Saturday 22nd July 2017

TSA: NNPC Denies Operating Hidden Accounts in Commercial Banks Skye Bank, UBA refute allegation of concealment of funds Chineme Okafor in Abuja and Obinna Chima in Lagos The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday denied reports that it colluded with some commercial banks

in Nigeria to prevent the remittance of $793.2 million into the federal government’s Treasury Single Accounts, (TSA), saying such claims were untrue and misleading.

This is coming on the heels of

the official statements by Skye Bank Plc and the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) refuting allegations of contravening government’s TSA policy as alleged by a Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday.

The NNPC in a statement from its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja stated that it had earlier taken steps to inform the Presidency, Office of the Accountant-General of

the Federation (AGF), as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of the existence of the said accounts prior to the creation of the Asset Recovery Account by the government.

It explained that it would

be totally out of place to move the funds to the Asset Recovery Account of the government because they are genuine funds that were disclosed to the Continued on page 8

Onagoruwa, Former AGF Dies at 80... Page 10 Saturday 22 July, 2017 Vol 22. No 8129. Price: N250

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Hate Speech, Disinformation Capable of Inciting violence, Says Lai Mohammed Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The federal government has expressed concern over the

alarming rise in hate speeches in the country, especially among the political class, warning that it could consume

the nation if not immediately checked.

Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed, who gave

the warning yesterday in Jos, Plateau State at the opening ceremony of an extra-ordinary meeting of the National Council

on Information, feared that hate speech and disinformation as seen in Nigeria today were capable of destabilising the

system, inciting people to violence and weakening the Continued on page 8

Senate Alleges N30tn Leakage in Customs, Others, Queries NPA over 282 Missing Vessels Issues 4-day ultimatum to Hadiza to honour its invitation

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Senate Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, and Marine Transport has queried the Nigerian Ports Authority over 282 vessels allegedly missing from the nation’s sea ports.

This is as the committee frowned at the failure of the Managing Director of the NPA, Ms. Hadiza Usman, to appear before it, at two consecutive meetings despite invitations extended to her.

The Chairman of the joint Committee, Hope Uzodinma, speaking yesterday during the investigative hearing on the alleged N30 trillion leakages in Customs and other agencies, said the committee would consider it to be a financial crime, if Usman fails to provide the explanations required of her.

The committee subsequently issued a four day ultimatum to Usman to provide explanation on the whereabouts of the missing vessels.

“We are looking for these

vessels. We have the dates of arrival, the ports of discharge and manifest. Everything is with us, but from information available to us, no money was collected by either the Customs, the NPA or any other person. So, you have four days to do your written explanation otherwise we will consider it a financial crime,” Uzodinma said.

“There are also recent missing vessels that we discovered. I mean recent ones that happened under the new management.

The NPA is the custodian of the vessels, it received the cargoes and the terminal is theirs. We want to know under whose authority the cargoes were released,” Uzodinma added.

The Senator also disclosed that the committee's preliminary investigations have revealed that the activities of a cabal at the ports had cost the country over N30 trillion in loss of revenue.

The cabal, he said, connive with officials to carry out the Continued on page 8

4000 Nigerian Girls Arrived Italy, May End up as Sex Workers, Says UN Agency.. Page 10

PROVIDING FREE HEALTHCARE FOR WOMEN...

L-R: President, Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), Prof Joseph Adinwa; former governor of Ondo State/guest lecturer, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; and President, Association of Fetomaternal Medicine Specialists of Nigeria (AFEMSON), Prof Oluwafemi Kuti at the maiden Scientific Conference of AFEMSON, at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos ...yesterday

Lagos LG Polls Hold Today as Police Warn against Use of Firearms ...Page 10

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PAGE EIGHT WEEKEND PHOTO

L-R; Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Prof. Sonni Tyoden; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Hussaini Dayar at the opening ceremony of the Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the National Council on Information in Jos ...yesterday

HATE SPEECH, DISINFORMATION CAPABLE OF INCITING VIOLENCE, SAYS LAI MOHAMMED people's confidence in their government.

According to him, “If you tune into many radio stations today, you will be shocked by the things being said, the careless incitement to violence and the level of insensitivity to the multi-religious, multi-ethnic nature of our country. And unfortunately, even the hosts of such radio programmes do little or nothing to stop them.

Oftentimes, they are willing collaborators of hate speech campaigners. This must not be allowed to continue because it is detrimental to the unity

and well-being of our country.”

He recalled the quantum of hate speech directed at President Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) during the last electioneering campaign, noting that “never in the history of electioneering campaign in Nigeria has such a quantum of hate speech been directed at any candidate.”

Mohammed continued: “This did not stop even when he won the election and became President. For instance, the President had hardly left Nigeria for his vacation in

London on 19 January 2017, during which he said he would have routine medical checkup, when these hate and fake news campaigners circulated the news that he had died.

Between then and now, they have repeated similar fake news times without number.

“Nigeria is a country of ethnic and religious diversity.

That should be a source of strength, if the fault lines are not deliberately being exposed and exploited by those who are bent on setting the people against themselves, using their new-found tools of hate speech,

disinformation and fake news.

“This dangerous trend is threatening the very foundation of national unity, and that it was daily pushing the nation close to the precipice, perhaps more than at any other time since the end of the civil war.”

He however said that acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, was engaging with all stakeholders to defuse the tension caused by these tendencies, adding that his efforts had gone a long way in calming frayed nerves, especially in the aftermath of the attacks and counter-attacks by various groups across the

TSA: NNPC DENIES OPERATING HIDDEN ACCOUNTS IN COMMERCIAL BANKS government and not recovered funds as reported.

A Federal High Court in Lagos had recently granted an interim order for seven commercial banks in Nigeria to remit a total of $793.2 million allegedly hidden with them in violation of the TSA policy of the federal government.

After listening to an ex-parte application filed by counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George, presiding judge, Justice Chuka Obiozor, directed the banks to remit to the designated CBN Asset Recovery Dollars Account, various amounts allegedly kept in their custody illegally.

But reliable sources in the ministry of finance told THISDAY that the court action was filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) ostensibly to create the impression that the money was hidden from government and was been recovered from the banks when evidence in the public dormain went to the contrary.

In this regard, the NNPC noted that it would be illegal and uncalled for to pay any agent five per cent as commission for the phantom recovery in line with the government’s whistle blowing policy on stolen funds.

Providing further breakdown on the lodgments, the NNPC said the amount included $174.4 million domiciled at Diamond Bank; $40.7 million in Skye Bank; and $16.7 million also kept in Keystone Bank, thus bringing the total to $231.8 million.

It explained that in line with the directive of the presidency, the CBN has assumed supervision of the remittance of these funds to its TSA account, and has equally made great strides in this regard.

According to it, as an entity with fiduciary responsibility to the government and people of Nigeria, it was committed to transparency and accountability in doing its business.

Skye Bank, UBA Deny Concealing TSA Funds Meanwhile, Skye Bank Plc and the United Bank for Africa Plc yesterday officially denied contravening the federal government’s TSA policy as alleged by a Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday.

The banks disclosed this in separate statements yesterday.

Ten months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) suspended nine commercial banks from trading in the interbank foreign exchange (IFEX) market for failing to remit a total of $2.33 billion belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Nigerian Liquefied

Natural Gas Company to the federal government’s TSA, a Federal High Court in Lagos had Thursday ordered seven of the banks to temporarily remit a total of $793.2 million allegedly still domiciled with them in contravention of the TSA policy.

Justice Chuka Obiozor had ordered the seven banks – Diamond Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), FirstBank, Skye Bank, Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank and the defunct Keystone Bank (acquired by Heritage Bank) – to remit the various amounts allegedly kept “illegally in their custody” to the designated federal government asset recovery dollar account domiciled with the CBN. According to the court papers filed by counsel for the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN), a total of $367.4 million was illegally hidden by three government agencies in UBA, while the sum of $41 million was illegally kept in a National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMs) fixed deposit account with Skye Bank.

But, Skye Bank in a statement said: "The management of Skye Bank hereby states that it neither colluded nor unilaterally hid the reported sum or any other funds in its custody.

"On the contrary, the said

funds are held with the full knowledge of the relevant Agencies of the government including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the DSS, the National Assembly and the Inspector-General of Polices's Special Investigation Panel, with whom we have engaged extensively over same.

“We wish to inform our numerous stakeholders that Skye Bank is a law abiding institution and will therefore, not conduct itself in breach of the laws or policies of the government, including the TSA policy. The bank will take appropriate legal steps in response to the ruling of the Federal High Court on August 8, 2017 when the substantive hearing is expected to come up."

On its part, UBA in a statement by its Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Bola Atta, stressed that it had fully remitted all NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits since August 24, 2016.

"We hereby emphasise that none of such funds are currently in the bank’s books. Our action was further corroborated by a clearance memo published by CBN on its website on same date. We would like to thank all our customers, business partners and other stakeholders who have reached out to us on account of this judgement," it added.

country.

Appealing to the traditional media to show responsibility by repudiating the freewheeling and out-of-control purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news, the minister said that as a follow-up to the efforts of the Acting President, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture was planning a series of engagements with the media, to educate and sensitise them to the dangers posed to the unity of the country by hate speech, disinformation and fake news.

While observing that even a section of the traditional media now help the hate campaigners by lifting their unverified or distorted news and dumping such on their readers, he lamented: “If you pick up copies of some newspapers, you will think the government of the day is doing nothing at all to alleviate the sufferings

of the people, occasioned by the economic downturn.

“They ignore any positive actions of government, and instead focus on anything that will make the government look bad. Instead of reporting the news freely and fairly, they have constituted themselves to an opposition bloc.”

“It is only because we have a peaceful country that we have journalists, doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc all practicing their trade. If we allow our country to be plunged into crisis just because of the antics of an irresponsible few, neither the journalists nor any other professionals will be able to practice their profession.

This is the blunt truth. We all have a stake in this country; hence we must not allow hate campaigners and purveyors of fake news and disinformation to drag the country down with them.”

SENATE ALLEGES N30TN LEAKAGE IN CUSTOMS, QUERIES NPA OVER MISSING VESSELS infractions in daily transactions at the ports, commercial banks, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators.

“The nature and methodologies of these infractions include abuse of Form M and violation of foreign exchange manual issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), incorrect classification, under-valuation, under-declaration and incorrect declaration. Others are incorrect origin, error in calculation, temporary importation, exemptions and waivers, forex manipulations, unit cost analysis an excise, smuggling and illegal removal of cargo from terminals, lack of exit certificate by vessels,” he said.

Uzondinma however pledged the determination of the committee to work with relevant agencies to stop the fraudulent practices, adding that all those indicted would be prosecuted according to the law.

“We shall zero our search light on these areas of infraction and

we are certain that our suspicions shall be confirmed. Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), shipping companies, operators of bonded terminals and importers and exporters have questions to answer,’’ he said.

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki who declared the hearing open reiterated that the Senate would expose corruption while carrying out its oversight functions, and block all loopholes that allow leakages in the system.

“We are determined to reverse these financial leakages to enable us get the much needed resources to fund our children’s education, healthcare and fix the potholes on our roads. I urge you not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that we incrementally eliminate waste and corruption in the management of our resources,’’ Saraki said.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY JULY 22, 2017

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NEWS

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HONOURED FOR EXCELLENCE ...

L-R; Sales Manager, AFP Furniture Production, Uche Uzoewulu; receiver of the award, Head Public Relation Officer Julius Berger Nig. Plc, Barr. Moses Duku, the presenter of the award Sen. Osita Izunaso and Former Attorney General Cross River State, Mrs. Nella Andrew Rabeka during the Abuja Housing Show Best Furniture of the year 2017 Award Night in Abuja yesterday

Onagoruwa, Former AGF Dies at 80 Gboyega Akinsanmi and Shola Oyeyipo Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa yesterday passed on at the age of 80 after surviving stroke first in 1997 and later in 2004.

Onagoruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights activist, died at a private ward at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute-Meta precisely at 2:05 a.m.

Friday morning.

The Deputy Head of Dr. Olu Onagoruwa Chambers, Mr. Seun Onagoruwa confirmed his passage

to THISDAY yesterday, noting that the late patriarch died while being treated for malaria at the FMC, though he had some complications in the course of the treatment.

He lamented that Onagoruwa’s health challenge started in 1997 shortly after some unknown gunmen gruesomely murdered his son, Toyin in December 1996 during the junta of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

He said: “Our father first had stroke in 1997 few months after the death of my brother. But he survived the stroke. And he was fine. He had another stroke in 2004.

He also survived it. Since then, he had been managing his health. And he was doing well.

“But few weeks ago, the late Onagoruwa was diagnosed of malaria at the FMC, Ebute-Meta.

He was responding to treatment until he had some complication again.

He finally passed on precisely at 2:05 a.m. Friday morning at the federal medical centre.”

He was appointed the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice by the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, though resigned few months after his appointment.

Malabu: Adoke Takes Case to UNHCR, Alleges Persecution Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, has filed a case against the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for unmitigated acts of persecution, intimidation, harassment, threat of deprivation right to life, unlawful interference with right to family life and livelihood.

Adoke filed a complaint yesterday by his Solicitor, Femi Oboro titled: "Complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee (CCPR) on Violation Of The Rights Set Forth in the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights".

He said, “it has become necessary in view of the constant harassment, intimidation and persecution that my client has endured in the hands of the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies”.

He said he has served Nigeria as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from 10th April 2010 to 29th May 2015.

According to him, since leaving office, he had been the subject of sustained and malicious media attack

from the EFCC and its cohorts with the aim of bringing him to public odium.

The statement read: "These efforts have culminated in filing of phantom criminal charges against him, destruction and unwarranted searches on his residences as well as that of his siblings, persecution, threat to his life, unlawful harassment and intimidation Mr. Mohamed Bello Adoke SAN is constrained to adopt this measure as a last resort aimed at protecting his right to life, right to family life and livelihood since the Nigerian Authorities have taken measures to deprive him the opportunity to earn a decent livelihood since leaving office. His constant harassment and raids on his home coupled with unmitigated media campaign have prevented him from practicing his profession, attending to the needs of his family, particularly to his wife and children, attending to his aged father and other relations that depend on him for their sustenance.

"My client has taken reasonable steps to engage with appropriate Nigerian authorities such as the Office of the President, Vice President, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the DirectorGeneral of the Department of State

Security Services and the Chairman of the EFCC to explain his plight.

But it appears that the State through its agencies especially the EFCC is bent on persecuting and humiliating him in order to satisfy the whims and caprices of some powerful families and political associates of the present administration intent on punishing him for refusing to allow his Office to be used to further their personal interests especially with respect to the ownership and control of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited and the proceeds from the disposal the of the assets of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited held in OPL 245, to Shell and ENI. "The Complaint will afford the UNHRC the opportunity to apprise Nigeria’s criminal justice system, the operational modalities of law enforcement agencies such as the EFCC, the Constitutional mandate of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on whether such agencies and persons are conducting their operations in accordance with human right standards and norms applicable to civilized democratic societies and/ or they can be allowed to ride rough shod over the rights and liberties of citizens under the guise of fighting corruption.

He resigned from the Abacha-led Provisional Ruling Council due to the release of Mr. Turner Ogboru, a brother of Chief Great Ogboru for alleged involvement in coup plot against the Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

Consequent upon Turner Ogboru's release, Abacha was quoted to have said Onagoruwa had committed an offence more than treasonable felony for allowing a suspect of coup plot to regain freedom.

Two years after he resigned from the Abacha junta, some unknown gunmen gruesomely murdered his son, Toyin, whom the communities of human rights activities and civil society practitioners, alleged was assassinated by the junta.

Few years ago, his wife passed away, which some of his associates said, had compounded his health challenges coupled with the brutal killing of his son in December 1996.

Onagoruwa, who marked his

80th birthday in 2016, was born at Odogbolu, Ogun State on November 11, 1936 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1971 after completing his law programme in the United Kingdom.

Onagoruwa, the Principal Partner of Olu Onagoruwa Chambers, graduated from University College London in 1964, obtained his LLM and completed his Ph.D. in constitutional Law from the same University in 1968.

Until his passage yesterday, he was a member of the Inner Temple of the English bar and also a member of both the Nigerian and International Bar Associations.

As contained in his profile obtained the website of his chambers, Onagoruwa has an inexhaustible zest for writing and published over 250 articles on law and contemporary issues.

The website said: “He is also the author of the Nigerian Civil War;

Fundamental Human Rights and International law 1969, The Amakiri Case; Press Freedom in crisis 1978 and Law and Contemporary Nigeria Reflections 2004 amongst others.

“Onagoruwa, who attended the Academy of American and International Law Center USA on a full bright and hays scholarship, has served as a law lecturer in various Nigerian Institutions.

“He was appointed the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the federal Republic of Nigeria in 1993 and also as the African representative to the body that drafted Ethiopia’s constitution in that same year. Dr. Onagoruwa was also the Group Legal Adviser/ Company Secretary of Daily Times Nigeria for several years.”

Former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Chidi Odinkalu paid tribute to the late legal icon yesterday, describing him as an exceptional Nigerian.

Thousands of Nigerian Girls Trafficked to Italy as Sex Workers, Says UN Agency Obinna Chima with agency report Thousands of Nigerian migrant girls being brought to Italy are in great danger of being forced into prostitution in Europe, and they are often naive about their fate in the hands of the traffickers, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported yesterday.

The number of female Nigerians, many of them minors, arriving by sea in Italy surged over the past three years, from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,000 last year. Some 4,000 have arrived so far in 2017, Reuters quoted the United Nations agency to have said.

“Based on data collected at landing sites, it estimated that 80 per cent are potential victims of trafficking as sex workers,” said the UN agency, while noting that the girls are often told the trip is free.

"These girls, who are increasingly younger every year, are brought to Italy and to Europe for sexual

exploitation. They are taken by traffickers and then they are forced to be prostitutes in the streets in Italy. And sometimes, as far as we know these girls are also sent to other European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, Austria.

“Many of the Nigerian girls are from poor families in Edo State who are psychologically manipulated during a voodoo ritual before leaving. They are accompanied by a ‘madame’ linked to the traffickers on the long journey through Niger and Libya.

"The increasing number of minors arriving really do not have any idea even what prostitution is, what sex is," IOM spokesman, Flavio Di Giacomo told a Geneva briefing by telephone from Rome.

However, he added that many of them understand the real purpose of this journey, “because many times, they are forced to prostitute themselves in Niger, in Libya especially, in brothels there.”

“So, they understand they are not going to work as hairdressers, “Di Giacomo said.

IOM officials try to intercept the Nigerian girls at landing points and inform them about the prostitution ring and their right to protection, Di Giacomo said.

The agency, which helps those who decide to flee the networks, reported the cases of 425 girls last year to police.

"A few days ago, we had the story of this young girl; let's call her Precious, a 17-year-old girl. She has been told she was going to work at a hair salon; she didn't have any idea she was going to be forced to prostitute herself.

"It was only when she arrived that she found out that it was not real. The job was a lie and she was forced to become a prostitute, which was the only way to pay off the debt of the journey ... She was forced to be out on the streets for 12 hours a day," Di Giacomo said.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY JULY 22, 2017

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COMMENTARY

THE BRIDGE BUILDER

Tola Ogunnubi pays tribute to Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa, administrator and politician, at age 62

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brilliant bridge builder that I know politically after Asiwaju Tinubu in the South West is Senator Gbenga Ashafa.

I first met him at a mutual friend’s daughter’s graduation in 2001 and I must confess, I admire his person.

He is a reliable person, loyal, dependable and very selfless.

The humility he eschews is in its climax. A very approachable senator who operates an open door policy of attending to not only members of his constituency but also the larger Nigerian federation.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa was born on Friday, July 22, 1955, my daughter’s birthday mate. An indigene of Lagos representing Lagos East Senatorial District I am coincidentally one of his subjects. He attended the prestigious CMS Grammar School, Bariga. Having obtained his West African School Certificate in 1973 he proceeded to Morgan State University, Maryland, USA, and earned a BSc in Biology. He thereafter went to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1979 to obtain his Masters in Public Health.

He returned to Nigeria in 1980 to start a rewarding, selfless service to humanity. A grassroots person that he is, he started off at the Lagos State Local Government Service in 1981, and thereafter for a decade worked in the cocoa industry from 1990 to 1999. He later joined the civil service in1999 where he was outstanding in the state civil service.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa was in the Lagos State civil service. His name is among the topnotch player in the state civil service hall of fame. His contributions via the transformation of the Land Ministry are outstanding, unique and unparallelled. Ashafa joined the Tinubu administration in September 1999 as Director of Planning, Governor’s Office in charge of local government administration. In this role, he effectively co-ordinated the activities of local government areas in the state; acting as the liaison between the Governor’s Office and Local Government Chairmen across the state.

In January 2001, Ashafa was appointed Executive Secretary, Lagos State Land Use and Allocation Committee. In this role, he was responsible for land allocation and management in Lagos State. He ensured efficient allocation of land in the state, transparency in land transactions and the timely release of title documents to land owners.

Ashafa was appointed Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Lands Bureau in February 2005. He led his team to execute the computerisation of documents in the State Land Registry, the creation of the Land Regularisation Directorate and the implementation of the 30-day governor’s consent policy on land transactions. The computerisation of documents in the State Land Registry created a digital database of all land title documents in the state, making it infinitely more efficient to conduct land transactions in Lagos State. Notably, he laid the foundation for issuing electronic certificates of occupancy to land owners and had to oversee the pilot scheme before he left office. While at the Lands Bureau, Ashafa re-started

several stalled housing development schemes such as: Lekki Phase II, Ijanikin Rose Garden, Ipaja New Town, Imota Residential/Industrial, Agbowa Residential/Industrial, Obanikoro/Oke-Ira, Oworonshoki Residential, Gbagada II and Ibeju Iberekodo mixed development schemes. He also led his team to develop new housing schemes such as: Ikorodu GRA Scheme III, Odo-Nla, Ijede GRA, and Millenium Model Scheme Igbogbo – Ikorodu.

OVER THE COURSE OF HIS TENURE AT THE SENATE, HE HAS IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS SUCH AS THE ICT TRAINING PROGRAMME, WHICH HAS TRAINED OVER 500 YOUTHS IN THE SENATOR’S DISTRICT SINCE 2011

He is such a good human resource manager with a resounding human relation. Senator Ashafa is a matured man. Watching and listening to his contributions on the floor of the upper chamber of the National Assembly will tell anyone he is not your regular senator. His matured contributions to debates is admirable, his presentations are enviable while his approach to topical sensitive national issues are captivating.

He is the Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport and also a member in other several Senate Committees like Establishment (Pension & Public Services), Foreign Affairs, Water Resources, National Security & Intelligence, amongst others. He has successfully seen to the passage of the Nigerian Railway bill 2016.

Over the course of his tenure at the Senate, he has implemented several community development projects such as the ICT Training Programme, which has trained over 500 youths in the senator’s district since 2011. Senator Ashafa has also implemented the Youth Energy Career Programme, a six-month internship designed for graduates. Attendees are trained on power and energy systems at the Siemens Power Academy, in collaboration with the Lagos State Electricity Board. This programme is designed to equip midmanagement officers with the skill set required to drive the emerging independent power sector in Lagos State. Another programme, the Education Enhancement Programme provides scholarships to students at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. The senator’s office also implements a monthly health screening programme free of charge, in several local government areas.

Senator Ashafa has sponsored many bills at the Senate among which are the income Tax Holiday Bill 2011, National Agency for the Preservation & Promotion of Local Languages in Nigeria Bill 2011, Treaties (Making, Procedures, etc.) Act (Amendment) Bill 2012, Criminal Code Act (Amendment) Bill 2012, National Directorate of Employment Act (Amendment) Bill 2013 and many others.

Married to his childhood sweetheart and mother of his children, Alhaja Folashade Omobola Ashafa , the ever supportive and prayerful wife, his life has been a life of service.

His constituent is very much proud of him and hope he will answer their call for more state and national assignments in the nearest future.

Ogunnubi wrote from Abuja

A PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY AND CAPACITY BUILDING Nile University is contributing to technological education in Nigeria, writes Ofem Uket

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igeria is among the countries aiming to achieve high level technology, looking at government policy trust and regulatory framework in the science and technology sub-sector of the nation’s economy. Successive governments in Nigeria have boldly developed blue prints that can encourage growth in technology that will drive manufacturing and heavy industrialisation.

At some point, many government industrial ventures became moribund, caused by government officials and representatives with no cognate experience and professional control over the production and marketing of goods and indeed to manipulate major factors of production.

Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, a science and technology-driven institution, is aimed at training and producing quality graduates in the sector and to bridge the gap between other social sciences-based universities. Last week its 5th convocation ceremony held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, drew the cream of the academia, business and industry and political gladiators. The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, former Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh, presidential envoy to National Assembly Senator Ita Enang; former INEC Chairman Professor Atahiru Jega; former governors and ministers including the current Minister of State for Health Dr. Osagie Iheriena were all present, among

others.

Mr. Mehmet Basturk, Chairman First Surat Group and Chairman Governing Council of the Nile University, said rightly that the focus on science and technology education is driven by the fact that economies are sustained by high level production growth.

The group which started in 1998 with seven students in nursery and primary school in a rented apartment has today grown to a conglomerate of 17 colleges, one university and a hospital. It comprises of the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges, Nile University of Nigeria and Nizamiye Hospital, among others. With over 2000 employees and still counting, “we reinvest our dividend in the area of education and health here in Nigeria,� said Basturk. It is noteworthy that 17% of the students are on scholarship - from college to university level. And through the NTIC Foundation the group embarks on corporate social responsibility in collaboration with the parents and other government institutions.

The First Surat Group has demonstrated competence and effective collaborations with the states and federal government for decades by having huge involvements in the education and health sectors of the economy. Their contribution to the growth and development of the Nigeria’s economy is worthy of commendation especially in the area of employment and capacity building in the science and technology sub-sector.

The 5th convocation of the Nile University is indeed a technology advancement event that is capable of changing the industrial sector in the petroleum and chemical engineering, civil and construction, electrical and mechanical, to mention but a few. The whole idea of government position is to advance technical capacity in the industrial sector and encourage investors to put in their money for sustainable growth and development of the science and technology sector.

The emphasis by First Surat Group on Science and Technology can be said to be borne out of need and lack in that sector, having looked at the performance of industries in Nigeria in the last three decades. It is therefore important to encourage the contributions and partnership between government and the group to advance the sector and train young people to be competent in the manufacturing and production of various forms of goods. .Nigeria is concerned about sustainable growth in the public and private sectors, especially developing and revamping the industrial and manufacturing sectors through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) which fundamentally will translate to better Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Government regulatory frameworks for increased production by manufacturing industries and agricultural products are part of deliberate plans to encourage investors locally and direct foreign investments (DFI).

The Nile University of Nigeria is not just a university, but a community. Some of the past students have distinguished themselves in their various endeavours. One of the promises the school made was to ensure high and quality academic standards at all time. This much has been achieved through the support of the university council members, the commitment of the management and staff of the university and of course, the active cooperation of the students. Basturk said the convocation was emotional because Nigerian sons and daughters would be going into the wider world. “To all the graduates in this hall, I ask these questions: who do you want to be? What inspires you? How do you want to give back to the society? I am convinced you all have the answers at your fingertips,� he said Nile University of Nigeria has graduated 270 students (99 undergraduates and 171 post graduates) from 23 departments, 4% of whom are First Class Honour students, 22% Second Class Upper while 11% earned Second Class Lower. The university graduated students from the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Petroleum and Gas, Department of Public Administration, Mass Communication and College of Health Sciences.

Uket wrote from Abuja

13

ÍşÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Ϳ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

Ready for the global trade?

LAUTECH as a Metaphor for Change

I

n the build-up to the 2015 general election, four opposition parties came together to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) and took the word “CHANGE� as their party’s motto. The new party later went on to win the 2015 presidential election as well as several governorship seats across the country.

It has been two years since the party came into office and the “Change� is indeed everywhere. Every Nigerian—from day old suckling to age-bent seniors— can truly feel the “Change�. Perhaps, nowhere is the “Change� better felt than on the premises of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), which has been under lock for almost two years.

The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, was conceived by the military administration of Gen. Adetunji Olurin in 1987 to meet the scientific and technological needs of the Southwest, nay Nigeria. But the school did not commence academic activities until October 1990 when Col. Sasaenia Adedeji Oresanya, Olurin’s successor, signed the edict establishing the university. When Osun-State was carved out of the old Oyo State in 1991, an agreement was reached between the new state and what remained of the old Oyo State to jointly own and fund the school. Thus, the school name was changed from Oyo State University of Technology, Ogbomoso, to its current name.

Both sides have kept to this agreement and things have gone on seamlessly until the “Change� agents came into office and began to starve the school of funds thereby making it financially anaemic. Issues came to a head mid-last year when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) LAUTECH chapter, called an industrial action to protest the non-payment of its members’ salary.

Since then, students of the school—the usual victims of such action—have been at home hoping against hope that their school will soon be reopened. But their hope is fast wearing thin as there appears to be no end in sight to their misery.

The visitors to the school, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun-State and his Oyo State counterpart, Abimbola Ajimobi have been incoherent in their statements on the financial crisis facing the school, choosing to deflect their ineptitude by blaming the management of the school for the impecunious state the school finds itself. Also, they blamed their helplessness on the drop in federal allocation to their states—the most irksome of their litany of excuses.

Late last year, the federal government released N12 billion and N13 billion respectively to the Osun State and Oyo State governments respectively as part of their share of the Paris Club refund. Many had hoped that a part of this money would go to the school to settle part of its staff’s outstanding salaries, but this was not to be. A big birthday celebration in Osun State and the payment of contractors in Oyo State were much more important to the governors than the reopening of the university.

Governor Abimbola Ajimobi has probably revealed his true thought about the place of the university in his government agenda when he told students of the school who had gone to his office to protest the prolonged closure of their school that the school was not the first school to be shut down due to non-payment of its staff’s salary. “Se

eni ni won tin ti school ni?� he had said. Before he went on, like King Louis XIV, to declare himself the state—the constituted authority.

In all of these, what is most puzzling is the deafening silence of the school Chancellor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Aregbesola and Ajimobi had named Tinubu the Chancellor of the troubled school in 2012. As the Chancellor of the school, Tinubu has not uttered a word on the crisis plaguing the school, choosing rather to play the ostrich.

These ‘’progressive’’ governors, in furtherance of their ‘’Change’’ agenda, are mooting the idea of making LAUTECH financially independent, a euphemism for increment in tuition fees. Aregbesola had given a broad hint of this sinister plan when he said the Osun-State University, solely owned by his state, is selffinancing. He then wondered why LAUTECH, with more number of students, cannot fund itself.

My heart really goes out to parents and guardians with wards in the school.

Their burden is about to get heavier when the tuition fees go up. After watching their wards’ education halted, they are about to be asked to fork out more by the government that promised to lessen their burden. Well, such is the hue that ‘’Change’’ has worn since the APC came into office.

Nearly all Nigerians have a story to tell about the ‘’Change’’ happening in their life. It is a sad story most of the time, accurately reflected by the sorry state of affairs in LAUTECH. Like the late Chinua Achebe said in his classic novel, Arrow of God, “When suffering knocks on your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry that he has brought his own seat.� This ‘’Change’’ seems to have brought his own seat as it now sits everywhere.

Olusegun Ola, Ogbomoso

T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: ďŹ rst name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Why Arewa and Biafra Cannot Get Along

W

e all must now rise from our slumber, clear that disbelief cobwebs from our heads, and accept the narratives that Arewa Republic and Biafra Republic are the next cool things; the generation of our parents fought a civil war to keep Nigeria from splitting, but our generations have been all too wracked by bad governance since 1983 for us to make any commitment to ďŹ ghting to keep Nigeria as one. Moreover, we live in a “soft eraâ€? of social media and cheap food, as it were.

Who wants to ďŹ ght a war to preserve Nigeria when the “big menâ€? own portfolios in Dubai, etc., in care of their children and grandchildren?

Thus, the possibility of an Arewa Republic and a Biafra Republic coming to fruition is very, very far from rock-bottom. In the meantime, Arewa and Biafra have to contend with their diametricallyopposed ideological difference in the awkward union Lord Lugard forced upon them: whereas the peoples of Arewa have adopted the work ethics of the Saudis and the wider Arabs (salaried undemanding public-sector jobs), the peoples of Biafra adopted the work ethics of the West (rewards derivable from private enterprises). This state of affair has led to mutual disrespect these past many years for these regional birds of different plumage.

Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

POLSCOPE

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

PDP: 2019 and The River Between

A

fter a needless fight of over 18 months, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), last week, regained some breath from the choking gasp caused by the leadership tussle. The ruling of the Supreme Court declaring that Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, former governor of Kaduna State is the legitimate Chairman of the party, seems to have finally zipped the ambition of the boisterous Alhaji Alli Modu Sheriff, who many party faithful believe was an interloper and a mole with a mission.

Ever since the apex court ruled on the leadership of the party, the remnants of the PDP have not only been heads over heel, rejoicing, they have been trying to reassemble themselves to rejig and assess their capacity for a return to power in 2019.

I believe they are too soon made glad. They are like a smashed China plate. Many of the pieces have not only been reduced to mere smithereens, some of the smithereens themselves have gone irrecoverably missing. I do not think the PDP can regain itself to the point of clinching power again in the next election.

Yes, it is good to exercise faith, in the tradition of exaggerated political assumptions, common with politicians, the truth is that the PDP will have a wide and long river to cross to arrive at the habour of power again. Perhaps, not so soon.

Already, it has fixed August 12 for a non-elective convention, which may extend the life-span of the Makarfi-led regime. The PDP is now like a big husky shell, with many of its content gone. The party, perhaps does not realise the amount of damage both the crisis and its governance ineptitude caused it.

Does the party realise the number of its members that have long dumped the party? Not many will be in a hurry to head back. For the PDP to recover enough to take the presidency again, will require more than National convention.

It will require more than strategic planning and political vigils.

It will indeed, require a thorough purgation from the signature malaise of taking Nigerians for granted.

Here was a party that boasted that it would rule Nigeria for the next 60 years. It managed to clock 16 at the helm of affairs. It settled in so much, and assumed to their doom, that they would always hold the longer end of the Nigerian stick.

How wrong they were!

All that was needed was a strong opposition. And it came in the mould of the APC with all its imperfections. Its presidential candidate in the 2015 election, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, couldn’t have been the best alternative to the decrepit governance displayed by the PDP. But Nigerians were buffed up with the PDP and its drivers. Completely! It was like ABJ—Anyone But Jonathan.

The rather unimpressive performance of the All Progressives Congress-led federal government, thus far, may have buoyed the belief of the PDP that it can indeed bounce back to power again. Former President Goodluck Jonathan at the expanded caucus meeting of the PDP, during the week, claimed that Nigerians still trust the PDP. This is not true! I believe Nigerians are yet scared and loathsome of the PDP. Yes, we may not be getting the best of governance or the benefits of democracy from the APC-led federal government, yet, the PDP and all the mess it stood for which were poured on us, is hardly an attraction. The Supreme Court ruling is not enough deodorant to make the PDP smell good and attractive. Not yet!

Some might even argue that the “hard start” the Nigerian economy is experiencing, which is actually the root cause of the suffering in the land, was caused and foisted on us by

Makarfi

the gross and reckless rule of the PDP. It is not enough for the PDP zealots to speak glibly of a new fortune waiting for us somewhere, and make it look like we have all suffered collective brain-format, thus forgetting all that is past. No, we have not forgotten.

How can we forget, when every day, new cases of unbelievable graft and decrepit governance are uncovered?

How can we forget all the running cases of prosecution of those alleged to have run the country aground under the watch and supervision of the PDP? How can we forget when a better part of the two years of the APC-led government, has been used in chasing the “thieves“ of yesterday whose actions and inactions have brought us to the economic valley of today? Are we not suffused with the avalanche of fraud cases?

There are talks of almost N2 trillion recovered from those PDP overlords who stole the till blind…. Are they not the same people lacing their boots for another march over our heads?

It is too soon to think we have all suffered collective amnesia. No, we haven’t.

In case they forgot, it was under the PDP rule, that we had the greatest fortune of oil boom in which the price of crude oil hit between $120 and $140 dollars per barrel, at a time production peaked at about 2.3 million bpd. Yes, it is true! Where did all that take us as a country? Where is all that money? Let them ask Norway what and how they have done with their crude oil fortune!

Was it not under the PDP rule that our skies were littered with private jets, so much that even hitherto known hustlers could be flying in convoy of private jets, just to go celebrate a girlfriend’s birthday party somewhere in Dubai or Bahamas?

And have we forgotten how former president Jonathan cited the huge numbers of private jets in Nigeria as a proof of the health of our economy? Where are those private jets today?

Have we forgotten the N350 million collected by a former senate president from Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), former NSA, for a so-called consultancy? Or is it the running battle of former First Lady, Patience Jonathan over $31 million, $15 million etc., which she has been flexing about in the courts? Pray, was she not just a Director in the Bayelsa civil service before her husband became the VP and then President? How did she so quickly land such parvenu fortune of becoming millionaire in even hard currency?

Or have we forgotten the Femi Fani-Kayode’s battle of N740 million fraud allegations yet going on in the court? Or is it Olisa Metuh’s N400million (which has been refunded)?

Is Mrs Nenadi Usman not yet struggling in the courts to extricate herself from the N3.5 Billion she was accused of stealing? Or shall we talk about the Ayo Fayose’s alleged N3 billion fraud? What about the N4 billion Musliu Obanikoro was also accused of stealing? Let’s not even bother about the “little” N100 million that got to Olu Falae, Jim Nwobodo, Peter Odili etc., or Tony Anenih’s N400million, or even Raymond Dokpesi’sN2.1 billion supposedly meant for publicity.

Was it not under the PDP government that former Air Chief stole and buried N2 billion in a fresh soak-away pit?

Was it not under the PDP that a certain fellow called Tompolo was paid N13 Billion for a so-called Maritime University land?

That same untrained fellow was handed the security of our oil pipeline at billions of dollars, and that was when crude oil was stolen most. Still wondering where all the private jets came from? What are we really talking about? The list is simply endless, including the conversion of N10 billion (to hard currency) that was used as gift to PDP delegates at the party’s convention, not forgetting the N4.6 billion collected by former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, to consult and “settle” marabouts so the election would favour the PDP. These are no fiction. They are documented facts. Little wonder somebody described Jonathan as “a Blessed ATM with no secret PIN”, albeit at the expense of our collective good and comfort. Let’s not bother touching on the vexatious pillaging that went on in the NNPC under the watch of Mr Jonathan and Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, the petroleum minister.

That is a whole ‘borrow-pit’ of fraud and a matter for another day, believing you are following the messy developments on the sleaze associated with her and her allies even from far away America. Or are the Americans also persecuting Diezani as the PDP champions claim here?

Is it a surprise that not long after the PDP lost power, Nigeria slipped into recession? In no mistaken terms, the truth is that Nigeria was looted into recession. How could any nation ever survive such rapacious rape of its treasury?

Let me not be misunderstood, I do not rule out the return of PDP to power at the centre forever, depending on what the APC does with its given opportunity, which seems to be suffering mismanagement. It may not be in 2019, but more importantly, at whatever time it ever makes it back to Aso Rock, it must purge itself of the political miasma and smelly rubbish it splashed on Nigerians. It must rejig and up its integrity quotient. That is its river between.

Canticles...

Lawmakers and the 2017 Budget

D

o you know that with just five months to the end of the year, the 2017 budget has not become operational?

But it has been signed by the acting President.

But ask yourself if the budget is being operated now?

Don’t you know there is a strong objection to the content of the budget passed by the National Assembly? That it is verily different from the one the executive sent to it? Did you not follow the argument and fireworks exchanged between Mr Babatunde Fashola and the National Assembly? How the lawbreakers, sorry, lawmakers, virtually reframed and reworked his entire budget so much that he did not quite recognise his ministry’s budget again?

But the lawmakers insist they have the right to alter and rewrite budgets… and that is the power of appropriation which the constitution gives them.

Is that why they would so radically change a budget both in project outlay and even the figures? Is the budget their own? Who appropriates for them the budget of the National Assembly? How can they appropriate and reprobate at the same time?

Let us not argue about that. The court also ruled that they have the powers to modify a budget proposal by the executive.

Did the court also say they must seek gratification before passing the budget? Do you know the real quarrel between the executive and the legislature over budgetary issues is in the huge financial and project demand the lawmakers make from the ministers? Do you know that as we speak many MDAs have not had their budgets passed by the National Assembly just because they (MDAs) are not willing to play ball with the lawmakers? That is why there are many budget defence sessions by the same parastatals. They use their privileges to blackmail the executive. Do you know the demand for $31 million alleged dredging contract by a senator is behind the harassment of the NPA, for instance? Look, this Saraki budget defence thing is a mere procedural euphemism for ‘settlement’. Trust me!

No, I cannot trust you. I don’t think the distinguished senators are that mercantile. I believe they insist on thoroughness and ensuring that proposed projects have a fair spread across the country.

I think you have a programmed mindset against our lawmakers such that you cannot even notice and applaud the good works they are doing?

Ehn? Did you say good works? Good works like what?

Did you not hear they recently passed the Whistle-Blower protection Bill in furtherance of the anti-corruption war of the federal government?

Hmmmm, that one? So you don’t know it is a payback for letting the senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki out of the noose around his neck, at the CCT? Or did you not hear that the Senate has reversed itself over the clearance of REC nominees? Or when suddenly Saraki says the CG of Customs can even wear jeans and T-Shirt to work, against the insistence on wearing Customs uniform….You think it is for nothing?

What a talk? Are you implying that the discharge and acquittal of Saraki was an arrangee work?

You said so!

We have to be fair to the system.

Really? Is the system fair to us? Do you know how many civil servants and pensioners are being owed their salaries and pensions? Have you ever heard that the lawmakers are being owed? Fairness my foot!

Ok, why is the Senate in strong defence and support of Senator Dino Melaye over the recall process? Are they saying the constituents do not have the constitution-granted powers to recall any lawmaker?

Don’t mix up issues. Melaye is a different kettle of fish? He is a survivalist. He may survive this, I cannot swear. But we are talking about the National Assembly and the 2017 budget.

All I am telling you is that the National Assembly is an inevitable evil in the governance process in a democracy. Imagine a budget just getting operated on the 7th month of a year. And with three full months of rain yet expected, it means that many projects like road and drainage constructions will have to wait.

Perhaps forever! All we need to pray is enough wisdom in knowing how to manage and appease the evil called National Assembly.

15

JULY 22, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale

07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

My Heart Bleeds for Borno State

T

he mob that attacked officials of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency at the scene of a suicide bomb attack in London Ciki area of Maiduguri on Monday is a reflection of extreme frustration of the residents of this town. The youth, who attacked the team dispatched to evacuate corpses and render assistance to the victims, were angered by recent spate of suicide bombings in Maiduguri and the failure of government to curtail the terrorists. Some of them chanted slogans against the relief officials, saying, “leave, we do not need your assistance.”

The youth, armed with sticks, smashed one of SEMA’s vehicles and prevented the team from carrying out its mission. The Civilian Joint Task Force had to swiftly rescue the SEMA officials.

Inhabitants of this town have suffered greatly in the hands of terrorists since 2009, but the last two years have been most painful, with Maiduguri becoming a killing field.

In recent months, suicide bombers strike virtually on a daily basis, hitting mosques, markets, camps for those displaced by the conflict and other civilian soft targets. The London Ciki attack claimed eight lives. Just on Tuesday, six powerful multiple explosions rocked Maiduguri, with casualty figure

Tales from other towns and villages in Borno State are not palatable. The terrorists are everywhere. This is why millions of IDPs in the 27 camps across the state can’t return to their homes. This week, the terrorists boldly showed a video of 14 women from Dalwa village that were abducted on June 20 unknown. Last week, 23 persons were killed in multiple suicide attacks in this town.

The University of Maiduguri has also been repeatedly attacked. In the last six months, these terrorists have attacked the university nine times, killing innocent people, including a professor of veterinary medicine, Aliyu Usman Mani. Never in the history of this institution has this much pain been inflicted on its staff and students. It is even more dis-

heartening that no single top official of the federal government deemed it necessary to pay a solidarity visit to the university.

Where is the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu? He is simply sleeping while precious human lives are being wasted at this university. Adamu’s inaction on the precarious security situation in this school is giving a boost to Boko Haram’s ideology.

Tales from other towns and villages in Borno State are not palatable. The terrorists are everywhere. This is why millions of IDPs in the 27 camps across the state can’t return to their homes. This week, the terrorists boldly showed a video of 14 women from Dalwa village that were abducted on June 20. They ambushed the women, alongside Mobile Police men, mourners and several vehicles on Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu Highway on June 20, as they were conveying the corpse of one Sergeant Rahila Antakirya to Askira for burial.

Right now, there is so much fear in and around Maiduguri. For how long will Borno State remain a killing field? For how long will millions of Nigerians remain in squalid IDP camps across this state? There is an urgent need to rejig this war against Boko Haram.

Still on Seized Nigerian Governors’ Forum Fund I am shocked that three weeks after a court in Abuja ordered an interim forfeiture of N500 million and $500,000 seized from the consultants engaged by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for the Paris Club refunds, nobody has come forward to claim ownership of the money. Who are these consultants? Are they ghosts? How come such a huge amount of money is seized from people and they have remained silent? Who owns the seized money? I can smell a rat here. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is clearly making sense on this issue.

According to the EFCC, huge sums of money were fraudulently diverted from the bank account of the NGF on the instruction of Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, who chairs the NGF. Fees due to the consultants (some of them are clearly ghosts) engaged by the NGF were paid into NGF’s account.

Thereafter, a huge part was disbursed to the ghost consultants. Wonders will never cease

in Nigeria.

In an affidavit by the EFCC, it alleged that the N500 million was diverted to offset Yari’s personal loan obtained from the First Generation Mortgage Bank Limited. It also alleged that another firm, Gosh Projects Limited, got $500,000, which was allegedly used for the purchase of building materials for Yari’s hotel project in Lagos. Yari has refused to disclose his relationship with the two companies the funds were seized from. The EFCC should sincerely unmask these ghost consultants, with the aid of the companies’ registration details.

Again, why did these squandering governors agree to pay 5 per cent as consultancy fees when it was obvious that the figure involved is over N1 trillion? By my calculation, a whopping N38 billion will be paid to the ghost consultants from the N766.53 billion so far released to the governors. This is food for thought for today.

Gov. Yari

Rauf Aregbesola and the Wages of Pride The biggest undoing of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State is pride. This is why the state has been in a big mess, with so much poverty and huge unpaid salaries. The good people of this state are seething. For many, Aregbesola represents pain and deceit.

That was why the people of Osun state voted against his candidate in the July 8 Osun West Senatorial election. People trying to interrogate the rejection of the APC should not look far. Aregbesola should examine himself. He should blame himself. The way and manner he treated the first civilian governor of the state, the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, in death is despicable. Yet, Serubawon was the one who rescued him from the jaws of imminent defeat in 2014. What did he get in return after his death? Aregbesola went on the rostrum, castigating him, saying it was the APC that rescued Adeleke from political humiliation by his PDP; that it was the late Adeleke that needed APC then and not the other way round. Haba! Aregbesola said more unprintable things that are distasteful to recount here, lest one joins this insensitive man.

The good thing is that the people paid him back in his currency. They dealt with him and his protégé, Mudashir Hussain. And they did this in a humiliating way. Of the 10 LGAs in Osun West, Aregbesola and his boy only won in one - Ejigbo where Hussain hails from.

And even in that Ejigbo, PDP and Serubawon’s brother, the vivacious and bubbly Ademola Adeleke, made a good showing. Truth is that the election was a referendum on Aregbesola and the governor lost the vote. The spineless Osun House of Assembly can go on from now till 2018, passing a vote of confidence in him.

Aregbesola

However, if the APC wants to rebound in 2018 and take its right of place in Osun, then, the party should do away with Aregbesola’s brand of politics that promoted his many amorphous groups like O’Rauf, Mandate Group, State Boys, etc at the expense of the party machinery. This governor alienated the party hierarchy and made it redundant in Osun. Not only that, he carried on arrogantly, believing in his fabled ascendancy as a leader.

Yet, this is the same man who appointed commissioners almost three years after he assumed office and only on the eve of that Osun West poll. Aregbesola has more time poking his nose and finger into Lagos politics than in Osun where he was elected to superintend. If APC is desirous of retaining Osun, they need

a new arrowhead, a new rallying point today, not the gregarious Aregbesola with his political baggage.

For now, the good people of Osun State are earnestly waiting for 2018 to kick out this governor and his cronies. Seething civil servants and pensioners have spent most of the last seven years protesting huge unpaid salaries, gratuities and pensions.

They have also accused Aregbesola of diverting bailout and Paris Club funds meant for payment of salaries and pensions. The chairman of the retirees, Omoniyi Ilesanmi revealed recently that more than 2,000 retirees had died waiting for pension and gratuity, while many others were down with various ailments. “Many of our members are married to their wheelchairs till God knows when. Their children are out of school because of inability to pay fees. The untimely and avoidable deaths continue unabated among us because of non-payment of our benefits,” remarked Ilesanmi.

Instead of addressing issues raised by these retirees, the government mischievously sponsored a faction of the union to counter the protest. Aregbesola has also been pushing out a lot of falsehoods about payments to these senior citizens. This is the height of man’s inhumanity to man.

Few weeks back, medical doctors in the state’s public hospitals were on the streets demonstrating against payment of incomplete salaries. Both serving and retired civil servants are going through hell. Anybody remotely connected to Aregbesola in the 2018 election is simply digging his grave.

Health Minister Should Respond to Sleaze Allegations Much as I disagree with the insubordination of the suspended Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf, I would want us to focus on the issues raised by Yusuf. Yes, it is preposterous for Yusuf to publicly declare that the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole has no power to suspend him. Yes, he is clearly silly to say that it was only President Buhari that could suspend or remove him.

Yusuf, being a public officer, is bound by the regulations governing the public service. The NHIS is an agency supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health. Besides, Adewole got the approval of the Acting President before taking the decision to suspend him. So, Yusuf’s suspension is legitimate.

However, I am worried that Yusuf was accused of corruption and suspended few weeks after he raised allegation of sleaze in the NHIS scheme and alleged pressure from the health minister to make some dubious payments. Perhaps, Adewole does not understand the implications of these accusations in relation to the Buhari administration’s war against corruption. I think I need to repeat the allegations. He alleged that you, Adewole, asked him to pay N197,072,500 for contracts awarded by the ministry “without budgetary provision.” That on March 28, 2017, you directed him through your Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Binta Bello to pay the said amount for rehabilitation works in some Federal Medical Centres, but that he visited the affected chief medical directors, and discovered that no such projects were executed. He also alleged that you tried to force him to release $37,383 to some staff in your ministry to attend a World Health Organisation conference in Switzerland, contrary to an existing government circular from the office of the SGF that ministers should not pressurise parastatals to sponsor foreign trips.

These are the issues our dear health minister should properly address in the spirit of this government’s anti-corruption war.

My dear Adewole, please, do the needful.

Meanwhile, the minister should, in the spirit of fairness, allow the ICPC to handle the alleged fraud/gross abuse of office against Yusuf.

Musings on Sule Lamido’s Presidential Ambition Former governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State wants to be the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019. He has been doing a lot of underground work.

This is the same party he openly worked against during the 2015 Presidential election.

During the campaign for Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election, Lamido gave tacit support to Buhari, candidate of the then-opposition APC. His style of politics is frightening.

Many will not forget in a hurry how he was appointed the North-west Presidential Campaign Coordinator for Jonathan, but suddenly turned around to mortify his party.

His words are still fresh in my memory.

Lamido remarked then: “As far as I am concerned, I have not been appointed Jonathan’s campaign coordinator at any level. As I am talking to you, there is no official letter in any form served to me in respect of this appointment you are talking about. I am not Jonathan’s campaign coordinator, only what I know is I saw my name in the newspapers, period.” Lamido ensured that none of the campaign vehicles used by his candidates throughout Jigawa State carried Jonathan’s picture. This is clearly not how to be a loyal party member. The wages of vanity is clearly waiting for this ex-Jigawa governor as he continues dreaming of 2019.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ LY 22, 2017

THE ALTERNATIVE with Reno Omokri Not Just Movies, But a President Elected in Nigeria Must be Consumed in Nigeria

I

am sure my readers were rudely shocked out of their reverie by the eponymously named Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, who announced to a bewildered nation that the Federal Government, whose spokesman he is, is making preparations to stop Nollywood and Nigerian pop stars from shooting movies and videos abroad.

Said Lai Mohammed, “This government has agreed that henceforth, whatever we consume in Nigeria in terms of music and films, must be made in Nigeria.

We cannot continue to go to South Africa or any other country to produce our films and then send them back to be consumed in Nigeria.”

It was perhaps lost on Lai Mohammed as he spoke that his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in Nigeria by Nigerians is not being consumed in Nigeria.

And while we were still grappling with the absurdity of Lai Mohammed’s comments, his colleague in office, Kemi Adeosun, added to the comedy that this government has become by announcing that the Buhari administration plans to tax beggars!

According to the honourable (?) minister, “You are supposed to pay taxes even if your means of income is begging.” This is the reason why I have said that a polytechnic graduate like Kemi Adeosun is not sufficiently qualified to handle our complicated economy! It doesn’t matter if the polytechnic she graduated from is in the U.K. In civilized nations, they place beggars on social security, but in Nigeria our polytechnic-graduate finance minister wants them taxed! Last year, President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter got married in a lavish ceremony which attracted several private jets to Abuja.

Rather than beggars, Kemi Adeosun can pursue their owners for taxes!

President Muhammadu Buhari is in a U.K. hospital.

His children study at U.K. schools. His wife shops at U.K. stores. He and his family are more U.K. oriented than they are Nigerian oriented. Yet it is Nollywood shooting a few movies abroad that Lai Mohammed complains about.

I am told that the Federal Road Safety Corps wants to perform psychiatric evaluation on reckless drivers. The FRSC should not limit its psychiatric test to reckless drivers. They should also start performing them on reckless ministers like Lai Mohammed and Kemi Adeosun!

And when given the chance to explain himself two days after making his faux pas, Lai Mohammed doubled down on his comments and insisted that TV/radio programming meant to be consumed in Nigeria must be made in Nigeria, saying inter alia, “This is because we cannot continue to develop the economies of the other parts of the world from the sweat of Nigerians and at the expense of the Nigerian economy”.

President Muhammadu Buhari is in a U.K. hospital. His children study at U.K. schools.

His wife shops at U.K. stores. He and his family are more U.K. oriented than they are Nigerian oriented. Yet it is Nollywood shooting a few movies abroad that Lai Mohammed complains about. I am told that the Federal Road Safety Corps wants to perform psychiatric evaluation on reckless drivers.The FRSC should not limit its psychiatric test to reckless drivers.

They should also start performing them on reckless ministers like Lai Mohammed and Kemi Adeosun! And when given the chance to explain himself two days after making his faux pas, Lai Mohammed doubled down on his comments and insisted thatTV/radio programming meant to be consumed in Nigeria must be made in Nigeria, saying inter alia, “This is because we cannot continue to develop the economies of the other parts of the world from the sweat of Nigerians and at the expense of the Nigerian economy

Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed forgets that our Presidential jet has been languishing at London’s Stansted Airport for over 80 days and accruing daily charges in the thousands of U.K. pounds per day.

As at today, the amount of charges our Presidential jet has accrued at London’s Stansted Airport could have paid 2,000 Nigerian workers going by the lowest parking rate charged by Stabsted. Why is the jet even there? This joke of a Presidency in their statement justified parking the Presidential jet at London’s Stansted by saying it was for ‘prestige’ reasons.

The Presidency says the Presidential jet is parked at London’s Stansted for ‘prestige’. The British Prime Minister has no official jet. Maybe she has no ‘prestige’ even though Britain makes Jets and Nigeria does not!

Is this not a case of Nigeria’s taxpayer’s monies being used to “develop the economies of the other parts of the world from the sweat of Nigerians and at the expense of the Nigerian economy”, to borrow Lai Mohammed’s words? Lai Mohammed who now wants to stop Nollywood from making videos abroad, forgot that his All Progressives Congress relied on foreign consultants to win the 2015 elections!

They go abroad to win elections. They go abroad to educate their children. They go abroad for healthcare.

But they do not want Nollywood to go abroad to make money! Perhaps Lai Mohammed wants to reduce Nollywood stars to beggars so they are eligible for taxation by Kemi Adeosun!

Since we the citizens have not complained that President Muhammadu Buhari is receiving medical treatment abroad should the Buhari administration now complain that we make movies abroad? Lai Mohammed should not provoke us.

The Financial Times of London called our President a “frequent London resident” in their recent Op-ed wherein they stated that he has done ‘nothing’ to improve the Nigerian economy, yet his government is complaining that they will stop our movie makers and artists from making movies and videos abroad. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Nigerians (mostly government officials) spend $1 billion annually on medical tourism while less than 1% of that is spent on shooting movies and videos abroad. Lie Mohammed should get his priorities right!

I am even thinking that since Lai Mohammed does not want Nollywood to make movies abroad, perhaps Nollywood should just contract the making of films abroad to President Muhammadu Buhari and his family.

After all, they are always abroad!

And those people complaining about the President spending much time in the U.K. misunderstand Lai. It is okay for the President to go abroad at public expense

but not okay for Nollywood to do the same at their own personal expense!

The spokesman of a President who spends more time in London than Nigeria has the guts to condemn Nollywood for making movies abroad. What a comedic administration!

And the comedy continues! When Garba Shehu says that the Jonathan administration increased the activities of terrorists, he betrays a very shallow grasp of history which I will now prove with the benefit of some historical facts.

When the Jonathan administration imposed a state of emergency in certain local governments in the North-east of Nigeria to contain terrorists, it was precisely Muhammadu Buhari that said on Monday the 3rd of June 2013 that ‘the military offensive against Boko Haram is anti-North’.

Again, after the Jonathan administration banned Boko Haram in 2013, it was precisely Lai Mohammed, President Buhari’s current minister for information, who on Monday the 10th of June, 2013 said that banning Boko Haram was unconstitutional and that “the proscription stifles the press and tampers with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”

So it is therefore rich for the Buhari administration to start making these claims against the Jonathan government. It may be that Garba Shehu is not aware that this administration has lost any credibility it has especially as regards the anti-terror war.

On Thursday the 24th of December, 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari told the world that Boko Haram was ‘technically defeated’ and gave himself a pat on the back after claiming that the terror group had lost its capacity to conduct ”conventional attacks”. Since that time, Boko Haram has attacked military barracks and military formations multiple times as reported in the media.

Since that time, there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks with more than 30 attacks reported in the media.

In the last week alone there have been three such suicide attacks with almost 20 deaths, according to media reports.

There have also been attacks on military and police convoys with Boko Haram terrorists releasing a video this week of several women it says it kidnapped from a police convoy. Just two days ago (Thursday, July 20, 2017), the US State Department released a statement indicating that 75% of all global deaths from terrorism in 2016 originated from Nigeria and four other nations!

Nigerians may want to note that it was under the Buhari administration that the World Economic Forum on Tuesday June 20, 2017 listed Nigeria as the fifth most dangerous country in the world because instances of Fulani Herdsmen terrorism are so rampant and continue with impunity. Fulani herdsmen operating in Nigeria were also named the fourth most deadly terrorists group in the world by the Global Terrorism Index on Wednesday November 18, 2015. This is not surprising in a situation where a governor, who happens to be a close confidant of President Muhammadu Buhari, confessed to giving Fulani Herdsmen money.

It may also be recalled that on February 2, 2017 the US Congress cited Nigeria “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.”

All these are proof positive that not only has Boko Haram not been defeated, they have metastasised under Buhari and indeed other terrorist groups have become emboldened to expand their activities nationwide.

Nigerians will remember that the Jonathan administration was able to crush Boko Haram in the first quarter of 2015 which was why the 2015 elections were able to hold throughout the entire North-east of Nigeria.

The question that Nigerians may want to ask is if elections can hold in all areas of Borno State today. The answer to that question will show who between President Buhari and former President Jonathan really defeated Boko Haram.

Reno’s Nuggets

Never argue with a man who wants to win an argument. You are listening to understand him. He is listening to disagree with you. In the same vein, do not stay around people who do not see your worth or you will start to believe them and it is then you will truly be worthless. And note that if a tree only has access to the sun, it won’t mature. It needs the rain to fall before it can bear fruit. If man only sees good times, he won’t mature. Success is a mixture of good and bad times #RenosNuggets.

Plus

LOUD WHISPERS VINTAGE AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER INTERVIEW FASHION FILE

Jay Osi Samuels

Any Professional Who Hates Politics will Always be Ruled by Morons

pg. 20 pg. 24 pg. 26 pg. 29 pg. 34 pg. 41

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 22, 2017

PLUS

I Want State of Residence Not State of Origin Trained in the best institutions both at home and abroad, Dr. Jay Osi Samuels, a medical doctor has achieved success in his chosen field. An international health care development expert, Samuels is involved in medical and healthcare development in Nigeria representing donor groups who are interested in disease prevention. He finds something is amiss in a society where people can barely feed in the midst of plenty. That is why he decided to step out of his comfort zone and spearhead the formation of a group, Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN. His aim is to galvanise professionals and technocrats to come out and take governance away from the crushing grips of politicians. He tells Samuel Ajayi about his mission and vision

Y

ou trained as a medical doctor, what are you presently into?

I am an international healthcare development expert and my area of specialisation is sickness prevention and health systems strengthening. My organisation works for governments; that is the donor government and the host governments either at the federal, state or local.

Does your job cover other African countries or Nigeria alone?

For now, our focus is primarily on Nigeria even though we have Africa in focus. We have offices in four states which are Lagos, Oyo, Plateau and Abuja. These are the places where our funders want us to work.

In the news is that you’re involved in a new political movement, Alliance for New Nigeria.

Can you tell us what this is all about since it is outside your core area of specialisation?

Yes. I think getting involved in the political space was not what I set out to do. If someone has told me few months ago that I would be involved in this, I would have said no. But events that are happening in the country and the way the country is being run have led one to start asking is this the best that we can get for Nigeria. From experience, this country has the resources, both human and natural, to be better than the way we are.

It just befuddles one to ask what is happening. Even those of us operating in the donor landscape, all the monies that donor countries are giving us, Nigeria can conveniently afford them and even do more if well applied. Even the funders are threatening the country that if you don’t do this or that, we will do that but the government does not seem to care. These are the things that get us wondering and have pulled one to the political. Our current leaders don’t have the will to serve the people that put them there. Instead of complaining all the time, we have to let our people know that we are not hopeless and that is why we are stepping into the space.

Why don’t you leave politics to politicians and let them run the show?

And that is what we have been doing since – I mean the professionals. We have ceded the leadership of this country to politicians for long. Even if we have felt the positive impact before, we are far behind when it comes to dividends of democracy. Even those of us who claim we are comfortable, that is relative. Some of the things we could afford in the past, we cannot afford now. We are far behind now in that so-called comfortability. We don’t even know what will happen in few months time. And it does not seem we will get the right answers to the issues we are raining.

Why then should we continue to believe these same people will solve our problems for us? Why don’t we take the gauntlet and try to rescue ourselves? We are in the political space to say that even if politicians have failed, there are some of us that care for our country. We must let Nigerians know we are not hopeless. That is why we are calling on all right thinking Nigerians to come on board and be part of the action some of us have taken and help to retire and replace this class of leaders we currently have.

What is your own ideology?

Our own ideology is that Nigeria is one of the greatest countries created by God but we have not been blessed by good leaders. So we came about with the ideology can be great again. What average Nigerians want from government is not too much. They want good and decent life. Why has this been difficult to provide? Why? We are spurred by the fact that if given the chance, we can actually run this country. When it comes to writing and developing policies, many excellent ones have been developed in the past. What is lacking is the political will and determination to implement these policies and do the right thing. The problem is that our leaders are always pandering to certain interests that prevent them from doing the right thing.

Allegiance should be to the people alone and that is what we want to do. It is only the people that can give power and take it. We don’t believe in any godfather; the only godfather we have is the people. All you need to do is to be transparent

Samuels

JULY 22, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

19

PLUS I Am from Edo State but Hey, I am an Ibadan Indigene and provide purpose leadership.

The people will fall in line when they see these.

You focus on professionals and technocrats. Why? When you look at the society, professionals cut across all cadres.

Not necessarily those that read medicine or accounting or law.

Bricklayers, carpenters and so on are professionals in their own rights as long as they learnt these vocations.

But we are looking at certain class of professionals who has been carrying on as if they are not part of this country because they have been their own ‘governments’. They are governments to themselves because they did not use mortgage to build their houses, they paid cash down. They provided their own power, even built back-ups via solar panels; they built their own water system and so on. These are people who spent millions of naira to put water treatments in their homes.

Some of them even constructed the road to their neighbourhoods.

These people don’t feel any impact of government but when you feel you can do so many things without relying on government, wherever you are living, you are still under a local government or county. And there is someone who is the local government chairman who is not as educated or exposed as you are, but he determines what you do and what you don’t do in your area.

The time has come for professionals to apply that same excellence you applied in building your business to success to public service. Come out and manage the political space the way you have managed your business and the people under you.

Enough of saying it is not possible, indeed, it is possible. For the love of this country, let us come out.

What’s ‘technoticianism’?

Yes, it is. Politics is something most of us are averse to. But politics is one thing you cannot do without when you are in public service. We don’t want to be seen as another set of politicians who have come. We are different. We are technocrats but at the same time, we want to offer service in the public space. That is why, for a better terminology to describe us, we will be called ‘technoticians’. We join the two wordstechnocrats and politician-together and formed the word ‘technotician’.

We are mindful of the fact that if you want to go to the political space only with your technocrat background, you are bound to fail.

You must know how to build a little bit of politics.

Is your political movement for real?

We are for real and I can assure you of that. The perception in Nigeria is that for one to play politics in Nigeria, you must have a very deep pocket and must know one big name to be able to do what we are doing and that is the perception we want to change. No one is behind us and we are not being financed by anybody. We want to tell these powers that be that they cannot continue to ride roughshod over us even though we don’t have the resources they have. We can do better than them. Therefore, my message to those who may want to join us but thinking we are being

Samuels

sponsored is to come inside and see for themselves. All we have been doing have been out of goodwill.

Nigerians are tired and that is why our message has been resonating with all the people we have been contacting. My message is that if you are interested in us but your are skeptical, I will encourage you to come on board and in due time, you will see if anyone or any godfather is behind us or not.

Has the group been registered ny INEC? We are on the final stage right now. We have paid the mandatory fee to INEC for application. We are putting our papers together and our national office is almost ready and it would never be like your normal party office. We want to do things differently. INEC will soon visit us for their verification and hopefully, we will be registered as a political party.

Are there Nigerian professionals ready to join the group?

Of course. So many of them who I cannot mention for obvious reasons.

That is very, very true. Since we started making awareness about our group, we have been receiving enquiries from within and outside the country. Many of them are just waiting in the wings and they are ready to step in and be part of this as soon as we are registered. In fact, many of them are happy that we are even doing this. What we have now in terms of endorsement will be nothing compared with what we will have when we are fully registered by INEC. Away from politics, what do you enjoy having most?

Well, those who know me know that I take no prisoners when it comes to good things of life. I love them. The best, the better for me. I love good cars and a good house but I don’t believe in amassing all

sorts of things like people saying I have property here or there. What I do is that the one I live, I make it as comfortable as possible. I love good cars to but don’t believe in keeping fleet of cars. The one I like, I go after it and I enjoy it to the fullest.

Have you always wanted to be a medical doctor?

Ironically, I never planned to be one. I became a doctor by accident.

I was a very brilliant student without being immodest. My classmates reading this can attest.

When I finished secondary school, some error on the school’s part, I had issues with my result and as a result, I could not go to the university even when I had already gained admission. I actually wanted to read architecture. When my classmates were gaining admission, only one person gained admission to read medicine and he went to the University of Benin. My resolve then was that I was better than many of them and for me to show that I was better, I decided to go for the best course which was medicine. Apart from that, I decided that I would go to the best university offering medicine as a course, which was the University of Ibadan. My dad was asking if I was sure I wanted to do it since medicine was never part of the plan.

Even at medical school, many thought I was too relaxed to be a medical student since I was not what we called the ‘effico’ type that would be holed up in the room reading. I was always involved in social activities and stuffs like that. I showed them that you don’t have to be too serious because you are a medical student. One of my classmates heard about my ANN activities and he said he was not surprised because he knew this was in me from day one. He said I should go ahead and he would support.

Politics is something most of us are averse to. But politics is one thing you cannot do without when you are in public service.

We don’t want to be seen as another set of politicians who have come. We are different. We are technocrats but at the same time, we want to offer service in the public space.

That is why, for a better terminology to describe us, we will be called ‘technoticians’.

We join the two wordstechnocrats and politician-together and formed the word ‘technotician’.

We are mindful of the fact that if you want to go to the political space only with your technocrat background, you are bound to fail. You must know how to build a little bit of politics You are from Edo State but grew up in Ibadan.

Yes, I am from Edo State but I am a full ‘Omo Ibadan’ (Ibadan indigene). My dad was from Edo State but we were all born in Ibadan and that is one of the things that frustrate one: this state of origin stuff. We lived all our lives in Ibadan. I came back to Nigeria in 2006 and have been living in Abuja since and I could claim Abuja. I am from Fugar in Edo State but how many times do I go there? Though I went to secondary school there because my father insisted I did so as to have an idea of my roots.

Nigeria should get to that level where the issue of state of origin becomes irrelevant. We can have state of residence but not state of origin. That is part of what we have to restructure.

20

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017 with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

LOUD WHISPERS

Lai Muhammed

Lai Muhammed: I Beg to Disagree You know this thing started like joke, when the minister announced that he had received petitions from Nigerians complaining about the hosting of Big Brother Nigeria in South Africa. He had at the time said he was going to investigate and get back to us. Today, he has announced his intention to work for the banning of creative productions outside of the country. I will totally agree with him if he extends the ban, to medical tourism enjoyed by those at the highest level, importation of cars, toothpicks and all that we import in the madness that is the one-sided trade with China. This policy beggars belief even if we situate it only to the entertainment industry.

This Industry I hear is worth in excess of N3 trillion and the underlying reason for this phenomenal growth is the improved state of production. The quality of the output has continued to endear it to a global audience which in turn is bringing in some very much-needed international flows. So I think our artistes should be free to seek the production quality and international collaborations anywhere in the world. What we really do not understand is the manning of some of these positions, practitioners or at best people with the ability to understand these things should be put in strategic positions so that we do not continue to be saddled with some of these k-legged policies. Even in simple arithmetic, someone spends say $10,000 to shoot a video in South Africa because that is where they all go to and the video goes viral globally and starts generating hard currency in download, creates employment not only in the entertainment industry but also the telecommunications industry, services, distribution and allied industries not to mention tourism and also boosting the image of the country and you say you want to stop that for whatever reason? What is even wrong with these people sef? Who are their advisers?

My lord in case you do not know, Whiz kid has just done a collaboration with Drake and the song was the most popular song globally for some time, winning awards, leading to all sorts of international attention towards Nigeria with many international artists coming here in search of such talent and unique sounds, with endorsements and promotions running wild and millions of dollars generated all on a five-minute song which did not even make sense to me. Dear Sir, please go listen to one of Davido’s hot tunes and listen to the line in which he said , ‘are you done talking’…

Federal Road Safety Corps and its Foray into Nollywood Let me first confess upfront. I really do not like the FRSC people having been a victim so many times, of their arbitrary tactics especially when it comes to stopping you for minor traffic misdemeanours. In fact, it is because of them I do not drive except on Sundays. Even at that, they can know how to catch me especially by that bridge in Ikeja. It is like part of their training, they have been taught how not to take sorry. In fact, when I see FRSC people standing and I see police on the other side, I quickly surrender to the police who after their initial gra gra will calm down and negotiations will commence. The last time Road Safety people ambushed me at Iponri, they took me to their office where the oga with a very big tummy kept me waiting while devouring a very big bowl of pap and like 24 pieces of bean cakes, the one they call akara. Yes, I

Deziani Allison-Madueke

Kola Aluko

Senator Ita Giwa: An Amazon in Distress News I am hearing from the beautiful city of Calabar is not comforting at all and I am looking for my white garment, candles and olive oil to commence spiritual battle against those who are bent on persecuting my only mummy in the Bakassi region.

Things I hear have not really been smooth for ekanmi (that is my mother for those of you who do not understand the United Nations approved international language - Efik). Ever since Senator Ita Giwa decamped to the APC, she has really known no peace. I think that move might have ruffled some very powerful feathers which has led to her losing some of her beautiful sleep. You know at the age of 71 she cannot be playing with her sleep. All sorts have been happening to her culminating in her recent invitation by the authorities where she was allegedly told in no clear terms that her popularity in the state was a security threat. She was asked to write a statement that she would try her best to stop being popular. But seriously, the question I want to ask this morning is, ‘Who is afraid of Senator Ita Giwa.’ Personally, I do not see how this perceived harassment including summoning her for questioning and alleging all sorts like planning to destabilise the system would mute her or make her

counted o, before he decided to listen to my supplication. The fact that I was receiving news of my father-in-law’s passing when his people caught me using the phone while driving did not move the man at all.

I was charged with various offences, given a bill to pay at the bank and the fact that I drove my car myself into the camp did not stop him from charging me for towing van and also a fee to allow the vulcaniser reflate my tyres. You will ask me why all these stories this morning. Well I am trying to gauge the mindset of the driver who

run with her tail between her legs from a state she has given so much to. In case you do not know, ekanmi comes from a fiery background. She once told me a story of how she saw her mummy drop three times from a Blackmaria because of her principled stance against the tyranny of those days. So a lady with that kind of pedigree would not whimper at these putative confrontations. She has given so much not only to the state but to Nigeria as a whole, she has flown the beacon of women leadership almost to the highest levels in this country, she has fought for the downtrodden especially the almost destitute refugees of the Bakassi peninsula and won international admiration for this role, I think her decision to decamp to another party should not be a basis for her demonification if there is any word like that. I think our leaders and politicians should learn how to dialogue during strife or use positive political strategy to disarm opponents instead of leaning on brute force or the threat of it in intimidating perceived opponents. Now I have taken a definite stance against perceived forces who have never even heard of me o. Me and my big mouth but then again, truth is truth my people.

Na here I stand o, where are these candles sef?

was shown in that video that went viral.

Immediately I saw the video, from experience I quickly knew what had happened and I totally agree with the explanations of the FRSC on this matter. You see the man like me, would have dreaded going into the FRSC camp where he would have had his car impounded, humiliated, possibly pushed to do some crazy psychiatry tests and knowing full well that ‘these people no dey hear sorry’ would have decided to run away, forgetting that the officer was in the vehicle. So the lady in trying to save herself

Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister

was seeking to pull the handbrake as they sped off and her colleagues seeing their sister about to be abducted did the next best rational thing by smashing the glasses of the car to rescue their colleague. Yes that is what happened. Now lessons to be learnt: FRSC should show their officers more American movies where they would learn how to chase cars. They do not smash the windows with a stone (what if there was no stone around) but tail gate the runaway car until the suspect’s fuel finishes. This may not work though because something tells me that it is the corps’ car’s fuel that will finish first. Secondly, male colleagues should be the ones allowed to jump into a suspect’s car while the females would be outside and in a better position to run for help and finally they should also be open to negotiations abeg. No be Nigeria we all dey.

The people too dey do sef. As for the driver, next time you should have not filmed it until you are very sure you are in the right, now you have filmed your own prosecution evidence that would be used against you. pele foolish man.

Aluko and Diezani : A Twosome Gone Bad Forgive the pun. As I was about to write this piece, the twosome joke entered my big head. These financial lovers have together allegedly raped Nigeria to its knees. You can imagine buying the eighth most expensive apartment in New York from our money and buying a yatch with the asking price of $80m while still splurging some more on Naomi Campbell and other celebrities. All his mummy could do and say was to advise him not to buy but to lease it for two weeks and of course the boy did not listen to his mummy o. He went ahead to buy the boat and ended up exposing them to the U.S authorities who are better prepared to handle such things.

This Aluko person should have his head examined with the way he was running around and doing international playboy with our money. These people have mind o, why would they allegedly be moving these kinds of funds and expect not to be caught? How can these people allegedly steal enough money to run the budgets of all states in the northern part of the country only to now use the funds on international prostitutes and satanic acquisitions? This Diezani woman try sha.

Inflation: A Voodoo Report Let me first state here that I am not an economist o so I will most likely be talking crap on this matter. Once again the Statistician General has come out with a report that has shown that inflation has been tamed and has been going down in five straight months. According to the report, the rate is now 16% but the question I would like to ask the Statistician General is if he has reduced his wife’s chop money by the same rate he is saying inflation is dropping. All these paper progress we have been reporting is becoming frustrating.

We are still buying foodstuffs at exorbitant prices, price of fuel which is very key to consumer price index is still at the same rate so how can inflation be going down when we are still buying garri at the same crazy price? I am taking the report with me to Shomolu market to show the women there that inflation has gone down o and as such they should adjust their prices otherwise I would report them to the Statistician General. Await my feedback Nigerians.

Let’s get real abeg.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ

21

SPY GLASS

SOLA ADEDOYIN with OBA ALAO SOLA ADEDOYIN’S HAPPY MOMENT While it will be wrong to say that life has been unfair to her, she had, however, been buffeted, at different times in the past, with the blustering winds of vicissitude.

Indeed, the mere mention of her name would evoke pity, particularly among the few who know her story.

Princess Sola Adedoyin, a former Managing Director of the defunct City Express Bank, once battled with cancer.

Mercifully, the beautiful daughter of billionaire businessman, Chief Samuel Adedoyin, survived the dreaded disease to the disbelief of those who had written her off.

The President of MariaSam Foundation also recorded another tragedy when the bank collapsed in the face of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, new regulations.

Not yet sated, fate dealt her another unkind blow, when her marriage to her former husband of many years hit the rocks. No doubt, the development had tested her avowed faith in God. Many years after, the graduate of Marketing /Accountancy from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia is having the last laugh, as her new-found love, Francis Olushola Alao, has just been announced as the new monarch of Olugbon of IleIgbon Kingdom in Oyo State.

Following his confirmation by the state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, he has since been observing the mandatory traditional seclusion, as part of the rituals of attainment of the royal stool.

As gathered, she has been in a happy mood since, while activity is now in top gear for the grand ceremony for the installation of the new monarch.

As revealed, the man is an international business tycoon, well-travelled and has various businesses spread across the world. He is from the Akinbola ruling house of Orile-Igbon in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State. He is also a highly-educated and very influential business magnate.

LEKKI GARDEN’S BOSS, RICHARD NYONG’S TRAVAILS Richard Nyong, CEO, Lekki Gardens came to the nation’s real estate sector with a bang! His coming then had caused a stir in the sector, as he delighted stakeholders with beautiful promises.

No doubt, he started on a good note,

with BAYO ADEOYE .... 08054680651

MOHAMMED BABANGIDA AND WIFE as his firm smiled to the bank after successfully delivering over 2,000 housing units comprising thousands of semi-detached houses and flats in more than nine residential estates.

The estates, located between Chevron Bus Stop and Lagos Business School, Victoria Island, Lagos, are Lekki Horizon, Lekki Paradise, Lekki Gardens II, III and I. But suddenly, there was a new twist to his story when Nyong and his contractor were arrested in connection with the death of some workers at one of his construction sites in Lekki, Lagos State.

He was then granted bail. This development later made him go underground.

However, the case was exhumed when it caught the attention of the state government. He was re-arrested and charged with manslaughter alongside his top managers before Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, Lagos.

FINALLY, MOHAMMED BABANGIDA’S WIFE, NOW A MOTHER At last, beautiful Aisha Umma Wali, the younger wife of Mohammed Babangida, son of a former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida (rtd.), is now a proud mother, having been delivered of a baby boy penultimate week at a highbrow hospital in California in the U.S. The baby is named Al’Ameen.

She is said to be extremely happy for the grace to taste the nectar of motherhood, nine years after she got married to the scion of the Babangidas.

It was gathered that her being childless for many years had exposed her to the ridicule and sneer of some people.

But she was consoled by the fact that her husband showed her true love and care, while she hoped for the proverbial fruit of the womb.

Their love story dates back to over 20 years ago when they met through one Fatima Najib, one of their mutual friends. It was gathered that pololoving Mohammed had immediately expressed his love and desire to marry Umma, who was then a young undergraduate at the Bayero University, BUK, Kano.

Even when she travelled abroad for

AWELE ELUMELU

further studies, Babangida was reportedly still passionately in love with her so much so that he gave her a diamond ring, as a symbol of his commitment to her. But sadly, their parents were said to have kicked against the relationship.

Though he later married Rahama Indimi in 2004, Babangida still reportedly had feelings for Umma in his heart.

Luckily, the coast became clear, and the two love-birds stoked the ember of their affair, after his parents gave their blessings to the union. The marriage was held in 2008, amidst elaborate celebrations.

It will be recalled that his marriage to his first wife, Rahama, finally hit the rocks last year due to irreconcilable differences.

WHEN FUNSHO LAWAL TURNED 62 Anyone who wishes to compile the list of top corporate players in Nigeria will be making a grave error if he or she lives out the name of Otunba Funso Lawal.

A great but quiet achiever, he turned 62 recently. Though the celebration was planned to be low key, a number of people, from all walks of life, honoured him with their presence at his Ikoyi, Lagos home.

The Ogbomoso, Oyo State-born achiever, who obtained both his first degree and Masters in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, USA, started his career as a Trainee Engineer in Tenneco Oil in 1979 and became a Systems Analyst with the Control Data Corporation in Denver Colorado. He later moved to Citibank New York in 1985 as one of the pioneer staff of the bank’s new franchise in Nigeria. He rose to the position of the Vice President of the bank in Nigeria and retired from banking in 1992 to set up a group of companies in the oil and gas, financial services and real estate sectors in Nigeria.

THE BRAINY AWELE ELUMELU As a man, you must count yourself lucky, if you are blessed with a beautiful, humble, faithful and pious wife.

This, no doubt, is one of the things Tony Elumelu, Chairman, United Bank for Africa, UBA, is grateful to God for.

But not too many know his wife, Awele, particularly because she detests unnec-

IYIOLA OMISORE

Richard Nyong

FUNSHO LAWAL

essary publicity.

Nevertheless, those who have encountered the respected medical doctor at social events attest to the fact that she is not a snub. She cherishes her privacy greatly and usually makes lasting statements with her dress sense whenever she steps out with her husband.

Very brainy, the CEO, Avon Medical Services Limited holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Benin. She worked with the Grantham and District Hospital, Grantham, United Kingdom.

She had also worked with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos.

IYIOLA OMISORE SOARS HIGHER Since the July 8 election that produced Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Osun West Senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Iyiola Omisore’s profile has suddenly been on the rise.

His home is said to have become a Mecca of sorts, as he is believed to have given the leadership of the opposition party a strong hope that it can wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, in 2018.

Until now, his popularity had allegedly dwindled in the state, after he lost the Osun State governorship election to the incumbent, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

During the perceived interregnum in his political life, he pursued his Ph. D in Engineering. But typical of a master strategist, the Ife, Osun State-born Prince bounced back, and is fast taking his rightful place in the politics of the state.

Today, many of his disciples who left him during the dark years are returning to his fold.

It will be recalled that shortly before the July 8 senatorial election, the former deputy governor brokered peace among aggrieved party members, a development that has proved to be fruitful.

Commenting on this unfolding development, a source revealed that even if Omisore did not contest the number one job in the state in 2018, he would definitely play a huge role in who becomes the governor because of his growing influence.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

SUPER SATURDAY

WALE OJO

My Sex Scenes with Omotola Highly Erotic

Ojo

The sky was cloudy, rain was imminent. There was gridlock with horns blaring as petulant drivers wanted to have their way. Unknown to many people, somewhere around that vicinity, seated calmly in a white Xterra SUV was an international superstar. He had parked outside This Present House, a popular church on Lagos Island. Then the sky opened up. Looking at his face, Wale Ojo appears younger than his image on camera. Sporty, in a T-shirt, jogger’s pants wih trainers and a fez cap to match, the British-trained actor had stayed off a location owing to some changes. Ferdinand Ekechukwu caught up with the much sought-after actor whose craft has graced both local and international movies

I

n 2013, at the Fire of Zamani album launch by Ice Prince at Eko Hotel and Suites, Wale Ojo’s Smartphone was picked-off as he made his way to the VIP section through a surge of people.

All efforts made to retrieve the phone were futile. It was not the cost but the contents of the phone that made him feel bad about the loss. Aside the large number of contacts, the device had notes, videos and audio materials for a family book he was writing.

Many of his fans are oblivious of the talented thespian’s gift of scriptwriting.

Ojo’s writings are mainly short stories and poems. He has written and produced a short film called, Ghost of Tarkwa Bay, which he says, will be released this year.

The movie, according to him, has the elements of Francophone cinema. But it is essentially also, a Nigerian story, which projects Ojo’s advocacy for good cinematic movies. He writes out of inspiration and passion for the arts. He also loves singing.

To his musical feat recently is a 16-piece Afro-beat band called, Wale Ojo and the Milagros. To catch Ojo display his musical side, he will be ‘LIVE AND

UNPLUGGED’ at the Nine Zero Degrees on 707 Sanusi Fafunwa Victoria Island on Saturday, July 29.

Before returning to Nigeria, he played with several bands across the years while acting. Faced with the difficulties of breaking through in the UK film industry, he stayed true to his craft. To that, whenever he writes a script there’s always an element of music involved. Those years of challenges did attract the compassion of his parents. But he would not want to lean on them for support. He wanted to prove a point that he could make it on his own.

Once, at the age of eight, Ojo was involved in acting, doing different dramas with NTA Ibadan, courtesy of his uncle.

There, he had the opportunity to meet the likes of Tunji Fatilewa, Sam Loco Efe, Akin Lewis, and Olumide Bakare.

“They were all budding actors then. I used to spend time backstage watching a lot of them. Now, they’re Nollywood legends mentored by great luminaries like the late Zulu Sofola (first published Nigerian female playwright and dramatist and first female professor of Theatre Arts in Africa),” he recalled.

Back in England, he had enrolled at Mayfield College at age 12 and through to

the University with a Bachelor’s degree in drama. Upon graduation at 21, and having discovered his immense love for the stage, following a chance representation at the theatre in Edinburgh festival, he was cast for a role in Shakespeare’s play staged

by Tower London Company as a young Othello in 1986.

Playing the role of Othello left him with a whole new experience. He confessed that a deep knowledge of the play, by years of understanding, is required to enable delivery on the role and that the works of Shakespeare impacted a great deal on him because in English acting one is trained in drama with the works of Shakespeare. To be sure, Ojo relishes those Shakespearean flavours that depict timeless understanding befitting of any student of Shakespeare as he displays his vast knowledge of the works. Such knowledge and love for Shakespeare at a time inspired him and other group of actors to embark on an experimental workshop with Hamlet, adapted as ‘Jagun Prince of Oyo.’ Packed with years of mixed experiences, Ojo likes doing stage and film acting, but prefers the former.

“Stage acting is the one that defines you

most as an actor. That’s where you truly owned your craft. In film acting, you have a cushion to lean on as there are always stops. There is always assistance. But on stage, it’s like a race till the end.

“And I discovered I have done most of the stages back then in the United Kingdom. I really owned my craft acting on stage. I will always take to stage work,” he noted.

Artistically diverse, challenging characters drive him.

“Characters that are as far away from me as possible – if you look at my body of work you will see that the characters I played were very different from one to the other. I fly between the walls of comedy and serious drama,” Ojo stated.

From playing the mercurial buffoon, ‘Bayo’ in the sitcom ‘Meet The Adebanjos,’ an M-Net TV comedy series, to playing a psychologically adept and highly manipulative character ‘Kola’ in the movie ‘CEO’; to a corporate executive character ‘Akin’ in Phone Swap; then playing an Igbo trader ‘Ken’ in Elvis Chuks’ award-winning movie, ‘For The Wrong Reasons’, Ojo loves playing roles that depict and stretch his creative dexterity.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ LY 22, 2017

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SATURDAY MY SEX SCENES WITH OMOTOLA HIGHLY EROTIC

Ojo with acclaimed French actor, Joseph Malerba In 2004, the versatile actor debuted in Nollywood acting alongside Justice Esiri in the movie, ‘Six Demons’, by Teco Benson.

Since the beginning of 2017, Ojo has moved from Lagos to Cairo; from Addis Ababa to India; and from Dubai to London; exhibiting his craft and promoting Nigerian and African movies at international festivals.

Recently, he was in Johannesburg as part of a Nigerian team that witnessed the hugely successful Nigerian theatre production, Kakadu, a musical drama.

Following ‘Fifty’s’ success, a romantic drama – now turned into a TV series – he starred in with some sterling cast of actresses, he also played a lead role in ‘Alter Ego’, acting alongside Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

“We worked in a very sensitive manner and it was quite a very difficult role. It deals with sexual impropriety. And to her credit I think she pulled it off. And I hope that I pulled it off too.

“The sex scenes are erotically charged.

We are actors doing our best to interpret a part and I believe we did it to the best of our respective abilities,” the actor said.

What could be responsible for Ojo’s high demand in the movie industry?

His response was not far-fetched; timing and the works that’s been made available. He added that most of his works were international and that secured him an international acting agency in California, which represents him worldwide.

Ojo has done a good number of works on the stage, on TV and in films with Hollywood stars in movies like ‘Johnny English’ with Rowan Atkinson; ‘The Guard’ with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson; ‘The Philanthropist’ with James Purefoy; ‘The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ with Gill Scott; and ‘Hard Case’

Ojo has done a good number of works on the stage, on TV and in films with Hollywood stars in movies like ‘Johnny English’ with Rowan Atkinson; ‘The Guard’ with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson; ‘The Philanthropist’ with James Purefoy; ‘The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ with Gill Scott; and ‘Hard Case’ by renowned Hollywood director, Guy Ritchie by renowned Hollywood director, Guy Ritchie.

His ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ interest in Nigeria’s film industry would see him redefine the contract. “I then told the agency that I have commitment to improve Nigerian film industry. That I have been spending a lot of time in Nigeria.”

That sounds more like an appendage

to the concept of Nollywood? “It’s not an appendage to Nollywood,” he said. “It is a development; it’s an evolution in the Nigerian film production. It is a movement from Nollywood video production genre back to the cinema production culture.”

Adding, in perspective, that “Video is video and film is film. But there’s some film you can still shoot and it goes straight to video.”

“But you have to be aware of the language of cinema. And if we are to compete on the world stage, we have to realise that there are some certain festivals that may only accept cinema standard Nollywood films because of the way in which it is made.”

That, he explains is the vision of his ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ movement, to chart a new course in moving Nollywood forward to international level.

“I’ve never castigated Nollywood,” he said. “The early Nollywood was like the movement of those early American filmmakers where they had no support, took a video camera, then went ahead to develop an entire movie industry; an industry that feeds millions of families.

So it would be highly disrespectful and dishonourable to disparage Nollywood.

“I am a product of Nollywood. I am only taking it forward with New Nigeria Cinema. I grew up watching a lot of Nollywood actors as a child and I enjoyed that immensely. And a lot of my heroes like Sam Loco (the late Sam Loco Efe) entered Nollywood when it started in the 90’s. Don’t forget that the Nigerian film industry started with films like ‘Bisi Daughter of The River’, and ‘Kongi’s Harvest’, which were shown at cinemas.

That’s another separate thing entirely.

Here, I’m talking about Nollywood which started in the 90s, of which of

course Sam Loco was part of.”

The quality of films he wants to make and see comes from many different influences as diverse as Hubert Ogunde, Tunde Kelani, Wole Soyinka, and Ola Balogun.

“I’m advocating for a wave that was there before Nollywood. To the very beginning when we had cinema. If you look at these early works, blinding! I’m rolling back to that. I’m going right to the very beginning with the New Nigeria Cinema,” he added.

“I grew up watching Sam Loco. I grew up watching ‘Baba Sala’. And if I had to go into Yoruba film genre that’s another thing entirely. But when talking Nollywood, you are talking about the video industry, not the film industry. I look at these things especially our cinematic cast, both in film and video, and that’s why I developed the concept of the New Nigerian Cinema because I realised that what attracted people, especially in the Diaspora were the stories.

“They were tired of Hollywood’s regurgitated storylines of the white hero. They wanted something they could identify with and it didn’t matter to them that the boom was in short. To them it’s like a window into the African culture that they weren’t always having access to.”

From ancestral family homes in Edo and Oyo, his mother and father’s homestead, Ojo is a firm believer of ancient tradition and culture. His Virgo Foundation promotes heritage and conservation of the environment. And he is on the board of the British Film Institute (BFI London), which hosts a programme, African Odysseys, showcasing the best of African cinema on a monthly basis, delivering a platform for a ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ day in which the best of Nollywood films are screened.

Advocate of New Nigerian Cinema Culture

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ, 2017

VINTAGE

Maitama Sule, Tinubu and the Kano Visit Tunde Rahman

ate Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule’s spirit was literally awakened last weekend when the All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, visited the Kano residence of the late statesman to commiserate with his family. Danmasanin Kano (his traditional title), foremost politician, acclaimed orator, astute diplomat, political leader and elder statesman died on July 2, 2017 in a hospital in Cairo, Egypt at almost 88.

Asiwaju’s visit to Kano is remarkable in more than one way. One, for a topmost politician from the South-west to fly to the other end of the Niger, to the cosmopolitan Kano city, to condole the family of the late diplomat exemplifies the importance of the late Maitama-Sule in national politics and the extra-ordinary life he lived. Two, the visit also underscored the close relationship that existed between Asiwaju and Danmasanin. I will expatiate on this relationship shortly.

Maitama-Sule was a great man. No one with the benefit of hindsight would deny his eminent place in Nigeria’s political history. At a tender age of 26, Danmasanin had already emerged a principal officer in national parliament, as the Chief Whip of the Federal House of Representatives between 1955 and 1956. He was to lead the Nigerian delegation to the Conference of Independent African States four years later.

In 1976, he was the Federal Commissioner for Public Complaints, which meant he was the nation’s pioneer ombudsman. Three years later and with the return of civilian rule in the country, he narrowly lost the presidential ticket of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Such was his fine credentials and nationalistic zeal that the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was reputed to have said he would not have bothered to contest the results of that election if Maitama Sule was the NPN candidate he lost to. But many remember the late Kano top politician as that Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations who enthralled that assemblage with his oratory during his time there.

The thing about the late Maitama Sule,

United States of America.”

Talking about his relationship with Maitama Sule, the former Lagos governor recounted a bit of this when he said the late politician knew of his childhood. Speaking at the residence of the late politician, he said: “Danmasani was a father to me. He knew of my childhood. He was a great man who meant well for Nigeria. He was an elder statesman who believed that Nigeria’s diversity should help propel her to greatness.

“I grew up in the hands of two people, who know me to my home. One of them is Danmasanin Kano, who has just passed on. The other is living; he is a living legend, Mallam Yusuf Ali”. And indeed, apart from commiserating with the family of the late Danmasanin, Asiwaju also used the opportunity to condole with Mallam Ali who lost a son and a brother, and Governor Ganduje who lost a younger sister. But the condolence visit turned political when the Asiwaju train got to the Government House. After commiserating with the governor over the death of his sister, the APC National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kano State leader commended Ganduje for the good job Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, during a condolence visit of Asiwaju Tinubu to the he had been doing in Kano. He endorsed him widow and children of late Amb. Yusuf Maitama Sule at his residence in Nassarawa GRA, Kano. for a second term.

Governor Ganduje thanked Asiwaju for the visit. He described the APC leader as in my view, is that his life seemed to be Ganduje who led the APC leader to Maitama somehow intertwined with that of the Sule’s residence believe both the late politician the prime mover of politics. ”We are highly honoured that you came to Kano to condole, country. I don’t think it was an accident of and Asiwaju are two of a kind in their belief birth and history that Maitama Sule was born in Nigeria’s diversity as a springboard for her with the family members of Maitama Yusuf Sule, Danmasanin Kano, whose death ocon October 1 (1929), the same month and day greatness. ”Maitama Sule believed in divercurred recently and myself, over the death of in 1960 when Nigeria gained independence. sity, unity in diversity. When some people my sister. We were not surprised that you did Perhaps, that shared birthday birthed his were making ethnic agitation, Maitama Sule not come when Danmasanin Kano died. You undying love for his country. For the late was advocating for unity in diversity. You were outside the country but you phoned me Sule was an unrepentant believer in Nigeria too (Tinubu), your belief and outlook is for and condoled me.” and the immense potential in its diversity. To Nigeria’s diversity to enhance her progress,” The governor described Asiwaju as a great underline his conviction about this diversity, the governor said. man, just like the late Danmasanin Kano, he let out a powerful statement at one point, He added: “Maitama Sule believed that adding “that we have lost a great man, who a statement that has continued to resonate every part of this country, every tribe in this possesses similar qualities like Tinubu”. He with many Nigerians, though some have also country, every religion in this country has a said further:”You a political giant across the denounced it as lending credence to Northern comparative advantage and the convergence Niger, you are a political giant across the other political domination. He had said: “Everyone of the comparative advantages is the real side of River Niger. In fact, in particular, you has a gift from God. The Northerners are nucleus of greatness; that is why America is are the political pendulum of Nigerian poliendowed by God with leadership qualities. great. People come from all over the world, tics. You are the mover. When you touch the The Yoruba man knows how to earn a living with their wisdom, initiative, skills and pendulum, it starts swinging from one side and has diplomatic qualities. The Igbo man is boldness and a great country is created. So, if gifted in trade, commerce, and technological Nigerian leaders come together; if our leaders to another. By the time you decide to stop it, innovation. God so created us equally with fashion out ways, synchronise our differences wherever it stops, that side becomes heavier. purpose and different gifts.” through our various comparative advantages, You are the mover of the political pendulum of Nigeria, that is your new name.”

Incidentally, Kano State Governor Umar Nigeria is on the way to becoming like the

Enugu Gets New Look as Ugwuanyi Declutters City Laurence Ani

S

eeing the traders break into spontaneous songs eulogizing the Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, it’s hard to believe he had only moments earlier informed them of his administration’s resolve to carry out a thorough cleanup of the city which would entail the dismantling of illegal roadside stalls. But this was the scenario for two days and the fact he did so personally underlined his determination to make the exercise a painless one.

From the perenially gridlocked Market Street at Ogbete where traders and transport operators had reduced a three-lane road to just one to the virtually impassable Abakpa Road, the governor’s language was unmistakable – a plea to owners of illegal structures and indiscriminately parked commercial buses to Ugwuanyi (in white kaftan) explaining the expediency of sanitizing the Enugu metropolis to a trader relocate to designated areas. As simplistic as this approach may seem, it worked. “What humility,” a middle-aged man who owned one such shop said to no one in particular. “He is He explained further that the decision the capital was perceived as the only escape pleading with us even when he has the powers to come personally was consistent with his from the drudgery of rural life, resulting in the to demolish our shops.” conviction that it’s wise to first interface with city’s population growing to a level that puts Its success was evident too as crowds of trad- the affected traders to explain the expediency an unbearable pressure on public space and ers and cycle operators at the IMT/Shoprite of the exercise, as well as seek their underutilities. The governor had long realized the intersection chorused “yes” to Governor standing to enable the government carry out implications of this dilemma and has always Ugwuanyi’s statement, ”we are all brothers the sanitization without any undue harassbeen determined to find a lasting solution. and sisters, aren’t we?” The governor was, of ment and to ensure that they are not caught “Enugu State under us will pay special attencourse, reiterating his message that construcunawares. “It is not the style of this administra- tion to rural development because majority of tions and actions that constitute an environtion,” he told them. our people live in the rural area,” he said in his mental nuisance shall no longer be tolerated.

Indeed, the scale of municipal blights seen inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, stating an “My people, I came here to inform you of across the Enugu metropolis begs the question intention to create additional urban areas to our plan to clean up these areas and appeal how such could have been allowed to fester increase economic opportunities and ease the that from tomorrow morning, whoever has over the years and not nipped in the bud as pressure on the capital. business here should relocate inside the market it should. Was it the desire to be politically“In line with this we must equip and modor to other approved areas. I am your brother correct or sheer willingness to elevate comernize Nsukka, a university town founded over and I do not want the police to come here and merce above aesthetics and the common good? a century ago, to compete with other university harm anyone. We want to sanitize the place so Whatever instincts may have impelled past towns in attracting technology and knowledgethat all the vehicles that are supposed to ply administrations to overlook these obvious based businesses and other industrial support these areas can do so smoothly and comfortinfractions are merely conjectural. But there ventures, bearing in mind that Nsukka is the ably. If you paid anybody to stay here, give me is no doubt the situation was worsened by second largest town in Enugu,” he added. their names and I will recover your money,” the sustained influx from rural communities The result is that Nsukka now wears a new Gov. Ugwuanyi said to traders whose stalls sit across the state to the capital. sheen with all the trappings of modernity literally on the road.

This has been the case for years because from streetlights to wide, well-paved roads

and pipe-borne water. A similar conviction to create new urban centres has been seen in Awgu Local Government Area where a major infrastructure upgrade was approved recently by the State Executive Council.

Days after the cleanup exercise commenced, the outcome has proved a strong validation especially as evident at areas noted for traffic congestion. The roads, once severely narrowed by encroaching roadside shops and transport operators, now experience free flow of traffic to the relief of commuters.

The traders may have been stoic about the entire exercise, but the governor has no illusions about the economic consequence which a loss of livelihood could have on individuals even where their actions had essentially breached the law and distorted the city’s masterplan. As he pointed out painstakingly, the administration is blind to social class because the poor is just as entitled to the good life as much as the rich. It was a point worth emphasizing as it is, more or less, a philosophy that has defined his governance style and personal relationships. He demonstrated this when he offered immediate employment to two university graduates whose shops were among 31 illegal structures listed for dismantling.

The shops had been built in front of the Enugu State Library Complex, virtually obscuring access into the facility and banishing the serenity that should normally prevail at such centres of scholarship. Ugwuanyi’s magnanimity nonetheless shone through as he equally approved some financial support for the 29 other affected shop owners at the location to enable them to relocate elsewhere.

Painful though the exercise may be, there is however a growing consensus that it was carried out, inevitably, for the common good so Enugu could flourish like the historical world city that it is.

–Ani, formerly editor of ThisDay, The Saturday Newspaper and later Saturday Telegraph, is a senior communication aide to the governor of Enugu State.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

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EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES

On, Not Under, Platform

EBERE WABARA

BY

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“C

PC to clampdown on illegal microfinance banks” Phrasal verb: clamp down (two words).

“An acknowledged scholar, a distinguished statesman and a team leader per excellence” Get it right: leader par excellence.

“New trends in LG electioneering campaigns” Politics Today: just electioneering campaigns. ‘Electioneering campaign’ is sheer verbiage! ‘Electioneering’ encompasses campaign and other related electoral issues.

“INEC asks DSS to crackdown on violent politicians” Noun: crackdown; phrasal verb: crack down (which applies here).

The next publication under review is DAILY TRUST of May 30: “Some countries have taken tobacco manufacturers to court for the damages their products cause.” The will to die: damage is uncountable except in reparative applications for indemnity.

“With the launching (launch) of the poverty alleviation (a hyphen) programme by the Federal Government, not a few Nigerians desire to see it effectively in place.”

(THE GUARDIAN, May 30) “…what happened was that somebody filed a writ of summon.“ (DAILY TRUST, May 24) This way (singular): a writ of summons; plural: summonses.

“It is the Federal Board that is always guilty of that, because it is them who take riff-raffs as welfare officers.” (Nigerian Tribune, May 30) ‘Riff-raff’, just like ‘stuff’, is uncountable.

“Modern technology has reduced the

world into (to) a hamlet where the inhabitants are their brothers’ keepers.” This way: brother’s keeper (fixed idiom), irrespective of the number of people involved.

“The coincidence in the timing of all those sleazy gossips in soft-sell magazines and the beginning of his fashion parade….” ‘Gossip’, in this context, is uncountable.

“More overaged players for youth soccer“(Sunday Tribune, July 9) Get it right: overage players.

“Residents of some of the troubled spots in Libya in disarray” (SATURDAY INDEPENDENT, July) Witness to lexical mayhem: trouble spots. “…rummaging all the bags and ransacking every nook and corner.” (Source: as above) Stock expression: nook and cranny.

DAILY SUN of May 29 disseminated seven improprieties: “The police requires (require) a redeemer who can uplift the Force from the battering it (they) suffered during the long years of militarization.”

“I inquired from those that appear to know and they said that the president is (was) roaming the country in the name of campaigns.”

“There is (are) no electricity, no security, no water, no roads, no health facilities in Nigeria.” “Foreign companies will be falling over themselves (one another) to come and invest here if we get the 2019 elections right.” “...given the lame-duck posture of the opposition parties, the PDP simply held sway from the onset (outset).”

“Reactions on (to) the Pope’s visit, however successful, were mixed in Egypt, a country inhabited by a predominantly Muslim population.”

“Prior to the Pope’s visit, Egyptian Catho-

lics have (had) opted out of the….”

“The first part was published last week Friday.” (THE GUARDIAN, May 30) Monday politics: either last Friday or Friday, last week.

“Vigilante (vigilance) groups, committed to the enforcement of the by-law, are being set up.” (Source: as above) “Some of these areas include producing enough food to feed our teaming (teeming) population.”

“Rather, the money, including the N200 million per state released for special purposes, was diverted to other uses.” We certainly do not need the last three words in the extract, having been taken care of by ‘diversion’.

The next three blunders are from DAILY TRUST of May 30: “Unless the detonating mechanism of extremist religious chauvinism is diffused.” Get it right: defused (not diffused).

“They have decided to sheath their machetes and seek vengeance no more. “ Noun: sheath; verb: sheathe.

THISDAY of May 30 requires reformation of four lines: “The sources of revenue in a city like Lagos is very important.” Still on errors of attraction (more below): sources… are. “…business downturn resulting to (in) drive-wandering.” “…the rapaciousness of project contractors increase (increases) the country’s debt burden.”

“Senior civil servants’ union berate junior counterparts” Inside business: union berates.

THE GUARDIAN of May 30 questioned linguistic rules two times: “It’s the poet feared most, knowing fully (full) well that one of the….”

“The agitated crowd, who had been

whipped to hysteria, demanded for his head.…” To avoid mayhem, delete ‘for’, from the extract. ”…and which provides a noble and humanistic framework for relations between the state and citizens in (on) our continent.”

“But in the welter of these realignment of forces…” Re-thinking development: this realignment of forces.

VANGUARD of May 30 circulated three goofs: “The fear along the room and corridor (corridors) of power of a sovereign national conference.…”

“It is not in doubt that most of the commuters in the luxurious (luxury) buses that ply.…” “…Aba traders constitute a large proportion of the passengers on commercial aircrafts (aircraft) that fly....”

“Major reorganization of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which may lead to mass retirement and sack of its men and officers, now looms.” Get it right: a major reorganization or major reorganizations, as context demands.

“One of the most outrageous abuses occured…” Spelling in the lurch: occur, occurrence, occurred.

“I do not buy the argument that the advent of electronic mails and network computers have rendered postal services obsolete.” Not yet time for structural proximity: the advent of electronic mails and network computers has (not have).

“In doing this, however, he must be faithful to the mandate of the ECOWAS Heads of Government under whose platform he operates.” Agenda: on (not under) whose platform he operates.

POLITY

UNICFoundationAdvisesFGtoFocusonProvidingEmployment Fadekemi Ajakaiye

C

oncerned about the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, Dr. Christopher Imumolen, President, UNIC Foundation, an NGO, focused on youth, women and children development and empowerment has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment.

Imumolen, who spoke at a press briefing during the week, at the Foundation’s headquarters in Igando, Lagos said rate of unemployment is alarming, pointing out that statistics revealed that over 27 million Nigerian youths are unemployed while over 70 million people are under employed.

According to him that number outweighs the number of the population in Ghana, it outweighs the population of Benin Republic, “we are looking at a situation where we have a whole nation not employed in some other countries”.

His words: “So we have over 27 million who live on less than a Dollar par day, and we have over 70million people under employed, these are people who are working but by international standard practice are earning far less, than what they ought to earn.

This rate is alarming notable Nigerians ought to talk about it, we understand that the government has done their bit to help Nigerians in reducing the state of unemployment in the country, but more need to be done.

He hinted that people are suffering, though the foundation is not blaming the govt, but it is saying that the government should look at the issue more critically.Adding that the end power employment, on the website that ought to employ 300 people have 2.3 million applying for a job where they will be paid 30 thousand naira a month, This according to him proves we are in a litmus situation which if not controlled; it may totally erode our value on education.

People see their elders who have gone through education remaining unemployed for over five years, how can they still believe

L-R: Coordinator, UNIC Women Arize, UWA, Mrs. Chinyere Onwu; President UNIC Foundation, Dr. Christopher Imomulen; and President Kingdom Concept Development Initiative, Apostle Victor Uduneje, at UNIC Foundation press briefing, in Igando, Lagos... recently

that education is the key to success.

The government is trying, but the effect is minimal, the progeny of unemployment in the country which have over 27 million unemployed there is no way it can totally eradicate crime, there is no way it can wipe off armed robbery, insecurity, kidnapping and other vices in the nation.

“We at UNIC Foundation is asserting that Why should the government be spending so much money to eradicate crime rather than killing the prime mover which is unemployment itself.

“The concern of Federal government to seek to abolish crime could not be achieved by ear marking much fund for security every year. The way out is to allocate some of these funds to solve unemployment issues in the country” “He said the other day his organisation was talking about Badoo and the ills of jungle justice, in which a student who is a member of his organisation was killed.

“We have to address these things from the

root. Our advocacy against justice is now tied to people who are on the street, idle. This has increased the rate of crime in the country. We have many unemployed in the country, but the issue is that, government, individual and corporate organization shall come together to tackle this. “ If people are hungry, if people can’t earn a living, when they are pushed to the wall, they will take to crime, until unemployment and these other things are tackled crime can’t be abolished.

“What the government should do is to act fast, it should take it more critical by coming up with creative idea which can immediately cushion the effect of unemployment in our country, create enabling environment that will make businesses survive in a country where businesses have been tagged to fail after two years. Only 10 percent of businesses set up in Nigeria survive after two years of setting it up.

“Reasons for failure are: To open an account for a bank is a problem; to register a company

is a big problem; Tax issue, power issue, funding among others.

“Government should have its policy and programs geared towards poverty eradication; these provide employment and create the environment for business to thrive.”

He hinted that his organisation, have been doing this on a micro level and it has been very successful, but they now want it at a larger scale, “we are therefore calling on the government, to partner with us . We could assist the government by giving them the prerequisite needed for business to survive in a tough economy “Yes it is a known fact that we are challenged, we are in a period of recession, we have heard of words like technical recession, and now. Nigerians don’t know if we are in a recession or not. But the truth is that things are difficult, we are in a difficult period. But like I will say there are business opportunities even in recession.

“What we are doing as an Ngo is to help the Nigerian citizen, teach Nigerians trade they could invest in and excel, we also want to give grants. It is important that we assist, we cannot leave everything to the government, as a body we have set up an apprenticeship program for Nigerians who do not have something doing.After a period of 3 months, the NGO helps them to continue in the business or start up another business”.

Imumolen explained that the problem with these businesses is lack of mentorship.

Many businesses failed because business owners do not have a map, a direction which they want to pattern their business.

“You see the Igbos before now learn trade and are set up by their bosses, the trend has reduced but it was helpful and actually helped to combat unemployment in Eastern region of Nigeria, and it actually parachuted so many young persons.

“We are now adopting the same methodology by picking up people on the street, graduates who do not have jobs can come into UNIC Foundation and enroll for free apprenticeship program that will thrive.

We have identified 10 major sectors that the recession itself is a plus to its operation, it could not affect it.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹͵

ESSENTIAL SKILLS with STEPHEN DIESERUVWE (Director General, Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA)

Roundabouts

R

oundaboutsaredesignedtoimprovethe flowoftrafficatbusyjunctionsbyallowing streams of traffic to cross or merge with trafficfromotherroadswithoutnecessarily stopping.Onroundabouts,trafficshould only flow in an anti-clockwise direction aroundtheislandinthecentreoftheroundabout.The general rule is that, traffic entering the roundabout must give way to traffic already on the roundabout approaching from the left.

All-New Discovery

All-New Discovery ShowcasesVersatility Storie s by Benneth Oghifo

N

igerians love a vehicle that gives maximum comfort in the city, offroad and in the countryside. Well, the All-New Discovery, built with the reputable technology of the Land Rover family, is just that

vehicle.

The ultimate vehicle has been launched into the sub-Saharan African market and the Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Nigeria, Coscharis Motors is preparing their stock for shipment. It is going to be for a few collectors because only 14 units will be sold in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

“The limited-run ‘First Edition’ model showcases the very best of All-New Discovery.

Only 2,400 examples will be available globally with exclusive features including unique etched map detailing on the aluminium trim for the doors and facia, unique badges, bold colour choices and a comprehensive list of standard equipment.

“Only 14 units of the All-New Discovery First Edition will be sold in sub-Sahara Africa markets, making it instantly exclusive for those who buy one,” said the automaker.

The All-New Discovery has a definitely different look from behind with its aerodynamic shape that lets it glide through city traffic, and inter-city roads. The aerodynamic shape is not for speed enhancement but it helps to lower fuel consumption and Co2 emission. All-New Discovery is equipped by Jaguar Land Rover’s efficient and powerful six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all paired with a smooth and responsive ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. They include: Six-cylinder diesel power comes from the 190kW Td6, which delivers 600Nm of torque for strong performance, pulling power and efficiency.

For petrol customers, Land Rover’s advanced 250kW supercharged petrol 3.0-litre V6, the Si6, provides 450Nm of torque to deliver relaxed performance and capability.

The optional Dynamic Design Pack gives All-New Discovery a more purposeful, stealthlike appearance both inside and out, with features including a contrast roof, athletic front and rear bumper designs, luxurious leather upholstery and a sports-inspired steering wheel and pedals setting it apart.

Land Rover’s design and engineering integrity ensures All-New Discovery is able to accommodate seven full-sized adults in an SUV body measuring less than five metres in length (4,970mm). Most similar-sized competitors provide 5+2 seating but All-New Discovery is designed for 95th percentile adults to sit comfortably in its rearmost seats, providing complete interior flexibility. Both third-row

seats incorporate ISOFIX mounting points (five in total), so families have the freedom to put child seats in the most appropriate seat for any journey.

The interior of All-New Discovery continues the design revolution started by the Discovery Sport, where customers can specify a range of premium materials including luxurious Windsor leather upholstery and natural oak veneers.

The vehicles displayed their beauty and elegance, turning and holding heads, as they cut loose from the Jaguar Land Rover Training Academy onto the streets of Pretoria, heading off to the mountainous countryside of Limpopo Province. With the navigator set, the journey proved to be interesting, taking on gravel farm roads, via the Tailgate Cafe to the overnight stop at the Chiefs Camp in the Big-Five territory of Marakele National Park, in the heart of the ancient Waterberg Mountains.

The vehicle’s performance places it as an incredible piece of machinery, bringing alive its Land Rover bloodline off-road during a drive at the contours of Serendipity, where it took on tough terrains, sparking off its capability to drive itself in challenging climb and steep downhill movement.

All-New Discovery retains renowned Land Rover all-terrain capability thanks to its combination of excellent off-road geometry and advanced technology, while improving its everyday usability.

Ground clearance is rated at 283mm (up 43mm) while a maximum wading depth of 900mm (an increase of 200mm) puts Discovery in a class of its own, providing unrivalled confidence when tackling both waterlogged tracks and flooded roads.

A comprehensive suite of off-road driving technologies ensures All-New Discovery’s supreme all-terrain capability is easy to access for even inexperienced drivers. Land Rover’s multi-mode Terrain Response 2 system optimises a range of settings, from throttle sensitivity to gear change characteristics, to suit the driving conditions at the turn of a rotary controller – and can even select the optimum setting automatically if drivers are unsure of the best choice.

When tackling particularly challenging terrain, All-Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) can be programmed to autonomously maintain a suitable crawl speed chosen by the driver.

The clever technology allows the driver to concentrate solely on steering the vehicle as they negotiate obstacles, without the distraction of operating the throttle or brake pedals, and can also be used from a standstill to help when pulling away on slippery surfaces.

On-road performance is enhanced by Land Rover’s proven lightweight and durable aluminium monocoque architecture, which

contributes to a weight saving of up to 480kg compared to steel ladder construction. Land Rover’s advanced integral link rear suspension delivers superior handling characteristics without compromising the superb ride comfort that has defined successive generations of the Discovery family.

Land Rover’s trademark Command Driving Position also allows customers to enjoy All-New Discovery’s enhanced breadth of capability in complete confidence, irrespective of the road and weather conditions, by providing excellent visibility.

This confidence extends to towing capability, which has been a hallmark of every generation of Discovery since it was used to tow a train at its original launch in 1989. With a maximum towing capacity at a class-leading 3,500kg, Land Rover has developed clever technology to make the Discovery’s towing ability more accessible than ever.

Advanced Tow Assist is an ingenious development, which allows drivers to complete potentially difficult reversing manoeuvres when towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with ease.

Even absolute novices will be able to park using the clever system as it takes care of the tricky counter-steering required to position trailers accurately when reversing. The driver can simply guide the trailer into the desired space using the rotary controller for the Terrain Response 2 system. To make the job even easier, responsive guidance lines overlaid on the feed from the rear-facing camera are displayed on the central touchscreen, taking the stress out of an otherwise tricky task.

All-New Discovery looks very different but is still unmistakably a Discovery. Sophisticated surfaces and optimised proportions combine with beautiful detailing and enhanced precision to create a highly capable and versatile SUV with a more dynamic design than ever before.

Authentic Discovery design features include the distinctive stepped roofline, which has identified each of the four previous generations of Discovery and provides an elegant solution to a practical need.

At the front, All-New Discovery’s sculpted surfaces, jewel-like headlamps and a faster windscreen angle break with Discovery tradition and the state-of-the-art daytime running lamps deliver a modern appearance with a distinctive new light signature.

In profile, the bodysides highlight the optimised volumes and proportions of All-New Discovery, while the wheelarch graphic echoes Discovery Sport with its distinctive castellations visually ‘locking’ the wheelarches to the vehicle body. The new form language features pronounced, yet smoothly contoured wheelarches, giving All-New Discovery a planted, more dynamic appearance.

Approaching Roundabouts When approaching a roundabout you apply the MSPSLorhazardroutineandobservethemajorroad aheadasearlyaspossible.Unlikeotherjunctionsmost roundaboutswouldhaveanopenview,whichmakeit easytoassesstheflowoftrafficontheroundaboutatan earlystage.Thisshouldgiveyouenoughtimetoadjust your speed so that, if possible, you can merge safely into the flow of traffic from the left without stopping.

Unless road signs and markings or traffic conditions dictate otherwise, follow the normal rules discussed inpreviousarticlesforpositioningonapproachasyou would at any junction.

As you areabouttomergeintoaroundabout,always keepaneyeonthevehicleinfrontanddonotassume the driver in front would not stop while you are still carrying out your observation to the left.You should bear in mind that many rear end collisions happen thisway.Therefore,makesurethevehicleinfronthas actually moved before you move.

Yourfirstwarningofaroundaboutaheadwilloften be a roundabout warning sign.After checking your mirrors and giving a signal if required, you need to ensure that you are in the correct lane. Take special care with long vehicles or vehicles towing another vehicle,astheymighttakeanunusualcoursearound the roundabout.

Turning Right at Roundabouts Turningrightmeansyouaretakingthefirstexitfromthe roundabout.Theroutineforturningrightisasfollows: Check your mirrors with special emphasis on the interior mirror and right door mirror.

Approachintheright-handlanewitharight-turnsignal.

Maintain your signal and position as you drive to your exit.

Cancel your signal after you leave the roundabout.

Check your mirrors again to make sure that it is safe to pick up speed Going Ahead at Roundabouts Goingaheadmeanstakingthesecondexitoranyexit that is not a right turn. As a guide on lane to follow, imaginetheroundaboutasaclockface,withyouapproachingfromthesixo’clockposition.Goingahead would be the twelve o’clock position. When exiting the roundabout, if the right lane is blocked, or if it is safe to use the left-hand lane to pass slower moving traffic,thenyoucanusetheleft-handlane.Thenormal routine for going ahead is as follows: Check your mirrors with special emphasis on the interior mirror and right door mirror.

Approach in the right-hand lane without signal.

Maintain your right lane position as you drive to your exit.

Signalrightasyoupassorhavepassedtheexitbefore the one you want to take.

Cancel your signal after you leave the roundabout.

Check your mirrors again to make sure that it is safe to pick up speed Turning Left at Roundabouts Leftturnsareanyroadswhichtakeyoubeyondtwelve o’clock at the roundabout. The routine for turning left is as follows: Check your mirrors with special emphasis on the interior mirror and left door mirror.

Approach in the left-hand lane signalling to the left.

Maintainyourleft-handlanepositionuntilyoupass orhavepassedtheexitbeforetheoneyouwanttotake.

Make full use of mirrors, signal and start to move across to your exit.

Cancel your signal after you leave the roundabout.

Check your mirrors again to make sure that it is safe to pick up speed If using a roundabout to make a U-turn, approach as if you are turning left and use the Mirror-SignalManoeuvre routine before signalling to leave the roundabout.

In next week’s article we shall be discussing one way streets or systems using the MSPSL or hazard routine. For further explanations or clarification on the articles in the Essential Skills of Driving column, consult the author.

Stephen K. Dieseruvwe

Director General, Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA) **Driver Trainer and Road Safety Consultant **Email: sdieseruvwe@gmail.com **Tel: +2348167814928

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹͵

27

Toyota Walked Tall at Marketing Edge Award Night

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L-R: Director Design and Engineering Kodzone Technologies Limited, Damilare Adekeye; Director Business Development, Kodzone Technologies Limited, Olu Omoyeni; Director, Subscription and Payment, Kodzone Technologies Limited, Kehinde Adekeye; Non – Executive Director, Kodzone Technologies Limited, Akaninyene Uko; and Yomi Osuntoki, representative of Ultracrest Limited, Technical Partner to Kodzone at the unveiling of Mecofinder in Lagos... recently

Help for Motorists as Meco Finder Launches in Lagos Stories by Benneth Oghifo

A

s from the first week of next month, motorist in Lagos will be able to locate mechanics and other service providers like auto electricians, panel beaters, among others, following the launch of an app for this purpose.

Motorist, who desire the app are to log onto the website-www. mecofinder.com, and download the app, and follow all the prompting. The

motorist also needs to enable the GPS on the device used to download the app in order to enjoy the features.

Though the plan is to make the app usable to motorists in all parts of the country, the promoters say it will “Start with Lagos and plan to move to other parts of the country subsequently”.

Lead designer of the app, Adekoye Damilare said at the launch of the app this week in Lagos, said “It uses the latitude and longitude features etc incorporated in the google geo location application to make it more user-friendly.”

He added that his company verifies the service

providers before they are allowed to feature on the site, and that there is also a feature for motorists to comment on the services rendered so as to rate them.

Kehinde Adekeye, in charge of subscription and payment said the company is out to provide convenience and competence to motorists, and that it takes only N1000 for service providers to be listed on the site for a six-month period.

He said mechanics can make “Instant direct payment with USSD code, or payment can be done directly from your bank account. Or pay cash.

oyota (Nigeria) Limited, the sole representative of the Toyota brand in Nigeria recently won the Outstanding Auto Brand of the Year Award at the prestigious Marketing Edge Awards held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The award further testifies to the superior quality of the brand and justifies the several awards the brand cart home annually at other award/recognition ceremonies.

To emerge the winner, the brand beat keen competitors in the following criteria: Durability; Elegance/Comfortability; Fuel Economy; Aesthetics; Variety (of models); Distribution network/Availability; Perceived Nigerian-ness; Customer Experience in After Sales; Ease of maintenance/Driving pleasure; and Customer Loyalty.

Toyota remains the number one player in the automobile market in Nigeria, consistently maintaining the position for over ten years.

This enviable height is attained only by the unrelenting commitment of the management and staff, to continuously better set standards for customer satisfaction and after sales service delivery.

The formidable after sales delivery of the company is hinged on our thorough bred Technicians that receive trainings both internationally and locally to remain relevant, competent and outstanding in the ever-evolving world of technology.

Toyota’s pledge is to continuously better their products and services through innovative products; thereby cultivating a lifetime relationship with customers and enlisting their trust in the brand.

Uber Signs Vehicle Maintenance Partnership with Germaine Auto Centre

U

ber has announced a strategic relationship with Germaine Auto Centre, an autoserviceandmaintenancecompany.

Core highlights of the relationship are that for a stipulated sum, Uber driver-partners operating in Lagos can have their cars maintained and serviced at a world-class auto facility.

This relationship between both companies seeks to further reinforce Uber’s commitment to driverpartners, and create ways for drivers to maximize their net earnings and enjoy the benefits that come with using the Uber app.

Commenting on the announcement, Maria Rotilu; Country Manager for Uber Nigeria said: “Driverpartners across Nigeria are extremely important to us, and we are constantly looking for ways to help them access more value through our many

partnerships and further amplify the advantages that come to them from being valuable partners.

GermaineAuto Centre is a market leader, and for as little as N3,000, they will provide vehicle maintenance services to Uber driver-partners in Lagos. With the current transportation and weather challenges being experienced due to the rainy season, we are happy to enter into this relationship with Germaine who will provide driver-partners with an affordable, reliable option of car servicing and maintenance.”

“At Germaine Auto Centre, our key focus is customer affordability and service efficiency. Under this strategic relationship with Uber, we will provide driver-partners with immediate access to six Master Technicians, over 40 general technicians, affordable parts and vehicle solutions, and an added bonus of over 200 years working experience combined on all sorts of automobiles,” said Gbenga.

L-R: Lindsey Elkin; Head of Marketing, Uber sub-Saharan Africa, Gbenga Omolokun; Managing Director Germaine Auto Centre, Maria Rotilu; Country Manager, Uber Nigeria, Vincent Ezeh; Director, Sales & Marketing, Germaine Auto Centre, and Jacquelyn Omotalade; Head, Public Policy, Uber West Africa at the media event to announce the strategic partnership between Uber and Germaine Auto Centre... recently

Is Making Phone Calls While Driving Insanity

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s I round up the focus on the use of phone while driving, I wish to remind you of the position I have had held since 2007 that people who drive and phone are not sane. Even if you disagree with me, please remember that many studies have linked texting while driving to series of fatal crashes. The International “Telecommunication Union states that texting, makingcallsandotherinteraction within-vehicle information and communication systems while driving is a serious source of driver distraction and increases the risk of traffic crashes. The Virginia Transportation Institute found out that text massaging increases a crash risk 23 time worse than driving while not distracted. Even the use of hands free, according to the Transport Research Laboratory, makes drivers four times more likely to have an accident, concentration level reduced for 10 minutes after the call had ended. The report also showed that drivers making hand free calls had slower reaction times than those who were slightly over the drink limit.

In the United Kingdom, around 30 deaths on the roads each year are linked to mobile phone use even though the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accident (ROSPA) believes this is “just the tip of the iceberg”, because so few drivers admit to using mobile phone when

SAFE DRIVING with

JONAS AGWU

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

they cause crashes. crashes involving distracted driving injured more than half a million people in 2008 in the United State of American ,deadly driving habits kill nearly 6000 American a year, according NHTSH. Car crashes are the leading Killer of youths inAmerican – they kill an average of 11 teens each day. As the former United State secretary of transportation, Ray Lahood puts it, “the mother who lost children, the children who lost mother. You want no part of that kind of lost” Talking on the phone while driving causes as much impairment as drunk driving; its like driving after you have taken four bottles of beer and if you are texting while driving, you are 23 times as likely to get into a crash. In the US nearly a third of all crashes are either talking or texting.

Studies have shown that drivers who use their cell phone for talking or texting, have much slower response times than those who do not.

They also have slower reaction times than people

with blood alcohol levels of 0.08. Studies have also shown that people who talk and drive at the same time are four times likely to crash. Those who text and drive are 20 times more likely to have an accident. While the danger of phoning or texting behind the wheels is undisputed, laws that ban texting while driving have not reduced the number of crashes across four states in the US. According to a study, but a slight increase in road accident has been recorded.

The Highway Loss Data Institute compared the insurance claims in four states of California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington before and after the texting ban, with those in nearby states that don’t have these laws. After the bans, crash patterns varied from one percent more in Minnesota, and the largest crash increase of 12 per centafterthetextingbanwasamongyoungdrivers in California. The researches have calculated rate of collision claims for vehicles up to nine years old during the months before and after driver texting was banned.

The study shows crashes have increased in three states after the bans were enacted, which indicates that bans could increase the risk of crashing for drivers who continue to text despite the laws. The study notes non compliance as the key reason for the increase in crashes as young drivers among 18-24 years are most likely to text with 45 per cent saying they do so in States that ban texting.

It pointed out that the bans are ineffective as 48

per cent of drivers admitted to texting in the state without bans.

Before I round up, please allow me to once again refer you to the finding of an FRSC commissioned attitudinal survey on motorists. The study was conducted in 2013 by NOIPolls to do a road attitudinal survey across 6 locations in Nigeria. To measure the level of compliance on the road, the survey was conducted across pre- identified corridors within 9hrs of the day (morning, noon and evening) for 12 days. The observation monitored the following: lane discipline, seatbelt/ crash helmet compliance, compliance to overloading rules, traffic light / road signs obedience and the number plate usage.

The survey was carried out in 6 locations.Abuja, Lagos, Owerri, Benin, Kaduna, and Gombe.

The survey was conducted via observational study.6 corridors in total selected by the clients were observed across all locations and 6 extra corridors were added by NOIPolls, giving a total of 12 corridors observed. Observation was done by 8:30 am – 5:30 pm daily for 5 days. A total of 70,180 vehicles/ bikes were observed across all 6 locations with 29,482 on the highway, and 40,698 on township roads.Atotal of vehicle/bikes observed by location were 13,426 inAbuja, 11,503 in Gombe, 11,903 in Owerri, 7936 in Benin, 10,435 Lagos, and 14,977 in Kaduna. The findings of the survey indicate that 90% of the total observed vehicles/bikes adhered to mobile phone usage rules while driving. Gombe (24%) recorded the highest proportion of drivers/riders that used mobile phones while driving.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Ϳ

FAMILY HEALTH

Eects of Toxin Accumulation in the Body

W

with

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, ͸΀͸ͽ͝͝Ϳͺ͝ͽ͞

e are all the time eating , drinking and partaking in various activities in the course of living.

All of these result in our getting in contact with various toxins. If these go unchecked there would be harmful effects on the human body.

Toxins are anything that interferes with normal physiology and impacts bodily functions in a negative way. It comes from the food we consume, the water we drink, the products we use and even in the water we drink.

It’s all around us! Endotoxins vs. Exotoxins: Endotoxins are toxic substances bound to our bacterial cell wall and are released when the bacterium ruptures. Ammonia, uric acid, lactic acid and homocysteine are a part of the endotoxin category. These substances are waste products from our cell’s normal activities.

The build-up of these toxins cause diseases. Gout, for example is caused by uric acid lingering in our bodies.

Exotoxins are toxins secreted by a bacteria. They can cause major damage by destroying cells or disrupting normal cellular metabolism in the host that carries them.

These substances are human-made toxins or chemicals that we are exposed to unknowingly or we expose ourselves to willingly. They are found in processed foods, food packaging, prescription drugs, synthetic clothes, carpets (especially synthetic wall-to-wall carpet), building materials, house paint, mattresses, vinyl shower curtains, air fresheners, household cleaning products, cosmetic and skin-care products, perfumes, consumer products (even children’s toys!), emissions from cars and trucks, car interiors and tap water.

You think you’re healthy, but you don’t feel vibrant.

You struggle to find the energy to get through the day.

You’re irritable. Your stomach isn’t acting right. And all those headaches!

These types of ailments affect many of us in our daily lives. They’re not serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor — or maybe you tried only to be told there was nothing wrong — but they still tend to drag you down, wearing away your resistance and leaving you feeling like you’re just getting old.

I have good news for you — it probably has nothing to do with aging. Instead, you may simply be surrounded by too many toxins.

Tips to Avoid Toxins Buy and eat (as much as possible) organic produce and free-range, organic foods. If you can only purchase one or two organic products it probably should be free range organic eggs and organic milk.

Rather than eating fish, which is largely contaminated with PCBs, dioxins and mercury, consume a high-quality purified fish or cod liver oil like Vital Advantage Fish Oil or Cardinova Eskimo 3. fresh saladAvoid processed foods - they are processed with chemicals.

Only use natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores have these available or find them on-line.

Switch to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics.

Have metal fillings removed as they’re a major source of mercury. Be sure to have this done by a specialized dentist. Most dentists are technically qualified to replace your amalgam fillings but only a few dentists know how to do it safely minimizing your risk of mercury exposure during the process.

Avoid artificial air fresheners, tumble-dryer sheets, fabric softeners or other synthetic fragrances.

Avoid artificial food additives of all kinds, including artificial sweeteners and MSG. Get plenty of safe sun exposure to boost your vitamin D levels and your immune system.

Drink bottled spring water or filtered water. Reverse osmosis filtered water is best.

Signs that you have high toxin load 1. Consistent fatigue: Even if you’re sleeping well, you may fight to get through the day. This could be a sign that your body is working too hard to get rid of the toxins you’re pouring into it. How do you cope with fatigue? If you’re answer is “more coffee� or “sweet foods,� you can bet that you’re only making the problem worse. That fatigue could also be in response to hormone disruptors that are zapping your immune system.

2. Stubborn weight gain: It’s never easy to lose weight, but if you’re exercising daily and cutting back on calories and you are still putting on the pounds, you could be looking at a hormonal problem.

Strangely enough, our natural hormone function can be greatly affected by the toxins in our foods and personal care products. You need a complete detox of your diet and personal care routine to give your body a fighting chance.

3. Bad breath: You brush and brush, chew gum, rinse, and swallow breath mints, and still, you can’t get rid of it. Bad breath is often related to digestive problems, but it can also mean that your liver is struggling to get rid of the toxins in your body. Until you tackle the problem from the source, you’ll continue to scare away anyone who comes close!

4. Constipation: The intestines get rid of a lot of toxins every day of our lives. When we’re constipated, we’re storing up

The buildup of these toxins cause diseases. Gout, for example is caused by uric acid lingering in our bodies.

Exotoxins are toxins secreted by a bacteria.

They can cause major damage by destroying cells or disrupting normal cellular metabolism in the host that carries them. These substances are humanmade toxins or chemicals that we are exposed to unknowingly or we expose ourselves to willingly

all those toxins, allowing them to negatively affect our bodies. In addition to stomach upset, constipation can cause headaches, aches and pains, and tiredness. It can also be related to the toxins in your life, especially if you’re consuming a lot of processed foods filled with chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives.

5. Sensitivity to scents: Strong reactions to smells — particularly fragrances — might mean that you’re simply sensitive to chemicals, which many of us are. It can also mean that your body is fighting toxic overload. Particularly if you suffer headaches or stomach upset simply from scents, this may be the case.

6. Muscle aches and pains: If you can’t tie these to your workout yesterday, could be that the toxins in your life are working away at your muscles and joints. This is more likely if you experience muscle aches on a regular basis.

7. Skin reactions: Acne, rashes, and other skin problems may signal a toxic overload. Acne, in particular, can be related to the toxins in our diet or skin care products. Puffy eyes and eczema or psoriasis outbreaks can also be signs that you’ve just reached your toxic limit.

Remedy: If you find yourself suffering from any of these seven symptoms, here are a few tips that may help: Support your liver with things like dandelion tea, parsley, cilantro, and milk thistle. r %SJOL NPSF XBUFS ‡ JU IFMQT åVTI UPYJOT PVU of your body. r &YFSDJTF BU MFBTU NJOVUFT B EBZ &YFSDJTF HFUT the circulation moving, helping to move toxins along. r (FU B HPPE EBJMZ TVQQMZ PG EJHFTUJPO TVQQPSUJWF probiotics, found in kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, Kombucha tea, miso soup, tempeh, and kim chi. r "MXBZT CSVTI ZPVS UPOHVF ‡ FWFO CFUUFS VTF a tongue scraper—when brushing your teeth. r 1SBDUJDF EFFQ CSFBUIJOH ‡ XF HFU SJE PG B MPU PG the toxins in our bodies through our lungs. r 6TF POMZ OBUVSBM TLJO DBSF QSPEVDUT UIBU BSF GSFF of fragrances, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, and other potentially toxic ingredients, and always read labels. Use my Ingredients to Avoid list to find safer options. Choose clean, whole, and organic foods whenever possible!

General Symptoms : Toxins can cause or contribute to chronic fatigue, body odor, insomnia, food or chemical sensitivities and headaches.

If you are suffering from these symptoms and your doctor can’t find a cause, toxins may be a factor. r *OåBNNBUPSZ $POEJUJPOT Because toxins are foreign substances, they can provoke BO JOåBNNBUPSZ SFTQPOTF BT UIF CPEZ BUUFNQUT UP EFBM XJUI UIFN *OåBNNBUJPO JT JNQMJDBUFE JO UIF EFWFMPQNFOU PG conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, psoriasis, asthma and arthritis, among others. Toxins in the body may JOJUJBUF PS FYBDFSCBUF JOåBNNBUPSZ DPOEJUJPOT MJLF UIFTF r (BTUSPJOUFTUJOBM 1SPCMFNT The gastrointestinal (GI) tract provides one of several routes of toxin elimination. GI problems can both cause and result from toxins. People with a heavy toxic burden may experience poor digestion, constipation, ulcers, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. r 4LJO *TTVFT The skin is another means of toxin elimination, and skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis are

common in those who have excessive amounts of toxins in their bodies. r $PHOJUJWF 'VODUJPO Compromised cognitive ability often results from systemic toxic overload. Memory loss, foggy thinking and mood changes can occur due to toxic overload. Symptoms mimicking dementia–even in young adults–are sometimes observed in those with heavy metal toxicity. r )PSNPOF *NCBMBODFT Xenoestrogens are a type of toxin that is becoming more prevalent in the environment; these are synthetic agents that act like estrogen in the body. Xenoestrogens can cause hormone imbalances in women, leading to symptoms of PMS and endometriosis, and in men, leading to elevated levels of estrogen and lower sperm counts.

How Toxins Affect Our Health .

The numerous amounts of toxins that we are exposed to everyday manifests in different health problems for each of us. Some symptoms related to toxicity are allergies, headaches, low energy, depression, bowel irregularities such as constipation and diarrhea, digestive problems and skin issues.

TOXICITY Toxins can affect our health in many ways.

Some can kill the friendly bacteria in our guts, block oxygen from binding to red blood cells, interfere with DNAsynthesis, block enzymes the body needs for normal functions or block absorption of vitamins and minerals.

When toxins in our tissues and cells build up faster than they can be eliminated, bioaccumulation occurs. The toxins that remain circulating in our bodies can cause irritation and damage. When toxins are accompanied by other toxins in the same environment, they can cause further damage.

The body is designed to get rid of toxicity through our liver, kidneys and intestines. When these three main pathways aren’t functioning properly, toxins exits through our skin and lungs. Acne, skin rashes and chronic fatigue are just a few signs that our bodies are backed up with toxins. Since toxins are everywhere, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all toxicity from our lives. However, it is possible to reduce our exposure to toxins.

Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Load.

1. Eat Whole foods The major source of chemicals and toxins comes from our food. So we’ll repeat this until the cows come home: Look for whole foods free of preservatives, conservatives, and coloring agents. If available, choose chemical-free and organic varieties.

2. Find your toxic triggers Toxicity is not a new problem. Long before we added the burden of human-made chemicals to our bodies, toxic buildup could occur from eating too many of the foods that don’t work for you.

3. Use chemical-free cosmetics, body care, and cleaning products Over the last few years, this topic has been written about extensively. We now have lots of companies that are creating chemical-free products. A single toxin is often not the problem, it’s the symphony of them interacting together.

4. Filter your water Water is a major source of toxins today. A recent study showed that 41 million Americans drink water contaminated with antidepressants, hormones, heart medications, and other prescription and over-the-counter medications that have made it through the water-treatment system. Add to that the chlorine, carcinogens from industrial and agricultural waste, and you’ve got some real messy stuff.

5. Do a seasonal Cleanse. Cleansing is not an afterthought for health, it’s essential in today’s chemical-laden society.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 16, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

Kelechi Iheanacho Options for a New Beginning

22.07.2017

CAF REPACKAGING AFCON PAGE. 29

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž Í°Í°Ëœ ͺ͸͚Ϳ

Options for a New Beginning Ă“Ă? Ę¨ĂœĂ?Ăž Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜ åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă˜Ă?Ă’Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ ÓÞã ĂŽĂ“ĂŽ Ă˜Ă™Ăž Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂž Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’ Ă‹Ă? Ă’Ă? ĂĄĂ‹Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁ ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă‹Ă?Ăž Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂ?Ă?Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™ĂœĂŽĂ?ĂœËœ ĂŒĂ?Ă’Ă“Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă“Ă?Ă’Ă?ĂŽ ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă™ Ă™Ă? Ă&#x;Ă— Ă‘Ă&#x;Ă?ĂœĂ™ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă–Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ĂŁË› Ă&#x;Ăž åÓÞÒ Ă‘Ă&#x;Ă?ĂœĂ™ Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ùʼ ÞÒĂ? ÚÓÞĂ?Ă’ ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă? ÞÙ Ă“Ă˜Ă”Ă&#x;ĂœĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? Ă Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă˜Ă™Ăž Ă–Ă?ÞÒËÖ Ă?Ă˜Ă™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’Ëœ ÓÞã Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?ĂœËœ Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?Ă– Ă?Ă–Ă–Ă?Ă‘ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă“Ëœ Ă’Ă‹ĂŽ ÖÓʾÖĂ? Ă?ÒÙÓĂ?Ă? ĂžĂ’Ă‹Ă˜ ÞÙ ĂžĂ’ĂœĂ™ĂĄ Ă?Ă–Ă?Ă?Ă’Ă“

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I

heanacho was once seen as a first-team star in the making but, having developed quickly under Manuel Pellegrini, he found opportunities limited after Pep Guardiola’s arrival. The 20-yearold Nigeria international started just five Premier League matches for Manchester City last season, scoring seven goals in all competitions, having scored double that number in his maiden season at the Etihad Stadium.

Now, he is in search of a new club to revive his career. West Ham was heavily linked to the forward but Leicester moved to the front of the queue, with final details yet to be finalised.

However, Iheanacho's seemingly imminent ÂŁ25m move to Leicester City has been thrown into doubt after Tottenham Hotspur entered the race to sign the Nigerian international A deal between City and The Hammers was agreed but manager Slaven Bilic was quick to pull the plug on the move due to concerns over the youngster's form.

It remains to be seen if City would sell Iheanacho to Tottenham, who finished

Kelechi Iheanacho

above Guardiola's men last season. A deal with Leicester is seemingly all but done, but Iheanacho's perceived willingness to move to London when West Ham were interested could prove beneficial to Tottenham, who are able to offer their targets life in the English capital as well as Champions League football.

City's forgotten man could also be enticed by the prospect of working with Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine has developed a reputation for getting the best out of young talent and could be able to help Iheanacho flourish, with his career in danger of stalling at the Etihad Stadium.

Observers are however of the opinion that a move to Tottenham by Iheanacho could mean

another season of sitting on the bench for him considering the large number of attackers at White Hart Lane.

Iheanacho was left out of Manchester City touring party for the International Champions Cup matches in the USA to enable him sort out his future.

His exclusion from the squad specifies that the 20-year-old is on his way out of Etihad Stadium, having been found surplus to requirements in the Citizens’ squad. “I think what Iheanacho should consider more is on how to solidify his career rather than the immediate financial gain. He is still very young, therefore, he should go to a club where he can command regular shirt

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JULY 22, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

M Iheanacho in a goal - bound move

Iheanacho and Guardiola

as against where he would be a bench warmer,” former Nigerian international, Friday Ekpo said.

Ekpo is of the opinion that Iheanacho going to Leicester City would be of an advantage taking into consideration the team already boast of two Nigerian players -Ahmed Musa and Ndidi.

“With Ndidi and Musa with other African players already at Leicester, it would make Iheanacho settle fast at the club which is a huge advantage. Having compatriots in a club helps players and even a plus to the national team, because they can always bring the understanding and relationship at

the club level to the national team.

This equally makes the job of the coach a bit easy whenever they come for national assignment,” Ekpo noted.

Iheanacho’s big break into City’s first team came in 2015, when the club parted ways with Edin Dzeko. Observers were looking out for another high profile striker joining the club but Pellegrini decided to throw his hat into the ring for Nigerian starlet. After coming in as late substitutes in league two games, Pellegrini decided to throw the Nigerian again into the fray against Crystal Palace and the 2013 U 17 World Cup winner

reposed the trust the coach had in him as he scored a late winner to give the Sky Blue side of Manchester a perfect start.

That performance did not only earn him the applause of teammates such as Raheem Sterling and David Silva who described him as “the first of many”. But it engraved his name in the history books, as the third youngest player in the Barclays Premier League, to score a goal for Manchester City after Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.

Manu Garba, who coached the Nigeria U17 and U20 teams where Iheanacho exploded on to the scene, compares his protégé to England legend Frank Lampard.

"I'm not surprised at his performances for Manchester City as I have said it before; he can play for any team in the world. As a matter of fact, they will do well to use him as a replacement for Frank Lampard. He shares similar style of play with the outgoing legend.

They can both create and score goals from midfield with late runs into the 18-yard box hardly spotted by opposition defenders," Garba had said.

In 2014, he joined City’s 20142015 pre-season tour. In his first game against Sporting Kansas city, he netted a goal and also scored in the game against AC Milan.

After the conclusion of the tour, City arranged for the youngster to be trained in Columbus crew until mid-October. But due to delays in obtaining work permit, meant he

could not play in England, until February 2015.

In July 2015, he was also included in the City’s pre-season tour team in Australia, where he scored the second goal against AS Roma in the 2015 International Champions cup.

Iheancho’s rise to fame came after emerging as the best player in the FIFA U-17 world cup in the 2013 United Arab Emirates. From there, he was signed by Manchester City, where he made some appearances for the Manchester City U-21 team, as well as the Nigeria U-20 team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2015 in New Zealand.

In 2013, he was named the Most Promising Talent of the year at the CAF awards. He was born on October 1996, in Imo State and started his youth football career in Taye Academy in Owerri.

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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ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER Transfer News… Transfer News… Transfer News…

Neymar

Coutinho

Kolarov Set for Roma Switch

Date Switch will makes African players more

Agents Back AFCON Date Switch It will make African players more attractive

A

frican players will be "more attractive" to European clubs now the Africa Cup of Nations will take place in the summer, say leading agents. The tournament, held every two years, is being moved to June and July from January and February.

Previously, Premier League clubs were among those who faced losing players mid-season for several weeks. "It'll make my job easier as an agent. Clubs use it as an excuse not to sign African players," said Papa Agyemang.

Changes to the competition, which will increase from 16 to 24 teams, were approved by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) at a conference in Morocco.

Players have previously been caught between duty for their national team and clubs that employ them. "They will become more attractive because teams won't be thinking about losing them every two years," said Agyemang.

Saif Rubie, another agent who specialises in brokering deals for African players, said the tournament's timing had a bearing on transfer deals.

"Some clubs 100 per cent told me they would not bring in a player if they were tied to the Cup of Nations. Now it will mean they don't have that concern," said Rubie, who is also the agent of former Chelsea and Ghana coach Avram Grant.

"The flip side is they will be playing in the summer, so could be late for the start of the season though it's better to have a player missing part of August than most of January and February. I

believe it will mean a player has more of a chance of being signed as opposed to under the old schedule."

Cup of Nations case study Sadio Mane Liverpool were so keen for Sadio Mane to return from this year's Africa Cup of Nations they arranged for a private jet to fly the Senegal striker back.

Mane was away for four weeks before he missed the crucial spotkick as Senegal lost to eventual champions Cameroon on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool won only one game from eight while he was away on international duty following a 2-2 draw at Sunderland on 2 January.

They were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Mane's former club Southampton, then eliminated from the FA Cup by Championship side Wolves.

The scheduling switch has been welcomed by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, particularly after the club signed Egypt winger Mohamed Salah from Rome in a £34m deal this summer.

"It's fantastic. When we signed Mo Salah, I was already thinking 'Oh my God in one-and-a-half years we lose both in the winter', but that's not happening now so that gives us two more players in winter time. That's very good," said Klopp on Friday during the club's pre-season tour in Hong Kong.

'Value to the team will be greater' Last season, 23 Premier League players were called up by their countries for the competition.

"African players are becoming more and more influential and that stage of the season is

crucial," said Agyemang, who represents several African footballers in Europe.

"The better players are generally gone for longer and if they can't replace those players, it has been difficult for clubs.

"I'm not sure moving the tournament means their transfer values will go up or down but they won't be missed for vital periods. Their value to the team will be greater.

"Players are going away in the middle of the season and some of them are tired. The Africa Cup of Nations is a tough, tough tournament. I think players will welcome this.

"Copa America is held during the summer months. You have to move with the times."

Manchester City's left-back Aleksandar Kolarov is on the verge of a move to Serie A side AS Roma, Blues boss Pep Guardiola said yesterday.

The Serbia international was left out of the side beaten by Manchester United in the Houston friendly on Thursday, and former Barcelona boss Guardiola says he won't stand in Kolarov's way after he expressed a desire to leave.

"I don't like working with people who don't want to stay. He has a big chance to go to Roma," confirmed the City manager.

"He has said he wants to leave. I wish him all the best."

Kolarov has been a key component of City's success since joining the club from Roma's fierce rivals Lazio in 2010 for £16 million ($20.8 million, 17.8 million euros), winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup. The 31-year-old is set to join the mass exodus of full-backs in the close season at Etihad Stadium, with Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta having all left the club.

Hands off Coutinho, Klopp warns Barca Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Friday brushed off a reported $93 million offer from Barcelona for Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho, insisting: "We're not a selling club."

"We want to work together and we want to make the next step, and to do this we need to stay together," the German told reporters before his side face Leicester City in the final of the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong on Saturday.

"The very important message is that we are not a selling club," added Klopp.

As Barcelona circle for Coutinho, Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana backed the mercurial Brazilian to help lead the Reds to success in the new season.

"He's a fantastic player so it's no surprise that there's teams interested in him," said Lallana.

"I feel like we're going to achieve big things here and I feel like Phil is going to be a big part of that.

"He's in that elite bracket and there is no reason he can't continue to be in that elite bracket and continue here at Liverpool," added Lallana.

"We're a massive club. We're in the Champions League – okay we need to qualify – but if we are going to win competitions like that, and the Premier League, we need to keep hold of players like Philippe."

Barca Certain Neymar will Stay

Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre insisted on Tuesday that Brazilian star Neymar will be staying in Spain despite rumours linking him with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Asked during a press conference if he could confirm Neymar 'Pressure behind closed doors' would remain at Barca ahead of the 2017-18 season, Mestre Former Cameroon goalkeeper replied: "200 percent".

Joseph-Antoine Bell believes Reports in Spain have suggested PSG are looking to lure the the switch is not being made 25-year-old to the Parc des Princes after snapping up Neymar's to satisfy European clubs, but international teammate Dani Alves on a free transfer. makes sense.

"PSG want to finalise the signing of Neymar this summer", "It is good for our players, our wrote Catalan daily Sport, while the Madrid-based AS newspeople and the game," he told paper led with the headline "Neymar flirts with PSG".

BBC World Service.

PSG are reportedly attempting to take advantage of "You cannot keep saying playNeymar's desire to step out of Lionel Messi's shadow, with ers should come to play for their the French club prepared to build a team around the Brazil home team while they are being forward. paid by somebody else."

"In the background of Neymar's annoyance there's always a AFC Wimbledon's Ghana concern, which has to do with his role in the team and his wish striker Kwesi Appiah said the to become a leader," wrote Sport. current scheduling placed some "But you have to be aware that there are no shortcuts to players in a difficult position. leadership and it is something that is earned slowly, naturally "I never would have had that and progressively," it added. problem myself, but you probAccording to Marca, PSG would be willing to stump up the ably do get some players who 222 million euros ($256.8 million) required to trigger Neymar's pull out because they don't want to leave or upset their club. They release clause and would offer him a five-year deal worth 30-plus million euros a season. don't want to lose their place in However, a report in French sports daily L'Equipe on the team," he said.

Tuesday quoted a PSG club source as saying: "We're not going "No manager would come out to repeat the Neymar show. There is a huge release clause and openly and say I don't want my player to play in this tournament you have to be realistic."

PSG have previously been linked with Neymar only for the but I'm sure there is some presstriker to pen a new five-year deal with Barca last October. sure behind closed doors."

33

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Ϳ

˺˺

At the presentation of VAT Wonder Goal award to Rabiu Ali of Kano Pillars, from left, Salihu Abubakar, COO of LMC, Ali and Mr. Sam Pavou, Kano State Coordinator of FIRS Federer's twins and wife cheering the Swiss Master to his 8th Wimbledon

Roger Federer: Tennis Superman Ă™ Ă?Ă&#x;ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ–Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“ĂŒĂ? ÞÒĂ? Ă—Ă‹Ă‘Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă– ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă—Ă‹Ă?Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă? ÞÒËÞ Ă“Ă? ÙÑĂ?Ăœ Ă?ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ?ĂœË› Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? ÞÙ ĂŽĂ?Ă?ĂŁ Ă‹Ă‘Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÖÙÑÓĂ? Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ă?Ăž ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă‹Ă— ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ë› Ă’Ă? ĂĄĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă—Ă‹ĂŁ Ă?Ă“Ăž Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž ÞÒĂ? Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂœĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÚÖËã Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ“ ĂŒĂ?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă‹Ă&#x;Ă–Ăž Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹ Ă?ÓâÞÒ ĂšĂ?Ă˜ ĂĄĂ’Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă’Ă? Ă’Ă‹Ă?Ă˜ĚłĂž ĂĄĂ™Ă˜ Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă? ͺ͸͸΀˛ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă’Ă“Ă? ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă‹ĂœĂ•Ă‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? ĂœĂ‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă‹Ă— ĂŁĂ?Ă‹Ăœ Ă?Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă&#x;ÖÞÓ×ËÞĂ? Ă’Ă“Ă‘Ă’ Ă“Ă˜ Ă’Ă? Ă“Ă‘ ÚÚÖĂ?ËŁ He's been described as The Bionic Man and The Renaissance Man after winning the Australian Open and back-to-back Masters 1000 series, but he now has to be known as Superman after winning a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title. He's quite simply out of this world!

Federer has re-invented himself in 2017 after it looked like he had won his last major at Wimbledon in 2012. He has adjusted his game and refreshed his body, lifting the grand old trophy once again, three weeks before his 36th birthday.

Fourteen years after winning his first Grand Slam title at the All England Club, Federer clinched a historic 19th major in a straightforward manner over Marin Cilic making him the oldest man to triumph on the famed grass courts.

On court, his successes have brought him more than $100 million in prize money and now 93 career titles. Off it, he is the father of two sets of twins, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and Leo and Lenny with wife Mirka, a former player he met at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Born on August 8, 1981 in Basel, to Swiss father Robert and South African mother Lynette, Federer started playing tennis at the age of eight.

He won his first ATP title in Milan in 2001 and has racked up trophies every year since with the exception of 2016 when he shut his season down, missing the Olympics and US Open, to rest a knee injury.

But the gamble paid off as a rejuvenated Federer won a fifth Australian Open on his return with a five-set classic against his old foe Rafael Nadal before adding back-to-back Masters at Indian Wells and Miami.

Federer

He skipped the clay court season in the knowledge that a fully-fit Nadal was always likely to dominate the French Open, and he wasn't wrong as the Spaniard swept up the dirt at Roland Garros to record a landmark 10th title.

Back on grass, Federer won a ninth Halle title before easing to his latest stunning Wimbledon triumph on Sunday.

Wimbledon, where he became the first man to win the trophy without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg in 1976, was only his seventh tournament of 2017.

Federer's match-win record for 2017 now stands at 31-2, with those defeats coming against players ranked outside the Top 100 - Evgeny Donskoy [Dubai] and Tommy Haas [Stuttgart].

For all the statistics in Federer's favour, his greatest legacy will be his majestic style of play, which has always been to attack. Every one of his Grand Slam titles are testament to his touch and creativity while his elegance on and off the court has won him fans all the world over.

There is hardly a court on the planet where he is not the home favourite.

His appearances on the tour are expected to remain limited and he has hinted that he may sit out the Montreal Masters and play only in Cincinnati before an assault on a sixth US Open where he hasn't won since 2008.

Federer is also within touching distance of returning to the world No 1 ranking by the end of the year. Eleven of the last 14 Wimbledon champions have finished the season top of the rankings.

That list includes Nadal who, despite losing to Gilles Muller in a five-set last-16 epic at Wimbledon, remains one of the year's in-form players with 46 wins and

just seven losses.

As well as winning the first three majors of 2017, Nadal and Federer have also captured four of the five Masters played so far. Where Federer triumphed in California and Miami, Nadal swept to victories in Monte Carlo and Madrid.

Only the young up and coming German Alexander Zverev has prevented a Masters sweep by the two old-timers by conquering Rome.

If Federer and Nadal remain fit, they will start as favourites for the US Open which gets underway in six weeks' time especially with question marks over the fitness of Andy Murray [hip] and Novak Djokovic [shoulder] Federer says he had always hoped that something "magical" would happen for him at Wimbledon.

At 35, he also became the tournament's oldest men's champion of the Open era.

Federer, who was winning as a junior at Wimbledon nearly 20 years ago, told Sky Sports News: "I was hoping that something magical would happen at some stage, one year maybe at Wimbledon but not eight times, not eleven finals, not this magnitude.

"If you told the people that I am coming to play Wimbledon for the next 20 years and I am going to win eight of them, they are going to go 'Yeah right, whatever, the little Swiss kid has lost his mind'.

"That's why you stay grounded, you work hard, you try to put yourself in contention."

Federer is now promising to play more tennis than he has in recent months.

He added: "No, I will not step away [for] six months again and then come back at the Australian Open. We are contemplating what I should play on the hard courts and how we go from there. There's much more tennis coming up this year than last year."

Federer was speaking after celebrating his success.

He said: "I went to bed at five. I spent time with about 40 friends that came from around the world and mostly Switzerland to support me. We went out to a bar and had a great time. I woke up with a headache but it was worth it."

But perhaps Federer's greatest memory of this particular triumph was sharing the moment with his four children.

He went on: "It's a big deal for me and that's what made me so emotional at the end, just seeing them overlooking Centre Court, looking down on this set almost like a movie set. Honestly, it means so much to me."

Kvyat Wants Red Bull Decision on Future Daniil Kvyat says he needs a decision on his future "as soon as possible" following suggestions from Red Bull boss Christian Horner they will retain the Toro Rosso driver.

Red Bull, the owners of the Toro Rosso outfit, have yet to take up the option to extend Kvyat's contract into 2018, but Horner told Sky F1 at the Austrian GP he "could not see any reason why they would want to change him at this point in time".

Speaking at Silverstone over the weekend, Kvyat thanked Horner for his support but said he would like formal confirmation in the near future.

"I think our common trust is going back to a good level so I don't see any reason why I wouldn't want to collaborate," Kvyat said.

"But I need an answer also, if those are his plans I need an answer as soon as possible because obviously it is getting to the part of the season that you want to know your future.

"It would be great to know as soon as possible but I don't see any reason why we wouldn't want to collaborate together.

I'm not a guy to give any deadlines, it is in their hands so why would I force it. But they know the better you are settled with your future, the more you can stay focused on your actual job."

Kvyat is in his third season driving for Toro Rosso, having been relegated from the senior Red Bull team last season following the Russian GP. "They know everything about me and we already had some talks before, everyone is happy, I am happy with them, I think they're happy with me so I don't see any reason why we wouldn't want to collaborate," the 23-year-old continued.

"I want to do my job. Red Bull have been taking care of me for the last seven, eight years. Whatever Dr Marko will decide, I will take the answer.

"I don't see any reason why not to [stay with the Red Bull family]. You have to be patient. I want to give my best to Toro Rosso because I think they deserve more from me.

"I want to give more to this team, because I'm part of this project and I'm part of this car development and I'd like to see what it brings in the future."

The Russian moved to within three penalty points of a race ban at the British GP after colliding with team-mate Carlos Sainz on the opening lap, a week after receiving two penalty points for hitting Fernando Alonso at the first corner.

Ali Declared VAT Wonder Goal his Wedding Gift A day after he completed marriage rite to Maryam at a colourful wedding ceremony, Rabiu Ali was presented his VAT Wonder Goal Award before an impressive turn out of fans at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

The event held before the much anticipated traditional rivalry fixture between Kano Pillars and Rangers International which incidentally was the first game open to fans since some ugly fans incident at the stadium earlier in the season and which led to a ban.

Ali who has nominated Nasarawa Children Orphanage Home Kano as his preferred charity, described the award as a perfect wedding gift which will serve as motivating factor to achieving greater things in his career.

Mr. Sam Pavou, the Kano State Coordinator of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) performed the handing over ceremony of the N150,000 ceremonial cheque to Ali for his goal in Ilorin which was adjudged the best for Match Day 26.

The FIRS official confessed to not having seen matches of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) lately but expressed delight at the turn out of fans and the competitive display by players of the two teams.

He commended the teams and remarked that it is the quality and standard of their game that attracted the over 20,000 fans, arguing that ‘beautiful football often attracts fans to the stadium�. “I am happy to say that the NPFL had really taken a different dimension compared to what was obtainable in the last ten years.

The crowd here is a glaring sign of a better organization and total football. I strongly believe that sustenance is key to making it a global standard. That is the only way we can produce players who can compete favourably in continental or world tournaments�, stated Pavou who represented the Chairman of FIRS, Babatunde Fowler.

On hand to support the FIRS at the presentation was Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the League Management Company (LMC).

Jamiu Alimi and Junior Lokosa scored two first half goals to help the former champions clinch vital points in a 2-0 win.

34

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER JULY 22, 2017

INTERVIEW ADP National Chairman

APC’s Failure Created Current Agitation For Restructuring Engr. Yusuf Yabagi Sani is the National Chairman of one of the newly registered political parties, the Action Democratic Party (ADP). In this interview, he talks about what the new party is bringing to the nation’s political space and other national issues. He spoke with our reporter, Ogheneuvwde Ohwovoriole. Excerpts:

C

of my experience and involvement in politics, I know those who are not tainted; those who are incorruptible and have what it takes to move this country forward; people who have integrity and do not want their names soiled because they have dignity.

ongratulations on the successful registration of your party, the Action Democratic Party (ADP). What is the party bringing to the Nigerian political space that is not there

already?

First and foremost, we are bringing experience, experience of our involvement in the past democratic experiment---16 years of the past administrations and the two years of the current administration; and of course you know that we have pre-colonial political parties and the post-colonial political parties, but you now have the new opportunity that is given to Nigerians to get it right. You must appreciate the fact that anything new from the inception, you will have to combat the teething problems. I think that after nearly 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, we should be masters of the game by now. It is like a farmer who plants a yam; the yam would have to decay in order for it to germinate and give life to a new yam. Therefore, we believe that all these parties you see today will die because there are internally defective; the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are infected with cancer. The parties lack discipline; they were not built on the ethos of discipline, accountability and responsiveness to the yearnings of their own members, let alone the electorate. These are the characteristics of the two political parties that we have had in the past.

PDP is crumbling because of lack of discipline, lack of cohesion and lack of leadership that commands respect.

These parties have watery constitutions when it comes to the issue of party supremacy. Therefore, like I told you before, what we are bringing on board is the experience. We know that the make-up of these parties will go wrong, and that is why they are now crumbling. We are also bringing to the table all-inclusiveness; because you cannot shut your door on Nigerians; anybody is free to join any party but in addition to that, we are also bringing party supremacy; we want our party to be the rallying point; the party should be above all of us. We are bringing a party of the law and not a party of men; a party where all members will have hope and believe that all members are equal. We have introduced in our party what we call Alternative Dispute Resolution Council (ADC) so that members will not resort to regular law courts.

Courts are not meant to solve political problems but to solve civil and criminal cases. Therefore political cases should be solved politically; this will distinguish us from other parties.

We are also bringing programmes that will empower the youth of this country. As we all know, Nigerians excel in foreign countries, which means we are endowed by God and we are special species. We are very intelligent, resilient and hard-working.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves where the electorate are relegated

How do you see the fight against corruption by this government?

The fight against corruption by this government is a distraction from what we are supposed to be doing; that’s why I said there must be a sort of conspiracy against Nigerians. We already have institutions that are fighting corruption; I am talking about the EFCC, ICPC and the police. You don’t have to mobilise the entire structures of government in the name of fighting corruption, and you are doing nothing else. There is corruption all over the world; go to Europe and America, there is corruption there. President Trump’s National Security Adviser has to resign because he was suspected of corruption; that does not mean that the entire government should focus on corruption and be humiliating themselves. That is not government; government is beyond chasing little things that can be tackled by different institutions. We should be interested in blocking the sources of corruption.

Check your regulatory agencies and know how come people are able to get away with so much money.

Sani

when it comes to democracy. That is why we want to unleash the potential of the youth on Nigeria by giving them the opportunity to excel in any field of their endeavour. That’s why we have given 50% of the party executives, elective and appointments to women and youths. When you have 50% of disadvantaged people in decision making, they will not cheat or short-change themselves. They can then democratically influence what happens.

From what you have said so far, it seems the citizens will have a say and that there are not going to be godfathers who will dictate who should be a candidate, or moneybags who will hijack your party?

Yes; Nigeria is not just in a political recession but also in a political winter, which is responsible for the political weather that we are having today.

We have a situation where everything is in comatose; you ask who is responsible for the debacle, fiasco and collapse of the political space; we the political class are responsible and we should come forward and solve the problems. That is why we have come out to proffer solutions; because it is not yet a total loss or failure; we have analysed why we are where we are, and we now know how to bring Nigeria out of the woods. We want to open up the political space so that those brains that have been lying fallow can now be engaged in national development.

We call ourselves ADP because what has been lacking is action; there has been too much inaction. The present

executive is in disarray that you cannot point to any programme that has meaningful impact on the lives of Nigerians. There is so much abject poverty in this country; we have no business with hunger with the kind of potential, natural endowments, human capacity, size and population that we have, coupled with the experience we have as a country. What is happening today is a kind of aberration. People go through ups and downs in life but not in our situation where we have everything to prosper and yet, we are going backward.

Has APC-led government disappointed Nigerians?

Of course; if there is another word we can use for total failure, we will use it. In fact, you wonder if this is not a conspiracy against Nigerians.

Because we cannot have all that we have and are still in the situation that we are today. Some people need to be asked questions. If possible, we should set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate why we are where we are today; because ordinarily it shouldn’t happen. There must be a conspiracy within or from outside the country that has led to the situation that we are in today.

How were you able to galvanise support from all over the country to get your party registered within a short period of time?

As concerned Nigerians who were not given opportunities to express themselves or actualise their dreams or even participate in this democracy, they are people that you cannot just ignore. They are many and because

What’s your party’s position on restructuring; because there are clamours from almost every part of the country for restructuring?

The current agitation for restructuring is as a result of the state of anarchy that the APC has visited on us; that’s why people are looking for escape route. They are thinking that something is wrong with this union or with Nigeria. No; there is nothing wrong with Nigeria for God’s sake.

Look at Britain, they attempted to go out of the European Union (EU) but you can now see the kind of confusion it has now found itself in; and they are now trying to retrace their steps. People are looking for bigger unions because if you are not big, you cannot be a player in international politics and global economy. For us to be saying we want to disintegrate is very sad; it’s because of the frustrating situation we have found ourselves. Let us face our issues squarely and solve them; we have the capacity to do so. People are confused---that with all the abundance of human and natural resources, we are still where we were 100 years ago. In fact, we are worse off. If you have a problem, you solve it. What APC is doing to us as a country today must not be allowed to continue, or else it will become a cancer that we cannot treat anymore.

Now is the time for us to yank it off.

Let us revive all the potential that we have. No matter your ethnicity, once you are feeding well and have good life, you won’t be talking of disintegration. Like I told you, ADP is a child of necessity that has come to be and we are coming to give purposeful leadership to enhance our unity.

35

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͰͰ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

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The Book Tour Has Been Impressive – Okey Ndibe

BISI DANIELS bisi.daniels@thisdaylive.com Blog: www.bisidaniels.com, 08050220700

Professor Okey Ndibe is a widely travelled author. He does so frequently that I call him “Professor Ajala.”

He is currently on a tightly scheduled book tour in the country. But he created a window for this interview about the tour, his books and writing.

N

dibe is the author of two novels, “Foreign Gods, Inc.” (named one of the best books of 2014 by, among others, Janet Maslin of the New York Times, National Public Radio, Philadelphia Inquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Mosaic magazine), and “Arrows of Rain” as well as the memoir, “Never Look an American in the Eye: Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts and the Making of a Nigerian American”.

He is also a co-editor (with Zimbabwean writer, Chenjerai Hove) of “Writers Writing on Conflicts and Wars in Africa.”

Ndibe was a 2015-2016 Shearing Fellow at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He earned MFA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and has taught at Brown University, Trinity College, Simon’s Rock College, Connecticut College, and the University of Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). He served as the founding editor of African Commentary, a US-based international magazine. Below are excerpts from the interview

What are the general benefits of such tours; how have you personally benefited from it.

Book tours are tested ways of popularizing books. This is especially true in this age of social media. As I speak at each event, numerous people in the audience tweet my statements, expanding the reach and impact of what I’m stating in a defined space.

Such dissemination enables readers from all over the world to become part of a conversation around a book. My social media capital in Nigeria and elsewhere has risen sharply since I began this tour. It’s clear to me that lots of readers are tuning in and many of them then seek out my books.

Is it financially rewarding?

From the standpoint of publishers and authors, there’s no question that book tours—when well planned and publicized—make financial sense.

But two points ought to be stipulated. One: that the financial benefits may not be immediate, but they develop over time.

Two, that the writer especially—or this writer, at any rate—does not always put monetary considerations at the centre of creative transactions.

Don’t get me wrong: I am not averse to financial rewards. A writer who works hard and produces stellar work deserves his or her huge payday. Still, since writing often involves passionate commitment, many writers would still write even if they never made much money from the vocation.

Prof, congrats for the apparent success of your current book tour.

Thank you very much, Bisi. Yes, the tour has been an impressive success. In fact, it has far exceeded my expectations—which were quite high.

Tell us about it, what is it all about?

I’m on a nation-wide book tour, my first in Nigeria. And the book tour came about because Bookcraft Africa, based in Ibadan, acquired the rights from my US publishers to release the

THE BOOKS Foreign Gods, Inc., It tells the story of Ike, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver who sets out to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it to a New York gallery.

Ike’s plan is fueled by desperation. Despite a degree in economics from a major American college, his strong accent has barred him from the corporate world. Forced to eke out a living as a cab driver, he is unable to manage the emotional and material needs of a temperamental African American bride and a widowed mother demanding financial support.When he turns to gambling, his mounting losses compound his woes.

And so he travels back to Nigeria to steal the statue, where he has to deal with old friends, family, and a mounting conflict between those in the village who worship the deity, and those who practice Christianity.

Foreign Gods is a brilliant work of fiction that illuminates our globally interconnected world like no other.

Never Look an American in the Eye Okey Ndibe’s funny, charming, and penetrating memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, where he came to edit the influential—but perpetually cash-strapped—African Commentary magazine. It recounts stories of Ndibe’s relationships with Chinua Achebe,Wole Soyinka, and other luminaries; examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just thirteen days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and viceversa); and juxtaposes African folk tales withWall Street trickery. All these stories and more come together in a generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American.

Ndibe first-ever Nigerian editions of any of my books. In late June, Bookcraft released their editions of my two latest books, the memoir titled “Never Look an American in the Eye”, and the novel, “foreign gods, inc.” The publisher of Bookcraft, Bankole Olayebi, and I have known each other since the mid-1980s. We decided that the release of my books in Nigeria should be marked by a series of readings in six cities—Lagos, where I’ll do four events, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Awka, Abuja and Ibadan. I arrived in Nigeria on April 8, and, the next day, did my first event at Patabah Bookshop at the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Center in Surulere. Despite an unrelenting downpour that day, the bookstore was parked.

How did the idea for your latest book originate, and how long did it take you to write it?

The book is “Never Look an American in the Eye”. My second novel, “foreign gods, inc.”, was published in 2014 to great critical acclaim and success. The novel’s protagonist is Ile Uzondu, a Nigerian immigrant in New York City who hatches a traitorous plan to steal the statue of a war deity from his natal community. Many of my readers in the US, Britain and Europe kept harping on their impression that the novel rang so true as to seem based on my life.

At each turn, I protested that I had never dabbled into the heist of a deity. Then it occurred to me that I had had a rich and fascinating life in the US since relocating there in 1988—and even before. It struck me that my personal encounters with the US, and that country’s response to me, would make rewarding reading. The book took me approximately one year to write.

Where did you do most of the writing— study, bedroom, a hideout?

I call myself an opportunistic writing. It means I write wherever I find the moment, inspiration and tool. I don’t adhere to any particular routine. I write in the kitchen, in bed, in libraries, in airports, inside trains and aircraft.

Your family blends well, how do you break away from them to write?

My family comes first for me. I try to be an

attentive husband and father. Even so, my wife and children understand that writing is a central part of my life, so they do their best to permit me the space to write. Sometimes they excuse me from going with them to social engagements, like dinner invitations by family friends. In the end, my family helps fuel, rather than hinder my work.

World-wide book tours are not regular these days as musicians do with their songs.

How do you pull it? Who organizes, who funds it?

I’ve been fortunate to find Soho Press as my US publishers. Soho is an independent publisher based in New York, with a vision and passion that’s extraordinary. At a time when many publishers have pulled back from sending authors on extended tours, Soho has supported my two books with them by sending me to various important cities in the US and Britain. Most of the engagements, the first few months after my books’ release, are organized and funded by Soho.

However, I’ve also become well known enough in the literary circuit that I receive invitations to literary festivals around the world, including the UK South Africa, Italy, and Norway. The organizers of these festivals pick up my tabs for flight and accommodation and, often, pay a small per diem. A few months ago, I signed an agreement with a speakers’ bureau, Blue Flower Arts Agency, to represent me in booking or negotiating talks, lectures and readings.

What has the response to your Nigerian book tour been?

Amazing! Each of my events so far has had packed venues. And my books have sold out at several events, including the University of Port Harcourt and Goethe Institute in Lagos.

I’ve been impressed by the passion and energy displayed by readers at each stop. I’ve been quite moved to see the audience’s curiosity and hunger for the literary diet. It’s often tempting to judge the Nigerian society as too philistinic, too obsessed with material pursuits. But I can tell you that there’s a truth that’s often not recognized: the deep yearning among many Nigerians for intellectual stimulation. I have seen a lot of this during this book tour.

Writing seems to be your primary occupation now.

I’ve held visiting professorships or fellowships at a variety of universities and colleges. But when I have a new book out, I tend to take time from teaching in order to devote more attention to book festivals and other activities that lend visibility to books.

Any other thing you enjoy doing?

I love to cook. I love to tell stories to children and adults.

You travel a lot. How much joy does it give you?

One of my childhood dreams was to travel around the world, to see places that were once esoteric names I read about in magazines, newspapers and books or heard about in geography class. I’m very lucky—blessed is the better word, in fact—that my career as a writer has made it possible for me to travel widely—in North America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The exhilaration of traveling, meeting new people, learning firsthand about other cultures is impossible to describe. Let me just say that, if I had to do my life over again, I’d make the exact same choice to travel around the world on the passport of stories.

What is the cost to your family?

I miss my family a lot when I travel. I’d say that the only sad aspect of incessant travels. From time to time, I manage to persuade my wife to take some time from her hectic schedule to travel with me. Last year we were in Italy together; this year, we went together to Greece. I’m always thrilled when she can come away with me.

So far this year, which city/town have you enjoyed most, and why?

My wife and I were recently in Greece for ten days. We visited Thessaloniki, the island of Santorini, and then Athens, where I was invited to take part in a conversation about memories of the Nigerian civil war. Greece is a country rich in history and breathtaking human-made monuments as well as landscapes. I found Santorini magical—for its combination of history and a landscape that evokes otherworldliness.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹͵

FAIRGROUND

Mo Abudu Celebrates EbonyLive TV’s 4th Anniversary

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

W

ell, it is no longer news that she has emerged the iyalode of Nollywood industry; she swept it like a hurricane known as ‘Hurricane Mo’, especially with her last movie, The Wedding Party, the part two of which we are all patiently waiting for.

Mo Abudu’s personal presentation does not only end in the aggressive display of her creative engine room, but also goes on to her personal style, which is as exotic as captivating.

When it comes to her fashion presentation, even though she is obviously a label lover, she definitely knows how to work her pieces together; call her a fashionista, you will not be far from the truth. She is tough and you can’t take the shine off her.

It was all bright and flashing lights at the Ebony Life TV and Film Festival at the Filmhouse IMAX Cinema, Lekki. Recently, the Queen of Nigerian TV and Film, Mo Abudu, who has been on a one-woman mission to redefine the TV and film space in Nigeria, stunned in a black dress as she received superstars, including Mavin boss, Don Jazzy and Mavin first lady, Tiwa Savage. The film festival was a double celebration with Ebonylife TV on its fourth year anniversary.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Joke Silva, Dakore Egbuson, Ireti Doyle and a host of A-list celebrities graced the red carpet as invited guests were treated to the new season premiere of hit TV series like On The Real and Sons of the Caliphate.

The 2015 blockbuster movie Fifty also hit TV screens with the season premiere of Fifty: The Series. The atmosphere was electric and the scene picturesque as guests turned out in their numbers for a night of world class entertainment while enjoying some of the best of food and drink in the land. Amid the glitz and glamour of the camera flashes, EbonyLife TV is sending a strong message not only to Nigeria but to the world as a whole that Nigerian entertainment is the new cool.

Don Jazzy, Mo Abudu, Uzoma Onwuchekwa, Eunice Omole

Ireti Doyle

Joke Silva

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde

Noble Igwe

Tonto Dikeh

UC Ukeje

Uche Jumbo

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹͵

FAIRGROUND

Nigerian Breweries Launches Ace Desire, a Zobo-Flavoured Alcoholic Drink

N

igerian Breweries Plc, the foremost brewer in the country, has raised the bar in Nigeria’s ready-to-drink market with the launch of “Ace Desire,” the first zobo-flavoured alcoholic drink.

Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr. Franco Maria Maggi, explained to Journalists at the launch in Lagos on Thursday, that Ace Desire is a sophisticated blend of spirit, natural Hibiscus or zobo extracts, being the traditional beverage produced from Hibiscus leaves.

“This rich combination of a balanced mix of spirit and Hibiscus extracts contains 5.5% alcohol, and offers a tingling sensation and rich aroma,” he said.

According to him, Ace Desire, packaged in a 33cl glass bottle, stands out among other products on the Ready-to-Drink category. He added that Nigerian Breweries, “the house of quality” has delivered on yet another promise to delight consumers with the introduction of Ace Desire.

“The brand’s ambition is to lead in the Nigerian RTD category by establishing itself as the relentless pioneer of innovation,” Maggi said, while also promising that the product will be available in outlets across the country in the next few weeks.

Mr. Franco Maria Maggi disclosed that the extensions of the Ace brand have always been informed by the need to satisfy different consumer taste profiles

Mr. Stanley Obi, Mr. Franco Maria-Maggi, Toyosi Adeyemi and Patrick Olowokere

that evolve and change over time.

Guests and consumers at the launch commended the innovation behind local extract that resulted in the refreshingly exciting aroma and taste. They maintained that the drink remains an ace to be desired, which has also given them a new choice in

the RTD category. “This clearly shows that Nigerian Breweries is thinking and is futuristic in its approach to consumer’s needs and market variables,” Olufunke Morenikeji Ojo, a brand analyst said.

It would be recalled that Nigerian Breweries launched the Ace brand

in December 2014 with an appleflavoured alcoholic drink called Ace Passion. In March 2015, Ace Roots, a spirit mixed alcoholic drink made from African herbs and fruits joined the Ace family, while Ace Rhythm, a mix of Vodka and Citrus was unveiled in November 2015.

HeinekenLFDW 2017 Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future

C

hurch Culture’, new television show focused on the mission of the Christian faith and the people, places and priorities that drive Christians in Nigeria and across Africa, will launch its first season today, Saturday (today)at 2:30 PM on ChannelsTV. Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week tents will open from the 25th – 28th October 2017 with Runway Shows, Fashion Business Series, Fashion Installations and the #HeinekenLFDW After Party.

Connecting with over 20 million Pan-African fashion insiders, including designers, buyers, retailers, local and international press in the previous year, the annual event returns for its 7th edition tagged, “Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future”. The interconnection between traditional African heritage and its re-interpretation into contemporary fashion in defining African fashion as we know it today has been established. This on-going interplay between contemporary fashion in Africa and historic cultural reference points have contributed significantly to shaping the African fashion narrative till date. The future however lies in moving the conversation beyond creativity to adding value to the industry. It’s about creating various platforms that provide knowledge acquisition, skills development and job creation for the continent. The future lies in creating an ecosystem of thriving fashion businesses that can impact the African economic landscape.

Heineken continues its partnership with Lagos Fashion & Design Week as the headline sponsor. The

World’s No. 1 International premium beer brand will continue to push innovative boundaries and create unique and immersive experiences during the course of the four days.

“Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week has remained a key platform in the Nigerian fashion industry and the African Fashion industry as a whole.

Through this partnership, Heineken has opened up the world of fashion to young adults in Nigeria and indeed across Africa. People can now discover more about the industry. This ties with our new campaign “There’s more behind the Star”, which encourages us to look beyond the surface to find what really lies beneath,” remarked Brand Manager, Heineken, Mr Obabiyi Fagade Commenting on this year’s event, the Executive Director and Founder of Lagos Fashion and Design Week, Omoyemi Akerele said “Heineken LFDW remains committed to catalysing the African Fashion industry ecosystem and to providing greater avenues for commercial success for designers based on the continent, through skills acquisition, apparel manufacturing and access to market which we have worked hard to achieve throughout the year via the Style House Files, Nigerian Export Promotion Council-led Human Capital Development Initiative, our inaugural Autumn/Winter Presentation and Trade shows, which rolls out in a few weeks. The clamour for the industry to thrive and compete on the global stage reverberates across the continent.

Omoyemi Akerele

ntel NOVA 4G/LTE Phone Berths in Abuja

N

tel, Nigeria’s first 4G/LTE-advanced network has taken the ntel NOVA gospel to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The company, which is presently prosecuting a road show across its areas of operation as part of plans to promote its bespoke 4G/LTE phone, touched down in Abuja recently.

At a well-attended event, Inusa Bello, Director, Consumer Marketing and Sales told the gathering of business partners, regulators and staff that “ntel NOVA is a revolution. It has brought to an end all the complaints from customers about availability and high cost of 4G/LTE phones. With Nova we have changed the game and now everyone who needs to make clear HD VoLTE calls can do so with a low priced and beautifully designed handset.”

The ntel NOVA phone, which was launched in Lagos on Thursday July 6, 2017, has been defined by the company as “an exciting ergonomically designed, low priced, dual-SIM device defined by characteristics of both a feature phone and a smart phone.”

The sleek phone, which comes in three distinct

colours; rose gold, gold and grey, runs on the Android 6.0 operating system with a 8GB+1GB RAM capacity and has front 5 mega pixels and rear 2 mega pixel cameras, with Bluetooth and WiFi hotspot capabilities.

It also has space for a micro USB 2.0, earphone jack and two micro SIM card slots. It has 1800mAh battery capacity, with Standby time of 7 days and talk time of 9 hours.

In addition to a high-quality 3.8-inch capacitive touch screen, it also provides a traditional keyboard for quick dialing while boasting 4 dedicated Quick Launch keys for internet apps – Facebook, Internet Browser, Twitter, and WhatsApp. ntel is Nigeria’s first advanced 4G/LTE network providing superfast Internet access that enables voice, data video and TV on demand. The ntel network is built on the 900/1800 Mhz which are the best propagation frequencies for the deployment of 4G/LTE technology.

Our bouquet of offerings includes: National Bandwidth, International Voice Termination, International Bandwidth, Mobile Network and Fixed Network.

ntel NOVA in Port Harcourt – (l-r) Lachi Iheanacho, General Manager HoustonTech, Osondu C. Nwokoro, Director External Affairs, ntel, Inusa Bello, Director Sales ntel, Joyce Nwanosike, GM Facilities ntel and Onyeka Nkwuocha, Managing Director Hergel Communications Limited at the official launch of ntel NOVA phone in Port Harcourt...recently

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ

ͺͺ ͺ͸͹Ϳ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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T H I S D AY SATURDAY JULY 22, 2017

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JULY 22 , 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

FASHION FILE

Kunle Remi In Rois

&

Reine Capsule Collection

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

FASHION FILE

Kunle K unle Remi In Rois and R Reine Re eiine Capsule Collection

R

ois and Reine, a top and foremost bespoke fashion outlet for men, is proud to unveil one of its 2017 Capsule collection for the style-savvy which features Nollywood actor Kunle Remi.

Designed in-house, the cool collection features a range of fashion wear catered for men who are seeking trendy modest styles.

Rois and Reine are providing fashion lovers from Nigeria and in the diaspora the access to a wider selection of affordable glamorous special occasion wear.

Offering a fresh perspective on dressing the traditional ethnic wear in a modern approach, Rois and Reine comprises a variation of key styles for the season featuring embellished and embroidered tops in a modern silhouette and versatile tailored pants to complete the look. The collection perfectly complements with sleek tailoring and intricate designs inspired by ancient architectural elements that transcend effortless sophistication. Made of quality fabric with metallic weaving for a clean structure, the collection is brimming with statement pieces with motif inspired

embroidery and unique tone embossed d print. t.

Rois R i and d Reine R i co-founder, f d Petr P t Okonye Ok e said “Rois and Reine is committed to filling lling the gap in the Nigeria and the Sub-Saharan aran African market for accessible and affordable, dable, glamorous and elegant modest wear that at goes beyond the festive season and can also be worn on special occasions throughout ut the year.

The Rois and Reine 2017 capsule collection tion is on trend and at the same time, it pays homage omage to our African roots, successfully bridging ing tradition and contemporary style. Customers omers can enjoy shopping for their fashion anytime, ytime, anywhere with just a few clicks online or visiting our various outlets”.

About Us Rois and Reine is a top and foremost Bespoke espoke Fashion outlet for Men. Our apparels are re made from the very best of fabrics available lable with a high concentration of attention to o detail in sewing and overall finishing. They exude xude STYLE, CLASS and overall ELEGANCE. E. Every design is well thought out and the fabric abric crafted to a level of prime sophistication. n.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ 2017

MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fashogbon... ͸΀͸ͻͻ;ͺ͹͸͸΁

L-R: Dr. Yemi Agbelusi, Ven. Olowosile Olutayo, Founder/CEO, Supreme Education Foundation Schools (SEF), Mrs. Adenike Adamolekun; Dr. Yemi Agbelusi of All Saint Anglican Church , Ikosi and Administrator, (SEF), Mrs. Rotimi Paul, at the 25 anniversary thanksgiving service of SEF in Magodo, Lagos recently

L-R: Olanrewaju Fasasi a.k.a Sound Sultan; Stanley Chibunna a.k.a Funnybone; Brand Communications Manager, Power Oil, Ijeoma Opara and Area Marketing Manager of Power Oil in Port Harcourt, Armstrong Egesi during the Power Oil WalkHeartOn 3.0 in PortHarcourt...recently

Power Oil ‘WalkHearton 3.0’ Storms Enugu, Port Harcourt After a successful outing in Lagos State, the annual Power Oil fitness initiative tagged ‘Power Oil WalkHeartOn’ has moved on to Rivers and Enugu states as residents turned out enmasse to participate in a 30 minute- walk.

According to the company, the walk initiative was put together to foster healthy lifestyle among Nigerians and promote good health through fitness activities through observing 30 minutes’ walk daily.

The Enugu and Port Harcourt walk which held simultaneously witnessed huge crowd with great enthusiasm.

In Enugu, the walk, led by the state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon. Charles Ndukwe, started at the

Lions Club Celebrates Fruitful Service Year The district 404b2 of the Nigerian chapter of the Lions Club International has craved government’s support to enable it perform well.

The immediate past District Governor of district 404b2, Lion Esv. Taiwo Adewunmi made this plea at the district end of the year thanksgiving at St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to the former DG, while the clubs are complementing government’s effort to uplift the society, they could only discharge effectively with the authority’s cooperation.

“No doubt we need government intervention in all ways, more importantly, we want government to give us the liberty to carry out our initiatives. You can imagine that if we need to plant a tree in a school or dig a borehole and even donate educational materials, we will be asked to get government approval which does not come so cheap,” he pointed out.

Adewunmi reiterated the clubs commitment to serve humanity, adding that district 404b2 in particular had concluded plans to execute not less than N100 million worth of projects within its jurisdiction.

“For us at district 404b2, we shall be pursuing five key projects in the New Year and these include engaging the youth through empowerment, advocacy and enlightenment; sight preservation, protection of the environment; relieving hunger and diabetes screening and awareness campaign,” he said.

He also called on other individuals to join in the cause of saving and serving humanity which is the core objective of the clubs. He urged government to come up with favourable policies that will favour an average Nigerian especially in this trying period.

Identifying membership as the major challenge of the association, followed by funding and inadequate publicity, the district’s Cabinet Secretary, Lion (Engr.) Terese Ihenachor stated that the clubs needed more members across the federation to deliver even beyond expectations.

Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium to Ogui Road and Otigba round about and terminated at the stadium while in Port Harcourt, it started at Liberation Stadium through Elekahia Road towards roundabout around the Air force junction and ended also at the stadium.

Speaking on the initiative in Enugu, Ndukwe praised the company for considering and partnering with the state and encouraged all, especially the youths to imbibe the culture of regular exercise needed for active health.

Brand Manager of the company, Miss.

Amisha Chawla added that the feedback from the state was quite impressive despite the initiative having just been brought to the state since it started three years ago. In Port Harcourt, the

entire walk venue was painted green as participants flaunted the green T-shirt of the brand which Chawla confirmed its turnout was beyond expectations.

The events were spiced with appearance and performance from popular artistes like Nigga Raw and MC Bonus in Enugu while Sound Sultan and Funnybone engaged the crowd in Port Harcourt.

The health camp was also on ground offering free basic medical checks for participants to ascertain their health status, including blood pressure, BMI and general medical consultation while participants were served with light refreshment prepared on the spot to restore lost energy.

Public Relations Manager of the

company, Mrs. Omotayo Abiodun noted that the massive turnout that greeted the outing was encouraging and a proof that Nigerians were conscious of their health and wellness.

Speaking, one of the participants in Port Harcourt, Mrs. Mercy Akpotha said, “I have not had this kind of exercise in a long while and I must confess that it’s fun-filled. Thanks to Power Oil for bringing up this health awareness initiative to remind and encourage us to stay on top of our healthy game.”

The last leg of the programme will hold simultaneously in Abuja and Ibadan today with Sound Sultan/MC Bonus and popular comedians Woli Arole and Sanyeri to entertain the crowd in their respective locations.

Unilever Inks Deal with Kaduna on Economic Growth

Recalcitrant Traders Return to Ikeja, Oshodi Bridge

Unilever Nigeria Plc has concluded arrangements with Kaduna State Government to launch initiatives targeted at improving the economy of the state.

The initiative, ‘Knorr Force for Good’ and Women Empowerment Shakti which are centred on women and teenage girls in the state would boost the livelihood of the concerned and promote their physical wellbeing.

Shakti is a women empowerment programme that seeks to address unemployment and reduce poverty by offering support to women who have entrepreneurial drive but with no access to funds while ‘Knorr Force For Good’ is a social mission initiative that seeks to create awareness and champion the fight against iron deficiency amongst women and their daughters while also educating them on nutritional cooking skills through a behavioural change programme.

Speaking at Government Girls Secondary School, Gwazo, Kaduna, where the deal was sealed, Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Aisha Ummi Garba El-Rufa’l expressed delight over the partnership, describing it as timely and needful. She thanked the management of the company for choosing the state and expressed confidence in the positive impact the partnership would yield to both parties.

“The women of Kaduna State are most elated that Unilever Nigeria Plc places high premium on nutrition and women empowerment. This partnership will go a long way in addressing poor nutrition and improving the livelihood of women in the state,” she enthused.

Senior Vice President of the organisation, Savoury Cathryn Sleight, explained that the partnership was one that the company truly valued as it aligned with the company’s vision of improving lives.

“We believe that businesses must be part of the solution to social challenges,

After efforts of the past administration in Lagos State to purge Ikeja and Oshodi, popularly known as ‘under bridge’ of hawking and other trading activities, traders are now back and operating at the restricted areas.

Market Place learnt that despite the effort of the law enforcement agents, Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, to prevent street trading in those areas the directive is being observed in breach as new traders daily secure and patent spaces for their wares while some others loiter around vending.

It would be recalled that prior to the reign of Governor Raji Fashola in the state, under bridge Ikeja used to be a household centre for hair stylists patronised by ladies and women from both far and near. It also hosted newspaper vendors, book sellers, food hawkers and herbs and alcohol sellers serving touts and agberos.

Also, Oshodi under bridge, extending to the adjoining railway lines paraded all kinds of trading activities ranging from food stuff to fashion wares.

The last administration was not only commended for restoring sanity in these areas, it was also commended for it beautification initiative.

However, this effort seems to have lasted a short while. A visit to Oshodi under flyover further proved that it has relapsed to its old self. The spot is as productive as Walmart one- stop store where one can shop for all kinds of goods. The railway line is not spared either as market women have fully taken over.

Market Place also learnt that agberos have started extorting traders in the area despite the fact that the so called market was not approved under the law.

The same could be said of Ikeja under flyover which has almost been taken over by hairdressers and cosmetologists including other petty businesses.

and this is why our business model focuses on tackling issues the world faces with our brands and operations. We’re working with key partners all over the world to shine a light on some of the global issues that impact the planet and everyone on it. This awareness is what we are spreading across various states in Nigeria and we intend to do more,” Sleight said.

Referencing the World Health Organisation, WHO, Unilever Marketing Director, Foods, Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe observed that majority of adolescent girls and women did not meet the iron requirements of 20 milligrams per day as recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), hence the company’s interest in the ‘Knorr Force For Good project ‘which underscores the importance of vegetables in meals.

“We are happy that this partnership allows us to further our advocacy for iron-enriched meals as a means to fighting iron deficiency anemia,” she said.

At the event, students were trained on simple and easy ways to cook nutritious meals that would help them fight iron deficiency anemia.

Also, the Shakti women entrepreneurs were trained on basic finance skills and empowered with means to set up own businesses including start off ‘loan’ of the company’s products.

Unilever Women Empowerment Manager in Nigeria, Mrs. Aviv Okwonkwo added that “SHAKTI’s objective is to lift women’s self-esteem, confidence and their abilities to support themselves and their families. The programme has successfully moved women who were earning next to nothing to micro-entrepreneurs earning a steady income. It is thus helping to create jobs in rural communities, providing these communities with brands to improve their overall hygiene and nutrition.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

MEMOIRS Edwin Clark

At 90, I Feel I’m Doing Extra Time Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman and Ijaw leader, is considered one of the luckiest men of his generation: smart, intelligent, and vocal. Born on May 25, 1927, the Kiagbodo native of Delta State started out in life as a teacher in his village and later joined the civil service in Ibadan. He would later obtain a law degree in England and returned to Nigeria as a qualified lawyer in 1965. Chief Clark has been part of Nigeria’s polity for more than five decades. At 90, he remains a relevant voice in the country. In this interview at his Abuja residence, the statesman tells Funke Olaode about what has kept him going I Have Seen It All in Life I Have Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Lose … If you are 70 and above, you on the departure lounge Breaking the jinx

T

urning 90 was a good feeling. Initially, I didn’t plan to celebrate my 90th birthday because I regarded it as one of those ordinary years. But two things made me accept the celebration. Looking at my family tree starting from my great-great-grandfather, Chief Bekederemo Ogehi, who was wealthy – being the first man to buy a ship in Nigeria from John Holt (it was recorded in an archive in Ibadan) died in 1926 at the age of 80. Also, my grandfather, Chief Fuludu Bekederemo, a prominent chief who had been attending chief’s conferences as far back as 1941 in Ibadan, also died in his 80s. My father died in 1963 at 85; and my mother died the same year aged 84. Having thought about this, I considered myself as the luckiest to live up to 90 years in the family. Recently, my friend, mentor and boss, Brig. Gen. Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of Mid-Western state in whose cabinet I served as a commissioner between 1968 and 1974, died. We were about 17 in that cabinet including the Oba Akenzua. Today, I discover that I am the only surviving cabinet member of that era. I have been asking many times the secret of longevity. Well, I operate an open mind. I don’t bear grudges against anybody as I speak my mind at any time and in speaking the truth, sometimes you offend many people. Again, I live each day praying to God. I eat at any time even up to midnight. And occasionally, I do drink because no doctor had told me not to eat this or not to drink that.

Life as a village boy

I was born on May 25, 1927 in my mother’s village, Erunwarin, now in Ughelli South Local Government of Delta State. My father had always been a businessman and my mother was a trader. My paternal and maternal grandmothers were also traders. My maternal grandfather was a famous chief in the area at that time. I lived with my grandmother in the village. When she died, I went to live with my mother’s elder brother, Okori. He was a fisherman and I used to help. I remember a day he came back very early in the morning and asked me to go to the river to carry the fish he had caught. When I got there I was looking at the fish and didn’t know that one of them was alive. I carried it and it slipped out of my hand and went into the river. I stayed back at the riverside, crying.

When my uncle didn’t see me he came over and met me crying. He said I shouldn’t worry that he would catch it for me the following day. Life as a village boy was interesting. There was no electricity and there were no chairs. They built mud stool around the walls they would put mats on it and we would sit.

Western Education at 8

I was about eight years old when my maternal grandmother died in 1935 and my father took us to his hometown in Kiagbodo. Throughout my stay in that village I was not going to school because there was no school around. When we got to Kiagbodo my father decided to send us (my younger brothers and I) to his mother’s place in Efunrunto. My late brother, Godfrey, Ambassador P.A Clark, Professor J. P. Clark and I were all sent to school the same day.

Prior to that time, we were bearing our native names. But one day our teacher, one Thompson Okitipi, an Urhobo called us and said he was going to give us English names. He gave me Edwin, he gave my brother who died in 1986, Godfrey; he named my third brother, and Prof. Pepper Clark, Johnson. Mr. Okitipi was the only teacher in the whole school teaching from Elementary One to Four. We were in this school until 1940 when my father came and took us to a newly opened school in Okrika along the River Niger. He said his father (my grandfather) had sent 11 of his children to the same school. We had to go to the school by canoe. We were quite young but my father approached one man called Yepe and said he wanted us to live with him. This man gave us one of his rooms and my father paid. We stayed in this room cooking and looking after ourselves. My father would bring all the foodstuffs. And because the school was not accredited to run Elementary Five and Six, in 1942, my father again took us to another school, Central School in Akogbene where I eventually finished Elementary Six.

I Believe in Destiny

Being surrounded by industrious, entrepreneurs and noble personalities no doubt shaped my life.

Again, I believe in destiny. My great-grandfather, Chief Bekederemo Ogehi, was a warrant chief. He was a wealthy man and used to carry passengers and goods from Warri to Lagos in his ship. And my father was the bursar collecting the fares.

His compound was one of the biggest in those days. I learnt he married about a 100 wives at various times and had so many children. My great-grandfather was a man who hated injustice, oppression, and marginalisation. He could go to any length to defend his people. There was one paramount man, Don Uman, an Itsekiri man and British agent who was oppressing people. A na-

Clark

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JULY 22, 2017

MEMOIRS …God will decide when to slow down...

Cont’d from Pg. 44

Chief Clark when he returned from England as a qualified lawyer at age 38 in 1965

tive court was established comprising mainly Itsekiri people as court members. My great-grandfather went to Lagos to see Lord Luggard, the then Governor-General of Nigeria.

When he got to Lagos he was told that Lord Luggard had travelled and one Colonel Moore House, a Whiteman was acting in his absence. Ironically, this man was also close to Uman. But Col. Moore assured my father that he would attend to his case. Delegates were sent to Warri to investigate this matter and found out that my great-grandfather was right. The Native Court was reorganised and people from various ethnic groups were appointed as members of the court. My father himself was a courageous and straightforward man. I must have inherited the gene from them to be the voice of my people.

I Wanted to be a Noble Man

I started school very late and that in a way affected my dream of attending Government College Ughelli. When I was growing up I didn’t have any profession in mind. My only childhood inspiration was to work harder and be a noble man like generations before me. When the ambition of going to Government College was truncated due to my age, I pitched my tent with Government Teachers Training College, Abraka. When I finished I was posted to Local Authority School, Ofoni as headmaster because I was a certified teacher (Grade ll). Interestingly, when I arrived at the school they (the authority) posted three teachers to that school to assist me and found out that two of the teachers

At 90, I can say that all my life’s aspirations have been fulfilled. I feel fulfilled.

What am I looking for? I will be ungrateful to God if I feel I have anything left undone. I have got everything I should have in life. I have children and a loving family. I have seen it all and if death comes tomorrow who am I to be afraid of death? I have said long ago that if you are 70 and above, you on the departure lounge waiting for your boarding pass.

Now I am 90 I feel I am doing extra time

Chief Clark with wife, Bisola at the inauguration of Edwin Clark University located in Kiagbodo, Delta State

taught me at elementary school in Okitipi in 1938. One of them was E.G. Orubebe, father of former Minister, Godday Orubebe. I became a boss to my old teachers. I called them one day and said ‘you were my teachers and I see you as father figures. You run the school and I will teach.’ They cooperated with me before I was transferred to a bigger school. From there I was transferred to a modern school as headmaster. I quit teaching in 1957 to become a community development officer, a civil servant in Ibadan. While working as a civil servant I enrolled for General Certification for Education (GCE) and Advanced Level and passed.

How I Became a Lawyer

In 1961, I decided to quit the civil service to pursue a degree in law. The decision was borne out of my early experience. My grandfather and my father as businessmen always had one case or the other and we used to go to High Court in Warri. I always admired lawyers because they dressed well. The likes of Ayoola, FRA Williams, and Kayode Eso used to come to Warri. There were other lawyers like Chike Idigbe, Okorodudu, and Mbanefo, who later became Supreme Court judges. These lawyers dressed very well and I admired them. One day, my grandfather’s lawyer had a very big argument in court with Chike Idigbe as the opponent. Immediately they finished the case, he (Idigbe) came out and held his client’s hand and two of them were laughing. My grandfather was like these people have connived and right there my grandfather said I must go and study law. Again, I was an argumentator at Teachers College to the extent that every evening my fellow students would converge on my dormitory to read. I was the only one buying newspapers, following up on the state of the nation.

There was a time a Military Governor of Western Nigeria visited our school. After the governor’s address, our principal, a Whiteman asked us if we had any question and I raised my hand and said, ‘Your Excellency, why is it that the people who are given the Queen’s honour such as OBE, MBE seem to be those who are very close to the government while others like Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and Herbert Macaulay are not honoured?’ He was about to answer when the principal stopped him. In the evening of the same day when we went for dinner at the assembly hall, the senior prefect asked me to stand on top of the table and said I embarrassed the college by asking such a question – the punishment was that I would wash plates for three days. After eating I packed all the plates and washed them. But one of my teachers, Izekwe, invited me to his house, gave me palm wine and saluted my courage and boldness. He said one day, I would become somebody in this country. Later, I travelled to England and enrolled at Holborn College of Law where I met and made friends with the likes of Justice Jinadu. We were taking London University degree. I finished my degree in 1965 after taking bar examinations in both England and Nigeria. When I returned from England in 1965 I went to the Law School at Igbosere, Lagos for three months. I started practising as a lawyer in Delta and became the first secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Warri Branch, where we had big lawyers who later became judges.

My Losses in Life

At this stage of one’s life, obviously, many things would always crop up but I realise that I have taken life very easy and take each day as it comes. My grandfather once told me that ‘live your life as it pleases you because no human being can change the course of your destiny except God.’ When you have this at the back of your mind you live your life and don’t care about what people might think. Nevertheless,

I have had my low moments. I have suffered personal losses and the most recent one was the death of my grandson, Obaro Okorodudu. He studied Medicine in University of Chicago and was very close to me. He went to London with me on one occasion and later went for his final year.

I was in London when they phoned me that he died after graduating. He was never ill. I had a daughter who was ill.

I was in London when they told me; I asked her to meet me in London and she came with her daughter. She stayed with me and the following day she left for the hospital. I was to come back to Nigeria within the next few days. I went to see her to wish her soonest recovery. I flew back to Nigeria and it wasn’t up to three weeks when they phoned me that she was dead. I am now looking after the daughter in England who is now 10. These are some of the setbacks in my life and I have accepted it as the will of God.

I Love the Way I’ve Lived My Life

Looking back, were there things I would have done differently? No. I don’t think so because I have always been living a straightforward life. I am the eldest son of my father and I have become the leader of the Bekederemo family tree.

We are very many and we all went to school. I remember after primary education I wanted to go Government College Ughelli as far back as 1945. When I went for an interview I was told that I was too old and was advised me to go to Government Teachers Training College, Abraka. When I got there they said I was too young. I was unperturbed as I enrolled and finished my teacher training programme and went to become pupils’ teacher in the primary school where I finished in 1945. My brothers had the opportunity to go to Government College Ughelli. One became a civil servant, later permanent secretary and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The other one became the first professor of English in Nigeria. Looking back, if I had gone to Government College then would it have changed my destiny? Perhaps not.

A Politician Though a Civil Servant

I have been a politician before I went to England. Even though I was a civil servant, I was playing politics behind the scene as a member of NCNC. I also belonged to Zik’s Vanguard at that time. In those days during campaigns, we would trek 12 miles to listen to Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and we would trek back. We were not thinking of money but sense of nationalism. When I got to London I was the secretary of Zik’s Vanguard with people like Moses Egbarin. I was also the secretary of Mid-West Student’s Union in England. And under the West African Students Union, there was a time I led a demonstration against Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana when we felt he was maltreating some of his ministers. I even took a photograph with Jomo Kenyatta when he left prison. I was a supporter of Labour Party in England. When I came back to Nigeria I held various positions like commissioner, minister and was elected a senator under National Party of Nigeria in 1979.

I Have Seen It All

God will decide when to slow down because power and seasons belong to him. At 90, I can say that all my life’s aspirations have been fulfilled. I feel fulfilled. What am I looking for? I will be ungrateful to God if I feel I have anything left undone. I have got everything I should have in life. I have children and a loving family. I have seen it all and if death comes tomorrow who am I to be afraid of death? I have said long ago that if you are 70 and above, you on the departure lounge waiting for your boarding pass. Now I am 90 I feel I am doing extra time.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž JULY 22, 2017

BUSINESS INTERVIEW Kemenanabo

We Can Provide Uninterrupted Power Supply Engr. Olice Kemenanabo is an electrical engineer by profession and the Managing Director, Bayelsa Electricity Company Limited. He manages the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine Station, Imiringi, which was hitherto the only source of electricity supply in the oil and gas-rich state. He bares his mind to John Iwori on the challenges of power supply in the country and the way forward

H

ow did you manage to restore the Kolo Creek Power Plant which you have on various occasions come to its rescue.

As far as I am concerned, all glory should go to God Almighty for guiding and directing our affairs and to a government who has continued to believe in me and rendered support each time I send proposals to harness and resuscitate all power assets that are lying waste in the state to justify the huge investments made previously and currently.

The restoration government met a power station that was operating at less than 20 per cent of its name plate capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) because of technical issues that were begging for attention. We met a station that was owing over N400 million in gas bills and without a formal gas supply agreement from 1998. Today, as I speak to you and the Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) will bear me out that we have entered into a firm gas sales agreement that will commit SPDC to supply us gas after payment of 30 percent of the legacy debts. SPDC indeed shut their gas valves this time around. It shut its gas valves because we could not meet the monthly payment scheduled in the agreement. Understandably so as our target was to pay through electricity bills.

The power plant which you are referring was subjected to a comprehensive turnaround from the gas generator which is the prime mover of the plant to the power turbine that had a pathetic history bearing failures arising from oil pump failures to refusal to start by the black start and the intervention emergency pumps not coming on.

We still have teething problems which are not unexpected for dynamic equipment like a gas turbine with precision instruments that has been so neglected for a long period. In fact, even when it was in operation, obvious protection systems were bypassed to ensure that it is forced to run.

All these have been addressed and we will continue to address them as they pop-up even as we shall introduce redundancy to ensure operational flexibility as well as reduce downtimes.

You seem to be abreast with the gas turbine, why bring in expatriates when you can do it even better?

You see no one person can be said to have the entire range of competences

Kemenanabo

and skills that the gas turbine and in particular electrical engineering demand. There are some persons whose responsibility is to be dispatching energy to the various load centres.

There are also people who stay in the radio transmission with the sole responsibility of communicating with operators and the entire network or systems. Such people may spend all their entire working live in a power station or transmission stations till they retire without any single knowledge of the engineering principles of how the power system works. My area of specialisation as far as the power plant is concerned is very narrow just as the expatriates who come have their defined roles to play. But there comes a time when the person at the helm of affairs must take certain decisions that may sound very untechnical. Yet he or she cannot sit on the fence while the solution to the problem is being debated. You must take a decision right or wrong and accept full responsibility. That is one attribute I can say I have and I demonstrated it when we commenced the re-commissioning exercise. There are certain crude and technically unacceptable decisions I took after wide consultations to ensure that the plants ran on March 15, 2017

against all known standard practice and it worked. But that is not to say we will continue to keep it like that.

At least, we have identified the problem and have put in place measures to replace or service that particular equipment. That is the reason I frown at people calling themselves power experts. This is due to the fact there are various specializations that must come together to make the power plant work and deliver power to the end users. That is the unique specialization of our United Kingdom technical support service team brings on the table.

What are your challenges?

Unlike other static equipment or infrastructures, the challenges of a dynamic equipment like the power plant begins form the day you start running it. So my challenges are how to keep this and other plants running sustainably to achieve their designed life span. In this case, how do I keep this plant running to attain 48,000 hours running which is the engineering life of the gas generator before it undergoes another complete overhaul.

It will require strict adherence to the operating philosophy of the plant and its ancillaries. It will require stocking

There are certain crude and technically unacceptable decisions I took after wide consultations to ensure that the plants ran on March 15, 2017 against all known standard practice and it worked. But that is not to say we will continue to keep it like that. At least, we have identiďŹ ed the problem and have put in place measures to replace or service that particular equipment of fast wearing parts as spares. It will require building human capacity to acquire the right skills and competences.

Finally, it will require collaboration and understanding of the end users of our product changing their perception of electricity power production and distribution.

The successful starting of the Olympus is only a stepping stone towards the realization of the harnessing of all the power plants owned by the Bayelsa State Government which together is about 100MW. This can be possible through an integrated approach and requires the understanding of every stakeholder. Our yearning is to make Bayelsa State a net exporter of electricity. This is a task that must be achieved. It is a legacy I as a person will want to be part of and so let every person who loves Bayelsa State come and join the Restoration Government piloted by the Governor of Bayelsa State to make this a reality.

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JULY 22, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

BUSINESS ISSUE Sayyu Dantata

Building Strong Governance, Enduring Legacy in MRS Group

N

estle, Guinness, PZ, Unilever, Coca Cola, Mobil, Total among others are today big global names. And while their founders have long gone, the companies continue to flourish, delivering services to customers and significant returns to investors. One of the major reasons those companies have survived over the years is the great vision of their founders, which was supported by strong corporate governance. In Nigeria, some notable corporate groups have gone under with the demise of their founders.

However, one entrepreneur that is ensuring that his business outlives him and become a global brand is the founder of MRS Group of Companies.

While this publicity shy, reticent, is Sayya Dantata quintessential business man has been working silently to build a conglomerate that provides business solutions across the African continent, he took a major and commendable decision last week in one of the subsidiaries of the group – MRS Oil Nigeria Plc. A decision many would say is un-African and even more so, un-Nigerian.

Dantata resigned as the chairman of the board of MRS Oil Nigeria, which is a company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). In his place, Patrice Alberti, a French, has been appointed as chairman. Alberti holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Paris Academy and has been with the MRS Group since 2004. He is currently the group managing director of MRS Group of companies and a director on the board of Corlay Global S.A. Prior to joining MRS Group, he held a number of positions over a period of 20 years in various banks in Europe including BNP Paribas, Banque Arabe Internationale D’Investitssment, Banco Central, South Africa.

With this development, capital market analysts and management experts said Dantata is trending a part many entrepreneurs in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular dread to trend.

“Many business do not survive the demise of their founders because of the tendency to remain in full control and not putting strong corporate governance in place. And once the founders die, the businesses collapse and go under. But with what Dantata has done at MRS Oil, he has sent a very clear message out. He is building structures that will make the business to remain strong and survive in many years to come,” an investment analysts said.

To Mr. Moses Igbrude, a shareholder activist, the move by Dantata to appoint a new chairman for MRS Oil is “not only an intelligent one but it also in line with the tenet of good corporate governance and indicates he really wants to build enduring businesses that would outlive him.”

“Besides, by putting a new man as chairman of MRS Oil, Dantata been able to address one major problem facing African businesses, which is leadership succession,” Igbrude said.

Dantata

Another analyst said many companies hardly outlive their owners because of lack of structures in place.

“But when you have structures and good institutions in place, companies will outlive their founders and owners. Nobody remembers who set up companies such as Mobil, Nestle, Agip, Cocacola and so on. Because those who set them up have the vision of the future and were able to put in place structures and institutions so that they outlive them. Dantata is apparently toeing this line and it is highly commendable,” he said.

The National Coordinator, Management Systems Consultants Association of Nigeria, Mr. Coleman Obasi, once said anybody who has leadership qualities is not threatened or afraid of bringing people closer to him.

“You cannot succeed alone no matter what you are. You must bring in people to assist you, competent hands, people who can buy into that vision.

A lot of business owners also lack leadership qualities, anybody who has leadership qualities is not threatened or afraid of bringing people closer to him. But when you lack those things, you think that if you bring in people they will take the business from you.

So, I advise any entrepreneur who wants to grow his business to a level to bring in competent hands,” Obasi said.

It is believed that why the new chairman of MRS Oil will focus on supervising the execution of the strategies of the subsidiary, Dantata will now have more time to oversee the successful running of the entire

group in line with the founding vision to be on the global listing of world class companies.

MRS, founded in Nigeria in 1995, is an integrated group of companies comprising Ovlas Trading & Supply in Geneva, Koggi Shipping in Ghana, MRS Oil & Gas and MRS Investments in Nigeria.

MRS is an African conglomerate in diverse activities, yet focused on capturing the entire value chain in oil trading, shipping, storage, distribution and retailing. The company is one of the largest and most efficient downstream players with solid roots in Nigeria and leading positions in fuels and lubricants market in Cameroon, Benin, Togo and Cote D’Ivoire. The company has a strong foothold in petroleum products marketing in the international market.

As a growing company, MRS has great passion and commitment to Africa and its people. Although it has other subsidiaries, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc is most popular because it is public firm listed on the NSE. MRS Oil Nigeria Plc (formerly known as Texaco Nigeria Limited) was incorporated as a privately and wholly-owned subsidiary of Texaco Africa Limited, on the 12th of August 1969, thereby inheriting the business formerly carried out in Nigeria by Texaco Africa Limited. MRS was converted to a Public Limited Liability Company, quoted on the NSE in 1978, as a result of the 1977 Nigerian Enterprises Promotions Decree.

Currently, MRS Oil Nigeria PLC

You cannot succeed alone no matter what you are.

You must bring in people to assist you, competent hands, people who can buy into that vision. A lot of business owners also lack leadership qualities, anybody who has leadership qualities is not threatened or afraid of bringing people closer to him. But when you lack those things, you think that if you bring in people they will take the business from you. So, I advise any entrepreneur who wants to grow his business to a level to bring in competent hands,” Obasi said.

It is believed that why the new chairman of MRS Oil will focus on supervising the execution of the strategies of the subsidiary, Dantata will now have more time to oversee the successful running of the entire group in line with the founding vision to be on the global listing of world class companies (MRS) has a lube blending plant that is ISO 9001:2008 certified with a 23.9 million litres annual capacity, 1.3 million kilograms annual capacities grease plant, 7.3 million litres annual capacities tank farm storage and finished-goods warehouses located in various parts of Nigeria.

MRS has modern Jet A-1 facilities in Lagos, Kano and Abuja international airports with over five million litres cumulative storage capacity/tank share. The aviation depots which serve the domestic airports in Lagos, Abuja and Kano are 100 per cent operated by MRS. Being one of the largest down-stream operators, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc has two million litres/day fuel terminal in Apapa and over 393 retail stations all over Nigeria which carries a wide range of petroleum products including the new eco-friendly composite cylinders.

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T H I S D AY SATURDAY JULY 22, 2017

49

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ 2017

MARITIME BITS áÓÞÒ ÙÒØ áÙÜÓ˛˛˛˛ 08057763164

L-R: Senator Dino Melaye, two officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, (BOT), ANLCA, Chief Henry Njoku shortly after a public hearing organised by the National Assembly in Abuja...recently

Comptroller Usman Kankara Bello (retired) on horseback in a durbar reception organised by his community in Katsina State to mark his retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) after 35 years of service to the nation in Kankara…recently

NCS Seizes N1.7bCargo, Records N12.1b Underpayments in Zone C The anti-smuggling campaign of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has yielded more results as its officers and men have seized goods worth N1.7 billion in June 2017 in Zone C. Underpayments worth N12, 040, 949 were also recovered in the same month.

The service said the results recorded in the month under review were sequel to the fact that it has remained resolute in addressing the problem smuggling has posed to the wellbeing of the nation by establishing and implementing measures to prevent and mitigate the activities of

smugglers in the zone.

“These measures have continued to yield the desired results in the zone”, it said.

These were disclosed by the Customs Area Controller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, Imo State, Comptroller Amajam Bukar in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command, ASC I Chioma Onuoha.

Onuoha quoted Bukar saying that from January 2017 till date the unit has made 91 seizures with duty paid value (DPV) of N1, 735, 665, 304.

The CAC attributed the feat to the hard

ANLCA Kicks as FG Begins Moves to Collect Practitioners Operating Fees

Half Year Report: NCS Makes Strides in Onne

The umbrella body of licensed customs agents in the country, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has kicked against moves by the Federal Government to begin the collection of practitioners fees (POF).

ANLCA which remains the only association in the clearing business which has its national secretariat completely built on its permanent also raided dust on the timetable for the 2017 election of freight forwarders into the Governing Board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

The collection of the POF has been a long a long drawn battle between the Federal Government and stakeholders in the maritime industry, especially freight forwarders.

Similarly, election into the Governing Board of CRFFN has been put on hold for years following the inability of the council to organise election since the expiration of the tenure of the Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju led Governing Board more than three years ago.

In an open letter address to the Minister of Transportation, Right Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and signed by its National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, ANLCA stated that the collection of POF was not only arbitrary but amount to additional cost of doing business in the country which the President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration has been labouring to address since the beginning of this year.

“As the name suggested, the fees would amount to additional cost of doing business in Nigeria with adverse multiplier effects on the nation economy”, it said in the letter dated July 15, 2017 and obtained by THISDAY. According to the letter, as of now, licensed customs agency being asked for payment of the POF has so many payments to make. These include annual license renewal N215, 000; annual Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) license renewal N6, 000; and annual customs command operating fees N15, 000 per customs command.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded more strides in the first half of the year in Port Harcourt Area 2 Command, Onne, Rivers State.

The report showed that in spite of the fact that there is a drop in the number of treated declarations in the period under review, there was an increase in the revenue collected by the command.

It disclosed that the revenue it collected in the first half of 2017 stands at N44.6 billion, making it N177.8 billion higher than the total revenue it collected for the same period last year.

The NCS attributed the increase to what it called “proactive efforts” of the officers and men of the command in the blocking of revenue leakages.

It also stated that the command has been very alive to its anti-smuggling responsibilities and in its determination to up hold fiscal policies and guidelines on imports.

Within the period under review, it has made 20 seizures which includes 18 x 20 containers and 2 x 40 containers carrying various items including margarine, cooking oil, rice, used cloths and other items with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N422,770,096.

According to its Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Abubakar Bashir, who disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command, Mr. Kenneth Oroegbu, the command antismuggling activities in the first half of 2017 outstrips that for the same period last year by a very wide margin as only two seizures with a DPV of N140, 700, 000 were made in the first half of 2016.

Also in January, this command made seizures of 11 containers of illegally imported pharmaceuticals which have since been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for evacuation and destruction.

On exports, Bashir revealed that various items including kaolin, cashew nuts, semi processed prime wood, and granular urea were exported through

work of officers and men of the unit with support from the management of the NCS and the Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retired).

According to the statement, Bukar charged intending importers and traders to be honest in their declarations affirming that any goods falsely declared is liable to seizure in accordance with the law and government policies.

He debunked allegations of high handedness stressing that his operatives carry out their operations guided by the law.

On the challenges facing the service, the

the command.

“The total cost and freight (CF) value for these exports amounted to $64.048 million for the period under review.

The figures for export also reveal a clear improvement in export activities in the command.

While the C&F value for export increased by $23.544 million. The charge on the Nigeria Export Supervisory Scheme (NESS) also increased from N33.722 million in 2016 to N102.045 million. This is a clear improvement over and above the performance of the command for the same period in the previous year”, he added.

Describing Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne as the flagship of the NCS in the South-South/South-East zones, Bashir stated that as the hub of international trade, it is strategically positioned to meet the needs of the business community since its activities has a direct impact in the region in particular and on the Nigerian economy in general.

According to him, the scope of activities of the command is wide and its effects are far reaching. Its operations spans the conventional port facilities which encompasses the Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT), the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), the Oil and Gas Free Zone, an out station in Bonny Island and the various Bonded terminals located close to the port complex and around the Port Harcourt metropolis.

He explained that the command in carrying out its statutory functions have had to interact closely with other government agencies.

These include the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Navy, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC. “Indeed as a result of these collaborations, the command was able to detect, detain and hand over to NAFDAC, 11 containers of illegally imported pharmaceuticals and two containers suspected of containing contaminated fish”, he said.

CAC noted that a significant hindrance to the delivery of its mandate was the manning of the waterways.

He explained that most of the smuggling takes place in the waterways in Mfum and Akwa Ibom State.

“The zone does not have adequate vessels to match the ones used by smugglers on the waterways”, he said.

He however assured that the management of the service has purchased sea going vessels and are presently equipping them in order to check smuggling activities along the waterways.

NSC Boss Hails State Governments Response to Truck Transit Projects The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has said it is encouraged and satisfied with the response of states governments to its Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) initiative.

It also said it was pleased with the response of stakeholders in the maritime industry to the idea of the TTPs which is expected to be sited in the six geo-political zones of the country.

The TTPs was conceived by NSC as a place where trucks and their drivers congregate while they are in transit in the course of moving cargo from one point to the other.

To ensure that the TTPs are attractive to the drivers, it is expected to be equipped with hotel facilities, recreational places, clinics, barber shops, among other things.

The truck drivers are expected to stop in these TTPs and rest for a while before continuing on their journey. This is aimed at avoiding fatigue that could lead to accidents which is prevalent among drivers of articulated vehicles.

The Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello who stated this at the just concluded two-day national summit on the on the establishment, management and operation of TTPs in Nigeria in Abuja said the council was impressed by the interest shown by the various stakeholders including the state governments, which culminated in the high level of participation at the summit.

Available records showed that no fewer than seven state governments took part in the two-day event, as many stakeholders in the supply chain including importers and exporters, haulage firms and freight forwarders, deputy governors and state commissioners participated actively in the event.

He also commended financial institutions and the Federal Road Safety Service (FRSC) for their strong participation at the summit.

The NSC boss noted that the FRSC has always played a big role in ensuring sanity on the nation’s roads, which he said has reduced carnage with the attendant loss of lives and valuable property.

He disclosed that the council decided to facilitate the TTPs because of the crucial role they are expected to play in the growth and development of the national economy, especially in terms of trade facilitation.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍşËœ ͺ͸͚;

by OMOLOLA ITAYEMI omolola.itayemi@thisdaylive.com 08054699602

TRAVEL&LEISURE RABO SALEH

FTAN is Aiming to Grow Domestic Tourism Market Ă‹Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ’ Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă”Ă‹Ëœ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ËŞĂ? Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă™Ă?Ăž ÞÙĂ&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă— Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?ĂŽĂ?ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă— Ă?Ă?Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ě™ Ěš Ă‹Ăž Ă“ĂžĂ? ͺ͸ÞÒ Ęś Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ëœ Ă?ÒÙåĂ?ĂŽ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ Ă“ĂžĂ? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ? ÞÙ ĂœĂ?Ă Ă‹Ă—Ăš ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁ ĂŒĂŁ Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă˜Ă?ĂĄ Ă?âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;ÞÓà Ă?Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă–Ă‹Ă— Ă‹ĂŒĂ™ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă’ Ă?Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‹Ă? ÞÒĂ? ĂšĂœĂ?Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă˜ĂžË› Ă?Ă?ÚÓÞĂ? Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă’ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ ÑÙÙÎ Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă—ĂŒĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;ÞÓà Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ‘Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă™ĂšĂšĂ™Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ĂžĂ’ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ă‘Ă’ à ÙÓĂ?Ă? à ÙÞĂ?Ëœ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂŽĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă?Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă™Ăž ĂŒĂ? Ùà Ă?ĂœĂ–Ă™Ă™Ă•Ă?ĂŽË› Ă? ÞÙÙÕ Ă&#x;Ă˜Ă¤Ă‹Ă–Ă“ Ă‹Ă˜ĂžĂ‹ĂžĂ‹ËŞĂ? Ă–Ă– ÞËÞĂ?Ă? ĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă–Ă? Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? åÙÙÎĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă‹ĂŽĂ? Ă“Ăž ĂšĂœĂ™Ę¨ĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă‹Ă‘Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ë› Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă–Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă&#x;ĂœĂŒĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ëœ Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă”Ă‹Ëœ ÞÙÚ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă– Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ?Ë› Ă˜ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?ĂĄ åÓÞÒ OMOLOLA ITAYEMI Ă’Ă? Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă™Ă˜ Ă’Ă“Ă? ĂšĂ–Ă‹Ă˜Ă? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ What is the relevance of FTAN to tourism development in Nigeria?

TAN is the umbrella body of all tourism and hospitality associations in Nigeria. FTAN is a legal entity; duly incorporated in Nigeria, hence is represents the organised private sector in Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Our membership includes different associations of hoteliers, travel agencies, tour operators, tourism academia, travel journalists, national dance groups, cultural artisans and several other allied practitioners.

Hence, FTAN by default, is the pressure group for the development of tourism as an economic asset base in Nigeria. At presently, we constitute the largest investors in the Nigerian tourism industry. In addition to contributing to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products, our members employ thousands of Nigerian across the country. In the same vein, our members form the bulk of tourism intellectuals, including tourism lectures, travel journalists and the general academia at Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The objective of FTAN is to be the sounding board that government uses to formulate tourism related policies. We are the most riskexposed tourism stakeholders that partner with government organs to guide strategic tourism development decisions.

souvenirs and handcraft sales, traditional entertainment, and many other direct tourist services.

Consequently, the State governments would have to deploy their internal revenue generation structures at such host communities to collect tourist taxes and other levies which in turn must be shared with members of tourist host communities. You see, it is not enough for the host communities to simply earn direct income from tourists based on the services they provide.

The best practice here is for the tourist host communities to participate as stakeholders in the state government’s tourism ventures. And the most effective way to get the communities’ total buy-in is when state governments give some percentage of the revenue generated at the tourist host communities back to them.

And the communities need to know the fact of such arrangements before-hand, that way they see the success of their community as a tourist destination pivotal eradicating poverty and improving their collective livelihood.

F

What are your plans for the associations?

We campaigned on repositioning FTAN with bankable action plans that include decentralising FTAN executive powers to the geopolitical zones, active support of state governments in domestic tourism services, as well as, proactively marketing Nigeria at identified tourist source markets, such as the Americas.

Our plans are not only for FTAN, but more about, unleashing FTAN member associations’ capacity to jump-start domestic and inbound tourism industry in Nigeria. It is public knowledge that Nigeria gets less than 3% of tourist receipts in Africa. In fact, available data reveals that annually we export far more tourists than we receive!

Beware that funding of FTAN activities is a challenge. To resolve our internal financial insufficiency, we plan to engage financial advisers to guide our choice of investment projects. It is high time FTAN invests in financial vehicles that would generate revenue for the federation on a monthly basis. More so, we would reach out to government ministries, particularly Ministries of Aviation and Transport, to facilitate the repatriation of relevant taxes for tourism development.

What is your vision for tourism development in Nigeria?

The newly elected FTAN Executive members would have a retreat between August 4 and 5 to roll out Implementation plans and Milestones to immediately get tourism entrepreneurship on track, especially at the tourist host communities, with standardised tourist services delivered by our members operating at every destination in Nigeria.

Presently, there is dearth of data about tourism consumption and market patterns, inter and intra Nigeria. Hence, our government has been driving-blind with regards to their actions and inactions about tourism. It is heartbreaking to see the nomenclature of the former Ministry of Culture and Tourism changed to Information and Culture! Personally, I feel that the nomenclature decision was made because the government had no access to incontrovertible data that evidently shows the impact of tourism receipts on Nigeria’s economy.

So, in partnership with multinational organizations and Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, we

Rabo Saleh

would immediately set up structures to collate tourist data at all leading tourist destinations in Nigeria, as well as, from our international tourist source markets. So that, going forward, we would knowledgably engage and partner with relevant governments based on available and verifiable data. Let me just say, we are very focused on what we want to achieve and very ambitious too.

Explain the type of support and synergy you expect from MDAs? Well, ab itinio, we are going to sell win-win programmes to MDAs. FTAN member associations are arguably the most risk-exposed tourism stakeholders in Nigeria, but the government, at states and national levels, are constitutionally the arbiters to our industry growth. The government literally pulls the puppet strings. And we know what government wants, such as improved tax revenue from tourism operators and employment generation for the youth, women and rural dwellers.

Invariably, we would partner government to guarantee expanded revenue generation from tourism. And in turn, demand improved statutory services from government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Very importantly, we would quickly align with the Ease of Doing Business drive of the present government, so as to include templates that facilitate inbound Nigeria tourism.

What are your propositions to work with state governments on tourism development?

Tourism is community based; hence most tourist attractions are naturally domiciled at rural host communities. States in Nigeria are therefore custodians of culture heritage and natural landmarks. In that context, we consider it pertinent to work as a team with the custodians of Nigeria’s tourism assets.

Accordingly, FTAN would work with States to midwife tourism destination management programmes to market their destinations and also improve the quality of tourist services in host communities. Eventually, we would liaise with State governments and the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) to formulate Local Government Tourism Committees for easy tourism administration at the local level, where theattractions are based, in line with the tourism master plan.

What strategies do you have for domestic

tourism market growth across Nigeria?

It would be presumptuous to let the cat of the bag now. Like I earlier said, we have an impending FTAN Executive Members retreat in August, where we would harmonize our propositions and come out with a working template for catalyzing tourism development across Nigeria. Nevertheless, I would give you a peek into some of my personal thoughts regarding ‘strategy for domestic tourism market growth’.

First, and foremost, I think we must conduct basic Nigerian tourism market research to ascertain the needs and buying patterns of Nigeria’s domestic tourism markets across the travel seasons. So that, based on the research findings, we would embark on massive but surgical marketing and promotion of individual destinations suiting the markets demography.

Have in mind that we are in the business of selling sweet memorable experiences to tourists. World over tourism is a major service industry, so we must emphasize on giving tourists exactly the experience we promised them when marketing our destinations.

How do you plan to involve tourism destinations and host communities for better tourist experience?

Our strategy is to systematically involve local host communities in day to day handling of tourists. In this regard, the best practice from global leading tourism destinations is that, host communities supervise the tourism activities in their locality such as being the primary food chain suppliers, tour guides, security vigilante,

Does FTAN have plans to bring foreign tourists into Nigeria for inbound tourism?

Most certainly, but we must get it right with the domestic tourism market before expecting foreign tourists to come in droves. Nevertheless, we would resort to the findings from the research we would commission to identify Nigeria’s tourist source markets abroad.

So before we start marketing Nigeria abroad, we must be very sure, based on verifiable facts, in what continent and countries are there large concentration tourists that find Nigeria’s tourism product appealing. It may interest you to know that every tourism country has a comparative advantage with which to effectively compete with other international destinations.

For us in Nigeria, our main tourist attraction is the diversity of our cultural heritage. So, in marketing Nigeria we would ascertain what countries are interested in African, that is, Nigerian culture and simply execute targeted marketing and promotions at those countries.

This would include roadshows, exhibition, mass advertisements and, very importantly, social media marketing campaigns.

Where do you see Nigeria’s tourism industry by the end of your tenure?

Interesting, our determined goal is to richly grow the domestic tourism market in Nigeria.

Specifically we want to see significant improvement in our hospitality services, enrich our destination tourist facilities, increase the number of recorded tourist arrivals at tourist sites, ensure significant increase in the contribution of tourism to Nigeria’s GDP and other internal generated revenue for States in Nigeria.

We are very confident that we shall achieve and exceed these targets in the next three to four years, God willing.

Ogun State Commissioner forTourism Promotes Study of Cultural History he Ogun State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Muyiwa Oladipo T has enjoined Nigerians in all walks of life to promote the study of cultural history in primary and secondary schools so as to sustain the nation’s rich heritage.

Oladipo who made the call while featuring on a live radio programme in Abeokuta, noted that for culture to continue to thrive, everyone must contribute their quota as it was time for culturally inclined individuals to pass on the language and cultural prowess to the upcoming generation by showcasing them through their mode of dressing and promotion of art of story-telling.

He charged traditional rulers, who

are the custodians of culture as well as parents and guardians to revive the culture that was going into extinction at their domains and homes, adding that ‘’it would be a national embarrassment if we allow our children to be taught the culture by foreigners, as our children no longer regard it any more’’.

He noted with dismay the continued neglect of the immense value embedded in the art of storytelling and study of history where the activities of prominent Nigerians who had contributed to the development of the country were no longer taught, lamenting that ‘’how would the children of today learn about heroes of yesterday if they were not taught’’.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ

POLITY

Soboma Ajumogobia: A Rotarian’s Call to Service Last weekend, Soboma Ajumogobia, the younger brother of former foreign affairs minister of state, Odein, was installed as the 51st President of the Rotary Club of Lagos. Samuel Ajayi reports that the calibre of those who witnessed Soboma’s investiture was an indication of the fact that truly, the Club is the number one Rotary Club in the country

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s Soboma Ajumogobia, the newly installed President of the Rotary Club of Lagos, adjusted his bow tie over a suit blazers of black top and white trousers to complement an evening that was his by all standards, he must have concluded that being Rotarian is much more than attending Rotary events or project commissioning. It is also appreciated via the kinds of event of Friday July 7 this year at the classy Metropolitan Club

by Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island. It was a gathering of crème de la crème of the society as they came together to witness the investiture of Ajumogobia as the 51st president of Club.

Accompanying Ajumogobia to the event was his delectable wife, Rita, a high court judge.

It was not the dressing of Ajumogobia that defined the evening but the quality of those who graced the occasion. On hand to chair the occasion was former top banker but now the chairman of Main One Cable Limited, Fola Adeola. Adeola, a former chairman of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, told the gathering that his contact with Rotary movement could be traced back to when he was a pupil of Saint David’s Anglican Primary School on Lagos Island when one Rotary club used to meet at a place very close to his school.

“I used to see them,” the former banker stated as he give his speech during the investiture. “They had impact on me and I promised that when I grew up, I would always help Rotarians any way I can.”

For Adeola, that was the beginning of his romance with Rotary movement and he told those who were present at the gathering that being at that occasion was not really convenient for him as he just came to the country the night before. But because he could not just say no to Ajumogobia, he had to be present at the occasion.

Admonishing the new president of the Rotary Club of Lagos, he said the new position was a call to service and he would be holding the position in trust as he would only be “first among equals.” In the same vein, he said the name Ajumogobia did not belong to him, Soboma, but he was holding it in trust; hence

Soboma Ajumogobia the need to protect that name.

Perhaps, Adeola had his reasons. Ajumogobia was assuming the leadership of a rotary club that was not only rich in history but also boasts of illustrious past presidents, both alive and from here departed. The first president of the Club was the late Chief S.L Edu, a Lagosian of repute and father of Chief Yomi Edu. In fact, the late Edu was the pioneer president of the Club between 1961 and 1962. Another past president was the late Chief H.O Davies.

Davies was president between 1965 and 1966.

Another late past president was J. Akin-George who was president between 1971 and 1972.

Among living past president was a lady lawyer, Hairat Balogun, though president between 2012 and 2013, she was the first female president of the Club. Adeniyi Sowemimo, the current director of projects of the Club, was president between 2005 and 2006, while Larry Agose, former corporate affairs adviser of brewing giants, Nigerian Breweries Plc, was president between 2015 and 2016 and was succeeded by Gladys Sasore, a lawyer and former presidential adviser, who was the second female president of the Club who interestingly was the one who

handed over to Ajumogobia last week.

With this rich presidential succession heritage, Ajumogobia had his job cut out for him to surpass these illustrious past presidents in the area of projects execution. But anyone who knows Ajumogobia would attest to the fact that he was more than capable of meeting expectations and surpassing them.

Born on December 1st, 1963, Ajumogobia, a native of present day Rivers State, had the best upbringing anyone of his generation would always dream of. He had his early education at Corona School in Lagos and later attended the prestigious Government College, Umuhahia, in present day Abia State. Soboma, as his colleagues like to call him, actually completed his secondary education in Tanzania as his father, who was then with UNESCO, had been transferred to that East African country.

The new President of Rotary Club of Lagos attended the University of Salford, in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he bagged a bachelor’s degree in Biology but also with double honours in Physiology and Zoology. Soboma started as a banker with Chase Merchant Bank Limited, the Nigerian affiliate of Chase Manhattan Bank in

New York, in the United States of America.

Ajumogobia had risen through the ranks in his chosen career and today he is a management consultant and he runs his own outfit. Perhaps, the Club could not have had a better president that the younger brother of former minister of state for foreign affairs, Odein Ajumogobia, who was also on hand to honour his younger brother with his presence during the night of the investiture.

The new president will be inheriting the leadership of a Club that is steeped in the Rotary tradition of service to humanity. From Randle Avenue School in Surulere to Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Isolo; Community Primary School, Ilupeju, to Lagos Model College, Agbowa, Ikorodu, all in Lagos, Rotary Club of Lagos has always invested in building the lives of the nation’s future leaders for positive development. For instance, the Lab-in-a-Box Project which the Club started last year was meant to ease the learning of sciences in secondary school, especially in the junior classes. The Club donated a complete set of tools to Lagos State Model College, Agbowa, Ikorodu, in May this year.

In the area of community intervention and human development, Ita Marun, a small village of Epe Expressway along the state Free Trade Zone, stands out as an example of Rotary’s contribution to humanity. A village of less than a thousand people, Ita Marun is a classical example of being close to opulence but living in abject neglect. With no water or electricity, people of the village were left to their own devices in making something out of life. This was until the intervention of the Rotary Club of Lagos which donated an industrial borehole, solar powered street lights, incinerator and a palm kernel extracting machine for the women of the village whose main vocation is palm kernel extraction. The Club also organised an interest-free micro credit scheme for the women of the village.

–This is the Club Ajumogobia would be leading in the next one year. And the calibre of guests at his investiture was a testimony of a Rotary club with a difference.

Easy Lifestyle As Visa Raises the Bar in Cashless Banking Justina Uzo

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he travelling public in Nigeria should be glad as they can now use mVisa designed to make lifestyle of people easy; it is digital payment everywhere you go. The global payments leader, Visa, which launched the product mVisa in Lagos on Wednesday (July 19, 2017) said Nigeria is the first market to provide customers the convenience of making cross-border payments using mVisa, its innovative mobile payment service that spare people the burden of carrying cash. The solution is being rolled out across Africa.

Consumers from Visa’s Nigerian partner banks can pay with any mobile phone wherever mVisa is accepted. mVisa transactions are processed via Visa’s global network, VisaNet, applying the same scale, security and reliability as any other Visa transaction.

Visa stated that Nigerian consumers will enjoy easy and secure payments and merchants will benefit from the innovative mobile QR technology that reduces cost and friction for accepting electronic payments. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead with prepaid or pay later with credit products.

Representatives from Nigerian banks such as Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank and First Bank who were at the product launch said the future is digital and digial is now. They will offer their customers the convenience of mVisa through their mobile banking apps.

Access Bank, Ecobank, United Bank for Africa and Zenith Bank will go live with mVisa in the coming weeks.

Uttam Nayak, Senior Vice President, Emerging Product Digital Visa; Andrew Torres, President Visa in Sub-Saharan Africa; Ifeoma Onibuje, Head Electronic Banking, Fidelity Bank; Robert Giles, Head, Retail Banking, Diamond Bank and Emezino Afiegbe, Acting Country Manager, Visa West Africa, at the mVisa launch in Lagos...recently Ifeoma Onibuje of Fidelity Bank said her organization must have been using Visa for 15 year and “it has transformed the way people pay for things.” She added that” it is really easy for a customer and the mVisa will take payment to the next level.”

Speaking at the launch event, Andrew Torre, President for Visa Sub-Saharan Africa said, “Small and medium merchants in particular, no longer have to invest in expensive point of sale infrastructure as mVisa gives them the freedom to accept payments in a convenient, secure and affordable manner that their customers trust.”

“We are very excited to see more and more

merchants come on board every day as they begin to understand the benefits that mVisa brings, including real-time notifications of payments and access to sales and transactions history. We have campaigns lined up for the coming months to support our merchants and encourage new customers to experience mVisa at various locations across Nigeria.” Torre said.

Diamond Bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Uzoma Dozie, stated that the launch of mVisa is timely and aligns with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the digital growth strategy of the bank. ‘’With mVisa, Diamond Bank has raised

the bar for cashless banking in Nigeria by maintaining its leadership role in driving digital financial revolution in the country.

Our customers will be able to make everyday payments simply by using their mobile phones. I think mVisa is the biggest thing that has happened in the industry.”

Fidelity Bank CIO, Gbolahan Joshua, said: “mVisa is an innovative service that merges the everyday mobile phone to a payment solutions plan that is easy for our customers to use. Our account holders will appreciate the convenience mVisa offers.”

FirstBank’s Group Head, E-Business, Chuma Ezirim said that the Bank would continue to embrace innovation to deliver superior services in the best way possible to its customers. ”Partnering with Visa to deliver mVisa is part of the FirstBank’s strategy to deliver reliable, secure and convenient payment options to its esteemed customers. It further promotes our digital approach by delivering omni-channel experience to all our customers while enhancing our existing offerings”, he reiterated.

Visa is already accepted at hundreds of locations across the country with many more merchants joining the ecosystem over the new few months. These merchants include DSTV, Konga.com, Genesis and IMAX Cinemas, Hard Rock Café, Quickteller and Spar Visa Inc., a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments, is said operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks, VisaNet, that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˞ ͺͺ, 2017

POLITY

Chartered Insurance Institute Elects BabingtonAshaye 48th President

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he Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has elected Mrs Funmi Babington-Ashaye as its 48th President. The new President, a former Managing Director of Cornerstone Insurance and NICON, is the sixth female president of the Institute. Her investiture comes up on Tuesday, July 25 at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

An accomplished practitioner and seasoned underwriter with over 30 years cognate experience in the insurance industry, Mrs. BabingtonAshaye started her insurance career

Babington-Ashaye

with Royal Exchange Assurance Plc as an Insurance Superintendent in 1987 and later joined Cornerstone Insurance PLC as a pioneer staff in 1991.

Through dint of hard work and exceptional performance, she rose through the ranks and became the MD/CEO of the company within fifteen years. In that capacity, she brought her wealth of experience and creativity to bear on the performance of the company, which easily became the reference point in the industry.

Through her sterling leadership qualities, she grew the turnover of the company by over 80 percent within one year and also successfully recapitalized the company.

In appreciation of her invaluable wealth of experience, professional acumen and visionary leadership, she was appointed interim Managing Director of NICON Insurance PLC by the Federal Government to assist in re-engineering the company to a going concern status pending the resolution of the impasse between the insurance industry, the regulator (National Insurance Commission) and the core investor. At the end of her tenure, the FGN specially commended her performance and indeed, offered to retain her as the substantive MD/CEO but she politely declined.

Winner of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London’s JC Lepine Prize Award, she is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, London and Nigeria. She is also a Fellow of Chartered Insurance Brokers and Institute of Directors, Nigeria.

Author of a book titled Insurance in Practice: All You Need to Know about Insurance in Nigeria, Mrs Babington-Ashaye is the Founder,

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Limited.

In a statement issued by the institute, Mrs Babington-Ashaye promised to reposition the insurance industry during her tenure. “During my tenure, I plan to rededicate myself to the creation of the required awareness that would re-position Insurance through education and public enlightenment�, she said.

L-R: Head, Mass Marketing Banking, Sterling Bank, Mr. Roland Kolawole; Legal OďŹƒcer, Lagos State Lotteries Board, Simisola Munini; Chief Marketing OďŹƒcer, Sterling Bank, Mr. Henry Bassey and Acting Head, Consumer Protection Council, Lagos OďŹƒce, Susie Onwuka, during the ďŹ rst draw of the Sterling Savings Reward Scheme, in Lagos..yesterday

L-R: Channel Manager, Mobile Banking, Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Nigeria, Omaghomi Oti; Assistant Manager, Business Development Unit, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Seun Atte; Acting Head, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Lagos office, Susie Onwuka and Head, Digital Banking, Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Nigeria, Adeyinka Shorungbe during Ecobank Easter Mobile App Promo Draw in Lagos...recently

L-R: Operations Manager, Bonny Light Energy and Oshore Limited, Mr. Tunji Adeyemi; CEO Mr Toyin Banjo; and Super Cargoe/Surveyor, Mr. Samson Daramola at the delivery of the company’s gaz oil import from Glencore UK as part of their “Energy for Industriesâ€? programme for Nigerian economy in Lagos‌.recently

L-R: Principal, Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Mrs. Belinda Odeh; Executive Secretary, LASTREB, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo; Overall best graduating student, Kelechi Ozurumba; Head, Service Department, Samsung Electronic West Africa, Raymond Olatokun and a management sta of Samsung, Gihyeong Kim at the graduation ceremony of 2016 class of Samsung Engineering Academy in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA

L-R: Partner, PriceWater House Coppers, Mr. Pedro Omontuemhen; Managing Director, VFuels LLC, Mr. Souheil Abboud; Executive Vice Chairman, Technoil, Mrs. Nkechi Obi; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande; and Managing Consultant/ CEO, PEJAD Limitedd, Mr. Tony Ogbuigwe, at the LCCI second business clinic forum organised by LCCI in Lagos ...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸͹͵ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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NEWS XTRA

In Brief UK, Nigeria Move against IDP Camps Abuses

TheUnitedKingdomhascollaboratedwiththeNigeriathroughtheNigeria Policetocombatproblemsofdrugandsexualviolenceininternallydisplaced persons(IDP)campsintheNorthEast.Casesofdrugabuseandsexualviolence had been reported at IDP camps in recent time, which had been a source of embarrassmenttotheNigeria.Tocombatthis,theUnitedKingdomgovernment throughitsConflict,StabilityandSecurityFund(CSSF)inaweeklongexercise trained 137 police officers across the ranks in Maiduguri on "Democratic PolicingandResponsetoIssuesofDrugsandSexualViolenceinIDPcamps."

TrainedwereDivisionalPoliceOfficers,otherOfficers,Inspectors,andrank and file of Borno State Police Command. The training, which followed the donation of nine containerised police stations for the use of IDP camps, as efforts are geared by the UK government to curb crimes at IDP camps in the North East.

Renewed Attacks between A’Ibom, C’River

EMPOWERING FOR DEVELOPMENT...

L-r: Andrew Enahoro, Head, Legal and Public Relations, Promasidor Nigeria Limited; Dr DanAzumi. M. Ibrahim, Director General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP); and Alhaji Adamu A. Tandama, Coordinating Director, NOTAP-Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF) at a selection meeting for the second batch of beneficiaries of the NITTF in Abuja...recently

Lagos LG Polls Hold Today as Police Warn against Use of Firearms ...Profile, obtain biometrics of party leaders, agents Chiemelie Ezeobi Ahead of today's local government elections, the Lagos State Police Command warned all stakeholders, party agents, public officer holders and the electorate to desist from carrying firearms anywhere near the polling units.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Fatai Owoseni, who made this disclosure at the meeting with all stakeholders at the POWA hall, Oduduwa, Ikeja, said flouting of the rule means suicide for the carrier.

Owoseni, who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations, DCP Edgal Imohimi, addressed the scores of party chairmen, agents and faithful, who had thronged the centre to sign an undertaking not

to cause violence during the polls.

He said, "If you want to commit suicide, come out with your firearms because the police will use proportional force against such persons."

Speaking on the ongoing measures put on ground to profile the party leaders and have their biometrics taken, he said such move would help the police be hands on in their discharge of duties, especially in the eventuality of breakdown of law and order.

He said, "We have profiled you and have taken your biometrics.

We have also interfaced with you personally and we will tell you what to expect from us.

"During this election, we don't want political thuggery like we have witnessed in certain elections from different camps, which have

EU, UNICEF Earmarks 54m Euros for MNCHN Projects Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The European Union, EU in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF has earmarked 54 million Euros for Maternal, NewBorn, Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) outcome project in three Northeast states of Bauchi, Adamawa and Kebbi.

The UNICEF Country Representative, Mohammed Malick Fall who stated this yesterday during the official handover ceremony of Health Equipment and Medicine to Bauchi State government, said that out of the 54 million Euros, the EU had provided 50 million Euros through a grant, UNICEF contributed 1 million Euros while the three benefiting states were to provide 1million Euros as government counterpart fund.

He said that the project was hinged on sectoral integration that includes health, water and Sanitation/ Hygiene, Nutrition, HIV/AIDs, Child Protection, Community Development and social protection in the three target states.

According to him, "In Bauchi State, 1.5 million Children under the age of five and 38,000 pregnant women will be reached annually

with health services out of the 2.6 million children under five years of age and 850,000 pregnant women targeted to be reached with health services annually in the three states" "The project will also support the implementation of one Primary Health Care PHC per ward in the 323 wards of the 20 LGA in Bauchi State through capacity building of health workers, Community engagement to ensure community resilience, minor renovation of some primary health Care centres, supply of equipment and medicines for Maternal, Newborn and Child health services," he said.

He added that the supplies which were worth about 7 million Euros would contribute to the optimal functionality of the 323 PHC that would open 24 hours per day, seven days a week, providing quality services.

In his address, Governor Mohammed Abubakar said that his administration had constructed 19 model primary health care facilities to meet the health challenges of the people, adding that the government also established zonal cold stores for medical consumables in Bauchi, Azaro and Darazo local government areas of the state.

caused mayhem.

"Arrests have been made and special teams at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Yaba, are investigating the cases.

"If any of the hoodlums are traced back to you, it will jeopardise your chances. Talk to your supporters not to be overzealous because we will not hesitate to write an intelligence report to your party and the government.

"Already, we have gotten some intelligence report that some hoodlums are ganging up somewhere and of course, we have sent our police team there.

"Also talk to your party agents that will represent you at the polling unit. They must be patient and not cause problems, especially where materials are delayed due to logistic problems."

On other measures put on ground he said the police in conjunction with other security agencies had for two days observed a show of force in some parts of the state.

He said the security agencies deployed for the show of force were drawn from the military, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps and the Department of State Security.

He said, "Also, we will today carry out overt and covert operations geared towards picking up the few remaining hoodlums that have been billed to cause trouble."

On the part of the police he said, "The police will not interfere with the electoral process as stated in the electoral laws and if they flout it, call the attention of the LASIEC."

Homosexuality on the rise in Niger State, Alleges NSCDC Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has raised the alarm that homosexuality was on the rise in Niger State adding that under aged boys were being used for the "wicked act".

Another homosexual suspects was arrested during the week while two boys whose ages range between 13 and 17 years had been hospitalised following their being sexually abused.

State Commander of the NSCDC Mr. Philip Ayuba who raised the alarm said the arrest of some suspects by his command was different from others made by sister security agencies in the state.

Ayuba said 50 year old Musa Danmasani an indigene of Kebbi State who resides in Rijau town in the Magama local government area of Niger State was “caught in the act of using underage children as partners ".

Ayuba said Danmasani had

first "used" 17 year old Umar Farouk before sending him to go and buy "lubricant" that he would use on the other 13 year old Abdulrahaman Jibrin.

Jibrin was said to have been searching for where he would get the lubricant when the information leaked to security agents.

Ayuba said little Jibrin was assisted to get the lubricant and was traced to the house of Musa Danmasani "where he (Danmasani) was caught red handed using Umar Farouk".

The Commandant said investigation into the crime had been completed and the suspect handed over to state Child Rights Agency for prosecution.

Ayuba advised parents to monitor the movement of their children so that they did not fall into the hands of "these evil people".

Few weeks ago, the police arrested some men in the same axis for similar offences.

OnepersonhasreportedlybeenkilledfewdaysaftertheFederalGovernment initiatedmovestoendtheprotractedboundarydisputebetweenthepeople ofOkuIbokuinItuLocalGovernmentareaofAkwaIbomandtheIkotOffiong peopleinCrossRiverStates.ThekillingintheareaofoneIfiokItaEkpofrom Idu Uruan after the federal government meeting with state governments and leaders of both states was revealed at a press briefing jointly held in Uyo,AkwaIbomStatecapitalbytheeldersofItu,IbionoIbomandUranlocal government areas of the State. A spokesperson for the elders, Dr. Ekong DemsonfrownedattheattackontheAkwaIbomfishermenbythepeopleof IkotOffiongcommunityjusttwodaysafterthefederalgovernmentthrough the National Boundary Commission (NBC) started peace talk with the two states.Dr.Demsonseriouslywarnedthattherenewedhostilitymightfrustrate furtherpeacenegotiationbetweentheAkwaIbomandCrossRiverStatesif theperpetratorsofthelatestkillingintheareawerenotprosecuted.According tohim,thepeopleoftheboundarylocalgovernmentareasofItu,IbionoIbom and Uran could be forced to resort to self-help and to defend themselves if the attacks on their settlements continue. His words: “It is surprising and unbelievablethatbarelytwodaysaftertheparley,thepeopleofIkotOffiong and hired mercenaries from Cross River state armed with sophisticated weapons attacked defenseless fishermen along the river in Itu, killing one Ifiok Ita Ekpo from Idu Uruan and seized several boats and fishing nets.”

I've Not Defected, Says Buruji

TheSenatorrepresentingtheOgunEastsenatorialdistrict,SenatorBuruji KashamuhasdeniedeverdumpingthePeoplesDemocraticPartyforanother party. In a statement issued on Friday, Senator Kashamu said that he was neverpartofthosewhodeclaredfortheMegaPartyofNigeria(MPN)."My attention has been drawn to orchestrated media reports that some of my political associates and supporters have defected to the Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN). I wish to state without mincing words that the misleading report linking me with the move was concocted and spread on the social media by one Lere Olayinka," he said He said that now that the leadership crisis at the national level had been resolved by the Supreme Court efforts should be made by the leaders other zones to ensure that peace returns to theSouthWestzoneaswell.Hesaidthatthe14-monthleadershipcrisisthat engulfedthepartystartedasaresultofGovernorAyoFayoseandex-Governor OlusegunMimiko’sattempttoperpetrateimpunityandcutshortthetenure of elected party executives in the zone.

Adeleke's Foundation Frees 200 Inmates

Aspartofthecorporatesocialresponsibility,anon-governmentalorganisationbasedinOsunState,SpringtimeDevelopmentFoundationhasdonated mattresses and pillows worth of N6 million for the inmates in Ilesa prison.

TheVice-ChairmanoftheFoundation,Mr.BanjiAdesuyistatedthisonbehalf of the Chairman of the foundation, Dr. Deji Adeleke while handling over the reliefmaterialstothemanagementteamoftheIlesaPrisonYard.Itwouldbe recalled that one of the prominent personalities, Mr. Fatai Diekola and five family friends were curiously arraigned and remanded in Ilesa prison. The Chairman of the Foundation, Dr. Deji Adeleke’s visitation was a blessing for over200inmateswhocontinuedtolanguishinIlesaprisonforinabilitytopay relativefineoptionsasconditionsprecedentfortheirbail.The200inmates regainedtheirfreedom,courtesyofDr.DejiAdelekewhopaidasolidarityvisit toaprominentpersonality,anindigeneofthestateinIlesaprison.Speaking, theManagingDirectoroftheFoundation,Mr.SamuelOyalabusaidthegesture whichbroughttorealitytodaythepurposeofsettingupthefoundation."The visitation brought not only mattresses to those that are still in custody but released to a number of inmates who were sentenced with option of fine but were unable to pay".

COREN Accredits Petroleum Varsity Courses

Therewasjubilationamongstmanagement,StaffandStudentsofFederal UniversityofPetroleumResources(FUPRE),Effurun,DeltaStateyesterday as the Council for the Registration of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) gave fullaccreditationforallcoursesofferedbytheCollegeofTechnologyofthe institution.TheFederalUniversityofPetroleumResources(FUPRE),Effurunin UvwieLocalGovernmentareawasestablishedin2007toproducemanpower expertisefortheoilandgassector.Sinceitsestablishment,managementof the university has been putting efforts aimed at making the institution the bestspecialisedschoolinAfricawithstate-of-the-artfacilities.Theschool washoweverthrownintowildjubilationsyesterdaywhennewsfilteredthat CORENhadgrantedfullaccreditationforallcoursesintheCollegeofTechnology of the institution. According to the Head of Public Relations of FUPRE, Dr. Oghenejode Abaka Jnr, the management, staff and students were happy because of the full accreditation granted by COREN for some engineering coursesintheschool.Hesaidthecoursesthatweregrantedfullaccreditation includeElectrical/ElectronicEngineering,MechanicalEngineering,Petroleum Engineering and Marine Engineering.

Kayode Abraham Passes On

The death has been announced of Pa Kayode Alaba Abraham at the age of 77.Thefather,grandfather,brother,uncle,cousinandfriend,akaUncleKaye (Senn Sound) was Born on June 11, 1940 and joined his ancestors on July 8, 2017afterabriefillness.Astatementbythefamilysaidburialarrangements would be announced soon.

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NEWSXTRA

Innoson Motors Plans Car Export to Mali Alex Enumah in Abuja

ASSESSING THE NATION...

L-R; National Chairman, Unity Party of Nigeria UPN/Founder Oodua People’s Congress OPC, Dr. Frederick Faseun; Deputy National Secretary (UPN), Mr. Samson Ndubusi; and Depuyt National President (OPC), Alhaji Wasiu Afolabi, at a Media Interactive section with Dr. Faseun on the State of the Nation, held in Lagos, yesterday PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

N3bn Debt: AMCON Takes over Gateway Portland Cement Obinna Chima Hon. Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abeokuta Division, Ogun State has granted an injunction against Gateway Portland Cement Limited and Dr. Olumuyiwa Odegbami on the application of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

Consequent upon the court order, AMCON in a statement yesterday said its Receiver, Mr.

Charles Adeogun-Phillips had formally and successfully taken possession of Gateway Portland Cement Limited factories and facilities located in Abeokuta and Mowe areas of Ogun State over a debt profile of nearly N3 billion.

The debt has been a subject of litigation for some time now.

According to the statement, the court in the ruling restrained the Gateway Portland Cement Limited and the promoters

whether by themselves, their agents, privies, or whosoever howsoever from moving, into the firm, withdrawing money from or with any bank or financial institutions that hitherto does business with the cement company excluding in Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the suit to be filed by the applicants for recovery of its outstanding debts.

The order also restrained Gateway Portland Cement

Limited and the promoters by themselves, their agents, servants and, or their privies from interfering with or otherwise obstructing or frustrating the Receiver appointed by AMCON in performing his duties. Gateway Portland Cement Limited and the promoters were therefore directed to deliver to the Receiver appointed by AMCON all the charged assets of the company in their possession forthwith.

Ajaokuta Concession: EFCC Edo to Seal Power Supply with NDPC Sued for Allegedly Hoarding Deal The Edo State Government people who will buy bulk is set to seal a partnership power and distribute it close Investigative Report deal with the Niger Delta to our people who will use Chineme Okafor in Abuja The controversy surrounding Nigeria’s concession of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL), and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) to Indian firm, Global Infrastructure Holding Limited (GIHL), on Friday assumed a fresh dimension when a group of relevant metallurgical unions in the country filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly hoarding an interim investigative report on the operations of GIHL in the two national assets.

According to the court papers with suit number: FHC/ Abj/CS/674/17, the unions comprising Nigerian Metallurgical Society; African Iron and Steel Association (AISA); Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria; and Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and their attorneys, Sulaiman Abduraheem and Natasha Akpoti, asked the court to mandate the EFCC to release to them certified true copies

of its past investigation on GIHL's operations in NIOMCO and ASCL, as ordered by late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in 2008.

Provided to THISDAY in Abuja, the court processes were served on EFCC, with their prayers including a request on it to immediately provide the plaintiff copies of its investigations on GIHL, as well as pay the sum of N500,000 for initially denying it request for the investigative report in contravention of Section 21 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. The group noted that they filed their request to EFCC on June 13, 2017, but the anti-graft agency refused to provide it the requested report.

They also claimed that in its reluctance, the EFCC rather asked it to drop the case on the grounds that it was old and perhaps stale.

But convinced about the merit of its request, the plaintiff then sued the EFCC. It said it wants the court to issue a mandatory order on the anti-graft agency to provide it the investigative report.

Power Holding Company, NDPHC, on bulk power supply to boost industrial activities in the state.

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki disclosed this when he received the management team of the NDPHC who paid him a business visit yesterday in Benin City.

Obaseki said he was optimistic that about 2,000Mega Watts of power could be generated from the power plants in the state in the next few years.

He explained that what was of immense concern to him was the utilisation of the power that would be generated from the power plants in the state, and added that his administration intended to make the Sapele road axis an industrial site and an electricity generating corridor.

“Now that we have found electricity, what are we going to do with it, is there no opportunity for us to think of working with you directly?”

“How we can bring in

it for production purpose.

Earlier, the Managing Director/ CEO of NDPHC, Mr. Chinedu Ugbo said Edo was a major stakeholder in power generation.

He disclosed that governor Obaseki was on the new board to be inaugurated by the Company soon, adding that the visit was to strengthen areas of collaboration.

He said that the company had planned seeking the state approval for the bulk power supply arrangement, and expressed delight at the governor’s support which had opened the way for more opportunities.

“Edo is host to one of the big plants which is located along the Benin by-pass” Ugbo said, and commended the host community for their cooperation in ensuring a peaceful business environment.

He listed some of the challenges affecting the company in the state as irregular gas supply and electricity uptake which affect electricity distribution to consumers.

Nigeria's indigenous auto manufacturer, Innoson Motors, is set to export 400 of its made in Nigeria vehicles to Mali, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the auto firm and a Malian company.

This was made known on Friday, when Nigeria's Charge‘d Affair in Mali, Yara Abdulsalam, led a team of business delegation from Mali on a visit to Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja.

According to Abdulsalam, Innoson Motors had during the week signed MoU with Taxi Plus VIP, a Mali based transport company for the expansion of the transport business in Mali.

He disclosed further that the agreement was made possible after the `"Made in Nigeria Products Exhibition" held in Bamako, Mali in 2016 facilitated by Ginco Group, a Nigerian firm based in Mali to show-case Nigeria’s potentials.

"From the exhibition, Taxi Plus VIP approached the embassy that they wanted to import vehicle from China but we told them that we had indigenous company in Nigeria that manufactures vehicles.

"They started talking with Innoson through Nigerian Export Promotion Commission (NEPC) and the deal was later finalised.

“Mali is the centre of Francophone countries which has boundary with eight countries, if this materialise in Mali, it will affect all other countries and will increase Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria,” he said.

Responding, the Minister who expressed delight at the news, described the development as the beginning of industrial revolution in Nigeria.

According to him, the signing

of the deal would enhance job creation and stem down the rate at which youths embark on dangerous adventure to Europe in search of greener pasture.

He said, "So what you are achieving can really be the beginning of revolution in our country, the longest journey has to start from somewhere.

"What you are doing represents a giant leap for Africa because it involved trading among ourselves.

"What I found so interesting is that we are trading at the highest technology level with exportation of automobile, cars and buses to one another", he stated.

Adding that as the foundation was been laid today, the sky would be the limit for Africa. "It means we have broken that glass ceiling that is holding us down,” he said.

He commended the Nigerian embassy in Mali for providing the institutional support for the MoU, noting that the action was in line with the recent innovations at the ministry.

"We have many offices around the world and we want to leverage on that to promote Nigerian goods,” he said.

The Managing Director of Ginco Group, Mr. Godwin Oguzie, said that the 2016 Made in Nigeria exhibition in Bamako Mali was to let Nigerian Manufacturers know that opportunity awaited them in Mali to sell their products.

"We signed an MOU with Innosson Manufacturing Company to enable Taxi Plus increase its capacity to provide urban transportation system in Bamako.

“We signed an MOU that they will be getting up to 400 vehicles from Nigeria. This is the first time a country in Africa is exporting locally manufactured vehicles to other country,” he said.

Anambra Election: Eight Aspirants, Supporters Besiege APC for Nomination Form Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

About eight aspirants have so far showed up to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms from All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.

One of the aspirants and the National Auditor of APC, Chief George Moghalu, who was the first to purchase the expression of Interest and Nomination forms along with his supporters at the national secretariat of APC in Abuja promised to lift Anambra to greater heights and to enable it realise its fullest potentials.

Moghalu assured that under APC leadership in Anambra, there would be local government election, within the first six months.

Addressing journalists shortly after picking the forms, Moghalu said he would ensure unmatched progress in the overall development of Anambra State if elected governor.

Speaking on the chances of some of the aspirants who recently defected to the party, Moghalu said: "You started by calling them defectors and that is exactly what they are, and it would be out of place for me to build a house for another to occupy. So, we welcome them, we agreed they should come but when you come, you join the queue. You can't come to displace

those who are there because this house, we laboured to build it.

"Despite the challenges, despite the criticisms, we were called names. People never gave us a chance but today, the story is different and it will be most unfair even before God and man that we would build for another to occupy," he said.

On his part, the Senator representing Anambra South at the National Assembly, Andy Ubah, said that he had what it takes in terms of experience and pedigree to defeat the sitting governor in the state.

Senator Ubah who was accompanied by many of his colleagues in the Red Chamber to purchase Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the governorship ticket yesterday at the National Secretariat of the party said apart from political structure, he had good records to win him the ticket.

"Of all the aspirants that are running, I have not heard anything they have done, they have not won election and they are not prepared to win election.

We need somebody with capacity and I know that we have that capacity to remove the sitting governor," he said.

Six other aspirants that also came with their supporters to pick their nomination forms include, Nonso Nmadu, Obinna Uzo, Tony Nwoye, Barth Nwibe, and Johnbosco Onunkwo.

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NEWSXTRA

Okowa, Uduaghan, Others Warn against Impunity in ‘New PDP’ Omon-Julius Onabu ÓØ ÝËÌË

Asaba, the Delta State capital, was agog on Friday as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held a general meeting to celebrate the victory of the Senator Ahmed Markafi-led Caretaker National Committee at the Supreme Court with the party

leaders united in warning against all forms of impunity under the new dispensation ushered in by the court victory.

The leaders also urged all members of the party to be magnanimous in victory and not to engage in divisive activities by trying to shut the door against others who belonged to so-called

other faction of PDP before the landmark apex court victory.

Okowa, Uduaghan, state PDP chairman, Chief Kingsley Esiso, Chairman of PDP (South-South zone), Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, Speaker of the state legislature, Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, exinformation minister, Prof Sam Oyovbaire and party board of trustees member, Senator

WE CELEBRATE YOU...

L-R: Mrs. Maryam Adewunmi, Mrs, Fisayo Adewunmi the celebrant Rotn Chief Abayomi Adewunmi his wife Chief Mrs. Sherifat Toyin Adewunmi, Barr. Mrs. Anu Aloba and Dr. Mrs. Olaitan Adewunmi assisting the Celebrant to cut his 70th Birthday Cake at his Ogba Estate, Ikeja, Lagos residence.

Stella Omu, harped on the need to respect the supremacy of the party and promote inclusiveness principle especially at the grassroots.

Okowa, was joined by other partyleadersandmembersincluding the immediate past governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, whose entryintothemeetingwasgreeted witharousingsalutefromthelarge audience who were in celebration mood. Uduaghan's presence at the state general meeting would lay to rest the rumoured plan of the former governor to desert the party, an allegation that was fueled

by Uduaghan's widely reported absence from the public gathering of the party tagged "PDP Mega Rally" recently held at Sapele.

Following their conspicuous non-attendance at the said rally, Uduaghan, ex-governor James Ibori and the impeached speaker of state house of assembly, Hon Monday Igbuya was interpreted in some quarters as indicative of cracks in the wall for the state PDP and possibly a quiet objection to the widespread endorsement of Okowa for a second term as Governor.

Uduaghan, who commended his successor for what he called and excellent work particularly in the area of road construction across the state in the last two years, stressed that the envisaged reborn PDP must move away from the old practice whereby elected and appointed political office holders saw their offices seemed to forget that they were holding such positions in trust for the entire party.

Customs Warns Officers Acting as Informants to Smugglers John Shiklam ÓØ ËÎßØË

The Acting Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service and Coordinator of the Zone B of the service, Alhaji Aminu Dahiru has warned officers who act as agents and informants to smugglers to desist from such unpatriotic acts.

Dahiruissuedthewarningduringatourof thezone,comprising 16 states.

According to him, such unpatriotic acts, besides undermining theeffortsofgovernmentinchecking the activities of smugglers,

put the lives of other officers in danger.

Spokesman of the Zonal Command, Ado Idris, a Superintendent of Customs (SC), in a statement in Kaduna quoted the actingAssistant Comptroller as saying that any customs officer caught subverting the efforts of the service would be dealt with.

Dahirualsochargedtheofficers to ensure that all revenue leakageswereblockedsoastoachieve the revenue target of the zone.

HenotedthatinJune,thezone collected N2.1 billion exceeding its target with an excess of N93.9

million.

ThestatementsaidDahirualso visited Maigatari Border Station, where he addressed a combined parade of the army, the police Immigration,CivilDefence,Customs and personnel from Niger Republic,urgingthem tostep-up theirAnti-Smugglingeffortssoas to justify their responsibilities to their respective countries.

“You must justify your salary by ensuring that no smuggled goods are allowed, if you do, remember all shall be held accountable’inthedayofreckoning.

"It is a moral burden on you

to make sure that they bequeath a drug-free nation to the next generation"thestatementquoted him. Dahiru said smuggling destroys the economy and the fabric of nations, considering the menace of drugs on the youth, as well as rice smuggling to fiscal policies of government and secondhandclothingtothehealth well-being of citizens.

“I urged you to appeal to your conscienceoverthemoralburden of allowing drugs destroy our youths just for material gains” thestatementhimfurtherquoted him.

Wike Assures Christian Community of Sustained Project Delivery Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has assured the Christiancommunitythathewill sustainthedeliveryofdemocracy dividends in the state.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Archbishop of Anglican Niger Delta Province; Most Rev Ignatius Kattey at the Government House Port Harcourt on Friday, Governor Wike said he will never disappoint Christians in his service to the state.

He said: "We will never disappoint Christians. I will continue deliver quality projects that will improve the living condition of the people.

"We will continue to complete projects inherited from previous administrations, as long as such projects will impact positively on the lives of the people.

"Part of the problem we have are the number of abandoned projects, which are scattered everywhere. When you complete a project, someone comes up to say that project was 99percent

completed, such criticisms will not deter us".

The governor reiterated that he will continue to partner with the church. He said that the church helped to enthrone the administration through prayers and unflinching support.

"Whatever promise I have made to the church will be fulfilled", he said.

The governor said that he will meet with Christian leaders to fashion out ways to put the State EcumenicalCentretoregularuse.

Earlier, the Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, Most Rev Ignatius Kattey commended the governor for his achievements over the last two years .

"We commend the governor for his achievements. We are proud of your landmark achievements. I want to thank the Governor for his statesmanship in governance. "There is no gainsayingthatthegovernorhas performedcreditablydespite the financialsituationinthecountry", Kattey said.

Dana Introduces ‘Buy Two, Get One Free’ for Owerri Route Dana Air has announced a ‘Buy two, get one free’ promo for passengers on its Lagos – Owerri- Lagos route, as part of the benefits of its existing partnership with the Imo State Government.

According to the Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, “we are delighted to have introduced the ‘Buy two, get one free’ promo; which is not only for the hospital people of Imo state, but for business and leisure travelers on our Lagos – Owerri- Lagos routes.

This promo and many more initiatives to come are some of the benefits of the existing partnership that we have with the Imo state Government.’’

“As an airline committed to satisfying our guests, especially our Dana Miles Guests, this offer is also our way of encouraging people to fly more to the beautiful city of Owerri. This is definitely

a good time for our Owerri passengers, as all they need to do to get their free ticket is to visit our website www. flydanaair.com or any of our outlets in Lagos or Owerri, pay for two tickets on our Lagos – Owerri- Lagos route, and send an email with their booking code to contact@flydanaair. com and its done. Free tickets can also be used on all our domestic route.’’

He urged members the airlines’ frequent flyer program, to take advantage of the promo and expect more value added services in the coming months.

Only recently, the airline launched a customer–centric initiative called ‘Pay with Dana Miles’ which enables members of its frequent flyer program to use their miles as they desire to pay for excess baggage, upgrade from economy class to business class, exchange miles for tickets and lots more.

Experts Laud Effectiveness of Plateau Won’t Jettison Creating More Chivita 100% Breakfast Campaign Chiefdoms, Says Tyoden The ongoing #BreakfastwithChivita100% campaign which has trended for months on influential social media platforms is a pointer that it is important to prepare a good communication campaign.

The campaign has also enjoyed positioning on strategic out of home platforms, as well as a blitz of television advertisement on terrestrial and satellite channels. However, it is fundamental to know how to distribute it for effectiveness, some experts have said.

With its key message of making breakfast complete with Chivita 100% Fruit Juice gaining traction, the brand has through effective communicationendeareditselftoconsumers by offering a highly attractive value proposition. Its partner-

ship with Manchester United and deployment of some of the club’s internationally renowned stars like Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Eric Bailly and Juan Mata in the television advertisement to project the brand’s breakfast narrative is seen as a masterstroke through its showcasing of some of the best players in football making healthy and complete breakfast choices.

According to Ikem Onyeka, a Brand Consultant with Wingplus Communication, a communication campaign succeeds when the brand owner is able to persuade consumers that the brandhasbenefitsthattheywant or need; hence, it is not every time a brand achieves the objective of exciting the consumer in ways that ignite conversation.

Seriki Adinoyi ÓØ ÙÝ

Plateau state Deputy Governor, Professor Sonny Tyoden has said that the state government would not abandon its promise to create more chiefdoms, districts and villages for the people of the state, noting that Governor Simon Lalong was a man of his words who will not say one thing and do another.

Tyoden gave the reassurance yesterday during the celebration of the Golden Jubilee reign of the Village Head of Ruff, in Mangu Local Government Area of the state, Da Ishaku Vwat Dachom.

ThedeputyGovernor,whowas theSpecialGuestofHonouratthe occasion, described Lalong as “a manofhiswordsthatwilldoashe’s promisedthecitizensofPlateau.”

He said, “We have not abandoned the project of chiefdoms,

districts and village creation, we are working on it and very soon we shall prove our critics wrong.

It’sjustamatteroftime;whenthat timecomesamsurethepeopleof Ruffwillcelebratetheelevationof this village to a district.”.

Alsospeaking,thestateDirector of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Bulus Dabit recalled the history of the evolution of the “Mishkaham Ruff’’ (the Village Head), which he said began in 1904 . Dabit, an indigene of Ruff, described the paramount ruler as a man of peace and progress, who successfully managed his community and family over the past 50 years.

He stated that the people of Ruff would continue to support theAllProgressiveCongress(APC) rulinggovernment“moresothat ourparamountrulerissoloyalto

constituted authorities.’’

The first son of the celebrant, Mr. Joshua Dachom, who is a Programme Officer with NOA on the Plateau, said that those of them who were biological children regard the occasion as a rare privilege for coming from hisfamilybecausethemantaught them peace, unity and love who hadtrainedthemtoacquirevarious fieldsofendeavour.“Mostofusare trained lawyers, social scientists, engineers, politicians and craftmen.”

Headded,“Hisloveforhisthree wives demonstrates the unity of purposeinthefamily.Hispassion forcommunitydevelopmentand educationispotentlymanifested inthemanystructuresofbuiltprimaryschools,primaryhealthcare clinics, community secondary schools, churches and roads.

I, formerly known and addressed as BASIRU DANUMA ADAM now wish to be known and addressed as ADAMU IDRIS BASIRU. All former documents remain valid. The general Public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ABIDEMI OBANIKORO now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ABIDEMI KE/<KZKͳ& > E . All former documents remain valid. The general Public take note.

KE&/ZD d/KE K& E D /͕ DZ^ DKZKKW, d KDK>K> OBANIKORO is the same person as DZ^ DKZKKW, d KDK>K> ONIKORO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

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Price: N250

MISSILE Onnoghen to Senior Advocates “We must guard against controversial briefs and filthy pecuniary pursuits that bring indignity to the profession. We must discipline ourselves and discipline our stomachs. We represent politicians who come in with all sorts of jokers in the name of brief and we help them heat up the polity and cast aspersions on judicial officers.”

– Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, chastising senior lawyers.

PENDULUM Dele Momodu

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Now Our Youths are Crying and Kicking

F

ellow Nigerians, I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh when I got a call early this week from Ambassador Dayo Israel, one of the brightest youths I had mentored in my own modest way some years ago. It was a plaintive cry for help after the debacle of a failed local government chairmanship aspiration bid and the death knell of the campaign for youth emancipation in the Senate.

Dayo has since those halcyon days, when he came under my tutelage, worked very hard to be an iconic youth in Nigeria and beyond. Dayo recently threw his hat into the political ring recently when he attempted to pick the APC Chairmanship nomination for Lagos Mainland Local Government, to contest today against other Lagos Mainland Chairmanship aspirants in that Local Government of Lagos State. As you read my epistle right now, the election is taking place as scheduled but without Dayo’s name on the ballot papers.

Dayo had requested my intervention, several times in the last few months, for help with his political aspiration. He took his case to the high and mighty in our society and solicited the support of political godfathers in his party, APC. There is no doubt that Dayo is eminently qualified to run in this race and I was reasonably assured that he would deliver on most of the promises made by him. However, the arithmetic of politics in Nigeria, and in most places, is not always one plus one. The way these things are configured often make it impossible for brilliant young guys like Dayo to have a smooth sail in political climes like Nigeria. Ask me! I had my own Baptism of fire in 2011 when I got inspired by the audacity and miracle of Barack Obama in the United States of America and assumed foolishly that such could be replicated back home in Nigeria. Lord have mercy, I was dead wrong.

I had predicated my faith and boundless optimism on several factors: my personal credentials (I was well educated with a Masters degree in Literature-in-English), my political background (I had been in politics since 1982 and had even been a personal secretary to the then Deputy Governor of Old Ondo State, Chief Akin Omoboriowo. Since then I had interacted with some of Nigeria’s biggest political juggernauts), my business experience (I had managed people and resources from medium scale to high level), my global exposure (I had been blessed with access to world figures at home and abroad) and crucially, I now had what I thought were my greatest assets, the youths of Nigeria. But my dream of leading Nigeria out of the doldrums soon vanished.

The youths mostly teased and taunted me as inexperienced and poor. They preferred the calibre of people they claimed had pilfered, looted and wasted their common wealth - politicians with very loaded pockets. These are people who could instantly daze and dazzle them with cash which represents only a token of what they’ve stolen, and later abandon them and for good measure impoverish society at large.

I could not believe my ears and my eyes as I watched developments with incredulity. I was too idealistic about a revolution foretold which became nothing but a mirage. I refused to join the mainstream parties in my naïve belief that

Buhari the duo of PDP and AC had been substantially contaminated and we should start on a cleaner note. There is no doubt that the biggest party in Nigeria remains the unheralded and unregistered Floaters Party, comprising, of mainly, the most vocal but reticent youths in Africa. Anyway, I lost the election but learnt a lot of incredible lessons from the experience and exposure.

When Dayo Israel decided to go into politics, I readily and instantly knew he would have to climb Mount Everest in short time to clinch his party ticket. I admired his guts and appreciated his superlative enthusiasm. But I knew that alone could not catapult him to the dreamland that he foresaw. His campaign was remarkable and fresh. I did not want to discourage him in any way. I was in a position to give him privileged information that would have dampened his enthusiasm but refrained from doing so in order not to weaken his resolve or demoralise him, particularly for the future. Nevertheless, I knew the chicken would eventually come home to roost. Truth is the elders that we usually complain against, and grumble about, are better organised and more fraternised than the younger ones. Nigerian youths are yet to demonstrate sufficient capacity for sustained struggle and clear-cut principle or ideology. I was the only Presidential candidate in the history of Nigeria ever with uncommon faith in the abilities of Nigerian youths and demonstrated this when I picked a prodigiously gifted 26-year old Ohimai Godwin Amaize as my Presidential Campaign Coordinator. His biggest foes were the same youths he had fought for all his adult life. They regularly dissed and derided him as if success as a young man is a curse in Nigeria.

It was no surprise to me when Dayo started seeing red lights halting him in his tracks and denying him progress. His dreams and vision

began to evaporate before his very eyes. He came crying to me several times and I tried to pacify him as much as possible. I sometimes had to tell him the blatant and unpleasant truth, which only brought more anguish for him. I prepared his mind for the worst case scenario. At first, he was reluctant and resisted my humble advice and realistic forecast as to how his ambition would be scuttled. Eventually, he saw reason and accepted his fate with equanimity. I was excited about his decision not to throw tantrums against his party leaders but to cooperate beautifully with them and rally together other disappointed and angry aspirants who were in denial, like he was initially.

Obviously, “he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day,” according to an adage.

Every act of compromise is not always an act of cowardice but is often a demonstration of wisdom and a show of strength of character.

That done and ambition thwarted for now, Dayo with youthful vigour decided to join yet another cause, the “not too young to run” campaign. Dayo Israel and company banked their resolve in this regard, on the support of the Nigerian Senate. I really don’t know what or who persuaded them that the Senate, as presently composed, was going to buy into their vision, but they somehow believed the bill was going to sail through. That hope too was soon dashed. Dayo was livid and incandescent with rage. He called me frantically. Since I didn’t know what informed the decision of the Senate not to kowtow to the wishes of our youths I decided to beg Dayo to cool temper. “Uncle, Uncle, please we need your intervention,” he pleaded like a penitent school boy. “What happened, Dayo,” I asked innocently. I didn’t really know why he was so worked up. Then he told me how the Senate had thrown out the bill that would help the Nigerian youths participate more effectively in politics, and he was so disappointed. I told him I was helpless.

However, I also assured him that, If and when, I have the opportunity to speak to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, I will speak to him about it,” I calmly told him that this was a solemn promise. And I also promised to publicly add my voice to this necessary crusade via my Pendulum column today.

The Nigerian youths must be told the unpalatable truth. No one gives up, or relinquishes power on a platter of gold. You must go all out and work assiduously to grab it. If necessary, you must fight ferociously for it. Life is not a bed of roses and the battle for power is no less so. The Azikiwes, Awolowos, Tafawa Balewas, and others all prepared well and adequately for power. They did not wake up suddenly to ask for it. Our youths must first distinguish themselves in their respective areas of expertise and endeavour. When you are distinguished, you will have the confidence to speak authoritatively and convincingly. People will listen to you. Nigerian youths should stop expecting manna from heaven. The last time it dropped was only reported in the Holy Bible, and that must be many centuries ago.

Nigerian youths must join mainstream political parties and form themselves into formidable cells. If you claim politics is too dirty and dangerous and abandon it on the laps

of useless characters, you can’t come back later to blame anyone for your negligence or ostrich behaviour. Not only must they join the main political parties, Nigerian youths must invest in their political future by making donations towards funding of the electoral process. If you allow the moneybags hijack the political parties, that is it. He who pays the piper dictates the tune. One of the reasons corruption is difficult to contain or exterminate in Nigeria is because politicians are forced to raise and spend too much of their personal resources to contest elections. It is thus natural that an outlandish investor would want to recoup his humongous investment as soon as possible, if he is successful.

Nigerian youths must acquire and imbibe the spirit of patience by making painstaking effort to queue, vote and protect their votes on election day. Since phantoms or aliens are not going to descend from the heavens or outer space to elect our leaders for us, we must do it for ourselves by exercising our voting rights. The nonchalance of our youths must yield way to a more passionate interest in this most important matter of enfranchisement. We must register to vote and recognise that it is cool to vote no matter how tedious the process may be.

No magic would change Nigeria for the better if we fail to do what is right. The elites, in particular, make it easy for stark illiterates and mediocres to take over our political landscape by thinking they are too big to vote or soil themselves by participating in party politics.

When tomorrow comes, it is only those who presented themselves that would determine those who are to be voted in or out.

I sincerely sympathise with our youths.

In 2019, some of the leading aspirants again would be in their sixties and seventies. That is the sad reality I must tell you about today.

I’m yet to see those in the thirties and forties seriously warming up for the tough race ahead.

On my part, at 57, I already feel I’m getting too old. It is now more obvious than ever that Nigeria must urgently seek energetic, youthful but accomplished, visionary, upwardly mobile leaders who would think and work outside the box regardless of tribe, gender or religion. We need our young entrepreneurs and innovators to also claim the political space. I do not care where our leaders come from as long as I’m reasonably convinced of their competence.

However, we continue to do the same things repeatedly by churning out lacklustre and poor candidates who have no clue about governance or national development. For this reason, we should not expect different results from those of the past. Our lunacy would have been finally confirmed if we continue not only to repeat the mistakes of the past but also continue to embrace it. No nation develops without learning from its history and without leaning on its youth. It is not a coincidence that our greatest periods of national development and progress have been at the time when we have young men at the helm of affairs. We do not need to reinvent our existence or raison d’etre. We only need to flow with it and redevelop our instincts for youth and vigour, imagination and innovation – In short visionary, dedicated and disciplined leadership.

God help Nigeria.

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