SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST 2018

IBB Marks 77th Birthday Quietly, Prays for Nigeria’s Peace, Progress PDP, Niger governor, others salute former military president Laleye Dipo in Minna Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd) celebrated a low-key 77th birthday

yesterday at his country home, Minna, Niger State.

Rather than throw a lavish birthday party, the retired general, his immediate family members and close associate

held an early morning prayers at IBB Mosque, praying for his long life and good health as well as for the peace and progress of Nigeria.

The prayer was led by the

Chief Imam of the IBB’s Uphill Mosque, Sheikh Musa.

Most of the dignitaries that joined the former military president in celebrating did so after the Friday Jumat

mosque held at the Minna central mosque.

Some of the dignitaries were politicians and the former military president’s childhood friends while a

host of others were said to have come from Delta and Rivers States.

The delegations from Delta Continued on page 6

INEC’s N189bn Request Threatened As NASS Committee Adjourns Indefinitely… Page 6 Saturday 18 August, 2018 Vol 23. No 8522

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Lai Mohammed: Buhari’s Investment in Infrastructure Will Soon Turn into Wealth Benneth Oghifo in Lagos, Hammed Shittu in Ilorin and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Minister of Information and Cultire, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that

President Muhammadu Buhari’s investment in infrastructure would soon translate into wealth for Nigerians.

The minister, who stated this while inspecting the reconstructed and rehabilitated

Ilorin-Jebba- Mokwa road, yesterday, said, “Yes, people are complaining of no money and high cost of living, but I want to tell you that it would have been worse today but for the massive infrastructure development this government

is investing on.

“When people make these complaints, they easily forget that for 16 years, one political party was in power, sharing money when this road became completely failed.

“APC in three years has

fixed this road to this level.

I think it speaks for itself.

“Before now, it takes about five days for trucks to move from Ilorin to Jebba. Today, it takes only two hours.

“Today on this road, you can see free movement of

goods and services which is the beginning of revival of the economy,’’ he said.

According to him, we are not a government that will share money like what others Continued on page 6

Boko Haram, Herders Kill 26,000 in North-east, Says UN Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The United Nations yesterday lamented that conflicts, mainly from Boko Haram terror activities and killings by herdsmen, have claimed at least 26,000 lives in Northeast of Nigeria, while battles globally had displaced over 65 million persons.

The UN Nigeria Representative, Mr. Edward Kallon, disclosed this in Maiduguri, Borno State, while marking this year’s World Humanitarian Day (WHD).

Kallon noted that in the North-east, civilians continued to bear the brunt of the conflict that led to widespread forced displacement, abuse and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

According to him, women, men and children face grave humanitarian rights violations,

including sexual and genderbased violence on a daily basis.

He further disclosed that in the insurgency affected region, thousands of women and girls had been abducted, while children continued to be used on regular basis as so called “suicide” bombers.

“Thousands of families have been forced to flee their villages and communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Aid and medical workers, who care for people affected by the violence, suffer the consequences of insecurity.

“Three aid workers were killed and three abducted in March this year in Rann; an aid worker was killed in Ngala in May. A member of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was killed in Damasak just last week,” he lamented.

He noted that a vast Continued on page 6

Saraki Perpetuating Legislative Rascality, Alleges APC... Page 6

IBB@77...

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), with two of his children, Aminu and Aisha, while cutting his 77th birthday cake at his country home in Minna, Niger State…yesterday

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Saraki Perpetuating Legislative Rascality, Alleges APC PDP: APC’s blackmail can't sway Nigerians Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki of engaging in legislative rascality and sabotage of the executive arm of government.

In a statement issued yesterday by its acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabene, the ruling party also accused Saraki and the main opposition party of trying to hide under the yet-to-be assented Electoral Act Amendment bill not to reconvene the National Assembly plenary.

In a swift response, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the claims as blackmail incapable of swaying Nigerians.

On its readiness for elections, APC boasted that

if elections were to be held today, its candidates would win by a landslide, “judging by visible and landmark achievements recorded by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.”

The APC said: "While we strongly condemn the abuse of office by the Senate President backed by his PDP cohorts in sabotaging the executive, specifically the INEC, all wellmeaning Nigerians have a duty to speak up and ensure that the National Assembly performs its constitutional role and not serve an individual’s personal interest and sinister ends of the opposition, PDP. "We call on all Nigerians, civil society and indeed the international community to resist the ongoing travesty and legislative rascality being perpetrated by the Senate President and the PDP."

While stating that the National Assembly must be convened immediately, the ruling APC accused the PDP of attempting to draw attention away from the treasonable actions of the Saraki, “who has refused to convene the National Assembly to consider at plenary, the crucial 2019 Election Budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

The party said that as far as it is concerned, the Electoral Amendment Bill passed by the National Assembly was alive and awaiting assent.

However, it noted that assent to bills in all democratic governments reflects the prudence and discretion of the president in balancing the powers of key constitutional bodies and understanding the concerns of the executive.

“The sanctity of our electoral system is being threatened by the orchestrated sabotage and deliberate attempt to weaken INEC as we prepare for General Elections in 2019”, the APC warned.

Meanwhile, the PDP said “the resort to blackmail, twisting of facts and fabrications by the All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot sway Nigerians from the truth of their culpability in the impasse at the National Assembly.”

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said “Nigerians are already aware of how the APC had been frustrating the National Assembly by creating hitches, illegal impeachment processes, physical blockage of the National Assembly access

and besieging of the official residence of Senate President and his deputy.

"Nigerians know those who set security agents after the National Assembly members, set parliamentarians against one another and have been chasing lawmakers around the country with tons of money as bribe, just to illegally change the leadership."

PDP accused APC of pretending not to remember that the Buhari Presidency deliberately kept the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) budget submitted to it since February till July when it presented it to the National Assembly and curiously demanded that the fund be vired from the constituency project fund of lawmakers.

"Nigerians will recall that as a patriotic and responsible

party, the PDP raised the flag and pointed out that bringing the budget in July, at the time the National Assembly was already going on annual vacation, was rather late and asking that the fund be vired from constituency project fund was sinking the INEC budget and the entire 2019 electoral process in a needless controversy. The APC and the Buhari Presidency ignored this wise counselling.

"Furthermore, the APC in it deception fails to note that Nigerians are aware that it is President Buhari that is holding the nation to ransom by refusing to sign the Electoral Act Amendment bill, already passed by the National Assembly, just because the amendment checked the machination which APC intend to deploy to rig the 2019 general elections," it said.

INEC’s N189bn Request Threatened As NASS Committee Adjourns Indefinitely Number of registered voters rises to 82m Deji Elumoye and Omololu Ogunmade ÓØ ÌßÔË The request for N189 billion by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute the 2019 general elections suffered a setback yesterday when the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters adjourned indefinitely following disagreement among the members.

This is coming on the

heels of the disclosure by the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, that Nigeria now has 82 million registered voters.

Members of the National Assembly Joint Committee toed their respective political party lines in their debate on the amount that should be approved by the committee for the Independent.

Whereas the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

Senators and House of Representatives members of the committee canvassed for the approval of N143 billion requested by President Muhammadu Buhari for virement to INEC for the preparations for the polls, their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC), were in support of the approval of N189 billion presented before the committee on Wednesday by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmud

Yakubu.

The lawmakers’ dilemma over which of the proposals to be approved was made worst with the statement

by Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma that the amount to be approved was at the discretion of the NASS Committee.

The minister, who made the submission upon request to that effect by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator

Suleiman Nazif (PDP Bauchi North), explained to the committee that though the N189billion requested for by INEC was the same amount in the President’s letter, but because of funding constraints, President Buhari decided to break approval for it into two folds by seeking virement for N143bn for INEC this year while the balance of N45.6billion would be taken care of in the 2019 budget .

According to him, the joint

committee chooses to approve the entire N189billion, so be it, so long as it does not lead to increase in the N9.12trillion 2018 budget size.

He said: "Mr. President will have no objection to the National Assembly approving the entire N189 billion INEC budget as long as it does not in anyway, lead to increase in the overall size of the 2018 budget.

Continued on page 52

LAI MOHAMMED: BUHARI’S INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE WILL SOON TURN INTO WEALTH did which put the country in a mess.

“This government believes in investing in infrastructure because if you get this right, it will translate to wealth creation.

“Let us take for instance, if this road contract costs N10 billion and we share it to political stooges in this area at N1 million each, we will

only give 1,000 people and there will be no road.

“At the long run those that we share the money to will join in abusing the government of non performance.

“On our part, we will rather slowly and painstakingly revive our economy through infrastructure development and we have a lot of stories to tell

on this.”

Asked whether government would toll the road to raise money for its completion to Birnin-Gwari in Kaduna and for its dualisation, Mohammed said, not all roads could be tolled.

“This matter came up at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting and

we agreed that not all roads could be tolled.

“The idea of tolling roads is to recoup the expenses on the construction and make them sustainable.

“A study is being compiled and at the end of it, it will be decided on what roads to toll and which not.

“The dualisation was

awarded to the same contractor from Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa at the total contract sum of N130 billion.

“The Kwara State section of the dualisation was awarded at N80 billion, while the Niger State section was about N50 billion,” he said.

The Minister said the road which was constructed over

30 years ago was abandoned by motorists for not less than 10 years due to its complete collapse.

“Those trucks which had no alternative were spending three to five days to transit this 93,6km road from Ilorin to Jebba before the eventual intervention of the federal government.”

as WHD; over 4,000 humanitarian workers have been killed, injured, detained or kidnapped.”

He said that the WHD; was to express solidarity with people affected by humanitarian crises and pay tribute to workers that helped victims of conflict and violence.

On devastations of conflicts, he said: “Children are recruited by armed groups and used to

fight, while women are also abused and humiliated.”

He observed that though humanitarian workers deliver aid and medical workers provide for people in need, they were however; targeted or treated as threats.

Governor Kashim Shettima said that 1.5 million people had been displaced by the nine-year insurgency.

He said out of the displaced people, 164,000 had returned

to their liberated communities in Mobbar, Dikwa, Gwoza, Ngala, Konduga, Bama, Damboa, Mafa and Askira/ Uba councils.

He said that Abadam and Marte council areas were not secured enough for IDPs return to their communities.

According to him, the two council areas were vulnerable to insurgents that were recently pushed to the Lake Chad Islands by the military.

purposeful living.

"The former Military leader has continued to demonstrate great statesmanship and patriotism and has remained resolute on the path of promoting national unity, integration and development.

"We salute your resilience and commitment to the service of our nation in particular and humanity in general. We will continue to tap from your wealth of experience."

On his part, Beji said General Babangida had remained the bridge linking all parts of the country", adding that his wisdom and experience which he shared

with the younger generations of Nigeria had kept the nation together.

While wishing the former Nigerian leader more active years in the land of the living, the Niger State PDP Chairman urged the former military president to continue to sacrifice his time and offer suggestions to the political class so that the ship of state would not hit the rock.

It was the second year running that the former Nigerian leader would be having a quiet birthday and also did not address the press on the state of the nation and other matters.

BOKO HARAM, HERDERS KILL 26,000 IN NORTH-EAST, SAYS UN majority of humanitarians working to provide life-saving aid to people in need were Nigerians and condemned the killings and abduction of aid workers, urging parties to the conflict to allow humanitarian workers discharge their duties as it would facilitate their access to people in need, and in line with International Humanitarian Law. He also pressed for the release of abducted aid

workers.

“I call on Nigerian leaders to do everything in their power to protect the people caught up in conflict. Together, we stand with the Government of Nigeria, in solidarity with civilians in conflict, and with the humanitarian workers who risk their lives to help them,” he declared.

According to him, civilians in conflict zones continue to be killed and maimed,

deliberately or indiscriminately, thereby forcing a large number of people to flee from their homes.

The UN Nigeria Representative said: “This year’s commemoration marks the 15th Anniversary of the attack on the United Nations in Baghdad, Iraq, during which 22 of our colleagues were killed.

“Since that tragedy, which led to this day’s designation

IBB MARKS 77TH BIRTHDAY QUIETLY, PRAYS FOR NIGERIA’S PEACE, PROGRESS State, according to insiders, were relations of his late wife Maryam.

Among those in attendance, were a former military governor of Niger State, Colonel Habibu Shuaibu (rtd); Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed, a former Commissioner for Information in Niger State, Alhaji Danladi Abdulhamid and a governorship aspirant, Alhaji Muazu Hannafi Sudan.

General Babangida, flanked by his children, later cut his 77th birthday cake to the admiration of his guests and the popular song "Happy birthday to you” sang after the master of ceremony counted

from 74-77.

The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello was not in attendance. The governor was said to be away in Abuja on "a special assignment.”

The deputy governor, Alhaji Muhammed Ahmed Ketso, who was to stand in for him was reportedly trapped at the site of a collapsed bridge between Lapai and Gulu and was unable to attend the birthday ceremony.

"The deputy governor may be in the house tomorrow to felicitate with General Babangida" an aide to the deputy governor said.

According to one of those

in attendance, Babangida was happy about the relative peace in the country and prayed for its sustenance.

"We should accept one another and be our brothers keepers", IBB was quoted as saying after cutting his birthday cake.

“He also specifically asked that prayers be offered for our leaders because they need our prayers to succeed,” said another source.

Meanwhile, the Niger State Government as well as the Peoples Democratic Party in the state have joined many Nigerians to felicitate with Nigeria's former military

president on the occasion of his 77th birthday.

The state government and the PDP in Minna described the former Nigerian leader as "an enigma, political colossus, and a patriotic Nigerian".

The Niger State Government’s statement was signed on behalf of Governor Bello by his Chief Press Secretary, Jibrin Baba Ndace, while that of the PDP was signed by the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Tanko Beji.

Governor Bello in the statement said: "General Babangida’s life has remained a testimony to the power of good leadership and

T H I S D AY ˾ SATURDAY AUGUST 18, 2018

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PAINS IN OUR HEARTS...

L-R: Minister of FCT, Mohammed Bello; Ag. President,Professor Yemi Osinbajo; FEMA oďŹƒcial; and Secretary to Government of the Federation; Boss Mustapha, at the venue of the collapsed building in Abuja ...yesterday

Prepare for Life without Oil Revenue, Bishop Kukah Warns Nigerians Segun James

The Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Dr. Mathew Hassan Kukah has enjoined Nigerians to prepare for a post oil withdrawal syndrome (POWS), noting that 60 years after oil was first found in commercial quantity, the nation could neither feed itself nor adequately educate its youths or provide power.

He also blamed multinational companies operating in the country for greed from oil discovery, poor state of the country’s economy and the current crisis across its regions.

Speaking at a lecture to mark the

60th birthday of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru in Lagos yesterday, Kukah stated that following the scenario, all that was left for the country was to manage and improve to be capable.

According to him, “Many people have referred to oil as a cause, but my argument is that it is an illusion and I don’t believe oil is a curse to Nigeria. Having oil was never meant to be a curse. I think what is important to ask ourselves is ‘what did we do with our oil. Perhaps it has shut the creativity part of our brain; perhaps Nigeria without

oil would help us to think more clearly about what our future might look like. “The question also should be how did we become a country with such capacity for internal self-inclusion?

How did it happen? We are where we are because the multi-national corporation, colonialism destroyed our country. It is clear because everywhere you look - be it factory, health, education, roads, etc, and all the things that were left behind for us, we have proven to be incapable. “So the idea that we can outsource our obligations and responsibility to external forces

does not address the custom.

Thinking forward of how our country might be is also about privileging intellect and individuals over and above the material resources that we have.�

He explained that the country was in need of ensuring full commitment to the laid down rules of politics, adding that “the fore-test of the current crisis is captured in the metaphor of the Fulani herdsmen crisis that existed and how we resolve all those questions is a major of what our future is going to be like. “I would say that no game can progress without a commitment

2 Die as Building Collapses in Abuja AdedayoAkinwale Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello were among early visitors to the venue of a collapsed building in Abuja, where two people died, three injured and more than 15 others were trapped.

However, Bello who supervised rescue operations, said adequate emergency medical care would be given to the victims.

The building located at Sector Centre B, behind THISDAY office in Abuja was said to have been built in 1997 and later abandoned for more than 20 years before the owner decided to increase the number of floors of the already soaked building.

THISDAY gathered that it was in the process of casting another floor that tragedy struck around 1:30p.m on Friday, which instantly claimed the life of the site engineer and one other person.

However, eye witnesses decried slow response of rescue teams who they said did not come until after more than one hour.

It was also gathered that one

of the persons trapped inside the collapsed building was making call to someone on the outside before they lost communication with him.

Real rescue operations started at about 4:10pm when Julius Berger, one of the biggest construction companies in the country mobilised its heavy equipment to the collapse site.

Although, government agencies like National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Fire Service, Civil Defence, Red Cross, Police, VIO, FRSC were already on ground before the arrival of the construction giant, they could do little because they lacked the right equipment to carry out the operation.

The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute was among the first government agency that arrived the place.

The team led by their Director General, Prof. Danladi Matawal took samples from the collapsed building for testing to ascertain the real cause of the collapse.

An eye witness, Comrade Tersoo Achin, whose office is located opposite the collapsed building, said they were able to rescue five people before rescue

teams arrived. He confirmed two deaths and three taken to the hospital.

He said: “They were doing casting on the third floor, the building has been here for 20 years. It is an old structure. When we heard a loud bang, we rushed there; the only people we were able to rescue were five.

Two died on the spot, three were severely injured, we had to rush them to Gwarinpa General Hospital unconscious. “But what pains me so much is that there is a lot of shenanigans. I heard that this building is owned by a former minister of this country, Godswill Orubebe and this building has been here for more than 20 years. “What pains me the most is that the Development Control department of the FCTA who are supervising this building supposed to know the gravity of this building, how they are supposed to supervise it, but they didn’t supervise it well because of corruption. “Right now, almost 15 people are trapped inside the building, no response on time, we had to beg and plead before other agencies came,� he lamented.

Another eye witness who does

not want his name in print said that the building was an old one as it was built in 1997.

Also, the Head of Administration, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, FCT Command, Felix Ikwuegu, said the building collapse was unfortunate, but added that men of the Service were doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the disaster that would arise from the incident was reduced to the barest minimum.

Rescue operations were ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

The FCT Minister commended emergency officers and first responders for their prompt response. “Efforts are ongoing to excavate the place and clear to rubbles in order to rescue some of the people suspected to have been covered by the rubbles. “We are working to get under the debris to get out all those that have been trapped there. And I am very appreciative of the quick response of the emergency management agency and as you can see, they are doing a good job. The ambulances are here what we need now is to support the rescue workers.

to the rules of engagement. We substituted military to civilian rule and many years later we are unable to democratise. “All of the character being shown, whether it is defection today or carpet crossing is evident that something is internally wrong with us. It is not about the defections ongoing, but you get the sense of ‘DĂŠ-jĂ -vu’ in these entire crises. The point is that we must return to the sense of rules of engagement. “The second is to subscribe to the proposition that democracy is not only about rules and regulations, elections, or politicians. We

must submit and commit ourselves to the fact that each and every one of us has a role to play in the development of our country and the quality of our politics is such that it does not redeem itself. “If we are to take anything at all from Nigeria with oil, is that it led us to a bandit economy, commitment to breaking the laws, believe that somehow we can prevail without the discipline required. The last point is that it is the only condition for us to create an egalitarian society. “ANigeria with or without oil must be committed to the post-legitimate pursuit of happiness of each of its citizens.�

‘De-emphasise Ethno-religious Issues, Focus on Peace Building’ Bennett Oghifo

The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Samuel Brownback, has urged Nigerian political office holders, representatives of civil society and religious leaders to avoid amplifying ethno-religious tension in the country, but rather focus on peace building.

At a one-day national youth dialogue on ethno-religious tolerance organised by the U.S Consular General Lagos, in partnership with the African Youths Initiative for Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), Brownback, who met with a group of religious leaders during a recent visit to Nigeria in June, commended increased inter-faith engagement and dialogue in Nigeria, but noted that the country could do more to protect citizens’ right to religious freedom. “When I visited Nigeria in June, I met with communities from all different faiths located all over the country and heard about how interfaith groups and people from every religion have come together to begin stopping the violence at

the community level, which is a great starting point. “However, we need to do better than just achieving tolerance; we need to truly care for each other.

The people who stand for peace do not do this because they are from the same ethnic group, or because they share a common religion. They believe the lives of everyone are sacred,� he added.

U.S. Consul General John Bray, who opened the event, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting initiatives that promote peace and admonished Nigerians to ensure that cyclical communal violence did not threaten national unity. “Each of us has a role to play in tamping down tensions between communities of all kinds “It is in your hands to ensure that this tragic violence does not descend into broader ethnic and religious fighting, and a cycle of reprisals. We must all make sure that the fighting does not eat away at the fabric of Nigeria, the multi-religious and multiethnic tolerance that makes this a great and unified nation,� he concluded.

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Boko Haram’s Unending Capacity to Wreak Havoc Rising Debt Profile

T

he embarrassing invasion of a military base in Garunda, Mobar Local Government Area of Borno State, by Boko Haram 13 days ago is a confirmation that the terrorists still have the capacity to wreak havoc anywhere and anytime they so desire. All the talks that they had been decapitated are mere propaganda.Heavily armed Boko Haram members, riding in trucks stormed and looted weapons and vehicles from the Garunda military base. During the attack, at least 17 soldiers were feared killed while unspecified number of soldiers is yet to be accounted for. It is pertinent to state that this is the third attack on a military base by Boko Haram in the last five weeks.

Last month, Boko Haram ambushed a military convoy in Bama, Borno State.

In the ensuing fight, scores of soldiers from the 21 Brigade and some Civilian JTF members were feared killed. Military authorities also confirmed the Bama attack but the casualty number is hazy.

Also, on July 14, the terrorists attacked a military base in Jilli village, Geidam, Yobe State, killing dozens of soldiers, with many others injured. Boko Haram simplyoverwhelmed men of the 81 Division Forward Brigade located in the village.

Military authorities confirmed the attack on the base in Jilli but as usual, did not give a death toll. They only said that the “troops reorganised and successfully repelled the attack and that normalcy had since returned to the area.” This strange, impervious method negates global best practices for military operations. Nigerians may never find out the number of soldiers killed in the Garunda, Jilli and Bama attacks.

Besides, it is perturbing that the military are the ones doing the repelling instead of attacking the terrorists.

Globally, military bases are fortresses.

They are supposed to be impenetrable.

But the reverse is the case in Nigeria where Boko Haram strolls into military bases and slaughter our ill-equipped and ill-motivated soldiers. This is unacceptable.

A very recent confirmation that soldiers

Buratai

on the war front are not motivated could be seen in the protest at Maiduguri Airport by aggrieved soldiers who claimed they had overstayed and resisted redeployment to Marte, one of the towns exposed to Boko Haram attacks.

The protesters are part of the special force deployed to provide air defence and enhance security at the airport. The distressed soldiers barricaded some sections of the airport and fired shots in the air, causing pandemonium, as passengers scampered for safety. One of the soldiers said the planned deployment was against the directives by the Army Headquarters.

That aside, we are persistently confronted by the hypocrisy, ineptitude and corruption dominating the war against Boko under the Buhari administration. The peak of this recklessness was the wild celebration of a fantasy victory over the terrorists in December 2016. A former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, was apt when he stated that the Nigerian government had not been transparent about Boko Haram war and that the terror group still had the capacity to operate freely in the country. Evidently, this government is stupidly running away from

the fact that the terrorists are still roaming unhindered in many communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Our gallant soldiers are willing to fight, but they are ill-equipped and ill-motivated.

Just as I remarked in an earlier article, the Buhari administration must show greater commitment to this war against Boko Haram by first sacking Tukur Buratai and other service chiefs. He must retire those in the top hierarchy of this war and appoint fresh hands, so that we can have fresh ideas.

The managers of this war have obviously failed our gallant soldiers. Our war commanders have become businessmen. This is why military posts are regularly attacked

by Boko Haram.

Additional challenge Nigeria is facing in this war against Boko Haram is that most of those managing the war don’t want it to end. These heartless people are profiting immensely from the blood of our gallant soldiers and that of innocent Nigerians.

This is why soldiers on the war front are cruelly denied operation allowances, ill-equipped and ill-motivated. As long as the war is on, there will be more money for these coldblooded war managers. This is the truth that must be told about this war.

I have persistently clamoured for the return of mercenaries. We all saw their impact when they were briefly used by the Jonathan administration. Buhari came and unwisely sacked them. This country must employ the best fighters from anywhere in the world to end this trauma called Boko Haram. The ultimate aim is to genuinely decapitate Boko Haram.

We are yet to see the impact of the $1 billion war chest Buhari gave the military. This money ought to have been used to hire the best mercenaries from Israel, South Africa and Russia. These mercenaries would have stormed the North-east with highly sophisticated war manpower and war machines.

Any leader that is genuinely interested in ending the Boko Haram madness must look in this direction. If our President is patriotic enough to take this decision, within few months, Boko Haram will become history.

Is Buhari Not Embarrassed by EFCC’s Shenanigans?

The recent placement of a “Post No Debit Order” on some accounts of Benue and Akwa Ibom state governments is the most disgusting action taken by the EFCC under the Buhari administration and a massive discredit to President Buhari. Though, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ordered a reversal, the damage done to the image of our antigraft agency and the federal government by this unconstitutional and brutal action by the EFCC is irreversible. It is a direct attack on the masses of these states.

Immediately Governor Samuel Ortom defected to the opposition PDP, EFCC suddenly discovered thatbetween June 30, 2015 and March 2018, the governor ordered dubious withdrawal of N21.3 billion from four banks for security purposes. This is preposterous. The EFCC did not investigate the governor’s security spending when he was still a member of APC. Similarly, immediately Senator Godswill Akpabio defected to the ruling APC, some accounts of the Akwa Ibom State Government were frozen by the EFCC, apparently to put Governor Udom

Emmanuel under financial pressure. These actions confirm insinuations that the EFCC is being used as an attack dog against perceived political opponents of President Buhari.

Just as the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State pointed out, EFCC’s action is simply aimed at shutting down the governments of the two states and setting the people against their governors.

The Benue Liberation Front (BLF) added: “The EFCC under Magu has lately conducted itself in a very low esteem that makes mockery of its anti-corruption fight. Magu has also clearly taken sides and compromised his office in the discharge of his duty… The anti-grant agency is fast losing its moral right to even prosecute alleged corrupt public officials.”

There is no section of the Nigerian constitution that allows any agency of government to freeze the account of a federating unit of Nigeria. EFCC’s action is clearly an illegality; all forces of good must fight against this impunity.

Magu

23 More Political Parties for What?

Nigeria now has 91 political parties and this is official. The Independent National Electoral Commission registered 23 new political parties on Tuesday. This country does not deserve this crisis at this crucial moment of our history. INEC is evidently creating problems for itself and the voting populace.

Our election umpire does not even have the capacity to monitor the 91 political parties.

During elections, ballot papers are also clogged with all manner of political parties,

as seen in the recent Ekiti State governorship election when over 30 parties appeared on the ballot paper. 91 political parties appearing on a ballot paper will be horrendous.

Yes, in a democracy, people have a right to form political parties but fielding candidates for elections must be regulated. There should be clearly defined conditions for fielding candidates at every level of elections. I can’t understand why a party that can’t produce ordinary local government councilor will

field candidate for presidential election.

Our lawmakers must look into this. For me, only political parties with at least a seat in a state legislature should be allowed to field candidates for federal positions.

Again, in this part of the world, our political parties think they are registered sorely for the purpose of contesting election. This is outrageous. Political parties should also exist as pressure groups, serving as a check on government.

Nigeria’s rising debt profile should be of concern to genuine patriots. It rose by 3.01 per cent in the last six months and now stands at N22.38 trillion. This is according to the Debt Management Office.

The N22.38 trillion encompasses the domestic and external debt stock of the federal and 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory. The $2.5 billion Eurobond issued by the federal government in February contributed greatly to this rising debt profile. Nigeria’s debt has been on the rise in the last three years, amid so much poverty. This country has very little to show for this binge borrowing.

The federal government, which accounts for over 60 per cent of this debt profile, has been very reckless, within the last three years. The Buhari administration is evidently looking good for the unenviable record of being the most notorious for binge borrowing in the 57 years’ history of this country. Within its first 29 months, it took foreign loans of almost $7 billion. It ludicrously celebrated the $150 million loan approved by the World Bank for our mining sector.

There was also a $1.25 billion in budget support from the World Bank last year.

This is aside the $575 million approved by the same bank for the rehabilitation of the North-east. There is the $1 billion loan approved by the African Development Bank. Of this amount, $600 million had been drawn. There is $1 billion Eurobond, with an additional $500 million expected from the Global Medium Term Note Programme. The China Exim bank is expected to provide $5.8 billion. There is the $300 million raised through a Diaspora Bond issued in June 2017. Perhaps, the debt would have been higher if the Senate had not truncated plans to borrow another $30 billion last year.

I can clearly remember the Chairman, Senate Committee on Debts, Shehu Sani, remarking that if Nigeria must borrow, it must borrow responsibly: “If we must bequeath to the future generation a pile of debt, it must be justified with commensurate infrastructural proof of the value of the debt. The payment plan of this debt will undoubtedly last the length of our lifetimes and possibly beyond. We must leave behind a legacy that will appease and answer the questions the next generation of Nigerians will ask.”

This administration and indeed previous ones have imposed a heavy debt burden on the country without commensurate development projects or programmes to justify the loans and to aid repayment.

The burden of these loans on our star-crossed generation and indeed future generation is weighty. The IMF estimates that Nigeria spends 66 per cent of its tax revenues on servicing debts. It also projects that Nigeria’s indebtedness would climb to 24.1 per cent of its GDP by 2018.

Many of the states have accumulated foreign and domestic loans far beyond their repayment abilities. This is one of the reasons many can no longer meet basic obligations to their citizens. Osun State is struggling with N147 billion domestic debts as at December 2016. The poverty in this state is frightening despite taking huge loans.

The way governments celebrate these loans often leaves me crestfallen. They create the impression that it would be a quick fix for all our problems. Unfortunately, it does not often turn out that way.

What hapless Nigerians have been gaining from these massive borrowings are poverty, hunger, disease, malnutrition, unemployment and infrastructure decay.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾

AUGUST 18, 2018

SUPER SATURDAY Caroline Danjuma: Debuting with Clothing She is talented, well-endowed in all facets of feminine gorgeousness. Screen diva, Caroline Danjuma is the star about town and buzzing with her clothing line. Ferdinand Ekechukwu takes a look at her latest drive

C

aroline Danjuma, no doubt, is a beautiful woman by common impost. Elegant, pretty, gorgeous, sexy, sultry, name it, she’s got all ticked with the right essentials.

Little wonder the actress interests men of the rich nouveau and famous of the society and occasionally makes the subject of discussions at the table of high society gatherings.

On and off the screen, Caroline is a diva.

Though there seems to be all about the Nollywood celebrity, the story of Caroline Danjuma is such that reads afresh with the gist of her personal life, career, and relationship occupying copious position in public domain.

That she often looks good in whatever piece of outfit given to her comes handy and makes for designers’ delight.

Just of recent, she started promoting her clothing line. On August 9, she shared breathtaking pictures of herself looking fabulous in a new photo shoot to promote the clothing line and got social media talking about her new enterprise.

In a post on Instagram, the 38-year-old struck different poses in several colourful dresses as part of a promotion for the clothing line. A photo of herself at an event wearing a black outfit which revealed beneath got her followers reacting online in both acceptance and disdain. The mother of three – two boys and a girl – is acclaimed one of the prettiest actresses to have ever graced Nigeria’s entertainment scene.

Now a mother of four, following her recent adoption of a baby girl, is in the league of young celebrity divorcees.

Born Caroline Ekanem, to a Scottish father and a Nigerian mother, the natural light complexioned star is one of the richest and most influential actresses in Nigeria. At the height of her fame, she got married to a much older Nigerian billionaire Musa Danjuma, the younger brother of Theophilus Danjuma, in 2007. The union produced three children; two boys and a girl. The marriage to the Danjuma however, caused her to take a break from her calling.

Interestingly the marriage sure looked a sure deal until it broke-up as rumours of infidelity from both quarters began to trickle in. At the peak of her marital crisis, she was reported to have said among other things that “. . . Age was nothing but a number. Ever since I got married it has been one story or the other and I have been extremely quiet and tolerant irrespective of the negative reputation it brought to my name (the price I had to pay). I never expected a perfect man and I for one knew that all men cheat (in the real world) but there are limits to everything. I took a lot because I believe when you truly love someone you should love their flaws first before their beautiful side.

“I truly love my husband; he added so much value to my life. Nothing in life comes easy; sometimes we go through fire and storm to mold us into what God has truly destined for us to be. One would think I lost a lot but, no, I gained more.

“Marriage, they say, is the best institution of life and certainly, I could rate mine as Harvard of marriage. Every single storm I went through only made me see strength in me I never knew I had.”

Caroline is a lady up about town and seems to have moved on, even from the death of her lover, Tagbo Umeike, and the confrontation she had with music star Davido.

Early in her career, Caroline was a household name in the industry as she starred in several notable Nollywood movies and a video vixen. She made her screen debut in 2004, featuring in Chico Ejiro’s popular films, first with the movie Deadly Kiss following her introduction to the movie director by veteran actress Rita Dominic .

That became the beginning of a blossoming career as she later starred in Missing Angel, The Captor, Foreign Affairs, Real Love, The Twist, A Second Time and The Beast and The Angel. After a hiatus from the movie scene, she came back to star in the romantic movie Stalker, which had Jim Iyke and Nse IkpeEtim as co-stars.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

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SATURDAY

Audacious Toke Makinwa Radio personality and television host, Toke Makinwa, sets social media on fire with a picture of herself completely naked for an advertisement campaign, writes Bennett Oghifo

T

oke Makinwa is evidently daring.

This radio personality would do anything to promote ‘brand Toke’.” In a recent Instagram post, the 33-yearold stripped naked for an advertisement, revelled in the glow of her skin, while saying she has nothing to hide. “When you glow there is nothing to hide #InvestinyourGlow,” she captioned the post.

The nude picture is causing a big stir among her fans and critics. While some asked for complete disclosure or something a little more satisfying, others called for the outright scrapping of the nude picture from her Instagram wall.

Toke’s most strident critics believe the bestselling author of On Becoming, actress, award-winning multi-media personality, (Radio, TV and Youtube), would do anything to attract attention and that this was the height of it all, or will she take the ultimate step and show it all?

Some called on her to “show it all,” like kim Kardashian and one person actually said after seeing the picture, he would die a happy man.

As at the last count, her nude picture has attracted over 54,275 likes: There is no inkling that Toke is about to say sorry for her nude pose, certainly not, because, for one, the gist in town is that the money she got is good.

Contentious Toke was once married to a fitness specialist, Maja Ayida. She separated from him following a scandal revealing he had impregnated his ex-girlfriend.

The 33-year-old recently cried out that she wishes she had a man to go home to. “Times like this guys, I wish I had a man to get home to. A man to kick it with, just chat about work and other times I just grab the remote control and watch TV,” she said.

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͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

A MAN WITH COURAGE OF HIS CONVICTIONS Mohammed Haruna pays tribute to Adamu Ciroma, elder statesman, administrator and man of character

A

little over 16 years ago, on June 10, 2002 to be precise, I wrote a syndicated piece in the New Nigerian and The Country, the now rested weekly newspaper published by DER, in which I pleaded with Malam Adamu Ciroma, then the Galadima of Fika and President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Minister of Finance, to retire from public service. The title of the piece was “Time for the Galadima to bow out.” I wrote the piece because, like many of his admirers, I was worried that his political intimacy with President Obasanjo might cost him his hard-earned reputation as a man of honour, integrity and the courage of his convictions.

At the time there were widespread public perception, right or wrong, that Malam Adamu was more a cabinet minister in name than in reality because of the way the president executed many important financial decisions behind his back through the junior minister who, like the president, was Yoruba. Second, there was also the perception that the president regarded the North, which was Malam Adamu’s primary constituency, as hostile territory, if only because of the rising clamour for Shari’a in the region, something the president was opposed to.

Not least of all these was Obasanjo’s hostility to late Chief Sunday Awoniyi’s bid for the chairmanship of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after late Chief Solomon Lar’s tenure as interim chair ended in late 2000. As everyone knew, Chief Awoniyi, a minority Northern Yoruba, and Christian to boot, was unapologetic about his Northerness which he rightly saw as not being necessarily in conflict with his unquestionable commitment to Nigeria’s unity.

Obasanjo’s ostensible reason for objecting to Awoniyi as PDP’s chair was that it was incongruous for a Yoruba man to lead the ruling party when another Yoruba was already president. But as even any political novice could see, Obasanjo didn’t want the man as chair of his party not because Awoniyi was Yoruba, but because as a man of firm convictions, Awoniyi was someone he could not easily use and dump.

Besides, as a Northern Christian minority, Awoniyi’s chairmanship of the ruling party was bound to blunt the president’s use of identity politics as a political weapon to neuter the North which he perceived as hostile to his presidency.

To stop Awoniyi, money was used to buy delegates so brazenly at the party’s first post-election convention at Eagle Square, Abuja, that Malam Adamu, leading a number of Awoniyi’s friends and political associates, felt obliged to walk up to the Presidential box where Obasanjo was seated to protest the crude monetisation of the contest in favour of Obasanjo’s preferred candidate, Mr. Barnabas Gemade.

Predictably, the president turned deaf ears to their protests. As we all know, the little fancied Gemade won the contest. This easily enabled Obasanjo to kill the party’s internal democracy which eventually led to its implosion ahead of the last general election in 2015, an implosion which ironically led to Obasanjo’s denunciation of the party and tearing his membership card in public before the election.

My concern that Malam Adamu’s political intimacy with Obasanjo could cost him his reputation worsened when he accepted to serve as the Coordinator of Obasanjo’s second term bid. Without doubt Obasanjo was the most globally connected of Nigeria’s leaders and arguably the hardest working and one of the most intelligent. He also had the good fortune of the highest oil windfall in Nigeria’s history.

However, as his first term drew to an end it became apparent that he had failed disastrously to combine his good financial fortune with his

THE MAN MOST CREDITED WITH THE RISE OF THE NEW NIGERIAN WAS MALAM ADAMU CIROMA

virtues of global connections, hard work and intelligence to lay a solid economic foundation for Nigeria and point it in the right direction for development and national unity.

To be sure, I never believed Malam Adamu acceptance to serve under Obasanjo was for personal aggrandisement, gauging by his antecedents. By the time he became a close political associate of Obasanjo, he had served his region and the country as a senior civil servant, as editor and managing director of New Nigerian, as Governor of the Central Bank, and as Secretary General of the ruling party and minister during the Second Republic. In each and every one of them, he left a legacy of modest living, competence, courage and integrity.

The foundation of this legacy was, of course, his career at the now rested New Nigerian. That his experience at the New Nigerian was the defining period of his life became apparent when he served as an elected member of the 1977/78 Constituent Assembly (CA) under Obasanjo as military head of state. To date that CA has been the most qualitative in its composition and the most meticulous in the country’s history of constitution making, producing a constitution that, for better or worse, changed the country from parliamentary democracy to presidential.

As a young reporter who covered the CA for New Nigerian, I can testify to the fact that Malam Adamu played a prominent role in shaping that constitution. For example, ironic as it may seem for a former editor and managing director of one of the country’s most influential newspapers at the time, he led the opposition to inserting any special protection for the press in the constitution. There was, he said during a plenary session of the CA and in opposition to modern Nigeria’s most successful and influential journalist, Alhaji Babatunde Jose who was a nominated member of the CA, enough freedom for the press in the draft. In any case, he said, you fight for your rights not wait for them to be given to you. In the end his argument prevailed in the CA. His forthright stance on the press at the CA reflected not only the way he edited and managed the New Nigerian. It also formed the guiding principle of his politics and public life.

Because his New Nigerian experience laid the foundation of his political career, half of my June 10, 2002 article appealing to him to retire from public service focused on his life as a journalist. Here’s a part reproduction of that article: When Malam Turi Muhammadu, one-time editor and managing director of New Nigerian, decided several years ago to write the history of that once great newspaper, his working title was simply New Nigerian: The First 20 Years. Some of the people he got involved in the project thought the title was not catchy enough for the highly influential role the newspaper played in the affairs of the nation in those 20 years. As a result, several other options were considered.

Eventually, the team settled for Courage and Conviction as the main title, with New Nigerian: The First 20 Years as the sub-title.

Anyone who had worked in the New Nigerian or who had been even a casual reader of the newspaper during those 20 years, will agree that those two words truly captured the essence and the spirit of the newspaper. It was a newspaper of strong convictions and on virtually each and every occasion it demonstrated the courage to stand up firmly and unequivocally for those convictions. A “Once again, Smith’s judgment”, said Sharp, “turned out right on the mark.”

BRUME: REMEMBERING SUNDRY FEATS Eferovo Igho pays tribute to Fred Brume, administrator and man of excellence

H

e lived a child prodigy, with rare academic excellence his badge at Government College, Ughelli. Surviving many terminal incidents growing up, you knew God’s Eyes were set on him, with sweeping success waiting to unfold. So, always putting his back to anything he elected to do, he came clear as genius in his overseas undergraduate and graduate schools, had enthralling time in his spell at the World Bank, dazzled his compatriots with his breath-taking success story in the local steel industry and earned legendary status in political sagacity. His was a good run in life showcasing ceaseless marvels. Only Fred Aghogho Brume (September 25, 1942 – September 12, 2011) owns such capsule testimonial!

Scintillating sportsman, Brume was a sport man to watch, be it at the Government College where he left setting academic records, or University of Maine where he was member of the university’s 1963 pioneer soccer first team. Reading Chemical Engineering, he combined work and play so well again, leaving that university with one of the best First Class in the school’s history. Equally enthralling is his story at Stanford where he did his graduate school, studying Industrial Management.

At work, he thought ahead of his peers, wont to leaving trailblazing records behind in his bits. So he was when the World Bank needed his service. His brilliance and strides there were soon to pave way for him to lead industrial revolution in Nigeria.

Perceiving he has the magic wand to take the steel sector off ground being the leading Nigerian star in that firmament, the federal government picked Brume as Project Coordinator, Aladja Steel Project; which project design was probably the

first project of such gargantuan dream in African industrialisation history. It was to be Ajaokuta Steel Complex take-off signpost as well. The credit of the research birthing the project, mastery of construction and astounding finishing goes to Brume and a supportive team. Headed, inspired and driven by Brume, it was a team that boasted the Animashauns, Ogbuagus, Greenes et al. On completion, he was expectedly tapped as the General Manager.

Of course, his real stuff spurts to the full glare and amazement of all with many mouths agape, hands akimbo. It was a compelling watch of this African marvel. He had begun new phase of exploit at his new Delta Steel Company (DSC) assignment! Having in the first place handled the construction to Olympian height, the managerial handling of DSC became newsy bubble, which gurgle, again, resonated to the rest of the world.

Nigeria has become poised for development. Brume has soared to dizzy height of stardom; a brand at home, marvel beyond our shores! The world was waiting and watching Nigeria to soar. Alas! The then military regime in waves of maddening arrests swept many top politicians and national actors into prison, including Brume. But once the military plucked him out of this endearing feat that earned him the epithet of Nigerian steel guru, the steel sector had sorry about-face with attendant woes several decades after; begging the question: Did Nigeria pull the plug on that sector and walk out of the industrial stage when Brume exited DSC? Incarcerated with top politicians, new vistas not only formed in Brume’s mind but he gained good panoramic grasp of Nigerian politics too. When

he walked out a freeman, it was with a made up mind: to make a political mark. However, prolonged military misrule put that on hold. Starring as key player in Pre1999 politics, he finished off Senator in 1999. He had better opportunities in the Senate, including being principal officer, but he elected to serve as Chair, Niger Delta Committee.

Never one to put himself off the stroke till he sees astounding result, Brume singularly masterminded what is today Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The respect he earned among co-legislators, his visits and penetrating chats with then President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) all conjoined to seal up this good deal for Niger-Delta.

Though not loud mouthed in the Senate, his sagacity, informed judgment and manoeuvrings in Senate and exceptional way he weaved his way to the Presidency with attendant results in both Senate and his constituency were well esteemed by his co-senators. Being the eagle beaver and workaholics he was, Brume was to do much delegated works from the Presidency. Some think that ate into his senatorial task. Far from it! Rather, that was his huge plus, and a matter of jealousy with his colleagues in Senate. Understandably therefore, Brume was to work against OBJ’s impeachment at the Senate headed then by Anyim Pius Anyim.

For this, Anyim ostensibly made Brume to forfeit the Chair of the Senate’s Steel Committee which he chaired from February 2001 after the Niger-Delta Committee.

Whilst he lasted Chair of the Steel Committee, Brume vouchsafed to pursue the goal of reviving the steel industry. With Brume’s rekindled ardour, Aladja started getting some lifeline whilst Ajaokuta

and Itakpe revitalisation gained priority status with the committee and OBJ. Not to forget: the rail line to link those up rolled out! Brume once pulled me in to join that steel committee’s entourage to Ajaokuta, Itakpe and Aladja using that rail line when the committee went on oversight tour of those facilities and rail line. Brume’s dream, drive was high, and you could see the industry poised again to rebound. Then, Anyim cut it all down!

But Brume wasn’t cut down: If the initial story of Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) is to be well told by Obasanjo, the role of Brume may spark all through that chronicle.

Brume was key mind behind that project, though wanted to reach it differently because he wanted it reached quickly, but he was misread by some uninformed who relished then on cacophonies. So, it’s not strange Brume’s masterstroke here is largely unsung. Again, yours sincerely was part of one of Brume’s many trips to Obasanjo at Aso Rock on this. You can’t take this credit away from him. Ask OBJ. What with enlivening the Senate from time to time! If you ever heard ‘Gbosa’ sounded out from that Chamber in Brume’s days, you may wish to know who owns the ‘proprietary right’ to that.

Brume, of course! That was his way of blending some play with hard work to make Jacks (senators) their best. ‘Gbosa’ for him was acknowledgement of excellence, easing of stress, calming of emotion and promotion of conviviality in the Senate.

O how he criss-crossed the entire NigerDelta region seeking peace in the face of ‘volcanic turbulence and eruption’ until peace came; notching up therefore another win!

Igho wrote from Nakuru, Kenya

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͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

We need jobs...

Towards Peaceful Coexistence: The Nasarawa Example

E

ven though conflict is ever-present and inherent in human setups, peace remains necessary and an essential condition for robust security system, rich democratic order and rapid socioeconomic growth and development.

Nigeria is a highly diverse country in terms of her sociocultural, religious and political configuration; unfortunately, the management of this diversity is highly neglected, creating vacuums for dysfunctional conflicts and various social disorders endangering national security. The insecurity situation has punctured the relative peace that was hitherto enjoyed in the six geopolitical zones of the country negatively, impacting on governance and development.

The piquing thing about Nigeria is that political leaders usually take for granted issues of peace-building and conflict management which are germane to national cohesion and all-round advancement in our aspirations and yearnings as people of one political entity.

With nexus of and varying forms of violent conflict confronting virtually all the states of the federation, in addition to the ethno-religious and regional sentiments deeply rooted in the psyche of the average citizen, the governments at all levels and critical stakeholders ought to proactively put in place a well-funded organisations to aggressively pursue issues of peaceful coexistence and conflict management in order to guarantee the prevalence of social justice.

In demonstration of the importance attached to the matters of peace promotion and conflict resolution, the federal government through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation recently constituted a committee headed by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) for the establishment of a National Peace Commission and state agencies for Peace and Conflict Management. It is hoped that the committee is inaugurated for it to commence work in earnest.

Various states in the country are either confronted with farmers/herders’ conflict, Boko Haram insurgency, armed banditry/cattle rustling, kidnapping, communal clashes and so on. These conflicts require urgent attention hence they snowball at each given moment.

Disturbed by the ugly trend and to show its commitment to the restoration of peace and safety of lives and property, the Nasarawa State Government constituted and inaugurated its community-based conflict resolution committees for the state level, local and ward.

Although peace and conflict resolution work requires every hand, yet it does not warrant an unskilled groups or individuals at least for the “Do no harm” principle. That was why the Umaru Tanko Al-Makura-led Nasarawa State Government organised

a three day training titled, “Capacity Building Workshop on Leadership, Peace-building and Conflict Management for the local government functionaries as well as for the members of the committees. The training which was carried out by the National Peace Academy (NPA) of the IPCR took place at Lafia, 31st July – August 2, 2018.

In his address at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, represented by his deputy, Silas Ali Agara maintained that the state suffered intermittent communal and boundary disputes, herdsmen and farmers clashes among other conflicts seriously threatening corporate existence. He agreed that there was no better time than now for such training for leaders in the country.

The head of the academy, Dr. Bosede Awodola did tell the dignitaries that graced the opening ceremony of the workshop that the NPA was established by IPCR, the federal government’s apex agency on matters of peace and conflict resolution in the country so as to build capacities of individuals, groups and critical and strategic agencies in pursuit of peaceful Nigerian society. She encouraged states in the country to emulate Nasarawa State Government for there is nothing that is as important as bequeathing a system of peaceful coexistence to the people.

Abu I. Michael, Resident Information Officer, IPCR

Attention LASTMA, LASG

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n Monday 13 August 2018, I had an urgent call to see my project supervisor at the University of Lagos, Akoka. Because I had other previously-scheduled appointments for the day, I had to defy the heavy rain to see my supervisor in other to meet my other appointments. So, I joined one of the UNILAG Campus Shuttles from Yaba Terminus en route to UNILAG campus that morning. When I thought the rain was the worst thing to happen to me that morning, I never thought of how poorly-trained some Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) road traffic wardens could be. One of them is one notorious official, by name Funke (it may turn out not to be her real name though) with the identification number (2221) on duty that unfortunate morning.

As we got to Agnes Junction, one police officer (a woman), and this LASMA official were on duty. The traffic was understandably heavy because of the downpour. Every vehicle became the law unto themselves because of the poor jobs the traffic wardens were doing.

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

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, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

In the bus I was, the driver got the signal from the police officer to move to which he complied. But from nowhere, this LASMA woman, in a Gestapo, Mushin-tout or Agbero style came and remove the bus’s right side mirror (exactly the position I was seated). The confused driver and 14 other passengers could not believe their eyes. An officer in butter colour shirt and pink pants could behave in such a thuggish manner? As the driver tried to park in a comfortable position, we were in for a ruder shock. This woman, with her bare hands, broke this same bus’s windscreen.

(I personally got injured in this unfortunate encounter). At this point, we all have had enough. A windscreen and side mirror all to a woman’s uncontrolled madness? The next two hours in the rain saw we the passengers confront all the officers on duty in an attempt to get justice for this bus driver!

In the heavy downpour, I came out to challenge the woman, whom by the way works with a street thug she uses to harass commercial bus drivers, on why she did that.

She said, in Yoruba to me: “You better don’t get involved in this matter. I am doing my job. If you provoke me further, I will break the whole glass and nothing will happen. I’m doing my job.” She said this and afterward hit me on the chest. But for my respect for women, nobody would have gotten away with that. The policewoman on duty tried to calm me down at the point, but I won’t be on that bus as a witness to this woman’s clinical-case madness and allow what was happening to pass. Never!

At some point, she tried to take to her heels, but I and some other passengers with the driver pursued her. Her thug with whom she terrorises commuters and commercial bus drivers ran after us to threaten me in particular. Since he does not understand English, he spoke to me in Yoruba, “You are Yoruba and defending ‘Omo Ibo’ [Igbo man]. Can you go and do that in Onitsha?” In my response to him, I told him I was in Onitsha during the 2017 Anambra gubernatorial election as an observer, but that is beside the point. She either admits she was wrong by breaking the man’s windscreen and side mirror or we press further charges against her.

Olalekan Waheed Adigun, University of Lagos, Akoka

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

NEWS

In Brief Sallah: Police Deploy Additional 1000 Men

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Imohimi Edgal, hasdeployed anadditional 1000 policemenfor theupcomingEid El Kabir holidayto boost thenumber of mendesignated for that purpose intheCommand’sOperationsOrder. Edgal said thedeployment wasto ensure a hitch-free Sallah celebration through effective coverage of the prayer grounds,holidayspotsand theneighbourhoods. Accordingto him,specialised unitsliketheExplosiveOrdinanceDepartment (EOD), theCaninesection(Policedogs),theAir-support unit,Marinepoliceand theMounted troops(Horsemen),had beenactivated and sufficiently mobilised to guaranteesecurityduringtheholidays. TheCP assures Lagosiansthat “theCommand iscommitted to their securitybefore,during and after theholiday.I wishMuslimfaithful happyEid El Kabir celebration.

Lagosresidentsshould besecurityconsciousand enjoymoderatelyduring theholiday”.

Secondus Appoints Chidoka Adviser

TheNational Chairmanof thePeoplesDemocraticParty(PDP),Prince UcheSecondushasappointed aformer Minister of Aviationand former CorpsMarshal of theFederal Road SafetyCommission(FRSC),Chief Osita Chidoka,ashisSpecial Adviser onStrategyand External Engagements.In astatement signed bytheNational PublicitySecretaryof theparty,Kola Ologbondiyan,thepartysaid theappointment waswithimmediateeffect.

“Chidoka,who iswell reputed for hisingenuityand organisational skills inpublicoffice,isexpected to bringto bear hisanalytical expertiseand wealthof experienceinpolitical strategydevelopment,coordinationand implementation,asthePDP setsfor the2019 general elections,” it said.

CELEBRATING AN ICON...

Ambode, Al-Makura, Wike, Others for NMNA

L-R: Chairman Seplat Petroleum, Dr. ABC Orjiako; Bishop, the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kuka; Managing Director/CEO, Seplat GovernorAkinwunmiAmbodeofLagosState,TankoAlmakuraof Petroleum, Austin Avuru and Fola Adeola, Co-founder GTBank, during Avuru’s birthday celebration in Lagos…yesterday.

Nassarawa State and NyesomWike of Rivers State are among the dignitariesexpected at 2018 NigeriaMediaNite-Out Award,NMNA.The organiserssaid theywereworkingtirelesslyinmakingtheannual event to celebratemediapractitionersall-over thefederationamemorableone.

Thisyear,2018,isthe12theditionand it promisesto beyet another epoch event.Whilespeakingontheevent,thehead honcho of thefunction,Sola Olugbemiro,said hewashappyto workwiththe2018 teambecausethey wereveryversatileineventsof thisnature,and that giveshimthecourage that wecanmakethiseditionthebest so far.Accordingto plans,Lagos EmmanuelUgwuÓØ ×ßËÒÓË of insecurity and still remains one hence there was no reason for the “We advocate the creation of state stateGovernor,AkinwunmiAmbodewillbetheChiefHost,Gov.Tanko indivisible nation, “it would be present crop of political leaders to police under the command of the Al-MakuraofNasarawastateistheguestspeaker,withthetheme,‘The The Methodist Church Nigeria, has expecting too much to think that it jettison true federalism. state governor, who constitutionally RoleofMediainEnsuringCredibleElectionsandMaintenanceofGood warned that the ongoing clamour for would survive under this present The Church vehemently con- is the chief security officer of the state Governance’whileGov.MuhammadBadaruAbubakarofJigawaState,Gov. restructuring of the Nigerian polity structure.” demned “the mindless killing of ” Prelate Uche said, suggesting that IbrahimHassanDankwamboofGombeState,Gov.EzenwoNyesomWike should not be ignored, saying that “Methodist Church Nigeria citizens and wanton destruction cattle ranches should be set up in the ofRiversstateamongothers,arespecialguestsoftheday. the nation risks disintegration if the is of the view that Nigeria needs of properties in some parts of the home states of the cattle breeders. current imbalance is allowed to stay. restructuring and not disintegration,” country, especially North Central, He further added: “Cattle colonies Dapo Abiodun Joins Ogun Guber Race The warning was contained in the prelate said, adding, “this has North East and North West”, point- or grazing fields should not be Industrialmogul,PrinceDapoAbiodun,attheweekend,joinedthefray a communiqué read by the Prel- become necessary in order to practice ing out that the bloodletting was used as a means of colonisation , ofgovernorshipaspirantsinOgunState,statingthathisambitionisnot ate, Methodist Church Nigeria, his true federalism where each state is caused by an unwieldy political religious proselytising and forceful predicatedonpecuniaryreasons.Whileformallydeclaringhisintentionfor Eminence, Dr. Samuel Uche at the allowed to tap from resources available structure. acquisition of the ancestral lands thenumberoneplumjobathisIperu-Remohome,inIkenneLocalGovernment Areaof OgunStateonFriday,Abiodun,anAll ProgressivesCongress end of the weeklong 46th biennial to her and make agreed contribution According to the Methodist of other people.” conference of the Church held at to the federal Government of Nigeria.” Church, the insecurity in the land The Prelate posited that no (APC)chieftain,saidthathislifeandpersonalexperiencehadrevealed Wesley Cathedral, Aba. He recalled that when true federal- could be addressed in a true federal political party or any section of the that,ifgiventherightenvironment,valuesandopportunities,anyonecould According to Prelate, although ism was practiced during the pre- system where the federating zones country should think that Nigeria is risetobecomeanything.Accordingtothe2015OgunEastAPCsenatorial Nigeria has been able to weather independence and post-independence or regions would have their own their personal property and therefore candidate,whoistheChairmanandChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO)of various economic, social and politi- era, the nation witnessed rapid security apparatus to tackle any is free to misbehave and treat others HeydenOil&GasLimited,“Ibelievethatbeyondinvestinginsectors and trade,investinginpeopleshould comefirst.Thisissomethingthat is cal challenges arising from the state development in the first republic security problems. as second class citizens. evident inthemost prosperousnationsof theworld. Myutmost desireis to givetheOgunpeopleanenablingenvironment that causesthemto excel and stand out amidst peers in Nigeria and all over the world, while blazing new trailsfor thegenerationthat comesafter them,regardlessof their originor foundation.

Nigeria Risks Disintegration if Not Restructured, Methodist Church Warns

Septuagenarian, 101 Others Children Die at Paraded as Minor Kills Mistress 5 Sokoto IDPs Camp Adibe Emenyonu ÓØ ÏØÓØ ÓÞã

A 77 year-old man, Osarumwese Osahon, was among the 102 suspected criminals paraded by the Edo State Police Command for alleged involvement in various crimes in the state.

This is just as a 14-year-old girl, Hannah (other name withheld), who killed her mistress, Mrs. Helen Adodo, yesterday said that she was under a spell.

The 77 years-old man claimed he was not a criminal and that he was arrested in connection with land dispute but paraded alongside criminals.

Parading the suspects, the state Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Johnson Kokumo, said the suspects were arrested for allegedly involving in armed robbery, Kidnapping, cultism, burglary and murder.

“The suspects were arrested within the state while others made incursion into the state from neighbouring states to commit crime and were arrested.

“Several of them were arrested within the state and several were arrested outside Edo State.

“Some of these criminals of course are resident criminals within Edo State and some of them actually made incursion into Edo State from

neighbouring states like Kogi.

“Several of them have robbed innocent citizens and of course, their arms and ammunition recovered.

“Articles of values that were robbed from innocent citizens were equally recovered from them,” he said.

Kokumo further stated that the command had launched a war against armed robbery, kidnapping, cultists and cultism, adding that the war had yielded good result with the arrest of many cultists and other criminals.

“Many of these suspects were into cultism. You will agree with me that cultism has been a major issue that has constituted a great deal of social malady, disturbing law abiding citizens, and the issue of cultism has led to the death of several law abiding innocent citizens.

“The command has launched a war against cultists and cultism and this war of course was spare-headed by the command special anti-cultism unit.

“The war has yielded positive result and today we have several of them in our net”, he said.

He assured that the suspects would be charged to Court, calling on the people to always give information to the police in order to sustain the fight against criminal.

Mohammed Aminu ÓØ ÙÕÙÞÙ

At least five children have lost their lives at the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Gandi town of Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Chairman of the Sokoto State Zakkat and Endowment Commission and a member of the State Committee on Internally Displaced Persons , Malam Lawal Maidoki, confirmed the death of the five children, while briefing officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that visited the camp on Friday.

Maidoki said the five persons that died were children, adding that adequate measures had been put in place to cater for the health care needs of the IDPs. He stated that doctors and other medical personnel were now regularly attending to patients in the camp.

“The camp’s clinic is always available for the IDPs and in cases beyond the capacity of the clinic, we often refer them to tertiary hospitals for further

treatment in Sokoto.

“We have also taken the census of all pregnant women in the camp. This is in order to ensure all of them attend antenatal care for safe delivery,” he said.

He disclosed that no fewer than 40 women had delivered at the camp.

Maidoki added that the committee had disbursed over N 2.5 million to the families of 51 persons who died during the bandits’ attack in Tabbane village of Rabah local government area last week.

In his remarks, the Education Officer, UNICEF Sokoto Field Office, Malam Tukur Yabo, commended the state government for its effort in supporting the IDPs. He said the officials were in the camp to support the victims and also interact with them to enable more UNICEF interventions and support.

The District Head of Gandi, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, expressed gratitude to UNICEF for their commitment towards enhancing the living standards of the IDPs at the camp.

NGO Empowers School Children

Anon-governmental organisation(NGO),theNurturingGod’sTreasure (NGT) hasempowered publicschool childreninLagosinpublicspeaking, artsand craft,bead making,danceand talkshowsaspart of measuresto help themlearnand discover themselves.Speakingat theevent organised in Lagos recently with the theme: ‘Breaking Out’, the Founder, NGT, Miss.

AyotilewaSijuade,said theNGO,whichwasfounded bystudentsisaimed at seeingtheNigerianchild becomesuccessful and do better. Shealso stated that at NGTthey had realised that an average Nigerian child was filled withthedesireto learn,but wasrarelygiventheopportunity,noting that themajor goal of thegroup isto build thetalentsalreadydeposited.“In theseyoungleadersof tomorrow and boost their confidenceto compete intheglobal community,” shenoted.Sijuadefurther stated that inaddition to buildingtalents,theyencouragechildrento believetheyarecapable of so muchmorethantheycould ever imagine,addingthat thereisneed for themto havearelationship withGod,“weachievethisbyorganising talent trainingprogrammesfor childrenbetweentheagesof 5-15.” NGT Founder added:“NGTstarted itsmissionwithorphansastheyrarelyget the opportunityto attend suchevents.

‘We Aim to Reduce Unemployment’

Hero’sFoundation,abodyunder International BreweriesPlc,hassaid that it hoped to useitskickstart programmeto beat downunemployment among youngpeopleinNigeria.CompanySecretaryand Lawyer of International Breweries,Mr.MuyiwaAyojimi,stated thisduringapressconferenceto herald thecommencement of thethird phaseof itsprogramme,Hero Kickstart,whichisused to empower young people who have business ideas but to not have start-up capital. Ayojimi said what Hero’s Foundation was doing with Kickstart was what every. Nigerian company needed to do to phase out unemployment in the country. He said: “Through faithful implementation of their corporate social responsibilities Nigerian companies and corporate entities can help the country beat unemployment among youths. If every business entity set aside a percentage of its profit and plow it back to helping the society as its corporate social responsibility, the problem of unemployment could be overcome,” Ayojimi said.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ͺ͸͹΀

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NEWS

Stand Firm, Saraki Charges Udom on Akwa Ibom Politics OkonBasseyinUyo

Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Friday praised the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for his maturity in the face of recent political development in the state, tasking him to be firm and ignore the defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Senate President, who was in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on a solidarity visit to Governor Emmanuel, lauded him for keeping the PDP intact despite of the shock that followed the defection of the former Senate minority leader to the APC. Saraki expressed satisfaction with stakeholders in the state for their support for the governor and urged them to continue to give him wise counsel.

“I am glad to notice that you are serving your people well and also that you have demonstrated your worth, capacity and leadership skills. I wish to also commend you for rising above provocations. I want to urge you not to be deterred.

“I also want to congratulate you for keeping PDP in Akwa Ibom intact. In the House of Assembly you have 24

out of 26, eight out of 10 in the House of Representatives and all the 31 council chairmen. I am happy for you and the people of Akwa Ibom have shown that they love the governor.

“Since God and the people are with you fear nobody. Events will unfold but still fear nobody because all the signs are that the people are with you.”

Saraki said.

Welcoming the Senate President to the State, Governor Emmanuel said Nigerians remained proud of his resilience and stance on national issues and urged him to continue with his Nigerian project.

The governor said PDP in the state remained 98% intact despite the defection of Senator Akpabio. “Akwa Ibom is PDP and PDP isAkwa Ibom”, he stressed, adding that his interest remained building a future for the Akwa Ibom child.

“You fought a good fight and you have shown that you are a true son of your father. But I am not surprised because a lion must give birth to a lion. I also commend your return to PDP. Your stay in APC was an alliance, but PDP is your home.”, the governor said.

EMPOWERING WOMEN...

L-R: Laure Beaufils; Aishah Ahmad; Nike Akande; and Funmi Roberts, at a conference on women development in Lagos… recently

ICRC Issues FG OBC Certificate for Amaechi’s Faction Kicks as Abe Opens Concession of $8.5m TTP in Oboloafor Parallel APC Secretariat in Rivers KasimSumaina ÓØ ÌßÔË

The federal government has received the Outline Business Case Certificate (OBC) for the concessioning of Truck Transit Park, estimated to cost $8.5million in Oboloafor, Enugu State.

The move, according to the FG, was to reduce the menace of indiscriminate parking by tanker and trailer drivers on Nigerian roads.

Receiving the OBC certificate from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) on behalf of government, in Abuja, the Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, explained that the OBC signified transparent advertisement for the expression of interest by investors.

He stated that the bid process was expected to be completed within a period of two months, after which the preferred bidder would be selected.

According to him, “the initial cost of the TTP in Oboloafor is

$8.5million and it will create about 3,154 jobs, disclosing that the Enugu State government had 16.1hectares of land for the establishment of the TTP. He said the TTP was processed through the Economic, Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) focus labs, pointing out that of the 160 provide projects processed through the lab, the TTP accounted for 7 and the project was rated 4-star on the scale of 1-5.

Bello said that there has been a lot of response and it was becoming a constituency project.

“The establishment of the TTP must be an economic decision that would be led by the private sector while the federal government provides the enabling environment, adding that they had collaborated with stakeholder’s like NURTW, RETEA, NARTO, NUPENG, such that they would own the project”, he stressed.

Bello disclosed that the TTP would

be intermodal, integrated and modern, adding that and would be constructed in such a way that it would be inter connected with the train stations, Inland Container Dry Port.

“Government was yet to fix the time frame for the concession period, but the period would be reasonable such that it would give comfort to investors so that they can recover their investment and also make profit.”

The ES further disclosed that the OBC for the Lokoja Truck Transit Park would be submitted to ICRC in the next two weeks and then look at other states that had shown interest, including Edo, Sokoto, and Kebbi state among others.

He further added: “The TTP would be electronically driven and there would be side attraction, as companies would come in to provide recreation services, banks, and maintenance services among others.”

We Borrowed to Build Infrastructure, Says Fashola Sunday Ehigiator

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola yesterday, at an interactive session held at the Island City Hall, Lagos State, disclosed the reasons behind collecting the N100 billion Sukuk Infrastructural bond, which was described as a ploy to Islamise Nigeria amidst other issues.

The minister explained that borrowing from the Islamic body was the best option at hand in achieving the present pressing infrastructural needs of the country.

He explained: “The money allocated for infrastructure in the budgeting was insufficient as against our needs. We got aware about Sukuk, and we realise it was the best option we could borrow from. We were between the option of borrowing

and doing infrastructure, and waiting for some more years to make the money needed before doing it. But I can assure you, that the prices for commodities we needed would have inflated by tomorrow.

“So it was either we borrow and do it now, or wait and do it tomorrow at an inflated price.

And we took the best option, and we are currently spending the money across all six geopolitical zones. There are infrastructural developments currently on going in all states. Some states already have completed projects. There is no state in this country where our ministry is not constructing one road or the other. Like I do say whenever I answer this questions, for those that started the propaganda that we were trying to Islamise the country, when we spend the money in

your states to develop it, please reject it because it is Islamic money” Fashola said it didn’t matter who had come into power or remained in power, asserting that “Nigeria would have still gone into recession because it was a global issue. But thank God we have been able to manage it and the situation is getting better.”

Ernest Chinwo ÓØ ÙÜÞ ËÜÍÙßÜÞ

The internal crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is deepening by the day as a faction controlled by the Senator representing Rivers South East District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe has opened its state secretariat in Port Harcourt.

But another faction controlled by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, described the development as “non-event”, insisting there was only one secretariat of the party under the chairmanship of Ojukaye Flag-Amachree.

Flag-Amachree had also warned that he would ensure that he shuts any parallel secretariat in the state leading to suspicions that he might have spearheaded the vandalism of the parallel secretariat last week.

He however denied the allegation insisting that he said he would use legal means to ensure the closure of any parallel secretariat since there were no factions in the state.

But inaugurating the new secretariat yesterday in Port Harcourt, Abe declared that time had come for members of the party to sink their differences in order to allow peace to return to the party’s fold in Rivers State.

He said the proper thing for members of the party to do was to look for ways of achieving peace

within the party in the state.

The senator said: “Let me also say that time has come for us to make peace in the party. People should not see peace as defeat.

Peace is what we need to move the party forward.

“Let me also say that sending people to come and shoot members of our party will not bring peace.

Sending people to begin a campaign of calumny against members of the party will not bring peace.

“The proper thing for us to do is to begin to look for things that will bring us together. I want to say without fear or favour, we need a united APC in Rivers State. That is why this secretariat is open to every member of the party, who is desirous of victory for the party.

“Nobody wants the present contraption, called a government to continue in our state. We want a change; we want true change and true progress. We want true prosperity. We can achieve that in an atmosphere of mutual respect not just for each other and even for the opposition.

“We can achieve that in an atmosphere of peace that respects the rights of other people and be ready to accommodate the voices of dissent.”

Abe, who is also a governorship aspirant of the APC, said the factional secretariat was open to all members of the APC in the state

irrespective of affiliation.

In his words: “I thank all members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, particularly members of the state executive committee of our party, who had stood resolutely in ensuring that we gather here today.

“It is important that we remember that this executive of our party is the only executive of this party that was put together by all groups in the party. There is no group that did not participate in putting this executive together. The executive is therefore open to everybody in the party.

“This is the executive that was in place when the court gave the order that the party should return to status quo. It voided the congresses at that time.

“Let me say that therefore, in view of the existing legal situation in the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, this is the only executive that has no legal impediment. It is therefore open to all members of this party and can service.

“I want to associate myself with them. I can say that I support them and I stand with them because this is the only executive that is open to everybody. This is the only secretariat where you don’t have to preach any message of hate against any individual before you can enter.

Sallah Durbar: 500 Dignitaries to Ride Horses with Ilorin Emir Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

No fewer than 500 beautifully decorated horses and dignitaries would on Wednesday participate in the Ilorin emirate grand durbar that would be led by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari to mark this year’s Eid-el-kabir festival.

The cultural celebration will

take place on the second day of Eid-el- kabir celebration at the frontage of Emir’s palace in Ilorin.

The chairman of the durbar committee, Mr. Sulyman Yahaya Alapansanpa, who briefed journalists about the significance of durbar celebration at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), press center, Ilorin yesterday ahead of the event said that unlike in the past, this year’s

durbar will be extended beyond the emir and royalty.

He explained: “Durbar is the unique ceremonial display and cultural processions of well decorated and garrisoned horses usually and beautifully mounted by the royals , chiefs, princes and some other eminent citizens of a given emirate to celebrate an important cultural epoch or religious event or

, sometimes ,the presence or visit of an August dignitaries. Thus the forthcoming durbar cultural festival has no any political intention’’.

Alapansanpa said the event was being organised to promote the rich cultural heritage of Ilorin emirate and guard against cultural imperialism that was fast eroding the cultural values of the people.

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Plus

GLOBAL SOCCER FAIRGROUND FASHION FILE SHOWBIZFLAIR

pg. 29 pg. 36 pg. 43 pg. 46

Lilian Afegbai Our Society Puts So Much Pressure on Women; Marriage is Not for Everyone

pg. 20

Dideolu Falobi My Wife Taught Me Patience, Street Wisdom

Lanre Da Silva Ajayi At 40, I Can’t Ask for More, Life Has Been Uniquely Fair to Me

pg. 22

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

PLUS

At 40, I Can’t Ask for More, Life Has Been Uniquely Fair to Me

She forms ideas which often intrigue millions of fashion enthusiasts. This has been the lot of award-winning international fashion designer and founder of LDA fashion label, Lanre Da- Silva Ajayi, in the last 15 years. Lanre, as she is fondly called, is simply elegant. She is a perfect definition of all round beauty, blessed and favoured by God, man and nature, most especially in her calling. Even though most human beings are Oliver Twist, with insatiable desires, hers seems to be different as she says she cannot ask for more because life has been uniquely fair to her. The proud mother of two, who just clocked 40 takes Omolabake Fasogbon through her life’s journey in four decades, the fashion industry, motherhood, marriage and lots more

A

journey to Lanre Da Silva Close situated in the Queens area of Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, was unlike the typical Lagos drive. With a free road, undisturbed by other hindering variables, a bright cool weather to crown it, were, perhaps, omens that speak favourably about this soon- to -be met personality.

Her warm and humble reception buttresses the popular impression of her unassuming and gaiety nature.

Although, for a large number of her friends and well-wishers, it is all about her special day being August 6, as she clocks a milestone year, Lanre finds it hard to get drowned in the excitement of the moment.

She is met on the job, giving directives and monitoring her staff to get the work done rightly and timely. For Lanre, who by virtue of her maiden name, Da Silva, is of Brazilian descent, there is no time to relax; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been reckoned with by those celebrating her today.

At 40, which of the goodness of God, is the globally sought-after designer still looking for? None! For her, it is a near perfect four decades on earth. In high spirit, she professes: “As you can see, I am a very happy person, no thanks to the support from my family, children, hus-

Sincerely, I can’t think of any, this is because most of the things that happen to me are those things that I look forward to positively. I got married at age 25, got pregnant two months after. My first son is now 14 years, my daughter is 10 going on 11. I have been able to carve a niche for myself in the industry and have influenced a lot of people in fashion. In the process of achieving all these, it has been awesome. You see, I’m a very funny individual, I don’t like people fighting, I always want to resolve problems and if I have issue with anyone, I forget and move on very quickly. That is why they call me saint in my house

band, and clients, who have become my family and friends as well as the media.

I owe the media a lot of appreciation.

I remember those days when we first started, the likes of City People and Encomium didn’t look down on small me.

THISDAY Style, True Love and Genevieve Magazine have been particularly awesome.

Looking back, I am grateful to God. I was determined to create a niche in the fashion market. God didn’t fail me and I didn’t fail myself also. I got more inspired by the positive feedbacks from clients and loved ones. Today, I am being addressed as a celebrity, in as much as I don’t see myself as one, I get marvelled when I read about myself in the tabloids being addressed as a celebrity. It’s just God.” Life, they say, begins at 40. Does this apply to Lanre? Responding after a long smile, she said: “A lot of people have been calling me to say welcome to level four, and so on. What I will just say is that I’m happy to be a Nigerian. I love Nigerians because we face challenges, and yet we come out smiling. I will say that I look forward to the future and what the future holds for me.”

Has she any regrets so far? She struggles to arrive at one but she can’t recall any.

Surprising, isn’t it? Regrets they say is inevitable as far as human beings are concerned. After further pestering, she still can’t tell of any but rather talks about why her life has been devoid of worries: “Sincerely, I can’t think of any, this is because most of the things that happen to me are those things that I look forward to positively. I got married at age 25, got pregnant two months after. My first son is now 14 years, my daughter is 10 going on 11. I have been able to carve a niche for myself in the industry and have influenced a lot of people in fashion. In the process of achieving all these, it has been awesome.

You see, I’m a very funny individual, I don’t like people fighting, I always want to resolve problems and if I have issue with anyone, I forget and move on very quickly. That is why they call me saint in my house.”

Jokingly, I asked her when she plans to have her third child since her second child is 10, but her response is in the negative as she insisted that she was done with child bearing. Getting serious, she bares it: “The third child is not coming.

Grooming a child in

AUGUST 18 , 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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PLUS My Most Embarrassing Moment was When I Fell off the Runway in New York this economy doesn’t come so easy. Aside the economy, it is not an easy task nurturing and training a child. Let me quickly say here that the present day Nigeria doesn’t make allowances for full time wife.

I cannot imagine doing nothing; life would have been so boring. Women need to work to support their husband, I have been able to go this far because I’ve chosen to work and not stay at home as house wife and together we can give our children a befitting life.”

Talking about managing careers with the home front, she is particularly thankful to her sister and family at large; most especially, her husband, who she says has been quite supportive. Other than that, it may have been a different story today.

“I wouldn’t say my husband is perfect because nobody is perfect, but he has really helped my business through his support. It is not every man in Nigeria that does this.

If I wasn’t married to him, maybe I won’t be known for who I am today. I probably might have taken fashion as a hobby.

When I started, I wasn’t looking for fame, I was just doing what I love to do, but fame came over time, with the support of my husband, family and many others.”

Lanre sews most of her husband’s clothes and occasionally, for some of his friends: “Kunle is very very calm, he allows me to be what I want to be, even when I go for event, he gives me all the freedom, he doesn’t feel intimidated. I appreciate him a lot. We met in London; I love the fact that he is cute, supportive and patient.”

One would not but want to hear her speak over and over again about fashion.

Lanre is indeed a master. Going back memory lane, her story is soul-stirring. The journey began in London when she opted for a part time course in fashion out of curiosity and passion; little did she know she will end up being an influencer in the field.

She merely learnt pattern, sewing and fixing of zip but before she knew it, she started making clothes for herself and even her friends. Over time, she became a whiz kid, constantly improving on her skills through trainings at home and abroad, as well as through on the job experience: “On getting back to Nigeria, I decided to take a job in a bank and possibly an oil company and then do fashion as a hobby.

As fate would have it, I got pregnant around February or March when I was to start working in June. Perhaps, if I wasn’t pregnant, I might not have ended up with fashion as my focus, maybe a hobby. Unfortunately, I couldn’t defer the appointment. After the usual first trimester sickness, I got back on my feet and started making clothes. People fell in love with my uniqueness other than what they found in Nigeria. For me, that is the attraction to the brand and the more reasons why I advise people to strive to be unique. One can still follow trends by using a fabric that will give a design an extra touch.”

Now that she is absorbed fully in the system, how has it been? Much unlike now that the industry has evolved with the social media making things happen so fast, the beginning, Lanre admitted, was quite challenging.

Making these challenges so simple, she said: “When I started 14 years ago, we

had issues with accessing quality fabrics. I remember how we struggled to get quality materials from abroad. It is much easier now; we have a lot of people today that deal in quality fabrics. We also had issue with Zipper. All these are now in the past.

Designers today are in a better place. The fashion industry has really grown and I’m really excited about it. Another challenge is with training tailors. Getting them to learn doesn’t come so easy but it is what I want to do. It’s my own job to teach them what I want them to do for me, some pick so fast while some are slow learners.”

Speaking further on mastering the profession, she said that Nigeria presents the best environment to learn the skills:

There was this contract I got, which was to be executed within a limited time frame but at the same time, it was also important that I travelled.

I didn’t want to reject the offer, so I entrusted it to the tailors working for me who are equal to the task. I of course put them through the whole process before I travelled.

To my utmost surprise, when I returned, what I saw was a total knock and mess contrary to the choice of the client.

I was destabilised and frustrated. At this juncture, we had to start all over again to suit the clients, but then I became tired of the job that I concluded within me that it was all over. But again, I got over it afterwards

“When one learns the way they learn in Nigeria, one doesn’t have an option than to be a genius. Nigeria is the only country where they do freehand cutting. Freehand cutting is the only reason why somebody will go to a roadside tailor and get her dress done without a pattern. This is not done elsewhere. When one is exposed to that kind of sewing and support it with pattern, there is no way one won’t be perfect. That means one has gone through the crude and perfect way of learning .So, I will say experience has helped to refine and perfect my training. Regardless, I have been able to expand the industry because a lot of people under my tutelage have moved on to establish their own outfits.”

Part of Lanre’s initial challenges was getting her dad to support and bless her calling. This didn’t come so easy especially for her late father who expended so much resources on her education: “It was not difficult getting my mother convinced on my choice of career because she already saw the potential in me but my dad was firm on his decision. I really do not blame him because no one would ever believe entrepreneurship would grow this fast in the country and no parents would want their efforts on a child to be wasted. I am however glad that he gave his consent before he passed away and provided me with necessary support. “ While dwelling more on her dark days in the career, she recalled a moment when she considered quitting the profession as the only option. Reminiscing, she recounts: “Yes, I thought of giving it all up at a time my tailor disappointed me. There was this contract I got, which was to be executed within a limited time frame but at the same time, it was also important that I travelled. I didn’t want to reject the offer, so I entrusted it to the tailors working for me who are equal to the task. I of course put them through the whole process before I travelled. To my utmost surprise, when I returned, what I saw was a total knock and mess contrary to the choice of the client. I was destabilised and frustrated.

At this juncture, we had to start all over again to suit the clients, but then I became tired of the job that I concluded within me that it was all over. But again, I got over it afterwards.”

The voice of the consumer is an essential input to the development of any fashion business. Does this apply to the LDA brand in the midst of stiff competition? Lanre agrees; but to her, there are more on the list that apply to her: “People usually say I am humble and I want to believe so, this is because I realised that I’m here today simply by the influence of the people around me. So, I will say humility, creativity, patience, hardwork, consistency and innovations are the key to keeping a fashion business going. Talk of collections being churned out, creativity and consistency. As it is, I don’t get tired of fashion and there

is never a time to relax, I’m a very competitive person and I compete even with myself. Having followed these principles, backed up with prayers and having the right people around, the sky is the starting point.

“Relevance is very important and I do a lot to achieve it. Anyone starting the business today may not find it so easy because there are millions in the industry struggling to be relevant. This on the other hand shows that fashion is indeed a lucrative field that is rubbing off positively on the economy.”

For her, being the first African designer to have stock at Dolce & Gabbana multi concept store in Milan is an accomplishment that remains indelible. Relaying the experience, she said: “I wouldn’t have thought I would be able to do that when it happened because the social media had not gone this crazy. Yet, a lot of people in the fashion circle got to know of this.

I mean, it’s a great privilege to be part of them being a Nigerian and African. Dolce & Gabbana is a brand that was relevant yesterday; it is relevant today and very relevant to the future.”

Lanre is looking forward to the day she would be able to sew for all categories of people. “I am looking at exploring the mass market in the nearest future. This is a market that is yet untapped. The mass is the clientele of this country and I will definitely want to have that. Nigerians love fashion and that is why a brand like mine continues to exist. I am in the process of collaborating with some people to establish a diffusion line where my design can go for between 15 and 25k. I want to break away from luxury only but definitely, I will still do my luxury brand.”

She said her most embarrassing moment was when she fell off the runway at the Arise Made in Africa Show in New York in 2011. She relays the experience thus: “I didn’t really show interest in the show; a lot of people encouraged me to go for the show including the Publishers of THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena.

After I made up my mind to go, virtually all the papers reported it that ‘Lanre Goes to New York’ as they were looking forward to my performance. Right at the show, we had already displayed and the next thing for me was to take a bow and for people that know me, my own style of taking a bow is to do a walk around.

But in the process, I went into the wrong pit simply because I was excited. A lot of people thought it was my shoe that fell off and became worried about my wellness.

That was the general belief, but within me, I knew it wasn’t the shoe and that I only entered the wrong pit. After the fall, I insisted I was going to go back to do the walk, which I did to the surprise of many.

It was at this juncture that I got a complete standing ovation.

That was such a touching and glorious moment away from the embarrassing scene. In fact, since then, I no longer wear heels higher than the one I wore that day.”

20

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

PLUS

Resilient, charming, smart, goal-getter and hardworking are just few out many words to describe Lilian Afegbai. This actress, model and entrepreneur cum movie producer, has become a force to reckon with as far as Nollywood is concerned. Within five years, the 2014 Big Brother Africa contestant, produced her first film, “Bound”, which stars the likes of Rita Dominic and Eyinna Nwigwe among others, acted in top movies such as “Road to Yesterday, The Wedding, TV Series Tinsel and loads more.

This prolific actress is no doubt one face that keeps audience glued to their screen as with her versatility and creativity. Lilian talks to Azuka Ogujiuba about her future and ongoing projects, challenges and lots more

Lilian Afegbai Our Society Puts So Much Pressure on Women; Marriage is Not for Everyone

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͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

PLUS It’s Better to Marry Late and Marry Right

H

ow long have you been acting?

My romance with the world of make believe started about four years ago, when I came out from the big brother Africa house. Call me a drama queen, but I have always loved to be the cynosure of attention, so my entrance into acting was as a child in the school, church, at home and even in front of my mirror.

What was the experience like in your first movie appearance?

The experience was surreal. It was dream come true considering that it was my first year in the university. I acted alongside Jim Iyke.

Have you ever participated in any stage play before?

Stage play was my first love and it was a training ground for my entrance into Nollywood.

How different is it acting in a movie?

With film, you can have a hundred take till you get the perfect shot but with stage, there is no room for take two. With stage, you also see your audience’ reaction, the feedback is immediate.

What has been your biggest achievement as an actress?

My greatest achievement is transiting from being an actor to becoming a producer. Debuting my first movie “Bound” was a dream come true.

What is the hardest part of being a celebrity?

The hardest part of being a celebrity is the fact that no matter how hard I try to keep my private life private, people always want to know and most times they misconstrue everything you put out there especially on the social media.

How do you deal with negative comments?

Shake it off, stomp on it and rise higher.

Most importantly stay on winning.

What kind of roles do you prefer?

As an actor, you should be versatile and dynamic. It’s intriguing for me to take on different characters and persona. That’s why I don’t put myself in a box or allow myself to be type cast.

Are you currently working on any project?

I’m like a moving train that cannot be stopped but with time, the project will unfold. Watch this space.

If you had the opportunity to spend a night with a male celebrity, who would that be and why?

I will choose the constantly reinventing Richard Mofe Damijo because I consider him to be an icon in this industry and I will have a lot to learn from him.

What advice do you have for aspiring actors?

Put God first in all you do. Be true to yourself, be passionate about your craft, pursue excellence, be professional and stay humble.

There was a time you talked about marriage and openly said marriage was not for everyone, what were you trying to insinuate?

People get married for the wrong reasons these days, it’s better to marry late and marry right. There’s no age range for marriage. The society puts so much pressure on women that they now feel once you clock 30, it’s hard. The truth is, as much as we all want a family; I still think marriage is not for everyone.

At the moment, a lot of actresses are all going under the Surgeon’s knife, do

Afegbai

I tried bleaching when I was much younger and I had to stop because it’s not good for the skin. It had to do with youthful exuberance and people then making you feel if you are dark skinned you can’t make it, that’s a big lie. Most of the very successful women in the industry are dark skinned. I believe we should love our bodies the way God created you have plans to do same?

My opinion about surgery is that everyone has the right to do what they want with their body. The fact that I don’t pray for it, doesn’t make it wrong. I considered it but I later didn’t see the need for it. I feel like God didn’t make a mistake with

me. Maybe when I finish giving birth or something, I may consider it. You know the saying, ‘never say never’.

The bleaching of skin has become paramount to some ladies and it has gone to another level. What do you think about this trend?

I tried bleaching when I was much younger and I had to stop because it’s not good for the skin. It had to do with youthful exuberance and people then making you feel if you are dark skinned you can’t make it, that’s a big lie. Most of the very successful women in the industry are dark skinned. I believe we should love our bodies the way God created us and be proud of our complexion.

Would you ever act a nude role if the opportunity arises?

It depends on what the message is about, but for me, it’s important to put into consideration the present and the future.

Who is your favourite actor in Nigeria and why?

There are so many actors I respect for their hard work and talent.

Tell us about your last movie project, the challenges, the premiere and the nomination for AMVCA? It was my first, so I got a lot of discouragement from people making me

feel I couldn’t do it. So I had to prove myself, thanks to Dr. Eloka. It wasn’t easy, because it was my first time producing; the first time in Enugu and also a language film. I had a great team working for me and I was ready to see it through. So at that point, all the challenges I faced have shaped me now to do better. So let’s focus.

What are the qualities you admire in a man? Are you dating right now and when do you think you will walk down the aisle?

Qualities in a man, Firstly, he must be God-fearing, love his family, truthful to himself first before me, hardworking, very supportive of my passion and drive.

Tell us Nigerian actresses that have influenced you in your career and why?

Joke silva, Funke Akindele, Omoni Oboli , Kate Henshaw, Kehinde Bankole, the list is endless.

You worked with Rita Dominic on your movie project, how was the experience like especially working with one of the biggest actresses in Nigeria?

It was quite an experience. We all know the challenges of movie production in the country, but after the whole stress, everything came out fine.

22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀, 2014

PLUS

Dideolu Falobi My Wife Taught Me Patience, Street Wisdom The Managing Director of Kresta Laurel Limited, Dideolu Falobi, is driven by the guiding principles and philosophies of diligence, equity, fairness and Justice. Shaped by Christian values, Falobi, whose firm specialises in elevators, escalators and cranes, wants to leave the world better than he found it. And so, his happiest moments revolve around time spent with family and his kinsmen in Ilesha, Osun State, doing community development activities. As a child, he admired Shaka Zulu, but recent stories and movies have however tempered his admiration for him. Today his admiration is local. Falobi shares his career trajectory, business life, growing up moments, and how his wife has had an enduring impact on him with Adedayo Adejobi

23

͹΀˜ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

PLUS I was Too Tough on My Kids, But I Am Mellowing Down As They Grow Older

T

ake us into your growing up?

I am from Iwoye- Ijesa, but I grew up in Ilesa. Growing up was normal. I had a strict but loving father, who never spared the rod whenever he seemed it expedient.

What key values have shaped you?

Christian values, discipline and love for all.

What kind of a child were you?

A normal child, very playful, which I believe was a result of the fact that my mum was in school most of my primary school days. This had its effect as my teacher dad taught out of town and as such, always came in circa 5pm. So my routine was come back from school, lunch, do assignments and football or any other game that caught my fancy Were you quiet or most times in trouble?

I was never quiet but never got into trouble too as my dad was clear about my limits and the consequences of going beyond my limit were clear and dire.

What fond child memories do you hold unto strongly growing up in Ilesa?

The days of looking for crabs in the neighbourhood swamps, playing street football, teaching my mates Arithmetic and later, Mathematics, as well as going to church every morning, seven days a week. I must admit that I hated the church part at the beginning but had to endure it and eventually liked it as I began to take leadership roles in church at an early age.

What were your best and worst subjects in of secondary school?

My best was Maths. Worst was Biology.

Share something silly you did while growing up, that made your parents laugh and/or scold you?

Most silly, I cannot really remember.

However, I knew that playing football on Sundays was sure to earn me a good beating from my no-nonsense dad.

At what point in life did you decide on a career path and what influenced same?

I guess it evolved early as I recollect that I was always fascinated by electrics.

What informed your choice of study in the university?

Love for electrics.

Do you have any regrets about your eventual choice of study?

No, though if it were today, I might have settled for something talent-driven like Theatre Arts, Mass Communication or Law, which I later realised, were my natural forte.

Relieve memories as a student at the University.

University was fun for me as I took part in almost everything apart from clubbing and partying- student unionism, football, chasing girls, community and old school activities as well as academics.

Talk me through your career path?

So far, I thank God as I have been privileged to work with great minds. I am a certified Engineer. I graduated from the University of Lagos in 1987 and started my career as a Design and Supervision Engineer between 1987 and 1989 and later became a Junior Partner between 19921996 with Edison Group and Partners, a foremost power engineering consultancy firm. In these capacities, I was involved in several rural electrification projects. I was also the Marketing Manager of H.F. Schroeder (W.A.) Limited and Pioneer Project Manager of Kresta Laurel Limited between 1989 and 1992. In these companies, I was directly responsible for the Lift and Crane Departments where I executed several Lift and Crane Installation Projects nationwide.

As a speaker and social commentator, I have delivered lectures on industrialisation, design of elevators and escalators, youth empowerment, investment in Nigeria and safety among several other topics at

various fora, locally and internationally.

On the community development front, as the Bobajiro of Ilesa, I have been the National President of the Old Students’ Association of Methodist High School, Ilesa, since 2005. I am also the Founder and President of Ijesaland Development Foundation as well as the Chairman of Osun State Scrabble Association and Iwoye-Ijesa Development Committee. I am happily married with children.

Share the experience on your first job?

My first job was interesting from day one.

It was as Consulting Engineer with Engr.

Akin Taiwo of blessed memory’s Edison Group and Partners. It was my NYSC year and he only accepted to take me when I offered to work without pay for the early part of my service.

What was your first pay cheque?

As a Corps member, I was earning N200 apart from NYSC allowance. My first pay as an Engineer was N700 per month with the same Edison Group and Partners, a lot of money in 1988.

Have you always wanted to be an Engineer?

Yes. If you had the opportunity to lead your industry, what would you do differently?

I will work vigorously to ensure that the menace of delayed and non- payment for services stop. I will set up an advocacy group for this. I will provide free legal services for those deprived of their dues. I will push for the blacklisting of defaulting y discharge g their obligations. g clients until they easonable minimum wage I will push for reasonable for engineers in all fields. I will make g and recertification of periodic training ulsory y and obligatory g y for the engineers compulsory Implementa p employers. I willl p push for full Implementantent policies p in the Engi gition of Local Content Engiy such that jobs j for which neering Industry ers have competence p Nigerian Engineers will o non-Nigerians. g I will work never be given to neering g companies, p federal, with major engineering overnments to set up p well state and local governments cal schools in every y local equipped technical g My y brother, there is government in Nigeria. ake engineering rewarding a lot to do to make ers. for most engineers. y lane, If you look down memory would you say that you are a fulfilled Engineer?

Yes. p in Nigeria g The bane of Leadership is g corruption and matters off governance y y are the key to your heart. Would you going g into politics? p anytime soon be g I cannot rule itt out for two reasons. The vironment is required q right political environment for n public p p private and even enterprise to thrive. ent players p y make delivery y Most of the present ance look like rocket science. of good governance nge g the mind-set and it is We need to change becoming more and more difficult to make om without. Look at the role those changes from itics today. y It has almost beof money in politics hat you y must spend p fortunes come a culture that to contest and win elections. That is not w many y of them who we are. How hat you y need spent 0.1% of what y to spend now when they got into office in 1999. We must change thiss horrible duces us mind-set that reduces to sub-humans. We havee to go in at one point or the order. raAnother hydraheaded monsterr is m the Boko Haram n terrorists driven on the wheels of religion. What would be the way out?

Boko Haram is the product off mis-governance over the years.

Negotiate and rehabilitate the on current generation of ill-mannered youths; educate the young ones

least they become worse. There are several pockets of ‘Boko Haramism’ waiting to happen in different parts of Nigeria. We are sitting on kegs of gun powder. Time to act was yesterday.

When you see your children what do they remind you of?

A bit of myself and their mum in our younger years and the influence of “today’s world and culture”.

Let’s assume you want to take a back seat for instance, who would you prefer amongst the key presidential aspirants?

I am not in politics yet so I just pass. Of course I have my preferred candidate and you will probably guess right. For now, I pass.

How often do you take time-out to treat your wife?

Regularly as time permits. We eat, dine out together; watch movies together too.

Before marriage, did you have your fair share of women?

Hmmmm. I was a good boy by comparison but of course, I did not marry my first date.

At what point did you know she was the one for you?

From day one.

In what ways has she changed you, or vice-versa?

She taught me more patience and more street -wisdom. She is smarter than I. You can take that to the bank.

Describe her in five words.

Smart, Caring, Diligent, Shrewd and Beautiful Away from business, what kind of a man are you at home?

Away from business is more like it. I love my home and I try to be a good father and husband. I was a bit too tough on my kids in my younger days but I am mellowing down as the kids grow older and I am g new things g about p learning parenthood.

What is y your p with relationship your children?

Very y good g I believe notwithh standing g the usuall struggle for freedom. m.

As a handsome man, how do you handle sexual advances from opposite sex?

You just said it...I handle them. I am married and it helps.

What things do you do to unwind?

Discuss politics, develop my community and spend time out with the family.

You have a good sense of fashion.

What influences your dress sense.

Brand names?

Honestly, I just dress up to fit the occasion. My wife manages the rest.

What famous international figure do you admire and why?

Hmmmm. I used to admire Shaka the Zulu as a young boy. Recent stories and movies have however modulated my admiration for him. Today my admiration is local.

When are your happiest and saddest moments?

My happiest are time spent with my family and on my community development activities. Worst times are when I get involved in discussions on Nigeria’s p crisis and how it has reduced us leadership as human beings.

What motivates you?

Success in whatever I lay my hands on. on. you What/who would y c nsider y co consider your strongest influence in fl (s)?

My father.

What books have you y rread ead that changed g your y o utlook to business and outlook li ife f ? life?

The Bible; it is so ccomplete. omplete. p The rest are autobiographies g p sucautobiographies of successful men and women cessful from various sectors/ from in ndustries. industries.

What are your y guiding g g p rinciples p and philosophy principles off life? f Diligence, g equity, q y fairness an justice; and j do unto others as y ou would want done unto you y yo u. you.

What lasting g legacy g y w ould y you want to be would k own for? kn f known That I left the w wo rld better than world I found it.

24

˜ ˞ AUGUST 18, 2018

PERSPECTIVE Bauchi Bye-Election: What They Will Not Tell the President Abdullahi Dass

F

rom the beginning of this article, let me make my vested interest clear. I am a supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari and I believe the man is entitled to know the truth about all situations, particularly from those of us his supporters who are not holding office and only want the best for

him.

We have seen leaders of the President’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) rejoicing that the party’s victory in some bye-elections conducted last weekend was an indication that the President will easily be re-elected next February. Well, the politicians in the ruling party can have their celebrations and back-slapping and they are entitled to it. They can sing, dance and feast because their candidates will be swornin to take the legislative seats in the respective chambers to which they are elected.

However, the President as the candidate and party leader is the one who should be most concerned about whether the result of an election actually helps his cause or not. The President should go beyond the facade presented by party operatives and critically examine, interrogate and analyse the figures.

One is worried that while the APC candidate won the election, the figures should raise the alarm in the head of Buhari and his strategists.

This State in which I have been voting since 1999 has always been a safe constituency for President Buhari. He won it massively in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. He won with figures ranging from 75 per cent to 85 per cent in those past elections.

Last Saturday’s bye-election result is however an anti-climax. The APC candidate secured 119,489 votes representing less 48.79 percent of the total number of votes. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate got 50, 256 votes which is 20.52,percent while the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Alhaji Isa Yuguda got 33, 479 votes. Other parties like the APP secured 11,217 votes; ANPP, 22,896; ADC, 1754; DA 467; MMN 429; PDC, 1,203 and SDP, 3700 votes.

What these figures mean is that the APC secured just 48.79 percent of the total votes cast while the rest of the political parties got 51.21 percent. Therefore, if the opposition parties had come together and implemented their agreement under the Coalition of United People’s Party (CUPP) in which they are to present just one candidate against the ruling party’s candidate, the APC would have lost the election in a state hitherto considered as a safe zone for the Presi-

Defeating APC in 2019 in Bauchi State becomes more feasible, judging from the last week polls result, when you put the factors that will be at play in 2019. During the general election, there may not be a proliferation of candidates on the ballot like we had in the bye election. The Presidential election will most likely be a two-horse race, Buhari Versus the Candidate of the opposition

Governor Abubakar

dent.

Definitely, the results of the bye-election will buoy the confidence of the opposition parties in the coming general elections. They can now see that the President and his party are no longer invincible and are beatable with the right candidate, the right strategy and the unity of purpose between the opposition parties.

The result of that election is also a clear indication that the Buhari before 2015 ascension to the presidential seat in the Aso Rock Villa is different from the one that will seek election in 2019.

The magic wand may have been waning and losing its potency.

Defeating APC in 2019 in Bauchi State becomes more feasible, judging from the last week polls result, when you put the factors that will be at play in 2019. During the general election, there may not be a proliferation of candidates on the ballot like we had in the bye election. The Presidential election will most likely be a two-horse race, Buhari Versus the Candidate of the opposition.

If APC could only get 48.79 percent of the total votes cast in a bye-election in which five serving governors gathered in the state to help win the polls and contributed resources to fund the electoral operations of APC in just one Senatorial District, then there is a problem. These governors from other states will not be around next February. They will be busy in their respective states and their resources will also be needed to win in their domains. So, the luxury that the ruling party had last week will definitely not be there.

By the time of the general election, if the APC had not intervened to improve the performance of Governor Yahaya Abubakar and reconcile with Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives, the situation in Bauchi would have got worse and the results may even further go south for APC. There is also the possibility that in 2019, many

of the present elected office holders would have lost their tickets as the governor is becoming very authoritarian and threatening to deny many present state legislators and the remaining federal law makers their return tickets. In that case, the problem of the ruling party will be more compounded and that would have unwittingly boost the chance of the opposition to rout it out of power in the state, Bauchi has demonstrated in the recent past that there is no fixated position on parties. The ruling party is often punished for not delivering on its promises or not fielding the right candidates. Sometimes, the loss of the party in government is due to the ill-treatment of certain popular politicians and inability to manage success.

For example, Alhaji Adamu Muazu of the PDP who governed the state successfully between 1999 and 2007 could not win a senatorial election in the 2007 general elections. His rival, Mallam Isa Yuguda who contested on the platform of the opposition party, the ANPP, succeeded him.

Yuguda later defected to the PDP. Yuguda himself could not retain the state for the PDP in 2015. The state elected Governor Abubakar of the APC. Today, there are indications that another mass switch of loyalty may occur in Bauchi State. These are the facts that the dancing politicians now celebrating the weak success in the last week senatorial bye-elections will not tell Buhari.

However, the President needs to know. He must be apprised of all the facts, under-currents, calculations, interpretations and indices so that he is not taken by surprise in 2019. The President needs to take charge of the re-election activities and Programme. His party is not doing well, unlike the rosy impressions being created for him.

Beyond the dance and dilly-dallying, Buhari must know that Bauchi as today is not looking good for him.

Dass writes from Bauchi

˜ ˞ AUGUST 18, 2018

25

PERSPECTIVE

Rise of Fascism, Decline of Democracy Law Mefor

“Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it� - Frantz Fanon

F

or the avoidance of doubt, fascism is a form of government, which is a type of one-party dictatorship. Fascists are against democracy and multi-party system. They deploy jackboot autocracy to muzzle out of the way all voices of reason and opposition. Fascism brooks no opposition or dissention. Therefore, a democracy without dissention and opposition, as remorselessly propagated by the APC-led administration belongs in phantasmagoria.

As the Irish lawyer and politician, John Philpot Curran, said, “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.� All patriotic elements have to be alive to their individual and corporate responsibilities to Nigeria and Nigerians at this trying moment.

Fact is: the nation is dangerously adrift and the patriotic elements are not rising to the occasion.

All the Progressives, Civil societies, Labour, Public Intellectuals, men and women of good conscience are still cowering and not standing firm to be seen and counted, as they did in fighting and fending off the despotic military regimes. Yet, something worse than a military regime is here – fascism! For how long then shall they hide behind their tiny finger?

It is clear to all that all democratic institutions and arms of government are being emasculated and destroyed by the APC Government as it is becoming farcical by the day. Even if the physical siege is lifted, the National Assembly remains under psychological siege and despotic encumbrances as I write. Legislative decisions on executive appointees are discarded, their resolutions are scorned, and parliamentary invitations are snubbed. The presiding officers of the Senate are now hounded and distracted from their constitutional duties. Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu are now framed up and taken hostage by security agencies and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police over trumped up charges all in a desperate attempt to pave way for their eventual forceful and unconstitutional removal as presiding officers.

The judiciary is being assailed on all fronts and reduced to a toothless bulldog. So many critical orders of the courts have all been rubbished and repudiated by the Presidency. Courts and homes of judges, including Supreme Court judges have been overran by security agencies and state-backed “hoodlums�.

Basic tenets and cannons of democracy have all been desecrated. The principle of separation of powers has been brazenly trampled upon with so much impunity by the Presidency. If it is not democracy, it is not democracy. Democracy is predicated on rule of law, due process, and majority rule and, like already said, on the quintessence of the principle of separation of powers among the arms of government. The judiciary cannot adjudicate under fear, nor should the legislature legislate under duress.

Nigeria is, therefore, once more, at crossroads and the path the nation takes shall make all the difference.

Indeed, it is now a make or mar situation, as the country is again on cliffhangers, even more so today than it was during full-blown military regimes. It is a patriotic duty for well-meaning Nigerians to rise and salvage the country and her democracy before it tips over the cliff.

One of the greatest American Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, informed the world that patriotism means to stand by the country, not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree to which he himself stands by the country.

It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari, through daily acts of omission and commission, has sufficiently proved he is not standing with the country, Nigeria and her much needed desire for unity, democratic and development. His actions and inactions appear to serve sectional interests, leaving Nigerians bitterly divided more than ever in the nation’s history. The level of hatred resulting therefrom may take decades to heal if it ever heals.

Those still standing and defending the Federal government divisive policies and tyrannical actions are not only unpatriotic, but also are enemies of the country because such policies, actions and inactions have also brought greater hardships and avoidable deaths to many hapless citizens. Patriotism or national

Saraki pride is the ideology of love and devotion to country, and a sense of alliance with other citizens who share the same values.

So, progressives, who at the moment ignore the massacres of innocent Nigerians, the incompetent and wrongheaded handling of the economy, misuse of fight against corruption as a political weapon and vendetta, and blocking of desire of well-meaning Nigerians to have the country restructured to accommodate all Nigerians, will all live to regret when the nation becomes much worse for it.

Therefore, patriotic elements in the country have to rouse themselves into a coalition and raise their nationalistic fervour as our founding fathers and their immediate successors did with colonialism and repressive military regimes. There is now the urgent need to rise to the similar challenges confronting the nation under the APC misgovernment. There is urgent need to snatch the country from the ruthless teeth fascism enveloping it and restore true democracy.

Nigeria is, therefore, once more, at crossroads and the path the nation takes shall make all the dierence.

Indeed, it is now a make or mar situation, as the country is again on cliffhangers, even more so today than it was during full-blown military regimes. It is a patriotic duty for well-meaning Nigerians to rise and salvage the country and her democracy before it tips over the cli

For the avoidance of doubt, realignment of forces has gained all tenacity on the side of the fascist forces, which have long been amassing and coalescing against the nation and its glorious future. They have bent the security forces away from the nationalist duty into the propagation and perpetuation of sectional and farcical interests. Without a shred of doubt, the APC-led administration has abandoned democracy, fighting it on all fronts, using the coercive and corrosive instruments of the state in a determined bid to enthrone one-party and fascist state.

Evidence of this abound, but mostly demonstrated in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election where the pocketed INEC supervised the brazen rigging of the gubernatorial election to favour its appointers, the APC Government. Even the concocted figures announced by the INEC do not add up arithmetically.

To ensure that the people of Ekiti did not exercise their franchise freely, the Nigeria Police Force had to deploy 30,000 personnel comprising the Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Special Protection Unit (SPU), the Anti-Bomb Squad (EOD), Conventional Policemen, the Armament Unit, personnel of FCIID and the Sniffer dogs section, among others.

This is aside the officers and men of the Nigeria Police of the Ekiti Police Command, the Civil Defence Corp that numbered about 9 thousand, the Nigeria military, the Paramilitary and so on. And this was happening when the Borno, Yobe, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Sokoto and indeed over a dozen other States in the Federation are begging for police presence and security.

Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but it is a concept still misunderstood and misused in a time when totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships alike are attempting to claim popular support by pinning democratic labels upon themselves. This is what the APC has done to Nigeria. All canons of good governance and civilized existence have all been repudiated by this Government and has to be stopped.

So, beyond any doubt, the battle ahead is summed: progressivism versus fascism.

Yet, it is indeed unfortunate that while the APC rode to power on emotions and mantra of change mantra, what we have in the country today are chains, embarrassments and sorrow. –––Law Mefor, a Forensic/Social Psychologist and Journalist, writes from Abuja; email: lawmefor@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ ͰͮͯͶ

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

ARETHA FRANKLIN

The Queen of Soul Lives On Chinedu Ibeabuchi writes on the Ă‹Ă?Ă?Ù×ÚÖÓĂ?Ă’Ă—Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ? Ă™Ă? ĂœĂ?ÞÒË ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă•Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ëœ ÚÙÚĂ&#x;Ă–Ă‹ĂœĂ–ĂŁ Ă?Ă‹Ă–Ă–Ă?ĂŽ ËŠ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă™Ă&#x;Ă–ËŞ ĂŒĂŁ Ă’Ă?Ăœ Ă‹ĂŽĂ—Ă“ĂœĂ?ĂœĂ?

T

he world has lost an irreplaceable icon with the passage of Aretha Franklin, revered as the Queen of Soul. The mourning, globally, is unending. Aretha died on Thursday at age 76 of advanced pancreatic cancer at her Detroit, United States home.

Aretha was known for hit songs like Respect, Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Call Me, and the 1972 gospel album, Amazing Grace.

She was a prolific and versatile singer with a career that spanned seven decades.Aretha was born on March 25, 1942 to Rev. C. L Franklin and Barbara, but her parents split shortly after moving to Detroit when she was six. Her father was a popular preacher and she grew up with gospel greats like Albertina Walker and Mahalia Jackson visiting her home.

She was married twice, to Ted White, who became her personal manager, and to actor Glynn Turman. She also had a seven-year relationship with her road manager, Ken Cunningham.

Aretha was the mother of four sons: Clarence, Edward, Ted and Kecalf.

She was a musical prodigy recording her first album at 14, culminating into a grandly celebrated career with more than 100 singles in the Billboard charts, including 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B hits.

In all, Aretha won 18 Grammy awards, beginning with Best Rhythm and Blues Recording for ‘Respect’ in 1968 and ending with Best Gospel-Soul Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for ‘Never Gonna Break My Faith’ with Mary J. Blige in 2008. She bagged a lifetime achievement award in 1994 and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987, its second year.

Though she started her career as a gospel singer, her musical interests expanded into the secular realm of pop and soul. The playfulness and harmonic sophistication of jazz, the ache and sensuality of the blues, the vehemence of rock and, later, the sustained emotionality of opera were all hers to command.

Aretha did not read music, but she was a consummate American singer, connecting everywhere. She was also more than a singer.

Her voice was a movement that inspired generations. In an interview with The New York Times in 2007, she said her father had told her that she “would sing for kings and queens.� “Fortunately I’ve had the good fortune to do so,� she added.

She sang at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009, at pre-inauguration concerts for Jimmy Carter in 1977 and Bill Clinton in 1993, and at both the Democratic National Convention and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968.

Succeeding generations of R&B singers, among them Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys, openly emulated her. When Rolling Stone magazine put Aretha at the top of its 2010 list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, Mary J. Blige paid tribute: “Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing,� Mary J. Blige

remarked.

Longtime Grammy Awards producer, Ken Ehrlich, described her thus: “without Aretha, there would not be an Adele, a Beyonce, a JHud, a Bono, a George Michael or any of the hundreds of other great artistes who aspire to emulate her.�

Several tributes had poured in to eulogise the beacon of humanity and while she lives on despite her exit.

Aretha helped define the American experience, says former U.S. President, Barak Obama, “In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade - our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect‌â€? “Aretha Franklin shared her spirit and talent with the world. She deserves not only our respect but also our lasting gratitude for opening our eyes, ears and hearts,â€? said Hillary Clinton mourning her death on twitter.

The Recording Academy President and CEO, Neil Portnow, toutedAretha 18 Grammy Awards and charitable efforts in his comments, calling her “incomparable artiste� who came to be recognised as one of the most profound voices in music. Known universally as the Queen of Soul, she solidified her legendary status in the late 1960s with chart-topping recordings that included ‘Respect’.

During her six-decade career Aretha earned 44 Grammy nominations, 18 Grammy Awards, and was recognised by the Recording Academy on several occasions for her remarkable accomplishments as an artiste and philanthropist. “We were privileged to honour her with the Recording Academy’s Grammy Legend Award in 1991, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year for her extraordinary artistic achievements and charitable efforts. Her distinctive sound, unforgettable recordings and giving spirit will continue to be celebrated worldwide. Aretha will be dearly missed, and our thoughts go out to her loved ones during this difficult time,� said Portnow Ken Ehrlich, longtime Grammy Awards producer, offered a heartfelt tribute that mentioned Aretha’s transcendent 1998 performance at the Grammys when she filled in for a sick Luciano Pavarotti. “The passing of Aretha Franklin is seismic.

Virtually every great singing voice, male or female, from 1966 on, has taken a little or a lot from the Queen of Soul. Her instrument, her phrasing, her ability to sing in front of, on, or behind the beat has been a living tutorial to successive generations of Christinas, Ariana’s, Demi’s etc. Working with her often over the past 37 years was one of the true honours of my life and no moment was greater than Grammy night 1998 when she filled in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti and, with less than 90 minutes notice, gave us perhaps the greatest “Grammy Moment ever,� Ehrlich said. “Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years. She will be missed but the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being will live with us forever,� said Paul McCartney.

Ă˜ Ă’Ă?Ăœ à ÙÓĂ?Ă?Ëœ ĂĄĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă– Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă’Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœĂŁËœ Ă‹Ă–Ă– Ă™Ă? Ă“Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁ Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂŽĂ? Ě‹ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ÚÙåĂ?Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂšĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ëœ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂŽĂ‹ĂœĂ•Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă’ĂžËœ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă›Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ ĂœĂ?ĂŽĂ?Ă—ĂšĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂŽĚ‹ĂĄĂ™Ă˜ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?ĂžË&#x; ĂœĂ?ÞÒË ĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă•Ă–Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ Ă’Ă?Ăœ Ă?ĂšĂ“ĂœĂ“Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÞËÖĂ?Ă˜Ăž åÓÞÒ ÞÒĂ? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽË› Ă’Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă?Ă? Ă˜Ă™Ăž Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?Ăž ĂŒĂ&#x;Ăž Ă‹Ă–Ă?Ă™ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă–Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă‘ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“ĂžĂ&#x;ĂŽĂ? Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÙÚĂ?Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăœ Ă?ĂŁĂ?Ă?Ëœ Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂžĂ?

Franklin

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž AUGUST 18, 2018

FAMILY HEALTH with

The Importance of Eating Healthy

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com 08053372356

W

e are created with a desire to eat.

Therefore, your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.

Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.

The link between good nutrition and healthy weight, reduced chronic disease risk, and overall health is too important to ignore. By taking steps to eat healthy, you’ll be on your way to getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy, active, and strong.As with physical activity, making small changes in your diet can go a long way, and it’s easier than you think.

Theriskfactorsforadultchronicdiseases,likehypertension and type 2 diabetes, are increasingly seen in younger ages, oftenaresultofunhealthyeatinghabitsandincreasedweight gain. Dietary habits established in childhood often carry intoadulthood,soteachingchildrenhowtoeathealthyata youngagewillhelpthemstayhealthythroughouttheirlife.

For nutrientsandothersubstancesneededforgoodhealth, vary the foods you eat Foodscontaincombinationsofnutrientsandotherhealthful substances. No single food can supply all nutrients in the amountsyouneed.Forexample,orangesprovidevitamin C but no vitamin B12; cheese provides vitamin B12 but no vitaminC.Tomakesureyougetallofthenutrientsandother substances needed for health, choose the recommended number of daily servings from each of the five major food groups .

Foods, their amounts of calories and nutrients: Somefoodssuchasgrainproducts,vegetables,andfruits havemanynutrientsandotherhealthfulsubstancesbutare relativelylowincalories.Fatandalcoholarehighincalories.

Foodshighinbothsugarsandfatcontainmanycaloriesbut often are low in vitamins, minerals, or fiber.

Peoplewhodonotneedmanycaloriesorwhomustrestrict their food intake need to choose nutrient-rich foods from the five major food groups with special care. They should obtain most of their calories from foods that contain a high proportion of essential nutrients and fiber

OurBodiesNeedFood

Food is essential for our bodies to: r EFWFMPQ SFQMBDF BOE SFQBJS DFMMT BOE UJTTVFT r QSPEVDF FOFSHZ UP LFFQ XBSN NPWF BOE XPSL r DBSSZ PVU DIFNJDBM QSPDFTTFT TVDI BT UIF EJHFTUJPO PG GPPE r QSPUFDU BHBJOTU SFTJTU BOE GJHIU JOGFDUJPO BOE SFDPWFS from sickness.

Food is made up of nutrients. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are needed only in small amounts.

Macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat are neededinlargeramounts.Thebodycannotfunctionproperly ifoneormorenutrientsaremissing.Ahealthyandbalanced dietprovidesfoodsintherightamountsandcombinations thataresafeandfreefromdiseaseandharmfulsubstances.

Prevention is better than cure. The earlier a person starts to eat a healthy and balanced diet, the more he or she will stayhealthy.Onceweighthasbeenlostitmaybedifficultto regain it because of tiredness and lack of appetite.

The section below contains some guidelines on healthy and balanced nutrition.

Healthy And Balanced Nutrition Eating well means eating a variety of foods. No single food contains all the nutrients that our bodies need, except forbreastmilkforbabiesuptotheageofsixmonths.Eating avarietyofdifferentfoodswillsupplythenutrientsthatare essential for our bodies. By taking care to choose foods that are in season and locally available, eating can be enjoyable, healthy and affordable. t&BU TUBQMF GPPET XJUI FWFSZ NFBM Staple foods should make up the largest part of a meal.

Thesefoodsarerelativelycheapandsupplyagoodamount of energy and some protein. Staples include cereals (such as rice, maize, millet, sorghum, wheat and barley), starchy roots (such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and yams) and starchy fruit (such as plantains).

However, staple foods are not enough to provide all the nutrients the body needs. Other foods must be eaten to provide additional energy, proteins and micronutrients. t&BU MFHVNFT JG QPTTJCMF FWFSZ EBZ These foods provide a person with the proteins needed to develop and repair the body and also to build up strong muscles. They are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre and help to keep the immune system active.

Legumesincludebeans,peas,lentils,groundnuts(including peanutbutter)andsoybeans.Wheneatenwithstaplefoods the quality of protein is increased. Legumes are a cheaper proteinsourcethananimalfoods,suchasbeefandchicken, and should be eaten every day, if possible. t&BU BOJNBM BOE NJML QSPEVDUT SFHVMBSMZ Foodsfromanimalsandfishshouldalsobeeatenasoften asyoucanaffordthem.Theysupplygood-qualityproteins, vitamins and minerals and extra energy. They will help to

The number of calories in a food is a measurement of the amount of energy stored in that food.Your body uses calories from food for walking, thinking, breathing, and other important functions. The average person needs to eatabout2,000calorieseverydaytomaintaintheirweight.

However,aperson’sspecificdailycalorieintakecanvary dependingontheirage,gender,andphysicalactivitylevel.

Mengenerallyneedmorecaloriesthanwomen,andpeople whoexerciseneedmorecaloriesthanpeoplewhodonot.

The source of your daily calories is just as important as thenumberofcaloriesyouconsume.Youshouldlimityour consumptionof“emptycalories,�orthosethatprovidelittle ornonutritionalvalue.Emptycaloriesascaloriesthatcome from sugars and solid fats, such as butter and shortening.

Empty calories are found in : r CBDPO r TBVTBHFT r DBLFT r DIFFTF r DPPLJFT r EPVHIOVUT r FOFSHZ ESJOLT r GSVJU ESJOLT r JDF DSFBN r QJ[[B r TQPSUT ESJOLT BOE TPEBT

The Importance of Balanced Diet Fruits and Vegetables

Food is made up of nutrients.

Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are needed only in small amounts.

Macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat are needed in larger amounts.

The body cannot function properly if one or more nutrients are missing. A healthy and balanced diet provides foods in the right amounts and combinations that are safe and free from disease and harmful substances.

Prevention is better than cure.

The earlier a person starts to eat a healthy and balanced diet, the more he or she will stay healthy.

Once weight has been lost it may be diďŹƒcult to regain it because of tiredness and lack of appetite

strengthen muscles and the immune system.

Thesefoodsincludeallformsofmeat,poultry(birds),fish, eggsanddairyproductssuchasmilk,sourmilk,buttermilk, yoghurtandcheese.Ifinsects,suchascaterpillarsorgrasshoppers, are part of your diet, they also provide good nutrients. t&BU WFHFUBCMFT BOE GSVJU FWFSZ EBZ Vegetablesandfruitareanimportantpartofahealthyand balancedmeal.Theysupplythevitaminsandmineralsthat keepthebodyfunctioningandtheimmunesystemstrong.

Eat a wide variety as each one provides different vitamins and minerals.Arecommended list is provided below.

Yellow, orange, red or dark green Other vegetables and fruit vegetables and fruit Greenleafyvegetables(spinach,pumpkin,cassavaleaves), green peppers, squash, carrots, yellow peaches, apricots, papaya and mangoes Tomatoes,cabbage,oranges,mandarins,grapefruit,lemons, guavasmangoes,passionfruit,pineapples,mulberriesand baobab fruit ¡ Good sources of vitaminA ¡ Good sources of vitamin C; help to fight infection. t6TF GBUT BOE PJMT BT XFMM BT TVHBS BOE TVHBSZ GPPET JO SFBTPOBCMF QPSUJPOT Fats, oils and sugar are good sources of energy and can help one gain body weight. They also add flavour to food, thereby stimulating appetite.

Fats and oils play an important part in a healthy and balanced diet. Even small amounts can provide lots of energy.

Fats and oils include butter, lard, margarine, cooking oil (vegetable, coconut and palm oil), cream, mayonnaise and coconut cream. They are also found in avocados, oilseeds (sunflower, groundnut and sesame), fatty meat and fish, curds and cheese.

Sugarsandsugaryfoodsincludehoney,jam,tablesugar, cakes and biscuits.

Althoughfatsandsugarsaregoodsourcesofenergy,they arenotrichinothernutrients.Theyshouldthereforebeeaten in addition to other foods, not in place of them. t%SJOL QMFOUZ PG DMFBO BOE TBGF XBUFS Water is important for life and is necessary every day. A personneedsabouteightcupsoffluidperday.Whenitisvery hot, while working, sweating or suffering from diarrhoea, vomitingorfever,apersonneedstodrinkevenmoretoreplace the water that has been lost. If drinking-water is collected fromaprotectedwellorboreholeitisimportanttostoreitin acleancontainer.Ifthewaterisfromanunprotectedwellor river the water should be boiled for at least ten minutes and stored in a clean container (see advice on food hygiene). In addition to drinking clean water, fluid can also come from juices,soups,vegetablesandfruitaswellasmealsthathave gravyorsauces.However,avoiddrinkingteaorcoffeewitha meal,asthiscanreducetheabsorptionofironfromthefood.

Alcoholicdrinksremovewaterfromthebodyandshould therefore be consumed only in limited amounts. They can also interfere with the action of medicines.

What then Is a Balanced Diet?

Abalanceddietisonethatgivesyourbodythenutrientsit needstofunctioncorrectly.Inordertogetthepropernutrition fromyourdiet,youshouldobtainthemajorityofyourdaily calories from: r GSFTI GSVJUT r GSFTI WFHFUBCMFT r XIPMF HSBJOT r MFHVNFT r OVUT r MFBO QSPUFJOT WhatAre Calories?

Abalanced diet is important because your organs and tissuesneedpropernutritiontoworkeffectively.Without goodnutrition,yourbodyismorepronetodisease,infection, fatigue,andpoorperformance.Childrenwithapoordiet run the risk of growth and developmental problems and pooracademicperformance.Badeatinghabitscanpersist for the rest of their lives.

Risinglevelsofobesityanddiabetesareprimeexamples oftheeffectsofapoordietandalackofexercise.Thetop10 leadingcausesofdeatheg,intheUnitedStatesaredirectly influenced by diet. These are: r IFBSU EJTFBTF r DBODFS r TUSPLF r EJBCFUFT

Achieve a Balanced Diet

At the core of a balanced diet are foods that are low in unnecessaryfatsandsugarsbuthighinvitamins,minerals, andothernutrients.Thefollowingfoodgroupsareessential parts of a balanced diet.

'SVJUT Besides being a great source of nutrition, fruits make tasty snacks. Choose fruits that are in season in your area.

They’re fresher and provide the most nutrients.

7FHFUBCMFT Vegetables are primary sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Dark, leafy greens generally contain the most nutrition and can be eaten at every meal. A variety of vegetables will help you obtain the bountiful nutrients thatallvegetablesprovide.Examplesofdarkleafygreens include: r TQJOBDI r LBMF r #JUUFS MFBG r HSFFO CFBOT r CSPDDPMJ r DPMMBSE HSFFOT r 6HXV (SBJOT Studieshaveshownthatmanypeopleconsumerefined whiteflourmorethananyothergrain.Unfortunately,refined whiteflourcontainspoornutritionalvaluebecausethehull of the grain is removed during the refining process. The hullistheoutershellofthegrainandiswherethemajority of the grain’s nutrition lies. Whole grains, however, are preparedusingtheentiregrain,includingthehull,sothey provide much more nutrition. Try switching from white breads and pastas to whole-grain products.

1SPUFJOT Meatsandbeansareprimarysourcesofprotein,whichis essentialforpropermuscleandbraindevelopment.Lean, low-fatmeatssuchaschicken,fish,andcertaincutsofpork andbeefarethebestoptions.Removingtheskinandtrimmingoffanyvisiblefatareeasywaystoreducetheamount of fat and cholesterol in meats. The health and diet of the animal are important and influence the fatty acid profile of the meat, so grass-fed choices are ideal.

Other good sources of protein, which contain many other health benefits, fiber and other nutrients, include nuts and beans, such as: r MFOUJMT r CFBOT r QFBT r BMNPOET r TVOGMPXFS TFFET r XBMOVUT Tofuandothersoy-basedproductsareexcellentsources of protein and are healthy alternatives to meat. %BJSZ Dairy products provide calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients. However, they are also major sources offat,soit’sbesttochoosesmallportionsoffull-fatcheeses, and reduced-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt.

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

18.08.2018

Victor Moses A Shock Treatment for Soccer Fans

Arsenal Set to Break Stamford Bridge Hoodoo

PAGE. 35

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

Victor Moses

A Shock Treatment for Soccer Fans

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N

igeria soccer fans first saw a glimpse of what Victor Moses had to offer after he grabbed a brace for Nigeria’s 6-1 demolition of the Lone Star of Liberia in a Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and he said afterwards: “It was a big result and I am happy to be part of the team. I am happy that we have made it to the Nations Cup. It has been my dream to play at the Nations Cup and now that we have qualified, I can say I am happy and it is a dream come true. I will continue to play for Nigeria because it is my country and I love

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AUGUST 18, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER It is a shame that he is quitting at a time the Super Eagles need players with the leadership quality of Victor Moses, especially when you consider that the team consist of lots of young players that are looking up to players like Moses for inspiration. No doubt he has left a big vacuum in the team

the people of Nigeria so much."

His time with the national time would only last for six years as the Chelsea wing back on Wednesday shocked Nigeria soccer fans when he announced his retirement from international football after playing 37 matches and scoring 12 goals for Nigeria.

Moses made it known on his social media account that he will play no part wearing the green and white colours of Nigeria after he joined the national team in 2012 since switching allegiance from England to Nigeria.

He thanked those who have supported him in his career and was grateful to Nigerians for believing in him over the years.

“I would like to announce that after much thought, I have made the decision to retire from playing international football. I have experienced some of the best moments of my life wearing the Super Eagles shirt and have memories with me that will last a lifetime.

Nothing will ever compete to what it felt like to represent Nigeria on behalf of our country.

“However I feel that now is the right time to step away in order to be able to focus fully on club career and my young family as well as to allow the next generation of Super Eagles stars the opportunity to step up and to flourish.

“We are blessed as a nation to have so many exciting young players coming through and now is their time.

“I have already spoken to the manager by telephone and would like to say thank you to him and his staff, the NFF and all of my teammates for all of their support over the years.

“Most importantly I would like to say thank you to the Nigerian people for believing in me and supporting me over the years. It’s meant the world to me and my family and I will always be a proud Nigerian

supporting the team.

“Thank you for the memories and good luck to the team for the future,” he wrote.

The 2013 AFCON success will remain Moses' crowning moment on the world stage. With Nigeria struggling to remain in the competition after a lacklustre start to the competition, he earned and scored two penalties against Ethiopia to send the Super Eagles into the knockout stages, where they defeated the Ivory Coast and Mali to reach the final, with Moses at the heart of proceedings.

With a reported 170 million Nigerians watching on televisions back home, Moses truly became a Super Eagle when he helped Nigeria beat Burkina Faso 1-0 to claim the trophy, his first taste of success of a fine career at club and international level.

“What he has achieved since has been phenomenal. We always knew he could play in the Premier League, but to be playing for one of the top clubs in the country is fantastic for him. I think it's a great advert for our academy,” Crystal Palace's academy director Gary Issott said.

On August 23, 2012, Wigan Athletic accepted a fifth bid from Chelsea, after they finally met Wigan's asking price after four previously unsuccessful bids. The player was given permission to speak with Chelsea.

The next day Chelsea announced that the transfer of Moses had been.

However, as a result of not having enough playing time, he was sent on a season loan to rivals, Liverpool, in September 2013, then shipped to Stoke City and West Ham the following seasons. But with the arrival of Antonio Conte at Stamford after the sack of Jose Mourinho, Moses found a new lease of life.

Moses admitted that he always hoped to

play regularly for a big club like the Blues, but struggled to make any impact on the first team at Stamford Bridge until Conte arrived with his 3-4-3 formation which brought the best out of the 27-year-old.

“I’ve always wanted to play for this big club, it’s one of the best clubs in the world at the moment and I’m enjoying every single minute. I just want to keep on working hard and helping my team-mates out,” he told Chelsea’s official website.

On why he has not been able to pin a shirt at Chelsea before the arrival of Conte, former Nigeria international Paul Okoku in a telephone chat with THISDAY said, Moses was reaping the hard work and effort at improving his game while on loan.

“It was not that Conte just woke up and decided to be playing Moses. He had definitely seen him play during his loan spell and knew he suits his style of play. Moreover, Moses too had put in so much effort to improve his game and that is what he is enjoying today,” Okoku said.

During the 2017 season, he scored three goals in 34 appearances for Chelsea to clinch their sixth Premier League crown. “He makes a huge difference. With the system they play with wing-backs, he’s taught himself – and the manager’s obviously helped him to be one of the best wing-backs in world football.

It suits him that position… he is top class,” former England star Jamie Redknapp said.

Moses himself rated winning the league as his greatest achievement.

He however played an even bigger role for Nigeria to make it to their sixth World Cup finals as he scored thrice and in general inspired a young Super Eagles team to play out of their skin to qualify for Russia 2018.

Coach Gernot Rohr admitted Victor Moses, who plays on the flanks for the Super Eagles,

is the national team’s No. 1 star.

“He is a world-class player and you can rely on him any time and any moment he is playing. He is the most impressive player in my team. He is fast and I have absolute confidence in him,” Rohr said of Moses.

At the World Cup in Russia, his equaliser against Argentina in the last group stage seems to have given the Super Eagles a berth to the knockout stage, until Nigeria lost it with four minutes to the end of the game to shatter the county’s dream at the Mundial.

His international retirement will definitely leave a big vacuum in the Super Eagles.

“It is a shame that he is quitting at a time the Super Eagles need players with the leadership quality of Victor Moses, especially when you consider that the team consist of lots of young players that are looking up to players like Moses for inspiration. No doubt he has left a big vacuum in the team,” former Nigeria international, Friday Ekpo said.

Moses was born in Lagos to a pastor.

When he was 11, his parents were among thousands killed by rioters. A week later with his travel being paid for by relatives, he came to Britain as an asylum seeker. He attended Stanley Technical High School, now known as the Harris Academy, in South Norwood. Scouted playing football in the local Tandridge League for Cosmos 90 FC Crystal Palace approached him, with the club's Selhurst Park stadium just streets away from his school.

"It was tough in the beginning being suddenly thrown into a different culture and stuff like that. As a young boy in a new country, you had to make new friends and that was really difficult. When I first came, I couldn't even speak the language," Moses told BBC Sport.

"When I started going to school, I started getting used to things, like the language.

After that, I started adapting to school, friends and everything. It was really difficult to start with but I survived," said Moses.

Today Moses boasts Premier League, Europa League and Africa Cup of Nations winners' medals, and has also played in both the Champions League and World Cup.

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

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

Joel Obi

Hoping for an Injury-Free Season with Chievo Ă&#x;ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă‹Ă‘Ă–Ă?Ă? ×ÓÎʨĂ?Ă–ĂŽĂ?ĂœËœ Ă™Ă?Ă– ĂŒĂ“Ëœ Ă–Ă‹Ă?Ăž ĂĄĂ?Ă?Ă• ×Ùà Ă?ĂŽ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă— Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă™ ÞÙ Ă?Ă?ÖÖÙå ĂžĂ‹Ă–Ă“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ? Ă’Ă“Ă?Ă Ă™ Ă?ĂœĂ™Ă˜Ă‹ Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă‹ĂŽ Ă™Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă?ĂĄ Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă? Ă?Ă‹Ă?Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ę°Ă?Ăœ ÞÒĂ? ͺͿ̋ãĂ?Ă‹ĂœĚ‹Ă™Ă–ĂŽ ĂšĂ&#x;Ăž ĂšĂ?Ă˜ ÞÙ ÚËÚĂ?Ăœ Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹ ĂžĂ’ĂœĂ?Ă?Ě‹ĂŁĂ?Ă‹Ăœ ĂŽĂ?Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă™Ă?Ă?ĂŽ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă?Ăœ Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ĂĄĂ’Ă‹Ăž ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŒĂ? Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂžĂ’ Ă?Ă–Ă&#x;ĂŒ Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ ĂžĂ‹Ă–Ă“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ë› Ę°Ă?Ăœ Ă”Ă&#x;Ă?Ăž Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ÞÒĂ? Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă—ĂŒĂ?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ăž ÞÒĂ? ͺ͸͚΀ Ă™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ăš Ă“Ă˜ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ëœ ÞÒĂ? Ă›Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă–Ă“ĂšĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă™ĂŒĂ?Ă?ĂœĂ Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă“Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă?ÞÒĂ?Ăœ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă–Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ă?Ăž ×Ùà Ă? ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă‹ Ă?ÞËÞĂ?Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă?Ă™Ăœ Ă&#x;ĂšĂ?Ăœ Ă‹Ă‘Ă–Ă?Ă? Ă‹Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă?ĂœËœ Ă?ĂœĂ˜Ă™Ăž Ă™Ă’Ăœ

A

fter signing for Chievo Verona from Torino, Super Eagles midfielder, Joel Obi said, “A new adventure is about to begin, but first of all I would like to thank my Torino teammates and all the staff for the unique years spent together.�

Chievo is his fourth Italian club after Inter Milan, Parma and Torino.

After winning the "Allievi Nazionali" Under-17 championship in 2008, Joel Obi was moved to the Primavera formation, where he had over 40 appearances and six goals in just under three years. In 2009, the then Inter Milan Manager, Jose Mourinho notice his immense talent and played him occasionally in the firstteam. In 2010, even if without playing, he was registered to the club's 'A' list of players, who won the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich.

With the arrival of Rafael Benitez in summer 2010, he moved Obi with the first-team and he made his debut for Inter in a Champions League group stage game against Werder Bremen where he played the final 10 minutes of the match after coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute.

After some cameo appearances in the Italian Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana injury came knocking and it was not until the 2012-13 season that Obi made another few appearances in the colours of the Nerrazzurri before he was sent on loan to Parma. His return to Inter two seasons later was not two impressive spending just a season before being shipped to Torino.

Since then his football career has been bleated by injuries. However, since the beginning of the season, Obi had shown blinks of his old self which probably was what convinced the German-born Nigerian coach to invite him for the two-headed friendly matches against Poland and Serbia, perhaps for a first-

He earned his ďŹ rst call to the Super Eagles in a friendly game against Sierra Leone in Lagos in 2011 and was full of promise, playing 11 games in a row for the senior national team before an injury put paid to his Eagles’ ambition.

His next stint with the national team was during the preliminary hand assessment.

His invitation will come four years after his last call-up to the national team, as his last game for the Super Eagles came in a friendly game in 2014 against Scotland.

He earned his first call to the Super Eagles in a friendly game against Sierra Leone in Lagos in 2011 and was full of promise, playing 11 games in a row for the senior national team before an injury put paid to his Eagles’ ambition.

His next stint with the national team was during the preliminary of the 2014 World Cup but he never made Nigeria’s squad to the Mundial. Surprisingly, Gernot Rohr recalled the midfielder for the friendly games against Poland and Serbia prior to the World Cup, though he was part of the Super Eagles team to Russia, he never featured in any of

the team’s group matches before being eliminated.

Obi indeed admitted that it would be tough breaking into the team with the calibre of players currently in the Super Eagles squad but felt he had something to offer. “It’s good competition there (Super Eagles) and that’s what you want as a player. It’s only normal to have one eye on the World Cup. Every Nigerian player will want to get into that squad, but it’s based on merit. So, you’ll have to play well for your club and I’m doing that. I’ll focus on doing that, and then if I get the opportunity to play, it would be a dream come true,� Obi said before the kickoff of the Mundial.

In an interview with THISDAY, former Nigerian international, Friday Ekpo said his move to Chievo was good for him as long as he would enjoy his football there and an opportunity to still be relevant in the national team as he would always bring his experience to bear. “He’s a vastly experienced player and for injuries that have really punctured his career, he supposed to be one of the leading top midfielders in Europe if not the world by now.“For now, he seems to be injury free and enjoying his game.

One thing I know for sure is that on his good day and if he’s injury free he would add value to the team and his vast experience would be a plus,� Ekpo said.

The former Inter man, now 27, is presumably at the peak of his physical powers. He made nine appearances (eight of those starts) in all competitions for Torino last season, scoring three times and assisting twice. Then again, there has never been any uncertainty over his productivity and ability. What is rather less apparent is how consistently his skills can be harnessed.

Last season, Obi missed five weeks due to injury. In 2016/17, that number was 13. In 2015/16, it was 20. This is the tragedy at the very core of a wondrous

talent, the thorn in his flesh as it were: to be eternally buffeted by muscular injuries.

Yet, so great is his talent and range that, when fit, he is impossible to ignore, ore, and this is true both for club and counntry. Following that initial stumble, the reboot of the national team did eventuually happen under the late Stephen Keshi, and when he had secured a ticket ket to the 2014 World Cup, it was to Joel Obi he turned to improve the then African n champions.

His slaloming brilliance and deft left ft foot would not have looked out of place ce in Brazil. Predictably though, just on the eve of the final squad announcement, he suffered yet another injury, drawing a long, plaintive sigh from all and sundry. ry.

For former Super Eagles defensive midfielder, Waidi Akani, Obi’s condition ion would determine whether he is still good for the national team. “Though Super Eagles midfield is not a department that the team is having many problems but Rohr could still use se him in other areas. After all, he has been en used as a defender for his Italian club at one point or the other. He could, thereefore, explore other areas,� Akani said.

The former NEPA of Lagos player, however, emphasised that it was not yet Eldorado for the former Torino midfielder, that what would really guarantee a place in the Super Eagles team is how well his body condition is. s. “His talent has never been in doubt..

He is one player I admire so much and d sympathisewith. The question has always been on his fitness,� he noted.

The 26-year-old has played in the Italian Serie A for Inter Milan, Parma and Torino, he has made a total of 15 appearances for the Super Eagles and is yet to register a goal.

Obi has made just 105 league appearances in the seven years since he jogged on to the San Siro pitch to replace ace Philippe Coutinho.

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͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Samuel Kalu

An Ace in Rohr’s Sleeve Wi a not too impressive outing at the 2018 World With Cup, Super Eagles Manager, Gernot Rohr, is already Cu looking ahead of a good performance at the 2019 loo Africa Cup of Nations and one of the players he’s Af looking up to is ‘wonder kid’, Samuel Kalu loo

S

amuel Kalu was Last Tuesday unveiled by the French Ligue 1 club, Bordeaux after the attacking winger dumped Belgian side Gent to sign a five-year contract to play for Les Girondins, a team where Nigeria Manager, Gernot Rohr cut his teeth as Mana player and coach for several years, little playe wonder the German was in Cloud Nine at wond unveiling and had already touted him his un as on one of his aces for the 2019 Africa Cup slated for Cameroon. of Nations Na Sin Since the €30 million departure of BrazilMalcom to Barcelona this ian winger, w summer, Kalu has been seen as the perfect summ replacement for him and Gus Poyet’s repla side are a reportedly set to pay a sum of €8 million for the youngster who still has millio two years y left on his current contract at the Ghelamco Arena.

Ghela “W “We inform you that an agreement has been reached, subject to the signature of documents, with Gent, all administrative ad for the th transfer of Samuel Kalu,” the club tweet tweeted.

Kalu, who joined Yves Vanderhaeghe’s Kal side from f AS Trencin in 2016, and, alonginternational Moses Simon, side Nigerian N has been b one of their main players. Last season, the youngster scored seven league seaso goals in 32 Belgian top-flight appearances.

Roh Rohr said he was monitoring Kalu’s perform formances at Gent where he struck a good unde understanding with Nigerian midfielder Mose Moses Simon, but did not pick the player for the th 2018 World Cup in Russia because he had ha good players in his role.

“I never n selected him. I saw him play for his team. te I took another, which is Simon Mose Moses. He has been in my group since two years ago. He is also a winger, fast. He’s almost the same, but I found him better than Kalu, Kalu,” the former Gabon manager told

Girondins4ever in an interview published on Wednesday.

“We have many fast wingers in Nigeria.

There is a plethora of quality attackers.

This boy could not join our team. But now, maybe he’s going to cross a course. We’ll follow him.

“Simon was injured, he was the only injured player I had before the World Cup. He missed the World Cup because of a muscle injury. He was replaced by another player, a centre-forward (Simy Nwankwo).”

He added, “Samuel Kalu is a good dribbler, and he’s an overflowing winger.

He’s explosive, he gives a lot of good balls.

He overflows, he can play on both sides. I hope Bordeaux will have the satisfaction of seeing him evolve with these qualities.”

Reacting over the signing of Kalu by Bordeaux, club president Stephane Martin, revealed to French newspaper Sud Ouest, "He is a player that the recruitment team followed for a while. His choice was validated by Gustavo Poyet."

Making his eighth appearance in the league, Kalu helped Gent qualify for the Play-Off 1 by netting just after the restart, and his inclusion is particularly not surprising as he has been impressive since his arrival in Belgium.

The Nigerian national team handler is considering having the Girondins new no.

10 in his plans after hinted that Bordeaux new recruit might be handed a call-up ahead of their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying schedules.

Kalu, yet to represent the country at any level moved to Ligue 1 champions after dazzling displays since joining the Ghelamco Arena outfit from AS Trencin in January 2016.

On September 7, the Super Eagles look to get their AfCON 2019 qualifying campaign back on track as they host Seychelles.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

GLOBAL SOCCER\\OTHER SPORTS

Joshua to Defend WBO Title after Povetkin’s Clash

A

nthony Joshua could be called to fulfill a WBO mandatory title defence following his Wembley fight with Alexander Povetkin.

The WBA 'super', IBF and WBO heavyweight champion will defend his titles against WBA mandatory challenger Povetkin on September 22, and the WBO have confirmed they could then order the British star to face one of their contenders.

But there are a number of options for Joshua's next fight at the national stadium on April 13, with the unified champion still seeking the WBC belt, currently held by Deontay Wilder, while he could also grant a rematch to Dillian Whyte, who is one of the highest-ranked contenders by the WBO. A WBO statement to Sky Sports read: "With respect to our WBO heavyweight champion Mr. Anthony Joshua, be advised that Joshua has 180 days counting from the date of his last compulsory defence (after the Alexander Povetkin bout) to fulfill his mandatory defence obligations."

Whyte holds the WBO international

belt and a No 2 WBO ranking, just behind Povetkin, although the governing body could not confirm whether he would be ordered to take part in a final eliminator fight.

The statement continued: "Be advised that at this time the WBO has yet to determine if a WBO heavyweight elimination contest will be ordered.

"Further, the involvement of our WBO international heavyweight champion Mr. Dillian Whyte in a WBO heavyweight elimination bout is uncertain."

The IBF have already ordered a final eliminator between Kubrat Pulev and Hughie Fury, which is due to take place in Bulgaria on October 27, with the winner becoming mandatory challenger for Joshua's IBF belt.

But before Joshua can consider his future plans, he must firstly overcome the dangerous Povetkin, and promoter Andrey Ryabinsky is delighted with the Russian's preparations.

"Everything is going by the plan," Ryabinsky told Sky Sports. "We're looking forward to a great event on September 22."

Anthony Joshua missed a shot against Joseph Parker

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ͺ͸͚΀Ë? Ă?Ă‹Ă— Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? Ă?Ăž Ă“Ă Ă?Ě‹ĂžĂ?Ă‹Ă— ĂšĂ™ĂœĂžĂ? Ă“Ă?Ă•Ă?ĂžĂ?

The South-west zonal eliminations for the 2018 edition of National Youth Games ended in Abeokuta, Ogun State with Team Lagos picking up five team sports tickets.

Lagos State teams were outstanding in the qualifying tournament ahead of the Youth Games which holds in Ilorin, Kwara State, as the Centre of Excellence was adjudged as the state with the most youthful teams in Hockey (boys), Handball (boys and girls) and football (boys).

In the overall results, Team Lagos picked tickets in Handball (boys and girls), Basketball (girls), Football (boys) and Beach Volleyball (girls).

In the finals of Football (boys) the youthful team from Lagos defeated Team Ekiti 2-1 to pick the qualification ticket in the match played at M.K.O Abiola International Stadium penultimate Friday.

In Handball, Lagos boys defeated their counterparts from Oyo State, 3115, while Team Lagos female Handball team whipped Team Ogun 13-5.

Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr. Kweku Adedayo Tandoh hailed the performance of Lagos State athletes at the Zonal Eliminations, adding that the feat was a result of the investment of the State Government in grassroots sports development.

He said: "I congratulate all Team Lagos athletes, coaches and officials at the just concluded Zonal Eliminations. In qualifying for five team sports events, they have justified the wonderful support of His Excellency Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for sports and vindicated our focus on grassroots sports development."

The Director General of the Sports Commission, Hon. Babatunde BankAnthony, said the athletes would be motivated and supported to excel at the 4th National Youth Games when it gets underway in Ilorin, Kwara State in September.

"We will give these athletes all supports to do the state proud at the Youth Games," he said.

L-R: Marketing Manager, SPAR Nigeria, Mr. Emmanuel Isangediok; Ma Williams Emmanuel (Silver Medalist), Ma Ayosanya Ayomide (Gold Medalist), Ma Ajekigbe Afolabi (Bronze Medalist) and Visual Merchandizing Executive, SPAR Nigeria, Mr. Adekunle Akinremi, at the prize presentation to the winners of the SprintStar 2018 sponsored by SPAR Nigeria at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex, Lagos recently

Fackson FC Wins Maiden Kolatoons Inter- community Soccer Tourney Fackson FC have emerged winner of the first edition of the Kolatoons Inter-community Soccer Tourney having defeated Real Madrid FC 3-1 last Sturday at the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Ijaye.

The competition, sponsored by Kolatoons Soccer Initiative (KSI) in conjunction with Black Hit Sportainment (BHS), is to further cement the unity among youths in the council area and to encourage youths who are passionate about the sport.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Kola Omisore, The founder of Kolatoons Initiative and Creative Director, Verdant Zeal Group noted that “One of the major aims of the tour-

nament was to discover talented footballers and to uphold the honour, glory andpedigree of his father who started this initiative about 16 years ago.�

According to him, this platform was created through his comic hub (kolatoons) and he's doing this to uphold the “honour, glory and pedigree of my father who started this initiative about 16 years ago.�

He concluded, “we are assuring every sports lover of our commitment to the promotion of youth sports development. Kolatoons Soccer Initiative remains a big supporter of sports, as a vehicle to develop talents.�

Serie A Returns to DStv, Debuts on GOtv The 2018/19 Serie A season kicks off this weekend, with 10 first round matches spread from today to Monday. Reigning champions Juventus begin the defence of their title with a potentially tricky game away to Chievo on Saturday evening. The match will see the Serie A debut of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus for ₏100million in the off-season from Real Madrid. The 33-year-old’s arrival is more a statement of intent in regard to winning the UEFA Champions League, but it will still be fascinating to see how he performs in Italy’s top flight after nine prolific seasons in Spain’s La Liga.

Chievo, who recently completed the signing of Nigerian international Joel Obi, will look

to stymie Juve’s hopes of a fast start. Perhaps taking advantage of the absence of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon – who has left for Paris Saint-Germain – will be their best avenue to an upset result. Juventus’ main title challengers are likely to be Napoli, who pushed the ‘Old Lady’ hard for the Scudetto last term. The Naples side, who boast African superstars Faouzi Ghoulam and Kalidou Koulibaly in their defence, open their Serie A campaign with a tough match in Rome against Lazio, who finished just outside of the Champions League places last term. Sunday’s games start with the early kick-off between Mbaye Niang’s Torino and Roma, who may hand a debut to teenage Dutch striker Justin Kluivert.

The Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Council, Dr. Kweku Tandoh, a former President of the Athletes Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Mr. Toni Urhobo and a Lagos State lawmaker, Desmond Elliot have advocated the articulation of programmes that would encourage and support kids who are talented in different sports.

They made the call at the closing ceremony of this year’s Cowbell Football Academy Summer Camp held at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. The three-week camp, which is sponsored by Cowbell milk, the flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, drew participation from young football talents between 4 and 18 years of age in different parts of Lagos and beyond.

The stakeholders also commended Promasidor for its commitment towards developing young sports talents, calling on other private sector players to emulate the company and show sufficient support to the growth of the country’s sports.

Speaking at the event, Elliot said Promasidor deserved honour for playing a lead role in the development of football talents through the sponsorship of Cowbell Football Academy, stating that Nigeria could not grow its sports sector unless it made deliberate attempts to develop its young talents at their tender age.

According to Tandoh, Nigeria could only leverage the developmental benefits of sports by taking the sector to the grassroots and the schools. He said Cowbell Football Academy had, over the years, demonstrated how young talents could be nurtured.

Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹ Ă&#x;Ă‘ĂŒĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă‹Ă— Ă?Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ă“Ă‘Ă?Ăœ

The Nigeria Rugby National Team, the Black Station trashed their Nigerien counterpart by 59 points to 13 points in an explosive international rugby test match last weekend at the Stade General Seyni Kountchede - Niamey.

Nigerian Captain, Azeez Ladipo opened proceeding with a penalty goal just five minutes into the game.

Joshua Etim scored the first Try of the match which was ably converted by Ladipo Azeez, while Christian Ogar scored the second Try and also converted by sure footer Azeez Ladipo.

Black Stallion's Captain Azeez Ladipo also made 6 Conversions, while substitute Scrum Half Monday Omorogieva concluded proceedings with 2 precise conversions which brought the total points in the second half to 42 points to 7 points.

The Nigerien Rugby National Team scored a consolation try of their own in the 71st minute to keep the score line at a respectable 59points to 13points in favourof The Black Stallions.

This international rugby test match was organised by Rugby Afrique to welcome Nigeria back to its fold after the lifting of the International Suspension.

͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀ ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

35

GLOBAL SOCCER

Emery Set to Break Arsenal - Stamford Bridge Hoodoo Alex Iwobi struggles for possession with Chelsea's Alonso

After an unimpressive start to the new Premier League season, losing 2-0 to Manchester City, Arsenal new manager, Unai Emery would be hoping for his first league point as he takes a short trip to Stamford Bridge against City rivals Chelsea in the first London Derby of the season. The Gunners have an unenviable record of not having won a game in their last 10 trips to the Bridge - losing nine and winning one and this is what Emery would be hoping to turn around this evening

A

rsenal suffered a humbling defeat against Manchester City last Sunday but there is no need for doom and gloom at the Emirates as the new era continues to build.

It was always going to be a tough ask for Unai Emery to march straight into the club and turn them into Premier League title contenders immediately, and the defeat against the defending champions proved that in no uncertain terms.

The Gunners have a terrible record at Stamford Bridge which will, of course, be a major worry ahead of the trip to Chelsea this evening but there is no reason why Arsenal can't go there and ruffle a few feathers.

Chelsea have problems of their own given the way they were brushed aside by City in the Community Shield, meaning now might be the perfect time to catch Maurizio Sarri's men.

A Chelsea back four with David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger at the heart is far from secure meaning there will be no better opportunity for Emery to take the brave call and play his big two-goal threats together.

Arsene Wenger was reluctant to start Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the same team but both are top class in their own right and both have been regular scorers since arriving at the Emirates.

In general, Lacazette has been the odd one out, as he was against City, but he very nearly made a major impact off the bench and his ability to be a presence in the box could unsettle a leaky Chelsea defence.

Auba has been excellent following his arrival from Dortmund with 10 goals in his first 13 Premier League games, and recent quotes

made to ESPN from the player suggest that the two star forwards are eager to strike up a partnership.

"We really get on well. There is a spark between us when we are both on the pitch together. We look for each other, we saw it against City when he came on."

Lacazette received his fair share of criticism last season but his goalscoring record of 14 goals in 32 matches is not too shabby when you take into account his injury problems.

Arsenal doesn't have the players to settle in and play on the counter against a team like Chelsea so it could be that attack is the best form of defence in big game such as this one.

Emery will be desperate not to lose his first two matches in charge of the Gunners and he has to consider getting his best players on the pitch in a bid to avoid that scenario.

Aubameyang has played from the left at various times during his career including during his time at Arsenal on many occasions, and with so much on the line at the Bridge it could be time for Lacazette to get his chance alongside the Gabon international.

Chelsea are far from a secure and healthy unit at this early stage of the Sarri project and if the Gunners ever had a chance to pick up their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2011, then now is the time to do so.

Emery has inherited a squad with all the backbone of a stranded jellyfish and his task doesn't get any easier. Arsenal can, however, take heart from the fact they are unbeaten in six meetings with Chelsea in all competitions - won three, drawn three. However, a closer look at their recent efforts on the road and their woeful record at Stamford Bridge gives a clearer indication of their frailties away

from The Emirates.

Since Wenger's men romped to a 5-1 win at West Ham on 3rd December 2016, Arsenal have won just eight of their next 31 away league games (drawn five, lost 18) in the top-flight of English football and they had the dubious honour of holding the 11th 'best' away record in the division last season. How does Emery solve the away day blues that plagued Arsene Wenger's final two years as manager?

Trips to Stamford Bridge have often been met with an impending sense of doom for Arsenal supporters as they have won just one of their last 10 visits to 'The Bridge' in all competitions, with that sole success coming by virtue of a bizarre 5-3 success in 2011. They are winless in seven away games against Chelsea since then, drawing two and losing five, and scoring goals have been a major issue.

The challenge for Emery will be to find the balance between attack and defence as Arsenal bid to improve their quite dreadful scoring record at Stamford Bridge, whilst also cutting out the defensive errors that have blighted their Premier League matches away from The Emirates in recent times.

Eden Hazard has often been their nemesis, scoring three goals and laying on one assist in his past five league appearances against Arsenal at Chelsea's ground, and it will be interesting to see how Emery tries to contain the Belgian playmaker.

Although both squads look evenly matched on paper, Chelsea's dominant midfield and their form from their stellar performance in the first game may just be the factor which sways the result in their way.

Head to head 18/03/01 Arsenal 2 - 2

Chelsea

17/17/09 Chelsea 0 - 0

Arsenal

17/04/02 Chelsea 3 - 1

Arsenal

16/24/09 Arsenal 3 - 0

Chelsea

16/24/01 Arsenal 0 - 1

Chelsea

15/19/09 Chelsea 2 - 0

Arsenal

15/26/04 Arsenal 0 - 0

Chelsea

14/05/09 Chelsea 2 - 0

Arsenal

14/22/03 Chelsea 6 - 0

Arsenal

13/23/12

Chelsea

Arsenal 0 - 0

13/20/01 Chelsea 2 - 1

Arsenal

12/29/09 Arsenal 1 - 2

Chelsea

12/ 21/04 Arsenal 0 - 0

Chelsea

11/29/1

Arsenal

Chelsea 3 - 5

Fixture TODAY Cardiff

v

Newcastle

12:30

Everton

v

S'pton

15:00

Leicester

v

Wolves

15:00

Tottenham

v

Fulham

15:00

West Ham

v

Bournemouth 15:00

Chelsea

v

Arsenal

17:30

Burnley

v

Watford

13:30

Man City

v

Huddersfield 13:30

Brighton

v

Man Utd

16:00

Liverpool

20:00

SUNDAY

MONDAY Crystal Palace v

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

FAIRGROUND

Art Collectors Gather at Terra Kulture Mydrim House

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

T

he 9th edition of the Lagos Art Auction took place on the 27th of July 2018, at the Terra Kulture Mydrim Gallery Auction House (TKMG) , located at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. Guests in attendance included art collectors, artists and art lovers.

After a successful collectors’ preview on the 20th of July, which gave collectors a chance to view some of the pieces to be sold, the auction night was a huge success, garnering bids from various art collectors. Speaking on the Auction, Curator at Terra Kulture Art Gallery, Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu stated: “We are grateful to the artists and buyers that support us and enable us to see such great results.

While the sales of works by established artists was inevitable, the auction also saw sales by lesser known names which is encouraging for emerging artists and the growth of the West African Art market”.

The top sale of the evening included an untitled piece by Ablade Glover, an oil on canvas from 1992. Other leading sales of the evening included David Dale’s Agidigbo, a glass beads on board from 2013, Abiodun Olaku’s Delta Symphony (2016), Kolade Oshinowo’s Mother and Child (1975), and Segun Aiyesan’s Rachael (2018).

This edition of the auction featured an exciting bidding war which resulted in Stanley Dudu’s Reading (2016) selling for more than 2x it’s reserve price. Emerging Artist, Nzennaya Barry Ikechukwu also had two works in the auction which were both sold on the night.

Mr. Steve Ayorinde (Honourable Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture), Mr Muritala Ibrahim

L-R: Bolanle Austen-Peters, Sinmidele Adesanya and Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu

Mr. Timi Austen-Peters and Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters

Nkemdi Begho and Bella Ikeme

Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu

Adesuwa Belo-Osagie, Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu and Buki Mariam

Laju Sholola

Ayona Trimnell and Jess Castellote

Ayotola Jagun, Tokunboh George-Taylor and Folashade Alihade Ali

LuLu Lingerie Berths

L

uLu Lingerie has firmly positioned itself as the leader in the intimate apparel industry in Nigeria with its recent partnership with Shoprite across its 19 outlets in the country. This comes in addition to its four flagship locations across Nigeria.

The expansion plan means more women and men can now have access to quality innerwear at a friendly and affordable price. Speaking on the recent partnership, Founder Oluchi Orlandi commented, “The partnership with Shoprite - currently Nigeria’s biggest retail chain, comes as a response to the increasing demand for our products, and a need to improve accessibility.

We are excited to have more people experience the brand and our amazing

product selections”.

With similar strategic partnerships and additional store openings planned for the future, LuLu Lingerie is set to become a major player in the Nigerian apparel market.

Lulu Lingerie is Nigeria’s first innerwear destination, catering to a full spectrum of body types, tailored to fit and adorn the bodies of West African men and women.

You can now purchase the new panties pack collection at any Shoprite outlet or visit the Lulu Lingerie stores at The Palms Mall Lekki Lagos, Novare Mall Sangotedo Lagos, Jabi Lake Mall Abuja and Palms Polo Park Mall Enugu. Prices range between N4500 and N6500.

LuLu Lingerie offers complimentary bra fittings and product education for each brand displayed in the store.

Oluchi

Mr. Kofo Majekodunmi and Mrs. Tokunboh George-Taylor

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

FAIRGROUND

WIMBIZ 17th Annual Conference

W

omen in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a nongovernmental organisation for women, has announced its 17th Annual Conference taking place on November 1st & 2nd at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

The Annual Conference is WIMBIZ’s flagship event which holds in November of every year and is attended by over 1500 women from all over the world to discuss a broad range of issues centred on a cutting edge theme that is topical and relevant to women in the business, corporate, public and development sectors.

Themed Unstoppable You! Reinvent and Reinvigorate, this year’s edition will once again focus on the African woman in business and management and how she can thrive in today’s world, building a sustainable legacy by staying abreast with global trends, adapting and readapting for challenges ahead.

As the theme implies, relevance and fulfilment for today’s working woman is greatly hinged on her ability to effectively balance every aspect of her life while enjoying the support of her family, peers and society in achieving her dreams.

The conference will comprise of breakout and plenary sessions and end as always with a rousing debate. Hot button topics in the area of Mental Health; Nutrition; Personal Finance; Wellness; Leadership; Branding; Work-Life Balance; the Technology Take Over, and so on will be discussed. Each session will be ably facilitated by leading men and women who are relatable.

“Each year a group of dedicated volunteers gather to plan and implement an increasingly meaningful, impactful, and inspiring conference for Nigerian women in management, business and public service.

This year’s edition of the WIMBIZ Annual Conference will live up to this high standard and furthermore will galvanise and reawaken the inner repository of resilience

Guests at WIMBIZFCMB

that is latent within all women.” Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, Chairperson, WIMBIZ Executive Council This year’s edition will also host two sets of Impact Investment Awards; a Female

Achievers’ Awards and a value-packed Networking Breakfast.

Whether in government, private sector or the society in general, women are a vital building and nurturing force. The

Hermosa to Inspire Africa’s Events Industry in Lagos

WIMBIZ conference affords women of all works of life and ages the opportunity to learn, grow, contribute and add immense value to themselves, fellow women, family and the society at large.

Seven and a Half Dates Still Number One

A

fter opening to great and critical reviews on August 3, 2018, Nollywood romantic comedy, Seven and a Half Dates still maintains its top spot as the most entertaining movie of the year.

In terms of box office sales, preliminary records indicate that the movie has already raked in millions despite only being out for just 12 days. In sales, the movie is only second to Mission Impossible. The movie is still showing at the cinemas.

Executive producer and CEO of Broadway TV Production, Samuel Olatunji responded to why he believes the movie is doing well in the cinemas.

“First and foremost, I am extremely Hermosa

W

orld renowned events conceptualist, Gideon Hermosa will touch down the city of Lagos to coach event managers, florists, decorators and planners in an exclusive Masterclass series taking place at the Civic Centre on the 20-21st

of August.

Born in the scenic city of Tarlac, Philippines famed for its exotic foods and historical sites, Gideon has grown to become a global sensation and the go-tocelebrity event stylist for the affluent.

He has successfully handled numerous high profile events, with a vast clientele ranging from Hollywood to upper-class Americas and Asia. At 30 years of age, Hermosa is a self-taught event futurist whose passion in bringing striking themes and visions to life has earned him a name in the global events and hospitality industry. Gideon is excited to be in Africa for the very first time.

“It is with joy that I present to you my very first

master class, and in Africa at that. It is a continuous process of honing my skills and polishing my craft.

And this time, I am taking a bold step in doing what I love most- travelling while sharing my knowledge around the globe”. –Gideon Hermosa Being his first time in Africa, Lagos is expected to play host to leading events planners, florists and decorators across the continent upon Hermosa’s arrival. The masterclasses will be spearheaded by Diamond Ink Events and afford attendees a unique avenue to network with the big players and stakeholders in Africa’s wedding/event decorators and planners industry. It will be two days of passion, wisdom and unhinged transference of sheer creativity.

A little over a decade ago, the Africa’s Events tourism sector was largely unexplored. Today, the sector is growing rapidly and raking in its own share in the luxury market.

From The Gideon Hermosa masterclass will offer hands-on experience, as he shares his most coveted tips and tricks in the events industry

Sola Sobowale

grateful to God for the success so far.

I have to say Thank You to those who have gone to the cinemas to watch and those who are already planning to go. One of the things that worked for our movie was word of mouth.

In achieving this feat in 12 days, it was because people who saw the movie did not keep the goodness to themselves.

They spoke about it. This has been our major source of advertisement and I strongly believe this is responsible for the success so far”.

Mercy Johnson, Toyin Abraham, Jim Iyke, Sola Sobowale, Ken Erics, Frank Donga, Bayray Mcnwizu, MC Lively, Roxy Antak, Ali Nuhu and Faithia Williams are few of the stars that has made the movie much-talkabout since its opening

38

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

Hyundai Motor Launches ‘Whats Next’ Campaign Appealing to Saudi Women

H

Latest Jaguar E Pace

Coscharis Unveils Latest Jaguar E Pace, Range Rover Velar Stories by Bennett Oghifo

C

oscharis Motors recently unveiled its latest luxury automobile variants – the Jaguar E Pace, Range Rover Velar and the Discovery into the Nigerian market, during its sponsored golf tournament with Coca Cola Nigeria at the IBB Golf and Country Club.

“The Coca-Cola Road to Mauritius Golf tournament is the perfect fit for the reveal, as the game of golf profiles a very similar target audience as Jaguar Land Rover. As we know, golf’s audience is difficult to please because of their high demand for quality and finesse which Jaguar Land Rover offer in an above and beyond way with reference to compelling design, capability, refinement and performance;” said Cletus Aregbeshola, Jaguar Land Rover

Brand Manager for Coscharis.

As measures of guarantee, these revealed variants come with the Jaguar Land Rover Care package of 5 year/100,000km service plan and 5 year/150,000km warranty and avail customers a marginal reduction in the cost of their vehicle maintenance for the period. This is a first among competition.

The Range Rover Velar, which recently won the 2018 World Car Design of the Year, comes with varied premium packages and colour trim. It’s positioned in the rapidly growing Medium Sports/Crossover SUV segment; Velar offers a striking breadth of capability as an all-terrain performer thanks to a host of chassis technologies.

In the Discovery, form, function and exemplary levels of finesse are brought together to help create one of Land Rover’s most compelling vehicles to date. Its inherent strength and off-road capabilities are matched only by its

bold contemporary looks and alluring touches of luxury. Inside, astute use of space coupled with high quality design and use of premium materials enhance the vehicle’s bold horizontal and vertical lines.

As the latest Jaguar, the record-breaking Jaguar E-PACE (a sporty compact SUV) which is now even more comfortable includes new updates such as an Adaptive Dynamics suspension set-up, along with a cost-effective and efficient 147kW petrol engine.

Coscharis Motors Plc is a Nigerian automotive industry leader with sales and service dealership networks across the six geopolitical zones in the country and has the exclusive franchise for Jaguar Land Rover brands in Nigeria for over 17 years.

Coscharis Motors ensures that only qualified and certified technicians maintain your Jaguar Land Rover and only genuine parts fitted to your car with the right tools.

Kia Motors Showcases Sound Zone Technology

K

ia Motors corporation revealed for the first time, its next-generation Separated Sound Zone (SSZ) technology that allows each passenger of a vehicle to experience an audio stream tailored to their individual needs, including music, hands-free phone calls, and vehicle alerts, whilst maintaining a headphone-free social space where passengers can converse freely.

SSZ technology creates and controls the acoustic fields of the car, allowing the driver and each passenger to hear isolated sounds. The many speakers installed in the vehicle feature technology that uses scientific principles to reduce or increase audio levels of sound waves. This negates the overlap of sounds being heard in each seat, creating the same effect as current noise cancellation systems, but without the need for headphones.

“Customers in the autonomous navigation era will demand increasingly customizable entertainment options within their vehicles, which includes technological innovations such as the Separated Sound System.” says Kang-duck Ih, Research Fellow at Kia’s NVH Research Lab. “I hope by providing drivers and passengers with tailored, independent audio spaces, they will experience a more comfortable and entertaining transportation environment.”

People’s musical tastes vary, so some passengers choose to use headphones during a journey to isolate their audio stream, but this also creates an unnecessary social barrier when interacting with other passengers.

When travelling in a vehicle equipped with next-generation SSZ technology, each passenger can connect their smartphone via Bluetooth and listen to their own music without interference from, or interfering

Technicians filtering music

with other passenger’s audio streams.

When the SSZ is utilized, hands-free phone calls can also be isolated to individual passengers, ensuring privacy when having important phone conversations on the move.

Furthermore, this ground-breaking technology can eliminate unnecessary sounds for the passenger, but provide them for the driver. Navigation sounds, or various alerts allow the driver to focus on controlling the

vehicle, while the SSZ system isolates these sounds, maintaining a quiet area for the other passengers. This has a particularly strong application for drivers with a sleeping child in the vehicle.

SSZ technology has been in development since 2014, and the completed mass production system is expected to be ready for installation in vehicles within one to two years.

yundai Motor Company today announced the launch of a campaign and customer experience program appealing directly to female drivers in Saudi Arabia, following the lift of a decade-long ban on female drivers.

The ‘#WhatsNext’ campaign celebrates Saudi women’s past achievements and supports their future feats, whilst aligning with Hyundai’s vision to create freedom in mobility. The main campaign film (https://youtu.be/UFe2tKqFE7E) communicates Hyundai’s message of support to Saudi female drivers, through a narrative that follows a Saudi woman as she pursues her dream career as a fashion designer, movie director, teacher and track athlete.

The film went live on August 1.

Hyundai previously presented the ‘#WhatsNext’ campaign teaser film on the various companyowned online channels, amassing 1.5 million views to date on Facebook alone. The company is also displaying advertisements in the Riyadh Park Mall Cinema and gaining a large amount of local traction through Marvel’s latest blockbuster movie ‘Ant-man and the Wasp’, where the brand’s new Kona, Santa Fe and Veloster models are featured.

As part of the campaign, Hyundai is collaborating with three Saudi-based influencers: entrepreneur Bayan Linjawi, radio presenter Shadia Abdulaziz, and fashion designer Reem Faisal. All three were invited to attend a workshop at Hyundai’s headquarters in Seoul last month, which included a visit to the ‘Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang’ and a ‘Let’s Drive’ driving tutorial for beginners. These ambassadors will share their Hyundai experiences with other Saudi women, whilst also attending several other Hyundai events, including new car launches and driving school programs.

“There are several societal changes occurring due to the previous ban lift, and Saudi women are welcoming these changes with open arms,” said Hyundai ambassador Bayan Abdulaziz. “I look forward to seeing the numerous roles that women will play in our future society, now that they can drive their own vehicles.”

Hyundai has also prepared various customer experience programs targeting Saudi female drivers. At present, there is one digital showroom optimized for female customers in operation, named the ‘City Store’ in Riyadh, where female drivers can experience Hyundai’s brand and products through various digital devices. Hyundai has expressed plans to expand these showrooms to other cities, such as Dammam and Jeddah.

2018 Toyota Prius Remains a Hybrid Benchmark

A

roundtheworld,itsnameissynonymous with “hybrid.”Almost two decades after thefirstToyotaPriuswasintroducedinthe U.S., hybridization has become common, andthePriusstillleadsinNorthAmerican hybrid sales. It’s also one of the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicles without a plug, with EPA-estimated 58 city / 53 highway / 56 combined MPG fuel economy ratings (Prius Two Eco).

For the 2018 model year, Prius Four and Four Touring grades receive a new standard 11.6-inch high-definition multimedia display. The tablet-like operation of the vertically-oriented screen provides drivers with easy access to major functions and allows navigation graphics to be brightly visible.

Drivers and front passengers will find the pinch and zoom functionality familiar, speaking to the enhanced premium touch that the screen brings to these grades.

Toyota offers the 2018 Prius in seven model grades, each one equipped as standard with Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P). Using millimeter-wave radar and a monocular camera sensor to help detect a pedestrian, a vehicle, and lane markers in the surrounding area, TSS-P provides a comprehensive bundle of active safety features designed to help protect drivers and passengers from harm and includes: Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/ PD), Lane DepartureAlert with SteeringAssist (LDAw/ SA),Automatic High Beams (AHB), and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC).

An available Prius Appearance Package adds additional flair with two-tone black and gunmetal front andrearbumpers,pianoblacksideskirtrockerpanels, and 17-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels with gunmetal inserts on the Three and Four Touring grades.

Common among all Prius models is a premium interior with a wrap-around dash design, formhugging seats, easy-to-use controls and exemplary visibility.Withupto65.5cubicfeetofcargospace,Prius provides flexibility in the gear on board. Whether it’s farmer’s market finds, sports gear or supermarket hauls, Prius has it covered.

Most Efficient Prius Ever Every generation of the Prius has one key element in common: it exceeded the fuel efficiency of the previous generation. The latest version of its Hybrid Synergy Drive combines the output of a 1.8-liter 4-cylindergasolineengineandtwomotor/generators through an electronically controlled planetary-type continuously variable transmission (CVT).

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

39

New Mercedes-Benz A-Class Now in Showrooms Stories by Bennett Oghifo

V

T

he new A-Class came to the starting line with new efficient diesel and petrol engines throughout.

And with a Cd value from 0.25 and a frontal area (A) of 2.19 m2, it is the aerodynamic leader in its segment and at the same time better than the predecessor (Cd value: from 0.26/frontal area: 2.20 m2).

As many other cars from Mercedes-Benz, the new A-Class is certified according to Euro 6d-TEMP and for this purpose also has completed the so-called RDE road test (Real Driving Emissions). This has effects on the life-cycle assessment: the exhaust emissions during the phase of its use were calculated based on the applicable RDE limits.

Compared to earlier life-cycle assessments, driving operations therefore have a greater share of the entire life cycle.

The comprehensive life-cycle assessment also comprises the emissions from the production and recycling phase in addition.

Manufacturing vehicles requires a high degree of material usage. For this reason, one developmental focus is on further reducing the use of resources and the environmental impacts of the materials used. To this end, renewable raw materials and recycled plastic materials (recovered plastics) are also used.

Some examples from the new A-Class: The reinforcing frame of the sliding sunroof is completely new. In combination with a thermosetting bonding agent, a natural fibre mat replaces the conventional sheet steel frame. In addition to saving resources, this also cuts the weight nearly by half.

With the Dinamica material, a high-quality secondary raw material is used in the interior of this model series. The completely rede-

Polestar Software Upgrade Delivers More Rear-Wheel

The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class

veloped structure of the instrument panel also contributes to conserving resources: Because this allowed optimising the production process, there is a lot less stamping waste. A recycled material composed of reprocessed starter batteries and bumper panelling is used for the wheel arch linings.

[i]All stated figures were determined in accordance with the prescribed measuring method. These are the “NEDC CO2 figures” according to Art. 2 No. 1 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1153. The fuel consumption figures were calculated based on these figures.

olvo Cars, the premium car maker, has introduced a new Polestar-developed software upgrade that increases torque distributiontotherearwheelsofVolvocars equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD), for more dynamic driving.

The optimisation software, developed by Volvo Car Group’s new electric performance brand Polestar, increases the amount and frequency of torque distributed to the rear wheels, improving steering with enhanced turn-in, better control and engagement whencornering,andimprovedtractionwhenpulling away, delivering a more engaging drive.

“We are always fine-tuning the driving experience of Volvo cars and this upgrade makes the all-wheel drivebothsmootherandmoredynamic,”saidHenrik Green, senior vice president of research and development at Volvo Cars.

TheAWDoptimisationisengagedsimplybyselecting theDynamicdrivemode,orwhenElectronicStability Control is disengaged.

The new rear-wheel torque distribution feature adds another optimisation area to the latest Polestar software upgrade. The five existing areas include sharper throttle response, faster off-throttle response, quicker gear changes, optimised gearshift points and in-corner gear holding, as well as increased engine output.

The Polestar AWD optimisation will be available for petrol and diesel models of Volvo 90 Series, 60 Series and XC40 cars, from August 2018 onwards.

Applicable to all new Volvo cars built on SPA and CMA architecture from model year 2019 onwards and which feature all-wheel drive (excluding plug-in hybrid variants).

Plug-in hybrid models including T8 Twin Engine and T6 Twin Engine derivatives, which feature an electric rear axle drive (ERAD) system that utilises electricpoweronlyontherearwheels,alreadyprovide a rear-drive bias and do not require further AWD optimisation.

Nissan Announces U.S. Pricing for 2019 Sentra

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Nissan has announced U.S. pricing for the 2019 Nissan Sentra, which is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide. For the 2019 model year, all Sentra grades (except Sentra S) receive standard NissanConnectSM withApple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™.

Also new is the SV Special Edition Package, which features 17-inch aluminium-alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), power sliding glass moonroof with tilt feature, center room dim lamp (LED), dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors and Special Edition badge.

The 2019 Sentra lineup includes Sentra S (6MT and Xtronic), Sentra SV (Xtronic), Sentra SR (Xtronic), Sentra SL(Xtronic), SR Turbo (Xtronic) and Sentra NISMO(6MTandXtronic).Pricingstartsat$17,7901 for the Sentra S with 6-speed manual transmission.

All normally aspirated Sentra models utilise a fuel-efficient 124-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to an advanced Xtronic transmission with sub-planetary gear. A 6-speed manual transmission is also available with the Sentra S grade (when equipped with the manual, the Sentra S has 130 horsepower).

I

The Sentra SR Turbo and Sentra NISMO feature a 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIGÔ) turbocharged engine that delivers 188 horsepower.

The Sentra NISMO offers a choice of 6-speed manual or specially tuned Xtronic transmission.

The Sentra SR offers a sportier appearance, with unique design 17-inch 10-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, lower body side sill extensions, rear spoiler with integrated LED brake light, fog lights and chrome exhaust tip finisher.

The Sentra NISMO’s motorsports-inspired exterior features NISMO signature “layered double wing” design treatments in the front, side and rear lower body panels, with thin red stripe accents wrapping the lower panels.

Inside, the Sentra NISMO interior is designed to support exciting driving – starting with unique NISMO front seats with logo and additional side bolstering.

A number of Nissan’s advanced Safety Shield Technologies are also available: Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) (standard on Xtronic transmission-equipped models except Sentra NISMO) and available Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

2019 Sentra SR Turbo

Rejigging The Driving School Architecture

do not know how and when you started driving in Nigeria. I also do not know how you got into driving. Did you graduate from being a passenger watching your uncle or colleagues drive and thereafter took the wheels? Or you graduated from being a motor boy into doing the real thing at your own risk and the risk of other innocent Nigerians as it is the common practice among some truck drivers? Were you lucky to attend one of the standard driving schools or you were among the unfortunate freshers who ended up in the hands of some hawks called driving school operators.

Or are you in the class of one of my friends whose story is bizarre as he claims he is a self-tutored driver who just picked a car and zoomed off without a guide and without any form of training or coaching? I guess you are eager to know my own story too. Well, if you are truly waiting to hear my own story, I guess I will have to make it the part two of this focus on driving schools if time permits and if my editor is kind enough to allow me space to bore you with my very interesting story which I must confess, will make a good reading for those who are my hardline critics and even the few who admire me but would rather keep mute.

While we wait for my own story, let me recall my experience about nine years or so ago when I was Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in charge of the Federal Capital Territory some years back. For those who can still remember, Oga Driver, our popular interactive Radio programme which became a household name in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory

SAFE DRIVING with

JONAS AGWU

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

and its environ provided a platform for Salihu Ibrahim Kindo my co -anchor and my humble self to berate driving schools whose makeshift office and driving range was under the bridge at area 10 in Garki. It was very common then to see these driving schools with no fixed address that operating with rickety vehicles, reaping people off in the name of training fresh drivers with instructors who were mostly quacks. The story in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory was not peculiar. It was the same story across the whole country; Lagos, Owerri, Kaduna, Port Harcourt just to mention a few. The net result was the increasing spate of road traffic crashes recorded daily iced with what I have always tagged ‘’irresponsible driving’’.

It was in order to checkmate this dangerous trend that the Federal Road Safety Corps midwifed the driving school standardization programme, (DSSP) to institute standard procedure for establishing driving schools; driving school certification, uniformity in driving school curriculum, standard-

ized instructors training in addition to assessment and categorization of driving schools. The DSSP made it mandatory for fresh applicants to attend a certified driving school and do a mandatory 26sesssions as a pre-requisite for applying for a driver’s license. The DSSP was meant to berth a new generation of drivers who are lettered in the arts of driving as a plank for addressing the country’s crash trend. Rather than promote a cultured atmosphere for driving, some of the driving schools and some applicants short-circuited the process .These noticeable abuses prompted the Corps to convoke a national workshop for driving school operators to address these issues.

The workshops were spread to Ibadan in the South West, Owerri for South East and South South, Kano for North East and North West and finally Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory for North Central driving school operators.

I was privileged to attend the last workshop in Abuja alongside other colleagues .It was attended by dignitaries which included including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha who was represented, personnel from various military and paramilitary outfits, FRSC Corps Marshal, Board Chairman and members of the FRSC, the FRSC Corps Marshal who was the host, the Director General, DSS who was represented , the various transport Unions such as the National Union of Road Transport Owners Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria among others.

The various dignitaries in their good will messages expressed their concern on the current development which they individually observed should be critically addressed through the workshop. But

before I go on with some of their views, let me bring you up to speed with the issues as enumerated by the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi who noted that the workshop was deliberately organized to re-evaluate the performance of the Driving Schools Standardization Programme (DSSP) and chart an improved way forward.

He took his audience down memory lane on how the DSSP came on board. The Corps Marshal recalled the events of 2006, which was based on strong evidence that driver’s training and certification in Nigeria was not properly regulated .This he said, therefore breaded nonconformists into driving on the highways, since road safety management relies on solid evidence, which allows for the identification of risks, and the determination and implementation of any necessary actions. The DSSP ,he informed his listeners was the Corps reaction to bridge the gap aimed at ensuring and uphold best global proactive practice in driver education, training and certification.

The DSSP like I earlier wrote seeks to regulate the activities of driving schools in Nigeria with clear-cut procedure for driving school operation with the following ingredients: requirements for setting up of driving schools, procedures for establishing driving schools, driving school certification, and uniform curriculum for driving schools. He went to inform his audience that under the DSSP, driving schools are assessed to ascertain the quality of facilities and trainers deployed for driver education and training. The assessment provides for the different levels of certification, after which driving schools can officially engage in driver education and training activities. Under the scheme, a driving school that compromises that minimum uniform standards set by FRSC shall have its certification suspended or withdrawn.

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EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES

Language Clinic (1)

EBERE WABARA

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fortnight ago, I published the following blunder entitled “Military junta” incorrect.

One anonymous reader sent me the SMS below and declared, in blissful ignorance, that I “should stop misleading people”! I have never seen this kind of effrontery as he insisted that “military junta” was correct, citing all manner of authorities.

The controversial extract: “VANGUARD COMMENT of June 4 offered readers the following mistake: ‘Coming 25 years after the military junta (sic) led by General Ibrahim Babangida torpedoed the sovereign will of the Nigerian electorate….’ A ‘junta’ is ‘a military government that has gained power by using force’, according to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, New Edition for Advanced Learners.’

Let us now take his rejoinder before addressing the issues he raised.

HELLO sir, “junta” means a military or political group ruling a country after seizing power. Military junta is different from political junta. Military junta is therefore correct. For your information, please check your concise Oxford English dictionaries— you should not limit your conclusion to one source, please. Or Google! Contrary to popular belief that it is either Spanish or Portuguese, JUNTA is actually a Hindi word meaning crowd, people, group, etc. Made popular by Latin-American countries’ unstable governments in the 60s and early 90s especially in Bolivia, Columbia and Nicaragua. (sic) I have benefited immensely from your column, hence this rejoinder. Not to join issues, sir.

(08022277222) WITHOUT necessarily “joining issues”, Wordsworth intervenes thus: In any form of formal writing, you must contextualize words and expressions generally. It is not just enough to lift from a book or online platforms the etymological history of a word without situating it rightly which is what contextualization is all about.

BY

A “junta” could correctly be any group of people or mob with a common resolve—not just military or political. It could be labour, academic, institutional, religious, medical and so on. Going by the context of the corrected extract, it is obvious that “military” was glaringly otiose. There is no applicative ambiguity whatsoever as to why “military” should be jettisoned from the excerpt in question. Grammaticality cannot be treated in isolation of context, environment (audience/target) and communicative objective.

In journalism and by extrapolation reportage, there is what is called “tight writing”. You do not waste space and time on clauses and phrases whose meanings are either implied or self-explanatory.

Such morphological tragedies are regarded as padding, needless embellishment or tautology in extreme cases.

I will be wasting precious space of a 1000-word column and time listing the copious dictionaries, multifarious reference books and exponential online sources that I use here. The most annoying aspect of the curiously anonymous feedback under focus is that when I called the cell-phone number, the incorrigible fellow thundered that “I should stop misleading people” and thereafter stopped taking my calls aimed at civilizing him on dynamic syntactic nuances!

This kind of lexical irresponsibility that borders on conservatism, circumscribed knowledge, blissful ignorance and illiterate bookishness smacks of marginal literacy that noisily drums emptily! I welcome readers’ constructive contributions to this debate essentially and especially because I am not a knowledge monopolist!

This column is for the exchange of meaningful and robust ideas on various aspects of the English language and its correct usage—I am merely an active coordinator and a scholar, too, without any professorial pretensions or doctoral ascriptions!

Also, I am not infallible just like all other human beings.

In summation, I insist that “military junta”, as excerpted above, is incontrovertibly, unquestionably, unassailably and unimpeachably wrong contextually. No General torpedoes a government

with kid-gloves—and will the junta in that case not be military? So, why write “military junta” in that circumstance?

EBERE, thank you, I have always been accused of being pedantic when I point out blunders by our supposedly educated journalists/speakers/legislators not realizing it irks other readers too.

Uwem Ekpoudom I have always respected your person and your views on certain issues until defending your principal became your passion. That aside, what did you mean by “even the Bible…has contradictions, if not fallacies…the edition of reference is important and critical because what is right today may be wrong tomorrow”. Please explain because I noticed that you have conveniently avoided mentioning holy Quran to avoid possible backlash. But the Bible is always a fair game!

Fred K.D. (08036166374) …COLUMNIST’S response: Why will defending my principal be devoid of passion? Why did he employ me or what am I supposed to be doing?

The bible surely contains contradictions! ‘What is right today may be wrong tomorrow’ simply demonstrates the dynamism in English language usage. I have zero tolerance for bigoted religiosity in column writing.

THANK you for the updates in English. Regards Dr. Anthony Agbaso (08033084523) HAVE you written any book? If yes, how can one get it? I am in love with your articles. May your ink never dry up. (07063399458) …MY answer: I have written three books that need to be reprinted. Once they are ready I will publicize them. Thanks for your intercession.

THANK you for taking up the task of improving our English. Your column “Wordsworth” is revealing. Please add specialized English language school to your crowded schedules. It will benefit those who desire to have a command of it. Sustain your efforts.

Your fans appreciate you.

Okoro (08115706378) FROM Vanguard of July 13 comes the next contribution: “…the command received an information….” ‘Information’ is uncountable, but ‘a ‘piece’ of information or just information is acceptable.

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

Tony Ololou, Alvan Ikokou Federal College of Education, Owerri (08034484056) THE Sun Editorial of Wednesday, July 4, brandished this infantile howler: “Akindele was caught…soliciting for rounds of sex….” The verb ‘solicit’ does not attract ‘for’. The randy university teacher solicited rounds of sex.

Dr. Stanley Nduagu, Aba (08062925996) THANK you for your column. We need more of you to help children learn proper English as print and electronic media have failed.

Ambassador Odi Nwosu (07083794764) I am always delighted to read your column weekly after the demise of Pa Bayo Oguntunase. Thanks for keeping the flag flying. Stay blessed.

Bayor Issah, Ilorin, Kwara State (08037063924) Yet another observation by Dr. Nduagu: FROM a full-page congratulatory message in the Saturday, May 12 edition of THISDAY, comes this error: “Celebrating a mother and grandmother per () excellence “ PLEASE explain “because of its structural characterization”—your last sentence, page 29, DAILY SUN of Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Thank you.

Revd. Etukudo Ese (08024323743) EXPLANATION: “Structural characterization” refers to inherent etymological and morphological constituents/peculiarities of a particular word, phrase, clause or sentence.

YET another flying discovery by Dr. Nduagu: “From the half- page advertisement in The PUNCH of Tuesday, March 13: “Arik spreads it’s (its) wings to MMA.” The airline should be taught that “it’s” is a contraction of ‘it is’ or it has while “its” is a possessive pronoun.

ADDENDA: I prefer email mode of feedback to short messaging service (SMS). Thank you for the interactive participation.

There is no point making an input without a full name and cell-phone number—for further interface with this columnist or other readers, if the need arises.

INSIGHT

MultiChoice Talent Factory: The Looming Film Revolution Tunde Sebanjo

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ver the next few years, the Nigerian and, of course, the continent’s creative industries, will witness significant changes sufficient to bring about an appreciable leap in every facet. The catalyst is the recently launched MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), a continent-wide initiative conceived groom and nurture talents in the creative sector.

It is difficult, impossible even, to argue that the Nigerian film industry AKA Nollywood is not a monster hit around the continent and elsewhere despite its imperfections.

Since coming to life in the 90s, Nollywood, given a fillip by MultiChoice’s AfricaMagic channels, has won the hearts of Africans and arrested the attention of peoples of other continents with its prodigious output. World Bank insights indicate that Nollywood creates up to 50 films a week, and up to 1,200 films a year. Hollywood and Bollywood can produce up to 800 and 1600 films respectively, with Hollywood leading the way in terms of global industry size followed by Bollywood and Nollywood.

Nollywood production budget is light years behind that of Hollywood. An average Nollywood film budget can rise to $15,000, while that of Hollywood verges on $50million, with Bollywood averaging $1.5 million.

Despite the leanness of its budget, Nollywood is a staple in almost every African household. Its progress has been astounding.

The Wedding Party, the 2016 smash hit, is rated as the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. According toQuartz, it raked in just over N300 million (over $800,000) in Nigeria alone.

Its 2017 sequel brought in over N70 million (about $200, 000) on the opening weekend.

Compared to figures for Hollywood and Bollywood hit films, the earnings are not in any way eye-watering. But by Nigerian standards, they certainly are.

The Wedding Party’s success proved

that Nollywood can compete with the Hollywood films on the big screen. The film also set a new standard for the industry, showing that authentic storytelling and high quality production are crucial to making a film capable of filling local and continental cinema seats.

But films on the same pedestal with The Wedding Party are not as commonplace as they should be. This is indicative of gaps in technical skills of among many Nigerian filmmakers and one which the MTF is conceived to effectively bridge.

Nollywood, however, stands head and shoulders above other film industries in Africa is that its storylines are a depiction of everyday life. This has made its output the rage across the continent and elsewhere.

Much of Nollywood’s success is down to the work of accomplished film industry leaders such as Femi Odugbemi, who arrived on the filmmaking scene through photography.

Odugbemi has been chosen as the West Africa academy director for the MTF, a role that will see him transfer his vast range of skills acquired from decades of working in Nollywood to the next generation of Nigerian filmmakers, many of whom require a strong basis of film training. His track record of consistency makes him a leading figure in Nollywood and recently earned him voting membership of the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“We must consciously build capacity so that our next generation film makers and producers can also create wealth and create employment by being entrepreneurs as well,” explained Odugbemi.

Odugbemi grew up on a diet of Indian and Chinese films, which were the rage in 1960s in Lagos. They developed his affection for storytelling and led him into filmmaking, rising to become one of West Africa’s most prolific film and television industry professionals.

He is minded to ensure that the next crop of film professionals is guided by high craft and authenticity.

Odugbemi “Nigerian cinema 10 to 15 years ago was challenging. It’s better in lighting, audio even in production design. It’s getting better.

Proficiency and efficiency is good, [but] excellence is really ideal, and to be excellent in a consistent form. That is the goal of every winning industry,” he said.

He is famous for involvement in top shows such asTinsel and Gidi Blues. Tinsel, which aired in 2008, was the first daily soap opera on the M-Net network in Nigeria at the time. More testament of his devotion to quality content, both on-screen and behind the camera, could be seen in Battleground.

For two young Nigerian filmmakers, Femi Alabede and Cyriacus Ibekwe, functioning in Nollywood requires unlearning a bit of what they learnt in film school. Both had formal training abroad before returning to Nigeria. They were steeped in the Hollywood way, but the situation that awaited them back home was radically different.

They discovered that certain roles within the film reel they expected to find back home

did not exist here and had to adapt their Hollywood knowledge to fit Nigerian storytelling and film style to ensure balance in their works. Alabede and Ibekwe are happy that they have had the benefit of formal training, but believe that the technical skills deficiency in the industry will be difficult to fill without learning from the experts. A big opportunity to learn, they said, is the MTF, which will have regional academies in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.

The MTF initiative will deliver three touch points: the MTF academies, Masterclasses and the MTF Portal.

The MTF Academy is a 12-month educational programme designed for 60 (20 per academy) young and talented people who aspire to become film and television professionals. During the course of the programme, MTF students would be expected to produce television and film content that will be aired on MultiChoice platform.

––Sebanjo, a film critic, writes from Lagos

AUGUST 18, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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FASHION FILE

Taje Prest launches Summer Collection Called

“A Style for Every Story”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

FASHION FILE

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

“A Style for Every Story” Media Personality, Taje Prest, who is the Creative Director of her eponymous brand, has released her summer collection. The brand just launched its latest collection with the creative and colorful footwear called ‘Island Gyal’ Taje Prest has introduced its line of waist bags which she has coined “T packs”. She designed a fabulous and functional waist bag just in time for the summer, playing with color and sizing.

The Creative Director describes it as “A functional fanny pack for everyone : both male & female. Its straps boasts to fit all sizes - it’s stylish, and yet super easy to wear.”

The Style For Every Story campaign features the new collection of Slides “Island Gyal” the waist bags “T packs” as well as a collaboration with a Male collection of hand painted slides with Rita Karien owned by Philip Prest.

Credits T Packs & Slides : @tajeprest Male Slides : @ritakarien Model: @darkskinnedfemale @elisabeth. prest @philipprest Makeup @amaebiere Location @prestcruise Photography @focalpointfotografia Creative direction @thestyle.concierge

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MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fasogbon... ͸΀͹ͽͽ͹ͻ͹΀Ϳͼ

Director, Maritime Labour Services, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Ibrahim Jibril; Director General,NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside ,and Head, Corporate Communication, NIMASA, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi during an interactive session with the media in Lagos recently

L-R: Senior Project Officer,Leadership Empowerment and Resource Network ,LEARN , Mrs Tonne Marques; LEARN student, Miss Anjola Obembe; Group Public Relations and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr Tope Ashiwaju; LEARN student, Master Oke Olumide and Chief Operating Officer, LEARN, Mrs Ronke Oguntoyinbo, during a cheque presentation by Indomie Instant Noodles to LEARN in Lagos recently

MTN, NB Plc, Sustain Osun Osogbo Festival As part of their commitments to enhancing culture, tourism and the economy at large, the corporate and major sponsors of Osun Osogbo Festival, MTN Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Grand Oak Limited have renewed their interests to further raise the annual cultural event.

The brands made this known at a press conference organised in Osogbo, Osun State, to officially announce the 2018 Osun Osogbo Festival.

In his address, Chief Festival Administrator and Managing Director of Infogem Limited, Ayo Olumoko, stated that this year’s occasion was limited by the challenges of fund as expectations from different quarters including the federal government were not met.

He further added that the cultural occasion may have been almost impossible safe for the intervention of the corporate brands.

Appreciating the sponsors, he said: “We are really grateful to MTN for its consistent support even in the midst of crisis and economic challenges; Nigerian Breweries has been following the festival for 27 years and has not dimmed its support while Grand Oak Limited has remained stronger in its support in the last 29 years.

“This further justifies the economic importance of culture and tourism as brands continue to leverage the occasion to enhance their visibility and on the

other hand, carry out social responsibility acts.”

In his remarks, Regional Manager of MTN, Bayo Onafuwa said that the company was happy to be associated with a festival that is a cynosure of the world and assured of the firm’s continued support for the event.

“The company’s support for the Osun Osogbo Festival is part of its larger initiative, KultureFest, to make a positive and enduring impact on the country’s socio-

the economy,” he said.

On his part, Brand Manager, Lord’s Gin, Bojuwade Adebowale pledged continued and stronger support for the event on a yearly basis.

Olumoko, while speaking earlier, urged federal government to boost investments in the tourism sector as parts of its diversification drive. He also advised government to appoint right people to fill relevant positions in tourism to achieve desired results.

Taxigo Enters Nigeria Microsoft Introduces Ride Hailing Market New Feature to European-based firm,Taxigo, has launched into the Nigeria ride hailing space, thus widening transportation options for millions of taxi fans in the country.

According to the company, all is set to bring about a disruption in the ride hailing space with tailor-made services that will make commuting within Lagos and Nigeria easy, affordable, safe and convenient.

It noted that its services come with features that would make taxi and private drivers access more passengers as well

Firms Partner to Launch Cloudbased Micro Finance Solutions In a move to deepen financial inclusion in the country, Oradian and the Association of Non Bank Microfinance Institution of Nigeria (ANMFIN), have launched a strategic partnership.

The partnership will enable ANMFIN to promote access to financial services for Nigerian clients on a larger scale, by using its Cloud Express, a core banking system specially built for ANMFIN and its microfinance institution members.

ANMFIN Cloud Express, powered by Instafin, is a cloud-based toolset tailored to enable smaller Nigerian microfinance institutions to benefit from a cloud-based solution.

Commenting, president of the association, Adesola Ogunleye, said: “We are extremely pleased with this partnership.

Together we align our shared vision and leverage the success delivered to date.

The partnership will enable all of our MFIs to move to Oradian’s cloud-based

cultural landscape through its support of festivals across the country,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Corporate Affairs Adviser of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem noted that the festival was worth identifying with as it had continued to put Nigeria on the world tourism map.

“We believe this corporate partnership will not only enhance commercial activities in the town but increase trade transactions and impacting positively on

solution, helping our members to save time and money through more efficient, digitised processes – no more manual input of data.

“We and our members are very excited to improve administrative process, reduce high operational costs and offer digital financial services across the country.”

Chief Executive Officer of Oradian, Antonio Separovic stated that the innovation further expands the range of solutions that the firm offers in Nigeria.

“Nigeria was our first market when we started six years ago and we remain committed to solving the financial inclusion challenge here. This partnership is a long-term partnership that is an important step towards this goal.”

He further added that the partnership would enable more financial institutions to take advantage of technology to become more efficient, grow and reach more unbanked individuals in rural communities.

as make more money in the process.

Speaking more on the new transport app that is being managed by a local starts up company, GoAfrik Solutions Limited, Co-founder of Taxigo Nigeria, Thomas Ajayi pointed out that the new service would address known shortcomings in ride hailing platforms in the country.

He noted: “Although, this app is new in the Nigeria market, It has been hugely successful in other markets like Estonia, which is also a home for Taxify, another ride-sharing app.

Taxigo is actually bigger there but has a huge potential here also. We plan to empower taxi companies and drivers. With the app, every taxi company will still keep its brand, pricing tactics and clients.”

Explaining further, Godswill Nkwusi, who is also the co-founder, stated that part of the unique selling proposition of the offering is the offline service that enables customers to book orders from mobile phones that have no internet connections, adding that a dispatch number will be made available to the public soon.

He added: “Pricing with Taxigo is not standard as we don’t have any pricing models. Every taxi company in our system and every driver can make his own business with prices they think are adequate at the moment. No driver is under pressure at all. If he wants to get more money for a trip, he can choose from 10 different price-levels he has set for himself and can switch in between them in seconds.

“The good thing is that this will not affect passengers in any way because they have the freedom to choose the taxi they ride base on price, quality, among other factors they can see from the phone before they engage drivers’ services.”

Boost Business Communications

A technology firm, Microsoft, has announced that its latest mobile offering, ‘Kaizala Pro’ has been launched in Nigeria.

According to the company, ‘Kaizala Pro’ is a mobile app that improves the way businesses communicate and collaborate. It is designed for large group communication, workflow management, reporting and analytics, and is integrated with Office 365.

The Country General Manager of Microsoft Nigeria, Akin Banuso, said that the app addresses several challenges faced by many businesses across the country, who manage field staff remotely.

“Mobile technology is enabling businesses to embrace the fourth industrial revolution and digitally transform their operations. Microsoft Kaizala is ideal for organisations that need to communicate with large number of task workers to enhance business agility, collaboration, and organisational productivity.

“Unlike other chat-based apps in the market, the latest extends beyond a mere communication function. Because many workers in the region often don’t have email addresses, the app only requires a mobile number to sign a user up. The app is also optimised to work on any network including slow 2G networks,” he stressed.

Providing more details, he said: “Kaizala actionable information through analytics and reports, comply with industry security best practices. With it, customer’s messages, photos, video files, audio files, documents, polls, surveys, and other data are protected by encryption in-transit and at-rest.

Managers can decide who has access to company data. All Kaizala data is stored in Microsoft Azure datacentres, which adhere to industry standard security and compliance certifications.

“As we roll out the innovation in Nigeria, we hope to connect the complete value chain, including the unconnected parts of organisations.

The vision for the new offering is to empower every organisation and community to achieve more through purposeful chat.”

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͸Ϳ͸͞ͺ΀͚͞Ϳ͝Ϳ Ă?Ě‹Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ë? ÞÙĂ?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă?ÑÑ̜ÒÙÞ×ËÓÖ˛Ă?Ù×

JARED MURRAY-BRUCE

Nigerian Films Will Soon Match Hollywood’s Quality Ă‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ‹ĂŁĚ‹ ĂœĂ&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă‹ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜Ě‹ Ă—Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž ĂšĂ?ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă˜Ă‹Ă–Ă“ĂžĂŁËœ ĂĄĂ’Ă™ Ă“Ă? âĂ?Ă?Ă&#x;ÞÓà Ă? Ă“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă–Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă“ĂœĂŽ ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;Ú˛ Ă‹ĂœĂ?ĂŽ ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ĂŒĂ™ĂœĂ˜ Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă–ĂŽĂ™Ă?ĂžĂ‹Ëœ Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ‘Ă“Ă‹ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă? ÞÒĂ? Ă?Ă™Ă˜ Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂžĂ‹Ă“Ă˜Ă—Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? ×ÙÑĂ&#x;Ă– Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă“Ă‘Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?Ă˜Ă‹ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ă?Ă˜ Ă&#x;ĂœĂœĂ‹ĂŁĚ‹ ĂœĂ&#x;Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă? ÞËÖÕĂ? ÞÙ Tosin Clegg Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž ĂžĂ‹Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă&#x;Ăš Ă‹ ÚÙĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ăž Ă“Ă–Ă Ă?Ăœ Ă“ĂœĂŽ ĂœĂ™Ă&#x;ĂšËœ Ă˜Ă?ĂĄ ×Ùà ÓĂ? ĂŽĂ“Ă?ĂžĂœĂ“ĂŒĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ ĂŽĂ?Ă‹Ă–Ëœ Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă?Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹ ÖÙÞ Ă—Ă™ĂœĂ?

As the Executive Director of Silverbird Group hat that means is that I oversee a lot of the strategic implementations of the initiatives we put on the ground. So right now, I have more of a production and content background.

I used to manage a production studio in Los Angeles. And I’m really trying to revamp the brand of Silverbird and energise some youths in the company.

W

I have been in this job for seven months now I’m the new kid on the block, and no longer active at the studio in Los Angeles, but we have various film and TV projects we work on out there that are still in their early stages.

The studio in LA creates local contents for the U.S. and South American markets as well.

There is a lot of room for growth in Nigerian productions Over the last five to 10 years, we have seen massive improvements. If you look at the overall quality of films and TV productions in Nigeria, you’ll see it has greatly improved. It really comes down to our lack of infrastructure, as anywhere around the world, in LA or UK, you may attend a school that’s been there for 50 or 60 years or may understudy a director that’s worked on 30 different projects. So, there is just a wealth of knowledge that exists out there, and we are still in the early stages in Nigeria but I feel like in the next five years we would be producing contents that you wouldn’t be able to tell if it’s Hollywood or not and that would be in terms of quality and presentation.

Why we decided to distribute the movie, Pillars of Africa We felt it’s telling a unique story and one of the things we are interested in is that it is outside the spectrum of a Nigeria film. We feel it’s a story that can resonate with people because it talks about a lot of things people are going through. Although it’s a fiction, I think all of our people will relate to it.

Our role in this new movie We want to ensure it gets to as many territories as possible, and to get to as many people as possible. We also want to do the marketing to ensure a lot of people know about the project ahead of time, during the production process and when the film is about to get out.

The message in the movie When you see these things happening in your face and in an artistic way, it opens your mind about how it is, as opposed to reading a similar story in a newspaper or seeing a notification. I think it’s a way for people to relate to the character on screen, and then it’s up to the people to make that connection to what’s happening in the real world. When you hear about a fictional African story you think of Wakanda or Coming to America but

I definitely feel this is a unique story.

Piracy will always exist and it exists all around the world The only way to combat piracy is to provide options that people prefer. If your idea is to save money, you would find a way to watch the film, but we try to give an experience and make you want to go to the cinema and watch the film.

Silverbird Cinemas is introducing a 4Dx by the end of this year We would be the first cinema in West Africa to bring 4Dx to the country. It’s all about offering an experience that’s unique to your cinema, and if you do that, I think people would show up.

Dealing with the competition It has to do with a few things like staying aware of what your competitor is doing and not getting too complacent. It happens all the time, as you are dominating someone else comes in and grows over time. But honestly, they can’t outgrow us, but we are reinventing ourselves and bringing the 4Dx. It’s just to take a defined focus on what your product offerings are and I think over time you guys will see those improvements.

It’s very easy for people to get stuck in their way We could say well, we have been doing it for so long in a certain way, why change? But I think change is natural, change is necessary and the world around us needs changes. So, we need to constantly reinvent ourselves and prove to the customers that we are worth having their money spent on us. And in any business we are offering, we consider what we are offering, why will a customer come back as opposed to someone else?

Plans for the next couple of years I don’t want to give too much away but what I would say is that in terms of growth, there would be a certain level of expansion and not only in Nigeria but across West Africa. And I think you would see us play a lot more on the digital side of things, especially in radio and TV production where technology is changing so much in recent years. I think the brand will be a lot more global, although Nigeria is our core.

Growing up, I think my dream always changed At some point, I was convinced I was going to be an astronaut, on another I was convinced I was going to be a Rapper, but things obviously changed. Since I graduated, I have worked in the company and studio before moving back here. So, I have always wanted to dream bigger than where I am currently and I’m willing to change when necessary.

I’m a huge fan of music Music has always been my passion and I love to travel; those are two of my biggest passion.

Murray-Bruce

47

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă˜ Ă–Ă?Ă‘Ă‘

͸Ϳ͸͞ͺ΀͚͞Ϳ͝Ϳ Ă?Ě‹Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă–Ë? ÞÙĂ?Ă“Ă˜Ă?Ă–Ă?ÑÑ̜ÒÙÞ×ËÓÖ˛Ă?Ù×

MY STORY FUTURE AWARDS AFRICA ANNOUNCES 2018 NOMINATIONS The Future Awards Africa (TFAA), Nigeria’s foremost youth awards, has announced its call for nominations for the 2018 edition. Building on the theme ‘Nigeria’s New Tribe’ launched in 2017, the 13th edition of the prestigious awards seeks to reward excellence by celebrating advocates, creators, and pioneers between the ages of 18 and 31 - young people who have made significant strides, defying the odds within the year under consideration.

By driving sustaining positive change, while ignoring tribal, economic uncertainty or religious differences, the new tribe is driven by their talent, commitment to hard work, and achievement in impacting the economy, the society, and rewriting the narrative.

The award has taken its mandate seriously, consistently presenting 105 positive role models annually to young Nigerians. This edition will have 2-day activities that would focus on engaging youth in different industries, from women conferences to technology and innovation. This would further create a strong network for youth to support one another in the leadership space.

EQUALIZER 2 HITS NIGERIAN CINEMAS The second franchise of the blockbuster, Equalizer, officially drops today in cinemas across Nigeria.

The much anticipated ‘Equalizer’ is back to the cinemas as Hollywood’s A-list actor Denzel Washington (Robert McCall) returns to screen as the saviour of the oppressed and downtrodden.

Denzel’s handling of the character of McCall is natural and on point as he switches between being a regular guy driving a car for a living and a sophisticated Special Forces agent.

This reveals the amount of research that goes into Denzel’s understanding and portrayal of the character.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer 2 is a sequel to 2014 film The Equalizer. The film stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman.

It is distributed in Nigeria by Silverbird Film Distribution.

The idea of Equalizer is central to this franchise.

GEE4

I’ve Been Singing Since I Was a Kid

NINIOLA IS FIRST NIGERIAN FEMALE ARTISTE TO LAND 1M LISTENERS ON SPOTIFY Niniola makes history today with over one million listeners on Spotify, making her the first female Nigerian artiste ever to cross the one million mark.

Niniola is a singer and songwriter who has created a music genre for herself called AfroHouse- a blend of Afro beat and House music.

Her debut album ‘This is me’ lists songs like Saro, Magun, Maradona and Sicker which have been receiving a lot of airplay and topping charts.

The AfroHouse singer released ‘This is me’ in November 2017 to critical acclaim and fan praises, with Maradona leading the trend with over 1.7 million streams on Spotify.

The music streaming platform, which measures artiste popularity with listenership, has solidified Niniola’s music as a staple among music lovers.

It crowns her with the coveted title of the most popular Nigerian female artiste.

ĂŒĂ?Ă˜Ă‘Ă‹ Ă‘ĂŒĂ?ĂŁĂ?Ă—Ă“Ëœ ÚÙÚĂ&#x;Ă–Ă‹ĂœĂ–ĂŁ Ă•Ă˜Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ Ă‹Ă? Ă?Ă?Íź Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?ĂžĂ? åÓÞÒ Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă™ĂĄĂ˜ Ă?ÞãÖĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă?Ă™Ă˜ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ăž Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂŁË› Ă“Ă? ÞËÞÞÙÙĂ? Ă’Ă‹Ă Ă? Ă‹ ĂžĂ’Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă™Ăœ ÞåÙ Ă?Ă‹ĂŁ Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ÔÙĂ&#x;ĂœĂ˜Ă?ĂŁ Ă?Ă™ Ă?Ă‹ĂœË› Ă? Ă?Ă’Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă? Ă’Ă“Ă? Ă?âÚĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă‹ĂŒĂ™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă‘ĂœĂ™ĂĄĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă&#x;ĂšËœ Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă?Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă™Ă˜Ă‘Ă™Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ ĂšĂœĂ™Ă”Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ? åÓÞÒ Tosin Clegg

H

ow did music start for you?

I started singing in 2009, but I didn’t release my official single until 2013. Actually, I’ve been singing since I was a kid in the church choir.

And then, later on, I took it up professionally but at some point, I had to drop out of school, and that was to chase my music.

What’s your genre of music?

It centres around Afro beats and Afro-pop, but I just like to fuse my own thing from the pop culture like the foreign pop then blend it with the little highlife thing. I tap into other genres also but basically, it’s Afro hip-hop.

What project do you have ongoing?

I’m currently about to release a new song, Steady. Just like the chorus of the song, it’s more like a testimony that makes people see God’s blessings in you so as to inspire others. Also, I have a few videos I’m going to work on while working on the Steady video, which would be shot in the United Kingdom. I’m working on my EP and album that would be released next year.

Challenges while starting out your career?

It wasn’t smooth at all as I had to do several things just to survive. I had to juggle so many things just to make ends meet but I thank God for where I am today.

48

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

Ariole

DORIS ARIOLE

I’m Waiting for a Kind and Sensitive Man Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă? ĂœĂ“Ă™Ă–Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă‹ ʨÖ××ËÕĂ?ĂœËœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“ĂšĂž ĂĄĂœĂ“ĂžĂ?ĂœËœ ĂšĂœĂ™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?Ă?Ăœ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂŽĂ“ĂœĂ?Ă?ĂžĂ™ĂœË› Ă’Ă? Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂĄĂœĂ“ĘľĂ?Ă˜ Ă?Ă?Ă Ă?ĂœĂ‹Ă– ĂŒĂ–Ă™Ă?Ă•ĂŒĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“ĂšĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă’Ă‹Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ă?ĂŽ åÓÞÒ Ă—Ă‹Ă˜ĂŁ Ă˜Ă™ĂžĂ‹ĂŒĂ–Ă? Ă˜Ă‹Ă—Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÒĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă?ĂžĂœĂŁË› Ă˜ ÞÒÓĂ? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ Ă“Ă?ĂĄ åÓÞÒ Chinedu IbeabuchiËœ Ă?Ă’Ă? ĂšĂœĂ™Ă Ă“ĂŽĂ?Ă? Ă‹ Ă‘Ă–Ă“Ă—ĂšĂ?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ™ Ă‹Ă˜ Ă‹Ă?ĂšĂ?Ă?Ăž Ă™Ă? ÙÖÖãåÙÙÎ ĂĄĂ’Ă“Ă?Ă’ Ă“Ă? Ă?ÞÓÖÖ Ă&#x;Ă˜ĂŽĂ?Ăœ ÞËÚÚĂ?ĂŽ

S

ome say Nollywood movies are below standard and movie fans blame this on poor storytelling. Do you share same view?

The story is different from the script, and many great stories are poorly developed into scripts thereby losing its essence.

We don’t have bad stories in Nollywood; we are just not telling them well. Writers need to identify their strengths in terms of genres and develop their skills. Yes, I hope to create a platform where I can share my journey as a writer with other writers so as to inspire them and be inspired by them too. Afilmmaker never stops learning. As you get to discover yourself more, a great deal of your creative depth gets to evolve as well.

Is writing lucrative in Nollywood?

I still don’t believe good writers are being paid what they deserve but I am also a producer and I know that funds are not easy to come by, so I

am motivated by my desire to see good movies being made out of good scripts. Hopefully the pay will get better.

Have you ever had a case where your script was plagiarised and you were denied of your hard work?

At the moment, no and I hope it never happens.

I flow with the leading of God’s spirit when it comes to work. I have little trade secrets on how I chose clients as well. Sometimes on first meet I know who has come to steal (laughs). You need to know how to pitch without giving out the distinct parts of your story that will make it stand out. Above all, God has just been gracious. I’ve had favour with God and with man.

Aside script writing, you direct movies.

The ďŹ rst movie you directed has been shortlisted for the 2018 annual Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards(AMVCA).Tell us about it.

Benevolence was my first feature as a Director.

It took me about two years to finish the final draft of the script. It meant a lot to me to direct

an actor of Kalu Ikeagwu’s calibre. I appreciate that he trusted me enough to direct him.

How long did it take you to shoot the movie?

I prepared for two months for the shoot.

What makes Benevolence unique that it got nomination for AMVCA 2018?

When I submitted Benevolence, I was very confident that Kalu Ikeagwu would get nominated because I haven’t seen him transform a role as much as he did for Benevolence. We actually discussed the story before I started writing it and he agreed it was unique. Even while I was reviewing the drafts, I met him to discuss it as well. So, before we got to set, he understood his character very well.

Are you so conďŹ dent that you will clinch the award?

No matter the outcome of AMVCA voting, I am more than grateful that my first feature earned an actor a nomination. I take it as a pat on the back that I did my part well as a director and need to improve so that every time an actor

works with me, he/she will be guided into a stellar performance. You can’t give your best performance as an actor with bad directing. I truly hope people are still voting Kalu Ikeagwu as best actor in a drama for the movie Benevolence.

Nomination is a win already but taking that award home is dependent on our beautiful viewers. We are doing our best to promote it.

Any effect of AMVCA nomination on your career?

Some known actors have reached out privately to express their interest to work with me. Every actor wants that Director that will help them get a nomination or award. Even as a writer, my clients are saying ‘please write us an award winning script’ and I sincerely give my best to every script. The truth is that, it all starts with a good script. Even the best actors are hampered by a bad script. If you improvise and change the script on set, then you didn’t shoot the bad script, you rewrote it.

What inspires Benevolence movie?

It was inspired by the tenacity and faith of

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͚΀˜ ͺ͸͚΀

I am Currently not in a Relationship, I’m Waiting for a Kind and Sensitive man As a writer, I am motivated by good story lines with distinct characters. Character driven plots are the best for me. That is why I try to create unique characters to drive my story. As a producer and director, I am motivated by a good story and a beautiful script made from it.

Budget and casting are also an issue for producers. Being a star doesn’t always guarantee best performance

Ruth in the Bible. I believe so many women out there are Ruths as they push for their dreams.

Benevolence has also screened internationally.

It was initially premiered in America before I released it in Nigeria last year. The reception was amazing at the International Christian Film Festival, Orlando. Benevolence is available on Africa Magic and Online. The DVD will be released in the last quarter of the year.

So what is your next project?

My next project is another faith-based drama thriller, inspired by one of the controversial bible stories and characters. Will let the cat out in due time.

When did you start a career in Nollywood?

I trained under Amaka Igwe for about four years in the areas of acting, writing, producing and directing. My training with Delyork was another big boost to my confidence to direct.

After my Delyork training in 2014, I decided it was time to take on a feature project. Two years later, I did it. I had only directed short stories before Delyork. Now, I’m focused on writing, producing and directing. Acting was what I did as a child in my Nursery and Primary school projects. Writing became my passion and childhood dream at the age of 13. Today, I can confidently say I am living that dream, all by the grace of God. I have been writing for a couple of Nollywood and international Filmmakers. Some of my writings have been produced into TV and cinema movies and released on appropriate platforms with very good reviews in each case.

My first Nollywood script was Sister’s Love in 2006, which featured Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade Ekehinde as biological sisters.

It explored sibling rivalry.

It wasn’t my first script but was the first script that I got paid for writing by a Producer. Felt good receiving money for writing.

Are you in a relationship?

I am currently not in a relationship and waiting for a kind and sensitive man. Someone who won’t have issues with my work. I also want a man I can help achieve his own dreams and visions. It takes two, so we must work together.

What’s your hobby?

I love cooking, I love food but I try to eat heathy.

I love watching TV. I love romantic drama and comedies. I love Telemundo actually. I love how they stay true and close to their cultures in their story and character development. That is what we need to do with our series here too, not copy them, simply apply those techniques.

Ariole on stage with cameraman

Which element of literature is common in your work?

I love drama; all my movies must have drama at the heart of it. Even with my comedies and romantic script, I still preserve drama. I believe life is drama in itself.

What’s the major inuence on your career?

My career is influenced by Amaka Igwe and Tyler Perry. They inspire positivity with their works. I think we still need to up our game as writers. I feel like a lot of passionate and gifted people are jumping into writing without proper foundational training. You can’t learn it all at once, but you can start with foundation classes before the advanced and Masters Classes that are trending.

Why Nollywood? Why not publications of prose or drama?

I love Nollywood. We have become a world phenomenon. It can only get better. Those who are willing to get better and are humble about it are surely getting better.

What motivates you?

As a writer, I am motivated by good story lines with distinct characters. Character driven plots are the best for me. That is why I try to create unique characters to drive my story. As a producer and director, I am motivated by a good story and a beautiful script made from it.

Budget and casting are also an issue for producers. Being a star doesn’t always guarantee best performance. For commercial purposes, good star rating is still a necessity, even in Hollywood.

What trips me most is star performance not just rating and hype.

Tell us about your production outďŹ t?

My production company is Hadassah Studios inspired by the Jewish name of Queen Esther.

Hadassah is strictly about Christian Entertainment. But as a freelance filmmaker, I write and work on secular projects for my clients. Hadassah Studios is different from me. It is well beyond me.

Ariole and a friend

What’s your vision for Hadassah?

I want Hadassah Studios to be recognised as the best faith-based movie production Company from Africa.

How would you describe your Christian story telling compared to other Christian movies?

It’s engaging and inspiring. I throw in humour and romance with some complex characters and

controversy because this is the reality of our daily walk with God. My plots are not judgmental and churchy because that’s what you notice with some faith based movies out there. God is love and His grace abounds in every situation. So in my movies I focus on celebrating God’s love and grace in every situation we find ourselves in. The spectators for my movies are both Christians and Non-Christians. Both experience God’s grace in their lives daily. And both need to walk in love as individuals, a people and a nation.

50

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

POLITY Moroccan Firm Develops Fertiliser Plants in Nigeria Moroccan fertiliser giant, OCP Group is currently building fertiliser blending plants in Nigeria that will produce soil and crop-specific fertilisers to ensure improved yields. Bennett Oghifo reports

E

xperts in agriculture have reached a conclusion that for any farmer to have a decent yield the soil must either be rich naturally or enriched with fertilisers. Soils in Africa, including Nigeria’s are deficient and there are maps from scientific analysis to show the gravity of the deficiency. Nigerian soils, like those of other African countries, are deficient in the main elements such as nitrogen, phosphorous, among others.

Providing farmers with fertiliser is a challenge that Morocco’s OCP Group is meeting head-on, as it enters into partnership with government and private companies in Nigeria. OCP is the largest phosphate producer in the world and a leading global fertiliser player, backed by almost a century of production history. OCP has exclusive access to the world’s largest phosphate rock reserve base, which it converts into a range of products. It is one of the lowest cost producers of phosphate rock in the industry and has become a leading player in production and trade volumes across the phosphate value chain. OCP, which opened its huge mines, modern processing plant and export facilities to the media across Africa, employs approximately 21,000 people and contributes to regional development through its mining and fertiliser operations, and through its sustainability programme.

OCP’s partnerships in Nigeria and in other countries in Africa are executed by its subsidiary known as OCP Africa, which was created in 2016 to work hand-in-hand with farmers to contribute to unlocking Africa’s vast agricultural potential.

OCP Africa is constructing three ultra-modern Fertiliser Bulk Blending Plants in Nigeria. The multi-million dollar plants, located in Ogun, Kaduna and Enugu States will be equipped with facilities to produce both crops and soil specific fertiliser blends with the possibility of micro nutrients additions. When the three plants are completed in 2019, the plants will add a total of 470,000 metric tonnes per annum of blended fertilisers to the Nigerian agricultural industry to support the developmental initiatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the sector.

As part of its expansion projects, the company also has plans to add three more Bulk Blending plants to the industry in the year 2023 to ensure that Nigeria has the local capacities to meet her growing fertiliser needs.

OCP Africa, in partnership with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), is constructing a multi-billion Dollar industrial plant for the production of Ammonia from the readily available natural gas in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. When this plant is ready, it will provide ammonia requirements for the NPK granulation needs of the agricultural industry in Nigeria.

OCP Africa using its OCP School Lab project’s platform has deployed four state-of-the-art mobile laboratory technologies in the states of Kaduna, Katsina, Kano and

OCP processing plant

Bauchi. With this project, OCP Africa will reach out to 70,000 small holder farmers in 2019 teaching them on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in 467 farming communities spread over the remote locations in the states. In addition to GAP training, OCP Africa will carry out 21,000 soil analyses and make reports available to the farmers on live basis. The farmers will also get professional advice on the best suited inputs for their soil types and targeted crops.

In 2017, OCP Africa trained 10,826 small holder farmers in 12 local governments of Kaduna State performing 2,130

soil analyses with reports given to farmers to guide them for the 2018 rain-fed season. OCP Africa has plans to cover all the states in Nigeria over the next few years so as to make this soil testing facilities available to all Smallholder farmers in almost all states of the country. The reports of the analyses gathered over a period of time will be used to develop the fertility maps for Nigeria which will be a very useful tool to guide fertiliser blending in Nigeria. This in turn will pave the way for our farmers to increase their productivity and thus make farming sustainable in Nigeria.

Lifemate Gives 50% Discount on Products at Abeokuta Fair Bennett Oghifo

L

ifemate, a household marketing company, has cut in half the price of its products at the ongoing Trade Fair in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In addition to this is a special prize the company is giving to prospec-

tive buyers of its products during the upcoming Eid El Mubarak.

The company, which moves its business round major Nigerian cities for trade exhibitions, is in Abeokuta where its tagline is “2018 Lifemate Abeokuta Trade Fair”. The Abeokuta exhibition took off this week on 17th August and

will run till 31st of August. “As usual, as with trade exhibitions, all products on display come with 50% discount during the fair,” said Dereek Dai, the Managing Director of Lifemate Nigeria Limited.

“Lifemate continues to link businesses in Nigeria and provide supports for businesses in in urban centers.”

R-L: Regional Manager, Ceasar Cong; Sanitary wares Manager, Bill Nie; Deputy Sales Manager, Kelvin Zhao; and Sales Manager, Bingo Guild, all of Lifemate

Lifemate Nigeria Limited is committed to setting the pace in the economic and social development for other companies to follow in Nigeria to follow.

Dereek Dai said this in Lagos while unveiling series of exciting packages to celebrate Eid El Mubarak, adding that the company in its commitment to unemployment reduction, currently had over three thousand employees on its payroll.

“In the last 18 years the company since its entry into the Nigerian market has not looked back in the development and manufacture of high quality home, office and outdoor furniture; sanitary wares; kitchen cabinets, massage chairs and other interior décor materials,” he said.

The Ileya promo from the stable of the company currently promises to give out big ram to customers that purchase furniture worth N2 million, while customers that purchase products worth N1 million stand to get one bag of rice free.

The 55% discounts on all its products are mouthwatering and careful design to make life better for Nigerians in line with its pay off “Lifemate….. make your life better”.

He said, “Lifemate in line with its policy of easing access to its products has showrooms in Oregun, Lekki and shoprite in Ikeja all in Lagos. Other showrooms are in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Warri.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

51

POLITY

2019 Presidency: Who is this Olawepo-Hashim?

Sufuyan Ojeifo

T

he race for the 2019 presidential election has begun in earnest. In the All Progressives Congress, APC, the candidature of the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, is a fait accompli. Nevertheless, four aspirants, with little or no political weight, want to square up with him at the party’s primary. This will give the process a semblance of egalitarianism.

In the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, no fewer than ten aspirants are in the jostle for the ticket. Unlike the APC, the PDP parades those considered to be formidable politicians judging by their pedigrees and antecedents.

The list of aspirants includes a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; former Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido; former Sokoto state governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; former Kano state governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, former Kaduna state governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; a former member of the Senate, Dr. Datti Ahmed; and, former minister of special duties, Tanimu Turaki, SAN. Others are: outgoing governor of Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwambo; incumbent governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal; a serving senator and former Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso; and, the incumbent senate president, Bukola Saraki.

Apart from Atiku, Lamido and Kwankwaso whose political odysseys date back to the ill-fated Third Republic, the others are creations and products of the politics of the Fourth Republic where the shape, texture and content of politics and politicking are defined by narrow interests, sans philosophical details.

But the politics of the First and the Second Republics was, indeed, robust for its ideological flavours and this had some positive influence on that of the Third Republic that was superintended and tempered by the diarchical regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.

The calibre of candidates for the presidential elections at those intersections was not in doubt. There was intellectual depth and gravitas. And, where intellectual depth was lacking, the candidates made up for it with their political experiences, abilities and dispositions to provide strong leadership.

Presently, the lack of ideological savour and intellectual rigour has largely discounted the majesty of the contestations for presidential power.

The field comprises contenders and pretenders. Pretenders now populate a vast majority of the political party platforms whose agenda is just to appear on the ballot, perhaps for pre and post-election bargains.

However, in contradistinction is the magnitude of the presidential intention of Gbenga OlawepoHashim, on the political platform of a freshly-minted party, Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, whose commitment is grounded on a clear ideological foundation that has its history in the avant-garde politics that was nurtured and tempered in the social milieu of the nation’s tertiary institutions, beginning from the mid-eighties.

That solid political background, coupled with twenty-six years of successful business history especially in the oil sector, has not only prepared him for ideological national politics but has also set the tone for his strategic and surefooted quest for the nation’s topmost job. Indeed,

Olawepo

the entirety of his commitment-both ideologically and financially to the burgeoning countrywide movement, defines who he is: a politician with a passion to redirect development nar-

The results of the bye-election will buoy the confidence of the opposition parties in the coming general elections. They can now see that the President and his party are no longer invincible and are beatable with the right candidate, the right strategy and the unity of purpose between the opposition parties

afraid to be unpopular, not afraid to hold a view. A man, who is inner driven, listens to the music of his own universe, listens to the applause of the spirit inside that has etched out a horizon, which he must conquer and moving in that direction; he takes the lead and others follow…. Of such is the stuff of history; of such is the stuff of greatness.”

Olawepo-Hashim’s trajectory in political activism began while at the School of Basic Studies where he was elected as General Secretary of the Anti-Apartheid Association, Youth Solidarity on Southern Africa. In 1988, he was elected one of the leaders of the very active National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS. He was incarcerated under the Detention of Persons Decree 2 of 1984 (as amended in 1989) for his leadership role in the 1989 anti-Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, protests and his pro-democracy activities. He was consequently adopted by the Amnesty International as a Prisoner of Conscience in 1989.

A notable pro-democracy figure in the then Global Pro-Democracy resistance of the late 80s and a respected youth leadership voice from Africa, Olawepo-Hashim played a prominent role in the 13th International Festival of Youths and Students in 1989 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

In 1990, he became the national administrative secretary of the National Consultative Forum led by the indefatigable patriot and democrat extraordinaire, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Alao Aka Bashorun. The group had in its fold the technocratic group led by Alhaji Damshida, Chief Tayo Akpata and Chief Phillip Asiodu, among others.

It also had a political group led by former Zikist activists such as Chief rative through provision of transformational leadership and inspiration of Kola Balogun, Chief RBK Okafor, Senator Mahmud Waziri and Alhaji a national rebirth.

Significantly, he pursues his mission Tanko Yakassai. The group was the first to canvass the imperative of and vision on the basis of those essential principles. In showing fidelity power devolution and the convocation of national conference as a to principles, he does not care if he stands alone in the process. Olawepo- programme of democratisation of Hashim has consistently spoken truth Nigeria under military rule.

Olawepo-Hashim, a graduate to power even in situations where he of Mass Communication from the was an insider. Having won election as deputy national publicity secretary University of Lagos and Masters Degree holder in Global Affairs of the PDP in 1999, he led a protest within the party for the entrenchment from the University of Buckingham, of internal democracy and due process United Kingdom, received mentoring into partisan politics under the when the leadership set out to illegally extend its two-year tenure other progressive leadership of the late Chief Solomon Lar and the late Alhaji than by constitutional means.

Whereas, Olawepo-Hashim stood to Abubakar Rimi; and, worked actively in the years of the G-34 initiative at benefit from the process; he opposed it on the ground of its unconstitution- the group’s secretariat where he was ality. The PDP, with Barnabas Gemade in charge of publicity.

Following Obasanjo’e election as as national chair, consequently president in 1999, he had, in the interexpelled him along with some foundvening transitional period, served as ing leaders like the late Chief S.B. member/secretary, Youth and Women Awoniyi, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, the late Development sub-committee of the General T.Y. Danjuma-led Policy Professor Emmanuel Osammor and Advisory Committee with the late Chief Don Etiebet who had, before Hajia Laila Dogonyaro as chair of the his internal dissension, protested sub-committee. In 2003, Olawepothe flawed national convention that Hashim was appointed as a member produced Gemade as national chair. of the Political Advisory Committee Not many politicians can sacrifice to the President (in the office of the their comfort zones on the basis of Political Adviser). some principles in political environToday, Olawepo-Hashim, born of ments where morality has no footing. a Yoruba mother and a Hausa father But, then, Olawepo-Hashim’s life from Kebbi, has launched an audatypifies the struggle, always ready to cious presidential enterprise on the put his life in harm’s way for protecANN platform with which, together tion and advancement of his political with Nigerians of like-minds, he beliefs. Indeed, he has been an inner wants to galvanise national opposidriven person as once attested to by tional momentum against the APC former minister of foreign affairs, the and the PDP that had both failed, late Chief Ojo Madueke. according to him, to provide good In 2005, Madueke said at a reception: “The lives of people like Gbenga governance.

––Ojeifo, an Abuja-based jourshould inspire us to speak well of nalist, writes via ojwonderngr@ ourselves. Gbenga is an inner driven yahoo.com person, not afraid to stand alone, not

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ AUGUST 18, 2018

POLITY

LASG Arraigns 50 for Arson, Demolishes Illegal Structures Benneth Oghifo

T

he Lagos State Government during the week arraigned 50 suspects before Chief Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi of Court 4, Ikeja Magisterial District over an attack on officials of the State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the vandalism of their equipment (caterpillar) at Idansan Village in Ibeju, Lekki.

The 50 accused persons, including four girls, who were arraigned on the orders of the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Edgal Imohimi, the Chairman of the State Task Force, Mr. Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said, were apprehended for allegedly attacking the LASBCA officials

violently and vandalizing and setting on fire their working equipment, including caterpillar while carrying out the demolition of structures illegally erected on an acquired land in the area.

The LASBCA officials, according to the task force Chairman, were allegedly attacked with stones, Iron-rods, broken bottles and burnt tyres before a distressed call got to his men, who promptly moved in to rescue the embattled building control agency officials from their assailants.

Investigations, Egbeyemi said, have shown that the owners/occupiers of the shanties before the demolition exercise were served necessary notices and given several months to evacuate all their belongings from the government approved land for the ongoing ‘Dangote Refinery’ project around the area but they chose to attack not only the government officials, who were there to demolish the

structures and evict them, but to destroy the caterpillar and other equipment worth millions of Naira deployed for the purpose by dousing them with petrol and setting them on fire.

Following this barbaric act of the suspects, the CSP said the State CP has directed that henceforth anyone found to be involved in the vandalism of government property should be promptly arrested and prosecuted, stating that Imohimi would want members of the public to always ensure that public property, including iron-mesh used for road demarcation on the expressways are protected, warning that anyone caught vandalizing or destroying such government would be severely dealt with according to the law.

One of the accused, Henry Agbor, 45years of age, an indigene of Abia State, appealed to the State Government to tamper justice with mercy, confessing that they were mobilised

and handed different weapons by the owners of the illegal shanties to resist the demolition exercise by attacking the officials, swearing not to ever “attack any government official or destroy public property again in my life, if I am pardoned by government and set free.”

All the 50 accused were arraigned on a four-count charge of ‘Arson under Section 341 (c)’, ‘Conspiracy under Section 411’, ‘Conduct likely to cause breach of peace under Section 168 (1) (d)’ and ‘Unlawful obstruction under section 117 (1) & (2) of the Lagos Law of Lagos State 2015.

Chief Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi on application remanded all 50 of them in prison and immediately referred the case file to the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice as ‘Arson’, one of the charges levied against them, carries a sentence of ‘Life Imprisonment.

INEC’s N189bn Request Threatened As NASS Committee Adjourns Indefinitely “If this is to be done, the N45.6billion the President in his letter proposed to be provided for in the 2019 budget, would also have to be vired along with the N143billion from the N578billion fund appropriated for in the 2018 budget by the National Assembly for the additional 1,403 projects included in the budget.”

But when taken up by the committee members on whether he has authorisation over the submission he made for the approval of the N189 billion as against N143 billion requested for by the President for INEC this year, the Minister said: “Discretion on which of the requests to be approved by you now, is yours. If you approve the N143 billion the President requested for, it is okay and if you approve the entire N189 billion for INEC this year, it is also alright.

“Any of the two is okay for the executive, except that if you approve the N189 billion through virement, the N45.6 billion planned to be captured in the 2019 budget, would no longer be part of the budget estimates for that year”.

Responding, the Committee Chairman, Suleiman Nazif said that the essence of inviting the Budget Minister, the Presidential liaison officer in the National Assembly, Senator Ita Enang along with INEC officials was for Nigerians to see that the committee’s work is transparent, nationalistic and not in any way partisan.

He declared:”We are not here to play politics with the 2019 election budget. No confusion, no ambiguity on submissions and request made and before us.

“It is our prerogative as a committee to critically look into all the details and recommend either of the two requests for approval by the committee of both chambers.”

At this point, Senator Nazif announced the adjournment of the joint committee meeting sine die .

Meanwhile, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, disclosed in Abuja yesterday that Nigeria’s registered voters are now 82 million.

Yakubu who made this disclosure while answering questions from journalists in the Presidential Villa, said that the number of registered voters rose to 82 million on August 11, from the hitherto record of 70 million.

According to him, the recent figure showed that additional 12.1 million voters were registered between April 27, 2017 and August 11, 2018 as part of the continuous registration exercise, adding that following constant appeal from Nigerians, further registration will continuetill August 31.

Yakubu said the registration exercise was extended to August 31, bearing in mind that the extant law gives room for voters’ registration up to six months to the general election.

Continued from Page 6

The INEC boss, who said the registration exercise would take place every day including weekends, disclosed that only public holidays would be excluded. However, he added that whereas registration would formally end on August 31, collection of permanent voter cards would continue until one week to the general election..

Furthermore, he disclosed that the N189.2 billion submitted by the executive to the National Assembly for the conduct of the 2019 elections was in accordance with the request of INEC. He also dismissed insinuations that the 2019 elections might be postponed, saying there is no condition whatsoever under which Nigerians elections could be postponed.

He said: “Well, we have made the clarification that the National Assembly asked for and I am happy that the National Assembly and the two committees on INEC expressed satisfication on the clarification that we made for the matter of appropriation.

“So, we look forward to hearing what the National Assembly will say. But we also need to make this very important clarification. The commission requested for N189.2 billion. That is what the executive proposed to the National Assembly. There are no discrepancies in the figures at all.”

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Architect Tosin Oshinowo; Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Office of the Senate President, Mr. Bankole Omishore; and the Managing Director/CEO, Sujimoto Construction, Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, at the #Sujimoto I day Internship programme held at Banana Island, Lagos...yesterday

L-R: Specialised Nutrition Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mrs. Zatur Hassim; National President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Dr. Bartholomew Brai; Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Mrs. Yetunde Adefolahan Odejayi; Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Mrs. Ore Famurewa; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye, at the Peak456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong Pre-School programme launch in Lagos...recently

L-R: Acting Brand Manager, Darling Nigeria, Priye Aya; Regional Sales Manager, Prince Osakwe; Digital Marketing Manager, Godrej Nigeria, Efe Ohworakpo; and New Product Development Stylist, Ekemini Udoh, at the Darling Nigeria street catwalk in Lekki, Lagos...yesterday PHOTO:ETOP UKUTT

L-R: Chairman, Prison Fellowship Ogun State Chapter, Pastor (Dr.) Elege Odigwe Emmanuel; Senior Pastor Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; HOD Prison Ministry Trinity House, Deaconess Toyin Sanni; Chairman, PFN Lagos State chapter, Pastor Olawepo John Bola; and Church Administrator Trinity House, Pastor Niyi Famuyide, during the visit of Trinity House to minister to inmates of Abeokuta Prison in Ogun State...recently

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

NEWSXTRA

Oshiomhole Has Rescued APC from Imminent Collapse, Says Group Benjamin Nworie ÓØ ÌËÕËÖÓÕÓ

YOU’RE WELCOME...

L-R: General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Boman Kabuk and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State when the latter welcomed the new GOC at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday

CBN Plans Second Auction of Chinese Yuan after Currency Swap Deal Chika Amanze-Nwachuku áÓÞÒ ËÑÏØÍã ÜÏÚÙÜÞ

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed banks to submit bids for the Chinese yuan, in its second auction of the currency after a currency swap agreement with the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), Reuters quoted traders to have said yesterday.

The CBN in May signed a $2.5 billion three-year bilateral currency swap agreement with the PBoC to facilitate trade between the two countries.

It is expected that the currency swap deal will reduce pressure on the naira-dollar exchange rate

by weaning Nigerian importers off the dollar.

The apex bank sold 69.86 million yuan ($10.16 million) in its first auction of the Chinese currency at a range of N49-N51.

Bids at the auction must be backed by customer invoices, with the exchange rate determined via a book building process, the newswire reported.

The CBN in a recent circular stated that for an authorised bank to access the bi-weekly auction of the Chinese currency, such dealers “shall open Renminbi accounts with a correspondent bank and advise it (CBN) with its Renminbi

account details which may either be with a bank onshore or offshore China”.

It also directed importers intending to import from China to obtain proforma invoices denominated in Renminbi as part of the documents required for the registration of ‘Form M’.

The CBN also said that forex purchased in the window would not be used for payments on transactions in which the beneficiaries are not in China, adding that authorised dealers shall not open domiciliary accounts dominated in Renminbi for customers.

“For the purpose of this

regulation, authorised dealers shall be deposit money banks and merchant banks”, the apex regulator said.

Announcing the commencement of the sale of foreign exchange in Chinese Yuan last month, CBN spokesperson, Isaac Okorafor, said that the sale shall be through a combination of spot and short-tenored requests.

The Special Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) retail, according to Okorafor would be dedicated to the payment of Renminbi denominated Letters of Credit (LCs) for raw materials and machinery and agriculture only.

Online Medium Publisher Obi: Building Better Nigeria Sowore Emerges AAC Chairman Requires All Efforts Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË

The publisher of one of the online media platforms, and a presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore has emerged the proteme national chairman of the newly registered, African Action Congress (AAC).

AAC, which was among the 23 new political parties unveiled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), formally opened its doors for business on Wednesday in Abuja.

Addressing party faithful, Sowore said the party was coming with a unique ideology that was a clear departure from what other parties had to offer.

Speaking on the evolution of AAC, the presidential aspirant said: “First, we started this as a movement and it has distinguished itself in the last six months as a movement that is driven by a strong vision to change Nigeria for the better.”

He said that new party had been able to distinguish itself within a short period of its existence.

Sowore whose party drew a large chunk of its members from the youths constituency, assured that its activities and work plan would be tailored to satisfy the yearnings of this critical segment of the society.

“With today’s declaration, Nigerians and indeed the world has been served a notice that a different political party is born with unique orientation. We are different by energy, we are different by capacity and even by our patriotism,” he said.

When asked to comment on the ongoing controversy over the signing of the amended Electoral Act and the issue of the supplementary budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Sowore said the party may be forced to mobilise Nigerians to confront those seeking to sabotage the 2019 general elections if need be.

The former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that building a better Nigeria required all hands to be on deck.

Obi was spoke yesterday at Cyprian Ekwensi Arts and Cultural Centre, Area 10, Abuja, during the 40th anniversary of the Radio, Television, and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU).

Obi, who decried what is going on in Nigeria today, especially what he called too much concentration on re-election than normal, quality governance, said such things, as manifested in careless acts and divisive statements, portrayed Nigerian leaders as more interested in acting Nollywood when the concentration would have been how to grow the economy and stop too much shedding of blood in the country.

Insisting that Nigerian followers also share in the blame for bad governance, he said that rather than question the leaders and what they do, the followers were more interested in what would be of benefit to them than the country.

For Nigeria to build a better country, Obi said they must start as St. Theresa of the Child

Jesus said, by doing little things well. Using his experience as an example, he said: “Even this morning, when I came in here, I requested to use the restroom and was asked to wait for the key to use the VIP section. I insisted I would use the popular section.

When I entered, I realised why they did not want me to use that one. It is bad for our country to be said that facilities work only in VIP sections, we must strive to do a lot of repairs in this country.”

Decrying what he called “insane complacency” among Nigerians, he said the time Trade Unions only sought the interest of their members were gone, that they should start seeking the interest of the country by asking relevant questions and raising objections.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and the former Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Chairman, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa, called on the media to use journalism as an instrument of development by centering their practices around the people than governments.

A group, Buhari/Osibanjo Initiatives for Demonstrating Change in Nigeria has expressed satisfaction with the leadership ingenuity of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole describing him as God-sent to rescue the party from collapse for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Chinedu Ogah noted that the National Working Committee of the party under the chairmanship of the former Edo State governor had brought sanity and rule of law to the party.

He commended Oshiomhole for redeeming that image of APC which the group noted was in the precipice of destruction under the past leadership.

Ogah stressed that the open direct primaries proposed by the national chairman was apt, as it would bring power back to the people for the advancement of democracy both in the party and in the country.

“I am particularly enthused

with the leadership prowess of the national chairman of our party, Adams Oshiomhole. He has displayed enough expertise in party politics and that is why APC is gradually redeeming its image.

“He is a God-sent to APC to rescue it from collapse and destruction. We are proud of him.

The open direct primaries which he is proposing will certainly distinguish our party as the most democratic party in the country, where power rests on the people.

“His ability to unite most of the members of the party in the National Assembly shows that the fortunes of the party is bright in the face of present challenges,” Ogah said.

He called on members of the party to support Oshiomhole in his efforts to rebuild APC, assuring that all the skirmishes and internal wrangling which made some people defect to other political parties were being sorted out.

The group further enjoined other members of APC in the country to add voices on the agitation for the resignation of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki from the position.

NGO Hosts Medical Outreach On Heartrelated Deaths In furtherance of the World Health Organisation (WHO) quest to reduce incidence of heart-related deaths, a non-governmental organisation, the Joe Nwiloh Heart Foundation has hosted a medical outreach programme aimed at impacting the knowledge of how to perform cardiovascular resuscitation (CRP) victims of cardiac arrest.

According to WHO, heart disease was the number one cause of death in the world and the second highest cause of death in Africa.

The outreach programme held at the Igbobi College was targeted at secondary school students, parents and medical personnel of secondary schools. It had in attendance participants from the host college, Igbobi College Yaba; Methodist Girls High School, (MGHS) Lagos, CMS Grammar School Bariga, all in Lagos among others.

Highlights of the one-day event included teaching participants how to perform cardiovascular resuscitation on victims of heart seizure and failure, how to inculcate habits that prevents heart failure and practical demonstrations of how CRP is performed. Certificates of participation were also awarded to part awarded to participants and partners of the organisation. Participants including students, parents, teaching and medical staff of participating schools also took turn to practice how to perform CRP. Speaking with news men during the programme, initiator of the foundation, Dr. Joe Nwiloh, explained that students were targeted because it believes everybody needed the understanding of how to save the lives of family members and strangers alike when they suffer heart seizure adding that, it is imperative to teach the next generation on how to carry out chest compression in alignment with the American Heart Foundation guidelines that no student should graduate from high school without knowing how to perform resuscitation.

He stressed that teaching secondary school students how to perform CRP through chest compression is a worthy investment in the quest to reduce incidents of death arising from cardiac arrest.

“According to the World Health Organisation, heart disease is the second leading cause of deaths in Africa and number one in the world, most of the heart attacks happened outside of the hospital settings, they happen at homes, religious places, in our community; so we believe training students in high school is training the next generations of our life savers starts in the schools and this is in alignment with the American Heart Association guidelines that no student should graduate from high school without knowing how to do cardiovascular resuscitation because cardiac arrest can happen at any place and at any time “We are appealing to corporations with Corporate Social Responsibilities and individuals as well to all contribute and help be our neighbours keeper, as you know about 70 per cent of Africans live below the poverty level, less than a dollar and 25 cents a day according to the World Bank, and these are the bulk of people who live with the ravages of both co-genitors and acquired hearts diseases and without any help any of them do not survive past childhood and adolescence, so we think there is need to help these people; being poor should not life to the fullest like the rest of us,” he stated.

The Joe Nwiloh Heart Foundation was established over 15 years ago and with support from partner organisations and individuals, has over the years funded open heart surgeries for indigent members of the society. Besides surgeries, it has also severally engaged in outreach programmes aimed at helping to reduce the wide disparity gap to technologically advanced treatments of heart disease in sub-Saharan Africa compared to the rest of the developed and developing world.

55

AUGUST 18, 2018 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

SPORTSXTRA

Gianni Infantino and Amaju Pinnick

Kelvin de Bruyne… Down and out

FIFA Rejects Talks with Nigeria as Giwa Stands Firm FIFA has rejected a proposed meeting with Nigeria’s Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Solomon Dalung, to discuss problems in the country's football federation (NFF).

It denied the request saying its "leadership, in fact, the FIFA president is indisposed during the proposed period."

Football's world governing body has given Nigeria until 20th August for Chris Giwa to vacate the NFF offices.

Giwa, however, is showing no signs giving up on his claims to be president.

His lawyer Ardzard Habilla insists FIFA cannot ban Nigeria as it needs to be sorted out internally by the country's

judiciary.

Habilla told journalists that the threat by FIFA was a calculated attempt to subvert the constitution of the country and an act of neo-colonialism.

"Do we take it that FIFA laws are superior to the judgment of the highest court in our land - the Supreme Court, and has FIFA elevated itself before the constitution of Nigeria?

"When we went to Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), it said that the issue before it is not the validity of the election and that it is the domestic law of Nigeria that should determine the validity of an election or elections.

"FIFA is bound by the deci-

sion of CAS and that is why the Giwa-led board went to court to determine the validity of those elections.”

A recent court case recognised Giwa, who is currently serving five-year ban by FIFA as the NFF president.

Giwa has been protesting the result of elections held in September 2014 that saw Pinnick installed as NFF president.

FIFA also pointed out that Giwa was part of the proposed delegation and that he is serving a "five-year ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity."

The letter from FIFA also reiterated that in "the event the NFF offices are not handed

back to the legitimate NFF Executive Committee under President Amaju Pinnick by Monday, August 20, the NFF will be suspended with immediate effect for contravening binding obligations of the FIFA Statutes.

"The suspension would be lifted only once the NFF, under President Amaju Melvin Pinnick and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, confirms that they are given back effective control of the NFF and its offices."

A ban from global football could see Nigeria being unable to play their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Seychelles the weekend of the 8th September.

Cape Verde Beat Nigeria in FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2018 Opener In the women’s category, Reigning champions, the Islanders of Nigeria lost 2-0 to hard fighting Cape Verde on Day 1 of the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup Benin Qualifier in a close game that saw the Islanders winning by 17-15, and went on to hold Burkina Faso to the ground by 12-10 all in Pool B. Nigeria Captain, Abdul Yahaya who blamed lack of concentration for the loss to Cape Verde said he was

sure that qualification is still within the reach of his team.

"The loss was unfortunate for us as a team. We don’t have any excuse to have let Cape Verde win that game but that notwithstanding, I want to assure our fans that we’ll give our best to qualify for the Final Round in Togo and go ahead to defend our title."

Host Benin put up a good showing posting two wins

out of two games in themen's category. They defeated Niger 21-13 and 17-8 against Burkina Faso.

In Pool A, Cote d’Ivoire are holding sway with two victories over Mauritania 18-13 and Gambia 17-12 respectively while Mauritania took over Mali 19-15. Mali and Gambia have a win each save for Ghana that have lost all two games on the opening day.

Cote d’Ivoire leads in Pool A with two wins in as many games 21-16 over Benin and 14-4 over Ghana.

In Pool B which features Nigeria who clinched a Second Place finish at the inaugural edition in Togo 2017, there is also Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Niger, the battle is still on as all three teams have played just a game each save for Niger that lost two straight games.

Kevin de Bruyne Out for Three Months Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will be out for three months because of a knee injury.

The Belgium international, a second-half substitute in Sunday's 2-0 victory over Arsenal, suffered the injury in training on Wednesday.

City say De Bruyne, 27, has a lateral collateral ligament

lesion in his right knee but does not need surgery.

He missed 12 games in 2016 after injuring the same knee during an EFL Cup semi-final victory over Everton.

De Bruyne was City's player of the season last term, scoring 12 goals and providing 21 assists as his side won the Premier League

and EFL Cup. He helped Belgium finish third at the World Cup in July, the country's best-ever finish at the tournament.

"He will be a big miss," said City boss Pep Guardiola, who advised the player to "take the holiday he didn't get this summer."

"It is not easy to replace

Kevin," he said. "We are going to try and do our best without him and try to be there by the time he returns."

De Bruyne is likely to miss league games against Liverpool (7 October), Tottenham (28 October) and Manchester United (11 November), and the opening Champions League group games.

Chukwu Says Moses is Not Indispensable Former Nigerian national team coach Christian Chukwu believes Victor Moses is replaceable after the forward retired from international duty.

Sighting family and club commitment, the Chelsea winger on Wednesdayannounced his sudden retirement from the national team after six years with the Super Eagles.

Moses who scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for the three-times African champions won the 2013 African Cup of Nations – a trophy that eluded Nigeria for 19 years - and featured in two World Cup tournaments.

The 67-year-old, while reacting to the decision of the former Wigan Athletic player wishes him all the best and is optimistic that the Super Eagles will find a replacement for the winger.

“He has made his decision and there is nothing we can do. We wish him good luck and all the best,” Chukwu told Goal.com.

“We will miss him but we have to understand that he has made his decision. He is a man and we can’t force him to do what his mind does not want to do.

“I believe he is replaceable. If we don’t have someone immediately in the present Super Eagles, we will look for with time, with more opportunity to others.

Meanwhile, Moses’ former international teammate,Ahmed Musa has said that the Chelsea of England wing-back will always be remembered.

In his reaction, the new Al Nassr player is delighted to have played along the former Liverpool man and wish him well in his future endeavour.

“It was a pleasure to play alongside such a great player,” Musa tweeted.

“You have served your nation well and will always be remembered. Good luck in all you do Victor Moses.”

Nigeria will continue their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Seychelles without the influential winger on September 8.

Madrid Report Inter to FIFA over Modric Real Madrid have reported Inter Milan to FIFA over an alleged illegal approach for midfielder Luka Modric.

The 32-year-old Croat, who captained his country to the World Cup final and was named player of the tournament, has been linked with a move to Serie A. Real president Florentino Perez said earlier this month the only way Modric would leave was if his 750 million Euro (£671m) release clause was met.

The Spanish giants sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus for £99.2m.

The transfer window in Italy closes on Friday at 19:00 BST. Modric joined Real from Tottenham in 2012 and has won La Liga once and the Champions League four times.

Inter are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2011-12.

54

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͹΀˜ ͺ͸͹΀

NEWSXTRA

Fayose, Fayemi Mourn as Slain Bunmi Ojo Is Buried in Ekiti Victor Ogunje ÓØ ÎÙ ÕÓÞÓ

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE...

L-R: Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); CEO, Phika Nigeria Limited, Mr. Philip Kola Abumere; and CEO, DHB Construction Limited, Mr. Hakeem Alobo-Bakare, during an interactive session on the journey so far and score card of the present administration with the formost social clubs by the minister, at Lagos City Hall...yesterday

Rivers Bye-election: Wike Tasks INEC, Police on Peaceful Election Ernest Chinwo ÓØ ÙÜÞ ËÜÍÙßÜÞ

As people and residents of Port Harcourt State Constituency III go to poll today in a bye-election to fill the vacant seat in the State House of Assembly, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alerted the public on plots by some “failed politicians” to import political thugs and cultists to negatively influence the outcome of the election.

He urged leaders of political parties and their candidates to advise their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully during and after the election as the election is not a do-or-die affair.

In a state broadcast yesterday, Wike declared that all those plotting to use political thugs and cultists would be tracked down and made to face the full weight of govern-

ment and extant laws.

He said: “Furthermore, we have it on good authority that some failed politicians are planning to use cultists and political thugs to intimidate voters and attempt to disrupt the voting process.

“I wish to reiterate that the Rivers State Government will not close its eyes to such thoughtless acts by any person or group of persons to deny our people their God-given right to freely and fairly elect their leaders. We shall not hesitate to apply the full weight and force of government and the law on any delinquent.

“We therefore advise all those who have no business with the election process to, in their own interest, keep their distance from the constituency during the duration of the bye-election.”

To ensure that the Port Harcourt State Constituency III bye-election is conducted under a peaceful atmosphere devoid of rancour, Wike announced restriction of movement across the constituency between 7a.m. and 7p.m.

Wike said: “The Rivers State Government has put adequate measures to ensure that the byeelection is highly successful and the outcome generally acceptable.

“Part of such measures include the restriction of vehicular movements in the entire length and breadth of Port Harcourt Constituency III as well as the closure of the following roads and routes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday 18th August, 2018.”

He urged the people and residents to turn out en masse to vote and defend their votes. He appealed to youths, elders and women to troop

out to vote a candidate who will work towards the advancement of good governance in the state.

The governor also said INEC and the relevant security agencies had pledged to conduct credible election under the right atmosphere. He said though the people expected nothing less, constituents must remain vigilant.

“The people of Rivers State expect and demand nothing less.

Consequently, we take INEC and the security agencies at their words and expect them to deliver a bye-election in the affected constituency devoid of any electoral malfeasance,” he said.

The Port Harcourt State Constituency III seat became vacant following the resignation of Hon. Victor Ihunwo who has since been elected as the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council.

As slain chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ekiti State, Mr. Bunmi Ojo, who was gunned down a week ago was buried yesterday, a Cleric at the Methodist Church, Ido Ekiti, Rev. Olanrewaju Komolafe has flayed incessant killings in the country, saying no effort should be spared to stem the ugly tide.

Delivering a sermon at the funeral service held in Ojo’s honour, the clergy described death as an inevitable occurrence, which would surely come to every human being.

Ojo was a former personal Assistant to ex-governor Segun Oni and was a Commissioner on the board of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) before he was shot by unknown gunmen in Ado Ekiti.

Komolafe who also said there was time for everything under

Ugwuanyi to Complete Enugu Int’l Conference Centre Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has directed the state’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to “immediately” commence the evaluation of outstanding builders works and other contractual requirements for the completion of the Enugu International Conference Centre.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting of the State Executive Council, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Greg Nnaji, who described the centre as “a legacy project,”disclosed that Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration was desirous to put in place mechanism to complete the edifice in view of its inherent socio-economic benefits to the people of the state.

Also at the briefing, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Rita Mbah, informed newsmen that the state government had taken full possession of the Hotel Presidential, Enugu, and consequently “approved the immediate renovation of the

Rivers, Davido Partner to Groom WIMBIZ to Celebrate African Woman in Business, State-based Musicians Management Ernest Chinwo ÓØ ÙÜÞ ËÜÍÙßÜÞ

Mega-Star Musician, David Adeleke, popularly called Davido has announced his resolve to partner with the Rivers State Government to develop music talents in the state.

He lauded Governor Nyesom Wike for being one of the best performing governors in the current dispensation, saying that his visit exposed him to several developmental projects of the governor.

Davido, who spoke during a visit to Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday, stated that Davido Music Worldwide had identified young musicians in the state whom he would promote.

He stated that his goal was grow international music stars outside Lagos and empower more youths through music.

He announced that his organisation would organise a major music concert in Port in December where local and international music stars would participate.

The Mega-Star Musician condoled with the Rivers State

Governor on the death of the Attorney General of Rivers State, Hon. Emmanuel Aguma. He prayed God to grant him the strength to bear the loss.

Responding, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, assured Davido that the Rivers State Government would partner with him to groom young musicians in the state.

“We are committed to youth empowerment.

Supporting musicians to grow is one of such avenues. Therefore, we will partner with you to grow Rivers-based musicians,” he said.

Wike commended Davido for collaborating with Rivers-born international musician, Duncan Mighty.

The governor added that the State Government would work with Davido to ensure that his Port Harcourt Music Concert slated for December is successful.

“Let me thank you for growing local talents in music. We will partner with you for the December Music Concert. We are particularly happy with the collaboration with our Super-Star Musician, Duncan Mighty,” Wike said.

Bennett Oghifo

Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a non-governmental organisation, will celebrate the prowess of the African woman in business and management at its 17th Annual Conference.

The Annual Conference is WIMBIZ’s flagship event which holds in November of every year and is attended by over 1,500 women from all over the world to discuss a broad range of issues centred on a cutting-edge theme that is topical and relevant to women in the business, corporate, public and development sectors.

The 17th Annual Conference taking place on November 1st and 2nd at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos themed, ‘Unstoppable You! Reinvent and Reinvigorate’, “will once again focus on the African woman in business and management and how she can thrive in today’s world, building a sustainable legacy by staying abreast with global trends, adapting and readapting for challenges ahead,” said a statement by officials of WIMBIZ in a statement.

“As the theme implies,

relevance and fulfilment for today’s working woman is greatly hinged on her ability to effectively balance every aspect

earth, said the late Ojo, though died when least expected, had fulfilled the purpose of life.

He charged families, relatives, political parties and acquaintances present at the event to live a life worthy of emulation just like the late Ojo did, stressing that that death had no regard for anyone or social status, and could come in any form.

“Nigerians should eschew shedding of blood either for position or to settle any score, because nobody can kill and go scot free, but if you do, your day of reckoning is on the way,” he admonished Scores of residents, including people of different political persuasions from all parts of the country thronged the Methodist Church, Ido Ekiti venue of the funeral service that was also attended by his political mentor, Chief Segun Oni and the Governor-Elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

of her life while enjoying the support of her family, peers and society in achieving her dreams.

recreation section” of the hotel, following the recent striking out of the court case against the government by an interested party.

Hon.Mbahexplainedthattherenovation exercisewouldbecarriedout“inthepremier garden, the swimming pool arena, wedding arena and the four tennis courts, among others, stressing that the present administration “is really poised to make sure that the hotel is brought back to a functional state.”

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as MISS OLUWABUKOLA AYOOLA OLAAYO AYODELE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLUBUKOLA ENO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as ISAAC SUNDAY, now wish to be known and addressed as LAWSON ENO OKON. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as FOLASHADE CHRISTINE ODETUNDE, now wish to be known and addressed as FOLASHADE AYINKE ODETUNDE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ETIDO CLETUS ENIEKA, now wish to be known and CLETUS addressed as STEPHEN AKPAN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and AREMU addressed as MARY OLUWAFUNKE, now wish to be known and addressed as IBITOYE MARY OLUWAFUNKE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UKATU NGOZI CHIZOBA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AGHACHI NGOZI CHIZOBA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed D/^^ W D > ͳ:Kz as UCHENNA EDOZIEN, now wish to be known and addressed DZ^ W D > ͳ:Kz as UCHENNA DORTIE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

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& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE

BLF to Magu “Magu has clearly taken sides and compromised his office in the discharge of his duty. The EFCC has now become an attack dog of the APC-led government” – Benue Liberation Front (BLF), chastising the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu over the freezing of Benue State bank accounts by the anti-graft agency.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

When Will Governance Resume in Nigeria

F

ellow Nigerians, it is truly tragic that the battle for who controls the commonwealth of Nigeria has brought our dear beloved country to standstill.

It seems no one seems to care about the myriads of gargantuan issues confronting our country. The economy is in tatters. There is mass unemployment and it can only get worse.

Our infrastructure deficit remains hopelessly disgraceful. Security of lives and properties continues to be precarious and dangerous.

The level of disunity within the major tribes and federating units is nearly at the point it was just before the cataclysmic Nigerian Civil War. The quality of education has virtually collapsed to an all-time low. Workers’ salaries are no longer priority. The list of tales of woes is endless and seemingly ad infinitum. The saddest part is there is no visible sense of urgency on the part of our leaders to deal with any of these problems which now appear to be so intractable and obstinate.

I weep literally for my country. Not even a prophet of doom could have foretold this monumental misfortune. Between 2014 and 2015, some of us went on a blistering campaign promising heaven and earth, telling the hapless voters why they should give our candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a chance. We were reasonably convinced that we found in him a true Messiah, a much misunderstood benefactor, the only non-corrupt and incorruptible man in Nigeria, imbued with an integrity that would rub on members of his team, an ascetic disciplinarian. But for the fear of heresy, we would easily have elevated him to the level of a deity. The hagiography was total and absolute.

We were reinforced in our belief that Nigeria was going places because he had chosen as his prospective Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, a cerebral no-nonsense Professor, an internationally acclaimed academic, a man of God, who himself was without blemish in public service and private life and whose good character and integrity was undoubtably undisputed. We believed that waiting in the wings to assist the incoming President in governance were young and experienced technocrats and politicians of the same ilk who would give meaning and purpose to the ‘wise’ choice for “CHANGE” that we had made. And APC had such in abundance.

Nigerians, in our collective wisdom or stupidity, therefore placed their faith in President Buhari and put him back to the presidential palace and thus to a civilian version of the position from where he was sacked unceremoniously in 1985 by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. We were all happy that Nigeria would witness rapid quickfire changes in different facets of our lives. But our hopes soon got dashed as no sooner were they sworn in than members of the ruling party, APC, started their war of attrition and destruction. From the very beginning it was crisis after crisis, not in terms of governance but in terms of sharing of the spoils of war and the vainglorious massaging of apparently ruffled egos and ambitions.

Over three years since then, nothing has changed. Governance has been temporarily halted because of one Senator refusing to allow his party to guillotine or scuttle his personal dream on the one hand and, on the other hand,

Buhari

one individual appearing to believe that his private ambitions are necessarily in concomitance and conformity with the aspirations of the nation or that they are indeed of greater force, in the scheme of things, than the success of the objectives and goals of the nation. I do not want to go into the merits or demerits of the respective arguments or venture to even suggest who is right or wrong. This is because, ultimately, that does not concern the welfare of Nigerians which is what is most paramount at this time. However, I had expected the party to rise above the problem and embrace one another but they have blatantly refused to imbibe and demonstrate a spirit of forgiveness and move on in the interests of the nation.

Nearly four years gone, they are still spitting fire at themselves, promising brimstone, and no one is talking to Nigerians about solving the problems that Nigeria is enmeshed in, the very reason that they were elected to provide answers to. Rather it appears that they have plenty of time in their hands for plotting how to impeach or remove one or two people from the lofty heights that God has placed them. Had such a removal been even possible or feasible, I would have advocated that they should get on with it as quickly as possible so that the act of governance that this Government was elected for would then be allowed to resume. However, it is clear that any attempt at removal of any of the principal actors is doomed to failure because the requisite numbers are simply not there. Obviously, therein lies the frustration and desperation of the principal actors. Rather than recognise this unassailable fact which is palpable to all but not the ‘uninitiated political mind’, both sides are still flexing puny muscles and raving and ranting, all fire and fury but no sound and effect. What a shame, what a calamity.

What makes the situation worse is that those principally concerned, in the executive and the legislature, regularly evince a tendency to be able to close ranks at crucial moments of heightened national tension only for discord to be sown by their respective party chieftains, who are acting like outsiders weeping and wailing louder than the bereaved.

For me, it does not matter who defects to where, and who has a majority in which House of the National Assembly or indeed who presides over which House or the other.

Simply let the law prevail and take its course.

We are near the end of the tenures of both the present executive and the legislature, why can’t they realise this and sheathe their swords and try to make Nigeria work for the few months that remain to the general elections.

This cannot be that hard to achieve. Let the electorate decide as to who they feel is right or wrong in this imbroglio that has now assumed fabled proportions. The Nigerian masses are very comprehending and discerning if allowed to give true vent to their feelings and wishes.

Nobody has the right to ram home his or her choices on the people. The beauty of the democracy is that the people are allowed to make their choices free of intimidation, suppression or oppression. That is the least that both the executive and the legislature can do to assuage the feelings and concerns of battered Nigerians who see very little respite in the horizon.

For now, I see no difference in the ruling party and the opposition. There are no visible policy differences. There are no apparent personality differences. There are no discernible differences in principle. There are no obvious differences in approach to governance as both sides have been characterised by political brigandage, unabashed pillaging and unashamed character flaws. The wave of recent defections which has been dizzying to say the least epitomises the seemingly incurable cancer that has afflicted Nigeria. One does not know what is going on any more. Who is going where and why? The whole debacle has reached farcical and epic dimensions such that there are now double and triple defections and more seem to be on the horizon. We are now in a position where none of the parties know their actual representatives and those that they can count on when the chips are down. A lot of thunderous noises being made, which would have been put to good use to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerian.

What is the way forward? Party politics can be played side by side with politics of national interest. While I recognise that we are now effectively in an election year, it is the politics of national interest that should always dominate at all times. The nation is bigger than any one individual. The gladiators in these battles which are slowly but surely eroding our collective unity and harmony should by now have recognised this. They will some day quit the stage. The nation will remain. Some of them will be remembered for good while others would be remembered for ill. There is the issue of legacy, and if any of the warring actors knows their history, it is that Nigerians can be very forgiving if the right thing is done at the end. It is that spirit that has enabled President Obasanjo, President Buhari and indeed the Senate President, Saraki, to have second chances in their political and national life. They should not forget this, but more importantly, they should not take it for granted.

Nigerians can also be very unforgiving! Ask the dead Abacha (if you are instilled with such extra-terrestrial powers) and the living Babangida.

It is the expectation of the generality of the Nigerian public that their leaders will listen to their plaintive cries as they wallow in the throes of neglect and poverty. Nigerians want their leaders to rise from their petty personal and primordial squabbles and face the huge challenges that threaten their existence and

that of the nation. It is imperative for our leaders to work as one to redeem a country that seems to be hovering on the brink of the abyss. Nigeria will not be the first country where members of opposite parties decide to join together to fight a common cause.

Examples are legion and there is no use in alluding to them here. Even if there were no examples, our own position at this present time is special. These times demand extraordinary determination and sacrifice on the part of our leaders. What makes our situation peculiar is the lack of distinction in principle or policy.

This means there is no reason for our leaders not to work together, particularly as what now needs to be achieved is what all persons who have the well-being of the country and its citizens at heart should strive for.

For a start, the top hierarchy of the National Assembly needs to rethink its decision on going on recess until late September. The Summer recess is a normal practice in most democracies, I agree. However, it is not sacrosanct. Most democracies reconvene where genuine matters of national interest need to be considered. I believe such a situation exists today. There is no justification for personal reasons to be contemplated in, or, indeed, be used to overshadow, the consideration of whether the National Assembly is to reconvene to deal with urgent national issues. I am aware that Committees of the National Assembly are considering different matters already while the Plenary Session remains in recess. This should continue. Similarly, there should be no impediment to any resumption of Plenary sessions placed in the path of the National Assembly by the Executive or any high-ranking Party apparatchik who must have his way by force. The legislature should be allowed to peacefully continue with its constitutional duties without any distraction. The unfortunate incident with the DSS Chief, and the unauthorised storming of the National Assembly by his operatives, must never again be allowed to recur. An emergency resumption of the National Assembly to deal solely with urgent matters can only be for the benefit of Nigerians.

It is paramount for us to get the electoral process right. It is therefore important to properly scrutinise the INEC budget which according to reports contains some scandalous provisions.

It is also important for capital projects to be adequately and timeously funded, so that in those areas where supplementary provision is being made, some of the sufferings of the Nigerian populace can be eased. While there may be some blame in presenting these matters late to the National Assembly, that cannot be the basis for not dealing with them. The country expects and demands it and so they should get what they demand.

In the end, all our politicians claim to serve the people and not themselves. Now is the time to show that this is truly the case. Nigerians and Nigeria should come first. In this season of anomy, our politicians should once more re-educate themselves as to why and who they have been elected to work for. There is only a short time in this administration to change the rhetoric in order to enhance the lives of Nigerians.

It is my hope and prayer that our politicians will see the light and for once act to save our country!

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