Saturday 18th November 2017

Anyim Spends 2nd Day with EFCC over Alleged Diversion of Ecological Funds .Centenary City project also under investigation Paul Obi in Abuja The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim, who was invited and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday

for alleged diversion of ecological funds during his tenure, spent a second day with the anti-graft agency, explaining his role in the said mismanagement.

Anyim, who was also Senate President under Obasanjo, arrived the commission's headquarters in Abuja on Thursday morning

following an invitation by the agency.

Sources said that he was subsequently grilled by EFCC operatives about the management of ecological funds during his tenure as the SGF. Confirming Anyim's detention, EFCC Head of Media and

Publicity, Wilson Uwijaren said: "Yes, he has been arrested and he's still under our custody."

Uwijaren confirmed that Anyim was being questioned over the alleged “diversion of ecological funds meant for Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja."

Though, the EFCC spokesman will not provide further details whether the commission would also investigate Anyim on alleged corruption surrounding the Centenary City project, which he headed, THISDAY gathered that the commission might also look into the books of the Centenary

City and find out whether Anyim was also culpable.

The Ecological Fund headed by a Permanent Secretary is domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), where Continued on page 8

Don't Take My Tolerance for Granted, Obaseki Warns Ijaws ...Page 10 Saturday 18 November, 2017 Vol 22. No 8248 Price: N250

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FG Constitutes Committee to Probe Death of 26 Nigerian Teenage Girls Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The federal government has constituted a ministerial committee to unravel the circumstances which led to the death of 26 teenage Nigerian

migrant girls in the Mediterranean early this month.

A presidential source made this disclosure last night in reaction to allegations that the Nigerian government was indifferent to the mysterious death of the girls

perceived to have drowned in the sea.

According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been following the issue since it became public knowledge and equally updates the presidency on the

matter on a regular basis.

The source also said the committee has the responsibility to study reports on the alleged sale of some Nigerian citizens into slavery and report its findings to the Federal Executive Council

next week.

The committee is chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami.

Other members of the committee are the Minister of

Foreign Affairs, Geofrey Onyema, Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung and Senior Special Assistant to the Continued on page 6

With Opposition Divided, Obiano is Frontrunner

IGP deploys 26,000 officers and men PDP charges INEC, security agencies on fairness

David-Chyddy Eleke and, Christopher Isiguzo in Awka and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Who wins today’s governorship election in Anambra State? Will incumbent governor Willy Obiano

of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) get a second term? Or will he be upstaged by either Oseloka Obaze of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP); or Tony Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC)?

and of course, Osita Chidoka of the United Peoples Party (UPP) is also in the race even though his chances are improbable.

The stakes are quite high.

Obiano’s APGA is desperate to retain the only state it controls

in Nigeria, while the APC wants to extend its presence in the South-east with a victory in today’s poll. For the PDP, this is an opportunity to recover a state it once controlled during the Obasanjo era. Chidoka is

aiming to make a statement by contesting under the relatively unknown UPP. As a result of these high stakes, tension remained very high across Anambra State as the voters prepare to troop out this

morning to determine their next governor for another four years.

Observers have said that today’s election would serve as a pointer to what would happen in 2019 Continued on page 6

APGA: Willy Obiano

PDP: Oseloka Obaze

UPP: Osita Chidoka

APC: Tony Nwoye

STRENGTH: ˾ Restored security in the state ˾ Power of incumbency ˾ Big war chest ˾ Believed to have performed in his first term

STRENGTH: Backing of former Gov Peter Obi, who is still very popular in the state ˾ He served as SSG under Obi ˾ Riding on the failings of the APC ˾ There is enthusiasm about his candidacy among the people

STRENGTH: Youthful and urbane ˾ Humble and generally seen as amiable ˾ Former Corps Marshal of FRSC and former Aviation Minister seen as an asset ˾ Many believe he won the debate and has a blue-print for the state’s development

STRENGTH: ˾ Power of federal might, big war chest

WEAKNESS: ˾ Ran a perceived elitist govt ˾ Fell out with Peter Obi, his godfather who made him governor

WEAKNESS: Limited war chest ˾ Disharmony within the state PDP ˾ Some of those who lost in the primaries endorsed candidates of other parties

WEAKNESS: Limited war chest ˾ Not a typical politician and seen as feather weight in politics

WEAKNESS: ˾ Lacks political experience and finesse ˾ A close associate of Chris and Andy Uba who allegedly hired him to kidnap former Governor Chris Ngige

Protesters Call for Oyegun's Removal During Visit to Ebonyi ...Page 10

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ZENITH LIGHTS UP AJOSE ADEOGUN FOR CHRISTMAS ‌ The annual Christmas decoration of Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island was switched on by the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive OďŹƒcer of Zenith Bank Plc, Peter Amangbo, ....yesterday

At Bozimo's Burial, Jonathan Warns Against Infighting among Ijaws Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday again warned against internal wrangling among Ijaw people, noting that as a people who are few in population, any fighting within the ethnic group would spell doom.

While calling on the people to “stop destroying� themselves, the ex-President who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while paying his last respects to Chief Gordon Bozimo, noted that it was in the interest of the Ijaw to unite.

Bozimo, who died in June in

the United States at the age of 67, was a foremost Ijaw leader, former member, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a one-time Chairman of the National Youth Service Corps Board, (NYSC) and Chairman, Bank of Agriculture (BoA). ‘'We must stop destroying ourselves as a people. We are not too many. Things are quite challenging. ''Sometimes, you need to wear the shoes to know where they pinch. I believe that working together, helping ourselves collectively, we will be able to solve some of our problems,''

Jonathan said.

He added that the late Bozimo was a politician who did not believe in assassination of people's character, noting that though he might disagree with people politically, he usually worked towards what he believed in.

He said with the passing of Bozimo, the Ijaw nation had lost somebody quite unique, quite patriotic, quite committed to the development of the people. ''At the political level, Bozimo was like a political giant among a few elders that were in the Peoples Democratic Party in terms of his national connections and he was

committed to the party. ''In fact, he played a key role in ensuring that I became a running mate to Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and also the victory of Alamieyeseigha in 1999 elections. ''Since then, I have been close to Bozimo, even through turbulent periods. The state has always passed through a fever. In fact, politics is about interest'', the former president said.

In his comments, Governor Seriake Dickson described Bozimo as a true Ijaw son who gave his best to the service of the nation.

Dickson called on the people of

Bayelsa to uphold a new Bayelsa where honour and respect for one another would be the watchword. ''All I want to say is that everyone of us should key into this new Bayelsa where we honour and respect one another, work together and stop running down one another. ''Today is not a day of long political speeches; today is not a day for politics no matter the temptation. Today is a day to celebrate unity; it is a day to honour one of our departed leaders and fathers and to remind us how much we all stand to gain working together, respecting one

another, honouring one another. ''In the past six years, unknown to a few people, you have a new Bayelsa founded on solidarity, not a Bayelsa where you stayed away and begin to promote needless discord and issues for no reason, or for some selfish reasons. “You have a new Bayelsa here where we do our bits and support and encourage ourselves the little way we can. ''I found Bozimo a most congenial gentleman, a very intelligent man but a man with keen sense of political strategies, the likes of him, will take time to get�, the governor said.

may also form the basis of the choice of voters. While some believe that APGA remains the only thing the Igbos have politically, others said there was need for Anambra to connect to the national greed to enjoy full dividends of democracy.

To others, the perceived marginalization of Ndigbo by the APC-led federal government would be a good reason to stick to APGA or try other political parties.

Meanwhile, the PDP is also working to stage a major comeback, using Anambra as a spring board for 2019 general election.

Fear of Federal Might/ Rigging The fear remains that the federal government might bring its might to bear, to ensure victory for its political party and the candidate.

Two weeks earlier, there had been allegation of the interception of electoral materials in a hotel in Awka. While the APC pointed fingers at the APGA, APGA on its part insisted that the APC was responsible for the intercepted materials.

Also, the recent removal of the security details of the state governor was viewed as a fore taste of what to expect in the actual election. Director General of the Obiano campaign organization, Chief Victor Umeh has condemned the act, saying that any attempt to rig the Anambra election would not be accepted.

Chidoka too has expressed the same fears. The UPP candidate who held a rally to wrap up his campaigns in Onitsha said: "As

we go to the poll on Saturday, we want to sound it loud and clear that any attempt by anybody whatsoever to subvert the will of Ndi Anambra will be met with stiff resistance. Nobody can intimidate us; we will make sure that our voters vote, that the votes are protected, that the votes count and that the result reflects only the will of Anambra people. God being by our side, we are already victorious.�

Former governor of the state, and a member of the elders council of the state, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife while speaking to journalists also warned that any candidate who allows himself to be rigged into power will not be allowed to govern the state.

IPOB/Security The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has stuck to its gun that it would boycott the election. The group in several press statements signed by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful has continually insisted that it would not participate in the election.

PDP Charges INEC, Security Agencies on Fairness Meanwhile, the PDP has INEC and security agents to ensure a credible governorship election in Anambra State today.

The party which said that was prepared and ready for a fair electoral election urged INEC and security agencies deployed to be neutral in their conduct.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye on, PDP said today’s election was a litmus test for INEC on its ability to conduct credible election.

The opposition party also said that it was another opportunity for APC-led federal government to redeem itself from "the culture of impunity, inconclusive elections and rigging as exhibited in previous elections in Edo, Ondo and other by-elections in the country.

"We urge the electorate in Anambra to vote and stay to protect their votes from polling units to the collation centers in order to scuttle the planned replacement of Authentic Results Sheet by the APC. "Finally, we call on all election monitors and observers to maintain vigilance during the period of the Election. The success of our electoral processes depends largely on the hard-work of observers and monitors exposing election riggers and vote theft," PDP said.

We're ready for Guber poll say Anambra Residents‌ In a related development, residents of Anambra State have expressed readiness to take part in the election despite threats by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

This came as Awka, the state capital remained busy on yesterday as politicians continued to put finishing touches to their readiness for today’s election.

Also, THISDAY checks revealed that INEC had started moving sensitive materials to the local government areas.

A cross section of residents who spoke with ThisDay said they were already in high spirit for the election, dismissing calls for its boycott by IPOB as totally misplaced.

"Those talking about boycotting the election are the real enemies of Ndi Anambra. They are being sponsored to cause confusion so as to attract declaration of State of Emergency.

"We'll not accept it. Our people are ready for the election. We are going to turn out in our numbers tomorrow," Chief Amos Nnadozie, a shop owner at Aroma junction, Awka said.

On her part, Mrs. Cecilia Okeke said Ndi Anambra were ready for the election but however asked the INEC to ensure that the poll was credible, free and fair.

"You can see we are ready but the news in town is that they want to rig it. We will resist such sharp practices. They must conduct free and fair election," she stated.

When ThisDay visited INEC Headquarters in Awka, it was discovered that several luxurious buses had conveyed adhoc staff trained to handle the exercise from Enugu.

ANAMBRA DECIDES TODAY when the country would hold its general election.

Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, Garba Umar is assuring voters that his men will provide security and that they should feel free to go out and vote. “I have enough men to counter whatever plan any group comes up with to disrupt today’s election,�

Umar declared yesterday.

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris had earlier revealed that 26,000 police officers would be deployed from outside the state to help its men in Anambra to ensure peace and security in the state.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps had also revealed that 11,000 of its men would be in the state to ensure peace, while sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters would also be deployed.

Men of the Nigerian Navy would also be around to ensure security in the riverine areas of the state.

A visit to INEC headquarters yesterday evening revealed a large deployment of police officers at the commission.

Meanwhile, there was heavy human and vehicular movement into Anambra State on Thursday and Friday. This may not be unconnected to the announcement of the restriction of movement in the state from 12am today.

Today’s election would be most intriguing because it would be the first time 37 will be contesting for one seat.

How the People may Vote‌ Several factors will sway the votes of the people today. First is the recent zoning arrangement

in the state, which stipulated that for the sake of equity and justice, there was need to let the northern senatorial zone serve out its two term, before power rotates to the southern zone.

Obiano hails from the northern zone, and in the spirit of the zoning arrangement, most other political parties, except a few, decided to choose their candidate from the northern zone. For example, Tony Nwoye of APCA and Oseloka Obaze of PDP both hail from the northern zone.

To further buttress respect for the zoning arrangement, Obaze has promised that he would serve only one term to complete the two terms of the northern zone, in order to move power to the South.

Another determinant for the people will vote is the performance of the incumbent governor. While opposition parties insist that the governor has performed abysmally, members of the APGA insist that Obiano has met his campaign promises to the people.

They insist that security, which has eluded Anambra for several years has been restored, and kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminal gangs that had operated freely in broad day light, had been effectively tackled by Obiano.

They also rate him high in infrastructure where he has one signature protect or more in all the 177 communities of the state, through the donation N20 million and N40 million to them for what he called choose-your-project initiative.

The political parties in contest

FG CONSTITUTES COMMITTEE TO PROBE DEATH OF 26 NIGERIAN TEENAGE GIRLS President on Diaspora Matters, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, confirm

the constitution of the committee to journalists.

The funeral of the 26 female migrants who died at the Mediterranean sea held on Friday

T H I S D AY SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2017

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NEWS

News Editor Ă’Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–Ă‹ Ă‘ĂŒĂ&#x; ͸΀͚͚͞ͿͽΠ΀͚͸ Ě™sms only) Email Ă‹Ă’Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă–Ă‹Ë›Ă™Ă‘ĂŒĂ&#x;̜ÞÒÓĂ?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ù×

SEEKING DIVINE INTERVENTION...

R-L: Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (2nd R), Engr. Okeoma Agu, (L) Arc.Ifeanyi Odedo National President / Int'l Director Full Gospel Business Men's Followship international, Nigeria (2nd L) , and Barr. Isaac Okpanachi after the courtesy visit by the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship at the Government House Port Harcourt on Friday.

UK Sues for Political Solution to Niger Delta Crisis

Alex Enumah Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

The United Kingdom (UK) has emphasised the need for a political solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The 2nd Secretary, Political, Niger Delta and Head of Communication, British High Commission in Abuja, Louise Edwards, stated this on Friday, during a courtesy visit to the Abuja office of THISDAY Newspapers and Arise Television.

Edwards said though the Niger Delta issue was complex with a very long history, there was however relative peace in the area for some time now.

She enjoined both militants and the government to continue to dialogue in order to sustain the ceasefire. “The Niger Delta issue is a complex one and it’s a long historic issue. But there’s relative peace there

for some time now which is a really good thing. “We are advocating and encouraging a political solution to the problems down in the delta,� she said.

The envoy also advocated the need for the economic development of the region as one of the solutions to the crisis. “There’s need for economic development in the region and we will encourage the militants and the

government to carry on talking to each other for the government to fulfill the promises it has made and for the militants to continue with the Ceasefire. “We are doing what we can to support the government; we are working with other like-minded nations to sustain the peaceful solution so that the economic solution can come. As you know now economic development can’t take place without peace,� she said.

She disclosed that the UK apart from working in partnership with governments and civil society organisations had been implementing various programmes targeted at sustaining the peace in the region.

She said the visit to THISDAY newspapers was to appreciate the robust coverage the medium had been giving to the embassy and to explore other areas of further collaboration, adding, “We want to start by saying thank you for all the

coverage you have been giving to the British High commission and to all our activities.

Similarly, Press and Public Relations Officer, Joe Abuku, expressed the embassy’s interest in partnering with Arise TV, noting that the station already had a large audience in the UK. He assured that the doors of the embassy and that of other UK offices were always open to THISDAY and Arise TV.

Imo Govt. Spends N65m monthly PDP Will Return to Winning on Security of Oil Communities Ways Again, Says Secondus

FG to Organise Focused Labs to Boost Economic Growth

Amby Uneze Ă“Ă˜ ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂœĂ“

Ndubuisi Francis Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

Imo State government has revealed that it spends N65 million monthly to maintain security and peace in the oil communities in the state without the oil companies contributing to it. Governor Rochas Okorocha disclosed this yesterday when the stakeholders in the oil sector comprising the state government, Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibeh Kachukwu, Oil Companies, traditional rulers from the Oil Producing Areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta local government areas met at the Government House Owerri to deliberate on issues concerning the Oil Producing Communities.

Welcoming the Minister, representatives of the Oil Companies and the Stakeholders from Oil Producing Communities to the meeting, Governor Okorocha stated that the Oil Companies Operating in Imo State behave in a manner that create crisis for the State and problems among the youths and stakeholders in the Oil Producing Communities

through factionalisation and cult activities which always lead to killing among the communities themselves.

He said “today the State government spends almost N65 million monthly to pay Security agencies to maintain peace in Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta. Meanwhile, we don’t benefit directly. Last time we carried out an amnesty programme where we had to engage 2,833 youths.

And every day, most of them are on our payroll just to stop the arms and the avengers.�

He continued “again the Federal Government promises to Ohaji/ Egbema and Oguta LGAs when the Vice President came here are yet to be fulfilled. I spoke with him and he promised that something is going to be done. I hope something will be done immediately.�

On the abandoned skill acquisition Centre in Ohaji/Egbema, he said, "we agreed with the Federal Government to turn it into University of Science and Technology, but as at my last discussion with the Vice President, we agreed that it should be turned into a University of Agriculture.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

The former acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and National Chairmanship aspirants, Prince Uche Secondus has said that every member of the party would have a sense of belonging under his leadership if given the mandate.

Secondus said that the new leadership he intended to give the party if given the mandate would take the party to another level with a view to restoring its winning ways again.

A statement from Secondus Media office in Abuja said he made the pronouncements Thursday night at Ibro Hotel while addressing North Central delegates to the December 9th National Convention of the party.

He told the delegates that included former Governors, former Ministers, old and serving Senators and members of House of Representatives and other Chieftains of the party that PDP was at a crossroad and needed a leadership that would hit the ground running.

"Our party at the moment is not at a comfort zone and therefore requires purposeful leadership as it cannot afford any waste of time.

"With election around the corner, there is no time to learn, the party needs an experienced person and I think I have it having served the party at various levels meritoriously.

"Let me assure you that as your National Chairman, I would deliver votes and if I can't deliver votes from my constituency I would resign.

Listing some of the achievements that stood him out to lead the party, Secondus said under his watch as National Organising Secretary, the party had the best internal and external elections.

He also said that as acting National Chairman, he set up a special committee that looked into the causes of the failure of the party in 2015 general election, pointing out that the post-mortem report which had been adopted by the National Executive Committee NEC would be a huge guide for him to rebuild, reform and regain the party.

The Ministry of Budget and National Planning is set to organise focused labs, following approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

These labs consist simply in the bringing together of relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors into weeks of intensive working sessions to brainstorm on practical steps to overcoming any identified challenges in the implementation of the country’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

A statement released by Mr. Akpandem James, the media aide to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma said the labs would serve as an effective tool for ensuring robust engagement between the public and private sectors to resolve challenges within a specified sector.

"It is a fall-out of the federal government Cabinet Retreat on ERGP Implementation held in Abuja on the 10th of August this year with the theme “Getting Implementation Right.

"A major outcome of the retreat

was the need for Nigeria to conduct focused labs, drawing from the Malaysian model, which will drive quick delivery of the major outcomes of the ERGP. "The initial labs will be in agriculture and transportation, in power and gas, and in manufacturing and processing. Thereafter, similar labs will be conducted in other areas, such as entertainment and tourism, health and education amongst others.

"The planned labs will be directed by relevant ministers and senior government officials, with the participation of captains of industry and potential investors, both Nigerian, as well as major international companies. Young and aspiring entrepreneurs will also be invited to participate," the statement said.

It added that already, the federal government had set up an ERGP implementation team located in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to coordinate the labs.

"These staff will be supported by some consultants from Malaysia who will facilitate the first three pilot labs after which their services will no longer be required.

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NEWS

In Brief Buhari Condoles with Iran

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday joined other world leaders to commiserate with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani and the people of the nation over the devastating earthquake which struck in the Western ProvinceofKermanshahrecently,killinghundredsandinjuringthousands.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the president who described the disaster and its aftermathas“veryunfortunate,sadandmassive,�addedthatthe“thoughts and hearts of Nigerians are with the people of Iran at this trying period.�

Why Nigerian Prisons Breed Criminals

A socio-cultural group under the auspices of Ekiti Kete Good Citizens’ Association(EKGCA),has regrettedthat lackofvocationalandworkshop facilities and poor environmental conditions made Nigerian prisons to be more of criminal breeders rather than being reformers.The group said the prisons were not grounds to impose punishment on oenders but to reform andmakethemusefultothesociety.EKGCAsaid: “lackoffacilities where they can acquire skills and make them ďŹ t into the society always forced them back into criminality after serving out jail terms and this is dangerous to our society as a wholeâ€?.

KWASU Lecturer Commits Suicide

AT THE ZENITH...

L-R: Dennis Olisa, General Manager, Zenith Bank Plc.; Peter Amangbo, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive OďŹƒcer; Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Deputy Managing Director and Justin Osogbo, Assistant General Manager, at the bank’s 2017 Light-Up ceremony held On Ajose Adeogun Street, Lagos...yesterday

Evans Laments Maltreatment, Accuses Prison Officials of Starving Him Akinwale Akintunde

Suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike better known as Evans, yesterday complained bitterly in court to his lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje that he and his fellow suspects had been denied food by the Prison Authorities for three days.

Evans, who disclosed before the commencement of his trial said the he and other suspects were locked in a place for three days without food or allowed to bath and change cloths.

"This is unfair, I have not been given food, and change of clothes.

I was not given opportunity to bath since Wednesday. I am seriously hungry now.

"They locked us in one place, no food, no bathing," Evans lamented.

His fellow suspects also confirmed the development even as a senior Prisons official denied the allegations.

Ogungbeje who was visibly angry at the development sought permission to go and procure food for his clients, pleading that only a living person could be put on trial.

Lagos State Government had last month arraigned Evans alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu,

Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court.

According to the prosecution, Evans and his accomplices committed the offence of conspiracy at 7.45pm on February 14 on Obokun Street, Ilupeju, Lagos.

The prosecution said the defendants between February 14 and April 12 on Obokun Street, Ilupeju, while armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, captured and detained Mr. Duru Donatus.The defendants were also accused of collecting a ransom of 223,000 euros before Donatus could be released.

When the trial eventually commenced, counsel to the 6th defendant, Emmanuel Ochai also corroborated all the defendants claims that they had not been fed or allowed to have their bath in three days.

The trial judge, Justice Hakeem Oshodi, in response to the allegations by the defendants however raised concerns about their welfare.

Justice Oshodi directed the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey to investigate the defendants’ complaint, adding that “a defendant is innocent until he is proven guilty by a competent court".

AfDB Sponsors New African Water Initiative Vincent Obia

A new water initiative, “Water for Africa�, was launched recently at the Morocco Pavilion in Florida with the strong backing of the African Development Bank, AfDB said in a press release on Thursday.

The presentation of the project followed the Global Water Action Day that marked the fourth day of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change. “Water for Africa� was established

under the auspices of an African COP, COP22, held in Marrakech, at the initiative of Morocco and with the endorsement of AfDB. The presentation of the water initiative was jointly chaired by the Moroccan Secretary of State for Water, Charafat Afilal; the Director of the Water Sciences Division and Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme at UNESCO, Blanca JimĂŠnez-Cisneros, who is also a member of the World Water Council; and Jean-Michel Ossete, Coordinator of the African Water Facility at AfDB.

Afilal said at the occasion, “The African Development Bank joined with this initiative from the outset with all the necessary goodwill.�

She expressed her gratitude to the partners who had committed to the project. She particularly emphasised the intensive work done upstream to avoid any risk of duplication with initiatives already ongoing in the sector. Just one year after its inception, the initiative already has a portfolio of about 10 projects across the continent. “In Marrakech, when we com-

mitted to have this initiative in operation by COP23 in Bonn, it seemed impossible,� said African Water Facility Coordinator JeanMichel Ossete. “But we really have met the challenge.� Ossete added that AfDB had quickly and “unhesitatingly� decided to fund the recruitment of an expert with international renown for in-depth knowledge of the challenges of the water sector in Africa, to ensure the quality of the paper presenting this African initiative.

Police Nab 2 Murder Suspects through ForensicTechnology Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Police Command has announced the arrest of two suspected killers of a former staff of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Cletus Onyekwele, through forensic technology.

Onyekwele was killed in his office

on April 13 around the Industrial Area of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Rumuobiokani, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

After the incident, the police had been on the investigation to unravel the killers of the deceased, who is a contract staff of SPDC. Addressing journalists yesterday in

Port Harcourt, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Zaki, disclosed that the arrest of the duo was made possible only through the use of forensic technology.

The Commissioner of Police, who was represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Magaj, stated that a total of 51 staff members of SPDC were invited for questioning during

the investigation earlier, but that no result was recorded till the command adopted the use of technology.

He said particles picked from the scene of the murder were sent as exhibit to a forensic laboratory where the result that was released had the DNA of one Kingsley Nwankor, a staff of MB&C Investment Ltd., a sub-contracting firm to SPDC.

Adewole Underscores Role of Patent MedicineVendors in Healthcare Service Delivery Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Ministry of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, has acknowledged the importance and relevance of Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors (PPMVs) to the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage

mandate of the Ministry, hence the need to enlighten, equip and promotes PPMVs as an unavoidable stakeholder in the national health care delivery system.

Adewole who was represented by the Director, Foods and Drugs, Federal Ministry of Health, Hajia

Zainab Sheriff, stated this yesterday at a one day National Stakeholders Meeting on Repositioning Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors, organised by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), held at AES Luxury Apartment, Abuja on Friday.

Though the Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors were critical stakeholders, he said there was the need to promote them assist them to carry out their mandate of contributing to qualitative healthcare delivery services.

A lecturer at the Kwara State University,(KWASU) Malete, Dr. Solomon Osunlola has reportedly committed suicide. The incident, according to THISDAYinvestigations happened after the full time appointment of the lecturer who was a PhD holder was converted to a contract appointment oftheuniversity.Osunlolauntilhisdeathwas alectureratthe Department ofCropProduction,CollegeofAgricultureoftheuniversity.Sourcesclose to the university told journalists in Ilorin yesterday that the travails of the deceased started recently following the veriďŹ cation exercise carried out by the management of the institution that discovered that, he had retired at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Kwara State oďŹƒce before he took appointmentwiththeuniversityintheyear2010.Followingthisdevelopment, the management of the university decided to write a letter to him and informed him of his demotion from full time to a contract appointment.

Osun, Ekiti Tops Nigeria’s Stillbirths Chart

A non-governmental organisation, New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD), has said that rampant of female genital mutilation (FGM) was responsible for the seemingly unabated high incidences of child and maternal mortality in Osun and Ekiti States.

NIGAWDExecutiveDirector,MissAbimbolaAladejare,saidthetwostates recorded over 70 per cent of female genital cutting , which made them to take the lead in the country, describing this as disturbing and worrisome.

Aladejare spoke in Efon Alaaye in Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Friday during the training of end FGM community champions to campaign against the scourge in the council. The training was funded by the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA).The gender activist said the purpose of the training was to expose the participants who would embark on door-to-door campaign on how to sensitise the residents on the danger inherent in female circumcision.

Firm Receives SON MANCAP CertiďŹ cate

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has presented Starsonic NigeriaLimitedwiththeMandatoryConformityAssessmentProgramme (MANCAP)CertiďŹ cateofQualityAssuranceforitsproduct. ThecertiďŹ cation which followed a series of inspections at the company factory and an extensive laboratory analysis both from in-house, third party and SON laboratory was adjudged to have met the requirements of NIS 08:1973 “Standard For Plastic Bucketâ€?. Presenting the certiďŹ cate to the company ThursdayduringaceremonyattheAmuwo-OdoďŹ nLagosStateOďŹƒceIIIof theregulatoryagency,thestatecoordinator,Mrs.N.B.Ekwemestatedthat the company in pursuit of quality, has earned “this prestigious certiďŹ cateâ€?.

ShefurtheraddedthatthecertiďŹ cateaďŹƒrmsthatthecompany’sproduct has constantly met with the requirement of the standard.

MethodistChurchOrganisesCentenaryCelebration TheUnitedAfricanMethodistChurch(UAMC)willonNovember27,2017, organiseitscentenarycelebrationwiththeme:‘GodofOurFathers.’Speaking atamediabrieďŹ ngyesterdayinLagos,theGeneralSecretary,Conference andConferenceStandingCommittee,Bro.TaiwoAyeni,saidactivitiesand programmes had been lined up to celebrate the 100 years of existence of the church as part of eorts to further propagate the gospel to the world. He said the celebration would begin on November 24, with revival service in all the church circuits in Lagos, noting that while on November 26, there would be special prayers organised for Nigeria and the world in all their churches.

Anambra Photo-Journalist, Found Dead

Ikechukwu Onubogu,acameramanwiththeAnambraBroadcastingService who was announced missing last Monday, has been found dead. His body was found by men of the Nigerian Police Force at Obosi, Idemili North local government area, which is said to be one of the state's hotbeds for crime. Mr. Onubogu, a humble and humane journalists who is said to be in his late 50s THISDAY gathered, was last seen on Sunday, November 12th as reported by his heavily pregnant wife. He was reportedly to have received a strange phone call and walked out of the house with his camera without telling anyone of his whereabouts. His remains which was said to have bullet marks have been deposited at the Amaku morgue, Awka for an autopsy.

Moses Adeyemi Passes on

ThefamilyofLateDr.MosesAdeyemiAjayiofIparaRemo,OgunStatehas announcedthepassingtoeternityAsiwajuMoses AdeyemiAjayi,Former Corporate Aairs Adviser for the Lafarge Group and former consultant to Ogun State Government on Media Management. A statement by the family said he died on August 24, 2017 after a brief illness.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍśËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

NEWS

Wike Wins New Telegraph Man of the Year Award Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

THE WAY FORWARD...

L-R:PresidentMuhammadu Buhari receivesreportfromthe ActingDirectorGeneral,NigeriaInstituteofPolicyandStrategicStudy(NIPSS) JonathanJuma during the ParleyMeetingwithParticipantsoftheSeniorExecutiveCourse39,2017,oftheInstituteatthePresidentialVilla,Abuja‌yesterday Photo:GodwinOmoigui.

Don’t Take My Tolerance for Granted, Obaseki Warns Ijaws t Releases N500m counterpart funding to access N2bn facility

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called on Ijaws of Edo State, not to take the State Government’s tolerance for granted.

This is as he has approved N500 million counterpart funding for the state’s SEEFOR public works programme, which will enable it access N2bn from the World Bank for infrastructural projects in the state Obaseki who made the call in commemoration of the International Day for Tolerance, marked on November 16, each year, said the state government’s commitment to a free society where people could express themselves freely, must not be taken as grounds for violating the law. “We are creating a culture that appreciates human diversity in all its colours for a robust pool of ideas that would drive socio-economic development at an unprecedented speed in Edo State,� he said. “To oppose what is cast in law by acts of illegality such as the purported installation of one Godwin Oguyenbo, as the “Pere of Olodiama Kingdom,� an Ijaw

community in Ovia North East Local Council Area of the state, is irresponsible enough� he stressed.

The governor urged the few people behind the plot to beat a retreat in the interest of the majority of Ijaw people of Edo State, who had since expressed their willingness to abide by only, laid down laws in the state. “We are proud of our diversity as a state and our peaceful coexistence, but will not tolerate acts of illegality by any group, who for their selfish desires want to rail-road the peace-loving Ijaw people of Edo State into a criminal aspiration,� he warned, adding that the state government would continue to protect all law abiding indigenes and friends of the state.

The International Day for Tolerance was set aside by the United Nations in its efforts at strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. “This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era

of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterised by a fundamental disregard for human life,� the UN said.

The release of the counterpart funding was disclosed by Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu after weekly Executive Council meeting at the Government House, in Benin City.

He said Governor approved the release of N500 million as counterpart funding for the Edo State SEEFOR public works programme, adding “The sum released by the state government is to enable her access another N2 billion from the World Bank for the funding of infrastructure projects across the state.�

He noted that the projects would spread across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state, stressing that the fund would be equally distributed to impact all parts of the state.

He added that over 10,000 youths had been trained on the SEEFOR projects, noting that the initiative would train

technically sound workers as well as entrepreneurs, who will contribute to the development of the state.

The government also set up a committee to look into complaints about the activities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) across the 18 local government areas with a view to resolving them.

The committee is to be headed by the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Hon. Osahon Amiolemen.

Ohonbamu said EXCO has also approved the appointment of Chief Allen Benson Odiko as village head of Akpama (Oiemire 1 of Uneme Akpama) in North Uneme clan, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

He said the EXCO reviewed the recent Alaghodaro Investment summit hosted by the state, commending residents for supporting the state in its drive to industrialise the state. According to him, “It is fulfilling to see that the planned development of the Benin Industrial Park has kicked-off with the groundbreaking done during the summit.�

Protesters call for Oyegun’s Removal on Visit to Ebonyi Benjamin Nworie in Abakalikii

Protest yesterday marred the visit of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun to Ebonyi state as over 5000 members of the party in the state protested against the visit, calling for the removal of the National Chairman over his alleged complicity in the leadership crisis in the state chapter of the party.

The protesters lamented that in spite of the court injunction restraining the National chairman from tampering with the state congress which elected Ben Nwobasi as the state chairman of the party, Oyegun had appointed the erstwhile state deputy chairman, Eze Nwachukwu as the state Acting chairman.

The protesters invaded Nkwegu Ugbala and disrupted the rally which

dispersed the crowd.

Oyegun also welcomed new defectors including the former governor of the state, Chief Martin Elechi; former caretaker chairman of Ebonyi Local government, Anslem Enigwe and others.

The protesters including women and the youth members of the party carried placards with inscriptions like, Oyegun obey court order; Oyegun is not welcomed in Ebonyi; Oyegun is causing crisis in Ebonyi APC; Oyegun is a trouble maker; Oyegun has lost his relevance in APC, Oyegun should resign, Onu has no political value in Ebonyi, APC under Nwobashi’s leadership formidable, We will continue to support APC despite Oyegun antics among others.

The protesters who marched through major streets of Abakaliki were seen chanting anti Oyegun

and Ogbonnaya Onu songs with a call for the leadership of the party to immediately remove him from office for his highhandedness and acts inconsistent with his office.

Speaking during the protest, the spokesman of the group and national Leader of Ebonyi APC Youth Vanguard, Mr. Frank Ngwu stated that Oyegun and Onu were behind the leadership crisis in the party.

The leader said: “we make bold to state categorically that our national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is behind the leadership crisis in Ebonyi state chapter of the APC through inconsistent issuance of directive. When some moneybag visited him, he authored a letter on February 23, 2017appointing one Eze Nwachukwu as the state Acting Chairman.

When contempt proceeding was

served on him, he quickly authorized another letter on April 25 withdrawing his initial letter�. “And despite his letter of withdrawal, he is still relating with Nwachukwu Eze as the state Chairman.

For instance, during the courtesy visit to the Vice president, Yemi Osibanjo by all the state chairmen of the party, Oyegun cleared Nwachukwu instead of Ben Nwobasi who is the authentic chairman of the party�. “We can allow such character to come and cause mayhem in the state because of his double standard. We warned him to resolve the crisis before coming to Ebonyi state otherwise we will resist him from stepping his foot into Ebonyi soil. His leadership incompetence has further exacerbated the crisis in our state chapter of APC and this has endangered the strength of our party in the state.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has been named the New Telegraph Newspaper Man of The Year 2017.

This is as he has declared that unless God intervenes in the situation of Nigeria, the country will slide further into developmental stagnation. He made the declaration when the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship at the Government House Port Harcourt on Friday.

A statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Emma Okah, said notice of the award was conveyed in a letter to the Governor which stated that the formal presentation of the award would be done on November 25 in Lagos.

He said giving reasons for the choice of the governor for the award, the Managing Director and Editor In Chief of the paper, Mrs. Funke

Egbemode, said it was in recognition of the governor’s outstanding achievements and activities in office as adjudged by the panel of judges who subjected the candidates to a thorough scrutiny.

"In particular, the Governor’s rising profile in the management of state resources, projects execution, massive construction of roads, renovation of general hospitals and schools in the state etc are some of the considerations that placed Rivers State at the top in the stiff competition," Egbemode said.

Meanwhile, Okah said Wike had accepted the award and promised to do more for the people of Rivers State.

Governor Wike noted that the withdrawal of the Security details of the Anambra State Governor indicates a fundamental problem of lawlessness under the present dispensation.

He said: "If we don't seek the face of God, there will be no hope.

Leaders should fear God and respect

2018 Budget: ONE Campaign Flays FG for Poor Allocation to Health Vincent Obia

One, an international campaign and advocacy group, has criticised the allocation to health in the 2018 budget, saying it casts doubt on the federal government’s commitment to addressing the many challenges facing the country’s health sector, especially at the primary level.

The group, which is dedicated to fighting poverty and disease, said in a statement yesterday that while the proposed allocation of N340.45 billion to the Federal Ministry of Health was an increase of 10.4 per cent over the 2017 health budget, there was no provision for statutory transfer for the basic health care provision fund. “This means that Nigerians will not get the basic minimum standard of care at their primary healthcare centres,� it stated.

ONE Campaign said the scant attention to health was against the spirit of the National HealthAct 2014, which provides that all Nigerians shall be entitled to a basic minimum package

of health services. It condemned the decrease in the percentage allocation to health from 4.15 per cent in 2017 to 3.95 per cent in the 2018 budget.

ONE in Nigeria Country Director, Serah Makka-Ugbabe, stated, “The Nigerian health sector remains in crisis.

In the last decade we have not seen appreciable enhancements to the quality of healthcare for Nigerians.

Instead, we have observed a decline.

How long will we continue accept such decay in the health sector? It is time for a step-change. It is time to ensure that all Nigerians have access to maternal, new-born, immunisation, emergency and routine care at a minimum standard. The National Health Act, which we agreed to, specifies that ‘all Nigerians shall be entitled to a basic minimum package of health services’. How long will Nigerians die from preventable tragedies for want of pills and injections that cost a few Naira?�

Ugbabe called for transparency in the health sector through the adoption of open contracting standards.

Telecom Providers Issuing Unregistered Sim Cards to be Sanctioned says NCC Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), on Friday in Enugu vowed to clampdown on telecom providers who still issue unregistered mobile telephone sim cards to subscribers, as it had commenced investigation into the discovery.

The Commission said it had thought such trend no longer existed until recently when it was brought to the notice of some of its officials about the unethical practice.

Chairman of the Governing Board of NCC, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, made the disclosure at the commission's South East Sensitisation workshop on the code of Corporate Governance in Enugu, yesterday.

Durojaiye said: "Only three day ago, pressmen in Abuja confronted me with the allegation that some telecom service providers still indulge in allowing unregistered sim cards to remain in circulation.

"I have immediately requested the management of NCC to step

into prompt investigation so we can take appropriate remedial/ punitive actions."

Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Dambata, at the workshop, also disclosed that evaluation report of the state of the industry suggested that most challenges negatively impacting operators in the sector were attributable to poor governance issues.

Dambata noted that it was for such shortcomings that the commission was sensitising stakeholders in the telecom industry on the code of corporate governance.

According to Dambata, the sensitisation was to draw attention to the adopted international best practices and principles as mandatory baselines in the communication industry.

He stated that it was found out that countries with good corporate governance culture attracted and retained higher quality of investment and capital flow and reduce operational cost in the medium to long term.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2017

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͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚Ϳ˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

THE POLITICS OF CONVOY

Nnamdi Ebo condemns the street brawl between Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and his successor, Wike

C

onvoy is a 1978 American action ďŹ lm based on convoy trucking, and a 1940 British war ďŹ lm based on convoy escort of warships during World War II. It’s also a group of ships or vehicles travelling together, typically accompanied by armed troops, warships, or other vehicles for protection. In the Nigerian context, convoy is a group of state of the art vehicles travelling together with armed escort, at high speed, while transporting highfalutin VIPs on many dilapidated highways.

During the Shagari/NPN administration (1979-1983) some pretentious NPN Igbo “political strategists� thought they understood the complexities of the Igbo political culture so they appealed to President Shagari to grant Odumegwu-Ojukwu state pardon and bring him back to help in their campaigns. They sponsored massive media campaigns and emotive street propaganda beginning from 1982. Newspaper headlines concocted appeals to Shehu Shagari to “bring my son back�, “bring our messiah back�, “give us Ojukwu or there will be no elections in Anambra State or any part of Igboland�.

The Shagari/NPN led federal government soon buckled under pressure (despite protests from the apprehensive military who fought Biafra more than a decade earlier) and allowed him to come back to Nigeria. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was pardoned and given membership of the ruling NPN. Ojukwu jumped right into politics. The NPN was so desperate to “capture�

Anambra in the 1983 election and Ojukwu decided to run for the Senate. Sooner than later he faced Jim Nwobodo of Zik’s NPP who was running for a second term as Anambra Governor.

On that fateful day the first “politics of convoy� was played out in Nigeria. On the Onitsha-Enugu highway, Ojukwu’s convoy was being fast-driven to Onitsha while Governor Nwobodo and his “Jim’s Vanguard� was also being fast-driven to Enugu in the opposite direction. Both armed convoys and thugs met around Nkpor and none would give way on the one-lane road. Armed bellicose police escorts and patriots on both sides cocked guns and shouted obscenities at each other. Nwobodo’s convoy won the political battle. The NPN federal government later rigged Ojukwu out of the senate seat, which was purportedly lost to a relatively little known state commissioner in Governor Nwobodo’s cabinet called Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe.

I thought I had heard the last of this road rage politics played by a sitting governor and an ex-general and leader of a defunct country called Biafra, until Saturday, November 11, 2017. Exactly 34 years later, the convoys of Rotimi Amaechi, 5th Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation; and Nyesom Wike, former Minister of State for Education and 6th Governor of Rivers State clashed in Port Harcourt when both armed convoys and thugs met along Trans-Amadi road, Nwaja axis in Rivers State. This clash was captured on video which went viral. The video is a disturbing tale of how a Nigerian governor and a cabinet minister flexed their muscles in a convoy of politics.

THERE CANNOT BE ANY MEANINGFUL PROGRESS IN GOVERNANCE DURING THE DIVISIVE POLITICKING THAT IS ONGOING IN RIVERS STATE WHILE THE AMAECHI-WIKE FEUD LASTS

Like in 1983 politics of convoy, armed bellicose police escorts and patriots on both sides cocked guns and shouted obscenities at each other. Wike’s convoy won the political battle. Why the governors always win is open to conjecture but I surmise that they have immunity and they are chief security officers with billions of naira security votes, not minding that their state police commissioners, who are not funded by the governors, take orders from Abuja.

In both politics of convoy exhibited in Anambra and Rivers States respectively, the Anambra people or the Rivers people did not reap any economic/infrastructural benefit(s). The foursome on both occasions was not formulating policy by the roadsides — nobody can formulate any policy or strategy in caustic circumstances while shouting obscenities at each other. However, they were playing politics along the road amidst their exotic vehicles while their minions watched in dismay.

On both demeaning and belittling occasions, the actions of these leaders belied their high positions. Their roadside politics was/is akin to debt pyramided on top of unrealistic debt in an orgy of speculation about who was more superior — governor or ex-warlord/senatorial candidate in Anambra; and governor or ex-governor/minister in Rivers. On each occasion, the political actors knew themselves before the clash of convoys. When Ojukwu presided over Biafra, Nwobodo was a constant visitor to Ojukwu’s headquarters/bunkers; and Wike was Amaechi’s chief of staff.

In Anambra, Nwobodo wanted to retain his gubernatorial seat and ward off the strangulating Ojukwu onslaught; and Ojukwu wanted to unseat him and enthrone NPN and clinch his senatorial seat. In Rivers, Wike wants to consolidate his gubernatorial seat and diminish Amaechi’s relevance in Rivers politics; and Amaechi is still smarting from the loss of Rivers gubernatorial seat by his godson to Wike, and still fighting to remain relevant in Rivers politics.

It became obvious that no meaningful progress was made in governance during the divisive politicking that ensued in Anambra State while the Ojukwu-Nwobodo feud lasted. Nwobodo was once asked at a press conference what he was doing about the rubbishstrewn streets in Enugu, he replied: “I was not elected governor to carry shit�. From political hindsight, there cannot be any meaningful progress in governance during the divisive politicking that is ongoing in Rivers State while the Amaechi-Wike feud lasts.

There is no love lost between both Ikwerre men. In virtually all TV appearances, Amaechi talks transportation for about 60 per cent and descends into a diatribe against Wike for the next 40 per cent. The mention of Amaechi’s name sends Wike into stark-starring madness, he vituperates about Amaechi, exhibiting bitter animosity only reserved for enemies. These hatred on both sides is now routine and anything routine is the enemy of progress. Vast network of new roads are not likely to be constructed anytime soon in Rivers State, so Amaechi and Wike’s convoys may again cross parts on any of the old Rivers roads as the politics of convoy continues. www.nnamdiebo.com

BRAZIL NEEDS LIBERATION BY AFRICA Blocking access to quality education for Afro-Brazilians is unhealthy, writes Okello Oculi

A

fter 1994 when democracy triumphed over racial governance in South Africa, African diplomats got the UN General Assembly to proclaim the vision of the dignity and rights of peoples of African Descent worldwide; as well as the promotion of knowledge and honour of their contributions to world civilisation.

Christovan Buarque, a former minister of education in Lula da Silva’s government, has suggested that Brazil is gripped by a mental illness rooted in brutal importation of over 4.9 million Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to labour in growing sugar cane, digging gold and diamonds, and growing coffee.

Portuguese exploiters of their labour hold permanent nightmares of being slaughtered in a revolt by the Africans.

In 2017, Buarque sees this condition expressed in the brutal reality that ‘’Brazil still doesn’t feel indignation at modern slavery due to inequality in the educational access of each child’’; insisting that ‘’inequalities in access to quality education should be considered a crime against humanity and as stupidity against the future of the country’’. Brazil developed a national genius for denying progress to Afro-Brazilians. Leticia Marteleto reports that, in 1982, only 13 per cent of black youths finished PRIMARY school; and 49 per cent of them moved on to attend secondary school.

The fear of Brazil becoming the largest African country that once geologically broke off from the mother-continent led to mass murders. Burials in mass graves were revealed in Rio de Janeiro before the 2014 World Cup. There were also deportation of thousands back to Ghana (the ‘’Tabom’’),

Nigeria and Togo (the ‘’Amaros’’) and Benin (the “Agudas’’). In the 1825 ‘’Friendship and Alliance Treaty’’, Portugal committed Brazil to rejecting wishes by Portuguese colonies in Africa to become part of independent Brazilian’’. When racist South Africa troops invaded Angola to re-colonise her - following the flight of Portuguese troops - it was Fidel Castro’s Cuban troops who assisted Angola. Brazilian secret police were training their South African peers new techniques for torturing liberation fighters of the African National Congress.

Following the triumph by Africans in Haiti over a French navy sent to crush their revolution, Brazil’s white rulers adopted the strategy of ‘’ambranquecimento’’ or making Brazilian population predominantly white. In 1929, Brazil imported 1,485,000 immigrants from Italy; 1,321,000 people from Portugal; 223,000 from Germany and 86,000 Japanese.

The Germans came memories of genocide against Herero people in Namibia; Italians with massacres against Eritreans, and Japanese with horrendous crimes in Korea, Manchuria and Philippines. Such memories would be channelled against Afro-Brazilians.

In ideological terms, focus was put on making mulatos or ‘’padros’’ increasingly hostile to any identification and association with Africa and black Brazilians. A recent illustration of black-skin being a fatal virtue occurred in June 2017 when a policeman hit, with the butt of his rifle, Marisa de Carvalho Nobrega, a black mother of four children, for talking with the son of her landlord. The police accused her of kidnapping a white child. She died the following day.

This long process of ‘social genocide’ at the core of bad governance in Brazil must receive

urgent attention during the ongoing ‘’International Decade for Peoples of African Descent’’ (January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2024), as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution (18/237). Shari Wejsa, writing in AMERICAS QUARTERLY, January 16, 2014, notes that in the 21st Century, evidence of continuing discrimination include: blacks ‘’living in the poorest areas, their lives often blighted by violence and largely excluded from political power’’.

In 1972 Foreign Minister Mario Gibson Barbosa visited nine African countries. It is remarkable that one of the joint declarations that came out was ‘’a repudiation of all sorts of racial, social, and cultural discrimination’’.

The countries in focus were almost certainly racist regimes in South Africa, Namibia, and Southern Rhodesia. As a friend of Portugal’s prime minister, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar who regarded Mozambique, Angola and other colonies as ‘’overseas provinces’’ of Portugal –it was unlikely that Brazil included Afro-Brazilian victims of her domestic slavery in her proclaimed ‘’support for self-determination of nations’’. In 1972 Brazil primarily interested in winning votes of independent African countries for her quest for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

On November 2, 2003, President Lula da Silva’s maiden visit to Africa waved a flag with the inscription that ‘’Brazil had a moral duty to Africa and that its historical debt should be paid’’. The investors accompanying him hardly shared the conviction that the ‘’moral duty’’ included dignity, equality and pursuit of social and economic happiness to Brazilians of African descent.

Lula’s visit to Africa was followed by an

explosion of private sector investments in Africa during his tenure and into the present. By 2016 about 500 Brazilian companies were roving across Africa. Vale digs coal in Mozambique and oil in Libya. The ‘’Brazilian Agricultural Research Cooperation (EMBRAPA) anchored in Ghana, is supporting cotton, bio-fuel and other tropical agricultural products in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Benin. Andrade Gutierrez is constructing ports, houses and health projects in Angola, Algeria, Congo and Guinea. Petrobras is adding new countries to oil production in Angola and Nigeria. These countries have an obligation to champion the welfare of Afro-Brazilians in their trade and investment relations with Brazilian capitalists.

Brazil’s programme of ‘’Bolsa Familia / Family Allowance’’ gave financial help to families with children ‘’as long as the children attend school and are vaccinated’’. It also provided ‘’free education to those who cannot afford it’’. Afro-Brazilian benefited from it.

The big business leaders who promoted the ‘’parliamentary coup’’ against President Dilma Rousseff will cancel it.

Africa must urgently compute with Brazil the value of talents blocked in poorly educated and illiterate Afro-Brazilians: a crucial INFRASTRUCTURE for enhancing productivity of her economy. Blocking access to quality education for Afro-Brazilians remains an expensive stupidity against the future of Brazil. China’s vigorous investment in Africa’s industrialisation, infrastructure and agriculture should be used to liberate Brazil’s capitalist sustaining centuries of racial psychosis.

Prof Oculi is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚Ϳ Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

What now?

NNPC AtThe Press Dinner

So That Sadiq Daba Will Live

I

n the 70s and 80s, when there were few television stations in the country, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was then the leading TV station in the land. Everyone depended on the NTA for news, reports, entertainment, among others. It is particularly in entertainment that NTA really carved a niche for itself. Consequently, some soap operas shown on the station became popular nationwide. Prominent among such soaps were Village Headmaster, The Masquerade, Cockcrow at Dawn, Supple Blues, Mirror In the Sun, Ichiokwu, Winds of Destiny, After the Storm, and many others. These were all very captivating television drama series that were fashioned to mirror our country’s peculiar and diverse religious and socio-cultural setting, while also providing huge entertainment for the teeming viewers.

As it is usually the case with didactic works, most of the series had numerous moral lessons that highly imparted on the society.

Though all of the soaps were quite fascinating and enthralling, one particularly found Cock Crow at Dawn quite breathtaking. A rich educational and entertainment serial that aired weekly on the NTA network, Cock Crow at Dawn was developed and financed by NTA and United Bank for Africa to promote widespread interest in farming. The idea was part of the effort to increase awareness about the need to diversify the country’s economy by returning to agriculture which used to be the mainstay of the nation’s economy. The UBA came on board the project as part of its agricultural credit scheme. The immensely talented Peter Igho wrote and developed the serial.

The choice of location was Sabon Garin Tarria, a rural setting about 20 kilometres from the coal city of Jos in Plateau State.

As it is always the case with such popular soap operas, certain characters that are able to interpret their roles skillfully will eventually become the face of the drama series and as such become very famous national figures. In the case of Cock Crow at Dawn, one of such characters is Sadiq Daba who played the role of Bitrus, a rather naughty boy in the drama series. Tall, thin and amiable, Daba is a veteran television broadcaster, presenter, actor, director and producer who dazzled Nigerians with his immense talent in the late 70s through the 80s and early 90s.

Aside his role in Cock Crow at Dawn, Daba equally featured in a couple of other drama series which include ‘Rooster Crow at Dawn’, ‘Behind the Clouds’ and ‘A Place like Home’, ‘Soweto’ and ‘Moment of Truth’.

Widely travelled and educated, he studied at the St. Edwards College, Sierra Leone, NTA/TV College, and Ahmadu Bello University, and later went on training tours to Germany, U.K., etc. In contemporary time

he acted Waziri, a nosy police officer, in the award winning Kunle Afolayan’s movie, October 1, which incidentally won him several individual awards across the world.

But then, as things stand right now, these are not the best of time for Daba. At over 70 years, when he should take a break from the hustle and bustle of life to enjoy the rewards of his hard work, Daba is battling for dear life. According to reports, the ace broadcaster has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, barely months after he was hospitalised for leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells with no known cure. However, with adequate medical care or a blood marrow transplant, the disease can be managed.

The financial implications of such medical treatments are always quite enormous and as such Daba could do with some help from well -meaning Nigerians. We can all celebrate this amazingly talented compatriot by rising up to help him in every way we could. We should not wait until he dies before coming out to eulogise him as it has almost become customary with us. This is his hour of need and we should demonstrate our humanness by stretching forth our hand of love, brotherliness and love towards him.

Tayo Ogunbiyi, Alausa, Lagos

O

ne of the predicaments in democratic dispensations is the inherent inadequacies of institutions created as pillars of public accountability, rule of law, transparency and such other binding principles and policies. As a human creation, democracy comes along with the spots of imperfection in its conception and practice even as humanity tends to assume that “civilisationâ€? is a certiďŹ cate of expertise and excellence in thought and practice. Today we are witnesses to the many pitfalls, booby traps and even banana peels that expose the veiled vices of democracy in virtually all sectors.

While enough has been said and written about the concerns and crises associated with flawed outputs of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary especially in the media, not much highlight and critical analysis has been applied to the defective excesses of the press as an adopted “honorary� arm of government tasked with oversight and evaluation functions to keep others on their toes.

One does not have to look far for evidence of professional “mischief� especially with the advent of so-called social media, the latest aberration with despicable anti-social excesses.

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

When “newsâ€? reports are published with heavy dose of propaganda choking the professional and ethical specifications with licentious impunity, journalism’s “yellowâ€? hue pollutes the perception of the random reader who cannot “read between the linesâ€?. Masked with the deceptive façade of news, yellow reports fail the test of credibility by leaving more questions unanswered in crude concoctions of sweeping statements, unsubstantiated allegations, unwarranted insinuations and contrived deductions.

A typical example of such pranks is playing out in the publication of purported “scandal� in the simple cancellation of an NNPC dinner arranged to host members of the National Assembly. The cancellation of a dinner is the remotest activity of public interest in the exclusively high end crude oil based, foreign exchange income generating and petroleum powered strategic national economic resource sufficiency agenda of NNPC. Even the cancellation of a dinner for federal legislators cannot be sensibly accorded serious consideration in NNPC affairs to warrant the scale of imaginative misrepresentation and manipulation of issues deployed by some “news� outlets to propagate hideous motives and corrupt implications against the NNPC management with unavoidable collateral damage to the legislators.

The unblemished account of events given by the NNPC is that a long outstanding proposal to host members of the National Assembly to a dinner that had been twice postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, suffered another force majeure (to use oil company lingo) necessitating postponement yet again. No more, no less! But the press hackers churned out press-dinner of disinformation and defamation against the NNPC and its management by mischievously fabricating “ethical questions�, “moral implications� and “unsavoury controversies� around the administrative routine issue.

Deliberately shutting out the factual incidental history of two unrelated postponements of the NNPC dinner earlier in April and August this year, the plagued outlets dished out paragraphs of propaganda projecting a failed bid by NNPC to bribe the National Assembly honourable members to obtain a favourable outcome to “an impending probe� of NNPC GMD Maikanti Baru by the Senate, over allegations against him by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, ‘some weeks back’!

Hamid Hendrix, Ilorin

14

T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍśËœ Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

EVENTS

R

ecently the former Miss Olajumoke Nkoyo got married to Mr. Charles Oyewole Lawuyi. The Solemnization of Holy Matrimny took place at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Olive Tre Parish Banana Island Ikoyi. While the reception held at The Eventistry Freedom Way Lekki Victory Island Lagos. Here are some of the personalities at the ceremonies.

Photo: Mubo Peters

L-R: Couple, Mr.Charles Lawuyi and Former Miss.Olajumoke Nkoyo Oyewole

L-R: Bride Parents, Mr. Olaseni Oladimeji Oyewole and Mrs. Imo Oyewole.

L-R: Grooms Parent, Mrs.Anna Olajumoke Lawuyi her husband Mr. Dayo Jabez Lawuyi.

L-R: Mrs. Julie Oyekun; Pastor Itua Ighodalo and Arch. Fatima Wali-Abdlrhman.

L-R: Mrs. Banke Adeola and her husband Mr. Yemi Adeola.

L-R: Mrs. Abolaji Osime and Mrs. Alero Ayida-Otobo.

L-R: Mrs. Angenla Adebayo; Mr. Dapo Shonibare and Otunba Niyi Adebayo

L-R: Mr and Mrs. Ambah.

L-R:Mrs. Uloaku Oyewole and Mr. Shola Oyewole.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ͯͶ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

EVENTS

L-R: Dr. Bode Oyewole and Mr. Ayo Oyewole.

L-R: Mr. Bayo Oyewole and Mrs. Funke Oyewole.

L-R: Pastor Udeme Akpan and Deacon Stephen Taiwo.

L-R: Mrs. Nkoyo Amana; Eme Owoaye and Mr. Yemi Adebiyi.

L-R: Mr. and Mrs. Kunle Elebute

L-R: Ituen Bassey and Mr. Adewiyi Thompson.

L-R: Mr.Segun Ogunsanya and Mr. Muyiwa Omisade.

L-R: Mr. Emmanuel Dania; Mrs. Yinyinade Dania and Mrs. Toyin Maehens.

L-R: Dr. Bunmi Olutoye Okanlami and Mrs. Solape Ademulegun.

L-R: Valentime Obi his wife Agbabi Obi.

L-R: Mrs. Yinka Taiwo and Mr. Kunle Taiwo

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

POLSCOPE Let Those Kaduna Teachers Go with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

A

bout five weeks ago, I attended a week-long seminar organized by a young Nigerian under the auspices of Joseph Consulting, in Lagos.

Aside the many other things learnt, I think the greatest lesson is the fact that many Africans, particularly Nigerians, remain poor and under developed because of undue emotion. We are terribly emotional as a people. Too often, we sacrifice reason and common sense on the altar of emotion and sentiments. Yes, the poor are always very emotional and sentimental.

That is perhaps the summary of my interpretation of all the hue and cry that has followed the decision of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to sack the over 22,700 teachers who failed the competency test.

It is however gratifying that President Mohammadu Buhari has thrown his weight behind the decision.

It is sheer sentiment that will make the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Mr Ayuba Wabba to organize a protest march against the Kaduna State governor over the matter. Mr Wabba, are you happy that the teachers failed simple primary four tests? Are you proud of teachers who could not spell typhoid or malaria? What kind of teacher in this time and age that cannot identify simple shapes like rectangle and square?

What kind of teacher does not know what nuclear family is?

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is already planning to go on strike on November 23, over the matter. Is the NUT upbeat that some of its affected members do not know the name of the Minister of Education? Is the NUT excited that the affected teachers do not know what “mean and median” stands for, let alone find them in a set of given statistics?

What kind of teacher will fail a simple commonsense question like, “Maryam has four hens and each hen lays two eggs per day. In six days, how many eggs has Maryam altogether?”

I thought the NUT and the NLC will be ashamed about the dismal performance of these teachers who could not pass primary four exam, not even Common Entrance questions; and acknowledge that they have a bad case. But no, because they are powered by silly sentimental labour activism, they organize mass protest against El Rufai. It is nothing but ignorance in pride and pride in ignorance. It doesn’t matter that the governor has promised to employ more people (25,000) to replace the 22,700, he planned to sack.

How many of the protesting NUT/NLC leaders will hire the likes of the sacked teachers to teach their children either as home lesson teachers or as regular teachers in school? Or put even more pointedly: how many NLC/NUT leaders have their children in public schools? How many Local Government councilors have their children in public schools? Why have they lost faith in the same public schools that produced most of them? Is it not true that the public trust on public schools is at zero point? And that those who still send their children to public schools are the poorest of the poor and are those who really have no other choice? So should government fold its hands and allow that decrepit standard to continue so as to remain popular and acceptable?

As a trained teacher, I know that some persons manning our classrooms have no business being there at all. We cannot pretend about this forever, if we truly desire a revamp in the sector. And this is not quite about infrastructure or the lack of it.

The intellectual capital is fundamental.

Do we not all know and cry about the fallen standard of education? Do we not see the effect every day when university graduates speak cracked English and cannot even express themselves correctly? Did it start in the universities? No! I presently run a school, as an aside engagement, and we advertised to fill some vacancies last August. The quality of

How many governors, especially on their first term, have the balls to take hard decisions?

Have we forgotten how then Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, in August 2013, battled with a “tush” female teacher, Mrs. Augusta Odemwigwe who could not read properly her own sworn age declaration affidavit? How a teacher who had put in 20 years into the service could not pronounce ‘registered” (she pronounced it as “registrated”).

Only God knows how many “leaders of tomorrow” that lady infected with her illiteracy.

Oshiomhole, perhaps persuaded by political sentiments, retreated from sacking Mrs Odemwige and her ilk.

It may not be true, but here is a letter (that has gone viral) which speaks to the ridicule that has become our lot in the teaching profession. It is a letter purportedly written by one of the affected teachers in Zaria to Gov El-Rufai: Yor ekselency, My name was lado na Allah prom LEA Primary school Zaria. I was been teeching por piptin yars and all of a suden, you wan to sak us. Me I fass my examination . I want to tell you that I teech por many yars and if I cannot teech well, musa kallamu will not be a kansila becos I teech him, he is my sutudent. Because of this I hope yu wil leev us to contineu our work.

Lado na Allah

El-rufai application letters, the interview scripts etc., are loud proofs that indeed, our educational system is in deep mess. How, for instance, will a university graduate not know the female equivalent of bachelor? One who managed to say anything like it spelt it as “splinter” Of all they who applied, I could not find even one employable. That is the effect of the Kaduna teachers in our system!

These public officials leading the protests send their children to private schools and prized Ivy League colleges abroad because those institutions have trusted and assured standard and quality pedagogy, yet they hypocritically mount opposition to any plan to enforce even a shadow of such quality in Nigerian public schools. We want gold but we don’t want the fire that produces it. Yes, it sounds nearly horrible that a huge amount of over 22,700 teachers will lose their jobs in one fell swoop at a time like this when the economy is in dire straits. Sentiments! Life does not travel in straight lines. We fail to realize that it is far more devastating to consider the immediate and collateral damage the ill-equipped teachers will cause millions of the nation’s “future leaders”. No one can give what he does not have.

Those protesting the sack think very lowly of the teaching profession.

Who will tolerate a medical doctor that does not know what side of the chest the heart is? Or understand the basic of the human system?

Why do we tolerate and seek to accommodate quackery in the teaching profession?

Is it not a shame that the teaching profession has become a profession of last resort for many who could not find “better jobs” elsewhere?

Do we not know what many of these public school teachers do? Do we not know how many of them shuttle between Dubai and Nigeria whilst they are supposed to be in classrooms? Do we not know how many of them are better known for selling all kinds of wares and articles, even during school hours?

I thought Nigerians, irrespective of political persuasions should commend El-Rufai for having the courage to do what he has planned to do.

Look at Lagos State: former Governor Raji Fashola banned the use of commercial motorcycles (popularly called Okada) on many Lagos roads and highways. The ban was a big issue.

The police and other task force were on ground to enforce the ban. Hundreds of thousands of motorcycles who flouted the ban were seized (even from policemen) and dismembered, and sold off. I remember our use of the photographs of a huge heap of dismembered motorcycle tyres and wheels on one of our news pages at the time. Not long after, the law was relaxed because of a pending election. The state lost the courage to continue to enforce the law because of the feared political backlash as it is believed that the bulk of voters in Lagos are the same Okada riders. Today, it is like the law was never made.

All Lagos highways (including the third Mainland bridge) have been “re-seized” (permit the coinage) by thrice the number of Okadas that ever existed. And the corollary is that the “okada ward” at the Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital is again, spilling over with hundreds of (Okada) accident victims We so pander to the political correctness of government policies and sacrifice the overall good of society.

We want to be politically correct all the time. No wonder it is said that statesmen think of the next generation while politicians think of the next election.

It is the sentiment of political correctness that will make Senator Shehu Sani to play to the gallery by siding with, and even motivating the protests because it would pull down Gov El-Rufai, his enemy. Were it not so, let Senator Sani tell us if any of his children are in public schools or whether he can allow any such ‘illiterate teachers” to teach his own children.

Let the teachers go. They must not be teachers. It is good the governor will pay them their whole entitlements. Let them find something else to do with the bulk sum they will get.

There is no point talking about retraining them. The attributes of the profession are not innate in them.

I however have the worry of the intellectual farmyard from where El-Rufai plans to harvest the 25,000 new teachers. Will they not be products of the same cracked system?

It is however going to be a survival of the fittest recruitment exercise, devoid of sentiments and all such baleful considerations that have kept us where we are today, as a people.

Osbornegate, Whistleblower and the Madness Nexus

T

Adeosun

he developments about the Osbornegate scandal are becoming very interesting. The huge sum ($43.4 million, N23.2 million, 27,800 British Pounds) recovered from the private flat in Osborne, Ikoyi is still wrapped in some fog.

Yes, the man who announced that he was the one who kept the money there, Ambassador Ayo Oke, former DG of Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) was recently sacked by the federal government. Four days after, he was invited for questioning, along with his wife, Folashade by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

We have not been told in clear terms who owns the money. Mr Oke was sacked apparently because his story on how the money found its way into a private apartment did not add up. So who owns the money?

But while Nigerians awaited the full details of the recovered sum, a more intriguing development occurred. The man who blew the whistle that led

to the recovery of the money had asked for his agreed fee. Suddenly, the Ministry of Finance which seemed to have been dithering on paying the fellow, first explained that the Ikoyi whistle blower would be paid before the end of the month, as he has been slated for the next batch of payments.

The next chapter of the story is that the man is mentally unstable and that paying him that humongous sum--- N850 million--- will just worsen his mental state as he would “simply run mad”.

The man has maintained that he is not mad, stressing that all he needs is his money. His lawyer, Mr Yakubu Galadinma had explained that his client is not sick. That he was merely shouting that he be paid. The EFCC had taken the whistle bower to a psychiatric hospital and he was eventually released. But the money remains unpaid.

The next chapter now is that nine persons have suddenly emerged as having blown the whistle that led to the recovery. Unconfirmed reports say that the name of the original man (the “mad” whistle blower) has been yanked off the new list.

Hmmmm… if the man was mad enough to

suspect that the huge sum must be illegitimate, and was mad enough to hear of the whistle blowing policy and was yet mad enough to know where to channel his information that led to the huge recovery, I think he should be mad enough to be given his promised money. Haba!

He is mad, yet he knew how to engage a lawyer to pursue his demand, yet he is too insane to handle that huge sum.

Yes, I agree that the parvenu complex could be difficult to manage and so he needs counseling on how to handle and manage the sudden wealth, but it would amount to utmost bad fate to deny him his due.

This could erode public confidence on the policy and the nation will be the loser.

Worse still, the needless drama and furor about the payment is inadvertently exposing the beneficiary to undue danger and risk. It breaches the ethos of secrecy that should govern the identity of the blower.

Let the man be paid his money. He has a family who can help organise him on his new status.

Plus

LOUD WHISPERS AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER TEEN CONNECT BUSINESS ISSUE FASHION FILE

pg. 20 pg. 26 pg. 29 pg. 38 pg. 34 pg. 43

Modupe Ogunlesi Adam and Eve Is Driven

by People’s Ideas

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 18, 2017

PLUS

Why I Wanted to Be Professor of Mathematics Modupe Ogunlesi, Managing Director Adam and Eve, a lifestyle home ware store, is a household name in Luxury homeware. She is a woman of brains, beauty and Brawn. Ideas, patience and persistence have kept her in business for 20 years and going. The daughter of a Mathematics professor, Ogunlesi tells Adedayo Adejobi the vision behind her company, her staying power, marriage and childhood

W

hat was the inspiration to go luxury home wares enterprise?

Adam and Eve were the first couple. So the shop is about the home.

My daughter got married at 21. I was 45 and thought if she had babies, I couldn’t resign and be a grandmother.

I looked inwards to see what I could do and have the flexibility only my business gives rather than a corporate world of 9am to 5pm.

So that’s where the idea came from. She was also getting married and had a wedding gift list. She walked around Lagos and came saying

there was nothing in the markets she’d be proud to have in her home. After the wedding, we decided to replicate a lifestyle home in our store. That was the beginning of Adam and Eve. Did you dream it would be this big 20 years ago?

Not at first – that wasn’t the plan. But when my daughter pulled out of the business, she said it was too sedentary, that she preferred to have a night club, or a restaurant. I moved in to look at it again, so the business needed to expand for me to get an income that will suit my lifestyle. The company has been driven by people’s ideas, which have made a difference. There is a difference between starting a business when you are in your 40s, 50s rather than in your 20s. I tend to take a more studied step rather than just stagger along. Maturity

I am not planning to retire.

Retirement will come in its own time. Because my work is mental, I cannot retire.

My father got his higher doctorate at 70 from the University of London. He wrote his last book at 90. Once you are cerebral, there is no retirement

has helped because this country is actually not business-friendly. I employ 30 Nigerians who have dependants and my capital stays here.

When you look back, has it been rosy doing business in Nigeria?

Two things have helped me; the fact that I’m an accountant and maturity.

I’m actually risk-averse. I’ve never ask for credit from my y suppliers. pp Staffing g is one of the most difficult things g in this country. y Loyal y staff is almost impossible p to get. g I’m lucky y at the moment I’ve got g a good g trainer. My y staff is trained twice every y week because at 65, I need some breaks. I have an efficient team.

Why y is it difficult ffi to produce home wares locally? y We are hampered. p When life is comfortable, it is easier to think outside the box. We don’t have electricity. y I run a retail business and I have two generators and still p g y electricity y pay bills. Besides, how many yp people p can go beyond g y g food? So, when affording you manufacture, you can’t sell to 100 y million people.

What has changed in the industry? p p have More people c me into the co come iindustry, in dustry, b bu butt I

don’t think they’ve made an impact.

They come in expecting that if they sell high-end products, they would fly off the shelf. It doesn’t work that way. You have to have a mix. Because they are impatient to let it fly off the shelf, they start mixing it with much lower quality gradually getting rid of the high-end stuffs and selling low quality.

What drives you?

It is the atmosphere p that we are happy ppy people p p and alive. If we live the way y the developed p world live, whereby y all their interactions are over the social media, we’ll all be depressed. p If you y think yours y is bad, when you y see someone else’s situation you’ll y be grateful for the little things you have.

Share y your experience p doing g business in the last 20 years. y If you y have a dream, stay y with it. But don’t stay y stupidly p y with it. When you y hit a wall it’s time to rethink. If you y waver during g patchy p y times, then you y will never settle for anything y g because there is nobody y that promises p you y a completely p y smooth p path. Sometimes, the road is narrow, sometimes it’s wide and smooth stony and rocky.

What does it feel f like being g 65?

Fantastic. When I look back, I could Fa n ne v r have predicted ve p that never w uld be where I am I wo would

NOVEMBER 18, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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PLUS I Got Married Early to Gain Freedom from My Parents

The Ogunlesis

today. When I was very young I thought I would end up as a professor of Mathematics. My father was a professor of Education. His first degree was in Mathematics and I found Mathematics extremely easy. It was one subject that I did not have to concentrate on in class. I did not have to revise; I did not have to do anything and I just kept topping the class. I felt that I would just be a Mathematics professor.

What would be your advice to a young entrepreneur seeking to toe your career path?

The heavens are big enough to take all the birds. Everybody has different creative ideas. You must look at yourself and see where your passion lies. Be original.

So what changed?

When I went into the University of Ibadan at 16 to the Mathematics department, it was a different ball game. It needed hard work for which I was completely unprepared for. So, when I went to prelim, the mechanics, applied mathematics and I asked if we had started the syllabus. I was the youngest compared to the rest of the class. I doubt if there was anybody under 40, so I felt alone. I told my father I don’t think I could continue.

Are you thinking of retirement soon?

I am not planning to retire.

Retirement will come in its own time. Because my work is mental, I cannot retire. My father got his higher doctorate at 70 from the University of London. He wrote his last book at 90. Once you are cerebral, there is no retirement.

How did your dad take it?

My father’s view is that whatever you start, you must finish it. If you are studying Law and later decide to change to something else, he advised you to finish the Law first.

My brother started studying Medicine and wanted to change to Law and it was a long argument – in the long run he got his way and he studied Law. When I said I was not studying Mathematics but preferred Economics, he said that wasn’t the way to handle life. In the long run, someone talked me to Accounting and I crossed over to the University of Lagos because University of Ibadan did not offer Accounting. I enjoyed the course so much that I advised one of my friends who was studying the same course at the University of Ibadan to cross over the next year. She is the first female President, Nigerian First Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

What was life like growing up under a father who was a professor of Mathematics?

I am lucky to have my parents – lovely. My enterprise skills were from my mother. My father had a very informed sense of humour. Looking back, my parents didn’t slap or hit people on the face. We discussed.

My mum would say, ‘if your family member can’t tell you when you are being an ass, who will?’ If my older brother messes himself up, I will tell him straight away.

What drives your creativity?

My eye. I go out; I look and I listen to my customers.

Why did you get married at the age of 23?

My parents were strict. We could go out, but we had to be home at 6pm. We had more freedom in the university because there was no lights out. By the time I was graduating, it signalled the end of the freedom, so that was the time to get married.

How did you meet your hubby?

At the university, he was studying Mass Communication. Forty-two years down the line, if I had to do it all over again I will still pick him and he says the same. Life together has been fun.

I went out with other people because I must have spent three years in the university before we met. I have always been fat as a baby. Despite being fat people liked me. So if I had a boyfriend who said I was putting on weight that was the end of it. If the boy said, ‘Dupe, you mean you are going to eat that ice cream; aren’t you scared you will be fat?’ I would say, ‘If you are not fanning that beauty about me then you are not mine.’ In fairness, my husband doesn’t look at fat or slim, but the fact that are we formed together. We do not particularly have the same outlook. He is a night person, I am a morning person. But I don’t disturb him. The important thing to me is that I trust him. When that trust is broken you know that is the end. Honestly, right from the bottom of my heart I have no regrets whatsoever. Within a month I knew that we had a connection. I felt I could trust him. There’s a level of protection even as a lad, he expressed towards me, and that shows he is committed to me. He is very protective of me. I

am naturally very protective of him too.

I will look after his health especially as he is over 60. I also change my cooking methods from time to time.

What’s the secret behind the 42 years of marriage?

I am not silent when I am upset. We listen to each other.

How do you y juggle j gg g being g an entrepreneur, ntrepreneur, p a wife, f mother and nd grandmother? g It’s easier when the children hildren are grown g up. p I certainly ertainly y could not say y I had this kind of busy y lifestyle festyle y when the chilchildren ren were young. y g So, I won’t say y for somebody y with young y g children to get et so involved outside until ntil I was 40. I would not pick such ot by y myself y p a busy y lifestyle y because Adam and Eve is enough. g But ut one way y or the other, I got ot involved in the church, and nd I think it is the right g thing for or me to do at this time.

Priests riests don’t marry, y so you y have ave CWO which is the umbrella mbrella for catholic women. I am a very y rivate person, p private but one way y or the other I found myself y g the p being parish resident. I got g involved president. nd to my y greatest g and urprise, p I find myself surprise, n the district. in Away y ffrom work, what do you do?

I read.

You seems to like esigners? g designers?

You see me with a ugatti g Bugatti wristwatch. y and It is the beauty ot the name. The not name puts the stamp ame p p of uality y on it. If this was quality nother name, I might g another ot buy y it because I not m not sure of if am ’ll go g the extra it’ll mile. But the onfidence that confidence g g to I am going pend this p spend money and g it is going o last, to ives me gives onfifi confience. dence.

In fairness, my husband doesn’t look at fat or slim, but the fact that are we formed together.

We do not particularly have the same outlook.

He is a night person, I am a morning person.

But I don’t disturb him.

The important thing to me is that I trust him. When that trust is broken you know that is the end. Honestly, right from the bottom of my heart I have no regrets whatsoever. Within a month I knew that we had a connection.

I felt I could trust him. There’s a level of protection even as a lad, he expressed towards me, and that shows he is committed to me.

He is very protective of me

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017 with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

LOUD WHISPERS

Amaechi

Amaechi VS Wike: Royal Rumble in the Delta Rotimi Amaechi my paddy had a strange premonition that morning as he woke up from a deep slumber. He was to travel to Port Harcourt and his mind remained dark.

He could not figure out what the problem was. He turned to his beautiful wife and mentioned to her that he was having a second though about the trip, but she was having none of it since he was taking some dry fish to her parents. She admonished him to say his prayers, do some exercises.

After all, he has taken some karate lessons and would be going with a battalion of soldiers and 600 Boy Scouts, what exactly would Wike be doing? So my brother, feeling bolstered, jumped into the shower and headed for the airport.

The plane taxied to a stop and His Excellency was immediately ushered into his waiting armoured vehicle for the journey into town. Not quite 20 minutes into the journey, it happened. Wike appeared from nowhere. His people jumping up and down and singing some war songs, brandishing all sorts of weapons and threatening to humiliate our hero. What they did not know was Amaechi’s preparedness.

He sat still in his car, breathing steadily and took out his phone. He called his mentor and coach in China. That one told him quietly what and how to go about this so that there would be minimal damage to not only his enemies but also the innocent bystanders. He wanted Wike people to live to tell this story. What you really do not want to do is annoy Amaechi because he can be deadly when that is done. This Wike person has really crossed the line this time, blocking his motorcade at a place near where he used to have a girlfriend when he was an undergraduate and to make matters worse, the girl’s people were still there and as such, this would not just pass.

By this time, his aides already knowing what was about to happen, had started begging Amaechi, pleading with him not to lose it. But Wike people were still singing and jumping around with Wike leading the chorus line. By this time, Wike had come out from his own SUV and was leading the dance. He had painted his face with white chalk like Amalinze in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart just before he was messed up by stammering Okonkwo.

Amaechi could not hold it again, he had to end this once and for all. His eyes bulging in righteous anger, breathing becoming laboured and chest heaving and swelling.

He slowly began pulling his buttons one after the other until the last one came off.

He steadily tore the shirt.This was the one Fubara had given him last Christmas.

Funbara would understand. This was a national assignment. He tore the shirt to make a band like his friend, Rambo, had taught him and with a loud scream he jumped out of the car and somersaulted on the roof of his car with arms spread like Bruce Lee. Amaechi was ready. Immediately Wike saw this, he jumped into his car and brought out a horn, shouting some incantations; all aimed at paralysing Amaechi’s right hand. For those of you that do not know, Amaechi’s right hand is the deadliest in Africa, once you can hold it, Amaechi is done with. As Wike shouted into the horn, he asked his people to attack.

By this time Amaechi was jumping up and down on the roof, running towards Choba and coming back, rolling on the ground and screaming that they should come.

Amaechi’s guards ran away knowing that this was Armageddon because they had seen it before. Wike’s people started coming one after the other and Amaechi

Wike

Ambode

Nazir El-Rufai: What Kind of Teachers?

Are those ones teachers? Please I remain very excited that finally someone has the courage to take a firm decision and stand by it. I am in full support of the decision to sack these people in a bid to reform the education system. Critics and other funny people can strip naked, douse themselves with ashes and wail from now till kingdom come, this decision should not be reversed.

If these people could fail test meant for primary school students, then what business do they have teaching our children, so trying to politicise this otherwise very simple decision is sad. El Rufai should remain resolute and should not bother using state funds to retrain anybody. If they are serious minded, they should use their severance packages to retool themselves. How do we even dream of creeping out of our morass of underdevelopment and mass poverty if at the base level we cannot even get it right?

The foundation of education is very key and at that age and level we must begin to sew the very strong foundations of logical thinking and clarity, so when you get clowns who cannot even spell ‘’Donald Trump’’ to handle such critical and sensitive assignments, you begin to get what we are getting as a nation. A nation led by narrow-minded bigots and

charlatans who do not really understand the issues that are very critical to nation building. I am not even joking this morning, they should even be jailed for defrauding the system all of the years they pretended to serve. The exercise should not only stop with the teachers, it should also reach the authorities who cleared them to serve when it was very clear that they were misfits for these ones are the real beneficiaries of this great injustice to our society.

As for the Nigeria Union of Teachers who has been fighting spiritedly to have this decision reversed, I really have nothing to say to them, because if I say what is in my mind right now, they would all run and go hide in shame. I am beginning to like this El –Rufai man o. I am watching him very closely even though his fight with my paddy, Audu Maikori is to say the east embarrassing for him.

This his position with these errant teachers and other such policies where he has shown courage under fire is beginning to make me want to re-access my position about him. Well done sir, have you signed the termination letters and if the over 20,000 letters are too much to sign, you can send some down to Shomolu with a duly executed Power of Attorney, I go help you sign everything. What else am I doing here?

Ibrahim Idris, Police IG

was just wounding them with slaps, kicks, headbutts and choke holds just like the way they used to do it in those Chinese films we used to watch. As Amaechi was fighting, he was using one eye to look to see if his former girlfriend’s people were watching and even had the presence of mind to ask someone to take a selfie of him as he strung the neck of Wike’s last man standing. By this time everybody had been vanquished and it was just Wike and Amaechi left on the street. They looked into each other’s eyes while keeping a safe distance from each other. They stalked each other like lions fighting for their territory. This was it; this was the fight to end all fights and they both had waited for this moment. By this time, Wike had dropped his gourd and was prancing like Mohammed Ali, shuffling his short legs on the dirty road and heaving and bobbing his bald head up and down ready to kill. As he pranced, he was singing his war song and getting ready to attack. Amaechi by this time was down to his shorts and was crouching like a snake in the monkey shadow. As he moved, he kept seeing the beautiful eyes of his wife still in Abuja. And she was saying, ‘Rotimi do not come back if you don’t win this fight.’ He had to finish this once and for all.

The crowd had gathered on either side of the road. This was epic. The whole of Port Harcourt had assembled, watching with bated breath. Who will finally win. Who will emerge as the emperor of Rivers State?

Tension was high, atmosphere was electric, expectation was high and everything stood still. All of a sudden, they started running towards each other with utter hatred and screaming different war cries. As they sped towards each other, Wike’s potbelly, jiggling from the strain and Ameachi’s bald head glistening in the hot Port Harcourt skies; the nation was waiting and watching.

The Federal Executive Council stopped the meeting to tune in live. Ambode was watching from the Lekki bridge. Tinubu was in his dining room watching. The Duke of Shomolu came out of the other room to watch Donald trump was watching and Saraki still smarting from his daughter’s wedding was watching. NTA’s fabled 30 million viewers were watching and just as they were about to slam into each other, Wike’s phone rang. It was his wife calling him for lunch. Kai, Wike begged for a postponement because he could not afford to miss his madam’s call otherwise, this wahala with Amaechi would be a child’s play if he ever tried to annoy his madam.

As he turned to walk away, Amaechi knelt down to thank his God, he was not sure he would have come out of that fight victorious but wetin man go do na? All na packaging. What else can we do as Nigerians than to laugh at this parody that is unfolding in our very eyes? I am still laughing one week after this incident. I no fit cry. But if one must be honest wetin Amaechi dey find sef for Rivers? He should let Wike be. His refusal to let Wike govern in peace is the source of the tension in that state.

Nigeria Police - Worst in the World Let me sue for patience from Nigerians on this issue. I have summoned the Inspector General of Police to Shomolu to brief me on the matter. I am very sure that by the end of the briefing we will get to the bottom of the issue. So, all those asking for my comments, I will issue a white paper after the discussions with the IG. Let us remain calm, there is nothing God cannot do. Kai, Nigeria we hail thee!

21

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚Ϳ

SPY GLASS

with .... 08054680651

OF APOSTLE SULEIMAN AND HEDONISM

MAMORA’

MAMORA’S CASTLE IN THE AIR? Since he left the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora seems to have been left in the cold, politically.

However, Spy Glass gathered that the former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly is set to revive his dwindling political career.

He is said to be eyeing the number one job in Ogun State, come 2019.

Indeed, a source disclosed that Mamora, who comes from Ogun East, made the declaration, last Monday, at a meeting with his kinsmen in Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State, after several months of consultations with notable politicians and elders of the community.

Our source disclosed that this decision might amount to building a castle in the air, as his political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has zoned its governorship ticket to Ogun West.

Also, what may appear to be another boulder in his way to the Ogun Government House is the fact that his godfather, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is reportedly backing Senator Solomon Adeola, otherwise known as Yayi, who is from Yewa.

Since he left the Senate, representing Lagos East senatorial district in 2011, he has suffered a series of losses on the political terrain. He had, at different times, been tipped for some political appointments.

But curiously, his name had been dropped on each occasion.

the first alumnus of the school to receive such an award.

Other dignitaries who were also Today, he is regarded as one of the honoured at the ceremony were fiery televangelists in the country.

Oba Saheed Elegushi and the Ooni Apostle Suleiman Johnson makes no of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi. pretence about winning more souls into the vineyard of God through his Omega Fire Ministry. Indeed, he has PRINCESS FIFI EJINDU reportedly performed miracles, at REFUTES WICKEDTALE home and abroad, that left many in A few days ago, Princess Fifi wonderment.

Ejindu, a first-class architect and But the highly revered ‘man of God’, businesswoman, jetted out of the whose alleged romantic affair with a country for her annual vacation.

Canada-based Nigerian lady, StephaIt was not her first time of holinie Otobo, went viral, has continued daying abroad. For her, it is like an to set tongues wagging with his annual ritual that she performs flamboyant lifestyle, which is said to religiously. be out of sync with the divine teachStrangely, the rumour mill suding in Mathew 6: 19-21: “Do not store denly became agog, spewing and up for yourself treasures on earth, knitting all sorts of wicked tales where moths and vermin destroy, about the trip. She is said to have and where thieves break in and steal. been admitted into a hospital for an But store up for yourself treasures in undisclosed illness. heaven, where moths and vermin do Having watched the development not destroy, and where thieves do not with disbelief, a source close to break in and steal. For where your the highly cosmopolitan woman treasure is, there your heart will be denied the report in a section of also.� the media, saying, “It’s a rumour Though he is said to be very generby some of her traducers who are ous, the bald-headed pastor comes envious of her achievements in across as a hedonist. It was gathered the society. Princess is not ill; she that he has a fleet of exotic cars in is hale and hearty. She travelled to his garage. Besides, he goes out with Germany and France accompanied a large retinue of aides and heavy by her husband for her annual security. vacation.�

Except you know him too well, you Ejindu had her education in may take him either for a hip-hop some of the best institutions in the artiste or a Hollywood movie star United States. She graduated with owing largely to his dress sense. a first class in Architecture from the In some sense, he loves everything prestigious Pratt Institute of Archiof the world and flaunts it without tecture and later graduated with caring a hoot. distinction in Building Engineering Surprisingly, he does not seem to be from the Boston’s School. bothered about the barrage of critiShe has excelled so well in her cisms daily hurled at him by some architectural business. She dines members of the society, including and wines with the kings and rulers some Christian faithful. of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. Her contact base is said to be ANOTHER HONOUR FOR very inclusive of world financial power brokers.

KUNLE ENITILO It was a day of glory recently for the Chairman of World Oil Industries OIL MAGNATE, TUNDE AFOLimited, Dr. Kunle Enitilo, when he LABI’S HOMILY was honoured at the 9th convocation Are you thinking of going into and 25th anniversary ceremonies of the oil and gas business? If yes, The Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara then, you need to read the story of State.

Chief Tunde Afolabi.

The oil mogul was honoured with Reading the compelling story of a doctorale award of Fellow of the the chairman of Amni Petroleum Federal Polytechnic, Offa (FFPA). will give you useful hints on the Enitilo, who is an alumnus of the ABC of running a successful oil institution, was honoured for his and gas business. contributions to the development of The man, who many regard as the institution as well as his philanan encyclopedia in the sector, runs thropic gestures. Interestingly, he is

APOSTLE SULEIMAN

KUNLE ENITILO

TUNDE AFOLABI

FIFI EJINDU

one of the most successful indigenous oil production companies.

In spite of the vagaries of the business, his company has remained afloat with a lot of success stories.

His company was awarded the Okoro Field and Setu Field located in OML 112 in shallow water offshore Nigeria, as part of the Nigerian government’s indigenous licensing.

Interestingly, he still recognizes that only God is the unseen hand behind his success; and he submits absolutely to His will. His armour against failure is ceaseless prayers.

This perhaps explains his seeming homily recently during a thanksgiving service at the Anglican Church, Victoria Garden City Estate, Lekki, Lagos.

During the event, he shared the testimony of how the Almighty God saved him from what could have claimed his life. He also recounted how God rescued him from the jaws of death in Cape Town, South Africa, when he lost consciousness and was rushed by his brother to a hospital, where he was revived.

While the thanksgiving service lasted, his guests were amazed at his humility and his total dependence on God in taking the most critical decisions of his life. He urged the audience to always have absolute trust in God. Afolabi, a silent billionaire, has lifted a number of less privileged members of the society; his philanthropy beggars description. He is also known as an ardent supporter of churches within the Anglican denomination

22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18 , 2017

SUPER SATURDAY Jude Idada

Nothing Personal Stopping Omoni Oboli’s Movie Premiere Canada-based Nigerian award-winning filmmaker and writer, Jude Idada, is a phenomenal personality. With several works to his credit, he’s been able to show the world his creative vision. In this interview with Azuka Ogujiuba during a recent visit to his fatherland, his poetic words flow like an endless stream as he talks passionately about his craft, his new projects, Nollywood, and the controversy about Omoni Oboli’s ‘Okafor’s Law’ which grand premiere was halted because of a court injunction

W

hat are the new projects you working on?

Presently, I just finished shooting a feature film and currently in post-production.

The film is, ‘The Film Without a Title.’ In the soonest future, I will be doing a grand unveiling of the title of the movie at a launch for the publicity campaign of the movie. In addition to this, I am working on a production of my stage play, ‘3Some.’ The publication of my stage plays, ‘Sankara and Coma’; two collections of true stories, ‘I Hid My Future on Top of an Iroko Tree’ and ‘I Had a Father’. I am also in pre-production for another new movie inspired by the horror classics but drawing from the contemporaneous and set wholly in Nigeria.

How were you able to make a quick

change from banking to the arts?

Actually, there was no quick change, as I studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan. It was more of a ‘returning’ to my first love. But even while I worked in banking and management consulting, I continually kept my artistic wheels well oiled. I am a writer through and through.

I write through a maelstrom. Hence even, while I worked in other fields, I always wrote and engaged in whatever capacity I could afford the time to at the time. For example, it was while I worked in Canada, that I published my first book, A Box of Chocolates and wrote and produced my play, Oduduwa, King of the Edos, which ended up winning the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Best Drama Prize and was the first runner-up for the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature. That being said, on a larger scale I had taken on a long journey to the arts itself being that I had finished high school as a pure science student, even proceeding to study Agricultural

Economics at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. I left in my third year to study Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan, primarily because I couldn’t understand why I was studying what I knew I wouldn’t practise and also because I couldn’t resist the pull of the arts. I proceeded to work in the banking and management consulting sector in Nigeria, while in Canada I worked in banking, telecommunications, health and I.T industries as a Certified Human Resources Professional. It was during that period, after watching a short film at the Canadian Film Board, that I took the decision of fully chasing after my singular passion.

So I resigned, sold some of my properties and wrote and produced my first feature film, The Tenant, which went on to win several awards, both internationally and locally including Best Screenplay at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Audience Choice Award at the Hollywood Black Film Festival, Best Film at the Mid Atlantic Black Film Festival amongst several others. For me, this was a turning point in my career pursuits. I have not returned to the corporate world after that, preferring to burnish my artistic talents and push for-

ward a socio-cultural narrative that adds to global understanding and tolerance.

As a young boy, when did you decide you were going to focus on arts and filmmaking?

I believe I was born an artist. So as to the time I decided on focusing on the Arts itself, I would say it was right from my first cognitive thoughts when my mother would tell me I was always acting out scenarios. But consciously I would say it was when I read my first full-length novel, Kontiki Expedition. It was so magical and it inspired me to delve into the arts fully. That was why at the age of nine, I had written my first novel. And it was in seven, eight leaves exercise book. Unfortunately, my guardian and counselling teacher took it from me and I never heard from her again. Doubly sad, was the fact that I was put in the purest of sciences, which took me even further away from the arts and my noticeable talents.

As regards filmmaking, it was right from the moment I watched the film, Ben Hur with Charlton Heston in the lead role.

I sat there as a kid and was transported to that world. It was so powerfully evocative and visually stunning that I knew deep down, that making films was my destiny.

It has been a challenge being that my parents weren’t initially receptive of my desire to immerse myself in the arts, but after a long struggle, they finally helped in facilitating my complete switch to the arts. Hence I studied Theatre Arts, after

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž OVEMBER 18, 2017

23

SUPER SATURDAY Nothing Personal Stopping Omoni Oboli’s Movie Premiere studying Agricultural Economics for two and a half years.

Amongst the projects, you’ve worked on, which was the most tasking and demanding for you and why?

I would say it was the writing of my stage play, Oduduwa: King of the Edos.

It is a historical epic that explores the true personage, tribe, identity and heritage of the acclaimed progenitor of the Yoruba race, Oduduwa. I had to research vastly: books, videos, interviews and visits to ancient locations in order to get the veracity of the story as close to the ‘truth’ as I could ascertain. There was also the issue of the ‘ongoing’ heated debate as regards the same topic, as seen in the battle of words between the late Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Erediauwa and the late Ooni of Ife, Olubuse II, Oba Okunade Sijuwade. Therefore I had to approach the central topic and theme of the play, with caution and uncommon respect, since I did not want to be seen as denigrating any of the cultures or identity politics.

Also, there was the issue of language.

Since I neither speak Edo nor Yoruba, it was a battle capturing the true meanings of ancient archival materials I was coming across, in addition to the myths, folklore, parables and proverbs that existed in the languages of Yoruba or Edo. There was also the issue of the title of the play, Oduduwa: King of the Edos.

The Edos had an issue with it because they felt right from the go that I was taking sides with the Yoruba account of the age-old relationship between Oduduwa and the Edos.

It got so bad, that during the production of the play in Ibadan, a bank bluntly refused to give us sponsorship since they believed it was insulting the Yorubas.

This was strange, being that they had not read the play itself. Also, an actor had to drop out because of the pressure from family.

That being said, I soldiered on; finished the play, performed it, published it and finally, the play won the Association of Nigerian Authors Prize for Best Drama and also was the first runner-up for the Nigerian Prize for Literature.

Over the past ďŹ ve years, would you say there’s been an improvement in ďŹ lmmaking and directing in Nigeria?

Yes, there definitely has been. This has happened in all departments of filmmaking. Owing to the fact that a lot of aspiring filmmakers have gone to proper film schools to get the requisite knowledge and experience. They have come back and put their skills to work. This in itself has created a ripple effect wherein all the people who have worked with them, have positively benefited from what they learnt from them. Also, the internalisation of Nollywood has helped in encouraging foreign entities to invest in Nigeria, both financially and scholarly, hence there has been an influx of money, distribution agreements and all sorts of scholarships. These have had a trickledown effect that has boosted the quality of the films coming out of Nigeria.

Which actor or actress would you like to work with within Nollywood and Hollywood and why?

Joke Silva in Nollywood as I would love the challenge of taking an already known actor and reinventing her. She is a great actress and I believe she needs roles that will also give her challenges.

Taking her to places she has never been before and putting forward a role that the audience has never seen before.

In Hollywood, Daniel Day-Lewis will be the actor I would love to work with. I

believe in the realm of method acting, there is no actor living greater than him. Thus a chance to work with him is more than welcome.

Which movie production in Nollywood has caught your attention?

I would say the movie, ‘76’ by Izu Ojukwu. Principally, for its attention to details, both in the areas of production design and the entertainment value of storyline as a social construct and a historical didactic.

What do you have to say as regards ‘piracy as a social vice’ in Nollywood?

Piracy is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the socio-cultural and economic framework of the nation. It is the current ‘normalcy.’ The citizens have taken it as their right. For them, access to the artistic creation of people is what is owed them.

But there is no cankerworm that cannot be destroyed or uprooted. The way forward being the strengthening of the law. Not as words on paper but a force that is executable. People must be made to pay for breaking the law. The price must be high and everyone must be held accountable.

Also, technology must catch up with the production of artistic pieces. Whether it is as invisible track-able codes, breakable locks, non-erasable insignia etc.

Living in Canada and working with Nollywood; does it not slow you down especially with your projects in a way?? wo orld Thee world llage g . is a village. nology Technology educed has reduced stances the distances een between le and people ons.. locations.

Hencee I am ow wed not slowed n by by down nce c distance but ad instead d to forced ore be more ive effective with my time and ct project gemanagement skills. k in I work es and phases I also group o dos’ my ‘to her, so that together, what I need to do geria, I posiin Nigeria, tion itt in a way that alls within the it all falls time I am in Nigeria. In terms of writing, I can do nywhere. That being that anywhere. said, I do not only work in Canada and ria. My work also takes me to Nigeria.

SA, South America, Europe the USA, ther African countries. Hence and other I havee developed working on the ross time zones and with go, across -projects going on at the same multi-projects time, into into a fine science. It is second e. nature.

copyright of the intellectual property in question belongs to me. That being said, because the matter is in court, I would not be able to discuss it, as it is still sub judice.

My sincere apologies.

Omoni Oboli was a friend of yours before the drama. Are you guys still friends and do you think you guys can work together in the nearest future again?

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I also believe that malice and rancour do not augur well for anyone. In this light, I do not hold anything against anyone. I do not go to bed with anger, hate or unresolved emotions. Hence, I welcome continually whatever the future holds, in good faith and with the highest levels of professionalism.

Do you have plans for settling in Nigeria?

One day soon, the chicken will come home to roost. Until then, the world is the chicken’s oyster.

Which writer or ďŹ lmmaker do you look up to?

The writer I look up to is a late writer, Marie Corelli, who wrote books that explored the cosmo-spiritual in the most contemporary of settings. She was powerful in her use of words, the scenarios she created and the characters she placed g in them. The filmmaker I raise high curr rrentl tly is up as my muse currently Christtopherr actually a tie, Christopher ma agnifi ifice cence Nolan for the magnificence and innovation of his mind and style and Steve McQueen for the intensity and simplicity of his approach to the character in c nf co n rontation to his confrontation desire, the obstacle enviiro r nand his environment n. ment.

Woulld you Would de escribe describe yourselff as a fash s ionable fashionable person?

mee m mon o th hs ba back, the p premiere Some months kaf afor f r’s ’ L aw’,, a aw n Omoni Oboli of ‘Okafor’s Law’, an ucttion nw a hal as alted because you y production was halted err ffor or cop ccopyright opy pyrig ight g issues. What sued h her ou u have hav ve to say about about this? do you tu ual ally didn’t did idn’t sue su ue Omoni I actually She was wass sued sue ued db y Raconteur Oboli.. She by uccti tion ons, a company com ompaany that was in Productions, uccti tion on for the he same same film. I was production y a witness witnesss in in the t e case, being that th simply

Ă?Ă‹Ăœ Ă™ Ă‹Ă–Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă‘Ă‹Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă™Ă˜Ă“ ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă“

Yes, I am fashionable.

How would you describe your style?

Understated and continually evolving.

My dress style is tired of my politics and my humanist viewpoints. I swing between the deeply casual to the laid back business casual and perchance; the combination of the global and the local. I am never ostentatious in style or dressing. I believe in warm colours, once a while I might go boldly to draw attention to something external or internal. I am a shoe freak. I guess this is because I have big feet (size 14) hence I am always in search of that perfect shoe in the perfect size. This has made me collect a huge number of shoes, which I continually give out to people I meet the same shoe challenge as mine.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, all expense paid, where would it be?

Right now, it will be, Easter Island in Polynesia. I love nature and I also love history. Not contemporary history but the ancient history that informs why I love to travel to places that are rich in ancient, medieval and antediluvian history. I love to know how the people that walked this earth before I thought, imagined, dreamed, lived and died. Want to know the creations of their hands, the beliefs that they had and if those beliefs still occur today.

What s your life’s life s philosophy?

What’s Because you are, I am. And because we are, the world is a better place, for all those who will come after us. For in every one of us, there is God, and to hurt anyone is to hurt God, and to love anyone is to love God. your ffamily. y A re you Tell us about y Are livi li v ng g in Canada because of your wife living an children? and I am not married and I have no children. don’ do n t know if it is unfortunate or fortuI don’t nate. All I know is that it is my present station in life. That being said, I left Andersen Worldwide (KPMG) for Canada several years ago to chart a new course in life. But life and its vicissitudes have an interesting and ironic way of placing one on a carousel. You run from one thing and unknown to you, you are running towards the same thing. Life has taught me that it is not the place that matters but the mindset o the the person in the place. For what is a of d se de s rt for someone is actually an oasis for desert an another.

That being said, I am not trapped n Canada Canada or grounded in it because of in familial ties, even though, my mother fa lives there; but because in Canada I find a certain way of life that is germane to the full expression of my politics and worldview. As a humanist, social activist and philanthropist, I find myself continually at the forefront of championing the rights and welfare of the underprivileged and disenfranchised.

24

˜ ˞ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

NEWSXTRA

Nigeria-German Cooperation Want ERGP Aligned with SDGs, AU Agenda 2063 Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The Nigeria-German Development Cooperation has canvassed thealignmentNigeria’sEconomic RecoveryandGrowthPlan(ERGP) withtheSustainableDevelopment Goals(SDGs)andAUAgenda2063.

Theymadethecallatthe2017consultationmeetingsonDevelopment CooperationbetweenNigeriaand Germany inAbuja Friday.

Accordingtoastatementissued by the Assistant Director (Press), Ministry of Budget and National Planning,Mr.SalisuHaiba,Nigeria’s delegationatthemeetingwasledby the MinisterofState,BudgetandNationalPlanning,Mrs.ZainabAhmed, while the German delegation was led by Dr. Stefan Oswald, Director

forSub-SaharanAfricainGermany' sMinistryofEconomicCooperation and Development (BMZ).

Ahmed,whowasrepresentedby theDirectorInternationalCooperation,Mr.SamuelEloho,pointedout thattheconsultationsweretofurther deepen co-operation between the twocountries,toconsidertheagreementsignedin2016andalsoreview achievements.

In his remarks, Oswald noted that Nigeria was an important partner to Germany in development cooperation, and expressed appreciationforthelong-standing, andfruitfulbilateraldevelopment co-operationwithNigeriabasedon mutual respect and trust.

He disclosedthattheGermany's Marshal Plan with Africa', which

New Bayelsa Varsity Gets First Set of Graduates Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

The newly established University of Africa, Bolou-Orua, Sagbama local council, Bayelsa State, yesterday graduated 467 foundation students.

At the ceremony, Governor Seriake Dickson, who is the visitor to the institution, announced plans to expand the school’s scholarship programme to accommodate 1,000 outstanding graduates of the Foundation Studies of the University by next session.

The governor directed the State Ministry of Education to conduct another round of competitive assessment of potential beneficiaries by the end of this

month.

He said the scholarships were a further demonstration of his administration’s desire to create ‘champions’ in various fields of study and charged the management of the University ofAfrica to be more innovative.

Governor Dickson underscored the need for the managementoftheUniversityofAfricato shop for qualified scholars from around the world to boost the profile of the institution. “By January, 2017, when you will be starting your full degree programmes, I want to see an array of scholars around the world;thatiswhyouruniversity is unique,� he said.

VSF partners UNIMAID on Boko Haram Damage Assessment Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The Victims Support Fund (VSF) is partnering with the foremost ivory tower in the Northeast sub-region, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) to assess the level of damage in the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency and level of humanitarian needs.

The collaboration between the two parties is on disaster risk management in order to overcome and meethumanitarianneedsofreturning InternallyDisplacedPersons(IDPs)in Northeast.SingingtheMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the varsityduringtheweekinMaiduguri, the Executive Director of the Fund, Prof.SundayOchochesaidtheCentre for Disaster Risk Management and DevelopmentStudies;wastocarryout

abaselineassessmentofcommunities affectedbyinsurgencyandterrorism.

He said the affected and liberated communitiesweremainlylocatedin Borno and two other states, AdamawaandYobe,allintheNorth-East sub-region of the country.

Hesaid:“Theassessmentseeksto determinethestateofvoluntaryreturn ofvictimsfromcampsandhostcommunitiestotheirhomes,whichwere torched by Boko Haram insurgents in the last five years. “Our partnership with the Universityondisasterriskmanagement wastoensureVSFinterventiontosuit and meet various needs of the humanitariancrises.Itwillalsoprovide a framework as well as information mechanismforimprovedprogramme planning and implementation.�

S/West REDAN Solicit Support of Housing Providers Tosin Clegg

Executive Members of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, (REDAN) South West Region have solicited the support of developers in their quest to house Nigerians.

Theexecutivemembersmadethe appeal when they paid a courtesy visit to Nedcomaks properties MD, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo.

Discussingthemainreasonfortheir visit, Barrister Taiwo Ogunbodede said they had come mainly to foster the growth and development of

REDAN and solicit for his support for their mandate.

Responding, Dr. Okonkwo said, “It is quite saddening that the governmentseesdevelopersaswealthy people, hence little attention is paid to the sector. “Real estate needs to start getting financing from the government like some other industries too. This collaborativeeffortwillgoalongwayto easetheburdenofsoledeveloping.He furtherencouragedtheExecutivesnot to be weary but maintain focus. He further tasked them to engage more

is the cornerstone for a new cooperation with Africa, considered responsible governments and private sector- driven economic developmentasessentialelements forthecreationofabetterfuturefor Nigerians.

He therefore encouraged the Nigerian government to continue todemonstrateastrongpoliticalwill andupholddemocraticprinciples, ruleoflawaswellascreateeconomic structuresthatwouldfacilitateinvestmentsandcontributetojobcreation.

OswaldexplainedthattheGerman 'MarshalPlan'wasdesignedtosupport the African Unions Agenda 2063 for promoting sustainable development on the Continent, and therefore called for concerted efforts to achieve the goals.

He stated that Germany was supporting partner countries that make good progress with the implementation of the SDGs.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as MS HALIMA ABDULLAHI now wish to be known and addressed as MRS HALIMA ABDULLAHI AMINU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ODEY ABRAHAM now wish to be known and addressed as OKPONYA ABRAHAM EGBE. All former documents remain valid.

UBA PLC and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKE OLASUMBO OLAJUMOKE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLASUMBO OLAJUMOKE ODHOMOR. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MOLADE OMOWUNMI AMUDALAT & MATHEW OMOWUNMI AJOKE now wish to be known and addressed as ADEFALA OMOWUNMI AJOKE. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as JONATHAN ANA CHRISTIAN EYO now wish to be known and addressed as NSA CHRISTIAN JONATHAN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OBI NATHINEL ONYILIOHA now wish to be known and addressed as OBI NATHANIEL ONYILIOHA. And my correct date of birth is 29/01/1952 All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ANENE, JENNIFER OGECHUKWU now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OBIAKOR, JENNIFER OGECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ADEDAYO SAMSON ADEDIRE now wish to be known and addressed as ADEDAYO SAMSON TEMIDIRE. All former documents remain valid.

GTBank, First Bank and the general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME: This is to ŜŽĆ&#x;ĨÇ&#x2021; Ć&#x161;Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x17E; Ĺ?Ä&#x17E;ĹśÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x201A;ĹŻ Ć&#x2030;ĆľÄ?ĹŻĹ?Ä? Ć&#x161;Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161; D^ '>KZz h'K ,/ EtK^h /^ d, ^ D W Z^KE ^ DZ^ '>KZz h'K ,/ WZKD/^ E '>KZ/ h'K ,/ Et < ^ d, z WW Z /E Dz K E< E ^<z E< KhEd^Í&#x2022; Ä&#x201A;ĹśÄ&#x161; ĹśĹ˝Ç Ç Ĺ?Ć?Ĺ&#x161; Ć&#x161;Ĺ˝ Ä?Ä&#x17E; ĹŹĹśĹ˝Ç Ĺś Ä&#x201A;Ć? D^ 'ĹŻĹ˝Ć&#x152;Ç&#x2021; hĹ?Ĺ˝Ä?Ĺ&#x161;Ĺ? EÇ Ĺ˝Ć?ĆľÍ&#x2DC; ĹŻĹŻ ĨŽĆ&#x152;ĹľÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152; Ä&#x161;Ĺ˝Ä?ƾžÄ&#x17E;ĹśĆ&#x161; Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;ĹľÄ&#x201A;Ĺ?Ĺś Ç&#x20AC;Ä&#x201A;ĹŻĹ?Ä&#x161;Í&#x2DC; 'Ä&#x17E;ĹśÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x201A;ĹŻ public take note.

He cited the German bilateral supporttothreeAfricanCountries, includingCotedIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;voire,Ghanaand TunisiawithintheframeworkofG20 CompactwithAfricainitiativeasan exampleofsuchenhancedsupport related to willingness to reform.

WhileacknowledgingNigeria's seriouseconomicchallenges,mainly duetoglobaldeclineinoilpriceand reduction in production output, Oswald, commended Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reform initiatives to overcome the challenges through economic diversification and stabilization of themacro-economicenvironment amongst others.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

25

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES

‘Heyday’ Uncountable

EBERE WABARA

O

VERHEARD: “Why did you not pick your call”?

You take, not pick, calls.

And this: “I was not hearing you….” Get it right: I could not hear you…. ‘Hear’ is a stative verb that cannot be used in gerundial forms.

THISDAY of November 4 offered readers a diseased headline: “Monarch passes vote of confidence on (in) Fashola” Let us continue with a visit to Champion House, Ilasamaja, Mushin, Lagos: “Soldiers take over troubled spots” Let peace reign: trouble spots.

“Post election violence spreads” Towards a better life for the people: Post-election violence….

“Man killed in car accident” Why not ’’Man dies in car accident?’’ He was not killed!

“President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed sadness over the sporadic violent protest (protests)….”

The next headline blunder is from last week’s edition of this medium: “Police arrest four over Maiduguri explosion” Do we arrest the entire editorial team for (not over) lexical recklessness?

“Bribery enthrones mediocrity and crucify merit.” The Tabernacle of bribery crucifies merit.

“Gang up against Buhari will fail” Phrasal verb: gang up; noun: gang-up (which applies here).

“We were treated to another similar incidence.…” All newspapers should know the difference between ‘incidence’ and ‘incident’ (which applies here).

“Although the governor’s last minute romance with the main opposition party is held against him.…” Saturday People: lastminute (take note of the hyphen) romance “Thus, a core investor…with regards to optimal use of the machinery.…” Either: as regards or with regard to….

“In the heydays of the goggled Gen-

BY

eral when fuel was often unavailable….”

Stranglehold of oil workers: heyday (uncountable).

“Last year, many houses of the Igbo in Ajegunle, a suburb of Lagos, were razed down.…” No word abuse: simply razed (not razed down). Discard the contrary views by some registers!

Yet another headline gaffe: “Restrictions on inter-bank foreign exchange trading is (are) killing the market.”

“Armed robbers now have good company–street thugs and unofficial vigilante groups.” (THE GUARDIAN, November 13) Democracy as a disincentive: vigilance group.

“Anambra 2017: Group points accusing fingers at INEC….” People in the news: Group points the finger. No obtuse addition.

“Nigeria is at a crossroad” (VANGUARD, October 20) Fixed expression: at a/ the crossroads.

“Stationeries badly needed by.…”

(DAILY INDEPENDENT, November 2) ‘Stationery’ is non-count.

“But what appears criminal is the desire of these off-springs of.…” (DAILY TRUST, November 13) ‘Offspring’ does not take any inflection.

The next three goofs are from VANGUARD of the above edition:”…the process of economic integration from which will emerge an economic block (bloc).…”

“There is a tussle going on between these two (would it have been three?) arms of government.”

“Nigerian leaders and politicians have continued to adopt and acquiesce to (in).…”

“Globacom sets (set) to rule domestic market” (Nigerian Tribune, November 14) “I have been briefed that the wrangling among the leaders of PDP are (is) over.”

(SUNDAY VANGUARD, November 12) BusinessDay of November 14 disseminated an embarrassing impropriety: “Now that the Police has (have) taken over the supervision of the….” “…and ensure it does not reoccur again.”

(THE GUARDIAN, November 14) ‘Reoccur again’? Run for cover, my dear reader! Just recur. Recur, recurrence, recurrent. Occur, occurred, occurrence.

“Lack of incentives anger (angers) local manufacturers” (Source: as above) “They provide temporary relief.” (Source: as above) ‘Temporary relief? I strongly object to that clumsy expression because there is no permanence in ‘relief’.

THE PUNCH of October 20 circulated three solecisms: “The patients pay for each act of ‘healing’ through their noses.” Get it right: they pay through the nose.

“At the launching programme (launch) in Abuja.…”

“A cursory look at the figures show (shows) that.…”

Daily Sun of October 19 circulated copious shibboleths: “The end point is that people wait for between three to five hours to pay in their drafts.” English without tears: between three and five.

“With the attainment of the highest office at any strata of government….” Singular: stratum; plural: strata.

“It may be difficult for Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu to resurrect again politically after his disastrous outing in the presidential elections.” Please, yank off ‘again’ in the interest of lexical sanity and our democracy.

“They better not rely on INEC.” This way: They had better not rely on INEC. “Like (As) we had said at various forums….”

“So, the government cannot ask the Supreme Court to interprete the law.” Spellcheck: interpret. (Source: as above) “…the reduction in the number of road accidents and causalities.” This way: casualties. “...to that extent, we shall congratulate its authors for (on) hearing the deafening cry of Nigerians for an effective legislature.”

(Nigerian Tribune, October 20) “…were simultaneously a continuation of the power-bloc struggle in Nigeria and unanticipated fallouts from that struggle.”

‘Fallout’ is uncountable.

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“…appeal to the discredited tactics of past times also wreak havoc on the procedural sanctity of the democratic path.”

(Vanguard, November 2) Notes of disquiet: pastime.

“Out-of-control trailer crushes 15 persons to death” When people are crushed by a trailer, they cannot be alive except there is divine intervention. So, ‘crushed to death’ smacks of lexical insensitivity.

The following faulty extracts are from DAILY SUN of November 13: “Police arrest 5 foreigners over (for) cattle grazing” “We will proudly present for Mr. President’s commissioning (inauguration) two 700-metre long (700-metre-long) dual carriage flyover bridges along the transSaharan Africa Highway….”

“A delegate of the PDP in Ogun State… slumped and died in the early hours of Thursday in an hotel in Abeokuta, the state capital.” This is certainly the old school genre. New class: a hotel.

“Police absolves security agencies of electoral fraud” It would be astounding for the Nigeria Police to indict fellow state gangsters! And, of course: police absolve (not absolves). “…even if it means going extra miles….”

I will go the extra mile (note the fixed expression) to ensure that this column appears unfailingly every week.

“And like (as) someone said recently….” “…in the evacuation of dead bodies to mortuary.” On a clinical note: corpses instead of ‘dead bodies’ and a mortuary or mortuaries, depending on the fact of the matter. “…as well as condoning the place and evacuating the dead and survivors to nearest health facilities.” Bomb blasts and conflicting figures: cordoning off (take note of the spelling and correct entry) the place.

“There seems (seem) to be stiff competitions among the foreign media and local press as well as….”

NEWS XTRA

Kwara Holds Council Polls Today Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

All is now set in Kwara State today (Saturday) to conduct election of chairmen and councilors into the 16 local government councils areas of the state as the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWASEIC) has distributed all the needed electoral materials for the polls to all the various parts of the state.

Already, the state police command has deployed over 4,000 officers to all the strategic locations in the state to maintain law and order.

The state police command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi who spoke with our correspondent

yesterday in Ilorin said that, the state police command was fully set to ensure a hitch-free councils poll in the state, however warned that, the state police command would not condone any act capable of threatening the peaceful conduct of the poll.

A visit of our correspondent to the state headquarters of the KWASEIC located along Fate road, Iorin on Friday showed that, electoral materials were being distributed to electoral officers to be taken to various local government council’s headquarters for the council poll.

Vehicles that will convey the electoral materials were seen stationed at the premises of the state electoral

Medallion Wins at Telecoms Industry Award Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

In recognition of its feat and contributions to the Nigeria’s Information Communication Technology sector, Medallion Communications has again been honoured as the ‘Best Interconnect Service Provider’ in Nigeria for the second time this year.

The company which deals in establishment of interconnect exchange clearinghouses, establishment of carrier hotels and data hosting facilities, telecommunications infrastructure

development and other Value added services bagged the award at the Telecoms Industry Awards just some months after it clinched same award at the Beacon of ICT Awards Series.

Organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, the umbrella body of telecommunications companies in Nigeria, the award initiative arose from the need to appreciate excellence, foster healthy competition and to drive investment in the sector, amongst others.

Chivita Hollandia, Choco Malt Win at Global Marketing Awards

Customs Intercepts 340 Bales of Second Hand Clothes in Sokoto Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto

Two of the most innovative brands from the stable of Chi Limited have been recognised for delivering superior values to the market and exhibiting excellence in upholding effective marketing strategies at the recently held 2017 edition of the Marketing World Awards.

Whilst Chivita Active Vegetable Fruit Nectar came tops in the Best Use of Packaging category, Hollandia ChocoMalt Drink was recognised as the Emerging Brand of the Year in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) category.

For Chivita Active Vegetable Fruit Nectar, while its offering of

vegetable and fruit in one mix is the first of its kind in Nigeria, it is the brand’s ambient and aseptic packaging, which again happens to be a first of its kind, that saw it pick up the award for the Best Use of Packaging.

The offer of vegetable and fruit juice in a packaging that does not require refrigeration and is free from contamination, along with a cutting edge design, rich vegetable, fruit and juice visuals combined perfectly with an appealing colour pallet, is one that resonates with consumers who lead an active lifestyle and are primed to achieve more.

The Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) Sokoto Command, comprising Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states, has intercepted 340 bales of second hand clothes with a duty paid value of N17 million.

The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Mr. Nasir Ahmed, made the disclosure to newsmen in Sokoto, yesterday.

Ahmed disclosed that the seizure was made on Monday along AlieroTambuwal road in the state.

He said the items recovered in the truck were mainly second hand clothes for children and women.

The controller disclosed that the contrabands were intercepted following intelligence reports from

Kebbi State.

“As you are aware, we got intelligence reports about these smugglers in Kebbi state and we have been monitoring them for the past two months.

“It took us time to impound the items because we have been following them right from Birnin Kebbi where they kept these illegal goods. “So, the second hand clothes were intercepted close to Tambuwal council in the wee hours of Monday.

They have so many routes they use in smuggling contraband, especially second hand clothes and the final destination is Kaduna and Plateau state,” he said.

He further said investigation was ongoing and that no arrest had been made so far.

The Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Dr. Mike Ajogwu, SAN, has announced the results of the Local Government Bye-Election held in Eke and Obioma wards in Udi Local Government Area, yesterday, declaring the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ezeako Lawrence and Mr. Chijioke Ikechukwu as winners.

Briefing journalists at the ENSIEC Headquarters, Dr. Ajogwu stated that in Eke ward, Mr. Ezeako of the PDP pulled 1,625 votes against his only contender, Mr. Philip Eze

of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 384 votes.

The ENSIEC Chairman added that in Obioma ward, Mr. Ikechukwu of the PDP scored 1,763 votes to defeat his only rival from the APC, Onyema Hyginus who pulled 31 votes.

Dr. Ajogwu described the byeelection as credible, free and fair, and commended the electorate and the security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the exercise, adding that the winners will be issued with the Certificate of Return, accordingly.

Excitement as Glo Subscribers Win Prizes PDP Sweeps Local Government The first set of winners including the Island from 8:00am accompanied by their winner of a brand new HyundaiAccent, friends and family, to collect their prizes. Bye-Election in Udi in Globacom’s Everyday Bonanza have The star of the day was a 44-year-old collected their prizes.

The Everyday Bonanza was launched last month with the promise of specified prizes each day of the week to subscribers who recharge with a minimum of N100.

The prizes included the Hyundai car to be won every Sunday. After the first set of draws conducted for customers who met the daily minimum recharge qualification criteria between October 23 and November 6, 2017, over 2500 winners emerged nationwide. The first set of winners in in the Lagos environment were the ones who received their prizes on Monday. The winners visited the Gloworld Adeola Odeku on Victoria

indigene of Takum Local Government of Taraba State, Mr. Shishi Tanini, who received a brand new Hyundai Accent Car. Others who won Flat Screen LED TV sets, generators, refrigerators, Microwave ovens prizes also received their prizes.Atotal of 60 power generating sets, 60 refrigerators, 120 microwave ovens and 30 LED television sets were received by excited subscribers at the Lagos presentation. The father of three thanked Globacom for making him a car owner, adding that he would henceforth promote the Glo brand across the nooks and crannies of the country.

26

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚;

ESSENTIAL SKILLS with STEPHEN DIESERUVWE (Director General, Delta State TraďŹ&#x192;c Management Authority (DESTMA)

Driving in Poor Conditions

Jaguar F-TYPE

Jaguar F-Type Debuts in Nigeria, Other Countries Stories by Bennett Oghifo

T

he award-winning Jaguar F-TYPE is now available in Jaguarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subSahara Africa markets with a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder *OHFOJVN FOHJOF 5IF NPTU QPXFSful four-cylinder engine ever fitted to a Jaguar boasts superb performance, with outputs of 221kW and 400Nm propelling the F-TYPE from a standstill to 100km/h in just 5.7 seconds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and on to a top speed of 250km/h.

The pairing of Jaguarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-aluminium two-seat sports car with the advanced 221kW 2.0-litre turbocharged powerplant delivers Jaguar sports car DNA with enhanced agility and improved

efficiency and affordability. This is a true F-TYPE, with its own unique character.

Lisa Mallett, Marketing Director, Jaguar Land 3PWFS 4PVUI "GSJDB BOE TVC 4BIBSB "GSJDB TBJE â&#x20AC;&#x153;F-TYPE has proven popular among customers across Africa, offering a combination of seductive styling, distinct character and sports car performance. This new 2.0-litre engine broadens the appeal of the F-TYPE range and makes it more accessible than ever before, while still offering buyers all the traits that have made F-TYPE a success.â&#x20AC;?

-BVODIFE BU UIF XPSME GBNPVT ,ZBMBNJ (SBOE 1SJY $JSDVJU UIF OFX FOUSZ QPJOU JOUP UIF ' 5:1& range had an opportunity to show off its sports DBS %/" 'JUUFE XJUI +BHVBS T MJUSF *OHFOJVN

FOHJOF UIF ' 5:1& JT LH MJHIUFS $PNCJOFE with bespoke chassis tuning, it offers drivers enhanced dynamics and agility.

The four-cylinder charged F-TYPE completes the 2018 model year F-TYPE line-up, joining the L8 TVQFSDIBSHFE 7 ' 5:1& 473 L8 ' 5:1& 3 L8 ' 5:1& 41035 L8 ' 5:1& 4 BOE L8 ' 5:1& m JO CPUI $PVQĂ&#x160; BOE $POWFSUJCMF CPEZ TUZMFT BT XFMM BT UIF 3 Dynamic trim level. $VTUPNFST DBO CVJME UIFJS PXO ' 5:1& VTJOH UIF +BHVBS $POĂ HVSBUPS PO UIF PGĂ DJBM +BHVBS website for their country (www.jaguar.com). All new Jaguar cars come with the Jaguar five-year $BSF 1MBO B Ă WF ZFBS LN TFSWJDF QMBO and a five-year/150 000km warranty as standard.

Bosch Eyes Continuous Growth in Nigeria Market

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;R: Sean Both; Country Manager, Hydraulics & Pneumatics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bosch Group; Olalekan Oyebode, (PT) Key User Manager, Bosch Nigeria, Paul Nwokolo; Sales Director -West & Central Africa-Security & Tech - Bosch, Ghislain Noumbessy; Managing Director â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nigeria Bosch, Markus Thill â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Group President for Africa - Bosch, Francis Omoniyi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sales Director; West Africa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bosch, Ayokunmi Solesi; Business Development Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bosch Nigeria, Ayobami Ogunleye; Country Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bosch Nigeria, at the Customer forum held in Lagos... recently

G

FSNBO UFDIOPMPHZ DPNQBOZ #PTDI is keen to expand its footprint in the Nigerian market after establishing its first local office in 2014 following more than a century of operating in the country and around the continent through appointed dealers.

That decision has since paid off with the local #PTDI PGĂ DF IBWJOH EPVCMFE JUT EPNFTUJD TUBGG UP more than fifty as its market outlook continues to improve.

Speaking at a press meet on Tuesday during the DPNQBOZ T FWFOU UBHHFE #PTDI JO &WFSZUIJOH UP IPTU DVTUPNFST BOE CVTJOFTT QBSUOFST BU UIF *OUFSDPOUJOFOUBM )PUFM JO 7JDUPSJB *TMBOE UIF .BOBHJOH %JSFDUPS #PTDI /JHFSJB (IJTMBJO /PVNCFTTZ TBJE UIBU UIF TFOUJNFOU XBT UIBU #PTDI IBT GPVOE B IPNF

away from home in the Nigerian market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With an estimated population of more than 206 million by 2020, Nigeria is a strategically important NBSLFU GPS #PTDI 0VS DPNQBOZ QSPWJEFT TPMVUJPOT in sectors such as infrastructure, automotive, food processing, and energy which enhance quality of life of the growing Nigerian population by making it safer, easier, and more efficient,â&#x20AC;? said Markus 5IJMM UIF #PTDI (SPVQ T 1SFTJEFOU GPS "GSJDB The company has operations in all of its four business sectors in the country: Mobility Solutions, *OEVTUSJBM 5FDIOPMPHZ $POTVNFS (PPET BOE &OFSHZ BOE #VJMEJOH 5FDIOPMPHZ The Power Tools division has aligned with the construction industry in imparting skills through onsite training for artisans and tradesmen and offering suitable solutions in terms of tools and

accessories. #PTDI TFDVSJUZ TZTUFNT IBT CFFO TVQQPSUJOH projects from concept to design and finally implementation with our appointed partners.. " LFZ GPDVT GPS 3PCFSU #PTDI /JHFSJB JT UP QSPWJEF packaging technology solutions to the food processing industry which has the benefits of reduced wastage, improved production and ultimately JNQSPWF GPPE IZHJFOF #Z QBSUOFSJOH XJUI MPDBM SFUBJMFST #4) )PNF "QQMJBODFT JT BCMF UP EFMJWFS home appliances which represent uncompromising quality, technical perfection and absolute reliability. #PTDI 5IFSNPUFDIOPMPHZ JT UIF MFBEJOH HMPCBM manufacturer and supplier of industrial boilers and heating solutions that provides cutting edge solutions to various commercial, public and industrial institutions globally.

There are situations when driving becomes a difficult task, which results in encountering poor/special conditions. These include driving at night, driving in rain, harmattan haze, misty/ foggy weather, etc. Even when driving under poor conditions, the driver is still responsible for keeping full control of the vehicle at all times. Most poor driving conditions result in reduced visibility, which may necessitate the driver in switching on their headlights, which can significantly reduce the chances of an accident because your vehicle is easier to see.

When driving under poor condition, other recommended practices to keep safe on the road include: r 3FEVDF ZPVS OPSNBM ESJWJOH TQFFE r 3FEVDF ZPVS TQFFE GVSUIFS PO TFFJOH IFBEMJHIUT or taillights. The headlights may be on a vehicle being driven down the centre of the road, and the taillights may be a vehicle stopped on the road or just barely moving. r *G ESJWJOH BU B HSFBUMZ SFEVDFE TQFFE UVSO ZPVS hazard lights on. This will make you more visible and warn other drivers that you are travelling at a reduced rate of speed. r #F QSFQBSFE GPS FNFSHFODZ TUPQT *G UIF WJTibility becomes so poor that you can barely see, cautiously pull off and stop. Wait until visibility improves before.

Some of the poor driving conditions we encounter are explained below: Driving at Night *O TPNF TJUVBUJPOT XIFO UIF SPBE BSF JO HPPE condition and devoid of potholes, driving at night can be easier than driving in daylight, for instance, there might often be less traffic at night and you can usually see approaching headlights early. #VU JO PUIFS TJUVBUJPOT ESJWJOH BU OJHIU JT NPSF dangerous than driving during the day because you cannot see as far.

When driving at night, there are a lot of things that you cannot see, for example cyclists, pedestrians, animals and so on, which will result in driving more slowly and you should remember that you must be able to stop safely well within the clear TQBDF UIBU ZPV DBO TFF BIFBE *G ZPV BSF EB[[MFE CZ approaching headlights at night, slow down and MPPL BXBZ GSPN UIF TPVSDF PG UIF MJHIU *G OFDFTTBSZ stop your car..

Many cars have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dipping mirrorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (anti-dazzle device) to reduce glare from following headlights.

Avoid dazzling drivers in front by keeping well back.

When driving at night, allow plenty of fresh air in your vehicle to avoid drowsiness, if you feel tired, stop and take a break.

To minimize the hazards of night driving, ensure that you do the following: r $IFDL ZPVS MJHIUT SFHVMBSMZ TP UIF MPX CFBNT reveal objects ahead without dazzling oncoming drivers. r ,FFQ IFBEMJHIUT DMFBO r ,FFQ UIF JOUFSJPS MJHIUT PGG TP UIBU ZPVS FZFT will remain adapted to the dark. r 8BUDI GPS QFEFTUSJBOT BOE WFIJDMFT TUPQQFE BU the side of the road. r *G ZPV NVTU TUPQ QVMM PGG UIF SPBE BOE VTF ZPVS hazard lights. r 8BUDI PVU GPS SPBE TJHOT BT UIFZ BSF NPSF EJGĂ DVMU to see and read at night. r ,FFQ CPUI UIF JOTJEF BOE PVUTJEF PG UIF XJOEscreen clean.

Fog Fog is caused by droplets of moisture in the air.At its worst you can barely see the bonnet of your car. *O UIFTF DPOEJUJPOT JU XPVME CF FYUSFNFMZ VOXJTF to drive. Always use dipped headlights (or front fog lights) and high-intensity rear lights when visibility is seriously reduced.

Never â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hang onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to the tail lights of another vehicle in fog as this would reduce your available stopping distance in an emergency. *O GPHHZ DPOEJUJPOT JU JT CFTU OPU UP ESJWF )PXFWFS if you must drive in fog, you need to take the following precautions: r *ODSFBTF ZPVS GPMMPXJOH EJTUBODF

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚;

27

Stakeholders to Gather in Lagos Ahead of Automechanika Dubai

K

L-R: Ilan Elad Director, International Sales Operations, Daimler Trucks, Asia; Thomas Pelletier, Country Manager, CFAO Nigeria; Alhaji Sanni Musa, Director, Policy and Planning, National Automotive Design and Development Council and Jelani Aliyu, DG, NADDC, during the oďŹ&#x192;cial commissioning of Fuso Assembly Plant in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Ś recently

CFAO Marks Milestone: Commissions FUSO Assembly Stories by Bennett Oghifo

T

heCFAOgroup,withitssubsidiaryCFAO Equipment, the sole distributor of the FUSO brand in Nigeria, in conjunction with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), one ofAsiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, has commissioned a FUSO assembly plant at its Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos, facility.

The inauguration took place with the special guest of honour, Dr. Okey Enelamah, Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, represented by the Director General of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu.

The foreign dignitaries were led by Mr. Ilan

Elad, Director International Sales Operations, Daimler Trucks Asia and Mr. Richard Bielle, Chairman and CEO of CFAO Group. Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, Chairman of CFAO Nigeria Plc and Mr. Thomas Pelletier, CFAO Country delegates in Nigeria played host to numerous government functionaries and captains of industry that were present.

Located in the Amuwo Odofin Industrial Area of Lagos, the plant capacity is expected to ramp up to 500 units a year with the production of the Canter truck, the market leader in its segment. The Canter truck has segment advantage in the areas of reliability, ruggedness, low maintenance cost and particularly meets the economic needs and requirements of the Nigerian end users.

The Nigerian FUSO plant shares MFTBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stringent quality standards and is the second

FUSO truck plant in Africa.

With the commissioning of this plant, CFAO and MFTBC are targeting additional growth in the emerging Nigerian market by leveraging on their strengths, expertise, and efficient network.

This local assembly plant greatly boosts job creation and local content development as indigenous contractors were extensively engaged from the design to the construction stages of the plant in addition to employment of Nigerian Engineers, Technicians and Interns in acquiring qualitative competency.

According to Mr. Richard Bielle, Chairman and CEO of CFAO: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The inauguration of this new FUSO plant coincides with the celebration of CFAOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 115th year in Nigeria. CFAO Nigeria Plc is present in Nigeria across the Mobility, Healthcare and Consumer goods sectors.

ey stakeholders in the automotive industry are expected to gather in Lagos ahead of Automechanika Dubai trade fair, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest trade fair for the automotive aftermarket.

The event, which is expected to hold at the Golden Tulip Hotel Festac, Lagos on 22nd of November, would bring together many Nigerian companies and several other foreign companies from abroad.

The event, would also discuss the highlights of the next edition of Automechanika Dubai trade fair which will be taking place from 1-3 May 2018.

The last edition of Automechanika Dubai featured 1,955 exhibitors from 57 countries and welcomed more than 30,322 trade visitors from across 136 countries.

Expected guest speakers will include Luqmann Mamudu, Director, Policy and Planning, National Automotive Design and Development; Nnamdi Ebeku, Secretary General, Auto Spare Parts & Machinery Dealers Associaition (ASPAMDA); Uche Increase, President, Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); and Dr. D.V.C. Obi the Chairman, Motor Vehicle and Miscellaneous Assemblies Sectoral Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

According to the Messe Frankfurt representative in Nigeria, Omonigho Itoya-Abanokwu, the fair, which is holding in Dubai in 2018 as well as the Lagos road show would open business opportunities for the sector in Nigeria.

Speaking about the fair in Dubai, she noted that the six sections of the fair; Parts & Components, Electronics & Systems, Accessories & Customizing, Tyres & Batteries, Car Wash, Care & Re-conditioning and Repair & Maintenance were key areas to the ongoing development of the auto industry in Nigeria.

Weststar, Barbedos Cars Host Mercedes-Benz Service Campaign

W

eststarAssociates Limited, the authorised general distributors of Mercedes-Benz passenger and commercial vehicles in Nigeria, in collaboration with one of its authorised dealerships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Barbedos Cars Limited began a special vehicle service programme inAbuja this week that would end on December 8.

Weststar said, in a statement, that this campaign was â&#x20AC;&#x153;part of the strategic directions aimed at achieving superior after-sales quality of service and enhancing customer relationship.â&#x20AC;?

According to the company, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This service week campaign serves as an opportunity for MercedesBenz passenger car owners in Abuja to bring their cars to the workshop in preparation for the upcoming yuletide season.â&#x20AC;?

Special offers for each week, they said would include â&#x20AC;&#x153;free diagnostics and engine checks, free labor for every car serviced, availability of genuine parts at special prices and also, free parts and service advice for the next five weeks. Due to concerns raised by the management over the increase in road accidents during the holiday season, the service campaign was initiated to help reduce the frequency of road casualties by attracting Mercedes-Benz customers to come partake in free service of their cars at a much more subsidised cost.â&#x20AC;?

General Manager, Aftersales, Weststar Associates Limited, Michael Bromberger said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Weststar and its authorised dealerships nationwide, we believe that after-sales plays a critical role in the life-span of each Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

A service centre for Mercedes-Benz cars

Distraction Is A Killer: #Park Your Phone

O

n Tuesday, 14th November 2017, I was driving along Rayfield, in Jos the Plateau State capital when I cited a man in his late forties driving close to Atiku junction for those very familiar with Rayfield.

Sitting besides the man on the front passenger seat, was a woman whom I suspect to be his wife. Two risky driving behavior of the man caught my attention .On the lap of the woman (mother) was a little boy of about four years despite the warning that children within that age should not sit in the front, rather they should be properly strapped in a car seat which is currently our focus in Jos tagged, CHILD SAFETY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. Despite this unsafe habit of transporting the 4years child, the man (father) was equally holding his phone with one hand while answering a call which was the second risky driving behavior. My attempt to call him to order was rebuffed as he continued answering his calls and zoomed off. When I got home I kept pondering on why parents or guardians indulge in the use of Phone while driving which I told you last week is a distracted driving habit.

Today I wish to continue with the same focus.

But before I do, let me again remind people like the man I cited in Jos, and others who indulge in distracted driving behavior to always reflect on the road traffic crashes statistic recently released by the United Nations which I mentioned last week; it states that 650 people are killed each day in road crashes throughout Africa. I equally drew our attention to the concern raised by the

SAFE DRIVING with

JONAS AGWU

amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education OďŹ&#x192;cer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491

United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, on the projected increase in urbanization, motorization, infrastructure development projects and vehicle ownership in the region over the coming decades and the attendant road traffic fatalities and injuries that will continue to take a rising toll on the continent if no significant changes are made.

Mr. Todt among other interventions called for implementing basic laws such as using seat belts and helmets, child safety seats, and prohibiting drunk drivers. He also stressed the need to have a national vision and leadership in addition to the need to place more resources in collecting data, which can then lead to the development of strategies. He noted that reliable data is also urgently needed to achieve the Decade of Action for Road Safety, which runs through 2019, and the Sustainable Development Goals, which include a target calling for road fatalities and injuries to be halved by 2020, and another target related to safe and affordable access to sustainable transport systems for all by 2030.

Having refreshed your memory with these facts and realities,let me bring you back to the focus which started last week on the need to guard against distracted driving as contained in the ongoing Park your phone while on the road being run by FIA. Incidentally, the UN Special Envoy is also the President of FIA. Hear the Special Envoy speak on this concern when he noted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to understand the dangers of using smartphones in traffic. Mr, Jean Todt, said â&#x20AC;&#x153;. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to understand the dangers of using smartphones in traffic. To combat the 3,500 lives lost every day in road accidents, I urge all road users to park their phones when they are in traffic â&#x20AC;?as only a few seconds of distraction can make a difference between life and death. The FIA#ParkYourPhone, campaign is aimed at encouraging responsible smartphone use in traffic.

His concern was supported by the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc who equally spoke on the dangers of distracted driving especially driving and using the phone . Here is what the Commissioner said; â&#x20AC;&#x153;With smartphones becoming more popular than ever, it seems increasingly difficult to take our eyes off the screen. In fact, distracted driving is the cause of a growing number of road deaths and injuries. It is vital that we keep our attention on the road. As Transport Commissioner, road safety is one of my ongoing priorities. A simple way to reduce accidents is to keep your eyes on the road and off your smartphone.

I support FIA Region Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initiative and this is my message to all road users: park your phone, keep

the road safe.â&#x20AC;?

The host of the campaign, MEP Koch shared their concern as he said that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Europe has done a lot to improve safety, be it on technical improvements of the vehicles, better training for road users or infrastructure. But new technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, bring about new challenges. I welcome this event very much, because it encourages everyone to remember that a moment of distraction can be fatal.â&#x20AC;?FIA Region I Director General, Laurianne Krid, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many ways to be active in traffic, from a young to an older age. FIA Region I and our member Clubs believe that lifelong learning is key to ensure the safest roads. This campaign reminds us of the many distractions that cross our path on a daily basis and encourages everyone to #ParkYourPhone and remain focussed on the road while in traffic.â&#x20AC;?

The campaign which took place in Place du Luxembourg in Brussels is to be launched across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in countries such as France,Portugal, Slovakia,Denmark,Belgium,Czech Republic,Lebanon and Tanzania among others. The campaign targets motorists such as drivers,pedestrians and cyclists putting themselves at risk by using phones in traffic. Such users are encouraged to stay focused on the road. They hope to raise awareness about distraction and the dangers of being distracted. The campaign will raise more awareness about distraction and show dangers of being distracted.

I know that some readers would dismiss my appeal but as promised last week here are some shocking facts from the United States where daily, approximately 660,000 drivers are attempting to use the phones while driving.

28

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

FAMILY HEALTH with

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

Throat Infections

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, ͸Î&#x20AC;͸ͽ͝͝Ϳͺ͝ͽ͞

T

he human body is a very delicate structure.

And one of the most delicate parts are the sensory orifices, ear , nose and throat.

These three structures are interconnected and an infection in any one of them , would normally be felt in the other. The throat , the one that is hidden within, with the mouth as opening is as delicate as it is vocal. This therefore means that it is constantly moist , and therefore prone to infections. The most common throat infection is sore throat.

A sore throat (throat infection, pharyngitis) is caused when a virus (or bacteria) infects the area at the back of your throat (pharynx). This causes redness and swelling (inflammation), and can be painful, especially when you swallow. Viruses are the most common cause of sore throats. Pharyngitis is most commonly caused by viral infections such as the common cold, influenza, or mononucleosis. ... Bacterial infections require antibiotics. The most common bacterial infection of the throat is strep throat, which is caused by group A streptococcus .

A bacterial infection can also cause a sore throat.

These types of infections include: strep throat, which is an inflammation of the throat caused by the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. diphtheria, which causes throat inflammation.

A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. The most common cause of a sore throat (pharyngitis) is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. A sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own.

Strep throat (streptococcal infection), a less common type of sore throat caused by bacteria, requires treatment with antibiotics to prevent complications.

Other less common causes of sore throat might require more complex treatment. Sore throats are very common and usually nothing to worry about. They normally get better by themselves within a week.

Signs and symptoms might include r 1BJO PS B TDSBUDIZ TFOTBUJPO JO UIF UISPBU r 1BJO UIBU XPSTFOT XJUI TXBMMPXJOH PS UBMLJOH r %JGĂ DVMUZ TXBMMPXJOH r 4PSF TXPMMFO HMBOET JO ZPVS OFDL PS KBX r 4XPMMFO SFE UPOTJMT r 8IJUF QBUDIFT PS QVT PO ZPVS UPOTJMT r )PBSTF PS NVGĂĄFE WPJDF Common infections causing a sore throat might result in other signs and symptoms, including r 'FWFS r $PVHI r 3VOOZ OPTF r 4OFF[JOH r #PEZ BDIFT r )FBEBDIF r /BVTFB PS WPNJUJOH There are times when you need to take immediate action, by seeing a doctor: With Children r %JGĂ DVMUZ CSFBUIJOH r %JGĂ DVMUZ TXBMMPXJOH r 6OVTVBM ESPPMJOH XIJDI NJHIU JOEJDBUF BO inability to swallow As an adult, see your doctor if you have a sore throat and any of the following associated problems occur .

Asorethroatthatissevereorlastslongerthanaweek r %JGĂ DVMUZ TXBMMPXJOH r %JGĂ DVMUZ CSFBUIJOH r %JGĂ DVMUZ PQFOJOH ZPVS NPVUI r +PJOU QBJO r &BSBDIF r 3BTI r 'FWFS IJHIFS UIBO ' $

r #MPPE JO TBMJWB PS QIMFHN r 'SFRVFOUMZ SFDVSSJOH TPSF UISPBUT r " MVNQ JO ZPVS OFDL r )PBSTFOFTT MBTUJOH NPSF UIBO UXP XFFLT A sore throat is often a symptom of DPMET PS ĂĄV m ZPV NBZ BMTP IBWF B CMPDLFE PS runny nose, a cough, a high temperature (fever), a headache and general aches MBSZOHJUJT JOĂĄBNNBUJPO PG UIF WPJDF CPY m ZPV may also have a hoarse voice, a dry cough and a constant need to clear your throat UPOTJMMJUJT JOĂĄBNNBUJPO PG UIF UPOTJMT m ZPV may also have red or spotty tonsils, discomfort when swallowing and a fever TUSFQ UISPBU B CBDUFSJBM UISPBU JOGFDUJPO m ZPV NBZ also have swollen glands in your neck, discomfort when swallowing and tonsillitis HMBOEVMBS GFWFS m ZPV NBZ BMTP GFFM WFSZ UJSFE and have a fever and swollen glands in your neck

r ESZ TDSBUDIZ UISPBU r SFEOFTT JO UIF CBDL PG UIF NPVUI r CBE CSFBUI r NJME DPVHI r TXPMMFO OFDL HMBOET r 5IF TZNQUPNT BSF TJNJMBS GPS DIJMESFO CVU children can also get a temperature and appear less active. r ZPV IBWF EJGĂ DVMUZ TXBMMPXJOH PS CSFBUIJOH r ZPV SF ESPPMJOH r ZPVS WPJDF DIBOHFT QJUDI PS CFDPNFT XIFF[Z r ZPVS TZNQUPNT BSF TFWFSF BOE HFUUJOH XPSTF quickly r 5IFTF TZNQUPNT DBO NBLF CSFBUIJOH NPSF difficult.

To help relieve the pain and discomfort of a sore throat you can VTF QBSBDFUBNPM PS JCVQSPGFO 2. use medicated lozenges or anaesthetic sprays (although thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little proof they help)

There are also products such as medicated lozenges and sprays sold in pharmacies that you may want to try. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much scientiďŹ c evidence to suggest they help, although some people ďŹ nd them worth using. Antibiotics arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually prescribed for a sore throat, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caused by a bacterial infection, as theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unlikely to make you feel better any quicker and they can have unpleasant side eďŹ&#x20AC;ects

6. It may also be caused by something irritating your throat, such as smoke, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (where acid leaks up from the stomach) and allergies.

7. Less common causes.

-FTT PGUFO B TPSF UISPBU DBO CF B TJHO PG 9. quinsy (a painful collection of pus at the back PG UIF UISPBU m UIF QBJO NBZ CF TFWFSF BOE ZPV NBZ also have difficulty opening your mouth or difficulty swallowing FQJHMPUUJUJT JOĂĄBNNBUJPO PG UIF ĂĄBQ PG UJTTVF BU UIF CBDL PG UIF UISPBU m UIF QBJO NBZ CF TFWFSF and you may have difficulty breathing and difficulty swallowing.

TREATMENT Treatments for a sore throat There are also products such as medicated lozenges and sprays sold in pharmacies that you may want to try. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much scientific evidence to suggest they help, although some people find them worth using. Antibiotics arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually prescribed for a sore throat, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caused by a bacterial infection, as theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unlikely to make you feel better any quicker and they can have unpleasant side effects.

To help soothe a sore throat and shorten how long it lasts you can r HBSHMF XJUI XBSN TBMUZ XBUFS r ESJOL QMFOUZ PG XBUFS CVU BWPJE IPU ESJOLT r FBU DPPM PS TPGU GPPET r BWPJE TNPLJOH PS TNPLZ QMBDFT r TVDL JDF DVCFT JDF MPMMJFT PS IBSE TXFFUT CVU donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking r SFTU r 5P IFMQ TPPUIF B TPSF UISPBU BOE TIPSUFO IPX long it lasts you can: r HBSHMF XJUI XBSN TBMUZ XBUFS DIJMESFO TIPVMEO U try this) r ESJOL QMFOUZ PG XBUFS CVU BWPJE IPU ESJOLT r FBU DPPM PS TPGU GPPET r BWPJE TNPLJOH PS TNPLZ QMBDFT r TVDL JDF DVCFT JDF MPMMJFT PS IBSE TXFFUT CVU donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking r SFTU r 5P IFMQ SFMJFWF UIF QBJO BOE EJTDPNGPSU PG B TPSF throat you can: r VTF QBSBDFUBNPM PS JCVQSPGFO r VTF NFEJDBUFE MP[FOHFT PS BOBFTUIFUJD TQSBZT (although thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little proof they help) See you doctor as soon as possible if r ZPVS TPSF UISPBU EPFTO U JNQSPWF BGUFS B XFFL r ZPV PGUFO HFU TPSF UISPBUT r ZPV SF XPSSJFE BCPVU ZPVS TPSF UISPBU r ZPV IBWF B TPSF UISPBU BOE B WFSZ IJHI UFNQFSBUVSF or you feel hot and shivery r ZPV IBWF B XFBLFOFE JNNVOF TZTUFN GPS example because of diabetes or chemotherapy r "OUJCJPUJDT r $BVTFT BOE TZNQUPNT PG TPSF UISPBUT r 4PSF UISPBUT BSF VTVBMMZ DBVTFE CZ WJSVTFT MJLF cold or flu) or from smoking. r 4ZNQUPNT JODMVEF r QBJOGVM UISPBU FTQFDJBMMZ XIFO TXBMMPXJOH

Please go back to your doctor if you have any of these r ZPVS TPSF UISPBU EPFTO U JNQSPWF BGUFS B XFFL r ZPV PGUFO HFU TPSF UISPBUT r ZPV SF XPSSJFE BCPVU ZPVS TPSF UISPBU r ZPV IBWF B TPSF UISPBU BOE B WFSZ IJHI UFNQFSBture, or you feel hot and shivery r ZPV IBWF B XFBLFOFE JNNVOF TZTUFN GPS example because of diabetes or chemotherapy.

Strep throat, also called streptococcal sore throat, is an infection of the throat and tonsils caused by Streptococcal bacteria. Typical symptoms are sore throat, chills, fever, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Strep throat is cured by antibiotic treatment.

Is sore throat infectious?

"CPVU JO DIJMESFO BHFE m ZFBST XJMM IBWF B sore throat caused by S. pyogenes, compared with BCPVU JO BEVMUT :PV DBO DBUDI B UISPBU JOGFDUJPO when someone infected with the virus or bacteria sneezes or coughs, releasing droplets that contain the virus into the air.

Pharyngitis (viral and bacterial) is contagious and DBO CF USBOTNJUUFE GSPN POF QFSTPO UP BOPUIFS 6TVBMMZ mucus, nasal discharge and saliva can contain the viruses and/or bacteria that can cause sore throat $POTFRVFOUMZ FWFO LJTTJOH DBO DBVTF USBOTGFS PG these organisms.

If you have simple viral pharyngitis, your symptoms should go away gradually over a period of about one week. If you have strep throat, your symptoms should subside within two to three days after you begin taking antibiotics.

The bacterium or virus that causes a sore throat is usually caught from someone else who is already JOGFDUFE 'PS FYBNQMF UIF DPNNPO DPME JT TQSFBE through tiny droplets of fluid that contain the cold virus, launched into the air when someone coughs, sneezes or speaks.

If you breathe in one of these droplets or touch a surface that has the virus on it, and then touch your face, you may become infected.

Home remedies 5IJT TPSF UISPBU IPNF SFNFEZ NJYFT UFBTQPPO FBDI PG QPXEFSFE HJOHFS BOE IPOFZ c DVQ PG IPU XBUFS BOE UIF KVJDF PG c TRVFF[FE MFNPO 1PVS UIF XBUFS PWFS UIF HJOHFS UIFO BEE UIF MFNPO KVJDF BOE IPOFZ BOE HBSHMF )POFZ DPBUT UIF UISPBU BOE BMTP has mild antibacterial properties.

8BSN TBMUXBUFS HBSHMF %SJOL XBSN MJRVJET 4BHF &DIJOBDFB UISPBU TQSBZ Apple cider vinegar 3BX HBSMJD )POFZ 5ISPBU $PBU UFB Suck on ice chips Peppermint essential oil Licorice Marshmallow root 4MJQQFSZ &MN Acupuncture 'SP[FO GPPET &BU DIJDLFO TPVQ A humidifier A warm compress Throat spray Lozenges or cough drops )BSE DBOEZ Zinc lozenges %SJOL QMFOUZ PG ĂĄVJET 3FTU Quit smoking 0WFS UIF DPVOUFS 05$ QBJO NFEJDBUJPOT GPS sore throat pain.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 16, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

John Ogu

18.11.2017

Making a Statement with Poise

NORTH LONDON DERBY

PAGE. 29

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

Making a Statement with Poise Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? ĂĄĂ?Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x17D;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;ËŞĂ? Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;ËŞĂ? Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x;Ă&#x161; Ă&#x203A;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ë&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; ËŤ Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x153;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x; Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;ËŞĂ&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ë&#x203A;ËŹ Ă&#x2122;ĂĄĂ?Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x17E; ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ë&#x153; Kunle Adewale ĂĄĂ&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;

S

John Ogu

peaking at a media parley ahead of Super Eaglesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; World Cup qualifiers game against Zambia, Gernot Rohr revealed that the highly rated defensive midfielder who was voted as the best foreign player in Israel in 2016 was not among the best players in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have the best players with us here in the team for the game against Zambia and John Ogu isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one of them,â&#x20AC;? he had said.

In Oguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first two notable games for the national team, he came in as a substitute. In his first game against Kenya in 2013, he came in for injured Victor Moses, while in his second game, he replaced injured Ogenyi Onazi, until he was handed another opportunity to make the Super Eaglesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team in an African Cup of Nations qualifying match against South Africa.

With injuries to several players in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last match against Algeria, Ogu was given a starting shirt and he put up a superlative performance, crowned with a spectacular goal.

However, he would not have been available for the game after picking an injury in his club but had to go the extra mile to spend his personal money to be ready for the game against Algeria.

He went off injured in a Europa League game for his Israeli side, Hapoel Beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er Sheva against Romanian side, Steau Bucuresti, due to a muscle injury, and was later told he would be out for four weeks.

However, the 29-year-old battled his way back to full fitness in order to be fit for the game against Algeria, and returned to the pitch two weeks earlier than the time the doctors gave him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;October 20, in a game against Steau Bucharest in our UEFA Cup match, I had a little tear in my satorious muscle that forced me out of the game. I usually donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go out from games but that night it was painful so I did. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weekend of that same week, we were to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv which is a very important game for my club. Training on Saturday, I wanted to play with me begging our doctors to inject me .But they refused because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to risk it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was thinking also of this day and moment in my career.

So, I went for Ultra sound and it was revealed I had a tear and that I will be out for four weeks.

Thank God for the Gene he

blessed me with. I told them I will be back in two weeks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I spent my money to visit a specialist, went for a therapy with my team three times, spent also on Orthotics to fit in my boots and came back exactly in two weeks just to be back to represent my country after missing three league games and Europa League game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not looking way too sharp yet but I will keep working hard. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really proud of the team against Algeria. We worked as a team and fought for each other. I am Happy all my efforts were not in vain. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m grateful to God for his grace upon my life,â&#x20AC;? Ogu said on his Twitter handle.

Speaking with THISDAY, former Nigerian international, Tajudeen Disu, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Rohr is starting to trust Ogu after his performance against Senegal in London. Though, it was far away from a vintage performance but the coach saw in him a bright future and a room for improvement and the player grabbed the opportunity with a vintage performance against Algeria. He has the potentials no doubt, but he needs to compose himself more and prove to the coach that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best option for that position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without trying to undermine his Israeli club-Hapoel Beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er Sheva, a regular shirt for the national team could also earn him bigger clubs in Europe and ofcourse, better pay. Those are some of the advantages that come along with enjoying regular shirt for the national team,â&#x20AC;? Disu stated.

He, however, attributed his absence from the national team to the decision he took while in Portugal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It started with a friendly in South Africa when the coach asked me to feign injury but I refused. We were African champions and I wanted to be part of the squad, playing for my country is too important for me,â&#x20AC;? Ogu told Supersport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I returned to Portugal everything changed and he stopped playing me. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get much attention. I continued working on my game but he never played me. It was only after the team list came out for the World Cup that he (the coach tried to be nice to me) but it was too late. Now, I am in Israel and playing regularly, enjoying my football, winning league titles and back in the national team.â&#x20AC;?

On how he feels that at Hapoel he is one of the first names on the team sheet but for the Super Eagles, despite his experience,

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NOVEMBER 18, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

AFRICA PLAYS with KENNETH EZAGA 0807 0530 677, zigi199@yahoo.com

Why the Dangotes, Danjumas, Alakijas, Atikus Should Consider Sports Philanthropy Last Sunday, while observing events as a neighbour celebrated the birth of their new baby, I noticed a rather intriguing spectacle.

About eight teenage boys gathered outside the venue uninvited and boisterously danced to the loud music, basically entertaining guests in the hope of getting served some food. Fortune smiled on them as the organisers rewarded their industry with some food and drinks. It was a rowdy session, but these young boys could dance up a storm almost oblivious of the reality of their own challenging circumstances. Watching the scene from a distance, I momentarily forgot the frustration of being forced to endure hours of noise on a day one should be resting, and wondered about how much talent these youngsters had and how easily it could all go to waste

I

John Ogu celebrating his goal for Super Eagles against Algeria he is not a guaranteed starter, he said: “I am one of those who will always respect the decisions of the coach. It is a dream to be called up to represent Nigeria and so it is an honour to be in the squad. So, when I come to the Super Eagles camp, I do not feel I

am coming to replace anyone. I just feel I am coming to help my country win matches and qualify for tournaments.”

It therefore remains to be seen how much conviction Rohr now has in Ogu.

World Cup: Give Other Goal Keepers a Chance

A

n Abuja based football coach, Randy Iortyer has called on the coach of the super eagles, Gerjard Rohr to give former keeper for super eagles, Dele a second chance as the country prepares for the World Cup in Russia.

In an interview with sports Journalists in Abuja, My Iortyer who is the coach of the Prisons Football Club of Abuja said in view of the tenuous nature of the super eagles Defence line, it is important to bring in people who are experienced and are exposed to international competitions.

According ding to him, with the nonavailability of former eagles number one hand, Vincent Enyama and the limited exposure of the eagles’ present fist choice goal keeper, it is important to expand the Defence base of the eagles.

The former eagles goal keeper went into the bad book of Nigerian Football

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE 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

authorities when he conceded two goals in the match between Nigeria and Guinea, leading to the exit of Nigeria from the African cup of nations.

But in an interview with journalists, Coach Iortyer said the forth coming World Cup tournament is too competitive to exclude other experience and exposed goal keepers.

“Our last match against Algeria which technically speaking had nothing at stake except for pride and fifa rating, our goal line was deficient in two areas which I believe can be corrected with the presence of experienced goal keepers like Dele Aeyenugba and others who are doing well in their respective clubs.

“Besides, Football is a game that errors must occur. The line of Defence can make a good or bad goal keeper.

Football is a team game that is played as a unit. It is not an individual sport.

There may be individual brilliance that makes players or even goal keepers exceptional. One individual cannot be singled out for blame. It is high time to bring in more goal keepers as the nation prepares for the World Cup. We saw a clear vacuum at the goal post during the last friendly match between super eagles and the Argentinean national team.

“Since the FIFA World Cup is the apex of football, all departments should be fortified and carefully selected devoid of sentiment as to who made mistakes in the past so that Nigeria can discharged itself creditably with a sound technical crew ranging from MON Patrick Pascal to the head coach Gernort Rohr”.

“Since his outing during the AFCON qualifier where Dele conceded two goals, he has been left out from being called to camp, though he is a regular player in his team, Hapoel Ashkelon in Israel.

n a few years, the reality of compulsory bills will hit them and not a few will be heading for careers as motor park touts and other forms of menial labour. Some may become career political thugs, while others take to crime – from the petty to the deadly. Hopes of acquiring genuine work skills to feed themselves and their families are usually dim; this sort simply sees the wealth but not the sweat in how it is made. Many also feel the wealth is ill-gotten and simply are on a queue for their turn to do act.

If society does not step up to engage them in a positive and respectful way, we will all be in danger soon enough.

Frighteningly, our exploding population means we don’t have much time on our hands. Credible estimates show that by 2050 we may be faced with about 265m youth, with the majority of them poorly educated, poorly skilled and pretty much like the young men at the party.

Sports can help change things. Those youngsters should be practicing to make their school teams to annual state or national championships in any one of a variety of sports. We have proven to be a nation with sports pedigree, and we are probably denying potentially world-beating talents a chance to make history. For decades now, our leaders have not understood what to do with sports, but then the government can use some help from the private sector.

Nigerians who have a few billion naira to spend on corporate social responsibility and philanthropy should take a second look at sports and chime in for the greater good.

The names listed in my headline are known to be wealthy philanthropists who have spent heavily on different schemes to help the less fortunate among us. What one hardly sees, however, is philanthropy that invests in sports, despite its ability to put people of all ages and across all socioeconomic groups to productive work.

While much of sports philanthropy comes from highly paid athletes giving back to society, many corporations and foundations recognise the powers of sport and invest in initiatives that promote values that sports bring to societies, like fair competition, merit, compassion, leadership, unity, resilience, healthy and disciplined living and so much more.

The great thing about sports though is how it can engage millions of people both in the amateur and professional ranks. Despite only a few people ever getting to the very top of sports, sports still engage large numbers of people from very early in their lives to their twilight years. In 2012 when South Africa was thinking about its football future, then CEO of the South African

Aliko Dangote Football Association (SAFA) Robin Petersen showed how football alone engaged three million people in the country. According to the Brand South Africa website, Petersen said at the time that he was “looking at new ways to fund development, so that the 330 local football associations, the 20000 clubs and the three-million players in South Africa, as well as schools, will become a breeding ground for new talent.”

Nigerian philanthropists must begin to think more about developing communities around the country through sports. Establishing sports centres like football parks, tennis and basketball courts, swimming centres, can help whole communities embrace sports; and as a result work together for unity, peace and progress. Initiatives like these would reduce crime, increase consciousness for healthy living and good education, as well as enhance collaboration. They would also create jobs for coaches, officials, small businesses and especially players, who the more they play the more they want to reach the top of the sport globally.

While building a hostel or administrative block in a school is great for the students, a sports centre can produce talents that influence millions of people around the world. We must work to stop our increasing army of unengaged youth from being fertile ground for political schemers and criminals. We must also stop those who never want us to forget that we are different tribes, different religions, different cultures, and different worldviews. Ask anyone about who beat Argentina 4:2 in an international football friendly on Tuesday, and the answer, delivered with pride, would be Nigeria – the diverse but inclusive country where although our tribes and tongues differ, in brotherhood we stand. Sport alone makes that possible.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153;ͺ͸͚Ϳ

North London Derby

Arsenal, Tottenham Divide London Fans Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x152;ĂŁ Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2022;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x152;ĂŁ Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;ĂŁ Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x2122; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; ĂĄĂ&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ÍťĚ&#x2039;Íš Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă? Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ě&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2022;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x152;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2122;ĂŁĂ?Ă&#x17D;

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he 184th North London Derby is soon upon us, and both Arsenal and Spurs will want to leave a mark on the other as they go head to head today. A win is a must for either side and yet neither may emerge victorious.

Recent trends have seen four draws in six games between the London clubs, and two victories for Spurs. However, Arsenal will look to set the record straight after finishing below Tottenham for the first time in 20 years last season.

The Gunners side barely look shaken by that fact and it simply is because they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Petr Cechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent interview stating that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Spurs have been there in the last few years so now I think they have to make sure they win something to show the progressionâ&#x20AC;&#x153;, shows his position on the supposed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;change of guardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

And it is banter like this that kicks off the week before any North London Derby. Years of dislike have made both sides capable enough to dish it out when needed. Sadly for Arsenal, the dishing out has not been happening much on the pitch recently.

A decent draw against Chelsea was followed by dire first half vs Manchester City. The Gunnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Big 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122; record has been erratic of late and they need to make sure that the fans are not demoralized after today.This is best occasion to keep the unbeaten home run going and give the fans a passionate showing against Spurs.

Of course, a passionate showing might not be as easy as it sounds given the presence of Mike Dean at the Emirates.

Arsene Wengerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments last week about the referee at the Etihad have clearly not gone well with the FA. The appointment of the single most hated official for the Gunners surely is one way of punishing the manager.

Meanwhile, Wenger has dismissed the idea that Arsenal are underdogs for today's north London derby against Tottenham.

The Gunners finished behind their huge rivals last season for the first time since Wenger took charge in 1996 and are four points adrift of third-placed Spurs already this term.

But Wenger denied the tide had turned to the extent that he considered his side the underdogs for the eagerly-awaited derby at the Emirates.

"Not at all. I think Tottenham is a good side but we have the quality to win this game and that is what we want to show," said the Arsenal manager.

Wenger has a superb record in the north London derby and agreed that it is a fixture he always looks forward to.

"There is always pride involved, a desire to beat your opponent," he said.

"You need to have full commitment, but as well be lucid enough and calm enough to focus on the game. It is one of the fixtures of course that is very important for us and that you want to win. Basically as well, in the table, we have to make some ground up with the top teams.

"At home we have been very strong and our home strength will certainly be vital to decide where we finish at the end of the

Harry Kane got the better of Arsenal duo of Laurent Koscieiny and Petr Cech

season."

Wenger said defender Shkodran Mustafi and forward Danny Welbeck will have fitness tests ahead of Saturday's game.

But French striker Olivier Giroud is unlikely to be available after picking up a thigh strain while on international duty.

Meanwhile, Manchester United take on Newcastle at Old Trafford this evening hoping to get their title charge back on track.

United sit second in the table, but are eight points behind the leaders Man City after losing to Chelsea 1-0 before the international break.

Newcastle meanwhile are in 11th place, nine points off United.

Jose Mourinhoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s injury worries are beginning to thin out, but there are still various big stars unavailable. Phil Jones is the latest to suffer a knock and is a doubt, while the game will probably come too soon for Paul Pogba to return in time for. Carrick, Ibrahimovic and Rojo remain unavailable.

Newcastle could be without Jamaal Lascelles, who has sustained an ankle injury, and will almost certainly be without Atsu, Dummett and Merino.

Manchester United have won 22 and lost just one of their last 32 league games against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Newcastle have lost 84 matches in all competitions against the Red Devils, more than versus any other side in their history.

However, Jose Mourinhoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side have lost two of their last three games in the Premier League, as many as in the previous 37 combined. But

Young Boxers Thrill Crowd at GOtv NextGen Search 3 Selectors and members of the audience at GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 3 have been delighted by the showing of young boxers participating in the programme. The event, holding at Walan Hotel (formerly D'Rovans) in Ibadan, was formally declared open on Friday.

GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 3, which

has attracted about 300 boxers, said selectors, has provided an indication that the future of Nigerian boxing is bright. Among the selectors at the programme are Coaches Joe Mensah, Jerry Okorodudu and Obisia Nwakpa. They described the standard of boxing exhibited by the youngsters as impressive. Boxers attended the event from as far as Jos, Plateau State.

at Old Trafford, Man Utd are unbeaten in 22 Premier League games, winning the last six in a row without conceding.

Benitez has won four of his 13 previous Premier League matches against Man Utd as manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only Arsene Wenger, Gerard Houllier and Jose Mourinho have won more against the Red Devils in the PL. Romelu Lukaku has been directly involved in nine goals in eight Premier League appearances against Newcastle United (five goals, four assists).

Hot Shot Harry Kane Sergio Aguero Romelu Lukaku Raheem Sterling Alvaro Morata Mohamed Salah Gabriel Jesus Jamie Verdy Leroy Sane Alex Lacazette

Tottenham Man City Man Utd Man City Chelsea Liverpool Man City Leicester Man City Arsenal

8 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6

Head to Head 30/04/17 06/11/16 05/03/16 08/11/15 07/02/15 27/09/14

Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal

2-0 1 -1 2-2 1 -1 2-1 1-1

Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham

16/03/14 01/09/13 03/03/13 17/11/12 26/02/12 02/10/11 20/04/11

Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal Arsenal Tottenham Tottenham

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

Arsenal Tottenham Arsenal Tottenham Tottenham Arsenal Arsenal

Fixtures TODAY Arsenal

v

Tottenham

12:30

Bournemouth

v

HuddersďŹ eld

15:00

Burnley

v

Swansea

15:00

Crystal Palace

v

Everton

15:00

Leicester

v

Man City

15:00

Liverpool

v

Southampton

15:00

West Brom

v

Chelsea

15:00

Man Utd

v

Newcastle

17:50

SUNDAY Watford

v

West Ham

16: 00

Premiership Table Man City Man Utd Tottenham Chelsea Liverpool Arsenal Burnley Brighton Watford HuddersďŹ eld Newcastle Leicester Southampton Stoke Everton West Brom Bournemouth West Ham Swansea Crystal Palace

11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

31 18 13 9 4 4 1 0 -4 -5 0 0 -2 -9 -12 -5 -7 -12 -6 -18

31 23 23 22 19 19 19 15 15 15 14 13 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 4

33

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153;ͺ͸͚Ϳ

˺˺

Fidelity Bank celebrating their victory in the football event of the Nigeria Bankers Games

Daniel Akingboye

Teen Sensation, Akingboye Eyes Golf World Stage The desire of Nigerians to see one of their own play golf at the world stage may materialise soon as U.S based Nigerian, Daniel Akingboye seems ready to make that dream comes true.

The kid sensation who plies his trade at Knickerbocker Golf Club in New Jersey, says having played the game for over a period of 16 years, the time is now to move to the next level.

The up and coming golfer who flew into the country on Thursday is one of the golfers to watch out for in this

yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of the glamourous Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship, which tees off at the Golf Section of Ikoyi Club 1938 this morning.

For the few who saw some flashes of him, their belief is that Akingboye is a budding talent waiting to explode.

Though he still has some years ahead of him, they are however of the opinion that the kid golfer possesses all the necessary ingredients to make it big in the game of golf, explaining further that it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long for him to hit

the limelight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has everything you want to see in a budding professional golfer.

He is skillful and talented and has a temperament that can help his game,â&#x20AC;? the analyst explains.

A great striker of the golf ball, Akingboye, like every other up and coming golf star wants to be the next Tiger Woods.

If his dream materialises he might just be the one to put Nigeria on the world map of golf playing nations.

Fidelity Emerges Winner of Nigeria Bankers Games Fidelity Bank made history at the just concluded Nigeria Bankers Games as they became the first football team to win the much-coveted trophy three times in a row. They also emerged as the Overall Champions at the Games â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an award they have turned into their birth right.

The final game was a repeat of the 2015 and 2016 Finals. First Bank hoping to make it a third time lucky against defending Champions, Fidelity Bank.

The match lived up to expectations as it hit high tempo right from start.

But it was First bank that showed more desire as they took the game to

their opponents. However, Fidelity Bank stood resolute and in the final minutes of the second half and scored off the boots of Kazeem Lamidi to send the Fidelity Fans into a frenzy.

Fidelity Bank have thus won the football trophy for the third consecutive time.

In a show of pure class, Fidelity Bank were run away leaders on the medalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; table with seven gold, seven silver and two bronze with Ecobank trailing in second place with four gold, one silver and five bronze while First Bank placed third with three gold and

one bronze.

The event was graced by dignitaries and top executives of various organisations, they include; Executive Director, Shared Services of Fidelity Bank â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mrs Chijioke Ugochukwu; Group Head Human Capital Mgt. and Development - Ms Barbara Harper; Executive Director, Strategy of SystemSpecs - Deremi Atanda; Group Head, Human Resources of FCMB â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Kola Amusa; Divisional Head Corporate Communications of Fidelity Bank - Charles Aigbe; Human Resource Manager of BUA Group - Samuel Ughu amongst others.

Atletico, Real Madrid to Air Live on GOtv The Madrid derby, one of the most prestigious clashes in La Liga, featuring Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, will be shown live today, on GOtv MAX. The cracking encounter will be aired on SuperSport Select 4 at 8:30pm.

Atletico hosts Real Madrid for the first ever derby at the new stadium, Wanda Metropolitano. Both Madrid teams are level on 23 points from their first 11 games of the season. Real Madrid, however, occupies the third position of the log on account of a plus three goal difference, a place above their

city rivals.

Both teams have been in erratic form this season. A defeat for either of the teams will see Barcelona open up an 11-point lead if they win away at Leganes.

Barcelona will play at Leganes earlier in the day. The Catalonian giants have dropped only two points this season.

This was in the 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid.

The Leganes versus Barcelona match will be aired live on SuperSport Select 4 at 4:10pm.

In addition to the Spanish football action, GOtv customers will also be treated to the Premier League match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on Select 2 at 4pm same day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This weekend promises to be bumper packed as our subscribers can join the rest of the world in soaking up the excitement of the Premier League and La Liga. These are unarguably premium football content that our subscribers get to enjoy on our platform at affordable pricesâ&#x20AC;?, said John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria.

AIICO Insurance Tennis Championship Ends in Style The third edition of the AIICO Insurance Team Tennis Championship held at the Tennis Section of Ikoyi Club 1938 came to a close last Saturday after four days of scintillating tennis by participants.

At the end of the four-day thrilling tennis, Team Cash Accumulation Policy, led by Bimbo Okubeno emerged winner.

Speaking at the end of the competition, ED, Technical AIICO, Adewale Kadri, who led other top officials of the company to grace the final day, expressed his delight at the level of tennis artistry exhibited by the participants, while also

hailing the organizer for making the tournament very colourful. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In spite of the fact that the objective of the tournament is for bonding among members of the club, the kind of tennis on display this evening was something to behold, and the organisers had been able to add colour to it with the way the competition was organized,â&#x20AC;? Kadri said.

Asked if AIICO could be counted on to sponsor the competition next year, he said though he had not gotten the nod of the Managing Director of AIICO, Mr. Edwin Igbiti, sports and indeed tennis development is part of

the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sports development is part of our focus at AIICO and Ikoyi Club has given us the platform,â&#x20AC;? Kadri said.

In his remark, Chairman of the Tennis Section, Oloye Esan Ogunleye hailed AIICO for sponsoring the competition in spite of the harsh economic condition in the country, saying AIICO defied all odds to sponsor the championship despite the fact that it was not in their budget. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The event this year has been very eventful in spite of the short notice,â&#x20AC;?

Ogunleye said.

L-R:President, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick; Group Executive Director, Aiteo, Andrew Onyearu; Captain, Akwa United FC , Otobong EďŹ&#x192;ong; Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode; and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, during the cheque presentation to the winners of the Aiteo Cup at the Agege Stadium, Lagos State recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

New Winner Emerges at Lagos Women Run The defending champion of the Lagos Women Run, Fadekemi Olunde, was at the weekend dethroned by Olamide Adeseun who won the 2017 Run and emerged new champion when she breasted the tape at 41 minutes four seconds, a far cry from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record of 40 minutes 30 seconds in the 10 kilometre Run. Adeseun, who was last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first runners up, got a cash prize of N500,000 for emerging champion in the 2017 edition. Olunde who finished second place at a time of 41 minutes 53 seconds, got N100,000, while Faustina Ogu, who finished at 43 minutes 10 seconds placed third and got N50,000 cash reward.

Three thousand runners participated in the 2017 Lagos Women Run which was flagged off 7am at the second gate of the National Stadium, Lagos on Saturday November 11 by the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, who was represented by Mrs. Olajumoke Saliu.

The first 50 runners, who crossed the take at the finish line inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium, got cash prizes and were also decorated with commemorative medals each for their efforts.

The Coordinator of the Lagos Women Run, Tayo Popoola, expressed delight on the massive turn out of runners which cuts across women from different walks of life.

Cocoon Homes Lights up Lagos Cycling Innovative Real Estate Company and developers of the Cocoon Atlantic Estate - Cocoon Homes Ltd, has partnered with the Sustainable Cycling Foundation of Nigeria as a key sponsor for the 2017 edition of the Lagos City Criterium.

The Lagos City Criterium is a competitive cycling tournament around a technical 2.9km circuit starting and ended on the opposite side of Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The November edition of the Lagos Cycling Criterium, saw cyclists from the pro male, pro female, junior boys and junior girls categories, come from all over the country to compete on the classic racing course cycling before crossing the finish line.

As part of the sponsorship, Cocoon Homes unveiled the traditional cycling sponsored winner jerseys and announced its Cocoon Atlantic project in which construction will begin within a few weeks.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Criterium, Mr. Farouk Imam, Managing Director, Cocoon Homes Ltd said that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cocoon Homes is excited to be part of the Lagos City Criterium. This sporting event is very important to us because it will help raise awareness on cycling not only at the grass roots and for youth, but as a sport that should be adopted by all Nigerians for its positive attributes which include better physical and mental wellbeingâ&#x20AC;?.

Tinubu Gives Reasons for Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Support of Oshoala Foundation Lagos State Government has given reasons for supporting Nigerian female football international, Asisat Oshoala and her pet projectAsisat Oshoala Foundation.

Special Adviser on Sports to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Mr. Deji Tinubu, said that the government recognised how the reigning African women footballer of the year developed her career from the grassroots and rose to the stardom, adding that for Oshoala to come out with a foundation to help the girl-child in Lagos, it shows that she is a lady of substance who meant well for the society that made her, and her feats in the last couple of years are something worth celebrating. "The state governor recognises the contribution Oshoala has made to football in the country and Africa as a whole. More importantly that she is an indigene of Lagos also gives us a joy to want to support her and her pet project.

"The on-going Asisat Oshoala/Lagos State Secondary Schools Girls Football Clinic is a good programme, we see it as a platform to train and show the girls what they can do with football. She was at the Teslim Balogun Stadium when she hosted Lagos secondary schools students to 'Meet and Greet Asisat event' on Monday. On Tuesday, she went to Epe Grammar School where she trained the girls and at the end of the day she gave them certificates, jerseys and other gift items. On Wednesday she came to the Teslim Balogun Stadium where another round of training was organised for the girls.

34

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž NOVEMBER 18, 2017

Aiteo Group

Eye on the Ball Despite what is perceived as an orchestrated campaign to smear its corporate image, integrated energy group, Aiteo has remained resilient, catapulting itself to one of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest-growing conglomerates. Ejiofor Alike reports

A

few months ago, Aiteo Group achieved a peak production of 90,000 barrels of crude oil from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 exactly one year after the company acquired the sub-Saharan Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputedly largest onshore oil block.

The integrated energy group acquired the plum asset from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which fully exited the facility in September 2015.

Data showed that at the time of the divestment, average production from the asset was 23,000 barrels per day.

But leveraging on the diversity and skills of its workforce as a dynamic international energy conglomerate, the company tripled the production capacity of the acreage within one year.

As the company was celebrating this feat, its Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman, Mr. Benedict Peters, highlighted several existing and developing projects that could potentially grow the assetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production to over 150, 000 barrels of oil per day and 200 million standard cubic feet per day of gas (mmscf/d).

According to him, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlook is bright with three oil-producing fields and viable crude exports via Bonny terminal.

Apart from its feat in growing its crude oil production, Aiteo has an ambitious five-year target of tackling the power challenges in Nigeria through its legacy investments in the gas-to-power value chain.

In the interim, the company plans to develop power generation projects across Nigeria.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main subsidiary, Aiteo Eastern E&P, is also a major infrastructure provider for Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil industry as the operator of the 97km Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL).

The pipeline, which is an industrywide evacuation facility for produced fluids covering much of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eastern Delta region, is one of the two major pipelines used by Shell and other producing companies operating in eastern Niger Delta to evacuate crude to export terminals.

Aiteoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolve is to provide Nigeria consistently with integrated energy solutions that power the future.

EďŹ&#x20AC;orts on sports development In line with the global trend where developed countries and big national brands invest heavily in sports as a tool to engender unity, discipline and healthy living among the citizens, the company has contributed significantly to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sport development.

Having carved a niche in the oil and gas industry, Aiteo as a big Nigerian brand, did not wait for the government to develop sports.

The Women Challenge Cup, Federations Cup and Nigeria Women Premier League are competition organised by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

Indeed, the Women Challenge Cup and the Nigerian Women Premier League are organised for women football and played at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

However, in June 2017, the NFF sealed a five-year deal with the Aiteo Group for the naming rights of the competition.

Recently, Akwa United defeated Niger Tornadoes in the presence of the new Confederation of African Football (CAF)

The reasons are patently clear. First, since the takeover of the asset we have successfully quadrupled production that it would be commercially inept to consider a disposal of any sort, now. Second, there are several legitimate entities that constitute ownership of the oil block, such that it would be practically impossible for us to unilaterally consider disposing of the asset. As such, we urge the public to summarily disregard these unsavoury and fabricated reports in their entirety

Ben Peters, Aiteo boss

President, Ahmad, in the final of the maiden Aiteo Cup at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.

At the end of a drab 90 minutes, Akwa United won the ensuing penalty kicks 3-2 to pocket the sponsorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s N25million while Tornadoes got N10million.

Also recently, the company, which is the sponsor of the Federation Cup, took over the sponsorship of the annual CAF Awards organised by the CAF. Before this development, Globacom had been sponsoring the awards since 2005.

Sustained campaign of calumny It is, however, strange that despite the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impressive records in the oil and gas sector, as well as in sports, it is has been subjected to sustained smear campaigns.

First, there was an allegation that the company maintained a corrupt relationship with the erstwhile Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, principally to tarnish the image and reputation of the company as well as its executive vice chairman.

Nobody has yet produced any evidence to prove that there was any time in Aiteoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history when its chairman or any of its directors or employees was involved in any form of criminal or immoral activity with the former minister.

There is no record to show that the company ever benefitted from the Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) in the industry during the former ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure, which was subject of several legislative probes.

The company was already a major player in the Nigerian oil sector, importing petroleum products for NNPC and exporting naphtha, fuel oil and condensates and already a flourishing and prosperous group by any standards long before Mrs Alison-Maduekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment as petroleum minister.

Aiteo was also linked to the alleged 2015 INEC bribery scheme but the peddlers of the rumour failed to state how Aiteo was involved.

False inferences have also been made concerning OML 29 when it is on records that the sale of OML 29 to the Aiteo Consortium by Shell was conducted under international best practices, with Aiteo emerging as the preferred bidder due to its superior technical and commercial competence. The rigor and transparency under which the bid was conducted by the owners of the purchased interest -Shell, Total and Agip, made it unnecessary and impossible for anyone to influence the outcomes inordinately.

As the campaigns contrived against Aiteoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporate integrity has continues to escalate, the company has remained resilient.

It has continued, unperturbed, to undertake and accomplish its objectives in its resolve to remain one of the foremost indigenous oil and gas companies in Nigeria.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noble and altruistic sponsorship of the Nigerian senior national team, Nigerian Football Federation and the competition previously known as the Federation Cup has also been targeted for smear campaign.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sponsorship of the NFF and the Federation Cup, a corporate social responsibility initiative that has brought considerable delight to Nigerians, is being questioned.

But the recent successes recorded in Nigerian football are pointers to the fact that Aiteo is untainted.

The mischief makers have also suggested that the company planned to divest part of its stake in OML 29.

They insisted that the recent appointment of Bruce Burrows as its Chief Financial Officer was aimed at finding a buyer for part of its assets.

However, the company has come out

to describe the peddlers of the fake news as fraudsters running reports-for-cash syndicate, who mislead the public.

Aiteoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Senior Manager in charge of Corporate Communications, Mr. Ndiana Matthew, had said in a statement that the company did not consider, initiate, or announce the commencement of any plans to sell off any of its stakes in OML 29. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reasons are patently clear. First, since the takeover of the asset we have successfully quadrupled production that it would be commercially inept to consider a disposal of any sort, now.

Second, there are several legitimate entities that constitute ownership of the oil block, such that it would be practically impossible for us to unilaterally consider disposing of the asset. As such, we urge the public to summarily disregard these unsavoury and fabricated reports in their entirety,â&#x20AC;? the statement said.

The statement added that the claim that Burrowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recent appointment as the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief financial officer was aimed at finding a buyer for part of Aiteoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets was spurious. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of our stakeholders familiar with our strategic vision can attest that Aiteo continues to invest in the right people to deliver on that vision. Mr. Burrowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; appointment is simply to further strengthen our financial discipline as one of the most innovative, reliable and diverse oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria today. Burrows joins a team of highly trained, experienced and world-class talent that currently guide the day to day activities of Aiteo,â&#x20AC;? said the company.

Despite campaigns of calumny, Aiteo has remained resilient, positioning itself as one of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest energy leaders, tackling local challenges with local manpower and giving back to the communities where it operates.

35

NOVEMBER 18, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

BUSINESS ISSUE

Go Beyond Banking, Connecting People and Markets and Markets to People Diamond Bank is one of the 22 financial institutions operating in Nigeria, with a mission to “Go beyond banking, connect people and markets and markets to people.” This mission is brought to life through leveraging innovative Microsoft technologies to empower the bank to reach more people in a cost-effective way. Also deepening financial inclusion initiatives, Diamond Bank delivers on this commitment with the right digital assets to enable offering of a wide portfolio of products for the changing needs of their customers. Hear what the bank’s CEO has to say: Boosting Productivity with End-to-End Customer Relationship Management Tool very time we interact with the customer, there is a record of that event. Before now, the Customer Relationship Manager would need to prepare an extensive handover note that took almost a whole day.

Now, the system records all interaction and manages the process in real time.

The handover note is live and dynamic, with easy access allowing employees more time to do more productive tasks for customers.

E

Share and Collaborate with Video conferencing and Social for Work As the bank grew bigger, it became difficult to keep in touch. Every morning my alarm goes off. Microsoft Outlook notifies me about employees’ birthday. I go into Skype for Business and I’m able to wish any member of staff across all

Uzoma

300 branches a Happy Birthday! This also allows easy access to management and aids quick feedback on business.

With the “Microsoft Teams” solution, cross functional collaboration is now possible in a deeply engaging way.

Teams can share ideas, brainstorm and execute on tasks faster. This has cut down on travel time significantly.

Quarterly, we have a town hall company engagement and everyone gets to participate and air their opinions freely using Skype Conferencing.

Yammer also serves as a great social networking tool allowing us to see pictures and videos of activities happening company wide. New product launches, birthdays etc. The uptake from this has been so high and it has made it easier for everyone to share momentous activities and keep in touch.

Predict and Customize For the Market Place I now have monitoring dashboards

that allow me follow transactions in real time. There are also different parameters that I can tweak to get specific information. I can discover where transactions are happening the most - by type, pattern etc. It is an excellent tool that allows for improved data-driven decision making. This has helped us develop more custom products and solutions for customers.

We have been able to develop several spin off products from the insights gathered. One of which was the *436# Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mobile service, which customer could use to transfer money to their accounts, top up their mobile phone, check their account balance etc.

We can tell what the customer wants or is thinking through their actions and respond appropriately. We are able to collect data, analyze it effectively and implement strategies that produce results.

With Power BI, management teams across the company can all see the same data and pattern in real time. This forces everyone across the company to be customer centric.

Warehouse and Secure Important Data with Cloud In the past, archiving the level of data generated by all the activities that we are now able to do would have posed a huge challenge; but by adopting Microsoft’s cloud solutions, we are able to warehouse data securely.

Instant updates with Microsoft 365 ensures that we are protected from current security threats and risks.

Overall, Diamond Bank reports significant productivity boost in workplace, product development and penetration, processes, customer servicing and continue to count the gains of digital adoption.

36

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚;

FAIRGROUND

Heineken Holds Lagos Fashion, Design Week 2017

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

O

moyemi Akerele successfully did it again, as she assembled everybody involved in every aspect of the fashion industry, from fashion designers, models, makeup artists, stylists, fashion writers and bloggers, buyers, influencers and the fashionable cosmopolitan crowd. Another unique thing about her show is the fact that she has brought back diversity and continued global conversation of body positivity through The Aboutthatcurvylife Collective.

Stretching from October 25-26, Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week galvanised the entire African continent. It was a four-day event which was filled with non-stop activities, including Fashion Business Series, African Development Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fashionomics initiative, Fashion Focus Talks, Runway Shows and the Live Your Music After Party hosted

by Heineken, all on the same grounds at Eko Atlantic. This year â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Africa: Shaping Fashionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future,â&#x20AC;? The 5th season of Fashion Business Series, tagged â&#x20AC;&#x153;Technology and the Fashion Industry: What lies ahead?â&#x20AC;? was hosted on Day 2 of #HLFDW17 in partnership with Style House Files, TECNO, FETS Wallet, NEPC, Business Day and Eko Atlantic.

Speakers included: r $PTNBT .BEVLB 1SFTJEFOU CEO Coscharis Motors, spoke on the Toks and Omoyemi Akerele importance of partnerships, building credibility and consistency in business; r .BSL 7BO *UFSTPO %FTJHO BOE Concept Lead at Heineken Global, gave attendees an insight into why Heineken chose to partner with a fashion platform because of the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s futuristic way of thinking and its passion for design and technology; r4JTTJ +PIOTPO .#" 1SPGFTTPS and Brand Strategist, spoke about excellence and creating outstanding content using a clear strategy; r 5&$/0 .PCJMF TQPLF BCPVU UIF importance of Technology in the development of Fashion, featuring Gbemi Olagbegi of Gbemisoke as a Sunny Rose case study; r.PEF "EFSJOPLVO 'PVOEFS BU Studio on Mode, spoke about how to source fabrics in Nigeria; r "TJZBNJ (PME $VSBUPS TQPLF on authenticity, composition and the importance of a brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story; r.BTBOB $IJLFLB 4FDUPS .BOBHFS Design Department of Arts and Culture (South Africa) who spoke about Art, Culture and Technology in South Africa.

Days Three and Four of #HLFDW17 began with the Fashion Focus Talks: r"'%# %JTSVQU 'BTIJPO CZ &NBOVela Gregorio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gender and Innovation Economist (AHGC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AFDB), Masimba Biriwasha (Hivos), Wilson Matekenya (Hivos), Marnix van Holiand (Hivos), 7VZP 5PGJMF &OUCBOD (SPVQ BOE Noble Igwe Omoyemi Akerele, Founder Style House Files; r'BTIJPO &OUSFQSFOFVSTIJQ BOE Creating a Brand with Sara Maino, %FQVUZ &EJUPS *O $IJFG PG 7PHVF *UBMJB BOE )FBE PG 7PHVF 5BMFOUT BOE 1BSNJOEFS 7JS $&0 PG 5POZ Elumelu Foundation r 5POZ &MVNFMV $IBJSNBO PG )FJST Holdings, UBA Group Plc, Seadrill Nigeria Ltd and Transcorp Plc â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest listed conglomerate, also addressed designers and fashion entrepreneurs at the AFDB Fashionomics masterclass; ri8IBU JT .PEFTU 'BTIJPO u MFE Ronke Bamishile

by Muslimah Style Guide â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fashion

Ono Bello

Sara Maino (Deputy Editor, in Chief Vogue Italia)

Bolanle Olukanni

Ezinne Chinkata

Chioma Nnadi (Fashion News Director, Vogue)

Falana

Ogwa Iweze

37

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚;

FAIRGROUND

Cocktails, Conversation with Gert-Johan

A

soEbiBella, Redrick PR, The Wedding Mall and Ciroc Nigeria hosted Cocktails and Conversation with Gert-Johan Coetzee.

Being one of South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most loved, well known and respected fashion designers in the scene, dressing Media Superstar, Bonang Matheba, Media Darling, Minnie Dlamini, and a variety of international celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Fantasia and a host stylish brides, it was a pleasure to have Gert interact intimately with upcoming designers.

An interview session with Gert was anchored by AsoEbiBella Founder Ink Eze. During the session, Gert shared how he started his career at a young age; attempting to make his first dress at eight years old and dropping out of high school at 16 to enroll in the Northwest School of Design in Klerksdorp, South Africa to focus more on his fashion interests, learning to sew, cut patterns and sketch.

The hour-long interview session was shared dispensing words of advice on how to run a successful fashion business, embracing of all the important

touch points - finance, customer service, team building, PR and marketing, creativity, and brand development.

This was followed by a question and answer session. When asked how he has been able to sustain and manage his growing client, Gert emphasised the importance of being reliable.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be Reliable! It means nothing if your clothes look good on social media but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deliver on time - I get a kick out of getting the clothes to my clients early. More than â&#x20AC;&#x153;youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the most fashionableâ&#x20AC;? this is the compliment I cherish the most - â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can count on you!â&#x20AC;?

A lucky attendee, Uju Odunukwe of Pin and Lace, was gifted a bottle of Ciroc for winning the quiz game session. Ciroc also presented Gert with a bottle which he was glad to take home with him.

The Cocktails & Conversation event ended with guests mingling and networking as they enjoyed yummy cocktails served by Ciroc and light refreshments.

Cocktails and Conversation with Gert-Johan Coetzee was proudly hosted by AsoebiBella & Redrick PR and supported by The Wedding Mall and Ciroc Nigeria.

Ijeoma Balogun, Gert Johan Coetzee and Ink Eze

Potato Potahto Premieres in Lagos

P

otato Potahto tells the story of a divorced couple whose plans to share their matrimonial home results in chaos after the husband, Tony (OC Ukeje), brings in an attractive female househelp (Nikki Samonas). Bent on flexing their egos and scoring points, the two use various hilarious tactics that soon inflames emotions and turns an already complicated situation into a roller coaster ride.

When his ex-wife, Lulu (Joselyn Dumas), then hires an attractive young man (Chris Attoh) to help her out, a roller coaster ride of laughter, jealousy and tears ensue.

Director Shirley FrimpongManso reflects on the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been a whirlwind taking our labour of love across the world.

I have truly been overwhelmed by the universal acceptance of the movie, the unusual storyline and our incredible cast. I look forward to when Potato Potahto finally hits the cinemas,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Potato Potahtoâ&#x20AC;? is written and directed by the award-winning Shirley Frimpong-Manso, who is known for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rebeca,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Contract,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Devil in the Detail,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grey Dawnâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;V-Republic.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Potato Potahtoâ&#x20AC;? is also among the official selection for the 2017 Africa International Lala Akindoju, OC Ukeje and Nikki Samonas Film Festival.

Heineken Holds Lagos Fashion, Design Week 2017 Consultancy for Modest Fashionistas; r i5IF 1PXFS PG $PMMBCPSBUJPOu led by The Assembly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; URL/IRL hub empowering and impacting the fashion and creative eco-system; r4UZMF BOE #VJMEJOH B (MPCBM #SBOE m led by Bonang Matheba, South African TV Personality in collaboration with BellaNaija Style. Bonang mentioned â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be recognised globally, you need to be a brand that is trustworthy, reliable, always willing to learn and grow yourself!â&#x20AC;?

Heineken showcased an African Inspired Fashion in collaboration with designers from East Africa and conducted the grand finale. The runway shows ended with a thrilling performance from the queen of Afropop, Tiwa Savage, who was adorned in one of Heinekenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s African inspired

pieces.

Some of the highlights from the #HLFDW17 Experience Section include: r5IF $SFBUPST -PVOHF XIJDI played host to a space for Bloggers and Creators alike. The space was curated by The Assembly to allow creatives to mingle and network with each other. r 5IF %FTJHOFS $POTPDJBUF JO partnership with the NEPC Human Capital Development Center (HCDC) and #HLFDW17 created â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Designer Shirt Projectâ&#x20AC;?, an exclusive Designer Collection with 6 Designers - Andrea Iyamah, Bridget Awosika, Grey, Lisa Folawiyo, Loza Maleombho, and VathiswabyKeji who crafted their take on a Classic Shirt, according to their brand aesthetic.

All designs were manufactured locally by HCDC and sold exclusively at #HLFDW17 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; over the four day period at N15, 000 only. r4USFFU TUZMF GSPN UPQ JOGMVFODFST and celebrities from around Africa and the rest of the world. r5IF 'PPE DPVSU DVSBUFE CZ #HLFDW17 and Eat Drink Lagos.

Supported by FETS Wallet. r 5IF )FJOFLFO -JWF :PVS .VTJD After Party featuring Heinekenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Ambassador and musical sensation, Jidenna. #HLFDW17 was proudly sponsored

by Heineken, Style House Files, Maybelline, NEPC, Visionscape, FETS Wallet, TECNO, Eko Atlantic and supported by Newton & David, Taxify, Mitsubishi Motors, and GarAkin Faminu ment Care.

38

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž NOVEMBER 18, 2017

TEENS

CONNECT From Me To You

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NKECHI IBENEME

A

When elders speak, we must listenâ&#x20AC;Ś

t the recently held 10th convocation ceremony of Lead City University, Ibadan, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo gave a timeless advice to the youths which I consider very apt for this column: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was 60 years old in March this year, and I must confess that one of the greatest surprises I ever experienced was that I just

L

08142358958 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (sms only)

Vice Precident Yemi Osinbajo

became 60. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the important lessons that you will learn is that time ďŹ&#x201A;ies whether you are wasting it or you are using it well. It simply ďŹ&#x201A;ies by. At age 60, I am entitled to give some advice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Talent, a good degree and coming from a very well-to-do family do not bring success and certainly do not bring greatness. The most talented people, those who get the best degrees do not necessarily become the

most successful in life.

The diďŹ&#x20AC;erence between success and failure, mediocrity or excellence is character. Along with character is opportunity, perhaps the most crucial is the grace of God. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Character is a set of values that shapes the conduct of an individual. It is a set of principles spoken and unspoken that a person observes and lives on.â&#x20AC;?

Time waits for no one! A word is enough for the wise.

trucks as the bike rider meandered inbetween them.

On several occasions, I let out a cry when I thought I was going to be hit. To say the ride was rough, would mean understating the obviousâ&#x20AC;Śit was more like a war front.

Thus, I rode to Apapa in complete disbelief and dismay of what has become of this once glorious neighbourhood. I got to Apapa- all ruďŹ&#x201E;ed, dusty and tired.

My heart goes out to all those who still live and/or work in Apapa; they truly deserve our sympathy because what

they go through on a daily basis is better imagined than experienced.

And to think we have a governmentâ&#x20AC;Ś I no sabi grammar abeg.

The sight and stench of Apapa

ast week, I promised to conclude this narrative on my grueling trip to Apapa. I hope space will allow me to keep to that promise.

Well, as I alighted from the bus, the atmosphere that greeted me was to say the least, very unfriendly. Trailers and trucks carrying containers blocked everywhere. Bike riders (Okada) were in their elements driving back and forth riskily. I would learn later that some of them have been killed by trucks on that road.

As I took in the chaos around me, I noticed that everyone on a bike covered their noses to protect their nostrils from fumes emanating from the articulated vehicles and, I guess, the stench from the pile of refuse dumped along the stretch of the road to Apapa. Taking a cue from them, I also covered my nose.

Unfortunately, there was no protection from the nauseating mess that littered the road. And one couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t aďŹ&#x20AC;ord to shut oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes because one needed to see and know when to dodge being hit on the head or shoulder against the parked

CALLING FOR STORIES Do you have your own â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Apapaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; story?

Write in to share your experience on just anything with us. Write to: teensconnectmag@gmail.com. Write with the subject: My Apapa Story. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be on Apapa, it can be on a fancy holiday trip, excursion, or just anything. Write about just anything.

TalktoJudy a guide to your career choiceâ&#x20AC;Ś.

by Opeyemi Awoyemi

What I wish every secondary school student knew and practised (IV) Hello young friend, for the past four weeks, we have been discussing what I called tips to a smarter and a more fulďŹ lled you. Today, I will bring you the last six while hoping that you would be well guided towards a greater you.

I said it last week and I want to repeat that: If many adults knew what they know now, their lives would be pleasantly differentâ&#x20AC;Ś t -FBSO IPX UP VTF B DPNQVUFS Without basic digital competence, you will be grossly outdated and unemployable by the time you are ready to get a job. What I call basics would be Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Add CorelDraw to it if you can. t -FBSO IPX UP NBLF IBJS OBJMT BOE face makeover too. You might end up the next TARA. t-FBSO DMPUI EFTJHOJOH BOE TFXJOH even shoe making. These days, no skill is

considered a waste; you never know what you may end up doing. t (FU BDUJWFMZ JOWPMWFE JO TQPSUT &JUIFS for leisure or for career building, sports is it. t4UBSU B TNBMM QBSU UJNF CVTJOFTT CFGPSF you get out of higher institution. Not only does it make you more responsible and employable, it also teaches you to be an entrepreneur â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an employer of people.

-BTUMZ CVU DFSUBJOMZ OPU UIF MFBTU MFBSO to code. Attempt to create an APP that can impact the world. t 0QFZFNJ "XPZFNJ JT BO VOEFS UFDIOPMPHZ FOUSFQSFOFVS )F JT UIF GPVOEFS PG OVNCFS KPC TJUF JO "GSJDB +PCCFSNBO BOE BMTP UIF GPVOEFS PG 8IP (P )PTU BO VQXBSEMZ NPCJMF XFC IPTUJOH DPNQBOZ (PPHMF IJT OBNF UP LOPX NPSF

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Or, you think no one cares? I do care!

I will be here every week to help you resolve that issue. But, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk about it, so do write in. You never know, what you call a problem may just be a normal growing up experience. t4FOE ZPVS NBJMT UP UFFOTDPOOFDUNBH! HNBJM DPN 4VCKFDU %FBS +VEZ. You can also like our facebook page: XXX GBDFCPPL DPN UFFOTDPOOFDUNBH Or visit our website: XXX UFFOTDPOOFDUNBH DPN

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

͚͸͚

Hi guys! My name is Judy. I am here to share your problems with you. Trust me to proffer solutions to those mind boggling problems you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dare share with friends, siblings, parents or anyone else.

A lot of people; teenagers alike, hurt secretly with problems they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t discuss openly for fear of being judged. You may hide your identity if you wish, but do write in and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discuss that problem. It is not healthy to bottle up problems. Moreover, problems shared are problems half solved.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The key to your success is your attitude, for it determines the quality of your lifeâ&#x20AC;?

Keith Harrell â&#x20AC;&#x201C; author of the book: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Attitude is everythingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

What are the three things you think the government should do to make Nigeria a better place?

Make your opinion count, write to: teensconnectmag@gmail.com

Include your name, age and a passport sized photograph.

-FU T IFBS GSPN ZPV Note: 3FTQPOEFOUT .645 OPU CF PMEFS UIBO 19.

39

NOVEMBER 18, 2017SS Ëž THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

SENI ADEKEYE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A star shinning on all turfs Stars are born, but, like gold, go through processes to shine. The case is not diďŹ&#x20AC;erent for 13-year-old Olaseni Adekeye, a Year 9 student of Grange school. Seni started swimming for pleasure at the age of 3, and at 8, began going for competitions. TEENS CONNECT ran into him at the National Stadium Surulere at the just concluded 2nd Africa (Confederation Africaine de Natation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CANA) Zone 2 Junior Swimming Championship, organised by Nigeria Aquatic Federation, where he represented Nigeria and did us proud by carting home three medals; one gold and two bronzes. At the end of the competition which attracted athletes from four other African countries; Senegal, Guinea, Ghana and Benin, TEENS CONNECT engaged this budding champion in a chat How long have you been swimming?

I started swimming pretty early, at age three but was not consistent. When I was about 8 years old, my swimming became more consistent. At the time, a swimming team was being put together in my school and I was one of the pioneer members of the team. It was at this point that I started competitive swimming. In 2014 when I was in Year 6, I represented my school in swimming, athletics and soccer in the COBIS competition which took place in Athens, Greece. I have taken part in several AISEN, Ikoyi Club and other swimming competitions.

How did you enter the competition; was it through your school or personally?

I knew about the competition through Ikoyi Club Swimming team. I am a member of the Ikoyi Club Swimming Squad Were there preliminaries before you got to the stage of representing Nigeria?

Yes, there was.

How many stages did you scale through and how many other contestants did you have to beat to get to the ďŹ nals?

There was an open invitation for time trials to select the fastest three swimmers for the four strokes (freestyle, Butterfly, Back and Breast stroke) for various distances. It was a fierce competition as participants came from all states of Nigeria and 12 from Ikoyi club team

Was there any prize money or scholarship?

No.

Why swimming? Why not any other sport?

I enjoy swimming because I find it relaxing and particularly because of the reward for individual efforts. Not many sports allow for individual medals. It is a sport which keeps me very fit.

Other than swimming, I am involved in other sports like soccer, basket ball and volley ball.

I must say that I have quite an active life I love music and drama and I am a very active member of my schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drama team.

Being on stage gives me an opportunity to express my creative side. I play the piano both for leisure and for certification. I am presently preparing for my grade 4 ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal schools of Music, London) practical exams.

Talking about my creative side, last year, I completed an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Artist in Residenceâ&#x20AC;? programme with the renowned Prof. Bruce Onabrapeya

What next? Are you going to compete on the world stage?

I am working towards that.

Wow! Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a handful. Do you intend to train to become a professional athlete?

Yes, I do.

What were your fears when you entered the competition and how did you overcome them?

Well, first of all, during the preliminaries, I was definitely taken out of my comfort zone as I competed with a lot of other children who were equally well trained, that was a bit scary thankfully I made it through.

During the finals, the Ghanian team was a team to watch out for as I had met them earlier in the year (June 2017) in a swimming competition in Arnsberg, Germany (where I won two gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals). I did not compete against them in Germany because we did not fit

What course would you like to study and why?

I am fascinated by lawyers and would like to study law. I like the intelligence applied to it and the arguments during court cases

How many countries competed in the ďŹ nals?

Nine countries were slated for the competition, however only five countries participated: Ghana, Guinea, Benin, Senegal and Nigeria.

How do you feel about your performance?

I participated in three races and to the glory of God I got one gold medal in 4x50m Freestyle Relay and two bronze medals for 50m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle. I am thankful.

Seni

into the same age category as the rules there were different but they put up a very good appearance and performed brilliantly. Before my races, I meditated, prayed, gave myself a pep talk, swung into action and did my best and to the glory of God came out successful.

Who is your role model?

Right now, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of my older friends Tishe Deji-Roberts.

Who is Tishe Deji â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roberts, and how old is he?

Tishe is my friend, though slightly older, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 15. He is in my school and also a member of the Ikoyi Club squad.

Just 15? And you consider him a role model. Why? He is an all-rounder, good in sports, academics, well behaved, very social and fashionable and always sets very good examples.

Do you think Nigerian schools are doing enough to expose young people to sports?

I cannot speak for other schools but my school is certainly doing very well in this regard.

What about the government?

The government can do a lot more by providing facilities for training for young athletes and an enabling environment to compete and bring out the best in them.

What are your hobbies?

Sporting activities such as swimming, soccer, basket ball, music and dancing.

Favorite game?

Chess.

Favorite food?

I am not particular about food but I like eggs.

How do you like your eggs?

Sunny side up.

Favorite colour?

Black, white and red.

Favorite sport personality?

Michael Phelps and Anthony Martial Favorite holiday destination?

Dubai.

What advice do you have for fellow teens on sports involvement?

I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to be involved in sports at the least for being fit. Believe in yourself, remain disciplined and focused, work hard and push yourself and when there are obstacles, do not give up or like my pastor says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sleep during the storm.â&#x20AC;?

If you can change anything about Nigeria, what will it be?

Corruption and the poor attitude of the average Nigerian.

40

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 18, 2017

͹Î&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͹Ϳ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

41

42

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;, 2017

VINTAGE

Day FG Interacted with Jumbo Major House of Bonny Sam Ekpe

onday, November 6, 2017 was a special day in the diary of events in the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny in Rivers State. It was the day the Federal Government of Nigeria though the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing interacted with the Major House in Port Harcourt The Federal Controller of Works in Rivers state Engr. Nebolisa Anako led a delegation of the officials of the Ministry including Engrs. Udo, Ekong and two others on an interactive session with the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny, a major community to be impacted by the construction of the Bodo-Ataba- Bonny Link Road, flagged off on 12th October, 2017 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

During the flag off ceremony, the Major House accused the Bonny Council of Chiefs and Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Company (NLNG) of surreptitiously masterminding a plot to sideline the Jumbo Major House which claims to be the most impacted and the largest cluster community in the project. The leader of the Group, Professor Jasper Jumbo, who hailed the FG for such a gigantic and laudable project, wondered why the Jumbo Major House would be deliberately excluded from the flag off, even after receiving a formal invitation from the Office of the Minister of Power Works and Housing.

He alleged that the move was a calculated and further attempt to deny them their God given rights in Bonny LGA. He further alleged that, despite the fact that the Federal Controller of works in Port Harcourt confirmed that their names were forwarded to Abuja for invitation to the flag off ceremony to be issued to them, the invitation did not come, probably because the Jumbo Major House was in court with the NLNG. Apparently to disabuse the minds of the leaders and members of the Bonny Major House of any ill feelings towards or malice against them, the Federal Ministry of Works representative held a meeting with the House on the said day.

The interactive session with the Jumbos

Engr. Anako and his team in photograph with the representatives of Jumbo Major House

was held at Nkpume Chineke Estate, an expansive office and residence of Prof.

Jasper Jumbo in Port Harcourt.

Various Banners with inscription of welcome were mounted at different locations in the area by various groups including the Women, Youth and Children as well as Representatives of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Eastern Zone Executive.

In this welcome address, Prof Jumbo, the Chairman and Traditional Head of the Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny gave a historical background of the project when in 2002 he led a delegation of 136 Niger Deltas to have audience with former President Obasanjo at State House Abuja.

OBJ then directed in their presence and that of some Ministers that the construction of a road to Jasperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hometown should commence within two weeks.

The former President followed up on this by travelling to Italy 11 days after and brought late Constantine Gitto, awarded the contract to his company and paid him mobilization funds.

Regrettably the road project was abandoned afterwards.

He explained that, contrary to the false impression created by the Bonny Chiefs Council that the Bodo-Bonny Round will not impact communities owned and occupied by quite s number of Bonny

Houses, they boldly assert that the road passes through Jumbo Major House Boundary with the Brown Major House along the EPCL (pipeline route in Bonny).

The road will traverse through the area called Middle Alignment, a vast expense of land in the road design and through other family lands which shares boundary with Jumbo Major House, Long John Major House and Dema Abbey. He threw an open challenge to anyone including the Bonny Chiefs Council to disprove the claims.

He demanded a copy of the Road Design from both the Federal Ministry of Works and Julius Berger the Contractors to settle speculations that they would be subjected to perpetual bondage.

They also demanded that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be carried out immediately by the Federal Ministry of Works, to put in place management procedures and mitigative measures.

The Jumbo Major House also demanded that at that 40% of Youths and Indigenes from their directly impacted cluster communities be employed in the project and they also be engaged in dredging works, Building materials and security contracts. The House then handed over to Engr. Anako a list of members of the Jumbo Major House the Federal Ministry of courts and Julius Berger must consult and liaise

with as representing them on the Road Project.

In his response, Engr. Anako informed the gathering that their visit was in continuation of earlier ones they had undertaken to Bonny Island, Andom, Ogoniland etc. to consult with stakeholders on the road project. He disclosed that the contract was initiated by the last Administration in 2014 at a cost of 120billion Naira to be shared on equal contribution by the Federal Government and the NLNG but lack of funds stalled the continuation.

He assured that the Environmental Impact Assessment Exercise must be carried out and that due compensation will be paid to the people and communities affected on the project route hence, they came with compensation consultants Messrs Gesh Andie and Victor Akujiri. He appealed to all the communities affected by the project to allow a peaceful environment to enable Julius Berger the contractor complete its jobs on schedule and that any infighting or legal impediment will delay the project which will affect all concerned.

It is hoped that, having consulted the Jumbo Major House and other Stakeholders in the Bodo-Bonny project all issues about the successful execution of this impactful project in the Niger Delta Region which will cost a whopping sum of 126 billion (One hundred and twenty-six billion Naira only) will be addressed, to bring Government closer to the people, the goose that lays the golden eggs of the Nation.

On its part the NLNG should, as its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) do whatever it can to be at peace with its host communities. It cannot afford to operate in a hostile environment. So also should the construction giant Julius Berger Nigerian Limited.

These companies, along with the Jumbo Major House and other communities involved in this gigantic project must embrace peace, to enjoy the benefits of this road which will significantly improve the social and economic infrastructure of the area. There should be NO MORE WARS. Let all concerned â&#x20AC;&#x153;cement all cememtables and reconcile all reconciliables,â&#x20AC;? apologies to great K.O. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ekpe, former aide to Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe, Presidential Adviser in the Second Republic is a media and public affairs consultant

2017OndoAutoRally:AkeredoluCommendsToyotaBoss,Ade-Ojo Justina Uzo

G

overnor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has praised the Chairman of Elizade Nigeria Limited Chief Michael Ade Ojo, saying that he had put his state on the world map.

He also spoke on different areas of tourism and found that Elizade University and Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hills Golf Course, both established by Ade-Ojo at Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State had given boost to tourism in the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ondoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visitors now come to the state by airplane more than before. The airline coming has increased their frequency. We had two Air Peace flights yesterday (last Saturday) for the first time in years. We also had two flights the previous day. I was told all the hotels in Akure are full. First it was Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hill Golf Course and now Elizade University. The people of the state have benefitted from these institutions, we are generating revenue. We are highly indebted to their founder,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Akeredolu expressed this view at the just-concluded Ondo Auto Rally organised

by Work & Play Event in honour of Madam Elizabeth Wuruola Ade-Ojo (late), wife of Ade-Ojo. It was also an occasion when Toyota Nigeria Limited organised The Elizabeth Wuraola Ojo Memorial Golf Tournament which attracted golfers from across the country such as Kano, Abuja and

Akeredolu (middle) flanked by Ade Ojuoko, a winner at the motor race and some government officials at the event.

Abeokuta to play in honour of the deceased Ojo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want more people to visit Ondo State. We have the right environment; roads have been constructed and renovated. We have beaches. Ondo is peaceful and safe for people to stay,â&#x20AC;? the Governor stated.

The organisers were also full of praise for the state government that provided the

enabling environment. One of them, Mr. Ade Ojuoko of ATC Nigeria while thanking those that lent Work & Play support revealed that the state government created safe and secured environ for the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Government appreciated and supported the event as it can bring revenue to the local communities,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Ojuoko also thanked corporate organiza-

tions that supported Work &Play such as SMT Volvo, Toyota Nigeria, Rage, JAC Motors and Elizade Motors.

He pointed out that the event was also a platform to develop and support the auto racing industry in the country.

The Ondo auto rally featured car racing competition, stunt driving, drifting, motor bike challenge deploying 4x 4 and Sports Utility Vehicles to race. There were other attractions that thrilled spectators.

The second edition of the Work and Play staked N2 million prize for participants in the rally that took place between November 10 and 11, 2017. Participants include Prince Adejuwon, Kingsley Onome Uwatse, Richard Ike, Abiola Awosika, Nicholas Barberopoulous, John Momodu and Antonio Sandouk.

According to the organisers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The event was designed as a breather for the working class. After the inaugural edition in Sagamu, we have raised the standard of the event, including the total purse for our winners and the overall outlook of the event.

The two-day race in Ilara-Imokin, Akure, Ondo State, brought together people from the corporate world.â&#x20AC;? The Work and Play Auto Rally attracted the attention of the FIA (Federation Internationale de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Automobile), the World Governing body for car race and their officials that officiated in the event.

NOVEMBER 18, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

43

FASHION FILE

44

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

FASHION FILE

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

Heineken Supports Africa’s Emerging Talents at The Lagos Fashion and Design Week with African Inspired Collection

T

his year’s events themed “Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future” showed Heineken, the global beer brand, in collaboration with Africa’s hottest emerging design Afr talents, Lulu Mutuli and Azra Walji, has tale launched its first-ever African Fashion lau C Collection at the closing show of the Co Lagos Lag g Fashion and Design Week.

The unique hospitality collection by T Heineken was created by the winners of He the Heineken® African Inspired Fashion Challenge, supported by the Global Ch Heineken Design Team and LEW Design He House.

Ho Themed ‘Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future’, the 4-day fashion show kickedoff on Wednesday, 25 October, living up to the theme as Heineken beamed the spotlight on the impact of creatives and artisans in the fashion chain while also showcasing Africa to the world through the use of unique African fabrics and accessories.

The African Inspired Collection is a fusion of the two designers’ concepts the first of many fashion apprenticeships that the brand will roll out across the world. The initiative is the next chapter in Heine Heineken’s ‘Open Design Explorations’, a global glob co-creation programme that congl g nects emerging creatives and gives them a plat p platform to showcase their talent.

Ma g , Mark Van Iterson,, Head of Design, Heine eken Global, reiterated Heineken

the commitment of Heineken to empowmpowp ering talents as the brand’s critical g globall agenda. “Heineken is massively invested vested d in this exciting process of nurturing g and empowering young and creative African frican n fashion talents, while also preserving ng g the arts and culture through fashion. n. We are challenged and inspired by these se trendsetters. It is a privilege to havee them m showcase their creativity and open their innovative designs and inspiration to thee world,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Franco Maria aria Maggi, Marketing Director, Nigerian an Breweries stated that the Heineken - with h its 140 years of creating memorablee bout experiences - remains passionate about le innovative designs that bring people together. d The Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week (HLFDW) drives the stry y by y Nigerian and African fashion industry connecting buyers, consumers and otherr stakeholders to view the collectionss of pital p African designers in the fashion capital of Nigeria, Lagos, repositioning thee sector as a useful tool for commercee and creativity in the country.

About Heineken® The Heineken® brand, that bears the founder’s family name - Heineken - is available in almost every country across g the globe and is the world’s most valuable international premium beer brand.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚ͿË&#x153;

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Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and lndustry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru; Depty Governor, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & lndustry, Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande and Chairman, Trade and Promotion Board, LCCI, Mr Sola Oyetayo during the Ogun State Day at the 2017 Lagos lnternational Trade Fair in Lagos ...recently

L-R: Social Media Manager, Power Oil, Mr. Kenneth Iruonagbe; Head of Marketing, DuďŹ l Group, Mr. Manpreet Singh; Brand Manager, Power Oil, Amisha Chawla; Public Relations Manager, Power Oil,Mrs. Omotayo AzeezAbiodun; Executive Director, Media Reach Mr. Yinka Adebayo and President, ADVAN ,Mrs Folake Ani- Mumuney, During presentation of 2nd place, Brand of the Year award to power Oil at ADVAN Awards...recently

Ogun Woos Investors at Lagos Trade Fair The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has charged genuine entrepreneurs to tap into the economic prospects of the Gateway state which has been listed among the five richest states in the country.

The governor stated this on the occasion of the Ogun Day at the just-concluded 31st edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair.

Represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, Amosun reiterated the status of the state being the industrial hub of the nation with over 450 industries, stressing that such was only achievable as a result of the conducive business environment the administration has put in place.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The growth and sustainability

Power Oil Sweeps Multiple Awards at ADVAN Vegetable Cooking Oil Brand, Power Oil, has been honoured for its various consumer initiatives and contributions to the society at large.

The brand, at the 2017 Advertisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards for Marketing Excellence (West Africa), emerged first in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility, contending against other big brands such as Nigerian Breweries, MTN Foundation and Indomie.

It also beat the likes of Coca cola, Airtel, Indomie, Hayat and Unilever to win second place in the Brand of the Year Award.

Speaking on this achievement, President of ADVAN, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, confirmed the eligibility of the organisation for the double recognition as she explained that the selection process was tough and tasking as a result of the excellent performance of all the nominees. She praised Power Oil for being outstanding and encouraged it to keep the flag flying high.

Responding, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brand Manager, Amisha Chawla, commended the award initiative which she said was true to its purpose of creating value to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marketing Communication community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all know how tough and meticulous ADVAN can be with entries, also considering the level of screening and scrutiny entries are being subjected to before transiting to the nomination stage, then to the final - the winning stage. We are indeed happy for this feat. We want to seize this occasion to specially appreciate our teeming customers and the Nigeria society at large, Amisha stated.

Founded in 1992, ADVAN was set up to advance the interest of the Marketing Industry in Nigeria by spearheading and ensuring global best practice as well as facilitating collaborative partnership with relevant stakeholders.

The ADVAN Awards are held annually to recognise and reward marketing professionals and brands that have made exceptional contributions to the Nigerian marketing industry.

of the economy is hinged on industrialisation, which will in turn expedite the diversification process and cause local production to expand, thus, boost foreign exchange.

Having realised the potential of industrialisation, the state is not leaving any stone unturned to entice businesses across the globe.â&#x20AC;?

Highlighting some of the growth opportunities in the state, the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, explained that the ability of the state to attract huge investment in recent times was as a result of its investment in infrastructure amidst other strategies, some of which included massive reconstruction of roads and construction of new roads to aid transportation of goods

within the state, the state also offered land rebate as part of its measures to enhance the Ease of Doing Business in the state and also provided for allied services as well as other projects geared towards boosting investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence in the state as a place to do business and reside. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The present administration in Ogun State opened the business landscape by establishing a one-stop shop in order to streamline the process of setting up business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The massive infrastructural transformation of the state was geared towards catering for the good people of the state and creating a sustainable conducive environment for the business community. This government believed that the more conducive and secure environment, the better for industrial growth and

Firm Engages Stakeholders on Solar Technology Indigenous solar technology company, Rubitec Nigeria, has raised the bar of professionalism among operators in the renewable energy sector, as it engaged them in an extensive training session to improve practice and output in the field.

The exercise which was implemented alongside Chinese partners, Jinko Solar, gathered solar distribution companies, installers and dealers across the country to boost their knowledge and experience in the use of quality solar panels for energy projects.

Speaking on the initiative, Chief Executive Officer of Rubitec, Mr. Bolade Soremekun, stated that the idea of the programme was to enhance offerings in the industry to the advantage of consumers and the country at large.

He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a brand committed to not just delivery but efficient delivery, we deemed it fit to improve knowledge in the field, most especially on solar panel. We realise that a lot people know less on the solar panel technology, yet the quality of electricity output in our homes is a function of and originality of a solar panel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With more and more people embracing renewable energy

sources, most especially the rural areas which constitute higher percentage of the Nigerian population (about 60%), it is important that we get the technology right.â&#x20AC;?

Soremekun who identified inability of the masses to afford solar energy as one of the challenges of the innovation in the country, stated that the company has devised a new solution to cater for this category of people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our solution is to provide electricity for Nigerians through our solar project based on Public and Private Partnership.

We build solar plant, put solar on the roof, metre the people, and maintain the project while they pay just like they pay the Discos. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;If there is a big company that wants to do megawatts, which cost them billions, we collect the money and give them solar plant. We can also build solar for villages, street and traffic lights, water pump for irrigation and for banks to power their automated teller machines, he added.

Also speaking, Sales Manager, Central Africa, Jinko Solar, Victor Koyier, commended the initiative and expressed optimism on the outcome of the programme.

industry replication to take place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe that any discerning investor will recognise that these are the essential ingredients for successful and sustainable investment,â&#x20AC;? he added.

Ashiru added that the ability of the state to own 75 % of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), in the country between the period of 2011 to 2016 and to be rated as number one among the 36 states of the federation in terms of percentage improvement of the Internally Generated Revenues between 2014 and 2 I was seconded to the United Nations (UN) to represent Nigeria 015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are all indications that the state was fertile for business, thus urged all to tap into the revolution and blessings in the state.

Women Entrepreneurs Ready for Annual Fair A group of female business owners under the aegis of Network of Enterprising Women (NEWN) has said that it had rounded off preparations for its 2017 seminar and trade fair.

The group, numbering 200, comprises business owners within and in diaspora and exists to motivate women in business while also promoting their endeavours in the interest of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy.

Representative of the group, Mrs. Augusta Nwokafor, explained that this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programme, themed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Partnering and Collaborating for Business Excellenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will come up on November 23 in Lagos.

She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our network is a platform that encourages and supports women entrepreneurship. We work with members to grow their businesses. We understand and appreciate the advantages of collaboration and we are happy to share our resources and experience with those who seek our support. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fair is focused on adding value that will ensure sustainability of businesses and see members contributing to our national economic growth. Most of our members have never been to business schools but run successful enterprises. There are a lot of opportunities available to female business owners both locally and internationally and we work continuously so that individuals can collectively leverage on these opportunities for mutual benefits.â&#x20AC;?

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity offers members an opportunity to learn from renowned entrepreneurs and corporate organisations and showcase their offerings to over 2000 visitors that will grace the occasion.

Highlights of the fair include dental check-up, discounted business profile photographs and make-up, free meal for sponsors and vendors and many more.

46

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

MEMOIRS Gbadebo Adeyeye

How I Became First Black Employee of New York’s F&L Prince Zaccheaus Gbadebo Adeyeye has a disposition that easily gives him away as your regular guy: amiable, humble, reserved, unassuming and gentle. But indeed, he is a prince whose father reigned for over 40 years in Ise-Ekiti in the old Western Region and present day Ekiti State. Did he live a luxury life of a prince? No, he did not. Losing his mother while he was barely six years old, and before he clocked 20, his father, who had tremendous influence on him died.

Thus, he became an orphan and faced with a bleak future. Adeyeye didn’t allow life circumstances and travails of fending for himself to undermine his goals and aspirations. After his struggle through Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti, in 1981, he sought greener pasture in the land of his dream, United States of America. He attended Baruch College of the City University of New York where he studied advertising and later acquired a Master degree from the Queen’s Campus arm of the same University. After graduation, he joined F&L Financial Management Corporation in New York as the first black employee and had the privilege of working closely with some talented designers. In 1997, he founded Crown Height College, a co-educational secondary school based in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to provide qualitative education for young Nigerians. As he turned 60 on October 5th, Adeyeye tells Funke Olaode, in his own words, his journey through life and why one shouldn’t allow life challenges to truncate one’s dreams Why I Stayed Away from School for Three Years My Father Had 30 Children But I’m My Mother’s Only Surviving Child Stepping into Royalty

M

y name is Zacchaeus Gbadebo Adeyeye. I was born on the 5th of October 1957 into the family of Oba Adeyeye, the late Arinjale Asodedero of Ise-Ekiti, who reigned from 1932 to 1976 and his wife Olori Abosede. I am one of more than 30 children in the family of Oba Adeyeye and the only surviving child of my mother. My father was a traditional ruler but was not born with a bow tie like Prince Charles. In fact, I was born into the business of aso-oke. My maternal grandmother was fully engaged in weaving and selling aso-oke, the same trade she passed on to my mother.

I remember growing up when my grandmother would make different shades of ‘dansiki’ with aso-oke for me to wear during festivals and at the same time serving as a means of advertising her products. We didn’t have electricity in Ise-Ekiti when I was born until 1976 during Governor David Jemibewon’s administration in the old Western State. Nevertheless, growing up in Ise was very beautiful; especially with other children from different backgrounds; Christians and Muslims playing together without shoes like greyhounds - lean, smart and with tight muscles in unbearable hot weather.

Parental Influence and Granny’s Love

I must say that one of the factors that contributed to my hard work and self-discipline is the fact that my father was more committed to the cause of Ise-Ekiti community than anything else as the oba. However, I am also proud to say that he is my hero because of what he stood for. Back in the days in Yoruba land, for example, people admired an oba who could simply scratch a desert and provide water. My father demonstrated qualities that Yoruba people identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, discipline, and passion for freedom.

All these I observed as I grew up; especially his profound love for Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his encounter with late General Adeyinka Adebayo at the peak of Ise and Emure crisis in 1970. Living with my grandmother as a young boy also had a positive impact on my life.

I was reserved and very smart. And from her, I learned the value of hard work, how to have dreams and make the dreams come true with prayers.

In 1969, I remember that my grandmother went to the market one day, and coming back home, she brought one small goat that she purchased for about five or seven shillings. That day, she gave the goat a pet name as ‘b’orikansan a ran’gba’; meaning the success of one man can affect many others. She started nurturing the goat; and few years after, the goat had become so big and very healthy. One day, my grandmother took the goat back to the market and sold it for one pound and ten shillings. Following that, she took me to one uncle Aremu, an Ijebu man, who was operating a famous variety store at Ojude, in Ise-Ekiti during the time. And from the one pound, ten shillings, without holding a dime back for herself, she bought a 6’ x 2.5’ bed, a suitcase and a bucket for me in preparation for boarding at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti. When I asked her on our way out of the store, why she spent the whole cash on those items without keeping part of it for herself, my grandmother replied with emotions, ‘Omo eni l’aso eni’, which means life is hopeless for anyone who possesses tons of clothes, shoes, and pieces of jewelry without training a child, a statement that I never easily forget in my life. It was a very emotional moment.

My Dream Almost Died When My Mother Passed Away

Adeyeye...recently

In January 1962, my uncle, Michael Ogunjobi, took me to Local Authority Primary School in Ise-Ekiti, for enrollment into primary school but I was turned back because my right hand did not reach my left ear which was the popular admission requirement into an elementary school in those days. In 1963, I was accepted to the same school at the time when some famous teachers like Oba Oluwole Amele, a former actor in the old Village Headmaster NTA drama series, who later became the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti, were there. But shortly after I started the elementary school, my mother died on December 1, 1963; thereby, I was subjected to psychological and emotional torture for few years. This gave me a serious academic setback because after my mother’s death in 1963, I was kept at home for three years by my over-protective grandmother. Later in January 1966, I went to St. Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, in Ise-Ekiti, after the headmaster, Pa Faboya from Ire-Ekiti had assured my grandmother of my ultimate protection. And for a whole year, Pa Faboya would come to

47

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

MEMOIRS MY FATHER HAD 30 CHILDREN BUT I’M MY MOTHER’S ONLY SURVIVING CHILD After high school, I worked briefly in Lagos with the NigerianTextile Mills in Ikeja and CFAO. At that point, I already made up my mind to travel to the United States for higher education; knowing fully that no one could provide the kind of assistance needed for me to succeed except God. And to be honest, if anyone ever gave me evidence that God had a plan for my life, it was the night He put me in the Nigerian Airways flight in 1981 to the land where every dream, every promise, and every opportunity is ever golden.

Life was initially tough when I got to New York. Again, I left Nigeria with only $200 traveller’s cheque which my uncle, Dayo Ajiboye, helped me to purchase. He gave me N20 with another N20 from his colleague in the office, one Mr.Adewumi, a native of Ado-Ekiti so that I could have the cash to spend at the airport if needed

the house, pick me in the morning and take me back to my grandmother after school hours. During my fourth year at St Theresa’s Primary School, all the pupils in my class were moved to St Stephen’s Anglican Primary School, Erinwa in Ise-Ekiti to complete the elementary education, following the directive of the education ministry. St Stephen was a very good experience for me, both academically and socially.

To date, I can still remember some mischievous pupils in my class like Dada Araba, Samuel Ojo, Abiodun Atua and others. They were very humorous back in the days. After elementary school, I proceeded to Amoye Grammar School in Ikere-Ekiti where Chief J.O. Osuntokun was the principal after leaving government as a minister in the old Western Region. Later, Mr. A.S. Asebiomo, the man who taught us how to acquire the keys to salvation through education came in as our principal. However, passing through Amoye Grammar School without my mother was not a smooth ride.

I was virtually my own guardian and counsellor. But I will forever be grateful to Prince (Dr.). B.A. Sijuwade from Ile Ife, the man who paid my full school fees in the first two years of high school.

Adeyeye with wife, Solape cutting his 60th birthday during celebration in New York City...recently

brothers will have their own issues, employees will always have excuses for not to showing up at work, while friends can disappear anytime. But Jesus is forever there for us 24/7, no matter the situation. That is why I will forever keep my eyes focusing on Him without allowing things of this earth to steal my joy of living for Christ. I also appreciate everyone who has contributed positively to my life during the past 60 years: teachers who epitomised the true meaning of the profession; schoolmates, professional colleagues, friends and family members who have been very passionate, patient and kind to me.

In Search of the American Dream

After secondary school, I aspired to be a journalist. I love reading magazines right from elementary school. I remember when I was at St Stephen’s; my grandmother would give me money to subscribe to a monthly publication called ‘Challenge Magazine’ back in the days from Lagos. At Amoye Grammar School, I was always fascinated by the articles of brilliant writers like Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, thereby, I bought newspapers every day; no matter how broke I was.

That was the reason I was deeply interested in journalism in my early days. At the City University of New York, I started as a journalism major but later switched in my second year, to advertising in the department of business administration.

After high school, I worked briefly in Lagos with the Nigerian Textile Mills in Ikeja and CFAO. At that point, I already made up my mind to travel to the United States for higher education; knowing fully that no one could provide the kind of assistance needed for me to succeed except God. And to be honest, if anyone ever gave me evidence that God had a plan for my life, it was the night He put me in the Nigerian Airways flight in 1981 to the land where every dream, every promise, and every opportunity is ever golden.

Life was initially tough when I got to New York. Again, I left Nigeria with only $200 traveller’s cheque which my uncle, Dayo Ajiboye, helped me to purchase. He gave me N20 with another N20 from his colleague in the office, one Mr. Adewumi, a native of Ado-Ekiti so that I could have the cash to spend at the airport if needed. On getting to New York, God was so merciful to me; even at the time when thousands of innocent young men and women who travelled from Nigeria on different government’s scholarship were stranded in many cities across the United States because of failed promises from our leaders. I didn’t allow the situation to undermine my aspirations.

Steveland Hardaway Judkins, popularly known as Stevie Wonder, said many years ago, ‘Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.’ This statement inspired me to work very hard beyond high school without any excuse. I attended Baruch College of the City University of New York Department of Business Administration where I studied Advertising. I also have a master’s degree from Queens’s campus of the City University of New York. After graduation, I joined F&L Financial Management Corporation on Madison Avenue as the first black employee since 1969.

F & L is an administrative headquarters for European shoe manufacturers where I had the privilege of working closely with some talented designers like Donald J Pliner, D’Rossana and Peter Fox for 13 years.

Crown Height College is My Way of Giving Back

I have reached a point in my life where, apart from my family, what I care about is doing whatever I could to make sure that people younger than me are not denied the

Lessons Life have Taught Me

Let me be honest. It took me a while to realise that not everyone that we see in a suit and tie is normal; especially in a society where every citizen is a ‘deacon’; otherwise, I would not have been trapped by some Nigerians for too long. But thank God for teaching me every day how to stop trusting people at first sight, no matter how wonderful their CV looks.

Meeting my Wife, Solape

Adeyeye during his parents’ final rites in 1993 opportunity to discover their potential; particularly through education, no matter what it takes from me. That is why I took a decision in 1997 after our education sector was poisoned by the military to dabble into education. In 1997, God gave me the grace to join the Nigerians of goodwill to create hope for the youth in our country by establishing Crown Heights College, Ibadan; a move that I made to help people regain their confidence in Nigerian education, especially after over 20 years of the Green Beret leadership that poisoned our education sector.

Life at 60, I Am a Work of Providence

Truly speaking, God has been so kind to me. First, let me say that birthday is a good time to look back at the past, think about our journey of life, remember where we have been and where we are heading to. In my own case, Maya Angelou said, ‘A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.’ Therefore, my own song today is, ‘thank you Lord’ for the wonderful 60 years of His grace. The grace of God has been keeping me on for the past 60 years. According to Noah Webster, grace is defined as the unmerited gift. But for the purpose of this interview, I will define grace as God’s compassionate treatment. This is what I have been leaning on for 60 years, and I really appreciate God for that. From my experience of life, I have learned that no one lightens our lives better than Jesus. Uncles and

I met my wife, Solape, a native of Ilesa in Osun State, during one of my visits to Lagos back in the 1980s. To be honest, apart from beauty, what attracted me to her was her intelligence. Personally, I don’t like asking questions two or three times from someone before getting the correct answer.

And I really appreciate God for keeping our marriage over the years. Sometimes, I think my life actually began on the day I married my wife 29 years ago. Today, I am blessed with a wonderful family: my wife, four wonderful children (two boys and two girls) and grandchildren who I will forever cherish because they have really filled my life with joy and I love them deeply.

No Regrets

No man fulfils life’s aspirations as long as he is still breathing. And this also applies to me. At 60, I still have a lot of goals ahead of me by the special grace of God. When I was in the elementary school, it was always my dream to attend the famous Christ School, Ado-Ekiti. Unfortunately, there was no one to mentor me through that route. That was a kind of a disappointment for me; but thank God today, even after Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti, I can still stand tall.

I Want to See a Better Nigeria in my Life Time

During a chat with Larry King on August 15, 1988, and few months before he left office, former American President, Ronald Wilson Reagan, said, ‘When people tell me that I became president on January 20th, 1981, I feel I have to correct them. You don’t become president of the United States. You are given temporary custody of an institution called the presidency, which belongs to our people.’ I will be glad to see that time in Nigeria when our political leaders will understand that public office is just temporary, and not a lifetime inheritance.

48

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

INSIGHT Wise Men Still Come from the East Femi Adesina

A

t his incarnation, wise men gifted in astronomy came from the East, all the way to Bethlehem, in the south of Jerusalem, to worship Jesus Christ.

They are today known as the Magi, who gave the newborn gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

There is a lot to say on the significance of each gift item, but that is not the purpose of the writing today. Maybe, another day, as the need arises. What we need from that nativity story is that the wise men came all the way from the East, following a star that led them to Bethlehem. In our country Nigeria, we have the geo-political zone called the South-east, and wise men still come from there. In plenty numbers. This week, it was brought out in bold relief.

President Muhammadu Buhari was in two states of the South-east on Tuesday and Wednesday, and what a delightsome, myth-shattering visit it has become. It is one visit that has torpedoed the negative narrative deliberately conjured by some mischief makers over the years, that President Buhari does not like people from the East, and neither do the people like him.

Now, that assertion is fiction, pure apocryphal, conjured and concocted by some people to serve narrow political ends. In his first shot at the presidency in 2003, who was Buhari’s running mate?

Dr Chuba Okadigbo. Where did he come from?

Ogbunike, town of the famous cave, in the Southeast. And in 2007, candidate Buhari looked towards the East again. He picked Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic, as running mate. And in 2011, I remember very clearly. Buhari was on the march again, and needed a running mate. Sociopolitical leadership of the South-east forbade any of its sons from being running mate to anyone. Their candidate, they said, was Goodluck Jonathan, who then was completing the term of Umaru Yar’Adua.

So, Buhari looked westward, and picked the cleric, Tunde Bakare. But did he demonstrate any animus towards the East? Not at all.

In 2015, the man, easily the most colourful politician, greatest crowd puller of this season in Nigeria, threw his hat into the ring again. The East was still in bed with Jonathan, completely besotted, vowing to swim or sink with their brother, Ebele Azikiwe.

Buhari looked westward again, picked Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as running mate. A large part of the East was dug in, not minding to play what may be called ‘poor politics’ in the process. When the dust of the elections settled, Jonathan was holding the shorter end of the stick. Buhari coasted to the presidency, but the entire East had given him just about 180,000 votes, less than what some local councils gave in other parts of the country. To make matters worse, the East had refused to re-elect its own son, Dr Chris Ngige, as senator. If Ngige had been given a mandate, he would have effortlessly emerged

There is no way you can tell the Igbos not to aspire for presidency of Nigeria at a time in future. It will be contrary to fairness and justice. But then, the region must start playing astute politics. It must leave the shadows for light.

It must sustain the hand of fellowship it has extended to the rest of the country, as shown in the warm reception for the President in Ebonyi and Anambra states. Wise men abound in that region, I say again

Nwodo,

Senate President, and see what the region would have benefitted. But the large number opted for self-immolation, voted Ngige out, and later began to scream marginalization. But if you ask me, it was a self-inflicted wound. Result of poor politics.

That was the background that some people twisted, and used to paint the scenario that President Buhari does not like the South-east.

But happily, there had been voices of reason from the region, pre-2015 presidential election. The Ralph Obiohas, Chris Ngiges, Festus Odimegwus, Fr. Ejike Mbakas, Orji Uzor Kalus, Osita Okechukwus, J.C Ojukwus, and many others, had warned their people not to put their eggs in one basket. And they have turned out to be wise men, being joined today by thousands of other wise people.

You know what the mistakes of 2015 did to Ndigbo? It consigned them to perpetual opposition politics, playing in the periphery. For such an illustrious and enterprising people, that was unfortunate, if not tragic. If they continued that way, there was no silver lining in the sky for the future. Nigeria is configured in a way that the person who builds the largest coalition is the one who can emerge President. The Igbo should naturally produce the President one day, that is what fairness demands.

But how would that ever happen, if they continued to play poor politics? If you continue to swim in small pools, you stand the risk of being submerged in bigger waters. But now, things are changing. The wise men are making a difference.

Back to Ebonyi, the famed Salt of the Nation, where we arrived last Tuesday. Governor Dave Umahi is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and he is also Igbo. If he were to play narrow politics, he should have nothing to do with President Buhari. But the Ebonyi State helmsman has proven himself a wise man from the East. He has cultivated a good relationship with the President, and achieved the feat of being the first state in the South-east to host the President on a State Visit. President Buhari consented to the visit, thus showing him to be a pan-Nigerian leader, true father of the nation.

If overriding sentiments had prevailed, then the President would not have chosen a state controlled by the opposition PDP for his visit, and definitely, not a state in a ‘hostile region.’ But not President Buhari, who has always maintained that no part of the country would be treated unfairly under his watch.

Landing at Enugu airport, before proceeding to Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, by chopper, was the first breath of fresh air. The airport was gaily decorated, with banners, billboards and posters of the President and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, who was also on hand to receive the President. He is also of the PDP, but a wise man from the East. You don’t play the politics that shuts you out of the national grid, lest you get sentenced

to perpetual half current, or no current at all. The reception at Enugu airport, and , indeed, in all the places we visited, Abakaliki and Awka, would make you relish and savour the aroma of brotherhood and national cohesion.

Before the visit, there had been attempt by those behind negative narratives, to frighten the President away. They forgot he was a General, and such people don’t scare easily. However, the reception and applause all round gave a true picture of what subsists in the country. This is a President widely and massively loved-in the North, the South, East and West.

Not only is Gov Dave Umahi a wise man from the East, the royal fathers in his state are of the same mind. They gave President Buhari the traditional title of Enyioma 1 of Ebonyi, meaning Trustworthy Friend of Ebonyis. Commendable.

Also joining the train of wisdom, are the traditional rulers of South-east, as a body. They gave the President the title Ochioha Ndigbo, meaning Leader of Igbo People. I tell you, this is the way to build a cohesive nation, promote brotherliness, and guarantee fairness and equity, rather than the poor politics of the past. More than at any other time, the wise men from the East have given a handshake across the Niger, and only the future will show the positive impact of that initiative.

Former Ebonyi State governor, Sam Egwu, immediate past governor, Martin Elechi, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, former Culture Minister, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, former senator, Julius Ucha, and many others, were part of the healing process in the East. Ogbuewu said President Buhari, by the visit, had proven that he was not truly for some people, but for all Nigerians. Egwu, on his part, disclosed that Gov Umahi had charged those of them currently in the National Assembly from Ebonyi, to always give support to policies of the Federal Government, despite belonging to different political parties. That’s the way to go.

The traditional rulers of the South-east, through their leader, Eze Eberechi Dick, commended the President for fighting insecurity, for fighting corruption, promoting agriculture, and generally bringing hope of a better future.

“You are a great leader. We love you so much. We are solidly behind you,” the monarch said.

Trust the President to throw in a wisecrack. After being decorated with the paraphernalia of chieftaincy, he said:”I will tell my personal photographer to frame the picture, and I will put it in my sitting room in Daura, where I will eventually end up.”

That’s a man who knows the transience of power and official positions. East or West, home is the best.

Daura would always be home.

When the President entered the township stadium in Abakaliki, the applause was inspiring. One was tempted to ask, is this not in the South-east, where they say they don’t like Buhari? The same thing was to repeat itself in Awka, when the President entered the Alex Ekwueme Square, where the campaign for Anambra governorship holding this Saturday was being concluded. It was applause all the way, signposting the fact that the East was ready to jettison poor politics, and return to the mainstream. It was a roll call of who is who in Nigerian politics from the South-east, who have now teamed up with the All Progressives Congress (APC). Emeka Ojukwu junior, son of Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who used the occasion to publicly join the APC, summed it all up, by pointing out that when his father came back from exile in the early 1980s, he did not join a regional party, but opted for a national one. He concluded: “It is time to stop operating in the periphery.

It is time to leave the shadows for light.” Home truth for all Nigerians, and for Ndigbo particularly, if you ask me.

There is no way you can tell the Igbos not to aspire for presidency of Nigeria at a time in future. It will be contrary to fairness and justice. But then, the region must start playing astute politics. It must leave the shadows for light. It must sustain the hand of fellowship it has extended to the rest of the country, as shown in the warm reception for the President in Ebonyi and Anambra states. Wise men abound in that region, I say again.

During the reception in Ebonyi, Gov Umahi announced a gift of 2,000 bags of rice, 2,000 tubers of yam, and a white horse for the President. I saw the Enyioma 1 of Ebonyi open his mouth in amazement.

While thanking his host for the gift, he promised to send the cargo to Daura, his hometown, for the people to share. Trust me, I told Mohammed Sarki Abba, the President’s senior aide, seated beside me: “I’ll ask Mr President for 50 of those bags of rice, before you send them to Daura. I’ll then distribute them to my own friends in the name of Ochioha Ndigbo.”

And that’s exactly what I’ll do. The Enyioma 1 would surely oblige. Lol. –––Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari

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TRIBUTE

Princess Anne Nnaji: Good That Men Do Also Lives After Them Uche Anichukwu

T

he Odezuluigbo royal family of Nike and the people of Enugu will never forget the 9th day of September 2017. It might not have been preceded by reports of a lioness giving birth in the streets of Rome, the dead rising from their graves, warriors fighting in the clouds, horses neighing, dying men groaning, apparitions and ghosts shrieking, and comets slicing through the dark skies, and Calpurniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nightmares like in the days of Julius Caesar.

Nevertheless, the gloomy skies were enough premonitions, just that mortals could not readily place fingers on what was amiss.

It was not until the news filtered in, first in hushed tones, followed by exclamations of disbelief, then loud wailing that the big Ijele, Princess Anne Nnenna Nnaji had danced her last that a sense was made of the dullness of the day, the ceaseless cloudy weather, and the roaring thunderbolts.

I do not know if it is culturally acceptable in Igbo land to describe a woman as an Ijele or Iroko, but I do not also know how else to describe a woman whose life and legacies were majestic and uncommon like the Ijele and whose legacies will stand tall and strong like the Iroko for a very long time to come.

We have so much to learn from the works of William Shakespeare on life and legacies and on the reward for good and evil. Some of his assertions, I totally agree with. Some, I humbly disagree with.

The lines from Mark Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moving oration for his friend and ally, Julius Caesar, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The evil that men do lives after themâ&#x20AC;?, while â&#x20AC;&#x153;The good is often interred with their bonesâ&#x20AC;? count among the most popular quotes from Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works.

In other words, he believes that whereas the good and noble deeds of people are often quickly forgotten and buried along with their remains at death, their mistakes and ignoble

Late Anne Nnaji

deeds are not interred with them. Instead, they are remembered from generation to generation.

Put in the context of our everyday life and the circumstance under which Mark Anthony makes the statement, Shakespeare is very right. After Caesarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder, the conspirators like Casca, Cassius, Brutus, Metellus, among others, try to paint Caesar as an overtly ambitious man, who is out to enslave the freedom-loving Romans and bestride their lives like a Colossus. So, it becomes imperative for Anthony to remind the Romans of the noble deeds and glorious exploits of Caesar that brought Rome fame, power, and fortunes.

Yet, there are exceptional humans, who

leave us with only fond memories of their good work to talk and write about for ages.

Princess Anne Nnenna Nnaji falls under this category.

Passing on at the age of 48, her life could be equated to a good folktale. It is not how long, but how interesting. Although her beauty and brains will be spoken of for almost eternity, having won the Most Beautiful Girl on Campus Pageant at the former Anambra State University of Science and Technology (now Nnamdi Azikiwe University) way back in 1987, her kindheartedness, which was the major theme flowing through the endless tributes to her by the high and low cast her name in gold on the sands of time.

Like Caesar, the poor cried, and Anne wept. She was philanthropy personified. She was a friend of the orphans. She searched out many so abjectly underprivileged that even the poor called them poor. She brought them under her roof and gave them succor, education and a new lease of life. In a moving tribute paid to her by the wife of the Deputy President of the Senate, Lady Nwanneka Ekweremadu, she described her as a symbol of grace and charity without limits. And that was exactly who Anne was.

On her deathbed, what must have pained her the most was not death- she was a valiant woman even unto death. She had chariots of angels eagerly waiting to take her to eternal rest. Her transition to eternal glory was only delayed by her thoughts of the loved ones and her many unfinished projects with the poor. And if tears could revive the dead, the wailings of the poor, their roaring rivers of tears could have awakened her. As in the days of Dorcas, the widows, orphans, and destitute wailed out their hearts. And if death, that grim reaper, were disposed to substituting his targets, thousands would have gladly laid down their lives that she might live.

Lady Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legendary humility will also live long after her, for she was a typical

Waawa (Enugu) woman, maintaining a very low profile when arrogance could easily have taken over because of where God placed her. She was such a humble character.

She saw humanity as equals, focusing on the humanity in people, never on their social backgrounds. She was unsoiled by affluence, uncorrupted by influence, and never got intoxicated by her glittering beauty.

It must have been against this backdrop of inevitable mortality of even the greatest gifts of God to mankind that Shakespeare must have concluded inMacbeth that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And is heard no moreâ&#x20AC;?. If life were not a walking shadow; if it were not a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more, great people like Anne who impacted mankind so massively should not have tasted death. Sadly, as Isaac Watts writes in that favourite hymn, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons awayâ&#x20AC;?.

But, at the risk of taking the playwright, Shakespeare, literarily (for he is probably expressing helplessness and frustration over death), I disagree that life is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a taleâ&#x20AC;Ś signifying nothingâ&#x20AC;?. At least, Lady Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relatively short, but impactful life bears me out that a life well lived will signify something till eternity.

So, let the lights deem for mortals all it can. Let the long day wane, the slow moon climb, and the deep sea moan with many voices, I will always go with Alfred Lord Tennysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evergreen lines in Ulysses: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Death closes all: but something ere (before) the end/ Some work of noble note, may yet be doneâ&#x20AC;?.

Before the end, let every mortal, therefore, work out his or her immortality, just as the five-star princess had done, leaving us with sweet memories of the good she did to cherish for eternity. Goodnight, the beautiful heart. Goodnight, the beautiful Lady. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Anichukwu is Special Adviser (Media) to the Deputy President of the Senate

Dee Bob: Epitome of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amazing Grace Emma Agu

I

want to thank the NIPR for organising this event in honour of Chief Beremako Ewuolonu Ogbuagu, OON, FNIPR, FNGE, PDG, D.Lit., or Dee Bob, the name by which he became known. I am especially indebted to the indefatigable President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Dr. Rotimi Oladele for his fidelity, friendship and sense of responsibility. For how could Dee Bob have gone home without a resounding farewell from Lagos, the city that was and remains the bastion of his very essence: public relations, journalism, humanitarian work, Methodism, Rotary and nationalist ferment?

In some sense, for many a great Nigerian, Lagos is a love affair that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want a divorce from. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter whether you live in Lagos or not. What is important is that, at one point in your earthly odyssey, you either passed through Lagos or, the city that never sleeps, will find a way of passing through you.

And so was it with Dee Bob. At age 70, when people retired to their villages or were expected to do so, Dee Bob returned to Lagos.

Incredible! More incredible was the fact that he assumed the headship of Champion Newspapers, for an interim period which lasted nearly five years! Even more credible was the fact that at 70, Dee Bob was as strong as fiddle, displaying the mental alertness of someone who was thirty-five. Workers marveled at his presence of mind and physical agility of the rare septuagenarian who had been drafted by the publisher of Champion Newspapers Limited, Chief Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu to fill a gap following the appointment of the acting managing director/ editor-in-chief, Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike as minister of health by late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

That later day sojourn in Lagos epitomized Dee Bobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life: tireless, restless, zestful and passionate. For in Lagos, it was as if his life was being renewed. That wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been a surprise though: Dee Bob would have referred you to Psalm 103, verse 5; that God renews the youth of His people like the

Eagleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s! Whether he was in the Methodist Church at Olowogbowo, or in the company of his PR compatriots at Ikeja, or his Rotary brethren at Ladoke Akintola Street GRA, Ikeja, or with his fellow compatriots on the Committee of Patriots: Akintola Williams, Ben Nwabueze, Lanihun Ajayi, Tanko Yakassai, etc he found new steam in his life-long campaign to witness the emergence of a united Nigeria, anchored firmly on the principles of true federalism, equity and justice.

To those who wondered why he went back to work in 1995 at the age 70, it will surprise you to learn that he was never motivated by any pecuniary considerations or the glamour of public life. Instead, he saw an opening to advance two consuming passions: first, loyalty to friendship and second, the unfinished business of architecting a Nigerian nation-state that would withstand the strains and stresses of unbridled sub-cultural nationalism. In that regard, Champion Newspapers Limited, an organisation that he provided the fulcrum on which it started in 1988, became the platform for reviving his life of journalistic activism. How many Nigerians remember that, as publisher of the Nigerian Advocate in Jos, he was jailed by the colonial administrators in 1955?

In retrospect, did he achieve his objectives for coming to Lagos? The answer is Yes and No. On the platform of friendship, he did: Chief Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu remains ever grateful for the stabilizing role Dee Bob played in the evolution of the newspaper.

For us at Champion House, in those days, we had the unforgettable privilege of drinking from the cup of wisdom of one of the greatest Nigerians to have ever lived, a personage who, like the late Sir Jerome Udoji, that quintessential civil servant of blessed memory, had served under three masters: the colonial administration, the post independence civilian administration, and the military. I will never forget one of his greatest legacies: that a document should never pass through an office without ensuring a proper sequence of comments. In other words, not only should the officer minute on it, the person must number the minutes. In retrospect, all that is required to appreciate the value of that simple requirement is to follow the denials and

counter-denials over certain issues that have gone dangerously awry in contemporary public life, in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, the country is still battling with those problems of nation-building that forced him and his colleagues on the Committee of Patriots, mostly elderly men who needed their rest, to spend hours on brainstorming on the way forward, for the country.

Dee Bob couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand it: he grew up at a time that though tribe and tongue differed, in brotherhood they stood; he served in an era when, for many, work started with integrity and ended with integrity; he operated in an era when your rise on the career ladder was dictated more by hard work and competence than by who you knew. To him, those were minimum desiderata for the national renaissance that he thought, with his colleagues; he could etch unto the national psyche. Pity, we are still at the same crossroads, undecided whether to confront our monsters and ride the storm or be swept away by the currents of history.

Yet, he never failed. Last Saturday, at the South East Economic Summit in Enugu, many speakers recalled with nostalgia the halcyon days of economic boom of the defunct eastern region under late Premier Michael Okpara; an economy that the Word Bank had adjudged as the fastest growing in the developing world.

It is a testament of his legacy that Dee Bob was executive secretary to the Eastern Nigerian Development Commission, ENDC, the promoter and supervisor of all the companies and sundry entities that were used to drive that historical performance. Presidential Hotels in Enugu and Port Harcourt, the TransAmadi Industrial Layout in Port Harcourt, Obudu Cattle Ranch stand as undying evidence of that great era. Not to be left out were Modern Ceramics Industry and Golden Guinea Breweries in Umuahia and lastly, the farm settlements all over the region. Dee Bob, the man with the institutional memory of that golden era, passed on at 92. It is one of those ironies of our time that we could not tap into his reservoir of knowledge and personal attributes, to deliver on benchmark democracy dividends in an era of unprecedented revenues and advanced technology.

His breed is fast depleting. And, in the fast-paced age in which we live, an age in

which we celebrate ourselves and not our mentors and icons, let us hope that patriots like Dee Bob and the ideals they lived for, will not be forgotten to the eternal damnation of our country. In spite of human imperfections, I will strive to remember because he touched my life in a very profound personal manner.

He was a father, a mentor, a confidant. He trusted and stood by me all the way from that first meeting in March 1984 at his Union Trust Limited office at School Road in Owerri, Imo State. That leads to another remarkable aspect of his life: For all his nationalistic passion, for all the love of the klieg light in Lagos and other great cities, Dee Bob firmly believed that God had a reason for making the East his place of origin. So, Owerri was his business base, all through life. That also meant that, no matter how busy he was, every week, he would have to return to Owerri to be with Cee; that was how he called his wife Lady Cecilia, the Amazon and matriarch of the Ogbuagu family.

She, with her children Uche, Ada, Iheomadinihu, Ekelaka, Iheukwumere and his brother, retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Ikechi Ogbuagu, JSC, will lead the funeral band that includes many known and unknown beneficiaries of Dee Bobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life of quiet philanthropy, mentoring and service to humanity.

As He goes home, he will be remembered as the visionary Nigerian who blurred the distinction between generations, repudiated the cleavages that perennially held Nigeria hostage, remained loyal to friends and friendship, looked to the future with unquenchable optimism and served his maker with abiding faith. Above all, he will be remembered as the loving and caring husband of Cee, the biological father of Uche and his siblings and the sociological and professional father of many known and unknown people among whom are to be counted Rotimi Oladele and yours sincerely, Emma Agu. His remains will be committed to mother earth at his hometown, Umuonukele in Umukabia Ohuhu of Umuahia North LGA, Abia State on Friday, November 18, 2017.

Our prayer is that the gentle soul of Dee Bob (Chief Dr. Beremako Ewulonu Ogbuagu, OON, May 25, 1925 to August 21, 2017) rest in the bossom of the Lord.

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by OMOLOLA ITAYEMI omolola.itayemi@thisdaylive.com 08054699602

TRAVEL&LEISURE FUNMI ROTIBA

My Love for Tourism is Like the Love I Have for My Life Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă&#x153; ͚͟ Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; ͚͞Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ë&#x153; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2039;ĂĄĂ&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă? âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă? ĘŠĂ?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? ËŤ Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x; Ă?Ă&#x2039;ËŹ Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă Ă?Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ě&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x161;Ă?Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2018;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2018;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă?Ă?Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ë&#x203A; Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2022;Ă? ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Omolola Itayemi Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2122;ĂĄ Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2039; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?

Why are you passionate about tourism? fter a degree in Economics from the Lagos State University (LASU), I proceeded for the mandatory one-year National Youth Service programme. After the service year, my quest for a challenging career that will make me outstanding got me into tourism.

Further researches made me realise that tourism is a largely untapped diamond in Africa. Thereafter, I got sold on tourism.

Today, my love for tourism is like the love I have for my life. I dream tourism and my passion increases with every passing year. I am particularly delighted today that I have grown and created great jobs for others along the way. It has been a legacy-laying career. Tourism drives me. My passion for every aspect of tourism - the cultural aspect, the traveling and events, and meeting great people is deep.

A

What are some of the tourism events and groups you have organised or chaperoned?

In the last 12 years, we have served as tour consultants to a number of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and America. And through hard work and a penchant for results, we have handled great projects. Some of our patrons in recent time include the Oyo State Government, the Federal Government (under the SureP programme), multinational companies, and several schools with excursion to the United States of America and foreign missions.

We also handled various cultural programmes to South Africa, organised cultural tour to SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil with the Isese and Ase groups and took two World Cup groups to both South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. This is besides foreign trade exhibitions and several summits/training trips that we have helped ministries, departments and agencies to handle across the country.

What are some of the challenges you have witnessed?

Most of the challenges are based on groups and individuals not understanding why they must patronize travel consultants or buy tour packages, majority also prefer to buy visa. But we handle all inclusive travels along with group packages for culture-related travels, tourism, holiday, event, seminars or training.

The other challenges faced include that of securing visas easily for clients who genuinely want to travel and return, issues of clients not having the right documentation, and convincing clients to allow us handle their complete tour package, as it is far cheaper than buying visas.

The Prestigious African Award is

a tourism event scheduled to hold between December 14 and 16 in Paris, France. Why the awards and the choice of venue?

Prestigious African Awards is born out of love for Africa and the immense possibilities of tapping into and developing our true tourism potentials. The event shall, among other things, feature a cultural exhibition, an official Hall of Fame, an Imperial beauty pageant and an African Royalty presentation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an interactive session for participants.

Most awards are organised within countries of origin. But we wanted a common and fair ground where each African country could speak about what they want to do and how they want to develop their potential, especially in terms of attracting both foreigners and Africans back to their root. Paris, France is a lovely and bubbling city, which hosts many African people. So, we chose Paris because of the cultural theme and as a common ground.

What do you actually hope to achieve with the award?

Each participating country should expect redefined tourism development programmes and greater collaboration from fellow African countries going forward. The award would also present a good ground for Africans to further cross-fertilise ideas with foreign investors with a view to getting them to come and invest in Africa.

We believe strongly that, after the event, there would be a large turnout of foreign visitors as tourists to participating African countries. , on the home-front, we believe citizens would also be primed to make more impact at the grassroots.

How would this award be different from others?

When people hear about award events, the concept is almost always known to majority. But this award is different, in that, we are bringing together the decision makers, decree makers, great investors and entrepreneurs. Royal fathers across all African countries would also be in attendance.

The concept and idea is different from others. This award is a legacy-laying award; it is not just a party to attend.

You were recently decorated as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Erelu Asaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi. What does this mean to you?

I was chosen among 2,500 culturallyinclined people who are promoting the culture of their land. I was selected due to my numerous generosity and love, my passion for cultural programmes, and my mode and style of dressing.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise for me when, on August 9 this year, I was bestowed with this title. Ever since, however, I have been espousing what that title stands for - serving as an

Funmi Rotiba

example and educating our people who misconstrue culture (asa) for spirituality and ritual or who love culture but do not know the lines dividing it from religion.

What has been your experience after the title?

It has been wonderful. Most people

are usually surprised that I am quite young and could also communicate very well. They seem to expect an older title holder. Another reasonable number of people engage with me on religion, forgetting that culture (Asa) is a way of life. The work I am doing with this title has been redefining me and promoting me everywhere I go across the world.

L-R: Bankole Bernard, President NANTA; Folorunsho Coker, DG NTDC; Obinna Ekezie, CEO Wakanow and Rita Olori, also of Wakanow.com

51

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ NOVEMBER 18, 2017

THE ALTERNATIVE with Reno Omokri 13 SANs is the Only Difference Between President Buhari and Kaduna’s Certificateless Teachers

F

irst of all, let me seek the permission of my readers to invent a new word. The word certificateless does not exist on the English dictionary. I invented it due to the peculiar situation we find ourselves in, in Nigeria.

The word is created to be a noun which simply means the absence of a certificate in a situation where a certificate is required. For instance, both President Muhammadu Buhari and the 20,000 Kaduna State teachers in the midst of Nasir El-Rufai’s brouhaha are certificateless.

I will state this saga with a true story.

In Edo history, there existed a particular Oba who lived for a very long time. Now his edaiken (first son and heir apparent) was growing tired of waiting for the throne, so he sent his father a calabash with ash in it. His father got the message and sent back the calabash but this time, he mixed the ash with honey, indicating to his son that life was still sweet and he was not ready to quit the scene.

I am a deep political animal. I do not believe that local Kaduna issues are all that has led to the brouhaha of El-Rufai’s threat to sack 20,000 teachers that failed a primary four test and are thus certificateless.

I think that El-Rufai, who has styled himself as magajin Buhari sees himself as something like an edaiken.

You may ask, what type of subliminal message is Nasir El-Rufai passing to Muhammadu Buhari by threatening to sack 20,000 teachers without CERTIFICATES? Think about it! If a teacher cannot teach without certificate, is it a President that can preside without certificate?

The threat is El-Rufai’s calabash of ash to Buhari and Nigerians in the know are waiting for Buhari’s response.

Be that as it may, The 13 SANs defending President Buhari in his certificate issue should be prevailed upon to also defend the 20,000 Kaduna teachers facing sack. After all, their cases are the same!

And on Monday the 13th of November 2017, the Presidency released a statement declaring that President Buhari supports El-Rufai’s plans to sack the certificateless teachers.

The only difference between President Buhari and the 20,000 Kaduna teachers whose sack he endorsed is that the Kaduna teachers don’t have the money to hire 13 SANs. What is the difference between Buhari and those teachers? Who has a certificate between them? Do these people have any shame at all?

How can Nigeria progress when we sack teachers

And the President’s certificatelessness has reverberated beyond Nigeria. He is not considered as someone to be reckoned with in Nigeria by his peers on the continent.

African leaders even respect Rochas Okorocha more than President Muhammadu Buhari.

They fly into Nigeria, go straight to Imo to see Rochas and check out without ever going to Abuja.

Could such a thing have happened under Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua or Jonathan? That is how irrelevant President Buhari has become even in his own country

Buhari

for not having certificates and install Presidents who don’t have certificates?

It is rather like a company saying a messenger without WASSCE is unqualified meanwhile its MD is in the same boat. How will the company be profitable? You cannot fight certificatelessness in primary school teachers and promote certificatelessness for a second term. Make up your mind. It is either you are fine with certificatelessness or you are not!

Certificateless teachers teach Kaduna children and you are not surprised when they fail. Certificateless President runs your economy and you are surprised when it fails? Can zero plus zero ever equal more than zero?

And the President’s certificatelessness has reverberated beyond Nigeria. He is not considered as someone to be reckoned with in Nigeria by his peers on the continent.

African leaders even respect Rochas Okorocha more than President Muhammadu Buhari. They fly into Nigeria, go straight to Imo to see Rochas and check out without ever going to Abuja. Could such a thing have happened under Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua or Jonathan? That is how irrelevant President Buhari has become even in his own country.

And why will they not think that the President is a joke? A man without certificate who is so backward in his thinking that after former President Jonathan opened the floodgates for women combatants to join the Nigerian Army, this Stone Age despot that we call a President unilaterally overturned the policy ostensibly because Northern Muslim leaders are opposed to women serving in the military.

Can we be surprised about this action from a man who believes women belong in the other room?

And that rightly named Lai Mohammed had the guts to say that President Buhari is cleaning up the Peoples Democratic Party’s Augean Stable. Really?

Which mess PDP is President Buhari cleaning exactly? * CleaningN87 fuel for N145 fuel * Cleaning N199 to 1$ for N375 for $1 * Cleaning N8k bag of rice for N18k bag * Cleaning N1 bag of cement for N4k bag of cement * Cleaning women combatants from army?

I mean the facts speak for themselves.

And in the midst of the economic chaos that President Muhammadu Buhari has unleashed on Nigeria, his number one priority is not finding out

why the United Nations has projected that Nigeria will have more people in extreme poverty than India

by February of 2018 even though India has eight times our population.

The President is in re-election mode and has shifted focus from governance (not that he was ever focused on that account).

His latest re-election gimmick is to visit a Southeast that he had never once visited before as President. But the President is making a big miscalculation if he thinks he can buy the support of the Igbo for his re-election.

What the Igbo need is not a Presidential visit.

They need to be included in government. There isn’t a single Igbo man heading any of the military or paramilitary forces in Nigeria. They are all headed

by Northern Muslim men, except one (Navy) headed by a South-Southerner.

The Army, Air Force, Police, Customs, Immigration and Prisons are led by Northern Muslim men. Only the Navy is led by a Southerner. That is why the policy allowing women combatants was almost scrapped by Armed Forces Council but for the mass protest it prompted, because the North opposes it and the South, which supports it, is underrepresented.

The Buhari administration is a thoroughly discredited government whose focus should be to help the President pack his load and move back to Daura to tend to his cows that never increase in number rather than this focus on his re-election.

This is why I was rather surprised at the surprise of the Ikoyi whistle-blower that he had not been paid.

That Ikoyi whistle-blower should have known better than to expect the Buhari administration to keep their promise to him. Have they kept their promise to Nigerians? If they can’t keep that one is it his they will keep?

In fact, some of the mad people you see on the streets may just be whistle-blowers who blew the whistle for the EFCC. You never know. You just never know!

Now I understand why The Buhari administration has refused to fulfill its campaign promises. It is not their fault. Just like the Ikoyi whistle-blower, they do not want us to get mad if we see too many fulfilled promises. For example, PDP fulfilled too many promises and we got mad and voted for APC! President Buhari is preparing for re-election and does not want that type of madness again!

And as the 75-year-old President Buhari surreptitiously kicks off his re-election campaign, he should not test the Nigerian people, who have borne the weight of his unprecedented misrule, too much.

What we want from him, even if he intends to run in 2019, is a free and fair election.

Already, we are seeing the business interests of likely rivals being dealt a massive blow. If their contracts with the Federal Government are not being illegally cancelled, then expatriate quotas are being revoked. This in a country screaming that it wants foreign investments.

Saudi Arabia has a 32-year-old Crown Prince who is fighting corruption, growing the economy and has now allowed women to drive while Nigeria has a 75-year-old (allegedly) President who has ruined the economy while pretending to fight corruption and has no single youth in his cabinet! Different strokes for different folks!

Reno’s Nuggets

When European Christian missionaries came to Africa, they built schools that our parents and grandparents attended for free. When today’s churches build schools, even their own church members, whose offerings built the schools, can’t afford to send their children there. My own father, who was not a Catholic, was educated by Irish Catholic priests FOR FREE at their school. Come on people. Let us get back to that old time Christianity that was first about service to God and humanity.

Church schools may not be free, but they should be affordable for believers #RenosNuggets

One Other Thing

I may not be a Catholic, but I commend @Pontifex Pope Francis, for donating the $200k Euro Lamborghini he was blessed with to charity. Can other spiritual leaders take a cue from this?

52

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;, 2017

POLITY

Shehu Sani, Olanipekun for Rave FM Lecture Kunle Adewale

enator Shehu Sani and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun, will be Osogbo on November 24, 2017 for the Rave FM Second Annual Anniversary Lecture.

The lecture, with the topic: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fight against corruption: The facts, the fallacies, the antidotes,â&#x20AC;? will be delivered by Sani, a civil rights activist, while Olanipekun will be the chairman of the event.

The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, will be Special Guest of Honour, while the immediate past Managing Director of Mutual Benefits Assurance Limited, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, is the Special

Guest.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Rave FM, Femi Adefila: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The choice of the topic is particularly instructive because majority of Nigerians agree that corruption is one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest impediments to development and also in view of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s avowed commitment to fighting the scourge headlong.â&#x20AC;?

Adefila said the annual lecture, which is the second in the series, is Rave FMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of deepening public discourse within the socio-economic and political space.

People from different segments of the society, including politicians, anticorruption activists, unions, academics, traditional rulers, captains of industry amongst others have been invited to be

part of the lecture.

Other programmes lined up to commemorate the second anniversary of Rave FM include the re-beautification of Oke Fia Roundabout in Osogbo as the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of giving back to the society on November 23, 2017 , while indoor sports activities will hold on November 25, 2017 The activities will be rounded off with a Thanksgiving Service on November 26, 2017.

Rave FM, since it started full operations

November 2015, has redefined the broadcast landscape with its amazing music and quality talks through its beautifully crafted programmes designed to satisfy all listeners irrespective of status or demography.

In the last two years, amongst other numerous nominations and awards, Rave FM emerged as the Best Media Organisation/Radio Station of The Year at the last Osun State Nigeria Union of Journalists Awards alongside several other honours and commendations.

Christian Journalists Backs CAN on Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Withdrawal from OIC Kunle Adewale

T

he Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists, NACJ, has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to yield to the call of the Christian Association Of Nigeria, (CAN), for the removal of Nigeria from the membership of the Organization of Islamic Conference,( OIC).

In a press release signed by its secretary General, Charles Okhai, NACJ said there was no meaningful benefit of membership except for those with selfish agenda to Islamize the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We make bold to demand that the country should exit from all other

Islamic Bodies henceforth. If we are not a member of any International Christian body why OIC and others. We are a secular state, we must remain as such. We are not against Islam, but we furiously against any action that seems to disregard the fact that we are not all Muslims,â&#x20AC;? the statement said.

The association commended the leadership of CAN, led by its President Reverend Ayokunle, for taking the initiative to visit the President and demand for what is constitutionally the rights of Christians and also call on the National Assembly to use the legislative weapon to make right all that seem to divide us a nation.

R-L: President of Eritrea, His Excellency, Isaias Afwerki, receives visiting Afreximbank President, Dr. Benedict O. Oramah, a Nigerian, who was in Eritrea to hold talks with the government over the North East African countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joining the continental multilateral trade finance institution, as a shareholderâ&#x20AC;Ś recently

L-R: The Ancon, Mr. Dele Balogun; Guest Speaker, Mr. Toby Shapshak; Managing Partner, Q21 Solutions, Eunice Adeyemi; Founder/CEO, Nanoarc, Dr. Beri Mbenkum; and Head West Africa, CNBC Africa, Frederic Van de Vyver, at the Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greatest Minds Tackling Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Biggest Challengies event held in Lagos...recently PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Chairman, Board of Trustee, Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Ekua Abudu; Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osibajo; and President, Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Titi Ogufere at the opening ceremony of the African Culture and Design Festival held in Lagos...recently

Chairman, Peacock Group of Companies, Aare Segun Phillip (left), receiving the Archbishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Deanery Award from His Grace, Most Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins, the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, at St Leoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catholic Church, lkeja, Lagos...recently

L-R: Former Vice President, Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN), Mrs. Foluke Abdulrazaq, representing UBA; Guest Speaker and Chief Economist, Lagos Business School (LBS), Dr. Adedoyin Salami; Vice President, BDAN, Mrs. Funmi Oyetunji; representing Ecobank Nigeria, President, Prof. Chris Ogbechie, representing Diamond Bank and Secretary, Mrs. Ojini Olaghere, representing Access bank, during the annual conference of the Association, in Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently PHOTO: KOLA OLASUPO

53

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;Ë&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

POLITY MIKE OMOTOSHO

War against Corruption Will Succeed When Government is Able to Provide Basic Needs Dr. Mike Omotosho was the governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) during the 2015 general elections in Kwara State. He was recently elected as the National Chairman of the party. He spoke with journalists in Ilorin on a wide range of issues s. Hammed Shittu was there to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;stop the messâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Nigeria is a country that is blessed with intelligent minds and hard-working populace, we are pacesetters and innovators, Therefore, there is no reason why Nigeria should be tagged a third world country.

What is your view on the anticorruption ďŹ ght of the present administration? he current administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fight against corruption is a step in the right direction except that more needs to be done.

Corruption cannot be fought without an effective judicial system; consequences must be enforced irrespective of social class and party affiliations.

Additionally, another way of fighting corruption is to provide safety nets for the people, by this I mean the issues pertaining to insecurity, as it relates to poverty, unemployment and provision of other social welfare. These safety nets will assure the citizens of better life and can guard against corruption that stems from frustration and fear. Then, the fight against corruption will make meaningful impact.

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What do you think can make the ďŹ ght against corruption?

The fight against corruption will achieve significant outcomes when government is able to provide the basic needs of the people. People will refrain from corrupt practices if their future is secure. Imagine knowing that your children will attend school, have access to adequate healthcare, can afford to be fed tolerably and you can commute as required, the tendency for you to engage in corrupt practices will be drastically reduced if not eliminated.

Government must therefore strengthen our institutions and provide safety nets for the welfare for the citizens.

Do you think the economic hardship faced by Nigerians is avoidable?

At the presentation of the 2017 budget to the National Assembly in May last year, the President named it budget of economic recovery and growth, which was meant to help the nation recover from the economic crisis and engender growth in critical sectors of the nation. He listed some of the priority areas as agriculture and food security, Industrialisation and SME development, macro and micro economic stability, energy sufficiency in the power and petroleum sector, as well as transportation. A critical look at these areas shows that a lot of progress is yet to be made and execution of governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agenda has largely fallen below expectation. The road to recovery may be long, but there is always a way out, individual States in Nigeria must begin to seek ways to generate revenue innovatively, civil service reforms, building the middle class, ease of doing business, etc.

Recently, the Nigerian Bureau of

What are the current challenges of the party?

I am glad you use the word challenge and not problem. The challenge the Labour Party has had in the past is a lack of enforceable party ethics. Under this new administration our aim is to build a strong membership commitment that will drive party strategy rather than individual agenda. Defectors from other parties seeking a platform for temporary gain will no longer use our party, because party loyalty is critical for creating the revolution we desire.

Presently, another challenge we plan to take head-on, although not unique to the Labour Party, is the increasing sense of anxiety and hopelessness of Nigerians in the multiparty system. We shall restore the hope and confidence of every Nigerian again.

Omotosho

Thefightagainstcorruptionwill achievesignificantoutcomes whengovernmentisableto providethebasicneedsofthe people.Peoplewillrefrainfrom corruptpracticesiftheirfuture issecure.Imagineknowing thatyourchildrenwillattend school,haveaccesstoadequate healthcare,canaffordtobefed tolerablyandyoucancommute asrequired,thetendency foryoutoengageincorrupt practiceswillbedrastically reducedifnoteliminated.

Governmentmusttherefore strengthenourinstitutions andprovidesafetynetsforthe welfareforthecitizens Statistics claimed that the country is out of recession what is your view?

Our economy is still in a dire state, despite exiting recession by 0.05 per cent is a few months ago, and the relative stability of our naira to the dollar.

The micro economic and real sector is yet to feel the impact of the acclaimed improved Macro economic situation.

Many businesses are still closed and more are closing, with many workers rendered jobless. The unemployment rate is high, and money has reduced in circulation. Many believe that the proffered economic solutions are mere rhetoric that may not be capable of revamping the economy. I must, however, congratulate the government in moving Nigeria 24 steps to 145thposition for the ease of doing business, these reforms will definitely add to the ripple effect of development.

What efforts are you making to reposition the Labour Party ahead of the next general election?

We are restructuring the labour Party in a number of ways but I will share the three most important. First; We are relaying our foundation at state, local government and ward levels, Competent men and women of impeccable character are being elected into leadership positions and are taking up selfless responsibility to build excellent structures that will win elections.

Secondly, a technical working committee is about to unveil a more robust, responsible and revolutionary manifesto that will strategically drive sustainable development in Nigeria and clearly define the hopes and aspirations of every Nigerian. This will serve as our blueprint. Lastly, The Labour party has initiated a unique membership drive, a campaign to draft like-minded Nigerians that are tired of the mediocrity and degeneracy of the state of affairs in Nigeria to build a party for the people

What are the chances of LP in 2019 general elections?

There is a popular saying that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It is crystal clear to Nigerians that the two big political parties have performed abysmally below expectation. Even though we term them as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; they lack strategy and structure to govern, based on principles but rather on personal ideologies. This is where the Labour Party differs from the norm. We are competitively positioned as a party where party principles supersede individual beliefs, and where it is imperative for us to build strong sustainable institutions that are uniform across board. So, 2019 looks good for the Labour Party because Nigerians are ready for intelligent intervention. So, for those that are ready to walk the talk, young, middle-aged or old, male or female, the Labour Party is where you will be given a seat at the table.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the plan of LP to get the country out of the present economic challenges?

I have always noted that the challenges of the country, including our economic challenges, stem from lack of good, visionary, proactive leadership with innovative ideas to harness the abundant human and material resources already available to confront our economic challenges. Labour Party will look for such men and women both home-grown and in diaspora, bring them on board and harness the vast potentials of the country. It is time to begin to put round pegs in round holes and explore the creativity of youths.

The over dependence on oil must stop.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÎ&#x20AC;, 2017

Ogun2019:BimboAshiruJoinstheRace Ogun East Senatorial District has picked Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, as its consensus candidate for the 2019 governorship race in Ogun State. Femi Ogbonnikan takes a look at the resolve and commitment of the APC leaders and elders of Ogun East to pick a consensus candidate and the criteria used

he APC in Ogun East Senatorial district has made known its intention and has laid to rest the much-touted rumour that the zone would produce a candidate to vie for the 2019 Ogun State governorship election. The party has picked Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, the Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, as its consensus candidate for the governorship ticket. The endorsement event, which was well-attended by chieftains of the party, was held at Ijebu Ode GRA, recently. Nine aspirants drawn from the nine local governments making Ogun East district jostled for the seat.

While addressing the mammoth gathering, Chairman, Ijebu-Remo Forum, Dr. Gbolade Oshinowo stated that the Ogun East senatorial district, has a slogan, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ijebu lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;okan, Ijebu lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oma se (it is the turn of the Ijebu, it is the turn of Ijebu to govern).

He said in pursuant of its determination to produce the next governor on May 29, 2019, APC leaders from Ijebu-Remo district empanelled a four-man screening committee to recommend one out of the nine aspirants that signified interest in the 2019 governorship election for adoption as a consensus candidate. The panel, he said, began its work in July and it was mandated to deliver the outcome of its screening to the four members, Chief Olu Okuboyejo (chairman), Aare T Olu Dawodu, Basorun Adebisi Adesanya and Sen Dipo Odujirin on wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Chairman of the panel, Chief Olu Okuboyejo was a pioneer Permanent Secretary in Ogun State and the only survivor from the defunct Western Region to establish the Ogun State Public Service, while Aare Olu Dawodu retired from the Ogun State Public Service as State Chief Pharmacist; a one-time Commissioner for Health and Chairman, Local Government Service Commission. He is currently the chairman, Ogun East APC eldersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; forum.

Basorun Adebisi Adesanya is a former CEO/Chairman, Coca-cola International and Baba Oba of Makun, Sagamu; and Dipo

Ashiru Odujirin is a former legislator that represented Remo and Ijebu Ode at the Senate in the second republic.

According to Oshinowo, an erstwhile Special Assistant to ex-President Obasanjo on political matters, the screening panel interviewed prominent politicians, including two former Deputy governors, Adegbenga Kaka and Prince Segun Adesegun, a former senator, Olorunnimbe Mamowora, two serving commissioners, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru and Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo, a Senior Special Advisor, Jimi Lawal, an architect, Owodunni Opayemi, a medical practitioner, Taofeek Kassim and an engineer, Otunba Abayomi Odunowo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Though Gov. Ibikunle Amosun said his decision to cede power to Ogun West was his own personal opinion but whatever

the leadership of the party in the state, at the end of the day say, may overrule his decisionâ&#x20AC;?, said Oshinowo.

Oshinowo further said that the decision of Ogun East to pick its consensus candidate was borne out of the need to avoid making the mistakes the people of Yewa/Awori often make such that opportunities often elude them whenever they were given an opportunity to field a governorship candidate in the state. He, therefore, described the four members of the panel as men of absolute trust and confidence that are incorruptible and cannot be intimidated.

It would be recalled that the Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun had, at different fora, stressed his determination and commitment to pick his successor from Ogun West, a district that has never produced a governor since the creation of the state 42 years ago, but the leaders and elders from Ogun East district have frowned at the stance of the governor, as they are laying equal claim to the 2019 Ogun State Governorship ticket on the basis of rotation at provincial level.

According to the report presented to the house by the screening committee, led Okubadejo, which was read by Oshinowo, all the aspirants did well and they were described as men of valour. The report said it was of necessity that only one of them would emerge as the candidate.

Dr. Oshinowo said during the screening process, endorsed by the Paramount ruler of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, and the new Akarigbo of Remoland, the panel gave out questionnaires to all aspirants which they all answered under sweaty conditions.

The committee therefore recommended, Bimbo Ashiru as preferred aspiration among the other APC aspirants.

In his acceptance speech, Ashiru applauded the screening Committee for the good job done and also for finding him worthy to be the Ogun East Governorship candidate. He said the trust was a collective task for him and other aspirants, declaring that he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it alone without their total support.

Ashiru was born in Ijebu-Ode to the illustri-

ous Ashiru family. His father, late Pa Simeon Adeyemi Ashiru, was a distinguished Ijebu statesman while his mother â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Omoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ba (Princess) Moradeun Ashiru, is from the Fidipote royal family of Ijebu Ode and the ruling house of Owu-Ijebu.

Ashiru bagged a degree in Marketing, Purchasing & Supply, and a Mastersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Degree in Strategic Management. With this background, he entered the services of the then Chartered Bank in the year 1989. In a successful career that has spanned two decades and taken him to various institutions, he has served in various capacities of Management (Head, Private Banking Unit; Branch Manager; Head, Institution & Professional Banking; Regional Coordinator; Country Director, Personal and Business Banking; Director, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Investments; until his last position of Group Head, Public Sector with Stanbic IBTC Bank which he was the pioneer head of the department.

Otunba Ashiru, according to different version of those who know him, is a man with a desire for developing people around him and this translated into his appointment as the representative of the Awujale of Ijebuland on the Ogun State Poverty Alleviation Task Force.

He distinguished himself in this field and represented his people favorably to the best of his ability and was well-commended by the Awujale himself. He was also on the Technical and Communications Committees of the 17th Nigerian Economic Summit (2011).

He is a member of The Metropolitan Club, Ikoyi Club 1938 and a member of the Ijebu Heritage Group and Ijebu Renaissance Group.

Otunba Ashiru is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria; National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Commerce of Nigeria.

In recognition of his selfless service to society and having distinguished himself as a true son of Ijebuland and as an astute banker of repute, Otunba Ashiru was presented with the royal title of Otunba Adeona Fusigboye of Ijebu land in December, 2006 by His Royal Majesty, The Awujale Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

The Absolute Sense in Roads, Rails and Power Investments Godwin Ewulu

ike never before in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 57-year history, this administration is investing heavily in power generation, road construction, power transmission, rail lines, seaports, housing and other heavy infrastructure across the nation.

On Tuesday, while presenting the 2018 budget before a joint session of the national assembly, the president said â&#x20AC;&#x153;this Administration was able to invest an unprecedented sum of over N1.2 trillion in capital projects through the 2016 Budgetâ&#x20AC;?.

For 2017, the investments were even more ambitious. A few weeks ago, N100 billion raised from the Sukuk bond was dedicated to the repair and construction of 25 roads across the nation; Ibadan to Ilorin, Benin to Sagamu, Lokoja to Edo, Enugu to Port Harcourt, Kano to Maiduguri, and Nasarawa to Benue -- touching every part of our nation state.

The plans for 2018 are audacious; the government is setting aside N2.428 trillion for capital projects, breaking its own record at every turn. But is there really a need to spend so much money on the so called key and strategic investments, when a lot of Nigerians still wander the street jobless?

Why spend so much on Infrastructure?

First, strategic investment in infrastructure creates jobs. According to Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says that Nigeria, and indeed Africa loses 5% of its gross domestic product to lack of electric-

Kemi Adeosun ity. Five percent addition to GDP in Nigeria will mean millions of jobs for Nigerians, hence, fixing the power problem is fixing jobs for the nation.

A recent S&P Ratings report indicates that spending on infrastructure has a massive ripple effect on jobs. Increasing spending on infrastructure by one percent of real gross domestic product (GDP) would support 730,000 jobs in the US and increase economic growth by 1.7 percent. In China, it would support 600,000 jobs and 2.2 percent in economic growth. For emerging economies like Brazil, Nigeria, it would generate 2.5 percent in economic growth.

This has been made vivid by recent

investments in power infrastructure by the current administration. The investments in Power, Works and Housing for the year 2016 alone, is estimated to have created 193,469 jobs. You can almost double the number for 2017, and much more for 2018, as more money is being invested. For jobs, investing in infrastructure makes absolute sense.

As if that were not enough, infrastructure investments also make it easier to do business in Nigeria. According to the World Bank ease of doing business report released last week, power generation and transmission has improved in Nigeria, making it easier for small and big businesses to get access to power, which drives increase profit. So these investments in power raise revenue by increasing profit for business.

In the same breath, better power generation and transmission, was part of the indices that raised Nigeria by 24 places to 145 in the report. This in no small means will boost investorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidence in the Nigerian market again and increase foreign direct investments (FDI) flow from the international community to Nigeria.

On social benefits, infrastructure saves lives. Consider the number of deaths Nigeria records annually due to bad roads across the country. This numbers will reduce dramatically following the upgrade of many of those roads. Many others have suffered death at public and private hospitals due to lack of electricity for immediate and adequate treatment. An investment in power definitely turns that tide. Investing in infrastructure does not just saves lives,

it also makes standards of living better; the countries with the best infrastructure also possess the highest ratings on human development index.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) says Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core stock of infrastructure is estimated at only 20-25 percent of GDP. This is at variance with about 70 percent for other middle income countries of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size.

This leaves Nigeria with an infrastructure deficit of about $300bn.

To curb this deficit, and also prepare for a time when Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world, the country must spend a minimum of $14 billion (N4.98 trillion) on infrastructure every year. Even in the most developed countries of the world, government does not bear the sole responsibility of investing in infrastructure.

In Nigeria, government has not and may not be able to do all the spending, but government must lead the way. Government must put its money where its mouth is; government must show private sector players that this is an investment worth making. President Buhari alluded to this when he said â&#x20AC;&#x153;certainly, the infrastructure requirement to reposition Nigeria for the future is huge and our resources are limited.

Government, therefore, will pursue private partnerships to maximise available capital and developmental impactâ&#x20AC;?.

For jobs, for revenue, for social benefits, and for total development of the Nigerians state, investment in infrastructure makes absolute sense. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;godwinewulu@gmail.com

T H I S D AY SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2017

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Saturday, November 18, 2017

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Price: N250

MISSILE NMA on Nigeria’s Health Crisis “The health crisis in Nigeria is unprecedented as the exodus of doctors hits an alarming proportion. Already, it takes a new patient two to three hours to see a doctor. Over 100 doctors have resigned from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, this year alone; about 800 doctors resigned from Lagos State hospitals in the last two years, and over 50 in November alone.

Kebbi State has been unable to employ a single doctor in two years despite multiple adverts.”

– The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, warning that the exodus of doctors from Nigeria has reached an alarming proportion.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Will the Donald Dukes of Nigeria Ever Get a Chance?

F

ellow Nigerians, I finally caught up, and had a most productive meeting, with one of my favourite Nigerian leaders, Donald Duke, in Lagos last weekend. I have steadfastly remained his fan long after he left power ten years ago as Governor of Cross River State. Not even his most fastidious and vociferous critic would ever suggest that he did not leave a monumental mark in that fortunate State. It remains a mystery why, and how, Donald Duke, was abandoned, and wasted, by his Party, PDP, and nay Nigeria. I have written endlessly, and campaigned feverishly, that Nigeria desperately, and urgently, needs many leaders in the mould of Donald Duke. So, it was a pleasure not only meeting up with him again but having time to discuss a topic we both fervently and passionately believe in, Nigeria.

I do not know if Donald Duke is a saint, since we seem to be obsessed with seeking, and finding, angels from heaven to lead us, but I’m very certain that Donald Duke would have performed and delivered once more. Successful and progressive nations are not governed by saints but by performers with uncommon vision, zeal and the determination to succeed where others failed. This handsome, charming, charismatic, cosmopolitan, suave, visionary, audacious and cerebral gentleman, has so much to remind us of a Barack Obama. It is one of those cruel ironies that many of those Nigerian youths who shout the loudest about wanting enduring change never remembered to fight for the emergence of the Donald Dukes of this world. They preferred to fight based on ethnicity, religion and raw cash, the very primordial things that have kept us, both, down and extremely backward.

I’m writing this article on a flight from Dubai to London, and there is no better time to get inspired and simultaneously angered about the disgraceful and embarrassing state of things in Nigeria. I have since come to the conclusion that Nigeria is in this peculiar mess because we have consistently and stubbornly continued to do and repeat the same nonsense and rubbish while expecting a miraculous change. Truth be told, a leader can never give or deliver what he does not possess.

A leader can only be fired up by the limits of his education, background, worldview, experience and exposure. Age is also a factor, a man who made a mess of important assignments in his prime is not likely to make a success of it when he has become totally weak and dim-witted. It is not his fault but the natural law of diminishing returns.

This is the difference between Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe. While Mandela surrounded himself with the brightest whiz-kids to shore up whatever shortcomings he had, having been out of circulation for 27 odd years, Mugabe, on the contrary remained the omnipotent and all-knowing leader even in his twilight years. This Messianic complex is dangerously perfidious.

It was with this background in mind that I was truly elated when Donald Duke accepted the invitation to meet me for a private session. The first thing that struck me on his arrival was his very good looks. Also, his confidence and poise.

And, of course, as our conversation progressed, his sharp brains and wits. I had no doubt in my mind that Nigeria has been haemorrhaging to death because of our self-immolating lack of respect for the likes of Donald Duke and our preference for enthroning mediocrity. If we made mistakes in the past, must we continue to wallow

Duke in our foolhardiness? This was my starting point with Donald Duke.

“Oga, thank you for honouring my invitation at such short notice Sir. You know I have been your self-appointed Campaign Manager all these years.

It is so wonderful to have you here finally, one on one…” I stated. “I cannot thank you enough Dele for keeping faith with me without seeing me. I cannot say we’ve been close friends, yet you mentioned me regularly in your column and I’m always wondering what I have done to deserve this honour from you…” he responded.

I told him how much I was fascinated by his incredible work in Cross River State, especially, how Calabar was fast becoming the Dubai of Nigeria. I was not unaware that his critics often lampooned him as wasting resources on building a beautiful State while his people languished in squalid conditions. But I knew such arguments came from people of limited minds and dreams. The living conditions of a people will never improve unless and until leaders learn to create huge dreams and gigantic activities that would ultimately generate jobs and opportunities. Donald Duke looked a bit pensive. “You won’t believe this; I was totally disappointed to hear supposedly knowledgeable people utter such words like ‘na Dubai we go chop’? It is this sort of warped mentality that has kept us where we have found ourselves… Lack of big dreams… Lack of faith in our abilities to build our own big cities and compete against the greatest nations… Nigerians are naturally brilliant, and we have the population to give us the power and influence of China, but we are not ready to change our ways of doing things…” he said, with sorrow in his eyes.

This dovetailed to my most important question: “Will you run the Presidential race?”

He paused for a moment, measuring his thoughts and probably his choice of words. “Dele, do you want to hear the truth? I seriously want to run but my party, PDP, would have to decide on many things… Our party is well-positioned to win the next election if we can change our style a bit and beat APC at its own game. We must take advantage and benefit from our experience since 1999. Despite our apparent mistakes, Nigerians can now compare and contrast us with APC. What do we need to win the next elections? We

must go to the field with our best candidates. We must learn from how we select our footballers.

No one cares where you come from. Can you play well? Pronto. We must show clearly that we are more democratic. Zoning is good, but it has not worked well in Nigeria. The time has come to unleash the best brains from every part of Nigeria. We must galvanise our youths. They will never follow or support us if we can’t show how we are different and far better than APC…” I told him how much I detest the idea of zoning and the way we’ve all accepted this unconstitutional act, unquestionably and horribly, like victims of mass hypnotism. I do not mind the principle of Federal Character in certain appointments and promotions, but it has no place whatsoever in elective office. Even Federal Character must be based on sound merit. No one should ever be appointed or promoted only because of tribe or religion. No student should be admitted or promoted if he cannot meet minimum requirements. We have now seen the result of promoting mediocrity, hypocrisy and laziness in Kaduna State where Governor Nasir El Rufai has practically guillotined the teaching careers of about 20,000 hopelessly and ridiculously dull teachers.

Zoning is undoubtedly one of the biggest scams in Nigeria. It was forced on us by some control freaks in order to direct and manipulate the system in perpetuity. If we break it down, we’ll see that it has favoured some states and regions more than the others, while some are at serious disadvantage. Nigeria has been led to date by government heads as follows: Tafawa Balewa (Bauchi, Moslem for 6 years) jointly with Nnamdi Azikiwe (Onitsha, Christian for 6 years), Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi (Umuahia, Christian for 6 months), Yakubu Gowon (Lur, Christian for 9 years), Murtala Muhammed (Kano, Moslem for 6 months), Olusegun Obasanjo (Abeokuta, Christian, two stints, for 3 years and 8 years respectively, totalling 11 years), Shehu Shagari (Sokoto, Moslem for 4 years and a few months), Muhammadu Buhari (Katsina, Moslem (two stints, for 20 months and currently 2 and a half years respectively, totalling over 4 years and counting), Ibrahim Babangida (Minna, Moslem for 8 years) Ernest Shonekan (Abeokuta, Christian for almost 3 months) Sani Abacha (Kano, Moslem for almost 5 years), Abdulsalami Abubakar (Minna, Moslem for about one year), Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (Katsina, Moslem for almost three years) and Goodluck Jonathan (Otuoke, Christian for 5 years). More significantly the North has held power for 34 years and shared power as the stronger of two heads for six years, whilst the South has held power for 17 years and shared power as the weaker of two heads for 6 years. Using religion, Christians have held power with 25 years to the Moslems’ 32 years. So much for zoning!

Furthermore, in reality, if zoning was a sincere and precise formula, Buhari should be seen to be completing Yar’Adua’s, and thus, the North’s, second term. After all, Yar’Adua spent three years in office before he died. If APC or PDP fields another Northerner and either manages to win, is that person going to serve one or two terms?

Whichever way you look at it, those insisting the North must produce the next President are thus being clever by half. In fact, the South South has the right to insist Jonathan or someone from his zone should come back to complete their own second term. Just imagine such confusion and conundrum!

What is worse, zoning has never been of immense benefit to Nigeria or its utmost beneficiaries. Katsina has produced two Heads of State on three different occasions (Buhari, Yar’Adua and Buhari again). Kano has produced two (Murtala Muhammed and Sani Abacha).

Minna has produced two (Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar). Abeokuta has produced two, also on three different occasions (Obasanjo, Shonekan and Obasanjo again). Have their sons turned their cities or States into Eldorado? The answer is a resounding No! Donald Duke agreed with me that Nigeria needs to be reconfigured and repositioned urgently. We are respected globally for our brilliance, intellect, innovativeness and boundless energy, but we parade some of the worst leaders on planet earth and the global community wonders how and why we allow the dregs of our society to represent us. Duke believes things might change for the better if we don’t give up. He said there are times he feels frustrated about the Nigerian situation but wakes up the next day re-energised seeing the potentials instead of the horrendous challenges and difficulties. He said he would appeal to members of his Party not to waste this unique opportunity because history would not forgive them if Nigeria collapses so miserably.

He elaborated extensively on his vision for Nigeria. He said rebuilding Nigeria is not going to take rocket science but vision, passion and total commitment to the ideals of civilisation.

According to him, this cannot be achieved if we keep Nigeria perpetually in the hands of those who play Nigeria like Russian Roulette. For such leaders, there is no hurry or any sense of urgency to develop. Theirs is to attain power by crooked means, warm the seats and quit without any tangible achievement. Nigerians seem comfortable in this ‘game of thrones’ that forces them to accept their bizarre existence as if it were God-ordained.

We all complain but still do nothing to correct these foolish anomalies.

How hopeful is he that he, or people of his ilk and pedigree, may emerge in the next dispensation?

His response was very calm and sober. “If I can get the ticket of my Party, I’m certain that with the support of our members and the youths of Nigeria yearning for urgent restoration of hope, we shall defeat APC. I’m certain Nigerians are anxiously waiting for a leader with proven record of vigour and excellence. They will come out en masse to vote if they see such a candidate. And I promise to join hands with my Party to free Nigeria permanently from recession, oppression and depression. We know what to do to unlock the potentials of our vibrant youths and we possess the most important gift of all, the trust in our ability to take development to every part of our great country and attract our most fertile minds back home from all over the world. Our international friends are also waiting to support the right leadership when they see one. It would be the dawn of a new era in Nigeria…” I couldn’t help but shout a loud Amen to that, as he stood up to take his exit.

I followed him to his car and I felt proud and privileged knowing that such a leader is available if ever we need him and are ready to avail ourselves of his quality services. The ball is in our court.

Let’s keep the conversation flowing as I search and serve you more leaders soon.

God bless Nigeria

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