Water May Wipe Out Parts of S/West, S/South - Expert

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012 — PAGE 5

Water may wipe out parts of S/West, S/South – Expert Continued from page 1

knowledge of the setting up of non-indigenes camp for the flood victims, ordered the immediate relocation of the over 800 internally displaced persons at the centre to the officially recognised Bishop Dimieri Grammar School BDGS and Sport Complex.

Zone (See details in Special Interview, pages 39-40).

The possibility of this calamitous development, Sunday Vanguard has been made to understand, could occur in the event that there is a collapse of the Oyan Dam, which is north of Abeokuta; just as the subsisting process of releasing water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, if sustained, would only continue to worsen the already terrible flooding conditions in the S/South zone.

An expert in flood management and control, Dr. Akingbola Omigbodun, gave this warning in an interactive session with editors of Vanguard.

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migbodun, who disclosed that he had written letters to the Ministries of Environment, Water Resources as well as to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, painted a frightening picture of what could happen in the event that the Oyan Dam collapses because of the huge volume of water it continues to hold: “The dam is north of Abeokuta. Just imagine water that has been trapped, about 10 stories high, breaking a barrier and flowing downwards to Abeokuta. You asked what would happen!

“What you would have would be a major disaster Just imagine water 10 stories high rushing downwards. It would wipe out everything on its path. That is what would happen should the Oyan Dam collapse and with the way water is being held back by the authorities of the Ogun/Osun River Basin Development Authority, anything can happen”, he warned.

The flood management and control expert pointed out that some of the major reasons dams are built are not being addressed by those who should manage the dams.

According to him, dams are built for purposes of irrigation and power generation but these

CLO seeks state of e m e r g e n c y

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (middle) and his commissioners during a visit to the camp of those displaced by lood at Father Joseph Secondary School, Agulueri, Anambra State, yesterday. dams are not being used for these purposes and the way water is released ‘ wholesale’ makes the ordinarily bad flooding situation worse for Nigerians.

He described a similar scenario happening in the north eastern flank of the country where, he said, waters from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon contribute dangerously to the downward river force of the River Benue.

“The waters from the Upper Volta into the River Niger and the waters from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon which rush into the River Benue, with the confluence at Lokoja, all come downwards to the Niger Delta and the states of the S/ South zone. Yes the situation in that zone is very terrible but it would get worse because the force of the water is still moving downwards”.

Oil platforms, boats as homes

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eanwhile, tales of woes occasioned by flood in Delta State continued, yesterday, as victims reportedly trapped in

SOLUTION

over 20 communities, including Ayakoromo, Bobogbene, Gbekebor, Obotobe in Burutu local government area turned oil platforms, boats and farmlands to makeshift homes to escape catastrophe.

The troubled victims called on the state government to evacuate and provide relief materials for them.

Also affected are Yayorogbene, Ekoro-gbene, Abegbene, Okwagbe, Ofonigbenghan, Ogbingbene, Newtown, Ekorogbene, Azibiri, Ogodobiri and Ogbinama communities.

Niger-Delta activist, Comrade Austin Ozobo, who hails from Ayakoromo, the country home of ex-militant leader, the late John Togo, told reporters that 10 children were rescued from flood, which had destroyed property worth millions of Naira.

Ozobo disclosed that a basket of garri was selling for N1,500 against the former N400 price; basket of beans N1,700 against the former N1, 400 price; and basket of rice - 1,400 against the former in riverside N700 communities.

Ughelli evacuation

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lso in Delta State, Ughelli Descendants Union, UDU, yesterday, evacuated over 1,000 Ughelli indigenes in Uduophori and Odorubu communities, Patani Local Government Area, Delta State from the areas after their homes and farmlands were submerged by flood.

The Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom, HRM Oharisi III, said the decision to evacuate the victims was necessitated by the danger posed by the flood in the affected communities.

He said the kingdom was committed to the welfare of its subjects across the globe.

President General of the UDU, Chief Kenneth Iwhewhe, and Chief Miller Uloho, while receiving the victims at the Ughelli Kingdom hall, expressed concern on the pains the people were going through.

While disclosing that the

union had sent relief materials to some youths of the two communities they left behind to safeguard properties of the victims, they said those taking refuge in the Ughelli kingdom hall would also be provided with relief materials.

Dr. Stephen Oru, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, N a t i o n a l Vice Chair man, South/South, noted that the recent flood which affected 12 Local Government Areas of Delta State was quite devastating and unprecedented in the history of the State.

Tension in Bayelsa over diversion of victims food

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eports from Bayelsa State said Governor Seriake Dickson, yesterday, ordered immediate reorganization of the food distribution network to the internally displaced persons in the state following rising tension at the various relief centres over diversion of food earmarked for flood victims.

The governor also ordered the closure of a camp at the Kpanisa suburb illegally set up by some top government officials solely for nonindigenes, insisting that it was not in tandem with his administration restoration agenda of carrying everybody along irrespective of state of origin.

The centre, which had over 800 inmates, lacks potable water supply, electricity and toilet facility.

Dickson, who directed the state Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire, and the State Director of SSS, Andrew Iorkyar, to embark on a factfinding tour of some of the centres for internally displaced persons in Yenagoa warned that any person caught diverting food for displaced victims would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

He also directed security agencies to arrest any person caught setting up an illegal camps in the state for flood victims.

The governor, who denied

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), in Bayelsa, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in states ravaged by flood.

The group, which volunteered to monitor how the funds earmarked for the flood victims by both the state and the Federal Government is utilized, lauded government’s intervention at all levels especially Bayelsa State for the assistance offered to the flood victims.

Chairman of the group in Bayelsa, Comrade Nengi James, who spoke in Yenagoa during the inauguration of the state executives of the organization, also called on the international community and donor agencies to come to the aid of the country especially the flood devastated states.

“In the last couple of weeks, our communities, villages and homes have been invaded by devastating flood, thousands have been displaced, villages submerged with crops, livestocks and properties washed away. What more can one say, the effect of climate change is staring us right in our face, and the ugly consequences of human activities are here with us,” James said.

NMA donates

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he Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, yesterday, provided relief materials to victims of the flood disaster in Delta State.

NMA national president, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, who is on a nationwide tour of floodravaged communities in the country, handed over the materials, which include mosquito nets, drugs and other medical supplies, to the state government through the state Commissioner for Special Duties, Delta State, Mr. Tony Nwaka.

Governors counselled on relief materials

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n the meantime, governors of the states affected by flood have been urged to appoint only credible persons into the committees they set up to distribute relief materials to victims.

Former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Pastor Power Aginighan, who made the appeal in Port Harcourt after a visit to some of the flood ravaged communities in Delta State, said most victims were still displaced in most of the areas he went to.

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FG, States, LGs share N574.402bn •as Excess Crude Account hits $8.4bn

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

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HE three tiers of government, yesterday, shared N574.402bn from the revenue that accrued into the statutory Federation Account and proceed from the Value Added Tax, VAT, in the month of September.

The total amount shared is made up of statutory distribution of N460.759b and VAT revenue of N64.229bn. Other sources of revenue were N35.549bn for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, as well as augmentation of N13.008bn for the month were among the amount shared.

The minister of state for

finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, who briefed journalists at the end of the Federation Account Allocation Committee , FAAC, meeting, who represented the minister of finance, put gross revenue at N594.701 billion, representing an increase of N29.817 billion against the N564.884 billion in the preceding month.

The minister attributed the increase in revenue to rise in crude oil production and export and an increase in the price of crude oil in the international market.

The minister also disclosed that the Federation Account Allocation Committee transferred N1.7bn to the Excess Crude Account bringing the new

balance in the account to $8.4bn.

On the NNPC indebtedness to the Federation Account, the minister said that the corporation has been consistent with the repayment of its debt

with the additional payment of payment of N7.617 to the N99.021bn earlier paid, bringing the total sum to N106.638bn.

This he said was made up of a monthly remittance of N7.617bn monthly for the past 14 months.

BY EVELYN USMAN

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ESIDENTS of Olorunsogo Yewa Phase 2 Isawo, in Owutu area of Ikorodu , Lagos have appealed to Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to prevail on the Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc to provide electricity to their community.

For two years, the

N/Assembly to blame for non-full implementation of 2012 Budget — Presidency

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PECIAL Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Mr Ahmed Gulak, has attributed the non-full implementation of 2012 Budget by the executive to some actions of the federal legislators.

Gulak, who spoke with journalists weekend,in Abuja, specifically mentioned refusal by mem-

bers of the National Assembly to pass the budget at the appropriate time and the amendments surgery carried on the original budget presented to it by the Presidency,as responsible.

“Presentation of budget is one thing while its passage is another. As a re-

minder, the 2012 Budget was passed by the National Assembly in April, so you do not expect the budget to have been implemented by 80% in September?”,he said.

He said rather than blaming the Presidency for non-full implementation of the 2012 budget,the National Assembly should be held responsible just as he accused the federal lawmakers of insincerity.

SOS to Fashola on poor power supply community, with a population of over 20,000 residents, have reportedly been plunged into total darkness, owing to what the residents described as inability of the PHCN to provide them with transformers that would enable them hook on to electricity.

Lamenting the resultant trauma residents were facing, Chairman of the Community Development Area , Mr Yusuf Ahmed, disclosed that hoodlums had hijacked the situation to perpetrate heinous crimes unhindered.

Also speaking on the development, the CDA secretary, Adeshina Muftau,called on the state government and other concerned stakeholders to come to the community aid, with a view to giving the residents a new lease of life.

SUNDAY V anguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 7 Vanguard,

From right: Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, Chief Ndudi Elumelu and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Iheodioha at the burial of late Madam Sarah Okoh, mother of Primate of the Anglican Church, Most Revd Nicholas Okoh at Owa-Alero, Delta State .

L-R: Senator Anthony Adefuye in a chat with the guest preacher at his 68th birthday thanksgiving service at St. Dennis Catholic Church Akoka, Yaba, Mosignor Sam Ehotikpo.

Kidnapped Osun speaker’s wife rescued; 2 abduct or abductor orss killed in gun battle

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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UIBAT, wife of the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, was, yesterday, rescued from her abductors along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, at Ogunmakin village in Obafemi-Owode local government area of

Ogun State by security operatives who acted on tip-off.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that two of the alleged kidnappers were shot dead while trying to escape with their victim while three of the kidnappers were reportedly arrested.

Muiba, who is the first wife of the Speaker, was kidnapped in Ejigbo

town of Osun, last Tuesday, by a gang of kidnappers and allegedly took her to Ogun State.

Security sources said the rescue operation turned violent when the suspected kidnappers engaged law enforcement agents in a shootout that lasted 30 minutes.

When contacted on phone at 7:30 p.m.,

yesterday, Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Ikemmefuna Okoye, disclosed that he was on his way to the state police headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta where the suspected kidnappers were taken to.

The arrest of the kidnappers was said to have been facilitated by men of the state vigilance group.

Protest over Abuja demolition

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ubscribers of a demolished estate in Abuja are seeking the intervention of the National Assembly.

The 500 housing units were constructed by Minanuel Investment Limited for low income workers and other individuals in line with the National Housing Policy.

The subscribers protested at the National Assembly Complex on Thursday.

“Our hope to own a home has been lost with the demolition of the estate by the FCT and the Senate. Myself and my

wife have been contributing part of our meager salary to the house and the house has reached almost 90 % completion and we had hoped to take possession of the house this month, only for it to be demolished for no good reason or due process”, one of the subscribers, John Madu, said.

Condemning the demolition, President of Association of Property Agents of Nigerian (APAN), Mr K.M. Chile, said it’s man inhumanity to man and suspected ethnic under tone in the exercise.

tee, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Kirfi, who said, in his speech, that the North-East should secede from Nigeria, saying, “I dare say that if need be by pulling out of Nigeria, we must take our destiny in our hands”.

Speaking earlier at the meeting, the Chairman of the occasion,Ciroma, said the purpose of in-

augurating the committees was to tackle the problems associated with insecurity, unemployment, poverty, economy and politics in the region.

He said the responsibility of the action committees was to look into the problems in details and make recommendations that will lead to solution.

N-EAST UNITY FORUM

Govs snub Danjuma, Ciroma, others

BY SUZAN EDEH Bauchi

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orth-East Forum for Unity and Development meeting held in Bauch, yesterday, was marred by the absence of all the six governors from the geo-political zone.

In attendance at the meeting were two former ministers under Obasanjo administration: General T.Y. Danjuma (rtd) (Defence), and Mallam Adamu Ciroma (Finance).

The purpose of the meeting was to inaugurate seven committees to proffer solution to the problems bedeviling the North-East so as to engender development.

The committees proposed to be inaugurated include security, contact and finance, economy, education, political, constitutional review and publicity.

The special guest of

honour, Danjuma, proposed that only the security committee should be inaugurated because of its importance and the absence of the six governors at the meeting.

“The absence of the governors at the meeting was a disappointment to members of North-East Forum for Unity and Development because the insecurity issue at stake was a major concern to everybody in the countr y, hence they should lead by example by being the chief security officers of their respective states,” Danjuma stated.

He lamented the attitude of the governors to the meeting, saying, “ Three days ago, I was informed by one of the governor ’s that all the six of them had resolved not to attend and mandated one of

them to advise me not to attend because they believed there was a hidden agenda behind the meeting. Although, am in no position to pass judgment on the allegation made by the governors, they have succeeded in creating doubts in my mind with regards to the motive behind this meeting”.

Danjuma, who noted that security was the number one challenge facing the North-East, proffered that the meeting should be postponed pending when the inaugurated security committee is able to appeal to the governors to attend.

He dissociated himself from a statement made by the chairman of the central working commit-

Plat eau: Death ttoll oll in w eek of killings rises tto o 20 Plateau: week

BY TAYE OBATERU

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our people were killed early yesterday in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State bringing to 20 the number of lives lost in skirmishes between locals and suspected Fulanis within a week.

Four others were seriously injured in the attack carried out in three villages by unknown assailants.

It had been a week of killings and reprisals between the Berom natives and the Fulani in Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas since Tuesday when two farmers were allegedly shot while returning home from farm.

A reprisal by local youths resulted in the killing of a Fulani man and, since then, the raid on villages by suspected Fulani attackers has

become a daily occurrence.

On Wednesday, a total of 14 people were killed when gunmen launched simultaneous attacks on three villages in Riyom Local Government Area.

Early Friday, a 75-yearold woman was killed at Sara village resulting in a protest by hundreds of women who took over the highway to protest the killing, alleging ineffectiveness on the part of security agents

on ground. The women, who brandished leaves and chanted anti-military songs, disrupted traffic along the Jos-Abuja highway for hours leaving travelers stranded.

The Special Task Force (STF), in a statement by Lt. Kingsley Egbo, confirmed that there had been tension in the area since unknown gunmen attacked the village and killed a 75-year-old woman.

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Reform is tough but no alternative – Okonjo-Iweala T

HE Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that undertaking economic reforms in a country like Nigeria is very tough but there is no alternative if the nation is to witness the rapid socio-economic development that is the dream of Nigerians.

Speaking on her new book, “Reforming the Unreformable”, on the side line of the on-going Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in Tokyo, Japan, she said she decided to write the book in which she shares her experiences in the effort to reform the Nigerian economy and put it on a firm footing for growth to spread the message of hope.

“The book is a message of hope. The challenges of undertaking reforms are enormous but it is doable. It can be achieved if one is committed to ensuring change that is necessary to free the economy and place it on the path of growth.

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There is no alternative, really. This book shows that no matter how tough, with political will, you can undertake reforms.”

The minister said that the book has also been written to provide development practitioners a chronicle of first-hand experiences of what happens when one decides to undertake a reform, especially as it provides practical experiences of the works of the National Economic management Team which she headed under the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when she first served as Minister of Finance.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who reviewed the book, commended the courage of Okonjo-Iweala and her team as, according to him, “undertaking the reform agenda of the Federal Government, saying “it shows that reforms are difficult but not impossible”.

He described it as a story of self-sacrifice by the minister in the pursuit of

a better Nigeria, especially in navigating through the delicate balance between political interests, interests of private sector operators and doing the right thing in the economic interests of the general public.

Sanusi said the book is timely especially now that Nigeria has entered the second phase of her economic reforms and that a critical lesson to learn is to avoid carrying reforms in too many sectors at the same time and that the book is an encouragement for those who want to undertake reforms in other countries of the world.

•Rev Gbenga Gbadebo, ex- Tell Magazine reporter being annointed after his ordination by the Rt. Rev. S. Ade Ajayi, The Lord Bishop of Lagos Mainland Diocese of The African Church at African Church Cathedral Salem, Ebute Metta, Lagos, recently. ( C o m m e r c i a l Dept.); Mainstreet Bank; Royal Exchange General Insurance Ltd; ManOfficer of RIL, Ade your business burden by sard Insurance; Nigerian Awonaike, described the providing clients with be- Bag Manufacturing occasion as an innovative spoke outsourcing solu- Company; Sokoa Chair initiative. Patrick Osaw- tions to give them value.” Center also featured a ere, Group Head, BusiThe event which attract- very interactive question ness Development of RIL, ed over 50 prospective and answer session dursaid, running an organi- clients drawn from the ing which Soji Oyawoye, zation “requires that you banking, manufacturing the MD/CEO of RIL took get the best staff in every and the service sectors questions from the audicadre and the business like Embassy of the Unit- ence on a range of issues model of RIL is to ease ed States of America from labour issues to employee benefits.

RIL hosts business leaders R

ESOURCE Inter mediaries Limited, (RIL), one of Nigeria’s premier outsourcing companies, held a breakfast meeting for collaborators, clients and prospective clients Ocean View Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Chief Operating

Vanguard, SUND AGE 9 AY , OCTOBER 14, 2012, P SUNDA PA

try of the likelihood of losing Bakassi Peninsula finally to Cameroon. The mass media, the legal community and members of the academia were united in urging the Federal Government to apply for a review of the case, since it had complied with the ruling of the ICJ, by withdrawing its troops from the peninsula.

The committee of “do nothing”

* A beleaguered people: Our beloved peninsula is gone

The last days of betrayal of hope A chronology of the events leading to the loss of Nigeria’s territory

By Hugo Odiogor, Foreign Affairs Editor

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resident Goodluck Jonathan may have been seeking an escape route from legal and constitutional entanglement when he summoned the emergency meeting of October 3, 2012 over the Bakassi Peninsula saga as he could have breached the constitution by conceding a Nigerian territory without consent from the National Assembly. So a carefully choreographed sequence of events to hoodwink Nigerians was put on place with the summoning of the emergency meeting and setting up a committee of ‘do-nothing’. But the last may not been heard about the tale of infamy that attended Nigeria’s chickening out on the Bakassi appeal when there were convincing facts that the country could approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to revisit its decision to award the sovereignty of a peninsula that had a predominant population of

Nigerians from the Efik Kingdom to Cameroon.

The betrayal of hope came as a pre-arranged hollow ritual that began in the following sequence: On October 3, Jonathan summoned an emergency meeting with Vice President Arc. Nnamdi Sambo; Senate President David Mark; Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambawal; governors of the South-

South states; the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke; and some other top members of the administration, in attendance.

To appeal or not to appeal The meeting started at about 9p.m at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa and Nigerians were full of expectations. At least for once, it seemed that

*Welcome to Bakassi? No, its goodbye

the president had listened to public outcry over the Bakassi issue which saw Nigeria conceding its territory based on fraudulent treaties and legal subterfuges.

On Thursday, October 4, information filtered out that, after the meeting, Jonathan instructed Adoke to initiate moves to appeal to the ICJ

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Bakassi!

The mandate of the committee was to do nothing to contradict Jonathan’s speech at the UN, twenty two days earlier.

Njemaze invited Ofonogoro as a resource person to the meeting

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based on fresh facts.

The Senate, the House of Representatives and the Nigerian Bar Association also responded to the public awareness campaign kicked off by Vanguard Newspapers, after the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos had held its 12th brain storming session to warn the coun-

The president set up an eight member committee comprising of the AGF; the Senate leader, Senator Ndoma Egba; Prince Bola Ajibola; Justice B.U Njemanze; the AG of Cross River State; Amb., Haruna, principal secretary to the president, Prof Bakindo; a member of National Boundary Commission and a professor of history. The first sign of what to expect came when the committee to examine the fresh facts came, and the likes of Mallam Miyaki, Prof. Bola Akinteinwa, Prof Walter Ofonagoro and Sen. Ewah Bassey Henshaw, who discovered that Germans did not sign the 1913 treaty with the British, were not included. As a matter of fact, the mandate of the committee was to do nothing to contradict Jonathan’s speech at the UN, twenty two days earlier. Njemaze invited Ofonogoro as a resource person to the meeting. Mrs Nella Andem Rabana (SAN) was also able to force herself into the meeting also as a resource person.

The fraud Before the emergency meeting summoned by the president, Vanguard had serialised publications by Miyaku, a senior research fellow at the NIIA on the Bakassi debacle.

It also published proceedings of the 12th NIIA brainstorming session where it was clearly shown that the ICJ erred in its judgment which did not take into account the fate of the indigenous population of Bakassi that owned the land for centuries before the coming of the colonial powers.

Then we published the seminal research by Ofonagoro, a historian whose doctorate degree work at Columbia University, the US, over 40-years ago, was on Trade and Imperialism in the Southern Oil Protectorate. He had followed the Bakassi case and came out

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President Goodluck Jonathan

OCTOBER 14

Mohammed Adoke

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

The last days of betrayal of hope Continued from page 9

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with fresh facts that clearly exposed the fraud perpetuated by Cameroon and Nigeria’s defence team that went to the Hague in 2002.

The eight weeks research work, based on a thorough review of the presentations by the Cameroonians and their Nigerian counterparts, revealed that both countries concealed essential facts before the ICJ but rather, they chose to bound themselves with the dead 1913 Anglo-German Treaty which was signed only

by Britain but not signed by Germany. But, most importantly, that treaty died in 1919 at the Versailles Conference.

It was also shown that the April 1893 international land and maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon that was marked and demarcated, with international coordinates, was shoved aside

by Cameroonians who insisted that only the Anglo-German Treaty was the legal framework to argue on boundary issues between the two countries.

On October 5, a meeting of the presidential committee was convened in the residence of Ndoma Egba. Sources said the AGF came late to the meeting and his body language was that of non-challance. He had shown total lack of interest in the Bakassi issue since he alleged that Gov.

When Adoke announced on October 8 that Nigeria was not going to appeal the ICJ verdict on Bakassi, he was actually playing out a presidential script

,

Liyel Imoke insulted him over the Supreme Court judgment on the 76 oil wells case between Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.

Adoke was said to have introduced the argument about the committee finding a way to get around the Bakassi is-

sue.

According to the AGF, the directive given by the emergency meeting of October 3, was not to assemble facts to go to the Hague, but to find a way to make the people of Bakassi and, indeed Nigerians, accept the fact that

government was not interested in lodging any appeal, at the ICJ. Some members of the committee disagreed with him.

The hidden agenda A source at the meeting said the AGF had a hidden agenda and did not want any opposition in any form. The source explained that such a meeting was not to take oral presentations and those people who had written papers were not even given the chance to make their presentations. Adoke reportedly introduced the idea of defining the presidential directive. “At a time when we were running out of time, and the Attorney General of Cross River State pointed out that we had written briefs including the one from an international lawyer that had worked on the Bakassi matter for months, the AGF did not take kindly to that view.

This resulted in hot exchanges”, the source added. “Even when the AGF walked into the meeting, his body language was that members of the committee were wasting their time”.

The fall guy

So when Adoke announced on October 8 that Nigeria was not going to appeal the ICJ verdict on Bakassi, he was actually playing out a presidential script. It was a political albatross on the neck of the president who did not want the buck to end on his desk. Having sworn an oath of office and oath of allegiance to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Nigeria, Jonathan was in a catch 22 situation where he had to please former President Olusegun Obasanjo who stood to be indicted by the appeal process. He was also under pressure to pander to the West whose support he would need when the politics of 2015 kicks off. Above all, he would likely face the threat of impeachment for coming openly to breach the Constitution in such a brazen manner.

That was the dilemma faced by Jonathan when he told the AGF to find a way around the Bakassi issue.

The drama that took place between the AGF and his counterpart from Cross River State was simulated as the state had insisted that Bakassi was a Nigerian territory and it was the duty of the federal authorities to seek for the fresh facts to reclaim the peninsula rather than pass the buck.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 11

From left: Compt. Dan Ugo flanked by his SA and other senior officers during the overtime power equipment at Ikorodu Lighter Terminal, Lagos, to the Minister of State for Power, Arc. Dairus Ishaku

From left: Chief Operations Officer, YDx, Mr. Tunde Alabi; Regional Trade Marketing Manager, United Spirits, Mr. Abiodun Awoyale and Jimmie Akinsola of Beat FM, during the ceremony to mark Inception 2012 at Elegushi Private Beach, Lagos.

Opposition parties to Jonathan: Aides misleading you

BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is being deceived by some of his aides and hence the crises the Presidency is being led into, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said at the weekend.

Consequently, the group asked the president to immediately drop all those misleading his government.

CNPP leader, Willy Ezugwu, made the disclosure in Abuja yesterday.

Ezugwu said it was unfortunate that the activities of one of the president’s aides tended to depict Jonathan as an introvert and selfish person, saying reports emanating from the Presidency as to how the office is being run suggested that 80% of the truth and facts of issues in the country were being deliberately distorted before it got to the president, more so that deals cutting had become the order of the day.

“Shady deals like undue-meddlesomeness

in the privatization of NITEL and NEPA have been linked with a presidential aide along – side wealthy individuals in the country. These practices against the

Nigerian nation have only but succeeded in putting the Presidency in bad light”, the CNPP leader said.

He further mentioned two other aides that

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stock one of the aides was made off having dissected his days of students’ unionism and the sharp contrast of views he now projects, Ezugwu said the aide’s continued stay in

government was a direct affront on the sensibilities of Nigerians as he continues to put Jonathan in bad image before the Nigerian people.

JONATHAN TALKS TOUGH ON ONDO GUBER POLL

We won’t condone thuggery, violence

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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RESIDENT G o o d l u c k J o n a t h a n yesterday sent a warning signal to all the political parties contesting in S a t u r d a y ’ s governorship election in Ondo State saying the Federal government will not tolerate any act of thuggery and violence.

He spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during a campaign to round off the campaign of the PDP candidate in the election, Chief Olusola Oke. Jonathan, who sounded tough in his brief remarks, advised youths and wards, set to be used as cannon folders in the election, to perish the thought or leave the state that day.

He called on parent and guardians to call their

wards to order as dire consequences await anyone apprehended for thuggery or violence during the election. ” We learnt that some parties are already breeding thugs but I want to inform the people of this state not to worry about them because the present administration will not tolerate any act of thuggery in the coming election in this state,”the president said..

“We will not allow anybody to frustrate our effort in ensuring that free and fair election is guaranteed in this country”.

Jonathan insisted that his administration will not compromise the OneMan, One Vote principle.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamaga Tukur,

Uduaghan’s wife, others bag awards HE wife of Delta State Governor, Deaconess Roli Uduaghan, late wife of former Head of State, Alhaja Mariam Babangida,first Nigerian female Vice Chancellor, Prof. Grace AleleWilliams, Prof. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance, and 16 others have bagged the Niger Delta Icons of All Ages

should be relieved of their jobs with immediate effect as their levels of sycophancy had pitched Nigerians against the president.

He said though Nigerians now know the

Awards.

This was made known

by Mr. Ovie Kennedy, Media and Publicity Secretary of the Insignia Network, coordinator of the group in Warri, Delta State.

According to Ovie, “The nominees which included Uche Obilor will be conferred with the prestigious Awards on November 23, 2012.”

”These people have distinguished themselves in various fields and ways, they were carefully chosen in a free and fair nomination and selection process. ”In this year edition of the annual award, only those who have impacted positively on the lives of our people by their selfless service and contribution have be chosen.”

said that the party ’s National Executive Council is solidly behind the candidature of Oke. Chairman of the PDP National Campaign Committee, who is Vice President Namadi Sambo, commended the

President for his free and fair election principle.

The Chairman of the Governors Forum and governor of Rivers State, Mr Rotimi Ameachi, appealed to the people of the state to vote massively for the PDP as

state to belongs to the decision makers in the country.

President of the Senate David Mark said the people should vote Oke to correct the past mistake when the state was won by Labour Party.

Igbo in Lagos warned against illegal Igwes

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE

T

HE Eze Indigbo in Lagos State, Igwe Hycinth Orazuluike, has asked Igbo resident in the state to be wary of a group of persons masquerading as titled chiefs, stating that they are out to defraud members of the public.

Orazuluike, who made this disclosure in his palace yesterday, said he was helping security agents in the state to track down their king pin whom he said was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He added that the kingpin had extended his criminal activities to neighboring countries from where he illegally crowns unsuspecting Igbo chiefs after extorting huge sums of money from them.

“The greatest problem I am having now is that dubious men have joined our traditional institution. I am talking

about 419 people. There is this man I crowned in Ikeja, he joined the institution and cracked our original plans of fighting the Igbo course.

Whenever he gambles and makes quick money, he will use it to disorganize the red cap chiefs”.

Group insists on Kpogho as DESOPADEC boss

A

group known as Delta Focus Group has implored Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the State House of Assembly to consider Mr. Oritsua Kpogho, chairman of the recently dissolved Delta State Oil Producing Areas D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n (DESOPADEC) board, for reappointment.

In a statement by Comrade Joshua Egun Okoh, Chairman, Comrade Sunday Ohwoyigho, Secretary and Comrade Saturday Mofoye, PRO after the groups meeting held at Sylvalink Hotel, Udu, Delta state, said that they

found Mr. Kpogho to be an ambassador to all during his short term service in the dissolved board.

The group whose membership spreads across Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and Ndokwa oil producing communities explained in the statement that Mr. Kpogho was a man sent

by God to emancipate the people of the oil producing communities.

They posited that even if any of the dissolved board members would not be reconsidered, Mr. Kpogho should be reconsidered by the governor for reappointment.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY V anguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 Vanguard,

Okorocha to EFCC: I’m not afraid of being investigated

BY LEKAN BILESANMI

I

MO State Governor, Owelle Okorocha, said, yesterday, that he had nothing to worry about the decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) on-going investigations into the financial operations of the state.

It was learnt that operatives of the anti-graft agency had been secretly investigating the operations of the state joint account with the 27 local government areas as well as the financial records of Imo under former Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

The secret investigation, it was gathered, was aimed at establishing whether Okorocha had misused the funds meant for the 27 LGAs of the state, whose heads he sacked on assumption of office and replaced with his supporters.

In anger, the sacked chairmen approached an Imo State High Court to restore them but the court declined, a prayer that an Appeal Court later granted.

However, the state governor refused to reinstate the embattled chairmen, claiming that their tenure expired last August.

The Federal Government is said to have been peeved by the refusal of the governor to reinstate the chairmen, who were all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. A source said the Presidency was interested in establishing how the funds released to the affected LGAs in the state had been used with a view to taking action to avenge for the apparent ‘loss’ of the state and local government councils.

In a veil reference to the development, the Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, described the refusal of the governor to reinstate the sacked

chairmen as an impeachable offence.

Okorocha said at the weekend, he was happy that the EFCC had begun investigations into the finances of the state, as he had nothing to be afraid of when it comes to government.

Okorocha, who spoke through the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chinedu Offor, boasted that his hands were clean and was ready to open the financial records of the state for scrutiny by whoever was interested.

“The investigation of the state finances is a welcome development in that the EFCC is finally making effort to investigate and hopefully

T

2nd Right FLP Managing Director, Nigeria/Benin Republic, Mr. Cornelius Tay and wife Mrs. Caroline Tay, flanked by Chairman, Forever Living Products International;.Mr. Rex Maugham and FLP Vice President, Africa, Mr. Gary Shreeve, when the Nigerians received Award for Company in Good Standing, Good Management and Operational Efficiency at the 2012 FLP International Super Rally held in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Why sustainable development eludes Nigeria —Minister

BY CALEB AYANSINA

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HE Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, says sustainable development has been elusive in Nigeria, because the country failed to integrate peoples’ culture into its development plan.

Also, the Executive Secretary of National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, noted that people are angry with the local government system, for its inability to perform its constitutional role of driving the process of development at the grassroots.

The duo spoke at the a two-day National Workshop on Culture in the Transformation Agenda organised by NICO in Abuja.

The minister maintained that it was important for those at the helm of affairs of local council system to appreciate their role in the socio-economic and political transformation of the nation, taking cognizance of the fact that “close to 70 percent

Entrepreneurs’ Organisation launches Nigeria chapter HE formal launch of the Nigeria chapter of the 25year old Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, EO, a USbased global, non-profit body with 122 chapters in 42 countries, took place at the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, on Thursday, October 4.

Delegates from the

recover billions of Naira spent on phantom internet-based projects. “ Governor Rochas Okorocha was the first sitting governor to have called on the EFCC to set up a unit in every governor’s office to preempt and prevent corruption rather than launching investigation after the funds have gone missing.

“Owelle Okorocha runs the most transparent administration in the country and has nothing to hide.

The administration is barely a year and half old but has numerous verifiable projects to show how the little funds it received had been spent,” Offor declared.

regional headquarters of the body in London were on hand to witness the event which was divided into two sessions: the morning session which was the formal launch; and evening session which was a dinner to round up the day ’s activities.

of the citizens reside in the rural areas”.

Ayakoroma explained that operation of state/ local joint account has rendered the local council system to a mere salary paying institution, calling on the National Assembly to correct this at the on-going c o n s t i t u t i o n a l amendment.

From Left; Chairman, Working Committee, 2012 Ijakadi Offa Festival, Prof.

Olawoye Adegboye, Vice Chairman, Offa Local Government Council, Chief.

Jacob Afolabi , Principal Secretary to Olofa of Offa, Mr. Tajudeen Oloyede and Festival Community Relations Officer, Miss Abiodun Adegoge, during a media briefing and unveiling of 2012 logo of Ijakadi Offa Festival, at Kwara hotel, Ilorin

Commissioner fingered in NCC crisis

T

ONGUES are wagging in Abuja in the wake of the escalation of what began as personal attacks on the Executive Vice Chairman of the N i g e r i a n Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah. The attacks on Juwah have now shifted to attacks on some top members of the Jonathan administration who have been accused of complicity in the N1bn waiver to MTS. They have also dragged the Ministers of Communications and Finance into the fray.

The arrowhead of the attacks has been fingered as an NCC executive commissioner who lobbied for the EVC position but lost. The commissioner has consequently made the NCC ungovernable for Juwah.

Two weeks ago, the commissioner allegedly sent a petition to the NSA, the EFCC, and the Presidency alleging that the “EVC without due process went ahead to unilaterally assign the same 450Mhz frequency

to OpenSkys Limited” and thus making it difficult for the “police to operate its national telecoms network as well as the newly installed security systems in Abuja.”

The NCC has since clarified that the award of the spectrum frequency to OpenSky happened in 2009, a year before Juwah was

appointed EVC. Sources said that once that clarification was made, the commissioner targeted Juwah again, alleging that MTS was granted a waiver because the NCC EVC was a former CEO who ran MTS down and is now facilitating a waiver to cover his debts.

It was learnt however that Juwah was never the

CEO of MTS. The sources said he was appointed in 2001 as a consultant to the MTS and later made an Executive Director.

“Juwah was not a part owner of MTS and neither did he run the company down. He resigned in 2005, three years before MTS folded up”, one of the sources stated.

Aboh kingdom seeks govt attention for flood victims

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

T

HE people of Aboh in Delta have sent an urgent appeal to the Delta State government to come to the aid of victims of the flood disaster that recently ravaged the area.

A statement issued yesterday in Port Harcourt at the end of the Port Harcourt branch of Aboh Development Union meeting and signed by the president,

Chief Felix Alumona, Chief Ifeanyi Ossai and Steve Olisah, said those displaced by the flood were in desperate need of government attention.

According to them, the victims were robbed recently of their valuables at Utagba Ogbe Technical College where they relocated to, as a result of the flood problem.

They said, the robbery was possible because no security arrangement was allegedly in place to

protect them.

They enjoined the government to urgently come to the aid of victims of the flood disaster in the area.

“In our monthly meeting held on Sunday, October 7, 2012, the Port Harcourt Branch of Aboh Development Union (Ndokwa East LGA of Delta State) observed... the plight of the people of Aboh ancient town, in respect of the devastation of the communities by flood. “ C M Y K

SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 14 , 2012, PPA AGE 13 SUNDA

Ango Abdullahi: We documented OBJ’s anti-North actions In this concluding part of the interview with Prof. Ango Abdullahi, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and spokesman for Northern Elders Forum (NEF), a think thank for the 19 northern states, he speaks on the relationship of President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with the North.

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hat Alhaji Ahmadu Bello wanted was competetence. He showed this in the civil service as well as in the politics of the North at the time. The biggest story people will say about Sardauna’s attitude to good people was when he saw Ibrahim Imam from Borno State going to lose a seat in Borno to return to the Northern House of Assembly as an opposition leader and he was afraid to offend his party-the NPC. The NPC in Borno insisted that Ibrahim Imam must not come back to represent them. But the Sardauna wanted Imam back and he had the problem of either fighting his party for Imam and that would create a major problem because the governor of the north came from Borno. So he called Joseph Tarka from Benue State to come to Kaduna but the latter refused to come initially wondering what he was calling an opposition leader to come and do in Kaduna. He might have thought he wanted his head being an opposition figure at the time. He refused to come and then the Sardauna appealed to the Tor Tiv to ask Tarka to come and see him in Kaduna and he eventually went to see him.

On arrival in Kaduna, the Sardauna explained to Tarka that he wanted him to assist in getting Ibrahim Imam to be allowed to continue in the House of Assembly as the opposition leader. Tarka was shocked. Tarka told the Sardauna he could allow Imam to contest in Borno and not in Benue and he said he did not also want any problem with his party. So, he pleaded with Tarka to give Imam a seat in Benue and he accepted to give him a constituency in Benue.

He contested and won election there. When Tarka went back to the Tor Tiv, he said he did not know that the Sardauna was such a wonderful and selfless leader. He was surprised

that the Sardauna still found value in an opposition figure who nonetheless had so much to offer to the generality of the people. This is the kind of leader that he was. From that time on, Tarka was an active contributor to northern unity.

But what actually happened about the divisive thing in the North is that in our fathers’ days, there was really not much room for tribalism and religious hatred. Awolowo respected Azikiwe and so on.

But what actually led to weakening the fabric of unity was the creation of states and, before you realise it, elements of statetism began to creep inrivalry among leaders in the

,

BY SONI DANIEL

pretences Obasanjo might have had, it is clear that he was a major instrument in the introduction of divisive tendencies-tribal and religious that weakened the North as a geopolitical entity.

But Obasanjo can defend himself since there is no concrete evidence to support what you are accusing him of.

No, no no, there is evidence.

For a sitting president to call somebody to say that he wanted to destroy a certain section of the country?

But what could the person do about it?

You mean Waku?

Yes. Yes, he reported to us at a

But what actually happened about the divisive thing in the North is that in our fathers’ days, there was really not much room for tribalism and religious hatred

various states which was not there began to creep in but the most potent division which was introduced from outside was religion. And this was done very well by no other person than former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

How did he do it?

He knocked heads, made pronouncements about the North demonizing the region and its people and he did not hide it. He even wanted to recruit Senator Joseph Waku into the demonic campaign of calumny against the North.

Not only did he want to demonise them but he also wanted to cripple them. Waku was taken aback. He could not help but to remind him that he was a northerner. He said, ‘No, I am not talking about your kind. I am talking about Hausa-Fulani’. So whatever

,

meeting what Obasanjo wanted him to do against the north and how he reminded him that he was also a northerner. In response, Obasanjo said he did not mean the Tiv people but the Hausa-Fulani.

But what do you think Obasanjo would want to achieve by demonising the North and its people?

Obasanjo’s quarrel, I understand has to do with the fact that a northerner sent him to jail. And that he could easily remove his garment and show everyone the scars left on him by the beating he got from northerners. So, all these actions have been properly documented by us.

You remember how he wickedly retired so many military officers from the North on the grounds that they served as politicians whereas such post-

*Abdullahi...OBJ angry a northerner sent him to jail.

ings were purely military assignments. He retired all of them without caring about their careers and future so that they would not work against him and his government.

But the retirements affected all parts of the country and not the North alone.

But it affected the North most. The North had the largest number of military officers retired by Obasanjo.

Of course if he did not pronounce it, he would have had a hiding place. But Obasanjo could not contain himself. He called somebodya northerner but nor HausaFulani-to tell him that he wanted to harm the North and its people and he reminded him that he was one of them and he quickly said no, not your type but the Hausa/ Fulani people’. And here is Obasanjo still running around, pretending that he is a Nigerian leader and that he wants to still impose his wishes on us. But just like we stopped him from imposing himself on Nigerians through a third term, we will stop him from any of his imaginations.

He succeeded with imposing the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for a simple reason. Umaru was not a popular northern candidate. He was Obasanjo’s candidate.

But Yar ’Adua could have served the interest of the North and Nigeria if he had not died.

No, that is not the point. The reason is that Yar ’Adua’s up-

bringing is typical of northern leadership of the past, deeply rooted in selflessness and humility. You can go to Shagari’s village and check what is there and confirm if he kept anything there for his personal gratification. He was president of Nigeria but did not do anything for himself and his village. But he did for other places. This is the leadership style of the North. We have this culture rooted in our religious belief that you must do to others first before you do for yourself.

If you saying Obasanjo weakened the North , why didn’t north confront him since then?

Yes, he did substantially. We did confront him otherwise we would not have succeeded in stopping third term. He had already bought over the Igbo into his programme. He was confident of the South West with Bode George and the rest of them and had already cornered all the PDP states. It took us a lot of effort outside ACF to stop him. We created the Northern Union, with Olusola Saraki as the leader and myself as his deputy to run around, canvassing for support to stop Obasanjo’s third term and that was how we eventually worked together with people like Edwin Clark.

That was what brought us to Edwin Clark. You know I wrote Edwin Clark an open letter while he was canvassing for Jonathan to contest the 2011

Continues on page 14 C M Y K

P AGE 14—SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 14 , 2012 PA 14—SUNDA

Continued from page 13

C M Y K

*Abdullahi...North will not allow 2011 to repeat itself

‘Why the North can’t trust Jonathan’ why some people say that the North is angry with Jonathan?

Yes, it is true. It is true because Jonathan is untrustworthy; he cannot keep a promise. There was a promise that the North would do eight years after Obasanjo.

Yar ’Adua died midway and they reneged. We had expected that the North would at least be given back power in 2011. But Jonathan argued it in his own way and was supported by some northerners who sold out and pretended that they are were out to protect the interest of the North and we will expose them at the right time.

But the people you are referring to are top political leaders from the North who are either governors or ministers and lawmakers who are playing normal course of politics and I doubt if there is anything anyone can do to them.

They are playing politics with the interest of their people and they want the people to respect and support them?

Is that what you mean? We will expose them at the right time. We will. When we reach

the point, you will see their names in the paper.

There is controversy over the onshore/offshore dichotomy, which had long been laid to rest. Why the renewed agitation by the

,

election, reminding him of what we did with him under an arrangement that Obasanjo was a beneficiary of zoning.

I sat with him in Otta and under the constitution he did his first four years and asked for another term as allowed by law. Obasanjo accepted it and signed. Audu Ogbe has the list of the 47 persons who attended the meeting in Otta in 2003. Only four persons refused to sign the zoning agreement. And Jonathan was there, representing his governor. He signed as number 37 on behalf of his governor for Obasanjo to do another four years-that is the North conceding eight years under the zoning arrangement to the south so that it would take its eight years after Obasanjo. Obasanjo even tried to exceed the two terms by trying a third term. He may deny it but everyone knows that the man was working for a third term by sidelining our constitution. Here is a man who was the first to say that he was not aware of zoning in PDP. That was what he said. He said he did not recognize zoning. But what is most surprising was that when Jonathan was about the contest the 2011 election, he did not know about zoning the Presidency.

What we were quite willing to accept was that since Yar’adua had died prematurely, he should serve out his remaining term as provided for in the constitution.

But people running around Jonathan said no and that he is the custodian of the mandate of Yar ’Adua and he should be allowed to run as if Yar’Adua was not a candidate representing northern interest under the zoning arrangement reached with Obasanjo and other leaders of Nigeria in Otta in 2003. So, how could Jonathan then represent us under the zoning arrangement? He should have stopped at 2007 and for the North to take on the remaining four years. But Jonathan went ahead and got the support of some of these northern lackeys who were running around to get either second term as governors or ministerial appointments and the like to say that he could run. They manipulated the congresses and the primaries to his advantage.

Each governor was given a box to return Jonathan otherwise they would forfeit their four years with a threat that only the party has the power to submit the names of candidates to the INEC. So the governors struggled to return Jonathan.

Could that be the reason

and the entire country. This was the case and this is what really should have been the basis upon which the National Assembly should have based its decision. But the truth is that what drove the process was corruption.

Who was corrupted?

The National Assembly was influenced by those who were interested in abrogating onshore/offshore dichotomy.

But northerners were also in the National Assembly and they could not have been induced to work against their collective interest.

They were the ones who were induced and that is why I tell you that their names will be in the papers very soon.

Northern lawmakers sold out.

And this is costing the North at least N20 billion monthly.

They may have been induced but now their selfish action is costing the North at least N20 billion every month. But where were the governors?

They were there. Where were the members of the North who were serving in the National Economic Council and others?

All the top persons in the government of Obasanjo from the North are all guilty of selling out the interest of the north as far as the onshore/ offshore dichotomy is concerned.

But Masari has argued that the action was a national compromise position to save the country from protracted crisis since the oil producing states were insisting on revenue for oil taken from as far as 500 feet isobaths.

No it is absolute nonsense because it is still against international law. They could have adopted another approach and not violate the law.

Nigeria should comply strictly with the international law of the sea in sharing oil revenue. That is the position of the North

North?

No, it has not been laid to rest. There is a constitution even though some say it is not good enough. But it is still there serving the people of Nigeria.

Under the law, there is a certain distance between land and the continental shelf and this is what all other countries of the world apply in the sharing of resource from the sea.

They use that law to decide what should go to the state

,

So what does the North really want concerning the oil law?

Nigeria should comply strictly with the international law of the sea in sharing oil revenue. That is the position of the North. We should be able to decide what to do for the environmental degradation done to the oil producing states by giving those states some level of compensation above others but not to compromise international law the way we are

doing. But as long as this law is being distorted to serve an interest that does not appear to be national, then it remains an area of contention.

Given what you have said about the breach of zoning arrangement by Jonathan in 2011, will the North want to support him to contest the 2015 election so as to complete his eight years?

Well I will answer that question by asking you to go and see those governors who supported Jonathan in 2011 and find out whether they are ready to support him in 2015.

I never supported him in 2011 and I am not going to do so in 2015. The North that I know and belong to did not support Jonathan in 2011. It is governors who supported him on behalf of the people of the North and I think that question should be directed to them.

But what will the North do?

I can assure you that the North will not sit back for 2011 to repeat itself. That is what I can say at this point in time.

We cannot support someone who reneged on a ‘gentleman agreement’ that disqualified him from contesting in the election on purely moral grounds. Again, it is left for Nigerians to judge whether the man has come close to being an effective president for Nigeria since he took power, whether acting or substantial.

And even on the basis of that I thought that the man should disqualify himself from seeking an office even if it is legally feasible for him to do so.

Why should he disqualify himself from seeking office?

He should do so because even those who supported him initially have come out to say that this is one of the most incompetent presidents that this country has ever produced. Incompetence is the key word. What has he done that this country wanted that he has done? Corruption is at its peak under his leadership and that is why the country is reversing to the debt trap.

Even Obasanjo left some substantial foreign reserves and virtually cleared the debt burden of the country before leaving office. But now the reserves are gone and we are back in debts. Subsidy is at the forefront of corruption. Over N2.6 trillion gone in the name of oil subsidy and it is evident that most people who fronted this scam did so to return most of the money to the electioneering campaign of 2011. Many of them are anxious to go to court to say so and that is why the government is reluctant to prosecute them.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 15

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

M

At what time did you get to the scene of the murder?

The crowd was still there when my husband and I got there. We introduced ourselves to the Joint Task Force men on ground. We heard they fired shots when they came to stop the people but it was too late because the children were gone. They then allowed my husband to go and see the corpses where they dumped them. When he got there, he immediately placed his hands on his head, crying. I too, from the distance I was, knew my son was there.

Immediately, I knelt down and started thanking God for all that happened.

I did that because the Bible says that in all situations we should give thanks to God, we should give God glory.

I sensed that everywhere was quiet while I was doing this. Probably it dawned on the killers and the cheering crowd that the children had parents and were innocent. I later went to see the children.

One of them was still breathing, I recognised him as my son’s friend and I started shouting his name, Tekena, Tekena. Immediately I started screaming for ambulance. My husband, his uncle and those that followed us to the place rushed to the hospital for ambulance but when we got to the hospital he had given up the ghost.

How many children do you have?

I have three children. He was my first child. And it took us eleven years to start having other children after we had him. He was my first son, a two hundred level civil engineering student of the university ( she paused a while, shook her heard, then gazed at the ceiling and continued talking).

There were times people saw us walking together and they asked if he was my boy friend because he was tall.

When you heard of the incident, what did you do immediately to save the situation?

When it happened we called a police officer (name withheld). He then gave us numbers in the control room to call

UNIPORT FOUR

My son’s book on faith consoles me — Llyod’s mother

’How our ef ts ttoo save him were abor efffor orts abortted’

 Tekena

 Ugonna

which we did. Later we called him again he now said he was going to call them back.

I also called my brother who was closer to the place because we live far from the university, to rush to the place. He did and he said he met them using the plank to hit the children. He tried to stop them but they pushed him aside. He had to go into

,

RS Jane Toku Mike is the moth er of Lloyd, one of the four students of University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT) who were clubbed to death before a cheering crowd at Omuokiri-Aluu community last week Friday for alleged theft of computers.

Jane, who could not hold back tears as she shared her last moments with the son in this interview, says she had turned to God for consolation.

According to her, Lloyd, who was a year-two civil engineering student, was her first son.

And it took them eleven years after they had him for other children to start coming.

Excerpts:

I have three children. He was my first child. And it took us eleven years to start having other children after we had him

,

the cheering crowd asking for anybody that he could talk to that could help ask the people to stop what they were doing. He said a man he spoke to told him not to bother that the chief of the community was aware of what was happening.

He said he still made frantic effort but to no avail. Later he had to rush out of the scene to go get help from outside. But when he came back the boys had already died.

Any last moment with your son

Before my son went to school, he gave me a book he bought from the church. He said I should read it, that it was on how faith works. He said he had read it and I should do same, that when he returned, we would discuss it.

I have been reading the book since he passed on. The book gives me strength. It is the last thing that exchanged hands between us before the brutal murder.

'WE WANT JUSTICE' Lloyd’s father, who bears almost the same name with his son, appealed to government and humanitarian bodies to stand by the families of the slain children to demand justice on the issue.

“I want justice to prevail because the children were innocent. The community had no right to do what they did.

I am appealing to government and human right bodies to stand firmly behind families of the children to fight for justice,”he said.

“If nothing is done, this type of thing would continue in Aluu community. We were reliably told that five of them slept together. And when they woke up, they went to demand debt, it was at this point the community rounded them up and stripped them naked and hacked them to death. I and two others that came with me carried their lifeless bodies into the ambu-

Bereaved mother...If nothing is done, this would continue in Aluu community

 Chidiaka

 Lloyd

lance.

VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE “ Meantime, the parents of the slain four have expressed lack of confidence in the ability of the Rivers State Police Command to investigate the matter. They urged the Inspector General of Police to take over investigation of the issue.

The parents, who spoke trough their counsel, Peter dukwe, said they heard from what they termed credible sources that three police patrol vehicles drove into the ommunity at separate times hen the boys were being paraded by youths in the area but did not rescue them.

Wondering why the police failed in its duty to save lives, he lawyer described the slain four as innocent of robbery.

At press time, about eighteen persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the killing.

UNIPORT has also been shut down while most of the residents of Omuokiri-Aluu where the boys were killed had fled into safety. ampaging students under the aegis of National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, had stormed the village five days after their colleagues were killed to wreak havoc. Houses and vehicles were burnt.

One of the property owners, Elder Sunday Ahanomu,

said the irate students were unfair to him. According to him, they burnt his house and car. He said where the killing took place was very far from where he lives but they extended their revenge to his area.

Lamenting what befell him, he said he retired from UNIPORT and wondered where he would raise money to replace the destroyed properties.

At the weekend, security operatives including the army took over the community.

When Sunday Vanguard went round the main campus of the university, some of the students were still hanging around their hostels. They said they had no place to go because the East West road which connects them to their states had been taken over by flood. “How do we leave this school when flood has taken over the East West road we go through to Lagos, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo”, one of them said.

It was gathered that a lecturer who reportedly identified with the students during the demonstration had been removed as a head of department in the university. The lecturer declined comment when contacted.

Those killed were Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, a year-two geology student, Biringa Chidiaka Lordson, a year- two theatre arts student, Lloyd and Tekena Erikena.

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PAGE 16—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

The case for atheism (3)

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ndeed, if there are gaps in tracing the history of various human groups, a phenomenon that began less than one hundred thousand years

ago, why would any reasonable person be unduly perturbed because there are some hiatuses in the evolutionary trajectory of life, a process that is over three billion years old? That said, most living organisms do not fossilise; moreover, natural geological and geographical occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,

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IVEN the very real probability that the critical, self-replicating, molecular Rubicon was crossed on the basis of natural mechanisms without any supernatural intervention, no serious scientist should doubt the validity of Doolittle’s argument that life on earth (at all levels in its evolution) developed in stages, each stage built on the stabilising, catalytic and replicative power of the stage before it.

Creationist critics of evolution eagerly point to gaps in current knowledge about natural selection, especially gaps in the fossil record, as evidence of God’s intervention in the biological scheme of things. But then, it is wrongheaded to expect hundred percent preservation of the fossil record, just as it is to demand, before convicting a murder suspect, a complete cinematic record of the murderer’s every step leading up to the crime, with no missing frame.

Optical illusions, dreams, vivid imagination and hallucinatory experiences are some of the ways by which our brains simulate reality

agents of denudation, the perishable nature of organisms themselves and so on limit the number of fossils that are formed.

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ence, although we could easily have had no fossils, evidence from molecular genetics and geographical distribution of species still favours evolution and, therefore, makes the idea of a perfect omnipotent creator superfluous.

There is an interesting

The soul speaks

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long time ago, I attended a con cert for peace in Africa. International and local artistes were billed to perform. If memory serves me correctly, a lot of the American ones didn’t show up but quite a lot of the African ones did. My assessment of the concert was that it was abysmal; the arrangements were at best poor and the cheapest seats turned out to be the best as the VIP section was so far removed from the stage. One needed hearing aids and binoculars to hear the music or see the artistes. It started out late and most of us were understandably upset that the superstars we were promised didn’t come.

To make the best of a disappointing situation, we had taken our seats C M Y K

argument which has driven many people to accept that there is God the argument from personal religious experience. Usually, such people claim, and are convinced, that they have experienced God – or an angel, or Jesus Christ or Virgin Mary – directly through vision or revelation. Such hallucinatory or imaginary experienc-

on the floor of the football field and were eating and drinking whatever vendors had to sell.

Most of the stars that came didn’t really get a rapturous welcome till some beautiful but haunting voice stilled all the noise. It was an artiste from east or southern Africa; he sang in a language that was strange, his use of rhythm was almost hypnotic and I heard a male voice behind me exclaim in wonder “I can bet my life that, that is a love song!”

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e all kept quiet; the unruly crowd of students quietly listening to this minstrel as he weaved a spell of beauty in a song that spoke directly to the soul.

That encounter is something I haven’t for-

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es are unconvincing, especially to anyone knowledgeable in neuropsychology, someone wellinformed about the human brain and its amazing capacity for simulating and modelling reality.

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any people have “experienced” pink elephants; a hard slap on the face can make the victim “see” stars. Optical illusions, dreams, vivid imagination and hallucinatory

gotten; I also haven’t stopped kicking myself for not finding out his name. He stopped performing as suddenly as he started and we left shortly after to avoid any attack from miscreants if we stayed till the very end. I remember that another artiste called Manu Dibango performed as we were leaving but the mysterious artiste remains an unknown quality many decades after.

I have found that language is not the tool of communication for the soul. The soul trades on emotions; latent convictions and feelings, passions unrestrained and unrefined. It is not always beauty; the soul speaks from a place deep within us that lacks finesse; it exposes our demons, our fears, desperation, belief, our true and authentic selves. True artistes are those who connect with their audience on the level of their souls. I was at a service a while back and a lady with a most beautiful voice was singing and I stood there wooden and almost disinterested for

entific knowledge?” If religionists can address their minds to these questions vis-à-vis the scriptures of their faiths, they would realise immediately the error in thinking that, because a particular piece of writing authoritatively claims to be divinely inspired, therefore all the propositions it contains must be true. Because scriptures of the dominant world religions necessarily reflect the antiquated worldviews, knowledge situation, cultures (including the socio-political and economic conditions) of the communities where they originated, together with the idiosyncrasies and fallibility of their authors, many of the distinctive claims dressed as divine truths are garbled, logically incoherent, or false.

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t is pertinent to ask questions such as “Who wrote the Holy Books and when?” “How did the writers select what to include and what to exclude?” “Are the meanings contemporary believers ascribe to expressions in both scriptures precisely the same as the ones intended by the authors?” “Were they unbiased observers, or did they have a religious agenda that coloured their writings.” “Are the claims made in the scriptures in agreement with the latest established sci-

hose looking for an acceptable proof of God’s existence had better look elsewhere: the scriptures contain too many mythologies to be considered a reliable evidence for believing in the existence of God. It has been argued that since eminent scientists and intellectuals such as Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Immanuel Kant, etc. believed in God, the rest of humanity should follow their example. My answer to this theological variant of argumentum ad hominem (fallacy of appeal to wrong authority) is that in more advanced countries of the world, such as Britain and America, there is documentary evidence (e.g. the respected scientific journal Nature, 1998, Mensa Magazine, 2002) that an

most of the time. It wasn’t the first time I would hear her sing but it's not often I enjoy her performance. In my view, she doesn’t sing from a place of conviction but of obligation. I don’t believe that she believes the words she is singing; so no emotions show or even passion. She covered one of my favourite

cate on a deeper level when we remove that façade of civilisation and give ourselves the liberty of authentic expression. I love eye contact, a touch and a raw declaration. I once listened to a Mesopotamian poet recite a poem and I sat transfixed; captured by the beauty of it all even though I didn’t speak the

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PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

experiences are some of the ways by which our brains simulate reality.

Yet, it would be wrong to ascribe objective reality to the contents of such subjective experiences.

And, as Omoregbe correctly observed in his book A Philosophical Look at Religion, no experience is intrinsically a religious experience, an experience of God per se.

Interpretation of a subjective experience depends on a number of factors – one’s prior beliefs, assumptions, temperament, cultural background, and so on. Thus, when someone says he has a personal encounter with God, the person is merely reporting his subjective experience, and should not expect to be taken seriously by those like myself who are familiar with the brain and its stupendous powers of simulation. The argument that the scripture, as the revealed “word of God which contain immutable truths,” must lead to unquestioning belief in the existence of God is seriously mistaken.

The soul trades on emotions; latent convictions and feelings, passions unrestrained and unrefined

gospel songs and in my view murdered it; it was technically okay but lacking the emotions that make most people cry when they hear it and it touches them.

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aw emotions are the language the soul understands and the message is always loud and clear. It’s not always the exclusive preserve of artistes; we all communi-

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language. It was as if he spoke to my soul bypassing conventional means; I didn’t need a translator to understand he was talking about freedom, oppression and the yearning for revolution.

In the same vein; I haven’t needed words to feel apprehension and fear when a troubled and dangerous soul sends ominous threats. We all speak soul; it’s the first

overwhelming majority of scientists and academicians are atheists. In Nigeria, family background, socio-cultural and economic factors compel our scientists and intellectuals to stick to religion.

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gain, as I pointed out at the beginning, fear of losing their jobs and social status, stigmatisation and obloquy make a good number of well-educated Nigerians hypocritical about their genuine feelings towards religion (something my colleague, Prof.

Jim Unah, cynically called “responsible hypocrisy”). In any case, the mere fact that prominent scientists or intellectuals believe a proposition does not entail the truth of that very proposition. Experts in the relevant fields have identified and studied the psychological, cultural, ideological, and logicalepistemological reasons why people entertain certain beliefs.

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uman beings are fallible, irrespective of their intellectual prowess and accomplishments. Therefore, it is epistemologically and logically naïve to accept that God exists simply because Isaac Newton, Chike Obi or Ayodele Awojobi did. Like every theory that makes an empirical claim about the world, we must subject the God hypothesis to the standard criteria for evaluating such claims, irrespective of who believes, or does not believe, in its truth.

To be continued

language we ever spoke; a dialogue without known words; guttural; heart wrenching and authentic.

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ately I have found myself captured by a young Nigerian gospel artiste who seems to draw his listeners into what can best be described as an intense ministration. I love music and I am fond of many of the local artistes but this young man differs from most. While most artistes sing about God; he sings to God; almost like he is serenading the Most High.

He does it in a variety of languages but he is most electric in Igbo dialect. I don’t speak a word of the language but I find myself playing the songs again and again and again. I am not alone in my fascination and almost obsession with this artist and I watched a concert of his and saw this young man break down in tears as he talks about the Lord; his love for Him and his devotion; it brought tears even to my eyes.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE17

Judicial 'murders'and Nigerian politics – 2

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hird, and this might shock nearly everybody (even in a country immune to shocks), complainants and the justice especially, plans for celebration were already made before the judgment was delivered in court. The last bit was one of several things which I discovered on my trip down south. That tallied with the statement credited to Chief Afe Babalola. That alone should make all of us tremble

Tribute The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land; You may almost hear the beating of his wings.

“John Bright in House of Commons speech, 1855.

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WO weeks ago, well- known Ni gerians were buried in Abeokuta amidst tears and encomiums.

They were natives of Abeokuta who had many things in common- very highly educated; urban and they served town and country.

Both were noted in Gbagura, Ake and had the highest chieftaincies possible. One was the Osi Egba and the other C M Y K

was the Seriki of Egba among the other chieftaincies. One was the Balogun of Ojoo the other was the Baba Adinni of Egba . They were not just chiefs; they worked for their communities and their country. Oluwole Adeosun was a qualified accountant and economist and among many other things, he was managing director of NAL Merchant Bank and he went on to become the managing director of the First Bank Plc. He was also a minister of the Real in Nigeria when he became the secretary for transport.

He was many other things beside. Oluwole and I met at the Abeoku-

JUDICIAL “MURDERS” AND NIGERIAN POLITICS – 3 “Useless laws weaken the necessary laws”, Charles Montes quieu, 1689-1755. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, P 122).

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he amendment to the Electoral Act, which stipulated that all cases must be completed by 120 days, was not intended to provide cor-

As far as I am concerned, the defendant is at liberty to use any method, fair and foul, to win his case.

It is the judiciary which must be held to account for miscarriage of justice

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in court? Second, if every court in a zone disclaims jurisdiction for a breach of the constitution committed in that zone, how would aggrieved parties ever get justice?

Third, as one of the defendants was often heard to boast, “if money cannot buy it, more money can buy it”, while summarizing his “GhanaMust-Go” policy on how to settle disputes in his favour. The issue is, has

rupt justices the escape route to avoid dispensing justice based on the merit of cases before them. Unfortunately, that has become one of the unintended consequences of that law. The immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Honourable Justice Musdapher, in his brief period at the top did his best to address this crime against the people. In one case, involving the Action Con-

ta Grammar school and until his demise he was an active member of the AGSOBA Old Boys Association. In fact, he paid for the club’s rent in Lagos till the end of this year. As to be expected, he had number of friends, relations and business friends who will miss him.

pulled punches but without throwing any. He was an influential member of the Alake cabinet, but nothing compares with his role as a member of the Muslim Ummah.

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degbite was equal ly respected in the Nigerian society. He was a lawyer of many years standing. He was also known for the brief peri-

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Justice, declared, after sitting on the case for several months, that he lacked jurisdiction.

Three facts about the matter call for national, if not global, outrage. First, bearing in mind the new Electoral Act stipulation that all election petitions must be concluded within 120 days, why should a judge spend almost all those days deciding whether he had jurisdiction or not? Second, the matter of jurisdiction was earlier raised in the case.

Instead of addressing it, and saving time, the judge promised to deal with it when judgment is given; only to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction.

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IME was when a lawyer could pre dict the likely outcome of a case because of the facts, the law and the brilliance of the lawyers that handled the case. Today things have changed and nobody can be sure….Nowadays, politicians would text the outcome of the judgment to their party men before judgment is delivered and prepare their supporters ahead of time for celebration”. Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, in PUNCH, September 23, 2012, p 9 in an article titled Toying with corruption in the temple of justice.

The new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, has a whale of a job on her hands; if she intends to make good on her promise to stop corruption in the judiciary. That Sunday ’s PUNCH reached me in one of the Southsouth states where, as usual, I had gone to mind everybody’s business. It was in connection with another Election Tribunal case which had just been decided by a High Court on technicalities – the Honourable

that the judiciary had sunk so low.

Three questions which the Chief Justice must address, urgently, as this case moves to the Court of Appeals, are as follows: Why was it possible for the defendants to know the outcome before the verdict was rendered

this judgment been bought?

As far as I am concerned, the defendant is at liberty to use any method, fair and foul, to win his case. It is the judiciary which must be held to account for miscarriage of justice…

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s the secretary of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). He was an affective voice for sanity. And the Sultan, the president of the organisation demonstrated he would miss him when he joined the funeral in Abeokuta

He was an influential member of the Alake cabinet, but nothing compares with his role as a member of the Muslim Ummah

od he was dragged into politics as a commissioner in Western Region. He also was very influential in Egba circles where he

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barely hours on the announcement of the death.

Adegbite was a quiet worker. His friends among whom were

gress of Nigeria, ACN, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidates, which found its way to the Supreme Court, the court actually sent the case back to the lower court to be determined on its merits instead of technicalities.

Unfortunately, petitions concerning the Akwa Ibom governor’s election are still in the courts.

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High Court’s rul ing, which will be appealed, has once again raised the issue of courts’ impartiality in such matters and their tendency to dismiss cases on technicalities. Reproduced, next week, is a portion of the judgment, which was delivered after the court sat on the case for over three months.

R E P L I E S “0803-410-0797: Your articles on Oct 1, ELDERLY PERSONS DAY, were a matter of talking to the deaf. The Fed Gov in particular does not pay senior citizens their monthly pension. D govt prefers to kill all d old pensioners. Tell GEJ to please pay pensioners, as and when due.. Barr.

P.S. Bolu, Delta State.

P.S. Sir, left to me half the Ministers and Commissioners in Nigeria will be sacked and the funds applied to pay pensioners.

I cherish old people, especially men, because I have known of only one male in my family who made it to 70 in 200 years. One day GEJ will be touched positively.

OCTOBER I: OLDER PERSONS DAY –3 Even with the short notice and without sending

Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan, Oluwole Rotimi, were also there and so was the Governor of Ogun State Amosun, Governor Fashola of Lagos State were also there.

So were Osoba, journalist and former governor of Ogun State and his predecessor Gbenga Daniel paid their respects.

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remember Dr. Adeg bite visited my home very early December 1999, when I had my accident near Ogbomosho.

I had a fractured tibia and was laid low for some months. It was hard for him to find his way. He abandoned his car and with his driver, he laboriously found me and that has been his way.

And of course, that has been the way of some of my elders and my friends. My brother, Prince Bola Ajibiola visited me many times and so was the legend himself, Alade Odunewu; My brother Taju Olanrewaju and my boss Sam

out formal invitations, the first ever Older Persons Day was marked at Glover Hall under the Chairmanship of Dr Michael Omolayole, OFR – to whom we are eternally indebted. So was Dr Victor Hammond, former Managing Director of Akintola-Williams, who also graced the occasion.

Awards were given out to two persons – one living, the other recently passed on. Monsignor Pedro Martins, 102 years old, and the oldest living former military officer received on behalf of himself and others over I00 years old. Pa Ola Vincent’s Family received the posthumous award on his behalf and all our parents who departed this world. I thank all who came and those who called to share solidarity. Next year will be better.

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eanwhile we have a problem.

We ended up owing Glover Hall N350,000.

The person who promised to pay for the venue disappointed us. We need help. Anything you can donate will be appreciated. God will bless you abundantly.

DOCTOR ON BICYCLE That is not a joke; that is the title of a book which will be launched on Thursday, October I8, 20I2, at the Island Club, Lagos. Written by Chief (Barr) Olufemi Daramola, KJW, the Alage Obaigi II of Omuo Oke, Ekiti, it has more lessons to teach than you can imagine. You are invited – to the launching and to buy the book. You will not regret whatever you do.

Amuka. Remi Olowude, that time, did not visit me but he sent messages to me and 10 years after during my last ailment, flew from somewhere in East Africa where he was on business to see me.

These are Nigerian great. And that reminds me of the man who set an all-time record: in humanity and compassion.

M.K.O and did not live that long-not as Oluwole who lived for 74years or Abdur-Lateef who lived for 79.

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get this from my ar chive and I want to share this with you.

M.K.O build 63 secondary schools; 121 mosques/churches ; 41 libraries and 21 water projects in 24 States. He gave zakat throughout the land; he was grand patron to 149 associations and had 197 titles from 68 communities in Nigeria. “May the soul of the departed rest in peace”.

Kola Animasaun.

Baba Adinni of Gbagura, Abeokuta.

PAGE 18—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

Scrap pilgrims welfare commissions now pilgrims if their offence was that they did not possess valid entry visas.

The nation was however greatly relieved to hear that the matter had been resolved and that Saudi Arabia had agreed to readmit the deportees. But as usual, Nigerian communication on the subject was incomplete. Who for example would meet the cost of transporting

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ast year alone, gov ernment expended about N530 million on overhead and about N165million on capital projects for only the National Hajj Commission.

About the same figure was spent on Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission. Indeed, well over N500 million was paid as salaries only, to about 220 staff of the two commissions. With what happened now in Saudi Arabia, what is the rational for having the

the pilgrims back? We can only assume on the basis of its patronizing approach to religious pilgrimages in the country that government must have picked up the bills.

The amount would be too meager to worry about considering how much

his book is Obafemi Awolowo’s war crime of genocide by the “diabolical policy” of starvation against Biafrans.

I should say here, that it is a bit sad that out of the very many important issues that Achebe raises and explores in his new book, the one that has gained so much attention is his comment on Awolowo because Awoists do not want such dirty linens aired. It makes them nervous and uncomfortable. It drives them to tears and to rage.Achebe calls out other important members of the Gowon administration like Anthony Enahoro and Allison Ayida, including Gowon himself, on the same issue of genocide against Biafrans. The clear evidence of Achebe’s allegation is based on Awo’s own statement: “All is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war…”

But we do know that all is not fair in war. There is something called the “Geneva Convention” and Awo’s war policy violated it. You do not

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commissions? In truth, if the pilgrims were left to fend for themselves, they would have taken steps to avoid the humiliation they just went through by following all the injunctions for performing the hajj. Instead, the matter was left in the

f, our hajj adminis trators did not seem to know that to forecast, as well as to plan and monitor are also part of management, they did not also appreciate the essence of vicarious liability. The first set of statements showed that the officials were truly Nigerians as they sang discordant tunes. While some accepted, others denied the deportation of our pilgrims. Thereafter, our father- the government-went into what it knows how to do well; talking tough and acting soft. Saudi Arabia was given 48 hours ultimatum to fall in line but some 72

starve civilian populations in war. It is called a war crime. Awo’s storm troopers and Brownshirts have nonetheless trooped out in great strength and have come only short of calling for Chinua Achebe’s head for his exposure of Awolowo. Calls ranging from a ban of all his books to a “Nuremberg trial” of him and all the Biafrans have been made in response. An obscure two-penny actor, who also claims to write books by the name Femi Robinson says Achebe’s books, from Things Fall Apart, should be banned.

gos and Yoruba magnanimity“permitting” the Igbo to reside and thrive in Lagos has to do with Achebe’s book, except to draw, as did many of such fierce and ignorant diatribes, Achebe as somehow voicing an “Igbo agenda.” I think Ayo Opadokun exhibits not only pitiable smallmindedness but ought to be censored and warned.

Meanwhile, the Igbo do not seek his permission or anybody’s permission for that matter to live and thrive in Lagos.

Igbo who came to Lagos, and who reside everywhere in Nigeria do so because they can. They are Nigerians and have a right to live and prosper anywhere in Nigeria and be protected under the laws of Nigeria. They do not need the magna-

If we scrap our pilgrims’ commissions, we can deploy the huge sums hitherto expended on them to undertake projects that can impact on all our people

Chinua Achebe: The lynch mob comes Out UBLICATION, this past week, of Chinua Achebe’s memoir of Biafra, There Was A Country,had the Awoist camp up in arms.

The Awoists – followers and defenders of the legacy of Chief Awolowohave expended a lot of verbal grapes on the person of Chinua Achebe. It felt like a dangerous mob unleashed on one of the world’s most important cultural icons.All Achebe did was tell the truth about Awo. In his new book, Achebe writes about many things. His memoir is a deeply reflective tour de force into the events that shaped the Achebean era - an era of great promise that slipped into great infamy. Chinua Achebe has given shape and form to the truths of this era. But truth, particularly if it is uncomfortable and disconcerting is also dangerous. It unsettles too many comfortable myths.Awo is a great industry for mythmakers.

Among the provocative truths that Achebe tells in

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E seem to have put behind us the drama of the deportation of Nigerian female pilgrims from Saudi Arabia the week before. They had gone there like so many other Muslims from different parts of the world to perform this year’s Hajj.

According to media reports, the pilgrims were refused entry into Saudi Arabia because they did not meet the statutory requirement of having male escorts with them.

Stories of how badly the pilgrims were treated like common criminals created the suspicion in the minds of many that the Saudi authorities had other hidden reasons for their action. The pilgrims were made to sleep on bare floor without being fed while the immigration officials remained adamant several days after the official intervention of the Nigerian government on the matter.

One wonders what they would have done to the

we spend to maintain our pilgrims’ commissions.

hands of bureaucrats who normally handle everything “as we used do it”.

Thus, due to lack of initiative, our officials did not monitor the state of mind of the Saudis to observe their new posture. Otherwise, they would have heard of the allegation that as many as 5,000 Nigerian pilgrims deflected at the end of last year’s hajj and are now working illegally in Saudi Arabia. They probably would have heard the rumour too that 60% of the deflectors were females. If these allegations have any semblance of truth, shouldn’t our hajj mangers have anticipated some toughing up of the rules to prevent a recurrence?

It is not just enough to defend Awolowo. It is important to defend him with facts; to show that Achebe has lied against him

Ayo Opadokun has made innuendos of ethnic cleansing by reminding the Igbo that much of their property is in Lagos, and presumably the Igbo, like Achebe, should be circumspect about the war. It is a great wonder what Igbo property in La-

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nimity or permission of Ayo Opadokun who himself is a settler in Lagos much like the Igbo residents. Ayo Adebanjo, Femi Fani-Kayode, Biyi Durojaiye, and Ebenezer Babatope all threw their hats in the ring in challenge of Chinua Achebe’s

hours later, it was Nigeria that was searching for the line to fall into. When the final explanation came, it took the form of our ‘no victor no vanquished’ approach as we happily told the world that the whole problem was due to the existence of many interpretations of the rule that male escorts must accompany female pilgrims. If so, does it not stand to reason that the version of the host nation would prevail? In any case was it the difference in interpretation that made some of the deported women to board different aircrafts from the men who were supposed to lead them?

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ell, Nigeria may have to recruit many new interpreters otherwise our Christian pilgrims might face the same ugly situation at a point. This is because those that we call Christian pilgrims are not so classified in the state of Israel. We hear that in that ‘holy’ state, the correct classification is‘tourists’. What this implies is that someday, Israel may not see the relevance of religion while dealing with our so called pilgrims. But we can save ourselves all the trouble if we can just allow religion to be what it is- a personal matter.

Government involvement in pilgrimages in view of their idol.

But it seems as though against Achebe’s articulate and textured views, these are Calibans learning their first cursewords against their master! They “cuss out” the writer, Achebe, but they are yet to contradict him.

It is not just enough to defend Awolowo. It is important to defend him with facts; to show that Achebe has lied against him. But the evidence is too compelling. Achebe has not lied against Awo. Even in his 1983 interview re-published to prove and indemnify his innocence, Awolowo does not deny his policy of starvation. He accounts for how he visited the East in the heat of the conflict, in his official capacity; saw “Kwashiokor children” and found out that the food allegedly sent by the Red Cross and Caritas was being hijacked by soldiers: “So I decided to stop sending the food there. In the process the civilians will suffer. But the soldiers will suffer most.” This is illogical and counterintuitive,and it is a compelling evidence of Awolowo’s deliberate policy of starvation. It is enough to bring him before the International Criminals Court to face the kind of Justice meted out to Milosevic and Charles Taylor in whose company he belongs.

But, no! his followers say. Awo was right in us-

particular is frivolous.

Christians for example proclaim loudly that God is omnipresent and that He is WHEREVER 2 or 3 are gathered in His name; meaning that Christians can pray anywhere. But if some of them think that it is easier to see God in the ‘holy’ city of Jerusalem, instead of the kidnapping cities of Nigeria so be it for them. No one should use tax payers’ money to assist such people. On their part, Muslims say Allah does not expect those who cannot afford it to perform hajj.

We have no business therefore using public funds to compel some Muslims to be part of what they have been divinely exempted from.

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n addition, the Nige rian constitution which clearly provides for a secular state does not expect government to embrace any religious grouping whether dominant or small. What the Constitution provides in Section 10 is that “The Government of the federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion”.

If we scrap our pilgrims’ commissions, we can deploy the huge sums hitherto expended on them to undertake projects that can impact on all our people.

ing the strategy of mass starvation to end the war.

These guys do not belong to a civilized century and have learnt nothing from war!The poet Odia Ofeimun for instance has spent an entire career on Awo, laboring to turn him into the first modern political saint in all of Africa.

Odia’s project of apotheosis makes him mouth, in reaction to Achebe’s work, what I can only describe as blasphemy.

He wants Achebe and those in Biafra who defended themselves against the Nigerian onslaught to face a “Nuremberg-style trial.”

In Mr. Ofeimun’s rather strange and, dare I say, warped logic, those Biafrans who knew about starving children without surrendering should be put to trial for genocide.

But not Awo who ordered the starvation of children.

He blames the victim. It is not just enough that Odia Ofeimun continues to defend atrocities meted against other humans, like all zealots, he is incapable it seems of honesty in this matter.

He defends a legacy that includes genocide.

The Biafrans did not start the war and therefore did not prepare for a vicious war. They were pushed to war when the Federal Army began a two-pronged attack and they defended themselves.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 19

It’s hard to suppress this feeling!

Dear Rebecca

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AM a 29 year old year old male virgin who has chosen to remain so until marriage, due to religious principles. My problem is that I am psychologically troubled by the thought and feelings of having sex. I want to abide by my religious injunction on sex, but my emotional feelings are mounting by the day and I have thoughts of having sex.

I don’t know how to keep my mind off this issue.

Also, I have been looking for the book “Every Woman” which you recommended in one of your write-ups. How do I get it please?

Abdul, Nasarawa State.

REPL Y REPLY

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ELIGION plays a prominent role in the lives of many people and going against the doctrines we believe in, could mess up our happiness and bring on depression. So, since you believe that you should wait until your wedding night before breaking your virginity, I advise you stick to that.

At 29 and a male who would like to get married and raise a family, your mind and body are bound to desire a woman. This is very normal.

If you were not so bound to the doctrines of your religions sect, you would have found an outlet for your feelings by getting a consenting mature lady.

I wouldn’t advise this because you would feel bad and guilty after the act, because you have broken your vows. Since it would be your first sexual experience, the guilt feelings may mar your sexual enjoyment for life and it may affect your performance in bed, a thing which is terribly important to the Africa man.

So, wait patiently for your wedding night. If you have a girl friend let there be some body contact, like hugging, so that you can get used to touching a woman romantically.

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I hope your religions sect permits this. Hugs and kisses are important for a dating couple who have marriage in mind.

They help establish romance in the relationship and they are a harmless way of showing affection if you both stick to ‘no sex before marriage’. Managed properly, they can reduce that sexual tension and make you crave less sex.

Waiting to hug your wife for the first time on your wedding day may be a bit stiff and awkward for both of you if you’ve never touched each other.

You my not click and added to all the discomfort of first time sex, the physical side of your union may start on a wrong

note, and the act which is meant to be tender and enjoyable in marriage , will become traumatic as your bodies are not attuned.

This won’t stop you having kids if you are destined to have them.

What it could mean is sexual dissatisfaction in the home, and this could lead to adultery if care is not taken.

Yes, you do need to know all you can about sex.

The book EVERY WOMAN is published by SPECTRUM PUBLISHERS, Ibadan, and is an excellent source of information on the human body and reproduction.

It is available in many good bookshops.

This backside is an embarrassment!

Dear Rebecca

I

am an 18 year old male undergradu ate, of moderate size; being neither slim nor fat. Both male and female friends tease me because of my buttocks, which are large. To hide them, I hang my shirts out, but there are times when it is absolutely necessary for me to tuck in my shirt.

I usually feel awkward doing this. I am also scared that this problem could ruin my chances of having a girlfriend .

Please help me , and in case there are exercises to reduce the size of my buttocks , I would love to know them, please .

Thank you.

Tey, Lagos State.

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I

know how you must feel as a man when you have to carry a heavy behind around, but understand that there is no human being who has the perfect body or who is satisfied with his or her body. We have to be grateful for the sort of body that God has given us, and do our best to keep it fit in every way we can. We should be spir-

itually fit by by having a close walk with God, obeying his commandments and accepting his will for our lives.

We should also be physically fit by not abusing our bodies with too much food and alcohol, drugs (both prescribed and hard drugs) sexual promiscuity and overwork. When we accept our bodies as they are, we will ignore those silly people who feel they must criticize the way we look.

Just smile the next time some one cracks a joke about your backside and ask if they would like to borrow some of it. Try not to get annoyed or offended or embarrassed.

When they see that they cannot rattle you with their remarks, they will stop.

Now, there are some aspects of our bodies that we can do nothing about, but we can reduce flab by dieting and exercising. You may not be able to reshape your behind, but you can firm it up so that it doesn’t look big and flabby. Try this exercise several times a day. Sit down on a carpet and crawl on your buttocks; ten times forward and ten times back-

ward s . You will feel some strain on the thighs and buttocks as you move, and you should notice some firming up within a week if you do it several times consistently a day. Cycling and using the treadmill in a gym can help too.

There’s a light exercise gadget which enables you to lie on your back and cycle in the air, which is sold by roadside hawkers in traffic in Lagos. It’s quite light in weight and affordable.

Try to avoid eating too

much carbohydrates (bread, yam, eba, pounded yam etc) and fried and oily foods.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and moderate protein e.g eggs, meat, beans, etc. wear your shirt whichever way you like and ignore snide remarks. Your back side will not stop you having girlfriends. If you are clean, responsible, polite and kind, people will like you. It’s our character that make most of us, not our body. This is because a sleek and

goodlooking person may lose that look to some unfortunate incident, but our good character remains with us, by the grace of God. Concentrate on your studies, take up hobbies and enjoy life. I have attended several weddings where the bridegroom has a large tummy and backside, and with a lovely bride hanging proudly and happily on his arm. It’s your character that counts more than your flab.

When we accept our bodies as they are, we will ignore those silly people who feel they must criticize the way we look

•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

PAGE 20—SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 14, 2012 20—SUNDA

0808 066 0660 (Texts only!)

A little bit of help from the in-laws!

I

SN’T it amazing what. torrent of scandal a little event like being pregnant can unleash? For the four years Lisa was married to Nekan, her husband, she tried all she could to get pregnant. At first she thought it was due to her reproductive organs misfunctioning. After series of tests, it was Nekan’s turn to have his fertility investigated. It was an awful blow to the couple when he got the news he had a low sperm count.

“Lisa was devastated,” Funke, her elder sister and a mother of three children had said after she got the news. “I wish I could do something to help my sister ... “.

“Something like what?” I joked. “Get another man to perform the magic her husband couldn’t ?” A few months later, Funke had come to mine, a bit angry and confused.

“Lisa came for dinner last night with Nekan,” she said. “I was in the kitchen sorting out the dirty plates when Nekan crept up behind me. Pressing hard against my back, he whispered. ‘Don’t you realise how much I want you?’ Horrified, I pushed him away and rushed back to the others. I’d

thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t. Some few weeks later, I bumped into him at a supermarket near the house and he suggested we went to the nearest fast-food spot to have a bite. He said he was desperate to talk to me.

A

t first I hesitated, but he was my brother-in-law. He and Lisa had been married for a while and they seemed happy in spite of their ‘problem’. Over lunch, he explained he’d been quite depressed after he’d been told of his low sperm count. ‘That’s why Iv behaved badly at your house,’ he said.

‘I guess I was trying to prove I was a man.’ I felt really sorry for him and tried to console him. A few months after this incident, Nekan phoned me and it was obvious he was in a dreadful state.

Kunle.; my husband, had a night shift at work, so when Nekan begged me to come over to his place, I agreed. He was in a sorry state when I got to his place. He said he suspected his wife was having an affair, and after a mighty row, he’d hit her and she’d left to go to her mum’s.

“As I made the right soothing sound, he poured out his heart, told me how strained his marriage had become. I felt myself sympathising with him, even though I felt disloyal to my sister.

Two bottles of wine later, I was the one revealing worries about my marriage. Kunle had been a bit preoccupied of late and I told Nekan he too might be having an affair.

He shook his head in disbelief as I told him Kunle seldom paid me attention. ‘I don’t understand how anyone could neglect a beautiful, kind, loving woman like you’ he sympathised. Before I knew it, we were all over each other - months of frustration were released as our bodies got entwined. The sex was the

Forward, backward bends and the spinal twist ward and twist the spine laterally ensure flexibility to the spinal column and rest of the torso. This suppleness according to the advanced practitioners of yoga spells great health and youthfulness.

A very fit upper body guarantees you at boundlless energy and well being and since most of our vital organs are encased there. It makes sense to devote sufficient time exercising it. There are many forward and backward bending postures in yoga. But we shall for now restrict ourselves to a variation of the triangle and the camel.

The triangle: Technique: Stand with the feet C M Y K

about a yard apart.

Clasp your hands at your back and turn the fingers upward while pushing the hands as high as they’ll go. Turn the trunk to the left and lower it till the forehead is resting on the left knee or your level best. Retain the

,

T

HE ability to bead forward and back

the spinal column. It massages the abdominal increasing the digestive fire and banishing indigestion and constipation.

It helps with stretching taut, the hamstrings and strengthening of the shoulders.

The Camel,

The Camel instills backward flexibility to the spine. It stretches the muscles of the front of the trunk from the pelvic region to the chin

posture for, say 10 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Benefits: The triangle improves the forward bending of

,

Technique: Sit on the heels and arrange the hands next to the feet with the fingers pointing away from the body. Inhale deeply and

most fulfilling I’d had for months.

I

didn’t feel any guilt, especially when Kunle wasn’t home when I arrived. He’d given some of his suspicious excuses on the answering machine. So, it was with little or no guilt that I continued my affair with my brother-in-law.

Each time Lisa pohoned for a chat, or to visit the house, I fobbed her off in case my secret was revealed if I saw her facetoface. Then came the news that Lisa was finally pregnanta. I was really happy for her as I hugged and congratulated her. She didn’t seem all that happy to see me but Iput it down to her current state. Or did she suspect I was

raise the body off the heels humping up the chest and throwing back the head. The elbows must be fully extended.

Breathe normally once you are in the posture and retain the position for 19 seconds. Rest a bit and repeat.

Benefits: The Camel instills backward flexibility to the spine. It stretches the muscles of the front of the trunk from the pelvic region to the chin. It strengthens the arms and expands the chest allowing for more intake of oxygen.

The Spinal Twist.

Technique: After the practise of the bending postures of the Triangle and the Camel, it’s very refreshing to perform the Spinal Twist.

Sit with both legs stretched in front of you.

Bent the right knee and place the right foot across the left knee. Bring the

hen I got home, Kunle was out as usual. Gave me enough time to look through all his things. Eventually, I found one or two bills from the hospital. That was when it dawned on me that my husband couldn’t have been that involved in Lisa’s preg-

nancy if he wasn’t part of it himself. I was furious but had my wits around me. This wasn’t the time for being confrontational. My sister wanted a baby so badly she didn’t mind getting one from my husband!

And where did Nekan feature in all this? The poor man was virtually floating on air when Lisa got pregnant. He was relieved that his sperm count wasn’t too low to father a child. So what blow would I be dealing him by telling him the truth? And what about my marriage that was now on shaky grounds, would my ‘True confession’ save it? rom then on, I knew I had no marriage all I’m determined to do now is look after my children and see them to adulthood. I hate my sister to the point I could kill her. But then, I’d slept with her husband too. If I were in her shoes, would I do the same?

Her daughter even looked like one of mine when Lisa had her baby.

Thank goodness it wasn’t a boy that would look like my husband.

Heavens only know how many complicated births exist all over the world ... “

left hand to clutch the left leg passing it on the outside of the right knee.

Place the right hand at the waistline and turn the trunk neck and head to the right. Breathe deeply into the lower abdomen. Retain the position for 10 or 15 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Benefits: The squeezing movements improves the circulation and stops stagnation in the vital organs ridding body of poisonous wastes and breaking down fatty tissue. It allows the spinal area to come more alive with life-force giving you added strength and mental focus.

sleeping with her husband? She couldn’t have, we’d been really careful.

“Lisa was almost due when I ran into a close relative who worked as a matron in a private hospital. I hadn’t seen her for ages and she was full of praise for my husband who introduced Lisa to their hospital. ‘He even brought her a few times,’ she blabbed, ‘and helped with some of her bills. I tried to introduce myself to him but he was always busy with the hospital’s director who was his friend. I’m glad Lisa’s finally pregnant...’ On and on she went. The way she kept peering at me, I knew she was dying for me to give something away. Condemn my husband’s behaviour perhaps? Or let on I knew nothing about Kunle’s involvement with Lisa’s pregnancy Why on earth would he put himself out so much for her?

W

F

*The Twist

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

SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 14 , 2012, PPA AGE 21 SUNDA bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Over 40, newly single and ready to mingle?

T

HESE days, the belief is that it is hard enough if you’re nearing 30 and looking for a suitor as most eligible men are probably taken. And if you’re over 40 and hopeful, there’s this scary thought that men of your age are probably dating twenty something airheads who would be less of a challenge to their male ego. The truth of the matter is that most men do not want to be alone for the rest of their lives and like their middle age counterparts, they’re probably terrified when they suddenly find themselves on the dating market. Many of them already have families and don’t want to start relationships with younger women eager to start on a new collection of nappies!

“Anyone finding themselves suddenly ‘single and ready to mingle’ must rely heavily on their self-belief - not incredible looks or wealth,” says Kate who recently netted a husband better than the one who illtreated her and abandoned her and their two kids to fate. “My current husband is six years older and a widower.

When we met, I’d already gone on a few disastrous dates and wasn’t really looking for a relationship. Ebere, my current husband, was neckdeep in arranging the wedding of her first daughter and I was recommended to him to handle the traditional engagement. He was so grateful and so willing to make a success of it that

I found myself being drawn to him.

“The wedding was a huge success becaus as an already established events planner, I gave it all I’d got. We continued our friendship after the wedding and Ebere made it clear he wanted a wife. His kids, four of them, would get married eventually and he would need a matured partner to help him make the best plans. That was how love found me when I wasn’t looking for it. We combined both sets of children and we’re now one happy family”.

In her book: Dating for Grown-Ups, Caroline Doughty stressed you won’t meet anyone if you stay at home. Here then are her top tips on finding love after 40' -

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here to look: Make sure your friends and family know you’re looking for a partner. Accept social invitations even if you know there will be no single men present as this will increase your chances of meeting ‘a friend of a friend.’ Have a party and ask your friends already in a relationship to bring a single friend. Invite your own single friends.

Avoid stranger danger: First dates should be during the day and at somewhere public like a restaurant. Never invite someone to your home or agree to meet in a secluded place until you know them better. Stick to one or two alcoholic drinks at the most so that your head remains clear.

Take your mobile and

progress. One day, you’ll look back and wonder why you ever felt so miserable.

R

carry enough money to get home. Tell a friend who you’re seeing and give them your date’s mobile number and details of where you’re meeting.

Don’t allow yourself to be collected from home, and make your own way home after. When you do invite your date to your house, tell a friend and arrange time to speak to them afterwards. Be wary of your date if he questions your cautious approach.

O

n your first date: Keep it short. Meet for a drink or a snack, and make plans to meet friends afterwards. Don’t put too much on display. Cleavage or legs, not both.

Dress up a little, but only in clothes you feel comfortable in, Don’t go on about your ex or your kids.

Spend as much time listening as talking.

On a second date: Dinner can lead to awkward moments at the end of the evening, so meet for lunch instead. Be yourself (but still avoid discussing your ex). Go for a walk in a fairly public place, or place of attraction then talk about it. If you have nothing to say to each other, it’s time

to start looking again.

Beating The BrokenHeart Blues ... he end of a rela tionship could be devastating and you may feel you’ll never get your confidence back, but there are simple steps you can take to start putting your life together again. Whether you want to sob, rage, or crawl under the covers, just go with it.

Denis Knowies, a marriage counsellor, says the first step is “to realize the awful feelings are not the end of everything, they are the start of the healing process. You’ll go through despair, anger, denial and finally acceptance, but never fight your feelings”.

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hen you’re ready - and only you will know when that is, she advises you take these simple steps: Instead of dwelling on how you didn’t measure up (women generally blame themselves), do a relationship postmortem. Ask yourself what worked, what you loved about him, where the

can tear them apart.

Joseph Osademe, Pharmacy Technician, Victory Clinic, Ozoro, Delta State. josy4obama@yahoo.com 08036065302

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"

No distance too far

When two people are really meant for each other, no time is too long, no distance is too far and no one

C M Y K

The meaningless of age in marriage

Age is not the most prominent thing in marriage.

Some people believe that age is the most unique thing in marriage.These days age have made people, even lovers to polarize. People forget about the age because it is just a number and focus on the woman's true colour behind the beauty lies the true colour .

Raymond Okeke j.young4u@yahoo.com

Always thinking of you

I always think of you but don't know the reason. Is

relationship went wrong, what you would do differently and what your priorities are now.

Isolating what you want from a partner makes you less likely to repeat old patterns and gives your next relationship a better chance of success.

G

et some perspec tive: It’s not the whole of you that’s been rejected. Rebuild your confidence by making a list of the things you’re good at - for example: you’re a good parent, a fantastic friend, great at your job and men find you attractive.

Take small steps: If you’ve become too frightened or low to go out at night, move away from your comfort zone slowly. Can’t face that blind date? Go out with the girls after work one night. Slowly push back the boundaries and start to rebuild your confidence.

Write everything down - it’s very cathartic: Write your ex a letter outlining your feelings, but don’t send it. Keep it in a diary to help track

evamp hour look: There’s nothing like pampering to restore self-esteem. In fact, scientists ARISE (Association For Research Into the Science of Enjoyment) have found that experiencing pleasure can boost your immune system and reduce stress hormones. The key with a make over, however, is not to make drastic changes you may regret.

A new hair colour is one of the easiest ways to transform your look or cover any gray that’s making you feel worse. A lot of newly single women tend to desperately look for a big change, but it’s best to go a few darker shades at a time. The perfect hair colour makes the eyes more noticeable, which makes you look younger. Professionally made faces, once in a while, are a good compromise and can take years off you, while semipermanent colours are the most natural way to cover grey.

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et active: Exercise has many benefits in the traumatic time following a break-up.

Women want to overhaul their bodies, possibly because they feel being over-weight contributed to the end of the relationship - which, of course, it rarely has. Whatever the motive, exercise is a great mood-booster. Exercise releases endorphins that give you a natural high. Research shows it can be as effective as anti-depressants at treating mild depression. It can also give you a new purpose.

there something else I should know about you? But there is one thing that I know that is true,which is that life will always be sad without you, Chiizuba. I miss you every day of my life ozoigbochris@ymail.com 08022821917

My Dear Blessing

Thy love is my light and my salvation who else shall i love? Thy love is the strength of my life: who else shall i run after?

When those girls and boys shall encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though pretty girls shall run after me, but my love and my heart shall ever remain yours, in this will i be confident in ur love.

That we'll dwell in the paradise of God forever as one flesh, bond by love. Amen love you Mine Emma mine4christ@gmail.com

PAGE 22—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

I teach my children to work as if they have no father —Dr M.I. Okoro

H

is journey to afflu ence is exceptional!

Dr. Meckson Innocent Okoro had more than a fair share of hardship as a child growing up in a polygamous home of 13 wives after losing his mother when he was barely six months old.

Grace could only allow him primary education and Meckson, who was one of his late mother’s two surviving children, was left to chart a course for his own life thereafter. The future seemed extremely bleak, but determination spurred him on, and, today, he is one of Nigeria’s most famous and successful real estate professionals, attracting both prestigious professional awards and traditional titles. One of such titles, Ohia-Anawaru-Ego of Arondizuogu from his state, Imo, is displayed on his vehicle customised number plate which simply reads ‘Ohia Igbo’. He is also a holder of the Ugwu-Aro title, the highest title in Arochukwu in Abia State. His research work earned him a honourary doctorate degree from Bradley University in the US, and the Kwame Nkruma honours award in Ghana. This onetime Imo State governorship aspirant and founder of M.I.Okoro & Associates(estate surveyors and valuers) took us down memory lane on his life and how he aspired to become a graduate of estate management even when no one was ready to send him to secondary school eight years after leaving primary school.

Tough beginning Perhaps because of his antecedent, young Meckson knew he must work hard if he truly craved for success. With no one ready to send him to secondary school, after primary school, he resorted to serving one of his cousins who was trading in electrical parts and later in used clothes at Aba and later Calabar. While C M Y K

in Calabar, his yearning for education made him increasingly restless, especially when he saw a group of youth corp members.

“My cousin and I were actually living at the boys’ quarters of his senior brother ’s house; one who was a quantity surveyor. I actually once over-heard the quantity surveyor advise one of his brothers to go and study estate management because the future of Nigeria belonged to the field. I kept wishing I could return to school because I had left primary school over seven years previously and there was no one to pay my fees! When I saw a group marching with the inscription ‘NYSC’ on their t-shirts, I got back home and told my senior cousin’s wife who had sent me that I would like to go join them, but she laughed me to scorn and told me to forget it because they were graduates ”, he recounts.

Courage in display To discourage Meckson when he finally decided to go back to school, his cousin

Okoro...worked as a bus conductor

Okoro.....I was told to forget education seized all the clothes he had bought him, leaving him with what he had on. From that day, a sanguine Meckson began telling all who cared to listen that he was going to study estate management!

He sat for the common entrance and was admitted into Iheme Memorial Grammar School around 1975/ 1976 at about 19.

Fortune smiled on him when one of his brothers vol-

,

BY FEYI BANKOLE

I actually once over-heard the quantity surveyor advise one of his brothers to go and study estate management because the future of Nigeria belonged to the field

,

unteered to assist, but this was cut short- he yielded to the counsel of Meckson’s stepmums and withdrew his help two years after.

That was however not enough to let Meckson let go of his dream. Rather, because of the fear of being harmed, he withdrew from Iheme Memorial Grammar School and went to Iheube Boys’ High School, Okigwe, a boarding school where he continued from year three. Now, he had no other help, but because he believed so much in the end being a justifier of the means, he sought out a plan- to work as a bus conductor on holidays!

Working as bus conductor “I found out a relation who had a fleet of buses and he

allowed me to work as a conductor in his company. The bus would pick me from school every last day of the term, and I would begin work from there and would be brought back when we resumed. Then, I would have saved enough money for my fees and needs. I had to confine myself to the basic necessities of life without trying to eye what my peers had.

Meanwhile, I was enquiring about the subjects I must do to be able to study estate management, and I worked hard at those subjects while I worked as bus conductor every holiday until I completed secondary school. Unfortunately, none of our results was released”, Meckson says regretfully.

Moving to Lagos After secondary school, he moved to Lagos to that same brother who was advised against helping him, and was accommodated in his boys’ quarters at the Apapa GRA. To survive, Meckson began teaching pupils core subjects until a relation helped him secure employment at the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1981.

With a job at the NPA, most people in his shoes would think twice before considering leaving the job for school, but Meckson was dead set on his ambition and nothing would stop him.

University at last!

He registered at Denton Grammar School, Ebutte-Metta, where he luckily cleared all his papers, and eventually gained admission to study estate management at the University of Lagos in 1984.

He resigned from the NPA. To survive at UNILAG, he would go to homes anywhere in Lagos to teach children on a daily basis after classes, until he graduated in 1988. After his youth service, he got a job in 1990 with an estate firm called Ofoma Associates in

Lagos and, in 1991, Meckson took a wife. Eventually, he was moved to Port Harcourt and then to Nnewi on N800 salary.

Breakthrough With a wife and baby to cater for, things were again tough and Mekson pleaded to God for a miracle. Towards the end of 1992, God led him to call a feast and he invited two friends; one was a bank manager.

“While at the table, the manager asked why I chose the two of them, and I told him I only did as my spirit led. Right there and then, he told me a mortgage bank, Morgan Savings & Loans, was to be floated, and that I was going to be among the pioneer employees. He gave me the links and when the company came on board, I was invited to Lagos with a house, a car and N15,000 monthly salary! In 1994, most mortgage banks started collapsing, and I resigned in March before ours collapsed. I immediately registered M.I.Okoro & Associates while one of my kinsmen supported me with an office until I got mine. I began operation with the Nnewi clients whose houses I was managing at the mortgage bank”, Meckson reveals.

Fortune galore for Meckson There came an opportunity to value the entire property of the University of Lagos and Meckson’s proposal came tops. In same year, M.I.Okoro & Associates was involved in the valuing of the entire assets of the National Oil & Chemical Marketing Plc. Favour came his way again and in 1995, one of his clients at the mortgage bank became the President of Auto Parts and Machinery Dealers Association and they were to relocate a multi-billionaire market to the present trade-fair complex. His company became the major consultant from 1996 till 2000 when the complex was completed, and was also made the letting agent.

By now, he was buoyant enough to acquire a land and commence a massive building project at Lekki, to which he moved into with his family about eight months after!

Looking back, 55-year-old Okoro says, “It has been a very tedious journey. I’ve paid my dues, and all I now live for is to serve humanity.

That’s why I laugh when I hear some people reel out excuses for their failure or saying they have no parent to train them. All that is required for success is determination, faith and trust in God; not in any man. That’s the way I teach my children- to work hard as if they’ve got no father.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 23

M A I L B A G

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

Nigerians should not lose hope Dear Sir,

D

ESPITE the current challenges facing Nigeria, like threats to security, social injustice, youth unemployment, political killings, labour unrest, bombing, among others, there is still hope. So, Nigerians should not lose hope of divine solution.

Nigerians should pray for God to redeem and deliver our country, for, only God could redeem the nation from the present fears of insecurity and poverty in the land. Only God can heal our wounds, so that there could be peace.

Prophetically, I want to assure Nigerians, that, with the prayers of the saints, ver soon, all-will-be-well, as, God is ready to intervene and heal our land, if we humble ourselves and fear God. With the potentials available in the country, if we repent of our sins and do the will of God, from the leaders to the followers, there is hope for Nigeria and Nigerians in all spheres. There is also greater tomorrow for Nigeria, if we pray fervently and put all hands on deck, to move the nation forward.

Nigeria had faced more difficult situations in the past, but God had always proved to be faithful. As the problems facing Nigeria presently are big, God would come to our rescue once C M Y K

we keep relying on Him. The current security challenges in the nation could be attributed to high level of corruption and bad governance on the part of the leaders. Since government is not to be trusted again, the people had lost the trust in those

holding public offices in government, while the situation has created environment of political killing, poverty, unemployment, insecurity among others.

Nigeria now desire political leaders that we turn our bad situations to

better, and whose primary concerns are to build institutions and empower the people.

Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel General Overseer, The Way of Reconciliation Ministries Int’l, Lagos, 08057741511

The lamentation of an aggrieved Nigerian!

Dear Sir,

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HEN will our sufferings in the hands of the PDP-led central government end, as regards to their failure to give us constant supply of electricity and to work on our roads, despite the fact that they have been cornering the lion share of the revenues that accrue into the coffers of the federation, in the past 13 years? Is it not because the Federal Government has not been alive to its responsibilities that the governors are clamouring for increase in allocations to the states to enable them execute the jobs the government at the centre has failed to carryout?

You need to see how federal roads especially in the south have turned into death traps with no genuine efforts being made to repair them to reduce the carnage on them! Very soon petroleum tankers will start roasting

commuters alive once more, as one did when it fell two years ago at a very bad spot in Umunya along EnuguOnitsha Expressway, as there are now more pot holes that have become gullies on that busy road which make oil tankers, trailers and big lorries to swerve dangerously from one side to the other with their heavy loads ready to fall on other vehicles. I was highly annoyed that President Goodluck Jonathan did not ply that road when he visited Anambra State on 30/08/ 2012, but flew overhead in a helicopter and by so doing, did not have a feel of what commuters endure on a daily basis.

According to the government of Cross-River State, it has spent N13 billion to work on the Ikot Ekpene – Calabar road and which is yet to be refunded by the Federal Government, but despite her efforts, commuters got stuck there for five days this month, including five ambulances carrying

corpses for burial, all because the Federal Government is not doing anything about people's plight!

It pains me dearly that since 2007 in the vast area of Awka I reside, we have been subjected to suffer unfailingly, total blackout of electricity for a whole day until the next day when it is our turn to get light and which will never last up to 12 hours and we are thus forced to use our generating sets everyday. I could count on my fingers the number of times we have had electricity supply until day break since 2007 The level to which governance had sunk due to unbridled greed and competition of who will acquire more wealth far above one’s legitimate earnings from our common patrimony, while in the service could be seen in the number of abandoned and uncompleted projects.

Ifeka Okonkwo Phase II, G.R.A, Awka.

P AGE 24—SUND AY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 PA 24—SUNDA

Re: Law on forced breast-feeding

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OST of the readers who sent in their views on this subject were stunned that the Honourable Minister should actually think of such a thing, let alone tell an audience that he would recommend that it be passed into law. One reader wanted to know whether it was a lack of breast-feeding that is responsible for the very poor healthcare services in the country, and the inability of the government to ensure that our hospitals are of such high standard that no-one need to go abroad to seek medical care.

Well, our readers have had their say. It is left for our various levels of government to show how serious they are about providing the nation with the sort of healthcare that our rulers and members of their families would gladly use.

“Madam Ovbiagele, our rulers never surprise me. The utterance of the federal minister of health, concerning breast-feeding is the sort of thing one would expect of many Nigerians who are in decision-making positions. They leave the substance of their positions and begin to chase shadows.

At the end of the day, they wouldn’t have made the

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law to enforce what should be done privately? It doesn’t make sense. Still, it was nice of you to bring out that article.

It might make other decisionmakers in this country to think properly before they talk in public. - Tope, Agege.”

“Good day madam. I always enjoy your column. The article on law to enforce breast feeding only makes me laugh. You have said it all, madam; the minister needs to focus on more important things, and not anger women.

- Thelma.”

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Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

desired impact as expected of them. Just tell me how learned professor expects such a law to be implemented successfully, if our lawmakers are naïve enough to pick up the subject, debate on it and then pass it into law? - Mrs James, Lagos. ”

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as the minister out to annoy women or what?

Has he really the right to tell women what they should do

with any part of their bodies?

Next thing the government would propose a law that would force couples to make babies a certain way. I’m yet to come across/hear of a sane woman who has no problem with breast-feeding, refusing to breast-feed her baby. It’s a woman’s pride to breast-feed her baby, to show her status as a mother. I suppose as a man, the minister wouldn’t know that. But he could have

adam, I think the minister was referring to those highly sophisticated women who don’t want their bust out of shape through prolonged breast-feeding.

The average Nigerian woman is just so relieved and grateful to God that she survived child-birth that as soon as the breast milk starts flowing, she happily puts her baby to it.

Besides, where would she get the money to buy baby formula when she’s living below breadline? Also, how many Nigerian men would provide money for baby formula when the wife is alive and well? It is good to continue to stress the importance of breast milk to the infant, but there’s no need to want to violate women’s

Was the minister out to annoy women or what? Has he really the right to tell women what they should do with any part of their bodies? Next thing the government would propose a law that would force couples to make babies a certain way. sought the opinion of the women in his village on the matter. I doubt if he would be told that they don’t need to breast-feed their babies, and so they use baby formula. Highly unlikely! Lara, Ibadan.”

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Pitchfork Latest Street Style Fashion Trends 2012 trishasblogsite.blogspot.com

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elen, I don’t believe the minister meant that his utterance. He must have been joking and the journalists present picked up that and made it a headline story. He’s an intelligent gentleman who knows that Nigerians are too enlightened to be told such a thing. How do you pass a

rights by making a law to enforce it. Any government who tries to do that here is injuring itself; apart from making the country a laughing stock. Thanks. O.Y., Umuahia.”

milk in bottles in the freezer, instead of putting the baby to the breast all day/night long.

However, I decided on each occasion that she should stop when the baby turned three months, to protect her health and general well-being. She’s not a cow. With the hungry babies we produced, she was tired most of the time, sometimes falling asleep while breast-feeding. A law to enforce breast-feeding?

Perish the thought. It’s the woman’s right to decide what to do. The government can only advise her on what’s best for her baby. The government should go concentrate on improving the healthcare delivery in this country. The services they provide is a disgrace and not worthy of the ‘giant of Africa.’ Thanks, madam. - Ugo, Abuja.”

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s the Minister aware that Nigeria has a very high rate of women who die at childbirth, and babies who die at birth? Is he aware that all government hospitals and maternity hospitals in the country are under-staffed, and under-equipped? Is he aware that many Nigerians are poor, and cannot afford the deposit that government hospitals insist on collecting before a patient is admitted for consultation and possible treatment? Is he aware that wards and mortuaries are over-crowded and dirty? The list of things he has to do to improve healthcare is quite long. He can say a word or two on World Breast-feeding day to encourage women to comply, but he shouldn’t say that they would be forced by the law to breast-feed their babies. That’s ridiculous, and it doesn’t sound right at all.”

“I’m surprised, aunty, that you wonder why we’re not getting it right in governance, in spite of our gift of human resources in virtually all fields, and in all parts of the country. Wrong leadership recruitment process is responsible. Simple! Our best are outside the country while the mediocres take all the positions available. It’s the case of the blind leading the clear-sighted. Until it changes, I’m afraid we may wait a little longer, even though I’m not a prophet of doom. - Nna.”

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just read your piece on ’m male, and I think I ‘law on forced breastpossess enough feeding?......’ It is a most enlightenment to know the welcome essay and seeks to importance of breast-feeding. point our leaders in the right My wife and I have three decision. Their actions and children who are healthy and words sometimes leaves one well-adjusted children, by the wondering how dumb they kind grace of God. As they could possibly be. arrived, I didn’t need to urge Unfortunately they hardly mySunny-Leone-Indian-Red-Saree-Collection-2012 wife to breast-feed them. listen to the voice of reason.

She did so naturally on her Well done. Kola Adeniyi own, not even wanting to take Esq.” my abeautyclub.com sister ’s suggestion that We thank all those who she could store some breast wrote in, but regret we can only publish these few.

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SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 25

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

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en of Kwara State Police Command have commenced investigation into the abduction of a 35-year- old petrol attendant who was kidnapped during his wedding ceremony and found five days after.

The reason behind the abduction on his wedding day has remained a daunting task for the police and mystery to the family of the groom.

But the spokesman for the state police command, Mr Femi Elubode, said though he had received many calls on the incident, A Division Police Station, Challenge, Ilorin where the incident was said to have been reported, had not briefed his office. ”And if we are not officially briefed, it will be difficult to know the level of investigation into the incident.I have not been briefed yet,” Elubode said.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the two-day wedding between the victim, Zubair Aliyu Balogun, and his heartrob had commenced on Thursday, September 27, only for him to disappear Friday morning and his whereabouts remained unknown for five days. The groom was found naked by an Okada rider in a bush at Kangu-Olunlade village Ilorin where he was purportedly dumped by his abductors Tuesday, October 2, drenched in early morning rain and was shivering. Zubair, who was said to have begged the Okada man to call members of his family, was then taken to a private hospital.

The victim has since been hospitalised. Contacted, head of Balogun-Fulani family where the groom hails from, Alhaji Mahmud Durosinlorun Atiku Fulani, said there was no suspicion prior to the abduction, vowing that the family would use all legal and spiritual means to get to the root of the matter and fish out the perpetrators. ”The marriage plan started on Thursday with traditional Wolimat Al-Quran. The event was done at the bride’s place.

It went well as the groom recited the Quran to the admiration of everyone present”, the family head told Sunday Vanguard, last week.

He narrated further: “Things went on normally. No one suspected anything. On Friday, wedding day, Zubair woke up in his rented house at Sango area at about 7.00 a.m., according to people who saw him, thinking he was going to prepare for the wedding Nikkah. ”When the activity was to C M Y K

Abduction on wedding day

Bridegroom returns from kidnappers den five days after

* Hospitalised groom...after his release. Above: Family head Atiku Fulani...our search was to no avail start, we expected him from 9.a.m. till 11 a.m.. We did not see him. I then called the family head of the bride to inform him that we could not see the groom. Interestingly, Zubair’s

bride was not the only one to be wedded that day. There were two other couples too making three of them that day.

So, in order not to disrupt the activity, we improvised that the

victim’s younger brother should stand in for him pending his arrival that never was.

The waiting continued till the evening. We didn’t see him. ”At about 9 p.m. that Friday,

one of his brothers got through to him on phone, but his voice was barely audible he was incoherent. I picked up my phone too to talk with him. I could hear his voice, though not clearly. It was like the phone was with somebody or he was taking permission and the permission was not granted.

This went on throughout the night.”When it was about 11 p.m., I sent a search party because we got some hint from him about his location.

He had called one of his aunts. The aunt sent somebody to meet me that the victim had said that he was around Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Studies (MINILS), at Olunlade, Ilorin. So, I arranged a vehicle with two women and three men. When they got there, they found nobody. They decided to go different ways around places like Sapati-Ile and Afon to look for him combing everywhere. All to no avail. ”Meanwhile, two of the men that stayed at MINILS junction got a phone call from an unknown person saying, ‘Tunji (one of the members of the search party), if you don’t leave that place, you will blame yourself for what will befall you’.

They got afraid. Some of them left the area immediately in taxi and came home.

Some stayed till 2 a.m. while others took refuge in the village. Apparently, some people were watching the search party. We couldn’t sleep. ”On Saturday, his line was no longer going through. We could not contact him until Tuesday morning when we were called to come for him where he was found by the Okada rider in the bush shivering”.

Commotion in court

... as policeman loses custody of children

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA & O LU WAT O B I L O B A ADEYEMI he family of Mr. Simpa Oko mayi, a policeman, caused commotion in court as they kicked against the ruling on the custody of their children in favour of the defendant, Mrs. Margaret Okomayi.

The premises of Agege customary court, Lagos suddenly became a battle field as both parents of the children rained curses on themselves. The estranged husband had earlier told the court in his evidence-

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in-chief that he did not enjoy every minute of their relationship because his wife lacked care, was a fornicator and also patronised beer parlours.

He urged the court to dissolve the marriage, and grant him custody of the children particularly the four-year-old daughter ( Rebecca ) because he wouldn’t want her to tread her mother ’s path.

While delivering judgment, court president Emmanuel Shokunle said that in view of the evidence before the court, it was obvious that the marriage had broken down irretrivably due to the negative interference of both parents of the

couple.

Shokunle therefore dissolved the marriage and ordered that custody of the children should remain with the defendant (Margaret ) while the plaintiff ( Simpa ) was granted access to the children in the court premises every last Friday of the month.

The children are to share school holiday equally with the parents.

The father was ordered to pay #10,000 monthly through the court for the upkeep of the children, and should also be responsible for school and medical expenses.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

By Olasunkanmi Akoni Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, is the son of one of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, chieftains, Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, a former member Lagos State House of Assembly and also a former Commissioner for Transportation in the state (1979 – 1983) during the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration.

The Commissioner speaks on the Lagos light rail project and infrastructural development in the state. Excerpts:

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* A prototype light rail ... proposed for Lagos

Seven light rail corridors for Lagos *

Hamzat: Project can

exceed N250 billion target

to get to Marina , it goes over water, that means that you are building a bridge, heavy-duty bridge. That is the most expensive part of the rail. So, let’s start from the land, and let it start to run. Again, it is a function of resources, so it is a big job. For example, we know we have Ni-

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Lagos State government has embarked on the construction of light rail project as an alternative means to road transportation. What is your progress report?

When you carry predominantly people, it is a light rail, but when it is heavy duty goods like diesel, cars, etc, it is heavy rail. But, in most part of the world, it is light rail. It is the ecology or engine behind the rail system. Now, what we are doing in Lagos is the light rail, which is the one you are talking about. We have identified seven corridors in Lagos State where there can be rail.

So to identify them differently, that is why we have the blue line and the red line. Those are the two that we are promoting.

But there is also the green-yellow and others that we have identified just like in London where you have the northern line, jubilee line among others, so that people going from one location to another can know which route to take. The same thing also applies in the United States where you have the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th, the 5th, the 6th lines so that you know which one to take.

The blue line is from Okokomaiko to Marina. That is the one that we have started. At Orile, we are already building the stations.

What is the duration of the project?

Technically, duration is always difficult to say, because duration is also a function of many things. For example, when you get to signal, you know roads depend on signalization. Road is getting to a stage where people don’t drive it anymore, so it is signal. To get the signal, how long do I know it will stay at the port?

Lagos State government does not control the port. So, there are so many varieties but, basically, the essence is for us to do it in segments. We are starting from Okokomaiko end, so, we are doing National Theatre, Mile 2 and so on. The idea is that let’s link up those, because

pends on funding.

Talking of the LagosBadagry Expressway, you have this corridor for light rail, and work has already commenced.

We want to know the stage the project is now and what challenges are you facing and how many people have you been

We have identified seven corridors in Lagos State where there can be rail. So to identify them differently, that is why we have the blue line and the red line.

gerians who have constructed rails in other parts of the world.

So, we bring them. We said ‘come home and do the job, instead of us getting experts from all over the world’. The challenge is that in our generation, nobody has built any rail. The last one was built by the whites in 1903. So, it looks like it is difficult. My ultimate goal is to get the engineering right, do it well and, like I said earlier, much de-

Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat

,

able to identify for compensation?

We are doing two-city changing projects, the rail and the 10lane road project from Eric Moore to Badagry. The major challenge we are facing is funding because it is a project that will span many years. Even though, we have medium frame term of budgeting framework, you plan resources a year, but you plan projects for many

years. So, the first lane is from Eric Moore to Mazamaza, which is already completed.

That is Lot 1. The second stage is Lot 2 which is, from Mazamaza to Okokomaiko. In doing that, the challenge is, we are through with the rail. Now we are building stations at Mile 2, Orile and in two other places.

There are two set of contractors working there. What we decide to do is we are doing relocation of services. We decided to slow down to see the total alignment for the two. So, the first challenge we are having is project interface. The second problem we are having is that these are different contractors, with different plan organization, hierarchy and so on. There will be interface problems in some cases. So, as they are building those stations, we deliberately slowed down the road at that place. In fact, those stations are now above90 percent, so that the road contractor can now go in and do full work, instead of 20 or 25 percent.

So, the challenge is funding and the fact that we are doing two heavy projects. Ordinarily, when you are doing a road, you have to secure the right of way and so many other challenges,

but when you are now doing a 10-lane it is a serious work. In the middle of that there is also going to be a BRT. There will be a rail, there will be BRT, now you must also know the challenges of securing the safety of the interfaces between the rail.

Still on the Lagos- Badagry Expressway, the government once said the road will be completed and delivered in 2015.

Are you still sticking to that year or it has been reviewed upward of downward?

I told you the challenges that we are also having. Let me give you the statistics of this road.

In order for us to do Lot 2, that is Mazamaza in front of the first gate to Okokomaiko, you need 1.7 million cubic metre of sand.

Now, let us put that into perspective. If you lay two metre of sand, you will go to Sokoto and come back. That is the implication of having 1.7 million cubic metre of sand. Now, getting that sand in itself is a challenge and you must get it from somewhere. Now, you go into the deep sea and pump. It is possible that you don’t get sharp sand.

There are instances where you get sludge. We will not allow you as a contractor to put sludge on our road. Really, there are various factors. The resources are also important to us because we won’t shut down other projects. But given every other thing that were know now, we should be able to finish around 2014- 2015.

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alking about resources, e thought that the state government is in partnership with the World Bank. The governor once said the cost of completing the project will be about N250 billion. Are you still working with the budget or it has increased or decreased?

On funding, the state government is not in partnership with the World Bank, the project is directly funded from the state Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. On the current cost of the project, let me say it depends.

We just awarded Lot 2, which is Mazamaza to Okokomaiko, at the cost of N141.7 billion. By the time we awarded Lot 3, we will see.

The last time the governor spoke with you was about three years ago. We all know that prices of things have changed since then. So, like I said, we awarded up to Okokomaiko, by the time we do Okokomaiko up to Badagry, we will have to find out. At that time, we will know the current prices of products. So my thinking is that it will be higher than the amount the government gave three years ago. w

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 27

Pastor dragged to court over alleged assault, pornography

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA & O LU WAT O B I L O B A ADEYEMI

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ll efforts by an Agege Grade A Customary Court,Lagos to convince Blessing, wife of Pastor Victor Odafe, to give her husband a second chance proved abortive as she remained adamant on divorce.

The mother of two who, dragged her husband before the court, vowed not to have

anything to do with Victor whom she claimed always threatened her with physical injuries whenever they had misunderstanding.

Blessing told the court that she lost interest in the relationship when she found that her husband was irresponsible and also lacked care for her and their children.

She added that Victor once alleged that she was responsible for his dwindling fortune.

Blessing also claimed that the

husband used to call her unprintable names including being a prostitute, adding that when she gave birth to their second child, he denied the paternity mainly because the baby was black in complexion while they (the parents ) are fair. The drug and cosmetic marketer alleged that Victor was fond of watching pornographic movies whenever he felt like masturbating. ”l always warned him to stop the bad habit, because it

doesn’t portray him in good light as a minister of God”. She urged the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her custody of the children.

In his defence, Victor, who claims to be a pastor at Empowerment Church Oregun, Lagos, denied the allegations.

According to him, he gave Blessing some money to join him in the church, only to return and discovered that she had gone with the children.

The husband added that he quickly informed her parents who told him that they were not aware of his wife’s decision to pack out of her matrimonial home. ” I was amazed. I had to call my boss to intervene and he did, but Blessing proved stubborn”. He claimed that he began to notice on their

wedding day that his wife was aggressive and abusive, adding that she always nagged.

However, Victor blamed himself for encouraging his wife to abort a pregnancy, saying he did it out of ignorance. The husband also regretted beating his wife due to frustration he “experienced as an Okada rider”. He added, “I had a good job when we were living in Nnewi, Anambra State, before relocating to Lagos, but, in order to make ends meet, l became an Okada rider and got frustrated by the day”.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned the case till November 5, 2012 for further hearing.

It advised the couple to consider reconciliation and return to give progress report at the next adjournment date.

Sa ve us fr om be d- w et tin g wife, mother-in-law begs court

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA & OLUWATOBILOBA ADEYEMI ified against her rs. Florence Bamidele, who test ealed that her son’s wife in open court, rev also fond of was and daughter-in-law was bed wetting dating younger lovers.

Mrs Esther Bamidele, In her counter claim, the in-law, ing her a fetish powaccused the elderly women of giv . Esther said she landdery substance to rub on her face the powder. ed in big trouble after she applied to absolve herself ng tryi was While Madam Florence the court that she never from the accusation, she informed atively. She added that influenced his son (Femi ) neg crazy for sex. ays Esther was adulterous and alw friend came to re’s her Est t ” I remember vividly tha affair with her husband; port her that she was having an to buttress her claims.” she even brought Esther ’s pants never Esther bed wet, whe The mother-in-law alleged that spot to cover up. the on y bab she would put her little ld not talk perfectly She added that the little baby cou ersely affected by his as he grew, because he was adv allegations and told the mother ’s urine. The wife denied a thorn in her was -law r-in the court that her mothe tody of the children. flesh because she denied her cus advised Esther to beg The court adjourned the case and for reconciliation. way her mother-in-law to pave the

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Oro-Ago-Oke-Oyan bridge

Kwara road revolution

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

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he “Legacy Continues” slogan of the present administration in Kwara State is generally understood from the perspective of going ahead with whatever policy,programs and achievements left by Senator Bukola Saraki’s administration in which the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, was a key player.

With the astronomical growth in the beehive of commercial,business and even social activities in ilorin,its metropolis and other major cities in the state such a s Offa,OmuAran,Lafiagi,Shonga C M Y K

among several others,it is understandable that maintaining the roads and even opening the new ones are necessary for future expansion and consolidation of the ongoing legacies in the state as it were.

From the” Operation No Pot Holes” deployed by Ahmed at the inception of his administration to ensure smooth roads in the state, he has gone ahead to open new roads that are of invaluable importance to the business and social lives of the people.

Indeed, one would not appreciate the aggression and the seriousness of the state administration to fix bad roads in Kwara until one was taken round to inspect the roads being constructed and rehabilitated,and which are at

various levels of completion.

Speaking with journalists during the tour, the state commissioner for works and transport, Dr. Abubakar Amuda-Kannike, said that about N630 million had been spent on drainage and re-asphalting of FateGSS road as well as extension of Zango-Polytechnic road.

The commissioner added that the state government had spent over N2.2 billion on development of rural roads across the three senatorial districts of the state in about one and a half years.

Amuda-Kehinde said the development was meant to open up rural communities that had been cut-off by erosion, saying government was committed to adding values to the socio- economic development

of the communities in the state. The commissioner, who said the roads are spread across the three senatorial districts of the state, noted that some of the ongoing projects in different parts of the state are near- completion stages .

They include Oro Ago bridge and the 7.5 kilometre Oro-Ago-Oke-Oyan road with three bridges and culverts in Ifelodun LGA. Some others include rehabilitation of 2.5 kilometre Abdulsalam-Ogo Oluwa-Sanrab road, 1.7 kilometre Rex Bello road, Tanke-Sarab road and Muideen CollegeGaniki road, all in Ilorin me-

tropolis.

He explained that the state government was experimenting on what is available in such places as Cotonou and Niger Republic where some of their laterite roads are laminated, adding that if the government succeeded in that, it would be the standard that would be used for rural roads in Kwara State. ”We decided to give the contractor some locations to test run as we expect the roads would be durable and last for more than 10 years and would not have pot holes easily”, Amuda-Kennike stressed.

28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

Valedict or vice ffor or aledictor oryy ser service lat e Vict or OvieWhisk ey late Victor Ovie-Whisk Whiske

T With Ayo Onikoyi

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is Royal Majesty, Pere Godwin K. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe (Agadagba) of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri-South Area of Delta State began the first royal tour of his kingdom recently since his installation in 2008.

During the tour the monarch commissioned the three quarter halls, Radio House and waiting shield (five) projects completed by the Chief Jeffrey Ojogun led executive worth multi million Naira at Benikrukru. He also seized the moment to reiterate his outlawing sales and marketing of Indian hemp throughout the kingdom. Photos by Akpokona Omafuire

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Royal ttour our of Gbaramatu

HRM Pere Godwin k. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe (Agadagba) of Gbaramatu Kingdom flanked by Chiefs and community leaders as he commissions the Radio House..

HRM Pere Godwin k. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe (Agadagba) of Gbaramatu Kingdom; Chief Joel Gbanale and Chief Julius Tonfawei.

he remains of the former Chairman of the defunct Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO, Hon. Justice Victor Ovie-Whiskey, were laid to rest recently at his Ohore-Uvwie hometown, Uvwie local government area, Delta State. The burial was preceded by a funeral mass and valedictory session in his honour at St. Gregory The Great Catholic Church, Agbarho, Ughelli North and High Court 1, Warri respectively.

Chief Judge of Delta State, Hon. Justice Smith and others during the valecdictory session at High Court 1, Warri

HRM Pere Godwin k. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe (Agadagba) of Gbaramatu Kingdom flanked by Chiefs and community leaders as he commissions the Ancestral Hall.

L-R: Prof. Amos Utuama, Dep. Gov, Delta State, Hon. Justice Smith and Hon. Justice S.I. Uwaifc

HRM Pere Godwin k. Bebenimibo,of Gbaramatu Kingdom prays for Chief Jeffrey Ojogun.

W edding

Chief Jeffrey Ojogun (M) and members of his executive.

Consecration

THE solemnization of the Holy matrimony between Miss Mary Adauchechukwu and Flight Lt. Zuowei Joshua Anyankpele, son of Commodore G.A Anyankpele was held at the Church of the Pentecost (Anglican Communion} Festac town recently

HIS Grace Archbishop Chidi Ezima of College of Bishops, Archbishop Okugo and Bishop Edet Bassey Okon were among the members of the clergy that graced the consecration and investiture of Bishop John Uzoeghelu at the Word of Power Evangelical Mission, Lagos recently

Children of the late Hon. Ovie-Whiskey during the valedictory session

Flight Lt. and Mrs Zuowei Joshua Anyankpele

L-R: His Grace Archbishop Chidi Ezima, Bishop John Uzoeghelu, Archbishop Okugo and Bishop Edet Okon

Family photograph after the outing at St. Gregory The Great Catholic Church

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SUNDAY, Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 —29

With Ayo Onikoyi

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NLC VP gives daughter in wedlock

L-R: Comrade Issa Aremu and wife, Hamdalat, bride’s parents and Alhaji and Mrs Akinwale, groom’s parents

THE Nikkah wedding ceremony of Bashirat Motunrayo , daughter of the vice president of Nigerian Labour Congress and General Secretary NUTGTWN, Comrade Issa Aremu and Abdulakeem Adedayo Akinwale took place at the banquet hall Kwara Hotel,Ilorin recently. It was a gathering of top northern elites

Justice Mustapha Akanbi, presenting the marriage certificate to the couple, Bashirat and Abdulakeem

Comrade Issa Aremu (l) with the representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Saliu Mohammed.

L-R: Comrade Aremu Senator Walid Jibrin and the Imam Of Unilorin Prof. Oladosun R-L: Alhaji Aliko Dangote who officiated the cutting of the wedding cake with the DG, Federal Character Commission, Prof. Shuaheed Oba Abdulraheem and the couple, Bashrat and Abdulakeem.

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Glo live at Ofala festival

op telecom company, Globacom, has done it again in its resolve to support and partner with traditional institutions when it made its presence felt at the recent Ofala festival. The company is the major sponsor of the festival and went the extra mile of reaching out to several strata of the society.

Gov. Peter Obi, the Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the state Commissioner for Education, Dr. (Mrs) Uju Okeke (far right) and Glo’s Head of CSR, Ben Ayede at the commissioning of a block of classrooms and IT centre donated by Glo to Metropolitan College, Onitsha

Globacom Regional Director, Charles Jenarius, presenting a Blackberry handheld to Mr. Akunne Anionwu which he won at a Special Ofala SIM Promo Draw.

Gov. Peter Obi chats with students of Metropolitan College

Agbogidi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe steps out in his full traditional regalia.

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Youth Jamboree

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embers of World Evangelical Bible Church and some members of the public had a glorious experience of intense ministration when the church held its Youth Jamboree recently

Prophet and Prophetess Ayorinde

Members of the church cutting the cake with Prophet and Prophetess Ayorinde

30—SUNDAY, Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

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SUNDAY, Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 —31

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PAGE 32 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

[The proposed benchmark is] “based on a well established econometric methodology of estimating oil price moving averages”- President Jonathan, during presentation of the 2013 Budget.

At last, after thirteen years of return to civilian rule, the Executive branch of government has presented to the National Assembly, NASS, next year’s budget in the early parts of the third quarter of the year. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Federal Minister of Finance, has demonstrated that she, more than any of her predecessors, since she left the office, in 2005, recognizes that time is also an economic variable –just like capital and human resources. For once, the NASS is now under pressure to pass an Appropriation Bill before the end of January, if not by December 31st of 2012. It will be interesting to see how the legislators handle this “hot potato” handed to them much earlier than usual.

However, they can take shelter under the excuse that that the 2012 Budget had been so badly implemented, and much of it still needs to be touched to raise a valid query regarding the soundness of the 2013 Budget since it should naturally be founded on the end year projections for 2012. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tambuwal, appears to have taken that approach when he roundly condemned the execution of the current year’s budget.

The 2013 Budget has inadvertently landed in the NASS at a time when several vexatious matters have been placed on the national agenda at once; and there seems to be no end in sight. Security problems, which were once overwhelmingly paramount, have now to contend with the consequences of flood nationwide; unemployment reaching revolutionary levels; unbridled corruption in high places; the final surrender of Bakassi to Cameroun; government’s failure to implement budgets and achieve the results promised each and every year; and the pervasive lack of confidence in the national leadership from the president to most state governors.

SHAKY FOUNDATIONS – 2012 BUDGET AND $75 PER BARREL BENCHMARK The N4.92 trillion budget proposed for next year is about 4.7% higher than the budget for 2012 which stood at N4.7 trillion, most of which has not been implemented. Specifically, funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government which, according to provisions of the Appropriation Act, should be reC M Y K

Shaky foundations for a budget of consolidation this sad situation. One does not have to be a professional gambler to know that the odds are stacked against a positive turn around. As the lawyers say, “You can’t give what you don’t have”.

President Goodluck Jonathan

leased as and when due, were often withheld for months after they were due. Consequently, most capital projects are either at a standstill or have been abandoned by contractors. Tambuwal pointed to the result of the nationwide assessment tour of projects slated for 2012 by the government itself, which presented a dismal report. Every Ministry or Agency of government complained about funds withheld except for recurrent expenditure – mainly to pay salaries and very little else.

The poor execution of budgets in 2012 has been a pattern established since 2000 when the government of Olusegun Obasanjo started the flagrant disregard for the Appropriation Act by failing to execute annual budgets. In no single year, since that first full year budget, presented by an elected government, has the budget been treated with the seriousness it deserves. Even Okonjo Iweala’s first tour of duty, as Federal Minister of Finance, was not different from the others. Her failure in that respect was masked by the success achieved with debt reduction. This time around, with no obvious success to shield her performance on budget implementation, questions are being raised about her ability to work with people who are admittedly NOT world class – such as she had been accustomed to at the World Bank. Instead of the instant success which debt reduc-

tion represented, she stumbled into the subsidy removal trap and her profile had never been lower. The confidence which finance ministers must induce in the people they lead had been eroded. Now, the tour reports will definitely place the administration under severe pressure; questions will be asked whether the government of President Goodluck Jonathan is capable

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BY DELE SOBOWALE

Mr. President, check the MDAs Jonathan will be well-advised to take a hard and honest look at the Chief Executive Officers of the MDAs if he expects better results from the 2013 Budget implementation process.

While the human factor represents the most important element in the budget for 2013, and for all budgets for that matter, the other indispensable element is the soundness and honesty underlying the assumptions which provide the foundation for the budget. In this regard, the determination of the benchmark adopted for crude oil in the budget. The president, based undoubtedly on advice from the Ministers of Petroleum and Finance, insists on basing the budget on $75 per barrel; the National Assembly, or at least the House of Representatives, prefers $80 per barrel. The difference of $5 per barrel represents 6.25% of the revenue which will ultimately be generated. While the administration would want Nigerians to believe that it bases its claims on “well established econometric methodology”, it is not totally being honest with the peo-

A government which, in three years, has failed to implement its budget should understand why people will be skeptical about its ability to deliver on the next one

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of delivering the dividends of democracy – which has proved elusive for the vast majority of Nigerians since 1999.

Certainly, a government which, in three years, has failed to implement its budget should understand why people will be skeptical about its ability to deliver on the next one. The Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which have failed woefully in the past thirteen years, especially the last one year, are still headed by the same individuals whose poor performance has placed Nigeria in

ple. There is no universally acceptable methodology which applies to all oil producing countries. The econometric model selected is also determined by the objectives which the users of the model want to achieve.

The shambles of an illegal Excess Crude Oil Account Unstated, but demonstrably true, is the fact that the Federal Government, has been operating an illegal Excess Crude Oil Account. Also, undeclared, but also a fact is the need by the

Federal Government to increase the $1.5 billion in the Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF, which the state governments are contending in court. The higher the difference between the actual selling price of crude and the benchmark price, the more money the Federal Government can withhold from the pool of funds to be shared by the three tiers of government. Even when some of the money in the “Excess Crude Account” is shared every quarter, the process still represents forced interest free credit from the other tiers of government to the Federal Government. What the Federal Government is asking the NASS to approve, based on $75 benchmark, when current prices are over $100 per barrel, and are expected to go higher in the first half of 2013, is a bigger pool of funds in the Excess Crude Account for the Federal Government to manipulate at will to the disadvantage of the other tiers of government.

For all the states of Nigeria, but most especially for those states devastated by flood, the time has come for them to be pro-active and support the NASS by insisting that, at least, $80 should be adopted as the benchmark for the budget in 2013.

Okonjo-Iweala has never hidden her disdain for the constitutional provisions which inhibit her and the government she serves from committing fiscal rape of the states. Obviously, she regards leaving a hefty amount in the Excess Crude Account and the SWF as her major objectives the second time as Federal Minister of Finance. While she is on more solid ground with SWF, which represents saving for the future, she is totally wrong on wanting to continue to operate the illegal Excess Crude Account. It is presumed that anybody taking up the job of the Federal Minister of Finance would have studied our laws and must have been prepared to abide by them.

It is totally unacceptable for Okonjo-Iweala, or any other Minister for that matter, to propose continuing disobedience of our laws by the government she serves – on account of self-serving agenda.

What to expect from the budget Based on the track record of this government and its predecessors, the 2013 Budget will, most probably, go down in history as another exercise in futility. It will not be implemented and NASS will do nothing.

SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 14 , 2012, PPA AGE 33 SUNDA

Widows need all the help they can get – Efeturi, founder, Rehoboth Ministry

—Bolaji Dada, Apapa Council Vice

By ESTHER ONYEGBULA

Efeturi Abayomi is the founder of Rehoboth Ministry, an NGO dedicated to less privileged widows in the society. Several years before her husband passed on, she had developed an unflinching passion for widows, touching and impacting their lives in different ways. Recently, we met her at an event organized to celebrate International Widows Day in Lagos where she was the Chief Guest speaker.

Today Efeturi shares her experience as a widow, what led to the establishment of her NGO, the challenges the average Nigerian widow faces in the society, the root causes of the sufferings and impoverishment of widows and the way forward. Enjoy!!

*Efeturi Abayomi.... The man while alive must give full support to his wife.

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How did your work with widows start?

Long before my husband died, I have always had interest and passion for caring for widows because I see them as a group of people that are neglected in the society.

Widows are women that people don’t think about, and this was why my husband and I always reached out to them in our church, neighbourhood and community and periodically, we gave them clothing, food, and financial assistance.

I therefore continued to reach out to widows even after my husband passed on.

Annually, apart from reaching out to individuals helping them to meet their needs, encouraging them and helping them discover their potential and nurture their children, we organize a Christmas get together for widows. We have a musical band at the event that provides entertainment; we have caterers who we pay to take care of food. Last year, with support from a few friends, we distributed clothes, bags of rice and funds to the widows.

So when actually did you establish Rehoboth?

Formally, I established the NGO in 2004. After my husband passed on, my passion for widows grew,

Widows have dreams; they want to be hair dressers, seamstresses but they need equipment after training to be able to do that

because I was practically experiencing what the widows I had met before then were experiencing. I was experiencing the challenges of having to face life alone with my children. I faced the challenge of people not really thinking about you or how you are faring.

So how did you cope with both challenges?

The day my husband passed on, the Holy Spirit inspired

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my heart with Psalm 46, and when I keyed into that psalm, I was able to talk to and call myself to order. I encouraged myself that life must go on. I told myself that there are other widows who have excelled and so I must pull myself together and make the most of the situation. I told myself that if the widows in the Bible could make it, I can do more because Christ is there for me.

What do you think government can do to assist widows in our society?

The government can do a lot.

They should have a vote for widows because they need money to send their children to school. Even some of them still desire to get educated. I myself am presently doing an online program! I thank God and I believe in education and I am able to because I have the funds to do that. But there are some widows who desire to go to school, to learn a trade or acquire a skill. Widows have dreams; they want to be hair dressers, seamstresses but they need equipment after training to be able to do that.

Some want to be caterers but they can’t because of funds.

So the government can do a lot. They can provide scholarships for children of widows. They can provide housing scheme. Early this year, there was a widow who

was thrown out of her residence and she needed fund to rent another apartment. With the help of my friends, we were able to raise money for her to get a new apartment.

Can traditional and cultural re-orientation make a difference in the lives of widows?

Yes! We can talk to families via Television, radio, and print media. You can tell them that widows are also children of other people and they should know that their wives can be widows. Widows should be taken care of and encouraged to motivate their children to excel in life like other children.

What are the greatest challenges you have faced?

The major challenge is fund because we really want to meet their needs. I have met young widows with several children that they have to cater for. We need help to be able to support such people!

What can be done to address how women are treated after their husbands’ death?

This can be addressed in several ways: The man while alive must give full support to his wife, respect her and solicit respect for her from his relatives. A woman should not be left at the mercies of her in-laws. In my case, that really helped. My husband, while he was alive, gave me support and solicited respect for me from his relatives. So, they had no reason to ill-treat me after his death. I didn’t get financial support but at least we are communicating.

Another way is that people need to be informed about how the world has changed.

Widows shouldn’t be made to go through rituals; like having their hair cut, making them sit on the floor, or forcefully taking their late husbands’ estate.

What is your word for widows who send their children to beg on the street?

I would encourage them to work with their hands even if it’s working as a cleaner, rather than send their children to go begging on the streets. They should work in whatever capacity they can to earn income. As they work, they should save part of their income and use the remaining to meet the needs of their children.

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PAGE 34— SUNDAY

VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

BY UDEME CLEMENT

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2013 budget: Implementation, bench mark controversies

Dr. Okonjo Iweala Unit, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Learning Centre, Satellite Town, Lagos: The issue in the budget is not about the bench mark but proper implementation. Looking at the economy presently, government needs to invest more in capital expenditures to stimulate economic growth and development. Government should focus more on improving Housing, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sub-sectors as well as agriculture to enhance creation of jobs inline with its transformation agenda. These sectors if well funded have the potentials to create massive jobs for the youths across the country. Government should embark on housing projects in

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, after the disagreement with the National Assembly on the budget bench mark of $75 per barrel (bpd) of crude oil, presented a financial document of N4.92 trillion as aggregate expenditure for 2013 fiscal year. The document shows an increase of about 5 per cent over the N4.7 trillion appropriated for 2012, which is made up of N380.02 billion for Statutory Transfers, N591.76 billion for Debt Service, N2.41 trillion for Recurrent (NonDebt) Expenditure and N1.54 trillion for Capital Expenditure.

The appropriation bill increased spending by 5 percent from this year ’s N4.697 trillion but shrunk the deficit and cut the share taken by recurrent expenditure. The fiscal deficit declined to 2.17 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2.85 percent previously.

The budget assumes 2.53 million barrels per day bpd oil output, up slightly from 2.48 million bpd in 2012, and a global oil price of $75 a barrel, up from $72 a barrel this year.

The budget focuses on critical economic and social sectors, even as some sectors are largely driven by private sector activities. The statistical analysis include Power sector allocation of N74.26 billion, N183.5 billion for Works, Education takes N426.53 billion, N279.23 billion appropriated for the health sector, N348.91 billion for Defence, Police has N319.65 billion, while Agriculture and Rural Development have N81.41 billion.

Fiscal deficit is projected to improve to about 2.17 per cent of GDP in the 2013 Budget compared to 2.85 per cent this year, which is within the threshold stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

On the Fiscal Policy, the President said in order to promote Nigerian agriculture and industry, additional supportive fiscal measures will come on stream with effec from January 1, 2013 to boost sugar production locally, discourage rice importation and improve air safety.

He said that machinery and spare parts imported for local sugar manufacturing industries will attract zero per cent duty, a 5-year tax holiday for sugarcane to sugar value chain investors; while import duty and levy on raw sugar will be 10 per cent and 50 per cent, refined sugar will attract 20 per cent duty and 60 per cent levy.

Rice will attract 10 import duty and 100 per cent levy will be applied to both brown and polished rice, while all commercial aircraft and aircraft spare parts imported for use in Nigeria will now attract zero per cent duty and zero per cent VAT, in order to improve safety in the Aviation sector.

Experts speak on the budget: The bench mark of $75 per barrel of crude is not the problem - Mr. Sulayman Bello,WAIFEM, Research

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especially the youths. Youth empowerment in agriculture most be given serious concern to enhance productivity in the sector in terms of revenue generation and food security for the nation considering the current population. Another important aspect of agriculture government should implement adequately in the budget is enhancement scheme for farmers. For instance, most youths trained to become professional in agriculture had migrated to urban centres, especially in the Southern states. Similar migration is affecting the Northern region now.

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overnment is trying but a lot needs to be done to

Fiscal deficit is projected to improve to about 2.17 per cent of GDP in the 2013 Budget compared to 2.85 per cent in this year

strategic places like Lagos , Sokoto, Abuja , Kaduna and other areas. The Federal Housing Authority must be empowered to function effectively. Infrastructure development like power, roads and railway projects need special attention. llocation for agriculture needs adequate utilisation - Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) Abuja, Dr. Godwin Oyedele Oyediji, and a former chairman, Agriculture, Non-oil Export Trade Group, Lagos Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (LACCIMA): The major issue we are looking at is adequate implementation of the amount allocation for agriculture to enhance creation of jobs for the citizens,

Mr. Sulayman Bello

Mr. Charles Akinsete

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fast track growth in the sector.

For example, there is provision of N5million loan for animal scientists now. The loan is made possible through the effort of Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) for people involved in direct production. The loan is disbursed by National Economic Reconstruction Fund, which is an agency charged with the responsibility of giving the facility to graduate of animal science, at 8 per cent interest without clitoral. The stringent condition of collateral has removed through the initiative of NIAS, in order to ensure easy accessibility to the loan.

The sector needs export support, market penetration and technology to add value to the outputs.

The government should also address the issue of Value-

Chain pragmatically in various agricultural produce like cassava, which could be used for ethanol, glucose and starch to generate more income for farmers. For instance, the skin of domestic animal like goat is useful for shoe making with high industrial value. Eating the meat with the skin is just like

consuming an industry, because the skin has low protein content. Other things government must implement are processing and efficient packaging of agricultural produce to meet international standard. Subsequently, government should strive to meet the 25 per cent bench mark for the sector, because it has the capacity to create more jobs. The 25 per cent is the specified bench mark already on ground.

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HE major problem with our budget is poor implementation—Mr. Charles Akinsete, a financial analyst and the First Vice Chairman, Nigerian Association of Industrial Pharmacists (NAIP): The issue with national budget in the country has gone beyond the figures and monetary allocations for various sectors of the economy.

We are concerned about appropriate implementation of the budget to achieve the desired result. For example, the amount allocated for the health sector should be used to improve the health care system in the country, such that ordinary citizens can have access to good health care services when need be. For instance, government has a responsibility to tell us how much of the appropriation bill of 2012 was implemented.

Simple allocating figures on paper without implementation would not have the economy in any way.

APMT terminals wins Port Award …Invests $3billion in infrastructure

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PM Terminals the concessionaire managing Apapa ports has again been named “Port Operator of the Year” for 2012, at the prestigious Lloyd’s List Global Awards Gala held in London .

The annual award, presented by Lloyd’s List, an industry publication covering the shipping world since 1732, was given in recognition of the company capability to maintain high operational efficiency and customer service throughout the year, with exceptional innovation, improved efficiency, profitability and successful investment in port operations.

The judging panel, made up of veteran shipping industry experts, expressed satisfaction on the $3 billion investment in infrastructure made during

the past year across APM Terminals’ Global Terminal Network, which now encompasses interests in 70 port facilities in 40 countries, and cited APM Terminals’ commitment to sound growth based upon “the highest standards of ethical and sustainable business practices”, praising APM Terminals’ tangible results in improvement of Safety Performance and reduction of CO2 emissions.

APM Terminals Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Francois Delenclos, received the award on behalf of the company.

Among the finalists in the Port Operator category were, Global Ports Investments, APM Terminals’ new joint venture partner in Russia .

Menu Masters in Akure

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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ENU Masters has opened shop in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Located along Akure - Owo road, the eatery showcases the originality of African dishes.

The proprietor, Vincent Olusola Bajulaye, said the urge to contribute to the economic development of the nation prompted him to establish the eatery.

Bajulaye said that by establishing the outfit, he has

created employment opportunities in the state capital.

“This is the beginning of good things to happen to eatery business in Akure and Ondo State in general.”

He informed that about 30 workers had been trained on the aspect of food handling, assuring that the center will in no time become the best eatery in the state. The director assured that customers satisfaction would be given priority by the establishment, saying it is a complete new dimension in food affairs.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 35

Customs reform: We are overcoming the challenges – CAC Mohammed

BY UDEME CLEMENT

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OU operate within a free zone. What is the difference between your Command and other Commands at the border points in the country?

To start with, Onne Port Command Area II, Port Harcourt , Rivers State , operates within Onne Oil and Gas free zone, which has assumed the status of the largest growing dedicated oil and gas free zone in the world.

Our activities differ from other Commands in the sense that the zone has Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) for bigger vessels and Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT) for smaller vessels. Here, we deal with conventional imports as well as oil and gas imports. We deal mostly with multi-nationals. For instance, about 90 per cent of National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) equipment are brought in through Onne, because Intels Nigeria Limited has the capacity to handle large equipment. We also have bulk cargoes like cement, pipes and other equipment. Within the zone, companies carry out fabrications, pipe coating, boats construction, repair and maintenance. Most imports coming into the zone are duty free. The zone also has dedicated terminals, warehouses for oil and gas equipment, which are duty free at the time of imports. These imports become dutiable when they are exported out of the free zone and when value is added to them.

Who are the concessionaires managing the facility currently?

Onne is managed by three concessionaires: Intels Nigeria Limited, West Africa Container Terminal and Brawal Shipping, which is the only indigenous company.

Your Command raked in over N53.1billion from

Comptroller Magaji Mohammed January to September 2012.

How did you achieve this?

In the summary of revenue collection from January to September this year, we realised N32.1billion for the Federation

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The on-going reform in Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is on course. Customs, last financial year, made an impressive performance, as it over shot revenue target with N886.6billion as against N772.3billion. In the same vein, Onne Port Command Area II, Port Harcourt , Rivers State , raked in over N53.1billion from January to September 2012.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Magaji Mohammed, who was former CAC Oyo-Osun Command, DC Administration in Onne and Acting Comptroller Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU), speaks on the measures put in place to enhance operational efficiency in the Command.

generating revenue for government to run the economy. This is because the Customs management has repositioned the service for greater growth through intense capacity b u i l d i n g programmes, good welfare packages for officers and enabling environment for officers to operate.

The management dynamism of the Comptroller General of Customs, Dikko Inde, is so unique that

NCS can now boast of intelligent officers who are trained to compete with their counterparts globally. His deliberate polices of carrying stakeholders along and posting

In the summary of revenue collection from January to September this year, we realised N32.1billion for the Federation Account and N20.4billion for non-Federation Account, making a total of N53.1billion

Account and N20.4billion for non-Federation Account, making a total of N53.1billion.

We achieved it through a collective effort of officers who are alert to their statutory duty of facilitating trade and

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What is the agreement between the service providers and Customs?

HE service providers were brought in as part of the reform process under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement for a period of seven years, which ends on December 31, 2012.

This implies that by January 2013, we will take over from the service providers because we have been under-studying them.

What is the penalty for corrupt officers who conspire with smugglers to defraud government?

The nature of our Command in Onne does not allow sharp practices because it is located in a free zone, and not within the border region where smuggling is common. What happens sometime here is under-declaration by small scale traders, which are common in other places. For example, a trader can bring in 10 items and under declare them as 7 to cut corners, but we have a way of handling such cases.

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officers to areas of competence greatly contributed to outstanding performance in the Service.

What is your seizure profile for the period under review?

We recorded total of nine

Oil magnate harps on philanthropy HIEF Executive Officer of Ceecon Oil and Gas, Mr Chima Desmond Anyanso, has urged wealthy Nigerians to help lessen the hardship in the country by assisting the less privileged.

He made the plea during his birthday celebration at the Sought After Children Orphanage, Lagos. According to him, he decided to celebrate with the children to put smiles on their faces.

Anyanso, who also runs a non-governmental organization - Ahoma Anyanso Foundation (AAF) - which caters for over 300 children, explained that he chose to celebrate the occasion with the orphanage children because it provided him with an

seizures. We have five 40FT containers and four 20FT containers. The total value is N110.4million, total duty is N17.8million and the total duty paid value is N128.2million.

The items include textile fabrics, soybeans oil, rolls of lining, second hand clothes, bags and accessories.

What are the challenges for operating within a free zone where most imports are duty free?

The initial challenge was the inability of importers and clearing agents to follow the guideline of the reform in the ports in terms of Customs clearing processes, which moved from manual to eprocesses to fast track operations like what obtains in developed countries. For instance, the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) is done on-line.

In Onne, SGS is the service provider in charge of RAR and maintenance of the scanning site. This implies that SGS assesses imports, gives appropriate value and issues RAR as advisory documents to Customs. Through the reform, a service provider like Webb Fontaine, handles all our models, which include installation of equipment transmission equipment and computers.

opportunity to reach out to even more people.

“We lavish a lot of good things on ourselves and most times forget these ones who also need love and care”, he said, while calling on spirited Nigerians to always give a helping hand to those in need.

The high point of the visit was the presentation of gift items such as food and toiletries, award of scholarships to some of the children and free medical services to the children, which were provided by a team of experts from St. Edward’s Specialist Hospital.

The ceremony also featured exaltation and prayers with the children of the orphanage and cutting of cake among others.

False declaration often results in penalty of out right seizure, especially if prohibited items are imported in pretence as normal goods. We have issues of false declaration, under declaration and under invoicing, which are treated differently. Beyond that, false declaration has reduced drastically because Customs regularly enlightens people through seminars, stakeholders’ forum and interface with agents on the economic implications of false declaration and sabotaging government efforts in growing the economy. Aside from that, our e-processes do not give room for manipulations.

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ow will you assess the Service in the last three years under the current management?

The management has performed creditably in the last three years. For example, NCS just acquired a 12-seater jet for its operations to curb smuggling across borders in the country. The plane would further strengthen aerial surveillance at different terrain around land and sea that dot the nation’s borders, especially riverine and mountainous areas, which make monitoring and combating of the activities of the borders traders difficult.

Also, the recent re-election of Dikko as Vice Chairman of the Central and West African Region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) was remarkable and due to his outstanding performance.

The Central and West African Region is one of the partitions through which the 177nations member body carries out its functions. Clearly, practical solutions to numerous challenges facing the Customs services in our region requires officer like Dikko with exceptional skills and foresight to tackle. That is why his re-reelection becomes most significant. Also, the Nigeria Customs Staff College , Gwagwalada in Abuja , which has become a centre for capacity building within the entire West African sub-region was built and equipped by Dikko’s administration. Again the current Customs management has broken every available record in revenue collection, because the leadership has been able to motivate his staff effectively while blocking loopholes for revenue leakages in the system.

From left: Ade Awonaike, Chief Operating Officer, Resource Intermediaries Limited (RIL), Soji Oyawoye, MD-CEO of RIL, Bryan Hammond and Alfred Kotun of Mainstreet Bank at the RIL breakfast meeting in Lagos.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

BY DAYO JOHNSON

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Oluwarotimi Akeredolu

Olusola Oke

Olusegun Mimiko

SIX DAYS TO THE ONDO GUBER POLL

How Mimiko, Akeredolu, Oke stand comatose party which has been engulfed in crisis since 2007 when the party was sacked.

Whereas some chieftains of the party are still not in support of his candidature, majority of them have beaten a retreat. His choice, despite the fact that Agagu equally hails from the southern area, is to neutralise Mimiko incursion into the senatorial zone believed to be the PDP stronghold.

In the A C N, the choice of Akeredolu greatly affected the popularity of the party

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HE governorship election taking place in Ondo State on Saturday is not going to be a tea party for any of the three gladiators vying for the coveted seat of governor.

Incidentally the trio: Olusola Oke of the PDP, Olusegun Mimiko of the ruling LP and Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of the A C N, are graduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife Osun State.

For the first time in the history of the state, the three candidates eyeing the governorship position are representing the three senatorial areas of the state with each of them not only formidable in his locality but is ready to coast home to victory with every vote in his domain.

Oke, popularly referred to as ”Oke is okay ”, represents the southern area where the immediate past Governor Olusegun Agagu hails from; Mimiko, fondly called Iroko of Ondo politics, is from the central; while Akeredolu; who goes by the name ”the Chosen/ Aketi ”, is from the northern area.

Of the 13 political parties presenting candidates for the contest, only the three are actually in the race while others are just there.

The opposition parties, that is PDP and A C N, are fielding heavyweights who are not leaving any stone unturned to uproot the Iroko of Ondo politics. It may actually be a big task for any of them because Mimiko himself is seeing this election as the fight of his life. It will either make or mar him politically.

While the PDP leaders, especially Agagu and the national leader of the A C N, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, would want to do all within their reach to sack Mimiko from the Government House to save their faces, the governor will want to prove a point that he is firmly in control of the state politically.

The three parties and their chieftains from within and outside the state have been involved in electioneering campaign across the 18 council areas of the state within the last one month.

While the A C N campaign centres on personality attack of Mimiko, Oke chooses to combine attack with an assurance of building on the achievements of the immediate past Governor Olusegun Agagu before he was sacked.

Mimiko too combines attack of the A C N and the PDP with an improvement on his three years achievements in all the sectors of the economy.

Vice President Namadi Sambo led the National Chairman of the PDP Bamanga Tukur to the state to mobilise support for Oke who is the immediate past National Legal Adviser of the party, while Tinubu and National Chairman of the ACN Bisi Akande led other south west governors to the state for a three-day electioneering campaign for its candidate who is a former Nigeria Bar Association NBA President.

The choice of Oke as the candidate of the PDP has no doubt breathed life into the

state.

The councils in the South which Oke may win include Ilaje, Okitipupa with the help of Agagu, who is from there, and Ese Odo because of the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programme and Niger Delta Affairs, Hon Kingsly Kuku, but the leader of ex-militant from the area, High Chief Bibopri Ajube, has vowed to work for the victory of Mimiko in the council area. The governor too may coast home to victory in the three remaining councils in the

A critical analysis of the candidates shows that while Oke will put up a brilliant performance in the South where he hails from, Mimiko is banking on his achievements in the area to give the PDP candidate a good fight in his domain

following which many of the party chieftains, including some governorship aspirants, defected to the ruling LP and PDP in protest of his alleged imposition by leaders of the party from Lagos. His choice, despite criticism, was, according to the party leaders, to settle the northern area especially the Owo people, who have been marginalised after the tenure of the late sage, former Governor Adekunle Ajasin.

A critical analysis of the candidates shows that while Oke will put up a brilliant performance in the South where he hails from, Mimiko is banking on his achievements in the area to give the PDP candidate a good fight in his domain.

Mimiko is planning to poach in this zone because many of his political appointees are from the southern part of the

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zone: Irele, Ile Oluji/Okeigbo and Odigbo.

Mimiko’s associates ready to work for him in the zone include the environment commissioner Sola Ebiseni, the commissioner representing the state on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dele Omogbemi, a former commissioner on the Board of NDDC, Benson Enikuemehin, the member representing Ilaje/Ese-Odo federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Raphael Nomiye, the chairman of the council, Banji Okuomo and the members of the House of Assembly, Oyebo Aladetan and Gbenga Edema. The votes from Ilaje may be won by the LP or be spilt with the PDP. But the people of the area will not entirely leave their own at this crucial hour.

In Irele, the LP with education commissioner Remi Olatubora and former works commissioner Yele Omogunwa will be able to checkmate the only House of Representatives member of the PDP from the area, Albert Akintoye.

The ACN may pull some weight in Okitipupa where its deputy governorship candidate, Dr Paul Akintelure, hails from but he cannot go far. The contest in Okitipupa is between LP and PDP with PDP having the upper hand.

It is believed that the A C N may have votes in Odigbo and Ile Oluji but it will be minimal.

Now to the central senatorial district consisting of Ondo West and Ondo East, Ile Oluji Okeigbo, Akure North and Akure South, and Ifedore where the incumbent hails from, this is not the stronghold of the two opposition parties and Mimiko is expected to win massively in this zone.

The governor is expected to garner majority of the votes in his domain going by the level of development in this area of the state. Infact, he is being vilified for the concentration of projects here but, while many do not see the political implication, Iroko knew that the payback time will come and October 20 may be the time. But the likes of the Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Environment, Bola Ilori, and Dr Bayo Ademodi, a member of the Afenifere Renewal Group, may pull some weight in Ondo West and East but they cannot rattle Iroko there.

Mimiko has never lost any election in his Ondo West and Ondo East base while Akure South and Akure North local government areas will go the way of LP because of the infrastructural development masterminded by the governor in the areas.

With the likes of information commissioner Kayode

Akinmade, the Chief of Staff Dr Kola Ademujimi, the senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District, Ayo Akinyelure, and Taye Akinyele, a member of the House of Assembly, the hilly Idanre town will vote massively for the LP while the Deputy Director General of the Mimiko Campaign Organization, Clement Faboyede, and Gboye Adegbenro will hold tight to Ifedore council.

The opposition parties will struggle to have the required 25 percent in the central senatorial district despite the existence of the likes of the Director General of the Mimiko Campaign Organization, Chief Tayo Alasoadura in Akure North.

The northern senatorial district, which consists of Owo, Ose, Akoko NortheEast, Akoko North-West, Akoko South-West and Akoko South-East, is regarded as a free zone for the three parties to feed on. The PDP picked its deputy governorship candidate Saka Lawal from there just as the ruling LP deputy governorship candidate Alhaji Ali Olanusi, is from there. It would have been the stronghold of the A C N if the party had allowed the emergence of its governorship candidate to be transparent. But Olanusi, though an old horse, has more political experience than the youthful Lawal who defected from LP to A C N and later crossed over to the PDP when he failed to be crowned the governorship candidate.

Lawal too is said to be a strategist and a mobilizer of youths who are in his age bracket.

Now the PDP and the LP are battling for the votes from the North with the two deputy governorship candidates cashing on their individual popularity and political patronage to the people.

However, the LP won all the House of Assembly seats, the House of Representatives seats and the senatorial seat in the 2011 polls.

Akeredolu’s choice frustrated the much-mouthed Akoko Agenda which the six Akoko councils had wanted to sell to the people of Ondo State to produce the governor but the A C N action has divided the councils.

However, Akeredolu has been able to win back the heart of some of the aspirants of the party who were aggrieved and they have assured him of support in the areas.

However, notable politicians from the areas, Dr. Olu Agunloye, Saka Lawal, and Olaiya Oni, have defected to LP and PDP. The six Akoko councils have no stake in the opposition A C N and with the slot of deputy governor from both the PDP and the ruling LP, the councils may go either way or better still they may split the votes.

All said and done, the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the two opposition parties may work against them in the North because the district is predominantly Muslim. This may work for the LP which has a Christian/Muslim ticket.

Of the three graduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, who will wear the Ondo gubernatorial cap on October 20? The answer remains in the belly of time.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 37

AHEAD OF OCTOBER 20 POLL …

2007 election re-echoes in Ondo

*Agagu seeks justice on alleged forged security reports keep saying that the mandate was stolen. Whereas, they are the people who stole somebody ’s mandate by forging security reports. I thought this matter should be made clear to all and sundry, so I wrote a petition to the Chief Justice of the Federation that the matter should be looked into so that the right decisions can be taken by the system. First is to exonerate me, secondly is to expose people who procured judgement in a fraudulent manner so that the whole world can see.

BY DAPO AKINREFON

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OU said recently that the security reports obtained to remove you from office as governor were forged. What is your position on this issue?

The origin of this is that during the tribunal hearings in Akure in 2007 and 2008, some security reports were tendered by the Labour Party which said there were election irregularities in 10 of the local government areas where we won. There are 18 local government areas in Ondo State, the Labour Party won in seven, while the PDP won in 11. As per INEC results, the PDP won but the Labour Party went to the tribunal to raise objections as to the fairness of the elections in the 10 local government areas where the PDP won. The Labour Party did not have any cogent case to make except that they tendered some purported SSS reports saying the election was manipulated, that there was violence, ballot snatching in those 10 local government areas where the PDP won.

Our lawyers objected to those reports because they were tendered across the bar and the judges said they would look at the merits and demerits of whether to give considerations to the reports or not.

To cut the long story short, we found out that, in their judgement, they wrote clearly that the election should be cancelled in Okitipupa, Ilaje and few other local government areas.

Specifically, they said the election was manipulated based on the SSS reports.

Our lawyers objected to the C M Y K

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Olusegun Agagu reports at the tribunal and the Director of SSS was subpoenaed to come and give evidence; and the legal officer of the SSS in Ondo State was sent to come and give evidence and he said clearly at the tribunal that those reports did not emanate from the SSS. Based on that, we never knew that the judges would take any consideration and make any judgement based on the documents. Alas, when the judgement came, it was written that results should be cancelled in a number of local governments based on the reports at the tribunal.

Hostile witness e appealed, objecting to the declaration, especially because the SSS official came and denied that such reports emanated from their system. Again, we thought the Court of Appeal judges would hold our view, because that was the truth; unfortunately, the court again ruled that they would uphold those reports. The Court of Appeal actually said that the officer of the SSS must have been a hostile witness. How they arrived that he was a hostile witness, only God knows. That was how we were removed from office.

Painful as that was, I decided to take it as the will of God. About a year later, I think it was on May 19, 2010 because we were removed from office on February 23, 2009, I thought that I might not have to go and fight to be governor of Ondo State but it would be wise to put the records straight for the sake of posterity. And that our democracy will be at risk if people deliberately concoct security reports and use them to obtain judgement in cases where they have lost election.

So I wrote to Mr President

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complaining and that I will want the case to be investigated. I wrote first to the late President Yar ’Adua, who didn’t respond to my petition until he passed on. By the time President Jonathan came on board as Acting President, I sent another letter to him and I must thank him very much. Within a week, he instructed the InspectorGeneral of Police to investigate the matter. The matter was investigated, I was visited by the SSS personnel and I was also invited to Abuja to write a statement.

The long and short of it is that at the end of the day, the police officers in the Special Investigation Unit told me that they found out that the SSS confirmed that the reports

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DR Olusegun Agagu is a former governor of Ondo State. In this interview, he speaks on the alleged falsified security reports obtained to oust him from office. While he is optimistic that justice will prevail at the end of the day, Agagu states that he intends to set the records straight hence his decision to petition the Chief Justice of the Federation.

On his party’s chances in the October 20 governorship election in the state, he says: “I think the PDP is doing well and I am confident that by October 21 when the election results will be announced, Chief Oke, our candidate, will be voted in as the next governor of Ondo State”.

Excerpts:

HAT was your initial reaction when you read the police report stating their findings?

Honestly, I knew those security reports were forged.

How? Because I was still governor when the reports were found out and I invited the Director of SSS in Ondo State and he came and swore with everything he had in life that those reports were forged and showed me what a normal SSS report would look like.

So, we were clear in our minds that they were forged, but the judiciary refused to see it that way and used them to rule us out. So, we were aware.

The police investigation and eventual report only went to vindicate our position and I want to thank the hierarchy of the police and the SSS for the excellent job they did,

The police investigation and eventual report only went to vindicate our position and I want to thank the hierarchy of the police and the SSS for the excellent job they did

were forged and that they were going to prosecute the Labour Party chief who, the tribunal, tendered those documents. That is where we are. For about two years now, the matter has been laid to rest. I, therefore, decided about two weeks ago, that for posterity and for one’s name, the last thing I want people to think about me is that I stole somebody’s mandate.

And the Labour Party people never cease for one minute to

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coming out clearly that those reports were forged. It is a criminal offence and they have vowed to charge those people who were behind it to court.

How optimistic are you that justice will prevail at the end of the day? f one will dispassionately look at the judiciary in the country and its role in the last ten years or so with regards to election matters, one would

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see between 2006 and 2010 that judgements were a bit unusual in a number of cases.

In a number of places like Osun, Ekiti, Edo and Ondo, you could see question marks in some of those judgements.

A lot of protestations have been going on in the some of the states mentioned. Such expositions will want to make one doubt the judiciary as to whether we can get justice or not, but I think the judiciary itself, since the period of the last CJN, has been looking at itself with a view to trying to cleanse the system and ensure that the judiciary stands above board as they are supposed to be.

I have had some comments about Justice Mukthar that she is a no-nonsense woman and that she would always stand on the side of the truth. That is what encouraged me to write to her to see her views about the matter.

But what do intend to make out of this?

I am not keen on going back to be governor of Ondo State but I am not happy about people who have procured some judgement by fraud to be enjoying that unquestioned. I also think that Nigerians should know about this, our electoral system should know about this so that we can start to expose and deal with and guard against people who have fraudulent intentions from derailing our nascent democracy. Those are the things I expect and all I need to hear is that: we know that this is phony and I will go and rest in my house.

H

ow would you react to the warning from the Labour Party that you should desist from your quest?

This is not about abuse, there are simple questions: were security reports tendered? The answer is yes.

Who tendered them? The answer is Labour Party. Are the security reports real or fake?

We know now that the reports are fake. The purported owners of the security reports, that is the SSS and police, have said that those reports are fake.

These are clear facts, but what happens after that, depends on the judiciary. I am happy if the world knows about these things.

The governorship election in Ondo State has been tagged a three-horse race. Do you think your party stands a chance to win at the polls considering the incumbency factor?

When people talk about incumbency, it is a doubleedged sword. When you are an incumbent, you have power to manipulate by influencing the police and other security agencies and INEC. We think that the umpire will not allow themselves to be used, so we expect the police, the SSS and INEC to create a level-playing ground for all. The other side of incumbency is that the occupier of the seat now will be viewed and judged by all as to how their government is performing, if possible in relation to previous governments. So the person on the seat is like in the witness box.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

‘Kebbi govt is accountable’ Mr Aminu Usman doubles as Solicitor General and chairman, Bureau on Due Process, Kebbi State. He explains, in this interview, how the Due Process Office is saving the state several hundreds of millions of naira that would have otherwise leaked out of government treasury.

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HE due process you chaired, what is it all about and how has it been helping government?

Due process is a mechanism put in place to facilitate the procurement process in the state. This is to ensure that whatever is done on procurement is done in compliance with all the processes that have been put in place, whether financial or administrative. And for this purpose, two laws were enacted by the Kebbi State Assembly. The first legislation is the one establishing the due process mechanism itself and the title of the legislation Kebbi State Bureau on Price Intelligence which is the Bureau I am chairing, and is responsible for ensuring compliance in the system and the budget in construction of works, goods and services in Kebbi State. So, the Bureau essentially is to ensure that all ministries, departments and agencies of the government of Kebbi State in under taking procurement of works and service comply with the law.

So, how has it helped the effective running of government?

Before the coming of the two legislations, the scenario could be described as one in which, for instance, decision could be taken to award a contract for the purchase of goods and materials for which no appropriation has been made by government; so, when you pick the budget, you find that there are no funds appropriated by the House of Assembly for that procurement. So, what the due process mechanism is saying is that you cannot take a decision to procure works, goods and services without any enabling appropriation.

With the due process mechanism in place, immediately a procurement decision is taken, we need to ascertain that there is a budgetary provision for it; if there is no provision, there will be no procurement. So, in other words, we are looking for budget discipline.

Since you came in, what would you say are the milestones?

Milestone, in a nut shell, to me, has been the fact that, now, you find that there is a tremendous improvement in C M Y K

terms of matching procurement decision with the budget. There is a tremendous improvement in the performance of the budget in the sense that if the budget has been said to be implemented, it is not just that billions has been earmarked, you could see it on ground. For example, in the health sector, when government budgeted for the upgrading of hospitals, if you go round, you will find that many hospitals have been upgraded from primary health centres to general hospitals.

There was an appropriation to construct from the scratch a 200-bed hospital on the road to Kalgo, you will see that edifice that was constructed for about N3. something billion. So, those are the things that I can point to as an improvement in the implementation of the budget.

There are so many other examples to cite. In the education sector, more than 60 new schools have been built across the state and most of them will be coming on stream to admit new students soon.

So what are the challenges you have come across in the process of carrying out the duties of your agency?

The challenges are enormous. First of all, there is paradigm shift because business as usual has stopped and it is an uphill task for somebody to appreciate the position you are coming from that what you are doing is not against the interest of that person but in his interest.

When you look at the due process mechanism, in essence, you can reduce whatever it is doing to accountability. All we are trying to do is to say that take X Y decision into a path that will lead to Z. They don’t want to take that fact into consideration but will rather continue doing things the way they know how. My argument has always been that the fact that you have been doing certain things for the past 20 years does not make it right.

So, now, what we are saying is that, review what you have been doing in the past 20 years and look at it in the light of these factors and change to the new ways. Now having spoken in the abstract, in real terms, we are saying that the fact that it is public service does not mean one should not be prudent. You need to tailor all your resources to what positive it is going to deliver to the people and therefore it is an up hill task not only within the confines of government but even out there with the people themselves for them to understand. It is difficult for them trying to understand that you want to enhance the

When you see a governor with a retinue of 100 hangers-on and they are going about in a jamboree distributing the largesse of public office, you tend to see more people singing the praises to high heaven of that kind of governor.

But when you come across a governor who says, ‘look, for a moment, public office is

Mr Aminu Usman

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BY LEKAN BILESANMI

He has discharged the responsibility of that trust by executing projects and programs that will translate into providing those public goods and services

delivery of public goods by utilising public resources optimally and it is a serious challenge as far as we are concerned at the level of Due Process Office.

What can you objectively tell people about this administration especially for those who don’t know anything about this government?

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public office, you have entrusted this office to me and what it means is that you want me to steer the affairs of that office in a way that you want me to come back and account to you that the resources that was put in my trust was utilised for A B C D E F. In my understanding, as the person you have given that trust, you did not ask me that

I should take the public resources you entrusted to me to start sharing it as a largesse to any person I like. Therefore I will not go around now to share it in any way I like.

Rather I would want to be seen to channel public resources towards public good that I think constitutes the essential requirement of that trust you have in me’. So, if you come to Kebbi and you see that the governor does not have a very large retinue of hangers-on singing his praises to high heaven, I won’t be surprised because he doesn’t believe that he is in public office for him to start dishing out public resources to everybody. His belief which I subscribe to also is that being the governor of Kebbi State means that he is giving a trust and that entails that he should use public resources by providing utilities and make sure that hospitals, light ,and education are provided for the people. I am saying that I stand to be contradicted that he has discharged the responsibility of that trust by executing projects and programs that will translate into providing those public goods and services. The preponderance of people out there who might think things are going in the wrong direction, I think he is listening to them. But the vocal minority could go out there because he is not spending money on jamboree of pilgrimage of medical treatment, the governor himself does not go out of the state for medical treatment. If the governor has any medical problem, I stand to be contradicted, he does not go anywhere else, he consults the same doctors that are in the employ of government of Kebbi State.

Women re-strategize ahead of 2015

BY EPHRAIM OSEJI

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

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HILE men are busy doing their underground work ahead of 2015 polls, a platform is being created for more women with political prospect to share experiences, network and interact with each other and chart a course for the future.

The platform centered on empowering women with necessary political skills like communication, lobby and negotiating skills as well as fund raising for political campaigns which have been identified as a major challenge hindering women’s active participation in politics.

The workshop was sponsored by African Women Development Fund, a Ghana based organization, and organised by a nongovernmental organisation, Ajegunle Community Project (ACP). It lasted two days.

Enjoining women to actively participate in leadership at all levels, the Executive Director, Ajegunle Community Project, in her opening speech, said that “the workshop is to involve and mobilize women ahead of 2015 elections by building their capacity and leadership skills. “From a

recently survey we carried in Lagos and Delta state, we found out that while the political consciousness and political awareness of women in Lagos is very high, their counterparts in Delta state is low”,she added.

In her presentation, Comfort Idika-Ogunye, a gender activist, said that women’s participation in governance in Nigeria is very low, about 7%, and the lowest in the

world,adding that to address this inequality in governance, 35% affirmative action should be entrenched and guaranteed for women.

Another speaker, Dr. Keziah Awosika, charged Nigeria leaders on national gender policy, stating:“if Nigeria as a country must move with other countries in terms of achieving these millennium goals, there must be gender equity”.

Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu,ACN governorship candidate, Ondo State (2nd right) with the chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Govt. Area,Lagos State, Comrade Ayodele Adewale (3rd right) speaking at a youth forum in Ondo State . With them are Akeredolu's running mate ,Dr Paul Akintelure (r), Abike Dabiri(2nd left)

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 39

Dr. Akintola Omigbodun

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ou are an expert on environmental issues, particularly flooding.

What got the flooding story in Nigeria started and was it avoidable?

There is a dam across the River Benue in Cameroon called Lagdo Dam. This dam is about 40meters high. Its storage capacity is about half of what is found in Kainji Lake Dam. And at full flow, if equipment was installed in it, it could possibly generate 700 megawatts of electricity. But the equipment is limited and is only generating about 20 megawatts.

They are also supposed to have an irrigation scheme in that dam. The result is that the dam is storing a huge amount of water and is not being used for any purpose. In the event of so much rainfall like what we have now, the people around the dam would become terrified that it might be overtopped. So the authorities release additional water from the dam.

What we get now is a lot more than what we would get. If there was no dam, the water will continue to flow day in day out. But when you put a dam, you are controlling the flow of water; when you now suddenly release the water because you are afraid your dam will overtop, then it will result to releasing much water. The Lagdo Dam has been flooding every year, just that this year is exceptional. Communities in Cameroon are also flooded.

There is a town called Garua; C M Y K

Dr. Akintola Omigbodun is an expert in flood management. In this interview, he says the floods ravaging many states in Nigeria are avoidable. Omigbodun, who fielded questions from Vanguard editors during a visit to the media house, last week, also deplores the Ministry of Water Resources’ handling of the crisis and warns that there are grave dangers ahead for Lagos and Ogun states should the water in Oyan Dam not be properly managed.

every year, that place is flooded. But in order to save Nigeria, the Cameroonian government should lower their operational level, otherwise, every year, most Nigerian communities will continue to be flooded.

Can we know more about this operational level that you want the Cameroonian authorities to lower?

What really happened was that they opened the gate of their dam. The actual water released from that dam from 1992 to 2002 showed that they opened a number of gates at higher percentages. Floods are associated with rainfall, water courses, streams, rivers, dams and reservoirs where water behind dams are stored. Rainfall is natural while dams and their reservoirs are hand made and are therefore subject to human control. Dam owners and operators are expected to exercise control over the water behind their dams such that in years of heavy rainfall and for singular rainfall events, water passing through the dams does not damage infrastructure or create floods.

Earthquakes are natural events and, when they occur in cer-

tain regions, there is considerable damage to buildings and other social infrastructure.

However, in some areas such as Tokyo in Japan, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the United States, buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes. Damage from natural occurrences can be limited through appropriate human action. For example, the Netherlands has over two-thirds of

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BY CHARLES KUMOLU

Our experience in Nigeria suggests that dam operators should prepare for heavy rainfall within the next 20 years and for singular rainfall events leading to exceptional floods within the next 35years.

Is there a nexus between the Dam in Cameroon, and the River Benue and the flooding of the Oyan Dam? There is no physical connection. What we have is operational connection. They (Cameroon) are storing a lot of water in the lake and they are not doing much with it. And when the water is much, they release it and the released water causes flooding. If they release it in small quantity, it would not have effect, but when they release the water in large quantity, it results to flooding. The Osun River is not in any way

They (Cameroon) are storing a lot of water in the lake and they are not doing much with it. And when the water is much, they release it and the released water causes flooding

its economy and half its population below sea level. The Netherlands has about 350km of coastline on the North Sea and major rivers, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt passing through on their way to the North Sea. The Netherlands has an active coastal and river flood management programme to keep the country flood-proof and maintain its prosperity.

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connected to the Ogun River or the Niger. That tells you that there is no physical connection. I am hoping that government will live up to expectations. I have personally involved the Ministry of Environment and I must say that I am disappointed with their level of involvement in the crisis. They are just being arrogant. The Minister of Water Resources has not lived up to

expectation and I have met with the Director of Water Resources and I could not get him to do anything. I have also written to the Attorney General of the Federation on the Oyan Dam, so that they can do something about it. We must understand that the dams are designed to have spillways and the spillways guide the release of water. The people are suffering as a result of the flooding and government has to rise to the challenges posed by the flood.

On flooding in Lagos and Ogun states We have River Ogun which starts in Oyo North. And there is a dam in Iseyin. That dam is about 47meters high. There is also a tributary of the Ogun River which also has a dam.

At the moment, the Okere Dam is not gated. There is no gate and water flows over. The dam is supposed to provide irrigation and also generate power. What is important is that the dam is supposed to provide water for Iseyin and environs. Following the nonutilisation of the dam for various purposes, there is huge storage of water. All the things that caused the flooding in Lagos and Ogun are under the control of Ogun River Basin Authority. They should manage the dams in such a way that we do not have flood in the areas of their mandate. We are about to be flooded again like what happened in 2010 and 2011.

I have had experience of the floods along the River Ogun

Continues on page 40

PAGE 40 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

fall in 1991 for Abeokuta and Iseyin in 1990 was higher than what we have today. People who are doing research on climate change have come up that there are variations in the rate of rainfall in West Africa.

That implies that there are years of low rainfall and years of high rainfall change have variables that are measurable.

What is needed to be done in the case of Oyan Dam is to lower the operational level by 4 meters.

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Omigbodun...My message is that the losses we are incurring as a result of the flood are avoidable Continued from page 39 in Ogun State and Lagos State in 2007, 2010 and 2011. The flood path is over 27km long and is up to 4km wide in places. The flood level in 2010 was 0.5m higher than the level of 2007. The River Ogun system has two major dams, the Okere Gorge Dam on the River Ogun at Okere Village 28km north east of Iseyin in Oyo State and the Oyan Dam located about 20km northwest of Abeokuta on the River Oyan, a tributary of the River Ogun.

The Okere Gorge Dam is ungated while the Oyan Dam is gated. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has been asked to direct that the freeboard in the reservoir behind Oyan Dam should be increased by 4meters as an interim measure pending appropriate studies and a construction programme along the River Ogun from Oyan Dam to Lagos flood plains. Put simply, the floods now taking place yearly at Isheri North, the Lagos wetlands communities and parts of Ogun State and the River Oyan Dam were not built on the River Oyan respectively, floods will occur in the Lagos flood plains within the intervals of 10years and 25years.

With the construction of both dams, floods should no longer occur in the Lagos flood plains if both dams are being operated in accordance with their designs. In the exceptional situation, floods may occur once in 50 years.

For the months of August, September, October for years 1992 to 2002, it was only in August 1993 that there was water release. Presently, exceptional release of water takes place yearly in August, September and October. This was observed in 2007, 20010 and 2011. A greater part of the area covered by flood water in 2007 qualified to be included

Danger looms in Lagos, Ogun — Dr. Omigbodun in the disaster area as opposed to the flood plains of the River Ogun. For example, a newspaper published on Friday, November 4, 2011 that the Itowolo Community Primary School Ikorodu started experiencing flood in 2007. The report indicated that the community was founded over 200 years ago and the community never experienced flood until 2007. Further, when the school was established 30years previously, there was no sign that the school would be affected by water.

W

hy does flood inci dence wreaks so much havoc in the face of the existence of River Basin Authorities? Does it mean that the River Basins are no longer working?

The law establishing River Basin Development Authorities all over Nigeria, which is the River Basins Development Authorities, RBDAs, Act Chapter R9 Laws of the Federation

of Nigeria 2004, required RBDAs to control floods in their areas of operations. Under section 4(1) of this Act, part of the functions of the RBDAs is to undertake comprehensive development of both surface and underground water resources for multi-purpose use with particular emphasis on the provision of irrigation infrastructure and the control of floods and erosion and for watershed management. The river basin is also established to construct, operate and maintain dams, dykes, wells, boreholes, irrigation and drainage systems, and other works necessary for the achievement of the authority’s functions and handover to be cultivated under irrigation scheme to the farmers. However, they have not been performing their functions well.

Even though the Ogun River Basin Authority is responsible for what we are experiencing here in Lagos, we are not taking them to court because of my not pleasant experiences

A family having a meal of bread and water at the Adankolo Flood Victims Camp, Lokoja, Kogi State

in Nigeria’s judicial system.

The truth is that the flood in Lagos and some parts of Ogun State is entirely avoidable. It is regrettable that the river basins are not working. For example, when I met the General Manager of Sokoto River Basin Authority, he told me that he only had three qualified staff to work with. Why should the government continue to award new contracts to build new dams, when they have not properly managed the ones they have?

Some have attributed this flooding disaster to climate change. Do you in anyway see climate change as a factor?

We should not be talking of climate change and sea level rise as the cause of the flooding because they are measurable. What the New York City panel on climate change said was that the figures of rainfall analysis from 1970 to 2000 indicated that rainfall and snow will only be ten percent different from 1970 to 2000. The rain-

hat can be done pro actively to forestall further damages by flood?

The best thing is for the government to perform its functions. I don’t think the government is deaf to newspaper publications, even if they are deaf to letters, because I have written in the past and present on how to avoid the present damages that the flood is unleashing all over the country.

What we are saying is that they should take correct measures so that we don’t experience this kind of disaster again, because the chances of occurring again are real. The water we are seeing in the Niger Delta is River Niger and Benue water, because there is exceptional rainfall in Kainji and Lagdo Dams.

They were forced to release water. In River Benue, for instance, they wait for the water to be so much high before they release it. Government should realise that they are losing economically to the flooding. It affects our GDP and well-being. My message is that the losses we are encountering as a result of the flood is avoidable. Definitely the flood would unleash food crisis on the nation, because farmers would lose their crops to the flood. We experienced a similar thing in Sokoto in 2010 when the Goronyo Dam wreaked havoc. The same thing will happen as a result of this year ’s disaster, especially for those that planted by the river side.

Uzere road in Isoko South taken over by water

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012—41

The latest of the challenges facing him is the loss of his wife at childbirth. The woman left behind a set of twins.

Life Is A Tragedy For Those Who Feel, And A Comedy For Those Who Think —JEAN DE LA BRUYERE

Olurotimi Sikiru...The Divisional Crime Officer told me that the Divisional Police Officer said that I should be detained. I protested but I was clamped into cell. It was later I got to know that my fan was sold to the slim police man

‘I lost all during my 13 years in prison on false robbery charge’ W

HEN Olurotimi Sikiru, an awaiting trial suspect, regained his freedom from Ikoyi Prison on February 14, 2003, after 13 years of incarceration, he had heaved a sigh of relief that he was going back into the society to live a normal life and continue to be a breadwinner of his family.

But nine years after, Sikiru has continued to run from pillar to post, without means of livelihood. “I am yet to get employment up till this moment, I still rely on handouts that I get from people to feed myself and my children,”he states as he fought back tears over his predicament. The latest of the challenges facing him is the loss of his wife at childbirth.

The woman left behind a set of twins.

He sees his sojourn at Ikoyi Prison as a typical example of man’s inhumanity to man, recalling vividly that he was railroaded into prison by a certain policeman whom he alleged bought his standing fan which he gave to a technician for repairs.

“The standing fan was given

to me by my German boss while I was a driver with Julius Berger. My repeated calls to the technician’s workshop at Odomole, Epe, Lagos did not yield any result. One day I got him in his workshop,

,

BY LEKAN BILESANMI

of my colleagues to Epe Police Station to report my ordeal there. Later, a policeman came and arrested the technician and he was detained. Since I was wounded by the technician, I was taken to the

I was taken to Magistrate Court 3, Yaba, and my charge sheet read attempted robbery. I was ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi Prison, and I was there for 13 years without trial

and I demanded my fan. But he could not give me a satisfactory answer . This was after having paid him for the spare parts he needed to buy and service charge”, he narrates.

That sad event, he explains, happened in February 1990, and he only got the technician in June of the same year. It was later he got to know that the technician had sold the fan to a policeman. “The whole thing degenerated into a scuffle, and I had to send one

,

General Hospital Epe for treatment.”

This was where his journey to Ikoyi Prison started. Sikiru, who could not remember the specific date, says he went back to the police station the next day. As he was standing outside, a slim man who was in mufti passed by him and entered the police station.

He narrates further, “When the man came out he told me that he was a brother to the technician. He said I should give him time to get me

another fan. I rejected this offer, and insisted that I wanted my own fan. When I returned to the station the next day, I found the man now in police uniform. Before I knew what was happening, the Divisional Crime Officer told me that the Divisional Police Officer said that I should be detained.

I protested but I was clamped into cell. It was later I got to know that my fan was sold to the slim police man.”

According to Sikiru, the next day, he was transferred to the State CID, Panti where he was detained for three months, June to August 1990.

“It was in August 1990 I was taken to Magistrate Court 3, Yaba, and my charge sheet read attempted robbery. I was ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi Prison, and I was there for 13 years without trial”, he says.

While in prison, Sikiru states that he kept on hoping that one day his case would be revisited and he would be set free.

He adds that he made efforts to get himself somebody among the lawyers who were coming to the prison to argue for his release but everything proved abortive.

“I paid some of them money

which my family members raised for them to argue the case for my release but each time they collected the money, they vanished into thin air”, Sikiru says. He carried on with his Catholic faith even in prison, as he claims that he taught some inmates how to use the rosary and some other aspects of the faith.

But mother luck smiled on him 13 years after. He was set free on February 4, 2003.

He speaks on how reprieve came for him: “Some people from the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) came to Ikoyi Prison and they took up my case. I was in the prison when they went to court and argued my case. I was released on February 14, 2003. I did not give them money. These were the people God used to set me free.”

Sikiru, who was a transporter, wants to go back to his former trade but he says all his attempts have been futile. He does not have the money to purchase a bus after his long years in prison grounded his business and none of his family members is in the position to assist.

The token assistance he has received came through the Prison Rehabilitation Mission International (PREMI), headed by Pastor Williams, and Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, the Oshile of Oke Ona-Egba.

He says PREMI arranged for him to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo while in power but nothing substantial to set him up in business came out of it.

He was also scheduled to meet former Governor Bola Tinubu, but that also was frustrated. And so bad was his financial situation recently when his wife went into labour and had to be operated on that he had to run to a former governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, for help.

The former governor referred him to a government owned hospital. Even then, the wife, who eventually gave birth to twins, died. This is like compounding the problem of somebody who has no means of livelihood. Sikiru is practically on his knees, begging philanthropists and government across the country to come to his aid. He wants a new bus so that he can return to his transport business, earn a living and take care of the twins whose mother is no more.

The former prison inmate can be reached on phone number 08123879366 or through Sunday Vanguard Editor.

C M Y K

PAGE 42 — SUND AY V anguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 SUNDA Vanguard,

IFCU seeks Christian unity

...holds annual symposium

D

ISTURBED by the growing disunity in Christendom

Jesus had no wife *INSINU ATIONS THA T JESUS CHRIST HAD *INSINUA THAT A WIFE ARE DEVILISH, S AYS GKS SA

By BEN HART IT is well known that some people take undue advantage of the perfect patience, tolerance and long-suffering of God Almighty to make jest of sacred things and thereby provoke Him to anger.

However, God tolerates men and is slow in taking vengeance upon them so that the misguided and ignorant ones among the living may have opportunity to hear the gospel and repent of their folly, as it is written: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (II Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 33:11; Ecclesiastes 8:1114 and Romans 2:4-6).

New Testament, besides Jesus’ mother ”.

The mischief-motive of her publication is evident, at least in part, from the fact that she decided to give her presentation the title: “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife.”

But a closer reading of the CNN online report shows that the Havard professor and her fellow travellers had no basis for their claims other than a determination to give a false image of Jesus Christ.

The report went on: “The fragment’s 33 words, scattered across 14 incomplete lines, leave a good deal to interpretation. But in King’s analysis, and as she argues in a forthcoming article in the Harvard Theological Review, the “wife” Jesus refers to is probably Mary Magdalene, and Jesus appears to be defending her against someone, perhaps one of the male disciples.”

It is for this reason the reporter stated: “But Dan Brown fans, be warned:

King makes no claim for its usefulness as biography.” (Dan Brown wrote the controversial 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code) The CNN story continues, “The text was probably composed in Greek a century or so after Jesus’ crucifixion, then copied into Coptic some two centuries later.” He adds; “Because chemical tests of its ink have not yet been run, the papyrus is also apt to be challenged on the basis of authenticity; King herself emphasizes that her theories about

the text’s significance are based on the assumption that the fragment is genuine, a question that has by no means been definitively settled.”

If not for the overarching zeal to make jest of Christianity, why should Professor King or anyone for that matter be cock-a-hoop about a piece of writing which was certainly the work of some spiritually deranged elements who were hostile to the Christian faith? Why should she go to town with her so*Continued on Page 47

The Papyrus fragment Recent publications by Harvard Divinity School Professor, Karen King that “Four words on a previously unknown papyrus fragment provide the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus had been married” has generated heated reactions from Christians and non-Christians and renewed an old and even time-worn allegation, promoted by the enemies of Christianity, that our Lord Jesus Christ was married. One of the reports with the headline: “Newly revealed Coptic fragment has Jesus making reference to ‘my wife’”, dated September 19, 2012, was carried in the CNN website.

According to the report the ‘findings’ were contained in a centuries-old papyrus fragment, written in Coptic, a language used by Egyptian Christians. It stated that Professor King, in announcing the discovery, believed that “some group of early Christians drew spiritual strength from portraying the man whose teachings they followed, as having a wife. And not just any wife, but possibly Mary Magdalene, the mostmentioned woman in the C M Y K

*Anthony Cardinal Okogie (m) commissioning St. Monica Orphanage, Ejigbo, Lagos while the chairman, All Purpose Committee, St. Peter Catholic Church, Ejigbo, Chief Odinaka Iwu (2nd r) and parish priest, Rev. Father Gabriel Iheanacho (r) and other watch.

Okogie commends Paralympians ...Commissions orphanage

By Olayinka LATONA

R

ETIRED Catho lic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie has praised the Paralympics team that did Nigeria proud at the just concluded London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Okogie praised the athletes, saying they gave hope to the Nigerian youth and those that are physically challenged, adding that the able bodied sportsmen

and women who the nation spent billions of naira on came back with nothing.

He said: “The Paralympians have also demonstrated to their fellow countrymen and women that being physically challenged is no barrier.

Despite their physical challenges, they still gave their very best to give the nation well deserved honours”.

Cardinal Okogie made the remarks after the commissioning an orphanage home built by

Saint Peter Catholic Church, Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos.

Commending the church for building an orphanage, Okogie said it will go a long way to cater for abandoned children in the state.

The cleric also called on Nigerian youths to emulate good people in the society as they grow.

He advised the youths to utilize whatever talents they have for the benefit and development of the society as it was given by God for a good reason,

and not strive for wealth because others are doing so.

The cleric also lamented that many projects in the country which should benefit the people are abandoned after huge sums have been paid out to contractors while the people suffer.

According to him, the rich become richer, while the poor become poorer in the country, as he called on Nigerians to shun immorality and insensitivity

By Sam EYOBOKA and the dangers the development portends, a non-governmental organisation which has been craving for Christian unity, International Foundation for Chtian Unity, IFCU, has scheduled another symposium for October 23.

The theme of the symposium scheduled for Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Victoria Island would be That They May Be One while the topic for discussion would be “Power in Christian Unity” and it will be attended by eminent and brilliant ministers of God and notable Christian businessmen.

Among those expected include the chairman of CAN, South-West Region, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, the new Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins and other notable Christian ministers.

The event will be chaired

by Elder Felix Ohiwerei while the moderator would be Rev. B. Odofin, chairman ECWA, Lagos branch.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the president of IFCU, Mr. Cyprian Agbazue said the Lord had revealed to them that one of the greatest events that will precede the great harvest is the reunification of Christendom.

"This re-unification will not be based on human wisdom, but on the wisdom of God. Over the past 50 years, Ecumenism has sought to tinker some sort of doctrinal unity among the mainline churches by way of negotiating consensus on selected doctrinal issues. We all know that in spite of very sincere and devoted efforts the results have fallen far short of expectations," he explained.

According to Agbazue, the purpose of the annual event is to publicize "a new way of pursuing unity for Christendom worldwide ---as revealed to us by the Master himself and alert the Christian world of the urgent need to reunite and usher in a new wave of power".

Arguing that the proposed unification can be achieved via the adoption of God-ordained Seven Festivals outlined in the Bible, adding that the mission of IFCU is to publicize this divine intervention, which has been largely ignored worldwide, as a panacea to genuine Christian unity based on God’s own plan, not human compromises.

SUND AY V ANGU ARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012--- P AGE 43 SUNDA VANGU ANGUARD, PA

Ideh urges more pra yer s for Nigeria pray ers

By Olayinka LATONA

ARRESTING THE POWER OF DARKNESS

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MAGINE you are at a meeting with President Good luck Jonathan.

Suddenly, some policemen come in to arrest him. The President refuses to alert the National Guard. He does not call the army. When one of his Secret Service details tries to defend him, the President restrains him. Then he tells his abductors: “Well, you guys could not arrest me before. But now is your moment.

Okay, let us go.” So he holds out his hands and they handcuff him and lead him away. Would you not conclude something strange is going on?

Strange things happen in the Bible. I am not talking about the Red Sea parting or the walls of Jericho falling down. There is nothing strange about that. But how come a Prince of Persia restrained God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer for 21 days?

(Daniel 10:12-13). Who is this Prince of Persia?

What power did he use? When Jesus was born; his parents had to run away with him to Egypt from Herod. What is the meaning of that?

How can the King of kings run from a fake king? Why can’t God just send some anopheles mosquitoes to bite Herod?

Imagine a situation where a thief steals a car only to discover it belongs to the Inspector General of Police? What do you think he would do? Of course, he would return the car immediately. So answer me this. How can a socalled boss in the office sit on the promotion of a child of God? How can the Boko Haram successfully attack a church where sons of the kingdom are worshipping the Lord? How can?

How can? How can?

Why does God tolerate this kind of nonsense? If God be for us, who can be against us? I want to know the person. Who has the audacity? Who are you, O great mountain, to stand before Zerubbabel?

Power of darkness

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od always seems to be missing in action when we need Him C M Y K

God always seems to be missing in action when we need him the most the most. Where is God when armed robbers come into our houses and cart away our choice possessions? Where is God when sons of God are abused, mistreated, raped, plundered, and massacred? “Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?”

“Our God, our God, why have you forsaken us?

Why are you so far from helping us?” (Psalm 22:1).

Indeed, where was God when they came to arrest Jesus? How come some evil men could arrest the King of glory?

Jesus said to them: “Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment---the time when Satan’s power reigns supreme.” (Luke 22:53).

Are we hearing correctly? Is Jesus by any means acknowledging the power of darkness?

Yes he is! This reveals an important kingdom dynamic: there are moments, even in the life of the Son of God, when Satan’s power reigns supreme.

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ake no mis take about it; the power of darkness is real. Evil men have long tapped into it for diabolical means. The power of darkness arrested Jesus, nailed him to the cross and buried him in a tomb. What did God do while this was going on? Absolutely nothing! God just stood watching. But since the power of darkness is real, should believers fear it? Not at all!

Night and day At the dawn of creation, darkness was everywhere. Then God said: “Let there be light,” and there was light. In bringing about light, God created time.

Although light scattered the darkness, God nevertheless apportioned some time to darkness for better appreciation of light. He divided time between light and darkness. So darkness

has its place and its use. God called the light “Day ” and the darkness “Night.” (Genesis 1:4-5). U n l i k e man’s skewed morningevening categorization, God’s evenings come before the mornings.

(Genesis 1:5).

A

s a result, the earth is bound by time arising from the interchange between darkness and light. Therefore, every 24 hours, we not only bask in daylight but are equally confronted by darkness. That is God’s providence. This means we must not be dismayed when it is nightfall knowing another day is coming. Jesus says evil is by appointment: “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34).

In this world, we must expect trouble and peace, sorrow and joy; and set the one against the other. We should accommodate both confident that: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5).

Why should the wicked prosper? That is like asking: “Why should night fall?” God has allocated a time, more like a moment, for the ungodly to prosper. Don’t waste your time envying someone headed for the firing-squad. Before he is executed, he is allowed to request whatever meal takes his fancy. Don’t be so foolish as to envy a man eating his last meal.

Supremacy of light

K

now of a surety that light has supremacy over darkness. Moses says God made two great lights. The greater light rules the day: the lesser light rules the night.

(Genesis 1:16-18). Light was made the ruler of darkness. Sunlight ruled the day. But even at night, God provided some modicum of light.

The moonlight and the stars were made to rule

the night. (Psalm 136: 9). But darkness was not given authority to rule the day in any capacity whatsoever.

John says of Jesus: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:45). Darkness can never extinguish light. It can never overcome it.

Therefore, even in the darkest place, God retains some measure of light.

Jesus says to believers: “You are the world’s light---a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”

(Matthew 5:14-16).

Ruler of darkness

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elievers are called to neu tralise the power of darkness. When light shows up, darkness must recede. The devil is a ruler of the darkness of this world. He is not a ruler of the light. He only operates in darkness; he cannot operate in the light. But believers are the light of the world. We not only rule; we overrule the darkness of this world.

Therefore, as long as we walk in the light, darkness can neither comprehend nor overcome us.

Just as he allows darkness to come every night, so has God made allowances for the power of darkness to prevail at certain times. That is why Jesus was extremely time-conscious. He said: “I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4).

Why were they able to kill Jesus? They did so because it was it in the dead of night. But on the third day, very early in the morning, Jesus rose victoriously from the dead.

“Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”

(Isaiah 26:19).

FOUNDER of Partnership for a New Nigeria (PFANN), Evangelist Elishama Ideh has urged Nigerians to pray and labour more to steer the nation in the right direction.

Ideh made the remark during the second National Prayer Initiative summit, organised in Lagos by National Prayer Initiative (NPI), to mark the nation's 52nd independence anniversary.

According to her, the place of prayer in the development of a nat-ion cannot be overemphasized, adding that God is still in the business of transforming nations.

“It is high time we prayed hard. You cannot pray without putting action and expect to be great. Nigerians should know we need to activate our prayer lives and put action to it,” she

stated.

Senior pastor of Jesus Evangelical Mission, Rev. David Esosa lamented that corruption had bestowed much suffering on the people in the midst of riches, just as he urged Nigerian religious leaders, to use their various platforms to pray together for a better country.

Esosa said every Nigerian has a role to play in achieving our collective dream of a better Nigeria.

Mr. Akin Solanke, the project coordinator, Building Our National Image Flag Project (BONI), urged Nigerian youths to rise up to their responsibility in restoring the lost glory of the country.

He pleaded with Nigerians to love the country dearly, adding that it is not a choice to love the country but a collective responsibility of every citizen.

Cleric tasks leaders on sincerity

I

NCESSANT violent attacks of Christians in the North have been blamed on insincerity and greed of political leaders, which cuts across religious and ethnic groupings in the country.

The head, Lagos area of the Christ Chosen Church of God, Apostle Sylvanus Aligbe made this disclosure at the praying camp ground in Epe, Lagos while stressing the necessity to rely on God for security of lives.

It will be recalled that Jos branch of the church was bombed by suspected militants in June this year but nobody was hurt or killed.

According to Aligbe, Nigerian leaders need to be more sincere, adding "people must know that the gift of God is the best gift and greed leads to destruction. This country will be a great place."

He averred that the ethno-religious crisis plaguing the country will be surmounted by true sincerity of Nigerians.

"We have been praying for the peace of the country.

When you make peace, God gives you peace. We are praying for the peace of Nigeria," he added.

Integrity, righteousness ingredients to avert challenges

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ENERAL Overseer of The Victory Life Bible Church Apostle Lawrence Achudume has de scribed integrity and righteousness as major ingredients that will enable the country overcome its current challenges, reports OLAYINKA LATONA. Making the call at the church annual apostolic conference tagged; “Rehoboth” in Alagbado, Lagos, Achudume said the present situation is a chapter in the country’s history book which will soon be a thing of the past.

He therefore urged Nigerians to be optimistic about the nation and desist from watering the country with negative words, adding that there are better days ahead.

Drawing insoiration from book of Isaiah 51, Pastor Achudume who was the guest speaker during the conference, advised Christians to cultivate the habit of thanksgiving and praise irrespective of the situation they find themselves.

Defining the conference theme as enlargement, increase and abundance, Pastor Sam Agbedi, the host pastor, said that the church theme portrays the true picture of what is going on in Nigeria today.

CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS for October 2012 October 31: Wednesday

All Hallows Eve

PAGE 44---SUND AY V ANGU ARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012 44---SUNDA VANGU ANGUARD,

Methodist Church Nigeria: 170 years of impacting Nigeria for God

grow every year with the establishment of more schools. From that humble beginning in 1842, MCN now has 95 Nursery and Primary Schools and 72 Secondary Schools in different parts of the country.

By SAM EYOBOKA

W

HEN Thomas Birch Freeman, an AngloAfrican missionary fought several personal battles including the loss of a dear wife to step foot in the muddy creeks of Badagry in modern day Lagos to become the first Methodist minister to arrive Nigeria on September 24, 1842 his mind was made up on one thing: spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The son of an African freeman, and an English mother (December 6, 1809-August 12, 1890) first landed in then Gold Coast (Ghana).

From there he ventured into the creeks of what is today regarded as the beacon of Western civilization and Christianity in Nigeria and headquarters of Badagry division and not too long after he made impact felt by establishing schools, hospitals while penetrating the hinterlands with the gospel.

It was therefore not surprising when the Methodist Church Nigeria recently rolled out the red carpet to mark the 170 years of Methodism in Nigeria. The leadership combined that with the golden jubilee of its autonomy.

Addressing the media on the double celebration, the Prelate of the church, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde left no one doubt as to the relevance of the arguably the oldest church denomination in the country, as outlined the achievements of the church since 1842.

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ccording to him, one of the pioneering efforts of the missionaries included the establishment of Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha by The Wesley Guild Britain as well as the under-fives clinic at Imesi-Ile in the late 1950s, noting the pioneering work of David Morley and Margaret Woodland at Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha.

The first Medical Director of the hospital was Dr. Andrew Pearson.

After the Wesley Guild Hospital, the Wesley Guild UK also helped to establish more hospitals in partnership with Methodist Church NigC M Y K

I

n accordance with the mission statement of the Church which can be summarized as evangelism and social actions; Evangelism is winning people for Christ, linking them with the church and instructing them in the scriptures, while social actions are services which the church renders to the society, such as building or establishing schools, hospitals, clinics and giving employment to people among others. It has recently established a private university in Ondo State named, Wesley University of Science and Technology Ondo (WUSTO). All these show the church values the role of education in the development of this country.

Despite this hefty and fulfilling evangelical mission laced with numerous accomplishments, Makinde was of the opinion that the best is yet to come.

“We simply cannot afford to rest on our oars, not when our country, Nigeria is in desperate need of qualitative change and transformation. The poverty level in the country is deepening just as unemployment is at an all time high. Social justice has become a mirage while the gap between the rich and the poor is at an unprecedented

*Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde and the Archbishop of Lagos Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo at the special inter-denominational remembrance service at Badagry. eria. Such medical insti- In the field of education, high moral standards tutions cut across every Makinde opined that it and characters besides cadre of health needs would be an understate- giving education which including: Royal Cross ment to pronounce Me- is why most of the peoMethodist Hospital, thodist Church Nigeria ple trained by the misUzuakoli—a hospital of as the pioneer of West- sion schools had sound international standard ern Education in Niger- moral and capacity deand very soon it will ia, stressing that the velopment training commission a Methodist missionaries did not just which stands them out Church Nigeria School bring the gospel of in their various chosen of Nursing; a Motherless Christ alone. Thomas careers. But the military Babies Home also in Birch freeman and other took over all these schUzuakoli. missionaries established ools without any comschools alongside the pensation. ollowing the preaching of the gospel, stigma of leprosy beginning with a nurith the political then, the MCN sery school in Badagry wind of also established a Lepro- in 1842. They proceeded change in sy Center in Uzuakoli, from that foundation 1999, some state govwhere people afflicted level to a secondary and ernments have been reby the dreaded disease teachers’ training colleg- turning those schools to were kept far away from es with aid from over- their original owners. the rest of the society; seas churches.

Methodist Church Niover 7,000 lepers were The schools contributed geria is not relenting in treated and rehabilitated immensely to the educa- her effort to bring eduand today there are no tion and training of cation to the doorsteps more lepers at the center. many notable present of every household in The church also has the and past leaders of our this great nation. The Bethseda Hospital at nation, including the population of MCN Ikachi Ainu in Igede, late sage, Chief Obafemi schools continue to Benue State complete Awolowo, Dr. Nnamidi with a standard Mater- Azikwe, Chief Alvan nal and Child Hospital Ikoku and Pastor Daniel of international standard Kayode Olukoya. in addition to a School of Others included Lagos Health Technology.

State governor, Mr. There are three psych- Babatunde Raji Fasola iatric hospitals to cater (SAN), who announced OGER Matthews tells the for patients with such during his goodwill mesfollowing story: "We were challenges in the coun- sage at the opening certraveling one summer in the try to its credit. They emony of 43/8th biennial Pocono Mountains and, like a good include: The Restoration conference of Methodist Presbyterian family, attended church Center, Agboke in Ben- Church Nigeria that he while we were on vacation. ue State; Psychiatric attended Methodist One lazy Sunday we found our way to Hospital, Igede and the schools for his elemen- a little Methodist Church. It was a hot Amudo Itumbauzo Cent- tary and secondary edu- day and the folks were nearly “out” in er for Psychiatric Illness, cation (Birch Freeman the pews. The preacher was preaching Uzuakoli in Abia State, High School, Surulere, on and on until, all of a sudden, he said: not forgetting the Meth- Lagos.)

“The best years of my life have been odist Hospital at Ifaki, spent in the arms of another man’s Ondo State and Drm Nation building wife.”

Andrew Pearosn HospiThe congregation let out a gasp, came and character tal, Igbo-Ora in Oyo to immediate attention, and the dozing moulding State. deacon in the back row dropped his hymnbook. Then the preacher said, “It One of the duties of mis- was my mother.” The congregation Education sion schools is to build tittered a little and managed to follow

F

W

EYE LAUGH

Another Man e Man’’s W if ife

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state.

“Today, there is no middle class in our society and the economy is not encouraging for entrepreneurs. We are at a crucial and critical stage in our drive to nationhood. The threat of insecurity has become a daunting and monstrous challenge. As a Church; we are not prepared to close our eyes to these ills. We are not prepared to keep quiet and watch the ship of State sink.

Rather, we are committed, more than ever to join forces with the progressive elements in the Land in ensuring that we have a safe landing. We have a passion which is renewed towards forming a progressive partnership with Governments at all levels, Communities and Neighbourhoods at ensuring that we bequeath a lasting legacy to our Children’s Children and the generation unborn just as we inherited from our forefathers who fought with everything in them to give us a Nation full of hope, equal opportunities, safety and shared prosperity.

One of the clear evidence of this commitment is found in our foray into the area of science and technology with the setting up of a Wesley University of Science and Technology, in Ondo town, where we are partnering with government to build capacity in many young minds. We believe that technological advancement is the future and that Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.

*Send jokes to: sameyoboka@yahoo.com along as the sermon concluded. I filed this trick away in my memory; a great way to get the congregation’s attention back when it has been lost.

Sure enough, the next summer, on a lazy Sunday, I was preaching and the flies were buzzing around and the ushers were sinking lower and lower in their seats in the back row until I could hardly see them. Then I remembered our experience in the Pocono Mountains, and I said in a booming voice, “The best years of my life have been spent in the arms of another man’s wife.”

Sure enough, I had their attention.

One of the ushers in the back row sat up so fast he hit his head on the back of the pew in front of him. I had them.

But you know something, I forgot what came next. All I could think to say was; “And for the life of me, I can’t remember her name.”

SUND AY V ANGU ARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012--- P AGE 45 SUNDA VANGU ANGUARD, PA

Jesus had no wife Continued from Page 44 called findings when she knew that no tangible work had been done to ascertain its source and authenticity? The reasonable thing was for her to have done all the groundwork before deciding what to make of it. (Proverbs 18:13).

Bible Evidence Statements that Jesus Christ had a wife are all inspired by the devil to cast a slur on his divinity and impugn the integrity not only of Jesus Christ but of the Holy Bible.

Such are not new; but they are all figments of people’s wild imagination.

Jesus Christ was Jehovah’s Executive in creation, meaning that he was the One God used to create all perfect things, visible and invisible, including human beings. (The woman Eve, we must recall, was created as a companion to Adam and for the purpose of procreation.) (Genesis 2:18, 21-24; 1:26-28). Jesus Christ was the chief of the angels of God in heaven and was known as the Logos, or Word, meaning Interpreter or Spokesman for God Almighty. It was when he made the great sacrifice of lowering himself from his high position in the divine realm to become a human being in order to free man from sin and death that he was called Jesus Christ, meaning “Jehovah’s Anointed Saviour”. (John 1:13; Proverbs 8:22-30; Matthew 20:28; John 3:16; Hebrews 2:917; Romans 5:6-19; etc.)

He was raised from the grave the third day by God Almighty Who “set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”. (Ephesians 1:20-21) Jesus Christ is the One God Almighty has appointed as King of His Kingdom where all the fondest hopes and desires of mankind would be realized. Right now he is gathering His sheep into his kingdom so that they might be saved. To make mockery of Jesus Christ therefore amounts to opposing this gathering work for which the gospel is being preached round the world, thereby preventing people from the blessings which God has promised His people through His crowned King, Jesus Christ. Such efforts will continue to fail for no one can kick against the pricks. We

should know that it is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Acts 9:5; Hebrews 10:31).

It is commendable of the CNN that it balanced the story by interviewing scholars who asserted that “In the accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible, there is no mention of his marital status, while the accounts do mention Jesus’ mother, father and siblings. The four Gospels ---Matthew, Mark, Luke and John---tell the story of Jesus’ birth and early childhood then skip to his short, three-year ministry before detailing his death and resurrection.” We agree entirely with these assertions. For instance in Matthew 12:46-50 the Bible states that there was a time the mother and the brethren of Jesus Christ (these were the children of Joseph and Mary) desired to speak with him.

‘But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50) In other words, his earthly family are the true worshippers of God. No more, no less!

Indisputably, all the three and a half years Christ spent on earth were completely devoted to spiritual matters. He certainly had no business with such mundane entanglements as having a wife. And if he had a wife, what of the children? Why should the wife’s identity and that of the children be concealed?

It was because the apostles of Christ knew that he had no personal relationship with any woman, that they were surprised when they met him talking with a Samaritan woman.

The Bible states: “Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, “What do you wish?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” (John 4:27 Revised Standard Version). From the context of the entire episode, it was clear that the woman came to the well while he sat there to rest himself and he used the opportunity to impart the word of God both to the woman and the Samaritans in that village of Sychar.

Moreover, it is wrong to argue, as some do, that without a wife a prophet cannot fulfil his mission. There are several examples of prophets

DO YOU KNOW? Man predicts his death

A

BRAHAM de Moivre predicted the date of his own death. He noted that he was sleeping 15 minutes longer each day and surmised that he would die on the day he slept for 24 hours. That date, he calculated, would be November 17, 1754. He was right.

*Akran of Badagry, De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi I (middle) at the special service marking the 170th anniversary of Methodist Church in Nigeria. The service held in Badagry.

It is sheer wickedness for anyone to suggest that because of her (Mary Magdalene) support for the work of God, for which she became close to the ministry, she was the wife of Jesus Christ of God who did not marry because of the nature of their assignment. Who was the wife of Elijah? He was frequently on the move, to deliver the word of God to the people.

And because he was under constant persecution, he had to conceal his movements sometimes. At a stage he had to flee because of Jezebel the wife of Ahab who was determined to kill him and was fed by ravens to give him the strength for a 40-day journey.

(I Kings 19:1-18) Elisha also had no wife. The Great Woman of Shunem had to step him to provide him with room to rest before he continued on his long journeys. (II Kings 4:8-10).

Truly did our Lord Jesus Christ state: “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother ’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made

themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (Matthew 19: 12).

If Jesus or any of the apostles or prophets of old had a wife there would have been no deliberate effort to conceal the information, as if having a wife is sinful. But a servant of God could deny himself of such pleasures so as to give himself to the work of God without distraction. In his letter to the Christians at Corinth, St. Paul stated that St. Peter as well other apostles were married but that he voluntarily chose not to marry because of the nature of his work. He asked, “Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” (I Corinthians 9:5. Revised Standard Version) Concerning his single state, St. Paul stated: “For I would that all men were even as I myself.

But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.”

(I Corinthians 7:7) He added: “Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.” (I Corinthians 7:37-38).

In regard to Mary Magdalene, she became especially devoted to the service of God in appreciation of His goodness on her in using Jesus Christ to cast out from her seven evil spirits. (Luke 8:2, 3) She was among the women who supported Jesus Christ and his disciples out of their substance. It was a measure of her faith that she was early at his tomb; and so had the privilege of being the first to see the risen Savior. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 15:47; 16:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-2, 10-

18).

It is sheer wickedness for anyone to suggest that because of her support for the work of God, for which she became close to the ministry, she was the wife of Jesus Christ. Even Prof. King’s papyrus document only talks of Mary; she had to add that it was probably Mary Magdalene! What a way of working to a predetermined answer!

Warning

It is dangerous for anyone to make jest of sacred things for any reason, even if is to advance one’s academic career.

Agreed that the Bible states that in these last days scoffers will abound who would strive to bring Christianity into ridicule, even laboring to prove what is not true, but the Bible understanding shows that those to be involved in such machinations are instruments of the devil whom God Almighty will punish in His due time. (II Peter 3:3-9) That was why St. Paul warned that skeptics who chose to “believe a lie” and “had pleasure in unrighteousness” shall be damned or destroyed in the day of the Lord’s anger.

(II Thessalonians 2:10-12).

He further stated: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (II Thessalonians 1:7-9).

We advise Prof. Karen King to pay heed to this warning and the protests of others and to stop promoting her obnoxious publications. But if she scorns, she and those of her ilk will bear the SPIRITUAL CONSEQUENCES of their blasphemous acts. (Proverbs 9:12; 29:1; Ecclesiastes 12:1314).

PAGE 46—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

VIEWPOINT

BY OKOFU UBAKA VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

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EVERAL times, I have asked myself, were businessman, Aliko Dangote from the Niger Delta, would he have established a cement factory in Otuoke? Of course, the answer will be in the negative. It is a clear fact that Dangote is not from the communities that play host to his surfeit business interests.

Not even Obajana in Kogi State. The conglomerate that is Aliko Dangote group of companies is what it is today because the CEO and his management team did not for once stand procedures for locating industry on the head.

The Jonathan administration must be commended for its choice of Koko, the headquarters of Warri North LGA, as site for the petrochemical fertilizer plant project. However, from reports of late, the people of Koko may not be too comfortable with the insinuation that government may rescind its decision to establish the plant in the community. Ogidigben, in Warri South-West council of the state, is being figured as the recipient of the rumoured relocation.It remains to be seen how true the insinuation is,

Koko Petrochemical Plants: To be or not to be particularly when there has not been any public statement credited to the federal government in this direction.

Obviously, the people of Koko are rational and can’t be shouting themselves hoarse

pected to be toxic by an Italia syndicated firm. Koko, before now, came to be or has assumed a centre stage prominence by virtue of its natural geo-graphical location as a seaport town. Also as a result

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How true is the speculation that a facility allocated to the Delta Port town is to be relocated?

During the Niger Delta unrest, no mention of Koko was made as a cauldron pot of hostility against the Nigerian government. Hence Nigerians grieved with them when the town was burnt during the Warri crisis

,

when there was really nothing to be fear about. I think it is just proper for Mr. President to issue a statement debunking the alleged relocation of the approved Koko Petrochemical and Fertilizer Plants.

Koko did not appear on world map on account of the dumping of substances sus-

of the industry and courage of the Itsekiris as demonstrated by the likes of Governor Dore Numa, Chief Olomu and his artistian and heroic son, Chief Nanna, were all said to have added to the uniqueness of Koko.

Today, it is in public domain today that Chief Nanna Olu-

mo was among foremost nationalists that took up the gauntlet to check the excesses of then British imperialist. Of course, we are not strangers to the consequences of his actions, and like the hero that he was, he bore these pains mildly even after he returned from Ghana where he was dragged to on exile.

T

he size of the Itsekiris of Koko notwithstanding, the robust history of Nigeria will not be complete without a mention of them. The establishment of the Koko port opened commerce in the whole of the Midwestern region of Nigeria. Timber, rubber sheets, palm oil and kernel were exported through the Koko seaport as far back as 1950s. The people of Koko are friendly and hospitable, an attribute they share with other Itsekiris.

But, a mention must be made of the exceptional calmness of the Itsekiris of Koko. The way they handled the evil dumping of toxic waste on their land

did not betray their informed minds and desire to using dialogue to swimming out of dispute. During the Niger Delta unrest, no mention of Koko was made as a cauldron pot of hostility against the Nigerian government. Hence Nigerians grieved with them when the town was burnt during the Warri crisis.

Koko has an intimidating expense of land. The talk of Koko being essentially swampy is not true. In addition, the quality or texture of the soil has a semblance with that of Oghara in Ethiope Wast LGA, perhaps, because both Warri North LGA and Ethiope West share common boundary. What more can be said, the town has a functional seaport. The road leading to Koko has been dualized.

It is a settled fact that Koko is connected to the national grid.

It is even incredible that relocation is being considering at this stage, more when compensation has been paid to affected communities. So what is the talk of relocating the petrochemical and fertilizer Plants? Will the Jonathan government learn from the unwise decisions of past administrations? The huge federal economic brains assembled in respect of this project and the team’s decision that it should be sited at Koko on merit could not in any way be taken as a child’s play. What in God’s name is wrong with this country? * Ubaka, a social critic, writes from Koko.

Waiting for Economic Independence

BY SUNKANMI OGUNNIKA

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Paradigm must shift from political power

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ROM the time of inde pendence, perceived ethnic and, to a lesser degree, religious differences were exploited by opportunistic politicians from all the three regions then, to gain ascendancy to power. Economic programmes were never given the deserved attention in the political agenda of the governing elite.

“Since the emphasis in the decade following independence was how to appropriate power vacuum left by the departing colonialists, our patriarchs somehow relegated the decisive question of economic development to the background”, according to Rev Chris Okotie, FRESH Party chairman, in his anniversary message: “That is why politics, rather than economics, remains the key subject in our national discourse, even 52 years after independence”.

That’s a hard fact to dispute.

Elections were based on tribal loyalties and religious sentiments. And with it came the

culture of polls violence, which spiraled out of control and invariably led to the 30month civil war. We’re yet to recover from this syndrome.

Even today, the troubling question of economic emancipation is submerged in the fierce power contest that continues even after the 2011 elections.

It is not yet recognized that our national predilection for permanent politicking, even after elections are concluded, damage the peoples psyche more than political unrest.

Democracy and peace are inseparable; we cannot have one without the other. In any democratic culture, the upheld system must accord respect to all citizens, regardless of their religious, ethnic or political affiliations if the country aims to survive.

If our political elites must be frank about their failings, they would realize that over the five decades of our independence, they have not probed to the extent of desiring the full impact of economy and politics on the welfare of the people.

Perhaps, because of having nothing to offer, most of our politicians have continued to play the ethnic card to strengthen their local support bases and perpetuate themselves in power, leaving the

crucial questions of economic freedom unanswered.

Every government stands or falls by the extent to which it brings into practice policies that further the national good.

Parochial ideas of ethnic or religious politics no longer work in this environment because more and more Nigerians are beginning to understand what the real issues of governance are.

This fact must not be lost on

,

VIEWPOINT

election issue is the U.S economy.

Nigerian politicians who like to politicize everything must know the world is moving away from archaic political postures and philosophies. In the global village setting, the key subject is all about economic prosperity.

China, a communist country, charted a different economic route to development, emerging now as the world’s No. 2

Nigerian politicians who like to politicize everything must know the world is moving away from archaic political postures and philosophies

our current political leaders who are now coming to terms with the daunting economic challenges facing our nation today. In celebrating the 52 independence of our great country, the paradigm must begin to shift away from political power to economic independence. Even in the American presidential election coming up on November 5, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, know that the core

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economic power below the U.S. It displaced capitalist Japan and sand-witch itself between two dominant market global leaders. Therefore, our concern today should not be about where the president comes from or which religion he professes, but which economic package he has for the nation and how relevant it is for present day realities.

There was fierce competition between the three regions.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo introduced free education in the

West and set up industrial estates; the Sarduana, Sir Ahmadu Bello, presided over a north which excelled in agriculture, and the East, too had coal and a vibrant agribusiness under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

“When the oil boom came, the groundnut pyramids in Kano began to disappear, and the rural urban sprawl started in earnest, which affected our agriculture badly ”, Okotie said. He argued that because of the serious national crisis following the first post-independence elections, the politicians could not evolve a viable national economic development plan for the nation.

The civil war really devastated this country and virtually militarized our polity. And the spate of coups and counter-coups didn’t allow the nation to run a stable economy as it were. To make matters worse, the oil boom brought easy money into the hands of the governing elite who have cornered this new found wealth.

This has engendered a culture of greed and corruption everywhere from the corridors of power down to the streets.

When the head is rotten, it percolates down to lower parts of the body.

Ogunnika is resident in Lagos.

Contribution of not more than 800 words should be sent to sundayvanguard@yahoo.com

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 47

VIEWPOINT

BY IMAM IMAM VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

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INCE the presentation of the 2013 Budget by President Goodluck Jonathan to the joint sitting of the National Assembly, last Wednesday, some members of the president’s media team have come up with what can best be described as hysterical responses to the remarks made by Senate President, Senator David Mark, and Speaker of the House of Rep-

resentatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

From innuendos to outright insults, the president’s media managers, led by Dr. Doyin Okupe, sought to denigrate the submissions of the two leaders of the National Assembly who, in their estimation, had the temerity to tell their guests gathered at the hallowed Green Chamber, that Wednesday, that not all things were right with past budgets and that more was expected from the Executive arm of government in the future.

It is worth mentioning here that Mark and Tambuwal’s speeches were made with the best of intentions aimed at finding lasting solutions to the myriad of socio-economic problems confronting the nation.

Tambuwal, who gave the vote of thanks in his capacity as the Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly, toed the line of the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator Mark, to lay on the table the fears of Nigerians and how the National Assembly thinks those fears can be better allayed.

The Speaker rightly asserted that as elected representatives of the people, the legis-

Between Tambuwal and the President’s media men lators, representing 469 federal constituencies and senatorial districts of the country, have closer interaction with the nooks and crannies of the nation. In essence, the legislature, more than any arm of government, is privileged to feel the people’s pulse more intensely and feel same on behalf and for the benefit and guidance of all the other arms of government.

I

t is therefore highly incon gruous to now turn around and say such views showed disrespect to the person and office of the president.

It is appropriate to state here that section 81 (1), (4) as well as section 83 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) classify the proposed budget documents by the President as mere ‘estimate’ and therefore only a constitutional amendment can alter this. The phrase ‘mere’ as used by Senator Mark was not intended to demean, rather it only distinguishes between a document of finality and a proposal. It is therefore mischievous to read meanings other than those intended.

On the oil benchmark which the House made it clear it will set at $80 per barrel, all variables were considered in arriving at the figures. The chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon Abdulmumini Jibrin, has since availed the public such superior variables which apparently may not have been counte-

nanced by those who drafted the estimate.

As for the poor implementation of the capital budget for 2012, which Okupe brazenly attributed to non-utilization of already released votes, there could be no better self-indictment, as all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that ought to execute

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The number four citizen’s position on the budget in proper perspective.

sions of section 59 subsection 4 of the constitution, the legislature has the FINAL say on the budget document.

I am sure President Jonathan does not share the overzealous and rather morbid views and sentiments of Okupe and some of his cotravellers in the president’s media office. If they had cared

Okupe especially is proving to have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing from his days of political participation during transition of military dictatorships and into civilian democracy

these projects are all under the Executive watch and control.

T

he assertion that the Na tional Assembly will not rubber stamp the estimates as stated by the Senate President was intended to clear the erroneous impression created in the minds of the public by military apologists in the corridors of power that the laying of the estimate by the president is akin to budget broadcast by a military dictator which is only a notice and to enlighten the people. But for the avoidance of doubt, by the clear provi-

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to carefully study the president’s transformation agenda as it affects the kind of legislature the Number One citizen desires, they will certainly discover their errors.

As clearly stated in the past and for the avoidance of any doubt, Speaker Tambuwal is not on a popularity contest with any official of government. Instead, he embodies the wishes and aspiration of the Nigerian people, and expresses, at every point, only the position of the members of the House of Representatives.

On the rather funny issue of

alleged Tambuwal’s disloyalty to the PDP which one of the aides raised in a newspaper article, nothing can be farther from the truth. It is safe to say here that Nigerians are tired of worn out sentiments dished out to them at every given opportunity in order to justify unnecessary attacks on the person of the Number Four Citizen of Nigeria.

A

s seen during the budg et presentation, of all those who spoke at the event, only the Speaker recognised the presence of the PDP National Chairman in his order of protocol while delivering his vote of thanks. As a matter of fact, this loyal gesture to the largest political party in Africa drew the ire of opposition lawmakers who shouted ‘Nay’ repeatedly to show their disapproval at the Speaker ’s recognition of his party chairman.

In conclusion, let me state here that the level of discourse emanating from the President’s public affairs managers is not only unbecoming of the requirement of the highest office in the land, it shows lack of depth in the understanding of public issues and governance generally including even the rudiments of democracy and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Okupe especially is proving to have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing from his days of political participation during transition of military dictatorships and into civilian democracy. With due respect, we call on Okupe and his other attack dogs to change their orientation, they can do this by making friends with the copy of the constitution. In the event they feel that this is cumbersome, they should, in the alternative, subject their opinions to vetting by those who are more conversant with the hallowed document.

*Imam is the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Speaker Tambuwal

Ebigwei and development vision TRIBUTE

BY EMMA FEJOKWU

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF A celebration of an entrepreneur

There is no doubt that Chief Sylvan Olisenyem Ebigwei, a community leader and lyase of Ogbodogba Okpanam in Oshimili North local Government Area of Delta State, is a man born great with responsibilities to mount the rostrum of leadership not only within his immediate commu-

, Chief Sylvan Olisenyem Ebigwei.

L

IKE in one of the books written by a foremost novelist, some men are born great, some achieve greatness while some have greatness entrusted to them.

Ebigwei, in spite of all odds, carried everyone along especially those he can easily reach with the ethnicity not a barrier

nity and chains of business empire but also to the social organizations to which he belongs.

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not a barrier. As a detribalized and unassuming personality, a focused and result-oriented business guru, he has not only carved a niche for himself, he has also made wonderful contributions to the socio-economic development of the country - Nigeria.

The lyase Ogbodogba

bigwei, in spite of all odds, carried everyone along especially those he can easily reach with the ethnicity

responsible for them to cast their votes for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the various state governors including his home state, Delta.

Over the years, this eminent Nigerian has fashioned out ways to bring peaceful co-existence to his community and other ethnic nationalities of the area.

B

,

Okpanam (Prime Minister) and President of Akaikenga among many other sodal organizations is a founding and strong member of the ruling party the P.D.P hence through his overwhelming financial support and mobilization of persons across the country was

orn into a strict disci plined family with the fear of God, Ebigwein, in an interview, disclosed that his vision and focus is to be able to use all in his possession as blessed by God to assist the less privileged. His magic wand is trying to be in the forefront of achieving success in all sectors induding the lofty empowerment/development of his people and community in the provision of job opportunities.

The name Ebigwei rings bell not only in Okpanam but also in different parts of the county and beyond as a result of the indelible mark the family has made in touching their lives.

The lyase of Obodogba Okpanam, without mincing words, is one of those who achieved greatness through hard work and has chosen to use his very busy time and hard earned resources to bring progress and peace among his people both at home and in diaspora as well as others. He has left indelible footprints on the annals of history of this nation and beyond from his being the President of Akaikenga with membership of who is who in the country including some top personalities mostly of 1gbo race, there is no doubt that he came with a messianic zeal to reposition, empower and serve.

A philanthropist and patron of many organizations including the War Veterans of the Nigerian Civil War, Ebigwei deserves a national award to serve as an encouragement for his various developmental programmes towards a better Nigeria.

Mr. Fejokwu, a media consultant, is based in Asaba.

C M Y K

PAGE 48—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

chimeena@yahoo.com

OYASAF: African art and identity blogging

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S part of its contribution toward the promotion and development of art in the country, Omooba Yemisi Adedeyin Shyllon Art Foundation,OYASAF in collaboration with WOTASIDE Art Studios recently organised an intellectual feast for the members of the art community in Lagos.

The event which was put in place in furtherance of its mission to educating the public about art, featured a presentation by renowned art scholar, Prof. Francis A. O. Ugiomoh of the Department of Fine Art and Design, Faculty of Humanities, University of Port-Harcourt.

Held at the OYASAF conference center, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos, the lecture titled: On African Art and Identity Blogging: A Historical Perspective was a wonderful representation of his inaugural lecture presented at the University of Port Harcourt.

The lecture which was moderated by Prince Yemisi Shyllon, founder of OYASAF also had in attendance renowned art patron, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi and wife, Dr Kunle Filani, Prof. Anthony Mereni, Mrs Ibironke Ashaye, Simeon Ikpakronyi of NGA, Bisi Silva of CCA, Ademola Azeez, Oliver Enwonwu , president SNA and others.

Ordinarily, inaugural lecture is an opportunity for newlypromoted or appointed Professors to inform colleagues in the University and the general public, about their research career so far; and update colleagues

on their current and future research directions, so in this presentation the guest lecturer, Ugiomoh used the lecture to educate the audience about the origin of art,the views of some philosophers about African art, the various stages it passed through before it got to the present stage.

He also talked about the training of artist,and how his practice has been applied to the inter related academic disciplines in UNIPORT as well as how his works have reflected the theory of his practice in studio encounters and engagement.

Ugiomoh in the well researched work

,

BY JAPHET ALAKAM LECTURE

It is time to reconstruct our own history that no other person should write our own history than Africans

,

traced the evolution of art to the creation story in the Biblical book of Genesis and how humanity has taken its destiny in its hands by making everything in the reflection of the image.

He defined the character and significance of the work of art as an object of culture that privileges history

From left, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, founder of OYASAF watch while Prof.

Frank Ugiomoh, the guest lecturer explains some facts during the lecture. and creates identities. He noted that the discipline known as the History of Art has a known foundation on which ideas in it are structured.

He however regretted that African art history operates outside this known frame. The major reason for this deflection according to him, is the dominant attention to it by anthropologists.

In his lecture, he traced this blatant distortions to views of Euro-centric writers like G. W. F. Hegel for whom Africa constitutes an unhistorical part of the world spirit. To Hegel and other Euro-centric scholars, he said, the understanding of Africa as an idea is restricted to a limited portion of Africa

MUSON festival 2012 kicks off with My Kind of Music tival promises to be great.

Highlighting the line up of activities & EBUN SESSOU for the festival, the Vice Chairman of MUSON and Chairman of the FestiMUSIC val Planning Committee, Mr. Kitoyi T is going to be another season Ibare-Akinsan, stated that it will open of musical thrill and excitement with My Kind of Music on 18th at as the MUSON festival 2012 Agip Recital Hall at 6:00pm. The event kicks off in grand style at the Muson will feature four highly accomplished centre Lagos. This was disclosed by people in the society who will share the chairman of Muson, Bashorun J.K their passion for music in general, their Randle while briefing the press about specific preferences and musical the 2012 festival which is scheduled choices. to start on 18th of October, 2012.

This will be followed by a Jazz Fest According to Bashorun Randle, the at the Shell Nigeria Hall, it will Muson festival which covers a variety featurie Nigerian Jazz exponents inof artistic offerings such as classical cluding Dapo Dina from Germany, music, Jazz, choral music, traditional Mike ‘Bere and Ayodel from South and contemporary music as well as Africa, Agboola Shadare from United drama has become a major calendar State of America as well as home based item which lovers of the arts look for- artistes Imole Afrika, Adesua, Victor ward to each year and this year’s fesAdemofe and Saxtee.

On Sunday, the event will take another dimension with Classic Concert, feat u r i n g M U S O N choirs including Thomas Kanitz, playing the cello, Dr. Sabatunde Sosan as well as the School choir performFrom left: Chief Femi Adeniyi Williams, immediate ing traditional Chairman of MUSON, Bashorun J.K.Randle, Chairman of African pieces MUSON and Mr Kitoyi Ibare-Akinson, vice chairman and conducted by Chairman of festival planning committee at the briefing.

BYJAPHET ALAKAM

I

C M Y K

Emeka Nwokedi.

A solo competition for the youth from ages 14 and 21 will be followed with Youth Concert featuring three categories including voice, instrument and piano. The idea behind the competition is to encourage music education in secondary schools.

While MUSON Day will hold on October 25, featuring Thomas Kanitz, and musical maestro, Ayo Bankole Jnr, to take the audience on a musical journey through Europe. It will also feature a Drama, “An Ordinary Legacy”written by award-winning and prolific Nigerian writer Sefi Atta. The premiere which will be on stage for the first time will feature a number of leading actors and actresses who have made their mark both on television and stage.

An Opera, titled “The Magic Flute”, will round up this year’s and it will be performed in Nigerian costume so as to reflect the the Nigerian context. The opera is an allegory concerning the struggle between the Queen of the night, representing darkness and repression of knowledge and an enlightened high priest whose rule is based on wisdom and reason.

Speaking on the festival, the Chairman, Bashorun J.K Randle, said the idea originated in the late 90s and has become a major calendar item which both arts and music lovers look forward to.

According to him, MUSON’s core activities is to train and inspire professional musicians, organising classical concerts and staging the annual MUSON Festival.

below the Sahara Desert.

“Even within this limited frame, African art lacks aesthetic merit because, primarily, the arts in Africa were originally conceived to function as fetishes. Africa’s unhistorical status thus locates its art within the realm of the primitive, tribal and traditional models.”

He said.

He also pointed out how Hegel’s dismissal of the relevance of Africa and Africans to history have continued to receive undue affirmation from many African scholars like Chinua Achebe.

Achebe in his views, kicks against such eurocentric views but however blamed Africans for their docile conformity and intellectual aphasia.

Confronting the Eurocentric views

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ontinuing, Ugiomoh revealed how he confronted these issues by relying on the method of philology.

Philology, he said, allows for a reconstruction of myth, which has relapsed into superstition. To him Africa is defined within the concept of its known cartographic boundary in spite of its multi-racial mix. To buttress his point, he showed a demonstration of an ancestry of 77,000 years of African art (the Blombos stone in South Africa) that is premised on verifiable aesthetic canon and which accommodates two known stylistic typologies that have funded the evolution of European art.

This shared continental identity (latched largely on Africa’s ancient traditions), is supported with a reading of two contemporary works of art from Nigeria at collective and personal spheres. The readings demonstrate that the spirit of every age finds its image lurking in its works of art.

He also condemned the undue emphasis on theoretical work for the assessment of artists as against practical work which is supposed to be the yard stick for measuring artists and the role of NUC that usurps the sanctity of the University Senate.

He concluded by saying that the cultural wealth that Africa hosts remains largely unspoken, pointing out that “it is time to reconstruct our own history that no other person should write our own history than Africans”.

In their comments, several speakers commended OYASAF for coming up with such a programme that provides an opportunity to look at art history not from the lineal way of the whites but from the African angle.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012, PAGE 49

chimeena@yahoo.com

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NE of the greatest chal lenges that threaten the unity of Nigeria today as a nation is not even the challenge of ethnicity , but more curiously, one that bothers on religion.

In recent time, religious differences between the Muslim faithful and their Christian brothers have been found to rupture the fragile thread of peace that holds the country together.

Given the volatile and sensitive nature of religion, especially in this part of the world, ambitious political elites and ethnic jingoists have found it a ready tool with which to perpetrate violence and unprecedented wastage of lives and properties at the slightest

The Poems of Peace in Season of Bloodshed, Shehu Sani, Labari Communications, Kaduna, 2012, PP.129.

,

The poems in the collection are strong testimonies to the depth of carnage committed against institutions, churches and mosques as well as wastages of human lives in the season of violence

,

provocation.

It is this kind of scenario that Nigeria has witnessed recently as some fundamental religionists appropriate the cloak of religion to perpetrate violence and terror in many States in the Northern part of the country.

The collection, The Poems of Peace in the Season of Bloodshed by human right activist, Sehu Sani is therefore, a poetic response to some of the concerns raised by serial killings, violence of unprecedented proportions and climate of terror that come in the C M Y K

heels of such religious stalemates.

In line with the poet’s humanistic visions, the 129 page collection preaches peace. And the common denominator that connects the entire thread of his poetic strands is freedom. “ This anthology is written for the sole purpose of promoting peace, encouraging peace efforts and inspiring peace advocacy and renunciation of violence and terror perpetrated in the guise of ethnicity or religion or politics.” He writes in his introduction to cover.

The poems explore different strands of experiences occasioned by sectarian violence: fear, uncertainty, mistrust, hatred, anger, anguish and sorrow. Poetically, the poet graphicalises the nation’s loss of ethical conscience epitomised by the sense of savagery and primitive exhibitionism celebrated by the perpetrators of these ugly acts, Despite all of these indices of pains: the pains of ruination of cities ,like in My City Boils, where he writes, “My city is boiling/ I can see the evaporation of peace, My city is boiling/ I can see the steam of violence, he still calls for peace and hopes for a better tomorrow.

In another poem titled , I Dream of a World of Peace, he writes, ”I dreamt of a world of peace/ I woke up in a land of violence, I dreamt of a world of love/ I woke up in a land of hate.”

The poems in the collection are strong testimonies to the depth of carnage committed against institutions, churches and mosques as well as wastages of human lives in the season of violence. The poems condemn violence in the world and defilement of sacred places of worships.” Demonise not my Mosque/ It is my source of peace/ Demonise not my mosque/ it is my fountain of freedom, Demonise not my mosque/ It is my temple of faith.” He writes in the poem, The Mosque.

While these poems are written to propagate peace, freedom, tolerance and unity in the world, essentially too, they serve as fitting memorials for some important deaths accessioned by the sectarian violence.

Special poems in the collection are written in honour of some university professors killed in a church service at the Bayero University, Kano, a student killed at University of Maiduguri, the Zango Kataf Killings, Na Hauwa killings as well as the bombing of United Nation’s building in Abuja.

Though the collection does not merit much in editorial finishing, it however makes up for whatever short coming it suffers with its profound strength in projecting art as an important tool for peace advocacy.

Navigating around Nanna's verse

BY GAB EJUWA BOOK REVIEW

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HRONICLES of Poetic Thoughts – a new anthology of Poetic Poems by Oti Nanna – at first blush elicits in one a deceptive notion: making one think it is a record of poetry contributed by many poets but when one opens the beautifully designed book he sees that, really, it is the anthology of poems all penned by one person. Thus, the book chronicles the various thoughts of this new voice of African Poetry within a variety of themes and poetic genres.

Adroitly and imaginatively blending thoughts, feelings and imagery in such a vivid tactile and exciting ways through the labyrinth of lines, the poet has successfully articulated her vision of life and communicated her message to the audience that long after the lines have been declaimed the poetry beeps reverberating in the mind, drawing particular attention to its engaging melody, rhythm and metre and to the relevance of authorial viewpoint to the country in particular and to the world at large.

Anybody reading Nana’s poems would readily subscribe to and circumscribe this creativity sublime, inspired description of her poetry. Too, Alexander Pope once said that some people write to make their emptiness open. If this is true, and really there is no doubt that it is the converse is also true, more so in Nana’s poetry , that she has written to inscribe and circumscribe her depth of thought and feeling on the canvass of our communal memory, a rare artiste of word, thought and feeling who finds her voice and meaning both within and against our collective ethos and mores, indeed a subtle weaver of verbal nuances and intellectual complexities that tend to stop us dead in our tracks and confront us with the startling and yet incandescent realities of the human experience.

With themes free-ranging and criss crossing, this winsome spider of vocal and pictorial webs weaves the dialectical mat, the panoplied tapestry of sinuous and sensuous images that flit through the mind like fireflies in the dark from the rambunctious love of “I Love You” and “Love Stronger than Death” the admonitory “make your time count” “plan for Retirement” “Good Enough for what you want” “ Away from poachers” “ fate of Gangsters” “ the blithely cynical” “After the success of man” “ Against her will” “ the pastorally idyllic” “my beautifully come my way” the peremptory but burlesqued” “ stone her to Death” , the symbolic and existential “ Nomadic” , helplessness in “A catalogue of Love” the sublimely Philosophic “ shadows of Debts Unpaid” “ salt to taste and not to injure” and to the ultimate salubrity of most traumatic experiences evoked in “colours of the Rainbow” this inevitably eclectic and by that fact, polyphonic collection runs the gamut of thematic rabblerousing and engagement.

Although the settings of the poems are both concrete and abstract – not surprising though if we call to mind the sheer fecundity of the anthology – there is no doubt whatsoever in the reader ’s mind that the background while being specifically, contextually I might add, Nigerian there is abundant lexical evidence for it to be sus-

Chronicles of Poetic Thoughts by Oti Nanna, Souvenir Limited, published 2011, PP 115

,

Poetic Justice in Season of Bloodshed

Anybody reading Nana’s poems would readily subscribe to and circumscribe this creativity sublime, inspired description of her poetry

,

ceptible to transference and teleportation to other climes, thus admitting of universality.

Setting in Chronicles is also emotional and psychological in opposition to its being spatial and temporal which lends credence to the poetic sophistication and prodigiousness of this viscerally gifted yet fledgling poet. No other poem in the collection features is realised setting than the poem “Love stranger than Death” where the lady’s weeding doubles as not only the psychological setting but also as the symbol of the Love welling up and bursting forth, complementing the rain image.

Furthermore, chronicles of Poetic Thoughts exhibits a plethora of moods and tones which reinforce the dynamism of the setting as well as the diverse multiplicity of the thematic thrust. From the casual, almost flippant logocentric witticism found in “No hamattan in Manhattan “ the peremptory but ironic cast of “ stone her to Death” the existential but sardonic ruefulness of “ Nomadic” the empathetic and sympathetic camaraderie infusing “ 01. MISS Ann” with pathos, the preachy admonitory slant of “makes your time counts” the abstract standoffishness of “salt to taste and not to injure to the therapeutic somnolence of “colours of the Rainbow “this fine collection parades a kaleidoscopic variety of moods.

To say that the language of chronicles is apt and winsome is to say the least. As a matter of fact, diction in this labyrinth of vocal and intellectual data is formal most of the time, informal on occasion and quasi formal. The lexical items are generally simple and there is the obvious predilection for the simple sentence structure, not surprising in view of the chronicle format which lends itself well to graphic simplicity.

PAGE 50—SUNDAY VANGUARD,OCTOBER 14, 2012

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Secret Love

here is great sadness in wishing only that a secret love might bring a loved one a little happiness, rather than wishing that the secret love can be met and reciprocated.

Some love are full of optimism and shout about the overwhelming power of love to unite people and overcome differences.

But Secret love is a sad lament to an unrequited love. fully resigned to the secret love being unfulfilled. cheers!

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER,14, 2012, PAGE 51

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE Joshua Adeyemo

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08157814681 •A guy, 26, a student, from Delta state, needs a caring sugar mummy.07067638892 •Az, 25, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy for a relationship.07039845758 •Friday, 28, from Enugu, needs a sugar mummy, aged 37, for a relationship.

08134241946 •Akporode, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, for a serious relationship.

07057536464, 08185581009 •Richy, 21, from Warri, needs a sugar mummy, who resides in Warri.08179683533, 07032571164 •Frank, a student, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy.

07062054159 •Olawale, 23, needs a caring, lovely and pleasant sugar mummy, to take good care of him.08022365750

07035506720 •Jason, 25, an entertainer, who resides in Lagos, needs, a sugar mummy, for a serious relationship.07031340393 •Raymond, 40, resides in Edo state, needs a sugar mummy, for a relationship.

08098797575, 07057746742 •Arthur, 28, strong and good looking, needs a reliable and good looking sugar mummy to take care of him. 08081044490 •Jboy, 27, tall, good looking and from Delta state, needs a caring, loving and pretty sugar mummy, that is sexually active for a relationship.

08038793173 •Erny, 23, handsome, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, aged 35-45, for sexual relationship. 08075844919 •Adams, 29, resides in Benin, needs an attractive, romantic and healthy sugar mummy. 08062694160 •Monday, 25, resides in Imo state, needs a sugar mummy, aged 40-45, who is from Imo state, for a relationship.

07034300002 •Gauis, from, Plateau state, needs a beautiful and slim sugar mummy, who will take care of him.08179228671 •A guy, needs a sugar mummy.07031224543 •Douglas, 34, needs a fair in complexion, wealthy and healthy sugar mummy, from PH or Abuja.08052759342 •Stephen, 30, resides in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy.

07025833066 •Raymond, 32, a graduate, from Benin, needs a sugar mummy, aged 40-50, for love.

08124688213 •Fedelis, tall and presentable, needs a romantic, sexy and wealthy sugar mummy that can take good care of him.

08038658519 •Sunny, 26, average height, dark in complexion handsome and fun loving, resides in Abuja, needs a sugar mummy.08065437856 •Manny, 26, resides in Edo state, needs a romantic sugar mummy, aged 35- 40.

08069703250 •Emma, 24, needs a sugar mummy that will love and take care of him, for a serious relationship.08062533941 •Macaulay, 27, needs a rich

Searching Male

sugar mummy, who is sexy.

07032738583 •George, 25, needs a romantic sugar mummy that will love him, for whom he is.

07055594521, 08135627164 BB pin 328D6c61 •Mike, 36, 5.7ft tall and handsome, needs a good and romantic sugar mummy, for a relationship. 08071506633 •Desmond, needs a good looking sugar mummy, to take

08056180139

About the Moon

P

ERIODS of the Moon’s fluctuation as given here-under, are when unexpected frustrations and disappointments are possible .And those are the times when other people should not be taken for granted. However if I write that such periods/days favour you, you have no cause to worry. Therefore you are advised to plan your week carefully. Such periods/days are: 7.57pm to 10.26pm of Sunday (same day) 8.52pm to 11.18pm of Tuesday(same day) 2.52am to 11.38am of Friday (Same day}* There will be New Moon tomorrow Monday .During the week, Moon will go through LIBRA, SCORPIO, SAGITTARIUS and CAPRICORN.

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 22) BUSINESS; You’re becoming more ambitious to the betterment of your cause.

MONEY; The best for you is to take good advantage on Wednesday.

LOVE; If you take friends for granted on Friday, you’ll be disappointed.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

care of him financially.

08165078127 •Peter, tall, handsome, gentle and kind, needs a sugar mummy.08105524216 •Simon, 21, resides in Delta state, needs a sweet sugar mummy. 07038086502 •Akanni, 35, handsome, fair in complexion, employed and resides in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy 08076280177 •Pat, 26, a student, needs a nice sugar mummy, for a relationship.08073479839, 08168696259 •John, 32, a businessman in Lagos, a needs a comfortable sugar mummy, who is caring and loving, aged 25-45,s for a relationship.08037038098 •Michael, 19, tall, handsome and sexy, needs a rich sugar mummy in Anambra.

08160182368 •Kevin, 22, cute, intelligent and sweet, needs a sugar mummy, aged 29-45 to assist him, financially in his studies.08030813180 •Swagkidz, 20, needs a sexy sugar mummy that will take care of him.08109652897 •Wegba, 19, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy to take care of him.08108406629, 07051609400 •Ani-jo, 20, needs sugar mummy that can take good care of him.08066614300 •John, 20, tall and sexy, needs a sugar mummy.08098157325, 08164331640 •Emmasco, needs a caring sugar mummy, from either Delta or Edo state.

08179749712 •Prince, 21, an undergraduate in PH, needs a romantic sugar mummy, aged 30-40.

08064746229 •Victor, 39, educated and employed, needs a sincere, mature and financially stable sugar mummy, for a long lasting relationship.

08035850250 •Patrick, 32, employed, needs a sugar mummy, aged 38-55, in Lagos for total satisfaction.

08054071460 •John, 30, resides in Delta state, needs a good and caring sugar mummy that resides in Delta state.08036135070 •Donald, 25, needs a sugar mummy.08105700181 •Vincent, 24, needs a sugar

BUSINESS; You’ll become closer to the powers-that-be. Take advantage of it.

MONEY; Monday and Friday are your good days of this week.

LOVE;Watch your steps carefully today (Sunday). Enjoy other week days.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec21) BUSINESS; Better opportunities’ll come your way on Wednesday; take advantage MONEY; It’s important you’re more careful on Friday. Be very practical.

LOVE; Business success’ll encourage romantic expression on your part.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) BUSINESS; Those who’re more co-operative’ll have a rewarding week.

MONEY; Take good advantage tomorrow (Monday). Saturday can be good LOVE; You’re in for an exciting and deeply satisfying week..

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18) BUSINESS; You’re closer to good luck, although being cooperative’ll help.

MONEY; Joint venture related issues can bring avoidable trouble on Tuesday.

LOVE; It’s important you watch carefully what you do on Friday.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 19) BUSINESS; It’s not yet time to experiment with your new ideas.

MONEY; Mid-week success indicated for many of you. Be wise LOVE; Tuesday and Wednesday’ll bring you great deal of excitement.

ARIES ( Mar 20 – Apr 19) BUSINESS; Pay good attention to happenings within your base of operation MONEY; be careful today (Sunday) but you’ll smile broadly on Friday.

LOVE; Excitement and satisfaction indicated after mid-week drama.

TAURUS ( Apr 20 – May 20) BUSINESS; Good opportunities to express yourself will come your way MONEY; Success after struggle indicated for you on Friday.

LOVE; You’ll have fun but domestic water may boil on Thursday.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) BUSINESS; Wait till after mid-week before trying out new ideas MONEY; Hard work’ll be rewarded especially on Wednesday.

LOVE; Discourage domestic trouble come Friday.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22) BUSINESS; Many of you’ll strike good deal; pay attention to communication MONEY; Mid-week temptation can lead to avoidable trouble.

LOVE; You’ll continue to enjoy good attention and admiration.

LEO (Jul23 – Aug 22) BUSINESS; Do not over inflate your ego, especially tomorrow (Monday).

MONEY; Success’ll knock at your door on Wednesday. Be wise.

LOVE; Friday’ll bring big temptation you must resist at all cost.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22) BUSINESS; You will enjoy the needed supports and record good results.

MONEY; Tuesday’ll bring success. Watch-out on Friday LOVE; Neither can anybody stop nor ignore you at least for now.

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

by

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By Esther Onyegbula

Groom Style

shoulder padding. When sizing your tux or suit, make sure everything fits precisely so you don’t end up swimming in yards of extra material.

Flattering tuxedo W

hether you are into fashion or not, you want to look decent on your wedding day. One of the biggest contributors to your overall look will be your wedding tuxedo.

Unless you already own a tux or nice suit, you will need to rent or buy one.

With either option, the first step is finding a good tuxedo shop. You want a store that is reliable and one that has a good reputation. Call ahead to ask about the range of suits and tuxedos they offer, and assess the overall vibe when you visit the store.

Is it super-busy? Do the salespeople seem to have a good knowledge of their inventory? Keep in mind that your groomsmen will probably need to rent a similar wedding tuxedo to what you get, so opting to use a national chain can be helpful if they live in other parts of the country.

When it is time to start trying on suits, think about the formality of your wedding. Having this information will help you determine if you should rent a classic black wedding tuxedo or a more low-key khaki suit or anything in between. While shopping, take advantage of the store associates.

They don’t just advise you on which suit to rent, but can also help with measurements and fittings. Speaking of fit, make sure that you can move in your suit before you put any money down. You want to be able to hit the dance floor, and perform all of your other groom duties without worrying about splitting a seam.

Remember, you will be wearing your wedding tuxedo for eight or more hours, so you want to be comfortable.

""You have never had so many pictures taken of you in your life, so make sure you look great.

Keep these tips in mind for choosing the suit that best becomes you."

Tall and Thin Prospective groom can wear any tuxedo, from contemporary styles like single-breasted four-button jackets — to a more classic, double-breasted tuxedo with broad shoulders. If you are extremely thin and want to look bulkier, opt for the latter; it will pad your chest slightly and fill out your torso.

Make sure your trouser legs and jacket arms are long enough.

Tall and Husky, or Muscular o for a smooth, clean look without a lot of frills. A shawl collar (a more rounded lapel than a peak collar) will create an elegant line that will make you seem less bulky. Avoid doublebreasted jackets and pleated shirts, which add volume. If you have a large waist, consider wearing a vest instead of a cummerbund, since cummerbunds draw attention to the waist, while vests conceal girth. Keep in mind that black has a slimming effect, which makes the classic tux perfect for you. You will probably find that white suits, light-colored suits (such as tan or seersucker), morning suits, and tails are not your most flattering looks. And if you are extremely muscular, be aware of sizing, especially around your neck. You don’t want to feel like your bow tie is strangling you.

G

Short and Slim Avoid styles that look too large on your frame. Steer clear of double-breasted jackets. Instead, go for a two- or three-button jacket with a low-button stance (it elongates the body), paired with classic tuxedo pants or pleated trousers. If you want to look a bit broader, ask your tailor for extra

Goke

Short and Broad tick with a single-breasted jacket.

Go for a classic two- or onebutton jacket with a low-button stance and a shawl collar, which will keep your look streamlined and slim. Also, choose a jacket with a natural shoulder line, and avoid the more broad European styles. If you have a heavy waist, choose a vest rather than a cummerbund to draw attention away from your waistline and up toward your face. And once again, remember that black has a slimming effect, which makes the classic tux perfect for you. When it comes to sizing, make sure your jacket and trousers fit well.

When you button your jacket, the material near the buttons shouldn’t pull. Your trousers should fit comfortably around your waist.

S

A perfect tux jacket fit A perfect tux jacket fits when the bottom hem covers the butt without the vent pulling open, and the collar staying flat on your neck without any gaps or bulges.

Shoes Leather is the most popular choice, both the soft and heavy style. This material is elegant, comfortable and stylish and ideal for important event of this nature. There are several design prospective grooms can choose from; laces or buckles.

Color is also essential. Black is safer and it fits just about anything.

Regardless of the color of your suit, a pair of black suits will always suit best.

Pick a color that compliments your suit if you’re wearing something colored. Look for matching shoes in the store you bought your suit from to obtain a stylish coherent look.

Comfort is crucial. Choose the right size and a fabric that allows your feet to breathe.

Phillips

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012 -- PAGE 53

F

riday and yesterday marked an international weekend, another weekend of travel for the assortment of foreign stars in the English Premier League. Not all of them will be travelling to play matches.

Some, like Chelsea’s Juan Mata did not make the Spain squad, but others will use the rest period to make sojourns elsewhere.

Several players came to England in the summer and have not had a chance to go home yet. A good manager will encourage his players to get back to their families to countries like Spain — and a player will not need any encouragement to head south for the last of the summer weather.

Jordi Cruyff, son of Johan, used to be so desperate to get back from Manchester to his family in Barcelona, he would take a morning flight, spend four or five hours in Spain and then fly back to northern England.

Spanish players tend to adapt to new surroundings well. Over 170 of them are now playing around the world, making footballers one of Spain’s most successful recent exports. Why? They are technically efficient and remain relatively cheap. A second tier player in Spain may earn •2,000 a week and there are always worries whether those wages would be paid on time. A second tier footballer in England will earn five times that where wages are paid on time. The economic crisis in Spain has only increased the numbers of players leaving the country.

Santi Cazorla, rated as the best player in Spain outside the big two of Barcelona and Real Madrid last season, already seems a bargain at £16 million since washing up at Arsenal. The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has continually said there is no value in the transfer market. There is in Spain outside the big two.

There are pockets of Spanish players in a worldwide diaspora, like the seven players in the city of Larnaka in Cyprus or the six at the topflight Greek side Asteras Triplos. They tend to follow a C M Y K

*Mata,

Spanish manager. Their talents are also in demand, from Unai Emery coaching Spartak Moscow this weather to a former head of Barça’s youth system who now works in the UAE. There are 24 Spaniards in England ranging from Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, Oriol Romeu and Cesar Azpilicueta at Chelsea to Angel Rangel, Pablo Hernandez, Michu and Chicho Flores at Swansea City.

Swansea have an excellent recent record of buying Spanish players and their Iberian links strengthened when Roberto Martinez was in charge from 2007-09. He encouraged players like Jordi Gomez and Andrea Orlandi to leave Barcelona for South Wales.

New Swansea coach Michael Laudrup’s last job was in Spain, so he knew Spanish players better than any other. He managed Chico Flores at Mallorca last season and recognised the potential of Valencia’s Pablo Hernandez, who became Swansea’s £5.5 million record signing.

I went to see Hernandez in Valencia in December. He put a brave face on things, but his status in the squad had slipped from being a regular

*Torres,

,

Why Spanish players are attracted to Premiership

It’s a tough physical game in England and there’s no mid season break like in Spain. I’ve seen new foreign signings look wonderful in August and half the player in December, but there’s no doubting the quality of many Spanish players

,

starter and man of the match against Manchester United a season earlier, to a regular substitute. He was ready to try the Premier League.

I also travelled to Swansea to watch Gomez and Orlandi when they first moved from Spain in 2008. They invited me out after a night game, but Orlandi and his girlfriend Laura were a bit embarrassed that nowhere was open in Wales’ second city for a meal after 11pm. Most people in their home city go out at 11pm.

So Laura made a meal for someone she had never met before.

Four years on, I called Orlandi, who scored the fastest goal in the Premier League last season after 25 seconds, as part of this article.

“I’m still with Laura and we’re now parents,” he said.

“We lived in Swansea for five years. It was hard at first, adjusting to life away from Barcelona, the British weather and the different type of football. But we got used to it and we loved the warmth of the Welsh people. We met so many good people and Swansea was such a friendly club that even when things didn’t go well for me on the pitch, we were always felt welcomed. I left for Brighton in the summer — a great move for me, but I’m not ashamed to say that I cried when I had to say goodbye to Swansea.”

Orlandi, 28, is an Anglophile. “We’re going to Barcelona this weekend and of course I miss the sun, my friends and family, but I want to spend the rest of my career playing in the English leagues and I think more Spanish players will come to England. I found the football really physical at first, but now I actually enjoy it. I love the fans, the full stadiums, the football culture.” They are happy to raise their baby daughter in England.

Swansea more than

*Hernandez replenished their stock of Spaniards this summer, signing three including Michu, the attacking midfielder who was a star for Rayo Vallecano in recent seasons, for just £2 million.

Despite not being a striker, he scored 15 goals in the Primera Liga last season and made an incredible first impression in England, scoring twice and providing an assist as the Swans won their opening game 5-0 at QPR. “He was the best player on the pitch,” says former Ipswich Town and Leicester City striker James Scowcroft, who covered the game for BBC Radio London. “He had a habit of arriving late in the box, late but perfect for the balls which were played to him. English teams still struggle with players like that. His running from deep continually troubled QPR.” Scowcroft has watched many foreign players arrive here in his 18 years as a professional.

“It will be good for them to get a break this weekend as gets harder as the weather closes in,” he says. “It’s a tough physical game in England and there’s no mid season break like in Spain. I’ve seen new foreign signings look wonderful in August and half the player in December, but there’s no doubting the quality of many Spanish players.”

Ronaldo, not Messi deserves Ballon d’Or – Mourinho well ahead of the Argentine forward.

“It would be a crime if Cristiano didn’t win the Ballon d’Or. If Messi is the best in the world, it’s only because Cristiano is from another planet,” Mourinho stated to A Bola. “He wasn’t born on Madeira, but on Mars. So he’s not from planet Earth. That’s

R

eal Madrid coach Jose Mourinho feels that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon d’Or and says he is on another level than Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi.

Mourinho stated after the Clasico that both players were from another planet, but he is now having second thoughts about his previous statement, and believes his compatriot is

why he’s the best player in the universe. If Cristiano does not win it this year, it has to do with his image. He doesn’t sell himself well and isn’t always a nice guy.”

The flamboyant coach then voiced his opinion that it is more difficult for Ronaldo to excel than it is for Messi, as he has not been surrounded by

the same teammates for years.

“Things are much harder for Cristiano than they are for Messi. Messi grew up with his current team and teammates,” he said. “Cristiano, on the other hand, came here from England and arrived at a struggling team. He has had to develop in a team that wasn’t the finished article yet.”

World Cup: Brazil’ll be under pressure in 2014 – Ronaldo

F

ormer Brazil striker Ronaldo feels his countrymen will be under pressure to perform when they host World Cup 2014, but believes it could act as motivation.

The 36-year-old Ronaldo retired from the game in 2011 after scoring 62 goals in 98 appearances for the Selecao

while also playing for the some of the greatest clubs in the world including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He conceded a lot will be expected of the host nation in two years’ time, especially as Mano Menezes’ side is going through a rebuilding process, but he is hopeful the tournament will

bring the best out of the players.

“I’m sure it will be difficult for the Brazilian team especially as we’re going through a period of rejuvenation for the team,” Ronaldo told the BBC. “No doubt that playing at home will bring extra pressure, but this could also become a great motivator. We’re all going to be following events closely, and the important thing is to put on a good competition.”

54 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

Russia hail Capello over victory R

ACROBATIC... Super Eagles forward Victor Moses (in sommersault) celebrating one of his two goals in the 6-1 routing of the Lone Star of Liberia yesterday at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar as his team-mates watch with admiration.

Photo by: Sylva Eleanya

USSIA coach Fabio Capello has been hailed as a saviour by local media after the Italian masterminded the team’s transformation following a dismal showing at Euro 2012.

“Russian Catenaccio!” read a front-page headline in Saturday’s leading sports daily Sport-Express in reference to a tactical system with a strong emphasis on defence traditionally associated with Italian soccer.

Russia beat Group F favourites Portugal 1-0 on Friday to maintain their perfect start in their World Cup qualifying campaign under Capello with three wins from three matches without conceding a goal.

“A dream start! Three victories at the beginning

Black Stars first to book Nations Cup slot G

HANA became the first country to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations when beating Malawi 1-0 in Lilongwe on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Stars braved the intimidating crowd and bumpy pitch at the Civo Stadium to clinch their ticket with an early goal from debutant Afriyie Acquah.

Ghana thus reach their 19th Africa Cup of Nations after clinching the 3-0 aggregate win following their victory over the Flames in the first-leg in Accra last month.

The visitors hit the ground running on three minutes with a wellworked goal. Andre Ayew and Christian Atsu combined to set up the Italybased youngster who fired in from close range for his first goal in his first start for the Black Stars.

But it was not a stroll in the park for the four-time champions as the Flames fought back pinning the Black Stars to their half before the break.

Slippery strikers Jospehy Kamwendo and Esau Kanyenda took advantage of the effective passes from midfielders Robert Ng’ambi and Chimango Kayira to cause some anxious moments for the Black Stars.

The Flames midfield duo outmuscled Anthony Annan and Acquah in the Ghana midfield creating opportunities for their strikers on several occasions.

C M Y K

But on the few occasions that Kamwendo and Kanyenda got to the goal area of the Black Stars they found the central defensive pair of Isaac Vorsah and John Vorsah in excellent form.

That allowed goalkeeper Isaac Kwarasey to be on a holiday with the Norway-based shot stopper saving some harmless efforts at goal.

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah made a raft of changes to fortify his midfield after the break with Ayew making way for TP Mazembe bound Daniel Nii Adjei while Espanyol star Mubarak Wakaso took the place of Acquah with Abdul Majeed Waris coming on for Rabiu Mohammed.

Flames coach Kinnah Phiri also responded with

some changes as Steve Chagoma made way for Chiukepo Msowoya while Robin Ngalande took the place of Kanyenda.

They shored up midfield of Ghana as they withstood the constant attacks from the Flames and were able to hold on for the victory that seals them a ticket to the Nations Cup in South Africa next year.

Zambia scrape through U

GANDA beat Zam bia 1-0 in normal time but succumbed to the African champions in post-match penalties by 98 to crush out of the road to South Africa 2013.

Geoffrey Massa scored Uganda’s goal on 27 minutes as the Cranes held out throughout the 90 minutes. Coach Bobby Williamson’s side will now have another attempt in the 2015 edition but for now, they can continue counting into the 37th year then without gracing Africa’s football bonanza.

For Zambia coach Herve Renard, it was relief as the Chipolopolo will now be able to defend their title next year.

The 1-0 meant spot kicks would decide the tie after the first leg ended in a similar scoreline in Ndola. Both teams scored four of the five kicks before going on a scoring spree.

Onyango saved Chris Katongo’s for Zambia, while Emmanuel Mayuka, Isaac Chansa, Nathan Sinkala, Felix Katongo, goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, Jonas

of a qualifying cycle when did we enjoy such a start? Only once - in qualifying for the 1994 World Cup,” the SportExpress report said.

“Our team played a tight game with emphasis on defence. They were able to contain (Portugal captain) Cristiano Ronaldo and once again kept their goal clean,” it added.

“It now looks that the attacking game, associated with (Capello’s predecessors) Dutchmen Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat has stayed in the past.

Now, we have a new era Fabio Capello and his Italian style of play.”

Another sports daily, Sovietsky Sport, said Russia’s win was good revenge for a 7-1 defeat by Portugal in a 2006 World Cup qualifier in Lisbon eight years ago.

“We paid them back for 7-1 - the most humiliating defeat in our football history,” the paper wrote.

The Russians took advantage of Portugal’s unfamiliarity with the Mos-

cow stadium’s artificial turf, scoring in the sixth minute when Kerzhakov broke clear on goal following a defensive mistake.

After taking the lead, the home team played a tight defensive game, limiting Portugal and their leader Ronaldo to only a few scoring chances.

“We knew we had to contain Ronaldo in order to have a good chance to win,” Capello, who replaced Advocaat following Russia’s Euro 2012 flop, told reporters after the match.

“We tried to stay as close to him as possible, often put two defenders on him.

I think it worked pretty well for us.”

The Portuguese blamed the defeat in part on playing on a slick Luzhniki surface.

“It was very difficult to play on such a pitch,” said Portugal winger Nani. “Obviously, the Russians were much better accustomed to it than we had.”

Mali humiliate Botswana

B

OTSWANA crum bled under the pressure to make it two year’s running out of the African Cup of Nations when they failed to qualify at the hands of a determined Mali side who took no prisoners in a 4-1 win in Lobatse.

Botswana had the daunting task of having to overturn a three goal deficit inflicted on them in the first leg of the qualifi-

ers in Mali in hope of securing progression.

The first twenty minutes brought little to no action between the two teams, with Mali looking to keep a hold of the well worked aggregate lead.

But they couldn’t resist minutes later when they broke the deadlock through Chieck Diabete who became the man behind the moment for the visitors.

Sakuwawa, Hichani Himande, Stophila Sunzu and Davies Nkausu scored.

Godfrey Walusimbi, Simeon Masaba, Onyango, Emmanuel Okwi, Hamis Kiiza, Tonny Mawejje, Moses Oloya, Geoffrey Kizito scored for Uganda while Mwesigwa missed.

Uganda dominated the game with Mawejje, Wasswa and Kizito dictating play. But the Zambians were dangerous on the break with Mayuka threatening on several occasions.

Murray beats Federer again, hits final

A

NDY Murray produced a dominant performance over Roger Federer to power into a Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic following a comfortable 6-4 6-4 victory.

Federer simply had no answer to Murray ’s power and variety and it was a relatively simple

task for the Olympic champion to set up a US Open final re-match with old foe Djokovic today.

Murray showed a lot more belief than he has done in the past against Federer, as he consistently went for big winners and the quality and power of his groundstrokes had his opponent scrambling around the

baseline.

Returns of serve were also huge for Murray, and Federer visibly looked at odds with himself on court with double faults and unforced errors creeping up on far more occasions than we are used to - with him seemingly having no answers to the new aggressive Murray.

Andy Murray powers himself into Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic today.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012 — 55

Omoile bundles out Maku at Gov’s Cup

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

T

WO-TIME West and Central Africa Under-18 champion. Samuel Omoile yesterday caused the biggest upset of the Governor’s Cup Futures I tennis when he defeated former Nigerian number one, Sunday Maku in straight sets of 6-0. 6-2 on the Lord Rumens Centre

Court of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan..

On the first day of qualifying rounds into the main draw of the 12th Lagos Governor ’s Cup being sponsored by First City Monument Bank PLC and Etisalat, Omoile who just turned 18 in July. rewrote the history books by beating Maku, regarded as the veteran of Ni-

KICK-OFF...... A novelty match between Somolu Local Government and the Bariga Local Council Development Authority was recently held in honour of Senator Anthony Adefuye to mark his 68th birthday. Here Senator Adefuye, who was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony, takes the kick-off.

gerian tennis.

When he was at his peak, Maku was feared by foes and respected by rivals as he dominated the Nigerian tennis for more than a decade but yesterday, a bitter tennis lesson was handed down to him by his teenage opponent, who left the Port Harcourt-based oldie reeling in the agony of an early exit from the ATP point awarding and prize money tournament.

Before stepping on the Lord Rumens Centre Court yesterday first round game, little did Maku know that he was about to be given a harsh tennis lesson by Omoile, a three-time Chevron Tennis Master champion, who did not drop any game en route taking the first set 6-0. It took him just 30 minutes to achieve this feat.

If the first set was a mindless performance by the Edostate born tennis prodigy in the making, what happened in the second set which lasted 40 minutes, was something out of this world. Maku raced to a 2-0 lead but Omoile battled back, taking the next six games to announce his arrival as the next big thing in Nigeria.

His victory has raised hopes that a Nigerian player might get into the quarterfinal of future editions of the Lagos Governor’s Cup. He has another match to play today to stand a chance of playing in the main draw starting tomorrow at the Lagos Lawn tennis Club in Onikan.

Nwosu, Emeteole thumb-up Eagles over Afcon ticket

BY EDDIE AKALONU

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X-INTERNATION ALS, Henry Nwosu a and Kelechi Emeteole have expressed delight in the national team’s qualification for the African Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013 despite fears expressed earlier in some quarters.

Nwosu, a member of the victorious 1980 Eagles team said the 6-1 high scoreline was a true reflection of a new spirit in the players and their determination to succeed.

“I praise the determination of the players to win and make Nigerians happy once more and I will also praise the coaches for having a good selection ofv players and a winning plan and I think this marks the beginning of our return to the top of African football should things go well.” he said shortly after the match.

“The scoreline reflects the determination of the players, the way they showed cohesion but more than that, it’s through hard-work among the players and it also reflects high technical input and planning by the coaches,” Nwosu added.

By the same token, Emeteole, who was a member of the 1976 bronze winning Nations Cup squad, said the Eagles were marvelous in their play and attacking moves. I asked questions before the game that who is Liberia that we should shiver over, but thanks to the boys for proving our worth over Liberia with a wide goal margin,” he said.

Emeteole however, threw a word of caution to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, saying “it is one thing to qualify and another to get ready for the competition proper.

The Cup is there waiting but we must get in shape

to compete among other equally determined countries to win it. That means, everybody, the NFF, government, Nigerians and the team must set a goal ahead to work hard if we want to make progress towards winning in South Africa.”

Arsenal Kiddies win Kwara U-16 tourney

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RSENAL Kiddies Foot ball Club have once again proved they a force to be reckoned with in youth football when they emerged the winners of the Kwara Pillar of Sports U-16 Boys competition concluded recently.

Proprietor of the club, Soni Ahamioje, the club defeated Mayor Stars FC 1-0 in the final and with the victory, they have thus become both the Kwara U-16 and U-13 champions.

The team’s striker, Jonathan Abdullahi emerged the competition’s highest goal scorer with five goals and was also voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.

Where are Nigeria’s richest men?

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he Federal Government has continually said that it cannot fund sports alone.

Some corporate organisations once in a while chip in a little but most times they come out only to celebrate with some athletes who manage to win laurels after toiling on their own with little or no support.

Last July, Team Nigeria returned from the London Olympics with their ‘tail’ tucked between their legs. They returned from the Games without a medal, their worst performance since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Nigerians blamed administrators of the National Sports Commission, NSC, for the poor performance. Some even called for the sack of the top echelon of the sports governing body. But the Federal Government which knows that the NSC was handicapped and couldn’t have wrought miracles have only reacted by asking that sports should be shouldered by all, the three tiers of government, corporate organisations and rich individuals alike.

Yours sincerely was going through a London tabloid after the 2012 Olympics and discovered what Great Britain did to move from the disastrous outing at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to the honourable one as host this year.

In the story, I read how a selfmade multimillionaire volunteered to spend £500,000 every year for four years on 20 athletes since 2008 to this year. The result is the handsome outing of Team Great Britain, including the gold and bronze medals by won Jessica Ennis and Beth Tweddle in the heptathlon and gymnastics respectively.

The rich man, Barrie Wells, ironically is the grandson of Ernest Latimer Stones who held the world pole vault record in 1889, three years after the modern Olympics was born. To sustain the feat Britain recorded this year, Wells has called on Britain’s richest men and women to invest in aspiring young Britons so that the Rio Olympics in 2016 will be much more rewarding.

This rich Briton asked his fellow rich one question, that is whether they want to leave all of their wealth to their kids. He wants them to rather spend part of their wealth on sports men and women especially in the minority sports like handball and beach volleyball which were likely to experience cuts in Lottery grants from which most of Britain’s sports are supported.

This is despite the provision of £125 million every year for four years leading to the 2016 Games

by the government. He reasons that since only sports with the best chances of winning medals will benefit from the grant, rich people like him should come out and support the lesser sports to also plan towards the Rio Games.

For the 28 sports Great Britain entered for in the 2012 Olympics, only 11, namely Equestrian, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Shooting, Weightlifting and Wrestling never got corporate sponsorship.

Of the lot that even got support from UK Lottery, Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Fencing, Handball, Synchronised Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting and Wrestling never won any medal.

These are the sports that may suffer the cut in grants that millionaire Wells is already campaigning for ahead Rio 2016.

If one rich Briton could put down £2 million (about N250 million) to support 20 athletes for the 2012 Olympics and is already calling for others like him to join him for the same purpose towards 2016, one then wonders what the rich Nigerians who flaunt their riches every now and then and pride themselves to be on the Forbe’s list of richest men in the world doing with their money.

Apart from individuals like Wells, corporate bodies which supported Team Great Britain include Lucozade, British Gas, Tesco, Aviva and Forsters Friendly Society among many others.

So where are Nigeria’s corporate organisations? Must they only come out to celebrate with the athletes who manage to excel? Can’t they support the government by picking one sport or a number of athletes to support for major competitions beginning with the Rio 2016 Olympics? Our own Dr Daniel Igali was spotted by a Canadian and Canada ‘adopted’ him, fast-tracked his naturalisation, gave him government and corporate support and in six years from 1994 to 2000, he ruled the world in World Championships, Olympic Games in 2000 and the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

Same can be replicated in this country because there are many more Igalis in this country in all the sports we subscribe to. It is not enough for individuals and corporate bodies to roll out drums to celebrate successful athletes, they should equally join in identifying talents, grooming and nurturing them to stardom.

That way, lack of or late release of money by government for sports will be a thing of the past. Then too we will cease to blame administrators, who are always handicapped, for our poor performance in sports. For no father who fails to equip his son for an examination, blames him for failing.

C M Y K

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 14, 2012

Eagles deserve victory – Liberia’s coach

Eagles land in S/Africa, rout Liberia 6-1

BY JACOB AJOM, Calabar

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HE Super Eagles yester day booked their way to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations holding in South Africa with an emphatic 6-1 trouncing of the Lone Star of Liberia at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar to bring back smiles to their teeming supporters who were still seething with anger over their 2-2 draw in Monrovia last month.

The goal rush began early in the match with barely a minute into the game when Efe Ambrose out jumped the Liberian defenders to head the ball, off a Victor Moses free kick, beyond the reach of Sherman Nathaniel in goal for Liberia Moscow-based Ahmed Musa missed some chances to increase the tally after his kicks went off mark by inches but he was on target in the 38th minute when he tapped in Emmanuel Eminike’s cross to make it 2-0 before the break.

Chelsea’s new boy, Victor Moses got a chance to etch his name on the scorers sheet two

minutes after resumption with a low kick. A Liberian defender had cleared the ball to ward off a lurking Emenike but Nosa Igiebor latched on to the ball and put a cross to Moses to do the damage.

Goalkeeper Nathaniel got punished for stopping a goalbound Nosa Igiebor and returnee Mikel Obi was accurate from the spot, sending the Liberian goalkeeper the other way for the fourth goal in the 59th minute.

The Calabar fans, including the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke became ecstatic and intensified their rooting for the Stephen Keshi-tutored lads who were now cruising effortlessly. Keshi had to pull out Emenike for Ike Uche who tried his typical flank runs but his shots missed target.

The Lone Star got depleted after their captain, Gebro Duncan dived during an encounter with goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and the referee handed him a second yellow card and a marching order. A few minutes later Uche made it goal number five for the Eagles with a

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Calabar

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CELEBRATION... Super Eagles players celebrate with John Mikel Obi (l) after he scored the fourth goal from the penalty spot. Photo by: Sylva Eleanya Liberians, ran to the left, looked up before sending a cross for Moses to nod home for the sixth and his second.

The victory sent fans across Nigerian cities jubilating, thumping their chest that once again their darling team would not be missing from the African football party like last year when a last minute equaliser from Guinea ensured that Nigeria’s flag was not hoisted in the last Nations Cup on even number years co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea/Gabon.

shot that brushed off the left post.

With five goals in the kitty, the Eagles took their boots off the throttle, with Moses even having the luxury to jog the ball.

The Liberians were not deterred though and Patrick Wleh outpaced an Eagles defender in the box and hit the ball to Enyeama’s right for a consolation.

That goal could have prodded the Eagles to move up once more after playing to the gallery to the admiration of the chanting fans. Mikel, who got some hard knocks from the

Can Eto’o save Cameroon from Cape Verde today?

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AMEROON Indomitable Lions will be delighted that revered striker Samuel Eto’o is back in the squad after missing the first leg in protest at the national team’s set-up, as they seek to overturn a two-goal deficit as they host little Cape Verde who have a 2-0 advantage today.

The Indomitable Lions’ talisman missed training earlier in the week, but returned on Thursday.

New coach Jean-Paul Akono said: “He had a small knock on

his calf, which led to some swelling.

“The medical staff thought it best to give him a 24-hour rest.

I think those 24 hours did him good since he resumed training and played as if he was not injured.”

Eto’o is back, but one man definitely missing is former coach Denis Lavagane, who was sacked after the first leg defeat.

The responsibility of rescuing the four-time Cup of Nations winners from what would be a massive upset lies with Akono.

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Results

current position of 51.

A large part of the reason for that is the fact that nearly all the Blue Sharks squad are now regularly experiencing high-level, competitive football.

“We now have about 90 per cent of our squad members who are playing at clubs in Europe,”

Cape Verde are on the verge of a stunning achievement, particularly when you consider their population totals about 500,000 people. But football in the islands has been rapidly improving over the last decade.

They have risen from 182 in Fifa’s world rankings to their

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EAD Coach of Lone Star of Liberia, Kaetu Smith yesterday said that he was disappointed over the outcome of the return leg of the Nations Cup qualifier between his team and the Super Eagles of Nigeria. The Super Eagles at the U.J. Esuene Stadium Calabar, Cross River State demolished the Lone Star 6-1 in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Speaking shortly after the encounter, the Lone Star coach said that himself, his players and the entire people of Liberia were disappointed over the result of the match as they had hoped to defeat Eagles in Nigeria.

He said that the Super Eagles played with confidence and deserved to win the match.

He however said that the performance of the Super Eagles in the 2013 Nations Cup would depend on the teams they would be meeting.

Also speaking, the Captain of the Lone Star, George Jebro said that he was disappointed over the red card given to him at the 71st minutes of play and that his team never expected to lose to Super Eagles in Nigeria.

He also said that they lost to a good side though they had in mind to beat the Eagles but attributed the fate that befell them to their late arrival Friday night.

Today’s Matches Angola v Cameroon Niger Ethiopia Algeria

Zimbabwe v Cape Verde v Guinea v Sudan v Libya

said coach Luis Antunes.

“These are professional players who are desperate to show what they can do at the Cup of Nations finals.”

DOWN ACROSS 1. W. African country (5) 1. Classified (6) 2. Run off with lover (5) 3. Nigerian state (6) 6. Lagos masquerade (3) 4. Plateau State people 8. Spannish for ‘friend’(5) (5) 5. Within (6) 9. Ways (5) 6. Rub off (5) 10. Fishermen (7) 7. Nigerian tourist resort 12. Spoilt (7) (5) 14. Big bird (3) 16. Chemical element (6) 11. West African town (5) 13. Yes (3) 18. Spy (5) 15. Niger town (5) 20. Adjoin (5) 17. Snooze (3) 21. Pry (5) 18. Hatchet (3) 22. Surpass (6) 19. Female relative (5) 24. Faucet (3) 23. Speech maker (6) 26. Invalidates (7) 24. Old Russian Kings (5) 28. Esteem (7) 25. Asks God (5) 31. Coach (5) 27. Monarchs (5) 32. Yoruba people (5) 29. Glimmer (5) 33. Message in a bottle 30. Have faith in (5) (1-1-1) 34. Oppose (6) 35. Hate (6) SEE SOLUTION ON PAGE 5

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