SATURDAY 20TH APRIL 2019

At Arise Fashion Week, Campbell Unveils Gucci Deal for UNILAG, Others Enelamah: FG to raise $500m for Lekki, Funtua, Aba economic zones

Joseph Ushigiale, Vanessa Obioha and Ugochukwu Aliogo As the cream of the fashion world converge in Lagos for this year’s edition of Arise

Fashion Week (AFW), Super Model, Naomi Campbell, yesterday announced that she, in partnership with the Gucci brand, is set to launch an ambitious fashion fellowship in universities in

Lagos, Ghana and Cape Town in a bold move aimed at unleashing the hidden talents that abound in the continent.

The University of Lagos will be the beneficiary in Nigeria.

Making the disclosure at

the second session of Arise Talks moderated by Laila Johnson-Salami where a panel comprising Campbell, Reni Folawiyo, Barbara James and Funsho Olusanya deliberated on the topic, ‘Business of

Fasion – Exploring all Facets of the Emerging Markets in Africa, the fashionista explained that after 33 years on the runway, she had decided that the time has come to use her network, experience and

talent to work for Africa.

At another Arise Fashion Week forum, Minister of Trade and Industries, Okechukwu Enelamah hinted that the Continued on page 6

NAF Investigation Panel Meets Residents over Illegal Killings in Zamfara… Page 14 Saturday 20 April, 2019 Vol 24. No 8776

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Tiv/Jukun Crisis Escalates, 5 Killed in Wukari Wole Ayodele in Jalingo, Ibrahim Shuaibu in Dutse and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Five persons were killed and several others injured yesterday, as the crisis between the Tiv and Jukun tribes in Wukari, Taraba State escalated.

Several homes were set ablaze in the renewed attacks on Wapan Naku and Ikyaior villages in Wukari Local Government Area.

This is coming after bandits,

ARISE FOR ARISE FASHION WEEK...

Fashion Designer, Mai Atafo and Supermodel, Naomi Campbell, during the ongoing Arise Fashion Week at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island …yesterday.

Kunle Ogunfuyi

Continued on page 6

Sanusi: Manipulation of Fault Lines

by Elite Responsible for Violence Onyebuchi Ezigbo The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has identified the manipulation of the country's fault lines by the elite as the source of unending communal violence and insecurity in the land.

He also accused the political elite of manipulating the people over issues of restructuring for their selfish

interest.

The speech by Sanusi II, at the 9th Triennial National Conference of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, held in Abuja yesterday, was delivered on his behalf by Dr. Bashir Umar of the Ado Bayero University, Kano.

In the speech with the theme, “Justice, Equity and Peaceful Coexistence: Ideas and Reality in a Multi-Religious

Nation”, the Emir noted that the pro- or anti-restructuring proponents had exploited the fault lines in the makeup of the country to achieve selfish agenda.

According to the royal father, the elite’s blind quest for power had resulted in tribal and religious clashes, “even though they are reducing in most part of the nation, but when one type of crisis

reduces then another one will spring up.”

On the clamour for restructuring, he said, “It is not as if we are pro- or antirestructuring, but rather the restructuring has been turned into a fault line that is being manipulated and exploited by the elite.

“We have the elite in the society that have received the best of care from the resources

of the society. People of my age and those before me attended public schools from primary to university.

“Unfortunately, the elite that benefited from the system in the past have left public institutions to become vandalised, dilapidated and substituted it with a private education system that is affordable only to a very few.”

Furthermore, he said: “The

health system has also been vandalised and now people have to go on medical tourism in India, Egypt, and Europe.

The unfortunate thing is, sometimes, before you get the air ambulance, the will of Allah will take place.”

The monarch noted that the elite that got power after the military created a political Continued on page 6

Scarcity: NNPC Plans to Raises National Petrol Stock to 2.4bn Litres… Page 6

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Scarcity: NNPC Plans to Raises National Petrol Stock to 2.4bn Litres Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will raise the total volume of petrol available in its storage facility to 2.4 billion litres to avoid potential scarcity, its Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, has said.

Baru, said this would be up from the existing 1.7 billion

litres of petrol the corporation has, adding that this was to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products in all the nook and cranny of the country during the Easter holidays and beyond.

A statement from the Group General Manager Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, yesterday in Abuja quoted Baru, to have made this commitment during

the conferment on him of the “Distinguished Merit Award’’ by the Association of Business Managers and Administrators of Nigeria.

He explained that the NNPC's current 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock could last Nigeria for 35 days if a drop of petrol was not added but the plans to increase it to 2.4 billion litres by the end of the month was ongoing.

He also said the NNPC was currently responsible for supplying 75 per cent of the gas used to generate electricity in the country. This, he added was equivalent to 300 million standard cubic feet (Scf) of gas per day.

In the statement, Baru also said he dedicated the award to President Muhammadu Buhari for his support for the country's oil and gas

industry.

Also, the registrar of the Association of Business Managers and Administrators of Nigeria, Dr. Ike Christopher, reportedly said that Baru was selected for the merit award because of his role in the clearance of fuel queues from fuel stations, especially during the last Christmas and New Year festivities.

He noted that the seamless

supply of petroleum products had brought about stability in prices of goods and services across the country.

On the Easter holidays, Ike advised Nigerians not to engage in panic buying of petrol, saying the NNPC under Baru had demonstrated the capacity to sustain the seamless supply of petrol in the country during festive periods and beyond.

development of the country.

He, therefore, advised the youth to stop making themselves tools for agent provocateurs who always profit from religious violence in the country.

He urged Nigerians to imbibe peace for the overall

development of the country and humanity in general.

National President of the society, Dr. Lateef Okunnu, said the organisation retained its premier position among all Muslim missions and societies through the propagation of Islam.

He said in fulfillment of one of the two principal objectives of the society, the National Universities Commission issued full certificate of operation to the Ansar-Ud-Deen University named Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.

in the face.

His wife told reporters that he survived, stating, “they were carrying guns and pointed the gun at me demanding that I should bring out the money my husband came home with, threatening to kill him if I refuse.”

She said her husband pleaded with her to go and get them the money so that they can spare his life. “The terrible ordeal did not end after I gave them the money as they insisted on more but I told them it was all that was with me."

She said a neighbour, Alhaji Muhammad Jinjiri, who came to the businessman’s rescue, was shot dead by the bandits, who also injured nine other people as they fled the scene.

She said: "We initially all thought our husband was killed until some people that came after the robbers had left found out that he was still breathing that was how he and the other victims that

sustained gunshot injuries were rushed to the Rasheed Shekoni Teaching hospital in Dutse."

Jigawa State Deputy Governor Ibrahim Hassan, who confirmed the incidence to journalists, said: “The bandits allegedly tracked one Abdulkadir from the market to his residence for money.”

Hassan urged residents not to feel terrorised, stating that the police had been mobilised to pursue and capture the bandits.

Corroborating the deputy governor’s statement, the Commissioner of Police Mr. Bala Zama Senchi said the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was on the trail of the bandits, assuring that they would soon be apprehended.

In recent times, Zamfara and Katsina states had become theatres of attacks by highly mobile bandits, who kill indiscriminately to avoiding being caught by security operatives.

The killing of seven bandits and the loss of a soldier in

Zamfara was a fallout of the ongoing war against armed banditry issued by Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Major C.K Abiade, who said troops in conjunction with the Nigerian Army Deep Blue Special Forces, NAF component and vigilantes had a fiecrce encounter with a large number of well-armed bandits.

"Due to superior fire power of the troops, they were able to compel the bandits to flee and abandoned their camps which were set ablaze by the gallant troops.

"During the encounter, seven of the bandits were neutralised, while some escaped with gunshot wounds.

"Unfortunately, one soldier paid the supreme sacrifice, six soldiers and a vigilante were wounded," he said.

Items recovered from the bandits included 934 x 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, one AK 47 Rifle, one chain used by the bandits against kidnapped victims and seven motorcycles.

Apart from shining the light on the continent through fashion, AFW also contributed to the arts and tourism sector of Lagos State such that the state recognised it as one of the key events to attend this year in the state’s arts and culture calendar. . Enelamah: FG to raise $500m for Lekki, Funtua, Aba economic zones Also at the Arise Fashion Week forum, Minister of Trade and Industries, Okechukwu Enelamah hinted that the federal government was planning to raise $500 million to facilitate the setting up of three economic zones in Lekki, Funtua and Aba in Lagos, Katsina and Abia states respectively.

Enelamah who was part of a panel comprising of Barbara Barungi and Ituen Bassey that discussed “From Retail to Export – Building a Sustainable Market” urged Nigerians to work with the present administration to make Nigeria work and great.

At the panel discussion moderated by the Director General, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Segun Awolowo, the Minister explained that the federal government was aiming at creating a pull strategy in areas where the country has comparative advantage.

According to him, “we are at the moment looking at the entire value chain including in

the fashion or creative industry to create a pull strategy and facilitate this by creating industrial infrastructure to position Nigeria where it can compete globally in areas where it has competitive advantage.

“We are working with investors and various players to create industrial parks while we as a government would provide the incentives. Overall, we are creating an enabling environment for fashion or the creative industry to gain a foothold so we can realise our full potential in both markets and population.”

He said the government was also working to develop the economy in order remove sub-economic cost to lower cost of production and funds, adding that it was encouraging innovation, creativity and production to make inroad globally.

In her contribution, the MD, Imara Africa Consulting, Barbara Barungi said apart from funding challenges, African are yet to take the issue of intellectual property seriously, calling for what she described as “a legal dimension to protect the fashion industry.”

Albert Okumagba of BGL in his contribution pointed to the red tapism in sourcing financing from the banks and urging government to rather seek alternative sources of funding from the private sector to support the creative industry.

SANUSI: MANIPULATION OF FAULT LINES BY ELITE RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLENCE class that instituted thuggery,

election malpractices, corruption and destroyed the judiciary, civil service and security agencies.

“These are all the result of the work of the political class and the unfortunate thing is that it is made to become

something that is perpetual.

“This has to be changed and our duty as Muslims is to learn from the ideals of Prophet Muhammad (PBH) to save the society from eminent danger that is facing it,” he stressed.

On his part, the National

Vice-President, Ansar-UdDeen Society of Nigeria, Yusuf Adebayo, appealed to politicians to desist from exploiting fault lines for their political interest.

According to Adebayo, such attitude is not healthy for the growth and

TIV/JUKUN CRISIS ESCALATES, 5 KILLED IN WUKARI on Thursday night, raided Garin Mai-dawa village in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, killing one person, injuring over nine others.

However, there was reprieve yesterday in Zamfara with the killing of seven bandits, which though resulted in the loss of a soldier, when troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Sharan Daji and Harbin Kunama III, engaged in a fierce encounter with the outlaws in Aljumma and Ketere villages in Zamfara State.

The renewed conflict between the Tiv and Jukun tribes in Wukari, Taraba state occurred less than a week after the deputy governors of Benue and Taraba states brokered peace between the warring tribes, which led to a cessation of hostilities.

Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Command, DSP David Misal said he was waiting for details of the

casualty figures from the DPO and Wukari Area Command.

But speaking in a telephone interview, Chairman of Wukari Local Government Area, Daniel Adi said five people were killed in the attacks while several others were still missing.

According to Adi, "It is unfortunate that after a peace meeting between Taraba and Benue state government on Monday, we woke up to fresh attack on our people in Wapan Naku.

"Five of our men were killed while three other people were injured and about 28 houses were also burnt. Some of our people are also missing," he said.

THISDAY also gathered that there was an attack on Ikyaior village on Thursday, which led to the reprisal attack on Wapan Naku yesterday morning.

A former Special Adviser to the Taraba state governor, Orbee Uchiv, who hails from Ikyaior, told Journalists that over 100 houses were either

burnt or vandalised at Ikyaior.

Uchiv, who operates a private school in the village said over fifty computers were carted away before the entire school was razed by the attackers.

Similar gory tales were told in Zamfara and Katsina States, where bandits have persistently killed defenseless people, particularly women, children and the aged.

Survivors of the Thursday’s attack in Jigawa said the armed bandits rode on motorbikes to Garin Mai-dawa village in Dutse Local Government Area at about 3a.m They said the bandits asked for the residence of a prominent business man, Alhaji Abdulkadir, who had returned home the previous night with large sums of money.

Abdulkadir told his wife, Raihana Muhammed, to release the money to the bandits as they tortured her. But dissatisfied with the amount she gave them, one of the gunmen shot the businessman

AT ARISE FASHION WEEK, CAMPBELL UNVEILS GUCCI DEAL FOR UNILAG, OTHERS federal government was planning to raise $500 million to facilitate the setting up of three economic zones in Lekki, Funtua and Aba in Lagos, Katsina and Abia states respectively Campbell explained to the audience at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, that her current initiative was in line with late Nelson Mandela’s entreaties to her when she visited him in South Africa that she should use her talent and experience to create a new Africa narrative.

According to her, “After 33 years in the business, I have decided that it is time to come back to Africa and begin planting seeds to give opportunities to young talents.

Africa has always been in my mind since 1993 and I want to be part of Africa. Africa has amazing talents but lacking in exposure. So it is wonderful to partner Arise Fashion to bring this about.

“We are partnering the Gucci brand and they have agreed to launch fellowships in Lagos, Accra and Cape Town to open design schools that would train the much needed fashion talents that abound in Africa. The aim is to change the perception and negative narrative as Nelson Mandela asked me to use my voice to do.”

On the issue of private equity funding, Barbara James of Henshaw Capital said the best source of funding required for the fashion or creative industry

was either private equity or venture capital, regretting that both of these sources are still too small for any impact to be felt.

James proposed a $1billion equity fund that would attract such big weights as Gucci, Ebay, government and another fund known as Technical Funding that could possibly pool $20 million to target capacity building in the creative industry.

In her contribution, Funsho Olusanya of FSDH noted that in as much funding remains a major challenge, “as a banker, what we look for is the bankability of a project that would make returns on investment. Unfortunately, most of the young entrepreneur lack very basic knowledge of financing, project bankability etc. What we are willing to do now is to support the industry with financial advisory to enable them get on their feet.”

The CEO of Alara, Reni Folawiyo lamented the dearth of skill manpower, infrastructure and human capacity development, arguing that these factors contribute to making the products expensive and of low quality.

Folawiyo noted that while talent was on the upswing, all factors need to be improved to ensure that solutions can be provided to bring down prices and produce quality goods and services.

Pro-chancellor of University of Lagos, Wale Babalakin, SAN,

lauded Campbell and the Chairman, THISDAY/Arise Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, for choosing the University of Lagos for the fellowship, adding that it was coming at a time the authorities are seeking alternative means of revenue generation that “we’ll support, encourage and give our all to make this work.”

Obaigbena praised Campbell for deciding to dedicate the rest of her life to develop talent in Africa: “She has spent 33 years already in the business, now she is ready to dedicate the rest of her 33 years to building the African brand and new narrative for Africa.”

The Arise Fashion Week continues today at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.

The festival will culminate on Easter Sunday, April 21, with exciting shows on the runway.

Designers that will grace the runway include Turfah, Torlowei, Mai Atafo, Tokyo James, 3.Paradis, Tzar, Clan, Papa Oppong, Nkwo, and Selam Fessahaye.

Other designers to watch on the runway include Style Temple, Andrea Iyamah, Lanre Da Silva, Tiffany Amber among others.

In all, 37 local and international designers will showcase their creativity on the runway this Easter weekend.

Described as ‘the most beautiful runway in Africa’ the fashion festival, which was

berthed over a decade ago, is adjudged the most prestigious platform to showcase Africa’s creative talents through fashion and music.

International models like Naomi Campbell, Grace Bol, Georgie Badiel, Millen Magese, and Oluchi Orlandi, have walked the AFW runway over the years, showcasing the best of African designs.

Since its return last year, AFW has continued in its commitment to push the African narrative, positioning the black continent as a hub of creative talents.

Last year’s edition recorded an impressive attendance and a dazzling runway that once again, placed the continent on the global stage. 45 designers from between 12 and 14 countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Germany, Canada, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom, United States, the Caribbean and Nigeria walked the runway at the 2018 edition.

As part of its commitment to groom fashion designers that will distinguish themselves globally, Arise Media, which organises the yearly fashion fete, introduced a life-changing novelty known as the ARISE Fashion Management and Mentoring Programme (AFMMP). The AFMMP was designed for start-ups in the fashion business that can be nurtured to international brands.

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NEWS

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

WORKING FOR THE LORD...

L-R: Secretary, Church Administrative Society of Nigeria (CASON) Pastor Ayo Daniel; President CASON, Pastor Seyi Oladimeji; Guest Speaker and Managing Director, Custodian Investment Group, Mr. Oluwole Oshin; Vice President CASON, Pastor Steve Akoni and Treasurer CASON, Mr. Segun Shelleh, at the 5th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos.ß.. recently

Osun Raises the Alarm over Infiltration

by Zamfara Bandit-miners Oyetola, Ooni, security chiefs seek synergy Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Worried about alleged infiltration of illegal miners and bandits displaced from Zamfara State, Osun State Government yesterday charged security stakeholders and traditional rulers to be at alert to prevent all forms of criminality.

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola said: “It has become imperative to put measures in place to checkmate the influx of displaced illegal miners to prevent the reverberation effect of the Zamfara State crisis in Osun.”

He spoke in Osogbo, the state capital, at a security sensitisation programme attended by traditional rulers, security operatives, civil society organisations, politicians, market women, community leaders and top government functionaries.

The governor spoke on the need for security powered by intelligence gathering, vigilance by traditional

rulers in their domain and the need to alert security agents on their observation to prevent crime and criminality.

Some of the security chiefs at the meeting raised the alarm on the infiltration of mining sites in the state by some bandits and urged the rulers to assist the operatives so that the invaders do not have a foot hold.

The top security chiefs cautioned landlords against renting out houses to people without knowing their background or profiling them.

“If you rent out your house to a person who turns out to be a bandit, you will bear the consequence with him,” Governor Oyetola warned landlords.

He urged traditional rulers to work hard in the villages because illegal miners “are gathering in remote areas of our state.”

The federal government banned

all forms of mining in Zamfara State following sustained killings by bandits propelled by those believed to be illegal miners.

The governor said: “The purpose of the stakeholders’ meeting is to sensitise the security stakeholders on the need to forestall possible influx of illegal miners and the attendant risks of kidnapping, killings, drug dealings, arms peddling and rape.

“The overall objective is to better secure our state, make our mineralsrich communities peaceful, make mining commercially viable and deliver development to our people.

“In a nation where securing our oil wealth has been a perennial challenge, ensuring that our state’s mineral wealth does not become a resource curse, is a task we must all embrace squarely.

“It is in light of this that we regard the recent ban on mining activities in Zamfara State as a

769 Osun Workers Caught in Certificate Forgeries

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

No fewer than 769 workers in the employment of Osun State government are allegedly embroiled in certificate forgeries that may result in their losing their jobs in addition to being prosecuted.

This is sequel to the findings of The Captain Consultants, a consultancy firm hired by the state government to verify the results of its workers for proper documentation The screening of the workers credentials came on the heel of controversies and reported forgery of results with which some of the workers allegedly secured job in the Osun civil service.

At the commencement of the screening exercise in 2015, all the civil servants in the state were asked to submit their credentials

in their personal files, from which the Consultants got access to their results and begun the verification exercise.

Every result submitted by the workers were verified in their various secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Some of the workers who were suspected to have forged/fake results were summoned by the firm and asked to present original results or go to their various schools for either attestation or re-confirmation.

The firm, on its own approached the schools for ‘confirmation of results’ of the affected workers for which they were obliged.

The verification process uncovered serious certificate infractions on the part of some of the workers across Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the

government.

In some cases, as discovered in the verification process, some of the affected workers used other persons results, while some forged their secondary and post-secondary school results to secure jobs.

In the case of some people employed as drivers in the service, it was discovered that they forged the O’Level results they submitted for their appointment.

However, the firm in its report recommended that some of the civil servants caught in the certificate infraction be pardoned, while some should not be pardoned.

Recommended for pardon are 102 drivers and 30 other workers who are to be pardoned on compassionate ground. A total of 586 workers are not pardoned, while the case of some 51 workers was still pending.

potential threat to mining activities in our State, which is blessed with mining deposits in commercial quantity. “We must not yield our state to bandits and aggressors. We must work together to secure our communities.

“Our security agencies must unleash their intelligence capacity to crack the activities of bandits.

Bad elements must be made to face the music to serve as a deterrent to others.

“I appeal to our people to provide credible information to security agencies while the traditional and religious leaders, security agents, government agencies and leaders should be above board.

“There is a need to heavily fortify our minerals-rich communities to make them impregnable to external aggression and incursion.”

Governor Oyetola told the gathering that his administration

had given priority to welfare of the people and provision of security knowing them to be core components of the foundation for peace and development.

The governor added: “It is in recognition of these axioms that our young administration kicked off with the provision of robust welfare programmes and collaboration with security agencies to secure the state and to keep it together in peace.

“We have worked hard as an administration to further improve on agriculture in order to deliver food security just as we are tackling youth unemployment through our social protection programmes.

“We shall further concretise the state’s security and peace architectures so that our reputation as people living in peace would be further sustained.

“Apart from maintaining the extant peace, our core strategies

entail adopting a proactive approach to nip security breach in the bud.”

Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Abiodun Ige; State Director Department of State Service (DSS), Mr. Brown Ekwoaba; State Commander National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Samuel Egbeola and Acting Comptroller Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Ibong Osato Aideyan, who attended the programme, advocated synergy among security agents and with residents to enhance security.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who led other major traditional rulers to the meeting, said traditional rulers had a greater role to prevent infiltration into their community by bandits and urged the state government to empower the rulers to be able to assist the government’s security efforts.

Dabiri-Erewa: Death Sentence on 8 Nigerians in UAE Unfortunate The federal government has said the death sentence passed on eight Nigerians in United Arab Emirate (UAE) was unfortunate.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike DabiriErewa stated this, yesterday, in her reaction to the sentencing to death of eight Nigerians on Wednesday in Sharjah, UAE for robbing money exchanges and cash machines (ATMs) across the emirate in December 2016.

In a statement in Abuja, Dabiri-Erewa said the incident was not a true reflection of personalities of people of Nigeria.

“It is an unfortunate incident, but it is not an incident that defines who we are as a people.

“If a few Nigerians have com-

mitted a crime for which they are being punished, thousands of Nigerians are doing great in that same country and are being appreciated and celebrated. ”Mr. President, who meets Nigerians every time he goes on official trips outside the country, always appeals to Nigerians to be good ambassadors wherever they are. ”I must commend millions of our brothers and sisters excelling all over the world.

“Bad news travels fast and I appeal to the media to help spread the good news about Nigerians and not concentrate only on the once in a while negative stories,” she said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, “All the convicted Nigerians were not

identified by both the Gulf News and Khaleej Times, all UAE local newspapers that reported the trial.

“A total of 20 suspects were initially held for attacking security guards in four violent attacks at ATMs and money exchanges across Sharjah in late 2016. Out of the suspects, nine were convicted.

“Eight of them were sentenced to death while the ninth person was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Some of the accused, confessed to their crimes while others denied the charges levelled against them.”

The verdict was handed down by Judge Majid Al Muhairi of Sharjah Criminal Court on Wednesday.

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Sadique Abubakar Must Rejig Zamfara Air Strikes

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couple of days back, I watched a film of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jet striking some settlements in Zamfara State, and saw people on ground running to escape the shelling. The film shown on NTA was apparently supplied by the NAF to prove that its fighters have been pummeling bandits ravaging the state.

As usual, the NAF public relations office also came up with a press statement after the air show, alluding that scores of bandits had been killed in the air strikes.

I often wonder how they come up with such casualty figures because we hardly see ground troops mopping up during such air strikes.

So many Nigerians have not found this recurring show of efficiency by the Air Force convincing. I belong to this school of thought. It’s so difficult believing that our dear NAF, with their television shows, have really been pummeling the real bandits in Zamfara State. For some time now, this has been the style of the Air force. So, I decided to talk to two retired military senior officers on these controversial air strikes. My fears were confirmed. One of the retired officers said: “They (Air Force) are not behaving as professionals of late. In situations like this one in Zamfara State, ground troops must work with the Air Force when air strikes are carried out. It is not like the Nigerian Air Force going to strike soldiers of another country. We are trying to take out terrorists from specific areas and there must be ground troops to complement the air strikes.”

The shows of force shown on television by the Air Force are indeed very childish.

This is why I find compelling, the claims of the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs that the NAF had largely been striking innocent villagers. Honestly, President Muhammadu Buhari must dig in with an independent team. I am convinced that the NAF strikers have a lot of questions to answer. The probe panel set up by the Chief of Air Staff looks incapable of doing an impartial job.

Last Sunday, the Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, who also serves as the spokesman of the traditional rulers in Zamfara State, restated the position of the council that NAF concocted names and figure of neutralised bandits in recent offensives. Attahiru said the traditional rulers had accepted NAF’s challenge to provide the names of innocent civilians killed during air strikes on supposed hideouts of bandits. For the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, NAF continues to kill many innocent villagers in misdirected air strikes. They noted: “The air strikes undertaken by the military do not hit the main camps of the bandits. Reports from Mutu in the Tsafe Local Government Area, Tangaram in the Anka Local Government Area and Dumburum in the Zurmi Local Government Area, among others, are that the areas shelled were not the actual hideouts of the bandits and the victims were innocent civilians.”

It is preposterous that NAF could not

Sadique Abubakar

The Zamfara operation is one big mess. The Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar must rise to overhaul the operations of the NAF in Zamfara State.

Technology, intelligence gathering, quality equipment and quality manpower are vital for precise bombings. These are the things lacking in this war against bandits. even get the locations attacked correctly. Recall that some days back, NAF reported that its fighter jets destroyed the bandits’ logistic base in Ajia, Birnin Magaji Local Government Area and killed many of them. But the Emir of Bungudu insisted that the airmen missed their targets and killed innocent people, adding: “There is nowhere called Ajia in Birnin Magaji. They just concocted names and figures. Who identified those killed as bandits?” The NAF is yet to respond to this specific allegation that “Ajia Village” is fictitious.

Many are looking forward to the promise of the traditional rulers to further buttress their position with incontrovertible evidence of dead innocent civilians.

“We are compiling a verifiable and evidence-based comprehensive report that will include a list of innocent victims.

Our outcome will shock Nigerians,” said the Emir of Bungudu.

The tactical loopholes noticed in the aerial attacks, as pointed out by the Emir of Bungudu, calls for concern. It

also tallies with earlier observations by the retired senior officers I spoke to. The Emir of Bungudu observed that whenever the Air force carried out aerial attacks, there were no ground troops to complement air raids and mop up the fleeing bandits. This, he said, allowed bandits to escape and mix with innocent people living in fear and at the mercy of the fleeing hoodlums.

The military must understand that Zamfara traditional rulers don’t hate them. They just want them to do their jobs professionally and end the killing of innocent people. It’s that simple. Just as Emir Attahiru stated, “we will be the happiest people in Nigeria to see these bandits flushed out of our state. What we complained about is that they (military) should tread with caution. We are not interested in any blame game. If they can review and adopt new tactics, one month is enough for them to restore normalcy in a situation they have been on for almost one and a half years.

“The army has been telling us all this while that it has thousands of troops on the ground. Why is it taking them (the troops) so much time to neutralise these bandits and allow banditry and kidnapping to fester to this level in Zamfara State? If truly they have located and bombed the bandits’ enclaves as they want to make us believe, we won’t be where we are.”

The truth that must be told is that there is no result to show for all the air strikes by the NAF in Zamfara State in almost two years. Rather, the bandits are growing in number/strength and are inflicting more pain on the people of the state.

This is because NAF raids are largely superficial. It is either NAF is striking the bush or innocent civilians. The Zamfara operation is one big mess. As at press time, eight local government areas in the state are dominated by bandits after all the air strikes.

The Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar must rise to overhaul the operations of the NAF in Zamfara State. Technology, intelligence, quality equipment and quality manpower are vital for precise air strikes. These are the things lacking in this war against bandits in Zamfara State.

The Air Chief, with proper support from Buhari, must do the needful to end this debacle in Zamfara State.

Still on killings, last Sunday, killer herders moved into Numa village, Andaha Town, of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, killing 15 people and injuring scores. They were murdered while celebrating at a party late in the night. As usual, IG Mohammed Adamu promised to bring the killers to book.

That is the usual rhetoric. There will be no result to show for his avowal. What a country!

On the flip side, the Arewa Consultative Forum that has all along avoided chastising President Buhari over his ineptitude on security, despite the unending killings in the North, looks set to change its colour. The forum has now

realised that “the increasing insecurity in the North, especially in Zamafara, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Taraba states, has made life unbearable for the people,” and wants the federal government to take drastic measures that will restore normalcy, peace and harmony in the affected states.

If the ACF had all along mounted pressure on Buhari, perhaps, the entire North would not be in this sorry state.

Now, the socio-economic and political lives of millions of people in this region have been destroyed by the painful and shocking activities of bandits, killer herders and Boko Haram. The timid ACF and other pressure groups in the North must consistently challenge Buhari to perform his constitutional responsibility of securing lives and property in this region in particular and Nigeria in general. This is the only way forward for our country.

Aminu Masari and Water Supply in Katsina News coming out of Katsina City about public water supply is not palatable. My niece serving in the city told me that the past six months have been traumatic.

Public taps have gone dry in places like Shagari-low Cost, Kofar-Kaura, Rafindadi, Kofar-Sauri, Sardauna Estate and Sabonungwar, Kofar Sauri, Layout, Dandagoro, Goruba road and Abatour. Residents without boreholes rely on water vendors at an exorbitant price. The water sellers popularly known as ‘Mairuwa’ now dominate the city. The quality of the water sold is suspicious. Honestly, the Aminu Masari administration has performed below expectations in the area of public water supply. Katsina City used to be one of the few places up North where public taps run fairly well. Unfortunately, supply depreciated greatly under Masari. This governor and his cohorts have been feeding the people with a lot of funny stories about factors responsible for the persistent water scarcity in Katsina City. At a point, they said four new pumping machines were on the way to improve supply. Only God knows what the next story would be when the machines arrive. My dear Masari, enough of Mongo Park stories.

What the people of Katsina City desire is uninterrupted water supply. Please, deliver.

The $60bn Oil Revenue Quagmire

Ibe Kachikwu

It was the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, who in August 2017, drew the country’s attention to the loss of $60 billion oil revenue owing to the refusal of some public officials to implement the terms of the Production Sharing Contracts between the federal government and International Oil Companies. The PSC clearly spells out the amount of money that the country receives in signature bonuses, taxes and royalties and how much oil or gas the companies must share with the government during production. Yes, $60 billion lost as at August 2017 in an era the government is struggling to provide funds for critical infrastructure. The loss would be much higher now.

Almost two years after Kachikwu raised the alarm, nothing has happened. The man who raised the alarm is still the sitting junior minister for petroleum resources, yet, he is

unable to recover the money. Has Kachikwu compromised? He has a lot of questions to answer. It is heartwarming seeing human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, tackling this minister of state on the $60 quagmire.

Falana asked Kachikwu to provide explanations on the loss of $60 billion in line with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, adding: “Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to my request, I shall be compelled to apply to the Federal High Court to direct you to avail me with the information on the loss of the oil revenue of $60 billion.”

My message to Kachikwu today is a very simple one. Since you were the first person to raise this alarm, please, follow the path of honour by ensuring that further revenue losses are blocked; all outstanding dues to our dear country must also be recovered.

Aminu Masari

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

SUPER SATURDAY

The Teni Makanaki Storm With much acclaim to her emergence and acceptance in the Nigerian music scene, Teniola Apata aka Teni Makanaki, has proved her mettle and worth as an artiste and entertainer, writes Ferdinand Ekechukwu

H Teni

er boyish visage complements her unique style and fashion sense that stands her out with dungarees, baggy Tees and large shirts, sneakers and bandana. This for her makes her comfortable but eccentric.

She has never looked like the person next door. Teniola Apata tells you her love for sports and that retro vibe has also played a major role in her fashion sense. Confident in her skin and looks, Teni the entertainer or Teni Makanaki as she is widely known, at the moment has within a very short period, become one of Nigeria’s biggest female artistes, breaking new grounds in the music scene.

A younger sister to popular singer Niniola Apata, the talented singer who before now had become an internet sensation based on her numerous Instagram freestyle videos was hungry for success, and she

employed the instrumentality of music as the only way out. According to the music sensation, “It was just a young girl passion. I was just really hungry for success and I knew music was my only way out, I decided to follow it. Because of music I didn’t graduate when I was supposed to have graduated.”

After her secondary school education, Teni proceeded to the US to study Pharmacy. Subsequently, she pulled out of Pharmacy school. Teni hated every bit of that moment as music kept creeping into her soul. Eventually, she graduated from the American Intercontinental University, Atlanta Georgia with a degree in Business administration and a minor in Information Technology and began recording her songs upon her return to Nigeria, plus her stage craft which has always got people talking.

Her sudden emergence and acceptance within

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

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SUPERSATURDAY I Was Just Really Hungry for Success and I Knew Music Was My Only Way Out Interesting, I think that’s why I turn out the way I am because I grew up in very loving environment. I grew up with so much love; I will say I had the best childhood. My mother always makes me feel very special; in fact she will tell you are the best. So that built my self-confidence.

Growing up with my elder sister, Niniola, she was very protective of me.

I’m proud of her and how she has accomplished by setting good examples and laying a good path. Her work doesn’t affect me; it encourages and inspires me to be a better musician

and outside Nigeria has proved her mettle and worth as an artiste and entertainer. A number of awards and recognition would follow soon as Teni won Rookie of the Year at the 2018 Headies Awards, as well as Most Promising Act to Watch at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. She won Best New Artist 2018 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, just as NotJustOk ranked her eighth on their list of the 10 Hottest Artistes in Nigeria. She was listed among the ‘Six Nigerian breakout stars, viral sensations of 2018 by Premium Times. On 20 February 2019, Teni was featured on YouTube Music’s Trending Artiste on the Rise.

Her immense growth since she stormed the industry within a short space has taken observers by stun. Needless to say without any hype, her musical diversity is very infectious. You could feel it in her songs that she’s lyrically strong and adventurous. Like she metaphorically crooned in that her popular single, Case, which tells a story of a

young woman obsessed with a man, whom she had to risk everything to protect but got away with another woman. ‘I go go Oshodi for your case…

I go slap agbero for you case… I go call MC Oluomo… I go report all of them…’

Last year, all her passion paid off, Teni made it clear she was taking over with the release of several hit songs, Fake Jersey, Askamaya, Case, Uyo Meyo, catapulting her into the mainstream sound of Nigeria. While 2018 was a revelatory year for Teni, music industry analysts expect her to become more of a force in 2019. In 2016, a star yet to be known then dropped a track ‘Amen’ which was recognised as her debut single. Then signed to Shizzi‘s Magic Fingers Records (a relationship that didn’t last long), the song didn’t fly that much.

Her first hit single ‘Fargin’ (a Yoruba accent for virgin), which preaches sexual abstinence released in 2017 under a new record label Dr. Dolor Entertainment, gave her prominence and the beginning of her journey as one of the new acts in Nigeria’s reenergised music scene. Defying narratives, the same year she defined her songwriting skills by crafting Davi-

do’s hit song ‘Like Dat’.

Her music is neither Afropop nor alternative music; she calls it good music. “Music allows me to tell stories that resonate with a lot of young people. I do good music. I don’t box myself because I can do almost all kinds of music. I feel like God has given me the talent so it will be unfair for me and to the world to box myself when I can do more.’’

Though in her early twenties, she draws influences from folk, juju, fuji and apala music. Growing up, Teni listened to legends like King Wasiu Ayinde, Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade and their versatility and art of making music out of anything was a major inspiration to her. And she simply found herself drawing inspiration from everything and making a song out of it no matter how silly it might have sounded.

She showed interest in music at an early age with the establishment of a music band in her school. Teni’s history with music began with her singing at age two. In high school, she played drums for former governors of Lagos State including Mohammed Buba Marwa, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola, when they were in office.

Further childhood memory holds fond and interesting moments for Teni.

“Interesting, I think that’s why I turn out the way I am because I grew up in very loving environment. I grew up with so much love; I will say I had the best childhood. My mother always makes me feel very special; in fact she will tell you are the best. So that built my self-confidence. Growing up with my elder sister, Niniola, she was very protective of me.

“I’m proud of her and how she has accomplished by setting good examples and laying a good path. Her work doesn’t affect me; it encourages and inspires me to be a better musician.”

Her sister, Niniola, is one of Nigeria’s biggest Afropop stars. In both sisters’ act and style of entertainment lies a contrast. Their late dad late BrigadierGeneral S.O. Apata, the founder of the elite private school, Apata Memorial School was a music enthusiast who often funded music projects. According to Teni, her late dad was fond of saying, “my children would be superstars”.

Although his time was cut short by assassins, his words have come true.

As someone rightly noted, there’s a world of possibilities awaiting Teni The Entertainer, an artiste with no album, EP or mixtape ever released, just an arsenal of tested hits and a contemporary style to die for.

I Wa s Just Rea l l y H u n gr y for S u cc e ss a nd I K new M u s i c Wa s My O n l y Way O u t

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

COMMENTARY

UNBUNDLING THE POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING MINISTRY The power sector needs a full time minister, argues Paul Ojenagbon

I

t was the biggest gamble to merge Power, Works and Housing into a humongous Ministry in 2016 following the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari. A more focused nation would never dare that.

No nation still wallowing in the throes of development would attempt to place the most critical sectors of its economy under the control of a super minister. It is akin to laying all one’s eggs in one basket! What it means is that if the minister failed, the entire nation would ultimately fail in all these important indexes of development. Even the developed nations with perhaps lesser risks to take would not attempt it. If the thinking was to curtail the administrative overhead of running these key ministries separately, it follows that the magnitude of the resultant failure now staring the nation in the face has been more monumental not only on the economy but also on Nigerians generally.

Give it to him, Babatunde Fashola was an excellent performer as governor in Lagos which probably informed his being given this portfolio but like most Nigerians am yet to see a commensurate performance as minister in charge of the consolidated ministry. Instead, it has been baskets of excuses why Nigerians are not enjoying reasonable power supply. Most times Fashola speaks on power situation in the country his oft-bloated assessment is starkly different from the reality on the ground.

As I write this piece, my area has been in darkness for three days not because the transformer has broken down but for reasons that only EKEDC can adduce. Not all of us have the resources to run substations called generators throughout the dreadful night transition period. It is no longer news that the main power is now the ‘standby’ source of power in many homes and offices. Most Nigerians put off their generators between 12 midnight and 1am and resort to the use of rechargeable lamps and fans. Because they have worked for long spells of time, longer than they were meant for, the rechargeable lamps soon lose their brightness and the fans go off exposing the ‘inmates’ to heat and mosquitoes. At that point, it is very difficult to sleep but to wish that the day break would come quicker than before. This is a routine experience of most Nigerians that clearly indicate our terribly poor quality of life. But what are governments meant for? I would never stop praying for better leaders! Kudos to the Chinese, a country with a monstrous population about 10 times ours who never stop to think and create a better world for hapless societies like ours that cannot invent even the most basic things. We eagerly look forward to when the Chinese shall come up with rechargeable refrigerators and even air-conditioners.

But electricity supply in my area has never been this bad. Before now, we took consolation in the fact that though we were denied during the working day hours, most nights it would come and we could sleep with it till the following morning. Now they would rather bring it for few hours, two or three of the day and that is all. Now, we are counting days, not sure when it will come again.

Some energy statistics running currently in the social media credited to African Outlook of power generation in certain parts of the world would clearly show that the so-called giant of Africa is still light years away from true civilization. India with a population of 1.3 billion generates 1,368,000,000MW with power to population ratio at 1.022,

NO NATION STILL WALLOWING IN THE THROES OF DEVELOPMENT WOULD ATTEMPT TO PLACE THE MOST CRITICAL SECTORS OF ITS ECONOMY UNDER THE CONTROL OF A SUPER MINISTER. IT IS AKIN TO LAYING ALL ONE’S EGGS IN ONE BASKET!

USA with a population of 320 million generates 4,324,000,000MW with a power to population ratio of 13.513 and the UK with a population of 67 million generates 338,000,000MW with a power to population ratio of 5.045. Nigeria with an estimated population of 180m generates 5000MW accounting for power to population ratio of abysmally 0.000027. Any wonder why the country stagnates, the economy is down and teeming population are unemployed? Power supply is the catalyst of any growth in a country. The industrial revolution in Europe was driven on power from coal. Today, they are advanced and their citizens have all the comforts. What values are politicians or indeed democracy adding to the fortunes of the country? Is it just to enjoy the spoils of office and abdicate the responsibilities? What a shame!

Like several other matters choking on the front burner of our polity, the federal government - past and present have not done enough to exorcise the abiku called electricity supply. The reforms brought in were cosmetic and not deep. The Discos cannot distribute what they do not have; generation is still largely the problem though there is barrage of other problems. Often times, the solution to our problems stare us right in the face but lack of political will makes us to jettison them. The present structure is one glaring example. Power, works and housing are three key, troublesome sectors that would galvanize the growth and development of this country. Each of them has enough problems of its own and to have merged them is to multiply these problems by three and to commit them into the hands of one minister to solve. The minister cannot give adequate attention to the needs of each of them. Focus is not guaranteed either. Why are the Independent Power Projects (IPPs) not working? To underscore the urgency of the situation, a state of emergency would have been suggested but has this ever made a difference? Fashola has too much on his hands to manage these ministries together as one. Besides, what is a lawyer doing in power sector? Do you have non-lawyers managing the Justice Ministry or non-doctors the ministry of health?

Power sector needs a dedicated minister who is a specialist and has very good knowledge of the workings of the system. He would understand the challenges and be able to navigate a road map for their solution. Power sector needs a minister who can make it his focus of attention. Power sector once had Prof. Barth Nnaji and he was not doing badly but continuity broke up. Where are the Philip Emeagwalis of this country that we exported to the world? There are lots of competent Nigerians who can head that ministry and do the needful but politics should be kept out of that place. If not, we can get expatriates to do it for us with a clear mandate; there is no shame in that.

Politicians should cease seeing the power ministry as their cash cow.

They should let Nigerians enjoy the dividends of democracy for once.

The multiplier effects of stable power supply would reduce criminality, youth restiveness and even terrorism because most of those involved in these vices would be gainfully employed. As Buhari warms up to mount the saddle for second term, barring the outcome of the appeal filed by his PDP rival, Atiku Abubakar, Nigerians collectively ask him to break up the present ministry and get power a separate minister who will get Nigeria out of darkness in record time.

pauloje2000@yahoo.com

EBONYI: THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Abia Onyike argues that the results of the governorship election did not reflect the wish of the people

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he governorship elections held on 9th March, 2019, in Ebonyi State has come and gone but the anxieties and tension generated therefrom continue to reverberate across the entire landscape. Even though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the incumbent governor, Chief David Umahi the winner with about 393,000 votes as against the 91,000 allocated to the APC candidate, Sen. Soni Ogbuoji, the state was instantly thrown into mourning and despair. The land of Ebonyi looked like a graveyard as an atmosphere of gloom pervaded the air. Instead of the normal celebrations which accompany the announcement of election results, Ebonyians wore long faces. Citizens discussed in small groups, beer-parlours, market places, motor parks and along the streets about how the elections were manipulated. Ebonyians were not only worried, they were enveloped by morbid fear as to what will happen to them again in the next four years under Gov. Umahi’s lawless government.

On 12th March, 2019, Sen. Ogbuoji rejected the results of the election, describing it as a sham. He equally gave indication of his desire to challenge the results of the election at the Elections Petition Tribunal.

A prominent Ebonyi citizen and APC Chieftain, Dr. Paul Okorie has called for a probe into the activities of the INEC in the just concluded elections in the state. Dr. Okorie accused the electoral body of performing below expectation in the conduct of the general elections. He alleged that INEC colluded with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig elections in the state.

In their own press briefing which was published in the Vanguard Newspapers of 18th March, 2019, the APC House of Assembly candidates in Ebonyi State in the elections, led by Jude Okpor, stated that: “There were massive irregularities characterized by multiple voting as PDP thugs and jobbers used

stockpiled PVCs which were released to them by INEC officials prior to the election. In most cases, the use of card readers was abandoned while manual accreditation was used, which resulted in multiple thumb-printing of un-used ballot papers in favour of PDP, leading to the invalidation of valid votes of APC candidates’’. They described Governor Umahi as “a desperate governor, who had earlier promised to grind and crush any opposition element standing on his way to his re-election bid….’’

Several cases of intimidation, assault, abduction of APC members and arrests of their House of Assembly candidates were masterminded by the PDP government in all the 24 state constituencies in the state. The situation during the elections was like a civil war scenario as “security agents and PDP thugs in connivance with INEC officials were used to hijack sensitive materials to unknown places where results were written in favour of PDP’’, in several cases at gun-point.

During the campaign proper, it was manifestly clear that Gov. Umahi’s electoralfortunes were dwindling on a daily basis. He had several groups to contend with. He lost the favour of the working class in the state based on his maltreatment of civil servants. Traders and artisans who were suffocated by his excessive tax regime vowed to vote him out.

Retirees whom he described as ‘deadwoods’ and confiscated their gratuities since 2015 campaigned against his re-election.Okada/Keke riders and other transporters joined Ogbuoji’s campaign team. Umahi was rejected by teachers, academics, professionals, students, youths, women groups and technicians for his anti-people policies. His last-minute efforts to beg these groups at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre (ICC) failed woefully. It was in realisation of this unfavourable situation that led to Umahi’s deadly desperation.

Billions of naira was spent in vote buying and

to allegedly compromise officials of the electoral management body. Unimaginable atrocities were enacted to stage an unprecedented electoral robbery.

People were abducted, kidnapped, killed maimed and tortured by hired bandits just as houses and communities were burnt down. These atrocities have been documented in print and electronic media.

It is a positive development now that Sen. Ogbuoji and other aggrieved candidates have filed their petitions at the Elections Petitions Tribunal, in order to seek legal redress to the ahistorical electoral crimes committed against Ebonyi people.

Ogbuoji’s style of politics is never one of do-or-die.

He believes in politics of peaceful engagement.

The orchestrated campaign of calumny sponsored by the PDP government that he was bought over

by Gov. Umahi will soon be evaporated. Many of his supporters who were disappointed at the turn of events and were tempted to buy into the false propaganda will soon be re-assured that Ogbuoji never and will never compromise the mandate of the people. Ogbuoji’s political pedigree remains noble and great. The only difference is that he did not want to manifest the same degree of desperation demonstrated by Umahi. By so doing, he saved Ebonyi State from sliding into a bloody violence.

In no distant time, Sen. Ogbuoji would commence visitations to his supporters to make sure that those who risked their lives to fight for democratic restoration in Ebonyi are not brushed aside or neglected. Those who upturned the electoral will of Ebonyi people will soon realise that they have merely obtained a pyrrhic victory. Those who live a life of make-belief merely thrive in fantasy which they verbalise in fallacies and fancies.

As things stand now, Gov. Umahi himself may have known he never won any election - perhaps the Election Petitions Tribunal will prove us right

or wrong, in no distant time. Since he was declared winner in the stage-managed elections, he has never celebrated. Rather he has reportedly embarked on a vicious cycle of witch-hunting- to fish out those who may have betrayed him during the elections, amongst his appointees, supporters and henchmen.

He openly blames them for the loss of the elections in their polling units and wards, allegedly using the actual result sheets which INEC did not announce. Political appointees in the state are to forgo two months of their salaries as punishment for their poor showing in the elections. He recently lambasted STAs and TAs for allowing the APC to win in 336 polling units in some parts of the state where they were fully in-charge.

I cannot end this piece without saluting the vibrant forces of our great party-the APC and its dynamic leadership in Ebonyi State. There have been allegations and counter allegations of internal sabotage, betrayal and treachery, which they claimed contributed to the loss of the elections. My own attitude to the whole saga is that we need peace, unity, solidarity and tranquility to face the challenges ahead. Let our individual consciences be our judge. After elections, the best strategy is to embark on internal reconciliation as opposed to altercations. Ebonyians who demonstrated their undiluted support to the party during the elections need some form of succour and hope which internal wranglings cannot provide.

Ebonyians should go about their normal businesses as we await the outcome of the petitions at the Election Petitions Tribunal. If the tribunal nullifies the elections, based on compelling forensic evidence of electoral malfeasance, then Ebonyians will rejoice and reclaim their mandate. The victory of falsehood over truth can only be temporary.

Onyike, a former SA to Ebonyi State governor, wrote from Abakaliki

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

INSIGHT

Glamour on parade...

The Football Awards Can Be Better

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ifferent industries have a way of celebrating their own or those that have contributed culture where guests of honour, elite alumni, administrators or political office holders are to that particular trade. And so came April Fool’s Day, 2019, that the Nigerian Football given the limelight and photo-ops more than the practitioners, athletes or pupils the events Federation under the title sponsorship of one of its partners, staged the Aiteo NFF are meant for. It was as if the night was centred around Madam Secretary General. Even Awards 2018 at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. Awards such as this are when Kaffy and her dance crew performed, they paid tribute to Samoura in the name of usually nights of glitz and glamour for football which the Aiteo NFF Awards were, but truly it eulogizing womanhood. There was no reference to the Falcons that sweat it out on the field could have been better. of play.

To begin with, not promoting the event weeks or months ahead to create viral awareness Talking about performances and female footballers, when D’Banj came up for his own act, was a big minus to the ceremony. Yes, everybody will not be in the venue as occasions like the backdrop multimedia beamed only highlights of the national team’s USA ’94 heroics and this are usually by invitation and for industry biased guests. However, a media hype would Dream Team’s Atlanta ’96 gallantries. Here, not only a patriarchal optic is being presented have brought the event to the consciousness of the public. What we were served instead of Nigerian football but it also sells a misconception that Nigerian football is only about the was a sudden live programme on our screens.

Super Eagles. Nigerian football is not only about the golden nineties, Nigerian football is Then the dating of the awards was faulty. What makes awards thick is the presence of about all the age grade teams, women football, club sides, grassroots and a lot more and all the nominees for each category. What happened at this year’s awards was that a lot of events like this was an opportunity to showcase them even in passing. the nominees were absent resulting to winners making recorded remarks. This could have An award night must not be bilingual to reach foreigners. It is the entertainment appeal been avoided had the awards held a week earlier, during the international window when that does. there was a full complement of the Super Eagles when they played two matches in Asaba.

It is also at occasions like this that progress report is rendered and future plans revealed Holding the awards after they had all returned for the homestretch of the European season and an avenue to address the ills of the game. If it were Europe, racism would be it but for dimmed the lights on the event. us, it is violence in our league matches.

However you slice it, for a nation of our size, resources and history of hosting similar and Good thing is that improvements can always be made. Another positive is that following bigger shows in pageantry, music, movies, entertainment, business and so on, had no excuse a back to back staging of the awards, it should be an annual event which would help its starting the event behind schedule. Keeping the guests and viewers waiting for over two brand. What is most important is that the awards should have a fixed time in the football hours is a shame. Giving them a co-host that speaks their language doesn’t soothe the sore. calendar that fans, practitioners and partners would look forward to.

The sights and sounds of the show were defective. For the lighting, its excessiveness Finally, I want to suggest that an award for the home-based player of the Year be made it look more like a night club than a corporate setting while the sound system was included in future ceremonies. This would encourage the players in the domestic league. epileptic. It was so irritating that we couldn’t hear a word of what Rashidi Yekini’s daughter, Ayodele Okunfolami, Festac, Lagos Omoyemi, said on behalf of her late father despite having to repeat herself.

Stage management could have been better as there were modicum of disarray of where to ascend or descend the podium from, whether the presenters of the awards were to watch the big screen or just announce the nominees and the winner, and other petty stuffs.

All wasn’t bad though. As a matter of fact, if we ignore Sunday Oliseh’s Ted Talk-long response, the highlight of T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R the occasion was the well-deserved recognition of the set of EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE 1994 Super Eagles. It was interesting to see those guys come DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKU together again after the consummation of their heroics in the MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE World Cup 25 years ago. That squad not only redefined the CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI national team but also placed Nigeria on the football map.

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN Besides those that are dead and gone, it is impracticable to MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE have all of them in attendance under the same roof ever again. However, the rumour that some of them did not receive invites for the event is not good enough.

Now, awards worldwide come with their controversies.

There will always be debates of recipients that are undeservT H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D ing and the deserving that are overlooked. So getting into EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA whether any of the awardees earns it or not will be unending.

GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, Nevertheless, may I react to the undue razzmatazz attached ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI to the Order of Merit Award given worthily to FIFA Secretary DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI General, Fatma Samoura. Such glitziness is usually reserved SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH for the winner of the blue ribbon award which is the ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO Footballer of the Year. But Amaju Pinnick thought otherwise.

CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI Having the most powerful woman in world sports on DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO our shores is no mean feat and so she deserves the honour; TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com however, the masked tempo and tenor of the organizers exposed the unhealthy bootlicking custom of Nigerians. A

Why the Jews Rule the World

Y

es, I admire the Jews. It has nothing to do with the unconfirmed Igbo Jewish link.

Can you imagine their foresightedness! They have always been thinking strategically ahead of the rest of world.

That is why they control the tech industry, the financial industry, the entertainment industry, agribusiness, the oil and gas, education (from MIT to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Caltech, Oxford, Cambridge, London School of Economics, etc.). They also are the owners of the US, Russian and, European military industrial complexes. The healthcare, aircraft (Boeing and Airbus), real estate, high value chain manufacturing, stock markets around the world, etc., they quietly control them.

It will shock you my brother Dr. Armstrong to know that as high as 80% of all foreign investments around the world are either directly or indirectly controlled by the Jews.

That’s why they control over 60% of China’s manufacturing economy the same way they control India’s tech economy; and by quietly controlling Sandi’s Aramco (ArabianAmerican Company), they also control the Saudi oil economy too.

Basil Odilim Enwegbara, basil_enwegbara@yahoo. com

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ÍşÍ¸Ëœ ͸͚Î

NEWS

In Brief Army Denies Militarising Edo Community

The Nigerian Army yesterday refuted allegations of build up around Gelegele Community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State was intended to ignite crisis. A statement by Col. Sagir Musa, an Acting Director, Army Public Relations, noted that there was nothing unusual about the presence of the army in the area, stressing that the troops had been stationed there for over eight years. It admitted that though its men were stationed in the oil-rich area, they are not under the command of 4 Brigade, but the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OpDS) headquartered in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. “While the Nigerian Army represented by 4 Brigade in the area is not willing to join issues with the author, it is however essential to state that as a professional army, it would not be involved in any form of land dispute or conflict with law abiding members of Gelegele Community or any other community in Nigeria.

Man Arraigned for Hard Drugs

FOR PROPER BILLING...

L-R:Managing Director, Eko Distribution Company, Adeoye Fadeyibi; Managing Director, Ikeja Electric, Anthony Youdewei; Managing Director, Mojec International Limited, Chantellle Abdul; Chairman, Mojec International Limited, Mojisola Abdul and Chief Financial OďŹƒcer, Ikeja Electric, Olubunmi Olukoju, during the formal launch of Consumer and Retail ďŹ nancing scheme for MAP Meter acquisition held in Lagos‌ recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

The Anambra State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arraigned 27-year-old Mr. Victor Ndubuisi Unegbu on a two-count charge of unlawful possession of cocaine and cannabis sativa, popularly known as marijuana. The suspect was arrested with the substances at Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Council Area on April 16, 2019.

Our correspondent reports that Mr. Unegbu who was said to have been caught with 10.4 grams of cocaine and 10-4 grams of marijuana, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial Judge, Justice I.B Gafai, adjourned the suit to 13th June, 2019 for hearing, and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody pending his bail. Throwing light on the case, the Public Relations Officer of the NDLEA, Anambra State Command, Mr. Charles Odigie, said the suspect had been on the agency’s wanted list for long, and restated the agency’s determination towards ridding the state illicit drug dealers.

Assembly Refuses Handover Notes Request

NAF Investigation Panel Meets Residents over Alleged Killing of Civilians in Zamfara Francis Sardauna Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ĂžĂ?Ă“Ă˜Ă‹ The Seven-man Investigative Panel set up by the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) to unearth circumstances surrounding the alleged killing of civilians during raids on bandits has arrived Katsina and Zamfara states, vowing to uncover the truth of the allegation.

THISDAY reports that the committee was setup following media reports of the alleged kill-

ings attributed to the Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru.

The Chairman of the Committee, Air Vice Marshal, Idi Gamso Lubo, while addressing newsmen in Katsina, Friday, said the Committee would meet with traditional rulers and family victims to investigate the truth of the allegation.

According to him, “We are going to meet with the relatives of the victims for us to be able

to determine what really is being alleged on the pages of the newspapers. “If there is such an incident, the Air Force will not hesitate to admit that such occurred.

We are here to bring peace to the North-west region. The Air Chief is someone who believes in uncovering the truth that is why the committee is set up�.

The Air Vice Marshal reiterated that the investigation panel

would visit the Emir of Katsina before proceeding to Zamfara to look at the situation that led to the allegation and the truth surrounding it.

While admitting that fighting bandits was a difficult task, Lubo said no soldier would like to kill any civilian that was innocent and called on residents of the affected communities to synergise with the committee to accomplish its mandate.

Police in A’Ibom Parade 19 Suspects UNIMAID CMD Pleads for over Kidnapping, Armed Robbery Collaboration with Stakeholders Okon Bassey Ă“Ă˜ ĂŁĂ™ Nineteen suspected criminals have been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for allegedly committing various crimes in the state including kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, murder and sell of baby.

The new Commissioner of Police, CP Zaki Muhammed Ahmed paraded the suspects at his maiden press briefing held on Wednesday at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan-Abia, Uyo. “In my few weeks here, I have observed the prevalence of heinous crimes such as murder, armed robbery, and cultism etc.

Most of the suspects arrested so far in the state have confessed to belonging to a particular cult group or the other,� he noted.

The Police boss who argued that with the nature of crimes being committed in the state there was a strong nexus between cultism and heinous crimes said in the course of fighting crimes in the state he would discharge his duty professionally in line with the rule of law and international best practices. “I shall prioritise intelligence led policing, improved visibility policing, massive deployments of personnel, prompt response to distress calls and enhance community policing. “The Command under my watch will have zero tolerance for perpetrators of the crimes,� he said and urged those perpe-

trating any form of criminality to desist forth with or quickly leave the state.

CP Ahmed said his first major breakthrough in the state was the arrest of the most wanted kidnap kingpins, Edidiong Uduak Bill a.k.a “Barrister� aged 36 by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command.

During investigation, the Police Commissioner said the suspect confessed to be the leader of “Vikings� secret cult confraternity in Etinan Local Government Area of the state and had involved in several heinous crimes such as kidnappings and robberies within the Etinan and Uyo, the state capital.

The suspect who had been on the run for long was also said to have confessed masterminding the kidnap of a lady in 2017 at Akpan Essien Street in Uyo until a ransom of N4.5 million was paid.

Similarly, six persons known for their notorious armed robbery/kidnapping were arrested while on a mission to kidnap one Dr. Isong of Ibok Ndiya Village in Ikono Local Government Area of the state by the SARS Operatives of the Command.

Three locally made pistols and four cartridges were reportedly recovered from them as the said Dr. Isong identified one of the suspects whom he assisted financially to bury his father who was a friend as well as assisted the suspect during church dedication of the baby.

Michael Olugbode Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă“ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă‘Ă&#x;ĂœĂ“ The Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo has appealed for collaborative support from all stakeholders to enhance the service delivery of hospital to the residents of North East and neighbouring African countries.

Ahidjo made the appeal during an interaction with journalists in Maiduguri on Friday He said the call became imperative as the hospital had been drawn to the limit as the medical needs of the people of the region continue to grow.

He said UNIMAID deserved support from all levels of government, individuals, development and corporate organisations, to enable it to meet the challenges posed by astronomical medical need of the people in its catchment area.

He said: “I am calling on good people of the area and organisations to support the hospital, to enable it to reposition and enhance its operations. “Many health personnel left and there is high influx of people into Maiduguri due to insurgency, the trend overstretches our capacity to meet the specialised health needs of the society. “We need support to improve the personnel and their skills; initiate new programmes and upgrade existing facilities to provide quality health care services in the northeast.�

According to him, the man-

agement had initiated viable projects to upgrade of hospital’s bed-capacity and facilities, staff capacity development and improvement of personnel welfare.

Ahidjo disclosed that the hospital had embarked on construction of ultra-modern trauma center, to address medical complications and health needs of persons affected by the conflict in the region.

He explained that the center was designed with about 150-bed capacity; Accident and Emergency (AE) unit, surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, among others The CMD added that arrangement had reached advance stage for the construction of a 150-bed capacity child institute, to enhance pediatrics healthcare services, while plans were under way to upgrade its kidney center to a 200-bed capacity. “In view of the ageing population and increased incidents of struck in the society, we also planned to build a new 150-bed capacity struck center to cater for geriatrics’ patients�.

According to him, the hospital’s management had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), for construction of Physical Rehabilitation center, to enhance support services to persons with disability.

Apart from rehabilitation and medical services, the center would also produce orthopedic devices to support patients.

Kwara State House of Assembly has rejected the request of the Transition Committee set up by the state governor-elect, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, for a handover note on the activities of the Assembly.

The House refused the request in its resolution after a two-day debate on a letter of request sent to it by the committee. The Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad, while reading the resolution on the floor of the House, said the request for handover note of the House by the committee did not conform to democratic tenets. Ahmad described the committee’s request as “anomalous� as it amounted to setting bad precedent for the incoming lawmakers in the state. “The Kwara State House of Assembly noted that the letter from the representatives of the incoming executive requesting for handover note or brief from the Assembly was anomalous,� he said.

Enugu Bans Unapproved Speed Breakers

The Enugu State Government has banned unauthorised and indiscriminate erection of speed breakers, popularly known as bumps, on its asphalted roads across the state. The ban was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Gabriel Ajah. The state government stated that illegal speed breakers constituted devastating damage to the roads, adding that the practice in some cases lead to road accidents. The statement referred to the unfortunate accident that involved the State Fire Service Truck on a distress call, which fell into a drainage while maneuvering over a bump along Obioma Road, in Udi Local Government Area. The government, therefore, called on those and communities involved in the erection of the bumps to liaise with the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to have them removed before the end of May.

New MD for Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Enugu

The federal government has approved the appointment of Dr. Monday Nwite Igwe as the New Medical Director (MD), Federal Neuro- Psychiatric, Enugu, Enugu State. The appointment is for an initial term of four years with effect from April 1, 2019. Congratulating Dr. Igwe on his new appointment, the Minister of State, Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, reminded him of the enormous responsibilities of his office and the yearnings of Nigerians for an effective and responsive healthcare delivery system.

Ehanire further advised the new MD to justify the confidence reposed on him by the President Muhammadu Buhari by working with all stakeholders to ensure industrial harmony in the health sector and in support of the President’s change agenda.

Memorial Lecture for Imoukhuede

The family of late Pa Joseph Enaifoghe Imoukhuede, first Secretary to the Government and Head of Service of the defunct Midwest Region, has inaugurated an annual memorial lecture for him. The late Civil service doyen was a native of Sabongida Ora, Owan West Local Government area, Edo. His second son, Oseomoje Imoukhuede, who announced this at a news briefing in Benin, noted that the inaugural lecture would hold on April 25 in Benin. Prof. Tunji Olaopa, retired federal Permanent Secretary and Professor of Public Policy and Reforms would be the guest lecturer. He said that the event would mark the 38 years of the death of his father, popularly known as JE (for Joseph Enaifoghe) and posthumous 98th birthday. The late SSG/HOS) was also the father of the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede and Mr. Edekin Imoukhuede, both of whom attended the briefing.

International Food and Drinks Festival

All is now set for the International Food and Drinks Festival Season 2 in Ibadan, Oyo State to celebrate Easter. The festival, conceived to be a gathering of fun lovers especially families with special interest in food and drinks, opened yesterday and will last till Monday, 22nd of April, at the Ibadan Recreation Club, Adamasigba, Ibadan. According to the Project Coordinator, Mr. Clemence Eki, over 20,000 participants and big brands in the food and drink sector were expected to grace the event which is modeled after successful similar festivals all over the world. “Specifically, we are putting this event together to further create value for big players (brands) and SMEs in the food and drink sector of our economy by bringing them together under one roof of unlimited sales opportunities. More importantly also is to create a very good ambience for fun loving Nigerians especially families to enjoy the season of Easter which stretches through the duration of the event.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͮ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

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Onnoghen: SERAP Writes CCB, Seeks Details of Asset Declarations of Presidents, Govs Since 1999 Udora Orizu in Abuja Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a Freedom of Information request to Dr. Muhammed Isah, Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) urging him to provide information on specific details of asset declarations submitted to the CCB by successive presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999.

SERAP is seeking information on: “details of asset declarations by successive presidents and state governors between 1999 and 2019, including details of declarations made immediately after taking offices and thereafter, and for those who have left public offices, at the end of their term of office.

Information is also sought on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, by the Bureau.”

In the FOI request dated 18 April 2019 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “While we welcome the judgment by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Justice Walter Onnoghen, we now urge the CCB to extend its mandates to enforce constitutional provisions on asset declarations by public officers to cover elected officers and to vigorously pursue the prosecution of any such officers who use their

powers either as presidents or state governors over public funds to enrich themselves.”

According to the organisation, “While judicial corruption is bad, the level of corruption involving many politicians since 1999 and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators is equally appalling.

Publishing the asset declarations of elected public officers since the return of democracy in 1999 to date would improve public trust in the ability of the Bureau to effectively discharge its mandates. This would in turn put pressure on public officers like presidents and state governors to make voluntary public declaration of their assets.”

The FOI request reads in part: “SERAP is concerned that many politicians hide behind the fact that members of the public do not have access to their asset declarations to make false declarations, and to cover up assets illegally acquired in corruption or abuse of office.

The CCB can use the opportunity presented by the Onnoghen judgment to increase the accountability of politicians through the asset declaration provisions if it is not to be accused of witch-hunting the judiciary.

“The grim condition of many of our citizens since 1999 has been worsened by the deterioration of public services whereby access to clean water and affordable health-care has become a pipe dream and the supply of electricity became epileptic and irregular due

WITH HIS LORDSHIPS...

L-R: Bishop Denis Isiuzo; Archbishop Valerie Okeke; Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi; and Fr. Patrick Omuta, after the Chrism Mass at the Basilica of the most Holy Trinity, Onitsha…recently

to years of grand corruption by many politicians at the highest level of government.

“The persistent refusal by successive presidents and state governors to make public their asset declarations is entirely inconsistent

Graduate Inspectors, Others Appeal to IGP to Revisit Outstanding Promotion Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Graduate Inspectors and Rank and Files of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have pleaded with acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Adamu to re-recommend their list to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for upgrade to ASP, adding that they believe that his emergence at the new IGP was a blessing to them.

In a press statement by the group and signed by Sgt. Abdulmajeed Lukeman, the Police officers lamented that, “Since December 2015, we, the graduate Inspectors Rank and Files passed through screening and examination and we were shortlisted for upgrading to ASP based on educational qualifications

via signal CB:7510/DTD/FHQ/ ABJ/VOL 7/11 151800/06/2015.

“The examination and the screening were done by the Police Authority in conjunction with Police Service Commission in various States and Zonal Commands. After the screening, 50 successful candidates were shortlisted from each State of the federation, including FCT Abuja according to our States of Origin and Local Government Areas, which made up to about 1,850.

“All our original confidential files, service register and other sensitive documents have been in the custody of the Department of Training and Development (DTD) Police Force Headquarters FCT Abuja unattended to.”

The concerned Policemen observed that last year on the

13/11/2018 a Signal No. CB: 7510/DTD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.8/2 Tittle: “ASP PROMOTION COURSE ON EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION” was dispatched to all police Commands and formations “ordering them to send fast Couriers to report at FHQ Abuja on 09/12/2018 to collect our files and return them for retention. However, the Couriers went to FHQ and they were not given to them. Sending the files to various commands and formations would have signified zero hope for us.”

They said their hopes were lifted with the emergence of Adamu as the IGP, especially with the professionalism he had brought into the force, restoration of discipline, and with the ongoing restructuring.

Open Defecation Worsening Nigeria’s Health Challenges, Experts Warn Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Experts have warned that Nigeria’s health challenges were being aggravated by open defecation unless stringent measures were put in place to check this and other unhygienic and unhealthy practices.

They warned that the situation was critical because Nigeria had, in only a couple of years, moved from the fifth position on the global table of countries with open defecation to the second position currently.

This was one of the critical issues thrown up at a two-day training workshop on ‘Communication for Behaviour Change in Essential Family Practices’ for various media houses, programme managers, state and national information officers,

which was organised by the Delta State Ministry of Information in collaboration with UNICEF. Specifically, it was revealed that Nigeria, with over 47 million people still practising open defecation instead of using toilets, was today worse off than countries like Ethiopia and Indonesia, where over 27 million and 32 million people, respectively, defecate openly still, according to latest survey.

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Chief Patrick Ukah, who declared the workshop open in Asaba, described the training as timely and critical especially in the light of the numerous challenges today in family healthcare practices and implementation of relevant government policies for the citizens.

Ukah assured that the Okowa administration was committed to good hygiene and sanitation practice in homes as well as public places in line with its healthcare policies, noting that media and information practitioners need training and refreshers courses to augment reading and research, so as to be able to inform members of the public accurately and promptly.

According to UNICEF’s experts, Dr. Hilary Ozoh and Martha Hokonya, media role in arousing both the citizens and government to issues of Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) could not be overstressed considering the huge effects of open defecation on Nigerians and the attainment of United Nations’ deadline of open-defecation-free world in 2030.

with the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution, and has been particularly harmful to the country and its people, especially given the widespread evidence of grand corruption among politicians holding public offices in Nigeria.”

The organisation stressed that Nigerians can longer accept the excuse by high-ranking government

officers that declaring their assets before the CCB was enough, as such pretext was not supported by the oaths of office by elected public officers, adding that the failure by successive presidents and state governors to voluntarily make public their asset declarations would seem to suggest that they had something to hide.

“Given that many public officers being tried for or convicted of corruption are found to have made a false declaration of their assets, the CCB should no longer allow politicians to undermine the sanctity and integrity of the asset declaration provisions of the Constitution by allowing them to continue to exploit legal gaps for illicit enrichment.

Enugu Govt Approves Recruitment of 1,500 Additional Teachers Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has approved and directed the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) to recruit additional 1,500 primary school teachers to enhance basic education in the state.

He also approved N252,456,917.67 for the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) to pursue the re-accreditation of the institution’s courses whose prior accreditation had expired.

Briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council’s meeting, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, disclosed that the basic requirement for the recruitment as National Certificate of Education

(NCE), adding that the candidates must have teaching background and would accept to reside and teach in the rural communities. He stressed that Governor Ugwuanyi, through his grassroots development initiatives, had provided in the rural areas, some amenities that attract people to urban centres.

Ugwuanyi had recruited over 4,000 teachers since its inception, to create jobs and improve the standard of learning in the state.

According to Prof. Eze, “His Excellency is committed and determined to ensure that teachers continue to be available at the basic education level so that our children will benefit from the investment that the state

government is making in the education sector.”

He explained that “a good number of our teachers at the primary school level have retired and some lost to death,” noting the recruitment exercise was to fill the vacuum created to ensure availability of teachers at the classrooms for effective teaching and learning.

Consequently, the education commissioner further disclosed that “the council directed ENSUBEB to make arrangement for the recruitment of additional 1500 teachers to ensure that those who were qualified are appropriately placed so that our children will continue to benefit.”

Pinnacle Oil & Gas Wins Local Content Prize Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited has been awarded the ‘Downstream operating company with the most impactful local content development initiative in recognition of its contributions to local content development in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

The award was handed over to the company at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where Pinnacle Oil and Gas was eulogized for championing local content promotion. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and top oil and gas operators were present at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) powered second edition.

Famed for its first mover advantage in pioneering the

development and construction of a world class petroleum products handling facility at the Lekki Free trade zone in Lagos, Nigeria, Pinnacle oil and gas was among others recognised by the NOGOF for this facility which would comprise a 600,000 MT tank farm for storage on the shore, connected to Single Point Mooring (SPM) and Conventional Buoy Mooring (CBM) facilities.

The SPM/CBM which Pinnacle oil and gas has pioneered in Nigeria, are infrastructure for the offshore offloading of large vessels without any need for them to come to shore or use a jetty. The detailed Nigerian content opportunities for which Pinnacle was recognised are, hands on training in the assembly of SPM and CBM; welding and fabrication works’ hands

on training; tank farm erection; instrumentation installation; sub contracts, security, insurance and financial services.

This year’s NOGOF fair, a biennial affair was themed ‘Maximizing investments in the oil and gas industry for the benefit of the Nigerian people’.

It had the objective to bring together major players across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors as well as the government and industry regulators to showcase opportunities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and present available in-country opportunity.

Commenting on the recognition, Peter Mbah, CEO of Pinnacle Oil and Gas, noted that the award was a confirmation of its confidence and continuous investments in the Nigerian economy.

Plus Enado Odigie I Fear Getting to the End of Life Not Attaining Things I Was Meant to Achieve

Onye Ubanatu I See Every Mistake as an Opportunity to Learn Something New

FASHION FILE GLOBAL SOCCER FAIRGROUND SHOWBIZFLAIR

pg.22 pg. 29 pg. 36 pg. 45

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PLUS

I Fear Getting to the End of Life Not Attaining Things I Was Meant to Achieve Stunning actress, Enado Odigie, within a short space of time gained prominence in Nollywood with scores of fascinating movies to her credit.

Before delving into Nollywood, she had a spell in the corporate world but her flair for the makebelieve industry knocked her off her comfort zone. Enado opens up to Chinedu Ibeabuchi about her journey to stardom and challenges

H

ow did acting start for you and how far have you gone?

I have been acting since I was a child but in Nollywood, I would say between 2012 and 2014. I tested in 2012 and I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue. But in 2014, I finally made up my mind to continue. It has been an interesting journey with a lot of lessons learnt from different directors, producers and even co-actors. I have grown tremendously. I am happy with my growth and where I am. I have a lot of my work that my fans should watch out for.

Before delving into Nollywood, what were you doing?

I was a corporate person. I worked in organisations like Globacom and then also went into the event planning but I have a passion for acting and I decided to give acting a try.

How did you get your first role?

I spoke to a couple of friends that I wanted to act and take acting seriously. Then a friend told me there was an audition coming up and gave me the address. I went for the audition and was accidentally auditioned for the lead role. Someone gave his script to a wrong person and later I was told that one was taken. So I auditioned for supporting role but few days later I was called and told I have been chosen for the lead role.

That was how my first movie came about.

Any regret dumping your corporate work for Nollywood so far?

Absolutely no regret. Every day, we want to be bigger but when I sit down and look at where I am, there is so much to be thankful for. There is no bad experience in life; however, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt.

I have learnt a lot and I am very

happy and looking to the future.

What role did you play in Joba

by Biodun Stephen?

I played Ore Oladiyan in the movie. Ore is married to Lami Oladiyan. As a young couple, naturally they are expected to start having children but as time goes on, they are disappointed time and time again and at some point, Ore snaps. Joba is a story about faith. At this point, the faith of the couple is tested, but because we are human, Ore falls into depression. Her trust in God fails but she has a husband like Lami whose faith is unshaken, whose faith is tested on every side.

And because Ore is downtrodden, that becomes his biggest trial. Joba is a movie that also touches on lot of social issues like rape and depression because all these affect the society today. I find out that while I am watching the movie, even though I am the one that play the character, I sympathise with Ore a lot. That is also how people who are depressed and dealing with such issues usually behave.

How were you able to immerse yourself to the character as a single lady?

It was difficult but that is my job as an actress. The character involves one who is sad at all time and if you’re not a sadist, sadness can be very tiring. It was emotionally, mentally and physically draining because it requires a lot of scenes back to back.

But it also pushes me to know what my limits are. Warming myself to the Odigie character started from the moment I read the script and when I go on set, I had a director, Biodun Stephen, This is one career you sacrifice for who will almost take you by the every day. A lot of time, you don’t hand and journey with you to render have time to yourself, no weekend, a real life resemblance of the script. no public holiday and most times, you work very late on set etc. Sometimes, on set production that are very What would you say is the tedious, you have injuries, accident, greatest sacrifice you have made etc. Another bad side is that you in becoming an actress?

don’t get to participate in the thing you would have loved to be involved in like friends and family weddings, events, family programmes, reunion etc. But I will not change it for anything.

What would you describe as

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

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PLUS I Love Laughing; If I Don’t Get the Opportunity to Laugh, I Won’t Be Okay your memorable moment so far?

There have been many. For any actress, having a movie that goes to the cinema, that is seen by an audience paying to see your movie is a high point for every actor and I have had a couple of movies going to the cinemas.

Are you getting support from you loved ones?

It has been a tremendous journey.

I have a very supportive family. Of course, naturally they have a reservation but knowing full well they have raised you and done everything to invest me, I receive necessary support. And sometimes, when I make a mistake, my family is there to encourage me. I would just say I have a great support from my family and friends.

What is your passion?

I am passionate about acting. I love food, I love to cook, look good, love traveling and above all I like to laugh. Besides all these that I have mentioned, if I don’t have opportunity to laugh and have a good time, I don’t think I will be okay.

What is your fear in life?

It is getting to the end of life and realising I didn’t touch the things I was meant to achieve. So, I would say this fear is a driving force for ensuring I get to the finish line. I hope to keep growing, improving myself and ensuring that I become a bigger and a better person.

There have been a lot of stories about sexual harassment in the film industry, what is your experience?

I can tell you categorically that I have never been sexually harassed.

Nobody has ever said to me, ‘come and do these in other to get this.’ Of course, people would always make passes at you as a woman. That’s interesting as I feel people want to know you by doing that. But, sexual advances as an exchange for a role, absolutely no.

How do your love ones feel seeing you kiss in movies?

Naturally, the first response would be discomfort from family and loved ones. However, when they also realise that, for instance, you have a gynecologist whose responsibility is to search the body part of a person not related to him, then they understand better. It is part of the job knowing well that it’s acting. However, we try as much as possible to create a balance based on the society that we live in.

Has this cost you relationship?

No, I am not going to lose my family because I am acting (laugh)

Are you married?

No

Describe your dream man A man who has admirable character, who is understanding, who is reasonable, patient and, as a lady, a man who shows respect and is generous. A man who is God fearing.

If he doesn’t have fear of God, he will not have respect for you.

Aside the movie world, what is your relationship with Blossom?

He is one of my oldest friends.

I have known him since 2007. We

grew up in Benin together and attended the same church and University of Benin. We are good friends and he is a great actor. It is always easy to act with him.

When you are not on set, how do you spend your time?

I spend a lot of time reading, planning and attending to personal things and also spend time with my family.

Who is your crush in the film industry?

A couple of years ago, I used

to like Sean Connery and Chris Hemsworth.

Do you like your man fair or dark?

I like a fine man, either fair or dark I don’t care, preferably taller than me. .

20

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

PLUS

Onye Ubanatu I See Every Mistake as an Opportunity to Learn Something New

21

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

PLUS My Parents Wanted Me to Be an Engineer But I Ran Away

Onye Ubanatu is a producer, director, content creator and creative facilitator. He has worked in a diverse range of television shows, produced documentaries, local and international events, corporate videos, international news features, award winning short, feature films and many more. Onye talks to Tosin Clegg about how his journey started in Warri, climbing the ladder of greatness, his numerous works, being a creative entrepreneur and a lot more

I

’m a Multi-disciplinary Creative Entrepreneur I am an inquisitive collaborator with a lot of content creation and strategic event production experience on some of the finest brands and projects that are part of our daily life.

My trademarks and customer experience are wrapped in the following words, excellence, going the extra mile, passion, and the ability to communicate the value of every brand I work on. Some would describe me as the creative beast and seer with an Octopus skill, who is constantly searching for an opportunity to inspire many with his story and process.

From Nothing, I Can Build Anything I grew up in the historic city called Warri and that was where I got my predestined creative and fiery vibe all wrapped in a cool dude’s appeal form.

We all seem to have a common idea of what a Wafferian is and yes, you are looking at one who from nothing can build anything. I have always dreamt of creating things, I have always dreamt of inspiring people with content. As a child in primary school, the girls would gather around me just to hear the lyrics to the latest songs and in exchange, I get to have lunch packs. Other kids used to come to me to help them communicate their heart to their crush using sketches. I did all of these things naturally and the joy comes from how good and fulfilled it made people feel. In my primary school then called Ogbe Primary School, other kids used to think of me as slightly disturbed mentally because while others used their books for study purposes, me, I spend more time outside with my exercise book using it to chase birds in the sky. Little did I know I was already training myself to be a fantastic shooter (videographer) with a fantastic speed when following a fast moving object.

Classroom was tough for me. That’s because my way of learning was different from the others. My way of retaining things had to be more visually driven and also, I had a thing for questioning the norm. Like, why is 1 + 1 = 2, why not 2.0. Oh my teachers never liked that. So, literally I devised a way of learning things myself, and invested more in studying things around me using characterisation and visual illustrations. My parents wanted me to be an engineer but the first time I got into the petroleum training institute in Effurun, I knew it wasn’t my thing. I ran away and never looked back.

I created and chased the dream and vision of what I saw in me tenaciously and here we are today.

I Served in Church for Years As a Camera Assistant My mother introduced me to the TV department of Church of God Mission after she got tired of me destroying TV

sets just to find out how people appeared on our TV set without our permission, or how I would spend more time alone drawing imaginary subjects on my school books. That singular act opened my eyes to the world of TV production basics and to think that it happened in church was a blessing. I served in church for years as a camera assistant and was fondly mentored by someone called Julius Idowu, who was like a big brother to me. From there I moved to Lagos to increase my learning capacity. I gained my first corporate working experience at AV.COM and PREX advertising where I started as a production assistant, and moved up the rank to a lead camera operator and production executive.

I later became a freelancer after building capacity and serving for more than eight years.

Over the years I have been blessed to bring value to people as well as collaborate with great people on diverse range of television shows, produced documentaries, features and award winning short and feature films. Projects such as the 24hr Emergency medical series on maternal and child mortality (ABIYE); the first ever Nigeria Football Federation Awards (Night of Legends); the prestigious ‘Warri Again; BUA Group’s $350m 1.5 metric tonnes cement factory construction documentary, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency’s intervention projects; Akwa Ibom State Government’s development stride; the Brazil 2014 World Cup; TedX Youth at Maitama; Video Biography of HRM Oba Yekini Elegushi (Kunsela II) and lots more.

I was given the opportunity to work as technical director and led a technical team of over 20 Nigeria creative personnel across the desert alongside Dr. Newton Jibunor on a project on climate change and desertification.

I Do What I Do from My Heart Truthfully, I love what I do and there is always a sense of purpose to every working opportunity. I do what I do from my heart because I feel a sense of purpose and that in itself translates to every visual product created. From photography projects to video projects and to every event I get the chance to produce, there is a strong sense of purpose. I am very passionate and very detailed oriented, which forces me to look in the direction many will ignore or overlook.

Producing the First Ever NFF Awards Producing the first ever Nigerian Football Federation awards is a privilege.

I will forever be grateful for such an honour. I must say a big thank you to the forward thinking leading team at NFF led

by Amaju Pinnick. I am very pro-Nigeria and her amazing attributes the world is yet to discover. Last year my team and I made a decision to focus on the overall goal which was to celebrate the legends.

Onye Ubanatu

The 2nd edition was a good one. Every aspect that came with planning the event was a beautiful one including the sleepless nights, harmonising vendors, managing expectations and also factoring how to express the essence and beauty of what makes a night designed to celebrate the legends of Nigerian football a night to remember.

My goal and purpose is to constantly tell the Nigerian and African story and that’s from a place of strength to inspire greatness. The African narrative is an inspiring one and this is what is reflected in my visual products, projects and also my working process.

There is Nothing Compared to Finding Purpose in Life I believe my work and my job is an opportunity to serve in creating value for humanity. Doing this gives me great joy.

What I do is very critical to human existence. Without communicating, we can’t coexist, so being part of an eco-system that brings solution through the power content creation and event experience is blissful.

Creating products that drive our narrative from a place of strength and beauty is something my team and I are committed to. We do have a couple of concerts lined up for the year and commissioned projects as well and these projects will be unveiled as we deliver.

I Was Once on Wheelchair and Clutches I was involved in a work related

accident two years ago where I fractured my bones in two places while trying to film a story. The process was tough for me to handle at that time because I had to go through the recovery process of using a wheelchair and clutches but it didn’t stop me, while going through recovery on wheelchair and clutches, I still was working. I even got on a plane to Katsina State to work. That process taught me the reason why we must daily train our minds to be resilient.

I Am a Very Positive Guy I like to see every mistake as an opportunity to learn something new. So at the moment, I am quick to tell every upcoming creative entrepreneur to master the art of discipline on time, master the art of financial management on time. It is helping me a great deal right now but I wished I knew this way earlier in my teenage years.

Being Recognised as Hennessy Ambassador I am relatively strange when it comes to identifying high points because every opportunity for me, I treat them with equal enthusiasm and expectations. But I will say being recognised as one of the top seven creative entrepreneurs in Africa by Hennessy international to become a Hennessy Never Stop Never Settle campaign Ambassador was a big one for me.

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

Fashion File

How to Steal Ono Bello’s Style

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

23

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

FASHION FILE

How to Steal Ono Bello’s Style Ono Bello is a fashion industry trendsetter. Since creating her now-famous style website, OnoBello.com back in 2011, she has grown into one of the most prominent influencers in Nigeria.

Today, Ono style suggestions, honest reviews and friendly voice is one a lot of readers connect on her website and across social her media platforms. So, if you’re looking for an authority on fashion and style, Ono is your girl.

To rock the CEO/Editor-in-Chief of OnoBello Media signature look yourself, just follow our guide on how to steal her style.

Ono is now the ultimate maven, and the website has provided the perfect platform from which to share her love for Nigerian fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands with her “Buy Nigerian” campaign. She is undeniably a big supporter of Nigerian and African fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands not only with how she religiously wears them but also create awareness about them through her website and social

media platforms.

OUTFIT DETAILS ACCORDING TO PIC NUMBERING

12.jpg- Ankara Print Dress by Odio Mimonet 13.jpg- Ankara Print Wrap Dress

by Funke Adepoju 14.JPG- Lace Jumpsuit by Toju Foyeh | Fabric by NHN Couture 16.jpg - White Cut-Out Dress by Elvira Jude 17.jpg- Turquoise Skirt & Top by GREY 18.jpg- Matching Print Blazer & Culottes by Odio Mimonet 19.jpg- Black Top by Semande, Black Skirt by Funke Adepoju & Ankara Print Coat by The Ladymaker 21.jpg- Stripes Dress with Ankara Print Detailing by SGTC Clothing 23.jpg- Pin-strip Dress by The Ladymaker 24.jpg- Print Off Shoulder Wrap Dress by Titi Belo 32.jpg- Colourful Stripe Jumpsuit

by Yutee Rone Artelier, Bag by AAKS.

24

˜ ˞ APRIL 20, 2019

JOE/FAJ

On The Road to Europe

A

s you read this piece, thousands of Nigerian youths and indeed millions of others from different African countries are nursing dreams of migrating to Europe in search of greener pastures. Their dreams of Eldorado in Europe or America are fired by the sizzling stories of their compatriots who traveled earlier and had made it big on the streets of Europe which they believe are paved with gold.

Now this set of young men and women mostly in their prime, know deep down within them that they lack the prerequisite for a valid visa to Europe. Yet, out of desperation, they choose to seek perilous alternative sources to circumvent the process and get into Europe through irregular migration means.

Although in recent times, some university graduates have joined the droves of irregular migrants, originally the movement was dominated by ignorant, desperate and mostly unskilled young men and women who virtually shut out their sense of reasoning to any treatise against their irregular movement abroad.

How do these migrations occur? According to the International Organisation for Migrants (IOM), there are voluntary and involuntary migrations. Voluntary migration involves a prospective migrant approaching either a smuggler or human traffickers to assist in facilitation the trip. The second part of this migration is engineered by parents who often times, against the wishes of their children, sell off properties, borrow and empty their lives saving to facilitate an irregular transit for their children to Europe where they hope they would hit it big. Today, a new means which is through the dissemination of fake news through the social media like the recent alleged request from the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to President Muhammadu Buhari to release a million Nigerians to take residency in that country is a vivid example of what is gaining currency. There is also another means which is through the traffickers dealing in human body parts who lure unsuspecting migrants with juicy offers only for them to be killed and their organs harvested and sold for hundreds of dollars.

What then is the motivation? There are a thousand and one reasons why irregular migration occurs. But the major reason is for economic empowerment. Going down memory lane, migration is a global phenomenon and billions of people are known to move from their original ancestral homes to settle in different cities either within or outside their countries. These movements are often fueled by wars, conflict, economic downturns in countries where these migrants flock from, lack of opportunities brought about by rogue administrations etc.

According to Wikipedia “Between around 1880 and 1924, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States, half of

D

JAMB Cancels WASC?

Don’t let the headline fool you - but that is the most likely consequence, if we believe the reports in the media. We were

JOSEPH USHIGIALE jushigiale@yahoo.co.uk, joseph.ushigiale@thisdaylive.com 08023422660 (sms only)

Buhari

them between 1900 and 1910 alone—the majority fleeing grinding rural poverty in Southern Italy and Sicily.�

Just to underscore the point that Africans were not the first to begin the exodus of migration, Wikipedia again explained that the “history of immigration to the United States details the movement of people to the United States starting with the first European settlements from around 1600. “Beginning around this time, British and other Europeans settled primarily on the east coast. In 1619, Africans began being imported as slaves.�

From this account, it is without contradiction to establish that migration had long been taking places from Europe to America for economic reasons and even the Africans who came later did not come of their own volition but through forced slavery.

Getting back home in Nigeria, it is easy to recall that during the era of oil boom, Nigeria was a destination for all countries and fortune seekers. As a result of petrodollars, Nigeria was suddenly crawling with all sorts of overnight briefcase businessmen eager to have a piece of the action.

JAMB’s “Horror� Stories

id you read the story of the 13-year old girl who sat for this year’s examination of Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, and allegedly, had to be helped to attempt the computer-based questions. Aspecial centre, allegedly owned by an international examining centre in Lagos, was fingered. One of the invigilators was seen performing the incredibly stupid act of blocking the CCTV cameras with bare hands, while another invigilator allegedly helped to guide the “brilliance� of the young culprit (or victim?) And these tragic scenes were witnessed by other candidates, a little older than the poor girl!

What is wrong with us? Many Nigerian parents should worry about the quality of parenting we are spreading over our children.

When a child, barely into teenage years, who should be preparing for promotional examination into senior secondary school, is “manhandled� to sit for university entrance examination...what quality of perspective finds that normal?

Even when she is smuggled into the university system at below age 14, and spends the next 10 years bumbling from first degree to a second, then a Master’s, and then adding a PhD... she will still be below 23! Are we challenging for a page in the Guinness Book of Records?

Of course, most first generation schools will likely not admit the infant teenager, and thus may find space in one of our private universities. If the reality is that the parents are looking for a way to continue to live their lives at their usual pace, the child is basically a time-bomb awaiting contact with other “highly inflammable materials�. It is not an over-stretch to imagine such a toddling scholar straying into drug gangs, sex deviants, cultism and such anti-social indulgences that poorly mentored and abysmally groomed children naturally gravitate towards.

Some children have never spent a week of quality Interactions with either of their parents, since they were always dumped into the convenient grotto of creche-kindergarten-nursery system as from age two, or less!

It may therefore seem normal and “modern� to dysfunctional parents to “file� the child away into the final “incubator� of moral and didactic value dynamics from which, if he ever returns alive and healthy, his marbles may have been unhinged and dislocated...that he becomes a hulking threat to the Nigerian society...a ticking bomb without a detonator!

God save us from irresponsible parents, and the products of their licentiousness.

THEFRONTLINES

told that some candidates sitting for the 2019 West African School Certificate (WASC) examinations had to choose which to ignore between JAMB and WAEC papers which fell on the same day!

We understand that the 2019 elections and the infamous nocturnal postponement threw spanners into the usually tidy schedules of the two examining bodies - but the world’s calendar has not changed!

WAEC, though elephantine in scope and operations, is not a doddering octopus that cannot respond to exigencies... What stops a national agency such as JAMB from, permit the cliche, crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, with a regional sister-body whose focus is on the same set of Nigerians? After all, one needs authorising documents from both bodies to be admitted into any Nigerian tertiary institution.

Therefore, the emergence of a situation where our children’s dreams are imperilled by officious pig-headedness (or worse still, criminal nonchalance) in failing to do the simple reconciliation of dates and time tables within the logistics departments of both organisations, should be roundly condemned, investigated and severely sanctioned. May we never witness such costly oddity again!

Going forward, while it may be logistically nigh impossible to repeat the exercises, JAMB and WAEC must adopt prompt remedial processes to accommodate and restore the hope and aspirations of the affected candidates, after due confirmation.

The shameful conduct of JAMB CT exam centres should also be clinically investigated, and remedial actions taken; while operatives who wilfully sabotage the process, or conspire to circumvent the orderly conduct of the digital tests should be fished out, and dealt with firmly, according to the letters of the law. Arresting over 50 mercenary CT-soldiers across the country is mere tokenism in the light of the pervasive corruption, and sundry rackets within the examination “industry�.

Yet, that we are still complaining about computer malfunction, connection disruptions, operators’ connivance in gaming the system, incidents of unfortunate candidates with vital information omitted, or missing entirely, and other failings which should have been consigned to history, is a giant shame-pendant hanging on our necks.

Ambode’s Deep Slumber...

Few months ago, we wrote on this column that Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who started so well, was apparently sleeping on duty as a result of the political trouncing he received from his godfather, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in October last year.

In that piece (“Is Ambode Still Sleeping?� - December, 2018), we sympathised with the governor’s peculiar condition, and appealed to him to find some grace to finish his one term well, as ruling Lagos is not anyone’s “divine assignment� that would

The naira was strong, the economy boomed and capacity utilization was over 80% with industries and the wheels of production humming steadily. With the boom came a large influx of irregular migrants. By 1983, when the politicians lost grip of the economy and Nigeria was bleeding, the President Shehu Shagari administration decided to pin the blame on the large presence of Ghanaians in Nigeria.

Borrowing from Ghana’s 1969 playbook, Shagari expelled over 1 million Ghanaians out of Nigeria. Most of them returned to their home country while other sought greener pastures abroad. This first set of fortune seekers were later to set the pace for what is today the exodus of Africans especially from West Africa to Europe because of their successful exploits and warm embrace initially by the Europeans. Today’s, the shoe has moved to the other leg and it is Nigerians that are largely on the move to Europe.

Recently, the IOM decided to pool over 20 senior journalists from across the media divide to Enugu for a three-day brainstorming session. The participants were to deliberate on issues affecting migration in Africa and sought the best approach to effectively bring migration to the front burner of national discourse.

At the end of the three-day session, it became clear migration from Africa to Europe deserved a more coordinated national and continental response to stop the daily loss of the lives of innocent nationals who perish through ignorance and no cause of theirs.

Painting the grim realities of what is today termed the largest migration crisis in modern history yet, the IOM stated that over 1m persons were caught in the migration crisis when war erupted in Libya in 2011. It added that human trafficking and smuggling have become huge business in the volume of about $36b where over 6b persons are trafficked annually globally.

This same year, over 20,000 documented Nigerians migrants were held up in various prison detention camps across Libya, while over 16,000 have been stranded in about 20 countries since 2001 as a result of the nefarious activities of smugglers and human traffickers.

However, the trade in human cargo took a bizarre turn in the twilight of 2017 when a CNN team comprising of Nima Elbagir, Raja Razek and Alex Platt undertook an undercover trip to Libya where the team witnessed firsthand, the auctioning of slaves for as little as $400 per person and decided to unveil an elaborate expose of modern slavery and the trade in human cargo going on in Libya.

Readers can continued online www.thisdaylive.com

COUNTERPOINT

FEMI

AKINTUNDE-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

have prevented him from gaining “eternal life� - a fixation of Pentecostals, of whom I believe he is counted amongst.

Ambode seems to have gone worse since my lamentations four months ago! Or his condition appears to be unmoved by the state and national successes recorded by his party, APC, in the power equation. He still “lords� it over Lagos in a poor imitation of Nero, who was strangely infatuated with his harp while parts of Rome withered under raging inferno.

Lagosians have been growling at the ridiculous return of traffic gridlock (an apparition once banished, few years ago, to the fringes of Apapa and its docks - by this same man!) The metropolis is now clustered, and choking at the seams...there is an enveloping sense of neglect, filthiness, stagnancy and lawlessness.

All of a sudden, stories of police brutalities, vicious gang wars, signature cult killings, and such hitherto fast-receeding sociopathic behaviours, are becoming common treats... And our man’s word is mum! Not a note of warning, or sympathy, or inspiration, or condolences... Not to mention the human touch of public appearances or private visitations to victim’s families or communities.

So, we ask again: What is wrong with our governor? Is it more than losing an election? Can it still be the shock of being the first sitting governor to be upended in his own party primary - in a state he is generally adjudged to have done averagely well...until the primary? Is our governor so short-sighted that he is willing to mortgage his political future by muddling the pool in which he had once swum admirably? Is he so blinkered that his ambition is somehow denominated by two-term Alausa tenure? How do you expect a favourable history where you started so well (even when some could point at moments of vindictiveness and arrogance...which to me merely underscore your humanity)...and then end so calamitously?

Have you forgotten the biblical dictum poetically delivered in Ecclesiastes 9:11? Or can you not appropriate its inspired wisdom?

Let me remind you, sir: “...The race is not to the swift Nor the battle to the strong Nor bread to the wise Nor riches to men of understanding Nor favour to men of skill But Time and Chance happen to them all.�

Bros, embrace your chance... redefine your time.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͮ˜ Ͱͮͯͷ

25

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž APRIL 20, 2019

EVENTS

L

ast Saturday, beauty entrepreneur, Funke Fowler, exchanged wedding vows with Aigbovbioise Aig-Imoukhuede. Aigbovbioise is younger brother of banker, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. Funke is the daughter of FIRS boss, Babatunde Fowler. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and wife, Dolapo, Aliko Dangote and many others were in attendance.

The couple with family members

The couple with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

Aigbovbioise and Funke

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

27

POLITY Dennis Brutus Otuaro

TheConceptofRevenueAllocationisCriminal The Ibe-Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro is one person who is very passionate about the Niger Delta struggles and development. Chief Otuaro who is in his 40’s was a member of the Presidential Committee on Environment for the Restoration of the environment of the Niger Delta during the government of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Currently a PhD student at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Chief Otuaro, who describes himself as a development activist, believes one’s life should be all about service to one’s fatherland. In this interview with select journalists, including Olaoluwakitan Babatunde, Otuaro talks extensively about the pollution and environmental challenges of the Niger Delta region

Y

ou’re already a successful businessman.

What propelled you to go back to school for a PhD? I see the PhD as a something for self- fulfillment. After going to school, you need the PhD so that you can break new grounds in learning. Right now, I am working on a research on the Challenges of Researchers Objectivity on the Niger Delta Crisis. From my research at the PhD level, I have realised that the people have so many challenges; some border on education while others center on basic needs, even before oil was discovered at Oloibiri. The Winnick Commission Report of 1957/1958 made it clear that this area needed special attention but sadly after the country’s independence, that report was abandoned and the government of the day recommended the Niger Delta Development Basin which was an agency that was deliberately made not to work. Before the military intervention in our politics, there was derivation formula, enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. But immediately after the military left the stage, the allocation concept was inserted into the new constitution. The concept of revenue allocation is alien; it is a criminal concept in operating the constitution of Nigeria.

As a father, you cannot allocate what your son has. When your son is wealthy, it is his duty to maintain you, it is not you as a father taking everything that belongs to your son, then you now give him 1.5 per cent, 13 per cent or whatever percentage. It is only here in Nigeria that the constitution is taking something from the state and then allocating it. Revenue Allocation is alien to federalism. For now, the 13 per cent is not even enough. The constitution says at least 13 per cent. But at the end of the day, We only need a policy will of the government to make it a policy statement or declaration about reviewing the 13 percent as the constitution does not stop any government from increasing the percentage beyond 13 per cent.

Much of the crises that erupted in the Niger Delta was also due to the alleged despicable acts of multinational oil companies which were inimical to the ecosystem.To the best of your knowledge, have things changed for the better?

As stakeholders, over the years, we have keenly observed and we have done our part bridging the gap between the communities and the government; bridging communication break down between the communities and the Oil Multi Nationals as well as the government. That was the role I played as Chief Protocol Officer; to let the youths to understand the project determination of the government had and the commitment towards development agenda of the government. But as of today, things are getting worse. The attitude of oil companies is even getting worse. There are many cases of oil pollution that are deliberately blamed on host communities by the oil multi- nationals, may be in connivance with the government and security agencies, such that when a spill occurs, they will categorise it as sabotage. And in some of these investigations, the communities and the stakeholders are not even involved; only the oil companies and the security agents will go and do it on their own and categorise it with any name.

At the end, it is the community and the environment that suffers.

And you know in Nigeria, how it is with the culture of settlement.

If given the opportunity, what would you do differently?

I would engage stakeholders and make vital recommendations to address relevant issues facing the Niger Delta. The people of the Niger Delta will be engaged meaningfully, because we already have basic documentation that are on ground in the archives that we can dust come up a good developmental blueprint to give short term, midterm and long term solutions; and not to be engaging stakeholders in marathon workshops and conferences that are not productive. It is time to make the youths, the women and the men of the Niger Delta productive.

When you go to the Niger Delta states, apart from the civil service, there is nothing generating employment; even the oil companies are not in the Niger Delta. You only see them in Abuja and Lagos and when those from the Niger Delta go for employment, it is always a problem as indigenes of where the companies are located are given preferential treatment. They are even under pressure from indigenes of those areas not to appoint Niger Delta sons and daughters. There is no industry in the region. Any amount of money you give to the people, they can hardly invest

Ugwuanyi

it there; the money will go out. That is why we must light up the Niger Delta, now that we’re talking about electricity; connect the region to the electricity and good road networks. So when the investors are coming, they will already know there are roads and it will open up the markets and make any investment accessible.

Thereon the security challenge can now be easier to deal with. It will then become easier for the government or security agents to mobilise when there are security challenges; All these are critical factors that probably led to militancy in the region which ultimately resulted in the Amnesty programme. How effective has the programme been in addressing these challenges?

What the past advisers of the amnesty program have succeeded in doing from the initial stage is disarmament, de-mobilisation, and now training is going on in some aspects. But the amnesty package that was given as at 2009 is more than that. So, anyone in charge of the Niger Delta amnesty programme should know that. How could these people have access to the resources in their region? It is one of the critical aspects of the amnesty programme that stakeholders and the governments still need to discuss. Under the programme, late President Yar’Adua, agreed on 10% equity stake for host communities in the petroleum sector as part of the amnesty deal. This 10% will be focused on long term development and investment for the region, so those are areas any special adviser in the amnesty and the minister for Niger Delta should be thinking when they convene for stakeholders meeting or advising the government to enable the people access their wealth. That is it and not just sending them to training and abandoning them without even determining the type of trade that is relevant in their respective localities. The NDDC has a serious role to play in even in the amnesty programme because when we’re talking about opening up the communities by road, the lighting up of the Niger Delta the Niger Delta ministry and the NDDC have a big role to play.

How effective or successful has the Amnesty programme of reintegrating the militants back into the civil society been?

For me, it is not effective but as for the training and other things they’re doing, they say they’re doing some things. If you say you’re reintegrating people, where are you reintegrating them into? You give them some starter pack for some trade that may not even be relevant to their locality. You’re not telling us that you’re reintegrating them means that you are resettling them

from their local communities. At the end of giving someone starter pack, the way the programme is being done now, you’re sending them to go and start business in their communities. So when you are training them for projects, do you take cognizance of the viable trade in their domains? No. There are cases of misplaced priorities in the reintegration process. But those that went to school, I know for the students after graduation maybe 60% can survive on their own. As students, they can invest even if there are no jobs as is the Nigerian situation. For me, they should even focus more on the education aspect because the level of illiteracy is very high in the Niger Delta and not only in the north as they’re saying.

We have a high level of illiteracy. So, the Programme should focus more on education; and with respect to that they can also focus on the polytechnic and technical education aspects and not just formal university education. Some people will be ready to go to the polytechnic for two years and garner the capacity to understand any business they may want to do.

Do you have any political ambition?

I don’t have any political ambition for now but my mission is to serve my country anytime the opportunity comes. I always tell my friends that the greatest endeavor is service to your fatherland.

What one fervent wish do you have for your country?

At the moment, my only appeal is to the political class. The elections have come and gone, so it’s time for them to heal the wounds and move on, especially to our President, whom I would implore to look very deep, refocus on the security architecture of the Niger Delta and carry critical stakeholders along, especially High Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) .

He should not rely on the political leaders alone; they cannot give the all the needed solution. There are critical stakeholders that as a country can be reached out to in a bid to restore peace and restore security and engender development In the Niger Delta region; somebody like Tompolo I believe is very critical to peace in the region. Wherever he is, he remains critical as a serious stakeholder.

He’s somebody that everybody respects. Majority of the people respect him. They know that he’s not a politician, and when you go to the Northwest, there are stakeholders like that as well. So in trying to solve the insecurity issues we face at the moment, the president should look for people like that and they will open the way for a good developmental strategy for the Niger Delta and other parts of the country in similar circumstances.

28

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

POLITY ‘PHC, Strong PoliticalWill Critical to Remodeling Nigeria’s Health Sector’ Ferdinand Ekechukwu

A

policy dialogue for ideas and action for the Nigerian health sector, themed “Disrupting Health Care – PPPs as a Model for Health System Strengthening in Nigeria, organised by PharmAccess Foundation in partnership with Nigeria Health Watch, attracted stakeholders from across the sector. The aim of the health dialogue was to have a wider discussion and elaborate views of private sector engagement and what benefits it brings to the concerned entities; how it does impact in terms of alleviating the disease burden, reversal of medical tourism and revenue generation, using case studies of various PPP arrangements including but not limited to deals such NOH, NSIA, National Hospital Abuja, LUTH etcetera.

One of the key participants at the event, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, Flying Doctors, Dr. Ola Brown stressed the need for a robust Primary Health Care (PHC) system across the country and a strong political will to remodel the health care system on other developing countries by looking on what they have done with fewer resources. In her view, the Primary Health Care (PHC) is the foundation of any health care system. She noted that it is very important to have a strong PHC that is closer to the citizen and that when a lot of people have access to one facility the price of health care comes down.

Brown disclosed this during the policy dialogue held in Lagos. She said that the only thing hindering Nigeria healthcare reform is lack of strong political will to create

the needed atmosphere for other processes to follow, adding that it has been the challenge facing the sector after the economic recession where she lost a lot of money as an investor in the sector. According to her, “One thing that we need in Nigeria is a strong political will towards our healthcare reforms, because if there is a political will for any project, particularly the health sector we would move forward. Our business was not so exposed to Nigerians and we made sure we have market that is global and leveraging on relationship and making sure that there is actually market in the gap despite the lost we had.”

Reacting on the need for government to change healthcare budgeting in Nigeria, she said the overriding principle in healthcare reform in Nigeria is to see how we can bring down cost of health care. “USAis spending 9,000 US Dollars/person on health care, Norway is spending about 7,000 US Dollars/ person on health care, United Kingdom (UK) 4000 US Dollars/person, with this huge amount of money their healthcare system is struggling and are looking for more funds, people are not getting the quality of health care that they desire with 4,000 US Dollars. So imagine what 6 US Dollars can do for anybody in health care,” she questioned.

She further stated that “So we now have to

Honourable Commissioner for Health Lagos State Dr. Jide Idris; Chief Executive Officer Flying Doctors, Dr. Ola Brown; Director Verification Agent for Saving One Million Lives - Nigeria, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka and Executive Director JNC International Limited, Mr. Oshevire Voke during the policy dialogue for ideas and action for the Nigerian health sector in Lagos recently...

start thinking about how we can do more with less and perhaps remodeling with healthcare system on other developing countries by looking on what they have done like Vietnam, India that have similar GDP/ per capital but have better outcome than us.

“India had been able to reduce cost of health

care to 1 percent with the introduction of super specialist hospitals, these hospitals are able to do more procedures, the doctors are more efficient and faster, have zero waste policy, able to use more machine out of their hospitals and able to get more volumes of patients into their hospitals.”

Awkuzu Community loses Chinyelugo Sam Ekpe

T Obalim

he death has occurred of Chief Ezekiel Chuks Obalim, Chinyelugo I of Awkuzu, Anambra State, aka Small London. He was aged 65 years. He studied both in Nigeria and oversees and worked with Zinoxy Security Organization in Maryland USA for two years and later joined Kentucky Fried Chicken as Customer Service Manager.

On his return to Nigeria in the mid 1980s, he ventured into private business, establishing Progress Motors Ltd in 1987, E.C. Oba Industries Co. Ltd, a real estate developing

company, Highplaces Travel and Tours Ltd and Ezeko International Agency. He joined the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as District Officer in 1992 and rose rapidly in the corps to the position of Commandant. He served variously as State Commandant of the Corps in Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Bornu and Zamfara State Commands and finally at Headquarters from where he retired in 2005.

A devoted community leader and philanthropist he undertook the electrification of his Awkuzu Community among many other community development projects. His remains will be laid to rest on Wednesday April 24 2019 at his residence in Umudunu, Dusogu, Awkuzu.

PHOTO NEWS

L-R : Supply Chain Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc. Hanna Colman; Site Quality Manager – Lagos, Udolisa Henrietta; Marketing Director, Adenike Adebola; Formulated Product and Beer Specialist - Diageo Ireland, Aisling Ryan; Corporate Relations Director, Viola Graham-Douglas; and Supply Chain Programme Manager, Anthony Alozie, during the tour at Guinness Brewery in Ogba to launch Guinness Gold… recently SUNDAYADIGUN

R-L: Newly elected Circuit Treasurer, Mr Boye Oduye; newly elected Senior Circuit Steward, Mr. Abiona Babarinde; Circuit Presbyter, Very Rev Mathew Ogunsiji; Cathedral Steward, Mr. Bode Adeyemi, all of Methodist Church, Palm - Avenue Circuit on Palm Sunday service held at Methodist Cathedral of Blessing, Palm - Avenue, Lagos… recently

L-R: President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Bernard Bankole; Pioneer Chairman, Agency Investigation Panel, Mrs. Fatima Gorbati; MD/CEO, Med-View Airline\Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Muneer Bankole; President, Aviation Round Table (ART), Dr. Gabriel Olowo; former Minister of Aviation, Captain Benoni Briggs; and Manager Corporate Sales, British Airways, Mrs. Adetutu Otuyalo, at the 2019 Quarterly Business Breakfast meeting of Aviation Safety RoundTable Initiative held in Lagos ...recently.

KOLAWOLEALLI

R-L: General Overseer, Evangel Pentecostal Church, Okota, Lagos, Iheanyi Ejiogu; Church Secretary/Coordinator of #DoGoodFriday, Pastor Gloria Oriaku; Deputy General Overseer of the church, Ikechukwu Kalu; and one of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Augustina Okoro, during the presentation of gift by the pastor at #DoGoodFriday programme held in Lagos...recently PHOTO:ETOP UKUTT

3

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

20.04.2019

NEWS

SPURS SET TO HALT CITY

PAGE. 32

Paolo Iweru Juve’s New Kid on the Bloc

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

30

GLOBAL SOCCER

Paolo Iweru Juve’s New Kid on the Bloc Paolo Iweru last weekend became the first player of Nigerian descent born this century to feature in the Italian Serie A after he made his full debut for the Italian champions as they suffered a 2-1 loss to SPAL last Saturday at the age of 17 years, 11 months and 19 days

weru became the youngest footballer to play in the Italian top flight in the 2018-19 campaign, beating the previous record held

by Emanuel Vignato, who was aged 18 years, four months and 28

days when he stepped out onto the Allianz Stadium turf in the 61st minute of Chievo Verona’s 3-0 loss to Juventus on January 21, 2019.

The absolute record for the

youngest player of Nigerian descent to debut in the Serie A is held by Stefano Okaka, who made his maiden appearance for Roma aged 16 years, four months and nine days in De-

cember 2005.

At 16 years, 10 months and 10 days, former AC Milan striker Mohammed Aliyu Datti remains the youngest Nigerianborn player to feature in the

31

APRIL 20, 2019 ˾ THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Iweru

Iweru tries to beat an opponent

Serie A. A pacy and physical defender who knows how to read the game, Iweru was born in Torino and has represented Italy at U-16, U17 and U-19 levels.

Meanwhile, the Italy U-19 international defender is proud of his Nigerian roots and in the future will consider representing the African nation at international level.

Last Saturday at the age of 17, Iweru showed no sign of a player who was making the step up from the Serie C to the apex league.

The issue of his nationality caught the attention of Nigerians judging by his name Iweru but his picture with the Nigerian flag on his Instagram page speaks volume.

Furthermore, he finishes most of his post with #Naija and his teammates also call him Nigerian King, a name he answers with pride and has posted it on his social media handle severally. He also follows the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Instagram.

A Nigerian player who played against him at U-17 level in Italy confirmed he is very much interested in issues that concern Nigerian football owing to his questions after the game which was played early this year.

His interest could be a sign of his willingness to switch allegiance to Nigeria, although he is one talent Italy will do all they can to hold

onto as he certainly has a future with their senior national team.

The central defender is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most promising teenagers in Europe at the moment.

The Italian Football Federation are ahead of the Nigerian Federation in the race to secure his services as he has been capped by Italy at U-16, U-17 and U-19 level and became provisionally cap-tied to the Italians after starring at the 2018 European U-17 Championship in England.

Iweru may be playing as a central defender at the moment, but up until two years ago, he was a left-winger and then a midfielder.

He is described as a pacy and physical defender who knows how to read the game; he was promoted to Italy’s U-19 squad

at the start of this season and made his debut for the age group against Croatia on August 14.

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

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKWU THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

GLOBAL SOCCER Head to Head 29/10/18

Tottenham 0-1 Man City

14/04/18

Tottenham 1-3 Man City

16/12/17

Man City

4-1 Tottenham 2-2 Tottenham

21/01/17

Man City

02/10/16

Tottenham 2-0 Man City

14/02/16

Man City

1-2 Tottenham

26/09/15

Tottenham

4-1 Man City

03/05/15

Tottenham

0-1 Man City

18/10/14

Man City

4-1 Tottenham

29/01/14

Tottenham 1-5 Man City

24/11/13

Man City

6-0 Tottenham

21/04/13

Tottenham 3-1 Man City

11/11/12

Man City

2-1 Tottenham

22/01/12

Man City

3-2 Tottenham

28/08/11

Tottenham 1-5 Man City

10/05/11

Man City

14/08/10

Tottenham 0-0 Man City

1-0 Tottenham

Can Spurs Halt City Again, after Shattering Guadiola’s Quadruple Dream?

Manchester City’s hope of defending the English Premier League will face an acid test as they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium in today’s early kickoff. The Citizens are currently second on the league table with a game at hand and a victory will temporarily place them on top of the log before Liverpool take on Cardiff the following day. City won the reverse fixture by a lone goal but were ousted by Spurs in the UEFA Champions League to halt Pep Guardiola’s quadruple ambition

J

ust three days after playing out an all-time classic in the Champions League, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur renew acquaintances again at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League at lunchtime.

Man City know that only victory will be enough to see them leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the table, whereas Spurs also need a win to guarantee that they remain in the driving seat during a fiercely-competitive top-four race.

The quadruple dream is over, and suddenly Manchester City face the prospect of their season changing from historically good to relatively disappointing in

the space of just three days.

Wednesday’s Champions League exit by no means makes Man City any worse a team overnight, but it does present a rare challenge for the players of how they respond to their first major setback of what looked like being a dream campaign.

Pep Guardiola always warned of the difficulties of chasing on four fronts and - if his assertions were to be believed he will not be surprised to have fallen short of completing the unprecedented clean sweep of trophies.

That is not to say that Wednesday’s Champions League exit would not have hurt; the manner in which it happened

- particularly considering the wild fluctuation of emotions surrounding Raheem Sterling’s disallowed stoppagetime ‘winner’ - are bound to have cut deep, and however good City are it will not be easy to pick themselves up for another huge match just three days later.

However, Spurs will also be wary of City looking for revenge. Guardiola’s side could well be a wounded animal heading into this match, and at the very least the end of their Champions League hopes will surely only increase their desire to successfully defend the Premier League title.

That trophy remains in their own hands having played a game fewer than

leaders Liverpool, but City’s seasondefining seven-day run sees them take on Manchester United at Old Trafford next Wednesday and anything other than maximum points from that top-six double-header could hand the initiative back to Jurgen Klopp’s men.

It just so happens that Man City have won more points against the ‘big six’ than any other side this season (19), and it should not be forgotten that they did actually beat Spurs in midweek, despite ultimately crashing out on away goals.

Indeed, the first leg of that tie is the only match City have failed to win in their last 17 outings across all competitions, and incredibly they have won all

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

33

GLOBAL SOCCER Premiership Table

Team Liverpool Man City Tottenham Arsenal Chelsea Man Utd Leicester Wolves Everton Watford West Ham Bournemouth Crystal Palace Burnley Newcastle Southampton Brighton Cardiff Fulham Huddersfield

P 34 33 33 33 34 33 34 33 34 33 34 34 34 34 34 33 32 33 34 34

GD 57 64 30 26 21 19 1 -1 2 -1 -10 -12 -6 -18 -11 -15 -19 -35 -44 -48

Pts 85 83 67 66 66 64 47 47 46 46 42 41 39 39 38 36 33 28 20 14

Premiership TODAY

Man City v Bournemouth v Huddersfield v West Ham v Wolves v Newcastle v

Tottenham 12:30 Fulham 15:00 Watford 15:00 Leicester 15:00 Brighton 15:00 Southampton 17:30

SUNDAY

Everton Arsenal Cardiff

v v v

Utd 13:30 Crystal Palace 16:00 Liverpool 16:00

Hot Shot

13 of their matches at the Etihad Stadium since the turn of the year, scoring 53 goals in the process.

In the Premier League alone Man City are on a nine-match winning streak, and should they extend that to 14 then the title will be theirs - not to mention the prospect of an FA Cup final to come and the EFL Cup already secure in their trophy cabinet.

The Champions League exit is not enough on its own to derail what has still been a remarkable season, then, but now it is all about their response and anything other than victory on Saturday could put their campaign on the road to ruin in the final stretch.

The scenes of jubilation at the final whistle on Wednesday showed what reaching the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time in Tottenham’s history meant to the players and manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The size of the achievement should not be underestimated; Spurs did not sign a single player during either transfer window, have had delays regarding their new stadium hanging over them for much of the campaign and completed the job against City without their talisman Harry Kane.

Now the Londoners can realistically dream of going all the way and lifting the biggest European club trophy of all, 11 years after winning their last major piece of silverware.

It would be some way to end their well-publicised drought, although with Ajax and then either Liverpool or Barcelona to beat before that becomes a reality, Spurs must still ensure that securing their place in next season’s competition remains a priority.

The elation Wednesday brought them will no doubt increase their determination to secure a top-four finish, and that fate remains in their own hands. However, any slip-ups could prove costly from hereon in with only one point separating Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea, and Manchester United then two points further back.

Spurs do at least seem to have returned to form just in time, winning their last two games without conceding after a five-game winless run in the topflight which had seem them slump from title contenders to top-four battlers.

Man City at the Etihad Stadium is an entirely different proposition, though,

and Pochettino will be aware that while a 4-3 defeat still did the job in midweek, a repeat result on Saturday would see them leave empty-handed this time around.

This weekend’s match is Tottenham’s last against another top-six team this season, which will come as a relief considering only Manchester United have won fewer points in the big-six mini-league than Spurs this season.

However, they have saved arguably the toughest for last, and fans will not be encouraged by Tottenham’s woeful recent away form having lost seven of their last eight games on the road across all competitions.

That run includes four successive away league defeats, and a second Etihad reverse in the space of three days would see them beaten five times on the bounce on their travels for the first time since 2004.

Wednesday’s match certainly did not feel like a defeat, though, and Tottenham’s performances against City over both legs will surely give them confidence to believe that the champions can be toppled over 90 minutes this weekend.

NAME

CLUB

GOALS

Sergio Agüero Mohamed Salah Pierre Aubameyang Sadio Mané Raheem Sterling Harry Kane Eden Hazard Jamie Vardy 15 Paul Pogba Alexandre Lacazette Callum Wilson Raúl Jiménez Son Heung-Min Roberto Firmino Gylfi Sigurdsson Richarlison Luka Milivojevic Romelu Lukaku

Man City 19 Liverpool 19 Arsenal 18 Liverpool 18 Man City 17 Tottenham 17 Chelsea 16 Leicester Man Utd 13 Arsenal 13 Bournemouth 12 Wolves 12 Tottenham 12 Liverpool 12 Everton 12 Everton 12 Palace 12 Man Utd 12

Spanish La Liga Fixtures TODAY

Celta Vigo Eibar Vallecano Barcelona

v v v v

Girona Atlético Huesca Sociedad

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

v v v v v v

Espanyol Sevilla Bilbao Leganés Valencia Levante

11:00 13:00 15:15 17:30 19:45 20:00

v v v v v v v v v

AC Milan Sampdoria Frosinone SPAL Torino Chievo Sassuolo Fiorentina Roma

11:30 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 17:00 19:30

v

Atalanta

18:00

SUNDAY

Levante Getafe Madrid Villarreal Real Betis Alavés

Serie A TODAY

Parma Bologna Cagliari Empoli Genoa Lazio Udinese Juventus Inter Milan MONDAY

Napoli

34

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

The Managing Director/CEO, Nigeria Breweries, Mr. Jordi Borrut Bel Jordi presenting a jersey to former Barcelona Captain, Carles Puyol during the Spanish visit to the company in Lagos ...recently

Nigeria baseball team in action

Heineken UCL Trophy Tour

Uyo Stood Still for Spanish Football Legend, Puyol In an effort to let Nigerian fans have a living experience of the UEFAChampions League, sponsor of the competition, Heineken brought three-times winner and face of this year’s competition, Carles Puyol and the trophy to Nigeria. The first port of call was Uyo and for the people of Akwa Ibom capital, it was an experience they will never forget It was Carles Puyol’s second experience in an Africa country.

His first was at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which he won with the Spanish national team.

“Africa holds one of the best memories in my life. I was in South Africa where I played for Spain and was crowned as the World champion, for me it was one of the best memories I have. I can see the passion that the people in that country have for football. This is my first time in Nigeria but I can see the same thing. When I see the people I think the people of Africa have a real passion for football and in the next few days I can get to know the country better,” the

former Barcelona captain said.

Puyol cannot but hail partnership between Heineken and the UEFA Champions League over the years, saying “Heineken has done a great job in bringing the Champions League closer to the fans all over the world, I have been lucky myself getting to see the passion and the love fans all over the world have for this game and most especially for the UEFA Champions League. So many players have played in the competition and many have been unlucky enough not to win it.

“For me, there is nothing better than watching a game of football with a bottle of beer. Since I have stopped playing football as a result of some circumstances, the next best thing is to sit down before the television set with a bottle of Heineken with my friends.” Asked which of the three Champion League trophies he won was most memorable, the Catalan said: “All the Champions League trophies I won had fantastic memories but the 2006 edition remains the most

memorable. It was the edition my father witnessed before his death. This year, however, I hope that Barcelona will go all the way, but they needed to concentrate and be focused. Fortunately, the La Liga title is almost in the bag so they can concentrate more on the UEFA Champions League.”

Before his arrival in Nigeria, Puyol has had an experience of Nigeria football when he starred for the Catalans during the Catalunya Invitational tourney against Nigeria.

“I have great memories playing for Catalunya. We played many friendly games but there was always the level of competitiveness in those games and I remember with fond memory the game we played against Nigeria.

It was a tough game and it ended in a 1-1 draw,” he said.

For soccer fans in Uyo, it was an unforgettable experience.

Heineken organised a trophy tour and the people had the opportunity to get closer to the iconic UEFAChampions League trophy and one of the heroes of

the game.

If the trophy tour was thrilling, the game between Puyol-led side against a side led by Nigerian legend, Austin Okocha, was more exciting and the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, was almost filled to capacity and with many more fans not able to make it inside the stadium.

The Heineken 2018/19 Champions League campaign titled ‘Unmissable’ is based on the belief that every UEFA Champions League match has unmissable moments of action for everyone to enjoy.

“We are excited to bring the UEFA Champions League tour presented by Heineken to Uyo and Lagos this year. The tour is a unique experience for global football fans outside Europe to come face to face with the trophy and meet Puyol in their own city,” Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Emmanuel Oriakhi said.

The activities ended in Lagos with a consumer experience at Eko Hotel.

Ibadan Agog for ABU Title Fight on GOtv Boxing Night 18

Boxing fans in Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State as well as neighbouring states are gripped with excitement, as the GOtv Boxing Night 18 approaches. The show, slated to hold on Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan, will see the city host the African Boxing Union (ABU) lightweight title bout, the headline fight, featuring Nigeria’s Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph against Ghana’s Success “Brave Warrior” Tetteh. It will also feature two Ibadan cult box-

ing heroes, Akeem “Dodo” Sadiku and Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola. The latter will seek to dethrone Taofeek “Taozon” Bisuga as the national super featherweight champion, while the former will take on Ekpresso Djamihou of the Republic of Benin in an international light middleweight challenge duel.

Five other fights are lined up, with some of them featuring big names on the domestic boxing scene.

Fans have taken to various social platforms, where they have expressed their delight

and openly declared their preferences for the show’s best boxer award, which carries a cash prize of N1million.

Among Ibadan fans, Scorpion is the preference of the majority for the award. The national title contender won the award at GOtv Boxing Night 15 and is being widely tipped for a repeat.

Joe Boy, who has a large community of fans, mostly from Lagos, is currently running him close and stands a good chance if he puts up a good fight and successfully defends his ABU title.

OAU to Host FISU Games’ Trial

Trials for the 30th edition of International University Sports Federation (FISU) Games in Italy, will hold from April 24 - 28, at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Osun State.

The biennial World University Games which started six decades ago in Torino will be staged in

Napoli, Italy from July 3rd - 14th, 2019, and it will feature 18 various sporting events.

President, Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA), Prof. Stephen Hamafyelto, stated that trials for five sporting events namely; athletics, judo, tennis, table tennis and taekwondo in which they are participating at

the games would commence as scheduled.

Prof. Hamafyelto said: “Preparations for FISU Games 2019 in Napoli, has commenced.

Trials will hold from April 24th - 28th at OAU. All universities participating are to start intensive training of their athletes in preparatory for the trials.

Next to him is Rilwan ‘Baby Face” Babatunde, a two-time winner of the award, who is making a return after a oneyear hiatus. The West African Boxing Union welterweight champion will square up with Ganiyu “Energy” Kolawole in a challenge bout.

Equally enjoying pre-fight fan affection is Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi, best boxer at GOtv Boxing NextGen 4, who is tipped to be a big hit in the bantamweight division very soon.

“Weight categories for judo are as follows: -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, +90kg for men’s category while women category has -52kg, -57 kg, -63kg, -70kg, and +70kg. The men’s team event will feature -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg and +90kg. The Women’s team event are -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, +70kg.

Nigeria Baseball Players Set Sight on Tokyo Olympics The game of baseball has really been on the sidelines in Nigeria, as it were in spite of the huge passion and energy put in the players and administrators of the game. The efforts of the players, their coaches and promoters are barely appreciated by the Nigerian sporting world as their activities are virtually relegated to the background compared to other sports. Now, it appears their toiling over the years could get the big reward this season as their march towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics continues in big ways.

The Nigeria baseball and softball teams have scaled the first zonal hurdle and are now preparing for the challenge in South Africa billed for the month of May. They still have the European group playoffs to face afterwards but these players have never felt the way they are feeling now about the game they so love. They have their sight set now at the Olympics and hardly anything can stop the dream from coming to reality given the confidence they exude and the way they are going about their preparations.

The Chairman, Japan 2020 National Olympic qualifiers, Mr. Chris Dic-Willie is a manager with baseball etched deeply in his hearts. And it is this deep-rooted passion that is driving him on the road to Japan. Dic-Willie and the players were in Ghana last month where they played the regional qualifier that has set them on for a trip to South Africa from April 27. The championship will hold in Johannesburg from May 1st to the 5th.

What has been termed the Ghana/Burkina Faso experience is galvanising the baseball association to plan even a lot bigger now.

But first, they want to get to Tokyo.

“This last competition we played in Ghana was such an opener for us in terms of achieving growth in Nigeria and internationally.

We are exchanging a lot of ideas with our friends in Ghana and Burkina Faso and we have realised that there are quite a lot to do; indeed new opportunities going forward.

“Opportunities to get help abound but we have to tidy up a lot of things back home. And one of the ways of getting up so high is to pursue the run to the Olympics highly. Once we are able to get those far opportunities should open quite more for the players and teams. “Getting to this stage has been quite encouraging but I can imagine how good it would be if the Nigerian Olympic contingents land in Japan with the baseball and softball teams.”

Willie who is also the Chairman of the Rivers State Baseball and Softball Association told our correspondent that they have been quite helped by notable individuals and a few corporate bodies in their quest to build up the game in Nigeria.

He says that Gen. Ishola Williams ( rtd .) who has been a fatherfigure for Nigeria baseball and softball remains that a formidable source of help to the current players.

“And then, of course, Ndi Onyiuke-Okereke is still giving full support just as the President, Baseball and Softball Nigeria Victor Fingesi can hardly close his eyes for a minute as we battle to reach where we think we ought to be by now.”

The national team’s trip to Ghana for the first stage of the qualifiers was bankrolled by GCA Energy Limited – an indigenous oil and gas company. The same firm is playing quite a huge role in the trip to Johannesburg.

But Dic-Willie is not the only one feeling so sure about the future and with sight set on Tokyo. The national coach Ike Magnus and the Development Secretary Samson Omotosho are hopeful.

Magnus says more corporate and government support should see the team going far above what they are doing now.

“If we can get more support we can crossover to the Euro/ Africa stage and battle for the tickets to the Olympics. We are more competitive now. “The European challenge makes it look quite tough but we are capable. Funding challenges left us camping for just 10 days before we went to Ghana but more support from government and corporate world will make things a lot easier for the team. Incentives will surely ginger players to extra levels.”

Omotosho sees quite a bright future as he quiped, “We are taking the games more than before to the schools. We have as many as 15 schools in Lagos, for instance, and Kwara about seven engaged seriously in the game. This may sound low but it has never been so. Other states are moving up and we will keep expanding for the future. The states and their principal officers have been challenged the more. And we are also now touching on the higher institutions more.”

But for now, the challenge is South Africa from May 1st to the 5th.

The ladies will take on hosts South Africa, Botswana and Kenya for a ticket to Holland where they will play Euro-Africa elimination for the softball spots to Tokyo Olympics.

The men will take on Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Congo and hosts South Africa for the Euro-African stage.

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

35

GLOBAL SOCCER

Chuks Aneke A Whiff of Racial Abuse

A

meme on Instagram appeared to compare Chuks Aneke to a monkey and was allegedly uploaded by a fan of Tranmere Rovers, after beating the Milton Keynes Dons 2-1 last Saturday. Tranmere have however promised to refer the post to the police and vowed to impose bans if any of their fans were involved.

MK Dons described the abuse as “totally disgusting and unacceptable”. A statement from Rovers last Sunday night said: “Earlier this evening, (we) were made aware of a racist social media post which we have already referred to the police and we shall provide them with all of the assistance they require to investigate the matter.

“In addition, we have already commenced our own inquiries and, in the event that the racist comment involves one or more of our fans, we shall not hesitate to issue the appropriate bans. We have a record of zero tolerance of hate crime and such behaviour has no place in our club or in football.

“Until the police investigation and our own inquiries have been completed, the club will be making no further comment.”

London-born former Arsenal trainee Aneke, 25, played for all 90 minutes as the promotion-chasing Dons were beaten at Prenton Park.

Aneke’s club added in a statement: “MK Dons is aware of a racist social media post, made last Sunday, which was directed at one of our players, Chuks Aneke.

“Needless to say, the club is appalled at the nature of this totally disgusting and unacceptable post.

The individual responsible must be held to account and we will play our part in working towards that outcome. Like many in the game, MK Dons are distressed by the increasing number of racism incidents which are sadly, and once again, tarnishing football.

“As well as providing Chuks with whatever support he needs, we will continue to work with our players, our supporters, and all those in football, as well as others in society, so that together we can eradicate all forms of discrimination from our game.”

Milton Keynes Dons say they are “appalled” after their forward Aneke was allegedly made the subject of a racist social media post on Sunday.

MK Dons have found themselves in a shoot-out with Mansfield Town for the last automatic promotion spot in League Two this season, despite seemingly being set for a title showdown with Lincoln City at one point.

As the Imps and Bury fight it out for the top two positions, it’s left to Mansfield and the Dons to settle for third or fourth, as long as they can hold off Tranmere coming up in fifth position, which they failed to achieve.

It’s an engrossing end to a season packed full of twists and turns, but for one 25-year-old it might all be a

bit damaging to his career.

Aneke had a fine footballing upbringing, coming through the ranks at Arsenal and enjoying loan spells with Crewe Alexandra. He looked set for a bright future but a move to Zulte Waregem didn’t work out as he might have hoped.

He came back to England with MK Dons who, at the times, harboured ambitions of the Championship.

Instead, they plunged into League Two with Aneke seemingly set for a summer departure. A loan move to crisis-club Bolton Wanderers didn’t materialise and after an indifferent start where he trained just twice with Paul Tisdale’s side, he got his head down and applied himself.

He came into the side in September, finally in the right frame of mind to make an impact and he did just that. In his 33 appearances in all competitions, he’s bagged 17 goals.

How he’ll be feeling now is the question. He’s certainly kept himself in the headlines, scoring goals and applying himself well, but what if his side do not earn a promotion?

The Bolton move collapsing will feel like a reprieve in hindsight, but surely he’ll be looking for the next big move in the summer.

Aneke is an athletic striker with a great record in League Two, but if MK Dons don’t match his ambition then he could hunt a move again this summer.

Milton Keynes Dons currently sit third in League Two on a four-game winning streak and one player’s form has been a huge contributing factor to the team’s recent success.

Aneke’s future with the team has been a matter of debate for quite some time, never more so than when it appeared that the former Arsenal youth product was set to join Bolton Wanderers earlier in the summer. Since his return to the line-up, however, Aneke has gone above-and-beyond. The Dons have also had a strong record since his return to the team.

Speaking to the Northampton Chronicle, Keith Curle said: “He is playing well, and has had a resurgence in recent weeks.

“He has always been a big, quick, powerful and strong boy, and now he is getting the understanding, and is getting the accolades. He is now putting the icing on the cake and is finishing well, scoring goals, and being a threat.”

Having Aneke firing at the rate he is, with 56 per cent of his shots on target and a 20 per cent conversion rate, averaging a goal every 112 minutes, the Dons look primed to make a real challenge for automatic promotion this season.

The future of the big Englishman is still a question mark, but for the present, the team and the fans will be enjoying the positivity coming out of Stadium MK and the contributions that Aneke has made in recent weeks.

Chuks

36

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t "13*- , 2019

FAIRGROUND Gladys Lasila Ties the Knot with Ian Brown

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

I

t was double celebration for Gladys Lasila who walked down the aisle for the first time at the age of 50 on April 13th, 2019, same day as her birthday.

Gladys who got married to her oil and gas engineer husband, Mr. Ian Brown before their families and friends, says the feeling of getting married at 50 is definitely exciting.

The Nigerian-UK image consultant and luxury personal shopper, Gladys also says that Mr. Brown is the best thing that has happened to her.

The star-studded wedding kicked off with taking of vows by the couple at their residence after which the guests and the couple had a grand reception at "The Grill by Deli's", in Victoria Island - Lagos.

After the wedding reception, the bride changed into her gorgeous birthday dress, the third for the day as party continued.

The restricted event was attended by personalities such as Tunde Ireni Folawuyo, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, governor-elect of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, actors, Ini Edo and Kate Henshaw, celebrity stylists, Swanky Jerry and Moses Ebite, Designers, Joy Chico Ejiro, Yvonne Nwosu and Adebayo Oke-Lawal as well as the founder, Oasia MesSpa, Freda Francis amongst others.

The reception was hosted by Frank Edoho.

Ian Brown and His Bride, Gladys

Ini Edo, Frank Edoho and Muma Gee

Senator Florence Ita Giwa, Gladys (The Bride) and Ogun State Governor-Elect Prince Dapo Abiodun

Tunde and Reni Folawiyo, Gladys (The Bride), Senator Florence Ita Giwa and Ogun State governor-elect, Prince Dapo Abiodun

Yvonne Nwosu, Gladys (The Bride) and Jeremiah Ogbodo (Swanky Jerry) Ian Brown (The Groom) and Tunde Folawiyo

Joy Chico Ejiro and Kate Henshaw

The Couple cutting their wedding cake

Freda Francis, Dr Bruce Nwachie and a guest

Tunde Folawiyo, Reni Folawiyo with Joke Shogunro

Gladys (The Bride) and Adelis

37

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t "13*- , 2019

FAIRGROUND

Taxify Evolves to Bolt, Plans Broader Vision

T

axify, the leading on-demand transportation platform, has changed its name to Bolt and introduced a new logo. The update brings the brand identity in line with the company’s broader vision of transportation that has already expanded from ride-hailing, with cars and motorbikes, to scooter sharing.

Speaking on why the company chose to make the change, Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder, Bolt said, “Taxify launched five years ago with a mission to make urban transportation more convenient and affordable. Our first product was a taxi dispatch solution that gave the company its original name.”

The Estonian-born tech company has evolved in leaps and bounds since its inception to now serve 25 million customers in over 30 countries globally, making it a leader in Europe and Africa. It was also the first company to bring ride-hailing

and scooter sharing together in one single app and is currently working on expanding the scooter sharing service across a number of European cities.

“While we’ve made progress on our mission, we’ve also started to outgrow parts of our brand, including the name. Given our ambition to solve transportation problems on an increasingly broader scale, we want the brand to reflect the company’s future rather than the past. Our new name ‘Bolt’ stands for fast, effortless movement – exactly what the experience of getting around in a city should be, be it by car, scooter or public transport. It also underscores our belief that the future of transportation will be electric”, Regional Manager for West Africa at Bolt, Uche Okafor, explained.

The new brand will be gradually rolled out across Bolt’s global markets over the following weeks.

Bolt users will not need to take any action as the app will update automatically.

The Funky Brunch Lagos; Taking Day Time Partying to a New Level

T

he Ultimate day party powered

by French leading Champagne brand, Veuve Clicquot in collaboration with Bespoke PR is taking it up a notch higher Monday-April 22nd, 2019 at the rooftop of mega

plaza car park.

With an inclination to only prime locations and quest to produce the funkiest rooftop parties, is no wonder that the Funky Brunch is being hosted at a rooftop that gives its guest perfect view of the lagos metropolis. “My team and I thought really hard about choosing a new venue for the Funky brunch because of how important our guests are to us and the experience we want to share. After much deliberation and search, we found the rooftop of the mega plaza car park and fell in love with it instantly” Nimi Briggs, Creative Head, Bespoke PR explained.

This premium event will also feature a fashion show by luxury fashion designer Adesola Adepoju of House of Jahdara, multiple Picturesque areas, games, food and 40,000 Watts of sound delivered by eight of the best DJ’s in Lagos right now- Dj Consequence, DJ Prince, DJ K-Flow, DJ Six7ven, DJ Kenny, DJ Debby, DJ Last Don and a special one hour set by award winning producer known for hits like Wizkid’s “Ojuelegba” - SARZ from his epic album “Sarz is not your mate”.

Funky Brunch, the one day event that traditionally holds once every month in different cities will be pulling every stop to produce the coolest day party in Lagos which coincides with fashion week making it the ultimate fashion week after party.

The BespokePR team have ensured delivery of invites to premium guests from top models, VIPs, Top Socialites from corporates, lifestyle, fashion, music and arts.

“The funky brunch which has held a reputation for delivering the best brunch experience since its inception with it’s “Funky Spice” is raising the bar this time with the music, food, fashion and many side attractions including board games and the ‘Best Dressed’ award”.-Akunwa Moemeke- Head of Projects,The Funky Brunch.

As it is the culture, the Bespoke PR team will not compromise on the quality of the funky Brunch.

From the music, DJ lineup, activities, security

Uti Nwachukwu and Kate Henshaw

to the guests, “it’s all about the experience for us and we are constantly thinking of ways to improve on that. For us, this is one experience our guests won’t be forgetting in a while”. Efe Tommy, BespokePR Founder shared.

Funky Brunch which started in September 2018, has become one of the most anticipated music and lifestyle event beloved by celebrities, fashionistas, and now attracts a staggering 1,5002000 upwardly mobile millennials across Lagos and outside of the metropolitan city.

The Funky Brunch team has certainly worked hard to put together a thrilling event and there is no better place to be on Easter Monday, April 22nd , 2019.

L-R: Terver Bendega, Uche Okafor and Marilin Noorem

Chico Ejiro’s Night Bus to Lagos for Private Screening It's safe to regard the legendary director and filmmaker, Chico Ejiro as one of the pioneers of Nollywood given his work ethics and how much he has impacted on the film industry over the years.

The father of four and a graduate of Agriculture, has produced and directed countless of home movies since the start of his career.

Mr. Prolific as he is popularly known, was away from the scene for some time but of course it's obvious he has been the hardest worker behind closed doors as he returns with yet another blockbuster, "Night Bus To Lagos ".

Talking about his time away from the industry in a recent interview, he said: “The production ecosystem changed. It was the era of new technology and the funds to keep up with the dynamism became an issue. But we didn’t stop working; we only slowed down the pace.”

Ejiro's latest project "Night Bus To Lagos " is definitely one for the books.

The script, casting, directing, delivery and the general production is nothing as the usual and it will be worth the while.

It stars Pete Edochie, Monalsa Chinda Coker, Bolanle Ninalowo, Daniel Llyord, Racheal Oniga, Eddie Watson, Paul Obazele, Ebube Nwagbo, Lisa Omoriodion and Omowumi Megbele.

"Night bus to Lagos" centers on a play boy, Voke who settles for Mira, a high class girl who inherited her

Chico and Joy Ejiro

parents wealth. His mission is to get her family's money and suddenly his past comes hunting.

This is definitely a movie to look out for.

Jobberman CEO & Co-Founder Exits After nearly 10 years, Jobberman CEO & CoFounder is leaving the company to pursue his passion of building and backing enduring companies by becoming a professional investor.

Jobberman is the leader in the online recruitment space in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa - since 2016 belonging to the ROAM Group - with more than 2 million registered professionals and over 50,000 employers.

Matthew Page, Head of Jobs of Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM) steps in as interim CEO and he has this to say: “We wish Ayodeji incred-

ible success in the future and we are grateful for the impressive work he has done in building a remarkable brand”.

Ayodeji shared some remarks: “It is truly overwhelming but I have the comfort of knowing I leave Jobberman in better hands than my own. It is such an incredible feeling and honour to experience what you founded take a life of its own. I think it is great timing to say goodbye and explore what is next. I will remain close to the company and have full faith in the team and new management to continue to solve Nigeria’s recruitment needs.”

Ayodeji

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t"13*- , 2019

AUTO

The new Marcopolo Paradisio 1350 bus

Weststar, Marcopolo Present the new Generation Paradiso 1350 Bus Model Stories by Bennett Oghifo

R

eputable operators of middle and long distance commercial transportation in Nigeria and other key stakeholders were in Lagos, this week, to take part in the launch of the new Marcopolo Paradisio 1350 bus into the Nigerian market.

The presentation of the new generation bus was performed by Weststar Associates Limited, authorised general distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria, at their facility in Lekki, in collaboration with Auto Alternative Nigeria Limited, the authorised representative of Marcopolo in Nigeria.

According to Weststar’s officials, the new generation Paradiso 1350 is even better than its predecessors, as it was designed to provide the best passenger experience and greater comfort and safety to the driver. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and the driver is highly

prioritised, as the space between the driver’s cab and the passengers’ section is partitioned with bulletproof glass and the drivers cab is also partitioned with a protective glass door. The Paradiso 1350 bus is built with the ever reliable Mercedes-Benz 0 500 RSD bus chassis developed for middle and long distance travel, and it is a robust and highly durable vehicle that is built to carry 24 tonnes and a body length of up to 14 meters. The Marcopolo Paradiso1350 bus with the Mercedes-Benz O 500 RSD chassis is now available for purchase courtesy Weststar Associates Limited.

They said the new Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 brings external and internal changes that raise the level of sophistication, comfort, safety and efficiency, compared to its predecessors.Arenewed exterior sees the Paradiso 1350 appear with newly designed mirrors that offer better driver visibility, newly designed bumpers and side windows and a new visual identity in the front; while the rear comes with a larger back cover that improves access to mechanical components

and rear windows with a new design. Another major feature of the exterior is the headlights with new internal design and integrated DRL (Daytime Running Lights), also included in the headlights are LED fog lights and an elongated side wall design giving a modern feel and flow to the light assembly.

The interior of the new Marcopolo Paradiso 1350 is totally transformed from the driver’s cabin with new lighting to the dashboard with soft touch finish and more thermoacoustic comfort.

There is also an electric window next to the driver that comes as an optional extra, while the larger access steps come with injected profiles and indirect lighting for ease of entrance, other features include new floor coverings and a new roof design with superior lighting and LED details.

The O 500 RSD 2436 6x2 chassis is equipped with an OM 457 LA engine that comes with 6 in-line cylinders. The power output is 265 kW (355 hp) at 1,750 rpm and is operated via a 6 speed manual gear transmission.

Our Customers, Partners Make Us Strong, Formidable, Says Ade. Ojo

C

hairman, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Chief Michael Ade. Ojo has said that the company is strong and formidable because of the cooperation and support of their ever-reliable customers and partners.

Chief Ade. Ojo stated this at the Toyota Awards/Customer Night ceremony, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, recently.

“Our customers in particular have supported us through thick and thin. They continue to be our source of strength and pillar of support. Their support has made us a force to reckon with in the automobile industry in the country,” which is the reason they are always celebrated.

He said the nation’s economy experienced series of crises over the years but that the last few years, in particular, had been extremely tough. “Purchasing power of average Nigerians has been thoroughly weakened; this coupled with the unprecedented surge in the prices of goods and services, have made acquisition and ownership of new vehicles extremely difficult for average Nigerians.

This has inevitably resulted in a huge drop in sales of vehicles.”

He said regardless if the monumental challenges in the economy, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited would continue to devise means that would enable their customers to enjoy their brand. “We will continue to initiate customer-friendly, business-improvement strategies aimed at making our brand more affordable” with the introduction of more

L-R: Representatives of Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Defence and Lagos Liaison Officer, Mrs. Arinola Odeyemi, receiving the best customers award plague and cheque from the Chairman, Toyota Nigeria Limited, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo; and the Executive Director, Mrs. Taye Ade-Ojo, during the 2019 Toyota awards night, at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos… recently KOLA OLASUPO

affordable Toyota models and spare parts.

He pointed to the recent introduction of the Toyota Rush into the Nigerian market, adding that the model had enjoyed tremendous acceptance and patronage by their customers. The company’s aftersales

architecture has continuously been improved to give customers value for their money and that they were committed to do all that was necessary at all times to sustain the culture of superior quality and excellent customer service.

Kia Reveals China-exclusive K3 and K3 Plug-in Hybrid at Auto Shanghai 2019 Kia Motors Corporation’s Chinese venture, Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motors Co. (DYK), has revealed the new Kia K3 and K3 Plug-in Hybrid at Auto Shanghai 2019. The latest version of the mid-sized sedan has been designed and engineered specifically for the Chinese market. The new K3 features a unique exterior design, matched by a spacious, high-quality cabin and powered by a range of highly-efficient gasoline and plug-in electrified powertrains. In addition, the car is offered with a series of China-specific technologies and functionality.

“The K3 has been designed and engineered with Chinese drivers in mind, and is built locally, with a range of features and characteristics aimed at exceeding the high expectations of young Chinese drivers,” said Jay Yoon, Vice President and Head of Brand & Marketing Group at DYK. “With more space and technology than ever, and a stunning new design inside and out, the new model isn’t just a rational choice, but a highly desirable one, too.”

Following their debut at Auto Shanghai 2019, the K3 will go on sale across China in the second quarter of the year.

The K3 and K3 Plug-in Hybrid are joined in Shanghai

by DYK’s new China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) competitor, the K3 CTCC, demonstrating the dynamic performance potential of Kia’s latest model.

DYK is also displaying the new ‘Imagine by Kia’ concept, first seen at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, as well as interactive exhibitions of the brand’s latest in-car technologies.

China-exclusive K3 revealed with stunning new design Making its debut in Shanghai is the new K3, created exclusively for Chinese customers and offering a range of new design and technology features.

The design of the new K3 was overseen by Vice President and Head of Kia Design China, Oleg Son. The vehicle’s bodywork is characterized by smooth, sculpted surfaces and sharp, precise lines, creating a clean, modern aesthetic that stands out on the road.

Precision details give the new K3 a modern, technical appearance, including the ‘heartbeat’ light signature in its LED head- and tail-lights, a visual cue hinting at the car’s ability to quicken the pulse of its owners.

The new K3 is available with a range of powertrains engineered to meet the unique tastes and requirements of Chinese drivers. The car is offered with two gasoline engines – a 1.5-liter gasoline engine, and a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline direct injection (T-GDi) engine.

The 1.5-liter engine offers best-in-class fuel efficiency, while both engines offer exciting, fast-revving on-road performance, despite their downsized displacement.

Introducing DYK’s new energy leader – the K3 Plug-in Hybrid The K3 Plug-in Hybrid is also revealed for the first time in Shanghai, designed to consolidate DYK’s position as a leader in the new energy vehicle market.

The exterior and interior of the K3 Plug-in Hybrid are subtly different from the more conventional K3 models, with a design intending to reflect its aerodynamic, highly-efficient nature.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t"13*- , 2019

39

AUTO

Ford Mustang Claims Title of Best-Selling Sports Coupe in the World for 4th Straight Year Stories by Bennett Oghifo

A

T 'PSE NBSLT .VTUBOH T 55th anniversary on this National Mustang Day, enthusiasts everywhere are celebrating the world’s best-selling sports coupe for the fourth consecutive year.

'SPN "VTUSBMJB UP 1FSV .VTUBOH reigns as the best-selling sports coupe in the world for 2018, selling 113,066 cars, according to data from IHS Markit.

2018 not only marks the fourth straight year of Mustang’s global leadership as world’s best-selling sports coupe, but also as best-selling sports car in the United 4UBUFT XIFSF 'PSE TPME .VTUBOHT last year, according to a statement by the automaker.

'PSE T HBMMPQJOH QPOZ SFNBJOT POF PG the best-selling sports cars in South Africa having sold 2,615 units since it went on sale locally in 2016, according to a statement by the automaker, the statement said. i8F CSPLF UIF NPME XIFO 'PSE MBVODIFE UIF .VTUBOH ZFBST BHP u TBJE +JN 'BSMFZ 'PSE QSFTJEFOU HMPCBM markets. “Nothing says freedom, the wind in your hair and the joy of driving like Mustang; it’s an icon. The roar of its V8 on a spring day, there’s nothing better.

2019 Ford Mustang

No wonder it’s the most popular sports DPVQF JO UIF XPSME u Mustang was available for purchase in 146 markets in 2018, based on worldwide 'PSE TBMFT EBUB More than 500,000 sixth-generation

Mustangs have been sold worldwide since 2015, with the pony picking up an additional half point of global share last year to capture 15.4 percent of the segment. This was fueled in part by the new Mustang Bullitt, which exceeded global

sales forecasts by 25 per cent.

Global sales data are based on IHS Markit 2018 total new vehicle registrations for all sports car segments. U.S. sales are based on 2018 industry reported sales.

Major Brands ConďŹ rm Attendance of Lagos Motor Show

A

large number of the representatives of major brands of automobiles, manufacturers of spare parts, accessories, lubricants, players in banking, insurance sectors, regulatory and policy making agencies and bodies are taking part in the upcoming 14th -BHPT .PUPS 'BJS BOE UI "VUPQBSUT &YQP "GSJDB 5IF $IBJSNBO PSHBOJTJOH DPNNJUUFF BOE UIF MD, BKG Exhibitions, Mr. Ifeanyi Agwu said this in a statement, adding that “though the sector is passing through turbulent times in the country the persistence of major players in participating in this event is attributable to the importance they attach to it as a key event for demonstrating and showcasing capabilities and potentials. “We cannot but attribute their consistency to the strategic importance attached to it by all the stakeholders in the industry who have been working hard and making sacrifices. It has been a collective effort and all hands have continually been on deck, starting from the private sector to the various agencies of government at the state BOE GFEFSBM MFWFMT u

All the major brands available in Nigeria and to some extent abroad will be showcased,Agwu said, urging every stakeholder to endeavour to showup BU UIF FWFOU CJMMFE UP UBLF QMBDF BU UIF 'FEFSBM 1BMBDF Hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos from May 6-11, 2019. He said it would be a unique and veritable opportunity for all to show the strength and ruggedness of the players in the sector.

He said exhibitors of automobiles, lubricants, auto parts, accessories, security gadgets and allied sectors would be at the fair with different mouthwatering offers for the visitors, customers and prospective target audience. “So, he over ten thousand expected visitors will definitely be treated as the king by these exhibitors as they jostle for a rewarding business MFBE GSJFOETIJQ QBSUOFSTIJQ BOE JODSFBTFE TBMFT u He said players in the financial sector would present auto financing and acquisition facilities and schemes. “Those interested in enjoying the synergy existing between the automobile industry and the Insurance sector will get the best and latest GSPN SFQVUBCMF *OTVSBODF $PNQBOJFT BU UIF GBJS arena. Some of the automobile dealers will showcase Participants at last year’s Lagos Motor Fair UIFJS PXO JO IPVTF Ă OBODF BDRVJTJUJPO TDIFNFT u

Between Day dreaming and Phoning

I

f you are one of the serial offenders still in the habit of phoning behind the wheels, you need to do a rethink on that habit because of the new discoveries on distracted driving.

That is why today, I wish to treat a topic I am sure will shock most motorists: Daydreaming. This piece is not about the psychology of daydreaming but the dangers behind the wheels.

You may say you are a dreamer. You may equally say that everybody dreams, including my humble self. However, you are advised to put your dreams on hold until you are off the road. Remember that in my earlier piece, I warned about the dangers of using your phone while driving. But the new study claims that it is even more dangerous to daydream behind the wheels. Daydreaming, according to Wikipedia, is a short-term detachment from one’s immediate surroundings, during which a person’s contact with reality is blurred and partially substituted by a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake. There are of course many definitions, but that is not my focus. There are also the good and the bad side of daydreaming. My concern in this piece is on the dangers you put yourself today on the road. When I warned against driving and phoning, I told you that you are four times likely to be involved in a crashing

SAFE DRIVING with Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa (Corps Commander) Corps Public Education Officer Federal Road Safety Corps. + 2348033026491 in the case of daydreaming behind the wheels.

The finding says you are five times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash because you were lost on thought, than if you were distract-ed by texting or talking on the phone. A research conducted by Erie Insurance Group focused on the 65,000 fatal crashes that occurred in the US over die last two years - between 2011 and 2012 - identifying 10 per cent as the result of some form of distracted driving-in line with federal and other insurance industry estimates. The research also surprisingly identified 62 per cent of the crashes as the result of simply being lost in thought. That might mean failing to recognise a dangerous curve on the road, running into the back of another vehicle, surging through a red light or some other driver error. By comparison, POMZu QFSFFSJU PGGBUBM BDDJEFOUT DPWFSFE by the data were blamed on some form of mobile phone use. The results showed that

rubbernecking accounted for 7per cent, kids or other occupants, 5 per cent, reaching for an object elsewhere in the car, 2 per cent, while eating or drinking accounted for 2 per cent.

This report follows a recent state farm study by the Detroit Bureau, that nearly half of drivers under 29 use the Internet at least once a month while behind the wheels. These findings are indeed a confirmation that driving, as postulated by the Road Society for the Prevention of Accidents, is a dangerous; vocation that demands full concentration at all times.

While you ponder over this new: discovery, I will like to do a rehash of; my previous piece on blackberry, just to refresh your mind. Some DBMM JU UIF rOFX DSB[F JO UPXO 'PS PUIFST JU JT the vogue, the latest status symbol. It comes in all shades: blackberry-bold, blackberry-storm and blackberry-curve. Truth is that this latest invention for freaky phone lovers is a delight UP CFIPME 'PS UIF NPCJMF NBO JU QSPWJEFT BMM the tools to run your business on the move; CVU GPS VT JO UIF 'FEFSBM 3PBE 4BGFUZ $PSQT blackberry is a killer because of the level of abuse seen daily on the wheels. I know I wrote about the phoning phobia over a year ago, CVU UIJT DSB[F EPVCMFT CZ UIF EBZ BOE TDBSFT NF TUJGG $IFDL PVU UIF BWFSBHF CMBDLCFSSZ users, especially the ones who own cars. One trait among them is their mannerism on the wheels even though a good number display gross ignorance of relevant traffic rules and a diehard penchant for violating these rules.

This trait is no respecter of sex, education, tribe or height, or even looks. Whether the user lives on the highbrow Lekki, Ikoyi or Victoria Island, be it Banana Island or maybe Douglas Road in Owerri, hno State, or even /ZBOZB JO EJF 'FEFSBM $BQJUBM 5FSSJUPSZ UIF show-off is the same. All blackberry users have their peculiar swag-attitude. Daily on the road, in all manner and shades of vehicles, they flout their new toy as they text, e-mail chat, phone, browse the face-book and do all sorts in the name of displaying their new status. Some are bold enough to display UIJT iDSB[Fu SJHIU JOTJEF UIF QSFNJTFT PG UIF 'FEFSBM 3PBE 4BGFUZ $PSQT BOE XPVME HP UP any length to deny their act when caught.

The major highways are not even spared CZ UIFN EFTQJUF UIF TQFFE DSB[F CZ NPTU drivers. Even in the church during services, they do same.

4FDUJPO TVC TFDUJPO [ GG PG UIF 'FEFSBM 3PBE 4BGFUZ $PNNJTTJPO &TUBCMJTINFOU BDU

of 2007, prohibits making or receiving phone calls whiledriving. In fact, it was because of this ugly trend that, as sector commander JO UIF 'FEFSBM $BQJUBM 5FSSJUPSZ B DPVQMF PG years ago that, introduced a compulsory psychiatric test for such offenders at the National Hospital, in addition to a one-week public enlightenment. You would be shocked to know that a good number of those arrested were found mentally unstable “When I warned against driving and phoning, I told you that you are four times likely to be involved in a crashing in the case of daydreaming behind the wheels.

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T H I S D AY ˾ SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2019

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER t "13*- , 2019

MARKET PLACE with Omolabake Fasogbon... 08155131874

Co-founder, Five Cowries Initiative and Director, Hatch Ideas, Yemisi Mokuolu ; Chairman, Teach for Nigeria, Gbenga Oyebode and Founder, Five Cowries Initiative, Polly Alakija at the 2019 launch of the Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative in Lagos recently

Ambassador, Team Up to Clean Up Campaign , Mide Martins; Lagos State House of Assembly member, Surulere Consistency 1, Hon. Desmond Elliot; Assistant Director, Health Education, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Akintunde Ibironke; Brand Manager, Hypo, Onome Asagbra and General Manager, Hypo, Praveen Kartaki during the 2019 ‘Hypo Team Up to Clean Up ‘ activity that held at LSDPC, Alaka Estate, Surulere, Lagos .. recently

Lagos, Hypo Team up to Mark World Health Day The Lagos State Government has joined force with Hypo, the flagship brand of Tolaram Group, to raise awareness on healthy lifestyle to mark the 2019 World Health Day. The World Health Day is an initiative of the World Health Organisation that aimed to focus greatest minds on issues of global health as well as set world health agenda in years to come.

With this year’s theme as ‘Universal Health Coverage’, the Lagos State Government through its Ministry of Health, Environment as well as Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the Hypo brand, have harped on healthy lifestyle for a well body.

To drive home their points, both parties engaged members of the public in a 5 kilometer sensitization walk, health symposium and a community cleaning

exercise.

Speaking at the symposium, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, represented by a Director in the Directorate of Disease Control, Dr. Agbolagoriite Olurotimi, reiterated the importance of clean environment, exercise and balanced diet to a healthy life,as he urged members of the public to take cognizance of these three areas.

He also commended Hypo for supporting government efforts at ensuring the wellness of Lagosians through it various health focused programmes.

Also speaking, representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Barrister Oluwatoyin Odusanya, said: “The brand has made its mark by focusing on a need that has existed since the beginning of time. Even the bible says cleanliness is next to godliness, this we believe is a philosophy worth embracing

by all and sundry especially the teaming population of women who are saddled with the responsibility of keeping our environment and household clean”.

As part of activities to mark the day was the cleaning up of Alaka Estate in Surulere, Lagos, which saw popular celebrities Hon. Desmond Elliot and Mide Martins, participated in the sanitation exercise.

Speaking on the sanitation exercise tagged ‘Team Up to Clean Up’, Brand Manager, Hypo, Onome Asagbra, said: “It is an activity imbibed by the brand to bring all stakeholders together to clean up their neighbourhoods. The aim of this exercise has always been to elaborate the importance of a clean neighbourhood in disease prevention and control; and to stress the importance of everyone coming together to raise the standards of health and hygiene around us.”

Coca-Cola Donates Medical Equipment to Lagos Hospital Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd, has delivered maternal and neo-natal care equipment to Federal Medical Centre, FMC,Ebute-Metta, Lagos, as part of its Safe Birth Initiative, SBI, project that was launched late last year.

The SBI was launched in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals , OSSAPP- SDGs and an NGO, Medshare International Inc. The initiative sought to challenge maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria, by strengthening capacity in three critical areas which include procurement and supply of maternal and neonatal medical equipment to enable safe deliveries and post-delivery emergency care; training of biomedical engineering technicians to improve equipment maintenance and uptime as

well as reactivating abandoned medical equipment wasting away in public hospitals.

Speaking during equipment handover in Lagos, Coca-Cola West Africa Public Affairs & Communications Director, Mr. Clem Ugorji, stated that FMC Ebute- Metta, was one and the second beneficiary of the 15 recognised major hospitals to benefit from the gesture,which also included kits such as needles ,gloves and injections ,all valued at about $10.8 million.

Ugorji also reiterated the importance of public private partnership towards the achievement the sustainable development goals.

He said: “Active and intentional collaboration between members of the private and public sector is key to transforming healthcare in Nigeria. We commend the good works of our doctors and nurses

Firm Launches New Products

Information Communication Technology company, Brother, has unveiled new product range at a dealers and stakeholders’ conference in Lagos.

This, according to the company, is part of efforts to refresh its products range from business machines to document scanners, for the small medium sized businesses (SMBs), and small office/ home office (SOHOs).

Some of the new products that were brought to the market included, Laser & Inkjet printers, high speed document scanners and labeling printers amongst others.

The Assistant Manager/ Planning Division of the company, Virginia Jonathan, revealed that the company’s latest move was in fulfillment of its regional growth strategy.

She explained that the over 100 years and award winning Japanese brand was committed to enhance the business of its customers, which was why the company has continued to evolve and expand based on consumers trends and demands.

“From sewing machine, we have expanded to technology products, such as scanner, typewriter,

printer, e t.c . As a solution provider, we are not just delivering products but also solutions that guarantee maximum productivity, security and reduce cost.

“For instance, the latest industrial ‘Label printers’ are manufactured to deliver quality, reliability and convenience.

They can be transported to where electrical work is in progress and controlled with a laptop or through mobile apps, enabling customers to print labels on the spot, as needed.

“The new printers are compatible with TZe tapes, the toughest auto-laminated labels in the market.

“Labels printed on TZe tapes work well in industrial environments as they are resistant to water, grease and harsh weather conditions. Labels of up to 24mm in width are accepted, supporting a wider range of applications,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, the company’s Manager, Sales Division, Mohammed Noor, added that the new generation of network scanners recently introduced by the company were designed to improve employees productivity and business efficiency.

but also recognise that there is a limit to what they can do without the critical equipment required for effective diagnosis, testing and treatment.

“Through the SBI, we are pleased to be able to donate vital equipment to aid the work currently being done to safeguard the lives of mothers and babies here and the other hospitals that will receive donations as part of the first phase of the initiative”.

Reacting to the gesture, Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Dr. Adedamola Dada, expressed gratitude to the donors and promised effective utilization and maintenance of the equipment. “ We are grateful to Coca-Cola, the OSSAP-SDGs, Medshare International and the Federal Government for this initiative. Already, since receiving the equipment early this year, we have saved just a little under N10 million in medical and administrative costs.

New Chivita Ice Tea Pack Stands Out in Market Along with its promise of refreshingly natural goodness, Chivita Ice Tea’s recent visually disruptive packaging design that is modern, aspirational and trendy, is helping the brand stand out in a competitive marketplace.

A cross-section of consumers who offered their perspective on the new look Chivita Ice Tea noted that they were excited by the brand’s new positioning under the Chivita Masterbrand. Its new package design is a bold statement of its premium quality, health benefits and consumers’ benefits that has made the product visually appealing to consumers as it maintains its front shelf space and preference.

For Tomiwa Adeleke, a Lagos based lawyer, the rebrand of Chivita Ice Tea was an innovative strategy that connects with consumers because of the pack’s unique imageries which is visually attractive and differentiating from competing brands.

“I drink Chivita Ice Tea very often whenever the need for refreshment arises. For me, its great taste and unique blend of natural tea leaves and real fruits, as well as health benefits, make it a preferred choice for rejuvenation and refreshment.

The brighter and bolder rebranded product pack was a pleasant surprise to me and is triggering positive product enquiries from my friends who are excited about its renewed appeal,” he said.

Agatha Eromosele, a mother of four, who works as a nurse in the Lagos General Hospital stated that the new look Chivita Ice Tea is a welcome development.

“There is no ambiguity as the new design means the product announces itself from afar on the shelf.

Its refreshing benefits are well captured by the persuasive imageries and content on the new product pack.

Beauty Institute Demands Govt Support, Produces New Licentiates A beauty training institute, Spectrum Beauty Academy, Nigeria, has called on government to support the beauty industry, especially in the area of education so as to harness the full potential of the $500billion worth industry.

Founder of the Academy, Mrs. Pamela Olatunji, made this call at the institute’s graduation ceremony that saw to the release of no less than 24 beauticians.

According to Olatunji, Nigerian government is yet to see the industry as the present day gold mine, whereas the sector happened to be the heartbeat of many other developed economies who have come to realise its enormous value to economic growth.

The broadcaster turned beautician also lamented the inadequacy of competent trainers and teachers, as one of the factors challenging the business in this clime.

She craved for government support to formalise the sector by ensuring that practicing

members were genuinely qualified.

“It is quite unfortunate that for a country as populated as Nigeria and for the level of investments and turn out that have been recorded in the beauty segment, I can count the number of qualified teachers. This is why government must take education in this regard more serious and must be willing to support those that showed interest. It must also ensure that practitioners attained a specified level of certification before they are absorbed in the sector.

“As a matter of fact, government in other countries, the United States for instance, give schorlarship to people to learn beauty related courses and ensure that practitioners attain a level of certifications before practicing the vocation. Quite a number of universities in America and other countries offered cosmetology, we equally need to emulate this to enhance the staying power of the industry,” she said.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

SPECIALREPORT

One of the affected houses in Asaula Village

Anguish in Zamfara State Some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Zamfara State, who fled their ancestral homes in the wake of armed bandits attacks are battling with hunger, ailments and lack of shelter, writes Francis Sardauna, who was in the state on special assignment

R

abi Bilyaminu, a nursing mother, was excited when she discovered that she was pregnant. She had, several times, thought of how she would adore the day of her delivery.

Bilyaminu’s expectation was however truncated when armed bandits invaded Asaula Village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. It was an agonising experience for her because she ran to protect her life and that of her unborn child.

Apart from Asaula, several other villages in Tsafe Local Government Area–namely Mandaba, Tabkin-Kazai, Gurbi, Takai and Gangare were attacked on the same day by the bandits who reportedly killed over 200 residents, rendering thousands homeless.

With befog eyes and body yet to be completely rejuvenated, Bilyaminu told our correspondent that she gave birth while fleeing from the pillaging bandits. She left her house in the wee hours of Friday, February 22, 2019 when bandits stormed their village.

Bilyaminu said after she ran for some minutes on that day, she went into labour and was delivered of her baby boy in the bush with the help of other fleeing women from her village (Asaula).

The nursing mother lost her husband and nine children to the attacks that night. But for her late husband’s younger brother, who took her by the hand and made them jumped via one of the room’s widows, he too might have been assassinated by the bandits, who she said brutally shot at anyone in sight.

“That day is unforgettable in my life, how the bandits invaded our home and shot my husband and nine children dead for reasons best known to them. It was my late husband’s

younger brother that grabbed me and said we should run for our lives. We jumped through the window in the room,” the 46-year-old woman cried out.

After escaping from the attackers, Bilyaminu took her new born baby and the little things they had left and migrated to Tsafe Local Government to live with a cousin sister.

However, her relationship with the sister became alienated and she, together with her son, left the sister’s house in search of where to live. With nowhere to go, Bilyaminu took abode in an unroofed shop in Tsafe market.

“We have stayed here for about two months and some weeks now. It is all we can afford because we don’t have to worry about paying house rent. On market day, I do buy sachet water and sell in order to earn a living with my son,” she said, weeping uncontrollably.

There are dozens of Bilyaminus in different abandoned and makeshift buildings all over Zamfara State. There are about 37,000 Internally Displaced Persons in the state, according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Hasira Sabo, a 55-year-old resident of Tangarla-Ardo Village in Shinkafi Local Government Area is currently a refugee at Shinkafi Model Primary School. She narrowly survived the bloody attacks, but at a great cost.

She lost three children, the husband of her daughter and their five children, who were wiped-out in the attack. Tangarla-Ardo was completely razed by the pillaging bandits, who also killed her aged husband.

Hasira Sabo is like a walking corpse. She has nobody to fend for her: “I have nobody to help me, I was told that government wants to take us home; but how will the government take us home without rebuilding our houses that have been destroyed?

“I don’t have a home where I can return to, the house

was burnt with our entire foodstuff. I lost my three children; my daughter, her husband and five children. These are the people who were feeding me. Where will I start from if I am asked to go without adequate arrangement from the government?”

Sabo fell down at the Shinkafi Primary School, where she is currently taking refuge and sustained a fracture on her right leg. “I have been passing through unimaginable pain here, coupled with the trauma I had during the attack.”

The pathetic story of Umaru Abdullahi is not different from that of Hasira Sabo. Abdullahi, 59-year-old, couldn’t believe that he would one day flee his home. In fact, he would have taken such prediction with a pinch of salt even if a futurist had told him to expect such in future.

He was among the survivors who witnessed the mass burial of 21 victims of the attack at Bula Village, in Shinkafi Local Government.

The incident changed the course of his life with only an option of escaping to save his life.

Abdullahi and others in the neighbouring villages fled their homes and are currently nursing their wounds from their close shave with death at Ungwar Sarki in Shinkafi LGA where internally displaced persons are competing for space.

Following the inability of the Zamfara State Government to provide accommodation for them and cater for their housing needs, Abdullahi pays N25,000 yearly for a single room self-contained shared with his wife and seven children.

When THISDAY visited his single-room apartment at Ugwar Sarki, two of his children (Yusufu and Aliyu) look sickly, apparently battling with different ailments. They look pale and cry uncontrollably for lack of food.

Abdullahi, who is sleeping on the floor with his wife and children, said he had no money to take Yusufu and Aliyu to hospital for treatment. “I have no money to take them to Shinkafi General Hospital.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 20, 2019

SPECIALREPORT ANGUISH IN ZAMFARA STATE

Hasira Sabo with her neighbours “So, I give them traditional medicine but the medicine is not working. I beg for food and money daily to feed them. Where will I see money to treat my beloved children? Abdullahi asked in emotion-laden voice.

He called on the state government to offset the medical bills of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who cannot fend for themselves and also ensure “our timely return to our homes by rebuilding our houses and providing adequate security.”

Babangida Maigari, 17, from Kware, Shinkafi Local Government Area, who now resides in Gusau with his step-mother said the bandits killed his parents and his father’s friend, who had paid a visit to them on the day of the attack.

He said four armed men entered their house and carried out the attack. “My brothers and I ran as soon as we heard gunshots.

We saw many people running away too. I miss my parents a lot and I don’t know how I would survive,” he said, sobbing.

Similarly, Idris Maikaratu, who survived the March 5th armed bandits attacks on Majema Village in Zurmi Local Government Area told THISDAY that the attackers kidnapped 31 persons and injured dozens.

The bandits in their hundreds “stormed Majema Village at around 11p.m. and shot sporadically to scare the people away before they embarked on house – to – house search to take away their victims.”

According to him, his mother, wife and two of his younger brothers were among those abducted. “The bandits shot one Sidi Abdulsalam on his hand and kidnapped his two wives and two daughters on the spot.”

According to residents, barely 48 hours after Majema attack, seven men were also kidnapped after unknown gunmen struck at a sport viewing centre in Birnin Magaji town, the headquarters of Birnin Magaji local government.

Confirming the incidence, the Proprietor of the viewing centre, Sanusi Iliyasu Ishie, said the abductors, numbering about 20, invaded the centre, which is located in the outskirts of Birnin Magaji town around 10:00 p.m.

“They parked some distance away from the centre and demanded the whereabouts of the operator. I and the people around answered them in affirmative because we mistook them for security operatives, “Sanusi said.

He said the gunmen held him hostage and broke into the viewing centre and began to pick people indiscriminately and when the football viewers realised that they were under siege, they scampered for safety, screaming for help.

He added: “At the end, they picked seven of the viewers who tried to escape and demanded N100 million each before they could release the victims.”

One of the atrocities of the kidnappers that also stirred fury was the abduction of a housewife, Safaratu Al-kali, while in labour pains.

According to her, she gave birth to a baby less than eight hours after her kidnap, in the adductors’ den. She spent weeks in captivity, later released after undisclosed amount of money was paid by her husband (Al-kali) as ransom.

While narrating her ordeal to our correspondent, Maimuna Lawali of Maijiro Village in Wonaka district of Gusau local government said over 100 of them and their children were forced to flee to Gusau from their village just to save their lives from multiple attacks by the bandits.

Rabi Bilyaminu The bandits set their food crops ablaze which were deposited in their local silos and raped many women during the attacks.

“They killed three of my brothers during the attacks.”

When asked to comment on the whereabouts of her husband, Maimuna said she does not know where her husband was as at press time. “We have no food to eat, no house to sleep and we have no options than to enter the street to beg for something to carter for our lives and that of our vulnerable children,” she said in tears.

Another victim, Shafi’u Gidan from Gusami District of Birnin Magaji local government, said he has three wives and 10 children, but said that they relocated to Tsunami area in Gusau for over 60 days “without food” to feed his family.

He said they were over 600 who fled their ancestral homes to Tsunami, lamenting that since then, no assistance has come from the state, federal or local governments for them.

When contacted, the Executive Secretary, Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), Eng. Sanusi Muhammed Usman, debunked neglecting the IDPs, adding that the agency takes clothing and food materials to them on a daily basis.

“For them to say they have not received any assistance from the state government is wrong. Even yesterday, we distributed food items to 5,000 IDPs at our headquarters here,” Usman said.

The ZEMA boss admitted that the agency was unable to keep up with the alarming rate of displaced persons in the state. “As you are aware, this banditry’ problem is too rampant in Zamfara State.

“What we did initially was to camp the IDPs. When we put them in the camp, the state government takes the whole

Umaru Abdullahi responsibility of their eating and shelter at the camp.”

Reacting to the predicaments bedeviling IDPs across the state, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Abdullahi Muhammad Shinkafi, said the state government had done enough to cater for the well-being of the IDPs. He claimed that not only does the state government provide reliefs for those in the camps, it also gives succour to families of displaced persons and those in uncompleted buildings in Shinkafi, Zurmi, Tsafe and Anka local government areas.

“Government set a formula that a minimum of five hundred thousand naira to a maximum of one million naira is given to the family. For those who lost their property, they were given N250,000 each to rebuild their lives.

“For anyone who had been injured, if the injury level is such that he can take care of himself, he will be given N250,000. But if the injury level required special attention we move them to Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital.

“Since the beginning of Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar administration up to date, we gave out 570 brand new Hiluxs vehicles to security personnel to fight bandits. We also recruited 5,000 Civilian JTF from each of the 17 Emirate Councils totaling 8,500 to assist security agencies in the state,” he explained.

He, however, said over 5,000 lives were massacred and over 9,000 persons were injured since the beginning of the attacks in the state. “This resulted to having over 10,000 orphans, 20,000 widows and 10,000 houses were set ablaze by these criminals.”

While admitting that the crisis had gone beyond farmers/herdsmen clash, Professor Shinkafi affirmed: “We have more than 10,000 bandits occupying different camps in the forests.”

44

˜ ˞ APRIL 20, 2019

EXPRESSION MEDIAGAFFES

Systemic Infractions

W

ELCOME to this Easter weekend edition: “Falana gives petroleum ministry 7 days (days’) ultimatum over $60bn revenue loss� (DAILY SUN Headline, April 15) “NAF jets destroy more bandits stronghold, kill 4 in Zamfara� (Source: as above) A rewrite: NAF jets destroy another bandits’ stronghold, kill 4 in Zamfara “To me, ACF, Ohaneze, Afenifere should all revert back to that role.� (Politics & Power, April 15) Delete ‘back’ which is encapsulated in ‘revert’. “Alumni seeks (seek) end to poverty, reaches (reach) out to indigent students�

(THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER Headline, April 13) “Agbakoba-Onyejanya lights-up (lights up) Sangotedo with Tiger Active Sports Centre� (Global Soccer, April 13) “Nigeria and the political (politics) of blackmail� (DAILY SUN OPINION Page Headline, April 17) Lest I am accused of being repetitive in this column, as long as systemic infelicities in multifarious collocations keep recurring, there would be no hesitancy in highlighting them over and over again until scholarly exactitude takes place. The following misapprehensions confirm this infallible position: “Banks lay siege on lawmakers� A rewrite: Banks lay siege to lawmakers. “Ambode: Four years on the saddle�

Again: in the saddle. “As human beings, we are the highest evolved specie.� (FRSC Road Safety Tip, THISDAY, April 18) For the Corp Marshal’s attention: species. “Creating a smoke free environment�

(THE NATION ON SUNDAY Headline, April 14) Even my racy platform of expression: smoke-free environment! Don’t you appreciate the classicality (and, of course, correctness) of the punctuation mark? “Nollywood pays last respect for...� There

is no absolute individuality in orthography and other aspects of the English language: last respects to (not for, additionally). “Olohunwa, MC Oluoma mend fence�

(Source: as above) This way: mend fences. “Rooney’s wife looses temper after Twitter user commentâ€? (SATURDAY PUNCH Headline, June 4) In doing this weekly critique, I cannot lose my temper. “Nigerian seamstress per excellence for Dubai fashion showâ€? (Saturday Independent Headline, April 13) Just seamstress par (not per) excellence “Efforts so far to speak with the Kogi State Police Public Relation (sic) Officer has (have) proved abortive (now a clichĂŠ!)â€? (SATURDAY TRIBUNE, April 14) “It now takes residents leaving (living) towards the bus stop‌.â€? (THE GUARDIAN, April 18) “VC accuses lecturers of double standardsâ€?

There is no periphery of options here: double standard (fixed expression). “Clearance of non-CRI goods begin (begins) at portsâ€? “Rohr gets sweeping powerâ€? Get it right: sweeping powers. â€œâ€Śhad said that DAILY SUN is (was) a credible publication, one not likely to misquote him or twist what he says in a free display of editorial freedom.â€? “Like (As) we have said at various fora‌.â€? “So these are the kind of things that create jobs but they take time to take off fully.â€?

Either: this is the kind of thing or these are the kinds of things. “So the government cannot ask the Supreme Court to interprete the law.â€? Spellcheck, always: interpret. “Meanwhile, no one can convince me that we are getting returns of any kind from either of these two countries.‌â€? Stock phrase: either of these countries. â€œâ€Śthe reduction in the number of vehicle accidents and casualities (casualties).â€? “Self-styled armies sprung (have sprung) here and there ‌â€? “State, council relationship: chairmen pick hole (holes) in 1999 Constitution.â€?

“This year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Emblem Appeal Week were rounded-off yesterday‌.â€? Once more, phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation. “The private sector in conjunction with the local governments are in a better position.â€?

The private sector‌is (not are), but the private sector and the local governments are‌. “At these occasions, Nigerians have been fed with these noble and esteemed virtues that differentiate the men from the boys.â€?

Not my opinion: On these occasions. “As a result, majority of the citizens do not even know of the existence of the national population policy of four children per woman.â€? Many people, small world: a/ the majority of the citizens. “There was no signs in the airâ€? Random musings: why the discord? “The truth lies somewhere between the two extreme positionsâ€? (Already addressed) “Government has wetted the public appetite for information enough‌.â€? Get it right: whetted (note the spelling) the public’s appetite for information. “It is these people that Nigerians would ordinarily believe rather than some whose integrity are (is) in doubt.â€? “The research aspect of the campaign was targetted (targeted) towards (at)‌.â€? “Between 300 to 500 million people globally get malaria infection yearly, whilst a sufferer dies every fifteen seconds.â€? Combating the malaria scourge: between 300 and 500 or from 300 to 500. “In other words, successive budgets have failed to realize its (their) objectives of improving the living standard of the people.â€? “The NEIC should swing into action right from the onset (outset in this context).â€? ‘Onset’ usually smacks of unpleasantness.

So, why not ‘outset’ to be on the safe side?

This is my own personal view—without any shred of universalism or morphological authority, perhaps. “If the demand is granted on the ground (grounds) that he would play his own

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

role‌.â€? “Talking about renaming our institutions after our falling (fallen) heroes....â€? “The news out of Libya in the past five months have (had) been about killings....â€? ‘News’ is uncountable, by the way. “Lateef Jakande as governor of Lagos State warmed (wormed) his way into the hearts of Lagosians with a single-minded pursuit of his housing programme.â€? “Querying Africa’s underdevelopment has become a political discipline of it’s own as much that facts are hardly advanced in the critical political human analysis of Africa’s problems.â€? Possessive: its. â€œâ€Śpromote international co-operation having due regard to the United Nations charter and the universal declaration of human rights.â€? In the interest of harmony, let us have regard for (not to) lexical rudiments.

Gentlemen of the Press, let’s think! “All these assertions I concord with totally.�

I cannot concur with gradual annihilation of the English language. “LCCI boss proffers solution on education problems� What solution do we proffer to (not on) deteriorating journalism these days?

FEEDBACK

GREAT work, Mr. Ebere Wabara: I think you should extend this exercise to the works of our columnists. I thank you.

(Sent in by Mr. Charles Iyoha, Chairman, Academy Ltd) FROM the front-page headline of Wednesday, April 17, 2019 edition of the DAILY Sun comes this error: “Drama as EFCC takes OfiliAjumogobia into custody in (on) court premises�

The plural noun `premises’ naturally admits the preposition `on’ , not `in’.

Contributed by Stanley Nduagu/ Aba/08062925996

TRIBUTE

Evergreen Isiaka Adeleke:Two Years of GloriousTransition Olumide Lawal As said in Isaiah 3: 10,“Tell the righteous, it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruits of their deeds�.

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nApril 23, 2017, the eagle flew home in a blaze of glory and the world, literarily stood still.

Two years after his glorious transition, Senator IsiakaAdetunjiAdeleke’s spirit continues to enjoy peace of theAlmighty God, the unfailing and unalloyed loyalty of his well-wishers. His dreams and aspiration of selfless service to humanity remain undying, but rather blossomed, as people of goodwill, who believe in his dignified personality and political acumen, are holding the front contended and the flag flying high.Asia IsiakaAdeleke, lele lo nfe.

There is no second of dull moment for his sweet memory. Each passing day keeps him evergreen in the minds of his teaming admirers across the world. Why not, if not? He worked for such feat, while he was with us. Senator IsiakaAdeleke well-wishers are daily trying to outdo themselves to make his everlasting legacies endure and sweet memory to linger on. They are yet to come to terms with the reality of his transition. But the first executive governor of Osun State is resting peacefully in the bosom ofAllah, his creator.

The Central Mosque built in his honour by his esteem family, is now blessed with worshippers from the nooks and crannies of Edeland. The craving every Friday Jumat Service, is for Muslim adherents to secure a place in the magnificent mosque, just to give God the honour and a feeling of having him among them. This is one enduring legacy, that was put in place by his family and which will outlive everyone of us still around before we join him. During his lifetime, he did not surround himself with pessimistic people or those who distrust God’s promises. He did not, when there were times of crises, which were very few and there was cause for worry and anxiety, yield to the hearing of fear. In such times, Senator Isiaka Adeleke desperately turned to God in prayers, standing on the irrevocable promises of God that He will never abandon His own. The lateAsiwaju of Edeland believed in the mighty power, that changes every situation for the best.And he in turn gave the best services to humanity. IsiakaAdeleke was one of the limited edition of human beings, with solid reputation and character and without any scandal.

In the last two years of his glorious transition, many people are still testifying to his good naturedness and how he brought hope unto

Isiaka Adeleke

their lives, even when everything seemed hopeless. Such people are still trusting, that his illuminating spirit lives with them at this end.

Atop traditional ruler in Osun State, whose domain bestowed a sterling chieftaincy title on him many years ago, in a recent chat with this writer, describedAsiwaju IsiakaAdeleke as an achiever in his own right, who was singularly lucky to have enjoyed God’s special grace and mercy in all his endervours. The foremost monarch also described Senator IsiakaAdetunjiAdeleke as a likeable and lovable personality, even as first sight. The voice of the people is the voice of God.

There is no denying the fact that so many other highly and lowly placed people in the society are daily singing his praise. Senator IsiakaAdetunjiAdeleke did not for once expose the weaknesses of people around him even when he knew they were up to a ‘game’.

He tolerated every shortcoming of different human beings that came across him.

Senator IsiakaAdeleke cherished friendship and comradeship.

We will always remember his comforting words. We will always remember his soothing touch. His legacy of love, care and commitment to the people around him will always remain engraved in our hearts. The society at large will remember him as a virtous man, whose greatness impacted positively on their lives.

Though, he primed himself to come back and serve Osun People as their governor, that dream is not over yet and Senator Isiaka Adeleke will, by God’s grace, soon hear good news to that effect. His political spirit is fighting that cause, in addition to God’s mercy, the unfailing loyalty and unflinching love of the people of Osun State for him as a payback time, for all his selfless goodness to them when he was alive. Political activism is reigning supreme among his supporters. His political structure is waxing stronger on daily basis.

TheAdeleke University, Ede where he was the first chancellor, is presently dotting the Is and the crossing Ts of a world-class biography in his honour. Whenever is glamorously launched and presented to the public, it will refresh and enliven the minds of the generality of the people about the life and time of humanness of Senator IsiakaAdeleke. It will also be a must for many homes, institutions and public libraries.

The Lagos Civil Service Club Ikeja, of which he was a distinguish member during his life time has organized a tournament in his honour at its newly rehabilitated Court to mark his second transition anniversary onApril 20, 2019.

Senator IsiakaAdetunjiAdeleke’s clear vision and ideology of “others first, self last�, should continue to be sustained by all and sundry. Not only in Nigeria, is the memory of the first Executive Governor of Osun State celebrated. Not long ago, his admirers in an Asian Country conferred on him, the title of Supreme Commander of politics without bitterness, while another Nigeria Society in Philippines, conferred on the Late Otunba of Ejigbo, the title of Generalismo of the down trodden people. –––Olumide Lawal was Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to late Senator Isiaka Adeleke Continued online www.thisdaylive.com

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Serah Kassim Fashion is a Way of Life to Express Who You Really Are YEENDAH My Style Reflects My Personality pg. 47

‘Jumbled’ by Bami Gregs Pushes Sensitive Issues pg. 48

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SHOWBIZFLAIR SERAH KASSIM

Fashion is a Way of Life, to Express Who You Really Are Serah Kassim is a pattern maker and the Creative Director of her clothing brand. With passion for sewing, tailoring and fashion designing, Serah launched the Serah Kassim brand officially in 2017, as a registered clothing brand that specialises in women wears and fittings. Early in 2017, the Serah Kassim brand was amongst the 1000 successful business ideas selected in Africa by the Tony Elumelu Foundation and whose business idea is expected to transform Africa. She talks to Tosin Clegg about how she started her brand, her future goals, winning awards from Forbes, pitching to the world and a lot more Growing up was great twasgrowingupinahouseholdofwomen, who showed strength, resilience and passionfortheirwork.Mymumandgrandma were tailors, and that’s where the first love came. They might not have been popular but everyday I’m really thankful that I got the basic foundation of being exposed to the skill at a very young age. I attended Command Secondary School, Ipaja Lagos and I think the love for fashion started around that time. I was in boarding house, so we had like social gatherings at the end of every session. It was always so beautiful to ask my mum to make me stuffs and instead she’d suggest cutting and putting me through fixing the rest myself. Every time I look back at those times I’m so glad I listened and paid attention, or maybe the interest made me.

Life with my mum and grandma exposed me to a lot of things like zeal, strength and passion. Growing up without a father figure with a young, strong, passionate, honest mum who sent my brother and me to one of the best schools, even when I thought she didn’t like me then.

I

I have always known I wanted to do something differently My mother had always had issues with fittings and finishing. I knew there was always a solution to that problem, so right from school days, I started doing mini research on fashion schools that had good skills. It’s very easy to find fashion schools around but impact was actually one of the very difficultthings,butIfoundBismolFashionAcademy, and that was another good decision I took in my life again. That’s how my journey started. I started saving up from I think year two or so, because I still have my “Goal book” where I wrote what and what I wanted to do and I dated it 2014, and opened a bank account for Serah Kassim and that’s how it came to be. In 2016, I enrolled for my Pattern Making class and had to take a break because of National youth Service. 2017 came, I was gradually scrolling through instagram or twitter and I think I saw a sponsored ad for the Tony Elumelu Foundation talking about giving grants and all. I was really skeptical at first because there’s this thing people always say in Nigeria about having connections and so on, and then the doubt came in again. I was trying to apply as a Fashion designer but then again I’m very assertive. So, in my head I’m like “and so?

What’s the worst that could happen? I wouldn’t get the grant? Yes? Is that the end of the world? No! So, my shaky self went ahead and applied, and the rest they say is history.

I didn’t start with anything fanciful It was kind of difficult knowing the know-hows like “technical aspects of fabrics, experimenting with fabrics, the technical aspect of machines, the right needles to use per fabric type, the right stitches etc.

You had to learn those on the job, failing forward and doing it again. I had to make do with what I had and thank God for the internet and people who have gone ahead of you and you can learn from. Other challenges include the business part of running it. Nobody fully prepares you, most days you are your marketing person, your social media person, your books’ person, your pattern maker, till you can afford to pay for the skill. It’s wild right? And then the aspect of manpower too,

it’s very tricky getting manpower in this kind of business because it’s either you have to train them into the system or you would have to tell them what to do.

Fashion is a way of life It is a way to express who you really are, not who people think you should be or who you think you should be perceived as. It is showing the world who you really are on an everyday level, and how do you show them that? It is through your style, which to everyone is very personal. It is telling the next person about you without having to do any talking at all; it’s infusing it in your lives without actually pretending or stressing.

The main vision for the brand is affordable Afrocentric outfits Mine is a store you can walk into and get really cool affordableAfrocentric pieces or order online.

But lately, I have found myself drawn to making bespokeAsoebis and add the extra spice. I wanted an avenue that we, as Nigerian designers and new entrants are not just looking for ways to make the money but improve on our standard of doing things and making sure our work can stand with their international counterparts in finishing and in standard. That’s when I knew I had to play my part, and knowing that pattern forms the basis of a good design-base, I decided to invest in that which is the root. I’m not excellent at it yet but I’d rather take baby steps investing in other people and making sure everyone is good at it and then we all grow together and can strive together.

I’m very basic when it comes to styles I just like a properly fitted outfit with great finishing. So, about detailing myself, I’m not someone to stress. I’m a very energetic person with so much ginger and it shows. I love weddings and they make me happy. I love to try out food spots, I watch movies a lot, I love dancing at Owanbes a lot even knowing I’m not a great dancer, I love catching the bouquet, I love to spend my friends’ money, I love teasing people for fun, I think I’d love shopping and traveling also.

God factor is everything to me The Holy Spirit fills you with joy unspeakable and laughing is great, it’s therapeutic. There are no secret recipes; I know that most times the more people go through life, the less they laugh, the less they are happy. But the thing is it’s supposed to be the exact opposite of what we are supposed to be doing, it’s okay to be sad, to be moody but the thing is for how long would you want to be in that state?And guess what, it has always worked for me, plus you know what I learnt?

I look forward to SerahKassim being the leading Nigerian Afrocentric retailer The process of that is getting the knowledge of the fashion process and business right, getting the fitting right, thorough research of the fashion industry, getting the team to also understand the goal of the brand too and the kind of fashion we are involved with. So, the mini goals are getting into FIT, New York, pitching the larger business idea which is the retailer idea to investors and then scaling with the right board and the dream team.

Kassim

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Tosin Clegg 07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

SHOWBIZFLAIR

MY STORY

Gists

YEENDAH

ESTHER WHYTE IS TEEN ACTOR OF THE YEAR Esther Whyte Bassey is a multiple award winning teen actress, TV show host, dancer, writer and film producer from Calabar, Cross River State. At age 16, she produced her first movie titled, Era of Errors and was tagged the youngest film producer in Nigeria by ‘Beyond Afrika’ and ‘France 24’ in 2017. She is also among the Top 10 most influential teenagers in Nigeria.

Adding to her archives of success is her recent win at the South South Achievers Awards where she went home with a prestigious and admirable award of ‘Teen Actor of the Year‘.

This further proves a reward for her dedication and passion for her craft which is evident from

this recent win.

Esther had this to say when asked about the award, “I felt very happy winning the award.

I’m glad people are seeing my works and nominate me for awards. I feel more grateful to God for giving me the talents and giving me lovely fans who make sure they vote for me anytime I’m nominated for an award.”

She is currently working on her Esther-Whyte Teens Show, which is a TV show meant to discover, display and empower talented teenagers in Africa. It will be premiering soon. And she also intends to produce and drop a mind-blowing film this summer.

My Style Reflects My Personality Clegg Oluwaseun Ruth was born into a family of music. Her love for the art took her into the journey of growing to becoming a strong music powerhouse. She tells Tosin Clegg the story of her inroad into the music, building her career and more

WALE ADENUGA PRODUCTIONS PREMIERS KNOCKOUT The eagerly-awaited comedy masterpiece by Wale Adenuga Productions, titled Knockout, was premiered to thundering laughter and several standing ovations on Sunday, 14th April 2019, at the Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to the Producer of Knockout, Wale Adenuga Jnr., “We’re glad everyone at the premiere had lots of fun and we apologise to those who suffered ‘Laughter Overdose’ from the hilarious movie.

Seriously speaking though, Knockout is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to bond, laugh and learn especially this Easter holiday. In addition to the multiple superstars seen in the trailer, the movie has several unexpected cameo appearances from people you can’t even imagine; so we really recommend that you and your loved ones watch Knockout as soon as it starts showing this Easter weekend so you don’t hear any spoilers from your friends or on social media.”

The glamorous event, which was serenaded by music by the Pefti Band, had in attendance over 500 dashingly-dressed distinguished dignitaries including Artistes such as Sola Sobowale, Hafeez “Saka” Oyetoro, Yaw, Funky Mallam, Charles Okocha, Josh2funny, Akpan & Oduma, Moji Oyetayo aka Mama Ajasco, MC Lively, Princess, Tony Akposheri, Big Bashorun, Victor Oyebode aka Boy Alinco, Yetunde Barnabas aka Miss Pepeiye, Bello Kreb. Academics, Government Parastatals’ Representatives, Business Moguls, Advertising and Media Executives, Journalists, Filmmakers, Fashion Designers, and others were also in attendance.

After the viewing, the cast and crew behind the film received astounding applause and praises from the audience.

The long wait is almost over as Knockout finally starts showing at all cinemas across Nigeria and Ghana as from this week.

Nike Davies- Okundaye Honoured in South Africa Justina Uzo

is coming shortly after she marked her 50 years of art practice. She says, “I value this Doctorate, This is coming from another country Rhodes University, South Africa has conferred an honorary doctorate that doesn’t know me.”

Davies-Ekundayo thanked Rhodes University for the honour degree on Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, a Nigerian batik and adire textile designer, and the owner of iconic Nike Art Gallery in Lagos bestowed on her saying that she will do more in her effort to promote art and culture at home and abroad. She also thanked the Chaplin, with a ‘Doctor of Fine Art.’ Rhodes University Council, Dr. Chrissie Davies-Okundayo who has contributed Boughey, the man who she described immensely to the development of fine as the ‘lover of art,’ for believing in her. art was recognised alongside high-profile “They want me to be talking about personalities from 54 African countries, art, watercolour and painting in schools. I recently. She dedicated the award to the talk about art both in Nigeria and abroad. rural women in Nigeria and her mentor, Education is very important. I only attended Susan Wenger, the Austrian lady who primary school. I come from a poor family. said was a source of inspiration to her I lost my mother at a very young age. as a teenager. Meanwhile, Wenger lived I have thought over 10,000 students in in Osogbo in south-west Nigeria and Torino, Italy alone. I go there to teach popularized her host community as an the women.” artist town.

She urged the youth to embrace art “I dedicate this award to all the rural and take bold steps to gain recognition women in the whole country. I will treasure in the art circle, saying that she didn’t the award for the rest of my life. I will be capitalize on her deficiency “ Look at me going there (South Africa) periodically to today, I am recognized. I want good health teach art to the women. I also teach women and long life. I also want more and more in Osogbo in Adara Foundation; our own people to see arts as work and means of is to give the training. When I train you making money. and I want you to train others. In Italy, You can start your own business in Torino, alone I have trained over 10, 000 art and those things people are not in women in artwork, adire and painting. interested in, food, weaving and painting.

They now call me “Mama Adire and Education is also very important. I only Mama Indigo for my tie and dye work.” attained primary school. I was unable to Mama Nike as she is also fondly referred express myself. And I was not shy, I will to in art circle is the most recognisable tell people I can’t even spell my name personality in the local Nigerian art scene. or sign signature. All that has changed.”

She said she values the recognition which

H

ow did the journey into music start out?

Honestly, Music runs in the family as my dad sings and plays different kinds of instruments, my uncle sings and plays the trumpet, my aunt sings as well mostly in the choir though, my grandpa was a choir master and I was in the choir briefly as well, but I guess I don’t do well as a member of a group and all of that, so I left the choir. But so far, it’s not been easy but I thank God.

Tell us about the kind of music you do and why you chose that genre?

Basically, I would say my genre of music is contemporary R’n’B and I chose that particular genre because I don’t want to be restricted in future. Restrictions in the sense that, if I stick with pure R’n’B, I may decide to do pop later but I’ll be scared that people won’t like it and things like that, so contemporary R’n’B is the best bet for me.

What are your upcoming projects?

Right now, I only have covers of songs, but I’m working on my own song titled, From My Love, which will be out soon. Although apart from the covers I do, I get to do features as well. A few of my friends from the City Media Academy (organised by City FM) and I are working on a talk show titled “Table Talk” which is mainly like a Magazine Show and will be hitting the screens soon.

Who are your role models and mentors?

My father and mother are major role models in my life followed by the Managing Director of City FM, Mrs. Adedoja Allen. These are people that I look up to career-wise. And musically, Beyoncé and Brandy and I would say that these women help shape me in ways that they don’t know because most of the time, I use their songs to train my voice.

What makes you an exceptional act and how does it make you different from others?

My style reflects my personality and it’s definitely going to reflect in my music as well. I believe I have a special voice and style which other people don’t have and there are also some “sugar and spice” kinda vibe that I bring to any gathering I find myself in.

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‘Jumbled’ by Bami Gregs Pushes Sensitive Issues From the working title, Entangled, to the released name Jumbled, Bami Gregs’ debut movie pushes a number of sensitive issues. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

“I

couldn’t have asked for a better cast for the movie ‘Entangled’. That was scriptwriter, actress and debutant movie producer Airebamen Maureen Irene, well known as Bami Gregs within the Nollywood circuit. An elated Bami Gregs would further state, post production that, “I have a blend of the old and the new Nollywood. I also have a very popular Yoruba actor on board which I

am very excited about. My cast is also a blend of ethnicities.”

True to her, and to her crew at the private screening of the movie on Tuesday April 11, it was quite a pleasure having the guests sit-tight as the new film which is now showing at the cinemas premiered to the delight of her guests with the title ‘Jumbled’. On the movie and the name change, Irene explains. “The movie was formerly named Entangled but we later changed it to Jumbled early this year because we found out a 2018

movie had the same title. So, when you see a movie poster with the same storyline and actors titled Entangled, do not be confused.”

Shot in Lagos, the movie stars veteran actress Eucharia Anunobi, Wale Ojo, Femi Adebayo, Beverly Naya, Kenneth Okoli, Emem Ufot, Lillian Esoro and a host of other sterling actors whom the producer describes as purposeful cast. “The cast was very intentional because I took my time to pick out actors including myself that could thoroughly

interpret each role. The director of the movie Saheed Apanpa said the movie which is a reflection of a true life story causes viewers to return true finesse and adequate values.”

Packed full of hilarious scenes with a mix of romance and action, Jumbled tells the story of Adaeze (Lillian Esoro) who in her early 30s faces heart breaks until she finally meets the supposedly perfect man Dami (Kenneth Okolie) only to find out that he’s just the worst of them all.

Jumbled is a suspense-packed movie

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SHOWBIZFLAIR ‘Jumbled’ by Bami Gregs Pushes Sensitive Issues

Femi Adebayo, Actress Kemi Gisha Harriet, a guest, Airebamen Irene, Lilian Esoro, Director Saheed Apampa and Eucharia Anunobi during the private screening of the movie at Ozone Cinema, Yaba Lagos

that takes viewers on a very intriguing and emotional journey. The film drives a number of sensitive issues including marital trouble, sickle cell anemia, and betrayal.

A rebound lover in the movie, Lillian Esoro, who in real life has faced marital challenge, shares her take away from the movie as it appears real. “Oh yes very real. Because, I mean like I said in the movie, is relatable to everyone. It’s something that we all go through every other day and we tend to sweep a lot of these things under the rug which I think we need to start pinpointing out because you can’t use your hurts in previous relationship to get into a new one you have to heal first.

“You heal yourself before you go into another relationship if not you carry the same hurt into that relationship.

And the person gets the burnt. So, I think its best you fix yourself first before you go and try to fix someone else.” For the first time filmmaker Bami Gregs, who scripted and also acted in the movie, explains how long it took her to come up with the work. “It took me over two years to write the story, because I wanted something different, I didn’t want the regular Nigerian home movie. I wanted something different, something intriguing, something with suspense even though it is a drama that people would be eager to know what happens next.”

Bami Gregs who cut her teeth producing talk shows explains her experience.

“I have done talk shows to be honest. I have done series of talk shows on Mnet in terms of production basically. So this is my first proper movie that I produced and for the cinemas. Moving from TV to the big screen was God’s grace because I actually wanted to do a TV production but the people around me especially my

executive producer encouraged me to go bigger instead of smaller. And he’s like ‘no let’s do it big you know even in terms of the promotion and marketing you have seen the trailers out there we are not doing it small.

“And like I would say also it was natural. Looking at it my mind was a bit scared but as I went through all the phases it was opening up to me easily.

It wasn’t too much of a problem. It was natural it was easy because I had a lot of help coming in from different directions.

My director was helpful, my actors was very easy to work with I didn’t have problem with any of them. And then I had a lot of mentors that I was looking up to that helped me like Mike Ezuronye. Also Eucharia Anunobi was helpful to me same with Femi Adebayo, so I had a lot of hands on.”

At the occasion of the movie premiere, Eucharia Anunobi dispelled rumours that she’s on a long acting sabbatical.

The actress with over a hundred titles to her name in over 21 years of acting insists she has never been away from acting as widely reported. “I never went out of the industry and I have never stopped working. In almost 21 years, there has never been a year, if you check the records, that I stopped working. I mean once in a while you realise that we may not work the ones too famous but then you should also realise that a lot of the movies that are been shot these days are only released via cinemas.

“So, if you don’t see the posters in the market, it doesn’t mean the actors are not working; if you don’t see the CDs, it doesn’t mean the actors are not working, because a lot of people are putting their movies in cinema. So I never stopped working. I’m working and I’m not going anywhere . . . until I’m very old, 120, I will be acting.”

Beverly Naya

Kenneth Okolie

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Burna Boy, Stefflon Don, in Matching Tracksuits Nigerian singer, Burna Boy and his British super star rapper girlfriend, Stefflon Don, on Sunday shared their photograph rocking matching tracksuits.

The reaction on the social media was massive. The lovebirds have been dominating the social media of late.

Burna Boy describes Stefflon as “my wifey.” Expect something stronger from these guys very soon.

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SHOWBIZFLAIR

Akpororo Twins @One Comedian, Akpororo and his wife Josephine, have been celebrating their twins - Prince Favor and Princess Faith who clocked one last Monday. Adorable photographs of the kids were shared on Instagram. Akpororo wrote: “#roroking can’t keep calm ooo it’s my heartbeats?

I pray for you both today, you will not

know shame, you both will enjoy triple of my grace, you shall not lack, untimely death will not see you, you will do better than your mum and I. The God I serve will protect you both, as I am serving God, Money we serve you guys in Jesus name. #roronation can you help me celebrate my ibeji.”

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SHOWBIZFLAIR

Pastors Sunday Akebor and David Aleogena (middle) and Gospel music duo, Taiwo and Kehinde Eshanomi a.k.a T.A.K at The Savior Movie premiere at Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja

‘The Savior’ Ignites Passion of Easter in Cinemas Nationwide Chinedu Ibeabuchi

N

ew faith-based movie, The Savior, will be in cinemas nationwide, starting Good

Friday, April 19.

The Savior ignites the spirit of Easter, just as good old days, when Jesus’ movies set an ambience to relish the season. The movie is coming on the heels of renewed interest by film lovers in faith-based genre which is fast making a return to cinemas after years of absence.

The movie takes its audience on

a journey into the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, from the Nativity to His growing years and His baptism to His three- year ministry in Israel. Viewers will also experience the chills of His gruesome execution, and be inspired

by His glorious resurrection.

A Cloveworld Production in collaboration with Loveworld Television Ministry, the movie boasts of high visual effects and stellar cast performance, thus bringing fascinating touch to a bible story.

Although the drama is relatable being a biblical story, its setting and plot create a vivid picture in the minds of its audience as though they were physically pres-

ent in that age.

The Savior is one movie you won’t want to miss. Like other Hollywood Jesus’ movies with remarkable box office returns, The Savior is bound to give cinema visitors a run for their money.

Speaking about his expectations after the premiere of the epic drama at Silverbird Cinemas Ikeja to an array of celebrities and movie enthusiasts, EliJ, a gospel artiste said: “I am touched by the movie. There are different versions of Jesus movies over the years but there is something unique about this. It was like a story telling movie well connected from the beginning to the end. It’s a movie

for all ages.”

On why Cloveworld Production in collaboration with Loveworld Television Ministry chose to embark on this project, Pastor Sunday Akebor, project manager for the movie said, “When I saw the trailer of the movie, I knew that it is a movie for this time because it is different from the ones we have known about the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. In the Savior, you can easily relate what the bible was trying to describe about Jesus.

It gives you a vivid mental notation of biblical narration. It’s very captivating and a must watch for all movie lovers.”

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NEWSXTRA

Lawan is Most Qualified to Run 9th Assembly, Says Group Bennett Oghifo A group, Citizens Consultative Assembly (CICON), has said that Senator Ahmad Lawan “is most qualified than others” to run the affairs of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly.

A statement signed by the group’s Executive Director, Clarion Augustine, said, “We have noticed with growing concern the needless media altercation over who becomes

the President of the Senate in the 9thAssembly and are therefore, compelled to lend our voice and support to global tradition and best parliamentary practice in the selection of leaders of the parliament.

“We are, however, of the considered opinion that Senator Ahmad Lawan is a shoulder above others and more eminently qualified to run the affairs of the Senate in the 9th Assembly. With 20 years parliamentary experi-

ence across the two chambers, few lawmakers can’t match his credentials.”

The group said the practice across the world was to have the political party with the controlling majority to produce the Senate President or the Speaker of the Congress.

Election is done openly on the floor of the hallowed chambers in the most transparent manner.

“We oppose the idea of secret ballot for the simple reason

that Legislators anywhere in the world represent specific constituencies and therefore, can’t on their own, take decisions as to who leads the National Assembly. In climes where representative democracy has taken firm roots, a lawmaker’s worth and relevance is measured by the decision they make on the floor of the hallowed Chamber.

Even at that, the lawmakers are duty bound to consult their constituents. Nigeria can’t

therefore, be any different.

“We insist strongly that the impending election of the leadership of the Senate should not deviate from global legislative practice of openly electing their leaders.

“We have noticed, however, that since the governing APC zoned the post of Senate President to the North-east and eventually settled on current Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, there has been needless altercation over the decision.”

They said four years ago in 2015, “the inability of the APC to act decisively led to

the emergence of Bukola Saraki against party preference. This ultimately led to a sour executive/legislative relationship. The rest is history.

“It is against this background that we throw our support to the APC as the party with the most Senators and representatives to produce the leaders of both chambers.

“We are therefore, urging all Nigerians especially voters to insist that their representatives in the National Assembly toe the universal parliamentary practice of voting ranking members and openly.”

Edo PDP, Says FG Desperate to Silence Dokpesi, AIT

REWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE...

L-R: Senior Manager, Media Management, MTN, Shuaib Abubakar; Senior Manager, Go-To-Market, MTN, Chinyelu Onochie; winner of MyMTN App Challenge, Ezinwanyi Eziihe and MTN Brand Ambassador, Praiz at the presentation of prizes to winners of MyMTN App Challenge

Outdoor Advertiser Petitions Wana Udobang, 2 Other Poets Buhari over Plot to Stop World’s on African Voices Three Africans who are renowned questioning to self-renewal.” Her Biggest LED Board for giving voice to words through works have appeared on the The Chief Executive Officer of Lona Global Resources Limited, an indigenous outdoor advertising company, Mr. Idoko Ilonah, has sent a Save Our Soul message to President Muhammadu Buhari to help save his business by prevailing on authorities at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to restore the approval previously granted him to construct the biggest LED advertising board in the world.

Mr. Ilonah who holds the record of constructing the biggest billboard in Africa in 2016 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road, Abuja by Lugbe Interchange, said he had expended about N800 million on the construction of the world’s largest LED board along the Airport Expressway/ Wawa (Centenary District) before he was ordered to stop work. He said he was granted approval by the FCT authorities before commencing the project.

He expressed shock when the FCT Minister ordered stoppage of the construction of the world’s biggest outdoor based on a petition written by the Centenary City PLC. Ilonah said his company had expended about N800m

on design and fabrication of steel and other items before the project was halted, adding that “I am still paying interest on the N300m loan facility procured to kickstart the project which the Guiness Book of Records was already tracking.”

He said the capitulation by the FCT had put him in a precarious situation, thereby making him to default on an agreement with a telecommunications company which pre-paid N300 million as the first advertiser on the historic billboard.

Embattled Ilonah is seeking help from President Buhari and other concerned Nigerians to intervene in order to enable him revive the project. He said this will help to realise his desire of putting the country on the world map through the construction of the largest LED Board in the globe.

There are concerns in the private sector that any wrong signal sent by the government on a project of this magnitude may dampen investors’ confidence and position Nigeria as a country still struggling with institutionalising the conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

poetry are in the limelight this week on Globacom-sponsored African Voices, a magazine programme of the Cable News Network (CNN).

The poets, Wana Udobang from Nigeria; Kadija Sesay, a British of Sierra Leonean descent, and hip hop-flavoured word artist, Enos Olik from Kenya, will let viewers into their worlds and the sources of their muses which have stood them out in their talents.

According to a statement from Globacom, Freelance journalist, poet, television personality and writer, WanaWana, as Udobang is popularly addressed, is reputed as one of the biggest champions of our new spoken word renaissance in contemporary Nigeria.

Her first spoken-word album, entitled Dirty Laundry, was launched in 2013.

She released a second album, entitled In Memory of Forgetting, in 2017. The album has been described as an incredibly brave advocacy for the resilience of women, their triumphs and struggles, their trauma and epiphanies. WanaWana herself would define the work as “a collection of memories navigating experiences that range from places of brokenness and

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Al Jazeera, among other media of note.

Kenyan Olik marries poetry with fast paced Hip-Hop to create a unique performance style. A reputable cinematographer and video director, Olik has worked with several heavyweights in the entertainment industry within and outside his country. He started out as a musician, then photographer until he discovered his passion for performance poetry.

Olik, a graduate of Commerce from the University of Nairobi, also secured a certificate in 3D animation. Two of his productions entitled Paid My Dues by Anto Neosoul and the flamboyant singer Jaguar’s latest video to the song Kioo were listed as videos of the week on television music shows.

The third guest on the programme, Sesay, is a literary activist, short story writer, poet and the Publisher and Managing Editor of Sable LitMag, a magazine that promotes arts and talents. She is the General Secretary for African Writers Abroad and organises the Writers’ HotSpot where she teaches Creative Writing and Journalism courses to prospective writers.

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned as with-hunt, actions allegedly taken by the federal government against Chief Raymon Dokpesi, owner of DAAR Communications Limited who operates the African Independent Television AIT and Raypower radio.

A statement by the party alleged that Dokpesi and his company were targeted for intimidation, harassment and official distraction for standing on the side of truth.

A statement on behalf of the party by Chris Osa Nehikhare lamented that since the inception of the present administration, the government had used every available apparichik to hound Dokpesi which had become unacceptable.

“Since the enthronement of this government nearly four years ago, the FG has continued to use its security agencies and MDAs especially the EFCC, Nigeria Immigration Service, NSA and the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory to harass and intimidate Chief Dokpesi, Founder/Chairman Emeritus, DAAR communications Ltd. “Edo PDP condemns in very strong terms the demolition of sections of DAAR Communica-

tions building by officials of the FCT and the recent illegal detention of Chief Raymond Dokpesi at the international Airport by Nigeria Immigration services (NIS) as he returned from an overseas medical trip.

“The latest infringement on his fundamental human rights and the demolition of the buildings inside the DAAR communications compound is a clear sign of the emergence of a ruthless dictatorship that is averse to opposition, freedom of association, free speech and freedom of expression.

“Chief Raymond Dokpesi’s DAAR communications has been located in its present address for decades. Even when parties are in arbitration, the government has shown its desperation to hurt Chief Dokpesi and DAAR communications as it went ahead to demolish and not wait for settlement one way or the other. These contrived challenges are not unconnected to the independence of DAAR communications as it allows all shades of political opinion, and this obviously irritates a budding dictatorship.

“Edo PDP hereby calls on all Nigerians to resist and condemn this ugly development,” the statement concluded.

Mohammed, Amaechi, Sirika, Others for Transport Tourism Expo As operators and different stakeholders in tourism and transport sector converge on Abuja next week for the second edition of the Transport Tourism Summit and Expo 2019, the organisers have released a list of specials and awards expected at the event.

Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, who is the president of the Institute of Tourism Professionals (ITP), the body in charge of the summit, said the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, would be giving the keynote address, which has a theme: ‘Tourism and Transportation Interdependencies for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development’.

Some government officials and practitioners across tourism and transport sectors have been announced as awardees for the gala and award night of the summit, which is billed to hold between April 29 and 30 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The list includes Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika; and Managing Director of Nigeria

Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman.

Other awardees are: The President and Founder of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, Director Generals of National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe and Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, President/CEO of Transcorp Group Inc, Valentine Ozigbo, and Chief Samuel Alabi of Eko Hotels and Suites.

According to Odusanwo, the two-day gathering offers ‘‘opportunity to forge the desired synergy between tourism and other vital lined sectors, especially of transportation. Tourism and transport connectivity are critical issues relating to bridging transport and tourism policies while reaffirming the need for developing programmes of interministerial cooperation between bodies responsible for tourism and transport so as to improve and strengthen the basic conditions for the sustainable development of both industries.”

54

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

EASTER MESSAGES…. EASTER MESSAGES…EASTER MESSAGES…EASTER MESSAGES

Secondus: We’re Under Siege, Urges Nigerians to Move Closer to God Adedayo Akinwale ÓØ ÌßÔË The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said that the country was under siege from all corners, adding that the period of Easter provided good opportunity for Nigerians to pray more to God to alleviate their sufferings.

Secondus, in an Easter message, said Nigerians should not allow the prevailing hardship in the country and the unjust outcome of 2019 election affect their spirit of love, brotherliness and peaceful co-existence.

The PDP chairman in

a statement Friday by his media adviser, Ike Abonyi, urged Nigerians to use this period of Easter to intensify their prayers and be assured that the resurrected Christ is for justice.

He stated: “The country is clearly under siege from all corners and the period of Easter provides good opportunity for Nigerians to pray more to God to send succor to alleviate their sufferings.

“The Lenten period that just ended offered incalculable lessons in love, humility and forgiveness which should guide our way of living irrespective

of religion, ethnic and political differences and help in ushering in a new and adorable era where bitterness and hatred are absent.

“We must allow the spirit of this season embedded in love, charity and forgiveness to control our thoughts and actions as we seek God’s face for our country.

“Nigerian Christians must allow the solemnness of the last 40 days of fasting and prayers to influence their thoughts and actions in relating with one another.”

Secondus also urged Nigerians to use this year’s

Easter festivities to engender the spirit of oneness and also re-dedicate themselves to the virtues of love, patriotism and unity for the desired national development.

He noted that despite the impunity, the debasing of critical institutions like the Judiciary and the legislature by the APC administration and the brazen show of power by the political leaders, Children of the resurrected Christ know that God is on the throne and would show who he is at his own time.

The PDP leader admonished Nigerians to use this period to

think deeply at the state of the nation with a view to finding a

lasting solution to the country’s challenges.

Sanwo-Olu Greets Christians, Preaches Love, Selflessness As Nigerian Christians join their counterparts all over the world to mark the Easter celebration, Lagos State Governor-elect, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on them to imbibe the spirit of love, humility, tolerance and forgiveness exemplified by Jesus Christ during his earthly sojourn.

Sanwo-Olu in a statement signed by his media officer, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, said the centrality of the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ was about love for mankind and His work of redemption urging Christians in Nigeria and Lagos in particular to imbibe love as an important fruit of the spirit.

The Governor-elect reminded Lagosians of the pains and agony endured by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary as the height of sacrifice for humanity. ‘’Therefore, we must use this auspicious period to promote unity, love and sacrifice, which were displayed by Jesus Christ.”

Sanwo-Olu further enjoined Lagosians to use this Easter Celebration to reflect on the sacrificial life of Jesus as a worthy example for all to emulate adding that Nigerians and the people of Lagos must be willing, at all times, to make sacrifices for the progress and development of the society without any recourse to

parochial sentiments against one another, especially, along ethnic and religious lines.

“Easter celebration is one of the most anticipated festivals in the Christian world because it represents God’s love for humanity. The period, which is a commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a time for us to reinforce our commitment to our faith and love towards one another as demonstrated by Christ Himself.”

The Governor-elect charged Lagosians to use this period of Easter celebration to also ponder upon the affairs of the state and its potentials for growth. ‘’Lagos is currently the 5th largest economy in Africa and has the potentials to rank among the top 3 in the continent, if we continue on our positive trajectory and remain bound by love for one another. We just came out of an election season. Election period is over and now is the time to demonstrate the spirit of oneness by coming together to work for a greater Lagos where we will all prosper.”

Sanwo-Olu also assured Lagosians that they would not regret voting for him at the just concluded gubernatorial election in the State.

Ayade Urges Christians to be Peaceful, Compassionate Bassey Inyang ÓØ ËÖËÌËÜ

STATION OF THE CROSS...

Members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Shasha-Akowonjo, Lagos, during Station of the Cross drama on Good Friday

Bamidele Rallies Nigerians against Delta Speaker Preaches Peaceful Co-existence, Tolerance, Sacrifice Insurgency, Banditry Victor Ogunje ÓØ ÎÙ ÕÓÞÓ A senator-elect and All Progressives Congress chieftain in Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has appealed to those elected in the last general elections to represent the people to learn from the birth and death of Jesus Christ for Nigeria to witness radical development.

Bamidele said the life and time of Jesus Christ exemplified humility, sacrifice, and love, stating that any leader who fails to imbibe these virtues would end up failing the citizens.

He said in the spirit of love and affection that Christians must pray against incessant cases of insurgency, kidnapping and all forms of killings in some parts of the country as they celebrate Easter.

Bamidele expressed worries over persistent killings in Borno and the way rampaging bandits had held Zamfara State hostage in recent time, saying time has come for all citizens to intercede through prayers on behalf of the nation in curbing all these menaces.

In his congratulatory message in Ado Ekiti on Friday commemorating the death and resurrection of

Jesus Christ, Bamidele said no leader would loot the collective patrimony of the citizens, if he remembers what Jesus went through on the cross for the people to be freed from bondage of sins and afflictions .

“What Easter connotes are humility, sacrifice, love and brotherhood, time has come for all citizens to refrain from class differences in the fashion of ethnic and religious colouration in line with the preaches of Jesus Christ that we must live as one.

“Having passed through the 40 days of Lenten period, Christians should have learnt that life is a vanity and that sacrifice was required to build a nation.

“Jesus Christ died on the cross to save the world despite having the opportunity to overcome his traducers. Our leaders must learn how to be selfless and remain incorruptible in spite of limitless chances to amass wealth the way Jesus did,” he advised.

The senator elect praised Christians for their sacrifices to fortify Nigeria’s unity through prayers and co- existing peacefully with their Muslim brothers.

Sylvester Idowu ÓØ ËÜÜÓ The Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has sued for peaceful co-existence, tolerance and personal sacrifice among Nigerians.

In his Easter Message, the Speaker said that Jesus Christ laid down his life for mankind and urged Nigerians to emulate his exemplary life.

According to a Press Statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Dennis Otu, the Speaker harped on the need for peaceful co-existence, tolerance, love, forgiveness and sacrifice among all Nigerians.

According to him, there was no sacrifice too much for Nigerians to make for the peaceful coexistence and unity of the country.

While felicitating with Christians on the Easter celebration, he appealed to all to sustain the prevailing peace in the country, saying no meaningful development could take place where there was no peace.

“May the celebration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ bring total renewal of God’s

favour, grace and blessings in our lives and the nation. We should continue to live in harmony with one another. Let us leave our comfort zone and make personal sacrifices for others. We just have to tolerate each other for the betterment of our society,” he said.

The Speaker who used the opportunity of the Easter celebration by Christians all over the world to call on Nigerians to sustain the prevailing peace in the country to attract more dividends of democracy, said that; “As a people, we must protect the interest of the state and the country always. We should always shun violence and try as much as possible to tolerate one another for the love of our dear state and country.”

“Let us continue to make sacrifices for one another just as Jesus Christ did, who is the reason for this season. Let us spread love and forgiveness. Let us emulate the exemplary life of our Lord and Saviour.

“As we mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is my prayer that there should be peace in all parts of the state and our dear nation,” he added.

Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade, has called on Christian faithful to imbibe the virtues of peace, love, sacrifice and forgiveness which he said represent the core values of Easter.

Ayade gave the charge on Friday as Christians across the country celebrate Easter to commemorate the death and resurrection of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Ayade who made the call in his Easter message, signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, said: “Today represents a very significant moment in our lives as Christians. It is both significant and sobering in the sense that it reminds us all about the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, love and compassion over hate.

These were the cardinal planks of Christ’s teachings while on earth.”

Decrying the absence of compassion in today’s society, Ayade quipped: “In many ways, our society today lacks compassion as a way to internalise and experience the inner soul of the other person and the universe. We need to reintroduce compassion so that humanity may survive.”

The Governor said, “In line with the compassion which Christ demonstrated by laying down his life for us, we should, therefore, replicate this to all men and continue to sustain it in the years to come.”

While urging for constant

prayers for peace to reign over Cross River and indeed, Nigeria, Ayade said: “We must not forget that the peace we are enjoying today in the state is due, largely, to the prayers and support of all of you, and I urge you, in this season of Easter to continue in this momentum by upholding the values that seek to unite us rather than those that pull us apart.”

CHANGE OF NAME I

formerly

known

and

addressed

TEDEJIRI MATHIAS OKPARUME,

now wish to be known and addressed as TEDEJIRI MATHIAS OKPARUME.

All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note I formerly known and addressed MISS

BABAFUNKE

OLUWAKEMI

MORENIKE OKUSAMI, now wish to

be known and addressed as MRS. BABAFUNKE

OLUWAKEMI MORE-

NIKE ADEYEMO.

All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed MISS OGUNDOJU OREOLUWA FLORENCE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLASEINDE OREOLUWA FLORNCE.

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I formerly known and addressed TITILAYO KUDI AREGBESOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as TITILAYO KUDI WOOD.

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55

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

SPORTS XTRA

Iwobi Hoping to Emulate Okocha’s AFCON Success Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi wants to match his uncle Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha by winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria at his first attempt.

Okocha was part of the winning Super Eagles team in 1994 at his maiden appear-

ance at the finals.

The 22-year-old was born in Lagos to Okocha’s sister and arrived in the UK aged four.

“I’ve seen some of his highlights from 1994 and it would be cool to achieve that as well,” Iwobi told BBC

Sport.

“I’m excited, I have always dreamt of participating and representing my country at the African Cup of Nations, but it won’t be easy for us in Egypt.

“Both dreams are coming true, hopefully, I can get to

play in Egypt.”

Nigeria, who won the third title in 2013, missed the last two tournaments, will face Guinea, Madagascar and Burundi at June’s finals in Egypt.

He admits that he is still learning about just how

Africa U-17 Cup of Nations

Nwosu Charges Nigeria U-17 to go for Victory against Uganda competition and qualify for the U-17 World Cup in Brazil.

However, the former Nigerian international, who played 60 times for the Super Eagles and scored eight goals, has charged the five-time world champions to look beyond a draw in the match.

“So far they have done very well. Already they have six points and have not lost any game, kudos to them,” Nwosu told Goal.

“Against Uganda, they must not be too comfortable they have to go for a win and put in their best in the game.

“Winning should be their aim against Uganda because if they focus on a draw they might end up losing the game.

“They must know that they are playing for themselves first, before playing for Nigeria, so they must do everything to continue doing well.”

Nigeria missed several scor-

ing chances in their last game against Angola and Nwosu wanted them to pray for luck against Uganda as well as work on their individual skills.

“I will advise them to pray for luck to be able to score because it is a factor and they should work towards it by improving on their individual skills.”

The Golden Eaglets have won the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations twice in 2001 and 2007.

Guardiola Admits City’s Defeat to Tottenham will Linger Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City’s dramatic Champions League defeat to Tottenham will “hurt” for some time.

City exited at the quarterfinal stage on away goals to their Premier League rivals and had a stoppage-time winner scored by Raheem Sterling ruled out by VAR due to offside. Guardiola’s side will take on Spurs once again today, but he admits their defeat against the same opponents on Wednesday will still be in their minds.

on his level or greater.”

The Super Eagles had a disappointing 2018 World Cup - where he was one of the more experienced figures in a Nigeria squad that was the youngest (with an average of 25) of all the teams in Russia.

The Nigerian fans had hoped that Iwobi would play a key role in Russia but were left disappointed that the Arsenal player was only given a half against Croatia and late substitute appearances against Iceland and Argentina.

He is hoping for a better campaign in Egypt as the country chase a fourth title at the newly expanded finals.

“We were unfortunate not to go past the group stage in Russia, I think the team did well,” Iwobi said.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t play as much as I would’ve liked to but I can only look to helping the team when needed.

“We’ve heard people say stuff like going there to win it and some have pointed out that as a young and inexperienced squad it will be a huge pressure.

“I don’t see it as pressure, I think if we can continue to play like we did during the qualifiers we’d have a successful tournament.

“Collectively we picked lessons in Russia and we need to make it count now.”

In October 2015, Iwobi made his debut against DR Congo in a friendly in Belgium and has scored five goals including in the 2-1 friendly defeat by England at Wembley last year.

2010 AFCON

Iwobi with uncle, JJ Okocha

Former international, Henry Nwosu has urged Nigerian U-17 to go all out for victory against Uganda U-17 in their final Africa Cup of Nations Group A game today.

The Golden Eaglets lead Group A standings with six points following back-to-back victories against Tanzania and Angola.

The Nigerians only need at least a draw to see them through to the semi-final of the

passionate Nigerian fans are.

“I thought I understand what playing for Nigeria truly means, but the more I play in Nigeria and travel home, the more they (fans) make me believe bigger than I have always dreamt of,” he added.

“The more I see the passion, the hunger that everyone wants for us to get there and do well. I think when I get there I will understand a bit more than I do now.”

Iwobi represented England at U-16, U-17 and U-18 level before switching allegiance to Nigeria and has made 27 appearances for the West African nation.

He has since produced some stunning rainbow flicks and tricks that have conjured images of Okocha in his pomp and showcased his nephew’s undoubted ability.

Despite saying he wants to be his own man, the local media and fans continue to liken him to the former Super Eagles captain and Iwobi is unbothered.

“I can get tired of people comparing us. I see my uncle as an idol, someone I have always looked up to as a footballer,” he said.

“When people compare me to him... it’s like ‘wow’ maybe they see me on his level but I don’t believe I am there yet.

“It is what it is, he’s a skilful player, I’m quite skilful myself so they are always going to compare me to him especially that he’s my uncle.

“I still have a long way to go, maybe one day I can be

He said: “You believe it doesn’t hurt or I’ve forgotten it? I would say no. I don’t want the players to forget what they live. It will take time but they have to live with that.

They have to play and want to compete with that feeling.

“What we lived last Wednesday in terms of emotion, or just simple life, was incredible.

We are fortunate, lucky to live it. More than 65,000 people enjoying the most exciting moment, and then in one secon d everybody is devastated.

“It was incredible how well we played. But it’s football,

it’s life. What’s important is how you behave. You have to fight and it was incredible the way we reacted after going 2-1 down. We had to score three goals and we did that.

“We scored another but it was offside by inches. We have to live with these kinds of situations and accept it. Inside it hurts and it’ll be in our minds but looking back is not going to help us to move forward.

“It was a tough night but the day after we stand up and move forward. These players have another opportunity to show they’re able to do that.”

City were knocked out of the Champions League at the last16 stage during Guardiola’s first season at the club before a quarter-final defeat to Liverpool ended their campaign 12 months ago.

Guardiola believes his players were unlucky to be defeated by Tottenham, but said: “These guys will get back what they deserve.

“I don’t know if it will be this season, next season or in three or four years. One day maybe we’ll be in the same position and be more fortunate, more precise to reach the next stage.”

Siasia, Udeze Warn S’Eagles over ‘Easy’ AFCON Opponents

Former Super Eagles striker and head coach Samson Siasia believes Nigeria are in an easy group at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but has also admonished the team to be wary of the hunger of the supposedly weaker opponents.

Siasia spoke with Brila FM Friday on the possibility of other teams in the Group B of the tournament to shock the three-time African champions.

Nigeria’s Group B opponents are Burundi, Guinea and Madagascar with their matches to hold June 22, 26 and 30.

“I think we have the weakest group at the AFCON to me, and I don’t think we will have a problem getting out of that group.

“We should be talking about getting to the next round.

“But these guys we call weaker countries will try to make impressions at the AFCON if we allow them so preparations have to be good. ‘’The team (Super Eagles), they have to pick the right players without sentiments, that’s the only way we can get to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Nations Cup,” Siasia, a winner of the AFCON with Nigeria in 1994 told Brila FM. Siasia, however, did not qualify with the team to the 2012 AFCON with Nigeria as head coach.

Meanwhile, former Super Eagles goalkeeping coach Joe Erico added his voice to the theme of not underrating the Group B opponents as Burundi and Madagascar make their debuts while Guinea are set for a 12th appearance at the tournament.

“Yes, there are no more minnows in football but shoe get siz e. Everybody wants to beat Nigeria whether they qualified for the AFCON or not so we must be serious,” the Jogo Bonito exponent stated.

On his part, former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze spoke on accordin g respect to the other teams.

“Any team that qualified for the AFCON, you must respect them. It’s not fear of the teams but you must be professional and play every team same way otherwise you could be down 1-0 to a team and before you know it lose to them because you underrated them,” the one-time West Brom left back stressed.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

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MISSILE

Emir of Bungudu to Military “The areas shelled by the military are not the actual hideouts of the bandits and the victims were innocent civilians.� – The Emir of Bungudu and spokesman for the Zamfara State traditional rulers, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, berating the military for killing guiltless people in the state.

GUESTCOLUMNIST Barbara James

IMF is Right, Nigeria should Channel More of its Proceeds from Oil into the NSIA

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently released its Fiscal Monitor report which ranked Nigeria second to last on our sovereign wealth fund.

Initially analysts and commentators translated this raking as an indictment on the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), but the IMF clarified a day later that they were referring to Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account (ECA), not NSIA. In its clarification the IMF said “...There have been two Sovereign Wealth Funds in Nigeria. There have been the Excess Crude Account (ECA) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

The NSIA is running transparently, on standard best practice and it has been doing a good job.�

IMF’s revision confirms what stakeholders and anyone who has interacted with the NSIA can confirm that as an institution, the NSIA is one of the best, if not THE best, public institutions in the country in terms of its leadership, governance, management, operations, performance and engagement with its stakeholders.

The NSIA is quite simply a world class institution, run by an outstanding management team and board.

The one area that the NSIA falls down flat on its face and which, perhaps the IMF was trying to draw attention to is the relatively meagre size of funds the NSIA is allowed to manage. In this regard the IMF is right.

The transparently run, high performance NSIA has received less than $2 billion since its inception in 2012, while the Excess Crude Account has accrued over $200 billion since its inception in 2004.

What is the ECA? Since 2004, every year, during the national budget cycle, an oil ‘benchmark’ price is set. Any oil income above this benchmark is saved in a government account called the Excess Crude Account (ECA). Setup in 2004, its aim was to provide an alternative source of funding the budget in years when the oil price is low, therefore insulating the country from volatile oil prices.

A great idea in principle except that critics challenged its legality, structures and its opacity. The Excess Crude Account’s lack of rules governing deposits, withdrawals, and investments led to the Natural Resource Governance Institute ranking Nigeria as the most poorly governed fund among 33 resource-rich nations in a 2017 report.

Buhari

What is the NSIA? The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) was established to take over the role of the ECA. It was properly established legally and structured as a national sovereign wealth fund, similar to other country sovereign wealth funds.

It started operations in 2012, and should have by now completely taken over the role of the ECA, but that has not happened.

NSIA versus ECA While the NSIA invests its funds professionally and transparently along global best practice standards, increases its value by investing in a diversified portfolio of investments and earning profits from its investments, the ECA has acted like a slush funds for successive administration from which disparate and opaque expenditure ranging from the fuel subsidy paid to fuel marketers to SURE-P social investment scheme and power industry interventions are drawn.

No comprehensive public records exist on the withdrawals from the ECA. One can see how corrupt administrations would find it difficult to wind up this slush fund.

Beyond a rainy day The true value of an institution like the NSIA lies beyond its rather biblical objective of saving for a rainy day.

The most important side benefit of the NSIA is its ability to attract quality co-investors globally.

Co-investment magnet As an internationally highly rated professionally managed financial institution with an internationally reputable CEO, the NSIA is the only institutional investors in Nigeria that can attract other SWF’s to invest alongside it in Nigerian infrastructure

and other key sectors.

The NSIA has already demonstrated this capacity in the Agriculture sectors, with its US$200 million partnership with Old Mutual.

Another example is the infrastructure credit guarantee company - InfraCredit, a new partnership with European Development finance institutions.

InfraCredit, a company founded by NSIA has attracted US$60 in the last 6 months as investors continue to pour into it. A game changes in Nigeria’s infrastructure finance bottleneck, InfraCredit has made it possible for infrastructure companies to raise long term capital from pension funds at up to half the cost and up to double the typical tenure of such credit.

The NSIA, if allowed, could realistically attract over 10 times its accrued income from the Nigerian Government from international institutional investors.

Assuming NSIA accrued US$10 billion from the Nigerian Government, global partnerships could channel up to US$100 billion into the Nigerian economy.

I say allowed because proposals for such expansion, even when they are brought by international investors, can and perhaps have in the past been met with accusations of empire building by some senior administration appointees who felt threatened by such a large pool of finance being outside their direct control.

Perhaps if the powers that be understood that the global institutional investor asset base is estimated to exceed US$100 Trillion by 2020, they would encourage the only Nigerian institution that has the credibility to attract a significant proportion of this pool, the NSIA, to pursue an ambitious and exponential expansion strategy, instead of trying to clip its wings.

NSIA and Jumia Last week, for the first time ever, a Nigerian company, the online marker Jumai, was valued at over US$1 billion

The new Buhari Next Level Anti-Corruption administration would do well to, as a matter of priority, wind down the ECA and operate only the NSIA, commit to and deliver on its

on the New York Stock Exchange.

The link from NSIA to the Jumai listing is a very simple and straight forward one.

There is an ecosystem that initiates, nurtures, propels and catapults a 7 year old startup like Jumia from nonexistence and obscurity into the global unicorn universe of billion dollar companies. That ecosystem is called the venture capital and private equity ecosystem.

Venture capital and private equity is a special type of finance that backs startups and existing businesses that have very high growth potential, like Jumia.

Venture capital and private equity finance, typically provides interest free, collateral free, long term finance to startups and existing businesses allowing them the space to grow in a way that short term, collateral requiring, interest bearing bank lending simply cannot achieve in significant quantity.

That ecosystem is anchored by the NSIA in Nigeria. The NSIA in its short lifetime has made the largest number of fund investments in venture capital and private equity funds of any domestic institutional investor.

If the NSIA were allowed to expand its accrued funds and global partnerships, it could anchor venture capital and private equity funds in each of the 6 geopolitical zones, modelled on the recently proposed Niger Delta Investment Fund.

The economic impact of unlocking the potential of the NSIA on Nigeria’s infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education not to mention technology sectors will set Nigeria on its way out of the league of the worlds largest number of poor into the league of fastest growing economies.

What next The new Buhari Next Level AntiCorruption administration would do well to, as a matter of priority, wind down the ECA and operate only the NSIA, commit to and deliver on its commitment to save and transfer at least US$1 billion in excess crude proceeds a year into NSIA and encourage the NSIA to maximise its external international investment partnerships.

Exponentially expanding the capacity of NSIA is one of the steps a serious administration can take to reposition Nigeria in the global investment context. t #BSCBSB +BNFT JT $&0 PG )FOTIBX $BQJUBM 1BSUOFST BOE GPSNFS .% PG UIF "GSJDBO 7FOUVSF $BQJUBM "TTPDJBUJPO "7$"

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