Ali the Greatest goes home

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Militants threaten to attack govs *Why we failed to launch missiles in N-Delta – JNDLF *Makes 7-point demand, including defreezing Tompolo bank accounts *Avengers blow up Agip ENI crude pipeline in Bayelsa Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Sam Oyadongha, Egufe Yafugborhi, Perez Brisibe and Akpokona Omafuaire

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HE Joint Revolu tionary Council, JRC, of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, JNDLF, yesterday, warned that it would go after any state governor from the Niger Delta region that betrays the current struggle by militants.

The militant group gave the warning on a day the Niger Delta Avengers blew up a key crude oil pipeline, belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Eni, in Bayesla State making it the 16th of such attacks on pipelines since it commenced pipeline bombing on February 10.

JNDLF in a statement by the Commander, General Duties, JNDLF, General Akotebe Darikoro, and three others, also explained why the militant group did not launch six missiles in the region as earlier threatened.

The group, which has agreed to engage in dialogue with the Federal Government also made a seven-point demand to forestall further attacks.

Its words: “We shall continue to engage in dialogue if our demands are met. Our representatives for the dialogue, especially the governors and others will not betray our demands with the federal government. Any betrayal on their own part shall be viewed as betrayal of the entire region and we shall go after them immediately as they know our mode of operation in which they will not escape from us.”

Failed missiles The group asserted: “There is no gainsaying that we made our earlier promise to launch six Missiles simultaneously against some targeted areas. But this was waved aside as a result of appeals made to us through email by the Federal Government and some international nations to open talks with (President) Buhari.”

“We saw some genuine aspiration on the part of Buhari, who made several contacts to us to see reason with them over the issue of under-development of the region. And since he (Buhari) had set the ball rolling for a clear negotiation with us, there is no problem without solution. We have therefore declared ceasefire in order to negotiate with the government if it is a true reflection of what they

have in mind to develop the Niger Delta region”.

The group added that: “We are not ready to negotiate with the federal government for the sake of monetary benefit to us but how genuinely the government will develop the region is at the centre of our discussion and anything less than that we will continue our struggle without further warning to the federal government.”

Conditions to forestall further attacks The group also gave some conditions which the government must meet in order to avert resumption of struggle which include: “immediate release of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) and Nnamdi Kanu, whose release was ordered by the court severally, pointing out that “their continued detention was unconstitutional and against the tenet of our nascent democracy in the country”.

JNDLF also demanded that: “the government must “direct EFCC to defreeze the bank accounts of ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, (a.k.a. Tompolo). The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place – Okerenkoko in Delta State, must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately; “The immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference report, failure of which Nigeria will forcefully break-up. “ Oil-polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up, while compensation should be paid to all oil-producing communities, e.g. Chevron fire outbreak of gas explosion in Koluama, Bayelsa state and Bonga Oil Spill in 2011; “Removal of Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd.) as an Amnesty Coordinator who does not understand the programmes and policies of the Amnesty and does not know us to the grassroots.

“Hence he (Boroh) should be replaced with Dr. Felix Tuodolo who has been in the struggle of non-violence since 1980 and he was the designer of the Amnesty programme.

The group added: “We carry out all these attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the region because of the statement made by President Buhari that, he will develop those areas

that gave him 95% votes during his presidential election last year. We, the Niger Delta people only gave him 5% hence we vowed that our oil money will not be used for the development of any other region. The President should change his mindset towards the region, if not this will continue.”

JNDLF asserted: “We further thank the American government and other international nations through several emails for prevailing on us not to use missiles, but to come to round table discussion with the federal government. We also thank our foreign partners who have gone back with their chartered submarine vessels. However, if these demands are not met as we have embarked on cease fire now, there will be no further ultimatum to the Nigerian government,” it said.

Avengers blow up Agip ENI crude pipeline in Bayelsa Meanwhile, while Nigeria is still bleeding over previous pipeline attacks, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, wreaked more pains, Friday, blowing up a key crude oil pipeline, belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Eni, in Bayesla State.

Barely 24 hours earlier, militants, bombed a crude pipeline belonging to NPDC, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, around Ogidigben, Warri South-West local government area of Delta state.

The unrepentant militants have noticeably spurned the two-week ceasefire by the Federal Government and also turned away from dialogue, Avengers did not claim responsibility for the Thursday evening attack, initially thought to be an SPDC facility around Ogidigben, Warri South West local government area, Delta state, but in a tweet on its twitter handle, it said: “3.00 am of Friday @NDAvengers blow up the Obi Obi Brass Trunk line belonging to Agip ENI. It is Agip’s major crude oil line in Bayelsa state.”

Joyful about the country’s calamity occasioned by its crushing strikes, the group in another tweet said: “It is good as foreign refineries stop buying Nigeria oil because the Nigeria state has been robbing the Niger Delta of her oil and gas. We will inform the

international community when we are open for business,” NDA added.

On June 2 at about 2:00am, the group blew up the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State and at about 3:00 am, blasted the SPDC Forcados 48" Export line, saying, “We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refused.”

Gbaramatu communities deplore fresh attacks Reacting to the latest pipeline attack riverside

communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, yesterday, condemned the bombings of crude lines in Bayelsa and Delta States respectively by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

Spokesperson of the communities and chairman of Kokodiagbene community, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, said: ‘’Our position is that the continued bombings of the region in view of the ceasefire arrangement is highly condemnable.

They are technically crippling the economy to enable them get what they want. Therefore, they should not personalize their Niger Delta demands.

“Some of the things they highlighted are what the Niger Delta people are agitating for and violence is not best way to get those things done.

We think they are only taking advantage of government’s failure to address these fundamental issues. ‘’We want to draw the attention of these militants to the fact they are destroying our environment which is the only thing that we have. The massive spills these bombings have triggered have devastated the environment and to remediate the environment would take decades to do.

So, their acts are roundly condemned,” he said.

In spite of the provocation, Mulade appealed to the federal government to be patient and adopt a more robust intelligence gathering mechanism to fish out the perpetrators whom he described as criminal elements masquerading as Niger Delta agitators.

The communities urged the military high command to look inward because they were moles in its ranks and files, who work hands in gloves with the masterminds of the heinous crimes.

Cease bombing or lose support —Onokpasa In addition, APC chieftain in Delta state, Jesutega Onokpasa, has called on the Niger Delta Avengers to stop bombing pipelines or lose the support of Niger Deltans, He said: “Niger Deltan Avengers and other groups targeting oil and gas facilities should embrace the olive branch extended to them in form of the ceasefire declared by the Federal Government. The Avengers and similar groups must now demonstrate their love for the region by embracing dialogue. Recalcitrance and further destruction of our oil and gas infrastruc

*Ibrahim Babangida, yesterday

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IBB returns from medical trip INNA, Former mil- former military leader back Allah to preserve his life M itary ruler, Gen. from a medical trip to Ger- and bring him back safely Ibrahim Babangida, yes- many said the country still and healthier to continue terday arrived Minna after undergoing medical treatment in Germany. He arrived Minna International Airport at about 3:30pm The rumour of his death was awash in the social media last week before it was refuted by his son Mohammed Babandgida.

A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sani Bello of Niger, Malam Jibrin Ndace, said “Babangida arrived in Minna this evening. He was accompanied by his son, Aminu, and daughter, Halima and other family friends.”

Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello who welcomed the

needs elder statesman and former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida around for his wise counsel at this critical period.

Gov. Bello said wise counsel of leaders who have weathered the storm and distinguished themselves are needed to bail the country out from the woods. The governor who spoke in Minna was full of praises to Allah (SWT) for preserving the life of the former military leader.

Gov. Sani Bello said “despite unfounded rumour about the life of our national icon, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, we are grateful that it pleases

in the good work of nation building.

“General Ibrahim Babangida remains one of the few leaders in this country that we still need around to tap from their wealth of experience and knowledge and we are grateful he is back and kicking like the old soldier he is. Your safe return has finally put a lie to the rumour and the evil machinations of those who are playing God”. The governor then advised the media, especially the new media to be cautious in spreading death rumour, stressing that such practice was not only unethical, it was uncultured and immoral.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Man who killed wife dies in Lagos

By Evelyn Usman

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HE father of five who allegedly poisoned his wife’s food and slit her throat for ritual purpose at Araromi Street in the densely populated Oshodi area of Lagos, on May 27, 2016 , is dead.

Thedeceased,JafaruSougie, whohailedfromEtsakoCentral Local Government Area of Edo state, died at the Police Hospital Ikeja after fruitless effort by doctors to save his life.

Late Sougie, was reported to have eaten from the poisoned food with his wife, Roselyn, in a bid to rule out any suspicion. This was because he had reportedly never eaten from same plate with his wife for several years until that fateful day.

After allegedly slitting his wife' s throat, he was said to have taken some black substance which was meant to neutralise the poison. But when one of his children, Richmond (16) woke up to ease himself, he met his father vomiting some black substance in the bathroom and immediately rushed to their room to alert his aunt, one Veronica Imomoh.

However on reaching the bedroom Veronica met her sister in the pool of her blood, stone dead. She raised the alarm which alerted neighbours, consequent upon

which Jafaru was arrested and the corpse of his late wife removed to the morgue by policemen from Akinpelu division. Saturday Vanguard gathered that while in the hospital, none of Jafaru’s Continued from Page 5

ture on their part will only cast them in the light of vandals and not the freedom fighters they claim to be. The danger in such conduct will have the effect of further alienating the Niger Delta people from them which will prove to be quite ironic since they claim to be fighting our collective cause,” he said.

Onokposa urges Tompolo to intervene Onokposa added: “I equally call on Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, wherever he might be to now demonstrate that he can be a part of the solution and not the problem. He has done it before during the Yar’Adua era when he was the last man standing and keyed into the Amnesty Program.

“He should strive to do it again and be assured that his intervention will not be construed by reasonable men as indicative of the fact that he masterminded the

relatives visited him. One of them who spoke on condition of anonymity , said : “ It is a pity that Jafaru is dead.

He would have lived to know the outcome of everything, though he denied do-

ing it . But none of us went to visit him at the hospital because most of us don’t live around Lagos”.

Saturday Vanguard further gathered that the orphaned children are pres-

ently with their uncle, while the eldest a student in the university, is still in school and the youngest, (8) is in Lagos. Confirming his death, the Lagos State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police ,SP Dolapo Badmos, said the deceased never recovered right from the day

he was arrested. “I confirmed that the man died this morning at the hospital. He has been on admission since then.Hedidnotrecoverfrom the poisonous substance he took. He was also not taking his medications. All attempt to rescue him so that investigations can be conducted failed,” said Badmos.

Militants threaten to attack govs attacks in the first place.

Many people already know that disenchanted former militants, who have returned to armed struggle due to hunger and frustration occasioned by the dynamics of our recent political experience, orchestrated the attacks.

“I therefore urge Tompolo to be part of the solution and to take my advice in good faith in spite of the differences we might have had in the past. At the end of the day, Buhari’s government is the one we have and it needs money to function for our own good.

If it cannot function, we will all be the losers if the country collapses on our heads.”

Group faults Buhari However, Secretary, Gbaramatu Political Forum, Comrade Isaiah Ogah, blamed the recent upsurge in militancy in the region on President Muhammadu Buhari’s desperation to rubbish former President

NNPC Gas and Crude trunk lines in Warri at 11.45 pm *May 31: Blew up Chevron Oil Well RMP 23 and RMP 24 believed to the company’s highest swamp producing oil wells at about 3:44 am *June 1: It carried out twin -attack on Well RMP 23 and RMP 24 owned by Chevron Nigeria Limited.

Both wells are located at Dibi in Warri South West local government area of Delta State. *June 2: About 2.00 am, it also bombed the Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba Crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State. *June 3: At about 3:00 am, it blew up the SPDC Forcados 48" Export line in Delta State because the company went ahead with repair works against its warning *June 3: At about 3:30am, strike team blew up Brass to Tebidaba Crude oil line in Bayelsa state. *June 9: At 3:am of Friday, NDA blew up the Obi Obi Brass Trunk line belonging to Agip ENI. It is Agip’s Major Crude oil Line in Bayelsa State

Goodluck Jonathan.

Ogah said: “Buhari demonstrated hatred for the people of Niger Delta, particularly the Ijaws by cancelling the Maritime University at Okerenkoko and proposing six new universities. “I sincerely appeal to the Niger Avengers to please embrace dialogue for the sake of the innocent Nigerian people.

“We are waiting also for the military to apologize to the people of Gbaramatu kingdom for the unwarranted harassment and inhuman treatment of criminalizing us in the wake of the attacks,” he asserted.

Ogah further called on the Delta gtate governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to visit Gbaramatu to assuage the pains suffered by the king and victims of military harassment.

Bid to bomb Tuomo gas pipeline thwarted In a related development, security operatives, have foiled an attempt by suspected militants to blow up the Tuomo gas pipeline in Bayelsa state after blasting the Agip crude oil pipeline in the early hours of Friday (June 10).

A source said security agents pursued the leader of the gang, one VIP, suspected to be from Azagbene community in Ekeremor local government and four others, but they escaped into the mangrove swamp.

* May 4: Attacked the Chevron Valve Platform located at Abiteye. This platform is reportedly the most significant platform for Chevron as it serves as the main connecting point where all other platforms link up and it is a fulcrum to Chevron BOP and the Chevron Tank Farm. * May 5: Launched a coordinated attack on the Chevorn Well D25 in Abiteye and blew up major pipelines. *May 13: Bombed a Chevron pipeline at two separate spots near a military location * May 20: It attacked the Escravos Gas Pipeline, a facility of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in Delta State. *May 25: NDA Struck Chevron main electricity feed pipeline to the Escravos Tank Farm at Ciera creek in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. * May 27: Destroyed the Nembe 1, 2 and 3 Brass to Bonny trunk lines belonging to Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC and Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC in Bayelsa State at about 2.15am on Saturday *May 27: Blew up

NDA attack timeline (Not less than 16 attacks between February 10 and June 9) * February 10, 2016: At about 1:30 am, the group attacked the Bonny Soku Gas Export Line. The line conveys natural gas to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas plant and an independent power plant at Gbaran in the Niger Delta. * February 14: It attacked an SPDC giant underwater Forcados 48-inch Export Pipeline at the Forcados Export Terminal. * February 19: At about 3:30 a.m, blew up the Clough Creek Tebidaba Agip Pipeline Manifold in Bayelsa State.

HEAD of the June 12 anniversary, in honour of the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, four books have been authored for launch. The books which were authored by Elder Wole Osunsanya would be launched by his family and some dignitaries in the state.

Addressing newsmen over the event, Osunsanya who has authored 25 books said all the books which were billed for launch on Sunday June 13, have so many things to do with late Abiola's character and the incident.

He said this year’s event would be used to put Abiola in his proper position and immortalise him .

According to him, June 12 is crucial to democratic sustainability, If our leaders do not have what it takes to govern , Nigeria will suffer. “Nigerians forget their heroes easily. It is unfortunate that Nigerians have failed to appreciate what MKO Abiola laid down his life for.

June 12: Four books for MKO Abiola to be launched in Ogun

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By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta

30 mins rain wrecks havoc in Ilorin

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By Demola Akinyemi

HE whirl wind and heavy downpour that fell for about thirty minutes in Ilorin Thursday night destroyed properties worth several thousands of naira .

Residents of Abayawo, Isale Baani, Government Technical College Road, Shao, Adangba, all in Ilorin West Local government of Kwara state would not forget the ungly incident in a hurry, as houses were completely blown off, while several roof tops of houses were carried away to several kilometers and household items were also destroyed.

Yesterday, when Saturday Vanguard visited the affected houses in Gaa Osibi village, along the Technical College Road and a house near Harmony community, near Fomo Babalaje area, the buildings and roof tops were completely leveled by the heavy thunderstorm.

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Niger Delta Crisis: Failure of security agencies — Falana

N1.04trn fine: FG reduces MTN fine, agrees S new militant groups emerge in the Niger A Delta region, Mr Femi Falana, a human rights man of NCC, Prof. Umar staggered payment option Garba Danbatta have activist, has blamed re-emergence of militancy in

*MTN to pay N330bn, lists on NSE as price for final settlement *House of Reps kicks, insists on full payment

By Prince Osuagwu (Hi-Tech Editor), Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Emmannuel Elebeke

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FTER eight months of going back and forth, telecom operator, MTN, has finally settled issues with the Nigerian government as the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC yesterday reduced the N1.04 trillion fine on the operator to N330 billion.

The operator was also allowed to pay the money in a staggered payment plan that will last till May 31, 2019.

The fine was imposed last October over alleged inability of the operator to disconnect about 5.1 million improperly registered users on its network.

Besides the payment the operator is expected to have its shares listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE and as well tender an apology to the Government of Nigeria and Nigerians within one month of the execution of the Agreement.

These were the terms in which the federal government of Nigeria said it could consider the matter finally resolved.

Vanguard gathered authoritatively that the N330bn includes the “goodwill” payment of N50Billion earlier made

by MTN to the government.

The balance of N280Billion will be made in six tranches in staggered arrangement which will last May, 31 2019.

By the terms of agreement, MTN will pay N30Billion into NCC’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 30 days from the date of the agreement dated June 10, 2016, (yesterday) and on March 31, 2017, It will pay N30Billion; In March 31, 2018 it is also to pay another N55Billion and on December 31, 2018 it will pay N55Billion.

Subsequently, March 31, 2019 it will pay N55Billion and the balance of N55 bn will be paid May 31, 2019 The agreement and resolutions were signed yesterday by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar G. Danbatta, NCC Commission Secretary, Mr. Felix Adeoye, Chief Executive of MTN, Fredinand (Fredi) Moolman and MTN’s Company Secretary, Mrs. Uto Ukpanah, and witnessed by Mr. Tony Ojobo, NCC, Director, Public Affairs; Mr. Usman Malah, Chief of Staff to the EVC, NCC; Ms Helen Obi, Assistant Director,

Legal, NCC and Ms. Amina Oyagbola, Corporate Executive, MTN..

House of Reps kick Meanwhile, Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications, Saheed Fijabi yesterday also kicked out at the arrangement, telling journalists in Abuja that it was ludicrous

that even when the House Committee investigating the alleged MTN offence had not concluded investigations, some powerful forces had colluded with the operator to make mess of the fine.

He disclosed that the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and the Executive Vice Chair-

been invited to appear on Monday to explain the reason for recent development.

According to Fijabi, the said N330Bn was the amount MTN had long offered to pay but was rebuffed by NCC. Why the regulator would turn around to accept is a wonder.

Fijabi noted that going by the NCC Act, instead Continues on Page 42

the region on failure of the country’s security agencies, to gather intelligence.

He spoke at the 2016 International Archival Day, held in Lagos, themed ‘Corruption and security challenges in Nigeria-the place of records and archival management,’ organised by the Lagos State Record and Archives Bureau, LASRAB. Falana lamented that rather than gather intelligence that would help improve security in the country, the security agencies were often interested in reckless abuse of citizens human rights.

According to him, “What is going in the Niger Delta now, is the height of intelligence failure in any country. After the crisis in that region and the emergence of the militants and the crisis that led to the amnesty programme, we would have expected that the country keeps records, as was the case in those days. We must blame the security agencies of our country for not keeping the records on all criminals in the society.”

CBN to empower 4000 farmers in Anambra with N1.6b

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

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From left: Mr Yomi Whenu sales representative Arik Air; Captain Adekunbi Adetokunbo ,Chief Pilot Arik Air; Ooni of Ife HIM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II and his wife Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi; Margaret Ayomike, Station Manager Arik Air and Mr Adebanji Ola PR & Communications Manager Arik Air before Ooni of Ife’s departure for New York on Arik flight on Wednesday.

FG plans relocation of MDAs into seized buildings cried the huge cost being

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief and Emmanuel Elebeke

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HE Federal Government said it would consider the relocation of some of its agencies that are occupying rented properties into some seized buildings from treasury looters. It said the step was part of its moves aimed at reducing the high expenditure on rent and office buildings by agencies and parastatals of government.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, made this known yesterday while speaking at the opening session of a meeting with members of

the National Steering Committee of the Efficiency Unit.

It will be recalled that the Federal Government had last week released details of loot recovered between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016 with the document containing a total of 182 completed buildings and one uncompleted building.

A breakdown of the buildings showed that 146 buildings were recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, four by the Office of the National Security Adviser, 33 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission.

The minister who de-

incurred by government on residential and office buildings noted that between 2012 and 2014, an average yearly sum of N3.55bn was spent on rent by the government.

The Minister had last year set up the Efficiency Unit to reduce the level of recurrent expenditure which according to the 2016 budget had an outlay of N2.65tn.

The unit headed by Mrs. Patience Oniha has among its terms of reference to engender transparency and reduce government’s large expenditure through efficiency in procurement in the various ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

2016 Budget: Enugu Lawyer blasts NASS over low allocation to S/East region

By Francis Igata

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IREBRAND Enug u - b a s e d Lawyer,Ray Nnaji, Friday, slammed members of the National Assembly in both chambers from the southeast geopolitical zone for not raising alarm when the region got the lowest allocation for capital projects in the 2016 Appropriation Act before it was signed into law.

Nnaji,who was a former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP,was reacting to the revelation which emerged yesterday,from

the National Assembly Budget and Research Office,NABRO,indicating that the zone received the lowest allocation for developmental projects to the tune of N28.22 billion for the five states in the region.

This was against the backdrop of persistent cries about the neglect and abandonment of federal infrastructures in the zone that are now comatic.

A breakdown from the NABRCO showed that North-West got a palatable allocation for projects in 2016 Appropriation for

Capital allocation worth N73.7 billion while the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, got the highest, amounting to N209 billion.

OUR thousand rice farmers belonging to coop erative societies in eight local government areas of Anambra State are to benefit from N1.8 billion empowerment programme instituted by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to boost rice production in the country. The benefiting farmers are to be identified by Anchor Borrowers, an organization that specializes in the purchase of locally produced rice and sourcing of funds for the farmers. Under the programme, CBN would provide the fund, while disbursement would be done through commercial banks where the farmers operate accounts.

According to an official of Anchor Borrowers who spoke during the flag off Mr. Andy Ekwelum from Ebony Rice Agro Industry, the disbursement of the fund would be in two parts namely, money for farming and money for the provision of inputs, including fertilizer and pesticides. He said that only farmers who have rice farms of one hectare and above would benefit from the scheme and urged the beneficiaries to endeavour to repay the loans so that other people would also benefit.

Group launches Nigeria Prize for Patriotism, N100m reward for winner

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HE Nedola Initiative Ltd (TNIL), a leading sustainability management firm, has announced the commencement of the ‘Nigeria Prize for Patriotism’ (NPP).

A N100 million prize money awaits the overall winner of the initiative, which is targeted at celebrating Nigerians who espouse the ideals of the country’s founding fathers while fostering national unity.

The prize is structured to reward patriotic Nigerians in the area of education, health, civil service, business, agriculture, sports, and entertainment amongst others.

The overall winner of the prize is expected to receive N50 million in winnings and another N50 million in a grant to further the cause for which they were nominated.

According to the Chief Responsibility Officer, TNIL, Abidemi David Edmond, the project is designed to bring Nigerians together behind a unified purpose.

“Nigeria is a great country and I believe strongly that one of the biggest things holding back our greatness as a people is the lack of a unifying purpose, a common ideal.

With the NPP, we have a platform that allows us to celebrate those Nigerians that have lived a life of purpose, serving Nigerians and Nigeria, often to their detriment, who have demonstrated a ‘love for country’ and ‘appreciation of unity in diversity’, values that shall prevail over the destructive divides that exist in our country,” he said.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016 — 9

Ogbe-Ijoh raises alarm over planned invasion by fake soldiers •It’s blackmail — Aladja leader •I’m unaware of Ogbe-Ijoh letter — Army commander

By Emma Amaize & Egufe Yafugborhi

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GBE-IJOH community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, has informed the Army of an intended attack on the town by miscreants and hired assailants allegedly from Aladja community disguised as soldiers.

In a letter to the Commanding Officer, Nigeria Army, Effurun Barracks, the Secretary of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Governing Council, Aaron OweiziEbiye, said the hired assassins, pretending to be soldiers on routine patrol have planned to gain access to the town, shoot people on sight and return to Aladja.

However, President Aladja Governing Council, Aladja community, Dogene Elias, in his reaction said: “that is pure blackmail.

Ogbe-Ijoh is actually preempting our fears. We were the ones they invaded June 3 with military uniform and guns.”

“As we speak now OgbeIjoh is heavily militarized.

Go to the house of one of their leaders (names withheld) now, an army of occupation has been stationed there.

Mercenaries are everywhere and we are aware they are gearing for another invasion of Aladja.

“How do we, without ammunition, go into OgbeIjoh. They must not fool the army and police, they must be alert and alive to their responsibility,” he asserted.

Oweizi-Ebiye in his letter alleged that the Aladja hoodlums had already chased away their king and some leaders from their homes and destroyed part of their buildings, and other

belongings of the monarch.

“June 8, 2016 at about 5.00 pm, the official car of the paramount ruler of Isaba Kingdom was attacked by these miscreants and hired assailants on their way to

Warri to attend a function.

“In 1996, youths of the community disguised as soldiers and invaded OgbeIjoh town and we do not want such to repeat itself.

This is one of the reasons

why the community has refused to accept both policemen and soldiers deployed to the town in the wake of the inter-communal clash between the two communities,” he said.

Govt shouldn’t hide Avengers’ negotiators — Emami

By Emma Amaize

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ORMER Chairman of Delta Waterways Security Committee, DWSC, Warri and All Progressives Party, APC, chieftain in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, yesterday, said that government should not keep the identity of negotiators of Niger Delta Avengers, NDA secret.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard on phone, he said: “They blackmailed us, APC leaders in Delta and Bayelsa states that we are the ones sponsoring Avengers to blow up pipelines in the two states. They mentioned my name as the chief sponsor.”

“Now that they negotiate and acting as if they are not negotiating, they should let us know if it is APC leaders that they are negotiating with. We want to know those that are representing Avengers in the negotiation with government, “he said.

Emami added: “My question is who they are discussing with now, is it APC leaders because they said we are the Avengers.”

Niger Delta Avengers had, Wednesday, rejected dialogue with the Federal Government. It said on its twitter handle, “This is to inform the general public that we are not negotiating with any committee. If the federal government is discussing with any group, they are doing that on their own.”

Delta police commissioner didn’t loot power plant –PPRO

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From Left: Caretaker Committee Chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Banigo and Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara during the commissioning of Eze Dr Frank Eke Road in Woji Town yesterday.

Edo Guber: 10 APC aspirants allege intimidation, purchase of PVCs •Demand secret ballot for primaries

By Omeiza Ajayi

T

EN out of 12 governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress APC in Edo state have alleged intimidation and harassment of party officials by some partisan interests in the state.

The allegation was contained In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and signed by some aspirants including Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor, Dr. Pius Odubu, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi,

Gen. Charles Airhiavbere and Barr. Ken Imasuagbon.

Others are Arc. Austin Emuan, Chief Blessing Agbomhere, Mrs Tina Agbarha, Hon. Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula and Comrade Peter Esele.

Part of the letter reads: “We the undersigned being Governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Edo State Chapter having observed the issues surrounding the forthcoming primaries on June 18th, 2016 have decided to issue the following statement.

“That, there has remained consistent harassment and intimidation of party officials and political appointees on account of their support for aspirants of their choice” The aggrieved aspirants

who said they appreciated the effort and concern of the National Leadership of the party towards resolving the ugly events that have been bedeviling the process leading to the gubernatorial primaries, however stated that the effort has not yielded the desired result.

They said “the latest of these acts of impunity and desperation to win at all costs is the purchase and or collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) by force or inducement by agents of a particular aspirant with a view to undermining a free and fair process of nomination beginning with accreditation of delegates.

“That most of the aspirants have been denied access to delegates during campaigns by a certain notorious thug who has consistently threatened Oredo delegates against meeting with aspirants other than his preferred aspirant”. The aggrieved aspirants however suggested that “in view of the incessant harassment and intimidation of delegates, the party should ensure that the right of the delegates to vote in secrecy is protected an guaranteed.’’

ELTA State Police Command, yesterday, denied media report that Commissioner of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, looted and stole a 5,000 KVA Mikano power generation plant, belonging to the Command. Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, DSP Celestina Kalu, who described the claim as mischievous, said in a statement, Friday: “The command never at any time had 5000KVA MIKANO generator mounted at the state headquarters, Asaba since it moved to the present site in 2001.” “However, the command would like to intimate the reading public that a Perking 250KVA donated to the police command by James Ibori -led administration in 2001 started malfunctioning and all efforts made by immediate past commissioner of police to fix the generator was to no avail.’’

Wike urges Niger Delta militants to embrace dialogue

R

IVERS State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has called on Niger-Delta Militants to embrace dialogue as the blowing up of oil facilities is negatively affecting the nation’s economy.

He also accused Nigerian Agip Oil Company of being responsible for some of the conflicts in the area, stating that should Agip continue to act against the security of the state, the state government will revoke the certificate of occupancy of the oil company.

The governor also stated that the destruction of oil installations also damage the environment which will negatively impact host communities.

He spoke at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday when he received the Ogba / Ndoni /Egbema Local Area (ONELGA ) Youths Consultative Council (OYCC).

He said that should the oil production continue to drop, the nation will face crisis, hence the need for the restoration of peace through negotiation and dialogue.

Pa Arenyeka for burial PA Diamond A. Arenyeka aged 93, who passed on, on the 18th of March 2016 will be buried at his residence in warri on Saturday June 18th 2016 after a funeral service conducted by the Celestial Church of Christ, Parish one at Dore Numa College, Ogedegbe quarters off Iyara street Warri.

Service of songs holds in the same venue at 4pm on Friday June 17th 2016.

He is survived by a wife, children, Grand

•Pa Arenyeka children & great grand children amongst whom is Mr Michael Arenyeka.

10—SATURDAY Vanguard,

JUNE 11, 2016

Blasphemy:

Killing in the name of God

By Chioma Gabriel, Editor, Special Features

T

he recent killing of an Igbo market woman, Mrs Bridget Agbahime in Kano by Islamic fundamentalists in the name of religion raised questions on the meaning of peace in a religion. Mrs Bridget Agbahime was killed at Kofar Wambai Market, Kano, by an irate mob, who accused her of blaspheming Prophet Muhammad. Her death had drawn the ire of many Nigerians as it was not the first time such a death happened with no one bringing the evil perpetrators to book.

Killing in the name of religion is an unending phenomenon, not only in Nigeria but in other parts of the world.

The killing of Mrs Agbahime, a

wife of a Deeper Life pastor is the most recent that has left many aghast. Her killers had alleged she blasphemed Prophet Muhammad.

The police statement on her killing read: “At about 4: 30 pm, there was a disagreement between the murdered woman and some traders bordering on religion.

“The woman was said to have blasphemed Prophet Muhammad, which did not go down well with the people and they decided to take the law into their hands”.

Mrs Agbahime was a trader in domestic plastic wares at the market and was in the company of her husband when she was attacked by the angry mob with machetes.

Police intervention had prevented the mob from also killing

her husband.

Naming the suspect

Although, Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano state, had announced the arrest of the prime suspect in the killing of the woman, nothing else had been heard ever since. Ganduje had given the name of the suspect as Alhaji Dauda and promised that justice would be done in the case, even whilst describing the killing of the woman as illegal and unacceptable. He urged that all the stakeholders should publicly condemn the killing of the victim and all Islamic and Christian leaders should engage in public enlightenment of their followers to prevent recurrence of such atrocious crimes.

Killing in the name of religion

is a global phenomenon and killing for blasphemy perhaps has not been clearly defined.

What manner of blasphemy would warrant killing in the name of God?

Understanding blasphemy

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia described blasphemy as the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a god, to religious or holy persons or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable.

In many religions, blasphemy is considered as a religious crime.

The Nigerian constitution abhors blasphemy and permits

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SATURDAY Vanguard,

JUNE 11, 2016—11

‘Victims of blasphemy’ Continues from page 10 punishments where necessary. But nowhere did it recommend mob action or instant death without trial on suspected blasphemers.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria operates two court systems. Both systems can punish blasphemy. The Constitution provides a customary (secular) system and a system that incorporates sharia. The customary system prohibits blasphemy by section 204 of Nigeria's Criminal Code. Section 204 is entitled "Insult to religion". The section states: Any person who does an act which any class of persons consider as a public insult on their religion, with the intention that they should consider the act such an insult, and any person who does an unlawful act with the knowledge that any class of persons will consider it such an insult, is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for two years.

Twelve out of Nigeria's thirty-six states have Sunni Islam as the dominant religion. In 1999, those states chose to have Sharia courts as well as Customary courts. A Sharia court may treat blasphemy as deserving of several punishments up to, and including, execution.

But the prohibition against blasphemy in the Criminal Code and the prohibition recognized by Sharia may not be lawful because Section 38 of the Constitution entitles every Nigerian to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, and Section 39 gives every Nigerian the right to freedom of expression.

Laws against blasphemy abroad

Anti-blasphemy laws existed in 32 countries in 2012, while 87 nations had hate speech laws that covered defamation of religion and public expression of hate against a religious group. Anti-blasphemy laws are particularly common in Muslim-majority nations, such as those in the Middle East and North Africa, although they are also present in some Asian and European countries.

In 2012, 33 countries had some form of anti-blasphemy laws in their legal code. Of these, 20 were Muslim-majority nations – Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, the UAE and the Western Sahara. The other twelve nations with antiblasphemy laws in 2012 were Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, the Netherlands (abolished in 2014), Nigeria, Poland and Singapore . Blasphemy was treated as a capital crime(death penalty) in many Muslim nations.

Other countries have removed the ban of blasphemy. France did so in 1881 to allow freedom of religion and freedom of the press and blasphemy was abolished or repealed in Sweden in 1970, Norway with Acts in 2009 and 2015, the Netherlands in 2014, and Iceland in 2015.

Where blasphemy is banned, it can be either some laws which directly punish religious blasphemy ,or some laws that allow those who

are offended by blasphemy to punish blasphemers.

The Christian view

Christianity also condemns blasphemy. In Mark 3:29, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is spoken of as unforgivable—the eternal sin. But there is dispute over what form this blasphemy may take and whether it qualifies as blasphemy in the conventional sense; and over the meaning of "unforgivable".

Blasphemy has been condemned as a serious, or even the most serious, sin by the major creeds and Church theologians generally considered it to be the gravest sins.

In Islamic literature, blasphemy is of many types, and there are many different words for it.

The only punishment for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is that they should be murdered, or crucified, or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides, or they should be imprisoned. This shall be a disgrace for them in this world, and in the Hereafter, they shall have a grievous chastisement.

Except those who repent before you overpower them; so know that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (Qur'an 5:33-34).

In the Islamic order, a variety of actions, speeches or behaviour can constitute blasphemy.

Some examples include insulting or cursing Allah, or Muhammad; mockery or disagreeable behaviour towards beliefs and customs common in Islam; criticism of Islam's holy personages. Apostacy, that is, the act of abandoning Islam, or finding faults or expressing doubts about Allah (ta'til) and Qur'an, rejection of Muhammed or any of his teachings, or leaving the Muslim community to become an atheist is a form of blasphemy. Questioning reli-

gious opinions (fatwa) and normative Islamic views can also be construed as blasphemous. Improper dress, drawing offensive cartoons, tearing or burning holy literature of Islam, creating or using music or painting or video or novels to mock or criticize Muhammad are some examples of blasphemous acts.

In the context of those who are non-Muslims, the concept of blasphemy includes all aspects of infidelity (kufr).

The Quran does not explicitly mention any worldly punishment for blasphemy.

Victims of blasphemy

Across the world at different times, many have been killed or punished for acts perceived as blasphemous.

On 19 June 1984, a Muslim mob in the town of Sara in Jigawa state burned a police outpost and injured about twelve persons over an alleged blasphemy against the Islamic prophet Muhammad . The mob complained that someone was distributing blasphemous pamphlets, and it demanded that the police give up a mad man who had sought safety at the police outpost.

In August 2008, a Muslim mob in Kano state beat to death a fifty-year-old Muslim man who allegedly blasphemed Muhammad.

On 20 April 2008, Muslim rioters in the city of Kano burned the shops and vehicles of Christian merchants after one allegedly disparaged Muhammad.

A Muslim mob on 9 February 2008 rioted in the town of Sumaila in Kano state. The mob acted upon the alleged distribution of a leaflet that allegedly slandered Muhammad. The mob killed a Christian police inspector and two civilians, and

wounded twenty others. The mob set fire to vehicles and destroyed the police station.

A Muslim mob besieged a police station and set it on fire in the city of Yano in Bauchi state on on 4 February 2008 . The police station was the refuge of a Christian woman whom the mob accused of desecrating the Quran. One report said that the woman had spurned an offer of marriage from a Muslim man, and that he and his companions had seized the opportunity to riot. In the ensuing violence, five churches were set ablaze by Muslims, Christian shops were torched, and homes of policemen were attacked . The police arrested 1000 children.

In October 2007, a sharia court convicted Sani Kabili, a Christian and a father of six, in Kano, of blasphemy against Muhammad.

The court sentenced Kabili to three years in prison. In February 2009, an appeal court overturned the conviction.

On 28 September 2007, a Muslim mob rioted at Tudun Wada in Kano state. The mob killed nine Christians, burned several churches, and destroyed the homes and businesses of some non-Muslims. The Muslims complained that Christian students had drawn a picture of Muhammad. The Christians reported that the violence erupted after they had prevented one of their number from converting to Islam.

In March 2007, a mob of Muslim students and neighbourhood extremists beat to death Christianah Oluwatoyin Oluwasesin, a mother of two and a teacher at Government Secondary School of Gandu in the city of Gombe. A student complained that Oluwasesin, a Christian, had touched a bag which allegedly contained a Quran, and had thereby defiled the Quran.

In February 2006, thousands of

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12—SATURDAY Vanguard,

JUNE 11, 2016

Continues from page 11 Muslim rioters went on rampages in different states. The rioters burned churches, torched Christian shops and homes, and killed Christians. The reason for the violence was ostensibly outrage at the publication in the Danish magazine Jyllands-Posten of cartoons that some Muslims consider blasphemous.

In February 2006 in Bauchi state, Florence Chukwu, a Christian teacher, confiscated a copy of a Quran from a pupil who was reading it during an English lesson. The incident provoked rioting by Muslims. The riot killed more than twenty Christians and destroyed two churches.

On 20 November 2002, Muslim and Christian mobs rampaged in the cities of Kaduna and Abuja.

The rampage began after an article in a daily newspaper, Thisday, suggested that Muhammad would have approved of a Miss World pageant that was taking place in Abuja.

Thisday columnist Isioma Daniel, wrote that Muhammad would probably have taken a wife from among the contestants. Muslim mobs accused the newspaper of blasphemy, and burned down its office building in Kaduna. Then the mobs attacked churches and properties owned by Christians.

Christian mobs confronted the Muslim mobs. Soldiers and police intervened. About two hundred and fifty people died.] Isioma Daniel fled Nigeria ahead of a fatwa that called upon Muslims to kill her.

On 14 July 1999, in the village of Randali in Kebbi state, a Muslim mob beheaded Abdullahi Umaru. The mob accused Umaru of blasphemy against Muhammad.

In Nigeria, a riot broke out on February 21 and May 23 2000 following a proposal to adopt the Sharia law in the state. This led to a violent clash between Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State where an estimated 1,000 to 5,000 people died.

On February 4, 2004, armed Muslims attacked the Christians of Yelwa, in Kano killing more than 78 of them including at least 48 who were worshiping inside a church compound. The signal for

‘Resolving the matter’ the attack was a call for Jihad from the local mosque.

Angered by these killings, local Christians responded to the February incident on May 2, by attacking Muslims in Yelwa, resulting in roughly 630 deaths.

According to some sources, Muslim girls were forced to eat pork and other foods forbidden to Muslims and some were even raped.

The mayhem triggered by Boko Haram uprising in 2009 is the ultimate in the massacre of innocent Nigerians in the North East. Boko Haram , a militant Islamist group perpetrated violence across several states in northeastern Nigeria and left over 1,000 dead, with around 700 killed in the city of Maiduguri alone.

Nigeria is till battling the Boko Haram menace till date.

On Christmas Day of 2011, church services were in disrupted in the north, including Abuja by bomb blasts and shootings at churches in Madalla, Jos, Gadaka, and Damaturu.

A total of 41 people were reported dead.

On February 25, 2014, fiftynine boys were killed at the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe State. The twenty-four buildings of the school were also burned down as a result of the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but according to media and local officials, the Islamist militants, Boko Haram, are suspected to be behind the attack.

The list is endless.

Resolving the matter

Arising from a meeting with Imo governor, Rochas Okorocha and leaders of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo in Owerri last Tuesday, on the murdered woman in Kano , Kaduna and Bauchi States’ governors, Mallam Nasir El Rufai and Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar condemned the act in its entirety.

Governor El Rufai said that the governors from the Northern part

of the country condemned totally the murder of the Igbo woman in Kano, and that the matter should be treated as a case of murder while those responsible must be brought to face the wrath of the law.

According to him, “we will not accept a situation where people either Christians or Muslims hide under the umbrella of religion to commit crime. If someone had insulted God, the person should be left for God to take care of. I have advised the Kano governor to publicly deal with the people involved to serve as a deterrent to others.”

He continued, “I thank Ohaneze for choosing the path of peace and unity. People are now using religion as a tool to divide and even defraud people.

That necessitated the introduction of religion bill in Kaduna so that people can be stopped from using divisive languages in the name of religion.”

In his own remarks at the meeting, the Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar said “the killing of the woman in Kano was an evil act. I had liaised with the Kano governor and he assured that arrest has been made and those responsible will face the full weight of the law”.

President-General of Ohaneze, Chief Igariwayalso expressed satisfaction with the way the governor of Kano State was handling the case and cautioned against inciting statements from leaders, commending the goodwill demonstrated by the Kaduna and Bauchi State governors.

The host, Governor Okorocha said the killing of the woman was an outright case of murder and has nothing to do with tribe or religion because what is criminal is criminal and must be treated as specified by law, adding that seventy percent of Nigeria’s problems could be adjudged to have arisen from lack of communication.

Also angered by the killing,a coalition of Northern activists under the aegis of Northern

Consensus Movement (NCM) condemned in categorical terms, the killing of Mrs. Agbahime in Kano by a group of youth.

A press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jibrilla Gadzama in reaction to the gruesome killing of the woman over her alleged blasphemy on prophet Muhammad (PBUH) expressed dismay over the unfortunate incident and labeled it as a barbaric act undertaken out of wickedness and ignorance.

“Islamically, if any Muslim or non-Muslim commits such an offense, it is not the prerogative of any person or group of persons to take laws into their hands but to direct to the custodians of the law to ensure that the rule of law takes its course”.

“We are therefore, calling on the authority concerned to immediately intervene in the issue in order to avoid possible escalation of violence as a result of the terrible incident” Reacting also to the killing, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, an Islamic coalition led by the Sultan of Sokoto, condemned the murder of Mrs Agbahime.

In a statement by its Secretary General, Khalid Aliyu, the JNI also highlighted a similar attack which it said “claimed four lives in Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Council of Niger State.”

The JNI’s statement partly read: "With pains and sobriety Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) received with shock the most unfortunate alleged blasphemy of the Prophet (SAW) by one Mrs. Bridget Agbahime that was reported to have happened in Wambai Area of Kano, Kano State and another one that claimed four lives in Pandogari, Rafi Local Government Council of Niger State. These ugly incidences utterly stand condemned and are regarded as criminal and unIslamic, perpetrated by miscreants and criminals. It is hardly believable that such dastardly acts could happen in the name of religion, considering the various enlightenment programs on interfaith and mutual co-existence being put in place by the Muslim scholars and the leadership.

"It is hardly believable that such dastardly acts could happen in the name of religion, considering the various enlightenment programs on interfaith and mutual coexistence being put in place by the Muslim scholars and the leadership.

In the light of the above, we commend the various untiring efforts of the Kano and Niger State Governments and also the respective states’ Ulama’ in nipping in the bud, the unfortunate crises that would have engulfed both states. Likewise, the proactive measures of all the security agencies are also commendable and we implore that same be sustained. "Finally, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, JNI calls on all to remain calm and avoid all actions that could lead to the breach of law and order. The generality of Muslims are also implored to fervently pray for the restoration of peace and security in Nigeria bearing in mind that without Nigeria there will be no Nigerians.

On the other hand, respective state governments must rise to the occasion in protecting the lives of the citizenry, for it is a primary constitutional responsibility upon which their legitimacy is derived."

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—13

By Abubakar Bukola Saraki

O

ne year ago today, the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was inaugurated. That inauguration marks a further consolidation of our democracy and opens a new chapter in the practice of government by representation in our country. Let me congratulate all my colleagues not only for the time we have spent in the legislature, but also for all that we have achieved together and all that we have planned to achieve for our peoples and our country as the highest legislative body in the land.

Every generation of Senators will face its peculiar challenges. The task we set for ourselves and our understanding of our roles as Senators must therefore, reflect a robust understanding of the challenges that we face as a law making body at this time in our history.

The successful democratic transition that ushered in a new administration last year has re-ignited the hope of our citizens that democratic government truly empowers the people and is therefore ultimately capable of delivering real benefits to them and give them better quality of life. One year after, this remains the most important aspiration of our people: to be better off than they were in the previous year.

Invariably, this must remain the most important priority of government: How do we make our people better off than they were before we came into office? This question, placed in the context of unprecedented decline in government revenue, underlines the economy and security as the two biggest issue of our time.

This Senate understands this obvious challenge. And this is why the Legislative Agenda of the 8th Senate is anchored on three cardinal objectives of improving governance, improving business and, improving livelihood. We believe that legislative activities that sustainably improve on these three key indicators will improve the economy and ultimately guarantee a better life for our people.

The collapse in oil price has without doubt brought huge shock to our economy on a scale that perhaps, has never been experienced before. This requires us to develop creative strategies that would stimulate business and investments into other sectors. For decades, we have talked about the need to diversify our economy.

But we have failed to take the necessary steps in policy and legislations that would set us on the path to developing the kind of economy that we desire. The Ease of Doing Business Report that ranks our country 167 out of 189 countries is not likely to attract business into our economy. This Senate understands this. With the support from our international development partners, the organised private sector, we commissioned an expert report which identified 54 extant laws that must be reviewed and brought in line with international best practices in order to open up our economy up for private investments and business.

This legislative intervention yielded about 15 major economic reform bills and 7 business environment bills. Some of these bills have since entered the dockets of the Senate and are at various stages of consideration as some also have been passed by the Senate. Chief among those passed include, the Electronic Transaction bill 2015; Debt Recovery and Insolvency bill 2015 and; the Railway Bill which is being considered through the final lap.

All these bills represent a watershed in economic and business legislations in our country.

The Electronic Transaction Bill 2015 for example, will be the first legal framework ever in our country that provides the legal foundation for electronic signatures and guarantees predictability in contracts made electronically. Once signed into law, this bill will offer full protection to contracts entered into via emails, and transactions conducted with online shops, electronic commerce and services platforms, which are currently not

•Senator Bukola Saraki

8th Senate :

The journey so far I dream of a day when the poor woman sitting in her house in rural Awka would be able to see the benefit of our work on her life provided for in our laws. Another obvious benefit of this bill is that it will reduce the cost of doing business by eliminating transportation and other logistics cost. By passing this bill, the Senate has given legitimacy and local application to the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 23rd November 2005 (the UN Convention).

This new legal framework when signed into law will embolden our innovative creativity and open up new areas of investment opportunity for our youths and start-ups who have hitherto suffered lack of support from creditors and investors due to the absence of this law. This implication is that we now have opportunity to see the emergence of new generation online, electronic application giants in the mould of Chinedu Echeruo.

10.Another important bill that

has emerged from our Ease of Doing Business intervention is the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Repeal and Amendment Bill 2015.

These are the super structure on which a 21st century Nigerian economy must be built on.

Nigeria has been ranked very low in dealing with corporate insolvency due to the multiple, costly and unwieldy resolution framework under the old 1979 Act. Aside from removing the clogs in the process of transiting insolvency to administration, this new bill guarantees that the process becomes even more efficient, less exhausting and result oriented. The primary objective of this bill is to shift the paradigm of business administration from focusing on penalizing failures to encouraging credit and entrepreneurship. This is one bill that has the potential to transform the Nigerian financial landscape by enabling consistent supply of credit; attracting new capital and expertise into business revival; improving creditor recoveries and lowering the cost of credit.

There is no gainsaying that an efficient transportation system is a critical component of economic development anywhere. For the first time since 1924, the Railway bill will open up the subsector and attract the required private capital into this segment of our transport system that has appeared stuck in the past. The influx of private sector players, states and local government will not only stimulate rapid rural development, it will also create economic values by making transportation of goods more efficient, safer, and cheaper. The

direct and indirect implication this will have for our economy, especially in the agricultural subsector, cannot be overemphasized. I am confident that this very important bill will also be passed soon.

Review of the Public Procurement Act is another major intervention by the Senate. This review is inspired by the need to guarantee government patronage for local manufacturers. Our desire is to ensure that a substantial percentage of the N6 trillion in the national budget is retained in the local economy and put in the pockets of our people. We believe that if government is obligated to patronize local businesses, wealth would be created, local industries would grow, productivity would increase and we would begin to see real reduction in mass unemployment. In adopting this approach, we have drawn inspiration from other developed economies that had done the same thing at a crucial stage in their development. The United States did the same thing around 1922 with the Buy America policy that was promoted by the Herbert Hoover administration. China, South Africa and other countries have similar laws that creatively promotes local businesses.

The agriculture credit scheme bill and the Chartered Institute for Soil Science bill we have just passed into law are part of a critical segment of legislative interventions we have designed to boost the current policy on agriculture as a major plank of the diversification policy of government. In the coming months, we are determined to continue to focus our legislative energy at high impact legislation across the critical sectors of our economy.

I have gone to fairly great lengths to articulate some of the work we have done in the last one year. I have done this to underline the fact that it is only through these functions that our performance would be measured by Nigerians and our presence in the Senate chambers would be justified. By outlining these interventions, we are also able to appreciate the great work that still lies ahead of us. Like I have said earlier, the big challenge for our generation is that of creating a modern economy that is capable of delivering prosperity to all our citizens. We in the Senate will continue to find creative solutions to the old problems that have kept our country from realizing its full potentials. This is the work we have been elected to do.

For too long Nigerians have challenged us to justify our presence in this chamber. Many have wondered what exactly we do here or why we should be entitled to certain privileges. I believe that the best answer we can provide to all these is to continue to seek ways that would enable the ordinary citizen feel the impact of the Senate in their lives. I dream of a day when the poor woman sitting in her house in rural Awka would be able to see the benefit of our work on her life. I dream of a day when a child going to school in Gusau would feel the benefit of the laws that we make. I dream of a day when a young lady in Osogbo would be able to say how the Senate has helped her small business. I dream of a day when a farmer in Ogoja would see how those of us gathered in this chamber has helped to improve his life. I am confident that if we continue on the path that we have walked in the

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14—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Continues from page 13 past year, that day will come soon.

We have continued to lay emphasis and focus our attention on matters that directly touch our people. For us, it is our first priority to use lawmaking as a tool to play our part in the struggle to ensure that the welfare and security of our people remains paramount in the discharge of governance in this country. You would recall that that we had within the first month of assumption of office visited the IDP camp where some of our brothers and sisters displaced by the insurgency are staying. We went there to feel their plight and to assure them that they are not forgotten. We pledge that as lawmakers we will do whatever is necessary to support government to alleviate their sufferings. Today, we are on the verge of passing the North East Development Commission Bill which we see as a critical instrument to bringing succor to the displaced, restoring and rebuilding the North-east from the devastation that it has experienced in recent times. We have continued to approach our work within this policy direction in mind. This is why we have sought and engaged with labour and the Ministry of Power on the electricity tariff, and continued to address issues of injustices wherever we are called upon to intervene.

We are determined to continue to pursue engagement and consultation as a major legislative policy where our people take ownership and our legislative authority is further enhanced by and enriched through the knowledge and participation of our people in the entire process. Just as we did with the organised private sector, we are looking forward to engaging the Nigerian health sector, education and security in organised sections to seek their input to our legislative proposals. In the spirit of this initiative, let me use this opportunity to send out an open invitation to all Nigerians, this Senate and by extension, the 8th National Assembly, is ready to engage with you. We urge you to bring forward your ideas lets us engage to make Nigeria better.

Since our inauguration, we have been inundated with complains from our people on the rising levels of violence against women and sexual harassment and rape.

The 8th Senate is coming up with proposals that will not only help to eliminate these depravities but also ensure that perpetrators will no longer have anywhere to hide. We are determined to ensure that our women, our children and the vulnerable in our society irrespective of their age, status and ethnic background live in a safe and fulfilling environment where their rights are respected and their security is assured.

Let me to seize this opportunity to formally congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on the one-year anniversary of his government and to also commend him for the great achievements he has recorded on several fronts. We are all grateful to the President that Boko Haram, a mindless terrorist group that once threatened our corporate existence as a country has been severely degraded. I also commend the president for his bold and courageous fight against corruption, which has manifested in improved probity and accountability in operations of government business.

On our part and in keeping with our pledge to support the anti -corruption crusade, this Senate has within this period carried out oversight investigations into the noticed abuse in the implementation of the Treasury Single Account, saving government over N20bn and the implementation of the Import Duty Waivers policy of government and the latest NEITI Report detailing huge level of corruption totalling over three trillion naira. All these and many more leakages in the system we must do all in our power to expose. Our anti-corruption agencies must double their effort at ensuring that these kind of wholesale abuses are no longer part of our governance history. This is what the anti corruption war must be about.

However, it is important that as we move

•Senator Bukola Saraki

8th Senate :

The journey so far forward in this fight, considerable attention is paid to strengthening the anti-corruption agencies to enable them discharge their functions with greater efficiency and fairness. We want to assure President Buhari that the Senate will continue to play its part in the fight against corruption, which we believe is cardinal in our desire to improve governance in our country.

We will also continue to broaden the scope for increased openness and accountability that we have promised at the legislative level.

While the government has made progress in the fight against Boko Haram and in the fight against corruption, the fight against mass poverty remains a daunting challenge. Rising cost of living, increased cases of retrenchment and corresponding rise in unemployment, inability of state governors to pay salaries, upsurge in ethnic-based agitation, potentially deny government the full credit of the great strides it has made in other areas. The same energy that has been invested in fighting corruption and Boko Haram must be invested in taking care of the people, in making life easier and better for them. We need to begin to assure Nigerians that the sacrifice that they make today will not be in vain. We need to begin to show them that there would be light at the end of the dark tunnel. So we must not relent in our efforts in this area over the next years ahead.

These are serious challenges that require all hands to be on deck.

There is no other time in our history than now when the business of government needs to be conducted with great inclusiveness. We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever

they may be found. Even those who did not vote for us but believe in the change that we all believe is necessary to move our country forward should be given a seat at the table. If we are able to mobilise the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with, I have no doubt that with God on our side, we shall overcome.

There is need for me to touch on the on going security challenges we are beginning to witness in the Niger Delta area of our country.

We urge the warring militants to embrace our democratic institutions and channel their grievances through appropriate quarters as we can ill afford further damage to the ecosystem of this all important region and any more disruptions in the system. In the same vein, we also encourage government to adopt dialogue and engagement as a more lasting option towards resolving this challenge. We also call on the leaders in the area to play their part and ensure through mediation that this menace is comprehensively quelled.

Let me note the Federal Government’s plan to invest 500 billion naira in social protection programs in the current budget. We want to urge the government to ensure that appropriate mechanism is devised which would ensure that the benefits of these programmes get to those who are genuinely in need. We are confident that one year after, the President must by now have better clarity on the capacity of his appointees. The Senate would not hesitate to hold any appointee accountable for the work he has accepted to do. We would like to

seek Mr. President’s support and cooperation to enable us discharge this oversight task.

Over the last one year, we have charted a new course and a new direction for lawmaking. One which has placed emphasis on leading by example. We have adopted the openNASS initiative which is aimed at deepening our people’s confidence in our activities by reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and opening the National Assembly to greater public engagement and scrutiny. In this instance, we have expanded opportunity for greater interaction with the public beyond snippets of reporting to full and realtime plenary activity broadcast on broadband, the first of its kind in West Africa. For the first time we have broadened budget consideration engagement incorporating the Civil Society and the Non governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country. We are not resting on these laurels but will continue to press ahead towards a total openness.

I want to assure all Nigerians that as representatives of the people, the Senate will not relent in our efforts to continue to give voice and vent to those issues that mostly concern the people of this country. The people of Nigeria must see this Senate as the place to run to when they feel unjustly treated. This Senate has the capacity to bring to end the culture of impunity in this country and we must. We must let everyone realize that the time when anyone can deliberately violate the right of any Nigerian citizen, any Nigerian woman, any Nigerian child and nothing would happen is gone.

There must be consequences for child abuse just as there must be consequences for sexual harassment, unjust dismissal and consumer rights violation. These are the standards that the rest of the world would use in judging us as a society of civilized people and of law.

As we continue to focus on those big things that we have not achieved, we must also have the courage to celebrate the things that we have achieved. One year ago, this Senate appeared irreparably divided against itself. Today, we have overcome that division and we are able to work with greater unity and fraternity. I want to commend every Senator for this. On our side in the leadership, we would like to assure you that we would continue to ensure fairness and justice for every Senator and will continue to work to protect and preserve the dignity of the red chamber.

Once again, I want to thank you for the unalloyed support I have and continue to receive from my colleagues in the last one year. This has been unprecedented and I don’t take it lightly.

This unique support has been steady, bipartisan, and unconditional. Their support has been the bulwark on which my belief in the emergence of a greater Nigeria rests. The support has meant everything to me and I am more than ever determined to play my role as a leader to see to the emergence of a more virile National Assembly playing its constitutional role without fear or favour. I congratulate all Senators for all that we have achieved in the last one year. I am confident that when the history of this era is written, all of us would be amply remembered as the generation that played its part and did its best to make Nigeria a better place.

•Saraki is President of the Senate and Chairman of National Assembly

SATURDAY Vanguard,

JUNE 11, 2016—15

By Uche Anichukwu

P

resident Abraham Lincoln was bidding for another term of office in the final days of the American civil war in 1864. He shocked the war-torn nation by dropping his Vice President and fellow Republican, Hannibal Hamlin, and chose Andrew Johnson, a ‘War Democrat’ from Tennessee, as his running mate.

American Historians adduce two major reasons for this. The very bloody American civil war divided the country between the Union (the US national government and the 23 free states and five states at the border that supported it) and the Confederate States of America (11 states in the South that opposed the Union). With victory over the Confederacy/South now almost a fait accompli, Lincoln wanted to demonstrate leniency and that all he was after was America’s unity, not conquest and retribution.

A statesman, Lincoln was also thinking ahead about the post-war reconstruction. A Southern Vice President would serve as a foothold, Tennessee would serve as a gateway to the South, while a Democrat would put both parties on the same page in ending the war, in reconstruction, and reintegration. Lincoln even went on to temporarily rename Republican Party the National Union Party for the purpose of that election.

Although the Nigerian 2015 presidential election was not a war in the true sense of it, it bore quite some semblance of it. The propaganda, the manipulation of ethno-religious and sectional sentiments was just too high.

It turned citizens against one another, with a great number fleeing to their regions. The tension was palpable and choking, and Nigerians feared for the worst.

Thank God for that singular patriotic congratulatory phone call from former President Goodluck Jonathan to President Muhammadu Buhari, which pulled Nigeria from the brinks and deflated the ballooning trepidation.

Ordinarily, the greatest task before a post-2015 election Nigerian government (whether APC or PDP) should have been to take immediate steps to reunite Nigerians; to deploy the virtues of equal opportunity, fair treatment, accommodation, and forgiveness (if voting for a different party is indeed a sin) to enthrone a higher order of patriotism, loyalty, and national followership.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used the National Unity Government to knit a fragmented nation together at the dawn of the new democratic era. A leading member of the opposition, Chief Bola Ige, became the Minister of Power even though Obasanjo performed poorly in the South West. Obasanjo/ PDP saw the overriding need to dilute the bad blood brewed by the annulment of June 12 presidential election and the ugly events that followed it. In 2011, PDP also zoned the Speakership of the House of Representatives to the South West despite performing poorly there.

In comtemporary America, President Barrack Obama has appointed at least 18 Republicans, including Robert Gates (Secretary of Defence 2009-2011) and John McHugh (Secretary of the Army), Chuck Hagel (Secretary of Defence 2013-2015), Ben Bernanke (Chairman of the Federal Reserve 2010-2014), and Jon Huntsman Jr. (Ambassador to China 2009-2011) into key positions.

The truth is that a country dies when it dies in the hearts of her citizens.

She dies slowly and painfully when it evokes only indifference and indignation among any section of the citizenry. As Senator Ekweremadu has often pointed out, even before the 2015 polls, global experiences show

C M Y K

•Ekweremadu and Saraki confer during plenary

Ekweremadu

and Bi-Partisan

Senate Leadership that a people who feel unjustly treated and alienated would never be interested in peace or in contributing their quota to national development. The resurgence of Biafra consciousness in the South-East and South-South as well as the rebirth of militancy in the Niger Delta may well lay credence to this.

Now, whether it was by mere coincidence that both the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, and his Deputy, Ekweremadu, were born the same year (1962), one cannot tell.

But their emergence as presiding officers of the 8th Senate was more like God going out of his way to do for us that which we could not really sit down to do for ourselves. After all, as it is often said, God is a Nigerian.

Although the South-East and SouthSouth regions voted overwhelmingly for the PDP and rejected the APC, their electoral choices do not make them less Nigerian, and indeed an important part of Nigeria. For one, oil revenue, the lifeblood of the nation flows from their territories.

Again,although it is now the minority party, PDP still commands a strong representation that almost equals the numerical strength of the ruling APC in the Senate.

Ekweremadu’s emergence, therefore, partly filled a big hollow that could have occurred in running a vast country like ours without the SouthSouth/South-East in any principal position. It also partly solved the challenge of accommodating a potent force like the PDP. Unfortunately, for the bi-partisan Senate leadership, which Ekweremadu’s emergence created, the sea has been anything but calm. Yet, the good thing is that Saraki and Ekweremadu have so far jointly and successfully waded through the stormy, muddy, shark-infested political waters, charting a trajectory for a more resourceful Senate in the past 365 days. For Ekweremadu in particular, the past one year has put paid to some outlandish lies, misconceptions, misgivings, and mischiefs peddled by propagandists at his emergence.

First, it is common knowledge now that it is not anathema to be elected a

presiding officer from the opposition/ minority party as Section 50 of the 1999 Constitutions shows. It has additionally emerged that even before Ekweremadu’s re-election, the APC had earlier in the same June, produced the Speakers of the Benue and Plateau Houses of Assembly even as minority parties in both Assemblies. There was also an antecedent in the 7th National Assembly.

Furthermore, Ekweremadu has shown that a Deputy President of the Senate of the opposition stock does not necessarily have to work against President Buhari or and APC’s programmes- so long as they are in Nigeria’s interest. The SarakiEkweremadu-led Senate has so far given all needed corporation without necessarily being a rubber stamp.

They have even got the Senate to bend backwards on certain matters, including the 2016 National Budget.

Additionally, the PDP Caucus in the National Assembly has proven itself a most responsible opposition; one that understands that the Federal Government is one and concerns itself with the welfare of Nigerians. Citizens face the same challenges, irrespective of party affiliations. There are currently no separate tomatoes markets or foodstuff markets or exchange rates for those who voted for Change and those who voted against it.

Ekweremadu declared in a recent interview: “As PDP, we are Nigerians and we love Nigeria as well. We are

Ekweremadu has shown that a Deputy President of the Senate of the opposition stock does not necessarily have to work against President Buhari or and APC’s programmes- so long as they are in Nigeria’s interest

not going to hinge our return on the failure of the APC. No. Certainly, we want APC to succeed. We would like APC to succeed in the interest of Nigeria.”

Only recently, the PDP took the lead, even ahead of the APC, in praying for Buhari’s quick recovery as he embarked on London medical trip. Ekweremadu who led the prayer at Wadata Plaza prayed in part: “Father, you give power to whom you have chosen. This your servant, General Buhari, you have made him our President today.

Father, may it please you to give him good health. Whatever is afflicting him, father, we are appealing to you to stretch your healing hands and make him whole again”.

Ekweremadu has also shown a high level of neutrality and patriotism expected of a presiding officer.

The high point was during the ministerial screening when all PDP Senators, except Ekweremadu, stormed out of the chamber to protest the decision of the Senate to go ahead to screen former Governor Rotimi Amechi despite indictment by a Rivers State panel over alleged corruption. As another PDP Senator later explained, it did not necessarily mean that Ekweremadu was not on the same page with his party, but he is a presiding officer of the Senate, not that of the PDP. Again, just as Ekweremadu’s total loyalty to Senator David Mark enthroned unparalleled stability in the 6th and 7th Senate, he has also shown unalloyed loyalty to Senator Saraki. He has continued to weather the storm with him and in the efforts ongoing efforts to reconcile contending interests within the Senate. In the ongoing Code of Conduct Tribunal trial, Ekweremadu, along with other Senators, have displayed courage and solidarity for their President, standing staunchly together in defence of the independence of the legislature.

Saraki, in his goodwill message to Ekweremadu on his 54th birthday in May, described his Deputy as “dependable, solid, and progressive”. This can indeed be rightly deemed as Ekweremadu’s one-year report card. Ekweremadu has truly shown that though tongues and parties may differ, our national needs are virtually the same.therefore, it behooves our political leaders, across party lines, to fold their sleeves up and work concertedly to lift the nation from her humongous challenges. A man whose house is on fire does not go chasing rats about.

Anichukwu is Special Adviser on Media to Deputy President of the Senate

16—VANGUARD, SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2016

•Babangida

By Oghene Omonisa

T

omorrow marks the 23rd anniversary of the historic presidential election held on Saturday, June 12, 1993. It was not only the first time a Southerner would win a presidential election, but it was an election widely adjudged to be the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s chequered political history. Its eventual annulment and the crises it sired all contributed to make the event historic.

Major players Babangida General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the then military President was a key actor in the event. The June 12 election had its roots in Babangida’s transition to civil rule programme. Beginning with a promise to hand over power to a democratically elected government, Gen. Babangida had in 1987 announced a transition programme which was scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 1987.

The timetable included local government elections on a zeroparty basis, the lifting of the ban on politics and the registration of political parties as well as the inauguration of elected state governments and the inauguration of a new president in 1990.

However, Babangida later shifted the hand-over date to 1993. In December 1987, the regime successfully organized the local government elections on a zeroparty basis and in 1989, Babangida legalised the formation of political parties.

In pursuit of Babangida’s promise of making a clean break with the political past, the regime prohibited certain categories of former political office holders from contesting for elective office during the transition programme. These included persons who had held political offices at the federal or state levels in the civilian governments between 1960 and 1966, and 1979 and 1983, as well as former or serving state military

Remembering

June 12, 23 years after governors or administrators, service chiefs in the armed forces and the police, including former military heads of state and the serving president. In justifying these measures in 1988, Babangida would tell his countrymen that “we have not chosen and have not sought to choose those who will succeed us. We have only decided on those who will not. We also have no vested interest in who succeeds our successors.” This would serve as his watchword throughout the transition period.

However, Babangida would later ban all the six registered political parties and formed two political parties: the left-of-center Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the rightof-center National Republican Convention (NRC), which represented popular political views and ideological sentiments of majority of Nigerians. And he would later unban the earlier banned categories of politicians.

The state and federal legislative elections duly took place in December 1991 and the newly elected officials were inaugurated on 2 January 1992, setting the stage for the last phase of the transition programme: the presidential election. But the presidential primaries of both parties were cancelled due to widespread allegations of irregularities.

Babangida then dissolved all party structures in the country, and appointed caretaker committees to run the parties instead. He also disqualified all aspirants who had participated in the previous primaries from contesting any further elections during the transition programme.

After keenly contested presidential primaries, celebrated businessman and publisher, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO) and little-known Kano-based businessman, Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa emerged presidential candidates of SDP and NRC respectively. Then the final battle, the presidential election, was set for June 12, 1993.

Abiola Highly loved and admired, Chief MKO Abiola had distinguished himself as a successful businessman who however had made much of his wealth through government patronage. Abiola had also indicated interest for the presidency in 1979 and 1983 under the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Very generous and flamboyant, Abiola donated to countless number of people and causes, and received numerous awards and chieftaincy titles within and outside Nigeria.

Securing the presidential ticket of the SDP was a major step towards

•Abiola achieving his dream.

Yar’Adua A political juggernaut, Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who was the deputy to then Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo from 1976 to 1979, had gone into business after retirement, but emerged a political force during the Babangida transition period.

Though among the categories of politicians banned, he was the brain behind the People’s Front of Nigeria (PFN), one of the six political parties Babangida registered and later banned.

With the establishment of the two government-founded political parties, the PFN moved into the SDP, where the group won majority of the elective posts within SDP. Following the unbanning of some categories of politicians, Yar’Adua indicated his interest in the presidential race, and he convincingly won the first round of the SDP primaries. However, his victory, like that of Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, was followed by protests by other aspirants, which led to the cancellation of the primaries in both parties, and the banning of all the aspirants from further participation in the presidential election.

Abacha Gen. Sani Abacha is noted for not holding any non-military position before his emergence as the Head of State in November 1993. A die-hard loyalist of Babangida, Abacha played a major role in the success of Babangida’s coup as well as the failure of the 1990 coup attempt against Babangida. He was made the Chief of Army Staff and later became Minister of Defence at the time Babangida “stepped aside” in 1993. Not many Nigerians understood his role in the June 12 saga until much later.

Nzeribe Maverick businessman and politician, Chief Arthur Francis Nzeribe was and has remained controversial. Very successful in business as in politics, he became a senator in the Second Republic and was one of the 23 presidential aspirants banned in 1992. Ironically, while he was vying to replace Babangida, he was also promoting the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), whose primary

Continues on page 17

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2016—17

order, political stability and peace as “the courts had become intimidated and subjected to the manipulation of the political process and vested interests.”

Babangida’s broadcast received worldwide condemnations, and led to riots, mostly in Abiola’s South-West Region. He would later “step aside” on August 26, a day earlier than his promised date, and named an Interim National Government (ING), headed by Chief Ernest Adekunle Shonekan, who was then Head of Transitional Council. However, Shonekan’s government lasted only 83 days when he was forced to resign by Abacha.

•Tofa •Abacha Continues from page 16 objective was to keep Babangida in power for “four more years” because the political class was not ready for governance and that its members were corrupt. ABN’s activities largely enhanced the eventual annulment of the June 12 election.

Intrigues Babangida’s sly and Machiavellian nature played a major role in the intrigues that came to characterise the June 12 saga. Obsessed with power, this Machiavellian nature therefore came to use in manipulating every opportunity to remain in power. The failure of many committed members of his government to understand this reluctance to relinquish power is attributable to his subterfuge, which made him successfully extend the termination date from 1990 to 1992 and later to 1993. For example, while Babangida openly dissociated his government from the activities of Nzeribe and his ABN, Nzeribe would later reveal that he met with Babangida regularly in Aso Rock.

However, to loyalists like Colonel Abubakar Umar, Babangida was anxious to leave office. Umar was often ready to prove his trust, recalling, among many, how happy he met Babangida in his office after the successful primaries of both parties in 1993.

The media, dominated by the SouthWest also played into Babangida’s hands with the arguments that it was incongruous for the presidential candidates of both SDP and NRC to come from the North, considering the fractious nature of Nigerian politics, where ethnicity and regionalism play a vital role. A major national newspaper even wrote an editorial calling for the cancellation of both primaries based on these arguments, which gave Babangida the second and final extension.

Meanwhile, it was a known fact that if Yar’Adua had not been banned, Abiola would not have won the SDP ticket, especially with Yar’Adua’s well established structure in the party.

Yar’Adua also realised early enough that after four years in power, Abiola would be too powerful to dethrone. Therefore denying Abiola the party ticket was a task that must be achieved. Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, first chairman of the party, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, both members of the PFN in SDP, were used to frustrate Abiola’s ambition. However, Abiola brought his business acumen to play, by not only deploying his enormous wealth to maximum use, but by allegedly sending his private jet to bring Yar’Adua’s ailing father from Kaduna to Jos, venue of the final stage of the primaries, to plead with

Remembering June 12, 23 years after his son. Even with these manoeuvrings, the primary went to a second round as Abiola could not garner the required number of votes, only beating Kingibe with a slim margin. Atiku Abubakar needed to step down and declare his support for one of the two leading candidates, which would have made delegates who had voted for him to shift their loyalty to that candidate.

But Atiku only announced that he was stepping down without openly declaring his support for either candidate. How Abiola still won has variously been described by political historians as the “Abiola magic”.

Carrying on with his activities, Nzeribe had gone to court with a petition that he claimed had the signatures of 25 million Nigerians who did not want the election to hold because they wanted General Babangida to continue as president for four more years.

Meanwhile, while the primaries were going on, Gen. Abacha was scheming, as was later revealed by many insiders, especially Col. Umar and Prof. Omo Omoruyi, former Director-General of the Centre for Democratic Studies, and a close confidant of Babangida. Abacha’s wellhidden ambition and loyalty made his moves unsuspicious. A successful transition would be the end of his ambition. He was therefore set to derail it. Nzeribe’s ABN activities were not only convenient for Babangida but for Abacha as well. Therefore, when the ABN secured a court order restraining the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from conducting the election, Abacha, with his loyalists within the government had insisted that the election should not to hold due to the court order. But Babangida reluctantly heeded the advice of Omoruyi and the election went ahead.

Abiola’s clear lead gave Abacha his weapon: the military did not want Abiola. Due to Babangida’s trust in Abacha, when the Abacha-orchestrated over-blown intelligence on Abiola, military revolts and coups reached him, he believed them, not knowing that the reticent and dark-goggled general had his scheme. Umar who had worked with

Abacha to see an end to the June 12 impasse in the heat of the crisis, would later admit that one needed to possess the power of clairvoyance to have been able to judge Abacha otherwise because Abacha displayed so much patriotism that he did not arouse suspicion.

Election, annulment, aftermath With intrigues unknown to majority of Nigerians going on within and outside the confines of Aso Rock, the June 12 presidential election was held, where Abiola defeated Tofa in what Ciroma, the leading aspirant in the botched NRC primaries would describe as “fairly and squarely”, as he not only defeated Tofa in Kano State but even in Tofa’s local government area. From the officially and unofficially announced results, it was analysed then that even if the elections were cancelled in any of the then four major regions, Abiola would still have won with votes from the remaining three regions.

However, while the results were being announced state by state, ABN, on June 15, returned to court with a petition to stop further announcements, which was granted by Justice Dahiru Saleh of an Abuja court. Justice Saleh would later declare the election null and void and of no effect whatsoever, on the ground that it had been conducted in violation of a restraining order.

Finally, on June 23, the Federal Government announced the cancellation of the presidential election, suspended NEC, and repealed the law governing the final phase of the political transition programme. Banned politicians in the previous primaries were unbanned and legible to contest in a new presidential election.

Babangida clearly dribbled till he scored an “own goal”. He therefore had no more reason to stay back. He would, in a live broadcast, eventually provide reasons for the cancellation, that it was in the interest of law and

Victims, beneficiaries Abiola Ironically, Chief Abiola, the presumed winner of the election remains the major victim of the annulment. On the first anniversary of the election in 1994, Abiola declared himself winner and announced a government of national unity. However, he was arrested and was on trial for treasonable felony until he died in detention five years later. Even some Federal Government contracts he had maintained for decades were terminated

by Abacha.

Abacha Although he was initially a beneficiary of the June 12 annulment, going by his scheming and eventual emergence as Head of State, he himself became a victim as he was consumed by the June 12 conflagration with his death.

Yar’Adua Gen. Yar’Adua, who had quickly jumped at Babangida’s unbanning of banned politicians like himself, instantly jettisoned June 12 and embraced the ING, hoping to contest another presidential election.

However, following the emergence of Abacha, who in 1994, organised his own National Constitutional Conference, Yar’Adua won a seat to represent Katsina State, where he was an outspoken delegate against military rule in continuation of his quest for the presidency by trying to constitutionally secure a brief stay for General Sani Abacha (rtd). He, alongside Gen. Obasanjo and others were however framed up for coup-plotting by Abacha, found guilty and sentenced by a military tribunal in 1995, to life imprisonment He later died in prison on December 8, 1997.

Obasanjo Gen. Obasanjo had earned the disrespect of Abacha since the Babangida regime, and Abacha was well known to have considered his criticisms of that government as a product of pseudo-statesmanship.

Following an interview in the early 1990s, in which Obasanjo had referred to Babangida’s government as a fraud, Abacha was alleged to have advised Babangida to arrest Obasanjo, an advice Babangida allegedly turned down. But when Abacha came to power and Obasanjo failed to realise that there was a different man at the helm of affairs, Abacha had to jail him on a trumped-up charge of coupplotting to silence him. Obasanjo was believed to have been destined the way of Yar ’Adua but for mysterious death of Abacha in 1998.

However, from a victim, Obasanjo ironically became a beneficiary of June 12 following his release from prison by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha. Abdulsalami with Babangida and other retired generals allegedly recruited Obasanjo for the presidential job.

Obasanjo emerged the major beneficiary of the June 12 election annulment, because if there had not been annulment, there would not have been May 29, the date Obasanjo was sworn in, and which is today, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

18—SA TURD AY 18—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

June 12: How NADECO drove the military out of politics —Odigie-Oyegun

By Omezia Ajayi

C

hief John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, former governor of Edo State and a retired permanent secretary has carved his name in gold as being the first chairman of an opposition political party to wrest power from a ruling party. OdigieOyegun was very active in the fight against military rule, having been an active member of the National Democratic Collation, NADECO. For his efforts, he is today being honoured by the alumni of the University of Ibadan as the Alumnus of the Year, 2016, the highest honour by the association.

Odigie-Oyegun in this interview recounts his life experience. Excerpts: Why the choice of the University of Ibadan for your degree?

At that time, the in-thing was to go to UI. It was only when you were not qualified enough to be admitted that you then sought other avenues, and that was what happened. So, the circumstances were different. The University of Ibadan was the pinnacle of your ambition. If you did not get your three papers at one sitting, of course, you did not stand a chance of getting admitted.

You went into the federal civil service rising to the position of Permanent Secretary. What was it like serving your father land in the public service?

Fantastic. Truly nothing like it.

When you look back at those years, and you look at what is happening today, totally different worlds. At that time, you did not even dare go to your permanent secretary not to talk of discussing loot or lobbying for anything. That was anathema. You did not lobby for promotion; you did not lobby for posting, or anything and merit was very critical because it was highly recognized.

There was no fear of witch-hunt. In fact, it was a problem if you could not reason and you could not speak, and you could not defend your point of view.

That was a problem. So, some of us, because of that kind of background, had problems much later on in our career, but it was a fantastic civil service. For instance, I got whispers about the possibility of my becoming permanent secretary when I was attending a board meeting of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), because you never knew things like that would happen, but somehow, somebody heard of it and called me out of the meeting to inform me. Just to give you the idea that at that time, the golden days of the civil service where merit was everything,

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lobbying and corruption were absent. You dared not buy a car that was out of sync with your economic possibilities. It was not done. They would ask you.

What was the reason for your early and voluntary retirement?

I retired voluntarily because the kind of upbringing we had in the civil service became a disadvantage when the military came in. For a long time, we had no problems, but I think there was a stress-factor involved. When the Buhari administration with which I empathised a lot, because discipline was becoming a problem, corruption, drugs were becoming a problem; I was on all fours with that administration and when they coup happened, and they were removed, I was truly upset and so in my usual forthright manner in which I grew up in the service, I said a few things and resisted a few things that created issues for me, I just knew it was time to go.

When the new government came in, my problem started immediately, and I knew that by the time they would appoint permanent secretaries, it was almost certain I would not be on that list. So, I just said to myself, instead of facing that humiliation, I better just go while I was still on my feet.

You served briefly as governor of Edo state. What was your experience like?

Lovely and beautiful. It taught me one thing, and I think it is a universal truism that when people trust you, when they believe you are acting in their interest, they tend to take to you, and that was clear for most of my period in Edo State. Then, almost like now, there was no money. I think we got less than N100 million most times in any month because the last budget I presented was about N1 billion; the first time anybody was declaring billions. And that was for the entire year, and salary almost took everything. At the end of the day, you are left with almost nothing. At the best of times, I do not think we were left with more than N15million or N20million to manage the state in any month, but that is where prudence of resource management comes in. But as at the time I left, I owed nobody salary, I owed nobody pension, no lack of payment for work done because my habit from the time I became permanent secretary, unless the money was there, I would not give out a job because the effect is simple; people would go and borrow money to execute the job, then they come

•Odigie-Oyegun

back after one, two, three months or even a year and you are unable to pay them; you have only ruined them and for me that was totally unacceptable.

So, unless the flow of money was reasonably sure to me, I would not allow a job to be awarded. I had the challenge finally with the salary issue, and I called the unions for debate. I told them I did not want to lay off staff. They had just gotten one or two increases; that was during the Babangida regime when they would just virtually decree things. Two, three times, they reduced our percentage of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, meanwhile the workers’ salary went up. So, I called the workers and persuaded them to give up some of the increases that you got, but repayable to you at retirement; we called it compulsory savings. I told them that would save their colleagues from being fired, and the union leaders agreed but of course, it turned out that they had difficulty persuading the workers. That was the issue we had.

Otherwise, it was a most pleasurable experience. There were so many abandoned projects, and I decided that instead of starting new projects, let me complete the ones that were there and brought them into use by the public because they had invested a lot of money in them and we could not just write them off. The very day I was sworn in, I declared education free. So, when people today talk about free education being unaffordable, I do not understand it. I called the vice-chancellor, rector, provost and heads of other tertiary institutions and asked them to tell me what each student paid into the system.

They gave me the student population as well as how much they generate from them, and I told them ‘fine, subject to increases everywhere, I will give you what the students are supposed to pay.

So they are free to attend classes’. And that was it, and we managed that very well. I introduced the public bus service and registered it as a limited liability company, and we had an arrangement with those managing it. I would buy the buses; you would manage and

maintain them properly and meet your recurrent costs, but I would always provide the capital, and that one worked very well. When we needed to build a student hostel in what was then Edo State University, I called the students of Auchi Polytechnic and asked them to design it, do the architectural drawing; called the students of the then Edo State University to supply the labour while we would supply the materials. We had to do these innovative things to succeed. It was a very lovely experience such that till today, from the very first day I left office, I could walk the streets of Benin freely.

How did you feel when your tenure was cut short?

Oh, very, very, bitter. Not because my tenure was cut short, annoying as that was, but it was a period of promise. You could see the future; the governors were mostly of high quality, and we interacted very well and had a mission of where the country was going, then the military struck again, and it became clear to me all of a sudden, that the military was the source of the nation’s problems. They had to voluntarily or with a little push, be taken out of the political scene on a permanent basis and that was why NADECO came about. That was the mission of NADECO: an end to military rule. June 12 was grafted when Abiola came to join us. We were meeting then somewhere in Ikeja GRA when Abiola applied to join, and I remember I got up that day and said he has to accept that the core of the struggle was a permanent end to military rule. Once we got the military out, we could cope with democracy with all its imperfections, but it was still a better option than military rule.

We fought till the end, won 50 per cent.

We would have won 100 per cent but for the strange death of the dramatis personae, but we got the military out of politics with God assisting us in the

Continues on page 36

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—19

Edo 2016: Ogienwonyi, Airhiavbere, Obaseki camps at war over alleged purchase of PVCs •Why I withdrew from Edo guber race-Pedro Obaseki

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

P

olitical tension heightened last Monday among the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirants in Edo state following allegation that some of the contestants were buying Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) of some of the delegates ahead the June 18 governorship primaries of the party One of the aspirants, Dr Ogiemwonyi has even called on the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase to arrest a member of the House of Representatives representing Etsako Federal constituency Philip Shuaibu for allegedly buying up the Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) of some of the delegates of the party in his area. It was alleged that the PVCs were being purchased for N10,000 – N20,000 each. Ogiemwonyi who made the allegation through his Director of Planning, Strategy and Operations, Akemokue Lukman, said they have in their possession a video evidence to back up their claim.

According to him, the plan was to disenfranchise the voters who are scheduled to take part in the forthcoming primaries, asserting that “we have told the delegates to go back to their wards and LGAs and retrieve their PVCs because that is their voting ticket”.

This allegation led to accusations and counter accusations in the party as another aspirant, Gen.Airhiavbere confirmed that “PVCs were actually being sold like tomatoes in the field describing it as unacceptable. But the deputy governor of the state, Dr Odubu viewed the situation differently, saying that if the allegation is true, those purchasing it will be embarking on wasteful exercise since there are other forms of identification of delegates. He however condemned the act and warned those indulging in it to have a rethink.

The allegation had pitched the camp of Ogiemwonyi against that of Obaseki who is believed to be enjoying the support of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and other members of the state executive council, a situation which Ogiemwonyi equally frowned at.

The aspirants expressed fear that the alleged buying of PVCs was geared towards giving Obaseki an edge in the forthcoming primaries. But the lawmaker, Shuaibu who was fingered said it was Ogiemwonyi

who should be arrested, alleging that they had it on record that Ogiemwonyi had been paying some of the delegates for the past seven months and wondered why he should be crying foul.

Shuiabu who challenged Ogiemwonyi to provide the video evidence of the alleged purchase of PVCs expressed shock also that Ogiemwonyi would be accusing members of the state Assembly of abandoning their duties to escort Obaseki to Abuja to submit his form. He added that “Ogienwonyi is displaying ignorance of happenings in the state since he does not know that the House of Assembly was on recess”.

Shuaibu said, “ I am surprised that he will be making such an allegation.

When I heard it I said no, he is more intelligent to even think such a thing exist. If a person that wants to be a governor of a state do not know the difference between PVC and party card in a primary then it is unfortunate. I have contested election more than four times, no INEC card is used to conduct primaries. It shows he does not know what party politics and party primaries is all about. And for him to also engage in this kind of blackmail, forgetting that I am also a super delegate in this election shows that he is not prepared for the election. How can somebody who says he wants to be governor also accuse the state Assembly of abandoning their duties to escort an aspirant to submit his form. Those state legislators are also super delegates and they will vote that day. And for him not to know that the state Assembly are on recess also shows that he is not current about the activities in the state he wants to govern. It shows obviously that a man like that is not to be taken seriously. Nobody contest primaries with INEC PVC and nobody can buy PVC for the purpose of general election, how many PVCs can you buy.

Ogienwonyi has sent people to me and I said that this election you are talking about I have already endorsed a candidate, I do not play double game but because of frustration he wants to blackmail. This meeting that he is talking about is the seventh of its kind that I am holding, to put all my delegates together. I am a super delegate and other delegates are with me in the project of Obaseki. We have endorsed Obaseki and I have a right to endorse any body. He sought for that opportunity but I refused. Now I am moving to vote for Obaseki as a delegate and I am moving my own delegates from my Federal constituency and they gave me the mandate that we are all supporting Obaseki and we have no regrets. That I am coordinating them does not mean that I am dictating to them. It is a collective agreement. We have collectively endorsed Obaseki and

•Chris Ogienwonyi •Godwin Obaseki

•Charles-Airhiavbere

nothing is going to change that. We are only mobilising delegates to support Obaseki and not buying PVCs. I feel that he lacks the moral standi to even talk about this, he is even the one that has been paying delegates for over six months. He has deep pocket, I want to assure him that we have deep knowledge. He should stop blackmailing us and face his campaigns”.

Reacting also, Abbass Braimah who is the coordinator of Obaseki’s campaign in Edo North, described the allegation as untrue. Braimah who also is a former House of Representatives member said “I am surprised and shocked with his allegation. Let me make it clear that I was present in that meeting and I challenge him to produce the video evidence he said he has to back his claim otherwise the party should discipline him for this cheap blackmail, embarrassment and harassment.

“As we speak the House of Assembly members are on recess and we thank them very profoundly for coming to Abuja to support the adoption of Obaseki”.

As the aspirants engaged in war of words over PVCs, one of the aspirants, Mr Don Pedro Obaseki announced his withdrawal from the race last Monday, saying he has lost faith with the scheduled primaries of the party. Pedro who is a nephew to Godwin Obaseki, another aspirant of the party, said he hopes to still contest the governorship election under another platform which he said he will make

public after consulting with his supporters. He declared to journalists that he does not believe that the primaries of the APC will be free and fair, asserting however that “I am undoubtedly running for, and shall contest the 2016 Edo governorship election slated for September 10, 2016”.

He said: “I have lost faith in the primary process. Unfortunately I was in Abuja on Thursday and I stumbled on a document that I cannot divulge to the public for security reasons that makes it obviously clear that all those who are buying or who have bought their forms to contest the primaries of the APC are wasting their time.

As an academic and someone who is guided by thesis, antithesis and syntheses, I elected to withdraw my intention to contest the primaries of the APC, I will not tell you that I am no longer a member of the APC but I am more interested in being an E.D.O. (Empower, Develop and Opportunities) man than an APC man, I will rather be an EDO man than being a PDP. I am not running for the election as an APC candidate anymore I am running for the election as EDO candidate on September 10.

I have therefore embarked on wide consultations with my immediate and extended family, supporters, friends and well-wishers and I won’t advise any of the aspirants to pay the N5,500,000 for the expression of interest, and nomination forms of the APC. The coming primaries of the APC will be the most expensive in our history because there are plans to bribe the about three thousand delegates with N200,000 each. As a progressive, this is a painful decision for me. But I will rather sacrifice my APCness, so as to raise the banner of my EDOnes. Edo is my life and lifeline. Edo is in my DNA. I call on our youths, women, elders, traditional and religious fathers to aid us in this herculean task of making Edo truly great”.

It will be recalled that twelve governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were screened last Wednesday and Tuesday by the national leadership of the party in Abuja ahead the June 18, governorship primaries of the party.

The aspirants include the Deputy governor of the state, Dr Pius Odubu (Okakuo), Dr Chris Ogienwonyi, Mr Godwin Obaseki, Gen.Charles Airhiavbere, Prof.Osarhiemien Osunbor, Blessing Agbomhere, Prof.Federick Amadasun, Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, Arch.Austin Ilenre Emuan, Comrade Peter Esele, Kenneth Imasuagbon, and Mrs Agbarha Justina. The aspirants purchased the N5million nomination form of the party.

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Why is the death in Kano shocking?

P

atience Agbaheme has been consumed.

Religious extremism and ethnic bigotry haven’t had their fill. Religious murderers and arsonists have for so long enjoyed unmitigated impunity.

Soldiers of God. That impunity fortified the hedges of apparent legitimacy mischievous interpretation of religious duty built for a most wicked act. That ordinarily horrendous unconstitutional act of chasing and hacking to death suspected blasphemers. Sinners executing people for God. A Kano mob in the throes of religious passion, rejected all pleas and, smashed a woman’s skull. ‘Saints’ cleaning up ‘filth’ for God. But these murderers are neither perverts nor deviants. Despite all the ‘shock and horror’, they can’t even be described as daring. It had to be in broad daylight. It was nothing that sinister and didn’t have to be done clandestinely. Her husband and perhaps a thousand others were made to watch. Death for blasphemy in Kano? Why is it now so so shocking?

A mob chanting to the heavens can lapse into a delirium and lose contact with reality. But this mob was clear headed. Like boko haram, they were contemptuous of the constitution.

Theocracy may be good but it is not practicable in today’s Nigeria. In a plural society, the interpretation of texts must meet the demands of peaceful coexistence with others.

Consequently peace must be the priority of any religion in the public affairs of a free democratic society.

The constitution sets the standards that would allow diverse religions, all laying claims to supremacy, coexist.

A society on whose grounds such mobs can sprout must accept total responsibility. The Kano society set

Political Editor

•Angry mob

Consequently peace must be the priority of any religion in the public affairs of a free democratic society

emmanuelaziken@vanguardngr.com 08052201189

Odigie-Oyegun: A cat with nine lives Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is today being honoured as the Alumnus of the Year by the University of Ibadan Alumni Association. The honour which is reportedly the highest honour given by the association is undoubtedly reflective of the grit and grandeur with which the 76-year-old politician has bestrode the political space. A gentleman to the core, Odigie-Oyegun shows a refinement that captures the grace and polish that is reflective of the finest of human nobility.

But as with every mortal, there is a dark side that the chief would always rue, maybe on account of his relationship with Muhammadu Buhari.

Few Nigerians would remember how almost thirty years ago how a Lagos High Court judge, Justice Yaya Jinadu opted to resign from the bench after OdigieOyegun, then a federal permanent secretary refused to give heed to the order of the court supposedly on the prompting of the Buhari led military junta of that time.

That blight was, however, of little consideration in 1991 when the people of the newly created Edo State were C M Y K

the wolves on the sheep. Lagos has millions of Muslims and Christians but not one of such incidents. This doesn’t relieve the perpetrators of criminal responsibility. It only implicates a grave vicarious communal liability. The community is the source of the mob’s sense of righteousness.

That mob is representative of the dominant religious sentiments in the Muslim north. Except the standards are reset , these murders will not abate.

Kano it was that furnished the retards that decapitated Gideon Akaluka. If there is an outpouring of intense disgust now, there was none then. The city lacked the civility that could have prevented a mob from taking a man out of police custody and having a triumphant procession with his head held aloft a stick. Akaluka was an Igbo Christian. Some elders sat in secret and nodded approvals to youths made bloodthirsty by a perverted sense of religious duty. Condemnations were muted, muffled and served merely as weak appeasements to the ‘interests of national unity’.

They did not seek to correct the textual interpretations that furnished the mob its fervent righteousness. They did not seek to banish such murders. I will tell you why.

After Akaluka, Isioma Daniel , a journalist , was accused of blasphemy. She tendered heartfelt apologies. The then deputy governor of Zamfara

called upon to choose between Odigie-Oyegun and Chief Lucky Igbinedion, who had performed beyond expectation as chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, in Edo State in the governorship election. The electorate partly moved by the whispering campaign of a royal disapproval for Igbinedion swept OdigieOyegun to power to become the first elected governor of Edo State.

As governor, Odigie-Oyegun proved that his snub of the Lagos judiciary was not his style, and he subsequently endeared himself with democracy enthusiasts in his advocacy for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

On account of his June 12 advocacy, he went on exile returning home after Sani Abacha’s death.

Though his party, the All Peoples Party, APP lost out in the presidential election, of 1999, Odigie-Oyegun proved his consistent self and refused to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He remains one of only a few leaders in the ruling All

issued a Fatwa, sentenced Isioma Daniel to death. Sharia was in vogue and identification with religious fundamentalism atoned for all political shortcomings. He urged Muslims to fulfill a religious duty, to execute Miss Daniel. A cacophony of timid voices rose to query the authority of Aliyu Shinkafi to speak for Nigerian Muslims. Few feeble voices of political correctness emerged reluctantly to nurse the bedridden “interests of national unity”. Riots broke out. 200 people predominantly Igbos were killed. Miss Daniel scurried into a hole , and then fled into exile. She is an Igbo christian.

Aliyu Shinkafi has not been arrested for attempted murder. Will never be arrested. No one was in doubt that fanatics would perceive his position as conferring on him an authority that commands obedience. No one doubted that fanatics would then consider it a compelling duty to murder the lady as instructed by an Ayatollah’s deputy. Yet Shinkafi was deemed not to have committed any criminal offence. A timid Nigerian state, in succumbing to murderous religious zealotry, sent a message.

That message legitimized the actions of Shinkafi and past, present and future Kano mobs.

The message was…….. “ that the Nigerian state cannot always defend the supremacy of the constitution. The state lacks the stamina to confront the dangerous assumptions that founded a deputy governor’s temerity to order the summary execution of another citizen. The state then warns all not to commit the grave crime of blasphemy because it shares jurisdiction on such matters with fanatics like Shinkafi.

Woe then betides anyone who attracts even the merest suspicions of having committed this offence or whose enemies choose to harbor such suspicions. The state understands the limits of its sovereignty and will in some circumstances let the interpretation of some religious texts trump the constitution. Once a mob rises against a real or imagined blasphemer, the state may run into hiding. Or watch helplessly as the mob renders swift justice. Be thee warned! “ Why then are people shedding crocodile political tears in Kano?

Criminal offences are not statute barred. If the police let Shinkafi go, why are they pretending to be serious with these murder suspects? Are they unlucky because they are poor? Okay, this is the dispensation of ‘change’?

Progressives Congress, APC, who were never part of the PDP. However, he was not totally immune from the intrigues that played out in the opposition. His role, if any, in the conspiracy against Buhari in the ANPP in 2007 remains unclear.

Willy-nilly of the smooth faces that they showed after seemingly selling him out, Buhari was said to have vowed to work only within ideological puritans in his future presidential quests, and hence his formation of the Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, the vehicle with which he prosecuted the 2011 presidential election. Despite the euphoria about the Buhari Phenomenon in much of the North that year, his bid was easily deflated without much organisation and money.

Odigie-Oyegun was not part of the ‘puritans’ that went with Buhari to the CPC. In fact, he was against Buhari in that election, having been running mate to Ibrahim Shekarau, the ANPP presidential candidate. Shekarau, many would also remember, came to political reckoning as governor of Kano State on the coattails of Buhari in 2003.

That betrayal of Buhari by Shekarau remains a sour taste in Buhari’s mouth and it is doubtful if Buhari would ever forget if he forgives.

However, Buhari was a political realist. In 2014 as the political opposition assembled the machine to confront the PDP, Buhari did not raise an objection when his new political partner, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu fetched Odigie-Oyegun to become the substantive national chairman of the APC. Odigie-Oyegun was to

But I read the president’s response. It was prompt. But poorly worded. The president should have had an emphatic absolute focus on the barbarity of murders motivated by religious extremism. His statement could be read to mean that the victim committed an offence and perhaps invited tragedy. He should have told his fellow Muslims that they have no right to touch any blasphemer. The president has to be seen to be ruthless in protecting lives.

But this cancer will not be excised by cosmetic touches of political gimmickry. Neither will it be contained by strict and predictable application of criminal sanctions alone. Though that will be invaluable in curbing impunity. A lot will be achieved by denying extremist readings of religious texts legitimacy.

But freedom and peace in a plural secular society cannot rest on the willingness of a group to tone down their gospel. The fundamental question resides in the acceptance of the supremacy or otherwise of the constitution. Is the constitution accepted as superior to all interpretations of religious texts? Are there persons or group of persons for whom the supremacy of the constitution is unacceptable?

The Sultan of Sokoto has made it clear that Islam doesn’t decree murder for blasphemers. Islamic clerics may have a role to play in correcting the assumption on the streets that Muslims can defend God by taking the laws into their hands . Extremist views must be countered. But the assertion by some moderates that those who executed Patience Agbaheme are not Muslims is unhelpful denial. The suspects are everyday Muslims. The crowd that cheered would be predominantly Muslims too. They committed that murder in a supposed defence of the Islamic faith. To say they are not Muslims is to relieve the clerics of the responsibility of clearing up the doctrinal misconceptions. Is Shinkafi no longer a Muslim? The streets in the north are littered with bits and pieces of religious fundamentalism.

The constitution should be supreme. Shedding a river of tears won’t help. The north must take back steps that have undermined and continue to undermine the sanctity of the supremacy of the constitution. If a Guinness truck cannot pass through Kano streets unmolested, why do we pretend to be shocked by Patience Agbaheme’s murder?

subsequently hand Buhari his first election victory in life in March 2015. He did so without minding the fact that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the ultimate loser was also from his South-South geopolitical zone.

Following the inauguration of the APC government, Odigie-Oyegun became the object of several power intrigues in a telling confirmation of the saying that ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.’ OdigieOyegun stood firm and in a way somehow won the confidence of the Buhari inner circle against the machinations set against him.

Indeed, at the peak of the conspiracies against his chairmanship of the ruling party earlier this year, Odigie-Oyegun opted for a medical leave. His foes took it upon themselves to say that it was preparatory for what they described as a “soft landing.”

However, such suggestions seemed farfetched, as Odigie-Oyegun returned to office with great aplomb; physically and mentally reinvigorated for what some have described as the battle at home.

The APC national chairman is set to prove naysayers wrong with his determination to ensure a level playing ground in the primary contest in his native Edo State. His proclivity has not helped his poor standing with some political leaders in Edo who have through innuendoes derided his attempt to derail an agenda to predetermine the contest.

Odigie-Oyegun it appears knows that whatever legacy he would leave in Abuja could be soiled by how he approaches the Edo election. It is thus not surprising that in the face of his strides, struggles and successes that he has sometimes excused himself from issues that have to do with Edo. But in the end, sooner or later, he would be returning home, and he knows that how he prepares his bed would indicate how he lies on it.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, JUNE11, 2016 —

T

he words above are not mine.

They belong to Jorge Bergoglio, known world-wide as Pope Francis; also referred to within the Vatican as the ‘Pope for the poor ’ or derisively by some powerful personalities in the curia as ‘the poor Pope’. This impassioned plea was made at a speech he gave on July 7, 2013 to about six thousand seminarians from 66 countries. In calling for the future religious to live lives that are consistent with their teaching and preaching, he said: ‘It grieves me to see priests and nuns with the latest model of cars… .You must not do this! It is better to cycle, or use a smaller car.’ That was when he used these words that have resonated with me: ‘Think about the children who are dying of hunger’.

His admonition was not limited to the young priests and the future religious alone. He had even stronger words for bishops. On May 16, 2013, according to his biography titled ‘Pope Francis: Life and Revolution’, he launched a strong attack against bishops and priests who fall prey to the temptations of money and vanity and who, instead of being shepherds, are transformed into ‘ rapacious wolves’. Quoting St Augustine, he said: ‘When a bishop follows money, when he exploits the sheep on his own behalf, he isn’t loved by the people, and that is a sign. And he himself comes to a bad end.’

This is not an epiphany; or a new line of thought that suddenly germinated when he became a Pope. Pope Francis had always lived for and empathised with the poor, preferring to move around in buses to fulfill his pastoral obligations even when he was a cardinal in his native Argentina. As if he needed reminding, a cardinal walked up to him when it became obvious that he was likely to be elected Pope and said ‘remember the poor ’.

When I think of this Head of 1.2 billion Catholic faithful and Chief Administrator of the

I

titbits2012@yahoo.com

Think of children who are dying of hunger smallest but richest state in money from the poor for one grandiose the world who has shunned scheme or the other while advising every form of ostentation these same poor who approach them for while preferring the financial assistance to wait on the Lord. company of the poor to that They build schools that the children of of the rich and mighty and the poor cannot attend and homes that a compare him with our vast majority of their congregation cannot general overseers who afford.

They forget that Peter, to whom Jesus openly covet the company of captains of industry and gave the key of the church, was a common politics, I wonder if their fisherman. Or that Paul, who did more religious beliefs stem from than any man to spread the gospel had the same root. Till date, Pope no bank account. Yet, neither was a burden on the early Francis has rejected the members of the palatial residence household of God. vacated by his Instead, they took care predecessor to live in of the poor so that ‘no one of the tiny flats Any genuine one claimed ownership used by visiting of any possessions, but church of bishops.

He has rather they shared all rejected the usual solid Christ should things in common. And gold signet of a Pope for follow the there were no needy a silver plaited one. He persons among them;’ has rejected the teachings of (Acts). They forget the limousines and all the its founder admonition of Jesus to trappings of feed the hungry, clothe the naked and ‘importance’ associated with the house the homeless.

Or James’ advice papacy. And every cost saving decision he makes is with the on faith and works when he said, ‘if a plight of the poor and ‘the brother or sister is in need of clothes or children dying of hunger’ in mind. food and one of you says to him, “May Our general overseers on the all go well with you; keep yourself warm other hand, live in palaces and and eat well” without attending to their material needs, what good is drive fleets of luxurious cars that?’(James). oblivious to their environment Any genuine church of Christ should and the poor in their churches. follow the teachings of its founder and They have no qualms raising try to meet the prevalent needs of the

took my eldest son for a haircut, on the insistence of his housemaster, near his school last Sunday.

As we approached the barber’s shop, I saw youths clustered around the two shops on either side of the barber’s shop. Initially, I thought they were watching a soccer match, but then I remembered the European football seasons were over. As I moved closer, I said to myself, “I hope it is not what I think.” Yes, it was; both shops are betting shops, the young men came to wager.

This scene is not isolated; it is the norm in major cities of Nigeria. From highbrow Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki to the slums of Ajegunle in women should actually be in jail Lagos; betting shops are overflowing for child abuse, aiding and with young men who want to get rich abetting a minor to gamble). quick. In Delta State, the same scenes With only N2 left, I went to greeted me the last time I went home; Leventis Store. I could not buy the betting shops are overflowing. It is so usual Peak milk I had grown bad, my brother told me, that artisans accustomed to. It cost 17k per tin. ( barbers, mechanics, tricycle riders, I settled for Carnation milk which etc) take a break from work once they was 9k per tin, a few tins of Geisha make as little as N1,000 to bet and and Sardine with other items. I come back to work thereafter. could not tell my parents about It has become a widespread the incident. I suffered grievously obsession and addiction. Both in school that term. That was in phenomena scare me. I was a victim of 1980. I have never gone near any gambling at age 14. My father gave me betting or gambling spot since N5, yes N5, to go and buy my then. I did come away with some provisions to take to school. I left for lessons, though: greed is Igbudu Market, Warri, Delta State. dangerous and the probability of There I saw some women playing try- getting rich via gambling is low. your-luck with an improvised roulette.

What is fuelling the interest of I decided to “try my luck” to see if I youths in betting? I did not ask any could increase my provision money. I of them, but my educated guesses lost the first two rounds before are:Desire to escape poverty for a winning. My brother, who was not keen better life, greed, popcorn(quick) ab initio, said we should leave, but I wealth mindset and the increasing begged him to allow me play a little number of people who came by more. I played until my money came sudden wealth via politics, down to N2. But for my brother, who government appointments, oil was now hysterical, I would have left bunkering, 419 or yahoo-yahoo ( without a kobo. It was all fraud because fraud), kidnapping for ransom, the women frequently leaned on the among others. These young men table to ensure that the number I chose want to become rich without an did not stop at the wooden arrow (Such enduring methodology. They

Youths and betting

C M Y K

want to become rich without requisite skills. They want to become rich without imbibing and applying the rules for wealth creation.

I decided to check out the stories of lottery winners in Europe and the United States. According to Camelot Group, certified financial planners: “44 per cent of those who have ever won large lottery prizes were broke within five years, with a third declaring bankruptcy—meaning they were worse off than before they became rich.” The stories include those who lost it all in big cars, big houses, divorces and alimonies, partying and hedonistic lifestyles, drugs, alcoholism and other addictions, exotic and expensive holidays, uncontrolled cash gifts to friends and families, donations to charities and gambling, the madness just went on and on. Some went into depression while a few committed suicide. Very few sensible ones lived happily thereafter.

If some youngsters choose this path with low probability of getting rich, at least they need to learn the basics of financial management to be able to manage a windfall… if it comes. If you cannot properly manage your current earnings of N40,000 a month, chances are if a windfall of N400m comes, it would evaporate over time. Youths have

21

poor who are the meek of the earth.

The early church came to Africa meeting those needs. They set up schools and built hospitals. They took people out of poverty by educating their minds and healing their bodies.

Now the needs are different. The youths are educated but unemployed.

And they are restive. The church can help with employment if only some of its leaders can step away from the vanity of trying to build the largest church edifice in Africa or the biggest church community in the world and concentrate instead on taking kids off the streets. After all, God does not live in any house built by man. It is by clothing and housing the poor that we house God. The rest is vanity. Pope Francis has a word for a bishop who follows the path of vanity when he said ‘He acquires the spirit of careerism which damages the church in that he boasts, he likes being seen and likes being powerful’.

For starters, let the church develop massive integrated farms and offer the youths who would be working on the farms different kinds of incentives and arrangements. Let it feed Jesus’ sheep not only figuratively but literally as well. The country needs massive investments in agriculture and the church can help out. In doing this, it would not only be getting our youths off the unemployment market as agriculture still remains the largest employment of labour, it would be saving the country from an impending doom while fulfilling God’s injunction of feeding the poor.

Let the church leaders who are thinking of bigger churches, bigger mansions, bigger aeroplanes and newer cars think instead of the children in different parts of the country who are daily dying of hunger. It is time to stop the pursuit of money and avarice and remember again that Paul had no bank account.

It is time to halt the ostentatious lifestyles of some of our religious leaders. many examples around us to learn from. What happened to many Nigerians who made quick money; also many politicians and soldiers, during the military era, after they left government? Some who made hundreds of millions and billions of naira while in government could not pay children’s school fees just six months after stepping out of government. They never created the wealth they enjoyed, and so lacked the requisite skills to sustain and protect it. Some have gone back to square one, others are asset rich and cash poor; very few are both cash and asset rich. These are the few who know a thing or two about wealth creation, sustenance and protection.

That is partly why many people want to die in government. They cannot sustain and protect the wealth they have grown accustomed to, no matter how much comes their way. They are prepared to be oga today and boyboy tomorrow. Just any position is okay, provided there is infrastructure for the stomach.

Our youths must learn that financial salvation lies not in betting, but developing what is within; that is the real wealth. An author once said that if we redistribute the wealth of the world equitably, in no time, 80 per cent of it will end up with 20 per cent of the people again. I am sure if you strip Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, of all his wealth today, he will become super wealthy again in a no time because his real wealth is within not without. I advise the youths to get their priorities right and concentrate their energies on building capacity by developing their innate abilities. That puts them in a good stead to take advantage of the opportunities that will inevitably come their way.

22—SA TURD AY Vanguard , JUNE 11, 2016 22—SATURD TURDA

M

uhammad Ali had become a legend in his lifetime. At his death he left behind a world of fans of every race and colour, spread across the spectrum of the young and old, the highest and the lowest. Not even the most highly regarded royalty has been known to be accorded the magnitude of the tributes that have been paid to him in the past week. Today, this page joins the rest of the world to pay our respects. And to do it for us a “superfan” of this superman who wrote a biography from which we are exposed to an aspect of the great man’s life which removed him far above his peers as a sportsman, and makes him unforgettable— his “gift of the gab”. Our narrator is the inimitable sports writer and recipient of the National Sports Award, Chukah Momah.

Famous Ali Quotations: The ‘’Louisville Lip’’at His Brillant Best ‘’Whatever the punishment, whatever the persecution is for standing up for my religious belief, even if it means facing a firing squad, I’ll face it. I’m ready to die.’’ {Ali, on refusing the Vietnam draft}. “ I was forced to make a choice when Elijah Muhammad insisted I break with Malcolm. Turning my back on Malcolm was the mistake that I regret most in my life. I wish I had been able to tell Malcolm I was sorry, that he was right about so many things. But he was killed before I got the chance.’’ ‘’You want me to do what the white man says, and go fight a war against some people I don’t know nothing about—get some freedom for some other people when my own people can’t get theirs?

You want me to be scared of •Ali ...This is a trial from God. He gave the white man, I’ll go and this illness to remind me that I’m not get two arms shot off and ten number one; He is. medals so you can give me a small salary and pat my ‘’I won the title, became gotten up. I would have head and say, ‘Good boy, he champion. Powerful and become the first dead fought for his country.’ strong. And then God tries champion in history.’’{Ali Everyday they die in you, tries your health. Fixes commenting on his third Vietnam for nothing.’’ it so it’s hard to talk. Hard to fight with Frazier}. ‘’America is my birth place. walk. I’m blessed and ‘’You think the world was They make the rules, and if thankful to God that I shocked when Nixon they want to put me in jail, understand he’s trying me. resigned? Wait till I whup I’ll go to jail. But I’m an This is a trial from God. He George Foreman’s behind. I American and I’m not gave this illness to remind done something new for this running away.’’{Ali, on me that I’m not number one; fight, I done tussled with a refusing the Vietnam draft}.

He is.’’ {Ali reflecting on his Whale! I done handcuffed ‘’What do I like in a affliction with Parkinson’s lighting, throwed thunder in woman? I like black girls, syndrome}. jail! Only last week, I and only black girls, the ‘’Since I won’t let critics murdered a rock, injured a darker the better. And tall, seal my fate, keep hollering stone, hospitalised a brick, because I’m tall, with long I’m full of hate. But they I’m so mean I make shapely legs.’’ don’t really hurt me — medicine sick. Fast, last “I said I was the none cause I’m doing good night, I cut off the switch, greatest...not the and having fun. And fun to was in bed before the room smartest.’’{After failing the me is something bigger than was dark.’’ {Ali before the written exam at the Army what those critics fail to fight against George Induction Center}. figure. Fun to me is a lot of Foreman]. ‘’I took care of the Big Ugly ‘’I’m so fast I can play Ping things and along with it Bear, made it a habit to some good I bring. Yet while Pong by myself.’’ whup the Rabbit, punched I’m busy helping my people, ‘’Africa is the home of the the mummy in his tummy, Original Man, the black man and won a thriller from the and that Africa, where the Gorilla. Turned the slaves were stolen from, has washerwoman into a girl, all kinds of rich history.’’ and tamed the clumsy, ‘’I’ve seen the whole slippery squirrel. And when world. I learned something’ I stop Shavers, I’ll beg his from people everywhere. pardon, but the place for There’s truth in Hinduism, There are a lot of Acorn to fall is the Garden.

Christianity, Islam, all boys that are Class dismissed.’’{Ali before religions. And in just plain fighting Earnie Shavers]. talking. The only religion stronger than me ‘’Jooooe Frazieeeer. Ain’t that matters, is the real that could be great he ugly? He’s too ugly to be religion—love.’’ champion of the world. The ‘’People have died by the champions, but they Champ should be pretty, like thousands since my case. can’t fight me.’’

Good people. There’s so ‘’My toughest fight was my temptations. much dying that’s been first wife.’’ {Ali reflecting on bigger than mine. Martin Temptation is all his turbulent marriage and Luther King. The Kennedys. eventual divorce from Sonji around us. Pretty Poverty, disasters, murders, Roi}. wars. Why should I matter so girls with their ‘’That night, if Frazier had much? It’s because of what I killed me, I would have chests big and ripe stand for.’’

‘Float like a butterfly’

•Chuka Momah these critics keep writing I’m deceitful. But I can take it on the chin and that’s the honest truth, my friend. Now from Muhammad, you just heard the latest and the truest word, so when they ask you what’s the latest, just say: Ali, Ali. He’s still the greatest.’’ ‘’The first person I ever knocked out was my mom.’’

[Legend has it as confirmed by his mother that as a toddler, Cassius Clay threw a punch that knocked out her tooth]. ‘’My left hand was shaking because of Parkinson’s, my right hand was shaking from fear. Somehow, between the two of them, I got the thing lit.’’ [Ali after lighting the Olympic torch at the 1996 Games in Atlanta]. ‘’I’m young, I’m handsome, I’m fast, I’m pretty and can’t possibly be beat. They must fall in the round I call.’’ [Cassius Clay, early on in his career]. ‘’In the ring I can stay until I’m old and grey because I know how to hit and dance away.’’ ‘’My mama told me I was always in a hurry as a child.

I even had measles and chicken pox at the same time.’’ [Cassius Clay, early in his career].

“The man said: ‘We don’t serve Negroes.’ I said, I don’t eat them either!’ They shouted, ‘Boy, get out!’ I looked at my gold medal and thought, ‘This thing ain’t worth nothing, it can’t even get me a hamburger!”

(Cassius Clay on being refused to be served in a restaurant after returning to the USA with a gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960). ‘’There are a lot of boys that are stronger than me that could be great champions, but they can’t

fight temptations.

Temptation is all around us.

Pretty girls with their chests big and ripe.”(Ali, early in his career). ‘’Life is a gamble. You can get hurt, but people get hurt, but people die in plane crashes, lose their arms and their legs in car accidents; people die everyday. Same with fighters: Some die, some get hurt, some go on.

You just don’t let yourself believe it will happen to you.’’ ‘’I’m the people’s Champion. You can walk up to me and say: ‘Hello’ without paying... . Try getting near to Frank Sinatra or Elvis. There are no bodyguards around this camp.’’ ‘’How tall are you? So I can know in advance how far to step back when you fall down.’’ (Ali talking to an opponent at the pre-fight weigh-in). ‘’I don’t say we shall overcome, because I done overcome.’’ ‘’I am America. I am the past you won’t recognize; but get used to me. Black, confident, cocky, my name not yours. My religion, not yours. My goal, my own.

Get used to me.’’ ‘’It’s just a job. Grass grows. Birds fly. Waves pound the sand. I beat people up.’’ (Ali reflecting on his career). ‘’I’ve got speed, power and endurance and anyone who fights me had better take out extra life insurance. ‘’Those ads on selling slaves should be in every history books in our schools, so everybody can see that we were treated no better than animals.’’ ‘’There used to be signs on Miami Beach that said: No Jews or Negroes Allowed.

‘Y’ know what the Jews did?

They got mad and bought the beach.’’ ‘’We know that every white ain’t devil-hearted, and we got black people who are devils, the worst devils I’ve run into can be my own kind.’’ ‘’You call my poetry horrible?

I bet my poetry gets printed and quoted more than any that’s been turned out by the poem writers that them critics like.’’

‘’At home I’m a nice guy, but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people don’t get very far.’’ ‘’You people out there, you all got the connection and the complexion to get Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, the right protection, which leads to good affection.’’

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—23

Why Niger Delta Avengers grew more deadly •Who negotiates for Avengers?

•What do the militants really want?

•Are the demands feasible?

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

W

HEN the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa declared after the five-hour meeting with Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, governors of Niger Delta states, service chiefs and others, Tuesday, in Abuja that panacea to the renewed militancy in the region, was on the way, those who heard the outcome were in high spirits.

“We have taken a lot of decisions which will help us mitigate what is going on currently in the states, particularly Bayelsa and Delta. We believe we are going to find a solution to it,” the governor stated.

Okowa, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, asserted that there would be a stand-down of the military action in the zone, one of the requests made to the Advocacy Committee on Oil Facility Vandalism, headed by his deputy, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, which he set up to interface with leaders of riverine communities in Warri to halt the spate of bombings.

The governors secured the understanding amid reservation from some of the service chiefs who was taken aback at the two-week ceasefire pronounced earlier on Monday.

Some of the service chiefs wanted total battle, especially with the killing of two soldiers and sinking of a houseboat the previous Wednesday by militants.

The governor had not even returned to Delta, the theater of the current attacks, when the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, as if saying it did not send the governors to any meeting on its behalf, struck in Warri North local government area.

The daring militants bombed a Chevron Nigeria Limited crude oil pipeline in the Dibi Oil Field at about 1.00 am. It said on its twitter handle, “At 1:00am today, the @NDAvengersblow up Well RMP 20 belonging to Chevron located 20 meters away from Dibi flow Station in Warri North local government area.”

As if adding salt to injury, NDA stated absolutely, “This is to inform the general public that we are not negotiating with any Committee. If Federal Government is discussing with any group they're doing that on their own.”

Last month, when Osinbajo met with some stakeholders from the region, the militant group tweeted, May 27: “The Niger Delta stakeholder's meeting is an insult to the people of Niger Delta. What we need is a sovereign state not pipeline contracts.”

Messing up arrangement NDA’s rejection of talks with government, which declared a two-week ceasefire, six days ago, to create a window for dialogue with the militants is seen as a major setback to government’s peace effort in the region.

Consequently, the questions that crop up are: What does the Niger Delta Avengers actually want and who are its representatives?

Now, the NDA remains a faceless group, nobody has come out to claim

membership of the group.

Outlaws Spokesperson of the militant group, Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, described the members as outlaws out to bring the country’s production to zero level without compromise.

While reprimanding the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, a forerunner in the struggle, recently, said, “We are young, smart, and focused Niger Deltans.

Our mandate is to liberate the Niger Delta people; we don’t run after pipeline contracts.”

He bragged: “Our struggle is focused on the liberation of the people of Niger Delta from decades of divisive rule and exclusion. We are watching keenly their regretful efforts at re branding and regrouping criminal elements in the region for their short political gains and territories.

The NDA is unperturbed, we have mandate that is clearly a departure of those old tactics of the defunct so-called MEND that was indulged in kidnapping, hostage taking, Sea piracy, illegal oil bunkering, bank robberies and social crimes the likes of Boyloafs, Ateke Toms, were associated to in their days in the name struggle.”

We are young, educated, well traveled and most of us were educated in east Europe but do not worry when we achieve our goal (sovereign state of Niger Delta) then you people will be proud of us. In as much as we respect you as our elder brothers (ex-agitators) please do not dare to stand on our way because if you do we will crush you,” he said.

Our critics are cowards Congratulating its strike teams for reducing oil production in the country to 50 per cent as at May 12, the group gave the closest insight into its membership, the Avengers added: We have been seeing a lot on the media about us.

Some are asking, “Who are you avenging?” some calling us empty heads, ex-agitators have been condemning us on daily basis. Our critics from other part of the country, we do not have anything to tell you because you clearly don’t know how life is in the region.

“To our critics from the region we want you to know you are all cowards and afraid to stand for your people,” Brig Agbinibo asserted.

He went on: “To the citizens of the Niger Delta who share same idea with us, we thank you all. Just know that no amount of criticism within and outside the region can stop us. For the record, the Niger Delta Avengers are enjoying the blame game going around.”

“To the Nigeria military, the Niger Delta Avengers are among you. And we know all your plans so we will always take ten steps ahead of you…To our brothers from Easterner Nigeria, whom have been condemning and calling us names, the simple fact you are living comfortable doesn’t mean we like you.

“The Commander of Strike team 9 of the Niger Delta Avengers is from Eastern Nigeria, so nobody should limit this struggle to the Ijaws of the Niger Delta only. The leader of the strike team 6 that blew up Chevron Valve Platform is Itsekiri.

The Commander of our elite team strike team one is from Akwa Ibom. “So if you are calling us empty heads, just know you brothers are part of Niger Delta Avengers as well. Avengers are different from former agitators who limited the struggle to just the Ijaws,” he said.

10-point demand On February 13 when it gave President Muhammadu Buhari a two-week ultimatum or it would declare “Operation Red Economy,” nobody took the group largely unrecognized at the time seriously. It made a 10-point demand, many of which have been overtaken by events.

They were immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference. Otherwise, this country will break-up forcefully; President Buhari, the DSS and Timipre Sylva should apologize to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of Late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation.

Others were: “The ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60 per cent for the oil producing people and 40 per cent for the non-oil producing people; and the only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place, Okerenkoko, must start the 2015/ 2016 academic session immediately.”

“The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amechi, should apologize to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the siting of the University, while Ogoniland and indeed, all oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation paid to all oil producing communities.

“Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB must be released unconditionally as the court said; the Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and continue to run effectively; All APC members that are indicted in any corruption related cases should be made to face trial like the PDP members, otherwise Buhari should shamefully forget about this nonsense anti-corruption fight.

“All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country must be first target,” the NDA said.

Why they went nuts The militant group in a statement, April 24, warned: “The Niger Delta Avengers’ high command, which comprises of agitators from all ethnic groups in the Niger Delta has concluded that if the President fails to hear our voice and refuses to call for the sovereign national conference, we will ensure it happens. Or we will employ our second option by crippling the economy of the country.”

“We won’t stop at that but dead ready to take the fight out of the creeks and take it to cities like Abuja, Lagos, Calabar, Port Harcourt just to name a few. And Avengers are not interested in taking innocent lives, but

we will defend territory and ourselves,” it added.

On February 19 after it bombed the Forcados 48-inch Terminal for the first time, it said: “The very same factor that brought about the Niger Delta arm struggle is fast resurfacing as the Buhari led administration is poised to exterminate the Niger Delta people for been benevolent enough to allow the nations mono-economy thrive on our oil.”

“We are being oppressed and pushed to the wall on various fronts hence; we (the Niger Delta Avengers) have picked up the challenge to be the worthy outlaws this government will have to contend until the daily production of oil is reduced to zero in the Niger Delta. Let us use the oil of the North to run the Nigeria’s monoeconomy.

“The SPDC Forcados terminal is our latest casualty and there are many more to follow suit in the days and weeks ahead,” it added.

The weeks have turned to several months of devastation. In fact, after some preliminary attacks between February and early February, the group on May 5, stated: “Failing to heed to our demands, the Nigeria state is seeing what is happening to Chevron and Shell, the Nigerian elites will suffer in same vein.

Know that Chevron and Shell is just the beginning.”“The militants asserted: “If the International oil companies and federal government of Nigeria think that, the Niger Delta Avengers are criminals as they claim and fail to meet our demands the Niger Delta Avengers are going to activate their elite unit, the Niger Delta Air Force code name strike team 1. The International Oil Companies will be our first target, all oil facilities, including their offshore platforms, example Bonga FPSO, EA field and their tank farms such as Bonny tank farm, Escravos tank farm and Forcados tank farm.”““Review of demands From available indications, President Muhammadu Buhari had consigned the 2014 confab report to the archives and Alamieyeseigha paid the inevitable debt that every man on earth is obligated and must pay. The militant group may have to prove the culpability of DSS and Timipre Sylva on his death for the charge to stick.

Amaechi does not come into view as willing to tender any apology for his comment on the suspended Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko and the 2015/2016 academic year had since taken off. However, Buhari had commenced the process for the cleanup of Ogoni land and unconditional release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is not in sight.

People have their different views on the Buhari anti-corruption programme, but the oil multinationals had tactfully suspended their operations, having seen a clear proof that NDA had the capacity to bomb their facilities, as long as they doggedly refused to heed the instruction not to carry out repairs until government addressed the demands by the group.

24—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South and Egufe Yafugborhi

W

ARRI- ON the record, two persons died and 11 injured in a fresh outbreak of hostilities between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities in Warri South-West and Udu Local Government Areas of Delta State, but numerous corpses, suspected to be those of cultists hired by one of the parties in the bloody fight, were reportedly littering the wooded area unaccounted for.

Farmers, who went to the bush, squealed to leaders of one of two communities, but those that recruited them have not informed the families of the deceased persons of the whereabouts of their wards until date.

Govt not resolute on the matter The land dispute between the two communities started many years ago, but from our findings, the Delta state government has been unable to take a firm decision to resolve the matter due to lack of political will.

Only recently, the governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, set up a Panel of Inquiry to address the cause of disagreement.

Each of the communities had threatened officials of the Survey unit of the state with death over the contentious portion of land, actually the boundary between the two towns.

Because of that, no official wants to risk his life and government also failed to implement the suggestion to acquire the buffer zone. The governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who inherited the problem, recently visited the area. He had set up a Panel of Inquiry to look into the cause of disagreement and proffer a way out.

Both communities armed Youths of both communities are armed and ready for war. In fact, while Ogbe-Ijoh youths were allegedly better equipped, the youths of Aladja attacked some of their leaders and destroyed their property, recently, for allegedly not providing them sophisticated weapons to repel their Ogbe-Ijoh counterparts.

Saturday Vanguard learned that what sparked the latest fight was a purported breach of the peace agreement reached by both communities by Aladja youths on May 25.

Police ask monarch to produce hooligans The Area Commander of Police, Warri, ACP Mu’azu Mohammed, in a letter to the Ovia of Udu Kingdom, HRM E.B. O Delekpe, Owhorhu I, said: “Members of your community launched attack on Ogbe-Ijoh community, but were repelled by the Conventional Police and Mobile Police personnel on duty at OgbeIjoh.”

“The Police High Command viewed this action of Aladja community as complete violation of the peace accord you entered into at the Area Commander’s Office on the 13th day of May, 2016.

“You are hereby requested to surrender the perpetrators of the distortion act to the office of the Area Commander on or before May 31, 2016,” the police told the monarch.

The monarch did not produce the perpetrators, instead on June 1 and June 2 respectively, there were attacks on Ogbe-Ijoh, but tempers flared up on the part of Aladja following reports that Ogbe Ijoh youths allegedly deposited a pot of

BLOODY LAND DISPUTE:

Ogbe Ijoh, Aladja

communities trade blames

•Corpses litter bush, youths lay siege to access road •P olice ask monar oduce per pe tr at or •Police monarcch ttoo pr produce perpe petr trat ator orss charm on the disputed land. An Ogbe-Ijoh leader said no charm was prepared, but that Aladja people took a flag belonging to his community and burnt it.

The disagreement snowballed into armed conflict between the two communities leaving many dead and 11 persons injured and corpses littering the bush.

Isaba monarch raises alarm Meanwhile, Aladja youths have laid siege to the access road to Ogbe-Ijoh and other communities in the area. At about 5.00 pm, Wednesday, they allegedly vandalized a Toyota SUV belonging to the paramount ruler of Isaba Kingdom, HRM Pere Donokoromo II (J.P), while the driver was going to Warri.

The monarch told Saturday Vanguard that Aladja youths were laying siege to the road and preventing people from coming out or going to his community.

May 17 meeting Saturday Vanguard exclusively obtained the proceedings of meeting of the stakeholders on May 17, which gave insight into the problems and intrigues between the two communities.

The meeting was attended by the Area Commander, who convened the meeting, Ama-Okosu of OgbeIjoh, Warri Kingdom, Monbene III, Ovie of Udu Kingdom, HRM E.B.O Delekpe, Ohworhu I, Chairmen of Warri South West , Hon. George Ekpemupolo and his Udu counterpart, Chief Solomon Kpomah.

Others were the president

general of Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities, youth leaders of Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities, three (3) representative from each community Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh, DSS operatives from Udu and and Warri South West local government areas and others.

The cause of disagreement- HRM Delekpe HRM Delekpe pointed out that the cause of the recent conflict between the two communities was not just the beating of a motor cyclist as earlier stated by the Area Commander in the previous minutes of May 12. He stated that the beating of Aladja women by Ogbe-Ijoh in their farmland as well as blocking the only road leading to Ogbe-Ijoh

by Aladja people.

I’ve no control over hoodlums The Udu monarch at the previous meeting stated that he was not responsible and did not send anybody to fight. He said that bond or no bond; leaders do not have control over hoodlums in the community. He urged the state government to expedite action on the matter.

ACP sues for peace The Area Commander cleared the air after argument on the matter by correcting and tabling two critical issues: harassing or beating Aladja women going to their farms by OgbeIjoh youths on one part and blocking of the only access road by Aladja youths on the other part.

He called on all the stakeholders to respond and pleaded with them to give peace a chance. In an earlier meeting on May 12, he had spoken

about his efforts to bring peace to the area, adding that what resurrected the conflict was the attack of a motor cyclist from Ogbe Ijoh by Aladja youth.

He reminded them of the action of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who refused to allow bloodshed by putting a call to President Buhari after losing the election and appeal for both communities to emulate same.

He said he did not convene the meeting to apportion blames to anybody, but for the people to learn to tolerate one another. It was in response the May 12 meeting that the monarch said that Ogbe-Ijoh people also beat Aladja women on their way to the farm.

I have no money for security – Udu chair Speaking, Udu Local Government Area Chairman, Chief Solomon Kpomah, noted that the two communities had been leaving together peacefully before now, adding that he would want them communities to go back to the ancient path.

He said that he was saying this because he does not have money to take care of the security personnel, remarking that as far as he was concerned, God put the two communities to dwell together as neighbors. Udu monarch said the suggestion by the council boss was good, but would only work if OgbeIjoh people stop encroaching into Aladja land and insisting that government should give out his land to share to Ogbe-Ijoh.

Intense row An Ogbe-Ijoh leader, Mr. Lucky Oromoni, also stated that Aladja would not stop blocking the road even with a peace accord because they had been doing so eve when there was no land/farm land issues that Aladja people.

Mr. Friday Diah of Ogbe-Ijoh also there are legitimate ways of owning a land, pointing out that obstructing anybody, both on the road and on farm was illegal. He advised government to design modalities to arrest anybody, who blocks people from going about their lawful businesses He accused government of pretension and not being sincere in settling this dispute, noting that there was a resolution concerning the land in question, which it never implemented. Diah reached

Continues from page 25

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—25

How natives can assist govt track Avengers — Apostle Tonfawei

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South –South

A

community leader at Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, Apostle (Dr) Clement Tonfawei, popularly known as the Nabodi 1 of the Universe, has said that if given the chance, the locals could rally round government to trail the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA. Apostle Tonfawei, who was among the Niger Delta stakeholders who met with a Federal Government team led by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu and National Security Adviser, NSA, May 25, in Abuja, said the militants were human beings living in the various communities in the region and the basic thing required to track them was intelligence.

Tonfawei, a native of Oporoza, told Saturday Vanguard that: “What is happening in Oporoza is a painful experience because we were victims in 2009. We are doing all we can to make sure that what happened in 2009 does not happen again because we know what we lost in terms of lives and property.”

“Until date, we have not recovered what we lost then and today we are having such experience again. It is not a happy experience at all.

Therefore, we are using this medium to appeal to the President to device peaceful means in their effort to track down the Niger Delta Avengers.

“What led to the sad situation we find ourselves again is the destruction of oil facilities in our environment by the group called Niger Delta Avengers. The people of Oporoza, as well as Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, whom the government has been looking for have condemned the activities of the Avengers.

“We have all agreed that their activities are criminal and have called on them to desist from what they are doing. All hands were on deck to looking for solutions when all of a sudden the military came to occupy our communities,” he said.

Who are the Avengers?

Nabodi I said: “They are human

Continues from page 24

Appeal to Avengers He said: “We are appealing to the Avengers to stop their illegal activities, which have been condemned and which Tompolo and other people in the region have also condemned as a criminal act.

The times where you made money from armed struggle had come and gone. The armed struggle going on in the region is destroying the lives of our children yet unborn and we are not teaching our children the right parth to follow.”

beings like us, living in various communities in the Niger Delta region, but cannot be identified.

However, I know that with intelligence, we can trace them because we know ourselves very well in that kingdom and in the riverine areas of the state. If given the opportunity to trace them, we can locate them. However, for now, we do not know them.”

What we told Kachikwu, NSA “The Niger Delta Avengers are people we have already condemned for their activities. I also want to thank the Federal Government for its kind gesture in listening to the voice of the people and calling for meeting with the people in Abuja on 25th of May. The Federal Government asked us what the solution to the problem is and we told them that the only thing which the Niger Delta region enjoys is pollution and degradation of our environment.

“There are no federal projects in the region, there are no hospitals, no schools - the only school they managed to give us has been taken away from us. Therefore, the people are in perpetual pains and they do not know the value of these pipes.

The only way out of this is to engage meaningfully with the communities and make them feel the impact of the oil exploration in their environment,” he stated.

According to him, “The federal government agreed with us that it will not go violent. Therefore, I will still encourage the government to hold on to that. Violence will only enslave the innocent souls in the creeks who do not know anything about the Avengers and who do not have any means of livelihood, but feeding from hand to mouth.”

He asserted: “I will still appeal to Federal Government to stick to the agreement reached on the 25th of May on how we can solve the issue peacefully without fighting. We are not preventing the military from entering our communities. In 1997 when Lt. Lukat was piloting the peace process between the Itsekiris and the Gbaramatu people, who were having communal clashes then, what he did was to partner with all the community leaders and engage them in fruitful deliberation.

He told them that the crisis was

•Apostle Clement Tonfawei making both sides to lose lives and property.”

We agreed on cessation of hostilities “The communities agreed to cease fire. Therefore, the federal government today should follow the same parth. We are a very accommodating people and that is why you can see that every tribe is living in our communities. We are against the intimidation of our people and our old men and women and making them to run into the bush.

“Consequently, if the government knows that they have people in our community and they want to hold them, we are not stopping them. They can come in peacefully, telling them why they are there and that they want to stay around and monitor the activities of these people”.

“We told the federal government to meaningfully engage the people and develop the region so that the people will begin to feel the impact of the oil that is coming in from their communities. The NSA was there, the Minister of Petroleum was there, Governor Adams Oshiomhole was there, the NDDC boss and the Amnesty boss and other people were all at the meeting.

“At the end of the meeting we all agreed that they will not use military force against the people. All we need to do is to collaborate with government to see reason with them. They should use intelligence to fish out the Avengers who they have identified,” Tonfawei added.

Govt should develop region “My message is simple. Let the Federal Government come out and develop the region so that the people would have a sense of belonging. There should be synergy between the communities and the security agents to fish out the Niger Delta Avengers.

Itsekiri shouldn’t instigate FG against Ijaw “In addition, I want to appeal to our Itsekiri brothers, because we share the same land space, we have intermarried, I have brothers that are Itsekiri and I have friends, who are also Itsekiri and vice versa, the Avengers issue is not a personal issue. This is a group of people and we are not happy about what they are doing. We want to appeal to the Itsekiri not to instigate the federal government against the Ijaw people. It t is not all the Ijaw that are members of Niger Delta Avengers. We should cooperate with one another to see how we can make our communities peaceful for companies to operate in. I also want the Federal Government to monitor those who claim to be mediating between the Federal Government and the Avengers,” he added.

Put surveillance on negotiators Continuing, he said” “They should also monitor those who are giving out arms in the country.

They are giving money to the Avengers and this is why they continue to fight. The oil companies also encourage armed struggle and I want to use this opportunity to call on them to stop empowering those people who are carrying arms.

“I want them to concentrate on the development of the area instead.

We want the Federal Government to stop paying money to the people, who are carrying arms too. I also want the communities to be calm and bear with the federal government knowing that very soon, peace will return to the region. I then appeal to the media to report objectively to avoid further break down of law and order in the region,” Nabodi 1 asserted.

Ogbe Ijoh, Aladja communities trade blames

out for his bag and brought out some documents signed in the Delta State Government House, which he said stated that both parties should stay away from the buffer zone. He said the document specified that after the harvest of crops by Aladja farmers, they were not supposed to replant any crop on the land until the state government resolved the issue, adding that over one year after, Aladja people were still planting and harvesting crops on the same disputed land.

Our source said: “There was heated argument in the meeting hall immediately the document was presented.”

President General of Aladja

community, Dogene Elias, stated that the document presented by Mr. Oromoni of Ogbe-Ijoh was no longer tenable because the document dated March 2015 expired a month earlier.

He said the meeting was to talke peace and how Ogbe-Ijoh would have access to their community through Aladja and how Aladja women would have access to their farmland without molestation. He insisted that they were for peace and urged both parties to speak the truth.

Warri S-West chair carpets elders Chairman Warri South West, Hon. George Ekpemupolo, blamed the elders for the prevailing fragile peace in the two communities, adding that

the elders, often times, used the youths to disturb the peace.

Wiliki absolves Aladja youths Aladja community leader, Chief Willki also stated that Ogbe Ijoh people had encroached on the socalled buffer zone by erecting houses in the area. He denied that Aladja youths were collecting money from Ogbe-Ijoh people along the road, saying National Union of Road Transports Workers (NURTW) officials were the ones collecting money.

He stated also that the major issue was the obstructing of Aladja people from going to their farms.

Mobene III blasts Udu chair HRM Mobene III Couple Oromoni, who tasked the two chairmen on security, talked about how the Udu local government had failed to take care of the policemen at Aladja, saying there was serious security lapses in the area.

Wrapping up The Area Commander said that for peace to reign, nobody should hinder Aladja people from going to their farmland, while Ogbe-Ijoh people should also have unfettered access to their community. He insisted that both parties should stop hostility against each other. SUV

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Beautiful African women inspired my 'Sisi Eko' — Subzilla

S

By Iyabo Aina

ubzilla has been buzzing in the streets of Lagos since he dropped his “Sisi Eko” tune in last quarter of 2015. He’s arguably one of the next big artists in hiphop as more people around the world continue to embrace Nigerian music. In this interview the budding StarSubzilla speaks about his life before and after “Sisi Eko” fame, his style of music and his views on other issues in the entertainment industry.

Who is Subzilla and tell us how you started music My real name is Boboye Emmanuel Bodunde, I hail from Ondo state, Ifedore local government area to be precise and I am from a family of five. I started music at a very tender age. I used to listen to the likes of Tuface Idibia; Orlando Owoh; King Sunny Ade; Salawa Abeni and some foreign artists. So with that, I gradually developed myself but I kicked off professionally in 2013 when I dropped my first official single titled “NGHELU”.

because of their originality and street credibility.

What does it feel like working with Tekno and Reminisce on a song?

Like I said earlier it was wonderful working with them, the chemistry was good and they have been very supportive.

What have been your challenges so far in the music industry?

I do Afro-pop music with a fusion of fuji music. I’m also a versatile artist by nature, inspired by the beat and the environment I find myself

How were you discovered by UK based Lams Records?

Lams Records is a family record label/business owned by my brother who has been supporting me from day one.

What's the meaning of Subzilla and why did you choose it as your stage name?

Initially, I was called Zilla which means being different because I always try to be unique in everything I do. My friends used to hail me back then like "what's up Zilla or Sup Zilla" and it sounded cool so I accepted the tag SUP but I changed it to SUB on my songs to make it SUBZILLA because it sounds cool to me than SUP. How did it feel winning Gbedu Awards street-next-rated artist of the year 2016?

It feels great and encouraging because I never saw it coming. I thank God for everything and shout out to Gbedu awards for the honour and for recognising me.

Who are your role models locally and internationally?

Locally, I respect 2baba, Don Jazzy, D’banj and PSquare.

Internationally I Love Pharrel Williams, Jay-Z, Trey Songs and Lil Wayne.

•Subzilla

What is your view about piracy and the feud among artists in the music industry?

I believe the Nigerian government is working strongly on how to eradicate piracy and I believe with the help of God it will definitely come to pass. Concerning the feud, I believe devil is at work but I pray for peace.

Any message for your fans out there?

I would like to say thanks to all my fans for supporting me because without them there's no me and they should expect more good songs and videos from me. I will always keep it coming and I will never disappoint them. Just watch out and keep supporting your boy SUBZILLA. God Bless you guys.

Doxy bounces back with another hit single 'Taking my way'

Describe your style of music and what makes your brand different from others I do Afro-pop music with a fusion of fuji music. I’m also a versatile artist by nature, inspired by the beat and the environment I find myself. If you listen to my sound you will know it’s definitely different.

You released ‘Sisi Eko’ last year and the remix featuring Tekno and Reminisce earlier this year, what inspired the song and why did you do a remix?

I thank God for making the original “Sisi Eko” a hit song which was inspired by the well endowed beautiful African women out there. It's more like a studio freestyle but I always try to make sense whenever I am recording even though it's a freestyle because I always want my song to be meaningful.

As for the remix, although fans tweeted suggesting a lot of artistes to me but I decided to work with Tekno and Reminisce

Life itself is a challenge and everybody knows that music is very challenging because it requires a lot of money, time and hardwork to become an A-List artist. Now I thank God because everything is working as planned with my record label Lams Records. My management team and I are getting there by God’s grace.

D

•Doxy

olapo Oyatomi Junior (DOJ) whose stage name is Doxy has repeatedly proven he is a genuine article, and the next big thing to have happened to the Nigerian music scene after Wizkid and Davido. In a space of two years the budding artistes has released songs that have competed fiercely on several music platforms. After the success of his 'Roadblock', 'Dessie Teddie and Davido's 'Fans mi' cover, Doxy is back again with another promising one “Taking the way” featuring Rhowzay.

Doxy may be a new face in the game, but his achievements in so short a time speaks volume and gives us an idea what kind of star we have on our hands.

He was the Next to Stardom award winner and Most Promising Artist nominee for the Top Naija Music Awards in 2015/2016 with the hit song "Roadblock". Also, one of his previous songs,'My Business' got him on the Broadjam International Chart as No 1 in Nigeria and No 2 in Africa.

With the rave of the song on the African continent, Doxy bagged himself a collaboration in Tanzania. The popular rap artist Moni featured Doxy on the remix of his track called "Kirikuu" which is circulating in and out of Tanzania and also placed Doxy among the Dodoma-All-Stars album in Tanzania.

In just two years, Doxy can thump his chest for a number of enviable feats. He topped the chart as No 1 in Nigeria on Reverbnation for Seven weeks immediately after the first single "Dessie Teddie" he released in 2014.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—27 Edited by Ayo Onikoyi 08052201215

All artistes have skeletons in their cupboards — Jaywon

By ADERONKE ADEYERI

F

rom living in the street, James Oluwajuwonlo Edahi, popularly known as Jaywon, broke into the music industry with the hit song ‘File Be’ and since then, has remained relevant in the industry. After a rather tumultuous departure from Kennis Music, the new self-acclaimed ‘king of music’ charted a new way to go with a record label of his own ‘’Next World Music’’. How far he has gone after Kennis Music, and how he has survived all life has thrown at him, Jaywon tells it all in this interview: What has been happening to Jaywon?

I have been doing a lot of work but I have just dropped a new album titled Oba Orin in April. And the album has been doing well in the market.

Why the name “Oba Orin” (king of music)?

That is a million dollar question. The title Oba Orin does not connote I am giving myself a title and being proud of it. In fact, many of my fans now address me as Oba Orin, (King of music) on the social media.

We were deliberating on other titles but the marketer felt Oba Orin was cool. Oba Orin is a 21-track album, 2 skits with an intro.

The album features the biggest voices in the industry like Olamide, Reekado Banks, Tiwa Savage, Oritsefemi, 9ice, Reminisce and the rest.

You now have a label of your own, how many artistes have you signed on?

I have always believed in discovering new talents and that is what my record label will be known for and not just signing artistes. I have discovered more producers in the industry than anybody. I will be supporting and grooming some artistes and ensure they become a force people will reckon with in the industry.

Talking about grooming new talents, how do you intend to teach artistes the rudiments of music ?

I have a studio where my artistes will be tutored. I will see them getting to perform on different platforms. Also, I will work on networking and doing a lot of publicity of their activities. They will also perform with me . I have done all these for a lot of artistes in the past. Basically, I have two artistes signed under me.

Things you look out for in an artist?

Talent. And we have many talents in Nigeria. Behavioral attitudes too.

How have you been able to stand out in most of what you do?

I think the love for what I do has been able to put me up there. Some people don’t know that I am one of the most travelled artists in Nigeria. I love what I do, I love my job. My job is not just like a profession

or business. I love making music. It’s passion.

In 2012, you had a hit song, “This year”.

Are you planning another hit song this year? ‘’This year’’ is so big that I doubt one would be able to make such a hit song again. I never envisaged that the song would do very well. I didn’t go into the studio and said, I want to make a song that would sound like this. I went there to record what came to my mind. I mean just doing it as the inspiration came.

How do you get inspiration for your songs?

I think and meditate a lot.

Aside music, do you do other things ?

Right now, music has been putting food on my table and providing for my family.

How do you relax?

For a while now, my life has been really hard that I don’t do things just because I want to do them. I just create time out of no time to rest. Sometimes, I go to the studio and listen to some of the songs I have produced. I play table tennis too. I have been really busy.

Your crush among the female artistes?

I’m actually crushing on Niniola. She is very good, talented, and beautiful. She is just perfect.

Are you still with Kennis Music?

No, I am no longer with Kennis Music .

Your experience at Kennis Music?

Everything I know today was from Kennis music. No matter what happens, I will always acknowledge Kennis Music. It is only a stupid person that goes about rubbishing his former employer. Kennis Music is the best thing that has ever happened to me. What happened between us only happened because we were close. We were

The title Oba Orin does not connote I am giving myself a title and being proud of it.

business partners and would naturally happen.

some things

If you have the opportunity to go back to Kennis Music , would you?

For sure, I would want to go back but with a different arrangement a n d understanding . Many things have changed, you know. This is not the same type of industry we had back then . So, in order to remain relevant in t o d a y ’ s industry, one has to follow the trend very well.

Has Jaywon ever delved into movie making?

Of course yes, I will be one of the cast in the next Super Story. I featured veteran actors and actresses in one of my videos, “Back to sender’’. I am an entertainer.

Anything you really don’t like about the industry?

The entertainment industry is ‘’fake”.

That element cannot be removed from the industry. Again, we often celebrate people more when they are dead. We should cultivate the attitude of appreciating people who have contributed immensely to the development of the entertainment industry when they are alive.

These days, we see young artiste featuring King Sunny Ade, Pasuma, Obesere, and the rest. But we are yet to see anyone feature Salawa Abeni. Is this because the Waka music is totally dead or what?

It is far from it. For somebody like me, I have done some projects with Obesere and that is because I have access to him.

My point is that most of the young artistes don’t have access to the older artistes.

Your take on musicians having Baby mamas?

I have actually said a lot about this. I don’t really see it as bad or as a problem.

My only fear is people should take responsibility for their children. In fact, I think we should have a law that will

•Jaywon

see anyone who does not take care of his or her child sent to jail. If any one has ten baby mamas and can afford to take care of them, then it is nobody’s problem. I don’t care if you have 10 baby mamas but take care of the children you bring into this world. That’s what matters.

Is it being married for a few months and separating that is good?

Artistes beef each other, is this good for the industry?

Beefing comes as a result of two persons who wrong each other and I think it’s allowed. But these days, we make too much noise about it. Some of us also see it as an avenue to be in the papers. I don’t want to be in the papers for such things.

Managing controversies?

I don’t want to be controversial.

Whether we like it or not, we all have some skeletons in our cupboard. Some artistes have done some bad things to me in the past. Some will even remix my songs without acknowledging me. I ignore so many things. Intellectual properties are not respected in this part of the world.

Any plans to have a foundation?

I follow my instincts to do so many things. If my instincts tell me to give out 20% of my income, so be it. I intend to do more on my birthday.

28—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

AMAA 2016: What to expect from the show tonight!

T

he Garden city of Port Harcourt is bubbling with life at the moment. It’s AMAA night, and all roads will lead to the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, venue of the prestigious awards night, which is designed to celebrate the best of the best in African film sector. With movie stars and film makers from over 40 countries of the continent and beyond already looking forward to the event, you don’t expect anything less than the best tonight. If you are residing in the oil-rich city and act early enough, it’s possible for you to be on the red carpet, watching the celebrity arrivals and catching a glimpse of the razzmatazz that is associated with the event; the head turns, the glamour, the whispers and the fashion show among side attractions. The red carpet event is expected to kick off around 7 pm, as the celebrities will take turns to display their latest wardrobe acquisition.

Who wins what tonight?

•Etomi

The highpoint of the event, however, will be the presentation of awards to the deserving winners. And rising actress, Adesua Etomi, is one of the nominees to watch out for tonight.

After she won the 2016 AMVCA Best Actress for her role as Muna in the movie, “Falling”, she’s up for another grab. The beautiful actress was nominated for the Best Actress award again for her role in the same movie. She was pitched against Thishiwe Ziqubu also nominated for her role in “Tell me Sweet Something”, Maureen Okpoko (Missing God), Ijeoma Grace Agu (Jimi Bendel/ Taxi Driver), Bontte Modiselle (Hear Me Move), Fulu Mugovhani (Ayanda), Maimouna N’Daiye (Eye of the Storm),Iretiola Doyle, Dakore Egbuson, Nse Ikpe Etim, Omoni Oboli (Fifty) and Nomzamo Mbatha who was nominated for her role in “Tell me Sweet Something.” Adesua who’s only two years old in Nollywood, is already making waves in the industry. But can she take the shine away from the

likes of Iretiola Doyle, Dakore Egbuson, Nse Ikpe Etim and Omoni Oboli tonight? But for whatever reason, the faircomplexioned actress has proven to everyone that she’s on top of her game, and the possibility of her clinching the coveted prize tonight is not in contention. She broke record early this year when she beat the likes of Genevieve Nnaji, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Belinda Effah, Fulu Mugovhani and Mary Lazarus to clinch the AMVCA Best Actress award. All eyes will definitely be on her tonight as she makes history again.

Like Adesua, pretty Linda Ejiofor is another actress to watch out for tonight. Soft-spoken and daring, Linda has carved a niche for herself as a forward-looking actress. If she wins the award for Best Actress in a supporting role, having been nominated for her role in “Out of Luck” tonight, many will not be surprised because she has worked so hard to stay on top of her game. The same goes to Ijeoma Grace Agu, who has made a name for herself after she debuted her onewoman-show, where she played eight different female characters. She was nominated for her role in “Jimi Bendel/ Taxi Driver,” which many have adjudged as excellent. But their counterparts from South Africa and others countries stronger contenders for the award.

On the Best Actor category, many are tipping OC Ukeje to clinch the prize for his role in South African film, ‘Ayanda.’

He played a leading role in the film, which was premiered last year, at the LA Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize in the World Fiction Competition. OC Ukeje and Daniel K Daniel will be slugging it out alongside their contemporaries from other parts of Africa. The Best Actor category is one of the major awards that everyone will be looking forward to seeing the winner.

•Fifty cast

•Linda

•Ijeoma

•Daniel

Which movie will be adjudged the best in Africa?

B

iyi Bandele-directed “FIFTY” the prize. tonight. Other Nigerian films emerged the film from Nigeria Meanwhile, Stephanie Linus’ award expected to do the country proud with six nominations including winning advocacy film, “Dry” may not include, “Out of Luck”, “Falling, Achievement in Cinematography, be a film to beat in this category, Oshimiri”, “Stupid Movie”, “Beyond Best Director, Best Actress in a having once been adjudged the Best Blood” and “Missing God.” Leading Role, Best Nigerian Film Overall Movie in Africa at this year’s and Achievement in Sound. The film, Africa Magic Viewers Choice The hosts of the show which grossed N400 million in four Awards,AMVCA, which held in All eyes will be on Nollywood golden month cinema run in Nigeria, and March. The film was tied with “A boy, Mike Ezuruonye who hardly has explores the lives of four successful Soldier’s Story” with four nominations functioned as a show host before African Women in 21st century Lagos each. Dry was nominated in the now. But tonight, he will be joining is being tipped for the Best film categories for Best Young/Promising forces with Ghanaian musician, John award. But South Africa’s “Äyanda”, Actor, Best Nigerian Film, Best Film Germain and South Africa’s On-Air starring Nigeria’s OC Ukeje, and Best Director and it’s expected Personality, Kgopedi Lilokoe to and which was that “Dry”will rewrite history deliver a memorable show. As a screened at the just concluded the Cannes Film Market, from all indications remains a major contender for the award. Also, not to be ruled here is the possibility of such films as “The Cursed One”from Ghana and Burkina Faso’s •Äyanda “Eye of the Storm” clinching •Dry C M Y K

radio and television personality, John Germain will bring his wealth of experience to bear on the show, just as the South Africa’s charismatic entertainer, Kgopedi Lilokoe will not disappoint her fans.

Who headlines the show!

Feelers from the Garden city revealed that scores of music acts have expressed their willingness to thrill guests tonight. And look out for performances from the likes of PSquare, K-cee, Harry Song, Phyno and Tecno are already on the line up of artistes who would be taking the centre stage at this year’s awards night. Recall that at the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the awards ceremony held last year, “Limpopo” crooner and South African platinumselling singer, Miss Lira, headlined the show, which also saw popular Asanda Asa Mqiki sharing the stage with them.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—29

Obesity raises prostate cancer risk by 13% A

BEER belly significantly raises the odds of deadly prostate cancer, British research has suggested.

If a man is obese, every extra four inches on his waistline was found to increase his risk of developing the most aggressive form of the disease by 13 per cent.

He is also more likely to die from the illness, the study found.

Oxford University scientists examined data on almost 150,000 men from eight European countries including the UK. The men had an average age of 52 at the start of the study.

Over 14 years, more than 7,000 developed prostate cancer – the most common cancer in British men – and 934 died from it, a leading medical conference heard. Researchers are not sure what is behind the link but they say it is yet another reason for men to watch their weight.

‘Maintain a healthy weight’ Other experts said the finding could help doctors spot the disease when it is at its earliest stages and so still easiest to treat.

Prostate cancer is unusual because some men develop it so slowly that it does not cause them any problems during their lifetime. Other patients have a fast-growing form that needs urgent attention. The analysis showed that very overweight men have higher odds of the more serious type than those who are thinner.

A man with a waist of 37.5in (95cm)

was found to have a 13 per cent higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer than one with a 33.6in (85cm) waist.

For a man with a 41.5in (105cm) waist, the odds are 26 per cent higher. Every four inches also makes death 18 per cent more likely, according to the study. Importantly, the figures apply only to men who are already obese. Dr Aurora Perez- Cornago – whose work is funded by Cancer Research UK – told the European Obesity Summit in Gothenberg that weight-related changes to hormones and the immune system may be behind the link.

She added: ‘The findings from this large

study show that the association between body size and prostate cancer is complex and varies by disease aggressiveness; men who have greater adiposity have an elevated risk of high grade prostate cancer and prostate cancer death. Our results are in line with the health advice for other diseases. Men should try to maintain a healthy weight.’

Prostate cancer is the most common form of the illness in British men, with more than 43,000 cases and almost 11,000 deaths a year.

Simon Grieveson, of charity Prostate Cancer UK, said: ‘Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active can protect against many diseases, including cancer.

This research adds to a growing body of evidence that shows that weight and waist size could be another crucial risk factor for men to be aware of when it comes to protecting themselves against prostate cancer.

‘Prostate cancer is often symptomless in the early stages when it is most treatable which is why awareness of risk is so crucial. We already know that men over 50, black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are more likely to develop the disease.

‘These findings may give doctors another warning sign to look out for. Importantly, unlike the other known risk factors, being overweight is a risk factor that men can proactively do something to change.’

Eating after 8pm can add 2in to your waistline R egularly eating after 8pm leads us to pile on the pounds, research suggests. Men and women who often dine late in the evening typically have waistlines two inches bigger than those who eat earlier, a study found. This is the equivalent of two dress sizes for a woman.

Scientists think it could be because we have evolved to use up energy during daylight hours – so our body’s mechanisms slow down as night draws in and we get ready for sleep. This means the rate at which we process food is diminished. ‘To have big meals in the

evening can contribute to weight gain,’ said Patricia Lopez-Legarrea from the Autonomous University of Chile.

The UK has Europe’s second highest rate of obesity – defined as having a BMI over 30. In her study, Dr LopezLegarrea analysed data on almost 5,500 Chileans. For those who ate late, the average BMI – a measure of weight in proportion to height – was around half a point higher.

This means an extra two or three pounds in weight for a woman who is 5ft 4in tall, the European Obesity Summit in Gothenburg heard. Dr Lopez-

Legarrea said the body clock produces optimal levels of appetite enzymes and hormones during daylight hours. She added: ‘My advice would be in the direction of having a bigger breakfast and lunch, with a snack in the afternoon. ‘ Professor Jason Halford, a psychologist at the University of Liverpool, said: ‘It may well be that the peaks and troughs of satiety hormones are affected by the light-dark cycle.

What we don’t know is whether those who ate after 8pm had a different type of meal to those who ate earlier.’

•CULLED FROM DAILYMAIL

Migraine can lead to painful menstruation W

OMEN who regularly suffer from migraines are likely to have more painful periods, scientists have found.

Experts have revealed a link between migraines and levels of the oestrogen hormone – which can leave women exposed to more severe pain and stress at certain times in their menstrual cycle.

Scientists have long suspected that fluctuating oestrogen levels may be linked to migraines, with the connection explaining why women are more likely to suffer extreme headaches as they approach the menopause.

But the new research, led by experts at Montefiore Medical Centre in New York, suggests this link may mean that women who have regular migraines have more extreme pain during their period as well.

The findings suggest that women with a history of migraine experience a rapid oestrogen

drop in the days before menstruation.

This ‘ two- hit’ system then increases the chance of them suffering more migraines during their periods, along with the lack of sleep, nausea and dizziness that often accompany the attacks.

Around eight million Britons – three- quarters of them women – suffer migraines, which can involve crippling pain, flashing lights and sensitivity to noise. There are few effective treatments for the attacks, and experts are divided about the causes.

Increasing evidence suggests that migraines are caused by fluctuations in blood pressure and vascular health – with people who suffer migraines also at increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Men also suffer from migraines, with causes ranging from stress, noise and tiredness, to diet, alcohol and caffeine.

Migraines tend to improve with age for both men and women – with 40 per cent of people no longer suf- fering attacks after the age of 65 – although there is a spike in frequency for some women around the time of the menopause.

But many scientists think oestrogen also plays a vital role in women’s migraines. The new findings, published in the Neurology medical journal, shore

up this theory, providing evidence that women who suffer regular migraines display severe drops in oestrogen just before a period.

Study leader Dr Jelena Pavlovi said: ‘These results suggest that a “two-hit” process may link oestrogen withdrawal to menstrual migraine. More rapid oestrogen decline may make women vulnerable to common triggers for migraine attacks such as stress, lack of sleep, foods and wine.’

The team tracked 337 women, a third of whom had a history of getting migraines.

The investigators measured the participants’ hormone levels for one monthly cycle, and peak hormone levels, average daily levels and day-today rates of decline were calculated over the five days following each hormone peak in their cycles.

In the two days after the peak oestrogen level, just before menstruation, the oestrogen levels in the women with migraines dropped by 40 per cent, compared to 30 per cent for women without migraines.

Dr Pavlovic said the findings provide a glimpse into the complex link between migraine and hormones – but stressed that more research is needed.

She went on to say: ‘Future studies should focus on the relationship between headaches and daily hormone changes – and go on to explore the possible underpinnings of these results.’

•CULLED FROM DAILYMAIL

30—SATURDAY

Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Lifeline

Boy whose head hung upside down undergoes surgery

T

•Mahendra Ahirwar, hanks to funds raised by a kind-hearted the boy who sees British woman, Julie Jones, a 13-year-old upside down, before Indian boy Mahendra Ahirwar, who suffered the surgery from a rare condition called congenital myopathy, that caused his head to hang upside down at 180 degrees, has undergone life changing surgery to straighten his neck.

The incredible surgery follows a Mail-online story about the daily struggles of Mahendra, who comes from Madhya Pradesh in central India.

Mahendra’s parents Mukesh Ahirwar, 41, and mother Sumitra Ahirwar, 36, spent years taking him to see doctors but no one could help.

But now the teenager has undergone lifechanging surgery by a former NHS surgeon after Julie, a mother-of-two from Liverpool, set up a crowdfunding page raising £12,000 for treatment.

Spinal surgeon, Dr Rajagopalan Krishnan, from Apollo Hospital, in Delhi, performed the operation after Julie Jones made it possible.

His incredible story that was shown on Channel 5 Extraordinary People series, followed the family as they travel thousands of miles on an overnight train from their village to India’s capital city for the risky surgery that could have killed Mahendra.

In a first of its kind operation Dr Krishnan, who worked for the NHS for 15 years before returning to India to help extreme medical cases, operated on •Mahendra Ahirwar with Julie Jones after the surgery Mahendra’s spine.

Krishnan and his team ‘While everyone was the first night but It was after reading his tragic opened up the front part of his looking to help, no one was when I finally met plight that mother-of-two, Ms neck—leaving the front of his actually doing anything.

So Mahendra and his Jones decided she wanted to cervical spine completely there and then, I got out my family at the hospital help. exposed—because of his laptop, found a crowdit was all worth it.

‘It was tragic.

All I could extraordinarily thin skin. funding website and created ‘His mum cried think about was my own son They removed the disks from an account.’ when she met me and how I’d feel if he was in his neck, and replaced them Within 28 days the page which then got me that situation,’ she said. with bone graft from his pelvis had raised £12,000 but she going.’ and then fitted a metal plate to never imagined her kind Even though she secure the neck straight. actions would eventually was only in Delhi for Two years ago, his parents lead to Mahendra having a couple of days she stopped taking him to see surgery and them meeting. quickly bonded with doctors as it seemed no-one The careers co-ordinator at Mahendra. could help. a secondary school was ‘I wasn’t prepared But with life a constant flown to Delhi to meet for the love I’d feel struggle, and Mahdendra in Two years Mahendra three days after for him,’ she said. constant pain, they even his surgery.

‘Meeting the boy ago, his admitted they would rather ‘As part of the whose photos I knew parents their son died than continue to documentary, the producers so well was both suffer. wanted to fly me to India to harrowing and stopped As soon as Mahendra used meet Mahendra. uplifting. I was taking him to wake up in the morning he ‘I’d never been further amazed to see him so relied on his mother to feed to see than Spain on holiday and thin. him, bath him and dress him. was scared of flying. But I ‘By the time I was doctors as it While his sister Manisha was keen to meet Mahendra due to leave; I was an seemed noand little brother Surendra, in the flesh so I agreed. emotional wreck and eight, went to school and his one could ‘When I arrived in Delhi just didn’t want to older brother Lalit tried to find the noise and exotic smells go. help work he was left at home. hit me instantly.

‘Even though it was Even his friends used to ‘It was hard going, a short visit, I’d leave him watch them play, he especially with the film bonded with could never join in. cameras in my face. I felt Mahendra and it vulnerable and barely slept broke my heart that I

may never see him again.’

Mahendra spent two weeks in hospital before he had to make the arduous journey home to his village, where all his family and community awaited him.

The film follows Mahendra back home and shows him thriving.

He’s been given an electric wheelchair by an anonymous donor and he’s writing, watching TV and playing with his friends. Amazingly, his straight neck has even made his voice louder.

He has to wear a neck brace for approximately six months and needs regular check ups with Dr Krishnan back in Delhi but the future is looking much brighter.

Mahendra said: ‘I had no hope of getting better in life but now I’m ok my dreams have risen up. I want to be successful in life now.’

Dr Krishnan said he was shocked Mahendra had been left for as long as he had.

‘When I met Mahendra for the first time what surprised me the most was the neglect of his condition for 12 years without a diagnosis let alone treatment.

‘I was certain that I could improve his quality of life and that he’d be able to look at the world straight rather than upside down but I had to be sure I wouldn’t kill him.

‘The main problem that faced Mahendra was the anesthesia. But it’s remarkable to see him today.

‘There may be a need for further surgery in future but that will be determined by his neck stability once the neck has successful fusion.

‘He may not sag any more at the top but if I do have to do more surgery it will be much less invasive.’

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—31

o gif ts Asaboro gifts APC cchief hief tain splashes ffinancial inancial grants on Delta Chief, Asabor hieftain son grand wedding A member of the Delta constituents hief B.O. Asaboro has gifted son, Dr. Anthony State All Progressive

Hon Solomon Edojah flanked by some guest during the second edition of the Hon. Solomon Edojah Grant for the Needy

Congress, APC caucus, Hon. Solomon Edojah has splashed various amounts of cash to beneficiaries from Delta Central Senatorial district in the second edition of the Solomon Edojah ‘Grant for the Needy’. Beneficiaries went home with thousands of naira to assist them in setting up some small businesses to aid them in their daily living. Speaking at the event, Hon. Edojah who is also a former member representing Ethiope East in the House of Representative while appealing for patience with the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, charged well to do Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper by providing for the needy in the society.

R-L: : APC Delta State House of Assembly candidate for Ethiope East, Hon David Igbru, Hon Solomon Edojah , Bishop Kingsley Enakirerhi (CAN SEC), Member Of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Evans Ivwurie and Special Assistants to the Gov of Delta State , Chief Oduma

Aghoghophia Asaboro, who married Barr.

Augusta Omejero Arioghore, a superlative wedding at Agba-rotor, with many high-profile personalities from the region in attendance. Niger Delta Minister and Ovie of Ogor, HRH Okiemute Onajite-Igere III and his chiefs were amongst people who made the guests list.

The couple with their parents and Obie of Ogor Kingdom, his chiefs and officiating ministers

L-R: Tony Grey, groom's dad, Chief B.O. Asaboro, Chief Gabby Ivbijaro, the Arerono of Igede kingdom and Chief G.O. Asaboro Hon Solomon Edojah cheers from beneficiaries

Hon Solomon Edojah making his remark during the event.

C

acknowledging

Hon. Evance Ivwurie, Hon. Solomon Edojah and Pastor Kingsley Enakirerhi flanked by beneficiaries of the Hon. Solomon Edojah Grant for the Needy

L-R: Executive and members of Otoloye Society of Nigeria, Sapele branch, led by Mrs Mercy Amatusero, Mrs Etuwewe and others

Royal marriage of the Ogbons and the Omafuaire

T

he Royal Ogbon and Omafuaire families of Olomu Kingdom recently gave out their daughter, Princess Eturhobore Sarah Omafuaire to her hearthrob, Mr. Abraham Benafa of Ojobo town of Bomadi Council area of Delta State.The marriage was attended by the high and mighty at the Omafuaire family compound of Akperhe-Olomu in Ughelli South Area with Her Royal Majesty, Queen Grace Ogbon, Oni of Olomu Kingdom representing the revered Olomu monarch, Ovie, R.L. Ogbon, Ogoni-Oghoro I, JP, RC, OON, the Ohworode of Olomu kingdom.

Couple with bride's mother, Mrs. Alice Omafuaire.

Mrs. Mercy Benafa, Mr. Abraham Benafa (Groom) and Mr. Edward Benafa.

HRM, Queen Grace Ogbon, Oni of Olomu Kingdom, Olorogun Ogbarode Ogbon, Chief Olori Magege and Dr. Peter Kragha.

32—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

C

hloe Finch was incensed. The message posted on social media, its tone jaunty, reckless and euphoric, was enough to convince her that her divorced mum, Louise, had fallen in love.

‘You only live once so do what makes you happy,’ Louise had written.

Chloe was right. After two years alone, and a string of dating disasters, Louise, a property developer who was then aged 43, had finally found a man who made her happy. Yet her daughter, then 23, was far from pleased. Borne up on a surge of indignation she called her mum. ‘You have to stop this,’ she railed, ‘it’s embarrassing’ - before delivering a final ‘it’s him or me’ ultimatum. You may consider this rage disproportionate: difficult though it is when parents find new partners after a divorce, shouldn’t their children at least try to be temperate in their responses?

However, the fact is Chloe had good reason to feel uncomfortable and angry with her mother’s relationship. As far as she was concerned, she’d committed two crimes. As a middle-aged mum of three, Louise McNeill, had breached her only daughter’s trust and her standards of decency by falling in love with Simon Lucas, a man who, at the age of 26, was not only young enough to be her son, but also one of Chloe’s best friends.

Moreover, as far as Chloe was concerned, they’d compounded their transgression by failing to tell her about their relationship. ‘I was doubly hurt that both of them had hidden it from me,’ says Chloe. ‘The relationship had been going on for six weeks and Mum hadn’t told me, her own daughter, she was going out with one of my closest friends. Simon hadn’t bothered to tell me either.

‘I felt a mix of feelings; anger, hurt, embarrassment. I rang Mum and told her she was a cougar - I didn’t mean it as a compliment - then put the phone down.’

She adds: ‘Some angry texts flew back and forth. I told Mum she was too old to be going out with one of my fiends, then Simon sent a message saying I shouldn’t talk to her like that.

‘I couldn’t bear to think of her having sex at all, let alone with someone young enough to be her son.’

It’s an unusual situation, but some might argue entirely understandable in an age when 40-something women are no longer inclined to ‘shut up shop’ when they find themselves single in middle age.

Gym-toned, slim and solvent, they frequently find themselves attracting attention from much younger men. How their grown-up children cope with these relationships, however, is less easy to predict. Louise had found herself single following an amicable divorce in 2010 from husband Alex, 51, a car restorer.

‘Alex is a kind and honourable man,’ says Louise, who is also mother to sons Daniel, 27 and Finley, 16, ‘but we’d stopped being lovers and had become like brother and sister. And we also both realised we wanted different things from life.’

In 2006, they had moved from their home in Suffolk to start a new life in rural France, buying and renovating property. And while the slow paced village life in the Correze suited Louise, Alex, who failed to get to grips with the language, missed his old friends and life in England.

So he returned to Suffolk with Finley, while Chloe and Louise, who had settled happily in their adopted country, stayed in France. Chloe and Louise had always enjoyed a close, loving relationship.

‘As any good parent would, I’d put my children first until they were independent,’ explains Louise. ‘Then, I reasoned, it was my time to do as I wanted.’

However, after two years alone, her first foray into online dating - with Chloe’s approval - proved a disaster.

‘My hopes were not extravagant,’ she says. ‘I wanted companionship, kindness and conversation, and someone who shared my love of country walks and good food to spend evenings by the fireside with.

‘I set my sights on men in their 50s - but each date seemed worse than the last. One man invited me to his house for dinner where it was quite apparent he had a wife who had gone away for the weekend.

Another was deeply in debt; yet another sent me a naked photo of himself before we’d even met. Then there was the hopeless alcoholic who set fire to my C M Y K

Horrified daughter Chloe, 25

Her best friend Simon , 28

Her mun Louise, 45

HORROR: When I found out my Mum is in love with my best friend house.

‘Finally, I dated a man who lived two hours’ drive from me, and during the two months we were together, I spent most of the time cooking for him, cleaning and tidying his flat.’

Then one Valentine’s Day, when Louise was feeling at a particularly low ebb, Chloe suggested she join her and some friends at a bar in their local village of Argentat.

That was how Louise found herself, somewhat awkwardly, in the company of her daughter’s 20something friends. Among them was handsome French carpenter, Simon.

Chloe offers this insight into him: ‘Simon and I had a special friendship because he is such a good listener. Whenever I had personal problems he’d be there, offering helpful advice. He’s a good talker, too, and wise beyond his years. He’s reflective and thoughtful. I counted him one of my closest friends.’

After a few drinks, the group, Louise among them, decamped to Simon’s home. ‘I reasoned there was nothing to be lost by joining Chloe and her friends,’ recalls Louise. ‘And as Simon made us all cups of tea, I was struck by how spotless and tidy his home was.

‘I also thought how handsome he was: slim, boyish, bearded with lovely dark eyes - and how mature and sensible he seemed for his years. Then, as we all left in the early hours, he discreetly pressed a scrap of paper into my hand.

He’d written “call me” alongside his phone number. It was as if a swarm of butterflies had taken flight in my tummy. Then I thought, “I couldn’t possibly. He’s Chloe’s friend. She wouldn’t be happy.” ’ Louise slept on it, then

concluded a polite text thanking him for his hospitality would be the right response. Immediately she sent it, a reply came from Simon inviting her to dinner the following Sunday.

She admits feeling conflicted, even guilty about wanting to accept, and decided to keep the tryst secret.

That Sunday she had dinner with Simon. He cooked her veal in mushroom sauce, they shared a bottle of wine, and talked for hours: he in hesitant English; she in broken French.

‘I knew we had a rapport,’ she says. ‘As I left in the early hours and he gave me a decorous kiss, I was thinking, “He’ll want to keep this quiet. He’ll be embarrassed that I’m so much older.” ’ But she also knew she would see him again. Two days later, he had dinner at her house and . . . this time, their kisses went beyond decorous. She confesses she felt self-conscious about her body, which was, after all, that of a mother of three in her 40s. ‘But despite my fears, Simon assured me I was beautiful, and it was lovely,’ she recalls. However, six weeks later, buoyed along on a tide of happiness, Louise posted her cryptic message, and for Chloe the penny dropped.

She felt hurt that she had been left in the dark.

‘I was also embarrassed about what people in the village would think when they saw them out together,’ she says. ‘I spoke to friends about it. They agreed it wasn’t ideal.’

A volley of angry texts ensued, then a frosty impasse during which Chloe and her mother did not speak for several weeks. Then

they agreed to a meeting - without Simon - on neutral ground.

There, Louise tried to placate her daughter and assure her the relationship was one of mutual respect and compatibility. But on one point she was immovable: she told Chloe she loved both her and Simon, but that nothing would induce her to give him up.

Chloe reluctantly agreed to a rapprochement - even to visit Louise at her home, where Simon had more or less moved in - with one provision. She said: ‘I can’t bear to see you kissing and cuddling, so please don’t do it in front of me.’ Louise agreed to respect her daughter’s wishes.

‘The day Chloe arrived I was in the garden,’ she recalls. ‘Simon was changing a tyre on his new van.

Chloe walked up to him, said a brief, “bonjour” and gave him a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. There was a similar frosty greeting for me.

But as the day wore on, the atmosphere thawed.

‘We had dinner together and played cards in the evening, but Simon and I were tactful. There were no displays of affection, but I know Chloe could see he made me happy.’ Chloe, however, admits that acceptance was hard and involved restraint on her part.

‘When it was time for everyone to retire to bed, I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, to put it out of my mind. But you’ve only got one mum, so you learn to bite your tongue.’

And as weeks turned into months, Louise noticed a subtle shift in her daughter’s attitude. She became less intransigent and more forgiving.

‘She even started to refer to us as a couple: we became “Mum and Simon”,’ she says.

‘I think she might have worried as I did, too, to begin with - that Simon would quickly tire of me and leave me heartbroken. But now we both know he wants to be with me long-term.’ And, living together in Louise’s 200-year-old, five-bedroom stone house with its terrace and riverside garden, they seem like an established couple.

Simon, now 28, has built Louise a greenhouse; they grow all their own vegetables and he has a workshop in which he makes oak furniture.

‘Fortunately,’ says Chloe, ‘Mum hasn’t started hanging out with my social circle since she’s been with Simon. Instead, he’s started to do more middle-aged things.’

In fact, Chloe, now 25, has also changed her lifestyle in the two years since her mum and Simon became a couple. She and her partner, Julien, 25, who works for the local council, are now parents to a nine-month-old daughter, Camille. ‘Julien gets on very well with Simon,’ she adds. ‘They should do - after all, they’re about the same age - and he’s helping us to renovate our house.’

The subject of babies is one on which Simon and Louise remain tactfully non-committal. Although a ‘step-grandad’ to Camille, Simon is, after all, a young man.

‘I’m sure Simon would love a baby and if one comes along we’ll be delighted,’ says Louise, now 45.

‘But we don’t agonise about the future. We just enjoy the present.’

How does Chloe, meanwhile, feel about the fact that Simon has morphed from best friend to her mother’s lover - and now a stepgrandparent?

She smiles. ‘I can’t really get my head round the fact that Simon is actually Camille’s step-grandad.

Julien’s dad, who is 60, finds it all a bit strange and confusing.

‘We know how much Simon adores Camille, but I’ve decided it’s a step too far for him to be called grandad.’

•CULLED FROM DAILYMAIL

SATURDAY

Vanguard , JUNE 11, 2016—33

Police are frustrating rescue of my 16-yearold 16-year old abducted daughter— Osuji

By Emma Ujah,

Abuja Bureau Chief

M

r. Alex Osuji is a man of sorrow. He is grieving over the mysterious disappearance of his only daughter, Precious Osuji, whom he said was abducted on November 13, 2015. The precious gift of God to the Osujis remains missing in spite of the fact that the case was promptly reported at the Lugbe Police Divisional Headquarters. The father of the abducted 16-year old told Vanguard that efforts to trace his daughter and rescue her had been frustrated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of investigations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Mr. Agyole Abe. How it happened On 13th November, 2015, I left my daughter at home while she was eating. I went to the bank to withdraw some money for her since she had exams the next day.

I left home at about 2:14pm.

The younger sister, Chioma returned from school at 2:30pm and she did not meet Precious at home. The person she saw was Cornelius Ubara, a tenant in the same compound.

When I returned home in the evening, the same Cornelius Ubara met me, telling me that Chioma came home; so in my mind I began to wonder because he had no business telling me that Chioma came home and I never asked him to give me any information whether Chioma was around or not. I then asked him if Chioma saw Precious when she arrived, but he said no. So, I and my wife started calling Precious’ phone line but it was switched off.

Strange text messages We became worried because we never had that experience before as our daughter would never leave the house without permission from us. So it was a strange thing that her handset was switched off till around 8:30pm in the evening when we then saw strange text messages from the phone number which prompted us to report at the police station. When we got to the police station, we showed them the text messages: The messages were: “Bye”; “We shall see someday, don’t

worry urself, I will be fine” ; “Sorry I thought , I sent to Favour pls mummy I am very sorry but I have to do this. I no how much u love me” ; I am sorry daddy. I will miss you and mummy, I cannot face this shame am pregnant for my friend. I am sorry, I have to travel out to avoid embarrassment thank u” In addition, to the above, another message to her friend was “My good friend I no I just have to tell you this at the wrong time. Pls keep it to yourself the guy that is taking me

for lesson impregnated me, he has given me money to go and stay with his aunt somewhere”.

With the above messages, the police invited the lesson teacher who denied any relationship with Precious but was detained.

Two bottles of soft drink Mr. Osuji said that a neighbour gave them a clue as according to him, after he left home the previous day, Precious was said to have gone to the neighbour to buy a bottle of 7up for the tenant (Mr. Cornelius Ubara).

He said, “It was a neighbour, Hajia, who saw my wife in tears and she asked what was the matter and my wife told her that Precious had not been seen since yesterday (Friday 13th November). It was then she said but your daughter came to my shop to buy a bottle of mountain dew first and she came the second time and asked for the same mountain dew but we told her that it had finished and when we wondered if she was the one taking the second one again, she said she was buying it for their tenant.

It was then we got the wind that Precious bought drink for the tenant.

That Saturday, we did not see the tenant in the house, and very early in the morning on Sunday, he left the premises.We thought he was going to the service and that he was coming back but we never saw him again until Monday morning, the 16th of November.

I went to the police station, to report. He was invited to the police but that same Monday in the evening he was released on bail. The officers at Lugbe police station said they were under pressure to transfer the case to FCT Command Headquarters.

On getting to command headquarters, the next day Friday, they released him on bail and I began to imagine why this man would be released on bail suddenly whereas the first person who was arrested has been in the cell up to this time.

Police refusal to issue extract After three weeks, we went to Lugbe Police Station to obtain the extract but they said that the case file had been taken to the Command Headquarters and that I should go to the Command. I got to the police command asking for police extract so that we can come to media houses and let the public know about the incident but the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Agyole Abe, bluntly refused to issue me police extracts saying that it was too early. Six months later, I went to him again but he bluntly told me that they were not going to issue me any extract. He said they were still investigating the case and that whatever I wanted to do I should do. I told him that I needed an extract because I wanted to go to media houses and that the extract would not stop him from

•Precious Osuji...still missing

•Mr. Alex Osuji

carrying out his investigation; this is six months from the time the matter came to the police.

Case transferred to Command because of pressure I didn’t ask for the matter to be transferred. The DCO felt that there was pressure on him, he then asked the IPO, Mr. John, to transfer the case to the command and ever since the matter was transferred to the command, the DCP took over the matter and nothing has happened so far.

The DCP has not been fair to me each time I went to his office he would order me out.

Tenant packed out after a week Mr. Ubara packed out a week after the abduction of my daughter. The day he was packing, I informed the IPO Insp. Mary Okoi, who was assigned the case at the Command but she said I should leave him to pack out.

She took nothing, even her purse Our daughter did not take anything from the house, the money she saved in the house is still there, her handkerchief, pants, towels, hand bag, everything she has are the house. She didn’t take anything, even her purse.

Osuji’s prayers I want the public to be aware so that

they can help locate the whereabouts of my daughter. I don’t know who is hiding her, who is keeping her. She is the only biological daughter I have and she is very interested in her education. For six months now, she has been separated from us and we have had sleepless nights, we are troubled, we are worried.

I am asking that the government should please assist by making the police to do their job and rescue my daughter from wherever she is being held.

FCT Police reacts Contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, disclosed that the police did nothing to deserve the allegation that they were frustrating investigations into the missing girl.

According to him, “On January 11, 2016 I issued a public notice on the missing girl which was addressed to all media houses in Abuja, with a view to giving it the widest possible publicity. I personally signed that notice.”

Asked if it was wrong for Mr. Osuji

to have requested for the extract on the case, the PPPRO said, he wouldn’t say so but that even if the extract which the father of the girl wanted was to enable him take further steps in terms of publicity, the notice he issued could have been a sufficient document for media houses to assist him.

He said that the complainant met him several times but did not ask to be given a copy of the notice which he issued and that he would have obliged him.

ASP Manzah said that the police are taking the case seriously and that investigations are still on-going.

34 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Father of 10 killed in Abuja after escaping death in Chibok

By Jude Opara,Abuja

W

hen Joseph Pudza, an indigene of Chibok in Borno State ran to Abuja with his family early in 2015, he had thought he had been able to avoid being killed in a gruesome manner by the deadly Boko Haram insurgents who have terrorized the entire North East especially Borno State for the past five years.

He and his family found shelter in Pegi Village, a community under the Kuje Area Council of Abuja. Joseph could be said to have been luckier than most of his other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the North-East because his immediate elder brother Habila had a house he was building in Pegi which he promptly allowed Joseph and his family to live in.

New life When he arrived Abuja, the father of 10 who was also a well known farmer in his native Chibok knew had to work very hard to cater for his many children. He indeed hit the ground running by acquiring a motorcycle for commercial transportation and of course he did not abandon his farming profession since he had enough land to farm in Abuja.

Soon enough the Pudzas who said their house was just behind the now popular Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok began to pick the pieces of what was left as things started turning right for them; children were enrolled in schools and the dignity of husband and father was returning back in his life.

But all that came to an abrupt end on Friday, May 20 when yet-to-be-identified mindless human beings literally slaughtered the 45-year-old man along the Kuje-Pegi Road and made away with his motorcycle and the proceeds of his sweat that day.

“They do not know what they are doing” In a chat with our reporter, the widow, Mrs. Naomi Joseph who was still in tears said she has left everything in the hands of God even as she said she does not really know what to do or how to cater for the children. But surprisingly, she prayed for God to forgive the killers who turned her into a sudden widow because, according to her, they did not know what they were doing.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what is happening to me and I don’t know what to do.

Fate has been very harsh to us. In Chibok we were okay because my husband had a huge farmland. We had cattle and goats but we left

everything to save our lives but now my husband has been killed by evil men.

“Well, what can I do? How can I alone feed and train these children? I will leave everything in the hands of God and as for those who killed my husband, I pray that God should forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.”

Also speaking to Saturday Vanguard at their residence in Pegi, Habila Pudza, the immediate elder brother of the deceased said he was at home that night when the brother’s wife Naomi called to inform him that her husband was yet to return home, a message he said put him off balance because he knew that his brother was not a night crawler.

Habila said he immediately contacted some of their tribesmen who were also in the business of okada riding, and they all agreed to report to the Police and also to conduct a search by the next morning.

The heart-broken father of four who said he is now at a crossroad on how to take care of his own family and that of his late brother including an aged mother narrated his story: “We are from Chibok Town. What brought my late brother and his family to Abuja in the first place was the insecurity that reigns in our place due to the Boko Haram insurgency. First of all, the first time that Boko Haram came to Chibok was when they kidnapped those school girls. So after that incident, I sent for my mother and seven of my brother’s children so that they could live here in Abuja. But he and his wife remained behind with two other children; his first daughter is already married.

Unfortunately, when Boko Haram came the second time to Chibok was when they were able to escape, and they ran to Abuja. In fact, on that fateful day, they were in the farm when the attackers came, and from the farm they didn’t return to Chibok again. Interestingly, when that crisis started, they usually carried all their money on them and that was why he was able to escape from the farm to here with his remaining family members.

“As soon as he came to Abuja, being a struggling man, he did not waste time to start something. Also before he came, he had heard how I was struggling with his seven children so he immediately acquired this motorcycle so that he could be doing okada business to cater for his

Wife of the deceased family. So, he had been doing this business which he equally combined with his farming to make ends meet.

He was into this okada business until that fateful Friday night.”

Discovery He continued: “My brother’s wife called me around 1 am that Friday night to complain that her husband was not yet home. So, as I said earlier, I decided to go to the Police, hospitals and all such places to check if he had a kind of problem.

But around 6 am on Saturday, I was about going out to begin the search when one of our brothers called that my attention was needed at the Police station and I raced to Kuje Divisional Police Headquarters.

“As I was approaching the station, I saw a mammoth crowd; I saw some of our kinsmen who were already there. They said that as early as 5 am, they had gone out to search for him around all the areas they used to operate but did not see him.

“And on getting to the Police station to also report his disappearance, they now saw his corpse inside the police van and when they inquired what happened, the Police said they found the body by the road side along Pegi Village.

On getting there, I was confused and when I removed the leaves they used to cover the body, I discovered it was my brother.”

“What he was running from met him here” Habila who appealed to the government and well-meaning

Nigerians to come to the aid of the family described his late brother as a hard working man, gentle, quiet and somebody that never wanted any problem.

“My late brother knew he was only a sojourner here; he ran away from Chibok to save his life and his family but unfortunately what he was running from also met with him here. But my message to the people that slaughtered him, killed him in cold blood and made away with his okada is that they should repent. Number two, they should come out and surrender themselves to the authorities for justice to be served.”

He also tasked the Police to up their game because according to him, this is not the first time such chilling stories of people being killed along that Pegi Road, but nobody has been arrested ever since.

“If there was a good road, Joseph would not have died” Some of the residents who spoke to our reporter blamed the incessant attacks and killings on that road on its bad shape which they insisted forces people to move slowly, a situation that the bandits usually capitalize on to carry out their dastardly acts. A resident who gave his name as Bulus Anthony said the area has been forgotten by successive FCT administrations since the estate was created in 2001 by the former FCT Minister and now Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.

B-R-I-E-F-S

Ambode orders closure of piggeries in residential areas

World Milk Day: Dano extends nutrition support to 2000 children at Edo IDP camp •••As Edo First Lady Commends Initiative

By Michael Eboh

I

N furtherance of its commitment to de livering impactful social investments in Nigeria, Arla Dano Milk has provided nutrition to over 2000 children at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Uguagolor near Benin-City, Edo State, Nigeria with the donation of cartons of Dano Milk worth millions of naira to the children at the IDP camp.

The presentation of the product done in commemoration of the World Milk Day 2016 held on June 1st globally,further demonstrated Arla Dano Milk’s commitment to increased access to better nutrition amongst millions of people across key

markets.

Speaking at the short Presentation ceremony, First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Lara Oshiomole who was represented by State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Hanena Jemitola Fulani-Ojo, commended Arla Foods and its brand Dano Milk for the initiative saying, “the donation of the products which is geared towards the provision of good nutrition to the children at the IDP camp is an initiative that will impact positively on improved quality of life at the camp.” Mrs. Oshiomole further described the intervention of Dano Milk in scaling up the quality of nutrition for the children as exemplary

and a celebration of our collective humanity as a people urging other corporate bodies to do same.

On her part, Marketing Manager, Dano, Afousat Traore said the gesture by Arla Foods, Makers of Dano Milk was a response to the plight of thedisplaced persons who obviously need everyone’s support and empathy to be able to overcome the present phase of life they are in.

Traore further said Dano Milk recognised that nutritious food was essential for children, nursing mothers and aged people at the camp in order to keep them strong and healthier, thereby empowering them to do many mighty things.

“This gesture by Arla Foods Nigeria is all about responding to the humanitarian need of the displaced persons at this critical moment of their lives. We feel their pain and the need to be provided with nutritious food so they can remain healthy and be able to live active life in spite of their current predicament”, Traore said.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

L

AGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has ordered the closure of all pig farms located in residential areas within the state as part of effort to prevent health hazards associated with the practice of pig farming in residential areas.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Toyin Suarau, disclosed this recently, when he led a team of agric officers to shut down a pig farm in New Oko Oba area of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, LCDA, on the order of the governor.

The closure order came on the heels of several petitions sent by residents of Taiwo Adewole Street, in the area against the activities of a pig farm located on the street that has continued to pose both health and environmental hazards to residents.

SATURDAY Vanguard,

The ungrateful Banks and Buhari’s ways

By Dr. Ugoji Egbujo

T

he Banks are kicking. The National Employers Consultative Assembly is furious. Apostles of free market are seething. The federal government has directed the banks and telecoms companies to suspend planned massive staff retrenchments. The political opposition has been stirred. To hell with ‘command and control’ economic polices, and tyranny!

Foreign investors are cringing.

Many critics are excited, there is a mockery feast going on. Buhari and his men are incorrigible. He is perhaps a closet communist. His iron fists will ruin the economy and break the country.

It runs against the tenets of free market to dictate to companies how to run their business. In any case it is perhaps mutually destructive for a government to prevent drowning companies from downsizing. Investments cannot flow into an economy that lacks autonomy. Rampant arbitrariness creates uncertainty which suffocates businesses. But wait a minute.

Free market hates government interventions. And would prescribe that badly run banks and companies be allowed to die. That would create a level playing field and reward prudence. But in 2009 the banking system was terminally afflicted. Banks had cooked books, traded bogus shares, engaged in unhealthy rivalry and brought the system to ruin. The Nigerian people through the government came to the rescue of drowning banks. Nigeria was not alone.

America had let Lehman Brothers go down and learnt painfully that the system was too closely integrated to allow more failures.

C M Y K

The people have bailed out banks and large companies, it is time for the large companies to bail out the people by shelving retrenchments and making do with less profits for two years So the whole of the world tore the veil that kept government away from interfering with private businesses.

And lent help to sick companies whose death would inflict widespread pain.

The world learnt that in some circumstances, strict observance of free market rules may not serve the greater good.

Nigeria created AMCON which bought off toxic debts from Nigerian banks and the banking system was revived. AMCON has also saved the aviation industry from collapse by transfusing private airlines from the public blood bank. Governments should ordinarily not interfere with the running of private companies. But when a set of companies have sought and benefited from such interventions, they have lost some sovereignty.

Banks lack the moral authority to rely on free market rules to resist minimal government interference in an

emergency. If the government saved the banks to protect public interest , the government can make demands on the banks to protect public interests under emergency situations.

The nation faces an imminent recession. The economy has contracted. The immediate future looks bleak if it is not reflated.

Government wants to stem job losses in the interest of the greater good. And it wants banks to do with less profit and keep some staff who have become temporarily technically redundant. Why are the banks obstinate? The banks are ruled exclusively by the share holders interests to the detriment of the other two stakeholders - the employees and the larger society.

Since the events of 2008 global economic collapse where public funds were used to rescue private entities, governments have stepped up regulatory regimes.

But that has not deterred a debate on the skewed weighting of stakeholder interests by large companies. Large corporates place absolute priority on shareholder interests to the detriment of the interests of the society that may be called upon when it falls into severe distress. Some have argued that since the systems have become so tightly integrated that some companies cant be allowed to fail by the society, those companies must in the interest of equity cater proportionately more for the needs of society. Banks and Telecoms companies in Nigeria can spare a few billions and keep people at work during these difficult times.

The case this government should make now is that since suspension of the retrenchment of workers would serve both public and employee interests in the

JUNE 11, 2016—35

short term, the banks should consider a temporary suspension of retrenchments. Since the government has once rescued the banks and since the government may yet again rescue the banking system ,whose collapse we cannot tolerate , then the banks owe the public tangible appreciation.

Since these responsibilities have been forced on the government , the government has earned the moral authority to make certain demands on banks in the interest of the greater good. In any case it is in the interest of the banks that the government’s efforts at preventing a collapse succeed.

The government hasn’t had need to rescue the telecoms sector but that prospect is foreseeable. Just like the airlines , the government cannot allow a complete collapse of the telecoms sector.

Companies that enjoy such potential protective privileges must know that to whom so much is given, so much is expected.

The government and the banks can sit and negotiate a mutually beneficial calibration of the intervention.

The government projects that the economy will be back on its feet in two years. So the government can ask the banks to push up their Corporate Social responsibility votes to absorb the cost of a suspension of the scheduled retrenchment. The government should cede the discretion to the banks while maintaining firm background pressure. Banks in Nigeria are still declaring ,comparatively, healthy profits. Large companies must be wary of leaving the government and the people reeling in moral indignation.

However the sort of military pronouncements coming from Dr Ngige paints the picture of a frustrated belligerent government . Threats to revoke licenses are uncalled for. And such pronouncements will only reinforce the negative Buhari stereotype. But more damagingly, I would argue, it negatives government moral authority to put pressure on the banks. It’s no use engaging in legal disputations when political pressure and moral suasion can yield benefits. Ngige wants to rely on section 20 of the Labour act to arm twist the banks . That would mean a catastrophic failure of diplomacy.

Yes, the workers have rights that must be respected in a redundancy situation. And NECA is wrong to imagine that since the workers belonged to no unions they are not protected.

The fact that most of these banks prevented the workers from forming unions cannot preclude them from the right of collective bargaining in redundancy situations as provided by section 20 of the Labour act. The minister is right to insist on companies following right procedures in declaring redundancies to preserve industrial peace. But rather than dwell on redundancy protocols, rather than run the risks of protracted resistance by labour unions, the banks and government should find short term creative ways of preventing job losses.

The people have bailed out banks and large companies, it is time for the large companies to bail out the people by shelving retrenchments and making do with less profits for two years.

36—SA TURD AY 36—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

“Ibori’s conviction now questioned by his defence team” …Judge David Tomlinson A

fter three continuous days of unremitting tension-soaked court sessions, Chief James

OnanefeIbori won a major victory this week at the Southwark Crown Court, London. The court ruled that the confiscation hearing against him, which was to start last Monday June 6, would wait until the conclusion of the investigation of corruption,and misleading the court, charges against the British Police and the Prosecution, in jailing the former Delta State Governor. Thus, the hunters have now officially become the hunted as the police officers that investigated Ibori would now have to prove they areinnocent of corruption charges and scandalous court-manipulation in a bid to ram-road Ibori into prison.

According to a statement signed by Ibori’s Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, Ibori’s lead counsel, Mr. Ivan Krolic, (Queen’s Counsel, QC)threw a bombshell when he asked the court to halt proceedings because the investigation of corruption charges against the Police, which will end early August this year, may also prove that the Prosecution, having known of the corrupt and sharp practices, refused to disclose such evidences, but relied upon them, andfraudulently misled the court in securing Ibori’s conviction, thus desecrating the much-respected British legal system.

Judge David Tomlinson’s stout resistance to Ibori’sapplication led to a heated exchange with Ibori’s lawyer.Tomlinson: What do I tell the listing officer for not continuing with this proceeding; I need to get a grip of this. Mr.Ibori has been convicted nearly three years ago”.

Krolic(cuts in): “Four years”.

Tomlinson: “Mr.Ibori has been convicted nearly 4 years, when does the confiscation hearing start”?

Krolic: “This proceeding will start when

•James Ibori the Crown completes its review into police corruption. I ask rhetorically, could the court continue with this confiscation hearing when there is an application on abuse of court process?We say the Crown Prosecution has manipulated this confiscation proceedings and Crown Prosecution Counsel made misleading statements and submissions. This hearing will not be fair unless the Review is completed and we know to what extent there has been intent to mislead the court and the extent of corruption leading to nondisclosure of materials againstIbori”.

Tomlinsom: “I know that your (Ibori’sdefence team) position has always been that this case be litigated sooner than later, you have always opposed the Crown on stay of proceeding.What I need to know is how is this case going to be affected by the review? I still don’t know where we are

going”.

Krolic: “The review into the police corruption not only concerns the safety of the conviction but also of the non-disclosure of materials used against Ibori. The background is that the Prosecution had initially relied on Assumption 72AA of the Criminal Justice Act in only some of the charges only to turn around after three weeks of proceedings when the case had been closed and submission made by all parties, to inform the court that the Defence team had confused them and that they would now be seeking to apply Assumption 72AA across board.

“At the closing, the Crown claimed that they were confused and Judge, Anthony Pitts, said he was also confused and ordered the confiscation proceedings to start afresh permitting the Crown to apply Section 72AA across board. We say, they (Crown Prosecution) said to the Judge that they were confused and if the Court’s ruling was based on the intention by the Crown Prosecution to mislead the Court, we say that was an abuse of Court Process”.

Swayed by the appeal to the very concept of justice, the new lead Crown Prosecution Counsel, (the earlier one, ShashaWass as well as all others involved in investigating and prosecuting Ibori and his associates have since been dropped over charges of impropriety and corruption) Mr. Kinnear QC, interrupted the argument, saying: “I on behalf of the Crown have always said that in the interest of Justice that the case be adjourned until the conclusion of the Disclosure Review. Your Honour, we ask, is it in the interest of Justice that this matter be adjourned? Our response will be a resounding Yes. We can’t trample on the defendant’s right - in the interest of justice.

Your Honour, the application to adjourn is an application this court must accede to in the interest of justice”.

With the Crown Prosecution siding with the Defence team, pleading nothing but

“fairness and justice”the Judge’s iron resolve against Ibori’s application melted. He said”I am influenced by the submission of the Crown, I do therefore agree that this confiscation proceeding should therefore adjourn”.With that, Ibori won the day!

On the allegation of abuse of court process and the court’s being misled, the mainstream British media, from the BBC to the major newspapers such as the Sunday Times, Telegraph, Mirror and The Guardian have decried the Police corruption involved in the Ibori case and called for stringent investigation. They argued that the issues Iborilawyers raised touch on the very core of dispensing justice in Britain. Tomlinson even said this much: “Issues raised on behalf of Mr.Ibori is that Mr. Kinnear’s predecessor manipulated proceedings, that does appear to me that it is a discreet matter that I can’t allow to go away, that previous counsel either misled or manipulated the court to abort the proceeding”.

The investigation will be internal to the London Metropolitan Police, but the print and electronic media that called for it, are there to watch and ensure that nothing inappropriate is swept under the carpet.

Even the British Parliament is watching the case as the members of its hallowed chambers have also discussed it.

Ibori’sstatement explained that the import of that Wednesday’s court victory is immense: If the Review into Disclosure and Police Corruption establishes the Defence allegations against the Police and Prosecution, it means the case is tainted and everything collapses. The key to this is when the Police knew about the corrupt acts now being investigated, because they were clear

even by 2012. Oraccording to the Reuters report of Monday June 6 proceedings, “Ibori’s conviction … is now being called into question by his defence team, Judge David Tomlinson told Southwark Crown Court”.

June 12: How NADECO drove the military out of politics—Odigie-Oyegun Continues from page 18 process.

Why did you go into exile?

Simple. The minute I was declared wanted, the choices before me were very stark. We were bitter political enemies in Edo State. The late Aikhomu, for example, believed that I organized those who burnt his house and other attacks in Edo State including the attacks on some leaders of the then NRC and those even within the SDP, who became collaborators, not to talk of the political people that I defeated in Edo State. I was even in Lagos when all that happened.

So, it was clear that if I found myself in Benin Prisons, that I would most likely not come out alive. So, the choice was stark. The truth of the matter was that I went into hiding for quite a while, and it became uncomfortable for those who were hosting me; even for me, it became a bitter assault. And I contacted friends in the security services to say, ‘look, I am tired of hiding. I’ll come out, stay in my house and I won’t say a word’. And I was told, ‘well, that may not be enough. You have to say you support us’. And I told them, sorry, I would not do that. ‘I am ready to keep quiet, but I am not ready to say I support you.’ And, it was a friend; so, he said, ‘well, my advice is, if there is any way you can get out for a while, please do so.’ And, that was how I went into exile.

Talking about the APC how has it

government, the vision was a lot clearer; the mission was definite - get rid of these people who are ruining the country. So, we all rallied around that single banner -get rid of these destroyers of our nation and we succeeded but once you succeed, the issue of putting everyone in positions become problem number two. How do we fill the positions? Who is more important than who? Who occupies what position? Who are the most important groups in the party? What level of hold would they have on the structures? All those became divisive issues, which to be honest we have not totally resolved up to this point in time and which also gave rise to some of the problems that exhibited themselves in the National Assembly and places like that, but we are working on it. Distresses have come, but eventually, in the long run, people would start accepting the relative positions within the party, settling for what they have or what they can get.

been running the party and transforming it from an opposition party to a governing party?

Tough, rough and stressful; but a totally rewarding experience. I did not know I still had so much to learn, and I am still learning every day. We were dealing with groups that had never held power at the centre. So, there was a little bit of inexperience. Before we got into

If you have another opportunity to reverse one decision you took in the past, what would that be?

In life? That is a tough one. A lot of decisions, not just one, but some of which are private. If you want to limit it to the recent past, I would say the decision to allow the meeting that was called to take place on the day the National Assembly was being

inaugurated. That was a bad mistake. It was not my mistake, but I take responsibility because I was persuaded and I agreed to call that meeting. If it did not take place, we probably wouldn’t have the PDP person there today as the deputy Senate president and a lot of the anger within the leadership of the party may not have turned out as strong as it became.

Looking back, would you say you are fulfilled?

As a human being? Oh, God has been generous to me. So, I am totally fulfilled. Many years ago, I looked at the lives of Awolowo, Zik, Papa Ajasin, Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa and the rest of them who contributed to the development of this country but who on their deathbeds felt a lot of frustration that the vision they had for the nation, were not on the road to fulfilment. And I said to myself, God, I want to be on my death-bed, knowing, not that all the problems of this nation have been solved, but knowing that we are finally on the right path to greatness. Today, I feel fulfilled. I think we are on the right path to greatness. I think we are beginning to grapple with the forces and issues that held back this nation. It is not yet Uhuru. Tons of problems but the people now know the difference.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, JUNE 11 11,, 2016—37

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

A

How low would you sink for money?!

S to be expected, the current economic melt-down has created a lot of people who grapple prostitution; and if I wanted listening?’ she asked with the menace of the credit crunch— not only have they lost their jobs, the prospect of to buy the expensive books impatiently. According to finding any other, not to talk of one commensurate in remunerations is zilch! When Eunice, and clothes I needed to get her: “These women are and well a personnel director of an insurance company was asked to reduce the work force by a third, she felt by, it would be a small price friends to pay. You may think all the connected. As soon as one like a real hatchet man.

“It was a most heart-wrenching reasons I’ve given are lame of them gets on to a good experience doling out excuses for deciding to sell stud, she calls another in retrenchment letters and my body. But the truth is that the group to inform her to watching the bleak expressions taking my destiny in my expect a new find. “O dun hands actually turned my life b’aje’ she coos, meaning on the faces of staff who have lost around. I had a focus and ‘he’s as tasty as hell’. So their jobs,” she said sadly. A few told myself, I’d only do it for on trots super stud to his weeks later, it was her turn to get as long as it took to pay-off next customer until he the dreaded ‘golden handshake.’ does the round of all four my bills at the university.

In her wildest dreams, she never or five and is well “I stopped as soon as I even believed she would get the rewarded for services well graduated and had enough rendered. chop. money to set up my own “One morning’ she alleged:”My I took this news with a business. Now I love my shovel full of salt as I boss called me into a meeting. ‘I new life and I’ve never once recounted its probability m sorry,’ he said, not quite felt ashamed of how I got with an older male friend catching my eyes, ‘the company’s in a bad shape here wasn’t interested in all that— ar rived at the university, where I am today. In fact, I always use as a sounding as you know. We have to let you he told me he had less than everything started going wrong. more students than we want board. ‘Of course, it goes go’. I drove home in a terrified an hour to get back to the Most of the girls on my course to admit turn to prostitution on all the time,’ he agrees. daze. I’d come to work that pile of files on his table. So, were really lovely — and from to pay their massive debts. ‘At say 40 upwards, most morning with an official driver. within minutes of arriving, I well-off families. Some shopped The way I see it is that I men are rearing to go and Now, I had to drive myself home was completely naked and abroad and carried the latest ‘it’ made a smart business wifey is too busy running as the driver too had got the sack! we were about to have sex. bags and knew about all the decision, and it saved my the home, looking after How could this happen to me At first, I just found it really leading fashion houses. In life. So what’s there to feel the kids and holding down with no previous official warning? weired. It was odd having contrast, I was from a small town guilty about...?” Are our a job. Where else would How were we going to cope, feed sex with a virtual stranger, but and my style was more second- women getting too hard- such husband and single the kids and accommodation! We he had positive sides I could hand ‘grade, As’ than glossy and hearted”? I was still mulling adventurous men find over the blatant declaration solace but in the arms of needed my salary to meet the focus on which made the well groomed. “ It was as if I’d come from of these women when a bored women with money mortgage payment and the whole encounter less children’s school fees. The kids sordid—on top of which was another planet. I withdrew into friend of mine called. “Have to burn and less than their were in very expensive schools his word that I would get the myself and became disheartened. you heard of the number of ration of sex? They (the On my first holiday home, my women who ‘share’ their women) are always a and I was panicky. My contract.

“From then on, it became friends didn’t behave quite the good fortunes with their delight to be with—they redundancy money wouldn’t last scream and yell and are forever. My husband’s business easier to have ‘lunch’ with a same as I noticed. They believed friends?” She asked in grateful as hell! In short, between our chat.

‘What do few of my contacts.

One or I was now a bit more superior. had depended heavily on bank the man gets handsomely loans that he often quickly paid two have now become Determined not to sink back to you mean?’ I wanted to compensated by making know, ears perked.

“Three of regulars.

Others were onethe level of a ‘town girl,’ I agreed back but now that the banks are his clients purr like a wellbeing whipped into shape, the offs. Some of these men are to go on “dates” that were so four women could now share timed engine—both sides the prowess of a stud, that’s loans have simply dried up. He heavy weights in the society common on campus, especially to the contract are happy was as shocked as I was by my and quite good-looking;some the ones organized by worldly- all”. So what was new? We end of credit crunch for redundancy and tried to be are rude, but I’m lucky so far wise girls with their ‘aristo’ already knew of gigolos who him and a fulfilling sexsympathetic as I made efforts to that a lot of them have kept money bags. It was plain go after rich women. ‘Are you life for the mama kesl” their promises, and as soon get a job—any sort of job.

“Then a friend approached me as most of our debts are to start a sort of financial cleared, I will stop...”

When Jumi got admitted consultancy. We would work from into one of the universities, (a) Always look on the dark side of life. See missing out. her home by sourcing for capital (g) Neglect your appearance. Keep your low for budding businesses. It was she was ecstatic. “When I was the glass as half empty rather than half full, regard changing circumstances as disasters self-esteem intact by not bothering to wash, growing up,” she explained, hard going at first, and I was too apply \ make-up, or do your hair. proud to accept I’d failed. So, I “my dream was to make a rather than opportunities, always expect (h) Hit the bottle. Drink too much alcohol, contacted mostly business name in the fashion industry, things to go wrong, and your negativity will remain intact. refusing to accept that it’s disrupting your and my admission was a step associates from my insurance (b)Repress your anger. Become accustomed sleep patterns, affecting your work years. I never used to understand towards achieving my goal. to feeling as if you’re about to explode with performance, depriving you of nutrients, I was just 20, pretty, slim and why people suffered from rage, get used to a racing heart and a reducing your bank balance and causing depression, because I always had many friends. In my throbbing head,ignore the increased risk of arguments with loved ones. naivety, I started to feel a bit thought that if you knew things heart disease, depression and—as people (i) Play the victim. Convince yourself that were bad, you’d soon change invincible. But when I start to avoid you—unstable relationships. your problems are caused by other people; and them for the better. As I hit the (c) Be unreliable. Ensure that people never that you have no hope of changing your life. brick wall with most of my expects anything of you by forgetting (j) Be a stick-in-the-mud. Remain safe and contacts, a friendly one asked out birthdays,turning up late and never unchallenged by adhering to the same of the blues if I wanted lunch in completing tasks. routine and carefully avoiding anything new his office. I’d had so many (d) Catch the news again and again. and different. failures that I was frustrated Maintain high levels of misery and “ what’s (k)Ignore aches and pains; soldier on enough to give things a go. After the world coming to?”syndrome by becoming regardless of an aching back or stomach pains a news addict,reading the papers first thing hoping that they’ll go away, ignoring that you all, my proposal with him was at and topping up with bulletins throughout the may be making any problem worse by not stake. If I wasn’t happy with what day. seeing a doctor. he had to say, I’d leave; it was as (e)Become a couch potato. Reject the (I) Shop till you drop. Spending more than simple as that. He was a nice Now I love my overwhelming evidence that regular exercise you earn keeps your credit—card company and man, in his 50s with sexy-graying new life and is good for your body and emotional well- your bank manager happy. While hair, a bit of a paunch and a being, use the car; avoid the gym and slouch guaranteeing those familiar monthly I’ve never once friendly smile. He made my visit on the sofa instead. Add a few high-fat snacks headaches as you attempt to juggle finances. much easier than I ‘d expected. felt ashamed of while relaxing and you’ll soon feel too tired (m)See people as potential enemies. Be What surprised me the most was and heavy even to think about a healthier suspicious of everyone, sticking to your how I got the speed with which things routine. belief that people are always out to get you. happened. If it were a real date where I am (f) Stay home alone.

Give up your social life This way, you don’t have to worry about for instance, there would be a long and you’ll never have to meet those annoying making any new friends, dating or finding a today intimate build-up, lots of chatting, happy types who remind you that you’re new job. kisses and foreplay. But this one

13 surefire ways to make yourself unhappy?

C M Y K

38—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari national broadcast to mark his one year in office called for dialogue with the Niger Delta communities to find lasting solution to the spate of vandalism of critical energy infrastructure.He did not mince his wordson militiamentesting the administration’s will and resolve.

A cursory appraisal of the current upwelling of unauthorized quasi-military groups in the creeks of the Niger Delta is needed as Odi military invasion was playing out in Oporoza community in Gbaramatu kingdom of Delta State, perceived haven for non-state actors.

One has never supported criminal activities; but cannonades and heavy military deployments would escalate tensions in an area where covert operationsagainstthestatehavecausedeconomic losses, colossal to Nigeria in a hemorrhage of cash for the 2016 budget funding.

It is heartwarming that the President ordered a two-week military withdrawal from the occupied Delta region. The choice of carrot-and-stick approach by the President may be ideal but the agitators’ comprehension of government conciliatory gesture is fraught with suspect.

President Buhari’s posture is to fish out the perpetrators, and their sponsors brought to justice.

At the end of last Tuesday’s security meeting convened by Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House Abuja, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State who briefed newsmen on behalf of his colleagues in oil producing states, said they received briefings on the situation in the Niger Delta from the security chiefs and the Minister of State for Petroleum. That Federal authorities sought collaboration with the states in tackling the security monster meant something was missing in the narrative on militias. Well that is for security.

Bombing of oil pipeline, illegal bunkering, insecurity, kidnapping of expatriate oil workers especially with the oil super majors operating in the region rent the air, when in 2009 President Umaru Musa Yar’adua granted agitators’ amnesty with illegal weapons handed in without prosecution.

President Yar’adua years almost played back with Nigeria now losing at least 800,000 barrels per day to bombings as government spends more funds for repairs of damaged critical infrastructures. The greater damage may be the environmentwithoilspillsthatmayneversupport fauna and flora for decades in the Niger Delta

Development areas not cannonades The choice of carrot-and-stick approach by the President may be ideal but the agitators' comprehension of government conciliatory gesture is fraught with suspect ecosystem.

Demands since the 1990s as they resonated should be our challengeto address as the Niger Delta narrative has been a chronicle of blotchyregion yearning for socio-economic development since oil was discovered on January 15, 1956 at Oloibiri, Bayelsa State.The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP)in1992protestedIOCsoperationsand demanded justice from oil companies.

The government in 2006 mandated the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to assess widespread contamination of drinking water, land, creeks and vital ecosystemsin Ogoniland.The administration of Goodluck JonathanreceivedtheReportsubmittedonAugust 4, 2011 but shied away from implementation.

The Report’s remedy to combat immediate harm to communities’ polluted drinking water had an initial funding of US$1 billion to clean-up Ogoniland. There was also the promise that US$10 million deposit be made by stakeholders including government and oil companies for a

Trust Fund.

President Muhammadu Buhari dusted the Report in August 2015, approved the composition of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees of Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) without members named. As militias resumed hostilities the Report implementation was flagged off last week.

Putting the Niger Delta palaver in context, amnesty programme may barely be the lasting solution.TheAmnestyprogrammehasdeveloped a lot of human capital in the Niger Delta. The socio-economic implications of this army of occupation (thousands of highly trained professionals),thatwouldbeleftunemployedafter their various programmes both locally and overseas may again be hopelessness, helplessess, and possibly restiveness.

Agitations would stop with integrated and sustainabledevelopmentprogrammesthatwould guarantee inclusive gainful employment and improved standard of living to majority of the poverty stricken people and not a few with more bravado having taken up arms against the state.

Ad-hoc programmes of defunct OMPADEC, NDDCand the like have had lackeys appointed heads and funds for development stolen as theirs to repossess.Let the government reassess and reorganize the current NDDCas a parastatal of the Niger Delta Ministry; the ministry relocated totheNigerDeltatoenhanceprojectsandschemes implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Unfortunately too some former state actorsincluding Governors from the region have stolenfromthepeople’stillstheyheldintrust.From the three tiers of government as well as International Oil Companies operations the peoplehavebeenvictimsofdeprivations.Withthese failings communities have an attitude of disgust fromgovernmententreatiesforpipelinesandother critical infrastructure protection.

G

od is a God of purpose.

Everything He says has a meaning and He performs all that He says. God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.

Some people think that when they are asked to praise God, all they need to do is to sing and dance. This is good but not good enough. Just singing and dancing is not the real purpose of praise. Until you and I have a good understanding of praise, we cannot reap its full benefits.

In Amos 9: 11-12, the bible says “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof: and I will raise up his ruins and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen which are called by my name, saith the Lord that does this”.

From the text above, prophet Amos, by the Spirit of God, prophesied about a time when God would restore again the tabernacle of David.

What then is the tabernacle of David?

Let’s see 1 Chron.16:1, 4-6. It says “so they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God and He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord and to record and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel. Asaph, the chief and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Mattithiah and Eliab and Benaiah and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; Benanaih also and Jhaziel, the priests, with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God”.

From the text above, we can C M Y K

God's prophetic purpose for praise see that the tabernacle of David was a place of praise. Inside the tabernacle was the ark of covenant and before the ark the priests gave continual praise and worship.

One hundred years after the removal of David’s tabernacle, Amos wrote that a day is coming when God will restore David’s tabernacle (a place of praise) and build it as original.

God is therefore restoring the place of praise. If you have noticed, gospel musicians are today, in the limelight.

They are being sought after. Please know that God is restoring the place of praise in His church not just to praise Him but that you might possess.

(Amos 9: 12).

Possess in Hebrew word is Yaresh. It means, occupy by driving out the previous tenants, to cast, to consume, destroy and to disinherit.

God’s purpose for praise is for the

church to drive out and destroy the works of darkness and disinherit the devil and occupy the earth. Satan would not voluntarily give you back what he has stolen from you. To possess what belongs to you, you have to enter into spiritual warfare and take up your weapon of praise. As you rise up in praise, you begin to possess. Just as the walls of Jericho collapsed through praise, so shall all your enemies collapse as you give God quality praise.

I see total restoration and possession happening in your life from now as you stay in continual praises from your heart. God bless you mightily.

TESTIMONY: During one of the women of praise, I came to the meeting with a very heavy

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: 7.45 am – 9:15am; 2nd service 9:15 – 11:30am. Wednesday World 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 – 7.15am.

Thinking aloud was it not time Oil super majors’headquarters in then Federal capital Lagos relocated to operational areas to breed corporate social responsibility?In the United States,thethreeoilsupermajorshaveheadquarters in host communities as follows: ExxonMobil Irving, Texas; Chevron San Ramon, California;and Conoco Phillips Houston, Texas; and not in Washington DC or New York.

Again with oil and gas deposits along the U.S. Gulf Coast and offshore, refineries and the manufacture of equipment for the oil and gas industry combined with shipping made the Gulf coasttheheartofpetrochemicalindustry.TheGulf States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida developed in aerospace, biomedical research, agriculture and tourism to increase the wealth of the United States.

The Gulf Coast State of Texas (about three quarters the size of Nigeria)has29 refineries and LouisianaState has 17 refineries. Texas has about 500,000 km of highway more than any other state in the United States. It has a 20,000km of railroad track and has 31 airports including 3 international airports. From the Gulf coastline in the southern tip of Texas to the southern reaches of Florida, a distance of 2625 km the intra-coastal waterway connects 9 of the 15 largest ports in the United States to boost commerce.

Most Nigeria ports along the Atlantic coastline are not strong in merchant shippingso need restructuring. Apart from the Lagos ports, Calabar and Onne others are not functional. Delta ports in Warri, Burutu, Sapele, Koko and petroleum terminals in Escravos and Forcados as well as the Port Harcourt port survive on captive cargo; not generating their own cargoes.

The proposed US$10 billion rail project from Lagos to Calabar initiated by the Yar’adua now to be executed by the Buhari administration is commendable. Along this coastal corridor building refineries and petrochemical plants can merge development areas into conurbations’ to stimulate growth and development in the Delta and Nigeria.

These are serious developmental problems begging for unpretentious solutions. The genuine conciliationwe fail to have todaywould be the assaults and wanton destruction of tomorrow. For how long do we call our gallant men and women in uniform against insurrectional actions: North east, Fulani herdsmen and Niger Delta militias?

Let there be strategic thinking for concerted development in our land. Let Nigeria be!

heart. The previous night, I could not sleep but spent many hours in tears. I managed to attend the meeting. I was so glad when pastor mentioned my case and said that before the next Women of Praise meeting, I will celebrate. God, indeed has honored my praises for He has made a way for me, my daughter and entire family. To crown it all, my niece who has been in hospital for months with threatened pregnancy finally delivered a bouncing baby boy without complications. It is a good thing to praise the Lord. See you at the next Women of Praise meeting where God’s glory comes upon His daughters. Sis V.O Have you given your life to Jesus? If not, please pray this prayer. Father, I come to you as I am. I invite Jesus into my life to be my personal Lord and Saviour. Wash me cleansed with the blood of Jesus and empower me with the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you Father for saving my soul and making me your child.

Your prayer request and praise reports will be welcomed.

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2016—39

COUNTING THE COST OF OIL ASSETS BOMBING:

Nigeria loses N51bn in 4 months

By Michael Eboh

N

igeria has over the last four months, between January to April 2016, lost N51.388 billion to pipeline vandalism, and the country is poised to record more of such losses if the current spate of pipeline bomings by militant groups in the Niger Delta region is not addressed.

With the second bombing of the Forcados Export Pipeline and the bombing of other oil and gas assets in the region in recent times, the loss to trhe country is expected to escalate when the figures for May and June 2016 is released.

Giving a breakdown of the cost of the bombings to the Nigerian economy, data obtained yesterday, from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Monthly Financial and Operations Report for April 2016, revealed that the country, through the NNPC, spent N33.994 billion for pipeline repairs and management.

Also, as a result of the vandalisation, N10.335 billion worth of crude oil was also lost, while petroleum products losses between January and April 2016, stood at N7.059 billion.

Further analysis revealed that crude losses for the four months period, accounted for 61.06 per cent of the total crude oil loss of N16.925 billion recorded in the 12-month period, between May 2015 and April 2016, while pipeline repairs and management cost for the fourmonth period accounted for 36.3 per cent of the total loss of N93.649 billion between May 2015 and April 2016.

On the other hand, product losses for the four months C M Y K

The NNPC report argued that the incessant pipeline vandalism posed the greatest threat to the power industry, noting that the country has lost over 1,500 megawatts of power supply to the damage as gas supply from Forcados, which is Nigeria’s major artery, accounts for 40-50 percent of gas production period was 18.03 per cent of the total of N39.145 billion recorded between May 2015 and April 2016.

The amount lost to pipeline vandalism in the four months period, between January and April 2016, was 16.38 per cent of the total sum of N313.652 billion remitted by the NNPC to the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, in the four months period.

Furthermore, the report stated that Nigeria’s crude oil production for the month of March 2016 stood at 57.43 million barrels which is 3.10 per cent lower than February 2016 production and the lowest recorded so far, in the 12 months, May 2015 and April 2016, review period.

The NNPC said the recent upsurge in vandalism had negatively impacted on the Nigerian crude oil production output, losing its African top crude

oil producer status to Angola.

Specifically, the report disclosed that about 380,000 barrels of oil per day, (BOPD) remained shutin due to vandalism of the 48inch sub-sea Forcados export line on 15th February, 2016, which deferred all March cargoes until the repair is completed.

The report explained that the reduced national production volume due to indiscriminate vandalism of the oil and gas facilities and product theft by the vandals had continued to destroy value and put NNPC as well as the Federation at disadvantaged competitive position.

In addition, the NNPC report argued that the incessant pipeline vandalism posed the greatest threat to the power industry, noting that the country has lost over 1,500 megawatts of power supply to the damage as gas supply from Forcados, which is Nigeria’s major artery, accounts for 40-50 percent of gas production.

The report disclosed that a total of 3,136 vandalized points were recorded between May 2015 to April 2016, stating therefore, that crude oil and products losses have continued to cost NNPC and the country huge amount of financial and human resources.

It said, “Reduction in vandalism will indeed unlock several industry upsides which include improved upstream oil production due to reduced pipeline disruptions, stable gas supply to power plants, improved refinery utilization due to increased crude oil feed from restored pipelines, and reduction of crude/product losses.

In addition to reduced crude oil output, major refineries across the globe have concluded plans to stop the purchase of crude oil from Nigeria due to rising uncertainties about the country meeting up with deliveries.

This is arising from the fact that a number of oil companies in Nigeria had declared force majeure of crude oil export, while a few others had been forced to suspend or cut production as a result of the bombing of oil facilities across the Niger Delta.

Data obtained from Reuters revealed that four of Nigeria’s oil grades - including the largest stream, Qua Iboe — had been under force majeure over the last one month — a legal clause that allows companies to cancel or delay deliveries due to unforeseen circumstances.

The report stated that despite the fact that ExxonMobil, which declared force majeure on Qua Iboe in May due to an accident, lifted the declaration last week, the unpredictability is too much for some buyers.

The report further stated that refineries on the United States’ East Coast are starting to turn away from Nigerian crude oil, noting that these same refineries had been on a buying spree for Nigerian crude in recent months that averaged 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April and May. As a result, the report said differentials to dated Brent for Qua Iboe, Bonny Light and other grades are under downward pressure, adding that there are several unsold cargoes for June loading.

According to the report, the reduced demand means Nigeria is not benefiting as much as others from a rebound in Brent crude prices, which is partly driven by its own oil outages, stating that the reluctance of the refineries to buy Nigeria’s crude oil was limiting the prices Nigeria can get for its oil even as there is less of it.

Stakeholders are, therefore, of the view that unless something urgent is done, the country would in the next couple of weeks enter a full blown economic crisis.

40 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

Police arraign 5 suspects over Kano killing

N91m fraud suspect, Desmond Nunugwo, dies in EFCC detention

By Soni Daniel

A

suspect under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission died yesterday yesterday, a few hours after he was taken into custody, the commission has said.

In its statement announcing the demise of Desmond Nunugwu, the commission said Nunugwo was taken into its custody last night for defrauding an unsuspecting victim to the tune of N91 million.

The statement, which was signed by EFCC

spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, explained that the death of Nunugwu was confirmed at an undisclosed hospital where he was rushed to after he suddenly took ill.

According to EFCC, late Nunugwu fraudulently obtained N91million from an acquaintance after he tricked her into believing that he had high net worth business associates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates who were to buy Nicon Insurance and convinced her of their disposition to help her stock fish business.

Consequently, she wired N91m into Nunugwo’s nominated account (Mainagge General Merchants) in Diamond Bank.

After the transfer of the funds, Nunugwo became evasive forcing the complainant to report the transaction to the EFCC. “C o n s e q u e n t l y, Nunugwo was arrested in Utako, Abuja at about 5.33pm on Thursday, June 9, 2016. His statement was taken, where he admitted receiving the money from the complainant, with the additional information that he

transferred N30m of the said money to Norway.

But he could not explain the whereabouts of the balance of N61m.

“The suspect was detained at about 7.30pm, in the absence of anybody to take him on bail.

“Six hours later, he suddenly complained of discomfort and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“The incident has already been reported at the Wuse Police Station, where investigation into the cause of the sudden death has commenced.”

A

By Abdulsalam Muhammad

MIDST tight security, the police in Kano yesterday arraignedfivesuspectswhoallegedlykilled a 74-year-old Christian woman trader in Kano, Mrs Briget Agbaheme.

The suspects are Dauda Ahmad , Abdullahi Mustapha, ZubairuAbubakar,AbdullahiAbubakar,andMusaAbdullahi.

Other suspects who are at large include Salawiyu SNU, (SurnameUnknown)IbrahimSNU,DiniSNU,IsyakuMada, Malam Sani, Malam Sani, Inusa sufi, Malam Umar.

ThearraignmentatMagistratecourt20Fridayattractedheavily armed police, lawyers and Journalists.

The charge against the accused persons reads “ that you Dauda Ahmad “M” of Goron Dutse quarters, Kano on 2nd day of June, 2016 at about 1630hrs, at Kofar Wambai market Kano while having misunderstanding with Mrs Briget Mike Agbaheme, held her hand and slapped her on the face and withintenttocausebreachofpublicpeaceandcausingdeath, falselyraisedalarmwhereinyoushouted“ALLAHUAKBAR” and falsely accused one Mrs Briget Mike Agbaheme “F” of blasphemingtheProphetMuhammad(SAW).“Thatyourfalse alarm caused the following people (1)Abdullahi Mustapha “M”, (2) Zubairu Abubakar “ M”, (3) Abdullahi Abubakar.

“M”, (4) Musa Abdullahi to join others( 1) Salawiyu SNU, (2) Ibrahim SNU, ( 3) Dini SNU, (4) Isyaku Mada, (5) Malam Sani, ( 5) Malam Sani (6) Inusa sufi, ( 7) Malam Umar now at large. The suspects were also accused of using “dangerous weapons to hit her head which caused serious injuries that subsequently led to her death.”

Alleged N400m fraud: Court adjourns Metuh’s trial Troops clear 8 Boko Haram to July 7 •••As National Hospital transfers defendant to LUTH for treatment Camps at Yajiwa

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

T

HE Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, adjourned trial of the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh,

till July 7.

Trial Justice Okon Abang adjourned the case owing to the absence of the defendant who was said to have been transferred to the University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, for treat-

Ramadan, too valuable to waste

T

HOSE who are not Muslims cannot possibly imagine the joy that Muslims feel in Ramadan. The rich, the poor, the environment including all strata of the society are inundated in the spirit of Ramadan.

Apart from the spiritual blessings which every Muslim yearns for, the spirit of giving and care for the have-nots enliven the society: For every Muslim; it is a happy moment. A moment when the gates of paradise are opened and pathways to hell are closed.

The devils and their advocates have a much more difficult job diverting true Muslims from fully reaping the bounties of Allah. Ramadan is characterized not just by its obligation on every Muslim to keep away from certain things which are allowed in other months, but also by the weight of blessings attached to every good deed performed in this month. This time, believers are blessed seventy times for carrying out a single act of worship.

C M Y K

It is a time for multiple blessings, a time for charity. The giver gives cheerfully while the receiver receives with joy.

Overtly or covertly, this is the rahma (blessings)of Allah on us.

Ultimately, apart from the abstinence from food, drink and sexual desires; Ramadan revolves round cultivating and nurturing good habit; a way to righteousness.

An individual who fasts, but lost control of his anger, has lost a portion of his reward; a Muslim who fasts but fabricates stories and speaks only falsehood, backbites, defames people or oppresses others is slowing down his blessings in the month.

Every good act will pass as act of worship with great reward. Every little time in this month is precious, never allow a minute to slip away without doing ibadah even if it azkar. Use your night in prayers most and supplicate to He who can make possible what seems to be impossible. Why not utilise this month to

ment.

Metuh is answering to a seven-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him and his company, Destra Investment Limitimprove on your character, shun sinful acts and focus on those qualities that will earn you more rewards, that will reduce the risk of sins and elevate your status before man and Allah? This will on the long run, build the foundation to continue to do what pleases Allah even after the blessed month of Ramadan.

This Ramadan, endeavour to be selfless.

Impact in someone’s life, put smile on the face of the people, give strength to the weak and lift up somebody that is down, save a dying soul and at the end of the month, you would have invested copiously in your Hereafter. One of the teachings of the Prophet is to live for others. In one hadith, the Prophet said: He is not a Muslim if he goes to bed while his neighbour is hungry.

Brothers and Sisters there are many who you can give happiness with a little help; there are many others who do not have means of iftar or sahuur. Do not ignore them, give as little as you have. Let them feel the real blessings of Ramadan from you, and Allah whose promise is true will surely bless you in multiple folds.

Ultimately, just do your best. Allah (Subhanahuwa-Taala) will aid you if you are sincere.

Have an amazing Ramadan. May this Ramadan, be a means of you and your family attaining Paradise, Ameen.

Ramadan Mubarak!

ed.

The defendants were alleged to have prior to the 2015 general elections, recieved N400million from Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, without executing any verifiable contract. The PDP spokesman was originally scheduled to continue his defence to the charge on Friday.

However, at the resumed sitting, Metuh’s counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, SAN, informed the court that his client’s health condition deteriorated, leading to his transfer from the National Hospital in Abuja to Lagos.

Etiaba, SAN, further tendered a medical report that was signed by one Dr. Olufemi Bankole from LUTH, which indicated that the defendant was on bed rest at the hospital over illness that causes him to feel “severe back pains”. Consequently, the defence lawyer prayed the court to adjourn the trial to enable his client to effectively take care of his health challenge.

Meanwhile, though the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, did not oppose the request, however, Justice Abang, berated the management of the National Hospital in Abuja over the decision to transfer the defendant out of jurisdiction without the consent of the court.

Justice Abang noted that the case was previously adjourned on the basis of a medical report from the Abuja hospital.

Observing that the fresh medical report did not indicate how long the defendant is expected to be on bed rest, the trial Judge said he could order an investigation into the activities of the National Hospital in Abuja in relation to Metuh’s health claim.

By Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja HE Nigerian Army said Friday that owing to its T determined efforts of clearing remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in their area of operation, troops of 156

Task Force Battalion of 29 Task Force Brigade in conjunction with Civilian JTF and local vigilante, conducted a clearance operation to Yajiwa in Alagarno forest. During the operation, 8 Boko Haram terrorists’ camps beyond Yajiwa were cleared.

The team recovered several items from the camps.

These include 2 primed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 3 Pressure Plates, a 36 Hand Grenade, 2 Dane Guns, 7 Motorcycles.

Others are 5 Empty Cases of 12.7mm rounds of ammunition, 1 Damaged Mine Detector, a vehicle and Camel bag. The troops also recovered a Vehicle top cylinder, a 19.5 tyre rim and 4 size13 tyre rims.

Others include a 19.5 rim tyre, 3 tyre jacks, 2 motorcycle tyres and 2 solar panels, as well as 2 small generators, 1 grinding machine, 3 Water pumping machines, 1 Namsac sprayer and 1 bag of fried groundnut cake.

The IEDs were successfully detonated by the Explosive Ordnance Device team.

Benue SSG suffers stroke,

By Peter Duru hospitalised

T

HE Secretary to the Benue State Government, SSG, Mr. Targema Takema late Thursday night reportedly slumped and went into coma at his Makurdi residence. Saturday Vanguard gathered from a close family source that Mr. Takema who was immediately rushed to the state owned University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, was said to be suffering from cardiovascular disease.

“We were told by doctors that he suffered a serious stroke, but he is in stable health condition, we are hopeful that he would get stronger in the coming few days. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Terver Akase who confirmed incident, said the Governor had already visited Mr.Takema at the hospital early Friday morning.

He said, “yes it is true that the SSG slumped, but he was rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition and also responding to treatment.”

Scores injured as members of NURTW/RTEAN clash in Ondo

By Dayo Johnson, Akure CORES of members of both the Road Transport S Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW) in

Ondo State were injured during a clash over ownership of parks in the state.

No fewer than ten Commercial vehicles were badly damaged during the clash which lasted for over an hour.

However, the state chairman of RTEAN, Mr. Williams Adepoju has alleged that the Commissioner for transport Nichola Tofowomo led some thugs to beat up his members over the issue of parks within the state capital. Saturday Vanguard gathered that many of the commercial drivers were injured during the clash while the commercial vehicles were damaged by the warring thugs who went on rampage.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JUNE 11, 2016—41

“De ship “Devveloping SMEs, entrepreneur entrepreneurship will reduce po ty in Africa” povver erty

C

hidi Jacob is one of those Nigerians who are gifted in raising SMEs and entrepreneurs through quality training with experience. He was a former Executive Director/Advisor, African Women in Leadership and organisation. Even though he is a pastor, he cares about economic empowerment, how to eradicate poverty in the African region. This hunger has led him into several leadership and entrepreneurship training which targetted at creating exceptional and outstanding business owners. In his pursuit to achieve all of that, he has written a book on how to eradicate poverty in Africa.

Excerpts: Your recent book seems to focus on poverty eradication in Africa...

Statistically, we know that majority of the Nigerian population live below the poverty line.

Experientially, we also know this is true. If you are not poor or broke, you certainly know more than 10 people around you who are economically disadvantaged. Therefore, it is not a topic but the reality of our existence. For this reason, I wrote this short book to show people in practical terms how to step out of poverty. If you are broke, this book will help you. If you are loaded, it will show you how to help those around you who are broke.

Why the title, Amala Inc. I stepped into a local Amala bukka here in Abuja and right there I saw that when it comes to making money in this country, many Nigerians are looking at the wrong places. It is a metaphor to show that everything we need to break out of poverty is down here with us. We do not need lectures from Harvard if we settle down and look very closely.

You talked about Socio-Cultural Limitation, what has it to do with the subject?

A Nigerian with a Masters will drive a taxi in New York or work in nursing homes, but will

rather remain unemployed in Nigeria than do the same job even with double the salary.

Why do you think that is so? Because of the way we judge people, they not only want to make money, but they are equally concerned about how. But when you realize that money earned from packing refuse does not smell, you are one step away from poverty.

Do you consider education as a tool for SME and entrepreneurial development?

It all depends and here is why. The key purpose of education is to better your life.

Therefore, if you

Jacob mean the type of education that helps people to improve their lives generally, then it is a key tool. But a PHD holder who is poor is simply a person with knowledge who knows not how to use it. If you cannot use it to better your life, then of what purpose is it? If education is the one that gives you an empty

certificate and because of that certificate, you begin to see yourself as above certain job functions or beyond certain industries, then it is a complete waste of time. And it will only put you where it has put millions of

TV technology compatibility will aid industry standard—LG E

very year, consumer electronics exhibitions around the world present new high tech devices; expensive items that come with many promises. They aim to make life easier, more fun, super connected, and of course they are status symbols.

Moreover, they are an electronic manifestation of the ideals that drive the society: bigger, better, faster and more compatible.

On the bright side, high-end electronics demonstrate advanced engineering and stunning design solutions. However, novelty tends to fade quickly. Only a few months later the hardware is outdated, the design is stale, and the shelves are stocked with fresh models. Nothing ages as quickly and permanently as consumer electronics. Gadgets get discarded at ever faster rates and account for millions of tons of consumer electronic waste every year.

To feed production, more resources are claimed and we are beginning to suffer from the immense burden on the natural and social environment.

What is the purpose of driving the technological advancement? Does it help create something that will last? Where are we going so fast? We don’t know. Or do we?

Recently, LG Electronics deployed its 2016 OLED television series to the market which it claims belongs to the company’s exclusive line-up of televisions that support both the HDR formats that are classified as industry-standard – the HDR10 backed by the Ultra HD Alliance’s (UHDA) (which is an open format) and Dolby Vision, which has already been adopted by major studios and

service providers and have received a global recognition.

Beyond compatibility, LG’s OLED TVs offer a nuanced HDR experience, rendering deeper, more detailed dark and brighter highlights. This versatility makes the OLED HDR experience more complete.

The market is currently offering two formats of HDR content. On the one hand, the more common format, known as HDR10, has been embraced by the UHD Alliance, an industry group composed of electronics manufacturers and companies that create and distribute content. On the other hand, Dolby Vision, the preferred format for filmmakers and content providers, requires owning a TV that allows decoding content mastered for that format.

“While there has been a gradual shift in the TV segment which focused on 4K content until recently, with the emphasis now shifting drastically towards 4K HDR since the announcements of the Ultra HD Premium Certification standards, LG Electronics has had the foresight and has proactively invested resources to produce and market TV’s that support both industrystandard HDR formats”, said Brian Kwon, President and CEO at LG’s Home Entertainment Company.

Commenting on the latest innovations within the TV Technology, Kevin Cha, President, LG Electronics, Middle East & Africa, said, “Donning the hat of the only television manufacturer currently to meet both UHDA’s HDR 10 and newly announced Dolby Vision HDR standards, LG is paving the way for a more innovative,

There has been a gradual shift in the TV segment which focused on 4K content. immersive and experiential TV viewing experience in the coming years. We are more than proud to make these latest innovations available for consumers in the Middle East & Africa region.”

This year, LG has expanded its HDR compatibility for the company’s television products by launching more HDR television models which include up to day the entire OLED TV line-up and the SUPER UHD TV line-up.

With 10-bit panels and 10-bit processing power, LG OLED TVs can render more than a billion possible colour variations – another reason that Academy Awardwinning directors recognized the power of LG OLED TV, noting that nothing can compare to the technology when it comes to accurately portraying the original cinematic intent.

President, Displaymate Technologies Corporation, Dr. Raymond Soneira said: OLEDs deliver the highest image and picture quality taking over from plasmas as the technology for applications that need very high image quality, and for videophiles and consumer that want the best display.

Nigerian youths. This is one area we must rethink with utmost urgency.

You mentioned Trust Market, How does SME owners explore that to overcome poverty?

It is all about customer loyalty and retention. It is about turning your customers into fans and converting them into moving billboards. You can pay for sophiscated seminars on how to do that or you simply give them what you promised, how you promised, and when you promised. It is moving them from being a customer into a relationship.

They will not only continue coming back but they will tell others about you. You can cheat them once and make plenty of money, but that will be until they find out. Even a thief or corn-artist does not like to be cheated.

In the book, you also spoke about the miracle of ‘What is in your hand?’ How do you mean?

This key principle is as divine as it is true. Since I have discovered this, I have been screaming about it everywhere I go. Anybody who commits to this truth has made a giant step towards improving their live. The key to getting anything you want in life begins from what you already have. No-matter where you are now, God never leaves you completely empty handed. The greatest tragedy is that the majority of us have been conditioned to think from what we need to get (a job, loan, help from uncle…) rather than focusing on what we already have. When you discover this truth, it works instantly like a miracle. I dedicated a chapter to this in the book.

Kindly tell us how individuals, African nations especially Nigeria, can overcome poverty For individuals, it is as simple as reading and following the easy steps outlined in this short book. For Nigeria, the day we realize that the firewood that boils food for a community is usually found in that community, we are on our way out of poverty. Just like individuals, as a nation, God has given us something to work with in our hands. It is called plenty people, more than 150 million of us. If we value the human population as our most premium asset, and chose to develop and not to use them, then we will get out of poverty without anybody’s aid. If I were the President, I will be minister in charge of human capital development and not ministry of petroleum. But his choice shows you where we place our greatest value. The price of oil might drop, but the value of a developed human being is an ever increasing asset.

Is it true that you are giving out this book for free?

Absolutely, you can download a free copy from our website and it is only about 30 pages. Visit www.gracelifeabuja.org and you will see a link to Amala Inc.

Young entrepreneurs to benefit from Venture Platform solutions

aving discovered youth H unemployment as one of the major challenges facing Nigeria’s

economy, Venture Platform, ready to impact and empower young entrepreneurs for self employment has launched business incubation programme which is all about developing and providing enabling environments for the growth of start ups or small scale enterprises in the country, and also a means of combating the menace of unemployment in the country.

According to the Founder, Kola Aina, “For young entrepreneurs, business incubation is a launch pad,which provides an enabling environment and mentorship from business experts and venture capitalists. The idea is to ensure that start ups are driven through the challenges of business

sustainability in the first few years.

Aina said this opportunity was born out of a passion to transforming lives business empowerment through a technology solutions company, Emerging Platform Group which provided Ventures Platform, a worldclass innovation hub for the Tech community in Abuja.

“The VP’s value proposition is an intensive 16-week hybrid incubation programme, a residence for needbased cohorts and a paid co-working space for free-lance entrepreneurs and professionals on the go. In the course of the programmes, Ventures Platform will identify, support and fund innovative ideas and enterprises in the e-agriculture, e-health care, Fintech, e-government, ICT and other technology inclined areas, bringing innovative ideas from concept to reality.”

FISD launches entrepreneurial training for young Nigerians

onsidering the rate of unemployment in the country today especially C among youths, a non profit organisation and faith-based enterprise, Fountain Initiative for Social Development (FISD), has been launched by

The Fountain of Life Church, Lagos to empower the less privileged in the society through SMEs and entrepreneurial training that could help them fend for themselves and become self-reliant thereby reducing unemployment, crime and insecurity etc.

The vocational training which will provide SMEs and entrepreneurial skills to young Nigerians will also assist trainees with business plans financially.

According to Executive Director, Mr Fola Kudehinbu, “we have a micro investment fund in FISD where if you have completed our vocational training at the enterprise academy, and you have a good business plan, we will fund you.

In addition, Kudehinbu said, “ I can tell you, it doesn’t take more than N20,000 and sometimes N10,000 to start small scale business in Nigeria today. Continuing he said, this we have to do because there is skills gap amongst young Nigerians. “We want a situation where if you have attended a vocational training school and someone asks you what you can do, you should be able to describe the skill you have acquired. At FISD we empower young Nigerians with SMEs and entrepreneurial skills they need to succeed in life.”

42 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

FG reduces MTN fine, agrees staggered payment Continues from Page 8

of reducing the fine of N1.04 trillion, increment was more appropriate considering the enormity and consequences of the company’s negligence that led to the fine. He recalled that NCC had in a letter to the Attorney General of the Federation AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami on the proposal of MTN’s N330Bn, said that the amount was a far cry, but expressed shock at the sudden change of mind.

“In a letter dated March 1, 2016, NCC said: “The proposal to pay the sum of N300 billion as against the fine of N1.04 trillion (and subsequently reduced to N700 billion by the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN) is not supported by any verifiable justification, I wonder why the sudden change of mind” he submitted. Recall that the matter which the NCC admitted has cast a shadow in the Nigerian telecom development, has seen to a 25 percent reduction of the fine, series of litigations and subsequent withdrawal of law suits, all in a bid to seek a resolution that never came.

However, in this latest settlement agreement, MTN admitted that in addition to the monetary set-

tlement, it was required to: “subscribe to the voluntary observance of the Code of Corporate Governance for the Telecommunications Industry and will ensure compulsory compliance”. The company also undertakes “to take immediate steps to ensure listing of its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as soon as is commercially and legally possible and always ensure full compliance of its license terms and conditions as issued by the NCC”.

MTN Nigeria CEO, Ferdi Moolman who expressed much happiness at the final settlement of the rift, said, “MTN Nigeria once again offers its most sincere apologies for the series of unfortunate events that led to the imposition of the fine” He added that “It was of critical importance to reach a solution that would be of universal benefit to all stakeholders given the importance of the ICT industry in Nigeria and its tremendous impact on socioeconomic growth. Along with the authorities, we believe that has been achieved.”

Promising to abide by the terms of the agreement, Moolman said that already “MTN Nigeria is undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s success stories. Broader pub-

lic participation exemplifies this.” A flash back to the incident will show that the initial fine of N1.04 Trillion was later adjusted by 25% to N780 Million. MTN Nigeria considered the fine inimical to the sustainability of its business and sought judicial determination in December 2015 arguing that the move was to protect the extensive local ecosystem, valued and supported by Its business.

However in February 2016, the company announced the withdrawal of its case against NCC and made an initial payment of N50 Billion, termed to be in “goodwill”, in order to create a conducive atmosphere for further negotiations.

At the time, Moolman had also said: “This is another manifestation of good faith and intent by MTN Nigeria. We have the equally good intentions of the Nigerian authorities and the strength of our mutual commitment to an amicable resolution. The high priority that the Government is giving to the sustainability of the industry assures us of a truly integrated approach amongst all parties, to the growth of ICT as a critical enabler of socio economic development in Nigeria.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—43

•The hearse carrying Ali’s body is pictured above passing his childhood home as hundreds say their final farewells to the boxer

L

ouisville and the rest of the world said goodbye to The Greatest yesterday, showering affection on Muhammad Ali during a fist-pumping funeral procession through the streets of his hometown, followed by a starstudded memorial service where he was saluted as a fearless breaker of racial barriers and the final interment at the cemetary.

An estimated 100,000 people holding signs and chanting, "Ali! Ali!" lined the streets as a hearse carrying his cherryred casket made its way past his childhood home to Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery, where a private graveside service was held for the three-time heavyweight champion of the world.

"He stood up for himself and for us, even when it wasn't popular," said Ashia Powell, waiting at a railing for the funeral procession to pass by on an interstate highway below.

Later in the day, a grand memorial service was held at a sports arena packed with celebrities, athletes and politicians, including former President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal, Sen. Orrin Hatch, director Spike Lee, former NFL great Jim Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, soccer star David Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

As the interfaith service got underway at the KFC Yum! Center, the crowd of up to 15,000 burst into applause and chanted, "Ali! Ali!" when a Muslim religious leader welcomed the audience to "the home of the people's champ."

Kevin Cosby, pastor of a Louisville church, likened Ali to such racial barrierbreakers as Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.

"Before James Brown said, 'I'm black and I'm proud,' Muhammad Ali said, 'I'm black and I'm pretty,'" Cosby said. "Blacks and pretty were an oxymoron."

He said the boxing great "dared to affirm the power and capacity of AfricanAmericans" and infused them with a "sense of somebodiness."

Rabbi Michael Lerner, a political activist and editor of the Jewish magazine Tikkun, brought the crowd to its feet four times with a fiery speech in which he referred to Ali's refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War — a stand that cost him his boxing title.

"Ali stood up to immoral war, risked fame to speak truth to power. The way to honor him is to be like him today," Lerner said, railing against such things as antiMuslim bigotry, drone attacks, the gap between rich and poor, and racist

'Ali! Ali!': The Greatest goes home policing.

Ali, the most magnetic and controversial athlete of the 20th century, died last Friday at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. The brash and outspoken athlete transcended sports to become a powerful source of black pride and a symbol of professional excellence recognized around the world. The casket, draped with an Islamic tapestry, was loaded into a hearse outside a funeral home.

The pallbearers included former boxers Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis and actor Will Smith, who played Ali in the movies. Ali's nine children, his widow, two of his exwives and other family members climbed into limousines for the ride to the cemetery.

The 19-mile drive took Ali's body past the little pink house where he grew up and the museum that bears his name. At one point, the procession went along Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

As the long line of black limousines rolled past, fans chanted like spectators at one of his fights, pumped their fists, stood on cars, held up cellphones and signs, ran alongside the hearse and reached out to touch it.

They tossed so many flowers onto the windshield that the driver had to push some of them aside to see the road.

Others fell silent and looked on reverently as the champ went by.

"To me, he was a legend to this city and an example to people. I'm just glad to be part of this history, of saying goodbye," said Takeisha Benedict, wearing an orange "I Am Ali" T-shirt. "Opening it up and allowing us to be part of it, we're so appreciative."

Among the hundreds gathered outside the funeral home was Mike Stallings, of Louisville, who brought his two young sons to bid farewell to the sports legend who grew up in Louisville as Cassius Clay.

"I've been crying all week," he said.

"As big as he was he never looked down on people. He always mingled among the crowds."

Ali chose the cemetery as his final resting place a decade ago. Its 130,000 graves represent a who's who of Kentucky, including Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders. Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he will have a simple headstone, inscribed only "Ali," in keeping with Islamic tradition.

A traditional Muslim funeral service was held Thursday, with an estimated 6,000 admirers arriving from all over the world.

Ali himself decided years ago that his funeral would be open to ordinary fans, not just VIPs. As a result, thousands of free tickets to Friday's memorial were made available and were snatched up within an hour.

Louisville is accustomed to being in

•Late Muhammad Ali the limelight each May during the Kentucky Derby. But the send-off for the three-time heavyweight champion and global ambassador for international understanding represented one of the city's most historic events.

"We've all been dreading the passing of the champ, but at the same time we knew ultimately it would come," Mayor Greg Fischer said. "It was selfish for us to think that we could hold on to him forever. Our job now, as a city, is to send him off with the class and dignity and respect that he deserves."

President Barack Obama was unable to make the trip because of his daughter Malia's high school graduation. Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, planned to read a letter from Obama at the service.

Rumors that Donald Trump would attend were quashed Friday morning when Gunnell said the Republican presidential candidate called Ali's wife, Lonnie, to inform her that he was unable to make it.

Tyson was added at the last moment to the list of pallbearers. Gunnell said that Tyson was upset about Ali's death and wasn't sure if he could handle the memorial, but ended up catching a late flight.

People gathered early in the day outside Ali's boyhood home, which was decorated with balloons, flags, flowers and posters. Fans took photos of themselves in front of the house.

Some people staked out their places nearby with lawn chairs.

The Ali Center stopped charging admission. A sightseeing company began tours of Ali's path through the city. Businesses printed his quotes across their billboards. City buses flashed "Ali — The Greatest" in orange lights. A downtown bridge will be illuminated the rest of the week in red and gold: red for his boxing gloves, gold for his Olympic medal.

"Everybody feels a sense of loss with Ali's passing," said Mustafa AbdushShakur, who traveled from Connecticut. "But there's no need to be sad for him. We're all going to make that trip."

44— SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

MUHAMMAD ALI

AN INSPIRATION FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

In 1,000 years, people will still be saying that he’s The Greatest

“Boxing is white me a lot of n two black watching each othe men beat r up” oerge “I have seen G ow boxing Foreman shad won” w and the shado test. I'm “I'm not the greatest. Not the double grea em out, I only do I know th I'm the pick the round. ettiest,, the baddeats, the pr ost most superior, m lillfullest scientific, most skg fighter in the rin

“Maybe Parkinson is God's way of reminding me what's important. It's bowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk.

Actually, people pay more attention to me now because I don't talk as much”

n't “Champions are made in gyms, made champions are they from somethinge have deep insida them, a desire, ” dream, a vision

“It's hard to be humble when you are as great as I am”

Culled from thesun.co.uk

MUHAMMAD ALI

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—45

“If you ever dream of beating me, you better wake up and a;pologise”

“To make America th greatest is my goal, e beat the Russian andso I the Pole. And for the I beat won the medal of go USA ld”

“Cassius Clay is a slav e name.

I didn't choose it an d di want it. I am Muham dn't a free man and I insi mad Ali , use if when speakingst people to me and of me”

“I will like to be a ki and a chiller and a ller thriller when I get th gorilla in Manila” e

“It is just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, wave s pound the sand. I bea t people up.”

•Muhammad Ali whipped the locals into a frenzy ahead of his meeting with George Foreman in Kinshasa

I was trying to beat a boxer... but he was so much more than that

“Will they ever have fighter who writes poa another predicts rounds, beat ems, everybody, makes pes laugh, makes people ople tall and extra pretty cry and is as me?”

George Foreman's tribute to rival, who became a friend

G

eorge Foreman, who became one of Muhammad Ali’s closest friends after losing to him in the famous Rumble in the Jungle, described him as ‘the greatest human being I ever met’.

It is 42 years since their epic world heavyweight title fight in Zaire - won

by Ali in the eighth round - and Foreman only has fond memories of an incredible contest.

‘We never had any arguments, we never had any problems,’ said Foreman, 67. ‘I loved the man. I wanted to beat him and knock him out.

But I loved the man. I thought I’d knock him out in one or two rounds. All he would say is, “Is that all you’ve got George?”.’ ‘The biggest problem for me was that I went out to beat and destroy a boxer. Little did I know I’d be facing something greater than a boxer. He stood the test. He took everything I had and gave back worse.

‘I’ll remember that with the most fond memories. I was in the ring with one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met in my life.’

Foreman, himself a two-time world heavyweight champion, went on to

forge a close friendship with Ali. When Ali, struggling due to his Parkinson’s disease, had trouble walking to the stage at the 1996 Oscars to be part of the group receiving the Oscar for When We Were Kings, a documentary of the fight in Zaire, Foreman helped him up the steps to receive the Oscar.

‘Muhammad Ali made you love him,’ said Foreman. ‘The guy was beautiful. I met him for the first time and I heard people say he was handsome and good looking. But beauty was the word to describe him.

‘As the years would go by I found out he loved me equally. He was beautiful. Whatever you see in him, he had something to say to make you feel good about yourself.

‘To rank him as black or white would be a crime. He was too big for that. He said it better than anyone: I am the greatest! The man was the greatest. Forget about boxing, he was one of the greatest men to get into a ring, to appear on television, he was the greatest.’

US president Barack Obama said Muhammad Ali ‘shook up the world and the world is better for it’. In a heartfelt tribute Obama revealed he

•Foreman became one of Ali’s closest friends after losing to him in the famous heavyweight clash keeps a pair of Ali’s gloves in his private study at the White House, and said he felt fortunate that ‘The Greatest chose to grace our time’.

In a statement on behalf of Obama and his wife Michelle, they said: ‘Muhammad Ali was The Greatest.

Period. If you just asked him, he’d tell you. He’d tell you he was the double greatest; that he’d ‘handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail’. ‘But what made The Champ the greatest - what truly separated him from everyone else is that everyone else would tell you pretty much the same thing.

‘Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing.

But we’re also grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how fortunate we all are that The Greatest chose to grace our time.

‘In my private study, just off the Oval Office, I keep a pair of his

gloves on display, just under that iconic photograph of him - the young champ, just 22-years-old, roaring like a lion over a fallen Sonny Liston.

‘I was too young when it was taken to understand who he was - still Cassius Clay, already an Olympic gold medal winner, yet to set out on a spiritual journey that would lead him to his Muslim faith, exile him at the peak of his power, and set the stage for his return to greatness with a name as familiar to the downtrodden in the slums of South East Asia and the villages of Africa as it was to cheering crowds in Madison Square Garden.

‘I am America,’ he once declared. ‘I am the part you won’t recognise. But get used to me - black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own.

Get used to me’.’

Culled from themail

46— SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

France start Euro with a win

D

IMITRI PAYET blasted a brilliant 89th-minute winner to get France out of jail.

The West Ham magician fired a 20-yard left-footer into the top corner before walking off in tears of joy to a standing ovation.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud headed France in front in the 57th minute from a Payet cross after they had missed a host of chances against stubborn Romania.

But Bogdan Stancu’s penalty just eight minutes later made the hosts sweat in Saint-Denis. The Romanians arrived having only ever won one group stage match – against England in 2000 when Phil Neville gave away

a late penalty in Charleroi.

But they almost grabbed a shock early lead when Giroud headed a Nicolae Stanciu corner into his own box and Hugo Lloris stopped Stancu’s point-blank shot on the line.

RONALDO: C

I’m the best of last 20 years

ristiano Ronaldo claims he is the best player of the last 20 years as the Real Madrid star looks “to keep making history in this sport”.

“Where do I put myself among the best players of the last 20 years? I need to think positive and believe, with the results I’m getting, that I’m the best,” he remarked.

“The best always influence

their sport, so I think I’ve had a major impact. I can’t say how, only time will tell, but if you can run fast, jump higher than the others and be strong and agile at the same time, you can make your talent even more effective. “I worked very hard to reach the highest level and I still [work as hard] to stay where I am. “I adopt the same attitude and dedication in every

training session and every game to keep making history in this sport. “[On the Portuguese national team], I feel like a citizen of the world, but also a Portuguese who loves his country and is proud to represent it at the highest levels for a long time yet. “After Euro 2004, I was responsible for a great [Portuguese] generation. I know many boys and girls who see me today as an inspiration.”

England thugs on rampage in France

V

iolence continued again in Marseille yesterday as riot police used tear gas against England fans for the second time in a row. Fresh footage of fans appearing to be restrained by French cops outside the Queen Victoria pub in the Old Port has emerged.

The officers, who wore full riot gear, were seen marching

towards hundreds of England fans who ran away down the street.

Police were also forced to use riot shields, according to Press Association reporter Tom White, who described the scenes as “ugly”, with “lots of glass bottles being thrown”.

There are also reports that English fans have clashed with each other, after an after-

noon of drinking as they pass the time before England’s opening match against Russia today. Fans have blamed the heavy-handed tactics of the police for fuelling the violence in Marseille - when supporters clashed with local football hooligans. Clashes erupted shortly after midnight in the French city ’s Old Port area where hundreds of support-

ers had spent Thursday drinking. Huge flags of St George bearing club logos were strung up outside the Englishthemed Queen Victoria pub where the rioting had broken out the night before.

Three Lions supporters were also subjected to baton charges as fighting broke out with local youths who had been heard to shout: “Get the English.”

FACES AT ALI'S FUNERAL The boxer's youngest son, Asaad Ali (left), is pictured next to his mother, Lonnie Ali, at the service for the legend

David Beckham

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left)with UDon King

Farewell:Broadcast journalists Bob Costas, left; Bryant Gumble, third left; and Matt Lauer, center; sat in the front row at Friday's public service, next to comedian Billy Crystal, second right, and Bill Clinton, far right

Maryum Ali, daughter

Farewell: Muhammad Ali's 10 pallbearers are pictured above top left to right: Gene Dibble Jr., John Ramsey, Jerry Ellis, Kamawi Ali and Jan Waddell. Pictured bottom left to right: Ibn Ali, Lennox Lewis, Will Smith, John Grady, and Mike Tyson

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016—47 nonsense. The people (Algerians) want to win this match. They are out to beat us, and we must prove that we are better. We must go to USA.” Keshi was shouting and repeating his words to the players as they filed out just before hostilities began. I had accredited myself as a photo journalist and had the chance to be at the ground level. I heard Keshi loud and clear.

The game started and Algeria, who had nothing to gain if they won, played as if they were possessed by the spirit. A 10-0 victory would not have earned them qualification but they pulled all strings and antics to win. And the crowd backed them. Their moves were sharp when the game started, and they hit the post. Nigerians were panting. Fever gripped everybody. Keshi was defending and charging on his colleagues to muscle the opponents. Relief finally came when Finidi scored.

At half time, Akinyele addressed the team and told them that they were leading but not playing well. He urged them to do better. He left, and Westerhof told the players that it was better the door was shut behind him, and spoke on the game plan for the second half. Westerhof’s plan nonetheless, Algeria equalised in the second half and the last ten minutes were my longest moments in football! It was probably so for Westerhof and the entire Nigerian delegation.

Pressure mounted and Westerhof, who stood throughout marshalling instructions unknowingly stepped into the field. Famous referee Lim Kee Chong from Mauritius warned him. Everybody was panting heavily.

On 90 minutes Westerhof stepped into the field again as the incessant attacks from the Algerians continued.

Chong raced to the touchline with his hand moving to his pocket as if he was going to pull out a card for Westerhof. But on getting there, Westerhof was pointing at his watch and shouting “it’s time, it’s time referee, it’s time. You want to spoil all the work I did in Nigeria?”.

It was already stoppage time and the man apparently felt for Westerhof.

He looked at his watch and blew the final whistle. Madness ensued. Wild celebration took over. Nigerians were hugging one another. Keshi was crying. He shed tears of joy. History had been made. Nigeria’s biggest achievement in football, so to speak, at the time had taken place with him as the captain. Hard work had paid off. Westerhof was the driver, the mentor, the trainer, the manager, the father and the greatest. His vision, his plans, doggedness, determination and tremendous passion for Nigeria had paid off and overwhelmed whatever Public •Westerhof Relations Ivory Coast did. Keshi, the Big Boss, was his Field contention having lost points.

Commander.

However, as the Nigerian team On the day we were leaving for arrived Algiers the news in town was Algeria from the Dutch camp, that emissaries from Ivory Coast, a Westerhof had knocked on every door Francophone African country just like to wake the players up with a loud Algeria, had been around and “GOOD MORNING, USA.” And if approached the Algerians to make you were slow in opening your door sure Nigeria were beaten. he followed with ‘YOU DON’T Rumour had it that they even parted with huge money. Eagles were a better WANT TO GO TO USA WITH US? THE BUS IS LEAVING. DON’T BE side, but anything could happen in LEFT OUT.” Later, Keshi joined in away matches in Africa. How could the ‘good morning USA’ alert.

Nigeria buy their sympathy or The headline of my story as we left friendship? The leadership of the then the training camp for Algeria was National Sports Commission led by GOOD MORNING USA. Alex Akinyele, suggested that And on the pitch in Algiers, it was bouquets of flowers should be purchased for members of the Algerian truly “good morning, USA.” We were all emotional. We qualified for our team and on filing out each Nigerian player would present one to the player first World Cup finals, the USA ’94 World Cup. facing him. Ivory Coast were said to Last Thursday when I called have parted with some dollars, and Westerhof to get his reaction on the Nigeria would be presenting flowers!

Fear gripped many, but Nigeria would passing of Keshi the previous day, he be better not doing anything that could said it was one of his saddest days.

“We lost our son,” he cried and told smear the country’s soaring image in me that he lit four candles in the football. Officials finally settled for evening of that day and had very flowers which symbolise friendship and love. This correspondent who had quiet reflections. I reminded him of that emotional scene in Algeria when followed the team from camp in Keshi was crying and shedding tears Holland observed that as the match on his shoulders. Westerhof spoke was about to proceed, Keshi tried to eloquently about the player his approach Algeria’s captain just to colleagues called The Boss and exchange pleasantries, but the man ended with these words. “Yes, I became hostile. Keshi turned to the remember very well. And when we other players and yelled “Uche returned to Nigeria, and the fans (Okechukwu), Austin (Eguavoen), were celebrating us as we rode on Finidi (George), Rashidi (Yekini), Thompson, Willy (Agbonibavre), make Lagos streets, Keshi held me again we play o, no nonsense here. We have and said: “brother, we did it together.” I will never forget that to die today. Don’t give room for any moment. It’s unforgettable.”

Day Keshi cried like a baby

It's our unforgettable moment, Westerhof says

BY ONOCHIE ANIBEZE

I

“

t’s unforgettable, it’s unforgettable,” Westerhof said, clinging to Stephen Keshi moments after he had embraced Christian Chukwu as Nigeria’s most successful senior national team made history 2,300 kilometres away from home in Algeria.

Keshi held tight to Westerhof saying “so we did it? So we did it?” His head rested on Westerhof’s shoulders. His eyes were heavy and tears rolled down his cheeks. Chukwu’s eyes were heavy too. The other players were hugging themselves even as they took turns to hug Westerhof. Nigerians ran into the field, celebrating. It was so emotional. This reporter also battled tears. History had been made, the Nigeria had qualified for its first-ever appearance at the World Cup. When Clemens Westerhof was signed as Nigeria’s coach, the chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA at that time, Pa Chuba Ikpeazu made it clear that Nigeria had won the Nations Cup in 1980 but that with all our talents we had not been able to qualify for the World Cup finals. Ikpeazu told Westerhof he could win more Nations Cup titles but what mattered to his board and Nigerians was a place in the World Cup finals. The Dutch, who started his career at Feyenoord and later coached Vitesse, all top Dutch clubs, went to work. He did everything he could to achieve results. He changed the welfare of the players and Eagles moved camp from the

Games Village in Surulere to posh hotels like the Sheraton, Ikeja. He introduced attacking football and found players who would fit into his system. He spent his money when and where necessary, frowned at administrators and players when and where necessary, and employed diplomacy when necessary.

In Holland where Nigeria prepared for the last qualifier in Algeria, Westerhof was mindful of the distractions delegations from Nigeria caused teams each time there was a crucial assignment as we were one match away from history. The training was hard. The players did road work, shadow boxing and all such in training. He wanted absolute concentration and knew visitors, including government delegations, could distract the team. He opted for one small but efficient hotel in a remote town. The hotel had about 20 rooms.

By the time the players paired up in rooms, only about four rooms were remaining. His assistants, team doctor, Physiotherapist and himself took them.

No rooms for visitors or other guests.

Those who came from Nigeria stayed away. Westerhof achieved the concentration he wanted. From there the team moved to Algeria for the last match.

The battle for qualification had been between Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

Nigeria needed a draw to qualify for the World Cup finals, and the last match in the qualification series was away to Algeria. Ivory Coast, which was playing Congo, would qualify if Nigeria lost the match in Algeria.

Algeria meanwhile was not in

SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 11, 2016

France start with a win >>46

MOHAMMAD ALI’S LAST WISH 1942-2016

“I would like to be remembered as a

man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right and as a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. And I won’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was” >>43,44 & 45

Day Keshi cried like a baby >>47

CROSS WORD PUZZLE

Ronaldo: I’m the best of las ear lastt 20 yyear earss >>46 Euro 2016 Fixtures Today Albania Wales England Tomorrow Turke y Poland Germany

v v v

Switzerland Slovakia Russia

2pm 5pm 8pm

v v v

Croatia 2pm Northern Ireland 5pm Ukraine 8pm

ACROSS 1 Super Falcons Coach, Florence – (8) 5 Greek God of Love – (4) 7 Addition Result – (3) 8 Chinese Currency Unit – (4) 9 Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi – (4) 10 State in Nigeria known as “The Coal City State”? – (5) 12 Former Yugoslavian President, Mr. Slobodan – (9) 16 African Desert – (5) 18 Director of Public Relations, The Nigerian Army, Colonel Sani – (5) 19 Chairman, Technical Committee, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Chris – (5) 21 Former Zambian President, Mr. Levy – (9) 24 United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha – (5) 27 Former Delta State Governor, Mr. Felix – (4) 28 Stationery – (4) 29 Crowd – (3) 30 Land Measurement Unit –

(4) 31 L.G.A in Osun State – (8) DOWN 1 Musical Instrument – (4) 2 Ghana “Black Stars” Midfielder, Christian – (4) 3 Burundi’s Capital City – (9) 4 Ethnic Group in Nigeria – (5) 5 L.G.A in Ekiti State – (5) 6 Scotland National Coach, Gordon – (8) 11 Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo – (3) 13 Greek Alphabet – (5) 15 Country in Asia – (8) 16 President, Rwandan Football Federation, Mr. Vincent – (8) 17 Super Eagles Striker, Ahmed – (4) 20 Adult Female Sheep – (3) 22 Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali – (5) 23 President, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Ayuba – (5) 25 Former Kogi State Governor, Mr. Idris – (4) 26 Italian Capital City – (4)

Solution on page 38

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