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Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

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Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

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APC crisis:

No deal yet •We’ve won the battle but lost the war — Buhari •Pleads for party supremacy, wants all to forget their grievances and move on •Oyegun survives By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor and Levinus Nwabughiogu

XPECTATIONS of a resolution of the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC over the sharing of National Assembly positions came to an anti-climax yesterday after the National Executive Committee, NEC skipped the issue. Following a scant mention of the rumpus, the NEC passed the buck to the governors to arbitrate. That was despite a caution by President Muhammadu Buhari that the party must not march from victory to violent eruption. The president had in his remarks also tasked the quarrelling gladiators to pocket their personal interests and project the collective interest of the party. However, the governors in their preliminary meeting with the contending sides in the Senate (led by Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ahmad Lawan) and the contending sides in the House of Representatives, (led by Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila) were unable to make progress. Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State who led the arbitration with the two sides following the NEC meeting nevertheless expressed confidence that the crisis would be over by next week. President Buhari had pleaded with party men to forget their grievances and move on. The specifics of their agreement, according to Okorocha, will be made known next week. But Buhari’s appeal for peace and for all to move on may be heeded. The NEC meeting was also a setback for those canvassing for the re-

moval of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as national chairman as the party leaders endorsed a vote of confidence on his leadership of the party. Yesterday was the first NEC meeting since the party’s cruising victory in the last general elections and was graced by the president, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Saraki, Speaker Dogara, all the party’s governors, state chairmen among many others. However, conspicuously absent were the party national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the immediate past national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the two men believed to be the backbone to the Senator Lawan and Gbajabiamila groups who both lost out in the National Assembly leadership contests. The contention of the two that the remaining National Assembly principal offices be shared to their associates earlier favoured by the party leadership in the leadership contest is at the centre of the crisis. Senator Saraki had refused to read a letter from the national chairman pronouncing the favoured party men for the four principal offices. A similar rebuff from Speaker Dogara penultimate Thursday led to the free for all in the House chamber. Following the troubleshooting efforts by the president it was expected that yesterday ’s meeting would lead to a final resolution. It seemingly calmed nerves but final solution is yet to be achieved. In the absence of Tinubu and Akande, nobody pressed the issue a source privy to the development in the closeddoor session said. “There were many issues on the agenda and that matter (National Assembly crisis) did not get the attention many peo-

ple expected as it was just briefly mentioned and passed on to the Progressive Governors to handle,” the source said. No reason was given for Tinubu’s absence yesterday. Tinubu, one of the pillars around whom the APC was formed was on the eve of the meeting a subject of attack from some fellow party stakeholders including some former governors who had pledged to storm the NEC meeting if Tinubu, who does not hold a constitutional office in the party, was allowed in. Whether out of decorum or in apprehension of the threat, Tinubu stayed out.

Accept APC’s supremacy — Buhari

Opening the meeting yesterday, the president urged party members to adhere to party decisions on the premise that the APC provided the platform for their election. Noting that the party cannot afford to fail, he said: “The elections have come and gone. The APC has won the battle but lost the war. This is the paradox of democracy and we shall see how we can manage it going forward. “The APC must not disappoint its constituency that is the nation state. We have to convince our various constituencies that we are individually worthy of the sacrifices that they have made. “Let us as members of the APC no matter our personal differences get together and use the mandate given to us by this country. This is my personal appeal to you in the name of God. Whatever your personal interest or ambition, please keep it close to your heart and in your pocket. Let APC work. “Let the system work and let us have a government that will earn

From Left: Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, outgoing U.S Consul General, Mrs Funke Egbemode, Managing Director\ Editor-in-Chief, NewTelegraph, Newspaper Limited, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, Director Nigeria Ford Foundation, and Mrs Mfon Ekpo, Director, The Project, during a farewell reception for outgoing U.S Consul General, organised by Public Affairs Section, U.S Consulate , Lagos held recently at Consul General’s residence, Ikoyi Lagos PHOTO: Kehinde Gbadamosi the respect of our constituencies. My problem is the constituencies. “Please accept the superiority of the party. I cannot confine myself to the cage or Sambisa forest and refuse to participate in NEC or BoT. So, I respect the superiority of the party. The president also used the opportunity to commend the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for conceding defeat in the last election. “The opposition party has ruled the country for 16 years. With all the treasuries, literally in their pockets and all the coercing forces under their command, they still meekly conceded defeat. We congratulate them for that.

APC will overcome its challenges soon — Oyegun Earlier in his welcome address, the national chairman, Odigie-Oyegun expressed hope that the challenges in the party would be resolved before the resumption of National Assembly on July 21. “We know the issues, the challenges the party is passing through. In the process, we will discuss the challenges. I can assure you that they will be dealt with conclusively before the National Assembly reassembles”, he said.

APC governors to meet Saraki, Dogara Briefing Journalists after the meeting, the national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that NEC resolved that the governors would meet with Saraki and Dogara as part of the moves to settling the conflict. He also stated that both the NEC and the governors unanimously expressed satisfaction with the Odigie-Oyegun led National Working Committee, NWC and passed a vote of confidence on him. “Also, it is important to let you know that everybody in the party is united on two issues which are party supremacy and the need to ensure that this government deliver its campaign promises.”

Tinubu, Akande absent at NEC meeting Party spokesman, Mohammed, defended the absence of Tinubu and Akande on claim that they are not members of NEC. “If you look at our constitution, neither of them are members of the excos of the party. I think it is at the discretion of the NWC or NEC whom to invite or not. I don’t want to fathom more reasons why they are not here but like I said

neither of them are members of the exco of the party”, he said. Following the NEC meeting, the disputants in the Senate led by Senator Saraki and Lawan and the disputants in the House led by Speaker Dogara and Mr. Gbajabiamila proceeded to the Imo State House, Abuja where the two sides presented their issues. At the end of the dialogue, Governor Okorocha assured newsmen that the crisis would soon be overcome. He said: “You will not see any more disagreements as against the past. Peace has come to our party. Both the Senate President and the Speaker; Senator Ahmed Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila will work together for the unity and progress of our party. “By next week we will give you people the details of the outcome of this peace meeting, but so far so good all things being equal.” Governor Adams Oshiomhole on his part said: “When you have some little disagreement among friends, the only way to solve them is to talk and we have started the process. The fact that the two sides are present, the foundation for peace is there. “So, I believe we are making some progress. Not that everything is signed, sealed and delivered that is why Okorocha said we are continuing the process.”

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

It’s insanity to create more states, Col. Umar warns •Blasts governors over their lifestyle BY HENRY UMORU, Kaduna

ORMER Military Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, rtd has tongue-lashed State governors who could not pay salaries of workers in their respective states, accusing them of living a lavish lifestyle that contributed to the economic crunch. In a statement titled, “ Insolvent State” and made available to journalists yesterday, Umar also blamed his immediate constituency , the Military for causing this financial mess by creating some states which were not economically viable and which depended only on federal government allocations. He said, “In sum, it is evident that most of the states and local governments are not viable and should not have been created in the first place. One disservice to the nation by some military regimes was the creation of these revenue guzzling administrative structures. They have continued slow national development. But for its impracticability one would recommend a constitutional abrogation of some of them. It simply goes to show that any plot to create more states and local governments is plain insanity.” Umar who is also the Chairman, Movement for Unity and Progress, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he was not hoodwinked by the C M Y K

governors by accepting to any bail-out, just as he asked the President to discourage frequent rush to the Presidential villa by the governors who visit to demand for help. According to him, if the President must even attend to the governors, he must ask them how they got to this level. The statement read in full, “The current desperate financial situation of most State government or at least those of them that have declared insolvency, is a nightmare long foretold. And not only by the cassandras of this world. We had cause to warn about the reckless extravagance of those states which led them to a borrowing spree from commercial banks at very high rates of interest. In reaction to our alert, the state governors tried to defend their actions, claiming they were all deliberate plan to finance development projects needed to raise internally generated revenue; a way to cut dependence on oil money. “No one was fooled, and as we expected, the chickens have finally come home to roost. Most of the states have become insolvent having lost the capacity to meet their most basic fiscal responsibility of paying their workers salaries. They are also unable to pay their contractual obligations including the servicing of their jumbo bank loans. “Faced with this dire financial situation they are running from pillar to post in search of rescue. They

have so far approached the FGN with an ill thought out bail out plan, requiring president Buhari to give them cash or his government to guarantee for them more loans from commercial banks having exhausted the Excess crude account and no bank is willing to advance anymore loans to them. They also want the FGN to instruct their creditors, the commercial banks, to allow them a moratorium period

of twenty years without indicating a viable repayment plan within the period. Luckily the banks are privately owned and not subject to any governments dictates. “It is not at all clear if state Governors ever give thought to the political and even ethical implications of their demands on the Federal Government. Doesn’t it ever occur to them that by always coming to the federal government

cap in hand, they expose their own sordid impotence and give additional ammunition to those that question the wisdom of running our peculiar federation through so many states and local governments – all of which depend on the centre to survive? Are they aware that the public has gained the impression that states are run without fiscal discipline especially where the egos and whims of the

Governors are quite large? “But president Buhari would definitely want to ask some questions before he extends a helping hand to any cash-strapped Governors including how they got into the problem in the first place and if such Governors commit to be treated of the following diseases: extravagance, lavish lifestyle, prodigality, profligacy, squandamania as well as corruption.

Canadian firm to spend 185bn Euro in Enugu, Nasarawa in energy By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

Canadian based Science company; NH3 in collaboration with Nigeria Renewable Energy and Real Estate firm; Traveri Group, has said it would access 185 billion euros European Union Fund for renewable energy projects in Enugu and Nasarawa States. The President, International of Traveri NH3, Robert Leth, said the EU fund, Horizon 2020, is set aside to finance the fight against climate change globally, adding that the firm’s decision to introduce renewable energy in Nigeria stemmed from its commitment to tackle the threats associated with global warming. NH3 in collaboration with Nigeria Renewable Energy and Real Estate firm; Traveri Group, Friday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the renewable energy project. In his opening address

before the signing of MoU, with his International partners from the United States, Canada and Denmark, the Chief Executive Officer of Traveri NH3, Mr. Innocent Obende, said that the

Green technology which provides solutions to energy problems in developed nations of the world will be replicated in Nigeria. Obende also stated that the signing of the MoU

was significant, as same will provide the basis for feasibility studies required for sourcing funds needed to realise the company’s vision of ensuring that Nigerians have access to renewable energy.

PDP condemns Borno attacks *Stands with President Buhari on anti-terror efforts By Henry Umoru

A T I O N A L leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has condemned in very strong terms the continued terror attacks, particularly the mindless killing of over 145 Nigerians in Borno state on Thursday. In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party pledged its total support in President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-terror efforts.

According to Metuh, the PDP was extremely grieved by the killings, which cannot be justified under any guise, while calling on Nigerians to present a common front against insurgency. He said, “indeed, the time has come for all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations to be in one accord in the fight against terrorism in our dear country. “In this challenge, the PDP stands with President Muhammadu Buhari and the nation on any measure

adopted by the Federal Government aimed at ending this ugly experience. We may not be on the same page on some policy issues but not when it comes to matters that directly affects the security of our citizens and our stability as a nation.” While calling on those behind the insurgency to embrace peace and end the senseless bloodshed, the party commiserated with the government of Borno state, the families of those who lost their lives and prayed God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 — 7

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Ambode approves welfare Rise against Boko Haram, Buhari urges support for mother of three Muslims ***as he commiserates with Egyptian government sets of twins By Monsuru Olowoopejo

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Abuja

AGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday directed his deputy, Dr. Mrs. Oluranti Adebule to effect the immediate rehabilitation and provision of welfare assistance to Mrs. Ruth Uche, the mother of three set of twins whose husband absconded from their home in Agege, Lagos. This came barely 24 hours after Vanguard published story on Ruth and her children, narrating how her husband absconded

GAINST the backdrop of the incessant terrorism attacks in Nigeria and the world over, President Mohammadu Buhari yesterday urged the Muslim community to make a strong statement that would condemn the activities of insurgents. According to the president, speaking with one voice was a sure way of rejecting the attackers claim of acting in the name of Islam, stressing that it would also stop the abasement of their religion. This is even as Buahri called on the international community to unite and forge a stronger worldwide consensus for more effective action against global terrorism. The president’s injunctions came on the heels of the killing of about 150 men, women and children in Kukawa, Borno state on Thursday and also the recent murder of Egyptian Attorney General, Hesham Barakat, and the killing of about 70 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula by terrorists.

From left: Former Chief of Army Staff, Retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau; President Muhammadu Buhari; Gov. Ibikule Amosun of Ogun State; former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Saminu Turaki and other worshippers at the 2015 Nigerian Army Day special Ju'maat prayers yesterday

While strongly condemning the act, Buhari in separate statements issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja further stated that it was “a very heinous atrocity which must be unreservedly condemned by all people of conscience.” He conveyed his heartfelt condolences to families of the victims of Boko

Haram’s dreadful killings in Kukawa just as he also condoled the government of Egypt and the families of the victims, reaffirming “Nigeria’s commitment to working with other countries facing terrorists’ threats to overcome the scourge of violent extremism.” The President added that “no country can afford to be indifferent to the threats of terrorism because of its per-

vasive and destructive nature.” Buhari had made tackling insurgency a campaign issue and since he assumed office as President, he has focused on the menace more than any problem facing the country. But the terrorists have continued their attacks on Nigerians and their North-East region, killing and destroying people and properties.

APC state chairmen visit Saraki, preach party’s supremacy He added by declaring By Henry Umoru/ Joseph Erunke

BOUT 30 state chairmen of the ruling All Progressives Congress,APC, late yesterday paid a seeming solidarity visit to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki during which they still told him to ensure that the party supremacy was respected at the National Assembly. Their visit seemed to add to the support Saraki was gathering as President of the Senate. Their message was clear. Respect party supremacy and you enjoy our support. Saraki has pledged

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to do that and added that he has always being a loyal party man. He appears to be consolidating. The chairmen, under the aegis of Forum of APC State Chairmen, who paid a courtesy visit to the Senate President,said they came to harp on the need for all party members to respect the supremacy of the party. But the meeting of the state APC chairmen, led by Alhaji Umar Dogowa, Kano State APC chairman, was boycotted by the party’s chairmen in the South West just as Benue APC chairman stayed away.

“We implore you to, as a matter of urgency, uphold the supremacy of our party and not just to uphold it,to also preach to others to also uphold the supremacy of our party,”Mr Dogowa said. Speaking at the occasion Senator Saraki assured that despite fear of their defection from the party being expressed in some quarters,he had no intention of ditching the party. The Senate President insisted that no matter the circumstance he finds himself,he would remain a loyal party man. Saraki,while insisting that he was committed to party supremacy,said there was no alternative to the APC. He assured the states party chairmen of his commitment to the party, saying “we will leave up to expectations of Nigerians from us, we shall deliver on the promises made and surely demonstrate our commitment to the party by not abandoning it in anyway”

that the 8th National Assembly under his leadership, shall cooperate fully with President Muhammadu Buhari in the delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians. “There is no alternative, Buhari must succeed”, he declared. A total of 28 APC States Chairmen including the party ‘s Chairman in FCT, Abuja, attended the meeting.

from home as a result of the expected birth of another set of twins from his wife, making it the third in a row. Ambode in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, noted that as a responsible government, the wellbeing of the people of the State irrespective of their ethnic, religious or political affiliation is paramount to his administration. He assured that his “administration will continue to provide good leadership that will guarantee adequate protection of lives and properties of all Lagosians.”

I’m not under house arrest — Kwankwaso By Kingsley Omonobi

ORMER Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso has declared that he is not under house arrest. He also denied ever been invited my the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over any allegation bordering on fraud as reported in the media. The former governor who is one of the strong pillars of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also noted that at no time was he placed under house arrest,

or that he was afraid to come out of his house for fear of being arrested as insinuated in the media. A statement signed by Muhammed Inuwa Ali, his Principal Private Secretary said, “The attention of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, representing Kano Central Senatorial District was drawn by some of his political supporters in Kano regarding a libelous and unfounded petition against his person at EFCC by his political opponents sometime in May, 2015.

My husband will improve your living condition, Aisha Buhari assures less privileged By Levinus Nwabughiogu

IFE of President Mohammadu Buhari, Aisha yesterday assured the less privileged Nigerians that the administration of her husband will improve their living standards. Mrs. Buhari spoke during the breaking of Ramadan fast held at

the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. She also called for support and prayers for the present administration to enable it succeed. Mrs. Buhari said, “I want to assure you that my husband, President Muhammadu Buhari will do everything possible to improve the living conditions of every citizen.

Celebrated artist, Ogakwu displays works

N established Nige rian artist, Mr. Chinedu Ogakwu, is set to hold an art exhibition showcasing his latest creative works in Lagos, between July 4 and 11, 2015 in collaboration with Customer Contact Solutions Nigeria Ltd . The artistic exposition taking place at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, is with the theme, “Illimite”, which in French means “unlimited”. Mr. Chinedu Ogakwu, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tresor D’Afrique, said the

subject matter of the exhibition was premised on the fact that the mind of an artist is naturally unrestricted in terms of ideas, media and styles of artistic expression. He added that the theme was informed by the notion that the Arts, as forms of creative beauty, are really everywhere, and that there is art in whatever we find ourselves doing as humans. The 40-year-old mixedmedia professional painter and holder of a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Painting, from Enugu Art School, in Enugu

State, incidentally, started painting at age six. Ogakwu’s Afrocentric art company, Tresor D’Afrique, which implies ‘Treasures of Africa’, is focused on producing artistic works that are mostly historical and cultural in nature. These works, according to him, convey strong messages as they relate to the primitive life of an African man. “My vision as an artist is to really remind Africans and the world at large of the former’s root and cultural heritage which should not be allowed to fade away,” he urged.

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

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Local drug manufacturers kick against new govt policies ...fear that locally produced drugs may go into extinction BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & CHIOMA OBINNA

HE Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMGMAN), has raised dust over the New Drug Distribution Guideline, NDDG, and Common External Tarrif, CET, saying that they are threats to the survival of the local pharmaceutical industry. Expressing their fears at a world press conference yesterday in Lagos, they stated that implementation of the NDDG which began 1st July, 2015, has handed over the pharmaceutical industry to cartels and syndicates and in return, would increase the cost of essential medicines in the country. They also demanded that the implementation of the policies should be deferred and be refined to reasonably accommodate all stakeholders. President of the Group, Mr. Okey Akpan, who gave a run down of the possible implications of the policies, said apart from reversing gains made in the fight against fake drugs, and forcing locally manufactured drugs into extinction, the NDDG, will add an additional layer to the current distribution model that will increase the cost of medicine by 35 percent. “The CET places zero tariff on finished imported medicine while essential raw and packaging materials required by the industry for local medicine production attracts five percent to 20 per cent. “This policy

undoubtedly, spells doom for the local industry as imported medicines will become far cheaper than locally produced ones. This situation is inimical to the survival of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, and there is a need for

urgent review. He alleged that the CET if implemented as it is, will have far-reaching implications on the industry and the country. Akpan said the policy will impact negatively in the area of employment, capacity utilisation and

RUG dealers at the popular Bridge Head market in the commercial city of Onitsha have become jittery following the commencement of the federal government’s ban on open drug markets which took effect from July 1, 2015 across the country. The permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute had announced last week that regulatory agencies, including the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, PCN,

BY VICTORIA OJEME

HE High Representative/ Vice President Federica Mogherini of the European Union has condemned the killing of 150 people in two villages in north eastern Borno state in Nigeria. Mogherini made this known in a statement made available to Vanguard yesterday in Abuja. He said, “Targeting Muslim worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan is another attempt to destabilise the country and the region. “The EU stands with the Nigerian people and authorities in our common fight against terrorism. “I am confident the Nigerian authorities will continue to fight terrorism with the utmost determination and urgency, respecting rules for engagement. “At this very moment, my thoughts go to the families of the victims. Just last month, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides provided €21 million in humanitarian aid to help displaced people in Nigeria and neighbouring countries affected by the violence of terrorist organisations. The EU will continue to support the country in its social and economic development, as well as to tackle urgent needs.

PDP moves to regain control of Anambra BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

L-R: General Manager, Listing, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mrs. Taba Peterside; Executive Director, Business Development, NSE, Mr. Haruna JaloWaziri; Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs. Sola DavidBorha; Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema and CEO, Stanbic IBTC Capital, Ms Yewande Sadiku at the Standard Bank Africa Investors Conference in London recently.

Police raid kidnappers’ den in Enugu ..Recover 10 locally made pistols BY FRANCIS IGATA

HE Anti-Kidnap Unit of Enugu P o l i c e command,yesterday, raided one kidnappers’ den, along UgwuogoNike-Opi-Nsukka expressway where suspected kidnappers had used as hideout.

Hapeless motorists and residents plying the road had decried consistent attacks by suspected armed b a n d i t s a n d Fu l a n i herdsmen, who rob,maim, kidnap,rape and kill victims along the road. But the police in a renewed bid to rid the

Traders jittery as ban on open drug market takes effect Before the expiration of BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

loss of investment, increase in fake and substandard products and skills stagnation. Others are considerable depletion of scarce foreign exchange due to continued dependence on imports and no contribution to GDP growth.

Boko Haram: EU condemns killing of 150 people

and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, would commence the enforcement exercise on that date. Apparently unsure of their fate, drug traders in Onitsha have become very apprehensive and are suspicious of unknown faces entering the market. As one trader put it, “these days we only sell drugs to only known customers until the situation becomes clearer,” adding that they want to be sure of the nature of the enforcement.

the deadline, Onitsha Mega Drug Distribution Center was awaiting commissioning. According to Awute, drug distribution system of the country has remained uncoordinated, chaotic and had resulted in the circulation of fake, adulterated, substandard and counterfeit drugs in the country, arguing that the situation posed a very big challenge to the pharmaceutical sector in particular and the federal government in general, considering the negative impact the situation had on the health care delivery system in the country.

road of miscreants last Thursday,commissioned an out-post,christened Unity Police Station, along the road to boost the response time during emergency. Po l i c e Public R e l a t i o n s Officer,PPRO,Mr.Ebere Amaraizu in a statement, said that the raid at the kidnappers den came after intelligence reports on the hideout reached them. He said,”The operatives encountered some suspected notorious kidnap gang at the hideout, leading to exchange of gun fire which left three of the gang members fatally injured while some fled. “Recovered in the hideout are 10 locally made pistols,charms and live ammunitions. “We are appealing to members of the public,especially hospital owners to avail security operatives of information pertaining to anybody with gunshot wound even as we have cast our dragnet wide,to apprehend the fleeing suspects.”

ORRIED by its dwindling fortunes in Anambra State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the area has begun moves to reconcile aggrieved members to be able to forge a common front for the purpose of regaining control of the state government. At a well –attended meeting convened by the party’s governorship candidate in the 2013 governorship election in the state, Chief Tony Nwoye, the participants identified reasons for the party’s consistent poor performance in state elections, in spite of the fact that it is the most popular political party in Anambra State. Yesterday’s meeting was the first since the last general elections and those in attendance commended Nwoye for taking the bold step to gather members who had become disillusioned following PDP’s dismal performance in the governorship and state House of Assembly polls. Addressing the participants drawn from all the 326 wards in the state, Nwoye said they should strive to correct the mistakes that led to their poor performance in the past, rather than continue to bemoan on the result of the elections. Nwoye said: “Despite our loss in the last general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, still sees PDP as a big threat and that is why we must seize the opportunity to reorganize and restructure our party to make it stronger. Therefore, we have no option than to remain in PDP as there is no alternative.

NECAN kicks against electricity tariff increase … Wants civil organizations to investigate scam BY EDIRI EJOH

HE Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy Network (NECAN) has kicked against the plan by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to increase electricity tariff within the next few weeks. The advocacy group maitained that it was an effort to shortchange unsuspecting electricity consumers despite poor electricity supply. NECAN, which is a customer advocacy group set up by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), is saddled with advancing the interests of electricity consumers in the country. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Interim President, Mr. Tomi Akingbogun, chided NERC, for the deceit by electricity distribution companies. It could be recalled that NERC chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, had earlier given a directive to DISCOs not to effect the planned July 1, tariff increase without consultation with the major electricity consumers and civil society groups. Akingbogun also said that the claim that NERC has given directives to the DISCOs to duly consult and agree with the electricity consumers’ before deciding on an appropriate tariff was false.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 — 9

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Why we won’t devalue the naira — CBN By Michael Eboh

From left :Mr. Chiedu Ebie, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education,Delta State; Chief Fidelis Telije, Commissioner for Water Resousces; Mr. Joycee Overah , Commissioner for Science and Technology and Barr. Neworld Safugha, Commissoner for Energy. Picture: Nath Onojake “Contrary to the article’s argument, adjustments to a sharp decline in supply of US Dollars cannot all be borne by an indeterminate depreciation, without considering the full impact on the Nigerian economy. “The demand side also has to be considered, not just in response to the pressure on the Naira but as an opportunity to change the economy’s structure, resuscitate local manufacturing, and expand job creation for our citizens. “Take rice imports, for example: why should we keep allocating scarce forex to rice importers when vast amounts of paddy rice of comparable quality produced by poor hardworking local farmers across the rice belts of Nigeria are wasted, and farmers are falling deeper

into poverty while we export their jobs and income to rice producing countries? “Few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers of palm oil but today we import nearly 600,000 Metric Tonnes while Indonesia and Malaysia combine to export over 90 percent of global demand.” Muazu, however, noted that under the present circumstances, the CBN will do the little it can, through the introduction of huge subsidies, to protect the jobs and incomes of local farmers, using some of the same principles western economies used to justify the protection of their farmers. He maintained that Nigeria cannot attain its full potentials by importing

anything and everything, adding that for a long while now, the quest for importation has significantly weakened the operating capacities of industries in the country. He further stated that like other oil-exporting countries, Nigeria is grappling with its share of the aftermath of the oil price decline, noting that despite the challenges, Nigeria’s economic fundamentals remain strong. According to him, inflation is still within the CBN’s single-digit band, the exchange rate has stabilized around N197 per US Dollar for the last five months, GDP expanded by four per cent in the first quarter of 2015, and 469,070 new jobs were created in the same quarter.

Okowa promises zero tolerance for corruption …Swears in Commissioners and Special Advisers By Festus Ahon, ASABA

ELTA State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has sworn in 12 new Commissioners and five Special Advisers with an assurance that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption in the management of government business. The newly sworn in Commissioners are Barr. Mrs Mary Iyasere (Commerce and Industry), Hon. John Nani (Environment), Dr. Kingsley Emu(Economic Planning), Chief James Augoye(Works), Mr. V i n c e n t Uduaghan(Transport), Mr. N e w w o r l d Safugha(Energy), and Mr.

C M Y K

By Emma Amaize

HE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday, disclosed that its decision not to undertake a further devaluation of the naira was borne out of the need to safeguard the Nigerian economy from the shocks and negative impact the depreciation will have on the economy. Reacting to an article in the Economist Magazine, the CBN in a statement signed by its Director, C o r p o r a t e Communications, Mr. Ibrahim Mu’azu, maintained that the CBN does not panic and will not take desperate measures to satisfy few misguided interests in the market. According to Mu’azu, the article seems to ignore the fact that the exchange rate is simply a price that is essentially determined by the forces of supply and demand, adding that the CBN believes that the 48 per cent decline in oil prices may not be transitory and made bold policy changes including closure of the subsidized Official Foreign Exchange (Forex) Window, which resulted in a 22 per cent depreciation in the currency, the Naira. He said, “Because the Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on imports and the exchange rate pass-through to inflation is high, we believe that this adjustment is optimal at this time.

HOSTCOM tells Okowa to give DESOPADEC N4b derivation money Vanguard on phone, said

Joseph Ogeh(Housing). Others are Mr. Fidelis Tilije(Water Resources Development), Rev. Mrs. O m a s h o l a Williams(Women Affairs), Mr. Austin Chikezie(Agriculture and Natural Resources), Hon. Joyce Overah(Science and Technology) and Mr. Chiedu Ebie(Basic and Secondary Education). The special advisers are Mr Emmanuel Ogidi(Rural Development and Peace Building), Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo(Infrastructure and Housing Development), Rt. Hon. Martins Okonta(Land Resources and Legislative Matters), Hon. Pascal Adigwe(National Assembly Matters and Inter-governmental

Liaison)and Comrade Mike Okeme(Labour Relations). Speaking yesterday in Asaba, while swearing in the commissioners and Special Advisers,

Governor Okowa charged the Commissioners to join him in the fight against corruption so as to retain the implicit confidence and trust the people reposed on them.

ATIONAL Coordi nator of the Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSTCOM), Prince Maikpobi Okareme, yesterday, asked the governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, to pay N4 billion, being 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation collected by the state government for the month of May to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development C o m m i s s i o n , DESOPADEC. Okareme, who spoke to

according to the revenue allocation to states just published by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Delta State collected N8 billion as derivation for the month of May. He said, “The DESOPADEC law stipulates that 50 per cent of the derivation should be released to DESOPADEC. Therefore, the Host Communities of Nigeria, Delta State chapter requests the governor, Senator Okowa, to release N4 billion, being half of the amount received for May 2015 to the Commission.”

Group lauds FG’s decision to recover stolen funds By Caleb Ayansina

HE Federal Govern ment has been commended over its decision to recover funds stolen by past government officials and leaders by the ThinkNigeria Development Initiative (TDI). The Chairman of the TDI Board of Trustees (BOT), Hon. Roland Ajie, who gave the commendation while addressing newsmen in Abuja, described the development as encouraging. Ajie noted that the country was going through the

current economic turmoil because corrupt leaders and government officials lined their pockets to the detriment of the nation. “Nigeria is in this sorry economic state largely due to corruption. We have bad and corrupt leaders in the past, who didn’t see anything wrong with the looting of the nation’s treasury. They cared less if our hospitals were in bad shape, they cared less if our education system was in comatose, they cared less if innocent Nigerians died every day as a result of insecurity.”

Downgrading of Asaba Airport: Okowa appoints consultants By Festus Ahon, ASABA

ELTA State Government has appointed consultants with a view to upgrading facilities at the multi billion naira Asaba International Airport project, which was downgraded by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA about two months ago. The State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa who disclosed this paid an unscheduled visit to the

airport, Friday evening, said the State government was determined to complete the Airport and put it into full use. Warning against shady jobs, Okowa said he would not hesitate to fire the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Engr Dona Umukoro should he mislead government on the execution of the airport project. He added that as a governor he would not override the permanent secretary whom he said is a specialist in the engineering field.

Monarchs lament 10-yr darkness, lack of infrastructure in Imo Community appointment By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

IX Paramount rulers from Akokwa Clan, Imo State have lamented over ten years darkness the clan had been thrown into and lack of infrastructure especially drinking water in their community. The royal fathers in collaboration with the Akokwa United

Progressive People’s Assembly have appealed to their representative in the House of Representative, Hon. Austine Chukwukere to come to their rescue. Making the passionate appeal in Abuja when they visited the lawmaker to congratulate him on his election victory and his inauguration as a member of the 8th National Assembly, they said good drinking water

had remained a problem and appealed for his intervention in the provision of potable water. They lamented that their clan had been in darkness in the last ten years as a result of immense neglect, stressing that the development had crippled economic activities in the area and pleaded for restoration of electricity supply. They also pleaded for

of their qualified sons and daughters into g o v e r n m e n t establishments and parastatals. President General of Akokwa United Progressive People’s Assembly, Chief P.N. Ngoka who delivered the requests of the community to Chukwukere in his office, further asked for the establishment of tertiary institutions or faculties in their community.

10 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

BRIEFS

63-yr-old man remanded for infecting stepdaughter with HIV BY DAUD OLATUNJI

USTICE Abiodun Ak inremi of an Ogun State High Court sitting in Isabo Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Friday, ordered a 63 year old man, Alabi Ibrahim to be remanded in prison for allegedly infecting his 13-year-old stepdaughter with Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV. The accused person who had earlier been arraigned for allegedly defiling the victim was also re-arraigned yesterday for infecting the victim with the virus. The shocking development was contained in a medical examination report tendered before the court. The Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs O. Osunfisan who stood for the plaintiff in the case instituted by Child Protection Network, CPN, a Non-Governmental Organisation told the court that the accused, by the medical report, infected the innocent victim with the virus. During cross examination in the case tagged AB/37C/

14, the accused admitted being HIV positive, but vehemently denied having carnal knowledge of the step daughter not to talk of infecting her. He told the court that the victim had earlier been sexually abused by a relative of his wife, adding that he resolved to send the girl packing when he observed that she was wayward and corrupt. Director of Public Prosecu-

tion, while presenting the medical reports to the court which was conducted on November 2012, as exhibits 2 and 3, emphasised that the accused had been linked to have spread the virus into the victim after defiling her. She added that the acussed also separated a room for the girl in the home to pave way for having regular sex with her. The plaintiff also main-

tained that the accused had always have sex with her under the guise of helping her with her home work. Sakirat Mosaku, a witness in the case, told the court that Alabi’s wife had raise the alarm about the relationship between her daughter and husband. Meanwhile Justice Akinremi in his ruling adjourned further hearing till July 7, 2015.

Civil society uncovers plot to malign Saraki, Ekweremadu

GROUP of pro-de mocracy and political rights activists, the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), says it has uncovered a plot to malign the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu to submission over the National Assembly leadership crisis rocking the APC. Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko said the plans were hatched at the on 29th

June 2015 in Abuja. According to HURIWA, “We have it on good authority that finishing touches were put on the plan at the Abuja home of a high profile APC leader, where two Senators from Yobe and Jigawa States were present. “Seeing no legal means to kick the Senate leadership out, the plan now includes forgery of all manners of documents, manipulated audio and audio-visual materials, and the importation of a professional female blackmailer from the USA, etc. to coerce the Sen-

ate helmsmen to submission”. Decrying the lingering leadership crisis at the National Assembly, the group said: “HURIWA denounces in the strongest terms the emerging erosion of the independence of the National Assembly, and worst of all, the resort to cheap blackmail. “We therefore call on Nigerians to be on the lookout for the political cum media terrorism as it unfolds, but regard them for what they are: cheap blackmail.”

FLOOD TAKES OVER LAGOS

Bini palace chiefs back Ogbemudia’s search for Oshiomhole’s successor BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

EMBERS of the Otu Odolevbo-Osioba group, comprising of palace chiefs from Benin Kingdom, have backed the move by former Governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, to search for a credible governorship candidate that will sucnb ceed Governor Adams Oshiomhole come 2016. The group noted that the search for a credible candidate who will govern the state after Oshiomhole’s tenure became necessary so as to avoid the emergence of a governor who will destroy the legacies left behind by Oshiomhole, stressing that the candidate who will be the candidate of all Edo people must possess unblemished credentials. The group appealed to the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri to join forces with Dr Ogbemudia “to achieve this onerous task of searching for this good leader since all the political parties seem to have agreed to zone their governorship slot to Edo South come 2016”.

Bauchi gov approves appointment of political aides BY SUZAN EDEH

AUCHI State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has approved the appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman as the Secretary to the State Government.Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman is a seasoned technocrat and has served in the same capacity in the late nineties. He was also the immediate past chairman of the state Local Government Service Commission. According to a press statement by the Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs, Hashimu Yakubu on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government, the state governor also approved the appointment of Audu Sule. Katagum, as Chief of Staff, Alhaji Umar Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Deputy Chief of Staff, Alhaji Bello Shehu Ilelah as Special Adviser on Civil Service and Alhaji Ibrahim Tahir Talba as Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on schedule.

Photos: Lamidi Bamidele & Bunmi Azeez.

Heavy downpour in Lagos, Thursday, flooded Silverbird Galleria, along Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos. Flooded Ikorodu Road by Obanikoro Bus stop, Lagos, on Thursday.

Flood at Gbagada, along Oshodi-Gbagada Expressway, Lagos, Thursday. C M Y K

Another flooded section of Ikorodu Road, Thursday.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—11

As he moves to build the biggest refinery, create 180,000 jobs from agriculture

ALIKO DANGOTE

Warns on the biggest mistake a businessman can make Five to ten people can make Nigeria a great economy. We have to encourage Nigerians to invest at home C M Y K

edia men had a piece of A l i k o Dangote last weekend. And when they were done many appreciated why he is one of the richest in the world. In an interactive session with senior editors Dangote discussed state of the nation while explaining some details in his businesses that are geared towards a better life for Nigerians. His tremendous knowledge in many areas

awed the audience. But what moved them most was his patriotism. He called on Nigerians to invest at home and create jobs. “Five to 10 people can make Nigeria a great economy,” he said. And what with the power situation in Nigeria? “We’ll not have meaningful development until we sort out power problems in the country,” he tells government. Dangote spoke from his heart. Here’s Africa’s richest man who doesn’t own a house abroad.

His is about how to make Nigeria a better place. And, again, his humility thawed many especially those meeting him for the first time. Below are just a few of the things he said on the night, his own words as captured by ONOCHIE ANIBEZE On oil subsidy The issue with subsidy is that government needs to block all loopholes. If there’s no subsidy, it will affect our foreign exchange, we’ll end

up buying a dollar at N500, because there’s no VAT on petroleum products. That’s why the import of petroleum products is taking about 30% of our foreign reserve. We just need to make sure that there’s no siphoning of money. The refining business requires volume. If you don’t have a massive volume, there’s no way you’ll make money. Most of the refineries in Africa are running at a big

Continues on page 12

12—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

‘I think there will not be an improvement in job creation unless people go into Agriculture’

Continues from page 11 loss. It’s not possible for government officials to successfully manage oil businesses. It’s good enough if they remove the subsidy, but you can check with neighbouring countries like Senegal. If a poor person in Senegal can afford to pay subsidy, why can’t a poor person in Nigeria afford to pay. I think there must be something for the masses, which should be in terms of power, social insurance, good education system, good roads etc.

Factory in Ethiopia

We will not have any meaningful development till we are able to sort out the power issue C M Y K

By the end of 2017, we would have invested in about 16 countries and these are very heavy investments. I’m going to announce the expansion of the plant we just commissioned in Ethiopia. This is just to expand our operations. It is taking 40 Megawatts of power which is more than what Kano is getting today which is 38 Megawatts. We don’t have generators on standby. There is nothing like generator there which we normally have everywhere in Nigeria. It’s one of the few countries that is growing at double digits because they have power and because they are a bit more serious than we are in Nigeria. You hardly find potholes on their roads. A factory like that in Nigeria would need about 60 Megawatts of power and 30 Megawatts on standby which is a total of 90 Megawatts and it would have cost us about about 130 million dollars. The cost of doing business there is less. In the last twelve years, they’ve had an average

of 10.8% GDP growth. This year, they are running at 10.6% GDPA.

Investing in Nigeria

This requires determination and seriousness. These things are humanly possible and we should be able to do them. It’s not really the work of the government to make a country prosperous, it’s the work of individuals because the duty of the government is to facilitate, but government will not have the money to invest. That’s why it’s shameful that some Nigerians go and keep their money abroad. It is very difficult when we have a huge chunk of our money abroad and we want foreigners to come and invest. They won’t believe that the environment is good. It won’t work that way. The only way is for us to lead, even though we can’t do all, but that leadership will pave the way for others to invest their money in our economy. In fairness, it’s difficult for people to find a place where they can make good money like Nigeria but it is also very tough. Once you are in business in Nigeria, you won’t be able to find enough sleep. Doctors always advice that we sleep for six to seven hours. I don’t think people who sleep for that long can operate businesses in Nigeria(laughter).

On payment of taxes

People don’t pay taxes because they don’t see what they are being used for. Initially, Lagosians were upset about tax payment, but they realised that it’s important to pay taxes because they started seeing that the

money is being used judiciously. The issue of not paying taxes is really reckless. The first thing I always think about is paying my workers’ salary. We are all on the brink of danger if so many states are not paying taxes and are heavily indebted. If you do a financial analysis, you’ll discover that some of the states are technically bankrupt. I tell people that when you own a company, the government is automatically a shareholder. They are even guaranteed shareholders because whether you make money or not, they’ll make money. If I open up a factory today, first of all, I’m risking my money. I have to pay interest on money borrowed from banks. From my profit the government will take 30% as corporate tax and 2% education. The only way for me to make money from that business is to declare dividends and when I declare dividend, they’ll also take 10% holding tax. You realise at the end of the day that in your own business, government is taking 42%. You begin to wonder if it makes sense. Of course it does. There’s no way the government can function without taxation. If the partnership is only for us to enjoy and not pay taxes, it’s not sustainable. So definitely, someone has to pay the taxes, I’m not supporting an increase in taxation, I’m calling for an increase in VAT because when I did the numbers, I realised that 5% additional VAT will amount to about 900 million. The most difficult thing to do in any organisation is to reduce salaries. It’s much easier to reduce the number of workers. No country operates on 5% VAT, the minimum is 15%. What we don’t want is social acrimony. The last strike cost us over N15 billion and we’ve not gone back to the normal situation, it takes

time.

On power

The most dangerous thing that could happen to an entrepreneur is for him to go into a business he doesn’t understand. You need to know the A to Z of the business you are doing. That’s the only way you can succeed. That’s the biggest mistake most people are making. I don’t think that most of the people that have invested in power really understand what it is. It involves three things; generation, transmission and distribution and all the three require heavy investment. There are a lot of issues that we have to resolve and I think with seriousness, we’ll be able to do them. We have gas, but we shouldn’t use gas alone. We took the decision that by the end of the year, all our cement plants will be using coal. The coal is there and Nigeria will not be competitive in exporting it because we don’t have the infrastructure to take these coal for export. We’ve started using coal and there’s no emission, not a single dust anywhere. Technology has changed, 38% of power being generated in America is by coal. In our own operations, we’ve discovered that running on coal is cheaper than gas. We need to see how we can build a lot of infrastructure because that would help to open up the economy and make us independent. The government has to sit down and find a solution to power. We will not have any meaningful development till

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SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—13

‘Buying Arsenal will take the Nigerian flag worldwide’ Continues from page 12 we are able to sort out the power issue. We won’t have an inclusive GDPA unless we tackle power. The power issue is a great one and it’s preventing everyone from progressing. In Uganda, they increased the power to 230 Megawatts and the next year, their GDP grew by additional 4%.

Time management

The biggest problem we have in Nigeria is that we don’t quantify time. That’s why people will sit in traffic from here to Ikeja for two to three hours. If you invite me to a place and if I’m totally free and available, I’ll look at how many hours it will cost me. If it will take five hours of my day, I won’t go except I’m going for business purposes. That’s my policy. I put a lot into consideration and do some calculations, if I’ll need to send someone to represent me, I do that.

On refinery

We are doing a lot of sugar and rice and I think that in the next four to five years, we’ll be able to create about 180,000 jobs C M Y K

We are building a refinery and our refinery will make more money if there is subsidy. We have changed the size of the refinery three times because we are looking at the maximum we can do that has ever been done. We started with about 400,000, then we shifted to 500,000. Now, we took it to 650,000 barrels per day. That’s the biggest ever single line thresh of refinery. It’s a huge plant and it comes with a lot of challenges, but at the end of the day, it will save us a substantial amount of money. Presently, about 38% of our foreign exchange goes to petroleum products, so I think that will totally eliminate it and eliminate all the imports. We will also be able to export and we won’t

do it all by ourselves. Other refineries will produce. Even if other refineries are not working, we’ll be able to satisfy 100% local demand and we’ll be able to export massively. Five to ten people can make Nigeria a great economy. We have to encourage Nigerians to invest at home.

On Agriculture

I think there will not be an improvement in job creation unless people go into Agriculture. I know even in Agriculture, there’s money. We are also doing four sugarcane factories. We want to export sugar. We are doing a lot of sugar and rice and I think that in the next four to five years, we’ll be able to create about 180,000 jobs. There are only two countries in the whole of West Africa that eat parboiled rice – Nigeria and Sierra-Leone. Other neighbouring countries eat white rice. So, what’s the business of Republic of Benin collecting ships of parboiled rice to Niger. How can Niger eat two billion tons of rice? We have no business importing sugar, there’s so much land and water here. God has given us these things and we have to use them. Today, Ethiopia is growing rapidly, but the mainstay of their economy is agriculture.

Jokes

It’s only a Nigerian that calls an airline and even when he’s told that they have 20 people on standby, he still carries his bag to the airport. We are the only people God has created that way. He will say ‘Don’t worry when I get there first’. When he gets there, he starts shouting and complaining,

whereas he had already been told.

On gas generation

We’ve been wondering what the issue is, why we’ve been unable to get gas. The total amount of gas that is being supplied out of the entire trillions of fields of gas that we have is only about 6.7billion of which 3.5 billion is for export energy, 1.25 billion flares, while about 1.3 is for their own operational use. A little over one billion is what we get for domestic use. We pass part of it to the West African gas pipeline in Togo and Ghana. There is a lot of gas in the east but there’s no usage. Majority of them are in the shallow waters. Nobody will spend

their money to generate the gas unless the infrastructure are on ground.

Buying Arsenal FC

The issue is that if I buy all the Nigerian clubs, the Nigerian flags will continue to remain here. But buying Arsenal will take the Nigerian flag worldwide. Just like whenever Abrahamovich is mentioned, the name of his country, Russia comes up, everyone knows he’s Russian. On railway construction Railway is so expensive that it’s only the government that can run it. The cheapest railway line is about 3.7 to 4 million dollars per kilometre. If you want to construct a railway from Lagos to Kano, you need about four and half billion dollars and that’s private sector cost, not government cost. We wanted to do from Lagos to Calabar and it was about 12 billion

dollars. I also think that the government should start building concrete roads, because we’ve realised that concrete roads are far cheaper and they last for more than 40 years. We are doing one in Ogun State. But in any country where there’s corruption, they wouldn’t want to do concrete roads, because it lasts a lifetime. We’ve not maximized the use of money in this country. As a country, it’s shameful that we are still struggling to pay salaries. We shouldn’t allow people to hear that. Ghana just had a week of power outage and everybody took to the streets with placards. They should come to Nigeria and see what we are experiencing.

Houses outside Nigeria?

Someone once asked me how many houses I have abroad. The truth is, I don’t have a nine- inch block outside this country, I don’t have any house anywhere in the world outside Nigeria.

Cautious about media business

I once went to see Abiola and I said to him, you look a bit worried. And he told me he could not sleep because of a publication. He said, “How many times will I be chasing reporters and running my business. Let me advise you, don’t go and do this newspaper business.” When people realise that the paper is not balanced – you are always pro-government, it is a challenge. The worst tag a paper can have is to be marked a government paper. The general feeling is that they are eating from the government. So that is why I run away from the media business. That’s not to say I won’t do it.

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

ly,, Suddenly

eettuh OlisaokeM ha s w n up

BY HENRY UMORU

any monitoring Nigerian politics must be wondering about the new spirit in Olisa Metuh of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Before the crash of his party in the last Presidential election Metuh, like other PDP big shots, appeared media unfriendly if not arrogant. It was difficult to get his reactions on many issues, his position as the spokesman of his party notwithstanding. His APC counterpart, Lai Mohammed remained a reporter’s dream. But having taken the seat of the opposition Chief Olisa Metuh has, in the past few weeks, become the roaring lion, the barking dog. The PDP has suddenly become proactive, raising issues for the ruling APC to respond to. This is contrary to when it would wait for the APC before it would respond and in some cases would refuse to comment, probably because it was the ruling party and not ready to join issues. Only on rare occasions then that Metuh would respond and even when he did, he was very careful. Little wonder, former President Goodluck Jonathan brought in Chief Femi FaniKayode as the spokesman of his Campaign organisation and funded him. Fani- Kayode became vibrant, he took on personalities, leaders of the APC, the then presidential Candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari. It was almost on a daily basis, PDP was in the news, but at the end of the day, the party lost the elections. Fani championed a seeming hate campaign that seemed to win sympathy for Buhari. PDP goofed. PDP’s failure at the election may be attributable to many things, from impunity to arrogance, lack of effective media machinery prior to the inauguration of the Campaign Committee, just as Metuh had always complained of lack of money. Now, the party has no C M Y K

choice, it must be in the news. It must react to issues. It must even be proactive. And suddenly, Metuh has woken up. He is now playing the role of the Spokesman. Shortly after the defeat, Lai Mohammed offered to give Metuh a free, six-week crash course on his new role as the opposition party spokesman in the spirit of cooperation and for the advancement of the nation’s democracy. Mohammed had said, Metuh will need the training to effectively carry out his new, tough task. It is now obvious that he needs to understand that for him to succeed in his new role, he must be credible, empirical, more sophisticated in language use and very passionate, in addition to being able to operate on a lean or zero budget. Rejecting the offer to have a free crash course on speaking for an opposition party, Metuh described the offer as arrogant and self-serving. The PDP’s response was contained a statement signed by Olisa Metuh’s spokesperson,

But having taken the seat of the opposition Chief Olisa Metuh has, in the past few weeks, become the roaring lion, the barking dog

•Olisa Metuh

Richard Ihediwa where he said, “Alhaji Mohammed in his usual ill-mannered and condemnable approach left the issues and dwelt on insults, disdainful comments and personal attacks,” the statement said. The attack from Metuh as a spokesperson of an Opposition party did not stop at that as he vowed that the PDP would provide a decent and credible opposition that will constructively proffer sound alternatives to the policies and programmes of the in-coming administration without recourse to insults, propaganda and deceit. Metuh had said, “The PDP is a political party built on values, tradition and utmost respect for democratic tenets. Our manifesto and ideology center on national peace, stability and prosperity and we shall uphold this at all times. In this wise, the PDP as always, will continue to work in the general interest of the Nigerian people. “We will not resort to insults, blackmail and lies with the aim to distract or ridicule the person or office of the President. However, we must state in very strong terms that we will not allow them to lead the nation astray. So we will firmly oppose any anti-people policy and programmes as may be introduced by the APC. Commenting on the conduct of the April 11, 2015 governorship and state assembly elections, Metuh lamented that the process was characterized by brazen irregularities against the PDP in most states. He upbraided INEC and security agencies for the barefaced over zealousness on the part of some of their personnel to please the winners of the Presidential elections. When former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso attacked the PDP, Metuh as a spokesperson for an opposition party lampooned the former governor and now a Senator, warning Kwankwaso to be mindful of what it termed, his incendiary utterances that were

capable of destabilizing the National Assembly as well as rubbish the prevailing political tranquility in the country. Metuh who told the former governor not to be ungrateful to the party as it was “taken aback by the venom and bitterness in the statement especially coming from a former governor, an elected senator, a highly respected former member of the PDP, who also benefited hugely from the party as minister and twotime state governor.” When Senator Bukola Saraki and Honourable Yakubu Dogara were elected Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively and the APC planned to sanction them, Metuh described such statements as empty threats, adding that such boasts by the leadership of the party were aimed at covering APC’s naivety, inexperience and unpreparedness for governance. According to PDP, the APC should shed what it termed, its arrogance, eat the humble pie and get more organized for governance, adding that the ruling party lacks the capacity, capability and means to sanction duly elected leaders of the National Assembly. He said, “the crass inexperience so far displayed by the APC is a pointer that it is not adequately equipped to handle the affairs of government at the center. Events would continue to prove the PDP right in this regard. “Nothing can be more astonishing than the whining by the APC that the PDP at the last minute expressed its preference for Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively after it had earlier stated that it was not interested in the positions. This calls to question the capacity, experience and skills of APC leaders on political matters and we have no apology whatsoever for their naivety. “The APC is merely suffering the consequences of the greed, lust for power and inordinate ambitions of their leaders. They should note that Nigerians have since moved ahead with the new leaders in the National Assembly and stop wasting their energy on propaganda and blackmails to heat up the polity.” When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Hajia Amina Bala Zakari as Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the PDP immediately rejected in

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SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—15

Suddenly, Olisa Metuh has woken up

•Lai Mohammed Continues from page 14 totality such appointment, alleging that the presidency plans to use her appointment to compromise the Election Tribunals in favour of the APC. Metuh, while addressing Journalists stressed that with her appointment, the public no longer have confidence and trust in INEC, alleging that she was made the acting INEC Chairman because of her very strong relationship with the presidency and a governor from the North West who influenced the position for her. He said, “The PDP is particularly disturbed by the development in INEC where President Buhari, who knew all along that the immediate-past INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega would be leaving office by June 30, had to wait for him to handover to one of the national commissioners only to reverse it immediately, thereby injecting bad blood in the commission. “The situation in INEC since the PDP government reformed and granted it operational autonomy has been peaceful, but Tuesday’s untidy overruling of Prof. Jega and the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting chairman which, we gathered was influenced by personal relationship with the Presidency and one of the new governors of the North West, ostensibly to pave the way for the APC at the electoral tribunals, has completely eroded public trust in the commission. “Whereas the PDP recognizes the right and powers of the President to appoint the Chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), we reject attempts as in the case of the AGF to paint the process as transparent and objective when such was not the case, but brought to question the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to due process. C M Y K

“ In INEC, the PDP states in unequivocal terms that we cannot, as critical stakeholders fold our hands and watch while the Presidency perpetuate actions that diminish the independence of the electoral commission. “The PDP has declared the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as unacceptable and demand that President Buhari changes her immediately. “ Our reasons include the fact that due process was not observed in the appointment and that Mrs. Zakari has shown in the last elections that she is manifestly bias in favour of the APC. Finally her appointment is a clear case of nepotism. “ We ask, if they trusted Prof. Jega and commended him for conducting free and fair elections, why would they not trust him on who to hold forth in the commission until a substantive Chairman is appointed, rather than appointing someone who is retiring from the commission in the next three weeks? “With the prevailing record of Mr. President on appointments, it is unlikely that a substantive INEC Chairman will be appointed in the next one year. Is there a hidden agenda? Has Mrs. Zakari been handed a script to act given that we have cases in the tribunals in addition to the forthcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa? Metuh who insisted that the APC was derailing, said that it was unfortunate that thirtytwo days after inauguration, elected into power over three months ago on the basis of their numerous promises to the Nigerian people, strong indications have emerged that the party and President Buhari were not adequately equipped and ready to chart a direction for the enormous challenges of governance. According to PDP, in the last one month, the APC and the government have failed to provide the change as they claim, as Nigeria was presently witnessing avoidable tension, wrangling within the ruling party, disruption of legislative activities in the National Assembly, painful economic stagnation. Warning the APC against the pronouncement of voodoo achievements, the PDP stressed that the country was witnessing

In the last one month, instead of a journey to change as they claim, all we have witnessed are avoidable tension, wrangling within the ruling party, disruption of legislative activities in our National Assembly, painful economic stagnation, pronouncement of voodoo achievements and overall uncertainty in the polity all due to the apparent inability of our respected President to provide leadership

what it described as overall uncertainty in the polity all due to the apparent inability of President Buhari to provide good governance and leadership. Metuh said, “today marks exactly thirty-two days of the inauguration of a new administration under the APC, which was elected into power over three months ago on the basis of their numerous promises to the Nigerian people. “ Even though this government has continued to plead for patience, we are worried that indications from President Muhammadu Buhari and his party do not inspire desired confidence in the citizenry that they are adequately equipped and ready to chart a direction for the enormous challenges of governance. “In the last one month, instead of a journey to change as they claim, all we have witnessed are avoidable tension, wrangling within the ruling party, disruption of legislative activities in our National Assembly, painful economic stagnation, pronouncement of voodoo achievements and overall uncertainty in the polity all due to the apparent inability of our respected President to provide leadership. “ We have a President and a party that have since thirty–two days been unable to decide on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff to the President, ministers and his demand for 15 Special Advisers as approved by the PDP controlled Seventh Assembly since June 5, 2015. “ Even the very little intervention made on appointments such as those of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the Acting Chairman of INEC, have not shown our beloved President as an evenhanded and patriotic leader resulting in the confusion and crisis of confidence that have trailed the two appointments. “Furthermore, the PDP finds it sycophantic, insincere and the height of deceit for the APC to continue to deceive President Buhari by parading voodoo achievements and pretending that all is well with the nation even when it is obvious that the government has not been able to locate its bearing. “The PDP also finds unacceptable APC’s continued playing on the intelligence of the people by dishing out imaginary achievements in the media even when it is evident to all that the nation is stagnating, a clear indication that the ruling party and the President lack direction and capacity to meet the expectations of Nigerians. “It is indeed amusing that a party in power in a press conference on Tuesday claimed progress in the fight against terrorism when the effort has lost steam in the last thirtytwo days with insurgents, who under the Goodluck Jonathan administration were already at the verge of surrender in the Sambisa now surging back into the country.” Without sounding immodest, the PDP has suddenly woken up. The arrogance and impunity that made them boast that they would rule for sixty years have disappeared. It taken to serious propaganda, a tool for the opposition party if it must be heard. We watch how this would be sustained for it requires vigour, it requires prompt responses to calls, text messages, it requires additional manpower, research, listening, collaboration, respect for the media and its owners, total humility, among others.

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

NEBO:

AWARD: From left, former Minister of Power, professor Chinedu Nebo, Promoter of the South East Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC), Chris Okoye, and Director of BusinessWorld, Ray Echebiri at the occasion.

Power of silent achievement BY ADEKUNLE ADEKOYA

t has been adjudged as the biggest privatisation in the whole wide world. Economic history books will tell you that you can only have anything close to that if you begin to look at what happened in Russia. So, the person we are celebrating today, has done for Nigeria what Napoleon could not do for France and that is why we said we must honour him, we must give honour to whom honour is due, we must celebrate him, when he is alive. “Anybody that did what Prof. Chinedu Ositadinma Nebo did in the Power sector, I can bet you, will see God. We are here today to just say thank you for what you have done for Nigeria, because if Nigeria begins to develop today, if we begin to move to the next level, in terms of industrialization, in terms of growth, in terms of economic development, somebody must look back and say, where did it all start? It started from the power reforms. It started from the revolution in the power sector, because without that you cannot go anywhere.” These were the words which resonated that night of June 12, 2015, at the Nike Resort Hotels, Enugu. It was

C M Y K

one of the rarest events attached to the rich profile of Professor Ositadinma Nebo, former Minister of Power, former Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka, pioneer Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, engineer, scholar, teacher, philosopher and preacher. It was supposed to be a very small event. He had wished it so and directed so — nothing noisy, no klieg lights, no fanfare. Just simple. But even as all these requirements were met, it all ended up an amazing event that gave expression to the saying that the best, most beautiful and most important things, most times, come in small packages. And so, for the first time since serving the nation’s most critical sector – power – Nebo, stood out to receive the symbol of appreciation on behalf of Nigerians who really understand not only the significance of privatizing the nation’s power sector, but the enormity of work and the dynamics that trailed it. Indeed, few of the guests, from the look of things are likely not to forget the event in a hurry. Not only because of the superlative performance put up by the Enugu State Cultural Troupe,

but the essence of the entire outing in terms of putting the Nigerian economic and social question in proper perspective. Mr. Ray Echebiri, Director of Business World, the group that packaged the event, tried to capture the whole essence in a rather witty but instructive analogy. “Here we are, celebrating somebody who successfully sold one of the biggest government-owned companies in this country. We’re talking of the assets of the former PHCN, the GENCOs and the DISCOs, a behemoth; PHCN was big, very big, how then do we describe such a person? Of course, whatever PHCN was doing, touched the lives of all of us here. If there is no power here, this place will be dark and nobody will see the next person. What about manufacturing? What about those small things outside, if there is no power and this government-owned enterprise held this country to unnegotiable ransom for years and somebody said enough is enough, government can no longer pilot these companies successfully and so it must be sold, and successfully sold these

“Anybody that did what Prof. Chinedu Ositadinma Nebo did in the Power sector, I can bet you, will see God. We are here today to just say thank you for what you have done for Nigeria

companies to private operators, should we take it as if nothing has happened? But he didn’t stop there, he was also able to hand over all of them to the private operators that bought them. “Now, in the course of looking at what they were doing, Prof. Nebo also discovered that they were having some challenges with the liabilities that they inherited and the serious issues with gas shortages. That was another hurdle. How do we cross it? And then, he successfully, with the collaboration of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Ministry of Petroleum resources, raised N203 billion as a lifeline to these companies. And of course all these I am telling you, everything was done transparently and credibly. ” Having dropped his raison d’etre, to underscore the event, Echebiri, practically opened a floodgate, as praises poured out in torrents. To Professor Viola Onwuliri, who served with Nebo at the same time at the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the award could not have been more significant at the time it came, given the message it sought to convey. Recalling what she called Nebo’s enormous contribution and intellectual bent to issues at the highest decision making body at the nation’s seat of power, she said it was instructive that it did not go without recognition. “I thank BusinessWorld for recognizing that we have a gold fish here, a star that the good Lord has bestowed to us in this part of the world and one that has served diligently and passionately in various assignments in this country for the benefit of all us. And each time he came out tops. He’s never disappointed us and we are continuously happy for him. “On behalf of the immediate past Federal Executive Council, I wish to congratulate my brother. He has continued to do us proud and he has also continued to be special to all of us in the Federal Executive Council. “He’s somebody that should be continuously applauded and honoured, because he put his life into this work and also, being a man of God, a lot of prayers. I’m sure without prayers, even where we are today, especially in the power sector, we will not be, because it will seem that a lot of anti-Christ going in that sector – with all the stealing, with all the destruction, with people who were determined to take us back, perhaps because they are benefitting from the old system. But he came up with knowledge, with commitment and with prayers and we were able to make progress. I want to pray that for his sake, the power sector will continue to make progress.” Echoing similar sentiments, Prof. Ernest Onwuasigwe of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), said Nigeria actually travelled the right direction by fishing out Nebo to become the Minister of Power. “I recall how some individuals were making publications in the newspapers about how they were going to pull down Nigeria if the

Continues on page 17

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—17

Continues from page 16 to gather momentum. Accolades also came from a foremost Hon. Oguejiofor Agbo, Chairman, Enugu South Local Government Area, who recalled Nebo’s series of successes in difficult terrains, such as banishing cultism at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), building a brand new functional university in six months, as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti and prevailing over the odds to complete the privatization process in the power sector. Hear him: “There came a time when every year we count how many people they kill in the University of Nigeria, during exam time because every secret cult member come to take their exam. So, the enemies will come and search for them and assassinate them. And UNN called on Prof. Nebo and when his face turned towards UNN, there were no more cult killings. “At Oye Ekiti, there were two intellectual groups fighting each other and they could not agree about anything about that university, especially about its location. But when the V-C was appointed, it was said that now there was one common ground all the groups agreed on and that was in the choice of the V-C. And when the V-C went there and turned his face towards Ekiti, something started to happen.” Promoter of the South East Nigeria Economic Commission (SENEC), Chris Okoye, who was also present, said a more appropriate forum would be created in future to fully capture and appreciate Nebo’s contribution to the power sector and building of the Nigerian economy. The engineer, banker, businessman and construction giant, added: “I know that Prof. Nebo is a man we will find time in the future to talk about properly. One thing that is unique about Prof. Nebo is the fact that he has stood for the pursuit of the common good. In a society in which selfishness, self-centredness and the desire to become the first, here is a man, who in everything he does, he thinks only about the pursuit of common good. And I believe that it is that quality that kept him strongly protected in that unique ministry called Ministry of Power. “When you talk about the Nigerian content, I believe that it is during his term of office that one can really say that the Nigerian content development has really started in the Ministry of Power. If you look at NAPTINS, what else can you be talking about apart from growing competencies, capabilities and capacities? If you look at what is happening there, I’m sure that in the next couple of years, the Ministry of Power through NAPTINS (National Power Training Institute of Nigeria), would have created the platform for sustaining the needs of the power sector in Nigeria and that is what is called local content.” An appreciative Nebo, was also not left out, as he used the occasion to review his past and put the future in perspective. He particularly mentioned two major factors in his life fundamental to his streak of successes – God and a prayerful and supportive wife, Ifeyinwa. His words: “I feel humbled and especially privileged that Business World that has gone places, that I have respect very much, found me worthy to receive this award. I want to say, thank you very much. There is nothing I do that I don’t ask for help beyond me. I want to say that no success has happened in my life without God himself. I give Him all the glory. C M Y K

NEBO: Power of silent achievement

“I am very happy that I have become a private citizen. I have allies that I can work with to promote the knowledge that I have garnered in the past few years with regards to the Power Sector.” Admonishing that it would be a big setback to ignore the gains already made in the power sector by the new administration, the former minister said former President, Goodluck Jonathan, contrary to the views held in certain quarters actually achieved a lot in the industry. “One thing, and that is my greatest regret, is that we didn’t win the war against vandalism and against inadequate gas supply. I tell you, if President Buhari were to win the gas war today, within two weeks, every Nigerian will be celebrating him, because what President Jonathan has put in place for the power sector is so immense that within a few weeks, if you get all these turbines fired up, instead of operating on 30 or 40 per cent capacity, every Nigerian will know the difference. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the privilege of winning the gas war. And I do think that to win the gas war, Mr. President, will have to do whatever it takes to stem the tide of vandalism of gas and oil pipelines as well as induce producers of gas to produce gas. “And I will say that even if Mr. President, Mohammadu Buhari will declare a gas emergency, Nigerians will see the difference within a week or two. So, a lot has already happened and we hope that the new administration will continue to make sure that Nigerians reap the benefit of privatization.” My greatest gratitude goes to Almighty God, who through His son, Jesus Christ, singled me out to make somebody out of one who would have been nobody. I thank God for that, because in the eyes of medical doctors, I would have been a vegetable because of the accident I had when I was I was 10 years old. Doctors said that if I survived and am not mentally incapacitated for life, that I should be regarded as a living miracle. And so, I

thank God for that.” Then the climax: “But I also thank God for the greatest gift he gave me this side of heaven, a young, beautiful woman, Ifenyinwa Nebo. I have been married to this girl for 37 years and by next month, July 23rd, it will be 38 years of marriage. The only thing is that people look at her and they say, Prof., how come you are marrying this little girl. She doesn’t age. She remains the same person that I took to the altar so many years ago. But above all, she prays. She’s close to the Lord. She is a voice of conscience and she cares. And when you have a peaceful home, children that love you and love the Lord, a family that is united in Christ and in fellowship, it is almost impossible not to give your best. So, I thank my wife. Unfortunately, she is not here. She is doing what Ndigbo call omugwo. Our eighth grandchild arrived last week. So, that’s why she is there.” The former Minister, while urging Nigerians not to be despondent over the power situation in the country, said one of the workable solutions to get out of the woods lay in pursuing embedded power generation. Hear him: “I want to assure all of you that Nigeria will win the power war. There is no doubt in my mind. We’ve been pushing for embedded power generation. That’s the way to go. Most of these big power plants take years of gestation to realization. Embedded generation can give you, 1,000, 2,000 megawatts whereas the big plants will not give you that in five to six years. We’re pushing for that and we hope that the present administration will continue, And the only way to do embedded generation is through privatization. It can work because all the agricultural clusters, industrial clusters, manufacturing clusters, export trade zones, all of them can be covered by embedded generation, so that Nigeria will

I tell you, if President Buhari were to win the gas war today, within two weeks, every Nigerian will be celebrating him, because what President Jonathan has put in place for the power sector is so immense

leapfrog into industrialization instead of depending on just the traditional way. There is a Chinese description of insanity that says that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. We cannot continue doing the things we have been doing. We must think outside the box.” Expressing gratitude to those who had constantly stood with him through difficult times, he also used the opportunity to apologize to those he must have wronged along the way, saying: “Sometimes, my friends don’t understand me. I have a problem and that problem is that if you give me an assignment, I bury myself in it. I give it my all. And so, in the process – people know I have never been a socialite, apart from the fact that people know me as a preacher, an evangelist and so on – I’m just a private person. And my wife tells me constantly that she knows that if I hadn’t married her, I would only marry books; because I would be away from the public, reading, meditating and preaching, engineering notwithstanding. So, I thank those of you that understand that this man is a man of passion for anything give me. “Mr. President emeritus, Goodluck Jonathan asked me a few weeks ago, Prof., are you going to return to the university? I said no, Your Excellency. I have been teaching engineering in the university for a good part of my life, and I think going back to now teach, students of the IGeneration — people who now use iPad, iPhone, I-everything and with engineering so dynamic, I have to go for a refresher course. Otherwise, I will end up being taught by the students I’m claiming to teach. So, I would rather do other more practical things that I believe I can do. In the end, Prof. Eze Mazulike, who gave the vote of thanks, seemed to have put the entire life and times of the former Minister when he said: “God picked him from his mother’s womb and continued to guide his step in the direction that will please Him.” It is a statement that has a historical and spiritual antecedent. At the age of 10, Nebo was taken for dead when he fell from the roof of his classroom. He had gone in search of a ball pen given to him by his father for coming first in class. His then teacher had flung the pen away and as a child, he had thought the prized property was thrown into the ceiling and had gone for it at the end of class. On hearing the news of his son’s “death,” the father had thrown his hands in the air and asked that if he lived, he would hand him over to God to serve him forever. Today, with prayer answered, Nebo, has not only served God, but humanity.

18—SA TURD AY Vanguard , JUL Y 4, 2015 18—SATURD TURDA JULY

t tasted sweet on some lips while it lasted, that dish of defection. There were two parties in the main, and so there was only one other to defect to. It was, of course, bitter to the side on which the defection took place. And so, the loss of the Peoples Democratic Party was the gain of the All Progressives Congress. The applause rose from one side to the other. One side clung to the prevailing rule of “Power!”, while the other proclaimed the new order of “Change!” The two-way traffic continued in drips and drops until a big one happened: four State Governors defected in quest of “change” in one fell swoop. There was joy in the house of the APC. Politics, they say, is a game of numbers. Well, but see who has got the number now! It happened in Minna. Those who were going to be adversely affected should have seen it coming. But the PDP by then had acquired the haughtiness that could measure only to the British Empire’s arrogance as one “on which the sun never sets”. Well, actually, the PDP gave themselves a ruling period of 60 years, and hardly spent 16. There were seven governors lined up to decamp on that hazy afternoon, but only five took the leap—or plunge, as you may call it. One of the defaulters was already acknowledged as the leader of the group, but he stepped back at the last moment. Babangida Aliyu, erstwhile governor of Niger State, failed to recognize the call of history. It is possible, probable even, that he would have retained his leadership of that “seven” group into the next phase which opened the door to” change”. But then, there was no dearth of leaders. Be that as it maybe, when the criss-crossing was over and done with, the cause of defection had been upheld. Prior to the election, the APC controlled 13 states, the PDP 22, and the APGA 1. After the election, the APC controlled 22 states, the PDP 13 and the APGA 1. The “change” had come in a uniform manner numerically. But in what other •Senate President Bukola Saraki ways has it substantiated itself? Or perhaps we should first ask: in what ways did we of “corruption”, which had instance, one has to hit the wish to see the “change”? become so rampant that ground looking, or else Nigerians were truly in a even the leaders who were one is liable to hit the state of disconnect with the soaked in it were failing to ground on one’s head. discern its odious PDP administration. There “More haste, less speed” ramifications. were vivid demonstrations of is not the kind of change we are looking for. But with the excess of the ground we have to traverse, we would need to hasten alright, but slowly. President Buhari is known to most of us, especially the younger We wanted change in the a type of governance that elements, by reputation. tone of our lives as a was focused more on the But he has shown that he people, in the image of our goodwill of a particular area will not be hurried to any people as a nation, in the of the country than on a precipitate action. He has well-being of our future as a mission to improve the a lot on his plate, as we all country. The outgoing general fortunes of the know, and most of it stinks. president gave us a commonwealth. There was Those who appear to wish measure of it by the little in the way of the country well by spontaneous manner in complaining about what commitment to standards which he accepted the they consider to be a slow and values that recognized result of a country-wide pace in squaring up to the the peoples’ aspirations for election which he lost. problems in front of him , a better way of life. Most of But we want all the are the very people who all, the question of trust; change in a hurry. The created the problems in we needed open trust popular phrase is that we the first place. They between the rulers and the should “hit the ground cannot, they do not, wish ruled, the workers and their running”. We complain: him and the nation any boss, among the various President Muhammadu success in tackling the ethnic groups that share this Buhari has not announced issues they have created, space in which we cohabit— the names of his ministers for it is sure to affect them natural, human trust which in four weeks— all of four when they are called into had dwindled almost weeks. Well, his term of account. And their ilk is irrecoverably. These office is for a four-year spread across the political inadequacies were spawned period, could we not allow divide. While those who across the board in different him four weeks , at least? It painfully find themselves shapes and forms in our is alright to talk about in the opposition are more way of life. We wearily hitting the ground running, vocal than the others, stockpiled them together but one ought to take other they all speak the same under the generic heading situations into account. For

the dividends of defection

C M Y K

But we want all the change in a hurry. The popular phrase is that we should “hit the ground running”

language. That is how they have been addressing one another in the hallowed halls of our National Assembly which they have no qualms in desecrating in season and out of season. What, in the main, has changed? Chief Obafemi Awolowo said it for all time when he rejected his nomination into the panel of the “ wise men” to write the 1999 Constitution. He was opposed to the entire exercise and he declared that what needed to be changed was not the written document, which he found quite adequate, but the hearts of men and women who were around to submit to its provisions. Hence the disgraceful broil which has now become a serial occurrence in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, among citizens who were supposed to be distinguished and honourable. But then, they were mostly defectors. They had given their word to remain loyal to the party of which they were “honourable” and

“distinguished” members, and on whose platform they were elected into legislative assemblies on behalf of their supporters. But they betrayed their cause. They reneged on their vows. In fact, they never articulated their cause beyond some fatuous statements that translated into hollow intentions. And as it was on the right, so it was on the left. Nigeria is in trouble. In the mean time, most of us, poor souls, believe that we are in a democracy. We spout the time-worn definition without giving thought to how we can very well apply it to our plight. Then we try to hide under words like “federalism” and blame non-compliance with the structure of its doctrine for the failure of our system. But the fault is not in our system but in ourselves. That is why the traffic of defection flowed in its two-way pattern without any hitch; they were all “like-minded”, and they have been so from the very beginning— not just when Bukola Saraki supplied the name. They were all in the game, self-seeking all the way. Why do you think Bukola really jumped camp to the APC? Was it so that he might not become the president of the Senate? Do you think he aspired to that position suddenly at the prick of a whim? And why do you think Dogara found it so easy to upstage Gbajabiamila who had managed the affairs of the APC as the leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives for no less than two terms? He was never a part of that opposition. When the PDP members began to troop in one accord to the APC, the APC loved it. It signified a change from the opposition to the ruling party. But the PDP members were incensed by the limited political options they saw in their party, compared with a virgin soil of opportunities they espied on the other side of the hill. That was why they went over. There was one action with two different connotations. The number of the PDP members was enough to swamp their hosts as has been amply displayed. It has turned out to be a veritable colonization where the settlers have overwhelmed the indigenes. It is of no great consequence, unless those who used to smile now allow the President, who is their real leader, to gently guide them into a sense of reality. The change is here alright. And it can be fully appreciated in the dividends of defection, which may not be so sweet, after all. Time out.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, JULY 4, 2015—19

The more things change, the more they remain the same Chief of those who would be smirking would be Dr DoyinOkupe, my old roommate and friend who had predicted the implosion and collapse of APC. Recent ‘I told you so’ comments from him show he has found his voice again thanks to the naked lust for power and control by the APC chieftains. I have read many comments on the ongoing debacle. Many of them unfortunately betray old allegiances. Many talk about cutting one man to

here was a hit song in the 80s that had a refrain which went something like this: ‘Now that we’ve found love what are we going to do with it?’ This song came to my consciousness each time the APC members went from one comedy of error to another in their quest to acquire or consolidate power. Substitute the word love with power and you will have the APC scenario which has found power but is fumbling so terribly with it. Many people predicted this unfortunately. When I wrote the article: ‘The factors against Buhari’, an old friend somehow found my number and called to plead passionately about the dangers of a Buhari presidency. He is an Igbo man who has lived all his life in Lagos and even has a Yoruba name. His call amongst the many that came in the wake of the article comes to mind today because his was different from the common, if unfounded fears, of the Islamisation of Nigeria, or Buhari being surrounded by greedy crooks who would not allow him to clean the stable. He predicted a deadly power game.According to him, the North, which had been out of power for 16 years would not share power, but would quickly move to seize and consolidate power. The Vice President, for all his intellect, would be consigned to paper work and researches. He would be cut off from real governance. This could lead to the consternation of the Yoruba people who made the Buhari presidency possible and more acceptable. Tinubu, whose tireless efforts made the formation of APC possible, would find the whittling of his power unacceptable. A deadly inner struggle would ensue which would break the party and could break the country. I found his prediction the stuff of a bestseller movie and told him gently that he was simply worried by the fear of the unknown. But this ruthless, and unnecessary show of power tussle will surely set some people thinking and some people smirking.

failed and would become, if anybody had a doubt, the undisputed leader of the party. Now, I will be the first to admit that success is as difficult to manage as failure and wealth is as difficult to manage as poverty. I have seen it in companies, I have seen it in marriages. And this, is a marriage of some sort. And one way people survive the extremes of poverty and wealth in marriages is for them to focus more on goals than personalities because if the

If APC turns out to be a poor change, then they should be prepared to quit the stage in 2019

size as if Tinubu for all his clout could have been acting alone. Many talk about the inordinate ambition of Saraki as if Saraki, for all his so called ambition could have achieved all this alone. The way I see it, this macabre dance is being orchestrated by group interests—call it ACN or New PDP or whatever. Buhari, for all his seeming indifference, might actually be waiting for these groups to decimate and weaken each other. He is, afterall, a military Officer; well trained in tactics and strategies. If he succeeds in bringing order to this chaotic party, then he would have achieved where the others

survival of the marriage means a lot to you then you are likely to make sacrifices and overlook personal failings. APC is not yet a seamless party. It is an amalgamation of interest groups which pulled resources together to capture power. Its survival therefore depends on the ability of the leaders to look at the bigger picture. This suggests to me that they need the umbrella of change that the APC campaign slogan represents than they realise. Many of them are so tainted by their past that APC represents a new opportunity to revive their careers. It is on record that many of the National

oo many people are so busy querying God for not answering their prayers or not manifesting enough blessings in their lives. They think and believe that God is indebted to them. They think that God is a man that should be at their call any time they want Him. The truth however is that God is always God. When was the last time that you truly thanked Him just because He is God and not because of what He did for you. Do you know that so many would never open their heart to tell Him thank you. The truth of the matter is that until you start thanking God for where you are now your position will never change. Stop being an ungrateful person. God is worthy of all that you own till date is as a result of His enjoying. God it is that made it possible mercies. Thank Him always for His mercies therefore give Him all the glory. When you thanks. The more grateful you are to God the that avail to you His blessings. Please thank Him, more blessings shall spring greater your destiny becomes. What you know that everyone that fails to forth. You cannot be denied access to do to God determines what He will do to acknowledge God will be disgraced. It is heaven’s attention. you. Thank Him always and He will a sign of pride and pride goeth before a Jesus always gave thanks in all things manifest Himself the more in your life. fall. King Nebuchadnezzer was a typical and tremendous results were evident. The Listen, you will never taste greatness example. He failed to see the hand of God dead was raised up (Lazarus in John 11). in his kingship and ended up living with Five loaves of bread and two fishes was except you are truly grateful to God. Where you are today is not by reason of animals in the forest. At the end of the day used to feed five thousand men, not your strength but by the hand of God. he acknowledged God’s sovereignty (Dan. mentioning women and children (John 6). Know that every area of your life where 4). You must give God glory always in all Thank God for the little you have today you have excelled or succeeded in life is things so that you don’t lose what you and He will multiply the little to more than not by your own strength but by the already have in your hand. enough. In Malachi 2:2-3, the bible says, “if ye strength of God. 1 Sam 2:9 says, “...for by In Luke 17, ten lepers strength shall no man prevail”. Stop will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to making a boast of yourself. If God did not heart, to give glory unto my name, saith came to Jesus to be cleansed. permit it you can never prevail. Listen, the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse He cleansed them all but everything that people celebrate and or upon you, and I will curse your blessings: only one returned to Him to applaud in your life is the finger of God at yea, I have cursed them already, because give Him glory even though work. Don’t you know that no man can do ye do not lay it to heart…”. It is too costly he has not been made whole. these things except God be with him. Yes not to give God thanks for any kind of Because he returned to the act may be marvelous like the bible blessings and achievements you may be thank the Lord just for says in Ps. 118:23, but know that it is the Lord’s doing. For more details, contact us at Christ Reality Church, beside Gossard Don’t deny Him His glory. It Hotel, opposite First Bank Sports Ground, Community Road, Satellite Town will not be profitable unto you. or P.O.Box, 3196, Yaba Lagos. Tel: 08023062635 08168955932; 08033378769. E-mail: It will reduce you Johnson_crm@yahoo.com. Website: www.christrealityministries.org. Our account details are Pastor Johnson Omomadia, Guaranty Trust tremendously. You and I live purely by the Bank, A/C Nos. 0005171407; Christ Reality Ministries, Zenith Bank A/C mercies of God. The bible says 1011711622. it is not of him that willeth, nor Worship with us on Sundays, 1st Service: 745am-9:15am; 2nd Service 9:15of him that runneth, but of 11:30am. Wednesdays Word Revelation 6pm. Counseling days Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 11am-5pm daily or by appointment. Showers of blessing God that showeth mercy. All every 2nd - 4th Sat. of each month, 6 a.m - 7.15 am.

The force of thanksgiving

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Assembly members got there as a result of the sweeping changes that APC represented. For example, I still don’t know who the House of Representative member from my area is. Yet I voted for him under the umbrella of change. Am I the only one? So for him to say he is now independent of the party is a bit disingenuous. Secondly, Nigerians voted PDP out at the last elections because they wanted a change. They were tired of 16 years of corruption and confusion. And if APC turns out to be a poor change, then they should be prepared to quit the stage in 2019. Nobody voted for a government of national unity. We want to hold only APC accountable for good or ill. So anybody who brings PDP into governance through the back door has not done APC or the country a favour. What happens if the presidency decides to move against the economic interests of top leaders of the PDP who have enriched themselves through treasury looting? Will a presiding Deputy Senate President who may or may not be personally affected push it? And will a divided APC body be able to pass it? Will even the Senate President who until a few months ago was a top PDP leader push it? Nigerians hoped for a change. Nigerians voted for a change. What is happening now is more of the same; leaders who are fighting over the spoils of victory. APC needs to get its act together and start delivering on its promises of change. Otherwise 2019 is round the corner. And there will be no spoils to share. Meanwhile, Senator Saraki and his group should find their way back under the APC umbrella to shield themselves against the gathering storm. To do otherwise is to make themselves vulnerable. Or is it already a torn umbrella? Oops. I used the word umbrella five times in relation to APC. Hmmn, the more things change, the more it seems, they remain the same.

cleansing him, he received the miracle of wholeness. The other nine where cleansed but they were never made whole. Start thanking God consistently and He will beautify and perfect your life. When thanksgiving becomes an integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving and humble. As you give God all the glory, get ready for a life of outstanding achievements. Start to give Him thanks right now and every day or moments in your life. God bless you and God bless Nigeria. Do you want to experience the reality of God in your life? Then you should receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. Pray this simple prayer. Father, I come to you as I am. I invite Jesus into my life to be my personal Lord and saviour. Wash me cleanse with the blood of Jesus and empower me with the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you Father, for saving my soul and making me your child. Your prayer request and praise reports will be welcomed. Our contact details are below.

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 Continued from last week.

veryday people die from illnesses that have easy cures . They are denied healthcare because they cannot pay. They die because they are poor. And many are poor because they lack opportunity. But even those who are poor , the way libertarians would have us believe , should not die cheaply. Our common humanity must mean more. Every civilized society must aspire to attain free/affordable health care for all its citizens. If all must be treated with human dignity then none should be denied health care and none should die from a curable disease by reason of poverty. It is true societies have limited resources and competing social demands , the ideal of health for all is a compelling moral objective and should be pursued with all vigour. Leaving the poor to suffer and die from easily curable diseases lies within the moral proximity of torture which we now all consider grossly inhuman. It can’t be left to doctors to bear the burden of health care costs for all. Responsible governments all over the world know that it is one of their primary duties. In Nigeria serious matters are often attended to half-heartedly and sometimes with mere political gimmickry. The national health insurance scheme (NHIS) was crafted to address many of the issues bedeviling the health sector. But what has the scheme achieved? The Guild of medical practitioners have nothing to recommend of the Health management organizations (HMOs ) through which the NHIS is supposed to further its aims of fair financing of health care costs through pooling, cost burden sharing and judicious utilization of risk protection . The HMOs are seen by many doctors as parasitic institutions lacking in moral convictions and intent on destroying private participation in medical service delivery in the country. Most private practitioners regard the HMOS as vampires for whom health business is solely about profit maximization and opportunism. The HMOs themselves decry poor participation in the national health insurance scheme which has enrollment figures in the proximity of three percent of national population . Poor participation has led to an inevitable subsidy gap which has bred desperation. Hospitals are paid unhealthy capitation fees which leave no room for any thoughts of qualitative health care through the system. The system has failed , doctors feel exploited and insured patients receive very poor services. The participant triangle is defective. How do the HMOs arrive at the figures , the slavish rates they pay doctors? And why is the NHIS council that should monitor fairness and quality derelict of its duties to protect the health care providers under the scheme ? Some companies have pulled out of the scheme because their staff get abysmally poor services from participating hospitals. The NHIS is in shambles. The scheme had lofty objectives and would need a reworking. The scheme needs a critical mass of subscribers to function. The net of mandatory participation currently meant for only companies and institutions employing more than 10 people may have to be widened. We can learn a bit from the American Obamacare. Alternatively, the scheme should be funded directly from tax receipts like the British NHS. If the NHIS is not broadened, if the majority is supposed to participate voluntarily then any hopes of equitable health care for the majority who are poor, underemployed and unemployed

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Our rickety hospitals and a health system in shambles (2)

will be unattainable. Dedicating a good percentage of our crude oil receipts to the scheme would guarantee an improvement of health care delivery to the ordinary man. Oil wealth has made us indolent. It has because it has been wrongly applied and largely looted. If we dedicate half of our crude oil earnings exclusively to fund accessible health care and education, our nation will be a more equitable society and our economy will be forced to diversify. Our NHIS has failed woefully. Patients continue to die from curable diseases. And for many private practitioners survival is not a given. And under such adverse circumstances, cold economic considerations may have priority over moral considerations. I have seen hospitals struggle to pay rents and foot salary bills, and I have seen many become insolvent and crumble. And many of these hospitals died because they couldn’t recover debts owed by patients. So when scorn is poured on doctors who detain corpses so that bills are settled, I urge for understanding. Doctors should be compassionate but doctors have families they feed. Many doctors were the very best students in their schools and the choice of medicine on getting into the university was partly to further general well being and societal recognition and status. It is sad enough that the route taken for most of them may earn them none of these aspirations but it would be tragic if doctors can’t send their children to the common private schools around. How do people pay millions for kindergartens and primary schools in Nigeria and pay nothing for health? If Lawyers and pastors pay those fees , doctors should. Public schools have been allowed to decay and businessmen have left Alaba market to establish schools with only profit in mind . And nothing but ego and vanity dictate fees charged by these schools. Poor doctors , medicine cannot tolerate sharp practices. Poor souls. It’s unfortunate that excessive fees for health care come across as sharp practice

while excessive legal fees and school fees don’t. And legal fees are in a sense never excessive. Medicine, they argue, is about life. And they do not think they should pay more for their lives? Lets face it , there are many unscrupulous doctors. And many careless and inept doctors. But the picture of rot in the health care is a picture of an abandoned garden suffering more from rampaging thorny weeds than the dishevelment of flowers in need of pruning . Because the public space is very poorly regulated, more quacks than doctors offer health services in Nigeria. From pharmacists who have turned their pharmacies to consulting clinics to nurses who have become doctors without medical license and training , it’s now an all comers affair and it is so free. As a child I was once had my finger stitched by a nurse and I thought nothing of it. He was my father ’s friend, he did small surgeries by the side. Amongst Patent medicine dealers that dot all our streets are hardened providers of black market abortions. Some of them have become family physicians for even people who can easily afford doctors. Hospitals run by fraudsters who know nothing about medicine but who carry out complex surgeries are all over Lagos. Homeopathy, naturalopathy , all sorts of practitioners and babalawos have learnt to encroach on the orthodox medical field with impunity. No one cares about regulation. Haven’t those seemingly benevolent people who preach , crack jokes , and then sell fake medicines on buses remained in business forever. But lives are cheap here. You can open newspapers and see adverts of magic drugs that cure everything. Media houses , purveyors of morals , owe nothing too to the public? So patients contend with poor facilities and a diminishing quality of doctors training programmes. They contend with genuine mistakes and unacceptable errors from some doctors. They contend with doctors that have gone rogue. They contend with other health workers who usurp roles of doctors, who impersonate doctors, as many nurses and pharmacists and lab scientists routinely do now. Then they contend with fraudsters who rather than pose as plumbers prefer to pose as doctors to drain and to mangle victims. While the society may have decayed ,

Many doctors were the very best students in their schools and the choice of medicine on getting into the university was partly to further general well being and societal recognition and status.

we must be concerned about the grave consequences of allowing a totally degenerate health sector. Doctors must be re attuned to their duties towards patents and must update their knowledge regularly. Our medical schools unfortunately do not teach much of medical ethics and law. Patients must understand their rights and the boundaries of their relationship with doctors and what the parties owe themselves. Many doctors aren’t conversant with the consent and confidentiality requirements of the codes and law. Patients have the right to know what they suffer from and to have the course of management discussed with them before they are instituted. Consent that is not informed is no consent. And many doctors are ill equipped intellectually to handle the many ethical dilemmas medical practice throws at them. And importantly, lawyers must come to grips with medical law and medical ethics and must be capable of advising and protecting victims. It is however sad that many lawyers in Nigeria have poor knowledge of medical law and are therefore incapable of instituting effective redress for victims. People who feel aggrieved and have suffered damages arising from medical malpractice and negligence must make demands on the doctors so that the level of care is improved. Often heartfelt apologies from doctors to patients for mistakes may suffice. Where patients feel apologies aren’t morally sufficient they can report such matters to the medical and dental council of Nigeria which is empowered by law to discipline erring doctors. Such patients can in extreme cases and if they feel sufficiently disposed , find a good attorney and seek redress in court. Conducts that constitute crime must be reported to the police. Majority of our doctors care about the reputation of the profession and would welcome the excommunication of bad eggs. Doctors globally are uncomfortable with litigations. And feel always victimized. In a sense that sentiment is justified. But to arrest decay in medical care , to protect patients from easily avoidable harm , to preserve the reputation of the profession , responsible litigations are important. But I must stress that when litigations are taken to an extreme they will become counter productive. Unrestrained irresponsible litigations will end in raising the cost of medical care astronomically . Because doctors will need to pay higher practice premiums and may engage in the defensive medicine of overly elaborate investigations and procedures. In Nigeria where doctors often juggle things to match patients’ means, poor patients may be adversely affected. Let us be our brothers’ keepers.

MEDIC AL LA W MEDICAL LAW AND ETHICS

A conference on medical law and medical ethics organized by the Outreach health innovation centre and co sponsored by the vanguard newspapers will hold on the 22nd of July 2015 at the Civic Centre victoria Island Lagos. Medical and Legal luminaries will speak at the event and the key note address will be delivered by Professor Onyebuchi, the immediate past minister of health. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria , the NMA and the NBA will be represented at this event aimed at nation building. Interested persons can reach Health Editor, Vanguard Newspapers

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—21

to go nu xy se o to e ar en om w n ia er ig Says N

BY DAMILOLA SHOLOLA

atience Erdoo Yisa is fresh in the Nigerian movie industry and only started acting last year December. Prior to becoming an actress, she was in the spotlight for winning Miss Glo Rock and Rule and also for being Miss Culture and Tourism Benue State in 2013. In this exclusive interview, she talks about her career, life and more What are you up to now? Right now I’m doing a movie titled ‘The Misery Lane’; it’s a horror movie and it’s a two- man cast with Yvonne Jegede and I. It’s a movie about a girl who, on her way from a party, had an accident and she needed a place to pass the night because she wasn’t close to her house. Horror film with zombies and ghosts? Yeah, stuffs like that. I’m Yvonne Jegede’s twin sister and those zombies you talked about, they came through me and they were tormenting her in a room. She saw a house and she tried to enter inside with intention of resting till tomorrow. I came tormenting her and after everything, she found out that it was just a dream and it was on her birthday. It’s a very nice movie How has life been so far in Nollywood? It’s been great; I keep telling people that I’m very lucky in Nollywood. When I came in, I asked questions and so many people kept telling me they’ve been in Nollywood for five years, six years. I was really shocked because It must be very tough if they have been in the industry for fivesix years and I haven’t heard their names. I’m here less than six months and I’ve really done very good movies. I really thank God. Did you always want to be an actress? I love to entertain but I never knew I was going to be an

Patience Erdoo Yisa

What is that one thing producers always look out for when they see an actress? It varies from producers to producers and it depends on the script. Sometimes the looks matter, If you look the way they want. You might not really be delivering the lines but your looks may get you the role. They would tell you your looks fit in with the picture and before you know it you are given the role. But that does not mean you have to fluff your lines. The looks can get you started but it is your ability to interpret the roles that will see you through. Can you wear a bikini or go nude in a movie? I can wear a bikini but I can’t go completely naked on set

I’ve been handling men l o o h c s y r a d n o c e s y since m a is Y o o rd E e c n e ti a P s y da de

actress. Two years ago, I never thought of being an actress. I started thinking about being an actress last year while I was serving (NYSC).

If a Nigerian actress were to go nude, it would cause a lot of commotion because we have this hot body that they don’t have. Imagine Mercy Johnson and Angelina Jolie in bikinis, who would you be looking at?

But can you wear something provocative? To me, I don’t think a bikini should be provocative, a bikini is like normal beachwear; it is we that see it as something so big. I’ve watched so many foreign movies where you see them when they are dressing up but we cannot do it here because we are very fleshy and more so, we’re hotter than them. If a Nigerian actress were to go nude, it would cause a lot of commotion because we have this hot body that they don’t have. Imagine Mercy Johnson and Angelina Jolie in bikinis, who would you be looking at? We don’t necessarily need to show off that much to look as hot as they want it to be like in our movies You once said you like a man who has confidence in

C M Y K

himself, what did you mean by that exactly? A man who believes in himself; you have to believe in yourself for you to be able to believe in someone else How would you describe yourself, outgoing or otherwise? I have a bit of everything in me. Being indoors is cool but when it’s time to party, I party hard. When it’s time to do anything, I do it very well so I have a bit of everything in me. I do almost everything well but when it comes to acting, I give my 100% because I love to act. What do you love most about acting? I love almost everything about acting. I like to be watched, I like to be that person that is making everybody want to watch TV and feel entertained. I think I can play almost every role in a movie and so far, I’ve not really had any big challenge playing any role Can you do something sexy in a movie? I have a very good body so it would be a very great thing to flaunt it. I can be very sexy in a movie As a pretty actress, you obviously have a lot of male admirers. How do you handle them? I don’t think I have problems handling them; it’s nothing new to me because right from Secondary School, I have been handling men. When I was 13, I was already like 5 ft 8 so I grew very big while my mates were still small. People were already seeing me as a very mature girl while I was still young How many are you in your family? We are four; two girls and two boys. I am the second child Are you currently in any relationship? No, I’m not in a relationship now. Which university did you attend? I schooled at Benue State University and I studied Chemistry What inspires your sense of style? I like to go simple. My role model when it comes to fashion is Genevieve, I like the way she dresses. She does not go too complicated; she dresses so simple and very elegant. I like to be elegant What are your hobbies? I like to swim, I like travelling and I like to write a lot. I’m actually writing a book now titled ‘Deserve it’. It’s a very motivational and inspirational book. When I came into acting, I never had an idea of what a script looked like because I was a science student back then in School. When I came here and I saw a script, I felt that I could do this so I just saw myself writing scripts and now I have more than seven scripts that I’ve written

22 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

With FLORENCE AMAGIYA 08061644307 email: daise4000@yahoo.com

Genevieve

countless steps to stardom Genevieve Nnaji was born on 3 May 1979 to an engineer father and a mother who is a teacher. She was raised in a middle class family. She is the fourth of eight siblings. Today, what started as a hobby for the star at age eight has taken her to places beyond her wildest imagination. She is the highest paid actress in Nigeria; Geny as she is fondly called by her fans is the only Nigerian invited by Oprah Winfrey to her show in the United States. She is a brand Ambassador to so many companies and has numerous

investments. One would not be speaking out of place if he or she says that Geny has gotten to her climax. In this edition, I present to you an award winning Actress, Singer, Model, mother, brand ambassador, daughter to her parents, sister to her siblings and all that she is. Enjoy!

Geny and Tiwa Savage at a charity function

enevieve has featured in countless movies, but these days she is concentrating more on cinema movies and acts alongside Americans or America-based Nigerians. She was born in Eastern Nigeria, precisely in Mbaise, Imo State, but was raised in C M Y K

Lagos state. She attended Methodist Girls College Yaba, Lagos and even while in primary school, and some part of her secondary school days, she featured in the then popular television soap opera titled Ripples. Geny was only 8 years old when she began acting. She was 19 years old when she was starred in

the movie “Most Wanted” in 1998. Nnaji won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005. In 2011, she was honoured with the title (MFR) as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for her immense contribution. In 2010 she starred in the award

n and Geny ound Sulta S , la to o m O

winning film, Ijé, alongside Omotola Jalade

and recently featured in another award winning movie titled “Dr. Bello” with some Americans and

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 — 23

With FLORENCE AMAGIYA 08061644307 email: daise4000@yahoo.com

America-based Nigerians. She is one of the highest paid acts in Nollywood. In 2009, she was referred to as the Julia Roberts of Africa by Oprah Winfrey. Although her music career didn’t see the light of day, she tried her hands in 2004 and actually signed a recording deal with EKB Records, a Ghanaian record label. She released

her debut album One Logologo Line, a mix of R&B, HipHop and Urban music. Endorsements/ Awards Nnaji has featured in several commercials, some of which include those of Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 2004 she became the “Face of Lux” in Nigeria in a highly lucrative sponsorship deal. In May 2010 Nnaji was appointed to be the official “Face of MUD” in Nigeria. Nnaji has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the year C M Y K

award at the 2001 City People Awards and the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2005 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Geny is also the brand ambassador of Coscharis Range Rover SUV. The offer went with a white Range Rover sports. Recently, she became the brand ambassador of Etisalat. Charity She is known to have given her own quota each time she is invited by her friends and colleagues for charity projects

There is beauty in simplicity as less is more than more of everything that amounts to being overdressed.

Her house in Ik oyi

hana Her house in G

and she is also involved in a lot of projects herself as her give-back to the society. In 2008, she launched her clothing line, “St. Genevieve”, created to donate its proceeds to charity. Fashion statement Geny is considered the best dressed female

celebrity with a class of her own. She always stands out in red carpet events even though she doesn’t wear everything other celebrities wear to occasions. She believes in simplicity when it comes to dressing. To her there is beauty in simplicity as less is more fashion statement than more of everything that amounts to being overdressed.

24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

By KEHINDE AJOSE 08024212530

By Kehinde Ajose

USIC videos are mediums for artistes to showcase their looks, dance steps and tell a story of their songs. In the Nigerian music landscape, it has grown beyond that into a medium for display of gangsterism, sex and violence. Our videos have become bad deal for our impressionable youths who tend to copy most of what they see on TV and the internet. And the Nigerian cinematographers are pushing the limits and becoming more expressive in their shots.These days, caution has been thrown into the wind and their new form of entertainment is display of boobs, butt or bust cleavage, naked laps and other subtle erotic parts of the body. Studies have shown a connection between music videos and violent behavior of adolescents.The study also shows a relationship between the imagery displayed in videos and inappropriate sexual behaviours. In no particular order, we chronicle 10 Nigerian music videos that will send shock waves down your spine.

1. Reminisce -Skilashi 2015

Just like his previous sensual video, Tesojue, Reminisce continues to push the limits as far as releasing shocking videos is concerned.The Alaga Ibile crooner makes use of vulgar lyrics and obscene images in this video.The visuals are filled with different scenes where the video vixens can be seen dancing provocatively and occasionally revealing their bums. In other words, this video falls into the category of a soft porn. Lately, Reminisce has been releasing sexually charged videos without thinking of the harmful effects it will have on the younger generation. The video is directed by Frizzle and Bizzle Films.

2. Olamide -Falila Ketan 2015

What message can be passed in a music video where bums are being shaken in most of the scenes? This is the question that comes to mind when you watch Olamide’s Falila Ketan. All you can see in the video is skimpily dressed ladies twerking their God-given bums. It’s not the kind of video you want to watch in the presence of your children, if you don’t want to answer C M Y K

•Reminisce

•Mr2kay

• Flavour

•Davido

•Skuki

•Wizkid

10 Shocking Nigerian in recent times inquisitive questions.The video is directed by Unlimited L.A.

3. Niyola-Love to love you - 2014

Before the video of this song was released, the beautiful RnB singer, Niyola, posted a picture from the video shoot with her upper body laid bare, covering her breasts with her arms.This generated various negative comments on the social media. Love to love you is a love song with sexual connotations, provocative dance steps and erotic steamy scenes. The video was shot in New York and shows how Niyola loves to show love to her man. The video is directed by Kemi Adetiba.

4. Wizkid- Expensive Shit- 2015 Though this song has an

amazing Afrobeat feel, it still goes on to unveil some shocking raunchy scenes and suggestive dance styles. The visuals were shot in South Africa and capture Wizkid in the midst of skimpily dressed video vixens.Towards the end of the video,Wizkid cuddles one of the video vixens, puts her in a compromising provocative posture, as though he is ready to take her to the ‘Next level’. The video is directed by Sesan.

5. Seyi Shay-Crazy 2014

Seyi Shay’s vocal dexterity is in no doubt, but same cannot be said of this music video which has many question marks over it. The visuals have various sexual scenes blended with provocative dance steps. In a particular scene, Wizkid is

spotted in a romantic position with Seyi Shay.This short scene has Seyi Shay seizing Wizzy’s crotch. In another scene, Seyi Shay can be seen twerking on Wizkid. The video is directed by Meji Alabi.

6. Mr2kay -Bad girl special - 2015 (featuring Cynthia Morgan and Seyi Shay) Weeks before the video was officially released, the behindthe-scenes pictures were unveiled to the public. A particular steamy picture of Mr2kay and Cynthia Morgan went viral, getting everyone thinking there could be more between the duo than just music. For starters, the video begins with Cynthia Morgan seductively walking towards Mr2kay in a revealing top. In this scene, the German juice

sensation shows off her curves and cleavage, affirming that she is a ‘Bad’ girl for real. Another notable part in the video is a scene where the duo are in the kitchen caressing each other with Cynthia taking a sniff of her cigarette. There was a time when Nigerian music videos had a message and brilliant concepts, it seems those days are long gone. The video is directed by Clarence Peters.

7. Davido -Fans Mi - 2015

What comes to mind when you see guns, lots of cash on a table and ladies dressed seductively in a music video? This image portrays violence, gangsterism and sensuality. Davido’s new video depicts these negative vices in no small way. In the visuals, the young popstar tries to seal a deal to supply cocaine, while the leader of the gang hands him stacks of dollars for the business transaction. He goes back to his house where he is welcomed by scantily dressed ladies arranging the cocaine. If music videos are meant to be a vehicle to pass positive messages for the good of the coming generation, this video has done

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 —25

By AYO ONIKOYI, 08052201215

1. Adekunle Gold –Orente If you are yet to be convinced by Adekunle Gold’s talent,then you should listen to Orente. The song is produced by Oscar and mixed by X3M’s Simi. The singer revealed that he got the name Orente from a tale his grandmother told him.

•Olamide

2. Sunkanmi- For body Sunkanmi collaborates with the Badoo sensation, Olamide to deliver a groovy tune. The song is produced by Young John. Sunkanmi’s Afrocentric style might just make her sought after. 3. Jimmy Jatt-Onile Directed by OMG Renowned DJ, Jimmy Jatt unveils the video of his song titled Onile.The video was shot in the busy street of Lagos. 4. Jaywon-Fire for fire After releasing the video of the song Tana Wole, Jaywon returns with Fire for fire. Fire for Fire is Jaywon’s attempt to further showcase his unique ability to deliver.

•Seyi Shay

5. Frank Edwards featuring Gil and Yang Billie-Selfie With an unusual title, Frank Edwards continues to show his dexterity as a gospel artiste. The new song is written and composed by Frank Edwards. He also features other acts like Yang Billie and Gil. 6.9ice -Lord’s prayer- Directed by HG2 Films In a bid to stage a comeback, 9ice has been releasing music videos and songs that will return him to the position he once occupied. The video is shot in Maryland, Lagos.

••Niyola •Cynthia Morgan

music videos nothing but just the opposite. The video is directed by Sesan.

8. Cynthia MorganGerman Juice 2015

The title says it all. German Juice connotes buttocks. The ladies in this video swings it from the beginning to the end. It was shot on a sunny and summer-themed location. Cynthia Morgan sings on a groovy dancehall beat while the ladies were just shaking their big bums. The video is poor in concept and lacks the needed depth that should be displayed in a music video. The video is directed by Clarence Peters and Jude Okoye.

9. Skuki-Silifa 2014

This video is reminiscent of Timaya’s Shake your bum bum where ‘White’ video vixens were shaking their assets. Shot sometime last year, the song’s lyrics is empty and the video has no storyline. The only shocking aspect of the visuals is the brazen manner the video vixens were shaking their buttocks. Little wonder, it was tagged ‘Not suitable for work’(NSFW).

10. FlavourOlolufe (Featuring Chidinma) 2015

Flavour made headlines years back when he passionately kissed Tiwa Savage in the video of the song ‘Onyi remix’. It generated lots of controversy and sparked dating rumours been these two hit makers. This is 2015, and the suave singer is back to his kissing antics. This time his partner in crime is the petite Chidinma Ekile and the video is ‘Ololufe’. Since the video hit the public domain, she has been heavily condemned. Though, Chidinma has revealed that she is not dating Flavour, her fans are yet to recover from the shock of seeing her engage in such an offensive act. The video is directed by Godfather productions.

7. DJ Exclusive featuring Davido-Wole Talented DJ, DJ Exclusive recently launched his much anticipated album titled According to X. Wole is one of the songs in the album. DJ Exclusive collaborates with the Aye crooner Davido, in this song. 8. Wande Coal -Ashimapeyin Ashimapeyin is a new track recently released by Wande coal.The song is produced by Sarz.The message of this song is inspiring and focuses on the importance of hard work and patience. 9. Edanos featuring Timaya- Whine for me - Directed by Unlimited L.A Edanos has released the video of his song titled Whine for me.The reggae song features Timaya and is produced by Orbit. 10. Mc Galaxy-Komolop Cholop Directed by La Dupont Productions MC Galaxy is fond of creating dance steps peculiar to his brand of music. He calls the name of this dance Komolop Cholop. The video was shot in Johannesburg, South Africa with captivating dance scenes. 11. Tilla -Badman Tillaman is back with the visuals of his song Badman.The video has breathtaking scenes that will fascinate you. 12. Sexy Steel -Sisi Directed by Chad Tennies Sexy Steel shows off his romantic side in the visuals of this song. The song is produced by Young John. 13. Ayo Vincent ft Onos -Halleluyah Gospel music sensation, Ayo Vincent unveils her much anticipated single titled Halleluyah. The song is soulful and rich in melody.It is produced by Wilson Joel .She uses the single to commemorate her 10 years wedding anniversary. 14. Mokobe Featuring Psquare-Getting Down Popular Malian rapper, Mokobe collaborates with Nigeria’s pop sensation in this song.The video is colourful and brilliant. 15. Becca featuring Ice Prince- Steady Talented Ghanaian diva, Becca is back with a new song titled Steady. She teams up with Ice Prince in this song.

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

Celebrities with mark over their

By TOFARATI IGE In some other countries, being homosexual might not even raise eye-brows, but in Nigeria, a mere accusation or suspicion that a person isn’t ‘straight’ can cast a huge shadow over the person’s reputation and career. A major reason for this is the fact that homosexuality is against the law in Nigeria, and it attracts a jail term of 14 years for offenders. However, it is also an open secret that homosexuality thrives in the Nigerian entertainment industry, especially Nollywood. In this piece, we take a look at entertainers that have been accused or suspected of being homosexuals. GENEVIEVE NNAJI If you’re as gorgeous as Genevieve Nnaji, and you don’t have any man in your life, definitely tongues will wag as to your sexuality. Genevieve is widely adored by many people across the world, but not much is known about the man in her life. At different times she has been linked to a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, and pop star, D’banj. However, it was reported sometime ago that she was in a lesbian relationship with Beninoise actress and musician, Ella Martins, though both of them vehemently denied the claims. According to Ella, the scandal broke out after pictures of her kissing Genevieve was leaked by someone who stole the Nigerian actress’ phone. Some reports also claim that Genevieve has been romantically involved with fellow actress, Rukky Sanda, and one Nkechi. She has never come out to debunk these reports. However, on her marital status, Genny, as she is fondly called, told HVP, ‘If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying married is not an easy thing. It means you are completely in tune with your partner…’ ELLA MARTINS Call her a sex symbol, and you may not be wrong. Beninoise singer and actress, Ella Martins definitely believes in flaunting her sexuality. She became a Nigerian sensation when it w a s reported

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Benson that she was in a lesbian relationship with screen goddess, Genevieve Nnaji. However, Ella denied the allegations. In an interview, she said, ‘We kissed, but it was nothing extraordinary, it was a normal kiss between girls. I mean girls do kiss each other normally, even guys do too. When I was dating Fally Ipupa we used to

Weird Mc kiss and now that we are separated and are good friends we still continue kissing like we used to. My fear is I receive strange calls saying that in a few days’ time they will be releasing more pictures about us.’ BIODUN OKEOWO Biodun Okeowo literally broke the internet recently when gist surfaced that she was in a lesbian relationship with another actress, Adediwura Blarkgold. She had updated her BlackBerryMessenger (BBM) thus, ‘Wura Adesegha, everybody knows you’re a stupid a l a b o s i (pretender). As you have cursed my kids, you shall not reap the

fruits of your own kids too.’ When some reporters contacted her to know the reason for the harsh update, she had this to say, ‘Wura Gold was my friend before and we were very good friends. But I started to give her space when I started realising the kind of person she truly was. She told me she wants us to become lovers as in becoming Lesbian partners. I told her I wasn’t interested… and that was it. Wura started going around calling me names. She spoils my name in front of everyone…’ A D E D I W U R A BLARKGOLD Nollywood actress, Adediwura Blarkgold once submitted that she can handle everyday sex, so this is a pointer to the fact that she has a high libido. However, not a few were jolted when she fought dirty with fellow actress, Biodun Okeowo, over lesbianism accusations. The latter accused her of sending raunchy messages to her phones which include, ‘Anytime I see your Display Picture (DP), I get wet.’ However, Blarkgold says it was actually Okeowo that tried to get down with her. She said, ‘On the contrary, it was Biodun Okeowo that asked me to become her lover and I turned her down. Why would

she turn things (around)? People are so funny. You can go ahead and ask the likes of Anita Julius and Liz DaSilva, at least they have slept in my house, if there was ever anytime I made such silly advances at any of them.’ The messy drama is still ongoing between both actresses. BENSON OKONKWO Benson Okonkwo would need more than a bucket of detergent to wash himself clean of all the allegations of homosexualism that have trailed him over the years. Though the actor says it hurts him, he also admitted that it has brought him fame. The rumours took seed right after he acted so convincingly as a homosexual in three different movies, ‘One Dollar,’ ‘Pregnant Hawker,’ and ‘The Strippers.’ In an interview, he stated that though a lot of people believe he

Nnaji

Nnaji it was reported sometime ago that she was in a lesbian relationship with Beninoise actress and musician, Ella Martins

is gay, he has never been approached by any homosexual person. In his words, ‘Contrary to what some persons think, I have never been sexually harassed by homosexuals. I am not a homosexual…’Perhaps if he was in a relationship with a female, the rumours would have lacked substance. He had this to say, ‘Being in a relationship will not convince people that I am gay or not…’ However, another twist to the story was when his alleged lover and fiancee, Emelda Emells Anthony, denied that she was in a relationship with him, insinuating that he was gay. This was after pictures surfaced online of Benson fondling her boobs. She said at the time, ‘I’m not in any relationship with Benson. He is just using me to cover up his real lifestyle…I am not engaged to Benson or planning to marry him.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 —27

question sexuality!

Iyabo Ojo

He has never even asked me to marry him…we were supposed to date back when we were introduced but he never touched me and when I started seeing men in his house I understood and we have been friends ever since…’ DENRELE EDUN Eccentric Video Jockey (VJ), Denrele Edun has been called a lot of names ranging from homosexual, cross-dresser, and even transgender. Who can blame

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the name-callers though? Denrele actively and knowingly fuels those rumours and allegations about his person. He has often been sighted dressed like a woman to events, posting nearnude pictures with feminine poses online, and other such theatrics. The icing on the cake was when a picture surfaced of him kissing the ‘Area Fada’ Charly Boy. They both argued that it was the work of mischievous graphic-artists using photo-editing softwares, but the image had already been ingrained in the minds of many Nigerians, and to them, it only confirmed what they had long since suspected about the Channel O VJ. In a recent m e d i a i n t e r v i e w, Denrele proved that he was not bothered about all the tales. In his words, ‘Over time, they have labeled me as a homosexual, heterosexual, bi-sexual, I have been called all sorts of names...maybe they call me names because of the way I dress. When I started out and people began calling me such names, I found it very disturbing, annoying, and demeaning but I laugh about it now. When I am asked about my sexuality, I just tell them that I am a sexual outlaw…’To further confuse people about his sexuality, he went on Twitter to say, ‘Being gay is a tough job, but someone has got to do it.’ However, he recently announced that he may be getting married soon, but many still believe that it is a ruse to cover-up his ‘illegal’ sexual orientation. YUL EDOCHIE As far as entertainment is concerned, Yul Edochie comes from an impressive pedigree. His father is the legendary Pete Edochie who played the role of Okonkwo in the famous ‘Things Fall Apart.’ The young actor was recently dragged in the mud by his alleged Canada-based gay lover, Steven Ugochukwu, who ranted that Yul collected a lot of money from him in the course of their relationship and tried to dump him unceremoniously. Ugochukwu wrote on Instagram, ‘We were in a relationship, (but) had issues caused by him. I warned him not

that’s what I am, that’s who I am, and I am no longer ready to deny it.’

Uti Nwachukwu to play silly games with me or I use all I have to soil his name. He didn’t know I was recording all our discussions including the ones when he called me and when I called him. He took to Twitter on April 8 and accused me of forcing him to be gay, looking for police to get hold of me. All I did that day was to play our love discussion to my peeps…” Yul dismissed the claims, stating that Ugochukwu had all the while been pestering him to succumb to his gay advances. In an interview, he said, ‘It started sometime last year or two years ago. I got a message on Facebook from this guy saying that he is gay and wants to ask me out. I said ‘bro, I don’t roll like this, okay? I don’t have a problem if you are gay but I am not gay. And I have a family, leave me alone…’ WEIRD MC Veteran singer, Sola Idowu, aka Weird MC, has always been trailed by gay rumours. This is fueled by her somewhat tomboyish attitude and dress sense. She has also never been romantically linked to any man. According to reports, Weird MC also confirmed that she was gay. In an interview with Londonbased Omega Magazine, she reportedly said, ‘I thought to myself as my career is progressing every time, the question will come up one day — ‘Weird, are you gay?’ I’d say ‘no,’ I’d say ‘no,’ and there is a very popular saying in the hip hop world: keeping it real. I thought to myself that I was not keeping it real, not 100%. So I thought to myself this would be an opportunity for me to bring that across. Some people are going to fault me for it, I can imagine, but

Yul Edochie

UTI NWACHUKWU One-time Big Brother Africa winner, Uti Nwachukwu, has also had his fair share of gay rumours dogging his career. He was alleged to be in a relationship with actor, Alex Ekubo, who he once lived with in his 1004 Flats in Victoria Island, Lagos. Though Uti mainatained that Ekubo was then his publicist hence their living together, many did not believe him as they often went everywhere together. Uti was even reported to give conditions that for him to accept any modeling job, Ekubo also had to be signed up for it. They have both denied the claim at different fora. IYABO OJO By virtue of her Pinkies Foundation, made up of ladies, Iyabo Ojo has also been alleged by some to fancy getting down with the womenfolk. However, she would have none of that. In an interview with Sunday Express, she retorted, ‘My foundation is not

Ella about that. Do I look like a lesbian? I am not a lesbian. Nigerians like attaching irrelevant things to something. They are saying that because I am an actress and because of the name Sexy Pinkies ladies. But it hasn’t stopped me from achieving my goals. 80% of the women in the group are married with kids. I am not one who supports lesbianism. I don’t have a problem with those who practice it, it’s their choice but I do not believe in it because I dont think it’s normal. It’s not biblical. I am not condemning the practitioners (sic) but to me it’s not normal.’

Mo Abudu celebrat es as celebrates Ebon yLif e TTV V turns 2 EbonyLif yLife E

bonyLife TV, Africa’s first Global Black entertainment and lifestyle network, turned two on Tuesday, July 01. In what it has called a season of thanksgiving, the channel is grateful to all its viewers everywhere, to include 49 African countries, the UK, Canada, as well as all of its app subscribers everywhere in the Diaspora. With a heart of gratitude, the channel acknowledges the challenges and hurdles it has had to cross in the last couple of years on the way towards building a globally recognizable and highly influential media and entertainment brand with a pan-African appeal and a groundswell of international goodwill. EbonyLife TV was launched on July 1, 2013, to a panAfrican audience, by a license agreement with Multichoice (DStv Africa), Africa’s largest Pay TV platform, with a vision to be the preferred global network for premium African entertainment through the creation and broadcast of original, homegrown and premium content. The channel, whose primary target audience is youth, aged 18 to 34, is distributed to over 15 million viewers in 49 African countries. In two years of its existence, EbonyLife TV has made a huge difference in the African media space, parading a smorgasbord of achievements unprecedented in the history of television, media and entertainment on the continent. On January 01, 2014, the channel commenced broadcast

Mo Abudu of its 100% homegrown entertainment programming, on January 1, 2014, heralding a new viewing experience loaded with the best of homegrown African content of non-stop and refreshing drama series; enthralling comedy, engaging talk shows, compelling reality shows and many more. In November 2014, EbonyLife TV was launched in Southern Africa to include South Africa, justifying why it has successfully been ranked as one of the most watched channels on the DStv platform. In the UK, EbonyLife TV got on two different platforms: the TalkTalk and Lebara Play platforms, with a concluded agreement to distribute to Canada via Ethnic Channels Group Limited. There are also ongoing distribution discussions with Virgin Media in the UK as well as other platforms in the UAE, the Caribbean and the US.

28 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

Acting 1976 m was memorab

— Daniel K D D

aniel K Daniel, aka DKD, is indisputably one of the fastest rising male actors in Nollywood at the moment. In this interview, the handsome Enugu state-born graduate of Biochemistry talks about his acting career, how he has successfully climbed the ladder to the top despite the competition, and lots more. By JULIET EBIRIM How and when did your acting career begin? I got into the industry in 2010 by accident. It was never my intention to become an actor. As a kid, I never had the dream of becoming an actor even though I wanted to be popular and famous. I wanted to be a pilot while I was growing up. I was fascinated by air planes at a very young age. But then, I was diagnosed with myopia (shortsightedness) when I was young and so I started wearing glasses and I ended up not going to the academy. When I was younger, the movie makers used to shoot in our house in Enugu. I never used to watch Nigerian movies then, because I was petrified by them, so I stopped watching them. That was the era of horror and ritual movies. Now that I’m in the industry, I feel as if I just came back home because I’ve had the experience as a kid unknowingly. During my Youth Service programme, I went out with a couple of friends for a modeling show because I used to do a bit of modelling in school. After the show, a friend of mine asked me to accompany her to see someone at a movie location. When we got there, it turned out to be a movie casting session and on entering the hall, the director called me out and handed me a script to read. I told him I wasn’t an actor and that I didn’t come for the casting. He said I should go ahead that it didn’t matter. I read the script playfully and he asked me to act it out. I did and he was impressed. That was how it started. I would say my first role was practically handed to me. That was the birth of Daniel K Daniel, the actor, not the biochemist, because I studied biochemistry in school.

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What movie brought you to limelight? That’s a tough question because all my movies have been sort of a stepping stone to where I am today. Though there are some that would stand out like the movie ‘Paint my life’. I’ve always played major roles in movies, I’m lucky and blessed in that regard. But ‘Paint my life’ directed by Tchidi Chikere was my first really challenging role. Also the movie, ‘The Child’ by Izu Ojukwu and ‘Ladies’ Men’ was pretty challenging. ‘Ladies Men’ was the first movie I got reviewed for. Those movies pushed me up.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 — 29

military coup ble

Daniel So far, what challenges have you encountered? One of the challenges has been financial. We don’t feel like we get the just reward for the amount of effort we put in. Sometimes, I work till 2 a.m. I’ve shot for straight 30 hours, all day, all night and then the following day. It was crazy. I felt I was going to pass out. In fact, the girl I was working with passed out at some point and they had to revive her. It’s really stressful. People see it and think we’re having fun. Yes, it’s fun but very stressful and tiring. The biggest challenge for me was trying to prove myself as a virtual unknown. I had to prove myself against the already established names in Nollywood in order to get jobs - major roles. That was the biggest challenge for me. That was then, but now I thank God for where he has gotten me to. I get calls and jobs from all over. How were you able to prove yourself despite the competitive nature of the industry? I can’t say I did everything by myself. I’d say it’s grace or ‘Holy luck’. Also, I work hard though I play and joke a lot. I work really hard seven days a week, sometimes 30 days a month. In 2014, I worked all through the year. I barely had a month of rest, it was only during Christmas that I had about a week. So far, this year I’ve hardly had any free time. For me, it means that I’m doing a good job if people keep demanding to see me in movies. I take it as a challenge to keep doing better. So, I would say it’s God’s grace, hardwork, dedication and effort I put into my craft. I also try to stay fit and stay in shape and to harness my skills to get better. I learn special skills and harness the ones I already have. I just do things that give me an edge over others. Would you say your good looks is a contributing factor to the success you’ve achieved so far? I don’t see it as my strength. There are a lot of good looking guys out there. I don’t rely on good looks to get me past any door. I try to work hard. But I think it has worked in my favour. How do you deal with female admirers? I try to always be nice and cordial with them. As much as we try to run away from it, the fans

are the only ones that validate our work. In entertainment, you can only know you’re doing well through your fans. They are the ones who would demand to see more of you in movies. I am thrilled, happy and humble when I get validation from female fans. These are the people I’m working for and they appreciate that I’m doing a good job. How far can you go when it comes to playing romantic roles? The first romantic role I played was with Tonto Dikeh. We were supposed to have a hot make out session in bed because she was supposed to be my fiancee. We had to discuss it to know how steamy we could make it, yet decent. Because we already had a proper conversation as to how far we would go with each other and what our boundaries were, we made it look real and the director was very impressed when we were done. When it comes to how far I can go, I think it has to do with the script and the person I’m working with.

Daniel K Daniel

What influences or determines the kind of roles you do? What matters to me is the significance of the character I’m playing and the storyline. There’s also the financial factor which is important and of course who I’m working with. As much as we try not to admit it, in this industry, it’s easier for us to work with some people than with other people. In order to achieve synergy or chemistry, it helps to cast people that are friends or people that will work well together to get the story out.

Have you turned down any role in the past? Yes, I’ve actually turned down roles. Why? There are a lot of reasons; Maybe I didn’t like the story or I didn’t like my character/role or for financial reasons. I can turn down scripts if I don’t think the story is nice or it has been done severally. What’s your kind of woman? First of all, she has to be funny and humorous – she has to be able to make me laugh. I like funny people and I talk a lot. I like someone that loves me and is crazy about me so that when she’s pampering me, I’m pampering her so everything works. She has to be very smart and intelligent. I like a woman who I can communicate with. And of course, she should be beautiful. I’m obsessively clean so I would love a woman that is very neat. She has to be religious and closer to God than I am. Would you mind dating anyone in the industry? I try not to entertain the thought. What if it happens? Let’s leave it to fate. Can you recall some memorable moments/ high points of your career? Working with Liz Benson in the movie ‘Mummy Dearest’. It was quite an experience playing alongside Liz Benson. Then there was this movie I did, I was on set for six months titled ‘76’. I was in the movie alongside Ramsey

One of the challenges has been financial. We don’t feel like we get the just reward for the amount of effort we put in. Sometimes, I work till 2 a.m. I’ve shot for straight 30 hours, all day, all night and then the following day.

Noah, Rita Dominic, Chidi Mokeme, Ibinabo Fiberesima etc. I’ve never spent such amount of time on set. The movie was about the military coup in 1976. For the first two months, we were doing military drills basically. We had to get into character - walk, talk and act like soldiers in 1976. It was quite challenging because we weren’t allowed to leave the set for six months. A lot of us lost other jobs, missed other things, some even postponed their weddings because we couldn’t leave Ibadan where we filmed the movie for six months. That was quite memorable. Any regrets so far? My only regret is, if I had known I would end up as an actor, I would have tapped into it at a younger age when I had it at my disposal. As a kid, these people (actors) used to change in my bedroom when they used to shoot in my house in Enugu. I remember Genevieve Nnaji, Chiege Alisigwe, Bob Manuel Udokwu, Nkiru Sylvanus and the rest of them used to come to my house a lot to shoot movies. Chiege used to buy wafers and biscuits for me and my brothers. If I had known I would end up as an actor eventually, I would have started then. Who knows where I would be now? I would have been a child prodigy who finally became a big actor. Are there people you look up to in the industry? Every job is a learning process for me. I try to stay humble. I don’t discriminate, there’s something to learn from everybody around. How do you see the influx of sexually explicit scenes in our movies these days? My take is, if it tells the story, no problem. There are different genres, if you have to shoot someone to depict action in an action movie, do it. If you have to make love to someone to depict deep- rooted feelings in a romantic movie, do it, but with decency.

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30— SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4 2015

Accentuate Your Eyes with Eyeshadow Learning how to accentuate your eyes with eyeshadow will make your everyday makeup so much easier. Eyeshadow makes the eye makeup look more subtle and gives you a very charming and mysterious appeal. So follow these few easy steps to know how to accentuate your eyes with eye shadow...

. Start with the primer. First things first, eye primer is an essential step when applying your eye makeup. Whether you’re applying just simple eyeliner or accentuating your eyes with eyeshadow. Eye primer protects your eye makeup from melting or fading after spending many hours outside day or night.

. Hide the dark circles. You need to even out your dark circles by choosing a slightly lighter and warmer concealer shade than your own skin tone. This make your eyes look more relaxed and makeup will be more visible.

. Apply the first layer of eyeshadow. Pick a color that goes well with your skin tone and eye color. And then make sure you have a light shade of that color and a dark shade of the same color. For example, if you are using pink, choose a light pink and a very dark pink color.

a very important step to master how to accentuate your eyes with eyeshadow. You need to have a small eyeshadow brush with edgy hairs, so you can apply the dark eyeshadow in a straight line on the upper lid and the bottom lid. Also you will need to apply a thin and faded line of dark eyeshadow at the deep part of your eye lid. Don’t forget to apply mascara, a lot of mascara, long eye lashes are the key to beautiful eyes.

. Blend in the light eyeshadow. Now you need to take your light eyeshadow and apply it all over the eye lid and subtly under the eyes.

. Finish off with dark eyeshadow. After applying the light eyeshadow, you need to start applying your dark eyeshadow on the outer corners of your eyes. Now, this is

Noella Coursaris Musunka is Brand Ambassador of AFWL 2015 A

s preparations are in top gear for the fifth edition of the annual Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) 2015, Noella Coursaris Musunka an international model and the founder of Malaika has been announced Brand Ambassador for AFWL 2015. Born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after obtaining a degree in business management, she moved to London and began a career in modeling, where her first campaign was for Agent Provocateur. Her success brought her to New York where she has been featured in a myriad of publications, including Vanity Fair, Essence and GQ. Alongside her active modeling career, Noella founded Malaika, a non-profit organisation that believes in empowering Congolese

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communities. Malaika’s work in the village of Kalebuka impacts thousands of people through their multiple programmes, a free school for girls, a community centre built in partnership with FIFA, and five fresh-water wells. Announcing Malika as Brand Ambasedor for this year, Founder of Africa Fashion Week London, Ronke Ademiluyi said,”We are so happy Noella is Brand Ambassador for AFWL 2015. She has been a great friend and supporter of our event and culture over the years and a compassionate, hardworking, beautiful individual who understands our drive to showcase the best of Africa.” On her part Noella said she is delighted to be serving as this year ’s Brand Ambassador to Africa Fashion Week London and to help showcase the brilliant work of African designers. “It has always been my belief that

fashion can be a tool for breaking down barriers and transcending cultures. This industry has the ability to put Africa on the world stage and can provide for countless job opportunities on the ground and abroad, from local factories to international shops. It is time for the world to see the amazing talent that lies within Africa.” Fiercely proud of her heritage, Noella’s determination to help improve the lives of Africa’s youth has made her an international advocate for them. The success of Malaika has enabled Noella’s work to be known to a wider audience. She has been featured on Bloomberg TV, three different CNN programmes and the BBC’s Focus Africa. She has addressed UNICEF and the Kinshasa Parliament and gave a TEDx talk in Paris. Noella has participated in

•Noella many international panels and was invited to speak about the future of Africa alongside President Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative’s Opening and Closing Plenaries in Morocco. In 2014, Noella was named one of the 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine.

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Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015 — 31

32—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

08 116759 759 081 6759759

Plus-size model Denise Bidot bares her body

lus-size model Denise Bidot bares her body in stunning un-retouched swimwear campaign video and insists ‘curvy women don’t have to apologise for who they are’ Online swimsuit retailer swimsuitsforall has released a stunning unretouched campaign video featuring plus-sized model Denise Bidot.

The video – which is aptly-titled Beach Body. Not Sorry. – is aimed at making women feel comfortable and confident in their own skin, and features Denise running through the water, rolling in the sand, and posing for the camera with her cellulite and her stretch marks on full display. ‘swimsuitsforall believes women should not

apologize or feel shame for their bodies,’ a spokesperson for the company said of the clip, which sees Denise echoing the same sentiment as she insists: ‘Curvy women shouldn’t apologize for who they are.’ ‘There’s no wrong way to be a woman,’ Denise said in a statement about the video. ‘It’s time to stop apologizing. I want women to feel

confident and sexy by knowing that there’s nothing wrong with being yourself. Forget all the rules!’ Moshe Laniado, CEO and President of swimsuitsforall added: ‘We believe that life’s best

moments happen in a swimsuit. We want women to let go of their anxieties and step out unapologetically this summer.’ swimsuitsforall subscribes to the notion that there’s no such thing as a ‘bikini body’ – there is

just your body in a bikini. They make swimsuits available for all shapes and sizes in fashion-forward cuts that don’t make larger women feel matronly. By releasing the video untouched swimsuitsforall hopes to combat some of the airbrushed steriotypical ‘beach bodies’ that are overwhelmingly present in American media. ‘Beach body, not sorry,’ Denise states at the start of the video, while rolling in the sand, before discussing her own body issues. She says that when she was younger she failed to accept her imperfections and judged her body. ‘I learned that at one point everything I thought was an imperfection makes me unique,’ she says, ‘I learned to love every bit of my body.’ She even loves her cellulite and stretch marks and says that there’s no single part of her anatomy that she doesn’t accept. ‘It’s all about the confidence’, she says. ‘Be you and just rock this world.’

Robert Mugabe 'proposes to Barack Obama'

obert Mugabe has mocked America’s decision to legalise gay marriage across all 50 states by vowing to travel to the White House and proposing to Barack Obama. During his weekly interview with the national radio station, the Zimbabwean president joked that he planned to travel to Washington DC ‘get down on one knee and ask his hand’. Mugabe, who is known for his brutal crusades against homosexuality, was responding in bizarre fashion to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees gays and lesbians the same right to marry as heterosexuals. Speaking on on Saturday, Mugabe said: ‘I’ve just concluded - since President Obama endorses the same-sex marriage, advocates homosexual people and enjoys an attractive countenance -

thus if it becomes necessary, I shall travel to Washington, DC, get down on my knee and ask his hand.’ Striking a more serious tone, he added: ‘I can’t understand how this people dare to defy Christ’s explicit orders as our Lord prohibited mankind from sodomy’, going on to accuse the U.S. government of being run by ‘perverted Satan-worshipers who insult the great American nation.’ The Zimbabwean leader went on to say that although the U.S. was founded on ‘lofty Christian principles’, the

‘corrupt political elite’ now acts only towards its own end, according to Naij.com. His comments came only hours after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to legalise gay marriage in all 50 states - prompting thousands of same-sex couples to immediately tie the knot. The ruling was delivered just in time for the weekend’s Pride celebrations, which saw the Empire State building, Niagara Falls and the White House lit up by rainbow lights.

Patient secretly records audio of his operation and hears doctors laughing at his penis

f you were lying unconscious during an operation you wouldn’t expect your doctor to laugh at your penis and suggest you were infected with Ebola. But that was exactly what happened to a patient in Reston, Virginia, who only found he’d been insulted because he’d set up his mobile phone to record everything while he was asleep. Anesthesiologist Tiffany M Ingham didn’t know this and was subsequently caught making a fool of herself on a recording, the Washington Post reported. ‘After five minutes of talking to you in pre-op, I wanted to punch you in the face and man you up a little C M Y K

bit,’ Ms Ingham was heard saying during the colonoscopy procedure. She wasn’t finished there. When a medical assistant noted the man (known as ‘DB’) had a rash, the anesthesiologist warned her not to touch it, saying she might get ‘some syphilis on your arm or something,’ then added, ‘it’s probably tuberculosis in the penis, so

you’ll be all right.’ Gastroenterologist Soloman Shah, who was examining the patient, also got involved when he joked another doctor they both knew ‘would eat him for lunch.’ The abuse cost Ms Ingham and the practice an eye watering £318,000 after the patient successfully sued them for medical malpractice and defamation. She’ll probably keep quiet next time. Patient ‘DB’ had set up his mobile phone to record what was being said just in case he missed i m p o r t a n t information for his rehabilitation.

Fox News anchor worriedly asks if three people can marry after same -sex marriage is legalised

ox News anchor worriedly asks if three people can marry after same-sex marriage is legalised. Yesterday, the world celebrated after the Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage across

the United States. But inevitably, not everyone was happy. Step forward Fox News to provide some ill-informed ignorance. In a broadcast hosted by anchor Martha MacCallum shortly after the ruling was announced, she questioned if

the ruling now meant that three people could enter into a marriage together. We’re just trying to think about the ramifications, when a precedent is set, what it means down the road, right?’ she worriedly asked. ‘So, suppose three people say “We want to be a marriage. We’re three people and we love each other and we want to be a marriage. What’s to prevent that under this?’ Well it’s pretty simple really. Samesex marriage permits the union of a couple of the same gender. The key word there is COUPLE – TWO PEOPLE, DOS, DEUX, and ZWEI. As for THREE PEOPLE, that’s polygamy – which is illegal. So don’t worry, that won’t be happening. But samesex marriage in America IS a thing, and that’s just brilliant.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015 — 33

NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE WATCH

Enyimba, Abia Warriors duel pits Anyansi against Inyama

Rangers’ resurgence gets Akwa test I

Stories by John Egbokhan

HEY are brothers by all sense of the word but all that brotherhood will be thrown to the gutters tomorrow when Abia’s only two teams in the Glo Premier League, Enyimba and Abia Warriors go up in arms in a week 16 fixture at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba. Armed with 29 points, Enyimba are closing in on the top spot currently occupied by Sunshine Stars, as the two-time CAF Champions League champions are only a place below the Akurebased side because of the superior goals advantage that the leaders have. But playing in front of their vociferous and intimidating Aba fans, Enyimba will feel confident of getting one over the shoulder of their state rivals and possibly upstage Sunshine Stars from the summit of the table, depending on what happens in the day’s other matches. But the Aba landlords should not be under any illusion that their rivals will easily surrender to them, as they want to warm their way into the hearts of owner and NFF executive committee member, Emeka Inyama, who is demanding results from the team. Inyama, a former journalist was in the news before the league went on break for the general elections when he threatened to slash by half the salaries of the technical crew. Many observers had condemned the move, describing it as unlawful and unfair. They had contended that since the coaches were on contract that the worst that Inyama can do if he is not satisfied with their performance was to suspend or sack them. But Inyama defended his threat, claiming that the crew needed to raise their game and produce results. Touting himself as a resultdriven person, Inyama said that given the financial support that he gives the team that what was expected on the pitch of play from the players was victories. From the look of things, it seems that his statement has worked in some way as Abia Warriors have jumped into the top 10 bracket of the 20-team league, a feat which Inyama will to an extent be happy with. But his happiness will no know bounds if his team defeat Enyimba tomorrow, as he seeks to get one over fellow NFF exco member, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, who has

C M Y K

•Coach Imama Amapakabo

•Enyimba players enjoyed more success than his fellow Abia native. Anyanwi-Agwu has the unrivalled record of being the only Nigerian to have managed a Nigerian club to two CAF Champions League titles. He has been around for over a decade running the show in Aba and enjoyed tremendous success when former Governor Orji Kalu was in charge of Abia State. Some adduce Enyimba’’s string of successes then to the financial largesse that Anyansi-Agwu got from Kalu, who to some extent used football to project Abia State to the world. For many followers of the game, Anyansi-Agwu is the father of modern club football in the country and any pretences by Inyama that he can match his outstanding record will fall on quicksand even though Inyama

RESULTS El Kanemi Wikki Heartland Shooting Nasarawa Kwara Warriors Wolves Sunshine Rangers

1 1 1 1 2 2 3 1 3 2

Dolphins 0 Giwa 1 Ifeanyi Uba 0 Sharks 0 Taraba 0 Enyimba 3 Bayelsa 1 Lobi 0 Akwa 1 Kano Pillars 1

will want to prove that he has what it takes to rise to the pinnacle of football administration if his Warriors can survive the Elephants’ trample in Aba.

S this a dream? When will this fairytale run end? Are they really flying again? What is happening with Rangers? These are the sort of questions that have dominated the media space in the last couple of weeks following the string of results that Rangers of Enugu have recorded. Rangers, the club from the east with great soccer tradition that produced the likes of 1980 AFCON winners, Christian Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala and Sylvanus Okpala have been in the news for all the good reasons lately as they have surged to the seventh position, scooping 23 points and six points shy of leaders Sunshine Stars. When a ranking of Nigerian clubs with great tradition is complied, Rangers will be among the top five, not for what they have achieved in the last decade but because of their feat since the league started in the 1970s. Despite their illustrious history, Rangers have not been fortunate to enjoy relative success in the last ten years but things seem to

changing since Coach Imama Amapakabo took the reins of power at the Coal City side. Although the management of Rangers has told him to wait till the end of the first round of the ongoing season before considering if he will be elevated to the post of Technical Adviser, there is no doubt that Amapakabo, a former Flying Eagles star has changed the fortunes of Rangers, with rising belief that the Antelopes will fly again and reclaim their pride of place in the nation’s league Amapakabo proved his capacity to deliver on Wednesday when he tinkered the Flying Antelopes to n hard-fought 2-1 win against champions Kano Pillars at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu. This cam,e just three days after steering Rangers to a stunning 10 win over leaders Sunshine Stars. He will aim to make it a treble of wins when he guides Rangers to Uyo to play Akwa United, with high hopes of running away with all three points to keep their fairytale run going.

Sunshine seek Lobi’s fall

OR pace-setting Sunshine Stars, who have braved all odds to stay top of the Glo Premier League table, anything short of victory tomorrow in Makrudi when they battle Lobi Stars will be seen as a failure. Sunshine Stars do not need to look over their shoulders to see that Enyimba and Wikki Tourists are lurking in the wings to upstage them from the prime spot. Armed with 29 points, same as Enyimba, the Akure-based team are only ahead of the Aba Elephants on goals difference and just a point above Wikki Tourists. With all top three teams playing tomorrow, with the likelihood that leadership positions may switch depending on which way results go, the task for Sunshine Stars is to ensure that they maintain the winning run that has made them the envy and target of the other 19 teams in the top flight. They should fancy their chances of beating Lobi Stars, who are in the 14th position and are yet to find their rhythm so far. But Sunshine Stars would be

careful not to write off their hosts, who have the reputation of beating top teams who underrate them. It promises to

be an interesting match in Makurdi as Sunshine seek Lobi’s fall and maintain their position on top of the table.

TABLE Team Sunshine Stars Enyimba Wikki Tourist Giwa Heartland Ifeanyi Uba Rangers El Kanemi Kano Pillars Abia Warriors Nasarawa Warri Wolves Shooting Lobi Kwara Utd Akwa Utd Bayelsa Dolphins Taraba Sharks

P 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 14 15 15 15 12 13 15 14 15 15 15 14 15

W 9 8 8 6 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 4 3 4 4 3 2 2 1

D 2 5 4 7 1 2 2 2 1 1 3 2 4 7 3 3 5 7 5 8

L 4 2 3 2 6 6 6 5 7 7 6 4 5 5 7 8 7 6 7 6

GF 24 18 20 19 21 18 17 14 18 17 15 16 10 11 13 9 10 13 13 11

GA 13 10 12 13 16 13 16 17 16 18 17 10 10 6 19 17 18 7 20 19

GD PTS +11 29 +8 29 +8 28 + 6 25 +5 25 +5 23 +1 23 -3 23 +2 22 -1 22 -2 21 +6 20 0 16 -5 16 -6 15 -8 15 -8 14 -4 13 -7 11 -8 11

34 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015

•

Udo-Obong warns on Okagbare •Speaks on Eagles, incoming Sports Minister Olympic gold medallist Enefiok Udo-Obong in this chat with JOHN EGBOKHAN, speaks on Blessing Okagbare’s attack on AFN and why he supported Habu Gumel’s return as NOC President. Excerpts

ou have earned the reputation for always saying your mind, not minding who feels offended. What is behind this strong stance of yours? Ans: The fact of the matter is that sports over the years is that part of human activity that is to some extent devoid of propaganda. Some people say that sports is the only part of the newspaper that is free of propaganda. Other parts are filled with propaganda. Sports is sports and we have to keep the integrity of the game intact. We are not only trying to keep the integrity of sports by not doing things that are detriment to the game like illegal betting, doping and bad administration. We must always say the truth especially when it comes to sports administration. I see it as a duty to always say the truth and try as much as possible not to be political but try to ensure that the message is given to the people to protect the development of sports. To what extent have you been apolitical given that you speak against those running our sports? You have to be political at times because your words can be misrepresented and taken out of context, leaving you with no option than to try in a way to set the records straight so that damages are not caused. You were one of those who moved for change at the NOC during the last elections in Asaba. What informed your preference for Habu Gumel over Sani Ndanusa putting in mind that the former had served for two terms while the latter was going for his second term? Because of the way things are, I would not want to use the word change. I was not C M Y K

against the former Sports Minister but I felt that Gumel was someone I could support and I decided to throw my weight behind him. I spent a year in Switzerland, studying Advanced Masters in Sports at the University and over the years in Switzerland, I felt the impact of the influence of Engr Gumel has and the respect which he has in the international community and felt that if we could harness that influence and bring it to our NOC that we can grow our sports, help our athletes around the world. It is not a political thing Sports is not a tenure thing. Joac Havelange was the President of FIFA from 1970 to 1998. Since FIFA was created, we have had only five Presidents. The Presidents do a lot of terms. Stability is crucial in sports administration. The IOC has put a two term limit of eight plus four years. We looked at the products of the tenures of these two men in Nigeria and discovered that there is some money that the IOC gives to countries but saw that the NOC in the last four years was not able to support our athletes in any way, meaning something was going wrong. They could not get sponsors. They went for the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with different kits. Was that the responsibility of the NOC? At international and continental competitions, the responsibilities of the team falls on the table of the NOC. The NOC has the autonomy to look for sponsorship for its contingent. At a time when I was competing, we had kits given to us by the ministry and kits given to us by the NOC. The NOC can get its own sponsors and the Sports Ministry can do what they have to do. But basically, the NOC is responsible for every team that represents Nigeria in international competitions. We know that the NOC was cash-strapped but it got to a point when we had to move in so that Nigerians would stop seeing the Sports Ministry as the all-in-all and see the NOC as the main thing. Team Nigeria belongs to the NOC. We want a situation where people

•Okagbare would be asking the NOC what they are doing to prepare the athletes for international competitions. We have a system of government where the sports ministry takes over the responsibility and hands over the team to the NOC at the last minute but that is just a false system. That is a system that is in place because that is what journalists are telling people. They are not telling them the real thing. The Sports Ministry controls sports by way of policy formulation but they do not control the athletes. The NOC

owns the athletes. The Minister of Sports cannot walk to the IOC and speak to them. It is the NOC that they recognise. If you want to do anything with the IOC, you go through the NOC. If the IOC wants to do something with Nigeria, they go through the NOC. For instance, IOC gives grants to some of our athletes and they route the money through the NOC. There are about 13 of such athletes but the Sports Ministry does not even see the money. The money goes directly from the

IOC to the NOC and then the athletes or sometimes, through the federations. There is a chain of command, starting from the athletes, to the federations, to the NOC, to the international body, to the IOC and to the CAS. And that is how it is. There is no horizontal national body or federal government as the case may apply in our case. We are now preparing

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015 — 35 for the All Africa Games and as I speak now, we don ‘t have a Minister of Sports but that does not mean that the NOC is not doing its work because it has a President, a Secretary-General and other officials, who are supposed to be working.

Some of your critics see you as an attack dog. Are they right to see you this way? I am not an attack dog even though it seems I am attacking people when I speak the truth. The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba is like my godfather, a big brother and I am very close to him. I don’t mince words when I tell him that he is not doing the right things. In private, the President and I have greater misunderstanding that what the press publishes. I respect him a lot but sometimes I feel that the track on which he is going goes way beyond what he is supposed to be doing. At a time, I told him

•Gumel please sir, slow down. He might not like the way I told but after two days, he would call me to ask how to do it. I like to work with him because he appreciates that I speak my mind. He does not like praise singers and that is why I can work with him. Turning to Blessing Okagbare’s criticism of the AFN’s decision to poach on foreign athletes at the expense of home-grown talents, do you support her stance? In specifics, at that point, Okagbare was out of line. Not based on the issues which she raised but in the manner in which she raised them and the kind of athlete that she is in our sports at this point in time. I felt she was out of line as she had direct contact with the Governor, the President, the Minister and a lot of persons who she could have spoken to. I spoke to her and she said that she had exhausted all means of communication and thought what was best was to speak out and I respect that because I am that sort of a person. I have views too on the poaching of athletes. There are two sides to every coin. In terms of athletes, the first thing to ask ‘are those athletes Nigerians or nonNigerians?’

•Obong

If they are Nigerians, they deserve to be called. If they are not Nigerians, that is where I have my misgivings with the federation. I am not entirely against

•Ndanusa getting non-Nigerians but I am against when you do not have something to develop our sports. If you get 18 year old Americans to run for Nigeria, I have no issues with you because there are 16 year old Nigerians running for Qatar and Bahrain. So if the rules allow someone to leave America and come to run for Nigeria, fine but there are two or three conditions that I attach to the rules. One, they must be young enough so that our athletes can grow with them, so that they can inspire them and have a

But Gumel is always abroad attending to IOC matters? Not that he is forever outside Nigeria but it has to be said that the President is not a paid job. The scribe runs the NOC. The President is away from Nigeria doing IOC work but I can tell you authoritatively that there is no IOC job that he does that is not beneficial to Nigeria. And I can also tell you also that we need to involve the NOC more when we are bidding to host international competitions like the Commonwealth Games, which was mostly run by the government the last time we did. The NOC is key to sports. The Ministry is vital in terms of policy formulation. The Ministry gets finances which we believe should go straight to the NOC

In specifics, at that point, Okagbare was out of line. Not based on the issues which she raised but in the manner in which she raised them and the kind of athlete that she is in our sports at this point in time.

longer future to spend with us. Two, equal opportunities should be given to those coming from abroad and those in Nigeria. They must be given the same amount in camp. Then three, due process should be followed. If there is a way that you can naturalise to be a Nigerian, due process should be followed. I don’t want to see fast-tracked citizenship because someone is coming from America. I would not be very happy if you bring a 33 year old athlete, someone who has passed his prime to come and run because you feel he is running faster than the young athletes we have and you use the money we would spend on the three athletes to bring this spent American athlete. I am also against inviting people who do not

pass through our national trials directly to international competitions. Everybody must run the national trials no matter who you are. I am also against spending a lot of money on these foreign athletes to the detriment of those at home. I love that we should develop our athletes and it is easy to say that as we have been saying in the last 15 years but where is the development. The truth about why we are not developing is that everything collapsed in Nigeria. It is not just the sports sector. You wonder why we have not won the FIFA U20 World Cup and are now struggling to qualify for the African Nations Cup. We did not qualify for the last edition held in Equatorial Guinea. It’s an embarrassment. Beating Burkina Faso or Zimbabwe now draws hurray from Nigeria. As a matter of fact, our Super Eagles do not have a home to play their games. In those days, you knew you were going to play at the National Stadium in Surulere. That was the home of the Eagles. And you couldn’t beat Super Eagles there, except you were extremely fortunate. So there are things that have changed and we have to understand that when we are trying to rebuild, it is a difficult process. When we try to get back some Nigerian athletes back from abroad, we should not feel we are using aliens because Nigerians have integrated into other societies. When we won the 4X200m at the World Relays in Bahamas, a lot of people did not talk about the Nigerians in diaspora who were in that team. Three of the girls were the same ones who, a year ago at the Commonwealth Games, were chastised by us because we did not win. And I have issues with those who belittled our win in Bahamas. It is a new thing now but will be a big thing soon because the IAAF has given its backing to it and I believe the IOC will accept it later in the Olympics. Usain Bolt was at the world relays, so people should not belittle the championship. It is a laudable feat and if we don’t put our acts together, no African will win that gold medal in the next 50 years. It is an event that if you win, the IAAF has earmarked $60, 000 to winners. What are your forecasts for Team Nigeria at the 2015 All African Games in Congo? As the chairman of the Athletes committee of the NOC, it is my responsibility to ensure that the athletes are well represented, catered for and supported with adequate funding and support. To emerge tops on the medals table at the All Africa Games is a tall order. We should be targeting an improvement on our last outing and even at that, the last time was not an impressive outing because we did not bargain for what we

got. We can do much more, target top three and each individual federation should work harder and I believe that athletes can bring 13 gold medals. And Okagbare would be the leading light for Nigeria but are you worried that we depend more on her to carry the Nigerian weight? Not necessarily because we have other talented athletes and we should not put the burden on her. We know that Okagbare is not unbeaten in Africa. Ivorian sprinter, Ahoure is an exceptional runner in 100 and 200m . I believe she is even faster than Okagbare this year. So let us not think that Okagbare would just glide to the gold medal in Congo. She will face stiff competition from Ahoure. But don’t forget that it is not only Okagbare that we have. We have a woman in shot-putt people don’t mention. We also have a very good hammer thrower. The All Africa Games is widerange, where we are talking of 15 gold medals. We probably would not win the men’s sprints, where we see some South Africans running 19 seconds in 200m. Then our medals will have to come from elsewhere. We have an exceptional athlete in Naomi who nobody talks about. She is an heptathlete . But it’s always about Okagbare for Nigerians, which is not good as it makes the weight of expectations too much for her to bear. The Rio Olympics will be a big test for the current board of the NOC and whoever will be the Minister of Sports. I don’t think it will be all doom and gloom in Rio. I think we will win more than we won at the London Games. Your agenda for the next Sports Minister? We hope the next Sports Minister will be a listening one, more of a technocrat and a sportsman. We are preparing for the All Africa Games and I can tell you authoritatively that athletes are not allowed to train for more than two hours a day, twice a week in a stadium. To put it into context, as an athlete, I trained six hours a day, four times a week at the National Stadium. So you are giving two hours a day, twice a week to athletes who are preparing for the All Africa Games. That is unbelievable. So you are losing hours not training and it is not like the stadium has been privatised. So this is one of the things that the Sports Ministry has to think about. What support are they giving to the athletes. It’s not about the money. Access to facilities is vital to an athlete’s success, just like access to sports medicines is also key to athletes success. The Sports Medicine Centre was always treating us for free in those days when we went there. Access to technical support is also crucial. We had coaches in various zones who we could meet but we don’t have those ones now.

C M Y K

36—SA TURD AY Vanguard, JUL Y 4, 2015 36—SATURD TURDA JULY

Reception for outgoing US Consul General

onsul General Jeffrey J. Hawkins, who resumed duty in Nigeria in August of 2012 has concluded his assignment in Nigeria. In his honour, a sendforth reception was held at the American Embassy in Lagos on Tuesday. The reception which was put together by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S Consulate General had in attendance the cream of Nigerian society, from the government, the civil society, academics, NGOs and the media. Photos by Kehinde Gbadamosi

Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, outgoing U.S Consul General, Mrs Annie Chansavang Hawkins, his wife, with Journalists

Vict or AhiumaYoung Victor Ahiuma-Y holds thanksgiving

ictor Ahiuma-Young, Assistant Labour Editor, Vanguard newspapers who was recently shot by gunmen along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway came before the Lord for thanksgiving for sparing his life. He was joined by his family, friends and well-wishers at the St Joseph Chosen of God Church, Kirikiri town in Lagos. Photos by Biodun Ogunleye

L-R: Pastor Austin Okosun with Mr & Mrs Victor Ahiuma-Young and little daughter Chiamaka.

From Left; Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, Mrs Dehab Ghebreah, Public Affair Officer, United States Consulate General, Lagos, and Mr Temitayo Famutimi of U.S Consulate Office From Left; Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, outgoing U.S Consul General, Mrs Funke Egbemode, MD/ Editor-in-Chief, New Telegraph, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, Director, Nigeria Ford Foundation, and Mrs Mfon Ekpo

From Left; Mrs Grace Mallam-Obi, Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, outgoing U.S Consul General, and Mrs Annie Chansavang Hawkins, his wife.

L-R:Mr Samson Chibuike and Comrade Issa Aremu, Dep. President, NLC.

Mr Jeffrey .J. Hawkins, and son, Chied Maxime Hawkins .

L-R: Miss Yinka Latona, Mr Ovie Azigbo and Mrs Chioma Obinna, all of Vanguard

Mufutau Hamzat’s daught er w eds TTemita emita eyowo’s son daughter weds emitayyo Ot Ote MUFUTAUTaiwo Hamzat’s daughter, Temitope Abeke Hamzat, has married the son of Temitayo Oteyowo, Olakanmi Damilola Oteyowo. The couple were pronounced man and wife at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Achievers Court, Shasha, Lagos. Photos by Akeem Salau

L-R;Mr Temitayo Oteyowo,groom's father;Mrs Motunrayo Hamzat, bride's mother;the couple, Mr and Mrs Olakanmi Oteyowo with Mr Mufutau Taiwo Hamzat, bride's father and Mrs Funmilola Oteyowo, groom's mother. C M Y K

L-R;Alhaji Rafiu Oyebami, Mr Akintola Joseph, Photo Editor, Vanguard, with Alhaji Olatoye Sanusi and Mr Olawale Tijani

L-R;Alhaji Ganiyu Oladenyinde,Chairman Gaskins Ltd;Mr Yaya Bello, Elder Olapade Adedoja;Chief Muili Yunusa,Chairman Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria and Elder Abdulahi Jamiu.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, JUL Y 4, 2015 â€”37 JULY

(Text Only)

The Crane, Backward Bend, Plough and the Eagle

2 The Backward Bend 1

The Crane

Technique: Squat on the hundles with the feet close together. Let the soles and heels rest on the floor. Raise the buttocks up and move the trunk forward. Breathing out, wrap the arms around the bent legs, and place the palms on the floor. Bend the elbows and raise the heels from the floor, move the trunk a bit more forward and rest the chin on the back of the upper arms close to the armpits. Stretch the arms straight and balance the whole body on the hands. Benefits:The Crane strengthens the arms. With the contracting of the abdomen,the organs there are massaged and toned.

The Backward Bend

Technique:Get on the knees with the feet close together. Breathe in deeply, raising both hands overhead. Breathing out,

3 3The Plough

bend backwards with elbows still straightened out. Hold the position for some 5 seconds, and then inhailing, return the trunk to the upright position.Rest a bit and repeat. Benefits: The posture strengthens the back and shoulder muscles. Also affected favourably are the muscles of the abdomen and those of the upper thighs.

The Plough

Technique: Lie on your back with the legs stretched out and hands placed along the sides. Take in a deep breath and drawing up the knees swing back the legs while breathing out and let the toes come to rest on the floor behind your head. Keep the knees straight and stiffen up the muscles of legs. Keep the breathing normal as you retain the posture for about 10 seconds. To come out of the

posture simply bend the knees and just roll down the back and straight out the legs flat on the floor again. You may rest a little and repeat. Benefits: The plough improves the elasticity of the spine. It tones the leg muscles and helps to rid constipation.

The Eagle Technique: Standing with feet together bend the elbows and place the sight on the top the left one and bring the palms together while you raise and bend the left leg and rap it around the right lower leg with the foot sticking out. The left leg must be slightly bent at the knee to make this possible. Benefits: The Eagle instills a sense of balance and also banishes varicose veins.

Yoga Classes STARTED @ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos. 9.00am â€” 10.00am on Saturdays

4 4The Eagle

38—SATURDAY

Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

Lifeline:

ood poisoning is a relatively common problem that many people face at some point in their life, and although in most cases it’s not fatal, it is serious and can be particularly dangerous for vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and pregnant women. Sources of food contamination are various and include bacteria salmonella and listeria, which can be eliminated through cooking, but not all food we eat goes though heat treatment. Here are common food items that pose a major risk to your health and could lead to food poisoning. Raw eggs Raw eggs are very likely to give you food poisoning, accounting for more than hundreds of thousands of food-related illnesses in the last few years. Although the likelihood of getting food poisoning from raw eggs has decreased over the past couple of decades, they are still one of the “riskiest” foods you could be consuming. It is the bacteria called salmonella that is to blame for food poisoning coming from raw eggs, and the trouble lies in the fact that salmonella can’t be detected before it enters the body and wreaks havoc. Salmonella penetrates the eggs before they are even hatched, contaminating your food and posing a potential threat. Eggs are consumed raw when certain cakes or sweets are made or in instances in which people drink them for various reasons. The truth is, eggs are best consumed scrabbled, hard-boiled or coddled if you want all the benefits without exposing yourself to any risks. Chicken Although chicken is definitely one of the most popular foods around, it is also one of the biggest offenders when it comes to foodborne illnesses. All poultry can cause food poisoning, but chicken accounts for the largest number of instances of stomach problems. If chicken is not defrosted or cooked properly it can lead to serious disease. Anyone who handles raw chicken must make sure the meat doesn’t

Common foods that cause poisoning

come into contact with other foods, especially if they aren’t cooked, because the bacteria found in chicken, such as campylobacter and salmonella, can cause dreadful food poisoning. These bacteria are located in the intestines of the poultry and can come into contact with the human body after the bird is slaughtered. Chicken must be cooked for the right amount of time and at a certain temperature to protect everyone who will eat it. Leafy green vegetables Produce in general ranks as one of the top causes of food-borne illnesses, and leafy greens pose the largest risk when it comes to leading to stomach problems. Vegetables such as lettuce and spinach must be washed thoroughly to eliminate that risk. One of the ways to make sure your leafy greens are safe to eat is to soak them in water in which you add a teaspoon of baking soda. Almost half of all food-borne illnesses are caused by produce, so you have to make sure you are well aware of the risks brought on by the foods you are feeding your family, as well as the ways in which you can avoid them. Cooking your veggies for the right amount of time will definitely lower the risk of food-related illness, and so will purchasing produce from accountable sources. Although food-borne illnesses caused by leafy greens are usually not as dangerous as those caused by meat, they can still lead to diarrhoea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Watermelons Watermelons may not be the obvious choice, but pose a serious threat when it comes to causing food poisoning simply because they are not washed before they are consumed. Watermelons need to be scrubbed thoroughly before being cut, simply because if they are cut without being washed, the knife that goes through the

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•Watermelon

potatoes often come into contact with, such as salads, especially those containing dairy products or mayonnaise. Washing potatoes properly and making sure never to use the same knives, cutting boards and other utensils when handling raw meat and other foods is one of the raw tuna rather than canned best ways to prevent foodtuna, which means canned borne illnesses, especially tuna is safe in this aspect. those associated with produce. It should be noted that these Cheese toxins can’t be destroyed One of the main reasons through the cooking process if why cheese is a food that is they exist in the raw fish in the responsible for many food-related first place. The most common illnesses is the fact that several symptoms of food-borne illness steps are necessary to make it, brought on by tuna include include including curdling, nausea, cramps and diarrhoea. salting, and processing, leaving Make sure you purchase tuna plenty of room for contamination. from reputable vendors that Other more obvious reasons won’t leave the fish sitting at include using contaminated raw room temperature for too long. milk and milk not pasteurized Ice cream properly, but the correct Ice cream is a type of food pasteurization process is usually that many people are sad to see what eliminates all the harmful on this list, but the truth is ice bacteria and keeps cheese safe for cream poses a major risk to consumption. your health because it’s made It should be noted that softer out of dairy products. cheese, such If the eggs or milk, for as brie or camembert, are more instance, used to make the ice likely to contain listeria, and they cream contain salmonella, need to be purchased from consuming such food will most reputable vendors to avoid any likely lead to food poisoning. risks and unpleasant effects of Ice cream may be contaminated food. •Ice cream contaminated in various ways, Tomatoes from using contaminated Most people don’t associate rind picks up the bacteria and takes ingredients to make the pre-mix, tomatoes with food-borne them right to the meat of the fruit. to not keeping the scoops clean. illnesses, yet tomatoes are often a Listeria and salmonella are the two Listeria is another bacteria source of disease because they bacteria responsible for watermelonfound in ice cream that can lead are consumed raw and are seldom related illnesses and they need to be to large-scale food poisoning, subjected to high temperatures. washed well before served to anyone, while it is crucial to mention that Not washing the produce that is especially children and older ice cream products, such as eaten raw properly, including individuals. Wash melons under sorbets and ice cream leafy greens and in this case, running water, scrubbing with a brush sandwiches, can also be affected. tomatoes, leaves everyone if you feel that’s necessary. Potatoes susceptible to serious stomach Tuna Potatoes are unlikely offenders, problems associated with bacteria Tuna fish can pose a serious threat to however, bacteria such that are commonly found in fresh your health and is one of the foods as salmonella and listeria are produce but were never meant to often left out of the lists of dangerous to blame for stomach problems enter the human body. foods that can cause food poisoning. associated with eating potatoes, When it comes to tomatoes, Tuna fish may carry scombroid toxins, and they are usually found on it’s salmonella that is responsible which are the agents responsible for the kitchen counters and other for most illnesses, followed by food-borne illnesses. areas where food is handled. Norovirus. Keep in mind that Scombroid toxins can occur in tuna In the majority of cases, it’s not eating fresh fruits and veggies is that is left in a warm place for too long, the potatoes that lead to a necessary for a healthy diet, but so handling this fish properly is crucial bacteria outbreak, but rather so is purchasing them from for eliminating the risk. In most cases, other contaminated foods that accountable sources and serving scombroid toxins are found in fresh or them correctly.

SATURDAY

Lifestyle

Best exercises for weight loss

here’s no getting around the fact that in order to lose weight safely and permanently, you need to eat healthy food and get plenty of exercise. Exercising burns calories and builds muscle, which is essential for increasing your metabolism so that you can burn even more calories and lose more weight. So dust off those workout clothes and pick one of these nine best exercises for weight loss to get started today on your path to a slimmer, healthier you. Walking Walking is an ideal exercise for weight loss: It doesn’t require any equipment, other than a decent pair of walking shoes, and you don’t need a gym membership to do it. It’s a low-impact exercise, which means it won’t blow out your knees or cause other stress injuries that can leave you on the sidelines for weeks or even months. For those with certain health issues, including obesity and heart disease, walking is an effective, low-intensity weightloss activity that can lead to better overall health, as well as better mental well being. Depending on how much you weigh, walking at a reasonable pace you can lose up to a pound a week without changing any other habits. So put on your walking shoes and go for a brisk stroll through the neighbourhood.

clear. Swimming engages all of the major muscle groups, from your abdominals and back muscles to your arms, legs, hips and glutes. It effectively compliments other exercises, like running and walking, or it can be your sole form of fitness. Running If you’re one of the many people who love to run, you’re in luck. Running burns about 600 calories per hour, helps build strong bones and connective tissue and gets your heart pumping at a healthy rate to help prevent heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. The only equipment running requires is a good pair of shoes to protect your joints and, if it helps you keep the pace and maintain motivation, an iPod with your favourite tunes. Interval training can bump up the calories you

•Walking

Swimming Vigorous swimming can burn anywhere from 400 to 700 calories an hour. All types of swimming are effective for helping you shed pounds, from a front crawl to a breast stroke or even the dog paddle. Swimming is a highly effective exercise for weight loss and toning. It’s one of the lowestimpact exercises out there, and it strengthens, tones and conditions your whole body. It’s particularly ideal for women in their last trimester of pregnancy and individuals who battle with arthritis, obesity, and musculoskeletal conditions. It’s also great for those who suffer from exerciseinduced asthma, because the warm, moist air around the water helps keep the airways C M Y K

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burn on your daily run. Also called speed work, interval training involves short spurts, usually between 30 seconds and two minutes, of running at top speed. Intervals burn a large number of calories in a short amount of time, improve your resting metabolism to help you burn more calories during the day, and increase your muscle mass. Experts now recommend that you don’t stretch before you run. Instead, warm up by marching in place, bringing your knees up high, or walking for five minutes before beginning your run.

•Walking is an ideal exercise

Tennis A good game of tennis can burn up to 600 calories in an hour. If you’re the type who prefers to exercise with a partner, tennis is an ideal way to get active. It’s also perfect for those who don’t particularly like to exercise, but who love a good competition. You don’t have to be a great tennis player to lose weight doing it. After all, running after the balls is still a form of exercise. The nature of tennis makes it a great whole-body workout, and playing it can help you improve your flexibility, balance and posture, as well as let off some steam to reduce stress. Throughout the game, especially every time you hit the ball, your arm, abdominal and leg muscles are engaged, building strength and burning calories. But that’s not all that’s engaged. Your brain gets a good workout every time you play tennis, from thinking quickly and creatively to planning ahead. to learn new things. It also helps increase your peak bone mass. Tennis is listed as one of the activities that promote bone health.

40—SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015 Aunty Julie, I think a shameful thing has happened to me. I have a crush on my best friend’s brother. I’m 18 and he is in his 20s. I’ve known him and my best friend since I was 10 and I started to like him when I was 12, just because we talk to each other so much and make each other laugh. There was a time where I was at my best friend’s house and she went to have a shower and I was outside and he came outside and we talked and started laughing and playing basketball and having a good time. I just haven’t ever met a guy like him. Recently he asked me out and I didn’t know what to say at the time so I told him I’d think about it which was stupid cause I have a massive crush on him, but I know my best friend would hate it and it would be awkward for us. I still haven’t gotten back to him about hanging out. Should I? Ufuoma, Edo

If you want to go out with this guy, you need to talk to your best friend about what is going on because it wouldn’t be right to start anything up behind her back. She’d just end up feeling betrayed by her brother and her best friend. So, tell this guy that you are interested but need some time to talk to your friend about it. He should understand this if he wants juliecoker100@yahoo.com to do the right thing by his sister. Just be honest with her and see what she says. She may initially be shocked or against the idea, but if you tell her how you feel, hopefully she will come around to the idea. Her brother could even talk to her too, just so she understands that this is something that matters to both of you. It may take her some time, but if she just can’t feel comfortable about about it. I don’t think it’s stupid. You’ve it, you will need to decide whether got a lot to consider before you take any it is worth damaging or even losing Dear Ufuoma, I think you did the right thing by telling action here, and you clearly are a good your friendship with her to be with your best friend’s brother you’d think friend. him.

I have a crush on my best friend’s brother

How do I stop my parents from fighting? Dear Julie, My parents fight all the time and this is becoming embarrassing. I cannot invite my friends to my house when my parents are around because it really bothers me that something can break out between them and you can imagine my shame. Why is my own case different? I visit my friends at their homes and even spends weekends with them but none of my friends can come to my place. It’s not that they don’t want but I cannot let them because my parents are always fighting. How do I stop my parents fighting? Laila, Auchi

Dear Laila,

Everyone disagrees from time to time. Even people who care about each other a lot may not always agree on everything. When people feel really strongly about something, it may be difficult to stay calm and arguments start which can become more heated. Seeing your parents argue or fight can be difficult. It may seem, and may even be that they don’t love each other anymore. You might be worried that they are going to split up. You may also be worried that you’re to blame for them arguing. Sometimes, parents end up feeling differently about their lives and each other to how they did when they they got married. It may take them a bit of time to work out how to deal

with it and they may need the help of a professional, like a counsellor. Some parents find that the only way to sort things out is to live apart. The most important thing to remember is that it’s not your fault. How your parents feel about each other is not your responsibility. It’s not unusual in these situations to feel forced to take a side. Do your parents ever try to involve you in their arguments? It important that they understand how you feel and how worried and upset you are over what’s happening between them. If it’s difficult speaking to them about this, you could try asking an adult you trust, like a grandparent, teacher or school counsellor. It’s sometimes easier to speak to

My dad shouts at me all the time

Dear Aunty Julie, I think I’m beginning to hate my father. He is too rude to me all time. He shouts at me and doesn’t seem to regard me at all. I can’t find happiness when he is around me . I have two brothers: one bigger and one smaller. Whenever my bigger or smaller brother does something, he always turns their fault on me. He doesn’t let me play games or watch TV. My brothers have mp3s, TV games but I have nothing . Are you sure I’m his child. I’m 19.

Azeez, Ondo Dear Azeez, It appears you are going through a difficult time with your dad. This may be having an effect on your happiness and how you feel about yourself, especially if your dad is yelling at you, putting you down or calling you names. At some point in their lives, most teenagers will say they hate their parents. We say this for different reasons, such as feeling like our

Spaghetti A wealthy man was having an affair with an Italian woman for a few years. One night, during one of their rendezvous, she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he paid her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to have the child. If she stayed in Italy, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but wondered how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to mail him a post card, and write “Spaghetti” on the back. He would then arrange for child support. One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife. “Honey,” she said, “you received a very strange post card today.” “Oh, just give it to me and I’ll explain it later,” he said. The wife obeyed, and watched as her C M Y K

parents are not being fair, are being too strict, or aren’t letting us do the things we want to do. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have not been getting along well with your dad for a long time now. From what you have said, it’s difficult to say why your dad may be picking on you and favouring your other brothers over you. Parents can be difficult to get along with at times, but remember they were young once as well. Your dad may have had similar

C O C K - T A L E S husband read the card, turned white, and fainted. On the card was written “Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Two with meatballs, one without.” So much fun A suspicious husband hired a private eye to check on the movements of his wife. In addition to a written report, the husband wanted a video of his wife’s activities. A week later, the detective returned with a film. They sat down together and proceeded to watch it. Although the quality was less than professional, the man saw his wife meeting another man! He saw the two of them strolling arm in arm and laughing in the park. He saw them enjoying themselves at an outdoor cafe. He saw them dancing in a dimly lit nightclub. He saw them take part in a dozen activities with utter glee. “I just can’t believe this,” said the distraught

someone like this, about problems involving your parents. Such a person may also be helpful in getting your parents to understand how you feel. Sometimes, fighting can go too far, like when there’s yelling, name calling and insulting language. It’s not okay for anyone in the family to be treated with disrespect. If this is happening, then it would definitely be a good idea to get someone else involved. But always remember, your parents’ arguments are never your fault. Parents are responsible for their own actions and behaviors, no matter how much they are provoked by another person.

issues with his dad and may not know how to act any differently. If you haven’t already, try being kind to your brothers, and being polite to your dad even if he is rude to you. This can be really hard to do, but two wrongs don’t make a right. If you think you can, try being open and honest with your dad and finding a good time to talk with him about how his behaviour affects you. Try also talking to another adult you trust about how you feel and what’s happening to you.

husband. “What’s not to believe?” the detective said. “It’s right up there on the screen!” “I simply can’t believe my wife could be so much fun!” the husband replied. Cupid at law A guy walks into a post office one day to see a middleaged, balding man standing at the counter methodically placing “Love” stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over them. He then takes out a perfume bottle and starts spraying scent all over them. His curiosity getting the better of him, he goes up to the balding man and asks him what he is doing. The man says “I’m sending out 1,000 Valentine cards signed, ‘Guess who?’” “But why?” asks the man. “I’m a divorce lawyer,” the man replies.

SA TURD AY Vanguard,JUL Y 4 anguard,JULY 4,, 2015 — 41 SATURD TURDA

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Who says money can’t buy love? OUGAR’ is a sophisticated word introduced to the dating scene a few years back. A cougar, aka Puma, aka American mountain lion is a fierce-looking animal who stalks its ‘prey Crelentlessly. When it eventually over-powers the prey, the cougar tears it to pieces, devours it ferociously and licks its lips with satisfaction at the end of the ‘feast’. The cougar has now replaced those we once knew as ‘senior girls’ in the society. Women with a lot of money and power but with little patience to start running after men in their age bracket only to find such men to be bitter disappointments in the bedroom. The cougar knows the type of men she wants—not so old. Young enough to stand to attention at the push of a button. To the ‘Cougar’s prey, the sky is the limit to the doors that might be opened to him—cars from his cougar’s garage at his disposal, lots of money to burn, and lots of business opportunities thrown his way. All he has to do was to ask ‘how far?’ when his cougar says ‘jump’! As long as a boy-toy knows his place and doesn’t get complacent enough to start eyeing some of his cougar’s friends with the hope of rendering same services with maybe better returns, he’s on solid grounds. Nkiru, now close to 50 married very young. According to her, “I was a quiet 19-year-old virgin when my parents gave me out in marriage to a rich village chief almost 20 years my senior. He was kind and dependable but I was shy and inexperienced, unable to relax and enjoy sex. I just assumed great sex was a media myth, that orgasms were as unobtainable as the moon. The arrival of the children turned me off sex even more and my husband didn’t protest. He obviously had a below average libido or was looking elsewhere for gratification. “By the time he died 16 years into our marriage, I’d known enough about his business to run things for myself. He died of cancer and had warned his greedy relatives to leave me alone after he’d gone. Not only that, he’d transferred all his liquid cash into my account and given me the title deeds to all the property he had. As soon as he died and my traditional mourning period was over, I

Once in a while, I caught glimpse of jealousy in his eyes and I quickly called him to order

sold off everything, so my husband’s family wouldn’t lay their hands on it, and came to Lagos to find a business of my own. “My first taste of meaningful sex came when one of my suppliers started teasing me with saucy innuendos. I was thrilled. He was married, tall, dark and handsome with mischievous eyes. That suited me to the ground. I had my four children and money; I wasn’t on the look-out for another husband. The day we finally got together was like a magic. Like the magazines advised, I’d worn sexy underwear and spiced up my bedroom. We were nicely tipsy when we tumbled into bed. It was the first time I reached an orgasm. At last I understood that sex could be mindblowing. And I wanted more. C M Y K

“I made sure he didn’t regret our liaison. I bought a lot of my raw materials from him, gave him money towards the price of a second hand car and bought him designer clothes whenever we travelled. It went on for a few years until his wife found out and had the nerve to charge into my office calling me all sorts of derogatory names. I was furious and

threw her out of my office. I might be bunking her husband, but I was sure a lot of the freebies I threw his way went a long way into giving his wife and children a cushy life. ‘Telling him I didn’t want any scandal, I cut him off and bought myself a vibrator which kept me man-free for a while. Two years later, I met Joshua who was single and ready to mingle as they say! His youth made him eager to please and he was really energetic. ‘I love older women’, he said cheekily and he was better than any of the vibrators I’d used. In the bedroom he actually, made me ecstatic. He was matured enough not to talk about my private life and I gave him all the freedom he wanted. All I wanted was

amazing sex-passion without responsibilities. And we were both free to sleep with other people, so I kept my options open. “Once in a while, I caught glimpse of jealousy in his eyes and I quickly called him to order. When he eventually told me he was

getting married, I gave him my blessings but told him we were over. After that experience with an irate wife, I didn’t relish the idea of a ‘wife’ young enough to be my daughter shouting insults at me because I slept with her husband. “I’ve since met another

man also young and virile. Like me, he enjoys slow, sensuous sex. And I’m having the time of my life. It’s difficult to believe that when I was younger, I thought orgasms were mythical, yet now, at my age, I’m having incredible sex and growing older has never been such fun! I’m looking forward to hitting the ‘great five-o! Who knows what spritely hip-wriggling stud I would spend that day with! Thank goodness all my children are abroad. My eldest son came to stay for a while and saw my new catch. He grimaced when I confessed we were lovers. ‘Just be careful mum’, he warned, ‘we don’t want any scandal!’ “I told him to grow up. Even in Britain where he stays, cougars abound and it wouldn’t hurt him to experiment with one or two before he settles down! I then discovered that a lot of my friends are into this cougar thing and some have even slept with each other’s lovers without any illfeelings. I didn’t intend to take things that far and I insist on safe sex. I want excitement. I don’t intend to be reckless in my quest for meaningful sex! I want to be around long enough to see how far this adventure would take me!”

Can you handle being famous? eing a celebrity is so easy! You too can B be a celebrity! We all want to be seated at the best tables in restaurants and walk on red

carpet, but would we really enjoy a posse of paparazzi snapping at our heels? Celebrities pay a price for being on the public stage. But if you want it, you can have the glamour without paparazzi following your every move. All right, you may not even make the list, but this isn’t about fame. This is about making people feel that the lights have suddenly brightened just because you’ve entered the room. Here’s how to be on the A-list in your own world by people who have actually tried and succeeded. Make work your stage: Whether you’re briefing your team on a new project or selling clothes in a shop, you need to give your job the same kind of oomph the celebs give theirs. Wherever you work, that is your stage, perform on it well and you’ll steal the show, Make a name for yourself: Celebs are more than what they do. They are names. Editors know that names in headlines attract attention. Decide what name you’re going to have. Imagine it on an invitation to a first night, or on the list of employees put up for promotion. What name do you want to see there - the nickname everyone knows you by or your fool moniker? What would we think of Hilary Clinton if she’d called herself Hills? And would Catherine Zeta Jones be such a name if she’d styled herself Katie Jones? When you’ve picked your name, use it whenever you can. Answer the phone with it and sign it on everything you can. Get your name about: Getting your name known is easy if you’re prepared on what you read - write a letter to the editor. Or write an

article and see your name on the byline. Give talks. Set up special interest groups and make sure your name is on the publicity. Be the spokesperson for the group you’re involved with. The more you get your name about, the more people will claim to know you. Friends you haven’t spoken to in ages will ring to say they saw your picture in the paper when you were handing out prizes at your eldest’s school. Conference speakers will seek you out during the break to discuss the question you asked in more details. Soon, you won’t be the one glancing around a room wondering who to talk to. People will want to talk to you. You’ll begin to feel like a celeb. Keep something back: Now that your name is getting known by a wider audience, you can’t afford to slip back into being just one of the gang. By all means, go for a drink after work, but don’t stay too long. People will gradually come to understand that they have to share you with others. Don’t automatically accept all invitations. You’re now on a very busy schedule and have lots of demands on your time from lots of people. Whoever gets you will need to feel that they’re lucky to have you, they’ll treat you as the star guest. Don’t let it go your head: No one likes a big head and the best loved celebrities are those whose generosity of spirit wins our hearts. True stars have a radiance. When you talk to people, give them your undivided attention. Don’t look around for someone more important to talk to. For two minutes or so, you can make the person you’re with feel special, and after you’ve gone, they’ll feel a warm glow for having been in your presence.

42 — SATURDAY

Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

YETUNDE AREBI include a little rough handling and hard grinding. As long as it’s between mutually consenting partners, it falls within the scope of

lovemaking. Or what do you think? Do have a wonderful weekend! Expecting your responses via email address: yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk or inthesunlovezone@yahoo.com My young friend, Chinazo Okaro from Abuja sent this in and I found it so compelling I had to share with you. By the way, Chinazo runs a blog. I’ll get you the address shortly. The fling syndrome I was with a close friend of mine the other day. She had come to visit me since she was on call at the hospital where she worked and didn’t have to work during the day. We had planned to begin watching the day’s episode of Empire tv series which seems to be everyone’s favourite lately. Unfortunately, PHCN struck just before she arrived and so we decided to make do with what we had and settled down in the living room to soft drinks. As is the usual thing to do, we started to talk about the things that were going on in our lives.

Spot the difference T

his is something I have been thinking about for quite a long time. In fact, I feel very uncomfortable whenever I come across people using these words or even reading them, especially in newspaper and news magazine stories. I don’t know if many readers will agree with me on this or not, but I am hoping we will be able to share our views and try to find the right perspective or a balance to this. It is about the use of the word sex and its various derivatives. That is, the way people describe or refer to the act of sexual intimacy between two people or more. Let me cite some examples here for better understanding of the point I am driving at. 1. Sometime in August 2014, a newspaper headline read: “19-year-old boy rapes chicken to death in Ondo”. But the first paragraph of the story read: “A 19-year-old apprentice welder (names withheld) was caught today making love to a hen. The fowl reportedly died during the act”. In later parts of the story, the boy who confessed to having been under the influence of some spiritual forces, was also quoted to have slept with the hen and that this was not the first time for him as he had once been caught in his home village again making love with a goat. In a similar story, another boy, a 16-yearold secondary school dropout was also caught somewhere in the south-East, again making love to a dog and also accused of having carnal knowledge of many other dogs in the area. Please note the italicised words. Can they be used in these contexts? Let’s look at another case. And this is a very common one. In the story of a woman allegedly raped by a police officer in Lagos

while in detention sometime ago, the body of the story stated: “However, at about 10pm, Akinwunmi said one Inspector Ajiduwe called her out of the cell and took her to the DPO’s office, where she alleged that the station’s boss forcefully had carnal knowledge of her. According to her, “the DPO made love to me without a condom, saying he would throw me into prison if I mention the incident to anyone.” The word “lovemaking” was used several times in the story to describe the act of rape that took place between the two. Going through the papers, I often come across these words describing absurd sexual intimacy with all manner of subjects and situation. Lovemaking is used to describe sexual acts involving rape, incest, bestiality C M Y K

and all sorts of perversions which I find derogatory to the act of love making. As a young girl, my vision of lovemaking was stimulated and conceptualised around the romantic novels one read back then. The Mills and Boons, Silhouette, Barbara Cartland, Romance, et al, taught us to believe in the fairy tale pleasures of sexual intimacy known as lovemaking. (I dare say many of us now know better as adults though). Growing up, sexual intimacy between couples was not as broad as we now have it, with all manner of people, animals, objects and apparitions (pardon, LGBT) (Q). For me and many others I know, love and the sexual act was a picture of girl meets boy, falls in love, courtship, make out, marry and procreate. It was an orderly process aimed at seeking, giving and taking of sexual pleasures in a mutually consenting relationship and only in that context can we talk about lovemaking. Sex and love being interwoven. Even the Webster ’s Dictionary describes lovemaking as the act of courting or sexual activity, and love as a profound tender passionate affection for another person. When you love, you want to protect, nurture and make happy and it is in that context that I see lovemaking. Rape and all these other synonyms can therefore not be described as lovemaking. Sex is different from lovemaking. You can have sex without loving, or being in love with your sexual partner. I have had varied responses from people on this issue and would really love to hear from my readers as well. Some of the other issues that came up in the course of my discussions with respondents are the various tags for the sexual acts and who engages in

them. Many Nigerian women, especially the married ones exhibit and relish the erroneous idea that only married couples make love, all others have sex. The marriage contract elevates the sexual act to a state of perfection, or so they want you to believe. And only when the curtains are down do you ever get to see a glimmer of their pain and sexual dissatisfaction. Words like the famous f..k, bang, shag, etc are considered dirty and reserved for the cash-and-carry domain. A decent woman will never engage in the ‘f-sex’ with a man. On this, I disagreed with many of my married friends. While a marriage or long-term relationship may provide an opportunity leading to greater intimacy and knowledge between the partners, it does not exclude the fact that similar or even higher and more pleasurable levels of intimacy cannot be achieved outside of these bonds. My conclusion on this is that perception and attitude to sex will go a long way in determining

how we deal with the various tags. Various factors will determine what partners do when they get between the sheets. There are times when quickies are all that can be squeezed in, just as there will be days of endless hours of hot, sweaty, sensual, pleasurable lovemaking and after play, just as there will be days for the F-sex which may

There was the famous topic of relationship and suitors and she started to tell me about a colleague of hers whose relationship and love for his girlfriend was well known to everyone at the hospital. Recently, however, he had some issues with his girlfriend and her parents and they decided to take a break. Nevertheless, he was planning to reconcile with her and then go ask for her hand in marriage. This was his plan and he had told his colleagues, including my friend what he intended to do. As the story went, he suddenly started to get close to my friend. Then he began to make suggestions that didn’t go down well with her. He made it clear that he needed someone to play around with for a little while before reconciling with the love of his life and then getting married to her. I remember screaming “What?!” in my head, when she got to that part. I mean such impunity!

According to her, she told him off, stating that she was not looking for that kind of relationship. We laughed about it and talked about other things. Sometime later, the issue of dating and relationships came up again and I realized that a lot of Nigerian men these days, see this kind of situation as normal as long as there’s an understanding between both parties on what is expected of the relationship and of course the wife or “main chick” as they are called doesn’t have to know about it. It could be a fling just before marriage or a continuous thing even after marriage. Exactly why these men believe it is normal and are even confident enough to propose such an idea leaves me wondering the kind of society we live in today. It seems to me that people who got married in the past couldn’t wait to commit to their significant others for the rest of their lives which is in contrast to men and women of our time. They seem to be terrified of committing to one person for life and I keep asking myself, what has changed and how this situation can be remedied. The women are not left out because these men are aware that some ladies consent to such and that is why they often have the nerve to ask for it in the first place. In fact, Nigerian ladies of nowadays not only agree to such in return for material gain but quite a number of ladies boast about having two or more boyfriends and how this gives them some sort of back-up or security just in case one decides to bolt out. I remember a video I saw a while ago of Nigerian female students who said they had more than one boyfriend. Some said each one performed a different duty or provided for a different need and so it was necessary for them to have it that way. I found it hilarious but it is a shame that this is our society today and I wonder what the future of our children will look like if our own generation has sunk so low as to equate relationship with material gain or anything other than what it was originally meant for.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—43

Mrs. Ibanga and her husband Iko with Niwano official in Tokyo during the award this year

ESTHER IBANGA:

Garlands for a caregiver

BY SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North

hen she started with a single step of looking for victims of the Jos crisis and giving succour to those she could afford to cater for, not many took her seriously. In fact, in the heat of the killing and maiming of women, men and children by heartless men in Plateau State, Esther Ibanga, a woman, who voluntarily relinquished her high-paying job at the Central Bank of Nigeria, made it a point of duty to move from point to point rendering help to victims of the wanton mayhem in the state. Apparently to stand on a more corporate platform in rendering help on a sustained basis to the needy, Mrs. Ibanga immediately set up a NonGovernmental Organisation, known as Women Without Walls Initiative, WOWWI, in 2010, which focused its attention on providing advocacy, relief for internally displaced families, training of women in peace building initiatives/activities, dialogues, developmental projects in forgotten communities, women and youth empowerment. Through the WOWWI platform, she has made tremendous progress towards restoring the elusive peace between the Christian and Moslem communities in Plateau State. She has also used the same platform effectively in reaching out to women both nationally and internationally and encourage them to fight for and advance the cause of women-folk, youth and children, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliation. She did not stop there since it C M Y K

appeared as if the more effort she was putting in to restore peace to the warring communities, the more the malevolent elements stepped up their acts inflicting more injuries to the people. In February 2010 she led a peaceful protest march in response to the Dogon-Nahawa ethno-religious crisis that shook Plateau State like a volcanic eruption. In that protest, Mrs. Ibanga led more than 100, 000 Christian women to express their anger against the destruction of lives and property by unknown persons under the guise of ethnic and religious differences. She did neither fear for her live nor the lives of the women she mobilised for the protest, which lasted for many days. These women, decked in black attires to drive home their grievances, marched the streets of Jos to the Government House, expressing their grief over the wanton loss of human lives especially those of women and children. The protest brought women to the forefront of the call for peace and to put an end to violence in Plateau State. In response to the protest march embarked upon by the Christian women in March 2010, the Muslim women, led by Hajiya Khadijat Hawaja, now WOWWI’s Financial Secretary, held their own peaceful protest demanding that the killings in Jos be stopped as they too had lost children and husbands to the violent killings. It was on that premise that Pastor Esther Ibanga decided to

reach out to the Muslim women, pleading with them to come together in the fight to eradicate ethno-religious violence. “For the sake of peace it is important to build a community of women with one purpose and work for the overall well-being of the people notwithstanding their religious and tribal affiliations,” she told the women in every gathering. In order to fulfill its vision of “developing a non-violent and all inclusive approach to conflict resolution and peace building in Nigeria, through women who are natural agents of change”, Women Without Walls Initiative has over the years undertaken series of activities to achieve her goals. These activities include conferences (both locally and internationally), economic empowerment program for women, police-community dialogue, campaigns against electoral violence, rallies, etc. Mrs. Ibanga loves to live her life for others. She is a true advocate of altruism and she is unapologetic about it. In 1995, her life took a major turn when she decided to leave her position as manager at the Central Bank of Nigeria, where she had worked for 16 years, to pioneer the first church ever to be led by a woman in the city of Jos. It was a big sacrifice for her to have thrown in the towel at the time at the apex bank when she was due for a promotion to the position of senior manager. Today, the Jos Christian Mission International (JCMI), which she founded 20 years ago, is a place to remember by many, who have fellowship

My motivation and drive in life is God. I have a personal relationship with Him. And my hunger for the impossible quickens something in me to rise to the occasion and make it possible

there. Married to a renowned public health exponent, Dr. Iko Ibanga, who is the founder and Executive Director of Pro-Health International (PHI), Esther Ibanga can be described as one who has taken a cue from her husband in reaching the poor and the needy. Her husband has used the PHI, an indigenous non-governmental organization, to provide medical care to more than 2.5 million women, men and children in many parts of Nigeria and Africa, without making noise about it. In all that she has been doing to advance the cause of humanity, Esther Ibanga remains a simple housewife, blessed with two children. “My motivation and drive in life is God. I have a personal relationship with Him. And my hunger for the impossible quickens something in me to rise to the occasion and make it possible,”” she explains. Her parents had thought her about discipline and integrity as the focal point of success in life and she has been living her life in accordance with the teaching of her parents and her pastor, Tunde Bakare. She says, “My father taught me integrity while my mother taught me to be industrious, hardworking and disciplined. My husband, Dr. Iko Ibanga, is another person who has taught me to strike a balance between my pioneering, result-oriented spirit and loving people sincerely. He is one man that brings beauty out of relationships.”

44—SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015

he recent technology tour organised by Hewlett Packard (HP) Nigeria, a global Information Technology (IT) company has once again elucidated the potentials leap in successful business operations available for entrepreneurs in Nigeria who appreciate the power of modern day technology. The tour which held in Lagos and Abuja was an opener for multinationals, big corporations and SMEs which are discerning in their approach to getting businesses done fast with less cost. Declaring the Technology Tour open in Lagos, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lagos State, Mrs. Nike Animashaun, said businesses around the world need advanced technology as a way of reducing the cost of doing business while also churning out high scale productivity that redefines economies globally. “As a responsible government, we are aware that with information technology, business transactions have become seamless globally, reducing physical presence and creating breathtaking pace of information exchange. The Lagos State government is happy to be part of the HP Technology Tour 2015”, Animashaun declared. She further stated that “an event of this magnitude will boost Nigeria’s ICT sector and enhance greater technological advancements through extensive brainstorming on pertinent issues within the IT industry alongside exhibition of the latest advancement in computer technology.” Growing businesses globally, HP recognizes these intrinsic potentials of IT and has consistently reinnovated to ensure its customers are not left behind, especially the businesses which dare to survive the very challenging global economic terrain. Cloud, big data, security and mobility are reshaping the way technology businesses are done in the IT industry. HP technology tour offers incredible depth of information and access to experts from its partners and other professionals. Whether as a business or individual trying to get the next project off the ground to bring new ideas back to the organization, HP technology tour provides the answers.

L-R: Enterprise Account Manager, Hewlett-Packard (HP); Ade Akinlade, HP District Sales Manager, Print and Personal Systems (PPS) Africa, Jean Panc-Pinto; Permananent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lagos State, Nike Animashaun; Commercial Director, Middle East and Mediterranean Africa, HP, David Rozzio, and Public Sector Account Manager, HP, Emmanuel Eze, at the opening of the HP Technology Tour 2015 in Lagos.

HP proffers solution for advanced IT businesses The continual improvement in technology, particularly Information Technology, over the decades has shown that people embrace technology not just as an innovation but as part of socioeconomic activities. Businesses around the world have been helped by advance technology, which is the overall, and has reduced cost of doing business while also turning out high scale productivity that drives economies.

The technology tour by HP was aimed at providing Nigerian businesses and IT professional, the opportunity to tap into the latest technology and improve the performance and overall profitability of businesses while also guaranteeing security of business intelligence. The HP Technology Tour presently being conducted across the globe is another giant move by the company to bring its customers closer to the

latest in information technology. Starting off in February 2015 in Saudi Arabia, technology industry watchers were propped up for what would be one of the best showcase of world class IT product across the world. The Tour which held in Saudi Arabia had in attendance top Managing Directors and Chief Executives of blue chip companies, IT companies and government officials. During the Nigeria tour, the

HP team, led by Senior Vice President, Enterprise Group and Managing Director HP EMEA, Mr. Peter Ryan, showcased the latest of its technology that expressed the company’s claim of “doing things that makes things better”. The tour has also been held in Paris, Germany, London, India, China and Brazil. Interestingly, with the new entrants, HP is creating the new style of IT which is the new style of business, spanning over its 75 years of existence as a world class company. Investing over 10 per cent of its income on research and development in 2014, the company is focusing on creating values for businesses, ensuring mobility, with enhanced security features that makes every of its product unique. Visitors at the tour were thrilled at the array of products that simply made life easier and work better to achieve the best, such like the Pavilion Mini PC which turned out to be a competent small-form factor desktop PC with basic features and 4GB memory which allow the users to explore. The Pavilion operates a Window 8.1 with a 3-in-1 memory card smaller than a man’s hands. This new CPU can connect to 2 PC monitors at a time, saving space and energy. The Intel Pentium 3558U with Intel HD Graphics (1.7 GHz, 2 MB cache, 2 cores) features on the Mini PC give users near life graphical presentation. While at work, users can plug in their headphone and enjoy cool music. The Pavilion Mini PC is the digital of SMEs which really care about their budgets. In order to meet the growing request by its customers for simple and seamless work station, guests at the tour were pleasantly surprised with the introduction of the HP Spectre X360. Designed for business and enterprise and individuals who dare to be different with aesthetics, the HP Spectre X360 gave visitors at the exhibition a new orientation about what simplicity is all about. The Spectre X360 is a perfect blend of world class technology that simply brings convenience and efficiency. Also operating in a Windows 8.1, 64 bits system, Spectre X360 has an 8 GB memory that allows large storage of graphics”.

Glo woos subscribers with popular Showbiz Stars t appears that I telecommunications solutions provider, Globacom is seeking

greater market share of subscribers among music and movie lovers by drawing in the crème de la crème of the showbiz industry as brand ambassadors. Retaining twenty showbiz superstars who have consistently projected the network positively, the network during the week released names of new and old showbiz ambassadors. The ambassadors include Fulaniborn trado-hip hop crooner, Sani Danja; foremost gospel musician, Sammie Okposo; comedienne, Helen Paul; electrifying Peter and Paul Okoye popularly known as P Square; popular Nollywood diva, Funke Akindele of Jenifa fame and her colleague, Ini Edo. Also in the league are Bezhiwa Idakula (Bez); popular comedian Bright Okpocha (Basketmouth); African Rapper Number One, Jude Abaga (MI ); Koko master, Dapo Oyebanjo (D’banj), Wande Coal, Chinedu Okolie (Flavour); Waje Iruobe; Omawumi Megbele; Ego Ogbaro and veteran broadcaster, Bimbo Oloyede. Others are John Okafor (Mr Ibu); Ime Bishop Umoh; Chinwetalu Agu and Damini Ogolu (Burna Boy). As brand representatives, the 20 entertainers are vested with the responsibility of positively motivating their followers from all strata of life not only to join the C M Y K

Globacom network but to recommend its products and services to others in their circles of influence. The twenty popular showbiz stars who have been appearing in television commercials, on billboards, lamp posts and fliers of the network, will complement the efforts of existing influencers who are expected to encourage subscribers to believe in themselves and in the uniqueness of their talents, dreams and goals. Only last year, Globacom announced a list of artistes who were described as influencers in their

different areas of talent concentration for its theme campaign, “Go Ahead’ which depicts the essence of the network and also communicates the dynamism of its services in voice, data and fixed lines. The influencers include Sunday Omobolanle widely known as Aluwe, legendary Zebrudaya alias 4:30 and his telly-wife, Ovuleria of the defunct New Masquerade series. Others are Bolaji Amusan a.k.a Mr Latin, while Madam Amebo and Madam Kofo Abiola were reenlisted on the roll.

LAPO holds annual workshop APO Institute, a centre for L capacity development, research and advocacy is set to hold

its maiden Annual Conference on Microfinance and Enterprise Development. The conference with the theme: Microfinance, Social Inclusion and National Development would hold between July 6 and 7, 2015 at its corporate headquarters in Uselu, Benin City with the Executive Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as special guest of honour. The forum, aimed at promoting microfinance and enterprise development in Nigeria and Africa

in general shall be declared open by the Managing Director of LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe. Prof. Mike Obadan of the University of Benin shall chair the occasion with a key note address to be delivered by Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Dr. Buno Nduka, Director of Programme and Projects at the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe and Prof. (Mrs.) Christiana Okojie of the University of the Benin shall deliver lead papers.

L-R: Ms Oduneye Adepeju receiving her certificate from Mrs Onari Duke Country Director Empretec Nigeria Foundation and Ms Ijeoma Aso MD/CEO UBA foundation.

UBA FFoundation oundation sponsor sponsorss Empretec training for youth corps members mpretec Nigeria Foundation (ENF), a private sector initiative of E United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in collaboration with UBA Foundation has concluded the training of the

second phase of the UNCTAD/Empretec Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme (GEP) for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members nationwide. The training programme commenced on Monday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 16, 2015. The training took the participants through the theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship. They also developed detailed business plans and simulations on running actual small businesses during the 6-day training. In her remarks at the closing ceremony of the programme, the Country Director, Empretec Nigeria Foundation; Mrs Onari Duke, charged the Corp members to keep practicing all the training and skills acquired. The MD/CEO of UBA Foundation, Ms Ijeoma Aso, also encouraged the trainees to keep improving their skills. The Corps members thanked Empretec Nigeria Foundation and United Bank for Africa for the “once in a lifetime opportunity” provided to them by the training.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

efore the historic decision of the United States Supreme Court legalizing “same-sex marriage,” 38 of the 50 states had already legalized same-sex marriage, so the decision was not entirely shocking. There had also been waves of opinions questioning the relevance of the marriage institution, while some overreached themselves by advocating its scrapping (The created wants to abolish the Creator’s creation, interesting!). These have forced me to take another look at the marriage institution, its relevance and its essence. My first challenge is the definition of marriage. While there were minor differences in the understanding of marriage as a result of cultural, geographical and made humans hermaphrodites so that religious differences, humanity was we do not need collaboration to always firm and uniform that marriage procreate in the first place. Even in families where husbands is a union of man and woman. Not anymore; this common denominator has and wives raise children, you been thrown overboard to accommodate sometimes find the first set of children LGBTs (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and being better brought up than the transgenders). Now, in some dictionary subsequent ones and vice versa. In definitions, marriage is simply “a union the first instance, the children were raised when the parents were in their of two people.” The Catholic Church has one of the prime and paid attention to details. most apt definitions of marriage: “the Subsequently, wear and tear of old matrimonial covenant, by which a man age had set in and they were not as and a woman establish between thorough in raising the younger ones. themselves a partnership of the whole life, which is ordered by its nature towards the good of spouses and the procreation and education of offspring…” Apparent in this definition is the fact that marriage involves procreation and upbringing of the On the other hand, the first set of offspring. If we accept marriage as a children were born when the parents union of two people, not necessarily were inexperienced in parenting and male and female, then procreation is no used them as guinea pigs to bring up longer part of marriage. The question the younger children better. then arises, how do we perpetuate This brings us to the “education humanity in an orderly manner? (upbringing) of offspring,” part of the Those who propagate the irrelevance definition. In traditional African of marriage cite children being brought societies children were brought up up by single parents as an example that within the family and extended family procreation does not necessarily have to set up. It was a communal take place within matrimony. I am very arrangement which ensured children sensitive about single parents, were well brought up. Within a family especially widows/widowers, so I do not set up, there are different roles fathers intend to drag this issue. But we should and mothers perform in a child’s not sweep the truth under the carpet and upbringing. Under normal live a lie that one is equal to or better circumstances, they complement each than two in a child’s upbringing. If that other in the children’s upbringing. were the case, God would simply have

Re-evaluating the marriage institution Honestly, it does not bother me that two consenting adults of same sex have decided to live together as spouses. It will also not affect my relationship with them, although my Christian orientation makes it unacceptable to me. But let God deal with that. However, I have two main issues with gay unions. One, referring to it as marriage, and two, raising children— they are incapable of a procreating in the first instance—in an unnatural environment and bringing up a generation of uncertain and

The created wants to abolish the Creator’s creation, interesting!

unpredictable children in a world that already has too many troubled children. That is worrisome. I read an article by Dawn Stefanowicz, a Canadian raised by a gay father. Her narrative on the experience is succinct and bares my worries:”Children are not commodities that can be justifiably severed from their natural parentage and traded between unrelated adults. Children in same-sex households will often deny their grief and pretend they don’t miss a biological parent, feeling pressured to speak positively due to the politics surrounding LGBT households … “Contrary to the logic of same-sex marriage, the gender of parents

Vanguard, JUL Y 4, 2015—45 JULY matters for the healthy development of children…Fathers by their nature secure identity, instill direction, provide discipline, boundaries, and risk-taking adventures, and set lifelong examples for children. But fathers cannot nurture children in the womb or give birth to and breast-feed babies. Mothers nurture children in unique and beneficial ways that cannot be duplicated by fathers. “...Men and women are anatomically, biologically, physiologically, psychologically, hormonally, and neurologically different from each other. These unique differences provide lifelong benefits to children that cannot be duplicated by same-gender ‘legal’ parents acting out different gender roles or attempting to substitute for the missing male or female role model in the home.” We need to understand the American same-sex marriage agitation for what it is. President Barrack Obama tied it to equal rights and freedom. Specifically, there are certain government benefits married Americans enjoy and gays have always been shut out of these benefits because their unions were not recognized as marriage. With this ruling they will now be entitled to these benefits. It is that selfish; that is essentially what the gay marriage agitation is about. They are not particularly concerned about the issues Dawn Stefanowicz raised above. Economic benefits have just been elevated above the future and well-being of children. After carefully re-examining the marriage institution, I put forth that the Catholic Church’s definition captures its essence: Man and woman, procreation, lifelong union, etc. Now that LGBTs have come to stay, they should use other names to define their unions: lerriage for lesbians, horriage for homosexuals, birriage for bisexuals and transrriage for transgenders or just one name to avoid confusion: garriage (gays). Then people like me will not have issues because the name will be original and owned by them, not borrowed.

One dies, 5 houses set ablaze as fight ends in tragedy BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

physical combat between a landlord and his children on one side and one of their tenants on the other side yesterday ended in tragedy following the death of the tenant and consequent setting ablaze of the landlord’s house and four other nearby houses by an irate mob. The incident occured at Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state , near the commercial city of Onitsha. Trouble was said to have started when the tenant, now deceased, simply identified as David allegedly slumped and died during the scuffle with his landlord and his children for allegedly not being able to off set his electricity bill which led to the disconection of their residence. According to the source, as the tenant was being beaten, one of the land-

lord’s sons, Tochukwu allegedly stabbed the tenant with a knife from the back and the knife pierced through and surfaced at his stomach and he slumped and died. It was gathered that before the stabbing, a daughter to the landlord had ear-

lier hit the tenant with electric pressing iron on his face which made him to lose his teeth. The source hinted that on noticing that the tenant has died, sympathizers and passers-by mobilized themselves, turned into a mob and set five houses

and a car belonging to the landlord ablaze. Consequently, tenants who lived in some of the houses quickly removed their properties before the mob set the entire houses ablaze despite efforts made by the Police to stop them from doing so.

MTN, connect marketing holds Nigeria's first technology conference for consumers and busi-

HE Nigerian tech nology industry is set to witness a major boost, as leading telecommunication company MTN Nigeria in partnership with Connect Marketing Services (CMS), a marketing and consumer engagement company has announced its plan to hold Tech+. Tech+ is Nigeria’s first technology conference and exhibition to hold this month, with the theme “Leadership in Digital Technology”. The event scheduled to take place at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island be-

tween July 24-25, 2015, will showcase the future of technology in Nigeria. Working within the ecosystem of the Nigerian technology industry, outcomes from the conference are expected to positively impact on the advancement of information technology and business enterprises in Nigeria. Commenting on the conference, Mr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, MTN Nigeria described the two-day event as an innovative annual platform

nesses to maximize their technology experience. He explained that MTN is proud to showcase the potentials of the new digital economy to their consumers and discerning businesses so they can benefit from the advantages of this global evolution. “Tech+ will offer platforms for engagement and new experiences in the world of technology. It is unique because of the range of benefits it holds for all, including investors, exhibitors and individuals who are expected to participate at the event.''

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

BEFORE

AFTER

•Little boy born with no nose, eyes or upper jaw unveils his new face after being rescued from Moroccan village and flown to Australia for life-changing surgery

Toddler born without eyes, nose and upper jaw receives new face

ahya El Jabaly, born without eyes, a nose and upper jaw, has received a new lease of life, thanks to a delicate, groundbreaking reconstructive surgery that remodelled the bones on his face. The Moroccan-born toddler, who lived in a small village six hours from Casablanca, Morocco, before he was flown to Australia for surgery, was born deformed after complications in the womb stopped the bones in his face from fusing together. Yahya defied all odds by surviving in the womb and managed to grow into a happy and healthy toddler. The lack of roofing on his mouth made him unable to speak and only able communicate through grunting noises. As a result of his incredibly rare condition, Yahya had been a social outcast in his hometown and his parents kept him hidden away. But thanks to a benevolent

Australian woman and a team of Melbourne doctors who

remodelled the bones on his face in an epic 18-hour lifechanging operation, the miracle child has been given the chance to live a normal life Upon seeing their son’s new face for the first time, his parents dissolved into tears of joy. “It’s a huge joy, a huge happiness to see my son in such a situation,” Yahya’s father Mostafa expressed emotionally. Yahya’s plight first went global when the father of his closest friend took to Facebook, pleading for medical professionals to help the boy lead a normal life. The post, which went viral, was read by Fatima Baraka, a Melbourne breast cancer survivor who went in search for a surgeon who would be willing to transform Yahya’s face. It was she that found

Melbourne reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Tony Holmes, then travelled to Casablanca to meet the toddler and his family and flew them to Melbourne where they met and the three-year-old underwent a range of developmental tests from CT scans to MRI’s, to confirm how his brain functioned and if he was suitable for surgery. Despite the serious risks involved, Holmes, who separated Bangladeshi-born twins Trishna and Krishna, agreed to operate on the toddler in a procedure he gave a 9.5-out-of-10 degree of difficulty. “Yahya may not die if we don’t operate but he might if we do. I believe that it’s the right of everybody to look human and this kid doesn’t look human,” Holmes stated. Yahya underwent surgery in December 2014, when Holmes brought the two sides of his skull together and built him a nose with his own skin. There is a chance that the toddler will be able to speak after the procedure due to his vocal chords remaining intact. He led the team of surgeons who offered their services free of charge. During the expensive 18-hour surgery, funded partly by donations, Yahya lost nearly half of the blood from his body and had

the lining of his brain dissected from his skull. Baraka said the little boy “entered her heart” and she instantly fell in love with him however she admits she was “quite shocked” and “a little bit horrified” when she first met Yahya and his family. “I just can’t believe what he’s been through and how he just comes out and gets better and better every time,” Baraka said two weeks after Yahya’s successful facial surgery. “He looks like a normal little boy. He’s a very smart little kid, he’s got so much potential, there’s no reason for him not to have a good, healthy bright future.” Before the surgery, Holmes said the surgery was not an experiment. “We want to get a good result,” he remarked. After the surgery, Holmes was ecstatic at the results and delighted at his parent’s reactions. “When they first saw him you could just tell that they were just stunned and so happy. The risks of the operation were great but I think they were worth it so that he could have a decent life,” Holmes said. Just weeks after the surgery, Yahya’s face is healing, he is smiling and he even seemed to be humming a tune. Five weeks after the surgery Yahya’s mother gave birth to a baby girl. There was an initial apprehension she may suffer from the same deformed facial features as Yahya but she was completely normal. Yahya still requires some prosthetic eyes and more surgery on his nose, but is learning to walk and his life has changed forever.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—47

BY LOUIS AMOKE

ust recently, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State was at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUTH) – Parklane Teaching Hospital, Enugu to officially flag off the 2015 1st Round of the Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCHW) week and re-launch of the State Free Maternal and Child Health (FMCH) Care Programme organized by the State Ministry of Health. The one week programme which was part of the strategy adopted by the federal and state governments and health development partners to address high maternal neonatal, morbidity and mortality rates of women and children in the country, through an integrated free package of high impact and cost effective interventions was also targeted at strengthening routine immunization and other designated primary health care services at health facilities in the state and the country at large. Governor Ugwuanyi took out time to appreciate the women who came in large numbers with their children for the flag-off ceremony, as he went round to meet them. He stated that the premium his administration attaches to the programme was overwhelming and underscores its firm commitment to the improvement of quality health care service delivery in the state which he promised the people of the state during the campaign. Hence, his presence to perform the flag-off ceremony. On the programme’s intervention measures which include health preventive and curative services that will reduce infant, child and under-five mortality as well as maternal sicknesses and deaths, the governor in his solemn devotion to quality health services, noted that his administration as a health conscious one intends to carry-out routine immunization services for underone children; de-worming of children within 1 to 5 years; vitamin A supplementation for children between 6 months and 5 years; screening for malnutrition; anti-natal care for pregnant women; messages on key household care practices such as breast feeding, complementary feeding and hand washing as well as health education on HIV/AIDS etc; and finally, birth registration by the National Population Commission (NPC). On some requests made by the Sate Ministry of Health aimed at moving the health sector forward, Gov. Ugwuanyi, among other things, promised to upgrade three District Hospitals, one in each of the three Senatorial Districts to a Specialist status subject to positive improvement in the

Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi presents insecticide treated mosquito nets to mothers, during the 1st round of 2015 maternal, newborn and child healthcare week and re-launch of the free maternal healthcare programme, at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, ESUTH, Enugu.

Ugwuanyi:

In Enugu, health is first

nation’s economy. The event which came barely one month into the life of the present administration brought together major stakeholders in the health sector in Enugu State, including health development partners, to chart a new course on the best practical approach to actualize the aims and objectives of the scheme. It also gave the health experts in the state the opportunity to appreciate the governor who was physically present at the event for his visionary leadership and special interest in providing efficient, quality and affordable healthcare service delivery. They also applauded him for being the first governor in the state to personally flag off the scheme since it was established, noting that his presence was an indication that the state is in for good times. Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Enugu State Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. George Ugwu commended the priority attention the governor has paid the health sector. According to Ugwu, “Just about 48 hours after his inauguration as governor of this state, Gov. Ugwuanyi visited hospitals to attend to patients as if he were a

medical doctor. He has shown us that the progress of this sector is first on his priority list and we thank him for that. “We in the Medical profession are not here to ask for what the government will do for us but what we will bring to the table to move our health sector forward. We assure you of our readiness to volunteer medical services to the rural areas in support of your commitment in the sector.” Also speaking, the Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, and one of the special guests of honour at the event, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzor, thanked the governor for his presence at the event, adding that his participation was a show of his political will towards ensuring that the health sector succeeds. He equally commended the development partners for their contributions towards quality health care services in the state and urged the people especially women and children to take advantage of the week-long programme to improve on their health status. In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary of the State

He stated that the premium his administration attaches to the programme was overwhelming and underscores its firm commitment to the improvement of quality health care service delivery in the state which he promised the people of the state during the campaign

Ministry of Health, Dr. Moses Obiefuna Otiji who was overwhelmed by the presence of the governor at the event, stated that “today marks an important day in our life as a Ministry with our dependable partners as we host His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State for the Flag –off ceremony….., your being here today, is a demonstration of your commitment, passion and love for the health sector with particular attention to women and children”. From the premise of the above, many believe that the agenda of the administration of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on health is positive when he stated that “our presence here today shows we have resolved not only to continue with the programme but that we will strive to raise the bar of the present success story”. In all, there is no doubt that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s passion for health is tremendous. Health stakeholders are of the view that what is required is for them as well as other residents of the state to give the present administration the needed support and cooperation to succeed. •Louis, writes from Enugu

48—SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, JULY 4, 2015

Oil glut rrages, ages, no mar or markket ffor Nigerian crude

ith the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the United States banned the ex port of crude oil to any part of the globe except refined petroleum products. For memory sake the Yom Kippur War also known as the Arab –Israeli War elicited an embargo of oil by Arab members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on October 17, 1973 against the United States for its support of Israel during the war. The decision was in retaliation for the US decision to re-supply the Israeli military. Between 1973 and 1974 when the embargo lasted, oil prices almost quadrupled with skyrocketing costs of goods and services in the United States. Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, former Rhodesia and apartheid South Africa were all victims of that oil embargo. In Nigeria, it was the period of the oil boom when crude price rose from $17 to $55 per barrel; remember the popular Udoji Salary Award and how ‘’we never knew what to do with money’’? Different strokes for different folks you may say; it is all about petrodollar whichweenjoyedthen.Wearenowonthereverse gear; paying back in the petroleum crossfire between the Arabs and America. We seem to be hawking our crude for buyers in Europe. Since that war, Saudi Arabia gained much wealth and power, and for about four decades the United States had a cut throat competition with this oil heavy weight and OPEC leader, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia became a price giver while America became a price taker. That devastating blow dealt on America empowered them to put on their thinking caps on how best to solve the problem of over reliance on crude oil imports.

President Richard Nixon in response in November 1973 promised the nation that America would be energy independent in 10 years but that was not to be until recently. With the United States reaching their petroleum peak in the early 1970s, the Federal government invested heavily in supply alternatives. ResearchappearedtohavegivenAmericaabreakthrough in unconventional oil in what is now the shale oil and gas revolution. The effort yielded the technology of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to shale gas formations. With the shale revolutionsexpertsarenowviewingAmericaasthe’new Saudi Arabia’ as far as oil and gas is concerned. President Barack Obama in the State of the Union Address to Congress in 2012 echoed this when he said: “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years.” President Obama had in 2013 said: ‘’we should strengthen our position as the top natural gas producer because, in the medium term, at least, it not only can provide safe, cheap power, but it can also help reduce our carbon emissions’’ Energy expert Daniel Yergin in a contribution to the Politico Magazine said that: The increase in US oil production since just 2008 is greater than the entire output of Nigeria, one of the OPEC producers and more than Iran’s entire exports prior to the sanctions that have sliced its exports levels roughly in half since 2011. Indeed without the increase in US oil production, it is very hard to see how the oil sanctions on Iran could have worked’’. Nigeria, the 7th producer in OPEC, produces just a little over 2 mbpd of crude that is largely light and sweet. Our crude is largely low in sulphur and yields generous amount of profit making refined products as PMS, DPK (household kerosene and aviation turbine kerosene) and diesel. Our crude has been the sweetheart of refiners until recently when America made an in-road in shale.

The beautiful bride is now old and no more the toastmistress of America that until 2010 imported between 40 and 50 percent of Nigeria’s oil. By July 2014, the US had zero import of Nigeria’s crude even when she imported crude in excess of 569,000 barrels per day. Nigeria’s Bonny Light, Agbami and Qua Iboe crude was replaced by the Azerbaijan light sweet in what watchers term a shadowy oil partnership with a ‘former’ ally of Russia. Opinions however differ on why we lost our biggest buyer. Some said the American shale oil is similar in quality to our dear own bonny light while others impugned political motives when former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the anti-gay law in 2013. Whichever one it is, we lost that big market that burgeoned in four decades as America assert her authority on issues of politics and geopolitics of petroleum. With stumbling European economies that imported Nigerian crude in 2014, by about 45 percent, crude demands are again on the low. Reports are that Nigerian crude is floating on the seas and in storage tanks with no destination because there is norefinerydemandinEurope.OilPriceIntelligence reports indicate European two-year high in the world’s largest oil trading hub, the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA). Storage levels have spiked in June at 60.6 million barrels in the Dutch and Belgian ports with lots of the supply coming from Africa and especially Nigeria with no interested buyers. Implications are that this oversupply in storage may force down the price as it happened in the United States earlier in the year, which stabilised after drawdowns in the east coast Atlantic refineries. The world glut continues with production exceeding demand by about 2million barrels per day according to the International Energy Agency. Europe is also seeking market elsewhere as the EU and South Korea have signed free trade pact for North Sea crude supplies. Asia is now the new direction, with India holding sway. But the world’s largest refiner, the Reliance IndustryLimitedinJamnagar,Gujurat,Indiaislooking the way of Latin America and the Middle East for heavy crude which their complex refinery requires. State owned refineries like Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation are still patrons of our crude. The second largest consumer of crude oil in the world,Chinaisinalliancewithourpetroleumneighbour, Angola. China which is assuming leadership of crude oil import for the first time as a result of the AmericanshalerevolutionpreferstheAngolancrude becauseitisheavyandsweet;whichisreportedtobe good for their (China) sophisticated refineries. We should now device means of reaching out to potential buyers in Asia. Iran which anticipates a

lifting of sanctions by the United Nations of its nuclear programme, is already reaching out to Japan. Indonesia is seeking crude supplies from Iran. Iran. The fears are that the oversupply of crude from Iran may compound Nigeria’s precarious situation. For a country that depends a lot on crude exports, to have its crude idly away on storage terminals, Diplomatic shuttles are now needed to negotiate markets for Nigeria As President Muhammadu Buhari honours President Obama’s invitation to the White House on July 20, 2015 we hope matters of mutual and oil business complementarity would be at play to smooth out the rough edges of our bilateral relations. We need their super majors like ExxonMobil (Texas), Chevron (California) and Conoco Philips (Texas) to invest in the downstream sector of our petroleum industry. They have been operating only in the upstreamsectorinNigeria.PresidentBuharishould give assurances of adequate legal and regulatory frameworks for security of investments. With low crude prices these companies are leveraging on downstream investments. We must articulate a position for bi-partnership strategy to curb oil theft in Nigeria which is making Nigeria to produce below its capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day. President Buhari should tell President Obama that New York is a major hub for money laundering of illegal oil proceeds. Nigeria should also demand for a repatriation of laundered money from other global financial hubs including London, Geneva, Singapore and elsewhere if it was not discussed in their meet at the G7 June meeting in Bavaria, Germany. As the 7th Oil exporting nation in OPEC, we have a comparable advantage in petroleum which withverticallinkages,wecandiversifyoureconomy. America for now holds the ace as a lift in export ban would put us in a quandary. Oil still remains the global leading fuel for energy. The present situation underscores our constant and consistent calls for downstream investments. With potentials for up to 6000 investment opportunities when we refine a barrel of crude, we should know that petroleum is strategic for energy, technology, skills, employment, income, investment, increased GDP and government revenue that we should not toy with. We are lucky the export ban on crude in the United States has not been lifted because of the disagreement between energy companies and manufacturers over whether natural gas should be allowed to be exported. One would imagine the consequences to Nigeria of the US crude exports, if stoppage of crude imports from Nigeria could affect us this way. Our petroleum resources managers must act now!

he other day, perhaps seven days back, if you came to this page, you would have come across a wish that at least, as a country, we could remain at a spot for some time rather than always hastening … and eventually sliding. I never really gave that a deep thought until I became more interested in the relationship between the ruling party and the presidency. Sorry, I am aware that there is a subtle edict that prohibits us from making reference to the ruling party anymore. Be that as anyone could perceive, we shall not be deceived, a spade must continue to be a spade. The reason I proposed that we stand for a while before moving is to make sure that we can see clearly and be able to decide where we ought to go. I am thrilled that President Buhari is playing into my proposal and it is because of this that I shall begin, once more, to as the party publicity secretary. He has make available other become the mouthpiece of this (interest) aspects of my noble group. Thereafter was the general proposal for my dear election. The victory of this party at the country. I am also aware of general elections, both at the legislative and the basic truth that governorship, presidential levels, appears to have proposals like mine are subject to misinterpretation. introduced a measure of improbability But before then; some into the party. It presents a picture of a group that never expected success or observations: Let me take everyone to rather is overwhelmed by success. I recall my undue interest in music. a statement that has become quite I hear some discordant common in human affairs now that tunes from the political elite “success has made failures of many,” and in the country. The major want to believe that it will not rear its players are the elected head up in this matter. The big question politicians, of the APC then is what does APC want to do with extraction. The first set of success? The success gave the party a new song elected elites constitutes the party officials. We were and a new dance. The totality of which made to witness the party has moved me to identify the kind of congress, where we were music I hear and see. The party is taking supposed to have been the shape of a jazz band, where there are convinced that there was a players of diverse temperaments who demonstration of “internal produce discordant tunes. One good democracy,” in a supposed thing about the jazz experience is that free and fair election which despite the seemingly disorganized tunes, resulted in John Oyegun’s there is a sense in the sound. The final leadership. One very product is sound, not noise. However, I important but always must confess that there are some jazz controversial persona, Mr. genres where the noise ratio is so high Lai Mohammed, emerged that one cannot help classifying them as

Discor dant tunes: The dif Discordant difff erent int eres ts within the ruling par ty interes erests party

C M Y K

outright noise. I want to peer into the APC situation and attempt an analysis of the final product of the band; with particular reference to the ratio between information and noise (I/N Ratio). We have heard thinkers say that there is sense in nonsense; and Prof. Jim Unah has made popular the existentialist position that “even nothing is something,” so I am careful with all the discordant tunes coming from the stable of APC because even the noise that seems to have overtaken informative sound could present some sense. But if not, then I ask, will all the discordant players converge at last to present a coherent and meaningful whole? These instances are important to consider: the national leadership. Four major Political Parties and Governor Okorocha came together to form the Congress. For the sake of clarity, these are, ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of PDP … and when the party congress that gave birth to the current leadership took place, officials emerged. The officials include the conventional executive committee (the national working committee) then other chieftains and the ex-officio chieftains. By ex-officio here, I mean offices that are self

evolving. Some of such were Senator Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Gen. Mohammadu Buhari – they appear more like offices (institutions), not persons. I recall that the gentle academic, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who was the Party Chair of ANPP was quite silent and that made Governor Okorocha and Senator Ngige the most visible Southeasterners in the party. When Gen. Mohammadu Buhari emerged the flag bearer of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu was “ordained” the party leader. Now that success has arrived, it is also the time to take stock, and as this is taking place, records already reveal that too many juggernauts have emerged … great and unstoppable players with immeasurable expertise in their game. They must strike their chords and sing their tunes. As if this is not enough, the National Assembly sprang up a surprise, a kind of warning,

as to say like the Igbo people would, that “because all lizards lie on their bellies, it is not easy to know which of them suffers an ache in the belly.” More stars now grace the political galaxy, each accomplished, astute and with a chord that rends loud in the total rendition. Now, who do we listen to? The sounds come at the same time. The sound from the Presidency; the sound from the party headquarters, the sound from the National Assembly, and the sound from the Governors Forum (that name again!)? We patiently await yet another from the Federal Executive Council. While the chords are being struck, I notice the ratio is getting skewed – in the Information/Noise arena, the skew is in favour of the later, which automatically subjugates the former. There is much of “sound and fury,” signifying nothing … (Shakespeare); but still, even nothing is something! I am not concluding this yet, but I have to sheath my sword, I mean, pen; so that I can retreat and launch back with a clearer position on a number of issues. For instance, ask me, where is Southeast in all of these? Rumours have filtered into our ears, I should be politically correct by referring to this as “grapevine:” It is that the Secretary to the Federal Government is zoned to Southeast. Nominations may have been made. Southeast will on her own accord or discord zone it also. Undoubtedly, the only Southeast APC state is Imo and on accord, and since this is party politics, it goes to Imo but if discord is introduced, it could become otherwise. I may not be surprised if that happens since the tunes have so far remained discordant.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—49

How man was abducted, killed and buried by father’s client •Police arrest two suspects, declare alleged mastermind wanted BY EVELYN USMAN

s he reclined on a couch in his parents simple but tastefully decorated sitting room located on Ajanaku street in Opebi area of Lagos, listening with rapt attention to a friend who came visiting on July 19, 2014, 34year-old Enero Ukonga, never envisaged he would become the subject of a bizarre occurrence one year later. Ukonga, a graduate of the University of Benin, had just returned home after completing his Masters in Business Administration ,MBA course in Turkey and was making an attempt to proceed for his PHD in the United States of America. But the tete-a-tete was interrupted with the sound from a bell outside, where one Osaretin Enabulele , accompanied by four others identified as Elisha Jonah, Kazeem Ibrahim, Charles Timinnemi, a Medical student in Romania who was on holiday and the forth identified simply as Fred, came visiting. The lead man, Enabulele , an importer who resides in Benin city, Edo state, was said to have informed Uknonga’s father on phone, that he was bringing the original copy of the bill of laden of a one by 40 feet container, to facilitate its clearance from the Apapa Port in Lagos. By the way, Ukonga’s father, a retired Customs officer, is a clearing and forwarding agent. But that visit turned out to be the family’s nightmare, following the adoption of Ukonga by the visitors. Enabulele was said to have requested Ukonga to follow him to the car to get the document for his father who was then in Benin city . Genesis of trouble But apprehension reportedly set it after Ukonga’s friend(names withheld) reportedly waited in vain for his return. Curiously, he stepped out of the house to look for him but did not see him nor either of the visitor. But as he looked round, he reportedly stood still with his mouth agape in shock, on seeing Ukonga’s pair of slippers in a disarrayed manner. Sensing trouble, he reportedly put a call to Ukonga’s phone only to discover it was switched off. Thereafter, he contacted his father who was in Benin city, to inform him of the ugly development before reporting the matter at the area ‘F’ division.

surrounding his son’s whereabouts, Mr Benjamin further lodged a complaint with the Department of Security Service ,DSS. This action paid off, as one of the men who reportedly visited that fateful day was arrested in January 2015, six months after. He is Elisha Jonah. Jonah as gathered, was arrested mid January, through Enero Ukuoga’s stolen Black Berry phone. The phone was said to have been traced to a user in Ikeja, Lagos. By the time the user was arrested, he told the DSS operatives that he bought it from a friend. At the end , it was discovered that five persons had used the phone, with the seller traced to Jonah . Jonah’s confessional statement reportedly led to the arrest of one Kasim Ibrahim, popularly called big daddy, on March 17, 2015. Enero killed, buried in shallow grave During interrogation, the duo gave a starling disclosure of the whereabouts of the missing Ukonga . They revealed that he was dead and had been buried in a shallow grave at Abesan’s estate, Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos, close to Kazeem’s house. When the cat was let out of the bag, Mr Ukuoga reportedly lost balance and slumped on one of the seats in the office of the DSS. By the time he came

Police futile attempt The police reportedly swung into action but their effort proved abortive. Crime Guard gathered the case was transferred from area ‘’F ‘to the Special Anti Robbery Squad , SARS for further investigation. It was gathered that effort to reach the main suspect , Enabulele failed . Operatives were said to have travelled to the suspect’s home at 4, Ehigie street, off Aiaohan, Dumex road, Benin city, where his girlfriend and his brother were arrested but later released. Preliminary investigation by operatives of SARS revealed that the main suspect had bolted to Ghana, following claims by some of his friends that he called them with a foreign number informing that he was in Ghana. But when the number was dialled, he reportedly did not pick his call. Investigation at SARS, lingered for six months without any headway. DSS to the rescue Determined to unearth the mystery

C M Y K

•Late Enero Ukonga

son was never into clearing and forwarding. I was told he even suggested they waited till Monday to hand the document to my manager”.

During interrogation, the duo gave a starling disclosure of the whereabouts of the missing Ukonga . They revealed that he was dead and had been buried in a shallow grave at Abesan’s estate, Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos, close to Kazeem’s house back, he reportedly gave a blank stare at the suspects , apparently trying to fathom their claim. When he managed to say a word, he reportedly started by asking amid tears “what on earth could have warranted such cruel act on an innocent person? Case transferred to Police At this point, the DSS reportedly transferred the case to the Force Criminal Investigation Department headquarters annex in Alagbon, where operatives at the Homicide section reportedly led the suspects to the shallow grave in a bush at Iyana Ipaja, from where the body of Ukonga was exhumed. To say that members of the family was devastated at the bizarre occurrence is to put it mildly, as words could not express the family’s mood . Business relationship went sour Though the discovery plunged the family into a season of sorrow but it brought an end to the long search for their assumed missing son. Asked what went wrong between Mr Benjamin Ukonga and the importer, Enabulele, who is still at large, the bereaved father explained, trying hard not to betray his emotion: “ Enabulele was introduced to me by a family friend. Later, he contacted me in Benin, saying he had a one by 40 feet container to clear. We settled for N1.5 but he paid N1 million and we started processing the clearance. We paid the Customs duty and other necessary duties , remaining the shipping company which required the original bill of laden of the owner of the container. But to my surprise, he called, requesting for the refund of his money which was not possible because the job was 95% concluded. Later, he called to say he had the bill of laden and I told him to take it to my manager in Lagos. But because that day was a Saturday, my Manager asked him to drop the document at my house in Opebi. But we later discovered he had a sinister motive,following the adoption of my son. My

We thought our son was druggedmother On her part, Mrs Ukonga cried uncontrollable as she spoke with this reporter. She started by saying that all the while her son was declared missing, she kept hoping he would walk in someday. But the recent revelation according to her has left her shattered. Hear her: “This is an act of wickedness in the highest order. My son was an innocent and obedient person. He was never a troublesome fellow. We never believed Osaretin Enabulele could be this callous! Ah! This is so aching ….”, she paused to blow her nose. Continuing , she said : “ Through out the period we were searching for him, I concluded they could have drugged him and abandoned him far away and that he could have strayed in the process”, she paused again. But this time around, she broke down in tears at the mere thought that she would never leave to see her son again. We didn’t kill him But when the suspects were interrogated by operatives at Alagbon, they denied having a hand in Ukonga’s death. Kazeem according to police sources said: “ We did not know how he died. On that day, Osareti Onabulele called Charles that he had a business deal in Ikeja and needed some help. Charles contacted Elisha who thereafter, contacted me. We went there, parked a Toyota Camry car owned by one of us, Elisha, who is Medical student in Romania , in front of the building. By the time Enero was bought out of his house into the car, Elisha was attending to an injury I sustained on the leg. When we got into the car, we discovered that he(Ukonga) was gasping”. Asked how the body was buried in the shallow grave, the suspects alleged that Enabulele instructed them to bury him there, in order to avoid arrest. Police declares Enabulele wanted As at Thursday, the whereabouts of Osareti Enabulele, the alleged mastermind, was still unknown. He was subsequently declared wanted. A gazette bulletin from the Force CID read: “A warrant of arrest has been obtained from Magistrate Court, in Lagos state for his arrest. He is wanted forththe offence of conspiracy and murder on the 19 July, 2014 at number 10, Ajanaku street off Salvation road, Opebi Lagos. “Method used in committing the offence is that the suspect with four others went to the above mentioned address, kidnapped the deceased , one Enero Ukonga and on their way to their destination, the deceased died on the road inside the vehicle” . Part of the investigation as gathered, included a DNA test on the body , with a view to ascertaining whether it is that of Ukonga. The outcome of the result according to the Police would form their next line of investigation. The Police as gathered, have also written the shipping company not to release the container said to have been sent from Italy by one Kate Uwa, , until investigation is concluded. The, FCIID, Public Relations Officer, Mr. Friday Achibong, who confirmed the incident, said Enabulele and others; Fred and Charles at large, had been declared wanted.

50—SATURDAY

Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

BY CHINENYEH OZOR, NSUKKA

hen a situation gets out of hand, different measures could be devised to bring such situation under control. And nothing could be spared and no one overlooked in ensuring that positive solutions are found. Such is the situation in Igbo-Etiti LGA of Enugu State, where Fulani herdsmen and their cattle have allegedly wreaked a lot of havoc in the area, with the herdsmen allegedly committing various crimes ranging from armed robbery, rape to kidnapping. Aku Diewa Lawyers’ Forum (ADLAWF) in IgboEtiti L.G.A., Enugu State, has therefore sought legal and peaceful means to bring these nefarious activities to an end. The forum recently raised the alarm over the continued menace of the Fulani cattle rearers in their area and called on the State House of Assembly to enact a bill to check their excesses. The forum made the call when they paid a courtesy call on the Area Commander, Nsukka Zone, Musa Ros-Amson Haladu (ASP), and also revealed that Fulani herdsmen and their cattle have wreaked a lot of havoc in the area where they perpetuate the various alleged crimes. According to the forum, “The cows destroy farms and crops unabated without pity for owners of those farms and go scot-free without fear. We are appealing to the House of Assembly to enact a bill to check the excesses of the herdsmen while IgboEtiti Legislative Council should, as well, pass a byelaw which would serve as a proactive measure with

MENACE OF FULANI HERDSMEN IN NSUKKA:

Lawyers to the rescue

•Members of the forum with ACP Haladu

which to check the herdsmen’s excesses. “It will also enable the police act and prosecute offenders because the menace of the herdsmen has become a source of great worry to citizens of the area as they do not go freely to their farms for fear of molestation and rape which have become a recurring decimal in recent past.” The forum which spoke through their Chairman, Chijioke Ogbobe used the opportunity to commend Haladu (ACP) and his men for strengthening security network in Enugu North Senatorial Zone by maintaining peace and order for over three years in the area. He disclosed that

the forum seeks to partner with the police to explore avenues of sustainable assistance to enable the police carry out the onerous task of crime prevention and detection in the geo-political zone. According to him, “the singular efforts of the Area Commander in policing Nsukka Zone and its environs was what endeared the command to the hearts of people. The 2014 Christmas was a clear testimony of police vibrancy and commitment to duty on distress calls as there were no cries of woe. There was no case of armed robbery, car snatching, rape, kidnap and other related ills or social vices in the area.”

We are appealing to the House of Assembly to enact a bill to check the excesses of the herdsmen while IgboEtiti Legislative Council should, as well, pass a bye-law which would serve as a proactive measure with which to check the herdsmen’s excesses

Scores feared dead as Boko Haram attacks Borno villages Stories by Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

USPECTED members of dreaded of Boko Haram sect on Friday morning invaded Mussa ‘B’ villages of Askira Uba Local Government

Area of Borno state killing 29 residents with several others sustained gunshot wounds. This was even as some group of terrorists stormed Koshabe village near Zabarmari village, an outskirts of Maiduguri Metropolis yesterday evening, shooting sporadically targeting residents as people of Maiduguri scsmper for safety. At press time, the attack on Koshabe village was still going on as hundreds of residents flee into Maiduguri for safety, hence, the number of casualty was yet unknown.

The Koshabe attacks took place at about 4:30pm, while the Mussa B attacks happened 1pm on same day. The terrorists also set ablaze unspecified number of residential houses before sacking the whole communities. Residents said the insurgents who came from Wimiradi Ngawdang communities were fleeing from an aerial bombardment by troops before they ran into Musa B villages and unleashed terror. Askira Uba is a border town between Borno and Adamawa State while Mussa village is 36 kilometers west of the border of Askira town, while Koshabe village is east and about 15 kilometres drive from Maiduguri metropolis. Sunday Wabba, the chairman of Mussa Youth Development Asso-

ciation told newsmen on phone that the terrorists stormed the area around 1 pm. “Another disaster has befallen us today because the terrorists have attacked our village and killed everyone on sight. They operated till around 3pm before they left. “So far, we have counted the bodies of 29 people and many others sustained injuries.

“This is the fourth time they are attacking this year,” he said. Vigilante Umoru Jantiku said the attackers were large in number. “They came in broad day light and opened fire on unsuspecting people. We are now preparing to recover corpses from the bushes but so far, 29 people have been confirmed dead,” he said.

He stressed that ADLAWF was formed in 2009 with over 200 members to act as a rallying point for members of the legal profession of Aku origin in Igbo-Etiti LGA, with the aim and objective of promoting sociopolitical growth in relationship with the practice of the legal profession in the area. Ogbobe urged the Area Commander to extend his hands of fellowship to the forum to foster peace, unity and progress in order to make the zone a crime-free area, especially as incumbent governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is from Nsukka Zone. The actions of ADLAWF are believed to have raised the confidence of residents of Igbo-Etiti LGA, with the hope that their sufferings will soon be a thing of the past. In his response, the Area Commander, ACP RosAmson Haladu thanked the forum for the visit which he said was the first of its kind since his posting to the area, adding that the visit will spur the command to more fruitful operations to secure lives and make the area habitable for visitors and residents of the zone together with the university community. ACP Haladu noted that he met seven police divisions when he assumed duty as the Area Commander barely three years ago but that the number has risen to 11 police divisions with 22 Hilux SUVs and eight KIA saloon cars for effective policing of the zone, appealing to the forum and the general public, to partner with the police by giving useful information in order to expose the ills in the community.

A middle aged woman who lost her husband said today is the saddest day in her life. “Today is a sad day for me. My husband, Sama’ila Bade was a harmless man but the terrorists killed him without any just cause,” she said. The attacks in Mussa and Koshabe were launched after similar ones in Kukawa and Monguno Local Government Areas of Borno State that claimed lives of 145 people

... kills 11 members for alleged defections

BOUT 11 defecting Boko Haram sect members in Borno state; were yesterday slaughtered by the Islamist sect at Miringa village for alleged “defections”; and in order to instill discipline among members of the terror group, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Modu Pulgwa

disclosed this Friday in Maiduguri. Miringa is south and about 183 kilometres drive from Maiduguri and 12 kilometres drive to Biu Local Government Area of the troubled state. He said the gunmen stormed Miringa in the early hours yesterday, slitting the throats of 11 villagers believed to be

suspected members of terrorist group who allegedly defected and renounced their membership to Boko Haram sect group. “They came around 4am today (Friday) and slit the throats of 11 of their runaway members,” said Pulgwa in a tel ephone interview yesterday from Miringa.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015—51

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, LOKOJA

hat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State suffered a setback in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28 presidential and national assembly elections is no longer news, but what is presently at stake between the two leading parties is the gubernatorial election set for October. The setback by PDP was the first of its kind since the party took the baton of leadership of the state in 2003. The APC presidential candidate, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) polled 264,851 votes to defeat PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan who got 149,987 votes. The APC also won all the three Senate seats and six out of the nine House of Reps seats, while PDP managed to get three. The outcome of the March 28 polls was a reversal of the trend of elections in the state since 2003 when PDP, at various elections, dominated winning the three senatorial slots and virtually all nine House of Representatives seats with the exception of one in 2003 and two federal seats in 2011. The PDP also had 20 of the 25 State House of Assembly seats in the 2011 elections against the 14 they were able to forcefully garnered in the present 6th Assembly. The reversed trend jolted the PDP family. The APC celebrated its victories in anticipation of more victories to come. Many APC supporters, relying on the present statistics have already concluded that the governorship election will go the same way, but some political analysts are predicting that subsequent elections will not go the same way for APC. To them, the pattern the March 28 polls followed will not be continuing as the APC will have to contend with PDP’s strength at the grassroots. Their only fear is how and who will fly the flag of PDP in the guber election. “The two parties have a 50-50 chance of dominating the politics of the state as of now. The APC now has the national strength but the PDP still controls the state till 2016 and controls the grassroots (local governments)”, said Mr. Kabir Jamiu, a Lokoja-based political analyst. “As it were, PDP and APC stand in pole positions to tango ahead of the next governorship election in the state.” He continued: “The first tenure of the incumbent Governor Idris Wada expires on January 27, 2016. Based on the current strengths of the two parties, the governorship poll provides a level playing field for one to prove its superiority over the other. It is left to be seen if the opposition will bring PDP’s 13-year dominance over Kogi State to a halt.” However, recent happenings within the PDP circle have shown that the party has looked at the

KOGI GUBER POLL:

Whhyy Wada holds PDP joker

variables and knows that rancourfree primary and the choice of candidate will determine how the party will fare at the guber poll. To this end, the party has zoomed into a way that will provide a lee way for the incumbent to fly the party flag at the poll. Though there are other three suspected aspirants, Mohammed Ali, Jibrin Isah, both from Dekina LGA of Kogi Eastern flank, and Banjo Ametuo Moses from Kogi Central, efforts are being made by the party to present a consensus candidate in the person of the incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada, during the July primary. Wada himself has not openly accepted to run for second term, but the numerous adoptions by different stakeholders within the party and the state, along with the recent appointments of 63 senior special advisers as heads of caretaker committees for the 21

The two parties have a 50-50 chance of dominating the politics of the state as of now. The APC now has the national strength but the PDP still controls the state till 2016

local governments, coupled with the local government tour by the governor which political observers say is to gauge the mindset of the rural people where the highest votes always emanate from, show that the governor is just buying time and waiting for the appropriate avenue to declare his intention for the Lugard House. Adoption Aside from the market women, youths, students and artisans who have already given the go-ahead signal to the governor to contest, the recent endorsement by the party elders’ caucus put the icing on the cake and shows that the governor is the joker the party intends to rely on for the poll. Students, through the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS) have called on the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada to run for second term in office in the governorship election. The students who stated this in Lokoja during a visit to the governor, said the quest for Wada’s continuity is to ensure completion of various educational projects embarked upon by his administration. President of the association, Ibrahim Amodu during the visit, said the governor has done well in the area of educational infrastructural development across the various tertiary institutions in the state. NAKOSS, which also took a swipe at its sister association, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), berating the statement of NANS PRO discrediting the state government, said the PRO seems to have been hired by some faceless and cowardly politicians to tarnish the image of the governor. NAKOSS declared: “Despite the lean resources accrued to the state, the governor was able to spend as much as 3.7 billion naira to improve infrastructure at the

Medical School of Kogi State University, Ayingba, while 500-bed hostels were constructed for male and female students of the same institution to ease the perennial accommodation.” Kogi PDP Council of Elders’ endorsement In what is considered by political analysts as a deft move to soften the grounds for the ruling PDP in the state ahead of the upcoming governorship election expected to hold in the last quarter of 2015, members of the highly revered PDP Elders’ Council, made up of distinguished personalities from the state, have endorsed the incumbent governor, Capt. Wada as the party’s consensus gubernatorial candidate. The development came on the heels of reports that APC, the main opposition party, currently has about 30 aspirants eyeing the APC ticket for the gubernatorial election. PDP elders who endorsed Capt. Wada as the party’s flagbearer for 2015 governorship election in the state include former PDP National Chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali; former Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris; former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Salihu Ibrahim (rtd); former Minister of Police Affairs, Gen. David Jemibewon (rtd); Sen. Tunde Ogbeha; former Deputy Chief of Staff in the Presidency, Prince Olushola Akanmode; former Kogi State Deputy Governors, Chief Sam Akande and Chief Patrick Adaba; and one-time Deputy Governor of old Benue State, Alhaji Sule Iyaji. Also present at the meeting were Ambassador Usman Bello, Arc Gabriel Aduku, Prof Olu Akerejola, Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Gunwa, Hajia Ladi Ibrahim, Alhaji Abdullahi Ohioma, Chief Joe Agada, former SSG, Chief Shola Ojo, among others. The leaders, while announcing their endorsement of Capt. Wada, described him as a viable flagbearer within the rank of PDP who can

guarantee victory for the party in the next election. Aside the misrepresentation made about salary payment, other reasons adduced by the elders to have informed their choice of Wada as the party’s preferred candidate include the fact that the state under the incumbent has done well in ensuring that civil servants get their dues amidst dwindling allocation to the state. The elders noted that the remuneration of the workforce gulps about 87% of the state’s revenue, a challenge which the elders said had initially affected physical development and applauded the governor’s decision to approach the capital market to seek financial support to augment the state’s revenue. The elders commended the iconic projects embarked upon by Capt. Wada’s use of the bond proceeds, and assured that the projects would on completion, have far-reaching impacts on the lives of the people and which would ensure better living standard for citizens of the state. According to the elders, Wada’s completion of a second term would ensure completion of all on-going projects across the three senatorial districts in the state. The governor’s endorsement for another term in office which seems to have gotten the support of the PDP members from the West and Central Senatorial Districts was further informed by his qualities as a fine gentleman and fair-minded administrator, and as the only person trusted to facilitate genuine power shift in the state. With the endorsement by the highly revered elders in the state, analysts posit that it is now clear that the PDP ticket may not be available as the above listed elders are said to be working in concert with the leaders of the party at the grassroots to ensure that PDP presents a consensus candidate ahead of the party’s primary and consequently ensure that Wada emerges victorious at the governorship election. The elders’ decision to endorse Wada as the party’s flagbearer, the elders further added, was made possible with the incumbent seen as a gentleman, and a man of an even temperament, and not tainted by hint of corruption and scandal. The elders who also described the incumbent governor as a prudent manager of resources and a skillful handler of equitable distribution of the state’s commonwealth, noted that another term for Capt. Wada is a vote for the protection of the collective heritage of the people of Kogi State. According to Tijani Kabiru, a former National President of NANS, who added his voice to the endorsement, “Captain Wada is loved by the common man as his prudent management of resources enables him to offer to the ordinary people the real dividends of democracy.” Captain Wada has, with the elders’ endorsement, scaled the first hurdle and now appears to have an edge over other contenders for the party’s ticket ahead of the party guber primary.

52—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

Fighting for the heart, soul of Greece the Greece government accepts virtually all of the creditors’ demands.

Greek Finance Minister’s take

R e p o r t disclosed that Prime Minister Tspiras and F i n a n c e Minister Mr. Varoufakis have urged Greeks to vote against the referendum, declaring that a no vote would give the government a stronger hand in

ccording to agency report, Greece debt crisis is bearing mixed massages as the country appears to be divided following the decision to either vote a ‘No’ or ‘Yes’ to the intended referendum on whether to stay or leave Eurozone. Although the situation the Greek government insists that Sunday’s referendum is a specific vote on the specific terms of the bailout it received during the financial crisis and that if a ‘No’ vote is returned the people will have decisively spoken and Greece will thus have a stronger mandate to negotiate with the creditors, the creditors do not see it that way. Speaking on the Greece debt crisis and lessons Nigeria needs to learn from it, Professor Olu Lafe of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, who is also the Director, Center for renewable energy technology in Nigeria told Saturday Vanguard that the fact that Greece is in such a horrible economic situation means that they have made some mistakes in the past, probably from the Olympic program few years back. He pointed out that it is possible that from the way Greece may have spent during the period it hosted the Olympic program could be traced to the problem at hand now. “Certainly, certain things were not done in the way they ought to be, but I think Greece have spent a lot of money for some international sports event, and probably did not account for things C M Y K

negotiations with the country’s creditors. Greece mountainous debt load, one of the world’s largest, so far has drawn a lot of reactions from the international community following a statement by the Greece Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who reportedly stated that he will resign as Greece Finance Minister if Greeks voting in a referendum endorse efforts to secure an international bailout deal for the country.

OBSERVATION •Alexis Tsipras well”, Professor Olu posited, adding that, “I think Nigeria would not be in such situation. Although in our country we have various serious infrastructural problems that need to be solved, we are blessed with a lot of natural resources, we are blessed with a lot of human resources is just for us as a country to tap into these things, mobilize ourselves, and engage both our young and old to participate in solving these problems and in solving them, we are going to create a lot of dynamic economic opportunities for the whole country.” He therefore urged the Nigerian government to tackle issues early enough to avoid any bad situation, saying that, although Nigeria is faced with many challenges, the most pressing is the country ’s energy situation.

•Professor Olu Lafe “And I advise that we do not see it as a problem, but an opportunity for the country. It is true that we do not have enough energy, we do not have enough good roads, and we do not have enough housing, as well as enough water distribution, but instead of looking at these things as problems, we should look at them as opportunities waiting to be embraced, and I sincerely hope that a default from Greece will not affect Nigeria.” However, it appears almost certain that the Greek people will vote in a national referendum following conditions demanded by the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission. Meanwhile, it appears Greece Prime Minister Tsipras stands for a ‘No’ referendum, although a leaked memo showed that

ccording to account by observatories on ground, there is a lot of acceptance that Greece put itself in the economic depression it is experiencing now, pointing out that Greece do not want more money to be loaned, it just want the old debt paid back. Notably, Alexis Tsipras’s government has been exhorting Greeks to vote no in the referendum, which, while couched in confusing language, effectively asks whether the nation is willing to accept more austerity in exchange for billions of euros that the country needs to return to solvency. After a remarkable series of twists and turns in negotiations with creditors early in the week, the proposal on which Greeks will be voting is no longer even on the table, as the bailout package may have expired. Additional reports by Prisca Sam-Duru

SNIPPETS Philippine boat mishap claims dozens of lives

ferry with 189 people on board has overturned in rough waters in the central Philippines, with the coastguard confirming that many people have been killed as a result of the boat mishap. According to the Philippine coastguard in Manila , the ferry, Kim Nirvana was heading from the central city of Ormoc to the islands of Camotes east of Cebu when it capsized. Captain Pedro Tinampay of the coastguard told local media that a total of 189 people, including 173 passengers and 16 crew, were aboard when the boat capsized adding that there had been 34 fatalities while 30 people were still missing. Reports had it that the boat’s captain has been taken into custody. Also, the other survivors had been accounted for and dozens were being treated in hospital while search and rescue.

Obama, Castro launch new era of US-Cuba ties

he US President Barack Obama said that it was past time for the US to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba as he announced that the two countries were reopening their embassies after more than 50 years. “Americans and Cubans alike are ready to move forward. I believe it’s time for Congress to do the same,” Obama said. Castro on his own part stated that “We want to develop a friendship between our two nations that is based on the equality of rights and the people’s free will,” stressing that, “Cuba hopes to resolve differences with the United States through peaceful means, that each nation must respect the territorial integrity of the other and they should not interfere in each other ’s political affairs. However, both Presidents agreed that the decisions will also help promote human rights and freedom, stressing that charting a new course in both countries relationship will support efforts to tear down the walls that separate them.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015— 53

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54—SATURDAY

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Vanguard, JULY 4, 2015

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 4, 2015—55

NFF hammer hangs on Keshi

•Green’s ffindings indings link him tto o Iv orian job Ivorian •K eshi pleads no •Keshi nott guilty

Osaze vows to repay Stoke with goals S

toke striker Peter Odemwingie is looking to repay the club's faith in him after signing a contract extension. 'I'm very happy that the club have shown me tremendous support after some very tough times,' he told stokecityfc.com. 'I'm happy that Stoke trust my ability in helping to improve and push the team on to greater things, so I'm delighted to still be a part of that. 'I have had to really push myself hard, so this new contract extension is a reward for all the effort I have put in but also for the medical staff that did a great job supporting me along the way. 'I really want to repay the club for having faith in me and I'm thankful for the support that everybody connected with the club has given me. 'I didn't want to leave on a note like this, I started very well here and I want to have a good season this year, which I

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have every faith in doing. 'Mark Hughes has big ambitions and hopefully we can do better in one of the cup competitions whilst maintaining a top-half finish.'

hese are testy times for Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi who is facing various battles from all fronts just over two months after being signed by the Nigeria Football Federation on a two-year contract. Having survived an almost 12month wait to get a new contract from the NFF, it seems that it is not yet uhuru for Keshi, whose latest battle bothers on ethics. FIFA online published his name as one of those listed for Cote d’Ivoire job while still in contract with Nigeria. Nigerians raised alarm and the story was later deleted. But NFF investigated the matter and found him culpable. Keshi applied to coach the Super Eagles this year and was given a contract on April 21. He led the Eagles to play Chad in a 2017 AFCON qualifier in Kaduna on June 13. Eagles won the match but days after the game, the NFF summoned Keshi to appear before its panel to explain his link with the Ivorian job. Chris Green was sent by the NFF to Ivory Coast to investigate the matter. He where he has since returned and submitted his findings, which are not good for Keshi. The NFF feels that for Keshi to apply for the job while still in contract with Nigeria means his mind is not focussed on the Eagles and he may not give his best. That is NFF's fear. Now. He is also ethically and morally wrong for a coach to be in contract and apply for another job. He was said to have applied for the

Ivorien job June 11, two days before the Chad game.. But Keshi still maintains that he did not apply for the Elephants job. So who is telling the truth? That is subject to further probe to be carried out by the NFF to unravel the truth. For the NFF, the emphasis is that his action proves that his mind is no longer in Nigeria. If the Eagles do not qualify for the next AFCON in 2017, the heat will be on NFF too. Nigerians will tag them failures. It will be recalled that Keshi contributed to the sack of the Aminu Maigari's board after what happened at the last World Cup in Brazil and the current board feels that he may also lead to the sacking of the Amaju Pinnick's exco. ''We feel that Keshi's mind is no longer with us. He has lost the passion for the Nigerian job and that's why he was searching for a new job. He may not be sacked but if he loses matches the heat will be on us and this can be avoided'', an NFF source who argues that he should be sacked said. ''I think that Keshi knew what he passed through to remain on the job. He used external influence and he knows that having failed to qualify for the last Nations Cup he lost the confidence of the people. That's why he showed interest in another place because even with contract, he is not sure of the Nigerian job. He can be forgiven'', said another NFF source. The federation will decide in the next few days what to do to the Eagles trainer whose ego appears to have been shattered by poor results in his first spell.

Costa w ants wants Turan tto o join Falcao not a risk —Walker not —Walk alker Chelsea D C

helsea striker Diego Costa has said he would relish a reunion with Atletico Madrid star Arda Turan. In an interview with Turkish newspaper Bugun, translated by Turkish-football.com, Costa suggested he would like Arda to become the latest Atletico star to move to Stamford Bridge after playing alongside him at the Vincente Calderon from 2011 until 2014. "I would really like to be reunited with him," Spain international Costa said. "It would be fantastic because he is a player that makes my job easier. "Arda, Flilpe Luis and I achieved great success together and he really is a great guy."

espite his struggles at Manchester United last term, Chelsea are not taking a gamble on Radamel Falcao, according to ex-star Clive Walker. “I don’t think it’s a risk for Chelsea. There’s no signing fee so there’s no weight as there was on, for example, Fernando Torres because there was a £50million weight when we purchased him,” Walker told Perform. “I think in this situation, with a loan, I don’t think it’s a risk for Chelsea. I’d like to think Falcao will improve on the season he had last year, maybe he’s got used to the Premier League a little bit more”.

Wimbledon Open briefs

Sharapo o last 1 6 Sharapovva breezes int into 16 F

ourth seed Maria Sharapova moved serenely into the Wimbledon fourth round with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu on Friday. The 28-year-old Russian, champion at the All England Club in 2004, overpowered her 29th-seeded opponent on a sun-drenched Court One to take her place in the last 16. Sharapova wasted a chance to close out the match when she served for victory at 5-1 in the second set but did not make the same mistake again and completed victory in one hour 23 minutes.

Djok ovic, W awrink a pr ogress Djoko Wa wrinka progress efending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the D Wimbledon fourth round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over Bernard Tomic of Australia on Friday.

Stan Wawrinka continued his stealthy progress through the Wimbledon draw with another clinical victory on Friday as the Swiss dispatched Fernando Verdasco 6-4 6-3 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 4, 2015 TODAY: COPA AMERICA FINAL Argentina v Chile WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 3RD PLACE MATCH Germany v England TOMORROW: NPL MATCHES Dolphins v Wikki Tourist Giwa v Heartland Ifeanyi Uba v Shooting Stars Sharks v Nasarawa Taraba v Kwara Enyimba v Abia Warriors Bayelsa v Warri Wolves Lobi v Sunshine Akwa v Rangers Kano Pillars v El Kanemi Warriors WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL USA v Japan

9pm 9pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 12am

>>55

>>55 >>34/35 CROSS WORD PUZZLE

>>33

ACROSS 1)National President, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie — (6) 4) President, Ugandan Football Association, Mr. Moses — (6) 7) L.G.A. in Taraba State — (3 8)L.G.A. in Akwa-Ibom State — (6) 10) Zambian Capital City — (6) 11) Borussia Dortmund Midfielder, Sebastian — (4) 12) Major Ethnic Group in Nigeria — (4) 14) Lagos State Commissioner for Budget & Economic Planning, Mr. Ben — (8) 18) L.G.A. in Akwa-Ibom State — (4) 20) Fasten (4) 22) Former Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Abduljelil — (8) 26) Former Senate President, Mr. David — (4) 27) Juventus FC Defender, Patrice — (4) 30) United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Mr. Ban — (2,4) 31) Japanese Currency — (3) 32) Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Murphy — (6) 33) L.G.A. In Kogi State — (6)

DOWN 1)Kano Pillars Midfielder, Eneji — (6) 2)L.G.A. in Lagos State (3,3) 3)Number (4) 4)Tunisian Currency (8) 5)Former President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Mr. George — (6) 6)L.G.A. in Abia State (6) 9) Chairman, Subsidy Reinvestment & Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Mr. Ishaya Dare — (4) 13) Benin Republic President, Mr. Yayi — (4) 15) Relative (3) 16) Greek Alphabet (3) 17) Former Minister of Lands & Housing, Mrs. Akon — (8) 19) Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo — (3) 20) L.G.A. in Katsina State (6) 21) L.G.A. in Rivers State (6) 23) Fraud (4) 24) Former Algerian President, Mr. Youcef — (6) 25) Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Joseph — (6) 28) South-African Currency (4)

Solution on page 21 Solution on page 19

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