FG Seeks $1.3trn Private Sector Funds to Fix Infrastructure Deficit Says chronic poor infrastructure hindering Nigeria’s economic growth Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja, Nume Ekeghe and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos The federal government is banking on the private sector to make up for the $1.3 trillion balance of its infrastructural
deficit under the National Integrated Infrastructure Masterplan. This was disclosed yesterday by the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, when he was addressing the “High
Level Stakeholders Retreat” on Public Private Partnerships in Uyo, Akwa- Ibom State. Mustapha said that shortfall represented 48 percent of the US$3 trillion required to address Nigeria’s On the same day, the
Peter Obi worries about FG’s borrowings
Peoples Democratic Party’s Vice-Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, raised the alarm over increased borrowings by the Buhari administration, stating that N1 trillion out of the N12 trillion borrowed over three years could have
solved majority of the country’s infrastructure problems. The SGF was represented at the Public Private Partnerships retreat by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Mr. Gabriel Aduda.
He identified the country's chronic poor infrastructure as the major constraint to its economic growth and the ease of doing business, stressing that its under-investment in Continued on page 6
Oshiomhole: S’East Can’t Trust PDP Again After 16 Years Betrayal … Page 6 Saturday 12 January, 2019 Vol 23. No 8669
www.thisdaylive.com TR
UT H
& RE A S O
N250
N
Military Recaptures Baga, Buratai Hails Troops for Routing Terrorists Army chief celebrates, urges sustained clearance operations
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, yesterday announced that the military has fully liberated
Baga, in Borno State and the surrounding towns from the grip of terrorists. Buratai, in a statement, hailed the troops fighting insurgents in the North-east for their
gallantry in decimating scores of insurgents in the battle for Baga. The Army Chief praised the troops in Baga for what he described as "an unprecedented
feat" that "gladdened" his heart. He said: "I am very delighted to receive the good news of your triumphant entry, clearing of the strategic town of Baga and neutralising the Boko Haram
terrorists that tested our might some days back. "Your efforts and open display of gallantry, as well as patriotism that brought about this unprecedented
feat, gladdened my heart, all Nigerians and indeed, peace loving people around the world. I am very proud of you all." Continued on page 6
Saraki Raises the Alarm over Attack on Family Quarters in Ilorin IGPafter my life, my family Security agencies giving cover to thugs unleashing violence in Kwara State Police: Saraki’s allegations unfounded Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday raised the alarm that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, is after his life and that of his family, saying Idris should be held responsible if anything happened to him or his family. The Senate President made the allegations at a press conference in Abuja, where he cited an attack on his family quarters and also noted that IGP had posted three different Commissioners of Police to Kwara State in the last six months. But in a swift reaction, the Force Public Relations Officer, Detuty Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood,
described Saraki’s allegations as unfounded. Saraki lamented that the police had continued to show undisguised hostility towards him and his supporters in Kwara State, noting that the latest round of violence in the state was part of efforts to jeopardise and undermine his personal security and that of his immediate and larger family. He said the previous and current Commissioner of Police in the state got strict instructions from the IGP not to relate or engage with him. Saraki stressed that the usual practice was for the Commissioner of Police to personally ensure the security of Continued on page 6
Masked Security Operatives Whisk PDP WOMEN IN ACTION… cross section of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) women, during the party’s National Women Conference in Abuja … Dino Melaye to DSS Clinic …Page 16 Ayesterday
2
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
3
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
4
*(7 ),1$1&,$/ 6833257 )25 6&+22/ )((6 3$<0(17 (QMR\ IDVW DQG HDV\ SD\PHQW RI IHHV WR ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO VFKRROV <RX FDQ DOVR JHW DQ HGXFDWLRQDO ORDQ DQ\WLPH WKH QHHG DULVHV &DOO XV WRGD\ WR JHW VWDUWHG $&&(66$)5,&$ _ 02%,/( %$1.,1* _ 21/,1( %$1.,1* _ 6&+22/ )((6 $'9$1&(
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
5
6
T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž Ëœ ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
PAGE SIX
Oshiomhole: S’East Can’t Trust PDP Again After 16 Years Betrayal Party failed to fix region’s decaying infrastructure
Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia The National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly betraying the Southeast zone in spite of the massive support it enjoyed in the zone for the 16 years it was in power. He said that the former ruling party failed to reciprocate Ndigbo’s support as it did not
fix the decayed infrastructure in the Southeast by the time it was pushed out of power in 2015, saying that the people of Southeast would no longer make the mistake of trusting PDP again. Oshiomhole stated this at the flag off of the APC governorship campaign for the 2019 general election where the party’s flags were presented to the candidates that emerged from a faction of the party, including Mr. Uche
Ogah, whose candidature had been quashed by an Abuja high court. He said that all that the Southeast got from PDP was empty promises that were never fulfilled while the few people that were given appointments did not use their positions for the welfare of the people and only came home to invoke ethnic sentiments at election periods. “The PDP was doing earmark with projects in
Southeast but APC is doing eye work,� he said, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts at rehabilitating abandoned infrastructure in the zone was visible for all to see. Citing the second Niger Bridge which he said PDP government was only content in ground breaking ceremonies without actually embarking on actual construction of the bridge while the existing one was getting weaker and weaker.
The absence of Mr. President took the shine off the rally as the organisers had prior to the event, maintained that he would grace the event, and the party faithful were in high expectation to see him come to Umuahia and address them. Turning to Abia State, the APC national chairman said that the state was ripe for APC takeover due to the abysmal performance of the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. Aside from Oshiomhole
other high ranking leaders of APC came to give support to the party in Abia. They included former Abia governor and minister of science and technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and his labour and employment counterpart, Dr Chris Ngige. In his acceptance speech after receiving the party flag, Ogah promised the people of Abia that within two years, “I will restore what PDP destroyed in 16 years�.
may have planned? Now that full campaign is on, which requires my going round, I want the world to hold him personally responsible if anything happens to me.� Saraki said it was important for Nigerians and members of the international community to note that this police boss does not believe his job is to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious and cultural belief. He emphasised that a situation where political thugs and operatives attack opponents of the All Progressive Congress (APC) under the watch and protection of law enforcement agents does not present Nigeria well in the comity of nations. The police spokesman in his statement last night said that all the Police personnel attached to the person of the Senate President, his office and family were intact and that all the statutory security protection on the person of the Senate
President were also accorded him all the time, “and there was no complaint from the Senate President before now to the Police on this.� DCP Moshood added: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to categorically state that all the allegations in the statement of the Senate President are incorrect, misleading and false and should be disregarded and discountenanced by the general Public. “The Nigeria Police Force did not give any protection to any political thug or shield any APC thug to go to family quarters of the Senate President in Agbaji, Ilorin and vandalize houses, shops and inflict wounds with machete on three (3) people as claimed by the Senate President. The Police did not receive any complaint or report of gunshot and wounding as claimed by the Senate President in other areas he mentioned such as Adewole/Adeta, Ile-otan and ubandawaki/pakata.�
Obi said: “In about just three years, our debt profile has risen to over N12 trillion. Where are the capital projects that they did with the money? Can anybody show me one? What they went to borrow N12 trillion for, just N1 trillion would solve it all. I will show you how. Lagos to Ibadan road is just remaining two sections, just give me N200 billion; Apapa/Oshodi N75 billion, Enugu/ Portharcourt N145 billion, Second Niger bridge N200 billion, and Kano Maiduguri N200 billion, and you will have a complete project.� “This is a country that those that have never created anything, manage anything, are managing its affairs. All this blame game by the opposition that the problem of this country was caused by the government of 16 years
is a disgruntled position in finance. They were hired to manage the country based on their promises that they can fix the economy, so that story is not what we want to hear. “The first, second and third problem of our country is Leadership because leadership decides everything. We have issue with corruption, but I will say here that corruption is the easiest thing for us to stop. Anybody who is telling you that corruption is a very difficult thing to solve in our country is lying. It is very easy to deal with. “But yes, we want to stop corruption in Nigeria, and it's very easy, all we need to do is to remove all the toll-gates, and then you have stopped corruption. It's as simple as ABC. Any other person that tells you something else doesn't know what he is saying"
action speedy recovery. Once more, I am proud of you all, you should continue to be motivated, maintain the momentum and the fight against the criminal terrorists until you clear them out anywhere they are hibernating on our territory. "Well done our gallant troops; sustain the offensive and be assured of our total support". The Army chief spoke as the Nigerian Air Force declared the Military Airfield, Makurdi, open to civilian flight The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sadique Abubakar yesterday paid an operational visit to the 21 Quick Response Wing (21 QRW) Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base Agatu, Benue State to assess facilities as well as the
state of readiness of the troops of the Wing to deal with threats within the area. Meanwhile, before declaring the runway open to civil flight operations, the Chief of Air Staff was conducted on an inspection tour of the completed works by the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Air Command (AOC TAC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Oladayo Amao, who said that the scope of the rehabilitation work covered refreshing of the sealant for the concrete slab joints on the runway, taxiways and apron as well as the resurfacing of cracked portions of the maneuvering area, re-marking of the runway and erosion control, among others.
SARAKI RAISES THE ALARM OVER ATTACK ON FAMILY QUARTERS IN ILORIN the Senate President, whenever he visited his home state, saying it was the practice during the period of his predecessor and during his first year in office. The Senate President said: “I called you today to bring to your attention the sad development in my home state, Kwara State, and the role of the security agencies in giving cover to people who are unleashing violence on our people because they are surprised and cannot understand how and why the people continue to give massive and overwhelming support to the PDP across the state. “Three incidents will illustrate what I am saying to you. Yesterday (Thursday) after the All Progressive Congress (APC) concluded their campaigns in Ilorin, some of their supporters and thugs moved around town and into areas like Adewole/Adeta, Ile Otan and Ubandawaki/ Pakata, where they saw our people gathered holding their
weekly ward meetings, they disrupted the meetings by shouting their party slogan and when our people responded with our own slogan, they fired gun shots into their midst in Adewole/Adeta. “They also inflicted machete cuts on some of them. As a result of this attack, two people suffered bullet wounds. Also Yesterday, these same APC thugs shielded by policemen, went to my family quarters in Agbaji in Ilorin, and vandalised houses, shops and inflicted wounds with machetes on three people. “All these destructions took place in the presence of policemen who came with them but watched without any care, as the APC thugs and supporters unleashed violence on our people. “For me, personally, I believe the decision to attack people and property in my family ancestral compound is a direct affront and attack on my person. And
whatever signal these APC elements with support from the police believe they are sending is definitely sinister, uncivilized and unfortunate.� Saraki said that while his people have filed reports of the incidents in relevant police stations in Ilorin, he expressed doubts that anything tangible and constructive would come out of these reports. He stated: “The same Police under the directive of IGP, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, yesterday commenced the transfer of Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) out of Kwara State. While the police are free to take decisions on the deployment of their personnel, we found the postings in Kwara State strange and more than a mere coincidence. “We need to make it clear to the entire world that now that ward to ward campaigns is about to begin in the state and I am set to participate in that grassroots campaign as
I have always done, nobody is sure what instructions Mr. Idris has given to the police command in the state. “Thus, the entire world should hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to members of my family and myself.� The Senate President recalled that the same IGP had tried several tricks to implicate him in some criminal charges. Saraki added: “First, he arrested some cultists and was about to compel them to claim they worked for me. We exposed the trick early enough and the media also pointed out holes in his story. He quickly withdrew that. “Later, he went on to the Offa robbery case and politicised the investigation in order to rope me. In the process of forcing suspects to implicate me, the principal suspect died in their custody. He has also not succeeded with that plot. “Who knows what else he
FG SEEKS $1.3TRN PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDS TO FIX INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT overall infrastructure, hovers at around 1.5 percent of the GDP, which, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, is about one-fifth of the investment level required to sustain economic growth at an appreciable 7 percent and above. Mustapha also conceded that owing to Nigeria's under investment, it is significantly lagging behind the investment levels made between 1992 and 2013 by comparative economies like China (8.6%) and India (5%). It will be recalled that the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2016 conducted the rankings on overall infrastructure quality, put Nigeria at 132 out of 138 countries surveyed. The SGF, however, said that despite the weak performance, since 2015, considerable progress had been made by
the Federal Government, which has increased the capital allocation for the development and delivery of key transport and energy infrastructure. He said a number of activities and initiatives were ongoing “focused on building the capacities of various MDAs, developing PPP Manuals to clarify the processes and enhance transparency, synergising with various MDAs and sub-national governments to harmonise activities, aimed at improving the ease of doing business, and infrastructure delivery.� According to the SGF, much more is required to engender the private sectors interest and confidence to deliver the much needed levels of investment. "There can be no doubt that the composition, transparency and predictability of Nigeria’s
Infrastructure Delivery Framework, will either be a hindrance or an enabler to attracting and harnessing the private sector’s engagement in the financing, delivery and management of critical public-sector infrastructure. Despite recent momentum; it is presently seen by most, as a major constraint," Mustapha said. He added that Nigeria was facing a challenge to fix its infrastructure deficit; which explained the purpose for convening the High-Level Stakeholder Retreat on Public Private Partnerships, to harmonise the wide range of government initiatives, deliver a roadmap for recalibrating Nigeria’s Infrastructure Delivery Framework and to critically examine best practice Delivery frameworks, against the issues and constraints
undermining the delivery of PPPs in the country.
Obi Raises the alarm over FG’s Borrowings
Meanwhile, PDP’s VicePresidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has raised an alarm over borrowings by the Buhari administration, stating that N1 trillion out of the N12 trillion borrowed in the last three years could have solved majority of the country’s infrastructure deficiency. Obi said this yesterday at the Nigeria Leadership Submit interactive session held in Lagos. He also said that eradicating corruption was the easiest thing for the Atiku/Obi Administration to solve if elected into office, promising that their ticket would bring in highly qualified people to run the country.
MILITARY RECAPTURES BAGA, BURATAI HAILS TROOPS FOR ROUTING TERRORISTS Buratai commended commanders that secured victory for the military in Baga. "Consequently, I wish to commend the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General BA Akinroluyo, Commander of the newly created and game changing Nigerian Army Special Forces Command, Major General MG Alli. "Commander Sector 3 Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General OT Akinjobi, Commander 707 Special Forces Brigade, Brigadier General DO Donibo Commander of Integrated Fire Support Centre, Brigadier General BR Sinjen, Chief of Staff, NASFC, Brigadier General MLD Saraso
and Commander of NASFC Military Intelligence Brigade, Colonel AA Idris. "Commander, Integrated Logistic, Colonel C Ochimana, as well the Commander of the Armed Forces Special Forces, Commander (NN) GB Osuobeni, Commanding Officer of 123 Battalion, Major LA Balogun and the Commanding Officer of Army Headquarters Strike Group, Major MT Nasiru", he said. The Army chief further commended "all the gallant officers and soldiers, ratings, airmen and the Civilian JTF that fought tirelessly and supported in liberating all those areas infested by the criminal Boko Haram terrorists".
The Army Chief added: "I would like to enjoin you to consolidate on these gains by continuous pursuit of these criminal terrorists and neutralise them to eternity. "You should be more proactive and continue with the clearance operations on any known Boko Haram terrorists hideouts in your respective areas of responsibilities. "The Nigerian Army will continue to provide all the needed support to ensure that you succeed in this noble task" Buratai consequently approved special packages for the victorious troops. "I have directed for more replenishment and special welfare packages for you all
which will be made known by your various Commanders. "I want you to invoke the spirit of courage and bravery that the Nigerian military is noted for, the world over. Victory is very near. Definitely, you are the ones that will make it nearer and sweeter. "I would like to express our sincere gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria for the continued support, political will and guidance which made our modest accomplishment possible. "While praying for the repose of the souls of our fallen heroes, I wish all those wounded in
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
7
8
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
UN’s Thought-Provoking Dispatch on Boko Haram
P
resident Muhammadu Buhari must swiftly rejig the sagging war against Boko Haram to save Borno State from unprecedented anguish. This is the long and the short of the dispatch to our President from the United Nations on Wednesday. The announcement by the UN that it had withdrawn 260 aid workers from Monguno, Kala/Balge and Kukawa LGAs, following the resurgence of attacks by the terrorists, and that its humanitarian service delivery in the troubled region had dwindled, are confirmations that things have gone from bad to worse in this war against terrorism. The communication by the UN was thought-provoking. It expressed concern about the upsurge in attacks and informed further that more than 30,000 people had arrived in Maiduguri from Baga following Boko Haram’s attack on the town. Its Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said:“Clashes on December 26, 2018, between Nigerian government forces and non-state armed groups in Baga town, on the shores of Lake Chad, about 200 kilometres north of state capital Maiduguri, triggered the massive displacement, with most women, men and children converging on already congested camps for internally displaced people in Maiduguri or Monguno town. A subsequent attempted attack on Monguno on December 28, 2018, has exacerbated the situation, generating further displacement.� Kallon, who visited the Monguno and the Teachers’ Village IDP camps, added: “The impact of the recent fighting on innocent civilians is devastating and has created a humanitarian tragedy. It is heartwrenching to see so many of these people living in congested camps, or sleeping outside with no shelter. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict and the United Nations is extremely concerned about the impact that violence in north-east Nigeria, especially in Borno State, is having on civilians. “30,000 internally displaced people have arrived in Maiduguri, mainly from Baga, in recent weeks. The majority of these people have arrived since December 20,
It is heart-wrenching to see so many of these people living in congested camps, or sleeping outside with no shelter. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conict and the United Nations is extremely concerned about the impact that violence in north-east Nigeria, especially in Borno State, is having on civilians
2018, often after arduous journeys with young children. These people include an estimated 20,000 internally displaced people who have arrived in Teachers Village camp in Maiduguri, stretching the camp’s capacity beyond the limit.� The reality from the theatre of war in Borno State, as dispassionately presented by the UN, does not tally with the stories that Buhari and his war commanders have been telling Nigerians. We are in a mess in this war as seen from the Baga debacle; this is the truth that must be told. Our President must wake up; else Boko Haram will overrun Monguno and move on to Maiduguri. Our gallant soldiers are doing their best but lack the force and firepower required to eliminate Boko Haram. I am not sorry to say that Buhari has not, in practical terms, shown commitment to end this Boko Haram tragedy. Else, he would have gone for the best manpower from tested countries, coming into the theatre of war with their equipment and munitions. Our chivalrous troops can’t handle Boko
Haram alone. We need seasoned mercenaries from Israel, Russia or South Africa. They will come in with their armoured helicopter gunships, mine-resistant APCs, drones and the most modern machine guns. This is the only way Nigeria can end this war. 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 them. Our President must swiftly ensure the release of the $1 billion approved for this war and expend it on the recruitment of mercenaries. Our gallant soldiers are ill-equipped, poorly motivated and battle weary. They struggle for field allowances and equipment on the war front. Many of them have over-stayed on the war front, contrary to the rules of engagement. That was why some soldiers openly protested at the Maiduguri Airport last year. The military urgently needs a change of leadership. The service chiefs have spent almost four years, yet, no result. This slide in the war against the terrorists, is to a large extent, a failure of leadership. Just on Monday, the terrorists came close to Maiduguri, when they attacked three villages - Auno, Sajeri and Dala Lawanti - in Konduga Local Government Area, burning scores of houses in the process. At least three civilians, including an Islamic cleric, were killed, while hundreds fled the communities into Ngomari area of Maiduguri. Things are evidently very bad on the war front. Buhari must also be bold enough to act on the recent Defence and Foreign Affairs report on the Nigerian military, published by the United States-based International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA). It reported that massive corruption among top military chiefs appointed by President Buhari is responsible for the sagging war against terrorism. The intensity of Boko Haram assaults across villages and towns in Borno State in the last few months is a further confirmation that this report is on point. If our President is genuinely interested in ending the bloodshed in the North-east and parts of the North-west, he should get a copy of the ISSA report and engage it proactively.
The Shame of Lagos APC
Sanwo-Olu
Those familiar with the tactics of the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will not be surprised by the violence that aborted its campaign flag-off on Tuesday. In my dear Lagos, motor park touts are keysupporters of the party; the APC leadership uses them to oppress political opponents and fix election results. These touts, mainly members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN), also provide the APC leaders with security. On this tragic Tuesday, NURTW chieftains decided
to settle their superiority battle/struggle for APC cash at the Skypower Ground, Ikeja, venue of the campaign flag off, with guns, daggers and other dangerous weapons. Other party members ran in different directions to avoid being hit by bullets fired indiscriminately by the NURTW guys. Even the Lagos APC leaders had to scamper to safety. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who was making a speech, had to leave the stage immediately and was guarded out of the venue together with his deputy, Idiat Adebule. The APC governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwoolu, and other prominent members of the party also took to their heels. Many people were dispossessed of their phones, money and other valuables by the gangsters. By the time the bloody fight ended, one of the touts had been sent to an early grave; several others, sustained severe injuries. Innocent people were not spared. I am happy that the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the party, Joe Igbokwe, admitted that the hoodlums are all supporters of his party, Mustapha Adekunle and MC Oluomo. The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, CSP Chike Oti,
also confirmed this. Oti said: “The said Mustapha Adekunle aka Seigo, an NURTW chieftain, came to the rally with a group of people and were identified at the entrance as supporters of the party. However, at the tail end of the event, Seigo and his group, for a reason yet to be determined, violently engaged other supporters of the party.� Yes, the Lagos APC leaders dine and wine with established outlaws like MC Oluomo and Mustapha Adekunle aka Seigo. This is the shame that has been going on in Lagos for almost 20 years. What a country! But for how long must this continue in Lagos? Forces of good must team up to save Lagos from motor park touts. I believe Lagosians know what to do on March 2. On the flip side, the remarks of the Lagos PDP candidate, Jimi Agbaje, on the use of thugs by the Lagos APC, is instructive. He said: “Lagos State needs peace and everybody must work hard towards entrenching this much needed harmony. Therefore, it is unacceptable for any individual or group to endanger the peace and stability in our state. The APC as a political party must be conscious of the consequences of its actions. The party must be reminded that
Ibrahim
Khadija Ibrahim’s Game Plan
In Nigeria, we see ministers resigning to contest governorship elections. It is very unusual to see a minister resigning to contest for a House of Representatives seat. Well, that is what the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Ibrahim, has just done. Khadija, wife of the former Governor of Yobe State, Senator Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, turned in her resignation letter this week, to contest for the Damaturu /Tarmuwa/Gujba/Gulani Federal Constituency seat scheduled for February 16. She picked the APC ticket in October last year. Why did Khadija dump the Foreign Affairs job? Sources in the ministry said the junior minister had actually been idle for years because of the dominance of senior minister, Geoffrey Onyeama. “Khadija felt it was better to return to the House of Representatives instead of idling in the Foreign Affairs Ministry,� said another source. Well, Khadija looks good to win in Damaturu. I guess it is better to go and represent her people than hang around in the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
our dear state needs peace for us to achieve the stability and progress that we need. We also call on APC to rein in its thugs and other undesirable elements that are potential threats to our electoral process. “The issue of hooliganism and use of thugs have remained our major concern in the forth-coming general elections and we will continue to express our fears. We raised this issue when our billboards and posters were attacked by thugs at the kick-off of our campaign. We are again, drawing the attention of Lagosians to this politics of bitterness. “This disgraceful conduct by the APC and its supporters reinforces our position that a level playing-ground must be maintained. We also insist that appropriate sanctions must be handed out to those who break our laws and endanger our collective peace as a people. Lagos State cannot afford this new level of violence and hooliganism in politics. “Those who want to govern must focus on the issues, not by threatening and attacking people for holding a different view. That is why our message is essentially on freedom and democracy. We promise to end this circle of violence and death if voted in the coming governorship election, which is what we have resolved to do and nothing shall stop us.� There is nothing else to add. Agbaje has said it all.
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
9
10
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 12, 2019
SUPER SATURDAY Banky W: I’ve Found Not Just a Wife But Someone We Can Build Our Destinies Together Olubankole Wellington, popularly known by his stage name Banky W, has been a consistent and very successful musician for more than a decade now. Aside from having a huge fan base as an artiste , he has bred other highly successful talents such Wizkid, Skales, DJ Xclusive, and Niyola among others, through his record label, Empire Mates Entertainment. The singer did not stop there as he is also out here getting all the applause as an actor for his roles in ‘The Wedding Party and ‘Up North’. Banky W talks to Azuka Ogijuiba about these and more
Y
ou shocked many with your aspiration for a political office. Many were wondering if it was just a movie scene or you were serious. Tell us about it. How long did you nurture the desire to run? Honestly, for me, I probably resisted the urge to run for office rather than nurture it. I resisted it for a long time probably because it was just tough to accept the fact this is something I need to do while considering the things I’d need to give up in the process. For me, just being a vocal critic of government, leadership and the issues that have been going on in Nigeria all this time was not enough. I have been a vocal critic for a very long time. The challenge is, that is not enough, because we can talk all we want all day long, but if there aren’t the right people with the right intentions, the right character and the right level of intelligence entering the government at different levels, then this change that we dream about will never actually happen. So for me, this year, when I started telling people ‘let’s register to vote’, I had to sit down and tell myself that ‘you know what, you have been an arm-chair critic and until you yourself is willing to stand up, pay the price, sacrifice and attempt to be a part of the people that change and fix the problems, then all of that talk… is just talk.’ So, that’s how I shocked myself, my wife, my business partners and I guess I shocked everybody else. I just think it’s something that had to be done. How were you able to convince those around you about this? When I first had the conversation with my wife, she said she was worried about me getting into politics in Nigeria because it’s dirty and dangerous… and she didn’t want anything to soil me or harm me. I told her that yes she was right. Politics in Nigeria is very dirty and dangerous, but that’s because the good people always avoid it. So, it will remain dirty and dangerous forever unless people with the right intentions and who want good for Nigeria, start to be a part of the people that are trying to change Nigeria. We complain about it but we never want to get involved. So for me, part of the goal is to inspire other credible individuals in our country to stand up and be the change we so desperately need. As a singer, how do you intend to handle your home front, music and being a politician? What you’d hopefully see from the way I operate in my career is that I give priority to different things at different points in time. At a certain point, my priority was being an artiste , putting out my own music and all, then at some point my priority was being a record label executive and helping other artistes grow.. and at other points, it was corporate engagements, or charity or making movies… and now it’s politics and public service. I’m concerned with making an impact, and the best way that I can do that is through politics and public service. However, in all of that, my home front is my number one priority, over everything and I will always pay attention to that. Some ladies recently called you out on social media after sighting you in an old range rover. This got your attention and you replied them saying you were going to auction the car and give the money to charity. Tell us more about it? There are some people who felt that I shouldn’t have replied or should not dignify any
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 12, 2019
11
SUPERSATURDAY Banky W: I’ve Found Not Just a Wife But Someone We Can Build Our Destinies insult with a response and that’s true sometimes, but I also wanted to use it as a teachable moment and hopefully leave a lesson behind. First, what’s our priority as a generation? Is it just to stunt and to slay? Is it to look rich or to be wealthy? If I was someone who was driving a luxury car or a billion Naira car and I’m still paying rent in the compound where I’m packing that car… it just doesn’t make sense to me. Where exactly are our priorities at? Even before the incident with the stalker ladies, I had already been having discussions about a month or two prior, on how to auction the car and donate the money to charity. So we used their attempt to slander me as publicity for the car, did the auction and raised N2.8 million for charity. Actually, the car was sold for 2.3 million but the company (Cars45) that organised the auction for me were kind enough to chip an additional N500,000 making it N2.8 million. So N1.4 million went to the School for the Blind while the other half went to the Pink Oak Cancer Trust fund, a body I have been working with to donate money and create awareness about cancer and treatment. All of that was me trying to show that we have to get our priorities right. I could have given that car out to just one person or sold it and added the money to buy my next car, but I believe that together we can use what we have, to fix ourselves as a society and help each other, one community at a time. From taking a lead role in the Wedding Party, and now Up North, what is your vision as far as acting is concerned? The vision here is to be part of those few people who are currently working hard to open doors for other people to invest in filmmaking. You can invest and get your money back with the right crew, script, directing and cast. That’s why I’m a co-executive producer in Up North. It is such an interesting film that addresses a lot of issues. When you think about the Northern part of Nigeria these days, you tend to think about terrorism; nobody is talking about the beauty of the region and the amazing people there just because of the few bad eggs. So ‘Up North’ shows that amazing side of the North you don’t get to see or hear much about. It also stresses the need for us to educate and empower our children, especially our girl-children, who we haven’t been very kind to as a nation. In fact, it touches on so many important issues, but it cleverly disguises them in this comedy about a rich, spoilt brat’s NYSC experience. It’s so much more than what people are expecting and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. A lot of your fans out here would like you to address the Wizkid’s issue after missing your traditional and white weddings. I think people unfairly judged Wiz and a lot of them were a little bit too
harsh on him for missing the wedding. Many people forget that around the time of my traditional wedding was also when One Africa Music Fest was going on in Dubai. So, there were many other artistes at the event, who were struggling trying to make it back to catch up with the wedding. In fact, Tiwa Savage had to take the last available economy seat in the plane, even though she had an upper-class ticket for a few days later, just to get her back in time for my wedding. So, it wasn’t just Wizkid that missed it, a lot of people who were at the concert did. Either way, people should know that the relationship between Wizkid and I is deeper than any fame or fortune. Wizkid is my younger brother, he has been for a very long time and that is never going to change. We love each other and that’s my brother for life. And honestly, the same goes for Skales, Xclusive, Niyola, Shaydee, MasterKraft , Suka Sounds, Timothy King etc. Everyone we worked with at EME during the early years. Osagie, Uche, Anuel and others… there’s a bond between us all, it’s a family affair. No matter what happens, family remains family. Family first, family forever. When you are not working, how do you relax? My favourite relaxation activity is being at home with my wife. I think we both work hard and are always busy, so any spare time that we have, we prefer to put the phones on silent and just stay indoors. Also, whenever we get the chance, we both love to travel and explore other places.
What’s your wife, Adesua’s favourite colour and favourite local meal? It varies... she likes things like Amala and seafood okra, yam pottage, but I’m turning her into a big lover of meat and protein generally. Her favourite colour also changes, at the moment I would say green. She also likes pink related colours such as peach and blush. But she hates pink as a colour . What would you say is the highlight of being married given the high cases of divorce and broken homes in the industry? The highlight of my marriage so far… honestly, it has been the entire journey and the entire experience. It’s very important for this generation to understand that it’s okay to wait. Before now, one of the most frequently asked questions during my interviews was when would I get married and I’m glad I didn’t give in to that pressure. I’m so glad that I waited because now I’ve found not just a wife but someone that is my purpose partner, someone that we can build our destinies together. Then as far as divorces, broken homes, and drama in marriages, I’m of the school of thought that you try and keep whatever issues affecting your personal lives between you, and off the internet/social media. Don’t forget that sometimes there are children involved, and they’ll be affected as well if you put everything out there. What’s your guilty pleasure? It has always been food. I’m such a foodie. I have also recently started playing FiFa 2019 on PS4, and it is fun. Who is your favourite actor and who has influenced your career? My favourite actor is my wife. Also, internationally, I like people like Will Smith and Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts and Halley Berry. At home, my favourite male actor is RMD, he is someone I love dearly. I call him Pops. I love Aunty Ireti Doyle, Aunty Shola Shobowale and others.
Wizkid is My Younger Brother, he has been for a Very Long Time and that is Never Going to Change
12
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
COMMENTARY
IS ATIKU A LIAR, BUHARI A HYPOCRITE? Anthony A. Kila blames the system for our being less assertive on the leading presidential candidates
T
he tittle of our ďŹ rst conversation this year is a result of the last urry of accusation and counter accusations with which the two leading presidential candidates in the coming 2019 elections ended their campaign in 2018. Their accusations and counter accusations on integrity and corruption leave us the citizens with the question about who is lying and who is faking integrity. To be precise, these accusations and counter accusations were made by their spokesmen and various surrogates. We note that there is a new vogue in town, since close to four years now: spokesmen now say a lot whilst their principals say very little directly. The accusations of corruption hovering around the PDP presidential standard bearer Atiku Abubakar is not new. For over 10 years, there had been rumours about Atiku’s not very cleaned hands; there have been tales of indecent and opaque privatization, direct looting and bribery whilst he was in office as vice-president of Nigeria. The biggest tale of course is the one with the American flavour. I deliberately call these allegations tales and rumours because in fairness to Atiku and objectively speaking, no court or committee or report has come out in clear terms to name Atiku guilty or wanted for any crime. Regardless of what one feels about the man Atiku, his tenure in office as vice-president or his prospect as presidential candidate, one must objectively note that if Atiku is truly a looter then there is something very wrong with our judicial and political system. A judicial system that hears that a man who has been out of office for over 10 years is a looter and cannot find or does not have within the system a policeman, an EFCC agent or a judge to bring such person to trial for definite conviction or acquittance is not a system in good shape. Let us not forget that Atiku just like Buhari is a serial presidential aspirant, they have both ran on more than one political platforms. A political system that hears or suspects that a man who has been out of office for over 10 years is a looter and has never denounced him, reported him or even disqualified him from contesting on its political platforms is not a system in good shape. Thanks to the political system in Nigeria, Atiku’s corruption seems to be like an air-conditioner: its temperature depends on where you stand. It is cool when you are in the room and hot when you are outside the room. Atiku and indeed his whole team, past and present, too has not helped matters. How can you keep running for president and it has not occurred to you to clarify this matter of corruption once and for all? Unlike Atiku, Buhari holds the premium prize for being one of the very few Nigerian public office holders that has covered various positions under various administrations and yet can be tagged as “Mr Integrity,â€? and even allergic to corruption. It is not
A POLITICAL SYSTEM THAT HEARS OR SUSPECTS THAT A MAN WHO HAS BEEN OUT OF OFFICE FOR OVER 10 YEARS IS A LOOTER AND HAS NEVER DENOUNCED HIM, REPORTED HIM OR EVEN DISQUALIFIED HIM FROM CONTESTING ON ITS POLITICAL PLATFORMS IS NOT A SYSTEM IN GOOD SHAPE
a small feat and Nigerians really appreciate such achievements. As I have had course to note elsewhere, most Nigerians that voted for Buhari and indeed many of those that campaigned against him did so because they see him as an epitome of anticorruption. The consensus is that the man Buhari, unlike most politicians, is rather averse to corruption and therefore will fight corruption with all his might and that those under and around him will not dare do dodgy things. Any serious analyst will readily tell you that for Nigerians, good a man as Buhari is, he is no Barack Obama and his oratory skills were never his attraction for most Nigerians. Experienced as he is on Nigerian affairs and governance; most Nigerians do not associate him with dynamic and innovative economic policies nor do they associate Buhari with great diplomatic skills: His anticorruption credential is his greatest asset. And therein lies the rub, as the bard would say, for if what the Atiku and the PDP people are saying has any iota of truth in it and it turns out that Buhari is not Mr Squeaky Clean, then we have a serious problem in our hands. We are not all the same though and reactions to the accusations and counter accusations show where we are and who we are. Who are you? The partisan, followers, believers and supporters of political leaders and parties have no problem. For them the messenger is more important that the message. To them anything that comes from the other side is untrue and only tarnishes the image of their hero. To them anything said by the other side is irrelevant for their hero is ever flawless. It won’t matter that a presidential candidate cannot freely travel to the USA or if he never had a certificate he claims to have obtained decades ago. To the active militants and beneficiaries or agents of political leaders and parties, anything goes. It doesn’t matter if it is true, false, defamatory to a person or group or deleterious to our sociopolitical system and image. What matter is to find a way to defend and spin the issues to favour their own side and narrative. History means nothing and institutions do not matter to them. Free unaffiliated citizens and objective analysts do not trust or loathe anyone, they wait to see where the truth lies regardless of who is saying what. In this zero-sum game of accusations and counter accusations, the two sides cannot be right: Atiku’s camp is either made of desperate liars trying to tarnish Buhari’s image just to show that all politicians are the same or Buhari is a mega hypocrite and conman who in reality is far from what he publicly he stands for. Eventually history will judge but investigative journalism and law suits against those who make unsubstantiated claims can help us understand in the short term. Prof Kila is Centre Director, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies
LAST WAR IS ISIS, NOT NORTH KOREA Eleje Abili Willy uses ‘Spied’ to unlock some mysteries
I
n my several commentaries, I keep alluding to my ‘Scriptural Paraphrases and Illustrations in Ehugbo Dialect’(SPIED) and my ‘Soliloquy of Hidden Mallam’ as acknowledgements of the fact of Ehugbo cultural traditions, in the light of the truth, of the scripture, to unlock mysteries in a labyrinth of idioms and metaphors. This is based on the belief that what is referred to is different from what is meant, that every language and speech in the earth was one Gen 11:1 and by implication, that every language is an onomatopoeia of the other. ‘My Dream for Ebonyi State’ published in two parts in 2017, was the ďŹ rst articulation of my SPIED in an exclusively English language. The article attempted to show the head as man, date of whom is his woman, the ark and ship of state, which is the people that should share equal opportunity and hope in their leaders’ dream, his mandate to govern by the law. A law of just end, which separates in not later than eight years, from the day of their enjoinment, his head and motive power unit from the she-cargo unit; the tail, as head and tail in a toss of coin-incidence guessed and suggested as the Guest and Sore-guest. That article went on to posit that, if his sophistry in learning is ahead or behind his time, the head-man would be regarded as having gone ‘loco’ Acts 26:24, then would she not see with him and key into his dream to result in locomotion, as progress of state-ship, the ark. Ark which Acts 10:10-16 depicts as a waterbed-sheet of heaven fallen on the 3rd Reich, on Reach up-rising, to rise for the 4th and last cheat of heaven in bed, with key-zoo, ike en-trance-port-afar, of the Ark. The Ark wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air. Ark made of gopher, gopher-meant,
government for building the Ark as a nation of few in Rev. 14 that shall be saved as Jew-El not Gem-many. Nation of Jews not Germany-nation building ark-tion by all those that entered pre-Noah, entrepreneurs, in state intercourse or co-join-meant for Isa-sin-nation. Assassination of the head, as price to enter, enterprise as a fare, affair of state ship, the date, with the man, her fond, funding of what, how and when as state budget, taste bud-gets in tongues of fire a-rev-anew heat of she. Heat energy internally generated and given to the state-ship that receives and not receiver-ships of state, fed-ration of accounts made as a budget cycle of cumulative causation of aqua-El, the water currency a-flow as cash, as it were a battery re-charger of the head and capital of the state-punishment, in her pubic as punic war-head at Gabatha Jn19: 13. War head at agha abata, the en-trance of his head, in dream as the man, forecast-as rations of queen of the coast, the She-hand, writing promisory notes as oath of orifice, taken by the king and ceaser of land of the Lord to ask, tax of males and fee-males the labour of his mother. Land, labour, capital and entrepreneurs, being yohim-zoo, ike the thieves, referring to the two malefactors of re-production and the I thirst, IS saith, (testis), the word and the third One, whose name is secret Jn19:28 Dt 25:11 Judg 13:18. Gen 7:1-7, Gen 6:14 Lk 23:32, Mal3:8 Mk 6: 19-27, Eph 5:32-23. SPIED revealed by the book of revelation, He that WAS, and IS and IS, WARS of ISIS to come and the Last, not North Korea. The ISIS-Wars shall be between the innumerable host of heaven and the two-thirds, led by the big-Guest, the Prince of Peace that shall come, as was in the first war against the numerous host of hell, the one-third, led by the Sore-guest of mortal wound and prince of Persia Rev 12: 9-1 Rev
13:3 Dan10:13 Isa 9: 6 Num22:22. I do not know the details of what currently transpires in the middle-east or the Korean peninsula, but I know the truth of the scriptures, the rhyme of onomatopoeia, the interpretation of hard sentences and figures of speech. He that IS and WAS, ISWAs, Rev 1:4 , ISWA shall cause the coming of He that WAS, of IS and IS, Wars of ISIS, coming between the innumerable host of heaven, that cannot be numbered and the numerous host of hell, numbered and found many-Legion Mk 5:9. In the matter of legion, Re-Legion, religion shall be the cause. That curse is agum onu in Ehugbo, onu-ogu is number, of name (Afa), onu guru in a count, account of his name, ‘the Beast’, number of which is six hundred three score and six (666), his mark, and according to the book of revelation, that no man might buy or sell save he that had the (Beastmark on earth, Beast-Mark-et), or the name of the beast or the number of his name Rev 15:2, Rev 13:18-16. But the host of heaven and stars of the war are innumerable Gen 22:17, Gen26:4. And according to the book of Numbers 22:4-6, Moab, (angry mob), said unto the elders of Midian (that live as locust in low-cost houses) and Moab said unto the elders of Midian... we have heard what they did to the Amorites..., now shall this company (of troops) lick up all that are around us as the ox that licketh up grass of the field and Balak the son of Zippor...king of Moab, sent messengers therefore, unto Balam, son of Beor (a mid-get) to call him saying, behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, behold there are (innumerable), like dust that cover the earth Gen13:16, Gen 28:14, come now (around me) therefore, I pray thee and number (in census, incense-us God), with a curse (Lily-put on them) as a name-tag on Israel their name, (in account of The Prince),
that hath power with God and with men and hast prevailed, peradventure I might prevail like the midianites because iniquity was found among them, (which otherwise shall be an un-just cause), for curse causeless shall not come Prov 26:2, in cumulative causation but the just cause of the war shall come by the iniquity of Israel. Nevertheless, 144,000 of them shall be saved Rev 14 and 7, Gen32:28, Num 22:16, Judg 6:2, Num 22:16, Judg 6:2. A listener to any volume of my SPIED voice recording having not gone through the preceding ones, would get lost in the maze that I could not find out the end, for SPIED is an intractable parody of the English language, of King James version of the scriptures. As onomatopoeia therefore, SPIED is bound to be shallow in a uniquely English diction. But what is perhaps fulfilling is the application of SPIED to interpretation of my own dreams. At dawn of the 31st of December 2018, I found myself as it is usual in the dream praying, but this time around sobbing and praying the LORD �...do something about my case, which I was to find is brief. When I awoke, I continued, “...Lord leave me not in this case, which I cannot even tell what it is, but is best known to you, for it might be good for your character, but not good for your reputation...� I believe that it is best to sleep into a new year than to watch for the morning for only God knows how morning is light. So I went to bed in the night of the 31st. In a dream at dawn of 1st January 2019, I saw my briefcase open, crammed up with documents and personal effects such that no room was found for a script of my SPIED, as I began to frantically decongest the case, I woke up. As I lay face-up, thinking to myself the supposed meaning of my vision, I found that my life is brief, case of which is my chest of mind, minding nothingness and much ado...
13
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
INSIGHT
For peaceful election...
Peter Obi: The Storm is Over
T
he choice of former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, as the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has been greeted with widespread optimism among Nigerians of various standings. One of the striking features of Obi’s emergence is how it deďŹ ed political logic and calculations at a time popular permutations considered a south-west VP candidate as one that will best serve the opposition’s quest to reclaim power in 2019. But as it turned out, the choice of Obi proved not only wise, but from all indications, a masterstroke as millions of Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity, religion and even political persuasions, have whole-heartedly embraced the choice. This is what obtains when competence, pedigree and governance are accorded primacy over clannishness and politics. Indeed, Atiku acted with the wisdom of Solomon, and his party can go into the next election conďŹ dent of victory in a free and fair exercise. But why has Obi’s candidacy generated such wide acceptance? This question is very relevant considering that the vice-president’s position was never known to excite significant public interest, at least in the context of our local politics. If anything, that position has always been perceived, rightly or wrongly, as a mere appendage to the office of the President – as with the Deputy Governor of a State -- with the incumbent merely performing a “yes-sirâ€? kind of service to the number one. Against this backdrop, the people’s excitement over Obi’s emergence must have stemmed from something special; and that is very easy to ascertain: Obi’s pedigree speaks of a man with a different approach to leadership and human relations in general. Much has been written and said about how the little politically-known Obi emerged to seek the leadership of Anambra State at the highest level, and which he got (not before he had scaled some formidable obstacles mounted by the forces of old), and of course acquitted himself creditably on the job. Little wonder his exploits as the Governor of Anambra has become a paradigm; a case study in the art of governance, especially in the context of a system steeped in decay. Fully aware of this fact, Nigerians rejoiced on hearing the news of Obi’s emergence. They believe, rightly, that light has appeared at the end of the tunnel; that a new dawn will come with him as the number-two man. Though he would only be the vice-president, his teeming admirers nurse no scintilla of doubt that this shrill-voiced technocrat and administrator is bringing something radically different to the table. They are hoping for a vice-presidency fundamentally unlike what they have known in this country. At a time the nation is in deep economic crisis with petroleum, the bedrock of our economy, fast losing its attraction and place in the global development architecture, no less a manager is needed than one who has proven to be extraordinarily creative, innovative, prudent and thrifty. The manager is Peter Obi. His continuously updated knowledge of
Governor Ortom, Churches and Reelection
national and global economic affairs and direct involvement in corporate and financial management as a private sector player make him an inimitable choice for not only rescuing our sinking economy in the short-term, but also for charting and implementing our long-term goal of transiting from a developing economy to a developed economy. In spite of all this pedigree, however, some persons may not be too pleased with Obi’s emergence as running mate to Atiku. Being a true democrat of proven record, Obi totally respects all tendencies, including those adversarial to his cause. He nurses no grudges against anyone, but remains focused on contributing to human and societal development. But, from known trends, today’s critics will eventually turn to admirers tomorrow. Truth will always prevail. But then a word must be said about the initial opposition to Obi’s emergence as the VP candidate from a section of the political class. Those south-east politicians that did so might have their personal reasons but the truth is that Igbos must no longer be seen as the very architects of their political exclusion. Must we always give others reasons to believe that we are disunited and lack fraternal love? If the whole idea of the south-east/Igbo advocacy is to secure the welfare of our people, we must support our best to represent us at the highest level realistically available to us today -- the VP position. You don’t go into battle leaving out your best fighter just for some sentimental reasons. John-Paul Okeke, Enugu
I
t is unfortunate that Governor Ortom of Benue State is visiting churches and donating millions of naira to them despite his inability to pay the salaries of workers in the state. The governor behaves as if he can bribe God and buy the hearts of Christians for his re-election agenda. His N6 million donation to NKST Yima in Makurdi is a conďŹ rmation to my assertion. Governor Ortom thinks that he can re-contest the governorship position in the state and win after his obvious incompetence, particularly with the bailout funds from the Paris Club refunds and his inability to pay workers’ salaries, retirees’ benefits and lack of investment in public projects. Therefore, I must applaud President Muhammadu Buhari for his recent advice to Nigerians in spite of his poor performance and failure. The president appealed to Nigerians
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: ďŹ rst name.surname@thisdaylive.com
to vote out governors owing salaries of their workers. According to him, despite the bailout funds received by the governors, the workers are still not getting their salaries and he wondered how these governors could sleep comfortably. Note: many governors in the same party with the president also owe their workers and for the president to advise that they should be voted out without taking sides, it is something to appreciate. But let me also advise Nigerians to equally vote out Mr. President for performing very badly. In Governor Ortom’s first year in office, he spent more time in China and claimed to be working on how to attract investment into the state as part of his campaign promises on job creation. Where are the companies? There is no single Chinese company in Benue State or any other companies established by the administration. Rather, the governor expanded unemployment circle in the state as he sacked many workers and accused them of being ghosts. He described the employment of other sacked workers as illegal due to his conflict with the former Governor Gabriel Suswam that employed them. But the same Suswam is now his friend because they are all in PDP and working against Senator Akume and his governorship candidate Dr. Emmanuel Jime. Nevertheless, those governors who are behaving like Governor Ortom donating money to churches and mosques but could not pay the salaries of the workers in their states should know that they cannot bribe God with their money and buy the hearts of brethren for their selfish interest. The money donated goes into the pockets of the pastors, Imams and their subordinates but has no impact on any member of theses churches and mosques. Awunah Pius Terwase, Mpape, Abuja
14
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™Ăœ Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁĚš Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com
CONNECTING THE GRASSROOTS ... National Leader of All Progressives Congress and Chairman of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, receives some visiting South-west Traditional Rulers in Asokoro, Abuja, yesterday
Buhari May Pick New IGP from South-east Bennett Oghifo
As the tenure of the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Kpotun Idris expires next week, on reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, President Muhammadu Buhari may soon appoint a new IGP, following his promise to act on the matter. Buhari had said in an interview with Arise TV that though the choice of a new service chief evokes unnecessary competition, he would act on the matter of Idris’ imminent retirement. Idris’ tenure expires on January 15, 2019, when he turns 60. President Buhari is still putting close to his chest the final decision on whether he would extend Idris’ tenure or appoint a new IGP.
If the President has to choose a new IGP, sources said he may look in the direction of the South-east. The outgoing IGP Idris is from Lavun, Kutigi in Niger State. In the South-east zone, there are two known top officers, one a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, a woman, and the other an Assistant Inspector General of Police. Both of them were course mates and promoted into the AIG rank at the same time. DIG Peace Ibemere Abdallah, who is at present the DIG Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation (CIID), Abuja, is said to be a highly effective, versatile and professional police officer. One top officer said she is no less qualified than any other but given the
increasing crime wave and sophistication of criminals, believed to be mostly men, the question some have asked is whether the country was ripe at present for a female IGP. The other top officer from the South-east is Assistant Inspector-General Godwin Nwobodo, who is currently in charge of the Nigeria Police Border Patrol Force. He is said to be another thoroughbred professional police officer, highly cosmopolitan and detribalised. Though an Igbo man, Nwobodo was bred in Yorubaland where he had his elementary, secondary and university education in the South-west and also performed his mandatory National Youth Service scheme in the zone.
Sylva Alleges Dickson is Plotting to Create Wedge Between Him and Presidency Emmanuel Addeh Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă˜Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă‹
Former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, yesterday, alleged that Governor Seriake Dickson was plotting to create an artificial war between him and the Presidency. A statement by Sylva’s media aide, Julius Bokoru, said the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa has now foiled that plan and advised the governor to halt his alleged ‘obsession’ with the former governor. “The issue here is not about Sylva but a campaign of fake news to undermine the Presidency. The purpose for Dickson, of course, is to bolster the faltering fortunes of his party the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in the state and in the country,� Sylva said. He added: “He (Dickson) has ruled Bayelsa State for almost eight years and he is still obsessing over Sylva, he is still blaming Sylva for his many monumental failures, he is still blaming Sylva for his inability to comprehend the mathematics of good governance after all these years.� While alleging that as a first step, the governor was bent on putting him on a head-on collision with Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, the former governor noted that he was not in the business of petty rivalries within the same government, as being imagined by Dickson.
But the governor had alleged that Sylva was an unpopular and desperate politician whose conscience remained his greatest threat. He said: “Somebody of the exalted status of a former governor is crying wolf where there is none and hallucinating that the governor reputed to be his political nemesis is after him. “The point to note is that the governor is too busy with the execution of the mandate given to him by Bayelsans in place of Sylva to be bothered by anticipated clashes between Sylva and the President’s Chief of Staff. “This comic claim by Sylva and his minion is a classic example of the wicked taking flight at the sight of nobody.�
AIG Nwobodo was born on 12 August 1959 to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Margret Nwobodo of Aninri Local Government Area, Enugu State. He completed his primary school education at Alafia Institute (Free Section) Mokola Ibadan, Oyo State in 1973 and obtained his WASC and HSC at Olivet Baptist High School, Olivet Heights Oyo in 1978 and 1980 respectively. He obtained a
B.Sc (Honours) degree in Biochemistry in 1983 from the University of Ibadan. He served in the NYSC scheme in 1984 in Ondo State. He enlisted in the Nigerian Police Force effective December 31, 1984. Since enlisting in the police force, Nwobodo has acquired more knowledge and degrees. He now holds an LL.B, BL (Law), M. Sc in Legal Criminology and Security Psychology, as well as MSS (Masters
Strategic Studies) both from the University of Ibadan, effectively equipping him as a complete intelligence and robust crime-bursting and combating officer, versed in law and criminology. Nwobodo has held very sensitive positions and performed critical assignments. He was the Commissioner of Police (Courses) at the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano, before his recent promotion to the rank of AIG.
CUPP: Buhari Will Suffer Defeat Like Congo’s Kabila Udora Orizu Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari would suffer the most humiliating electoral defeat of any ruling party in Nigeria, as the presidential election holds February 16. CUPP’s position followed the victory of the opposition candidate, Mr. Felix Tshisekedi in the tense presidential election of the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo. It added that the result gives confidence to the Nigerian opposition that with clear cut issues-based campaign as being led by the consensus opposition candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, victory was in sight and that president Buhari would suffer the most humiliating electoral defeat of any ruling party in Nigeria. In a statement issued by its National spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, CUPP stated that President Buhari was following the same trajectory which did not save outgoing President Joseph Kabila of Congo and his alleged stooge/
party’s candidate, from defeat. According to the CUPP, “He deployed the Inspector General of Police and Inspector General of the Armed Forces, John Numbi to intimidate voters and opposition voices. He manipulated the electoral commission and thugs loyal to the Kabila government burnt the commission’s office without any sanctions. “Leading opposition voices were dumped in jail just for expressing their fundamental rights of free speech and many fled to exile. Despite all these, Congolese citizens spoke loud and clear that they were fed up with the Kabila government. “This result from the DR Congo is the final quit notice to the Buhari Presidency to know that their time is up. They should get ready and know that under democratic rule, the power belongs to the people and not any cabal of two or three people who believe they have hijacked power,� the coalition said. Nigerians, it stated, “are patiently waiting for the opening of ballot on February 16 to show the desper-
ate non-performing and corruption-loving government of President Muhammadu Buhari the way out of the Presidential Villa. “The tenure of Mr. Ibrahim Idris as IGP has since expired; the niece of the President has been appointed by INEC as the Chair of the Presidential Election Collation Centre Committee. Military has been deployed nationwide under the command of APC pointsmen and leading opposition figures and businesses are being hounded and emasculated. “All these will not save President Buhari from defeat and Nigerians will ensure he is sent back to Daura so that we can get Nigeria working again,� the coalition said It urged Felix Tshisekedi, the president-elect of DR Congo to see the entire country as his constituency and shun nepotism in his appointments. CUPP also appealed to all Congolese citizens to support him to fulfill his pre-electoral promises despite political inclinations before the polls. It added that Nigerians should know that for Nigeria to grow, Buhari must go.
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSP≠APER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
16
NEWS
In Brief How Bayelsa Spent Nov, Dec Allocation
The Bayelsa State Government yesterday released a detailed statement on how it spent the federal allocation it got in November and December, 2018. Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Retd) who spoke at the Government House, Yenagoa during the monthly transparency briefing for both months announced a gross inflow of N15 billion for November. The amount, he said, included 13% derivation of N8.9bn, statutory allocation N3bn, foreign exchange equalisation N2bn, Value Added Tax N898million, and refunds from other states N57.5million. Total FAAC deductions gulped N1.5bn, comprising restructured commercial bank loans of N741 million, bond N421 million, refund of overpayment of 13% derivation to other states N128 million and Excess Crude Account Facility of N126 million. Also, Jonah put the total funds available for spending in December at N15 billion made up of net FAAC inflow of N13.6 billion, November IGR of N1.4billion and refund from local government salary bailout refund, N16 million.
OGSO Alumni Meets in Lagos
The Alumni of Orogun Grammar School, Orogun, Delta State, will meet in Lagos today to unveil the development programme the old students have planned, as a scheme to revamp some of the structures and quality of education in the school. The meeting which holds at the Nigeria Army Reference Hospital Mess, Yaba, Lagos, at 2p.m. is the first in the year. The chairman of the Lagos chapter of the body, Mr. Emmanuel Konyebagu noted that there is renewed effort by all old Boys and Girls of the school “to redeem the image and glory of the school in terms of quality of teaching and learning, sports development and infrastructural renewal.�
OUR SINCERE CONDOLENCE... L-R: Chief of Air Sta, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar with Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Seriake Dickson, during the governor’s courtesy visit in Abuja to the Air Chief over the death of some Air men ďŹ ghting insurgency in the North-east...recently
Masked Security Operatives Whisk Dino Melaye to DSS Clinic Alex Enumah Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
The police, yesterday, said they transferred the Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye to the DSS clinic for further medical attention. This clarification dowsed speculations that the senator may have been whisked to an unknown location by masked policemen who stormed the police clinic where he was being given medical attention. Spokesman of the Force, DCP Jimoh Moshood, who disclosed this also revealed that the police in the meantime have obtained an order of court to keep Melaye in custody for 14 days while it continues with its investigation. Moshood added that Senator Melaye would be prosecuted along with other suspects on completion
of investigation. Part of the statement issued by Moshood read, “The Police Investigation Team obtained a Fourteen (14) day Remand Warrant from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on 9th January, 2019, to keep Senator Dino Melaye in Police Custody for investigation into the case of criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide against him till 23rd January, 2019.� He, however, observed that it was incorrect as reported in some sections of the media that Senator Dino Melaye was moved by masked armed policemen to an undisclosed location and that his whereabouts is unknown. Melaye was admitted into the police clinic last week Friday after he surrendered himself to the police who had deployed heavily
61 Political Parties Reject INEC’s 2019 Election Draft Guidelines Insist on the removal of Zakari Udora Orizu Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Sixty-one political parties have rejected the 2019 election guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The political parties, which are in disagreement with INEC, claim that over eight obnoxious clauses were inserted into the election guidelines that would ruin the 2019 elections, adding that Amina Zakari should be redeployed as head of collation centre and replaced with Federal Commissioner in charge of Operation, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu to ensure credibility and balancing. The National Publicity Secretary of Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said in a press statement yesterday that the political parties are demanding the retention of 2011 and 2015 separate accreditation and separate voting time, to help forestall rigging instead of INEC’s 2019 simultaneous accreditation and
voting. Ugochinyere said the signed resolution and petition to the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and his federal commissioners by the 61 political parties (majority of Nigeria 91 political parties) has just been submitted to INEC leadership at the end of the emergency meeting of the country’s party leaders. He noted that the political parties demanded announcement of accreditation figures by 12 noon on election days and recorded in a signed form and given to party agents before voting starts to forestall manipulation of election figures during collation. He said: “Political parties demand stoppage of PVC collection 10 days to election and disclosure of the total number of PVC collected on polling unit basis to political parties. Political parties reject the clauses in the guideline which allow unduly accredited voters to vote, especially the clause that allows voters with PVC whose name is not in the register of voters to vote.�
armed policemen to his residence in Maitama, Abuja, to effect his arrest over alleged attempted culpable homicide. The Kogi West Senator, who was said to be asthmatic, had at the police clinic complained of spinal problems along other issues but the police have continued to insist he was well and fit for arraignment over act of alleged attempted culpable homicide. However, information reaching THISDAY said masked security operatives stormed the hospital where Melaye has been receiving treatment in the last one week and took him away around 2p.m. yesterday. While one source said he may have been taken to Lokoja, capital of Kogi State, for interrogation over the alleged shooting of one Sgt. Danjuma Aliu by suspected
thugs associated with the Senator, another said he has been taken to the Department of State Services (DSS) hospital. Though sources contacted at the DSS could not confirm if Melaye was at the DSS health facility. Similarly, police spokesman, DCP Jimoh Moshood would not pick several calls put across to him nor reply to text messages sent. Only few days to Christmas, Melaye had alerted the public through his Twitter handle of alleged plans by the police to arrest him and inject him to death but the police then dismissed the claim. The police subsequently deployed heavily armed personnel to his residence and vowed not to retreat until he surrenders himself to the Force for investigation of alleged attempted culpable homicide.
Buhari Pledges to Tackle Illegal Tax Deductions Omololu Ogunmade Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said the federal government would look into the issue of illegal tax collections with a view to encouraging more private sector businesses to thrive in the country. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the president made the promise while receiving the leadership of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria (AUFCDN), led by its president, Alhaji Ali Tahir. He said Buhari disclosed that his administration had genuine intentions to eliminate illegal taxes in the country even though the “old habits die hard.� According to the statement, the president was responding to a request by the association on the need for the federal government to halt unhealthy practice of illegal tax collections. Adesina quoted the president as saying, ‘‘I am appalled to learn that these
illegal tax collections still persist. Bad habits are not easily dropped. “But let me assure you that relevant security agencies will be reminded of their duties in preventing these bad practices and safeguarding people like you who go about their legitimate businesses. “I will take up all your appeals and complaints in due course and together with State Governments, we will attend to your proposals.� He also said the president described the association as very important and strategic to the nation’s economy, quoting him as saying, “the merchandise and products you trade in are basic to any economy. The real wealth of this country lies in agriculture and livestock rearing.� According to the statement, the president pledged that his administration would continue to do its best to assist the sector, noting that some of the more advanced countries such as Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark built economies primarily from agriculture and livestock trade.
INEC Seeks Market Closure in Abia over 387,000 PVCs
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday called for markets in Abia to be closed for a day or two to enhance the collection of hundreds of thousands of permanent voter cards yet to be claimed by their owners. INEC resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Abia State, Dr. Joseph Iloh made the call in Umuahia at a joint media briefing with heads of security agencies in the state at the end of the meeting of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security (ICCES). The meeting which lasted four hours was facilitated by Hope Givers Initiative (HGI) a non-governmental organisation as part of its engagement with the electoral body to enthrone a culture of transparent, free, fair, credible and violent free election in the land.
Luxury Lifestyle Market to Hold Exhibition
Following a highly successful maiden event last year, TLLM is scheduled to hold again on the 8th and 9th of February, this year at the Balmoral, Federal Palace Hotel to cater to luxury shoppers. Founded by Abisola Kola-Daisi, entrepreneur and Florence H Luxury Founder the event promises to connect shoppers to a carefully curated selection of beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands at discounted prices. Commenting on the event, Kola-Daisi said: “Last year, lovers and buyers of luxury gathered at the first edition of The Luxury Lifestyle Market for a two-day pop up event. Guests were treated to an array of African luxury brands at discounted prices - such as Florence H Luxury, Mazelle Perfumery, J Label, RnR Luxury, and lots more- against the backdrop of great music and good food. The African luxury market is a new, albeit growing, industry with a rapidly expanding wealth class that displays the desire to spend on luxury brands.
Veteran Broadcaster, Nworah Joins EnugwuUkwu Chiefs Veteran broadcaster and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Uche Nworah and his wife Uchechi have been admitted into the council of chiefs of Enugwu-Ukwu community in Anambra State. Nworah and his wife were honoured by their community with the chieftaincy titles of Ezeudo Enugwu-Ukwu na Umunri and his wife, Uchechi was honoured with the title of Ugomba Enugwu-Ukwu na Umunri. Both were inducted into the Enugwu-Ukwu traditional cabinet and the Royal Otu Odu Eze Society respectively. The pair were honoured for outstanding positive contributions and selfless services to Enugwu-Ukwu community, Anambra State and Nigeria.
Niger Again ConďŹ rms Presence of Hydrocarbon Niger State Government has again confirmed the presence of hydrocarbon in the Bida Basin but explained that the state has not been able to confirm presence of crude oil in the basin. However, government had commenced talks with investors that “will conduct seismic data analysis to prove the viability of hydrocarbon in commercial quantity in the basin.â€? The Commissioner for Solid Minerals alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed Panti who disclosed this in Minna on Friday said “shallow wells were drilled in Makera Bokani, Kontagora, Enagi and Gulu to confirm the extent of the Kudu Shaleâ€? saying that “it is worthy to note that these results have confirmed the presence of hydrocarbon at the Bida basin.â€? The commissioner who spoke to the press in his office explained that to give vent to governments plan to diversify the state economy the administration had acquired “mineral title for Zuma Mineral Development Company, to enable it participate actively in exploration of solid minerals in the state.
Scores Die in Cross River Petrol Tanker Inferno
Scores of people were burnt to death and many others injured yesterday evening at a spot between Tinapa Junction and Odukpani Junction in Cross River State following a fuel tanker fire. The affected tanker which was carrying petrol was heading out of Calabar towards the Odukpani Junction when it veered off the road and fell-off. Eye witness account has it that no sooner that the tanker fell at about 4.30p.m. that some of the inhabitants of the surrounding communities close to Odukpani Local Government Headquarters, and the Federal Government Housing Estate raced to the accident to siphon fuel from the tanker. It was gathered that in the process of siphoning the fuel from the true that was a sudden explosion which ignited a huge bowl of fire killing scores of people who were siphoning fuel from the fallen truck.
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
15
Plus
Godwin Abbe At 70, I Have Learnt to Be Patient, Satisfied and to Shun Materialism
GLOBAL SOCCER FAIRGROUND FASHION FILE SHOWBIZFLAIR
pg. 29 pg. 36 pg. 42 pg. 45
Ben Murray Bruce Though I’m a Radical, I Can’t Put a Dog or Bird in a Cage… I Can’t Put a Fish in a Fish Bowl
18
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 12, 2019
PLUS
Though I’m a Radical, I Can’t Put a Dog or Bird in a Cage… I Can’t Put a Fish in a Fish Bowl Senator Ben Murray Bruce tells Nduka Nwosu the story of his life, his family, politics, the men and women as well as the events that have helped to shape his worldview in the complex life of a politician and businessman
C
L- R: Ben’s wife, Evelyn; Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji and Ben Bruce
hristmas celebration worldwide is a re-union for many. That is when the Murray Bruce family returns home for celebration. Ben Murray Bruce with his family are heading for No. 17, Thurnbull Avenue, Yaba, to join others for thanksgiving surrounding the matriarch who at 92 still radiates good health and energy. An early visitor is the Catholic Reverend Father from St. Dominic’s Church where the family worships. Ben hugs mum whom he calls his girlfriend and plants a peck. Mum smiles and asks a few questions on the state of the nation. When she is done receiving Guy and his family, the matriarch beams a huge smile at his visitor. “What are you up to, you and your friend Ben? That boy, do you want to hear about his many troubles growing up? Where do I start? Mama has everything to say about everybody including his stubborn son Ben. Mrs. Margaret Mary Dolly Murray-Bruce cast her thoughts back into time and space. On a warm sunny day in a less turbulent time, 18th February 1956 to be specific, the seventh child of Pa William Murray Bruce and the fourth child of Madam Margaret Murray-Bruce was born. Nobody expects Ben to remember exactly all that happened when he was born in Yaba, Lagos at an Aje Street hospital by a renowned gynaecologist, Dr. Doherty. Of course, he was not the Abiku who had one leg walking in the land of the spirits and the other walking deceptively in the land of the living, knowing all things and all things knowing him. Was he also a bird capable of assuming numerous forms with no boundaries? More than the imaginary and protean mind of the other Ben, the son of Okri, Ben as we must call him for now, realising that the subject in question has come a long way with popular acclaim and credibility, confesses: “I don’t know if my early beginning had a shape of what a person will end up becoming in life,” by which he means there was neither a shooting star in the firmament announcing his arrival nor some three wise men from the East with gifts for the newborn star. “I was at Our Lady of Apostle’s Primary School and my father worked with the UAC and every two years he was transferred to another city and that accounted for all of us being born in different cities.” Ben admits he grew up under the tutelage of a conservative family. His father retired as a UAC manager in charge of Kingsway Stores, while his migrant grandfather was among the founders of UAC Nigeria. In one of his conversations with Pa Christopher Abebe, first Nigerian and former UAC chairman, he told him each time the Governor General went on leave, the UAC chairman acted as Governor General; that was pre-independence Nigeria. Much later Ernest Shonekan became Nigeria’s President and the same UAC provided Nigeria a First Lady-Stella Obasanjo-nee Abebe. Of course, when his father retired, he received as part of his pension, one or two stores belonging to UAC but was under-performing, and he grew the stores to what was later to be known as Domino Stores. His greatest gift from his parents, he says, was the discipline bestowed on him. “I am the rebel in the family. I am not a conformist, I am very liberal, more to the left, conservative in some areas but more to the left but though I am a radical, I cannot put a dog or bird in a cage. I can’t put a fish in a fishbowl. I believe everybody should be free because I like freedom. I cannot restrict anyone yesterday or today. I once went on a hunting expedition
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
19
PLUS How I Became a Coup Plotter Because of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder with Ronald Chagoury in the South of France. My gun shot a bird and it fell. I put my gun down and vowed never again. Once I killed the bird and kept my gun down, I realised violence and killing people were not for me.� What did her mummy tell her about his early beginnings? “She didn’t tell me much. I think you have to ask her all those questions. All I know is that as a young person, I was very out-going and I made a lot of friends I was hanging out with. I was a people’s person at a very early age.� As a pupil at the primary school, Ben was a headache always playing outdoors. He formed a football club with a billboard that stated in bold relief: “Agama Boys Club: You can join if you want�. He would come back from school without doing his homework he would turn the large compound into a football field. If Ben’s injurious legs had allowed him, he would have followed the path of his hero Haruna Ilerika who played the No. 9 jersey for Stationery Stores and the national team Green Eagles but he went into St. Gregory’s College and found himself leading the college as Senior Prefect. That was where his organisational skills shone like a thousand stars having been made the Harvest Committee chairman or Prefect, raising an amount that shattered previous projections. Father O’Connell who was the school chaplain was happy Ben has lived up to expectation. Well, don’t be disappointed. N400 in September 1973 was a fortune for a secondary school fundraising event. Ben Murray Bruce had shattered the records. No fundraising organised by the school attained such amount, the highest being N100. It called for celebration. Father O’Connell and Ben invested the money in school band equipment, purchasing all the needed instruments for the St. Greg’s College Band. It paid off hugely. A junior student Melvin Ukachi had approached Ben and asked if he could do some practice with the band. Ben responded in the affirmative. Ukachi and his group later known as Ofege used the school band to wax their first album which sold over one million copies. Ofege produced by Odion Iruoje, a famous music producer of the time became an instant hit and ruled the airwaves right into the end of the1970s. But Murray Bruce is sad because the management of the group was poor. Besides the parents of the students were not happy these boys had become famous at the expense of their studies. He came out of that experience to produce Dizzy K Falola, and Xtasy-Roy and Joy Murray Bruce. While also attributing the success of the group to the influence of the Afrobeat maestro Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Murray Bruce was positioned by the culture of talent discovery, of which St. Greg’s had become renowned, Much later in life after his sojourn to the US, Bruce returned home to be a major talent hunter, music promoter and publisher of an entertainment magazine known as Silverbird magazine. How did the US exposure as a student act as a catalyst for his political development? His response: “You have no idea how what you do as a kid will turn out, how it will affect you later in life. It comes as if you had a plan all your life whereas it was an expression. My actions were an expression of my mind. I like to express myself. The way I expressed myself as a five-year-old is the same way I’ll express myself when I am 100. I love to think. I can wake up at three in the morning thinking of deregulation or minimum wage issues, anything that has to do with the progress of the nation and humanity; I think when I am sleeping on how to fix the economy. Back in college he joined the Black Movement and was admitted to the Black House on campus. “I arrived the US in 1975. Kennedy had been killed in 1962 and Bobby Kennedy was killed in 1968. The Cultural Revolution was gathering momentum and Woodstock, a musical event, was the rallying force for the promotion of peace and free love. I saw Gerald Ford campaigning in my campus and he lost to Jimmy Carter. The people wanted to move forward. I was trying to understand how America could be integrated economically, not politically because Johnson had given blacks or African Americans the right to vote. That was not economic empowerment but there was a transition from the right to vote to economic empowerment. All these developments taught me a lot and how we can improve and bring the best to Nigeria.� Murray Bruce remembers the events that shaped his venture into the entertainment industry. He met Louis Smallwood who taught on set young men and women who could not attend a regular school and he exposed him to such artistes as Janet Jackson,
Ben with Bobby Brown and New Edition Band at the Rhythm Unplugged Show
Gary Coleman, the cast of the television show from Good Times, Todd Bridges, Carter and Different Strokes, “because American law says that anyone under 16 had to go to school and these young entertainers shot and practiced their shows all day long and could not go to a regular school, they were taught on the set and my friend Louis Smallwood was teaching them on the set. I often visited him and from there the interest grew and that was how I got into show business.� Many wondered why Ben Bruce could not bring Michael Jackson to the country at the height of his entertainment business. A friend of his had taken him to meet Joe Jackson, Michael’s father at the Motown and they spoke at length but the proposal he made to him made no economic sense. He asked for too much money. He decided to see Dick Griffith who knew Joe very well and he said: “if Joe could not get Michael to cross the street, they’re not in good terms,� These were happening in the 1980s. He adds: “Don’t forget about now Michael released ‘Off the Wall,’ which made a monumental success, then he came out with ‘Thriller’ and that was the last time he had a performance powered by Don King. I became a concert promoter in 1980 and by December 31st, 1980 when Major General Muhammadu Buhari overthrew President Shagari and he became President, concert promotions in Nigeria collapsed and that ended my career and for two years during which Fela was jailed my career ended. Then I was in Philadelphia with Michael, his brothers and Dick Griffith attending their show.� His meeting with Jesse Jackson was a turning point joining him much later to do a tour of the Frontline States. He explains how he met him and later Andy Young: “I knew Andy Young, who became famous because of his civil rights struggle led by Martin Luther King Jnr and became Mayor of Atlanta, through Obasanjo who was a big fan of Andy. I met Jesse Jackson in 1983 in Los Angeles, with Dick Griffith; they came to my office. There was a meeting of Black American Promoters Association of America in 1983. He was the only African in that meeting that held in the premises of Solar Records. They were talking about Cool Jazz Festival taking place with black artistes and white promoters.� According to Ben, the black promoters came to Jesse requesting the show be brought to a halt. Reason? They wanted to be part of the business their talent and creativity was driving. They were asking for economic reciprocity. The idea was to destroy the brand and in 24 hours they negotiated to handover 50 per cent of the business to black promoters thus breaking white monopoly over black artistes and promoters. That was also how Murray Bruce met Mohammed Ali. “Jesse is one of the most gifted black orators of all time. These were the legends of American music and politics and I was excited to be in their
midst.� When Buhari seized power in 1983, was it his fault that Silverbird closed shop? Expectedly Murray Bruce answers in the affirmative and stunned his visitor with a larger than life revelation of being accused of a coup plot. “Yes, it was his fault however my alliance or membership in PDP transcends such interpretation. When Mr. Buhari became the Head of State in 1983, he re-introduced the Foreign Currency Regulations and things like that and you could not access dollars anymore and that meant you could not promote groups anymore. It became a problem. It was worse for me because I was made the Executive Director of Black Music Association with Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and the top brass in the music industry around me. I was supposed to promote a music festival in Nigeria with the Jacksons, with Shade Adu, with New Edition and the biggest stars in the world to raise money, just like what Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie did with ‘We are the World’, to raise money. I still have the fliers. “Two things happened to kill that. Stevie Wonder sent a message to me that after the concert they would love to see the President. Of course, Buhari was at Dodan Barracks and I wrote a letter requesting a meeting with these artistes when they arrived in the country. As soon as they got the letter they set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee. They all met, luckily for me a friend of mine was in that meeting and I was accused of coup plotting and I was to be investigated. Two, Fela got jailed for having 1,600 Pounds in his pocket when he was leaving the airport. “Those two events were significant to the promotion that was to take place. I got calls from Washington. One said if you can jail the most famous musician in Africa in your country why should I come and visit you? The most famous product, the greatest ambassador from Africa was Fela at the time and the Buhari junta put him in prison for five years because he was carrying one thousand six hundred Pounds. “So who was coming to perform in Nigeria for me? Nobody, instead I became a suspect under investigation for coup plotting.� That sounds like the first tragedy before the cancellation of the Miss World Beauty pageant anchored by Silverbird in Abuja. So obviously, this jinx started somewhere and only had a replay many years after. “Did it make sense? It didn’t have to make sense for a Gestapo government in power. That was how my business came to a halt in the 1980s. I became a suspect being investigated for plotting a coup. That was what happened, so I quit.� What about his lowest moment? Murray Bruce remembers nothing brought his soul to its lowest ebb as the cancellation of the Miss World Beauty pageant in Abuja after 16 years of working towards it from 1986 when Silverbird hosted its first Most Beautiful Girl
in Nigeria Beauty Pageant (MBGN) to 2000 when Agbani Darego emerged as the first black Miss World. At least over 400 journalists were accredited for the event. For one month Nigeria was in the news with a rating that surpassed the Commonwealth Conference of Heads of State that held in Abuja six months after. According to Murray Bruce, “I was heartbroken for myself and Nigeria. I hate to fail and worse I hate when Nigeria is embarrassed internationally.� Before the cancellation of the event which first bidding was in 2001 and later shifted to South Africa, Murray Bruce recalls how the international media campaigned against giving Nigeria the hosting right when Amina Lawal was sentenced to death by Islamic Sharia law. The campaign was virulent but Silverbird got the franchise and committed millions of dollars to the event. Then a newspaper report on Mohammed added to the fury. The event was cancelled and moved to London. For a man and an organisation that had committed so much to the event, nothing could be more heart-rending. It was his lowest moment. Well, in a family, don’t expect all the children to move in the same direction. Some would love business, others would go into politics. Some could be outspoken while others would be taciturn going about their normal business unperturbed by activities of any government in power. For Murray Bruce, he has made a good venture of the two divides and he explains: “I am a free thinker, I am a free spirit and so I like to think. I am always thinking of how we can fix the political problems in Nigeria, the problems affecting the geo-political zones of the country as well as the religious problems. I want to function with the speed of thought. I have no time for politics in the traditional style such as when politicians say when I complete my tenure I will hand over to the South-east or South-west. That is the dumbest way to run a campaign, playing on the sentiments of people and not to think of what you can do as a politician. You tell them you will give them power. “Do you really think I care if the Nigerian President is a Chinese and we have the entire country lit with electricity, or the country has a good road network, kids come out from school and have jobs and can access good education; will I care if the doctor is Moslem, Christian, heathen, Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa? Does it matter if the students’ Mathematics teacher is Chinese if he teaches well? Campaigns anchored on deceit are detrimental to the well-being of Nigerians. Question is what have you done with the power we gave you when you are deceitfully asking people for votes because you will give power to the East or West? You are assuming we are all stupid? I cannot get involved in such politics, in a nation where the illiterate rule the literate, running an illiterate campaign. I cannot run a campaign anchored on tribal sentiments.
20
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
PLUS
Godwin Abbe
At 70, I Have Learnt to Be Patient, SatisďŹ ed and to Shun Materialism Major-Gen Godwin Abbe, who clocked 70 years recently, reached the zenith of his profession. He held various positions, including being appointed Defence Minister, Minister of Interior and former Military Administrator of Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States. Abbe, fondly called General by his admirers, recalls events that marked his childhood and enlistment into the Army, among other issues, in a chat with journalists in Benin City. Adibe Emenyonu was there
21
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
PLUS Life is a Journey of Multi-Dimensional Lessons
H
What is your position on the recent Amnesty International report on Nigeria’s approach to security challenges? You hear of our soldiers going to fight and they are not properly armed. No, we have to shut our eyes and really arm them so that they can incapacitate anyone from stopping the government from delivering. When you are talking of incapacitation, I am talking of real incapacitation, bringing death and destruction to those who will stop us from progressing, which is what I think the president is doing. As for the Amnesty International, are they here to help us or they are here to destabilise us? What kind of comments are they making? Somebody slapped my son, he has also bitten him, my son is bleeding and you say I shouldn’t hit him with a club and break his head and remove the teeth he used in biting my son. You will say you are Amnesty International and you have come here to discuss the fundamental human rights of people who are destroying, killing innocent Nigerians in the north eastern part of this country. Rather, you are saying I should treat him with kid gloves. I will do no such thing. The Nigerian army should not listen to human rights. It is when we have succeeded in incapacitating them that you can begin to talk about human rights. Anywhere in the world, fighting insurgency is usually a long drawn struggle. It is not a thing for politician to discuss; we have to attain military victory substantially, clear the coast, then move development there; give the displaced water, light, empower the local government and then restore law and order. There is nothing religious about it.
ow are you feeling at 70? For me, it is of excitements and mixed feelings. When you attain this age, you suddenly realise that God has been merciful to you. You thank God for the protection one has enjoyed without money. But basically, it is more of gratitude to God because I know that it is not by might or by right reaching this age. What has life taught you at 70? I learnt to be grateful to God, to be patient, satisfied with whatever I have and I have now leant to shun materialism. It is clear that life itself is journey of multi-dimensional lessons but above all, life has taught me to give gratitude to God and to any man that has been kind to me. Why did you choose to join the military? At childhood it was an excitement. I went into the military at the age of 18. You will be amazed that as a soldier then in Benin, you didn’t have a pay for a bus ride, or pay for ticket to enter Ogbe Stadium to watch football matches. These were the excitement that we saw. Watching military films must have also played a role and they were part of the excitements too. My father was a policeman, it was a combination of all these. How did your family take your decision to join the military? My father didn’t like it but my mother and grandmother were very excited. My father hated me for joining the military, but my grandmother was happy because she thought that, according to Benin mythology, I was her father’s reincarnate; that I died fighting within the state city system and that I was going to take the job I had done before. What was it like being given a gun to shoot your enemy for the first time? If you find anybody who fought in the civil war, they will tell you it is on rare occasion that you come face to face with your enemy. It is only on close quarter battle and it is very rare. So, if anybody tells you he sees the enemy at close quarters, it is a complete lie. Any situation where you had a close shave with death? In June, 1969, I was involved in an ambush in Kwale and we were coming from a village called Osisa in a town called Utagba-Ogbe. They (Biafran soldiers) ambushed us. We were nine in the vehicle but I survived with my orderly who later died. They were better; they anticipated our movement because the Chief of Staff then, General Hassan Katsina was visiting Kwale. I could have been killed but something went wrong with the person who was to shoot me and he said: “get up, get up� and immediately I took to my heels and got lost inside the bush and when his weapon started firing I was in a different direction, I did not move so he got scared and ran away. So, later in the evening I came back with my colleague, late John Shagaya cleared them while they were celebrating and we removed the dead bodies. That was the closest that I can remember. You know we were all boys; I was about 20 years old. There were fears but not the kind I have now because I have children, I won’t like to do those things I did 50 years ago. How did you survive many military coups? Oh, you want to know if I was involved? I’m alive and you are seeing me. The reason was simply loyalty. What can you describe as your highpoint in the military? As my career progressed, I had several exciting moments but I look forward to a brighter new day. I cannot pinpoint one, if one would be frank. The first pleasure was surviving the Nigeria civil war; that was the first joy because everybody, especially those of us who participated saw jets looming at very low level. So, when General Yakubu Gowon declared that the war had ended, when he said no victor, no vanquished and that we should embrace each other; it was one of the most exciting moments for us because we had assignments, rumour was on that my battalion was to be given a new mission, so it was a huge relief. I didn’t think that the war was necessary; I thought it was nasty and I was too young to understand the totality of it. What is your message to Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB? You see, every agitation is centred on
Abbe
dissatisfaction and injustice. As far as I am concerned, based on their observation they think that the country should be restructured, that there are people who are monopolising the resources of the country; if there is equity and justice, why will they want to get out of a system that is fair? So the solution is for them to be told that they can agitate and not to declare for war against the state, it is very risky because they themselves will not survive it.
life miserable for him, they will squeeze him externally. They have the power, information and the technology to do it and they also will get into us and cause confusion by setting one against the other. They know our weaknesses, religion, tribal, ethnic and they capitalise on all that. It is unfortunate we also encourage them. Why should we now allow foreigners to come and start pontificating and telling us about democracy and, in the process, sow seed of discord among us?
As an Edo man and a Nigerian, what was your growing up like? I was born in Benin, at St. Philomena Hospital; my grandparents are from Okemole, what you call Lagos Street today. I grew around Okemole, new Benin. I went to Baptist School, I spent most of my time with my grandmother and she was nice. The first best friend I even met in my life was my grandmother and she taught me so much. There is this notion that the military incursion into our political system affected our democratic development. What’s your view? You see, that expression is usually made from the position of ignorance. If you look at the history of other nations that have developed like America, Great Britain, Germany, India and Japan, most of these countries had military interregnum if you recall. The profession of the military is an all-embracing one, so it is out of place to say military incursion in Nigeria politics has been to the disadvantage of the development of the country. At that time of our socio-political evolution, the military thought they could make a change because those who had responsibility to bring about continuous unfettered change didn’t show signs that they had capacity or were willing. So, the military thought they could do it better. When the military came in, the society applauded them. Was there any military government that ruled without having civilians as active members either in advisory capacity as commissioners or ministers? The truth of the matter is that this is where we are as a nation and that is why the military in 1999 decided that enough is enough. In fact, the military deserves commendation. It is a mark of qualitative leadership for the military to say we tried and we have failed and we accepted democratisation in 1999 and said let us hand over to a democratically elected government, at the time of General Abubakar, when I was a member of the provisional Ruling Council. As soon as General Abacha died, we said no, we should hand over. The military did not rule in isolation, so if anyone is having such opinion, that is wrong. Our predicament predates that, we have had obstacles as a nation to our developments, which is what is still on now. Some nations of the world have seen us a source of raw material and a market for their finished goods and every other thing that is said is immaterial and they have everything to keep that status quo. They will find a leader who is outspoken and focused and they will make
Are we not giving these people reason to intervene in our democracy, when we still engage in undemocratic practices? What should concern us as a nation is to address some of these weaknesses that we have identified. The Emir of Kano was discussing the socio-malaise of a polygamous system that has served us no good. He was discussing about the North, it is also practiced in the South. How would you imagine a 60-year-old man marrying a 25 years old girl and after 10 years of marriage, the 60 years old man is 70 and the girl is 35 year old and probably they have five children but because of recklessness the old dies leaving nothing for the children. It is the amalgamation of these children that will be in the streets, snatching ballot boxes and used as thugs because of desperation. So we should start having government that will address some of this indiscipline in the society. It is only when we start addressing this that we will not have a situation where an individual whose take home pay is probably N100,000 per month will have 13 children. Now, tell me how he will not be corrupt. Is it that governments do not know what do? You are discussing government as if government is coming from the moon. Government is from within; it is from among us that you select people at the ward, local and state level. Is it not from among us we select people to go to the state house of assembly to represent us? When they come to solicit votes, they come with drinks and kola nuts and you expect them to go there and make laws? What kind of laws are they going to make when they have not recovered the money extorted from them by the same society. These are the same people that when they get to position of authority their family will swam on them that this is their opportunity, then tomorrow you turn around that they are corrupt? What is your solution to end Boko Haram insurgency? Why is Boko Haram striving? It is striving because of injustice, and poverty. Terrorism generally is premised on resistance to existing authority. It is very difficult to give a date when this kind of war will end. It is like a medical doctor that is trained coming to tell you that a patient diagnosed with cancer will be cured on a particular date, you will know that that doctor is incompetent. Terrorism in any society is usually a protracted war.
What about allegation of funds being diverted by military authorities? I will blame the Nigerian state, it means there is something wrong with the system, how on earth? In our time, we didn’t have that access, where are you going to get the money from if the system is functioning properly? You blame the Nigerian state. It is a shame that anytime you turn your back, somebody has embezzled so many millions, what we should be addressing is system failure. It is like in a home and you suddenly wake up to say that the house girl has stolen gold in the house and you want police to arrest her, you say a child has stolen five thousand naira in your house, how have you been keeping the money, what is the system of managing the money? What is wrong is the system. No individual should have access to that amount of money. There is no society today that is not corrupt. The difference is that there are established organs of spending funds. I am not saying that there are incorruptible people. What I am saying is like in your house when you take a cane to flog a child because that child has stolen N1,000, but as far as I am concerned, you should be blamed for keeping the money where the child will have access. I am not saying that we shouldn’t blame those who are corrupt but that we should establish systems of expenditure that will make it difficult for an individual to have access. It is a systemic problem. So, for all those that have been accused of corruption, it means that there was a window through which they as individuals have access. There is something wrong with our system, there is nothing wrong with something being wrong, but what is wrong is our inability to now block those loopholes so that in the future, we won’t experience such. Why do we have incessant attacks on our soldiers? The Boko Haram themselves, are they not trained? Just like football where smaller countries beat Nigeria, in war, you either win or you lose. The truth, however, is that the matter also has something to do with our socio-political evolution. Who are those that have been in charge in recent times? How have we selected the leaders that have taken over, what has been our succession plan as a nation. In every segment of the society, it must be determined that this person will be the next commander, he must have had certain qualities that are unassailable, he must be able to know that the bullet does not discriminate between religion and tribe. So, when you are identifying leaders, and upgrading people to positions, our succession plans matter, it should be reviewed such that the best should occupy strategic positions. For instance, if you want a very powerful Fourth Estate of the Realm in this country and you go and pick people who cannot write simple English, how are they going to communicate, how will journalism flourish? Then you cannot tell people in primary school that if you want to learn English, go and read newspapers so as to learn usage and not abusage of English.
22
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
Fashion File
Oluwatenola a.k.a
Lordmaine is an Entrepreneur at 5 Years Old
JANUARY 12, 2019 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
FASHION FILE
Lordmaine is an Entrepreneur at 5 Years Old Child celebrity Oluwatenola a.k.a Teno, popularly known as Lordmaine, is a creative with several talents; Teno has modelled for several clothing brands and also represented several brands as Brand Ambassador. Besides modelling, Tenola is also an actor, a comedian, a Vlogger & a wonderful musician as he plays several musical instruments. Tenor who is the son of popular fashion entrepreneur & Business Mogul ‘Toyin Lawani’ has always celebrated his birthday elaborately and he even launched his own Clothing Line with a collection called Elegante Kids on his last birthday. Taking after his mum’s entrepreneurial spirit, Tenola has decided to launch two businesses as he turns five today, he has launched his Youtube channel called ‘Lordmaine’ and he is also launching his biscuit brand called ‘Teno Biscuit’ which is his own business idea that he came up with and requested his mother’s support (See pictures below).
23
24
˜ ˞ JANUARY 12, 2019
PERSPECTIVE Survivalist Dhimmitude: Ishaq Akintola as Metaphor Francis Damina
M
y attention was recently attracted to a somewhat nauseating babble by an association that parades itself as Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), over a patriotic resolve by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan KUKAH, to , as MURIC alleged, “train 10 million Almajiri children in Northern Nigeria�, which the association kicked against in a statement it issued same week claiming that Kukah’s idea raises more questions than answers. The statement went further to say that the idea is a ploy for proselytisation , modern colonialism and a potential time bomb. Signed by one Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director and Founder of MURIC, the statement also said: “We all agree that something must be done about the Almajiri children. We can welcome ideas from everyone but the implementation must be in the hands of Muslims in the region. Any other thing will make the intention questionable. We cannot pretend to be naive as to entrust our Muslim children to the hands of Christian gospellers. As far as we are concerned, Kukah’s Almajiri dream is a Trojan horse.� “Whatever the situation may be,� the statement continued, “we wish to caution northern Muslims, particularly the elders, never to allow it to happen. Instead of allowing Christian missionaries to seize this kind initiative, Northern Muslims should empower available Muslim NGOs or cater for Almajiri children. We know that from experience that whatever happens will be the point of reference in the near future. Who will bear the shame at that time? We, therefore, advise state governments in the region to rearrange their priorities and concentrate on the education and welfare of our children.� While the position of MURIC reminds me of the divisive questions of religion and citizenship as the perennial cog in the wheel of northern Nigeria’s progress, it is doubtful if Professor Akintola, supposedly a Yoruba fellow, has the locus standi to speak on behalf of the North. He seems to have misled MURIC on what the issues are. Way back in 2017, in a goodwill message on the occasion of my book presentation in Arewa House Kaduna, Bishop Matthew Kukah, represented by Rev. Fr. Anthony Shawuya , clued us into the initiative. The Bishop said: “Unfortunately, I cannot be with you today because as this event is going on, I am also involved in a very important life changing activity that will change the face of Northern Nigeria, by the special grace of God. As this is being read, the Governor of Borno State and some of his colleagues from the 19 northern states will be signing a Memorandum Of Understanding with a Spanish company, PROFUTURO , to undertake the provision of digital learning tools that will change the face of education among our children in Northern Nigeria. Together with His Eminence, John Cardinal Onayeikan, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Jos, and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi ll, we have midwifed a project whose impact by the grace of God will change the face of education with special focus on the children of the poor across the North. “ The take home here, contrary to Akintola’s submission, is that: one, the donor is a Spanish company and not a Christian Organisation. Two, It is an initiative midwifed by the Bishop himself, Northern Governors, Emir of Kano, etc. And the last but not the least, the target group is not the Almajiris but vulnerable children all over the North notwithstanding their tribe or religion. It is unfortunate and a shame that apocryphal scholars like the so-called Professor Ishaq Akintola, who ought to be busy with researches in finding solution to the catalog of problems that
Kukah are currently threatening the very foundation of our existence such as the daily murder of innocent citizens and the tsunami of hardship that has come to stay with us, as it is typical of scholars in other climes, have rather resorted into using religion in dredging the already shrinking sea of our primordial differences. And even if the Bishop were to concentrate solely on our most cherished sons - the Almajiris, he should not have deserved the kind of dhimmitude meted on him by the insular professor turned knight of primordial sentiments. At least, in spite of our outward lack of care for these children, we are deep down worried about them. Only last week, when Dr. Hakeem BabaAhmed came in contact with one of them, he said: “Honestly, nobody should again ask me to keep mute over the plight of these children.� And this could only spring from a heart that has a conscience; and conscience, from where compassion emanates, is not a scarce commodity in people like Bishop Kukah who are trained to preach and show love to all sons and daughters of Adam. It was the catholicity of this conscience that prompted some aliens called missionaries from overseas to the then Malaria infested Africa to make sure that many Akintolas didn’t go without education. Or, is the Professor equally ashamed of this? There is no doubt that Almajiranci, if what we see today qualifies to be called so, apart from its negative societal consequences such as being the sustaining fuel of the unquenchable fire of insecurity in the North, has made us Northerners the laughing stock of the world. Today, the rest of the country look upon us as doomed by some unknown gods not to excel in academics.
Little wonder we are called all kinds of derogatory names whenever we cross the Niger with no distinction whatsoever. This may have provoked a few patriotic Northern leaders who are now insisting that there must be a change of status quo. While the progressive Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi ll had admonished us to convert our many mosques into schools, in Kaduna State, Governor el-Rufai is already running an intifada against illiteracy. In a foreword to a book titled ‘The Politics of Free Education’ authored by Richard Dambo, his Education Commissioner, Alhaji Jafaru Sani, said: “Today, while Northern Nigerians are seen by the rest of the country as freeloaders, Northern elite and leaders have continued to play politics with education. According to the 2015 Global Monitoring Report (GMR), Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. “And out of these 10.5 out-of-school children, the highest in the world so far, 60 per cent are in Northern Nigeria. This is unacceptable. And this is why in spite of the difficulties, Kaduna State, the gateway to Northern Nigeria, has continued to insist that there is no alternative to reforms in the education sector.� Again, three years back, an illustrious son of the North often referred to as ‘’The Protector In Chief of Northern region�, particularly of ‘Northern Islam’, Mohammed Haruna, had put the blame of this deplorable state on the generation of the region’s leaders who succeeded the late Sardauna. “The problem, I think,� he said “was that the next generation of the region’s politicians chose to pay lip service to investment in education without which invariably we could only send garbage into our tertiary schools. And as they say of computers: garbage in, garbage out.� Consequently, as I said somewhere, apart from lack of trust and the strong religious tensions that are today eating the North, the rest of the country look upon us as parasites. And there is equally no evidence to show that we are not the most educationally and economically impoverished. While others have continued to build their future on investment in education, the North is comfortable in remaining the only Bakery with the license of producing loaves of illiterates to feed the rest of the country with violence at any slightest provocation. We must reverse this ugly trend. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the now enlightened generation to resist the survivalist dhimmitude of individuals and associations who are out to divide the region for their selfish reasons. And whether these individuals and associations come as MURIC, CAN, Akintola, Oritsenjafor, etc, we must resist them as long as their intention is to create a schism among us. “If, as a result of the agitation for the fragmentation of this great region,� Sir Ahmadu Bello said while addressing the Willinck Minorities Commission in 1958, “ fostered and encouraged as it is so much by persons seeking their own political interest, the unity of the North is impaired or damaged, then I fear greatly that we shall step, not through the gates of the future into the broad prosperity which can lie before us, but back into the past, into tribalism, into religious intolerance and violence. “ May God prevent this. Finally, I cannot but join Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed in calling for the North never to miss the nuances of Bishop’s ‘attack’. “We should instead�, as he said. “use the opportunity this sober reflection offers to take one hard look at ourselves. And then in the name of Allah (The most beneficent and merciful), and our enlightened self-interest, dedicate a certain measure of our collective sociopolitical actions and behaviours to end the sufferings of these children. “May God save us from insular scholars of Akintola’s breed. ––Damina, a student of Religion and Politics wrote from Holy Family Catholic Church Gidan Bako, Kaduna State, and can be reached via francisdamina@gmail.com
Boko Haram: Dickson Calls for More Support for Armed Forces Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
T
he Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, yesterday called on political leaders and Nigerians to give more backing to the men of the Armed Forces in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. A statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said the governor spoke when he paid a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at the NAF Headquarters, Abuja, over the death of Bayelsa-born Flight Lt. Pereowei Jacob, and four others in a helicopter crash a few weeks ago. The Governor said that it was necessary for leaders across Nigeria to give priority to support the efforts of the men of the Armed Forces, some of who have paid the supreme price. He said that the condolence visit was meant not only to mourn and grieve with the NAF, but to also encourage the military and security agencies on the ongoing combat against the insurgents. The governor also promised to visit the widow of the late pilot to announce the support of the Bayelsa State Govern-
ment and urged Nigerian leaders to support families left behind by the security personnel. “We are saddened by the loss of these very brilliant, dedicated, promising officers. The Government and people of Bayelsa are further saddened that the pilot who died in that incident, Pereowei Jacob, was a Bayelsan. “The government feels that we should visit you, to condole with you, your officers, the airmen and women. I will also be visiting the family, especially the young widow who was married and stayed with her husband for just about three weeks before this sad incidence. “Bayelsa mourns with you, Bayelsa grieves with you but above all, we are here to show solidarity with you, the Air Force and indeed the military in the efforts that are being made to keep the country safe. “I want to use this opportunity to call for more support for the Armed Forces. I call on all Nigerians and leaders to join hands to support the work of the military and security agencies in containing the insurgency. Every one is paying a price. Your officers and men have once again paid the supreme price. “And we are here to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of your men and indeed all the officers to keep the country safe.�
Dickson In his remarks, the Air Chief said that the helicopter crash that led to the unfortunate death of the Air Force personnel would not discourage the service from intensifying the onslaught against the insurgents. He said that the NAF was focused and working hard to carry out its statutory responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
25
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 12, 2019
POLITY
Kwara Stands Still for Saraki, Atunwa, as PDP Flags-off Campaign Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
L
eaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, on Tuesday set out on another political journey on the premises of Pilot Primary School, Bode -Saadu, the headquarters of Moro Local Government Area of the state. They came out in their thousands to make a strong statement about their commitment, determination and zeal to continue to provide enviable political leadership to the people of the state. The event, which was the flag -off of the campaigns of the party and the presentation of flags to its candidates ahead of the forthcoming general elections in the country, had an unprecedented crowd of party supporters that trooped out to witness the rally that has been described in some quarters as the mother of all rallies in the political history of the state. The development, according to political pundits in the state, was to make a statement of support and commitment to the Senate President and National Leader of the PDP that come rain, come shine, his people and PDP supporters in the state would continue to follow him to wherever he leads in the overall interest of the state and of the country as a whole. Prior to the flag off of the party’s rally, its leaders moved from one ward to another to mobilise voters. Apart from this, the party had instituted canvassers across the 193 wards in the state by engaging the electorate on the need to continue to ensure continuity in the governance of the state come 2019. The canvassers, who were enthusiastic about the assignment, have been making a good outing and have vowed to ensure that all the candidates of the PDP, starting from governorship candidate, Hon. Razak Atunwa, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, among others, were elected. As early as 9.a.m last Tuesday, party faithful and supporters across the three senatorial districts of the state defied harsh harmattan weather and joined in a convoy of vehicles to the venue of rally at Bode-Saadu town, which is also the headquarters of Kwara North senatorial district. Supporters were seen brandishing placards with inscriptions such as, “Atunwa 1”, “Atunwa’ will do it very well”, “Saraki is our leader”, “Saraki Oloye”, “Atiku is our president”, “No way for seasonal politicians in Kwara”, among others. Saraki, who was highly elated with the massive turn out of the party’s members at the rally, said that “the members of the PDP in Kwara state and entire people of the state have resolved to frustrate the Senator Tinubu’s threat to wrestle power in Kwara state for APC by all means. “I want to tell you that this forthcoming general elections in Kwara state is not about me, or about our governorship candidate, Hon. Razak Atunwa and other candidates in the election, but about Kwara and our tradition. “We must all come out with our permanent voters cards and come out enmasse during the polls to vote for all the PDP candidates and Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and Mr. Peter Obi as presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate,
Saraki
Atunwa
respectively during the elections.” In his remark, Atunwa said that his administration would add value to the socioeconomic growth of the state if voted into office come March 2, during the governorship election in the state. Atunwa also promised to continue with the good work of previous administrations in the state. He added that youths would be empowered and offered employment opportunities for them to contribute their quota to the growth of the state. Also speaking at the event, the Director General of the Mandate 2019 of the PDP, Professor Suleiman Abubakar told the mammoth crowd that the forthcoming general election in the state was between the tenants and the landlord. He said that these tenants were reactionists that have not made any contributions to the socioeconomic growth of the state but want to reap the fruits. Abubakar, who was a former minister of National Planning during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, stated that “these tenants would not have their way in the political calculations of the state because they are allegedly planning to sell out our common wealth to their political masters outside the state.” He added that the good work of the PDP in the state in the last 16 years would be continued and not sold to outsiders.
Abubakar noted that “the coming out of our members and supporters for this flag off of our campaigns is an attestation of the acceptance of the political leadership of Dr. Bukola Saraki and this will be shown to our opposition group through voting during the polls in the state.” He urged the members of the party to move out enmasse and mobilise more voters for the party during the elections. The chairman of the party, Hon. Kola Shittu said that the superlative achievements of past governments in the state would assist the party to win all its seats in the elections. He advised the party members to go inward and mobilise for votes so as to ensure a landslide victory of the party in the state. Shittu, who used the occasion to laud the political sagacity of the senate president, Dr. Saraki said that his leadership zeal has continued to be a great tonic for the growth of the PDP both in the state and in Nigeria. He also used the occasion to present flags to the candidates of the party and enjoined the members of the party to vote enmasse for them during the polls. With the flag off of PDP’s campaign ahead of the election, a stage is now set for the battle of titans in Kwara state. The PDP has vowed to maintain its continuity agenda to add value to the socioeconomic growth of the state.
Omooba Dotun Babayemi: Touching Lives in Osun West Femi Ogbonnikan writes on various life-touching projects of Omooba Dotun Babayemi, ADP candidate, for the forthcoming Osun West Senatorial election
K
indness, as a trait, is inborn. It is running in the veins of Omooba Dotun Babayemi. In the last six years, he has touched the lives of no fewer than 200,000 residents of Irewole/Ayedaade/Isokan Federal Constituency of Osun State. Soon afterwards , he extended the gesture to cover the entire 10 local government areas that make up Osun West Senatorial district. Babayemi is always there for his people when they are in a dire need of his intervention. “Alafia Dotun”, Babayemi provides an annual free mobile hospital, with full mass body index and diagnostic review, accompanied by medical doctors whose responsibility is to provide free medication with a special focus on diabetes management, infection treatments and high blood remedies. Babayemi has so far distributed thousands of medicated glasses, after eye checks and surgeries for thousands of residents in 24 locations spread across the 10 local governments in Osun West Senatorial district. His other projects include annual visits to all the 110 wards in the senatorial area during Ramadan
and Christmas to share gifts to commemorate the spirit of the seasons; provision of scholarships to well over 400 indigent students in various tertiary institutions in the country. In February, 2018 alone, no fewer than 220 Osun West constituents benefitted from his free glaucoma and cataract surgeries at Eye Foundation Hospital, Ijebu-Mushin, Ogun State, while an average of 220 secondary students in SS2 that were preparing for WAEC/NECO benefitted from a five-week summer coaching programme in 22 centres spread across the 10 local governments within the senatorial district. In pursuit of his senatorial ticket ambition, Babayemi, who is the ADP candidate for Osun West, has pledged to provide a quality representation by sponsoring bills that will focus on the improvement of the quality of life of his people. As part of his commitment to the provision of quality education, he has promised to lobby for the siting of at least two federal tertiary institutions in his senatorial district. Dotun also plans to attract agricultural supply chain investment to support both cash and food crops growers in the senatorial district.
Babayemi
26
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JANUARY 12, 2019
POLITY
Hadiza Abubakar: A Benevolent Matriarch @ 60 Ali M. Ali
alone, Hajiya Abubakar looks way younger than her three scores. Each time she is among her children, she looks like the older sister. Among her wellmannered progenies is a daughter that could well pass for her immediate younger sister. The resemblance is strikingly uncanny. She looks Hadiza Abubakar girlish all right. And her husband, boyish too. His affection for his wife is all too obvious. Nearly 40 years of matrimony, and several children together, he is clearly besotted. He had this to say on her 60tth birthday: “We thank Allah for granting you long life and you are endowed with beautiful face and physique. I’m sure you can win a beauty contest if Islam had permitted women to participate in a beauty contest.” Mrs. Abubakar inner beauty outweighs her girlish looks. It glows and rubs off on anything she touches. Her pet NGO, the Bauchi Sustainable Women Economic Empowerment and Peace Initiative (B-SWEEP) bear eloquent testimony. It has changed the depressing narrative of misery and wants among the womenfolk in the state. It seeks to boost the productive capacity of women through skills acquisition and financial literacy. It is also working to complement government effort by providing maternal and child care delivery services, re-integrating women and girls into the formal school system, enhancing food security through women participation
She has interfaced with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development and also the State Ministry of Health so as to touch the lives of women, children and vulnerable groups. Over 2,000 women drawn from the 20 local government areas were trained in various skills, wheelchairs and other relief materials provided to the physically challenged persons, distribution of food items to IDPs in the state, distribution of food and sanitary items to the motherless babies’ home, distribution of food items to women during festive periods i.e. Sallah, Christmas. Among family and relatives, Hadiza is a unifier. She is a natural giver, a self-groomed leader and an instinctive listener. Hadiza listens to understand not to reply. A Masters degree in in agriculture and creating awareness and coordinating activities aimed at fostering peace. Public Administration confirms this assertion. She rose to the peak as manager of men and Lofty ideals, no doubt. To match vision with materials as Director in the apex bank, the CBN action, the B-SWEEP has trained over 600 and retired after 30 years. Subordinates at the women, youths, and IDPs in various skills, CBN still miss her benevolence. She is firm not provision of foodstuff, clothing, and hygiene to the point of rigidity. She bows to reason and items to leprosy, tuberculosis patients, VVF values professionalism. Eye service bore her. centre , Rehabilitation Centres, and School for She is approachable and maternal. Humane Children with Special needs. It has provided nutritious meals to 1,400 malnourished children and considerate, she is a solid anchor that keeps her family grounded. as well as the provision of delivery kits to 1600 These attributes have earned her countless pregnant women across the three senatorial recognitions, titles and awards. Everywhere zones in the state. B-SWEEP also supports the she goes in Bauchi, she is called ‘MAMA’. This treatment of some cancer patients. is for the listed reasons and more. Over 100 IDPs orphans and vulnerable Royalty by genes but she earned royalty by children in primary and secondary schools have been given scholarships. It is collaborating her selflessness. Today, she is the “Uwar Matan Ningi”, ”Zinayar Toro” “Jakidyar Bununu” with UNESCO to see how they can integrate among several similar recognition. She is the over 500 women and girls back to formal and non-formal school system. On peace, B-SWEEP chairperson of Northern Governors’ Wives Forum. She is a unifier. And now she is a has organised peace clubs in 10 selected public matriarch. Happy birthday Mama! schools so as create awareness and promote –––Ali M Ali is an aide to Gov. MA peaceful co-existence among our youths? Abubakar.
L-R: Chief Tobi Lawal; Senator representing Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa; Gubernatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and APC chieftain in Magodo, Alhaji Lanre Ere, during a courtesy visit to Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Lagos...recently
L-R: Bariga LCDA Vice Chairman, Hon. Zainab Adeola Kupoliyi; Chairman, Lydia Grace Foundation, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; Head of Administration Bariga LCDA, Hon. Toyin Sennaike; and Co-coordinator, Lydia Grace Foundation, Princess Adetola Adesida Awani, at the flag off of the ‘Eradicating Illiteracy Among The Women Population Initiative’ organised by Lydia Grace Foundation in Bariga, Lagos...recently
A
bout a month ago, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Abubakar, wife of Bauchi State governor, quietly marked a milestone. She turned 60. Thus, she joined the elevated club of diamond jubilee members. There wasn’t any fanfare or the customary exhibitionist public “lecture”. She discouraged the propensity among fawning aides and wives of local government caretaker committee chairmen to place newspaper adverts to celebrate the landmark. There wasn’t dancing and merriment or wanton consumption. Instead, she used the occasion to empathise with the less-privilege and decidedly impact on her forte- women and children. On that day alone, she empowered 100 women with various life-changing items. That singular act was her way of expressing gratitude to the Creator, Allah (SWT) who has no peer, no beginning and no ending , for sparing her life to the ripe age of 60. Indeed, the First Lady of Bauchi State is richly blessed. Counting her boundless blessings for the six decades of her earthly sojourn will be an exercise in futility. Consider this. Blue blood by birth, public administrator by choice, married to her teenage love, blessed with well-bred children, some of whom with multiple degrees, and raising their own families, respected by her colleagues in the Governors’ Wives Forum, loved by her in-laws and greatly admired by those she mentored. I could go on. The list is endless. Her blessings are truly boundless! Like her husband, Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar, doesn’t look her age. She, like her better half, looks girlish. Governor Abubakar has a boyish “swagger” and energy that leaves some of us, his lieutenants sometimes, gasping for breath and lagging behind. Keeping pace with him requires a certain degree of physical energy and intellectual rigour . This is a story for another day. Strictly on account of appearance
PHOTO NEWS
L-R: Former President, Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), Christopher Oji; Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Lagos, ACP Olatunji Disu; and CRAN Executive member, Moses Omoregie, during presentation of award to Commander RRS as 2018 CRAN Man of the Year in Lagos..recently
L-R: Lifebuoy brand manager, Lanre Odupe; Lifebuoy brand ambassador, Omawumi; First Lady Benue State, Dr. Eunice Ortom; Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Agency (SEMA), Mr. Emmanuel Shior; and Executive Director Dericks Dim Care NGO, Mshelia Jamal, during Lifebuoy’s courtesy visit to the Benue State House,Makurdi..recently
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
27
28
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
3
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011
GLOBAL SOCCER A
WEEKLY PULL-OUT
12.01.2019
Simeon Nwankwo On Rescue Mission to Lokeren
NEWS
Solskjaer’s Real Test
PAGE. 32
30
GLOBAL SOCCER
On Rescue Mission to Lokeren After failing to save Italian club, Crotone FC from going down relegation in spite of scoring seven goals not many would have thought that Nigerian young star, Simeon Nwankwo would go down to Italian second tier with his team. With the season just halfway the striker may have to be on another rescue mission, this time in Belgium as top division side Lokeren would be counting on Simi’s goals to save them from sinking
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
JANUARY 12, 2019 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
31
GLOBAL SOCCER
I
n a desperate attempt not to go down relegation in the Jupiler Pro League, Belgium side, Lokeren have during the week signed Nigerian international, Simeon Nwankwo from Italian Serie B side, Crotone. Lokeren are desperate to avoid relegation this season and as such, they hope the goals of new signing Nwankwo would help achieve the objective as they are currently bottom of the Belgian league table and in the automatic relegation spot more than halfway through the season. They have 14 points from 21 matches, three points behind Royal Excel Mouscron, who are in 15th position with a -16 goals’ difference as they have let in more goals than they have scored this season. On returning from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Nwankwo was heavily touted to join Italian side Lazio but the deal failed to go through and he, therefore, went down with Crotone to Serie B. Following seven goals in Serie A last season and two cameo appearances with Nigeria’s Eagles at the World Cup in Russia, the stock of Nwankwo seems to have escalated, such that Crotone was finding it difficult to keep hold of him again, most especially with Lazio having extended their dragnet to scoop him, based on the long history they have with other talented Nigerian players. Lazio was then counting on one of the Rome-based club’s former players, Stephen Ayodele Makinwa to ensure they get their desired target of hooking Simi who still has a year left on his contract at Crotone but were relegated on the final day of the past season. His rush of late goals did not help save modest Crotone from dropping to the lower Serie B but at least it alerted top clubs to take notice of what he can do at the club. “There are several top clubs in Serie A like Lazio who want to sign ‘Simi’ but we just have to wait and see what happens after the World Cup. But it’s almost certain that he will be staying put in Serie A,” a credible source disclosed then. Lazio is willing to pay as high as €10m to grab Simy but Crotone is hanging on much longer to see if they will be reinstated in the Serie A before deciding on his potential sale. Simi ended last season on a high but it was still not enough to help Crotone remain in the Italian top-flight, but were hoping to be reinstated with the positions of Parma and Chievo under threat due to investigations affecting them. Parma is accused of attempted match-fixing for a game against La Spezia in Serie B last season, while Chievo faces punishment for falsely accounting the transfer details of 30 players with Cesena. Lazio then mandated Makinwa to push through the move for Simy, with high hopes that the former striker’s position as a players’ representative will help lure the Eagles rookie to Stadio Olimpico next season but the deal failed to sail through. In a chat with THISDAY, former Nigerian international Paul Okoku said it was natural for players’ profile to rise after the World Cup. “It is just natural for clubs to go after players after starring for their countries in the World Cup. For a player to make the team for his country shows he is good. Forget the fact that the Super Eagles did not qualify from the good stage, the truth remains that they still put up a good show. After all, they only lost the second round ticket with only four minutes to full time against
Argentina. After losing their first game to Croatia due to a tactical error, the team bounced back against Iceland and in the last group game against Argentina, Nigeria was already coasting home before conceding a last minute goal. But when you also considered that defending champions and favourites, Germany came last in their group you would then realise that the Super Eagles are not that terrible but luck was just not on their side,” Okoku noted. Speaking further, the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations silver medalist said there are still some players in the team that distinguished themselves in the team in spite of not qualifying from the group stage. “Individually, we have some players that had outstanding tournament and clubs would naturally go after those ones to beef up their team for the coming season,” he said. For Friday Ekpo, he felt Super Eagles Manager, Gernot Rohr did not really utilised the potential he had in Nwankwo, saying with his height and physical presence, the result might have been different against Argentina, rather than his late introduction in the encounter. “It was just unfortunate that Nwankwo did not have enough playing time at the Mundial, the whole world would have seen his potentials and by now a lot of European clubs would have been seeking for his services. However, he is still very young and has years behind him to fulfill his ambition. With the Africa Cup of Nations still around the corner and another World Cup just four years from now, there is no way Coach Gernot Rohr could ignore his potentials and am optimistic he would surely explode,” Ekpo expressed. Speaking in the same vein, Ifeanyi Udeze who represented Nigeria at the 2002 World Cup in Japan-Korea, said respect automatically comes with appearing at the World Cup, and all that the player needed to do is to grab the opportunity that comes his way to earn the respect. Crotone, who will feature in Serie B in the coming season after they have been relegated from the top flight this past campaign, were ready to let go their Nigeria goals machine for a princely seven million Euros before the World Cup in Russia. But after the big centre-forward made the final cut to Russia 2018 and even played a handful of minutes at the World Cup, Crotone have now doubled their valuation of the player. “Lazio were ready to pay seven million Euros for ‘Simi’ before the World Cup and it even looked like a deal would be sealed. However, since after the World Cup, Crotone are asking for 15 million Euros,” a top source told only SCORENigeria. The 25-year-old scored seven goals in Serie A last season including a spectacular over-head effort against champions Juventus. He still has a year left on his contract with the modest Italian club. It, however, remains to be seen whether Nwankwo would be able to save them from going down. This season, the lanky striker has 17 appearances in the Italian Serie B, scoring four goals for Crotone, who sit 18th in the 19-team second tier. Nwankwo is already billed to join Lokeren in training camp in Spain ahead of the restart of the second round of the season. Besides Nwankwo, Lokeren are also shopping for an attacking midfielder to boost their firepower.
32
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
GLOBAL SOCCER
Resurgent United Face Tottenham in Solskjaer’s First Real Test Manchester United have won four straight matches under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and they face their biggest test with their new manager as they take on Tottenham at Wembley Stadium on Sunday
M
anchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces his biggest task since taking over from Jose Mourinho when his team faces the man some believe could eventually replace him - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs, third in the Premier League standings, host sixth-placed United, who trail them by 10 points at Wembley on Sunday in
what is easily the toughest challenge for which Solskjaer has had to prepare his team. Since Mourinho was sacked on December 18, Solskjaer put in charge until the end of the season, has led United to four straight league wins as well as an FA Cup third round victory over Reading. The fixture list was kind to the Norwegian, however, with United travelling to lowly Cardiff City and Newcastle United and hosting bottom club Huddersfield
Town and an out of form Bournemouth. “Spurs away, Wembley, that’s a proper test,� Solskjaer said this week. We’re looking forward to that one. That will give me more of a reference for where we are against the top boys.� As soon as Mourinho was sacked, media speculation began to focus on Pochettino as the favourite to take over as permanent manager at the end of the season. While United have made no public statements of interest in the Argentine, who himself has declined to comment on what he has called
“rumours�, there continue to be suggestions that the 46-year-old is the club’s main target. Solskjaer has been unable to conceal his evident desire to get the job on a permanent basis, however, and it would boost his case significantly if he could lead United to victory on Pochettino’s home turf. Spurs beat Mourinho’s United 3-0 at Old Trafford in August and the London club have won each of their last three home games against United.
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
33
GLOBAL SOCCER Premiership Table
Head to Head 27/08/18 Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham 31/01/18 Tottenham 2-0 Man Utd 28/10/17 Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham 14/05/17 Tottenham 2-1 Man Utd 11/12/16 Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham 10/04/16 Tottenham 3-0 Man Utd 08/08/15 Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham 15/03/15 Man Utd 30 Tottenham 28/12/14 Tottenham 0-0 Man Utd 01/01/14 Man Utd 1-2 Tottenham 01/12/13 Tottenham 2-2 Man Utd 20/01/13 Tottenham 1-1 Man Utd 29/09/12 Man Utd 2 -3 Tottenham 04/03/12 Tottenham 1-3 Man Utd 22/08/11 Man Utd 3-0 Tottenham 10-02-10
Arsenal
1-0 Liverpool
Team Liverpool Man City Tottenham Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Wolves Everton West Ham Watford Bournemouth Leicester Brighton Newcastle Crystal Palace Cardi Southampton Burnley HuddersďŹ eld
P 18 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17
GD 32 38 15 21 14 0 0 2 0 -2 -3 0 -4 -8 -9 -16 -16 -18 -18
Pts 48 44 39 37 34 26 25 24 24 24 23 22 21 16 15 14 12 12 10
Premiership TODAY
West Ham Brighton Burnley Cardi C’Palace Leicester Chelsea
v v v v v v v
Arsenal 12:30 Liverpool 15:00 Fulham 15:00 HuddersďŹ eld 15:00 Watford 15:00 Southampton 15:00 Newcastle 17:30
v v
Bournemouth 14:15 Man Utd 16:30
SUNDAY
Everton Tottenham
Hot Shot NAME
CLUB
GOALS
Aubameyang
Arsenal
13
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
12
Harry Kane
Tottenham
11
Eden Hazard
Chelsea
10
Raheem Sterling
Man City
9
Richarlison
Everton
9
Sergio AgĂźero
Man City
8
Callum Wilson
B’mouth
8
Glenn Murray
Brighton
8
Anthony Martial
Man Utd
8
Glenn Murray
Brighton
8
Son
Tottenham
7
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Fulham
7
Danny Ings
Southampton 7
Sadio ManĂŠ
Liverpool
7
Spanish La Liga Fixtures TODAY
LeganĂŠs
Mourinho suffered one of his biggest home defeats as a manager when his United side lost 3-0 to Tottenham earlier this season, a week after losing 3-2 to Brighton. The result offered a glimpse of what was to come, with both clubs experiencing consistently polarised form going into the festive schedule. United had collected their fewest haul of points during a Premier League season upon Mourinho’s dismissal, while Spurs made their best start to a campaign during the modern era. But United have hit form since Solskjaer was appointed a caretaker manager with five wins on the bounce in all competitions, scoring a remarkable 16 goals and conceding only three times. Meanwhile, Premier League leaders Liverpool travel to Brighton and Hove Albion today hoping to bounce back from their loss to second-placed Manchester City which cut Jurgen Klopp’s side’s advantage at the top of the table to four points. Liverpool have some injury worries at the back, however, with Dejan Lovren picking up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers, putting him on the sidelines along with central defenders Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. After a three-game losing streak during December, Brighton are now undefeated in their last four matches in all competitions.
Those games include an impressive win at Bournemouth in the FA Cup last weekend as well as taking four points from home games with Everton and Arsenal. Liverpool have lost their last two games. However, to put those results into context, they deserved more at the home of Manchester City where they lost 5-0 last season and a young team went out of the FA Cup on Monday night. Which, to be honest, probably didn’t upset Klopp too much. The City defeat was Liverpool’s first loss in the league this season. Now they need to get right back up on that horse and get back to winning ways at Brighton. It’s not going to be easy but no-one ever said winning a league title is meant to be a doddle. Manchester City will be looking to keep up the pressure in the Premier League title race when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium on Monday. City breathed new life into the battle for the championship when they defeated Liverpool 2-1 earlier this month, with goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane ensuring that the Reds were not able to open up a 10-point lead at the top of the log. Instead, the Citizens are just four points off top spot heading into the weekend and they will be hoping Brighton and Hove Albion do them a big favour and take points off Liverpool in the teams’ meeting on the South Coast today. The Seagulls have
proven tough to beat in their own back yard, and City will hope by the time they play on Monday they have the chance to further eat into the leaders’ advantage. Wolves, meanwhile, will be hoping to once again underline their ability to cause trouble for the big teams. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side may have suffered a surprise loss at home to Crystal Palace in their last Premier League outing, but either side of that have come highly impressive results: a 3-1 league win at Tottenham Hotspur in late December and Monday night’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup third round. Wolverhampton have also proven to be fine travellers of late and will fancy their chances of an upset result at the Etihad. Their counter-attacking style is well suited to combat City’s preference to dominate possession and press high up the pitch. In head-to-head stats, City and Wolves have met in nine Premier League matches. The Citizens have claimed five wins compared to two for the Old Gold, while two games have been drawn. The teams’ most recent meeting was a Premier League clash at Molineux Stadium in August 2018 which ended in a 1-1 draw. Fourth-placed Chelsea host Newcastle United today while at the bottom of the table, there are two ‘six-pointers’ with bottom club Huddersfield at Cardiff and struggling Fulham at Burnley.
v
Huesca
12:00
Valencia
v
Valladolid 15:15
Girona
v
AlavĂŠs
17:30
Villarreal
v
Getafe
19:45
SUNDAY
AtlĂŠtico
v
Levante
11:00
Bilbao
v
Sevilla
15:15
Barcelona
v
Eibar
17:30
Real Betis v Madrid 19:45
Serie A TODAY
Roma
v
Torino
14:00
Udinese
v
Parma
17:00
Inter
v
Sassuolo
19:30 11:30
SUNDAY
Frosinone
v
Atalanta
Fiorentina
v
Sampdoria 14:00
SPAL
v
Bologna
14:00
Cagliari
v
Empoli
17:00
Napoli
v
Lazio
19:30
v
Chievo
18:00
MONDAY
Juventus
34
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
GLOBAL SOCCER
President Nigeria Para Powerlifting Federation, Mrs Queen Uboh posing with Para-Powerlifters during the media event to unveil the Lagos 2019 International Para Powerlifting competition at the Orientel Hotels‌ on Wednesday
Nigeria Targets Clean Sweep at 2019 World Para Powerlifting Competition Host Nigeria is hoping for a clean sweep in the 10 categories for both male and female of the 2019 World Powerlifting slated for the Oriental Hotels between January 21 -31 as the country’s powerlifters are once again set to show why they are among the world´s strongest. At a press conference on Wednesday held at Oriental Hotels to herald the competition, President of Nigeria Para Powerlifting Federation, Mrs. Queen Uboh, expressed confidence in the ability of Nigerian powerlifters to do the nation proud as Nigeria prepares to
host the rest of the world. The Para Powerlifting Federation boss revealed that efforts are in top gear to ensure that all necessary logistics are put in place to ensure a dopingfree and successful hosting of the competition. “Ten countries have shown interest to participate in the tournament and everything has been put in place to ensure they have a comfortable competition during their stay in the counz try,� Uboh assured. Still basking in the euphoria of their stunning performance and emotional comeback at the
2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia where they swept all four events, Nigeria will be aiming to record another successful event at the 2019 World Powerlifting competition. Uboh also said the federal government has assured the federation of its total support, adding that Ministry of Youth and Sports Development have applied for funds from the Ministry of Finance for other components of the competition. Uboh also confirmed that the federation has purchased the competition equipment which
should be arriving Nigeria next week with five corporate sponsors ready to partner the body. “The stage is set for this competition and all hands are on deck to ensure we have a successful competition. Lagos State Government are making arrangements for accommodation, feeding and competition venue at Oriental Hotels,� she said. The prize money for the competition will see goal medallists cart away $2,500 while silver and bronze medalists will receive USD 1,500 and USD1,000 respectively.
Olofinjano Pledges Support for ASFU Invitational Championship Former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjano has pledged his support for Africa Students Football Union Invitational Championship. Olofinjano who is one of the brand ambassadors of ASFU revealed last weekend that he wants to contribute his quota to the success of the Invitational
Championship which will take place in Lagos this month. “This is a good Championship that will help African university students successfully combine education and football. “While I support youths to play football as a career, I would also want them to be learned.
They must have something to fall back to when they retire from football and that is where education comes in,� Olofijana said. President of Africa Students Football Union, Professor Seun Omotayo who just returned from Wolverhampton revealed that Olofijana has decided to
support the Championship with the donation of the cup to be won on the final day and the medals. Bet9ja is a supporter of the Championship as well as Lacena water as official water. Lagos State will host the semifinal and finals of the championship.
ANWFCC Tasks NFF on Women Football Officials of the Association of Nigeria Women Football Club Coaches (ANWFCC) have alerted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and club sides to visit the practice pitch of the National Stadium Lagos to get young and talented players from the ongoing 23rd All Stars Women Football Carnival. Atotal of 284 players from different parts of the country have been drawn in 18 teams as they jostle for the All Stars trophy and
also target being engaged by cubs for Nigeria Women League and FA cup action later in the year. As it kicked off officially on Thursday morning, Vice President ofANWFCC, Chinedu Ogbenna said they are highly impressed with the turnout of players from different parts of the country and hope that the NFF and club officials would be on the ground to get budding talents towards boosting the various national teams and club sides.
Ogbenna, who is also president of Synergy Ultimate Strikers FC of Lagos, said the association made up of people with genuine intention of developing and promoting women football remains grateful to the Sports Ministry and National Institute for Sport (NIS) for providing moral and logistics support while also imploring sports-loving individuals and companies to complement their sponsors who have provided
kits beside other logistics support so far. “We are committed to creating a better future for these young girls and there is no going back. Stakeholders should join hands with us towards realising this resolve,� he said Meanwhile, former Super Falcons star and Atlanta ‘96 Olympic gold medalist Chioma Ajunwa – Opara, has also sought the attention of the NFF and corporate groups to the ANWFCC initiative.
Junior Arsenal Emerge Winner of 1st Gani Adams U-13 Football Competition Afirst-half strike from Folami Abib was all Junior Arsenal FC, Isale-Eko needed to defeat Ultimate FC, Ikorodu and emerged winners of the Ist GaniyuAdams U-13 football competition in a keenly contested encounter. The match which was played at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos on
Thursday, attracted a fairly large crowd including the sponsor and Aare Ona Kakanf, Prince Ganiyu Adams. Speaking after the presentation of trophies to the winners,Adams berated the state of the National Stadium, which he said was once the pride of the country. He, therefore, charged the
federal government to make effort at putting the edifice in good shape as part of efforts directing Nigeria sports back on track. “We don’t do well in competitions such as the Olympic Games again because we have ignored the foundation, which is grassroots sports,� Adams said.
He, however, promised to make the tournament bigger in the next edition. “In the next edition, the four semifinalists would be fully kitted and the jerseys branded,� he promised. In the third-placed match, Rivers FC, Ebute Metta, won the bronze medal after walloping Alibaba FC, 3-0.
3rd Howzat Lagos Junior T20 Cricket Tourney Gets January 21 Date
The 3rd Howzat Lagos Junior T20 Cricket Tournament has been slated to hold between January 21 and February 9 at Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo and King’s College, Lagos. While Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo, will host the female games and the finals, King’s College, Lagos, will host the male group games. According to the fixtures released to THISDAY by the tournament’s Co-ordinator, Onome Oghenekevwe, Ansar-ud-Deen Grammar School, Surulere, Adebola Baptist High School, CMS Grammar School, Bariga and Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo, will slug it out in Group A. Group B consists of King’s College, Lagos, St. Gregorys’ College, Ikoyi, Onitolo Community High School and Obele Community High School. Five schools will slug it out in the female category in a round robin. They are Ansar-ud-Deen College, Isolo, Ansar-ud-Deen Girls’ High School, Itire, Ideal Girls’ High School, Adebola Baptist High School, Surulere and Onitolo Community High School, Surulere. Teams are to arrive at match venue by 9:00a.m. while games start by 9:30a.m. The Howzat Lagos Junior T20 Cricket Tournament is sponsored by Alhaji Femi Okunnu.
Umuihejiofor Football Team Wins Ubulu Unity Cup
Umuihejiofor football team defeated Umuoru/Umuoleaku team to emerge champions at the second edition of Hon. Ogbuehi Udemba Obi football tournament held at the Comprehensive Secondary School sports field, Ubulu, Imo State. The lone goal of the tension soaked soccer tournament was netted in the first minute of the game by Ejike Ike while all efforts by Umuoru/Umuoleaku team to level the score before the close of the first half proved abortive. The second half of the game showed some promising display by both teams as fans were thrilled to an entertaining football but the defensive and counterattack tactics salvaged the game for the eventual winner while last year winner, Ubaha/Amadehi team beat Umuonyeyilem team two nil to place third. The soccer tournament tagged Ubulu Unity Cup which featured nine community teams was sponsored by Ogbuehi Udemba Obi, the executive chairman, Oru West Local Government Area With this victory, Umuihejiofor team went home with a trophy and cash for their efforts while Umuoru/ Umuoleaku team were handsomely rewarded for placing runner-up again having lost in the last year final by the same margin to Ubaha/ Amadehi team by the same margin. Speaking at the event, Obi promised that the next edition of the soccer tournament would be bigger and better organised while more packages would be included to make it more glamorous and entertaining to the football loving fans in the community. The highlight of the closing tournament was the presentation of trophy and cash award to the winning team and all the participating teams. Also, a cash award to the best player, best goalkeeper, best young player, highest goal scorer, best behave team and best team of the tournament.
ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Π˞ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER
35
GLOBAL SOCCER
Where Next for Joel Obi? When Nigerian international Joel Obi moved from Torino to Chievo at the beginning of the season, he felt he had at last found a new haven. However, with 11 appearances and just a goal to show for his eort, the management of Torino is already thinking of shipping out the Nigerian. The question on the lips of observers is where next would Obi take soccer trade to as the winter transfer market opens?
A
fter the signing for Torino from Chievo Verona, Joel Obi said “A new adventure is about to begin,� but it was not to be as the management of the Donkeys is getting impatient with the former Inter Milan midfielder and would be ready to cash-in in the winter transfer season. The 27-year-old Super Eagles midfielder has been linked with a loan move to Turkish top flight side Alanyaspor. According to a report on Turkish media outlet Fanatik.com.tr Obi is currently in talks with Alanyaspor with a deal expected to be agreed before the end of the winter transfer window. Obi moved from Torino to Chievo Verona at the beginning of the Serie A season after the 27-year-old put pen to paper on a three-year deal for an undisclosed transfer fee in what would be his fourth club for an Italian side. After winning the “Allievi Nazionali� Under-17 championship in 2008, 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 noticed his immense talent and played him occasionally in the first-team. 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 too 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 is probably was what convinced the German-born Nigerian Coach Gernot Rohr to invite him for the two-headed friendly matches against Poland and Serbia, perhaps for a first-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 at the national team was during the preliminary of the 2014
World Cup but he never made Nigeria’s squad to the Mundial. Surprisingly, 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. In an interview with THISDAY when he made the move from Torino, former Nigerian international Friday Ekpo said his move to Chievo is 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 bare. “He’s a vastly experienced player and for injuries that have really punctured his career, he is 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, and this is true both for club and country. Following that initial stumble, the reboot of the national team did eventually happen under the late Stephen Keshi, and when he had secured a ticket to the 2014 World Cup, it was to Obi he turned to improve the then African champions. His slaloming brilliance and deft left foot would not have looked out of place 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. For former Super Eagles defensive midfielder, Waidi Akani, “Obi’s talent has never been in doubt. He is one player I admire so much and sympathise with. The question has always been on his fitness,� he noted. The 27-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 117 league appearances in seven years since he jogged on to the San Siro pitch to replace Philippe Coutinho.
36
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
FAIRGROUND Bassey Eyo, Ola Brown, Seyi Adekunle, Others Join Love Idoko's Abuja YEEP Summit
with
AZUKA OGUJIUBA
azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com
N
igerian youths from across the country, as well as entrepreneurs from all walks of life gathered at the International Conference centre Abuja to commemorate the much anticipated National Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment programme, YEEP, organised by Love Idoko's Activate Success International Foundation. The event was designed to teach youths practical steps on how to become entrepreneurs through exposure to achievers who have done it and would thus empower youths with great ideas. 'Start Now', being the theme, was targeted at promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths, as no fewer than 30 youths with scintillating business ideas and plans would be empowered with grants which would be disbursed in no time. Speaking at the event, the convener and founder of Activate Success International Foundation, an event planner and Life Coach, Love Idoko said, "To wait until you are old to pursue your dream is to waste the person that you are. We all have only one life to live, therefore, we must give it our best shot" as she urged youths to imbibe an entrepreneurial approach to life as a way of channeling a lustrous path for the future. The one-day event, which was sponsored by Nestle, Airtel, School Me Lottery, Belanova apartments, 2 BaBa foundation, Sapphire Scents, Crown Allied and BBB Media, brought in an array of successful Nigerian entrepreneurs who breathed inspiration into the minds of the youths as they relayed their stories so far in the entrepreneurial world. Aside their practical and life-infusing tales, were titbits and principles which guarantee success if practicalised. Among the panelists were Bassey Eyo, CEO Pay Porte; and Dr Ola Brown, founder Flying Doctors West Africa. Others were: George Okoro, an award-winning photographer; Adewale Aladejana, CEO Sapphire Scents; Onyeka Akumah, CEO Farm Crowdy, Seyi Adekunle, CEO Vodi Tailors; Ogwa Iweze, CEO DZYN; Ucy Rochas, an entrepreneur and humanitarian; and Tosan Jemide, Africa's top celebrity baker. Special guest appearance by 2face Idibia, Africa's music maestro; Nollywood film maker and legislator, Desmond Elliott; and Namure Ediomioya, G.M AIT network operations. The event, being the first of its kind at the national level, was barraged by multifarious sessions ranging from lectures and symposia, media presentations, panel sessions to entertainment sessions as music artistes Eljoe, Naomee alongside Bash, a sensational oral poet added flair to the event. Besides, cash prices of N200,000 will be given to 30 youths whose business ideas are selected and will be empowered to start their business. The National Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment programme is a brainchild of Love Idoko, whose desire is to help people discover their talents, as well as purpose and to fan them to maximisation. Some of the attendees had this to say about the event: " was there and I loved every moment of it. My life will never remain the same again. God bless the good work that you are doing," Sylvia said. "It is incredible what you can learn from torch bearers in the business world, how an amazing platform such as yours can change your life. It was such an honor to be part of this. Thank you," said Angela O. "Thank you and all the speakers for inspiring us. Thank you for the platform, the words and the opportunity," said Ochi.
Love Idoko and guest at the event
Desmond Elliot Cross sections of audience
Tuface Idibia and other guest L-R: Desmond Elliot, Love Idoko, Tuface Idibia and other participants
L-R: Bashiru Amuneni, Bassey Eyo (Ceo Payporte), Ogwa Iweze (CEO Dzyn), 2face Idibia, Love Idoko (Founder Activate Success International Foundation), Seyi Vodi (CEO Vodi), Ucy Rochas (Humanitarian/Entreprenuer), Desmond Elliot (Actor/Politician), Dr. Ola Brown (CEO ying doctors Nigeria) and George Okoro
Dr. Ola Orekunrin
37
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
FAIRGROUND
The “Hear Word!” Stage Play Returns
N
igeria experienced one of the biggest live performances as the highly anticipated stage play tagged Hear Word! returned to Lagos last December on the 28th, 29th and 30th, at the MUSON Centre. The performance was part of an international tour which includes New York, California and Hamburg. The critically acclaimed woman empowerment play shares generational stories highlighting political, social and cultural factors that limit the lives of women. It was staged for the empowerment of women all over the world.
The play, starring Nollywood icons Joke Silva and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and other amazing cast members that includes Elvina Ibru, Ufuoma McDermott, Omonor, Zara Udofia-Ejoh, Rita Edward, Odenike, Debbie Ohiri and Oluchi Odii js now on an international tour with stops in New York, California and Hamburg. The amazing cast now in New York, will perform six shows at the worldrenowned Public Theatre in New York City from January 3rd -7th 2019. The team will then cross the USA to showcase at the Segerstrom Center in California on January 10th and 12th, before heading to Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany.
Silva
Akpatas Mark 50 Years of Marriage, Launch Memoire
P
rofessor Enosakhare Akpata and his darling wife, Victoria hosted family and friends to a sumptuous dinner and launch of memoire to mark their 50 years of marriage, recently. Prof Enosakhare Akpata, who is a retired professor of dentistry got married to his heartthrob, Victoria in December 1968. She is a retired professor of Microbiology of the University of Lagos. The climax of the dinner event, attended by the crème de la crème of the academia, business and corporate world was the unveiling of the latest book written by Professor Samuel Akpata titled ‘Sand, Sun and Surprises’, a memoir which focuses on his experiences while living and working in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) for 23 years. Some of the dignitaries at the occasion include Chief Arthur Mbanefo, former Nigerian Representative at the United Nations who chaired the occasion, Professor (Chief) Osato Giwa-Osagie, Retired Distinguished Professor, University of Lagos, Professor T.A. Junaid, friend and colleague of Professor Akpata at Kuwait University, Right Reverend George Bako, Retired Bishop of Lokoja (Anglican Church of Nigeria), Engr. Solomon Uwaifo, chief launcher of the book, Air Vice Marshall Joe Ehigie (Rtd), Professor Gabriel Osuide, pioneer Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Edugie Abebe, and many others. Prof Sam Akpata worked at the University of Lagos for 21 years before he moved over to King Saud University in Saudi Arabia where he taught for 13 years and then to Kuwait University for 10 years, all as professor of restorative dentistry. When he returned to Nigeria, he also worked at the Lagos State University for about three years. Speaking on what motivated him to write the book, he said, “After working in the Middle East for 23
years, I returned to my country, Nigeria in 2011. In conversations with friends at home and abroad, a topic that invariably came up was about my experiences in the Middle East. Some of them have found it astonishing that I was able to survive in Arab countries for that length of time, considering the quaint stories that they had heard about the region. Others have been curious and wanted tips on life in the Middle East, in case they emigrate, or needed to advise others who had similar plans. Hence, I decided to write this memoir.” The book, according to the erudite professor, will appeal to people who intend to go and work in the Middle East, those
who want to visit the region on holidays and people in the Middle East who wish to know what expatriates think of them. Commenting on the factors that contributed to the success of his marriage, Prof Akpata said, “The key thing in our own case is openness. We discuss issues even with the children. When the children were with us, we had our meals together at least twice a day. We sat at table together during breakfast and dinner. If there is any issue between us as a couple, we allow each person to talk about it. We have never gone to a third party to settle any matter. We feel that there is no issue we cannot iron out between us”.
Tosin Bee
One Hallelujah Records Act, Tosin Bee Plans Big for 2019
T
L-R: Emeritus Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie in handshake with Engr. Solomon Uwaifo, the Chief launcher of the book, with them is Chief Arthur Mbanefo, the Chairman of the occasion and Nigeria’s former representative to the United Nations
osin Bee is a musician of extra ordinary qualities and style which makes him one of the most sought after emerging gospel music powerhouses today. His kind of music has been a blessing so far and has earned him performance slots at major concerts, shows and programmes in and out of Nigeria, making him one of the most sought-after gospel music brands. Tosin’s style of music is contemporary African music which has earned him so much excellence over the years, keeping inline his sonorous voice which continues to captivate his audience. Unequivocally, his unique style of gospel music largely consists RnB, Hip-fuji, Jazz, Ewi (traditional Yoruba chant) and this injects a breath of fresh air in the Nigerian gospel arena. His main source of excellence is from the word of God and that drives him on to greater heights. This year, he plans to grow bigger and stronger. Tosin is passionately committed to lifting Jesus Christ higher in his divinely located parish. His passion equally goes out to the elderly, who are struggling to make ends meet.
38
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
AUTO
Volvo Cars Sets New Global Sales Record in 2018
V
The Electric Art interior of the new 2019 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC
olvo Cars set a new global sales record in 2018, breaking the 600,000 sales milestone for the first time ever since the company was founded in 1927. The company’s sales rose 12.4 per cent to 642,253 cars in 2018, compared with the same period the year before. This is the fifth consecutive year of global sales record for Volvo Cars. In 2017, the company sold 571,577 cars. The new sales record in 2018 underscores strong demand for Volvo’s renewed product portfolio, led by its award-winning SUV line-up, across the core regions of US, China and Europe. In December the company sold 60,157 cars, up 2.8 per cent compared with the same period last year. In the January to December period, US sales grew by 20.6 per cent to 98,263 cars compared with the same period the year before. The strong performance came on the back of growing demand for its SUV line-up, led by the XC60. The made-in-theUS S60 cars have also started reaching dealerships and should contribute to volumes in 2019. as ENERGIZING COACH featuring individual In December, Volvo Cars sold fitness recommendations. 8,826 cars in the US market. The Mercedes-Benz EQC will be celebrating Sales in China grew by 14.1 its US premiere – the first purely battery-electric per cent to 130,593 cars during Mercedes-Benz EQ series production model as the year, as compared with the a symbol for the start of a new mobility era at same period the year before. The Daimler. Visually the crossover SUV is a pioneer demand was spearheaded by of avant-garde electric aesthetics, representing an the locally assembled XC60 and impressive combination of convenience, quality the S90 models. For December, and everyday suitability. total sales in the region reached These elements are accompanied by dynamic performance, thanks to two electric motors at the 11,868 cars, up 17.9 per cent. Europe also reported a strong front and rear axles with a combined output of 300 kW. Thanks to a sophisticated operating strategy, performance in the year. Sales the EQC delivers an electric range of over 450 km rose by 6.4 per cent to 317,838 cars in the 12-month period according to NEDC (provisional figures). The Vision URBANETIC will also be celebrating its compared to 2017. The robust US premiere – a completely new mobility concept for performance was led by the new demand-based, efficient and sustainable mobility. V60 and XC40 models. In DeThe visionary concept is based on an autonomously cember the company sold 29,469 driving, electrically driven chassis suitable for bodies cars in the region.
Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC Shines at Consumer Electronics Show 2019 Stories by Bennett Oghifo
D
aimler’s trade fair exhibition at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (CES), which ended yesterday, focused fully on the outlook on the future of mobility. The automaker said in a statement that highlights included the world premiere of the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, US premieres of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC (combined power consumption: 22.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, provisional figures) as well as the revolutionary Vision URBANETIC mobility concept plus essential news about the Daimler Trucks’ strategy for automated trucks.After the Mercedes-Benz press conference, Sajjad Khan, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, CASE and Vice President Digital Vehicle and Mobility, will be giving an insight into the current developments within the context of the Daimlerwide CASE digitalisation strategy – Connected,
Autonomous, Shared and Service and Electric Drive. In the afternoon, Wilfried Porth, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Human Resources and Director of Labour Relations at Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz Vans, explained the future of mobility using Vision URBANETIC as an example. The new Mercedes-Benz CLAwas showcased to the global public for the very first time, featuring its evolved MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system, a technological innovation that premiered at CES in 2018. New functions have already been added a mere 12 months later. As a result, the new Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe is not only the most emotional vehicle of its class, it is also a highly intelligent automotive specimen: the new CLA offers a number of clever solutions, from the MBUX Interior Assistant that identifies operation requests on the basis of movements to lend the vehicle interior a certain level of intelligence, to augmented reality for navigation and the ability to understand indirect voice commands as well
intended to transport passengers or cargo.
Kia Looks to Post-autonomous Driving Era at CES 2019
K
ia Motors previewed a range of new technologies developed for the post-autonomous driving era at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 that held in Las Vegas this week. Building on the brand’s ‘Beyond Autonomous Driving’ vision for connected vehicles presented at CES 2018, Kia is looking ahead to a time when autonomous driving has become the norm with an interactive ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ exhibit at this year’s show, the automaker said in a statement. Introducing ‘Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving’ (R.E.A.D.) In a future where vehicles have the potential to drive themselves, Kia is laying the foundations for major technological development to improve the human mobility experience. Central to the presentation of this ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ vision at CES 2019 is Kia’s new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (R.E.A.D.) System – a worldfirst emotionalAI-based optimised and interactive in-cabin space centred on human senses. The R.E.A.D. System can optimise and personalise a vehicle cabin space by analysing a driver’s emotional state in real-time throughAI-based bio-signal recognition technology. The technology monitors a driver’s emotional state using sensors to read their facial expressions, heart rate and electrodermal activity. It then tailors the interior environment
according to its assessment – potentially altering conditions relating to the five senses within the cabin, creating a more joyful mobility experience. AI deep-learning technology enables the system to establish a baseline in user behaviour, and then identify patterns and trends to customise the cabin accordingly. Mr. Albert Biermann, President and Head of Research and Development Division of Hyundai Motor Group said, “Kia considers the interactive cabin a focal point for future mobility, and the R.E.A.D. System represents a convergence of cutting-edge vehicle control technology and AIbased emotional intelligence. The system enables continuous communication between driver and vehicle through the unspoken language of ‘feeling’, thereby providing an optimal, human-sense oriented space for the driver in real-time.” The R.E.A.D. System is revealed alongside VTouch – a world-first virtual touch-type gesture control technology. V-Touch employs a 3D camera to monitor users’ eyes and fingertip, allowing occupants to manage several in-car features via an unobtrusivehead-updisplay.Throughsimplefinger gestures, all vehicle occupants can make changes to the cabin environment, including lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and entertainment systems, eliminating the need for buttons or touch screen. Another feature of the innovative R.E.A.D. System
Kia ‘SEED Car’ concept for smart city mobility
is Kia’s music-response vibration seats, where occupants can ‘feel’ their favourite songs as well as listen to them. The sensory-based signal processing technology adapts seat vibrations according to sound
frequencies of the music being played. The vibration seats can also be set to massage mode to increase cabin comfort, as well as enhancing safety by providing haptic warnings from the vehicle’s advanced driver-assist systems.
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
39
AUTO
Out of this World: BMW Individual M850i Night Sky Stories by Bennett Oghifo
S
tellar one-off version of the luxury sports car features controls made from meteoritic material, extra-terrestrial surface patterns, illuminated constellations on the centre console and 3D-printed components – BMW Individual takes exclusivity in design and material selection into a whole new dimension. For over 25 years now, the BMW Individual Manufaktur customisation facility in Garching near Munich has been producing exceptionally high-quality equipment features, extraordinary special-edition models and spectacular one-offs – all sporting a highly distinctive design and further enriched by the world’s finest, most precious materials.And the bespoke styling specialists have now opened up a new dimension in exclusivity by looking beyond our planet and bringing the night sky into the car. In the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky (fuel consumption combined: 9.8 – 9.7 l/100 km (28.8 – 29.1 mpg imp); CO2 emissionscombined:224–221g/km),applications made from meteoritic material grace selected controls. Human fascination with the infinite vastness of the universe is also mirrored in the illuminated constellations of stars on the centre console and in the surface design of the luxury
sports car’s trim finishers, seat backrests, brake discs and exterior add-on parts, which draws inspiration from celestial bodies. The BMW Individual M850i Night Sky will be presented in the run-up to an exceptionally intense meteor shower expected to take place overnight from 3 – 4 January 2019. The show of shooting stars will begin when the Earth briefly passes through the orbit of the asteroid 2003 EH, during which time fragments from the asteroid will enter our planet’s atmosphere and burn up. On rare occasions, smaller rocks in space penetrate our planet’s protective shield and fall to Earth as meteorites. Some of these extra-terrestrial fragments have now been incorporated into the cabin of the BMW Individual M850i Night Sky. By employing materials that are literally out of this world, BMW Individual Manufaktur has succeeded in giving the car unique and highly original aesthetic appeal and, in the process, pushed back the boundaries once again of what can be achieved when designing a car interior. The meteoritic rock adorns the whole of the centre console’s trim plate, the start/stop button for the V8 engine, the selector lever for the eight-speed Steptronic transmission and the Touch Controller for the iDrive system, creating a visual and tactile effect unparalleled in the automotive sector.
All-new BMW Individual M850i
Hyundai Motor Group, WayRay Unveil Next-generation Visual Technology at CES 2019
H
yundai Motor Group, in collaborationwithSwissdeep-tech startup company WayRayAG, has unveiled the world’s first Holographic Augmented Reality (AR) Navigation System equipped in the Genesis G80 at CES 2019. The technology was on display at the WayRay booth 3110, Las Vegas Convention Centre’s North Hall, throughout CES 2019, which closed yesterday. Hyundai CRADLE, the hub for Hyundai’s open innovation business, decided to strategically invest in WayRay last September in recognition of its leadership in holographic AR technology and its future growth potential. Prior to this initial investment, Hyundai Motor Group had been conducting its own preliminary research on applying holographic technology to vehicles in early 2017 and later expanded its commitment to producing quality parts with WayRay. The two parties have continued to develop holographic AR navigation technology in mass-produced vehicles, with long-term road tests in South Korea to minimise system errors. “Thisdemocaristhefirststepoftheproofofconcent (PoC), but is an important step towards technology driven innovation,” saidYunseong Hwang, Director of Open Innovation Business Group from Hyundai Motor Group. “Future mobility windshields will be more than just a piece of glass. AR holographic poweredglasswillserveasaplatformtoprovidenew services and open up new in-vehicle experiences.”
The biggest advantage of a holographic AR navigation system built into the vehicle is that the stereoscopic image is displayed on the actual road and appropriately adjusted in accordance with the specific viewing angle of the driver, thereby delivering accurate driving guidance. The driver can enjoy vivid and precise holographic images without wearing a headset. The direction of movement is kept precise through the vehicle speed in real-time, and projectingnavigationalalertsthroughthewindshield onto the road allows drivers to navigate safely while looking ahead undistracted. Additionally, while conventional head-up display (HUD) units project a reflected image indirectly through an LCD screen mounted on the dashboard, the holographic AR display projects an image through the windshield. WayRay’s display shows not only navigational features — such as lane guidance, destination points, and current speed — in augmented reality, but also incorporates ADAS features like lane departure warnings and forward collision warnings. The virtual image of 1,310mm x 3,152mm is projected at a distance of 15m from the driver’s eyes; Hyundai Motor Group has refurbished its HUD to fit WayRay’s system and offer the optimised solution to drivers. The two parties will continue to work closely together to expand holographic AR technology to display people, objects, buses, bicycle lanes, and crosswalks, and additionally, further develop ad-
World’s first Holographic Augmented Reality Navigation System equipped in the Genesis G80 vancedADAS functions such as a rear side warning system and the Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system. In addition, they expect the incorporation of V2X (Vehicle to Everything) technology
Drink Responsibly in 2019
L
ast night after having a drink too many steve olufemi sodiya,aka ,OJJ(omuti jati jati)left the party quietly and left his car behind because he knew drunk driving was dangerous .he took a taxi. From the party his friends phoned him and asked, where have you gone’’ he replied that having drank a bit too much, he left his car behind and took home. His friends shouted, but the party is in your house…which house did you go? Where are you now? Two friends of mine forwarded this hilarious but lifesaving message which has gotten my ribs cracked due to too much laughter. I do not know the creative mind behind this message but I bet you it hilariously captures the message of this season and the need for people to drink responsible. As we begin the race into 2019 with all the deaths and injuries that heralded us into the New Year I cannot find a better topic to discuss and in the lighter mood the expensive joke is couched. I have tried to imagine who among our comic acts would be behind this; okey bakassi, funny bone, acapella…….It is vintage the work of a crazy creative mind. But it is kudos to the creator of this. This is why I will urge you to spare time and rethink your driving habits this New Year.Drink driving/drugs-driving is a serious occupation which demands total concentration. It is said to be the most dangerous of all human activities…Arecent WHO studies
SAFE DRIVING with
Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education Officer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491
shows that 40 to 60 percent of all injury deaths are attributed to violence. This is particularly so for traffic accident involving alcohol. ALCOHOL misuse is usually on the high side this season. So too is drugs, whether legal or illegal. But do you know that an estimated 25% of those who drive after drinking get involved in accidents which are alcohol induced and that the chances of you being involved in an accident are multiplied 10times and that such Accident could be fatal depending on the level of alcohol. Like alcohol, drugs affect your driving behavior and can lead to some of the following individually, or in combination: slower reactions, which can make you react incorrectly, poor concentration andconfusedthinking.Anunconcentratingdriver is like a mad man with a sharp knife who knows who his next victim will be. A drugged driver is over confident and has distorted perception of the event and situations around him. He is at risk of taking unnecessary risks which can
expose him to unimaginable danger. He also has poor coordination, lacks the composure to put him together in an emergency situation. He is restive and erratic, unable to be in control of his actions as he loses his composure, sometimes feigning ignorance and showing arrogance at the same time. He also has blurred vision, dizziness and severe fatigue. Drugs and alcohol therefore increases the chances of road crashes but also their fatalities. Drink driving is not the only peculiar risk behavior. Reflect on these prevalent behavioral pattern in previous years : Excessive speed, driving and phoning, non-use of seat belt, overloading, lapped children, squeezed, some standing, dangerous overtaking, indulgence in night travels, use of worn out tyres, over/under inflated tyres, mechanical deficient vehicles, under aged driving, arrogance/impatience, fatigue, driving under the influence of alcohol and impaired driving. Most alcoholic freaks are also speed deviants. That is why I have chosen to also briefly look at excessive speeding and the use of child restraints for children. Speed-speed is at the core of the traffic injury problem. It is the major determinant of the extent of injury .It influences both crash risk and crash consequences. The physical layout of the road and its surrounding can both encourage and discourage speed. However, crash risk increases as speed increases especially at junctions and while overtaking. The effect of impact speed on the risk of death for pedestrians is colossal, but for
and connectivity features will allow data such as traffic signals, surrounding vehicle information, as well as road or weather conditions, to be provided in real time.
vehicle occupants also, injury severity increases with impact speed. The higher the speed of a vehicle, the shorter time the driver has to stop and avoid a crash. This is why the possibility of fatal injury increases from close to zero to almost 100% as the change in impact speed increases from 20km/h to 100km/h. A car travelling at 50km/h will typically require 1.3metres to stop while a car travelling at 40km/h will stop in less than 8.5metres.An average increase speed of 1km/h is associated with a 3% higher risk of a crash involving an injury. Travelling at 5km/h above a road speed limit of 65km/h results in an increase in the relative risk of being involved in a casualty crash that is comparable with having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05g/dl. For car occupants in a crash with an impact speed of 80km/h, the likelihood of deaths is 20 times what it would have been at an impact speed of 30km/h. It is because of the grave risk involved that a maximum speed limit of 100km/h for private cars and 90km/h for taxis and buses is set on the expressway while at built up areas such as commercial and residential areas; 50km/h is the speed limit. However drivers are counseled to adhere to common sense speed limit by adjusting speed to suit environment, his mental state and experience. Seat belt, one of the most effective means of reducing deaths and injury for vehicle occupants is the use of seat-belt by all occupants in the front and rear seats as contained in section 58(3) and (4)of the National Road Traffic Regulations,2004. Seat belt use saves. They don’t prevent crashes but play a crucial role in reducing the severity of injury to vehicle occupants.
40
T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ÍŻÍ°Ëœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡
EVENTS
T
he Children of Mrs. Mercy Segilola Adeniran-Ola paid their mother the last rites of passage with a funeral service at All Saints’ Church, Yaba Lagos recent,y. Guests were hosted at Eagle Club Surulere. Photographs by Etop Ukutt
Children of the deceased , R-L: Makanjuola Ola, Yetunde Adeniran and Omolola Fashina
Mr. Femi Ajayi and Mrs. Omoyeni Omofe
L-R: Mr. Dare Aliu and Mrs. Yinka Fashina.
Mrs. Grace Olukini and Mrs. A. Adesugba
L-R: Major (rtd) Joe Ajayi and wife, Felicia
Mr. Samson Ajayi and wife
L-R: Mrs. Bukunmi Ajayi, Mrs. Ifeoluwa Abraham and Ukachi Tola-Ajayi
41
T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ͯͰ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ
EVENTS
L-R: Mr. Olumide Fashina and Mr. Bamidele Ajayi
L-R; Major SAM oLAOSENIKAN (rtd);Mr. Funsho Eyeowa
Oluwakemi Adebola
L-R: Chief (Mrs) Adekemi Adegoke, Mr. Kayode Aliu and Bolaji Pearse
L-R; Mopelaya Adeniyan and Olutola Fatunla
R-L; Mrs Olgundudu Olaitan and Mrs. Dele
Mr and Mrs Aliu Olasinbo
Rev (Dr) and Mrs Emmanuei Ajayi
Pastor& Deaconess Adesina Akinfolarin
L-R: Mr. Oladejo Isreal and Yetunde Adetukunbo
L-R; Mrs. Nike Obadara and Mrs Bisi Afolabi
Capt & Mrs. Bamidele Ologundudu
42
˜ ˞ JANUARY 12, 2019
JOE/FAJ THEFRONTLINES
For Survival of Calabar Carnival
T
he 2018 Calabar Carnival has come to a close and revelers have since returned to their respective places of origin reliving their various mixed experiences. While some who were at the event for the first time enjoyed it, some regulars believed it has lost some of its lustre and advising that some changes need to be made to restore it to its glorious past. Let us be clear here, this write-up is not a critique of the carnival. On the contrary, it is an appraisal of what has been done well and what else needs to be done to make it better. This clarification is necessary because of the penchant of some people to misconstrue and politicise such altruistic intentions to score cheap political points. It has been 13 years since former governor Donald Duke established the Calabar Carnival. Duke’s intention was to make the state a prime destination of choice for fun-seeking Nigerians who often spent billions on foreign vacations annually. Calabar Carnival was therefore integral to Duke’s overall tourism development plans whereas he developed a calendar alongside the various existing tourism attractions, cultural festivals as well as developed the bio-diversity assets in the State’s prime forest to market to global tourists. Ultimately, his strategy worked and he successfully established the Calabar Carnival, Inaugurated the Obudu Mountain Race, Completed the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, developed the Leboku Festival, Drill Ranch, Cable Car and the Canopy Walkway. Successive administrations after Duke have sustained the tourism tempo albeit some novel initiatives like the Obudu mountain race which attracted world-class athletes to the annual event which usually held in Obudu Cattle Ranch was scrapped. They also injected slight adjustments into the carnival procession extending the duration from Its initial one-day affair to about four days. Today, it has been expanded to incorporate different variants of cultural, children and adult carnivals. The present administration has successfully unbundled and
excised the bikers who formed part of the one-day carnival and opted to set out a distinct day for bikers’ carnival, ditto cultural carnival and street party. After operating for 13 years, is the carnival making progress? Yes, the carnival is making progress as it continues to drive annual traffic with Calabar as the prime destination every December. With the traffic comes economic boom, though temporarily for the local economy. Hotel occupancy rate is surpassed, shops witness unprecedented patronage, restaurateurs smile to the banks, transporters work 24 hours because suddenly the town never goes to bed. On the reverse side however are complaints by revelers firstly, about the timing for the rollout of the carnival. In the last two events, the first band rolled out after 4pm . After the displays along the 12km route, the various bands’ members ended up in the stadium around 2a.m. feeling tired and completely exhausted which is against the spirit of the carnival. While it is good to make changes, such changes must be programmed to fit the strategic thinking of the planners and deliver the overall objective of the carnival. For instance, under Duke, the rollout time from the starting point was between 9a.m. - 10a.m. All the bands were arranged in sequences and co-ordinated to ensure there was synchronism and no time was wasted. The idea behind the early rollout was to get the bands out there before the sun rose so high, with such high spirit and energy, they bands could entertain by-standers who thronged to watch from both sides of the road. The projection was that the first band will arrive the stadium from 4p.m. and do its final presentation followed by others all programmed to end on or before 10p.m. The reason for this was simple: the carnival is usually aired live by a television station of choice. These TV stations run on very strict programming schedules such that if you are allocated a time belt and eventually miss out on your allotted time, your event can no longer go live. You lose out. The second issue is that of refuse that litter the route in the
WITH
JOSEPH USHIGIALE e-mail: jushigiale@yahoo.co.uk, joseph.ushigiale@thisdaylive.com mobile phone: 08023422660 (sms only)
aftermath of the carnival. In the past, the Calabar Urban Development Agency (CUDA) was usually the last ‘band’ as it mopped up all the refuse littering the carnival route up to the stadium. Today, it is not the case and there do not seem to be an alternative either. Lastly, is the issue of security. Initial carnivals were programmed to end before midnight so that law enforcement would be able to effectively provide a right of passage for revelers and protection from predators, pickpockets and hoodlums who usually loitered around event centres to steal and cause mayhem. Thus, the present timing makes the revelers vulnerable to attacks from criminals with law enforcement overstretched to effectively react to such attacks. What is to be done?Without a doubt, the time has rightly come for the carnival commission to be incorporated into a limited liability company that would run independent of government to usher in a regime of transparency and accountability. Up until this moment, no one knows for sure what it takes to host the carnival and how much is being raised from sponsors annually because there are no published audited accounts. Incorporating the carnival as a limited liability company would put it in a viable stead to determine the desirability or otherwise of some carnival activities too. For instance, why do we need a cultural carnival where we invite over 300 foreigners from different countries to Calabar? What is the cost benefit of bringing these people and who picks the bill? Do the people of Cross River State also benefit or enjoy any form of reciprocity from these countries that we spend our hard earned money annually? Is it rather not better to promote our local culture and conserve money?
Readers can continued online www.thisdaylive.com
2019:AtikuandTheShacklesofPromises
D
ateline: December of 2017, in a civil and painstaking reaction to a truculent letter supposedly written by a popular Nigerian comedian, Francis Agoda (aka “I Go Die�) Atiku declared unambiguously his sundry achievements while in office between 1999 and 2007. Hear him: “My legacy as Vice President, I would say is the banking consolidation process, for which I gave political backing for. Many big people were putting a lot of political pressure to not change the status quo, but we knew that if that consolidation was not done, Nigeria could not grow. Because of that banking consolidation, Nigerian banks don’t fail anymore the way they used to. “I oversaw the telecoms revolution, which is why young people like you, I Go Dye , now have a flourishing career. Under our tenure, we witnessed a large repatriation of Nigerians back to Nigeria, driven by the hope of the recovering economy. It is sad that many of those young people are heading back abroad now - this is to show you that leadership matters. “In my home state of Adamawa for example, I’ve created over 50,000 direct jobs and 250,000 indirect ones. We are the largest private employers of labour in the state, only second to the state government. It’s not a lot, but it does help reduce unemployment. “As VP, I assembled what is arguably the best Economic Team ever in Nigeria. It was made up of young, world class professionals, who came home to work. Some of those professionals are now political leaders, governors and world leaders in their own right. “I have a proven record of bringing young, unknown professionals into service. Many of the professionals and ministers I brought in were in their 30s and early 40s. Some of those young leaders have become governors in their states. I went to the World Bank and met a bright lady, convinced her to come back home, and she became a star in our government. To show you we had effective leadership, the same lady could not replicate her exploits under a different government.� (Me: that must be Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala). There are other testimonials of the 72-year-old politico’s accomplishments while in office... though a little lean on post-2007 material witnesses .... Amongst the positives fronted by his supporters include these: that Atiku led the National Council on Privatisation which supervised the sales of public enterprises which were considered as drains on the public treasury; and he successfully led the opposition to the rascally constitution amendment attempt to trigger a third term for the OBJ presidency. Of course, there are others who will use same accolades as metaphors for spoon-feeding greed, avarice and niggling over-ambition. However, just as we did last week on the matter of his major opponent, President Muhammadu Buhari, the best window into the personality and purpose of Atiku’s candidature are the many promises he has thrown at us, to convince us that he is serious. Here is a shortlist of “The Atiku Plan�:
COUNTERPOINT BY
FEMI
AKINTUNDE-JOHNSON e-mail: fajalive1@gmail.com mobile phone: (08182223348 - SMS Only)
Atiku
“Working towards achieving the lowest corporate income tax rate in Africa, in order to make Nigeria one of the most attractive destinations for foreign direct investment; “Achieve a sustained increase in manufacturing output. By 2025, the manufacturing sector’s output shall be expanded from 9% to 30% of GDP. “By 2025, Nigeria shall produce a minimum of 5 million per (sic) barrels per day... Increase the contribution of the downstream sector to GDP from 0.5% to at least 2% by 2025 by increasing the quantity of petroleum being refined, consumed and exported. “To improve domestic supply of refined petroleum products government will incentivise those investors that are willing to cite (sic) modular refineries in the North to source crude from neighbouring Niger and Chad via pipeline to be constructed under Public Private Partnership. “As we double our refining capacity to 2 million barrels of crude daily, we shall aspire to export 50% of that capacity to ECOWAS member states. “Substantially increase the manufactured export funding window (the Export Stimulation Fund) currently, N700 billion to N1.5 trillion to enhance access to credit by manufacturers of finished, non-oil products. “The privatisation of State-Owned Enterprises including all three government-owned refineries and the concession of Nigeria’s sea and airports to reputable, strategic, and technically sound buyers... “The liberalisation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry to, among others, allow market-determined prices for Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS) and eliminate subsides (sic) for its consumption. “Set up a Special Purpose Fund for the utilisation of all monies saved from subsidy removal in building infrastructure in education, health and the empowerment of women and youth... “Accelerating the privatisation and decentralisation of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
“Concessioning segments of the national grid to the private sector... “Creation of up to 3 million self-and wage-paying employment opportunities in the private sector annually, across all the economic sectors... “Lift at least 50 million people out of extreme poverty by 2025. “An estimated 1m youth shall benefit annually from our apprenticeship scheme in the informal sector... “Construction of up to 5,000 Km of modern railway lines... “Undertake immediate operational improvements to significantly decongest Lagos ports... “Intensify rural electrification projects to ensure electricity access to over 80 million Nigerians currently without access to grid electricity .... “Prioritise investment in nameplate capacity and ensure that Nigeria starts to refine 50% of its current crude oil output of 2 million bpd by 2025 “To increase the nation’s refining capacity, we shall privatise all four-outstanding government-owned refineries to competent off-takers with mandates to produce agreed levels of refined output... “Relocate the Niger Delta Ministry from Abuja to the region to enable it become closer to the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the initiatives... “Local Governments shall remain as independent tier of government. Grassroots development requires the recognition of the Local Governments as independent structures of government not as appendages to the office of the State Government... “Once power over minerals and mines is devolved to the concurrent list, states where deposits of mines and mineral resources are found will have control over those resources and only pay royalties to the center....� Well, there you are: who will be your man of the election year 2019? With these random promises and prognoses, are you persuaded that Mr. Abubakar is ready for the business of equitable nation building? Or you are terrified by the prospect of a locust-like visitation? Are you perplexed by the distressing options of the deep-sea/bleak-mountain scenario foisted on us as a two-pronged presidential contest? Whatever your state of mind, the elections shall come and go, and Nigeria will be run by one of these men for the next four years, to the chagrin of neutrals... so, do your posterity a complete make-over by choosing one or the other based on your understanding of the perceived capacity, competence, character and commitment of either candidate to bring home the dividends of their mile-long aspirations and vision. Not sentiments of bigotry, clannishness, hatred, tribalism, unscrupulous partisanship, prebendalism, and such odious excuses for purposeless voting on February 16, 2019.
43
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍ°Ëœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡
TRIBUTE
Kind and Calm ‘Bobo’ Bode-Kayode Transits to Glory Osato Giwa-Osagie
M
rs. Osayomwanbo ‘Bobo’ Bode-Kayode, Nee Giwa-Osagie, who passed on, on December 20, 2018, was buried in London on January 11th at All Souls Church, Langham Place, Regent Street. ‘Bobo’ was born on the 5th of August 1961 in Lagos, to Chief F.S. Giwa-Osagie and Madam Margaret Etotan Giwa-Osagie. Bobo attended Aunty Ayo School, Ikoyi for her primary education, moving to Idia College, Benin City for her West African School Certificate and then on to Queens College, Lagos, where she was a school prefect and received her higher school certificate. Bobo received her BSc Hons in Biology from the University of Lagos and continued with her academic achievements at the University of Reading where she received her MSc. She was for all her professional life a reproductive biochemist, specialising in assisted reproduction. She trained in Human IVF Embryology, through many courses at the Kings College Hospital London and Bourne Hall in Cambridge. Bobo joined her elder brother Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie in his work on human IVF and assisted conception at the Advanced Fertility Centre at Omni Medical Centre in Lagos, where she was the Executive Director and Chief Embryologist. She was the first female human IVF Embryologist in West Africa, beginning her work in this area in 1988. Through the course of her career, she helped
many couples in her care by facilitating, through assisted conception, over two thousand pregnancies. She was Chief Embryologist of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s IVF unit, founding Secretary General and Trustee of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health and a patron of the Association of Embryologists of Nigeria. Bobo trained and mentored many embryologists and assisted in the establishment of IVF centres in Nigeria. The late Bobo was passionate about supporting couples who were struggling with conception, demystifying negative preconceptions and dispelling myths and secrecy surrounding infertility. Bobo loved to write and she championed people at every opportunity, particularly in relation to healthcare causes and in this vein wrote a column for many years in Saturday THISDAY. Bobo was meticulous, patient and quiet in her ways. Kindness and calm were her hallmarks. In a family full of strong characters, Bobo’s resolute but quiet demeanour was a force to be reckoned with and she certainly held her own. Bobo believed in living life fully and would often be seen in a beautiful hat and a striking dress, spreading God’s word and love through her time, her smile and her love. Bobo was a committed Christian, who loved her God. She was a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christ The Lord Central Parish (CTL) where she served in the Prayer Department as she joined the work-force in the Lord’s Vineyard. Her zeal and love for the Lord continued to propel her to work in different aspect of God’s work. In 2014, she
Bode-Kayode
became a coordinator of the church Bible College, (Arise and Shine Campus), focusing on the executive arm in CTL. In that same year, she became a Deaconess in the Mission. She made her mark in her work with executives who sought more knowledge in Lord, through the Bible College. Being an executive
herself, she was able to align with and encourage executives as they approached the challenges of Bible College. Bobo was also a committed lecturer in the Bible College, even while experiencing great personal discomfort and pain. To the glory of God, Bobo was ordained an Assistant Pastor in August 2018, during the last RCCG convention. Bobo’s faith was everything to her. She lived a life that expressed that faith, keeping Christ at the centre of her affairs at all times. She was in constant conversation and relationship with her maker and stood in the gap for those around her, always praying for others and wishing them well. The words in Psalm 13:5, “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation�, rang true in Bobo’s life. She lived to testify to God’s grace and salvation in Christ. She was happily married to Bode Kayode, of blessed memory and raised three wonderful children in Akintayo, Akintoye and her princess, Toyosi. Bobo was a loving sister to Mrs. Henrietta Eki Coker, Mrs. Osamuede Tytler, Chief Osato Giwa-Osagie, Dr Osamudiame Giwa-Osagie, Mrs. Darlin Sofola, Ms Sweet Giwa-Osagie, Mr. Osaretin Giwa-Osagie, Mr. Osayaba Giwa-Osagie, Mrs. Osayuware Akinkunmi, Mr. Osaro Giwa-Osagie and Mrs. Osarugue Fajana. Alover of Christ, a virtuous woman, a lecturer, a pioneer, a mother of IVF embryology in West Africa and a consistent Liverpool supporter has transited to glory. You will never walk alone dearest Bobo - may your ever gentle soul rest and rejoice in the bosom of the Lord. –––Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie, a specialist in human IVF and assisted conception, is elder brother to late ‘Bobo’
Ă?Ă“Ă‹Ă•Ă‹ ĂŽĂ?Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă?Ë? Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‘Ă‹Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă? Ă˜ĂŽĂ&#x;ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ăž Í—Í• Olumide Lawal
I
n death as in life, the legacies of Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke continue to endure and wax stronger by the day. The name, Isiaka Adeleke comes before the bearer. The personality that answered that name came many years ahead of his time. He lived up fully to the billing and ranking that his stars brought with his birth. The generalissimo of Osun politics that he was, comes round once in a lifetime to his environment of birth. Adeleke’s legacies in various forms are being built up by his nuclear and political families, who continue to make outstanding contributions to make that sweet name – Isiaka Adeleke appear as if he was still around with us. The Adeleke University, of which he was the First Chancellor, has its imposing and edifying Senate Building named after him. Thanks to the Governing Council of the University for deeming such honour worthy of Isiaka Adeleke, a man of many firsts. Aside the Senator Isiaka Adeleke Senate Building, an annual lecture in his honour has been instituted. The maiden edition of the lecture came up on April 22, 2018, at the first anniversary of his death, with Professor Agbede as the guest lecturer. Efforts are in top gear by the management of Adeleke University to come up with his biography as a lasting tribute to his memory. The book, no doubt will be a Best Seller, when it is presented to the public. It would be a must for every home in Nigeria and abroad. This is to bring to the fore, once more, the need to have an Isiaka Adeleke Political Museum, where all the peculiar and special features of his political career will be assembled for generations yet unborn to catch a glimpse. His cone-shaped cap, gold-rimmed glasses, intellectual works, - comprising landmark speeches, lectures and interviews will be under one roof. This is what obtains at Ikenne residence of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. This is to hope, that the nuclear family will give this noble proposal a thought for the sake of posterity. Because for our today, Adeleke gave all of himself, particularly the development of the downtrodden, to enable them to live a purposeful and meaningful life. That generosity flows freely in the Adeleke Family was not by accident. The foundation for same was firmly laid by Senator Isiaka Adeleke grandfather, Baba Mohammed Awwal Adeleke, who fondly helped in propagating Islam in the 1930s. An impeccable source has it, that Papa Muhammed Awwal Adeleke, took it upon himself in providing free meals on a daily basis to the Arabic students of late Alfa Zulukananih Gegelose Arabic School, in Ede in the 30s, in order to encourage the students to attend classes regularly. The effort of Baba Muhammed Awwal Adeleke paid off tremendously. Be it recalled, that Alfa Zulukanainah Gegelose, was the first Otun Imam of Ede Central Mosque. Alfa Zulukananih was so over-whelmed by late Senator
Adeleke
Adeleke’s grandfather generosity to his Arabic school, that he offered ceaseless prayers for Pa Mohammed Awwal Adeleke that by God’s grace there would emerge among his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, notable and eminent sons and daughters that will fly the name – Adeleke gloriously across the world. That prayer has been more than answered. There came up, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, Ademola Adeleke, Captain Kunle Adeleke, David Adeleke (Davido). So for late Senator Adeleke, the subject matter of this episode, generosity and philanthropism , were inborn. Same goes for Dr. ’Deji Adeleke, who has over the years offered his wide shoulders for tens of thousands of less-privileged people to lean on. Though Isiaka Adeleke ventured hard to come back and serve the good people of Osun State as their governor, an ambition which his transition put paid to, it is to the glory of God, that one of his own, Senator Ademola Adeleke
is trudging on and sustaining the political legacy. Through judicial process and the grace of God, he will soon take his rightful place as the governor of Osun State. Kudos to the good people of Osun State for extending the love they had for Senator Isiaka Adeleke to his nuclear family, which Ademola Adeleke represents. Isiaka Adeleke lived a fulfilled life of service to the common man. They have never abandoned him in death. The Ede Country Home residence, where Isiaka Adeleke breathed his last, should be preserved for posterity. Because for our today, he gave all of himself. All avenues should be continually employed to immortalise him. To the glory of Almighty Allah, the Senator (Alhaji) Isiaka Adeleke Memorial Mosque, which was commissioned at his 63rd birthday ceremony on January 15, 2018, continues to attract hundreds of worshippers at the weekly Jumat Services. May all invocations offered at the mosque serve as forgiveness of his sins and a place in Aljanat Fridaus . As his birthday, always coincided with the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Senator Isiaka Adeleke heart in his illuminated grave, goes out to thousands of our gallant soldiers and other Services, that are fighting gallantly to put an end to all forms of insurgency in the land. His soul prays for their safety and repose of the souls of those who died in the patriotic cause of keeping Nigeria united. That is Isiaka Adeleke, a man of peace, who will never hurt a fly, in whose memory, we should continue to practice politics without bitterness, particularly as we approach the 2019 general elections. The man of the people – Isiaka Adeleke, we will stop at nothing to continue to sustain your legacies in different ways, part of which is this tribute. Since your glorious transition, the thought of you during the day brings you joyfully to people in their dreams. Nothing can take you out of our hearts. We cherish and adore you for being there for us all throughout your lifetime. Undoubtedly, your transition was distressing to a lot of people, but your good works and love for all, comfort us. Senator Isiaka Adeleke, you loomed larger than just being an Ede or Osun or Nigerian man. You were a citizen of the world. Your many Firsts stood you out. The first executive governor of Osun, the first Asiwaju of Edeland, the first Chancellor Adeleke University, the only Erinlomo of Osun politics. A study in anything excellent. A man with a good and caring heart, who never throughout his lifetime bore malice to anybody. To those of us living, let us learn a good lesson from Adeleke life of humanity and unconditional care for the less-privileged and open our hearts and minds to those truly in need. Let us continue to remember ‘Serubawon’, as a total man of peace and emulate him as such. Good morning a good man with a golden heart. Rest in peace Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke – the central issue in Osun Politics. A reference point in the Nigeria polity, as an effervescent, colourful , charismatic and elegant politician of no mean repute. Happy posthumous 64th birthday Sir! –––Lawal was Special Adviser Media and Publicity to late Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
44
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍŻÍ°Ëœ Ͱ͎ͯ͡
EXPRESSION
MEDIAGAFFES BY
EBERE WABARA
Modern English
T
HISDAY Polity of January 5 welcomes us today with this egregious blunder: “Accord Party in Kwara State led by its governorship candidate‌is restoring life into (to) the neglected communities through the provision of boreholes and electricity‌.â€? “Endorsement (Endorsements) galore for‌.â€? “A week long (week-long) ceremony was rounded off with a‌.â€? “APC’s threat to takeover (take over) power in Kwara is an unrealistic dream, says PDPâ€? “Melaye: Police mount heavy security at medical facility, may arraign him in court Wednesdayâ€? Would they have arraigned him in church? (DAILY SUN verbose headline, January 7) “Task force to clamp down on trade (traders) on rail lines, arrests 31 hoodlumsâ€? (Source: as above) “The nation’s rising unemployment rate must be checked before it gets out of control.â€? (DAILY Sun Editorial, January 7) Get it right: before it gets out of hand “Assailant, vigilante member die in gun duelâ€? (DAILY INDEPENDENT Rider, January 6) Get it right: vigilance member. Alternatively: Assailant, vigilante dies in gun duel. “INEC official arrested over ‘missing’ ballot papersâ€? (THE NATION Front Page Banner, January 5) Truth in defence of freedom: ‘arrest’ takes ‘for’—not ‘over’! “Woman arrested with AK-47, 148 live ammunitionsâ€? The last word in the extract is uncountable. The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) period is gone! “This will remove the possibility of
passing the bulk (buck)â€? (THE PUNCH, December 30) No pedestrian English. “The organized private sector took the bull by the horn recently‌.â€? For a better society: take the bull by the horns. “Britain handed over the reigns of power to the politicians.â€? (THE GUARDIAN, January 6) Modern English: reins of government. “One even wonders why government did not adopt that method from the onset (outset).â€? (Vanguard, January 6) “This is true given the restricted and guarded comments from those who have been priviledged to view the clips.â€? (Leadership, January 6) Spellings count: privileged. “Government needs to put (get) its acts together and prosecute the kidnappers.â€? (Vanguard, January 6) My own comment: get its act (not acts) together. “Vigilante group accused of murder“ Get it right: vigilance group. “Apart from all these, the debt recovery (a hyphen confirms class) level of the banks have not been any issue of interest to NDIC.â€? (THISDAY, December 2)) Question CBN has to answer, debt recovery has (not have). “It is believed in some quarters that the Nigerian Police has‌.â€? (THE NATION, January 6) Get it right: the Nigerian Police have. The next five blunders are from Daily Trust of December 5: “And the leaders, being new on the saddle of political leadership (another comma) were.‌â€? The challenges of good grammar: in the saddle. “Efforts by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his group to remove Akintola from office was (were) fiercely resisted.â€? Why the discord? “As a new democracy, there was (were) bound to be problems.â€?
ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948
“In the course of the crisis, Awo and some of his lieutenants were arrested and charged for (with)‌.â€? “The ethnic colouration of the coup led to a counter coup (a hyphen) in July 1966.â€? Spell-check: coloration. “Have the previous exercises impacted meaningfully on the lives (life) of the average Nigerian?â€? “This could not have been possible if they had been outrightly liquidated.â€? ‘Outrightly’ is a Nigerian creation! The right word ‘outright’ functions as an adverb and an adjective. Therefore, it does not require any inflexion. In other words: This could not have been possible if they had been liquidated outright. Even at that, ‘liquidation’ does not need any qualification because of its causative finality. So, if they had been liquidated. ‘Reopening’ abhors hyphenation. It is not automatic that any word with a prefix must go with a hyphen, except where there is a vowel replication. For instance: re-entry, but readmit, readjust, etcetera. “Legislators, oil chiefs parley on industry enhancing issuesâ€? (DAILY SUN January 6) Imagine the classical excellence a hyphen between ‘industry’ and ‘enhancing’ would have conferred on the headline. “I said these are (were) beggars and I told my wife I better (I had better) get money ready for them.â€? (DAILY INDEPENDENT, January 6) â€œâ€Śthe grassroots population of our people will remain the lifewire of the UBE scheme.â€? Adult literacy: livewire. “The remains of the Ovie, sources in the town revealed, was (were) later tied‌.â€? “And just last Friday, it was reported that the police has (had) arrested the
ACN governorship candidate‌.â€? (THE GUARDIAN, January 6) “The meetings were about some developments alright....â€? (THE PUNCH, April 6) ‘Alright’ (non-standard) is unacceptable for ‘all right’ in formal settings. “My suggestion, therefore, is that our National Assembly members should tow (toe) the line of reason.â€? (THE PUNCH, January 6) “This is because of the numerous restraints, both social and economical, which is (are) associated with the day to day (day-to-day) life of a convict.â€? â€?‌especially those public officers who remain suspect with regards (regard) to their qualifications and credibility to hold public officesâ€? (Nigerian Tribune, January 6) Alternatively, as regards their qualifications‌. “The nation has (had) in the past pardoned and forgiven it’s (sic) past leaders and citizens who committed one offence or the other (or another).â€? (Leadership, January 6) “Such citizens had since been integrated back (reintegrated) into the system.â€? (Source: as above) “A recent summit in Kaduna on education in the northern states provided the appropriate forum to revisit, once again‌.â€? (THE PUNCH, January 6) ‘Revisit’ cannot co-function with ‘again’. “Gone are the days when government can (could) go it alone.â€? (Source: as above) “Infact (In fact) every (all) loving parents....â€? “In the agricultural sector, the two countries can learn a lot from one another (each other).â€? (Nigerian Tribune, January 6).
PERSPECTIVE
Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ Ă‹ Ă&#x;Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă?Ëœ ËŠ Ă™ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă“ ÞÒĂ? Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă–ËŞ Ă™Ă?Ă? ÞÙ Ëœ Ă&#x;ĂœĂ™ĂšĂ? Olaseni Durojaiye
T
he much talked about staging of Queen Moremi the Musical in Lagos has just been concluded. The outing, according to the organisers , was a huge success, paving the way for the next staging at Easter and abroad. The show premiered on December 21, 2018, and ran till January 2, 2019 at the Terra Kulture, Lagos. On December 23, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the PDP governorship candidate for Lagos State, were among those who watched the command performance. The cast included Nollywood stars and regular theatre actors. Speaking on the success of the Lagos outing of the musical, the Global Ambassador of Queen Moremi Ajasoro Initiative, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, said: “The musical has been very receptive more than we thought. In the beginning, the idea was conceived to join the Moremi project but we recorded a huge success beyond that.� According to her, creating a musical out of the story of Moremi came about in December 2017. “We approached Bolanle Austen-Peters to direct the production but she refused because of the traditional and cultural aspects of it. At the said time, she was also engaged in contemporary projects like Saro, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens among others. Doing a traditional project then was a ‘no, no thing ’ for her. And that took us a lot of going back and forth to convince her until Her Excellency, Mrs. Amosun, came into the picture to convince her to accept. And the outcome is what we have just seen as Queen Moremi the Musical,� she said. “We had 21 shows and all the tickets were sold out. Right now, people have started to book for Easter shows. After that, we will be having a global tour that will take us to the United Kingdom, the U.S., some African countries and some states in Nigeria. “The show went beyond our imagination. Some people booked ahead of time. Some booked from abroad, came home to watch the show severally, and at some point, people were asking why it shouldn’t be more than two shows per day, and I had to say that the cast needed a break because they are human. Overall, it
Moremi Cultural group
was a success. “It is phenomenal and as an Ambassador of Queen Moremi Ajasoro Initiative, it is my role to look for strategic partners to portray the name of Queen Moremi out there which is what it is all about. “And we have been approached by some people on the film project of Moremi which is the next project that will be a Hollywood blockbuster movie.� On the issue of space challenge and overbooked tickets for the show, she stated: “We are looking at different options to explore, having witnessed the surge at the just
concluded outing. The entire production team will put head together to figure a way out of the space challenge. “We saw that people booked in advance even when the seats were not enough. This will be taken care of in the Easter outing.� Moremi the Musical, an initiative of House of Oduduwa Foundation, is supported by Rejuvenee and produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters Production (BAP). The musical has the blessing of Ooni Ogunwusi as part of his vision to revitalise the cultural heritage of the Yoruba race.
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
45
SHOWBIZFLAIR
Christopher Ofala Okagbue
Acting Paying My Bills, But My First Love Remains Music FUNMIADE BANK ANTHONY Fans Prompt Nollywood Stars to Live Beyond their Means pg. 48
Movie Fans Await Ifan Michael’s ‘Foreigner’s God’ pg. 50
46
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
SHOWBIZFLAIR CHRISTOPHER OFALA OKAGBUE
Acting Paying My Bills, But My First Love Remains Music Blue-bloodedChristopherOfalaOkagbue (Chris) in a way is an embodiment of talent and skills in modelling, acting, singing and whole other lots of art. Having ventured into his ‘bill paying’ craft by chance in 2007, the young man has remained steadfast in his craft and it’s been good as he is enjoying it. He spoke with Ferdinand Ekechukwu
I
Imagine chatting up a young promising actor with a blossoming career in entertainment and asking him what responsibility his blue-blood background places on him while in showbiz… “Well, my dad is late. Rest his soul,” Christopher Ofala Okagbue (Chris) says to you. “So to a large extent, being royalty hasn’t deterred me from doing showbiz. If he was still alive, I strongly doubt if I would be in this industry because he was the Obi of Onitsha. I’m sure he would rather I had a more private life.” Chris is an actor and model from the Okagbue royal family in Onitsha. His late father, HRH Obi Ofala Okechukwu Okagbue, was the longest ruling king (31 years) of Onitsha Kingdom, Anambra State. He is packed in the arts. Other than acting and modelling, Chris possessed some other talents to include singing, dancing, sketching, writing, playing the guitar and piano. Add to that is acrobatics and gymnastics. An embodiment of talents and skills, from these lots, which does he think he has explored the most? “It would be my acting. At least, that’s what pays the bills now.” But his first love in the arts has always been music. That’s the part he hasn’t really explored. He has done a few covers of popular songs. He also did a bit of singing in the movie ‘Lotanna’ where he played the character Lotanna; a young man who discovers at an early stage that he had to offset a debt owed to a mysterious stranger called Don Creflo by his late father. “Who knows, I might still explore music in the future. I haven’t shot that door completely.” Shooting ‘Lotanna’ was one of his best experiences as an actor and associate producer and it appears the most anticipated movie of 2017. Chris proved his mettle as a highly talented actor with his stellar performance as a leading
man alongside Ghanaian star actress Ama K. Abebrese from the award-winning Hollywood film, ‘Beast of No Nation’. “Lotanna character is a deep one. He hardly ever laughed or smiled. He had very moments of genuine happiness. More than half the time he looked like he had the weight of the whole world on the shoulder.” The true Chris persona is the opposite of the character in real life. “I am a happy go lucky person. With me, there’s always something to be happy about. I laugh and smile a lot. So it took a lot for me to stay in that headspace of continuous sorrow and sadness.” Acting for Chris was by pure chance in 2007. For the Sociology graduate, his first encounter with acting came in 2007, just three years after he started modelling. He accompanied a friend to an audition for a soap opera. Out of curiosity as to what
I am a happy go lucky person. With me, there’s always something to be happy about. I laugh and smile a lot. So it took a lot for me to stay in that headspace of continuous sorrow and sadness Chris
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
SHOWBIZFLAIR Acting Paying My Bills But My First Love Remains Music all the fuss about acting was, he decided to try out. With his experience as a model, he wasn’t camera-shy, neither was he moved by the crowd. Nor any challenge. The only thing he had to get used to was the length of shoots. “In modelling, you’re only inside for a few hours, but as an actor, you can be on set all day,” he recalls. On his modelling part, “I had a lot of fun experiences as a model. One of my memorable experiences was a TV commercial for a telecoms company, Glo. “It was the first and only time I had actually shot a commercial with my twin brother. It was just both of us. It was very fun,” he revealed. From a family of five siblings, Chris was introduced into the world of showbiz by her elder sister, Sandra Okagbue, an ex-beauty queen. “She started the whole thing and introduced me to modelling. My twin also modelled very briefly but soon realised it wasn’t really his thing. So it’s just me right in the family,” he admits. Between the first time of his acting in 2007 and 2011, there was a lull. He didn’t do a lot of acting because he was still not so interested in it. He only started to act a lot more after the reality television show that he took part in, the Gulder Ultimate Search in which he emerged the winner in 2011. He beat 29 other contenders to walk away with the handsome cash prize and an SUV. It was right after the show that he got on the raved drama series Tinsel on Africa Magic that he started to do more of acting. “The more I did the more I enjoyed it. Gradually, it became something I’m passionate about and the rest is history.” Like everything else, he says it’s been ups and downs. But generally it’s been good and he’s enjoying it. The self-acclaimed nice guy has this to say about his status and being in the public when asked how he handles female fans. “Even though I am in the public eye, I’m a private person and I like my life that way. So I just try as much as possible in the nicest way possible to be nice to women but also try and make sure that they don’t cross boundaries. “Of course some of them are very stubborn and do not take no for an answer. But somehow I manage. My relationship status I’d like to keep to myself. But I would say to you that I am not as tough as I look. I’m a lover of love, I love the idea of love, and I value relationships. I’m not married. That’s a fact; whether or not I’m in a relationship that I would keep to myself.” The handsome and dapper young entertainer as much as he wants to keep to himself his relationship status, has always had a thing for Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage as his woman crush. “I’ve always had the biggest crush on Tiwa Savage. Who doesn’t?” He said laughing.
Chris
47
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
48
SHOWBIZFLAIR FUNMIADE BANK ANTHONY
Fans Prompt Nollywood Stars to Live Beyond their Means Funmiade Bank Anthony is renowned for acting and production in Nollywood, primarilyYoruba movies. Even with high demand for her works, she still ventures into charity and politics. Anthony talks to Tosin Clegg about starting out in Nollywood, her challenges, views on politics and support to the needy Funmiade represents many things he is a mother, entrepreneur, actor, movie maker, politician, relationship consultant and the founder of Rough Diamond Entertainment and Rough Diamond Charity Organisation. Growing up was very interesting, you can imagine being born with a silver spoon, but my parents wanted us to be streetwise at the same time. So, it was a combination of “Aje butter” at home and forming “Aje Pako” street-wise. My charity organisation is a community health initiative which sensitises and improves the health of both young and the aged in hard to reach communities all over Nigeria. We’ll achieve this by bringing health expertise close to the community for easy accessibility and prompt diagnosis of any impending health issues. This outreach usually includes the provision of free health screening, health promotion, disease prevention and information on general health services such as free arthritis screening and free medication, Hepatitis A and B screening and free immunisation, free eye screening and eyeglasses/ eye drop, Malaria and Typhoid screening and medications, HIV and AIDS screening, Diabetic screening and medication, Blood pressure and Anti-Hypertensive medications, Anti Helmithics and Expeller, amongst others. That’s one of my basic projects. We’ve been to communities like Takwabay, Alapere, Ibeju Lekki Waterside and we’re planning our next outreach in February.
S
Acting started on stage in my secondary school Then when I got out of school, I followed a friend for an audition at Zeb Ejiros office and I was cast by chance for a movie titled ‘The Switch’ and I played alongside Jim Iyke and Gentle Jack. Back then, my family was against my career and I was asked to go back to school. I’ve featured in several movies Auch as Abokoku, The Switch, Five Minutes, Awamaridi, Monamona, Agbebo, Akoni Obirin, Sinregun, to mention a few. I think I’m a better actress now than when I started. More confident and more experienced. At the initial stage, you have to lobby to get a role, but as time went by, the acceptances were welcoming and encouraging. My big break hasn’t come I’m not yet where I want to be, but I’m moving in speed. In as much as I’ve featured in a lot of movies, my big break hasn’t come yet as that challenging role hasn’t been played yet. I intend to go out of my comfort zone to achieve this. I’m not yet where I want to be, but I’m optimistic and moving in speed. I’ve moved from being an ordinary actor to
a movie producer, no award yet. I don’t want to pay or bribe to get an award; I want a well-deserved award. I’m sure it’ll come. Peer pressure and pressure from fans are some challenges of today’s actors Actors are expected to act and look a certain way, the pressure of that might make us live beyond our means. The pressure to be constantly relevant, so most of us live our lives on social media and in that way there’s a lot of input from people outside, and everything you do is being scrutinised, criticised and judged. Why I went into politics Politics is the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group. It refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance, organised control over a human community, particularly a state. That’s the definition of politics. What another way can I express my feelings, my affection and my dreams of a better Nigeria without changes and making the necessary impact in my country. I’m not contesting for any office right now, but I’ve been able to make a lot of impact in the community through my Foundation and we intend to achieve more. An ideal government for Nigeria My ideal government is one that’s transparent, accountable and free of corruption; a government that ensures the security of lives and property of the citizens; promotes a positive image of the country to the outside world; and allows freedom of speech and religion. Nigeria needs basic amenities such as water, light, roads, good quality free education, free medical centres, basic orientation and education for the public and so on. Entertainers in politics I think it’s a good idea because actors already have a large fan base which consists mostly of youths. As we know in this present day Nigeria, we need to involve our youths in the governance of our nation, after all the youths are the future. For leisure I enjoy work-out I enjoy the whole process of making a movie, I enjoy travelling with friends, I enjoy driving, reading and I enjoy making sensible friends. I like our traditional ways because I think it’s good to promote our own culture and our fashion designers. My favourite meal is Ogi and Akara. What I do at Rough Diamond Entertainment This is the sector of Rough Diamond that handles everything art, this includes movie production, music and music video productions.
Anthony
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
49
SHOWBIZFLAIR
Tosin Clegg 07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com
MY STORY
Gists ACCLAIMED TELENOVELA ‘WILDFLOWER’ RETURNS ON STARTIMES Wildflower is back on StarTimes. The second season of the acclaimed Filipino telenovelas will be aired from January 20th exclusive on ST Novela E Plus. Wildflower is one of the most watched series on primetime in Philippines and was a real success in Africa when premiered by StarTimes last spring. “We knew Wildflower had a lot of potentials but we did not expect it to become our most popular drama. Fans have been craving for season 2 since the end of the first season,” explains Echo Zhao, ST Novela E Plus Channel Manager. “We are very happy to start 2019 by broadcasting this amazing show. And believe me, if you liked the first season, you will love the second one.” Lead actress, Maja Salvador is grateful for the support
viewers have given the programme. “We would like thank our viewers for the love and support they have given us in our first season. This second season, we promise to give your wilder revelations and wilder plot twists. We hope you continue loving and supporting us,” Maja said. The series is produced by ABS-CBN, is a story of a woman’s courage, determination, and resilience to find justice for her family and for the people of one town. Driven by hope and love, main protagonist Lily/Ivy fights for what is right without putting the law in her hands. Things will definitely get wilder as tension rises even higher. With Nay Carlota’s death, Ivy is further motivated to put the Ardientes down.
THE EVENT XPERIENCE AFRICA HOLDS THIS MONTH The inaugural edition of The Event Xperience Africa (TEXA) is set to hold from 15 - 17 January, 2019 in Lagos. Tagged Be More…Do More… Inspiring New Frontiers, the conference will bring together professionals from across Africa to discuss industry imperatives, growth opportunities, and global trends. The conference, which is targeted at event and allied industry professionals and beginners, will feature curated classes, networking sessions, and panel sessions with speakers and topics which include the business components of event management (finance, legal, branding and marketing), leveraging technology, professionalism beyond craft and creativity, hospitality and creating memorable events, attaining global excellence and more. Organised by Nigeria’s pioneer event planner and founder of Zapphaire Events, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, TEXA is designed for event planners, designers and decorators, concert and show producers, bakers/caterers, audio visual experts (lighting, cinematographers, photographers, screens etc.), entertainment specialists (musicians/bands, dancers) and other service providers in the event space. Other professionals poised to benefit from the conference are corporate stakeholders such as brand and corporate communications managers as well as experiential marketing companies. Speakers include Ibukun Awosika, the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc and international industry veterans such as Lebanese wedding planner and designer, Ziad Nassar (Once Events); United States-based event planner, Chioma Dure (Dure Events), and Dubai-based wedding planner, Zainab Alsalih (Carousel Weddings and Events). Also speaking are industry icons such as Yewande Zaccheus, Edi Lawani, Steve Babaeko, Jide Odukoya, Bovi, Dj Obi, DJ Spinall, Tosan Jemide (of Cakes by Tosan), and other renowned speakers.
MODEL, ISIOMA SAMSON, SIGNS MEGA DEAL WITH SOUTH AFRICAN AGENCY Isioma Samson is a model from a humble background, who has risen to great heights with hard work, her defined style of modelling, will-power and a lot more that makes this Delta State-born model an epitome of modelling genius. She was a delight to all, as she sizzled with her gorgeous skin and face at the 2018 Arise Magazine Fashion before she took off to South Africa for SA Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz Fashion show and a host of others. Isioma inked a three-year modelling contract with Fabulous Models, South Africa and this begins a new chapter in her career after starting out from Pages Modelling Agency, Nigeria. Her determination and persistent zeal has made her a way through the rigorous industry.
FATHIA OJEDIRAN
My Music Does Not Only Entertain… Fathia Ojediran is a young promising music talent who started her career early enough to get a clear head of where she is going. She is pretty, determined and hell-bent on becoming a big star as she continues mastering her talent. She tells Tosin Clegg her meaning of music, her plans, mentors and a lot more
T
ell us about yourself? I’m Ojediran Fathia Kanyinsola. I’m a singer, songwriter and performing artiste signed to Climax Records. I’m from Ogun State but born and brought up in Lagos State.
How did your journey into music begin?
Music for me started at the early stage of five when I discovered I love and have a passion for music, so I started listening and miming to popular music from acts like Asa, 2face, Sound Sultan.
What kind of music do you do?
I do inspirational music that will make young ones focus. I’m working on a new song titled ‘Love is all we Need’, which will be released soon and I am also working on projects that will concentrate on child rights and human empowerment.
Who are your role models?
Asa, Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade. For me, my music does not only entertain. I do music to encourage people to be focused on whatever they find themselves doing.
Who are the big names you want to work with?
A lot of people; 2face, Simi, Tiwa Savage, D’Banj, Yemi Alade, Patoranking and with anyone whose music makes an impact. In a few years, I see myself as a voice for my generation and the next generation to come, making more good music that will touch lives.
50
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
SHOWBIZFLAIR This is an evergreen classic which will hold fondness to anyone who sees the movie. The literary devices in this film broadened my scope of work and also stretched my physical and mental ability. In life, it is important that you are finishing another significant level to work on so everything can come out perfect. Foreigner’s God is an eye-opener for me as a producer; the mistakes I couldn’t pick out from my first movie were easily spotted this time
Movie Fans Await Ifan Michael’s ‘Foreigner’s God’ As movie buffs earnestly await its release, the flick, ‘Foreigner’s God’ by multiple award-winning producer/director Ifan Ifeanyi Michael is projected to excite movie fans in 2019, writes Ferdinand Ekechuwu
T
owards the end of last year, a couple of Nollywood movies made it to the big screen, especially in the month of December 2018. As at last count, the numbers were not less than eight. From comedy to drama to faith-based movies, they all attracted a mixed genre, leaving movie viewers with pennyworth choices to make at the cinemas. These films in all estimation buoyed the movie scene more than ever as there was increased interest in Nigerian movies both at home and abroad. As it would turn out, one of the movies earlier slated for release among the lot in 2018 would keep Nollywood watchers
wondering when it failed to make it to the big screen. The movie ‘Foreigner’s God’ was highly anticipated following its publicity buzz and reports that it would hit the cinemas. The anticipation was not far-fetched. It was hinged on the success of the maiden work of the producer Ifan Ifeanyi Michael in 2016 titled ‘Lotanna’. However, no release date was so far announced till date for the movie. In a recent chat with this reporter, the young producer Ifan, revealed that he has so much at hand with the movie and it’s highly been projected for the major film festivals. “I have a lot going on with ‘Foreigner’s God’ coming out this year,” adding that he never planned to release it as earlier speculated. “I never planned to release ‘Foreigner’s God’ last year
because I want it to be the main dominant film in 2019.” He further disclosed that the press viewing will come up very soon, after which the teaser and then the trailer will be released. Interestingly, its trailer/ teaser is highly being expected by industry watchers and cinema buffs. One observer had remarked that “I’d like to see the trailer for ‘Foreigner’s God’, to know if its star power can be justified.” The movie boasts of star-studded cast. Among them are Pete Edochie, Sam Dede, Toyin Abraham, Lala Akindoju, Ini Dima-Okojie, Kunle Idowu, Sharon Ooja, Linda Osifo, Yinka Pierce-Tijani, Annie Idibia and more. The official character posters earlier released by Ifan Michael Productions for
the yet to be released film had announced Onyeka Onwenu as one of the lead cast. But in her place, as Ifan confirmed, will be Clarion Chukwura. The development was due to the import of miscommunication between the producer and the elegant stallion. Expectedly, this is going to be one superlative movie as it brings together veterans that made Nollywood great as it is. On the movie, the producer had disclosed, in addition to the lessons learnt from the set that, it’s an in-depth story, which he considers a challenging work of literature. According to him, “This is an evergreen classic which will hold fondness to anyone who sees the movie. The literary devices in this film broadened my scope of work and also stretched my
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t+"/6"3: , 2019
51
SHOWBIZFLAIR Movie Fans Await Ifan Michael’s ‘Foreigner’s God’
Toke Makinwa
physical and mental ability. In life, it is important that you are finishing another significant level to work on so everything can come out perfect. Foreigner’s God is an eye-opener for me as a producer; the mistakes I couldn’t pick out from my first movie were easily spotted this time.” By its official synopsis, the movie seems to cast back to Nollywood days of spiritual theme flicks. The story goes that at the peak of colonial-era Nigeria, English documentary photographer – Pepper Claude, follows a tale of the supernatural journey into the heart of Igboland in search of a story. All goes well until his bodyguard mysteriously disappears and he falls in love with one of the culprits – Anya, an accused witch living under subhuman conditions, in a witch camp in the heart of the jungle. Convinced that this is just another case of tribal discrimination, Pepper Claude is committed to having Anya and her people free, until a series of unfortunate events set the world as he knows it, spiraling out of control. Written by Xavier Ighorodje, ‘Foreigner’s God’ has KC Ukadike as the co-producer. Ifan has been very strategic naming the cast. Henry Brintoncoes, an American actor also makes the cast alongside Ghanaian star and 2018 AMVCA Best Actor, Adjetey Anang with ex-Big Brother Naija housemates BamBam and Teddy A as the de-facto celebrity extras. While Teddy A is making his acting debut in ‘Foreigner’s God’, Bambam has featured in Nollywood productions such as ‘Inspector K’ and ‘Backup Wife’ before participating in the BBN show. Popularly known as ‘Bamteddy’ during their stay
in BBNaija house, Bambam and Teddy A were many fans favourite couple and they have continued together after the show. A thing Ifan acknowledged as a plus to the movie. Also, sensational On-Air-Personality, Toke Makinwa, has been announced to play the role of a rape victim Ngozi, aka ‘GoGo’. Her inclusion in the project attracted wild applause from her fans. This will make Toke’s second role in a feature length. In 2015, Makinwa made a cameo appearance on Funke Akindele’s hit TV series, ‘Jenifa Diaries’, sharing a scene with Akindele and Juliana Olayode. In 2017, Toke announced her role in the movie ‘Market Must Sell’, as her major acting debut and also played Sidi from Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel. “I really enjoyed the stage play and to think stage plays are the hardest, but I put in all I had, fell in the process but everyone loved it. It was wreck nerving but I’ll do it over and over again,” she confessed in an interview. Toke added: “When I was informed of the role by the producer, I went through a series of emotions; fear, doubt compassion. Rape is a huge issue, millions of women out there suffer in silence and being able to stand with victims of rape with my voice is an opportunity I wouldn’t miss in a lifetime.” For Ifan, who says “I believe a good script must have all the five elements of writing: character, dialogue, setting, structure and emotional engagement,” supposedly with the above elements in place, his much-anticipated movie should ideally be successful considering all elements.
Ifan
52
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœÍşÍ¸ÍšÎ
NEWSXTRA
Fuel Subsidy Scam: Buhari Campaign Team Replies Saraki Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Ahead of the Presidential polls next month, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Campaign Council has faulted claims by the Director General (DG) of the PDP Presidential Campaign, Senator Bukola Saraki, that the current fuel import level of about 50 million litres is a scam and fraudulent. In a statement issued on Friday by the Director, Strategic Communications, of the APC Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, the president’s campaign team said the Senate President knows very well that in 2014 and part of 2015, the PDP Government that was in power was reporting to Nigerians daily PMS consumption of 35-40 million litres per day. In January, 2014 for example, the average monthly consumption was 38 million Iitres per day. Keyamo said that the fuel import volume had kept fluctuating since then and that it was not true that there was a scam in the accounting process since it is being handled as internal cost recovery by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). “The allegation that the national oil company prevailed on Mr. President not to seek appropriation for subsidy and to rather treat it as cost under-recovery is not only laughable and mischievous, but it is a blatant lie. Verifiable records indicate that
NNPC has never claimed subsidy payment from any government in its history of operation. All NNPC’s transactions in this regard have been treated as product costs under-recovery,� he said. The Buhari campaign Spokesman accused Senator Saraki of resorting to baseless campaign of calumny directed at the person of Mr. President. “NNPC, like any other business entity, does its business and recovers its cost from its revenues. “It is instructive to note that in his rush to indict the NNPC and the President, willy-nilly, Dr. Bukola Saraki forgot that a Senate Committee was set up by him to investigate the intervention of NNPC in PMS imports. “The mandate of the Committee includes volumes, costs and any associated under-recoveries. The big question remains; why would he not wait for the outcome of the Committee he set up to investigate the matter? Is it because he believes the outcome of his Committee will not satisfy his predetermined mindset? “Saraki’s resort to poorly choreographed and worn-out political brinksmanship is fueled by the obvious absence of any credible agenda or bearing to present to Nigerians in their campaigns,� he said. In clear demonstration of hallucination with figures, Dr. Bukola Saraki claimed, in an interview with Channels Television a few
HONOUR WELL DESERVED‌ L-R: Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, receiving a token of appreciation from the General OďŹƒcer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army/Land Component Commander JTF, Major General Jamin Sarham, representing the Chief of Army Sta, during the inauguration of 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army in Asaba, yesterday
days ago, that Nigeria’s petrol consumption is about 20-22 million Iitres per day and that the current import level of about 50 million litres is a scam and fraudulent,� he said. Keyamo said that Saraki was in the 7th Senate and knows very well that in 2014 and part of 2015, the PDP Government that
was in power was reporting to Nigerians daily PMS consumption of 35-40 million litres per day, adding that in January, 2014 for example, the average monthly consumption was 38 million Iitres per day. “By January, 2015 under the same government of PDP, they reported 36 milIion Iitres per
day and March 2015, the daily consumption reported by PDP government was 45 million Iitres per day, whilst importing at levels above 80million litres per day. Strangely, years later, the PDP Campaign DG is peddling a phantom fuel consumption figure of 20-22 million litres per day.
“The PDP Chief Campaigner discountenanced the obvious fact that within the last three years of the current administration, the Nigerian economy that PDP left in comatose has been jump-started to vibrancy leading to remarkable changes in energy consumption needs and patterns,� he added.
Indian Medical Team Perform Free Open Heart Surgeries on 25 Children at UNTH
N’Delta Security: Army Inaugurates 63 Brigade, Flags-off Operation Egwu-Eke in Asaba
Ahamefula Ogbu
Sylvester Idowu in Warri and Julius Omonabu in Asaba
A medical mission led by some Indian experts have commenced free open heart surgeries for 25 indigent children suffering from congenital heart diseases at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla, Enugu, Enugu State. The mission was sponsored by The “Gift of Life�, a non- profit initiative by the Spiritan Self -Awareness Initiative Nigeria, working in partnership with the Aruike Hospital, Enugu, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals, Naya Raipur, Chattisgarh, India and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. Surgeries would be followed up and Nutritional Assistance Programmes to ensure that each child treated receives proper nourishment to support full recovery and a healthy growth. Speaking with THISDAY on the mission, the lead surgeon, Dr. Ashis Katewa said they had screened over 100 cases and would have performed more sessions but for the dearth of
facilities at the center of excellence. He blamed late conception in women for the disease and put the right age for bearing children for them at between 25 and 35 years, adding however that population control was the best way of reducing such cases in addition to available medical treatment for afflicted children. “Prevention is key and population control is way to start. Education and incentives are used where the population growth is without subscription. You can reward those with fewer children as incentive. However, it will take like 50 years control to push the figure down. “When mothers are older, heart cases in their children are higher. Cells from the father regenerate after 21 days whereas in women, the cells get as old as they age. Between 25 and 35 years is the ideal time for healthiest birth cells in women. Too early is not good because they cells haven’t matured well while late makes it susceptible to heart defects,� he said.
Katewa who said he had performed over 5,000 cardio pediatric surgeries in his 10 years of practice after training for 15 years has so far led missions to five other countries, adding that it was his way of giving back to humanity without which life was meaningless. According to him, apart from carrying out the surgeries, their main aim was to train Nigerians to be able to handle the operations by giving them hands-on experiences in their hospitals in India, citing the case of Dr. Petrolina Tabansi who was screening the children as part of the scheme. Tabansi is currently undergoing further training in their facility in India. Katewa advocated the healthcare model in his country for Nigeria where treatment for all was free, adding that their hospitals except for those set up by business. He said that government funded hospitals as well as corporate set ups were free while Trusts charged minimally and would want such replicated in Nigeria.
Buhari Group Asks Atiku to Drop Presidential Bid Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has urged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar to consider throwing in the towel in order to avoid a shattering defeat at the polls on February 16. The Buhari group gave this advice in reaction to the defection of four top notchers of the PDP to All Progressives Congress (APC). Among those listed to have defected to the APC were, former PDP National Chairman AdamuMuazu, former PDP Deputy Chairman Babayo Garba Gamawa
and Bauchi State PDP Publicity Secretary, Yayanuwa Zainabari. Describing the situation as “shocking and a big slap to the party ahead of the 2019 polls,� the BMO said the way and manner Atiku Abubakar, as well as his party PDP, is daily losing support from prominent members of the party to the opposition is absolutely unbecoming. In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said that even the party cannot deny that the loss of its Deputy Chairman Babayo Garba Gamawa, amongst others, to the All Progressives Congress
(APC) is quite massive. “We have nothing but sympathy for Atiku at this time that he has lost some of his trusted supporters who have abandoned him to team up with President Buhari. “Nothing could be more demoralising than losing the number two man of your party with few days to what is almost certain to be his last attempt to clinch a seat that he had coveted since the 1990s. “Babayo Gamawa is not only PDP’s deputy National Chairman but also a member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council from the same North-east geo-political zone as the former Vice President.
In a move to have a firm grip of security in Niger Delta, the Nigerian Army has commissioned its 63 Brigade headquarters in Asaba, capital of Delta State and launched ‘Operation Egwu-Eke 111’ known as Python Dance. Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the inauguration of the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army on Thursday evening, said the Operation Egwu Eke (Python Dance) will “swallow� all forms of crime and anti social vices in Delta State, before, during and after 2019 general elections. Buratai, who was represented by Maj.Gen. Jamil Sarham, General
Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Port Hacourt, Rivers State, assured that the new Brigade would enhance and ensure peace and security in Asaba and environs. He assured that the Army would ensure adequate security and safety even as the nation approached the 2019 general elections. “It is my great pleasure to inaugurate the 63 Brigade with its headquarters in Asaba. This is a demonstration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to ensure security of lives and properties across the country,� he said. According to him, the Army formation would checkmate myriads of security challenges
in the state and therefore called on the government and the people of Delta State to support the operations in 63 brigade and the formations in Koko and Oleh. “I am also in Delta to flag off the operation Egwu Eke 3 (Python Dance) at Km 11, Okpanam Road, Asaba. At the end of the Python Dance, the Python would have swallowed all the bandits, hoodlums, kidnappers, militants and thugs in the state. “The python will also address issues of fake news by unpatriotic elements. It is necessary that we draw the attention of all well meaning Nigerians that they must have at the back of their minds the importance of national security,� he stressed.
Support for Ugwuanyi Overwhelming, Says PFN Chairman The Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Enugu State, Bishop Godwin Madu, has described the gale of endorsements for the re-election of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the people from various facets of the society as overwhelming and a sign of good leadership. Bishop Madu who spoke during the New Year prayer rally organised by Enugu State workers, yesterday at the new state secretariat, thanked God for the New Year and appreciated Governor Ugwuanyi for entrusting the state to the hands of God. Describing Ugwuanyi as “a kind-hearted governor and a man we know for his dividends of democracy,� the PFN chairman commended him for making the welfare of the workers one of his
administration’s priorities, stating that “we no longer thank the governor for payment of salaries regularly, but for paying the 13th month salary every year.� The cleric told Governor Ugwuanyi that it was because of the peace and good governance he has entrenched that “the labour force in Enugu State is standing behind you; the social community and the religious community are standing with you,� proclaiming that “your tenure as governor is eight years�. Bishop Madu who agreed with the theme of the prayer rally that ‘All Power Belongs to God’ noted that “everywhere he (Ugwuanyi) went it is endorsement.� He added that Governor Ugwuanyi has enjoyed such tremendous goodwill and support from the people because of his humility
and uncommon style of leadership and prayed fervently for the governor’s victory at the March governorship election and more God’s blessings in his life and family. Prayers were also offered by other clergymen for the progress of the state, Nigeria, workers/ pensioners/union leaders, and successful and hitch-free general election. In his address, Governor Ugwuanyi applauded the organised labour in the state for initiating and sustaining the inspiring and highly uplifting religious event, “to give God praise and glory for the love and compassion He showered on us in the previous years and to seek His grace, guidance, protection and all round favour in this New Year�.
53
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ
NEWSXTRA
In My Government, Women Will Not Be Relegated to the Other Room, Atiku Assures Adedayo Akinwale Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
SEEKING A BLESSED YEAR... L-R: Circuit Steward, Methodist Church Nigeria, Palm-Avenue Circuit, Sir Tokunbo Macaulay; Cathedral Senior Steward, Methodist Church Nigeria, Cathedral of Blessing, Palm - Avenue, Bro Olabode Adeyemi; Bishop, Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Lagos West, Rt. Rev. Oluyemisi Ogunlere; the Circuit Presbyter, Methodist Church Nigeria, Palm - Avenue Circuit, Very Rev Olawole Ogunsiji; and the Cathedral Reverend, Methodist Church Nigeria, Cathedral of Blessing, Rev. Isiah Opayemi, during the Covenant/First Sunday Service of the year, held at Methodist Church Nigeria, Palm Avenue, Lagos‌ recently
PDP Reports Zakari, INEC, Security Agencies to EU Adedayo Akinwale Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the umpteenth time, has reported the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its National Commissioner, Amina Zakari and the security agencies to the European Union (EU) as the forthcoming elections draw near. The National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, disclosed this while playing host to a delegation of European Union Election Observation Mission in Nigeria 2019, expressing concern about the misuse of security agents in the past elections conducted under this administration. Ologbondiyan also expressed
concern over the presence of Zakari in the commission, the role of security agencies and the INEC itself, stressing that it’s not only PDP that is concerned, but majority of the parties. He pointed out that the mistake PDP made was to have allowed All Progressives Congress (APC) that has no business in governance to take over government. Ologbondiyan stated: “Amina Zakari should not be found anywhere near the process. We have made our position known to INEC because there will be a direct conflict of interest. “We believe that election should be free and fair. PDP subscribed to all the tenets of democracy.
10,000 Kogi Farmers to BeneďŹ t from World Bank Project Yekini Jimoh Ă“Ă˜ ÙÕÙÕÔË
About 10,000 farmers in Kogi State are to benefit from the $200 million grant of the World Bank assisted Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project. Kogi State Project Coordinator of APPEALS, Dr. Abdullahi Ozomata, disclosed this yesterday in Lokoja at a news briefing. He said Kogi was selected alongside Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Cross River and Lagos states by the World Bank after a competitive process for the implementation of the APPEALS project which is to last for seven years. According to him, the implementation of the project in Kogi State would focus on cassava, cashew and rice value chains which the state has comparative advantage. Ozomata explained that the objective of the project was to enhance the productivity of farmers by ensuring they are moved from their present position of being subsistence farmers to commercial farmers. “We are looking at giving grants to farmers and aside, we
are looking forward to working with the real farmers and not political farmers. The project is also going to look at rural infrastructure for farm clusters so that it can enhance their farming activities and livelihood. “The women and youths sub components will also give them opportunity to partake in other farming activities that is within the priority value chain of the project. “The project is to move small subsistence farmers that are into five hectares for instance into 10 hectares or more,’’ Ozomata said. He enumerated the various components of the APPEAL project to include production and productivity enhancement, primary processing, value addition, post-harvest management and women/youth empowerment. Other components, according to him, are infrastructure support, technical assistance, knowledge and communication as well as project management and coordination. He said baseline study for the project had been done while needs assessments were being carried to ascertain the gaps that needed interventions across the benefiting communities.
President Muhammadu Buhari is paying lip service to free, fair and transparent election. “He refused to assent to the electoral amendment bill. We are convinced that the President was never prepared for free and fair election. PDP as a party does not believe in violence, but would like presidency and INEC to conduct free and fair election, outside of this, we will not agree.� Earlier, Deputy Chief Observer of EU Observation Mission, Hannah Roberts explained that they were moving round to see the reality on ground, adding that the Mission would have a discussion with range of people, and other contenders and stakeholders.
He said, “We have contact with key persons in the party, we hope you will make yourself available, so that we can know what is going on. As you know, we are invited into the country by INEC. “We can’t control anything, our mandate is to observe and make recommendations and issue statement, particularly after the election. And, finally, recommendations after the election, in order to make future election better. “We have observers as we have in the past, spread around the country in different parts so that they can see the reality on ground. The Chief observer will be coming in to observe the election.�
Use Your Inuence to Ensure Peaceful Election, Buhari Tells S’West Traditional Rulers Omololu Ogunmade Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja commended the traditional rulers and the people of South-west, for setting the pace in religious tolerance and unity. Buhari made the remark in the State House while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from the South-west led by the Ooni of Ife, and Co-chairman of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi. “In the South-west, adherents of both Christianity and Islam co-exist happily and peacefully without allowing religion to alter harmony and love for one another. It is to your credit as traditional rulers that such harmony between religions has been achieved,� Buhari stated. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari also implored traditional rulers in Nigeria to use their positions of influence to secure the country and ensure that the forthcoming elections are peaceful. He quoted Buhari to have said: “Those who fear that their persons
or their policies cannot win elections might resort to incitements to violence. Our young people must not be left to those who will instigate violence and cause others to lose their property or lives. We are determined to keep order and I hope Your Highnesses are on the same page with us.� According to the statement, Buhari reiterated the commitment of his administration to infrastructure development across the country. “In every state in Nigeria, we are doing at least one major road project. In the South-west, we are completing the Lagos to Ibadan expressway. “The reconstruction of this road, which is the busiest in Nigeria, had not been given the attention it deserved till now. “We will complete the first phase of railway, Lagos to Ibadan by the end of this month. “We are also working on several power projects in the South-west, of importance is the imminent completion of power supply to Ondo South where many of the local governments have not had power for years,� Buhari was further quoted.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has assured that if voted into power in the February 16, 2019 presidential election, the women would not be relegated to the other room. The former Vice President gave the assurance Friday in Abuja at the PDP Women Conference with the theme ‘Call for Action’, where he challenged Nigerian women to use their numerical strength and push for those policies that would bring good governance as doing otherwise will bring untold hardship to families. He stated, “We have no fear of handing over the country to you. In my three decades of politics, the most consistent voters in the Nigeria political process are women. I have practically seen it, when we use to vote on queues not through ballot papers, if I stand as a candidate and I turn my back to look at the lines that are supporting me, the women lines are always three times that of the men. “You are not going to be in the other room, I promise you. You have seen my wives here, they are not in the other room,
they are in the front. “Therefore, it is the reason why we said we are going to give you more than 35 per cent, because your numbers and your pattern of voting justified that commitment. “Therefore between youth and women you have 70 per cent of the government. This is to prepare you to take over governance, to take over this country and make it work again. “So, this is your opportunity, your are not going to be put in the other room, I promise you because you have seen my wives here, they are not in the other room.� Also, PDP Women Leader, Hajia Marian Umar Waziri, said that the forthcoming election is another opportunity to rescue the country from suffering, division, hunger and killings, which women are often victims. She urged the women who she said had voting strength of about 60 per cent to come together and vote Atiku into power. On her part, Titi Atiku Abubakar, the first wife of Atiku said that her husband is a sellable candidate, stressing that Atiku is not a man that will relegate women to the back seat.
Abaribe Asks Appeal Court to Discharge Him as Kanu’s Surety Alex Enumah Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe has asked the Court of Appeal, Abuja, to discharge him from his earlier position as a surety to the self-acclaimed leader of the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. Abaribe, in an application filed at the appellate Court also asked the court to set aside the November 14, 2018, order of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The Senator and two others, Emmanuel Shallom-Ben and Tochukwu Uchendu, had stood surety for the bail of now dissapperaed IBOP leader, Kanu in the sum of N100m each. Kanu’s whereabouts has continued to be enmeshed in one controversy or the other since the military’s invasion of his ancestral him in September 2017. He was said to have been killed in the attack but recent revelation seem to suggest that he is currently taken refuge in Isreal. His disappearance however
has jeopardised the position of his sureties, who are now confronted with the huge task of producing him in court to face his trial or forfeit the bail bond of N100m each, they signed for Kanu’s release. Trial Judge, Justice Binta Nyako in her November 14, 2018 ruling, had held that Abaribe and the two other sureties owed the court the duty of producing Kanu, whose absence since 2017 has halted his trial on charges of treasonable felony brought against him by the federal government. But the senator, through his counsel, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), filed an amended notice of appeal and a brief of argument to challenge the Federal High Court’s decisions. He cited Sections 55, 165(3), 167(3) and 488 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to support his argument in the amended notice that a public officer such as a senator was legally exempted from standing surety for a suspect.
INEC Devolves Collection of PVCs to 8,809 Registration Areas, Wards Adedayo Akinwale Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has devolved the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from 16th to 2lst January, 20l9 including Saturday and Sunday. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, disclosed this in statement yesterday in Abuja. He stated, “INEC carried out the Continuous Voters‘ Registration (CVR) exercise between 27� April 20l7 and 31 August 2018 during which a total of 14,283,334 new voters were registered. “Subsequently the Commission primed the Permanent Voters‘ Cards (PVCs) of the new registrants and delivered them to the states.
“Following appeals by members of the public and its desire to make it easier for Nigerians to collect their PVCs, the Commission held its regular weekly meeting on Thursday 10th January 2019 and took the following decisions among others: “Collection of the Permanent Voters‘ Cards (PVCs) by members of the public. which is being done presently at the Commission’s Local Government Offices, is to be devolved to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards from 16th to 2lst January 20l9 (including Saturday and Sunday). “After January 20l9, collection of PVCs will revert to the Commission‘s Local Government Offices and other designated centres to be determined by the states until 8th February 2019 being the last day for collection.�
5 ) * 4 % ": t SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2019
54
PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COUNCIL SOUTH SOUTH ZONE
INAUGURATION OF THE CAMPAIGN COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES The inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council and Committees will hold as follows: DATE:
Monday 14 January 2019
VENUE:
Peoples Democratic Party Zonal Campaign Council Secretariat, Km 10 Port Harcourt/Aba Express Way, Opposite Pleasure Park, Port Harcourt Rivers State.
TIME:
2.00 p.m.
BROTHER EMMANUEL OGIDI Zonal Chairman ENTERTAINMENT/WELFARE COMMITTEE 1. MRS INIME AGUMA – CHAIRMAN 2. ALHAJA HADIZAT UMARU – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. MR PATRICK EBAM EMANGHE – SECRETARY 4. MRS JUSTINA EMEJI 5. MRS DAISY WEST 6. MRS MIRIAM OGBONDA 7. HON CAROLINE EKINE 8. DR ONYEMACHI MILLER 9. CHISOM GBALI 10. DAUGHTER BOB 11. SYLVANUS NWANKWO 12. HON OKORITE KAMI ACHIELU 13. FELIX AJAYI 14. MRS IDARA EPHRAIM AKPAN 15. ELDER UFOT NKANGUDE 16. LADY BARR STELLA UDOH 17. MRS IDONGESIT ETIEBET 18. MR ANNIEKAN ETUK 19. DR. MICHAEL AMAEGBERI 20. TIMI AMAH 21. MONDAY EREBO 22. HON. AKPEOBI BIOWEI 23. MR. WOYENGIKURO DANIEL 24. CHIEF OGBODOM O. OGBODOM 25. BARR. PATIENCE OBIM 26. BARR. ALPHONSUS E. OGAR 27. DR. JOSEPHAT EMEKA 28. CHIEF AUSTIN ATITI 29. MRS. MERCY AMONA-ISE 30. MRS. GEORGINA EVAH 31. CHIEF EUNICE OGUMA 32. MRS. IFEOMA AGBOMAH 33. MRS. TES SORAE. 34. BARR. OBAS EKEINDE. 35. HON. AMBROSE IMOEDE 36. HON. STEVE IDEHENRE
MEDICAL COMMITTEE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
PROF CHIKE PRINCEWILL – CHAIRMAN DR (MRS) ELIZABETH OBOT – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN DR INYANG ARCHIBONG – SECRETARY DR L. NWIBUDASA DR TONY OGBA DR GEORGE OPUDA HON. DR HENRY ARCHIBONG DR DOMINIC UKPONG DR INIOBONG ESSIEN
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.
DR DAVID UMOH CHIEF AMAINO BRABOFA MR. SELEPRE MATHEW CHIEF WALTER BEN-WARI BARR. TARIERE JOYCE CRITA WARIPAMO INOKOBA DR. BETTA EDU DR. BASSEY JOSEPH DR. MICHEAL OMOYI DR. GENEVIEVE BARNABY DR. HENRY OFA HON. DR. OLISE EMEAGU HON. CHIEF PHILIP ADHEKE DR. NELSON EJAKPOVI MR. BROOKLYN ESSI DR. ISREAL AGUELE. DR. (MRS) TAIWO IDUBOR. CHIEF OKOSODO OKOH. DR. AHMED DAUDA. CHIEF JOSHUA OGENE.
MOBILISATION COMMITTEE 1. DR GLORY EDET – CHAIRMAN 2. MRS TESSY TORU – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. DR GABRIEL PIDOMSON – SECRETARY 4. MAJOR JACK 5. BRIGHT AMAEWHULE 6. EMEKA ONOWU 7. ENEMI GEORGE KELLY 8. PROF A. OBIANIME 9. PRINCE FUDOR NWIYOR 10. MR EBERE OWHONDA 11. MR HARRISON EKPO 12. MR ORMAN ESIN 13. MR FRANK ACHIBONG 14. MR ANIEFIOK IWAUDOFIA 15. BARR. LLOYD OWONARO 16. EBIERI JONES 17. MR. MBELEAKPO APERE 18. MR. JONAH GEDE 19. K.J AGBA 20. PRINCE GODSWILL EDWARD OSIM 21. DR. GODWIN AMANKE 22. BONIFACE ISHAMALI 23. ENGR. OXFORD IGBE 24. CHIEF OCHUKO SAKPAIDE 25. DR. PAUL OSAJI 26. SIR TONY OBUH 27. HON. MISAN UKUBEYINJE
28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
CHIEF HILARY OTSU. DAVID JOHN OKOH. CHIEF FRANK AREWALE. HON. FESTUS EBEA. MADAM ADESUWA OKHOMOSE.
SECURITY COMMITTEE 1. COL RAPHAEL BENSON (RTD) – CHAIRMAN 2. PROF SALABI MUKORO – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. CP OMOROGIEVA (RTD) – SECRETARY 4. VICTOR EKARO 5. HON TONYE SMART ADOKI 6. BRIAN GOKPA 7. LESI MAOL 8. ISANTIM KENNETH OKON 9. CAPT. INIOGONG EKONG RTD. 10. HON OKPOLUM ETTEH 11. HON OTUEKONG NSE ESSIEN 12. HON EMMANUEL EKPEYONG BASSEY 13. MR. WOYENGI KURO DANIEL 14. MR. EREM PAGAMO EKE-SPIFF 15. MR. GEORGE AYEMIEYE 16. HON. GENTLE EMELAH 17. HON. SAVIOUR NYONG 18. EMMA ILOM 19. PASTOR EYO OKPO-ENE 20. AYANG AZUM AYANG 21. ITA IKPEME 22. H.E PRINCE SAM OBI 23. HON FRANK OMARE 24. PRINCE MICHAEL DIDEN 25. HON PETER IFIE 26. JARRET TENEBE. 27. PASTOR HENRY AIMENKHENA. 28. GEN. ALFRED LLOGHO (RTD). 29. CP OMOROGIEVA (RTD). 30. ARCH. THADDEUS IRABOR.
TRAFFIC COMMITTEE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
BARR OSIMA GINA – CHAIRMAN EDISON EHIE – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN MAJOR JACK – SECRETARY FRSC REPRESENTATIVE POLICE REPRESENTATIVE BARR OSI OLISA MR AMABERE EKINE HON OKECHUKWU AKARA
55
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍšÍşËœ ͺ͸͚Î
NEWSXTRA
PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COUNCIL SOUTH SOUTH ZONE 9. ENGR CHARLES AMADI 10. BARR EMMA UTCHAY 11. PRINCE NYECHE 12. IRONSIDE OODEE 13. MBUBE NWIAKIRA 14. ODUYE TOM-WEST 15. VICTOR DAGOGO 16. CHARLES HALLIDAY 17. TONYE URANTA 18. EUGENE NWAKWO 19. ALFRED BAMSON 20. BELLOR WAITE 21. AGOMUO HYCENT 22. ISAAC OTIGWE 23. VITUS GAD 24. CHIEF CHRISTIAN WIKE 25. MR GANA GODAM 26. DAVID AKIO 27. RICHARD ABALIST 28. ALBERT NGERE 29. UYODHU OCHOMA 30. ISIDOR SAMBO 31. TOBIN AKURO 32. ILAMU ARUGU 33. HON IBINABO MICHAEL-WEST 34. BARR JAMES AMADI 35. MR CHARLES WOBODO 36. MR ALFRED ALLISON 37. BARR JONES OGBONDA 38. EMANUEL OGBONDA
VENUE COMMITTEE 1. BRO FELIX OBUAH – CHAIRMAN 2. ARCH EKON AKOGONU – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. BOMA IYAYE – SECRETARY 4. SONNY WOKEKORO 5. ENE DATEME 6. TASIE WIKE 7. AARON CHUKWUEMEKA 8. CHIEF MIKE ELECHI 9. KENNETH OPUSINGI 10. DEACON AKIE FUBARA 11. RT HON ADAMS DABOTORUDIMA 12. DUMBARI DIMKPA 13. ARTHUR UCHENDU 14. K. K. ARIBODU 15. HON SAMUEL NWANOSIKE 16. MIKE WILLIAMS 17. BARR JAMES OGBONDA 18. HON CHIDI AMADI 19. HON TIMOTHY NSIRIM 20. MRS CHINYERE AGBARA 21. OHOCHUKWU OBIANUJU 22. MIKE NWOVIKE 23. TEMPLE NWANKWO 24. MR AKAN OKON 25. HON. SUNYIEKERE INOKON 26. RT. HON ELDER FRIDAY IWOK 27. ENGR ETIDO INYANG 28. ENGR UWEM OKOKO 29. MRS. SEIYEFA SIKPI 30. CHIEF IKADERINGO SELEFE 31. DAN IGRUBIA 32. MR. POWERFULL TANGI 33. JOHNSON ALALIBO 34. ARCH EKOM AKONJOM 35. EDEM EFFIOM 36. RT. HON. FRANCIS BUSAM ADAH 37. BONNIE ERANYE EWHUE 38. DR. STEPHEN ODEY 39. ALANZA UCHE UGBOMA 40. MR. AMA AGBAJOR 41. HON. CHUKS NWAEBUNI 42. MRS. NKECHI CHUKWURAH
43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48.
CHIEF BRIGHT OMOBA MR. ETINOSA ISOBOMUWA. HON. EDOSA IDUGBOE. HON. FIDELIS OGBEJIELE. PRINCE TIJANI UGBODAGA. ENG. TOM ESHEMOGIE.
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE 1. EMMA OKAH – CHAIRMAN 2. CHARLES UDOH – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. MR SUNNY ORITSEDERE – SECRETARY 4. GLORY EMEH 5. ORAYE ST FRANKLYN 6. DARLINGTON ORJI 7. BARR G. T. ARIOLU 8. BARR. INI EMEMOBONG 9. CHIEF EMMANUEL IBIOK 10. MR CHRIS ABASIEYO 11. MR RAPHAEL EDEM 12. GEORGE BRAAH. 13. HON. DANIEL IGALI 14. MR. PROPER NWAGOZU 15. HON. BILLY TOBIYEI 16. CHIEF VICTOR AWALAH 17. PATRICK UGBE 18. STANLEY NSEMO 19. MAXWELL ETTA 20. BARR. ATTAH OCHINKE 21. EDAK IWUCHUKWU 22. BARR. HENRY SOWHO 23. HON. ANEKE IFEMENI 24. PHARM. PATRICK FERIFE 25. HON. SIR MATTHIAS ETO 26. MRS. HELEN OSIOWAN. 27. MR. ERNEST AMADASUN. 28. EMMANUEL AKPE. 29. HON. EMMANUEL MOMOH. 30. CHIEF ALEX ADOGHE.
PROTOCOL COMMITTEE 1. BARR FRANK OWHOR – CHAIRMAN 2. MR J. A. BELLO-OSAGIE – DEPUTY CHAIRMAN 3. HON DOODEY WAK – SECRETARY 4. MRS TORU OFILI 5. AMB HAROLD KOKO 6. CHIEF HANNY WOKO 7. CHIEF PRINCE WELI-WOSU 8. AZUBUIKE ODUM 9. BARR. AKPADIAHA EBITU 10. BARR MBIETOBONG OKPONGETE 11. MR ENOBONG HARRY 12. MRS LYDIA UDOH 13. MR PRINCE IKIM 14. HON. DOODEI WEEK 15. HON. DAPREBO IKUROMO 16. CHIEF BENSON AGADAGA 17. MR. STANLEY BRABOKE 18. TARIBINA EBIYE 19. HON. OMANG IDIEGE 20. RT. HON. PADDY UGUGE 21. JOHN ETIM BASSEY 22. HON. FABIAN OKPA 23. KELLY AYAMBA 24. JOHN OTOKUE 25. BARR. KATE ONIAWA 26. MRS. JOSEPHINE ABEKI 27. MRS. PALLY EGHOVE 28. CHIEF INNOCENT OJEFIA 29. MR. ERNEST AMADASUN. 30. SURV. STANLEY EGOGO. 31. HON. ANTHONY AZIEGBEMI. 32. STEPHEN EHIHI.
EFCC Arrests Okupe Again The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has again arrested Dr. Doyin Okupe, a former media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan. A source close to Okupe, who pleaded anonymity, informed journalists last night in Abuja that the former presidential spokesman has kept faith with the terms of administrative bail granted him last year by the anti-graft body, by always reporting daily at the Commission’s headquarters. The source said, “He reported today, (Friday) as usual and has
since been detained by the Commission for arraignment in court on Monday. What is confusing is that we have spoken with the prosecution lawyer of EFCC but he claimed ignorance of the arraignment slated for Monday.� The source also informed that the Court Registrar has denied knowledge of the arraignment of Okupe on Monday. The source described yesterday’s detention of Okupe as the latest antic of EFCC to cow the former presidential spokesman to submission. According to the source, EFCC
has no case against Okupe in the first place. “Honestly, EFCC has no case against Okupe. The man was accused of receiving money from Dasuki and he has thwarted the claim with facts and evidences. It should also be noted that Okupe has always been reporting at EFCC headquarters on a daily basis in compliance with the terms of the administrative bail granted him.� The source has accused EFCC of witch-hunting Okupe in its bid to permanently get him silenced in compliance with the bidding of presidency.
PDP Already Conceding Defeat, Says Tinubu Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Leader of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said yesterday that all those crying of electoral violence ahead of the 2019 are only crying wolf and already conceding defeat. Tinubu said the party and its Presidential candidate would not want any Nigerian to be a sacrificial lamb as a result of violence during the 2019 general elections, as it does not need any form of violence to win the election. Tinubu told newsmen after a meeting with Traditional Rulers from the South-west in Abuja that the party was working hard to win the elections and so does not look forward to any form of violence during the election. He said those who are crying of an impending violence during the election are only crying wolf and have already conceded defeat, while looking for excuses to tender to Nigerians for losing the election. When asked of the message of the traditional rulers regarding peaceful conduct of the 2019 elections, Tinubu said “the royal fathers spoke of the need for a peace election. When you have the believe that you can get a proper result, you work hard because you want peace. “When you believe that you can win, you don’t want violence. We all love our children, our brothers
and our followers and none of us would want our followers to become sacrificial lambs. We won’t encourage violent disruption of any election because we are confident of winning. Those who are crying wolf before the election have already accepted defeat before the election as far as I am concerned. “I am very happy and proud of the very promising situation. When you have the endorsement of your royal fathers, it means you have the people with you and the voice of the people is the voice of God. I am elated.� The APC Leader appreciated the royal fathers for their support and for not giving up on the APC and for visiting the President to encourage him. Tinubu said the PDP President candidate never did anything to assist Lagos State as Vice President when the Obasanjo government seized allocation to the local government councils in the state, but merely asked them to go and comply with Obasanjo’s directives. He said: “Atiku was Vice President of this country when the local government allocation for Lagos state was seized. When we led a protest to Atiku then, he said go away. Go and comply. Without those allocation, you cannot bring Development. “When we said we needed power to power Lagos and the industrial base in our region, they said no. They were taking away N250 million from our allocation
Ezekwesili Launches American Varsity First Women-only Scholarship In a bid to encourage the girlchild education, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has launched a scholarship programme for Nigerian women to study at Nexford, an American university. A statement from the presidential campaign office yesterday said Ezekwesili recently joined the Global Advisory Board of Nexford University and also launched its scholarship programme named after her for Nigerian women to study in the next generation American higher institution. According to the statement, the board is made up of leading academics and practitioners who help guide Nexford’s ambitious global higher education programme. The scholarship would see the beneficiaries study at the Nexford University, a next-generation university based in Washington DC offering a competency-based learning model. The former Minister of Education and #BringBackOurGirls crusader, in a statement yesterday, said she was delighted with the honour of having the five two-year scholarships to Nigerian women, aged 16–25, to study on Nexford’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
degree programme instituted in her name. Ezekwesili said, “More work must go into widening access and opportunities for women to level the gender playing field. I believe Nexford scholarships will empower more women to study for degrees and equip future leaders with the skills they need to shape our society. “I hope recipients of the scholarship have a multiplier effect and encourage learners from any socio-economic background to earn degrees. I look forward to strong academic partnerships and research collaboration between Nexford and our Nigerian universities in furtherance of global competitiveness of our country.� The Chief Executive Officer, Nexford, Fadl Al Tarzi, said that the scholarship would aid the economic growth of Nigeria through those that would be trained. “Africa’s most populous country is one of Nexford’s key markets. A college degree will boost earnings by more than 20 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Economist’s analysis of World Bank Data. By bringing globally affordable, high-qualitative education to Nigeria we hope to play our part in spurring economic mobility,� he added.
every month for being innovative and creative. Everywhere we turn, they rejected us and punished us. But we never gave up. “Today, we are in that progressive development championed and led by President Muhammadu Buhari. Thank you for not looking back. Thank you for visiting and encouraging him.� Speaking with reporters after the meeting with the traditional rulers, the former Lagos State governor described the visit as promising. On his alleged collapse on Monday after the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Tinubu simply said “Fake news and whoever is manufacturing it, you better not believe them.� On the alleged boycott of the inaugural meeting of the campaign council by APC governors, he said “that is negative and fake news too. The point is, the governors had to stay back home because we all don’t have to converge in one place to decide certain modalities when we can easily go back to them on what was discussed and what we expect from your state. That is what we call structuring in an election. There are some jelly fish reporters around Nigeria these days.� The Oni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II who spoke on behalf of the traditional rulers said as royal fathers, they were fathers to all and would therefore continue to preach peace and peaceful coexistence.
CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as MISS AKINTADE DEBORAH ODELABI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OMONIYI DEBORAH OLUWAFUNMILAYO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.
I formerly known and addressed as OKE PETER UGBEIDE, now wish to be known and addressed as UGBEIDE PETER IREKEFE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. I, formerly known and addressed as ONYEJE NDIDI ANNE, now wish to be known and addressed as OKODUA NDIDI ANNE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.
This is to notify the general public that in some of my documents my name was wrongly written as AYO ABIODUN BABAJIDE instead of OLUFIKAYO ABIODUN BABAJIDE. The general public should please take note. This is to notify the public that my name was wrongly written on my Bank Account as PASTOR TOYO BLESSING UFUOMA instead of TOYO BLESSING UFUOMA. My correct name is TOYO BLESSING UFUOMA. All former documents remains valid, the general public please take note
Saturday, January 12, 2019
TR
UT H
& RE A S O
N
Price: N250
MISSILE
Dasuki to Court “There is an imminent threat of absolute subversion of the rule of law, constitution, and authority of the bench and practice of law in Nigeria.” – The detained former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, urging an Abuja court to invite eminent lawyers to provide insight on his trial.
PENDULUM DELE MOMODU
dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com
Buhari, Tinubu and the Abdication of Responsibility
F
ellow Nigerians, despite the open and brazen braggadocious posturings of the ruling party, things seem to be fast falling apart within the All People’s Congress (APC). The arrogance of power probably must have misled some of the powerful gladiators in the party that they are invincible and infallible. But unwarranted arrogance and pride go forth before a calamitous fall. There seems no doubt that the APC also underrates the extensive networks and connections of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who has been in this race for 25 solid years. Speak to most of them, they will boastfully tell you that Buhari owns the North of Nigeria, as if the North is one State or monolithic or homogenous region. Except for those too lazy to analyse the ethnic, religious and political configuration of Nigeria, there has never been a single place called the North. It was merely one of the cunningly systematic way some politicians inferiorised and brainwashed Southern Nigeria into thinking “Oh we can’t win the election because the North will not agree.” Except for military interventions that gave some parts of the Northern region some edge and predominance over other parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South, only three Northerners and three Southerners have ever won Presidential elections at the highest levels, namely, Shehu Shagari, Moshood Abiola (though conspired against and could not assume office), Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. We had pre-Independence leaders who presided as our first and only Prime Minister ever, Tafawa Balewa, 1957-1966, who shared a bit of his power with Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was our first and only ceremonial Governor General of Nigeria, from 1960-1963, before emerging as the first President of Nigeria, from 1963-1966, when our country became a Republic. In reality, Nigeria is too diverse, and too intertwined to be claimed by any one group. What has happened is that the politicians, from both sides of the divide, have managed to manipulate our brains and hoodwink us in such a way that most people begin to doubt their own existence, like the French philosopher, Rene Descartes. Nigerians have also been kept down through the greatest forms of hypnotism, mass illiteracy and abject poverty, a very lethal combination. No Nigerian politician has benefitted from this political cocktail than President Muhammadu Buhari, who the poor masses see as their friend and Messiah who will free them from their wicked oppressors and fiendish looters. Prior to 2015, Buhari could do no wrong, as far as this class of people were concerned. But the burble is beginning to burst. I will explain how it happened in a jiffy. Buhari would have preserved his image as a poor man, friend of the poor, the incorruptible avenger, the Messiah without a blemish, if he had not gone in to politics or if he did not win the 2015 Presidential election. Many of us would have been screaming our heads off, that he was cheated a fourth time, that unscrupulous Nigerians wickedly robbed us of yet another good leader, like Obafemi
Buhari
Awolowo, Moshood Abiola, Gani Fawehinmi, and a few other icons who contested at one time or the other. To win that election, Buhari needed to go through some rituals, or rites of passage, which were totally controlled by those he once regarded as bad guys. And of course, he needed what James Hadley Chase called The Whiff of Money to sustain and fulfil his ambition. And no individual could possibly have matched the PDP, cash for cash since they were getting their cash by dipping their hands, indeed their whole beings, into the most secure and productive vaults in the country – the Central Bank and the NNPC. So, Sai Baba got practical and sought the kind benevolence of his erstwhile sworn enemies. He had to crisscross the country, cap in hand, pleading for help and support. He knew he had to visit and beg the big dons, the acclaimed owners of the land who have the keys to unlock the doors of power and fortune. Buhari navigated his way to former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in Minna, Niger State, the same military General who sacked him unceremoniously from power in September 1985, and from there meandered his way to former President Olusegun Aremu Okikiolakan Obasanjo in Abeokuta. He also travelled to see General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma in various places. He must have had to swallow his pride in all this sallying to and fro. Having engaged the powerbrokers, Buhari went for the financiers. He knew that one of the major problems of his previous failed bid was the inability to sustain campaign as he did not have the financial resources to maintain the same. He needed billions and billions to pay polling agents or risks his votes being diminished or outrightly stolen. He turned to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who was a Director General of a Presidential campaign, like no other, from 2014-2015. He went all out to seek funds and made available a gleaming private jet owned by the Rivers State Government which more than eased the campaign itinerary and logistics of the Buhari Campaign Organisation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the capo di tutti capi of Lagos, was eventually beckoned and coaxed to come on board and persuaded to be on hand to arrange this and that. Bukola Saraki was also heavily
involved in mobilising funds from his wealthy friends many of whom he managed to get to drop some heavy sums out of their billions. Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Wale Tinubu, Muyiwa Bakare and many others were some of the faces who were regularly at Saraki’s Ikoyi home in Lagos to make contributions. Meetings were also sometimes held in Femi Otedola’s iconic apartment in Knightsbridge, London., where Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana once lived. Buhari was very much in the know of the powerful military, political and financial coalition that were behind him. These personages were united in one mission, to arrest the perceived perfidious drift of the nation towards perdition. They were all close to President Goodluck Jonathan but felt that he had allowed too much laxity and excess and was allowing some of his aides to get away with murder. They did not expect freebies from Buhari, but they felt he was going to reorder the nation and provide a level playing field and opportunities for every Nigerian, without fear or favour. Let’s again postpone the full story. However, no sooner than Buhari took power that things began to turn awry. Many of his supporters began to see a new Buhari. The Buhari that used to listen and act on advice during the campaign was no longer available and when accessible began to speak in monosyllables. By the time he moved finally into the gilded cage of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, things were no longer at ease. And before you could shout Tinubu, Buhari had been hijacked and pocketed by a few members of his innermost caucus. This was the beginning of rapid descent into chaos and confusion in the ruling party. Since that turbulent beginning, it has been crisis upon crises, with no end in sight. Naturally, the party got distracted by this unholy war of attrition. Buhari that was supposed to provide leadership, focus and direction acted like he was not bothered. His personable Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who could have helped the situation by providing strong, innovative and youthful leadership, did not have the cooperation of many of his subordinates who felt they owed their total allegiance to Buhari and no other person. It has always been obvious that Osinbajo has what is needed to set this great country on the path to greater heights, development, security and UNITY and this was made palpable and real whenever Buhari was on medical vacation. Osinbajo mingled freely with the populace, the intelligentsia and the privileged. He interacted well with members of his parties and other parties alike. They all liked and respected him. He was able to douse the brewing and explosive tension in the South East where Nnamdi Kanu was not only gaining momentum but was becoming a figure of hagiography. He assuaged the hurt feelings of the Niger Delta and got our oil production moving properly again. The economy thrived and with new rules of engagement about the ease of doing business, investors began to see Nigeria with fresh enthusiasm. Even the dreaded menace of militants in both the North and the South subsided as prosperity loomed and the things causing tension became calmer.
For me, there was a great moment when Osinbajo went to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and cleaned the place of the duplicitous agents harassing passengers at will and we all applauded the new look, but within little time, the nuisance returned with a vengeance. Thus, as soon as his boss returned, he reverted to his military preference for using a sledgehammer to kill flies regardless of the ensuing damage. Please, let me give one more example of how APC finally missed Paradise, in my humble opinion. Agents of the Federal Government had serially combined to harass and intimidate the National Assembly which was saddled with the task of checks and balances in the Nigerian Constitution. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the invasion of the National Assembly by hooded operatives of the Directorate of State Security. The sad development soon went viral and the thoroughly embarrassed Acting President promptly corrected the anomaly by sacrificing the Director General, Lawal Daura. Osinbajo, immediately, announced the appointment of a new Director General, Matthew Seiyefa, in an acting capacity. Seiyefa was clearly the most senior officer in service at the time, and many applauded the decision. Then rumours began to fly as always that some powerful forces did not like the decision. The rumour became reality when Seiyefa, a harmless scholar, from Bayelsa State, was removed. Many were sad that day. Anyway. Buhari and his cronies appear to have forgotten how time flies. They stepped on toes without realising elections were just round the corner and that the day of reckoning begins from the day after Inauguration. The Tinubus that had been studiously side-tracked would soon be needed. God’s judgment no longer flies on a chariot of fire but on supersonic jet. Oh, before I forget, APC sacked a perfect gentleman, John Odigie Oyegun, and brought my Brother, Adams Oshiomhole, the firebrand ex-unionist, who began his own war, and may ultimately become the Waterloo of the party. Again, Buhari failed to act decisively and the acrimonious war of attrition has since turned into a third world war, unabated, less than 40 days to the final day of reckoning. A house divided against itself is surely in peril of eventual collapse and this is the script playing before our very eyes. Nothing has convinced me more that APC and President Buhari and his cronies are in panic mode than the abdication of campaign responsibilities to the Don, Bola Tinubu, who I know many of Buhari’s close allies cannot stand. But they all know, as a matter of fact, that this daring politician is their last chance. What is more, if they fail at the polls, they will be able to blame Tinubu for their failure. I do not envy my big Brother, Tinubu, at all. This position appears to me to be a poisoned chalice! To add to the conundrum for Tinubu, he has to go all out and destroy the last chance of his very good friend and former co-traveller, Atiku Abubakar, who has been on his own epic journey since, 1993, some 25 odd years ago. This promises to be the biggest heavyweight bout in history. The world is watching with bated breath…
Printed and Published in Lagos by THISDAY Newspapers Limited. Lagos: 35 Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos. Abuja: Plot 1, Sector Centre B, Jabi Business District, Solomon Lar Way, Jabi North East, Abuja . All Correspondence to POBox 54749, Ikoyi, Lagos. EMAIL: editor@thisdaylive.com, info@thisdaylive.com. TELEPHONE Lagos: 0802 2924721-2, 08022924485. Abuja: Tel: 08155555292, 08155555929 24/7 ADVERTISING HOT LINES: 0811 181 3085, 0811 181 3086, 0811 181 3087, 0811 181 3088, 0811 181 3089, 0811 181 3090. ENQUIRIES & BOOKING: adsbooking@thisdaylive.com