2015: Jonathan seals deal with Muslim leaders

C M Y K

PAGE 2 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013 — PAGE 3

Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke (m) flanked by Ms. Ini Onuk, Acting Managing Director, The Bridge Leadership Foundation, O’seun Odewale (r), Ms. Emilia Asim-Ita and Mr. Onisegun Onigbinde at the 2013 Career Day of the Foundation, held in Calabar, yesterday.

Opening of Our Word Human and Equestrian Life Exhibition took place at Didi Museum.Amb B A Clark (l), and Prof Mrs Ebun Clark at the occasion.

Photo: Shola Oyelese

Army intercepts petrol tanker loaded with arms in Kebbi

BY TAYE OBATERU

BY TONY NWANKWO with agency reports

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HE Army has an nounced the interception of a petrol tanker loaded with arms and ammunitions in Kebbi.

The Commanding Officer, 1 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Sunday Ilori, told newsmen, yesterday, in Birnin Kebbi that the vehicle, bearing the logo of Mobil Oil, was intercepted on July 11, in a joint operation with men of the State Security Service.

He listed the items recovered in the fuel compartment of the oil tanker as three AK 47 Riffles, one RPG-2, nine AK 47 magazines, two bombs, three RPG chargers and 790 rounds of 7.62mm of special ammunitions “The arrest and confiscation of arms was sequel to the on-going operations of the 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army with headquarters in Sokoto, against insurgency and insurgent

activities within its area of responsibilities.

“The efforts resulted in the arrest of one suspect, arms and ammunition and a petrol tanker on July 11, 2013 after a combined operation between the 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army and the State Security Services,” Mr. Ilori said.

He added that two other suspects had escaped when the vehicle was intercepted, assuring that

investigation was on to “unravel the source and ownership of the arms and ammunition”.

The commanding officer appealed to the public to continue supporting the Army and other security agencies in the current war against insurgents in the country.

The suspect claimed that he was paid N500, 000 to deliver the items to Sokoto and that the owners had threatened to eliminate his family.

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ENERAL Overseer of the Redemption Ground Assembly, Okota, Lagos, Pastor Simon Ikhide, has kicked against calls from some quarters for the introduction of state or regional police, stressing that the country was not ripe for it now.

Ikhide, who stated this during the second anniversary of his Ministry, in Lagos, also attributed the spate of insecurity and violent crimes in Nigeria as signs of end

HE Special Task Force (STF) has smashed a robbery syndicate in Jos, Plateau State capital rescuing eight people kept in a hotel room pending payment of ransom.

The suspected ring leader and a member of the kidnap gang as well as the manager of the hotel have been arrested.

Media Coordinator of the STF, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said, in a statement, yesterday, that

the rescue operation followed intelligence reports on the activities of the suspected kidnappers. ”Based on intelligence report, the STF wishes to inform the general public particularly the good people of the Plateau of the operation it conducted on 12 July 2013 with remarkable success,” the statement said.

It continued: “At about 12pm, STF Anti-Kidnap-

UNAIDS maximises HIV prevention with ‘Treatment 2015’

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

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OWARDS ensuring that 15 million People Living With HIV/ AIDS, PLWA, in Nigeria and other African countries who require comprehensive HIV/ AIDS treatment have access to it by 2015, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/

AIDS, UNAIDS, has launched a new strategy tagged “UNAIDS Treatment 2015 Initiative”.

The initiative outlines three fundamental pillars essential to reaching the 2015 target increasing demand for HIV testing and treatment services; mobilising resources and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of spending; and ensuring

‘Nigeria not ripe for state police’

BY NNAMDI OJIEGO

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Eight rescued from kidnappers in Jos hotel

time.

According to him, state governments will use the instrument of state police to oppress and suppress the oppositions.

“State police is not right for this Nation. I grew up in the western region and I knew what happened in the 60s when there were these native authorities, which is equivalent of what people are agitating for today. The government of the western region was an unpopular one and was using the instrument of state police to oppress the opposition”, he said.

“So, what I’m saying is that, if we allow the state police in Nigeria, the government of the states will use it to oppress the opposition and that will draw us back. So the Nigerian police should be fortified and equipped to do their work effectively.”

•Pastor Ikhide

more people have access to antiretroviral therapy, came on the heels of reports by the World Health Organisation that average life expectancy for People Living With HIV/ AIDS is 78 years, ‘Treatment 2015’ takes into account the new consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral, ARV, drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection just released by the World Health Organization recommending that people living with HIV start antiretroviral therapy, ART much earlier.

Launching the initiative at the International Conference Center, Abuja, as part of the official programme of the on-going Special Summit on HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS Executive Director, Mr. Michel Sidibe, said HIV/ AIDS treatment was about lives of people and making effective health delivery available to those who need it.

“No preventable death such as HIV/AIDS should continue to occur

in Africa and the world in general . Reaching the 2015 target will be a critical milestone. Countries and partners need to urgently and strategically invest resources and efforts to ensure that everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment services,” Sidibe remarked.

Minister of Health, Professor C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu,said the new treatment initiative is designed to enable People Living With HIV/AIDS to live longer and healthier lives and prevent new infections, by empowering countries and partners to come up with practical and innovative ways of increasing the number of people accessing treatment.

Chukwu, who gave the national perspective of the HIV/AIDS situation in the country, said the system needed to be revamped. “Emphasis is now that everyone must be on treatment and that those on treatment must complete it. HIV/AIDS is just a chronic disease and should be treated as

ping Squad carried out an operation at Chiwarna Hotel located at Zinaria Layout Jos North Local Government Area and rescued eight victims who were kidnapped by a group of criminals. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were kidnapped at various locations of the metropolis and locked up in one of the hotel rooms.

“The suspected kidnappers contacted the families of the victims and requested them to pay various sums of money as ransom for their release. Meanwhile, the ring leader, one member of the kidnapping gang and the hotel manager have been arrested and are currently undergoing investigation.”

Delta 2015: Boost for speaker Ochei

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call has gone out to the people of Delta State to support the governorship aspiration of the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon Victor Ochei. Making this call at a gathering in Effurun, Hon. Sunny Onuesoke, a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made the call when Delta Focus Group, a Pro-Ochei political pressure group, paid a courtesy visit to appeal to him to join the Ochei 2015 project. Onuesoke assured that Delta Central Senatorial District would vote for Ochei as governor come 2015, adding that he is the right man for the number one seat of the state because of his age and vision.

PAGE 4 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

TWINS’ BREAST FEEDING ROW

Man kills wife 24 hours ahead of naming ceremony

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM & GABRIEL ENOGOLASE

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do State Police C o m m a n d , yesterday, confirmed the arrest of a young man, identified as Endurance Enadeba, who allegedly killed his wife, Osarumwense, over alleged failure to breast feed their one week old twins.

The husband and wife were said to be preparing for the naming ceremony of their twins which should have held yesterday.

It was learnt that the incident occurred after an argument ensued on how to breast feed the twins by their mother. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the sad incident happened on Friday night after Endurance was alleged to have hit his wife on the head with an object which killed her.

An eye witness said the husband asked the wife to breastfeed the babies who were crying but the woman said she wanted to urinate first. The husband was said to have

gone to where the wife was to urinate and a faceoff ensued which led to the man hitting the wife on the head.

The father of the deceased, who gave his name as Eghenayayore, was seen weeping and cursing profusely over the corpse. He said his daughter called to inform him about the incident but that she died before they rushed her to hospital, adding that the suspect fled when the wife collapsed.

“He killed my daughter because of a row over the breastfeeding of the twins.

The twins are at home now, who will give them breast milk? Why did he kill my young daughter?

This girl was born in 1996.

We were preparing to name the babies tomorrow because they were their first issue.”

Edo State Police spokesman, DSP Moses Eguavoen, confirmed the incident. He said the husband had been arrested from where he was hiding.

ARMED ROBBERY:

Police kick over army’s arrest of inspector

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA,

Yenagoa

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he Bayelsa State Police Command, yesterday, carpeted the 4th Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Benin City over the arrest and parading of a police inspector, Nanagha Aduomeni, for alleged involvement in armed robbery along Bomadi Road in Delta State.

‘Psychiatric officer walked to checkpoint to say he was a bandit’ The 4th Brigade of the Nigerian Army had, on Thursday, paraded Aduomeni, attached to the A Department of the Police Division, Yenagoa, Bayelsa over alleged involvement in the mounting of road block and disposessing road users of cash and valuables.

But the Bayelsa Police Commissioner, Mr. Tonye

Obi wages final battle against crime

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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ov. Peter Obi yesterday opened a new vista in the fight against crime is by presenting 250 patrol vehicles fitted with sophisticated security gadgets to the 177 communities, markets and registered vigilance groups in Anambra State. The ceremony, graced by head of security agencies, traditional rulers, presidents-general, market leaders, government officials and other stakeholders in the state, took place at the Ekwueme Square, Awka.

While some community received one vehicle each, others received more depending on their number and population.

Speaking during the presentation, the governor said that the vehicles would be restricted to the community specifically for security purposes. He warned against use of the vehicles to provide escort to politicians and other non-security related activities.

Obi also presented cheques worth over 250

L-R: Executive Secretary , Awolowo Foundation, Dr Tokunbo AwolowoDosunmu; Special Guest of Honour/ Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Chairman Board of Trustees, Obafemi Awolowo Institute of Government and Public Policy (OAIGPP), Chief Bisi Akande; during the International Conference on Leadership and Governance in Africa at the Institute in Lekki, Lagos State, at the weekend.

•Presents 250 security vehicles and cheques to Anambra communities million Naira to towns in the state, to pay 10 vigilante people per town and for fueling of the vehicles for a year.

He said some towns would receive more because they would have more than 10 vigilante people depending on their population and size.

Recalling that the presentation was not the first time Anambra was

procuring vehicles for security, he said his government had purchased over 300 vehicles for security agencies in the State as well as assisted them in various ways, including building roads in barracks for the single reason that though federal organizations, that they work for the good of the people of the state.

Ebitibituwa, in a statement, in Yenagoa, described the purported arrest of the police inspector by the military as a lie.

He said the refusal of the army to respect the information made available on the mental status of the arrested police officer was a clear threat to the synergy between the police and military.The Bayelsa police, in the statement signed by the command spokesman, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said the action

of the army “is malicious and provocative.” The statement read, in part: “The said inspector was never arrested by the military but rather he walked to their check point and told them he was an armed robber. ”The inspector is a psychiatric patient who was posted to police medical unit by the retired Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire, to enable him have proper attention. He walked to the military check point without arms and no one

Group condemns killing of Itsekiri by suspected Ijaw youth enable the people at the

BY GAB EJUWA

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arri People Democratic Movement has condemned the attack by suspected Ijaw youths on some Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta state which left four persons dead.

A statement by the

publicity secretary, Mr. Greg Numa, stated that the Itsekiri are the ones suffering from government policies and Ijaw approach in the council area.

He said, “this crisis throws up to our state and National Assembly the challenge of local government autonomy to

2015: Enugu monarchs to harmonize guber contest

BY EMEKA MAMAH

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raditional rulers of Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu

State are strategizing to ensure that the opportunity to produce the successor to Governor Sullivan Chime is utilized maximally by harmonizing the activities of gubernatorial aspirants from the zone already indicating ample interest in the plum position.

They have sent a word of caution to all the governorship aspirants from their area to play by the rule and be ready to make sacrifices in the process of selection to enable the people of the area

produce a governor who will truly do the area and the state generally proud at the end of the exercise.

The monarchs from the area at the weekend, expressed gratitude to the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) caucus in the state who held a crucial meeting at the Government House, Enugu and zoned the next governorship position in the state to Enugu North.

Speaking under the umbrella of Enugu North Traditional Rulers’ Council, chairman of the group and traditional ruler of IbagwaAka Community, Igwe Hyacinth Eze and the publicity secretary of the group, Igwe Emmanuel

was seen with him.”

The police command stated that though they were informed about the purported arrest of the sick inspector by his family members, the attempts by the police authorities to inform the military of the mental status of the man failed.

The statement added, “A letter written by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bello Ahmed, to the military, through Inspector Aselemi Oyaghiri, for the release of the arrested inspector for proper medical attention failed.”

Iduogoro Nnaji, stated that the PDP stakeholders, by their action, have hearkened to the yearnings of the

people of the area who have been longing to have a shot at governorship of the state for many years now.

lowest level to be at liberty to chose their leaders with external influence.“We want to advise government at all levels, especially the state government to stop appointment and imposition of candidates for elective positions. The people should be allowed to do their rotation, zoning and choosing themselves”. The group appealed to the state government to be serious with the rebuilding of the houses and communities burnt in 2003, 2007 and 2013 as a result of the lingering crisis.

Ejigbo LCDA inaugurates electoral body for positions of executive Supervisor for Agriculture CDAs’ polls committee of the 74 Com- and Rural Development,

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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s part of efforts

towards entrenching the principles of democracy at the grassroots, the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Lagos State, Kehinde Bamigbetan has inaugurated an eight man electoral body that will supervise the conduct of election into various

munity Development Associations, CDA’S, and Community Development Committee, CDC, of the council. The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission Officer in Ejigbo LCDA, Miss Hontonnu Mary Senapon is the Chairperson of the electoral body,while members include,the Secretary to the c o u n c i l , R e m i Gbadegeshin,the council’s

Mrs Yemisi Alashe,Head of Agriculture Department in Ejigbo LCDA, Mrs.Anike Showale, Information Officer in the council,Hassan Rabiu, Outgoing Secretary of Community Development Committee in Ejigbo LCDA,Chief Onadeko.

Others are: Rt.Captain Akanbi,and Mrs Arajo of Agric department as Secretary of the electoral body.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013 — PAGE 5

Jonathan seals deal with Muslim leaders Continues from page 1 and leaders on his anticipated second term bid, was said to have been impressed by the senator ’s role in facilitating the meeting between him and the Muslim leaders, who promised to mobilise support for him.

Interestingly, this is coming at a time when the Professor Ango Abdulahi’s Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has made it known that the North would not support President Jonathan’s second term bid.

Sources said that Yerima, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, directed his associate and deputy governor of Zamfara State, Ibrahim Wakala, who served under him as the Commissioner for Religious Affairs for eight years, to mobilise Muslim scholars to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for the meeting.

Although the scholars were earlier scheduled to hold another meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, for the purpose of forging unity among Muslim leaders, they abandon the Ibadan parley for the Aso Rock meeting, where the President solicited their support for his political aspiration.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saa’d Abubakar, it was learnt, was not aware of the Abuja meeting.

Vice President Sambo and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), were said not to be part of the meeting.

A source very close to the meeting revealed that “in 2011, the President received bloc support of Christians because they were organised.

He is trying to see how he can get the same support from Muslims in 2015. This is where Alhaji Sani Yerima came in.

“He convinced the President about his popularity among Muslim leaders throughout N i g e r i a . ”The former governor directed Wakala to act as the link between the Muslim scholars and the President, and to

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (middle), presenting keys of a security patrol vehicle to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe (right), and Mr Peter Nwagwu, during the distribution of 250 security vans to vigilante services in 177 communities of the state, in Awka, yesterday.

mobilise them to the meeting in Aso Rock where the President, Yerima, the Chief of Staff and Protocol Officer were present.

“There, Jonathan sought for

their cooperation, which they promised to give”.

The source disclosed that, at the meeting, Jonathan promised to address the grievances of Muslims before

the 2015 general election which includes appointing a Muslim minister from the South into the Federal Executive Council.

The source added. “The

former governor also used the meeting to strike a deal with the President. Now, the President, apart from promising to make Yerima the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the next cabinet reshuffle, is considering making him his running mate in 2015, owing to his perceived influence among Nigerian Muslims.

The President believes that he will be a better choice in this circumstance. ”In fact, at the end of the day, logistics support was reportedly provided for the leaders for taking time out to meet with Mr. President.

“Yerima”, Sunday Vanguard learnt, “then threw in another request, advising the President to sponsor them for the Umurah, the lesser hajj, so that they can pray for the actualisation of his ambition in the holy land”.

This request may not be strange as the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been known to extend such favours to ‘Men of God’”

I have forgiven my foes – Al-Mustapha

*Relives prison experience *Abachas, grandmother set to receive him in Kano today

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD, KANO

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AJOR Hamza AlMustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, says he has forgiven those behind his 14 years sojourn in prison.

In an interview aired on BBC Hausa Service, yesterday, the former Abacha security goon said “there was conscious effort by those behind my travail to paint me black before the whole world, but my gratitude goes to God for allowing truth to triumph over falsehood”. He spoke

SOLUTION

about 24 hours after the Court of Appeal set him free.

Al-Mustapha stated: “The last 14 years of my life was spent between solitary confinement that lasted five years and three months and detention in about 32 facilities located within the northern and southern parts of the country.”

Recounting his experience in prison, the former CSO declared: “I was toughened by my professional calling and my belief as a Muslim to persevere in whatever condition one finds himself ”, stressing that 14 years from home had been tough and laden with lesson of life The one-time feared Major, in the emotional interview, said, “I am fully convinced that my travail was ordained

by God to test my will and trust in Him and those laying claim to have played a role must have done that out of ignorance, and I bear no grudge against them.

“I have learnt a lot lessons from my incarceration and, from what I have seen at the maximum prison, there is a number of people who are being detained illegally across the prisons and those in position of authority must do something to address the issue”.

He added: “I am still a major in the Nigerian Army, and cannot be dragged into politics especially since I have been out for so long. I don’t think of politics, my major preoccupation now is how to reunite with my profession.”

Rally Meanwhile, barring any last-minute change in plan,

Maryam Sani Abacha, wife of the late Head of state, Abacha, is set to lead the entire Abacha family to receive him at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport as he returns home today. AlMustapha’s grandmother was also said to be anxious to see him.

Supporters and well-wishers of the freed former CSO were, yesterday, said to be planning to hold a rally for honour their hero.

A jingle by Muhammad Abacha, eldest son of the late Head of State, ran on virtually all radio stations in Kano, calling on Kano people to come out en masse to welcome

Al Mustapha back home.

Palpable festivities enveloped the city of nine million people as many were seen discussing today’s event that promised to attract hundreds of thousands of people.

Al-Mustapha’s private residence, located at Lamido Crescent, Nassarawa GRA, wore a new look with increased activities as hordes of people could be seen trooping in and out of the house.

Sunday Vanguard checks round the city showed posters of the late Abacha dotted strategic streets with those of Al-Mustapha.

Army arrests oil vessel, 14 crew members *Alleges N14m bribe offer

BY EMMA ARUBI

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HE 3 Battallion Army, Effurun, near War ri, Delta State has arrested an oil vessel together with its 14 crew members at Bennet Island along the War ri waterways.

The arrest was effected by the Sector One command codenamed Operation Pulo Shield in an operation led by the Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Ifeanyi Otu, in Warri South council area.

Parading the crew members, out said the discovery of the vessel is shocking, noting that some persons approached him

and offered to pay him N14m to allow the vessel access to Warri.

He said he played along with them and monitored the vessel until it got to Benneth Island and ordered its arrest, saying a thorough investigation would be conducted to unmask the barons behind the deal.

According to the commander, the crew members would be taken to the Brigade Headquarters at Benin and handed over to Brig-Gen. Pat Aker, saying that the directive from the 4 Battalion to stem the illicit trade would be implemented to the letter.

PAGE 6 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

Boko Haram denies cease-fire, explains Yobe school massacre The sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a video message sent to reporters, yesterday, denied the claim by the Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, that a cease-fire was reached on July 8 after talks with the group’s deputy leader, Mohammed Marwan.

“Let me assure you that we will not enter into any truce with these infidels,” Shekau said.

“We will not enter into any truce with the Nigerian government.”

Boko Haram, whose name means “ western education is a sin” in Hausa language, has killed thousands of

Bishop criticises wealthy Nigerians hosting weddings abroad

government officials now use public funds to sponsor private marriages to be celebrated in far away and exotic cities of the world”.

According to him “in a country that is faced with bad economy, we witness the disturbing and most expensive way some people celebrate marriages, birthdays, burials, promotions,

BY TONY NWANKWO, with agency reports

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HE leader of Islamist group, Boko Haram, has denied entering into a cease-fire agreement with the Federal Government and endorsed an attack last weekend on a school in Yobe State.

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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HE newly consecrated

Bishop of Akure Diocese of the Anglican Church, Rt. Rev. Simeon Borokini, has criticised Nigerians leaders who flagrantly display wealth by celebrating birthdays, marriages and other

programmes in foreign countries despite the increasing level of poverty in the country.

Borokini said this while delivering the bishop’s charge to the first session of the eleventh synod with the theme, “Riches of His Glory at the St. David’s Cathedral, Ijomu, Akure.

He said that “”even

chieftaincy titles and the so-called house w a r m i n g .

people in gun and bomb attacks since 2009 in Muslim north and Abuja in its campaign to establish an Islamic state in the country. Nigeria The purported ceasefire took effect two days after 20 students and a teacher were killed in an attack on a secondary school in Yobe. Eli

Lazarus, a spokesman for the joint military and police task force in Yobe, said the attack was probably carried out by Boko Haram.

“We believe in the massacre inflicted on the secondary school in Mamudo and Damaturu and other schools; we earlier warned that we were going to burn all

schools,” Shekau said.

“They are schools purposely built to fight Islam.”

While Boko Haram doesn’t attack “children and young girls or old women,” he said, “teachers that teach Western education, we are supposed to kill them in the presence of their students.”

KIDNAPPING

One killed as wife of Ebonyi Deputy Leader is rescued

BY PETER OKUTU

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IFE of the D e p u t y L e a d e r , Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mrs Winifred Ogbu, was rescued from kidnappers, at the weekend, by the operatives of the Special A n t i - R o b b e r y Squad(SARS) of Ebonyi State Police Command.

One of the kidnappers was killed in the process.

Mrs Ogbu, whose husband, Hon Anthony Ogbu, represents Ishielu North Constituency, was kidnapped in her Toyota Highlander vehicle near Grace Court Hotel, Abakaliki, by a sixmember gang who came on motorcycles. ”However, a SARS team, led by O/C SARS, swung

into action and traced the kidnappers to Emezabi in Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state” police spokesman, DSP Sylvester Igbo”, told reporters.

The police spokesman said the command had stepped up efforts geared towards tracking down other members of the gang.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 7

"A'int no stopping me now, 'cause I'm the DAME of the MANOR!"

All letters bearing writers' names and full addresses should be typed and forwarded to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Kirikiri Canal, P. M. B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E-mail: sunvanguardmail@yahoo.com

Thank you Mr President on Abuja/Kaduna rail project Dear Sir,

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becomes functional, apart from making it possible for prices of foodstuff and other goods to reduce, people will be able to travel to distant places without incurring much cost and our roads would be sustained as heavy commodities like steel, cement and other goods whose weight impact negatively our roads can be easily transported to their various destinations by rail.

HERE are three phenomenal factors that are indispensable for quick recovery of the country’s ailing economy. And if Mr president sticks to his decision to take them on board, as he is just doing now, Nigeria would, in no distant future regain its lost glory. These factors are: steady fuel supply, constant power supply and rail transportation. As soon as this goal is achieved, other trailing sectors of the economy would certainly stabilize.

Constant fuel supply and at a moderate price would contribute in no small measure in harmonizing the cost and standard of living in the country as fuel is one of the indices that Dear Sir, determines the price of goods and services. So if the prices of these items OULD someone bring to the become cheap, stable and affordable notice of our globe-trotting as a result of constant fuel supply, President, that the cost of people’s confidence would be restored kerosene is getting out of the reach of and life would become easy-going.

The need to have steady power the poor? A liter of kerosene in Awka supply in the country cannot be over- now costs N120 in the few filling emphasized as this is in fact the pillar stations that still have it, while private of any country’s development. Without people that have kerosene depots with steady electricity supply, industries dispensing pumps, sell it between cannot work at full capacity, artisans N150 and N170 per liter! Will and numerous other users of power deforestation not continue unabated in would be stranded and consequent all parts of our country with this unprecedented cost of kerosene? upon that they cannot break even Prof. Tam David-West, has been Finally, when the rail transport

From the look of things, Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of these virtues. Last December the Lagos/Kano rail line was commissioned, six months later another track, Abuja/Kaduna fast train track has been flagged off by Vice President Namadi Sambo. This scenario underscores the importance this administration attaches to the welfare of her citizenry.

Possibly, the Port Harcourt/Maiduguri rail line would take the next turn and that could be made functional by the end of this year. I, therefore, urge Mr President not to rest on his oars but continue with that tempo so as to attain the 20:2020 target.

Nkemakolam Gabriel , Port Harcourt 0 8 0 7 2 2 5 7 3 6 0 gabchiz56@yahoo.com

Escalating cost of kerosene!

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shouting himself hoarse that we could sell a liter of fuel at N20 per liter with profit, likewise diesel and kerosene at a lower cost. But unfortunately, the rich and powerful Nigerians who are becoming richer and richer through the importation of refined petroleum products and own Tank Farms at our various sea ports, will never allow our archaic refineries to work or allow modern and efficient refineries to be built, thereby denying us the benefits of our God-given wealth, while they are smiling to the banks!

The same scenario, is playing out in the power sector, because the importers of generating sets that have

made our country the greatest importer of that commodity in the whole world, will never allow PHCN to give us constant supply of electricity, so that they will not run out of business.

What a strange and unique country where nothing works, due to our penchant to make money by all means at the expense of our country and its citizenry!

Ifeka Okonkwo Plot 44, Ahocol Housing Estate, Phase II, G.R.A, Awka.

PAGE 8—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

If Jonathan is the leader; who are his followers?

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who, only two years and two months ago, were urging Nigerians to usher in the “breath of fresh air ” now talk as if the air they breathe is putrid. The question which must bother all of us, especially those who voted for GEJ and who now regret is: what went wrong?

The question is important because the president will, and should, present himself for the second term in 2015 and this time around, nobody will vote without some idea of the sort of leadership the man can offer Nigeria.

However, before trying to answer the question, permit one observation. Jonathan stands generally exonerated from whatever had gone wrong. First, the man became president by virtue of being Vice-President when the former President died as stipulated by the 1999 constitution. Having found himself in that position, he decided that he could handle the job if elected on his own. Let us forget for now the issue of zoning. He offered himself for election and the majority of voters agreed that he could indeed do the job. As they said in the WILD WILD WEST of America, during the fron-

Lift up others to rise up “There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.”-Walter Reuther S you know, I am a reverent supporter of the dynamic Ogbeni Aregbesola. I cannot say it enough and no, am not from Osun State nor have I got any ulterior motive other than a healthy admiration of the dynamism of the esteemed governor and his administration for the grand work they have done in turning round the fortune and the strength of the state.

Good news is hard to come by in Nigeria and, it is important that others follow in the footstep of this success. On the contrary, the disgruntled always want to sabotage when something works in Nigeria. I can understand why now; when others are doing good it really puts the rotten eggs to shame and all they want to do is to tear down the good work.

Not anymore. The good shoot has taken roots and it is going to go from strength to strength despite the distraction and sabotage.

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Nigeria and Nigerians deserve better and no, we don’t all believe that there is no redemption for the Nigerian. There will be if we all do our bit to ensure that our leaders know that we deserve better. There is no point saying it can’t be done when we now know that it can. So it's about time the electorate wise up and vote with their conscience and if they are not getting an improvement in their respective government, vote with your feet and drop the dead weight.

O, Nigeria is moving and about time too. Governor Aregbesola in one of his speeches said that one of the fundamental problems facing Nigeria is that there are flaws in the process through which leaders come to occupy political offices and that we have to elect credible people into various elective positions for a better Nigeria. How astute!

I cannot agree more, the nation lacks effective leadership and good governance, without a better education and moral backbone we will struggle to get Nigeria working.

Aregbesola, has paved the way to get his corner of Nigeria working. I like the Ogbeni’s style. Imag-

tier days, “It is not the seller ’s fault if the buyer does not notice that the horse is blind”. In politics, as it is in commerce, the golden rule remains caveat emptor – buyer beware. Whether voting with our money or ballot papers, it is our duty to examine what is on offer

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“Leadership is always somewhat mysterious. Leadership can be summed up in two words: intelligence and integrity ……John Brademas c1984 UST a little over two years ago, My Fellow Nigerians went to the poles to elect a candidate called Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan as our president – by a wide margin. He won in all the six zones of Nigeria; in what, in my opinion, was the second free and fair presidential election since 1979 when we started experimenting with the presidential system. Given the position and the strangle-hold a president has over our lives, one would have supposed that we considered the matter carefully before casting our votes. Thousands of people including members of the PDP, as well as ACN, canvassed for votes for Jonathan. Presumably, they did so in the belief, based on God-knows-what, that the man could provide the leadership which this country needs at the present time. But, today, the coalition which brought Jonathan to office apparently had disintegrated. Like sleepwalkers, many of those

Having said that, the most urgent matter now is, why is our leader finding difficulty in getting most of the people, especially within his own party, or, what should be his natural constituency, to follow where he leads

carefully. We have nobody, but ourselves, to blame if we buy the wrong product or vote the wrong candidate. So blame not GEJ; let us accept our collective responsibility for this situation in which we find ourselves.

Having said that, the most urgent matter now is, why is our leader finding difficulty in getting most of the people, especially within his own party, or, what should be his natural conine the “Ogbeni till day break” makes himself accessible to all and anyone could call in and ask questions on pertinent concerns or issues, this renders the “Oga at the top “ red tape malaise that stalls Nigeria’s progress.

What he has done is to rebuild from ground zero, a b e t t e r and stronger foundation by investing in the young. Yes, from the bottom up (pardon the pun) 252,793 public primary children were de-wormed

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stituency, to follow where he leads? The National Assembly treats his bills the way a pride of lions will deal with a young calf which wanders into its midst. Despite the obvious fact that an amendment to the 2013 Appropriation Act is urgently needed to avert Nigeria’s own fiscal cliff or shutting down the federal government by September, the leaders of NASS would rather go on recess. Yet, his party has over sixty per cent majority – more than enough to pass the amendment. Still, no deal. The Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, which had come to his rescue in the past, is also standing aloof and some are even hostile to any initiative by the President – however

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meritorious. And, few measures by Jonathan had deserved so much attention and support as the amendment to the 2013 Appropriation Bill which was flawed in many respects. NASS and the NGF are clearly demonstrating hostility to the President, and getting away with it, for reasons not too difficult to imagine.

Jonathan certainly has my sympathies; he appears to have been deserted by the very people who pushed him of life of its citizens.

15,000 whole chickens are sourced weekly from local poultry farmers; 254,000 eggs sourced weekly,5 heads of cattle purchased weekly from local cattle farmers and 400 tonnes of catfish purchased weekly from local fish farmers. Redistribution of wealth that is what Ogbeni has socially engineered!

The state’s feeding programme provided free school meals in all public schools; with better nutrition you get better performing, better educated

Osun State is leading most states in the quality of education and development of healthy citizens in years to come

in 30 local governments.

This was a collaborative work between the state and Chi Pharmaceuticals in Lagos.

Yes, I hope other states are taking note. Not a foreign company nor was there a massive loan or hand-outs.

The good governor knows that health is crucial to the development of the young and it will invariably impact on the educational outcomes as well ensuring the legacy of Osun School Meal Programme (O’MEAL) and the digital elearning device (Opon Imo) is miles ahead of the other states . The ingenuity lies in the way the state uses local resources and local manpower thus enriching and improving the quality

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students. What he has also achieved is an increase in school enrolment.

More than 3,000 women in the state have also been empowered to serve as the food vendors. The vendors are given assistance to procure modern cooking utensils at the cost of N152 million to the state government.

That is definitely a win -win formula.

Osun State is leading most states in the quality of education and development of healthy citizens in years to come. The investment is truly awesome.

Setting the pace- Ajimobi style “You will rise by lifting others.”-Robert G. Ingersoll

on the stage of our history.

Just last week, the Northern Elders Forum announced, well in advance of 2015 elections, that “the North will not support him(Jonathan). The South owes us a moral debt and they should pay”. That was according to Professor Ango Abdullahi. Given the perceived marginalisation of Yoruba people by the Federal Government, it is unlikely that Jonathan will sweep the zone as he did in 2011. At any rate, the opposition is now thoroughly enjoying the humiliation of the President by his own party members. Neither the Board of Trustees, nor the National Working Committee Chairmen seem to have the sort of pervasive influence on members to whip dissenters or rebels into line on anything. Even the dissolution of the NWC, which the president ordered, is meeting with resistance virtually everywhere. The Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, C-I-C, appears increasingly like a General or Field Marshall, without troops. Why, then, are they getting away with it?

The answer is leadership, or more precisely the stuff of leadership which forms the bedrock of the president’s power base. Almost invariably, it involves a tiny minority of followers, who are devoted to the point of fanaticism, to the leader and the principles or ideals for which he stands. Given the extensive literature on the subject of leadership and the constraint of space, this is not an attempt to cover the subject. Rather, the aim is to narrow it down to

some of the aspects which concern us and our president – Goodluck Jonathan.

Even the most casual look into history, recent or past, will help to illustrate the predicament in which Jonathan, and by extension Nigerians, find themselves.

As much as possible, I will draw my examples from Africa.

Ahmadu Bello, Awolowo and Azikiwe died several years ago. Yet, there are people who, till today, will drop everything to attend memorial lectures organized for those three – especially the first two. No three leaders could have presented three such contrasting styles, at the same time, in a nation. Ahmadu Bello, as Premier of Northern Region, had to integrate the interests of over 170 ethnic groups and create a powerful political organization which compensated for the North’s relative educational backwardness. He spoke few words; but they were weighty in effect. Azikiwe, was not only the most good looking, he was the most spell-binding speaker; a gifted orator. My father, a Yoruba, was so fanatical about Zik, he would probably have sacrificed any of us his three sons if Zik had asked him. Awolowo was the ideas man and a painstaking executor of any programme he undertook. In the 1950s Nigerians were “ worshipping” three “gods” – each with one strong characteristic which made him a leader of millions who followed willingly….

Visit: www.Delesobowale.com

The last time I was in Ibadan, was when I went to visit my maternal grandmother who lived at Ring Road, some 26 years ago! I have fond memories of Ibadan, it is my mother ’s ancestral home. For me it has always been home.

What I remember most of Ibadan was its quieter and quaint quality of the place. The buildings mostly well lived in with its rusted corrugated roofs dotted all around as far as the eye can see.

So I have always felt it was a town that time forgot,until now. So there seem to be a resurgence and renewed buzz that Oyo State has arisen and good things are happening up and down the state. The Governor in 2011 said that ”the journey to restoration has begun to restore efficient infrastructure in place of the yearlong decay ” . H e h a d a herculean task on his hands!

He did promise”to restore the faith of the people in government, as against the regime of widespread scepticism and fright in the institution of government”. It seems that people’s trust and belief is paying dividend as improvement is taking ground and more work in the pipeline are afoot. The state has a brand new overhead bridge in Mokola first major construction in over 30years! He has made strides in the pedoambulances, health programme at Ijeru Baptist Primary School premises, Ogbomoso,Are Onireke, Mokola, challenge, Aleshinloye, Beere, Taki

Ogbomoso, Owode Oyo, Saki and Iseyin too FG projects, Oyo/Oke Ogun express, Ibarapa road and upgraded satellite Polytechnic and Eruwa. With his political pedigree much is expected from Ajimobi and he seems to be delivering on his promise to the people of Oyo State .

Oyo State is working and his administration has gone to some length to make it so. He has promised to deal with the welfare of the people and make healthcare a priority as well as the upgrading of 1.2km long service roads and intersections, beautification of roundabout and space under the flyover, construction of new water mains, street lighting and the payment of compensation to the numerous property owners whose properties in this commercial centre of the city were affected.

Ramadan Kareem!

“Every good act is charity. A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.”

Prophet Mohammed (SAW) Ramadan Kareem to all my Muslim brothers and sisters! I pray that Allah answers all your supplications during this holy month of Ramadan. Don’t eat too much before sunrise eat instead “complex carbohydrates” or slow digesting foods should be consumed at sahur so that the food lasts longer (about eight hours) resulting in less hunger during the day.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 9

ASUU to consider the overall interest of Nigerians in terms of the education of our children”. He added that ASUU should “see the possibility of using a strike, which has become too incessant in recent times, as a last resort” Speaking on

behalf of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Deolu Ogunbajo said that it was unfortunate that the government was reneging on an agreement it willingly entered into with the Union. Ogunbajo insisted that what the lecturers were asking for was not “new and out of place’’. It therefore appears that to condemn ASUU for seemingly rejecting dialogue misses the point because its case is not a claim/request/ demand requiring dialogue but an agreement which requires implementation Every intervention at this point should thus be well meaning and objective. In this regard, the National Assembly should not relent in its commendable efforts at resolving the crisis notwithstanding that ASUU worked out on its committee last week. First, our legislators should bear in mind that ASUU is aggrieved. Second, it should not see the decision of the teachers to walk out on it as a slight but a refusal of an aggrieved to be kept waiting. Third, our legislators should remember that during the last strike, their own efforts were virtually thwarted by the halfhearted official handling of the matter. That only two issues — the review of the retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 and the reinstatement of prematurely dissolved governing councils — were the only ones implemented in a list of items of a four-year-old agreement suggests that we need

to work towards a more sincere approach by all concerned.

Considering that President Jonathan is himself an academic, it seems strange that his team of Education Minister and NUC’s Executive Secretary who are also from that constituency are unable to win the confidence of their former colleagues. Could it be that the agreement with ASUU to which government initially committed itself in 2009 was later found to be unworkable like the famous ‘Aburi agreement’? If so, it is the body language of government that should change. One good way of doing this is to shun blackmail and explore the persuasive mobilization expertise of people like the legendary Jerry Gana who himself is now Chairman of a University Council.

Their work would be to let ASUU into the costs of unexpected emergencies like our unprecedented security challenges and the ravages of flooding. They should then seek to convert ASUU members to partners in progress by evolving a road map based on an agreed and sincere instalmental implementation of the other items in the 2009 agreement. This would obviously be more persuasive than the present trend whereby some privileged persons in the corridors of power are as usual busy convincing government that ASUU members are charlatans as well as tools being used by the opposition to destabilize government.

University management teams must also change their approach to the crisis at hand. Many of them appear too comfortable to be bothered about ASUU feelings. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, for instance, the authorities allegedly locked ASUU members out of the multi-purpose hall where they were to hold a scheduled meeting. Some examinations were reportedly held in the School during the strike in line with what is called the Vice Chancellor’s ‘students first’ philosophy and policy. Who will mark, collate and grade those examinations?

Such an approach which can antagonize ASUU is similar to that by which honorary degrees are often given to government officials known to be ‘unhelpful’ to the cause of ASUU University managers can in earnest reduce the frustrations in their campuses.

For example, every session, some universities admit over 200 students for courses for which available classrooms can hardly accommodate 50 students.

Painfully, what is collected yearly as internally generated revenue (IGR) makes little or no impact on the overcrowded facilities in our universities thus stamping into the sub-consciousness of a pressure group like ASUU, the inadequacies of the environment. It is submitted that a more judicious use of IGR is capable of putting some smiles on the faces of teachers and students in our universities.

do not think so. Indeed, in future, if lecturers fail to restrategise, both the government and Nigerians will be so immunised against strike due to the frequency of its occurrence that the impact would be minimal. At any rate, how many lecturers have really spent time to think deeply about alternative ways of improving their own welfare without frequent disruptions in the system? I believe the number will be negligible.

Of course, if well-meaning academics really put their

considerable influence on those in leadership positions and appoint them as members of the committee.

For instance, Goodluck Jonathan, Namadi Sambo, David Mark and Aminu Tambuwal are the topmost political leaders in Nigeria today. Each of them has a confidant (or confidants), someone that he listens to and takes advise from. Assuming that Mr. President is known to dote on his wife, it would be a good strategy to use senior female academics to persuade her to join the committee.

The same applies to Sambo and others. Of course, the confidant could be anybody - a former teacher, employer, religious leader or traditional ruler etc. A few sound academics, particularly

tapping into the goodwill of those that have personal relationships with topmost decision makers in the country who function as a go-between between the federal government and ASUU for amicable implementation of agreements. Again, it is a realistic option among several that can be invented, fine-tuned and tried by lecturers to break the vicious cycle of strike today, agreement tomorrow, and strike yet again and so on.

The recurrent tiresome approach by government and ASUU is a clash of egos. Government and lecturers are always fighting a futile battle of wills to determine who will blink first, with ASUU doing its best to portray government as irresponsible and unreliable, whereas government uses delay tactics to strengthen its case that lecturers are impatient and insensitive to the harsh economic realities of the moment. In the process, university education in the country is jeopardised. That said, no Nigerian government has met UNESCO's recommendation that governments should allocate twenty-six percent of their annual budgets to education. The refusal of our leaders to comply is baffling, given the crucial importance of education in the quest for rapid and sustainable national development. Yet, ASUU on its part must realise that all the money in this world, on its own, cannot solve our problems unless there is honesty, sincerity, determination and unwavering commitment and dedication by lecturers, students, university authorities and other stakeholders in the system.

We suggest that government should allow univer-

sities that have the requisite capacity to mount viable academic programmes which can generate additional revenue. NUC's overbearing stance in this regard is suffocating. For instance, why must NUC compel a solid, upwardly mobile, university like the University of Lagos to stop its evening programme, at a time many people, including lecturers, are benefiting from it? Is it right to force each university, irrespective of its pedigree, location, staff strength, facilities and prestige into the same NUC's procrustean bed or straitjacket? Certainly, the crises in Nigerian universities and in the education sector generally predated the current dispensation.

Unfortunately, President Jonathan and other sybaritic top political office holders are not really bothered that university students are out of school for prolonged periods due to strikes by ASUU - why should they, since they have enough money to send their children to better universities abroad.

Similarly, lecturers should recognise that frequent resort to indefinite strikes portrays them as lacking in creativity and imagination, as people who are selfish to the extent of pretending that there is nothing wrong in collecting full salaries even when they have not performed one of the most important duties they are employed to perform - teaching. I know there are still many dedicated lecturers who truly enjoy teaching despite the harsh conditions in our universities. ASUU should spare a thought for such colleagues too.

CONCLUDED.

How to resolve the ASUU/ Government conflict needs to be assuaged is not in doubt. Unfortunately, government posture does not sufficiently convey a conciliatory mood. In fact, government officials who have a mandate to resolve the crisis are yet to embrace the uncontroverted theory of old that the main aim of political communication is persuasion. While the Education Ministry says an offer was made to the teachers to which they were yet to respond, the Nation-

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IKE an anniversary celebration, this year’s edition of the annual closure of Nigerian Universities began on Tuesday July 01, 2013. As usual, no one knows when it will end. Indeed, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Dr Nasir Fagge says members of the Union are resolute that, only a complete resolution of the issues at stake would bring the current strike action to an end. A sign that ASUU means business was shown last week in Abuja, when the Union walked out on the joint National Assembly Committee on Education at a meeting called by the lawmakers to intervene in the crisis. So, is ASUU rejecting dialogue?

If so, is the Union not being insensitive to the plight of ordinary Nigerians who are adversely affected by the strike?

To answer any of these questions in the affirmative would be essentially simplistic. Because that ASUU is the aggrieved party that

because they are not credible-even the authors do not believe them.

A comparison of government position with that of parents is instructive here.

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro revealed last week that the Federal Executive Council examined the crisis and “expressed the concerns of the average Nigerians, stakeholders, parents and students and came to the conclusion that passionate appeal be made to

More judicious use of IGR is capable of putting some smiles on the faces of teachers and students in our universities

al Universities Commission (NUC) said it was unaware that the teachers were on strike. According to the NUC, “If they are on strike we don’t know. They should write to us”. These unconvincing statements cannot resolve the conflict

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PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

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T is therefore not sur prising that a large percentage of lecturers across the universities appear incapable of examining repercussions of frequent strikes critically and comprehensively; it is as if they are stymied by marginal improvement in salaries after each strike. But as we argued last week, there is no clear evidence that such improvement has translated into enhanced quality of teaching and research.

Without scientific evidence that indefinite strike is beneficial to various stakeholders in the universities, ASUU's frequent resort to it, as far as I am concerned, is like travelling in labyrinthine waters without adequate navigational equipment.

So, what is preventing ASUU members from demanding reliable evidence first before canonising indefinite stoppage of teaching as the only option open to them to make government see reason? One of the frequent and ill-tempered retorts I get from colleagues anytime I suggest a paradigm-shift in our approach to trade disputes with government is "Why should lecturers think out of the box?

All the salary increases we got from government thus far have been through strikes. What other option is there?" This reply is so my-

opic, so disingenuous, that one cannot really fathom whether it is more an acknowledgement of lecturers' declining capacity in creative problem-solving or a reflection of the shallow, promotion-motivated, research orientation that is increasingly dominating the mind-set of academics in our institutions of higher learning - I suspect that a combination of both is involved. However, there are still excellent teachers in various universities who can generate pragmatic novel ideas about how lecturers can get more of what they deserve from government without resorting to frequent strikes.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere within ASUU is always so overwhelmingly in favour of strike that it seems as if members of the union derive some kind of weird psychological satisfaction by staying away from the classrooms.

Hence, the voices of caution and moderation are drowned by cacophonous trumpeters of ASUU "struggle" against "enemies" of university education in Nigeria. Now, is it true that strike is the only option through which ASUU can get its legitimate demands fulfilled by government?

Superficially, it appears as if that is the case, but I

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Why I am against ASUU's frequent indefinite strikes (2)

The recurrent tiresome approach by government and ASUU is a clash of egos. Government and lecturers are always fighting a futile battle of wills to determine who will blink first

minds to it, they can come up with novel, less disruptive, avenues that can motivate government to honour agreements with ASUU. Consider this proposal: the union can set up a standing ASUU-FGN Agreement Implementation Lobbying Committee (AFAILOC) whose sole mandate is to lobby the government of the day to maximise implementation of ASUU-FGN agreements. In selecting members of this committee, ASUU has to be clearheaded and pragmatic.

My suggestion in that regard is this: ASUU should identify people that have

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those with appropriate emotional intelligence for lobbying, should be co-opted into the committee as well. Once the group is in place, it will work underground; its mandate is to meet with relevant government officials at agreed intervals, preferably out of media spotlight, for the sole purpose of persuading government to implement government had agreed with ASUU. Certainly, sincerity of purpose and selflessness on all the parties concerned is a conditio sine qua non for the recommendation to work. Our proposal has the fundamental advantage of

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

The human fractions friendly friends" because of people like Judas Iscariot, friends who devour and destroy, out for their own gain and agenda. Some friends on the other hand are worth their weight in gold; their hearts are pure and they love unselfishly; without agenda.

Being of the Christian persuasion; I do subscribe to the belief that there is a divine order to the chaos of everyday life. That we meet people for a reason and that sometimes they are only in our lives for a season.

There are many angles to human interactions; many angles and many fractions.

A few years ago, a reader sent me a beautiful piece of writing. It captures the essence of my view of the world and it has been serving as a litmus test for all my relationships and interactions. It's what I am trying to explain to my family; the young and the old.

Every intention has a pur-

pose, so does every relationship and we all need to evaluate the purposes and intentions from time to time. A few years ago, I walked away from a friendship after such a test and my explanation may not have

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UMAN relations is at best delicate and at worst tricky. Being social creatures we thrive based on relationships, mixing views and values, rubbing minds and attributes. In my view most relationships have a life span, at least those that don't involve blood and covenants do. My children took me to task on relationships and it was all about human relations. One of them is leaving one school for another and he is bitter sweet about the experience.

I can relate and I truthfully told him there are some of his mates that he will probably never see again but that there will never be a vacuum as people come and go during the course of one's life. By his own admission some of the friendships had grown stale and even mean so I just told him to let them go. Not every friend is friendly. The world is used to the phrase "un-

A healthy connection will protect your self-worth even when you're experiencing a season of pain or struggling with a failure in your life

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made sense to most people but I felt very justified. That particular association or friendship, did not add to me in any way, it subtracted from me and it divided me into fragments. It served no beneficial purpose and its intent could only have been destruction. I identi-

Jonathan and the hounds of motorable roads that I drove; roads that were in the past impassable. In my local county, old corrugated colonial roads; roads built when my maternal grandfather was county works supervisor or foreman, have now become macadamized through the agency of FERMA and by the efforts, I've been told, of the honourable Emeka Ihedioha, who brought the bacon home. There was greater evidence of the availability of petrol. In the past I would see long lines of cars like soldier ants in dry stations. In this trip, far more than at any other time, there was no experience of fuel shortage. You drove into a gas station, and you had fuel. No problem. If only for this, president Jonathan's administration deserves great commendation. I felt a sense of prosperity among Nigerians.

Things remain very tough, no doubt about this, from years of economic attrition. Nigerians continue to complain, and rightfully too, because this nation can do much better by its citizens. But I felt a greater sense of public well-being, far more than at any other time in the last twenty-five years. There is a bustle; a new spring in the gait of Nigerians; a new sense of confidence, and it is palpable, even among the young, who are increasingly deploying their skills to various entrepreneurial emer-

gencies – efforts which this government must do well to support with a far-reaching policy.

There is still great disparity in the distribution of wealth: humongous wealth continue to pile in just a few hands; a dangerous and unsustainable trend - while a

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S readers of the “Orbit” are bound to notice, this column has been on furlough for the past six weeks. I came to Nigeria to bury Chinua Achebe, and I had taken a break afterwards to vacation and do some research. I have interest currently in writing the biography of the poet, statesman, leader of the African anti-colonial movement in the 20th century, and Nigeria's first president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. Zik's is a much layered life and we can chew him only in little bits. I'd spent the last eight weeks in Nigeria traveling in bush taxis and buses; hanging out with village folk, as well as some dear old friends in Abuja, Lagos, Owerri, Enugu, Jos, PortHarcourt, and Onitsha. I kept my ears on the ground and my reporter's instinct sharpened.

Two things struck me: I've been on biennial and triennial trips homewards to Nigeria since my expatriation nearly fourteen years ago, and I'd never felt a better sense of the presence of government in the lives of Nigerians as I felt in this trip, and yet it also felt, quite eerily indeed as though the administration was wrestling with shadowy spirits – factors that make his best efforts invisible.

There is clear evidence that the government is working, and it is abundant at least in the vast network

fied my Judas, but cut him off before he could get his 30 pieces of silver.

Every end signals a new beginning and while the ending may be sad, it is a legitimate right of passage in human relations. I genuinely admire those people who have been able to go through all of life's seasons with enduring friendships.

I recall my best friend in primary school as a beautiful girl called Violet but halfway into secondary school we weren't even talking. There have been many friends since then and looking back I daresay the sincerest and probably best friend I had growing up would be "Yezde", my partner without guile or agenda back in the university.

Even when I look back and administer the litmus test; it passes with flying colours. That friendship, added and multiplied me; thats how I see people who make us better, who call us higher and love us through good and bad times. I am blessed enough to have another a greater sense of safety and security than in the past.

In spite of the public criticisms that have trailed the president's policy of containment, national security is clearly at alert even though operationally, the security agencies have managed not to blanket Nigeria with a sense of siege. In the past, I felt nervous traveling Eastwards, but the East is today calm as a gentle breeze; calmer than I'd remember. Since the end of the civil war, the Eastern part of Nigeria has often seemed like it was under police and military occupation. Today, there is far less police presence on

A great attribute of sophisticated political leadership is the ability to change positions to great effect; to use compromise as a tool of statescraft

young generation of skilled unemployed continue to feel profoundly alienated from their society: jobless, under-employed, and often without ameliorative support. This generation has grown cynical, fatalistic, and may well be a ticking time-bomb. However, it seems clear also that when all things are generally considered, President Goodluck Jonathan's administration has grappled with a terrible legacy of waste, and in very quiet and sometimes clearly unremarked ways has done far more work than he has been given credit to stem the tide of decay.

Although the Boko Haram insurgency remained quite clearly an issue, I have felt

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the roads. Those uniformed and sworn personnel on the roads no longer harass the public. They treat the public with greater respect. I felt this and those who have not lived under a society in constant siege might not understand the sense of relief that clearly accompanies this new order of reality. There are certainly many blindspots in this administration. Electricity supply is still iffy. Unemployment is still criminally high.

There is evidence of continued corruption in public places. There are very major policy planks that I disagree with, particularly for their neo-conservative tilt.

Yet, we must, as a matter of

such person who is a fraction that multiplies and adds; a true God connection, father to all my munchkins and blessing of a lifetime.

So here I am encouraging the executive son (a pet name for my son) that there are more friends in his future and what hurts now will be a distant memory in just a little while. Most of the friendships he describes now are at best casual and besides, how intimate can friendship be in primary school? Real test of friendship begins a bit later, when commitment of heart and substance come into play.

That's when the fractions and all their angles step up.

Maturity and experience is what necessitates the checks and balances that help us protect ourselves. I have kept the words that reader sent me close to my heart and even though its been a few years, it remains a gem I treasure. Its worth keeping, so please enjoy and treasure.

"When God wants to bless you, He sends a person in your life.When the devil wants to destroy you, he sends a person in your life.How can we tell the difference? By knowing your people connections.Your success depends on the quality of people you are connected to,and there are two types of people you'll come in contact with throughout your lifetime.

*The 1st are those who add and multiply, thereby making you more than you are. *The 2nd are those who subtract and divide, thereby devaluing you, making you less than you are.

Never allow people into your life without knowing their agenda. Find out where they came from and why they want to be connected to you.

When a person is in your life and your life is declining, they are not a God connection!

A healthy connection will protect your self-worth even when you're experiencing a season of pain or struggling with a failure in your life. A true God connection will never abandon his assignment until you reach your full potential!''

It is a fruit of wisdom to examine motivation where there are human interactions, especially where pain, malice and deceit are on the menu. It is a fruit of maturity to practice caution in relationships where eagerness overwhelms integrity and information. It is a fruit of courage to say goodbye to the wrong fractions in all human interactions and it is reality to accept that every "hello" is a potential "goodbye", every beginning an ending. People come and people go and its nothing personal; that's just the way it is in human nature; they are all but fractions.

obligation acknowledge, that President Jonathan has performed better than any of his predecessors in the last twenty-five years. So, the question remained for me: in spite of the clear leaps made by the Jonathan administration, there remains a clear necessity to undermine him and destabilize his best efforts. I will emphasize this: this president is not as dumb or weak as he has been made out to be by his severest critics. In a measure of competence, he is by far, more competent than Obasanjo, for instance. He has contained the terrifying Boko Haram insurgency. He has accomplished some infrastructural milestones in the area of roads and public highways; he has made certain that the age old shortages that shut down production in Nigeria has been stemmed; he has cleaned up the banking sector, and he is providing a clearly more accessible leadership with a humane face. There, I think is where the disconnect happens.

Nigerians have been so used to military style leadership that President Jonathan's style seem to some a bit strange. His spokesmen put a finger to it: “this president is not a bully.” Perhaps, because most of Goodluck Jonathan's critics suffer from something akin to the “Stockholm effect” - they somehow miss the “strong president” - the bulldozer who does not negotiate, compromise, or recalibrates his position.

They want him to crush Boko Haram to pulps and not listen to any other counsel. I want him to crush Boko haram and not negotiate. But I think that as president, he has all the facts at his disposal to take decisions which should be beyond my own sentiment.

The question I'd ask myself

will be: should I trust this president? I think Nigerians elected a democrat, and not a dictator.

A great attribute of sophisticated political leadership is the ability to change positions to great effect; to use compromise as a tool of statescraft. But the hounds are after this president for the wrongest of reasons: from the very beginning, he was the “ wrong” president: a minority nobody, who had been trussed up from obscurity to power, Goodluck Jonathan had no power base; had no innings in the traditional cult of power in Nigeria. He was the classic outsider. Those who made him thought he could be made into a marionette; they would sing, and he would dance. But they forgot something: the stubborn gene of the Ijo and the wit and cunning of the Aro of Jonathan's hybrid ancestry, as well as the fact that, in spite of our unwillingness to believe it, the president earned his doctorate in the Sciences, and it is not honoris causa. An educated man is bound ultimately to confound his adversaries. I think Jonathan is playing for high stakes. He has aligned his own forces, and he is in a great battle with very traditional power oligarchs, and they want his head on a platter. They have lit a cauldron in Rivers state, using Rotimi Amaechi, Jonathan's closest political kinsman: it is a classic ruse, and the issues have also become mired in cloak and dagger politics: from the battle over the control of the governor's forum, a key position in the coming nomination process for president in the PDP, to the question of who controls the president's backyard, there is in all this, a prelude to 2015.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 11

Why we don’t detain debtor-patients in Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja — Dr. Ahmed-DanFulani D

Dr. Mohammed Ahmed-DanFulani, Medical Director of Kubwa General Hospital...”we’re compassionate” a dental unit we also have what we call the laboratory aspect. We get referrals from other hospitals in town to our lab here and that has been very tremendous in terms of the numbers. The hospital did not have a laundry unit, they just wash behind the building but now we have a fantastic laundry unit with big industrial washing machines and dryer. We also have a new physiotherapy unit big enough for a good number of people. We have a restaurant which is completely new and then we have virtually renovated all the wards in the hospital and we have also increased the number of bed spaces from over 70 to 110. We have started the process of getting a stand-alone pharmacy unit, another new building entirely.

We want to introduce admission facility specifically for psychiatric patients if we are able to do that, that will also be the first in FCT hospitals as currently nobody has a dedicated admission wards for psychiatric patients, they are just admitted into a general ward but we are trying to see how we can get about four beds strictly for psychiatric patients.

Again, the hospital didn’t have an intensive care unit. If you look at the expansion, the number of surgeries we have done and the number of specialists we have on ground, you will agree that this hospital is one of the best. We have 14 specialists and they cover all areas.

What peculiar case has the hospital been able to treat that is exceptional?

There was obvious need for improvement of facilities when l assumed office but one thing that we did which l was really very happy about was that, in the past, when you have premature babies that are usually less than 1kg, most times, they don’t make it, but this particular one was just 0.8, that is, just less than about

24 weeks, they survive only in developed countries. But that baby was able to survive here, that was the most impressive thing and then there was also another one, 1kg. We also had a situation where an Okada rider was attacked by armed robbers who slashed his throat such that before we started the operation the patient had only four pints of blood. But with the grace of God, we were able to repair the neck, put it back in place. It was a wonderful experience otherwise that man couldn’t have made it.

We also had a surgery on a hernia that was weighing almost 20kg, that is not common. We have also

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r Mohammed AhmedDanFulani, Medical Director of Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, in this interview with Favour Nnabugwu , Victoria Ojeme and Alice Festus, says Nigerians do not appreciate the expertise of their doctors as they prefer to go abroad for treatment, wasting so much money in the process, but returning home without improvement in their medical conditions. AhmedDanfulani also says Nigerian doctors are rated high anywhere in the world. Excerpts: What is the magic behind the transformation of the hospital?

I will not call it magic. I will rather say persistency of aiming at a goal and working hard to achieve the goal. Again, when you have the people at the helm of affairs who listen to your ideas and they find some sense in them and then give you all the support needed to achieve such a goal, one cannot afford to disappoint them. It is the cooperation from everybody including the management, that is, the FCT Health Secretary and the FCT Minister that made some of those changes happen.

One thing is to get the funds; another is being able to use it well. How did you manage the funds that transformed the hospital?

We did our best. When I assumed office, l saw that there were a lot of gaps, I came in barely a year ago, l found that there were certain things not in place and needed to be corrected.

That willingness to make those corrections is what has helped to judiciously apply the funds, but we still have a long way to go. If you look around, you will observe that we still have some challenges.

What are the challenges?

When I came into office, the hospital virtually stopped operating the theatre and I met about seven buildings that were locked up unused, and we were able to open all of them. In addition to opening all of the seven buildings, we have erected additional ones. Alsowe are at the verge of completing a special TB diagnostic laboratory which is going to be one of the very few in the country, an advanced form of resistant diagnosis of tuberculosis. The lab is very unique and I am sure it is an achievement that everybody will be happy about. We have upgraded our eye care unit. We now have a befitting theatre and specialised equipment for diagnosis and eye operation. We were able to open a radio diagnostic centre where we have an x-ray, ultra sound which we didn’t have before. We also opened a locked up MDG building which is housing a new theatre just for maternity and postnatal process. We were able to open a dental unit, completely from the scratch with all the equipment. It is not just opening

delivery, we don’t charge; if you book at the correct time, you can pass through that without paying and then, like we have noted in many instances, patients who ordinarily are not ANC having been admitted and cannot pay for their fees, we just waive it for them.

Do you think the level of people around can afford it?

Our medical bill is cheap; our philosophy is that the people that can pay should pay while those that cannot pay should be helped.

A satellite like Kubwa has majority of FCT and federal civil servant who pay the bills. Some of them are under NHIS while others have health insurance scheme and can also afford to pay their bills. However, we still have a lot of people from the rural areas from as far as Suleja Niger State coming to access care especially obstetrics and gynecology hence quite a number of them cannot afford to pay their bills. For instance, FCT staff are supposed to have what they call FCT health insurance system which means you don’t pay a dime and they are in the majority of not less than 80%.

Why do you think Nigerians still prefer to go abroad for treatment?

It is mentality. For instance, if you ask an average Nigerian where he bought a product which you admired on him, he will tell you he bought it from London; it may not necessarily be as good as the one you find in the Nigerian market. For example, somebody bought his shoes from Aba and many of us were crazy

I hope that one day our government will encourage our doctors abroad to come back home so that Nigerians will not need to go abroad for treatment. We have enough and competent doctors. What we need to do is just to improve the facilities and find solution to the power problem

removed fibroid almost 5kg and it was successful.

What do you do with patients who are not able to pay their bills?

My principle which l believe applies to many other MDs in hospitals is the waiver system.

We have a social welfare department which we refer such patients to and we carry out investigations including visiting their homes; when they give us report that this patient cannot pay, we waive it and release them.

We are more particular about women and children who ordinarily are supposed to enjoy free ante-natal care. So the rule of engagement here is that from registration to antenatal, till delivery either by CS or by safe

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about the shoes. The man initially told us it was from Italy but when he realised that everybody was interested, he confess that it wasn’t from Italy, that he bought it from Aba. I agree that some abroad things are very good but not all the time.

We have a lot of good quality stuff now in our country that we are not making good use of. l can also authoritatively tell you that Nigerian doctors, in spite of the limitations and all of that, can treat nothing less than 80 to 85% of all cases in Nigeria today.

But when it comes to rehabilitation, majority of the cases of rehabilitation can still be done here but l must also add that there are surgeries which even US refer to Indians and vice

versa. There are also surgeries that require a bigger hospital and facilities but a good number of the people who go abroad for treatment, less than 10% of them actually need to do that while 90% of them can be taken care of here in Nigeria. Nigerians spend so much money to travel abroad for treatment and pay huge medical bills that are not worth the stress of travelling for those numbers of hours spent in the air to India. The fatigue alone can kill yet they go and come back without solution. Then, another thing people who travel abroad don’t know is that there are some of the diseases that are peculiar to certain regions; so if such patient goes abroad for treatment, he is going to task the brain of the doctor treating him for him to understand the nature of the patient’s disease; if such patient is unlucky the doctors there will misdiognose him while he will not also get the required treatment.

Is it that they don’t have confidence in Nigerian doctors?

They make a lot of mistakes in terms of assessment, Nigeria doctors are among the best. If you go to UK, Australia even South Africa, you will discover that there is a good number of Nigerian specialist doctors working in those countries in competent areas. I hope that one day our government will encourage our doctors abroad to come back home so that Nigerians will not need to go abroad for treatment. We have enough and competent doctors.

What we need is just improve the facilities and find solution to the power problem etc after which we will be on top of the world.

Nigerian doctors are rated very high anywhere we practise outside Nigeria.

Do you get enough income to sustain the hospital?

I won’t say that. The issue of funding is a general problem in Nigeria though World Health Organisation, WHO, recommended that every country in the world should allocate like 15% of its budgetary allocation to health, but the best we get in Africa is 10%; even in Nigeria it has been very difficult to get to that level. However, l need to give kudos to the Federal Government and the FCT administration for their giant strides in addressing the challenges in the health sector in the face of competing demands for government funds.I must say that funding should not be left alone for government.

There must be private sector participation. In Nigeria today, businessmen are not investing seriously in the health sector, but the South Africa’s health sector is private sector driven. What government should do is to provide the enabling environment that will allow investors who don’t have to be doctors to invest in the health sector.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

‘Edo electoral body had no reason to cancel council polls’

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BY VICTOR OMOREGIE

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Mr. John Yakubu the elections.

Exactly what did they hear?

After the elections, we started hearing that the results of the elections in Esan North-East had been cancelled for no reason.

Where did this information emanate from?

It came from the EDSIEC chairman, Mr. Solomon Ogor. I am still waiting for the EDSIEC chairman to give reasons the elections were annulled. He did mention something about thuggery. I agree with him as some thugs hired by a party came from Benin and invaded our local government in order to forment trouble. They were all arrested. I expect the Edo police commissioner to prosecute those arrested.

So the position today is that the election results were cancelled

I am calling on the police to look for the Returning Officer incharge of Esan NorthEast, to explain how he collected money for a job he never did

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because of insecurity.

That is what the EDSIEC chairman is claiming to have been the reason. He said it was because of national insecurity that the election results were cancelled. The insecurity that he was referring to was not particular to Edo State or Esan North-East. I want to plead that the elections be conducted afresh, with at least a thousand Police personnel in attendance.

In your view, what is the way forward?

Let me say, first of all, that somewhere, somebody is playing God. Somebody is depriving the people of Esan North-East of dividends of democracy. Today the people of Esan North-East

that the elections were inconclusive, he should make amends to conclude the elections by organising fresh ones. We are begging the EDSIEC chairman to fix a date for the rescheduled elections. We are begging him to come and conclude the elections just as he did in other local government council areas. Let him relocate his office to Esan North-East. It has been done before by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when elections came up for some particular states. He should not delegate anybody to do this particular duty. He should take total authority and be in charge. Let the state Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of Security Services (DSS) and heads of other relevant security agencies concerned with the electoral process all be involved in the proposed rescheduled elections in Esan North-East.

This action would truly bring to fore the true meaning of the slogan ‘One-Man One-Vote’ and would see the party that would emerge the winner. The people of Esan North-East are ready, the PDP is ready, the only ‘person’ that is not ready today for reasons best to them is EDSIEC.

PDP, Uduaghan and Nwaoboshi Teacher ’s Training College, Ibusa from where he proceeded to the then Bendel State University, Ekpoma where he read history and graduated in second class upper division.

After that, he gained admission to University of Benin where he studied law. He attended the Nigeria Law School and was later called to the Bar. He started his political ca-

BY EMMA FEJOKWU

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VER the years, creating a solid baseline for effective and stable political parties has remained an issue of concern especially among the electorate and members of the political class.

In Delta State, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been in the forefront inspite of the intrigues and counter intrigues in the party.

However, the party, under the leadership of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chair man, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, there is no doubt that it and its members are, today, looking forward with great hopes and enjoying a better political atmosphere.

Nwaoboshi, a distinctive administrator, motivator and political juggernaut, is leading the Delta PDP in the right direction.

One interesting aspect of this man of many parts is his consistency in playing politics without bitterness as well as extension of love to political friends and foes while also ensuring a level playing ground for contestants into political positions. Nwaoboshi, the Oracle turned miracle of politics, disagrees with his opponents but ready to bend if only the purpose is to serve the cause of his people.

As he clocks 56, the PDP

Chief Peter Nwaoboshi

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On 24 April, 2013, Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) conducted elections into the 18 local government areas (LGAs) in the state. Results of the elections were released for all the local government council areas except one, Esan North-East. Since the cancellation of the results of the LGA, there has been grave-yard silence pervading the area.

However, one of the major actors in the elections, Mr. John Yakubu, has been shouting himself hoarse over what he has termed injustice to himself and the denial of the dividends of democracy to the people of Esan North-East LGA. Yakubu is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate in the LGA in the elections. He had been the chairman of Esan North-East LGA from 2007 to 2010. He left government specifically on 25 October 2010 after the tenure of the council chairmen were truncated.

RE you a professional politician or businessman?

I am a businessman into civil construction, and oil and gas. I have been in business for over 30 years.I have been in the business of creation of wealth. Creativity is part of my life, adding value to whatever I place my hands on.

Four years ago, my people called me to come and serve them, that is how I found myself contributing my quota to the political development of Esan North-East LGA. It seems that your political career is on hold at the moment.

What is responsible?

Having served my people between 2007 and 2010, I was once again called upon to contest the chairmanship position in the April 24 local government elections under the banner of the PDP. The elections were earlier scheduled for 20 April but was shifted to 24 April. It was a transparent, credible, free and fair election and, by the grace of God, I won.

Was this contention that it was free and fair agreeable to both the voters and contestants?

Yes. If you talk to 19 out every 20 person within the local government area, you will receive the same positive response regarding the elections.

However, it was very unfortunate that the elections were cancelled

by EDSIEC. What led to the cancellation?

I cannot really say exactly.

Results of the elections were collated and announced in every polling booth of the 106 polling stations in the local government area. By the time the Presiding Officers and Presiding Clerks were looking for the Returning Officers, some of them had absconded, including that of Esan North-East. I am calling on the police to look for the Returning Officer in-charge of Esan North-East, to explain how he collected money for a job he never did. After the elections, people were going about satisfied that they had participated in a credible exercise, only to hear different stories regarding the conduct of

have no council just because of the voice of one man, the EDSIEC chairman and he has not proffered any reason for his action.

What role is your party playing in the drama unfolding on the cancellation of the election results?

My party (PDP) has come out to say that the elections, to a large extent, in some local government council areas, were not free. To be particular, my party has asked the EDSIEC to fix a new date for fresh elections in Esan North-East. My party is ready to participate in the rescheduled elections. This is because the PDP is on ground in the area. We are confident that if the elections are conducted 100 times, the PDP will emerge the winner.

Have you considered going to court?

For now I see no reason to head to the court, because if the EDSIEC chairman was to testify in court, his response would probably be that the elections were inclusive. With the case in court, the opportunity to set up a care-taker committee to run the affairs of the council would arise.

We do not want to be pulled into such a situation. We are saying if the EDSIEC chairman says

One interesting aspect of this man of many parts is his consistency in playing politics without bitterness as well as extension of love to political friends and foes while also ensuring a level playing ground for contestants into political positions

leader, a great son of Obi Nwaoboshi of Isieke-Umuekea Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, has come a long way.

History, they say, revolves within the lives of a few great men hence, from the day of his birth, none of those that gathered to rejoice with the parents knew the greatness the little boy would achieve in life.

He started his academic life in a nursery/primary school, and later went to St. Thomas

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reer when he was appointed as an aide to Alhaji Shehu Musa (Makama Nupe), the former Secretary to the Federal Government.

Nwaoboshi was the local government chairman under the National Republican Convention Party (NRC) and Delta State Chairman, Democratic Party of Nigerian (DPN).

He was also an aide to the then Bendel State governor, Prof. Ambrose Ali, of blessed memory.

He was the first secretary of

the PDP in Delta State and has used his acumen to ensure success for the party at the polls.

Nwaoboshi was later appointed as political adviser to then Governor James Ibori, who, in 2001, appointed him as commissioner for agriculture, a position he used to make tremendous impact on the lives of farmers and also brought innovation to food preservation in the state.

In 2004, he was appointed the commissioner for special duties, after which he became the Chairman, Raw Materials Research and Development Commission, Abuja.

Nwaoboshi is the first politician of Delta North extraction to occupy the position of the PDP Chairman in Delta State.

A firm believer of God as the ultimate, the PDP boss has special place carved out in his home where a daily prayer session takes place in praise of God for his bountiful blessings and protection.

It is believed that the forthcoming local government elections in Delta will witness peaceful co-existence among all the contestants especially among those of the PDP following the foot steps and daily counselling by the state chairman of the party on the need to play the game with absolute interest for the welfare of the electorate in distribution of dividends of democracy. *Fejokwu, a media consultant, lives in Asaba, Delta State.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 13

PROLOGUE

BY JIDE AJANI “It is written, that the Office of the State Governor shall become vacant and you, as Mr. Speaker, shall become the next governor of this state.

“It is written and so sayeth the Lord…..”

This is no fiction.

Before your mind wanders too far and begins to play tricks on your consciousness, hold your peace – we will get back to that later.

But first, how does the human mind work?

How does the mind determine what is right from what is wrong?

What makes a man launch a voyage with messianic pursuit into realms that are at best unknown and at worst possibly dangerous?

Well, myopia, for one, plays tricks on the human mind. This is an eye focusing disorder, a condition that makes “close objects look clear but distant objects appear blurred”. The direct import of this in the instance of politics is that those who engage a process are never able to see the clear and present danger that engagement constitutes until it hits them in the face.

And that is exactly why Nigeria’s political space is strewn with acts of serial folly.

Those who threatened to make life miserable for the Goodluck Jonathan administration pre-2011 presidential election have had their conscience run for cover in the face of the rampaging and deadly acts of the Jamaatu Ahlil Sunna Lidawati wal Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram.

The same goes for Olusegun Obasanjo’s pursuit of the Third Term agenda and the consequential downward spiral of his image and status as a once globally respected statesman.

That introductory prophesy was not from a man of God.

THE SCHEME FOR EMERGENCY RULE

‘It is written’ It was the voice of a fake seer, planted in front of the house of the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

It was a story that played out in the state in October, 2006.

Please believe it. That was how it all started and how the state came under emergency rule.

The story goes like this: The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, had a fake Aladura, a fake seer, planted around his house such that he would hear him make prophetic statements about his (the Speaker’s) rise to power. The Speaker had always ignored the seer until the political crisis between Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja (read Obasanjo) and Governor Ayo Fayose almost reached a head. It became clear to the Speaker that the only way he would become governor of Ekiti State was by impeaching Fayose and Mrs Abiodun Olujimi, his deputy.

The first panel set up by the House, in a most shambolic manner, the Justice Kayode Bamishile Panel, did not meet the expected end. Another panel was hurriedly set up (mind you, all with the mission to fulfill the prophecy), the Aladejana Panel, which swiftly impeached both Fayose and his deputy.

Fayose insisted that his purported impeachment was a joke. While this air of uncertainty prevailed, Olujimi was

summoned to Abuja by Obasanjo and, upon her return to Ekiti State, pronounced herself governor.

Meanwhile, within 24 hours, the Speaker, too, declared himself governor.

As this sordid drama was playing out, there were already instituted, two cases in court. But all these were not to matter as Obasanjo imposed emergency rule and swept aside all democratic structures. So, who says it was not written?

It is the same thing that is happening in Rivers State today. Because some characters who have decided to put their trust in queens - contrary to the Biblical admonition that men should not place their trusts in princes – and who have been assured of the governorship of the state, all hell had to be let loose.

But there are some conclusions to be reached and which are utterly unbecoming of leadership.

To even associate the office of the President and Commander-in-chief of Nigeria with any act that is unbecoming is bad enough.

But without prejudice to the fact that Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State cannot be exculpated from any blame in this matter, does not grant those associated with and fully inspired

by Aso Rock the magna carta to turn a

House of Assembly into a war zone or seek to remove a governor from office illegally. Each time Aso Rock issues a statement denying complicity, the standard response from most rightthinking Nigerians is, “ who does the Presidency think it is fooling?”. Yoruba have a saying: “Won pe e lo’le oon gbe omo eran jo” (You’re seen as a thief and yet you are dancing away with somebody’s goat)? There is sufficient suspicion that Aso Rock is working day and night to get Amaechi out of office and there are serial acts linked to Aso Rock suggesting that pattern; yet it persists along that line.

There is an Arabic saying that an army of lions led by a sheep would always be defeated by an army of sheep led by a lion. Shambolic acts only seek to beget other acts of shambolisim. In a situation where there is already a deficit in goodwill, the powers-that-be choose to go further down the hole? In any case, how does Amaechi’s ouster bolster the goodwill and integrity of Aso Rock? So, why waste precious time in helping to acquire more sympathisers for Amaechi while Aso Rock makes itself the object of ridicule and scorn? There was the aircraft issue; the Governors’ Forum shame is still there; now we add the Rivers State House of Assembly disgrace.

And to think playing god or goddess is one of the signposts of grand folly makes all this vain pursuit more laughable. Asking why? Because vanity upon vanity comes down to vanity and we are all mortals.

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

House of Assembly crisis:

The fantastic five of Rivers

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

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A speaker and questionable mace

The five anti-Governor Chibuike Amaechi lawmakers now had the whole hallowed chambers of the Assembly complex to themselves. They are Michael Okechukwu Chinda, Victor Ihunwo, Michael Amaewhule, Godspower Kelechi Wogu and Evans Bapakaye Bipialaka . They immediately commenced sitting with a mace. Only the Assembly could say if the mace was fake or authentic. But there was a mace.

Amaewhule moved a motion calling for the impeachment of the Speaker of the House, Hon Otelemaba Amachree; the

•Rivers’ House in commotion motion was seconded by Wogu. They went ahead to pronounce Bipialaka as the Speaker.

Bipialaka stood up, headed for the dais and sat on the seat reserved for the Speaker of the House. He then proceeded to give his acceptance speech. He was on this when the proAmaechi lawmakers that stormed out came in; this time accompanied by the governor.

Fresh fracas ensued. One proAmaechi lawmaker dashed for the mace, broke it. A part of it was used to hit Chinda. A policeman also dealt Chinda some blows. He managed to escape through one of the exit doors.

About four lawmakers were allegedly injured in the melee that engulfed the House.

Meantime, the pro-Amaechi lawmakers with Amachree as Speaker later reconvened. The deputy governor, Engr Tele Ikiru, was in the House to present an executive amendment to the 2013 budget. A mace was in the chambers, this time; it was not the one broken by the House member who was not with the lawmakers because he was reportedly admitted in a hospital for injuries suffered during the fracas.

Amachree was not robed in the Speaker ’s official attire. He was ushered into the hallowed chambers by the sergeant-at-arms who was carrying the mace. When he sat, he called on the Clerk to read out the order of the day. He was still talking when Bipialaka, who had earlier been made Speaker by five members, pushed his way into the gallery. He watched the

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OW many maces surfaced in the Rivers State House of Assembly on Tuesday? Two or three as being alleged in some quarters? Will the judgement of a tiny minority of five overrule over that of 26? These and many more are some of the questions that have continued to agitate the minds of keen observers of political developments in the Assembly after the drama on Tuesday.

As early as 7.30 am that Tuesday, members started streaming into the Assembly complex for the day ’s business. Some, who had not seen themselves for a while, took time to exchange banters. The House, until that day, had not sat for about two months. So some of the lawmakers were probably seeing themselves after the House adjourned sine die.

Youths were all over the Assembly complex. Nobody could say if they came to observe the proceedings of the House but they clustered in groups.

Such sight is not unusual at the House on special days like when nominees for political appointments are scheduled for screening. Such nominees, oftentimes, mobilise relatives and supporters to cheer them when being screened.

Security operatives were also all over the complex. They took time to search vehicles before being allowed into the complex while those on foot were frisked. The atmosphere looked busy.

At the hallowed chambers, some of the members moved from their seat to exchange pleasantries, depicting a friendly and convivial atmosphere.

Then, suddenly, the mood changed.

Probably only the gladiators could explain what informed the provocation.

All the journalists present could see from the gallery was a member landing the leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd, a slap on his cheek. Within seconds, the House became chaotic, computers were destroyed and objects were thrown all over by the lawmakers.

Policemen raced into the chambers.

Their presence created an opportunity for the pro-Amaechi lawmakers to run out.

Fresh fracas ensued.

One pro-Amaechi lawmaker dashed for the mace, broke it. A part of it was used to hit Chinda.

A policeman also dealt Chinda some blows. He managed to escape through one of the exit doors. About four lawmakers were allegedly injured in the melee that engulfed the House

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proceedings briefly from there before he was forced out by some security operatives. He was accused of coming into the gallery with teargas; this could not be confirmed.

Amachree told the majority lawmakers that Amaechi wanted the House to amend sub heads in the 2013 budget relating to some capital projects.

He invited the deputy governor to address the House.

Ikiru thanked the lawmakers for their attention, adding that he was representing his principal, Amaechi.

He said he had come to present an executive amendment to the 2013 budget on capital expenditure, stressing that it would enable

government deliver more on its promises to the state.

The Speaker took over and explained that the amendment was not intended to add or remove from the N490,220,000 budget earlier passed by the Assembly. “The amendment is only on capital expenditure. We are not adding or removing from the budget.

The governor is only asking for movement from one sub head to the other and it is only on capital expenditure”, he said.

The House then asked the deputy governor to leave while it dissolved into a committee of the whole House where the amendment was granted.

Amachree announced that the amendment had been affected The House adjourned.

Ikiru, who retired to one of the offices in the complex, later joined the Speaker and other principal officers on their way out of the chambers.

The majority

As they made their way out, Bipialaka broke out from a crowd of youths he was addressing and made attempt to attack Amachree. Security details attached to the Speaker had to shield him and the deputy governor.

Ikiru and Amachree drove out of the complex.

At a media briefing later, the Speaker dismissed the claim that he was impeached by the five lawmakers, stressing that the leadership of the House had not changed.

Continues on page 15

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 15

At that point, I’m sure somebody may have reached out to the governor of the state who came in with his own security because these other policemen were there standing helplessly. The governor came and rescued members

Continued from page 14 “We were shocked to hear of the impeachment. The leadership of the House has not changed. Can five members sit to impeach the leadership of the House? We did not expect there would be chaos in the House. We were all exchanging pleasantries before I was attacked. “ When asked why only 23 lawmakers sat to pass the amendment sought by the executive when the claim was that they had 27 lawmakers on the side of the governor, Amachree said four members sent excuses to be absent. He however quickly noted that 23 was still a majority. “’It is not compulsory that every member must be present in our sitting. I am aware they took excuses”, he said.

On the mace used by the five lawmakers to sit, the Speaker said it was fake, adding that the tradition to convene the House was for the Speaker to be escorted by the sergeant-at-arms with the mace. “The sergeant-at-arms only escorted me with the mace.”

When asked to comment on the action of the police and other security operatives during the melee, he said he was dissatisfied with their conduct.

Amachree said the House had applied for police protection to cover the sitting but he was surprised that they only came to watch.

“I asked the Clerk to write to the Commissioner of Police and the army for protection. The police came watching. We will write to the National Assembly. We also did not see the army”, the Speaker said.

The following day, another crisis broke out, this time between supporters of the two factions. The pro- Amaechi lawmakers had slated a sitting for 10 am while the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers fixed 8am for theirs.

By 6:30 am, there were thousands of youths on Moscow Road which leads to the Assembly complex. It dawned on all that there would be another showdown among the lawmakers if they went ahead with the sittings. An aide to the Speaker, Mr Jim Opiki, said the pro-Amaechi lawmakers had called off their sitting to avert another round of crisis.

Meantime, a combined security team quickly moved into the Assembly, ordering everybody out including the staff. They fired teargas to chase away loyalists of the two parties on Moscow Road.

Police later mounted barricades on the two sides of the road. Motorists and pedestrians were not allowed into the road. They also mounted an armoured personnel carrier at the end of road connecting William Jumbo road. No vehicle was allowed to go beyond the Port Harcourt City Council secretariat.

Then youths chased from the Assembly complex and Moscow Road later moved to the Government House end. Those in support of the 27 lawmakers gathered in front of Government House while those in support of the anti-Amaechi lawmakers assembled close to the post office which

,

Rivers Assembly crisis: Will five votes overrule 27?

,

•Rivers... a state in shambles is barely 100 meters from the Government House.

The two groups started hurling stones and other hard objects at each other.

Motorists and pedestrians had to scamper for safety. The police fired several canisters of teargas to disperse the factions.

Bipialaka addressed his supporters at the Post office end earlier, saying he had gone to the House to resume as Speaker but police men from the opposing group made it impossible for the House to sit.

Meantime, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu Joseph, said the ban on public protest was in force in the state. He said the police would apply minimal force to stop any street protest.

The two lawmakers who were hospitalised told their stories of how they found themselves in hospital.

God will judge

– Hon Llyod Chinda “Rivers State House of Assembly elected a new Speaker, Hon. Evans Bipialaka, after Hon. Daniel Amaechree was impeached and everything concerning the enthronement of the new speaker was concluded. We were about to leave the peace when the governor broke into the chambers with thugs. Governor Rotimi Amaechi led a group of thugs including the Government House police and some other security men. They came in and started beating everybody”, Chinda the injured anti-Amaechi lawmaker said.

He continued: “In my own case, I have to be very specific. I was about leaving, I never knew that Chidi Lloyd , we are very close in the House, I was misled by my closeness with him. I never had any idea that he could be so brutal to use such a weapon on my head with one policeman who also held my hand, jacket to assist him to accomplish that task.

My colleagues rushed me to Saint Patrick Hospital in the pool of my own blood and I have been here since yesterday.

“If you look at my records, from the

very day we were inauguarated by the governor of Rivers State, …I have never insulted the governor. I hold the office of the governor of Rivers State in a very high esteem and I wouldn’t have gone close to the governor. I didn’t even go close to the governor because we respect him. But Chidi Lloyd and the policemen came and did what they did.

God will judge. Why will I insult the governor? If anybody said I did such a thing, he is not being fair to me.

“We formed a quorum, the number required to impeach a Speaker”.

Our state under siege

— Assembly leader chidi lloyd “Yesterday, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Otelema Dan Amachree, directed that the House be reconvened to consider an amendment to the 2013 appropriation law which the governor had communicated to him via a letter”, Lloyd, the pro-Amaechi member of the House said. He went on: “As if Mr. Speaker saw what was going to happen today, he wrote a letter through the Clerk of the House to the Commissioner of Police to provide security for the sitting and he also wrote to the commander of 2 Amphibious Brigade who also doubles as the head of the internal JTF. So when we got to work this morning, we saw policemen numbering over 50 and we thought that this was in response to Mr. Speaker’s request.

“Shortly thereafter, I noticed that the five anti-Amaechi members were discussing and calling their boys to come in. Initially, the policemen were searching everybody who would come into the premises. I had to even come down at the gate and trekked into the premises. After a while, we learnt there were phone calls and the commissioner of police personally called the unit, the man in charge to allow everybody in.

“We went in as members who had not seen ourselves for sometime because of the crisis in the state. I was on my seat, without provocation, Hon. Evans Bipi came to me in the full glare of everybody on camera and started raining punches on me. As his Leader,

I did not react because I felt that it was something we could settle; whatever it was, maybe I didn’t greet him. When that continued, the Speaker intervened. Then Bipi reached out for the tripod that stands the camera, used it freely on me, himself and Michael Okechukwu Chinda. They flogged me to their satisfaction, I didn’t just utter a word until Hon. Ihunwo graciously asked me to run for my dear life because they had brought people with guns and, of course, when I looked at the gallery they were shouting, ‘ who is the Chidi Lloyd, who is the Chidi Lloyd’.

“At that point, I’m sure somebody may have reached out to the governor of the state who came in with his own security because these other policemen were there standing helplessly. The governor came and rescued members.

After a while, we heard that they were meeting, they had procured a fake mace; so we went back and I took the mace where they were sitting; I sustained injury as a result of the violence by Michael Chinda and Evans Bipi.

So while I was in hospital, the Speaker and other members of the House sat and heard the amendment that the governor sent, was presented on his behalf by the deputy governor.

I want to use this opportunity, while in hospital here, I have received phone calls of threat to my family and I. “Incidentally, I’m so helpless, I don’t know who to run to. I can’t go to the commissioner of police because he is on the other side. I’m appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to pray for me and my family. That is the last hope we have resorted to and that we also urge the National Assembly, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Reps not to turn the other way on the events Rivers State. This could lead to something that we cannot imagine.

It happened in Anambra State, people were laughing, today it is Rivers State; nobody knows the next state it would be. If we are practising democracy, let us play by the rules. The state is under siege. You can’t even vouch for the safety of the governor”.

At the time of this piece, none of the two factions could access the state House of Assembly.

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

Abuja not immune to Rivers impasse

The House of crisis

BY HENRY UMORU

O

zChoas everywhere

,

n Tuesday, the political quagmire in Rivers States reached the climax.

The dramatis personae in the crisis shifted the battle to the state House of Assembly where there was a free-forall following an attempt to impeach the Speaker, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree.

At the end,, the Leader of the House, Michael Chinda, and another lawmaker, Martins Amahule, sustained injuries.

Five members of the Assembly opposed to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi engaged the pro- Amaechi legislators in a fight shortly after the latter resisted the move to impeach the Speaker. Amachree is a die-hard loyalist of Amaechi since the problem in Rivers State started.

Aghast by the violent turn in the Rivers crisis, the Senate, on Wednesday, intervened when they held a closeddoor meeting on how to find a lasting solution to the logjam.

The Senate had been scheduled to continue the debate on the report of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led 1999 Constitution Review. It made a detour to discuss the violence in the Rivers House.

After the closed-door session, Senate President David Mark asked Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, PDP, Cross River Central, to read the five resolutions taken by the lawmakers.

Ndoma- Egba said the senators resolved to direct its Committee on States and Local Government, led by Senator Kabiru Gaya, ANPP, Kano South, to wade into the crisis in the Rivers House and was given one week to report to the general house.

The Senate also urged all parties in the crisis to restore peace and the status quos to remain.

The last resolution, which threw the Senate into a rowdy session, was that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, should take immediate steps to address the issue of the broken relationship between Amaechi and the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Joseph Mbu. Twice, Mark called out the question and twice the “nays” carried the day.

The Senate had been scheduled to continue the debate on the report of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led 1999 Constitution Review. It made a detour to discuss the violence in the Rivers House

,

Trouble started as senators jumped out of their seats to give the Senate President support. More than 11 senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the opposition parties surrounded him, offering suggestions on how to resolve the problem.

It was a difficult decision for Mark but he used his military background to resolve the situation that could have led to the throwing of chairs.

At the end of the tension-soaked session, with consultations and the upper house broken into camps, with sharp division between the opposition and ruling party, the seventh Senate, for the first time, relied on Order 73 (14) of the Senate Standing Orders, where

each member cast his/her vote on whether the chamber should urge IGP Abubakar to wade into the crisis or not.

It was a tight vote with ayes scoring 50 votes against 47 for the nays to resolve that the Senate could only urge the IGP “to take immediate steps to address the issue of the broken relationship between Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the Commissioner of Police (CP), Joseph Mbu.” Three senators abstained while seven were absent.

The CP was then given a soft landing by the senators. This did not go well with some lawmakers on the grounds that it was a complete departure from what was agreed at the closed-doors session where the lawmakers resolved that the IGP should, as a matter of urgency, remove CP Mbu from Rivers State as a way of curtailing the lingering political crisis.

The proceedings of the day began when, after taking the day ’s prayer, Senator Magnus Abe, PDP, Rivers, South/ East, moved a motion, citing Order 43 of the Senate Rules and he was obliged because the Order allows a senator to make a personal explanation in the chamber.

Abe recounted the events of the previous day in Rivers House as he said that because of the problem, ‘’for 63 days, the Rivers State of Assembly has not been able to sit”. He continued: “This week, the Assembly got notice from the governor that he wanted to bring an alteration to the state budget which prompted the Assembly to write the Commissioner of Police for protection. ‘’ Rather than offer protection, mayhem ensued. I wonder how law and order could break down when the

Assembly is directly opposite the state police command on Moscow Road.

“This incident happened right under the nose of the police, who were believed to be there to protect the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly.”

The senator urged his colleagues to wade into the development in his home state if they were interested in the country sustaining democracy, even as he accused the Rivers State Police Commissioner of being partisan in the politics of the state.

Immediately Abe finished his speech, an angry Senate President Mark, who condemned the action of the lawmakers in Rivers State, said that, as senators, they were prepared to sacrifice their blood to uphold the constitution.

According to the Senate president, Abe had raised very serious issues and it was proper to take steps to ensure that the Rivers House of Assembly was restored to normalcy. ”I also believe that the relationship between the governor and the Commissioner of Police is not the best at the moment and the IG must take immediate steps to ensure by whatever means that this situation does not continue because the governor and the Commissioner of Police must learn to work together in all the states not just in Rivers State. There has to be synergy, there has to be understanding based on terms as specified in the Constitution”, Mark said.

“As human beings there may be disagreements but it must not be to the extent to result to the breakdown of law and order.”

Before voting started in line with Order 73 of Senate Standing Orders 2011 as amended, the Senate president said, “Before I put the question, we must be conscious of the fact that the IGP has operational responsibility over the police and, in making our recommendations, we make sure that we make recommendations that, in the position of the IGP with his operational capability, he would make a judgment that will be in the interest of the police.”

The voting took place when the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and InterGovernmental Affairs, Senator Babajide Omoworare, ACN, Osun East, called for division, just as he stressed that he was not satisfied with the voice vote, thereby invoking Order 73 (1-4) of the Senate Rules.

After Omoworare rounded off with the Order when he read it and in preparation for the voting proper, Mark ordered the security to “clear the lobbies and lock the doors. For once, let’s test where we stand on issues.”

Omoworare then moved his motion.

Thereafter, Senate Clerk, Ben Efeturi, stood up and began the process of calling each senator starting with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, to vote.

Rather than announce the result after the vote was concluded, senators broke up into another round of consultations, which lasted several minutes.

Serving as the Chief Returning Officer, the Senate president announced the results, adding that three senators abstained, seven were absent while 47 members said “nay”, with 50 “ayes.”

Soon after the announcement, the chamber erupted in noise as some senators shouted, ‘No! no!!’ repeatedly.

To stamp his authority and ruling on the matter, the Senate president announced the results he declared were the final figures and said that whoever was not satisfied could go to the tribunal, adding, “This is the authentic figure…whoever is not satisfied can go to the tribunal and I am the tribunal.”

He was apparently joking because there was no provision for election tribunal after the process.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013—PAGE 17

Wole Soyinka

Patience Jonathan

N

obel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, last Thursday, took umbrage at the goings-on in Rivers State. He expressed his displeasure at the turn of events in the South -South state at a press conference where he laid bare the roles of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, in the unfolding sordid drama that has created an air of instability in the state. But in a swift response, on Friday, the First Lady took on Soyinka, claiming that he has become an embarrassment to his admirers. Below are excerpts from Soyinka’s statement: What I want to do here is to remind you of a certain historic figure. I am sure most of us here must be familiar with the name Thomas Becket, who was an Archbishop of Canterbury and who was murdered at the altar by four Knights of King Henry II. Now, I have read on the pages of newspapers and I saw that his spokesmen have been trying to distance him (President) from what is happening in Rivers State. That is their job and I wish them luck but they have to understand that the President has to understand that the perception out there in the world is that he bears vicarious responsibility for what is happening in Rivers State.

My referrence to Thomas Becket therefore, hopefully, is a little clear.

What happened was this: The absolute monarchism that obtained, at that time, was that King Henry II found that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was becoming too influential and he uttered some words. Some said that what he said was that: ‘ Will no one rid me of this pestilence?’ What

RIVERS:

Our democr atic gr ounds are being er oded —Soyinka

,

BY DAPO AKINREFON

You don’t have to utter a word directly, but from your conduct, which can convey or which can be interpreted as very strong signals or better still, say, ‘ I will come after you’. But I am saying that one can establish certain conduct in the mind of one’s followers, all of which circle around the word impunity

,

happened after that was that four Knights of the courts set out and attacked the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Cathedral. Historically now, we have a case of operators carrying out the imaginary will of the absolute mon-

arch, again another parallelism. Again, I have been asking myself, are we not tilting towards absolute monarch? We are talking about not just a democratic dispensation but a federal system of democracy. There are many ways of saying: ‘ will no one rid me of this pestilence in Rivers State?’ You don’t have to utter a word directly, but from your conduct, which can convey or which can be interpreted as very strong signals or better still, say, ‘ I will come after you’.

But I am saying that one can establish certain conduct in the mind of one’s followers, all of which circle around the word impunity. There are certain ways in which you can convince your followers, your officials, your cohorts that they can act with impunity.

There are many ways in which, for instance, you can expose a prey and say: ‘that prey is available’. Let us go back to that historical moment about 11 centuries ago, I want you to imagine King Henry II saying: ‘find some way of making the Archbishop’s carriage unserviceable or the carriage maker makes the carriage grounded’. Even after the king’s counsel said this is

unfair and that the Archbishop’s carriage should be released. I hope you see the parallelism. You take away a governor’s plane; the plane, under dubious circumstances, has been grounded, for I don’t know how many weeks now. And so, they pretend, nobody has spoken, nobody said anything in how one of your barons or dukes can function without a carriage.

Now that kind of indifference can create an enabling ground for your followers or officials to take further actions, which can endanger that baron or that duke. I am using this parallel so that we can understand that something strange is going on. And then again, you can send your wife, the queen and say, ‘Go and attend a marriage there and take the entire security service of the court and go that Archbishop’s domain and stay there for eleven days, with the full security apparatus as if you were a parallel head of state or monarch’. And you went to the place to such an extent that the baron in that area is not even allowed to move freely and is stopped by an ordinary Sheriff. He says: ‘Baron, the queen is attending a wedding or is painting her finger nails over there’.

She closes up all avenues so that even the baron of that domain cannot move.

The baron is responsible for security and governance, but he cannot move around. This is what I call creating an enabling zone or atmosphere for the baron to be dealt with. She has no constitutional position but she is able to enjoy the full security apparatus of the state.

I am calling on the President, please curb the excesses of your wife. Too much is too much. Is she the First Lirst lady we have had? She is now being used to abuse the authority of an elected governor. The governor ’s lodge was tear gased. Anybody who said teargas was not thrown into Amaechi’s lodge is either ignorant or lying. Some of Amaechi’s security has been removed. The democratic grounds are being eroded. With a teargas thrown, the next one may be a smoke bomb.

This is what we have to cope with but the grounds under us are being eroded, I am talking about the democratic grounds on which we are supposed to stand. I am laying this on the vicarious responsibilities of the president because a lot of actions or non-actions that is taken indicate quite clearly that someone around him that would say: ‘ will no one rid me of this pestilence?’

When no one is saying anything to us, an accident can happen and we get back to the days of the unknown soldier or in these days, it may more likely be the unknown policeman. So what are we waiting for? As I said, are we waiting for a smoke bomb to be thrown there and, in the process, find out that we have lost a governor? I am not going to say who should place some kind of role. Again, there is a vicarious responsibility that must be laid at the door of President Jonathan. What we are saying is that if anything happens, the responsibility is with the president.

PAGE 18— SUND AY V anguard, JUL Y 14 SUNDA Vanguard, JULY 14,, 2013

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

(07036819426)

RE: CHOICE OF CHILDBIRTH for the pregnant woman, is primarily to ensure that she feels she’s being well-taken care off. Some hospitals prefer to have women have C/S, because it quicker for them, and it brings in more money.

I know of a woman who throughout her pregnancy, she was told at the private hospital she attended that all was well with her. But when she went into labour and she was brought in by a neighbour, I understand that the staff who attended to her, told her that she would have to have a C/S, as it wouldn’t be safe for her to have natural birth. She was thrown into confusion and distress because her husband had

View-Point

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

G enerally, only a handful of nurses and midwives are sympathetic to their patients. Most of them are impatient, short-tempered, and abusive. If you groan in pain or shout for their attention, some of them would rain abuses on you, and ask you if they got you pregnant and put you in the predicament you’re in.

,,

A

SK any woman in our continent. After her wedding, the next big thing that she would dearly want is to become pregnant.

No matter how terrifying the stories she’s heard about pregnancy, labour and delivery, she would want to become pregnant so that she can prove she’s fertile, can have children, and thus be considered a ‘real’ woman by the society.

In spite of this natural desire, Pregnancy is not a beautiful experience for all women; what with the morning sickness, craving for unusual food and drinks, incessant urge to spit, etc. Labour, also, is not a walkthrough for all women. The pain for many is excruciating, and the actual delivery of the baby puts one between life and death, as delivery can swing one way or the other at the last minute. However, all pains and discomforts are forgotten when the new mother holds her baby that first time in her arms. The joy obliterates all fears, anxieties and pains, and some women actually begin to long to have a follow-up baby immediately. For some, they never get over the pain they have, and they begin to dread getting pregnant, or, if they do, there’s fear on their faces all the time, of the rough times that lie ahead. For some modern ladies, they grab anxiously, any avenue that could eliminate the pains of labour and childbirth.

Statistics of women and babies who die at childbirth/ birth, is very high in Nigeria, and that’s why NGOs on women’s health are always crying out for government to establish affordable facilities for pregnancy, delivery and post-natal care.

Women’s health are much neglected in this country, and from some responses I got from readers on the subject of ‘Choice of Childbirth,’it’s safer to go have your baby abroad, if you can afford all the attendant expenses. Others just want our hospitals to be more considerate about the fees they charge, and pay more attention to the care and safety of their patients.

‘Madam, childbirth, inspite of the pain associated with it, can be a wonderful and safe experience for both mother and baby, if hospital staff are committed to their work, which

recently passed on, and she didn’t have the sort of fee they said they would charge for C/ S; she could only meet the bill for natural birth. She was advised to phone round her friends and relatives. None could help. When that staff had gone home, a friendly and sympathetic midwife helped her with natural delivery safely. Later, she heard that because a staff had seen the posh vehicle she had been brought in, she quickly changed her status from ‘natural birth’ to C/S, thinking that she had money! What a greedy country we live in, if this story is true. - Mrs. Anazodo, S, Imo State.’

‘Mrs Ovbiagele, if one can afford it, it’s best to go have a baby abroad. There you’re well counselled about the various types of childbirth, and you’re recommended the best that is suitable for your health. They do encourage natural birth, but the options are there too. You can even arrange to have your baby at home, and efficient midwives would be assigned to you.

Many of our private hospitals here have their eyes on profit only, and would recommend to you the process that would bring them much money. The government hospitals are lacking in adequate facilities, so, women who can, avoid

going there to have their babies. Government hospitals that have good facilities and services, are not for the poor, because of their high fees.Mrs. Paulene, Benin City.’

‘Madam Helen, one can never thank you enough for that your wonderful, informative expose in last Sunday Vanguard’s Vista Woman. It’s a MUST read for all adults, young and old.

May the Good Lord continue to guide and bless you.

Emeka, Enugu.’

‘Helen, do you really think that our hospitals, private or public, are committed enough to do what you suggested in your write-up? That is, sit down with their pregnant patients and counsel them on the various types of childbirth, and guide them to choose which would be suitable and safe for them? Okay, maybe in very expensive hospitals.

Generally, only a handful of nurses and midwives are sympathetic to their patients.

Most of them are impatient, short-tempered, and abusive.

If you groan in pain or shout for their attention, some of them would rain abuses on you, and ask you if they got you pregnant and put you in the predicament you’re in. I know, because I’ve been a victim of such treatment twice.

But for the soothing presence of my mum and husband on each occasion, I don’t know how I would have survived there. Thank God that all that’s behind me now.

Sympathy, understanding and kindness would make the lot of the woman in labour so much easier. - Molade, Lagos Island.’

“Madam, if only those who run hospitals in this country

Pregnant woman

www.NeuroAidStroke.com

would read that article of yours on childbirth choices, and look into the state of maternity hospitals, and the plight of the pregnant women, and make efforts to improve things! I’m sure less women and their babies would die at childbirth; whether C/S or natural.

Thanks – Funsho, Akure.’

‘Sister Helen, I went into labour and delivery with my first child without any counselling from the hospital I registered in, and both experiences there were so painful that when I got pregnant again, I was paralyzed by fear right from the onset. My doctor knew of this, but didn’t counsel me about possible choices that could make the experience less painful, so I had to go through all that pain again to have my second baby. My husband and I there and then, decided to stop at two children. Today, our children have families of their own, and through good counselling from her doctor abroad, my daughter was able to choose the childbirth that suited her, and she enjoyed the experience. If I had such counselling, I probably would have had more children.- Mrs Dennis, Abuja.’

“Madam, a pregnant woman, especially a firsttimer, needs all the help she can get, to allay her fears about labour and childdelivery. I’m yet to meet any one who’s not afraid of pain.

Any safe method to eliminate/ reduce it, should be offered at affordable costs to those pregnant women who need it.

- Sheila, Lagos.”

We thank all those who wrote in, but regret we can only publish these few.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 19

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

F

ast receding is the usu al boast about acquisi tions - cars, houses and bank account among celebrities and some corporate bodies in Africa! The new yardstick for success has become - “How many lives have you impacted positively with your fame and fortune?” With the unveiling of her Corporate Responsibility Social Africa Award-CORSAA, Amaka Jane Anakwe, a Nigerian and an upcoming artiste who finally returned home about a couple of years ago from South Africa where she had lived and worked for several years as a local counselor, is setting the tone for the trend which she believes will help develop Africa and influence standard of living.

In this interview, Amaka, a graduate of Journalism from the Midrand Graduate Institute in Johannesburg, talks about her brainchildCORSAA, whose first edition comes up in September 2013.

Enjoy!

‘CORSAA is aimed at fostering development in Africa’— Amaka Anakwe

this country. It’s sad sometimes when you go to some big organisations and right in front of their office is a messy road full of pot-holes and stagnant water! They claim the road is a state road or federal road, but that’s not an excuse!

Whether the road is a government or state road does not matter because if they make the move to help, government would come in.

How relevant is this award to Africa?

When you look around Africa, you see the irony of life!

The rich are getting richer while the poor get poorer; that seems to be the norm. Everyone cannot be rich at the same time, but at least, we can let the wealth circulate reasonably. We need to start learning to help; we could even start with our own neighbours.

Apart from trying to encourage service amongst Africans, how are you taking the lead?

Part of the proceeds from this award will go to a selected African country chosen from a draw. That is, we’ll write down the names of participating African countries, put them in a box, and any country picked will get the proceeds.

We’ll either embark on a new project in that country or buy into an existing one.

W

e already have a myriad of award organisers in the country; how is CORSAA different?

One of the things that make it different is the selection of

Amaka Jane Anakwe

What Africa needs are people with generous hearts and an ardent desire to rescue the poor from abject poverty.

Africa needs people who can subdue the prevailing greed and selfishness we see all around the continent

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judges. Our judges will not be from Nigeria only, but from across Africa. Their names cannot be revealed now but I could vouch on their integrity. If I must promote social responsibility, it simply has to be solidly on merit. This is going to be a noble and prestigious award, and not the type that can be bought with money because I know the dream I have for CORSAA.

Amaka Jane Anakwe

(07036819426)

What inspired this award?

CORSAA is more of a calling.

As a child, I always prayed to be able to use my face to

improve the lives of people in future. So, when the need for this nature of award was stirred up in me, I immediately took up the challenge. Really, I love to help, and everyone who knows me could attest to that. I attended a beauty pageant last year and one of the questions thrown at the contestants was: “What is corporate social responsibility?” I was shocked that most of them could not come up with cogent answers! That was the day I knew I had to do something. If you’re going to represent a country and you

don’t know what you can use your position to achieve, I think there’s a problem. Fame is not all about being popular; God blesses with fame so we can use our influence to impact lives. I’m going to award producers as well who have produced movies that have changed lives or attracted international bodies to look into a certain matter. For crying out loud, movie production shouldn’t be all about love and sex! Corporate bodies are also included because I believe they have a huge role to play in the development of

Could this concept of yours be the saviour African has always yearned for?

CORSAA is not a magical solution to Africa’s problems; it’s just a move to be part of the collective hands in promoting and developing Africa the right way. What Africa needs are people with generous hearts, and an ardent desire to rescue the poor from abject poverty. Africa needs people who can subdue the prevailing greed and selfishness we see all around the continent.

Let us talk about your early years.

I grew up in about four states, including Enugu and Anambra, thereby attending several primary schools. I first lived with my parents who were always relocating because of my father’s job, and then with my older sister who was a teacher. The frequent change in schools however did not affect my performance because I always emerged between first and fourth positions. I loved sport while growing up, and as a matter of fact, I was a tomboy.

For how long have you been in South-Africa?

I’ve been in South Africa since 2004. I’ve since then worked as a Local Counselor for expatriates with a company, Enterprises Group.

P AGE 20—SUND AY PA 20—SUNDA

Vanguard, JUL Y 14, 2013 JULY

How we freed Awolowo from prison to join Gowon’s govt.,

By Gen. Adebayo

•Says Diya, Olanrewaju have suffered enough •’The way out of Yoruba marginalisation’ Major-General Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd), 85, is a former military governor of the defunct Western Region in whose time Chief Obafemi Awolowo was released from prison and made to join the General Yakubu Gowon government as Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council.

Adebayo, a civil war general and President, Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), spoke, in this interview at his Ikeja GRA, Lagos home, on how the release of the former premier of Western Region happened, the state-of-the-nation, the security challenges facing Nigeria, corruption and the South- West integration programme. Excerpts:

You were in charge of what has today become six-states of the South- West as military governor of Western Region and so should have an idea of how to achieve the integration in the former Wester n Region without necessarily breaching the unity of Nigeria against the insinuation of some people.

What is your take?

Well, you have said it all. It is true that I was governor of Western Region, which is now split into six states. At that time when we were asking for states, other regions were asking for states as well. We thought that creating more states was a good thing because it would help the states economically, spread the economy of the region and bring development quicker, and then, it would enable the people to work harder for their states. And I think this is what we should still do.

What we should do now is to develop the economy because, if we do, it will give employment to our youths coming out of school and

make people work harder than before.

Continuing to do exactly what you have said has informed the move by governors of the states of the South -West to integrate to be able to achieving a programme which grows the economy of the region thereby providing jobs for the youth. But some people are looking at it from ethnic angle which they say is not good for one and united Nigeria. How do you link the two?

People should think more of the development of the region/states via the overall development of our nation than thinking about ethnicity.

We have gone far ahead of ethnicity in this country and that should be taken away from our minds whenever we are talking about things that will help us grow as components of the national entity. We must think about development of our individual regional areas but we must also keep ourselves together as a nation.

You have been much aware of the cries of marginalisa-

tion by leaders of South-West where you are President of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE). Some have blamed the reason for the marginal-

,

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA

first step to developing a nation is to develop oneself, when you do that and some of your products get to other areas, you then must ask for

I think the people crying marginalisation are only Yoruba people now.

What I would say is that they should forget about whether or not we are marginalised and face how we can develop ourselves as a component of the national entity

isation on you the leaders of the race.

I think the people crying marginalisation are only Yoruba people now. What I would say is that they should forget about whether or not we are marginalised and face how we can develop ourselves as a component of the national entity. We must develop the country and the way to develop the country is to get the states to work. The

,

your entitlements from the centre as a result of your contribution to the collective building of the nation.

We are in a federal system and we have states within the federation.

Therefore, whatever is due to each state must be given to it. I think it would be unfair to the Yoruba people to be subjected to marginalisation to the point that we shout that Federal Government has not given us

our entitlements whereas we are supposed to be part and parcel of the government.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, recently accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of taking the Yoruba to where they are.

He said he had the opportunity to do more than for his people while in office but that was not done.

I am not prepared to comment on what Alaafin of Oyo said. Obasanjo was President of the country.

And as President, he was in charge of development of the entire country. Obasanjo was not doing it all alone. He had a team working with him and for the development of each area within the federation and so, one should not be blaming Obasanjo now! Why did you people not shout then when he was there, that he was not doing the right thing for the Yoruba race?

I am not saying that Yoruba people have been given all their entitlements but one must not put the blame on the head of Obasanjo because he

Continues on page 21

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, JUL Y 14, 2013, P AGE 21 JULY PA

At any rate, leadership should go to the adequately qualified, efficient, honest person. At the same time, we must not forget other areas.

Continued from page 20 was a Yoruba man. At the same time, being a Yoruba leader and President of the country almost concurrently, he should not be working on his own tribe alone at the expense of others. That would have made it worse now that the people are talking about it because he would have breached the leadership trust that was put in him.

Your gover nment of Western Region faciliated the release of Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison after being convicted for treason.

How did you arrive at that decision?

We arrived at that decision because we discovered that there was no need to put him in prison in the first instance.

The old man did a lot of good works for the country, for the Western Region and, when the military took over from the civilian regime that put him in prison, it was the duty of the military regime in power to release him. That was what we did. I worked on the military on the need to release him and we agreed. Yes, we brought him into the military government and he did a lot of good jobs for us there.

As a retired general… (cuts in) But not tired (laughs).

*Adebayo...Awolowo did a lot of good works

’The way out of Yoruba marginalisation’ things get better in this country and he should cause all those involved in the release of the gazette to do so without delay.

Most Nigerians are not comfortable with the security challenges facing us as a nation. If it is not Boko Haram, it is militants kidnapping people in the Niger Delta or cultists killing police officers and, do not forget, that Jos crisis has also not really subsided.

As far as security in Nigeria is concerned, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure the security of lives and property and the states to report whatever security challenges facing their respective domains to the Federal Government as a way of putting a superb security measure in place. By this I mean security is a participatory duty that, even though it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure, every good Nigerian has a role to play. The Federal Government will not be everywhere; they will not be at the grassroots. What are those other people doing?

How are they taking proper care of their domains to

,

Yes, retired (but not tired).

You have other generals around you that ordinarily should complement your efforts in moving the Yoruba race forward: Generals Oladipo Diya, Tajudeen Olanrewaju and others. Yoruba were said to be indifferent to their plight while they were awaiting pardon as victims of the General Sani Abacha’s phantom coup. Now that they have been pardoned but the gazette to clear them finally is being delayed, what is your word to President Jonathan?

First and foremost, let me start by saying I am still a Major General, there is no gainsaying that I am still respected in the society and so I can speak my views to the top. President Jonathan has started well by pardoning these generals and I can only advise him to complete it by ensuring that the gazette regarding their pardon is published on time so that the grey areas due to conflicting media reports as to who and who have benefited will be cleared and the fine generals will be restored finally to their normal lives with full enjoyment of their entitlements.

These are generals that have contributed their quotas to the building of the nation. I mean, Diya lives near me here. He is a good man; a good Yoruba man both inside and outside the military. The same thing is General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, the late General Adisa and others.

In the first place, there was nothing they did that was bad so as to warrant that sentence.

But we thank God now that the President has done what is necessary and pardon has been issued. But I am also aware that the Army authority has not been able to effect the release of their entitlements because of either the delay in the release of the gazette or that the presidency has not officially informed them. This makes it necessary that President Jonathan should see this as a major component of the laudable effort he is making in ensuring that

I recommended his release and he was released. And when we wanted to bring some civilians into the military government, we felt he would be very useful in the regime, and it turned out that he stood out of the pack. He never disappointed us and we thank God he did not

ensure that behaviours that are alien to their various communities are checked?

That takes us to the issue of corruption. This, apparently, has eaten deep into the fabrics of our national life. Is it that government has not done enough to tackle the scourge or the scourge has turned into a monster?

The fight against corruption is the responsibility of one, the government of the federation; two, the governments of the states and the individuals. Corruption is a disease that must be vigorously tackled by everybody.

,

The issue of power in 2015 is already heating up the polity: the Igbo are clamouring, the Niger Delta megaphones won’t let go, yet the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has made clear its position that it must be North come 2015. What do you think?

We do not know ourselves much yet and therefore we must continue to work together. We should continue to bring everybody to work together to get the right leadership. It does not matter where the leadership comes from, but it must not come from one place all the time.

So it was based on your recommendation that he became Federal Commissioner for Finance?

Well, based on the recommendation of the government (laughs), he became the Federal Commissioner for Finance and he did very well in that position and improved the economy of the country.

I just want to be sure of the role you played in how Chief Awolowo moved from prison to the office of the Federal Commissioner for Finance.

I recommended his release and he was released. And when we wanted to bring some civilians into the military government, we felt he would be very useful in the regime, and it turned out that he stood out of the pack. He never disappointed us and we thank God he did not.

You’re 85 but still looking radiantly vibrant. What is your message for the younger generation?

One, you should be contented with what you have, with what you are and you must put your mind on what you want to be in future.

Then, if you do not overwork yourself on what you do not need, on what you do not have, then you would not have any problem.

You love the way I look at 85 because I have always lived my life as a contented person.

I am happy, simple and I look after my children and my children look after me…

(cuts in) Including the former Ekiti State governorson of the retired general. (laughter)?

(Laughs) Yes.

PAGE 22 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

I don’t want him to forget me!

Dear Rebecca

I

Should I leave this helpful girl?

Dear Rebecca

I

’M 34, a worker. I’ve been in a relationship with a 26 year old lady who’s now an undergraduate. We began our relationship when she was 14, and we do love each other. I’ve had different dates but this particular girl stands out of them all.

She is hardworking, cooks very well and is good at keeping the home. In fact, she is a wife material. She introduced me to her parents five years ago before I got my recent job and they helped me a lot. I decided to marry her because of their assistance to me. I gave her an engagement ring when I was serving as a youth corper. When I didn’t have a job, she saw to my needs with her job.

My younger sister then dropped a bombshell, saying that all the money and gifts my girlfriend gave me were from her men friends.

I asked her and she said she got the items from the market. I discovered that her friends mislead her, out of jealousy for our steady relationship. Some of them even used to go out with me behind her back. She caught me one day with one of them and I felt bad about it. Rebecca, this girl stood by me when I had nothing doing. We fasted and prayed so that I could get a job. On my order, she has stopped seeing other men but I’m yet to introduce her to my family as my wife, though they know her very well. We are both from the same State. I still love her.

My family members know about her unpleasant past and are not speaking well of her. My younger sister told me recently that she has started dating other men again. I later told her I was no longer interested in the relationship and she felt bad, asking me if I was leaving her to start all over

again at 26. I’m confused.

Please, advise me on what to do before another man takes her away. I don’t know what God will do to me if I leave a lady who stood by me in difficult times. She obeys me and would do anything for me, but I don’t know if she would ever stop dating other men. I know she loves me, and I too love her, but she’s pretty and doesn’t seem to know how to refuse other men.

Worried man.

Lagos.

REPL Y REPLY

I

UNDERSTAND the heavy guilt in your heart for wanting to leave a helpful girl you’ve been dating since she was 14, and for a period of 12 years; because your people, particularly your younger sister feel that she’s unworthy of you because she had been dating other men. Young as she was, she stood by you all these years, and when you had no job, she -introduced you to her parents, who in turn, assisted you a lot. Some girls would dump a jobless boyfriend fast, for another man and would certainly not take him home to meet her parents. This girl must love you very much indeed. Her parents too. Some women would do anything to help their man. It’s interesting to note that your people began to criticize her lifestyle and point out reasons why you shouldn’t marry her, only when you have found a job and are okay. Why tell you now that the gifts she gave you over the years came from her men friends?

She didn’t deny that she had men friends when you confronted her, and when you told her to stop, you said she did stop.

Maybe she resumed when no money was coming from you; or, it could be as you said, she doesn’t know how to handle the men who ap-

proach her. We don’t support girls who believe that they have to use men to cater for their needs, but you should know that girls are usually bitchy about one another, and your younger sister who you said doesn’t like her, may have poisoned the minds of members of your family against her. Or, could it be that they never knew of how supportive she had been to you all these years? No family wants a promiscuous wife brought into the family, and your people have the right to advise you on your choice of a wife, but they should give a broad-minded and fair view which would not tear your heart and conscience apart. They should have acknowledged to you, this girl’s good points and then point out their fears.

This way, the whole exercise of taking a stand would not bring you so much stress, and you would be able to think things through without feeling that you must satisfy your family.

Now, marriage is a very serious business and we all pray that it would last a lifetime, bringing us joy and peace. This is why we should choose our partner carefully and with lots of prayer. You then do what your heart and head tell you; not what family members or friends decide, although it is wise to listen to their views politely and then reason within yourself.

You know exactly what you want in a marriage, and this may be different from other people ‘s. It is clear that even though you like this girl and are grateful to her and her people for their help to you; deep down in your heart you have been hesitating to decide to make her your wife in spite of the ring you gave her and your promise of marriage.

Your people’s objection seems to be an opportunity to say out what you had wanted to say, which is, to

tell her you don’t want to marry her. This may make you seem ungrateful, but it is not a crime. And it doesn’t make you a bad person, even though your conscience is greatly troubled. Still, it is better not to marry her than to embrace what you know will bring both of you unhappiness. Your fear may turn out to be right, and she would not be able to stop going with other men Or, maybe your actual fear is the one common to most men who have been helped in their days of struggle by the women in their lives, be it a wife or a girlfriend.

Most men don’t want around them when they’ve made it in. life, those women who knew them when they were down and who helped to lift them up. They feel their authority in the home would be threatened as they assume the woman will always look down on them, and nag endlessly about their poverty days, and the relief they got from her and her people. Some women do this. No man wants a life of that; rather, they prefer a girl who knows them in their days of prosperity and will respect and adore them for their success.

Again , after a 10-year relationship in which you enjoyed being cleaned after and cooked for, and possibly having a bed-mate without the commitment of marriage, you now want a ‘fresh’ face to start marital life with. It is not always in a girl’s best interest to remain in a long romantic relationship with a man.

However, the above may not be true in your case. if your worry is actually about the girl always going with other men, I suggest you have a heart-to-heart talk with her to find out the cause. Is it for money, or a love for different men?

With the above points in mind, go to the Lord in prayer.

’ M a girl of 18, presently awaiting admission into the university. There’s a young man of 22 who I got to know in a JAMB class we both attended last year. We didn’t really get to talk with each other. When I met him about five months later, he recognized me, smiled, then we got talking. He was reluctant to talk about himself, but after much persuasion, he finally revealed that he’s in the armed forces, and showed me his identity card when I refused to believe him. He said he attended the JAMB lessons so as to further his education.

I introduced him to my family and he became a regular visitor to my house. This was a mistake, because, recovering from a past unpleasant relationship, I had decided not to go into another relationship until I’m more mature. His good looks, neat appearance and good manners made me for this guy. I decided to stop seeing him. I got a good chance when he was away for a month without contacting me. When he next visited, I told him I had been okay during his absence and that I had better things to do instead of talking to him. He got angry and left. Weeks later, I began to feel bad about the way I treated him, and I decided to mail him a letter of apology. I also sent him three other letters of apology but he didn’t reply any.

Aunty, I don’t want to see him because I still have feelings for him, but I want him to forgive me.

Do you think I should see him in person to apologize or continue mailing him ? My mum says I should stop mailing him. Aunty, I want his forgiveness and nothing more. Please help me.

M o r i n , Lagos.

REPL Y REPLY

I

AGREE with your mum that you should stop writing to apologize to the man.

Four letters of apology are quite adequate, and if he wants to pursue a relationship with you, he would have replied to say that he had given you, and when his hurt pride has been healed, he would have resumed visiting you. I know you’re young, but you did not handle the matter in a mature manner whether the relationship is a platonic one or a romantic one. Since he was your guest, you should not have spoken to him rudely. You should have welcomed him, and asked if he was all right since you hadn’t seen him for sometime. Since you didn’t consider him your boyfriend, there was no reason for you to tell him that you were fine during his absence and you hadn’t time to waste standing there to talk to him. You were not only rude to him, you insulted him. You were also selfish in that you didn’t want to hear why he had not contacted you. Feeling hurt and slighted that he went away without telling you was arrogant, as he doesn’t have to report his movements to you and seek your permission. You’re neither married nor engaged to him.

You too could have travelled without telling him.

According to you, you were mere friends. On his part, he should have read through your rude and arrogant outburst and known that you had missed him and were hurt that he had not contacted you. He should have understood that it was your growing fondness for him which made you react the way you did.

However, since your aim was to drive him away, you’ve been successful in this, so don’t torture yourself about what you did. For all you know, he too might have wanted an excuse to stop the friendship with you, and you played into his hands. He readily used the incident to achieve this purpose. You may get a rough deal from him if you went to his place. So, respect yourself and try to forget him.

•All letters for publication on this page should be sent to: Dear Rebecca, Vanguard Media Ltd, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria. E-mail: dearrebecca2@yahoo.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 23

Why ‘bad men’ ar e mor e enter taining! are more entertaining!

H

ANDFULS of lit erature on how to deal with teenage offsprings are useless more or less when their hormones start raging. At least that’s what the experts tell us. Unfortunately, it’s this rebellions attitude that most men exploit when happily teaching their curious teenage conquests all they know about sex. Deji had the penchant for them and that’s made me put a bit of distance between us.

We’re still good friends however, and he consults me from time to time whenever he needs to.

He recently called at mine after almost a year of our seeing face-toface. Most of the time, we talked on phone.

He’d decided to redecorate his living room and I’d recommended the carpenter I’ve used for decades. He was quite impressed by the end products and asked me over for a preview.

The couch was particularly impressive and as we both bounced on it, playfully toying with the idea of testing it for comfort, the doorbell shrieked.

Deji was a bit annoyed, he wasn’t expecting anybody, he assured, and hurriedly went to the door to dismiss whoever it was. I was a bit irri-

tated when he walked in with one of his ‘girls’.

She had a man with her and carrying a bundle of what turned out to be drapes, on her shoulders, and an obioma (mobile tailor!), in tow.

Talk about division of labour: Deji must have contracted her to handle that part of decorating!

She pointedly ignored me and I was amused.

All these young girls that have suddenly become ‘active’ believe they ’re at par with the older generation“You could have phoned first”, Deji grumbled. “Why?” she wanted to know. “I only called to hang the drapes and for the tailor to make any alterations if necessary. I don’t need you to be home to do that”. For once, a bit of his cocky confidence.

And 1 was intent on sitting things out with this small rat. This was my ‘me’ time with him and 1 intended to make the most of it. By the time the curtains were hung, they looked a bit lopsided but 1 said nothing.

Shortly after, Labi, a good friend of Heaven only knows when they got hooked on the habit though they no longer bother to hide their shameful habit from me.

A few times, I’ve discovered the stuff in their

luggage on their way out of the country and 1'd confiscated it. I am well known in the society and no druggie is going to drag my name in the mud. I’ve often met them half-way. As long as they don’t try and take the stuff out of country, they can have as much as they want to buy the stuff when they get back to college.

Deji’s came in, not looking pleased with himself. Seeing we wouldn’t be alone, Madam Curtain, hanger left, directing a smirk at me.

All Deji did was ask Labi if the business partners he went to pick up from thue airport had

settled in before Labi let rip. “They arrived all right and are now settled elsewhere, no thanks to my two sons”, he said.

“Before I checked them into their hotel rooms, I insisted on them having drinks at the house first.

I wanted them to see how well I lived. As soon as we got home, I got out of the car to get the steward to ring in their luggage but when I opened the living room door, the air was thick with the acrid smell of Indian hemp! I beat a hasty retreat to the car, informing the bewildered guests that someone had left an urgent message for me at the hotel! I then instructed the driver to

take us to the hotel to unwind.

“In the meantime, I was boiling with anger. My two sons are currently with me on holidays and believe me, I don’t know how to handle them. They smoke help like they smoke cigarettes and their awful end-of-term results didn’t even give them sleepless nights.

Heaven only knows when they got hooked on the habit, though they no longer bother to hide their shameful habit from me.

Would you believe my older son had the nerve to grumble that the stuff they buy over there does not ‘shack’ them as much as the ones in this country? Several times, 1'd threatened to throw them out in the streets but their mother always finds ways of making me change my mind .. “ Thankfully, not all parents are that indulgent with their wayward offspring. I was with an older aunt after Labi’s visit when she told me her youngest who is just 18, was on admission at a private hospital. He’s always had a drug problem and I thought this incarceration was to dry him out, until my aunt fumed he’d recently had the nerve to ask her to ‘stuff it’ when she ad-

monished him on his weird behaviour. “His poor dad had told him to come home at decent hours because we live in a respectable area”, said the poor woman. But instead of feeling contrite, he told his father he was shocked that his dad could tell him off in a house that belonged to his mother. More or less saying his dad was a spineless sponger. It was then I knew drastic measures had to be taken to bring the lad to his senses, Discreetly, I arranged for the nightguard to get a few more guards from the neighbourhood and be on the lookout for my son.

Anytime he came in very late, they were to ‘deal’ with him.

“Three days later, he practically crawled in on all fours, howling. The guards had so professionally walloped him that there was no visible bruise on his body. The next day, he couldn’t even get up for the pains and I sent for the doctor.

‘This is just a sample,’ I warned him as the doctor took him away, ‘next time.. you touch the stuff and have the nerve to insult your parents, you’ll get the same treatment’. Touch wood, he’s never stepped out of line since his nasty, shocking experience.

hands up as you take a deep breath. Breathe on thoroughly and bend backwards. Stay in the position for a slow count to five.

Benefit: This posture

like the one above also confe flexibility on the practitioner.

MATSYENDRASANA Technique: As you sit with both legs outstretched draw up your right knee and place your right foot on the outsirt of your left knee.

Place your right hand midway at your back and then twist as you look over your right shoulder.

Your left hand should clasping your right thigh.

Then is matsyendrasana or the two posture.

Benefit: This is yet another posture that brings flexibility. It also gives massa to the kidneys.

Constipation sufferer also get relief with the practise of this posture.

08052201867(Text Only)

You can be more active and less tired

P

ROPER body management is the key to being more alive, more active and less tired.

What does proper bodymanagement entail? Well, there must be good nutrition followed by sufficient elimination. And then also there must be formed the habit of regular physical exercise and of deep breathing. Now, deep breating happens to be the most important component in a healthy life. Oh, yes, it comes even before the food you eat. You stand a better chance of making the most of what you have taken in, if you have mundated the system well with enough breathing exercises.

Well, you can’t build any form of tissue without blood and you can’t build a drop of blood without oxygen.

C M Y K

So, you see how crucial it is to know how to, and practise deep breathing.

You want to be bubbling with energy and full of enthusiasm for living?

You now know how. But there must be application, there must be commitment to habits that conduce to such.

All true practitioners of yoga have one distinction – abundance of energy. In any given situation the yoga will always be the last to feel tired. It is most energyinducing regimen known to man and it is also a therapy form.

You simply can’t beat yoga. All practitioners know so. Now lets get cracking. Try the following for waking up muscles and getting set for the day. Chandrasana (sideways).

Technique: Standing with feet together put

you hands up with palms together. Lock your knees as you bend to the left side. Maintain this position for as long as it takes to hurt. Then repeat on the other side.

The Wheel

Benefits: This induces flexibility.

Chandrasana (backsides).

Technique: Standing with feet together and knees locked raise the

Yoga classes at 32 Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos, 9.10am on Saturdays

P AGE 24— SUND AY Vanguard , JUL Y 14 , 2013 SUNDA JULY

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Why affairs are not the solutions you think they’d be

M

OST times, lying with my husband watching him sleep on his back, beer belly rising and falling with each snore, he doesn’t look appetizing in the least especially with his treble chin and bald head. I am starting to find him repulsive ... “ Melisa looked so forlorn as she told me about the state of her marriage that I had to laugh. She wasn’t amused. I reminded her they’d just been married 12 years and it was a bit early for her to start being resentful, especially when she has two adorable kids and a well heeled husband who gave her and the children virtually everything they wanted.

“But what about meaningful sex? Seun was fit and energetic when we got married with a body to die for. Now he’s flabby and unattractive.

His weight had more than doubled; the only thing that hasn’t changed is his personality. He’s still kind and loving with a good sense of humour. Trouble is, I just don’t fancy him any more. I want rippling muscles - not rippling fat!”

I warned her to be extremely careful. After escaping the seven yearitch, maybe, 12 years is when her marriage should have started showing signs of being in a rut - she should strive for both of them to get out of it. “I don’t know about Seun”, she said simply, “but I’m trying my best to do just that. As a matter of fact, I’ve just met someone at work. He is a technician we briefly used. Though he is single, he knows he’s nothing but a biton-the-side. And he’s so sexy. Instead of the usual

boxers, he wears clinging lycra cycling shorts which makes him look deeply sexy. It is easy to get away to meet him as Seun works really late now he’s been promoted to management level.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Seun, but sex with Ephraim is like an icing on a cake.” I told her she was treading on dangerous grounds but she just laughed in my face.

Months later, she came running back to me, “it is Seun” she said, a bit frightened, “it is as if he suspects I’m having an affair. Last night, he came outright to ask why we never seem to make love any more. That I couldn’t get away quickly enough whenever he touched me. I told him not to be silly, that I love him, which I do, but I was always a bit tired. ‘Is it because I’ve put on a lot of weight,’ he asked me, ‘don’t worry about that. My new post means I could join any club I want and I have joined one with an impressive gym. You could come along too if you like, so we could get healthy together. ‘ “I assured him I would help him lose weight. But there’s another weight I have to lose-and that’s Ephraim. He is cute, but Seun is the man I love.

I’m seeing him tonight.

He’s had enough fun and it is time to let go ... “.

Well, it wasn’t as easy as she thought. When we met some days later, she told me “That Ephraim is a lunatic. As soon as we settled down to our favourite meal at the restaurant where we usually went first before sex, I told him I wanted to call it a day, that my husband could be dangerous now he was suspicious. I thought he’d be fine - after all we both knew all

Y

OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel.

Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"

Because you are my friend You relax me, refresh me, renew me.

Your bounteous heart envelops me

fair, she’s sending the signal her marriage is not happy and what gullible lover wouldn’t think he might just be better than her husband enough to take her away from him!

Why bald men are at greater risk of having a heart disease en who go bald on the crown of the head also have their risk of heart disease increased by a half, say scientists.

Those with the classic bald spot, which has afflicted a lot of middleaged men in recent times were 52 percent more likely to have coronaryartery disease than those with a full head of hair, they found.

Their study, involving almost 40,000 men, showed that those whose hairlines were only receding were 22 per cent more at risk of heart disease - a level the researchers said was not statistically significant.

Men with both receding hairlines and crown-top baldness were 69 per cent more likely to suffer coronary artery disease than those who had kept all their hair.

The findings came in a review of six studies by scientists from Tokyo University, published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Doctors do not yet fully understand the link between baldness and coronary artery disease. Experts believe men with high levels of testosterone are more likely to lose their hair, especially if baldness already runs in the family, and testosterone is also linked to heart disease. The hormone can damage hair follicles.

M

we could have was fun nostrings sex. But his face changed. ‘You can’t just dump me like that’, he fumed. ‘I really love you’ •. ‘I was shocked, ‘look’, I told him gently, ‘you’re a lovely man, but I want to concentrate on my marriage’. I was really put off by his sudden declaration of love. Our arrangement had nothing to do with that. He glared angrily at me, ‘Oh really?’ he spat.

‘You should have thought of that before.’ With that he stormed out of the door. I felt sick and shaken. But at least it was done and over with Thank goodness I hadn’t given him my mobile number.

So, I kept that turned off when I was at home. Better to be safe than be sorry!

“As soon as I switched it on the next day, there were pleading text messages from him and more kept on pinging text messages. I erased them all.

H

e had to under stand we were now history.

And as Seun’s flab began to melt, his treble chin slimmed down and his beer belly shrank. I found myself thinking about Ephraim less and less.

Then last Saturday when I was vacuuming, there was a knock on the door. I was irritated thinking Seun had forgotten his key again.

He’d nipped out to the gym to meet a few friends. Only pulling open the door, I found Ephraim glaring at me.

“So I’ve finally tracked you down, ‘ he snarled.

“Why have you been ignoring my text messages?” I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears.

Was he mad? “You have to go”, I yelled at him, terrified Seun would arrive any minute, ‘I’ve told you it is over ’. I tried to shut the door in his face, but he went berserk. ,Booting the front door open, he pushed his way into the flat.” “I love you Melisa”, he wined, “and I’m not leaving your house until you admit you love me too”. His eyes were bulging. He looked really demented.

If I didn’t get him out of the flat soon, Seun would come back and find out about everything. ‘Ok, ok, I love you too, now go!” How could I have found this simpleton sexy? I

in joy and love and peace.

May your life be filled with dazzling blessings, just as I am blessed by being your friend.

Cent Obama centobama@gmail.com +2348061379003 .Love

Love is charm love is cure love is blessing love is immortal love is loyalty love is bond love is modesty

fumed silently.

“He calmed down and eventually left, but not before issuing an ultimatum. ‘Start seeing me again’ he threatened, ‘or I’ll tell your husband everything’, I told him to get lost! Since then, I haven’t seen him, not even at work since he knows where my office is. But every time the door-bell rings, I’m edgy, terrified it’s him, Seun is now looking great and our marriage is the best it’s been for a long time. I just pray Ephraim doesn’t come back and ruin it all. Why are some men so childish? A single girl that goes out with a married man doesn’t believe it would be a happy-everafter relationship. So, why can’t a married woman do the same with the hope that the man would be grateful for a few free bunks?” Shows you how naive some people are. I reminded her that she must know of a few men whose bits-onthe-sides have turned to second wives they never really bargained for. And if a young married woman is having an af-

love is unique God is love AND LOVE IS ME. . . .

CHRIS!!!

Chris Onunaku dekris4real@gmail.com.

08032988826.

A great choice

I have passed through the storms just to get at you and tell you how I feel about you and now I know I made a great choice by taking the path. Baby, you are my world. I will cherish and love you till the end of time...

James N Okonkwo ngesina363k@yahoo.com 08066043380

SUNDAY

Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 25

08116759757

ABOMINA TION IN EDO ABOMINATION

Man kills 80-yr-old grandfather after raping aunt

*Asemienwalen...dead for reporting grandson’s alleged crime

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE, BENIN-CITY

I

t was the height of abomination: A young man in Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West local government area of Edo State, allegedly raped his aunt, and killed his grandfather for daring to report the incident to the police.

Osagie allegedly committed the murder after being arraigned in court for rape and granted bail.

Another of the suspected assailant’s aunt, Maria, said her nephew was

infuriated that the 80-year-old man, Pa Asemienwalen, informed the police about the rape incident, leading to his arrest and prosecution.

Osagie will be an ungrateful grandson if proved that he killed his grandfather as the old man was said to have raised him after his son who bore Osagie died.

Maria, the aunt and a 500-level student of Ambrose Alli Unviersity, Ekpoma, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said she had to relocate to Benin-City following threat to her life by the suspect’s associate after his arrest

for the murder and transfer to Benin city for further investigations. Narrating the story, she, tearfully, said about two months to her father’s murder, the grandson became a terror to the family while all advice from the old man to mend his bad ways fell on deaf ears.

“About months to my father ’s death, he, Osagie, burgled the house and removed my father’s valuables and money. As a result, we stopped leaving valuables, money and telephone handsets in the house,” the aunt alleged.

“As if this was not enough, when he learnt that my junior sister, Juliet, left her telephone handset in the farm, and was on her way to retrieve it, he secretly followed her and raped her after beating her. Unable to bear this abomination, my father reported the incident to the police at Ekpoma who arrested him and charged the matter to court after investigations.

“He was granted bail by the magistrate court at Ekpoma and the matter was adjourned to 30 May, 2013 for hearing.

Once he was out of custody, Osagie vowed that my father will pay with his life for reporting the case to the police.

My father reported the threat to his life to the police at Ekpoma and begged them to protect him.

“However, when the case came up for

hearing on 30 May, the court did not sit and, on 1 June, Osagie struck in the early hours of that day, woke my father up, strangled him and escaped before help could come”. Maria appealed to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Funsho Adebanjo, to ensure that justice was done, saying some of Osagie’s sympathisers had been boasting that nothing will come out of the case. She said that she was afraid of going back to Ekpoma to continue with her studies as she continued to receive death threats on her telephone from the suspect’s associates.

Counsel to the Asemienwalen family and human rights lawyer, Benjy Iluobe, while calling for the alleged murder case to be charged to court, said he was monitoring the investigations by the police.

Osagie, who has since been rearrested by the police in Ekpoma, was said to be cooling off at the State Investigations Department of the Edo State Police Command. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Moses Eguaveon, said the police had stepped up investigations into the matter and the investigations, once completed, the suspected would be charged to court.

EMBA TTLED WIFE LAMENT S EMBATTLED LAMENTS

My husband k ept secre e, cchildren hildren ffor or 1 0 yyear ear kept secrett wif wife, 10 earss

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA ”My husband is a pathological liar, it was ten years after our marriage that I knew the woman he called his cousin and her children were his wife and children”. ”My husband lied that he was going to Abuja for a training programme. I was surprised when I was told that he now lives in Mushin in a police woman’s house,” embattled housewife, Rashidat Adeniyi, told an Agege-Orile, Lagos customary court.

The husband, Toyin Adeniyi, 50, denied the allegations.

Toyin, an engineer, said, “Because, I am a handsome man, ladies fall for me, so it can be one of the strategies to cause quarrels between us that she

heard those lies. ”I left the house because I owed a year rent and I told my wife that I would come for her and the children when I am back on my feet,” he said.

Rashidat pleaded with the court to dissolve her 19-yearold marriage over two years desertion by her husband. The 33-year-old computer analyst, who lives at 33, Alaramimo Street, Orile-Agege, told the court that her husband left the house two years ago for a police woman’s house.

She told the court that it was after ten years of marriage that she knew that her husband had a wife and children before she married him.

The mother of three asked the court to dissolve the mar-

riage and grant her the custody of the children.

Meanwhile, the husband said he still loved his wife, and not in support of the dissolution. ”Since, I am the busy

type, anytime I left the house, my wife always suspected me.

I haven’t told anyone that I am a widower,” he stated. Toyin explained that the police woman the wife was referring to

was just a friend.

The court President, Mr Joseph Adewusi, told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned the case to July 22 for judgment.

WASHING DIRT Y LINEN IN PUBLIC DIRTY

Pas ade adult er asttor or,, wif wifee tr trade adulter eryy claims in cour courtt

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

”My wife travelled to Ghana to meet one of her concubines. She did family planning without my consent and goes out at will”, a pastor, Sunday Owonikoko, has told a Lagos Customary Court in Orile-Agege.

Meanwhile, the wife, Bolajoko, 47, denied the allegations. ”My husband is adulterous. He has slept with almost all the sisters in his church,” Bolajoko charged back. ”A mother of seven is presently living with him as I speak and he has made the woman an evangelist.” Owonikoko

pleaded with the court to dissolve his 20-yearold marriage over infidelity and threat to life on the part of the wife. The 51-year-old pastor of 1, Alowole Street, Papa Ashafa, Orile-Agege said the wife kept seeing her ex-lovers. ”My wife threatened to destroy my ministry and also said she would kill me. I want the court to dissolve the union and grant me custody of my children”, he pleaded. ”She was suspended from the church for six months because she fought with the ministers.” The court president, Mr Joseph Adewusi, told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned the case.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

Campaign Planning and Execution – The Fundamentals involvement) influence the individual perception of campaign development and execution, differently. The most common consequence of the non-professional involvement in the consideration of a campaign effort is value appreciation and appropriate understanding of the underlying fundamentals of campaign planning, development and execution.

That is why in most cases, some of those in the category of CLIENTS make mistakes in resource engagement, for purposes of buying professional services in the process. To begin with, the wrong assumption of the discipline being an all-comers thing, beclouds good judgment. Consequently, resources are wrongly appropriated – starting with the quality of professionalism engaged, in most cases.

A

dd to the confusion, is the activities of nonprofessional service providers in the process. This group of people has been so aggressive in posturing instead of true professionals, they have earned themselves undue recognition; further beclouding the already confused target service-buyer, into believing all-is-well, in the presence of danger.

Instances abound, where a collaboration of these mistakes have resulted in disaster. The victims of this class of mediocrity cut across our socio-political and economic groups, not minding the level of literacy and education.

So it was, I was engaged in a mild argument, by a ‘senior person’ (by measure of academic achievement and executive powers) whose position is that a professional brand manager is not suitable for engagement in the handling of a political campaign. Given the place and environment and place of encounter, I had to expend so much energy to help a nearacademic atmosphere for us to meaningfully talk around his position. But unfortunately, it degenerated into altercation.

His position is that, not minding the evidence of topend professional excellence in brands management, managing a brand is totally different from managing a political campaign process (assignment - according to him the).

Suffice; there is so much to be made known on this issue, especially now that politicians are preparing to develop campaign messages. To start, let it be established that all shades of persuasive communication are based on a common set of fundamentals.

Secondly, persuasive

communication includes bare product(s) advertising, image/ reputation management and perception management.

These are the basic categories into which the different shades of CAMPAIGN can be considered.

F

rom the perspective of the PERSON I encountered, political campaigns are distinct in all ramifications, from ‘advertising’. To that, we like to establish our disagreement, and make known the following: 1. Campaign is basic 2. The difference between any two campaigns is the brief 3. By reason of 2 above, the difference between every

,

C

ONSEQUENT upon an encounter with a fellow I will simply describe as ‘uninformed but concerned’ individual, we are challenged to put in perspective, the fundamentals of campaign planning and execution. It is also very important for us to clearly define CAMPAIGN here, for proper understanding among non-professionals in brands management. Away from the common reference, a CAMPAIGN, in the professional brand management parlance, is a set of marketing communication activities, put together for the purpose of telling a brand’s stor y, for competitive marketing advantages (special reference to advertising).

Such anticipated gains could be quantifiable or otherwise; which explains the major difference between any two briefs.

A campaign brief could be focused on estimated marginal increase in sales volume (and earnings), while another may just be towards achieving a change in perception. Yet still, some other could be towards awareness and/or enlightenment.

The fundamental difference between brands management/ advertising campaign and a campaign in the common use of the word is that for the former, the gains are business-driven. For the latter, however, it is commonly associated with propaganda in support of individual and/ or group’s interest on issues of general or public interest.

The common factor among all shades of CAMPAIGN, however, remains awareness generation (or makingknown).

This point of divide is certainly very thin and almost insignificant to the untrained mind. However, it is all the difference there is, as contrasting as between day and night, to the professional brand managers.

The excellence of professionalism in handling any CAMPAIGN starts with the clear understanding of the purpose and set-objective(s).

Furthermore, the practitioner is challenged in the scientific consideration of available optional methods open to him or her, in the process of work.

The engagement is intellectually tasking, and demanding of thoroughness.

On the flip side is the position of non-professionals who are either target-receivers of campaign messages or service-buyers who invest in developing campaign messages, for whatever goals/ objectives. Both sides of the divide (ex-professional

Client’s thoughts and expectations. A properly constituted team should be capable of telling the client’s story from even a sketchy narration. In fact, most clients tell their briefs in short verbal delivery.

Next to the brief session is the stage of background information gathering and analysis. At this stage, the client, the ‘market’ environment and background check - Research. At the research stage, pockets of activities to include own-brand analysis, target-market insight gathering, competitive analysis; all hypothetical situations would have to be tested comprehensively at this

To a large extent, the extent of exactness and appropriate application of professional competence, skill and creativity, determines the extent to which success is made manifest at the end of the process

two campaign efforts is the treatment (which is a function of the brief) 4. To cap, the fundamentals are same.

Basic to every campaign development is the expression of interest - the brief. The originator of the process has to capture his/her thoughts on ‘paper ’, expressing the identified challenge and the need to acquire a solution. In most cases, the brief stage is not amply expressive, but all it requires, essentially, is to help the creative team, put in proper perspective, the

,

stage. Even the information made available by the client about self and competition, all have to be scientifically verified. The part that interest me most of this stage is the SWOT analysis expedient, at this point. The SWOT matrix is independent, unbiased and should be free of manipulation. It enables a true position, leading onto to ‘safe water ’ area of the process.

If the research stage is scientifically and properly managed, the next stage of strategic planning is made easy and more productive. The

strategic planning stage is that point in the process where individual mental alertness and depth of professional competence comes to play. It is at this stage that every of the information gathered and analyzed, become ingredients for creative manipulation for production; they become an admixture of controllable and uncontrollable variables, that must be combined to work together. To a large extent, the extent of exactness and appropriate application of professional competence, skill and creativity, determines the extent to which success is made manifest at the end of the process. At this stage of strategic planning, over 70% of the success rate is done. So, it requires the master-touch at this point, to be successful.

Given the same depth and amount of information, no twoteams will come up with same results, post-engagement. A lot depends on professional competence, training and experience, at this stage. It is really critical and mentally tasking.

A

balanced team takes whatever outcome at the end of strategic planning through strategy review session(s) to ensure all possible options are exhaustively considered and the ‘best option’ is adopted, for way forward. The process continues to creative interpretation of adopted strategic direction, at which stage, words and pictures are combined to tell THE STORY. While we agree that the above process run-down is an over-simplification of a long critical process, it represents a basic profiling of the fundamental ingredients of CAMPAIGN planning and execution. The other aspect not mentioned above, is that of media engagement – strategy consideration, planning and buying.

The important thing to note, for non-professionals, is that the process is fundamentally same for any and every type of CAMPAIGN. Secondly, it takes an expert/a professionally trained practitioner, to deliver on set objectives, employing tactical ingredients not common to all. it is safer and only profitable, for CLIENTS to always engage a professional to manage the process.

Finally, the process requires high level creativity, deep knowledge and experience, to perfect the process management. That is why people like us (every registered professional brand manager) should be the CLIENT’s point of call, when the need arises.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14 14, 2013, PAGE 27

By JAPHET ALAKAM LECTURE

MUSIC

P

IANIST Babatunde Sosan made an indelible impression at his piano recital “Romantic Classics” held last week at the Muson Centre. In an attempt to relive the memories of his mentor and instructor Raymond Banning who passed away last year, Sosan displayed an impeccable artistry with the white and black keys of the piano. Playing pieces from Schumann, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and other celebrated romantic composers, Sosan proved his keyboard prowess to his audience.

Opening with the exquisite melody line of Schumann’s ‘May, Charming May, Sosan set the mood for a night of provocative relish in romantic classics. Like an adventurous sailor, Sosan led his audience on a romantic voyage by playing pieces of Mendelssohn, Chopin’s formidable No. 1 G minor ballade, Poulene’s Novelette. At the rendition of his own piece,’ Precious Jewel’ Sosan displayed a subtle approach that reflects the romantic influence in his personality. He closed the first section with a Concertino for trumpet and piano with Michael Oladugba as the trumpeter.

Sosan opened with a brooding Rachmaninoff Prelude in C sharp minor, which was followed by Evans’ ‘Peace Piece’,

Romantic Piano Recital with Tunde and friends’

, ,

By PRISCA SAM-DURU

Dupe Kachi Ige performing with Tunde Sosan at Muson Recital Romantic Classics the most romantic ballad of the night. With his skillful fingers, Sosan lured his audience into a flirtatious tempo, adding embellishment to the notes, stretching the romantic ambience with his textures.

I

n a special dedication to Raymond banning, a song he claims was his late mentor’s favourite, ‘La ca-

With his skillful fingers, Sosan lured his audience into a flirtatious tempo, adding embellishment to the notes, stretching the romantic ambience with his textures

thedral egloutie’, Sosan once again drew inspiration from its

,

inner being with the ascension of the notes into

Afrikulture show of colours with ancient and modern

By BOSE ADELAJA VISUAL

I

T was an evening of artistic display of works as lovers of art from Nigeria and overseas gathered at Pattaya Oriental Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos to give their support to some established and upcoming artists in the federation during a cocktail reception for a week long 2013 art exhibition.

The exhibition tagged ‘’Black, White and colours-in-between’’ was packaged by Afrikulture Entrepreneurial Arts Series and curated by Simileoluwa Lawson.

The exhibition which opened on the 29th of June ended on July 5th can be seen as their own way of finding expression for the word emotion. It was an initiative of Afrikulture to give the upcoming artists a voice by creating the platform where they can exhibit with some established ones.

It featured various forms of art touching on both creative and performing arts. The works include paintings, drawings,

sculpture, installations and new media works. Some of the exhibiting artists include: Bolaji Ogunwo, Damola Adepoju, Gregory Onyeka, Kole Oluwagbemi, Alao Luqman and Kemi Afolabi. Through the body of works displayed, the artists delivered their messages. At the end of the exhibition, a piece titled The Journey was picked as the star piece. The work took into perspective gender sensitivities as the artist acknowledges the contributions of women to the family and community at large.

Also, the artist places the audience in the position of a mother, wife, friend an companion. Capturing in one piece, the pain, passion, love, warmth, anger and joy of womanhood, in what seems to be a riot of emotions. The Cocktail of emotions and privilege of experiencing it all is what makes ‘’The Journey’’ through life

interesting for every woman.

Apart from the art works, guests were treated to a special sound by a nine years old saxophonist, Joshua Akande.

Speaking with Vanguard Arts Simileoluwa said the event was meant to give the upstart artists a voice by creating a mentor-ship platform where both established and upstart artists can exhibit alongside one another. ‘’By creating this platform, the upstart artists can leverage on the patronage enjoyed by established artists to carve a niche for themselves in the creative industry.”

The curator who described arts as a state of mind, a religion and business said through the exhibition, participants could calve a niche for themselves, ‘’we take pride in our network of partners and clients who work with us to make success a possibility,’’ Simileoluwa said the ceramic work was a choice piece for The Journey, star piece both commercial and private collections. of the exhibition

a melodious harmony.

Adding flavor to the recital was the performance of the MTN Project Fame’s vocal coach, Dupe Ige Kachi, popularly known as Ige. She gave a very powerful rendition of the popular Benjamin Britten’s ‘Johnny’ with choreography by Zoe Chinaka who played the bride and Obinna Ifediora who played Johnny.

The choreography provoked laughter from the audience who were amused by the way Johnny kept leaving his lovely bride heartbroken despite her ambitious ways of getting him to propose to her. He was always lovely in the beginning of their dating but suddenly became overwhelmed by an inexplicable aura; he jilts his lover over and over again.

A

fter the audience shed tears for heartbroken Chinaka, she came back on stage to sing the award winning “I will always love you” by the late Whitney Houston with Perpetual Atife on the saxophone, Nelson Taiwo on the bass guitar and Sunday Oruoghor on the drums. With a soulful voice, Johnny couldn’t help but did what she had always wanted him to do: he came back on stage going down on one knee, and finally, he proposed to her. This definitely brought the love drama to a satisfactory end as the audience applauded the characters.

Perhaps the duet with the German based pianist Dapo Dina was the peak of the concert. It brought the house down with an outstanding performance by the two pianists. Performing the classical theme from love story composed by Francis Lai, the pianists stamped their foot on this brilliant music. At a point, they were both lost in a trance of the music that they conjured impeccable melody and harmony that got the audience screaming for an encore.

It was so brilliantly performed that one could see the satisfactory grins from the audience as they tapped their foot and swayed their heads sideways to the rythm of the melody. It was the most successful of performances of the night.

Tunde Sosan is the acting director of the Muson School of Music and also the Resident pianist. He is the great grandson of the music legend Dr. T.K.E. Philips.

PAGE 28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

Toast tto o Ondo e x-go v’s wif e @ 75 ex-go x-gov’s wife

I

t was a day of joy for Mrs I s a y e g b e Henrietta Tuoyo, wife of the former military governor of Ondo State, General Sunday Tuoyo, penultimate Satruday, when she celebrated her 75th birthday.

The celebration began early in the morning with a thanksgiving service at the Church of Ascension, Bodija, Ibadan.

Many dignitaries including the husband’s friends graced the occasion.

Photos by Dare Fasube

Mrs Isayegbe Henrientta Tuoyo, being assisted by hubby, Gen. Tuoyo, to cut her birthday cake with Sen. Ike Nwachuku, presiding.

L-R: Chief (Mrs) Dupe Adebayo, Senator Ike Nwachuku and Gen. Alani Akinrinade (Rtd)

Celebrant’s children Warami,Peter John and Ete.

(L-R):Tosan,

Trust executives AJATITON community of Ikpoba Ohai local government area, Edo State has sworn in a newly elected trust executives. The ceremony took place at the Town Hall.

L-R: Mr. Samuel Ireokane, Trust President, Mr. Johnbull Ebiareneyin Ajoki, Trust President and Mr. Amorighoye Miller, Trust P.R.O. C M Y K

From left: Julie Omomuli, R. Erewa-Danmole and Olubunmi Parker.

From left: Lt. Col. Felix Obayon (rtd), Gen. Bashir Jinadu (rtd), Gen. Wole Adejumo (rtd) and Gen. Popoola (rtd).

The Aluko twins wed THE Aluko twin sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde wedded their heart-throbs in Lokoja penultimate Saturday.

Taiwo wedded Olalekan Aderoju Adebayo while Kehinde got hooked to Olusegun Ayobami Bamisaiye. Venue was The Emmanuel Anglican Church, Lokoja, Kogi State. Photos by Olu Ajayi

One of the couples, Mr & Mrs Olusegun Ayobami Bamisaiye, signing the marriage register

Former Taiwo Aluko and Kehinde with hubbies, Olalekan Aderoju Adebayo and Olusegun Ayobami Bamisaiye with Engr. And Mrs Bamisaiye

L-R: Mr Akinloye Aiyegbusi,Capt. Tope Bamisaiye, Mr & Mrs AyobamiBamisaiye and Engr. (Mrs) Kemi Tope Bamisaiye.

The da dayy of the Medical Guild

LAGOS State Medical Guild held its 2013 Ordinary Meeting and conference at the auditorium of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

l-r: The Special Guest of Honour, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, with the Vice Chairman, Lagos State Medical Guild, Dr Ibrahim Ogunbi, the Guest Speaker, Mr Femi Adesina and the Guild’s Chairman, Dr Olumuyiwa Odusote

Dr Olumuyiwa Odusote (l) with Senator Mamora

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013 —29

When Vict or Go ed cchild hild Victor Gottevbe dedicat dedicated

O

ne of the most glorious moments in life is when another life breathes into the world. For the Gotevbes, the pleasure was all theirs when God blessed them with another baby, Rebecca Omonigho Gotevbe.

The joyous parents, took their ‘bundle of joy’ before God for dedication at Assemblies of God Church, Mazamaza. Thereafter, Victor Gotevbe, the Administration Manager of Vanguard Media Limited and wife, Franca, entertained guests at their Festac residence. Photos by Bunmi Azeez

From right: Mr. Jide Ajani, Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Mr. Emeka Nkwocha, Advert Manager, Vanguard and Mrs. Charity Eziegbo

From right: Mr. Victor Gotevbe, Admin. Manager, Vanguard, his wife, Franca and Mr. Mideno Bayagbon, Editor, Vanguard.

From left: Rotn. Akintoye Babs, Rotn.

Williams Anthony and Rotn. O.A. Oladapo, all of Rotary Club, Lagos-West.

Mr. and Mrs . Gotevbe with baby Rebecca Omonigho .

From left:Rotn. Dr. Beatrice Egbeozu, Rotn.

Dr. Bolaji Ogunlari and Rotn. Mary Oronlen, all of Rotary Club, Lagos-West

The new Rotary chief helmsman and his men

T

rd he investiture of Rotarian Kehinde Ayo-Kasumu as the 53 President of Rotary Club of Lagos and induction of Board of Directors held at Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos penultimate Friday. Here are some of the faces at the historic event. Photos by Akeem Salau

L-R:Amb. Olufemi Ani, past President,with Mr Dipo Bailey and Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi.

L-R:Rotn.Otunba Henry Afolabi Alu, Mrs Biola Agbaje, Mr Jimi and Rotn. Yinka Akande.

Dedication and a ward ceremon aw ceremonyy

ST. Paul’s Anglican Church, Kirikiri held its auditorium dedication and award ceremony recently. Many of the church members, especially those in the Building Committee were honoured with awards for their dedication to seeing the project to completion. Here are some displaying their plaques. Photos by Lamidi Bamidele

L-R:Ven. Levi Opara JP, Archdeacon of Kirikiri & Vicar, St Paul's Anglican Church, Kirikiri; wife, Adline; Most Rev Dr Ephraim Ademowo, Dean Emeritus,Anglican Communion.

L-R: Prince Amaobi Nwosu, Chairman, Building Committee, Mrs Lynne Nwosu, Mr Sunday Agbim and his wife, Chindinma

L-R: Mr Ade Ogunlesi,Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi,M D/CEO, Ruff N Tumble, with Rotn. Kehinde Ayo-Kasumu, President, Rotary Club of Lagos and Rotn. Mrs Hairat A.Balogun, Immediate Past President

AMDC’s da dayy

A

nnual Media Directors’ Circle for 2013 was e l d at Banquet Hall of Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

Here if the picture are some of the discussants. h

Country Manager, Google, Mrs Juliet Ehimuan (left), with MIPAN President, Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya C M Y K

PAGE 30 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 31

PAGE 32— SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City

Dr Pius Odubu is the Deputy Governor of Edo State.

Penultimate Monday, he marked his 25th marriage anniversary and birthday in Benin-City with over two hundred children from different orphanages.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, led other lawmakers to attend the ceremony at Odubu’s official residence in the GRA, Benin-City. In this interview, the Deputy Governor explains why he married on his birthday, life in politics and his belief in Benin tradition.

*Odubu ... Life is a mixed bag

My shy life affected my relationship with women —Odubu, Edo deputy governor

But before you met her, how was your relationship with women like, did you smoke, drink…?

I have never tasted alcohol all my life, I’ve never smoked all my life, in fact, the kola they eat after prayers, I’ve never tasted it. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I guess you will say I must have been running around with women. I also didn’t do that. I grew up a very shy person. Up till now, I am a very shy person and that affected my relationship with the opposite sex.

Naturally a shy person will not be one that will be everywhere with girls. I was not really there in the world. My own was that I saw my father and saw everything good in him; so I wanted to be like him. My father never smoked, never drank and, of course, doesn’t eat kola. I didn’t play the field and I am too old to start now. I have always lived a modest life with the fear of God in mind.

Why did you choose to marry on your birthday?

,

Was it difficult for her to say yes when you proposed to her?

Well, one will not propose marriage at the first sight. Overtime we found out that we were a perfect match, and marriage was just a natural consequence of our relationship. In due course, I proposed and she graciously accepted.

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How has it been in the last 25 years of marriage and the years you have spent in life?

It’s been a mixed bag; the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course, you might say that is fact of life. We can only pray that the good times beat the bad times. For me, it has been 99 per cent good times and perhaps one per cent bad times, and, for this, we give God the glory. He has been very kind to me and my family. Twenty-five years ago, one was still a single young man. I got married at 31, of course that was because I sojourned out of this country in 1977 in pursuit of higher education. Returning home required a lot of settling down. It also took us a while to find our missing rib and, when I found her, she was just a perfect match. Together we started this journey that today is 25 years old and, of course, to every married couple, you pray for the fruit of the womb and God has blessed us bountifully. We have four lovely children, two of whom are in the university; one in the fourth year the other one in the first year.

During this period, I have contested elections six times; twice into the council, twice into the House of Representatives and twice as deputy governor. Four were successful, the initial two were not quite successful, not because we didn’t win, but because we were rigged out. And God has used us, in these 25 years to impact on the lives of our people; first, in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency for eight years; and now, at the state level, as deputy governor. We thank Him for giving us the privilege to serve. As to whether we have served well, we leave that to the people, but I can imagine that the verdict of the people will be on our side; otherwise we will not have been here this long.

Meeting my wife Some of my friends tease me that I was not an adventurist; that I just reached out across my street and married my wife. My family house is at Osarenmwanta Street. The next street is Ewasede where the family house of my wife is located. The missing rib that I found turned out to be the perfect one. She has supported me in everything that I have done. In our trying moments especially during the time we failed in our bid to become the chairman of Orhionmwon, she stood by me marvelously. In fact, she is my most fervent prayer warrior. She is always praying for me and the family and indeed the people of Edo State.

I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I guess you will say I must have been running around with women. I also didn’t do that. I grew up a very shy person. Up till now, I am a very shy person and that affected my relationship with the opposite sex

,

Like some of us will like to be special in what we do, to do things in a special way;, we decided that the date, July 1, being my birthday, ‘let us marry on that day such that it will be double

celebration’. It has also given me the opportunity not to forget our anniversary. So it is always easy to remember that you got married on your birthday and it has worked for us.

Were you brought up as a Christian or a traditionalist?

It was a mixture of both. A man that is 93 years old and a Bini has a traditional home setting, but, of course, with the fear of God always. My father brought us up to fear God, to respect every other human being, to live a disciplined life. He is a disciplinarian extraordinaire and he also taught us that in all that he did and all that he is still doing, that God comes first, that God is the ultimate and that God is God. He believes that there is a God and that we must all serve Him. Even at his age now, he is still involved in the work of God. Being the oldest man in the village now, he has seen it all and we are trusting that God will give

Continues on page 33

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 33

THE OKIJA REVELATION My only brother died and that aborted my journey to priesthood — Jonathan’s adviser

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

N

NWANKPO

ZE Akachukwu Nwankpo is the Special Ad viser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Tech nical Matters and secretary of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE –P. Last weekend, at his home town, Okija, Anambra State, Nwankpo narrated how he missed being ordained a reverend father in the Catholic Church at a time people in his community were almost counting him as one of their indigenous priests.

In this part of Anambra State, any family that has a reverend father is considered a lucky one in view of the respect accorded priests and the rigorous nature of becoming one. So, when the young Nwankpo gained admission into St. Paul’s Junior Seminary, Ukpor in Nnewi South local government area, his parents and kinsmen were happy. Through hard work, he progressed and obtained the Bachelor of Philophy degree of the Pontifical Urban University of Rome before a certain event terminated his priestly ambition. The presidential adviser, who spoke during his induction into the Noble Order of the Knights of St. John International at the St. Mary’s Church, Okija, said that following the death of his only brother after he had obtained his Bachelor of Philosophy degree and was at the last lap of his becoming a Catholic priest, there was so much pressure on his parents that he should get married to perpetuate the family name.

Addressing the congregation which had reverend fathers and his classmates at junior and senior seminaries in attendance, he expressed happiness that despite his inability to become a priest, he has maintained his position in the faith.

Narrating the story, he said: “I was an altar boy when a young priest working in my parish then, who is today the Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev Hilary Okeke, advised me to become a priest. That was how I entered St. Paul’s Seminary, Ukpor and progressed to the senior seminary. But after a painful experience my parents went through following the death of my elder brother, there was so much pressure on them that I should get married.

My parents had earlier lost six children and we remained two and, when my brother died, I was the only one remaining. “At that point in time in my life, I had become a bit radical in the seminary and following my kind of life, the then Archbishop of Onitsha, who is today a Cardinal, called me and said that he had discovered that I could serve the church better from outside the seminary. When I wedded, my classmates in the seminary, many of whom are priests today, served the Mass and God has blessed that wedlock with five children. I am happy that despite my failure to be ordained a reverend father, I have been maintaining my position in the faith. I am also happy that today, I am privileged to be a Soldier of Christ in the church as a Knight of St. John International.”

Some of his classmates in the senior seminary said Nwankpo’s departure from the seminary was a big surprise to them because he was one of those doing well.

“We still see him as one of us in spite of the fact that he is presently serving the President as a special adviser. We know that through him, God has a good plan for Nigeria and Anambra State and our prayer is that the plan would come to fruition,” they said.

Bishop Hilary Okeke of Nnewi Diocese, who presided at the Pontifical Mass, said Nwankpo remained one of his special sons and reminded the congregation that one could work for God in various ways. “I am happy that he has not stopped serving God despite the fact that he did not become a reverend father,” the bishop said.

`Why I love Benin tradition’ Continued from page 32 him a lot more years.

How do you see Christianity and tradition? I am asking because you are always referred to as a native doctor?

I grew up a Christian; don’t mind the Okakuo(Warrior) they call me now. I attended a Catholic school, St Pius Primary School, Urhomehe, now Iyobosa Primary School. I got baptized in 1966 and confirmed in 1967. I was baptized by Rev Fr Usenbor and confirmed by Bishop P. J. Kelly. After I finished primary school, I selected Immaculate Conception College, Edo College and Western Boys High School for the common entrance examination. I passed both the written and oral examination, and was offered admission by all three schools. Since Immaculate Conception College is a Catholic school, it was only fitting that I attend Immaculate Conception College and that was where I now chose to go and I went into the boarding house and the rest is history. I grew up as a Christian.

So I have always been a Christian. I believe in the Christian faith, I believe in God and I believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and personal saviour.

Growing up, I had a lot of admiration for Rev Fathers and I have always wanted to live a disciplined life. So I saw in them a disciplined group of persons committed to the work of God, but it didn’t cross my mind one day to be a Reverend Father. Instead, I

wanted to be either a medical doctor, a soldier or a musician. I guess that is why I am Okakuo, that is the soldier in me. I can also sing and dance well, but I ended up being a lawyer. As for tradition, I love and respect the Benin tradition because it is a perfect representation of the Ten Commandments. The Benin tradition says thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery,

*Odubu ... People call me native doctor

and thou shall not covet your neighbour ’s properties and so on. I am a respecter of tradition and in view of my foray into politics in a largely rural constituency, I had to know my people and how to communicate with them in our native dialect which is Benin, and in doing so I had to now master the language to some extent. I also know that the Binis campaign more through songs and parables and I admire that in my father. So I keyed into it. I listened to elders a lot and got to know some very good Benin parables that fit in to situations. So when one is campaigning to the people, I resort to a parable that will suit the occasion and also a song that will capture the essence of the message one is trying to deliver.

Also, I am able to do a step or two of the traditional Benin dance, so everybody now just said this man must be a native man. And the name native doctor became popularized by my boss and senior brother, Mr. Gover nor, who sometimes jovially refers to me as one (laughter). Everybody knows I am a devout Christian.

What inspired you into politics?

I was born into a family of politicians. My father, a renowned politician in the NCNC/Otue-Edo days in the Midwest region, was one of those that fought

for the creation of Midwest region. He was a councilor at various times in the council, limited to the council because of his level of education. I am quite sure if he was educated, he would have gone further than that, but for more than five times, he was in the council as a councilor. My mother is of the Osunde family in Ugo, a popular family, very prosperous family and very influential family also into politics.

I grew up with my father as a councilor seeing prominent men in the then Midwest Region, coming to see him in the village. Then crime level was very low. As early as 2am in the night, they have started coming to see him. I saw all that, and believed that this man must be a very influential person that everybody comes to see and I wanted to be like him. So when I returned home after studies, I went to the law school, after which I participated actively in the zero party election that came up then. As a young lawyer, I also assisted in making it a success and joined forces with others that supported Dr Roland Ehigiamusoe as the council chairman then. When the new dispensation came, I was the state legal adviser for the Liberal Convention in the then Bendel State.

Then came NRC and SDP. One was just content to support people, but the people said arising from the influence of my father and the role he played, that it was pay back time and they all nominated me to go to the council as the council chairman; that was indeed how I ventured into politics. I think it is more-or-less reaping from the good job my father did. I was invited to come

Continues on page 36

PAGE 34—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

It is difficult to speak about the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria without mentioning Chief Romeo Baberopoulous, the organization’s earstwhile Exports Group chairman. Yet, since his falling in love with Nigeria 50 years ago when he relocated from his home Greece, it is safe to say that Baberopoulos has had more hands- on participation in the manufacturing sector of the country than any other industrialist still producing.

One would be hard pressed to find, either, a Nigerian manufacturer more interested in the development of industry in the social sector as this immigrant. As he entered his octogenarian years, he was more anxious than ever that the manufacturing sector lives up to its billing as job creator.

In the offices of his metal fabrication companies, he spoke to Sunday Vanguard in what was to be his last press interview, as an individual and not a representative of the Manufacturing Association, on the global economy, the effect of deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and his waning faith in the ability of capitalism to create sustainable wealth in the world.

S a manufacturer who has practised in the environment where subsequent governments have removed fuel subsidies, what are the implications of such removal?

Subsidy is evil because we know the abuses which are suffered. It is wrong and it should not be. On the other hand, it is also evil to remove it because it will bring a lot of suffering to Nigerians who are made poorer because they spend more. In many ECOWAS countries, per liter cost of petrol is about 170 Naira. However, cost of transportation per mile is much cheaper than Nigeria. If they can manage that, why can Nigeria not manage. There is something wrong somewhere.

For a country to say its GDP is increasing and last year it went very well, it makes no sense because the fact is that the growth should trickle down to the average man. That is the essence of the wealth. There are disputes about if there is any subsidy. The cost of producing petrol is much lower than what was sold before.

Dubai has brought about a new kind of sense into Nigeria.

Doctors have gone out, lawyers have gone out and all Nigerians. The Minister of Finance admits that the recurrent expenditure is high and that it was cut down by 2% this year and that, next year and the year after, it will be cut down further. It is still extremely high and if we all remember that CBN Governor

A

ECONOMY

Nigeria should heed the IMF warning – Baberopoulous *Says subsidy is double evil *‘Capitalism has failed’

Chief Romeo Baberopoulous: “Growth needs certain skills” Sanusi accused the Senate of receiving about 25% of the national budget. When they told him to withdraw his words, he proved it. They invited him and made a promise to reduce it. Another thing is, a few years back when Professor Soludo was in and they were amassing foreign reserves, I criticized it, that Nigeria does not need reserves. It needs to spend on productive projects.

At what stage do we need foreign reserves?

At the stage when it has fulfilled its infrastructural responsibility to the nation. If you have reserves, you give them to banks to make money by lending to other people. If you have shortages, you borrow money and again help the banks. So it is a vicious cycle.

Ideally, the country should spend its money in Nigeria.

China has a lot of reserves because even growth has its own limitations. You cannot grow more than you should.

Growth needs certain skills.

Nigeria’s growth should be gradual and sustainable; otherwise there will be a lot of waste. It seems I was proved right eventually because nothing happened in terms of productivity. Our reserves were ploughed back because of the oil drop and we are still at point zero.

But Mrs Okonjo Iwealla was expressing the fear that we do not end up as Greece.

Are those fears founded?

It seems to me that they may have pointed to Greece but the whole thing started from the United States. It has become an international issue and nobody can say that a country of nine million people created a global crisis . All these things about Greece, correct as they are, could not have created a global crisis.

The claim is that they were trying to avoid a Greece situation where there were riots... what could have been the alternative?

The alternative would be to first put things right. There are big question marks. Why should crude oil be taken overseas, be refined and brought back? This in itself has its cost. The figures for oil are known internationally. If you go to the internet, you will see them and they are undisputed;

,

BY MORENIKE TAIRE

when you reduce the money in the hands of the people, the buying power is less. When they buy less goods, automatically production drops and, if production drops, it means that costs increase because of the relationship between breaking even and volume of sales. All these things have an effect. Could it be true that Greece was the cause of the problem being such a small country to have an effect that reflected on China because trillions of dollars in export has dropped?

Greece was never buying from China. These are excuses and eventually Europe realized that the experiment of the union is a trial that needs to be reconsidered. I believe in the European Union. I am sure it will overcome in a few years.

Right now, people have started talking about capitalism and putting question marks. Is capitalism the right politico-economic system for the world? If you see those demonstrators in Davos Switzerland, you can understand that people are hungry all over the world Did you say angry or hungry?

You cannot grow more than you should. Growth needs certain skills. Nigeria’s growth should be gradual and sustainable; otherwise there will be a lot of waste

so the problems of Nigeria in terms of infrastructure, corruption, are known to everybody. We know what we should do and yet ... hungry people is a social evil and creates big problems.

How is the increase in fuel price itself affecting industry?

Cost of transportation. Now there is increase in electricity tarrif. I am not sure eventually manufacturers can close their eyes to the suffering of their employees and they will have to give something in terms of compensation. That means we will increase the cost of production and it’s an avalanche that will bring inflation.

What of the direct impact on your costs of production? I am talking not socially now.

It is indirect in the sense that

,

They say hungry and hunger means anger as well; isn’t it.

Those girls were half naked and demonstrating. They said: ‘hungry because of you!’; that was the slogan. You are responsible that we are deprived of the good things we used to have. That is why even Madame Lagarde (IMF President) has warned Nigeria and other African countries to be careful. Even though we sell our raw materials in commodities, Europe and China and other countries will need less, therefore they will buy less. Our income from nonoil will be reduced; even from oil. In spite of what is happening in Iran now, under different situations, there wasn’t a world crisis i can tell you the price of oil would skyrocket but it didn’t.

It seems to me now in Nigeria that there is a tussle between infrastructure and industry because, clearly, when you raise fuel price, it affects industry; so the claim of government that it wants to build infrastructure with whatever is recovered from subsidy removal, how. does that balance up? Must we sacrifice industry for infrastructure?

There was a time when there was plenty of money and this excess in reserve and they could have done it then. The problem of infrastructure was prominent at that time. Now it’s a sound excuse.

As a capitalist yourself, what is your own view of people putting a question mark on capitalism?

When I was young, I was a communist. I was a socialist but I thought that was not working and even capitalism. It’s not the economic theory that makes it bad. It is human beings that spoilt the economic systems, ruined communism and socialism. Look at what’s happening with banks and bankers who now are called banksters from the word gangsters.

I have not heard that one...

It’s a new word. They are called banksters because this man from the Royal Bank of Scotland increased his salary when the bank was going down. He knew what was happening but avarice and greed are, to a large extent if not absolutely, the reason for the suffering in the whole world. Look at the imbalance.

You see it here in Nigeria, Europe, America, all over the world. Even those who say they believe in GodChristians or Moslems- they don’t keep to the principles of doing good, etcetera. They try to grab and grab and grab. I have not seen many countries where leaders of churches- five of them - having so much. In a country that is so poor and yet you have leaders of churches who are selling hope to the poor... there is something wrong somewhere.

I thought the whole idea of capitalism was to drive production and people can see other people who have a lot and want to aspire to that.

In theory, yes. It is freedom of working hard and creating wealth but let us not forget that we are not equal in terms of physical ability and if someone wants to have a peaceful life, to be a teacher... I wanted to be a teacher because I felt that teaching is a creative job but look at what is happening to teachers. They are suffering.

It’s not worse than other workers. Coming back to what communism used to believe, you should have what you need not what you wish but today greed is so prominent.

People make money for generations to come. We all come and die and we don’t even know when we are going to die. It’s a sickness, an intellectual sickness.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 35

FROM LAGOS TO ABUJA, FIVE STATES ...

Inside the expanded cash-less regime *The charges you pay

commercial banks are complying with the directives of the apex bank, even as the banking public is fast adapting to the new policy. The policy took off as pilot scheme in Lagos more than one year ago but has now extended to Abia, Anambra, Kano, Ogun, Rivers and the FCT. Most depositors were seen doing transactions freely, while others filled forms to obtain ATM cards and other electronic services available for mobile banking and on-line money transfer to different locations across the country.

It was also observed that a considerable number of customers came to make inquiries about inter-bank fund transfers and bank charges.

Our investigations revealed that banks have since recorded over 15,000 transactions daily with Point of Sales (POS), with the monetary value of over N300million.

The charges for services ranging from inter-bank money transfer to internet banking seem to be minimal, even as withdrawal with ATM is without charge.

Commercial banks do two major types of money transfers: 24 hours fund transfer and immediate cash transfer. The amount charged for each transaction depends on the type of transfer a customer wants.

A manager with a branch of Keystone Bank in Lagos explained that money transferred from the former federal capital to the five states where the cash-lite economy has just been rolled out attracts less than N1,000 charge per transaction, depending on the amount involved. He said, “If a customer wants to transfer about N50,000 from Lagos to Abuja, which is among the cities the policy has just been extended to, he will not pay more than N1,000 as bank charge for the transaction.”

He went on, “This depends on what the depositor wants. There are two types of money transfers, immediate cash transfer, where the beneficiary receives the money instantly, and 24 hours fund transfer, where the transaction runs for a period of 24 hours before delivery. The differences are the charges attributable to the transactions and the durable of service delivery. For instance, if a customer wants transfer of N50,000 from Keystone Bank in Lagos to another Keystone branch in Rivers State within 24 hours, he will pay bank charge of only N100. The reason is that the transaction takes 24 hours before delivery, but if it is immediate money transfer, the customer will pay about N570 as bank charge because the cash will be received instantly. On the whole, the customer will not pay more than N1,000.”

He continued, “We also run inter-bank money transfer services. Inter-bank transaction involves two different banks. For example, money transfer from Keystone to First Bank at any location in the country. The charges are higher but still within the limited of N1.000 for transfer of about N50,000.”

Meanwhile, whereas the cashless dispensation has taken off in the five states and the FCT, the CBN has suspended all charges on the policy till October 1.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the apex bank deferred the enforcement of charges on lodgement and withdrawer components of the policy in the states in order to allow time for customers to adjust to the new policy.

The policy directive stated that individuals have a daily withdrawal and deposit limit of N500, 000 while corporate bodies have N3 million withdrawer limits. When these limits are exceeded, individuals will be charged two per cent of the excess amount withdrawn and three per cent of excess deposit,

,

T

HE recent extension of cash-less monetary policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to five states and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) is running smoothly as

Lamido Sanusi

If a customer wants to transfer about N50,000 from Lagos to Abuja, which is among the cities the policy has just been extended to, he will not pay more than N1,000 as bank charge for the transaction

while corporate bodies will be charged three per cent of excess deposit and five per cent of excess withdrawal.

The policy directive on third party cheques above N150,000 no longer being cleared across the counter remains active in the five states and the FCT, while cash-in-transit lodgement and cash evacuation services will no

,

longer be available to customers or merchants.

Before the extension of the cash-lite economy to the five states and FCT, the CBN pegged customer ’s daily withdrawal or deposits to a maximum of N150, 000 for individual customer and N1million for corporate organisation, which the apex bank later increased to

N500,000 for individual and N3, 000, 000 for corporate. The charges attracted by non compliance with the stipulated policy guidelines in Lagos, where the pilot study started include fine of N100per N1,000 in bank charges. Also, the N100 charge for withdrawal with Automated Teller Machine (ATM), introduced by commercial banks was abolished.

In a chat with Sunday Vanguard, Mr. Adeyemi Falegan of the CBN, said, “The policy was extended to five states in the country namely, Ogun, Abia, Anambra, Rivers, Kano and the FCT, due to the level of success recorded in Lagos . Cashless policy is an international best practice by the advanced countries because their transactions are done mostly with credit cards and other forms of electronic-payment system.

“Adequate implementation of this policy in Nigeria will significantly check fraud in our system. It will reduce the cost of printing and circulating cash in the economy, as well as the use of large amounts of cash transactions to ensure effective management of currency in circulation. It will reduce corruption because the current policy will enable the monetary authority to track the currency in circulation at every given time. Also, the extension of the policy to other states will yield maximum economic benefits because these are major commercial cities within the zones in the country. At present, the economic benefits of the cash-lite economy include payment of school fees, house rent, utility bills, and even hotel bookings.”

FRSC, oil firm join forces against road accidents

E

XXONMOBIL, in partnership with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has launched a campaign to address road accidents.

The three critical areas of focus for the campaign are: seat belt usage, speed reduction and use of phone while driving.

According the Corps Marshall and Chief Executive of FRSC, Osita Chidoka, “Road crashes has been a source of concern not only to the people of Nigeria but to most developing countries and in the next few years, road crashes may be the third highest killer of mankind”.

Chidoka said that road crashes do not just happen. They are caused and can be averted, thus, the need for this campaign which is a national reawakening to address the challenges of apathy associated with road usage in Nigeria. He commended the growing partnership between FRSC and corporate bodies particularly ExxonMobil which he said has shown commitment to issues of road safety and security of human life in work places In his speech, ExxonMobil Executive Director, Udom Inoyo, said that accidents are preventable with the right attitude, adding that the motivation for ExxonMobil in partnering with FRSC is to ensure that Nigeria can make a

positive change to road safety statistics.

He believes that through the campaign, ExxonMobil will impart its values which places premium on safety on day-to-day acitivities which the slogan, “Nobody gets hurt”. Inoyo called on other stakeholders to support the initiative.

Samson Makoju, the representative of National Petroleum Investment

Management Services (NAPIMS), expressed the hope that the result will be quite visible and everybody will soon be counting the gains.

The Minister of Information Labaran Maku represented by his Special Adviser, Henry Angulu, commended the unique collaboration between the FRSC and the private sector and assured of them of government support.

President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Mr Segun Aina,presenting CIBN Associateship Certtificate to Mrs Ethel Anaga Ukaku, during the Graduates ' Induction & Prize Awards organised by The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos. Photo by Diran Oshe.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

‘Nigeria loses $100m annually on shipping’

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BY AKOMA CHINWEOKE When the cabotage regime came on stream, the intention was to stimulate the development of indigenous capacity in the Nigerian maritime industry. Ten years down the line, many Nigerians are wondering whether the law has actually taken off as indigenous vessel owners, who the law was designed to protect, remain sidelined while foreign shipping companies hold sway. In this interview, Mr. John Patrick Egesi, President of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS) and former Director General of the National Maritime Authority (NMA) now known as NIMASA, speaks on why an economy like Nigeria’s, with stunted industrial development, can never become a maritime power.

Excerpts:

S

TAKEHOLDERS in the maritime sector have described the cabotage

regime in Nigeria as a huge failure. As a maritime economist, what is your take on that?

The Cabotage Act was enacted for stakeholders and, of course, for the generality of Nigerians to benefit from through returns on investment, generation of jobs and indirect economic benefit for the common man through what the Keynesian economist would call multiplier effect. It is usually very tempting to side with the position of the stakeholders since everybody should consider them the direct beneficiaries of the Act. However, given my personal experience as a former Director of Operations and Director General of NMA (now NIMASA), my reasoning calls for caution in this regard. I recall that when the 40-40-20 rule was at its height, the NMA did all it could to ensure that indigenous shipping companies get some share of the maritime cargo in spite of the fact that they had little or no vessels of their own. Many of them collected Form ‘C’ and quickly sold them to foreign lines that had the tonnages to carry the cargoes.

Before you say jack, they were in the press telling the world that the shipping policy was a failure and went on to demand their own share of the Ship Acquisition and Ship Building Fund.

Despite the techno-legal shortcomings of that Act, any Nigerian knowledgeable in the dynamics of shipping will concede that the Cabotage Act, inspite of its deterministic tone, is more like a wishful road map for Nigeria national industrial development. To put it bluntly, a nation that has stunted industrial development can never become a maritime power. Growth in maritime development will continue to be marginal for as long as our industrial and manufacturing base is hollow. I know that NIMASA has never

An under developed cabotage implementation will definitely further stunt our maritime development – particularly in our high seas and intercontinental sea trade aspirations

,

Mr. John Patrick Egesi rested on its oars since the enactment of this law. But there is a limitation to what NIMASA can do. They cannot start purchasing vessels for all and sundry who wish truly or falsely to participate in the cabotage trade. It will also be irresponsible on their part to allow substandard vessels to participate in the trade. The stakeholders will have to meet NIMASA midway by merging to purchase the right equipment and vessels. NIMASA could then use its federal might to assist. While NIMASA definitely has its own shortcomings, the word failure will be problematic here How has the poor implementation impacted on the maritime sector and the economy at large?

An under developed cabotage implementation will definitely further stunt our maritime development – particularly in our

high seas and intercontinental sea trade aspirations. Do not forget that while the cabotage regime was considered necessary in itself, the midterm aim was to help Nigeria re-develop its participation in the international carriage of cargo. Failure of the cabotage regime will make these aspirations less easy to attain.

All the other expectations like growth of ancillary trade, insurance, job creation and skill development and expected multiplier effect on the economy will fail to materialize.

Do you support the view that a harmonized approach would ensure Cabotage regime success?

By harmonize approach, I believe you mean cascaded implementation of the Act. These have always been my position and the position of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping. It involves

taking incremental measured steps in implementing the cabotage. For example, 300 grt vessels can be exclusively reserved for Nigerians, while allowing non-Nigerian companies to continue to operate at a higher tonnage level – but of course giving priority to Nigerians at all levels. The limitations could be increased in vessel and equipment after every three years to 1,000 grt – 1,500 and so on until foreigners are completely locked out – may be within 20 years.

What is important here in focused consistency on the part of the Ministry of Transport and NIMASA Out of about 400 vessels, 70% are reportedly not engaged for not meeting standard. Any hope that in the near future more Nigerians would be manning vessels operating in our domestic waters and our domestic vessels built or repaired in Nigeria shipyard?

Like I said, development of shipping including cabotage does not depend on a legal fiat but a function of incremental and positive development of our industrial, manufacturing and trading base. Once these factors of our life take-off like in India, Philippines, Korea, Malaysia (who were members of the Group of 77 with us), the growth of our shipping and cabotage trade will take off consequentially.

Estimates have put the loss recorded so far at about $100m annually showing that the Nigerian water has become a feasting ground for foreign ship owners. What could be done to address the situation?

My own estimates are far above that. But that does not change the reality of our incapacity. No matter what the government through NIMASA wants to do for the promotion of cabotage shipping, the fact still remains that shipping is an expensive field of investment which only those with the necessary resources and interest should get into. It is not a social benefit organization where individuals go to receive money to assuage their needs. The most important step therefore is to ensure that only companies or group of Nigerian companies capable of meeting the minimum ownership standards should be recognized. Their minimum capacity will give NIMASA the proper base to assist through the Cabotage Fund. This should be supported by periodic (2 -4 years) but incremental exclusive tonnage and equipment zone for only Nigerian companies. It will take a while but we shall get there in the end. I am sure that the enactors of the Cabotage Act probably have this in mind.

‘My shy life affected my relationship with women’ Continued from page 33 and contest the election and the rest is history.

Being deputy governor and loyalty to Oshiomhole It is easy to work with someone whose belief and ideas you share, it is easy to work with someone who, to a large extent, is like you.

I have always believed in hard work, I have always lived a disciplined life; I have always harboured this innate conviction of serving the people. I have always wanted to do things that would bring satisfaction to the people; I have always wanted to serve the people. I saw these and perhaps more in the Governor, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. So it was just easy for me to key into his mission and vision. No two persons can be exactly the same but to a large extent, perhaps over ninety per cent, we have the same vision and mission, so it has been a seamless working relationship because firstly, people say I am very simple and humble, but I want to tell you that Mr. Governor is the embodiment of simplicity. Don’t mind the very serious mien you

see in him. He is one person that is very simple to work with, easy going yet very disciplined and committed to the welfare of the people. So for me, he was simply the right person to work with. The only difference people see in us is that I am an introvert, and he is an extrovert and you know they say opposites attract. I like working behind the scene. I am publicity shy and do not talk much. I just like to do my job and move on. So for me, working with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has been a very pleasant experience, there has not been a single second of disagreement; not because I am Deputy Governor and bound to always agree with him, but because issues are tabled, discussed and consensus reached. In that situation, you can rarely find disagreement. I have had a swell time working with him and I promised to do my part to ensure that he is not distracted from giving his best to the good people of Edo state.

Best and worst moments M y h a p p i e s t moments in government are quite a few. First, when I was picked by Mr Governor,

then Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as his running mate.

Secondly, when we were able to reclaim our mandate in court, third when I was picked again by him as his running mate, fourth, and perhaps my happiest moment, was the ground breaking ceremony of the construction of Evboeghae-Ugo-Urhonigbe road in Orhionmwon Local Government Area. From the beginning of time, that road has been very deplorable. We have always wished for the road to be asphalted, so when Mr. Governor performed the ground breaking ceremony, it became one of my happiest moments in government.

My most difficult time was the re-nomination exercise for our second term. For those of you that were in Edo State and indeed Nigeria, my nomination became the issue. It was as if I was the one contesting for governorship. It was difficult because as a deputy governor, you were not expected to campaign for re-nomination.

Ideally, it was the responsibility of the governor in consultation with party leaders and elders to pick his running mate, but mine was so contentious as if one was going to contest election into it and in all of

these, I was not supposed to campaign, I was not supposed to do anything. So I was just at the mercy of the people who were throwing all manners of serious rubbish at me from all corners. It was a trying period for me because one was not permitted, allowed or supposed to go out and also state his case and campaign to the people. It would have been very easy for me to do, but we thank God that Mr. Governor saw through it all and stuck by me. I also want to appreciate the good people of Edo state who throughout that period stood by me in their various commentaries.

Some took advertorials; some went through the social media in support of my re-nomination exercise. I also want to thank the traditional institution for throwing their weight behind my re-nomination. You are aware of the role the traditional institution played, how they spoke in my favour that I have been very diligent and that I have been very capable and able and that you don’t change a winning team so that for me was the most trying time in government.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 37

Nigeria is China’s strategic partner — Ambassador Boqing between Nigeria and China? Broadly speaking, what are the areas of cooperation in the bilateral relations between Nigeria and China?

Over the past 42 years, China and Nigeria have been making great achievements.

Our two countries have been forging ever closer economic ties. Nigeria is now the third largest trade partner of China in Africa.

BY VICTORIA OJEME

Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Mr . Deng Boqing , explains the diplomatic ties between Nigeria and his host country.

He also explains the strategic engagement and the expected mutual benefit in some agreements that are being reached between both countries.

Excerpts:

,

Our cooperation in science and technology has made Nigeria the first African country to boost satellite navigation capacity

H

President Jonathan is to pay a state visit to China shortly. What does this mean to our two countries? What achievements would be made during this visit?

At the invitation of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Jonathan paid his first state visit to China. It has been five years since any Nigerian President visited China last, and it was the first time for our top leaders to meet after the new Chinese President assumed office.

During his stay in China,

Ambassador Boqing...Jonathan’s visit to China will further consolidate the traditional friendship between China and Nigeria

President Jonathan met his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, and other Chinese leaders.

The two parties

,

OW do you see China-Nigeria relations?

China-Nigeria diplomatic relations entered the 43rd year in 2013.

Since we started, both sides have promoted cooperation. In 2005, our close ties were upgraded to strategic partnership. High-level exchanges remain active and our political mutual trust enhanced.

The economic ties have been strengthened, bringing mutual benefits to the people of our two countries. Peopleto-people communications and cultural exchanges between our two sides have been dynamic, ensuring vigorous interaction and enhancing mutual understanding.

documents of cooperation.

I believe President Jonathan’s visit to China will further consolidate the traditional friendship

Nigeria is one of the top crude oil producers and exporters in the world. Like many other countries in the world, China is willing to import crude oil from Nigeria

exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common concerns, considered new channels and approaches to boost China-Nigeria cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other fields, and signed

,

between China and Nigeria, enhance strategic mutual trust, expand pragmatic bilateral cooperation, and promote further the development of China-ECOWAS and China-Africa relations.

What is the strength of the bilateral relations

,

In 2012, the trade volume between the two countries reached USD 10.57 billion,

and, by the end of last year, China’s non-financial direct investment in Nigeria accumulated to USD 8.7 billion.

In the financial sector, the Central Bank of Nigeria is the very first one in Africa to include Chinese currency RMB in its foreign exchange reserves, with a view to building strategic and mutually beneficial relationship with key Chinese financial institutions. Our cooperation in science and technology has made Nigeria the first African country to boost satellite navigation capacity. In 2011, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) launched Nigerian Communications Satellite 1R, which has thereafter met Nigeria’s

requirements in communications, broadcast, navigation and broadband access and also provided services for Africa, Europe and Asia.

People-to-people communication and cultural exchanges are an integral part of our bilateral relations. Both countries enjoy ancient civilizations and splendid cultures, and we could often find similarities in our value systems and world views. However, we still want to know more about each other. In the just concluded African Arts and Crafts Expo, the Chinese delegation showcased the exquisite Chinese handicrafts, most of which are acknowledged as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage; Two Confucius Centers have been founded in Nigeria, namely in Lagos University and Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Besides, a “Nigerian Culture Week” in China last year impressed quite many Chinese people.

What is the volume of trade between Nigeria and China; and in whose favour? What are the major import and export commodities between the two countries?

In 2012, the trade volume between the two countries reached USD 10.57 billion.

Our two economies are highly complementary, and the cooperative relations have huge potential and broad prospect.

Nigeria is one of the top crude oil producers and exporters in the world. Like many other countries in the world, China is willing to

import crude oil from Nigeria.

However, compared with Nigeria’s other trading partners, the amount of crude oil exported to China is much lower, which only constitutes 1% to 2% percent of Nigeria’s total crude oil export.

Our two countries have been managing to diversify the trade relations. In August 2011, China imported 1.1million metric ton of cassava chips from Nigeria. We Chinese side shall continue to encourage more import of non-oil items from Nigeria, especially agricultural products.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY

BY GABRIEL ENOGOLASE

M

AJOR Wisdom O s a g i e d e OgbewekonOsemwende is a Nigerian serving in the United States Army; he served in Iraq during the American/Iraqi war. A member of the Benin royal family, he is currently attached to the African Command in Germany. In this interview conducted by telephone, he spoke on the security challenges facing the country and how the Boko Haram insurgency can be tamed.

Excerpts:

On security challenges in Nigeria

Stability of operations

This follows after combined operations of the military. They must not leave the scene of operations immediately, they should stay to stabilize operations and return normalcy to the area.

Border patrol

A division that is made up of men and officers from all branches of the armed forces should be created to join the Customs, Immigration and police to patrol our porous borders with Cameroun,

•Major Wisdom Osagiede Ogbewekon-Osemwende...

BOKO HARAM

Let’s do what America did to Mexico — Nigerian

serving in the US Army

,

Terrorism is an enduring situation worldwide. In Nigeria, this is causing a lot pains to the people and the armed forces. The extreme ideology of the Boko-Haram sect and what is happening in the North is very disturbing.

Northern leaders such as the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; Mallam Aminu Kano; the late Major Gen Joseph Garba; and many others who labored to make the North what it is today will never forgive the sect for what they have turned the region into and I know that average northerners are good people and are not in support of what they are doing. I am however pleased with what President Jonathan is doing to curtail the insurgency and the Niger Delta militants and needs the support of all Nigerians.

On security challenges, the country needs to create special branches in the armed forces, that is, the army, navy and air force that would be given specialized training on how to handle terrorism; they should be able to fight on land, sea and in the desert. This special force should be deployed to the Gulf of Guinea to maintain peace in the area.

There should be combined operations involving the army, navy and the air force to curtail the activities of Boko Haram; it should not be left in the hands of the police or army alone.

The Federal Government should dialogue with religious leaders in the North especially Imams on the dangers of allowing BokoHaram to keep weapons in the mosques. We discovered this in Iraq and we talked with them about the dangers of allowing them to do so

Chad, Niger, etc . They should effectively man the border points because this is where the Boko Haram people leave for Mali and Mauritanian for training. The Nigerian government should be prepared to spend money on technology, censors and radars should be mounted at sensitive border points to monitor what is going on.

The Federal Government can

,

establish three central control divisions to man Nigerian/ Cameroun, Nigerian/Niger, and Nigerian/Chad borders with radar installed to monitor the movements of people. The radar will send information to the central divisions and place those on patrol at alert. This is what the Boko-Haram people do and they move with ease in and out of the country to train in Mali and other countries.

There is also the need to install underground sensors along the borders with our neighbours that will send signals to the central control system which, in turn, calls for air support in cases of emergency. The security agencies should train dogs to sniff persons and cars coming into the country because terrorism takes time to plan. It is not done overnight.

They select targets to be attacked, they have good intelligence network and so, to counter them, you must have an intelligence gathering system that is superior to their own.

How to terrorism

defeat

Government should allocate more funds for the education of youths in the North; by so doing terrorists would not be able to brainwash or

indoctrinate them on their cause. Northern youths should be able to compete with their southern counterparts in every field of human endeavours once they get the right education.

Nigeria should subscribe to the African Military High Command to make her strong in the continent; for training, special assistance, among others.

The police should be properly equipped, they should have a rescue combat training and, above all, Nigerians should have faith in the police and know that they are serving their interest. I recall hosting some Nigerian police officers sent to the United States on community policing with another Nigerian U.S. army officer, Lt. Col. Oronsaye, and we tasked them to ensure that the training they received in the U.S should be well implemented while back in Nigeria. While I commend the Inspector- General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, for the innovation that he brought into the police, the men should be adequately funded, supported with adequate logistics provided, computerized vehicles for crime detection and arrests.

All Nigerians get national identity cards entered into a national data base. You must have records of people living in the country including foreigners.

The Federal Government should erect walls along our borders with our neighbours as the United States government did along its Mexican borders when it became clear that there were illegal aliens entering the country through its borders with Mexico.

The Federal Government should dialogue with religious leaders in the North especially Imams on the dangers of allowing Boko-Haram to keep weapons in the mosques. We discovered this in Iraq and we talked with them about the dangers of allowing them to do so.

The Boko-Haram sect and the Niger Delta militants should dialogue and embrace because there is no nation on earth that can survive two wars.

Nigerians should give peace a chance.

Crisis in the Niger Delta and oil theft

It is regrettable that Nigeria reportedly lost about 191 Billion U.S. dollars to oil theft and vandalization.

I commended the Joint Military Task Force set up by the government to tackle the issue.

They should concentrate more efforts in tackling the issue and they should be properly equipped to provide security to Nigerians living in the region. The militants should embrace peace.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 39

.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY

T

he ominous stratagem targeted at dismembering the corporate existence of Nigeria was designed and implemented by Boko Haram, portentously aggravated by sporadic militancy in the Niger delta, massive oil bunkering and theft on the high seas.

Alongside the foregoing is the mindless kidnapping for ransom or extortion, occasionally culminating in murder of citizens including foreigners in various parts of the country which compelled President Goodluck Jonathan to recognize the inevitability of a radical security strategy aimed at restoring social cohesion in affected areas and Nigeria generally.

The appointment of Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) as the nation battled the onslaught against the country was thus interpreted by security experts as strategic and pragmatic. Dasuki, a retired colonel and son of exSultan of Sokoto, cousin to incumbent Sultan, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’adu Abdulkadir III, Amirul Muminin, has had a distinguished career in the military, having served extensively in the artillery corps with meritorious stint as aide –de- camp to military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. This, coupled with the fact that he is progeny of the Caliphate, stands him in an advantageous position with highly respected former patrons of security services of northern extraction. That Dasuki has developed rapport with incumbent service chiefs underscore the foregoing point.

It is significant to conceptualize the NSA’s personality, integrity and clout even as it is trite to portray him as no-nonsense, detribalized, compassionate and dedicated achiever. Consistently, and indeed routinely, his comportment yields these personality traits. Credible sources in ONSA confirmed that the NSA eschews bigotry in whatever manifestation; ethnic, religious, class or elitist; qualities that create opportunity for growth and development enabling crossing of barriers and facilitating social mobility.

Dasuki seemed to have been cut for greatness from his youth: He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1972, a product of the Nigerian Defence Academy and developed in the Nigerian Army School of Artillery. He attended United States Army

Dasuki and the complex security challenges

•Dasuki Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the United States Army School of Artillery, Oklahoma. Also in the United States, he bagged BA International Relations and MA in Security Policy Studies. Honed in academic qualifications, security studies and military expertise, the NSA deploys multiple

the quality of human capital.

On resumption of office at the MINT, he enhanced staff morale with immediate upward review of employee entitlements and total compensation.

The company’s output of banknotes and security documents soared during his tenure. In addition, the new factory and office complex in Abuja was

,

BY HAMMID TAJU

Analysts say religion, ethnicity and regionalism have been part of Nigeria’s politics. Consequently, since the youth control the ballot box, disenchantment with leadership would most effectively be undertaken through the group

competences for strategic decisions and complex challenges encountered at current campaign to restore order wherever constituted authority is threatened in the country.

On his appointment as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc where he demonstrated high managerial competence during 2002 and 2003, Dasuki identified the logic of delivering superior corporate performance by strengthening

,

commissioned while the Ink Mill, Tawada Ltd was established. The latter supplies security inks to the factories in Abuja and Lagos.

Encouraging participation in NSPM’s key activities, the Managing Director maintained strong rapport with stakeholders and former Directors. However he expressed reservation on the contemplated privatization of the company, the result of which culminated in his involuntary severance.

Following the perception that

the incessant Boko Haram onslaught constituted a threat to the sovereignty of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan restructured the ONSA. The restructuring was followed by the declaration of emergency rule in three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa as well as the proscription of Jamaatu AhlisSunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad, (Boko Haram) along with the amendment of the Terrorism Act. Dasuki assessed the complexity of his new task in terms of resource development, allocation and deployment as soon as he became the NSA. Consistent with his managerial philosophy, he promoted team work as critical tool for implementation and delivery of targeted goals.

Indeed, the NSA recognized that strategic utilization of cumulative expertise would facilitate optimal deployment of resources required for rapid restoration of social integration and peace in conflict areas throughout the country. At ONSA, staff morale and commitment derived from effective delegation of responsibilities have been sustained at high level during the one year of NSA Dasuki’s tenure. Indeed the synergy within national security network culminating in early

control of conflict states is the translation of Jonathan’s strategy of confronting remote causes of Boko Haram insurgency rather than what observers hitherto perceived as use of “ excessive force”. In conjunction with other security agencies, Dasuki coordinated holistic and focused campaign consistent with international best practices.

Analysts say religion; ethnicity and regionalism have been part of Nigeria’s politics. Consequently, since the youth control the ballot box, disenchantment with leadership would most effectively be undertaken through the group. Boko Haram insurgency might have therefore been ignited by worsening socio economic conditions as well as loss of political power in affected areas. Professor Ali Mazrui, Kenyan born historian and expert on Africa, identified economic inequalities, ethnic rivalry, religious animosity and misdistribution of economic skills as a hindrance to development in Nigeria.

While proffering economic quota for northern entrepreneurs, he emphasized the significance of empowerment.

Direct link between Boko Haram and external terror groups may not been officially confirmed. However, recent discovery of imported sophisticated arms and weaponry, allegedly sponsored by Lebanon based terror cell, Hezbollah, was traced to locations in Kano and Abuja thereby raising considerable anxiety in security circles. It is strongly suspected that Lebanese Shiite and Shia adherents loyal to Hezbollah might be facilitating possible attacks of Western and Israeli interests based in Nigeria.

Prior to the restructuring of the ONSA, terror acts were frequent in vulnerable states of the North-east spreading to Kano, Kaduna and suburbs of Abuja. Victims of terrorism spread through worship centers, initially churches, but subsequently mosques and faith based functions where prominent traditional rulers were targeted.

Despite assurance that peace was imminent, many citizens in other parts of the country treated issues affecting them in conflict states with heightened anxiety or apathy.

.Taju was Executive Director/Coordinator for Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc. Subsequently he was Executive Director of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc.

PAGE 40—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

H

AVE you ever wondered why Christians, supposedly followers of Jesus; the most righteous man that ever lived, are not known for righteousness? On the contrary, Christians organised the Inquisition and burnt thousands of people at the stakes. Christians went on crusades and slaughtered the innocent. Christians killed over six million Jews in Germany. Christians divorce our wives. Priests rape young boys. Pastors devour widows’ houses.

Why is it that armed-robbers, pen-robbers, rapists, murderers and all sorts of evil men claim to be Christians?

Unrighteous church One man is principally responsible for this anomaly; and that man is Paul. Paul’s message permits us to remain sinners as Christians. He entices us with the fallacy that no one is righteous. (Romans 3:10).

He ensnares us with the falsehood that God justifies sinners. (Romans 4:5). He says deceptively: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them.” (II Corinthians 5: 19). But God can never be reconciled to our trespasses. In short, Paul lulls Christians into erroneously believing we can remain in our trespasses by faith, without losing our salvation.

Jesus’ message, however, is not at all reassuring for Christians who continue in sin. Unlike Paul, Jesus indicates the world will not be reconciled to God. (Matthew 24:3-14/37-44).

He maintains categorically a sinner cannot be justified unless he repents: “Tho-

PAUL’S HOPE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS se 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:45).

Paul says those who are in Christ “ wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Galatians 5:5).

But what does that mean in practical terms? We are not so much waiting for righteousness, which would be pathetic enough; we are waiting for its “hope.” Thereby, Paul puts Christians in a holding pattern, waiting for the righteousness of Jesus to be imparted on us. But when exactly will this righteousness rain down on us? More importantly, what are we while we are waiting?

Are we righteous or are we unrighteous?

The fruit is self-evident.

In the churches of Paul, “there is none righteous; no not one.” (Romans 3:10).

Hopeless righteousness The righteousness of Paul is a vain hope; a pie in the sky that has not materialised in 2000 years. Paul says: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19). But are we supposed to be children of God now or shall

Why is it that armed-robbers, pen-robbers, rapists, murderers and all sorts of evil men claim to be Christians? we be his children at some undisclosed future date? Unlike Paul, John is unequivocal: “Beloved, NOW we are children of God.” (I John 3:2).

Paul says: “We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:2425).

But exactly how can a man be saved by hope?

Did God save the Israelites from Egypt by hope, or did he take them out of Egypt? Are we saved from Babylon by hope, or are we to come out of her now?

John says: “I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4).

Blind salvation Paul says we should hope for what we don’t see. But Jesus himself says we must be able to see the kingdom now.

(John 3:3). Simeon declares to God on seeing Jesus: “My eyes have seen your salvation.”

(Luke 2:30-32). Furthermore, Jesus teaches that we should not dwell on the future: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.” (Matthew 6:34). Thus, Jesus was at pains to discourage us from thinking like Paul. Jesus does not offer Paul’s “hope of salvation.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). He is a present Saviour and not a future Saviour.

When Lazarus died, Jesus assured Martha her brother would live again. Martha agreed but noted that Lazarus’ resurrection would take place “at the last day.”

Jesus then corrected her by insisting he was talking about the present.

He said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11: 25-26).

Martha still had difficulty relating to this. She replied: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the

Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27).

But Martha, he is not to come into the world. He has already come, so he can raise your brother from the dead right now.

Lazarus was not given “the hope of resurrection:” he was raised from the dead immediately.

Thus, we have this strange but cogent expression of Jesus in scripture: “the hour is coming, and now is.” (John 4:23; 5: 25). It means the future is now.

Immediate redemption Paul’s faith without works is dead. (James 2:20). He maintains erroneously that God imputes righteousness to men apart from their works: “To him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5).

This gives the ungodly a license to sin. If good works do not promote salvation, then bad works cannot promote condemnation. But Jesus says different: “Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:29).

God’s ways are never imputed. Isaiah observes: “When your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the

world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26: 9). God’s ways are taught and learnt. Ezekiel says: “The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” (Ezekiel 18:20). This means the righteousness of Jesus will not be ascribed to Christians.

The notion that if we believe in Jesus we automatically become new creatures is naïve. Two thousand years of Pauline Christianity has shown this to be illusory. Christians are byand-large unrighteous and we have remained so in spite of our lipservice faith in Jesus.

Jeremiah warns: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” (Jeremiah 8: 20).

Jesus came to save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:21). Those sins are not in the future, but in the present. Therefore, we must repent now. When Zacchaeus declared a readiness to offer restitution for his ill-gotten gains, Jesus declared: “Today salvation has come to this house.”

(Luke 19:9). Zacchaeus did not have to wait foolishly for Paul’s “hope of righteousness.” He took immediate steps and righteousness came to him that very instant.

Jesus did not come to save what will be lost.

On the contrary, he declares: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10). We are already lost. We need to be found immediately. We must walk in righteousness today.

Cleric wants leaders to stop mortgaging Nigeria's future

By OLAYINKA LATONA

F

OUNDER of Living Seed, an interdenominational ministry in Gboko, Benue State, Brother Gbile Akanni has described account-ability as the only panacea to the myraid of challenges confronting the nation.

Speaking at the 9th annual lunch-eon/awards ceremony of the Special Members Forum (SMF) of the Bible Society of Nigeria, BSN in Lagos, Brother Akanni advised political leaders in the country to take accountability as a serious issue that should be a guiding principle that defines how leaders can make commitment to the masses.

Delivering a talk as the guest speaker of the occasion, Akanni, who spoke on the theme: “Individual accountability in service,” maintained that accountability is mandatory because all men will give an account of their stewardship to God, noting that political leaders are only there as stewards who are only occupying places of authorities which they will give account for at the end of their tenures.

According to the renowned teacher of the Word of God, an alumnus of Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES), leaders should create and imbibe the culture of accountability as it is the key to the success of any organisational ini-tiative.

In his words: “Leaders must know that leadership is about serving and that God puts men in positions of authority therefore they will give an account of their stewardship in leadership. There is need to charge our leaders to always remember that they are stewards; they will not remain in office for ever; they are there to play their roles and they should play it well.

They should be faithful because accountability goes beyond applause of the ignorant people, it needs external evaluators."

There are leaders who have mortgaged our land for their personal benefit, he stated, urging leaders to rise to their responsibilities, play their roles diligently and not

mortgage the destiny of Nigerian youths.

Three eminent Nigerians were honoured with the prestigious Bible award in two categories: the clergy and the professional. In the clergy category, primate of the African Church Nigeria, Most Rev. Emmanuel Odofia and Taraba State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rt. Rev. Timothy Yahaya were honoured, while chairman, Elizade Group, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo was also honoured in the business category.

Lagos State deputy governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire commended the society for its efforts to circulate the scriptures, adding that it had helped to

improve governance and nation building, noting that BSN had also helped to mould individuals in terms of accountability, honesty and dedication to duties.

Speaking on the theme of the luncheon, Mrs. OrelopeAdefulire who was represented by her senior special assistant on Speech and Communications, Dr. Tunde Opeibi, urged leaders to imbibe the fear of God in whatever they are doing.

She explained that accountability in service will go a long way in helping leaders to render quality service to the masses and guide them to avoid inordinate ambitions as they strive to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

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EFCC vs AJUDUA: Suspect battles judge

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

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RED Ajudua, lawyer and socialite, accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of defrauding two Dutch businessmen, Remy Cima and Pier re Vijgen, of $1.6 million has asked the trial judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole, to disqualify himself from the case.

Ajudua was charged on May 30, 2003 before an Ikeja High Court for the offence of obtaining money under false pretence from Remy Luigi Cima alongside one Charles Orie by the anti-graft commission.

After Oyewole had denied him bail, he ordered a day-today trial of the case.

In his ruling on the bail application, the judge said the court had the discretion to grant bail which must be exercised judicially and j u d i c i o u s l y .

He held that Ajudua was granted permission to travel to India for medical treatment in 2005 but failed to appear thereafter, adding that no reference was made by Ajudua’s counsel on the exact date he left the country, and that his international passport was also not tendered before the court.

On the medical report tendered by the accused,

Oyewole admitted that it indicated he was suffering from complicated ailments, but appeared that Ajudua was physically fit for the court’s proceedings, and therefore ordered for day to day trial.

The judge held, “In totality, therefore, I am not persuaded that the accused will make himself available for trial if bail is granted.”

The EFCC counsel, Mr. Wemimo Ogunde, SAN, has opposed to the motion, urging the court to grant him time to respond to the averment made

by Ajudua and also show the court while it must reject the prayers to disqualify itself.

Not comfortable with the court’s ruling however, the accused counsel, Allens Agbaka, asked for an adjournment of proceedings pending the decision of Lagos State Chief Judge, Ayodele Phil ips, on Ajudua’s petition seeking the transfer of his case from the trial judge.

Urging the Chief Judge to exercise her powers under section 56 (1) & (2) of the High Court Law of Lagos State to transfer the case from the trial judge, the accused said there were likelihood of the breach of his rights to fair hearing as guaranteed under section 36 of the Constitution.

One of the grounds of his complaint was that the trial judge was biased when he remarked that he will “tampering with the prosecution

witnesses” if granted bail.

He also hinged his prayers on a petition allegedly written by a retired major general (names withheld) which is being investigated by the EFCC to the effect that he falsely obtained millions of dollars from the retired general using the name of the trial judge to fraudulently obtain the said money.

The accused submitted that having named the judge in the petition, “His Lordship is likely going to be listed as one of the witnesses”, which he argued will jeopardize his case.

In his motion on notice, dated July 4 and brought pursuant to section 36 of the Constitution and section 56(1)

and (2)(A)&(B) of the High Courts Laws of Lagos State, Agbaka sought an order disqualifying the judge from the matter in the interest of justice.

According to an affidavit in support of the motion, sworn to by one Bridget Ivbade Akhagbe, a litigation officer in Allens Agbaka Chambers, it was said that Ajudua believes that the complaint of the retired major general to the EFCC, “ wherein the name of his lordship was mentioned, is capable of provoking anger and hatred and consequently bias against him in the circumstance.”

He said, the judge “must have formed a bias opinion about the culpability or

otherwise of the 1st defendant/ applicant with respect to the major-general’s complaint which also borders on obtaining by false pretences as in the instant case.”

The said money, according to the affidavit, was paid when Ajudua allegedly convinced the general that he would help influence Oyewole during the latter ’s trial and that it involved a clerk of the court.

“Having mentioned the name of the judge in the hand written petition, His Lordship is likely going to be listed as one of the witnesses,” Agbaka s a i d .

The ruling of the court on September 24, 2013 will determine the next line of action for the applicant.

Church offers free medical services to youths

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N their efforts to create health awareness and campaign against social maladies amongst youths, Knights and Ladies of the Order of St. Mulumba, Ugborikoko subcouncil organised a health week campaign at the Holy Family Catholic Church, Edjeba, Warri.

The week long event tagged: 'The Health Challenges of the Youths,' had participants given free medical examinations,

lectures on how to avert and handle life threatening diseases, counselling and free insecticides treated nets.

In his lecture, Dr. Nicholas Aduba, noted that youths are encompassed with various challenges which can threaten their lives and careers without them knowing the consequences.

He advised the youths to live a holy life and face their studies with seriousness so that they can become worthy

ambassadors of the Church and society.

Anthony Aghogho, one of the participants, expressed gratitude to the knights for the campaign, stressing that it was revealing, enjoyable and timely.

Reverend Sister M. Ofuonye also delivered a lecture on breast cancer, and precaution to take in order to avoid having STDs, HIV/AIDS other deadly diseases.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 47

ABIOLA, JUNE 12 AND THE PASCHAL QUESTION A personal perspective of The Resistance

BY DARE BABARINSA

O

Late Chief MKO Abiola between 1999 and 2003, died, bringing home to us why the story of that dark era needs to be told.

Dosumu was one of our outstanding leaders and he attended that important meeting in Ige’s house in 1998.

‘What if Abiola dies’

Ige explained to us that Ababakar appeared to be an Omoluabi who may be willing to distance himself from the evil ways of his predecessor. He said the leadership of Afenifere, the panYoruba political and cultural movement, was in constant touch with the new junta. He spoke glowingly of its pointsman, Major-General Leo

,

N July 7, 1998, they brought Chief Moshood Abiola home in a body bag. That was not what we expected, but that was what we got. The they was the military junta led by General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Abubakar had become head of the junta following the sudden death of his boss, General Sani Abacha, on June 7, 1998. Excited Nigerians, rejoicing at the sudden death of the tyrant, had dubbed the event miracle ‘98. Abubakar, a suave and morose military officer, went ahead to brighten the political space, but then inexplicably delayed in freeing Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, who had become Abacha’s most famous prisoner. Also detained like Abiola were scores of political and military leaders including General Olusegun Obasanjo, the soldier who ended 13 years of military rule when he handed over power to elected President Shehu Shagari in 1979, and Beko RansomeKuti, the physician chairman of Campaign for Democracy, CD. Obasanjo’s erstwhile deputy, General Shehu Musa Yar ’Adua, had also died in Abacha’s prison.

Abubakar freed many of our leaders and colleagues who were in the gulag including the likes of Chief Bola Ige, first elected governor of old Oyo State, Alhaji Lam Adesina, who was destined to become the next elected governor of Oyo State, Dr RansomeKuti, Mrs Chris Anyanwu, the publisher of TSM magazine, George Mba of TELL, Ben Charles-Obi, Kunle Ajibade of the TheNews and many others, but not the great man, Moshood Abiola.

We called a meeting of the Idile Oodua, the leading underground group during the fight against Abacha, at Onyx Plaza, Ikeja, to deliberate on developments. We were all enthusiastic that Abiola would soon be released and then we would insist on an immediate exit of the military.

We resolved that Abubakar must be compelled to hand over power to the president-presumptive. We expected Abiola to form an all-inclusive national government. We were in high spirit.

“What if Abiola too should die like Abacha?”

The question had been posed by Prince Paschal Adeleke Idowu, a man of steel built in elegant form. He was a management staff of Royal Exchange Assurance Plc and one the most steadfast and bravest patriots of The Resistance. Heavy silence fell on our meeting. This was followed by an animated debate. Our conclusion: Abiola cannot die in detention. Our country, our people and history were waiting for him.

The following week, we held a meeting in the Ibadan home of Chief Bola Ige, the deputy leader of Afenifere, who had just returned triumphantly from Makurdi Prisons, Benue State. Ige was the chairman of Alpha, where I served as the secretary. It was composed mostly of leaders and representatives of different groups. Few weeks ago, one of the leaders of that group, Dr Wahab Dosumu, Second Republic Minister of Housing and member of the Senate

make certain demands on the Nigerian commonwealth and that Nigeria can become what our leaders termed “a proper federation.” Some of these demands are being met.

Most remain unmet because there is no elite consensus to even articulate these demands and create a coherent strategy to pursue and attain them. Yet 2015 is around the corner, with its historic opportunities for the fulfillment of ancient responsibilities and modern desires.

‘C-in-C in captivity’

The June 12 war was waged while the Commander-in-Chief was in

The turning point for us was the November night in 1993 when Abiola visited Abacha in Lagos. We saw the footage on national television. It sent a confusing signal and we did not really know how to respond

Ajiborisa, first military governor of Osun State. He was sure Abiola would be released “ within days!”

“What if Abiola dies?” we gingerly posed the Paschal Question? There was again an animated debate. The meeting’s conclusion: Abiola dare not die in detention!

Few days later, they brought Abiola home from Abuja in a body bag.

Senator Abraham Adesanya, the leader of Afenifere, was inconsolable after the death of Abiola. “Where did we go wrong?” He would ask again and again. “We must have made errors!” He would end his lamentation with his famous prayer: Ki Olorun ma k’odi aimose siwa (May God not turn our efforts into errors).

Could the June 12 story have ended in a different way with Abiola coming home in triumph?

Some of the old men who led the battle for June 12 are still with us.

They have fought their battles, the war has ended (has it ended indeed?), but they have not won the war. The war was fought so that Yoruba land can

General Abdulsalami Abubakar

Late General Sani Abacha

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captivity. I have often wondered if events could have taken a different course if Abiola had, from the onset, refused to cooperate with Abacha.

How would history have responded if the great man had been opened to a different kind of advice instead of the one that led him into a fatal embrace of the Abacha dictatorship in its nascent days? But we know, a leader is really a prisoner of his advisers, his inner court, the ministers, the paladins, the jesters and the palace guards. It is for him to rise above them and distil from the cacophony the ultimate melody that would lead him to the embrace of destiny and of greatness.

The turning point for us was the November night in 1993 when Abiola visited Abacha in Lagos. We saw the footage on national television. It sent a confusing signal and we did not really know how to respond. After that meeting, some of Abiola’s top men including the vice-president elect, Babagana Kingibe, and Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the former Action Governor

of Lagos State, were appointed ministers. Some months later, I met a sober Abiola in his Ikeja home. On the way to his first floor sitting room were still the large pictures of Abiola and his “friends” like Babangida and Abacha. He was getting discouraging signals from the Abacha camp. The new military ruler did not appoint civilian deputy-governors for states as he had earlier promised. Kingibe, the vice-president-presumptive, was now enjoying his new pedestal as the Minister of Internal Affairs. Abiola was thoroughly disappointed, but, nonetheless, in a defiant mood. It was to be our last meeting.

While Abiola was in detention, the June 12 struggle was led by the last brigade of the Awoist vanguard, those intrepid warriors who dedicated their lives to the ideals of freedom and justice: Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Senator Adesanya, Chief Alfred Rewane, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Bola Ige, Senator Jonathan Odebiyi, Archdeacon Emmanuel Alayande, Dr N.F. Aina, Otunba Solanke Onasanya, Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, Senator Cornelius Adebayo, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Ayo Opadokun and many others. They were hardy men, tested by fire, forged in the furnace of adversity, unblinking in their stare at danger and unshakable in their faith about the rightness of their cause.

They believed that the spirit of Awolowo was still guiding them and they would want to confirm that by what they called the Awo Credo. Let me give only three illustrations.

In 1994, I had gone to the Ikeja GRA home of Pa Alfred Rewane in the company of Funminiyi Afuye.

Rewane was an ebullient old man, full of humour and good grace. A very successful and wealthy businessman, he had served as Awolowo private secretary during the golden era of the 1950s. Each time he mentioned Awo’s name, he would always remove his cap as a sign of respect!

The Idile meeting

Sometimes in 1997, I had led my colleagues in the Idile to hold a meeting with the conclave of Afenifere leadership. The Idile delegation included Bayo Adenekan, Afuye,

Continues on page 49

PAGE 48 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

NIGERIA’S KILL-AND-GO SYNDROME

Now, who killed Kudirat Abiola?

This report is not about to contest or upturn the judgment of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal which set Major Hamza Al-Mustapha free. However, judging from the plethora of unresolved murders, it does appear that a ‘KILL-AND-GO’ syndrome may have settled into the Nigerian system. Freeing Al-Mustapha has not changed anything. The authorities should answer the question: WHO KILLED KUDIRAT ABIOLA?

By Jide Ajani

K

Kudirat Abiola...who killed her

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ILL-AND-GO! That was the catchphrase when the mobile police unit was first introduced in Nigeria about four decades ago. Because of the fiesty mien of the officers and men of that unit, they earned for themselves a reputation of no-nonsense.

Worse still, Nigerians were conditioned to believe that whenever the unit was deployed to quell riots, their rules of engagement differed from the civil, gentle and persuasive approach of the regular police. Indeed, people were left to go with the impression that whatever the officers and men of the unit did was not to be questioned. There was also the belief – for effect at that time – that if an officer of the mobile unit killed in the course of his duty, he would not be held accountable.

And so they were named KILL-AND-GO. Not surprisingly, too, is the case of the many unresolved high-profile murders in Nigeria, that is, cases of people who have killed and since moved on – killing and going scot-free.

There are over two dozen cases of unresolved high profile murders since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. Whereas Nigerians gnash their teeth in unmitigated anguish upon hearing of the murder of a prominent personality, many appear to be contented with the show of anguish and emotion in sympathy with the family or colleagues of the deceased. Beyond that, time begins to play its healing role, such that Stockholm Syndrome sets in – a sense of pity begins to emanate from members of the society who are supposed to be victims of the dastardly act.

It was in late 1999 that journalists waited anxiously at the water-front office of the High Court, Lagos. These were both local and foreign journalists. Then British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC’s Sola Odunfa, could not but wonder aloud “Igba’olo bi orere” (nothing lasts forever).

What forced that phrase out of him was nothing more than the near criminalisation of Hamza AlMustapha, the man who served as Chief Security Officer, CSO, to the late General Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s one-time maximum dictator.

To virtually all the reporters waiting anxiously that morning, the whole set-up looked unbelievable. But here we were, waiting anxiously for Al-Mustapha to arrive in a Black Maria. He was arrested earlier and was to be arraigned for the murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife

In almost all the unresolved murder cases, especially the ones that managed to get to trial, the shambolic handling of the facts (or so they seem) of the matter has almost left the authorities with the short end of the stick

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of the late winner of the June 12, 19993 presidential election, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.

She was murdered in cold blood on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway by gunmen who pumped bullets into her.

A Lagos High Court sentenced Al-Mustapha and an alleged co-conspirator, Lateef Sofolahan, Kudirat’s personal assistant, to death on January 30, 2012 for the killing. Before then, there were others charges brought against Mustapha that had been dropped.

On Friday, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal said the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and that there was no real or substantiated evidence or proof linking Al-Mustapha to the murder of Kudirat. A system that kept a trial alive for all of 14 years needlessly cannot be said to be one enamoured of serious conduct. To some people, the consolation is that a closure has been brought to this saga, albeit, controversially.

Just as controversial as Mustapha was when he served as CSO, the judgment setting him free has also been greeted with mixed feelings.

The first judgment which ordered that he be hanged was over 300pages.

Upon hearing that his son would be hanged, Al-

Mustapha’s mother reportedly suffered from all manner of ailments before she died.

Part of the myth which surrounded Al-Mustapha’s tenure as CSO was that there was no visitor’s chair in his office; therefore, any guest, including very senior officers, must, of necessity, stand before him. Infact that which was made public and corroborated by former Chief of General Staff, CGS, General Oladipo Diya, at the Oputa Panel, was the way senior officers cringed in fear when they were before Al-Mustapha. But when, on June 7, 1998, his boss died under mysterious circumstances, all that changed and, from thence, his travails started.

Part of the strangeness of his trial was that, at some point, Nigerians had even forgotten that an AlMustapha was in prison. It took some hands (hired or not) to begin the campaign for his release. So, why incarcerate an individual for 14years only to be finally set free. His wife, Alhaja Hafsat, lived a married-butliving-single life; the daughter, Fati, is now 19. The family house in Kano was yesterday agog.

But all these – his travails, the initial death sentence and his eventual release – do not, in any way, address the systemic catastrophe that unresolved murders have become in Nigeria.

Particulary during this Fourth Republic, the number of unresolved murders in the country continues to confound the people.

In any murder trial, it is expected that the prosecution should prove its case beyond reasonable doubt because the alleged offender has his or her life on the line.

Which explains why the old saying that it is better to allow a bad person go free than hang an innocent man.

In almost all the unresolved murder cases, especially the ones that managed to get to trial, the shambolic handling of the facts (or so they seem) of the matter has almost left the authorities with the short end of the stick.

There is even a very strong suspicion that the nonresolution of the murder cases may have been the product of a well-choreographed engagement with an expected negative end.

And whereas one of the daughters of the Abiolas has said that Allah would fight for justice on behalf of the dead, Nigerians are still going to be wondering why murder mysteries remain with them. But with a KILLAND-GO mentality still very much with us, those who kill may continue to kill and let go.

THE KILLED Below is a list of some of the high profile murders in some parts of the country in just over a decade.

zDele Giwa – October, 1986 zKudirat Abiola – June 1996 zAminasoari Kala Dikibo – February 2004 zHarry Marshall – March, 2003 z Barr. Barnabas Igwe and his wife, Amaka, September 1, 2001 zHon. Odunayo Olagbaju, December 19, 2001 zChief Bola Ige, December 23, 2001 zIsiaka Mohammed, September 24, 2002 zTheodore Egwuatu, February, 2003 zRasak Ibrahim, March 20, 2003 zMr. Anthony Nwudo, March 21, 2003 zMr. Ikenna Ibor, March 27, 2003 zEmma Onyewuchi, April 19, 2003 zToni Dimegwu, April 29, 2003 zChief Ajibola Olanipekun, June 20, 2003 zAndrew Agom, March 3, 2004 zChief Philip Olorunnipa, March 7, 2004 zMr. Sunny Atte, February 5, 2005 zAlhaji Alabi Olajokun, May 15, 2005 zPatrick Origbu, June 3, 2005 zLateef Olaniyan, July 16, 2005 zAnthony Ozioko, July 27, 2005 zJesse Aruku, June 30, 2006 zHajiya Sa’adatu Rimi, January 2006 zEngr. Olufunsho Anthony Williams, July 27, 2006 zDr. Ayo Daramola, August 2006

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 49

ABIOLA, JUNE 12 AND THE PASCHAL QUESTION Adedokun Abolarin (now our royal father, the Orangun of OkeIla in Osun State), Dayo Adeyeye, Biodun Bankefa (now known as Pastor Biodun Bamdupe), Kayode Anwo and Paschal Idowu. Most of the leaders of Afenifere were present.

We were in the midst of a heated discussion when silence suddenly fell on the group. It was 3 p.m. Sir Olanihun Ajayi explained to us: “Our leader has instructed us that we must always pray for Nigeria and Yoruba land at 3 p.m daily wherever we are.” Ganiyu Dawudu was then asked to pray.

Late 1998, it was clear that Chief Ige was eyeing the Presidency. The Metropolitan Club, Lagos, had invited him to come and deliver a speech which we expected would signify his intention to the public. The death of Abiola had cleared the road to that possibility.

Originally, Ige had said if Chief Enahoro, the leader of the opposition National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, was interested in the Presidency, then he would not run (“Nobody understands Nigeria better than Tony,” said Ige.) Indeed, Ige had asked Professor Wole Soyinka to sound out Enahoro on this.

Enahoro had declined, insisting that Nigerians needed to agree on a post-military era Constitution first before we decide on who will be President.

With the coast almost clear for him, some of us; his younger friends; felt Ige should open a campaign office.

Bola Ige and the Afenifere decision

“Our leader would not like that,” he said. That was more than 11 years after the death of Awolowo. Ige said he needed to wait for the decision of Afenifere.

Those were the era of believers.

We now have politics without belief and religion without godliness.

Now 2015 beckons and there is a lot of tactical movements in Yorubaland, especially among leaders of the two main political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN (or its newly adopted name, APC). It is disturbing that Yoruba political leaders are behaving as if Yorubaland is an island unto itself, unrelated to the larger political alchemy of the larger Nigerian state. We only need to reflect on contemporary Nigerian history to know that this trend of parallel operations among our leaders have always worked against our people.

Chief Enahoro, in a moment of reflective frustration, had declared: “the Yoruba, in politics as well as in religion, prefer to worship many gods.”

Yet at this point again, we are confronted with the Pascal Question. Though our leaders may differ in tactical approach to national politics, there is the need to have a set of unanimous strategic objectives. As events unfold, we need to think of options that would serve the best interest of Nigeria and the Yoruba people. Like during The Resistance, I am convinced if our leaders have been prepared for the Paschal Question, the situation may have been different. Then we were not prepared to think of the dark twist of history. It is this lack of strategic thinking that has plagued Yoruba politics and it is again casting a negative influence on national affairs.

Tactical blunder

In 2011, the PDP had zoned the Speakership of the House of Representatives to the South-West. The party had zeroed in on Honourable

Mulikat Akande Adeola from Oyo State to get the job.

However, a rebel faction of the PDP defied the party leadership and elected Waziri Aminu Tambuwal instead.

They got this done with the critical support of the representatives of the SouthWest in the House of Representatives who are mostly members of the ACN. It is not clear what strategic objective or goals those leaders of the ACN wanted to achieve by ensuring that the leadership

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Continued from page 47

How many of those who have been propelled to power by Abiola’s heroic sacrifice have bothered about his immediate and extended (and extensive) family?

Where are the thousands of men and women who enjoyed Abiola’s scholarships to further and complete their education?

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of the National Assembly comes from only the northern part of Nigeria, while Yorubaland is left high and dr y.

What was the purpose of this tactical blunder: freedom or slavery? Good or evil? Think of cutting your nose to spite your face!

Hypocrisy

Last month, the June 12 anniversary was celebrated with fan-fare in many state capitals of the South-West. Even to underscore the importance of that day, Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, joined us in Lagos to pay tribute to Abiola. If Abiola was this important to our democracy that we continue to mark the anniversary of his voided victory, why was there so much outcry when President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan decided to honour him with the renaming of the University of Lagos? If the truth must be told, the June 12 celebration had a tinge of hypocrisy to it.

How many books and documentaries have been commissioned on the life of the great man by those who claimed to love Abiola? (We thank God for Wale Osun, whose June 12: Clapping With One Hand provides a brilliant insight).

How many of those who have been propelled to power by Abiola’s heroic sacrifice have bothered about his immediate and extended (and extensive) family? Where are the thousands of men and women who enjoyed Abiola’s scholarships to further and complete their education? Where are the members of the army of supplicants and beneficiaries who daily throng Abiola’s Ikeja palace? How many of these men and women who benefitted so much from Abiola’s expansive munificence have bothered to find out how the wives and children are coping since the passage of the man in 1998? The truth is that our collective memory is poor and our sense of history is worse. There is a chilling reality that the Nigerian people, especially the youths, do not fully appreciate the enormity of Abiola’s sacrifice and the

centrality of that sacrifice to the current democratic dispensation.

Different route

Had Abiola taken a different route and not plunge into politics, may be the history of our great country may have been different. Most likely he would have built his own university and, if he likes, named it after himself. I hope those men and women of power who profess to love Abiola would follow the example of President Jonathan and take time to remember his profound sacrifice and the debilitating impact of this sacrifice on his immediate family.

As we remember Abiola, we should also not forget why he died. One great tribute we could pay him is for the true leaders of our people never to be caught off-guard again so that they can understand the imperative of elite consensus in reaching for and achieving collective strategic goals. This elite consensus is necessary to preserve the legacy of democracy and justice that Abiola died for. Remember the Paschal Question!

Perhaps Abiola could not escape the heavy hand of fate because he was too trusting, too human and too loving to understand the deep guile of a desperate and complicated man like Abacha. He fell, not because he was weak or greedy or afraid, but because he was human in the full ecclesiastical meaning of the word. It is this deep humanity that confirms his greatness.

Babarinsa, journalist and author, is the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Gaskia Media Limited.

No APC ticket for rejected PDP members —Delta ACN HE leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, T has warned that no rejected

Christian Tomandi, General Manager, Four Points and Waje (Singer) at the Fire House Global party for charity held at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Lekki, Lagos , recently.

member of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, will get the ticket of the All Progressive Congress, APC, to vie for any electoral position, if it is fully registered as political party by Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC. Oyen explained that in 2011 an aspirant was brought to the Action Congress of Nigeria through his leader to contest and he eventually won the sit in Bomadi state constituency against Hon. Dombraye on the platform of ACN and later left the party to PDP after using the platform, saying that it was for that singular reason that they have taken a position that anybody coming to the party must register at the ward level to ascertain his or her membership.

Speaking further, Mr. Oyen, Comrade Sam Adu and his Ethiope East counterpart, Hon. Erubu Siakpebru said that the purpose of the meeting was to encourage their party members and to tell them to disregard

those parading themselves in Delta Central senatorial district as leaders of ACN, APC merger as there was no form of state committee set up for merger as far as they are concerned.

Oluremi Tinubu warns against mob killings

BY OLAYINKA AJAYI

S

ENATOR Oluremi Tinubu has warned against mob killings sometimes visited on innocent individuals.

In her keynote address at the inauguration of a civil society movement, tagged ‘Waging War against Mob Killings’ otherwise known as Don’t Walk Away, Tinubu, who was represented by Funmi Braithwaite, Secretary of Surulere Local Government, declared: “It is equally grievous that spectators of mob actions

or jungle justice have provided a source of entertainment to many who stand by and sometimes record atrocities without attempting to rescue the victims”.

Tinubu urged that all hands should be on deck to enlighten perpetrators of the unjust act to give the law enforcement agents room to perform their primary assignment as “ we all have a critical role to play sensitising the populace towards effecting a change of attitude to mob killing.”

PAGE 50 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

2015 and the Abia peculiarity

BY EMMANUEL UGOCHUKWU

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Zoning formula and the 2015 gubernatorial contenders HE race to Government T House Umuahia 2015 is on with aspirants consulting. With

the jostling is apprehension over zoning. This is what political analysts today have dubbed: the Abia “Peculiarity”. Since the creation of the state in 1991, the Ukwa Ngwa bloc, with a little over half of the local governments, is yet to produce a governor of the state - elected or appointed. This situation has led to a near consensus amongst the political class in Abia that the race for Government House, Umuahia, 2015 should be left for aspirants of the zone.

This state of affairs has generated another controversy as to which side of the Ukwa Ngwa divide to produce the governor.

The Ukwa Ngwa is located within the Abia South with three of their local governments namely: Osisioma Ngwa, Isiala Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South located within the central

zone. The situation is compounded by the incumbent governor coming from the central zone.

The implication of the situation is that should an aspirant from the Ngwa Area of central zone become the governor in 2015, it would mean the office did not rotate outside the zone. Most of the party constitutions and even the Nigerian Constitution discourage such a situation. So, aspirants from the south are thus emphasizing their exclusiveness from the high office and asking that other zones keep out of the race in 2015. And they have the support of the powerful old Bende elite. This has placed Ngwa aspirants from the central zone in disadvantaged position. As can be expected, there are aspirants from Ngwa central bent on contesting the race. They insist the office is for UKwa Ngwa block, central or south.

The philosophy of zoning as a fair distribution of political offices has an iron cast recognition of three zones in each state of the federation based on rotation particularly for the governor. It does not accord recognition to sub-groups as in the Ngwa of Abia central situation. Analysts are watching how the matter will be resolved.

However, the Ukwa Ngwa landscape parades sufficient

aspirants and political juggernauts to warrant further scrutiny to assess strengths, weaknesses, and chances as the draw down starts. Among those believed to be jostling for this position are Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Barrister Friday Nwosu, Chief Acho Nwakanma, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, Hon. Uzo Azubuike, Chief Chris Nkwonta and Chief Okezie Orji. However as the battle rages, the ballot

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VIEWPOINTS

cial and political rights. It was in the course of such social crusading that he acquired the name “Ikpegebeghi” which literally means `unpurchasable with money ’. He is seen as level headed and generally acceptable to most of the different political tendencies in the state. A grassroots politician from where he exerts his political support particularly in the Ngwa area.

Also his fraternal

The philosophy of zoning as a fair distribution of political offices has an iron cast recognition of three zones in each state of the federation based on rotation particularly for the governor

could fall on Nwosu, who comes from the southern zone. He is a personal lawyer and friend to the Bayelsa State governor. He distinguished himself as a brilliant lawyer in the struggle to enthrone Governor Dickson in Bayelsa, and this could be pay back time. Before then, he had established himself in the Ngwa area as human rights lawyer, activist and a campaigner for so-

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friendship with Ijaw power brokers in Abuja is an advantage.

Abaribe is chairman, Senate Committee on Information.

Easily, one of the foremost gubernatorial aspirants from Abia South, the former deputy governor in the state had previously contested for the office in 2003 under ANPP and lost. He became Senator in 2007 and retained the seat in 2011. The sen-

ator is an experienced politician.

Discussions about his gubernatorial ambition, however, evoke passion and division in the state.

He has friends and critics in equal measure. The political elite in the state are divided on his ambition with majority of those who oppose being loyalists to Governor T.A. Orji.

Nwakanma is a former member of the state House of Assembly and a former deputy governor in the state, Nwakanma is a level headed politician who hails from the southern zone. He is quite popular within the T.A. Orji’s inner circles. And that is where his strength stops.

Nwakanma is seen as lacking in the capacity necessary to move the state forward.

Nwogu is one of the most popular female senators in the red chamber where she chairs the committee on gas. She was in the House of Representatives in 2003 – 2007. She has made it known in unmistakable terms that she wants to be the first female governor in Nigeria. There is no doubt that Nwogu parades immense capacity for the job.

Her major limitation is in her coming from the zone of the incumbent governor.

*Ugochukwu, media consultant lives in Abuja.

Are we playing the fiddle…?

BY YINKA OGUN TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Some people look the other way while our television production industry suffers HIS piece was written on 10 T December, 2010 (almost three years ago) and published on my

Facebook page. In view of recent developments, I am reproducing it to see how some of my predictions have come true and how, in general, things have gotten worse…

As a content developer of note, this message might be construed in many different ways, but I wish to state that it is neither a swipe at those it might be against, nor a condemnation of those who aid them (so to speak), but rather a wake-up call to those members of my trade who are playing the fiddle while the Nigerian (film and) television production industry burns!

I have noticed an alarming trend of late and hence the need to speak out. In my marketing sojourn, which has taken me through a number of advertising agencies and the desks of many brand managers, I have come to notice that no matter how brilliant a format you have for a reality or game show, once it is original and not foreign licensed,

you are practically D.O.A!.

You are told how wonderful your idea is, but then told how the client would prefer an “international format”or the brand manager would say his bosses would prefer something “tried and trusted”.

What on earth does that mean?

I walked the streets of Lagos years ago, trying to get sponsorship for a program idea I had, called “Tinsel” and did I get it? Of course not! I was given all sort of excuses why they couldn’t, but a few years later, it was acquired and produced by MNET and suddenly everybody wanted to endorse it and advertise on it!

Does this mean that we cannot see the strength in something that is

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business with us? Once upon a time, you asked me to trust you and buy your SIM card, even when it made more sense to stick to the “tried and trusted” international brands, MTN and Econet, which were already on the terrain, but did I trust you? Of course I had to, when you sold me the Naija spirit angle! But a few years down the line, you have become very big, so big, you now have a foreign company as your main advertising agency, which, of course, makes sense since there are no prominent advertising agencies in Nigeria, which you could, by virtue of engaging them, helped to make them continental concerns! So, by virtue of having foreign advertising agencies,

I have also met agencies and brand managers who have given me hope for the future and to those people I say kudos.

One of the (but not the only) multinationals is the brewer with four locally created reality shows from its stable

ours, till foreigners open our eyes to it and a local idea only makes sense after an international party has deemed it worthy to present back to us?

Back to this business of “tried and trusted”, you folks at the telecoms company asking us to “rule our world”, how can we aspire to rule our world, when you, our own brothers, won’t even do

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companies like Rapid Blue Format, Endemol, among others, are now having a free ride in Nigeria doing all your major productions and commercials, while you can’t yet operate in the Rainbow nation! (what an irony!)

Still on you, the green giant, years ago, you evoked the Naija spirit and asked me to trust you, and I did; today you have refused

to trust me; instead, you have given that money which you got from that empire, which I helped you to start, to foreign companies because they are “tried and trusted”. Tell me, where would you be right now, if I had insisted years ago on sticking with only the “tried and trusted” and had not allowed the spirit of ‘Naijaness’ in me to give you a chance?

But you are unfortunately not alone in this. There are lots of prominent multi-nationals doing this and they know themselves, all those companies who passionately ask us to patronize Nigerian brands, then, when it is time to commission projects or commercials, they insist on “international production companies or crew” who have been “tried and trusted”!

And for those Nigerian production companies who, even without being asked to, are always in a rush to dangle “foreign director and crew” at the advert agencies, just realize that you are no better than your forebears who welcomed the white slave traders and helped them propagate slavery and, just as it happened to them, be certain you too will be one day be swallowed by the monster you are helping to create. Because once they come in and settle down, they will no longer need you, and you will one day find yourself in a situation where all the jobs you pitched for in a year ended up with foreign production companies

and you’re down in the dump.

Before I end this, I must admit that in my sojourn, I have also met agencies and brand managers who have given me hope for the future and to those people I say kudos. One of the (but not the only) multinationals is the brewer with four locally created reality shows from its stable, with the patronage of whom such companies like Jungle Filmworks have now become continental concerns.

Finally, to all those multinationals, and the Nigerian production companies who aid them in this dastardly act, let me just say this…while you play your fiddle and Rome burns, or should I say, our film and television production industry burns, and you are seemingly smiling to the banks for it, remember that it will start with the production companies, then it will become the turn of advertising and marketing companies, then the manufacturing companies themselves will come in, and the day will soon come, when I will walk into a shopping mall and have to make a choice between your “local, untried and ‘untrusted’” brand, and the “international “tried and trusted” brand. Which one will I choose? I dey craze? “Tried and trusted” of course!

*Ogun is a Lagos based advertising practitioner.

Contribution of not more than 1,200 words should be sent to sundayvanguard@yahoo.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013, PAGE 51

Restoring Warri

BY CHARLES OKOLO VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The transformation taking place at Enerhen Junction

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OU may have heard about this place (I shall reveal it shortly). When next you are in Warri, ensure that you are taken through it.

This place is the kernel of many jokes by comedians who often have something interesting to say about Warri. This place is less than a kilometre stretch but remains a major gateway into Warri. A drive or walk through this point evokes different kinds of emotions for different persons; for some, it is often eventful and others may see it as amusing.

To many people, Enerhen Junction(at last!) represents the bustling epicentre of Warri through which people must traverse daily in carrying out their businesses. It is also a hub of business activities where several financial and corporate institutions have set up shop creating room for employment for hundreds of people in Warri metropolis. But what has attracted comments

most about Enerhen Junction is the low level criminality that pervaded the area recently. A few years ago, Enerhen Junction was reported as one of the most unsafe areas in Nigeria.

No doubt, the researcher had in mind the rowdiness that cloaked a subtle but brutish tendency for survival. It was a congregation of small time hot headed young men who seem bent on surviving by means other than legal. Some, mainly destitute, made Enerhen Junction their home and, to continue their stay, they must keep an unwritten code of silence, they may see an evil but are not under any obligation to warn or speak.

Without law and order, Enerhen Junction became a stressful place to encounter. It is annoying traffic congestion adds to the frustration of many road users. Indeed, you must brace up to pass through the road or seek an alternative route to your destination. Bus and taxi drivers park, pick and drop passengers without caring about other road users, their strident voices inviting passengers to board, anxious and sometimes angry impatient drivers honking their horn, vehicles trying to out-

manoeuvre one another as they meander through the junction all add to the congestion often times make Enerhen Junction seem suffocating.

In the past three months

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internet to Google Warri, you will see the new Enerhen Junction as an interesting sight to behold. If the picture of Warri Google serves you is real time, you will see walkways, side roads, bus stops

Enerhen Junction in its new look can no longer be a place for the destitute to make their homes; it will no longer accommodate pick pockets or those who forcefully dispossess others of their valuables in full glare

however, there is a clear transformation taking place at Enerhen Junction. Under the Delta State government’s urban renewal scheme, the once notorious junction has taken a new shape. The junction improvement scheme, which now stands as a beautiful imprint on the map of Delta State, clearly stamps Warri as a different kind metropolis that is after all habitable.

When next you head to the

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and service lanes. You will see also that a number of interesting furniture would have been carefully planted to create an interesting ambience; you will observe that there would be no room for makeshift structures used by street urchins to launch guerrilla attacks on peace loving, hardworking citizens on their way to or from work.

From Google map, you should see a number of plants

strategically placed to subtly teach the value of incorporating greenery in the environment. Enerhen Junction in its new look can no longer be a place for the destitute to make their homes; it will no longer accommodate pick pockets or those who forcefully dispossess others of their valuables in full glare. Those women who roast corn and plantain would have to ply their trade somewhere else as there can be no room for them in the new Enerhen Junction. Imagine Enerhen junction without the usual chaotic and terrifying traffic jam. That is what the improvement of the axis would ultimately achieve as soon as bus and taxi drivers begin to use the side roads and bus stops.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, while inspecting the Enerhen Junction improvement project recently, hinted that more road junctions in the city would wear a similar bright new face.

Whatever is done to bring glory to Warri and prepare it for the future is apparently welcome. Passing through the new Enerhen Junction should make the people of Delta State proud.

The Church as catalyst for national reform

BY WALE ADEFARASIN VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The Church must become what it wants the nation to be.

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ANY would say Niger ia is in crisis, with the intractable challenges of terrorism, insecurity, corruption, a stagnant economy, epileptic power supply, unemployment, poor governance, breakdown in healthcare delivery and the education system amongst others.

The stupendous wealth by a few to the detriment of the masses – by way of cronyism and plain corruption - flies in the face. I believe the Church can make an invaluable contribution to the transformation of Nigeria.

The Nigerian Church is gradually freeing itself from the ‘lockedin’ syndrome, which, in the name of building formidable and mega churches, made the churches focus on ‘our brand, our image, our programs and our members’, and consigned us into the four walls of the church building, competing with each other for members and seldom venturing out except in the most dire of circumstances. This syndrome has resulted in

growth in numbers, but not in quality.

It is common to find people professing to be Christians whose character and lifestyles do not emulate the life and character of Christ, and leave much to be desired. It could be said that our standards have been lowered to accommodate all comers.

Thankfully the understanding is now growing that the Church is relevant in every facet of human

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VIEWPOINT

this world.

It follows therefore that the Church must become whatever it wants the nation to be. If we desire to see more transparency in government, commerce and industry, then we must take the lead by demonstrating transparency through our own operations, leading by example, in other words, we must become the change we desire.

At the root of our national ma-

The rot in Nigeria is deeply rooted and we must not imagine that things will change overnight or without a fight. Indeed, we as Christians are called to daily warfare against the forces of darkness

endeavours, that the church can no longer be consigned to the sacred, but is indeed responsible for influence amongst the secular. Indeed, most of the systems that modern governments employ, such as judicial systems and separation of powers, are rooted in Christian doctrine. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and bemoan the travails that Nigeria faces; it’s time we wake up to our responsibilities as the salt of the earth and the light of

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laise is a systematic erosion of our value system. We will continue to return to ground zero if we simply apply quick economic and social fixes without tackling our social order and value system. Following are critical sectors whose value the Church must vigorously promote and support.

Education promotes economic growth and social order by providing the adequately trained manpower with the skill sets that are relevant to national develop-

ment. Educated people are not easily manipulated, controlled and influenced, so it stands to reason that corrupt and inept administrations will only pay lip service to good education knowing that genuine reforms will be their own death knell.

We must demand adequate funding for the education sector and insist that it is managed by willing and competent hands.

Honesty is the best policy, and an equitable and just society can only be built on an honest foundation and, despite our present experience, dishonesty must never be seen to pay. We must sanction those who benefit from dishonesty and promote the value of honesty.

The value we place on punctuality is evidence of our total disregard for one another. I am in the process of launching a campaign to applaud those who are always punctual and to name and shame the tardy. We must change the paradigm that makes Nigerian time acceptable, and reorientate our youth in particular to the value of punctuality. Time is a valuable resource that cannot be recovered.

The church must work for a change of mindset; we must work ardently to teach people to value others for who they are and not what they do, or what they have.

We must teach our people to take

pride in their work, whatever it is, and do it as unto the Lord. This calls for subtle changes in the way we extend recognition to people who attend our churches, and our attitude to the titles that people append to their names, not acquired by the dint of hard work, but purchased with money.

The rot in Nigeria is deeply rooted and we must not imagine that things will change overnight or without a fight. Indeed, we as Christians are called to daily warfare against the forces of darkness. We must commence the work to extract Nigeria from this quagmire.

Let me close by warning that the consequences of doing nothing are very dire. Insecurity is a major problem with kidnapping and other forms of violence on the rise. Graduate unemployment is increasing, economic growth is static, poverty is becoming pervasive, and our people are suffering, and this is just at the tip of our national iceberg.

The prospect of generations unborn rests upon our decision to rise to the urgency of the moment.

Arise and shine for your light is come. * Adefarasin is the immediate past National Secretary of PFN and the General Overseer of Guiding Light Assembly, Ikoyi, Lagos

Contribution of not more than 1,200 words should be sent to sundayvanguard@yahoo.com

PAGE 52 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

SUNDAY TRIBUTE

Adieu, Unu Habib

BY PETER ENAHORO

B

Late Herbert Unegbu... neither bragged about his invaluable contacts nor did he name-drop among his colleagues.

Herbert’s leap to national fame was when he was appointed editor of the highlyregarded West African Pilot.

This was the start of his newspaper column under the pseudonym Unu Habib, which became a celebrated moniker in households across Nigeria.

Its authority was Herbert’s access to “Deep Throats” in the Federal political establishment. Herbert neither bragged about his invaluable contacts nor did he name-drop among his colleagues. A longlasting friend was Chief Theophilus Owolabi Sobowale Benson, society scion and Minister of Information in Tafawa Balewa’s First Republic Cabinet, fondly cheered as “Tos-B” by Lagos crowds.

We all became vulnerable in our individual ways as Nigeria stumbled from one crisis to another, blundering heedlessly toward the nadir of civil war.

Herbert’s assertions in the Unu-Habib column were too well informed to be mere guess work. Eventually, a Special Branch officer was assigned to go and have a not so friendly chat with him. Herbert was hauled to the grim interrogation h.q Who were his sources?, the authorities wanted to know.

He responded to the questions by invoking the constraint that journalists are forbidden to disclose their source of information. The injunction, he explained, is as binding as the oath of confidentiality sworn to by

Roman Catholic priests even unto death.

Herbert said the officer invited him to view a holding cell. A mat on the bare floor, a blanket and a barricaded skyline window were all the décor in the tiny room.

“A man of your status should not be in a hovel like this even for one night”, the policeman told him. “Today is Friday. You

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AD news has its way of arriving not in soothing drips but as a brutal, in-your-face truth that leaves the rest of your day effectively over. A telephone call; a voice: “Have you heard …?”

No. You have not heard that your life-long friend, Herbert Unegbu – co-reveller in the hedonistic years of your earlier life, and fellow musketeer in the heyday of journalistic innocence in the actualisation of Independence – has passed away.

We first met at Daily Times where I arrived as an insecure, novice sub-editor. Herbie was a senior reporter in the Newsroom having newly arrived from the Eastern Region. Although our paths did not cross in the workplace, we were soon drawn together by our common delights in watering holes and other places that attracted journalists as magnet to metal.

What singled out Herbert for me was the way he drank beer.

If you were not previously thirsty, watching Herbert enjoy a drink instantly changed that!

Our special bonding was sealed during a shared visit to Europe in 1959. I discovered a steely edge to Herbert’s easy-going façade; it took courage to wear loud traditional robes to some of the places to where our official programs took us. A high point was Herbert ‘s handwoven, red and black Igbo couture he donned to the Opera House in Munich. A small crowd gathered at the main entrance to cheer us as we drove off at the end of the show, to the quiet satisfaction of Herbert whose inclination, ordinarily, was neither flamboyant nor aggressive.

He’d set out to make a political and cultural statement throughout the trip and succeeded without announcing his intention.

In my opinion, Herbert Unegbu was one of the three best informed political journalists in Lagos, in the late 1950s and 1960s ranking after MCK Ajuluchukwu and Bisi Onabanjo, both older and, respectively, deeply associated with the NCNC and the Action Group, whereas Herbert was non-aligned.

Although he would end his journalism career in the Newsroom of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation,

“Very serious”, Herbert nodded.

“What should we do?”, the officer asked, after a long pause. He was softening to Herbert’s charm offensive.

“Let’s think it over, over the weekend; until Monday ”, Herbert suggested. “Even if I run away from my job in Lagos, where can I hide in Igboland from a brother Igbo?”

Herbert Unegbu was one of the three best informed political journalists in Lagos, in the late 1950s and 1960s ranking after MCK Ajuluchukwu and Bisi Onabanjo, both older and, respectively, deeply associated with the NCNC and the Action Group, whereas Herbert was non-aligned

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will not see me again until Monday. This is where you will eat, sleep, and spend the day. While mosquitoes are biting you to pieces I will be in my bed with an electric fan.

My brother, please don’t punish yourself ”.

Herbert was at his most persuasive when cajoling with a posture of reasonableness: “The oath I have sworn to is the igbandu (a solemn Igbo oath) of journalism. You are my brother, an Igbo. You know that if I breach igbandu I will surely die.”

“Igbandu is a serious matter.” The police officer agreed.

Monday came and Monday went. The Igbo officer did not return. So what happened? A case of amnesia or did Herbert’s network of highlyplaced friends call-off the witch-hunt? Herbert never said which.

If Herbert made enemies in his long life, I didn’t know them. He did, however, offend the one person in my life he should not have tried it on!

Herbert was homeward bound in the small hours of the morning - “ambulating on s.s foot” - unsteadily picking his way, following a long night of plentiful ambrosia at the Ambassador Hotel. His route

unavoidably took him past the house I shared with my brothers, Ben and Dan. Herbert’s eye caught sight of an open window. That invited him to come over, hoping for a chat with me even at that ungodly hour.

“Peter!”, he called out quite loudly.

The trouble was our mother was in residence, on a visit.

Mama called out to me startled by Herbert’s sudden holler.

“Who is this woman?”, Herbert snapped. “Shut up woman!”

I was by then in the room.

The remainder of the drama was of Herbert warning me to beware of the women I brought home! He seemed not to have heard or understood a word I said.

Three years later, I was returning to Lagos after a year with my parents in Ibadan.

“My son”, my mother admonished me, “be especially mindful not to keep the company of the one you call Herbert.”

On arrival in Yaba, I dropped off my suitcases and made a beeline for the offices of West African Pilot, a short walking distance down the road.

“My mother told me I should avoid your company,” was how I announced my return to Daily Times, to him.

Herbert sent a staff out to fetch us beer, from nearby Ambassador Hotel. In years to come, Isyaku Ibrahim, who went on the errand, would advance to multi-millionaire and patron of President Aliyu Shehu Shagari’s NPN in the Second Republic.

When Alex Nwokedi, Igwe of Achala, fellow alumni of the Daily Times, rang to tell me Herbert died, aged 89, I could not match the age with the fresh-faced roisterer I’d imagined was our age group.

Herbert lived long and lived young.

Herbie was planning to write his memoirs. He requested me to make a contribution. I asked for specifics to guide me. His reply by text message did not altogether tally with my memory of the areas he wanted me to cover. I took the cowardly route of procrastination, hoping to buy time and not offend in a hasty reply.

And now it is all too late.

*Peter Enahoro (aka Peter Pan) contributed this tribute from London.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013 — PAGE 53

When Ibadan Slid & Bounced the Glo Way

BY KEMI ADEBAYO

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BADAN, the largest city in West Africa and the

third largest in Africa, lived up to its rating by supplying the largest number of participants so far in the ongoing Glo Slide & Bounce Concert which earlier took place in Abuja and Benin-City.

For Globacom, it was a good, better and best progression for the concert designed to resonate with the youths and young at heart. As early as two in the afternoon, youths in bright coloured “deck ups” started arriving at Casa Lucio, the exquisite venue located at the old Toll Gate on the Challenge end of the Lagos- Ibadan expressway. One hour before the commencement, there was a long queue of fun seekers at the gate and it was not surprising to a Globacom official who said that about 50,000 subscribers had indicated interest to attend the concert. Needless to say, security was water tight as participants were screened as they entered the hall.

At the appointed hour, humour merchant, ably assisted by Jimmy and DJ Spinofft, set the groove rolling with dancing and beauty competitions while winners won recharge cards and other corporate gifts.

The first of the brand new Glo Ambassadors to perform was Omawumi. The audience lapped the menu up and asked for more.

They got a jazzy treat from Bez who pumped up the ante with brassy R&B tunes. The third act was the tantalizingly beautiful Chee, the Voice who was assisted by her

•P Square entertaining the audience with electrifying dance steps at the Glo function. In the middle is Globacom's new Youth Ambassador, Jay Kolo, who featured prominently in the Unlimited Television commercial male dancers to electrify the hall.

The first three acts honed the appetite of the audience for more action and the em cees alerted the audience of the mega stars on the line up for the evening.

The ensuing interlude was filled by the Glo Business Director for Oyo 1, Mr. Lawrence Okpako, who announced that Globacom had a lot of youthcentric programmes in the pipeline and urged the youths to be unlimited in their pursuits of goals, dreams and desires. He announced that seven entries in the on-line singing competition on You Tube tagged, “Glo Bounce With Artistes”, were shortlisted and asked the mammoth crowd to pick the best three entries. At the end, the crowd picked, by vociferous ac-

clamation, a mass communication student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Sophia Olurankise; an 100 level student of entrepreneurship at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Seun Adeyanju; and a 500 level mechanical engineering student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Atofarati Kehinde, alias A to Z, who were presented with Samsung Galaxy phones for their winning enteries.

The Glo Business Director introduced Globacom’s new Youth Ambassador JKolo to the crowd.

After the interlude, velvety voiced Waje literally wafted into the hall in a jet black cat suit and moved the audience several notches high with her golden voice and

stage acrobatics.

Handsome Lynxx was the next to wow the Ibadan audience with “Fine fine Baby” song and other hilarious tunes. Burna Boy, who turned 22 years a few days earlier, took the show to near climax with folkloric popular songs like “Nibadan ni won bi wa si” and “labe igi”.

NaetoC moved the audience to the upside of life with tunes like “Kini big deal?”, 5&6 and 10over10. Yes Boss! The Slide & Bounce concert was truly revving on all cylinders and African Rapper Number One, MI increased the temperature of the hall with his rhapsodies. He picked a lady from the crowd whom he announced as his wife and they performed a duet

together to the wild admiration of the audience.

The masked one, who played next surprised the audience by strolling in from the back when everybody was expecting him on the stage where their eyes were riveted on. Blaring his sax, the Konko Below crooner took the concert to feverish pace and Ibadan people enjoyed every bit of it. At a point , Lagbaja became a music instructor and taught people how to dance Bata, saying “ we should not forget our culture”.

The icing on the cake of the concert was the ethereal performance of the most popular twin singers in the world, the universally famous P Square ! Peter and Paul started with echoes from the past by playing most of their popular old tunes like “Busybody” and “She is on fire”. The performance of Unlimited song with JKolo was the acme of the night performance. PSquare got the audience to their feet with a re-enactment of “Personally” which was a tribute to late Michael Jackson. Then came the rivalry between the twins and Paul claimed seniority by eight minutes. They tried to outwit each other and later settled with a truce. Thereafter, PSquare gave gifts like CDs, their tshirts, canvas shoes and all what nots to appreciative fans who struggled to catch the items. Indeed, it was a night to remember as the audience was still asking for more in the wee hours of the next day which was a Sunday. Without doubt, the Glo Slide & Bounce Tour in Ibadan will be remembered for a long time to come for its glitz, glamour and gliterratti.

PAGE 54 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013

Brazil still need a bit of polish — Parreira A

S contradictory as that statement by Carlos Alberto Parreira might seem, it does make perfect sense. And it also shows why A Seleção are happy to have him on board as their technical director, to have someone tell them how it is, as he did on this occasion, on leaving the dressing room at the Maracana following one of Brazil’s most notable victories of the last few decades.

Parreira knows better than anyone what Brazil are up against. A FIFA World Cup™ winner as a fitness coach at Mexico 1970 and as head coach at USA 1994, he also took charge of the national team at Germany 2006.

As he knew only too well, no sooner would the nation start celebrating the memorable 3-0 defeat of Spain than people would begin raising doubts and asking questions: Was the team peaking too soon? Would such a handsome victory not put pressure on the team? Was there not a danger of the side becoming complacent and starting to believe the hype in the lead-up to the main event in 2014? In Parreira’s view, the answers to all those questions can be found in the figure of his colleague and fellow world champion, Luiz Felipe Scolari.

“This coaching team has a vast amount of experience,” Parreira told FIFA.com in the aftermath of last Sunday’s dramatic FIFA Confederations Cup Final.

“Felipão is a world champion and so am I. Everyone on the team here – the fitness coaches, the doctors and the physios – are all world champions and they know exactly what we need and what we want.

“In the press conference after the final Felipão said the right thing, that this is just part of a process. We showed the fans what we can do and we showed the rest of the world that we are on the way to becoming dangerous opponents and to improving this team. But we’re not ready yet.

We’ve come on a lot, but we still

The victorious Brazilian team at the just concluded FIFA Confederations Cuppose for a group photograph after they beat Spain 3-0 in the final need a little bit of polish.”

The speed of A Seleção’s recent progress has taken everyone by surprise, including the people responsible for it. It is hard to believe that only four weeks prior to their triumph over Spain, Brazil came in for widespread criticism for playing out a lacklustre 2-2 draw against England at the Maracana.

Nor, in the wake of Luiz Gustavo’s superb tournament – capped by his exceptional display against Spain – does it seem credible that Felipão came in for some bad press for making this comment in his own inimitable style: “All that talk about a goalscoring midfielder is great for the media. It’s great for them, but it’s not so great for

Katsina wins Shema U-17 Boys Cup H

OST State, Katsina, has won the third edition of the YSFON organized Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema U17 Boys Soccer tournament.

In an entertaining final decided at the Katsina Township Stadium, the team defeated the defending champions, Bauchi by 1-0 to emerge the winners of the week-long tournament.

The match which was watched by a capacity crowd which included the state’s Executive Director of Sports,

Alhaji Nalado Iro Kankia saw the two teams exhibiting some good football artistry to the delight of the fans but not until the dying minutes of the first half that Katsina scored the only goal of the match through a penalty converted by Nafiu Danladi. In the third place match, Kebbi State defeated FCT by 2-0 to emerge the third best team of the tournament.

Speaking while presenting prizes to the teams, Katsina State Governor who was represented by State’s Commis-

Tributes galore as Achebe’s laid to rest

BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

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PORTS administrators from various parts of the country Friday at Ogidi, Idemili North local government area of Anambra State paid tributes to the former secretary-general of the defunct Nigeria Football Association, NFA, P.O.C Achebe describing him as one of the best football administrators Nigeria ever had.

Among football officials that graced Achebe’s burial ceremony at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ogidi were the vice chairman of Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, Mike Umeh, former NFA vice

the coach or the team. When you’ve got attacking fullbacks like ours, like Daniel Alves and Marcelo, you need to have protection.”

The success of the current coaching staff is down to the decisions they have made and the fact they have stuck to them.

Those decisions have included deploying a more withdrawn

midfielder alongside Paulinho and maintaining faith in the central-defensive pairing of Thiago Silva and David Luiz, whose place in the team is now unquestioned. The roles of Julio Cesar and Fred as first-choice in goal and up front are also now secure. Meanwhile the link-up men behind the latter, such as Hulk and Oscar, have their defensive duties to fulfil, and Neymar is the team’s star man, the No10. As that all shows, there is a plan in place.

“Obviously we had to start a new cycle, and in response to that we drew up a strategic plan,” explained Parreira, before referring to the personnel and tactical changes he and his colleagues have made in the process. “If you look at the team for our first friendly against England (a 2-1 defeat back on 6 February), you’ll see it’s very different to the side today.

“The aim was to find a style of play and we’ve done that. When you’ve got 15 straight days to prepare for a tournament you can start to see a tactical plan coming together, you can work on details and bring back experienced players who were out of favour but whom we knew had potential.”

chairman, Nwabufo Obienu, Emeka Inyama, Mr. Ademola Olajire, former director of sports in the old Anambra State, Dr. Robert Duhu, Mr. Charles Ojugbana, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, Dr. Christian Emeruwa and Felix Ogbuka.

Former players of Rangers International Football Club of Enugu where Achebe also served as chief organizing secretary were present in large number. They include Emmanuel Okala, Luke Okpala, Ernest Ufele, Stanley Okoronkwo, Jude Agada, Akeem Ashiru, Francis Nwosu, Okwuchukwu Obiorah, Mike Ogbodudu, Patrick Ilouno, among others.

In his tribute, Umeh said

Achebe, who popularly called Mr. Football, was so much committed in football administration that he remained a sports administrator till death.

To him, every football administrator in Nigeria benefited fro Achebe’s wealth of experience.

He commended members of his family for bringing his body back to Nigeria for burial, noting that it would have been a great disappointment if he was buried outside the country.

In his own tribute, Inyama, who was a former commissioner for sports in Abia State described Achebe as a great man, a consummate sports administrator, a very organized person, an icon.

sioner for Youths and Sports, Alhaji Mannir Ibrahim Talba commended all the participating teams and officials for exhibiting spirit of sportsmanship throughout the duration of the tournament even as he promised the state Government’s continuous sponsorship of the championship as a way of grassroots football development in the country.

He noted that the state Government as part of its efforts to develop sports in the state is constructing a 35,000 capacity ultra modern stadium which when completed will be put into use for the benefits of youths of the state.

In his closing remarks, National President of YSFON, Nasiru Gawuna who was represented by the North East chairman of the Federation, Justice Habib Idris expressed gratitude to Katsina State Government for partnering with YSFON to develop grassroots football in the country.

Highlight of the championship was the presentation of the most valuable player award to Akwa Ibom state, Highest goal scorer to one of the kastina players’ who scored a total of Seven goals during the tournament while the best goalkeeper of the tournament was won by the host state with coach of the tournament going

to Coach, Hajia Hafsat Seriki of the FCT.

Mohammed to reposition Enugu Police Machine The Enugu state commissioner of police Abubakar Adamu Mohammed has expressed his readiness to partner with all relevant stake holders including corporate bodies in order to reposition Police Machine team, Enugu State Command.

Mohammed said the command is ready to meet up with the international sporting standard since the Nigeria Police is known for contributing to the development of sports in the country.

He made this known to news men recently while addressing the team and the officials at the state Police Headquarters, Enugu.

According to him,sports is universal and important because of its unifying capacity.

He further remarked that Police Machine, Enugu has all it takes to prove their mettle in every sporting event if fully supported.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 14, 2013 — PAGE 55

Abesan Cup honours Doregos, Omonode at 2013 Final

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HE 2013 Abesan Cup Final billed for July 18, 2013 will also be used to honour Nigerians and Corporate bodies that have stood behind the organizers, Abesan Football Development.

Top on the list of those to be honoured is renowned Educationist and Sports Philanthropist, Mrs. Clementina Doregos, who has been backing the Association since 2006.

Sports Journalist, Ejiro Omonode, the C.E.O Mastersports International, renowned Banker, Bayo Olugbemi of First Registrar Limited are also part of the list Others include Chief Dare Faneye, Kunle Soremekun, Cajethan Ekejuiba – C.E.O. of Ceejay Sports, Femi Akinyele of Brandvision and Tasty-Time Limited.

Coordinator of the event, Tayo Adeyemo, said the Awardees have all contributed their quota to Youth development through sports: “We felt it’s time to appreciate them and let Nigerians know what they

are doing to improve Nigerian Sports. These are people that have stood by us and have all encouraged us to keep the flag flying.”. Meanwhile, three payers are in the race to win the highest goal scorer award at the competition. Femi Ajayi

of Future Heroes, Timothy Aghaeze of Midas and Paul Anichebe of Diamond FC, all have four goals each.

Ajayi and Aghaeze have the opportunity of winning the award as their teams are contesting the final.

C

HAIRMAN of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Youth, Sports and social Development, Babatunde Ayeni has urged the state government through the Sport Ministry to ensure that facilities used for the last edition of the National Sports Festival remain intact.

Ayeni stated this during

Lawmaker tasks govt on stadium facilities a facilities tour to the designated centres of the sports festival.

The lawmaker who just returned from the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil said it would be cost effective for government when hosting similar sporting events in the future if these facilities are adequately protected

Igueben teams lift Democracy Day Cup

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HE male and female football teams of Igueben Local Government Area are N100,000 richer for emerging champions of the recently held U-18 Democracy Day Gold Cup which had 37 teams participating.

To win the male title in the competition which was held in Igueben from June 13 to 24, Igueben male team defeated their Esan West counterparts by a lone goal while the female team beat Esan Central 3-1 to lift the trophy.

According to Sunday Okhuegbe, the supervisory councilor for Youths, Sports and

Culture the Igueben sides were selected from the 10 Wards in the local government with Ikpomwosa Atalor as head coach.

“The competition is aimed at catching our talents young, like we used to have with the Academicals in years past from where the country ’s representatives are discovered. It is also a way of engaging the youths and taking them off the streets,”he said, adding that the economic activities of the Local Government were boosted during the period.

Executive Chairman of Igueben Local Gove-

PTF, NFF’s benevolent enemy N

IGERIAN football under the tutelage of former president of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi was tottering and the 2010 World Cup qualification was hanging on a cliff hanger. Then President, Alhaji Umar Musa YarÁdua, now late, was concerned and thought of the impact Nigeria’s absence in Africa’s World Cup would have on both soccer crazy Nigerians and the economy.

What did he do? He put heads together with some of his aides, including, his Special Adviser on Media, Segun Adeniyi, a sports freak, and floated a Presidential Task Force, PTF to ensure Super Eagles qualification for the mundial.

Not many however, knew that the idea of setting up of the PTF was

BY EBUN SESSOU

Godwin Dudu-orumen’s but he eventually did not make the list of members because of bad belle from some quarters. At the head of the PTF was amiable Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who before then was also pushing in funds to assist the Eagles.

In Governor Amaechi’s team were people like Chief Segun Odegbami, Chief Patrick Ekeji, then Director General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Larry Izamoje, CEO of fearless sports radio, Brila FM and of course, Alhaji Abba Yola, also of the NSC as secretary of the body.

The PTF, as it were, was to report to the then Vice President, the Games Master General of the federation, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

They went into action, did everything to

motivate the Eagles because “Nigeria must be in South Africa”, as the President Yar ’Adua ordered. Part of the motivation was the addition of $5,000 to the $5,000 which the NFF usually gave them. That was how the Eagles winning bonus came to $10,000.

Suffice it to say that when that idea was mooted, the NFF never complained nor rejected it, at least, it was in their favour as qulification for the World Cup would not only up their profile but swell their individual pockets.

The NFF did certain things that could have derailed the Eagles ambition but the PTF through the Presidency intervened on some occasions, an action the NFF frowned at, feeling the PTF was usurping

PRESENTATION... Executive Chairman of Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State, Hon. Julius Ashuma Asemota (right) presenting the trophy to the captain of the Igueben LG male team Shaka Arogun. They beat Esan West LG 1-0 in the final. rnment, Hon. Julius Soccer Organisers, Ashuma Asemota said NASO but sponsored by the competition which the Igueben Local was organised by the Government would be an National Association of annual event. their functions. In one of those crazy moments, the ever beggarly NFF, wanting independence reported the government to FIFA and Dr. Jonathan, now acting president after the demise of his boss, capitulated on his earlier decision to put football in the country in the cooler for two years.

The Lulu-Board carried all sorts of negative stories about the PTF, including accusation that they flew charter flights to South Africa at the expense of the team.

They were however not sure whether the funds for that venture was from the PTF World Cup funds.

The grouse of the NFF then was the decision of the PTF to release money to them in bits as situations demanded then. The NFF however, did not disclose that some money was also to come from football’s world governing body, FIFA. They have never disclosed this in the past.

The mudslinging notwithstanding, Governor Amaechi and his team stuck to their guns and managed the World Cup funds judiciciously

and the result is that the PTF saved some chunk of it which ordinarily would have be blown by the extravagant NFF Board.

Today, the NFF is the better for the frugal handling of the World Cup fund. The NFF, now under Aminu Maigari, is grinning from ear to ear, proud to own a House of its own, which would be commissioned in Abuja this week.

Thank God for the PTF for bailing out the NFF with a well deserved roof over their head. Left to the NFF Board members, the federation would remain a perpetual tenant in Abuja.

But will they put pride aside and commend their benevolent ‘enemy’? Let’s watch and see.

Nigeria’s biggest soccer scandal It was a shame of the highest dimension when teams struggling for promotion in the amateur cadre, brought odium on Nigerians and their football. The scandalous scorelines recorded by the desperate teams is still making headline news accros the world even as the NFF hurriedly issued a suspension order on the

and maintained. The Committee boss who was accompanied by some officials of the Ministry of Sports noted that the facility management should live up to expectation.“I just returned from the FIFA Confederations Cup. What I saw there was not extra ordinary but they have administrative discipline which we, Nigerians lack,”he said.

At the Rowe Park Sport centre, Ayeni urged the management to ensure that athletes make use of the facilities at all times in readiness for the next edition of the sport festival and other major competitions.

He commended the efforts of the State government in upgrading Jalisco mini sport centre for the people of Oshodi and its environs as he called on the Ministry to open the centre for use.

“Jalisco has been closed down for the past two years due to reconstruction of the centre, I want to appeal to the authorities concerned to open the centre for use for the benefit of OshodiIsolo”. four teams involved.

That was before the proprietor of one of the guilty teams, Alhaji Shuaibu Ahmed GaraGombe told the world that he was disbanding the team and called for the prosecution of the people involved.

Gara-Gombe could be commended but he has to explain why he said he told the team not to play the match. A match scheduled by the football authorites should not be played? Why? Could it be that he wanted an easy walkover for their opponent?

From this, one could deduce that the team’s opponent, not sure of what their rival team would play at the other end, induced Gara-Gombe’s team to come out and play as goals could determine which team qualified.

They obviously didn’t want to rely on a walkover which could only guarantee three points and three goals. At least the accord fetched them 67 goals. Pity though as it even didn’t fetch them the ‘ticket’ as their brothers in the scandal outscored them by 79-0.

What a shame?

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 14, 2013

IAAF World Youth Championships:

Nigerian kids get redemption chance

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JOHWOKOGHENE Divine Oduduru and the boys relay medley team are the last Nigerian kids standing at the IAAF World

Youth Championships, that will come to a close today in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Oduduru was tipped to win a medal in the boys

Sydney 2000 Olympics medal:

Sad Bada’s not here to collect his gold— Udo-Obong STORIES BY BEN EFE

J

UST as President Goodluck Jonathan is set to present the retrieved Sydney 2000 Olympics 4x400m gold medals to the Nigerian quartet, a member of the team, Enefiok Udo-Obong has expressed regrets that late Sunday Bada was not alive to share in the moment of glory.

The Nigerian team was elevated to the status of gold-medalists by the International Olympics Committee, after the United States of America was stripped of the gold following doping confession by Antonio Petgrew, a member of the US team.

Athletics enthusiasts no doubt, will still recall the bravado of the Nigerian team anchored by UdoObong who came from a disadvantaged position to overhaul Jamaica and Bahamas to clinch silver behind the USA. President Jonathan will receive the team on Wednesday July 19 at the Aso Rock Villa after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

“Bada will not be there in person to collect his medal.

He was our leader and it is sad that he will not share in this moment of glory with us,” said Odo-Obong of the late former Athletics Federation of Nigeria technical director and a long stand-

Nesta raps Serie A

F

ECSTACY... Members of Nigeria’s 4x400m relay team that placed second behind USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics celebrating their silver 13 years ago. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to honour them after the IOC awarded them the gold following confession of drug use by a member of the USA quartet ing athlete.

Bada died in late December of 2011 after a brief illness. “Hopefully we will have full representation of late Bada by his wife or a member of his family, the AFN should be working on that,”he said.

Odo-Obong submitted that it was a surprise that the President will be receiving the team and he is already

Moyes begins with loss

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AVID Moyes’ reign at Manchester United began with an embarrassing upset yesterday as his highly paid squad of players slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Thailand’s Singha AllStar XI in Bangkok.

The new manager sat grim-faced on the bench as the feted visitors, who have been given a hero’s welcome in Thailand, failed to recover after falling behind early in the second half.

100m, but he ran a dismal 11.05 seconds in the semifinal. However, he made it to the final of the 200m after he posted the second fastest time in the semi-final and barring any unforeseen circumstance, Oduduru can redeem himself with a silver or bronze in the event that will be decided precisely 1.20pm Nigerian time today. The boys relay medley also stand a chance to win a medal if they keep their nerves in the final. The ran 1.52.90 seconds, the third fastest time in the semi-final.

Odiong Ofonime Edidiong was the only Nigerian girl who got to the final of her event on Thursday. But she failed to find the form to catapult her past the 54.15 seconds, she clocked in the 400m girls, semi-final. She placed 5th in the final won by Sabrina Bakare of Great Britain with a time of 52.77.

Edidiong however, ran 54.14, which was her personal best an improvement perhaps.

The Premier League champions cannot even say the goal was against the run of play after scorer Teeratep Winothai had had two of the best chances of the game up to that point.

The result, albeit in a meaningless friendly and with a youthful team, will not ease the task of Moyes as he seeks to follow Alex Ferguson’s 27year, 38-trophy stint at the world’s most famous club.

looking forward to the largesse that will likely follow.

“It is a pleasant surprise we are being hosted by the President. It is even a double joy for us that after all these 12 years we are getting the gold medal.

This should serve as a motivation for not only our

quarter-milers, but to all our athletes in general that they should aspire to achieve success in track and field because they will always get the desired recognition,”Udo-Obong enthused.

The victorious quartet include Clement Chukwu

who started, handed over to Jude Monye and then Bada and Odo-Obong. The reserves are Fidelis Gazama and Nduka Awazie. The former athletes are expected to arrive from their bases on Monday.

ORMER Italy inter national central defender Alessandro Nesta says Serie A has fallen behind the leagues in Spain, Germany and England in quality.

The 37-year-old, now at MLS side Montreal Impact, won the Scudetto three times in his career with Lazio and AC Milan but says the reason for Serie A’s weakness is a lack of money.

U-20 RESULTS Ghana Iraq

3 0

France 4 Uruguay 1 (pen)

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.Taraba capital (7) 4.Exchanges (5) 6.Crest (5) 7.Speared (7) 9.Fashion (5) 10.Weird (5) 11.Donor (5) 13.Domain (5) 17.Crestfallen (3) 19.Face (8) 20. Pianos (6) 21. Much (6) 23. Stayed (8) 24.Frozen water (3) 25.Snake (5) 27.Own up (5) 30. Arise (5) 31.Evade (6) 32.Dotted (7) 34. Lariat (5) 35.Moves like a horse (5) 36. Sowed (7)

DOWN 1. Incarcerates (50 2. Nothing (3) 3. Command (5) 4.Cut (5) 5. Vapour (5) 8. Dog (3) 12. Nigerian state (6) 14. Ovum (3) 15. Connected (6) 16. Cooked (6) 17.Glare (5) 18. Ill-fated (6) 22. Maiden name (3) 25. Revise accounts (5) 26. Staggers (5) 27.Old fable writer (5) 28.Child (3) 29. Gave in (5) 33. Benin chieftain (3)

SOLUTION on page 5

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