CHIBOK: US Marines locate abducted girls

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Chibok: American Marines locate abducted girls in Sambisa forest •Joint operation with Nigerian military lead to arrest of a leader of the abductors

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, HENRY UMORU AND VICTORIA OJEMEABUJA, WITH AGENCY REPORT

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HERE were indications yesterday that the 230 female students abducted

by Boko Haram terrorists from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, GGSS, Chibok, Borno State, have been sited at the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, by the Special Forces of the United States Marines.

The girls who were abducted on April 14, were part of the 250 students boarded at the school for the West African School Certificate, WASC/ Senior Secondary School Certificate, SSSC, examinations, triggering world-wide condemnations.

This was even as more US military officials arrived Nigeria yesterday to join local officials in the search for nearly 300 school girls taken captives by the Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram, the US Secretary of State John Kerry, and the defence department, Pentagon, said.

The UK team had earlier arrived in Abuja to support Nigerian government in its response to the abduction of over 200 school girls.

The arrival of the foreign troops is coming on the heels of the appeal yesterday by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar for Nigerians to unite and fight the insurgents to achieve success.

According to Kerry, “Our inter-agency team is hitting the ground in Nigeria now and they are going to be working with President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to do everything that we possibly can to return these girls.”

The CNN also quoted the U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, John Kirby, who serves as Pentagon press secretary, as saying that the small team of seven would join advisers supporting local efforts to find the girls abducted over three weeks ago.

Kerry said the US team, working with the Nigerian government, would do everything possible to free the girls and everything possible to stop the atrocities of Boko Haram.

“We are also going to do

everything possible to counter the menace of Boko Haram. The entire world should not only be condemning this outrage but should be doing everything possible to help Nigeria in the days ahead,” he added.

But there are no plans to send American combat troops into Nigeria, Mr. Kirby said.

The abduction of the school girls on April 14 in a remote community in Borno State, one of the most shocking terrorist acts

by Boko Haram yet, has drawn widespread anger around the world with calls for a swift action.

President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday that the kidnapping will be “the beginning of end” of Boko Haram.

US President Obama has said he hopes the abduction by Boko Haram will galvanize the international community to act against the brutal group that has directed much of its cruelty on civilians and the innocent.

This week, more than 100 people were killed in a busy market by militants suspected to be from the group. The attack occurred in Gamboru Ngala, Borno State, near the Nigerian border with Cameroun.

Besides the United States, Britain, France and China have also offered to help rescue the stolen girls.Obama said the team sent to Nigeria comprised personnel from military, law enforcement and other agencies.

France said it will station 3,000 troops in Nigeria’s neighbouring countries to help fight militants in the Sahel region.

British satellites and advanced tracking capabilities also will be used, and China has promised to provide any intelligence gathered by its satellite network.

Meanwhile in a statement yesterday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said, “a team of UK experts who will advise and support the Nigerian authorities in its response to the abduction of over 200 school girls touched down in Abuja, Nigeria this morning”.

The team is drawn from across government, including DfID, FCO and the

Protest that took place today at the renowned Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

MoD, and will work with the Nigerian authorities leading on the abductions and terrorism in Nigeria.

The team will be considering not just the recent incidents but also longer-term counter-terrorism solutions to prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko Haram.

The team will be working closely with their US counterparts and others to coordinate efforts.

US Marines find abducted girls, arrest Boko Haram leader

However, military sources said that apart from abducting the girls, the insurgents also carted away food items and vehicles as well as killing undisclosed number of people in Chibok on the fateful night.

The sources told Saturday Vanguard in Abuja that members of the United States Marines who are already in Maiduguri following the promise by President Barak Obama to assist Nigeria in rescuing the abducted girls, located the girls inside the forest, using some Satellite equipment which combed the forest, located an assembly of the young girls and sent the images back to the Marines on ground in Maiduguri.

Aside locating the whereabouts of the girls in the

dense forest, it was also, further gathered that one of the leaders of terrorist group who participated in the abduction of the girls was arrested by a combined team of the US Marines and Nigerian forces.

Sources said that the Boko Haram leader was arrested, through an advanced interceptor equipment which was used to track the terrorist while exchanging information with his colleagues in Sambisa Forest about the movements of American and Nigerian soldiers in Maiduguri.

His phone was subsequently traced to a location in Maiduguri where he was arrested and handed over to the Nigerian military.

The location of the girls in the forest is contrary to widespread reports that the girls had been distributed and ferried to the Nigerian border towns in Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic.

Senator Ahmed Zanna, representing Borno Central District in whose Maiduguri home, an alleged Boko Haram top commander was once arrested told the Senate last week that he gave the Military an up-to-date information on how the girls could be rescued, but lamented that his information was largely ignored.

He spoke against the backdrop of the claim by the Boko Haram leader, Sheik Abubakar Shekau, last week that the girls were booties of war, who would be sold into slavery.

However, Atiku said in his blog, “While I have had and continue to have major policy differences with the government in Abuja and its leadership, as a nation we must remain united. ”We have come to a turning point in our war against terrorism in Nigeria. It is a critical moment for us; the war will not be won without us winning this battle. In short, if one is not part of the solution, they become part of the problem. ”And at a moment like this, we can no longer afford anything but a united commitment to stamping out a great evil that threatens the very existence of the only place we call home. ”On social media, I have been amazed by the outpouring of solidarity from within and outside Nigeria. While on the one hand it is sad to see Nigeria in the news for its inability to protect its most vulnerable citizens, it is also clear that in the age of social media no concerns or problems are local. ”It is in light of this that I welcome the offer of mili-

tary support from the United States, United Kingdom, France and others, and the acceptance by the Nigerian government.

While I believe that we waited too long to get to this point of admitting our need for external help, I will also insist that it’s better late than never. ”We must make it clear that under no circumstances should any person, group of persons, or organization ever be permitted to prey on the children of Nigeria, or any other country. We must make it easy for everyone who has information about this crime against humanity to contact the authorities at once. ”We must make it easy for the innocent population of the affected areas to see the Nigerian military and authorities as friends, not enemies. We must make it easy for our soldiers to be loyal and committed to this great and difficult task ahead of them. ”We must make it easy for the world to see Nigeria as a country that cares for all its citizens, regardless of their age, gender, religion, ethnic group or economic class. We must remember the people most affected, trapped on the frontlines of the battle.

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SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

15 million sexually assaulted girls give birth annually — UNICEF

BY PETER DURU Makurdi

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IVEN global increase in cases of rape and sex assault, more than 15 million teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are reported to give birth every year.

In a statement issued yesterday by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, ‘A Field office’, which was made available to Saturday Vanguard in Makurdi, many of the pregnancies result from nonconsensual sex.

According to the world body, despite advances in the last 20 years to checkmate such cases, there had been too little progress in preventing adolescent pregnancies, abortions, maternal deaths, sexuallytransmitted infections and HIV. The statement noted that “there are significant gaps

in availability, quality and access to comprehensive sexuality education and services for young people, especially in low-income countries.

“Relatively simple and well-known interventions, like midwifery services and gender-based violence prevention and response, can make a huge difference if scaled up and coupled with investments in innovations, especially in the area of contraceptives.”

Quoting Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, the statement noted that “one in 40 fifteen year-old girls living in sub-Saharan Africa faces the risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth in her lifetime.”

The world body further noted that maternal mortality has declined, stressing that “in 2013, the global Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was 210 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live

births, down from 380 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 1990 (a 45% reduction). ”The global reduction of MMR has accelerated,

with a 3.5% annual decline from 2000-2013, as compared with 1.4% between 1990 and 2000. ”However, at current trends, most countries will

not achieve the MDG target of a 75% reduction in MMR from 1990 to 2015.

An average decline of 5.5% or more every year since 1990 is needed to meet the

target on time.”

Unicef noted that with over 40,000 cases, Nigeria ranked among the ten countries with the highest burden of MMR.

Osoba group accuses Amosun of wasting N750 million DAUD OLATUNJI, ABEOKUTA

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faction loyal to the former governor of Ogun State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Aremo Segun Osoba has accused Amosun’s faction of squandering N750 million on the botched inauguration of his state executive council.

The Secretary of the faction loyal to Chief Osoba, Chief Abimbola Awofeso stated this during a consultative meeting held within the private residence of

Osoba on the crisis rocking the party.

Both Osoba and Amosun factions had held their separate congresses which produced parallel executive councils.

Speaking shortly before Chief Osoba addressed his loyalists, Awofeso said Governor Amosun had made overtures to him with a view to wooing him to his faction but he refused.

According to him, “I have been with Aremo Osoba for 45 years, he is my boss in journalism.

There is nothing I do that

Chief Osoba would not be involved.

“The money spent on the botched inauguration was too much. They (Amosun faction) spent N750 million. I am a reporter but, God disgraced them.

There was nothing they have not said about Osoba.

“He called me to his office asking me that since when have I been following Chief Osoba and I said since I was 43 years.

I told them that since I have been with him, he has never behaved like this.

“I was with governor during the local government elections. They brought somebody for councillor, the governor vowed that he would not field him because he did not obtain a form , but, he fielded him eventually. I was there in the night because they brought me from Sagamu”, he alleged.

Also speaking at the well attended meeting, the national officer from Ogun State, Chief Yemi Sanusi denied that the national body had asked the governor to organise the botched inauguration.

Police arrest four in Bauchi over death of pregnant lady

BY SUZAN EDEH, Bauchi

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HE Police in Bauchi have arrested four people in connection with the death of a 23 years pregnant lady whose corpse was abandoned in Guru village in the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis along Bauchi Jos road.

This was contained in a press statement signed by the Bauchi state police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed and made available to newsmen yesterday in Bauchi.

According to the

statement, the police received a report that a female corpse was dumped along Guru village along old Jos road, Bauchi by an unknown person.

Part of the statement read, “ the scene was visited by detectives led by DPO, GRA division. The victim was later identified by her father as Blessing Musa Abarshi, 23 yrs and from Gudum Sayawa, Bauchi.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim died as a result of complication arising from illegal abortion. “ The names of the four

suspects that were arrested are 21 years Iliya Markus of Railway Quarters; 22 years Kefas Adamu of the School of Agric Quarters, Yelwa; Ahmed D. Ahmed and Abdulrashid Bibi, who are community health workers at Comprehensive Health Centre, Tashan Babiye.

The statement further added that the last two suspects who are community health workers admitted that they administered Eprostol 111 through the cervix of the deceased to abort a 4 months, 2 weeks old pregnancy at the cost of N10,000.

My plans for my people — Eze Madu

By ANOZIE EGOLE

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HE newly elected tradi tional ruler of Umuloke Umugaragu Ezigaragu in Enyiogugu Ancient Kingdom of Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, His Royal Highness, Eze Ezinna Emmanuel Madu, has come up with his plans for his community. This is coming barely two years since he assumed the throne.

Speaking in a statement made available to Saturday Vanguard, the traditional

ruler said that peace is his major concern for his community. “ For any autonomous community to progress and move forward, there must be peace in that place. I will put all efforts in maintaning peace in my kingdom. I am a man of peace and I know what peace means as a Christian. I will reconcile all the yawning factions in the community. As the Eze of my place, it is my duty and responsibility to restore peace and unity. I am totally committed to these. It will in turn bring development

and prosperity in my kingdom. Ezigaragu is blessed with prominent men, women, professionals and ‘who is who’ in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “So, as their Eze, it is my duty to make judicious use of what we have in Ezigaragu so that we will benefit from the dividend that will come from our illustrious sons and daughters. Under my leader ship, I promise to put in all I have to make sure Ezigaragu will have it better than before. All I need is their co-operation and God willing, we will get there,” he said.

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Five suspected kidnappers shot dead in Edo •Give us information about criminals, Edo CP begs residents

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM,Benin City

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IVE suspected kid nappers were shot dead yesterday by the police in Edo state during a gun duel with the suspects.

This comes as the Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr Funso Adebanjo raised an alarm that armed bandits and kidnappers are succeeding in Nigeria because Nigerians are not giving useful information to the police.

Saturday Vanguard learnt that the kidnappers who abducted a female victim and took her to a forest at Oluku along the Benin-Akure road, met their waterloo when detectives stormed the area at the early hours of yesterday.

The notorious kidnappers were said to have laid ambush for the detectives who stormed the area with a decoy vehicle and a

Volkswagen Santana car.

They rained bullets at the police officers who eventually took cover and responded abruptly.

The names of the suspects were given as Smart Uche, Jerry M, Osarumwen Ekibise, Lucky Ekhator and Osai Friday.

Other suspects were said to have escaped into the forest with bullet wounds while the police continued combing the forest. According to Commissioner Adebanjo, “ while combing the forest, we recovered one Pump Action gun, forty three cartridges, double barrel gun, one black Range Rover jeep with registration number BDG 335 BD snatched from their victim.

“Presently, operatives of the command have embarked on cordon and searching of the forest for the eventual arrest of other notorious members who fled with bullet wounds”. CP Balogun who stressed the need for members of the pub-

lic to give the police information, asserted that “ we cannot fight crime successfully without information. Nigerians must stop this habit of thinking that the police alone can provide security for you.

“These criminals are succeeding because we don’t give information about them and that is the problem we have in Nigeria. We may have all the equipment in the world to fight crime but if you don’t give the police useful information, nothing will change” he stated.

Masterminds of Nyanya bomb blasts nabbed — Jonathan

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE & ANOZIE EGOLE

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday revealedthatthemasterminds of the two deadly bomb blasts that rocked Nyanya, a suburb of the Federal Capital

Glo/CCN African Voices showcases Senegalese activist Bineta Diop

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FRICAN Voices will this weekend feature human rights activist, Bineta Diop, as its special guest. African Voices is a 30 minute magazine programme on CNN International and is sponsored by national telecommunications operator, Globacom.

Diop, a Senegalese, is the founder and Executive Director of Femme Africa Solidarity through which she promotes women-led initiatives for peace building and con-

flict resolution on the continent.

She has led numerous peace-building initiatives in Africa with a focus on the protection of women during armed conflicts and their inclusion in peace processes.

Diop has also led teams to observe elections in post-conflict areas such as Liberia, and facilitated women’s participation in peace negotiations, notably in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

L-R shows the Secretary, Ekesan (Iperu) Club 1954, Mr. Jide Sosan going through the day’s programme with the Vice President of the club, the Chairman Equity Assurance Plc ,Mr. Adetutu Buraimo at the club’s 60th anniversary celebrations press briefing and seminar at the club’s Iperu Remo Secretariat, Ogun State.

In 2003, Diop played an instrumental role in the African Union’s decision to embrace gender parity principle with the election of five female Commissioners out of ten. As a result of her advocacy efforts together with others, the African Union adopted two landmark legal instruments to protect women namely, the Protocol to the African Charter on Women and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women (Maputo Protocol) and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa.

The activist was in 2010 elected as co-chair of the Civil Society Advisory Group, alongside Ms. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, which was established to advise the UN High-Level Steering Committee on the 10th anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Ms. Diop has received several awards and participates in various international boards.

Territory have been arrested and are currently helping the security agencies in their efforts to unmask their financiers.

Jonathan spoke while fielding questions from journalists at the end of the 24th World Economic Forum for Africa, WEFA, held in Abuja which ended yesterday.

He also said that the Federal Government had earmarked $10 million as matching grant to the efforts by the international community to rescue the 230 abducted female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, GGSS, Chibok in Borno State.

Jonathan said he had declared a total war on Boko Haram ‘’terror group’’ to rout it out of existence in the country,warningthatanybody thinking that the spate of bombings and other devastation activities by the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria wouldforcehisadministration to bend over forward and negotiate power with the sect or their sponsors should rather have a re-think as such a situation would not arise.

He however, reiterated that the successful hosting of the WEFA in Abuja in spite of threats by the insurgents was a clear demonstration that the days of Boko Haram were numbered as they will soon be smoked out with the help of the international community and made to face the consequences of their evil deeds. ”Boko Haram is a terror group and as journalists you should know the meaning of terror. Before the 9/11 no body in the US or UK imagined the dimension of terrorists in the world. You can not be too sure of what ideology that drives their leaning. Sometimes, it is from the religious

sentiments... but we need to combine so many factors to underscore their driving spirit . But I want to advice that the terrorists should also know that they don’t do certain things and get away with it because most of these activitiesarecriminaloffenses and they should know that when they are caught, they would pay dearly for it. ‘’For instance, I can tell you that the masterminds of the last Nyanya bomb blast have been arrested and would face the long arm of the law. ”I want to assure also that sooner than later, the abducted Chibok school girls would also be rescued with the help of the global community and we will use remote sensing technology to smoke them out to face the consequences,” Jonathan added.

Also, the US Marines currently in Nigeria to help thegovernmentcombatBoko Haram terrorists have made their first arrests taking two male suspects into custody after they were found in possession of arms and ammunition during a targeted search.

The two suspected Boko Haram members were arrested at Anyibe in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to the Director of Defence Information, DDI, Major General Chris Olukolade, the duo, including a teenager and an elderly man, were arrested during a cordon-and-search operation and found to be in possession of firearms.

Weapons found in their possessionincludedtworifles, three locally fabricated pistols and 61 rounds of special ammunition.

Earlier,ataseparatebriefing by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minster

of Finance, Dr.( Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala and former British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown among other WEF Officials, had expressed thedesireofboththeNigerian government and the international community to continue with the agitation of the Bring back the Chibok Girls campaign.

Brown described the adoption of the school girls as ‘’disgusting and devilish’’ but assured that the international community would not stand by and watch the senseless action by Boko Haram to scuttle the educational desire of innocent girls. He further said that the global community was already mobilizing million of dollars to combat the menace. ”There is nothing going to stand between the Nigerian children from going to school.

There will be multi- million poundsfromtheinternational community to ensure that every boy and girl has opportunity to go school in Nigeria through the save school initiative launched by the Nigerian Private Sector Initiative,” NPSI. On her own part, the Okonjo-Iweala expressed satisfaction over the successful hosting of the WEFA and adding that Nigeria used the opportunity of the forum to canvass for investments and other networking between local businessmen and the foreign investors that attended the meetings. ”We are grateful for the first WEFinAfrica.Theattendance wasverystrongwithover1000 delegates from all over the world. The forum was a success because it enabled us to mobilize the support to bring back the girls. We also managed to mobilize the international support and the local ones too,’’ She said.

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

WEF: Nigeria, Dangote, WFP to fight malnutrition in Africa with $50m •US, UK, Unicef, WEF, Bill Gates, others pledge aid

BY SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North

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MAJOR initiative to combat malnutrition in Africa was yesterday, unveiled by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, at the World Economic Forum going on in Abuja.

The package, which is drawing technical and financial support from global food and nutrition agencies, research institutions and donors, will see the injection of $50 million by Nigeria’s leading industrial and agricultural group, Dangote, into the project.

Others, who have indicated interest in the project, aimed at eliminating malnutrition, poverty and agricultural losses by farmers around the continent, are the United Nations International Children Fund, UNICEF, and World Food Programme, WFP. Others interested in the project are: United States Agency for International Aid, USAID, United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DfID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Harvestplus, Global Action for Improved Nutrition, GAIN, and Syngenta.

Adesina, who was flanked by his Health counterpart, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the initiative known as “Transformative

Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods, would see to a high level multifaceted effort aimed at arresting the scourge of malnutrition and hunger in Africa.

Giving a grim statistics of hungry and malnourished people around the world, the minister lamented that nearly 850 million of the 7.1 billion people in the world, or one in eight, are hungry.

Adesina pointed out that malnutrition is the cause of 45% of deaths in children under five, taking the lives of about 3.1 million children each year at a time global wealth in 2013 reached a new all time high of $241 trillion, up 68% within the past ten years.

“In Africa, malnutrition, especially the lack of essential minerals and vitamins poses major challenges in most countries.

“It is estimated that 12 Africans die every minute as a result of hunger and malnutrition. Almost 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not eat well enough for their health and well-being.

“Africa has the highest prevalence of undernourishment in the world afflicting almost one in four people. Eighty percent of the world’s stunted children live in just 14 countries, of which eight are here in Africa. This is not a pretty picture at all,” Adesina said.

In a bid to reverse the ugly

trend, the minister said effort was being made to transform agriculture from a mere development programme to a money-making business.

Speaking, the Vice President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Sani Dangote, said the company was desirous of setting up a major HighEnergy food plant in Africa to produce enough food for children in the continent and provide income for farmers, who grow the crops.

Dangote however said with the enthusiasm given by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development towards the project, his company was willing to invest as much as $50 million into the food project and help fight hunger, unemployment and poverty in Africa.

Dangote said: “We are ready to jump-start the programme, provided we see commitment and certain level of uptake. We have to factor in crop production inconsistencies and price instability. There should also be a guarantee of uptake to

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HE Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has fixed June 30 to determine whether or not it will cancel the by-election that was held in Delta Central Senatorial District on October 12, 2013, over alleged electoral fraud.

It was the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate at the election, Mr. Oghenetega Emerhor that filed the case before the high court.

Joined as defendants in the suit were the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Specifically, the plaintiffs, alleged that PDP, connived

with one Mr. Olawale Dawodu who is an official of INEC in Abuja, and smuggled in forged documents it said were relied upon to endorse the Nomination Form of Senator Edesiri Aguariavwodo who eventually won the election.

APC, alleged that in defiance to the time limit that was set by INEC for the submission of nomination forms, PDP, not only failed to meet up with the deadline, but bribed the INEC official to write a false date of receipt on the nomination form of its candidate.

Consequently, the plaintiffs, while contending that Senator Aguariavwodo of the PDP was not a valid candidate at the said election, applied for an order of the court, directing the

farmers. “We can jumpstart the programme and others can come in. We can encourage other investors to key in. “About nine million children between five and 59 months are targeted at 100g per day per child – a huge demand.

“As population increases,

the demand grows. We have to also formulate based on what people want and based on food attitudes. I believe we can do even more with these high energy foods,” the Executive Head of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group, said.

Speaking, the President

of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kolawole Jamodu, MAN, said his group would be signing an MoU with the Federal Government on the food programme, adding that the sorghum production programme would provide jobs for 35,000 farmers.

Abducted schoolgirls: Shettima declares three days fasting and prayers in Borno

BY NDAHI MARAMA, Maiduguri

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OVERNOR Kashim Shettima of Borno state has appealed to the

Delta Central Senatorial poll: Court fixes June 30 for judgment

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI,Abuja

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno state shedding tears when leader of Kibaku Community residents in Maiduguri, Mr. Grema Mdurbula led a peaceful protest after handing over protest letter to the governor for onward delivery to President Goodluck Jonathan over the 236 abducted Chibok schoolgirls at the Government House yesterday. Photo by Ndahi Maiduguri

Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation, to forthwith, prosecute both the PDP, Senator Aguariavwodo and the accused INEC official, Mr Dawodu.

In a 20-paragraphed statement of claim filed in support of the suit, the plaintiffs, further told the court that the 1st defendant, Aguariavwodo’s nomination and C.F. 001 forms, were not submitted to the 3rd defendant (INEC) on the last day of submission of list which was September 26, 2013.

“1st defendant was not validly nominated by the 2nd defendant (PDP) to contest the by- election into the office of Senator for the Delta Central Senatorial District”.

people of the state irrespective of religious inclinations to embark on three days fasting and prayers beginning from Monday 12th to Wednesday 14th May, 2014 for the safe release of about 236 female students abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Government Girls Secondary School Chibok last three weeks ago.

Shettima said, the fasting and payers from all and sundry became necessary as all efforts put in place to rescue the innocent girls by security agencies and government proved abortive.

Shettima made the plea to the people of the state yesterday when members of Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), BORNO state chapter led

by Mr. Alabeh Grema Mdurbula led hundreds of his members on a peaceful protest to the governor at the government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.

Governor Shettima who was visibly shedding tears when KADA community

paid him the protest visit, assured them that since the ugly incident, security agencies, state and federal government have been having sleepless nights on how to rescue the innocent school girls.

While thanking other world leading countries like United States, United Kingdom, China among others for their concern and support towards rescuing the kidnapped students, he assured the people of KADA and Borno state that, very soon, the abducted school girls will be rescued and reunited with their beloved parents.

The leader of the protest, Mr. Mdurbula while presenting the protest letter to Governor Shettima for onward delivery to

President Goodluck Jonathan, said the current issue on ground is the insurgency and its effect on the Borno and the country in general, which includes the abduction of their daughters, and concern for their rescue. He

however said politicizing the issue will not mean well to the traumatized parents. “ We are here as members of KADA, a pan association of Kibaku ethnic nationality of Nigeria, Borno state Chapter, to express our profound gratitude to His Excellency and His wife for standing by us and showing concern in this matter. As a people, we also commiserate with your Excellency and the state over this act of terror.

“We therefore urge your Excellency, not to relent, but to remain resolute, determined and focused till the end of this trying moment. It is our collective desire to plead with you, our leader, the federal government, all our security agencies and the international community to intensify efforts to ensure the safe return of our innocent daughters so as to reduce the psychological trauma that is taking its toll on the parents, relations, friends of these girls

and the community at large”.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014 — 9

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

BY EMMANUEL EDUKUGHO

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President Goodluck Jonathan

WAR AG AINS T TERROR:

Neighbours as safe havens for insurgents shown that Boko Haram, which sprang from among Muslims in Northern Nigeria and which derived its name meaning “Western type of education is forbidden” to the Muslims has been getting cross-border assistance from Cameroon, Niger,

,,

ake a very close look, if you have the heart, at the gory pictures of the wreckage at Nyanya Mass Transit Park, Abuja rocked by bomb blast in the early morning of Monday, April 14, 2014.

About 100 people were killed, over 200 others sustained injuries, many maimed, burnt beyond recognition while nearly 18 high capacity buses, several smaller commercial vehicles and cars filled with passengers ready to leave, all destroyed in the explosion planned and mindlessly executed by Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.

Immediately following on the heels of the Nyanya deadly blast about 234 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, were abducted by the Boko Haram sect after sitting for the West African School Certificate (WASC) examinations. This has caused international outrage as USA, Britain and other western European countries have pledged to assist Nigeria in efforts to rescue the abducted school girls.

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau in a report by Reuters was quoted as saying: ‘I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market by Allah,” claiming that the girls were being held as “slaves.”

On May 1, while workers worldwide were celebrating May Day, just barely 18 days after the first blast, the insurgents struck again some few meters away, near the Nyanya Park, with another blast killing about 20 persons, injuring scores of others.

This time it was Wazobia Park.

Almost as a follow-up, eleven teenage girls between ages of 12 and 15 were abducted in Warabe village of Gwoza Local Government Area, near the Cameroon Republic border, about 160 km from Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

Shekau had threatened he would marry off a woman at the age of 12, adding, “I will marry off a girl at the age of nine.”

The sect leader in a video clip, recalled his disdain for Western education, affirming that Western education should end and girls should go and get married.

Since the Boko Haram violence began four years ago, the country had been gripped by a spate of unending deadly attacks culminating in the loss of innocent lives including security personnel almost daily, cutting across all segments of the population in North East of Nigeria. Over 20,000 people in a rough estimate may have been killed in the carnage and reckless blood-letting which seemed to defy all security measures and military operations to stem this ugly tide and restore peace to the flash points of these attacks.

Several innocent souls – young and old, males and females, students and teachers, traditional chiefs and clerics, in churches and mosques, boarding schools’ inmates were attacked at night, many slaughtered without regard for human lives. Some were killed in cold blood or shot at close range, including suicide attacks.

Saturday Vanguard investigation has

Saturday Vanguard investigation has shown that Boko Haram, which sprang from among Muslims in Northern Nigeria and which derived its name meaning “Western type of education is forbidden” to the Muslims has been getting cross-border assistance from Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Mali to name a few Chad, Mali to name a few. Nigeria has a long, not structured, poorly demarcated and highly porous borders with its immediate neighbours – Niger republic (1,500 kilometres), Chad (87,000 km), Cameroon (1,700 km), Benin Republic (773 km).

The fluidity and flexibility had made it possible for nationals of these neighbouring countries to enter and leave Nigeria at will, many of them enjoying permanent residential status and even possessing Nigerian

passports. A lot of them have claimed Nigerian nationality, moving in and out along these common borders without any meaningful restriction.

After conducting raids and attacks with sophisticated weaponry and convoy of long military-type vehicles, Boko Haram members often disappeared into these neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad, sometimes after hot pursuits by Nigerian military forces.

Said a competent security source: “These neighbouring nations are providing safe havens for the insurgents. After hitting at Nigerian targets, bombing crowded places, markets and schools, they run and take cover in these countries, re-kit and transport their arsenals back and forth along these porous frontiers.

Nigeria does not have the resources and personnel to effectively patrol these long borders. We even lacked the surveillance technology and gadgets to check or monitor movements of people and goods along these borders.”

There are no operational, bilateral security co-operation with our neighbours. The need for Nigerian security agencies to seek strategic working relationships with their counterparts in ECOWAS sub-region cannot be over-emphasised.

Considering the challenges of insecurity posed by Boko Haram terrorism, some of the Impoverished Explosive Devices (IEDs) were manufactured in these neighbouring countries, many of them already having terror cells and receptive to terrorism operatives.

There are now established links between Boko Haram in Nigeria

President Paul Biya, Cameroon

which is fast becoming the hub of terrorism in the Sub-West African region, and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Al-Shabab in Somalia and Arabian Peninsula.

The cooperation between these terror groups include training, logistics, sharing of intelligence and operational modes.

Mr. Chigozie Ubani, a security expert in a television interview, acknowledged that although the Federal Government is doing a lot to tackle menace of Boko Haram insurgency, more can be done in terms of funding. “For example, in the United States after the 9/11 attack, the focus was on Osama bin Laden. They went for him and tracked him down.

Osama was worth over 300 million USD.” He called for increased funding to motivate security operatives.

“Government can match the funds the insurgents are getting. Again it is important to stifle the sources of funds for the insurgents. Sources of funds for Boko Haram must be traced. Some people and businesses are funding the sect. They are either buying favour for security purpose, some are buying safety by funding criminality.”

Ubani went on: “We need to barricade or fence our borders. Money can be borrowed for this to enhance border security. Wires can be installed and create buffer zones. Our borders should be mapped. If one considers the views of the Lamido of Adamawa that part of his kingdom stretched to Cameroon and can always move away in times of crisis, then it’s obvious that certain interests will resist the fencing of our border.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—11

A

s the search for the over 235 school girls who were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists continues with no hope for the past three weeks, students in Borno state led by Comrade Yusuf Tom and Miss Fatima Zanna Maliki had given government 40 days, which is expected to lapse on May 24, 2014, stating that, if by then the girls were not released, they are going to mobilise students nationwide and gather at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri, where they hope to go on hunger strike until government does everything within it’s power to release the abducted students.

This is even as residents and some government officials in Maiduguri have expressed dismay over alleged “ill treatment” of Borno State officials at the Presidency in Abuja during interrogation over the abduction.

The students who condemn in strong terms the abduction of the female students also urged the Federal Government to step up its effort towards speedy resolution of the security challenges in the country, as it has taken so long and it’s constantly taking different dimensions.

The youths who briefed journalists in Maiduguri last Monday said, Borno State is under the state of emergency rule and by this pronouncement as provided in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria section 305, all other powers bestowed on the governor of the state are suspended, which also translate to the fact that, the Federal Government is the only entity solely responsible for all security situation in the state and as such, the stakeholders should stop passing blame and face the task of securing the release of the abducted female students.

While answering questions from journalists, the students also said that they are not quoting section 305 which suspends all powers bestowed on the governor as a means of calling on the Presidency to replace the governor with a military admin-

Clamour for rescue of abducted schoolgirls istrator, but that, they are appealing to the presidency to ensure that, it uses the military powers at its disposal under the emergency rule to check the activities of insurgents as well as ensure the release of the Chibok girls in the custody of Boko Haram Insurgents.

The students who also commended the efforts of the civilian JTF towards ensuring return of peace in the state capital also called on youths in the state to be law abiding and embrace peaceful means in addressing their grievances.

They also said that, in the view of the fore going, they are mobilizing their fellow students from all schools across Borno State on May 7, 2014, which according to them, would be a lecture free day for them to sympathize with themselves and families of the abducted girls and other victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the state and northeast in general.

Likewise, a protest letter signed by Mohammed Bashir Shuwa, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Kashim Shettima on ICT and Alhaji Aliyu Biu, a retired secretary in the state civil service which was made available to newsmen says they have reservations over the “degrading manner in which Borno state government officials were chastised and reduced to nothing by the presidency.”

It would be recalled that last Friday, 2nd May, 2014, President Jonathan had invited some government officials to the presidency. Governor Shettima, the state commissioner of Education, Alhaji Inuwa Kubo, some security officials, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, the Chairman Chibok Local Government Council and the Divisional Police Officer of Chibok as well as the Chief Security Officer of the school went.

According to the protest letter,

“Upon their arrival at the presidential villa on Saturday May, 3rd 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan personally interrogated these key officials from 9pm to 2 am as if all the official information relayed to him by his security apparatus in Borno were meaningless, unreliable and suspicious. At the end of the interrogation, President Goodluck Jonathan (with the exception of Shettima) handed over these officials to the Inspector General of Police with the clear instructions to do his job. These officials were driven to the Force Headquarters where they were detained and made to make written statements on how the girls were abducted and later released on bail on self recognition as if they were directly or indirectly responsible for the abduction of their

,,

BY NDAHI MARAMA, Maiduguri

well as some members of the northern governors wives association present.

“One would have expected that the first lady would have sympathized with these government officials for the traumatic event they went through but unfortunately, they were subjected to all sorts of embarrassing humiliation.

“The sum total of the first lady’s vituperation appeared to be directed toward negativity and substituting facts with fiction in order to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Also attempts made to play on religious sentiments failed woefully having realized that the girls abducted came from various religious groups.

“As if that was not enough, the first lady made a number of threatening remarks including the order to security officials to arrest some women protesters and shouting down on the state director of State Security Service and other officials whom she allegedly libelled as a Boko Haram sympathizer. She also ordered all the officials to resign their appointments forthwith on their return to their respective duty posts.

“This is highly unfortunate and totally unacceptable because the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) has not mentioned or given any clearly defined responsibility, role or power to first ladies to issue such directives or exercise the powers of the state chief executive directly or indirectly or otherwise. The first ladies are enjoying the current privileges, courtesy of their husband’s position.

“This official highhandedness exhibited by Dame Patience Jonathan is primitive and unconstitutional and therefore totally unacceptable.

Similarly the president also needs to clarify the grounds on which he ordered for the detention and interrogation of the key government officials from Borno State who were equally victims of the insurgency in Borno State.“In view of the foregoing, we call on the International Community to ask President Goodluck Jonathan to explain to the world why he appeared to have

Government is the only entity solely responsible for all security situation in the state and as such, the stakeholders should stop passing blame and face the task of securing the release of the abducted female students

own children.

“The following Sunday May, 5th, 2014, they were again taken to the villa at 5pm for further interrogation and this time by the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan. While at the villa, they remained standing for four hours after which they were ushered in into the First Lady’s chambers where they were treated to verbal assaults as to the veracity of their claims on how the school girls were abducted to the admiration of her cheer leaders including the president of market women association and Ms Onyeka Onwenu as

doubts as the security information sent to him by his own security apparatus and decided to descend on Borno State Government Officials.

"If he has any doubt on such reports, are the Borno State Government Officials who did not write these official security reports going to be held responsible and asked to clarify what they have not written and reported? To us, the sum total action of the presidency is tantamount to blaming the victim, hence the purpose of our protest,” the letter said.

12 — SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MAY 10, 2014

American Marines locate abducted girls in Sambisa forest Continued from page 5 They need support, relief and rehabilitation. ”We must remember they will need help when they are returned home to their families and their loved ones. And we must make it difficult for anyone to play politics with this crisis. ’’Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth the bloodshed and the destruction we have come to associate with this campaign of terror. Not party affiliations, not the 2015 elections. We are in a race against time. For every day we delay our response, or allow ourselves to be caught up in needless bickering, we hand victory over to the forces of darkness and despair, like Boko Haram.”

Atiku appeals for unity to defeat Boko Haram However, the arrival of the foreign military officials is coming on the heels of the appeal yesterday by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on Nigerians to unite and fight the insurgents.

Atiku said the Nigeria had reached a turning point in the war against terrorism, asking the people irrespective of class, status, religion or party affiliation to unite to ensure victory over evil.

Atiku posted his opinion on his blog on the website lamenting the high level of insurgency resulting in the abduction of female students

by Boko Haram Islamist sect, pointing out Nigerians can no longer afford any other thing, but a united commitment to stamp out what he termed ‘’a great evil that threatens the very existence of the only place we can call our home.’’

No Boko Haram

activities in Lagos —Police In a related development, the Lagos State Police Command said yesterday that the rumour about activities of Boko Haram members in some parts of the state was false.

The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the state Police Command, DSP Ngozi Braide, made this known at a news conference yesterday, at Premier College Group of Schools, Palm Avenue, Mushin, where the sect members allegedly invaded.

“It is not true that there is any act of terrorism anywhere in Lagos State.

It is a lie that the terrorists invaded Premier College to abduct students.

“Somebody just sat down somewhere and cooked up the lies to cause panic in the state.

“Premier College and other schools in the state are safe and secure; let the public discountenance the rumour,“ she said.

The Executive Director of the college, Mr Abraham Martins, spoke in the same vein, describing the rumour as ”false and baseless.”

There are indications that with the confirmation that the girls are still within Nigerian territory, contrary to widespread reports that the girls have been distributed and ferried out, the original plan to storm Sambisa forest which was put on hold, would now be activated.It is however not clear if and when the the rescue operation would begin.

Nigerian Girl Guides Association expresses worry Meanwhile, the Nigerian Girl Guides Association,NGGA, has joined millions of Nigerians to express worry over the continued abduction of 234 female students and called on the Federal Government to ensure that the girls are rescued unhurt to re-unite with their families.

The association, in a statement signed by its Chief Commissioner, Dame (Dr) Christie Toby also challenged Nigerians to be security conscious and assist law enforcement agencies in fighting the enemies of the nation.

“The NGGA joins all well-meaning people all over the world to express shock over the abduction of 234 innocent school girls in Borno State.

“We are sad that up till this moment, these girls are still missing. The NGGA, being a female organisation, is specially concerned, and condemns such a heinous act.

“We declare our support for these girls and their families and pray God to strengthen them in these trying times. We appreciate the fact that government is fighting terrorism in Nigeria, but we are appealing to President Jonathan to ensure that these girls are returned safely to their families so that they can continue with their education.

“We also appeal to all security agencies and people of goodwill to support President Jonathan as they work to bring back our dear girls,” the statement added.

Amnesty accuses Nigerian troops of being forewarned about abduction and called for more re* We'll investigate— govt

BY ADEKUNLE ALIYU

D

EFENSE Head quarters have refuted the claims by Amnesty International that the Army was notified hours before the Chibok attack and consequently kidnap of 276 girls in Borno.

This came as the Minister Of Information, Mr Labaran Maku said yesterday that Federal Government will investigate the Amnesty International report which indicated that the Nigeria’s military had advance warning of the attack on Chibok where the girls were kidnapped but failed to act.

The DHQ in a statement signed by Major GeneralChris Olukolade, Director, Defence Information/ Coordinator stated that the allegation by Amnesty International, that the military authority was informed of the impending attack but failed to nip it in the bud, is very unfortunate and untrue.

"Much as the Nigerian

military appreciates the global concern and show of solidarity with the country at this trying moments, falsehood should not be introduced as a means of assessing the situation. It has to be categorically stated that the claims by Amnesty International in its report that security forces had advance warning about the abduction of students of Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State by terrorists is unfounded.

"Contrary to the organisation’s claims, troops in Maiduguri did not receive four hours forewarning about the attacks.

Rather, they received information of an ongoing attack on Chibok community from troops on patrol who on noting the attack, engaged the terrorists

inforcement to contain them.

"As the troops on reinforcement traversed the over 120km rugged and tortuous road from Maiduguri to Chibok, they ran into an ambush by terrorists who engaged them in fierce firefight and a number of soldiers lost their lives. Another set of soldiers also mobilized for the mission arrived after the terrorists had escaped due to a series of misleading information that slowed down the pursuit.

"It must therefore be clearly stated that contrary to the claim by the Amnesty International, the information received by troops at the Division Headquarters in Maiduguri was not a forewarning but the call for reinforcement by troops on patrol.

Considering the vastness of the mission area, deployment has been more of patrols than static."

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014 — 13

C M Y K

14 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

C M Y K

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014 — 15

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

W

e are not yet done with theatrics and distractions. It was like rehearsing a scene from a movie. But this is not Nollywood live! Dame Patience broke down in tears over the unresolved issue of the abducted school girls; alleging that the Borno State First Lady was trying to frustrate her efforts about helping the State Government to rescue the missing school girls. Her frustration perhaps made her use some unfortunate words for which her critics tried to crucify her. Action: To a woman from Borno; Na only you waka come?; Those bloods that are sharing in Borno; ‘There is God o, There is God o’’.

We have heard it all and seen it all. But it is not time to start apportioning blames.

It is not the time to begin to argue whether Dame Patience Jonathan should have spoken in Isoko, Urhobo, Ibo, Ijaw or whatever language. Whether it’s ‘sharing blood; instead of shedding blood,’ whether ‘ na only you waka come’ or ‘there is God o,’ English is not our mother tongue. It is not also time to begin to argue that the issue should have been taken more serious earlier. The point now is that something is being seriously done. We are not the only country in the world where the ‘emperor ’ is playing the fiddle while the ‘empire’ is on fire.

It happened in ancient Rome. So, why blame President Jonathan and his political cronies for attending political owambe parties and having a ball when Nigeria is on fire?

And who told All Progressives Congress that the tears Dame Jonathan was shedding were crocodile tears ?

We know Nollywood is the in-thing these days but why would anybody think that a traumatised First Lady was acting a script earlier written before the meeting with governors wives and other women groups?

It is not Patience Jonathan that rendered the country ungovernable. Some people swore to do that long before now and they are somewhere making this threat become a reality. Would anybody blame those who think the whole kidnap story was a scam or that those who threatened to make Nigeria ungovernable were the real culprits?

But we Nigerians have our ways. Instead of tackling the issues, we are dissecting the grammatical blunder of the First Lady who has made her point. There is no art to find the mind’s construction on the face. So, you cannot really say. How many of us have seen or felt crocodile tears? Did anybody even see any tears when her white handkerchief flew in instantly to dry them up? So, why not forget that and face the real issues?

Why should APC of all people describe Dame Patience’s tears as distracting and counter-productive, telling a ‘heart broken woman’ that her ‘crocodile tears cannot bring back the girls? Has APC forgotten

teeth before posing for the photo.

B

Theatre of the absurd

First lady Patience Jonathan

that the one who points a finger has the rest of the fingers pointing back at him? Why would the party make mockery of a very serious situation?

And why do I keep having this feeling that these girls were taken by familiar strangers who want to frustrate Jonathan’s 2015 ambition such that instead of campaigning, he would be busy looking for the girls? It is true that many would not want to see Jonathan return to power next year but they shouldn’t put these girls’ lives on the line in order to frustrate him.

A

nybody who can go to this length in order to muscle out a sitting president and wangle in another should be dreaded as the most deadly enemy. They are the devil’s alternative.

Dame Jonathan didn’t need to make her point in English if she can’t speak the language. Speaking pidgin which is spoken freely in this country is allowed to drive home her point. She has never claimed to be an English professor and even here, a professor of English can make mistakes!

I have heard and seen errors on CNN, New York Times and other printed and spoken words in world class newspapers and magazines.

They are just errors and as bad as they seem, we should not lose sight of the message being conveyed.

We have over 250 distinct ethnic groups and even the BBC allows translations in other languages. She made her point and did not let herself down despite her language. Under the circumstances, she could be al-

lowed to speak in ‘tongues’!

How could a First Lady of a country convene a meeting of smaller First Ladies and be ignored? Imagine, only one person waka come from the troubled zone when more people were expected to waka come from the zone.

Her first meeting was not attended by the governor’s wife.

Who would not weep on learning that a whole secondary school in a Boko Haram zone had no standby power generator and no

had this lackadaisical attitude concerning the meeting. So, because their daughters escaped from the kidnappers den, they forgot how important these meetings could be?

And no student who escaped from the terrorists came for the meeting.

Imagine?

And to add salt to injury, the vigilante group, wife of the Chibok village head, the gate man of the school, chairman and secretary of the Parents- Teachers Associ-

But we Nigerians have our ways. Instead of tackling the issues, we are dissecting the grammatical blunder of the First Lady who has made her point extra security was provided at the school?

Who would not be devastated that the wife of the governor whose state is burning did not show up at two important meetings?

Would you also blame the First Lady for insisting that the state government and the Commissioner for Education be blamed for the abduction of the girls as they allegedly failed to act on the letter from the Minister of Education for relocation of West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) candidates to Maiduguri or safer places? And they could not even afford ordinary ‘I pass my neighbour generator?’

Who would forgive the consistent inconsistency over the exact number of candidates in the school?

And to imagine that the parents of the girls who escaped from the abductors and teachers from the school

ation and the school matron were also absent! These are the chief mourners who should provide vital information that could help the security agencies. They were the people on ground who would have seen and heard things but they behaved as if they had something to hide.

The only mistake here was that the presidency should have sent one of the presidential jets to fly them from Borno to Abuja for the meeting.

H

ow would anybody take them serious with all kinds of allegations flying around against them.

Somebody even observed that the principal of the school had a calm mien and didn’t look traumatised in the photos published in the papers. She ought to have known that people expected her to have pour ed ashes on her head, rolled on the ground and gnashed her

ut she came with a swag.

And who has ever seen the Borno First Lady as a mother complaining? Who has seen her crocodile tears?

And when our dear mother and First Lady cried, they began to criticise her.

Imagine!

Listen to Dame Jonathan: “I told the governor’s wife to call the parents of the abducted children; she did not honour it till today. The next thing I saw were women demonstrating on the streets. Now again, before Friday, my protocol (officer) called her and she gave 100 per cent assurance that she will be here on Friday. But she did not.

“Now again, she is not here. Because she is the mother of Borno, she is the mother of those children and I am their grandmother. She should feel more concerned.

But she is not. I and the Nigerian women are calling her, but she is not here.

“It is left for you. If you tell me you are not pained, why should I cry more than the bereaved? If I do so, the world will ask me questions.

“You people are playing games. This thing will not help us. After today, if these Borno people say we should not help them, you Nigerian women should not go out to demonstrate because they are playing games. You can keep it in Borno and let it end there.

“The Police came with their own; the Army came with all their own, WAEC came with all their own, but the Borno government waka come with a few. No parent is here to tell us that a child is missing. They cannot produce a parent whose child is missing.”

Now, what has the Borno First lady got to say about these allegations? Nobody wants to believe she has a heart of stone. I only saw Gov Shettima shedding his own crocodile tears in a photograph. And the inconsistency in figures is not eradicated yet. While the school principal, who claimed that her granddaughter is among the missing girls, said 395 students sat for English subject, the WAEC official, Charles Eguridu told the meeting that 387 girls sat for English subject before the abduction and 80 girls sat for Maths after the attack.

The principal said she was not around during the abduction as she was in Maiduguri for diabetic treatment. According to her, she goes to Maiduguri every two weeks for the treatment.

The Commissioner for Health told the gathering that she had not seen any of the abducted girls that escaped from the terrorists.

So what are we saying?

The First Lady broke down and wept the second time towards the end of the meeting saying: “You want to kill my husband; you want to make me a widow before you go and rest. My God will never make me a widow.”

And to that, I say Amen!

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

By SEGUN OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

T

Chief Osoba and other party chieftains addressing APC members on Thursday

Osoba breaks silence on Ogun APC crisis the crowd of party supporters electrified the elated APC members with his incisive delivery.

So when eventually the ‘oracle’ did speak, he did not disappoint his followers. He used the opportunity to clear the air about the allegations levelled against him by the supporters of the governor.

And so, Osoba who returned from his over one week trip to London at about 4:00am on Thursday spoke for the first time since the parallel congresses.

Of course, his seeming reticence since the beginning of the crisis rocking the party in the state must have been mistaken by the governor’s camp.

But deviating from his usual conciliatory tone and stance, Osoba nonetheless bared his mind in his explanations of the crisis rocking the party over the struggle for the control of the APC machinery in Ogun State.

Not sparring in his address, the APC national leader alleged that the ongoing crisis in the ruling party in the state was part of the grand plan to rubbish him politically.

According to Osoba, the crisis was a mere replay of the events that occurred in 2003 but which he had decided to “forgive and forget” as a Christian and an elder.

He said: “This is the battle of 2003, eleven years ago, they have started again. The agenda of 2003 is still very very much alive, and that agenda of 2003 was to destroy, rubbish and finish Osoba politically. The agenda was an agenda that was started in 2003 and the same pattern, the same route is being followed. ”I preached peace and to forget anything anyone might have done since we are still alive. For eight years, the government of PDP never wanted us to live. I did not know it is an offence for me to forgive and forget and let us start afresh like brothers. I have no regret because, I have been deceived twice and will not allow that to happen again. I have seen so many things and will never happen again. “ I am grateful to all of you, 10,000 of you were employed as agents in 2011; we gave you only 2,000 Naira as agent fees. This is just a chicken feed but you did not compromise, you stood like the Rock of Gibraltar; we won the elections.

Where are those 10,000 agents? You are here, did you benefit anything from government?

“This is what I was telling them that it was some people who worked for us on the field. Then, it was the state and National Assembly members who selected all these people. The matter on ground is not about using abusive languages but ideas and intellect.”

Disclosing that he had begun a “new political engineering”, he vowed that he would henceforth relocate to the state to lead party members loyal to him in their struggle for the soul of the APC in the state.

The APC national leader also stressed that his loyalists would not leave the ruling APC in the state for any other party.

Rather, Osoba vowed that he would lead

,,

hey had been expectant, earnestly looking forward to the day the ‘oracle’ would speak concerning the ongoing intra-party rumbles within the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ogun State.

Many party stalwarts had given up the hope that the ‘oracle’ would ever voice out his feelings about the ongoing developments in the APC in the state.

But like the doubting Thomases, when the news made the rounds that the All Progressives Congress’ National Leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba who had been abroad had arrived in the country from his trip, they besieged his Ibara GRA Housing Estate residence in their thousands to hear directly from the man many now fondly refer to as the ‘oracle’.

They came in all sorts of vehicles—cars, buses and auto bikes from all the nooks and crannies of the state, leaving in their trail serious traffic gridlock in the area.

They referred to themselves as the “real” party members. The members of the Ogun State chapter of the All Nigeria Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association, popularly called ANACOWA, the members of the Action Group, Mate Agba Mole and others came gaily dressed in their uniforms. It was learnt that some members of the Governor Amosun’s SIACO group also defied the odds to attend the event.

All the roads and gates leading to Osoba’s residence had to be thrown open to give thoroughfare to this multitude of ordinary party members who had somewhat become nostalgic as they awaited the former governor’s return to the country to provide them the necessary leadership and direction regarding the current crisis rocking the APC in Ogun State.

Since after the parallel congresses conducted recently by Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s faction on the one hand and the supporters of the members of the National Assembly believed to be loyal to the APC National Leader on the other hand produced factional executives at the ward, local government and state levels of the party, Osoba’s supporters had somewhat become uncomfortable with his quiet disposition.

They had been eager to see the day the former governor would break his silence on the matter, especially following last week’s botched attempt by Governor Amosun to inaugurate the state executive committee of his own faction. The governor was however stopped from going ahead with the inauguration by the APC National Headquarters.

And like a lost sheep reunited with its shepherd, party supporters in joyous and social party mood heralded the APC national leader’s ‘triumphant entry’ into the grounds of the meeting with fanfare as many party stalwarts danced and jumped for joy at the sight of Osoba. The atmosphere was carnival-like.

The solidarity speeches that preceded Osoba’s address at the meeting which could be passed for a mini-rally eventually turned out to be just a tip of the iceberg.

Prominent party leaders at the meeting, including the State Chairman of the Osoba APC faction, Chief Isaac Olu Agemo ; the state Secretary, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso; the State Women Leader, Princess Adeola Olukoya and other members of the state exco took their turns to address the crowd.

Also, members of the National Assembly, including Senators Adegbenga Kaka( Ogun East), Gbenga Obadara (Ogun Central), Akin Odunsi (Ogun West), Hon. Adekunle Adeyemi and others did the same.

The only national officer of the party from Ogun State, Yemi Sanusi also assured the members that the APC leadership at the national level would right whatever wrong had been done to them through the recent parallel congresses.

But like the biggest masquerade who is usually billed to be the last to leave the grove, Osoba who was the last to address

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—17

them to defect f rom the ruling party to any other party. ”The issue of defecting to PDP should be discarded; the idea of going to Labour Party should also be discarded, we are going nowhere near PDP or Labour under any circumstance. We are progressives and we will continue to be progressives in our politics. All the options should be geared towards progressive politics all the way. I am ready and not going back even at the age of 75 and we will succeed together,” he said.

Apparently reacting to media reports that he had been making monetary demands on the Ogun State Government, the APC national leader whose speech was intermittently punctuated by the evergreen songs of prominent musicians such as King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Haruna Ishola laced with proverbs and anecdotes and blaring from huge loudspeakers strategically located within the compound, said that a lot of lies were being told about him by the governor’s camp.

He said in his relationships with virtually all the country’s leaders from General Murtala Muhammed to President Goodluck Jonathan, he had never been treated with such disrespect as he was now getting from Governor Amosun’s camp in the state.

Osoba disclosed that he had never collected any money from the present administration in the state in spite of the fact that he had to sell his houses in Ilorin and Ibadan during the past elections in order to further boost the chances of the party at the polls. ”Thank God I have worked with so many former heads of state and some of them are still living till today, Gowon is still alive and he respects me. Obasanjo came to power and I served him like a good indigene of Ogun State and he was appreciative. I gave him the land he is staying today and he did not pay a kobo.

Shagari is still alive and he respects me.

Buhari that they are running after is very close to me, he appointed me as the Managing Director of Daily Times in 1984 and till tomorrow, he still calls me chief and I never begged money from him. I was not a Journalist that begged for money, Babangida came, he is my friend and I never begged any money from him. When Abiola came, we collected nothing from him because he was a responsible son of Ogun State.

“Abdul Salami Abubakar got there, we are bossom friends and I never begged a kobo from him. He left and Obasanjo took over from him. Obasanjo even said it openly that I was one governor that had not asked for anything in 2002. This has been my life. Since we started

So when eventually the ‘oracle’ did speak, he did not disappoint his followers. He used the opportunity to clear the air about the allegations levelled against him by the supporters of the governor

them to victory in the current battle going on in the APC in Ogun State.

He added that his loyalists should neither entertain fears nor despair as he was agile and healthy enough to ensure that they were not denied their rights in the party. ”I promise you, I will now relocate to Abeokuta. I am going back to what I used to be which all of you can come at anytime and see me. You are the ones who make this government and we are not going to mar it. We will not destroy the government but with a ‘big but’ because we have to appreciate performance. I will come back to Abeokuta and I will operate the way I used to operate before. ”From now on, ward, local government, senatorial district meetings and constituency meetings must go on regularly and at the end of the day, we will all hear good news.”

The APC national leader who spoke in an admixture of Yoruba and English also assured them that nobody would force

politics, we have never done fund raising, we never collected money fron anyone. You have all been supporting the party with the little you have.

“I have said all these for you to know that what they are saying about me are lies, how much would they give me to make for all that I have spent for the elections, how much can they pay back?

I campaigned with my name and goodwill and they are now saying my mouth has been sealed but the mouth is opened now.”

Osoba also assured his supporters that contrary to claims by the opposing camp that he had been bought over, he would never sacrifice the interests of the National and State Assembly members loyal to him just to secure a second term ticket for his son, Olumide who is currently a member of the House of Representatives.

He therefore said that he and other party members in the state sympathized with Governor Ibikunle Amosun over the

Continues on page 54

18—SA TURD AY 18—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

CHIBOK GIRLS:

Jonathan’s committee can’t achieve anything --Audu Ogbeh Chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh, one-time Minister of Communications; former National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and now a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, is a politician and an administrator. In this interview, he bares his mind on the present security challenge in the country, what President Goodluck Jonathan must do, the ongoing National Conference, among other salient issues. Excerpt.

BY HENRY UMORU, Assistant Political Editor

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Audu Ogbeh

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hat is your take on the present security chal lenge in the country?

When you go along the roads now, one begins to wonder if enough equipment are being given to the security agencies to do their work. If you are driving in from Nyanya now, the gridlock is terrible. But there are no equipment in the hands of the soldiers or the police to check what you are carrying in the car.

They look at you, wave you or tell you to park. In these days of high level of electronics, is it impossible for every check point to have good enough equipment to detect whatever is in your car? Why don’t soldiers have them?

What is the use keeping these young men on the streets, in the rain and in the sun, asking them to do security when they have no equipment. So are we serious about it? What can anybody do by just looking at you and the car when some of these people carry their guns in bags of millet and feeds as has been reported in many parts of the country. And what of the budgetfor security? Is it being released?

Secondly, how many of you have been at the airport recently in Abuja here? Do you notice any check before you board the flight as you cross that final place where you pay your toll? Shouldn’t we take serious measures or are we waiting for some disaster to happen first?

And three, the situation in Maiduguri, there are too many disturbing rumours and comments being made about people purported to be wearing army uniforms, being the ones carrying out some of the atrocities.

One doesn’t really know now what to believe.

Is it that these boys in the Boko Haram have bought Army uniforms? Or what is happening, one doesn’t really understand. And while we carry on, our country is becoming a laughing stock. We have deteriorated into a state of barbarism where people can go, carry little school girls and take away at night and we are still just wondering what next to do. I think it has reached a state where not only foreigners, but

Nigerians will begin to lose confidence in their own country.

Fourthly, what about our neighbours. How much respect does Cameroon have for Nigeria now or Niger or Chad and what level of diplomacy are we deploying to talk to these people to make sure that these bandits don’t take refuge in their territory? If they have respect for Nigeria, they won’t try it.

I remember in 1983, when some Chadian trouble makers invaded Nigeria and killed a few soldiers, Gen. Buhari pursued them on the order of Shagari until he nearly seized them and it was then the US started panicking that we are implementing a Gadafi agenda. Not long ago, I was discussing with Gen. Buhari on this issue and he said he wanted to give them a bloody nose because they had no business entering Nigerian territory to cause trouble.

So when are we going to get tough?

We are not a small country. And why should small neighbours do this to us or pretend not to notice what is going on? When are we going to take measures against them? These are the issues. We are becoming a laughing stock of the world and this is very disturbing because for you the younger generation, if this trend continues, a day will come when our neighbours will walk in here and do what they like and go back in the guise of terrorists. They will seize parts of our territory in the guise of terrorists and we will be making speeches and doing nothing.

What can anybody do by just looking at you and the car, when some of these people carry their guns in bags of millet and feeds as has been reported in many parts of the country. And what of the budget for security? Is it being used ?

So, these are very worrying trends and one needs to join other Nigerians in bemoaning the tragedy of these girls, their parents, this country as a whole. I am saying that we’ve got to take more drastic steps than we are taking because a situation where invaders arrive and kill a hundred in Katsina, two hundred and fifteen in Benin Kebbi, kill in Kaduna, in Plateau, in Benue, in Nasarawa.

And in the case of Benue, a chemical was used on the village, killing 18 people and we all covered it in Fulani herdsmen. We think they are mercenaries being rented from our neighbours and from faraway places because some of them when they are caught are of Arab origin.

What is going on? Who is declaring war on Nigeria? These are very worrying situations.

And as a people, we have got to

realise that we are in grave danger and we will give the President any support he needs to take more serious measures and also for him to investigate his own armed forces and find out who is loyal.

He said so before that the military and his own government have been infiltrated. Has he found those who infiltrated it? He should use military intelligence to find out who is loyal and who is not. You can’t have a situation where the security forces have doubtful loyalty to the integrity of this country.

Since he said so, we urge him to find out exactly what is wrong and who is loyal and who is not, otherwise, the survival of this nation is in serious peril and it is not a matter to laugh over because we are in serious trouble.

We sympathize with the President, his government but we also urge him to take serious diplomatic steps with the Cameroons, Niger and Chad and all the neighbours, anybody who harbours criminals are enemies of Nigeria. Obviously, they know what is going on.

In the case of the abducted girls, the President has set up a fact finding committee, will it solve the problem?

I don’t really see what the committee can do. I don’t. What we need to hear from the principal of the school is the details of the girls, the names of the girls. They said some came to do an examination there, find out

Continues on page 19

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Terrorism: Leave politics out of it

Audu Ogbeh but secure the house and let us know who is living there. Maybe your guard, his wife and his children and no extra persons otherwise you lose the house.

We seize your house or knock it down because this is abode of criminals, that is where they make their bombs and those things. We can’t carry on as if we don’t know what to do, buildings have been standing and people move inside them.

It happened in Lagos not long ago

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Continues from page 18 who was there at that time so we have that list.

What can the committee do to help find out who or where they are? You keep hearing of Sambisa forest. Of course now, it is a bit too late to take certain measures otherwise there are ways of dealing with forests. They should know. If a forest becomes a place, a hideout for bandits, there are ways of dealing with forests. Dry the forest up. They can’t tell me they don’t know. We know they do or they should.

How precious is the forest that one Nigerian child should be living there, tortured and misused? What is in that forest? The half of Maiduguri, of Benue, of Borno is desert anyway.

If you dry the forest up, maybe a few land, farms or whatever there will perish but deal with the forest. But of course now, you cannot do because these young girls are there. It is amazing that we carry on as if we have no knowledge of what is available on this earth. It’s very disturbing.

A forest can be dried up.

Are you in any way disturbed about the religious dimension this issue has taken?

You see, we are a very sentimental people and Nigeria is a very peculiar society. We rush to religion, to ethnicity to hide our weaknesses as a people.

What is religious about this matter?

Half of those girls and maybe a quarter are Christians to begin with.

Suppose they were not Christians.

Suppose they were Muslims, they are Nigerian children.

How can I say I am indifferent if something happens in Badagry and I sit here and say it doesn’t matter to me. It will reach you faster than you imagine. The country is in danger. Let nobody sit and believe that this thing can’t spread to the rest of the country later, it will. If these boys have their ways, they will go far because they are testing the ground. So evil has a way of spreading faster than people imagine. It is very disturbing to see that we are always very quick to see religion, to see ethnicity, to see politics in everything. The country is in serious trouble.

With the last bomb blast that happened, do you think Abuja is safe?

I have my suspicion that some of these people are actually residents here and I would like to suggest this to the FCT minister. There are too many abandoned buildings in this town and nobody seems to have a record of their owners and people are living inside them. I am suggesting to the minister to set up a team or teams around the city in different zones, including your neighbouring states, Nasarawa and Niger, that goes around that every owner of an abandoned building should be called to report to site on a certain day and be told in clear terms to finish the house, secure it or government will knock it down or seize it. This is not time for sentiments. You may not have money now

My advice to Dame Jonathan is not to get too involved in this matter; her husband is the President, she is not; the duty of the president is to be chief public relations man in Nigeria and so certain things should be said only by him

and nothing happened till today. They said the building belongs to Bayelsa state government. Bandits were there, the locals were complaining to government and nobody did anything until they caught them as they were planning ahead to blow up 3rd mainland bridge but the matter is finished.

Let the FCT, the federal government and their neighbouring states do something. All abandoned buildings inhabited by unknown persons should either be seized or their owners be told to finish them up or sell them or government knocks them down as they have become security threat.

The PDP and the APC have been on each other’s necks over this security, do you think it is the right time to play politics?

Of course not. These are not political issues. Those who got blown at

Nyanya were they politicians? What have that got to do with PDP or APC? People who get killed are usually the common persons. Why are politicians making speeches? The country is in great danger.Ofcourse we look for cheap things to do politics with and we are not dealing with the issues. I am not interested in the politicisation of this issue which includes the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

My advice to her is not to get too involved in this matter. Her husband is the President, she is not. The duty of the president is to be the chief public relations man in Nigeria and so certain things should be said only by him before you start causing confusion in the minds of the people.

From the President’s side, what do you think he should do now?

That is what I have been saying. Don’t keep soldiers at the check points if they don’t have the equipment to track what is in the car. Sometimes, they carry bomb even in the engine, not in the boot. One group of armed robbers were caught on Jos road with machine guns and so on, buried in the bonnet of the car. We must have the equipment to check these.

I was a Minister of Communication before and I know what is available.

Overhead and below,there is an equipment that can track anything inside it. We don’t have them. Why keep soldiers there sweating away in their fatigue and boot, they can’t track anything?

So what we are saying is that we are not aware that people can pass with deadly things. If they just stand there and look at you, and say wait or pass you, it doesn’t work. We should get these tracking electronics please. And government should acquire many of them and have them distributed to wherever there are checkpoints.

One begins to wonder from observing what goes on if enough security equipment are given to security operatives to do their job.

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—19

If you are diving from Nyanya now the traffic gridlock is terrible. But there is no equipment in the hands of the police to check what people are carrying. They look at you, wave you on or tell you to park. In these days of high level technology, is it impossible for every checkpoint to have good enough equipment to detect whatever there is in the car? Why don’t soldiers have them? What is the use of keeping these young men in the rain and sun and asking them to do security when there is no equipment?

So are we serious about it? Or is it just a matter of displaying apparent seriousness? What can anybody do by just looking at you and the car when some of these people carry their guns through millets bags?

What of the budget for security, is it being used or not? Also, do you notice any checkpoint at the airports before you board a flight as you cross that final place where you pay your toll? Shouldn’t we take serious measures there or should we wait for some disaster to happen first? Look at the situation in Maiduguri. There are too many disturbing rumours and comments being made about people purportedly wearing army uniforms being the ones carrying out some of the atrocities. One doesn’t really know now what to believe. Is it that Boko Haram boys have bought army uniforms or what is happening?

Secondly there are these abandoned buildings everywhere and a time should come now when people living in certain areas should all be registered and known. Governance is a serious business. You see Cameroonians and Chadians wander in and all over the place because we mistake freedom for anarchy.

Do you buy the view that the state of emergency should be extended in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno Has it made any difference? The issue is about strengthening of the security and actually probing the security machinery to know who is where and who is what; who is loyal and who is not loyal. Government has a duty and the capacity to do so because we cannot doubt our own security.

There are those who are of the opinion that maybe because it is happening down north and not in the south and the president is from the southern part of the country and that is why he is not bothered until recently when two bombs exploded in Nyanya Well, there are all kinds of things and you cannot blame people in a state of anxiety to think anything. I don’t think, I shouldn’t think that the president of this country can afford to be indifferent, I don’t think so.But he must also do things to show greater anxiety. How many times have an American President gone to Iraq and Afghanistan unannounced.

As the commander-in-chief, you visit places. That is the risk you take as a commander-in-chief. You visit trouble spots. He should have gone to Chibok. That is dangerous but that is his job. That is the dangerous job of a President.

Continues on page 54

20—SATURDAY Vanguard ,MAY 10, 2014 Vanguard,MAY

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everywhere you turn. There are bombers claiming lives and property and they are not limited to the North East alone. There are kidnappers claiming lives and property and they are not limited to the South East alone.

There are ritual killers again claiming lives and property and they are not limited to the South West alone. Cattle rearers who have become serial looters and killers are not limited to the Middle Belt alone. Armed robbers, business and political assassins dot the landscape. The country is breathless with impunity, insecurity and violent deaths. It seems they are all coming together— all the warnings, all the predictions that have been routinely ignored and derided over the years.

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hey didn't start yesterday. Not even five years ago when this administration took over the reins. The signs were there, looming larger and larger every passing day, but nobody wanted to address or redress the situation. It seemed easier to go with the flow, make your own money, empower a few friends and country men, and retire into a country home to pontificate about the state of the nation.

Now, the chickens are coming home to roost•....

For those who have been too blind or too self absorbed to see the signs, let me state but just a few...

There was a time in this country when most people got to the top through hard work and competence. Then we decided that the system was skewed against a certain section of the country and so introduced the quota system. This in itself was not bad as many countries had used it to correct racial, gender and regional imbalances. But we used ours to defile and destroy our system. People were given accelerated promotions in the states and routinely brought to the centre to boss those who were vastly superior to them in education and experience.

result was that each VC was an intellectual giant, respected and recognised internationally in his chosen field. Now, the ivory tower is full of ethnic Lilliputians who care more about pocket than progress. Again, sycophancy, gossip and back biting have taken over our universities. The strikes go on unchecked because many of the lecturers have no character and therefore no conscience.

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he result is the badly trained youths that are coming out of the university system. Youths who have been reared on wrong values of money, money, money. Many believe all they need is a varsity education irrespective of how it is acquired forgetting that what they need to succeed is within them and not in the virtual walls of any university. So we have youths who have degrees but no education; who are looking for jobs where none exists; and worse, who do not believe in the dignity of labour.

This, for any thinking nation is a sign of trouble foretold. But rather than redress the situation, we exploited it.

Fifteen or so years ago when we flagged off the third republic, our politicians recruited our jobless youths as foot soldiers. They were armed and injected with the virus of death.

And when political rigging turned into political killing, we looked the other way because the people to apprehend were the perpetrators. Soon the stakes were raised from the killing of council aspirants to the killing of gubernatorial aspirants. In time, some heavy weights— Harry Mashal, Funsho Williams and Bola Ige—fell. Again we looked the other way. Now these youths, these badly educated but now well armed youths, have been turned loose to armed robbery, kidnapping and terrorism.

When money meant for projects are shared by our leaders, and the following year, the same project is budgeted for and shared, soon the infrastructure will begin to fall apart which is they? They have been sidelined and sacrificed on the altar of expediency and nepotism. I doubt if any critical arm of government has the Nation's 1st eleven, or 2nd eleven. All around us are square pegs in round holes. The Punch interview with Ambassador Dada was very revealing.

This man warned severally about the goings on in Sudan but was dismissed as a Christian bigot by people who should look after our security but allowed religion to becloud their judgement. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.

I am not happy to say that we are today reaping from the sown seeds of corruption, ineptitude and a badly executed social, ethnic and religious system. Unfortunately, it seems from the activities of the National Conference that we have not learnt any lesson. So who will bell the cat?

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And when political rigging turned into political killing, we looked the otherway because the p e o p l e t o apprehend were the perpetrators

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ot only did we destroy the Federal Agencies across board, we destroyed •espirit de corps, we destroyed the ethos of loyalty and hard work and introduced a value system that was inimical to progress. Now, it is not your C.V that gets you a top job; it is your connection. As someone once put it, your face and tribe must fit.

Unfortunately, when you get a job on considerations other than competence, then your output will be laced with sycophancy, gossip and back biting. You can not have an agency like that operating at an optimal level. Yet, there are times when the Nation will require that agency to provide critical inputs that will move the country forward. Like now!

When I was leaving secondary school, there were only five universities in the country. None of the Vice Chancellors

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oo many people walk around with their heads bowed down like a bulrush. To them it is as if the whole world is against them. Whatever they do does not seem to prosper.

They continue to wonder why life is so difficult. Sometimes they wonder if they would ever come out of the mess. One of the most painful thing in life is seeing people that you are better than making progress while you run in a circle.

Beloveth, life is not fair. Life does not give you what you deserve; it gives you what you demand. Life itself is short but full of many troubles. For, many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him from all of them”. There are many things that can happen to a man which will make his countenance sad, but the good Lord will give you victory over them all. Stop meditating on the troubles that you are passing through; begin to rejoice because God has promised to deliver you out of all your troubles. This is great news.

One of the reasons why people often refuse to be joyful is because they do not believe that their situation will ever change. They probably say to themselves, well this situation has been on for years now. They can never figure out how it could be resolved. We all experience such moments, though in different measures, at times. One thing you must know is that the situation is not as bad as you think.

Life challenges cast shadows many times bigger than their real challenge.

But know for a surety that the situation is subject to change. Every challenge has expiry date. The only thing that will never change is God. Malachi 3:6 says;“For I am the Lord, I change not”.I want to assure you that your situation will not get any better if you continue to walk around wearing a long face and being sad or downcast. A sorrowful person is a bitter person. No good thing can come from a bitter soul. But I can also assure you that the moment you become joyful, your whole world will change and good things will begin to happen to you.

In 1 Samuel 1, the bible talks about a woman by name Hannah. She was married and loved by her husband but she O

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had no c h i l d .

Peninnah who was both her mate and adversary had children, and oftentimes, taunted Hannah because of her childlessness. Of course, that made Hannah very bitter. No mat-

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The chickens are coming home to roost Be joyful here are killings in the land, was chosen on the basis of tribe. The

One of the reasons why people often refuse to be joyful is because they do not believe that their situation will ever change

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ter the love shown to her by her husband, she could not be comforted. Every year, the whole family would leave their home and travel to Shiloh to worship and make sacrifice to the Lord God. Even after that, Hannah would still go into the temple privately to pray for a change concerning her barrenness. She also made a vow to the Lord, a very big vow. But on a closer look, you will see that the key ingredient that gave the breakthrough neither the prayers nor the vow. It was her joy level. “And she said let thine hand maid find grace in thy sight.So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

The moment Hannah’s countenance was joyful despite what she was passing through, her situation changed for good. In verses 19-20, the bibles says, “...And Elkanah knew his wife, and the Lord remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bear a son, and called his name Samuel, saying because I have asked him of the Lord” You cannot be fruitful unless you are joyful. You draw water from the well of salvation with joy. It was not until Hannah’s countenance was no more sad her change came. You cannot be bitter and sad and expect to be fruitful. Where there is no joy, there is sadness. Breakthrough, no matter how strongly it is desired and how hard it is prayed for, do not come to people who are sad and bitter. It only comes to those who are joyful.

K E Once upon a time, there T was a severe weather condition among God’s S H people: the trees that have I the ability to produce fruit were withering. The proH O duce of the field failed. dried up, the fig tree pined P away, even the palm tree I withered. The palm tree can survive terrible weather N A conditions. So whenever O the weather condition becomes so severe that the M A palm trees begin to wither, then there is cause for M alarm. Why was this hapI pening? Was it famine? Was it prayerlessness?

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For more details, contact us at Christ Reality Church, beside Gossard Hotel, opposite First Bank Sports Ground, Community Road, Satellite Town or P.O.Box, 3196, Yaba Lagos. Tel: 08023062635 08168955932; 08033378769. Email: Johnson_crm@yahoo.com. Website: www.christrealityministries.org.

Our account details are Pastor Johnson Omomadia, Guaranty Trust Bank, A/C Nos. 0005171407; Christ Reality Ministries, Zenith Bank A/C 1011711622.

Worship with us on Sundays, 1st Service: 745am-9:15am; 2nd Service 9:1511:30am. Wednesdays Word Revelation 6pm. Counseling days Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 11am-5pm daily or by appointment. Showers of blessing every 2nd - 4th Sat. of each month, 6 a.m - 7.15 am.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MAY 10, 2014—21

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22—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

BY KEHINDE AJOSE

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ven though she clinched the third runner-up prize at the debut edition of MTN’s Project Fame West Africa, the Rivers Stateborn Annette Cookey can be compared to an eagle ready to soar to greatness.

Armed with a strong vocal range, sex appeal,an irresistible performance aptitude, Annette is ready to take on the world.

In this interview, she opens up on why she has been out of circulation, the craziest thing a fan has ever done for her, among other issues. Excerpts:

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y music jour ney has been quite interest ing, not necessarily a smooth ride. There has been bumps here and there. My journey has made me to meet a lot of people and made contacts.I have been able to have an idea of what the industry is about. My music journey has been good, not perfect .I am not where I want to be but like you said, it’s a journey.

I am still finding my way to where I want to be.

The Nigerian music industry is growing. It’s getting better, we just need more structure in place, we need to fight piracy and so many other things. If the percentage of piracy is 80 and we reduce it to 20 percent, then we know that we are gradually eradicating it. We are doing so well, we have all kinds of talented people .We are forging ahead and we can do better with a little more structure in place. I think we should also learn from our brothers in other African countries like South Africa. I think they are doing well too. With a little more work, we will get there.

I love Nigerian Music.

The truth is that when I decided to go for MTN’s Project Fame West Africa, I was a child. I didn’t really know what I was delving into. I knew I love to sing, I really didn’t know what it entailed, what was expected of me after the competiC M Y K

tion. I never left music as many thought. I only had to go back to the drawing board, had to ask myself once more, if I just want to be that girl in the choir who just sings to God, or the girl who sings in the bar? Or the girl who wants to pursue a career in music? I wanted to be convinced this is what I should be doing with my life and I had to buckle up to be sure this is what I should be doing. I took time off to get myself prepared after Project Fame West Africa.

The craziest thing a fan ever did to me was to pay my flight ticket. He saw me at the airport and said: “Oh, I watched you on Project Fame West Africa’ and this incident happened three years after the show. Another crazy experience was when I sang a happy birthday song to my friend’s mum. It was her

mum’s birthday and I sang the happy birthday song to her via a voice note.

When her mum heard it, she requested to see me in person. As soon as I got to the front door of their house and she saw me, she started crying. She actually thought the voice note wasn’t for real, that her daughter probably got someone to sing. It was an awkward moment for me. I felt like an angel.

I don’t really have a specific for men really. Some will say they prefer White men, someone will say they prefer dark-skinned men, the list goes on. I want a man who will love the totality of who I am,who is God-fearing, he should have good looks, and should be able to sing at least a little. I think I should add tall and he should be romantic, make me laugh regardless of his colour or his race.

If you watched me on Project Fame West Africa, you will realize that I

STAYING IN Lying in bed on a Saturday, you think to yourself, maybe I won’t go out tonight. Maybe you won’t make more bad decisions, maybe you’ll walk to the used bookstore and buy Invisible Monsters and reread it. Maybe you’ll have soup for dinner, from a can. Maybe the party will be boring, with everyone just standing around and drinking beers that don’t get them drunk, maybe the music will be just a little too loud so it takes extra effort to make conversation, you’ll have to force yourself to be heard, more so than usual.

Maybe you’ll stay in and watch a movie, you never have time for movies lately.

really love music. Music is me and I am music. We cannot be separated. If I were in a relationship where my partner wants me to quit doing music, I don’t think I will be able to cope with that. I think I will leave. A partner who won’t support what I do is not worth the while. Any union, friendship, or whatever can’t separate me from my music. I want to believe I am stuck here for as long as I live.

Why will I go nude in a music video? Except it’s for charity or to save lives. I don’t think I can go nude. It’s a ‘No’! for me. I can show a little flesh here and there but go nude? It has to be for a just cause, may be for saving lives.

GOING OUT

Plan a trip To maximize your limited free time, plan some shorter day trips or excursions with your friends or family members. This might involve driving a few hours to a new town on a day off, or spending the night in a hotel.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 — 23

By JULIET EBIRIM

What we want in 2015 general elections

E

lections in Nigeria have been fraught with violence, fraud, malpractices and irregularities. Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, showbiz celebrities and entertainers share their hopes and expectations for the elections with Saturday Vanguard.

Practise what is preached — Nneka Egbuna, Singer

I

want free and non-manipulated votes.

A non rigged election, less waste of money for campaigns and unnecessary hyping of the self ego. We should practise what we preach.

A responsible and accountable leader —Monica Ogar, Singer

A

credible election will produce a deserving leadership. We want a leader who will be responsible and accountable to the people.

May the n right persosse win — Jega),

King (Bu ger Sin ree, fair and peaceful elections. ne May the o ill w t a th steer the country in the right direction win.

F

A true leader —

Mary Uranta, Actress Basically, I want a free and fair election and a Godfearing leader who is ready to work for the people.

The major problem we have in this country is corruption, we don’t want a corrupt leader, but one that has the country’s interest at heart. A leader who will work to make the country better. I pray that God should direct us and send us a leader, who is truly a leader.

Nigerians should act wisely — Crystal Okoye want it to be a election.

II peaceful pray for God’s guidance and I also pray that Nigerians do things wisely.

Peace should reign —Adesua Etomi, Actress

want honest elections, no rigging, no Iwithout fighting. For once, let’s have an election drama. We want a leader who puts Nigeria first, one who has the best interest of the masses at heart. A leader who will give those who can’t afford it, the opportunity to have good education, it shouldn’t be for the rich alone. Above all, peace should reign.

An election devoid of fraud and violence — Timi Dakolo, Singer

I

just want a free and fair election untainted by fraud, violence, chaos and bloodshed. I also hope we have an election devoid of irregularities. Political stability is very paramount in nation building and economy.

C M Y K

24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

Yes, I am dating Oritse Femi — Ella Mensah BYFLORENCEAMAGIYA

F

or months now, there has been a raging rumour that the Double Wahala crooner, Oritse Femi and sexy Ghanaian actress, Ella Mensah are dating each other. In spite of their different worlds and schedules, both Ella and Femi seem to have one reason or the other to be in each other’s company.

They were spotted together in Benin some weeks ago where Oritse Femi had gone to perform at a couples’ show. Then again, a week after, Ella was right there by the crooner’s side when City People magazine organised an event to honour him at The Place in Lekki. They both left the venue together, hanging on to each other.

So, the rumour has been raging that the duo may be romantically involved. And right now, Showtime can authoritatively reveal that the duo are actually dating each other.

Ella Mensah confirmed the rumour and said the guy is a nice person. When asked if the guy has been nice to her, she simply replied “ I am okay with him. He is a sweet guy. Don’t worry I am fine”.

Tiwa Savage goes

romping on stage!

BY IYABO AINA

T

iwatope Savage Balogun, popularly known as Tiwa SavagE seems to be taking her sexy style a bit too far these days, as latest pictures going viral online show the singer giving one lucky fan a taste of her goodies while performing live on stage at the Star Music Trek event which held in Ekwulobia on May 4, 2014.

The fan must have counted himself lucky as the Mavin First Lady whose wedding ceremony is just weeks old went wild with him.

However, some fans have been lambasting her, accusing Tiwa of trying to copy Beyonce even though she doesn’t fit into the category.

Before her marriage some weeks ago, Tiwa Savage was also pictured during a performance with her ‘underground’ in full display for people to feast on.

At a recent show, Tiwa Savage again gave people something to feast on and it keeps people wondering if Tiwa has got a running battle with Beyonce to see who can get the most obscene on stage.

Vict oria Kimani dares Victoria to bare it

BY KEHINDE AJOSE

K

enyan-American singer, Victoria Kimani has shown time and time again that she has no scruples about who sees what part of her body. She has thrown enough of her nudity around for some of her fans to have an idea of what the whole package may have in store.

Victoria who joined Chocolate City in 2012 pulled what may be seen as the biggest raunchy gag of her career yet when she went all bare in a photoshoot on a beach in Tanzania recently.

She was topless just as her general anatomy was gaping at the cameras.

The singer/song writer got the attention of Chocolate city when she uploaded her cover version of Ice Prince “Oleku”

Chidinma unveils new single “Oh Baby” featuring Flavour

By IYABO AINA

M

iss Kedike is back with an all new single “Oh Baby!” produced by Young D. The popular music diva celebrates her birthday by unwrapping the Clarence Peters directed video for her romantic Young D produced single “Oh Baby (You & I)” featuring highlife royalty, Flavour N’abania.

Everyone is wishing Ms. Kedike a Happy Birthday as she adds another year to her age.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 — 25

What top music stars earn per show

P Square: N8- 15M

BY IYABO AINA, ANOZIE EGOLE AND ABEL OSHEVIRE

L

ong gone are the days when entertainers are seen as lackeys who have to sleep at people’s doorsteps for their rations in life. Now, they are not only running the show, they are also smiling to the banks in a big way. They now own the most fashionable cars, most luxurious houses and even get to have the ‘girls’ long ahead of many in the queue.

Just as their fortunes have changed, their lives too have taken a dive right up to the top because they are getting paid! Here is just a peek at what the top crooners earn per show, which the running time is never more than 2-3 hours a day!

D’banj: N6-10M Take it or leave it, D’banj is still a big fish in the Nigerian music industry though it seems he is no longer doing much in terms of music since his break up with Marvin records. Koko master who recently took agriculture to the studio with his “Cocoa na chocolate” a move which he said was born out of his desire to promote agriculture in the country, collects nothing less than N6- 10 million per show.

Tuface: N5- 6M Tu Baba as he is fondly called shot himself fully into limelight with his African queen single. The father of seven seems to be finding his way into property business as he keeps acquiring assets which runs into millions of naira from different parts of Lagos. The singer still stands as one of the highest paid male singers in Nigeria with an amount which runs between N5-6M

Tiwa Savage—N2.5M Back then at USA when she was doing back up singer for Mary J blige, she might have no idea of what the future holds for her, maybe she was doing that then there for the lve she has for music not knowing that she would soon be counted as one of the top paid Nigerian female celebrities. The Eminado crooner, who is enjoying her honeymoon with her manager turned husband, collects N2.5M per show and she is rated as one of the sexiest female celebrities in Nigeria.

Davido: N3- N3.5M Call him a super talented younger singer, you will not be mistaken as the dude seems to know what it takes to produce hit tracks.

Since his venture into the Nigerian music mainstream, the talented singer has been known for producing hit tracks. The Omo baba Olowo as he is fondly called, whose latest track, AYE, seems to be every clubs favorite goes for N3.5M per show. So in case you have plans of landing this singer to any show, you must be ready to offer this amount.

Iyanya—N3M Since his emergence as the MTN sponsored project fame, this AkwaIbom born singer has been a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry generally and in Nigeria precisely. He shot himself to mailight fully when he dropped his first hit single, kukere which a very unique dance steps. Call him a singer cum dancer, you are not far from the truth as he knows the dance steps that befits any track he brings out. This dude takes, N3M per show.

Give it to the gifted twin brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye. The Alingo exponent is rocking the town currently. Promoters usually beg them to feature in their shows due to the fact that if P- Square graces any concert, the show is sold out. Their official fee we learnt is 15 million naira.

WIZKID: N4-5M Wizkid is another young talent making wave in Nigeria and the world.

Wiz Kid is believed to have signed an undisclosed multi-million dollar deal with Akon’s Convict music label and the deal has set the young artiste as the 4th richest artiste in Nigeria at the moment.

He is said to earn between N4- 5M

Flavour—N3M

He is one of the talented singers in the industry whose wonderful combination of native language, Igbo and English in most of his songs has fetched him more fans.

The Ikwokirkwo crooner whose news of dating Dillish of BBA The chase winner, was recently unveiled as Harp brand ambassador. The deal which came barely few months when she was unveiled as Knorr brand ambassador along side, Nollywood diva, Kate Henshaw, collects N3M per show.

26 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

By ADERONKE ADEYERI

O

ver the years, footwear has evolved to include many types of styles, shapes, and purposes. Sneakers are one of the largest groups of footwear, from being casual and comfortable all the way to being highly specific in function.

Sneakers were once just for the gym, basketball players and anyone under the age of 16 but not anymore. A man should care about his footwear if for no other reason than the fact that it constitutes the very foundation he stands upon.

The comfort of a shoe that protects your feet from the daily wear-and-

C M Y K

tear of the streets is now considered suitable for every occasion from a workout to the workplace.

Sneakers generally feature rubber soles, and have a low or high cut. They are made out of leather, suede, or synthetic upper portions. The term “sneaker” allegedly gets its name from the fact that the rubber sole allows the user to be rather quiet while walking, enabling the person to “sneak” up on someone as compared to leather soled shoes.

The design of sneakers changes to fit many different sports. For example, hi-tops are for basketball shoes, and runners prefer lightweight shoes. The casual type of sneaker usually invokes a design from a sport specific shoe, and ties it in with everyday comfort.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 — 27

Gin Cocktails take the market

By ANOZIE EGOLE Gin adds a light flavoring to many favorite cocktails. Some of the great recipes of all time are made with gin, including the popular Martini and many of its variations. This is a collection of gin cocktail recipes listed with their main ingredients and those listed at the top are some of the most popular gin drinks.

Aviation Cocktails T

he Aviation Cocktail is one of those with a mysterious past. We really don’t know who first created it but, according to David Wondrich’s Imbibe!, it was first printed in a 1916 book by Hugo Ensslin called Recipes for Mixed Drinks. The drink has remained popular over the years and recently became one of the classics for aficionado imbibers to try.

To get a good Aviation cocktail, pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake well. Then strain into a chilled cocktail glass garnish with a flamed lemon peel. It is best served chilled.

Bee’s Knees Cocktails

T

he Bee’s Knees is a fun and very easy cocktail from the Prohibition era. Some stories claim that the drink was concocted because the honey masked the odor of the liquor. While that may be the case, I have to wonder if it really did the trick given some of the stories. I have heard about the often pungent bathtub gins circulating during that time. None the less, with today’s variety of gins, the Bee’s Knees is a delightful cocktail that you can experiment with.

A London dry gin will create a completely different profile than one of the new Americanstyle gins, and those more apparent botanicals will be accented quite nicely with the lemon and honey.

*Bottoms Up C M Y K

*Hanukkah cocktail

*Buzz

28—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

H

onesty is the best pol icy, or so they say. In this case, “they ” may be absolutely right! We are living in a world where a lot of people are dependent on superficial elements to get what they want in relationships and business. There are many people who will use whatever they have at their disposal in order to come out on top.

There are also people who put themselves out there in a genuine fashion, but who get conned because they are too trusting. There’s nothing wrong with trusting someone new who may appear to have an interest in you personally or professionally. Unfortunately though, many people are confused and fearful regarding the intentions of their romantic partners (or potential ones). If you happen to be in a situation where you feel someone is trying to pull a fast one or you’re worried that you could be overreacting, this article is for you.

The lies of omission Is it really lying by omission or can leaving stuff out be a method of self-preservation? It can be a little bit of both. But depending on whom you’re dealing with, omitting pieces of information while describing a situation could in fact turn into a lie. Put yourself in the hot seat; if you were to tell a story to your lover about being at the bar, conveniently forget to mention a mild flirtation and then it comes out, your mate could possibly feel betrayed. He or she will wonder, “If you can keep this kind of stuff from me, what else are you hiding?”

If you feel the need to keep things from your partner, whether you think it’s stupid or you are fearful of their reaction, then you probably aren’t truly comfortable with your relationship to begin with or you’re up to no good. If you are really into that person, don’t withhold any information. Most likely you’re only going to create an unnecessary insecurity and that will make the situation worse.

A healthy relationship is one that allows both parties to be who they really are without feeling judged, fearful or insecure. Don’t you want the “love of your life” to accept you as you are? Okay, then don’t project a false bravado or omit the truth – it always comes out in the end. If you have discovered that you are with someone who tends to lie by omission, it’s best to check out of the relationship if you

Can you read ? s e i l s i h n e e beettw are not happy.

have yourself to blame.

I want to believe him, but …

The issue is usually this: The mate says one thing, does another and then makes excuses for the behaviour.

You may want to give the object of your affection a second, third or even a fourth chance to prove your gut instincts wrong.

However, the problem with giving all those chances and not seeing change is that you’re the one who needs to make a change. You need to drop that person like yesterday’s garbage and make yourself available for someone with pure intent and great followthrough. If all you seem to get from your mate are broken promises, then giving a fifth chance won’t instantly transform your relationship. Only you know what works for you and what doesn’t, so if you’re okay with constantly feeling “let down”, then you only

Are you knee deep in someone’s BS? People leave clues when they portray themselves as someone they are not. You have to avoid getting involved with individuals who aren’t genuine: •They say one thing and do another •They may be too agreeable all the time •When challenged, their body language shifts and/or they get real defensive •They make excuses for their actions, never being accountable •They can’t keep their stories straight •When confronted, they project the issue on to you (placing blame) •They leave out pieces of necessary info that would complete their story •They always find a way to play the victim •They make outlandish

XPERT E S E H T K AS I am a 21-year-old boy, my girlfriend is 20 and we enjoy a healthy sex life. We have noticed that in pornographic films, the women usually wear stockings that come up to their thighs. Does this increase sexual desire in any way? Why do people indulge in this kind of activity? Can we try the same?

It i s a western custom to wear stockings. Use your imagination and workout dresses or even stockings or chappals, if it pleases both of you.

I am a 27-year-old man. A few days ago, I felt an itch in my genitals and when I tried to fix it, the skin that covers the head of my penis rolled back.

A healthy relationship is one that allows both parties to be who they really are without feeling judged, fearful or insecure plans for a future together prematurely (the too good to be true façade) •They carry a jealous, resentful and/or extremely fearful disposition Engaging in self-sabotage Sometimes we can misconstrue the behavior of people we’re dealing with in both our emotional and professional lives. We think someone is being dishonest when he or she is not. A lot of folks will try to decipher the intentions of their coworkers and come to a less than favorable con-

Also, there is a swelling underneath the tip and it burns. Does this require surgery or a simple medication like an ointment would do? The swelling causes me a lot of pain and this is really scaring me. Could you suggest a remedy, because I am worried and it will affect my sex life.

If the foreskin has not come to its original position, then quickly see a doctor (urologist). He will decide whether an operation is necessary or not.

Although the use of condoms is promoted everywhere, most individuals do not know how to use it properly and effectively. Please enlighten me on how to put one on. How do I make sure that there is a gap left near the tip so as to provide space for the semen?

clusion. It can happen more often during times of a bad economy and job instability.

Feeling lost and insecure are natural things we all experience. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t have these feelings from time to time, but this sort of negativity, if dwelled upon long enough, can eventually destroy the foundation built for success.

According to the Law Of Attraction, you can draw both positive and negative outcomes. What you put out to the Universe does in fact come back to you, sometimes 10fold. We can sabotage our work environment and relationships, generally when we’re being pessimistic, by assuming something is true when it’s not. We can also sabotage our lives by believing a daydream without having a solid experience to back it up. By doing this, we can place all the real stuff on hold until we see the truth in the situation.

The real deal Trying to figure out whether or not someone is being truthful can be an adventure.

We can fly from extreme highs to lows in a matter of hours while analyzing our situation. We berate ourselves for knowing someone wasn’t exactly forthcoming and honest from the very beginning. Or we brand ourselves victims once we get to the absolute truth.

Buy a pack of condoms; usually they have an illustrated diagram. The condom has a nipple, which while rolling on to an erect penis should be squeezed between the fingers so that air does not remain inside. That is where the semen collects.

I am a 20-year-old boy and although I have enough knowledge on sex, I lack ample information about things like foreplay and teasing.

Will watching pornography help?

Foreplay is the time that is most enjoyable.

It is when the couple fantasises, touches, caresses, hugs, kisses and exchanges intimate things with each other. This is the most intimate moment to express your love. Develop your own style and do not depend on pornography, because it is usually exaggerated.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—29

Why I joined

DJ

— Jimm Jimmyy Jatt

C

*Jimmy Jatt

all him a Disco Jockey with a swag, you are not mistaken as Jimmy Amu, a.k.a, Jimmy Jatt, knows his onion when it comes to mixing musics in a party or club. The talented DJ, who hosted some close friends and media practitioners for his 25th anniversary as a DJ and his album drop, said, “This celebration is to take people on my journey so far and to appreciate their continuous support. I am celebrating 25 years in the entertainment industry.

“This is also celebrating my 25 years of relevance and consistencyin the industry. I want to use this celebration as a means of encouraging young DJs and telling them that something good can come out of the profession. Mainly, the reason why I joined the profession is to change the negative mindset people have about it. According to him, there will be an African and European tour between him and his close friends in order to find new collabos. The line-up of events for this honorable event are also the launch of DJ Jimmy Jatt Foundation and the kick-off of his Jimmy’s Jump-off in September.

Gospel singer, Sinach weds heartthrob

The Chronicles of Ushbebe to hit big screen

P

opular gospel singer and member of Chris Oyakhilome’s Christ Embassy, Osinachi, better known as Sinach, is set to say ‘I do’ to her heartthrob.

The singer, who is regarded as Pastor Oyakhilome’s ‘anointed daughter ’, will be joined in holy matrimony with her sweetheart, who is also a pastor in the same church. The wedding will take place on June 20, 2014, and Pastor Chris Oyakhilome will officiate the ceremony, we heard.

Sinach is an award-winning songwriter, worship leader and recording artist and is a key member of the LoveWorld music team of Christ Embassy.

Praiz drops new N video

*Praiz

C M Y K

igerian R n B star, Praiz pre mieres the music video for his single Mercy. Directed by Patrik Elis, the video which features heavyweights like, KC, Iyanya, as well as newly appointed MTN ambassadors Timaya, Sean Tizzle and Vector, showcases the rare stuff Praiz is made of.

Critically acclaimed music video director, Patrick Elis who has directed Iyanya’s Kukere, Kayswitch’s Obimo, Eva’s Lights Out, had his creative juices flowing all over this track as he pulled out all the stops to produce a video that has a fresh and foreign feel.

Patrick noted that the video was a very challenging one as he had to balance the performance and soulful style of the song with Praiz suave.

*Sinach and hubby

Pasuma, Beautiful Nubia set for continental gig

A

*Helen paul

s Nigeria centenary anniversary celebration continues, two of Nigeria’s finest musicians, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma and Beautiful Nubia are set to treat music lovers to another special centenary concert in Lagos. Billed for today at Lagos, the concert will see the artistes sharing same stage to deliver vintage music they are both renowned for to their fans and some invited celebrities.

According to Ibrahim Adebayo, CEO, Harmony Films & Records Int, the organisers of the concert, “It is going to be an explosive concert as the two artistes on the bill are very special musicians with cult-like followership.

Both Pasuma and Beautiful Nubia have promised to deliver their best and make the gig a memorable one for attendees. We are breaking from the norm by *Beautiful having an afternoon gig,” Nubia he said.

O

ne of Nigeria ’s finest actor/ comedian, Justice Nuagbe, Aka Ushbebe, will on Sunday, May 18, hold the maiden edition of his standup show titled, The Chronicles of Ushbebe Live, an offshoot of his TV show.

“What I am trying to do right now is to take my show which already airs on Ben TV UK as well as some other cable stations to the stage, so, we decided to call it, The Chronicles of Ushbebe.

“It is happening at the MUSON center, so it will give people a chance to enjoy all the different parts of me. There will be a stage drama. It will also encompass music and a whole lot of other stuffs.

That is what we are expecting to see that day,” he said.

Organised by Pride Rock Entertainment, it will feature a a three character stage play titled Official Duty featuring Ushbebe himself, Godwin and Laff Up as the cast.

Comedic acts expected to spice up the show include I go Dye, AY, Gordons, Seyilaw, Maleke, Elenu, Princess, Helen Paul, among others.

30 — SARTURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

Why use vibrators, when are able men — Chika Ogu

BY DAMILOLA SHOLOLA

Voluptuous up-and-coming Nollywood star, Chika Agatha Oguine popularly known as Chika Agatha is fast becoming a face that cannot be ignored in the movie industry, both for her talent and captivating figure. Chika recently caused an uproar when her pictures, revealing massive boobs surfaced on the internet. The Sex on the Beach, Sons of Zebedee star in this exclusive interview with Showtime Celebrity, talks about her career, sex and relationship. Excerpts: For people who don’t know you, briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Chika Agatha Oguine even though the media somehow has decided to throw away my surname and just tag me Chika Agatha When did you start acting?

I started acting in 2012. That was the year I left school, University of Nigeria. 2012 was also my service year too, so instead of just wasting my time doing nothing in the Federal Ministry office where I was posted for my primary assignment as a youth corper, I decided to take a step forward, come down to Lagos after to pursue my dream.

How has it been so far?

It’s been so good. I can’t even believe that within two years, I have gotten to this point where people will call in and say “I saw your movie on Dstv, I watched you on AIT” and there was even this soap Sons of Zebedee that was shown in the UK. When my cousins from the UK called me, I was like, ‘Are you serious? Am I that big now?’ So, I’m in between finding how to get a balance so my name doesn’t even grow bigger than I am, because there is going to be a big problem in my mind if my name is bigger than me. I believe I ought to be bigger than my name and not the other way round. I’m trying to stay on top of things but everything is happening so fast- it’s been God all the way What would you say is your most successful movie so far?

For the most successful, I can’t really say because most of the movies I’ve done are not even aired in Nigeria to start with. So, the only ones they’ve seen are all those commercial movies that are not shown in the cinemas and the ones that were done for the cinemas are not yet out. So, if you ask my most successful movie, I can’t really say for now because all of them are not out.

What is your latest movie?

Sex on the Beach, starring myself, Moyo Lawal, Mercy Macjoe, Sam Sunny, Ero Josh. It’s in the market right now. Every video vendor or film shop should have the movie Sex on the Beach and Temple of the Serpent. They’re like the latest movies in which I featured out in the market now. I’ve been getting so many comments on my facebook page and on different social platforms.

Who inspired you to go into acting?

It’s just been there since my cradle days. It’s something that I just felt I’m going to end up doing because I have always watched myself grown in front of a mirror, looking at myself and making some faces and all. But then again, when I watched movies, I try to see why this person did this and that. What

SATURDAY

•Hand washing is my secret...

I wash my hands A

few years ago, I was privileged to attend a centenary birthday celebration. The celebrant was a retired school teacher and entrepreneur who had lived all his life in a remote settlement in the country.

His army of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren friends and other acquaintances organised the extra special get together to mark his 100th-year on earth. Well wishers were much impressed by the celebrant’s comparatively remarkable good state of health.

His state of health belied his age.

Even at the very ripe old age of 100, he could stand and walk unaided. He had an upright stature and shoulder balance that would make men half his age green with envy. His eyesight was still good enough for him to see who was next to him or what was happening in his surrounding.

Only when he needed to read his Bible and daily newspapers C M Y K

It is essential to wash your hands before touching any food or eating, after visiting the toilet and after handling animals or animal wastes did he require wearing his pair of glasses. You didn’t need to shout for him to hear you. On the contrary he preferred that you spoke in low tones.

He was as good a partner for conversation as any - exhibiting no pronounced sign of senility or memory lapses often associated with the aged. Well wishers were impressed and curious. Everyone wanted to know his secret.

The celebrant’s answer was short. “I wash my hands,” he told his awed audience. “Simple, basic hand washing is my secret.”

Many pointers gave evidence about this unusual habit. All over his house, wash hand basins, bars

of plain soap and clean hand towels were strategically positioned.

For several decades, the centenarian made hand washing a ritual.

He washed his hands properly and religiously dozens of times a day. If he shook hands with you, he would wash his hands immediately. If he picked up a book, TV remote control, or glass cup, he washed his hands afterwards. If he touched a door handle, water faucet or computer keyboard, he would wash his hands right afterwards.

For practical purposes, hand washing plays a major role in

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 — 31

preventing the spread of diseases. Washing your hands regularly with soap and water can protect from many illnesses caused by viruses and bacteria. Washing removes germs picked up when you touch people, animals, or surfaces. If not removed, the germs may get into the eyes, nose, or mouth and cause illness. Developing good hand washing habits is an excellent way of keeping healthy.

Germs hide everywhere - on remote controls, door handles, keyboards, faucet handles and any surface people touch.

Overall, it is advisable to wash your hands as frequently as you can.

Even if your hands appear to be clean, they may carry germs. Hands pick up micro-germs in a number of ways.

Washing hands not only prevents sickness, but reduces the risk of infecting others. If you don’t wash your hands properly before coming into contact with others, you can infect them with the germs on your hands.

Other people can also get sick from the germs unwashed hands leave on shared objects in the home or workplace.

It is essential to wash your hands before touching any food or eating, after visiting the toilet and after handling animals or animal wastes.

Germs thrive on moist surfaces.

Keep the surface areas in your home and office free of germs by cleaning them. Doorknobs, light switches, telephones, and keyboards are especially important to keep clean. Washing hands correctly is the most effective approach to protect against a number of infectious diseases.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. In most cases plain soap is enough for safe, effective hand hygiene.

Wet your hands with warm water.

Add soap and rub your hands together, ensuring you have lathered all surfaces for at least 15 seconds. Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between the fingers and under the nails. Rinse your hands well under running water, using a rubbing motion.

Don’t use a standing basin of water to rinse your hands. Don’t use a common hand towel. Don’t use sponges or non-disposable cleaning cloths unless you change them daily and launder them using detergent. Wipe and dry your hands gently with a paper towel or a clean towel. Wash your hands often.

When you cough or sneeze, use a tissue or raise your arm up to your face and aim for your sleeve. Do not sneeze into your hand. Teach children good hygiene and how to wash their hands properly.

32—SATURDAY

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

By Sola Ogundipe, 08056180112, solazed@live.com

Lifeline

Lose belly fat fast N

ot only is belly fat unflattering, it has been scientifically linked to health problems such as bloating, heartburn, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Losing stomach is not as difficult and unachievable as many people think. If you have a bit of problem with your bulging belly fat and have been looking forward to trimming it down check out these simple habits that can help you shape up and lose those unsightly bulges as fast as possible!

Make a plan You’re not going to lose all the fat around your waist in three days, and you will definitely need to break some sweat before you achieve your goal. Losing belly fat takes some work, and you have to put together a realistic plan to which you must be consistent and committed.

Drink water again and again Keeping your body hydrated is essential to lose stomach fat fast because, if you are dehydrated your liver won’t function and the fat burning process won’t be as effective. Drink lots of water. Keep a

convenient, but it’s loaded with calories and fat, which head straight to the “problem areas”— bellies and butts. Skip the fast food, opt for healthier fast food options, like salads instead of fries.

Go easy on soft drinks Consuming one or two cans of carbonated beverage drinks causes your waistline to increase at least five times faster than those who barely drink in the course of a week. Diet drinks aren’t any better since they contain artificial sweeteners, which can increase appetite as much as sugar does.

Starving yourself will not help you burn belly fat. Cut calories, especially the empty calories, but to be healthy, and lose belly fat, you need to eat well bottle of water with you everywhere you go. Sip from it every now and then. Before you sit down to eat, drink a glass of cool water, wait a few minutes, then dish out your sensible portion and begin to eat.

Go for vegetables Carrots, peppers, spinach, tomatoes are all very healthful choices! Celery, onion, radishes, turnips, carrots and beets have high water content that helps to aid in flushing out fats. Onions, garlic and radishes have additional benefits to help burn belly fat.Leafy green vegetable like lettuce, spinach, or kale are high in fibre and low in calories. They can help you feel full and keep from eating too much throughout the course of the day.

Avoid fast food Fast food is the worst culprit in the battle against stomach fat. It’s C M Y K

Keep fit You’ll need to do all sorts of exercises, in moderation, including weight bearing exercises, like brisk walking, jogging, and the like to keep fit. Overall fitness and nutrition is the key for losing stomach fat, and making sure it doesn’t come back!

Eat sensibly Starving yourself will not help you burn belly fat. Cut calories, especially the empty calories, but to be healthy, and lose belly fat, you need to eat well. Don’t starve yourself. Don’t deprive yourself either. Rather than eating three large meals every day, switch to five smaller meals—a light breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a light lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and a balanced dinner.

Maintain good posture Suck your tummy in, put your shoulder back, keep your head up, and, with this good posture, you’ll look (and even feel) much fitter .You’ll be toning your abdominal muscles,which are essential in losing stomach fat faster.

Never skip breakfast A lot of dietitians advice that the best breakfast is a heavy one. Skipping breakfast can actually be one of those things that cause stomach fat. If you don’t eat after many hours of sleeping your body goes into “starvation mode”.

This is bad news for shedding belly fat as it slows your metabolism down in an effort to save energy and burn less calories.

Monitor your food Eat more fat burning foods such as brown rice, whole grains, vegetables, natural fruits, skimmed milk, lean poultry or meat, seafood and egg whites. Avoid pizzas, burgers, deep fried foods, bakery

foods, fatty meats and all products that contain lots of sugar.

Eat slowly Get into the habit of taking smaller bites and chewing them slowly because that will ensure that you consume fewer calories and do not over-eat.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—33

Mother & Child

Breast self examination

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

G

race was full of life few months ago. Today she is a shadow of herself. Two of her friends were discussing the development. This thing called breast cancer is very bad, the first friend stated. God help your own.

The other friend was even more agitated. Anyone, who has not encountered it or met someone affected, may find it difficult to comprehend. It was serious battle when my late eldest sister was hit by the dreaded disease. We thought it was a joke till it dawned on us that she would not live to tell the story.

The doctor said if the lump had been discovered early, it would have been easily managed. How? You should always have your breast checked.

Breast cancer usually affects women, but men can get it too.

About 90 percent of those diagnosed lose their lives because the cancer spreads to the rest of their bodies.

People will often have a lump in the breast, which is why mammography and self-examinations can help detect the cancer early.

What you do is called Breast Self Examination, BSE, which is to be performed each month in addition to an annual mammogram or a clinical examination. Knowing your cyclical changes, what is normal for you, and what regular monthly changes in the breast feel like is the best way to keep an eye on your breast health. Breast tissue extends from under your nipple and up toward your armpit.

It is not difficult. You only need about 15 minutes a month to do that.

You use a mirror which lets you see both breasts, a pillow for your head and shoulders and privacy.

First, make a regular date for your BSE. If you are pre-menopausal: Set a regular time to examine your breasts a few days after your period ends, when hormone levels are relatively stable and breasts are less tender. If you are already menopausal (has not had a period C M Y K

for a year or more), pick a particular day of the month to do the examination, and then repeat your BSE on that day each month.

In the privacy of your bathroom or your bed room, standing in front of the mirror, raise your arms over your head and see if your breasts move in the same way, and note any differences. Look at size, shape, and drape, checking for symmetry. Pay attention to your nipples and areolas, to see if you have any dimples, bumps, or retraction. Look up toward your armpits and note if there is any swelling where your lymph nodes are (lower armpit area).

For manual examination, raise your left arm overhead, and use your right-hand fingers to apply gentle pressure to the left breast, then, stroke from the top to the bottom of the breast, moving across from the inside of the breast all the way into your armpit area. Mark your calendar to remind yourself to do your BSE regularly. This is a good way to prevent worry.

Stay relaxed and breathe normally as you do your BSE. Becoming tense will produce some knots that you may mistake for something worrisome.

Remember to have an annual clinical examination and a mammogram.

Nature’s Health

Your cup of tea I

f you’re not drinking tea yet, here are more ways than you know tea does your body good. There are enough studies that show the potential protective effects of drinking tea to make adding tea to your list of daily beverages.

Protects against cancer The polyphenols and antioxidants found in tea help their cancer-fighting effects.

Hydration Caffeinated beverages, including tea, and other caffeinated beverages contribute to daily fluid needs.

Antioxidants Tea’s antioxidants protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.

Less caffeine Coffee usually has two to three times the caffeine of tea. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep - switch to tea.

Reduced risk of heart attack Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke.

Drinking tea helps keep your arteries smooth and clog-free. There is lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drink at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.

Protects bones People who drink tea regularly have

Bolsters your immune defenses Drinking tea may help your body’s immune system fight off infection. Higher immune system activity is observed in the blood of tea drinkers.

the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors. This may be the work of tea’s many beneficial phytochemicals.

Gives you a sweet smile Drinking tea is good for your teeth.

Tea contains fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

Calorie-free Tea doesn’t have any calories, unless sweetener or milk is added.

Consuming even 250 fewer calories per day can result in weight loss. If you’re looking for a satisfying, calorie-free beverage, tea is a top choice.

Increases metabolism Lots of people complain about a slow metabolic rate and their inability to lose weight. Green tea has been shown to actually increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day.

34—SATURDAY

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

He takes good amount of proteins that are important for bodybuilding. In addition to proteinproviding foods such as fish and meat, Cristiano takes supplements that provide adequate proteins. The football hunk attends training sessions about five times per week, warming up by running around the pitch. Also, he attends weight lifting sessions twice or thrice per week.

Other exercises include squats, bench press, press-ups and box jumps. Squatting enhances his flexibility and strength. It is also an important exercise before any match.

Ronaldo does pressups during every training session.

Strength and action of the hand muscles is important in enhancing his stability and balance during the game. He also exercises by leg raising, push-ups and lat pull down.

Cristiano loves to swim, which he mostly does during his free times. He leads an essentially stress-free life; which is why he is able to perform as an excellent player.

D

id you ever wonder about what Cristiano Ronaldo does to keep in shape? What kind of training exercises and drills does he take, in order to always be in top form?

Ronaldo’s workout, diet plans and gym exercises combine to make him the world’s most complete and most expensive footballer that he is.

Cristiano has adopted an enhanced workout routine that guarantees a strong core, balance as well as flexibility. The renowned 29year-old’s impressive looks is characterised by a 6-pack ab, muscular but lean body and 84 kg frame that reinforce his fame and attraction to potential admirers. His comprehensive dietary and workout routine plays a major role in his incredible prowess.

Cristiano is known for being obsessed with his training routine. Guided by discipline, His workout schedule comprises of a five-day training every week. Each session takes about 3 to 5 hours. He ensures his meal has low junk foods, is not a heavy

Celebrity

Cristiano Ronaldo

Self discipline, complete health plan drinker. Breakfast contains fruits, whole grains as well as natural juices.

Lunch comprises fresh salads, vegetables, chicken and fish. Supper is similar with alteration in protein types. Instead of fish, the supper may consist of lean meat. To provide fats, Cristiano prefers to go for salads, which provide carbohydrates rather than sugary foods that increase fats in the body.

Typically male

Get rid of body odour

B

ody odour, B.O., is never pleasant, and we’ve all been crammed on a vehicle, elevator or room and noticed the distinctive smell of stale sweat oozing out of nearby bodies. Men sweat more than women, so it’s no surprise they are the worst offenders. But is it a case of poor hygiene, or do some people have a medical condition that makes them sweat more than average?

Everybody sweats. We need to. Perspiration is the body’s biological way of cooling down. Sweat itself does not smell, but provides the medium for bacteria that live on the skin to thrive.

Believe it or not, but many people with bad body odour are unaware that they smell. Research shows some people cannot detect certain molecules. Some people have more sweat and oil producing glands than others.

If you sweat a lot, you may need to shower two or three times a day.B.O. can be tackled by reducing the amount of sweat and treating the bacteria that produce the odour.

Coping with B.O. is actually simple. Wash with soap daily, particularly your armpits, groin and feet where there are many sweat producing glands.

Washing removes sweat and reduces the numbers of bacteria that act upon it.

Use an effective antiperspirants or deodorant regularly. Deodorants work by masking the smell of sweat with fragrance, while antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat your body produces. Roll-ons tend to be more effective for heavy sweating.

Another useful tip is to shave your armpits. Armpit hair provides a greater surface area for sweat to adhere to and gives the bacteria a fertile breeding ground.

It is also essential to wash clothes thoroughly; particularly clothing that comes into contact with sweaty areas such as socks, underwear and shirts.

Never wear yesterday’s clothes. However clean your body is, the clothes will retain the smell of yesterday’s sweat.

SARTURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 — 35

n there uine was the character? I tried to mimic those things that they did and tried to see if I could get close to what they’ve done or to see if I really did it well the way they did it. So, it’s just about me finding what I like to do. Sometimes, when I watch a movie, I get lost in it.

I’m not aware of my immediate environment.

That is what makes me happy. I find happiness when it comes to art and media. I’m not talking about acting alone but entertainment as a whole. It makes me happy and I think whatever makes you happy will fetch you good money.

You recently released some bikini photos of yourself online. Where did you take those photos?

How Linda Ikeji got my pictures, I don’t know.

To tell you the truth, those pictures were from the set of Sex on the Beach and I wasn’t the only person wearing bikini. We had the likes of Moyo Lawal wearing bikini, most of us were

I’ve never ever dreamt of going under the knife, whether for my boobs or for my body. I think God has created me perfectly. I am beautiful and I know that. I don’t need to go under the knife to enhance anything on my body all wearing bikinis but it was just me posted online by Linda Ikeji and I got calls saying ‘Chika, I saw your pictures on Lindaikeji’ . Some even said I paid Linda to put my pictures. I don’t know who Lindaikeji is. This is my phone, you can check. I don’t have her contact. I’ve not even seen her before in my life. People even have Lindaikeji app on their phone, I don’t even have it.

At first, I was shocked and I kept on calling my friends, I just kept on calling people who I know probably must have posted the pictures but all of them said they weren’t the ones. I called my publicist and he said he wasn’t the one. It is still a mystery to me up to now, I do not know.

But whoever did that sure has done so much good for me because at a point, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is bad press but someone told me, my dear, there’s nothing like bad press in Nollywood’. So, I’m now beginning to adjust to it and its okay, its fine.

Your boobs are very big, are they natural?

I’ve never ever dreamt of going under the knife, whether for my boobs or for my body. I think God has created me perfectly. I am beautiful and I know that. I don’t need to go under the knife to enhance anything on my body. I just need to stay in shape, keep fit and that’s it.

I’m good to go.

What’s your bra size?

The last I checked, it was a 44DD. Do you think your boobs assist you in getting movie roles?

I’ve never heard in Nollywood where your boobs or your physical features get you a role. There are so many people out there who have bigger boobs but that’s not the key. This acting thing is a craft that you always have to keep improving on. You always have to keep in trend and keep up with new challenges. In this business, if you have nothing to offer, nobody would call you. It does not matter whether you have big boobs or big bumbum, it doesn’t really matter but then again, it is just an added advantage. But the most important thing is to know your craft, then every other physical value can follow.

Can you go nude in a movie?

I’m not going to go nude in our Nigerian movies because it’s not in our culture. I mean who wants to see you in a nude movie here and still say you’re a good person? People would have to make criticisms. Have you watched Twelve Years a Slave? Did you see the part where Lupita Nyong’o had to go naked when she had to receive some lashes of the whip on her back?

That is technical directing. She was nude but there was no clear view she was actually nude. It was professional. If I have someone like that who is ready to direct me in that kind of movie and I have a team of people that are very professional in the acting thing, Why not? I would take a shot. I would take all my shots to be on that set but you can’t expect me to act nude in Nigerian movies. I will not go nude, totally nude like, no pant or bra, for any movie in Nigeria.

In a recent interview you said don’t believe in love, why?

I have come to understand that love means different things in Nigeria. Different things make people fall in love. It could be money, it could be sex, it could be for

companionship, it could be for whatever reasons of which some are not really acceptable to me. The only people who have really shown me what love is, are my parents especially, my dad. If it’s the way Nigerians have reduced love to buying chocolate and ice cream, I guess everybody is in love then.

How do you deal with your male admirers?

You all know how I handle them. Since they are in love, there are always bills there to pay so they would have to run away. It’s not like I tell them to pay my bills though, but I have seen that in Nigeria, the only way you can actually chase a man out of your life is to tell him, ‘I need this, I need that’. For some who can actually give that, I don’t tell them to pay my bills, I don’t give them that option because I know they are ready to pay and all that, but I try to let them know I am not the kind of girl you can buy off with a gift or money.

If that is the way to have a relationship, I should have about five now, but I am looking for something out of the ordinary. I’m sorry if I’m asking for too much but who am I not to.

Do you believe in vibrators?

Why do I have to get a vibrator when there are so many able men out there? It could be helpful for some people who do not have relationships but seriously, Nigerian guys are very able bodied men. Personally, I don’t believe that. If you want to have a good sex, you should have one of your friends that you have feelings for, even if you guys are not really dating. Believe it or not, some men don’t like to be committed to a woman and don’t believe in dating. Instead of jumping around from one place to the other with loads of people you don’t really know, it’s safer to do it with someone you know, someone close to you, someone you can actually give yourself to. Not for payment of any kind or for exchange of money. I don’t believe in that kind of thing. I mean, if a guy walks up to me and tells me I’m going to pay you this for doing this, it might actually even turn me off.

That’s why I’m me. I don’t know how other girls do that, but sex for me shouldn’t depend on how much you can give me because I may probably have sex with you but never come.

I mean who wants to have sex and not come? It’s really annoying.

What would make you climax during sex?

For me, it’s really something out of the physical. It’s more of psychological than sex itself because I could have sex and not come but what makes me come is who the person is, what feelings I have for the person. That is why I can never have sex with someone I don’t have feelings for because I might not come.

If you have feelings for the person, how many times can you come in a session?

It depends on how good he is, but it’s not like it’s a must for me to come during sex. It depends on how good the guy is and I just have to like you very much for me to go down there. Most people won’t talk about this but I have to talk about it because it’s a real life situation. I have actually started seeing someone but we’re not that serious at the moment because I’m trying not to rush things. Here in Nigeria, people feel that when you have sex with someone, the next thing is to have relationship with them but it doesn’t work that way with me. If you feel like doing it, it’s better to be safe than to just go about doing it with just anybody. When you have someone you like, I think it’s better to be safe.

What is your philosophy of life?

My philosophy of life has always been ‘Live and let live’. If I live and you live and everybody is happy, everybody goes on smiling. Another one I can’t forget is never to regret anything. I never regret anything that I do because I would have done better if I knew wiser. So, I have resolved not to regret anything I do in life. I just try to get better in anyway I can.

What more should people expect from you?

Let them expect a lot of mind-blowing movies from me. For those who have not gotten a view of my full cup size, they should sit back and relax because much of that will be coming. There’s this thing they say that sex sells. So, even if you’re not doing anything relating to sex, it’s okay to show some few romance scenes in the movies so it can sell the movie. You mustn’t necessarily show all your body parts but you have to wear something sensual and that’s what movie is all about. I’m not talking about porn here because I can never ever do porn but sometimes you need to constructively do your acting thing and bring it out so people can say ‘Oh wow’ and things like that.

36—SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014 Compiled by

Ephraim Oseji

oseji16@yahoo.com 07032769933

Inter Milan eye Mikel and Torres I

nter Milan are hoping to be able to take advantage of the current uncertainty surrounding the future of holding midfielder John Obi Mikel and Fernando Torres at Stamford Bridge by luring the players to San Siro for next season, according to reports.

However, following the £21m capture of Benfica’s defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic in the January transfer window Mikel’s chances in the first team at Stamford Bridge in the second half of the campaign have become fewer and fewer.

And now it is understood that Inter are set to make a move for Mikel when the summer transfer window reopens for busi- ness, despite the fact that the 27yearold is contracted to Chelsea until June 2017.

Usain Bolt

demands return of signed £20,000 running shoes

W

hen Usain Bolt discovered a signed pair of his running shoes worth £20,000 had been stolen in London, the sprint sensation wasted no time in calling out the thief.

The Olympic champion was made aware of the theft and tweeted: ‘I know u love me but please why u had to go stealing that signed Usain Bolt spikes in Croydon, England..I know u going to return it. Right?

‘All you had to do was just ask me for one. No need to go stealing the things. Come on now.’

Bolt then posted a picture which showed him signing another pair of shoes and added: ‘Only natural I sign [sic] sum spikes after one of my overly excited [sic] fan stole that one..FedEx straight to London later.’

The orange Puma shoes were framed with a photo of the Jamaican superstar. Scotland Yard said the items were taken from an industrial site .

Bayern Munich plan bid ttoo sign VVan an Per sie and Januzaj Persie

Chelsea keen on Ratitic

B

Napoli of 4m ffor or offfer $1 $14m Andre Ayew

Chelsea are ready to make what they hope will be a tempting enough offer to convince Sevilla to sell their prized asset Ivan Rakitic.

The west London side will offer the La Liga side a cash sum plus the services of German winger Marko Marin, who is currently on loan at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.

N

apoli are in advanced negotiations with Marseille for their Ghanaian midfielder Andre Ayew in a deal worth about $14m.The striker impressed in the Champions League against the Partenopei this season and had already been linked with a January move, but that collapsed due to a meniscus injury that kept him out for three months.

ayern Munich will look to lure Man United pair Robin Van Persie and Adnan Januzaj at the Allianz Arena as Pep Guardiola seeks to reshuffle his squad.

The former Barcelona boss is likely to offload Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gotze and sees the Old Trafford duo as the ideal replacements though one wonders if Man United would be likely to consider offers for two of their most high-profile performers.

Croatian forward Mandzukic is no doubt concerned about his first team chances next term with Robert Lewandowski set to join the club this summer.

Wan anyyama earns his Monaco to entice Pogba laughs of offf £70m Cole £12m contract move to EPL move to United or Madrid Nigeriadream Monaco are set to offer experienced international day of mixed emotions for Celtic fans as

J

uventus midfielder Paul Pogba has dismissed suggestions that he could be set to make a dramatic return to Manchester United this summer. The 21-year-old left Old Trafford on a free transfer just two years ago following a contract despite with the Red Devils. He has since established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Europe. In 34 Serie A matches this season, he has scored seven goals and provided seven assists.

Pogba is reportedly being courted by a number of elite clubs, including United, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

C M Y K

A

midfielder Victor Wanyama makes his dream move to the English Premier League, with Southampton breaking the Scottish transfer record with a reported 12.5 million pound deal. Wanyama had two great years at Celtic winning two league titles and the Scottish Cup. He starred in Europe also and it was his performances in the Champions League that sealed Wanyama's departure south.

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole a bumper contract to move to the South of France next season. Monaco are set to put on the table shortly for Cole to consider, with the Ligue 1 runners-up to hand the 33-year-old a lucrative two-year contract matching his current salary at the Blues of £120,000 per week, which works out at a whopping £12m with the full back not having to pay any taxes on his earnings in the Principality.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—37

Milan will sack Seedorf

Nani set for Juventus switch

T

hings are looking bleak for AC Milan boss Clarence Seedorf with reports that he will be sacked even if he secures Europa League qualification.

Clarence Seedorf's first coaching job could end in tears if reports in the Italian press that AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi is ready to pull the plug are true.

The Dutchman arrived halfway through the season to replace Massimiliano Allegri with Milan rooted in mid-table and already realistically out of the hunt for a Champions League place.

After a brief honeymoon period, Seedorf struggled but he has rallied of late and Milan's victory over rivals Inter last weekend has left them just one point shy of the Europa League places. It has been reported by the Italian media that qualification for Europe is the minimum requirement for Seedorf to keep his job.

Juventus are keen to finally sign unsettled Manchester United wide man Luis Nani for next season. The mercurial Portugal international was actually surprisingly handed a new contract by the former Red Devils head coach David Moyes at the start of this campaign.

However, the Scot’s confidence in Nani turned out to be misguided, with the inconsistent winger going on to spend the majority of this campaign warming the substitutes’ bench and being a bit-part player at Old Trafford rather than a key member of the Premier League champions’ first team.

Chelsea conf ident of confident signing £20m Paulinho C helsea are confident of landing Tottenham midfielder Paulinho though as yet they have not made a formal approach for the White Hart Lane. The 25 year old is keen to leave the north London club after the upcoming World Cup finals and a move to Stamford Bridge is sure to tempt the talented Brazilian.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho apparently sees Paulinho as an ideal long term replacement for Frank Lampard and the former Corinthians man has had a steady first campaign in the English top tier.

Taar abt aarabt keen on permanent Milan switch

M

o r o c c o international Adel Taarabt is keen to secure a permanent move to AC Milan at the end of the season, the Mail Online understands.

The midfielder moved to the San Siro during the January transfer window, and he has scored four goals in twelve Serie A appearances having spent the first half of the campaign in the Premier League with Fulham.

senal consider cut-price Ar Arsenal swoop for Adil Rami

A

rsenal are interested in signing experienced Valencia centre-back Adil Rami at the end of the season, according to reports.

The France international is currently spending a six-month loan spell with Serie A outfit AC Milan after falling out of favour at the Mestalla earlier on in this campaign.

However, it is understood that the Rossoneri now have no plans whatsoever in turning Rami’s loan spell at San Siro into a permanent move come the end of the campaign and so the central defender will return to Los Che later this month.

Benfica star Nicolas Gaitan could be the subject of a summer bid from Manchester City.

The Citizens sporting director Txiki Begiristain is looking to lure the Argentine forward to the Etihad and he has established initial contact with the player ’s representatives.

Manchester City boss

Man City to bid for Nico Gait an Gaitan

Dortmund set to sign Ciro Immobile orussia Dortmund are on the verge of B signing Torino striker Ciro Immobile.

Despite securing the signature of Colombian forward Adrian Ramos, the Millionaires are looking to sign another quality attacker in an attempt to compensate for Robert Lewandowski’s departure.

And the latest reports are suggesting they have stepped up their efforts to sign longterm target Ciro Immobile.

The player himself is reportedly ready to join the Millionaires, with Dortmund now hoping to reach an agreement with Torino and Juventus, who co-own the striker.

R

ussian giants Zenit St Petersburg are set to make a move on former player Igor Denisov.

Zenit boss Andre Villas-Boas seems to have made signing Dynamo Moscow midfielder Igor Denisov his priority in the summer transfer window.

“I know that Denisov has won many trophies, was one of the leaders at Zenit and now he is one of the league’s best players,” the Portuguese coach told Izvestia.

“Of course, these kinds

ller Liverpool join race for £35m rated Mu

L

iverpool are to join Arsenal and Man United in pursuit of Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller. Reports of a possible Allianz Arena exit for the 24 year old attacker appear to have begun appearing soon after Louis van Gaal’s name become inextricably linked with the vacant permanent

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addition to the squad.

The 26-year-old has a long list of admirers among Europe’s top clubs, but English Premier League does look the most likely destination.

Manuel Pellegrini is not exactly spoilt for options in wing positions and he believes Nico Gaitan would be a very good

Ig or De ni so v lin ke d wi th Ze ni t re tu rn

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of the week Which team will win the Champions League final in Lisbon? Send your answers to 08023542350 sms only.

Note.

The first correct prediction will receive N1,000 recharge card.

Old Trafford post, the hook seemingly being that the Dutchman showed great faith in Muller as he emerged and thrived in the Bayern Munich first team set-up whilst he was in charge of the Bavarian side.

Outwardly there seems little reason why Muller would seek to leave the Bundesliga side given the level of success they ’ve achieved in recent seasons though perhaps the lanky German international hasn’t taken well to life under boss Pep Guardiola?

Brendan Rodgers may well see the £35m rated star as the perfect player to act as a third prong in an attack that would also include in-form strike-pair Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez and the Anfield side’s triumphant return to the Champions League.

38— SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MAY 10, 2014

08111813022 At what point did you realise you have flairf o r acting?

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hile I was in secondary school, I was involved in school drama. That was when I realised I have flair for acting. Then, I said to myself, if I take this path, I would not regret it in life.

That was it.

When did you feature in your first movie?

That was in 2012, and the movie was called”Kingdom of Blood.” I played the role of a maiden in the movie. It wasn’t a challenging role, even though I felt a bit intimidated starring alongside some big names in the industry like Ngozi Ezeonu, Frank Actus, Charity Eke among others.

How come after two years in the industry, you are already making waves?

When I joined the industry, it wasn’t easy for me to have my break. I had to struggle like every other up and coming actress. I met a producer/director called Nonso Ekene Okonkwo while I was still honing my talent in school.

He told me that I have what it takes to become an actress, but I didn’t believe him, because I have heard stories concerning how producers and directors

sexually harrass desperate actresses. However, when I completed my secondary education, I came looking for him. As a result, I signed a contract with him. Today, he is my manager as well as my mentor in the industry. With him, I didn’t have any ugly experience since I joined the industry. In fact, things have been working out well for me.

You talked of sexual harassment, is it real in Asaba?

Yes, this is because there are a lot of desperate actresses who sleep their way to the top.

Some of them would go as far as paying to get movie roles. Those who are talented are not given the needful opportunity to express themselves. That’s what we are experiencing here, in Asaba.

Are you saying that not having a mentor exposes these young actresses to all kinds of treatment in the indus-

In Asaba, desperate actresses sleep their way to the top — Anna Patrick

...Says they pay to get movie roles too

A

nna Patrick is fulfilling one of her greatest dreams in life by ‘pursuing a career in acting. But the Asaba-based rising actress is disturbed today concerning what has become the tradition in the industry. She shares her experience as an up and coming actress and opens up on how her colleagues have thrown caution to the wind in order to stay on top of their games. try?

It’s not really the issue of having a manager or a mentor because the idea of signing a contact is not yet popular in Asaba.

But I consider it as the wisest thing any young actress should do, if she must make it in the industry. It will not only help such actress to be focused, and appreciated, rather it will also help her to stay away from all kinds of sexual advances by the producers. I didn’t experience any form of intimidation or harassment because I got signed to an agency that grooms actors.

If you didn’t sign the contact, what would you have done?

I wouldn’t have continued my career in acting based on the fact that the pressure was getting unbearable for me.

What pressure?

The pressure from producers and directors who want to sleep with these up and coming actresses. Sometimes, they compel them to pay before getting roles in their new productions.

How much do they pay per movie role?

It depends on the individual actress, I can’t put a figure to it now.

But that’s the tradition in Asaba.

you featured in so far?

I have featured in about ten movies. They include “Amaka, the Village Girl”, “The Book of Magic”, “The Spirit Girl”, “Mary, the Magic Girl” which is yet to hit the market as well as “The Village Boy” and “Kingdom of Blood”. I’m getting ready to shoot a new movie any moment from this month.

•Anna Patrick

It means that sexual

harassment is real in the industry? es, it’s real. I have been sexually harassed by both producers and directors.

Sometimes, when you

Y

“

I didn’t experience any form of intimidation or harassment because I got signed to an agency that grooms actors

refuse their sexual advances, they would start to antognise you.

Some

of them would start seeing you as a very proud person.

With all of these challenges, have you ever felt like abandoning acting?

Life itself is full of challenges. The challenges in this industry will not stop me from achieving my ambition.

How many films have

Which of these films challenged you most?

The village Boy, because I have to portray that local girl who emanated from one timid area. It was so challenging for me to portray that local girl in the film.

Being a rising actress, what is it that you cannot do in the name of acting?

I won’t have issues with my manager as well as my senior colleagues in the industry.

Also, I wouldn’t play any role that will require to expose my body.

I can kiss on set and play romantic scenes, but I won’t go nude or have sex while on set.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MAY 10, 2014 — 39

08111813022

Kcee doles out $5000 to Miss Fine Face

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eace Ambassador, and street-crowned Limipopo King, Kcee has given out a cash prize of $5,000 to the winner of his recently concluded Social Media Pageant -Miss Fine Face, Sophie Omolola Martin.

Lola, a student-pilot who is based in Accra, Ghana was overwhelmed with “speechless shock” when she was announced the winner of the contest. According to her, “the competition was everywhere online and there were thousands of contestants. I just couldn’t stop screaming when I was announced winner. I also liked the fact that I got an all-expense paid trip to Lagos all the way from Ghana to receive my money.

Asides charity donation and hopefully religious tithes, Fine-Face Lola says, “I’ll use the cash I won to further my education.”

Excited about the immense success of Miss Fine Face, the Instagram-Pageant, which is not a respecter of size, height, or location, KCEE said, the contest “is more than a pageant. It’s my little way of saying thank you to fans.”

NMA plans big for 2014, unveils centenary edition

A

ll is now set for the third edition of Nollywood Movies Award (NMA), which is billed to hold on the 18th of October, at Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The award, which inaugural edition was held in 2012, was established to celebrate the best in the country’s movie industry.

Last year, a star prize of a Nissan saloon car was won in a live ballot on the award night by fast rising actor, O.C. Ukeje.

Addressing movie journalists last week ahead of the award night, the duo of Nollywood Movies TV executive directors, Dipo Winsala and Alfred Soroh, in collaboration with a London-based SKY 329TV station, supplier of content to other television stations in the United Kingdom, disclosed that this year’s edition will commemorate Nigeria’s 100 years of nationhood with simultaneous live broadcast on AIT, Vox Africa ON DStv and GOTV with the theme, “100percent Nollywood.”

With the award categories expanded to 30 this year, the NMA centenary edition

Dads take centrestage at supermom season 5!

T

O.C. Ukeje

*Actor O.C. Ukeje among other objectives, seeks to showcase Nigeria’s culture and bring the awareness of Nollywood into the Diaspora and beyond. It also aims at showing Nigerians in diaspora how diverse and rich the country’s cultural heritage is.

he 2014 edition of the emotive reality television show, Supermom was unveiled to a colourful cross section of guests, the media, fans and followers of the show during the week at the The Place, in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Unlike the previous editions, this year’s Supermom has been tagged “My Dad, my Supermom.” The rationale behind this is not farfetched. In view of the popularity of the show, which has continually been sponsored by Procter and Gamble, makers of notable household products,and Promasidor, the executive producer of the show, Sola Fajobi said that in line with the dynamic nature of the reality show, this year’s edition is a break from the norm aimed at celebrating fathers who sacrificed selflessly for their children by taking up the mantle of motherhood in the absence

Guests cutting Supermom season 5 cake of their mothers due to unforeseen circumstances like a mother’s neglect of her children, legal separation or even death.

“My Dad My Supermom” teaches us to know what love requires from an unlikely source like a Dad and when to find steel in the heart, when life makes demands on us greater than what we can endure. They are our heroes who trudged on when a helpmate was not there and became an instrument of undiluted love, hope and security to their children. You call them Daddy, we call them Supermom,”Mr Fajobi asserted.

Tricia Eseigbe

Tricia Eseigbe takes The Psychologist to Enugu

A

fter signing a pact with the Nigeria Police

recently,

popular Nollywood actress and TV personality, Tricia Eseigbe-Kerry has taken another bold step to write her name in gold, as she embarks on a nationwide campaign with her latest project, The Psychologist.

‘The Psychologist’ is a public awareness campaign programme on ‘child sexual abuse.’ It’s designed to expose sexual predators within Nigeria and also to create a support platform for victims of child molestation and to get the authorities to do more in supporting our children.”

Tricia is currently on the tour of the Niger Delta region and eastern states advocating support for the campaign. Already, she has visited the governors of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Imo,Ebonyi,Akwa Ibom,Cross River,Abia and FCT Abuja. Recently, the Boldface presenter and her team were in Enugu State, where they met with the state governor, Sullivan Chime.

Chime commended ‘The Boldfaces International’ team for such a wonderful project and its mission to fight against child sexual offenders within our communities.

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08111813025

Beans responsible for my height — Martins BYADERONKEADEYERI

Tosin Martins, a singer, is our guest in this edition of Celebrity Tummy Talk. He speaks on his healthy lifestyle.

Your kind of food as a child I had an upbringing where you eat whatever you were given. There was no room for any child to dictate or to choose food. And the truth is that, we were given the best of food. We were given food that they believed were healthy for us.

Was food forced on you?

Of course, if they had left us alone, we would have eaten only rice. Or taken only ice cream and all the sweet

things. We were always scolded whenever we did not eat well.

What kind of food were you forced to eat?

Lots of beans and vegetables because they thought it facilitates growth. And as time goes on, I developed interest in eating beans because I could eat it with garri Ijebu and it became one of my favourites.

Can you attribute your being tall to eating beans?

Yes, I can say it contributed to it.

That means if you were not eating beans, you wouldn’t have been tall?

Not exactly, but there are some advantages I got as a result of eating beans and that tells on my genes.

Health Tips

Fruits that fight belly fat F

or women marching through middle age, belly fat seems a fact of life. However, recent studies on belly fat have revealed that it may no longer be common among women only in their 50s.

Losing that belly fat is about more than just aesthetics; having excess weight around the midsection can increase your likelihood for a variety of illnesses, including diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers. These common fruits will help reduce that belly fat.

Coconut Coconut milk helps the body against external factors that cause environmental damage. Organic ingredients in coconut also has antibacterial effects, protecting the liver from the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs. You can eat coconut for dinner .

Olive Olive has mono-unsaturated fat which will boost the rate of harmful cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are many dishes to choose from olive: olive salad, pickles olives, garlic, olive mix, or replacing animal fats with olive oil in food processing.

Papaya Papaya contains vitamin B, fiber and antioxidants which are great for metabolic processes. A few pieces of papaya will help you calm down in the sugar cravings. Papaya juice, papaya smoothie, or fruit salad are other options that reduces your belly .

Pineapple Pineapple is the secret weapon to get a flat belly . Acid in pineapple eliminates excess calories, while the sweet and charming fragrance fills and satisfy your stomach .

Tosin Martins

Weekend Treat

Pounded yam and okro soup Ingredients Yam Fresh okro Vegetable Beef meat Goat meat Stock fish Smoked cat fish Crayfish Palm oil Seasoning Onion Pepper Salt Water Preparation Peel off the brown outer layer of the yam, slice and wash the white part with lots of clean water. Transfer into a cooking pot and start cooking with just water. Be sure that the sliced yams are almost completely submerged in water.

Cook for10 to15 minutes, then check if the yams are soft enough for pounding. (You can check with a kitchen fork by piercing). Once the yams are soft enough,then begin the pounding process. Be sure the

water is not completely dried because you will need it while pounding the yam.

Pick with a fork and transfer into a mortar and pound with a pestle, pound until the yam are seedless and can easily be molded. For the okro soup: season goat meat with beef seasoning, onion and pepper and allow to marinade for 20 minutes. Chop okro into very tiny pieces and actually beat up on a chopping board to get it finely chopped also to help increase the resilience. Keep a few and chop into large chunks to garnish the soup.

Steam the beef meat and add the stock fish head and smoked fish when meat is almost cooked. When meat is boiled, water, ground crayfish, shrimp and boil for about five minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning, add palm oil and cook for another five minutes. Add the okro , cook for few minutes, stirring to increase the resilience. Then add the the sliced vegetables and cook for another three minutes. Stir and taste for salt. Your pounded yam and okro soup is ready.

Tumm yzone4kid&t een ummyzone4kid&t yzone4kid&teen

Avoid o ovver erffeeding this vacation

H

ow would you avoid overfeeding your child during this holiday? In today’s society, it’s so easy to overlook how much our children eat on a regular basis, much less on holidays . It is your responsibility as a parent to monitor your child’s daily intake of food.

You are not harming them on purpose, but a diet with too many cookies, cakes, candy and sweets is never good for anyone, especially children during this vacation and you have lots of “special visits” during the Easter holidays.

Kids are yet to have the ability to make considered choices about their nutrition but their parents do. If you go around feeding your child in high calorie, nutritionally you are harming yourself

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Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—47

48—SA TURD AY 48—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MA Y 10 MAY 10,, 2014

When your mother-in-law thinks her son is God!

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M

,

or almost a week, Wura, a pharmacist recently battled a chronic attack of the malaria fever. “I was home-bound,” she said, “and Nick, my husband was no help. A typical Mama’s boy. I couldn’t count on him to look after himself, let alone after our two kids.

The house-help was new and we needed some urgent things at the neighbourhood supermarket, could he nip down and get them? He looked a bit ruffled—I’d ask him to do the unthinkable. Declaring exhaustion after an hour at the supermarket with our three-year-old son, he said he needed to be ‘left alone’ to take a restorative nap!

“I couldn’t be mad at him.

Not really. You see, it’s not Nick’s fault he is the way he is. He was constantly mollycoddled by his mother and it’s her fault that the most mundane of challenges send him into a tailspin. Spoilt, adored and over-indulged for nearly 30 of his 39 years on earth, I see the fact that he managed to make it to the supermarket and complete the shopping as nothing short of a miracle.

“My mother-in-law thinks my husband - her only son is perfect. She can’t do enough for him. No wonder he didn’t move out of the family home in Maryland, Lagos until he was 28! Every morning when he lived at home, she’d make sure he had enough water for his bath then dash down to the kitchen to make him cooked breakfast, whilst instructing

Spoilt, adored and over-indulged for nearly 30 of his 39 years on earth, I see the fact that he managed to make it to the supermarket

,

the help to get his car washed.

On his return home, his evening meals were always mouth-watering. And what did she get as a reward? Nothing but the occasional ‘ you’re the best mum in the world’ and the odd chocolates she passed to her grandkids. But she so much adores her man-child, that she simply didn’t care.

“It’s a bonus that I have a great relationship with my mother-inlaw, so when she came to stay with us when I was ill, I tackled her on the subject - the misguided man-child she’d landed me when I married him.

She happily admitted she’d always spoilt him rotten. ‘I can’t help it!’ she said u n a p o l o g e t i c a l l y, acknowledging that she’s largely responsible for making him expect constant praise and willing servitude from me said all who encounter him.

According to her: ‘As not only our first child, he was also the first grandchild to my parents, Nick grew up worshipped by everyone in our extended family. He was a cute little child, really

funny and sweet, so he had us all wrapped around his little finger. To this day, his grand-dad still calls him God!’ “I’d always thought I was to blame for creating this domestic monster. I thought it was my fault he expected a giant pat on the back if he put his plates in the sink. Earlier in our marriage, I’d encourage him to think he was special when he did the odd chore so as to motivate him to help around the house more.

I told him he was wonderful for putting a new toilet toll in the holder, rather than balancing the replacement on top. I thanked him profusely when his underwear find their way to die laundry basket, rather than lying across the carpet. 1 say his praises every time he decided to take charge of unloading the washing machine. I thought it was down to all these encouragements that, once we started our own family, he did a Davido jig whenever he deigned to change a nappy.

Now I know die blame lies with his mother.

B

ut his reaction to his recent supermarket trip set my teem on edge. Ignoring that I was doubled up in pain, he returned from the store, puffing and huffing. ‘I hope you appreciate what I’ve done,’he whined. ‘The store was packed with screaming kids and it took ages to get a parking space. I don’t think you realise how annoying it in, shopping on a Saturday. I don’t mind doing it really, as

Why a woman can’t be more like a man

EN aren’t perfectionists: Early last year, a survey revealed that a woman spend nearly three times as long as men wrapping gifts. How pointless is that when the wrapping is going to be torn off as soon as the gift has been opened?

Men don’t seek solace in mindless pampering: When a man wants to relax, he will slob out and really relax. Or he will pursue a hobby— anything from chatting with mates to watching sport. Women, more often than not, do things which aren’t remotely relaxing but are all preening, which is just another sort of work. They will slog through packed clothing stores which leaves them feeling fat and frumpy.

Or spend hours being tweeted by younger women whose beauty leaves them feeling plainer ton ever.

Men don’t tell tales out of bed: Women like to pretend that men are sex-crazy, indiscreet oafs. Odd then that — even after a few drinks —most men would never dream of sharing intimate secret with their

friends about a woman’s sexual performances, complete with ribald laughter, sound-effects, leering and jeering. Yet women frequently do this.

Maybe men don’t do it because they reckon it would make them look stupid to put up with someone who doesn’t do it for them in bed. And they’d be right.

Men don’t confuse clinginess with commitment: Lots of women love to accuse men of being immature when the fellow in question displays a reluctance to ‘commit’. I fail to understand what is childish about being selfsufficient, and showing understandable reluctance to throw oneself into a smothering relationship with someone who’s obviously unhappy and overneedy.

Man don’t mistake sex for romance: Sex is, generally, a rather basic thing.

Yet, somewhere along the line, some women have adopted the notion that

sex should be akin to a trip to Disneyland on magic wings for a playdate with Barbie.

Women seem to think sex should be about communicating, sharing scented candles, two-hour massages, three-hour role-play, kissing, cuddling and then...that other things, if you must. Men believe that sex is about having sex, the rotters!

Men don’t make check-list for love: Sure, men have a type. They will also have a fantasy figure. But they’re unlikely to sit around with their mates making checklists of what they require from a real live woman. If a man did this, he’d be labelled a sexist pig.

But many women find it perfectly acceptable to keep a checklist of the qualities they require from a man: tall, handsome, successful, rich. I’ve noticed that women who do this most are the women who end up with no man at all. Still, they can always cuddle up to their lovely warm lists on a cold night. Ladies:If you’re not rich, successful or a raving beauty, it makes no sense to demand.

- Adapted from: There Are Things We Can Learn From Men - by Julie Burchill

long as you’re grateful. I just want you to know it was quite tough, but I did it,’ “But before a stampede of indignant readers beat a path to our door, ready to wring my husband’s neck, they should know I’m not alone. Plenty of wives suffer from the problems created by their other halves’ overindulgent mothers. A friend was recently quick to point out her own little Mummy’s boy is just as bad. “I often entertain his family for days on and, but he hides in his study after ten minutes of polite chat with my mother, then feels deserving of a quiet stint at the club to recover,” she said. ‘He expects a lie in it for once, he gets up in the night to see to the generator or soothe the kids. At all other times, he expects to be worshipped. I blame his mum. She spoilt him. No wonder he thinks he endures a life of hard knocks married to a shrew!”

“I’ve always been a Mummy’s boy,’ bragged my husband, ‘and it hasn’t done any harm.Only, I have these feelings that Oseh, our threeyear-old son is stealing Nick’s thunder. He is much cuter, sweeter and more deserving of attention than his father could ever be. Will Oseh finally put an end to his father’s status as treasured number-one son?

D

espite being a bit misguided about what a superhero he is at times, Nick’s a lovely son, husband and father, and credit where it’s due, I can’t fault him for that. I now realise I’m in my mother-in-law ’s club —a devoted mother who would do anything for her little boy — even when he’s in his 30, with a family of his own, just like my mother-in-law did!

Will I cook my son’s meals?

Quite possibly. Arranged for his car to be washed and do all his laundry? We’ll have to wait and see. In fact, I already feel sorry for my future daughter-in-law if she dares interfere! As things are, our seven-year-old daughter look at me with disdain whenever I took her through some house-hold chores while her brother plays happily. She would thank me for it one day if, God forbid, she has to deal with a manmade God!”

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topic of where you want to be in a few years and he mentioned locations that you did not respond well to. Your date could have interpreted that as a cue, you saw no future relationship. He may have mentioned a band he likes and did not get a positive response from you. If he loved that band, a lack of passion or interest in it on your part could have been a deal breaker.

There are also big topics that are not necessarily areas to explore on a first date. Maybe you expressed an interest in finding commitment and having kids or just the

08052201257 anyagafu@yahoo.com

Why doesn’t he call?

T

he date went great. The anticipation is there. Will he call? He seemed happy. Why hasn’t he called?

Now your brain is replaying the date and the first thing you are examining is what you may have done wrong. After a bit, you may get angry and start downplaying the attraction, perhaps even criticizing him.

But you still have not answered the question: why doesn’t he call? And then you can allow for a follow-up: Should you call him? You might begin wishing that you had never played the dating game to begin with, but despondency only makes for a rotten day. You can confront the issue head-on and either address it or move on. Actions, rather than wallowing in selfpity, are the key.

How much of your angst over not hearing from him is based in your ego? You might have been looking great and your flirtations may have been inspiring, but if he is not interested and has moved on, is it so bad to not hear from him?

We live in informal times; people just don’t dump a bad first date with a follow up call.

There may be a little bit of vanity in assuming he will call and if that has slipped over into a case of narcissism; anger, resentment and eventually selfloathing may result. Avoid the spiral by accepting that you deserve someone who is interested in you and get back

The bottom line to dating, though, is that you should be getting the man with the best attributes

on the dating scene to try again.

Forget about what he said he would do and review his actions. Did he perhaps signal that he would not be calling despite saying he would? Did you give any cues that he was

“off the hook” despite polite agreements to speak in a day or two? You may not realize it, but many casual moments and interactions during a date have a deep impact. You might have brought up a

opposite. If he has another agenda, then you are unlikely to hear from him. A difference in religion can be insurmountable, and even the most casual dating conversation can spotlight your deeper values that he may or may not share. Deal breakers abound in even the most superficial conversations.

He might want to call you, but is insecure as you could have sent him signals to back off despite what you might have intended or said. Even a polite cue to continue things could be misinterpreted when a man is insecure about what to do. The bottom line to dating, though, is that you should be getting the man with the best attributes. While you can tolerate some things that eventually may be addressed in a shared future, insecurities that cut off communication are ones that he will have to work out without you.

There are lots of legitimate and not so legitimate reasons that he did not call you. Here are a few: *You aren’t his type: There may

I need space, is it wrong?

M

y boyfriend and I have been together for four years. We have been a very happy couple.

We love the companionship and we get along really well. Everything was perfect until we both found jobs in the same area and decided to move in together. Our relationship was still strong, but I have been feeling like I need space to be alone.

I told him how I felt. Without a doubt, he was hurt, but he packed his stuff and left.

Now I feel like I made a mistake and I’m missing him so much already. It’s only been one day! I am 25 and have been with this guy for a pretty long time now. He is my first love. I see myself marrying him in the future. Yet, I need to explore to experience other things. He is 100% sure that he wants to be with me, wants to marry me, and loves me so much. He has

dated girls and has been in a serious relationship before. He got to see what is out there. So basically, we both see a future together, but I feel that we need sometime to be alone for once. We are the type of couple to see each other everyday, but we both work full-time and have our own hobbies. Why did I feel so trapped?

Zara, Port-Harcourt Ans: Moving in with a significant other can be a big step, even for couples who’ve been together for a while. In your case, the transition seemed to be a shock to your system! The decision to marry or spend the rest of your lives together can feel overwhelming, and moving in together may have felt like a big step toward committing yourself to that path. Maybe it’s time to have a heart-to-heart about how your desires

for space and exploration affect the future of your relationship.

You seem to have some conflicting feelings about the relationship: it’s happy, and you both think it has potential, but you have a desire to experience being with other people. What do you want to experience before setting down? If you have doubts about what you want, you could take time apart to explore some options. Some people feel that they learn valuable things from being with different people.

Every relationship is different and may help you realize things about yourself, characteristics that you value in a partner, or dynamics between two people that you want in a relationship. There’s also a possibility that one of you might meet someone else and decide you

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have been an initial attraction or perhaps a picture of you on the Internet matched what he was looking for, but upon your meeting, he discovers that there is no chemistry.

This isn’t a reflection on your attractiveness or desirability; some people just have their “types.” *You had sex with him on the first date: If he got everything he could have possibly wanted, he has had his fill and perhaps you have learned a lesson about establishing boundaries and pacing all relationship developments. *He is playing the field: Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

He might be so distracted with his current attraction that he just did not appreciate you, whether you were the third or thirteenth date of the last week. *He’s married or involved with someone else: This is one reason why a pre-date phone call is so important. Clearing up this matter seems like a pretty simple task, and yet some men neglect to mention their wives when they meet new attractions. They lie to you; ask you to keep an open mind and make promises they never keep.Shocking? Yes, the pressures of the modern world are quite taxing on guys, who are prone to forget they live with a woman when the chance to date you arises. He might not be calling you back because someone else is around to pick up the phone. *His career keeps him busy: There is a chance he got called out of town or is swamped with work. He hasn’t called you, but plans to do so when his schedule eases up. Your response should be to not wait before dating other men; even if he does eventually call, you do not want to set a pattern early that gives him complete control of contact in the relationship.

don’t want to be together. Or, you might discover that you really do want to be together, and you can get rid of your doubts.

Maybe you want to be together but still live apart. Separate places nearby could let you slowly transition to living together — this way, you both can spend time at each others’ houses and still have a refuge when you need alone time. If you do go back to living together, you could purposefully schedule some alone time.

A good partner will also value the fact that you take the time and space you need to make sure that you make the best decisions for yourself. Giving yourself time and space to think about your priorities and what you want from the future can help you build a solid relationship with anyone you choose.

aged 35-52 for marriage on 09035997365 • Moses, 30, from Benue, lives in Lagos, needs a God fearing and caring lady of age 20-28 who is ready to settle down in marriage on 0816486619 •Olu, Engineer, employed, single parent, Christian, 47, needs a reliable woman for good relationship on 07014320437 •Abdul, 37,based in Lagos, wants to be hooked with a lady of 23-35 on 070887240394

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nother incident that stands out in my mind is the day I learnt that the father of my first child had passed on. I rushed to her office that morning, sobbing my eyes out not understanding why I wasn’t told he had been ill, why had I not been formally informed of his death? Was I not the mother of his first child? Were there not things we should have discussed? Did he not feel the need to say goodbye? After all he did not die suddenly?!” again she

sionate about and spent her life building.

Amaka Igwe didn’t train you; she colonised you. She would demand from you sweat, blood and tears. She stretched you in directions that you may never have contemplated in your life both artistically and mentally. She encouraged—nay, demanded professional and personal growth.

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“R est yyour our legs…

“Rest contemplated me with her head cocked to one side in that peculiar way of hers and after a beat said…. “so o, he hurt you in life and he will also hurt you in death…?” Selah. What a profound statement. It was a light bulb moment for me. This was a man with who I had no

rolling her eyes wherever she is and muttering …”Mrs Doyle! Is that the best you can do?!”

An audition and casting in SOLITAIRE and later joining the cast of Fuji House marked the beginning of a relationship that would see Amaka

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he had me pinned to my seat with that penetrating stare of hers and patiently listened to my rant about not getting enough work, and having doubts as to whether I had made the right career choice considering how slow things were going and Nollywood’s total apathy towards me at the time. She let me finish, her head cocked to one side as she contemplated me, chewing her favourite brand of gum at the time (Wrigley’s white Pk) and you kind of got the impression that she was taking your full measure, not just the words that I was speaking, but more importantly the passion and sincerity behind the words. At the end of my tirade, there was beat of silence as she studied me, drumming a beat on the hand rest of her chair and then declared abruptly …”nne…rest your legs o; music never start.”

And boy was she right! That was her way of telling me to be patient, and a subtle way pointing out to me what I hadn’t, couldn’t realize at that time — I was an actor cut from a different cloth.

Here we are today, 14 years later; and her prophecy turned out to be true…the music indeed is just beginning.

,

Take a census of all the successful players in the industry today, there won’t be many who could tell their story without giving her a prominent mention

contact with five years prior; the last time we did see, wasn’t particularly pleasant either… so why was I romanticising what did not exist?!

And that was Amaka Igwe; “Mrs. I” to me. She had this uncanny ability to slice through the bullshit and get to the heart of the matter with a few succinct words be it in a personal situation or at one of the stakeholder’s meetings in the industry in which she strode like a colossus. Such a cliché; she’s probably

Igwe, Mrs I, mentoring me through the early days of not just my career but also the early days of my marriage.

She was coach, counsellor, big sister and friend and for many years she was my go to person for insight and answers to life’s many complexities. She did not suffer fools or foolishness gladly and would take it down with a few well-placed words even if the “foolishness” came disguised in a pair of trousers sprouting forth inanities about the movie industry she was so pas-

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World ffamily amily da dayy granted. Not anymore. Today you redefine these terms when using them, so your readers or listeners do not get confused.

Today’s family is under siege; the onslaught is vicious, multifaceted and unrelenting. Unemployment and underemployment, poverty and hunger, negative effects of modern technology, shrinking family time, new sexual tendencies, alcoholism, drug addiction, cultism, increasing rate of divorce, grass widowhood, kidnapping, abductions, child trafficking and baby factories are just a few of the problems confronting the family.

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hursday, May 15, is World Family Day, a global initiative by the United Nations General Assembly to draw attention to the various problems facing the family.

While I commend UN for this initiative, conservatives and religious institutions will continue to view the UN with suspicion because of its stand on the family as an “institution with no relatively fixed definition.”

Nothing can be further from the truth. In its blind pursuits and redefinitions of human rights, freedom, liberty, gay rights, feminism, marriage, etc., the UN, aided by the West, will stop at nothing, including crushing traditional family values and understanding, to push through its new-found paradigms.

The fact remains that in the beginning God created man and woman. A man leaves his parents and clings to his wife and they are no longer two but one. This nucleus is the foundation of a family. Put in nonreligious terms, “the human record… shows that the family is a natural, universal, and irreplaceable community, rooted in human nature.

The family in all ages and in all corners of the globe can be defined as a man and woman bonded together through a socially-approved covenant of marriage to regulate sexuality, to bear, raise, and protect children, to provide mutual care and protection, to create a small home economy, and to maintain continuity between the generations, those going before and those coming after. It is out of the reciprocal, naturally recreating relations of the family that broader communities grow, such as tribes, villages, peoples, and nations.”(Allan C. Carlson, Ph.D.).

Times have changed drastically.

Time was when the definition of family, like marriage, was firm and uniform universally, and was taken for

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—51

expectation. Let us not let them down.

The World Family Day is a wakeup call to all who constitute the family, not only parents. While parents fulfill their responsibility to their children and strive to bring them up to be responsible and God-fearing, children must be responsible and be obedient.

As spouses we must also fulfill our responsibilities to each other.

For us in Africa, family means nuclear and extended family. In fact, before the invasion of western culture, there was no dividing line between the two. As we celebrate, we should

In spite of the trailer-load of challenges today’s families face, we cannot give up

In spite of the trailer-load of challenges today’s families face, we cannot give up. If we do, mankind is doomed. The family remains mankind’s best chance of perpetuation and the first gatekeeper of morality.

Parents must therefore learn to live by example. In spite of our human failings, we must set good examples for our children. Bringing up children is much easier when you match words with action because action teaches them better than words. Our children know we are human and not perfect, but there is a certain level of

,

also remember our responsibility to the extended family, especially our aged parents.

As we grapple with today ’s challenges facing the family, we should look up to the biblical model and holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration. Jesus was obedient to his earthly parents and submitted to them in spite of his divinity. Mary was a virtuous woman and full of grace. She surrendered totally to the will of God the father and cooperated fully with her husband, Joseph; that was how she became the

ut to be chosen by her, was much more than a seal of approval, or a confirmation that you had potential (if you didn’t you wouldn’t last two seconds in her presence!) it was more than that; it was a confirmation that you were destined for success. You think that’s a stretch?

Take a census of all the successful players in the industry today, there won’t be many who could tell their story without giving her a prominent mention.

Rest your feet o Nne! Your dance has come to an end. But boy! Did you dance elegantly and boldly to your particular tune… and that tune plays on in me and the thousands of other people in and out of the industry who’s lives you touched more profoundly than you’ll ever know. It plays on in the amazing body of work that you left behind, in the structures and systems that you helped to put in place, and even more so in the exceptional children that you raised.

Nne o! Mrs I! I find it hard put to say rest in peace! If I know you well, you’re probably prepping for the biggest movie production heaven has ever seen! vessel of salvation. Joseph was a perfect gentleman, holy, obedient to God and patient with Mary. Many men today, including me, would have thrown out Mary even before God had the opportunity to explain the circumstances of her pregnancy.

May 15 is also the birthday of my son, Oghenemine (meaning I look up to God). At times like this when our government looks confused and helpless; we are compelled to look up to God. The fate of the over 200 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, still hangs in the balance. It is over three weeks since the abduction, but we still do not know their whereabouts (at the time of writing). Government was slow off the mark on this matter, but like Usain Bolt I hope it can recover from its poor start, overtake and conquer the adversary. I look up to God I am encouraged by the global dimension the efforts to free the girls has assumed. It does not matter if the attention casts Nigeria in a bad light. What matter are the lives of these girls. Sometimes you need to wash your dirty linen in the public if that is the only way to get it cleaned up. America will bring the world to a standstill to save one American life; we are talking of over 200 lives here; over 200 traumatised families. You do not need to personally experience it; you just need to empathise to have an idea what it will be like. I have a daughter the age of these girls and the mere thought of it leaves me cold.

The nation needs to do better in protecting its young citizens. They did not participate in creating our nation’s problems. Governments, religious organizations, parents and all concerned need to wake up to their responsibilities. We are not doing enough.

52—SA TURD AY 52—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MA Y 10 MAY 10, 2014

Faces at Chief Uf ot Ek ae tt e’s 75th bir thda Ufo Ekae aett tte’s birthda thdayy Simon

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ormer Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette, turned 75 on April 17, 2014. To mark the birthday, he had a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life Camp, Abuja and hosted the guests to a reception at his Asokoro residence, Abuja. Here are some of the personalities, who graced the events.

Adewale dedicates child

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imon Adewale, Personal Assistant to the Editor- In- Chief of Vanguard recently held a child’s dedication of his new born son at his residence in Lagos. Family, friends and colleagues graced the occasion.

L-R: Chief Ufot Ekaette and wife with the officiating minister.

From left, Chief Mrs. Bosede Adeboye, Celebrant Obong Ufot Joseph Ekaette and his Wife Senator Ekaette and Wife of Former Vice President , Chief Mrs. Titi Atiku

Mr and Mrs, Simon Adewale, P.A to the Editor- In- Chief, Vanguard.

L-R: Chief Ufot Ekaette and wife with Gen. Yakubu Gowon and wife.

L-R: Chief Ufot Ekaette, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), Mrs Ekaette and Gov Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.

Host Pastor, Mr. Joseph Ebiniyi and Gbemi Adewale, during the naming ceremony of Simon Adewale’s son

Consumer xperience Consumerss on Legend Extra S Sttout’s Dubai shopping e experience

Winners of the ‘Legend Dubai shopping ‘surround a Falcon Trainer, while “on a Dubai desert safari in the United Arab Emirates.

Aliuhuo Vivian Chinasa, one of the winners, displaying her gift items.

THE first raffle draw of the 2014 edition of Legend Extra Stout’s Promotion was held on Thursday, April 17 at O’Jez restaurant, Surlere, Lagos. The lucky consumers that emerged went for an allexpense paid trip to Dubai are: Nwala Simon (Imo), Aliuhuo Vivian Chinasa (Imo), Okon John Sampson (Akwa Ibom), Bishara Yohanna (Sokoto), Ernest Favour Nzelu (Abuja), Kazeem Sadiku Gbenga (Ogun), Femi Sikiru Atanda (Lagos), Okonofua Friday (Lagos) and Abayomi Victor Jubilee (Lagos).

Okon John Sampson, one of the winners, displaying his gift items at “the Dubai Shopping Mall.

The winners Shopping on expedition

of the Legend Dubai a Dubai desert safari“

Funso Ayeni, Senior Brand Manager, Legend & Life, Nigerian Breweries Plc., addressing the winners of the Legend Dubai Shopping experience, at the Dubai Shopping Mall .

SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014—53

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08 116759 759 081 6759759

Japan's annual Penis Festival

Lucky escape

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hinese builder falls from 20 foot high window and impales his head on a steel rod... but somehow survives after it misses his brain.

A Chinese man who was impaled on a steel rod after a fall on a building site has been told he will make a full recovery. Li Dehua, 47, was working on a construction site in Xi’an, west China’s

Shaanxi province, when he fell from a window 20 feet up, and onto a protruding steel rod — headfirst. The rod pierced his head, but somehow missed his brain. The steel rod went in to his face through his left lower jaw, and exited on the left side of his head.

Although doctors initially told his family it was unlikely he would survive, they discovered during surgery that his brain had miraculously been spared.

After 18 days of treatment, Mr Li is now expected to make a full recovery. He said from

his hospital bed: ‘It was one of those freak things whereby the rod must have missed the key bits of my brain. ‘It did a lot of damage to my face which still feels stiff, but essentially it missed the important bits of the ‘computer’ above.

‘The pain was not that intense at first. It was almost like I shut down. ‘It was when they moved me that the pain first kicked in. It was terrible. ‘But then I underwent a series of operations so I knew nothing about it.’

He was wearing a safety helmet at the time of the accident but, as he landed on his face, it did nothing to lessen his injuries.

Doctor Chung Hsieh, who operated on Mr Li, said: ‘The human brain is an amazing organ, it has the potential to absorb enormous damage.

ach spring, people flock to Kawasaki, Japan, to celebrate Kanamara Matsuri, aka the "Festival of the Steel Phallus." Held this year on April 6, the festival is a celebration of the penis and fertility.

People parade gigantic phallic-shaped mikoshi (portable Shinto shrines) down the streets during the event, as revelers suck on penis lollipops, buy penis-themed memorabilia and pose with sculptures in the shape of —you guessed it — penises. According to the BBC, the festival is believed to have roots in the 17th century, when prostitutes are said to have prayed for protection from sexually transmitted infections at Kawasaki's Kanamara shrine.

Today, the festival reportedly raises awareness about safe sex practices and fundraises for HIV prevention.

Inside the Br azilian ttown own known as ‘T win Land’ Brazilian ‘Twin

he place where more than T one in 10 pregnancies is a multiple birth and it may all

be down to the Nazi Angel of Death.

Cândido Godói, in Brazil, has some 700 twins in a population of 6,600. The town has a twin rate nearly 1,000 per cent higher than global average.

Some say Auschwitz medic Josef Mengele continued experiments there. He was infamous for inhumane tests on twins in bid to create Aryan race. Residents say he arrived under guise of a roaming medic and veterinarian. They say he started giving women

with twinning occurs at a much higher rate in the village than it does elsewhere.

This concentration within the town, which was settled by a small group of German-speaking immigrants, has been compounded by decades of intermarriage. twin-inducing mix of drugs or hormones.

However, Brazilian scientists have studied this case and say the phenomenon is down to the fact a gene linked

Surgeons use leeches to reattach woman’s ear af aftter it is ripped of offf bbyy a blood from the pit bull deoxygenated ear. As a result, for more than

19-year-old had her Sullivan reattached her A ear ripped off by a pit severed ear, LiveScience bull terrier —and then reports. He was able to find a reattached with the help leeches. The woman, in the U.S., was the victim of a vicious dog attack that left her with a completely amputated ear, which still had an earring in it.

Surgeons managed to reattach the ear but had to use leeches to drain blood from it while it recovered.

The woman went to Rhode Island Hospital after the attack and Dr Stephen

tiny artery which he could reconnect to allow oxygenated blood to reach the ear and keep it alive.

However, the surgeon was unable to find a vein to drain

two weeks —while new veins formed —she had to have leeches attached to her ear to drain the deoxygenated blood.

Thanks to this slightly gruesome treatment, the woman has now made a full recovery and has been left with nothing but a small scar, according to a report of the case in the New England Journal of Medicine. As it was only her outer ear that was damaged — her hearing has not been affected —but she did have to spend more than two weeks in hospital.

54—SA TURD AY 54—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

(Text Only)

Overweight: Its genesis and cure

•The Crab

The Crab

•Th

ri eB

•The Boat

dge

and repeat after a short rest.

Benefits: The Bridge favourably affects the abdomen and the thigh muscles.

Technique: Stand with the feet and three feet apart.Bend the knees and from the inside, place the hands on the feet.

Benefits: The Crab, the leg and abdominal muscles are relief.

Inclined Plane

Technique: Sit down with legs extended, place the hands behind you and raise your body up such that you are on just your hands and feet. Retain the pose for some 20 seconds, rest and repeat.

Benefits: This posture strengthens the hands and abdominal muscles.

The Boat

Technique: Sit down with the legs extended in front of you. Raise both legs up and touch the toes with the finger tips. Stay in this position for 20 seconds. Rest and repeat.

Benefits: The boat reduces the size of the belly and improves the muscles of the back.

The Bridge

Lie on your back and drawing up the knees, raise the trunk up and support the lower back with the hands.

Retain the pose for 15-to 20 seconds

Yoga Classes

• Inclined Plane

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos.

9.00am — 10.00am on Saturdays

Jonathan’s committee can’t achieve anything —Audu Ogbeh Continues from page 19 And if you don’t go there, people will say you don’t care. I don’t personally believe so.His work is to protect Nigeria and the constitution against danger.

So maybe speculators may say all kinds of things but I personally don’t think that is the point. People do say so though but I don’t think so because the President has much larger things to cover than where he comes from.Evil happens in one place and it can replicate itself faster in another place.

You said the President’s wife should stay away in this matter. Don’t you think she is going out because of perceived inaction of her husband from certain quarters?

I don’t want to judge her, but whatever the situation, a president’s wife should be an adviser. An adviser whispers, advisers don’t shout. It is a rule worldwide. A national security adviser doesn’t go about giving press conferences. He whispers to the President. He whispers to the Minister that he is advising,he whispers to the governor.

By whispering, I mean, you go to him and say, one, two, three, four because the duty of the president is to be the chief public relations man in Nigeria and certain things should be said only by him before you start causing confusion in the minds of the people.

Do you think this will lead to the split of this country if not nipped in the bud.

The issue is that people talk about it very glibly.

Even if the country splits, evil won’t split. It permeates. Obviously, it will cause anxieties.When they devastate the North, they move south.

They are not going to need a visa to cross or permission to enter your state. They are anarchists.

A fellow who will enter a church or a mosque and throw a bomb and tell you he is serving God is an anarchist. If God wants me to die, does he need your help? Do you believe in God in the first place?

If you do, then God hasn’t sent me to kill anybody or cut anybody’s throat. Whoever sends people to

do that is the devil himself. So it could cause a lot of stress. I will also advise, some persons in the South might also feel that Northerners are causing trouble. I even heard that Boko Haram is designed to make the presidency of Jonathan unpopular. That is not true. The first outing of Boko Haram was under Yar’adua in September 2009. Yar’Adua while at the airport going to Brazil ordered the army to deal with them. So I don’t think it is as simple as saying it was set up to embarrass the president. I don’t think so. Maitasine happened under Shagari and Maizaki Zaki happened under Abacha. So these arguments don’t hold. Evil is incubating, driven by failures of the North over the years.

Has the North developed in inspite of its long control of power?

We have not developed well. Poverty is terrible here and I gave a warning 13 years ago on this same subject that the North was going to be the trouble spot of Nigeria because of what I saw. People said I didn’t know the north

well. They said I was panicking. I was being too intellectual.

But we have it now. I could see it. There are too many shortcomings in the north. Apart from three or four states, governance in the north is very low, very poor compared to what you see going on in the south. Even for the same amounts of income, you see Southern states going much further and it is a sad story. But about three or four states in the north are doing the same thing but for the rest, I don’t know frankly. Back to us in the North, we have to ask ourselves why is this happening here. Because my complaint about us in the North is that there is too much interest in politics and not too much interest in governance and development. And talking seriously, they know what I am saying. There is too much politics. Everybody wants to be governor, senator or minister or president. But of what use is it?

What difference has it made? We pursue it with such vigour ,sometimes with such venom. Are we building schools in Benue for instance? Are we building in Nasarawa here? Have you seen any new school class room? Where is the money? Ekiti is doing 5 kilometers of asphalt tarred road in every local government. What is going on in other states? It is a long and very nasty network that is developing into a putrifying disaster because it begins from there and nothing is happening.

Osoba breaks silence on Ogun APC crisis Continues from page 17 intra-party crisis because those backing him today would eventually turn against him when the chips are down. “Those who are crucifying me today are those that have supported me before. They are supporting the government today, I pity those people. Those who crucify me today will crucify him tomorrow. “Is something not wrong somewhere? When National Assembly members are bad, Senators are not good, Osoba is bad. We have to be cautious but I appeal to you not to defect to anywhere because both PDP and Labour are one and the same and they are being used to destabilise the South West. We will not be part of the destructive moves. At the appropriate time, we will consult on the way forward and God will be with us,” Osoba said.

He however warned his loyalists to continue to

give the due respect to the office of the governor by avoiding the use of any form of abusive words against his person and office. ”Ideas, issues, intellect is what I want you to pursue. I have been a governor twice and under no circumstance should we denigrate, insult, abuse that chair or that office. We should respect the office of the governor, we must not abuse people again. The matter has got to a stage where we will use intellect, experience, ideas, issues and to begin to fight one another on issues.” The APC national leader however enjoined his loyalists to go back home and await the decision of the party’s national leadership which would meet on May 13 on the congresses conducted nationwide. He commended the National and state assembly members for being steadfast in the ongoing struggle in the party even in the face of persecution. Having heard the ‘oracle’ speak and with smiles on their faces, the thousands of APC supporters streamed out of Osoba’s expansive compound jubilantly and boarded their vehicles to return to their various homes to spread the message.

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Vanguard , MA Y 10 MAY 10, 2014

Ehingbeti 2014: How to power Lagos economy for food sufficiency

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ith over 20 million mouths to feed everyday and food being one of the first essential needs of every human being, Lagos State Government saw the need to exploit and optimise its agricultural potential to meet its target on food security, reduce food importation and stem the shortage in global food production which is rested on the strategy of guaranteed adequate electric power.

Indeed, taking steps to meet the ever increasing food demand of the state’s large population is in the front burner.

As the mainstay of the economy with elastic growth opportunities, the agriculture sector, when fully developed is capable of guaranteeing continuous food security in Lagos, one of the world’s fastest growing megacities. And certainly, adequate power generation and distribution is a sine qua non to impacting the entire agriculture value chain: preproduction, production, harvesting, processing and packaging, storage, distribution, supporting technology and marketing.

At the recent seventh Lagos Economic Summit (Ehingbeti 2014), held on April 8 to 10, stakeholders across the public and private sectors converged to galvanise ideas on how the state government could leverage power efficiency to bolster its current food production capacity. The summit which theme was Powering the Lagos Economy: Real Opportunities, Endless Possibilities, principally targeted power efficiency and its multiplier effects on some key sectors namely agriculture, transportation and housing.

The stakeholders among whom were agriculture experts, policy makers and players in the power, oil and gas, housing, transportation and industrial sectors of the economy, also reasoned that adequate electricity would help to empower farmers through the deployment of mechanised farming

methodologies, increase the participation of more small and medium entrepreneurs in the sector, expand market accessibility as well as help to curb wastage of agriculture produce.

Harping on the summit theme, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the state government was leveraging the power challenge as an opportunity to attract perceptive investors and financiers who could smell the huge potential in the sector.

He informed that the investment opportunities in the state power sector based on the outcome of the power

,,

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

Adequate power generation and distribution is a sine qua non to impacting the entire agriculture value chain: preproduction, production, harvesting, processing and packaging, storage, distribution, supporting technology and marketing audit conducted by the state government, include: the demand for 7,241Megawatts, MW, to power homes; 2,350MW for commercial activities and 660MW for the industrial sector.

Beside, additional megawatts are also required to bolster the cultivation, processing and storage of food, integrated public transportation and affordable mass housing. Also covered is the need to achieve uninterrupted 24hour electric power supply to strategic public institutions such as hospitals, courts, police formations, water supply, waste management, light rail and street lights among others.

Fashola described power as the enabler and catalyst for other sectors of the Lagos economy, revealing that there was a wide gap between power demand and supply in the state.

According to him, the current power delivery to the state was below 1000MW per day as against 10,251MW needed to cater for both commercial and domestic needs of the over 20 million residents.

He said that in order to be able to respond positively to the social and infrastructural needs of its large population and fast-paced mass urbanisation, the state government targets an increased power supply of 15,000MW by 2025.

Fashola, while listing the achievements of the various agriculture development initiatives of the state government said they increased production of poultry products, cassava, rice, fishes and employment of young graduates.

But the need for increased food production was a strong issue stakeholders including the governor took time to discuss and proffer solutions. The concern was borne out of the concern that Nigeria has remained a net importer of food despite the fact that its agriculture sector contributes about 75 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Secondly, land and water which are major inputs in agriculture are also depleting due to climate change.

Thirdly, huge chunk of locally cultivated food items is also being wasted owing to inadequate electricity to processing and storage facilities.

For example, the Director, Food Sector for Sealed Air Africa, Kenya, Mr. Alex Munyao, lamented that Nigeria ranked high among the world’s food importing countries with about 2.2 million metric tonnes of rice being imported yearly, half of which was consumed in Lagos alone. He also said that power remained the biggest impediment to the growth of agriculture in the state, a development that has caused a huge rise in the cost of agriculture produce.

The expert said that an average Nigerian spent between 50 and 70 percent of his or her income on food alone while the remaining 30 per cent was being competed for by health and other needs. “Improved power is one of the ways to achieve all-year-round

availability of food for the teeming population of the state.”

To this end, Munyao suggested fiscal and market policy reforms and financing innovations to fast-track the start-up of new electricity ventures, increased funding for rural-electrification programmes, long term investment in electricity assets like transmission lines and local distribution networks, and enhanced maintenance of power infrastructure as laudable steps that should be taken to ensure food security in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

Quoting the projection of a continued increase in the state population by the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s, FAO, advisory for a corresponding increase in food production, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Gbolahan Lawal, said the reason government was making efforts to boost power supply to the state was to ensure food availability at affordable prices for Lagosians.

Lawal said: “Although the state produced 10 per cent of its food need, government’s target is to increase it to 25 per cent by 2018. “Electricity is very crucial in the hatchery sub sector of the poultry industry in Lagos State. It will reduce the cost of production of dayold chicks by about 50 per cent which will invariably reduce the cost of producing broilers, cockerel as a result of economies of scale due to expansion of operations. The attendant market prices of these products will also reduce substantially”.

Lawal said further that with improved power, there would be significant increase in capacity utilization and output, revealing that the state poultry facilities alone were expected to increase by 30 per cent in the first year and over 75 per cent in the third year aside the multiplier effect on farmers in the private sector. According to him, operations like feather plucking, digital scale weighing, chilling and cooling were 100 per cent dependent on electricity but inadequate power has made most processing facilities in the state to be operating at less than 15 per cent capacity due to high cost of diesel.

Other areas are rice cultivation which requires irrigation, stressing that the high cost of powering irrigation facilities with generating sets has adversely affected the cost of production and milling thereby resulting in high cost of locally-produced rice in the market.

He said the availability of power would not only enhance rice production twice in the year, but would also result in almost 100 per cent yield and a further increase in production from the present two to three metric tonnes per hectare to between four and five metric tonnes per hectare in the first year of intervention.

The commissioner added that electricity was a key factor for rice parboiling, drying, de-stoning, milling, processing and packaging.

Hence, adequate power was capable of guaranteeing all-year availability of quality locally-produced rice. “It will trigger the cultivation of rice from the present figure of about 1000 Ha to over 3000 Ha in the next few years of intervention. More jobs will be also created”, he stressed.

For the cassava value chain, Lawal maintained that improved electricity would impact on the processing of cassava to flour, starch and other byproducts, enhance further production of cassava to meet high demands as well as engender sustainable industrial growth especially for secondary up takers.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014—59 As the CEO, Business Builders Limited, How do you promote International Trade in Nigeria? s Business Builders, we consult for, train and assist small and medium scale business enterprises to access loan facilities for business start up and growth. We also have a platform where investors and entrepreneurs meet for mutual benefit. We render business consulting and management consulting services to enhance business growth in Nigeria, amongst others.

We also encourage foreign Emmanuel Excel Ogbeide is a renowned international business development consultant organizations to set up with over twenty years experience in both private and public sector consulting. He is businesses in Nigeria.

On international trade, also a consultant to the Nigerian-Lithuanian Business Council, a Certified Speaking BusinessBuilders Limited Professional (CSP) of Public Speakers Association of Nigeria. As a trainer, he has as an independent conducted training sessions in various parts of the world including United Arab Emirates, consultant, consults for and Kenya, Cameroun, Togo, Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, India and helps foreign organizations China.

In this interview with Saturday Vanguard Business, he states the benefits of Nigerianto develop cordial Lithuanian bilateral relationship. Excerpts: international business relationships with Nigerian industrialisation, poverty Nigeria through organising business counterparts, as well as ensuring fraud- reduction, job creation and meetings, seminars and conferences for livelihood. Nigerian and foreign enterprises. We free international business by offering enhanced industry players reliable information Furthermore, we assist assist Nigerian and foreign enterprises from government agencies and other entrepreneurs gain access to in the organisation/ participation in trade credible sources. We assist local and sources of finance, appropriate fairs and exhibitions in Nigeria and foreign enterprises to identify abroad. We also train local opportunities, customers, suppliers, enterprises and trade and manufacturers through support institutions in trade dispatching trade missions abroad, promotion and export hosting foreign business missions, marketing. We provide organising business meetings, consultancy services and seminars and conferences for Nigerian technical assistance in trade and foreign enterprises. We also assist and export promotions. We Nigerian and foreign enterprises in the develop e-commerce organisation/participation in trade fairs capabilities among and exhibitions in Nigeria and abroad.

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A

Security avour able tr ade Security,, ffavour avourable trade policy’ll impr improove Nigeria’s investment climate—OGBEIDE

Security is a major challenge in Nigeria, and all Nigerians should get involved in helping to improve the state of security.

,

,

Ogbeide

meaningful interventions in areas such as the development of enterprise support services, job creation, women and youth empowerment and related needs in Nigeria.

What are the current challenges in the industry?

Security is a major challenge in Nigeria, and all Nigerians should get involved in helping to improve the state of security. It has affected the inflow of foreign direct investments, because investors want to put their money in a safe place. Even though many foreign investors see potentials in Nigeria, they also need to be sure of their safety before they invest here. The current state of insecurity in the country is very worrisome coupled with unstable and harsh government policies, regulations and multiple taxes which are not favourable to the overall well being of entrepreneurs and investors in the international business development industry within the Nigerian context. And we do hope that government will apply the best methods to address the situation.

As the director of trade in the Market Leaders Association of Nigeria, I have seen cases where a market is pulled down by fire and government intervention will be rather too slow. This is very discouraging. How do we encourage foreign investors to come when we cannot rely on government for fast action in case of emergency?

Difficulty in accessing loan facilities is also a challenge to many. Also, low level of education of When tobacco companies business people makes it to clamour about smuggling, they challenging with are seen as being protective of communicate their sales revenue, which is partners. Even when understandable – so would any financial institutions make other legal enterprise that has funds available to them, it’s invested heavily in scientific usually based on terms and research and development. But conditions that are naturally it is not just about sales and detrimental to the well commercial concerns. being of their businesses.

Smuggling is no longer only a So at the end of the day, matter of government tax they run into debt.

Unstable power is revenues or long term public another great factor in the health concerns; with the increasing spate of terror decline in local business attacks around the world, and foreign direct stemming the illicit trade in investment.

What recommendations tobacco has become a matter of public safety. From Europe to do you have for the Asia, Africa to the Middle East, government?

Nigerian government no one is safe from terror should embark on more attacks and we cannot continue economic restructuring and to pretend that it is of no job creation programmes for concern to us. It is a shared the Nigerian people, problem for all sides and as without any geographical reported in the article by the or religious bias.

International Consortium of Government needs to Investigative Journalists, it is understand that SMEs a problem that the legitimate could grow to become producers and distributors can multinationals and create help to solve. Who ever thought more jobs for the Nigerian that opponents in the tobacco people. Hence, putting in control drama – companies, place friendly policies and governments, anti-tobacco enabling environment that lobbyists and health powers growth and campaigners - could one day development in the SME be joined in a fight against a sector is a worthwhile common cause? When it comes investment which the to cigarette smuggling, it may government should look well become a case of Sleeping into. with the Enemy.

Tobacco smuggling, tterr err orism and the econom errorism economyy

By Princewill Ekwujuru & Moses Nosike

T

obacco companies and health lobbyists never see eye-to-eye but on one issue they make strange bedfellows: the issue of smuggling.

Both parties, indeed all parties including anti-tobacco advocates and journalists, agree that the smuggling of cigarettes needs to be stamped out in order to protect public health, government revenues and commercial investments. These days there is an even more urgent incentive to stem smuggling terrorism.

Before addressing the link between terrorism and illicit trade in tobacco, there are few fixed facts that should be remembered. First, smuggling is not a thing of today.

The practice has existed for centuries and as long as there are porous borders and corruption, it is likely to continue. Alcohol and tobacco, arguably the most lucrative legal products for smugglers, have been sneaked in and out of countries around the world for well over five hundred years.

Secondly, smugglers are not charitable; they do it for profit so as long as an item remains profitable, they will continue to supply it clandestinely. Conversely, once an item becomes unprofitable to smuggle, they will move on to other, more profitable things.

One of the most fundamental principles of economics revolves around supply, demand and price.

In very basic terms, the higher the demand, the higher the price. Once the legal supply of a product is cut off, demand for contraband versions of the product will rise. This will lead to a profitable jamboree for smugglers, who will control the supply and thus manipulate the p r i c e a n d their profit margins. It seems quite obvious that legislating legal producers out of existence will leave the supply of cigarettes in the hands of smugglers, which will lead to current levels of smuggling escalating out of control.

The first and second points - that smuggling is a long established and profitable activity - has led to it becoming a means that international organised terror groups, crime rings and rebel guerrillas have turned to, to finance their activities. They do this either directly, by trafficking the goods, or indirectly, by offering paid protection for other groups carrying out the smuggling.

Even the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which regularly makes clear its antitobacco stance, published a 2009 article titled Terrorism and Tobacco, in which wellknown radical groups such as

the ‘Real’ IRA, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as lesser known rebel and guerrilla groups were reported to have either direct or indirect links to cigarette smuggling. In the report an investigator was quoted as saying that “This is one of those few problems that is fixable”, saying that contraband can be dealt with because the (legitimate) producers and distributors can control the process. The investigator went on to state, “You need to ensure that the products are being sold through legitimate channels, through legitimate distributors.”

The ways in which terror groups fund their activities are well known to politicians around the world. In 2007 a Republican member of the US House Committee on Homeland Security released a paper titled Tobacco and Terror: How Cigarette Smuggling is Funding our Enemies Abroad, in which he highlighted the link between smugglers and international terror. In some instances nonterror organisations said to be in support of terror groups are said to channel part of their smuggling profits to fund the terror group’s expenses and attacks.

Whether these benefactors are sponsoring terror for political or ideological reasons remains unclear.

60—SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014

AWC: Falcons will reign again, says Okon

BY EDDIE AKALONU

S

UPER Falcons of Nigeria handler, Edwin Okon believes Nigeria can seal the African Women Championship qualifier against Rwanda by grabbing a win in the first leg tie and then go for consolidation in the return.

“We will give it our best shot and see how it goes.

It is always good to start well at home and play the return leg with different strategies and mindset,” said the coach Okon, who issued a list of players for the last lap of preparation last week, said the goal is to qualify and dethrone Equatorial Guinea in Namibia.

To set the tone for the tie, Falcons beat the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in Abuja recently by a lone goal and that result earned them marvelous public confidence when it is recalled

that it was the same Cameroonians that stopped Nigeria from being part of the football event of the London 2012 women Olympics that soiled Nigeria’s record of having missed an out of the Olympics once since the Sydney 2000 when the event took off.

The Super Falcons list is a mixture of home and foreign based players, including the experienced ones from past international competitions. They will be expected to beat Rwanda and widely predicted to challenge for the trophy against countries like Ghana, South Africa and holders Equatorial Guinea... “I can tell you that we’re moving forward. We want to be positive and we want to unify the group as best as we can plus the fact that some of the players have been in competitions together.”

Okon made it clear that preparation has been fairly straightforward, given the series of activity by home based players, but that it remains a huge challenge to succeed given the limited time left for players to blend. “All the same we will be ready and our target is to qualify and play our part well so as to emerge victorious in Namibia Smart Ebhodaghe, a follower of female football agreed to this fact but the team must “But they should never take anything for granted because these days one can never tell if the fowl has grown some teeth overnight to bite you badly,” he stated.

The Super Falcons will visit Rwanda for the first leg of the qualifiers on May 24. The second leg will hold in Nigeria between the weekend of June 6 and June 8.

Basketball: NBBF slams Gombe Bulls

N

IGERIA Basketball Federation (NBBF) has slammed N150,000 fine on Gombe Bulls for their supporters’ invasion of the court in their Match 32 against Mark Mentors of Abuja.

A statement by NBBF Media Officer, Patrick Omorodion, said that the fine was followed by a stern warning for the club to avoid a repeat of such.

According to the statement, the federation took the decision based on the unlawful disruption of the game by invading the court and attempted physical assault on one of the match referees.

“The DSTV Basketball League has no tolerance for any form of violence or hooliganism, hence, we will enforce without fear or favour, severe sanctions to checkmate such tendencies.

“Gombe Bulls are now placed on notice and such actions shall not be tolerated from its supporters or anyone connected to it.

“We will without hesitation, banish your team to play its home games away at a neutral venue acceptable to the federation or out rightly ban your team from the league to serve as example to teams that employ unfair, unlawful and unacceptable tactics to win games at home,” it said.

Gombe Bulls was the third club to be sanctioned

by NBBF in the 2013/ 2014 season for acts capa-

DUNKING... Action during the Zenith Bank Basketball league ble of disrupting the DSTV Men’s Premier League. They sanction is coming after that imposed on Royal Hoopers of Port Harcourt and Niger Potters of Minna In another development, Coach Ahmadu Abbah of Taraba Hurricanes women basketball club of Jalingo said his club has lost all hopes of qualifying for the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League final eight playoffs.

Abbah said this on Thursday in Ilorin after his team lost their sixth match 26-79 to defending champions First Deepwater at the league’s second phase.

NAN reports that the loss came with only one match to go at the ongoing second phase of the competition’s 2014 edition holding in Ilorin.

The coach however expressed optimism that the club would be better next season and go on to qual-

ify to play in the final eight play-offs.

“Having lost all the six matches we have played so far, and with only one match to go, we know we cannot make the final eight play-offs in Lagos.

“But there is an improvement this season, better than when we played last season, when we could not hit the basket nor defend.

“Other clubs were scoring freely against us, beating us with almost 100-point margins. But, here we are today, and we held the defending champions to a lesser margin. So, we are coming up gradually.

“I am sure that by next season, we will spring surprises because our target will be to be at the play-offs,” Abbah said.

The coach who doubles as the club’s Chairman however said it was a matter of time before his club becomes a force to reckon with in the league.

Cross River in race to complete U.J. Esuene Stadium tracks

C

ROSS River State commissioner for sports, Patrick Ugbe has assured Athletics Federation of Nigeria officials that the running tracks of the U.J. Esuene Stadium will be up and ready for use, before the Cross River/All Nigeria track and field championships billed for June 17-19.

The Stadium has been undergoing renovation for the National Sports Festival billed for December and according to Mr. Ugbe, work will commence this weekend and it will take a couple of days for installation to be

complete.

“The track equipment will arrive Calabar this weekend. And the contractors will instal them almost immediately. We expect them to be ready before the championships,” said Mr. Ugbe.

He added that the tracks are the latest technology and athletes will find it comfortable to compete on. A member of the AFN confirmed that they have received assurance that the tracks will be ready on schedule, but: “We are also thinking of alternatives in case the stadium is not ready

for use.”

Ugbe stated that the new track facilities will also boost the State’s grassroots athletics programme, which has revived the sports fortunes of Cross River.

“Our grassroots programme is still very much alive. The results are there for everyone to see, we have totally dominated the youth sports competitions and hopefully, we will extend it to the senior category in the next couple of years with our own home grown talents.”

Warri Relays: Meadows ready to run for Nigeria

U

S-BORN athlete, Tawanna Meadows has expressed her desire to run, wearing the colours of Nigeria and she is expected to make good her promise when she competes at the CAA grand prix and Warri Relays billed for June 13 at the Warri Township Stadium.

Meadows, 28, did her personal best of 11.11 seconds in April and according to Athletics Federation of Nigeria technical director, Omatseye Nesiama, if her wish to represent Nigeria becomes a reality, it will be an advantageous inclusion into the Nigeria relay team.

“She has expressed her desire to run for Nigeria.

She will be one of the major athletes coming for the Warri Relays,” said Navy Commodore Nesiama.

He disclosed that plans are in top gear for the Warri Relays, which has attracted quite a number of countries including a club from the USA.

TAWANNA MEADOWS (L)... Coming to Warri “The meet is expanding as a number of countries and athletes are wishing to compete. By next week we will have a clearer picture of how many participating countries and athletes that will be coming and also our

preparations will be in top gear.”

Commodore Nesiama added that though Delta State is sponsoring the meet, there was a need for it to get sponsorships as the Warri Relays is getting bigger.

Golden League: Athletes scramble for good performances

Q

UITE a number of athletes are been expected in today’s AFN/ Solid Works golden league in Akure, Ondo State. This is with the intention of making a good performance that may qualify them for the 2014 Commonwealth Games trials next month and also win a slice of the N2m jackpot.

Athletics Federation of Nigeria secretary-general, Bamidele Bamiduro disclosed that there was

a lot of entries for the meet at Federal University of Technology Akure sports ground, adding that everything has been adequately provided for to make the athletes’ stay comfortable.

“We expect a very keenly contest golden league meet. The federation received quite a number of entries from the athletes.

“The Ondo State government has kindly sup-

ported us with accommodation. And every other need has been taken care of and so we expect a good outing,” said Mr. Bamiduro.

Most of the star athletes however, are in the US training ahead of the World Relays, but junior athletes like Omezia Akerele, Divine Oduduru and Ese Brume who have been holding sway are expected to maintain the lead, they established from the previous meet in Ilorin.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014 — 61

62 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MAY 10, 2014

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014 — 63

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MAY 10, 2014

Eagles must beat Iran — Adepoju F

BY JACOB AJOM

ORMER Nigeria international, Mutiu Ade poju has charged the Super Eagles to go all out and defeat Iran in their opening group match of the World Cup in Brazil.

Brazil 2014: Eagles coaches sweat on players fitness

BY BEN EFE

S

UPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi confronted with the reality of having unfit players in his provisional squad for the Brazil 2014 world cup, has expressed hope that all the players will be 100 percent fit before the world soccer fiesta begins for the national team with a game against Iran on June 16.

“As you know, many leagues especially in Europe are ending.

Some players could have one or two knocks which they have been nursing. The invited players are expected in camp three days before our first test match against Scotland,” said the coach.

Players like Uche Nwaofor, Joel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Gabriel Rueben, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Joseph Yobo are reported to be fighting to regain fitness after nursing injuries.

DASHING... Ahmed Musa of Nigeria competes with Cristian Rodríguez of Uruguay (L) However, Keshi said that he and Egidio Arevalo Rios during the FIFA Confederations Cup last year in Brazil. Can the was unsure of who will make the Eagles make the difference come June? final 23 man list for the world cup out the 30 invtied for camping, “We have one of the best med- carrying an injury, we will know adding that the medical team will was planing to fail at the world ical staff in the world and all the what to do.” carry out a fitness test for all the cup as he seem to be gambling However, former international with unfit players. players and those who cannot players will be carefully examined and if anyone of them is Jonathan Akpoborie said Keshi measure up will be dropped.

“I don’t believe any coach in his right mind would take any player who is still injured, who hasn’t played a game after his injury in his World Cup squad.

“So you ask, are we going there work. We need to back him to to participate like we did at the “It was imperative that Ni- achieve the best for our coun- Confederations Cup, or are we going there to win games.” geria gets on with prepara- try,” Emeteole stressed.

BY EDDIE AKALONU tions for the Mundial, knowing that the World Cup is a big Across Down ITH names of Nigeria’s event requiring good han1 Group Managing Director, 1 Traditional Ruler of Ife – (4) First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. 2 Anambra State Capital – (4 World Cup bound play- dling. The committee is workOlabisi – (8) 3 Director-General, Nigerian ers now known, FA Technical ing in consonance with the 5 Minister of Education, Mr. Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), committee member, Garba La- technical crew to ensure there Nyesom – (4) Mr. Benedict – (9) 7 Ocean – (3) 4 Delta State Capital – (5) wal and former Super Eagles is a team ready to do battle in 8 L.G. A in Ebonyi State – (4) 5 Chairman, Joint Health WorkAssistant coach, Kelechi Eme- Brazil,”Lawal said, adding, “I 9 Former United States Presers Union (JOHESU), Dr. Ayuteole have given their support believe the team have what it ident, Mr. George – (4) ba – (5) 10 Country in Europe – (5) 6 Country in Africa – (8) to coach Stephen Keshi on his takes to deliver the goods. We 12 Golden Eaglets Midfield11 Beverage – (3) team list released on Tuesday will support Keshi to sucer, Kelechi – (9) 13 Former President, Trade in Abuja. “Mind you I was at ceed.”

16 L.G.A in Borno State – (5) Union Congress (TUC), Mr. 18 Warri Wolves Striker, OghPeter – (5) the meeting when he presentSpeaking in a telephone enekaro – (5) 14 Senate Majority Leader, ed the list giving reasons for chat, Emeteole, who is tech19 Niger State Capital – (5) Victor – (9) his choice of players. Since he nical adviser of Heartland FC 21 L.G.A in Kogi State – (9) 15 France “Lique One” Pre24 Dolphins FC Coach, Stanmiership Club – (4) is the coach and has in mind of Owerri said “We ought to ley – (5) 16 Former Flying Eagles (U.20) the formation he intends to have known Keshi by now and 27 L.G.A in Nasarawa State Coach, Paul – (8) adopt at the competition, I be- we just have to trust him be– (4) 17 Kogi State Governor, Idris – 28 Camroun “Indomitable Li(4) lieved his presentations and cause he gave us cause to ons” Midfielder, Alexandre – 20 French Word for “Name” – gave my support because the smile in past efforts and now (4) (3) important thing is that we is when he needs our collec29 Igbo Word for “Mother” – 22 Sierra Leone Currency – (5) (3) 23 Super Eagles Striker, Victor have to go out there and give tive support to carry out his 30 Africa’s Longest River – – (3) a good account of our coun- plans for the World Cup. He (4) 25 Nigerian Football Federation try. God willing, we shall is the one that wears the shoe; 31 Scotland National Coach, (NFF) Vice President, Mike – Gordon – (8) (4) achieve it,” said the Atlanta he knows the type of players 26 Former Ugandan President, ’96 Olympic gold medalist. capable of making his team Idi – (4)

Lawal, Emeteole thumb up Eagles list

Speaking with Sports Vanguard at the national stadium Lagos yesterday, the two-time World Cup player said “the match against Iran is a very important game for Nigeria. To a large extent the match will define our fate in the tournament because a good result against them will give the players a psychological boost before the encounter against Bosnia and Herzegovina which will be their next game.”

Adepoju who was fondly called The Headmaster in his active days warned the Eagles not to underrate any of their opponents because, in his words, “no match is won before the ball is kicked.

“There is no team that qualified for the World Cup without qualifying from their continent.

Iran played well in Asia to qualify for Brazil just like Nigeria.” He said the Super Eagles must prepare and work hard before every match as every opponent poses fresh challenges.

He dismissed insinuations that Bosnia-Herzegovina lack experience because they will be making their maiden World Cup appearance in Brazil. “We (Nigeria) were at USA ’94 as first timers but we dazzled the world with our brand of football. Nobody should undermine the strength and depth of the Bosnia-Herzegovina team. They equally have players in top European clubs, and they are doing very well. Their qualification for the tournament was well deserved. They have a good side,” he said.

Argentina have been tipped by bookmakers to top Group F but the CEO of Kwara Football Academy said the Argentines are like any other team.

“No special respect should be accorded them because any team that qualified for the World Cup should be given equal respect,” adding, “that they have been tipped to top the group does not give them any edge over others. Anybody can tip any team. I can tip Nigeria. So, ti does not mean anything in football.”

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SOLUTION on page 20

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