CREATION OF NEW STATES: North, South head for showdown

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62180

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Son arrested for killing KESHI: South Africa's dad, SAN, in interest wanes 56 Redemption Camp 6 CREATION OF NEW STATES:

North, South head for showdown

By HENRY UMORU & JOSEPH ERUNKE

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•FG tightens security at confab venue •Southern delegates woo Northern minority

BUJA — A STORMY session is expected today as Northern and Southern delegates at the ongoing National Conference head for a showdown over power configurations in the consideration of the report of the

Continues on Page 5

COLUMNIST:

ECONOMY & RESERVES: Between the truth and government clarifications P.40

Nigeria: A federation of 54 •P.46 states?

Mr & Mrs From left: Prof. Akin Oyebode, Guest Speaker; Prof. JP Clark, Prof. Wole Soyinka, the Chief Host; Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; Mrs Folake Soyinka and Mrs Francesca Emmanuel, Chairman, Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, during the 5th Edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize For Literature in Africa, sponsored by Glo World in Lagos, weekekend, Photo: Diran Oshe.

13 Nigerian banks make top 1000 world banks' ranking 7

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 3

4 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014—5

POCKET CARTOON

FASHOLA VISITS APAPA—From left: Tayo Aboyeji, South-West PRO of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association; explain something to Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State as others look on during the working visit to Apapa/Oshodi Expressroad, Wharf and Creek roads in Apapa, yesterday, as part of continued effort to address the problem of traffic gridlock caused by tanker drivers. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

Creation of new states: North, South head for showdown Continues from page 1 Committee on Devolution of Powers.

The North, Vanguard learnt, is especially concerned with recommen-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.... Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand...’

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail — Napoleon Hill

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APOLEON Hill, in one of his famous books made a distinction between people. And he said the difference between people who are able to live a fully functioning life and to attract riches and wellness and happiness and abundance and prosperity into their lives is that the people who do that have something that he called a “burning desire.”

And a burning desire is very different than just, “Oh, I’d really like to do well, I’d like to have my book do well, I’d like to have this music that I’m writing do well, I’d like people to know about it,” and so on.

A burning desire is much deeper, it’s like having an inner candle flame that, no matter what goes before you, it doesn’t even flicker. And this is something that you can experience if you believe in yourself.

There are so many people, who don’t give enough, and maybe just a little more effort would have made a difference – they have a desire but they don’t have the willingness and the fearlessness and the determination to follow through with their dreams.

dations of the committee adopted last Thursday that could put the South at an advantage and where not, erase the advantage that the North has had in the polity. The National Conference had last Thursday adopted recommendations among others for the creation of 19 new states with three in each geopolitical zone and an extra one in the Southeast and also resolved to delist local governments from the constitution and as such remove the advantage conferred on the North with the plurality of local governments.

It was gathered that Northern governors had reached out to the delegates to rescind the decisions. The plot to reverse the decisions nonetheless, Southern delegates at the weekend, were also pressing home their advantage with strategic link to minorities in the North ahead of the consideration of other important recommendations of the Committee on Devolution.

Ahead of today ’ s meeting, Southern delegates were last night locked in a meeting with some prominent delegates from the North-Central during which they were said to be pondering over a deal that will be mutually beneficial to both parties. That meeting taking place in the Asokoro Abuja residence of a powerful Southern media mogul was ongoing at press time.

The Southern delegates had at an earlier meeting a week ago resolved to press for the increase of derivation from 13% recommended by the Committee on Devolution of Powers to 21.5%.

The meeting which is believed to have in attendance more than 200 delegates, Vanguard learnt, is aiming to weaken the opposition being mounted by the core northern delegates, who Vanguard gathered, are working to ensure that delegates don’t reach the mandatory requirements needed for any

resolution to sail through.

To ensure that the core north delegates are again defeated, the Southern delegates meeting in Asokoro would resolve to speak with one voice on any issue being opposed by the core Northern delegates.

Efforts made by core Northern delegates to maintain the status quo in other key recommendations in previous committees’ reports were not successful.

Among the issues the region lost out in, included its efforts to kill proposals for rotational presidency between the North and South, creation of state police, reversal of current national anthem, among others.

The core north had equally, previously kicked against the scrapping of local government administration from the constitution.

But the southern delegates succeeded in getting it approved through massive support from delegates from North-Central and delegates from minority groups in the NorthEast and North-West.

The arrowhead of the core north’s opposition to the resolution and former Political Adviser to late General Sani Abacha, Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, in a statement, on behalf of Northern delegates which was circulated to northernbased media organisations, had rejected the entire resolution of the Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Governance which they considered not favourable to the North.

To ensure that the core northern delegates are again defeated in the recommendations of the Committee on Devolution of Powers, today ’s meeting by

Southern delegates with their North Central and northern minority delegates would decide how to take a stand during voting tomorrow.

Just as the delegates from the South are perfecting their strategies, those from the core north, who are in the opposition are not resting in their efforts at thwarting the efforts of the Southern delegates.

Vanguard gathered that they have resolved to resist any attempt by the Chairman of the conference, Idris Kutigi, to allow his deputy, Bolaji Akinyemi to preside over the two-day session where the devolution of powers committee’s recommendations would be considered.

The core northern delegates are said not to be comfortable with Akinyemi, who they believe is not only from the South but appears sympathetic to the southern cause at the conference.

FG tightens security at confab venue Ahead of the showdown, security has been reinforced around the venue of the conference. Besides, delegates from the South and North are also said to be preparing physically for today ’s expected stormy session.

A delegate from the North confided in Vanguard that their colleagues have been asked not to wear ‘agbada’, a traditional wear in the northern part of the country to the conference plenary today and tomorrow, given that anything could happen during disagreements that would crop up among the delegates.

6—Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Policeman kills hotel attendant in Yobe

BY BALA AJIYA

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AMATURU — A LADY hotel attendant at Ga’at Hotel, a three-star hotel, was allegedly killed by a police corporal attached to Criminal Investigation Department, Thursday night The attendant, identified as Rebecca David, was shot by the corporal who sources said appeared drunk.

One of the people that brought her corpse to General Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu confirmed that the policeman shot the lady in the head which killed her instantly before she could be rushed to the hospital.

When Vanguard visited the home of the deceased, the parents and relatives were still in grief.

The parents said the only thing they wanted from the government and the owner of the hotel was for the police corporal that killed their daughter to be punished.

“We want the authority to come to our rescue and make sure the policeman that murdered our daughter does not go scotfree,” the father said.

Meanwhile, the corporal is currently in detention, as confirmed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Nansak Chagwa pending the conclusion of investigation into the matter.

Son arrested for killing his dad, SAN, in Redemption Camp

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA & DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA— THE Ogun State Police Command said, yesterday, that it has arrested a 21-year-old Tolani Ajayi, for allegedly killing his father, Charles Ajayi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, in the Redemption Camp along Lagos/Ibadan expressway .

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said its command uncovered the mystery behind the killing of a legal luminary who was slaughtered by his biological son.

According to Adejobi, the suspect, who is a 300-level student of Department of History and International Relations of Redeemer University, RCCG Camp, Ogun State, was arrested the same day he committed the crime in his father’s residence where the incident occurred at about 5:30pm.

“The shattered body of Mr Charles Ajayi, 60, was recovered in a nearby bush at Canaanland Street in the RCCG Camp in a box after he was killed by his son.

“The DPO Redemption Camp, Superintendent of Police, SP,

Tolani Ajayi, the suspect Olaiya Martins led a team of detectives and some members of the community who noticed the

strange attitude of the suspect while dumping a box at the point where the body of the SAN was found and thereafter traced the ground marks of the dragged box from where the suspect dumped the dad’s corpse to the house of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, where they met the suspect in a relaxed mood in the house.

“Upon interrogation, the suspect earlier lied that his dad had gone on evangelism before he eventually confessed to the crime when he was taken to the Redemption Camp Divisional Headquarters.

“He stated further that problem arose when his late father confronted him for not responding to the prayer points he (the deceased) was calling which made

Man killed in Benin while testing charms' efficacy

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE & SIMON EBEGBULEM

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ENIN— A 25-year-old man simply identified as Osamame Isekhuere (aka

Black Arrow) was weekend shot dead in Benin by his friend while trying to test the efficacy of charms in his possession popularly known as ‘Africa Insurance’.

Policemen chase Okada rider, passengers to death in Lagos

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BY EBUN SESSOU

AGOS — THREE people were reportedly killed by Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, with number plate LAGOS XQ 766 LSD and marked LAGBUS F014, yesterday, at Awoyaya area of Ibeju-Lekki along Lekki/Epe Expressway, Lagos.

Eyewitness said the victims were on a motorcycle from Container area of Ibeju-Lekki and were reportedly being chased by RRS men before they ran into a BRT, which killed them instantly.

Chairman of the Arewa community, Ibeju-Lekki, Musa Sule, said: “What happened today (yesterday) was against the right of the people, especially the Arewa community living in this area.

his father to slap him.

“He said he went mad and went straight to the kitchen to pick up a knife to stab him and later a cutlass to cut his throat, thereby killing him.

“The exhibits, including the knife and cutlass he used in killing his father, had been recovered by the Police and the corpse of the SAN had been deposited at a morgue in Sagamu.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, CP Ikemefuna Okoye has sent a powerful team of detectives led by the officer in charge of Homicide Section of the Department of Criminal Investigation, Eleweran, Abeokuta to assess the situation and take over the matter for further investigation and necessary action."

"I live in Abijo area of IbejuLekki, when I got to Awoyaya bus-stop, to my surprise, I saw three people on the road, dead.

I was told that RRS men were chasing them but as they tried to escape, they ran into BRT. Both the BRT driver and the RRS men had escaped.

“We are calling on government to come to our rescue because this problem is getting too much in this area. This is not the first time this will happen. This problem must not continue in this area because we are law-abiding people. We will not carry the corpses until appropriate steps are taken.”

One of the indigenes of Ado/ Badore area in Ajah, Alhaji

Adams, pleaded with government to prevail so that peace will reign in the area.

He said: ”There is need to take the corpses off the road. These are human beings, they should be respected. What happened has happened. We are law-abiding citizens, we don’t want trouble in Ibeju Lekki.”

Meanwhile, the Baale of Awoyaya, Alhaji Yisa Babatunde, has said it was sad to experience such horrible incident in his domain.

According to him, “the activities of the Police in this part of Lagos is nothing to write home about.

There is need for government to look into this problem so that it does not degenerate into riot."

The shooting which occurred at the Oba market, at the centre of Benin metropolis, Vanguard gathered, forced many traders in the market to lock up their shops and run for their lives following riots occasioned by the killing.

It was gathered that Osamame had asked one of his friends to shoot him to test a new charm that he had acquired against bullets after incising and rubbing the charms on their bodies and they decided to test it with live bullets.

According to the source, Osamame first shot at his friend but the bullet did not penetrate but when the friend shot at Osamame on the chest, the charm failed.

Osamame was said to have died instantly.

His friends, who heard of the killing, burnt down a building where the said friend was living in a rented apartment.

Police spokesman, DSP Uwoh Noble, when contacted, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

5-storey building collapses, destroys vehicles in Onitsha

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

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NITSHA— NO fewer than four vehicles were, Saturday, smashed by a fivestorey building which collapsed at 7, Aloy Offia Crescent, Old Mercedes Lorry Spare Parts Market, Nkpor, an outskirts of the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State.

The building, which was at roofing stage, according to

eye-witnesses, collapsed at about 8 a.m, but no casualty was recorded as there was nobody residing in it except the vehicles parked in front of it.

According to the source, the ground floor of the building was erected years ago and was being used as a private nursery school until about two years ago when the owner sold it.

The source stated that the buyer, who is a businessman, had engaged the services of a

contractor to add the five other floors to the existing ground floor.

The source hinted that the structure was completed few months ago and because the owner had just bought another uncompleted building in Lagos and decided to upgrade it immediately, so he suspended the roofing of the collapsed building, pending when the Lagos building would be completed.

Scene of the collapsed building.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014—7

13 Nigerian banks make Top 1000 World Banks ranking

BY OMOH GABRIEL

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AGOS — THIRTEEN Nige rian banks have been listed among the Leading 1000 Global Banks as published by The Banker magazine of the Financial Times Group in its 2014 edition.

The Nigerian banks that made the ranking based on Tier-1 capital are Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, FirstBank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, Fidelity Bank and Ecobank Nigeria.

Others are Skye Bank, First City Monument Bank, Diamond Bank, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria and Union Bank of Nigeria.

The report, which was released weekend, said banks in the world, for the first time since the global financial crisis, returned profit of $920 billion which is 23 per cent more than their previous peak of $786 billion achieved in 2007 before the financial crisis.

The report, which listed 13 Nigerian banks that made the ranking, underlines Nigeria’s financial sector's leading position in Africa as no other African country has up to 13 banks in the Top 1000 World listing of banks.

According to the report, Zenith Bank ranked top in Nigeria at 293 as Guaranty Trust is on number 415, FirstBank on number 424, Access Bank 532, United Bank for Africa ranked 539 and Fidelity 622.

The report said profit on capital of three Nigerian banks that are not foreign-owned subsidiaries increased. These are FirstBank, that has its profit on capital increased to 25.32 per cent from 25.13 per cent; Access Bank, from 21.19 per cent to 21.24 per cent and First City Monument Bank, 15.77 per cent from 15.07 per cent.

23% increase in profit

Editor of the magazine, Mr. Brain Caplen, noted that the 23

per cent increase in profit of global banks from 2007 “is a good news but the better news is that capital has also increased at a reasonable pace whereas assets have stayed flat. This means that returns on capital are only slightly improved but the hope is that this upturn is more sustainable than the last one.”

Caplen disclosed that a large proportion of the profit is from China— about 32 per cent of the total which is more than the next three highest profit countries of USA, Japan and Canada combined.

Highest in Africa

Of the 25 top banks in Africa from the ranking, the highest of eight is from Nigeria, the largest economy in the continent while the United Bank for Africa is the only Nigerian bank in the top 10 highest movers in Africa.

In all, Africa has 31 banks in the Top 1000 World Banks 2014 with Nigeria having 13 representing 41.94 per cent. The 31 African banks in the ranking are from nine countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Angola, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco and Togo.

Globally, Senior Editor of the magazine, Philip Alexander, stressed that banks in this 2014 ranking “are stronger than ever” as “the level of capital held by banks in this ranking continues to accelerate, with the minimum Tier 1 capital required to enter the Top 1000 World Banks now fast appraching $400 million.

This has almost doubled since the 2005 ranking,” he added.

The Banker, a publication of Financial Times Newspaper which is regarded as the most influential newspaper in the world, is a global financial intelligence magazine published

since 1926. It is the definitive publication that provides guide to bank ratings and analysis globally and the definitive reference on international banking for finance experts, governments, chief finance officers, CEOs, Central Bank Governors, Finance Ministers, and other decision makers globally.

According to The Global Capital Markets Surveys (GCMS), the only independent media benchmarking study available in the capital markets industry and provides insight into who reads what at the world’s financial institutions, among monthly finance titles globally, The Banker is number one monthly finance title read globally, in capital markets; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region; emerging markets and bank as well as financial institutions in the world.

See details on page 19.

Vice President Namadi Sambo (right) condoling the President, Black Gold Company, Chief Sony Okogwu, over the death of his wife, Mrs Roseline Okogwu, who died in Kaduna.

Photo: Olu Ajayi.

EFCC probes Olotu, 3 judges over foreign bank accounts

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

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BUJA— THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has disclosed that it is currently investigating three judges over allegation that they own and operate several foreign bank accounts.

The anti-graft, in a process it filed before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, named Justice Gladys Olotu, who was recently sent on a compulsory retirement by the National Judicial Council, NJC, as one of the alleged corrupt ex-judicial officers under its probe.

The commission insisted that it had already traced about N2 billion to a foreign account it said was linked to the retired judge.

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier this year, okayed the ouster of

Justice Olotu from the bench after she was found guilty of “gross misconduct” by the NJC. Meantime, though the antigraft agency declined to mention the names of the other accused judges on the premise that doing so could jeopardise its ongoing investigation, it however, hinted that whereas two of them are currently serving in Abuja, he said the other judge is in the Lagos division.

Consequently, the EFCC, in a counter-affidavit dated April 1, 2014, urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to handsoff a suit that is pending before it, which it said was capable of stalling its investigation.

The said suit was filed before the court by retired Justice Olotu.

Specifically, the agency, told the court that its investigation was ignited by a petition written to it by a group under the aegis of Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC).

It said the petitioners adduced evidence indicating that Justice Olotu was maintaining an offshore account with FirstBank (United Kingdom) and allegedly has over N2 billion in cash and investment.

Olotu had gone to court with a view to securing an order that would restrain the EFCC from either inviting or arresting her for questioning over “baseless allegations.”

She filed the suit shortly after she was summoned to appear before the commission in respect of the allegations levelled against her by the petitioners.

More so, EFCC, in its counter-affidavit, denied allegation that it was the NJC and the Attorney General of the Federation that instigated it to go after the retired judge.

It equally denied abusing Justice Olotu’s fundamental human rights as alleged, insisting that it is within its statutory powers to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes in the country despite who is involved.

In the said affidavit which was deposed to by an investigative officer of the EFCC, Habufari Yahaya, the agency, told the court that “in the course of investigation, certain issues arose for further clarifications, which had to do with documents and the applicant (Justice Olotu) therefore requested for time to bring them and she was obliged.”

IMPEACHMENT :

Nyako goes spiritual, declares 2-day prayer

BY SONI DANIEL, NORTHERN REGION EDITOR

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BUJA — AS the gale of impeachment against him gathers momentum, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, has gone spiritual to save his job.

The governor, yesterday, declared today and tomorrow as work free days to enable the citizens to reflect on the situation in the state and Nigeria and to offer special prayers to God for intervention.

Although the governor did not make direct reference to his current impeachment travails, it was learnt that the prayers sessions are intended to seek the face of God in thwarting the effort by the state’s lawmakers and his former party, PDP, to oust him from office.

He explained that the holidays were to give thanks to God for surviving all the challenges facing them.

As the prayer session continues, Nyako is expected to approach the Appeal Court this week to challenge the decision of the state’s Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi, to set up a panel to probe him without first being served the notice of the impeachment as demanded by law.

Nyako, it was learnt, is peeved by the action of the acting CJ, who inexplicably decided to set up a probe panel against him despite the fact that the lawmakers were yet to personally serve him the impeachment notice.

But the prayers may not do much to salvage the governor, as the seven-man panel, whose membership had already been unveiled, gets set to finish up its assignment within the week and push the governor away.

The panel, whose composition of five Christians and two Muslims is already raising eyebrows among the Muslim community in the state, is likely to wrap up its assignment and report back to the House of Assembly earlier than expected.

Although some political bigwigs in Adamawa are expected to intervene and save Nyako, his key political opponents are not likely to forgive Nyako and would push for his removal as soon as the committee turns in its report.

It is not, however, clear why armed soldiers have taken over the residence of the Adamawa CJ in Yola, the state capital.

8 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

NAFDAC begins enforcement for Mobile Authentication Service nationwide

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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ATIONAL Agen cy for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has commenced enforcement of the deadline for implementation of the Mobile Authentication Service, MAS by pharmaceutical companies nationwide.

The enforcement operation which started last week in Abuja under the auspices of the Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate of NAFDAC was geared towards mopping up from circulation all anti-malarial and anti-biotic medicines that do not carry on their labels, the MAS scratch and text authentication codes introduced in 2010 by the Agency to save consumers from the menace of fake drugs.

Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii who is currently celebrated worldwide for introducing multilayered anti-counterfeiting technology has vowed that there was no going back on enforcement of compliance with the MAS deadline which has previously been shifted twice in the last three years due to plea for more time by segment of the pharmaceutical industry.

Orhii said NAFDAC has the full support of the President and Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu to enforce implementation of the service in a bid to eradicate counterfeit drugs in the country.

He disclosed that firm instruction has been given to all NAFDAC offices across the country to go round various pharmaceutical outlets to enforce compliance as deadline is irreversible and sacrosanct. ”The scratch and text service (MAS) has put the power of detecting counterfeit drugs in the hands of over 100 million mobile phone users in the country,” he added.

Orhii stated that the international community is full of commendation for Nigeria for pioneering the use of cutting-edge technologies in combating counterfeit medicines.

Doctors may call off strike today if... ...FG says strike unnecessary, MDCAN backs out

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE, CHIOMA OBINNA & GABRIEL OLAWALE

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IGERIANS seeking health services in public hospitals nationwide continue to face harrowing times even as the striking medical doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, hold an emergency meeting in Abuja today to review the indefinite strike they commenced July 1.

The Federal Government has described the strike as unnecessary, just as the Medical Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, has distanced itself from the strike action and assured the nation of uninterrupted hospital services.

While, there are rumours that the emergency meeting may bring positive decision as to officially sus-

pend the strike, it was not very clear if all the members present at the proposed emergency meeting will support the decision.

Leadership of the NMA maintained sealed lips over the meeting, however, it was reliably gathered that the outcome is expected to determine the next line of action the doctors will take.

Meanwhile, health care services in all general, specialist and teaching hospitals and medical centres across the Federation have remained paralysed forcing thousands of patients discharged en-masse in the wake of the strike to secure alternative sources of treatment and care.

A visit to the hospitals weekend revealed that the hospitals have become a shadow of themselves as patients have virtu-

ally deserted the wards. A few who remained continue to lament their woes.

“We are just here under God’s grace and the nurses are trying their best,” one of the patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital told Vanguard.

Meanwhile, the Medical Consultants Association of Nigeria has opted out of the nationwide strike and assured the nation of uninterrupted hospital services.

National President, MDCAN, Dr. Steven Oluwole, in a statement said they were complying with the ruling of the National Industrial Court which stated that all parties should maintain the status quo till disputes are resolved.

“The MDCAN complies fully with the restraining order on all

LAUNCH OF EAST AFRICA EXCHANGE: Kenyan President, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta (middle) ringing the bell with Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, and Chairman, Board of East Africa Exchange, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, at the formal launch of the East Africa Exchange (EAX) in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 6th Northern Corridor Integration Summit attended by Kenyatta along with Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Salva Kiir of South Sudan, at the weekend.

Stop politicising governance, Aregbesola cautions Jonathan is just a short security code apBY EMMANUELAZIKEN

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AGOS—GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan against politicisation of governance saying that issues that have to do with the lives and well being of Nigerians should not be put on the altar of politics.

Governor Aregbesola who spoke against what he claimed as the continued refusal of the Federal Government to issue Osun State the security code that would activate the Emergency Security Centre conceived by his state also slammed the media for its unwillingness to throw light on the matter.

The governor who said that the security code was needed to enable search and rescue operations by the Emergency Security Centre said that had the centre been active that

the senior officials of the Nigerian Union of Journalists who died in a road accident in the state would have been rescued.

Speaking to journalists at the weekend, the governor also lamented the refusal of the president to allow the state use the national railway tracks for the state’s pilot agricultural project that was conceived to make Osun a food hub.

Decrying what he claimed was the unnecessary politicisation of issues pertaining to governance, Aregbesola said that the president should remove himself from above partisan politics in considering issues that have to do with the wellbeing of the citizenry.

Aregbesola, who said he personally met the president to request an access code said “what remains for the centre to function

proval of which should only come from the Federal Government.”

He regretted that a letter written to the president on the issue has not been honoured ith a response or acknowledgment.

He disclosed that with the centre in operation accident victims could be accessed quickly as he warned that the refusal of the federal administration to respond positively to the request could affect both members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC. “Security threat does not discriminate,” Aregbesola said as he observed that “if the Security Centre had been functional, those young journalists that died recently along Ife road could have survived the accident if help has reached them in time.”

parties, which is contained in the ruling, delivered by Hon. Justice M.N. Esowe on June 27, 2014. ”In the same vein, MDCAN expects the other parties to the above suit to comply fully with the terms of the said restraining order,” Oluwole said.

He noted that branches of the MDCAN and individual consultants should continue to provide services to patients, but should exercise their professional judgment as to the best care feasible and practicable in the current situation.

“All patients and Nigerians are assured of quality and uninterrupted health care services. MDCAN pleads with the Federal Government of Nigeria to do all that is necessary to bring a quick end to the current impasse,” he assured.

Reacting to the strike weekend, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu described it as “unnecessary’ Wondering why the doctors have remained on strike after government signed a memorandum of understanding and has almost met all their demands, recalled that on receipt of the notice by NMA, government held a meeting with the Association on 25th June, 2014.

He said at the end of the 14-hour meeting chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, both the government and the NMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which addressed all the 24 issues presented by the NMA. ”To be sure, almost all the issues in contention were either issues that had been satisfactorily resolved or issues that could be treated merely through administrative mechanism.

However, the NMA jettisoned the MoU and proceeded on strike on the 1st of July 2014. ”Despite reneging on the MoU, the government immediately invited the NMA to series of meetings on 1st July, 2014 yet this could not dissuade the NMA from the strike they had embarked on. Another meeting that was planned for 2nd July, 2014 was aborted when the NMA officials failed to show up,” Chukwu said.

He noted that the NMA honoured another meeting schedule for Thursday, 3rd July, 2014 under the auspices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Further, he explained that government has met its own side of the MoU and it is expected that the members of the NMA would from today begin to respond and attend to all emergency cases in public hospitals in the spirit of this understanding.

“The Federal Government was not unaware of the hardship the strike action has imposed on the Nigerians. Not only does the government disapprove of the strike but has made every effort to negotiate with the NMA and ensure the immediate resumption of services in government hospitals,” he said.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 —9

Apapa-Oshodi road snarl: Fashola inspects, assures residents of improved traffic

BY MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO

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AGOS—GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, assured that the traffic gridlock being experienced on the Apapa Oshody Expressway would ease in the next one week.

Fashola gave the assurance while inspecting some failed portions of the ever busy expressway and the ongoing expansion works on the 10 lane Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

He was accompanied by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Ganiyu Johnson and the South West Public Relations Officer of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Mr. Tayo Aboyeji among others.

The governor said, “They (PTD officials) have assured me that in the next one week, things will change for the better and we are accepting that from them. It is easier for the state to accept their commitment but if we do not see the change we expect, we know what to do on behalf of the residents.

One business cannot disturb the other. This is only a temporary measure, the Federal Government should also visit Apapa, to see the pains residents and owners of business are going through daily.

BY OLAYINKA LATONA

A

AWARD: From left—Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr Nicolaas Vervelde; Executive Officer, Tanus Communications, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi and General Manager, Publications and Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga Adefaye disscusing during the Golden Pen Award organised by Nigerian Breweries Plc at Eko Hotel, Lagos. Photo by Diran Oshe.

“There are many questions we must ask ourselves, why is it that this is the only place where fuel is being distributed and it is distributed at so much pain? Where is the money made from the ports annually? I remember that we were told that these ports made N1.4 trillion in six months. Why is the money not reinvested in the port? About 3, 000 trucks load from the ports. I hope that the owners of the oil companies will also leave their desk and visit this place as a group to see how they

make profit and the cost of that on the citizens. Once they see this, there will also be more improvement.”

The governor however, appealed to the tanker drivers to transport their product at night, saying “It is easier to move at this time. This is another way to transport fuel without inflicting pains on the residents. Doing this, it will suit both residents and the fuel operators. When you do this, resident will have opportunity to do business. It is not about en-

forcement but about doing business with compassion.”

Fashola lamented that many businesses had shut down and thousands of people laid-off by their employers because they could no longer operate effectively.

On the ongoing expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the governor said traders had converted the road to market, regretting that “such act is another problem impeding the ongoing constriction works.”

Widow, son narrate how Human Rights lawyer was killed

BY EVELYN USMAN, OLASUNKANMIAKONI &ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

L

AGOS—WIDOW of hu man rights lawyer, Kunle Fadipe who was stabbed to death last Thursday in his apartment at Harmony estate, College road, Ogba Lagos, by a middle_aged man has appealed to the police to ensure that the killer was brought to book.

This is just as the assailant with an undisclosed identity was yesterday said to be receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital over injuries he sustained as he was fleeing the scene.

The widow, Mrs Kemi Fadipe who is yet to come to terms with the shock of her husband’s demise, also urged the police to ensure they get the assailant’s sponsors.

Describing how the tragedy which she said had thrown her family into mourning occurred, to sympathisers who thronged her residence, the widow said amidst tear; “My husband was

Adeboye, Ezekwesili pray for Chibok schoolgirls

a straight forward person who was not into any shady deal that would warrant this gruesome murder. I appeal to the police to ensure that they get the person that sent the killer.

“When the killer stormed our home, I thought he was a robber because he demanded for money. But the way he stabbed my husband showed that he was a professional killer and was sent to snuff life out of my husband.

“He stabbed my husband at the left side of the neck and the left armpit which indicated that he knew the most fatal places to strike at a human body.

“And from the way he acted, he was so much in a hurry. He started by asking for too many things at the same time and threatened to kill if his demand was not met. He started by asking for his laptop and phones as my husband was about giving him, he also demanded for money . We all cooperated with him but he was impatient.

“My husband went upstairs to get him some money . But he was still on the staircase when the at-

tacker started slapping him. As my husband turned to ask why he was slapping him, he stabbed him in the neck.

“It was at that point I knew he was there for a deadly mission.

He continued to stab him. At that point, my children went for their father’s rescue by attacking the invader with stools, broken bottles and anything we could lay our hands on”.

At this point, she broke down, with sympathisers consoling her.

One of the deceased’s children, Folarin who was said to have first been attacked by the assailant, while he had gone to put off the power generating set, also narrated how he was attacked.

According to him, “As I bent down to switch off the power generating set, someone struck me. As I looked up to see who it was, the man made to stab me with a knife but I blocked it with my hand and immediately rushed inside to alert my father who ran outside to see what the matter was.

“Immediately he sighted my father, he demanded for

N500,000 , brandishing his knife at him. The man was so powerful that he never felt the impact of the objects we used on him .

“When I hit him with a USB , he did not bulge. I used stick on him, he did not wink. He concentrated rather on my father.

“It was only when we blindfolded him with a window blind that he fell and we prevented him from escaping. He acted like someone who had taken hard drugs”, Folarin narrated.

Among sympathisers who paid the family condolence visits were the Chairmen, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area , Kehinde Bamgbetan and Ifako Ijaiye Local Council Development Area Apostle Oke Oloruntoba.

Others included his professional colleagues among whom was Femi Falana.

Meanwhile the assailant who was arrested by the police was reportedly at the verge of being lynched after he was subdued.

He reportedly sustained serious injuries and was as at 7.30 pm yesterday, still in the intensive care unit in an un-

S the world contin ues to wait endlessly for safe release of the over 200 abducted school girls from Chibok, Borno State, 85 days ago, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday at the church national headquarters in Ebute Meta, Lagos, led other worshippers to pray for God’s intervention in the security challenges facing the nation.

Speaking during the July edition of the RCCG monthly prayer meeting with a theme; “My time of waiting is over”, a special prayer for Singles and Expectant Couples, Pastor Adeboye condemned the continued captivity of the girls, praying for their immediate safe release.

According to Pastor Adeboye, Nigerians and other well meaning individuals must join hands to intercede for the girls who had been in captivity since April 14, 2014 and their hurting parents who are yet to hear any concrete word on the whereabouts of their wards.

Lamenting at the rate of evil being perpetrated in the country, the General Overseer said: “Before it is too late, God send help to us. God Almighty, as a nation urgently, send help to us. How long are we going to be held captive by the wicked? Lord, deliver us from wicked people?

This month, Father let there be good news.”

Also, former Minister of Education and one of the promoters of “BringBackOurGirls campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians and other stakeholders not to relent in their quest to bring back the girls alive and save to their parents.

Ezekwesili, who expressed concern over state of health of the girls, called on politicians not to politicise the abduction saga, lamenting that the first 24 hours after the adoption was very critical and since government’s delayed response, doubting if the abduction was real or not, the kidnappers settled down to re-strategise.

10 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Fed Poly siting in Ondo: You are playing cheap politics, PDP tells Mimiko

BY DAYO JOHNSON

KURE—THE Peo A ples Democratic Party, PDP in Ondo State

weekend took a swipe at the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko for playing “cheap politics” with the siting of a Federal Polytechnic by the Federal Government in the state.

The Federal Government announced few weeks ago that it was siting a federal polytechnic in Ile-Oluji area of the state.

A statement by the party’s Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka in Akure, accused the governor of “busy trying to hijack Jonathan’s achievement,'' describing Mimiko's attitude as cheap and deceitful. ”We note that Governor Mimiko has been pontificating everywhere as if the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic is his creation.

We wonder if he believes that a Federal Government investment in our state can be taken as his achievement,' he said.

Pry schl pupil, two others win Ogun Ramadan competition

A

pupil of Federal Uni versity of Agriculture Staff School in Abeokuta, Faridah Jubril weekend emerged as the overall winner of the 3rd Edition of Ogun State Ramadan Essay/Quiz Competition for the Poem Category for the primary schools with her classical work entitled: “Ramadan: The Month of Peace.”

Her presentation was adjudged the best poem by the panel of judges from scores of entries submitted by the primary school pupils across the length and breadth of Ogun State.

Also, Somide Umar of NUD Junior Grammar School, Obantoko, Abeokuta was the overall winner of the Qua’ran Recitation; while Fadeelah Salami of NUD Grammar School, Obantoko, Abeokuta emerged as the overall winner for the Debate/ Essay category for the Senior Secondary Schools.

Osoba, APC reconcilatory committee meeting deadlocked ...Another meeting this week

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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BEOKUTA—A meeting be tween former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Segun Osoba and the reconciliatory committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to resolve the lingering crisis in the party in Ogun State, has ended in deadlock.

APC in the state has been factionalised into two camps with Osoba leading a faction while Governor Ibikunle Amosun leads the other.

The meeting, held in Abuja was

to resolve the crisis between the two camps.

Vanguard gathered that the national leadership of the party was reportedly jolted over alleged moves by the Presidency to woo Aremo Osoba and his group to its side.

A source told Vanguard that APC's National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the chairman of the APC reconciliatory committee, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led the team which held a closed-door meet-

ing with Aremo Osoba in Abuja last week.

Both Osoba and Amosun camps have been at loggerheads over the structure of the party in the state, which led to parallel executive councils, after which the national leadership accepted Amosun's executive and rejected Osoba’s.

Sequel to the development, loyalists of Osoba threatened to dump the party and vowed not to have anything to do with Amosun and his group.

At the failed reconciliatory meeting, Vanguard gathered that Osoba maintained his stance that justice must be done by the party before they could talk about reconciliation.

Osoba was reported to have told the delegates that, despite the fact that his camp followed the party guidelines, the party discarded him and his loyalists for his estranged political son.

According to the source, efforts by Odigie-Oyegun and Atiku to persuade Osoba not to leave the party has not yielded fruits as the former governor vowed that unless the party corrected the abnormality, his group would not work with Amosun.

It was, however, gathered that after a lot of persuasion on Osoba, he later fixed a meeting between his loyalists, especially his executive, members of National Assembly caucus and the reconciliatory committee in Abeokuta this week.

Akure traditional council, late Deji's family on warpath over evacuation of property

BY DAYO JOHNSON SOYINKA PRIZE FOR LITERATURE: From left—Mr Akin Bello, winner of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa; Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Host; Mrs Francesca Emmanuel, Chairman, Wole Soyinka Prize for Liiterature in Africa, and Mrs Titi Ebinisi, Head, Glo World durind the 5th Edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize For Literature in Africa, sponsored by Glo World in Lagos. Photo By Diran Oshe.

6 injured as rival NURTW factions clash in Ibadan

BY OLAAJAYI

I

BADAN—THE fragile peace that reigned between rival groups in the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union, NURTW, in Oyo State for the past three years was ruptured weekend as six persons were injured during alleged attack on a former Chairman of the union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola, aka Tokyo.

A source said about 20 suspected thugs arrived the scene brandishing several dangerous weapons and allegedly attacked Tokyo's supporters who were outside.

The fracas, which threw the whole Agbeni area of Ibadan, into frenzy was said to have occurred between supporters of Tokyo and the incumbent Chairman of the union, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde aka Fele.

Expectedly, both sides were accusing each other of having triggered the chaos. While Tokyo alleged it was Fele’s that attacked

him, the latter said his boys who Tokyo mentioned were at a programme at the 2nd Ramadan lecture of Alhaji Arisekola-Alao which held at the NTA, Ibadan.

Fele said, “We had met Alhaji Tokyo on several occasions and we never attacked him. We are not violent union again. We will continue to maintain the peace in the state.”

Tokyo was at the residence of Sheikh Haruna Suara, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland on an invitation when the incident happened.

Tokyo said, “I was at the Chief Imam of Ibadan’s residence to honour his invitation with some of my supporters when they attempted to kill me. My supporters were attacked while I was being attended to by the Imam in his house at Agbeni area of Ibadan”.

He added that if it were not for his supporters who were outside, he would have been killed.

Among those injured were

Bashiru Saheed, Agboola Rasak, Liadi Akande, Rilwan Akinsola and Alani Adaramola.

But Fele argued that his boys could not have attacked Tokyo as he claimed.

“We appeal to the state government to call him to order so as not to plunge the union into another avoidable blood letting of the past.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officers, SP Olabisi Okuwobi Ilobanafor said suspected thugs attacked supporters of Akinsola popularly known as Tokyo.

She said, “The command dispatched combined police teams and Armed Personel Carrier to the scene to quell the violence and rescue Akinsola.

“We are yet to make arrests because the place was very rowdy and we have to stop that first and later make arrests based on identification by the witness.

A

KURE—THE Akure Tradi tional Council and the family of the late Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida are at loggerheads over the evacuation of some property from the palace.

Vanguard gathered in Akure weekend that the wife of the late Deji, Olori Mojisola Adesida allegedly ordered the evacuation of some building materials used in the palace for the construction of a new palace complex.

She was alleged to have claimed that the materials belonged to the family of the late traditional ruler, not the Akure community.

But the Akure Traditional Council said all the property, including the Olori and the materials belonged to the community after the demise of the Oba, according to the tradition.

They insisted that the family of the late king had no right to take any property out of the palace.

According to them, by tradition all things belonging to any late Oba of the town, including his wives and children, after death, should be under the custody of the Akure community.

But Olori Mojisola maintained that the materials removed from the palace which was under construction belonged to her and not the late king.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014—11

Rivers 2015: Group vows to stop Wike

2016: Edo can't fall to PDP like Ekiti —Obadan

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

P

B

ENIN—FORMER deputy governor of Edo State and chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Rev.Peter Obadan, weekend, told the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state to forget the 2016 governorship seat, saying that the party still lacks the credibility to win elections in the state.

“I hear them sing every day about what happened in Ekiti State.

APC is firmly rooted in Edo State and the people of the state appreciate Governor Adams Oshiomhole for his numerous developmental strides. The people of the state have not still forgotten what PDP did to them for over 10 years, so this issue of Ekiti is laughable. Ekiti is not Edo,” he said.

Obadan was reacting to comments by the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, that the victory of the PDP in Ekiti State will be replicated in Edo state, come 2016.

Obadan stressed: “PDP likes sharing the money while Oshiomhole is a good manager of resources and he has no money to share to people. Oshiomhole does not like to see people suffer. He has that human feeling. I will say Oshiomhole is considerate. He is not a man who will starve his people. If there are problems with infrastructure in Edo State, it means resources are not available, it is not that he is deliberately withholding money."

VISIT: Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (right) and Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, during a courtesy visit to the governor at Government House, Uyo.

Edo Assembly crisis: Businessman drags Speaker, 23 others to court

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

B

ENIN—WORRIED by the lingering crisis rocking Edo State House of Assembly, a Benin-based businessman and Chairman, One Love Family and Caring Association, Chief Patrick Eholor, has dragged the Speaker of the state legislature, Mr. U y i Igbe and 23 other members of the House to court over their refusal to hold plenary and perform their legislative duties since June 9.

He is also praying the court to declare that the alleged sitting by a section of the lawmakers to conduct legislative business at the Edo State Government House on July 2, 2014 or other such sittings amounts to a breach of the 1999 constitution and the principles of separation of powers.

He told the court that the factional lawmakers in the legislature have shamefully fought themselves in full public glare, adding that their action was “unwholesome and unbecoming.”

The claimant is further contending that the actions of the lawmakers have brought to a standstill the normal social and economic life of Edo people, adding that other arms of government had also been directly affected as checks and balances, a cardinal principle in the operation of federal system of government, was now in abeyance.

Eholor is praying the court to direct the lawmakers to refund all financial benefits they may have received from the state Accountant-General and Com-

missioner for Finance from the day they abandoned their responsibilities as members of the Assembly to the coffers of Edo State Government.

He is also praying the court to compel the defendants to put on hold, any financial benefit or entitlement, including constituency allowances due to the Assembly members until they resume their duties as members of Edo State House of Assembly.

Eholor argued that it was morally and legally wrong for the lawmakers to enjoy any benefits, whether financial, privileges including services of their cars while out of duties, because, “public funds are meant to service statutory services and duties. The Assembly members have no justification whatsoever to continue to enjoy any financial benefit of their offices."

2015: Gbagi joins Delta guber race

BY EMMA AMAIZE & GODWIN OGHRE

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OSOGAR—FORMER Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, weekend, announced his entrance into the 2015 governorship race in Delta State.

Gbagi, a People’s Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain from Delta Central senatorial district, announced his plan when he paid a consultation visit to foremost Urhobo ethnic pressure group, Urhobo

Political Forum, UPF, led by Chief Ighoyota Amori, at his country home in Mosogar, Ethiope-East Local Government Area of the state.

Gbagi said: “I disagree with those who hold the opinion that the Urhobo people should recapitulate and play second fiddle in the 2015 governorship race in the state. My position is that the best candidate for the growth and progress of Delta State should emerge as governor in 2015.

“I never believed that we (Urhobo) will be in a state of

quagmire as we are today. Urhobo, as a nation, is on its knees and if we are not careful, we will remain in that position for a long time to come.”

He said he will have no business running the governorship race in 2015, “if Urhobo people say they are satisfied with their political standing currently in the state. But as long as the contrary remains the case, I will continue to fight tooth and nail.”

Responding, Chief Amori, said: “I commend Olorogun Gbagi for a job well done, his determination, courage and doggedness. Gbagi has not only lived up to expectation, he has lived beyond expectation.”

ORT HAR C O U R T — A GROUP, Rivers PDP Third Force Movement, has vowed to resist moves by some persons within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to impose the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, on the party as governorship candidate in next year’s election.

Secretary of the group, Mr. Oprite Amachree, said that the alleged move would violate laid down procedures of the party, adding that what the party parades as executive members in the state were mere friends of the minister.

Threatening not to accord recognition to the executive, the group said the party had clear guidelines on how to constitute party executives.

Arch Monarch BobEgbe is dead

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RCH. Monarch BobEgbe of Ugbuwangwe, in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, is dead, aged 61. A statement by the family said Arch. BobEgbe died on June 30, in Lagos.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

Late Arch. Bob-Egbe

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Lawmaker assures on PDP's victory in Delta LG polls

Dickson tasks parents, guardians on preserving Ijaw culture

BY FESTUS AHON

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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Y

E N A G O A — BAYELSANS, especially parents, have been urged to see the preservation and protection of the cultures and traditions of the Ijaw, as a collective responsibility.

Bayelsa State governor, Mr Seriake Dickson, gave the charge in his remarks at a ceremony to mark the 2014 International Museum Day at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa.

He noted that as a people rich in history, every Bayelsan has a duty to preserve and protect the Ijaw culture with a view to handing it over to the next generation.

He said: ”We all have a duty to preserve and protect our culture so that we can hand it over to the next generation as our fathers handed over to us, otherwise we will be failing in our duty and depriving the coming generation of their completeness. ”You are better when you have full knowledge of your culture and language. That way, you will be a more complete human being, ready and able to take on the world.”

According to him, the government had undertaken the massive construction of its cultural infrastructure to underline the importance it attaches to the promotion and propagation of the language and culture of the state.

CONVOCATION: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (left) and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, at the 14th Convocation of the College of Education, Agbor, weekend.

APC, Oshiomhole instigating Edo Assembly crisis —PDP

BY HENRY UMORU

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BUJA—THE national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday accused the All Progressives Congress, APC and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State of instigating the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly.

The party alleged that the governor was jittery over what it termed, soaring popularity of the PDP in the state, adding that more members would dump the APC for PDP. PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement, noted that APC in Edo State and the governor have now “resorted to orchestrating crisis in a spirited move to stop the trend.

“What else would have prompted the relocation of the state legislature to the Governor’s Office on the stage managed renovation of the Assembly complex if not a calculated plot to intimidate and compromise the lawmakers and prevent them from carrying out their

constitutional duties of checking the excesses of the state executive under Governor Oshiomhole?"

The party also accused Governor Oshiomhole of “stirring up the political crisis in Edo State to prevent an official investigation into findings on the squandering of the state’s resources, including huge levies and taxes to finance his campaign for vice presidency instead of settling down to develop the state. ”Governor Oshiomhole is also embittered by the acceptance of his followers, including his aides, top government functionaries, legislators and influential APC leaders, into the popular PDP train while his quest to join was roundly rejected on account of his undemocratic tendencies.

“Having lost the confidence and support of the people due to his despotic, anti-people and undemocratic tendencies, coupled with his colossal administrative failure, Oshiomhole has

resorted to violence and blackmail to intimidate and subdue them in line with the agenda of his party, the APC. “This frenetic effort to subvert the will of the people is foolhardy and compares to a fabled tale of a man attempting to eclipse the moon with hands. The fact that Edo is home to the PDP has never been in doubt. In fact, what is happening in Edo State is clearly a case of water finding its level."

Monarch hails Oshiomhole over competency test cancellation

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

B

ENIN—THE Otaru of Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Alhaji Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III, has commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole for cancelling the competency test proposed by the state government for teachers in public primary and secondary schools in the state.

The governor had announced the cancellation of the competency test, the restoration of salaries of 936 teachers and the approval of other incentives to the teach-

ers, at a meeting with the workers unions last Thursday.

Speaking at the formal presentation of the winner of this year’s Koranic recitation competition in Jigawa State, weekend, the Otaru of Auchi said the move will douse tension and fears among the teachers on what they erroneously thought was a ploy by the government to retrench them.

He said: “I was very happy to hear the statement made by our governor about the teachers. The teachers are now back to work.

Those who were sacked have

been asked to resume work.

Teachers who are supposed to write examinations have been exempted and those who are due to retire will be retired with full pay. So I thank you and God bless Oshiomhole.”

The Otaru said the extension of other entitlements to the teachers would increase their productivity.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Oshiomhole admonished Muslim faithful to imbibe the spirit and teachings of the holy Prophet Mohammad in order to ensure peace and unity among all ethnic nationalities in the country.

GHELLI—A MEMBER of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Edoja Akpodiete, has described the large turnout of party faithful to the just concluded Delta Central PDP sensitisation rally as a message that the party was prepared to win in the forthcoming local government and general elections.

Speaking with newsmen in Ughelli during the rally, Akpodiete said: “The Urhobo people are progressives. Today speaks about what we have benefited as a people from the PDP-led government in Nigeria and Delta State.

Remember we just had the nomination of our leader, Dr. Steve Oru, as a minister designate. It is a thank you rally, a peace and unity rally.”

The lawmaker, who represents Ughelli North constituency on his aspiration for 2015, said: “It is not an ambition, I am continuing with the job. It is a re-election bid. The people have asked me to continue, who am I to say no?”

Vanguard , MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 13

ID PROJECT: Okorocha slams senators zSays they blackmailed Imo State Government

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

O

WERRI—IMO State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has demanded an open apology from the Senate over accusation of registering Northerners in the state.

According to him, what the senators involved themselves was nothing but blackmail of the state government.

Okorocha, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant, SSA, on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, also took exception to what transpired in the Senate, on Thursday, July 3, 2014.

“The distinguished senators engaged in wild goose chase by allowing themselves to be deceived into deliberating and having resolutions on a matter that does not exist in Imo State,” Okorocha said angrily.

The governor described as curious the allegation against Imo State government over the alleged registration of Northerners in the state, which sadly began in Abuja and appeared strange to the government and citizens.

“First, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, was the first to issue a release in

Abuja on the allegation, and the Imo State government reacted immediately,” Okorocha said.

He noted that in spite of the stout denial of the state

government, the distinguished senators still went ahead to discuss the matter and took decisions considered most unfortunate and irritating.

The governor said his administration knew those behind the blackmail, stressing that it was the same people who deceived Charly Boy into action of absurdity.

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N I T S H A — DOCTORS in Anambra State Civil Service, under the aegis of National Association of General Medicine and Dental Practitioners, NAGMDP, have described doctors in the state civil service as the least paid in Africa.

This is coming on the heels of ongoing indefinite strike declared by Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, nationwide.

Chairman of the state

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

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FLAG OFF: From left: Chief Charles Ekwueme, Chairman, Umuahia South LGA, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State cutting the tape to officially flag off the land reclamation/erosion control project along Holy hill, Old Umuahia in Umuahia South LGA, Sir Emeka Ananaba, Deputy Governor, Hon. Ude Okochukwu, Speaker, State House of Assembly and Chief Chinwe Nwanganga, Commissioner for Environment. (Inset) is the erosion site.

STRIKE: We're least paid in Africa —Anambra doctors

BY NWABUEZE OKONKWO

Pay your bills, BPE boss tells electricity consumers

chapter of NAGMDP, Dr. Joe Uyamadu, who disclosed this in Onitsha yesterday, said while doctors in other states in the country were being paid 100 percent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale, CONMESS, before the commencement of the strike, doctors in the state were being paid only 50 percent of CONMESS. Uyamadu, who noted that doctors in the state had an understanding with Governor Willie Obiano to wait until government completed the

refurbishment and equipment of general hospitals in the state before implementing CONMESS in full, however, stated that they were on strike because the national body of NMA was involved.

He appealed to Governor Obiano to suspend the equipment and refurbishment of hospitals and start paying Anambra doctors 100 percent CONMESS like their counterparts in other states of the federation as soon as the strike is over.

This, according to him, is

to avoid brain drain of doctors in the state.

He also said House officers everywhere in Nigeria received four times more than what their counterparts in Anambra State received which, according to him, prompted newly trained doctors due for House manship to always leave for other states to serve.

He said: “This strike is an opportunity for the state government to look into our plight, with a view to solving it."

CONFAB: S-East govs to convene stakeholders' meeting

E

BY TONY EDIKE

N U G U — GOVERNORS of the South East states, yesterday, resolved to convene stakeholders’ meeting soon after the national conference to look into other matters of interest to the zone.

This is with a view to reviewing the outcome of the conference, especially the achievements made by

delegates from the zone and other issues that could not be achieved.

Chairman South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Abia State, Dr. Theodore Orji, who disclosed this after the forum’s meeting in Enugu, said the governors also resolved to do more in the area of agriculture to increase food production and e m p l o y m e n t

opportunities in the zone.

The governors who had at their earlier meeting agreed to collaborate in tackling security challenges in the zone, said they had received from a vendor of international repute supply of security equipment, which they intended to purchase jointly.

BUJA—DIRECTOR General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, has appealed to electricity consumers in the country to pay their bills regularly, to enable the new power companies remain afloat and provide efficient, constant power supply.

He made the appeal during BPE’s PostPrivatisation Monitoring team’s visit to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, according a statement in Abuja, yesterday.

The DG, who was represented by the Acting Director, National Facilities and Agricultural Resources, NF&AR, Dr. Vincent Akpotaire, noted that non-payment of electricity bills, harassment of personnel of the power companies and vandalism of power assets were threatening the power sector reform.

INEC fixes new dates for distribution of voters' cards in Ebonyi

BY PETER OKUTU

A

BAKALIKI—THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, weekend, announced new dates for the commencement of distribution of the Permanent Voters' Cards, PCs, and Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, in Ebonyi State.

In a statement issued in Abalone, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Sylvester Okay Ezeani, stated that the distribution of permanent voters’ cards, PVC, would now run between August 15 and 17, while that of continuous voters’ registration, CVR, would run from August 20-25, 2014.

It should be recalled that both events were earlier slated for the fourth week of July 2014.

14 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

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Muslim group asks Sultan to dialogue with Boko Haram A

BY CALEB AYANSINA

B U J A — CONCERNED Muslim Professionals, CMP, an Islamic group, yesterday, called on the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, to engage members of Boko Haram Islamic sect in discussions.

CMP, while expressing concern over the activities of the sect, said the insurgency persisted because of the failure of Muslim leadership to intervene.

According to the group, several members of the sect would have laid down their arms and many wouldn’t have joined the erroneous sect, if the Muslim leadership in Nigeria had engaged the sect for discussions.

The President of the organisation, Alhaji Mohammed Saidu, in a letter, entitled “Echoing the message of General Yakubu Gowon (rtd): A call for action on Islamic leadership of Northern Nigeria,” said there had been no visible or invisible effort by the Muslim leadership to

convene such engagements at even a single location, let alone covering the whole troubled region.

“That could be why demand for action on the leadership is repeatedly made by well meaning citizens,” the group noted.

The group in the letter obtained by journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, regretted that the activities of the sect had become a great embarrassment to the Islamic faith.

The CMP said: “If the family

of billionaire, Umar Mutallab, could have a terrorist in its midst, then such a disease could be everywhere; it can only take the effort of the Sultan and the other Muslim leaders to mobilise compliance by parents and relatives, which is part of the actions being demanded by wellmeaning Nigerians.

“The biggest task before our Muslim and Islamic leaders in the North is to reconcile the warring communities of Muslims and Christians through forgiveness, healing and genuine social integration and coexistence; similar to the one

referred to by General Gowon on the Muslims of the South-West geopolitical zone. The other task is to make Boko Haram come out of hiding, denounce terrorism and embrace government's overtures.

“A failure on the part of the Muslim leadership (under His Eminence the Sultan) to discharge these responsibilities/ actions to the later will render it of questionable ability, doubtful recognition, decimal loyalty or an outright dismissal as a mere smoke-screen. As obedient and loyalists to His Eminence the Sultan, our hearts bleed on these realities.”

ExxonMobil to commence high sea clean up over oil spill shutdown due to thunder.

BY JOHNBOSCO

AGBAKWURU

A

BUJA—EXXON Mobil has accepted to evacuate the high sea, following the recent oil spill that made youths from Eket, in Akwa Ibom State to barricade its terminal and stop it from operation This came as the senator representing Akwa Ibom

South senatorial district, Senator Helen Esuene, promised to mediate between the corporation and the oil producing communities to ensure that all differences were resolved.

Angry youths had laid siege to the Exxon Mobil terminal and even the housing estate of the corporation where senior staff live, over the oil spill as a result of electricity

The shutdown of electricity affected the normal operation of loading and offloading the tanks as well as switching on and off.

Senator Esuene had at the weekend, explained that the spill led to the contamination of water in the area and appealed to the youth to give the company access to the area to carry out mop up activities.

Pensioners want stiffer penalties for pension thieves

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

A

B U J A — T H E Federal Universities Pensioners Association, FUPA, has appealed to the judiciary to ensure that there was stiffer punishment for government officials tampering with the pension funds.

They also commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly for the Pension Reform Act 2014 recently passed and signed into law.

FUPA described the law as auspicious, in-depth, responsive to the pains of Nigerian pensioners and workers, and in line with international best practices in pension administration.

FUPA in a statement by its National President, Dr. Ayuba Kura, shortly after President Jonathan signed into law the Pension Reform Act, also advised the judiciary to ensure that the law bit harder by meting out prescribed punishments to offenders without fear or favour.

16— Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 BASIC as electricity is to modern living; there is a basic misunderstanding about reflecting this importance in the lives of Nigerians. The people are unimpressed about government trumpeted gains in managing the challenges of electricity supply.

Last year, government admitted that only 40 million Nigerians, about a quarter of the population, have access to electricity supply. It was meant to be an indication of progress. Nigerians wonder who the 40 million are and regularity of supplies.

Many have electricity that is useless, even for ordinary lighting, as the supply illuminates below the level of a candle flame, what is technically called a brownout. In the Nigerian experience, a brownout is worse than a blackout, as the sufferers are reckoned among the supplied. Abuja, once famous for its regular electricity supply is in darkness. Government offices and its streets share the darkness. Some offices have resorted to generators, or rationalised their activities to save valuable equipment from ruination.

Since the statistics were about people, do the 40 million users include heavy users like industries, whose consumption in

BY TOCHUKWU EZUKANMA

D

EMOCRACY is the best form of government. Consequently, the most successful countries of the world are mostly democracies. These are countries that allow independence of thought and freedom of expression. They do not repress individual rights to free speech in an attempt to protect the pretensions and follies of a privileged few. They allow every one, even the dregs of the society, a voice, and no individual, irrespective of his status, is above criticism and censure.

Central to the beauty of democracy is the jewel of democracy: freedom of expression. But paradoxically, free speech can be ugly. It has a loud mouth and can be harsh and noisy. It wields a big pen and can be obnoxious, unruly and caustic.

It is, sometimes, intrusive, divisive and disruptive. It has profaned the sacred, violated the sacrosanct and debased the exalted. But then, ironically, it magnificently serves the public good. It fosters equity and social justice by drawing attention to the travail and deprivation of poverty, exposing the indulgence and extravagance of affluence and railing against the excesses and arrogance of power. It elevates the people's awareness and awakens their aspirations.

It enlightens the mind, liberating it from timidity and fear and stimulates its creative energies.

That is, from the robust amplitude for espousal of contending and discordant interests and beliefs and the associated combative and acerbic debates and discourse inherent in free speech, a people's collective mind is edified, their

Elevating Electricity To Statistics days could be what a sizeable community would require for months. Were rural Nigerians counted?

We acknowledge that concrete steps are being taken to ameliorate the deplorable power situation. However, government must understand that Nigerians are not interested in titillating statistics that still leave them in darkness. Their understanding of improved electricity supply is light in every bulb and equipment they switch on, longer presence of electricity and in a quality that serves their needs. With the billions they are spending in generating their own electricity, Nigerians can find the means to pay a little more for better electricity supply.

A chunk of the stupendous revenues of fuel marketing firms can be adduced to the

power situation as virtually everyone buys petrol or diesel to generate power, generate noise, and increase the level of carbon in the environment. High levels of carbon harm the environment.

Concerns for damages to the environment and the clearly stated prospects stable electricity supply holds for Nigeria are enough for government to target practical results in electricity projects.

More challenges lie on the long road to improved electricity. More stable power supply would increase demand as many who run on private power would patronise public supply. Has this been factored into electricity demand?

Nigerians find no comfort in celebrating statistics and approximating them to action.

The number of distribution companies, the length of transmission lines or the megawatts of electricity generated are mere efforts. Nigerians have spent decades listening to these lines. They understand improved electricity to mean uninterrupted power supply.

If government had similar understanding, it would be more sober in assessing its efforts.

OPINION Free speech and the lessons of history horizon enlarged, their freedom nourished and their progress ensured.

Richard Goodman likened freedom of speech to a lobster, which he wrote: is a despicable scavenger of the sea, voraciously gorging the foulest refuse of the ocean floor, but ironically, from it comes the most succulent and priced seafood.

Over the years, that lamentable mix of oil windfall and irresponsible, visionless and financially reckless military rulers ran aground this stupendously endowed country and perverted the value system of a resourceful, talented and able populace. It made Nigerians insatiably greedy, incurably dishonest and shamelessly wealth conscious. It encouraged a vicious economic system that fosters the inordinate wealth of the elite few at the economic strangulation of the masses.

Potentially, democracy offers Nigeria so much. It is a wellspring of political stability, social justice and overall societal progress. If free speech is allowed to thrive, with time, democracy can significantly improve the quality of life for the majority of Nigerians and progressively enhance the standards of national morality and ethics and re-orient our distorted value system. It can, also, winnow and sift out from the political system political fraudsters, racketeers and freebooters that can only muscle their way into power through electoral fraud.

Unfortunately, freedom of expression

has been under powerful assault from President Goodluck Jonathan. Although he postures as a democrat and said he holds the media in high esteem, he exhibits disquieting dictatorial tendencies. He is contemptuous of the right of Nigerians to peaceful protest and attempts to suppress the press. Earlier, in a move that repudiated every tenet of democracy and evoked depressing memories of military authoritarianism, the he rolled out tanks and deployed soldiers in the streets of a number of Nigerian cities to stop Nigerians from peacefully demonstrating against an unconscionable government policy.

Recently, government sponsored thugs attacked "Bring Back our Girls' protesters.

They were protesting the administration's negligence and ineptitude in the handling of the abduction of 250 Chibok schoolgirls and had conducted themselves in a civil and peaceful manner. The government finally banned the group from future demonstrations about the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls because, according to Abuja Police Commissioner, Joseph Mbu, "as the FCT police boss, I cannot fold my hands and watch this lawlessness." It is newfangled and disconsolate to know that a peaceful demonstration in a democracy is an act of lawlessness.

In addition, the administration of President Jonathan is clamping down on the news media and trampling the right of the public to information. It arrests journalists for writing articles critical of the government. For example, the Deputy Editor of the Sun newspaper,

Iheanacho Nwosu, was, in April 2014, arrested by the State Security Services, SSS, for publishing an article the government agency considered unfavorable. Government agents seized newspapers, brutalised newspaper vendors and distributors and disrupted the distribution mechanism of major newspaper companies. According to a newspaper distributor: "They impounded all our distribution vans. They did not allow us to distribute newspapers... they took over newspaper distribution centres and marched out newspaper marketers, distributors and vendors".

The official pretext for all these was, according to a military spokesman, "intelligence reports indicated movement of material with grave security implications across the country, using the channel of newsprint-related consignments". But as the security sensitive material was not found in the distribution vans and distribution centres, what was the justification for the arrest of media workers, detention of distribution vans and the impoundment and destruction of newspapers?

Due to its failure in every aspect of governance, the Jonathan administration is self-conscious and petulant. It is unnerved by public outcry and swipes by the Nigeria press about its corruption and ineptitude, especially in its war against terror.

Therefore, it feels it needs to intimidate Nigerians into silence and docility and gag the media. *Mr. Ezukanma, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 41

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44 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Vanguard, MOND AY, JUL Y 7, 2014— 45 MONDA JULY

Osun guber: Don’t be distracted, Mu’azu

tells PDP members

BY HENRY UMORU

N

ATIONAL Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu yesterday urged members of the party in Osun State and the party’s candidate, ahead of the August governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore not to be distracted.

According to him, the PDP was working hard and taking its campaign to all the nooks and crannies of Osun State and the positive response of the people of the state was already giving the opposition sleepless nights, adding that the people of Osun state were solidly behind the PDP candidate and the opposition was coming up with all sorts of antics to distract the PDP campaign train.

•Adamu Mu’azu: PDP chairman In a statement by his Special Assistant (ICT), Akin Oyegoke, Muazu said, ”Our candidate is a respected and loved grassroot politician and despite his

popularity he is not taking the people for granted by reaching out to them in every corner of the state. “While our opponents are doing their elitist campaign

in the media, PDP is on the ground with the people who are going to decide who will govern Osun state in the next four years. I want to commend the good people of Osun state for the warm reception they have accorded our campaign train in Osun state since we commenced our campaign.

Mu’azu, who called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to rest on its oars and build on the experience gathered from the Ekiti governorship election, said, ”The Ekiti governorship election was commended by both local and international observers for being a very transparent, free and credible election and INEC should continue to build on this in all subsequent elections in the country.”

Stop causing chaos, Osun APC warns PDP

BY DAPO AKINREFON

T

HE Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, governorship candidate in the August 9 election, Senator Iyiola Omisore and his supporters to desist from causing chaos in the guise of political campaigns.

This warning came on the heels of a rising wave of planned violent political attacks on APC supporters across the state.

In a statement by the Director of Publicity, Strategy and Research, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the party cautioned all agents and promoters of conflicts and chaos to refrain from such acts or “face the wrath of the law”.

The party noted the political violence that was averted by the State Police Command in Obokun Local Government area of the state; a development which followed series of other similar attacks against supporters of the APC. The party listed the attacks on his party ’s members at IlaOragun, Iwo, Ikirun, destruction of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s campaign billboards along Osogbo-Ilesha Road and Ibokun and Ile-Ife, where unknown hoodlums had also planted minor explosive device to scare people a few days ago as some of the instances in which APC supporters have been at the receiving end of PDP’s crusade of violence.

The party noted that it is the restoration of peace after a long reign of PDP’s terror government that endeared Aregbesola to the people of the state.

The statement read: “People could still remember that during its tenure, the PDP administration promoted chaos, terror and

violence to an unimaginable level.

Since PDP’s exit from power however, peace returned to Osun.

Our people have from 2010 embraced the peace and harmony that Aregbesola’s government heralded.

“It has been shown to the whole world that this state values, enjoys and promotes harmonious living among its various peoples. This is one of the cardinal programmes of the APC government. Ours is not a government that fans the embers of disquiet, discord and chaos.”

“Government will do everything humanly possible to sustain the

atmosphere of peace and tranquility that have become the state’s hallmark in the last four years. Any attempt by opposition agents to plunge the state back •Aregbesola into the state of ‘nature where life is nasty, brutish and short’ will be prevented.

“Hence, the peace-loving

people of the state will rise up and defend the peace which they had enjoyed for almost four years now,” the party stated.

Akinwusi meets Osun CAN leaders

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

T

HE Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship candidate in Osun State, Mr. Olusegun Akinwusi at the weekend met with state leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) across the state’s 30 local governments in Osogbo, highlighting his programmes if elected as the governor in the August 9 election.

The state former Head of Service (HOS) during the interactive session with the religion leaders which had in attendance the state CAN Chairman, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya and other executive members explained that SDP manifesto is based on welfarist agenda with focus on development of the people.

According to him, “The idea of mega-city is now giving way to development of mega-citizens and we are going to focus on people.

We want to ensure that within

nine months of our administration, we restore the state economic base and put smile on the faces of the citizenry.

“If N5 billion is getting to Osun state and the money is spent at the four walls of the state, we will see a great difference. We are wallowing in poverty now because of the current capital flight. If you pay N5 into the state coffer now, it first lands in Lagos”, he stated.

Akinwusi assured that public

schools would be returned to their owners, if they requested for them while private school owners would be encouraged to give their best to the educational system.

He revealed that if elected there would be some “policy reversal” in the state education system while promising the National Inter-Religious Committee (NIREC) would be strengthened and properly funded to perform its statutory roles as expected.

Aregbesola has served us well —Monarchs

T

WO prominent traditional rulers in Osun state, the Onirun of Oke-Irun Oba Isaac Adetunlurese and Oluresi of Iresi, Oba Sikiru Adeseun have described Governor Aregbesola as an excellent performer who should be supported for another term of office.

Specifically, Onirun said the governor has not only done credibly well, but has also been

fair to all sections of the state, even in policy implementation.

According to him, Aregbesola has judiciously utilised the state resources to provide equitable infrastructure to the people as envisioned by the founding fathers, adding that his administration is the first to initiate developmental projects that launched the state to lime light.

Don’t sell your voters’ card — Omisore

BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

G

OVERNORSHIP candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore has warned residents of the state not to sell their voters cards to people he described as ”desperate politicians” in the state.

Omisore, who gave this warning in a statement by his Director of Media and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi said there are reports that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state was allegedly collecting voters cards from innocent people, by luring them to fill forms with their thumbprints.

Omisore, who noted that the APC was desperate to return to power in the state also informed the electorate to report anybody who ask for their voters cards to security agencies.

He however condemned the way APC members are allegedly circulating forms from house to house describing the act as wicked, anti-people and undemocratic.

••Says he’ll respect traditional institution

T

HE PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore has promised to give the necessary respect to traditional rulers in the state if given the mandate.

He made the pledge in Ejigbo when he paid a courtesy call on the Ogiyan of Ejigbo Oba Omowonuola Oyesosin during his campaign tour of the Local government area.

Omisore said as traditional rulers they have a role to play in the administration of the people.

According to him,since the APC took over government in Osun state over three years ago the state had not witnessed any significant development as all its policies are anti people .

At Songbe, Masifa, Agunrodo, Ogburo,Ife Odan, Isoko, Ola, Aye, Ilawo, Inisa Edoro, Omisore promised the people of the communities that PDP will ensure it brings succor to the people.

Omisore said if elected he will restore the lost glory in the educational sector while promising employment for all and sundry.

The PDP candidate admonished Osun people to shun violence at all times.

46—Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

T

HE National Conference made far-reaching resolutions on Thursday, July 3rd 2014 when it approved the creation of eighteen additional states in the country.

If this resolution is put in the constitution, Nigeria will become a federation of 54 states, with about 174 million people and landmass of 923,768 square kilometres.

Compare this with other famous federations such as India (1.2 billion people, 29 states/ seven territories and landmass of 3,16,414), the United States (50 states, 9.83 million square kilometres and 318 million people) and Russia (81 states, 17 million square kilometres of landmass and 145 million people). You will realise that, pound-for-pound, Nigeria will become the most minutely split federation per capita in the world in relation to our landmass and

Nigeria: a Federation of 54 states?

Secondly, a regional structure was meant to cut down the cost of governance and allow the federating units to be able to operate normal budgets where the capital expenditure will dominate the recurrent. The regions were seen as the best options for federating units, where true federalism can thrive and healthy competition will lead to the rapid development of the

,

Nigeria is beginning to conform to Professor Jibril Aminu’s pet vision. In April 1994, Aminu, who incidentally is a delegate to the ongoing Confab, gave a lecture in which he shocked many in the audience by declaring that Nigeria did not need a “true federation” made up of strong federating units

population (though the Russian is spread thinner due to its intimidating landmass).

Increasing the number of states from 36 to 54 will be a departure from the general trend of agitations as we prepared for the conference. Most agitators felt that a new, more viable Nigerian federation should revert to the regional structure: either Gowon’s old twelve-state structure that balanced the north and south, east and west; or the six geopolitical zones that conform to the natural “home zones” of Nigerians. These would form the basis for the distribution of the wealth of the nation to give every section a sense of belonging and satisfaction while also providing the various political elites their much needed platforms to assert their political influence.

agitation from perceived i n t e r n a l minorities of states that has led to more states turning the table against a return to the r e g i o n s .

Secondly, some of the newly “liberated” backwater areas of the old regions (Ebonyi, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Jigawa, Gombe, Akwa Ibom and others) would not want to return to their old regional underdog positions after tasting the sweet wine of self-determination.

The Nigerian federation is, therefore, living true to its historical essence. While most federations came together to form a common bond, the artificial territory created by a foreign colonial power finds itself splitting down the line, with emerging new political interest groups demanding the platform for their own slice of the national cake.

Nigeria is beginning to conform to Professor Jibril Aminu’s pet vision. In April 1994, Aminu, who incidentally is a delegate to the ongoing Confab, gave a lecture in which he shocked many in the

,

from all the geopolitical zones, the creation of eighteen new states will solve this problem and also correct the imbalance of the North West being the only zone with seven states.

Secondly, it has become abundantly clear that the 36 state structure has created new majority monsters and trapped minorities who could never hope to produce governors. The cases of Benue and Kogi states, where the Tiv and Igala respectively, have stubbornly refused to share power with smaller minorities since their states were created, stand out.

Other states have managed to broker charters of equity, but Benue, Kogi and even Delta States have excluded certain parts of their states from producing governors. It is this renewed

country. Those who have for decades called for true federalism had hoped that devolution of power to the regions or geopolitical zones would remove the overbearing dominance of the centre, which was foisted by the military.

At the conference, however, certain complications cropped up. The foremost of these was the question of how to achieve the nationally-agreed agenda of creating an additional state for the South East to bring it to par with four other zones in the country. How could the other zones offer the sacrifice to the South East without any incentive in a nation where people are not known to fight injustice unless the shoe is pinching them? Since there were other overwhelming demands for additional states

audience by declaring that Nigeria did not need a “true federation” made up of strong federating units. He said instead, Nigeria needed a strong federal government with weak federating units. He called for the abolition of states and retention of the local government areas; a two-tier arrangement.

Otherwise, according him, let there be a continuous creation of more states until the states will be so many and so weak as not to be able to challenge the federal government as the former Eastern Region did in 1966.The Professor of Cardiology affirmed that a strong centre was the only guarantee for national stability. Every state would become increasingly more dependent on the Centre. That way, no one will like (or be able) to secede. With 54 states, Nigeria will be well on the way to Aminu’s dream federation.

It will be a federation built on unending scrambling for the national cake, with ethnic, religious and sectional rancours always deployed to get more from the commonwealth. It will increase the cult of parasitism and dependency, and the power of the centre will guarantee that the struggle to produce the president will remain bloody. The Confab may have aggravated the problem rather than solving it.

Fashola’s Ekiti ‘takeaway': three res *** If Lagos state civil servants can’t send their children to Lagos owned tertiary institutions, the primary purpose of providing “affordable” quality education to Lagosians has been defeated. A governor who almost became a motor mechanic due to rascal youthful exuberance but was aided and rehabilitated by the free education policy of the then Western Region. He became a young lawyer, later Governor and is now at the forefront of sending potential lawyers and technocrats to the mechanic workshop, indirectly criminalising poverty and penalising indigency. Fashola won’t be remembered for his roads and bridges but for the policies of obliterating poor Lagosians.*** Ola Folarin (Facebook comment) *** Nigerians seem to forget that the APC is barely a year old. Like a child learning how to walk, they need encouragement not condemnation or castigation. We need an alternative to the PDP and how will that emerge?

Is it by calling APC strange bedfellows, northern

party, Janjaweed and other uncomplimentary names? What do Nigerians really want? How do remarks like Lagos state is hostile to nonindigenes help issues raised by Fashola?

Fashola spoke well and it behoves us to address issues raised in his article.*** Calthu (DISQUS comment) *** Guys, not every disagreement should result to an ethnic fight. We disagree to agree by stating facts on ground. I am not a Lagosian but I regard anyone living in Lagos as a Lagosian.

What Fashola possesses and brings to the table is rare in the leadership of this country. Our leaders are fond of bringing down someone doing better than them instead of making it a competition. We, the populace should not allow that. Let us support someone doing great and point out their shortcomings, devoid of sentiments. ***Zirem (DISQUS comment).

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OPINION Nigerians and today's ‘Good Press’

BY DON BARIDAM INCE the “BringBackOurGirls” protests started after we learnt that about 276 girls were abducted by the radical Islamic group called Boko Haram on April 14th, 2014, there is nothing that many commentators have not compared President Goodluck Jonathan to in this trial period of our history as a nation. There has been what I perceive as induced slams on the President. These slams are what is regarded these days in Nigeria as ‘good press’, especially by the opposition groups and some individuals.

Anything contrary and most appropriate is regarded as a ‘bad press’. Some have said that Mr. President is weak, clueless and runs no government. But in my own opinion, Jonathan for who he has always been is only demonstrating his true self: A man who is quiet, patient, tolerant, objective and unassuming.

The President does not need to be boisterous in order to run his government, what people need to understand is his knack for productivity and appreciation for constructive suggestions/ criticisms.

Perhaps, what these agents of disinformation expect is a President that is high handed and autocratic but unfortunately these are undemocratic methods that would rather fuel unimaginable crisis in the country and not expected of a man with the qualities earlier mentioned.

While we are all bothered by the current trend of militant activities and insurgency threatening our existence as a nation,

S

it would be foolhardy to expect our President to engage in war of words with any religious sect after all our forebears have done to keep Nigeria together irrespective of tribe and religious beliefs. The subtle but yet firm approach of the Jonathan administration in tackling the Boko Haram menace has not yet given us respite but clearly we can see that the notorious sect has succumbed to negotiations through kidnaps like the sad incident of our 276 girls.

To get to the root of our discontents as a people, Jonathan was able to put us together for a National Conference currently sitting in Abuja to address all our desires and misgivings. This in itself even in the face of criticisms is most welcome but the “good / bad press’’ issue would not give peace a chance.

Criticism must be objective and constructive enough to prompt a sitting President to appreciate its value, however what we see in our dailies is completely at variance with progressive values.

Politicians whether in a ruling party or not must desist from making inflammatory comments capable of causing problems that could ordinarily be contained.

Nigeria without doubt is becoming a great country under Jonathan’s transformation agenda with an unconfirmed population of about two hundred million people; it is noteworthy to know that most sectors of our economy have improved appreciably. The recent rating placing the Nigerian Economy as one of the top three largest economies in Africa, with an industrial/agricultural sector GDP of 32% and 30% growth

rate even with all the threats of Boko Haram depicts the efficacy and savvy of the Jonathan team.

In the area of unemployment which appears to be one of the issues frequently raised and has lived with us through successive administrations, Jonathan by providing funds in agricultural and other sectors has now provided the platform for genuine investors that would provide a vast number of employment opportunities to Nigerians. The privatization of power is a major success of his administration. We must all agree that one of the leading deficiencies we have suffered for generations now has been the lack of adequate power supply. This new development, a problem that only Jonathan has been bold enough to tackle, in no distant future will serve as the spring board for millions of employment avenues as manufacturing and production would be quadrupled.

President Goodluck Jonathan needs our cooperation and understanding as this will enable him achieve the remaining part of his promises to our people. We have to use our collective abilities in a productive way that would ultimately bring an end to the culture of violence and negative publicity that is fast becoming a trade mark. While the world over is protesting with the slogan of BringBackOurGirls, let us also BringBackOurCoexistence. *Prof. Baridam former Vice chacellor of UNIPORT, wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

—47 Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014—

T

“ HE price of liberty is eternal vigilance." There is some controversy regarding the exact origin of this quotation. What is not in doubt is that those who negate it invariably pay dearly for their folly. With the rampant terrorism of the Boko Haram sect, can it truly be said that Nigerians are eternally vigilant? Hardly.

Let's examine three recent developments on the security front. There is this report that a consignment of military uniforms, flak jackets and boots was impounded at the Lagos ports by Customs officials. Since the Federal Government of Nigeria knew nothing of the importation, who had brought these items into the country?

Only last week, hundreds of Boko Haram suspects travelled in a convoy of many vehicles from Northern Nigeria but were not apprehended until they were only kilometres to their destination of Port Harcourt.

How come they hadn't been seen and intercepted even before they drove across the River Niger, heading South?

Only last week also, the authorities reported that the terrorists plan to plant explosives in fuel tankers in order to cause widespread carnage in the Abuja metropolis. In the light of the doomsday scenario possible from such a contingency, what is the proper way to respond to the threat?

A good way to begin to address these challenges is to highlight the wrong way of combatting them. When the Chibok girls were kidnapped months ago, it rightly shocked world consciousness. The terrible development brought to the fore the extreme difficulties facing

Nigeria in the security terrain.

The situation for the victims and those closest to them is, to put it mildly, absolutely traumatic.

But there is another side to the coin. More girls of the age bracket of those kidnapped have been killed over time by Boko Haram.

Yet, neither the instant #Bring Back Our Girls demonstrators, nor the world at large appeared to have taken even the most fleeting of notices. Why? Suddenly, there was all over the place daily demonstrations by those agitating for our girls to be brought back. Something didn't quite sit together in those demonstrations. If Wole Soyinka, say, was arrested and detained by the Police or the Department of State Security because of his attitude to political developments in the country, there would be justifiable cause for railing at government to effect his immediate and unconditional release. To protest drone attacks in Pakistan, Imran Khan, the former cricket star and rising Pakistani politician, organised demonstrations against the United States. That too is understandable.

The Chibok girls were not abducted by the Nigerian government.

The uncompromising stance of the abductors, a priori, is eternally anti-rationale. A million years of demonstrations will not change their disposition one iota. The abductees themselves, as all experts averred, will come to grievous harm if direct military operation is launched to free them. So, what was the point in using the unfortunate development as excuse for railing at government on a daily basis?

In the end the misdirected demonstrations simply served the ends of disreputable

Most of the blames incessantly heaped on those with the primary responsibility of ensuring national security are misplaced; they have been making a lot of sacrifices, fighting against daunting odds

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politicians, and bored, jobless or frustrated characters eager for exposure on the silver screen.

Demonstrations to bring back our girls are meaningful only in the sense that they keep the political authority aware and active in its responsibilities.

T

he price of liberty is eternal vigilance. An aspect of vigilance is to insist that all those in executive political authority, who collect every month funds by the hundreds of millions, must demonstrate to what use they are putting the money for the benefit of the masses. It is known that hardly a state governor exists in Nigeria today who does not collect upwards of N500 million every 30 days in the name of security vote.

Vigilance means that these privileged governors must not be allowed to utilize their so-called security votes only for the purchase of private jets, the fomentation of pointless political crises and the servicing of expensive lifestyles.

Imagine what difference it would make to the security profile of the nation if every

APC and Osun elections

BY ABIMBOLA JONES

F

OLLOWING the recent Ekiti gubernatorial election in which the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governor Kayode Fayemi- despite having the advantage of incumbency lost to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, some troubling news have filtered out of Osun State where the next gubernatorial election will hold on August 9, 2014. The situation in Osun is somewhat similar to Ekiti as an unpopular incumbent APC candidate is also squaring off with a popular PDP candidate. Out of fear that their Osun candidate may lose in a free and fair contest, as happened in Ekiti, reports in major newspapers indicate that the APC is training thugs to unleash mayhem on Osun State.

Specifically, the New Telegraph recently reported that the Osun State chapter of the PDP said it had uncovered plans by the APC "to cause mayhem before and during the governorship election slated for August 9." The report further stated that, "PDP Director of Publicity and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi, who raised the alarm in Osogbo, added that Aregbesola has started recruiting thugs to make his plan a reality. He said Governor Rauf Aregbesola is now creating a nest of thugs in a desperate move to instil fear in the electorate, following APC's loss in the Ekiti election."

According to the New Telegraph story: "Some of the APC thugs unleashed terror on members of the party in Ibokun,

Ifewara, Iwo, Ilesa and some towns in Oriade Local Government areas." Another part of the story stated thus: "The report of these attacks on members of the party (PDP) have been lodged with police authorities in the towns where the attacks were carried out and those who sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attack are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital for security reasons."

Ordinarily, one would have dismissed the story as newspaper page politics between two competing political parties.

But over time the APC has proven itself to be a party hell-bent on unleashing violence on Nigerians as the utterances of its leaders have shown. Indeed, the incumbent governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, recently called on his supporters to be ready to fight police and other security agencies with "cutlasses and charms". Are the recent attacks on PDP supporters a dress rehearsal for August 9, 2014?

Moreover, former Lagos State governor and national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, was reported to have said: "It will be rig and roast," in reference to the Ekiti gubernatorial election during a speech at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State on April 24, 2014. This was probably why the Independent National Electoral Commission made a request to the Federal Government to ensure adequate security of lives and property during the Ekiti election. That the Ekiti election has come and gone without violence is a credit to INEC and the Federal Government.

Besides Aregbesola's and Tinubu's

Governor had in their state payroll at least 2000 men and women trained in intelligence work, while carrying out other functions like road maintenance, traffic directing and environmental sanitation. If such trained personnel exist three weeks crash programme in intelligence training makes tremendous difference - a convoy of countless vehicles carrying nearly 500 people of undetermined motives cannot move 50 kilometres without detection. But, alarmingly, those caught in Abia State had done nearly a thousand kilometres.

This absurdity is better to rail at than the exhibition of finery and frippery that passed for #Bring Back Our Girls demonstrations at choice Abuja locations.

People should agitate on some other scores. It is their right, for instance, to insist that the brains behind the imported military gear impounded by Customs officials are exposed and prosecuted. When materials meant solely for military use become handy objects for people outside the disciplined forces, it only means that when criminals perpetrate atrocities, this would be blamed on innocent men and women under arms, simply to compound the nation's crisis points. There are today two disturbing realities: The illegal proliferation of arms, and the proliferation of illegal arms.

Either way, the nation is left with the short end of the stick that is maelstrom. These are the sort of things agitators, legislators and civil society organisations should be complaining about, it being their constitutional responsibility.

Then there is the dreadful matter of causing conflagrations in crowded metropolises by exploding tankers laden with highly combustible substances.

In a society with a Fire Service that is of primitive credentials,

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BY CHUKS ILOEGBUNAM

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#Bring back our lives

In order that the August 9, 2014 election is conducted in a peaceful, free and fair atmosphere, it is important that INEC and all security agencies take all necessary precautions to forestall the violence

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statements, Nigerians must not forget that something similar was said earlier

by General Muhammadu Buhari, another national leader of the APC. Buhari, whose statement was recorded during a BBC Hausa interview, spoke in vernacular, perhaps in the hope of restricting his unstatesmanlike words to his preferred audience. Nevertheless, his words were easily translated into English for all Nigerians to bear witness.

According to Buhari: "If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood."

W

hen taken together, Aregbesola's "cutlasses and charms" utterance, Tinubu's "rig and roast" exhortation, and Buhari's "the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood" promise paint a

the result of the unthinkable is easily predictable. All those who want our girls back must add to their concerns the urgent necessity to adequately secure towns and cities. In ten years of living in London, this writer cannot remember ever seeing a fuel-bearing tanker on the streets. Yet, the gas stations were never short of supply.

Agitators have the right to demand that the authorities compel fuel distribution to now take place in cosmopolitan areas only in the dead of the night, the operations carried out by properly vetted tanker drivers accompanied by adequately trained security personnel. It is achievable. It is not rocket science.

As for the 460 suspects arrested in Abia State, the right and proper thing is to allow the security people do their work.

Most of the blames incessantly heaped on those with the primary responsibility of ensuring national security are, in fact, misplaced. They have been making a lot of sacrifices, fighting against daunting odds, donating their lives for the rest of society. They need all-round support and understanding. Yet, it should not be difficult for them to determine the owner(s) of the vehicles in which the suspects were travelling. It should not be difficult to determine how many of those arrested are foreigners.

Using medical hypnosis which is legal everywhere in the world and utterly harmless, it is not difficult to determine the real motive behind their mass vehicular movement. The point is that, by everyone playing conscientiously at their wings, the chorus will sooner change to #Bring Back Our Lives! *Mr. Iloegbunam, a commentator on national issues, a journalist, wrote from Lagos.

clear picture of a very violent APC. That the leadership of the APC has a preference for violence is something that should concern all well-meaning Nigerians, because even foreigners are beginning to express their concerns over the APC's predilection for mayhem.

For instance, the United States Consul General, Jeff Hawkins, recently berated Tinubu and other violence-loving APC leaders in a public statement. He said: "The sponsorship of violence and intimidation, and the rhetorical threat thereof, are utterly unacceptable in a democratic society, and need to be expunged once and for all from the Nigerian polity and discourse."

Meanwhile, even as Aregbesola, Tinubu and other APC leaders are going about inciting their supporters to either use "cutlasses and charms" and "roast" other human beings in their quest for political power, President Goodluck Jonathan has consistently insisted that no Nigerian blood is worth spilling in order to ensure his success at the polls. The difference between the PDP leadership and the APC leadership could not be more pronounced.

In order to ensure that the good people of Osun State enjoy peace, and that the August 9, 2014 election is conducted in a peaceful, free and fair atmosphere, as was the case in Ekiti, it is important that INEC and all security agencies take all necessary precautions to forestall the violence being promised by the APC. For now that we know what the APC is planning, to do nothing will only endanger the peace and tranquillity of Osun.

A word, they say, is enough for the wise. *Mr. Jones, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos.

48—Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Why Jonathan moved against me and Governors' Forum — Amaechi •The oil syndicate factor •Vows to finish strong TO some he is a rebel with a cause, to others he is a spoiler bent on rocking the boat, but almost all agree that as governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has performed excellently. The model primary and secondary schools that compare with the best in Africa, the healthcare scheme conceived by the administration anchored on model primary healthcare centres and secondary healthcare facilities are among indicators that have drawn compliments to the pace and pattern of governance in Rivers State. Amaechi who is also chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF last week hosted an international Energy, Environment and Investment Forum attended by some of the world’s leading infrastructure experts. On the sidelines of the forum, Governor Amaechi took time articulate his agitations to visiting journalists. Excerpts:

W

AS there any agreement between you and the Federal Government that led to the release of the Rivers State Government owned aircraft?

There was nothing like that. I didn’t even see anybody in the Federal Government; we didn’t even have any meeting. I just called one person. It was not this plane they were interested in releasing, but the (security) helicopters. I said I wanted to sell the helicopters and the person I called offered to talk to the president to seek the approval of the helicopters and they got the approval. (to bring them into the country) And in the course of getting approval for the helicopters, they got approval for the plane to be released. There was no negotiation, no interface or whatsoever other than the telephone conversation. So, what is all this rumour that I am going to the PDP? I have finished with the PDP. There is the insinuation that you were planning to run with Aminu Tambuwal?

There was nothing like that.

These are fabrications by people.

Why do political parties in Nigeria usually abhor internal democracy and adopt consensus for party positions?

Who did we force to step down?

Why did you ask your candidate (Sam Jaja) to step down?

Why I asked my candidate to step down was because I had given my commitment to Asiwaju that I would support whichever candidate he supported. And the reason I gave him my commitment was because I had said to him that we needed to look at this issue of being a Muslim party.

Commitment to Asiwaju So, first we need to get a new chairman and he has to be a Christian. So, he said to me: “Okay, I have brought a Christian and according to what you said the day we were negotiating things. Then why are you now asking somebody to run against the person based on the promise you made to me?” And I like to keep promises.

In October, the number of APC governors would

have decreased by one and another election will hold in Osun in a few weeks, what is your party doing to avert another disaster?

You will help us to tell the president to keep the soldiers in his house. All of us are part of the problem of Nigeria. President impounded newspapers and journalists did not do anything. In another country, they would have protested on the streets.

We are talking but there is need for him (president) to stop using soldiers to conduct election.

Does it mean your party is afraid it may lose Osun?

How can we lose Osun? Say something else.

Are you satisfied the country’s democracy is evolving?

Are we not ashamed that it is still evolving; every year it is evolving? Next year will make it 16 years of postAbdusalam Abubakar. When shall we grow up?

Given the allegation of the militarisation of the Ekiti election, what do you think is the proper security measure for election?

The law says police and let us see the consequences. Are you saying there are no soldiers in Borno?

What is your take on the issue with the NJC over

appointment of Chief Judge of Rivers State?

The quarrel we have about the NJC is that the constitution says 10 years at the bar and that is the only qualification for a Chief Judge. It didn’t say whether you should be from Rivers State judiciary or most senior Judge.

But there are recommendations by the

most senior judge. And the court said so.

What prompted you to move out from the normal because that has been the tradition.

It is not true. Was Teslim Elias a Judge? He was a Professor of Law. The law says 10 years.

Won’t people read that as interference in the judiciary?

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BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

•Gov. Rotimi Amaechi

Are we not ashamed that it is still evolving; every year it is evolving? Next year will make it 16 years of post-Abdusalam Abubakar

NJC? Yes, I agree. You send your names to the NJC. You send three names; they pick up one and send it to you. In our own case, they sent a name to us and said the reason why they didn’t take the person we preferred was because he was a Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal and that was what disqualified him. Then we wrote back and said you are wrong, the law says 10 years. It doesn’t matter where he comes from. So, I didn’t see where you saw it must be the

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No. It is not me. They are the people interfering.

The same law says the governor has the right to accept your recommendation or reject. If he rejects, he writes to you that I have rejected. I rejected in writing and re-forwarded the name of the person I felt by law qualified to be the Chief Judge. They said I have no right to reject. So, you see, I am fighting on the side of the people and I thought journalists would join me.

Continues on page 49

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 49

Why Jonathan moved against me — Amaechi Continues from page 48 comments on the three judges were sent to them and we didn’t favour anybody. We said these were the three judges you said we should send and all that informed our choice.

It is not me. Don’t forget that there is State Judicial Council. I didn’t mind any of the three, the only reason why I reacted was the reasons they gave for rejecting the first person. Don’t forget that when they sent it, I was aware and I said fine, I don’t mind working with anyone of them. But when they wrote to me to say we reject the number one sent by the State Judicial Council because he is not qualified since he was the President of the Customary Court. I said Haba; that is not what the law says.

The law simply says 10 years at the bar. He didn’t say it must be a Judge or marry from Rivers State. It didn’t say it must come from Rivers State. We once had a Chief Judge, Justice Douglas.

He was already in Court of Appeal in Enugu when they brought him back to Port Harcourt to be Chief Judge.

What plans have you after office? Is it true you have your eyes on the Senate?

I will go and love my wife because she is harassing me every day. I have not shown her enough love and attention, so I need to do that for six months to one year. I will spend one or two years with my children since they lost the chance of staying with their father. That is three years.

Then I will be 53 years old. I will

were made president. So, why not allow me to sit down and see if I would be president?

What are the chances of the APC in Rivers State in 2015?

Wait and see. Just tell them to keep their soldiers at the barracks and allow us to go and cast our votes.

What if they bring in soldiers?

I won’t tell them what I will do.

Didn’t you hear Osun State saying carry your charms? Did you read the story of Ombatse?

Did you hear that people were handing their guns on their own volition?

What is the assurance that you would complete your projects before leaving office, especially the monorail?

Monorail would be completed.

The reason the monorail must be completed at all costs is political.

I want to ride in the monorail and call the Amaechi haters to come and see that I am riding on the monorail. Even if it is May 29, 2015, people will ride on the monorail. We would hang rail.

What is delaying the monorail is just the terminal where they would maintain it. That is what they are fixing now, once they fix that, it will be ready.

What about the secondary schools?

It is huge and that is the problem we had with that. We have completed at least seven out of the 23 that we want to build.

The cost is N4.5 billion per school. It is huge and basically the financial diversion at the national level – the oil sector has crippled the states. All the states are being denied money. The

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My own dream is to leave office and not supporting an Ikwere candidate because the reason for which Dr. Odili supported an Ikwere candidate was to ensure that this power rotates round the ethnic groups in Rivers State

go to the university to do another first degree either in history or law. I will do a Masters and a PhD and then I will be 60something. Then the remaining years, I will teach as I get closer to the grave.

Are you exiting the political scene?

It was Channels Television that asked me whether I wanted to run for presidency and I said I couldn’t answer that question.

They asked why? I said because in Nigeria nobody runs for president. You just sit and you become president; you just see yourself one day wake up and become president prepared or unprepared. There were only two persons who have emerged president by wanting to be president of Nigeria. They were Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha. So, the rest, especially the civilian presidents sat down in their houses and

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stealing in the oil industry is so bad.

How would you compare your first term to the second?

First term we had money and the problem we had in the second term is the fact that the wife of the President is from here.

We have a situation whereby she is in direct control of the police, SSS, Air Force. I didn’t say she controlled it through her husband; she is in direct control.

Kidnapping is back into Port Harcourt and how do I stop it when the forces I used to stop them with have been removed?

Now, people cannot move freely in the state because of kidnappers.

So how do you account for that in a situation where the wife of the president takes over the security? This is not the first time I am saying it; I have said it severally and they have never

•Gov. Rotimi Amaechi denied it. The army has not denied it, the president has not denied it, the wife has not denied it, and the police also have not denied it.

Since the exit of Mbu as Rivers State Commissioner of Police, have there been any changes?

No. The only difference is that one police commissioner is more civilised than other but it is still the same. You run a government whereby the police are not working with you at all, so you can’t even say you want to go on demolition and the police will follow you.

What if the helicopters come in now?

Before we had a wonderful security system, so it was the security system that gave us the control of the state that made us to introduce helicopters where we would have camera in the helicopters and they can fly round the state and whatever we see we act on it.

Brigade commander Now, how do you manage it?

You have a system where if you go to arrest anybody; if the person says he is PDP or working for the president with AK 47 in his hand, they would let him go. The army arrested seven people with AK 47 and people are not asking, where are they? When they were arrested, I called the brigade commander that I heard that seven people had been arrested. He told me that he has handed them over to police.

Where are they now?

They have been released.

Police have confirmed that they have been released and they were seen with seven AK 47!

Why were they released?

They were released by Mbu not the current man and that is why I said the current man is more civilised than Mbu. Is the Nigerian Governors Forum still effective as a body?

What are we doing before that we are not doing again? The only thing we were doing before that we are not doing again is controlling the stealing of oil money. Now, it has gone bad that nobody can control it. Before when we saw the stealing, we would come together and tell the President that we don’t like the stealing.

Stealing in the oil industry They were more careful then.

So, if you say it is to stop us from shouting against the stealing because that was what was annoying the president that every day we were shouting about the stealing in the oil industry. The stealing was controlled by then, but now the stealing has no control at all.

Beyond that, has president stopped me from what I want to say? The answer is no because I can still say what I want to say.

What is your succession plan and why are you insisting the next governor should not come from Ikwere?

I have said that severally because as an Ikwere man, I have served for eight years.

You can’t do upland and riverine politics in Rivers State.

If you do that, it would be unfair to the riverine people. And I have been telling my friends who are in riverine area not to pursue that politics. Fifteen local government areas are upland, eight are riverine: who will win?

Politics is a game of number. So, it is not in the interest of anybody

to do riverine/upland. All you can say for now is that it would be unfair for an Ikwere man to come back as governor, no matter the numbers. Yes, Ikwere people can claim that we have 1.1million votes out of the 2.3million votes. What it means is that if you are a patriot, allow others, give the 1.1million votes to anybody of your choice, not to have appropriated those votes because the number exist.

We are saying that Ikwere fought political injustice when Bayelsa was here and by then we used to hear about one million from Bayelsa, we didn’t know that they are only about 600,000 people. And then the Ikwere people fought and fought until they created the new Rivers State.

Having created the new Rivers State and you have the highest number, the right thing to do, having served it is for an Ikwere man to have served eight years and we ship out since there are other groups. There is no group that does not have qualified candidates to govern Rivers State.

Fulfilment of agreement When Ikwere people visited me in my first two months as governor, I asked them to go to Dr. Peter Odili with gifts to thank him because he was an instrument to the realisation of an Ikwere man as governor.

They did it and I know he was shocked because he didn’t know I sent them. He was shocked to receive them and they thanked him. They thanked him because he pursued it and that was why when I was dropped, he took my cousin (Omehia), who is also an Ikwere man in fulfilment of that agreement.

So, once I became governor, about three or four months later, Ikwere people came to visit me and I told them ‘thank you for coming to see me as your son and you are my fathers, go and thank Dr. Odili for the realisation of your dream. You have been dreaming to become governor and this is the first time you are getting it.’

Now, my own dream is to leave office and not supporting an Ikwere candidate because the reason for which Dr. Odili supported an Ikwere candidate was to ensure that this power rotates round the ethnic groups in Rivers State.

Rivers has regularly harvested 2.1million votes for the PDP. In 2015, do you think the votes in place would be up to two million?

I am not God. We should even surpass the two million but what I don’t know is where it will go to, whether PDP or APC. Let us wait and see.

50 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 51

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Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 53

54 — Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

I

No, ....Not again

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was convinced that last week was the best time to go watch the World Cup, so off I went to Brazil, with the intention of taking in the match against France and from there, who knows?

The moment I stepped down in Sao Paulo, I was hit with a blizzard, an off the field tornado, so fiery and fierce that there was no way we could have beaten France on the field of play given the after effects of the imbroglio.

I had waited till today to be able to recount my Brazil experience, wonder when the Sports minister arrived to be involved in a battle so deadly that he was dancing naked with the NFF President on the streets of Brazil, if you can pardon the reference to the Colonel Mumuni Aminu and Minister Jim Nwobodo saga.

What I heard transpired in Brazil was so acrimonious that I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that our football was heading to the rocks.

Predictably, when I landed in Nigeria, it was at the airport that I got a call summoning me to Abuja “urgently” to discuss with the Sports minister as a stake holder on the way forward for our football. I thought this was okay and made plans to travel to Abuja, but between the airports and my house in Ikeja, I was inundated with calls regarding what the “real situation” was.

What really took me aback was the news that a court, sitting in Jos had sacked the NFF Board and declared the business of running sports suspended until the hearing of a motion on July 11 ....and that the Honourable minister had not wasted time in obeying the court injunction.

I said to myself, “….not again”. When are we going to learn? Who advised the Honourable Minister? When, where have we ever heard of Football matters resolved in courts of law? Chief Onigbinde was the first to react, and he did not have to be clairvoyant to foresee a FIFA sanction.

How can I forget the arrival of Bolaji Abdullahi as Sports minister? At a time litigations against the NFF littered our courts? Sam Sam Jaja, Baribote, Harrison Jalla”s NANF , Ray Nnaji, Segun Odegbami (CAS).

Add to these, some aggrieved parties and individuals…… It was at a public hearing at the National Assembly that Abdullahi won my heart when he stood up to declare that he was ready to prostrate, plead and beg those that had cases in court to withdraw their cases for amicable settlement within the family.

He asked and got phone numbers and addresses of the aggrieved parties and started a process of reconciliation that ushered in peace and progress for our football. It was during the Abdullahi peace moves that efforts were made to reintegrate members of the football family, bans were lifted and football found an enabling environment to thrive.

If the Aminu Maigari led NFF Board say today that they are the best NFF Board ever, they will be grateful to Abdullahi and the peace that made it possible for them to attain such enviable heights, including the qualification for CHAN for the first time in our history, winning of the FIFA U-17 trophy,

If the government wanted this present board out, all they needed to do was go through the proper channel as stipulated in the statutes of the NFF, CAF and FIFA.

winning the Nations Cup after over 19 years. Not only qualifying for the World Cup, but equaling a 16 year record by reaching the round of sixteen after the disasters of 2002 and 2010 .

Nigeria has an history of confrontation between Government and the NFF. Must we recount this time four years ago when the Sanni Lulu led board was booted out of office after coming back from a disastrous World Cup in South Africa? The believed government planned coup was hinged on allegations of non performance and financial irregularities. This time, pray what are the offences?

The first time that the Maigari administration’s peace was jolted was when after winning the Nations Cup, Coach Stephen Keshi resigned and heaped all the blame on the NFF for his action. That the NFF should not have interfered in his work, should not have queried him when the team was doing badly etc……All hell was let loose. Government stepped in, people in high and low places went on their knees and pleaded with Keshi not to resign.

The NFF was vilified and blacklisted. Reception parties were planned without the involvement of the NFF. I remember attending the reception of the Super Eagles at Aso Rock by President Goodluck Jonathan and how seating provision was not made for the NFF Board in the hall.

Top government functionaries like the Senate President have been quoted castigating the running of football etc as a fallout of the South African faux pas. Since then, there has been no love lost between the NFF and Government.

I had mentioned my Brazilian experience and hope I will one day have the opportunity of recounting how the minister and the NFF President were at war, leading to the present debacle.

Back to the beginning. My trip to Abuja was aborted when I found that there was a court order contrary to the statutes of CAF and FIFA. That the order read inter alia……… “ an order of interim

Nigeria respects FIFA — Sports Minister

T

HE Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Dr Tamuno Danagogo has said that Nigeria will not do anything that will attract FIFA sanctions.

The Minister told Sports Vanguard yesterday that, “Nigeria respects FIFA and the autonomy of football federations. There is no

,

way we can go against FIFA.” To buttress his point, the Minister further informed that “the

congress scheduled for next month by the Maigari-led board would go ahead as planned.

•Danagogo

•Maigari

K

WARA State has emerged male and female zonal champions for Ilorin Centre of the just concluded Championship of the Airtel Rising Stars(ARS) U-17 Tournament.

The Kwara teams also clinched the zonal tickets to the National Finals in both categories after defeating their Ekiti State counterparts in separate explosive encounters decided at the practice pitch of the Kwara Football

injunction restraining the second defendant (Alhaji Aminu Maigari) and all the purported members of the Executive Committee and Congress of the first defendant, (Nigeria Football Association) from further controlling, commanding or managing the affairs of the 1st defendant and all football matters in Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed in this case…. “…..restraining the 2nd Defendant and all the other purported members of the executive Committee and congress of the 1st defendant from further parading, presenting, or holding themselves out as executive committee and congress of the defendant pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction pending before the honourable court………”

The hearing of the motion on notice was fixed for July 11. I wonder why those who quickly acted on the court order, also went ahead within 24 hours to flout the provisions restraining the CONGRESS from operating, by convening an extra ordinary meeting of the congress.

If the government wanted this present board out, all they needed to do was go through the proper channel as stipulated in the statutes of the NFF, CAF and FIFA. Besides, what is the hurry? elections are just a month away, let those interested go to the polls and change the status quo if they are convinced they have better innovations to offer and that this administration was not good enough for our football.

Last Saturday, someone woke up and decided to go the “proper way,” the congress way. A meeting was said to have been convened where the NFF sins were tabled and discussed, guilty verdict pronounced, NFF Board and management sacked, league running bodies dissolved, committees set up.

Fair, very fair. This is what could have been done in the first place. All that remains is for the proceedings of that congress to be documented and sent to FIFA as the Tuesday deadline of the FIFA order looms. Convener, Attendance list, (How many chairmen and secretaries and affiliated bodies were present) Was there a quorum? recorders, motion movers, How many Chairmen voted for what motion, who voted against? who abstained ? Venue and agenda of the congress, …. and so on.

Nigerians in CAF and FIFA are better placed to corroborate this position.

This is what happened and was made available at the Lulu “Ouster Congress” and everyone went home “happy” and we moved on.

We ask for no less.

Let no one be deceived that the bluff of a FIFA sanction can be called. It will paralyse football in this country, turn us into a pariah state and hit the youth of this country who will be thrown out of all football competitions until we learn to operate by the rules See you next week.

ARS Season 4: Kwara beats Ekiti to win Ilorin Zonal title Academy (KFA), Ilorin.

In the female final match, the Kwara team whitewashed their opponent from Ekiti 4-0 with two goals each half of the encounter to retain the trophy it won last year in Ibadan, Oyo State.

A brace from the boots of darting striker, Eto Deuty, and one goal each from last year’s most valuable player in the national

championship, Shittu Kafayat and Hassan Sulia was all the team needed to needed to emerge champions of the South West zone.

In the male final, it was Kwara again who ran away victorious with a 20 win over Ekiti with goals coming off the boots of Akeem Salami and Taye Ayinde in the first half.

Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014 — 55

Neymar cried: 'I can't feel my legs' after challenge B RAZIL's star striker Neymar cried "I can't feel my legs" after a cr unch World Cup challenge by Colombia's Juan Zuniga, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told

Spanish sports daily Marca.

Scolari said the whole team panicked after the knee in the back tackle during Brazil's quarterfinal victory over

Colombia on Friday.

Left back Marcelo was first to reach the striker, who suffered a fractured vertebrae that has ruled him out of the World Cup, after the challenge.

Marcelo knelt next to Neymar and asked how he felt, according to Scolari. "He replied: 'I can't feel my legs,'" added the coach.

Marcelo shouted for the team doctor, but doctors are not allowed onto the pitch.

"Marcelo was scared and called the doctor on

but the doctor couldn't get on in the confusion.

It was a big shock, the image of Neymar being stretchered off to the helicopter, in difficulty, crying," Scolari was quoted as saying.

Team doctor Jose Luiz Runco said that Marcelo's calls for the doctor had caused the panic after the challenge.

"We've lost the one player we didn't want to lose ahead of the semifinals and the final," Scolari said of the "disastrous" loss.

Captain Yobo salutes Ahmed Musa after scoring twice against Argentina.

Navratilova inspires Kvitova to Wimbledon title

NFF: Emergency Congress valid

T

HE Nigeria F o o t b a l l Federation on Sunday reiterated that the Emergency Congress of the Federation which took place in Abuja on Saturday fulfilled the statutory requirements for holding an Emergency Congress.

“We have come across a nebulous report circulating in the social media and such clime that only three State FA Chairmen attended the Congress. This is not

*Neymar on his hospital bed

Keshi Continues from BP and this time, there would be no turning back.

As Nigerians watch the unfolding drama at the NFF and Nigerian football, we can reveal that Keshi’s ‘’tempting offers” and the much talked about South African deal may not be after all. There are strong indications that the South African Football Association are on the verge of recruiting Iranian coach, Carlos Queiroz over Keshi and that might leave Keshi floating. ‘’Yeah, Keshi has always been in the books of SAFA as well as Queiroz”, our South African source said yesterday insisting that the pendulum may have finally moved over to Queiroz after what he did with the Iranian team at the on-going World Cup in Brazil.

Iran considered a whipping team in the Group F that comprised South American giants, Argentina and African Champions Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina turned out to be a thorn on the flesh of the teams with Nigeria scrapping a barren draw with them.

Queiroz a veteran and versatile coach had told the world in Brazil that Iranian football was a sleeping giant that was faced with the challenge of waking from this

sleep. And many people believed that the man who once assisted Alex Ferguson in Manchester United had done a good job to bring Iranian football to the front burner to the extent of challenging Argentina until a late goal from Argentine wizard Messi. ‘’Keshi was ahead of other coaches but the table has turned and Queiroz is the man of the moment”, our source said.

Sports Vanguard learnt that issues of money and players’ protests may not be unconnected with the sudden change of heart from South Africans who have been monitoring the chaos that saw players skip one training session in Brazil and threatened not to play France unless their appearance fee was paid even when FIFA had not paid such money. That made President Gooluck Ebele Jonathan to send Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo to bring money on a Presidential jet to Brazil before the Eagles played France.

Nigeria also sent wrong signals to the world before the Confederations cup when the players under Keshi threatened a no show if funds due to them were not paid.

Questions are being asked over the roles of team officials if indeed they were the ones stoking the fire through players.

•Galadima

Eagles Continues from BP allowances they were paid.

Players who qualified Nigeria to a fifth World Cup also got a share of the FIFA largesse, several top team officials disclosed.

Team officials were also not left out of the largesse with the least getting about $25,000.

But it was further learnt that it was not all plain sailing as there were disagreements particularly as regards whether those who qualified the team for Brazil 2014 should also

be part of the appearance fee.

“There was a big issue among the senior players whether those who were part of the qualifiers should also get something. At the end of the day, skipper Joseph Yobo prevailed that they also have to be included,” a team official informed AfricanFootball.com “So, even some players like John Utaka and Raheem Lawal, who played just a couple of qualifiers, will also get something.”

Emenike

Continues from BP

which has alerted a host of teams about his potential.

Juventus manager, Antonio Conte intends to change his formation from a 3 - 5 - 2 to a 4 -3 - 3 this coming season, and has given the green light for the acquisition of Emmanuel Emenike.

Interested teams

including the Italian champions should be ready to meet the transfer fee of Emmanuel Emenike, which is around 20 million Euros.

The 27 - year - old appeared in all of Nigeria’s four matches at the World Cup, but did not register his name on the score-sheet.

only laughable but preposterous.

“Thirty –one of the 44 members of the NFF were physically present, and were all fully involved in the deliberations and the decisions,” Chief Effiong Johnson, the former Chairman of Chairmen, said in Abuja.

Johnson blasted the fictitious report that spectacularly claimed that those who were opposed to the Emergency Congress did not want their names in print.

P

ETRA Kvitova was thrilled to have Martina Navratilova’s support as she won her second Wimbledon title.

Kvitova beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3 6-0 to regain the title she won in 2011 and claim her second Grand Slam victory.

Fellow Czech Navratilova, a nine-time winner of the title, was watching from the Royal Box on Centre Court.

“She’s a legend,” said Kvitova. “She’s really huge in the Czech Republic. Everywhere, actually. I’m just glad that I have this huge fan.”

Federer

Continues from BP

about it over the coming years. Tennis fans will talk about it for decades.

But all you need to know about what happened Sunday on Centre Court, can be summed up in this one short clip from the post-match trophy presentation.

Federer famously cried after losing the 2009 Australian Open final to

Rafael Nadal and many people took it as a sign that he was finished. Six months later, he had won the French Open and Wimbledon, back to back, and returned to No. 1 in the rankings.

Yes, Federer will be 33 in a month. But don’t make the same mistake this time. This is a tear of instant sorrow, not lost, last chances.

Djokovic

Continues from BP struggled to get across the finish line, surrendering a 5-2 lead in the fourth set and then a match point.

Djokovic celebrated

victory in typically eccentric style, kneeling on the Centre Court turf and munching on a few blades of grass just as he had done three years ago.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Djokovic lifts second Wimbledon title

Keshi: South African interest wanes B

•Keshi

•Queiroz

Emenike on Juventus’ radar

EFORE the World Cup, it was almost certain that former Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi would not come back to his job with the Nigeria Football Federation.

He walked taller because according to him, there were several tempting and juicy offers on his table to choose from and that of the South African Football

J

UVENTUS have joined the race for Nigeria international Emmanuel Emenike, who is also being linked with a transfer to England this window.

Turkish sports daily Fanatik has reported that the Fenerbahce striker displayed his wares at the mundial, Continues on Page 55

•Emenike

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

Association, SAFA, was almost a certainty. The NFF on their part, were happy that his contract would also come to an end with the World Cup and had no intention of renewing it. They have had so much from Keshi Continues on Page 55

•Djokovic

S

U N D A Y ’ s Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic

Hundreds of thousands of words will be written

Continues on Page 55

World Cup: Eagles get N20.8m each

Galadima, Amaju kick against Maigari’s sack — Pg 55

ANSWERS

Continues on Page 55

Federer sheds tears after and Roger Federer took loss more than four hours.

I

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

Novak Djokovic won his second Wimbledon title and seventh career major with a 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, (7/4), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Roger Federer on Sunday, shattering the Swiss star ’s dream of a record eighth triumph in an epic struggle.

Victory allowed the top seeded Serb, who was also the 2011 champion and runner-up last year, to end a run of three successive defeats in Grand Slam finals, but the 27-year-old

ACROSS: 2 Store (5) 7 House (5) 8 Vision (5) 10 Similar (5) 12 Consume (3) 13 Danger (5) 15 Penetrated (7) 17 Pressed (6) 19 Drunkard (3) 20 Disproved (7) 23 Gang (4) 25 Prima-donna (4) 26 Harmed (7) 30 Tank (3) 31 Swell (6) 34 Matured (7) 37 Poison (5) 38 Scull (3) 39 Material (5) 40 Change (5) 41 Tend (5) 42 Guide (5)

T has been gathered that some of the Super Eagles stars like goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama received $130,000 (about N20.8ma-man) each as appearance fee for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“It was not a flat rate,

but some of the players like Enyeama, who were involved in both the qualifiers as well as the World Cup in Brazil got as much as $130,000,” said one official.

This is outside the match bonus and daily

Continues on Page 55

QUICK CROSSWORD

DOWN 1 Snake (5) 2 Killed (5) 3 Higher (6) 4 Sponge (4) 5 Saluted (7) 6 Irrigate (5) 9 Spike (3) 11 Ascertained (7) 13 Throw (5) 14 Wandered (5) 16 Child (3) 18 Discussed (7) 21 Couch (5) 22 Seraglio (5) 24 Hesitated (7) 27 Male (3) 28 God-like (6) 29 Instrument (5) 32 Animal (5) 33 Trunk (5) 35 Tap (3) 36 Adroit (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Inter 7, Atom 8, Office 9, Purse 11, Rid 13, Rum 15, Eden 16, Par 18, Mere 19, Minimal 20, Chit 22, Taxi 23, Natural 25, Even 27, Eel 28, Fete 30, Did 31, Dud 33, Pleat 36, Simple 37, Avid 38, Tramp

DOWN: 1, Staid 2, Imp 3. Tor 4, Roe 5, Aft 6, Scour 10, Span 11, Rescued 12, Defined 13, Relaxed 14, Merited 16, Pique 17, Rival 18, Mat 21, Tan 24, Reel 26, Visit 29, Tulip 32, Apt 33, Pet 34, Era 35, Tap

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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