Saturday 4th February 2017

We're Re-Aligning to Retake Power in 2019, Says PDP Nigerians suffering under the scourging and suffocating mis-governance of the APC

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led

by Ahmed Makarfi says the opposition party is very much

alive and is working assiduously with well-meaning Nigerians to ensure its return to power in 2019, with good governance.

Against the background of reports that alleged that he described PDP as broke and

cannot pay rents or meet other financial obligations, Makarfi said that PDP was intact and not in any financial crisis “as was being alleged by detractors.”

Makarfi, in a statement issued yesterday by the PDP

Spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye, further said that no amount of distraction would stop it “from defending the people of this country from the maladministration of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Makarfi said: "We want to assure all our members and teeming supporters that the PDP is intact and is rebranding to remain stronger. We are strategising and working with well-meaning Nigerians to return

the reign of true democracy and good governance to the people."

On the report that it is unable to meet its financial obligation to staff at the research and Continued on page 6

Presidency Denies Plans to Stop Tuface Protest, Police Insist it Can't Hold ...Page 6 Saturday 4 February, 2017 Vol 21. No 7962. Price: N250

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EU Launches €44bn Economic Development Fund for African Countries Targets Nigeria’s digital industry

Crusoe Osagie

The European Union (EU) yesterday, announced that it has launched a €44 billion Africa economic development fund aimed at helping Nigeria and other African countries

drive economic growth and development.

The Vice President, EU, Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, said EU is already developing a strategic framework for the implementation and disbursement of the fund,

maintaining that the EU is also designing security measures to ensure the fund is effectively and efficiently disbursed.

Ansip during a press briefing in Lagos explained that the fund which would be made available for disbursements

in first quarter 2018 as credit money, was designed to help developing economies cover identified risks to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs).

The fund is also going to help the digital industry in Nigeria which the EU sees as one of the

areas with the strongest growth potential.

He said: "Our aim is to help developing economies. We have decided to create the European external investment fund which is targeted at covering main risks to attract private investment. This

kind of fund was really efficient in the European union (EU) where we created investment for strategic investment and we believe this fund will go a long way to help the African Continued on page 6

Nigeria 'Cited Most Dangerous Place for Christians in the World', Says US Congress Impunity of those responsible for killings seems widespread ...

Yemi Adebowale The United States House of Representatives says Nigeria has been cited as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world and that impunity for those responsible for the killing of Christians in the country “seems to be widespread.”

The Chairman of its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Human Rights and International Organisation, Christopher Smith, stated this in a letter inviting former President Goodluck Jonathan to make a presentation to the SubCommittee on the challenges faced by Christians in Nigeria and the Niger Delta issue.

Although, the event held on the 1st and 2nd February, the actual content of the letter is only just revealed with its labelling of Nigeria as the most dangerous country to be a Christian.

Smith, in the letter made exclusively available

to THISDAY, said: “My subcommittee has broadly investigated the crises facing Christians in Nigeria today. My staff director, Greg Simpkins and I have made several visits to Nigeria, speaking with Christians and Muslim religious leaders across the country and visiting fire-bombed churches, such as in Jos. Unfortunately, Nigeria has been cited as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world and impunity for those responsible for the killing of Christians seem to be widespread.

“In fulfillment of your foundation’s mandate to promote democracy, peace and transformational change, I invite you to come to the United States next week to share your views on this matter, including the alleged Islamisation of government under the current administration and the actions Continued on page 6

the obamas savour vacation...

Former President Barack Obama flips his hat to the back as he enjoys a laid-back holiday on Richard Branson's private island with wife, Michellle ...The Obamas have returned from vacation to a rented apartment in Washington DC SOURCE: Internet

Four Skye Bank's Executive Directors Resign... Page 15

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Presidency Denies Plans to Stop Tuface Protest, Police Insist it Can't Hold Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja and Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

The federal government yesterday night denied speculations that it was planning to stop the planned protest by pop star, Tuface (Innocent Idibia) against the economic hardship across the country.

The media assistant to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, dismissed the speculation, saying that government remained committed to the rights of Nigerians to protest.

"We are not about to stop the protest, that will amount to violation of the right to descent. As a matter of fact, we are very well connected to

the people as you will recall, this is the only government in history that has created a social intervention fund of about half a trillion Naira to assist Nigerians.

It is therefore wrong to say that this government does not feel the pain of the people."

However, Police authorities in Abuja yesterday said it was currently in possession of credible intelligence reports that other interest groups were planning to hold a counter protest on Monday 6th, “same places, same day Tuface Idibia group planned to hold its.”

The Force averred that clash of these two groups could lead to break down of law and order.

This was contained in a

statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Jimoh Moshood, which was made available to the media late Friday night.

According to him, if these various planned protests are held simultaneously, there may be breakdown of law and order, with attendant loss of lives and property.

The statement reads: "The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to publications in the media on the planned protests slated for 5th and 6th February, 2017 in Lagos and other States by different groups, one to be led by the popular musician Innocent Idibia aka Tuface musician and other opposing groups.

"Nigeria Police Force is deeply concerned with the security implications with regard to the planned protest/demonstrations, and as the lead security agency in the country, is fully aware and recognizes the constitutional rights of every citizen (including Tuface and his group) to assemble and move freely in any part of the country.

The Force PRO said Police is fully cognizant of its constitutional responsibilities of taking any proactive/ preventive security measures, adding that it is in the interest of public safety, public order, public morality or public health that the protest should not hold.

“That Innocent Idibia (a.k.a

Tuface) and his group are hereby advised strongly to shelve their planned peaceful protest/ demonstration in the interest of peace and security.

"That the other opposing groups are equally advised strongly to shelve its planned counter protest/demonstration in the interest of peace and security.

"That the Nigeria Police Force is prepared to employ every possible legal means for the maintenance of law and order; and for the protection of lives and property."

Moshood warned parents and guardians, religious/opinion leaders and other interest groups to prevail on their children and wards, followers and adherents

not to allow themselves to be used by any group to cause disturbance of public peace and break down of law and order.

Also yesterday, a civil society organisation, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), advised the organisers of the February 6 anti-government rally and those who wish to join them that they are protected by the fundamental laws of the land.

CSJ said: "Any attempt by any authority, no matter how highly placed to disrupt the rally will be ultra vires their powers, unconstitutional and a grave violation of constitutional rights which will found a good cause of action for aggravated damages in a court of law."

Drama at Centenary City Hearing, Anyim Accuses Hembe of Pursuing Personal Agenda Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

It was drama galore yesterday at the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) investigative hearing into the Centenary City project in Abuja, as the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim accused the Chairman of the Committee, Herman Hembe of pursuing a personal agenda with the hearing.

Hembe’s committee is conducting investigations into alleged irregularities surrounding the Centenary City project. It was however overshadowed by more drama between Hembe

and a former Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, and also between Hembe and another committee member, Linus Okorie.

Hembe, according to Anyim, is bent on extracting a pound of flesh for his, Anyim's refusal, to sack the former Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh, after a public spat.

Oteh, at an investigative hearing by the House into the activities of SEC in 2011 had publicly accused Hembe, who was chair of the committee, of demanding a bribe from her, and other corrupt practices.

The spat, which was beamed

live, led to the suspension of the hearing.

Anyim, at the hearing yesterday said Hembe had pushed for Oteh's sack.

"You have told everybody that cared to listen that when the former DG of SEC accused you of demanding bribe from her, you pushed for her to be sacked and I refused to sack her while I was SGF, and so this is an opportunity for you to pay me back. Mr. Chairman, I will not allow you to use the National Assembly platform to pursue personal vendetta," he said.

Anyim also alleged that Hembe has been sending

messages to the Managing Director of the Centenary City Project PLC, Dr. Odenigwe Ike Michael, to come and see him privately.

"It was after all your efforts to get the MD to come and see you privately failed, that you confirmed this date (after several postponements). I want you to know that nobody will see you privately, rather we are ready for the hearing," Anyim said.

The former SGF had earlier noted that the committee did not follow the right protocol in the process of inviting him as a former Chairman of the National Assembly.

Anyim was Senate President

EU Launches €44bn Economic Development Fund for African Countries economy."

According to him, the fund would go a long way in reducing the number of refugees who seek greener pastures in European countries, saying that in the last two years, Europe has experienced the greatest mass movement of people since the second World war.

He pointed out that more than 1 million refugees and migrants have arrived in the EU, adding that EU has agreed on a range of measures to deal with the crisis.

"This fund meant for supporting development in African countries will be

beneficial to the European countries as you know today that most people in Africa prefer to leave African countries to seek greener pastures in European countries. We are faced with lots of refugee crisis. To tackle this menace, we can provide some help to those countries to help build their economies instead of seeking refuge in Europe," he said.

He said, "Our aim is to support digital development in Africa and also help to build healthy economies in developing countries. The EU is the biggest donor of digital development

aids. We believe the fragment of digital aid is little in developing countries, this is where we are.

The European Union wants to support digital development in Africa. We will like to provide financing to build strong and healthier economies in developing countries in Africa."

He said digital development in Nigeria and in other African countries has grown rapidly, noting that internet penetration has grown to over 80 per cent where 100 per cent of Nigerians now has access to Internet services.

"The development was much

more rapid when compared to Europe. I believe in digital development for the bright future of Africa," he said.

He said funds are important for economic development, but stressed that ideas and how to cooperate with other African countries is even more critical to get more assistance of development funds.

He said African countries must create the right environment for digital development, create an effective regulatory environment that would have a much bigger influence than funds in the future of African countries.

Nigeria 'Cited' Most Dangerous Place for Christians in the World, Says US Congress your foundation is prepared to take in pursuit of religious freedom.”

The sub-committee also congratulated the Nigerian former President on the establishment of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, adding, “Your timely concession after your electoral loss in 2015, demonstrates a commitment to democracy and the stability of your nation, which was acknowledged by current President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Jonathan, who was invited by the sub-committee in his capacity as Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, first addressed the sub-committee on Wednesday, and was invited to a closed-door session on Thursday, during which he said that the implementation of the resolutions of the 2014 National Conference was the

panacea for ethnic and religious tensions in Nigeria.

The former President also identified impunity as a factor contributing to the recurrence of violence, such as the one in Southern Kaduna, noting that if those behind previous crises were not prosecuted, “then like-minded individuals and groups would be emboldened to repeat the same acts.”

Jonathan also talked about his efforts to end impunity, specifically citing the case of Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing of Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, who was arrested, prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned by his administration and was the first successful prosecution of a terrorist attack on a place of worship in Nigeria’s history.

He said: “That promise was

fulfilled on the 20th of December 2013 when Kabiru Umar, aka Kabiru Sokoto, was sentenced to life imprisonment after my administration investigated that crime, identified him as the mastermind, arrested him, and diligently prosecuted him and some of his associates.”

The former president also noted that his administration’s prosecution of the perpetrators of the deadly bombing of an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also in Madalla on April 8, 2011 was the first successful prosecution of terrorists in Nigeria.

While supporting the National Conference’s recommendation for an independent Religious Equity Commission to be set up to apprehend and arrest perpetrators of ethnic and

religious violence, Jonathan maintained that ending impunity would also ease tensions.

On the Niger Delta, the former president said he fully aligned with the views of the 2014 National Conference, which called for true and fiscal federalism as the way out of agitations in the region and in other parts of Nigeria.

The meetings were attended

by Smith and other influential staff of the sub-committee.

Others were Congressman Tony Hall, Ambassador Frank Wolf, Gregory Simpkins and Elijah Brown, who is Vice President of 21 Century Wilberforce Initiative and other stakeholders in Washington.

Former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and Reno Omokri, a former media aide to Jonathan were also at the briefings.

from August 2000 till May 2013.

“The proper protocol in inviting a former Senate President is to have the Clerk of the National Assembly sign the invitation letter,” he said.

He added that the Senate had already conducted a hearing into the Centenary City.

"The two chambers are not independent of each other, rather, they are interdependent. If any chamber takes a decision, the other can just concur...I submit that you have no reason not to consider that the Senate considered this matter, and you shouldn't go ahead to consider it again except for any other motive," he added.

At this point, several members of the committee protested with some shouting "who is he?"

Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba (Kaduna APC) said: "We invited you as former SGF, not former Senate President."

Hembe retorted, "as far as this hearing is concerned, I am chairman here, and I will not allow you to usurp my powers."

Anyim however maintain his ground and urged Hembe to disqualify himself, for having "a deep seated personal interest and bias in this matter and “not in a position to guarantee fair hearing to myself and the entire subject matter."

Hembe declined to disqualify himself and proceedings continued.

The drama however continued when Bala Mohammed also vocally trashed

the committee chairman, accusing him of being childish.

He had initially refused to take an oath saying he would not testify but would rather adopt the position of the FCDA on the Centenary City project.

Mohammed, who is also a former Senator, said he would only speak when asked specific questions.

Hon. Diri Douye (Bayelsa PDP) however insisted Mohammed and any other person for that matter is required by law to testify before House investigative committees when called upon to do so.

This however did not go down well with Mohammed who said: "you are behaving childishly."

The statement miffed the members who rose in arms and asked him to withdraw the statement.

He refused and lashed out at the committee: "I will not take it back. Do your worst, my privileges are infringed by this show of childishness.

Go to Court, do your worst."

Hembe however scolded Mohammed: "We expect as an elder, as a Senator and a former Minister, your conduct should be above board."

More drama again occurred between Hembe and Linus Okorie (Ebonyi PDP) as the latter continued to demand to speak, during the proceedings.

Continued on page 53

We're Re-Aligning to Retake Power in 2019, Says PDP training institute, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) in Abuja, PDP described it as outright falsehood .

"The entire allegation in the publication represents outright falsehood and only exists in the imagination of the writers and their collaborators. The PDP is not broke and does not owe rent on the property being used by the PDI located on Wuse II, Abuja.

"Let us place on record that the PDI's financial responsibilities are being met accordingly. Just last week, the Caretaker Committee approved monthly imprest for the Institute, and its staff salaries are paid at the same time with that of the PDP staffers.

"For emphasis, all staff of the

party and that of the Institute have received their January 2017 salary last week which the secretary of the Staff Welfare Committee confirmed in that publication.

The statement accused the estranged former national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff of embarking on blackmail and outright falsehood to tarnish the reputation of the party and the National Caretaker Committee.

"We cannot be distracted and again, we advise Sheriff and his cohorts in the ruling party, the APC to let the PDP be.

Nigerians are suffering under the scourging and suffocating mis-governance of the APC and our duty as opposition is to hold the government accountable to its promises."

T H I S D AY SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2017

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February 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale Governor Okorocha’s ‘Imo Air’ Escapade 07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

W

onders will never cease in Imo State.

Actions and inactions of Governor Rochas Okorocha often leave me disheartened. This governor has persistently complained about inadequate fund to pay workers and to run this state efficiently. As a result, civil servants have gone without salaries for months (in some cases, years), while the level of infrastructure decay in the state is terrifying. Retirees are also wallowing in poverty, due to enormous unpaid annuities. All these have resulted in so much poverty in this largely “civil servant” state. Then, Okorocha suddenly crops up with a commercial aircraft, said to have been acquired with the funds of the suffering masses of the state. He then goes about celebrating, and creating a dubious impression that this is capable of turning around the fortune of the state.

I doubt if there was any consultation with the people before Okorocha made this acquisition. The amount paid for the “Tokunbo” aircraft is also still a closely guarded secret. I really can’t fathom the sense in this investment. The whole arrangement is looking suspicious. For example, the state has no commercial airline licence. As a result, the aircraft has been transferred to Dana Air, to be used as part of its fleet, to run the LagosOwerri and Abuja-Owerri routes. I can’t see any dividend accruing to Imo State from this arrangement. All the domestic airlines are struggling to survive. So how will this third-party arrangement bring dividend to Imo State? This is

Okorocha

clearly a “one chance” investment.

Again, it is unfair to invest the limited funds of the traumatised people of Imo State in this aircraft. Okorocha’s statement that Imo indigenes will get 10% discount on this aircraft is outlandish.

Obviously, the struggling masses of Imo State have no business with air travel. So sad that funds that ought to have gone into improving the lives of the masses of the state have been diverted to the acquisition of an aircraft.

It is heart-warming that concerned citizens of this state are already tackling Okorocha over this hilarious investment. Former Permanent Secretary, Imo,

Dino Melaye Vs Governor Yahaya Bello All is not well in Kogi State, as Senator Dino Melaye tackles Governor Yahaya Bello over unpaid civil servants. The Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress is backing Melaye. They have jointly given the governor four weeks ultimatum to reconcile the ongoing staff audit in the state and pay the distressed workers or face the rage of the people. “About 80 per cent of workers’ salaries and entitlements have not been paid since January 2016,” remarked Dino. This Senator and his gang are threatening a statewide protest against Bello if things remained as they are. No doubt, the strategy adopted for the staff

audit is causing so much pain among the genuine civil servants, with many of them going without salaries for almost a year.

I know that there is a lot of politics here.

Governor Bello should come up with pragmatic tactics that will reduce the time spent on this staff audit. Spending over a year doing staff audit is outrageous. This governor should also provide empirical evidence on how the N30 billion bailout fund and N11.2 billion Paris Club refund from the federal government were utilised.

This will help reduce the heat in Kogi. For me, Dino and his clique are surely making sense.

Efritin.com Storms out of Nigeria The storm of departure of foreign investors from Nigeria has continued, with leading e-classified advert player, Efritin.com shutting its office in Nigeria.

This is coming just about 17 months after its official launch. Workers are already being sacked at the head office in Ikeja, Lagos, while office properties are being auctioned. Nils Hammar, CEO, Saltside Technologies (owners of Efritin) confirmed the decision to close down its Nigerian office, blaming harsh economic conditions in the country as the primary factor. He also fears that the current economic recession in the country may remain the same up to last quarter of 2017. Cost of data in Nigeria was furthermore cited as a challenge for Efritin. com. “We are reducing our investment in Nigeria. That effectively means we are reducing our staff; everybody has to go. But in terms of using the site, it will continue as before. By investment, we mean the investment we made from the

launch, it will be reduced,” Hammar said. Hundreds of jobs have gone down again. Our unemployment crisis is compounded daily, as these investors pull out of Nigeria. There is an urgent need to rejig our crooked forex policy.

I am also worried that Nigeria’s capital imports slumped to a nine-year low in 2016. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed this week that capital importation into Nigeria fell 47 per cent last year to $5.12 billion, largely because the weak currency meant fewer dollars were required for the same naira investment. It said $9.64 billion was imported in 2015. “This was the lowest value since the (data) series started in 2007, which reflects the numerous economic challenges that afflicted Nigeria in 2016,” the statistics office said. Any government that is genuinely interested in the welfare of its people should take pragmatic steps to reverse this trend.

This economy is in a big mess.

State Ministry of Works, Dr. Cletus Nnorom, was apropos when he called on the House of Assembly to commence impeachment process against the Imo State Governor over this acquisition. “Enough is enough, the governor thinks everybody is a fool in this state and we must stand for our rights. We have kept quiet for a long time and I am personally going to make it official with the lawmakers,” remarked Nnorom.

The Imo State Coordinator of True Ambassador, an NGO, Mr. Kingsley Ibe, agreed that floating an airline by the governor was an impeachable offence because it was never captured in the 2016 budget: “We are calling for the governor’s impeachment because he never followed due process in floating Imo Airline. The governor should limit his projects to the budget approved for him by the lawmakers and since he decided to run the affairs of Imo State as a private business, he should be impeached.”

The tenure of Okorocha has no doubt been horrendous. The people of this state have never had it so bad.

Imo has become a failed state, with its government unable to meet its basic responsibilities to the citizens. Civil servants and retirees are now walking corpses. The level of infrastructure decay in this state is frightening.

Facilities in the health, education and other sectors have collapsed. For me, with over two years left of his second term, Governor Okorocha still has enough time to put some smile on the faces of the disturbed citizens of Imo State, by being people-oriented in his approach to governance. If this governor is conjecturing about how to do this, then, I am suggesting that he should go back and read the “love letter” written to him last year by former Governor Ikedi Ohakim. The letter

encompasses all that is required to put a bit of smile on the faces Imo people.

The section where Ohakim criticised the “senseless” demolition of buildings in Owerri is germane. With this action, the Imo State governor has simply compounded the agony of the people. Just as Ohakim noted, the hapless people affected “were neither given adequate notice nor was compensation discussed/paid before bulldozers were sent to destroy their properties.”

Ohakim added: “There is so much unruliness in the state with government officials showing the lead. But the truth is that they are like the proverbial young goat which watches the mother while it chews cord. Your Excellency, there is a built-up anger over the way the people are being displaced from their business locations, more so as this reminds them of the indiscriminate revocation and reallocation of lands in Owerri for which several complaints have been made in the last five years. Right now, there are over 250 cases in court against the state government by the very citizens you are governing. What an irony!

“You and I know that given the current economic situation in the country, this is the most inappropriate time to destroy the houses of people or destroy structures that house their means of livelihood without adequate alternative arrangement. Agreed, multiple lane roads are desirable but it should not be achieved by suddenly throwing hapless citizens into homelessness, joblessness and excruciating economic pains from which they may never recover.”

My dear Governor Okorocha should reflect deeply on Ohakim’s message, implement the suggestions and take pragmatic steps to ameliorate the suffering of the people of this state. As a first good logical step, he should auction this unnecessary aircraft and use the money to reduce the agony of Imo civil servants.

Memo to Chief of Defence Staff Dear General Gabriel Olonisakin, this is to remind you of the pending appeal of 30 out of the 38 senior officers compulsorily retired by the Army Council in June last year. According to the Army, they were retired for reasons ranging from alleged money laundering and arms procurement scam, to illegal sale of military vehicle and professional misconduct in election matters.

Thirty of them have appealed against their retirement and are asking for reinstatement.

Some said that they were not granted fair hearing, while others claimed that they were falsely accused and wrongfully retired.

Unfortunately, seven months after these men filed their petitions, they are yet to get feedback. The last seven months have been harrowing for these retired officers, while waiting for the result of their appeals. Most of the affected officers are believed to have been retired without query or indictment by any panel. This is preposterous and a contravention of Army rule. Some were not even in the country when the alleged offences were committed. One of the affected officers remarked: “I did not participate in any elections, was not invited anywhere for investigation, was not mentioned for defence contracts scam but yet I was retired without being queried.”

I wonder if you know that one of those waiting for the result of this appeal, Lt Col Ojecho Adah Baba-Ochankpa‎ is dead.

Baba-Ochankpa was the Commanding Officer 343 Air Defence Regiment‎, Elele, during the 2015 general elections. He was alleged to have been involved in electoral malpractice and appeared before the army panel in 2015.

However, he was not court-martialled and had appealed his summary retirement. His family has lost a husband, father and son

Olonisakin

who was not found guilty of committing any offence by a competent court and was not granted fair hearing by the army. Similarly, his appeal is yet to be treated. How would his young wife and kids feel? Doesn’t he deserve justice and fairness even in death?

The Army authority clearly breached its own laws by ending the careers of these brilliant officers abruptly. They are looking forward to getting justice through you.

They want to be reinstated into the army.

The story in town is that their appeals have been passed to the President. Kindly do everything within the ambit of the law, to ensure that they get justice. Justice delayed is justice denied.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

super saturday Praise Sam Ogan

I Will Beg God to Reduce My Boobs – They are Too With velvety dark skin and curvy body, Praise Sam Ogan, can pass as a sexy screen goddess.

But, the young and vibrant Nollywood actress portrays beauty and brain in a straightforward manner. Unequivocal and candid, Ogan talks about issues that many would only mention in whispers. In this interview with Oge Ezeliora, the gifted actress takes a look at her personal life, her challenges, her family and various roles in movies. She also reveals what she will ask God if she gets a chance to appeal to Him. Her big boobs top the items in her wish list I Started Acting as a kid in Anglican Church

I

Why did you choose acting? have always had the passion for acting; I was born in the Anglican Communion, taking part in the church’s drama group.

So the passion has been there. I didn’t just wake up one morning to be an actress.

What did you study in school?

I have a certificate in Foreign Languages and Literature (University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State); I also studied Mass Communication at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. State Why didn’t you practise journalism?

I practise journalism and I still act. I am a freelance presenter. I used to co-anchor a programme – Personality, Places and Event – on Africa Independent Television (AIT). It is aired every Sunday. I also did my internship with Wetv (Wazobia) in Lagos. I was one of the anchors at the 2016 Lagos Carnival.

How did you combine acting and journalism?

Then, I rarely took up movie jobs.

Because of time I couldn’t be on a set for a week when I have events to cover and prepare for the week’s airing. But now I am a freelancer. So it’s no longer a problem.

What movie brought you into the limelight?

I acted in about three movies four years ago before I stopped and went for my studies. Then I came back to the industry last year. I starred in a movie, ‘Assassinator’, (directed by Austin Fanni), ‘Warrior Sisters’, (directed by Micheal Jaja), ‘The Hustlers’, (King-size production), ‘Secondary Schoolgirls’ (1 & 2 production), ‘Hot Pants’, ‘The Virgin’s First Night’, (Pcollions production ), among others. The movie that brought me fame is ‘My Prophecy’. It was challenging and I acted with Yul Edochie and Ken Erics. It was very challenging because I played the role of a Ghanaian interior decorator, and as an upcoming actress playing a sub-lead with senior colleagues, you have to be at your best and trust me I was bold and focused, to the extent that I got commended

by Yul. I spoke like a Ghanaian and behaved like

one on set.

How did you get to act that role successfully?

As an actor you should be able to interpret any role given to you. In terms of languages, character, display and the rest. You just have to deliver. Although, I speak like them, my accent naturally sounds so. People ask me every day if I am a Ghanaian. So everything worked for good in the movie. I have been to Ghana. I watch a lot of their films, coupled with the love I have for Jackie Appiah.

Are your parents in support of what you do?

Yes, they are. Every member of my family is in support though I had issues convincing my dad. But now he appreciates and encourages me to put in my best. I am a preacher’s kid. I can’t forget my lines when begging him them: ‘Daddy, actors are like ministers too’.

Can you act nude?

I cannot act nude.

But can you kiss romantically in a movie?

Oh yes. I can, if the script says so.

But people see you as a preacher’s daughter; after watching your movies don’t they criticise you?

Yes, they do. It’s normal. I don’t think I am the only preacher’s kid in the industry. The truth is that people will talk. It is my responsibility not to drag my family’s integrity through the mud.

Can you have sex in a movie under bed sheet?

(Laughs) Everything we do on set is makebelieve. Who wants to be having sex in a room filled with crew members and shots being taken? Come on! It’s not done. It’s not professional. I have never seen that happen.

What is your view about sexual harassment in the movie industry?

This question is too popular. The truth is, sexual harassment happens in every sector of the country. I don’t have a personal view, though it hasn’t come my way.

If you have to change anything about you in life what will you change?

Oh my boobs! I would (love to) reduce it. I am

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

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saturday My Boobs Are Too Big and Attractive

Every member of my family is in support though I had issues convincing my dad. But now he appreciates and encourages me to put in my best.

I am a preacher’s kid. I can’t forget my lines when begging him them: ‘Daddy, actors are like ministers too too busty for my liking. It causes unnecessary attention. If God comes now and says ‘my daughter what do you want me to do for you?’ I will beg God to reduce my boobs. Though they look so beautiful but there are dresses you want to wear but because you are busty you will not be able to do so. The worst part is anytime I enter a place the first thing people will notice are my boobs. That is annoying and so embarrassing.

But so many women wish they have big boobs?

Well, that is what they want. But I am not too comfortable with my big boobs. It is just too big and attractive. The only issue I have with my boobs is that I cannot wear a dress I love. When you are busty you have a limit as to what you can wear. I find that annoying.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Hmmm. Joseph Benjamin and Mercy Johnson; they are my crush for life. I love Mercy Johnson because she is a very good actress. I respect her a lot and I can’t wait to be on set with her. I recently missed a job that I was supposed to act alongside her. I was on set for another video, ‘Professor Johnbull’, the Globacom series.

Anytime I watch her movies, I am speechless.

She gives me goose bumps. I send her direct message always on Instagram.

Did you go into acting because of money?

No, I didn’t go into acting because of making money. I went into acting because of the passion I have for it. I am so passionate about acting. There is no much money like you think in acting. But truth should be told everybody wants to be paid for time invested in a venture or project. Even the Bible says every man should be paid his or her wages. But for me, the passion comes first before other things. I even forget to eat when I am working.

How did you feel the first day you faced the camera?

Wow! Without sounding boastful, I was bold before the camera that my director was so impressed.

What are some challenges you have faced in Nollywood?

Life itself is full of challenges. You know it’s not easy sailing through in any field as long as

you are a fresher. Nollywood particularly is an industry filled with a lot of competitions.

I strongly believe your ability to stand your ground will take you higher. In life, people tend to discourage you maybe because you are still a greenhorn. They try to stop you from becoming what you want to be unless you are determined.

But I bless God for life. I am always focused.

Nobody can discourage me. I know what I want in life. So no matter the challenges I pass through, I can never be discouraged.

Can you describe your childhood?

Growing up was fine; I grew up in Port Harcourt, Rivers State – Trans-Amadi, to be precise. I went to Seashell Nursery and Primary School and several secondary schools because my father was an Anglican priest. If you know the Anglican Communion style, they are always being transferred after two years. So it affected my education and that of my siblings.

What is your ambition?

I want to become great woman; successful in my field and celebrated beyond expectations.

Are you engaged or single?

I am not married. I think that’s all you should know for now.

Have you ever been embarrassed by a fan of yours?

I won’t call it an embarrassment but a surprise. I was a crazy local girl in the movie ‘Hot Pant’. I was sleeping with virtually every man that came my way – even pastors. Afan that watched it on YouTube ran into me at an airport and exclaimed: ‘Wow! Oh my God! Are you the girl in ‘Hot Pants’?’ I said yes. She hugged me so dearly and everybody was just starring. I was embarrassed though in a way. I never knew the movie was on YouTube. That experience made me to check the movie out on YouTube.

What do you cherish most in life?

My family.

What are your dislikes?

I dislike craftiness, dishonesty and embarrassment.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see myself being a great, successful woman

and married with beautiful kids.

What is your advice for young ladies who are aspiring to become actress like you?

They should believe in themselves. Put God first. They should be focused in whatever they are doing. They should also be straightforward.

The sky will be their starting point.

I Want to Be a Successful Woman and Great Mother

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FEBRUARY 4, 2017• THISDAY, The SATURDAY Newspaper

commentary

NCC, Danbatta And Public Intellectualism Umar Danbatta is giving free rein to his intellect at NCC, writes Yakubu Musa

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istinct commonalities often stand out in bold relief about most academics and intellectual heavyweights who find themselves in public service. They are usually transformational, out-of-box thinkers who swiftly roll out comprehensive blueprints, which encapsulate their vision and mission for new challenges. Exuding supreme confidence is another trait they share, which perhaps explains why they could be daring in decision making. Nonetheless, they won’t shy away from chipping in quality contribution to public discourse - which their intellectual cutting edge enables them to do rather effortlessly.

Prof. Charles Chukuma Soludo probably shocked the nation’s banking industry with his audacious consolidation policy. Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s out-of-box strategy provided the shield we badly needed as a nation during the 2007 global financial meltdown. Akinwumi Adesina boldly attempted to revolutionalise our agricultural sector with his business model. And, Malam Nasiru el- Rufai was fearless both as the Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and as the Minister the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

However, while Soludu as the number one banker in the country chose to consolidate, El-Rufai as the man spearheading the privatisation of the nation’s public utilities was busy unbundling the behemoth energy corporation that was supplying meagre amount of megawatts of electricity to the giant of Africa. He also midwifed the telecom sector reform we currently enjoy.

We now have Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive ViceChairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who announced his entry into the telecom industry with yet another “big bang” decision. No sooner had President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him than he wielded the big regulatory stick in the nation’s telecom sector. He would follow that with his eight-point agenda, a road map of aligned strategic management policy of NCC. Interestingly - like Soludo or other intellectual giants mentioned above - that Danbatta has managed to mix his time-consuming assignment at the NCC with public intellectualism is something worth underlining. Indeed, it is not only the nation’s broadband that is witnessing a quantum leap in terms of expansion under Danbatta’s leadership of the NCC - growing from 10% to close to 21% as revealed by ITU-ENESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, but his contribution to public discourse cannot go unnoticed.

Danbatta received a standing ovation of respected colleagues last year when he presented a lecture titled, “The National Broadband Plan as a Catalyst for Social and Economic Transformation: The NCC Mandate”, at the Nigerian Academy of Engineering. It wasn’t the first time though that he would receive this kind of appreciation. It is on record that the professor of telecommunications engineering was the first NCC boss to address the executive course

It is in our national interest to harness potential that exist in the informationdriven age through the deployment and exploitation of ICT to facilitate socioeconomic development and improvement of the human condition

of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). Just last week, Danbatta wowed the academic community of University of Nigeria, Nsukka after joining the league of eminent Nigerians like former President Olusegun Obsanjo to deliver the convocation symposium of the revered varsity. He spoke on the role of ICT Infrastructure in Tertiary Education in Nigeria: NCC Intervention.

However, it was much more than what the title suggests.

Danbatta referenced the works of renowned economists and social scientists to buttress points. He would intermittently quote from Joseph Eugene Stiglitz, Rodrick or Joseph Schumpeter.

Indeed, while the presentation was generously spiced intellectually, in terms of statistics and academic citations, Danbatta chose to draw the curtain on it with a clarion call for all and sundry to begin to see the role of digital transformation beyond the realm of statistical figures churned out by the industry. “We talk about the benefits of ICT and we normally do this by dishing out e-readiness indicators. We say broadband penetration is 21%, internet penetration 97%. All these are ICT-readiness indicators that do not tell the entire story,” he observed, adding, “We can go beyond that and explain how ICTs have impacted to provide shared and sustainable prosperity; how ICTs have succeeded in reducing poverty; how they improve learning and make the society more open, more mobile and cohesive. And, above all, how they encourage the economy to be more competitive and innovative. These are the ends of digital transformation and not the input-output figures we normally reel out.”

For Professor Danbatta, “It is in Nigeria’s national interest to harness potential that exist in the information-driven age through the deployment and exploitation of ICT to facilitate socio-economic development and improvement of the human condition.”

He said the less developed countries (LDCs) are now grappling with a broadband divide in addition to infrastructure, knowledge and information divides. “Of the world’s over five billion broadband subscriptions, North America and European Union control over 50% while South America and sub-Saharan Africa, where Nigeria belongs, account for only 3% of this global share,” he lamented.

Yet as Danbatta continues to use the platforms of different public forums to spray us generously with his intellectual perfume, we must not lose sight of the fact that the industry he superintends over has also shown remarkable performance during his tenure.

Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (BPE) show that in spite of the challenging waters of economic downturn the nation is waddling through, the telecom sector was, last year, contributed between N 1.4 trillion and N1.5 trillion to the GDP, the highest it has recorded in its history. The industry is hoping that the trend will be sustained for a very long time. And it has Danbatta who is not short of both the passion and the blueprint to ensure that.

Musa, SA (Media) to the EVC-NCC, wrote from Abuja

Ambode’s Quiet Revolution (2)

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Taiwo Ogundipe writes that Akinwunmi Amdode is committed to creating wealth and securing Lagos State

he Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Mr. Akintunde Oyebode, expressed optimism that the fund would have multiplier effect with the capacity to create 300,000 direct and 600,000 indirect jobs while about 200,000 new tax payers would be added to the state’s tax net.

He said that the LSETF board, in order to ensure sustainability of the fund, has set its target to raise a minimum of N25 billion from domestic and international donors, in addition to the N25 billion already committed by the state government. He stated further, “Once the pilot phase is completed, we will roll out our loan schemes in all 57 LGAs and LCDAs across Lagos State. The full rollout will see us visit all LGAs to hold stakeholder sessions, where our staff will educate applicants on the application process, and the eligibility criteria for our various schemes. We are also in the process of setting up liaison offices in 20 LGAs, to bring the fund’s activities closer to the people, and increase our points of representation to serve Lagos residents.”

Mr. Oyebode was corroborated by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Dr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, who said Governor Ambode’s administration was committed to ensuring the fund impacts on the lives of Lagosians. The Chairman, House Committee on Wealth Creation and Employment, Hon. Sola Giwa, assured that members of the House would give the operational guidelines of the fund expeditious passage. “This is one of the pivotal promises of Governor Ambode and I can assure you that the House would do its best to ensure that we do it right,” Giwa said.

Also during the 3rd Quarter 2016 Town Hall meeting (5th in the series) designed to render accounts of stewardship of Governor Ambode’s

administration at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 11, 2016, the governor announced, “We will roll out all our empowerment programmes immediately to assist all our youth, artisans and the needy.

The funding for the N500 million Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter.”

Governor Ambode also disclosed plans to recruit at least 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers with new recruits expected to earn at least N25, 000 monthly with other allowances. The goal of this scheme is to beef up the security in the state, especially at the community level.

He said the neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which he signed into law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing in the state. No doubt this is also enhancing the employment profile of the state.

The governor pushes his employment agenda at every relevant forum. At the One Lagos Fiesta which recently held in Epe area of Lagos, Ambode urged youths in the state to cultivate the habit of working hard in order to be successful, to embrace peace and shun violence. Noting that he set out like most of the youths and became the governor of Lagos State through the grace of God, he promised that his administration would continue to create an enabling environment for the youths to aspire to be who they want to be.

While speaking on the facilities provided for youths in Lagos State, the governor referenced the Employment Trust Fund. “Those of you who are out of school or are graduates now and you do not have jobs; the ETF is available for all of you. Between now and November next year, we are providing an Arts Theatre in

Epe. It is going to be a 500-seater Theatre and we will also have a modern cinema here in Epe. “We are bringing a shopping mall to Epe also. We will create more jobs but I want you to be the best. I will support you and I pray that all the things that I have gained from here, you will gain better ones than me,” he said.

During yet another outing while referring to his efforts in the area of job creation, Ambode recalled that an MoU for the Lagos Smart City was signed with the operators of the Dubai Smart City, while the agreement is expected to bring multi-billion dollar investments to the state, create employment opportunities and transform the Ibeju-Lekki axis and the entire Lagos State.

He also recalled that another MoU was signed for the Lagos State Medical Park, adding that the initiative would bring more investment which in turn will create jobs and make Lagos a destination for medical tourism.

The outing was the town hall meeting, which took place at the Muslim Community Praying Ground in Badagry. The governor recalled during the occasion the recruitment of a total of 1,300 teachers for primary schools. He also disclosed that in the next two weeks, the state government would start recruiting another 1,000 teachers for secondary schools across the state.

He also seized the occasion to intimate the state on his future plans, revealing that his administration was working round the clock to build an economy beyond oil, adding, “The future of Lagos is about tourism and services.”

In line with this vision, Governor Ambode made a declaration at the official commissioning of ‘The George’, a hospitality centre in Ikoyi‎, Lagos, that his administration will take

advantage of the huge potential available in the hospitality sector to create jobs for youths in the state. At yet another forum, Ambode declared that Lagos is home to those who can dream big. The governor spoke at the unveiling of the Eko Pearl Towers, a 24-storey state-of-the-art residential building, located within the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island. He said the state has the capacity and wherewithal to accommodate those who can dream big and realise their potential to the fullest. In his words, “Lagos is the land of opportunities and many investment opportunities abound in transportation, entertainment and tourism. Our commitment is to create an environment where your investments are secure and profitable,” he said. He said the Eko Atlantic City Project, when completed, would go a long way to create employment and wealth for the people of the state.

Governor Ambode is also on record as having donated N5 million seed funding to students under the state’s Ready Set Work (RSW) programme. The RSW is an entrepreneurship and employability training programme for final year students of tertiary institutions in Lagos State aimed at preparing them for economic productivity as value-creating employees or employers of labour.

He has approved the sum of N15.5million as seed funding and grants for the programme. At the end of the programme, the top performing students in the employability track will be placed in six-month internship positions with various organisations. The governor said the state was proud of the graduates, adding that his administration believes strongly that the future of the country lies in the hands of the youths.

Ogundipe wrote from Lagos

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FEBRUARY 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The SATURDAY Newspaper

insight

What next?

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Lagos and the Anti- Kidnapping Law

t is no longer news that Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode recently signed the Anti-Kidnapping Law, which stipulates death penalty for kidnappers. The law recommends death for kidnappers in whose custody victims died and life jail for those who kidnapped for ransom. Espousing the importance of security to his administration, the governor said: “Security is of utmost importance to our administration and we are confident that this law will serve as a deterrent to anybody who may desire to engage in this wicked act within the boundaries of Lagos”.

The anti-kidnapping law is comprehensive as it prescribes punishment for the actors, the collaborators, the aiders and those who saw the kidnapping being perpetrated and did nothing about it. Speaking on the motivation behind the new law, Governor Ambode disclosed that the wave of kidnappings had got to a stage where the government could no longer fold its arms and watch. Thus, the law is meant to send signal to kidnappers that an end has come to their criminal game.

Aside the law, Ambode makes known other measures being put in place by the state government to stem the tide of kidnapping in the state. This includes renewed security mechanism in schools and other soft targets, especially popular public places to check kidnapping and other security violations.

It is not surprising that the Lagos State Government is paying deserved attention to security issues. Lagos, being the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, has enormous security challenges bearing in mind its burgeoning population, its ports and waterways, its border with Benin Republic as well as its numerous banks, industries and other commercial enterprises.

With this peculiar status, the rate of crime in Lagos, over the years, has been relatively higher than other parts of the country. Kidnapping for ransom is becoming a major crime in Lagos. Kidnapping was ‘invented’ in the creeks of the Niger Delta by militants as a way of coercing government to meet their developmental demand. Later it was ‘perfected’ in the South East for commercial purposes. Today, the crime is a money spinning industry.

According to a Freedom House report, Nigeria recorded one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world in 2013. Similarly, the US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 indicates that kidnapping and related violence were “serious” problems in Nigeria.

Today, in Nigeria, kidnappers spare neither the old nor the young. Their victims cut across age grades while hitherto considered sacred men have been touched. Father of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Pa Ebele Jonathan was kidnapped while his son was the Vice-President. Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, Chief

Olu Falae, and a traditional ruler in Lagos, Oniba of Iba, Yishau Goriola Oseni, among other high profile personalities which included parents of footballers like Joseph Yobo and Mikel Obi had all been kidnapped in the recent past. Last year, three school girls were seized from Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, but were later freed by the police. And recently, students and staff of Turkish International School, Isheri, Ogun State, were kidnapped and later released. Just in the same manner society has always used punishment to discourage prospective criminals from unlawful act, the signing of the anti-kidnapping law is understandably aimed at checkmating the spate of kidnapping with stiffer penalties, including death sentence for offenders. With the enactment and signing of the law, government has read out the riot act to kidnappers and their collaborators that the game is over.

Currently, the pain that the spate of kidnapping is causing the country is enormous. We are a nation in recession and, therefore, in dire need of fresh investments that could boost the economy.

Naturally, no sane investor would want to put his money in an unsafe environment. So, kidnapping grossly undermines the country’s economic prospect. Not only this, it is an embarrassment to the image of the country. It doesn’t do our nation much good to be viewed in the comity of nations as a haven of rogues and criminals.

Jeddy Omisore, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

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orshippers of the two predominant religions in the country Christianity and Islam - believe in Heaven and Hell. Heaven is for those who did not sin before they died while hell is for those who committed sin and did not repent before their death.

Heaven is for enjoyment. Hell simply means suffering. The hardship in Nigeria can be easily equated with hell in the mist of plenty.

I am simply referring to the unprecedented suffering many Nigerians are passing through in the face of the prevailing electricity power supply. The problem has defied solutions in the past as well as the present administration. The federal government sometime ago increased electricity tariff in defiance of the court and criticism by majority of consumers. When the electricity companies wanted to increase tariff, it was argued that they should be allowed six months to judge their performance. But it went ahead to forcefully impose exorbitant tariff on electricity consumers. In spite of this they have not lived up to expectations.

For now entire neighbourhoods are plunged into darkness for weeks.

Yet the exorbitant electricity bill keeps coming for payment, worse for those without meters. The amount payable is purely on assumption which is unfair. Lack of electricity supply in many homes has started to produce sad effect on the lives of many consumers. Mosquitoes are having field day.

Children and women are most vulnerable. The cost of treating malaria in the hospital is now astronomical. The electricity distributing companies are partly to blame for the death of many children and pregnant women.

It is high time the electricity companies gave 48 hours uninterrupted light to its numerous consumers in the country. In the first place, it will justify the increase in tariff. Second, families will have access to proper ventilation in their homes and offices. Electricity is one of the basic needs of life.

Sunday Suleman, Lagos

TH E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R

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THIS DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M IT E D

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Hell in the Midst of Plenty

Incessant Strikes in KADPOLY

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want to draw the attention of the federal government, particularly the Ministry of Education, to the internal strikes in Kaduna Polytechnic before it gets out of hand.

Kaduna Polytechnic is known to be the largest polytechnic in West Africa, both for academic performance and infrastructural development, coupled with her size and population of students. I am afraid the ranking of the polytechnic in the country may soon decline due to incessant strikes. I call on the concerned authorities to quickly address this problem.

Barely few days after its resumption from the Yuletide’s break, the students were hit with yet another indefinite strike embarked by the lecturers for the non-payment of five months arrears for hazard allowances. This is not the first time this kind of strike is happening.

According to information, the management of the polytechnic has failed to disburse to the lecturers the funds released by the federal government for this purpose. Any time the polytechnic goes on strike, the reason is always the non -payment of their allowances and this is affecting the students, making them to spend extra year (s) in the institution.

The time to solve this problem once and for all is now.

Ifeoma Nmeregini, Nyanya, Abuja

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Polscope

FEBRUARY 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet There (2)

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ast week, we examined some sectors of this administration that indicate that we are not yet where we ought to be, even on the shortterm time line. A lot has happened, and still happening, that seeks to interrogate whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari is the messiah or the forerunner to the messiah. Given the decrepit past, many, including this reporter, had had a great expectation for a restoration government, which was what the Buhari administration seemed to have set out as its prime task. But nearly two years down the line, which is almost 50 per cent of the tenure, not much has happened to buoy the hope of the masses that indeed, a new sheriff is in town.

The truth must be told that the past administrations (not only Jonathan’s) may not have helped matters by way of really moving the country beyond these teething stages of our development. Yet the lethargy and go-slow syndrome of this administration has helped to worsen the woes of Nigerians. The experiences of the masses, seem to be dropping from bad to worse. Life is getting shorter, more brutish and even nastier. To believe otherwise is to suffer grand delusion. Everybody is feeling the pinch, including even those whose bills and burdens are borne by government Perhaps, what seems even more disturbing is that the administration does not seem to have a clue on how our captivity can be turned around. There is no where this is more evident than in the following areas: Economy: Volumes of books could be written on the strange Buharinomics which is spinning Nigeria out of control. Many have shouted themselves hoax about the administration not having an economic team. I do not think it is so much the lack of such a team. It is more of the incompetence of those running the economy. The economic policies they have continued to apply are quite hurting.

I may not be an economist, but I know that running a government at the inflationary rate of 18.55 per cent (as at beginning of January) clearly shows something is very wrong. Recent statistics show that inflow from Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) dropped by $4,5 Billion last year, one of the reasons we slipped into recession.

Right now, Nigerians are choking. From the housewife to the mini-business woman by the road side up to construction contractors, businessmen etc…, they are all groaning. The price of things seems to be climbing higher and higher as the hours go by. No quotation is ever reasonable as the market prices are ever changing.

How healthy can an import-dependent economy be when one United States dollar is exchanging for N500???

This is coming at a time that the price of crude oil in the international market is not only climbing higher, but also getting a little more stable. Our foreign earnings should therefore be increasing.

The fiscal and monetary policies are in discord and so cannot even guarantee that the slide of the Naira will not continue. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in voting to retain the same hurting MPR and interest rate is to literally snuff life out of the economy. This explains why fuel importers are fainting under the yoke of huge unpaid loans made worse by the “ungodly” interest rates from banks.

And the CBN does not seem to know how we can get out of the woods.

Manufacturers are shutting down their factories. With the increasing supply of darkness and diesel selling for N260 or more per litre, how can manufacturers remain in business?

Workers are being laid off. The unemployment population is rising. And the corollary of it: crime rate, is rising too.

Little wonder the menace of kidnapping has picked up again. These are signs that all is not well with our economy.

The promised palliatives are slow in coming. I don’t know whether the promised jobs are already being offered.

The school feeding scheme is to run in some select states.

What happens to the other states? When will it be their turn? How were the benefiting states selected? Same questions go for the N5,000 stipend for the very poor members of society.

With the economy in such anaemic state, we have all become miserable. Some call it the democratisation of poverty.

The managers of the economy are still reading and applying the old economic books. They do not seem to be thinking out of the box. Yes, there is no such easy way out, but we cannot be so hapless and helpless as it seems now.

A Growing Disenchantment

If the government in Abuja had been so impervious and disconnected with the groaning of the people, the fact that otherwise campaign partners of this administration, led

by Tu Face Idibia, a popular musician, has offered to lead a protest match against the hardship in the land, should send a clear signal that this government is fast losing its mass appeal. The hungry are angry. And this has no party line.

populated by Christians. And despite the loud outcry by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the presidency has been rather quiet or seeming to be speaking with tongue-in-cheek. And that explains why both southerners and Christians suspect that the Fulani herdsmen have an ulterior motive in the attacks. Already, there are campaigns against the consumption of beef in the south, as a way of seeing what the herdsmen will do with their cattle which they seem to value more than human lives.

Yes, the Kaduna State government may have held some peace-seeking meetings, many believe that it is lacking in sincerity given the past utterances, actions and body language of the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai. Clearly, all these do not show that the beautiful ones are yet there.

The DSS :

Buhari Hunger does not know APC or PDP or APGA. If the same musicians who played during the campaigns that heralded this administration are now going to file out to protest the hardship and suffering in the land, then the government should know that the tolerance belt has snapped. Far less suffering experiences have triggered massive protests in other climes.

Herdsmen as New Terror Agents

The volume and content of conversation that goes on among the masses, oftentimes, is indicative of the people’s perception of any government. Some of the things I have heard among the people are as unimaginable as they are unpatriotic. Surprisingly, even among the elite, these ill sentiments and commentaries are strong. Little wonder the social media has been an active vehicle in driving down the plethora of misinformation dominating the public space.

Matters have however not been helped by the I-don’tcare attitude or criminal silence, if not indifference, of the government, especially as it concerns the menace of the killer squad called Fulani herdsmen.

Suddenly, Fulani herdsmen have become a frightening terror stock, killing and maiming innocent people across the land.

Fulani herdsmen are not new to Nigerians. They used to be migrant herdsmen moving from place to place with their cattle in search of pasture for their flock. Such pasture was just green grasses, not crops being nursed on farmlands.

Those days, their only weapons were a short stick with which they flog erring cows into line. They also had bow and arrow and catapult, possibly to attack wild animals which threaten their flocks. And they co-existed peacefully with indigenes and farmers. Not anymore. Today, they use their cattle to destroy farmlands and forbid the owners from saying anything, since they have become sophisticated warriors, armed with all kinds of weaponry including AK 47 rifles, daggers, charms, pump action riffles, etc.

And they kill and destroy with reckless confidence, as if to say, “If the president be for us, who can be against us?”

President Buhari is a Fulani man. Is that why Fulani men will become the new terror agents of the land? The criminal silence from the seat of power over the many cases of attacks on communities have left many wondering if indeed the killers have state backing. It took a lot of huge public outcry for the presidency to issue a statement condemning the sweeping attack on Agatu community, which left hundreds of people killed and houses burnt down in Benue State, last year. After that, the same menace had spread unchecked to Enugu, Anambra, Delta States, etc. leaving in their trail blood, death and destruction. It is bad enough that none of the killer herdsmen has been arrested or prosecuted for all the killings, yet it is worse that government is intensifying efforts at pushing a grazing Bill in the parliament so the herdsmen will be allocated grazing lands across the country. It is a move that is considered as adding salt to injury.

Perhaps the more recent and very devastating rounds of attack by Fulani herdsmen is the mindless killings in Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, an area largely

One other public institution that seems to be chipping off the goodwill of this administration is the Department of State Services (DSS). More and more, it is becoming more controversial than professional. And this is dangerous. The DSS cannot be seen as being an instrument of harassment and terror to the Nigerian citizenry. If the accusation of partisanship had been in doubt in the past, the attempted arrest (at 2 a.m.) and later invitation to Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of Omega Ministries over alleged inciting comments, cleared such a doubt. Apostle Suleiman was said to have told his congregants at a crusade in Ekiti State that any herdsman seen around his church should be killed, having heard that the herdsmen were planning to kill him. The operatives of the DSS were to storm his hotel room at such an ungodly hour of 2 a.m. to arrest him. But for the intervention of the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, Suleiman would have been arrested that night. This foiled attempt was followed by a formal invitation to the DSS headquarters last Monday. Nigerians waited to see what the DSS would do to Suleiman.

Messages had circulated earlier calling out Christians to march out in solidarity with Apostle Suleiman. As it turned out, the invitation ended up as dialogue and not detention, apparently seeing the mood/tension in the nation.

The question has been running: why is the DSS worried about a threat to kill and not bothered by the rounds of actual killing itself? Which one is more dangerous? How many herdsmen have the DSS arrested or invited for questioning? Or is it also because the DG of DSS, (Mr Lawal Daura)—from the same town with Mr President is a Fulani man? Those who believe the DSS is slipping into being an attack dog against anti-government voice describe it as Department of Selective Suppression (DSS).

What has Happened to Farouk Lawan?

One expectation that many had with the coming of the Buhari administration was that with his advent, all the lowhanging fruits in Nigeria will be dealt with and Nigeria will begin to have a breather. But almost two years, many of such low-hanging fruits are yet dragging down the weight of the tree. One such example is the Farouk Lawan case.

Here was a lawmaker who demanded and received bribe from Mr Femi Otedola, so he (Lawan) could give Otedola’s company, Forte Oil, a favourable report in a major probe of oil marketing companies. Otedola had blown the whistle.

In this case, the giver agreed, the receiver agreed. Yet, no prosecution. Or is receiving bribe no longer a crime? Why is Farouk Lawan not being prosecuted despite the avalanche of evidence (including recorded telephone conversations) against him? Yes, this happened under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, but is government not a continuum? Would the Buhari administration allow the police to kill the case just like that? Didn’t the Federal Government just announce a policy on whistle-blowing with reward? Or does the Buhari administration also lack prosecutorial capacity?

What happened to the Budget Padding Case?

The suspicion that the Buhari administration chooses who to do battle with was reinforced with the silence that followed the budget-padding saga where Abdulmumin Jibrin, a suspended member of the House alleged that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, along with some other leaders of the Lower House had padded the 2016 budget to the tune of over N200million. Jibrin had given several instances and examples of the alleged fraud. But he seemed to be the lone voice in the desert. Not even a probe was instituted to investigate the matter, so Dogara and co could be said to have been cleared by the probe panel. It was a complete case of inertia. Jibrin was sent on one year suspension and ever since then, nothing has happened.

Yes, there is no perfect government in the world, but as the people would say, the morning tells the day.

The beautiful ones are not yet there!

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

N'Delta Crisis: Top Defence Chiefs from 20 Countries Converge on Bayelsa, Seek Peace Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

A conglomeration of more than 30 security experts from over 20 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, Japan, Germany, Pakistan, France, Angola, South Sudan and Italy yesterday converged on Bayelsa State to proffer solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta region.

The 31-man delegation of Foreign Defence Attaches which also included countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Iran, Brazil, Niger, Turkey, Senegal and Zambia, said they were in the state to seek first-hand information concerning the protracted security challenges bedeviling the oil-rich area.

Speaking during the event, the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson called for concerted efforts from the political leadership in the country to muster enough will to tackle the issues once and for all.

To end the problems, Dickson called for the provision of economic opportunities and infrastructural development as a veritable means of mitigating issues of insecurity across the country and in the Niger Delta in particular.

Specifically, the governor stated that the environmental degradation and insecurity in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country could be halted if people saw that the opportunities for survival were expanding.

He also identified physical underdevelopment and environmental pollution, mainly caused by oil and gas production, as some of the underlying factors giving rise to security challenges in the Niger Delta.

While re-emphasising the need for law and order in the region, Dickson reiterated his call on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to show more understanding and collaboration in their efforts to resolve the issues.

He lauded the international community for providing as-

building infrastructure...

L-R: Representative of Lagos State Governor and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello; the Acting Head of Service, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye and Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wale Oluwo during the foundation laying ceremony of the new model school building at Angus Memorial High School, Somolu on Friday... recently

sistance to the country's military in fighting insurgency and other security challenges in the north east, noting that his administration would continue to give support to the law enforcement agencies to sustain the existing peace in the state.

“All countries have their own fair share of challenges, so security challenges are not peculiar to

Nigeria. As you are all aware, all countries deal with their concerns and challenges from time to time.

"But, it is the duty of leadership, especially political leadership, to rise to the occasion and devise non-violent ways of addressing the security concerns and challenges.

“Be they challenges of economic inclusion, or environmental degradation and the need to redress

it or be they challenges of more physical development on ground", he said.

In his comments, the Director, Foreign Liaison of the Defence Intelligence Agency in the country, Brigadier General Augustine Agundu , explained that the visit was organised by the Defence Intelligence Agency to enable the foreign attaches to have first-hand

knowledge of the issues.

He added that they needed factual information with a view to changing the stereotypical perception about the Niger Delta and the nation as a whole.

The team leader added that much of the logistics support Nigeria receive from friendly nations, was facilitated by the foreign defence attaches who

were on the entourage.

Also in his remarks, the Dean of the Corps of Defence Attaches, Col. Marc Humbert expressed joy that the security situation was improving in the Niger Delta.

Humbert however called for synergy between the political leadership and the military in the fight against insecurity in the region.

ACF Laments FG's Slow Pace on Boko Haram: Beam Searchlight on All Families, Including Mine, Says Shettima Projects, Erratic Power Supply John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed concern over the slow pace of work on some federal government projects that have direct bearing on the lives of the people.

In a communique issued at the end of its meeting in Kaduna, the forum lamented the non-completion of projects like Baro Port Terminal, the Mambilla Power Project, the Kano-Maiduguri Dual Carriage Way, Kano-Lagos Railway, and many others.

The communique signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, called on the government and the National Assembly to appropriate adequate funds in the 2017 budget for the completion of

these projects.

The forum also lamented "the abysmally low power generation and erratic power supply being experienced nationwide" and questioned the wisdom behind the privatization of the National Power Holding Company (PHCN) and the capacity of the private entrepreneurs that bought the power generation and distribution outfits.

"The regular excuses of shortage of gas supply, low water level, vandalisation of installations, lack of spare parts etc which have continued to be given as reasons for poor power supply over the years are no longer tenable.

"The new owners of the generation plants and the distribution outfits were expected to have complimented Federal Government huge investments

by injecting more funds and expertise that will improve performance at minimum cost to the consumers.

"ACF therefore calls on the Federal Government to take necessary and practical steps that will improve the power supply including reviewing the privatization. Government should also put in place policy framework that will encourage investments in the renewable energy sector, (solar and coal) to compliment the thermal and hydro generating plants" the ACF said.

The forum further expressed dismay over the recurrent ethno- religious and farmers- herdsmen clashes in Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa and other states and resolved to visit the affected communities to commiserate with them over the unfortunate

Michael Olugbode

Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima has called on military and security agencies to throw their searchlight on every family, including his, in the ongoing efforts to unravel persons with links to Boko Haram.

He said that in the ongoing war against terrorism in the country there must be no sacred cow and the military should know the war against Boko Haram was far from over.

The governor who said the capture of the Sambisa Forest, the notorious base of the insurgents, did not mean that the struggle against terrorism was over in the country, warned that this may rather be an opening of attack on soft targets by the "cowardly" Boko Haram.

Shettima, in a state-wide broadcast on Friday, said since

"our gallant military and other security agencies have now denied them (insurgents) the use of their former high command, however, we must remind ourselves that the recapture of Sambisa Forest and the flushing out of the terrorists from most of their former enclaves does not mean that our struggle is over.

"Instead, the terrorists have resorted in their usual cowardly fashion, to stepping up attacks on soft targets. Cowardly and vile attacks such as those on schools, places of worship, markets and other soft targets are signs of the terrorists’ weakness and of their desperation to tell their terror co-travelers around the world, that they are not yet finished."

The governor while acknowledging the sacrifice of his people towards arresting the insurgency, asked them to be more vigilant now more than ever before.

He said: "I know the sacrifices many citizens have made and it is because of your devotion that I am urging all the people of Borno State to rise up as one and increase our community vigilance, especially around soft targets.

"We must remobilise ourselves and step up vigilance and community policing around all our population and community centres like mosques, churches, markets, schools, hospitals, shopping complexes, football fields, social gatherings and motor parks.

"We must watch out for strange and suspicious faces, not for the purpose of taking the law into our hands but for reporting these suspicious persons to the nearest security agents for prompt action.

"I urge you, the good people of Borno State, not to despair but to rise as one and stand up to this murderous gasp of a dying insurgency.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

the alternative with Reno Omokri Jonathan’s Prophecy, Buhari’s Heresy and Tuface’s Bravery

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Reno Omokri

n December 11, 2014, then President Goodluck Jonathan accepted the presidential nomination of the Peoples Democratic Party to contest the 2015 Presidential elections as its candidate. At that occasion, the former leader made a statement which, in hindsight, can now be seen as a prophecy.

On that day, Jonathan said: “The choice before Nigerians in the coming election is simple: A choice between going forward and going backwards; between the new ways and the old ways; between freedom and repression; between a record of visible achievements and beneficial reforms - and desperate power-seekers with empty promises.”

When the Naira crashed to N500 to $1 on Monday January 30, 2017, it hit me that Dr. Jonathan’s prophecy had been fulfilled.

I remember (and I am sure you can too) the giant bill boards the APC erected all over the country saying, and I quote: ‘Is N216 to $1 okay? It is time to act now. Buhari-Osinbajo’.

Well both President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have ‘acted’ for almost two years now and today it is now over N500 to $1. It is time for the duo to answer their own question.

On the 20th of November, 2014, a certain young Nigerian named Mohammad had tweeted the following on Twitter; “Today a dollar is N180 and a pound is N280, hope you have a family....this is really the transformation agenda..!! GEJ has finished Nigeria...”

This tweet went viral because the APC through its agents on Twitter retweeted it until it trended online.

Flash forward to Monday the 30th of January, 2017, the day the Naira crossed over the N500 to $1 Rubicon and the now sober Mohammad tweeted three times and I will quote each of those tweets below: The first tweet: “GEJ should please forgive me!!!”

The second tweet: “N500 even when they claim they are fighting corruption, #bringbackourGEJ” The third tweet: “GEJ a true definition of the word HERO ...!!!”

This time around, though the APC refused to retweet Mohammad’s who tweets from the handle @deee009, his last tweets are even more popular than the first because Nigerians retweeted them, storified them and blogs celebrated them.

On Tuesday 31st of January, 2017, another young Nigerian named Uchenna tweeted through his twitter handle, Uchez2 this: “@Uchez2: How did the dollar stay at N175-N200 for 4yrs under “massive looting”? How is it now at N510 in 2 years

There is no Nigerian that is not affected and that is all the more reason why the multiple awardwinning singer and rapper, Innocent Idibia, a.ka. Tuface has said he is going to lead a nationwide protest against the policies of this government which are impoverishing Nigerians. Of course very predictably, the administration, either directly or indirectly, has come out guns blazing against the much-loved entertainer.

Government surrogates and jealous rivals have sought to disqualify and disenfranchise him from leading his protest by saying that as a father of seven children from three different mothers Tuface lacks the moral authority to protest against government policies!

Jonathan

under “massive savings”?”

What Jonathan’s 2014 quote and Mohammad’s 2014 and 2017 tweets as well as Uchenna’s question have shown is that, no matter how far and fast falsehood has travelled, it must eventually be overtaken by the truth.

Everybody is affected by the failed promises of the Buhari administration. The richest African and Black man in the world, Aliko Dangote, has seen his fortune depreciate by more than 50% from $25 billion under former President Jonathan to $12.4 billion today. We pray it does not shrink to $1.2 billion before 2019!

There is no Nigerian that is not affected and that is all the more reason why the multiple award-winning singer and rapper, Innocent Idibia, a.k.a. Tuface has said he is going to lead a nationwide protest against the policies of this government which are impoverishing Nigerians.

Of course very predictably, the administration, either directly or indirectly, has come out guns blazing against the much-loved entertainer.

Government surrogates and jealous rivals have sought to disqualify and disenfranchise him from leading his protest by saying that as a father of seven children from three different mothers Tuface lacks the moral authority to protest against government policies!

First of all, the problem many of this celebrity haters have with Tuface is not the protest itself per se. They are really angry that they were not the ones who thought of it!

If having children from many women is their grouse, then they would have had a grouse about many Nigerian leaders.

Which Nigerian leader has children from only one woman?

And it almost became comical when the Presidency asked to debate with Tuface on live TV. Really? A President who refused to debate with his opponents at the Presidential Debates during the elections now wants Tuface to debate live on TV. I mean just negodu!

When some musicians and actors gathered at Ojota with Nasir El rufai and Dino Melaye against then President Jonathan in February 2012, nobody cared how many children they had but suddenly they care about Tuface’s baby mamas!

I guess both El-rufai and Dino Melaye have all their children from one woman!

In the new and improved Federal Republic of Double Standard, if you have more than one baby mama you can be a President, a Governor or a Senator, but you cannot lead a protest!

It is haram! You are not morally fit to protest!

And it was so disappointing to see an official of the All Progressives Congress Twitter handle mocking the protest. APC News TV tweeted and I am quoting: “@APCNEWSTV: JUST BEFORE YOU JOIN THE SENSELESS PROTEST, NOTE THAT! Godswill Akpabio bankrolled the posh wedding of 2face” What rubbish! First of all, this is a desperate lie. But even if this were true (it is not) didn’t Nigerians vote for President Muhammadu Buhari despite the fact that former Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Bola Tinubu bankrolled him?

If the Presidency and the APC want us to believe that Tuface Idibia’s planned protest is “senseless” because his wedding was bankrolled by former Governor Godswill Akpabio then they are inadvertently admitting that President Buhari’s Government is “senseless” because its election was bankrolled by Amaechi and Tinubu. That will explain a lot!

It will explain the Presidency’s senselessness in the matter regarding Supreme Court Justice Walter Onnoghen who has been denied what should have been his privilege by political tradition as well as by judicial precedent.

Ibrahim Magu is accused of corruption, yet President

Muhammadu Buhari insists on confirming him. Justice Walter Onnoghen is free from corruption, yet President Buhari refuses to confirm him!

All this from a so-called anti-corruption President. Is it because Magu is a Muslim from the North, while the other is a Christian from the South?

This is yet another example in the series of double standard that is the hallmark of this administration.

A Government that publicly urged accused justices to immediately step down yet wrote copious and even verbose letters to justify why the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who has been proven to be corrupt should continue to retain his post. In Nigeria, it seems there is one law for the 97 per centers and another for the 5 per centers.

Again I say, welcome to President Buhari’s new and improved Federal Republic of Double Standard!

What President Buhari is doing to Justice Walter Onnoghen is nothing short of judicial heresy. He is placing his parochial bias above a well-established doctrine that seniority at the bar and bench is the major requirement for upward mobility in the legal profession.

And as an aside, I am noticing that the rapidly shrinking army of the cult of Buhari is also set against the new U.S. President, Donald John Trump. And it got me thinking.

I have a hunch that the problem Buharists have with Donald Trump is not his policies but the fact that a politician is actually doing what he promised to do during his campaign.

They are so used to President Buhari, who promises one thing and does another thing, that when they finally see a leader who says what he will do and does what he says, they go into shock.

In his first day in office, President Trump has already started fulfilling his promises. He has not blamed Obama, he has not blamed the state of things he met on the ground. He has rather began his tenure by focusing on his promises rather than focusing on the alleged wrongdoings of his predecessors.

This is why many people who supported Nigerian President Buhari cannot stand Trump. Because he exposes the hypocrisy of someone who promised change and is delivering more of the same.

This is why they are so heavily invested in blame gaming the system and blaming every negative occurrence on previous administrations while waiting to give President Buhari credit for the few things that have gone right under his government which are, ironically, the handiwork of the very administrations that he denigrates.

Two days ago (January 31st of 2017) the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that foreign investment into Nigeria has dropped to a 10-year low.

I am waiting to see the creativity with which the Buhari administration will come up with reasons to blame Goodluck Jonathan for this!

Perhaps Jonathan went around to all the nations of the world to convince them not to invest in Nigeria!

I thought that the Buhari government said Nigeria was a pariah state under Jonathan. How could a pariah government attract more investment than an acceptable government like the Buhari administration? You see, like I said previously in this piece, no matter how far and fast a lie has travelled, it MUST eventually be overtaken by the truth.

And it is silly of the Lagos State Police Command to say they would stop Tuface’s protest! This is the sort of impunity that has become the norm under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Doesn’t Tuface have the constitutional right of freedom of assembly? Does he not have the right to free speech?

The same security forces that cannot bring the killers of Pastor Eunice Elisha to book, or give justice to the beheaders of Evangelist Bridget Agbahime have now found their voice when it comes to stopping the harmless Tuface.

Is it not silly that at a time when the Department of State Services (DSS) has not been able to utilise its manpower to make any discernible impact in the war against terror, they have the men to storm Apostle Johnson Suleiman’s hotel room in Ado Ekiti? At a time when we have a governor confessing that he paid money to killers of the citizens he has constitutionally sworn to protect, at a time when Nigeria has overnight become the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, at a time when the dollar goes for N500 to $1, is it really Apostle Suleiman that is the problem of Nigeria?

The Presidency called Apostle Suleiman’s speech hate speech! puh-leeze! What hate speech can be worse than President Buhari’s 97% versus 5%? That a Presidency headed by a man who threatened that the “dog and baboon will all be soaked in blood” has the guts to ask the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to condemn Apostle Suleiman is the joke of the year. If those guys in the Presidency are looking for someone to condemn, let them go to London!!!

The father did not give Jesus a name that is above all names because Jesus is intelligent. No. Lucifer is also intelligent. God promoted Jesus because of two qualities: loyalty and humility.

When people ask me why I am loyal to former President Jonathan, they do not realize that I do not live my life for anybody whether it is Dr. Goodluck Jonathan or President Muhammadu Buhari or even Donald J. Trump. My life is a test and upon my death the father will mark my test paper.

I am loyal to ex-President Jonathan just as I try to be loyal to all my friends whether high or low because a disloyal and proud person is like Lucifer who tried to take the father’s throne. A loyal person is like Jesus who had the opportunity to do the same yet chose to remain loyal and humble. If I do not follow the Messiah’s example, then my Christianity is questionable!

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Loud Whispers maritime Bits Auto Tributes Fashion File Interview

pg. 20 pg. 22 pg. 26 pg. 35 pg. 41 pg. 44

Laff Doctor

I Went into Comedy Because of Hardship

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper Feberuary 4, 2017

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How Alibaba, AY, Basketmouth Inspire Me But for providence, he would have ended up as unknown talent. Known as Laff Doctor, Daniel Maduka was born in Ilaje, a ghetto neighbourhood to Ebute-Metta in Lagos State. Maduka is one of the few who defied the odds to carve out a niche for himself in comedy. On January 1, he emerged winner of the Spontaneity Comedy, a talent show organised by Atunyota Akporobomerere, popularly known as Alibaba to encourage young Nigerian comedians. In this interview with Ugo Aliogo, the Imo State-born comedian speaks about his career and the comedy industry

Y

ou won the best comedian in Alibaba Spontaneity Show. How did the journey start?

I contested last year.

I made it to the semifinals. But I decided that I would not participate in the show again. But this year, when the audition started, I participated.

I scaled through from the preliminary rounds to the finals. The journey has not been easy, but I thank God. To win, I did what was required. The show is about being spontaneous. I was asked to do a one-liner on Donald Trump. It was spontaneous.

To prepare for the show, I researched on major events that had taken place in 2016. When I was asked to do a one-liner on Trump, I told the guy: “Be like say dem jus deport you?” and the audience was in awe. As the winner, I was given a brand new Hyundai Accent, one year salary from Alibaba, an opportunity to perform at his shows, work with him directly in comedy and mentorship as well.

Why did you decide to go into comedy?

I decided to go into comedy because of hardship. I lost my father at an early age. We were eight children in the family; catering for the family was left on the shoulders of my mother who was a cleaner. She could not meet the needs of everyone. We gained our independence early in order to cater for ourselves. In the neighbourhood, it was not easy for me; choosing comedy was the best option. It was something I have always wanted to do. At first, my mother was sceptical about my success in this venture. She insisted that I secured a paid job because comedy shows doesn’t come always. Though I secured

a job, but I was sacked because I gave much of my work time to performing at comedy shows for free. I thank God I chose comedy.

The environment didn’t influence my passion for comedy. However, the neighbourhood was like an inspiration to me. But it was not a major factor for going into comedy.

The neighbourhood is a ghetto which offers a good comedian materials.

Who are your role models in the industry and what do you find unique about their style?

My role models are Alibaba, Basketmouth, AY, Buchi and Akpororo. These individuals have been able to carve their own line of creativity. For instance, Buchi has the ability to be spontaneous; Akpororo has a crazy grace which inspires me. For AY, his brand personality in the industry and the business acumen which he brings to bear are things that set him apart. Honestly, it is something to emulate. He is someone that knows what he wants.

Basketmouth is somebody I respect because of his international influence. He has brought it to bear in the industry. He has given the industry international recognition and I love his doggedness and passion. His style of comedy is also very stimulating because he talks about ladies, and his gesticulations are unique. He is one act I like watching because of his stage movements and the delivery.

Alibaba is a father in the industry. He has stood the test of time. He was responsible for the transformation of comedy to what it is today. He brought a corporate face to comedy. This has brought a lot of financial fortunes to the industry. Before now, comedians were known as jesters or jokers.

Every successful comedian in Nigeria has gone through Alibaba.

Laff doctor expresses appreciation prize of the Alibaba Spontaneity

to the audience after emerging the winner of the star

He has mentored many comedians.

Again, the winning of the Alibaba Spontaneity marks a new beginning in your comedy career. What specifically are you bringing to the table for fans and the industry?

Basically, I’m bringing new jokes.

I want to have my own style of comedy and make sure I do very well at shows. Comedy is not about cracking jokes only but leaving something in the minds of the people. What stands you out as a comedian is your ability to be different; your jokes need to play up in the minds of people even after they have left your shows. I want to aim at originality because it stands you out in the industry.

I want to do more reading, and gain more knowledge on different topical issues.

Can you say there is a sort of reformation in Nigerian comedy from 1999 to date? What is responsible for this?

Yes, I think there is a reformation in Nigerian comedy because the way Nigerian comedians are accepted and appreciated is quite different from the past. Factors responsible are new trends, endorsements, skits, and other things.

Comedians of this age are very educated. We were seen as jesters, but due to education we are now respected. I’m optimistic that soon, comedy will be seen in every sphere of life; it will be an industry that others will lean on. I foresee a big growth in comedy already.

Some of the individuals behind these transformations are Alibaba, Buchi, Basketmouth, and AY. If you monitor closely the efforts they are

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Feberuary 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

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laff doctor performing at a

O

putting into the industry, you will realise that Nigerian comedy has come to stay.

Appearances and shows, how has it been for you?

It has not been easy for me. I attended shows where as young comedians we have to start off the show. Sometimes you attend shows uninvited, then you’re asked to start the show because the invited ones have not arrived.

For now, I think that will change with the winning of the Alibaba Spontaneity. I believe this year has great plans for me because the perspective people viewed me from last year has actually changed. So events will not be a problem for me. In 2016, I was at Night of a Thousand Laughs, Akpororo vs Akpororo, Standup Nigeria and others. I anchored couple of weddings last year. I

show

Because of hardship. I lost my father at an early age.

We were eight children in the family; catering for the family was left on the shoulders of my mother who was a cleaner. She could not meet the needs of everyone.

We gained our independence early in order to cater for ourselves. In the neighbourhood, it was not easy for me; choosing comedy was the best option. It was something I have always wanted to do. At first, my mother was sceptical about my success in this venture… travelled to about six to eight states. As a comedian from another state, I was accorded much respect.

How would you rate the support of senior comedians to up-and-coming talents?

Honestly speaking, I think if you’re original and doing well, they will support you. They have always supported me. The senior comedians cannot do without the junior ones. Therefore, there is a sort of strong relationship and support between the two generations. The senior ones are really supportive in terms of getting younger ones to work with them in the aspect of mentorship.

What is the support of your mother towards your career?

My mother has been very supportive. She encourages you to chase whatever you think is

your dream. In the areas of prayer and encouragement she has always been there.

Who provided the initial platform for you?

I started performing from my church and my school, but the major platform that brought me out was Nigeria’s Got Talent. It was after that show I gained a little recognition; a lot of people got to know me. It opened the door for me to start competing. I was the only comedian in the final though I didn’t win but people were rooting for me. I was in the top-ten list.

Where do you see the industry going in the next five years?

In the next five years, I foresee the comedy industry in that epicenter of entertainment; in other spheres of life. It will be an indus-

try that will be reckoned with and the comedy acts in the industry will go beyond the level they are presently.

What are your challenges?

Well my challenges have been starting shows when the crème de la crème in the industry are not seated, most times when you perform, the camera is not ready.

But I just keep pushing and remain original because I believe it will pay off some day.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

I see myself becoming an established comedian, having my own television show and organising my own comedy shows. I want to mentor youngsters in the industry. I want to mingle with the best in the industry.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • February 4, 2017 with Joseph Edgar (09095325791)

Loud Whispers

Kashamu

Buruji Kashamu: NDLEA, a note of warning You see, it has been alleged that at least three people must die before this extradition is carried out. Now, this gets me worried because my childhood friend, Ben Uche is a top officer in your midst and I would not like to lose him even though the big head has not sent me drink all these years. All the same, I pity im mama so I will render my consulting services for free. You see, to carry out this kind of dangerous work which may lead to the loss of at least three of your gallant officers, you will need at least six months of intensive training.

Kindly do not attempt this extradition any time now or it will lead to a disaster.

You must select at least 200 of your top-notch officers, all of them from Akwa Ibom, but must be led by a retired Fulani herdsman. The simple reason is that they can be effectively trained. They must be sent to Syria to watch and learn from the Syrian opposition. They will be trained in the art of both jungle and concrete warfare. They must be trained in armed combat, taught how to fire surface-to-air missiles and given nuclear-warfare training. After this, you will also bring dem back to the forest of Ijebu where the soft skills of juju warfare would also be implanted in them. All these will take an average of six months, under very strict confidentiality. It is after all this training is over that the two hundred well-trained extradition experts will be unleashed on our distinguished senator.

But wait a minute, I forgot to add that you must kit them well o. So I suggest you get their uniforms from the Iraqi army, boots from the Biafran people and weapons from the Russians. They must also be kitted with infrared goggles that can see through the night and must be taught how to jump down from planes and helicopters. Finally, insure their lives and let them have one last night with their wives and mistresses before they swoop on the senator.

On the night of the extradition, they should be divided into three groups.

One will go by air towards Ijebu, the other will go by sea towards Lekki and the third will go by road towards Abuja.

These will be coordinated by the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force reporting per second to the Commander-in-Chief.

Once one team locates his whereabouts, the other two will immediately join it, to complement its efforts. They will now surround the house and using a megaphone, call out, ‘Your Excellency, we are here, can we negotiate the number of soldiers to die before we move in.’ The senator must be engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the sole aim of not losing any soldier. If the doesn’t work, the troops will now hold a brief meeting at his doorstep to choose three, according to tribe that will make the ultimate sacrifice for the country. My take is that all major tribes in the federation, that is Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo must be represented in the sacrifice. After all, we in the minority tribes have not really enjoyed anything in this country. Once

Governor Okowa

Tuface

Apostle Johnson Suleiman: Please Calm Down This is my honest opinion. As a God-fearing, Bible-thumbing Christian, I make this appeal to you simply because at this point, what we need is a calm and mature approach to this matter of the Fulani herdsmen. From my little observation and my long discussions with my former classmate, Tanko, I have come to the realisation that the issue here is not that of Muslims against Christians but that of a rampaging band of illiterate herdsmen whose main prerogative is to feed their cattle. As far as they are concerned, they do not care whose farm or whose ox is gored in their quest to keep their cattle nourished.

See, Apostle even the Sultan himself would not be spared if he decided to put a maize farm on their path.

So let’s stop all this latter-day quest for relevance using this issue as a vehicle. At your level, I think you should be joining hands with others to seek for peaceful resolutions to an issue that has been with us for over a hundred years instead of jumping around the country, making inciteful and hateful speeches. The

fact that our leaders especially the governor of Kaduna State have not handled the matter responsibly does not give you or anybody the right to continue to throw fuel into the already consuming fire. The issue is education of the Fulani Herdsmen, responsibly engaging their leaders and seeking a mutually beneficial solution to this matter once and for all. I do not think the herdsmen in their rampage usually stop to ask their victims if they are Muslims or Christians before mayhem. I do not even think you have seen one herdsman in your life sef. So my dear Apostle, please go back to the Bible and read the book of....... Kai, I don forget the Bible passage sef, but just look for where Jesus talked about the peacemakers. No be kill and be killed o or is it a different Bible I have been reading? I beseech you to use this your new-found fame to seek dialogue with the leaders of the other side with a view to reaching a peaceful resolution of this matter. It cannot be that difficult na.

the decision has been made, the three soldiers should be stripped – we have to return the uniforms – you know there is recession – and left at his doorstep and then we all run away. Laugh wan kill me as I dey write sef. Oga, abeg just quietly go face your matter, you never can tell, you just might be able to prove your innocence. No distract us abeg, we get more serious issues in this country.

to Governor Okowa. With that kind glasses, he can never get girlfriend na, talkless of sending $10m to her to start a make-up business. I have just read the statement from the Delta State Government dissociating the governor from such terrible news. I repeat, with that kind glasses, it can never be him. He looks like my friend Uche when we were in the University of Ibadan, Uche was tall like the governor and very academic, those people you call effico. Those ones na book dem know, no be woman o. So mischief makers should be very careful

Governor Okowa : I Believe You Look, when they talk about governors with mistresses, my mind never goes

and do their homework very well before they start making unfounded allegations. Governor Okowa is my friend, although I have never met him, I like his humble mien and his approach to the business of governance. I have taken a very close look at Delta State because I have a son whose mum is from Ebu in Delta and whose village needs a lot of infrastructural development. So my dear governor should not be distracted with this kind of news. When you scan the remaining governors from the South-south you will immediately know who the culprit is if you look closely at the kind of shoes they wear.

No be Okowa, he too gentle. He looks like person wey dey fear woman sef. But that mistress is really sharp o. Well done madam, you try.

Tuface Idibia : Final Advice This multiple award-winning and baby-growing guy has decided to come out on the sixth of February to lead a protest match against, according to him, the mismanagement of governance by the Buhari regime. I want to salute his courage especially in these perilous time. But when the hits have stopped coming what else do you do? You look for government trouble. You see, my only fear for him is that, anybody that government deals with always comes out with grey hair. You no see Olisa Metuh and Raymond Dokpesi. You wey no get hair for head how will you now grow the grey hair? This area you are going into, I hope you are ready for the imminent consequence o. This one no be fight with Kenny Ogungbe for royalty.

You are going into a turf meant for men, real men o. I hope you are ready. One professor has already come for you, citing your dexterity at baby-making and your sexual exploits, admonishing you to stick to what you know best. I think he is correct. You see, if this your protest catches the attention of the authorities, let me warn you, there are no conjugal visits in Nigeria’s penal system. The only conjugalism you will get is the one within the system and carried out by your colleagues. Your Davido and the rest who are shaking now will suddenly have shows in Zimbabwe when they come for you. Your children will be looking for school fees and that your beautiful wife will be wondering what she put in the Afang soup that turned your head. Yes, times are hard and we all need to stand up and fight. Me I love you too much to dey see you dey jump down from Black Maria. Instead of leading street marches, do Bob Marley style, dey sing about am. Yes, dey record strong lyrics and dey sing about am. Finally, please go watch one documentary on Fela after the invasion of his Kalakuta Republic and see the beating for him back. If after that you still feel like going ahead, no problem, just give me Annie number so I go fit give am moral support in case you have to spend time in government’s custody.

My brother leave matter for Mathias, you are not cut out for this.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

SPY GLASS

Tales of a Former First Lady, Mariya Yuguda

These are indeed turbulent moments for Hajiya Mariya Yuguda, one of the wives of the former Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda.

Spyglass learnt that the exit of her husband from power might have started taking its toll on her. Unlike when her husband was at the helm of affairs, there are insinuations that she is currently going through financial constraints to run her pet-project, A .D Rufai Foundation, which was created to pursue issues that are germane to the survival and progress of the society. Virtually all Yuguda’s friends and beneficiaries of his government who had been of financial assistance to the foundation have since abandoned Mariya to grapple with the trauma of a financially incapacitated pet-project.

Sources of funding the foundation include fund-raising activities and partnership with government and donor agencies. ‘’So terrible is the financial crisis at the foundation that almost all the workers have left because their salaries and allowances could not be paid. At the moment, the corporate headquarters of the foundation located a few metres away from Bauchi State Government House stands empty with only a gateman,’’ a source revealed.

Few months after her husband’s tenure, some official vehicles of the state allegedly being used for the foundation were retrieved from Mariya on the directive of the state Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar. As if all these are not enough, reliable sources disclosed that Mariya, who enjoyed a long vacation from her official duties when her husband was governor has been finding it difficult to adjust to her job in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) as an assistant director without all the paraphernalia of governor’s wife.

Mariya, a graduate of law from Ahmadu Bello University, who was once rumoured to have been divorced by Isa Yuguda founded the Senator A. D Rufai Foundation to immortalise the philanthropic ideals of her father.

Mariya is a professional administrator; she was commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Bauchi State between 2001 and 2004.

Moses Osarieme Aito’s Doleful Experience

In the ‘90s, Moses Osarieme Aito, owner of the defunct Earth Airlines,

with Bayo Adeoye ....08054680651 was a top player in the nation’s aviation sector.

In those days, he made headlines in major newspapers and magazines, especially because his airline ran daily scheduled flights from Lagos to Abuja.

Accordingly, as managing director of the independent airline, his name opened doors for him. Indeed, not a few believed that the future looked so bright for him, as he enjoyed government patronage, which made many of his competitors green with envy.

But like joy that has a slender body, the thriving business suffered a setback owing to the inclement business environment then. As a result, he reportedly battled with huge accumulated staff salaries and other unpaid debts running into several millions of naira.

In the face of it all, the Edo Stateborn businessman tried his best to salvage the situation, but his efforts came to naught.

After due consultations, he later ventured into the oil and gas business. But surprisingly, the move only offered him a temporary relief, as he soon ran into debts. Faced with this killing challenge, he relocated to Ghana for survival.

Today, the story has not changed for the better. The once respected socialite, it was gathered, only sneaks into the country once in a while to stave off harassment from numerous debtors.

OGD, Buruji Kashamu’s Drama

When Wesco Bet boss, Adewale Osinubi, was sending out invites to dignitaries to grace his wedding last weekend, little did he imagine the drama that would play out on that day.

The day had begun on a good note from the church service to the Adeola Odutola Hall in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, venue of the wedding reception. But the drama, as captured by a source, had played out when a former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, aka OGD, suddenly made a tactical exit from the hall. How? Like some others, the top politician was also savouring the music of Kolade Onanuga, a popular Fuji music star, while also acknowledging greetings from guests. For some inexplicable reasons, his mood was said to have changed immediately the master of ceremonies announced the arrival of Senator Buruji Kashamu in the hall.

Not one to hide his feelings, the former governor was said to have walked out of the hall. “In fact, many were surprised about the swift ‘disappearance’ of the Krestal

Laurel boss,” the source said.

Though both OGD and Kashamu are members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, they belong to different factions of the party.

Their disagreement has polarised the party in the state and their fans have reportedly been at each other’s jugular.

With the latest development, it appears the two political gladiators are fast becoming sworn enemies and it may be almost impossible to bring them back, as they wouldn’t want to see eyeball-to-eyeball.

It will be recalled that the duo used to be good political allies until after the 2015 general elections when their relationship fell through and efforts by the national body of the party to reconcile them have proved unsuccessful.

Billionaire Businessman Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi’s Daughter Weds

Today, renowned businessman, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, Group Managing Director, Obijackson Group, will play host to eminent personalities, as his eldest daughter, Chinazo Isabelle Azudialu-Obiejesi, weds her heartthrob, Dr. Mekam Tochukwu Okoye, at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

The church wedding, which will be followed by an elaborate reception at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, is coming about three months after the traditional marriage held in Okija, Anambra State on Saturday, November 12, 2016.

The founder of Obijackson Foundation, the organiser of the ‘Face of Okija’, an annual music and cultural festival targeted at youth empowerment and rejuvenation of the Igbo culture, is known for his uncommon sense of hospitality; and he has promised his guests a swell time at today’s event.

Over the years, Azudialu-Obiejesi, has been involved in community development, scholarship awards, healthcare provision and welfare programmes for the less privileged in the society.

Senator Grace Folasade Bent’s comeback

Though many had foreseen her comeback to the political scene, what was not known, was the finer details of her moves.

In 2007, Senator Grace Folasade Bent made history when she defeated many of her opponents in the senatorial election to represent Adamawa South, the largest senatorial district in the state, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

When the Ilesa, Osun State-born politician failed to secure the party ticket in 2011, her fans could not wait to see her return to politics, where she had impacted positively on the

lives of people in her constituency.

As source informed Spyglass that after wide consultations, Bent has now made her intention known to go back to the Senate; and she is said to be receiving the blessings of the powers that be and the masses, who have missed her good representation at the Senate.

“It has dawned on the people of her constituency that they need her.

She is good politician with human face and a good grassroots person,’’ a source said.

Before her election into the Senate, Bent was a political adviser to the then PDP National Chairman, Audu Ogbeh.

Apart from being a strong advocate of inter-tribal marriage, the elegant lady, who is the author of Women in Inter-Ethnic Marriages in Nigeria, is at the forefront of women participation in government.

Bent, who holds a Ph.D in Public Administration from the Indiana State University, USA, cut her teeth in politics at the University of Calabar where she was actively involved in students’ unionism.

Ademola Oyefeso: Profile of a Visioner

All his life, Ademola Oyefeso, CEO, New Genesis, has literally been worshipping at the temple of the god of entertainment.

Indeed, many who know his exploits in the showbiz world will readily confirm that the Staten Island, New York- based showbiz advocate has done so much for the Nigerian entertainment world.

In the past years, the Ikenne, Ogun State-born impresario fondly called “Alase” has used his promotional skill to popularise the music of a number of artistes, including King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebenezer Obey, the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, K1 De Ultimate, Abass Akande Obesere, Gen. Kollington Ayinla, Salawa Abeni, Lagbaja, the late Orlando Owoh, Adewale Ayuba, Abass Obesere and Kola Ogunkoya.

A man of the people, Oyefeso is also busy promoting the cause of the Yoruba abroad. As president of Egbe Omo Yoruba in New York, he has demonstrated a rare leadership quality, which has endeared him to the hearts of the group’s members.

In his capacity, he has been promoting peace and progress among the members.

He is recognised more for his efforts to put up an edifice fittingly named ‘Yoruba House’, which has become a rendezvous for the Yoruba living in that part of the world.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

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MARITIME BITS

WITH

JOHN IWORI 08057763164

R-L: Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Customs Area Controller, Western Marine Command (WMC), Comptroller Yusuf Umar taking the Zonal Co-ordinator, Zone A, ACG Monday Abueh round the facilities of the command during the maiden official tour of WMC by Abueh in Apapa, Lagos…recently

R-L: Immediate past National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Ernest Elochukwu presenting a gift to the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), ANLCA, Chief Henry Njoku and his wife, Lady Kate Chika shortly after the marking of Njoku’s 55th birthday at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt…recently

More Vessels to Berth in Lagos Port Vessel traffic in Nigerian ports has increased since the beginning of the year, THISDAY checks have revealed.

To this end, more vessels are calling in the nation’s seaports, especially the ones situated in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos.

Already, vessel traffic to the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, for the first week of February 2017 has shown signs of improvement with no fewer than 31 ships expected to berth.

Regarded as the busiest in the country, the premier port is host to several terminals designated for various commodities.

The 31 ships remain the highest number of vessels calling at the port in a period of one week since April 2016.

Data prepared by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and obtained by THISDAY revealed that the vessels include 13 containerised ships expected to call at APM Terminals and two vessels laden with general cargoes expected to berth at ENL Terminals this

NCS Boss Lists Benefits of non-importation of Vehicles through Land Borders The Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retired) has listed the benefits the Federal Government policy on nonimportation of vehicles through the land border.

This is coming on the heels of the furore generated by the implementation of the policy since January 1, 2017.

Ali argued that apart from being a statutory function of NCS to implement government fiscal policies, as Nigerians, the advantages and opportunities inherent in the policy is a motivation to ensure compliance.

He listed the merits of the policy to include channelization of motor vehicles to Sea Ports will enable suppression of smuggling; and creating business and job opportunities with the eventual emergence of bonded car parks for vehicles around the country. This will also lead to the emergence of bank branches and mechanic villages around the bonded car parks, with job opportunities for Nigerians.

Others are high volume of vehicle cargo for shippers will boost capacity and optimize use of facilities at our ports and car parks; higher revenue for the three tiers of Government to discharge their responsibilities to Nigerians; facilitate the recent collaboration among NCS, FIRS, Motor License Office, Police and Bureau of Statistics; assurance of duty payment for vehicle buyers giving more confidence on the road without Customs interception; and the high volume vehicle cargo can lead to government/ port handlers engagement that will reduce handling charges.

He directed operatives of the Headquarters Compliance Team and Federal Operations Units to compliment the resident officers of land borders to effectively beef up security and enforce the Federal Government policy on non- importation of vehicles through the land border.

He expressed regret that despite Nigeria’s bigger and more equipped port facilities, statistics has shown that more than 90 per cent of vehicles imported to neighbouring countries are normally on transit to Nigeria market.

“Though duty rates chargeable for motor vehicles at both land borders and seaports remain the same, importers of these vehicles exploit the informality of land border trade, since they are not usually manifested for Nigeria ports to either smuggle through the porous border or compromise some Customs Officers and that of other agencies to short change the nation”, he said.

The retired military officer charged the antismuggling squads to ensure total blockage such that no desperate vehicle importer gets his or her to smuggle in the trapped vehicles.

weekend.

In the same vein, the jetties will receive 141,807 metric tons (MT) of the premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol from five vessels.

The delivery of petroleum products has put a lie to the speculations in certain quarters that Nigerians would soon experience scarcity of petrol in the weeks ahead.

Already, four more vessels with PMS are waiting to berth in LPC early next week.

ABTL and GDNL terminals are expected

Rivers Governor, Norwegian Ambassador, Others to Grace Charkin Maritime Centre Unveiling The governor of Rivers State, Chief the basic dynamic positioning class.

Nyesom Wike and the Royal Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jens-Petter Kjemprud will join other stakeholders in the maritime industry for the formal for the unveiling of Nigeria’s land ship, MV Rivers Pride, Port Harcourt.

Situated at Ozuoba, along the EastWest Road, Port Harcourt, the land ship was built by an indigenous and privately-owned maritime training institution, Charkin Maritime and Offshore Safety Centre which has Sir Charles Wami as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

According to a statement issued by the centre, the land ship comprises full mission navigational bridge simulator; ECDIS Simulation Room; GMDSS (Navigation) Simulation Room which conforms to the 2010 Manila Amendments by the global maritime watchdog, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO); and

Other components of the land ship are advance dynamic positioning and examination class; nautical institute examination room; and the drilling system crane simulator.

Wami disclosed that the centre has the approval of local and international regulatory agencies across the globe.

These include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), OPITO, United Kingdom, and the International Well Control Forum (IWCF), United Kingdom.

Others are the Nautical Institute (NI), Oil and Gas Training Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), International Association of Safety and Survival Training (IASST), United Kingdom, and the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigerian (PETAN).

Transporters Hail NSC New Initiative Transporters in the country have hailed the new initiative of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to bring sanity to the nation’s seaports as it pertains to the clearance of goods.

The transporters under aegis of the Road Transport Employers’ Association (RTEAN), Tin Can Island Port Chapter, Apapa, Lagos which has Alhaji Isiaka Olalere as Chairman commended the NSC over its planned consolidation of the trucking companies operating in the nation’s maritime industry.

RTEAN position was in response to a statement credited to the Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello over the council move in collaboration with the World Bank to erect electronic gates at the nation’s seaports so as to operate a call-up system for the truckers operating in the nation’s seaports.

The transporters recalled that the government had earlier proposed the consolidation of trucking companies nearly two years ago, which he said would have not less than 50 trucks.

They argued that if they had reduced the number of trucks that would form a fleet to five or six, it would be the best as two people could easily come together and have a fleet of six trucks.

They however lament the absence of truck terminal at the ports, saying that if they could have a befitting truck terminal as well as the call-up system where people could easily come and book their trucks, in turn, hand the drivers so booked the documents that would enable them gain entry through the gate, it would be the good news of the year.

Olalere however wondered whether the fresh initiatives would change the present poor state of things in the nation’s seaports.

His words: “But is that going to stop extortion at the port gates?

Because what they told us before we started the truck registration and standardization exercise as conducted by the NPA last year, they promised that after issuing us with the stickers, they will introduce electronic gate. We have gotten the stickers, we started last year. We are going to renew it this year but let us see if they will install the electronic gate system. They are yet to erect the electronic gate system; the gate is still wide open both at Apapa and Tin Can. I do not know when they will be effective. Let us wait and see”.

to receive five of the bulk carriers that berth in LPC. The vessels are laden with 205,484 MT of bulk wheat.

In the period under review, two vessels laden with 50,000MT of steel products are also expected to berth at the ENL Terminals within the period.

Similarly, ABTL will receive two vessels carrying 10,500MT of base oil. Two vessels, each laden with about 33,000MT of bulk salt and 46,000MT of bulk sugar are expected to arrive at GDNL Terminals.

MWUN Decries FG Economic Policies The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has decried the economic policies of the Federal Government, saying that these policies have impacted negatively on the lives of its members.

The association which is the umbrella body of those who work in the nation’s seaports expressed dismay over the deplorable state of the port access roads, the ban on the importation of vehicles through the international land borders, inability of importers and manufacturers to access foreign exchange among other ills.

President General of MWUN, Comrade Anthony Emmanuel Nted who stated this in Lagos on the heels of its just concluded central committee meeting urged the Federal Government to suspend implementation of the January 1, 2017 ban placed on the importation of vehicles through the land borders.

Nted said in recent times, importers and manufacturers have found it extremely difficult to access foreign exchange and even when it is available, the cost is outrageous.

According to the unionist, the negative effect of these Federal Government inimical policies include massive loss of job, closure of industries/factories, relocation of companies including shipping to neighbouring countries which culminate into loss of revenue to the Federal Government and compound insecurity in the land.

On the importation of cars through the land borders, MWUN said: “We want to use this medium to commend the Federal Government on the recent ban on importation of cars through the land borders. We believe this policy will increase traffic in the port, create jobs and revenue for the government.

However, the Union would like to appeal to the Federal Government to give a month grace to importers whose vehicles are trapped because of the policy to clear their vehicles. After the one month grace, the government should commence full implementation of the policy”.

The union also appealed to the Federal Government to have a stakeholders meeting with assembly plants and indigenous auto-manufacturing companies to identify and address the challenges of manufacturing of cars in the country.

The union also took exception to the activities of those it described as “disgruntled elements and non-card carrying members”.

According to MWUN, these persons have been spreading malicious, fabricated, libelous and unfounded insinuations about the union and its leadership. The aim of these disgruntled elements is to create an impression of crisis in the union where there is none.

The union recognizes every card-carrying member right, freedom of speech and association as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The same constitution provides the avenue for redress when the rights of individuals/organisations are infringed upon.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2017

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

VINTAGE

Dozie Nwankwo, Lawmaker with Midas Touch Chike Okeke

T

here are legislators and there are legislators. In the various State Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly, many members merely warm their seats. Although, the 1999 Constitution stipulates a minimum of 180 sittings in a year, a number of legislator attend to their various businesses regularly and only attend sittings to make up the number, fulfill the requirements for minimum number of sitting days and collect their huge salaries and allowances. However, there are a few members who have genuine reasons to be in the Assemblies to serve their people. They see politics as a call to National Service.

They may be very successful in business but since they are in politics in the interest of the generality of the citizenry, they give it their best endeavours.

One such public spirited politician is Hon. Ferdinand Dozie Nwankwo who represents Anaocha, Njikoka and Dunukofia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. In the past six years, this household name in Anambra State has gone through the mill in politics. He has experienced the various twists and turns in his political career, winning every election he contested but denied his hard won victory through machinations and intrigues. It was same experience in the 2015 General Elections where, though he won convincingly, defeating his opponents in every polling boots with very wide margins on votes, his opponent was declared winner. It was only through the instrumentality of Almighty God that the Elections Petition Tribunal gave him his deserved victory.

A man with a transformation agenda to provide service to humanity, his quest for professionalism and specialization routed him to many trainings, conferences and exhibitions round the world which included value world conferences in Amsterdam, value engineering exhibition in China, Buffaloes fire fighting equipment exhibition in the USA, Oil and Gas exhibition in Germany, Chemical spill cleaning pump exhibition in Sweden, etc.

Educationally, Hon. Nwankwo is no neophyte. He holds a BSc in Accounting from the University of Port Harcourt and is currently studying for MSc in Business Administration (Leadership Option) in the University of Liverpool, UK. A giant stride towards excellence has earned him series of awards including Peace Ambassador Award from Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Award of Excellence from Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, Igbo Youth Congress Award, etc. At the Iguaro ceremony in his home town, Enugwu Ukwu, Anambra State on January 7th, 2017, he was conferred with the Chieftaincy Title of Onyendozi (The Reconciliator) of Enugwu Ukwu na Umunri.

Since his swearing in, he has moved three motions in the House. The first was a motion to mandate the House Committee on Environment and Habitat to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Environment to include contracts to control gully erosion in Enuagu, Uruogbo and Osili Villages in Enugwu

Dozie Nwankwo presenting empowerment goods Ukwu in Njikoka LGA, Udu Donka (Agulu Nanka) and Haba Agulu erosion sites, Adazi Nnukwu gully erosion site, Enuabo village, Obeledu erosion site, Dunukofia Nkwelle Umunnachi and Ukpo erosion sites in the Supplementary Federal budget for 2016. The motion was unanimously carried and the House resolved accordingly.

The House further urged the Ecological Fund Office to take measures aimed at controlling the menace, urged the National Emergency Managing Agency (NEMA) to, as a matter of urgency send relief materials to victims of the erosion. The House further mandated the Committee on Environment and Habitat to urgently visit the affected sites.

He also called the Nation’s attention to the fact that the health centres and facilities in his constituency have been abandoned and are in bad infrastructural state. They include University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Comprehensive Health Centre, Abagana, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Centre for Community and Primary Health Care Ukpo and the UNIZIK Community Medicine/ Primary Health Care Centre and Diagnostice Cemtre Neni.

Having moved the motion to this effect, the House urged the Committee on Health Care Services to ensure the rehabilitation and equipping of the Medical Centres and that the three (3) Federal Health Centres in the Constituency are functioning with

adequate staff and personnel.

His Dozie Nwankwo Foundation has become very popular for its far reaching impact on indigenes and inhabitance of Anambra State during its Medical Outreach which is held every year, the most recent being on December 12th, 2016. Free medical consultation and treatment, ophthalmology examination and treatment including surgery and provision of medical glasses and dental treatments /surgeries are regular features of the outreach.

However, the most enduring impact this builder of men and monument has made in his constituency was witnessed on Saturday 10th December, 2016 at Obu Umunri Palace, Enugwu Ukwu. This was his Women and Youths Empowerment Programme.

Politicians usually organize empowerment programmes for different segments of the population in their various constituencies but that of Hon Dozie Nwankwo that day was unique, spectacular, far reaching and unprecedented.

He said he wished to thank members of his campaign organization who worked very hard for his electoral victories and the generality of the less privileged in his constituency. Six (6 no)salon cars, over 150 tricycles (Keke napep) and Hundreds of Sewing machines, grinding machines, textile fabrics, hair dryers, motor cycles were distributed among many indigenes and inhabitants of all the towns in the three local governments that constitute his federal

constituency. A number of wheel chairs were also distributed to the physically challenged. It was generally confirmed that this very empowerment programme was the most far reaching in scope in Anambra State and that never in the history of the state had such number of such number of poverty alleviating facilitates and equipments been given to such number of beneficiaries.

The atmosphere was electric, the ovation was thunderous and the crowd stood in wonder and bewilderment. It looked like a movie scene tales by moonlight but real. It needed to be seen, to be believed.

There is no doubt that the Hon. Dozie Nwankwo Empowerment Programme has put food on the table of thousands of people, made equal number of people bread winners in their families, thereby improving the social status and economy of the three local government areas in the state in particular and Anambrarians generally.

If service to the people is a major yardstick with which a politician’s role in the society should be accessed, then Hon. Chief Ferdinand Dozie Nwankwo (Onyendozi) has surpassed expectations. Does he really belong to the political class in Nigeria? Or a different genre in politics. Here come their genre leader, the leader of our dreams. A better one is yet to come or may not even have being born. May we have more of his kind.

–Okeke is a political analyst.

Portugal Reopens Consular Office in Lagos Bayo Adeoye

H

istory was made last Tuesday when the Portugal Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr António Pedro da Vinha Rodrigues da Silva and other representatives of Portugal stormed the CBC Towers ,Lekki, Lagos State for the official lunch of Five Thousand Miles initiative and the Office of the Consular for Portugal in Lagos. While declaring the place opened the Ambassador re-affirmed his country quest to tighten the bond between Nigeria and Portugal to enable a business friendly environment inspite the current economic recession.

While addressing members of the press,Mr

Antonio, spoke on the need to reopen a new consular office at the CBC Towers, Lekki Lagos; where he describes as the ‘New York’ of Africa. “I am very happy on this occasion because it’s important for Portugal and Nigeria because we are re-opening our consular office in Lagos. We are making a statement and willingness to develop and strengthen the bilateral relationship we have with Nigeria” The well -travelled envoy also used the occasion to introduce the Newly appointed Honorary Consular in Lagos, Mr Pedro Hipolito, who is also the CEO Five Thousand Miles to the media, his duty according to Mr. Rodrigues da Silva is not only to serve the Portuguese community in Lagos or

South-west Nigeria, but also to work toward strengthen the economic and trade relationship between our two countries.

Mr Hipolito in his acceptance speech expressed his pleasure in working in Nigeria as Honorary Consul for Portugal.

“As a business man, and C.E.O of Five Thousand Miles, I have been doing business in Nigeria for seven years ; despite the economic recession, I am still optimistic about the future of Nigeria. I will say I am the number one European fan of Nigeria, I can give my testimony. Nigerians are hardworking, truthful and honest people, I can guarantee that with the new development, I and the Embassy, will woo companies from Portugal and other European to invest

in Nigeria as a way to create more jobs for Nigerians’. He added.

Mr Pedro, further spoke about his company that was used as a tool to facilitate the new bond between the two countries, He said ‘Five Thousand Miles (5TM) is an international business development agency that dedicates itself to providing a range of diversified services intended to support companies who wish to enter the African market. 5TM has five business areas: advisory, development, networking, trading and investment. 5TM has among its clients major companies in several business areas. 5TM also promotes networking events and pursues trading and investment opportunities.’

25

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

Expression

MEDIAGAFFES by

Sauce for The Goose…

D

AILY Sun Front Page of January 30 welcomes us today with this infraction: “Oba of Benin reads riot act (the riot act) to…” “…to stimulate employment, build more roads and other social amenities or solve one social problem or the other.”

Going by the contextual pluralism of the extract, the right expression should be: one social problem or another.

“Group assures on rancour free PDP Congress” Still on this recurrent blunder: who did the group assure? And this: rancour-free….

“Adewusi condemns do or die politics” This way: do-or-die politics.

“The race to Government House in Anambra has began in earnest as….” (THISDAY POLITICS TODAY, December 28) Without any effort: The race has begun….

“The non Passage (sic) of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) did not help matters….”

2016 Review: The non-passage (take note of the hyphen and lower case ‘p’)….

“I seize this opportunity to express gratitude to my readers for their commitment and patronage.” I take (not seize) this opportunity to thank Mr. Bayo Oguntunase for updating me on the latest trend with regard to ‘infrastructures’.

Last week’s edition of this medium offered our teeming readers copious goofs: “Expresident Umaru Yar’Adua was on his sick bed….” No eavesdropping: in his sick bed.

One of the clerics who allegedly visited him sat on his sick bed. Got the point? “…a gubernatorial aspirant in Ogun State under (on) the platform of….”

“After all, as they say, ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’ ’’. What is

sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

“Knowing what to wear and how to compliment (complement) it goes a long way….”

“Ibru attempted murder: Court frees Al-Mustapha, others” (DAILY SUN Bold Headline, December 2) I just hope that the Voice of The Nation is not being mischievous: the publisher of The Guardian newspapers could not have attempted suicide, let alone murder, as DAILY SUN ignorantly insinuated! A rewrite: Murder attempt on Ibru: Court frees Al-Mustapha, others. Please, let us not premeditate murder in the name of journalism.

Vanguard of December 29 sent out the following errors: “The state, therefore, does not deserve the treatment being currently meted to it”. Classical expression: being meted out to it.

“Chief of Naval Staff advocates for increased productivity via industrialization” When used as a verb, ‘advocate’ does not admit ‘for’. Let us avoid verbiage in headline casting: Naval Chief advocates increased productivity.

“For the university to recommend that students should pay for the damages while they have….” A common mistake: except in legalese, ‘damage’ cannot be pluralized. “…rather than investigating and finding out who were involved and check against future re-occurrence: Beyond recurrence, can an event yet to take place happen in the past? “…the university is pointing its accusing fingers in the direction of the lecturers.” True idiom: point a/the finger. No inclusion of ‘accusing’ or inflection of ‘finger’.

“It is our belief that we members of the alumni association of our alma Mata (Alma Mater) have unique roles to play in the restoration of sanity on our university

campus.” It is…restoration of sanity to (not on) our campus.

“Isn’t it funny that it is the beak with which a bird builds it’s (sic) nest that it uses to scatter it.” Possessive: its “…the OAU summiteers concentrated almost exclusive (sic) on the political independence and liberation of countries in (on) the continent.”

Vanguard of December 4 contained two putrid lines: “Monday’s action, which started at dawn, was as a result of the breakdown of series of negotiations…” An agendum: a series of negotiations.

“According to investigations, the deceased was said to be resting alone in his room at about 9.p.m….” Every reporter should be decisive based on timing which description to use: either at or about 9 p.m.

The two cannot co-function.

“According to the source, the institution has a very high percentage of failure in the last academic year.” Reported speech: the institution had (not has). “… that the authorities of the institution was (were) still waiting the result of the police analysis of the bomb”. “…in the next three years, its per capital income would have ...” This way: per capita income.

FEEDBACK

Lest we forget, CELEBRATER or Celebrator is reserved for someone having a good time while “celebrant” is reserved for someone who conducts a religious rite. If “celebrator” becomes overworked/over – used or becomes obsolete, then “celebrater”, the original word, will take over (Look it up in The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of The English Language, page 214 and The Associated Press STYLEBOOK, page 36).

“Inquire” is the preferred spelling, NOT

Ebere Wabara

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“enquire” and “inquiry” is preferred to “enquiry” (DICTIONARY OF USAGE, page 91). Besides, in American English, the general preference is to use “inquiry” (GOOD WORD GUIDE, page 99). The debate continues. Well done, brother! (Bayo Oguntunase, Language activist, Adoro62@yahoo.co.uk) MR. Wabara, I have always enjoyed your every Saturday tonic—Media Gaffes. Keep it up. I wish to draw your attention to our discussion on the word ‘about’ in one of last month’s editions.

You inadvertently repeated what was required to be corrected as the correction. Secondly, one of your contributors to that edition should have said, ‘about 1,720 or 1,700’…rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 (sic) would have read rounded up or down to the nearest 10 or 100. And this: 1,729 or 1,700 (to the nearest 10 and 100 respectively). For instance, 1,755 can be rounded up to 1,800 (not 100). Thank you. (Surveyor J. O. Amayo, Benin City, 08051646227) THE next two contributions by Mr. Kola Danisa (07068074257) are from THE NATION of August 24: “Over four months after their abduction, the girls are yet (have yet) to be located.”

“Liberia is (has) yet to return to….” And this: “…untapped heroic potentials (potential)….”

DR. Stanley Nduagu (08062925996) sent in the next faulty extract from Aba: “The Nigerian nurses as endangered specie (species)” (Nigerian nurses and midwives’ advertorial) ‘Species’ is both singular and plural. The word ‘specie’ has no place in English language.

“Then it was catalogue of misses for the Super Eagles.” In the spirit of qualification: a catalogue of misses.

“The home of the chairman…was vandalized and most of his properties littered outside.” No chaos: most of his property.

vintage

Olumodeji,KidneyFailurePatient,NeedsN12mforTransplant Godwin Ifijeh

U

nless aid comes to her quickly and she gets the N12million needed to immediately travel to India to replace her two ruptured e kidneys, Mrs. Olumodeji, a brilliant middle aged woman of academic excellence, stands to die prematurely any time soon, reports ----Mrs. Titi Juliana Olawoyin Olumodeji had worked variously in different capacities in some private businesses in the SouthWest region of Nigeria, Lagos in particular. She was agile, loving and loved.

Neighbours described her as extremely quiet, easy going and kind. As one petty trader next door to her house, Mrs. Bisi Sowemimo, said of her, Mrs. Olumodeji will only not give you what she has put in her mouth to eat.

“She completely took over my family’s care after I lost my husband some 5 years ago and I could not cater for my children and pay our rent any longer. Apart from ensuring that my little kids, who had stopped school, returned to school, she took me and my three kids into her house, fed and took care of us. In fact, she made it possible for me to stand on my own by facilitating the process that made it possible for me to raise the money with which I started this little trading business I am into today. She guided me through the business and I ensured that I could fend for myself and kids, she was a teacher and a counsellor, in this little neighbourhood, she was in her young age a mother to all, she was gentle, kind and loving but our jewel is down today sick, we don’t have the where withal to help her, we are appealing to the world, Christians, Muslims, corporate institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches and mosques, governments and government institutions to come to the aid of this

Olumodeji

godly woman and save her life for us and humanity,” Mrs. Sowemimo, a widow of over six years, who sells fruits and food stuffs in the Meiran neighbourhood of the Olumodejis, a Lagos suburb, pleaded in tears at the Olumodejis’ house during the week.

Now lying helpless in her hospital

bed, the 47-year old Mrs. Olumodeji is suffering from a chronic kidney disease, which her doctors say will require her to undergo renal transplantation in India.

Her two kidneys are reportedly affected In a letter of appeal dated October 13, 2016 and signed by her doctor, .A.O. Banjoko of the Dialyzer Specialist Medi-

cal Centre, Lagos, where she has been undergoing hemodialysis sessions, the hospital stated: “Mrs. Olumodeji Titi, aged 47 years, a patient with renal function impairment, was diagnosed with chronic kidney Disease a year ago in LASUTH and has been on follow up here. Due to worsening renal function, she started hemodialysis on 8.10.16 and has had two sessions thus far.

“Mrs. Olumodeji is currently scheduled for twice weekly hemodialysis sessions and intradialysis blood transfusions.

However, it is advisable for her to have renal transplantation done because the quality of life and survival outcomes of post-transplant patients is greatly improved by the procedure. This can be done in India. Any financial assistance in this regards will be greatly appreciated.”

Mrs. Olumodeji, with her husband, Mr.Biodun Olumodeji on her bedside in hospital, pleaded for public help, stating that she requires N12million to successfully carry out the kidney transplant in India. She said she has been undergoing hemodialysis twice weekly at a cost of N56, 000.00 per session, making N112, 000 a week. Her husband, who joined her in the appeal, pleaded with all good spirited people, governments, politicians, businessmen and women and religious bodies to come to their aid to help save the wife’s life.

According to him, he has spent all they have on her medical care with their children now thrown out of school as he is unable to pay their school fees anymore and feeding as well has proven to be difficult for them.

While he gave his telephone numbers as 08023680469, 08023205665 and 08174108037 for the benefit of those who would want to reach them for enquiries, he said donors could make payment to Mrs. Olumodeji Titi Juliana through her First Bank Account No. 3050576796. He wishes all donors and contributors God;s blessings, guidance and replenishment.

26

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

auto

2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom

2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Overview Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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he Phantom comes in four body styles.

The standard Phantom features four doors and seemingly acres of room in the interior--it is an ultra-luxurious take on the 4-door family car. Those buyers who employ a driver may prefer the Extended Wheelbase version, which adds additional luxury and legroom to the rear-seat occupants, and its extended wheelbase offering even more rear leg room. The Coupe and its convertible version, the Drophead feature only two doors. These two models represent the ultimate in personal luxury transportation, designed in every way to cater to owners who want to experience driving in one of the most exclusive cars ever built.

All Phantoms come with a huge list of standard features and interiors are immaculate. Leather is used nearly everywhere and is available in a variety of colors, both monotone and 2-tone. In fact--the entire interior of the car is really up to the buyer, with a mind-boggling number of configurations available.

Rear seats can be configured for either two or three passengers with unique bolstering and seat design for each. Various colors are available not just for the leather but for the thread used to stitch that leather together, headrests are available with or without the “Rolls-Royce” logo and the wood trimmed interior is available with four different types of wood finishes.

Though it all sounds wonderfully old fashioned, the Phantom is obviously a very modern vehicle.

A navigation system features full 3D maps and

topography, displayed on a large 8.8-inch screen.

Front, rear and even top view cameras make maneuvering the car much easier than in years past especially while parking, as the Phantom is a quite a large vehicle.

Power comes from a 6.75L V12 engine mated to an 8-speed automatic. The engine is extremely torquey and is powerful enough to make the Phantom pretty quick in a straight line. But anyone looking to race the Phantom have likely missed the point of this vehicle.

Yes, the car is fast and handles pretty well, but that’s more of a byproduct of doing everything well than any specific design goal. Rolls-Royce achieves an impressive level of performance considering the Phantom’s weight, but where the Phantom succeeds in every way is in its pursuit of the ultimate luxury car experience.

FRSC Begins Enforcement of Speed Limiter

T

he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has started implementing of the enforcement of Speed Limiters for commercial vehicles nationwide.

It would be recalled that the Corps had embarked on advisory enforcement last year without apprehending motorists.

According to the Unit Commander, Lekki Unit Command, Assistant Corps Commander Azubike Onyemeh, “the Federal Road Safety Corps in the last couple of months has been on a Subtle Enforcement of the Speed Limiter on Commercial Fleet. This is sequel to previous stakeholders consultation and public sensitization on the imperative for having speed limiting devices fitted on commercial vehicles.

The Corps is poised to commence full enforcement of the speed limiter on all commercial fleet with effect from 1st February, 2017. The enforcement of the speed limiter is provided for in the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012, Section152 (4) which states that “A person shall not drive a vehicle on any public road which is not fitted with a speed limiter.”

According to Onyemeh, “the essence of enforcing this provision of the NRTR 2012 is to mitigate speed related Road Traffic Crashes.

Consequent on the foregoing, the unit hereby places on notice the general public and commercial fleet operators in Lekki-Ajah axis in particular that the Command shall begin full enforcement of the speed limiting device on

Wednesday, 1st February, 2017 as directed. The understanding and cooperation of the general public is highly solicited”.

It would be recalled that the FRSC had met with relevant stakeholders before the enforcement of the Speed Limiter. According to the

Oyeyemi

Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, “the Standard Organisation of Nigeria has approved the standard of the device which is to help cut down the speed limit. No matter how you accelerate, you cannot exceed that speed limit of a 100.”

Volkswagen Overtakes Toyota as World’s Biggest Carmaker

V

olkswagen has overtaken Toyota to become the world’s best-selling carmaker, the first time the German company has held the position.

Japan’s Toyota, which had topped sales for the past four years, sold 10.175 million vehicles globally in 2016. That fell short of the 10.31 million sales which VW reported last week.

The milestone comes despite VW’s scandal over emissions tests cheating, which sparked a global backlash and multiple lawsuits. A spokesman for VW said: “2016 was a very challenging year for us.”

The company “made strides in resolving and overcoming the diesel crisis” and initiated fundamental change in the company’s long-term strategy, he said. “Nonetheless, we managed to stabilise operating business in difficult conditions: the fact that we handed over more than 10 million vehicles to customers last year bolsters the group and its brands as we head for the future,” he added.

Volkswagen, which makes the Audi, Porsche and Skoda brands, saw a 3.8% increase in sales buoyed by demand in China.

And it has been making inroads in other markets too. In Sweden for example, the Volkswagen Golf was the most popular new car in 2016.

Toyota’s sales grew by 0.2% - though it appears to have suffered from a slowdown in the US car industry.

General Motors reports its figures next week, but it is expected to lag both the Japanese and the German firms.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

27

auto

Honda S2000 Successor Could be Coming Sooner Than We Thought Stories by Bennett Oghifo

A

replacement for the Honda S2000 could debut next year.

According to Car and Driver, one source says Honda will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2018 by unveiling a successor to the Honda S2000, along with an RC213V-S superbike. Rumors of a baby Honda NSX have been circulating for quite some time now, and it could as a sports car offering in Honda’s lineup since the NSX is sold as an Acura in the U.S. Originally expected to use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the Civic Type R, the source says that’s no longer the case since by 2018, that engine will be old news.

“We need to take things forward,” they added. “As a celebratory model, the sports car must be special, so it must have a new powertrain and a unique chassis.”

Japanese publication Holiday Auto reports the S2000 successor will feature a two-stage electric boosting system that is similar to a technology used by Mitsubishi. The system essentially uses an electrically driven supercharger, a conventional turbocharger, a bypass valve and other components typically associated with forced induction. Mitsubishi found that these sort of systems are more fuel efficient than current twin-turbo setups and

Honda S2000

feature little to no turbo lag. As an added bonus, they’re compact and lightweight.

That means Honda could use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a twin-charge system to generate over 320 horsepower, while mated to an eight-speed dualclutch transmission.

Interested? Expect to see the model debut in 2018 at either the Paris Motor Show or the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Given that it’s targeting the U.S. market, it’s more likely it will bow in Southern California.

(Source: Car and Driver)

Toyota Australia Announces Closure Date

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oyota Australia has today announced that Tuesday 3 October 2017 will be its final day of vehicle production at its Altona manufacturing plant.

As part of the shutdown process, the plant will stop building Aurion vehicles in August, Camry Hybrid vehicles in September and Camry Petrol vehicles in October.

The company will continue operating both AM and PM shifts until the final closure date.

This will ensure the total volume production of 61,000 vehicles for the year, made up of 26,600 domestic and 34,400 exports, is met.

Toyota Australia President Dave Buttner reinforced the company’s commitment to supporting employees throughout the transition period and beyond.

“Our priority over the remaining months is to continue to support our employees in every way possible so that they are well prepared for the future,” Mr Buttner said.

“We remain extremely proud of our rich manufacturing history which spans over 50 years. Our employees are committed to producing vehicles of the highest quality as we work towards our goal of ‘last car = best global car’.” As part of Toyota Australia’s transition to a national sales and distribution company, the consolidation of all corporate functions from Sydney to Melbourne will take effect by 1 January 2018.

As a result of this consolidation and closure of manufacturing, the number of employees will reduce from 3,900 people to approximately 1,300.

Hyundai Motor Sold 4.86M Units Worldwide in 2016

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yundai Motor Company, South Korea’s largest automaker, today announced its 2016 full-year business results. Sales volume and operating profit declined from the same period last year due to high production cost caused by series of labor strikes and continued economic stagnancies in emerging markets.

For the year 2016, Hyundai Motor Company’s global sales totaled 4,857,933 units (Korea: 656,526 / overseas: 4,201,407), down 2.1 percent year-on-year.

Despite year-on-year decrease in sales, Hyundai Motor’s sales revenue increased 1.8 percent to KRW 93.65 trillion (auto: KRW 72.68 trillion / finance and others: KRW 20.97 trillion) from a year earlier owing to sales increase of SUVs and GENESIS models.

Operating profit fell 18.3 percent to KRW 5.19 trillion and net profit showed a 12.1 percent decrease to KRW 5.72 trillion, for 2016.

In the fourth quarter alone, global sales totaled 1,380,024 units while sales revenue posted KRW 24.54 trillion with operating profit of KRW 1.02 trillion. Hyundai Motor forecasts the business environment to be ever more uncertain due to continued sluggish global economy and possibility of increase in protectionist trade policies.

Nevertheless, Hyundai Motor will continue its effort to focus on strengthening competitiveness and product quality in the global automotive market. To do so, Hyundai Motor will launch variety of new cars and boost sales of SUVs, GENESIS models and eco-friendly models.

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

Speed Limiter Verification Code- A Must Read For Commuters

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erify your speed limiter with code 33811. Are you a regular traveler and like my friend Koffi enjoy patronizing the good and the ugly transporter because you have no alternative? Do you freak out each time you hear of road traffic crashes and near misses on our roads, resulting in avoidable deaths? Do you know we can collectively checkmate the madness and irresponsible driving behaviors and practices by some of these operators? Well the good news is that we have empowered you in our usual strategy to guard you against operators whose business principles are built on excessive speeding and reckless driving? You now have the tool to monitor best practice based operators so that you can always make the right choice when embarking on any trip. This is why I have chosen to focus on how you can do this in our quest to bequeath a safer road culture.

When the speed limiter enforcement on the compulsory enforcement of speed limiter device for all commercial vehicles as endorsed

by President Muhammadu Buhari, in October 2016 commenced on Feb 1 2017, it was with some drama and comic relief which has lately become a Nigerian novelty. Reports from across Commands within my Zone is in the first three days indicate that it has been smooth without

Safe driving with

Jonas Agwu

amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education Officer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491

any form of hiccups as earlier envisaged by some people because of the typical penchant by some Nigerians to dismiss governments intervention no matter the novelty as a project doomed to fail.

The synergy exhibited thus far between the Corps and sister agencies has been really outstanding.

Despite this positives, I must state here that drama or comic relief as usual has helped to make the enforforcement truly Nigerian .I am yet to get reports of these drama scenes within my Zone but reports from other parts are worth noting.

Lagos no doubt provides us with the first incident.

At one of the toll gates in Lagos to be precise, the driver of one of the notable transport company thrilled both his passengers and operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps at no cost. The drama opened when the driver was stopped by the operatives in keeping with the ongoing enforcement. Despite being the assigned driver

for the vehicle which was heading to the eastern part of the country, the driver did not know that the vehicle assigned to him has been installed with the device.

According to one of my big oga in the business of pushing pen who incidentally was in the vehicle at the time of arrest, there was confusion as the driver also could not explain what a speed limiter is. I know that one of the strategies being employed by some transport operators is to conceal the installation from the drivers to guard against tampering of the device, removing the device or resetting the device which is one of the hiccups confronting its enforcement in other climes. What this means is that we must sustain the level of engagement and advocacies to ensure that all operators buy in and also understand what the speed limiter truly is.

While we worry over this kind of ignorance, we must commend the operating fleet company for this strategy which demonstrates commitment to guard against possible abuse by some drivers. I do wish other operators could borrow of leaf from this company While we remain hopeful on this development, it is crucial for commuters to shine their eyes like we say in the typical Nigerian parlance. I know that commuter passivity has remained a bane in trending road traffic crashes in the country.

Over the years we have received reports and confession by drivers and other commuters on

how some engineer drivers to drive dangerously and speed excessively oblivious of the risk they expose themselves. This is why commuters must take keen interest on daily progress being made by the Corps .They can do this through keenly utilizing the crucial information on how to verify if a vehicle is installed with a speed limiting device.

In keeping with our current practice and standard with most of our products such as the number plate and drivers licence, we have equally created a platform to ease enforcement by our operatives and other security agencies and to also aid commuters in whose interest the success of the current enforcement lies. This is because every time you hear of a road traffic crash, what you most time is that three commuters lost their lives while the driver receiving treatment.

Even where he dies you get a ratio of one driver to five or more commuters. For simplicity sake, the same code currently being used for verifying drivers numbers is applicable for verifying speed limiting device .All that is required is to text the number of the vehicle to the short code 33811 thus: text,confirmsld plateno to 33811.The second option is to visit FRSC web portal (www.frsc.gov. ng); at the bottom of the home page click speed limiting device button or type “speedlimiter.frsc. gov.ng” on the web browser; enter the vehicle plate number at the middle-left of the home page then click submit button to verify.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • February 4, 2017

Family Health with

Fertility Issues with Males

E

very man is born with a macho instinct , that increases with age from early puberty and is heightened mid twenty as young adult until mid-thirties , when it begins to taper off. At this time many things may have occurred with your seed. Many men do not know, because it may not give you any particular symptoms , unless you are very observant.

If you are sexually active, this may expose you to STD, is you are a careless and carefree misguided Trojan horse.

Reproduction (or making a baby) is a simple and natural experience for most couples. However, for some couples it is very difficult to conceive.

A man’s fertility generally relies on the quantity and quality of his sperm. If the number of sperm a man ejaculates is low or if the sperm are of a poor quality, it will be difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to cause a pregnancy.

Male infertility is diagnosed when, after testing both partners, reproductive problems have been found in the male. It is estimated that one in 20 men has some kind of fertility problem with low numbers of sperm in his ejaculate. However, only about one in every 100 men has no sperm in his ejaculate.

Sexuality in men is relative. This is so because as some are have very normal sexual drive, others do not have any at all, while some men sow their wild oats carelessly.

Up to 15 percent of couples are infertile. This means they aren’t able to conceive a child even though they’ve had frequent, unprotected sexual intercourse for a year or longer. In up to half of these couples, male infertility plays a role. Despite the relative importance of infertility due to the male, infertility evaluations have traditionally focused on women, because women tend to seek gynecological care and because men often are reluctant to seek advice. The testes (testis: singular) are a pair of egg-shaped glands that sit in the scrotum next to the base of the penis on the outside of the body. The testes make sperm and the male sex hormone testosterone.

It takes about 70 days for sperm to become mature and able to fertilise an egg. When released from the testes, the sperm spend two to 10 days passing through the epididymis where they gain the vital ability to swim strongly (become ‘motile’), and to attach to and penetrate (get into) the egg.

Male infertility is due to low sperm production, abnormal sperm function or blockages that prevent the delivery of sperm. Illnesses, injuries, chronic health problems, lifestyle choices and other factors can play a role in causing male infertility. Not being able to conceive a child can be stressful and frustrating, but a number of male infertility treatments are available. The main sign of male infertility is the inability to conceive a child.

There may be no other obvious signs or symptoms.

In some cases, however, an underlying problem such as an inherited disorder, hormonal imbalance, dilated veins around the testicle, or a condition that blocks the passage of sperm causes signs and symptoms.

There are symptoms Although most men with male infertility do not notice symptoms other than inability to conceive a child, signs and symptoms associated with male infertility include: • Problems with sexual function — for example, difficulty with ejaculation or small volumes of fluid ejaculated, reduced sexual desire or difficulty maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) • Pain, swelling or a lump in the testicle area • Recurrent respiratory infections • Inability to smell • Abnormal breast growth • Decreased facial or body hair or other signs of a chromosomal or hormonal abnormality Having a lower than normal sperm count • (fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen or a total sperm count of less than 39 million per ejaculate) re are symptoms which may and not be obvious.

You may need to see a doctor if When you have tried to get your wife pregnant , and you are unable after a year of unprotected sex, you should see a doctor.

• Have erection or ejaculation problems, low sex drive, or other problems with sexual function • Have pain, discomfort, a lump or swelling in the testicle area • Have a history of testicle, prostate or sexual problems • Have had groin, testicle, penis or scrotum surgery.

A fertile man should be able to do these 1. You must produce healthy sperm. Initially, this involves the growth and formation of the male reproductive organs during puberty. At least one of your testicles must be functioning correctly, and your body must produce testosterone and other hormones to trigger and maintain sperm production.

2. Sperm have to be carried into the semen. Once sperm are produced in the testicles, delicate tubes transport them until they mix with semen and are ejaculated out of the penis.

3. There needs to be enough sperm in the semen. If the number of sperm in your semen (sperm count) is low, it decreases the odds that one of your sperm will fertilize your partner’s egg. A low sperm count is fewer

Bobo Bode -Kayode

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

• Certain medications. Testosterone replacement therapy, long-term anabolic steroid use, cancer medications (chemotherapy), certain antifungal medications, some ulcer drugs and certain other medications can impair sperm production and decrease male fertility.

• Prior surgeries. Certain surgeries may prevent you from having sperm in your prostate surgeries, and large abdominal surgeries performed for testicular and rectal cancers, among others.

Environmental causes • Overexposure to certain environmental elements such as heat, toxins and chemicals can reduce sperm production or sperm function. Specific causes include: • Industrial chemicals. Extended exposure to benzenes, toluene, xylene, pesticides, herbicides, organic solvents, painting materials and lead may contribute to low sperm counts.

• Heavy metal exposure. Exposure to lead or other heavy metals also may cause infertility.

• Radiation or X-rays. Exposure to radiation can reduce sperm production, though it will often eventually return to normal. With high doses of radiation, sperm production can be permanently reduced.

• Overheating the testicles. Elevated temperatures impair sperm production and function. Although studies are limited and are inconclusive, frequent use of saunas or hot tubs may temporarily impair your sperm count.

• Sitting for long periods, wearing tight clothing or working on a laptop computer for long stretches of time also may increase the temperature in your scrotum and may slightly reduce sperm production.

Sperm production may also improve by taking clinically proven supplements.

Anything that increases the number of healthy sperm increases the chances of conception.

Many health food stores and vitamin shops offer male fertility supplements Artificial insemination is an option if the man’s sperm count is low. In this procedure, sperm is collected through multiple ejaculations.

They are then manually placed in the female’s uterus or fallopian tubes

than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen or fewer than 39 million per ejaculate.

4. Sperm must be functional and able to move. If the movement (motility) or function of your sperm is abnormal, the sperm may not be able to reach or penetrate your partner’s egg.

5. Causes include medical anomarlies and environmental causes.

Male infertility has many causes--from hormonal imbalances, to physical problems, to psychological and/ or behavioral problems. Moreover, fertility reflects a man’s “overall” health. Men who live a healthy lifestyle are more likely to produce healthy sperm.

• Varicocele. A varicocele is a swelling of the veins that drain the testicle. It’s the most common reversible cause of male infertility. Although the exact reason that varicoceles cause infertility is unknown, it may be related to abnormal testicular temperature regulation. Varicoceles result in reduced quality of the Sperm Infection. Some infections can interfere with sperm production or sperm health or can cause scarring that blocks the passage of sperm. These include inflammation of the epididymis testicles and some sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea or HIV. Although some infections can result in permanent testicular damage, most often sperm can still be retrieved.

• Ejaculation issues. Retrograde ejaculation occurs when semen enters the bladder during orgasm instead of emerging out the tip of the penis • Antibodies that attack sperm. Anti-sperm antibodies are immune system cells that mistakenly identify sperm as harmful invaders and attempt to eliminate them.

• Tumors. Cancers and nonmalignant tumors can affect the male reproductive organs directly, through the glands that release hormones related to reproduction, such as the pituitary gland, or through unknown causes. Undescended testicles. In some males, during fetal development one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the sac that normally contains the testicles (scrotum). Decreased fertility is more likely in men who have had this condition.

• Hormone imbalances. Infertility can result from disorders of the testicles themselves or an abnormality affecting other hormonal systems including the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands. Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) and other hormonal problems have a number of possible underlying causes.

• Defects of tubules that transport sperm. Many different tubes carry sperm. They can be blocked due to various causes, including inadvertent injury from surgery, prior infections, trauma or abnormal development, such as with cystic fibrosis or similar inherited conditions.

• Chromosome defects. Inherited disorders such as Klinefelter’s syndrome — in which a male is born with two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome (instead of one X and one Y) — cause abnormal development of the male reproductive organs.

• Problems with sexual intercourse. These can include trouble keeping or maintaining an erection sufficient for sex (erectile dysfunction), premature ejaculation, painful intercourse, anatomical abnormalities such as having a urethral opening beneath the penis), or psychological or relationship problems that interfere with sex..

Health, lifestyle and other causes • Illicit drug use. Anabolic steroids taken to stimulate muscle strength and growth can cause the testicles to shrink and sperm production to decrease. Use of cocaine or marijuana may temporarily reduce the number and quality of your sperm as well.

• Alcohol use. Drinking alcohol can lower testosterone levels, cause erectile dysfunction and decrease sperm production. Liver disease caused by excessive drinking also may lead to fertility problems.

• Tobacco smoking. Men who smoke may have a lower sperm count than do those who don’t smoke.

Secondhand smoke also may affect male fertility.

• Emotional stress. Stress can interfere with certain hormones needed to produce sperm. Severe or prolonged emotional stress, including problems with fertility, can affect your sperm count.

• Weight. Obesity can impair fertility in several ways, including directly impacting sperm themselves as well as by causing hormone changes that reduce male fertility.

• Certain occupations including welding or those involving prolonged sitting, such as truck driving, may be associated with a risk of infertility.

Treatments include : Taking medications to help increase sperm production Taking antibiotics to heal an infection Taking hormones to improve hormone imbalance Avoiding taking long hot showers, using hot tubs or saunas Wearing looser underwear such as boxer shorts versus jockey shorts Sperm production may also improve by taking clinically proven supplements. Anything that increases the number of healthy sperm increases the chances of conception.

Many health food stores and vitamin shops offer male fertility supplements Artificial insemination is an option if the man’s sperm count is low. In this procedure, sperm is collected through multiple ejaculations. They are then manually placed in the female’s uterus or fallopian tubes.

In vitro fertilization is another option that can be used to overcome male infertility factors. In this procedure, the sperm and egg are fertilized in a laboratory after which the fertilized egg is placed in the female’s uterus.

If tests show that there is no sperm production or that other related problems are present, donor sperm can be used to help facilitate conception. In this procedure, donor sperm are obtained from a sperm bank and placed inside the female’s uterus or fallopian tubes through artificial insemination.

Can male infertility be prevented?

There is usually nothing that can be done to prevent male infertility caused by genetic problems or illness.

However, there are actions that men can take to decrease the possibility of infertility.

These include Avoiding sexually transmitted diseases Avoiding illicit drugs Avoiding radiation when possible Avoiding exposure to toxic substances Avoiding heavy or frequent use of alcohol Observing good personal hygiene and health practices Avoiding long, hot baths, hot tubs or saunas Wearing loose-fitting underwear.

GLOBAL SOCCER

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 16, 2011

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

LONDON DERBY

PAGE. 29 04.02.2017

China: A New Haven for Eagles’ Stars

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

GLOBAL SOCCER

Odion Ighalo's only Premier League goal this season came in the 4-2 away win at West Ham on September 10

China: A New Haven for Eagles’ Stars After managing to score just three goals this season and tumbling in the striking position’s pecking order at Watford, the English Premier League club was left no other choice than to ship Odion Ighalo to a Chinese Super League side–Chongchun Yatai. With Super Eagles Captain, Mikel Obi, now playing in the same league after failing to make the team at Chelsea and Nigeria’s female football sensation, Asisat Oshoala, also likely to head for China after the expiration of her contract with Arsenal at the end of the season. Kunle Adewale writes about Nigerian footballers and the Chinese connection

O

dion Ighalo will become English football's latest concession to the Great ‘Wad’ of China after Watford agreed a £20 million deal with Chongchun Yatai. The misfiring striker is set to follow his international teammate, John Obi Mikel, and hop aboard the Chinese Super League gravy train.

“I am not surprised Odion Ighalo is doing what he is doing. I have chatted with him and played with him in the national team and I can see the talent he has, as even before I have the ball in those games, he is already making his run. He is a player who likes to exploit the space behind the defence and is a good finisher around the box,” Mikel had said of Ighalo

after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Watford in 2015/16 Premier league season.

But all those abilities seem to be beyond Ighalo now as he seems to have lost his goal-scoring form Ighalo has gone from top scorer at Vicarage Road, and magician behind the 'Iggy chop' party trick, which left countless defenders on their backsides to a spare part in danger of missing out on a Premier League squad number.

Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri admitted Ighalo's departure was imminent on Monday night, saying: “Every morning I ask the club what the situation is, and negotiations are now at an advanced stage, so it should only be a matter of a couple of days.”

Ighalo was top scorer across all four divisions in 2015, when his 30 goals

fired the Hornets to promotion and Premier League safety.

Even when the goals dried up for him in the second half of last season, Shanghai SIPD made a mind-blowing £37.5m bid for Ighalo last summer which the player rejected.

His market value has however plummeted as he finished 2016 with just six goals in all competitions, and Watford's top brass agree a fresh start is the best solution for all parties.

Another Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua, were exploring the possibility of pairing Ighalo with Carlos Tevez, but they would not meet Watford's £27m asking price for a player their rivals SIPD had valued £10m higher only six months ago.

Ighalo, who appeared to be waving

goodbye to travelling fans after the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth was left out of the squad altogether for the embarrassing FA Cup defeat at Millwall on Sunday.

Speaking to THISDAY in Lagos, former Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, noted that the Chinese League would never be a threat to European leagues in spite of the ridiculous amount it is using to lure players to China.

“I don’t see the Chinese Super League as a threat to the European big leagues. Leaving the top league in Europe for China is just a matter of choice. Moreover, aside from very few players, a number of players that are leaving Europe for China are those that cannot really command regular jersey in their clubs,” Saha said.

Corroborating Saha’s stand on the Chinese League is Bayern Munich winger,

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FEBRUARY 4, 2017 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Former Manchester United Striker, Louis Saha, with the Pupils of St John’s Catholic Primariry School, Bolade, during Kansai Plascon Schools' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Saha Reminisce Football, Dancing Skills as He Thrills School Children in Lagos

N Mikel Obi seeks refuge in China after failing to pin a regular shirt at Chelsea

Arjen Robben, who recently rejected an offer of a move to the Chinese Super League after he agreed to sign a one-year contract extension but admitted he had the opportunity to cash in on a big-money offer to move to China.

"A transfer to China would be something else entirely. That is basically acknowledging your career is over. I want to keep playing at the highest level as long as possible," Robben said.

"I do not understand players going to China at the age of 27 or 28. Those guys are at the peak of their career. That is a waste really. You only get one career. I sort of understand players who are already in their 30s.nIt is all about a certain madness that is ongoing in China right now. They are offering some crazy figures. I also got some offers.

The money on show is so crazy that you at least have to consider it. They are offering maybe four, five or six times the amounts you get at a big club. But money has never driven me. That is why I have had such a great career. It is about football for me," he added.

It would be recalled that some Nigerian players like Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obafemi Martins, Victor Agali, Garba Lawal and Anthony Ujah moved to China after a dwindling career in Europe.

As a boy, Ighalo and his Olodi Warriors team-mates would hit the deck when they heard gun fire during training. The bullets didn’t know the difference between the young footballers and the drug dealers selling their narcotics on a corner of the pitch, which the police were targeting.

Growing up in the Ajegunle ghetto, at the heart of Lagos, life can be like that.

The pitch where he trained and played

as a child is called the ‘Maracana’ by locals, in the Tolu Area of the community. It is one of the most popular places in Ajegunle and has become known as the place that turns filth into gold.

Some houses are even built on top of great mounds. But out of its depths have emerged footballers who would go on to make waves in Europe. Ighalo is one of them.

His mother, Martina, worked day and night selling water and soft drinks to save up for his first pair of boots against his father, Paul’s wish, who wanted his son to go to school and study, so his parents would argue. Ighalo however chose a pair of adidas Copa Mundials, displaying a touch of class, even back then.

Goalscoring was his primary function as his 28 league strikes in 2015 were more than anyone in English football’s top four divisions. In the top five European leagues, he was just behind Cristiano Ronaldo (35), Lionel Messi (33), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29) and alongside Luis Suarez in joint-fourth.

Ighalo was born on June 16, 1989 in Lagos. He played for Prime FC of Oshogbo and Julius Berger of Lagos from where he was discovered by FIFA agent, Marcelo Houseman, who recommended him to Atta Aneke, and was subsequently taken on trial by Norway's Lyn Football.

On July 30, 2008 Ighalo signed for Udinese in Italy and agreed to a five-year contract. He was later loaned to Granada FC in the 2009 summer, as part of the partnership agreement between Udinese and the Spaniards. He scored 17 times in his first year and five in the second, as both seasons ended in promotion; this was interspersed with a brief loan stint back in Italy with A.C. Cesena.

ot many would have known that aside from his football skills, former Manchester United striker, Louis Saha, also has great dancing steps and that was what he displayed to the delight of teachers and pupils of St. John’s Catholic School and Temidire Primary School, Shogunle, Oshodi, Lagos on Tuesday.

The former French international, who was in Nigeria as the Brand Ambasador of paint manufacturing company, Kansai Plascon, said he felt very good among the children.

“It’s not every time you get this kind of opportunity to be among beautiful and loving children like this. I feel good to be among them. They are very loving and enthusiastic children,” Saha told THISDAY. His presence at the two schools indeed attracted several football-lovers to the axis as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the former Everton player.

However, for teachers and pupils of St. John’s Catholic School and Temidire Primary School, Shogunle, it was one moment they would take to their graves as Saha also reminiscence some of those skills that endeared him to fans of several clubs he starred for.

Kansai Plascon, which is the official paint of Manchester United is a major innovation drive in the industrial and furniture coatings markets in South and Southern Africa, which is just entering the Nigerian market.

Saha, who won the EUFA Champions League with the Old Trafford Club hailed the management of the company for its great foresight, saying, “What they are doing is in line with the vision of great footballers all over the world. Young players who believe in their dream should have something to do with Kansai Plascon because of their quality products.”

As part of its strategic expansion into Africa as the continent’s number one coatings company, Kansai Plascon opened its Nigeria office bringing its innovative and excellent range of premium paints closer to Nigeria consumers.

The launch which was held at the Kansai Plascon corporate office situated at Victoria Island Lagos on Monday had in attendance the representative of the minister for trade, commerce and industry, Mr Ibikunle Adams, Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Sadanobu Kusaoke and other dignitaries. The event also afforded guests the opportunity to have a feel of the company’s top quality premium paints produced with state-of-the-art technology.

The President, Kansai Plascon, Mr Hiroshi Ishino, said the company has been around for a while, but in 2012 it changed its name from Plascon South Africa to Kansai Plascon to further deliver top quality products to consumers around the world including Africa.

Speaking on their choice of partnership, Ishino stated that “Kansai Plascon likes to enter into African countries with local partners to ensure that the growth and development within these countries is locally relevant and meaningful. We embrace the culture and unique aspects of each African country we enter, to ensure we develop our business with the utmost respect and consideration for each country and as the Power House of Africa, especially the West African Region, Kansai Plascon investigated the marketplace thoroughly before entering into the Nigeria market. It took three years of investigation, discussions, negotiations and development of understanding in Nigeria, before we found the right partners to join hands with to enter Nigeria.

He further reinstated the company’s commitment towards investing in local communities and upliftment programmes by donating paints and educational materials to pupils of Shogunle and Temidire primary school in Lagos Nigeria through its brand Icon Saha.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE WAHAB AKINTUNDE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

GLOBAL SOCCER

Can Arsenal Stop Runaway Chelsea in Today’s London Derby?

In spite of dropping two points at Anfield on Tuesday, Chelsea still extend their lead on the Premier League table to nine points courtesy of Arsenal 2-1 loss to Watford, therefore condemning Arsene Wenger to carting away the maximum points in today’s London Derby at Stanford Bridge to keep the Gunners title dream alive

C

helsea’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September was their heaviest against them since April 1997. They were previously unbeaten in nine Premier League games against Arsenal.

This is plenty of motivation for Diego Costa and company to get their own back! Since the Arsenal defeat, Chelsea have only lost one other game as that day at the Emirates heralded a formational change. Chelsea are a different side to the one that arrived at the Emirates and they'll want to prove their mettle with a win.

Arsenal have not done the double over Chelsea in the same season since 2003/04, the season in which they last won the Premier League. Like Chelsea, Arsenal have plenty of incentive and motivation in order to claim this London Derby.

The defeat to the Hornerts typically explains why Arsenal may not win the title anytime soon. Around this time of year is where Arsenal start to crumble simply because Wenger fails to add extra quality to his fatigued

squad. How will Wenger turn this around?

HIs job is made doubly hard since he still has to serve two more games in the stands.

It does not take much of a downturn in Arsenal’s form to bring up the subject but Wenger’s future is under the spotlight again after the damaging defeat by Watford on Tuesday.

A victory against Chelsea today is essential now, not just in keeping alive the Gunners’ Premier League title hopes but also in quashing another uprising against Wenger which rises and falls as the team’s fortunes fluctuate.

There are no guarantees in this most unpredictable of divisions but a defeat at Stamford Bridge would leave Arsenal 12 points behind Antonio Conte’s table toppers and almost certainly resigned to lowering their sights on a top-four battle rather than a first league title success since 2004.

Falling out of contention for the title by the first week in February would be a disaster for a manager who has repeatedly stated he will base his self-assessment on his ongoing value to the club based on their ability to compete for the game’s biggest prizes.

Wenger’s contract expires at the end of

the season and majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke, is keen for the Frenchman to sign an extension. The decision rests solely in Wenger’s hands but fans will question whether that should be the case if Arsenal do, indeed, fall away.

Arsenal’s season is in the balance. A romantic but eminently winnable FA Cup tie against Sutton United provides a degree of optimism but Wenger will be judged and will judge himself on Arsenal’s performance in the League and Champions League.

This campaign is about Wenger, who watched on from the stands on Tuesday night as he served the second game of a four-match touchline ban, proving himself capable of breaking the cyclical failures of past years, that he is capable of creating new successes and not eternally defined by old ones. This campaign is about Wenger, who watched on from the stands last night as he served the second game of a four-match touchline ban, proving himself capable of breaking the cyclical failures of past years, that he is capable of creating new successes and not eternally defined by old ones.

In that context, the familiarity of their shortcomings on Tuesday is especially

alarming. They started badly, perhaps showing a lack of respect for the challenge before them.

Watford had won just one league game in nine before kick-off, scoring six goals during that period, but were 2-0 up inside the opening 13 minutes, courtesy of Younes Kaboul’s deflected free-kick and Troy Deeney’s close-range finish.

The opposition were intelligent, disciplined and focused from the outset but Walter Mazzarri’s high-pressing tactics were nothing Arsenal have not faced plenty of times before.

Yet the Gunners made a series of individual mistakes and gifted their opponents the initiative with an anchorless first-half display similar to that against Bournemouth at the beginning of the month. This was arguably worse, and that is saying the least.

At Dean Court, Arsenal were able to salvage something but against THE Hornets, the damage proved irreparable.

Alex Iwobi capped the Gunners’ best period of the game with a goal shortly before the hour mark but there was no late onslaught.

The lack of urgency did not reflect well on Wenger, given Liverpool were

33

FEBRUARY 4, 2017 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Arsenal Partners MTN Nigeria

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rsenal Football Club has entered into a partnership with MTN, which will become Arsenal’s Official Mobile Telecommunications Network partner in Nigeria. The partnership will see MTN offer a number of exclusive Arsenal related benefits to the club’s large following in Nigeria as well as to MTN’s vast subscriber base. MTN will offer its customers access to a range of match and player exclusive content including match highlights, club news, interviews and club imagery.

Through Arsenal’s digital platforms, MTN will also be able to engage directly with supporters in Nigeria. Promotional and marketing activities featuring Arsenal first-team players and club legends will further enhance MTN’s engagement with Arsenal supporters.

Arsenal will also send specialist coaches to undertake annual coaching clinics as part of MTN’s marketing activities in Nigeria.

Arsenal has fantastic support in Nigeria, with the club’s largest website traffic outside the UK coming from the country. In addition to this, the club’s second highest number of digital members and third largest Twitter following comes from Nigeria.

Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vinai Venkatesham, said: “Arsenal has huge support in Nigeria, in part due to Kanu Nwankwo and the recent emergence of Alex Iwobi into the first team. This partnership with MTN will really help us engage with these passionate fans on a regular and personal basis. We are expecting MTN’s Arsenal exclusive content to be very popular among our supporters, as well as followers of football generally. This is our second regional partnership in Nigeria and fifth in Africa. It really underlines our commitment and the level of support we have on the continent.”

Also speaking on the partnership, MTN’s General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Richard Iweanoge

said that the partnership is another way MTN is connecting with the passion of Nigerians.

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Arsenal and look forward to engaging with sports enthusiasts beyond the current traditional broadcast of matches. Not only this but also digitally with access to exclusive contents that will be delivered via our network. This partnership is a demonstration of our long-standing support of sports which fosters unity amongst Nigerians.

“This partnership will also contribute to sports talent development across the country and we look forward to welcoming Arsenal-trained coaches to Nigeria soon in this regard. Football lovers across the country can be rest assured of an exciting partnership that will bring unrivalled money can’t buy international football experience to Nigeria,” he declared.

Arsenal and MTN announced details of the partnership at a press conference in Nigeria this morning, with club legend, Kanu in attendance.

Premier League

TODAY Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Hull City Southampton Watford West Brom Tottenham SUNDAY Man City Leicester

Alex Iwobi

Hot Shots playing Chelsea at the same time and the chance to position themselves on the heels of the leaders was clear.

However, Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola said the 10-point gap between his fifth-placed team and Chelsea is too much to overcome.

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, watched from the stands and must have been impressed by City’s 4-0 demolition of West Ham, but the City boss is of the opinion that he should have nothing to fear.

"He doesn't have to be too wor-

v v v v v v v v

Arsenal 12:30 Sunderland 15:00 Bournemouth 15:00 Liverpool 15:00 West Ham 15:00 Burnley 15:00 Stoke City 15:00 Middlesbrough 17:30

v v

Swansea Man Utd

Juventus Roma Napoli Inter Lazio Atalanta Milan Fiorentina Torino Udinese Chievo Bologna Sampdoria Cagliari Genoa Sassuolo Empoli Crotone Palermo Pescara

ried about what he saw. They are nine points in front. Only Chelsea can lose the Premier League," Guardiola said.

"When you see how many games they lost in the last 16 games, normally you can expect they won't lose many more.

In sport you don't know, but I don't think we can catch them. "It's a big mistake when you are 10 points behind to think of Chelsea. We have to qualify for the Champions League first.

We have been inconsistent. After we win we have drawn or lost one or two games."

Diego Costa Zlatan Ibrahimovic Alexis Sánchez Harry Kane Jermain Defoe Romelu Lukaku Sergio Agüero Dele Alli Eden Hazard Sadio Mane Christian Benteke Michail Antonio Theo Walcott Roberto Firmino

Match Facts • Chelsea have won their last eight Premier League home matches .

• There have been over 2.5 goals scored in nine of Arsenal's last 11 games in the Premier League.

• Chelsea have been winning at both half time and full time in six of their last eight home matches.

• Chelsea have scored at least two goals in their last seven home matches against Arsenal in all competitions.

• Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight home matches in the Premier League.

• Chelsea have won six of their last seven home matches against Arsenal in all competitions.

• Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven home matches against Arsenal in all competitions.

• Chelsea have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight home Premier League matches.

07/02/10 03/10/10 27/12/10 29/10/11 21/04/12 29/09/12 20/01/13 23/12/13 22/03/14 05/10/14 26/04/15 19/09/15 24/01/16

13:30 16:00

21 28 51 22 23 47 22 23 45 22 14 42 22 10 40 22 9 39 21 6 37 21 8 34 22 7 31 22 -2 28 22 -8 28 21 -5 27 22 -4 27 22 -14 27 22 -5 25 22 -6 24 22 -17 21 21 -17 13 22 -24 11 21 -26 9

Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Tottenham Sunderland Everton Man City Tottenham Chelsea Liverpool Palace West Ham Arsenal Liverpool

Head to Head Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal

Madrid Barcelona Sevilla Atletico Sociedad Villarreal Bilbao Celta Vigo Espanyol Eibar Las Palmas Alavés Betis Malaga Valencia Deportivo Leganés Sporting Osasuna Granada

19 34 46 20 34 42 20 15 42 20 18 36 20 3 35 20 14 34 20 4 32 20 -2 30 20 1 29 20 -1 29 20 0 28 20 -3 24 20 -10 23 20 -6 22 19 -7 19 20 -7 19 20 -18 18 20 -19 13 20 -22 10 20 -28 10

Spanish La Liga Fixtures

Premier League

Seria A

De

La Liga

Chelsea 23 32 56 Tottenham 23 29 47 Arsenal 23 26 47 Liverpool 23 24 46 Man City 23 19 46 Man Utd 23 12 42 Everton 23 10 37 West Brom 23 2 33 Stoke 23 -6 29 Burnley 23 -8 29 West Ham 23 -11 28 Southampton 23 -5 27 Watford 23 -12 27 Bournemouth 23 -9 26 Middlesbrough 23 -7 21 Leicester 23 -14 21 Swansea 23 -24 21 Crystal Palace 23 -9 19 Hull 23 -27 17 Sunderland 23 -22 16

2-0 2-0 3-1 3-5 0-0 1-2 2-1 0-0 6-0 2-0 0-0 2-0 0-1

Arsenal Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal Arsenal Chelsea Arsenal Chelsea

15 15 14 13 12 12 11 11 9 9 8 8 8 8

TODAY Malaga Barcelona Atlético Valencia

SUNDAY Sevilla Sporting Sociedad Celta Vigo MONDAY Granada

v v v v

Espanyol Bilbao Leganés Eibar

12:00 15:15 17:30 19:45

v v v v

Villarreal Alavés Osasuna Madrid

11:00 15:15 17:30 19:45

v

Las Palmas

19:45

Bundesliga Bayern Leipzig Frankfurt Dortmund Hoffenheim Hertha Köln Freiburg Leverkusen Mainz Schalke Augsburg B’gladbach Wolfsburg Bremen Ingolstadt Hamburger Darmstadt

18 31 45 18 20 42 18 8 32 18 17 31 18 12 31 18 5 30 18 11 29 18 -6 26 18 0 24 18 -4 22 18 1 21 18 -5 21 18 -9 20 18 -9 19 18 -16 16 18 -12 15 18 -20 13 18 -24 9

Bundesliga Fixtures TODAY Köln

Wolfsburg

14:30

M’gladbach v

v

Freiburg

14:30

Bayern

v

Schalke 04

14:30

Hertha

v

Ingolstadt

14:30

Hoffenheim v

Mainz 05

14:30

Dortmund

Leipzig

17:30

v

SUNDAY Augsburg

v

Bremen

14:30

Frankfurt

v

Darmstadt

16:30

Serie A Fixtures TODAY Bologna

v

Napoli

19:45

SUNDAY TMilan Atalanta Chievo Empoli Genoa Pescara Palermo Juventus

v v v v v v v v

Sampdoria Cagliari Udinese Torino Sassuolo Lazio Crotone Inter

11:30 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 17:00 19:45

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

34

GLOBAL SOCCER

Egyptian players celebrate their semi-final victory over Burkina Faso

Can the Lions give their supporters something to cheer against Egypt on Sunday?

Will Egypt be Third Time Lucky against Cameroun?

As two of the most successful countries in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations-Egypt and Cameroun go head to head, the pharaohs would be hoping that history would repeat itself, while the Indomitable Lions would be craving to break the Egyptians jinx

T

he Egyptians carted away the trophy in 1986 and 2008, both at the expense of the Camerounians, and the Lions would be bent to avenge the two defeats, to increase their trophy haul to five.

The two continent’s football powerhouses, will face off in the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations at Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville, Gabon, on Sunday night.

Cameroun have been one of the surprise packages of the 2017 edition, shrugging off the absence of several major stars to power past some of the tournament’s strongest teams in their path to the final.

The Indomitable Lions will see the match against Egypt as a chance for revenge: they were beaten 1-0 by the Pharaohs in the final of the 2008 in Ghana.

"Egypt are a big team, they have won seven titles and showed a very good performance so far. But we are determined to win to avenge our defeat in the 2008 final," explained defender Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui.

"A lot of people didn't believe in us. We didn't think that we can go so far in the competition but now we want to win the title.”

Egypt, meanwhile, have re-established themselves as a giant of African football in their path to the final, topping their group ahead of Ghana, beating North African rivals Morocco for the first time in over three decades in the quarterfinal, and then overcoming a powerful Burkina Faso on penalties

in the semi.

The Pharaohs haven’t necessarily dominated their matches, but a resilient defence (just one goal conceded in Gabon), breathtaking pace on the counter attack and a canny nous at set pieces has helped them look the archetypal ‘tournament’ team at this Afcon.

The only question now is whether Hector Cuper can break his finals jinx: the Argentina notably lost three major European finals at the helm of Real Mallorca and Valencia. "Despite my bad luck in the finals, I am optimistic this time with Egypt," Cuper has explained.

The Egypt coach may well be able to welcome back Mohamed Elneny from injury, but will definitely be without Mohamed Abdel Shafy to injury and the mercurial Mahmoud ‘Kahraba’ to suspension. Ahmed El Shenawy, Marwan Mousa and Ahmed ‘Koka’ are also doubtful.

In head-to-head stats, Egypt and Cameroon have clashed in 24 official matches according to FIFA statistics. The North Africans have claimed 12 wins compared to five for their opponents, while seven matches have been drawn.

The teams’ most recent meeting took place in Omdurman, Sudan, in May, 2012.

The Pharaohs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Indomitable Lions.

Meanwhile, in the third place encounter, the Black Stars of Ghana are out to restore their pride and finish as No 3 in the when they meet Burkina Faso today at Stade de Port-Gentil.

Avram Grant will now ensure his team

Total Reward 14 Customers with AllExpense Paid Trip to AFCON Final

S

ponsors of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Total, yesterday unveiled the 14 lucky customers that are beneficiaries of an all expense trip to Brazzaville, Gabon, to watch the final of the biennial competition at their corporate head office in Victoria Island.

The 14 lucky winners spanned from several cities in Nigeria including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin and Kaduna and they will depart Lagos, Nigeria today.

In his address, the Managing Director of Total Nigeria, Mr. Jean-Philipe Torres, acknowledged foot as a unifying factor in Africa.

“In Nigeria, football is not just a sport but a unifying platform that breaks all barriers. The Confederation of African Football, CAF, and

Total entered a partnership agreement under which the Group became the official sponsor of African football for the next eight years.

“Total is supporting CAF’s 10 principal competitions; starting with the ongoing AFCON. Through this partnership, we hope to further promote youth development and strengthen ties with our stakeholders as we energize millions of people in communities across the continent,” Torres said.

He reiterated that “though Nigeria is not present at the competition, Total has created excitement at our over 500 service stations nationwide through the ongoing Total AFCON Campaign where 14 lucky customers now have a chance to watch the final match in Gabon.”

is refreshed for the third place tie and they have to put their disappointment in losing the semifinal 2-0 to Cameroun on Thursday behind them.

Although they dominated parts of the game against the Indomitable Lions, their failure to finish in front of goal was their let down. The Black Stars have been labelled as favourites to lift the coveted trophy, but will now have to fight harder to finish as bronze winners. Having started their Group C campaign on a high with two wins, they failed to finish as winners as they lost to finalists Egypt in their last group match.

However, Grant led his side to a decent run as they beat Democratic Republic of Congo in the quarterfinals, raising their hopes for a final spot. Against Hugo Broos' men, Ghana failed to ignite as they missed many chances to grab the lead, allowing the Indomitable Lions to clinch a 2-0 win.

Looking at Burkina Faso, the Stallions are also hungry for a third-place finish and will now hope to continue doing well in Gabon.

Coming from a penalty shootout loss against Hector Cuper's Egypt in the semifinals, Burkina Faso will hope to stun the Ghanaians.

Under the guidance of Coach Paulo Duarte, the Stallions have defied all odds and

Head to Head

23 Feb 1983

Cameroon 2-0 Egypt

International Friendly

26 Feb 1983

Cameroon 1-1 Egypt

International Friendly

29 May 1983

Egypt 4-0 Cameroon

International Friendly

04 Mar 1984

Cameroon 0-1 Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations

03 Jul 1984

Egypt 2-1 Cameroon

International Friendly

03 Feb 1985

Cameroon 1-0 Egypt

International Friendly

06 Feb 1985

Cameroon 0-0 Egypt

International Friendly

29 Mar 1985

Egypt 2-1 Cameroon

International Friendly

31 Mar 1985

Egypt 2-1 Cameroon International Friendly

21 Mar 1986

Egypt 0-0 Cameroon

Africa Cup of Nations

09 Aug 1987

Cameroon 1-1 Egypt

African Games

14 Mar 1988

Cameroon 1-0 Egypt Africa Cup of Nations

01 Dec 1991

Egypt 1-1 Cameroon

International Friendly

20 Jul 1992

Cameroon 0-1 Egypt

International Friendly

23 Jul 1992

Cameroon 0-1 Egypt

International Friendly

16 Mar 1994

Egypt 0-0 Cameroon

International Friendly

18 Jan 1996

Cameroon 2-1 Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations

22 Dec 1997

Egypt 2-0 Cameroon

International Friendly

04 Feb 2002

Cameroon 1-0 Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations

03 Feb 2004

Cameroon 0-0 Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations

05 Sep 2004

Egypt 3-2 Cameroon

FIFA World Cup

07 Oct 2005

Cameroon 1-1 Egypt

FIFA World Cup

22 Jan 2008

Egypt 4-2 Cameroon

Africa Cup of Nations

10 Feb 2008

Cameroon 0-1 Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations

managed to progress through to the last eight of the tournament.

In the group stages, the Stallions won Group A with five points from three matches, they went on to beat Tunisia 2-0 in the quarterfinal before losing to Egypt in the last eight. Having done so, they have built a giantkilling reputation which will push Ghana to remain vigilant and expect surprises.

Striker Aristide Bance has been a great revelation for the team, together with skipper Charles Kabore and Prejuce Nakoulma.

In the wake of their loss to the Pharaohs, midfielder Razack Traore admitted that the result was painful, but said they win and lose as a team.

“They missed the penalties but it is like we all missed the penalties. We lose together and we win today. It is the team that missed the penalty. We are really disappointed today because we played good football. We tried everything today but that is football," Traore told the media.

AFCON Past Winners 1957 1959 1962 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2013 2015 2017

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – -

Egypt Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Ghana Congo-Kinshasa Sudan Congo Zaire Morocco Ghana Nigeria Ghana Cameroon Egypt Cameroon Algeria Ivory Coast Nigeria South Africa Egypt Cameroon Cameroon Tunisia Egypt Egypt Egypt Zambia Nigeria Ivory Coast ???

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

35

TRIBUTE Adebola Adejobi

Eulogy to a Gallant Fighter’s Resilience

Adedayo Adejobi

D

edicated to my loving brother, Adebola Adejobi, for his unwavering faith, during his ride on the storm.

How do I write the words? How do I say it out loud? When death, Man’s enemy steals the life of someone you love, there are no words. Simple words don’t do an entire lifetime justice.

Nothing can explain why death swoops in, grabs someone you love and swallows them whole.

So, I try to write the words. I try. I write. I delete the words. I write. I hit the delete button again. I write. But there are no words. Tears flow instead. Today, I feel defeated by my brother’s death.

My heart feels like a block of lead that I can’t lift off the ground. The sadness makes me reflect on the loss of my dear brother. I reflect on the fact that so many beautiful souls on this earth are taken away. It is so painful.

As I began to reach out for the right words to express my thoughts about my big brother, Adebola, I remembered the many valued and meaningful roles that he played throughout his life.

A brave, deep, wise, meticulous, diligent, handsome, courageous man of style, panache and class he was. His convictions were unshaken. He flew high the family flag and worked in God’s vineyard selflessly. He was indeed a pace setter, and goal getter, neat, very sociable and fashionable.

My brother was an entrepreneur, ideas hub, friend and champion to others. He loved to work, but his life was so much more than that. He was also devoted to God. Family traditions were very important to him. He was steadfast, willing and good fun. He exemplified courage, leadership, wit, brawn, care, and how to fight and win. With your death, Life is no longer taken for granted.

Turning through the pages of his life, I saw a man, who was bold and unwilling to settle for less. He lived a principled life underpinned by a strong sense of

Adejobi right and wrong. He was hardworking, consistent, and never complacent. You were no doubt an inspiration to me.

As a business man, he saw opportunities and made the most of it. One could say that what he touched turned to gold because he had a vision and his vision prompted him to act. He knew that two or three heads were better than one when it came to business.

As I turn the page again, I come face to face with a man of passion and a dedicated supporter of a new Nigeria.

He remained an ardent lover of news, Politics and Nigeria.

His love for music was second to none.

How he dissected the word came with great wisdom only a Rabbi could accomplish. As a purveyor of rich African culture, values and language, he replied wicked, conniving, and drunken minions in simple, fluid, spot-on and deeply penetrating language. His wisdom was simply traditional, while his life was a huge success.

Few hearts like his, with virtue warmed, few heads with knowledge so informed. If there’s another world, I can almost bet he’ll live there in bliss; as his

last moments, an ordeal with death, were an attestation to how Eden Olonowo, Adebola Adejobi saw God and made Heaven.

Nothing will ever take away memories of my brother. Death, though, leaves a heartache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory no one can steal. Although it’s difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death.You will continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make.

You have left an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared a lot in common. While we mourn the loss of our brother, father and friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil in Heaven.

As I look out at the faces in the Church of Antioch, I remember how he used to exchange banters with everyone-young and old, thus enlivening the church. I see many family members and friends who will miss the friendship that he brought into their lives.

His compassion, zest for life and relentless drive to challenge himself has inspired friends and strangers alike. No one could deny his magnetic personality, nor ignore his persistent drive to make things better.

He enjoyed Gospel, Jazz, R n b, Soul and Music generally.

As you went through the vicious rounds of clinical procedures, physical and emotional struggle, fragile as you seemed then, your heart was constant, determined and sure. He strove to be independent and never a burden. He gave us strength, and Hope.

The world, with all its beauty! Sunrise meant more every day. On your knees, you got, stronger, in so many ways. Deep inside, a fire still burned. You knew you weren’t alone.

It is through an appreciation of the many complex dimensions of your wife, children and family’s heart – particularly the relentless strength of their affection that my memory of you will endure. God must have looked upon you, and knew what he had to do.

God saw you getting tired; a cure was not to be. He wrapped you in his loving arms and whispered ‘Come with me.’ He suffered much in silence, but your spirit did not bend. You faced pain with courage, until the very end. God took him to His loving home and freed you.

I am so grateful that I was able to visit, spend time, talk and pray with him. For the few times I saw him, I felt his pain and I knew that this would be one of the most profound moments that I would spend with my brother. All through the time we spoke, prayed, especially the latter months, days and weeks of his life on earth, with great hope, he sounded so strong and reassuring. I remember those deep conversations. Your heart was that of an activist, and a fighter.

I will remember your passionate engagement with life – both in hardship and in triumph. It is evident that God’s fingerprint has been all over these difficult circumstances, and death proved the truth of these words.

You did not go gently into that good night. You raged against the dying of the light. Adebola No! Death is just a stopgap. “Thank You Jesus. Now, I am all yours.” These deeply penetrating words with your maker will forever remain etched in our hearts. The tender firebrand that you were will live in our hearts – incandescent and unyielding – forever.

It was an awful, but beautiful moment — a painful goodbye, but another sweet testimony to God’s genuine gentle care for my brother. The pages of your book will never be closed.

You may not realise it, but you leave an amazing legacy behind, three beautiful, handsome and brilliant children. They are your legacy! Through them you leave this world a better place than you met it and for that you have to be very proud.

I say goodbye with a heavy heart and take comfort in knowing that it is now your time to dance in Heaven. You will forever dance in heaven and in our hearts.

In the end, your life mirrored the grace of the thief at the right hand of Jesus and you found salvation in the end. Rest on; sleep well at His bosom. Adieu Adebola

Nkanu East Residents Laud Ugwuanyi’s ‘Rescue Mission’ in Communities Olaoluwakitan Babatunde

R

esidents of communities in Nkanu East, one of the 17 local government areas in Enugu State, have described the construction of a bridge across the Inyaba River as a testament to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s visionary leadership.

Describing the project as a “rescue mission”, the chairman of Nkanu East Local Government Area, Mr. Ikechukwu Ubagu, noted that the bridge would create an easier access route for residents of the many villages often cut off from their kith and kin whenever there is resultant flood from rainfall.

While speaking to journalists who visited the project site at Amagunze, Mr. Ubagu said each time the river overflows it washes away crops and destroys farms.

“Since the visit of Governor Ugwuanyi to this community, things have changed because without being here,

Ugwuanyi

he couldn’t have seen what our people are going through. He walked on this wooden makeshift bridge and since

then, he decided to rescue us. This is like a rescue mission for Amagunze and Amechi Idodo communities.

“I cannot explain what our people go through during the rainy season here.

They find it very difficult to cross over because of the terrain and students couldn’t go to school on rainy days. But by the grace of God, when this bridge is completed, they would be able to cross over and farm with ease because this road leads to many places in our community.

Even during farming season, our people couldn’t bring out what they cultivated during the rainy season, but with the governor’s intervention, the ugly stories will be a thing of the past.

So we thank our governor for coming to our rescue and we will continue to pray for him. What our people owe him is to give him our full support,” he said.

The council’s vice-chairperson, Mrs. Ngozi Ogbonna, was similarly excited, noting that the bridge would add value to the area’s economy because

transporting their farm produce to the city would no longer be a huge burden for the farmers.

All the community members interviewed recounted series of horrendous experiences they had on trying to access the council headquarters using the makeshift wooden bridge.

“I am so happy over this bridge the state government is constructing for us. When I was a student, it was always difficult for us to go to school because of flooding, especially when it rains,” said Chukwuebuka Nnamchi, a resident of a community usually isolated by the floods.

He also recalled how the lack of access way when it rained usually affected his performance at school.

The resident engineer from the state’s works ministry, Engr. Christian Ovute, and representative of the firm handling the contract, Engr. Kenechukwu Ozor, were both optimistic that the project would be delivered before the onset of the rains.

36

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

FAIRGROUND

Ambode Urges the Youth to Work Hard at One Lagos Fiesta

with

Azuka Ogujiuba

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

T

he yuletide festival organised by the Lagos State Government has come and gone but the memories linger, especially the advice and encouragement from the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode . He promised the youths more jobs in 2017 and urged them to embrace hard work.

Ambode, who spoke in Epe during the One Lagos Fiesta, an annual end-of-the-year revue put together by the State Government, said it was important for the young ones to cultivate the habit of working hard, as such would go a long way in making them to achieve their dreams.

While recalling his days growing up in Epe, the governor said he became the Chief Executive O%cer of Lagos State through the grace of God and hard work, assuring the audience that, his administration will continue to create the enabling environment for youths.

He said: “What I want to tell all of you is that we believe so much in all of you; we know that you are our future; I also started from here and today by the grace of God, I happened to be your Governor and so there will be many more Governors from this crowd.

“But if you want to be a President; if you want to be a Governor; if you want to a Doctor or you want to be a lawyer and so on, you must now work hard. So, even when you work hard, our duty as government is to provide the enabling environment for all of you and so we are going to create more jobs for our youths and also we will create more facilities so that you can crave on your talents to become more creative.” Besides, the governor said as a means of helping the youths to achieve their dreams, Lagos had already created the Employment Trust Fund (ETF), and urged them to take advantage of the Fund.

He added: “Those of you who are out of school or are graduates now and you don’t have jobs, the ETF is available for all of you.

Between now and November next year, we are providing an Arts Theatre in Epe. It is going to be a 500-seater Theatre and we will also have a modern cinema here in Epe. “We are bringing a shopping mall to Epe also. We will create more jobs but I want you to be the best. I will support you and I pray that all the things that I have gained from here, you will gain better ones than me.” Speaking on the Fiesta, the Governor expressed excitement at the large turn out at the event, but urged the youths to continue to embrace peace and shun violence.

“We are very excited to be here. We were here last year. This is bigger, its bolder and its better. I am so excited to see this large crowd here. It means that Epe is going places. I see a whole lot of our youth here present. I am happy that Epe has been peaceful and it has been calm and we are enjoying ourselves”.

The One Lagos Fiesta was held simultaneously in Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja and Lagos Island. These are the faces of the people are at the fiesta.

Dr. SID and Reekado Banks

M.I Abaga, Phyno and Omobaba during the Opening of the One Lagos Fiesta at the Agege Stadium Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba

Cross-secton of crowd at the event

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Mayokun, Dremo during the One Lagos Fiesta at the Badagry Secondary School, Badagry

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and Oba Saheed Elegushi during the grand finale of the One Lagos Fiesta

Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Queen Salawa Abeni and Reminisce during the Opening

Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left)_ Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (middle)_ Musician, Queen Salawa Abeni (2nd right)_ Hip-HopRap Artist, Reminisce and Omobaba

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Demola Seriki , Solomon Olamilekan Adeola _ Oba Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Elegushi, Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun Sanni and Hon. Folami Mohammed

37

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

FAIRGROUND

She Leads Africa Slay Festival: Taking Career Development to the Next Level

O

n Saturday January 21, over 1200 guests attended the first SLAY Festival by She leads Africa, celebrating technology, innovation, culture, arts, music and food. The SLAY Festival was Africa’s evergreen festival which was partly powered using panel installations.

The festival proved to be informative, educative and interactive as there were over 15 inspirational speakers who are professionals in their different fields.

There were five panel sessions. These included; Getting paid in the media industry with Kemi Adetiba (Renowned director and filmmaker) Mary Remy Njoku (Entrepreneur, actress and producer), Stephanie Busari (Head of CNN digital) and Zainab Balogun (Media personality), Building your brand like a boss with Toke Makinwa (Bestselling author and media personality), Arese Ugwu (Author and Personal finance expert) and Keturah King (Journalist

and media personality), Being a man in the 21st Century with M.I (CEO chocolate city), Audu Maikori (Founder chocolate city) and Pastor Idris Bello Osagie (Pastor Life pointe church), From conversation to contract with Kabir Shagaya (CEO Zippy logistics), Bukky Karibi-Whyte (Founder Bobby Taylor) and Ehinomen Rose Umame (Business Development lead at Bella Naija) and Olamide Akintobi (Journalist and media personality), Winning Partnerships with Fela-Durotoye (CEO Gemstone group) and Tara Fela-Durotoye (Founder of House of Tara International), moderated by Bukky Olowode (Marketing strategist) and Women in Tech with Neku Atawodi (General Manager Meltwater entrepreneurial School of Technology).

The SLAY Festival was a fun way to celebrate Africa’s career driven women by equipping attendees with tools, resources, connections and expertise that will help to enhance their careers and achieve their goals.

The Festival aims to give career development a new face, by exposing women to the latest

developments and technologies that would trigger deeper thinking while creating an interactive, fun and unforgettable experience.

She Leads Africa is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams. With development events and engaging online contents, She Leads Africa has become a leading platform for ambitious young women in Africa. In the past year, She Leads Africa saw a huge growth in its community by 600% to more than 200,000 women across more than 30 countries and five continents. This was achieved through investing in more professional development events in Africa and abroad and enhancing the educational offerings available online channel. She Leads Africa is committed to encouraging young African women to rise to the top of their various career paths and take charge to attain their professional ambitions.

By providing and creating more opportunities for their community, She Leads Africa will continue to connect women to business leaders and experts in the various industries available.

Keturah King, Arese Ugwu and Toke Makinwa

Nsaata Africa Wins €20,000 Cointreau Creative Crew Grant

I

n April 2016, Cointreau launched the Cointreau Creative Crew philanthropic programme which promotes creative freedom and expression and encourages individuals to work towards their dreams, extending it into a tangible creative reality. The programme provided an entrepreneur with the opportunity to be awarded a grant of €20,000 to support their creative project.

The grant was later launched in August 2016, where hundreds of applications were received and nineteen businesses were selected by the Cointreau Creative Crew members during the eight-week application period.

During the public voting phase, ten finalists were selected.

The finale event of the Cointreau Creative Crew programme was held on Sunday 22nd January.

Finalists were all given the opportunity pitch their business ideas and after much deliberation by the Cointreau Creative Crew, Nsaata Africa emerged the winner of the grant, by impressing the jury with a solid and well-presented business plan.

Nsaata Africa is a bespoke shoemaking business, providing men, women and children in Africa and beyond luxurious handmade footwear at affordable prices. Sourcing materials from Ghana, Kenya and Cameroun, the business was born out of the need to help individuals who cannot find their shoe sizes in retail shops. Majority of people with these problems include; men and women with big feet and really long toes.

Nsaata Africa utilizes local artisans and resources to construct the perfect pair of shoes for its clients, thereby promoting the sustainable development of local communities and the nation at large. Culture and heritage are a huge part of Nsaata Africa, and it aims to incorporate this into every one of its products, whether it is by utilizing African fabrics beads and craftwork in its designs or African names for its product codes.

The Cointreau Creative Crew remains committed to help inspire, encourage and support young men and women advance in their chosen career fields through their willingness to create and explore new avenues of self-expression.

Ariwo, Barabara Lawrence, Betty Irabor, Chimsom Akah (Nsaata), Afua Osei & Xavier (Country Manager, Remy-Cointreau)

BBN Update: Miyonse, Soma and Efe Up for Eviction

T

hings are definitely heating up in the Big Brother Naija house.

After a week of excitement and a mock eviction which shook the housemates and brought some of them to tears, Big Brother Naija is set for the first real eviction come Sunday, February 5.

The housemate with the least number of votes will be evicted, cutting short the dream of winning N25 million and SUV. On Monday night, BBNaija fans witnessed the first live nomination. The housemates were each given 45 seconds to nominate two fellow housemates for possible eviction. However, new housemates, Bassey and Debbie-Rise, were exempted from nominating and being nominated this week.After the housemates’ individual sessions with ‘Biggie’, it was revealed that Miyonse, Soma and Gifty got the most nominations from other housemates. Perhaps, the most shocking move was when TBoss, Miyonse’s on and off ‘girlfriend’ put him up for nomination.

Then the moment came when Biggie asked the head of house (HoH), CoCoIce to save one of the nominated housemates

Efe

Soma

Miyonse

and replace with another. CoCoIce then proceeded to save Gifty and replaced her with Efe. The first eviction show holds on Sunday, 5 February. To save your favorite housemate, viewers in Nigeria shouldtext the word “Vote” followed by the housemate’s name to 32052. While for the rest of Africa, follow the AfricaMagictv

official account on WeChat and click on the menu option ‘BBNaija’ and select your preferred housemate. Voting opens at 21h00 WAT on Monday, 30 January and closes at 20h00 WAT on Saturday, 4 February.

The show is aired 24/7 in 45 countries from Nigeria through East, West and Southern Africa on DStv channel 198 and

GOtv channel 29.

All the action can also be followed on Big Brother Naija social media fan pages with the hashtag #BBNaija on Twitter @BBNaija, Instagram @BigBrotherNaija2017 and Facebook www.facebook. com/bigbrothernaija Big Brother Naija is sponsored by PayPorte, your preferred online retail store.

38

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •February 4, 2017

February 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

39

40

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • February 4, 2017

Fitness File

The Edenlifestyle corner with

Because Happy Saves Lives (II)

L

Maje Ayida

majeayida@edenlifenigeria.com www.edenlifenigeria.com, 07062614551

ast week I explored the importance of happiness and the habits of people that have keyed into this way of life. There were way too many points to fit into one article so here is part two.

We all know happy people, but how do they do it.

They value a good mixtape Music is powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it could match up to the anxiety-reducing effects of massage therapy. Over a three month period, researchers from the Group Health Research Institute found that patients who simply listened to music had the same decreased anxiety symptoms as those who got 10 hour-long massages.

Choosing the right tunes could be an important factor, however, as a happy or sad song can also affect the way we perceive the world. In one experiment where researchers asked subjects to identify happy or sad faces while listening to music, the participants were more likely to see the faces that matched the “mood” of the music.

They unplug Whether by meditating, taking a few deep breaths away from the screen or deliberately disconnecting from electronics, unplugging from our hyper-connected world has proven advantages when it comes to happiness.

Talking on your mobile could increase your blood pressure and raise your stress levels, while uninterrupted screen time has been linked to depression and fatigue. Technology isn’t going away, but partaking in some kind of a digital detox gives your brain the opportunity to recharge and recover, which could increase your resilience.

They get spiritual Studies point to a link between religious and spiritual practice and mirth. For one, happiness habits like expressing gratitude, compassion and charity are generally promoted in most spiritual conventions. And, asking the big questions helps to give our lives context and meaning. A study found that children who felt their lives had a purpose (which was promoted by a spiritual connection) were happier.

Spirituality offers what the 20thcentury sociologist Emile Durkheim referred to as “sacred time,” which is a built-in, unplugging ritual that elicits moments of reflection and calm. As Ellen L. Idler, Ph.D., writes in “The Psychological and Physical Benefits of Spiritual/Religious Practices,”: The experience of sacred time provides a time apart from the “profane time” that we live most of our lives in.

A daily period of meditation, a weekly practice of lighting Sabbath candles, or attending worship services, or an annual retreat in an isolated, quiet place of solitude, all of these are examples of setting time apart from the rush of our everyday lives. Periods of rest and respite from work and the demands of daily life serve to reduce stress, a fundamental cause of chronic diseases that is still the primary causes of death in Western society. Transcendent spiritual and religious experiences have a positive, healing, restorative effect, especially if they are “built in,” so to speak, to one’s daily, weekly, seasonal, and annual cycles of living They make exercise a priority.

Exercise has been shown to ease symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, thanks to the various brain

chemicals that are released that amplify feelings of happiness and relaxation.

Plus, working out makes us appreciate our bodies more. Exercise improves how people feel about their bodies, even if they don’t lose weight or achieve noticeable improvements.

the bed isn’t just a myth. When you’re running low on zzs, you’re prone to experience lack of clarity, bad moods and poor judgment. A good night’s sleep can really help a moody person decrease their anxiety; you get more emotional stability with good sleep.

They go outside Want to feel alive? Just a 20-minute dose of fresh air promotes a sense of vitality. “Nature is fuel for the soul.

Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature.” And while most of us like our coffee hot, we may prefer our serving of the great outdoors at a more lukewarm temperature: A study on weather and individual happiness unveiled 57 degrees to be the optimal temperature for optimal happiness.

This is precisely why most of my workout sessions are outdoors.

They LOL You’ve heard it before: Laughter is the best medicine. In the case of The Blues, this may hold some truth. A good, old-fashioned chuckle releases happy brain chemicals that, other than providing the exuberant buzz we seek, make humans better equipped to tolerate both pain and stress.

They spend some time on the pillow Waking up on the wrong side of

And you might be able to get away with counting a joke-swapping session as a workout (maybe). “The body’s response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise,” explained Dr. Lee Berk, the lead researcher of a study focused on laughter’s effects on the body. The same study found that some of the benefits

associated with working out, like a healthy immune system, controlled appetite and improved cholesterol can also be achieved through laughter.

They walk the walk Ever notice your joyful friends have a certain spring in the step?

It’s all about the stride, according to research conducted by Sara Snodgrass, a psychologist from Florida Atlantic University.

In the experiment, Snodgrass asked participants to take a three-minute walk. Half of the walkers were told to take long strides while swinging their arms and holding their heads high. These walkers reported feeling happier after the stroll than the other group, who took short, shuffled steps as they watched their feet.

So there you have it, happiness is not something you have to wait for, go get it.

41

February 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Fashion file

‘Amour’

Collection by DOS Clothing store

42

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • February 4, 2017

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

Fashion file

‘Amour’ Collection

L

agos based clothing brand DOS Clothing Store has released a new collection modelled by Sharon Ooja- a star in the Ndani TV’s hit web series, Skinny Girl in Transit.

The DOS clothing store team picked Sharon as the face of the new campaign because she is a strong woman who is on the rise which represents the DOS woman.

‘Amour’ which means love is a collection that represents the love of all things feminine, strong and sultry. The collection features on trend and statement pieces for our DOS woman who wants to make a statement without breaking the bank.

The collection launches at the ‘DOS Fashion Day’ Lagos- an exciting girls Fashion Day out which took place recently at the brand’s flagship store located at 30 Norman Williams Off Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

WITH

MARKET PLACE

OMOLABAKE FASHOGBON 08033621009

L-R: President, Association of Telecommunications Company of Nigeria, Olusola Teniola;Director,Sales Exhibition Exhibition &Events Management,Dubai World Trade Centre,Bilal Al-Rais and President, Pinnacle Consult LLC, Mr. Akande Ojo during the strategic meeting between ATCON members and Dubai World trade Centres, Organisers of GITEX Technology Week in Lagos ...recently

L-R: Business Operations and Finance Manager, OLX,Goodluck Ikporo;General Manager, LASTMA, Olawale Musa; Brand Marketing Manager of OLX, FIfemayo Aiyesimoju and Head of Research LASTMA,Isaac Adetimiro during OLX courtesy visit to LASTMA office recently

Yiko Deen Footwear Steps up Expansion Drive Indigenous footwear company, Yiko Deen, is planning an expansion of its product lines to capture a bigger share of Nigeria’s growing footwear market.

The company which stamped its authority in the shoe-making business just last year is already making waves in the industry and plans to win the market in the nearest future with a revenue target of N2 billion in 2017.

Speaking on the expansion project, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Atunde Shamsideen Olayinka explained that the move was in line with the

Customers Slam DSTV over Alleged Exploitation Subscribers to the Digital Satellite Television, DSTV, have criticised the company’s services for being exploitative, and offering poor and delayed services.

The customers who conceded that technical hitches and delays were not unexpected with Internet-dependent operations however decried the persistent glitches.

For a Dstv customer, Olumide Iyanda, he not only complained about being exploited but also pointed out the defect in the company’s communication system.

Iyanda who went on his Facebook wall to narrate his experience lamented that, “DSTV suspended my account before expiration; I paid yesterday but the account is still frozen 24 hours after payment. I sent RESET with my smart card number to 30333 but the error message is still staring at me. I called customers care several times but the calls (which I am charged for) are terminated before I am connected to an agent. I logged on to easy.dstv.com/en/ng/ and the message I get is ‘An error occurred while trying to clear the error code, please try again later’. I tweeted at @DstvNg and @ DstvNgCare and still didn’t get response.

What other options do I have?”

Another subscriber, Kamar Tiamiyu Salihu, narrated his recent experience thus: “I made my monthly DSTV subscription via mobile banking on January 21st but I’m yet to be reconnected. I sent RESET several times but there was no response despite that I was being charged for the sms. I am seriously disappointed with your service.”

In his own case, Alhaji Sanusi Basiru said he was meant to make a N3600 subscription when he mistakenly paid N36000 while effort to get back his money had not been successful.

Effort to reach the service provider for their response on the issue has so far proved abortive. Meanwhile, some of the affected customers have threatened to quit the services if urgent actions were not taken to correct the system.

government project to promote patronage for locally made goods both within and outside Nigeria.

He said that its Lagos factory with an output of not less than 1000 pairs of shoes a day target quality, yet affordable product for customers of all economic classes to encourage patronage.

“Our products range from school shoes to combat/jungle boots, service shoes as well as varieties of trendy, stylish shoes for general use. Already, we have the likes of Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, including some construction and oil and gas companies

as clients and we plan to attract and extend to other sectors soonest. Just this year, we have manufactured and supplied over 6,000 pairs of shoes and boots to the Nigeria police and over 2000 pairs of children school shoes and much more.

“Most of our designs are signature designs.

The level of our creativity will always keep us ahead of our competitors while we also do not joke with the training of our staffs.

They are all experienced and get trained on regular basis just to ensure that we provide nothing below quality and class”, he said.

Energy Institute Partners Others on Youth Empowerment Energy Institute Nigeria, in partnership with Lonadek’s Cedar Science Engineering and Mathematics Centre, STEM and the Royal Academy of Engineering, (RAE), has announced the launch of Graduate Engineering Training Scheme, GETS, to improve the knowledge of youths on power generation.

The four-month exercise is an initiative-designed to support federal government efforts at resolving power challenge in the country by exposing participants to alternative ways of generating power through conventional and non-conventional sources.

According to the facilitators of the project, GETS would deploy state-of-the-art technology to stimulate innovation and close the gap between theory and practice as it empowers beneficiaries to become best-fit professionals with a focus on major sectors of the economy including Energy, Power, Infrastructure and Agriculture.

They added that the initiative was in tandem with the four cardinal objectives of Royal Academy of Engineering Global Challenge Research Fund, Africa Catalyst Award and part of Energy Institute’s Continuing Professional Development program, a pointbased programme designed for students, graduates and young professionals to encourage continuous training and development of engineering professionals in the energy sector.

Commenting further, Managing Director of Energy Institute Nigeria, Yewande Abiose said

“GETS will focus on developing well-rounded energy and power engineers with technical know-how to generate clean and reliable sources of power that can be used in Nigerian communities.

Our long-term goal is to develop sustainable and renewable power supply sources (Solar, Bio-Mass and alternative sources) to add to Nigeria’s existing on-grid sources of power and also off-grid sources to local communities, thereby contribute to meeting the power generation targets of Nigeria with a net effect of spurring industrialisation, entrepreneurship and economic development” Principal Consultant to Lonadek, Dr. Ibilola Amao added that the programme also offered site/ field work, HSSE and QA/QC, presently not found in schools’ curriculum .

“On-the-job exposure with mentors, coaches and supervisors, multi-disciplinary training shall be delivered to harness holistic capabilities that are critical to professionalism and entrepreneurship.

Through real-time tracking of power supply at home and remote areas, the programme would equip participants with experience, knowledge, skills and good practice that will address power related issues in Nigeria,” Amao said.

Other contributors include Yaba College of Technology and the International Human Resources Development Corporation (IHRDC), who will support the scheme with laboratory requirements and E-Learning, respectively.

Yiko Deen Footwear designs were exhibited at the Micam shoe festival at Milan, early last year alongside designs made by renowned brands like Gucci.

In the last seven months, the company introduced a number of interventions to recalibrate the industry as it strives to be a major contributor in the country’s economy in terms of employment and earnings.

As part of its extension move, this year, it has struck a deal with some Sierra Leone based companies where it has already supplied not less than 1000 pairs of safety shoes.

Academix.ng Opens Access to Products with E-Library Card Foremost E-Library service provider, www. academix.ng,has launched an e-library card to improve and give users access to its contents.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Engineer Iso Bassey, explained that the initiative was to accommodate millions of students and lecturers of tertiary institutions without access to e-Library services.

According to him, the card denominated in N500, N1,000 and N2,000 provide access for 14, 30 and 90days respectively were now on sale in all tertiary institutions across the country, starting with the South-South region.

“The e-Library cards operate in a similar manner to mobile phone recharge cards.

Each card has a unique serial number and PIN number. PIN numbers are used to activate access. We found it necessary to innovate in this direction to translate our service from being abstract, hanging in the cloud to a tangible platform those users can relate with through physical cards,” Bassey noted.

Also commenting on the innovation, Chairman of the company, Mr. Chris Uwaje stated that “by this action, Academix is now acknowledged as the prime leader in the Innovation and e-Knowledge domain.

The assurances given by the company demonstrates that through technology, Nigerian and African Youths will now have unhindered access to quality research materials for global competitiveness.

“The beauty of this knowledge access to e-Library research works is the multiplier effect it will create as a critical accelerator for youth engagement, innovation, entrepreneurship and employment” .

The company was established in 2015 to meet a growing demand for African focused knowledge. It aggregates and hosts multidisciplinary, Africa focused research while also featuring journals, research papers, theses, dissertations and reports.

The portal currently hosts over 108,000 research items and provides a gateway to over 20 million well researched materials.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • February 4, 2017

Interview Buruji Kashamu

Obasanjo should Please Forgive My Past Mistakes Buruji Kashamu, the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, cannot be lost in the crowd.

He is stout, so is his politics. He does not run away from battles. That may be why he is determined to fight his being extradited to the United States of America by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. He has maintained his innocence claiming he was not the one that was convicted for drug related offences. Records show that NDLEA once went to the United Kingdom in 2002 to testify in favour of Kashamu and even in 2013, deposed to an affidavit that Buruji was not the same Kashamu that was indicted by a US court. Earlier this week, NDLEA promised to pursue Buruji’s extradition to the US at all costs. Kashamu tells Samuel Ajayi that he may have stepped on powerful toes in Ogun State politics, who are helbent on punishing him

T

here seems to be a renewed interest in getting you extradited to the United States. What is your reaction to the statement by NDLEA to push for your extradition?

There is no case as far as I am concerned. The spokesman of the NDLEA is making mistakes if you ask me.

If he had taken his time to study the whole matter, he would not have spoken in the manner he did. There are reasons for this.

people. That is unfortunate.

Can you give us reasons for this?

If they were to follow the law, they were not supposed to even entertain the matter.

There is a treaty among Nigeria, Britain and the United States and this has some terms. One of them was that when a matter is six years old, you cannot re-open it because it is statute-barred. Number two, is that you can only extradite a fugitive. I am not a fugitive because I have never entered into America in my life. I have never applied for their visa. Never in my life have I visited America. A fugitive is someone they are looking for who is running from one country to the other. Some who had been tried and acquitted are no longer fugitives.

Number three says that anybody that has been arrested within any of these countries that are party to this treaty, if you sentence or acquit the person, you cannot rearrest that person. When this case was going on in London, the same NDLEA sent two of their officers (showed a document to back this up) and this they could not have done without going through the attorney general of the federation’s office to obtain a fiat which would permit them to give evidence. And this they did. One of these officers was one Dan Asabe and the other was Femi Oloruntoba. They went there to testify in my favour to tell them over there what they had in their records. They testified that it was not me but my brother.

It was on record that NDLEA came there and gave evidence. I was exonerated and that it was my brother.

Why is America now asking for your extradition. Are they part of the politics?

You should understand more than this. First, can a court in America give a judgment and someone will go to another country and say he was not happy with it and the judgment in America should be set aside? If not that they are saying we are not serious, how can America say our judgment should not be respected?

Was you brother staying there?

Yes. If not, how would he be involved in this matter? When they came to the UK to testify in my favour, it meant they were representing the government. However, I was acquitted and I came back and was doing my business. Then I entered into politics and people started looking for what to use against me.

When you are into politics, you know what you face. I went to court here in Nigeria and I took NDLEA up that they should come and explain why they wanted to entertain extradition. This was in 2013 or 2014 or so. They reconfirmed in an affidavit (which he showed) that I was not the one that was accused and that I have been cleared. The same NDLEA swore to an affidavit that I was not the one and they even wrote a letter that to that effect. Now they have turned around because I was having problem with some

You think this is all political?

This is purely political. How can it be possible that I was acquitted and NDLEA even testified on my behalf and now same agency wants me extradited? If the case was dismissed, how can you bring it up again? They will continue to lose because the case will always be dismissed. The fact that I have won the case in London which they did not appeal was the main issue there.

But you were the one who instituted the appeal in the US which you lost?

You see, when they came to my house here and did what they did then, which was like trying to kidnap me, it all started.

If you recall, I have many cases over there in the US trying to clear my name. I have been battling them over there and I have been taking them to court until I clear my name. I was even the one instituting cases over there. Now back to the issue at hand, the extradition request has been dealt with here and dismissed. What the NDLEA and the attorney general should do is to appeal.

What the NDLEA spokesman is now saying is that, the laws of the land have tied their hands and that if the road is clear, they would still pursue the extradition.

But even at that, he was wrong. This was a case that his agency had testified in the past in my favour. NDLEA officers even participated in the case. Are they trying to ridicule their own agency? Even when I went to court here, NDLEA officers swore in an affidavit that I was not the one. This was in 2014 and today, you are pursuing extradition.

You said this was all politically motivated. There are politicians in Ogun State who don’t like you?

When I believe in something, I pursue it. I focus on it. May be the kind of energy and resources I put into my political activities, there was no way I would not step on toes of people; knowingly and unknowingly. They have their ways of doing politics. They believe the pot belongs to them and so when someone comes and takes the pot and breaks it and expose all that have been going on to the people, they will not like it. But the people like it but the core politicians who cannot do what I am doing will never like it. That was exactly what happened.

I have always been a messenger of the Almighty God, sent to empower people.

Kashamu

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February 4, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Interview NDLEA is Just Wasting its Time Trying to Extradite Me When I entered into the politics of Ogun State and by extension, the South-west, I discovered that many people were having problems. People were dying because of common N2,000 or N5,000. There was no way I would look the other way and pretend as if I did not see this. It was when I joined politics that I discovered this and I decided to increase the activities of my foundation, the Omo Ilu Foundation.

This even had nothing to do with politics.

I have over 500 that I paid their hospital bills. If I make N100,000 today, I spend N60,000 on the foundation.

There was a lot of bitterness when you won the senatorial election.... (cuts in) Do I tell you something? Even my party men were buying votes against me. All of them ganged up against me. They shared themselves into all the local governments and recruited people and were buying votes against me. It was not about my power but that of Almighty Allah.

What exactly did you mean when you said three to four people would have to be killed before you are arrested and extradited?

They were talking rubbish. How could I say that? I addressed them and when we were speaking off record and they twisted my joke out of contest and made a headline out of what I said. It is such a betrayal. I don’t know what I did to The PUNCH. Some of you take your time to study a situation but others, whenever they see my name they want to destroy it.

What happened was that we were joking that if there is no law in the country, then each person will have to provide his own security. Like me getting about 40 OPC members to guide me because there is no law to protect me. And when they come for me, three to four persons will have to be killed. We were joking and they decided to take that as the news.

Reports also claimed that it was former President Olusegun Obasanjo that was behind your travails.

Baba Obasanjo is my father and I know he is annoyed with me and I can only continue to ask God to touch his heart to forgive me. Whatever he thinks I might have done to him in the past, he should forgive me. I have been with him before and I have served him before. But we are not perfect as humans. Perhaps, the mistake I made was to follow the former president (Goodluck Jonathan) and if there was problem between the two, I should have kept my distance. But I am someone who does not shy away from the truth.

That was just me.

What is happening to PDP? My issue is not about supporting Makarfi or Modu Sheriff. I told my people that if Makarfi calls meeting, they should go. If Modu Sheriff call a meeting, they should go. We have problems in PDP all over the place but any time I discuss with any faction, I discuss with them as members of PDP. My belief is that if there is misunderstanding, the leaders should be able to call these two guys together and resolve the issue and move forward.

I don’t believe in this divisive politics that Makarfi is better than Sheriff or vice versa.

But PDP cannot have two leaders If we call the two together, they will have to step down and you pick a neutral person. But when 20 people are behind this person, and 10 are behind the other person, then the problem cannot be resolved. That is the problem. Look at South-west. Fayose wants to control the structure of the party in the zone and I said no, he cannot do that. Instead, let you, Baba Bode George, myself, Mimiko and others sit down and sort this thing out. He will say yes, that is okay. But he will be asking his loyalists like Mulikat Akande to pick form for National Secretary or Olayinka, his aide, to pick form for

Kashamu

National Publicity Secretary. He is one of the governors. He has upper hand over us because he always closes the deal at the topmost level of the party. When he does, when we are having, say a convention, he would have put the names of his own people on the list and automatically, he has taken the structure of the party in the zone.

There is no way someone like me will allow this. The reason is that this put more fuel in the fire at the national level.

What do you think is the way out?

The way out is for all the leaders to come together and forget about their interests. Let them forget about the ambition to take the structure of the party at the national level. Many of these levels are doing negotiations behind because they want to become vice-president and that is why they must struggle to control the structure of the party at the national level.

They will never tell you this but that is the problem. They have to forget about their ambitions and put the interest of the party first. If they are not willing to do this, then it will be difficult.

What is your candid assessment of the division in APC? APC is not divided. What I do know is that PDP is divided. If our leaders don’t put their acts together, they will be the loser. At the national level, it is not APC decamping to PDP but the other way round. I just read that some PDP governors are planning to decamp to APC. Is that division for APC? The party is swelling and you are saying they are divided.

But it is a known fact that in the history of this country, people always decamp to the ruling party, that is very bad.

Everyone has different problems in their homes. You are a family man but I don’t know what your home looks like when you dress and come out. You can be a troublemaker and you are still able to hold your house together. It might be that truly you are a troublemaker because you don’t tolerate nonsense. You said APC is divided,

how did they manage to win Ondo State?

How did they manage to win Edo State?

When they beat you up, you say it is ‘ojoro’. You can say instead of using bare hand to hit your face, they use stone. But we are not able to put our own house in order. Is that the problem of anybody?

Is it true that you are trying to defect to APC? If I say what is in my mind, people will say it is because I have problem presently and that is why I am saying that. But I believe I don’t have any problem. You cannot cage me. Apart from this thing we are wearing, we are nothing. We can die at any time. You cannot control it when death comes. Someone called me by 9am that he would come to me and by 10am, I learnt he was dead. Back to your question.

If I tell you what is in my mind, like I said, you will say it is because I have problems.

But let me tell you, PDP members, leaders and followers are not the kind of people that will say something and follow it.

Like taking a decision now and follow it to logical conclusion. This is what APC will do easily. If we are doing campaign now, you see our people being laid back and lethargic unless you incentivise them.

This is not so with APC. They are ready to make sacrifices and even trek a kilometre to achieve their aim.

But they are populated by former PDP members now.

My brother that is not totally so. Before this APC, AD, AC and ACN had always been like that. You saw their primaries here where our president asked that people should not be given money and they still voted for him.

(Cuts in) But money changed hands and everyone knew that.

We knew those who really spent money.

And if some people went behind the man to spend money on his behalf, he wouldn’t know.

Are you planning to defect to APC?

What is this? (pointing to PDP flag behind him). I have passion for PDP. I don’t want PDP to die. You know my struggle in PDP and I don’t want it to die in South-west and even nationally. I am not defecting to the APC of any other party. But I pray that God should touch the minds of our leaders so that they can do the right thing. I don’t have any plan to betray PDP or defect to another party or betray the party. But only God knows tomorrow. I want our leaders to recognise ‘strikers’ within the party. If they don’t do that, there is no way a ‘striker’ will not look for another club. Those who currently call themselves strikers are empty barrels.

They don’t even go beyond their states.

How can Fayose be criticising and rubbishing the government and the presidency?

You are the only governor of the party in the South-west yet you don’t protect the interest of the Yoruba people. You don’t go to other states in the South-west to galvanise party members and yet, within the next 18 months, you will be planning to leave office.

Why can’t Modu Sheriff sacrifice his personal interest for the interest of the party?

Can you allow people to put you to shame? Sometimes, I reason with him and sometimes, I don’t. If leaders want PDP to move forward, there are ways they know how they can handle both Modu Sheriff and Makarfi. But because most of them, not all of them, are consumed by selfish interest, they will not. They want to control the party structure and many of them want to be vice-president. I know about three to five leaders who want to be vice-president. If the control of the party structure will not be in their hands, they won’t allow peace to reign. If they call the two of them together, in the presence of whole members of the party and ask them to resign, withdraw their cases and allow a neutral person, the whole world will now see who does not want the progress of the party. If Modu Sheriff does not back down, he will never see me with him again.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • January 28, 2017

Interview Kingsley Megwara

Help, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway is Our Killing Range

Shortly after 15 persons were killed in automobile crashes on the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu added another ambulance to the fleet of the Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest Scheme (ASPIMS), nine ambulances short of the projected 15 that would convey accident victims to hospitals. ASPIMS General Manager, Kingsley Megwara, who drove Nduka Nwosu along the deadly Enugu-Aba- Port Harcourt Expressway, the deplorable Arochukwu-Ohafia Road and the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road, in this interview, paints a gory tale

W

hat’s the update on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway?

You saw it all yourself and the noises we have been making about this expressway. The EnuguPort Harcourt Expressway I can say on record is a death trap waiting to happen. All the palliative measures put in place for Christmas will be swept away once the rains are here. It is sad that for a country as big and great as ours we allow the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway to be in the deplorable stage it is today. That road is one of the busiest in the country today but it has remained the way it is in the last six years. The tragedy of this road is that it takes one, two, three lives daily on the minimum.

No day passes without blood being spilled through a road accident on that expressway.

You noticed the deplorable nature of the road; that is one.

The Arochukwu-Ohafia road has been like that for a while. Most of the federal roads in Abia State are in a terrible shape. People die daily on the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt road.

The sooner the Federal Government focuses its attention on that road, the better. No day passes without our response to a major fatality. It is sad that this road continues to be a death trap to Nigerians. There is no other place we can call home as Nigerians.

I believe as policy makers, we need to be a little sensitive to ourselves. It can be any one else tomorrow. The Enugu-Port Harcourt Road, the Arochukwu-Ohafia Road, the Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia Road, all the federal roads in Abia State are in a terrible shape.

Can you give a graphic picture of the theatre of action?

You receive a call at 10.45 am that says two vehicles travelling on the road on Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway have been involved in a head-on collision. Four women travelling in a 17 seater passenger bus are critically injured and bleeding with severe head injuries. One of the women is heavy with pregnancy and the unborn baby is kicking inside, struggling for life as you observe the movement of the mother’s stomach. This is what we cope with on a daily basis and my brother, if you pass through this daily ritual, you will begin to appreciate the value of life. That is why we continually sensitise our drivers in Abia State to ensure we are very obedient of the rules when on the roads, to be very tolerant of one

another on our roads, lessen the speed and avoid text messages, making phone calls or answering phone calls while on the steering.

The roads are very deplorable, the federal highways are in very deplorable shape.

They do not encourage high speeds like 100 kilometers an hour while making or answering phone calls. We will continue to talk to them through our many outlets and that is the much we can do now. When you go to the scene of an accident and see how bad things are, you will begin to have an appreciation for life. Until we develop a change on our attitude to driving and this includes several agencies including those that issue drivers’ licences, these accidents facilitated by these death traps called expressways, would continue to happen. Ours is a rescue agency and if I have my way especially in the issue of licences, several drivers on the highways would have no business being there. My appeal is for a turn-around for a system that only issues licences to well trained and supervised drivers.

When you go to the scene of an accident and see body parts flying everywhere and an ambulance drives down to the rescue, a victim feels largely relieved. Therefore ambulance services to road accident victims I feel, should be replicated in every state of the federation. My experience tells me it is an integral part of what we should be doing in government. We are offering a very important service to all motorists in Abia and it attracts no fees. ASPIMS is in a better position today to respond to the needs of accident victims than it was in the past. We are a complement to the activities of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC}. If we arrive at an accident scene before the corps team, we take charge but if they arrive before us, we give support to its ambulance team. We are very pleased the way we are going right now.

How do you deal with hospitals that reject accident victims?

We are beginning to sensitise some of these hospitals and clinics on the need to receive these victims and give them the needed treatment. First of all you would be breaking the law by not treating an accident victim brought to your hospital. The law says treat first and ask questions later. If we have hospitals that are not complying with these rules, we have situations where we expose them so that they don’t get patronage but I must say we also have situations where some of these hospitals are complying. We have

When you go to the scene of an accident and see body parts flying everywhere and an ambulance drives down to the rescue, a victim feels largely relieved. Therefore ambulance services to road accident victims I feel, should be replicated in every state of the federation. My experience tells me it is an integral part of what we should be doing in government.

We are offering a very important service to all motorists in Abia and it attracts no fees. ASPIMS is in a better position today to respond to the needs of accident victims than it was in the past Magwara

47

January 28, 2017 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Interview Help, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway is Our Killing Range the Federal Medical Center Umuahia, the General Hospital in Amachara in Umuahia, and the Living Word Hospital in Aba. These three hospitals have been cooperating. There are recalcitrant hospitals that reject victims on account of not knowing them or without a valid address and severally we have had to register that person in the name of the general manager after which the family members are properly notified and the dead victim delivered to them.

How many ambulances in the team will quicken the process of a rapid response?

In the ideal world, the response time to most accidents is between five and 10 minutes or between five and seven minutes.

The number of ambulances in the fleet goes a long way in defining the response time. Ideally, there should be ambulances everywhere in the state with a central command system that does not solely rely on the telephone but on walkie-talkies to save time. This is going to be expensive but the governor has promised that with increased resources or revenue coming to the state, the fleet level would increase. It is extremely important to increase the number of ambulances we currently have to help quicken our response time.

How has your trauma centre fared?

We have a trauma center initiated by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as CEO of ASPIMS, now as a work in progress. The idea of initiating a trauma center is to quickly respond to some accident cases before going to hospital, depending on the proximity of the accident to a hospital. Our primary responsibility is to convey victims to the nearest hospital. What we decided when we came on board was to complete the trauma center and divert all non-life threatening accident cases to the facility. We intend across board to have volunteer doctors who will come to help us at the center, especially youth corps medical personnel as well as Abia medical personnel in the Diaspora in particular those that have expressed interest coming home to offer free services periodically. I will be happy as general manager of ASPIMS to complete this trauma center and use it as an outlet to ease the tension created by accident victims in some of our hospitals.

On assuming to office, what were the challenges?

The challenge was trying to boost the strength and morale of our work force. We currently have about 291 employees in our workforce. I came in to confront a workforce whose morale was low. That was a major challenge. We also had challenges upgrading our infrastructure but we have been able to create a work friendly environment for our staff. The morale of staff right now is pretty high and they know that the Okezie Ikpeazu administration is committed to ensuring that those who work for us are well taken care

of. So we have turned around the agency and positioned it for greater heights. The collaborative support we have received from Abia State indigenes in the Diaspora has also encouraged us to a large extent. We have been receiving donations of drugs, donations of equipment and our ambulances. Things are looking up for ASPIMS. What agenda did you set for yourself?

The number one agenda is to ensure staff gets paid at the end of the month, in particular our paramedical nurses and other paramedics. Before I came on board, we were two or three months in salary arrears but today I can proudly confirm we are up to

So over the years, we were not living up to this expectation until the current governor of the state Okezie Ikpeazu came on board as the CEO of ASPIMS. Ikpeazu who has headed this agency twice and saw the need to actualise the expectations of the legislation that established ASPIMS, started the ambulance services. As a general manager I have come to see why it was important to set up this agency. I have argued repeatedly that 10 years hence Abians will come to appreciate the reason for the establishment of the agency having experienced the agonies of both drivers and accident victims on our federal highways. They will see ASPIMS as one of the major contributions of the Okezie Ikpeazu administration

date with salaries.

Secondly, I said we are very committed increasing the number of ambulances we currently have. We are very lucky to have received more ambulances from the governor under my tenure. It is my hope the agency will be positioned to a point of having more ambulances every year thus increasing our fleet.

Thirdly, we must make sure that the trauma center started by the current governor would be completed in my tenure because it would help to ease all of the problems we now have with some of the hospitals. We will find a way to work with some of the mortuaries so that when we arrive at the scene of an accident and our doctors certify that the victim is dead, we will quickly move that person to the mortuary and move on from there. We will continue to train and re-train our paramedics; as you know medicine is constantly updating itself and we must keep abreast with these changes. We are also lucky that every Christmas one or two Abia citizens in the Diaspora, who are conversant with our activities engage in our re-training activities.

What informed the establishment of ASPIMS? Legislation by the Abia State House of Assembly informed the setting up of the Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMS) 17 years ago for motorists, passengers and drivers using the highways. The idea was to set up a mobile rapid response team backed by ambulances and paramedical personnel, whose duty is quick response to the needs of accident victims. Additionally, there was need to be in the business of sensitising drivers on safety needs to prevent accidents from happening through a drivers’ education and orientation system.

So over the years, we were not living up to this expectation until the current governor of the state Okezie Ikpeazu came on board as the CEO of ASPIMS. Ikpeazu who has headed this agency twice and saw the need to actualise the expectations of the legislation that established ASPIMS, started the ambulance services. As a general manager I have come to see why it was important to set up this agency. I have argued repeatedly that 10 years hence Abians will come to appreciate the reason for the establishment of the agency having experienced the agonies of both drivers and accident victims on our federal highways. They will see ASPIMS as one of the major contributions of the Okezie Ikpeazu administration.

What does it take to perform effectively?

When you are in the business of saving lives daily and you receive a phone call saying a multiple accident has occurred with bodies flying everywhere, it takes some level of compassion to do that job. What do you

get in return for putting your own life on the line for others? The least we can do is to ensure there is encouragement by way of compensation and remuneration. If I have my way we will triple what we are currently paying our nurses and our paramedics in the field for the tremendous amount of risk they take by being on the highway daily trying to save lives.

What are the specific achievements of the incumbent as ASPIMS CEO? He was the first CEO to initiate help to motorists. His primary responsibility was focused on commercial vehicles. With the provision of additional ambulances, we decided to extend the services to all motorists and accident victims on the highways passing through Abia State and this has put pressure on us. What impressed me most when the governor came on board was his decision to implement the core assignment of the agency in terms of providing ambulance services on Abia highways for accident victims. He started with two and now we have six . We are growing with the prospects of expanding our fleet and paramedical services as we move on. We are educating our drivers on the need to be careful on our roads since life has no duplicate. This sensitisation exercise is not just to the commercial drivers but to all road users in Abia State. It is imperative that all road users obey the road signs for safety reasons.

How is your Diaspora experience impacting on this assignment?

The governor knows I spent 26 years of my life in the US and that exposure in terms of seeing how an efficient system works all add value to what goes on here. I am a criminologist by training, not a doctor however, it does not take a doctor to run a 911 outfit such as we have in Abia State. What is needed is effective management backed by effective human resource development knowing what to do at the right time. The ability to drive your team in getting results counts and here I am working with the best team you can think of whether as nurses or paramedics, the support staff and the entire staff. I would like to thank the governor of Abia State for this initiative. When historians assess his legacy, his efforts at saving lives through ASPIMS would be one of his biggest achievements.

As the scheme grows in size and strength, our responses will go beyond road accidents.

It will include taking phone calls from those who have health issues that call for emergency at homes. So rather than beg your next door neighbor, a call across the emergency unit of ASPIMS will quickly respond to the emergency. That is our long term goal in emergency medical services in Abia State. The governor of Abia State is committed to saving the lives of men and women in the state and I know that as the scheme gets bigger we shall get there.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

PERSPECTIVE TONYE SOLOMON

Real Estate is not Affected by Economic Downturn The nation’s real estate sector is resilient in the face of a fast declining economy because money is not being spent on frivolities but on solid investments such as land and houses, says Tonye Solomon who runs Serashelle Limited in this interview with Bennett Oghifo Tell us about your concept of real estate business. eal estate business, like any other business, has its unique role in meeting the basic needs of humanity which includes shelter amongst other things. This is one business that is as old as time itself and cannot be separated from human existence because wherever there are people they will most definitely need shelter. This is where we come in as a business to cater to this need.

real estate sector especially in this time of economic recession?

I can honestly say that real estate is one sector that continues to thrive in this economy. Why? Money is not being spent on frivolities but on solid investments such as land and houses that will earn residual income in rent or an increased profit at future sales.

People are looking to grow their investments however little and now make smart spending decisions by focusing on real estate.

What is been like for you personally?

It’s been a learning curve because I have been allowed to grow as an individual and an entrepreneur in this business. I have been exposed to a wide spectrum of people cutting across different cultures, class, educational and financial backgrounds.

I’ve come to understand that we all want the same thing which is to be treated with dignity and have the opportunity to provide for our families in the best way possible.

So is the economic situation in the country not impacting much on the real estate sector?

The economy is impacting positively on the real estate sector because everyone who is able to earn now has the opportunity to invest into the sector. People are now mindful of where their money goes, how it’s being nurtured and what it can yield for them in the space of time.

There are many payment options available now that allow a low income earner to invest that was not available years ago.

It’s like when our ancestors buried money in the ground for safe keeping. Today, real estate is the next best thing in keeping your money safe from the vagaries of the economy.

These are challenging times for the

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What inspired your foray into real estate?

I was inspired by the real estate market.

The voraciousness of the demand certainly outweighs the supply and my experience in marketing opened my eyes so that when

Tonye Solomon the opportunity presented itself, I was ready for it.

How tough has it been like for the

real sector. What advice do you have for potential investors and for existing ones that are struggling with low returns?

In real estate, patience is key. Time matures your investments always; but patience will help you get the right buyer at the right price. Most importantly, you must start today as an investor. Don’t get stuck on yesterday’s regrets. Simply start today.

What do you expect to see in the years ahead?

I expect to see affordable housing for the low income earners. I believe this is a huge market that is relatively untapped still.

Eventually, I intend to go in that direction but that is still in the future.

What segment of the market do you operate in?

I’m a real estate consultant focused on sales and marketing. I connect the investor to the real estate developer. I make the connection for the investments to happen. If you need to buy or sell a piece of property or more, I’m your go to person!

What was the feeling like when you sealed your first deal?

Aaaaahhh! It was exhilarating! This is what I do and it’s a beautiful feeling.

TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

Why Taxation Over-taxation Could be Counter-productive

Raheem Akingbolu writes on the need by government to seek alternative revenue generating avenues; but focusing on tobacco, a lifestyle consumable, could be counter-productive

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igeria is in recession and uncertainties continue to dogg the country as government desperately seeks ways to pull the nation out of its economic difficulties. The price of oil, which accounts for 70 percent of government revenues and 95 percent of foreign exchange earnings, has been on a downward spiral since 2015 with inflation reaching new heights. In addition to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declining to 2.3 per cent in 2016 from 5.4 per cent in 2013, one of the lowest in the sub-region, the nation’s foreign reserves, though rose marginally in December 2016, is still below the reserve adequacy threshold. Moreover, the capacity of oil export to generate the needed foreign exchange for the country was further weakened by attacks on the nation’s oil facilities by the militants in 2016, which saw daily production drop to 1.1 million barrels, at some point from a projected 2.2million barrels per day.

There are other ways by which Nigeria gets its supply of foreign exchange such as non-oil exports, capital receipts including draw-down on loans, invisible receipts by the private sector, foreign tourists’ expenditure in Nigeria and repatriation of capital by Nigerians resident abroad. Over-reliance on oil has made contributions to foreign exchange by these other sources somewhat insignificant; a reason government is aggressively pushing for the diversification of the economy. Nigeria exports only primary goods which, in terms of value, cannot match imported manufactured goods.

In a bid to put the economy back on the path of growth, the Federal Government took drastic measures to conserve its foreign exchange and revive an ailing naira. Rather than succumb to pressure to devalue the naira last year, government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adopted stringent foreign exchange rules. It announced that it would halt dollar sales to bureau de change operators and ensure commercial banks accept dollar deposits. The apex bank also effectively banned dollar access for the purchase of 41 items to reduce the pressure on the naira.

Kemi Adeosun Other measures that government is pushing to mitigate the situation include promotion of import substitution, which it thought would help strengthen the naira.

Government’s decision to raise duties on luxury goods as well as food items such as rice, salt, sugarcane and beverages that have local alternatives was hailed as a step in the right direction. This is expected to protect and stimulate the local industry to growth and help government achieve its import substitution policy, which is one of the measures it hopes will increase exports and forex thereby resuscitating the economy. This new fiscal policy will see duties on luxury items such as luxury cars, yachts, sport cars, among others, rise from 20 percent to 70 percent. Also duties on food items like sugar cane and salt will rise from 10 per cent to 70 per cent; alcoholic spirit, beverages and tobacco from 20 per cent to 60 per cent; and rice from 10 per cent to 60 per cent. The measure, which is meant to incentivise the local industry, will see duties on essential accessories used in the industrial sector of the economy such as industrial oil,

bolt, and other equipment cut down.

However, one item that sticks out among the list of consumables is tobacco. The reason is not farfetched. There are serious concerns often raised by health experts and civil society groups about tobacco due to health consequences for consumers. In this regard, an anti-tobacco group, Environmental Rights Action/and Friends of the Earth, ERA/ FoEN, feels that the fiscal measure recently taken by government is not enough to rein in tobacco firms and ensure public wellbeing. It urged government to “immediately impose a minimum of 150 percent special levies on all tobacco products with a view to raising revenue while also reducing the consumption and the health risks that tobacco consumption poses.”

Interestingly, ERA/FoEN’s position echoes a report by the World Health Organisation, WHO, which states that “policies to control tobacco use, including tobacco tax and price increases, can generate significant government revenues for health and development work.”

High taxes on tobacco with a view to attracting higher revenue could be viewed as a low hanging fruit of government’s quest to increase its income from taxes.

However, it can quickly become counterproductive.

Imposition of a 150 percent hike in the tax paid by tobacco companies while imports attract only 60 percent implies that imported tobacco will be more affordable than those produced in Nigeria.

If government heeds ERA/FoEN’s call, the implications for the country are multifarious and altogether unpleasant. Any consumable, be it rice, salt, palm oil or tobacco, which is cheaper to import than produce, means then it will make no business sense to set up factories or farms to produce them. Rather, all the resources will be devoted to importation of the item. There will be an immediate impact on government revenue, and the longer term impact of factory closure and job losses will make an already bad situation worse.

The tobacco industry, just like every other

industry in the manufacturing sector, is important to the nation’s economic recovery and growth. The experience of foremost tyre manufacturers, Dunlop and Michelin, and many other multinationals that have relocated to neighbouring African countries due to stifling business environment in the country is still fresh. If government fails to achieve the balance between importation and local production, via policies, not the type activated

by ERA/FoEN, the country suffers.

Another point worthy of note is that there is a limit to the extent that taxes can be raised on some consumer products. Tobacco being a lifestyle product, even with incremental tax hikes on the product may do very little or nothing to dissuade people from smoking.

In New Zealand, for example, where tobacco taxes have been on the increase since 2010, an anti-smoking campaigner, Marewa Glover, observed that rather than discouraging smoking, price hikes on tobacco could be having the opposite effect. She argued that there is no proof that the tobacco tax is reducing smoking in New Zealand but rather having a harmful effect on smokers and poverty in the country.

“Tax was increasing stress on people already facing financial hardship; that could lead to more people smoking as a stress relief mechanism,” she said. Studies have shown that 80 percent of people who smoke cigarettes are low and middle income earners.

Perhaps, the greatest drawback that excessive tax on tobacco poses is that it makes smokers who cannot afford expensive, overtaxed cigarettes resort to illicit cigarettes, which are usually smuggled into the country.

These products, which are often unregulated and counterfeited, rob government of its much-needed tax and attract criminal elements into local communities. Illicit activities undermine sustainability and support a range of illegitimate activities, since proceeds from illegitimate trade is often ploughed back into other criminal undertakings.

In recent years, Turkey and Ghana grappled with the menace of illicit trade in tobacco, textiles and other consumables which has eaten deep into its revenue.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

PERSPECTIVE

Travails of Former DG of NBC, Emeka Mba The Federal Government launched with pomp, the Abuja phase of the DSO, to mark the initial kick-off of the full roll out of digital broadcasting in Nigeria.Olaoluwakitan Babatunde x-rays the ordeals, in the hands of the EFCC, of the immediate past Director-General of the NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba, whose ingenious leadership gave Nigeria the breakthrough.

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igeria had struggled perennially, but unable to meet the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadlines on digital broadcasting due to lack of funds for the highly capital-intensive project or, better still, government’s unwillingness to fund the project.

Therefore, the pageantry with which the Digital Switch Over (DSO) for parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was launched end of 2016 was expected. It was performed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, with other top government functionaries, including the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, in attendance.

However, it was an event, which sent tongues wagging again, especially among industry stakeholders, who are miffed at what they term political persecution of the former Director-General (DG) of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. They believe stripping the ex-DG of his deserved credit and failure to tap into his experience cast a gloom on the digital migration efforts.

Corruption Allegations Not long after Treasury Single Account (TSA) was introduced, a petition was filed against Emeka Mba, alleging concealment of unremitted N15 billion to the TSA and payment of fraudulent sums of money to settop-box manufacturers, signal distributors, suppliers cum managers of IT infrastructure, among others. The petition also alleged noncompliance with due process, among others.

He was detained by the EFCC for weeks and subsequently granted administrative bail and allowed to return to office before the sack of all the DGs in Ministry of Information by the FG. Stakeholders weigh in However, industry players have continually dismissed the allegations against Mr. Mba. A respected woman in the industry who prefers not to have her name in print described the allegations as “spurious, vexatious, and vendetta-driven efforts by unholy interests to rubbish Emeka and remove him from office”.

She also explained that the payments to ITS (NTA’s signal distribution company); Inview UK (supply and management of the critical IT infrastructure) as well as Technology Advisors, the firm, which came up with the ingenious proposal for raising the perennially elusive DSO funds through an innovative licensing of the redundant 700 Megahertz (MHz) spectrum, were within the approval for the DSO granted by the President.

Also, speaking on Channels TV programme, Sunrise Daily, during Mba’s deten-

is not available”.

Mba tion in 2016, President of the Set-top Box (STB) Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Godfrey Ohuabunwa, explained that Nigeria had been at loss as to how to raise money for digital migration until Emeka Mba brought eggheads together to seek the way out.

He continued: “So, NBC licensed to MTN 700 megahertz, a triple play license, to do TV on mobile. From what we heard, one of the telecoms actually wanted to get that frequency for N399 million. But to God be the glory, NBC was able to sell the same license for N34 billion. The money went straight to government account in Zenith Bank. Note, I didn’t say into one bank; to Zenith Bank.

And that account is the NBC/Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) account because all licenses paid for went into that account.

“They came to us, set-top-box (STB) manufacturers to manufacture, but we said, ‘no’, we can’t do that. For a transaction like that, there must be a guarantee because one, there is a change of government. Two, the STB manufacturers need to borrow money and for you to borrow money, there must be a guarantee. The Bank of Industry, all banks want you to show proof of who would buy what you want to produce. So, the NBC had to issue a guarantee, an ‘off taker guarantee’. With that, we went to different banks and took loans. As at today, some of them are owing over N2 billion to N3 billion.

So, that N15 billion is the cash-backing for that guarantee given by the Zenith Bank to these companies. And this was done before the Treasury Single Account (TSA) regime came into force. So, when TSA came, Zenith Bank remitted all the money, except the N15 billion because that money was already encumbered. Zenith Bank couldn’t have remitted that money. You cannot remit what

Much Ado over 700MHz license for digital broadcasting “Regarding the novel raising of the N34 billion, which by the way, is still being used by the government today to fund the DSO, it will interest you to know that Technology Advisors, which came up with the brilliant fund-raising idea, had pegged the success fee (professional consultancy fee to be paid to them if their proposal succeeded) at 20%; however, the NBC board reduced it to 10%, which was approved in writing by the President”, said another insider source.

Documents sighted show that the 10% legal fees covered legal services of Technology Advisers prior, during, and post fund raising process.

Contrary to the claim by the EFCC that USD171 paid by the MTN was low and that the FG could have raised N200 Billion instead of N34 Billion, report of the digital spectrum valuation by the Communication Chambers, a reputable UK consulting firm engaged by NBC, put the highest Nigeria could rake in from sale of the three slots of spectrum in NBC’s spectrum profile at USD300 Million or USD100 Million. As such, NBC actually surpassed industry expectations by raising a whooping N34 Billion from the license of only one slot.

In fact, the former Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, in a letter to former President Jonathan, expressed serious reservations over NBC’s assurances that it could rake in more than USD170 from the deal.

Checks also show that the 2.6 gigahertz spectrum, which has a far greater quantity of spectrum, which the NBC recently handed over to the NCC, raked in only USD70m. So, for raking in USD171 from 700mgz, Emeka Mba naturally deserves accolades, not persecution and humiliation, many believe.

It has also been noted that whereas with the National Communication Commission (NCC), spectrum licenses to Visaphone, Glo Mobile, Spectranet, etc. were administratively awarded, rather auctioned, Mba ensured its spectrum license was competitively auctioned, hence the N34 billion raised.

Meanwhile, it is no longer for ‘missing’ N15 billion or NBC’s money ‘hidden’ in NBC’s account that EFCC is charging Mba to court. It is for the N2.9 billion consultancy fee paid to Technology Advisors, NBC’s Legal consultant, which pulled the N34 billion licensing deal to MTN through. Yet, the anti-graft agency has failed to also declare the payments made to ITS, Inview, etc. from the funds raised by the Legal Consultant as fraudulent.

Industry stakeholders wonder why the EFCC is bent on criminalising a clearly lawful transaction by a corporate entity, which is even paying N500 million in taxes to the FG

from its earning, just to allegedly nail Mba at all cost, even without establishing that the former DG benefited in any material way whatsoever from NBC’s licensing to MTN or the STB manufacturers.

Besides, they argue that if a transparent, meticulously documented, and approved process has now become fraudulent, the anti-graft agency should also prosecute all the approving authorities, namely, all members of the defunct NBC board, the approving Ministers, and the former President. It should also be able to prove a case of fraud and money laundering against them by establishing beyond doubt that they intended to conceal or deceive anyone so as to divert money.

Furthermore, while the EFCC further accused NBC of illegality and failure to advertise in the process of licensing of set-top-box (STB) manufacturers, investigation have clearly shown that the NBC duly advertised in several national publications and applicants were duly screened.

13 most successful applicants were selected and they paid N50 million licensing fee. Many now wonder how the EFCC just selected five out of 13 companies and claimed they were paid huge amounts from the money realised from MTN licensing, whereas no dime was paid to the STB manufacturers. It was the STB manufacturers that paid. An ‘off taker guarantee’ made by the NBC, which was domiciled with Zenith Bank, for the supply of the set-top-boxes cannot be construed as money paid to the STB manufacturers by any stretch of imagination.

Honour, Not Persecution While upholding Mr. Mba’s integrity and ingenuity in leadership, former members of NBC Board, in a widely published statement held that Emeka Mba, as well as themselves, deserves national honour for his creativity in raising money to set Nigeria on the path of digital migration rather than being humiliated and tried by the EFCC as is now the case. “As I speak with you, it is the plans and strategies provided under Emeka Mba’s leadership that they are still executing. It is the funds raised under him that are being utilized for driving the processes and payment for items hitherto approved by Labaran Maku, Omobola Johnson, and Goodluck Jonathan.

“Above all, with the recent directive by President Buhari to the EFCC to repatriate back to the NBC the sum of N10 billion, which the EFCC had earlier claimed was hidden in Zenith and therefore confiscated into the TSA, so that the NBC, now headed by Modibbo Kawu, could continue to utilize it for the same purpose (off taker guarantee) for which it was kept in Zenith Bank in the first place, why then is the EFCC still traducing Emeka Mba? It is a clear case of witch-hunt” a respected industry player fumed.

How African Union Leadership Positions Eluded Nigeria Uche Enemuo

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he election of officials of the African Union Commission has come and gone with Nigeria losing the last foothold it had owing to lack of preparation and nepotism which has come to be a common denominator in the present polity.

One wonders why highly placed officials rather than place the interest of Nigeria first, prefer to want control and would rather the country lost sensitive positions than it going to anyone outside their sphere of influence, region or even family.

The story of how Nigeria lost out is that weeks after the candidates to be selected for screening and shortlisting had been interviewed based on experience and competence, a dark horse was introduced in at the last moment and with the federal muscle, was against every other consideration, presented.

Nigeria that previously held the position of commissioner of Political Affairs, lost her bid to retain a post in the leadership of the commission when her candidate for the post

of Commissioners for Peace and Security Ms. Fatimah Kyari Mohammed lost to the incumbent Algerian candidate Ambassador Smail Chergui.

Algeria has held the same position since 2002 and that Ambassador Chergui is the third Algerian to hold the position.

Although Nigeria’s Ms. Fatimah Kyari Mohammed who worked with an NGO called West Africa Conflict and Security and arm of INCAS Consulting Limited was backed by a well-funded and strong national campaign team which included top ministry officials and former ministers, she lost due to her lack of adequate work experience in governance and international diplomacy.

Information from Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs claim that in mid-August 2016, an interview panel made up of the minister, minister of state, director general NIIA and Presidential Adviser had interviewed a shortlist of potential candidates for the post.

The candidates included a retired Army General who had headed ECOWAS and AU Peacekeeping missions, two serving Directors in the Ministry who had served as

Ambassadors, a former three-term member of the National Assembly who had headed the parliamentary organ of the AU and two university professors of international law and politics.

Ms. Mohammed was chosen allegedly, by the powers that be against the recommendation and advice of the ministry which had in its letter to the presidency recommended two other candidates who performed very well in the interviews and had the requisite national and international experience and profile required for such a competitive and elective continental position. Ms. Mohammed emergence was attributed to the pressure from top presidency officials.

It is hoped that after this sad experience, it is hoped that the presidency would in future listen to professional advice when selecting candidates for such competitive and elective positions and that the absence of Nigeria in the leadership structure of the African Union for the next four years would further reduce the influence of Nigeria on the continental level.

The AU 28th Summit of its Heads of states and Government in Addis Ababa elected the

Foreign Minister of Chad, Mr. Moussa Faki Mohammed as the new chairperson of the commission to replace outgoing South Africa’s Dr. Nkossazana Zuma, who did not stand for re-election after her four year term. Dr. Zuma had stayed on for additional six months after the end of her tenure in July 2016 because the Kigali Rwanda July Summit did not produce a winner and the contest was reopened to inject fresh candidates for the position of chairperson.

The 56 years old lawyer, Moussa Faki Mahamat comes to the position with a very rich profile of experience in government and international diplomacy having held various positions in his country and at the continental level. He had served in Chad as Prime Minister.

Minister of works and Transportation and later chairman of the African Unions Civil Society body, ECOSOC prior to being appointed as Foreign Minister in 2008.

He is reputed to be a lead player in his country’s’ anti-islamist efforts as Chad has served as the headquarters of the Joint Military Operations against Boko Haram as well as the French counter Terrorism operations in the Sahel, Operation Barkhane.

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

DISCOURSE Onnoghen, Abubakar Umar and the Prospects of a Southern Chief Justice of the Federation

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Femi Fani-Kayode

o enhance the confirmation or ensure the non-confirmation of the Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, as the substantive Chief Justice of the Federation is probably the most important decision that President Muhammadu Buhari has to make since he came to power almost two years ago.

If he gets it wrong and refuses to send the Acting Chief Judges name to the Senate for confirmation there will be long-term and far-reaching consequences, the first of which will be a weakening of what is already a fast-eroding spirit and ethos of national unity.

If he gets it right and sends the name to the Senate for confirmation it will go a long way to ease the palpable and existing tension in the land and it will be a good first step towards restoring and enhancing national unity.

Simply put Buhari cannot afford to get this one wrong if he is serious about keeping Nigeria one and if he has any respect left for the people of the south.

Let us consider the facts. The first southern lawyer (and indeed indigenous Nigerian) to be called to the English bar was Christopher Sapara Williams in 1879.

By way of contrast the first northern lawyer to be called to the English bar was almost 80 years later.

He is still alive today, he is a respected elderstatesman and his name is Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Abdulrasaq SAN. He is from Ilorin and he was called to the English bar in 1955.

Again the first southerner (and indeed indigenous Nigerian) to be appointed a judge was Justice (Sir) Adetokunboh Ademola in 1937. He later went on to become the first indigenous Nigerian Chief Justice of the Federation.

By way of contrast the first northerner to be appointed a judge came 30 years later. His name was Justice Mohammed Bello and he was appointed as a judge in 1967. He also later went on to become Chief Justice of the Federation.

Despite this massive disparity in terms of education and the overwhelming seniority at the bar and the bench of the southern lawyers and judges, the north has used the “federal character” formula and the massive political power and executive fiat that it has wielded over the last 56 years of our existence as an independent sovereign nation to highjack the Judiciary.

This has been executed with such cold and clinical precision and to such a point that no southerner has been appointed Chief Justice of the Federation for 30 years!

The last one that we had that came from the south was Justice Ayo Irikefe who was Chief Justice from 1985 till 1987.

And now that we have Justice Onnogehn, an eminently qualified southerner that is not only eligible for the job but that has also been recommended by the National Judicial Council for the position, our northern President has refused to transmit his name to the Senate for confirmation as he is required to do by the constitution.

If Onnoghen is not confirmed by the 10th of February his nomination lapses, he will cease to be Acting Chief Judge and he will retire from the Bench.

The next in line for the position of Chief Justice of the Federation after him is yet another northerner and once he is nominated by the National Judicial Council his name is likely to be transmitted to the Senate for confirmation by our President.

In the event of President Buhari failing to do so the next person in line for the job in terms of seniority is again yet another northerner.

It is therefore very clear that once Justice Onnoghen’s nomination lapses it is fair to say that the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Federation will once again return to the north.

And that is precisely the problem because, given the fact that no southerner has held that position for 30 years, this can hardly be described as being reasonable or fair.

It is also pertinent to note that in the entire history of our country the distinguished individual that the Supreme Court itself presents and that is nominated as Chief Justice of the Federation by the National Judicial Council has NEVER been rejected by the President or Head of State.

If President Buhari fails to transmit Justice Onneghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation it will be the FIRST time that this has EVER happened in our entire history.

This should be a matter of grave concern for lawyers and judges from both north and south because it represents an attempt by the executive arm of government to interfere in the workings, machinery and decision-making processes of the third arm of governmrnt which is the judiciary.

It represents a clear violation of the principle of separation of powers and I am glad that Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa SAN is testing the matter in court and attempting to compel President Buhari to do the right and proper thing and forward the Acting Chief Justice’s name to the Senate for confirmation.

Yet at the end of the day I doubt that Buhari will listen and neither will he do anything of the sort. This is because he understands the weakness and inability of most Nigerians to successfully fight and insist on their rights.

He knows that most of our people are not only weak, easily manipulated and easily intimidated but that they are also very gullible.

The government will find some nonsensical, absurd and indefensible rationalisation for its refusal to do the right thing and support Onnoghen’s nomination and that will be the end of the matter. Few will protest and even fewer will demand for a reasonable explanation.

Sadly the following question must be put: who really cares and who is prepared to confront the government and raise any dust about this issue? The people are too weak and hungry to say one word.

Their spiritual foundation and ability to say “enough is enough” has been broken.

They have turned their backs on the Living God and the power of His might and instead opted to bow before the demonic gods and Luciferian deities of “broomsticks” and “chanji”.

Southern Nigerians particularly have been mesmerised and intimidated into accepting anything from their government, no matter how belittling, demeaning, unreasonable or unjust that thing may be.

Nothing reflects this perverse disposition and this inherent inability to stand up for truth and to fight against injustice than the conspiratorial silence that most southerners indulge in when they are confronted with news of the wholesale slaughter of young Igbos who are agitating for the creation of Biafra under the banner of IPOB by our security forces and the genocide being committed against northern Christians by the Islamist Janjaweed Fulani militias of the core north.

I guess in their usual way, as with virtually all other cases of injustice meted against the people of the south, the southern elites, intelligensia and media will be too self-centered, intellectually lazy, shortsighted and cowardly to speak out and insist on a modicum of fairness in this matter and to insist on the confirmation of Justice Onnoghen.

It is when they eventually understand and come to appreciate the implications and consequences of their gutlessness, indifference and stoicism that they will not only feel sorry for themselves but they will also shed bitter tears of regret in the privacy of their own bedrooms. And of course by that time it will be too late.

Sadly the truth is that the majority of southern leaders and politicians in Nigeria have already been enslaved by the north in body, mind, spirit and soul. It is a tragedy of monumental proportions.

Yet there is still hope. When core northerners like the irrepresable Col. Abubakar “Dangiwa” Umar express their concerns about the non-confirmation of Justice Onnoghen it puts a lie to the suggestion that every Fulani man or indeed core northern Muslim is an ethnic supremacist, a racist and a religious bigot who is part and parcel of a sinister conspiracy to keep the south out of power.

A few days ago he said the following: “In a few days, the tenure of acting appointment of Justice Onnoghen will expire. Going by our extant Constitution, the Acting CJN will be disqualified from appointment as the substantive CJN unless the NJC resubmits his nomination to the President.

Without providing any cogent and plausible or believable reason for its failure to forward the name of Justice Onnoghen to the Senate for confirmation, the Presidency leaves Nigerians guessing and speculating about the reasons. Already, many analysts view this action as a ploy to deny a Southerner his right to succession based on his seniority in keeping with the appointment protocol observed the NJC in making the appointment.”

He went on to say, “In the event of this occurrence, the NJC must not forward any other name nor should the Senate confirm any other nominee.

This will serve to check the excesses of this administration and reinforce the unity of the nation which has already been pushed to the precipice by the recruitment and appointment policies of a government which tends to favour the north in violation of the Federal Character provision of the Constitution.”

This is wise and appropiate counsel from a Fulani prince of the Royal House of Gwandu for whom I have immense respect.

I sincerely hope that both the NJC and the Senate are listening.

Justice Onnoghen, Acting CJN

This is all the more so because Umar has taken a considerable risk to his life and liberty by speaking truth to power and speaking out against a government that is inherently weak and nervous and that does not take any form of dissent or criticism lightly.

Yet “Dangiwa”, as Umar is popularly known, is up to the task.

I know him well. He was my Polo Captain at Lagos Polo Club in the 1980’s and he was not only a fearless and charissmatic leader then but he was also one tough cookie both on the polo field and off it. We have had our differences in the past, particularly over the Obasanjo government which I proudly served, but despite that I have no hesitation in saying that he is a profoundly good man He is also a deeply courageous military officer who has risked his life on numerous occassions by standing up and speaking out against injustice.

For example it was he that arrested General Muhammadu Buhari, the then military Head of State, in the 1985 military coup that brought General Ibrahim Babangida to power. After that he was appointed Military Governor of Kaduna state.

He proved to be a forthright, honest, consistent and righteous leader firstly when he was Governor of Kaduna and secondly a few years later during his role in the June 12th struggle when a southerner by the name of Chief MKO Abiola won a free and fair presidential election in 1993 and was denied his mandate.

Dangiwa was one of the few voices in the core north that not only opposed that outrage but he also paid a heavy price for it: he lost his commission as an officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces and his military career was utterly destroyed.

Despite being a core northerner and a member of the Fulani ruling class he, together with a few others like Sambo Dasuki, Sule Lamido, Kabiru Turaki SAN, Kashim Ibrahim Imam, Hadi Sirika, Ahmed Makarfi and a few others, all of whom I have known for many years, will forever remain friends of the oppressed northern minorities, the people of the Middle Belt and the people of the south.

Thankfully it is not every core northerner or Fulani man that shares the narrow world-view of men like President Buhari who apparatly believes that the south is inferior to the north and that she is not deserving or qualified to produce a Chief Justice of the Federation.

This is undoubtedly the President’s mindset despite the fact that a respected, formidable and brilliant jurist in the person of Justice Onnoghen has been nominated by the NJC for that position.

Some are of the view that President Buhari is simply biding his time and at the last minute he will submit Onneghen’s name.

That remains to be seen and if it happens I will not only be pleasantly surprised but I will be the first to congratulate the President for displaying such wisdom and sagacity and for doing the right and proper thing. Let us hope that he sees the light and that it happens that way.

Anything less than that will divide us even further and, unless we restructure, take us one step closer to the eventual disintegration of our country.

- Fani-Kayode is the former Aviation Minister

51

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

POLITY

With Better Co-ordination, Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east is Fading Away, Says Olatunbosun Alakija North-east is Fading Away, Says Olatunbosun Alakija As the humanitarian crisis in the North-east of Nigeria worsened, drawing global attention to the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the region, the federal government established the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) to coordinate the emergency responses from a the motley crowd of government and local as well as international Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies. Dr. Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija, a social activist and humanitarian, brought to oversee this effort, as Chief Humanitarian Coordinator, speaks to Bolaji Adebiyi on the progress made so far

T

he Emergency Coordination Centre was established to coordinate responses to the humanitarian needs of the Northeast of Nigeria. How has the centre fared in its last three months of operation?

There was an identified gap in information sharing, coordination, both between and within sectors, necessary to facilitate an immediate scale up of the humanitarian response to save lives. The ECC is a living breathing space, some describe it as a ‘war room’ with data, maps and information all over walls and windows, constantly changing almost daily as the situation evolves. We have maps from live google images telling us about the displacement of peoples, on a weekly basis. There is a live video link up with offices in the field, especially in Maiduguri. It has enabled trouble shooting at 1am in the morning, when aid convoys have been under fire from insurgents and other emergency situations. It means that we get very little sleep but it truly has been the critical enabler of our Nigerian response.

It was early in October, within a 72-hour time frame that we established and operationalized a 24-hour Emergency Coordination Center, which is supported by USAID/OFDA. This information-sharing and collaborative space was essential as it has allowed over 2,000 humanitarian stakeholders to meet and work towards concerted and rapid solutions to the crises in the North-east.

The ECC team facilitated the Humanitarian Needs Overview/Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria within this unit. This HRP was recently launched at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The HNO/HRP process has set the foundation for both Nigerian and international humanitarian actors with regards to scaling up of life saving activities. On the global scene, it is currently being described as international best practice, we have somehow managed to find the opportunity for Nigeria Olatunbosun-Alakija to excel within a crisis.

In spite of the billions of naira from the federal government and local and international donor agencies that have gone into the alleviation of the sufferings of the victims of the insurgency, the region still slipped into humanitarian crisis. What would you say is responsible for this?

I’d say the main reason why we slipped into a humanitarian crisis was because we were late to the table. We didn’t recognize the issue and gather around to tackle it fast enough. Now that we’re here though, we are confident that this humanitarian crisis can be arrested, and prevented from becoming a chronic humanitarian crisis. We have developed a humanitarian response plan for Nigeria, both for the international community and a mirror image plan has been created for Nigeria.

planes of humanitarian relief directly into Maiduguri for immediate deployment into the field. Food distribution has gone up from 165,000 when we began this project in September, to 1.01 million in December with a projected 1.8 million for the month of January. It has been noted internationally that there has never been a scale up of this magnitude achieved within such a short time frame. The ECC has also resulted in a better coordinated approach to the humanitarian response by creating an information sharing platform which helps ensure that there’s no duplication of efforts thereby maximizing resources use.

Last year, 4.7 million of the 7 million people estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in the Northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe were targeted. What is the scoreIn what specific ways has the centre card in terms of the number of people tackled this? And what improvements actually reached? would you say have been made?

The 2016 humanitarian response was a In the last three months since the establishvery successful one. In several sectors, we ment of the ECC we have seen significant progress, an over fivefold increase in numbers met and exceeded the number of people targeted for humanitarian assistance. The of people reached, with food and medical crucial food assistance for example, we set interventions. A rapid response mechanism out to provide food assistance to 1,500,000 (RRM) has been set up, with multi agency people but as of Dec 24th, we had assisted partnerships taking food, medicines and 1,568,850 people – a 104.6% achievement planned agricultural interventions to communities at the same time. There is innovation, score. This rate is similar across all the entire sectors. That said, we recognize that but most of all, there is great compassion there is still a lot of people in need and that and a speedy response has been deployed. is why we have decided to scale up our We have been able to bring in three cargo

efforts to reach even more people in 2017.

In comparison to the 1.5 million people targeted for food assistance in 2016, we have increased that number to 5.1 million people for 2017.

The target figure for 2016 was 6.9 million of the estimated 8.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Given the success rate for 2015, what are the assurances of a better result this year?

The level of all humanitarian actors’ involvement and dedication to the humanitarian response has increased. This is one of the things that the ECC platform has been able to achieve and has already began to see practical results. In December 2015 alone, we fed 1.01 million people. To put it in perspective, as of October last year, only about 100,000 people were reached monthly. In a meeting with the international community, I asked them to send us their A-Teams and they did. We utilized the manpower and resources at our disposal to coordinate a global best practice response to a crisis. We will take the dedication and commitment through 2017 to meet and exceed our targets Funding is obviously a big issue. The 2015 requirement was $484m out of which $367m was received, allowing for the funding of 40 % of the response plan. The requirement for 2016 plan was $1b. What hopes are there for improved funding?

As a matter of fact, as of 9th December last year, $421 million has been raised of the $484million needed. That said, the global humanitarian needs are enormous and the funds available for meeting the needs are not often readily available. To meet the required funding for the 2017 HRP, we are in close contact with donors and engage them frequently to ensure that our needs are met. At the launch of the 2017 HRP in Geneva, the Honourable Minister of State, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, made an appeal to the international community to support the relief efforts in Nigeria. This appeal has been heeded and we have seen increased activity by donors and INGOs alike. Around 75 partners are expected to participate in last year’s efforts. Coordinating these huge size of aid providers certainly has its challenges. What are your plans in this regard?

At the ECC, we carry out activities like the Humanitarian Coordination Working Group Meetings, Workshops, donor briefings to keep all stakeholders in the loop of activities, both at state and federal levels as well as local and international.

We have a live feed that allows us to keep in close contact with the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator as well as state level actors in Borno State. In addition, we work closely with the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs whose key roles include coordination and information management which allows our partners to be able to key into our activities. It is a challenge but it is a task that has to be done. What is most critical to achieving a proper coordination is the effectiveness of information sharing amongst all the various actors on the field. Embedded in the HRP structure is a monitoring and evaluation mechanism that ensures progress of all actors is tracked and reported. This way, there is a seamless flow of information on who is doing what, where, when and how.

In what ways are the center’s operations different from the National Emergency Management Agency? And at what point do both meet?

The Humanitarian response plan that the ECC is championing is a very robust plan that cuts across 11 sectors (Food security, Nutrition, Health, Protection, Shelter, Education, WASH, Early Recovery and Livelihoods, Camp Management, Emergency Telecoms, Logistics and Coordination). NEMA is the government agency taking charge of the government responsibility in the shelter sector. We work with NEMA and SEMAs to ensure that we effectively cater for the need of those affected.

Finally, what have been the challenges faced by the centre and how is it meeting them?

The operations at the ECC has been hitch free so far. Our existence is so we can find solutions to challenges and our operational strategies have been up to the challenges so far. There is a direct satellite link with the Maiduguri EOC that is used to contact the ground team to troubleshoot issues; at the height of the aviation fuel scarcity, we have pulled together to source 119,000 litres so humanitarian flights can resume. To put it differently, the ECC exists to humanitarian response is faced with.

52

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • FEBRUARY 4, 2017

POLITY

FRC: Obazee Has Lots of Fences to Mend Adewale Obanuwa “Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm” – Psalm 105:15.

E

very Christian, including the most nominal ones, knows this passage by rote. The erstwhile Executive Secretary, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Jim Obazee, who was reported to be a pastor, has no doubt preached the passage hundreds of times. Yet, he fell into the trap every person of faith avoids like a plague. He touched God’s anointed; he engineered the removal of the most revered religious figure in Nigeria, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), through his vilified Corporate Governance Code, which specified tenure for religious leaders, among other controversial provisions.

Why would Obazee do such a thing?

Perhaps he had an inkling he would soon be sacked, so he wanted to go out with a loud noise. This assumption wouldn’t be out of place knowing that Obazee, while he held sway at the FRC, seemed to relish controversies, personal and professional. There is a catalogue of reported altercations involving the former FRC man. Obazee’s FRC had picked up too many fights and the agency was beginning to give the Buhari administration a bad name.

Pastor Adeboye had announced on January 7, 2017 at a meeting with RCCG pastors that he was stepping down as the general overseer of the church, in compliance with the now suspended Corporate Governance Code by FRC. The new code had stipulated tenure cap for heads of Not-For-Profit Organizations (NFPO), including churches and mosques.

According to the code, the heads of NFPOs have a maximum tenure of 20 years after which they must retire or at the attainment of 70 years. And the code restrained handing over to family members.

The backlash of the issuance of the code was swift. Two days after Pastor Adeboye’s forced resignation, the government sacked Obazee. Many believed he was sacked

Obazee because of the General Overseer. He was reported to have breached established approval procedure for such regulations. According to reports, he neither obtained his supervising ministry’s approval nor that of the Federal Executive Council’s before the code was issued.

He was said to have vowed to unseat Pastor Adeboye as General Overseer of RCCG, hence the haste to issue the code. Unfortunately, he got burnt in the process. As executive secretary of FRC, without a board, Obazee wielded too much power and that must have gone to his head. Such tendency simply reflects human frailties and the need for proper checks and balances in relationships.

Perhaps, Obazee should have taken heed from an almost similar occurrence in the US to temper his actions. Many of us would still remember a one-time New York State Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, who, like Obazee, wielded so much power that he went after businesses and individuals with impunity before his eventual disgrace from office. Spitzer took several investment banks to court for infractions ranging from biased investment advice, inflated stock prices, to

manipulation of initial public offerings and insider trading, late trading, and market timing, among many other wrongs. In a landmark settlement in 2002, Spitzer forced 10 investment firms: Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, UBS Warburg, Bear Stearns, Credit Suisse First Boston, Salomon Smith Barney, J.P. Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch to pay $1.4 billion in compensation and fines. Another fallout was the creation of new rules and establishment of enforcement bodies to oversee stock analysts and IPOs. Brokerage firms were also insulated from pressures by investment banks.

These were laudable achievements and understandably, Spitzer’s stock rose. He was hailed as “the single most effective battler against corporate abuses.” He, however, allowed his popularity to weigh on his judgment when he took on a former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Grasso, accusing him of fraud.

Grasso challenged the accusation and labeled it a cheap publicity stunt for Spitzer, who was then gunning to become governor of New York. The case went all the way to appeal and the claims against Grasso were dismissed.

Spitzer did become governor of New York but was eventually disgraced out of office following financial and prostitution scandals.

Like Spitzer, Obazee became too ambitious in his touted quest to become the next CBN governor and forgot to apply the breaks, even when it was obvious he was too close to the edge.

We may recall similar high profile altercations with individuals and organizations: former CBN governor Lamido Sanusi, KPMG, Stanbic IBTC, among others readily comes to mind. The most notable and recent of these fights was the long-drawn disagreement with KPMG, the audit firm, and Stanbic IBTC over a so-called financial accounts “misstatement”. Obazee had stated that the FRC was investigating Stanbic IBTC over issues that bordered on payment for franchise and management fees to its parent company, Standard Bank of South Africa.

This was strange and many could not fathom the development. Franchise fee is a standard, well established global practice and shouldn’t have caused any sleepless nights. Companies

like Nestle and KPMG pay such fees to their parent companies.

The manner the Stanbic IBTC, FRC issue was resolved late last year also seems to support the assumption that Obazee knew he would soon be sacked. Many have suggested that the sudden settlement with KPMG and Stanbic IBTC was his way of mending fences with some of his professional colleagues and his constituency. The resolution was so sudden and without fuss, very unlike Obazee and contrary to his earlier avowed stand to pursue the matter to a logical end, however long it would take him. The Stanbic IBTC saga went on for over a year, with Obazee adamant he won’t blink first. Yet he eventually did.

To help put the assumption about Obazee’s foreknowledge in perspective, it is important to understand the Stanbic IBTC saga and the FRC posturing before the eventual capitulation. FRCN is a government parastatal which by law, the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act No. 6, 2011, is empowered to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports and corporate disclosures, give guidance on issues relating to financial reporting and corporate governance to professionals, protect investors and other stakeholders, among other duties. On 2 September 2015, its Executive Secretary, Obazee, told the world the agency was investigating disclosures made by Stanbic IBTC in its financial statements dating back four years, from 2011.

Obazee, according to the reports, stated that the investigation was in response to a petition written by shareholders of the bank, which drew its attention to some unapproved transactions entered into by Stanbic IBTC Bank. Eventually, FRCN purportedly “suspended” four key officers of Stanbic IBTC, the Chairman of the group, Mr Atedo Peterside, the Chief Executive Officer of the group, Mrs Sola David-Borha, and Executive Directors Mr Arthur Oginga and Mr Dare Owei from signing financial statements and also placed a “N1 billion fine” on Stanbic IBTC, in complete disregard of the FRC Act. Part VII of the Act titled “Review and Monitoring of Standards”, which deals with sanctions for non-compliance by an entity clearly stated a maximum fine of N20 million, after such entity has been “convicted” of the offence.

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53

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper •FEBRUARY 4, 2017

news

In Brief

‘Pray for Buhari’s Recovery’

MinisterofCommunications,AlhajiAdebayoShittuonFridayurgedNigerians irrespectiveoftheirreligiousafflictionsinthecountrytocontinuetoprayfor President Muhammadu Buhari's quick recovery. He however said that they shouldshunallrumoursonthepurporteddeathofPresidentBuhari.Theminister whorepresentedPresident Buhariatthe.31stNationalQuranicCompetition heldatMetropolitanSqaure,Ilorin,KwaraStatecapitalsaidthatthePresident wasalive,haleandhearty. Accordingtohim,"Iwanttogiveyouanexampleof Ibadan land. I have lived in Ibadan all my life, and I know that when Olubadans areto beappointed,moreoftenthannot,theyareveryveryold.

Grinding Machines, Keke as Dividends

TheDeputySpeakerHouseofRepresentatives,HonLasunYussuffhascharged lawmakersat local,stateandfederallevelstostopdonatinggrindingmachines, Keke Marwa among others as dividends of democracy to the constituents; rather they should strive harder to embark on real dividends of democracy throughempowermentprogrammethatwouldaddvaluestothesocioeconomic developmentofthepopulace.Hon.YussuffmadethechargeinIlorin,KwaraState capitalwhilefeaturingonthe17thMediaParliamentdistinguishedpersonality programmeof theKwaraCouncil ofNigeriaUnionofJournalists(NUJ)where he delivered a lecture titled, “Challenges of Law Making and The Delivery of Dividendsof DemocracyinNigeria'.

HIV/AIDS: NACA to Fund States

end of the road...

Adeyemi and Michael Edemba, suspected ritualists arrested with human head at Abidogun Junction Omi Adi Area of Ibadan Paraded by Police at Command Headquarter Eleyele Ibadan FELIX ADEMOLA

Nigeria Records 14,000 Cervical Cancer Cases Annually 15-44 years mostly affected; Abuja restaurants donate saturdays sales for cancer eradication No fewer than 14,089 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed annually in Nigeria while the World Health Organisation, WHO estimates ranked it as the second leading affliction in Nigeria especially among women aged 15 to 44.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Chief Operations Officer for Partnership for Eradication of Cancer in Africa, PECA, Dr. Gregoire Williams who spoke yesterday in Abuja ahead of today’s World Cancer Day explained.

He explained that “the Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is now a well-established cause of cervical cancer and there is growing evidence

of HPV being a relevant factor in other ano-genital cancers (anus, vulva, vagina and penis) as well as head and neck cancers.

HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for about 70% of all cervical cancer cases worldwide” The medical practitioner explained that 14 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year and that infection could cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer in women and penile cancer in men. HPV can also cause anal cancer, throat cancer and genital warts in both men and women “HPV infections are so common that nearly all men and women will

get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. Most people never know that they have been infected and may give HPV to a sex partner without knowing it”, he explained.

However In acknowledgement of this internationally recognised day, Williams is collaborating Cedarcrest hospitals in Gudu, Abuja to demonstrate PECA and the hospitals passion towards the improvement of health care service delivery in Nigeria by offering free and subsidised screening services targeting the four major cancers accounting for the highest mortality rates in Nigeria.

“We believe that as part of our corporate responsibility, we should

continue to be at the forefront of excellence in healthcare despite the current economic downturn in the country. The targeted cancers for screening include; Breast, Cervical, Prostate and Colon Cancer”, he said.

To ensure that Africans are properly educated on the dreaded cancer scourge, Partnership for Eradication of Cancer in Africa (PECA), a 52 member organisation which includes CSO’s, NGO’s, individuals and other stakeholders have moved to adopt a partnership based approach to aggregate available resources and donor support in improving the proficiency and sustainability of partner organisations.

EFCC Re-arraigns Atewe, Succour for Housewives as Akpobolokemi for N8.5bn Fraud Kerosene from Illegal Refineries before a new judge, Justice A.O Faji, Floods Delta Markets Davidson Iriekpen

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday re-arraigned Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, and three others before a Federal High Court Lagos, over N8.5 billion fraud.

Atewe is charged with Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and two other staffs, Kime Engonzu and Josephine Otuaga. The accused are standing trial on an amended 22 count charge.

Their re-arraignment was sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Saliu Saidu from Lagos to the Port Harcourt division of the Federal High court. The accused were therefore re-arraigned de novo

and their pleas taken afresh.

After their re-arraignment, defence counsels prayed the court to allow the accused to continue on the earlier bail granted by the previous judge.

Based on the applications, the judge allowed them to continue on the earlier bail granted.

On the agreement of counsels, the court fixed Feb. 13 and Feb. 17 for commencement of trial.

At the last adjourned date, the EFCC had examined a prosecution witness, Mr. Adamu Yusuf, who told the court how the accused converted about N4.9 billion into dollars.

Yusuf had told the court that the accused used different companies and accounts to launder billions of money from the account of the Joint Task Force operation.

Sylvester Idowu inWarri Illegally refined kerosene has flooded various markets in Delta State cushioning the effect of high prices of the commodity from the Nigerian national Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) THISDAY checks, spanning over a week, revealed that the Kerosene, products from the illegal refineries in the creeks of Warri South West, Warri South and Warri North appears yellowish with an offensive odour.

Investigations revealed that the product sells for N250 as against between N300 and N350 from the NNPC thereby attracting more patronage from consumers.

Madam Ejiro (surname withheld)

told THISDAY that she sourced the product from the creeks and confirmed that it was product of the illegal refineries. She however disclosed that most of her customers preferred the product to the government own because it was very cheap and affordable.

"I sell kerosene from both the illegal refineries and that of the NNPC. It depends on your purchasing power.

Most of my customers prefer the yellow one from the illegal refineries because it doesn't cost much", she said.

THISDAY investigations further revealed that the kerosene products from the illegal refineries were being tested by smart marketers mostly women on retail business to guard against explosions at various homes of the users.

Provost Dismisses Report on Killing of Students the crisis ridden part of Southern John Shiklam in Kaduna Kaduna was closed down following The authorities of the College the crisis in the area.

A national daily and some online of Education (COE)‎ Gidan Waya, Kaduna state has dismissed reports news sites had reported that five that five of its students were killed students of the college were killed by herdsmen in the southern part by herdsmen.

But addressing a news conference of the state.

The college which is located in in Kaduna over the issue, the Provost

of the college, Prof. Emmanuel Joseph Chom, dismissed the report as "false, malicious and lacking any iota of truth."

Choms wondered why "any person or group of persons consciously or unconsciously ‎will want to destroy government's determined effort at ensuring that normalcy return to

the area with such unsubstantiated report."

The Provost called on media professionals to always crosscheck their facts, especially, on issues that had to do with security before publishing such information to avoid compounding the security situation and scaring investors.

InitsquesttoreducetoitsbarestminimumthespreadoftheHIV/AIDSvirus by2030,theNationalAgencyfortheControlofAIDS(NACA)haspledgedthat mostdonationscomingtotheAgencywouldbechanneledtostatesthathad developedinnovativeapproachestowardsendingthescourge.Also,theAgency willencouragestategovernmentstopaycounterpartfundsbeforethegrants wouldbereleased andwereexpectedtodevelopsustainableroadmapsfor theirHIVtreatmentprogramme.ThedirectorgeneralofNACA,Dr.SaniAliyu who disclosed this yesterday at the third National Council on AIDS with the theme: "HIV/AIDS in Nigeria;Taking Charge of Our Destiny" said the Agency in the next 18- 24 months would diagnose as many as possible and put them ontreatmentaswellastalkingtopartnersandensuringacollectiveapproach.

Fregz on Glo-CNN African Voices

Nigeria’scelebritycook,GbubemiFregene,alsoknownas“ChefFregz”,believes thattocreategreattastymeals,oneneedsalotofloveandpassion.Hisunbridled passionforcookinghasseenhimrisingtothepeakofhisprofessioninavery shorttime.Inrecognitionofhisremarkableachievements,ChefFregsisbeing celebratedonthisweekend’seditionofCNNAfricanVoicessponsoredbydata grand masters, Globacom. According to a press statement by Globacom in Lagos, the chef was one of the three celebrity guests featured on the show thisweekend,theothertwobeingSouthAfrica’sPuppeteer,JanniYounge,and Ugandan actress, FlaviaTusimme. Globacom said Chef Fregz would regale viewerswiththestoryofhisrisetostardomandhowhispassionformerging “creativity that was fresh and unbridled with elements of the budding youth culture and the world-class training he received at Le Cordon Bleu” enabled himto makeeverymeal atrulyuniqueculinaryexperience.

Niger to Purchase N2.1bn Grains

TheNigerstategovernmenthassetasideoverN2.1billionforthepurchaseof surplusgrainsfromfarmers.SimilarlythegovernmentistocommitoverN3m tothepurchaseof30,000metrictonsoffertilizeraheadofthisyear’splanting season.TheCommissionerforAgricultureAlhajiKabiruAbbasdisclosedthis attheendofthestateexecutivecouncilmeetingpresidedoverbyGovernor AbubakarSaniBello.AbbasBellosaidgovernmentwasinvestingintheproject toprotectfarmersfromShylocktraderswhowouldwanttotakeadvantageof thenumberharvestsrecordedbyfarmerstoexploitthem.TheCommissioner whodidnotdisclosethetypeofgrainstobepurchasedsaidthecommodities would bestored and resold to thepublicintheperiod of scarcity.

Truck CrushesTwo in Kogi

AnarticulatedtruckallegedlybelongingtotheDangotegroupofCompanies yesterday rammed into a motorcycle killing the two riders on the spot. The accident happened at Jamata bridge, along Lokoja-Abuja road. The victims of the accident Mr. Caleb Idakwo and Master Prosper Ojodale (student of KogiStatePolytechnic)untiltheirdeathwereactivemembersoftheUnited EvangelicalChurchEnglishsectionLokoja.ThepastoroftheChurch,Samson Akorwhodisclosedtheaccidenttonewsmensaidthetwovictimswhowere members of their Church met their death while returning from KotonKarfe wheretheywent to drop agricultural imputsfor their farm.

Police Storm EkitiTowns over Dispute

AsonemanwasonTuesdaykilledoverlanddispute,policehavetakenoverAyede andItajiEkititowns,thecommunitiesenmeshedinlanddispute.TheCommissioner ofPolice,Mr.WilsonInalegwu,whospokethroughthePublicRelationsofficer, MrAlbertoAdeyemi,saidthecommandhaddraftedanti-riotpolicementoall thesectionsofthetownstowardoffreprisalattack.Also,achieftainoftheAll Progressives Congress from Ayede Ekiti, Olusegun Osinkolu, has lamented the death of Seyi Oladipo in the communal clash between two neighbouring towns, calling on the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities to prevent anarchy in the area. Osinkolu declared that killing someone over an issuethatcouldberesolvedamicablywasunacceptableandurgedresidents of Ekiti to always dialogue over land dispute or toe judicial path, rather than takingup armsto cut thelivesof innocent youthsat their primes.

UNIBEN VC Advises Matriculants

TheViceChancellor,UniversityofBenin,ProfFaradayOrumwenseyesterday, urged the 10, 699 matriculating students to see their stay in the institution as an opportunity to better their lives and make their families proud. Prof Orumwensewhomadethechargeatthe2016/2017Matriculationceremony of the institution, urged the students to work with the institution to ensure peacereignedduringtheiracademicpursuits.TheViceChancellor,whosaid matriculationwasaprocessofbeginningajourneytoachievetertiaryeducation furtherurgedthestudentstokeepthesterlingrecordoftheuniversitywhich hadalwaysdistinguisheditfromothers.HesaidUNIBENgraduatesarewell sortedoutforinthelabourmarketandurgedthestudentstohavezerotolerance for nefarious activities as the institution will leave no offender unpunished.

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Four Skye Bank's Executive Directors Resign Obinna Chima

for Economic Prosperity ...

L-R, Dr Ogho Okiti, CEO Time Economics, Mr Umana Okon Umana, MD/CEO Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Authority (OGFZA) and Mr NiyiAkinsanya, Managing Partner, Dox’ix Consult during 2017 NigeriaEconomic Outlook Conference (NECO’17) held in Abuja. Yesterday Photos Kingsley Adeboye

US Refutes Report on Visa Adjustment for Nigerians Alex Enumah in Abuja

The United States of America has refuted media report that the US had placed a ban on the two-year validity visa issued to Nigerians following the Executive Order signed recently by President Donald Trump.

An online news publication had reported that the US based on the policy of reciprocity as contained in the Executive Order would adjust her visa to reflect what she got in return from other countries.

The publication had reported that since Nigeria issues a one-year validity visa to US citizens coming into Nigeria, whereas the Us issues

a two-year validity to Nigerians, based on the Executive Order the US would now have to adjust her policy to reflect what Nigeria issues to her citizens.

Reacting to the development Friday, in Abuja, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington and Head of Consular, Meghan Moore both described the report as untrue and emphasised that nothing had changed as regards the issuing of visas to Nigerians.

According to Moore, the only thing that had changed was the renewal period. She said though the US visa policy was based on reciprocity, Nigerians would not be discriminated against it.

“It is important to note that

there is not going to be any changes for Nigerians who have a valid US visa.

“The US government issues multiple-entry 2 years visa for Nigerians. The rumours that we are planning to change that to one year are not true.

“The main difference for Nigerians will be; you can use the DHL Dropbox renewal programme if your visa has expired within 12 months. But if it expired more than 12 months ago, then you will need to schedule an appointment for interview”, she explained.

Also speaking, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington said the new measure was to ensure the safety of Americans

and those visiting the country.

He assured Nigerians that they would not be singled out for visa restriction because of their religious belief, noting that the American government did not discriminate on the basis of religion or race.

“The new order now is for the US government to cross-check as many that are coming into the U.S. before issuing visas.

“We will not discriminate on the basis of religion in issuing visas to Nigerians. The two years visa is still valid contrary to reports we have heard in the media”, he said, adding that, ``Nigeria's Tobi Soniyi in Abuja leadership role is crucial in the world and Nigeria cannot be Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed, blacklisted”. the son of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory‎, Bala Mohammed was yesterday granted bail in the sum of N100m by an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

Shamsudeen is facing money The seven suspects were laundering charges. He was brought alleged to have conspired with to court in handcuffs by prison others who are currently at large officials. to prevent the Governor from Trial Judge, Nnamdi Dimgba presenting the 2017 budget had on Wednesday remanded him before the state House of As- in Kuje Prison after he pleaded not sembly on Thursday. guilty to a 15-count charge filed The Governor who was billed against him by the Economic and to present the budget before Financial Crimes Commission, the House of Assembly could (EFCC). not do so due to the crisis in However, the defendant, through the House of Assembly and his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, some suspected hoodlums al- asked the court to release him on legedly used the opportunity bail pending the hearing and of the crisis to cause violence determination of the case against in the premises of the House him. of Assembly complex.

The application was however The suspects were said to have opposed by EFCC lawyer, Mr. hurled stones on the coaster bus Ben Ikani, who argued that the and the ambulance following defendant planned to escape from the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) the country once he was out of driven by the Governor himself, detention. and in the process, the mirror The prosecutor told the court of the side screens of the two that the ex-Minister's son blatantly vehicles were damaged. refused to surrender his international passport to the EFCC. Ruling on the application on Cont’d from Pg. 6 Friday, Justice Dimgba said he was minded to grant the defendant bail Hembe, are owned by the same considering that allegations against directors: Mr. Paul Oki and Boma him were bailable offences.

Ozobia. The Chairman queried As part of the conditions, the how just two persons were judge said that the defendant must allocated such expanse of land. produce two reasonable sureties to He directed FCDA to provide enter into N50m bail bond each. answers at the next sitting schedThe judge then fixed March 27 uled for Wednesday. and 28 for commencement of trial.

Buhari Should not be Wished Court Remands Suspects in Prison over Assault On Mimiko Dead, Says Obasanjo Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday said President Muhammadu Buhari should not be wished dead following rumour going round that Buhari died in United Kingdom.

According to a statement by his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, issued in Abeokuta on Friday, “even if we know that the President is sick, he is in a better position to know what to say or what to do and not wishing him dead. We should just stop politicising everything, especially with the elderly in the country”.

He described those behind the rumored death of Buhari as wicked, callous and treacherous.

He said all that the president needed "are our prayers and best wishes, which will ginger his morale to come back stronger and better."

The president had travelled to London on a 10-day vacation and is expected back in the country next week.

Obasanjo who cautioned against politicisation of every situation in the country, recalled that he had also been victim of such rumored death while in Office as the President, declaring, "no normal human being will wish an elderly person dead irrespective of their differences.

"If you don't like him, wait for another election, not going about to say he is dead. No matter his health situation, we should pray for him to recover quick and come back stronger and better. For anyone wishing him dead, such person or group of persons are callous, wicked and treacherous.

"I was also rumored to have died almost 12 times. I don't know what they derive from doing so, but, they should seek for forgiveness”.

James Sowole in Akure

For allegedly attacking the convoy of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, an Akure Magistrate Court presided over by Mrs Victoria Bob-Manuel yesterday ordered seven persons to be remanded in Olokuta prison.

The accused persons allegedly attacked the convoy of Mimiko on Thursday during a protest at the premises of the state House of Assembly on Igbatoro road, Akure. The accused persons: Tunde Alabi (28), Abiola Eniola (27), Yusuf Muhammed (25), Olanrewaju Olomolotan (40), Adeniyi Michael (30), Samson Omodara (20) and Ijalade Oluwaseun(27) however pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.

Drama at Centenary City Hearing, Anyim Accuses Hembe of Pursuing Personal Agenda Okorie made several attempts to speak, and eventually blurted out: "Mr. Chairman, allow me to speak, I am also a member of this committee."

After he was granted permission to speak, he asked some questions from the MD of the project.

Hembe resumed speaking, and Okorie interrupted leading Hembe to say "why are you disrupting me?"

Okorie expressed anger, and as both men bickered, other members intervened to placate them, while the audience looked on.

It however emerged that the Centenary City project, comprising 1,267 hectares of land, is owned by two companies: Basic Start Company limited and Company First Limited, with 10,000 share capital each.

The companies, according to

Skye Bank Plc yesterday announced the voluntary resignation of four of its Executive Directors from the services of the bank.

The directors who resigned were Mr. Idris Yakubu, Mrs. Markie Idowu, Mrs. Abimbola Izu and Mr. Bayo Sanni.

The Directors had served in Executive Management capacity for nearly two years and had been part of the new Board of the Bank which came into being following the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria on July 4 2016.

In a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) the Group Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru thanked the Executive Directors for their service to the comercial bank, noting that they had contributed immensely to the successful leadership transition which commenced last year.

The bank announced that "the new development does not in any way affect the smooth running of the bank as it continues to deliver services to its customers across the country. The portfolios of the directors have been assigned to some General Managers to ensure a seamless transition."

Skye Bank is one of the eight Banks described by the CBN as a Systematically Important Bank (SIB) on account of its size, market share and interconnectivenes

The central bank had last year July effected a change in the board and management of the bank. That led to the removal of the chairman, all non-executive directors on the board as well as the managing director, deputy managing director, and the two longest-serving executive directors on the management team were also removed.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had said the banking sector regulator took what he described as a proactive step in order to save the health of the bank from further deteriorating.

To correct the anomalies in the bank, he had said the CBN had several meetings with the previous management and board of Skye bank as part of its strategy of close engagement whenever a bank’s financial or governance situation poses potential threats to the overall stability of the financial system.

"It is important to reiterate the fact that Skye Bank is not in distress and remains a healthy bank in the system. The CBN hereby assures depositors, shareholders and all relevant stakeholders that there is no reason for concern or panic as we seek their continued cooperation at this time. It is our expectation that the shareholders and remaining executive directors will work seamlessly with the new team to ensure that the fortunes of the bank are restored in the shortest possible time,” he had said.

Court Grants Bala Mohammed's Son N100m Bail Shamsudeen is facing trial alongside four firms- Bird Trust Agro Allied Ltd, Intertrans Global Logistics Ltd, Diakin Telecommunications Ltd and Bal-Vac Mining Ltd, which the EFCC said were used to launder over N1.1billion.

EFCC alleged that the 1st defendant, in a bid to conceal stolen funds at his disposal, resorted to acquisition of houses within the high-brow areas in Abuja.

It told the court that Shamsudeen paid cash for five plots of land and four other choice properties in Abuja. Some of the assets traced to him include five plots of land at Asokoro Gardens; House FS 2 B, Green Acre Estate Apo-Dutse, Abuja; House FS 1A, Green Acre Estate, Apo-Dutse; FS 1B, Green Acre Estate, Apo-Dutse, Abuja and House 2A, No. 7, Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja.

The prosecution said that Shamsudeen whose father, Bala Mohammed, is currently in detention, paid for the assets in excess of the statutory limit, without recourse to any financial institution.

Aside allegation that he failed to declare his assets when he completed the EFCC Asset Declaration Form A, he was also accused of concealing four accounts he operated with Standard Chartered Bank.

EFCC gave the said account numbers as 0001857597, 5001214708, 0000895037 and 000895020.

The agency had earlier seized some properties it traced to the defendant and his father who is under investigation over an alleged fraudulent N1trillion land swap deal that took place between 2010 and 2015 while he was in office as FCT Minister.

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Ignoring Labour Threats, FG Replaces Atiku with Mohammed as MD, TCN Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Federal Government has snubbed threats of industrial unrest in Nigeria’s electricity industry by workers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and appointed Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed as the new Managing Director of the TCN.

By Mohammed’s appointment as head of TCN, the government effectively relieved its former acting Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Atiku of his role as the company’s head.

A statement from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on Friday in Abuja stated that Mohammed would head the TCN on a 12-month non-renewable basis within which he was expected to reposition the company for the next phase.

The statement was signed by the Permanent Secretary in the power ministry, Mr. Louis Edozien. It came just days after electricity workers union on the platform of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) protested against the decision of the government to replace Atiku.

The unions said they would call out their members against the government if it went ahead to appoint Mohammed to head TCN. According to them, the government was about to welcome a fresh $150 million project funding plus an additional $200 million promissory note from the African Development Bank (AfDB) who are Mohammed’s employers.

They claimed the appointment was skewed in this regard, and

that Mohammed was a lackey to some government officials.

However, Edozien in the statement announcing the appointment of Mohammed, stated that Nigeria’s power sector was in transition from a vertically integrated government owned statutory monopoly to an industry in which private and publicly owned companies interact through contracts under the regulation of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

He noted: “Since 2013 the generation companies who produce the electricity we all consume and the distribution companies who deliver it to our homes, industries and businesses, are now being mainly privately owned companies. TCN, which transmits the electricity from the generation companies to the distribu-

tion companies for onward delivery and sale to customers, is currently owned by Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).”

“In this role TCN operates two important licenses issued by NERC. As the Transmission Services Provider (TSP), TCN owns and operates the 132kV and 330kV high tension transmission lines and the 330/132/33kV substations that make up Nigeria’s national grid.

“As the Independent Systems Operator (ISO), TCN monitors and controls the national grid and when and how the power stations, which are owned by different companies, can supply electricity for delivery to distribution companies in the safe and orderly way. TCN charges the distribution companies for these services.

partnership that works...

Deputy Director, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Head, Project Administration Team, National Housing Finance Programme (NHFP), Mr Adedeji Adesemoye; Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision, CBN, representing the Central Bank Governor, Mrs Tokunbo Martins; and Managing Director, Blake and Harper Nigeria Limited, Media Consultants, Daniel Kure at the contract signing of the World Bank supported national mass literacy campaign of the NHFP in Abuja… recently

Dickson Denies Spending N3bn on Lawmakers' Cars Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

the said vehicles only covered the State-owned security outfit The Bayelsa State Government ‘Operation Doo Akpo’.

The governor said that the yesterday debunked reports that it had spent over N3 billion in move was to rejuvenate and purchasing official cars for political boost its functions and improve appointees, including State House security in the State, especially within Yenagoa and its environs. of Assembly members.

According to him, the payment A Government House statement signed by the Chief Press for the vehicles which had been Secretary to the Governor, spread over a long period of time Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson would be deducted monthly from explained that the purchase of the benefitting organisation.

Capri-Sonne Excites Children with Fun Alarm Promo Rebecca Ejiforma

In an effort to reinforce its leadership of the fruit juice market for children, Capri-Sonne, has launched a national consumer promotion tagged ‘Fun Alarm Promo.’

The promo gives opportunities to win free gifts inside every carton of all variants of CapriSonne that they buy while the promo lasts.

Cartons will contain gift items which can vary from carton to carton. The gift items ranges from Pencil Cases, Rulers, Colourful

Stickeez and lots more.

Consumer engagement platforms such as trade activations in open markets and consumer activations like taste trials in schools and shopping malls has commenced in various cities to connect with the consumers.

According to Managing Director, Chi Limited, Deepanjan Roy, “We are confident that - the Capri-Sonne Fun Alarm Promo will resonate with children across Nigeria, will create the excitement and fun that Capri-Sonne is known for, by offering experiences children love to engage in”.

Dickson noted that the Government was not in a good financial standing to buy cars for the use of its functionaries, stressing that even the state Governor had remained with the same set of

vehicles that were procured in 2012/13.

“No arrangement has been made to buy new cars, in view of the state of the finances of the Government.

Ugwuanyi Equips Magistrates with Computers, Printers Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday donated 76 laptops, 25 desktop computers and twenty printers, procured by his administration, to magistrates in the state to enhance service delivery and enhance productivity in the dispensation of justice.

The items were also procured to replace the obsolete manual typewriters that had been in used in the state’s magistrate courts prior to the intervention.

Receiving the items at the Enugu High Court, the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Ngozi Emehelu, who was represented by the Chief Registrar, Mrs. Ebele Egumgbe lauded Governor Ugwuanyi for his vision and kind gesture to the judiciary.

She expressed delight at the commitment of the governor towards the welfare of the magistrates, and other public servants in the state despite the prevailing economic challenges in the country, adding that the modern equipment would improve their productivity and service delivery.

“Enugu State Governor is a rare leader. Despite the economic crunch in the country he has continued to improve the welfare of all, including magistrates in Enugu State in record time by distributing computers and other items to assist each and every one of them’’, She said.

The Chief Registrar, who distributed the devices to the beneficiaries on behalf of the Chief Judge, assured the governor of judicious use of the items for the purposes they were procured.

Earlier in her remark, the Chairman, Magistrate Association of Nigeria, Enugu State chapter, Mrs. Martha Aroh-Onuoha disclosed that the governor approved funds for the procurement of the items in keeping with his campaign promise to reform the administration of justice in the state.

She equally thanked the governor for his continued support to the association and promised that the items would be put to effective use.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS FAUSAT FUNMILAYO OLABANJO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLUWAFUNMILAYO MICHEAL AJAYI All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MRS VERONICA OFONG NTOFON, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS IDONGESIT VERA NTOFON All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MRS ELIZABETH YESIDE ROBERTS OGILI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ELIZABETH ROBERTS ONOJA All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as JOSEPHINE OKOLIE, now wish to be known and addressed as ODEH JOSEPHINE IDEHEN All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as MISS GRACE AKWAJI ADAGBO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS GRACE AKWAJI OGABOR. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwanwene Grace Obiaderi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akoehule Grace Obiaderi . All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Olaere Yabrifa, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olaere Yabrifa Lokpobiri. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OLUWADAMILOLA ADELEKAN, now wish to be known and addressed as OLUWADAMILOLA BAIYERE. All former documents remain valid. and PROPERTY MART NIGERIA PLC, UBA and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS KASIMU NARETU HAPPINESS, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS MOSES NARETU HAPPINESS. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OJOBOLO LINDA, now wish to be known and addressed as DAUNEMINE YANKEE. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME: This is to notify the general public that MUHAMMAD NURAYA’U,MUHAMMAD NURAYA’U RABIU AND MUHAMMAD NURAYA’U YARIMAWA is the same person and wish to be known and addressed as MUHAMMAD NURAYA’U. All former documents remain valid.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunyemi Segilola Dolapo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Gbadebo Segilola Dolapo.

All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as FIYINFOLUWA OLUWAPELUMI ADEDOYIN, now wish to be known and addressed as FIYINFOLUWA OLUWAPELUMI OGUNLESI. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as AKEEM OLASILE, now wish to be known and addressed as AYINLA ISHOLA HAKEEM. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS MANUWA ABIGAIL OGHENETEGA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EYIKIMI ABIGAIL OGHENETEGA. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS NWUDU CYNTHIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JACOB-AUGUSTINE CYNTHIA UCHE. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OTENEEJO .A. ANTHONY, now wish to be known and addressed as OTENE GABRIEL. All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as ODEH VICTORIA ESTHER, now wish to be known and addressed as ODEH VICTORIA ADA All former documents remain valid. and the general public should please take note.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

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Price: N250

MISSILE Anyim to Hembe

“You have told everybody that cared to listen that when the former DG of SEC accused you of demanding bribe from her, you pushed for her to be sacked and I refused to sack her while I was SGF, and so this is an opportunity for you to pay me back. Mr. Chairman, I will not allow you to use the National Assembly platform to pursue personal vendetta.”

– Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim accusing the Chairman of House Committee on FCT, Herman Hembe of pursuing a personal agenda against him.

guestcolumnist Dr. Okey Anueyiagu

Democracy, Is This The End?

T

he return to a democratic regime to Nigeria in 1999 formed part of the crest of a tidal wave of democratic transition that was sweeping the world since about the mid-1970s. Statistically, by the turn of the century, approximately 60 percent of the world’s independent states were democratic.

As Nigerians were celebrating freedom from autocratic military rule, it appears that the celebration was premature, as the democratic wave has been detoured by a powerful authoritarian undertow perpetrated by the political class and their accomplices in the bureaucratic set up.

Electoral fraud all over Nigeria has facilitated in a rather rapid pace, the dethronement, and if you may, the overthrow and stifling of democracy.

All over the country, there are very severe problems of governance and very deep pockets of disaffection.

The major problem with Nigeria’s democracy, is the failure of the state since 1999 to consolidate the gains of the momentum generated when Obasanjo became president. Emerging democracies must demonstrate that they can solve their governance problems and meet their citizens’ expectations for freedom, justice, a better life, and a fairer society.

If democracies do not move effectively to contain crime and corruption, generate economic growth, relieve economic inequality, and secure freedom and the rule of law, people will eventually lose faith and turn to authoritarian alternatives. And this is the inevitable way that Nigeria is going today.

There is absolutely no doubt that democracy is the best form of government, but struggling democracies, such as Nigeria’s, must be consolidated so that all levels of society become enduringly committed to ethos of democracy as enshrined in the country’s constitutional norms and constraints.

United States then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during her last visit to Abuja, reechoed the belief that democracy is in decline or in recession here, demanding more than superficial electoral democracy, by holding government accountable for the problem of democratic dissension.

Considering the strategic importance of Nigeria in the world economic and political arena, many are worried about this trend, and asking how to reverse this democratic recession. Before and from the day Obasanjo allegedly attempted to elongate his mandatory tenure, otherwise known as the “third term”, all manners of the expansion of executive power, the intimidation

Buhari

of the opposition, and the rigging of the electoral process have extinguished even the most basic form of electoral democracy.

Nigeria as in many other developing democracies, is plagued by a superficial type of democracy, that is blighted by multiple forms of bad governance: abusive police and security forces, domineering local oligarchies, incompetent state bureaucracies, corrupt and in accessible judiciaries, and venal ruling, elites who are contemptuous of the rule of law and accountable to no one but themselves. In this country, there are elections, but they are contests between corrupt, clientelistic parties.

There are parliaments, state and local governments, but they do not represent broad constituencies. There are constitutions, but not constitutionalism.

Is Democracy not over now?

The level of voters disillusionment and disenfranchisement has reached a very high pitch, resulting in massive cases of democratic distress. The biggest challenge for the survival of democracy in Nigeria lay partly on the willingness of the ruling party to; listen to their citizens’ voices, engage their participation, tolerate their protests, protect their freedoms, and respond to their needs.

How do we ensure an enduring democracy in Nigeria. We must confront the monstrous electoral authoritarianism as practiced by Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu’s INEC. Elections

are only democratic if they are truly free and fair. This requires the freedom to advocate, associate, contest, and campaign. It also requires a fair and neutral electoral administration, a widely

Nigeria as in many other developing democracies, is plagued by a superficial type of democracy, that is blighted by multiple forms of bad governance: abusive police and security forces, domineering local oligarchies, incompetent state bureaucracies, corrupt and in accessible judiciaries, and venal ruling, elites who are contemptuous of the rule of law and accountable to no one but themselves.

credible system of dispute resolution, balanced access to mass media, and independent vote monitoring. By a strict application of these standards, Nigeria may have slipped below the threshold of a democracy.

Nigeria’s promising democratic experiment has been gravely ravaged by electoral fraud and endemic corruption.

If this experiment fails, and Nigeria reverts to military rule, descends into political chaos, or collapses, it will deal a harsh blow to democratic hopes across Africa. Indeed, the many African countries that remain blatantly authoritarian will never liberalize if the continent’s new and partial democracies cannot make democracy work.

I am a strong advocate of the widely held theory that without significant improvements in governance, economic growth will not take off or be sustainable.

That without legal and political institutions to control corruption, punish cheating, and ensure a level of economic and political playing field, pro-growth policies will be ineffective and their economic benefits will be overshadowed or erased.

Nigeria is a tragic case in point. Since the return of democratic rule in 1999, some achievements have been made in the economic sphere, but much of this progress has since unraveled amid the paroxysms of ethnic and religious violence, and by the disruptive militant conflicts in the North, Niger Delta and South East regions. Government has woefully failed politically, by condoning or even perpetrating massive electoral malpractice, corruption, ethnic favouritism – a poisonous mix that has brought a promising new democracy to the brink of total chaos.

All in all, the consequential failures of our democratic experiments, are grossly portrayed and projected in the recent electoral melodramatics in Edo, Ondo and Rivers States. Critics of government and INEC point to Aso Rock as the autocratic machine spinning violently and virulently within the electoral power vertical that endangers the political process. These critics, while admitting that our electoral process, by virtue of the human and financial investments in it, ought to be, at this stage, fairly developed, or even highly sophisticated, call the system, useless.

In this wise, our elections are isolated from the process of endowing the polity with power; they invariably amount to nothing more than expensive rituals of corruption, blood letting, death and disgraceful concentric tragedies.

•Dr. Okey Anueyiagu, a Political Economist lives in Ikoyi Lagos.

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