brings the number of women in the cabinet of Ogun State to 12, thus making the state the most genderfriendly in the country. Mrs Patricia Funmilola Oduniyi graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1983 and was until now the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Ministry of Justice.

Jonathan Warns Borno Elders, Religious Leaders Against Withdrawal Of JTF From Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has warned members of the Borno Elders Forum (BOEF), religious and traditional leaders against the “immediate withdrawals” of men of Joint Task Force (JTF) and other security agencies protecting people’s lives and property against the Boko Haram insurgents in the state. Jonathan handed down the warning yesterday at a town hall meeting with stakeholders comprising top government officials, National and State Houses of Assembly members,

and elders at the Multi-purpose Hall of Government House, Maiduguri. Stakeholders who spoke on the Boko Haram insurgency and how to end it included Prof. Mohammed Nur Alkali, who represented the elders; state Chairman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Baba Basharu; Hon. Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Marte/Monguno/Nganzai constituency, and Alhaji Shettima Ali Monguno. They demanded that the soldiers be withdrawn from the streets, roads and

public places. But piqued by the implications of the withdrawals, Jonathan said: “This is no time to play to the gallery whether you are a politician or not. I am not comfortable. I have been very frank. Your conclusion is that there are so many bunkers in Borno State. Why did the bunkers come? Who want to send bunkers to Borno State?” Reiterating the need for the JTF to protect of lives and property, Jonathan said: “If the circumstances that brought the soldiers are no longer there, that day they will leave. The sol-

diers were not there in 2001, 2002, 2003, and up to 2009; and that was when the leader of Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Yusuf was killed. And that was the beginning of the crisis.” With the caliber of weapons the Boko Haram members are using, according the President, the police alone cannot fight them. “Government will not sit down quiet and wait for some people to take up arms in any part of this country.” He said this will never happen, whether in the Niger Delta or any part of Nigeria. Speaking on the killings of sol-

diers, Jonathan said: “I have given directives to the security services that I don’t want to hear that one soldier is killed in the Niger Delta. I don’t want to hear that one soldier is killed in the South-East, or kidnapped. And I don’t want to hear a soldier is killed in Borno State or any part of this country.” He said that the soldiers leave their family members, stay on roads and bushes to protect people’s lives and property. In his earlier remarks, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State said: “The decisions a leader has to take are sometimes very tough. Most often, the leader (President) knows what others may not know and painfully sometimes, he is not at liberty to explain what he knows because what he knows may not be too good to know.”

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

NEWS

Court Adjourns Ojukwu’s Family Suit Over Property To May 30 By Joseph Onyekwere USTICE Grace Onyeabor of JTinubu the Lagos State High Court, Square, has said her court will on May 30 hear a suit filed by three persons against the lateIkemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojugwu and five others over the management of about 19 properties in Lagos. The suit, which was filed when Emeka was alive is different from the one filed by Ojukwu’s children through their mother, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu. When the case came up

before Justice Onyeabor for hearing, counsel for the claimants, Dr. A.I Layonu (SAN) asked for a short adjournment. He said his junior who prepared the case lost his father. Besides, he said since the third defendant (Emeka) is dead, he would need to amend their statement of claim. Counsel to the defendants, Chief O. Ugolo (SAN) and Ifeanyi Okumah did not object to the application for adjournment and Justice Onyeabor adjourned till May 30 for hearing. The claimants in the suit are Ogbonna Ojukwu and

Associates (“a firm of solicitors and consultants”); Chief Debe Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Managing Partner of the “firm”); and Silver Convention (Nig.) Limited. They sued Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL), Prof. Joseph Ojukwu, the late OdumegwuOjukwu, Engr. Emmanuel N. Ojukwu, and Massey Udegbe (of Massey Udegbe & Co), an estate agent. The properties in dispute are 2A, Park Close, Apapa; 2B Park Close, Apapa; 4A Park Close, Apapa; 4B Park Close, Apapa; 13 Creek Road (Nnewi Building) Apapa; 58, Ibadan Street (West) Ebutte-Metta; and 38A

Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba. Others are 38B, Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba; 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba; 120 Agege Motor Road, Mushin; 15, Oshodi Street, Lagos; 196 Igbosere Road, Lagos; 14 Probyn Road, Lagos; and 4 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi. The rest are 30 Gerrard Road, Ikoyi; 19, Mekunwen Road, Ikoyi; 29 Queens Drive, Ikoyi; 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi; and Petrol Kiosk at Sabo, Yaba. The claimants sought a declaration that by virtue of a Management Agreement and a subsequent investment in the properties through an Estate Development

Agreement dated January 22, 1996, they have a vested and equitable interest in them, which is still subsisting. They urged the court to hold that regardless of the purported termination of the management agreement by “effluxion of time”, the claimants’ investment in the properties remain intact and un-discharged. The claimants prayed the court to direct the defendants to pay or reimburse them the aggregate sum of N500 million being commissions, dues, claims and reimbursements the first claimant is entitled to in line with the management agreement.

Aregbesola Rescues 10 Accident Victims In Lagos O fewer than 10 passengers N were on Friday rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos State, for urgent medical attention on the order of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun after they sustained various degrees of injuries in a serious road crash. Governor Aregbesola had left Ikeja on his way to Osogbo when his convoy ran into the scene of the accident involving two vehicles in which many passengers had sustained serious injuries at the Maryland Ikeja area of the state. It took the efforts of the Osun Governor who came down from his vehicle and led security men and other officials of his government in the convoy in an effort to pull out those trapped in the vehicles, which were involved in the accident. A commuter bus marked Lagos KRD 583 XC was said to have rammed into a BRT Bus marked 109 leading to many people especially in the commuter bus sustaining serious injuries. After the passengers were pulled out, Governor Aregbesola ordered that the injured passengers be taken to the hospital in the ambulance in his convoy and one other vehicle out of those in the convoy.

Imoke Assures On Projects Completion OVERNOR Liyel of Cross G River State has assured that all that projects undertaken by

A cross section of members of the Borno State Executive Council during a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Maiduguri yesterday.

Uzere People Absolve Ogomudia Of Plotting Evil Against Monarch, Preach Peace From Hendrix Oliomogbe, Asaba HE chieftaincy crisis in Uzere T Kingdom, Isoko South Local Council of Delta State may not have fully ended if the condemnation of a media statement credited to His Royal Majesty Isaac Udogri by some aggrieved members of his community is anything to go by. At an emergency meeting held attheTownHallyesterday,they stated that the current crisis rocking the community had nothing to do with politics but purely a disagreement between the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over a Memorandum of Understanding which led to a mass protest by the youths on November 29, 2011. They exonerated an illustrious son, former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alexander Ogomudia, from the crisis, advising that the entire people should learn to toe the path of peace and refrain from causing and making unfounded accusations in a bid to curry favour and sympathy from government. A statement issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the President General, Chief Owhe Emeakpo and the Secretary General, Mr. Genesis Ominabor, alleged that the embattled monarch “had spun this same baseless allegation and inputted political colouration in 2011 when the crisis first started just to secure the state government’s sympathy and

cover his evil deeds and atrocities against the Uzere people.” The people emphatically made it clear that the Labour Party (LP) candidate clearly won the 2011 election in Uzere ward in which the traditional ruler did not vote stressing that there was no way the former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alexander Ogomudia would have

descended so low to sending emissaries to the monarch to support his candidate. They emphasised that running from the truth was never a solution neither the futile effect to drag in the name of the former CDS who is both a national and international figure into the matter. The people, therefore, urged

the state government and the law enforcement agencies to abstain from being used to propagate evil and oppress the peace loving people of the community. Meanwhile the kingdom has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, Benin City, Saliu Argungu Hashimu, over the

recent invasion of the community by gunmen that led to the gruesome murder of one Mr. Omojele Idolor. They specifically accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) in charge of the council of instigating the latest crisis that claimed lives and property in the community.

Oshiomhole Lauds Jonathan On Aviation Reforms From Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, Benin City DO State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday at the Benin Airport, commended the Federal Government over ongoing transformation in the aviation sector particularly as it affects renovation of airports. The Governor spoke at the commissioning of the re-modelled Benin Airport by the Minister of Aviation, Princess

Stella Odua, where he appealed for the resurfacing the airport’s runway and provision of facilities to make the airport run for 24 hours. He said the Federal Government’s effort would go a long way in enhancing capacity and better air traffic. Commending the Minister of Aviation, Oshiomhole said change could only come about when those in charge recognise need for change.

“We belief that in a changing world, those who are ready for change are the ones that can move with it. In appreciating what you are doing hear, we are also appreciating the President, without whose go-ahead this project will not be complete,” he noted. Dignitaries at the ceremony included the Aviation Minister; Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodinma; Senator Domingo Obende; and

top officials of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Earlier, Managing Director of FAAN, George Uriesi said the capacity of the airport on traffic volume by the remodeled complex was also increased from 150,000 to 600,000 per annum. He also said plans were on to ensure that the facility was maintained and that the airport and others would compete with others across the world.

Lagos Warns Residents Against Heavy Rain And Thunderstorm In 2013 By Tunde Alao HE Lagos State Ministry of the Environment yesterday released the 2013 seasonal rainfall prediction, urging the residents to heed the warnings from the relevant agenciestoavoidanypossiblecatastrophe. Addressing newsmen in his office, the Commissioner for

the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, in the company of ministry officials, including the Permanent Secretary, Drainage Services, Mr. Muyideen Akinsanya, an engineer, warned residents of possible heavy downpour this year. According to Bello, the pattern of rainfall in Lagos and SouthWest states would not be differ-

ent from the 2012 predictions, noting that rainfall will commence in Lagos between first and second week in March, with a margin of error of three days. Besides, it has been predicted that the end of season for year 2013 rainfall is December 7, 2013, with a margin error of four days, which is between December 13 and 21.

“Therefore, members of the public should realise that Lagos seasonal prediction for this year is that Lagos will experience heavy rainfall of high intensity, with thunderstorm just like last year,” Bello said. He warned those that live in low level areas in the state to seek relocation pending the time rain would subside.

his administration would be completed on schedule. Speaking to journalists at the proposed site of the Tinapa Knowledge Centre (TKC) after undertaking an on-the-spot inspection of some projects currently under construction in Calabar metropolis, Imoke disclosed that government has been careful in choosing its projects. Projects inspected included the Margaret Ekpo Airport Bypass, landscaping of proposed Ikot Effanga Housing Estate, Calabar International Convention Centre, the Calabar International Convention Centre Access Road, and the Tinapa Knowledge City. The Governor explained that though the projects are quite extensive, the state has taken time in identifying them as well as sorting out their fundingtoensurethey aredelivered on time.

Music Star, Akon For Glo/CNN’s African Voices Show HIS week’s edition of T Globacomsponsored African Voices on CNN International will feature Senegalese born hip-hop super star Akon. A statement by Globacom explained that the choice of the music star by CNN as the guest on this week’s show is in line with Glo’s objective to showcase prominent Africans who have excelled on the global stage in different areas of endeavour. American-based Akon is a mega star in the music industry, a multi-platinum selling artiste, producer and entrepreneur. He is known for his collaboration with countless pop and hip-hop icons such as Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dog and Eminem.

THe GUARDiAn, Saturday, march 9, 2013

neWS Tourism To Generate $6.5 Trillion, 260 million Jobs, Says WTTC From Andrew Iro Okungbowa, Berlin He World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), one of the highest organs of the World Tourism Organisation (UnWTO), has said that tourism will continue to have a good run this year, predicting that its impact on global economy would lead to generation of $6.5 trillion and 260 million jobs, even as the Asia region retains its top spot as the leading driving force for global tourism. According to WTTC, countries of the world can no longer continue to ignore the importance of tourism and its impact on global economy as the industry has not only remained resilient in the face of world economic, environmental and political changes but also has gone on to churn out outstanding results. The historic international tourist arrival figure of 1.035 billion in 2012 is a notable proof of the importance of tourism. This development, WTTC said is expected to improve further with a growth rate of between three and four percent while in concrete terms it is expected to

Asia remains driving force generate $6.5 trillion and 260 million jobs with one in 12 of all jobs on the planet coming from tourism. The growing influence of trav-

Partnership Talk: nigeria Goes To india in June By Ajibola Amzat S global interest shifts to the Asia economies for trade expansion, investors from nigerian are gearing up to meeting their indian counterparts in new Delhi, india on June 7. The business communities in the two countries will be discussing trading opportunities and sustainable partnership. An epicentre of the economic power in the region, india’s trade with nigeria is worth about $17 billion in 2012, according to the authorities of india High Commission in nigeria. To deepen the bilateral relationship between the two British colonies, Perchstone

five-man Committee To Look into Religious Crisis in Taraba From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo five-mAn committee has been inaugurated by the members of the Taraba State House of Assembly to look into the immediate and remote causes of the recent religious crisis in Wukari Council of the state. A motion, which was earlier sponsored and moved by the Deputy majority Leader of the House, Daniel ishay Gani and supported by Hamman Adama, beckoned on the House to go extra mile in bringing to book perpetrators of the

heinous acts. Optimistic that at the “end of the day those found guilty would be dealt with” the sponsor of the motion, took steps further to call on the government to “look at the properties and lives that were destroyed with the aim of coming to the aid of the victims.” The House, according to Gani is not “in support of whoever is behind the crisis,” which he said led to wanton destructions of lives and properties, hence, the need to as a matter of urgency to bring to book “whoever that is indicted.”

Dead Bodies in imo: Police Command, Community Differ Over Claim From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri S the issue of the authenticity A of actual venue and number of dead bodies found last weekend in mgbirichi community in Ohaji/egbema Local Council of imo State continues to resurface, both the imo State Police Command and the community have continued to differ on the matter.

el and tourism as a driver of jobs, growth and economic recovery was for the first time in history recognised by the leaders of G12 in 2013.

While the newly posted Commissioner of Police in the state, muhammud musa Katsina, has maintained that only two bodies at their advanced stage of decomposition were found in a “gully” area in the community, some persons insisted that 10 fresh bodies were found in a river in the community by the indigenes of the area.

and Graeys, one of the leading law firms in nigeria will be organising its 7th Annual law Series (ALS) in new Delhi. Speaking at a press briefing organised by the firm, a senior partner in the firm, mr. Kunle Ajagbe said nigerian business community has a lot to learn from the success story of india while india also has much to learn to benefit from doing business in nigeria. “The rise of india as a significant source of investment into nigeria suggests it requires an even more collaborative effort to mutually take advantage of the unfolding opportunities.” He reminded the press that the relationship between the two countries dates back to the preindependence years. P&G, according to Ajagbe, is embarking on this project as a way of building greater synergy and understanding between legal and business communities and policy makers in government.

BeLLSTeCH Parents’ forum Holds Seminar O re-orientate parents on T new approaches to better educate their wards, the Bells University Parents’ forum (BUPf) is set to begin an annual seminar. The first in the series is billed to hold by 10.30am on Wednesday, march 20 at the main auditorium, neCA Complex, Agidingbi, ikeja, Lagos. With the theme, ‘Parenting in Tertiary education in the 21st century,’ the seminar would, among other things, encourage parents on commitments to their children and their roles as parents. A statement by the forum’s Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Oguntuase, says some of the resource persons for the seminar include former Director-General, fRCn, mr. Kelvin ejiofor, and Bells University Dean, College of natural and Applied Sciences, Prof. i. fowole.

Oil marketers Want fG To Address Scarcity in Ore Depot, Threaten industrial Action By Tunde Akinola He independent marketers Association of nigeria (iPmAn), independent marketers Board (imB) and Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) of Ore, Ondo State depot, have called on the federal government to appeal to the management of Pipelines and Product marketing Company (PPmC) to address scarcity of petroleum product in the depot or they would commence an industrial action that will cripple supply of oil in the zone. According to them, petroleum products shortage started when there was reduction in supply to the depots last year, compounded with the inces-

sant vandalisation of the major artery for system 2B at Arepo, Ogun State. The marketers in a communiqué signed by iPmAn Chairman, Chief Bode Olayinka, imB Chairman Kunle Ajulo and Chairman, PTD, Tunde Omoniyi, after a meeting yesterday said that the scarcity of products in their depots had led them to source products in the Apapa private depots, which has brought about additional cost in the procurement of these products, apart from the hardship the marketers have to go through. They said the supply of these products is not guaranteed to the marketers as some are still

having unloaded tickets for the past two months, which also translate to additional charges in the banks from which their working capitals were procured. The Unions noted that those that eventually get loaded are again at the mercy of the bad roads to convey their products home, and the evolving criminal trend of snatching petrol tankers by armed robbers on the high ways. “With all these problems associated with product procurement, it is virtually impossible to dispense Premium motor Spirit (PmS) at the government approved price of n97 per litre in places like ekiti and Ondo states.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday,March 9, 2013

Ogun Deputy Gov’s Wife, CBAAC Boss Urge Women To Be Exemplary By Gbenga Salau HE wife of the Deputy T Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Funmilayo Adesegun, yesterday, in Lagos emphatically maintained that women have not been performing their role of providing right parenting for children. She said this at a round table discussion to mark the 2013 International Women’s Day organised by the Centre for Black and Africa Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) in partnership with Vanguard Newspapers. The Director General of CBAAC, Prof. Tunde Babawale, pleaded with women to provide good examples for their children, especially the girl child. He called on government to make the law on violence against women tougher to discourage those who engage in violence against women.

NEWS

Opposition Parties’ Defects Bane Of Nigeria’s Democracy, Says Lamido From John Akubo, Dutse OVERNOR Sule Lamido of G Jigawa State has said that the major problem facing the nation’s democracy lays with the opposition, which he said, lacks coherent and consistent party structures. Lamido, who made the statement during the visit of the national leaders of Arewa Youth Forum, said such struc-

tural defect has resulted into opposition parties changing nomenclatures and logos at will without manifesting norms and tenets of democracy. The governor, who admonished the youths to avoid partisan politics, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has remained the only great party, which has encompassed ideologies of great parties in the

first and second republics. “The PDP in 1998 was the assemblage of Nigerian leaders across all divides and zones from Muslim, Christianity and paganistic background; whether they are Ibos, Fulanis/ Hausas and Yorubas. When we came together, we said how do we give Nigeria a political party which first believes in Nigeria’s well being. We also asked ourselves how do we give every

Nigerian access to power whether they are Christians or Muslims, southerners or northerners; a party where one comes from in terms of location or religion should not deny one the right to be a Nigerian president. “So, the guiding principle has do with what we as leaders need to do to restore hope for Nigerians, and to heal Nigeria along the various divides.It is a party for all Nigerians.

“ Almost everybody in 1998 was in PDP; some members of Alliance for Democracy (AD), late Bola Ige and I myself were members of the committee which worked the PDP constitution. Later on, something happened and AD members went on to form AD.” “So, the formation of PDP in 1998 was for Nigerian security and stability. That is why today, 13 years after, it is still PDP.”

‘SMEs Can Reduce High Unemployment Rate’ TOP flight industrial anaA lyst, Dr. Abdu Abubakar, has identified the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) as the platform that can address the high unemployment rate in the country. He, therefore, called on the government to open the business space by strengthening its capacity to grow the economy. Abubakar spoke at the 27th edition of MSME workshop organised by Diamond Bank Plc at the in Abuja. He said: “MSMEs are very critical to the success of any economy. Government and the bank need to do more for the SMEs as they are thebackbone of the economy. In other economies governments put policies in place targeted at SME to support them. Such must happen here if we are serious in tackling unemployment.”

Group Decries Foisting Of Surrogates On Councils, Market Unions From Chuks Collins, Awka NAMBRA State has been A described as the most undemocratic in the country, going by the indices and report presented at the just concluded two-day trainthe-trainers workshop organized by CLEEN Foundation. The workshop which was organized in conjunction with support from the Ford Foundation, for Town Union leaders and Development Associations in the state on Rights-Based Approach to Development noted with dismay a situation where the 21 councils, 52 markets and almost all the 177 communities in the state were run by handpicked surrogates and cronies of the state government, as unfortunate. The Foundation in its presentations, equipped and taught the delegates from various communities, councils and non-governmental organizations ways and measures with which to make government and its agencies work for them.

Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke (2nd left) accompanied by Commissioner for Works, Mr. Legor Idagbo and other aides inspecting the ongoing construction of the 1.7km channel two drainage which is nearing completion…Yesterday.

PDP Is Panicky Over APC Profile, Says Rep From Terhemba Daka, Abuja MEMBER of the House of A Representatives, John Dyegh (ACN- Benue) yesterday declared that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is unsettled by the progressand rising profile of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC). Dyegh, who made the observation during a chat with National Assembly Reporters in Abuja yesterday, said Nigerians should expect all manner of blackmail as well as character assassination attempts from the PDP against key leaders of the opposition as the countdown to 2015 begins. TheLawmaker dismissedcomments from the presidency alleging that members of the

opposition were collaborating against the general interest of the country. “These people (the presidency and the PDP) are just afraid of the positive revolution the APC is bringing to bear on this Country.They want Nigeria to remain stagnant so that business will continue as usual. But Nigerians are beginning to realise that their future cannot be left in the hands of a people who have clearly failed them.Things must change; we must look ahead of PDP in 2015, if Nigeria must progress,” he said. The lawmaker also alleged plots by the PDP to discredit the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. George Akume. According to him, some top politicians in the leading party

were busy laying landmines for Akume and other leaders in the opposition, as part of a bigger plot for 2015. He, however, assured that his party would work hard to emerge victorious in the 2015 elections. “We know that some people in high places in the PDP are afraid of the rising profile of Sen. George Akume and other lead-

ers of the opposition nationwide”, he said. He said he was also set to sponsor a bill to criminalise electoral offences in the 2015 elections and future elections. “As a way of discouraging malpractices in future elections, I am also sponsoring a bill called Electoral Offences Commission Bill.”

Scores Wounded In Osun Clash From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo HERE was confusion yesterT day in Osogbo,Osun state when students of Fakunle Comprehensive High School and Government Technical College engaged in a violent clash leaving scores injured in the process. It was gathered that the clash

was a spilled over of fight which ensued on Thursday, when some students of Government Technical College were attacked at a football pitch near Fakunle Comprehensive High School. One of the victims was said to havebeenhitwithametalobject on the head and bled profusely before he was rushed to a nearby hospital.

OPC, Ijaw Groups Want Yorubas To Work For Jonathan’s 2015 Ambition By Abioudun Fanoro HE Yorubas and the Ijaws T have been urged to align together to work for the return of President Goodluck Jonathan to power in 2015. This call was made yesterday by the leaders of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Faseun and the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IJG), Joseph Evah, when the Ijaw leader visited the OPC leader in Lagos in company of about 500 Ijaw women who represented different women groups. It is not yet known whether

the meeting was incidental or arranged as it came on the day the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) founded by the late Awolowo was being revived at the Century Hotel venue, where the Niger Delta delegation visited the OPC leader. To compound the apparent co-incidence, the Ijaw delegation brought with it a birthday cake souvenir bearing the picture of the late Yoruba leader to celebrate his 104th posthumous birthday. Faseun, who denied that the meeting to revive UPN was arranged to coincide with the

visit, however, pledged to use the platform to advance the rights of the minority. Faseun, while assuring the Ijaw group of the support of the Yorubas through his group, reminded the Ijaws of how the Yorubas were faithful to their promise in 2011 when, he said, Lagos State alone gave Jonathan over 70 per cent of the total votes cast during the presidential election. His words: “We have collaborated before, right from the unforgettable days of our leader and late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who at a time when nobody wanted to,

proudly and courageously took up the gullet to fight for the emancipation of the minority both in the North and in the South. Today, we are not doing anything new; we are only following the footstep of Papa Awolowo when we insisted in 2011 that it was time for the minority people of the Niger Delta to be president of Nigeria. The Yorubas are always for social-justice and equity; what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. President Jonathan’s second term’s aspiration is both legitimate and constitutional. Solidly we stand by him.”

ASUU President Flays UNIABUJA Authorities For Chasing Away Members From Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan HE National President of the T Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Nasir Fagge, yesterday accused the authorities of the University of Abuja of chasing away its members from their National Secretariat. The University of Abuja chapter had organised a public lecture to mark the 15th anniversary of the crisis-ridden institution where ASUU members were allegedly barred from using their national secretariat located within the premises of the institution’s permanent site. ASUU in a statement by its National President and made available to The Guardian in Ibadan noted with dismay the constant use of security personnel to violate the fundamental human rights of Nigerians, particularly on Nigerian universities. “When ASUU members got to the campus. We heard that there was a kangaroo senate meeting held in the university on Wednesday where the UNIABUJA chapter was asked to shelve the lecture. Consequently the university disallowed our members the use of ASUU National Secretariat located within the main campus of the University of Abuja. The lecture was eventually held at the Atlas Hotel Gwagwalada.”

tHE GUaRDiaN, Saturday,March 9,2013

NEWS Dabiri-Erewa Calls For Elimination of Violence against Women By Seye Olumide S the world marks the a international Women’s Day, a member of the House

Widow of late Abba Ogbodo [right] and Rev. Fr Gabriel Okpara during the “dust to dust’’ at the Grave side of Ogbodo in his home town at Okoto Ugboju, Benue State…yesterday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA

of Representatives, abike Dabiri-Erewa, who represents ikorodu Federal Constituency, lagos on the platform of the action Congress of Nigeria (aCN) has called for elimination of violence against women. in a statement issued in abuja to mark the international Women’s Day, Dabiri- Erewa bemoaned the increasing violence on women in the country. according to her, “it is quite gladdening that the House of Representatives has taken a major step in this regard by passing a bill for an act to eliminate all forms of violence against persons. the Bill sponsored by me, prescribes life imprisonment for rape and a minimum of 20 years for anyone involved or an accomplice in gang rape. “the bill also seeks compensation for victims of rape. it also

agbaso: imo Denies Report of Resignation, imo assembly Begins impeachment Process From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri S the issue of whether the a imo State Deputy Governor, Jude agbaso, has resigned or not continues to make round, Special assistant to Governor Rochas okorocha on Media, Mr. Ebere Uzoukwa, told the Guardian on Friday in owerri that no such letter has come to the notice of the state government. ina chat, Uzoukwaalsodiscountenanced the report by a daily (not The Guardian) that the Secretary to the state

Government, Prof. anthony anwukah, was quoted as confirming the resignation, as untrue, adding that the SSG has denied such. “it is not to our knowledge that the deputy governor has resigned, even the SSG said he did not grant any press interview on such, ” he said. as at thursday evening, agbaso’s offices, sources told the Guardian, was under lock and key with heavy presence of security operatives. trouble began when a petitioner and contractor accused the

deputy governor of demanding and accepting gratification of about N458 million to award contract for the execution of major roads going on in the state. the deputy governor also represented his boss, okorocha at Umudim, National Youth Service Corps at the swearing-in exercise of the current batch. on return, unconfirmed rumours of his resignation began to circulate Sources said the embattled agbaso would address the press between Friday and Saturday on

the issue. Meanwhile the imo assembly members on thursday began the impeachment process formally following the report of a six-man committee of the house headed by Simeon iwunze. the impeachment notice may have been served on agbaso. Majority leader of the house, Mrs. adaku ihuoma, (ahiazu Mbaise), Deputy Speaker, Donatus ozoemena (oru West), luke Chukwu (ohaji/Egbema), Eudora igwe (ideato South), Emeka offor

Nigeria to Partner Medical tourism association From Andrew Iro Okungbowa, Berlin o stem the tide of increast ing numbers of Nigerian seeking medical treatment abroad and capital flight, the Nigerian tourism Development Corporation (NtDC) is to enter into partnership with the Medical tourism association (Mta), an american-based non-profit organization, as the body has expressed strong interest in helping to brand Nigeria as a viable destination for medical tourism and check the influx of Nigerians of all ages and status from seeking medical care abroad. this formed the crux of agreement reached by the association and NtDC when the representatives visited the

Nigeria stand at the unfolding international travel and tourism trade exhibition – itB, holding in Berlin. the , which was led by it Executive officer, Jonathan Edelheit and Global Congress Manager, Cristina Cardona, revealed that the body, which has membership in over 100 countries across the world, is dedicated to promoting medical education and enlightenment through workshops, seminars and training sessions among others. they also said that they work through hospitals, medical personnel, health service providers, governments and tourism bodies in the realization of their aims. “our organisation works with governments and hospitals in over a hundred different

countries and we would like to help brand Nigeria and train personnel with a view to help bring in medical tourists to Nigeria,” said Edelheit. to this end, he said the body is through NtDC seeking to come into the Nigerian market to create awareness of it services and help to midwife the Nigeria branch of Mta, which will be saddled with the responsibility of helping various medical service providers and the government in creating and promoting a health and conducive environment for medical tourism to thrive in the country. “Medical tourism is a huge part of the tourism industry in Kenya and South africa and we would like to help Nigeria grow this sector and take

advantage of the huge opportunities,” he said. “one of the benefits is that it also helps the local population as there will be increased investment in quality, in expansion and infrastructure.” He explained that Nigerian hospitals would benefit from specialising in medical procedures that take advantage of the products and services that the country has to offer while also analyzing what types of patients from which specific markets to target. “Presently patients travel round the world looking for value, quality and affordability. What the Mta is offering is to come to Nigeria to provide education on where the country’s competitive advantage lies and help develop it,” Edelheit continued.

(Ngor opkala), ikechukwu amuka (ideato south), Dan Ndubuaku (orlu), acho ihim (okigwe), Victor Mere (owerri Municipal) and Ndunagu (Mbaitoli) signed. But issues unfolding indicate that forces loyal to both the duo of the Governor of the state, Chief Rochas okorocha and agbaso are busy pointing accusing fingers to each other. Meanwhile the all Progressives Grand alliance (aPGa) on thursday evening in a statement signed by Prince Marshal okaforanyanwu, accused the Presidency of fuelling the plot to impeach okorocha by allegedly giving $50,000 each to 12 imo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers to carry out the hatchet act. according to the statement made available to The Guardian, the lawmakers allegedly met with the Special adviser the President on Political Matters and the duo of the PDP’s Bamangar tukur and Chief tony anineh, to perfect plans to impeach okorocha. agbaso has been investigated by the House over a petition of a contractor in the state that while the deputy governor was doubling as the Commissioner for Works, took gratification of about N458 million to facilitate award of contract which its terms were allegedly not carried out. the Speaker of the house, Chief Benjamin Uwajimogu, told journalists that the house was on track by the investigation, adding that due process was observed. Uwajimogu is being rumoured of possible successor of agbaso.

ihejirika, Mark Mourn as ogbodo is Buried From Emeka Anuforo and Karls Tsokar HiEF of army Staff, lt. Gen. C azubuike ihejirika, yesterday sent his condolences to Guardian newspapers limited over the death of its assistant Political editor, John abba ogbodo. in a letter of condolence, ijejirika prayed God to give The

Guardian and John’s family the strength to bear the loss. “it is with heart and deep sense of loss that we received the news of your assistant Political editor, Mr. John abba ogbodo in an auto crash. “i pray that the almighty God grant you, the management and the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. once again, please accept our condolences.”

Kola olagbondiya , Special assistant ( Media) to Senate President, David Mark, described John as a son of the Senate President. the officiating priest, Reverend Father Gabriel okpara recalled how John took time to stop over in the community occasionally to bring gifts for widows. “ He struggled like every other man. He pursued the course like any other Christian. He did not

hide his identity with the Catholic Church. Celebrating the mass in his honour is a clear testimony that he did not shy away from the fate. “ in the last few years, he has been touching the lives of people, especially the widows, and it is in doing this that he showered that he was preparing his way to heaven. For allowing himself to be used to do charity, in line with the teaching of the master, Jesus, the Master

wouldbearwitnessforhiminhis kingdom.” abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian, Madu onuorah barely held back tears as he struggled to come to reality that one of finest writers at the Guardian was no more, forever. He spoke glowingly of what John stood for. “ this community has lost a son. The Guardian has last a son. i am here to lament the loss of a son. John was a great man.”

deals with domestic violence, political violence, harmful traditional practices, and protection of widows among others.” She said the bill also criminalises rape, gang rape, female circumcision, domestic and political violence, acid attacks and protection of widows. the lawmaker expressed optimism that the bill would soon be passed by the Senate and subsequently signs into law by the President. Dabiri-Erewa, however, congratulates the womenfolk all over the globe and asks them to remain committed to the protection of women dignity and emancipation of womanhood.

Students to Eschew Violence, Demand 26 Percent Budget allocation For Education From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia Wo groups of abia students t namely the National association of abia State Students (NaaSS) and Students of abia State University Uturu (aBSU) thursday stormed Umuahia, the state capital to make public their resolve to resist being used by politicians to cause breach of the peace in the state or in aBSU. While the NaaSS at a Press Conference at the NUJ Press Center addressed by its presidentComradeEzeibeJude commended governor theodore orji for his achievements in all sectors, they demanded that the state government allocates 26 per cent of its budget to education sector as prescribed by the UNESCo and recruit qualified professionals to man the sector. they said, boosting the students’ welfare would discourage them from being used for criminal acts by unscrupulous politicians. He also suggested award of scholarship and grant to students as a means of keeping them focused.

NaNSSU to Checkmate Restiveness in the North From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo atioNal association of N Northern State Students’ Union (NaNSSU) has started making effort to end the incessant upheavals especially in the northern p Machineries towards finding permanent solution to the incessant upheavals especially in the northern parts of the country which are often ignited by youths are to be put in place by arts of the country which are often ignited by youths. the union chairman, Jerry D. ishaya who made this known to The Guardian yesterday during a telephone interview, said the leadershipoftheunionhassetup five-man committee to look into the immediate and remote caused of the recent crisis in Wukari, taraba state and report back to the national headquarters of the union. on the crisis also threatening the National Union of taraba state Students {NUtaSS}, ishaya told The Guardian that even though the union is on top of the situation, the recognized caretaker chairman of the union in taraba state

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

AFRICA

Kenyans Wait For Final Election Results ENYA said it was deterK mined to complete the count yesterday in a tight presidential race that has put Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of his main rival Prime Minister Raila Odinga and in with a chance of outright victory. Kenyatta, deputy prime minister and son of Kenya’s founding president, has led since results started trickling in after polls closed on Monday. But he has swung above and below the more than 50 percent-mark needed to avoid a second round runoff. If he wins, it would pose a dilemma for Kenya’s big Western donors because he is due to go on trial at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the violent aftermath of the last election in 2007. Results from strongholds loyal to Odinga have closed some of the gap, but the outcome is still unclear with almost a fifth of constituencies still to report. Odinga could yet secure a runoff, provisionally set for April. Technical problems slowed down the count, which has been questioned by both sides but considered broadly credible so far by international observers. Kenyans have had to wait four days already and the result is likely to go down to the wire. “We are dedicated and determined that this process must end today,” James Oswago, chief executive of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, told

a news conference. The poll is seen as a critical test for Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy, after its reputation as a stable democracy was damaged by the bloodshed that followed the 2007 election. Much will rest on whether the final result is accepted, and whether any challenges take place in the courts or on the streets. By 9.15 a.m. yesterday with 10,312,347 total votes tallied, Kenyatta had 5,159,344 votes or 50.03 percent, to Odinga’s 4,516,660 or 43.80 percent, according to a display by the electoral commission. That was based on votes reported from 239 of 291 constituencies. The Kenyatta and Odinga camps have both raised concerns about the process, so legal battles could delay any run-off, heightening tensions in the divided nation. But this time, both sides have promised to turn to legal channels and keep the peace. International observers have said the vote and count have been transparent so far, and the electoral commission has promised a credible vote. Yet Kenyans are still in the dark about the outcome. The United States and other Western nations, big donors that view Kenya as vital in the regional battle with militant Islam, have already indicated that a victory by Kenyatta would complicate diplomatic relations. Kenyatta, son of former president Jomo Kenyatta, and his running mate, William Ruto, face trial at the International

alliances. Chris Mandumandu, a senior official in Odinga’s coalition, said the group was considering a legal petition to challenge the count, reflecting confidence in recent reforms to the judiciary that have made it more independent. When Odinga lost in 2007, he said he did not pursue a legal route because the judiciary could not be trusted. Resulting tensions spilled over into bloodshed. Many Kenyans say this vote A man waiting for the results of the election in Nairobi Criminal Court in The Hague 40 million people, and Odinga, on charges of unleashing 68, is a Luo. Neither can rely death squads after the 2007 solely on their own tribal supelection. Both men deny the porters to win and both have charges and have said they running mates from other tribes to beef up their support. plan to clear their names. Odinga’s camp raised the At this stage of the count, turnout is running at 72 per- strongest challenge to the cent of eligible voters, roughly process on Thursday, calling the level election officials had for counting to be stopped saysuggested it would reach, but ing it lacked integrity and there is still no clear picture of some results were “doctored.” In Odinga’s heartland of how many more votes have yet Kisumu city in western Kenya, to be tallied. Reflecting how voting tends to residents gathered in restaurun along ethnic lines rather rants, bus stations and shopthan ideology, constituencies ping centers to follow election in tribal strongholds of the proceedings on television, anxleading hopefuls often report ious to see if their man could results that show more than take the vote to a second 90 percent or more of votes round. going to one candidate. That “We are hoping to go for a means the remaining con- runoff,” said Joel Otieno, 42, stituencies to report could businessman without giving reasons. “I believe Raila stands have a big impact. Kenyatta, 51, comes from the a better chance in the runoff.” Analysts said a run-off would Kikuyu tribe, Kenya’s biggest ethnic community account- also be a close call as it would ing for about a fifth of Kenya’s prompt a reshuffling of

WORLD Latin America Leaders, US Foes Attend Hugo Chavez’s Funeral Chavez, including Cuba’s Raul Castro, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Ahmadinejad, looking emotional, hugged Jaua and pumped both fists in the air toward the Chavez loyalists cheering behind a fence in from the academy’s entrance. When he had landed early yesterday, the Iranian leader, whose nation’s nuclear program has angered the United States, said “Chavez will never die, his soul and spirit are alive in the hearts of fighters.” Lukashenko, once dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by the United States, smiled and pumped his left fist at the crowd. Castro, whose nation’s economy relies on cheap Chavez’ Venezuelan oil shipments to ATIN American leaders and “like Lenin” to rest in a glass cas- stay afloat, waved both hands ket in the military barracks and then held them together. US foes pumped their fists Chavez’s mother, Elena in support of a crowd of cheer- where he plotted a failed coup in 1992. Frias, raised her arms toward ing Hugo Chavez loyalists as Foreign minister Elias Jaua the cheering crowd, crying they arrived on Friday for the and a crowd of flag-waving and wiping her tears with a leftist leader’s state funeral white handkerchief.Leaders before the nation swears in an Chavez supporters greeted leaders who began to arrive at from Africa and the interim president. Caribbean were attending AFP reported that Venezuela the military academy for the funeral, which was supposed to the funeral but European has given a lavish farewell to the leftist firebrand, with hun- start at 1530 GMT.In the evening nations sent lower-level delegations while the United dreds of thousands of people Nicolas Maduro, who was Chavez’s vice-president, will be States will be represented by filing past his open casket its charge d’affaires and two non-stop since Wednesday to formally sworn-in as acting president and will call for elec- Democratic Party politicians. say goodbye to the man who tions, which are expected to be Spain sent the heir to the was worshipped by the oilconvened within 30 days. throne, Prince Felipe, while rich nation’s poor. Most Latin American leaders Russian President Vladimir His body will lie in state for seven more days and officials were attending the funeral, as Putin, a close Chavez ally, sent well as bugbears of the west his foreign minister, Sergei said his body will be long courted by the anti-US Lavrov. embalmed and preserved

Under Chavez Venezuela’s oil wealth underwrote the Castro brothers’ communist rule in Cuba, and he repeatedly courted confrontation with Washington by cozying up to anti-western governments in Russia, Syria and Iran. The former paratrooper, who died on Tuesday at age 58 after a long battle with cancer, will lie in state an extra seven days to allow him to be viewed by everybody who wants to. He will then be embalmed “like Ho Chi Minh, Lenin and Mao” and kept in a glass casket to be preserved “for eternity,” Maduro said Thursday. Maduro said the body will be taken to the “Mountain Barracks” in the January 23 slum that was a bastion of Chavez support, a facility that is now being converted into a Museum of the Revolution. It was there that Chavez had spearheaded what proved to be a failed coup against thenPresident Carlos Andres Perez on February 4, 1992. His arrest turned him into a hero, leading to his first of many election victories in 1998. But Maduro suggested that Chavez may one day be moved elsewhere, a nod to popular pressure for him to be taken to the national pantheon to lie alongside Latin American independence hero Simon Bolivar.

has been far more transparent. One international observer told Reuters: “I have seen nothing to indicate that the election is not credible.” The Kenyan shilling has swayed against the dollar, gaining on reassurances of a smooth counting process and buckling on concerns that delays in announcing a winner would prompt rivals to challenge the election outcome. Analysts said a run-off would unnerve markets by prolonging the uncertainty.

Thousands March In Egypt’s Port Said Over Deaths HOUSANDS of Egyptians thrown from terraces, witnessT packed the streets of the Suez es said. Canal city of Port Said yesterday The confirmation of the verin protest at the deaths of local people in clashes with police and ahead of a court decision in a contentious football riot case. Rueters reported that violence has flared in Port Said since January, with protests over death sentences given to 21 local people in connection with a stadium riot in which more than 70 died. The football stadium deaths occurred last February at the end of a match between Cairo’s Al Ahly and al-Masry, the local side, and have been a flashpoint for protests across Egypt. Spectators were crushed when panicked crowds tried to escape from the stadium after a pitch invasion by supporters of alMasry. Others fell or were

dicts of those accused of involvement in the disaster is expected on Saturday in Cairo and could spark off more unrest in Port Said and the capital. A protester in Port Said died of a bullet wound to the head on Friday which he sustained in clashes with police earlier in the week, a medical source said. Another protester died during the night after violence on Thursday. Protesters holding flags chanted “With our blood we will redeem you, Port Said!” and “The people want to bring down the regime”, the signature chant of the demonstrators who crushed Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule in 2011.

Conclave To Elect Pope Expected To Start Early Next Week, Says Vatican OMAN Catholic cardinals R will decide later on Friday when to start their conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict and the secret gathering will most likely begin early next week, the Vatican said. Benedict’s surprise abdication last month has drawn most of the world’s cardinals to Vatican City for discussions on the problems facing the 1.2 billion-member Church, and to decide on the profile of the man they want to take charge. There is no clear favorite to take the helm of the Church, which faces an array of problems following Benedict’s rocky, eight-year reign, ranging from sexual abuse scandals to internal strife at the heart of the Vatican administration. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said cardinals would vote later in the day on when to seclude themselves in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave balloting, with a decision expected soon after 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). “I believe that it will start in the first few days of next week. They certainly won’t decide to start tomorrow or on Sunday, but they could choose Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday,” Lombardi told reporters at a daily news briefing. A total of 115 elector-cardinals, all aged under 80, are expected to take part in the elaborate Sistine Chapel ritual, which will continue until one man receives at least a two-thirds majority, put at 77 votes. Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man was the last of the elector-cardinals to come to the

Vatican, arriving on Thursday. He joined about 150 cardinals of all ages who are discussing the state of the church before the conclave, in preliminary meetings known as general congregations. Vatican officials have put pressure on those present not to divulge the content of those discussions, but leaks continue to appear in the Italian press, with La Stampa daily reporting that criticism of the Vatican bureaucracy continued to surface. Lombardi said about 100 cardinals had taken the floor since the formal meetings started on Monday, adding that important informal conversations were also being held on the sidelines. The cardinals have made it clear they want a quick conclave to make sure that they can all return to their dioceses in time to lead Easter celebrations - the most important event in the Roman Catholic calendar. Vatican insiders say the longer the general pre-discussions go on, the easier it should be to establish the best candidates to take the helm, possibly shortening the eventual vote. Pope Benedict was elected in little over a day after just four rounds of voting, while his predecessor, Pope John Paul, was elected after eight ballots spaced out over three days. Cardinals were traditionally locked into areas around the Sistine Chapel, famed for its Michelangelo frescoes, and not allowed out until they chose a new pontiff.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

METRONOTES

Insanity, Birth, Death…14 days After Badia Demolition By Debo Oladimeji ESPITE is yet to come to the people whose R houses were destroyed by the Lagos State Government at Badia East Local Government, Lagos penultimate Saturday. Most of them were sighted sleeping outside on Wednesday night. They spread their mattresses outside on the ground with or without bed sheets. Others were sleeping on broken beds and nets with mosquitoes coils everywhere. Others kept vigil praying that there should be no rain. Some of then now resorted to drinking possibly to drown their sorrows. Mr. Ganiyu Fatai, the people’s representative was busy collecting names of the victims with the hope of possible compensation from the government. Others were seen huddled round a nearby banner of the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme(Lagos Homes) 1008 Housing Estate, Ijora Badia comprising beautiful houses with well-laid out motor parks. “So the government is planning to construct new houses for the rich people on our land!” said somebody in the crowd. A woman with some mental challenges (Iya Ikale) was sighted half-naked talking to herself. Her anger was against the government who had demolished her dwelling. She kept lamenting that the government is insensitive to the plight of the poor. But there was nobody to listen to her except the officials of the Nigeria Police who were guarding the place. Unconfirmed reports speak of another woman who ran mad soon after the demolition. She had reportedly been taken away by her people. But as neither name nor address of the alleged victim could be provided by those who claimed to know of the case, the report may be false. However, there is the confirmed report of 62year-old Ekosanmi Itunu who died on Thursday. Ironically, “Ekosanmi” means “Lagos has favoured me”. Her only son, 29year-old Samuel Zimson, said she died of “cardiac arrest” according to doctor’s report. She died around 4.30am in her uncle’s house. “We have lost everything. Let the government come to our aid. So that we can start a new life,” Samuel said in tears. Sister of the deceased, Abooluwa Adesuyi, disclosed that her sister died suddenly. “She complained of fever and suddenly her blood pressure rose in the night and she later started gasping for breath. Before we could rush her to the hospital, she gave up the ghost,” she lamented. She also wants the government to support them to get money to take the body of her sister to Ondo State for burial. Another victim of the demolition, Adekemi Olarenwaju 28, from Ondo State, was met on her sick bed in her shed. Her mother, Abiye Osindele, said the illness worsened after the demolition exercise. Her mother who took The Guardian to her shed, was already losing hope as she did not know what will happen next: “Last year December, she was diagnosed with HIV at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Yaba. She was given necessary treatment after which she regained her health. Unfortunately, the sickness started again after the demolition ... She has been surviving on proceeds from her houses which she rented to tenants. But all her means of livelihood is now gone and she does not know where to start all over again. “They are asking for her cards at the hospital but they were all destroyed during the demolition of her house,” Osindele said. Osindele wants the government to do whatever it can to save her daughter from death. “I have been living here since 1973. There is no money to take her to another hospital,” she said. In spite of it all, a brave baby girl came tumbling out of the womb. Life must continue… The mother, Mrs. Joy Ezenwe, delivered the girl on Tuesday night around 8pm. She recalled. “I delivered outside while I was looking for where to sleep. I used to deliver in the hospital. But this one just came suddenly. I now have three females, one male. My daughter will be named Favour due to

Ezenwe

I delivered outside while looking for where to sleep. I used to deliver in the hospital. But this one just came by emergency… My daughter will be named Fa**** due to the circumstances of her birth the circumstances surrounding her birth,’ she said. Nzenwa is from Delta State but her husband is from Imo State. “I am calling on well-meaning Nigerians to help us because I have been sleeping in a shed with my baby since I delivered on Tuesday,’ she said. She is now thinking of how to get accommodation for her baby and other children: Patience, Sunday, (students of Iponri High School) and Onyechi who is in Adenike Nursery and Primary School, Badia. In the same vein, Eniola Ayanfe, a pregnant woman is calling on the government to come to their aid so that she will not have an emergency delivery. “My husband travelled. We have been homeless. This is the second time that the government will pull down our house. They demolished our house at Oyingbo that was why we came here. Then now they destroyed our house again. My children (three of them) are now homeless. I am a Nigerian. We bought our land from the late Baale in a swampy area and we spent out money for sand filling,” she said. Alhaji Wada Ismail, 55, spokesperson for the Hausa community recalled that he has been living in the community for one year and two months. “They drove us from Breweries to this place last year. We cleared the place and made the place habitable. Now they came and demolished everything and they broke our shops and we had to

Zimson

There is the confirmed report of 62year-old Ekosanmi Itunu who died on Thursday. Ironically, “Ekosanmi” means “Lagos has favoured me”. Her only son, 29-year-old Samuel Zimson, said she died of “cardiac arrest” according to doctor’s report. She died around 4.30am in his uncle’s house. take the animals we are selling to Alaba. We want the government to assist us and provide for us an alternative accommodation. We would have gone back to the North but we don’t have money to relocate,” he said

Ekosanmi Itunu who died of “cardiac arrest”

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

OVERLAPPING WORD GAME with OLULANA KAYODE O8023183727 olulana3@yahoo.com Starting from the square numbered ‘1’, fill in the first word, writing from left to right. Also fill in the second word, starting in the box numbered ‘2’ You will observe that the second word will overlap the first word. Also, the third word will overlap the second word and so on. Keep on filling the words in a clockwise direction until all the squares are completely filled, using the clues/ definitions below:

Overlapping Word Game ‘15’

Solutions To Overlapping Word Game ‘14’

1. Manage shrewdly 2. Situated at the side 3.Former Kwara State Governor 4.The capital of the United Kingdom 5.Smelling organ 6.Withdraw formally from 7.A great flood 8. Amiable and tender 9.Wastage 10.Citizen of Germany 11.A cloak 12.Governor Sullivan Chime's State 13.Put into service 14.One who edits for publication 15.Assign to 16.Send back to custody 17.Vulnerability to risk 18.A borough in S.E. London 19.Mission 20.Argue about 21.Cause to be strongly disposed 22. Tribulation 23. Bodily bile-secreting organ 24. A crafty stratagem

1.INFINITE 2.TERRIBLE 3.LETHAL 4.ALLEGE 5.ECHO 6.HONEST 7.STUMBLE 8.BLENCH 9.CHAPEL 10.LATTER 11.TERRAIN 12.INTRA 13.AGO 14.OPTICAL 15.ALLUDE 16.DERIVE 17.EDUCATE 18.TENTATIVE 19.VERNAL 20. LEAGUE 21.ELECT 22.TEDIOUS 23. SHAPE 24. EXIT

By Bayo Ogunmupe\ 08034673443 http:/ogunmupe.blogspot.com

On The Path Of Winners

Take charge of your life O you feel you no longer control D your own life? That life is running you instead of you running it? That happens because you are on the passenger’s seat, conforming to people, events and circumstances. They are in the driver’s seat, not you. No wonder your frustration level is high, and your contentment level is low. “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its own mould,” (Romans 12:2). If you are feeling squeezed, you have two options: One, remain a conformer or become a transformer. You either choose to stay in the passenger seat or you get behind the wheel. The Bible says, “Do not be conformed to this world,” (Romans 12:2). Therefore, be transformed into the proactive, faithdriven person Jehovah meant you to be. Two, take charge of your life by renewing your mind through study and meditation. Instead of struggling to change people and circumstances around you, change how you think and your self-talk. To renew in Greek means to align your thoughts with God’s. Abandon your self-defeating thoughts, adopt the “can do” spirit. Jehovah says, “You are, you can and you certainly will be able to,” because of His indwelling power. John writes: “This is the victory that conquers the world our faith,” (John 5:4). Go to God’s word, discover what He says about the things that intimidate and control you, then pull the plug on them. The message to you today is, “Don’t be afraid, I am your God I will make you strong, I will support you,” (Isaiah 41:10). Align your thoughts with God’s thoughts. Get to the driver’s seat and take charge of your life. We don’t hear of Abraham Lin-

Pope Emeritus Benedict

coln’s failures because his victories were so immense. Indeed, for much of his life, the odds were stacked against him. His mother died when he was nine. In 1832, he lost an election to the Illinois State Assembly. In 1849 he was rejected as Commissioner for Lands. He lost Senate races in 1855 and 1858, and in between failed to win a vice presidential nomination. However, his most painful losses were the death of his four-year-old and twelve-year-old sons. Born in the bushes of Kentucky, Lincoln had only a few months of blab school, that’s a school without books in which students repeated the

teacher’s words. He taught himself mathematics, read the classics and worked on his writing, using the bible as his model. His philosophy was: “I will study and prepare, and when the time comes I will be ready.” He told a friend, “Bear in mind, your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” His Gettysburg Address is one of the most notable speeches in history. During the darkest days of the Civil War, he said, “I do the very best I know how, and I mean to keep on doing it to the end.” Like Lincoln, Saint Paul didn’t say, “None of these things hurt me,” he said, “None of these things move me.” Big difference. Paul refuses to let life’s problems derail him. He understood that what happens in you is more important than what happens to you. He also understood that when you look to Jehovah as your model and draw strength from the Almighty each day, He will give you all that is needed to overcome adversity. Finally, “And David said, with longing, ‘oh that someone would give me water from the well of Bethlehem’.” So three mighty men broke through the Philistines’ camp, drew water from the well, gave to David. But he would not drink it (2Samuel 23:15). The lessons here are, one, you must surround yourself with capable people. Beware of those who are only for what they can get out of you. But David’s followers had only one thing in mind: to serve their king and promote his kingdom. Two, you must refuse to settle for less than the best. The men risked their lives to get David a cup of water. Yet David poured it on the ground before the Almighty, saying: I refuse to settle for a cup, I want the well. I must be connected

to the life source. So, stop treating God like a caretaker you call when you are in a mess. Don’t go to God for a miracle, go for a relationship, become God’s friend, then you can walk in His miraculous provisions daily. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” Psalm 91:1. Instead of commuting in and out, stay in contact with God and all that he has will be available to you. Our champion today is Edmund Phelps, the American economist who won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Economics. He was awarded the prize for his thesis, which intensified our understanding of he relation between short-run and Long-run effects of economic policy. His works clarify unemployment problems. Phelps was born in July 1933 in Evanston, Illinois, USA, but he was raised in Hastings, News York. In 1951 he was admitted as an undergraduate to read Economics in Amherst College. During this time, he was influenced by prospects of applying analysis to business. He graduated from Amherst in 1955 and shifted to Yale University where he got his PhD in 1959. In Yale, he interacted with Nobel laureates like James Tobin and Thomas Schelling. His thesis established that demand shocks have the higher influence than cost shocks. Thereafter, Phelps worked briefly with the Rand Corporation. But soon after, he returned to academics to be more focused on research. His brief sojourn at the Cowles Corporation in 1960 produced his famous paper on savings rate. In 1996, Phelps joined the University of Pennsylvania as professor and his 1968 paper on Money-Wage Dynamics and Labour Market Equilibrium was published. In 1982, Phelps was appointed the Mc Vickar Professor of Political Economy at Columbia University, New York. The book he published there in 1985: Political Economy formed the basis for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2006.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

METRONOTES

Ladipo Market: Waiting Continues, As Business Suffers Two weeks ago, Lagos State government shut down Ladipo Market for allegedly contravening environmental sanitation law of the state. The closure has left traders stranded and customers confused. AJIBOLA AMZAT captures the experience and temperament of traders as the market remains under lock and key. N both sides of the Oshodi-Isolo Expressway, O young adults were seen standing and gazing toward a noisy bulldozer pulling down a block of shanty structures. Formerly, these contraptions were shops owned by auto spare parts dealers in Ladipo Market, Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos State. Not anymore. On Monday morning, the Bakassi Peninsula, a section of Ladipo market lay prostrate under the heavy weight of the crawling monster. The grey dust, generated by the rumble, dispersed over a wide canal nearby and settled on the putrid water in a gentle fall. The same canal has been the object of controversy between the Lagos State government and Ladipo traders. Several times, Alausa had blamed the traders for degrading the environment through their regular assault on the government infrastructures including the big canal and the tarred roads around the market built with several millions not long ago. It is not untrue that Ladipo Market, considered as the largest auto spare parts markets in sub-Sahara Africa, has been an eyesore. The canal indeed is a cesspool where black oily water courses unhurriedly over the decay of dead dogs, goats, cats, rats and, sometimes, dead human beings. According to the government, warnings of possible closure of the polluted market are unheeded by traders. But the traders denied this. “We clean this market every Thursday of the week, and every last Friday of the month,” says the Chief Welfare Officer of the market, Ajuluchukwu. The traders who spoke to The Guardian also confirmed Ajuluchukwu’s statement. “We recently conducted a massive environmental sanitation exercise here. But what happened later? We came on a Monday and discovered that our shops are under lock and key with policemen and soldiers dangling guns menacingly at the traders as if we are criminals. We are no criminals here, we are businessmen,” an elderly man who has been trading in Ladipo market for many years said. As the heavy machinery continued trudging on the fallen walls of the market stalls, on-looking traders kept a dismal face; faces telling stories of losses and helplessness. Rooted to the same spot, perhaps by their grief or the fear of viciouslooking uniformed men, the sad spectators could only throw verbal salvo to the armed men from distance. “An-n-o-i-y-a! How many of you can feed your family without running errand for stupid government,” said a man with a chest like amour plate. The crest of Manchester United club stood bold on the blood-red jersey he wore –it is not unlikely that the man, like many other Nigerians, is a fan of the European football. Several other traders hauled invectives at the agents of the state. But mum was the word from the object of derision. Notwithstanding, the traders knew better than to come closer. The dread of trigger-happy Nigerian Police men is the beginning of good judgment. Stories of police brutality are told in many homes in Nigeria. About seven years ago when Ladipo market was closed down also on the alleged contravention of the state’s environmental sanitation laws, the traders went berserk and confronted the security men sent by the Lagos State government. Not only were the traders made to stay at home for more than three months before their shops were re-opened, there were also many casualties of violent assault. According to the authorities of the market, more than N3 billion was lost during the trading hiatus in addition to the blood spill. Now, the spare parts traders are wiser. “We don’t want violence again, we just want to be able to do our business in peace,” said a trader who identified himself as Sir Young Technical. The market has been closed down for about two weeks ago, but traders would not observe the stay-at-home condition the market closure forced on them. Rather, they prefer to gather everyday by the roadsides gazing at their shops from distance. “I can’t stay at home doing nothing,” a trader, Austin, told The Guardian. But what does it profit Austin and other traders like him who come everyday to stand by the roadside? Why can’t they take a rest at home for

The canal traversing Ladipo market few days? It was not long before the answer came. A customer who appeared unaware of the market closure wanted to buy some spare parts. Promptly, a twosome who smelled ‘market’ from a distance away approached him. “Customer, come here, wetin you wan make I find you.” Obviously, these traders have their goods close by, the reporter reasoned. But that was not so. Instead, it turned out that the traders had some agreement with the policemen on duty to allow them assess their shops in return for monetary gratification. And through the ingenuity of the police officers on duty, an arrangement was made that allowed some middlemen – chosen among the traders – to supervise the transaction on behalf of the police, so that the infraction is not discovered by their visiting superiors, or if it is discovered, they have some alibi. Day by day, these transactions mature into extortion racket. But the traders don’t mind as long as they are able to sell few wares and earn some income. While The Guardian reporter was speaking to one of the traders about the extortion racket, a policeman watching from a distance approached him and this discussion ensued. Police officer: Sorry, may I know you sir? The Guardian reporter: I am a journalist Policeman: Your ID card, sir? (Shown) Policeman: Why are you speaking with this people without speaking to us first? The Guardian reporter: Well, I have not broken any law by speaking to traders, have I? Policeman: But you have to speak to the officers on duty first. The Guardian reporter: Sure, I am going to speak to you, but I want to speak with the traders first. Policeman: That was wrong. The Guardian reporter: Charge me to court. Policeman: I am not going to charge you court, but what you did was wrong. …And he stomped away angrily. Later, when The Guardian reporter approached the police post and asked them about collecting money in order to allow traders bring out their wares for sale. They denied, and directed the journalist to go to Alausa to interview the Chairman, Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences. Meanwhile, Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola has assured the Igbo leaders who visited him that Ladipo market would be reopened as soon as the traders pull down all the illegal structures, sanitize the environment and present environmental programmes through which the market will remain in sanitary condition at all times. The traders have obliged and the work has started. But how soon will Ladipo be re-opened? That answer lies between the commitment of the traders to the hygiene of Ladipo market and the readiness of the Lagos State government to keep the largest auto spare parts markets in Africa a hum of activity. While the wait lasts, the multi-billion bucks business suffers. And both parties are the losers. While traders lose profits, the government loses taxes. But it may be a good loss if, in the end, Ladipo market is saved from its daily decay.

PHOTO: CHARLES OKOLO

Ladipo market after demolition

Ladipo market traders on the Oshodi-IsolPo expressway

PHOTO: AJIBOLA AMZAT

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

NEWSINTERVIEW

Boko Haram Amnesty:

We Should Embrace These little Windows, Says Kukah Bishop of Catholic Diocese Of Sokoto, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, in this interview with SAMSON EZEA, speaks on the call for amnesty for Boko Haram members by the Sultan of Sokoto and the criticisms trailing it. What is your reaction to the call by Sultan of Sokoto for the federal government to grant amnesty to Boko Haram as a way of curbing their insurgency and the criticisms that trailing it, especially from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), of which you are a member? WIll answer you as an individual, but I am also wearing three caps as far as this issue is concerned, and I will speak to each of them. First, I am a Nigerian. The Boko Haram insurgency has made all of us victims, as a country and as a community and we must deal with the problem holistically and reject the imprisonment of sentiments and politics. We must pursue what can help us end it. As a Nigerian, whatever we need to do to end this tragedy, I will fully support it, irrespective of the agency. As a Christian, I know that the practice of my faith is tied to the peace and security of my country. My faith and my Saviour have pointed out to me that forgiveness is the ultimate basis of my belief. No amount of pain and suffering can undermine my commitment to forgiveness and that is why I say the lord’s Prayer every day with a deep sense of humility. What we have suffered in the hands of Boko Haram is suffering based on agents of evil and we must separate them from the faith they claim to believe in. Christians, Muslims and foreigners have all suffered and they have not suffered because of their faith, but because of the failure of the Nigerian state. I am not sure what kind of revenge we can have against Boko Haram if we do not bring them to justice first of all, and I think this might be a first step. So, let us see how it goes. Finally, I am a member of the committee set up by the Northern governors, whose statement the Sultan is supporting. When you negotiate, you do not put limits immediately. If asking for amnesty is on the list of demands by the members of Boko Haram, I have no problem with that until they have come to the table. In principle, there is no guarantee that they will get the amnesty, because it is prerogative of the negotiator to lay down his (or her) own conditions. Those conditions will be debated and finally, we will make recommendations to the authorities that will then decide. When you enter a plea, the Judge’s response will be based on the evidence before him and this evidence has to be weighed. So, I cannot by reflex say that we should reject amnesty, because we have not seen the other conditions and even the President knows that he cannot declare amnesty just by fiat. It will take further negotiations, laying down of conditions and so on. Even the (Boko Haram) members themselves who stepped forward said those of them who

The door has just opened and we have not even reached the sitting room, not to talk of sitting down, so I do not know how anyone can reject what has not been clearly offered.

are guilty of any crimes should be tried. How can you have a problem with that? The door has just opened and we have not even reached the sitting room, not to talk of sitting down, so I do not know how anyone can reject what has not been clearly offered. We should, at least, even confirm if these people are who they say they are and so on. This turn may lead us to the highway, or it may lead to a cul-de-sac. But we cannot reject it outright. What is the justification for such amnesty, considering that the sect members are faceless? Just like other things in Nigeria, we take a concept and it enters the popular lexicon. What do you mean faceless? Can faceless people be on the Internet and the media? It is a different thing if we have no capacity to find them, but Boko Haram has never been faceless. Perhaps we can say we have been looking in the wrong place. The world believed that Osama Bin laden was faceless. Today, where is he? Read the book on the killing of Osama titled, No Easy Day and you will see that where there is a will, there is a way. In Nigeria, there is only a shortage of capacity, political will and competence on our part. As you can see, we prefer to steal incredible sums of money, give out and embark on selfserving projects of dubious relevance. But, for your question, the report said there was a meeting with members of our committee in Government House, Maiduguri and that the man who led them says he is the second in command and will try to persuade their boss, (Mallam Abubakar) Shekau, to also repent. What kind of face do you want again? All these individuals who kept claiming that they were ready to negotiate with Boko Haram, how did the government deal with them? Did they not know the face of Boko Haram? Why such call for amnesty now after the sect had done and is still doing terrible damage to lives and property? Good question! If they have asked for amnesty, the next step is to ask them to step forward, put down their arms and bring forward all the information they have. It is the business of government to lay down its own conditions for amnesty before any talks start. They must be made to show clear remorse and evidence of that. They have to renounce terror, as evidence of their repentance. As it is with us in the Catholic Church, a mere confession of sins and admission of sin is not enough to guarantee forgiveness by the priest. You have to show remorse and say that, by the grace of God, I will not sin again. Verifiable conditions will then be laid and you develop timelines and other strategies for testing veracity and honesty. Good intelligence should help us assess their strength of weakness and judge if this is the last gasp of a dying donkey. So, we are still a long way ahead and that is why we must also be cautiously optimistic. But I do not think we should reject

In Nigeria, there is only a shortage of capacity, political will and competence on our part. any chance after it has been weighed carefully and professionally. Why is it now that Sultan and other traditional rulers in the North are waking up to the reality that the North is being deserted because of Boko Haram activities? Be fair! The Sultan, along with other traditional rulers, have been consistent from day one in calling for an end to all this and condemning Boko Haram as not being a representation of their faith. That much I can say for him and others. He does not command an army and all he has is a voice. As for the traditional rulers, count what has happened to the various Emirs who have had their palaces destroyed, their lives directly endangered and the climax being the Emir of Kano and you will think again. Traditional rulers are non-state actors and we must appreciate the fact and stop trying to conscript them to do a job that a failed state is incapable of doing. Boko Haram is the final dreg of the wine of

kukah

the corrupt elite that has governed Nigeria from the military till date. It is a mark of all that is wrong with a state, whose arms have been frozen by the arthritis of corruption. look at the huge billions that the government is spending on useless structures that are too self-serving to be of use to the country and its people. The north may be deserted, but on a larger scale, Nigeria is suffering some form of desertion and that is why this problem is a national one. If elite corruption persists, none of these violent groups will end their perfidy and assault on what is left of the Nigerian state. Why should the sect give conditions for a ceasefire, if truly they deserve amnesty? I see their conditions as raising a flag of surrender. Clearly, these young people are war weary and they have become prisoners to forces beyond them. Many of them are actually victims of these dark forces to whom they are hostages. There are changes taking place around the world, but especially in their areas of operation, and clearly they are being severely disrupted and weakened. As for conditions, if your wife leaves you on grounds of domestic abuse or infidelity and you want her back, should she not ask for conditions and evidence that you have changed and serious? Again, I think we should embrace these little windows and see where they lead us. Those who have lost their lives will not come back, no matter what happens. It is the responsibility of a serious government to determine what cause of action it will take and how best it will address the issues of those who have lost their lives and how best they can be compensated or at least have their grief ameliorated. Either way, despite these trials, as Christians we can never compromise on forgiveness. Forgiveness is not drained of justice and revenge not a guarantee of justice. Finally, the rumbles of 2015 are now compelling the elite to re-organise the architecture of power and to seek consensus on the rules of engagement. Boko Haram was the product of bad politics. I can only hope that we do not allow politics to hamper an end to a scourge that has become a cancer.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 2, 2013

DEVELOPMENT HE sixth Forum For Agriculture (FFA), held at T The Square, Brussels, on Tuesday, ended with capitulation by the Europeans on some key issues. The first came after the impressive presentation made by Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Africa’s new way for food production and economic development. FFA has become, to Europeans, a “Davos for agriculture,” as one of the speakers said at the event. As European countries set the pace for themselves on the future of their own agriculture, a discovery at Brussels shows that Africa is one of the solutions they are considering, as one of the leading speakers noted that “there are a lot of complementarities between Africa and the EU.” This brought Nigeria into focus as it addresses its own peculiar agricultural challenges and prospects. And that opportunity was amply utilised as Dr. Adesina sought to convince Europe of the prospects ahead for Africa in agriculture. Franz Fischler, Chair of Forum For Agriculture 2012 and chairman of Rise Foundation, agreed that the future of agriculture in Africa is bright. In his concluding remarks, Fischler said he was impressed by the optimism expressed by Dr. Adesina on the future of African agriculture. He said he became convinced after listening to the minister, although he stressed that the EU agricultural stakeholders had been pessimistic before now. Joris Relaes, Director of Cabinet at Cabinet Minister-President Kris Peeters, told the gathering of farmers, scientists, agribusiness operators, EU policy makers and government representatives that “transition towards bio-economy is already happening.” He estimated EU’s bio-economy as being worth €2 trillion. He reckoned that “every euro invested in bio-economy now will yield 10 euros in 2025.” Bio-economy involves a production system that uses biological systems, one of which, prominently, is genetic engineering. Bio-economy is expected to lead to a reduction in carbon dioxide, it was agreed at the forum. And Mr. Relaes concurred that genetic modification cannot be avoided if bio-economy is to grow. He emphasized that bio-economy is “knowledge-based” and “would require investment and innovation to grow.” If issues discussed were not put into vote, it could easily have been concluded that Relaes expressed only his own opinion. At voting time when four key issues considered as urgent priorities were tabled, a greater number of participants, standing at 31 per cent of voters, voted in favour of a shift in stance, accepting wide-

EU Farmers, Consumers Shift Ground on GM Foods, Intensifcation …As Nigeria Makes Good Showing At Agric Forum in Brussels

spread application of new technologies, including genetic modification as the most urgent options of solutions to European agriculture, going forward. Europe has hitherto been very rigid on application of genetic modification in agriculture. Dr. Sara Nigro, explaining Syngenta’s involvement in the forum, said this was “big for awareness on public policy making to have interactions, debates and discussions on ideas.” According to her, it was nice to interact with stakeholders who are farmers and consumers in such a place, to know what their customers want on agricultural policy. This, she said, was “a good way to discuss, to create awareness on

lightly the issue of intensification. Again, De Castro, Chair of Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, European Parliament, noted rather unapologetically, that “sustainable intensification is the way to go.” He called for “more public investment in research and development,” arguing that the private sector spends so much more than the public sector on R&D. Despite a call for intensification of agriculture as part of the theme of the conference, voting revealed a narrow difference (at 44 per cent) between those who want farm sizes to increase to enable economies of scale and those who are in favour of intensification (42 per cent) while 18 per cent of voters were undecided. Europe may well be backpedalling on earlier decisions on agricultural intensification, forced on them by rights activists. Allan Buckwell, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Environmental Policy, simply observed that battery cages farming in poultry and livestock cannot be wished away, especially as extensive farming puts pressure on land. This statement came against the backdrop of a dilemma on whether to open up more land for farming or to sustainably use existing agricultural land under intensification. It was agreed upon that intensification in crop farming is not the same as animal farming. And Janez Potocnik, EU Commissioner for the environment, concluded that “agricultural policy must work in favour of biodiversity, wastes and clihow farmers can interact with the environmate,” adding, “we must keep partnership ment.” between agricultural and environmental poliAccording to Dr. Nigro, “biotechnology can cies.” help protect farmers against losses and in the Franz Fischler reiterated what Bob Zoelick had conservation of genetic materials, especially earlier said, which is that “we are starting a new medicinal plants.” It can also help on “what era in agriculture.” And, in the coming onetypes of interventions are needed,” such as her- decade-and-a-half, “we can expect a steady bicide tolerance, disease resistance tolerance increase in commodity prices, volatility and and higher yields. “It could be introduced as a increase in prices.” This is because, as Fischler balance,” she said, “but the education of the pointed out, agricultural profitability in Europe people is key. It is good to get scientists to diswould not grow as EU increasingly a big percentcuss and explain why genetically modified age of its agricultural workforce. foods are safe.” The challenge, then, is how to sustainably intenAnother thorny issue in European agriculture sify agricultural production, taking the economy, also received a hard look. Europe is not taking ecology and social protection into consideration.

‘Africa Is The Past, Present And The Future’ N’dada Vaz is the Communications got million of people talking about it. We got great sponsorship. Nokia and Director of Social Media Week are our sponsors. Social (SMW), Lagos. The first SMW in Etisalat Media Week is about what is happenAfrica ended in Lagos recently. It ing locally. So the fact that local showcased the bright side of Nigeria brands like Etisalat are supporting Media Week is really important and Africa through social media. Vaz Social and we are proud about that. spoke with DEBO OLADIMEJI on What is your own understanding of what led to the SMW Lagos and the social media? Social Media Week is about how peoAfrican promise. ple are connected. How people are

HAT is the Social Media Week (SMW) Lagos all about? Social Media Week is in its fourth year. It is a global event happening in 10 cities across the world. This is the first time SMW will be held in Africa. We are very proud to bring it to Nigeria. It happens in 10 different cities at the same time. It focuses on how individuals, communities and organizations are using social media and technology to create change in the world. We thought it was very important to take a look at what Africans are doing with social media and technology; how Africans are using the new technology. More than anything, it was very important to put Africa in the conversation because Africa is such an important continent. Where is Social Media Week based? Social Media Week is a New Yorkbased company but again, it happens everywhere. It is a global thing that is happening but the first social media week started in New York. I have been here for two weeks already and I will be here till the beginning of March and hope to come back later in the year to get ready for the event in 2014. What is your assessment of the programme? It has been wonderful. So far, we have

talking about music, entertainment, arts, culture and politics. How people are using the tools that are available online, whether twitter, Facebook and all the other platforms, to create change in the environment and their work. Even to start businesses. There are so many ways people are using social media. Social Media Week is about exploring the way people are using social media. It is run by every day people. What has been your experience so far? I love Nigeria. I was joking the other day when I said I wanted to change my passport. I have had a wonder time here. I have met wonderful people. All kind of corporations are looking at Africa because Africa is what is next. For me, being a young AfricanAmerican, I am interested in where growth is happening. And growth is happening on the continent and I find that interesting. What we have been doing for the last couple of years is to help companies connect with young Africans using the new technology because we listen to a lot of African music. We want to show a new vision of Africa for the 21st century. We want to showcase that there are a lot of innovations and wonderful things happen-

ing in the continent. There is innovation, creativity. We have gone a long way in the United States and we believe that now is the time to come to Africa. 100 per cent of the programme were created by local people. We have over 105 of them and all of them are creative. People are really excited to showcase the innovation that is happening. How much did the programme cost? I am not privy to that information. I just build on the communication and just make sure that the right message is passed out to the people. Social Media Week is free for the people to attend. We cover the cost of the venue and all of that. Tell us the goal of the Social Media Week? The goal is to give the people in Nigerians and Africa a voice because social media is real, it is really happening. People are using twitter, Facebook. They are starting businesses and doing all kinds of amazing things with it. But Africa has not been talking about it in a big way up till now. Everywhere else, they are talking about what is happening in the technology sector. We want the world to know that Africa is doing amazing things. What do you think would be the impact of the social week? Right now people are watching what is happening in Lagos there in New York. We are here on a platform to show everyone what Nigerians and Africans can do with social media. Social Media Week happens twice a year, usually in 12 cities. This year, it is only in 10 cities: Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lagos, Miami, New York, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo Washington DC and Milan. Lagos is doing well in

comparison to the other nine cities. People are talking about social media. People are watching what Lagos is contributing to the conversation. Every year, over 60,000 people are paying attention. There are over six million people that are paying attention to what is happening during this week. Again, one of our missions is to spread good news about Nigeria. To get people to come and visit Nigeria, and not be afraid of the messages that they hear on television. I have had good examples. I am really quite impressed by the kind of generosity l have been having since I came. Right now, we focus on Lagos because Lagos is the commercial capital of Nigeria but who knows, may be some group of people will take it up and say they want to go to Abuja or South Africa next year. Someone came for the programme from South Africa. He heard about it and said I have to go and be part of the programme. It is happening for the first time on the continent. We have other people from Kenya. So it has become a sort of satellite programme. Africa to me is the past, present and the future. Africa is the next place that people are going to start paying attention to. I believe people will start coming to the continent and make things work. I think it is just inevitable.

N’dada

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013 17

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Love&Life

... Celebrating The Feelings You Share!

With Michael Uchebuaku

IN THIS EDITION True

‘My Girlfriend’s Aunt Is Pregnant For Me!’

Princess Of

Love

Love Adventure:

‘The Worst Night Of My Life’ Ogba Zoo, Benin: Delightsome Tourist Romantic Jokes Link-Up (Love/Dating Connections)

True Confession From Abroad:

‘How I Fell For A Narcissist’

If you want to be our next Princess of Love, e-mail or forward your photos/data to ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714, 07032944123.

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Love News:

Rihanna And ‘The Worst Night Of My Life’ Love Adventure Chris Brown By Wendy I Plan To Marry Soon REMEMBER the night I found out about my husband’s cheating so clearly, I don’t think I will ever forget it. I totally lost my mind that night. I had been unhappy for some time, our youngest daughter had been diagnosed with a heart murmur at birth, I had a miscarriage three years ago, our business had gone bankrupt, I had been made redundant two years ago in a nasty way, our finances had been dire, and this was the final straw. When he admitted it, I started to howl like a wild animal; I couldn’t stop screaming. He kept saying I should calm down but it was like a massive wave of grief had been unleashed and I just couldn’t stop. I kept screaming what about our

children? How could you do this to me? To us? I started to pull my hair out, scratching my face and hitting my head against the car window as he drove me home. I just wanted to climb out of my body and escape from the whole world and the nightmare that I was in. He looked scared because I am usually so quiet and reserved. He had never seen this person before. We arrived at our house and he left me there. He told me he didn’t love me any more. He had to go to work he said. There was no support or understanding that I didn’t want to be alone with this; he just drove off and left me in a heap on the floor, wanting at that moment to die. I lay on my bed desperately needing someone, anyone to help me. My children were with my mum, thank-

fully, but I couldn’t talk to anyone I knew because I felt so ashamed. I was so embarrassed that he had done this I felt like such a fool. I had never trusted him and my instincts were right. I did the only thing I could think of and I rang the Samaritans and talked to a very kind, soothing lady for three hours at least. I ranted and raved, sobbing the whole time, and she was so patient, just listening and offering comfort. I told her everything, things I could never tell my family and friends. I told her how he blamed me for it all, how he said that I deserved it because I am such a useless waste of space. It helped so much to tell someone else

because that was the worst of it—how he showed no remorse or guilt at all. He didn’t bother to come home that night to see if I was OK, he didn’t even phone me. I lay awake all that night, alone, sobbing my heart out. In fact, I didn’t sleep or eat or function for the next three nights either. I became quite manic and needed tranquilizers to calm down. I never want to experience that again. I never want to let anyone close enough to hurt me that much again. I wouldn’t wish pain like that on anyone. I am so grateful to the Samaritan lady, whoever she is; she was my lifeline that night. Courtesy: www.huffingtonpost.com *Do you have an amazing or adventurous love experience to share? Tell us how you met. E-mail your story to: ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714, 07032944123.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

18 |

LOVE&LIFE Dear Love Doctor, Y girlfriend’s auntie is pregnant with my baby and I don’t know what to do. My girlfriend’s aunt is 37 and our front-of-house manager. She looks great for her age. She took a liking to me for reasons best known to her and one night she came to visit me in my self-contained apartment without the knowledge of my girlfriend. I kissed her and she responded passionately. We ended up spending the night together and having wild sex. We both agreed that we were just sex friends and it was to be nothing serious. We both had needs but we didn’t see a future together, and that was how things progressed for a month or so. Later, she had a birthday party and invited me and her niece, my girlfriend. My girlfriend said she could tell that I liked her aunt but I denied it immediately. Now, the problem is that last week, my girlfriend’s aunt came to my place saying that she is pregnant for me. I don’t know what to do and I don’t know how my girlfriend will take the news. Also if I keep it a secret and do marry my girlfriend, which I’d like to in time, my child would be my girlfriend’s cousin and her stepchild too.

Advice: You weren’t cheating but did take a

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“My girlfriend’s aunt is pregnant for me” stupid chance and may pay a high price, I’m afraid. First question is, whether your sex buddy is sure she wants to go ahead with this pregnancy. It may be she feels her biological clock ticking and is confident she can cope as a single parent, but she needs to know that

True Confession your heart lies elsewhere. It’s great you want to be part of your child’s life but you two are not going to be a couple. If she is determined to go ahead, then

you’ll have to tell your girlfriend about your fling and hope that she understands that you never wanted to be emotionally involved with her aunt. It is a lot to ask any girl to accept and you may both face a barrage of criticism from the family but keep remembering your child’s welfare must come

first. *Send your comments/stories to Love Doctor. E-mail: ireto007@yahoo.com Call 07031028714. For free marriage/relationships counseling, call Mike 07031028714, 08131161840, 08023700641 or Chris 08023913619. Visit www.romancestory.org

Love News

With This Ring, I Rih Wed: Rihanna And Chris Brown Plan To Marry Soon! Rihanna and Chris Brown are reportedly planning to tie the knot THIS SUMMER in a spectacular secret ceremony. The couple have only been back together a few weeks, but US sources say they’ve decided they are already ready to take the plunge. Chris is rumoured to have popped the question after last week’s Grammy Awards - and Rih’s expected to walk down the aisle on her native Barbados in July. An insider told PerezHilton.com celebrity guests should expect a raucous extravaganza, claiming: “(It’s) all about swagger, bling and sin. “They want tattoo artists, fire breathers and a nearnaked waitstaff. They are even talking about having pre-rolled joints at the reception.” If it goes ahead, the wedding will be a star-studded affair, with the pair’s celebrity pals all invited. But a number of Rih’s closest friends, including Katy Perry, are expected to boycott the bash unhappy about her decision to get back together with Brown, four years after he violently assaulted her. The R&B star was sentenced to community service after brutally beating Rihanna after a preGrammys party in 2009. Just this week, Chris described the attack as the “deepest regret” of his life. He said: “Sometimes you row, you fight, with the one you love and things get said, stuff spirals. That night was the deepest regret of my life, the biggest

mistake. But she loves me - what can I say? I’m forgiven... but, yes, I worked hard for it. ” Defending her decision to take him back, Rihanna this week claimed Chris had a “fantastic heart” but insisted she would “walk away” forever if he hits her again.

She said: “If he gives me that again, here’s what I give him: nothing. I just walk away. He doesn’t have that luxury of f****** up again. Courtesy: www.dailymail.com *If you want to advertize or sponsor Love & Life call 07031028714, 08023700641, 07032944123.

Love Dictionary Your Baby, Naturally! Do you want to get pregnant with a boy, or do you want to get pregnant with a girl? Whichever your preference is, there are some natural gender selection techniques you can utilize that will increase the possibility of having a baby of your chosen gender. Many couples have applied these methods with great success. While no method is 100% accurate, there are a number of key things that successful couples have tried to increase the chances of having either a boy or a girl. The theory behind it is quite interesting and scientifically based. In fact, these methods utilize the same principals used by genetists when doing IVF gender selection. “In order to conceive a boy, the sperm that fertilizes the egg has to carry the Y chromosome, while in order to conceive a girl, the sperm that fertilizes the egg has to carry a X chromosome.” The sperm carrying the male or Y chromosomes and the sperm carrying the female of X chromosome are very different. For example, the Y sperm is weaker than the X sperm. Furthermore, the X sperm is heavier and cannot swim as fast as the Y sperm. When you understand these difference, you also understand why doing certain things will change the environment where one type of sperm can do better than the other, thus increasing your chances of conceiving your preferred baby gender. Some of the things that you need to follow in order to achieve a natural gender Natural Gender Selection and Your Diet Sperms survive in the female reproductive tract as a result of the presence of fertile cervical mucus. The pH level of the cervical mucus determines which type of sperm will survive better.

What Is Natural Gender Selection? “The sperm carrying the X chromosome needs a more acidic environment, while the sperm that carries the Y chromosome need an environment that is alkaline.” In order to get pregnant with a girl, you need to follow diet that is rich in calcium and magnesium, while in order to get pregnant with a boy, you need to follow a diet rich in sodium and potassium. These tissue elements increase the mucus production and affect its pH. While conceiving a boy, eat higher amounts of red meat and fruits like bananas and while conceiving a girl, eat higher amounts of dairy products, grapefruits, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, apples, and fish. Natural Gender Selection and Timing Intercourse Another important aspect of natural gender selection is the timing of intercourse during your menstrual cycle. “The sperm carrying the Y chromosome do not live as long as the one carrying the X chromosome, so they need to reach the egg as soon as possible.” If you want to conceive a baby boy, you need to have intercourse as close as possible to ovulation because you want the Y sperm to fertilize the egg when they are still viable and capable of swimming fast. On the other hand, if you want to conceive a baby girl you need to have intercourse as far away as possible from ovulation giving enough time for the male sperm to die off. It takes longer for the X sperm to reach the egg and you need to give it enough time to reach the egg and should time intercourse 3 days before ovulation or right after. Natural Gender Selection and Positions During Sex You may not be aware of this, but the sexual position you you choose during sex can affect the natural gender selec-

tion of your baby. This is based on the difference between the two types of sperm, once again. The Y sperm, carrying the male gender of your future baby, need to reach the egg as quickly as possible because they live less longer, but can swim faster than the X sperm. 1. If you want to get pregnant with a boy, your partner needs to release the sperm as close as possible to the cervix by using a position that allows for deeper penetration. 2. If you want to get pregnant with a girl you need to create the conditions so that the Y sperm will take longer to reach the egg and most likely die off before reaching their target. “This is base on the scientific observation that male sperm is weaker and not has hardy as female sperm.” In this case you should adopt a position during sex that will favor the X sperm over the Y sperm. In this case you will require to use a position where shallow penetration is achieved. Natural Gender Selection and Orgasm Interestingly enough, the chances of conceiving a boy are higher if a woman reaches orgasm before her male partner does. This is because vaginal secretions that occur during orgasm shift to a more alkaline range of the pH scale. Thus allowing the Y sperm to be in a perfect environmental condition that favors its survival and travel through the cervix reaching the egg faster. On the other hand, if you are trying for a girl, you should not orgasm because before orgasm the environment Interestingly enough, the chances of conceiving a boy are higher if a woman reach orgasm before her male partner does. This is because vaginal secretions that occur during orgasm shift to a more alkaline range of the pH scale, thus allowing the Y sperm to be in a perfect environmental condition that favors its survival and travel through

the cervix reaching the egg faster. On the other hand, if you are trying for a girl, you should not orgasm because before orgasm the environment in the vagina and cervix is acidic, perfect for sperm carrying the X chromosome. If you want to find out more about these and other natural gender selection techniques, call the fertility doctor on 07025350586 or 08122352054.

Romantic Jokes Ashes to Ashes! Bertha recently lost her husband. She had him cremated and brought his ashes home. Picking up the urn that he was in, she poured him out on the patio table. Then, while tracing her fingers in the ashes, she started talking to him. “Herman, you know that fur coat you promised me? I bought it with the insurance money!” She paused for a minute tracing her fingers in the ashes then said, “Herman, remember that new car you promised me? Well, I also bought it with the insurance money!” And, she paused for a few minutes and while tracing her fingers in the ashes, she said, “Herman, that emerald necklace you promised me? Bought it too, with the insurance money! Finally, still tracing her fingers in the ashes she said, “Herman, remember that blow job I promised you? ...Here it comes!”

Words Of Wisdom Date someone who doesn’t abuse you. Any form of abuse in a relationship is totally unacceptable.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

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LOVE&LIFE

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Ogba Zoo, Benin: Delightsome Tourist Attraction!

By Tina Swithin OW does a person fall for a narcissist? H Individuals who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder can generally charm the pants off of anyone, so it is easy to fall into victim mode and blame these emotional conartists. I’ve chosen a different path. I’ve chosen to own my part of the equation because it opened the doors to a tremendous amount of personal growth and insight. I was approximately two years into a category five divorce hurricane when I realized that I had two choices. I could continue to be a damsel in distress perched high in a tower or I could own my role in the severely dysfunctional relationship. I’ll happily choose the latter version of this twisted fairy-tale because I believe that taking ownership is the only way to move forward in a healthy way. Part of healing involves research on this personality disorder. I reached out to Dr. Craig Malkin, clinical psychologist and instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, for his opinion on how a person could potentially fall for a narcissist. According to Dr. Malkin, narcissists are experts at “impression management.” “Part of what makes narcissists so seductive, especially at the start of a relationship, is that they’re experts at impression management. According to research, for example, they’re no more physically attractive than the average guy or gal — maybe a 5 or 6 — but they’ve perfected the art of looking like (and acting) like a 10. They can be charming, alluring, and even sensitive (up to a point). Add to all this the fact that, when we’re in love with someone, the judgment centers of the brain become eerily quiet, and it’s easy to see why narcissists can slip by, red flags and all, and cozy up to us for a good long while. Narcissists who run hot and cold are especially difficult to leave. The ups and downs put you on what psychologists call a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule — the same pattern of occasional reward that keeps gamblers racing back to the slot machines. One key to spotting a narcissist is to bring your judgment centers back online. Pay attention to feedback from friends, for instance. They’re more apt to see — and remember — important red flags that you miss, precisely because they’re not under the narcissist’s spell (I call this ‘borrowed judgment’). Keep a journal of painful moments, and ask yourself, is your partner working with you to understand and prevent them? Learn, and watch out for some of the hallmarks of narcissism: Is every mistake he makes, for example, someone else fault (‘externalizing’)? Does she routinely devalue and belittle other people in her stories? If so, it’s only a matter of time before the

disdain or indifference comes your way.” Over the past four years, I have been on a long, winding road of self-discovery that has bumps and hills along the way. I embrace each fork in the road as a learning opportunity. Since my divorce, I have spent a lot of time sitting on my therapist’s comfy couch with the all too familiar throw pillows cushioning me as I poured my heart out. I have been on a quest to understand my role in this toxic relationship and to understand why I initially fell for a narcissist. As the child of very young, divorced parents, I carried several loads of heavy baggage with me

GBA Zoo is located in Benin City, horse, camel and donkey rides for that perfect instant photos. O Edo State. Going from Ring Road (City Center) in Benin, pro-

Zoo Opening Hours ceed on Airport Road for about 5 km and the Zoo is right on the main From 9am to 6pm. Added value at public festivals Road, between Oko and Ogba. The with special events: music, comediOba Akenzua International Scout Camp is next door. Proposed NPDC ans, competitions with prizes. Advance booking provides for speHQ site is directly opposite. cial discounts and added amenities. HISTORY: The zoo started as a botanical garden and arboretum created from Visitors’ Facilities These include: refreshment cenOgba Forest reserve in 1966. A zooters, function halls, restaurant, outlogical garden was added in 1971, door, event grounds, picnic areas, retaining the features of a nature park in an urban setting and owned large car park, conveniences, inby Edo State Government, Ministry door and out-door games, camping, etc. of Environment, under Management (PPP). Ogba Zoo and Visitor shelter of various sizes distributed at strategic locations for Nature Park is managed by BENZOPA a non-governmental organi- over 700 persons; group facilities with chairs/tables, storage, cooling, zation, which is into bio-diversity music/PA system, standby power, conservation and eco-tourism etc. ATTRACTIONS: There are different interesting ani- Zoo Gardens / Events Centre An exclusive events ground with mals in the Zoo, namely, Majestic lions, chimpanzees, giant tortoises, own access and robust facilities rock python, pea fowls, among oth- that take up to 1,500 guests with free spaces for side activities. It is ers, with extensive landscaped ideal for wedding receptions, grounds, picnic areas, children’s anniversaries, birthday parties, playground with diverse new product launch, etc. (Day and equipment and pristine forest trails, river beach, etc. It is a perfect Night). environment for relaxation, social Tight security provided with backevents and environmental educa- ups on request. Clean environment, tion, especially as it relates to con- running water, kitchens with dedicated staff servation. It is also an ideal place for scientific It’s an ideal place for family outings, school excursions, retreats, research in biology (field work), meditation, shooting films/musical seminars, receptions, parties and videos, physical exercises or just fit- other social events. ness walk with plenty of fresh air, Courtesy: ogbazoo.com

into adulthood. I craved stability and a marriage where the words “They lived happily ever after” were etched into our storybook. While dating, Seth often spoke of his parents and their long, happy marriage. Seth bragged about how stable he was in all aspects of his life from his career to his finances. I was showered with compliments, gifts, vacations and romance. He was the modern day prince charming and successfully wooed everyone in my life from my parents to my friends. Seth successfully morphed himself into the cure for anything that ailed me from my past.

‘How I Fell For A Narcissist’

True Confessions From Abroad

In my new book, “Divorcing a Narcissist”, I take readers on a journey through my “red flag reflections” because in hindsight, there were flags of every color waving madly in the wind during our courtship. Anyone who has dated someone with narcissistic personality disorder can attest to their charming nature and the charisma that seems to exude from every pore in their body. Narcissists have a knack for honing in on your deepest wounds and becoming your loving, caring, band-aid. Unfortunately, this phase is very short lived, which leaves one in a state of confusion and angst. During our courtship, there were several red flags that I ignored. Three of the main red flags were spending, bragging and deception. Over time, those vices merged together to create a living, breathing monster with extraordinary credit limits. In the beginning, Seth’s spending made me extremely uncomfortable, but his boastful attitude while spending was even more of an issue for me. Seth was always quick to remind me that my childhood lacked financial stability. I swept my concerns under the rug and convinced myself that the uneasy feeling had to do with the fact that this was a new and foreign world to me. Hindsight really is 2020. During our marriage, the spending continued but rose to an extreme level. Wealth, prestige and impressing friends and family members became the driving force for Seth. Lies and deception became intertwined with his need to live a lavish lifestyle. The uneasy feeling that I had during our courtship was magnified as our driveway began filling up with expensive cars that I knew we couldn’t afford. I begged Seth multiple times to walk away from the fancy house and cars in an effort to simplify our lives. By the end of our marriage, there was a total of $1.7 million worth of debt — much of which came as a complete shock to me. Through this experience, I have learned to trust my gut feeling because if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. I saw the issues early on but the naive and trusting side of me chose to focus on the positives and ignore the red flags. I accept my role in the equation and have come to terms with the fact that my desire for stability and a storybook romance outweighed my instincts. I am now keenly aware of yellow flags, orange flags and red flags. I have learned a lot, healed tremendously and will never make the same mistake twice. One narcissist in a lifetime is one too many. Picture posed by models Your say: Have you experienced a similar situation? How did you deal with it? Tell us your story. Call 07031028714. Courtesy: huffingtonpost.com NB: Call Mike on +2347031028714 if you have a story from abroad to share with us.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

RELATIONSHIP

Good And Bad Relationships With Men By Kemi Amushan HE issue of why some women have great relationships, while most others don’t baffles me a lot and what I’ve realized is that they need to understand these two reasons: (1) They need to understand the different kinds of men, and (2) they need to know how to attract the right kinds of men. Growing up, I’ve met and heard stories of smart and attractive women, who all had the same problem. They all dated losers! Some of these women dated abusive idiots. Others dated manipulative bad boys. Still others dated jobless, unmotivated bums. The list goes on. Drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, men in their 30’s who still lived with their parents... it’s crazy! Now, I hope you’re not dating such losers. But I’m pretty sure you feel somewhat the same way —your love life is far from perfect, and you deserve a much, much better man. The question is: Where are these “better men”? How come we never seem to meet them? Do they still exist? My sister-in-law always asks me “Kemi, why aren’t there any more good commitment-ready men out there? And I always tell her that they still exist! And in today newsletter, I’ll be talking about how to get away from the losers and start meeting the men who will actually treat you right and are serious. Let’s start by learning the biggest reason why so many women date losers. As I mentioned earlier, over the years I’ve met and heard of lots of smart, attractive, fantastic women who kept dating dumb, rude, abusive men. And the biggest reason these great women end up with not-so-great men is Insecurity. As fantastic as these women were, they felt insecure in some way and the men they dated sensed and took advantage of this weakness. And so the women end up trapped hopelessly in love with these manipulative bad boys! A few weeks ago, I mentioned that female insecurity is most often caused by bad male influence. And that’s definitely true. Most of us have had that bad boyfriend, that abusive stepfather etc. These bad male influences scar us deeply and leave us with very deep insecurities. Did you have a bad male influence? What sort of insecurity did it create in

you? But here’s the thing: No matter what your insecurities are, they can be cured. And in most cases, the first step is simply to break the cycle. You’ll need to first get out of the situations that traps you into falling

into these bad dating relationships. Here’s how: #1 Stop Trying To Save Him. Over the years, I’ve simply learned that many women stick with a bad boyfriend

because they think they can save him. They tell me: “He can change. And I can change him. My love will make him better.” Unfortunately, 90% of these bad boyfriends never change. And the 10% of bad boyfriends who do change, begin to treat their girlfriend like a counselor, a teacher, a mother, or a friend. (Anything but a lover!) Don’t fall into that situation. Stop trying to save/change him! Most times it never works. #2: Listen To Your Friends. I’m sure you’ve seen at least one of your girlfriends date an absolute idiot. And no matter how many times you advised her to leave him, she simply wouldn’t listen to you. My advice? Don’t be like her! The more you’re in love with a man, the more open you should be about the opinions of your friends. Sometimes, your love can blind you to his flaws and these flaws can be deadly. So listen to your friends. They’ll tell you if you’re heading towards happiness or if your relationship is a train accident waiting to happen! #3: Hang Out With A New Crowd. Let me say this again: You must start spending less time with toxic people, and more time with nourishing people. But let me go a little further with this piece of advice. Don’t just hang out with people who make you feel good. Instead, also look at the evidence that they’re living fantastic lives. Hang out with people who have their lives in order. Hang out with people who have their finances in order. Hang out with people who have their relationships in order. Remember, anyone can make you feel good. But if you want a truly happy love life, you’ll want to hang out with the people who have been there and done that! So, let’s recap the three steps to stop getting stuck with lousy men: * Stop trying to save him * Listen to your friends * Hang out with a new crowd. These three steps will be enough for you to break the cycle and start meeting better, more respectable men. So please stop wondering why other women have better relationships than you. Learn their secrets and build your own happy, satisfying love life starting today! To the happiness we all deserve, good luck in love and life. Cheers.

That Virgity Test: Matters Arising nately, the school which should encourage her to be a virgin bride and protect HE Ogun State Government said reher against sexual assault had robbed cently that the issue of virginity test at her of this dream. Weather to remain a Ajuwon High School has been settled. virgin or not is a girl’s choice, her undisThe government also implored that the puted right. matter be allowed to rest, after announc- But one of the girls may have been deing punitive measures against the Princi- nied of that first experience of mutual pal, Reverend Olufunke Aladejobi and consent as well. She reportedly bled after the nurses who aided her in the act. We the exercise and has been heard to wonagree that the matter should be forgotder if she is still a virgin. It is her choice ten because it has been an embarrassto dream and she should worry because ment. Still, a few words need to be added the hymen can rupture through an ordito convince those who may think that vi- nary exercise. And it would not make her olating young women in that same way happy to know that her teachers asmeans enforcing discipline. saulted her once in the past. We commend the government for givWe should not forget that disease can ing the matter the full attention it decause bleeding from that region; theremanded and also say, as many people fore it can be assumed that the bleeding have pointed out, that it is an infringewas caused by a minor infection. But did ment of the rights of those 10 girls and vi- the school address that issue to show olation of womanhood in general. And it that it had good intentions? is regrettable that it was an offence What did the Principal and her team meted out by woman against woman. want to do with the result anyway? That test did not only violate the physiWhat were they looking for? Did they cal body, but it could leave a lasting psywant to find out if sexual activities were chological effect. One of the victims who on going? the government has thankfully sent for Some girls are exposed to sex too early, counseling said that she felt ashamed not out of choice, but through violence after the exercise. According to her, she and other forms of sexual abuses. became ashamed and was concerned That test is offensive because if one of about how her school mates would look the girls had such an experience and on her from them onwards. Before then, had healed and moved on with her life, she had tried to cultivate a good image that test would have proved misleadamong her school mates. So it must be ingly positive. They would have resaid that as one out of only 10 girls to be opened old wounds as well as left a new so treated by the school under any preone —- shame, because she has been tence strips a youth of self confidence. It found out. is worse if she is not guilty in any way. Another thing that test underscores is Self-doubt could result and her studies some teachers’ high-handedness, if not may suffer. outright hostility to students someIt could affect her relationship as part of times. Teachers have shaved hairs just to a couple in future. Imagine this: a girl fin- correct an erring student, when sending ishes school and looks forward to a her home to indulging parents would happy married life because she had kept have been more effective. Admittedly, herself until she gets married. Unfortudiscipline is the hallmark of education,

By Alita Joseph

but you are going too far to prove a point with that test when students are suspected to be active so soon in life. Done by a man, we frown at it, the way it was conceived in that school, the intent was to humiliate those 10 girls, and it was unfair. For those who still carry out such tests, we say wait until you catch them at the school’s toilet. The culprits would see the love in your action when they are punished. Personally, I think that the school descended on these girls because they are confident and popular. They may not be on the roll call of the brightest. But I am sure that they are suspected of fornication because rather than struggle with their awakening sexuality as is common in early teenage, these girls have embraced it. From what has happened, we now know that they are not sexually active yet, but they certainly would not be daunted by members of the opposite sex; they mix freely with them. They are interested in fashion and rather than hide their blossoming bodies, they show them off in tank tops with bra straps peeking out. They are desperate to announce that they have come of age. A difficult phase for parents and teachers alike. But you cannot stop your child from growing up. Rather than take drastic measures, become her friend. This is the time to begin sex education. That is what concerns them now. Put the “fear” in them by talking about the adverse effects of early sex; for example that she can get the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), cause of cervical cancer through multiple partners. Remind her that one who starts early could go round so many partners before she settles down. Talk of how she could become bored so early and miss the enjoyment when she marries.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

LOVE & LIFE 21

08033832503 Email: amara@amarablessing.com

WEEKEND withAMARA

E have been raised to believe W that sex is a man’s thing and never for a good, decent woman. Our culture and religion have constantly told us that women should live for the man and strive to keep their home by satisfying him in bed. This has made women go out of their way just to get him happy while they go on unfulfilled. How many women know what orgasm is? For those who know what orgasm is, how many have experienced it? We are raised to accept that the major reason for marriage is procreation and so the woman, right from the first day of marriage, begins to struggle for the fruit of the womb. By the time she is done with baby making and ready for some sexual adventure, the man’s sexual drive is cooling down. This has caused a lot of problems in the home and it’s like nobody wants to talk about it. After the baby-making phase of a woman’s life, she is ready for some good hot sex with the man she loves. But the case has always been that the man gets involved in some sexual escapades while the woman is busy babysitting. After this very stage and the children are grown to take care of themselves, the woman is ready to take back those lost years but to her surprise, the man has wasted his substance and strength. A good number of women have ended up in infidelity while some have resorted to self-help. Those who have their conscience intact are dying in silence because they are called prostitute they very day they ask for a change. But, I am of the opinion that far too many women rely on this pervasive belief to beg off from intimacy, when really, a little good conversation would warm them up quite nicely. Oftentimes, the problem lies in a lack of communication. Women often need to tick off their mental list before they can relax in the arms of the one they love. Sharing these thoughts helps a woman feel connected to her husband, and more likely to be “in the mood.” So, if men can learn to be good listeners, and women can open up and share their heart with their husband, this problem is solved. For women, sharing their hearts leads to physical intimacy, for a lot of men, physical intimacy is a primary way that they share their hearts. Men should accept this truth and be willing to do something to help women enjoy sex. So, ‘a little less talk’ doesn’t necessarily lead to ‘a lot more action’ in reality. Instead, more talk can lead to more action. I know you are in haste and just can’t wait to pour the whole thing in, but you can help her to climb to the top of that mountain with you. We also need to be aware that many, many marriages struggle silently with this issue. Despite the increasing frequency of prescription drugs that target helping men and women boost their libido, there is still a difficulty for married couples in our culture to admit to just not wanting it. If not dealt with, it can lead to shame, bitterness, and as the Holy Bible in 1 Cor. 7:5 tells us, a stronghold for attacks from the enemy. No matter which partner is “not wanting it” at any stage, it needs to be addressed and overcome so that both partners do not feel deprived. Being one with your spouse, you must be able and willing to find out what the problem is. Some

Good Sex In Marriage women harbour resentments against their husbands and so this hinders the flow during sex. Some don’t like the way he gives it to her and so there is no point wasting her time in it. They also can’t talk about it to him because our culture is such that the man begins to suspect her of infidelity the moment she opens up on her feelings. Sir, you need to get her to that level where she tells you her mind (I shall treat this as a topic next week). A good number for couples avoid and detest sex because to them, there is nothing to enjoy in it. I know there is nothing to enjoy because you succeeded in making it a very boring one. Let me just explain this with a little parable: when you’re in your own backyard, playing with your best friend, there are no limits to the fun you can have. Fenced in, with complete freedom, there is ultimate safety and ultimate privacy that awaits you in this most incredible and sacred place. That’s how God designed it. So, play (be intimate) to your hearts’ content, with your best friend (husband or wife), within the fence (boundaries) God built for you. Some preachers have come out to tell people about demons involved in different sex positions. Please hear this: however you chose to enjoy sex in marriage is right before God because you are married. The only time I stand against men in sex talks is when he wants to enter through the anus. This is animalistic and degrading to a woman. The moment you stop enjoying sex through the vagina which is the opening created by God for sex, and start enjoying it through a hole formed by God for removal of waste, your life becomes wasted and you cease to be a human being.

I have heard of girls running to one of our VIP who goes through the anus only for them to come out shattered with several visits to surgeons. Anal sex, aside being animalistic in nature, shows the non-existence of love and mutual respect in a relationship. If a man loves you and is genuinely interested in you, he will never ask for something that will, in the long run, weaken your vaginal muscles. Friends, please go on and explore the body of your wife or husband because sex is God-given for your own fulfilment. Woman, stop tagging him “backsliding” just because he asked for a different sex position. All you have to do for yourself and for your marriage is to get yourself flexible enough to give it to him whenever and however he wants it. Some come up with the lie, which tells couples they are to enjoy sex within the first few years of marriage; this is another lie from the pit of hell. Please stop listening to those old wives tales. They have made you believe that once you have your children, the urge for sex dies naturally. A footballer gets better and more experienced in the game of football with years in the game; they enjoy it more with time. I mean, technically, they’re playing the same game, but the technique and talent are vastly different! Why have married men and women bought into lies of the world that only swinging singles can have good sex? That sex can’t get better over time? We need to realize that, just like football, chess, or gardening for that matter, the longer you do it, the better you are, and the better you are at it, the more fun it is! And like playing doubles in tennis, the more time you spend playing with that one partner, the better you’ll be together! Some people use fasting and spirituality as a tool against their partner. Oga prayer warrior, if prayer is all

you live for and do, you shouldn’t have bothered bringing her into your home. Madam, I know you are a prayer warrior in church, but I also want you to know that your first ministry and place of assignment is your home. The Bible tells us that, in marriage, we are not to deprive one another of our bodies (1 Corinthians 7:4-6) except for instances of prayer (and that even then, we are to reunite quickly so that Satan will not tempt us in our lack of selfcontrol). We are not to claim ownership rights over our own body, though modern psychologists, feminists who often don’t support femininity, and talk show hosts would have us believe that we should (some talk shows should be banned). When you choose to become one with another person by entering into marriage, your body does not belong only to you, but now it also belongs to your husband or wife. You should never use sex as punishment against your spouse. Are you in love with your husband or wife? Now, do you love him or her? I know you do. Your spouse has been around a long time, and you’re used to him or her. He is the father of your children and she carried all your babies. But are you in love with your spouse? How long has it been since your heart really squeezed when you looked at him or her? Why is it you have forgotten the things that attracted you to your husband or wife at first? Your spouse needs to be constantly reminded of your love. He or she yearns to hear how attractive you find them. By the grace of God, I want you to start changing your thought pattern. Tomorrow morning, please get your eyes off the toaster and frying pan or Sunrise Daily on Channels TV; long enough to LOOK at him or her. As you create time to look at your spouse, begin to admire and remember those things that attracted you to him or her. Then lose your tongue and tell your spouse how much in love you are.

Be careful, this may lead you to the bedroom while food is on fire. Remember, foreplay doesn’t just start in bed; it starts from the time you wake up in the morning until your time together in bed. Do you want your spouse to enjoy sex with you? I know that is your greatest desire, create a safe place for love in your home. It must not be twice weekly; you can have it every day and still feel same way towards him or her. Just make it a memorable and adventurous one. You are now thinking, “How do I make it memorable and adventurous?” Foreplay does it more. Boy, please don’t just rush in and out of her. Thirty to sixty minutes of foreplay won’t hurt. To you, it’s about the frequency and intensity of the pounding; it’s about the gentleness, sweet words, and being able to locate her G-spot. She is your wife and you know she can’t go out there for another; I agree with you, but she needs to be satisfied sexually. I hope you know you cannot satisfy her without first of all having a good bath and brushing your mouth. She wants a man whose body she can freely caress. She is tired of the bush under your armpit and down south. Please do something about it. It does not cost much to look groomed. The soles of your feet are way too hard; please use pumice stone on daily basis if you cannot have a good pampering at the spa. Now, if she loves being sucked, please do it for her. But madam, how do you expect him to do that if he can’t even breathe well during intercourse? Please do something about the smell oozing out of your vagina. Eat right, wash right, and see your gynaecologist if needs be for prescription. Nigerian men have to learn to be more romantic. Those words mean nothing to you, but they mean the whole world to her. Keep that face of a boss in the office and take up the face of a lover once you are home. Don’t forget; taking her out once in a while and giving her some good treat isn’t a waste of money, it does help when it comes to rekindling the light. Keep a date with me next week.

22 LOVE & LIFE

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

MARITAL SEX

Sex And The Working mom By Jane Ameh ITH little or no time for her filial and conW jugal duties, the working mom is already giving room for complaints and giving the house girl and other “third persons” the opportunity to take over. That was how Kate, a very busy executive in an oil-servicing company became the cause of her marriage’s undoing. Always too stressed up and fagged out to oblige her husband’s demand for sex, she heaved a sigh of relief when her husband ‘come to terms with her situation’ and stopped disturbing her after some months of reluctant and once-in-a-blue-moon-sex. Little did she know that the new outpouring of love and kindness from him was meant to shield her from discovering the hot romance going on between him and their house girl. A loquacious neighbor spilled the beans anyway and though he apologized, he asked that she resigns and open a shop if the marriage must continue. As women the world over clamour for emancipation through both political and economic empowerment, some husbands are getting worried because these career women end up marrying their jobs, abandoning their homes for house girls, gradually leading to dysfunctional homes. Women continue to feel the tug of war between the office and home, wishing for their husbands understanding and more time to balance both. “Money is good, but it is worrisome the way we are going about our hunt for it,” says Harry, an Engineer who works offshore. “My wife works in an insurance company and I spend two weeks at home each month. I understand the stress she goes through but for goodness sake, the children and I are suffering it. The house girl is not my wife and I hate it when she has to attend to my needs because my wife is still at work. I’m not the unfaithful type but I’m also tired of meeting her like once in that two weeks when she reluctantly attempts to make me happy before I go back to work. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to hear the word ‘resign.” Whether as sole breadwinners or not, every working mother still has to multi-task to meet up with her responsibilities as a married

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” Samuel C. Ezeala ND she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, ‘Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.’ And Jesus answered and said into her, ‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. “’But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10 vs 38 – 42. When we marry, we actually receive someone into our lives. Martha did that. But she was quick to serve. It is okay to cook, wash clothes, for your husband, or provide money for your wife and children. It is also okay to do all the things they say a good wife or husband should do. Martha was actually doing those. But Mary sat at the feet of Jesus hearing His word. That is my point. Hear your spouse. Carefully listen to their unspoken nuances, disposition and desires. Only then can you really satisfy them. Do we really talk, chat, joke as couples? Or do we get used to each other to the point we just drop a comment here and there and leave the other to figure it out? Sit at the feet of your spouse. Pay attention. Know the most important thing. Some people are cumbered and worried about their looks. They want to always remore that wrinkle, that spot, that blemish in their skin. They want

woman and mother. While the average Nigerian working mom still does or coordinates the cooking, child and home care, including shopping, school run, not minding if she is pregnant or nursing a baby, the man, most times, minds his work and quarrels when things don’t go the way he expected. “You won’t blame us for multi-tasking, would you? Linda, a Chartered Secretary queried. “For your own respect and self esteem and in order to meet your own needs, you just have to work. Men rant “resign! resign!” but will they give you money when you need it? Now the woman does almost everything nowadays and the only encouragement we get from men is “resign” just because they are not getting enough sex. That’s unfair.”

Granted, it has always been challenging being a wife and a mom who also works outside the home and with the new economic reality, things are getting even worse. While some are the sole financial providers in their households, others are working to support their husbands or to meet their needs. It gets to a stage when they feel they have to choose between their family and being successful at their jobs, but most times, they cling to the two. “Well for me, I think it is our responsibility to assist our husbands in any way we can,” Mercy, a Civil Servant said. “If you leave them alone, you may not be able to give your children the best. They appreciate it, at least, my husband does, but true to type, he also doesn’t want to hear ‘I’m tired’ repeatedly when it comes to sex. That is where the problem lies.”

As more moms contribute to the financial upkeep of their households, they’re feeling increasingly torn between satisfying their employers, providing financial security for their families and fulfilling their maternal and conjugal roles. Sex is part of the marriage agreement and anything that would jeopardize it should be nipped in the bud. So, according to CareerBuilder, to effectively manage work and life, working moms should, * Discuss with her husband and always carry him along – Let your husband know why you are working and why the job means so much to you. Carry him along and intimate him with your progress, anxiety and plans. *Get organized -- Employ domestic servants who would help you at the home front. Set up a schedule for chores, homework, family activities and playtime. Keep one calendar for business and family commitments to avoid double booking. These structures in your life will save you time, stress and mental energy. *Remember, quality over quantity - Make the most of your personal time. Strive to do your work in the office so that when you’re home, it’s all about them -- your husband and children. Make him know how you cherish being with him and attend to his sexual needs. * Schedule “Me Time” -- Working moms need to take care of themselves too. Put actual time on the calendar for an hour or more of doing something you enjoy such as going to the gym, taking a walk, reading, etc. Go in to work with a game plan – Many working moms who have taken advantage of flexible work arrangements said it hasn’t negatively impacted their careers. Therefore, talk to your supervisor or HR department and explore options. It’s best to be prepared. Come to your boss with a game plan on how you can manage workload, cover responsibilities, etc. * Keep an “I’m Fabulous” file -- Keep track of all of your accomplishments within the organization, quantifying results whenever possible, and list out the additional responsibilities you have taken on in the last year. It helps you to build your case when negotiating for a better salary or consideration for promotion with your employer. In addition to these tips, always carry your spouse along and for the good of your family, don’t forget his needs.

The Most Important Thing to be attractive. At some points, even money for make-up can become a challenge. Some are bent on keeping off rivals. They fight anyone that seems to be close to their spouse. They think that if they are harsh, hot, possessive they will keep their spouses from flirting. They monitor calls, text messages and all that. Some men cumber themselves getting

money. In fact we have come to think that without money, a marriage cannot be meaningful. For some people, their worry is children. They want a child, or they want more. For, their children have separated them from their spouse. Good as your intentions are, you may ruin your marriage. The main reason you married is to

have a companion. Why not try to understand your spouse. Spend time browsing each other’s mind and find the most important thing. There are things in the life of your spouse that might not be really attractive, yet, look again, you will see the good part. Mary found the good part. She chose it. She found the answer to her man’s heart. See that part, celebrate,

advance it, enjoy it. Do you know what thrills your partner? Be easy to please, enjoy simple things. Don’t ask for much, don’t worry about height, looks, habits, (your spouse has lived with that habit longer than you have had together), in laws, and some of these ‘many things’. Don’t be troubled about them. Only one thing is needful. I can suggest it. Find that good part. The good part of every marriage is the ability to convince your spouse you love him or her. And that will mean you speak the person’s love language. “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends” Prov. 17 vs 9. Those things you want to fight in your marriage may never change. Why not seek love, ignore nonessential. Don’t try to control a person till what the person feels for you is resentment, not love. Whatever be your reason; watch out, so that you won’t lose the main thing. Jesus said Mary chose the good part, which no one will take from her. Some people might beat your good looks, some may be better in bed, some may be more intelligent, or skillful. You don’t really have a chance if you are rivalled; other things can be taken away except this: that your spouse knows he or she is safe and happy with you, and that you love your spouse and he or she knows it! Make your spouse feel without doubt that you love her or him. Give your partner that rest; and then you can go to sleep. Nobody will be able to take that from you. Nobody walks away from love, ever, successfully. E. C. SAMUEL Intimatefaithministry@yahoo.com 08027173447 (SMS only)

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013 23

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Life&Style ‘Hard Work, Diligence Are The Main Ingredients For Success’

upbringing of their children.” She disagrees with the view that the standard of education in Nigeria has fallen. To her, it is the social media that has negatively affected morals and enthusiasm for learning: “What are the statistics for measuring the standard of education some claim is falling? Who has carried out proper research into the standard of education in Nigeria? When discussing standard, the ratio, pupils, facilities and curriculum have to be taken into consideration. “The ratio of teachers to pupils now has reduced unlike before when we had one teacher to 60 pupils. I do not really agree that the school standard is going down. Rather, it is the moral and enthusiasm of students that has dropped because of so many distractions. We are in the technological age with the social media, television, Internet, etc. “In our time, how many people had television, N excited young Veronica started off as a but these days you see electronic gadgets everyGrade Two teacher in 1978 when Teachers’ where. Even the little phones have several facilTraining College started in Benue State. ities. You see a little child with an ear phone Reminiscing on her main attraction for the and you wonder what she/he is doing but the school project, Veronica says: “I always tell peochild is listening to music.” ple there are two philosophies of school buildVeronica does not feel happy about many ing. There are those that set up a school because things happening in the education sector, esthey want to do business and those who are in pecially in the area of engaging unprofesthe school business because they see it as a social sional teachers. “It is sad that it is only in service. I belong to the last group where it is the Nigeria that teaching has not been made a desire to right the wrongs in the school system profession. We have work ethics, which dicthat spurred interest.” tate that a teacher must be trained and she/he But it is not only children of school age that are must attend a teacher training college and benefitting from her school, young mothers are learn the pedagogy of teaching. also encouraged to build their careers as well as “So a trained teacher understands the care for their children in the process. This, she child’s psychology. She/he knows the differsaid is informed by her own experience as a ent ages and stages, as the age may not young mother with five children. “It was not easy tally with the stage. In a at all, as the challenges were so enormous. I had class we have the five children and no money to send them to a A students, the good private school. Then, I was working in Ikaverage stuwere Etche and had to go from Port Harcourt dents and everyday to work for two hours and return at the below night due to the distance. So, I said: “God if you average bless me, I will set up an affordable school for stuyoung mothers working and in need of conducive environment to train their children because there were very few private schools. Dick and Alice was started in 2003 with an administrator but in 2007, I resigned to handle the school myself,” she says. Dick and Alice School focuses mainly on career guidance to meet the demand of the time. “Gone are those days when parents would want their child to be a medical doctor or a lawyer. Look at what is happening in the film industry; look at the fashion industry. A good teacher should take a holistic look at a child observing his/her exposure, interests and distraction. It’s not only teaching, there must be monitoring. To groom the total child, however, Veronica advocates that parents cooperate with the school by monitoring and guiding their children at home. “It is wrong that some parents don’t bother to know what their children watch or listen to. Parents also have important roles to play in the

Mrs. Veronica Agbedia Ajuebon has always desired to contribute her quota to the welfare of others. She also believes in hard work and diligence. Having been in the teaching profession for over 20 years, she resigned to set up Dick and Alice International School, where she is realising her dream of offering qualitative education and skill to children and young mothers at an affordable price. She told ANN GODWIN recently that it is not the background of individuals but the dream and aspiration that determine their success.

WOMAN dents. A trained teacher must be able to detect what is preventing the child from learning fast. But what do we have today? People who are unemployed take up teaching just to survive.” To change this trend and make progress in the education sector, she would want government to resuscitate Teacher Training Colleges, as there is a huge difference between those who read education at the NCE level and those who studied it at the University level. “Studying education at the NCE level takes proper care of school management and supervision while the university places emphasis on the subject knowledge. They are two different things. While one concentrates on the subject, the other deals with understanding of the child and the tools to make the child a better person. So, I feel emphasis should be given more to grade two and NCE.” Having arrived at the pinnacle of her career through dint of hard work, Veronica believes that every woman can excel irrespective of her background. To be able to do this, however, she says women need to believe more in themselves. “Most of our young women do not believe in themselves. They are easily carried away maybe because they feel they cannot achieve certain things because they do not have the wherewithal. But success is not all about money alone….” “When you have a plan, you have a future and background should not determine one’s future. Even if the person grew up in a slum she/he can still make a difference. Those from the high rise can also make a difference,” she submits. In her view, women that have been able to attain leadership positions must have given their all to get there. “Women need to work side by side with the men and not be sleeping partners; they need to be active. God did not create women to be subjective. So, women that are slow or reluctant need to wake up. The environment is changing and we need to embrace the

When a woman is in control, she takes her motherly feelings and outlooks along to the office even in politics. So, she will listen, think and reason as a mother and be able to bring about some positive changes in the polity changes.” The Warri-born woman whose husband, Chief Alexis Ngozichukwuka Ajuebon, hails from Agbor in Delta State, believes that participation of women in politics would go a long way to right some wrongs in the society. “When a woman is in control, she takes her motherly feelings and outlooks along to the office even in politics. So, she will listen, think and reason as a mother and be able to bring about some positive changes in the polity.” Growing up was an adventure, as Veronica who aligns with the saying: ‘Warri no de carry last’ was one of the lucky ones because finance was not a problem while she was schooling. She obtained her National Certificate of Education at the College of Education, Abraka in 1983. That was the year NCE graduates started participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). So, she was posted to Sokoto for her NYSC and was later redeployed to Port Harcourt. After the service year, she gained employment with Rivers State Post Primary School Board, (RPPSB) where she worked from 1984 to 2007 before voluntarily resigning to set up Dick and Alice International School. While at the RPPSB, she obtained her Bachelor of Education at Abraka University and Masters degree at the University of Port Harcourt where she is currently undertaking her Ph.D programme. She is coping effortlessly as a wife, mother and career woman. “I got married after secondary school in 1980 between the age of 20 and 21 years. I was a young teacher teaching in a primary school but my husband who was my neigbour then encouraged me to move up in my career and that is how I am currently studying for my Ph.D. “My boys will tell you that majority wins the vote but in my home, minority is in control. I am the only woman in the house because I do not have a baby girl but I assume control by the grace of God. I look at them all and say it is by the grace of God that I ensure everything runs smoothly. “It has been a wonderful experience. What has helped us to be together all these years is that we pray together. As the bible says, ‘the family that prays together, stays together.’ There is hope for everyone.” When not tending to her husband and five children who are undergraduates, the vibrant, charming woman relaxes by listening to soft music. “I have a social life. I believe in work and relaxation because man is a social being,” she says.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

PEOPLE

‘Effects Of PIB On Economy Would Be Too Good For Bill To Be Politicised’ Olatoye Osunsanya, a seaoned maritime engineer, recently retired from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. He spent most of his working years in the Niger Delta and witnessed most of the misfortune jointly visited on the people and the area by multinational oil firms. Baring his mind on the level of degradation and deprivation in the region, Osunsanya says they were largely helped by corruption and indifference on the part of those in the corridors of power. By Abiodun Fanoro OU worked in the oil sector for over 35 Y years, particularly, in exploration and vessel maintenance. How real is the claimed environmental degradation of the oil producing areas? It is a fact that everywhere you have oil exploration, the environment is degraded. What is different about the Niger Delta situation is the attitude of the Nigerian government to regulating the oil industry and making them sit up to their responsibilities. If you recall, about two years ago, there was an explosion on the Mobil Oil rig in the U.S, the American President Barack Obama personally visited the area. The government followed this by taking Mobil to court. Mobil was made to pay heavy damages in addition to cleaning up the affected areas. When it happens in Nigeria, nobody shows concern; the people (victims) are left to their woes and fate. It is this insensitivity on the part of government and the oil companies that is largely responsible for violence and youth militancy in the Niger Delta. From your experience, what would make government to be indifferent to the plight of people in this area? What I can say is that we have voted into power, leaders that are not interested in the welfare and well being of the people. They have come into power through unscrupulous means; once they get to power, the first thing they do is to acquire wealth to pay back those who helped them into power, the power brokers. We have leaders who are not supposed to be in position of authority. You find them in politics and also in the Civil Service. So the commitment to work and do what is right is not there. How we could make our leaders responsive as Obama did during the Mobil Oil disaster? In any country, the leaders are the people that dictate the policy. If we have the wrong people in power, who instead of fighting corruption, condone it, then what you have is systemic weakness. If we continue having people who have no business being in government to continue being our leaders, we shall continue to be in this state. I am not canvassing for a revolution, but we need to put people who are capable of ruling us in positions of authority. That is the only way we can expect positive changes in our fortunes. You were in service when environment rights activist, Ken Saro Wiwa was killed by the Nigerian State. Many people did not believe it was not a conspiracy between the state and an oil firm… Saro-Wiwa, Tai Solarin, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Femi Falana and the likes, are examples of people who took upon themselves the challenges of engaging our rulers to toe the line of international standard. But when you have crooks and thieves in power who realize that agitation by rights activists would adversely affect their looting, the next thing they would do is to silence them; and for the heartless ones it could be by elimination. That was what happened to Saro-

Wiwa who was murdered so the looting and the degradation could continue. Do you see a conspiracy between oil companies and governments? Oil companies would not come openly to tell you to kill those agitating for the rights of their people; they would never do that. It is the tyrants in power. They are the ones who need to change. So oil companies operate in line with the wishes of those in power in Nigeria? Exactly, exactly, that is the point. So, the day the Nigerian government chooses to tell them to abide by international standard, they would change… They would toe the line because they know that is what is expected of them. For instance, in the North Sea, in the United Kingdom, there is a lot of oil there. But they dare not mess up. They don’t flare gas there like they do in Nigeria. If there is any oil spillage, they attend to it promptly and pay handsome damages to people affected. They owe people in the Niger Delta same courtesy and treatment. If our leaders do not prompt them to toe the line, they would continue to run away from their responsibilities to the people and the area. Over the years there have been several failed ultimatums to oil firms to end gas flaring. Is government really committed to this? I think government needs to get its priority right. The gas being flared is called associated gas; it comes with crude oil. The Nigeria Liquefied National Gas (NLNG) Limited, a company established by the Nigerian government in conjunction with Shell, Total and Agip, is charged with the responsibility of liquefying the gas and selling it overseas. Nigeria makes billions of dollars yearly from this investment. NLNG has been seeking to establish Train Seven for the past five years; they are yet to get approval from the government. This is what is largely responsible for the continued flaring of gas. The question on everybody’s lips is, who really should be bothered, the company or the Nigerian government? This is something that is adversely affecting the health of the people and the environment, yet it is an added income to government. The right thing to do is for the Nigerian government to grant the approval without any further delay. If government says it is reserving it to generate power as we have heard in some quarters, yet for over five years we have not seen this power. Again, what is reasonable to be done is to give approval for the sale of the gas. Any time government is ready to start the power project, it would look out for how much gas is available or left. In any case, there is plenty of gas, capped there. All the gas-wells are capped; they Osunsanya are not being utilized now. The gas that is being liquefied is the Associated gas. We have a it has transformed those countries. When it lot of gas-wells being capped there, so why came into Nigeria, it became an issue that can’t government keep that for energy. The cannot be resolved because some of its provigoal-post keeps changing. Before it was 2008, it then changed to 2012, yet nothing happened. sions do not favour the multinational oil firms. These firms know that Nigeria has a For over two years, there was lull in militancy in the Niger Delta. But there seem to be a resur- systemic weakness, which is corruption; they did not waste time in penetrating the ranks gence. What went wrong? of the powers that be; using the tools of It is partly due to corruption in high places money and politics to water down the Bill if and lack employment for youths in the area. they cannot kill it. I am aware that politics Today, if government gives approval for the has been brought into it; it has now become a NLNG to develop Train seven and probably North and South debate. My position is that moves to Train Eight, thousands of employwe should not use politics to kill the good ment opportunities would be provided. For objective of PIB. We should also not use polievery Train, at least, 2000 jobs would be creattics to play into the hands of multinational ed apart form other indirect jobs that would oil firms. Let us borrow from the good examcome from servicing companies. ple of countries that are today operating it What do you make of the abandoned well. For the sake of the sector and the people, Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)? let the North and South close ranks and arrive The person who designed the PIB is lamentat a consensus to move the PIB and the sector ing today. The same law was introduced in forward. Libya, Malaysia and some other countries and With the application of the law in Brazil, the country’s national oil conglomerate, PetrolBra is performing wonders there. I was there two years before my retirement. In the past, Brazil used to be behind us; today Brazil is now one of the leading economies in the world courtesy of Petrol-Bra and the law. It is not that corruption is not there, but they have leaders who are committed. Our problem in Nigeria is basically leadership. But Petro-Bra’s courterpart, the Nigerian and National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) does exactly the opposite in Nigeria… The problem with NNPC is government intervention, which is more of interruption. If NNPC is allowed to operate without government hinderance, it would fly like Petrol-Bra.

We have voted into power leaders that are not interested in the welfare and well being of the people. We have leaders who are not supposed to be in position of authority, so the commitment to work and do what is right is not there

PIB was introduced in Libya, Malaysia and some other countries and it has transformed those countries. When it came into Nigeria, it became an issue that cannot be resolved because some of its provisions do not favour the multinational oil firms. These firms know that Nigeria has a systemic weakness, which is corruption; they did not waste time in penetrating the ranks of the powers that be; using the tools of money and politics to water down the Bill if they cannot kill it How do you explain a situation where the Group Managing Director of NNPC cannot approve any major project without the approval of the Minister and the President? How do you expect him to excel? This is apart from pressure from political appointees, National Assembly members, and the likes.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

PEoPLE The three-year tenure of the outgoing President of the Chartered Institute Of Personnel Management (CIPM), Popoola, ends on March 26. A Human Resources consultant, Popoola speaks with DELE FANIMO on his achievements and the aspirations of the institute.

ow has it been these past three years as the president and chairman of council I was elected the President of the institute at our AGM in 2010. whoever is the national president is also the chairman of the council. The council is the apex body in charge of the Institute. So, rather than how it has been for me, I prefer how it has been for us these three years because leadership is a collective thing. It has been a wonderful time to the extent that we had outlined what we hoped to achieve.The Institute being a professional one, every three to four years, we have a retreat to review our strategy. we look at what we have done in the past period, what is the context of the environment, and what do we see as the key ways forward for the future. In this retreat, we define what we call our imperatives, and by these, our must-win virtues to be achieved and these become our guiding lights for the next two years. As it turned out, the committee that is responsible for crafting and designing that imperative is called the Strategy Planning and Implementation Committee, (SPIC). And I have the honour of being the chairman of that committee and was part of the drafting of most of the strategy and planning that I inherited as president; So, looking back at these past three years, I’m very pleased and content, and grateful to God for being able to move the agenda massively forward. we have hit a lot of our key buttons, but we still have room to go. It’s been very wonderful these past three years. How has the institute contributed to the practice of HR in Nigeria? when we say we are the apex regulatory body, regulation is in the bigger sense. when we say ‘regulation as a company’, the thinking about it by the people is to catch people and force them to terms, but we still say a regulator must set the pace. You must articulate thoughts of the jobs and having set them, you must help your constituencies to raise their skill and competence levels. we have added great values to the regulation to the extent that we are a great player as it concerns and is expected of HR practitioners in this country; we organize exchange programmes, we organize experiential opportunities; we organize events to promote networking of members. The institute provides the opportunities for its members to network. Unfortunately, many HR practitioners are not yet members of the institute, and that is where we have concern. To that extent, we have challenges of how to expand our membership so that a lot of practitioners out there can be within the circle. In about a fortnight, you will be doing a ground- breaking event/project; can you shed more light on this? Part of the planning is to continue to expand the institute. The plan is to build a millennium building that is grand, more modern and bigger than what we have now. The one we have now is a three-floor building but the one we are anticipating to build will be five floor building and it is such that will grace us with a new look and that is why we call it the millennium building in this same premises and it will be equipped with newer and contemporary facilities. what are the challenges facing the execution of this project in terms of cost and other factors? one big challenge is financing the project, but we have identified four sources of finance. The first one is internally generated finance; we have been planning this for a long time, so before now, we have been saving some money towards the project. Secondly, every member will be charged a certain levy that will be used to advance the project. of course we have the corporate members. Third source, is seeking support from friends and stakeholders who are ready to support such progressing projects like this one, so we will identify key players in economy, private companies who will be willing to support us on this project. How much is being projected for the building of this complex? The round figure for the project is about 1billion Naira but we are hoping that when we

‘CIPM Is Going Places’

Popoola get nearer we can still save more cost, it might be slightly more but we believe the money will be enough to deliver the complex, it is about millennium building You are reputed to be the architect of the rebranding of this institute; do you believe this project is sustainable? I have 100% belief that this project is sustainable. It is even not about me, but I can tell you that the new leadership is part of this tenure led by me. I thank God that it’s during my tenure that this is happening. I can tell you that I inherited the design of this building, I believe leadership is a continuum and it’s collective, those two words are very important. In my own case, I had excellent support from my past president so I am assured about sustainability, we are all together. So, I have no doubts. Many practitioners are not yet members of the institute, what are you doing to bring them to the institute? That challenge is actually not peculiar to our institute; there are many practitioners in other professional areas, they don’t necessarily join professional bodies. Let’s face it; we have to be very ruthless in the assessment of the matter, what are attributable to those who have not joined. So, that is why the rebranding thing was very important,

we should ask what value proposition we are giving to those who have not joined. I can say happily as an Institute, CIPM has giving more commitment to this proposit i o n . For instance, we use to have induction of few numbers once a year. However, in 2012 we had two induction ceremonies where we inducted close to 800 people. So, it has been growing in leaps and bounds, yet, we have not got to where we are going and this is partially due to our style because we need to be more active. Some of our processes for admitting are not as friendly as they need to be, … we are looking for ways to reduce the stress and make it easy for people to join while not diluting the brand. what qualifies a practioner to be a member? You can be a member as a prospective practitioner. If you are a young graduate, there are examinations you will take and basic minimum level of knowledge. The examination will place you to acquire the knowledge required to say ‘I am a member’. But what qualifies a university graduate or HND holder? You must take necessary examinations and they are in stages. But if you already practice and you have

Brand-building… is a journey and it takes a long time to build a reputation. It doesn’t take time to erode it. The institute must be ambassador of that brand. I will like to remind them that they are carrying a huge responsibility and advise that they keep the reputation at the highest points.

evidence of what you have done and you meet our requirement it’s compulsory to admit you as a member. So you can be quoted to be a member when one meets requirement of knowledge skills and when one commits to abiding by our code of conduct, the ethics of the profession. Your tenure as the President ends this month, what advice would you give incoming leaders? Incoming leaders to the institute cannot be outsiders, so what to give is not advice, it is a reminder on the need to maintain the high standard that our institute is known for. Brand-building, especially for policy like this, of course is a journey and it takes a long time to build a reputation. It doesn’t take time to erode it. The institute must be ambassador of that brand. I will like to remind them that they are carrying a huge responsibility and advise that they keep the reputation at the highest points. Looking back, what would you have done differently, given another opportunity? okay, that area I think we need to focus on is how we engage younger members. Historically, personnel functions had not so many young people in it, but these days there is a generation of new young practitioners and the point is how we inculcate culture into the younger generation. Also in the area of being more visible and louder when it comes to advocacy, we need to do more, so that when people are asking or seeking opinion relating to HR practice, we will be the natural point of call even in Government. Tell us about yourself I really love to live a balanced life. I believe that there are pillars in life that make life balanced. You have God, Family Life and I believe there is a pillar around hobbies (Things one likes to do). I Iove cars and like to drive, I enjoy lengthy discuss and I also enjoy walking or riding bicycle.

TheGuardian

26 Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Weekend By Shaibu Husseini

Carol King may not be that face in every movie but she is certainly a notable actress of immense range. Talk of a core professional and a busy and intense radio and screen actress who many producers say always tries to put a stamp of quality on her performance and fingers will point to the 50- year-old actress who is easily one of the very few actors at ease on stage, television and on radio. Married for over 22 years to a pilot whom she described as “a very good man in the real sense of the word” and blessed with children, Carol King is regarded as a genial and approachable personality and a longstanding actress who has not allowed success and fame get into her head. A constant visitor to most homes because of the body of works that she has done on television, call Carol King the queen of television soaps and her teeming fans will readily accept that as a fitting description for the star of Everyday People, Alero Symphony and countless radio plays and television soap who reverences God and named Him her staying power and greatest source of inspiration. The queen of soaps and Minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ steps out in a new movie by Funke Fayoyin titled, ‘The Gods Are Still Not To Blame’ – an adaptation of Ola Rotiimi’s stage play of same but slightly modified title. Those who have seen the soon-to-be-premiered movie say Carol King’s performance in the movie only confirms her rating as a believable actress. She spoke to Celebrity about her career and life. S there a reason you have not done so many Nollywood movies?

No, there is no reason. I have done a few. I have just done one now, The Gods Are Still Not To Blame, and had featured in movies like Journey To Self and Wrongful Passion. The first movie I did was actually a Yoruba movie titled Pasitor Dehinde. It was produced and directed by Bimbo Manuel. So I have taken part in a few. But it should be less than 10. Why just 10 movies for an actress with an immense range like you? When people ask me this, I always tell them it wasn’t intentional. I get scripts but I reject them because I want to break the mode. It is like they have built this mummy box and they think that all Caroline King can play is a mum or auntie. So whenever I get such roles, I reject them because I want viewers to see me play different characters. There is no point taking on a role I won’t enjoy because I am not just doing it for the money. I have to enjoy the role. So, basically, I have been trying to break the modes just so as to show that I can play all kinds of characters and can function in any of the three medium - radio, acting on television and movies. And stage plays too because I see that you have done quite a few lately? I love the stage. I love the intense rehearsals, which makes the character you are playing more or less take over you completely. You could rehearse a play for three months and for that period of time, you live and breathe that character. You are sleeping, you are remembering your lines. So I love stage plays and the experience. The last one I did was An Ordinary Legacy written by Sefi Atta and Norbert Young played my husband. It was fantastic. I played an elderly woman. I played a 60-something-year-

Celebritygist…

So we have been friends for long even before he got married to Gloria Young (nee Anozie). I think it is the chemistry between us. We have worked together to understand each other. Till tomorrow, everybody who saw Edge of Paradise always say to me, “how is Norbert, your husband?” And I will jokingly ask them to wait until Gloria catches you. But we had fun on the set of An Ordinary Legacy. We were like family and Norbert and I played the role as though we were truly married. Till date, people stop to ask me if we are really married. And I would be like; ‘no o, we are not married o’ and the response I always get is “you two were so believable”. It means we did our job well. And your husband doesn’t have issues with your having to be cuddled and kissed in movies? The thing is people forget that when we are shooting there are so many people around. So it is not possible for anything to happen other than what the scripts demands. I have a very supportive family and husband and I think my family appreciates what I do and they know that it is just make believe. The beauty of acting is making people believe for a while that it is real. The thing for me is not how much of playing sexy roles but more of how do I make this believable enough without compromising myself, without given off these negative vibes to people who are watching and without abusing people’s sensibilities. That is more of my worry. I have also been very lucky to work with a competent crew. They have a way of playing around such romantic scenes. When you see us kissing, we aren’t actually doing the tonguing thing but it looks like we are doing it. Most romantic scenes I have played have been beautifully and artistically done. You can see that these people are intimate but we are not intimate in soft porn like of way. Playing a romantic scene is not when you grab my throat, kiss me, knack me gbagagbaga on the wall. That’s rubbish. What is The Gods Are Still Not Yet To Blame all about? It is an adaptation of The God’s Are Not To Blame written by Ola Rotimi. I played Queen Ninuola who left and came back and married her son. So you can imagine how challenging that can be. So it is not just a mother. I am a mother but a sexy one that a much younger guy, her son, can be attracted to. Funke Fayoyin did a marvelous on the movie. When the movie comes out people will definitely appreciate it. You would have had your own fair share of funny moments as a celebrity? Oh, well, funny enough I have been blessed so far that I don’t get such advances and stuffs child? old woman and it felt good playing it belike that. You become a prey if you are desperYes, I loved to act but I eventually didn’t cause it’s a few years away from my age. ate and not talented. If you are talented, prostudy theatre arts. I studied Christian ReliYou are 50 years old now? ducers will look for you. But I have personally gious study. My father wanted me to read I will be 50 by July and I have heard people not had such advances or people asking me say I must be using something special but I Law but it never happened so I graduated out just to give me a role. O ju mi ma nle gan don’t use anything special. The one thing I with CRS and from there, I followed my (Yoruba for I kept a tough mien). I also don’t heart, which was acting. I auditioned for a indulge myself in, is regular workout and give lustful fans any chance to get at me. Reradio programme, got the role and the rest then massage. I also work out a lot and eat cently, my phone rang and I picked the call. is history. just anything that I can lay my hands on. I The fellow on the other end said he saw me at It appears that producers love pairing you think I am aging well and that is because a studio and wants to know me more. And I alongside the actor Norbert Young. From my parents aged well. And also, I take things was like, who gave you my number. Then I Edge of Paradise to An Ordinary Legacy? easy and try hard to juggle my career and gave my husband the phone and immediately then my role as a mother and wife. I thank my husband said ‘hello’, he dropped the call. (Loud laughter) Norbert is my very good God for my family. everything has been So it happens but it is how you handle it that friend. I met Norbert many years back when working for my good. matters. Emi, mo ti de last bus stop temi. Ko si we took part in radio plays and voice-overs. Was acting on your career wish list as a nkon ti mo wa kiri. (Yoruba for I have reached my last bus stop. There is nothing I want anymore) What is your career ambition and if you do have a dream role, what will it be? My career ambition is to continue to do this and to get better with every job. As for my dream role, well, I have played a mother severally and have played a very old woman. I made the audience cry when I played Ajayi Crowder’s mom. In the play, they aged me. For cludes Nuella Njubigbo, Funke ‘Jenifa’ grown men to be crying means I did my job. Akindele, Halima Abubakar and Ruth But I will love to play a wicked woman role. Kadiri, Jujuwood is a movie about girls in the entertainment world; their lusts for fame and the lengths they are willThe beauty of acting is making people ing to go to be famous. Billed to be released in April, Jujuwood is one of the believe for a while that it is real. The many movies Nuella, an indigene of thing for me is not how much of playAnambra State and a graduate of Government and Public Administration ing sexy roles but more of how do I from the Imo Sate University, has produced. The actress has featured in so make this believable enough without many movies including Another Level, compromising myself, without given Beautiful Colour and Money Never Sleeps. Nuella first came into Nollywood as a off these negative vibes to people who scriptwriter in 2005 before making her are watching and without abusing debut as an actress in the movie Royal Destiny. Jujuwood is the first movie she is people’s sensibilities. financing.

Golden ‘Girl’,

Queen Of Soaps, Carol King Makes Huge Screen Debut

Nuella Njubigbo exposes Nollywood in New Movie, Jujuwood HOSe who want to know some of the secrets behind the road to stardom for some screen celebrities should watch Jujuwood, a new movie with the signature of the prolific Tchidi Chikere. Produced by fast rising actress, scriptwriter and producer Nuella Njubigbo, Jujuwood unravels the mystery behind the quest for stardom and exposes the hassles of being an up and coming act in Nollywood. It also tells the untold secret of how low some starlets will stoop just to achieve their big dreams of being celebrities. With a celebrated cast, which in-

CeLeBRITY

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THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

FITNESS With Oyinkan Talabi (Bodyworks)

Motivation Pool

WELLNESS & BEAUTY By Victoria Ekanem E all have had the problem of dark W circles under our eyes, ladies (and some gentlemen). What are the causes and of course the solutions. We’ll talk about these for the next few weeks starting now. Causes of Dark Circles under the eyes(1) Ageing As we age, our skin becomes thinner. This is a natural process and can’t be avoided. The skin around our eyes is already thin so, as we get older, the continued thinning is more noticeable. It is also aggravated by the constant exposure of our facial skin to the sun’s rays. As the skin around our eyes thins, the veins beneath become more visible. Prominent veins and the natural wrinkles of aging skin leave us with more and more pronounced dark circles under the eyes. Here, you’ll find plenty of tips about reducing and concealing the dark circles caused by age.

Dark Circles exercise, by drinking plenty of water and by avoiding cigarettes.

Exposure As mentioned above, exposure to the sun’s rays can damage the skin. This is true for any part of the body but it is particularly important for the face and eyes as the skin there is already thinner than elsewhere. over exposure to the sun should be avoided. When going out in bright sunlight, you should apply plenty of high Sun Protection Factor sunscreen. You should also wear a hat and cover as much of your body as possible. There is, of course, a very simple method of avoiding the sun’s rays: stay out of the sun. This is hardly practical, though. Instead, take the precautions Circulation Poor circulation may be the cause of dark noted above. Make sure you rub sun lotion on the face and around the eyes. Be circles under the eyes. You can help to carefully to avoid getting cream in to improve your circulation with regular

your eyes. Always wear sunglasses in bright sunlight. It’s very important to find a good pair of sunglasses. They should cover the region of your eyes completely and the lenses must guard your eyes against ultra violet radiation. When trying on sunglasses before you buy them, check if you can see your eyes in the mirror when looking through them. If you can see your eyes through the lenses, the sunglasses aren’t strong enough and won’t sufficiently protect your eyes or the skin around them. Facial Features The appearance of dark circles under or around your eyes may be due to the natural set of your face. Certain facial features will make the area around your eyes appear darker. Naturally deep-set eyes or a high nose bridge will leave your eyes in the shadow.

o you find getting yourself motivated D and staying motivated to workout difficult to maintain? Well, stop beating yourself; you are not alone. Below are some motivational tips that people sent in to sparkle people. • Do it anyway. (This was the most popular answer!) • Tell myself to go for 15 minutes. If I still feel bad or unmotivated, I can quit. I have yet to quit when I start. • Ask a friend along to the workout: it helps us both with accountability. • Do a heavy house cleaning (vacuuming, moving furniture, scrubbing) so I have a reason to work out. • Watch a Crossfit video on YouTube. It always inspires me. • Take a 10-minute brisk walk. • Take the dog for a long walk. • Force myself anyway and feel better for it. •Go to a Pilates class. It gets me moving, and I always have fun! • I sit by myself for a few minutes and think about all the things I can’t enjoy because of my poor health. • Sometimes I find myself doing it just to get my fitness minutes for the month. • Work out anyway…then bask in the awesomeness! • Find something new to do! If you run then go for a swim or a bike ride. Maybe you are getting bored with the same routine. • Complain about not feeling motivated, then go do it, since I don’t like hearing myself complain. • I drag myself to the gym anyway. Before I realize it, an hour is passed and I’m glad I went. • Post about your lack of motivation on Facebook, and get chewed out. • Do it anyway because this is for me. • Try to force myself to just do something for 1 minute (jumping jacks, squats, etc.). But usually I tell myself I will be happier that I did it instead of mad at myself for not doing anything. • Put on my work out clothes, lace up my shoes and go for a walk. once I’m out and moving I find my motivation. • Do a workout video at home! • Remember a time when I couldn’t work out, and how sad I was when I was heavier, and how I don’t want to feel sad again! • Listen to some music—something with energy that I like. It’s funny how the right music can make you move even when you think you don’t want to, and it usually provides a mood boost, too (which is probably why I didn’t want to workout in the first place). Would any of the above work for you? How do you motivate yourself to workout? Share with us at bodiworks@gmail.com. Love your body and it will love you right back...

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THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

HOME&DECOR

Great Options For Tabletops By Ekwy P. Uzoanya ARIOUS materials are used for tabletops. Just V as the dimensions and dĂŠcor of homes will vary, the materials used for tabletops cover options ranging from materials such as glass, wood and marble. Here are a few of the things to consider for the different types of tables you may consider for your home or any other space. Glass tabletop has a visual appeal. Glass furniture brightens up a room because of the way that glass reflects and transmits light that comes in through the windows of a room. This added brightness can make a room more inviting, and can lighten the dispositions of the occupants in the room. Glass tabletops can add a lighter look to the room and make it appear to be more spacious than it really is. Tables with glass tops come in a wide variety of colours and a wide variety of designs. It is also easier to clean glass tabletops, and glass will not stain from anything that is spilled or placed on it. Glass also does not show scratches as readily as some other materials. Things placed on glass tabletop stand out. However, a table with glass top needs to be handled with care to prevent it from breaking and it has the tendency to show fingerprints of people who touch it. Wood tabletops will not shatter like glass tabletops. They are durable and can absorb abuse more than those made of glass. It is easy to keep a wood tabletop clean, as they do not tend to show fingerprint from people who have touched it. To get the best look of a table with wood top, ensure that the shape fits the entire space where it is kept as it can make a space look too full. A marble tabletop is a contemporary and classy choice for any space. It is durable, beautiful, and can offer many options in sizes, shapes and finishes. It is wonderful for working with pastry, since it is naturally cool; it does not conduct heat very well. Like the other choices, a marble tabletop has its downsides. It can scratch easily, when acidic substance comes in contact with it especially over a long period of time. For instance, a slice of lemon laid down on a polished countertop overnight can leave a mark in the shape of the lemon slice, duller than the surface around it. Also, marble can stain; red wine and some fruits are noted for leaving indelible stains on it.

Wrought Iron Accents HE use of wrought iron has T found a place in home decoration. Wrought iron can be

decor accessories stem from the elegance, style, durability, and stability they offer used extensively to decorate for years to come wherever any room of the home, be it they are used. the bathroom, courtyard, livWrought iron will last for a ing room, bedroom and bath- very long time, but it needs room. The possibility is to be primed and painted limitless. when rust appears. There are many variations of Cover your wrought iron, if wrought iron decor products possible, during rainy or that can help you create a foggy weather to minimise pleasant impression for your rusting. guests. They range from seats, Examine your wrought iron tables, gate, curtain rods, regularly for scratches or chandelier, lamp, candlehold- chipping paint. If you disers, wine racks, magazine cover an exposed patch of racks, towel holders and gar- wrought iron, wash the area den items such as plant with warm soap water and stands, gazebos and garden then touch up the finish benches. using a rust-resistant exteThe popularity wrought iron rior metal paint.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

FOOD&DRINK

Plantain With

Spinach (Recipe for the eyes) By Chinelo Nwagbo UR general approach to Nigerian cuisine on Healthyeating O in all our editions have always covered the areas and information on nutritive values, medicinal impacts/therapeutic

properties, recommendations and method of preparations of local dishes in all the states in Nigeria. Today, take a look at the nutritional value, therapeutic property, recommendation and method of preparation of plantain with spinach. The eye is the organ of vision. It performs a complex function by continuously sending information to the brain and to perform these duties effectively, it needs some essential nutrients such as vitamin A, C and E. A big part of staying healthy and also keeping the eyes healthy is related to one’s diet. Plantain with spinach is a simple and nutritious dish that is very good and healthy for the eyes. This nutritious food is eaten in almost all the states in Nigeria and is enjoyed by both children and adults. Plantain, the main ingredient of this recipe is very rich in iron, potassium, B-complex vitamins and magnesium. Spinach, another main item of this recipe is a highly nutritious food commodity. It is an excellent source of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, calcium, folate, potassium, vitamin B6, iron and vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin C, E, dietary fibre, vitamin B1(thiamin), copper, and zinc. In a recent study on the relationship between the risk of prostate cancer and vegetable intake — including the vegetables spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, turnip greens, collards, and kale — only spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer. Eating plantain spinach is essential for proper vision and red blood cell production. Consuming this nutritious food gives energy to the body, helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenges harmful oxygen-free radicals that causes cancer, cures anaemia, maintains healthy mucus membranes, enhances skin complexion, and prevents premature aging. Although there is a general concern with the health consequences of eating fried food, especially when it comes to consideration of cholesterol, this depends on the type of oil used. For this dish, 100 percent canola oil, which is among two of the healthiest oils for maintaining healthy heart is used.

Ingredients Quantities Canola Oil 2 cups Plantain 3 medium sizes Garlic, minced 3 cloves Grated fresh Ginger 1 tablespoon Chili Flakes ¼ teaspoon Salt to taste Baby Spinach 1 medium bunch Method of preparation Wash the plantain s before peeling them, slice as thin and uniform as possible. Pour 2 cups of oil into a frying pan and heat to176. Fry the plantain slices until golden brown, about 3 minutes each side.

Remove from the frying pan and let them dry out on a paper towel. Using the same frying pan and little canola oil with the heat reduced to medium, sauté the garlic, ginger, chili, and salt until aromatic, about a minute. Add the chopped plantain pieces and sauté for another minute until well combined and the pieces are coated with the garlic, ginger, and spices. Add the spinach, sauté for about 3 minutes, tossing well to combine, until the spinach is all wilted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. Serve immediately and enjoy. E-mail: chineloeby@yahoo.com

Mateus Rose: Wine For

four different varieties to choose from: the Sparkling –intended for special occasions due to its elegance and non-vintage style; Shiraz – the more contemporary with its medium dry style; Aragones – ideal for both day and night and Tempranillo By Ibukunoluwa Kayode barroca and touriga Franca with a – a refreshing summery berry taste pink sparkling colour and a distincOR lovers of medium-sweet wines, tive flavour. It can be seen and recog- to fill the palate. It is a rose wine for the young, rich Mateus Rose wine is a great option nize in most sophisticated wine outand busy professionals who love to sedate the palate for refreshment. lets and wine markets across medium-sweet wines. Mateus rose The versatile wine made in Portugal Nigeria. holds 11% AVB and can be paired with is embedded with grape varieties to The sparkling wine can be served at foods such as BBQ burgers and ribs, leave a luscious taste on the palate weddings, birthday parties, cocklobster, omelets, pizza, pork tenderfor smooth enjoyment. tails, dinners, beach parties or any loin and Thai chicken. Mateus wine is made from selected kind of celebration. For best enjoyment, Matues rose grape varieties that grows in Presently, Mateus Rose has present- should be served chilled with ice Portugal such as baga, rufete, tinta, ed the Nigerian wine market with cubes.

All Seasons, All Comers F

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

ELIZABETH DREAM WEDDINGSwithBADEJO elizabethbadejo2002@yahoo.com eb_africadreamwedding@yahoo.com 08097360766 are paying for and what the package includes in case there are hidden charges you have to pay on top of the fees. If you are convinced that you have found your photographer, do not hesitate to make a commitment as soon as possible. It is perhaps going to be one of the best wedding planning decisions you will ever make. You really do not want to remember the days alone, but also the moments.

OUR wedding ceremony may last a day or Y two but the memory should last forever. You will be relying on photographs and videos to remind you that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a dream, nor fantasy but you both really lived your dream. Looking for that individual who can keep and capture every splendid moment is very important and getting the most outstanding and professional photographer who will understand your preferences and able to adapt to your situation as well as working within your budget, is also key in making your final selection. There is a huge range of styles and options to consider, and making the right choice means that you will be able to reflect the very personal feel of your own day.

A personal reference is important in engaging the services of your wedding photographer but you also need to do your own checks. Other vendors may recommend photographers to you but make it strictly business with no obligation to engage on recommendation if you are not satisfied with the personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standard. Do not engage a photographer who is not prepared to give you a reference

Amateurs To The Rescue

Tips For Diva Bride

Be careful not to involve enthusiastic amateurs who would want to help out especially if they know that you are trying to cut cost. Specialised wedding photographers will understand wedding procedures, ceremonies and receptions so they can anticipate your next move and be in the proper place at the right time to capture all the special moments. You must be comfortable with your photographer to so that you can communicate well and he/she will also be able to make suggestions in order to capture every moment on one of the most important days on your lives

Always ensure that you know exactly what you are paying for and what the package includes in case there are hidden charges you have to pay on top of the fees. Make sure that this is written down and signed by both parties when you finally make the commitment.

Get References

Ask the your photographer if he/she will be coming or another photographer from the studio will be sent instead. You may be shocked to know that some photographers may take more than one job in one day and will send a representative to you only to tell you that it is the normal procedure.

DISPLAY OF PAST WEDDING PHOTOS Photographers display most of their best works on their websites for prospective couples who want to see their style of photography; from this you are able to see their style of work but never make up your mind on that basis alone. Most photographers also take up stands at wedding exhibitions and bridal fairs where their portfolios are always on hand for intending couples to view, a great place to meet a number of photographers under one roof with different ideas and styles, discounts may also be applicable if deals are sealed right there. Look at past works the photographer has produced and see if he/she knows how to capture the excitement and emotion of the bridal couple. it is also important that you see a full collection of wedding photos from start to finish which will give you a better perception of how your own is going to look. Do not be intimidated by any celebrity photographer who charges outrageously but not ready to understand your principles. They may not necessarily be the best for you even if they are presently the new kids on the block.

You also need to know what your photographer will be wearing on your big day. It is a good idea to let him/her know what you consider as the appropriate dress code for the day so that you both have an understanding. Pricing Your Pictures A good photographer will only be interested in YOU and would ask you what your preferences are and how you would like it captured. It is also important that you do not shop by price, you

need to know if the photographer you want is within your budget but also be prepared to pay the difference if you are convinced and satisfied with the quality of work. Also ensure that you know exactly what you

Finally ask your photographer how long you have to wait before the work is delivered to you, it is important that this is clearly spelt out as some photographers delay can cause a lot of confusion between newlyweds who are always anxious to see how their dream wedding has been captured.

Only One Chance To Capture The Magic On Your Big Day, Get The Right Eye Behind The Lense

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FASHION

Embrace Your

Curves By Ibukunoluwa Kayode

positive about your figure. Dress your Fashion for the plus-size woman doesn’t shapes right and fitted: If have to be too drab. Have fun with your you are realwardrobe in clothes that make big and ly self-conscious bold fashion statements about your UST because you are not a skinny size “8” curves, doesn’t mean you cannot look sexily gor- avoid geous. Oftentimes women with extra bright, pounds always feel shut out of the fashion bold, obviscene to show off their God-given curvy ous nature instead of seeing themselves as a colours. Opt “big girl” in a skinny world. for browns, But now, no need to worry, the trend is greys, creams increasingly changing as a fresh crop of and whites. Black plus size brands are beginning to emerge is another brilliant to add beauty to and accentuate the curvy colour and instantly form of big women. slimming, but must only For the curvaceous women out there, you be worn for an evening outhave got to love your body, and there are ing. Avoid too much jewlots of gorgeous clothes out there- both ellery but rather get a drapsmart and casual- to confidently flaunt ing necklace to bring more your curves. attention to your chest. Accepting yourself the way you are is the Lastly, wear clothes that fit first step to staying sexy as a plus size, stop you, not the ones that are too picking up little faults that are not even vis- baggy or tight. Also opting for ible to your admirers and always accept the a perfect bra that fits your full fact that you are never going to be a size 0. figure will make a difference to All you need do is stay stylish and trendy your shape. even in your chubby size. Remember you are sexy: To stay stylish, as a plus size might be a bit Appreciate who you are, no matdaunting, so just go for styles that cover ter how big you feel. It’s a comthe top of your thighs and match it with a mon fact that many people find slightly décolleté that goes down to your curvier women sexier than thin waist for a subtle, sensual look. women. Always keep this in mind. Also, to keep your body in shape as a plus Its helps you feel less worried size, regular exercise is a great way to keep about how your clothes are lookyour weight in check in order to maintain ing on your figure. your gorgeous look. Be proud: All you need is to have However, staying sexily gorgeous as a plus more confidence in yourself; you can size goes beyond wearing smart clothes, it be part of those beautiful curvy ladies also has to do with positive attitude and who love who they are. To keep the some other factors that must be well looks sassy, high heels are also a friendobserved and put to check. ly option to make you look taller to Confidence is the key: It is incredibly hard complement your shape. And always to be confident if you are unhappy with the also focus on your good points rather way you look, the best way to help your than your flaws. confidence is to tell yourself something

CREED Makes An Entrance At Lagos Polo Tournament HIS weekend fragrance lovers T can experience the luxury of Creed perfumes at the on-going 2013 Lagos International Polo Tournament. Creed perfume is known as the most luxurious and selective fragrance brand based in Paris. It is a name synonymous with unique and exclusive perfumes the world over from royalty to stars from the worlds of film, music and sport, Creed’s client list reads like an international who’s who. In 2012 Creed appointed Montaigne Place as exclusive agents and retailers, opening the first Creed personalized counter in all of Africa at Montaigne Place, Ikeja City Mall. For one whole week, from March 3 to March 10, the full CREED range has been available for sale at the 2013 Lagos Polo International Tournament holding at the Polo Club in Ikoyi, Lagos. Polo lovers and guests

can try the Creed Testers and will also be offered complimentary samples at the Creed booth. Founded by James Henry, the House of Creed rapidly became a favourite with the Court of England and Queen Victoria appointed Creed as official supplier. Shortly, the House of Creed was chosen by all the Courts of Europe: from Napoleon III, to Empress Eugenia, Francois-Joseph and Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary, and Queen Christina of Spain, Creed’s creations were recognized for their quality, refinement and originality. In 1854, under Empress Eugenia, the fragrance moved to Paris and soon acquired notoriety. With a very selective clientele, Creed went on creating unique perfumes, masterpieces of creativity. More than 200 exclusive perfumes, all original and hand-made, have been created by the Creed family over the years.

Today, the president of the House of Creed, Olivier Creed, has decided to introduce to the five continents, the fruit of his creative flair. The Creed “Millesimes” have been created from essences of great quality and contain the highest percentage of natural components in the French perfume industry. The infusion technique, now abandoned by modern industry, enables Olivier Creed, a perfectionist to preserve the originality of his fragrances. In Nigeria, Montaigne Place stocks the full range of Creed Millesimes, as well as the even more exclusive “Creed Royales Exclusives”. Each perfume is an experience and takes you on a trip through space and time.

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SOCIETY

Nigeria: Arise And Shine! NIM, Stakeholders Beckon, Invoke Optimism, Attitudinal Change HE Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) recently With the theme: Appraisal of Vision 20:2020: Perspective of Power of Council, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, promised to explore the avT launched its inaugural annual lecture titled Nigeria: Arise and Generation and National Development,’ it attracted prominent per- enue to ensure high-level discussions yearly among the government, stakeholders and the citizenry in a quest to transform the Shine at its headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos amidst glitz sonalities across the country, and glamour.

Under this concept, NIM, according to its President and Chairman country. The event is captured in pictures below…

Deputy President, Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM); Dr. Nelson Uwaga (left), the guest speaker and Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Adisa Bello, President and Chairman of Council of NIM, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole (MFR) and the Lagos State Head of Service and representative of Governor Raji Fashola (SAN), Mr. Olusegun Ogunlewe.

Registrar, University of Lagos, Mr. Oluwarotimi Sodimu (left), retired Professor, College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital and former Pro Chancellor, University of Uyo, Prof. Frank Okoisor and a past President of the Nigerian Institute of Managemen and former Pro Chancellor, University of Lagos, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode.

Former Vice Chancellor, University of Uyo and moderator of the lecture, Prof. Fola Lasisi (left), President and Chairman of Council of NIM, Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole (MFR) and a past President of the institute, Mrs. Margaret Adeleke.

A fellow of NIM, Mrs. Margaret Adeleke (NIM), a past President of the institute, Sir Peter Edeoghon, and another past President of NIM and current President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Dr. Lugard Aimiwu.

A cross section of some dignitaries at the event: Registrar and Chief Executive of NIM, Mr. Maurice O. Lakanu (left), Past President, NIM, Dr. Michael Omolayole, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Adisa Bello, immediate past Pro-Chancellor of UNILAG and a past President of NIM, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, NIM’s Director of Membership Services, Engr. Mohammed Kudu Sulaiman and past President of NIM and current President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria Dr. Lugard Aimiuwu.

Deputy President, NIM, Dr. Nelson Uwaga (left), former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith, and a fellow of NIM, Alhaji Eseigbe Abubakar.

A fellow of the institute and Medical Director, Folarin Fountain Hospital, Maryland, Lagos, Dr. Ademola FolarinWilliams (left), and another fellow of NIM and former Registrar, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu. Princess Adetope Kosoko.

Registrar and Chief Executive of NIM, Mr. Maurice O. Lakanu (left), a past President of the institute, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, and Registrar, University of Lagos, Mr. Oluwarotimi Sodimu.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

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SOCIETY Royal Birthday For Tejuoso At 75 Royal fathers, including the Alake of Egba Land, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and others thronged Abeokuta recently to felicitate with Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Osile of Oke-Ona Egbaland who marked his 75th birthday. The jollification which many thought would have been more glamorous, had the Kabiyesi agree to postpone the event, which fell on a Tuesday to the weekend. But it was still an occasion like no other.

Gov Amosun and wife, Olufunso

Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Osile of Oke-Ona Egba cutting the cake with Olori Labisi, Yetunde and Omolara and birthday mate

Gen Oladipo Diya, right with Justice Oguntade and wife

Oba Tejuoso presenting certificate of chieftaincy titles to Mrs. Sade Okoya and Mrs Oguntade

Dr. Lanre Tejuoso, Mama Akinluyi and Funmi Tejuoso

Oba Tejuoso, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Gov Ibikunle Amosun and Chief Fasawe

Ayora Kuforiji Olubi, Mrs Adetohun and Friend Segun Awolowo, (middle) Kayode, Moji, Funmi Tejuoso and Tutu Alu

Prince and Princesses of Tejuoso

Alake of Egba Land Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, right with other Obas at the church service

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FASHION

Different Ways To Fight Wrinkles RINKLES are certainly a W woman’s worst enemy. All the fads and beauty trends we put our skin through when we were younger are finally catching up with us. But there’s good news: Research is finding more effective ways to take care of your skin and reverse the aging process. Follow these simple steps to have more beautiful skin now than ever before: Daily sunscreen: The sun is the number one offender that causes wrinkles (and skin cancer), so try to stay out of it as much as possible. Since that can be hard to do, you should also use a daily sunscreen. If you apply only one product to stave off the years, it should be sunscreen, say skin experts who recommend using a broad-spectrum SPF 30 every day. Sleep: When you don’t get enough sleep, the body produces excess cortisol, a hormone that breaks down skin cells. When you do get enough sleep, your body produces HGH (Human Growth Hormone), which helps keeps your skin thick and healthy. Not only do you need enough sleep, but the way you sleep matters, too! If you sleep on your side or face-down, you may get sleep lines, which after a while don’t go away when you wake up. This is a very faint and long process, so simply try not to sleep on the same side every night. The best position to sleep is on your back. Adjust your diet: Good nutrition is a fundamental building block of healthy skin, according to dermatologists. Natural ingredients in whole foods help increase cell turnover and boost collagen, while sugar-packed foods can damage collagen. Try to include these foods into your diet: . Fish-The fatty acids found in fish, especially salmon, help nourish skin and keep it plump. . Soy- In one study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that a soy-based supplement improved skin’s structure and firmness after just six months. .

Fruits and vegetables- They’re packed with antioxidants, which help to fight skin damage. Eat 5-8 servings a day, and focus on green, leafy vegetables, and red and blue berries. Pack on the antioxidants: Antioxidants are compounds that include Vitamins A, C and E as well as colour-bearing compounds such as carotene that when combined, are super great for your skin. Green and black teas are full of antioxidants and they have protective compounds that help prevent the breakdown of collagen, so choose tea over coffee next time! Also try pomegranates and acai berries. You can find antioxidants both orally and topically to improve your skin. Rethink your workout: Cardio overkill in your workout isn’t benefiting your skin as much as you think. A strength-training regimen creates better muscle tone, which prevents sagging skin. Your workout could also use yoga, which can help prevent breakouts, fight stress, and make you look younger. Drink more water: It’s simple. Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day helps skin keep its moisture and elasticity. Water also flushes out any harmful toxins your body may have, which would add to skin problems. Use moisturizer with peptides: Peptides are chains of amino acids, which not only hydrate the skin but also stimulate the production of collagen, so look for this in the ingredients next time you’re shopping for moisturizer. Here’s a tip: moisturize right after you’ve washed your face, while your skin is still damp, to lock in moisture. Try retinols: Retinol comes from Vitamin A, and it’s packed with skin enhancing benefits. It gets rid Get wrinkles-free skin like these models of dead skin cells and stimulates new growth, improves skin pigmentation and helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Start out using a small amount of over-the-counter retinols, because it can bother your skin at first, and slowly move up to a prescription. End your bad habits: More and more studies are revealing that cigarette smoke ages skin, because it contains ingredients that break down collagen. Alcohol has also been proven to

increase the aging process by causing wrinkles, loss of collagen, elasticity, redness, dehydration and puffiness. Smile and be happy: When people look at pictures of happy, smiling people, they guessed their age as younger than in photos of the same person with a neutral or angry expression, according to a research in Psychology and Aging.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chimamanda, Three Others Nominated For Vlisco Women’s Month Award N order to pay tribute to African ICentral women, especially in Western and Africa, to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, Vlisco, manufacturers of the colourful Hollandais fabric, is organizing the Vlisco Women’s Month award. Dubbed the Be Your Dream award, five women among Nigeria’s inspirational women namely Mrs Abike DabiriErewa, Chimamanda Adichie, Mrs Eugenia Abu, Mrs Joke Silva and Hajia Amina Az-Zubair have been nominated for the award in which the most inspirational women among them would be selected through public voting. “One woman’s achievement often inspires another woman’s dream and many women find great inspiration by witnessing others overcome their

challenges and live their dreams,” says Adaeze Alilonu Vlisco Channel Activation Manager at a recent media parley to announce the upcoming event. Hence these five inspirational women have been nominated for the Vlisco Women’s Month Be Your Dream award among who the most inspirational Nigerian women would be elected. The winner will be elected by the Nigerian public and will be revealed during a festive award night and fashion show on March 28 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Adaeze explained that “throughout the month of March, everybody is invited to vote for the candidate that inspired them most at any Vlisco shop or online at beyourdream.vlisco.com.”

Apart from encouraging women to dream, Adaeze revealed that the company also wants to empower women to unleash their potential. So imaginative female creative fashion professionals-tailors, designers, stylists can also send in their business plans for the Vlisco Fashion Dream Fund, and stand to win funding to realize their business dreams by logging on to the same website for more information. Three winners throughout West and Central Africa that would be selected by a Vlisco jury will win $10,000, $7, 000 and $5, 000 respectively and Vlisco will support them with business advice to ensure that they succeed. In-store voting for Nigeria’s inspirational woman ends on March 22 while online voting ends on March 27.

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013 | 35

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Entertainment

Sony Neme nemesony@yahoo.co.uk 07054576639

Amstel Malta Supports Movie Excellence And AMVCA

Ibinabo

Y the end of today, winners from the various categories of the first edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, would have emerged, with their trophies in tow. They would occupy a place in history as the very first set of winners of the prestigious awards. With 28 awards up for grabs in 26 categories, six of the categories will be voted for by viewers. There are also 18 technically focused categories, where winners will be selected by an expert industry-based judging panel. The journey had actually begun on Monday, January 28, with the formal announcement of the nominees. To accord it the status it deserves, Amstel Malta, pitched its tent with the awards as its headline sponsor. The attribute that the brand shares with this event, The Guardian gathered, is the quest for excellence, because the Amstel Malta tagline theme is ‘Be The Best With The Best.’ This proposition signifies the premium brand’s nudge to its consumers to continually strive to attain excellence in their endeavours. This re-echoes the aspirations of the AMVCA, which seeks to recognize and reward excellence in the African film and television industry. Mr. Tokunbo Adodo, Marketing Manager, Non Alcoholic, Nigerian Breweries Plc, had at the nominee event ceremony, where the various categories and nominees were unveiled, described the partnership as timely. According to him, “The AMVCA is a platform for rewarding talent which aligns with one of Amstel Malta’s core value of rewarding loyal consumers. We constantly seek new ways to reward our loyal consumers. AMVCA will not only reward talents, but also encourage the upcoming ones to strive to excel, so they can be recognized and rewarded.” For Mrs. Adedoyin Owotomo, Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, “At the core of the brand

Balogun

is the conviction that everyone has what it takes to be the best. The brand therefore believes in providing platforms that not only give opportunities to young talented individuals, but also inspiration. AMVCA therefore falls within this platform that recognizes and celebrates the best in the industry.” On her part, the Managing Director, M-Net Africa, Biola Alabi, noted that the partnership with Amstel Malta was commendable. “At M-Net, we look forward to walking this path with Nigerian Breweries and we believe that our strong relationship will be a long-standing and mutually beneficial one,” she enthused. She further encouraged artistes that were not nominated thus, “This is also a medium to reach out to every individual that is part of this industry, either directly or otherwise, as practitioners who do not hear their names in any of the categories should not be disappointed, as that doesn’t mean that their works aren’t recognized or appreciated.” The nominees for the AMVCAs were revealed at a glamorous nomination cocktail party held at the Porsche Center, Victoria Island. In attendance were popular movie and TV drama stars like Jide Kosoko, Saheed Balogun, Chidi Mokeme, Funlola Aofiyebi, Uti Nwachukwu and Genevieve Nnaji. The event also featured the reveal of the AMVCA statuette which eventual winners will walk away with. The statuette was re-

Akindele

vealed by Alabi, Adodo and John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria. Some of the categories of the awards are Best Actor/Actress in a Drama, Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy, Best Costume Designer, Best Short Film, Best Sound Editor, among others. Some of the notable nominated Nigerian thespians are Genevieve Nnaji, Funke Akindele, Osita Iheme and Kunle Bamtefa, among others. Thrilled by the exploits of one of its ambassadors, Amstel Malta has also congratulated Okechukwu Chukwudi Ukeje on his nomination for the maiden edition of the awards. Ukeje, a former winner of the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality TV show, is a nominee in the Best Actor In A Drama category for his role in the movie, Two Brides And A Baby. Ukeje attained national prominence when he emerged winner of the 2007 edition of the Amstel Malta Box Office. This earned him a lead role in the movie, White Waters, for which he won the highly coveted Best Upcoming Actor award at the 2008 edition of the African Movie Academy Awards. Mrs. Owotomo described the actor’s nomination as an affirmation of his acting prowess. According to her, “Amstel Malta has also launched a series of consumer engagement activities for the maiden edition of the Africa Magic Viewers? Choice Awards. The series of unique campaigns are geared

This is also a medium to reach out to every individual that is part of this industry, either directly or otherwise, as practitioners who do not hear their names in any of the categories should not be disappointed, as that doesn’t mean that their works aren’t recognized or appreciated.

towards connecting its target market with the first edition of the awards thereby enabling them to win tickets to the event as well as other fabulous prizes. The ancillary scheme activities are tagged Name & Match, Do You Know Your Stars and Amstel Malta Video Awards; and all campaigns are driven via Amstel Malta’s social media platforms. For the Name and Match campaign, the target audience would be required to predict which actors would emerge winners from the categories recently revealed by the AMVCA nomination panel. They would then match the actor with a word representing the attribute he/she shares with the Amstel Malta brand Do You Know Your Stars on its part is a three-stage game which entails an individual matching an actor’s name with the actor’s picture within the shortest possible time. Individuals have to complete a 12, 16 and 24-box grids in Stages I, II and III respectively. For the Amstel Malta Video Awards, viewers are to upload a short movie clip in which they are portraying a role. Fans on the Amstel Malta facebook page would judge the best of the lot by casting votes. Aside the social media platform, Amstel Malta would be engaging its target audience for the AMVCA via radio. And listeners would be asked to act a popular role (or a situation script) from a nominated movie or mimic a nominated star. The brand also introduced the Amstel Malta Radio countdown in a five-day interactive countdown dedicated to the AMVCA. According to Owotomo, the premium low sugar malt drink launched series of interactive scheme activities to enable its target market have a feel of the AMVCA. AMVCA will undoubtedly be populated by movie stars from the African continent. These are celebrities whom many individuals have seen only on screens. She added that individuals who may not attend the event, but who participate in the scheme activities will

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

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ENTERTAINMENT

DeolaDazzles At Iyanya Launch Storie by Sony Neme RITAIN-BASED Adeola Ososami dazzled at Iyanya album launch last weekend. The singer and song writer spoke with the media minutes before she was asked to report at the back stage in preparation for her first-ever show in Lagos. Her words: “Tonight I will be performing, so I am excited. I will be performing my new single Never Leave, released about three weeks ago. It’s a song I love so much.” The dentist undergraduate had started out as a kid singer in the church, just like many other great musicians like Beyonce,the late Whitney Houston and lots more. The music is produced by Dr. Mike Moodini of Lunakidz Music, the label on which she is signed on. She said, “For me music is like an escape. I am so happy when I am singing or writing my song. It is so refreshing to me and I love doing it. It is my passion. Expect a whole lot from me. Nigeria should be expecting a variety of songs from me as I will be releasing my mixed

tape titled Different Sides of Me. It’s a compilation of different styles of me. The full mixed tape (she emphasized that it is not an album) of ten tracks is being put together, and that will be ready soon.” According to Deola, it contains Bere mole, a fun song that was released as a single late last year; there is also Never Leave and eight other tracks. Comparing both musical scenarios in Britain and Nigeria, the new kid on block said, “I do not really see much difference. Now, I really appreciate Nigerian music industry. I think it is so far so good. I have got lots of good reception as people tend to like what I am doing, otherwise I won’t be performing tonight. People like my performance and my voice. I am really excited about it all. Today (Saturday, March 2) I will be performing my song, Never Leave, and it is my first show in Lagos, and I don’t want to unveil everything, so just wait and see for yourself.” In all, she wants her fans to expect a compilation of good music as I have a fusion of different genre, but I sing in both English and Yoruba.

With her debut effort Bere mole rocking the airwaves, Deola said that she is fully prepared to take on the Nigerian movie industry. She was born in Nigeria and at age seven her parents relocated her to the United Kingdom. “I regularly visit Nigeria when I was younger,” explained the singer who also revealed that her music study does not clash due to her love for both. “I did a music course for a year before I started my degree. The practical aspect is not as much as you expect it to be. My music is a combination of Afro pop with a blend of hip hop. My inspiration comes from my songwriting, and the experience of other people and what they say. I don’t always write from my experience, because for me, it is always good to put yourself in someone’s position. I write my song and I also play the piano. My songs are really identifiable. I think we worked hard to do what Nigerians will appreciate,” she said.

Benue Agog With Emerging Movie Locations knowledge. The next thing I heard was that everything was in the papers. A lot of young people left various places...not everyone who worked with us came from Makurdi. Some of them came from neighbouring local government areas. They heard and came just to be part of the production. The basic thing is that the enabling environment for us was great. There is peace in that town; there is free movement and no chaos. I think that is a plus for the government. This enabled us do our work. The people generally were lovely. How would you describe the training sessions you had with movie practitioners there? We went a week before and did a brush-up training. We saw a lot of people who were interested in different aspects of production. So that by the A scene from Mimidoo time we commenced our shoot we seport us, some places sometimes for lo- lected them and gave them different T is no longer news that the movie citing. We were amazed at how our bug has gripped Nigerians from all people wanted to do this movie more cation we have to pay but there; they roles. I actually came with crew memwere more than willing to give us bers from Abuja. Those who were walks of life. What is however interest- than us. We had people who suping is that Nollywood has finally ported us in different aspects. Like in their houses for use. I know how hard trained a week before, we selected them to work with the various people berthed in the middle belt, courtesy accommodation, Benue Hotels gave us it is; we do films into the AMs and they wouldn’t mind. The press in I brought from Abuja whom I had of Paul Apel. The Abuja-based multi- rooms. worked with in my previous projects ple awards winning movie maker That’s an encouragement and we are Benue was wonderful. They came and actor has taken the bulls by the very grateful for that. We met people around and they took what they saw who are very good hands. I am really and published even without my impressed because I could see the zeal, horns as he has directed his energy to who were more than willing to supBenue State where young producers and actors are fast learning the rudiments of movie making. He spoke with the media on his intentions and excitement from the food basket state. Excerpts: How far have you gone with the movie shoot in Benue? We have actually finished shoot. It OPULAR Nigerian actress cum singer, Tonto her life. was a great experience. It took us Dikeh is definitely not resting on her oars to Her words, ”I love music and I’m very passionate eight days to do the shoot and we make a strong impact in the music industry as have completed it. Now, we are back she continues her foray into what has gradually be- about a career in music. Jeje is just a tip of the iceand I’m in post-production. We are al- come a passion: singing to entertain a growing list berg from other great songs that I will be releasing in the nearest future.” She further explained most through with it because it is of fans. Thus, the controversial actress has released that the criticisms her former singles generated quite exciting editing the piece. It is a new single titled Jeje. The single which comes have given her the strong will and unlimited devery interesting so I am working with an instrumental is a dance hall effort, and termination to succeed at doing music. “I don’t night and day cutting it. It keeps me clearly and improvement to her last efforts. Prosee myself stopping music because of criticisms up. I love what I’m seeing. I love how duced by Joseph Egieyeh, Jeje is a hot groovy song or negative comments. Criticisms make you betit turned out and I am almost done that will definitely excite fun lovers. Prior to releas- ter as you don’t expect everyone to like what you with the post-production. ing Jeje, she featured on Kas’s single, Iyawo Wind. How was the experience and how did Tonto also cleared the air on her purported steam- are doing.” Tonto’s manager, Tony Nwakalor, who sat by her and answered some of the questhe people receive it? ing relationship with Iyanya, and Yvonne Nelson. tions on her behalf said, “Though Tonto might Very well, there was so much excite- “Yvonne is a collegue in the movie industry. I not be the fantastic singer as rumoured by some ment. Based on their reception, inten- barely know Iyanya and it is an issue I don’t conpeople, what you can’t take away from her is that tion and attention given to the sider important to be talking about…” It would be she is an electrifying entertainer, a performer project, I have decided on going back interesting to note that Iyanya in the wake of his and a choreographer. There is more to Tonto there for another one soon because face-off with Opa Williams had at a media parley than lots of her critics out there know. We are we were so welcomed by our people described Tonto as his very good friend! bringing out her very best this year”. and they were elated by the fact that The inventive diva whose previous singles were re- Tonto, who is set to jet out of the country to the we were coming to make a movie in ported to have broken a record that no other their language. The approach to the Nigerian song has ever done, has improved consid- United States of America for a career improvement, made her entry into the music industry film, the kind of equipment we erably in her song writing ability and delivery. brought down, they were excited by it Tonto who spoke with journalists at an interactive last year. It was with the release of previous sinand that gave them the strength and session at Yaba, Lagos last weekend, on the new singles such as High and It’s Ova which generated varied comments, mainly negatively. However, ability to even go through the job gle, and many other issues said she can't really say Tonto has ignored her critics and is ready for a smoothly. what inspired her but all she knows is that music is glorious career in 2013. The reception in Benue was quite ex-

Tonto Dikeh Drops New Single, Denies Romance With PIyanya

they gave their best. It’s demanding because I knew they had not worked that much before. They kept pushing on, showing their interest and it worked so well. After the project in Benue, what would you say about the indigenes there? They are quite exciting. One of the goals was to reach out and train them so that when next we are coming we would work with them directly. At the end of the project I can tell you that about 65 percent of the people there can work with us. The good thing is that they have been making efforts, trying to do stuff so it was easier. I am sure that by the time I get back there, I won’t have to bring a whole lot of people all the way from Abuja. And they should be able to deliver. What do you intend to achieve with the Mimidoo Project? One will be to entertain my people in their language which we did with the latest of format and technology around the world. Secondly, to also bring up to speed, my people to the latest equipment people are now used to so that we can now make our films in the best medium. Thirdly, we have vast culture and we are the ones

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

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ENTERTAINMENT

Edestar Concepts Pioneers Face Of D’North Stories By Sony Neme DESTAR Concepts International E Limited in Collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development is ready with a unique reality television show titled Face Of d’North. The show, the first of its kind in the country was the organizers answer towards a better image for the North against what they described as bad press on the North in particular and the country in general. It is designed to bring together talented northern youths to compete in the areas of socio-cultural heritage of the. These will include Art & Craft from the North, Fashion and Style with local fabrics from the North, Cultural Display and exhibition. The best contestant will be crowned the “Face Of D’North”. According to Robert Iyinbor Roberts, CEO, Edestar Concepts International Limited, “The epidemic of bad press, especially on the northern part of the country has adversely affected the economic and social activities of the once buoyant region. While a lot is been done to address the unfortunate incident, nothing is been done to repair the damaged image of the North. The image is so battered that people from other parts of the country and abroad harbour a distorted view and a fear of the northern Nigeria.” Robert said, “The situation is as a result of civil unrest in northern Nigeria today... Meanwhile, most of these youths are gifted in various ways with exceptional talents. But it is said that an idle mind remains the devil’s workshop. And we know that if these youths are

Roberts

encouraged to develop their various talents, there will no doubt be stability in the North, and economic activities will bounce back for real...” He further stressed that “The project is a reality show that would bring together these talented northern youths to compete against each other in the areas of socio-cultural heritage of the northern Nigeria. These will include Art & Craft from the north, Fashion and Style with local fabrics from the north, Cultural Display and exhibition. The best contestant will be crowned the Face Of D’North. Historically, northern Nigeria, he

set to make a mark in the Nigerian music scene as it unveiled its Nigerian artistes last week in Lagos. According to the CEO of Dee Dee Records, Damien Iwumene, Dee Dee Records will take entertainment in Nigeria to the next level. Iwumene said: “We have been making noise in the US and we are known for what we do. Now we want to take the gospel back home and empower our youths. We have three American artistes and two Nigerian artistes so Dee Dee Records is one big cross-Atlantic family of talented artistes.” He added that right from his days in secondary school in Nigeria, he had always loved music. However, it was when he got to the US that he finally realized his dream after he set up Dee Dee Records three years ago. Iwumene said the two new Nigerian acts to join the label are Saint Leo (the masked One) and Indo while its American artistes include Ptyte, Moses Efret and Masq Satrazy. However, he disclosed that the label is currently concentrating on releasing the debut album of Nollywood actor, Moses Efret. “Right now we are pushing Moses Efret’s debut gospel album which further explained, is blessed with talents in arts and craft. This he promises should drop in May or June both here in Nigeria and in the US. Once to exploit. “One exciting thing about the Face of D’North is that, apart from we do that, we will push St. Leo and Indo’s albums. They are currently in promoting talents and provision of the studio recording. Moses Efret’s, opportunities to showcase the amazing rich cultural heritage of the north, Na My Time is available on YouTube. it will re-awaken northern youths and He disclosed that Dee Dee Reords has wrapped up plans for its artistes to get them into productive ventures. It do collabos with Flavour whom he will also help to further promote the describes as a very popular artiste in much needed peace and unity we all the US. crave ; and redirect people’s percepMeanwhile, he also disclosed that tion about northern Nigeria,” he said. Dee Dee Records also had plans to go There will be fantastic prizes to be into movies in the nearest future and won on three categories. promote Nollywood. Founded in Dee Dee Records debuts A new record label, Dee Dee Records, is 2010, Dee Dee Records is an inde-

One Management Opens Audio Visual Facility T was a star-studded event as One Iment management, a leading entertainoutfit run by Emem Ema of erstwhile group, KUSH, opened their new office facility and state-of-the-art audio and video recording facility ‘The Cave’ in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi. The event had kicked off with opening prayers by Reverend Betty Aworh, with introductions by Ms. Ema who shared the ethos and vision of One Management. Her address touched on the journey of the company from inception eight years ago and its current position. Thereafter the facility was officially opened by Professor Duro Oni assisted by Tajudeen Adepetun with Mrs. Ema and Dr. Okpaluba support-

ing. Then followed a tour of the ‘The Cave’ with guests commending and commenting on the state-of-the-Art facility which boasts the following, a fully functional recording studio which runs on pro-tools 10 and Cubase 7 with the latest universal audio sound card and AKG Grammy award winning producerendorsed microphone; while the video recording suite runs on the creative suite 6, the latest version of final cut pro and is a fully functional (non-linear editing suite and animation design studio. Cameras include The RED series for 35mm for film making. Emem Ema is also a trained entertainment lawyer and business consultant and its clients

include Joseph Benjamin, Ebisan, Wizboyy, Provabs, Kemi Lala and Styl Plus. The event which attracted heavy media presence had a roll call of distinguished personalities in attendance who cut across all spheres of human endeavour. These included the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos; Honorable Enobong Uwah, Commissioner for Environment Akwa Ibom State; Professor Duro Oni, Tajudeen Adepetun , CEO, Consolidated Media Associates (Sound City); Mr. Emeka Mba, former DG Film and Video Censors Board; Veteran Actors Olu Jacobs and Ajoke Silva. Others were Dr. Chidi Okpaluba – GM/CEO Quarter-

master Nigeria Ltd., TY Bello and Audu Maikori, the Chocolate-City Group boss. Bimbo Akintola, Ireti Doyle, Najite Dede, Owen Gee, Timi Dakolo, Koffi, Efa, Bayo Omisore, Nollywood Producer Charles Novia, Ace Script Writer, Tunde Babalola; Mr. Makin Soyinka – Former Director- Lagos Film Office; Lekan Abdul, MD/CEO of Cleanserve Energy; Ayoola Sadare of Inspiro productions (the NAIJAZZ producers) ; Ojoma Ochai of British Council, Raufu Ladipo, President General of the Footballers Supporters Club Of Nigeria, Yinka Adewole of Bond Energy, T-Joe, a major music marketer and distributor; celebrated designer Uche Nnaji and Omena

Njoku Sings Against Youths Destructive Decisions By Laolu Adeyemi HE messages of the Popular Music T artist, Eustace Njoku, who sang Jesus Cure and A wind of Gold in 2000 and 2006 respectively is gradually taking new dimension as he sings to war against youth’s destructive decision. Njoku, a gospel music artist is now tailoring his gospel messages towards reorientating the nation’s youths against social vices and destructive tendency. Aside that, the indigene of Oguta Local Government of Imo state has also floated a Non-governmental Orgaisation (NGO) to help shape the future of the coming generation. According to him the spate of youth’s participation in crime and drug abuse in the country is alarming and measures must be taken by government, corporate organizations and individuals to reverse the trend. Njoku, whose foray into music started from his secondary school days, now organizes seminars and lectures for youths with a view refocusing their attention through his NGO. “Youths commit about 95 percent of the crimes committed across the country and something meaningful must be done to check the trend.” Njoku, who has three albums to his credit opines that ceaseless effort must be made to encourage the nation’s youth. Aside gospel music, Njoku also uses his music to campaign against drug abuse and crime prevention. He did a song that was sponsored by NDLEA to campaign against drug abuse in 2008, themed ‘The Fallen Heroes’. The music was released on Wazobia Fm radio station. “I also did another work on NAFDAC enforcement activities which will soon be used.” He has partnered with different government agencies like NAFDAC and NDLEA in his campaign against crime and drug-related crimes.

Njoku

Ekl Recordz Signs On Jay Harmoni KL recordz, an arm of entertainment konzult E Ltd, has signed on its first act Godwin Owoicho Ijagi, popularly known by his stage name Jay Har-

Prof. Duro Oni (DVC-Unilag) cutting the ribbon to declare the facility open assisted by Tajudeen Adepetun.

moni. He is a singer, song writer, musician, record producer. He plays Pop, R&B, afro pop and reggea. He defined his own style as Pop Dub. Born in Ibadan, Oyo State to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Adakole ijagi, a medical personnel (Rtd) officer of the Nigerian army, he hails from ugboju, Otukpo local government area, and from the idoma ethnic group in southern part of Benue. He started dancing at the age of 5. Later his father was transferred to Kano, where he attended Army Day Secondary School. The school was full of hip hop artistes, where the likes of Idris Abdulkareem, Dr. Fresh, Willio, 2Face's Dj and Jo'el of Kennis music graduated from same school. He joined a Rap group called the PCP. The PCP crew recorded over fourteen songs but was never released because the Nigeria music industry was not really doing

well then. He toured as a solo artiste with Rothmans Groove in1996. He left the group when he got admission into the Federal College of Education, Kano, to study Public Accounting and Auditing. There he formed another group, the Black Universe. The group specializes in hip Robber Dub. After his diploma in FCE, he got admission into Beyaro University for a professional diploma in mass communication, and he graduated in 2002. He has appeared on stage with the likes of D’ banj Oshogbo at Ekiti Rocks concert, 2Face live in Kano 2004, Idris Abdulkareem Easter Fiester in Kano 2003, Ras Kimono 1st October independence groove, and performed with Snypa. He currently has two singles on air namely, What u Go Do and Take Your Mind Off.

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Arts&Culture Bona returns in Old And New Testament HE name of Bona Ezeudu will remind many T of AKA Exhibiting Artists, a group that dictate art practice in the 80s and 90s. It will also remind some of Bona Gallery, which is arguably the only effective modern gallery in Enugu. But this time around, Bona Ezeudu will be holding a solo exhibition at DIDI Museum, 175 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Themed The Old and The New Testaments, the exhibition will be opened on Thursday, March 28, from 5pm, and will run till Sunday April 7. The Special Guest of Honour expected at the opening ceremony is His Majesty Nnameka Achebe CFR, MNI, Obi of Onitsha (Abgogidi), while Prince Dr. Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon of Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation will chair the occasion, which will be hosted by Chief Dr. and Chief Mrs. Newton Jibunoh, Founder of DIDI Museum and FADE (Fight Against Desert Encroachment). Ezeudu graduated from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu in 1980 with distinction in Painting and the best result and served at the Federal College of Education Abeokuta. As a Corper, he received an award after doing a commission for the then governor of the state, Bisi Onabanjo. And with contact with some of the lecturers at Yabatech, he executed several commissions in Lagos and Abeokuta. After his service, he came back to Enugu and joined IMT in 1987 as a lecture. However, he did not teach for long, as he left in 1992 as he considers teaching a distraction to his professional practice. As a professional, Ezeudu has a quick start. Recalling the beginning, he said, “my solo shows started in Enugu (1982 and 1983) at the British Council and later in National Museum, Lagos, Onikan 1984 and 1986, that was where I met Ben Enweonwu and a few others. In totality I have had about 12 solo exhibitions and a good number of joint exhibitions including the ones I had with Tayo Adenaike and chima Ezeoke in the early 90’s at the National Art Gallery, Lagos. Also participated in a lot of group shows in AKA, SNA.” He co founded AKA group of Exhibiting Artists in 1986, a group that motivated many young artists in the 80s and 90s. With other members like El Anatsui, Obiora Udechukwu, Tayo Adenaike, Chike Aniakor, Tony Ummuna, Chiris Afuba and others, they changed the perspective of art practice in Nigeria; they also inspired the formation of many other art cooperatives. In 1988 Bona Ezeudu established Bona gallery, the first modern art gallery in Enugu and indeed the first east of the Niger, located along Nike Lake Resort hotel road, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu. His wife, Ngozi Ezeudu is the curator of the gallery. The gallery was established with the sole aim of uplifting art, encouraging young artists and creating artistic awareness. It has hosted almost all AKA group of exhibiting artists’ exhibitions since 1989 and those of some other artists and groups free of charge. Apart from the exhibition of art works, the gallery has organised workshops for many secondary schools as a way of encouraging art training at that level. Its other functions include provision of materials for students’ projects, opportunities for students’ Industrial Training (IT) within and outside the state. Bona is not just a painter, he is well known for his metal sculpture; almost all the metal works adorning the 82nd Division Army barracks were his commission. Of late, Bona says he has reduced his involvement in sculpture

Bona’s Drummers at eye birds view

Bona’s Mother and Grand mother on a palm sunday commission because he wants to place emphasis on his paintings, which is less stressful and for which he wants to be remembered. His painting has gone through several

Bona’s August meeting stages. “I have more than six styles of painting; I started with impressionism and others like abstract, cubism, pointillism, scratchy method, drip and control, mural etc. I experi-

Lagos Hots Up, As Stars Arrive For The Africamagic Viewers’ Choice Award INCE yesterday, the ever-busy arrival Sternational hall of the Murtala Muhammed InAirport has been receiving

IK Osakioduwa

celebrities, movies stars and showbiz reporters from different Africa countries, who are in town for the maiden edition of the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs). Holding this evening at the Expo Hall, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, the classy event will be

hosted by the duo of Big Brother Africa presenter, IK Osakioduwa and gorgeous StarGistlady, Vimbai Mutinhiri. Organised in association with MultiChoice and sponsored by Amstel Malta, the event will be screened live to television viewers in 47 African countries. Already, Nollywood stars are gearing up for the great evening of glitz

mented with colour schemes; there were periods when I used red, periods for brown and for blue, green and so on.” This exhibition would have been 3 years earlier but was delay as a result of his son’s kidnap crises, a situation that forced him to withdraw for more than 2 years. Now, he is working on a new body of works for a future exhibition in memory of his son. This exhibition will feature 42 selected paintings spanning over 35 years of his professional practice. Among the works is Drummer at Birds Eye View, a painting with concentric circles on analogous hues overlayed with contrast of black and blue lines; it depicts the flow of rhythms from the vibration of the drums. First Outing, oil on board with crowed represented in brilliant patches of colours, speaks of colourful nature of coronation and other special ceremonies. Other works include Migrants, Blue and Red Dialogue, Birds at Home and Mother-Grand Mother on a Palm Sunday. A close look at Bona’s recent paintings will reveal a level of deviation from his old works visible in the aggression of his strokes, multiplicity of his forms and the contrast of his colours. His works are in many public and private collections including former US President, Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

and glamour, which will open with a red carpet reception to be hoisted by Channel O presenter Denrele Edun, alongside AfricaMagic hosts Helen Paul and Uti Nwachukwu, Dolapo Oni and Eku Edewor, Lawrence Maleka and Nic Wang’ondu and Sarah Hassan. Afro-beat musician Femi Kuti will headline the performances, as the headliner for the event. The Grammy Award nominee will lead his Positive Force band to the classy event, which will be screened live to over 50 countries on the African continent on Dstv and GOtv platforms. Aside from Femi Kuti, who will be treating the audience with rich Afrobeat groove, the event will also feature Kelekel Love singer, Tiwa Savage and award-winning

Kenyan Afro-pop group, Sauti Sol. In addition, a host of high profile guests from industry insiders to leading captains of industry will also attend the highly anticipated event, with a large contingent of guests jetting into Lagos from Southern, East and West Africa, specifically to be present on the night. According to M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi, “the AfricaMagic team has been focused and working hard to make it an unforgettable, inspiring celebration of African film success and TV talent. It’s our way of showing just how much we value what our artists, both in front of and behind the scenes, contribute to our lives and the lives of our audiences.”

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

ARTS

The Place Of Literature In The Digital Age, By Raji-Oyelade In a world that has long gone digital, literature cannot afford to remain behind or uninfluenced by it. This has caused a nexus to be established between the creative imagination and the application of digital platforms to mediate texts so created. It is therefore not surprising that foremost poet and literary scholar, Prof. Remi RajiOyelade would dwell extensively on this connection in the inaugural lecture he delivered recently at the University of Ibadan where he also teaches. He aptly titled his lecture ‘Fluent In(ter)ventions: Webs of the Literary Discipline ITERATURE and Technology: Learning IT in LInBits and Bytes the digital age, the configuration and dissemination of the literary text (Literature) becomes more verdant, viral, flexible and explosive. In the digital age, aestheticism itself is a function, while the functionality of the text emerges through various aesthetic media. It is crucial for the literary scholar to be engaged in the discourse of the interface of technology and (literary) imagination, the advantage as well as the challenge of writing in an age that prides itself as electronic, the age of the digital divide. When we use the term “new media”, what do we mean? We refer to the practice and tools of retrieving and disseminating information, narratives, histories, performances, and ideas in a way that both collation and delivery, as primary acts of writing, are qualified by the immediacy of virtual or mass circulation. In our own time, that is in the late cusp of the twentieth century and on the lip of the twenty-first century, the tools of the “new” media would include the radio, the television, the cable or digital satellite, mobile telephony, the personal computer, the world wide web of the Internet, as well as the several audio and video resource materials which are unified as tools of the electronic age. They are either powered electronically, or configured to access, transmit and share electronic materials; descriptively, these tools or facilities are tangible intimations of a secondary orality, the age which privileges speech and audio-visual acts over traditional scripting. New media, new writing, new terminologies What are the new terminologies in the dialectic relations of writing and science, literature and technology? These include hypertext, hypermedia, blog, cyberart, virtual reading and a virtual critical space. Alongside these new terms are other conventional or old terminologies that get revised and challenged by the relations of literature and technology, such as “copyright”, “piracy”, and “subscription” (incorporating “encryption” and “decryption”). In the digital age, a crucial paradigm shift has occurred in knowledge about the concept of literacy, without great or conscious awareness by many. The binary concept of “illiteracy” and “eliteracy” has created versions or levels of cognition among so-called educated people including bureaucrats, technocrats and other professionals. Being Literate, Il-literate and E-Literate Working on the dialectic relations of literacy, illiteracy and e-literacy, I have come up, at the present time, with four major synthetic identities based on reaction to the resources of the digital age. Moving beyond the different typification of literacies as identified earlier, I take into consideration the cultural and infrastructural context of the Nigerian space in categorising the following knowable digital literati. These are the four identities based on the qualitative scales of competence, incompetence or neuter competence: the e-literate literates, the e-illiterate literates, the illiterate e-literates, and the “pretendant” e-literates. (i) The e-literate literate The e-literate literate is the classical networked person, a well-educated and virtual web citizen – netizen of sort, who feels at home with the operative manuals of the new media. The e-literate literate is an adaptive user of digital technologies, who has acquired adequate or relative competence in the launching of applications, softwares, use of search engines, executable files, tools etc. He can manage his path in the complex trace of the digital web. (ii) The e-illiterate literate

Prof. Raji-Oyelade with other professors after the lecture This is a person who has conventional literacy but lacks the lateral literacies of the new media; he is incapable of finding his path in the labyrinth of the digital space. He belongs to the group of impaired elite, even academics, illequipped with the demands of the digital webage. There is also another group of e-illiterate literates who can be described as the indifferent and impervious constituency, that is, those who have the potential of access to the new media but are generally or deliberately lethargic in their own impaired competence. Therefore, the e-illiterate literate is ill-equipped because he is incapacitated; or indifferent and impervious because he wants to make a reactionary statement by not using the tools; in either case, the conventionally literate person opposed to the digital shift, exponentially or inadvertently, becomes locked in a certain box of e-illiteracy. (iii) The illiterate e-literate The term illiterate e-literate is used to describe the different groups of poorly educated or miseducated folks, under-educated or informally educated people, who are self-trained in the half-measure use of the basics of internet and electronic knowledge. The illiterate e-literate depends on the symbol rather than the alphabet of the language to manage his path in the digital web. These are the DIY-literates - “illiterates” in the conventional sense of the term whose illiteracy is cancelled out by the relative competence of their e-literacy. (iv) The “pretendant” e-literate The group of people who count on the assistance of e-literates to cover their own “e- illiteracy” can be referred to as “pretendant” e-literates. The catchment is broad. This category includes the poorly, fairly or adequately educated, sometimes potentially e-literate but practically e-illiterate person. He who depends on the expertise of a proficient e-literate person is better referred to as an e-dependant. For instance, those researchers who hire the services of another computer-literate or network-literate person in order to execute a programme, surf the web or resolve demanding data problem (e.g. chi-square, ANOVA, quantitative analyses) are e-dependants or e-pretendants. In the digital revolution, the writer is offered both opportunities and demands, both privilege and potential, both burden and bounty. The option is before him or her to explore, to initiate, to learn and master, and to overcome the challenges posed by the operations of the new media in the service of literature. A literary scholar or writer who does not appropriate the advantage of technological advancement does so at his own peril. Without the inventive appropriation of digital literacy, the literary scholar stands at the gateway of ignorance and self-inflicted stasis. Therefore, the twenty-first century scholar, literary or non-literary, has to be amenable to the rites and codes of the digital revolution. No better words capture this than Alfin Toffler’s dictum: “the illiterate of the 21st

century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” The unstable character of the book in the electronic age brings us to the challenges that this poses for the Nigerian author because it is apparent that the highlighted benefits have their limitations, their own burdens. The flexibility attainable in publishing imprints upon the text the tendency of impermanence. The virtual space of the internet is not that certain for the Third-world Nigerian author to operate because the space is hindered by low web presence of the Nigerian reader, inadequate knowledge of the internet itself and where the knowledge exists, the unavailability of constant electric power supply, lack of efficient ISPs... A major burden in the way of Nigerian author in the digital age is the plain fact that the book market is a hardcopy driven market; many publishers, authors and their readers have been reluctant to imbibe the tradition of the open book, the electronic book in the virtual space. More daunting is the issue of copyright in the ascendancy of the new media. With the benefits of search engines (Google, Google Scholar, Altavista, Ask Jeeves, Lycos, Teoma and Yahoo!), meta- search engines (Dogpile, Ixquick, Metacrawler, Profusion and Search.com), special sites (gigapedia.com and

Prof. Raji-Oyelade

megaupload.com, and more recently libgen.org), and softwares (Internet Download Manager, Free Download Manager), it is easier now to secure electronic versions of essays or whole books as portable document file (PDF) or in other formats. However, the endemic problem of the piracy of hard copies of books is compounded for the e-book, because the trail of the pirate becomes much more difficult to follow in the case of the electronically published book. Of Netizens and other Digital Citizens The two terms frequently used in categorising the mode and nature of individual and group access to digital literacy are “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”. In the words of Marc Prensky, Our students today are all ‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet...those of us who were not born into the digital world but have, at some later point in our lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are, and always will be compared to them, Digital Immigrants. (1-2) To these terms, I will add two fundamental categories to account for the situation of some Third World citizens in relation to the new digital language: these are the “Digital Refuseniks”, that is those who, out of their own determinate indifference, fail to process, adopt or appropriate the facility and tools of the digital age; and secondly, the “Digital Subalterns”, that is those who are not capable of accessing the new language and tools of the digital age by reason of low income economy or lack of the technological infrastructure. I also think that those who are technologically impaired or technologically incapacitated, more than the refuseniks, can also be imagined as “digital refugees”. The Possibilities of New Media for the (Humanities) Scholar The crucial term of the roots and the routes of what I have called digital information literacy is access. Access is, again metaphorically speaking, the key of the information age; it is the syntax of digital coding, uncoding and decoding, the virtual pass into the space/s of knowledge production and knowledge retrieval. The humanities scholar working in this age encounters the door of limitless media possibilities. The scholar needs to emerge from that encounter with an additional language and knowledge of the interface of technology and the literature of his discipline. This encounter, and the knowledge of interface that I refer to, are the necessary conditions of access. Literary culture in the digital age is therefore a question of access. There are different kinds of access, as highlighted by Cavan McCarthy in The Internet Encyclopaedia. These include remote access, simultaneous access, 24/7 access, free access, and browser access Other possibilities of digital resource matters for literary, linguistic and cultural scholarship abound. Let us examine a few of them:

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

SHORT STORY

Saviour From The Blues By Segun Durowaiye LEASE!!! Don’t beat —-” Wunmi pleaded in tears that rainy afternoon as her husband, Juwon, descended on her, pummeling her with his iron-like fists. “Leave my house now, or your family will come for your corpse today!” Juwon growled as he continued kicking and slapping his wife. It was a hellish day for Wunmi. She was on the floor, writhing in pains. “I swear by the devil I’ll kill you if you don’t leave my house, and you won’t take a pin from with you! You bastard!” Juwon opened the door and dragged his wife out of the house and into the heavy rain. With swollen eyes, bleeding mouth and a bruised body, Wunmi found herself on the street in the heavy rains of the month of July. This attack on her person definitely looked like the last straw. She had no idea what always came over her husband at the slightest misunderstanding. Juwon, in those moments seemed possessed by a wicked spirit that had no mercy at all. A mother of four and married for almost 15 years, Wunmi had always endured. But now she had had enough. This last fight was caused by a minor argument over family issues. She knew Juwon would definitely kill her one day should she continue living with him. Drenched with both rain and sorrow, Wunmi walked away towards nowhere in particular. She was still very beautiful and had a charming disposition. She was a loyal, dutiful and hard-working woman who never shied away from her matrimonial duties. Wunmi wept as she trudged on on the tarred road. She knew she was suffering and facing this hardship because of the love she had for her four kids. She had realized long ago that she was married to a man she really loved but who didn’t love her the same way. It was misplaced love. What manner of man would treat his wife like that? After trekking for what seemed like ages, Wunmi felt dizzy. She staggered and fell. She lay still for a spell, then she mustered all the energy she could and stood up again. She resumed her trek to nowhere right in the middle of the road. Motorists blared their horns as they tried to avoid her. All the while, the heavy downpour continued unabated with peals of thunder. What would happen to Wunmi? Who would help Wunmi As she continued staggering along, she was almost hit by a BMW jeep. The driver swerved and applied the brakes, coming to a stop a few metres away. The driver got down and walked hastily towards her. “Woman, what’s the problem?” the man asked in a voice full of concern. Wunmi didn’t stop; she only spared a glance and kept walking. The man held her hand: “Please, I’m chief Demoye. Why do you… who treated you this way? “Sir…please…let me go…let me d—-die.” Wunmi said. But as she attempted to step away, she went down. It must have been ex-

“P

Wunmi wept as she trudged on on the tarred road. She knew she was suffering and facing this hardship because of the love she had for her four kids. She had realized long ago that she was married to a man she really loved but who didn’t love her the same way. It was misplaced love...

bills. Chief Demoye promised to help her and put a smile on her face. He drove her to Rose Gardens Hotel located on the Lagos Island and booked two days for her. Then he gave her N20,000 per day to take care of her needs. Wunmi was surprised by the chief’s generosity; she thanked him profusely. About four days later, Chief Demoye rented a two-bed-room flat for Wunmi and gave her the keys. This came as a big surprise to a woman recovering from years of maltreatment. To cap it all, “Chief,” as she now called her benefactor, gave her N2million to start a business of her choice. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she received the cash gift from Chief Demoye. Wunmi invested her money wisely and within two years, she had become a very rich business woman. She was also a proprietress of three flourishing schools. She now lived in a tastefully furnished duplex of her own, located in a rich neighbourhood. She was at a wedding party one Saturday and she was enjoying the scenery when she suddenly saw her husband approaching her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Yes! The same husband who always maltreated her and threw her out in the heavy rain. Juwon went on his knees in front of Wunmi and pleaded: “Please, Wunmi I’m begging you…come back home. Let’s resolve our differences. Come back home…” “It’s too late Juwon,” she replied, “the caged bird has flown away and landed in paradise. It will never go back to dine with the Devil! I want to be at peace with my God who answers prayers and gives freedom to those in captivity. Very, soon, I’ll come for my children because they deserve love, care and all the good things of life. Don’t waste your time… I’m not a dog that goes back to its vomit. Moreover, I know very well that Leopards don’t change their spots.” One month later, Wunmi approached a court to grant her the custody of her children. She was granted. Wunmi took proper care of her four children. She sponsored their education up to the university. Today, her children are successful in their various fields. Two of her children are medical doctors while one is a lawyer and another an engineer. Wunmi would forever be grateful to Chief Demoye whom God used to bail her out of her misery. At times, she would wonder at the goodness and benevolence of the chief who haustion. Chief Demoye was a bit alarmed. But not to go back home. In fact, she confessed, she helped her with no strings attached. Such atwas contemplating suicide. he rose to the occasion. Lifting her carefully, titude was rare among men. She named one though with some difficulty, he carried her into Chief Demoye tried to comfort her; persuaded of her schools after the chief. his car. He then took the unconscious Wunmi her to dismiss all thoughts of suicide. He told her It is never right to treat fellow human beings to consider her children and not make them to a nearby clinic. badly because you never know what tomorHours later, Wunmi had recovered enough to motherless. row holds. At exactly 6p.m Wunmi was discharged from speak. The chief listened with interest as she narrated her story. She had made up her mind Unity Clinic and the super-rich chief paid the Gsm: 08055356855

TheGuardian

42 | Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Travel&Tourism

... Explore, experience the best of destinations!

HOSPITALITY ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA writes on the specialised facilities and unique offers of Yellow Tulip Courtyard, which are devoted to promoting healthy life style OT exactly an idyllic resort with all the opuN lence, expansive and aesthetic ambience that come with it, however Yellow Tulip Courtyard (Apartments and Suites) located on Osolo Way, off Airport Road, Lagos, is not far from this. Though located within a fully built-up residential area, it exudes a serene and inviting presence, featuring fascinating facilities and services. Walking through the cosy reception you are overwhelmed with the feeling that this is a different setting from the normal hospitality outfit. A further exploration of the entrails drive home this feeling while an encounter with the facility proprietress, Mrs. Eno Edet Traore, the proprietress, informs that ‘‘the concept is that of town resort because it is in the middle of the town,’’ adding that the idea was to have a holiday – health farm resort for executives and people in the middle class to relax and retreat. A sanctuary where the individual and family can enjoy a swell time, unwind and depart refreshed and invigorated. For close to two years now, she has laboured to get this message across, while putting in place the much-needed facilities. These include standard double rooms fitted with features for the comfort of the guest and apartment suites which are really the prime feature of the hotel. They all fitted to taste with kitchenette that’s fully equipped and stocked. Each apartment suite is made of a living room and two bedrooms, which are ideal for the family and a sofa bed, which makes for additional facility for a large family or group. And to drive home the point of its devotion to a healthy and leisure life style, it has a dedicated spa called Cata Spa and a fitness centre, which are fully equipped and manned by trained therapists from Thailand. The spa boasts of sauna, facial, treatment and steam rooms among others and offers a variety of services ranging from massage, Thai massage ( a special treat by the Thais), manicure and pedicure, foot and hand treatment, aqua aerobatics (for those who want to keep fit and trendy), slimming massage to express body massage. Besides, all the equipment are specially built and imported alongside the products for treatment, which, according to the proprietress, are sourced from the US and Israel. There is also a swimming pool, an executive bar, a leisure forecourt garden, a restaurant and a mini – cyber café (offers free internet facility). Complimenting its array of healthy living services are healthy foods and other related health products. These are offered in line with the health regime of the guest. ‘‘We also take care of your meals to make sure that you eat the right food at the right time,’’ says Mrs. Traore, adding that ‘‘it is a full package.’’ These services and products are not restricted to in – house guests as non – resident guests are welcomed. What with its club membership

Patrons relaxing at the forecourt leisure garden of the hotel

Yellow Tulip Courtyard:

A Devotion To Healthy Life Style programme, which offers full membership on yearly, quarterly or half year bases, depending on the preference of the guests! One thing that you cannot take away from Yellow Tulip Courtyard is the modest attempt and commitment to recreating a truly health resort fitted with choice facilities manned by well – trained specialists with flair for customised offerings. Your discovery is that the underlining philosophy of the hospitality outfit is born out of the experiences of widely travelled Mrs. Traore, a former trained French teacher and politician to boot with over two decades in the business. Having enjoyed the benefit of a healthy leisure treat from her numerous travels, she decided to abandon mainstream hotel business to recreate a dream health farm resort in Osolo Way. She reveals that ‘‘it is for those who are health- conscious and want to stay healthy, energetic and live long as well as stay active for a hundred years and more.’’ Patronising health farms, she stressed, is a very good way of taking holiday and relax-

ing, ‘‘It is better than going to the hospital for drugs, as it will keep you healthy and out of hospital,’’ she adds. Another discovery is that she has a taste for international best practices. She travelled to places like Thailand (Phuket) to understudy their resorts. And her discovery is that spa business is an expensive affair, especially if you want to maintain international standards. ‘‘It has to be sophisticated if you want to attract the right clients,’’ she says of the business, which she describes as a specialised aspect of hospitality that is not too common in this part of the world. However, she admits that the idea of a health farm with full facilities is gradually catching on in the country, especially with those in the upper class who are widely travelled and exposed. Her success despite the challenges of promoting the idea and keeping afloat in an environment where setting up business of

HOSPITALITY NEWS Natives Restaurant And Hospitality Services Opens NEW eatery and hospitality A outfit known as Natives Restaurant and Hospitality

tion to Nigerian traditional dishes. He said it is devoted to introducing Nigerians to Services, has opened in Lagos. most of its formerly celeLocated at 5B, Oju Olobun brated but now almost exClose, off Idejo Street, Victoria tinct dishes. Island, Lagos, it has not only The setting here is an invitswelled the growing number ing one –calm and serene of eateries on the island, but it with a pervading air of opualso comes with unique and lence. It offers diners a relaxdedicated offers for diners and ing and peaceful ambience to others seeking new experience. unwind and savour their According to the General meals and drinks. Manager (Marketing and The restaurant is opened for sales), Mr. Richard Ehieze, the breakfast, lunch and dinner outfit is devoted to offering while special dishes range high quality African and conti- from designer jollof rice, nental dishes as never before chicken nkwobi, ugba to witnessed with special attenabacha. Others are ekpan

nkukor, masa, Noah’s ark, isi ewu, gbegiri, ikokore, ewedu, and roast yam as well as ukwa. As for traditional soup, they serve well over 25 different types. Assorted drinks, wine and soft drinks, freshly brewed juices and palm wine are served as well. Besides, the new outfit also provides outdoor catering services, while event planners can also make use of its specially designed 36-capacity seminar hall, which is fitted with massage seats and features cinema facilities, patio with over 200 seating capacity and huge HD screens.

A client enjoying a massage session at the hotel

this nature is hellish she attributes to her passion, ‘‘It is a passion for me even when I am not making much from it and the investment is so huge.’’ Yet, she is neck-deep in it, as she tells you that ‘‘it requires you investing in yourself and helps you to live well. That is why I enjoy it and I like to impart that idea to as many people as possible.’’ But much more than that, the one reason for her staying resolute despite the frustrating moments, is, ‘‘I love it and whenever I enter here I just feel good, I feel happy that this edifice is mine.’’ Why not, because in here one actually feels secure and far removed from the madding crowd, as it has at your beck full blown services – 24 hours electricity, security, laundry, valets, name it! And as one takes a leave of her, she never fails to remind one of her popular matrix, which is, ‘‘A massage a week keeps away the doctor,’’

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013 |43

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Health Natural Health With G. C. Ihesie

Mobile phone no: 08033065263, E-mail: ihesie84@yahoo.com.

Natural Ways of Boosting Sperm Quantity And Quality L

AST week, we noted the observations made by some human health researchers that over the past 50 years, there has been a progressive decline in sperm quantity and quality each year, especially among younger men. And we enumerated some of the reasons for the decline as: exposure to domestic, industrial and environmental toxins (or xenooestrogens), poor dietary habits, unwholesome lifestyles, internal and external stressors, etc. Studies have also shown that the progressive changes in the male reproductive functions associated with the factors mentioned above can be reversed or be avoided. In seminal fluid analysis, it is important to mention that a man’s fertility naturally declines with advancing age. It has been observed that the amount of semen ejaculated and sperm motility and morphology begin to slowly decrease in men from the age of 40 years. A seminal fluid sample taken too soon after a man’s last ejaculation or too soon after stressful event, traumatic experiences or after a serious illness may show a transient lower-than-normal sperm count result. Frequent ejaculation may reduce sperm count. For these reasons, seminal fluid analysis results are generally based on several samples taken over a period of time. It is equally important to distinguish between the terms “Male infertility” and “Impotency”. While “Impotency” means an inability to attain or sustain erection for a satisfactory sexual intercourse, or erectal dysfunction; “Male infertility” may mean temporary inability to conceive a female due to low quantity and poor quality of sperms. An impotent man may be potentially fertile, but due to the erectal dysfunction, may not deliever sperm appropriately. Conversely, most infertile men are perfectly

normal in terms of potency and have very satisfactory sexual relations with their female partners. Signs and Symptoms of Male Infertility The signs and symptoms of male infertility are not usually very obvious because sexual relationships may be perfectly normal in what may appear to the naked eyes as normal semen ejaculates. However, an ejaculation of largerthan-normal “watery” semen may, in some cases, be indicative of male infertility. In some cases, few men may show some signs of hormone-related male infertility or estrogen dominance that can show symptoms such as lowered libido, changes in hair growth, weight gain, prostate problems, etc. The natural ways of boosting sperm quantity and sperm quality focus mainly on improving the overall male reproductive health; and in order to achieve this, wholesome and balanced nutrition plays a very important role. Unhealthy eating habits may result in certain nutritional deficiencies. For example, lack of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc, can impair hormonal activities, inhibit sperm production or can cause or contribute to the production of abnormal sperm cells. Wholesome eating habits should exclude all forms of processed and refined foods, e.g. white flour products, canned and “junk” food, sugars, fizzy and carbonated drinks, caffeine- containing beverages like coffee and strong tea, saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (e.g. margarine), foods with artificial sweetners and food additives. Daily diet should be based on the followings: * Deep leafy green vegetables: Fluted pumpkins, waterleaf, greens, cabbage, celery, chicory, endive, lettuce, parsley, spinach, alfalfa, nettle, dandelion, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. * Bulb/Root vegetables: Beet roots, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, onions, garlic, leek, Irish

seeds, sunflower seeds. - Fish, sea foods, oysters, white meat (lamb, veal, and poultry). - Corn oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, cod liver oil, fish oil (essential fatty acids are found in fish oil) could help increase sperm volume, sperm health and semen quality Supplements A good number of vitamin and mineral supplements have been found to be useful in increasing sperm count and motility – when taken consistently for up to 3 to 4 months. Such supplements include: - Vitamin C: (Vitamin C with bioflavonoids), 500 - 1,500 mg three times daily for at least three months will help increase sperm production, sperm motility and prevent sperms from clumping together. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which helps in protecting the sperm and it’s DNA from damage. A low vitamin C has been implicated in abnormal sperm counts. - Vitamin E: Vitamin E is known as the “fertility vitamin” because it enhances the activities of the endocrine glands. Taking up to 400 IUs two times daily enhances sperms’ ability to fertilize an ovum. Male fertility has been shown to improve when vitamin E is combined with other antioxidants such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc. Powerful antioxidants play key roles in inhibiting the sperm membrane from damaging effects of free radicals. - Vitamin B12: A deficiency of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and min B12 has been shown to reduce and sweet potatoes, yam, etc. sperm counts and sperm motility. A dietary fibres. * Legumes: Beans, soybeans, - Diluted lemon juice and other citrus Vitamin B I2 supplementation (1000 chickpea, green beans, etc. mg daily) has been found to be benVegetables should be consumed fruits are very rich in vitamin C and eficial for men with sperm count in their raw or near-raw state, e.g. bioflavonoids which prevent the less than 20 million/ml or a motility clumping of sperm cells. in form of salad. - Fruits like apples, grapes, rose- - Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guava and rate of less than fifty percent. watermelon are very rich in lycopene. - Other nutrients that improve hips, date, etc. sperm count and sperm motility - Bananas are rich in potassium as - Seeds and Nuts: pumpkin seeds, include: Coenzyme Q10 (10 mg well as other minerals, and vita- sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, daily), Folic acid, Zinc (45 to 60 mg coconut (including coconut milk), mins. per day) and Seleniurn (200-400 mg - Papaya contains bromelain, an cashew nuts, walnuts, etc. - Whole grains: wheat, millet, guinea daily), Omega-3 fatty acid, royal jelly, enzyme that enhances male bee pollen, wheat germ oil and corn, rice, corn, acha, etc. reproductive health. flaxseed oil. - Seeds like sesame seeds, pumpkin - Avocado pears are rich in vita-

PetLife With Dr.Tunji Nasir

ROM the beginning of this year, we have been talking about issues bordering on the character and breed profile of dogs and the cats. And it has been very touchy because of the reactions I have had over these articles. However, something funny happened last week in my routine conversations with a client and I just think a lot of people do not even appreciate the pets they have. I am beginning to wonder whether people know that blood actually flows in the veins of pets, just like ours. I was in the middle of a consultation with a client whose dog developed perineal hernia and I had to temporarily allow another client in for a brief disclosure, having taken the requisite permission from the client I was having the original consultation with. He came in and saw the big bulge beneath the anus of this pricy geriatric Alsatian and could not but ask the other client what was going on with her dog. Well, she volunteered the information and told him of my diagnosis. To my utter amazement, he shouted and asked me how it was ever possible for a dog to have her-

Hernia In Pets nia. The way he was going about it, I felt a little bit embarrassed but I had to become an emergency teacher and went straight into the classroom with the duo to make some disclosures about hernia. Hernia is the protrusion of a greater or lesser part of an organ from out of its normal position in the abdominal cavity as a result of a weakness or a rupture in restraining sheets of a muscle. A congenital hernia is present at birth, and the most common one is an umbilical hernia, when a part of the intestine protrudes into the umbilical cord. This is caused by failure of the abdominal wall muscles to close over beneath the umbilicus in a newly born puppy. A veterinary surgeon should be consulted and, unless very small, the hernia usually needs to be corrected by surgery. An inguinal hernia occurs in bitches in the region of the lower abdomen or groin. A part of the bowel bulges through a weak part of the abdominal wall known as the inguinal canal.

This type may start small but has a tendency to enlarge and normally requires corrective surgery, especially if there is any possibility of the bitch having puppies. Inguinal hernias are rare in male dogs but a scrotal hernia can develop in which a loop of intestine protrudes into the scrotum. Once again, the treatment is corrective surgery. A potentially more serious type of hernia can follow an accidental blow when the muscles of the diaphragm tear or rupture. Loops of intestine are able to bulge into the chest cavity and these cause breathing difficulties, distress and to the dog being unable to lie down. A perineal hernia is most common in an elderly male dog and often arises as a result of an enlargement in the prostate gland that causes constipation and

straining. There is a weakening of the muscles around the anus so that parts of the bowel are able to protrude, forming soft swellings. These may begin on one side but can enlarge to surround the anus, forming a swelling beneath the tail. This type of hernia can be difficult to treat surgically and it is essential to prevent the dog from becoming constipated as any straining may cause further enlargement of the hernia. So, it was a tough lesson but I achieved something fundamental that day! I earned respect for our pets from these clients, with excerpts from Encyclopaedia of Dog Care, published by Geddes and Grosset 1999.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

HEALTHFEATURE

Championing The Spread Of Assisted Reproductive Technology Expertise By Elijah Eda Samuel EFORE the late 1970s, fertility, which enhances reproduction, was a mirage B among some couples and a cause for ceaseless worries. But the relentless series of researches in medical science offered great relief and hope. Prof. Roberts Edwards of Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridge, England pioneered the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique. As a result of the breakthrough which the Assisted Reproductive technology (ART) ushered into the human world, Louise Brown became the world first ‘test tube baby’ in July 1978. Late Mrs. Lesley Brown, among several other women being treated with IVF, became the first to successfully achieve pregnancy which went beyond a few weeks. After months in seclusion, Lesley had the first world ‘test tube baby’. This feat, which tremendously enhanced the steady global spread of IVF treatment, has further entrenched hope in millions of childless couples. Reports have it that over five million children have been born around the world through IVF. As millions of couples worldwide continue to savor the benefits of IVF, Nigeria is not left out in the campaign to popularize the methods of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). One of such few organizations advancing this cause in the country is Dasam Medic International. A leading player in the field of ART, Dasam specializes in setting up ART clinics for in-vitro fertilization, intra uterine insemination (IUI), and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Offering a wide range services which include supply and installation of equipment, supply of consumables and media, consultancy and training of medical personnel, Dasam Medic is being piloted by Emmanuel David Emmanuel, a Clinical Embryologist. Emmanuel, a graduate of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Calabar, who has worked extensively as a medical laboratory scientist, deploring great expertise in setting up medical laboratories in some states of the federation, was also trained at the prestigious Embryology Academy for Research and Training, Mumbai, India. Emmanuel posited that “apart from supplying IVF equipment to centres where they are requested, Dasam offers comprehensive consultancy services. This is by way of offering relevant advice, supervising the actual setting-up of medical laboratories, and rendering continual guide to such laboratories from the infancy level till stability state.” How much success has Dasam Medic been able to achieve in its IVF technology advancement campaign in Nigeria? Emmanuel, who also holds the Pan-African University Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management, revealed that IVF innovation has somewhat been successful. He says: “I have witnessed that several things have been done with IVF, and make bold to say that it has been very successful in this country. “We have several pregnancies that are ongoing in those IVF centres that we set up around the country.” But how many centres has the embryology expert help in setting up? “For now, we have set up over five centres: three in Lagos, one in Oshogbo, one in Ilesha and there is another in Enugu.” What is the success rate of these centres? “The success rate is about 25-30 per cent which is just like a woman getting pregnant within one year of marriage. It must however be emphasized that age plays an important factor in this possibility. “Other factors are the laboratory and the clinical aspects. This means that apart from the patients having good embryos, and also taking cognizance of the fact that one cannot predict what happens within a woman, it now rests on one as a laboratory scientist to ensure that quality eggs are passed unto the doctor who thereafter ensures successful transfer into the patient,” Emmanuel explained. While accessibility to IVF treatment seems out of reach of a number of couples who may desire to avail themselves of it, Emmanuel, whose entrepreneurial skill is driven by commitment to excellence, avers that accessibility is relative. “When you talk about accessibility, you talk

Automatic Sperm Analyser

Other factors are the laboratory and the clinical aspects. This means that apart from the patients having good embryos, and also taking cognizance of the fact that one cannot predict what happens within a woman, it now rests on one as a laboratory scientist to ensure that quality eggs are passed unto the doctor who thereafter ensures successful transfer into the patient.

ation. With international affiliations and collaborations, Dasam is championing the cause of knowledge and expertise dissemination in the medical landscape. It has made plans, just as it has always been doing, to train doctors in Assisted Reproductive Technology. “As many as are willing could access this facility training through www.dasammedical.com or dasammedic@yahoo.com, making the best use of the opportunity which this training offers,” Emmanuel informs.

about the financial capability to pay for the service, and it depends on the centres. New centres charge relatively less, obviously for the reason of promo and attracting clients.” But considering the Nigerian socio-cultural environment, is IVF not alien? “IVF is just a part of assisted reproductive technology (ART), and it is essentially just trying to help challenged couples to achieve something they would have achieved naturally but could not. “It involves a simple process which we call IUI in which we just take the man’s sperm, wash it and later insert (sperm) into the woman’s system,” he explained. Above all, one thing seems to be paramount on the mind of Emmanuel who is also a trained pastor with Life Centered Christian Assembly in Lagos: patriotic contributions to the overall healthcare delivery system within the country and beyond. This, perhaps, may be accountable for the passion with which Dasam Medic plies its operations. The testimonials of this patriotic goodwill are the scores of doctors that have been trained and are carrying out operations in various hospitals and centres across the feder- IVF lab

Emmanuel David Emmanuel

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013 45

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

YourMoney By Donald Abraham ALM produce contributed immensely toP wards the foreign exchange earnings of the country in the 50’s and 60’s, which helped to finance substantially most of the development plans of some regional governments. However, the sub-sector, like all the other sub-sectors of agriculture, suffered immense neglect since the advent of the oil boom. There, however, has been resurgent interest recently in agriculture, particularly in new palm plantations development at various levels. The old low-yielding dura palms are being replaced with the seedlings of the faster maturing, stunted and higher-yielding tenera variety. Increased and more efficient local processing of the products of this sub-sector creates lucrative investment opportunities in the industry. One of these, the extraction and sale of crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) and its by-product, palm kernel cake (PKC), which is left after CPKO has been extracted, is the thrust of this article. And so, if you are looking for a huge profitmaking agro-based processing business whose raw material inputs are always locally available all the year round, then you have it in the extraction and marketing of CPKO and PKC using the readily available palm kernels as raw materials. The two products of the venture are in very high demand all the year round by the various industry end-users because presently there is a very severe shortage of their supply. Besides, the various uses to which they are put are expanding as new industries that need them are being established. And so their buyers are eagerly awaiting any palm kernel crushers that will readily and consistently deliver the two products to them. Thus, this opportunity is created by the ever-increasing demand for and the insufficiency in supply of these industrial raw material inputs. This situation has continued unabated over a long time hence the need to tap into the huge profit-making opportunity that will result from investing in this project. The Market Potentials Of CPKO And PKC CPKO is a light-yellowish product containing mainly lauric acid. The market for it is mainly domestic. It is used in a limited way in the preparation of local medicine for the cure of convulsion. However its major industrial uses are in the areas of vegetable oil refinery (to get de-odorised vegetable oil (which is used extensively in cooking and frying), the manufacture of good quality, lathering soaps, body-nourishing cosmetics and creams because of its ability to maintain the integrity of the skin due to its richness in essential fatty acids. CPKO also finds huge use in the production of chocolate and confectionary, margarine, ice cream, drugs, detergents, etc. From the above, it can be seen that CPKO’s local market is large and increasing by the day. The de-oiled PKC is very rich in protein and is used as burning fuel in boilers and in the production of biscuits, gunpowder and livestock feeds.. It is exported with profit to earn foreign exchange. Vegetable oil refiners in 30,000-litre tankers purchase the processed CPKO from the crushers for cash. Anyone in the business needs no advertisement beyond letting the refiners and other users of the product know that he is in the business; the market is there waiting. My recent tour of and research in the palm belt states of the country convinced me, beyond all reasonable doubts, that the national and industrial demand for CPKO and PKC is very high, so high and sustainable that the local extractors scarcely meet it. As a result, there is a yawning demand-supply gap awaiting filling. This unfilled wide gap especially in CPKO has compelled the vegetable oil refining companies in the country to be importing the raw material from such countries as Malaysia, Ghana, Indonesia, etc in order to meet their local raw material needs for them to continue to be in business. This is in spite of the fact that the abundantly available palm kernels, which should be crushed locally to obtain PKO and PKC are not made use of but instead are being exported at peanuts and without any value being added to them. The Federal Government should urgently look into the need to barn the exportation of raw palm kernels. For Whom: This project is ideal for any discerning profitdriven investors as the above scenario signals a profitable investment opportunity yearning for exploitation. This is especially for Nigerians living overseas who want to start planning gradually their final re-location home. Home is home.

Cash-Generating Potentials Of Palm Kernel Oil Extraction The extracted CPKO can be sold for cash to the big-time oil refiners in the country and while the CPKO will be sold to local feed millers or exported in order to earn foreign exchange. Those presently into CPKO extraction who are daily smiling to their banks can add the refining section as a part of strategic expansion scheme. This writer can, if requested, furnish any serious investors with the addresses of local consumers of PKO and overseas importers of PKC.

Raw And Packaging Materials: Palm kernels, a by-product of palm oil mills, are the major raw material input for this project. They are abundantly available locally from the big and small oil palm mills in the country. PKO is sold in 200-litre drums or 30,000-litre tankers while PKC is hygienically packaged in jute or polypropylene sacks for sale either to local or overseas animal feeds manufacturers. Technical Considerations: CPKO extraction needs the following brandnew, high-tech and state-of-the-art equipment and accessories: cleaning device, vibrating screen with blower, oil expeller with kettles, filter press, accurately calibrated and digitally operated weighbridge, oil storage tanks, laboratory equipment, baby boiler and other miscellaneous equipment. Some of these will be imported while those that can be constructed locally will be purchased from the local fabricators whose products have proved efficient in performance and sturdy and robust in construction. To reduce the overall equipment cost, an interested investor can buy these locally. A local equipment that can crush 5 metric tonnes of palm kernels in eight working hours a day presently sells for between N700,000 and N850,000. Any serious investor can start with and gradually step up as time goes on. The investor is at liberty to choose whether to import his equipment or use the local ones. Whichever one he chooses, the technology is available and has been tested and proved to be reasonably efficient in palm kernel oil extraction. Plant Capacity The local equipment has installed capacity of 5 MT per 8-hour working shift/day. Working at 50% utilisation capacity and 250 days in a year and after a generous allowance for wastages and impurities, it is estimated that 261 MT of CPKO and 346 MT of PKC will be obtained and which is estimated will give a net profit of

N20,750,000 in one year. The project can be implemented on small or medium scale. Whichever way the investor wants to go, this writer can give him the relevant assistance that he needs to take off successfully.

sky is the stepping stone rather than the limit.

Funding This business fulfills all the conditions for the support of the banks under their SME scheme. It is profitable, produces excellent cash flow, will be established outside of the CPKO Extraction Process urban area, uses the raw materials that are Briefly this involves cleaning the received palm kernels to rid them of unwanted dust and 100% locally available, will export its PKC to other waste materials, weighing and crushing earn foreign exchange, etc. It may also enjoy a five-year tax holiday when it starts operathese, expelling and clarifying the CPKO, sample laboratory analysis and the storage of oil in tion if it fulfills the conditions laid down for that. Being an agro-processing venture, it tanks, etc. The de-oiled PKC obtained during will enjoy all the relevant incentives granted the extraction process is packaged in jute or by the Federal and some state governments. polypropylene sacks. The funding pattern will be determined after the preparation of the detailed technoProject Cost economic study and feasibility/viability reThe cost of establishing this project will inport of the project and before its clude the following: land, building, furniture, office fittings and equipment, preliminary ex- implementation. penses, working capital and contingency proviImplementation sion. The detailed costing of each of these will Before embarking on this project, investors be contained in a comprehensive feasibility are strongly advised to conduct a thorough study, which will be needed by a serious inmarket research into all of its aspects. After vestor to implement the project. this they should register the company they The cost of the plant and machinery, which will want to implement the project with (if not yet done), decide the intended output capacbe determined at the project development stage, will depend on the capacity the investor ity and source of their equipment, and comwants to operate, the source of the equipment mission the preparation of a detailed, current and realistic feasibility and viability (local or imported), etc. report and source funds for the projects’ take-of. You ca ask for a copy of industry Viability prfile that will help you have a good idea of In the first year of commercial operation, the the sources of equipment, production, other plant will generate gross sales income of bits of information not included here, etc. N102,370,000 from both CPKO and PKC. After deducting the costs of production, administra- Those serious investors who are keenly intive and marketing expenses, finance charges, terested in knowing further what it takes generally to establish this project and indeed depreciation and taxation estimated at N80,620,000, the profit that will be left will be any other projects in terms of the details of sources and costs of fixed assets, various N21,750,000. other inputs, labour and acceptable manageThis is a profitable investment opportunity for ment practices for optimum yield but who do not want a bankable feasibility report previsionary investors to go into. The supply of CPKO and PKC to the feed millers at the interna- pared for them can obtain by merely requesttional market makes the project a cash genera- ing from this writer for a copy of THE COMPREHENSIVE INDUSTRIAL PROFILE ON tor. The multiplier effects of this agro-processing business on the economy are THE ABC OF CPKO PRODUCTION. For further assistance in the areas of market many and great. Because of the high demand research, equipment acquisition, industrial for CPKO and PKC, the available output is quickly bought up on cash and carry basis thus profile and feasibility report writing, only serious investors should contact DONALD showing the project as one with good cash ABRAHAM through Tels: + 234 – 1 – 803 – 725 flow. This will enable the investor quickly recoup his investment and for anyone venturing 1974 ; 0704 – 149 – 5314 ; E-mails: akumgbedee@hotmail.com; leinto palm kernel oil and cake extraction, the tustalkwealth@yahoo.com

46 YourMoney

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

BRANDINTELLIGENCE

With DESMOND EKEH desmondekeh@yahoo.com; 08023215535

Smart Phones: Dissecting The Apple, Samsung Battle For Emerging Markets By Abiodun Obisesan N recent times, the passion for smart phones and ultra-modern gadgets has taken a very nerve-racking dimension. The basic human needs for shelter, food, clothes and others are gradually being submerged by the craze for sophisticated mobile devices. Today, consumers are currently grappling with an endless obsession for the latest smart phone in the market. Unarguably, the relentless technological innovation witnessed among manufacturers of sophisticated phone gadgets has invariably pitched state-of-the-art smart phone makers in perpetual brand warfare amongst each other with the incontrovertible aim of accruing a large chunk of global market share. In recent times, the mobile and tablet brand segment have witnessed an unprecedented pressure from competition spearheaded by Samsung’s Google powered Android phones, iPhones from the stable of Apple, Nokia Lumia and Blackberry, to mention a few. In January 2001 when the Federal Government deregulated the Telecommunication sector, Nokia emerged as the undisputed market leader. Thereafter, the Nigerian market space began to witness series of dominance by different mobile phone brands. Then, came the age of blackberry, a “lowlevel” smart phone now with a higher version, Z10, trying to break into the mainstream smart phone category. Presently, the baton of power is in the hands of Android and iPhone group of smart phones. Fuelled by the economic law of consumer insatiability and finicky taste, smart phone companies have continued to target the youth segment and high earning populace with state-of the-art phones in a bid to out-smart competitors. Available statistics show that Nigeria leads its counterparts on the African continent in smart phones with a 41 per cent penetration. This is followed by South Africa with 31 per cent and Kenya with 7 per cent. While it could be said that other phone manufacturers like Apple, Nokia and others are innovative and churning out impressive features in their phones, Samsung has been recording phenomenal market progress in emerging market because the brand has put in place water tight marketing strategies bordering on product differentiation, pricing, branding and positioning. Managing Director of Jumia On-line Retail Service, Raphael Afaedor, shares his view about the seeming market dominance of Samsung. “It looks very easy to try and compare two brands or businesses but in reality, it is difficult because the metrics used to compare these brands could be deficient and inadequate since there are other indices that are not considered. For instance, if you decide to use global market share as criteria, Samsung is nowhere compared to Apple. Various brand-rating agencies at different times have selected Apple

as the most valuable company or brand in the world. Although Samsung might be making remarkable in-roads, it is certainly nowhere compared to Apple in terms of global market share. The brand is still a force to reckon with even with its seemingly declining status. Sometimes, it boils down to evaluation, capitalisation, profit, revenue of a top brand and many other factors. Samsung might be making penetration in Sub Saharan Africa and some other emerging markets but they are not doing same in the United States of America or many part of the world. So, it is really difficult to compare,” he said. Recently, CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, acknowledged the widespread disappointment in the company’s sagging price. This fall in the market value of Apple’s products only confirms the ever-competitive Smartphone landscape. In fact, Samsung has also announced that it intends to launch the Galaxy SIV Smartphone this March. In a related development, Nokia is leaving no stone unturned when it revealed in the last World mobile phone fair at Barcelona recently that its new products are targeted at

low income earners while still trying to maintain a high level of digital relevance. Nokia’s Lumia is the brand’s response to the craze for smart phone in emerging markets. A social commentator and analyst, Mr. Ademola Runsewe, also spoke on this topical issue. “It is all dependent on the demographics of Africa, but data from Nigeria and Ghana show that Samsung is winning the war of Smartphone among the youth populace. The recent battle between Apple and Samsung has also helped in creating more awareness about the amazing features of contemporary smart phones,” he said. Runsewe further stated that “young people prefer Samsung brand as it is more portable, easy to navigate, and not that expensive. Samsung has improved the smart phone market by making the techno-oriented youths more involved in terms of Samsung applications and software that are easily downloaded from the internet and its connectivity to other social media platforms like whatsapp, facebook. Also, telecommunication companies like Etisalat and Airtel that collaborate with Samsung and other brands of

smart phones has created better awareness for this category of phones.” Brand strategist, James Agama, is of the view that Samsung’s success could be attributed to its strategic contribution to the mobile phone market. “If the criteria of brand adoption is anything to go by, more smart phones are making terrific inroads into the Nigerian market and are gaining wider acceptance especially among the youth segment. However, in terms of brand preference, Samsung smart phones have become household brands. This is clearly because Samsung is deploying advert placement tactics to a great extent which makes its presence in the market very strong. Although, Samsung and Nokia have strong visibility in terms of the market, that is not taking anything from Apple as global brand.” Agama added: “Also, it should be said that Samsung’s passion and appetite to own the market is very strong. This competition definitely has a positive impact on pricing. This is also another plus for Samsung because Galaxy products are quite cheaper than Apple. This competition enables consumers to get quality and value for products purchased.” Industry observers are curious to know why Apple had to wait till Samsung overwhelmed them in the emerging markets. Going by consensus opinion from industry experts, the reason is not far-fetched— Apple’s niche strategy was wrongly extended into the mass market. This strategy probably would still have paid off if the smartphone market were still a somewhat monopolistic market that the iPhone enjoyed from 2007-2010. Managing Director of Fuel Communications, Tunji Abioye, stated that various strategies are used by competition to ensure that brands renew their line of attack to stay on top of the game. “When big brands enter into a competitive and combative marketing space, naturally, it has an impact on their fortunes and misfortunes not only in Nigeria but also globally. Also, Samsung and Apple’s legal battles and victories are strategic. Of course, these legal battles impacted immediately not only in Nigeria but also globally,” he said. Abioye added that “it was beginning to show in the numbers and the face of Samsung. Of course, they also went back to court and invalidated the temporary victory that Apple scored over them. This is because they realised the importance of it in their own marketing culture. The game of marketing allows for some strategic movement to outplay your competitors, to dislodge your rivals. The competition that brands take is not only limited to the kind of claims through advertising campaigns, but also whatever advantage they can secure as far as the legal space is concerned. Every brand is always looking for that opportunity. This is a regular thing that happens and we will continue to see more of that,” he submitted.

Magulf Enterprises Wins NB’s Best Distributor Award line with its commitment to IandNcontinuously reward productivity business partnership, Nigerian Breweries Plc has rewarded outstanding distributors and transporters that excelled in 2012. Magulf Enterprises limited, having sold the required cases of Nigerian Breweries products, emerged best distributor for the year 2012. The company grabbed the coveted award and a brand new Mercedes Benz truck to further enhance their business. The company won the award at an elaborate ceremony tagged “Our Bond, Our Success”, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ifeoma Chukwuma Nigeria Limited and GN Anyoha and Sons Limited went home with second and third place prizes respectively. The brewing giant gave out a total of 116 awards in various categories which include: National Volume Champion and Region Volume Champions, Regional Volume Champions who attained mini-

mum of two million cases, Regional Volume Champion who attained less than two million cases, District Champions who achieved minimum of two million cases, District Champions who achieved one million to two million cases, District Champions who achieved one million cases, and Millionaire Club (SKDs who achieved above one million cases), among others. The prizes won include Mercedes Benz truck, Mitsubishi Canter trucks; Mitsubishi L200 double cabin; Forklifts; sound proof generating Sets; cash rewards and several free cartons of Nigerian Breweries products. Speaking at the event, Sales Director of Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Hubert Eze disclosed that the partnership with distributors and Key transporters was a major factor in the company’s success story, which had also contributed to growth in sales volume, which equally impacted positively on profit margin. “The reward for our Key

Distributors and Super Key Distributors and other trade partners of the company who excelled in the cause of their business partnerships with NB Plc is a fulfillment of NB Plc’s promise and encouragement to them,” he said. He added that product innovation and quality maintenance will continue to be the focus of the company as he applauded every member of the Nigerian Breweries team for their various contributions to driving the company and various brands forward. The award also provided the platform to evaluate the previous year’s business performance, as well as communicate new business strategies to the distributors. Managing Director, Nicolaas Vervelde who gave an overall score card of the company, identified the importance of investment and reward as a major strength of the company and promised to continue to appreciate distributors as well as every bit of the business team.

Marketing Director Nigerian Breweries Plc, Walter Drenth (left); National Champion of the Distributors Award, Godpower Agbonifo; Mary Agbonifo of Magulf Global Enterprise; and the Managing Director, Nicolaas Vervelde at the presentation of the awards in Lagos recently. Chief Executive Officer, Magulf Enterprises Limited, Chief Mrs. Mary Agbonifo, commended Nigerian Breweries for their appreciation and reward which has been an encour-

aging factor to push for the success of the products and help her achieve growth in her own business. She pledged her continuous support for the new business year.

YourMoney 47

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

BRANDNEWS National Lottery Trust Fund Unveils New Logo HE National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) witnessed a stamp of endorsement that would catapult both the organization and individuals to another level of wealth creation when it unveiled her new logo last week in Abuja. Director-General of NLTF, Engr. Habu Gumel said the step by the lottery fund management “is geared towards ensuring the pace of progress and activities in the lottery sector is in line with the transformation agenda of the current federal administration”. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Henry Akpan, said the significance of the new brand outlook “symbolises the awakening of a sleeping giant.” Anyim said that the unveiling ceremony of the emblem indicated that “the NLTF is telling Nigerians that it is now ready to rise up to its statutory mandate, and consequently that Nigerians should also get ready for a new dimension of the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.” Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki while commending the initiative assured that the government would ensure that new regulatory framework and polices that deepens competition and growth of lottery market in Nigeria are pursued and implemented.

BRANDINTELLIGENCE Maltina Home Winners Commend Brand

HREE consumers of Maltina, T the malt brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc

have commended the brand for uplifting their lives and putting them on the pedestal of economic sustainability. They made the commendations at separate calls to the brand custodians. The consumers’, Rev. Philip Terhemba Abur, Oluwashola Akinsanya and Adeyinka Adeola were among the five that won a furnished threebedroom apartment at Lekki in Lagos last year. They said it is difficult to believe that a brand can just give out houses to consumers with virtually no strings attached. Abur, a Makurdi Benue Stateborn cleric said Maltina did what he never expected. “I must say that anytime I relive the time I got the phone call that I’ve won a house, cold

shivers run down my spine because it sounds unbelievable considering the chronic housing issue in Nigeria today. “Ever since I won the house I have become an advocate of the brand and will continue to be. They sure deserve commendation,” he said. Reliving his experience, Akinsanya, an electrician then based in Irolu Remo in Ogun State said: “I was on a PHCN pole fixing an electrical fault for a client when I got the call that I’ve won a house, I almost jumped down from the pole, but I had to restrain myself. “I want to thank Maltina because I no longer pay house rent. I now channel the money towards the development of my business which has grown significantly since last year”.

LG XBoom DJ Competition Produces Winner has emerged at the LG XBOOM Scratch 2 Fame DJ ATheWINNER competition. winner, Mr. Michael Festus Oriawe, a 31-year-old business executive carted away an LG XBOOM CM9730 hi-fi system after a tension-soaked final at The Place in Lagos. The event was put together by LG Electronics, a global leader in home entertainment to serve as a platform to discover and encourage upcoming DJs and give them the avenue to showcase their talents and live their dreams. The LG XBOOM Scratch 2 Fame DJ competition attracted hundreds of participants from all over the country, who contested keenly for the ultimate prize. “Our ultimate aim for putting together this DJ competition is to discover budding talents and empower them in ways they have never thought possible. Nigerians from the much I have gathered are music loving people who feel the need to enjoy fun moments which is why we saw the need to put up this competition to develop upcoming DJs and musicians,” General Manager, Media division, LG Electronics, Mr. Jae Sang Lee, said. He added: “The LG XBOOM CM 9730 is a music machine that is innovatively fitted with hi-tech console for sizzling DJ skills, making it the first of its kind in Nigeria.”

Noah’s Ark Wins Creative Industry Award IGERIA’S fastest growing and leading new generation creN ative advertising agency, Noah’s Ark Communications Limited, has once again added another laurel to its credentials

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Visage PR, Mr. Afolabi Andu (left); Executive Secretary, National Lottery Trust Fund, Dr. Habu Gumel; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dr. Henry Akpan; and Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, at the unveiling of the NLTF new logo in Abuja…recently.

Etisalat Launches Easyday New Tariff Plan ETERMINED to continu- vate and enjoy the new tariff D ally provide its cus- plan, by buying either an tomers with the best value easycliq or easy starter line, for money, Etisalat Nigeria recently launched a new tariff plan. Known as Easyday, the new tariff plan enables subscribers on its easy starter and easy cliq packages to enjoy lower tariffs based on their daily spending. The Easyday tariff plan which is available to Etisalat’s existing and prospective subscribers is activated once the subscriber reaches a certain threshold, allowing customers on the package to get low tariffs to make all their national calls for the rest of the day. New subscribers can acti-

and then opting-into the Easy day plan to get lower call tariffs daily. Explaining the tariff plan, Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Wael Ammar said: “This is a unique tariff plan based on regressive billing such that when you have used up to a particular amount in a day, your call cost per second is instantly lowered. Once you opt-in to easy day, your tariff drops first to 40k/sec to all networks. Once a subscriber then spends N50 in a day, either on calls, SMS or PAYG data, all subsequent calls will be charged at 20k/sec for the rest of the day,” he said.

Capri-Sonne School Surprises Offer Kicks Off HI Nigeria Limited, makers of Capri-Sonne natural fruit C juice, has unveiled a reward campaign for kids tagged: “Capri-Sonne School Surprises Offer”. The offer comes with several free gifts offers. The gifts range from wrist watches, flash lights, pouches, colour pencil cases and many more packed inside every carton. The campaign also has an extra bonanza option, where customers submit Capri-Sonne flaps to stand the chance to getting free jumbo crayons and water-colour boxes. According to the company, the campaign will be supported with a television campaign, outdoors and an activation programme where the Capri-Sonne team will visit schools across Nigeria. A statement from the company said the campaign is expected to be a big success with a win-win situation for our target audience as well as for us. “This campaign will help in inducing trials and thus getting new consumers into our consumer set and of course, kids are going to love the exciting gifts that will come with CapriSonne. From a marketing perspective, this campaign will be supported with a 360 degree push and will definitely help in re-enforcing market leadership position as a kid’s juice brand,” the statement added.

by emerging the winner of the 2012 Creative Industries Awards organised by the Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN) in collaboration with the British Council. Noah’s Ark Communication Limited edged out other three shortlisted creative firms, which includes Prima Garnet, Design Union, and Theo Lawson to emerge winner of the Creative Services category of the 2012 Creative Industries Award. Speaking at the event, which was held recently at the British Council office, Lagos, the Secretary General of the Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN), Mrs. Oluwayemisi Mafe disclosed that the Creative Industries Award was instituted by the association in partnership with the British Council to reward initiative, talent, creativity and entrepreneurship. Mafe noted that shortlisting for the different categories for the 2012 Creative Industries Award was a very tall order as the creative industry witnesses tremendous growth with many entrepreneurs making impact in the different fields of the creative industry. Receiving the award, the Managing Director, Noah’s Ark Communications Limited, Mr. Lanre Adisa, described that award as another very significant milestone in the history of the Agency. He added that the award would further spur the agency to better performance in terms of its creative output and value to the brands in its custody.

Beneks Unveils Don Morris Wine S the demand for quality exotic wine continues to A surge, Beneks Group has formally introduced into the Nigerian wine market, Don Morris brands of exotic wines. At the unveiling ceremony that took place at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town, the group also announced that renowned Nollywood actor and show presenter, Bob Manuel Udokwu, is the brand ambassador for Don Morris wine. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, who formally unveiled the brand, shared his excitement for Beneks Group and their South African partner Govert Wines. “I want assure Nigerians that we have done our due inspections and found these brand of

wines to be of good quality and we approve them for the consumption.” Orhii went further to thank Govert Wines, South Africa, for making such quality range of wines for Nigerians. He also assured Nigerians that NAFDAC would partner with those who want to do business the right way. “We will not just be telling you only the dos and don’ts, but we will also be telling you how to do correct business. If you have a good product that you want to register here in Nigeria, we will make your business much easier. Our job is not to complicate your business but to enhance your business and ensure it is done the right way within the normal time frame,” he added.

CEO, Govert Marketing & Co. Ltd, South Africa, Teuns Keuzenkamp (left); President, Beneks Group of Companies, Chief. Ben Amuta; his wife; and Director General, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii at the unveiling of the Don Morris wine brands in Lagos…recently.

General Manager, Media Division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr. Jae Sang Lee (left); Winner, Mr. Michael Oriawe; a judge, DJ Sose, during the competition in Lagos…recently

APCON Unveils Vetting Procedure Amendments for Practitioners HE Advertising Practitioners T Council of Nigeria (APCON) has unveiled the fifth edition of the Code of Advertising Practice. The event took place recently at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Media Centre of the National Theatre Annexe, Iganmu, Lagos. Speaking at the event, Chairman of APCON Committee on Advertising Practice Reforms (ACAPR), Mr. Willy Norom said that as part of the need to ensure stricter professionalism within the advertising industry and practice, it became necessary to consider the current operating rules and environment with the view to ensuring that advertising, like other recognised professions was regulated in such a way as to protect the integrity of the practice and ensure that current regulations were

reviewed in line with local interest and global standards.” He noted that “in pursuance of reforming the advertising practice in Nigeria, it has become imperative to amend the vetting and approval procedures of the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP).” He added: “the Regulatory, Monitoring and Enforcement Directorate, a body under the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) in the process of receiving and processing applications, would like to advise that all materials should be duly signed by a registered member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). The document to be signed by the registered members are forms 01 & 02, while the letter of authority attached to the application should be signed by a registered practitioner or endorsed by the agency.”

Close-Up Embarks On Free Teeth Check Campaign NILEVER Nigeria Plc has raised its Corporate Social U Responsibility (CSR) profile, using the Close-Up toothpaste brand. In an effort to pull its consumers closer, the brand has decided to kick-start a free teeth check campaign to determine the dental condition of its consumer in Lagos. The campaign enabled consumers of the product to visit The Kots Clinic in Surulere, Lagos for the free check-up. Brand Manager, Close-Up, Dexter Adeola said the company embarked on the campaign because research had shown that only 15 per cent of Nigerians visit dentists yearly. “As a leading brand in the paste category, we chose this platform to reach out to Nigerians in need of dental help. This would also serve as an awareness campaign to sensitise people on the need for proper oral care and the importance of regular dental check-ups,” he said. Adeola added: “What informed the initiative was that over the years, Close-Up had given health protection to the teeth and gums of millions of Nigerians. The brand has also worked with health professionals and dentists nationwide to educate Nigerians on the importance of oral care. This free dental check is in line with our commitment to ensure Nigerians have the best solutions and care for their teeth and gums.”

tHe GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

NeWSMAKeR

By Ibukunoluwa Kayode tUDeNtS in institutions of higher learning in Srejoice, Awka, Anambra State capital, have cause to as a massive ultra-modern hostel for their use will be commissioned next Saturday. Built and donated to the Catholic Church by philanthropist and businessman, Barr (Dr.) Obinna Uzoh, the N350-million hostel is located at the Holy Family Youth Village. Its commissioning is one of the events marking the silver jubilee celebration of Uzoh’s philanthropy, which is coming on the eve of his 50th birthday on Sunday, March 17. Using the Obinna Uzoh Foundation (OUF), Uzoh has embarked on many philanthropic projects aimed at helping people and touching the lives of the less privileged in the society. He has awarded scholarships to indigent students in primary and secondary schools as well as in universities, sponsored free rural health care programme, constructed an ultra-modern church building, donated books to school, constructed roads and provided electricity for communities. He had earlier built the law faculty of the Madonna University, Awka, renovated the eni Njoku Hall of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and established business for people, sponsored free medical care for pregnant women and children, among others. the imposing students hostel, which Uzoh built, has 110 rooms in a three-story building. the rooms were designed to accommodate two students per room. they are all ensuite, with toilet and bathroom facilities in each room. Also, the rooms have reading tables and wardrobe. Other facilities in the hostel are a standby generator, which supplies electricity round the clock, if there is power failure from the public source; lounges, where the students watch television and receive their guests, well-equipped library and reading halls etc. there are also airconditioned buses that take students from the hostel to the school. even with such modern facilities, the hostel, which is managed by the Catholic Church, is given out at subsidized rate to students who will also be served standard meals at subsidized rate. Asked why he embarked on the project, Uzoh said: “this is my modest contribution towards lifting education to a higher pedestal. I want our students to live in a clean and befitting environment, where they will not have any inhibition to learning and studying.” He revealed that he started nursing the idea of building the hostel the day he visited one of his cousins living in a university hostel. “I saw the squalour and dirt in the hostel. the students were horded like animals in a little space called hostel. I deliberately insisted that I must enter the hostel. I discovered that a room that was meant to accommodate 20 students had more than 60 people,” he agonized. the businessman said that his desire was “reinforced when I visited the Holy Family Youth Village, which His Grace, Archbishop Valerian Maduka Okeke conceived. the vision for this students’ lodge is fantastic. the archbishop wanted to replicate what he saw abroad here. His vision and the desire to create a conducive atmosphere for learning prompted me to build the hostel.” Uzoh revealed that the Catholic Church pro-

Rare Philanthropy As Obinna Uzoh Donates N350m Students’ Hostel

vided the land on which the hostel was built, adding: “In the complex, there were three hostels before the one I built. there were two hostels for girls and one for the boys at that time. I decided to build this hostel for boys, to make it four hostels in the complex: two for boys and two for girls.” He expressed gratitude to Archbishop Okeke, who gave him the opportunity to built the hostel, adding: “I consider it a rare privilege to be allowed to embark on the project.” He said it took him less than two years to

Uzor

technology/information and communication technology (ICt) centre he single-handedly built. the centre, which took 10 months to complete, according to Uzoh, will serve as skills acquisition centre for students to equip themselves with requisite skills that would help them face the challenges of life, even as priests or lay men after graduation. It has computers, mechanical and electrical equipment, among others. Speaking after commissioning the centre, Archbishop Okeke commended Uzoh for keeping to his promise to complete the complex within 10 months. He said the philanthropist has been able to demonstrate severally that he is a man that could be trusted and relied upon, given so many of his fulfilled promises. Archbishop Okeke said: “I have closely followed the activities of Dr. Obinna Uzoh towards the less privileged and they are edifying. He has complete the project, adding: “When I started, I assisted many indigent students through told myself that I would get the hostel ready scholarship. He has built houses for the poor. for commissioning at my 50th birthday. With He has built hostels for students, churches for that in mind, I was under pressure to meet the worshipers for different denominations and he deadline. I therefore, had to mobilise all need- identifies with the poor and the lowly. Right ed funds and ensured that the contractor and now, he is renovating one of the cells in other site workers did everything within their Onitsha Prisons. He has not excluded the rich. power to also meet the deadline.” His friendship cuts across the poor and rich. He In 25 years, Uzoh has done much to help peo- has identified with governments, both state ple in Anambra State. Last November, at the All and federal.” Hallows Seminary, Onitsha, Anambra State, the priest called Uzoh a “good man in all sense Uzoh also handed over a basic of the world,” while enjoining other wealthy Nigerians to help the poor. “If you are privileged to be rich, it means God has made you a steward. You should be happy that you are the one distributing God’s resources,” he said. On his part, Uzoh said he was happy to help those in need, as God has also helped him, stressing that the building of the centre was to give young Nigerians opportunity to acquire skills that would help them in future. there are indications that owing to his philanthropy, Uzoh is under enormous pressure to join the Anambra governorship race “so he would be in even a stronger position to serve the people.” Indeed, from across the Southeast, Catholic youths and students from have severally endorsed Uzoh for Anambra governorship election billed for next year. During a visit to Ihiala recently, commercial motorcycles unanimously rooted for him to succeed Governor Peter Obi. Last year, he visited the Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled, Old and tramps (ReCDOt), in Ozubulu, Anambra State and donated 10 wheel chairs, other mobility aids and cash. In a colourful event at the centre, Uzoh said he was moved by the plights of inmates of the centre, who include physically challenged children and adults. He said the mobility aid equipment would help the inmates to move around, while the cash should be used to cater to their needs. the businessman commended the management and staff of the home for their selfless services, telling them that God would reward them enormously. Highlight of Uzoh’s visit to the centre, apart from the donation, was the sharing of lunch with the inmates. He personally fed some of the kids in the home. He also taught them how to use the mobility aids equipment, while taking time out to push them around within the home.

TheGuardian

49 March 9, 20135, 2013 49Saturday, Saturday, January

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Cover Taraba: Governance Bogged Down By The Absence Of Suntai

Suntai

By Godwin Ijediogor ECTIONS 145 and 190 of the 1999 SandConstitution, as amended, for the President Governor, respectively, is supposed to take care of the absence of the President and Governor from office. But curiously, there is there is no time limit in both in the old and amended versions to which the President or Governor can be away from his duty post, thereby creating a lacuna of sort. That perhaps echoes the statement of Michael Aondoakaa, then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, that his boss, brought down by sickness that finally took him, could govern, infinitum, from anywhere, even as he did not communicate the Senate President his absence from office. The same political logjam appears to be replaying in Taraba State, where Governor Danbaba Suntai has been away from office for over five months as a result of the injuries he sustained in a plane crash near the Yola Airport in Adamawa State in September last year. The amendment of Sections 145 and 190 of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly to make it mandatory for the President or Governor of a state to transmit a written declaration to the National Assembly or the State Assembly informing them that he would proceeding on vacation or unable, for whatever reasons, to discharge the functions of his office, does not seem to help the case of Taraba, where Alhaji Garba Umar has been acting as governor. Although the Senate Committee on

Suntai with his wife and their babies

Mark

Umar

Constitution Review had recommended a seven-day deadline within which to transmit such a letter, the amendment by the senate extended it to 14 days. Section 190 (Sub-section 1) says: “Whenever the Governor is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House of Assembly to that effect, and until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, the Deputy Governor shall perform the functions of the Governor as Acting Governor.” Sub-section 2 adds: “In the event that the Governor is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in subsection (1) of this section within 21 days, the House of Assembly shall, by a resolution made by a simple majority of the vote of the House, mandate the Deputy Governor to perform the functions of the office of the Governor as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits a letter to the Speaker that he is now available to resume his functions as Governor.” But the sections are silent about what happens if the Governor fails to transmit a letter to the Speaker of the Assembly or how long

he can be away from office with or without transmitting such a letter, as is the case with Suntai, whose capacity to continue in office, as a result of the injuries, remains a subject of speculation months after the crash. Indeed, Jummai Al-Hassan, representing Taraba North in the Senate, has accused the state government of shielding the truth regarding the state of health of the governor, who is currently undergoing medical treatment in a German hospital and awaiting possible evacuation to another country for further treatment. Al-Hassan told journalists in Abuja recently that the state government officials have failed to come out with the true position of Suntai’s health, and chose to feed the people with lies. She said though the people were praying for the quick and full recovery of the governor to enable him to resume duties, they were, however, tired of hearing discordant tunes of his doing well and would soon return to the state. One of the governor’s personal physicians, Dr. Zakari Yusuf Aliyu, a professor of Medicine and Public Health and Chief Medical Director of Taraba State Specialist Hospital in Jalingo, told Daily Trust recently that Suntai was suffering from loss of speech and inability to comprehend what people say to him, because of brain

injuries that could take years to fully cure. Aliyu, who said he recently visited the governor in Germany, added that Suntai suffered injury to his brain during the crash and that it could take “weeks, months, even years for him to come back to his pre-accident state.” Aliyu’s position contradicts other reports from various individuals and government officials, who continue to insist that the governor was on his way to recovery. He went further: “The basic problem that I saw with Governor Danbaba when I was with him included things like expressive aphasia (characterised by the loss of the ability to produce language-spoken or written), some degree of receptive aphasia (a patient’s inability to comprehend language or speak with appropriately meaningful words) and spinal cord persistent. “Spinal cord injuries occur when blunt physical force damages the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column, causing bruising, crushing, or tearing of spinal cord tissue, and when the spinal cord is penetrated, e.g. by a gunshot or a knife wound... “All these are things that will occur or

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Section 190 (Sub-section 1) says: “Whenever the Governor is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House of Assembly to that effect, and until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, the Deputy Governor shall perform the functions of the Governor as Acting Governor

Wreckage of the crashed plane

Suntai and Governor Jang of Plateau State

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

COVER

‘Cabal’ Keeps Taraba Adrift In Suntai’s Absence From Charles Akpeji, Jalingo HE imbroglio which engulfed Nigeria’s political scene shortly before the eventual death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which almost tore the country apart, is at the verge of repeating itself in the state that prides itself as the ‘Nature’s Gift to the Nation,’ Taraba. A few persons, who can be described as belonging to a ‘cabal’, have being working tirelessly to frustrate the confirmation of the Acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, as the substantive governor of the state. Since October 25 last year when Governor Danbaba Suntai and three of his aides were involved in an air crash close to Yola Airport in Adamawa State, the people of the state and the country at large have been put in the dark about the true position of the governor’s health, except that he has been receiving treatment in Hanover, Germany for the past four months. Although the 1999 Constitution, as amended, does not give a time frame during which a governor can stay away from office due to illhealth, or any other reason for that matter, before been replaced, the need to pull the state out of the doldrums and move it forward is becoming more compelling and a source of concern to the people. In spite of the gimmicks many see as a ploy to stop Umar from functioning effectively and thwarting his alleged plans to reshuffle the cabinet, the people appear no longer comfortable with all manner of stories and distorted information from government officials regarding the true state of health of their Number One citizen. The Guardian gathered that the ailing governor, who since evacuation to Germany has been portrayed in different light, might not be able to function in his official capacity, even when eventually discharged from the hospital. Sources said there are plans by members of his family to relocate Suntai, who according to them, is suffering from a severe brain damage, to the United States. “You and I know that even if the governor is discharged from the hospital, he can no longer act because of his condition. As I am talking to you now, I was privileged to meet with some of his close associates who expressed the need to relocate him to the US to settle down,” one of them said. A source within government circles added: “Can you believe that the governor could not recognise any of the top government officials from the state, including the acting governor,

Bello

The law is very clear. It is the Executive that determines what happens. They (Executive) are the ones to write to the House of Assembly that the governor is coming, incapacitated or not fit. … The governor is still alive. Like what happened in the case of his Enugu State counterpart, the governor of that state is back. So what do you want us to do, to start acting otherwise? What if the governor returns? How do you want us to interpret that? that visited him (Suntai) in Germany?” Apart from the acting governor who on his return told journalists that the governor “was in a stable condition,” other personalities that visited him, including the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Judge (CJ) of the state and a host of others, have been mute since their return from Germany. Their silence has however been raising dust in all parts of the state, as various groups and organisations have admonished the State Executive Council, as a matter of urgency, to communicate to the House of Assembly to constitute a five-man medical team to go to Germany to ascertain Suntai’s health. Some of the groups include the state chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), led by Hamidu Suleiman; the Save Taraba Group (STG), led by the state coordinator, Razaq Umar; and the Concerned Indigene of Taraba State, led by its chairman, Alhaji Adamu Babatatu, to mention just a few. The groups, which along with their teeming supporters, frowned at the lukewarm attitudes of both the executive and members of the state Assembly in confirming Umar as the substantive governor. The refusal of the cabinet members to communicate to the House of Assembly on the next line of action, it was gathered, is the reason for the delay in the entire processes of changing the mantle of leadership. Ostensibly speaking the minds of his colleagues on the issue, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, who doubles as Chairman of the House Committee on

Information, Daniel Ishaya Gani, stressed that the Assembly has no right to make known to the public the health condition of the governor. “It is not the responsibility of the House of Assembly to start telling the whole world whether the governor is coming today, is fit or not fit. That is not the responsibility of the House,” Gani said. Some people, he observed further, “ignorantly have gone to court, accusing and even suing the House of Assembly, which is not constitutional,” adding that somebody who does not even read the constitution very well would act ignorantly. He emphasised: “The law is very clear. It is the Executive that determines what happens. They (Executive) are the ones to write to the House of Assembly that the governor is coming, incapacitated or not fit. “But in a situation where the Executive did not write, what do expect the House of Assembly to do? You want us to say we are impeaching the governor? “The governor is still alive. Like what happened in the case of his Enugu State counterpart, the governor of that state is back. So what do you want us to do, to start acting otherwise? What if the governor returns? How do you want us to interpret that? “So, ordinarily, somebody needs to go back and re-read the constitution very well or consult his legal consultant to guide him very well on a situation like this.” The major problem hindering the whole exercise, as observed by The Guardian, is the question of takes the bull by the horns by

What we expected from him since all these while was for him to dissolve the cabinet and bring in fresh hands, because almost all the members of this present cabinet are Suntai loyalists. So, he should not think that they would write to declare their boss incapacitated … Suntai is no longer fit to carry on. With the exception of one or two of them, the rest cannot stand on their own, talk less of appending their signatures in a document that Suntai should go.”

Suntai

telling the people the true position of the health of the governor. But it was learnt that there are plans to achieve this, as arrangements to facilitate the trip of the Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Emmanuel Bello, have been put in place. A source at the corridor of power told The Guardian that this is to ensure that Bello, who has been at the forefront defending the governor, visits Germany and upon his return, tell the whole world the true situation of things. “Since he is the mouthpiece of the governor, we want to use him to tell the world the reality of things as he sees them on ground there in Germany. But the truth is the governor is no longer fit. The problem we are presently having is who is to break the news to the people of the state and the country at large. “The Presidency is already aware of this and the leadership of our party (PDP) at the national level is also aware,” a reliable source said. Bello, who is due to leave for Germany tomorrow (Sunday), said the trip would allow him “give more information on the current health condition of the governor,” adding that he would engage the country’s media “in a tele-conference, if the governor’s medical handlers permit it.” The visit, billed to last a week, according to the commissioner, would “put to rest insinuations in some quarters that the commissioner is only dishing out second-handed information on Suntai’s health.” In spite of all these, some Tarabans blame the acting governor for not acting fast by dissolving the cabinet and bringing in his own loyalists, who they noted would have long declared the governor incapacitated. The STG state coordinator blamed the acting governor for the delay in his confirmation as the substantive governor. He stated: “What we expected from him since all these while was for him to dissolve the cabinet and bring in fresh hands, because almost all the members of this present cabinet are Suntai loyalists. So, he should not think that they would write to declare their boss incapacitated. “Of course, you and I know that none of them has the guts to come out and tell the world that Suntai is no longer fit to carry on. With the exception of one or two of them, the rest cannot stand on their own, talk less of appending their signatures in a document that Suntai should go.” All eyes are currently on Bello and it was gathered that government has set up machineries

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THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

COVER

... As The Waiting Game Continues In Taraba State

Gbana

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 improve gradually with time. But there are some aspects of head injury in him that only time will tell and I believe we should be patient enough to give him another minimum of three months before we can start talking about anything else.” Aliyu, who said he was with Suntai soon after the crash and had been visiting him in Germany since then, added: “I was impressed he has progressed significantly. With substantial assistance, he was able to undergo shower, brush his teeth, to feed himself; so he has made tremendous progress. “But there is still a substantial amount of rehabilitation that has to occur. People should understand that he has what is called head injury. “However, I must also emphasise the fact that there are setbacks in this kind of situation, as pendulum moving up and down. A moment, the patient may look sound and well and there are moments same patient will actually go down.” On the possibility of Suntai returning to Nigeria soon, as being claimed by his aides, Aliyu said: “Well, you never say impossible in medicine, but that is very unlikely. I think the concern should be less about when will Danbaba return; it should be more on when he recovers.

Nyame

Danjuma

“As a human being, he needs time to have full recovery. But for anyone to think that Suntai will be back in next couple of days, I think that is blatant misrepresentation of facts or trying to conceal facts. “The truth about the matter is that the degree of head injury that he has, he needs substantial rehabilitation. And that is why I am advocating he should be transferred to the United States to the best centre in the world, so that he and his family will be settled in one place in US, where there is intensive experience when it comes to rehabilitation of persons with head injury. “It may take weeks, months, even years for him to come back to his pre-accident state. It may take quite long for the head and brain to resolve the imbalance as a result of the TBI. “The good news, however, is that he improves, so with time he can be able to function independently.” On the photos showing Suntai with the Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, Aliyu said: “There is what is called information spin. I was not there when Plateau governor visited him; he might find him while on good track. “But to say that Danbaba is having a 24-hour and very smooth conversational period to the extent that he can resume his executive activities as an executive governor, I think that is far from the reality.”

Today, Taraba may not be adrift, but certainly all is not well with the state. But certainly too, Taraba, willy-nilly, is becoming a test case of how to overcome the lacuna, and now that another round of constitutional amendment is ongoing is the best opportunity to fill the gap But Taraba State Commissioner for Information, Emmanuel Bello, insisted that Aliyu has no authority to speak on Suntai’s health. “Only the main medical team of the governor can say anything authoritative on the details of the governor’s health. Zakari (Aliyu) is not Suntai’s personal physician, nor is he on the medical team attending to the governor in Germany,” Bello told the Daily Trust. “That distinction goes to Suntai’s personal doctor, Dr. Ahmed Kara. I advise you hear from Kara who, by law, can speak authoritatively on the matter. “However, information available to me shows that Danbaba is improving on a daily basis and would soon be back,” he added. But many see this as the same singsong that has tuned into a broken record that they are beginning to take with a pinch of salt. Indeed, it is ethno-religious politics that is at play in the state. Taraba is one of the few states in the North where Christians consti-

tute the majority, hence they hold the governorship position, using their numerical strength. Naturally, they would like to hold on to the Number One position. It is, therefore, would not be surprising that Suntai’s loyalists are reluctant and trying to stave-off transition of power to a Muslim, using the lacuna in the constitution. But Taraba cannot and should not be used to experiment or test the law; hence political analysts are calling for the right things to be done and Suntai, or those holding forte in his continued absence, to come clean to let go, if the governor cannot continue in office in the nearest future. Today, Taraba may not be adrift, but certainly all is not well with the state. But certainly too, Taraba, willy-nilly, is becoming a test case of how to overcome the lacuna, and now that another round of constitutional amendment is ingoing is the best opportunity to fill the gap.

Who Is Truly In Charge In Taraba? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50

Suleiman

that would compel him to speak the truth regarding the state of the governor’s health on his return from Germany. Most of the lawyers approached in the state blamed the ambiguity of the country’s constitution for the near-impasse. “I think the major problem we are having is our constitution. It did not specify the number of days, months or year that a governor can stay out of office as a result of ill-health. “Some of us are fed up with what is going on, but as major stakeholders in the state, we are compelled to keep mute and continue to watch events as they gradually unfold. “But the time to talk would soon come. So, please kindly bear with some of us,” one of them.

The lawyer, who craved anonymity, added: “The whole thing would have been settled by now if the acting governor had yielded to suggestions to dissolve the cabinet, because with what we are seeing, the present cabinet will never agree that the governor can no longer function.” Citing section 189 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Mohammed Bello Mustapha, a lawyer and chieftain of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) in the state, observed that the present cabinet members lack the courage to act in this regard. Saddened by this development, he has instituted a legal action at the state High Court in Jalingo, asking the court to compel the relevant players in the saga to constitute a fiveman team to go and ascertain the true health of the governor, whom he alleged is suffering in “mind and

brain.” Mustapha is worried that both the executive and legislative members have “deliberately refused to tread the path of justice by adhering to their oaths of office.” The executive, he also observed, “are all Suntai loyalists and it will be difficult for them to act otherwise.” Wondering why the state’s Chief Judge has deliberately refused to assign the case to any Judge, Mustapha stated: “If Suntai is physically fit, let him come back to the state and work.” Moreover, the spate of insecurity in the state which has now compelled most residents to sleep with one eye open, he observed, was due to “lack of leadership in the state.” Mustapha advocated that the right thing should be done, stressing: “The state is more than an individual, and government has to continue.”

TheGuardian

52 | THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Politics ‘APC Is A Collection Of Frustrated Political Parties’ members. It is like saying those who sacked Chief Ishola Filani, the Asiwaju of them are guilty, therefore, you should pity them. Ikole-Ekiti in Ekiti State, a lawyer, question does not arise, because it is not former National Publicity Secretary aThe situation of sympathy for anybody; we are here for everybody in the party, whether you of the defunct Social Democratic sacked for good reasons or not, or Party (SDP), Director of Publicity for were installed in that position for good reasons or we are to bring everybody together. In the late Chief Moshood Abiola Hope not, going about our assignment, we would not ’93 presidential campaign organisa- discriminate against anybody. But when you want us to leave those who tion, as well as member of the were not sacked and concentrate on those national executive of the ruling who were sacked, that would be discrimination and we would be bias. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) What we want is for all members of PDP in one family. If there were quarrels, we would and the Special Adviser to the them. If there were issues arising, we national chairman of the party on settle would settle them and make all live as one Mobilisation and Contact, spoke to family without any discrimination. That is the only way we can have a level playMUYIWA ADEYEMI and GODWIN ing ground. Do you see PDP, in the nearest future, being as IJEDIOGOR moves by his committee close as next year, retaking any of the states it to pacify aggrieved members and lost to the other political parties? The states we lost in the Southwest were not retake the Southwest, just as he as a result of poor performance of the party. blamed bad leadership for its inabili- As a matter of fact, the only state where we not won the governorship election in ty of the party to win Lagos State. have the Southwest is Lagos. And the cause of that What have been the major challenges and issues you found since your appointment as Chairman of the Southwest Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? E really have not started work, so to speak. We were inaugurated two weeks ago and held our inaugural meeting on Wednesday last week, where we mapped out our plans and strategies, which we believe is necessary for us to take things stage-by-stage. We know there are problems in the Southwest, but the causes and other things, we have not yet ascertained. It is only in the states that we can know what exactly is happening, as there is where there are quarrels about primaries, positions, the state and local government executives, etc. We are aware that there are disunity and quarrels among party members, which we hope to properly identify and reconcile the parties involved. So, our first assignment is to identify the problems from the various agencies of the party across the states in the zone and resolve them. After them, we would sit down again and mapped out strategies to solve them through the right and necessary steps. Our first major challenge right now is to go into the states and find out what the problems are by holding meetings with the state chairmen of the party. How do intend to assure those who were sacked form their positions in the part and their supporters that you would be unbiased in carrying out these assignments? It is the court that sacked some people from the national executive of the party, not the party. I am not interested in reassuring an executive member sacked by the court that I am not going to be bias. In any case, I am not going to be bias. My assurance does not go to somebody who was sacked alone; it goes to everybody in the party. We have to be very careful, If a court sacks some members of an executive, there are reasons why there are sacked. We do not because of the pity or sympathy you have for them, make yourself part of them against the others. What we should do is ensure that everybody in the party is accommodated. We give all party members assurances of being unbiased, because you would be creating more problems when you shift all your attention to some people who were sacked and forget about the generality of the party

is ourselves, not because Alhaji Bola Tinubu is stronger than anybody. Our leadership in Lagos State has been and is the problem that we have. As for other states, we won in 2003, and repeated the feat in 2007. One by one, three states were taken away from us by the courts based on technicalities arising from the elections. Ondo, Ekiti and Osun were all taken through the court. In any case, we know that where there is a government in power, the government tries as much as possible to win all the elections. So, it is not surprising that in those states that were taken away from us, we lost the elections to the ruling parties. In the 2011 elections, because of internal wrangling in Ogun and Oyo states, we lost. In these states, one party each emerged from our party in these two states. Our aggrieved members in Ogun State went to Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), while those in Oyo went to Accord Party (AP). In these two states, if you add the votes garnered by PPN to PDP’s votes in Ogun and those of AP to PDP in Oyo states, you will see that we would have defeated the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Our problem in the Southwest is not that of lack of support, but that of division of support into the PPN in Ogun and AP in Oyo states. If we had not been divided, our support would not have been divided. What we want to do, therefore, is to ensure that our members that for any reason went to the extreme by forming some other parties are brought back. We all know that those they left in PDP to form another party are at a loss, and those of them that went to form another party are also at a loss. The two parties lost to ACN. Our membership in the Southwest has not diminished in any way; it has only been divided. We want to ensure that the issues that led to the division in Ogun and Oyo states are resolved and our members return to the fold. Our members who left didn’t join the ACN; rather they went to another party. There was nothing too fundamental in the disagreement order than who should be the party’s

Put together, APC has 10 governors, compared to PDP’s 23 governors, plus two other governors of parties, who, most likely, are going to align with us.

governorship candidates in the two states. It is instructive to note that no matter how aggrieved they were, they did not join the ACN. So, the CAN has not benefited, in terms of membership, from the internal wrangling in the PDP, apart from winning the elections as a result of the division in our fold. This shows their disdain for ACN, if not, they would have moved straight into ACN. It could have been worse for us if we had lost our members to them. That makes it easy for us to try to woo back those members that left as a result of disagreements. And as soon as we do that, you would see what would happen in 2015. As regards the other states, we lost through the courts through technicalities. The only place where there has been a test is Ondo State in the last governorship election, which was neither here nor there. It could have been worse for us if it were the ACN that won the election, because it is the enemy all of us are fighting. It would now be easier for us to retake Ondo in the next election than if ACN had won. In the case of Ekiti and Osun states, nothing has changed, apart from PDP losing the governorship position, as none of our serious members have decamped to the ruling ACN. In Ekiti and Osun states today, we are still more than ACN numerically. Do you think it would be easy to retake the Southwest, even with the merger of four (or three) political parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC)? What is the additional advantage of the APC? Where is the strength of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive change (CPC) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Southwest? Who are members of ANPP, CPC and APGA in the Southwest? APC is just a collection of frustrated political parties. Put together, there are 10 political parties, and among them they have 10 governors, compared to PDP’s 23 governors, plus two other governors of parties, who, most likely, are going to align with us. Like? Like the Labour Party (LP) and APGA, which is divided. Are you talking of Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo and Peter Obi of Anambra? Yes! Would the alignment mean their leaving their parties for PDP or their parties merging with PDP? I am not in a position now to tell you what or how the alignment is going to be. But if they had wanted to be part of APC, they would have gone. So, the reality of the matter is that they are not part of them (APC). Let us even assume that they are not going to be part of us, we are still the largest political party in Nigeria. We controlled the federal government and five out of the six states in the Southwest, until 2009 when the courts gave away three of the states to ACN. There has been no movement of membership from the PDP to ACN. Rather, the PDP split in some states. As far as the Southwest is concerned, PDP still has majority membership. That is why our committee is now in place, because it is the belief of the NWC, in obeying the court order, that perhaps the executive that was in place was finding it difficult to handle the situation in the Southwest. We want to treat every member as equal in their various capacities, so that we can have a common front to operate and win elections. All we need to do is rejuvinate, because our members are still there; we are still more numerically. Barring internal, wrangling, we would always defeat ACN or any alliance in the Southwest. The alliance has not added anything to the

Filani strength of ACN in the zone. It could have been another matter if it were ACN and PDP that came together to form a political party. ACN is the major party in the merger and we have a record of defeating ACN in the Southwest. Why has Lagos remained difficult for PDP to win? It is bad leadership! CONTINUED ON PAGE 53

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

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POLITICS Semiu Babatunde, a member of the caretaker committee recently inaugurated by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to oversee the affairs of the party in the Southwest and Assistant Secretary of the party in Ogun State, spoke to MUYIWA ADEYEMI on the challenges before the committee and efforts to reconcile warring factions within the party. HAT is your take on the decision of the party’s NWC to sack the Southwest executive and replacing it with the caretaker committee, of which you are a member? As you all know, the party in the Southwest has been embroiled in crisis for a long time. But the party at the national level just woke up to do the right thing by following the rule of law. There are two Federal High Court judgments that nullified the Southwest congress that produced the sacked executive, headed by Chief Segun Oni. The party members are happy with this decision, because there is no way there will be peace in the party if the rule of law is not obeyed. The strength of the PDP, being the largest party in Africa, is the character of our leaders to obey the rule of law and there is no reason for them not to do so in this matter, as it will send a wrong signals that they choose which judgment to obey. As a serious party, we must obey all court judgments in order to have peace in the party. That is why the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led national executive must be highly commended for their courage to stand on the side of justice. But many see the dissolution as the beginning of another crisis, as the crisis is seen to be deeper and beyond just sacking the zonal executive? If you say the crisis is so deep, but you must also agree that there must be reasons for the infighting among us and we must start from somewhere to find lasting solutions to our internal wrangling, the best way of which is to start is to obey court judgments. I want to tell you that since the party took this decision, all our members in the Southwest have been coming together to resolve their crisis. They are now willing, more than ever, to forget these cleavages and work together. We all know that 2015 is just around the corner and the time has come for us to put our house in order to chase these pretenders out of government. We have to admit that the decision to implement the court judgment was painful to some members, but the truth is that over 70 per cent of our party members are happy that at

‘PDP Did Not Set Us Against Obasanjo’ last justice is coming back to the party and are willing to work with the caretaker committee. The truth is that few people you have seen on the pages of newspaper condemning the decision of the NWC are doing so because the decision does not favour them; they wanted to continue thriving in illegality. Those people do not have the larger interest of the party at heart, but their selfish interest, even when it is obvious that that cannot take the party to anywhere. They have lost touch with the reality on the ground. They want to remain relevant and do not want the NWC to obey court orders. They preach rule of law and could not obey it. That certainly will not earn them any respect. If a proper congress was not held to produce an executive and a few people, because they thought they were bigger than the party, sat at one person’s sitting room and announced an executive for the whole of Southwest, that is not proper and it was not intended to be in the interest of the party and can never bring peace in the party. That is why we have to commend the NWC for doing the right thing. I Babatunde am sure Oni, as a good party man, wrong, because nobody can rubbish will not disagree with the party for by the NWC, is the authentic state Obasanjo; it is only God that gave him obeying two court judgments, but he executive. How would you react to the impres- that special grace and once he is still will rather continue to work for the sion that you are being used against alive, that grace will be there for him. progress and development of the Obasanjo to reduce his influence in Have committee members met PDP. Obasanjo? the Southwest? You know he has benefitted more Immediately after the caretaker comfrom the party than most of us, as That cannot be true! Am I not an mittee was inaugurated, our chairthis is the same party that provided Obasanjo man? I am the former the umbrella for him to become gov- chairman of Obasanjo group in Ado- man, Chief Ishola Filani and some leaders went to meet Obasanjo and ernor. Odo/Ota council and will never As the Assistant Secretary of Ogun allow myself to be used against him. they had fruitful discussions on how to move the party forward. State PDP, how would you react to In fact, I am too young to be used Filani took his time to explain to the impression that the party in the against him. Obasanjo that the Southwest execustate is daily moving into extinction? The truth is that those calling tive was dissolved because of court That is not true, because the party in themselves Obasanjo’s group are Ogun State is now at peace more telling lies; what they are after is to judgments and that nobody was against him, but the party had to obey than ever. use Obasanjo’s name to rise. two court judgments against the Recently, we were in Abuja for the All of us are Obasanjo’s children, Southwest reconciliatory meeting, from Prince Buruji Kashamu to the sacked executive. Besides, the whole members of the where one of our foremost leaders, newest person in the party. Our Senator Jubril Martins Kuye, who thinking is that Obasanjo is a father committee will soon visit some leaders and Obasanjo’s place will be the before the decision to dissolve the to all of us and nobody should use first place to pay our homage. executive said any decision by the his name negatively. The problem with the party in Ogun NWC, is okay by him and his people. That brand, Obasanjo, belongs to State could be traced to the winnersThe same thing for former governor all of us in Ogun State. It is a brand of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. you can use anywhere, so far you are take-all syndrome. Is there any move Five days after the verdict, they and a PDP member. You can never hear to harmonise the executive to accomtheir supporters embraced it and anybody from the PDP in Ogun State modate other groups for genuine reconciliation? have been working with us to bring abusing him at any forum. As I said, we are just in the process of all factions back into the main fold. At the victory rally held recently at Even former President Olusegun Ijebu-Igbo, Kashamu and Dayo pub- reconciliation and very soon, Dayo Obasanjo’s people are with us in find- licly acknowledged Obasanjo as our will set up a reconciliation committee at the local, senatorial and state levels ing lasting solution to our internal father and leader. to bring everybody back. crisis. I recently read somebody in an We are one big family, whether you They have all agreed that the interview misinterpreting what is Adebayo Dayo-led executive, as progoing on in the PDP as an attempt to are in one group or the other; we belong to the same PDP. We have nounced by the court and affirmed rubbish Obasanjo. That is very

learnt from the past experience that we cannot go to the polls with divided house, so the reconciliation will be total. We have decided to move as one to defeat the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). No more cleavages, we are all one and the party has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to open our secretariat in Abeokuta, which will be our meeting point. I can assure you, as a member of Southwest executive, that the party will not allow anybody to play politics of exclusion, because the NWC specifically charged us to ensure that we reconcile all. Obasanjo was recently quoted as saying that Governor Ibikunle Amosun is doing well. With that comment, what is the future of PDP in Ogun State? You should understand that Obasanjo belongs to everybody. Don’t forget that both of them are from Owu and Obasanjo is Balogun Owu, so you don’t expect him to criticise Amosun publicly, at least for now that politics has not started. But go to Ogun State and you will see reason why people say Amosun is running a government of demolition. Amosun is a failure, and that is obvious.

‘APC Is A Collection Of Frustrated Political Parties’ some of his supporters from the national executive of the party? Do you see that changing any time soon? This is a misconception of journalists, which Of course, it is going to change. they have now thought to be a reality. It is the Could also be due to wrong choice of candiperception of journalists. dates? I remember the headlines that greeted our Of course, bad leaders would always choose inauguration and I had to go to Obasanjo to bad candidates. We have effective, brilliant correct the impression or misconception. and purposeful leaders in Lagos State chapter There is no plan against Obasanjo; the NWC of the party, who can make this party work. only obeyed the order of the court that the conThe easiest place for PDP to win election in gress that gave birth to the Southwest executhe entire Southwest is Lagos State, because tive of the party was a nullity and the commitall the tribes in various parts of the country tee must go.Dilani live there. All we need to do is put all the char- When the NWC was hesitant to ask them to go, acters in one basket. the Plaintiffs returned to the court to charge Some people believe the constitution of your the NWC for contempt. So, the NWC decided to committee is a ploy to further weaken the obey the order of the court. influence of former President Olusegun It is unfortunate that this kind of situation Obasanjo in the zone, following the ouster of will affect some people positively, and others

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negatively. There is no way everybody would be affected equally, but the decision to constitute our committee was taken in the best interest of the party in the Southwest. What is really wrong in the party appealing the judgment? You will not teach the party what to do. Except you are now saying members of the NWC are not good enough to look at the papers and facts before them and take a decision. What were the major issues you discussed with Obasanjo when you met with him? That is between the two of us; I do not need to tell you what we discussed. But I can tell you that we had a very useful discussion on how to move the party. I am satisfied with the meeting.

Filani

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THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

POLITICS

Umeh

Obi

Bianca Ojukwu

APGA Factions Drag In Ojukwu’s Family By Samson Ezea HE ongoing crisis rocking the leadership of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which came to the open shortly after the burial of the chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT) and presidential candidate, the late Dim Chukwuemeka OdimegwuOjukwu, has now snowballed into a protracted crisis. This is following the recent judgment by an Enugu State High Court, delivered by the state Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezurike, dissolving the party National Working Committee (NWC) and barring Chief Victor Umeh from parading himself as the national chairman of the party. Obviously, the battle for the soul of what is remaining of the party ahead of 2015 is between the Umeh-led faction and the newly installed Chief Maxi Okwu faction, loyal to Anambra state Governor Peter Obi. Before the court’s removal of Umeh, he was Obi’s closest ally in the party, but their relationship fell like a pack of cards following their differences on how Obi’s successor should emerge on the party platform for next year’s governorship election in Anambra State. A prominent member of the ousted

NWC told The Guardian that while Obi wants to use the party’s platform to install his successor and work for President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term in the 2015 presidential election, Umeh is disposed of handing over the party ticket to an Anambra-born oil magnate from Anambra South zone who wants to contest the polls, and a Southeast governor eyeing the 2015 presidential election on its platform. Umeh’s plan, he stated, did not go down well with Obi and his supporters, especially his uncle and Special Adviser on Motor Parks and Markets, Chief Sylvester Nwobu-Alor. And that was the beginning of crisis of confidence between Obi and Umeh, with the former accused of being the brain behind the Umeh current travails, an allegation Umeh re-affirmed at a press conference in Abuja after his removal, and which Obi’s media aides and allies had denied. Since Obi’s camp, during in a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, chose Okwu, one-time deputy national chairman of the party (South), as interim national chairman, Umeh’s camp has not relented in the battle to regain control of the party structure. In a bid to outwit each other, both factions have drafted the already divided

By Emeka Ugwu-Oju T is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this very important occasion. The inauguration of the Planning Committee for the SE/SS Development Forum planned for this year is indeed a significant milestone in our effort to partner with all stakeholders in the two geo-political zones to facilitate development and economic growth in the two zones. As you will agree with me, this is the time to walk the talk; that is why the theme we chose for the Development Forum is, From Talk to Action. I am happy that we finally arrived at this point of inaugurating a Planning Committee for the Development Forum today. Indeed it has been a long journey for us since 2003, when we, as Professionals from the two zones started working on new thinking and new beliefs in the region. We came from a history of politics of mutual suspicion, ethnic hate, antagonism, envy and distrust among our people. We came from an unhealthy

Ugwuoju

Ojukwu family into the matter. While his wife, Bianca, who is Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, is on the side of the Obi faction, his son, Emeka (Jnr), has queued behind the Umeh group. From the onset of the current crisis, Bianca has been on the side of Obi and even supported the call by the stakeholders for Umeh to step down as national chairman for the party to be restructured. The position of Emeka, who once served as a commissioner in Obi’s government, was not clear until on last Wednesday when the Umeh faction, at the end of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, appointed him as a member of the BoT of the party. In his acceptance speech, Emeka said the appointment was for him to continue from where his father stopped, stating that his father before his death had absolute trust and confidence in Umeh’s leadership of the party. This development has taken many by surprise, considering that it is a clear signal that all is not well with the Ojukwu family, since his death and the crisis is taking a political dimension. Commenting on the development, Okwu said it is quite unfortunate for Umeh to be pitching Emeka against

his stepmother, all in a bid to regain control of the party leadership. He said: “What Umeh has done is a sacrilege in Igbo traditional society. How can he drag the late Ikemba’s family into party politics for selfish reason? Posterity will judge him for such action against Ikemba.’ The divergent positions of Bianca and Emeka are a continuation of their disagreement over the Ikemba’s Will, which was read early this year. A source within the family disclosed that the purported appointment of Emeka into the BoT was to spite Bianca. “Ojukwu (Jnr) and Bianca have not been having the best of relationship before Ikemba’s death, but the situation degenerated following Ikemba’s demise and reading of his Will, which some of the family members, including Ojukwu (Jnr), have faulted. “Just recently, Bianca’s children dragged their late father’s siblings to court over the ownership of their family properties in Lagos. “So, Ojukwu (Jnr) sudden identification with the Umeh faction is an extension of the crisis in the Ojukwu family into the crisis-ridden party,” the source said. It was gathered that some close associates of the late Ikemba were already

Walking The Talk On Growth past where we built flyovers to other regions where credible elections, good governance and a determined war against corruption. we merely played second fiddle or no fiddle at all while we neglected our immediate neighbours with It is not the intention of the SE/SS Professionals to supplant or compete with the governments of the whom we shared cultural bonds. Unfortunately, SE/SS zones in their primary responsibilities of some of our so-called leaders often boasted about sustaining such unequal partnership that weakened developing the region. After all, they are the ones who receive statutory allocations for that purpose. our stake in the nation and reduced us to mere Our effort is to look at the potentials and the comonlookers in the allocation of resources that came parative advantages of the zone, appraise what the from our zones at a great cost to our environment. And sad to say, some of those self-retarding tenden- Governors are doing or want to do and set out a cies still exist today. But we, as Professionals, trained road map for greater efficiency, relevance and costeffectiveness of programmes and projects for the and educated at enormous costs and boasting of region. Therefore, the Terms of Reference of the some of the best competences in the country, owe planning Committee will, among other things, the future generation a duty not to be prisoners of include the following, to: the poor politics of our forefathers. Happily, that generation has moved on. We also have Advise the SE/SS Executive Committee first and the to move on. It is our duty to use the past only as a les- general body later on appropriate Date, Venue for the Forum not later than 3 April 2013. son and a guide for the future, a future which we must salvage for our children. Events in the country Prepare an Integrated Projects-focused Joint in the past ten years have shown clearly that we are Development Plan (10 years minimum) for the right in advocating a paradigm shift from past poli- South East and South-South Zones that will be presented at the Forum for deliberation and adoption tics that kept our people apart to the advantage of our critical competitors. It is the manifest destiny of by the Stakeholders the SE/SS Professionals to be catalysts in driving this Identify and reach out to all stakeholders for their effective participation and ownership of the change. As I have often said, the SE/SS zones have the greatest Development Agenda; such stakeholders aspotentials for economic boom to create a sustainable -State Governments homeland for the citizens of that region. I also believe -State Houses of Assembly -Local Governments that the development of this country lies with the people of this country and what economic activities - Niger Delta Development Commission - Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs they engage in as individuals, states, zones and regions. We in SE/SS Professional have at various occa- - Presidential Amnesty Program sions stated our positions on the critical factors that -BRACED Commission can promote rapid development in various parts of -South Eastern Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC) the country. Those factors include uninterrupted -Ethnic Nationality Groups: Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ijaw power supply, State/Zonal Police, fiscal federalism,

Ojukwu Jnr making frantic efforts to reconcile the warring factions in his family and APGA to ensure that it does not get out of hand. But what remain to be seen is how such reconciliation would be possible and successful, considering that what is tearing the party apart is the political interest of the major stakeholders in the party ahead of next year’s governorship in Anambra and the 2015 general elections.

National Congress, Urhobo Patriotic Union,etc - Traditional Rulers -South East entrepreneurs -South-South entrepreneurs -South-South Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture -South East Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture -South-South Chapter of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN -South East Chapter of MAN -Professional groups, NMA, NBA, NSE, ASUU, NUT, etc -Youth Associations -Ex-militants iv. Identify Socio-cultural Political Enablers that will be critical success factors such as, - Reduction in cost of governance -Anti-corruption strategies -Value reorientation v. Organise a successful South East/South-South Development Forum in 2013 vi. Prepare a communiqué of the event and submit a full report of the event and a monthly status report thereafter to SE/SS Professionals Executive Committee vii. Any other area not covered in this ToR but necessary for the success of the Forum. Ladies and gentlemen, the centrality of the planned Forum is that all Stakeholders in the two zones pull in one direction, pool all positive ideas together and drive development in the two zones. Nobody will be dictated to. But let nobody assume all knowing stance that serves no useful purpose. We are all stakeholders in the fortunes of our two zones. The more the merrier. On that note Ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure of inaugurating the Planning Committee of the SE/SS Development Forum. May God guide your assignment and bless our efforts! Thank you.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

TRANSITION

John-Abba Ogbodo: Exit Of A Fiery Reporter By Oghogho Obayuwana FONDLY called him “John the great” Ihison account of his conquests despite being a Lilliput. John- Abba Ogbodo, until Thursday February 28, 2013, a newly promoted Assistant Political Editor of The Guardian, never allowed any mundane disadvantages to get in his way. Instead he fancied himself being an intimidator using his nimbleness and rather compact appearance to full effect. He was like a power-packed dynamite! I was one of the persons who believed in him quite early enough, even at the time when the usual band of self righteous journalists would rather jeer or try to shout him down at assignments simply because the chap wanted his fair share of those field advantages that most pen pushers do not talk about. They used to call him Today-Na Today because apart from being tempestuous, when he first broke into the journalism circle in Abuja around 1995, he used to work for an evening newspaper known as Today’s News Today (TNT). Thoughtless journalists (and there were quite many around then) preferred to keep him out of reckoning on account of his TNT platform, which they adjudged to be of the lower cadre. He did not work for a national newspaper then but he had guts. He was audacious, self confident, assertive and fearless. Although he was pint sized, physically, he was no push over. You see, when Ogbodo newly joined The Guardian in 1999 at a time when the Abuja Bureau (that once had only four of us) started expanding, one of our colleagues, Kate Ogbemudia, now Kate Da Costa used to call him “Man of Means” on account of his dress sense that seemed to announce to all “I now work with The Guardian and you could see he relished that. Besides Krees Imodibie who had worked in the

Abuja Bureau in the early days after an office had been set up by the indefatigable lady reporter Mrs. Eunice Onyegiri, Ogbodo was the only editorial staff of the Abuja Bureau known to have passed away on active duty. Imodibie, the quintessential political reporter who rose to become The Guardian’s Group Political Editor at the time, died on active duty while covering the war in Sierra Leone. In a sense, you can compare the prolific Ogbodo to grandmaster Imodibie. Imodibie even won The Guardian’s Publisher’s Price for his effective coverage of the then Constituent Assembly. Today, those who can remember the days gone by are still craving for an atavism of the Publisher’s Price and of course Ogbodo would have easily won that many times over. I was saying that I was one of those who believed in Ogbodo from the start. Yes I believed in him and I had my reasons. It happened that there was a religious assignment during the time I covered religious affairs as part of general beat reportage. Jerry Ghana, the erudite professor had been to a newly commissioned church somewhere around Apo, so much bush in the area then. There were also a couple of government functionaries as well. I was at another assignment and needed that story badly. After being disappointed by my “first team” crafters, I turned to Ogbodo. And as it turned out, his story was a masterpiece of sorts for a guy that wrote for a small evening paper. In those days the computer was still not part of the journalism show in Nigeria. We wrote by hand on those papers usually referred to as off cuts which were then faxed to the Head Office in Lagos. I could see that John’s cursive handwriting also conveyed good prose. I had other remarkable encounters with John. The late Ogbodo stood by his convic-

tions. He stood up to anyone he felt needed an upbraid. He could call off bluffs and he had loads of public spiritedness. Ace Guardian photographer, a wizard of the lens in his own right, Mr. Philip Ojisua recounted how Ogbodo once disarmed some armed robbers who had been carrying out a raid at Area 3, Garki, an area where Ogbodo had a home at a time. And many of his beat colleagues will easily tell you that Ogbodo was the perfect surprise package for anyone who wanted to go physical with him. Ogbodo happened to be the last person I spoke to in The Guardian office last Monday before heading off to Cote d’Ivoire for the ECOWAS heads of government summit. He was his usual lively self and joked, “My foreign editor, I hope you will “return” this time. That word “return” ordinarily disliked by me, is an euphemism known only to the Abuja bureau members. But alas, John did not return from the journey to Awka. This life self! I find his departure a bit rude and shattering. Clarified human spirits are usually not taken aback by the passing on of any human being no matter how shocking and no matter what circumstance, knowing that the earth is but a short station on the ever-moving wheel of creation. We should give thanks to the Almighty Father for the opportunity to experience life on earth. But as mortals we cannot but be shaken still. Moments such as has been brought about by Ogbodo’s departure should always be used for sober reflections and a genuine soul search and self assessment of how everyone of us is standing in creation and to live a better, nobler life conscious of the responsibility which we all bear before God. I will miss his banters and general good sense of humour. The great John, I wish you joyful activity and may the good Lord protect your family and be the rampart of your children. Adieu!

Ogbodo

…He Was An Analyst With Potent Verdicts By Uche Anichukwu Y brother, the Ogbodo One, it is M still difficult to come to terms with what has become a sad reality. How could death have overpowered the one and only Ogbodo One – the enigmatic and energetic Ogbodo? Yes, the Good Son of the Good Man. I have thought about it all and I could only conclude that death is a crafty thief. I still remember that bright Wednesday afternoon. Yourself, myself, Uchenna Awom, Obiora Ani, and Elder George Orji chatted and laughed so warmly as usual at the National Assembly Complex. You and I held hands as we made our way to the White House. We had hoped for a perfect trip as usual. I tried reaching you in the early hours of that dark Thursday, February 28, 2013 to know if you would like to join me and Egbon Ismail Omipidan in my car since I had decided to travel by road. By the time you returned the call at 9:53am, you told me you were already travelling in a chartered car along with Andrew Agbese, Uchenna Awom, and Taiwo Adisa. In fact you told me you were already heading towards Lokoja. You were in your lively and jovial best. Nothing, no premonitions whatsoever, that death was lurking somewhere by the road or that it was our very last conversation. Yet, that is just the reality that fate has thrust on my laps. Death is a crafty thief. If death were not a crafty rogue, why didn’t he challenge you to a wrestling bout? He would have discovered to his peril why you were Ogbodo the energetic. He would have known you were Ogbodo the courageous. Are you not the Ogbodo who dared fear, who looked the high and mighty in

the face and told them your mind, your conviction, your truth in writing? Your pen punch a lone would have been enough to floor death. Unfortunately, death came upon you like a thief he is. Again, if death were not a cowardly thief, why didn’t he tell us he was going to take you away? He would have discovered to his peril your monumental achievement that made you stand solid like the Rock of Gibraltar. He would have been amazed at your followership and the armies of friends, well wishers, colleagues, relations, associates, the high and mighty men of our society that would have resisted his untoward agendum. You wrote your name in gold as Correspondent at the House of Representatives for many years. You distinguished yourself as a Correspondent in the Senate. You endeared yourself to the Nigeria Police, which you also covered. At the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), you were an oracle. The National Assembly would have raised whatever legislative intervention to bring death down from his Olympian heights. Your friend and brother, the Deputy President of the Senate would have moved one of his powerful motions to commandeer death away from your track. The Senate Press Corps and your colleagues at The Guardian would have unleashed their pen-power. The Inspector General of Police would have emptied the whole police force into the battle arena to humiliate death and rescue you. If it were a money matter, the people would have fallen on themselves to send you to the best hospitals in the world. Yes, death knew all this, and he came stealthily to whisk you away even before help could come. Death is a thief. Nevertheless, you fought like a man.

At the scene of your death, where an era ended, you showed forth yourself a warrior. In my bouts of sorrow and torrents of tears, I was consoled by the fact that death did not go away without bullet wounds and deep cuts. Yes, two elephants fought. As we say in the South East, mberede nyiri dike, ma mberede ka-eji ama dike (even a warlord is helpless when taken unawares, but it is at such times that the real warrior in a warlord is best revealed). The levelled grass and the pulled trees told the story of the epic battle as you resisted the furry of death. Death knew full well, that like Caesar, you were more dangerous

Ogbodo

than he. Though you were two lions littered in one day, you were by far the elder and more terrible. Yes, you were no coward that would die many times before his death. No, you fought like a gallant soldier who would die but once, knowing that death would come when it would come. A villager showed us the spot you bled to death, and behold, your blood was golden and royal even at death. Death is thief. Dear Ogbodo One, my heart bleeds. O, great Ogbodo! Dost thou lie so low? Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils shrunk to this little measure? I wish I could re-

verse the hands of the clock. How do I say goodnight at dawn? How do we explain that grim and stack darkness has suddenly enveloped a bright morning sun? How are the mighty fallen and the instruments of warfare broken. Our talking drum has broken in the heat of battle and the flutist has lost his bearing. The stream has choked the toad and the fish is drowned in the river. Death has made war upon our house. And the coward came, not as a gallant soldier, but a marauding and crafty raider. Yes, death is a thief. However, the good news for us and bad news for Death is that you only transited and never died, and would never die. Yes, we are consoled by the fact that you were too good to die and your legacies too splendid and entrenched to be obliterated even by death. You were hard work personified. Your humility and simplicity were excellent. You were a journalist’s journalist, a political pundit, a fearless commentator, an analyst with potent verdicts. Yes, death came too late because you had already paid your dues in all respects. You were a consummate professional. You were friendly fellow, but friendship never beclouded your sense of judgment and conviction. You stood for what you believed in and you believed whatever you stood for. O Death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Death is a loser. As you rest in peace, be rest assured that in your death, as in your lifetime, you remain a dear brother, a friend, a confidant, and my ally. Good night- even at dawn. Fare thee well. •Anichukwu, Special Adviser (Media) to Deputy President of the Senate, writes from Abuja.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March, 9, 2013

Change of Name ABAZIE: Formerly Miss Abazie Precious Odannaya now Mrs. Precious Odannaya Osia. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ABDUL-RAHMAN: Formerly Abdul-Rahman Abimbola Rasheedat now Mrs. Ibraheem Abimbola Rasheedat. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ABIODUN: Formerly Adiodun Oladipupo Oluwafemi now Olubioye Lincoln David Oladipupo. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

Adedigba now Mrs. Akinlua Adenike Adedigba. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

Chidinma now Mrs. Onyebuchi Nancy Chidinma. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

ADEYANKINNU: I, formerly Miss Adeyankinnu Oluwabunmi Anuoluwapo now Mrs. Adeyankinnu-Adetunji Oluwabunmi Anuoluwapo. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

AKINMOKUN: Formerly Miss Gbemisola Tiwaloluwa Yvonne Owolabi now addressed as Mrs. Gbemisola Tiwaloluwa Yvonne Akinmokun. Former documents valid. Public note.

ADIELE: Formerly Adiele Uchechi Blessing now Mrs. Ibe Uchechi Blessing. Former documents valid. Public note.

ABOLURIN: Formerly Mr. Abegunrin Oluwasegun Elijah now Mr. Abolurin Elijah Oluwasegun. Former documents remain valid. WAEC, LASU, NYSC, USMN, public note.

ADUNOLA: Formerly Miss Abisola Abosede Adunola, now Mrs Abisola Abosede Omololu. Former documents remains valid. Public note.

ABUBAKAR: Formerly Miss Hadiza Aminu Abubakar now Mrs Hadiza Abubakar Majidadi. Former documents remain valid. Public note

AFOLABI: Formerly Miss Afolabi Yewande Halimah now Mrs. Sosina Yewande Afolabi. Former documents remain valid. Tasued, NYSC, public note.

ADAMU: Formerly Miss Lilian Mkusu Adamu now Mrs. Lilian Mkusu Adudu. Former documents valid. Public note.

AGBANA: Formerly Miss Agbana Oluwakemi Busayo Joy now Mrs. Adetoro Oluwakemi Busayo Joy. Documents valid. Public note. AGBARA: Formerly Miss Agbara Harrieth Agwaoma now Mrs Ukah Harrieth Agwaoma. former documents valid. Public note.

ADEDAPO: Formerly Adedapo Rasheedat Adejumoke now to be addressed as Lawal Rashidat Adejumoke. All former documents remain valid. Public note. ADEGOKE: Formerly Miss Adegoke Bosede Adeola, now Mrs Matthew Bosede Adeola. Former documents remains valid. Public note. ADEKUNLE: Former Miss O l u w a t o y i n Omobolanle Adekunle now Oluwatoyin Omobolanle Olanipekun. Former documents remain valid. Oyo State Loc Govt. Service Commission, Access Bank & Stanbic Bank take note. ADEKUNLE: Formerly Adekunle Stella Oluremi now Mrs. Adeyemi Stella Oluremi. Documents valid. Public note. ADEOTI: I, formerly known as Folake Dorcas Adeoti now wish to be addressed as Folake Dorcas Okunola due to marriage. All former documents remain valid. Public note.

AGBAZUE: Formerly Miss Amaka Valentina Agbazue now Mrs. Amaka Valentina Oli. Former documents valid. NYSC, public note. AGU: Formerly Miss Eucharia Agu now Mrs. Eucharia Okoye. Former documents remain valid. Public note. AGUGUAM: Formerly Miss Aguguam Amarachi Obiaku now Mrs. Idu Amarachi Obiaku. Former documents remain valid. Public note. AHIPUE: Formerly Miss Onyeka Rufina Amanda Ahipue now Mrs. Onyeka Esther Nwachukwu. Documents valid. Public note. AILERU: Formerly Aileru Oluwabunmi Adeyinka now Mrs. Adewunmi Oluwabunmi Adeyinka. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

ADEUSI: Formerly Adeusi Oluwafunmilola Christiana now Mrs. Asaolu Oluwafunmilola Christiana. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

AJE: I, formerly Miss Aje Bushirat Opeyemi now wish to be known as Mrs. Ishola Bushirat Opeyemi. All former documents remain valid. Public note.

ADEWUMI: Formerly Miss Adewumi Adenike

AJUZIEOGU: Formerly Miss Ajuzieogu Nancy

AKINOLA: Formerly Miss Akinola Oludayo Florence, now Mrs Olanrewaju Florence Oludayo. Former documents remains valid. Public note. AKINSATIMI: Formerly Miss Maryan Oluwatosin Akinsatimi now addressed as Mrs. Maryam Oluwatosin Ogatimiri. Former documents valid. Public note. AKINTAYO: Formerly Miss Akintayo Titilayo now Mrs. Christiana Titilayo Jaiyeola. Former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

AMUTA: Formerly Miss Oluchi Victoria Amuta now Mrs. Oluchi Victoria A. Robinson. Former documents valid. Public note.

AZEEZ: Formerly Azeez Risikat Olaide now Mrs. Olabisi Risikat Olaide. All former documents remain valid. Public note.

ANIMASHAUN: Former Miss Victoria Bukola Animashaun now Mrs. Victoria Bukola Akinpelu. All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and public take note.

AZUBIKE: Formerly Miss Charity Nwanyi S. Azubike now addressed as Mrs. Charity Nwanyi S. Azubike-Akinyemi. Former documents valid. F.C.E. Kano, Unijos, public note.

ANISI: Formerly Anisi Nwanneka Francisca now Mrs. Udoji Nwanneka Francisca. Former documents valid. NYSC, public note. ANJORIN: Formerly Anjorin Shukurat Olufunke (Miss) now Mrs. Lawrence Shukurat Olufunke. All former documents remain valid. General public note. APENA: Formerly Miss Ramota Oluwakemi Apena now Mrs. Ramota Oluwakemi Adeyemi. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

AKPAN: Formerly Miss Margaret Edem Akpan now addressed as Mrs. Margaret Emmanuel Peter. Former documents valid. Public note.

ASHOROBI: Former Miss Ashorobi Mariam Ibitola now Mrs Oladapo Mariam Ibitola. Former documents remain valid. Public note

AKPOIGHELE: Formerly Ms. Zion Annabel Akpoighele now Mrs. Zino Richmond Godfery. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

ATUANYA: I, former known and addressed as Miss Stella Ogechukwu Atuanya now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Stella Ogechukwu Chibuike-Ezike. All former documents remain valid. SystemSpecs Limited and the general public, take note.

AKPUGO: Formerly Miss Akpugo Queen Ifunanya now Mrs. Onwukwe Queen Ifunanya. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ALADE: Former Miss Jadesola Olubunmi Alade now Jadesola Olubunmi Adedipe. Former documents remain valid. Public take note.

AWOBIYI: Formerly Miss Awobiyi Omotolani Deborah now wish to be known as Mrs. Bamgbade Omotolani Deborah. Former documents remain valid. NYSC, public note.

AMADI ORWU: Formerly Miss Martha Amadi Orwu, now Mrs Martha Vincent Adukwu. Former documents remains valid. Public note.

AYANDOKUN: Formerly Miss Ayandokun Titoluwani Ayannike now Mrs. Makinde Titoluwani Ayannike. Documents valid. Public note.

AMADIFE: Formerly Miss Amadife Jacinta Ifeoma now Mrs. Ngene Jacinta Ifeoma. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

AYODELE: I, Ayodele Funmilayo Ayotomiwa now wish to be known as Eteure Funmilayo Ayotomiwa. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

AMOO: Formerly Miss Titilope Deborah Amoo now Mrs. Titilope Deborah Adesiyan. Former documents remain valid. Public note. AMUSA: Formerly Miss Amusa Abiodun Odunola Memunat now Mrs Ajayi Abiodun Odunola. Former documents remain valid. General public note.

AYOGHU: I, former Miss Ayoghu Ngozi Linda now addressed as Mrs. Odekoya Ngozi Linda. All former documents remain valid. AYOOLA: Formerly Miss Mopelola Wuraola Ayoola now Mrs. Mopelola Wuraola Adeyeye. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

BAKARE: Formerly Miss Bakare Iyabo Taofikat now Mrs. Bakare â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bello Folake Taofikat. Former documents valid. Public note. BALOGUN: Formerly Miss Balogun Adijat Kuburat now Mrs. OlaBakare Adijat Kuburat. Former documents valid. Public note. BALOGUN: Formerly Miss Balogun Rashidat Owonire now Mrs. Waheed Rashidat Owonire. Former documents remain valid. LASU, public note. BASHIRU: I, formerly Miss Bashiru Taiwo Aminat now Mrs. Keshinro Aminat Taiwo. Former documents remain valid. Public note. BERIDA: Formerly Berida Bonori Biodun now to be addressed as Mrs. Aluko Bonori Biodun. Former documents remain valid. Public note. BIALOSE: Former Miss Linda Nwanneamaka Bialose now Mrs. Nwanneamaka Favour Obasohan. Former documents remain valid. FRSC, public note. BUSAYO: Formerly Busayo Iranlade Olaoye now Mrs. Busayo Iranlade Olaoye Adekeye. Documents valid. Public note. CHUKWUELOKA: Formerly Miss Chukwueloka Uzoma Charity now Mrs. Okoye Uzoma Charity. Former documents remain valid. NMCN, ANSUTH, public note. COKER: Formerly Miss Coker Abiola Adunni now Mrs. Odedoyin Abiola Adunni. Former documents remain valid. Public note. COKER: Formerly Miss Adetoun Folarin Coker now Mrs. Adetoun Folarin Ogundu. Former documents remain valid. General public note. CONFIRMATION OF NAME: MUSA: Musa Oshiofa Kadiri is the same person as Moses Oshiofa

Kadiri. Former documents remain valid. Public note. DAVIES: Formerly Miss Davies Adekemi Oluwafisayo, now Mrs Shotunde Adekemi. Former documents remains valid. Public note. DIWO: Former Miss Rita Nkonye Okolocha, now Mrs Rita Nkonye Okushi. All former document remains valid. Public take note. EBEAGU: Formerly Mrs. Ebeagu Calista Ngozi now Mrs. Odoh Calista Ngozi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EDAOGBOGUN: I, formerly Miss Blessing Edaogbogun now Mrs. Blessing Okwuofu. All former documents remain valid. General public note. EFUE: Formerly Miss Oghale-Oghene Barbara Efue now Mrs. Oghale-Oghene Barbara Oviawe. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EGWUTUOHA: Formerly Miss Egwutuoha GladysÂ Onyinyechi now Mrs. Onyebuchi Gladys Onyinyechi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EGWU: Formerly Egwu Augustina (Miss) now Mrs. Akinlehin Augustina. All former documents remain valid. General public note. EJIOFOR: Formerly Mr. Gilbert Osy Ejiofor now Mr. Gilbert Osy Chigbo. Former documents remain valid. Imigration Service and public note. EKEKE: Formerly Miss Ekeke Adline Chituru now Mrs. Onyekwere Adline Chituru. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EKENGBA: Formerly Miss Grace Atinuke Ekengba, now Mrs Grace Atinuke Dairo. Former documents remains valid. public note. EKIETI: Former Miss Ekieti Okon Abia now Mrs. Ekieti Abia Akhenemhen. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EKPUNOBI: Formerly Ekpunobi Anthonia Tochi now Mrs. Anunobi Anthonia Tochi. All documents remain valid. Obafemi Awolowo University, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Public note.

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March, 9, 2013

Change of Name ELILA: Formerly Miss Generous Orevaoghene Elila now Mrs. Generous Orevaoghene Wiltshire. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ELEBO: Formerly Miss Elebo Ujunwa Calista now Mrs. Chima Ujunwa Calista. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ELOM: Formerly Miss Elom Esther Amarachi now Miss Akolam Esther Amarachi. Former documents remain valid. IMT, public note. EMENI: I, formerly known and addressed as Emeni Adaobi Mary now wish to called Somorin Adaobi Mary, due to marriage. This is for the purpose of all document change

ENWERE: Formerly Miss Enwere Christiana Kasarachi now Mrs. Ukaegbu Christiana Kasarachi. Former documents remain valid. Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas Ltd, Nursing Council and public note. ERINLE: Former Erinle Adeniyi Lawrence now Adeniyi Lawrence. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EWEJE: Formerly Miss Eweje Folashade Ajoke now Mrs. Kafaru Folashade Ajoke. Former documents valid. Public note. EZEAMAKA: Formerly Miss Ezeamaka Anastacia Chinenyenwa now Mrs. Udensi Anastacia Chinenyenwa. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EZEBUIRO: Formerly Miss Ezebuiro Lilian Kelechi now Mrs. Isangedighi Lilian Kelechi. All documents remain valid. Public note. EZE: I formerly known and addressed as Miss Eze Blessing Ukamaka now Mrs. Eze Blessing Ukamaka. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EZE: Formerly Miss Eze Rapheal Rosemary now Mrs. Aroh Rosemary Nneka. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EZEANYAGU: Formerly Miss Ezeanyagu Chinonyelum Pauline now Mrs. Iwegbulam Chimaobi Chinonyelu Pauline. Former documents remain valid. Public note. EZEGBULAM: Formerly Miss Ezegbulam Patience Ehisianya now Mrs. Okeke Patience Ehisianya. Former docu-

ments remain valid. Public note. EZEKWERE: Formerly Miss Nneka Ogochukwu Ezekwere now Mrs Nneka Ogochukwu Onyema. All former documents remain valid. Fed. Poly. Nekede ANSU, EcoBank, public note. FAGBENRO: Formerly Fagbenro Sakirat Aina now Mrs. Osidipe Sakirat Oluwakemi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. GBADEGESIN: Formerly Miss Lateefat Opeyemi Gbadegesin now Mrs. Lateefat Opeyemi Olasoji. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IBE: I, formerly Miss Ibe Theresa Aturuchi now known as Mrs. Ikpe Theresa Aturuchi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note. IDJAI: Formerly Miss Victoria Awesiri Idjai now Mrs. Victoria Awesiri Otome-Utele. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IDOWU-AGIDA: Formerly Miss IdowuAgida Morayo Magret now Mrs. Ojagbuwa Morayo Magret. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IGAGO: Formerly Igago Theresa Obelu now Oluleye Theresa Obelu. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IGUNNU: Formerly Justina Tolu Igunnu now Justina Tolu Atomori. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IGWE: Formerly Miss Adaobi Christabel Igwe now Mrs. Adaobi Christabel Okerekeocha. Former documents remain valid. Public note. IKEKE: Formerly Miss Ikeke Benedicta Isoghenaoke now Mrs. Nwaigwe Benedicta I s o g h e n a o k e Onyinyechim. Former documents valid. Globacom, LASPOTECH, general public note. IKOYI: Formerly Ameh Emmanuel Ikoyi now wish to be known as Audu Emmanuel Ameh. Former documents remain valid. General public note. IKWUKA: Formerly Miss Precious Ikwuka now Mrs. Precious Ikenna. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ILORI: I, formerly known as Ilori Florence

Temidayo Ifesoluwa now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ganiyu Florence Temidayo Ifesoluwa. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note. IMOTOH: Formerly Imotoh Rashidat Oyosomi now Mrs. Rashidat Oyosomi Mustafa. Former documents remain valid. Public note. INNOCENT: Formerly Miss Innocent Jean Kelechi now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Obasi Jean Kelechi. Former documents remain valid. General public note. INYANG: I formerly known as Eno Emmanuel Inyang, now wish to be known as Mrs Imiegha Gift Eno. Former documents remain valid. General public and College of Education Warri take note. IYIOLA: Former Miss Aderonke Olawumi Iyiola now Mrs. Aderonke Olawumi MartinsOdunjo. All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and public take note. ITANOLA: Formerly Abraham Dolapo Itanola now Abraham Kati. Former documents remain valid. Public note. JEGEDE: Formerly Miss Jegede Oluwatoyin Temitope now Mrs. Badmos Halimat Oluwatoyin. Former documents valid. Lagos State Polytechnic, public note. JEJE: Former Miss Jeje Mojisola Helen now to be addressed as Mrs. Ijaola Mojisola Helen. Former documents remain valid. General public note. JEMERIGBE: Formerly Miss Jemerigbe Rosetta Enabayine now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Omogbemeh Rosetta Enabayine. Former documents remain valid. General public note. JIMOH: Formerly Jimoh Kazeem now Jimoh Ishola Oluwagbeminiyi Bamidele. Former documents valid. Public note. JINADU: Formerly Jinadu Margaret Olatunbosun now Jinadu Muyibatu Olatunbosun. Former documents valid. Public note. JUMBO: Formerly Jumbo David now Ibeh David Nkeonye. Former documents valid. Public

note. KANIMODO: Formerly Kanimodo Olubusola Tolani now Mrs. Ayorinde Olubusola Tolani. Former documents remain valid. Public and Eco Bank take note KAREEM: Formerly Miss Kareem Monsurat Ololade now Mrs. Akindele Monsurat Ololade. Former documents valid. Public note. KINGSLEY: Formerly Miss Immaculata Kingsley now Mrs Immaculata Anieto. Former documents remain valid. Public take note. MBAH: Formerly known as Miss Mbah Benedicta Uchenna now Mrs. Nwagwu Benedicta Uchenna. All documents remain valid. General public note. MADU: Formerly Miss Madu Jacinta Chinwe now Mrs. Omonijo Jacinta Chinwe. Former documents valid. Public note. MADUBUIKE: Formerly Miss Madubuike Ifeoma Christiana now Mrs. Anyanechi Ifeoma Christiana. Former documents remain valid. Public note. MADUEKE: Formerly Miss Madueke Charity Ngozi now Mrs. Chukwudi-Mbah Charity Ngozi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. MATHAIS: Formerly Mathais Achile Adanyi now Martins Achile Adanyi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. MBANEFO: Formerly Mbanefo Adaobi Nwanneka now Mrs. Nnuekwe Adaobi Nwanneka. Former documents remain valid. Public note. MESSAVUSSU: Former Miss Messavussu Adole Caroline now Mrs. Niemi Adole Caroline. All former documents remain valid. Public note. MOHAMMED: Formerly Miss Mohammed Aishat Florence Franca & Mrs. Yusuf-Aishat Franca now Mrs. Yusuf Yakubu Aishat. Documents valid. Public note. MUJIDAT: Formerly Mujidat Ikharo now Mrs. Adamu Mujidat. Former documents remain valid. Public note. MUSA: Formerly Miss Musa Oluwayomi Simbiat now Mrs. Ojo Oluwayomi Praise. All documents remain valid. General public note.

NDUKA: I, Formerly Chioma Pamela Nduka now wish to be known and addressed as Chioma Pamela Nwaete. All documents remain valid. NDUBUISI: I, Ndubuisi Abbot Ifeanyi is the same person as Caxton Ifeanyi Benson. Documents bearing either name remain valid. Public note. NDUKWE: I, formerly Ndukwe Yvonne Uzoma wish to be known as Sam-Asiegbu Yvonne Uzoma. All former documents remains valid. General public take note. NGWU: Formerly known as Beatrice Mayowa Ngwu now to be known as Mrs. Beatrice Mayowa Onyekachi. Former documents remain valid. Nursing & Midwifery Council of Nig & public note. NJOKU: Formerly Chief Paul Amaraghara Njoku now Chief Paul Amaraghara Isaac. Former documents valid. Public take note. NLEDOMANYA: I, formerly Miss Nledomanya Kelechi Gloria now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nwoke Kelechi Gloria. Former documents remain valid. Public note. NORBERT: Formerly Mrs. Norbert Christy Ngozi now Miss Orjiako Christy Ngozi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. NURUDEEN: Formerly Nurudeen Omolaja Abdoukarim now Mr. Badmos Abdoukarim Opeyemi Omolaja. Former documents valid. Nigeria Institute of Building, public note. NWANKWO: Formerly Miss Nwankwo Favour Ngozi now Mrs. Obasi Ngozi. Former documents remain valid. NYSC, public note. NWANKWO: Formerly Miss Nwankwo Ngozi Favour now Mrs. Ekedigwe Ngozi Favour. Former documents remain valid. Public note. NWANKWO: Formerly Miss Nwankwo Nneka Helen now Mrs. Oraezue Nneka Helen. Former documents remain valid. Public note. NWAOKAFOR: Formerly Miss Jovita Nzube Nwaokafor now Mrs. Jovita Nzube Ezeorji. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. NZELI: Formerly Miss Nzeli Angela Oluchukwu now addressed as Mrs. Olisah Angela

Oluchukwu. Former documents valid. UNN, NYSC, public note. OBI: Formerly Miss Obi Nkiruka Perpetua now Mrs Tochukwu Enudiegwu Nkiruka Perpetua. former documents remain valid. public note. OBIEFUNA: Formerly Miss Obiefuna Precious Onyinye now Mrs. Okafor Precious Onyinke. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OBIJIAKU: I, former Miss Obijiaku Josephine Uchenna now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Amanambu Josphine Uchenna. Former documents remain valid. General public please take note. OBINYAN: Formerly Miss Francisca Eiterebhe Obinyan now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Francisca Eiterebhe Obinyan-Abdul. Former documents remain valid. UBTH and Public note. ODIMEGWU: Formerly Miss Odimegwu Lynda Favour Chinyere now Mrs. Nwaoduh Lynda Favour Chinyere. Former documents remain valid. Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) PG School, Enugu and general public take note. ODUNIYI: Formally Miss Oduniyi Ayobukola Islamiat now Mrs. Kolawole Ayobukola Islamiat. Former documents remain valid, public note. ODUNSI: Formerly Miss Odunsi Adepeju Motunrayo now Mrs. Adebowale Adepeju Motunrayo. Documents valid. Public note. ODUNUKAN: Formerly Miss Doris Abidemi Odunukan now Mrs. Doris Abidemi Omonije. Former documents remain valid. General public note. ODUALI: Formerly Miss Awheleve George Oduali now Mrs. Awheleve Nkeomakolam Ekwem. Former documents remain valid. Public note. ODUYEMI: Formerly Miss Olayide Oduyemi now Mrs. Idowu Olayide. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGBOKE: Formerly Miss Obianuju Nnenna Constance Ogboke now Mrs Obianuju Nnenna Constance Uzoma. Former documents remain

THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March, 9, 2013

Change of Name valid. Public take note. OGIANYO Formerly Miss Ogianyo Priscillia Ojor now Mrs. Esede Priscillia Ojor. All former documents remain valid. public & Institution take note. OGUNBONA: I, formerly Miss Ogunbona Oluwadara Oluseun now to be known as Mrs. Mould Oluwadara Oluseun. General public note. OGBUENYE: Formerly Miss Ogbuenye Chinemerem Grace now Mrs. Ote-Mark Chinemerem Grace. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNGBADE: Formerly Ogungbade Temitayo Ebenezer now Olamide Temitayo Ebenezer. Documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNGBUYI: Formerly Ogunbuyi Oluwakorede Ayodeji now Adebayo Oluwakorede Ayodeji. Former documents valid. Public note. OGUNLEYE: Formerly Ogunleye Remi Micheal now Oluleye Remi Micheal. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNNEYE: Formerly Ogunenye Taiwo Fatima now Mrs. Owolabi Taiwo Fatima. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNNIYI: formerly Damilola Rebecca Ogunniyi now Damilola Rebecca Atewologun. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNSEITAN: Formerly Ogunseitan Akintunde Micheal now Oluseitan Akinbodunde Olaniran. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OGUNSINA: I, formerly called Miss Mojisola Eniola Ogunsina now known as Mrs. Mojisola Eniola Oloko. Former documents valid. First Bank Plc, public note. OGUNTADE: Formerly Oguntade Hannah Funke now Mrs. Osoba Abiola Hannah Funke. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OHIGBOCHIE: Formerly Ohigbochie Mabel Akhere born 01/01/1993 now Mrs. Klasek Mabel Akhere. Former documents remain valid Public note.

Rachael Oluwaseyi Ojumu now Mrs. Rachael Oluwaseyi Adeyemi. Former documents remain valid. Public take note.

Miss Tolulope Ifeayinwa Olaegbe now known as Mrs. Tolulope Ifeayinwa Abikoye. Former documents remain valid. General public note.

OKAFOR: Formerly Miss Judith Chinenye Okafor now Mrs. Judith Chinenye Uzodigwe. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

OLAKOLEGAN: Formerly Olakolegan Simisola Omosola now Ajayi Simisola Omosola. Former documents remain valid. Zenith Bank, public note.

OKEHIE: Formerly Miss Okehie Victoria Chinoso now Mrs Enupkosi Victoria Chinoso. Former documents valid. NYSC, public note. OKEKE: Formerly Miss Adegbesan Adeola Oluwafunmilayo now Mrs. Okeke Adeola Oluwafunmilayo. Former documents valid. Public note. OKENE: Formerly Miss Okene Adama Ikpi now Mrs. Adama Victor Osam. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OKOJEVOH : I, former Miss Anita Akpojotor Okojevoh. now wish to be known as Mrs. Akingbade Anita Akpojotor. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. OKONKWO: Formerly Miss Okonkwo Amarachukwu Obianuju now Mrs. Igbokwe Amarachukwu obianuju. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OKORO: Formerly Okoro Ijeuwa Blessing now Mrs. Abah Ijeuwa Blessing. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OKOSUN: Formerly Okosun Oseyi Marian now Mrs. Samuel Oseyi Marian. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OKWULEHIE: Formerly Miss Okwulehie Rophina Ocheze now Mrs. Oleka Rophina Ocheze. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OKOYE: Formerly Miss Okoye Chizoba Christy now Mrs. Azuamairo Chizoba Christy. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OLADAPO: Formerly Miss Abisola Olaitan Oladapo now Mrs. Abisola Olaitan Odutola. Former documents valid. Public note.

OJO: Formerly Ojo Bolanle Mary now Ramon Bolanle Mary. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

OLADIPO: Formerly Miss Oladipo Beatrice Abosede now Mrs. Abioye Beatrice Abosede. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

OJUMU: Former Miss

OLAEGBE: I, formerly

OLAKUNLE: Formerly Onitiju Olakunle now Onitiju Ebenezer Ajewole. Former documents valid. Public note. OLALEYE: Formerly Mrs. Folake Morenike Olaleye now Mrs. Folake Morenike Tafita. All former documents remain valid. University of Ibadan, general public note. OLANIYAN: Formerly Miss Gbemisola Omolayo Olaniyan now wish to be known as Mrs. Ororowan Gbemisola Ruth. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OLETU: I, formerly Miss Oletu Edith Ufuoma now Mrs. Ijuwa Edith Ufuoma. All former documents remain valid. LPPFA, GGPM, public take note. OLIBOKU: I formerly known as Miss Victoria Eloho Oliboku now wish to be addressed as Mrs. Victoria Eloho Isichei. Former documents remain valid. General public take note. OLOFINLADE: I, formerly Miss Olufunke Oyewunmi Olofinlade now Mrs Olufunke Oyewunmi Josiah. All former documents remain valid. Public note. OLOFINLADE: I, formerly Miss Olufunbi Opemipo Olofinlade now Mrs. Olufunbi Opemipo Olowojesiku. All former documents remain valid. Public note. OLUMHENSE: I, formerly Miss Olumhense Oyemhen Omobolanle now wish to be known addressed as Mrs. Adeagbo Oyemhen Omobolanle. Former documents remain valid. LASU and the public note. OLUWASEYI: Formerly Sulaimon Mosunmola Oluwaseyi now Mrs. Jibunoh Anuoluwapo Mosunmola. Former documents valid. Public note. OMITIRAN: Formerly known as Miss Adebusola Oluwaseun Omitiran now known as Mrs. Adebusola Oluwaseun Olorunsegun Larayetan. All former documents

remain valid. General public note. OMOLU: Former Miss Chioma Mary Omolu now Mrs. Chioma Mary Okpako. All former documents remain valid. Public note. ONAFUYE: Formerly Miss Onafuye Olufunke Temitayo now Mrs. Falola Olufunke Temitayo. Former documents remain valid. NYSC, public note. ONAKOYA: Former Miss Adejoke Rachael Onakoya now Mrs. Adejoke Rachael Olomolatan. Former documents remain valid. Public take note. ONYEKELU: Formerly Miss Onyekelu Edith Chibuzo now Mrs. Azih Edith Chibuzo. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OPADERE: Formerly Opadere Tunmise Temitayo now Moradeyo Tunmise Temitayo. Former documents valid. Public note. OPEIFA: Former Miss Opeifa Adeola Flora now Mrs. Enang-Opeifa Adeola Flora. Former documents remain valid. General public note. ORAKWUTE: Formerly Miss Orakwute Blessing Adaobi now Mrs. Chukwunonso Blessing Adaobi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OREKOYA: Formerly Miss Orekoya Oluwunmi Oluyombo now Mrs. Onayemi Oluwunmi Oluyombo. All former documents remain valid. General public note. ORESANYA: Formerly Miss Oresanya Temitope Yemisi now Mrs. Musa Temitope Yemisi. Former documents remain valid. Public note. OSHO: Formerly Miss Osho Omolola now Mrs. Adeyeye Omolola Funmilola. All former documents remain valid. Lagos State Ministry of Education and general public note. OSUNSAN: Former Miss Mosimisolaoluwa Olorunfunmi Osunsan now Mrs. Mosimisolaoluwa Olorunfunmi Akinseye. Former documents remain valid. Public note.

ing & Midwifery Council of Nigeria, FUNAAB, pub- TAIWO: Former Miss lic note. Taiwo Iyabo Helen now Mrs. Olalere Iyabo Helen. RAHEEM: Formerly Ra- Fed. Poly Ado-Ekiti, Skye heem Temitope Rafiat Bank Plc, Pension Alnow Taiwo Temitope liance and public take Rafiat. Former docu- note. ments remain valid. NYSC, public note. UBOCHI: Formerly Miss Ubochi Florence ROBERT: Formerly Robert Otuoma now addressed Mfon Atti now Samuel as Mrs. Uzor Florence Saviour Uwanna. Docu- Otuoma. Former documents valid. Public note.] ments remain valid. NYSC, public note. SADIQ: Former Miss Sadiq Oluwadara Mariam now UCHE: Formerly Miss Mrs. Awojide Oluwadara Uche Oluchi Comfort Mariam. Former docu- now Mrs. Nwahiri ments remain valid. Gen- Oluchi Comfort. former eral public note. documents remain valid. Public take note. SALIYO: Formerly Miss Saliyo Mavis Mamezi now UDEAGBARA: Formerly Mrs. Faka Mavis Mamezi. Miss Udeagbara OnuFormer documents re- abuchi Charity now Mrs. main valid. Public note. Uche Onuabuchi Charity. Former documents SAM-ASIEGBU: I, formerly remain valid. Public Ndukwe Yvonne Uzoma note. now to be known as SamAsiegbu Yvonne Uzoma. UDEH: Formerly Udeh All former documents re- Nkiruka Rita now Onwo main valid. General pub- Nkiruka Rita. Former lic take note. documents remain valid. Public note. SANNI: Formerly Miss Rukayat Ayanlola Sanni UDEOJI: Formerly Miss now Mrs. Rukayat Ayan- Udeoji Ezinwa lola Sanni-Adeniyi. For- Ebubechukwu now Mrs. mer documents remain Mbah Ezinwa valid. Public note. Ebubechukwu. Former documents remain SOBA: Formerly Miss Soba valid. Public note. Anurika Ukamaka now Mrs. Nwankwo Obiora UDEORJI: Former Miss Anurika Ukamaka. For- Udeorji Augusta Ujunwa mer documents valid. now Mrs. Nwakulite AuPublic note. gusta Ujunwa. All former documents remain SODEINDE: Formerly Miss valid. NYSC/public note. Sodeinde Dorcas Olayinka now Mrs. UGWUADU: Formerly Ojerinde Dorcas Miss Ugwuadu Maureen Olayinka. Documents Oluchi now Mrs. Michael valid. Public note. Maureen Oluchi. Former documents valid public SOLOMON: Formerly note. Miss Ima-Obong Solomon now Mrs. Ima- UGWU: Formerly Miss Obong Agha. Former doc- Eucharia Chizoba Ugwu uments remain valid. now Mrs. Ukemenam Public take note. Eucharia Chizoba. Former documents valid. SOROH: Formerly Miss NYSC, public note.. Ebikela Seikorogha Soroh now Mrs. Ebikela Seiko- UGWU: I formerly rogha Oladipo. Docu- known as Ugwu Cletus ments valid. Public note. now Okegbe Cletus. Former documents remain SORONNADI: Formerly valid. Public take note. Miss Soronnadi Olivia Amarachi now Mrs. Nwaukwa Olivia Amarachi. Former documents IF FOR remain valid. Public note. THE SOTONWA: Formerly Sotonwa Temitayo TiwaPURPOSE lope now Ososanwo Temitayo Tiwalope. ForOF mer documents remain valid. Public note. THIS

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THE GUARDIAN, Saturday, March 9, 2013

TRANSITION

Julius Jibunor Okwuenu (1908-2013) By Kenneth Okwuenu

Compass Features Editor Loses Father R. John Nwodo Eze, the faD ther of the Features and Commune Editor of the

UNARGUABLY, Diokpa Julius Jibunor (JJ) Okwuenu’s earthly sojourn was memorable and fulfilled. He lived as an icon and imparted positively on all that came his way. He was the champion of the oppressed and the liberator of the downtrodden. In community service, he was unsurpassed and worked with zeal that he became a role model. He was equally a man of great wisdom from whom all, both far and near, drank from his fountain of knowledge. He was also compassionate and gave his all for the betterment of humanity. Pa Okwuenu was born in Idumuje Unor, Aniocha North Council of Delta State, on March 15, 1908, to the Ogbuefi Okwuenu Egbune family. He had his early education at the then Government School OgwashiUku, Delta State. He joined the Nigerian Railway Corporation in August 1942, served for 35 years and retired as a Chargeman on November 15, 1977, at Ebute Metta, Lagos. On retirement, he returned to his hometown, Idumuje Unor, to join in the development of Okwuenu’s family, as the eldest son of his father as at that time. He was in support of early education for any child of the family as the best legacy for them. Okwuenu was a man who stood firmly and believed strongly in justice and fairness to all. Prior to his death on January 17, this year, Okwuenu was the oldest in Idumuje Unor, The Diokpa of Ebo Ikoko and was divinely crowned The Ogbuefi of Ebo Ikoko. He was also an elder in the Pilgrims Baptist Church, Idumuje Unor. The late Okwuenu was married to Mama Victoria Okwuenu from the famous Dibia family of Onicha Ugbo. He is survived by 10 children, 26 grand children and 15 great grand children. His burial rites begin on April 4, this year, at Idumuje Okwuenu Unor.

Nigerian Compass Newspaper, Jonathan Eze, is dead. Born on February 9, 1938, he died on February 27, this year, after a protracted illness that lasted for 10 months. The late Eze was the Chief Medical Director of Eze Hope Rising Clinic, Agbure in Ogun Waterside Area of Ogun State. He had been in the medical profession as an Obstetrician for over 30 years. He was a very famous medical practitioner in Ogun State and Nsukka, Enugu State, his country home. He was until his death a Christian and a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to his son, Jonathan Eze: “My late father was a very kind and humble person. He was generous to a fault. He will be missed greatly by not just his nuclear and extended families but also the communities that make up his local govern-

ment of residence in Ogun State. “He believed in the resurrection hope as a Witness and until his death ensured that he touched positively those that had encounters with him. He believed so much in education and not just education but quality education. As such, he ensured that we his children got the best of education among other values,” he said. The late Eze is survived by his only wife, Stella Eze, and seven children—Ngozi, Shedrach, Faith, Jonathan, Sarah, Deborah, and Ruth. His only brother, Augustine Chukwuma Eze, also mourns him. In a statement signed by his eldest son, Mr. Shadrach Eze, who is the Photo Editor of the Bisi Olatilo International Magazine (BOS), he will be buried on April 13, 2013, at his country home, Aju-Ona Obukpa, Nsukka while funeral talks and ceremony will hold at his residence at Ngboko, Obukpa, Nsukka.

Canon Adebiyi For Burial March 16 Among his classmates at both Melville Hall and Immanuel College of Theology are Rt. Rev. Dr. E.B. Gbonigi, umphant. The late seasoned Rtd Bishop of Akure; Rt. Rev Anglican Priest passed on to glory on Wednesday January E.O.I. Ogundana, Rtd Bishop of Remo; Ven J. I. Ipinmoye, for16, 2013, at the ripe age of 90 years. He hails from Osi Ekiti, mer Principal, Vining College, in Ido/Osi Local Council Area Akure; the late Ven. J.O.A. Ajayi; the late Ven. S.A. Ojurongba; of Ekiti State. and the late Ven. E.O. OduCanon Adebiyi was trained as a catechist at Melville Hall, sanya, to mention a few. A very spiritual man whose Ibadan, from 1952 to 1954. He was among the first set of stu- life affected his community, dents at Immanuel College of Canon Adebiyi encouraged the younger ones to organise Theology, Ibadan from 1956 to 1958. Ordained a Deacon in crusades and attend prayer 1958, he had his priestly ordi- meetings as a means of denation on December 14, 1959 populating hell and populating heaven. by the Rt. Rev. S.O. Odutola He was also a champion of and the Rt. Rev. D.O. Awosika of the old Ondo/Benin Dioceses. The late Adebiyi served as the Vicar of many churches in Nigeria and overseas. He worked in Ondo/Benin/Ekiti Dioceses from 1958 to 1983 and later in Ijebu Anglican Diocese from 1983 to 1989 before he retired from active service. He worked as Vicar of St. Philips Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo THE death has been annow (Ijebu-North Diocese). nounced of Madam Theresa He later worked and retired Ikechukwu Mokwunye of Isat Christ Anglican Church, Odoseulu-Alaro, Ijebu-Ode (in sele-Uku, Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State Ijebu Diocese), Ogun State. who recently passed on at 82 Canon Adebiyi was the first years. Black African to serve Curacy According a statement by the for Parish Experience in the family, she will be buried on Diocese of Manchester in of March 22, this year, after a England. His parish in Engfuneral service at St. Paul land was St. James Ang. Catholic Cathedral, IsseleChurch, Higher Bronghton, Uku Delta State. Manchester England. He She is survived by many chillater came back to Nigeria to dren, grand children and serve in many churches as Parish Vicar and Chairman of great grand children among whom is Mrs. Evelyn Ekene District Church Councils Nwaojei. (DCC). HE Rev. Canon Gabriel T Asaolu Odeyemi Adebiyi has joined the church tri-

development. He spent his personal money to build walls around Imila Spring Water and roof it, a project that earned him accolades from individuals and government. He was the first ordained clergymen in Adebiyi family, which has now produced The Bishop of Lagos West Anglican Diocese, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Awelewa Adebiyi, The Ven. Israel Dupe Adebiyi (Rtd), The Ven. Tokunbo Olusegun Adebiyi (his own Son), The Ven. Johnson Adebiyi, The Ven. Bodunde Adebiyi, Rev. Canon Tunde Adebiyi, Rev. Canon Bayo Adaranijo (mum nee Adebiyi) and many priests who are children and grand

Theresa Ikechukwu Mokwunye Passes On

children of the Adebiyi’s. The late Adebiyi was also the first teacher in the family. He taught in Akure in the 1940s and early 50s at St. David’s Primary School, Ijomu Akure, and St. Thomas Primary School, Isinkan Akure. Adebiyi will be buried on Saturday March 16, 2013, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Osi Ekiti, Ekiti State, after a solemn Eucharistic Service of thanksgiving. He is survived by his octogenarian wife, Mrs. Beatrice Adefebi Adebiyi, a retired teacher and six wonderful children—Tokunbo, Bola, Kola, Yomi, Folake, and Joke, among many relatives.

Eze

To My Sunshine, Bluesky By Rev. Arize Nwobu Y Sunshine, Bluesky M I need not ask the Lord why

Stirring and lighting my fire Taking me higher and higher Bursting my fountain Thrill was hot!

You have been gone for one Our children say Mummy so good year Last to kiss the night I can tell I miss you my dear First to hug the light The way you loved and cared Carole, I still need you But goodness, you have flown Decoded the rhythm of love Through the clouds to the City My Sunshine, Bluesky of Light Where there is no more night We really miss you so But we have to let you go Though you have walked your Never easy to say good bye But Jesus says it is so path Good bye Carole, All the things we shared My Sunshine, Bluesky And the way you cared Forever will live in my heart Am standing here at the door Looking back at yesterday Waiting for a brand new day Hoping the Lord will do me good Carole, your love was good It was like the morning dew Cool and soothing to my soul Sunshine, you paid your dues In your calm and cool eyes I found gems twice as nice In your smile and hearty laughter I heard the sound of falling waters I drank and quenched my thirst

Mokwunye

Your spirit, soul and body Defined the Carole mystique

Nwobu

TheGuardian

60 | Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Sports

National tennis player, Abdulmumuni Babalola

Participants at the athletics event of the last 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012.

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Alliances, Intrigues As Federations Prepare For Elections Abdullahi’s argument is that the NSC, as an agency of government set up for the management and development of sports in the country, HE sports federations elections are scheduled has no business dealing with athletes and their for April this year and the National Sports coaches. Rather, he says its job is to make sports’ Commission (NSC) says it is determined to policies, and create the enabling environment ensure that only people with genuine interest in for it to thrive. the growth of the various sports get into the He believes that the NSC should not dabble into boards. the running of the federations hence the need to The NSC has also promised that a new guideline strengthen them to put them in the position to that would ensure that no stranger to the aspira- discharge their duties effectively. tions of Nigerians would participate in the elecTo get effective federations, he says, the elections, just as the incumbents, who failed to lift tions should ensure that only credible individutheir associations do not get a second chance on als run the bodies. the boards. According to the minister, one way of getting Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, who is also the effective federations is by ensuring that only NSC Chairman, told The Guardian recently that those that meet the eligibility guideline are everything is set for the federations’ elections, allowed to vie for positions on the boards. which he believes would usher in a new era of He said, “I can tell you that the NSC has develprogressive growth in Nigerian sports. oped the eligibility guideline. We have developed As a prelude to ensuring that the federations dis- a new code of governance. We have empowered charged their duties effective, Abdullahi recently the Federations to appoint their secretaries and ordered the secretaries attached to the federadefine exactly what their functions are. And very tions to return to the NSC so that the boards soon we are going to release that. I think the elecwould appoint their own secretaries. tion will be in April and all the guideline for that election will be there.” A source close to the minister told The Guardian Over 20 years ago before Mr. Ndanusa yesterday that the guidelines would be released next week so that the aspirants would know took control, Nigeria was proud of status before coming forward to campaign Nduka Odizor, Sadiq Abdullahi and oth- their for the positions. Looking forward to new federations that would ers. I ask anyone to tell the country, meet the aspirations of Nigerians, a stakeholder, where Nigeria is in Tennis today, yet Rashid Balogun, suggests the NSC should ensure only people with known pedigree in sports Mr. Ndanusa continues to be voted in that would contest the polls. He also wants the criteby same individuals for 20 years. The ria one must meet before he votes in the elections spelt out so that those who continually question is: Are those people voting elect the ineffective board members are barred Nigerians? Are they in tune with the from the polls. He says, “it is a fact that the Sports Ministry is tryreality of this sport? If not, is it time ing to remodel the federations boards’ memberthat the sports Ministry ban them and ship criteria but it has failed to identify (so far) people with power to elect such members Mr. Ndanusa from further elections? I the and as time is quickly running out the Ministry say its time and term limit is overdue. ought to setup caretaker committees until it is

By Christian Okpara

definite on criterion for election of members. “From the draft of the new rules it appears that Technical Directors will be merit based appointment as well as Secretary General but that ends merit selection. “It will not however make any sense for federation President to be elected by unidentified individuals (origin of decline in sports) who in the past 30 years continue to recycle themselves to head federations. I say this because many of those individuals have no clue what value those people they have been electing has to offer and to be truthful here it does appear that reasons other than merit is their motto.” Citing the Tennis Federation as an example, Balogun says, “over 20 years ago before Mr. Ndanusa took control, Nigeria was proud of Nduka Odizor, Sadiq Abdullahi and others. I ask anyone to tell the country, where Nigeria is in Tennis today, yet Mr. Ndanusa continues to be voted in by same individuals for 20 years. “The question is: Are those people voting Nigerians? Are they in tune with the reality of this sport? If not, is it time that the sports Ministry ban them and Mr. Ndanusa from further elections? I say its time and term limit is overdue.” Looking at the Athletics Federation, Balogun says many stakeholders have stayed away from the federation because they do not want to be associated with some of the individuals on the current board. “The key problem is enticing those with credentials of governance and updated knowledge of the sports without any questionable background, because not a single one of them wants to be seen in company of many individuals now parading themselves as AFN board members or former stars. I am very sure of that,” he said. Even with the NSC yet to spell out the criteria for the elections, some individuals have started forging alliances and positioning themselves for the polls. Nigerians were last week treated to one of the absurd things that happen on the eve of elections when the incumbent president of the Handball Federation, Alhaji Yusuf Dauda, was reported to have opted out of the contest only for the Kaduna

Abdullahi State NECO chief to dissociate himself from the report. Dauda blamed his opponents for the report, saying they were jittery with his decision to contest for a second term in office. The Handball Federation incident is a pointer to what to expect from the gladiators as the polls draw nearer. But a sports analyst, Sabinus Ikewuaku, says the guidelines must not be ambiguous if the NSC wants to succeed in its bid to midwife effective federations. “I am glad that the minister has promised there would not be government candidates in the elections. He should go further by ensuring that those incumbent board members, who could not lift their federations in their previous tenures, do not return to the boards. That is the only way we will elect the right people into the boards.”

THE GUARDIAN Saturday, March 9, 2013

SPORTS SPORTS FEDERATIONS ELECTIONS

‘It Will Be Business As Usual Unless...’ By Adeyinka Adedipe ORMER handball national team players, Jide Fbelieve Fashikun and Dr. Chinedu Uche Azubuike the decision of the National Sports Commission (NSC) that sports federations must employ their own secretaries to make the boards more accountable would go a long way in sanitizing their operations. But they want the NSC to go a step further in ensuring that only credible individuals are allowed to contest the forthcoming Federations’ polls. Fashikun told The Guardian that the decision of the NSC over the employment of secretaries gave some hope that the federation might be run better than what obtained in the past. He said that administration was key to the operations of the federations hence to begin to do things in a way that is internationally acceptable was a step in the right direction. He, however, stated that the guideline released by the NSC would not encourage the election of good-spirited Nigerians into the boards of the federations. “It is unfortunate that the guidelines released by the NSC has not given hope that we will get good board members at the end of the elections in April. “It is clear that 98 per cent of those in the boards of the federation would be re-elected despite that most of them have not performed to expected standard,” he added. Fashikun noted that retuning the same people on the boards would be a sad development as, according to him, only three federations – chess, scrabble and basketball- have inherent mechanism to discover and groom young players. Stating that he was not making a case for the running of the associations by former athletes, he, however, said that some of them have shown that they can become good administrators as shown by the Chess, scrabble and basketball federations that are run by former players. He called on former athletes not to distance themselves from the sports that brought them to limelight, saying that it is their duty to ensure the growth of the sports. According to Fashikun, “the heads of these federations should have the drive to initiate programmes that would move the sports forward and create an avenue for talent discovery.” The former El Kanemi Warriors Football Club star also said that there was no need to rush the elections since it was already late for the country to make any appreciable impact at the next

Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. To Fashikun, what should be done is to audit the federations to tell the new people that their activities would be scrutinised when they leave office. He, however, noted that the NSC might not be able to carry out any audit since it was clear most of the federation don’t get money due to them. He said: “There was an instance when a federation got some funds from the international body and also got the same money from the Nigerian government. I am sure that this fraud wouldn’t have been possible without connivance of some officials of the NSC. So once audit is done, no unscrupulous person would want to go to the federation.” Taking a cue from what obtained in Egypt in his playing days, he said there were windows of opportunities for former players, businessmen and even parents to come on board and contribute their quota to the development of sports by investing in the clubs. Fashikun also called on sports administrators to take a cue from the European and American models of seeking sponsorship. He explained: “In America and Europe, sponsorship is not done at the sports federation level but community level. Clubs get more sponsorship than the federations, which is not happening here. The closest is in basketball, where the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has DStv and Zenith Bank with the clubs having some sponsors too. ‘Last year in the country, there were more than 82 local tournaments organised while only 15 took place at the national level, which shows that more events taking place in the community attract more sponsorship and I say that government cannot put in the money needed to develop sports.” For Azubuike, the problem facing the country has also affected the performance of the federations. “The problem of corruption and self-centredness facing the country has also eaten deep into the sports federations. Most of the people in high position do not have the interest of the country in their heart; they are only looking for how to enrich themselves.” She said these problems have stalled sports development in the country, calling on people with integrity to step out and take over the running of the federations. The former Imo Grasshoppers goalkeeper believes that sports was better four years ago than since the board got elected. “In handball, a game where I excelled, we have not really

Action from the last 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012. achieved much. The only competitions we have are youth events. “It is a good development but we also need to run the league so that the players discovered at the youth tournaments will gradually take over from the old ones, both at the clubs and the national teams. But stopping the league is not the solution to the problems bedeviling hand-

PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

ball.” Lamenting that the only sponsor handball had has since stopped bankrolling the league, she advised that sports federations must endeavour to maintain cordial relationship with their sponsors by ensuring that money given to them are judiciously spent. He also said that accountability should be the watchword of the federations.

Sports Need New Direction, Say Oshonaike, Eboh By Olalekan Okusan

Omotose has tried its best, but I don’t think it has moved the game forward. IvE-time Olympian, Funke What the sport needs are people that Oshonaike, is more concerned with are ready to fund the sport with their resources and goodwill. Also, they need her domain, table tennis, which she to have ideas that will ensure that sponsays needs quality and passionate leadership to regain its lost position in sors show interest in the game,” Oshonaike said. the comity of ping-pong nations. “I want to sincerely say that table ten- The former African champion feels nis has really gone down because we that leadership of the board has a lot to don’t have people that love the game on board. During Cosmas Maduka’s tenure, we took part in various competitions and Maduka himself really loved the game and he never hid his passion for the game. Even when the government was not forthcoming with fund whenever we were to go for competitions, Maduka would provide the funds and ensure that the players were satisfied. “But what do we have these days? We have people who do not love the game and are not ready to sacrifice anything for the sport. The present board under the leadership of Kayode Abdulwahab- Eboh

do to change the fortune of the sport. “I want to say that any leader that will take charge of table tennis must be ready to work for the interest of the game. Now is the time to ensure that those with nothing to offer and are clueless of what to do when the government is not forthcoming with funds do not get the chance to be on the new board,” she said.

Oshonaike

She added: “I am using this medium to appeal to those in the National Sports Commission (NSC) not to allow people without ideas to be part of the board. We are disturbed that the game that has brought most of us to limelight and also put food on our table is allowed to die in the hands of mediocre, who know nothing about the sport. “We don’t need people that are jostling to get estacode or travel all over the world. We need people that will be willing to sacrifice for the game and the players. If the players are well taken care off they will always give their best. “During the Maduka tenure, there was no competition that we attended without getting allowances. But during this present tenure there are several occasions that we were not given allowances even when we spent our money to attend the tournament from our base in Europe.” Also speaking on the table tennis fed-

eration of his dream, a former national player, Sunday Eboh, believes getting quality people to take charge of the federation is key to the success of the players. Eboh says leadership plays a major role in determining the output of the particular sport. “One thing that is key to success of the sports federation is that the leaders must be ready to sacrifice their time and resources to the sport they are administering. “It is disheartening that some of these board members are only after the escacode without paying attention to the athletes’ welfare. So for anybody to come on board, such person must be willing to source for funds rather than being solely dependent on government. He or she must also have the goodwill that would attract sponsors to the sport as well. “I cannot afford to continue with the estacode-hugging individuals, who want to continue in office,” he said.

THe GUARDIAN saturday, March 9, 2013

sPORTs

High Expectations As 2012/2013 NPFL Season Kicks Off By Christian Okpara enthusiasts across the country will troop to the stadia across the country hoping Fto OOTBALL see the best of Nigerian soccer on display. Today is the opening day of the 2012/2013 season and followers of the Nigerian game believe that this promises a departure from the past when matches were paid in empty stadia. some of these fans are of the opinion that the performance of some of the league players at the south Africa 2013 African Nations Cup has changed many peoples’ attitude to the league hence the expected large number of spectators at the stands today. The star match of the opening day pitches enugu Rangers, which boasts three of the players that helped Nigeria to the Nations Cup win in its fold, against the country’s biggest club, enyimba of Aba, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium enugu. Ilorin will host a local derby between ABs of Ilorin and Kwara United, while Bayelsa United will confront Lobi stars of Makurdi. In Bauchi, Wikki Tourists is faced with a Herculean task in a battle with defending champion, Kano Pillars, while 3sC will tackle Gombe United in Ibadan. Uyo is the venue for the game between Akwa United and Dolphins, while sunshine stars of Akure will host Kaduna United, just as sharks meets with Warri Wolves at the Liberation stadium, Port Harcourt. Heartland of Owerri will host Nembe City, while Nasarawa United and el- Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri begin their campaign of the season in Lafia. With an eye on the trophy that it has won six times in the recent past, enyimba says it is poised to shove aside all the pretenders to the throne, beginning with today’s opponent, enugu Rangers. The Peoples elephant is undergoing some structural adjustment following last season’s failures, and in new coach, salisu Yusuf, the Aba team says it is sure of emerging triumphant at

the end of the season. The team’s new assistant captain, Markson Ojobo, is of the opinion this weekend’s game against Rangers would show Nigerian ball fans that they are in serious business. “We are coming to enugu to kick start the season with a win. We have been well motivated for this season and no team can stand on our way, not even Rangers at their backyard,” Ojobo declared. Also optimistic of a good campaign, enugu Rangers’ former star, Ugwu Uwadiegwu, says the team is in for a rough ride against enyimba. “I did it against them in Aba last season and the memories of that great goal I scored against them is still fresh in my mind and I hope to compound their worries with another commanding performance in enugu,” the bustling left back said. One of the other teams to look out for is Lobi stars of Makurdi, which narrowly missed the league title last year. The team ended third in the league ‘due to some adjustments in the table at the end of the season, but its Vice Chairman, Dominic Iorfa, says they are not going to leave room for any boardroom decision to affect its chances of winning the title this term. “We have prepared very well for the season, and I want to say that if everybody plays by the rules, we will win the title this season. “We are grateful to Governor Gabriel suswam for his massive support to the team, and we want to assure him that we will not disappoint him both in the league and on the continent,” Iorfa said. Lobi, also set to play in the Confederation Cup, is among the Nigerian teams in CAF competitions. The others are Kano Pillars, enugu Rangers, and Heartland of Owerri. Meanwhile, the interim league board says it needs about N600 million to successfully execute the new Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season. The amount, according to a member of the League Management Board (LMC), salihu Abubakar, is part of the proposal it submitted to the Federal Government. Abubakar said the LMC has made arrangements

Enyimba’s Samuel Tswanya (left) tries to outwit Enugu Rangers’ Chimaobi Chukwu in a league game last season. Both Eastern clubs are involved in the star match of the opening day of the 2012/2013 season.

for the smooth take-off of the competition, adding that all the 20 clubs have registered their players and were expected to get their licenses yesterday. Although Abubakar revealed that the board had not received the expected fund from the government, he is optimistic that the league would sail off smoothly. Already, the Nigeria Football supporters has begun efforts to mobilize fans to the stadia as part of the plot to ensure that the game regained the position it has lost to foreign leagues. According to the secretary of the supporters Club, samuel Ikpea, it would support the league board to lure back spectators to the s t a d i a . Ikpea told the News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) that “We are making efforts to lure fans back to match venues of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as the league commences on saturday. “However, the nation’s football league needs a lot of re-orgnisation for improvement to encourage fans to the stadia for the expected results,” Ikpea said. Nigeria’s performance in south Africa last month is enough incentive for fans to troop to the stadia, Ikpea said, adding, “We have to sustain the newly gained football glory in our nation that is why we

are interested in encouraging both the players and fans at match venues. “We will work together with the league board to give the best of support to encourage fans to watch the game,’’ he said. According to him, the nation’s football league has suffered enough neglect over the years due to inadequate facilities and lack of passionate leaders to steer the game to stardom. “With the right people on board, the sky will be the limit of the nation’s football,’’ the secretary n o t e d . The secretary added that the club was liaising with the board to ensure similar live coverage of matches by the electronics media in the country. Today’s kick off has already received the support of Nigerian referees, who despite complaints over unpaid remunerations, have pledged to support the LMC in its efforts to run the league smoothly. The Nigerian Referee Association (NRA) had earlier ordered its member to boycott this weekend’s league matches in protest of the unpaid dues, but it changed that stance after a meeting with the Chairman of Interim Board, Nduka Irabor, who pledged to pay up all the outstanding fees within two weeks.

Methodist Boys 135th Sports Meet, Founders Day hold By Adeyinka Adedipe eTHODIsT Boys High M school, Lagos, will kick off it 135th Founders Day

General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Kola Oyeyemi (left), Sales & Distribution Executive, Omatsola Barrow, President of Ikoyi Polo Club, Habib Fashero and Kayode Awogboro during a prize presentation ceremony at the on-going Lagos International Polo Tournament.

Lagos International Polo Tournament

Battles For Governor, Independence Cups Take Centre OLO lovers from across the country have started arrivP ing at the Lagos Polo Club, Ikoyi, where the finals of the Governor’s Cup and the Independence Cup would hold today. since last week, polo enthusiasts have been treated to the best of polo action with teams jostling space among the best teams in the country. Today, guests at the club will witnessed the expected fierce contest involving Ibadan Challenge and Kano susplan, who have promised to give their all despite having nothing but pride at stake in the Low Cup. This game precedes tomorrow’s final in the category between Lagos Caverton and Kano RTC. Just after that match, Lagos HsT and Lagos Bell Oil & Gas would enter the fray for the Lagos Governor’s Cup, which is part of the Low Cup.

Lagos Shorelines Qualify For Majekodunmi Cup final That would be followed by the battle for the Independence Cup featuring Linetrale Delaney against Lintex Anadariya, while Kano Titans Ashbert will tango with Fifth Chukker for the Italian Ambassador’s Cup. Yesterday at the hallowed turf, Caverton beat Goodfellows 5.5 -5, while RTC saved their best for the last by rallying to beat Ibadan Challenge 9-6. Goodfellows could not believe its luck as it conceded a goal in the dying moments which dealt a big blow to its title dreams. The team lost the final of the Dansa Cup to Tavia Trojan but got a sweet revenge when it beat the same team in the qualifier. Ibadan Challenge lost by a fourth and final chukka rally

by HsT, who began its campaign with a win over Ibadan Jericho. Challenge led the first two chukkas with scores at 3-2 and 5-3 but it was pegged back at 66 heading to the last chukka. Mustapha sheriff’s goal was sandwiched by Murtala Aliyu’s goals to clinch the tie for the north-based team. Meanwhile, Ironclad shorelines booked its place in tomorrow’s final of the Majekodunmi Cup following a 7-5 win over Kano Ashbert Titans. Argentines eduardo Menedes and Julio Novillo-estrada spearheaded a great fifth and sixth chukkas to land the three points at stake. It now has an unassailable six points from its games having claimed the scalp of Delaney Linetrale in its first match.

Anniversary with its annual inter house sports, which comes up at the school’s sports ground on Tuesday. The sports event, which is also the I35th edition, according to the school principal, Rev Bayo Okunoren, will see top athletes from the school and those invited from other schools competing for honours in different events. Okunoren, who is also a retired Army captain, said the finals of all the events would hold on Tuesday, noting that most of the students have shown a little of what to expect during the qualifiers. speaking about the talents that abound in the school, Okunoren stated that most of the senior boys involved in sports have been very impressive. He said that Oloyede Ajibola would be competing in the finals of the Lagos school Athletics championship today. “As a missionary school, our priority is to build high moral standard among the students and ensure they become complete students by combining education and sports effectively without anyone disturbing the other. “The students and the members of staff are excited about the inter house sports and the Founders Day Celebration. Already, we have spotted tal-

ents among them and we are encouraging them by allowing them take part in state championships,” he added. He also said that the school is building a N7 million gymnasium that would help the students build their physical fitness, “we also encourage social activities so that the student do not become bookworms.” He noted that sports have the potential of taking the students to a greater height as shown by world leading athletes who started from school. Westminster, Disbury, Hansworth and Kingswood houses will contest for honours at the sports meet. According to Okunoren, the Founders Day Anniversary, which will take place on

Thursday, will see notable old boys gracing the occasion, with 25 of them getting award of excellence. He said: “This anniversary is unique because it is an opportunity to bring together most of the old students who have been supporting the school over the years. The school is known for excellence and has produced successful people in all spheres of life. “I am sure that the school will continue to wax stronger and churn out students with integrity. This is the second oldest school in the country and since the government handed it over back to the church, we have raised the standard, which we will continue to uphold.

Pupils of the Maryland Convent Private School battle for hounors at the school sports meet … recently.

THE GUARDIAN Saturday, March 9, 2013

SPORTS English Premiership

Rooney Is Going Nowhere, Ferguson Insists IR Alex Ferguson insists Sat Manchester Wayne Rooney will still be United next season. Ferguson left Rooney out of the United line-up for Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat by Real Madrid, since when it has been suggested the Red Devils boss would be willing to accept an offer for the striker this summer. However, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup quarterfinal with Chelsea, Ferguson denied that was the case. “He will be here next year, you have my word on that,” he said. “There is no issue between myself and Wayne Rooney. To suggest we don’t talk is non-

sense. “He understood the reasons completely. Tactically we got it right. We don’t always but we did then. “There are no issues with the player and he will be involved on Sunday. “I left out Shinji Kagawa after he scored a hat-trick. I thought I would get more stick for that.” Ferguson refused to say whether Rooney would actually start tomorrow. He again repeated his belief that the 27-year-old needed to play matches in order to retain full fitness, an assessment that has raised so much debate over the past few days. “Why should I help anyone by

Mancini

telling them my team? We don’t do that,” said Ferguson. “But Wayne does need a lot of football. He has always been that type. That has always been the case.” Meanwhile, Ferguson confirmed Phil Jones was still not fit enough to return after an ankle injury, although could be available to face Reading in the Premier League next Saturday. The United boss also admitted Nani may need a lift after his red card against Real Madrid in midweek. “Nani was obviously disappointed and we have to get rid of that feeling of guilt he maybe has,” said Ferguson. “I don’t think he did anything wrong and that’s the message we’ll give to him.” Ferguson also opted against attacking old adversary and the under-fire Rafael Benitez, whom he faces at Old Trafford for the first time since his surprise arrival at Chelsea. “I’m not going to kick anyone when they’re lying down,” he said. “It’s not my style.” However, a meeting with Chelsea offers the perfect pickme-up. “In the cold light of day, though, we’re Manchester United and we have to get on with it,” said Ferguson. “There’s nothing that can be done now. We have an important issue of a quarter-final tomorrow. “I’ve cleared my mind. It’s just another day in the history of our club. Not a good day, but another day.”

Signing Rooney Would Be ‘Difficult’, Says Mancini ANCHESTER City boss M Roberto Mancini admits it would be “difficult” for his side to sign Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney this summer. Rooney started on the substitutes’ bench for United’s recent Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, sparking speculation that the 27year-old could be on his way out of Old Trafford at the end of the season. Mancini, however, believes the striker will not be affected by the decision to leave him out of the starting lineup and a summer exit is unlikely. “I think that Rooney is one of the best strikers in Europe but

Suarez

I think it is difficult he can leave Manchester United,” Mancini told reporters. “I don’t know. I don’t know this situation. I can understand maybe Rooney would be upset if he didn’t play but these are things that can happen in every team. After one week it is finished.” Reports have suggested that forward Eden Dzeko’s future at City could determine a possible bid for Rooney - with Borussia Dortmund seemingly ruling out a future move and Mancini has kept the door open for a summer exit, although he claims he is unaware of interest from the Bundesliga side.. “At the

moment, there is nothing. In the end, maybe, I don’t know. In the summer, it could be possible,” the 48-year-old said. “Dzeko player is an important player for us. We want that he stays here.”

Rooney

Spurs’ Sigurdsson Relishes Chance To Face Liverpool things had turned out difIerFferently, Icelandic midfieldGylfi Sigurdsson could well have been playing for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield tomorrow, rather than trying to help Spurs take another step towards the Champions League. The 23-year-old was targeted by Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers after the two were together at Swansea City last season, but Sigurdsson, who has just started to find his scoring touch at Spurs, decided on a move to White Hart Lane instead. While the focus on Spurs’ recent good run has been on

the scoring prowess of Gareth Bale, other players are also in top form including Moussa Dembele, Aaron Lennon and the tall blond Icelander. He is likely to be in the starting lineup at Anfield where third-placed Spurs will be looking to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 matches and move closer to securing their place in the top four. After scoring the second goal in Spurs’ 3-0 Europa League demolition of Inter Milan on Thursday, Sigurdsson said he was looking forward to playing against Rodgers and former Swansea team mate Joe Allen and had no regrets

Liverpool Have Slight Chance Of Champions League, Suarez Admits IVERPOOL’S pursuit of a Lfinish top-four Premier League this season can really take off with a win against third-placed Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, red-hot striker Luis Suarez said. Liverpool, in seventh, are 10 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and 12 in arrears of Spurs with 10 games to go in another mediocre season where Suarez’s goalscoring has been the highlight. “We’ve been in good form recently and it’s a good opportunity to reduce the gap between ourselves and Spurs,” said Suarez, who with 21 goals leads the Premier League scoring charts by two from Manchester United’s Robin van Persie. “There is a slight chance we can make Champions League football - and if we want to do that, this is the sort of game we need to win,” added the Uruguayan on the club’s website (www.liverpoolfc.com) ahead of the clash at Anfield. Liverpool last played in the Champions League in the 2009/10 season after memorably winning the trophy in 2005 and then making the

2007 final. Suarez said Liverpool’s performances have improved after bolstering the squad in January with attacking options in Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool have scored nine goals without conceding in drubbing Swansea and Wigan in their last two league games. “Things have been going really well with Daniel, but not only him - there’s also Philippe. They have both brought something and maybe given us an extra cutting edge. “The lads who were here before their arrival were doing a fantastic job, but now we have more options as a team.” Liverpool defender Jose Enrique will also be a key component of Brendan Rodgers’ line up against Tottenham, whose greatest threat will come from the inform Gareth Bale. Enrique said there was nothing to fear from the Welsh winger, who has scored 11 goals in his last nine appearances.

“Every player is just a person. Gareth Bale is a person as well. Of course, he’s a good player and a complete footballer,” said the Spaniard. “Even if you are a really good player, like Bale, if you are against two players it can be really difficult to play. So we will try to stop him and all his team mates.”

about moving to London. “Tottenham came in and the way they were last year and the way they have been for the last couple of years was right for me,” he told reporters. “They finished fourth last season and were unlucky not to get Champions League football. “This is a great club and has got great players and I’m really glad I chose Spurs. This is a club that has got so many good players and hopefully we can be in the Champions League next season.” Sigurdsson has taken time to settle at the Lane but after scoring his first Premier League goal in last week’s 3-2 win at West Ham United and following that up with his first goal at home on Thursday, he said a recent run in the team was helping. “It was really important to get that first Premiership goal and it’s important for every player to get a run in the team and you can see Gareth Bale has got lots of confidence, scoring in every game. “I know he’s got unbelievable talent but especially when you have got a lot of confidence you can do those things you wouldn’t do if you didn’t have a lot of confidence.”

Premiership Fixtures Norwich QPR Reading Westbrom

v v v v

Newcastle Liverpool

v v

Today Southampton Sunderland Aston Swansea Tomorrow Stoke Tottenham

(1500) (1500) (1500) (1500) (1500) (1600)

FA Cup Fixtures Everton Man City

v v

Today Wigan Barnsley

(1245) (1730)

Millwall Man Utd

v v

Tomorrow Blackburn Chelsea

(1400) (1630)

TheGuardian

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

‘United’s European Exit Bad News For City’ ANCHESTER United’s M Champions League exit has made it harder for Manchester City to retain their Premier League title, the champions’ manager, Roberto Mancini, has said. Alex Ferguson’s side, whose elimination by Real Madrid on Tuesday has left them with only domestic matters to focus on, had some unlikely supporters of their European campaign in Manchester City. “It’s worse for us because I think now they put all their strength into the championship,” Mancini, whose side trails United by 12 points, told a news conference. “I think for us it was better they stayed in the Champions League. They would have played an important game every three days, it is more difficult.” Before the Manchester clubs get back to their league duel, they turn their attention to the FA Cup, with United hosting Chelsea in the quarterfinals tomorrow the day after City entertain Championship (second tier) Barnsley. Mancini will be without injured forward Sergio Aguero, who did not play in Monday’s 1-0 league win over Aston Villa because of a knee problem, and captain Vincent Kompany, who has been absent with a calf injury since late January. “I don’t think that it is serious but in this moment we can’t take a risk with Sergio,” he said. “Vinnie was training with the team yesterday but I don’t think we can take a risk with Vinnie. Maybe he is ready for the next game against Everton.” With City so many points behind United in the Premier League, the FA Cup might provide a slightly easier chance of silverware for Mancini’s men who won the competition in 2011. “For a team like us it is very important to win something every year,” the Italian said.

Enugu Rangers and Heartland of Owerri in one of the epic clashes of the last season. The NPFL 2012/2013 season kicks off today across the country.

NFF Denies Receiving Letter From FIFA Over Lesbian Ban HE Nigeria Football T Federation (NFF) yesterday denied that it received a query from FIFA over the ban it allegedly imposed on lesbian players in the country. The federation’s Media Officer, Ademola Olajire, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the regulatory body had not received any letter

Arsenal Wants To Make The Impossible Possible, Says Heynckes AYERN Munich coach, B Jupp Heynckes, believes Arsenal still pose a genuine threat ahead of their Champions League last-16 second-leg tie on Wednesday. Arsene Wenger’s side goes into the game 3-1 down after the first leg, but Heynckes says he is well aware of the quality the Premier League side possesses. “Arsenal are not playing this weekend and can prepare optimally. They are not coming to Allianz Arena to get eliminated, instead they want to make the impossible possible,” Heynckes told reporters at a press conference. Before that game takes place, however, Bayern faces Fortuna Dusseldorf at home, and Heynckes says it is the only match he and his squad

are focused at present. “We are not thinking about the Arsenal match yet. We want to march on in the league and expand our lead. We can’t allow ourselves to slack now,” he insisted. The 67-year-old was complimentary of their opponents this weekend, and was quick to add that his side is not getting carried away with its 17point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. “Fortuna have established themselves as a promoted team. If you look past our five goals against them in the first half of the season, they have done well defensively. We’ll have to fully focus,” Heynckes said. “It would be the wrong attitude to think about the Bundesliga title. We just want to continue.”

from FIFA. Olajire added that the NFF was yet to take a decision to ban lesb i a n s from the female national t e a m s . The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has a story in its website saying that the world football regulatory body had queried the NFF. “It is not true. We have not received any official letter from FIFA concerning this claim. Therefore, it is false and we will not act upon specula-

i o n s . “Moreover, the body has not said anything about banning lesbians in our football, therefore, I don’t know where this came from,’’ he said. Also speaking on the story, Chairman of Nigeria Women Football League, Dilichukwu Onyedinma, denied the reports that NWFL plans to clamp down on lesbians. “The report stated that I made the speech at the NWFL Congress. I am happy the

It is the handiwork of those who feel they can play God but unfortunately, for them, they are not God. Whether they like it or not, the league has started and must go on. “The fact is that NFF did not even receive such purported letter from FIFA as being circulated in the media. One now wonders why upon all the salient issues raised at the Congress, an issue that was not even mentioned should take the front burner’’, she pointed out.

Police Summon Ekeji, Set To Enforce Court Judgement Against NFF By Gowon Akpodonor

Mondo Officials Storm Nigeria

HE Legal Department of the office of the Inspector T General of Police has invited

cials on sports development in the country. NANF, which had been having running battles with the Aminu Maigari-led NFF, had petitioned the Inspector General on August 1, 2012, praying for enforcement of a court judgment in suit No: FHC/l/CS/962/10 delivered by Justice Okon Abang over the ‘illegal occupation’ of the glass house by the NFF. The police met with the NANF boss (Jalla) yesterday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja

the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Patrick Ekeji, to appear before it in respect of a petition by the National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF). Report of Ekeji’s summon by the police came yesterday, just as representatives of MONDO Spa of Italy are said to have concluded plans to visit Nigeria tomorrow for a week-long meeting with government offi-

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FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU

speech was well captured in the media. It was also in the official Congress brochure. The issue was not even raised at the Congress so it was not even in our communiqué. “There was no report from any club or individual on the matter as to be discussed’’. She believes it is the handiwork of those bent on frustrating NWFL’s activities. ‘’Is it mere coincidence that this is coming just as we are about starting the league? We know the origin of such stories.

E-mail letters@ngrguardiannews.com; www.ngrguardiannews.com

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on issues relating to the August 2012 petition, and decided to invite Ekeji to appear at same venue on Tuesday (March 12). The NSC Director-General is expected to report to Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP David Igbodo, on arrival on Tuesday NANF is seeking police enforcement of Justice Abang’s judgment, which ruled last year that the Maigari-led NFF be flushed out from the glass house. Meanwhile, MONDA Spa, a leading sports facilities manufacturer and the official supplier of equipment to the Olympic Games since 1976, is expected in Nigeria tomorrow. MONDO is

also the official supplier to the International Association of Athletic Federation’s World Championship (IAAF) meets since 1984. Leading the visiting team to Nigeria is the General Manager, Palomera Bel Santiago Jose, the expert in charge of MONDO sports equipment, and a senior manager in charge of Africa, Romanos Gracia Alfredo Eduardo. The team will deliberate with the government officials on how MONDO can assist in the sports development in Nigeria through the provision and management of quality sports equipment. The National Sports Festival held in Kaduna in 2009 had the race tracks manufactured by the company.